Peorth's first instinct, naturally, was to deny everything. She loosely acknowledged Belldandy's attempts to ask her precisely why two Mortal sisters were calling her 'Mom' all of a sudden, choosing instead to take a closer look at the room and everyone within it. With an abrupt flash of recognition - as well as a startled yelp - the house began to look very familiar, as did Nabiki and a girl whose name she now remembered. Akane. Tendo Akane. Peorth made a frantic dive for the lens of Nabiki's camera, which still lay where Nabiki had left it on the family-room table. Unfortunately for her, that was the moment at which another familiar face chose to make his appearance. Of all the members of the Tendo household, Soun had ironically changed the least, she thought as the man caught her tightly in his arms to keep her from escaping. Soun gazed through tear-flooded eyes at her, mouthing the words, "Why, Hiroko? Why did you leave us? Why?" Peorth could only struggle for air and utter a few indecipherable noises. Soun and Genma had stepped into the foyer of the house in time to hear a voice Soun would never forget, filtering out from the family room. At first, he'd attributed the woman's voice... his hopeful belief that his late wife had somehow returned to him, to the fact that he and Genma had just come from an evening of drinking at a local bar... a night which would have been longer had Happosai not made an appearance. More than one person could share similar voices, right? Some people even turned their talents in the field of impersonation into a line of work. But why would anyone want to mimic his Hiroko's voice? Didn't they know how much the absence of his wife pained him? All of his doubts left him when he heard Akane and Nabiki speak a single word: "*Mom*!?" Somehow, his beloved Hiroko had come back to him... and he would never let her disappear from their family's lives again. "Why... did you leave us, Hiroko?" he repeated in a cracking voice. Urd, seated the closest to Nabiki, grabbed the camera and set it in her lap so that Peorth wouldn't be able to use that route of escape for the moment. "......Why......?" "Please, Mr. Tendo." Soun turned his head to see that Ranmira had come to stand behind him. "Release her and we'll find out." Ranmira switched her gaze to Peorth. "You won't run away, will you?" Peorth hung her head in resignation. Hiding the truth from Mortals wasn't difficult... but from other Goddesses? That was a different story. Kami-sama? Forget it. It wouldn't be too long before word of the shortcuts she had taken reached Kami-sama. "No... I won't." An Aa! Megamisama / Ranma 1/2 Crossover Instruments of Change Part Four written by Mike Koos ------------------------ "In other words, my son has been carrying a Goddess within his body for his entire life," Genma concluded in a less-than-pleased tone of voice. For Soun and Genma's sake, the Goddesses and Keiichi had been reintroduced and Ranmira's story re-told. After a simple display of power from Skuld and Ranmira, Akane and Nabiki had finally convinced the two fathers that their guests - excluding Keiichi - were honest-to-goodness Goddesses. What seemed to be displeasure had risen in the elder Saotome after taking a seat at the family-room table and listening to everyone's stories, and those who knew the man were aware he was liable to make his feelings known at any time. He fixed Ranmira with a stern glare. "Your presence within my son is not tolerated. You will leave him at once." Urd and Skuld were quick to rise to their sister's defense. "You have no right to--" "Hey, you--" Calmly, Ranmira held up a hand to restrain them. "He does have a right to worry. Mr. Saotome?" she asked. "May I speak to you privately in the dojo, please?" "Are you afraid of speaking to me in front of witnesses?" Genma challenged, assuming the stern glare and folded arms he normally used to intimidate others. What better time than now to see if the routine would work on a Goddess? Ranmira stood and walked around the table to where Genma sat. "Not at all. I merely wanted to talk to you about..." She leaned closer to him and whispered the remainder of her words. wondered Nabiki. What kind of secret was Ranmira helping the old man keep? Everyone wondered if they had just seen Genma turn pale - after all, the man spent most of his time outdoors as a panda, making the task of getting a tan difficult at best. Genma immediately shot to his feet. "On second thought, I will allow you to speak to me privately in the dojo." "Thank you," Ranmira said in response. They left the room together. Akane frowned. Why was Ranmira being so civil toward Genma after admitting the man had been the root cause of several of Ranma's problems? "What was THAT about?" "Who knows?" Urd shrugged... though Nabiki had a suspicion all of the Goddesses knew *exactly* what Ranmira had chosen to discuss in private with Genma. "Is that guy always like that?" "Urd!" Urd offered Belldandy a smirk. "What? Can I help it if the guy doesn't really make himself likable?" Genma stood six feet apart from Ranmira on the floor of the dojo, his muscles tensing as though he expected her to attack him. Though... if she *truly* wanted to fight him, he figured his martial-arts knowledge wouldn't mean much against the powers of a true Goddess. Better, then, to keep the girl talking. "Now, then. What does this have to do with Nodoka?" Saotome Nodoka, his wife. At this point in time, he wouldn't have minded forgetting she even existed for a while. Ranmira met his gaze. "As you are aware, my presence within Ranma, and the fact that you have a son, are due to the wish Nodoka made. I cannot leave Ranma until that contract is fulfilled." "You don't get it, do you? I ordered you to leave my son, so you must leave. Now. I will not have any girl turning my son into an embarrassing weakling." The Goddess' eyes narrowed, her expression darkening somewhat. "You have no authority to break the contract, Saotome Genma. Only the individual who made the wish has the ability to decide that. Why don't you discuss this with her?" There was no response, so Ranmira continued. "I know it isn't the thought of your son becoming well-mannered that scares you. You have told Ranma many times how his improper behavior shames you." Okay, so perhaps she was taking Genma's words a bit out of context. The longer she could keep Genma from arguing, the better. "But you should be aware that you have caused a fair amount of damage to your son's life. Fortunately, it can be reversed if you so choose." "You... you won't do anything? You won't tell Nodoka--" "I am here to see that the wish is fulfilled. If I see that you are taking steps to repair the damage done to Ranma, I will not interfere, as it is not my place." Genma released the breath he had been holding. The wish this Goddess had granted his wife was becoming the easiest of all the contracts he had to contend with. Ranmira saw this. "If you do nothing, however, I *will* take action - and I will start by bringing Ranma's mother back into his life." "You can't do that!" blurted Genma as he again turned pale. "We made a pact... she will demand that we give our lives to--" "Are you sure of that, Mr. Saotome? Do you truly believe a mother will be so quick to kill her only child?" Silence. "Or you? She married you, and despite any faults you might have had, brought your son into the world. Nodoka loved you then, Mr. Saotome. Don't be so quick to assume that she will want you and Ranma to forfeit your lives now." Ranmira hoped. Human nature could be one of the most difficult factors in the Universe to second-guess, even for a Goddess... Genma's voice had become quiet. "You haven't told Ranma or anyone else about Nodoka, have you?" "Only that she is the one who made the wish. I'm leaving the task of resolving your 'problem' with Nodoka to you." Her speech concluded, Ranmira walked toward the door that led back into the house. "Wait!" Genma's sudden cry caused her to hesitate. "Yes?" "If you are a Goddess, can you remove the Jhusenkyou curses Ranma and I carry?" Ranmira's expression fell. She paused. "I... can't. A curse is a punishment one brings upon him or herself by his or her actions. The only person who can neutralize a curse is the person suffering from that curse." It was the elder Saotome's turn to appear crestfallen. "I see." he mused, Urd brought her head up as Ranmira and Genma returned to the family room. "So?" she put the question to her sister. Everyone was already watching them, wondering if Genma had somehow managed to talk a Goddess out of doing her job. That, Urd doubted. Ranmira settled back into her seat. "We have an agreement," she said, calmly... with a quick glance at Genma, who looked nervously back at her. "Ah." She didn't want anyone to know it, but Urd was proud of Ranmira. The 'old' Ranmira would likely have had difficulty dealing with someone who was as overwhelmingly sure of himself as Genma. "Well, now that that's out of the way..." There was a bemused quality to Urd's eyes as she turned her attention to Peorth. "Would you mind telling us why these people believe you're their mother?" Peorth sighed. What chance did she have of keeping this secret from Belldandy or her sisters? "...Because I am their mother." After a short pause, she added, "Sort of." "Sort of?" Nabiki said, voice suddenly hard. "How can you 'sort of' be our Mom?" "I... never meant to hurt any of you," stammered Peorth. Nabiki bit her lip in a half-hearted attempt to keep her temper from rising to Akane's usual levels. "Oh, sure!" She directed Peorth's attention to the head of the table, where Soun sat - following the exchange. "I'm sure you know how emotional Dad can be! Do you know how Mom's death affected him?" "I do. I'm so sorry..." "Not good enough." "Nabiki." It was her father's voice. She saw how desperately he was trying not to cry. "I want to hear what she has to say." No one, least of all Soun, was entirely sure how well Nabiki had taken her mother's passing. Kasumi had shut herself in her room and cried. Akane had done the same, alternated between outbursts of anger. Nabiki, on the other hand, had taken the pain she felt and locked it in an obscure corner of her mind... choosing to put on a show of strength for her family. She felt that her mother wanted them to continue on, not spend the rest of their lives wishing she hadn't died. Eventually, each of the Tendo sisters had taken up a path they believed would help their family to survive. After a while her cool, calculating mercenary act became habit... and few saw Nabiki's other side from then on. The oldest of all the Goddesses present began to tell them her story. "I was assigned by my Goddess Relief Office to offer a wish to a Mortal woman named Tendo Hiroko." Nabiki sat straight in her chair. "So you're *not* our mother." Belldandy politely cleared her throat. "Let her finish, Nabiki-san." "Unfortunately, before I found Hiroko... she was involved in a car accident." If there was any sadness in Peorth, Nabiki was basically ignoring it. "I remember." No one had quite expected Soun to use such a strong tone, given his emotional state of mind. "We had just learned that Hiroko was going to be a mother for the third time..." At this, Akane uttered a quiet gasp. "...and then, there was that dreadful accident." He studied Peorth's face. Except for the fact that the Goddess appeared younger than Hiroko and had a curious trio of symbols or markings adorning her face, she still reminded him very much of the woman he had loved. "But... she made a miraculous recovery, and Akane was eventually born without any problems." Akane wondered if the sadness she was seeing in Peorth was true. But if Peorth did lie, wouldn't Ranmira and her sisters immediately know it? Better yet, would *she* be able to tell? "When I arrived... Hiroko was... dying." Peorth stopped to take a hesitant breath and a quick look at the faces of those gathered at the table with her. "I told her who I was, and offered her the wish." "What did she wish for?" Akane asked, curious. The Goddess shook her head. "She could have wished not to die at that point in Time, or that her wounds weren't actually critical. But instead... she pleaded with me not to let her child perish with her. That you, Akane, would live and grow up to be a strong young woman." "Sounds like Akane, all right," Nabiki quipped as everyone watched her younger sister blush. "But that was when Mom was only one month pregnant with Akane or so, as I was told. And Mom *did* survive the accident." "I'm afraid she didn't. See, yes, Hiroko was a little less than one month pregnant at the time. For Akane to survive, she would need a mother. I was there, and Hiroko looked a lot like me, so... I volunteered to take her place as Akane's mother and let Akane develop as a part of me for the next eight or so months." Akane's eyes were threatening to widen well past their limits. "Why would our Mom look like you?" Nabiki wasn't sure if she liked the sudden appearance of what seemed to be vanity in Peorth's description of her mother. Peorth shrugged. "Huh? Oh, something called 'Vanity of the Gods,' I think. Someone once figured a long time ago that it would be a great idea if occasionally Mortals were blessed with the physical appearance or other traits of one or more Gods or Goddesses. Maybe to serve as a reminder of all of us, or to keep us humble or something, I guess." A brief laugh escaped her lips, restrained as it was. "You know, Belldandy, Hiroko's eldest daughter Kasumi reminds me a lot of you." "Really?" blinked Belldandy. "How so?" Peorth stared at her in disbelief for a moment. "Um, I'll tell you later." Sheesh, at least the Mortals had picked up on that one right away... "Wait - are you saying that..." Soun drew a breath and started anew. "Are you saying that when Hiroko recovered from her accident, that was you? My Hiroko... *died* from that accident?" He was one step away from breaking into the worst flood of tears he'd shown in years. To think that Hiroko could have passed away a little over half a decade before they had all believed... The dark-haired Goddess shrank in on herself again. "I'm sorry." She let her gaze drop to the table before her. Considering what she was about to tell them, it was an advisable precaution to take. "...Once Akane was old enough, and it was evident she'd grow into a strong young woman, it was decided that Hiroko's wish had been fulfilled. I was instructed to move on." "And our Mom had to die again." Nabiki's voice. Before she could reply, Akane's voice intervened. Her infamous temper was starting to show. "You mean that whole time Mom - *you* - were dying of cancer, that was all just an ACT!?" "Please, Akane-chan - I had my orders! I certainly didn't want to hurt you," Peorth cautiously brought her head back up. For a second Akane faltered, seeing her mother's face and hearing Tendo Hiroko's voice in Peorth. She briefly recalled a few of the home movies Dad had filmed when she herself was too young to remember. Picking a carnation for her mother only to trip, skinning her knee... and crushing the flower underneath her. She remembered her mother comforting her. Drying her tears and telling a younger Akane that she wasn't disappointed; she would love her little Akane no matter what... <"I love you very very very much, Mommy!"> <"How much, Akane-chan?"> Young Akane threw her arms wide. <"This much!"> A laugh. <"Oh, Akane-chan..."> <"I love you, too."> Well, whoever had played the part of her mother for the first handful of years of her life had done an exceptionally wonderful job. Akane's thoughts returned to anger. She had never been able to know her true mother - merely some Goddess *pretending* to be her mother! And not only that, Peorth had probably been playing with her emotions the whole time! <"I love you, too."> Ha! If she'd honestly, truly cared for any of them, why would she fake her own death and leave them? Akane had cried herself to sleep for who knew how long a time after the funeral... and now, all that had been rendered a wasted effort. "Yeah, right! But you went ahead and hurt me - *us* - anyway! Some mother YOU are!" Akane spat, shocking the remaining four Goddesses. "Akane!" She turned to look at her father. "Don't defend her, Dad! She faked her own death and ran out on all of us! So what if she's a Goddess? What she did was MORE than a little inconsiderate!" Peorth exhaled. "I know I deserve that. If this is what you want, Akane-chan... I'll... I'll respect your choice." A sudden realization flashed through Skuld's mind. She wasn't sure if she liked the possibilities... so far, she'd seen two wishes turn out considerably different than what she would have normally expected. Who was to say that this third wish wouldn't end up with similar results? "Obaasama," she prodded. "When you were pretending to be Mrs. Tendo, did you take the form of a Mortal, or did you just disguise yourself?" "I... just disguised myself. Why?" "The other day, I saw Akane produce a hammer out of thin air, so to speak," Skuld told her, matter-of-factly. Her sisters started, but it was Ranmira who finally spoke. "I thought only we could really do that?" Noticing the blank stares she was receiving from the Tendos and Mr. Saotome, Ranmira figured she should explain. "Each of us always has a debugging hammer--" "A 'debugging' hammer?" interrupted Nabiki. "It's a long story. As I was saying, each of us always has a debugging hammer of our own which we can call for when we need it, if necessary." With everyone's eyes watching her, Ranmira held a hand out at arm's length away from the table and willed her debugging hammer to appear within her reach. The hammer blinked into existence with little fanfare. Ranmira's hammer resembled the hammer Skuld kept strapped to her back for immediate use, except the head and base were a plain red as opposed to Skuld's magenta tones, and the jewels adorning the base of Ranmira's hammer were sapphire, not amethyst. She willed the hammer to leave her. "That's what I thought. But Akane can do it, too," Skuld replied. Akane resumed her slight blush as the others shifted to look at her. "And when you said that you carried Akane for eight months... I'm not sure, but it looks like Akane *might* possibly be a demi-goddess!" Soun immediately fainted, prompting Nabiki and Akane to run to catch him before he landed... and a curious stare from Skuld. "Oh, dear," said Belldandy. Urd smirked. "You got that right." "You mean... that because I..." Peorth blanched. At once, she knew she was bound to be in a lot more trouble than she had originally thought. "Idiot!" she berated herself. "You just HAD to go and cut corners, didn't you? Now I'm *really* gonna be in for it..." Akane helped Nabiki rest their unconscious father upon a pillow on the floor. "I... don't understand." "If I'm right, not only do you have the genetic material of your father and true mother within you, Akane-chan, but Peorth-obaasama's as well! That means you might have inherited powers or abilities from her, or have the potential to become a Goddess, yourself!" Skuld's explanation only succeeded in setting Akane's mind to swim. "I think I'd better sit down." She made her way to one of the seats at the table and fell into it. "Good idea. Don't go anywhere. I'm going to go get my bio-scanning equipment so that we can find out what kind of genetic reading you have!" Leaving Akane with an uneasy smile, Skuld leapt into the koi pond and vanished. Akane was no longer sure what to think. She had only today learned that due to a wish made by his mother, Ranma had a recently-reawakened Goddess with him, acting as part of his conscience. She'd met five Goddesses, in fact... including one who had substituted herself for Akane's mother for a time. And now, there was a chance *she* might be a Goddess as well... Without making a sound, she drew out her faithful old wooden mallet and idly cradled it in her free hand, unaware that Ranmira was watching her from the opposite end of the table. The business end of the mallet was well-worn, the wood rounded and turned back at the edges. Her mallet had seen an incredible increase in use after Ranma's arrival. Okay, maybe Ranma hadn't deserved all the poundings she'd given him with the mallet, but she knew that her 'weapon' was always there when she needed to use it, and when she became frustrated or angry the temptation to solve her problems by mallet-force was hard to resist... If she *was* a Goddess, surely they wouldn't want her to run around malleting people in the face. No, wait... they probably wouldn't want her to do that no matter *what* she turned out to be. How could she be a Goddess? Surely she didn't meet any of the qualifications. She had her own set of shortcomings like other Mortals. Wouldn't her sisters make better Goddesses than her? Like Kasumi, for example. Kasumi reminded her of Belldandy, Ranmira's older sister. Nabiki may have been somewhat mercenary-minded, but she could react better under pressure than Akane *and* was smarter, in Akane's opinion. Either of them would be better-suited to the role than her, she told herself. What kind of Goddess would *she* be? Would she follow in her 'mother' Peorth's footsteps? Her fingers subconsciously tightened around the mallet's handle. She felt the presence of someone's hand resting on her shoulder. Akane thought, the name feeling odd to her as she gazed up into the young Goddess' face. She was looking into a familiar face and seeing someone other than the person she would expect there - although this wouldn't be the first time. Even if Ranmira had been... 'sleeping,' would her presence explain Ranma's apparently charmed life? "Akane-chan," the red-haired Goddess spoke in a calming voice. "I'm sure everything will turn out well." "You're just saying that." Before Ranmira could respond, Skuld emerged from the koi pond lugging what bore a strong resemblance to a floor vacuum-cleaner with a square monitor bolted to it. She wheeled the device toward Peorth first, holding the head of the 'vacuum cleaner' a few inches from her. "In order to get accurate results, I need to scan you first, before Akane." Peorth didn't object. "Right." Her statement lacked her usual energy. Within seconds Skuld had scanned Peorth's entire body and moved on to her next patient. "Now, don't be afraid, Akane-chan," she enthused while bringing the scanner into Akane's line of view. "I'm just going to run a few scans..." Skuld took her time in scanning Akane, as opposed to the relative speed of Peorth's scan. Akane remained absolutely still the entire time; this had suddenly become the most important test of her life. After the scan was finished Skuld tapped a short sequence of buttons below the monitor. "All we have to do is wait for the results, and--" She was interrupted by a loud chime from her scanning unit. smirked Nabiki. Urd peered over her youngest sister's shoulder at the monitor. "Well?" Skuld read the whole of the readout before answering. "These results say that eighty-four percent of her genetic material has been influenced by Peorth-obaasama's! Akane, you definitely have the potential to become a Goddess." Both Akane and Nabiki were overwhelmed by the news. Mr. Saotome was pretending to maintain his usual level of indifference - though anyone who looked directly at him would be able to tell otherwise. "But what... does this mean?" Nabiki inquired. "That she has to start her training and evaluations right away!" Akane's eyes widened. "What? Why?" "Akane, at the very least, it wouldn't be right to allow a person with your potential to roam freely without the knowledge of how to control your powers," said Ranmira. "I can understand that." Akane shot a glare in her sister's direction. "What do you mean by that, oneechan?" "Think about it." Nabiki adopted a knowing feline smile that made Keiichi wonder for a second if she had any relation to Urd. "You've got probably the worst temper I've ever seen. And when you get mad..." Akane opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. She rearranged herself in her chair so that she sat fully upright. Her cheeks reddened. "Not to mention that any powers you have could very well be corrupted for use by the Darkness," Skuld thought to add. "We have to have a guarantee that you won't use your powers for any such purpose." Nabiki felt the need to stand by her sister's side. "What if she can't guarantee that?" This sounded suspiciously to her like an 'all-or-nothing'-type deal... "Most likely, it will be decided that Akane has to be genetically restructured to remove Peorth-obaasama's 'influence' from her." She'd been right. Nabiki glanced down at Akane. The girl did resemble Peorth, somewhat... "That'll change her into a completely different person!" The thought caused Akane to swallow hard. Urd's face became solemn. "That's the worst-case scenario. Believe me, it would be dangerous to everyone and everything if we were to allow a rogue Goddess to run around unsupervised, and I doubt you'd want to see your sister become a demon, right?" She wasn't about to tell either of them of her experience with these possibilities. "You're right. I wouldn't." The telephone rang. "Allow me to get it," Ranmira shifted modes almost immediately as she walked over to the phone and answered it. "Moshi-moshi, Tendo residence......" She paused. "Yes, sir. I am. Thank you." Ranmira motioned for Peorth to come to the phone, nodding once. "......But sir, I didn't know at the time," the apologetic Peorth spoke at last to the person on the other end of the line. "Yes... I'm aware of the problems this causes......... Yes, sir." Sighing wearily, she handed the receiver back to Ranmira. "I... have to go now." None of the Goddesses offered a word to stop her. Peorth followed a straight line through the doors that led out to the garden, acting as though she had just been condemned, where a golden column of light lifted her into the heavens amidst a gale force of swirling winds. For some reason the scene made Akane think of Ranma's Hiryuu Shoten Ha technique. She noticed that Keiichi was watching the last traces of Peorth's column vanish into the sky, not knowing that it reminded him of the time when Belldandy was about to ascend to the heavens and leave him forever. He silently thanked his luck that they'd been able to turn that situation around - for he didn't know what he would do if Belldandy were to be removed from his life. Would he be able to go on? Keiichi doubted he would take his own life. No, he might simply exist for the rest of his years as a thin, pale shell, feeling nothing but depression or regret. His true love was now his motivation. Akane thought as she heard him sigh. "I understand. Thank you, sir." Ranmira set the phone's receiver back on its base. "Who was that? Your boss?" Ranmira smiled. "Yes. That was Kami-sama." "*Kami-sama*!?" both Nabiki and Akane blurted out in unison. In response, the Goddesses nodded. There were still a terrible lot of things in the Universe to be surprised by, Nabiki decided. For example, that the most important deity of all had just used the *telephone* - of all things - to contact the Goddesses working for Him rather than any means she might have thought Kami-sama to use. But then... she recalled Keiichi had said something about Belldandy speaking to him over the phone before she came to offer Keiichi his wish. Obviously, they used telephones when necessary to avoid attracting attention to themselves. From what she'd seen of Keiichi and the Goddesses, they could attract a *lot* of attention. Not unlike a certain group of martial artists she knew... "Skuld, Akane?" Ranmira was saying. Blast, wasn't she supposed to be paying attention? "They would like the three of us to report to the Central Evaluation Center as soon as possible." "M-me?" stammered Akane. Nabiki propped herself against the table. "Don't worry, Sis. Mr. Saotome, Kasumi and I'll make sure Dad's okay and take care of everything here." She glared in Mr. Saotome's direction. "*Right*, Mr. Saotome?" Genma reluctantly agreed. "But... but it's not just that I'm worried about!" "You'll do fine, Sis. Now get going. You wouldn't want to keep Kami-sama waiting, huh?" The terrified look on Akane's face increased in intensity. "I'm going to meet K-kami-sama?" she near-whispered. It took an incredible amount of will to keep from fainting right then and there. Kami-sama. Even if she didn't pass the Goddess tests or whatever they were going to put her through, she would have to meet Kami-sama eventually... wouldn't she? "Oops," Nabiki blinked. "Maybe I shouldn't've said that. Oh, well." Akane continued to fret until Ranmira approached her. "You really do have nothing to worry about, Akane-chan. Everything will turn out well." "Yeah, well, *you* don't have anything to worry about! My life is changing before me! I might become a Goddess, and sooner or later I'm going to have to m-meet Kami-sama--" "Akane, you are a martial artist. Correct?" She wondered why Ranmira would ask her that question. "What does that have to do with anything?" "Ranma would not be frightened, were he in your place." Akane froze. "I'm NOT scared! I'll show you!" She strode out into the yard. "That was rather sneaky of you, oneesama," Skuld grinned. "You had better be careful, though, or you'll turn out like Urd." "I *heard* that," their eldest sister said, dryly. Ranmira had to laugh. "Well, you three had better get going. They don't like it at the Center if you keep them waiting," Urd deadpanned. Skuld wondered if perhaps there was a dual meaning to her sister's words. She chose not to worry about it. "Okay, okay. C'mon, let's go." The two younger Goddesses joined Akane at the place where she stood in the yard. "Are you ready to go, Akane-chan?" asked Ranmira. "Yes." Ranmira situated herself to Akane's right, Skuld the left-hand side. "Now... I want you to hold on tight to us. Don't let go. Okay?" ".........Okay." As soon as the word passed her lips, another column of golden light and swirling winds enveloped them. Akane barely felt any of this except for the odd sensation that told her they were steadily floating upward. She fought hard against the impulse to cast a glance down at the ground to see how far above it she happened to be. Akane knew that the Goddesses would not let her fall, but leaving the ground to float an unimaginable distance into the sky was a good way to inspire someone to reconsider their fear of heights. From her yard far below, Nabiki watched her sister disappear into the heavens. A low groan came from somewhere within the yard. "Huh?" Nabiki impulsively glanced toward the hole Ranmira had blasted in the property wall. She noticed a dark shape lying on the ground there... "He's still here!?" Belldandy was the first to react to Nabiki's outburst. "What's the matter, Nabiki-san?" "It's Kunou," she answered. "He got zapped when Ranmira knocked the sword out of his hands. I thought he'd have recovered and left by now, but he's been here all this time." "Oh, dear," Belldandy said as they caught sight of the slightly-charred Kendo swordsman. Nabiki shrugged. "Oh, he'll be all right. All the fighters around here get hurt like this all the time, and all of them heal really fast. I guess Kunou-chan heals about as fast as it takes him to get the point." "Now, Nabiki-san, that wasn't nice," Belldandy admonished her. She closed her eyes, repeating the words to a familiar spell. Nabiki felt her jaw drop; the damage to both the wall and Kunou rapidly undid itself before her eyes. Kunou sat up and warily rubbed his temples. When had it become night? "Tendo Nabiki," he addressed the more familiar of the two faces standing above him. The other was an attractive, yet older woman somewhere in her twenties, he guessed. One of Nabiki's relatives? "What fate has befallen me?" Nabiki shook her head. "Oh, Kunou-chan... don't you know not to mess with ancient, magical weapons?" "Truly, you are never amusing." "I sure hope so. You know, you've missed out on quite a lot." Kunou responded with a dull stare. Good - he was back to normal already - whatever that was. How would he react when he learned that the two young women he considered to be Goddesses essentially *were* Goddesses? (...to be continued...) ------------ Author's notes: I'd like to go ahead and apologize now for any out-of-character behavior in this series. ^_^ Also, for anyone who's wondering, Instruments of Change takes place somewhere before volume 22 of the original manga, in which Nodoka was introduced. Credits: Written by: Mike Koos Prereaders: Richard Beaubien, Kevin D. Hammel, Jonathan Ng, Shadowmane, Tom Williams, David Wills With apologies to Takahashi Rumiko and Fujishima Kosuke... Also, special thanks to Christopher Angel, Louis-Philippe Giroux and Ed Little for all the help they've provided, as well as the readers of this series. 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?