Amaterasu had followed Cologne back to the Nekohanten, a reluctant Ranma in tow.
After Cologne had dealt with the few foolish enough to try to eavesdrop on their conversation (her great-granddaughter being one of those) and the rabid dog named Akane, the goddess, the amazon matriarch and the young cursed martial artist had started talking around a nice cup of herbal tea.
"It's a very good tea. My compliments..." commented Amaterasu after a few sips.
"Why, thank you. It's my special blend, directly imported from my village. I'm glad you like it"
Ranma drank silently, not daring to speak. After seeing Kuno being incinerated several times for his foul mouth, he didn't want to tempt Fate. His training in martial arts tea ceremony and Kasumi's own recipe had at least taught him to appreciate a good cup of tea.
"So, miss Amaterasu, how did you get engaged to Son, er..., Ranma here? Did his father steal from one of your temples?" asked a curious Cologne. She had only caught the end of the whole incident from when the aasimon had appeared.
"No, nothing like that... Though there are a few minor kami who haven't had that chance" The fact that these had been all local spirits saved Genma Saotome from divine retribution. Their power was tied to specific locales and the portly master of Anything Goes never stayed in one place for long "Ranma was granted a wish in compensation for all the curses he bears in life. He wished for, I quote, 'Grrr... I wish I had at least ONE fiancee who'd be nice and listen to me and would actually help me in situations like this!'. And here I am..."
"Er... Yeah, sorry about that, really... I wasn't thinking when I said that" babbled Ranma "I don't want to force you or anybody to marry me or something..."
Amaterasu smiled "I am here by my own free will, Ranma. So are you or you wouldn't have made that wish" She frowned "Am I not good enough for you?"
"Ha!? No! No! Not at all!" yelled Ranma, his arms doing a windmill impression "That's not it! On the contrary, I'm not good enough for ya! You're a goddess!"
"That's sweet of you, Ranma, but you shouldn't lower yourself like that. You are full of qualities. A few faults too but these can be worked on"
Ranma was panicking. This wasn't in the script. A fiancee was not supposed to be this nice and understanding "I'm sorry, but I can't, okay... I have enough fiancee problems to want to drag you in them too. Honor..."
"If this is about the Saotome family honor and other entanglements of the same kind, I already have a solution. I can ask Nori-chan to clear that mess"
"Excuse me but who is this Nori-chan?" asked Cologne.
"Emperor Norihito, my several times-removed descendant. Although the emperor of Japan has lost all temporal power since 1945, he remains the final authority on Honor in this country. No japanese family worth its name would dare question his word on the subject"
Ranma blanched. Involving the Emperor in his problems!? Quick, he had to find a reason to break his engagement with her.
******
Ranma had tried all kinds of arguments to convince Amaterasu that being engaged to him was a bad idea. The goddess had patiently listened to him and refuted all of them. Apparently, Amaterasu was no longer the easily intimidated wallflower the legends had depicted her to be.
On the other hand, having a fiancee listen to him like this was pretty nice.
Amaterasu and Ranma had left the Nekohanten with a promise from Cologne to restrain Shampoo and Mousse for the time being. The amazon elder would rather avoid attracting the wrath of the gods on her family and village. In exchange, Ranma would try to be nicer to his amazon fiancee. Equal chances and all that...
For Ranma had wished for a nice fiancee, not a nice wife. Meaning he was still up for grabs. But he would have the final say in who he would marry, thanks to Amaterasu's help.
"Look, Ranma! Here it is!"
Ranma turned his head in the direction his divine fiancee's finger pointed to. It was an old shrine that looked deserted "Yes?"
"This is where we'll live from now on. Let's go!" Amaterasu dragged him inside. The sun seemed to shine more brightly on the shrine, making him look much more beautiful and impressive all of a sudden.
Reclaiming an abandoned shrine was a task any deity felt compelled to do. As an added bonus, Amaterasu would get a base of operations for the duration of her stay on Earth. And it followed the story of Belldandy and Keiichi too!
"HUH!?!" Ranma's response to these news was predictable. He turned to stone as his imagination got the better of him.
"Of course, it doesn't look like much now but with a bit of work, it'll turn into a beautiful home for the two of us. There's even a dojo on the side for our martial arts practice!" Amaterasu ignored Ranma's predicament and continued to tell all the wonderful things they would do in their new 'love nest'.
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See other episodes by Jamil Nate
(Posted Tue, 23 Dec 2003 00:58)
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