"I..." Ataru begins.
The phone rings. "Moshi-moshi, Tampopo's Ramen and...!" Tampopo answers it, then blinks. "Ah! Peorth-chan, it's you! What can...? Eh?!" she stops as the other end responds, then nods. "Okay, I see. Yes, yes, that's understandable. Alright, then...!" her voice trails off, then she blinks. "Her?! Alright, send her into my apartment. Hai, ja ne!" she hangs up.
"Your friend from Asgard, Kamekichi-san?" Sylia wonders.
"Hai. Someone's coming here to give us a hand. Excuse me a moment."
Tampopo heads into her apartment. "Sylia-san, what's going on here?" Nene stares at the Sabres' leader.
"It's..." Sylia pauses, then sighs. "Very hard to explain, Nene-san. Um, Sensei, shouldn't you get dressed?"
Sakura jolts, then instantly blushes as she realizes what she just did. Quickly scrambling to get her clothes back on, her cheeks flame even more as Chigaiko's laughter echoes through the room. Ataru shakes his head as he pinches the bridge of his nose, then jolts as a faint but brilliant flash of energy bursts from Tampopo's rooms. A moment later, the chef returns, someone else in tow.
Everyone gapes at her. Dressed in a simple white, sleeveless gown that wouldn't look out of place in classical Greece, she has the tanned skin many natives of that country had as a birthright. With black hair down to her waist and glittering brown eyes, she also bears three blue diamond-shaped tattoos on her face, on her forehead and under her eyes. Further, there is a sense of calm serenity over this woman, one that instantly grabs the attention of everyone else in the room, even the frantically-dressing Sakura. "A goddess...?" she gasps.
"Megami?!" Linna and Nene exclaim together.
"Yes," she replices, her Japanese fluent, though with the slight trace of an accent. "My name is Clotho. I'm a first-class goddess of the past, unlimited. Kami-sama dispatched me to grant one of you a wish."
Stunned silence, then Manami stutters, "Y-you mean, you're a real...?"
"Yes, Manami Sugihara, I am."
Yuu's and Manami's eyes widen to the shape of saucers, matching the stunned looks on Linna's and Nene's faces. Sylia remains neutral, though her eyes do show the strain of what Clotho's appearance is pulling on her mind. Chigaiko, Ataru, Sakura and Tampopo remain calm, the nurse quickly redressing herself. "So you're here to give a wish to someone, right? To Sylia-san and her friends?" Chigaiko asks.
"No, not to them, Chigaiko Inu," the Greek goddess of the past shakes her head. "They're not native to this dimension."
"So who gets the wish?" Yuu wonders.
Clotho smiles, then gazes on the lone man in the room. "Why, Ataru here does, Yuu Nanase."
Silence.
"M-me...?" Ataru stammers, then drops to the floor.
Everyone stares at him. "Gee, he took that really well, didn't he?" Chigaiko mutters...
Moments later, Ataru is revived, then with Tampopo placing a supportive hand on his shoulder, starts to think...
(Posted Thu, 23 Jan 2003 06:06)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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