Afterlife: Densetsu no Akane [Episode 14613]

Akane pondered this seriously.  It wasn't some decision she could take lightly... she'd have to live with it, literally, maybe for all eternity...

She wasn't very tempted to become some kind of cat-girl or cyborg.  Maybe she was clinging too much to her former self, but whatever new powers a different form could gain her, she guessed there'd be some disadvantages thrown in, maybe too much for her to bear.  She had enough experience seeing mixed curses or dubious blessings around Ranma, whether with Jusenkyo or the Nekoken.  She even had a taste of this with the Herculean strength soba... if she had heartily abandoned this power just so it meant she wouldn't grow whiskers, she wasn't ready for worse.

Yes, as though this could sound prejudiced, she wasn't eager to become some freak of nature.  Most of the time, she tried very hard to be a normal girl – even if her martial arts, her inability with feminine undertakings, and her temper often ruined that.  Also, this would somehow feel like cheating.  She'd always wanted to be recognized for her own prowess and potential, and not borrow them from magic or some undue trick.  That's why she agreed (reluctantly) to give up on the Excellence Battle Dogi when Ranma had begged her....

This memory, however, triggered something.  Even if it had been a magical boost, the Densetsu no Dogi had made her feel more powerful and free than even before.  She remembered that the artifact was supposed to bring out her full fighting capacity – even if it was something she'd take dozen of years to reach in real time.  Now if she could reach that hidden potential, by herself rather than through an enchanted piece of cloth....

"Hum... could I have my former body back... but with some little alterations?"

Scratch nodded. "Well, it depends on what you call 'little alterations', but yes, we could do that.  What do you have in mind?"

Akane took a deep breath.  Not that it helped any, since she was dead and didn't need air any longer, but it was the intent that mattered.

"I'd like to have my former body back... just...."

Akane thought about it a little more... she realized that at sixteen, she was still on the petite range (compared to her sisters), and her growth was probably not entirely finished.  Maybe it wouldn't be that a great idea to be stuck as a teenager for eternity.  (She wasn't even thinking about her hormonal imbalance or immaturity here, it was more of a lucky inspiration.)

"... older... I mean, mature... fully grown-up, but in prime physical shape, and..."

Akane had always refused to let Ranma's barbs and insults about her lack of figure or feminine charms get through her, and damage her sense of self-worse.  She didn't realize Ranma had indeed done that, feeding her insecurities to a certain extent, but yet not much compared to what it could have been with a more sensible girl.  Akane became, thankfully, rather thick-skinned when it came to the attacks of her jerk of a fiancé.  Still, some tiny winy ameliorations wouldn't hurt, would they?

"And... err... a bigger..."

Akane's face got flustered.  This shouldn't even be possible for her since she was, rightfully so, pale as a ghost right now, but she still managed it.

"A bigger bust... but just a little bit bigger... nothing fancy... and... smaller hips... not too small, just what could be considered a nice figure..."

Scratch nodded again, as Akane's spirit became redder than a tomato.  Another idea struck her, and she added:

"Oh yeah, longer hairs too... back to what they were just before Ryoga cut them...."

She always somehow missed her long mane.  She didn't care any longer than Ranma found her cute with short hair, that bastard *killed* her for Kami-sama's sake.

"And finally... I want the level of martial mastery I enjoyed when I was wearing the Densetsu no Dogi... but this time, coming from myself, and not from any supernatural help... is that possible?"

Scratch pondered this a bit, and answered: "It should be... if you had asked for a martial art talent outside the limitations of your previous life, it would have been trickier, and probably linked to serious drawbacks... but this sounds like a wise choice."

So, the Rival Relief Office started working on Akane's new body.  They deemed that they could easily use their wish-granting software for this, Akane's demands being close to what she truly desired, without being too selfish or unreasonable.

Akane watched in wonder as a speck of light materialized in her spectral form, at the level of her womb, and emerged.  Floating in the air a few feet from her, it became brighter and brighter, looking like a miniature star, until it formed an almost blinding halo surrounding a darker shape.  Inside, Akane could distinguish what looked like an embryo, which expanded to become a fetus, then a baby, then a child, and continued to grow in shape and age before her eyes.

How fast was this accelerated infancy, how long did it take, she couldn't tell. The process may have lasted a few seconds as well as taking many years – time was flowing at a different speed in the afterlife, and was largely subjective.

Akane blushed again, as she contemplated the now adult body.  It was, naturally, still naked from the initial phase of creation.  Conforming to her desires, the Rival Relief Office did grant her a nice, well-formed body with all the right curves in the right places.  Neither perfect nor astoundingly beautiful, but certainly an attractive woman.  She was still recognizable as Akane, but older; closer to Kasumi's size and shape, though much more athletic than the eldest Tendo daughter, without being overly muscular.

Then the light recessed and the skin began to lose its eerie, alabaster-white color to slowly turn into a more natural pinkish hue as heat flowed through it.  Blood similarly irrigated all the internal organs, pumped by a recently beating heart.  The mouth opened, and the first intake of air filled the lungs.  Akane felt like a newborn breathing for the first time, and she noticed at this very instant that her spirit was indeed inside the body!  She had missed the transition, only suddenly realizing she was living again.

Amongst the godlings monitoring the revival, a female angel looked intently, then frowned, then glared at a colleague nearby, crossed arms, taped a foot on the ground, and then finally brought her fist hard against the skull of the offender. The male demon groaned, rubbed the back of his head, but finally gave up leering and taped a key, sending the final touch of the process that he had been delaying longer than necessary.

In the blink of the eye, the now fully formed Shin Akane was covered with a hugging, form-fitting black-and white outfit similar to the aforementioned Densetsu no Dogi.  This one had none of the powers or sentience of the original, however, just a few minor, standard enchantments deemed useful for her future assignments.  It was also looking pretty darn good, on the side.

Akane swap to a standing posture and carefully landed on her feet, the levitation spell finally dissipating with her first movements.  She tentatively tested the balance of her new self, finding she should get used to it very fast.

"Oooh... it feels so good to be alive again!" she said, stretching her arms as if waking up.

"Well, not exactly alive, Akane-san... you still belong to the afterlife, and can't go back to Midgard unless on a special mission.  For the rest, however, this body will act just as a living one... which mean you can feel pain, you can be hurt, and even killed again.  You may not think it's that great after a while." explained Scratch.

"Nevermind." shrugged Akane. "Okay, now I guess you could tell me more about those 'labors'.  What is expected of me?"