Hild sat across from Kami-sama as a small smirk crossed her lips, “You cheated.”
His reply was came with an aloof certainty, “Oh, I was under the impression that one is one of yours.”
The demoness frowned, “and how did you come to that conclusion?”
He slid several translucent blue papers across the table, “That one’s actions have created more unhappiness than your average official agent. She works for her own pleasure and goals. Seeing as how she isn’t employed by any official heavenly agency you can hardly say I cheated.”
She thumbed through the file he slid across the desk. It detailed an obscure patron goddess of thieves. A troublemaker at best, at worst a vindictive goddess with a competitive streak a mile wide Laverna’s official file contained few actual notes. Several complaints loosely attributed to her however, with a file with so few complaints there were also no commendations or other letters of accomplishment. Hild frowned as she read the technical classification, Underworld Goddess, a polite term for a demon. She closed the file, “Seems like a very thin dossier.”
He sat calmly across the table and related a few of his insights, “Laverna plays by her own rules and from what has been gathered, she stays mostly out of sight. The few cases of her appearing on the radar are few and far between.”
Hild’s reply was icy and direct, “Yet she seems to generate as much happiness as a category three goddess.”
“Her actions are her own. Without flagrant violations of free will or the destruction of the universe what you do with your people is your business.”
The grand demoness humped as she set the blue file down. It promptly dematerialized returning to the central files. Hild considered, it had been a while since she and he really had a good bout of playing politics. Perhaps it would be fun. The despair caused by Ranma’s death would send several souls her way as compensation. She locked eyes with her eternal opponent, “You realize she is trying to change things.”
Hild already knew his reply it very rarely changed, “Aren’t all my children changing things?”
It was the second sentence that startled her, “That one still has many things to do.”
<.;..;.>
Skuld watched as the mischievous goddess left through a window. Urd was attending to Ranma’s resurrection and Belldandy returned to what ever she was doing before the commotion interrupted her. She followed the middle sister back into the kitchen, “Why did you agree to help that demon?”
A small smile crossed her lips, “She is not the bad sort. Your anger is misdirected.”
The younger sibling complained, “She is a thief. She steals lives and souls. The things she does are terrible.”
Belldandy shook her head, “Are you saying Ranma doesn’t deserve a chance? You could have just clipped the thread and that would have been the end of it.”
“No, she, that isn’t.”
A small shrug came from the middle sister, “And that is my domain, the present. She is here and in need of help. You allowed her a future but it will be shaped by his the present.”
The younger goddess insisted, “But sister, she is evil.”
Belldandy went about her task as she talked with her worried sibling, “She often steals to give the rest meaning. I see two issues one is Ranma and the other is Laverna. Do we punish Ranma for the crimes of another that she has never met before today?”
Skuld shook her head. She expected this kind of logic from Urd not Belldandy. She mumbled to herself knowing that Ranma was probably just a pawn in some twisted game Mara had cooked up.
<.;..;.>
Urd carefully considered her subject as she mixed the various components of her potion together. Just reading the file of Ranma Saotome had been painful. Fortunately now she had to write her own bit on that same file. The vial of condensed magic was a bit suspect. Of course this was a thief she was dealing with so it was best to just do as she asked and be done with the whole affair. Resurrection was a complicated affair even for a goddess. It often required vast stores of energy and time. Magic condensed into that form would have taken her years to create and did not store very well. Ironically finding a loophole in the contract binding the youth was an easy matter. Exploiting the loophole would be another matter. The young soul known as Ranma Saotome would not ever be able to leave the temple if she remained Ranma Saotome. Some how she knew either Laverna or Hild would see to that. Perhaps the condensed magic was designed to help alter Ranma in some way. Urd carefully narrowed her thoughts, paranoia and speculation would do little good at the current juncture. The puzzle was a welcome diversion from her punishment or prolonged vacation on Earth. Besides messing with the young hero would be must more amusing than the normal banter with her youngest sister.
“Can’t you make me a boy again?” A non-corporeal Ranma asked a bit perturbed.
Urd’s eyes narrowed, “Goddesses are not to be trifled with little one. I have reasons for remaking you as you are.”
“Yea probably yer own amusement.” The red head scoffed.
She fought back the desire to sneeze and moved within striking distance of Ranma. Part of her really wanted to resurrect the soul as male but there were several complications to the situation. Urd directly replied, “How exactly do you stop being Ranma Saotome, son of Genma Saotome? That soul is property of hell, forever damned for the price of a single technique. Set one foot outside of this temple as Ranma Saotome without a guard and the wolves of the Daimakaicho will descend on you.” She flippantly changed the direction of the conversation, “What color do you want your hair to be?”
Ranma rolled her eyes then gave it some thought, “Blond.”
Urd raised an eyebrow at the decision, “Going to suffer though blond jokes?”
She quickly issued with a smirk, “You seem to like it enough.”
“I do not have blond hair.” Urd replied with a bit of an edge, “Keep it up and you may just end up with some bits of male anatomy.”
The once living martial artist quickly shut her mouth. Being one or the other was bad enough. She did not want to deal with that kind of complication.
“Most blond girls I know of here are taller than a meter and a half.” Ranma continued keeping an even analytical tone, “If I gotta be a girl I don’t wanna be short.”
With a small adjustment to her expression Urd looked at the spell she was planning, “Perhaps a new look will go a lot further in separating you from your old identity than I believed.”
Again the girl found herself contemplating a great and terrible thing. Even if she was saved from the pits of Niflheim she chose an unknown. What would resurrection entail? Priests and monks often lectured her on the after life and the trials that would follow. It was painfully clear that she could no longer on the charted path. Her thoughts constantly warred over the choice. Did she trade a painful cage for merely an uncomfortable one? She watched as Urd poured the vial of condensed magic Laverna gave them into the brew. As the fluid dispersed into the murky, brackish water it solidified into a mercurial substance defying description and logical perception. The potion finally settled in form as it poured it’s self into the nearby basin, “Take a look is the form suitable?”
Carefully approaching the basin she did not know what to expect. Cynicism gripped her thoughts as she moved forward. Half expecting some cow of a girl to be in the reflection Ranma prepared for the worst. A foreigner appeared in the reflection. Perhaps half Asian, half European with other influences peaking through. The blond haired girl stood about one hundred and seventy centimeters tall with a long mane of braided hair and a nicely toned body. She wasn’t sure if it was a tan or just naturally dark skin but it looked good. Ranma looked over the creature in the mirrored surface and wasn’t sure how to think about it. The girl definitely wasn’t pure Japanese. Part of her felt betrayed by that. She was supposed to be part of a noble family. Her noble family had her brutally murdered. Ranma took a moment to find a better perspective. Exotic was perhaps the most positive adjective she could come up with.
Before her musings could go any further Urd interrupted, “I had to leave some of the Japanese in it but I thought it was an alright compromise. Granted you don’t have the bubbly beach girl personality to go with it but we can work on that.”
“If looks could kill…” Ranma growled out. Being the play thing of the higher powers was really rubbing her today.
“Yes, yes, I’d be a greasy smear of a goddess on the floor right now.” With a small shove Ranma was forced face first into the reflective surface. The metallic liquid quickly latched onto her face. Reflex told her to cough and expel the foreign substance away from her face. She struggled for a moment but Urd’s grasp was unbreakable and the liquid just seemed to stick to what ever it touched. It felt worse than dying. Well she really didn’t feel anything at all when she died. So maybe it was an understatement. It felt worse than fighting the cat fist training. Thousands of tiny cuts filled with bacteria and poison covering her body came close to describing the current pain.
A growling voice ordered Ranma, “Stop squirming damn it. Let the potion do its job.”
The martial artist found her spirit unable to move. She could feel the substance bonding to her soul slowly forming the bits that would be her. The potion quickly finished its work a tanned and toned body with a long braid of blond hair jerked upright. Ranma then collapsed limply into Urd’s arms. She carefully maneuvered the limp body to a nearby futon she set out in preparation.
<.;..;.>
Several hours later Ranma awoke from the dreamless sleep in an unfamiliar room. She blinked several times and focused on the ceiling. Slowly ordering her thoughts taking stock of the situation she analyzed the situation. She could feel the lumpy futon under her. She could ‘Feel’ again not just things she forced herself to feel either. The lumpy pad, the coarse blanket and the massive headache made her cry out, “Oh man that hurts.”
A loud painful moan escaped her as she sat in the dark. Death was far more comfortable than rebirth. The door opened and light poured into the darkened room Ranma cringed again, “Too bright.”
A male voice quickly apologized, “Sorry, Urd told me to bring you this once you woke up.”
Ranma looked at the plate and the glass. Many would consider water and two white Aspirin tablets pretty harmless. Ranma did not, “What is it?”
Fortunately Keiichi understood being apprehensive around Urd’s concoctions, “Water from the tap and Aspirin from the store.”
She nodded and moved into a sitting position. After taking the two pills and clearing her throat with the water she smiled, “Thanks, feels like my head is going to burst.”
“I um ah hope it doesn’t.” Keiichi meekly offered, “I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Ranma raised an eyebrow to that, “Much experience with exploding heads?”
“Ah, no.” Keiichi decided that discussing Urd would probably only increase the guest’s head ache, “I’m Keiichi Morisato welcome to the Tarikihongan Temple in Chiba prefecture, Tokyo, Japan.”
A hearty laugh escaped Ranma, “A goddess resurrects me as a gaijin girl but only moves me across town.” She laughed some more, “I’m bein’ rude again. You can call me Ranma. Sorry to impose on your family shrine.”
“It’s alright. Belldandy and I are only taking care of it while the monk is in India.” Keiichi stood up, “Urd left a robe for you. Its um, I put a pair of my sweats by it too.”
The resurrected youth really didn’t know what to make of the statement. So she just nodded as he left. It took some time before she even attempted to stand. Everything about her body was different again. She looked at her hands and frowned a bit. Smooth unmarred skin without any healed fractures under the surface screamed inexperienced. These things could be remedied in time she reassured herself. Ranma forced her self out of the bedding and over to the clothing. Ranma looked at the silk purple robe Urd had left her. It was short. In fact it barely covered more than a dress shirt. She probably had a few Gis that were longer than the robe. Part of her just wanted to put on the robe and go out and get some food but walking around half naked would most likely be rude some how. Etiquette and modesty some how seemed to suddenly matter. She pulled on the generic sweat pants and the over-sized shirt. They were a lot warmer than the flimsy robe anyway. Not that she would ever admit to something as feminine as being cold.
She slowly made her way to the kitchen. No one had really given her any directions so she just explored. About ten steps into the journey reality took a turn from being merely odd to flat out strange. A wheel of cheese darted across her path. A tiny male voice proclaimed, “Oh the clan will eat well tonight!”
A tiny female voice chided, “We eat well every night.”
“But, its Smokey Blue cheese.”
The cheese turned corner and Ranma decided to follow it. What hungry martial artist could resist the lure of a cheese? Quickly turning the corner Ranma just managed to see the cheese disappeared into a wall. She noted the oddity and calmly moved to the place in the wall where she last saw the food. Starting her investigation at the floor she slowly came to the conclusion that something was just not right with the wall. She stared at the section of wall for some time before anyone interrupted her. She reached past the illusion and slid a door open.
A tiny voice cried out, “Oh no! The ninja rat hide out has been compromised.”
“Hey I thought we agreed on mouse ninjas.”
The two bickering ninjas were slapped in the back of their heads, “We’re being invaded here you morons!”
“Kill the invader!”
Ranma’s eyes went wide as she saw the various miniature ninjas produce swords, shuriken and other blunt and sharp objects. She had to admit that even if the tallest was only ten centimeters tall they sure had guts. The resurrected blond quickly replied, “Don’t kill the invader.”
One of the masked ninja called out, “You have discovered the hidden stronghold of the Ninja Mice. You must die!”
“Oh yes the great and terrible invader has discovered the secret of the third door on the left” Skuld continued her melodrama, “but, perhaps her life could be spared with an offering?”
A tiny brave voice challenged back, “And just what do you have to offer tinkerer?”
She held out a box of crackers.
Eyes darted back and forth and nods were exchanged among the ninja mice. One darted away from the group and into a nearby tent. He then came back and more nods and whispers were exchanged. A taller one replied, “The invader may live leave the crackers at the door master builder.”
Skuld placed the box of crackers just inside the door then slid it shut. Ranma looked over at his host, “What was that about?”
The goddess shrugged and led Ranma away, “This place tends to acquire guests. The ninjas used to be mice and rats that a certain” She trailed off unsure just how much to reveal about Mara, “lets say rival decided to ‘prank’ us with.”
“So pet ninja mice then?”
A bit of hesitation came from Skuld, “Pet is a bet derisive. They are as guests just like you are. Don’t mock anything until you really understand it.”
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(Posted Sat, 10 Oct 2009 18:18)
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