Ranma sat at the small table in the dining area. Her former life as a Saotome had been over for several months now. That life had been interesting, but she realized that it was not her own. Reflecting on Ranma Saotome, Son of Genma Saotome she wondered about her current life. In between her lessons with Urd, helping Skuld or going to work with Belldandy she found herself acting differently. New concerns, habits and preferences seemed to have crept into her personality. For the most part she didn't mind the changes. The little bonuses like better hand writing and understanding calculus made things easier. Other changes were a bit more difficult. When Belledandy asked what she wanted her new name to be she froze up.
Keichii and Megumi had taken a liking to her in their own ways. Keichii treated her as a fellow comrade in the chaos that was living with Skuld and Urd. He was a nice guy and didn't ask much of her. He was extremely happy that she was pulling her own weight when she could. He helped her often with her normal studies and encouraged her to get into college as soon as possible.
Megumi treated her as a potential recruit. She was doing her best to make sure the softball team had the perfect ringer for the coming semester. It was weird how Megumi had mistaken her for being Belldandy's younger sister. Skuld decided to tease her about that and what became know as the movie theater ice cream incident. The cheeky goddess took every opportunity to remind her that they were family now and she had to treat her little sister to ice cream.
When Ranma looked in the mirror she could almost see the relationship. The hair and the eyes were what set it off the most. Yet when she looked past the obvious, she could see the little details poking through. It was slightly unsettling. The Jusenkyo curse left her with the feeling that this was her as a girl. The only relationship her new look had to either of her old ones was it was at least half Japanese. She didn't have Nodoka's hair or Genma's nose. She wasn't their kid anymore. Ranma really didn't know how she felt about that. This sudden detachment had become a great source of anxiety.
Watching Megumi, Keichii, and their friends Ranma realized just how much more she wanted experience. Most people were still just going through the motions till they got their first job out of college. Chihiro had been an interesting person to meet. Straight out of college, she had a job, a purpose and even her own shop. She wondered, “Would Saotome ever have been that successful? Was his mastery of his art a success?” Ranma vacillated on the verdict. Today, she decided that Saotome would never have been that successful. His his life would have probably... Well Saotome's father, fiancees and rivals had killed him. Ranma knew that epitaph too well. She stopped putting any more thought into it. All three goddesses made it clear that she shouldn't dwell and putting distance between the old life was a good thing.
Ranma pushed around the last bits of ramen in her microwave cup. While Bellandy was an excellent hostess she had a life. Keichii's classes, her part time job, and her duties as a goddess out side of the wish, took up most of her time. So Ranma ate like a college student most afternoons. She considered her break in training. Open admission exams for NIT started next week. She could crack open those study guides again. Taking a shrinking potion and sparring with the mice would be fun. Her thoughts stumbled. Ranma's shifted her eyes to the sound of Belldandy walking down the hall. Her eyes lingered on the goddess for a moment. “Um...”
The blue eyed goddess paused. She looked down at the sitting girl. “Is something wrong?”
“You're back early...” She paused wondering why she was taken so off guard.
Belldandy answered politely. “Leaving sake around the shop is usually a bad idea.”
She impulsive asked, “If you're going out again, can I come with you?”
Ranma declined working the morning shift with Chihiro and Belldandy. She wanted to train today but her heart just wasn't in it. She asked her self, “Was it weird that she knew how to change a tire and do the oil on a motorcycle now?” The previous day she had actually answered a question about which oil to put in a guy's bike without even looking it up.
Belldandy's head tilted to the side as she considered the request. It was a simple enough thing. Her day was going to be harmless enough, a few mundane errands and a few blessings that needed to be serviced. A small smile crept onto her lips as she realized what she could do. If anything was to happen she was confident in her ability to protect her. “I don't see any reason why not. What brought this about?”
Ranma shrugged a bit. “Uh...” The blond stumbled as she found herself at a loss for words. “I think I need a break.” She really wondered just what she wanted to take a break from. It wasn't exactly like she was working her self terribly hard. In fact, she had spent most of her time thinking.
With a small nod Belldandy accepted the answer.
“Uh, its just errands and an afternoon lecture right?” Ranma asked a bit curiously.
The blond Goddess gave her a smile. “Two small errands, I need to visit a shrine and pick up a few things for the kitchen. I don't attend Keichii's smaller classes.”
“Alright. Just let me...” Ranma shook her head as she realized she was about to so something very feminine.
Belldandy didn't give her much time to debate the issue. “I'll get you something to wear. Shower quickly, I have an appointment to keep at one twenty.”
Ranma tried to wave her off. “It's alright. I don't need to.”
Belldandy frowned at the girl. “I would really prefer if you did.”
She didn't know why but arguing with herself and a Goddess just seemed pointless. She conceded she didn't exactly smell rosy after her morning work out.
Ranma cleansed her body of her morning exertions. The sheen of her morning exertions came off of her flawless skin. She ran the hair dryer briefly. Her hand combed out the long blond locks. Ranma caught a look of her self in the mirror. The resurrected girl moved quickly. Wearing Bellandy's jeans and one of Urd's tops she paused. Her right hand search the counter top for a hair band. She pulled her hair back with her left. The action was almost a reflex, just like any martial arts move she knew. Belldandy set a quick pace as they left the temple. Her massive hand bag swayed at her side. Ranma could hear the soft jingle of two bottles tapping together.
After several blocks the young woman came to a stop. She looked at Ranma with a bit of worry. “Mrs. Shimizu is rather traditional. Please be very polite.”
“Oh.” Ranma looked at goddess. “Oh... Um... How?”
Belldandy offered her a comforting smile. “Just be quiet and look at her belt.” The middle Norn gave her a cheeky smile. “Girls can get away with just being demure.”
Ranma watched as Bell took a few steps into the yard. She didn't go to the home but rather turned to the right. Seeing a small shrine tucked away in the corner of the yard wasn't that unusual. Watching a foreigner bow down and start saying prayers in archaic Japaneese was a bit more Belldandy. The Goddess burned an offering and poured a glass of sake for the shrine.
A young woman dressed in an elaborate kimono stepped out of the tiny shrine. The two exchanged bows before moving on to small talk. The conversation went quietly for a while. Ranma did her best to be silent and avoid eye contact. Belldandy gently tried to convince the ghost of a woman that her time on Earth was over. At some point the conversation abruptly shifted. The dead woman turned to Ranma. She spoke with an angry voice, “I will not allow that corruption to continue!”
“I what?” Ranma didn't even know where to start thinking about this. Why was this old woman so angry.
The woman's face twisted in rage. “Corrupted blood, bastard child!”
Ranma held her tongue. It wasn't the first time, in either life, that some body had a bone to pick with her just because of how she looked. “Forgive me Mrs. Shimizu I could not choose my parents.”
The phantasm slashed at her with claw like hands. “But you can choose when to die!”
Ranma deftly dodged the ghost's talons. Her eyes narrowed as she felt the ghostly claws trim of an inch off her pony tail. “Please don't.”
“You will address me as Marchioness!” Ranma winced as the archaic term rolled off the ghost's lips. Invisible blades cut at the young girl.
Something snapped inside of Ranma. She died because of people like this ghost. Anger welled up inside of her. She caught the spirit's wrist and gave it a twist. Her voice became steely and defiant. “No.”
Ranma pulled the ghost over to the shrine. She growled out at Belldandy, “Trying to be polite here!”
Mrs. Simizu exploded into a cloud of mist. Ranma darted back and away. Belldandy tossed her a small scroll while giving her a smile. The Goddess of the Present moved back to let Ranma dance with the enraged ghost. Ranma recognized the seal from Urd's lessons. She turned with fluid grace dancing around misty tendrils of hate. She slammed the bit of spiritually charged paper into the ghost's face.
Belldandy popped open an umbrella from her bag. Ranma turned as she heard the sound of cloth pulling taunt. Her head swiveled towards the goddess only to turn back just as fast when she hear the sound of bubbling and hissing. The transparent ghost slowly became solid. Mrs. Shimizu's face began to bubble. Her anger and rage struggled against the heavenly seal. In a silent instant the bubbles stopped. A volatile reaction of holy energy and corrupted spirit energy exploded outward as a sticky mass of green slime. Ranma wiped the disgusting mass of green from her face.
Ranma glared at the Goddess of the Present once again wishing that she could turn one of the Norns into a pile of goo. “I was polite.”
Belldandy chuckled a bit as she wiped a bit of ectoplasm off of her charge.
“You planned this.” Ranma smiled as she wiped her face off.
The blond goddess smiled. “Just a little. I wasn't sure when it would happen.”
“I was polite you know. I did every thing you said.” Ranma rolled her eyes as she pulled a bit of goop out of her hair.
The Goddess wrapped her arm around the girl as she laughed. “You were polite, demure and graceful. You didn't stand a chance.”
She laughed at the situation. At least the gods still cared enough to yank her chain a bit. Belldandy lead her out of the small courtyard. Her errand here clearly at an end. “Well at least the fight was good.”
“You were very graceful.” Belldandy teased her charge a bit. “And now you know how to deal with an unruly class two apparition.”
Ranma slumped down onto the buss bench. She could see the sunlight already dissolving the unnatural mess. She let her long pony tail fall across Belldandy's lap and skirt. The oily residue of the undead spirit stained her skirt. “Am I still Ranma? I mean the first time I left the temple with Urd and Skuld there were things watching us. Are they just loosing interest or am I no longer him?”
I'd say you're very close to no longer being the child of Genma Saotome.” Belldandy brushed out Ranma's hair. “The physical and the soul mix with each other. As they mix they adapt to each other and change.”
Ranma nodded as she relaxed in Belldandy's lap. “It seems like every step I take away from Genma, I take a step closer to your family. Is it weird I called Skuld little sister yesterday? I mean I wasn't teasing or anything it just rolled off my lips.”
Belldandy stroked Ranma's hair coaxing the slime into the light. The sun had evaporated the bulk of Mrs. Shimizu by now. “Not at all. We've been encouraging you to join our family for your safety. Skuld doesn't often go out of her way to ask for help even when she needs it. Urd doesn’t take on apprentices lightly.”
Ranma teased, “What about you?”
“I let you into my kitchen don't I?” Bellandy pulled Ranma's long mane of hair back into a pony tail. “I take you on long romantic walks where we end up fighting unruly spirits.”
The blond blinked as she came across a revelation. “You tease me. You don't tease anybody else.”
“Ah...” Belldandy giggled as her secrete was revealed. “I never saw the appeal Urd had in teasing Skuld until I met you. It is quite fun.”
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(Posted Sun, 23 Oct 2011 08:18)
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