The Son He Never Was
---------------

by Florencio B. de la Merced, Jr. (fmerced@pworld.net.ph)

A Fanfic inspired by the anime/manga Oh My Goddess!, created by Kosuke
Fujishima, and Ranma 1/2, created by Rumiko Takahashi.
---------------

Chapter 1
---------

Keiichi didn't know what he hated more, packing for a trip he never
planned, or being told to pack for a journey he never dreamed he was
obligated to undertake.  Unfortunately, nothing in his life was a simple
'yes' or 'no' anymore.  Ever since he had met the goddess Belldandy, his
life had been filled with...in his best description, weirdness.  He missed
those early days when it was up to him to decide what he wanted to do.
Ever since he left his parents to go to college, he was on his own.  But
that all had changed now.  Though, in his heart he wouldn't ask those
times to return to him.  Why? He had Belldandy, that's why.

"Are you finished packing, Keiichi?"  The warm soothing clearness in her
voice was more than enough to calm Keiichi from his battle with
pre-journey stress.  Belldandy entered his room as she would usually do,
and Keiichi was powerless, anyway, against her.  "We must leave as soon as
possible.  It's a long journey to Nerima."  Her sincere smile was melting
away the rough and stone cold feeling Keiichi had about the trip.  "Is
something wrong?"

"Bell, it's not that I'm questioning you or something," Keiichi stared
into the deep dark hazel eyes of Belldandy, "but, what are we supposed to
do there?  You still haven't told me."  The goddess only smiled in
reply, like she did the first time he'd asked that question.  "You...don't
know either?"

"Oh, you know me so well, Keiichi."  Belldandy teased Keiichi's ears for a
while before leaving him to finish his packing.

"Ah...darn.  If I'm going to Nerima, I might as well pack right."  Keiichi
opened his suitcase and threw out the junk he had collected in there all
morning and proceeded to gather some of his clothes and utilities.  He
thought he might get some homework and projects done during the weekend so
he stuffed most of his pending drawings into the suitcase as well.  "Three
days.  What are we supposed to do there in three days?  There's no beach
there."  He packed his swimming trunks anyway, just in case.

-----

Ranma stayed for the most part of that afternoon standing out on the terrace
window of his mother's hospital room.  He was thinking and that small place,
isolated from the rest of his family and friends by the sliding glass panel,
was what he needed.  More than a breathing room, it was a space for him to
reflect.  His mother almost died because of him.  The glass door slid open.
Akane asked him to come inside.  "I'll stay here a bit more." was his
answer.   The door closed, but Ranma felt he wasn't alone anymore.

"Are you thinking about this guy that Doctor Tofu mentioned?"  Ranma was
honestly surprised by the question.  He had almost forgotten about that guy.
Akane joined him at this side, overlooking the tree line and rooftops of the
surrounding buildings.  "I'm sorry you had to . . ."

"That wasn't on my mind, Akane."  Ranma leaned over the ledge, his arms
crossed over the railing.  "I've been . . . thinking.  That's all."  Akane
was curious and concerned as well.  Ranma must have sensed it, so he laughed
instead of making her worry.  "Funny, right.  Me.  Thinking?"  Akane laughed
along.

"Ranma, Akane?"  Another voice echoed through the glass door.  It was
Akane's sister, Nabiki.  She was motioning for the two to return inside the
room. Akane begged off, motioning herself that she was enjoying the time
alone with Ranma.  Nabiki grinned, but slid the door eventually.  "I know
you two like being alone, but Mrs. Saotome is calling for you guys."  Ranma
quietly entered, with Akane following suit.

Nodoka, a bit weak because of her injuries, yet still full of life as
everyone had known her, motioned for Ranma to come near her bedside.
"Ranma, is it true?"  Ranma would like to ask what his mother was talking
about, but seeing that his father cowering on the other side of the bed made
him realize that his mother was asking about his curse.

"Yes, mom.  I have this curse."  Wham!  Before Ranma realized what was going
on, his father fell on the floor.  Hard, from the wickedest bokken strike he
had ever seen thrown by a woman, even that of Akane's mallet baps.  "Ulk!
Um.."  His mother was screaming at Genma, the root of all the evils that had
come in his past.

"Genma!  You fool!  How could you do this to our son?!"  Everyone else took
a step back as Nodoka still had the bokken in her hand.  Genma was out cold
so Ranma had to do the talking, hoping his mother would understand.

"Mom, it's alright.  I've grown used to it."  Nodoka faced him, teary eyed
by the display of strength her own son is showing.  "I'm fine, really."

"Oh, Ranma.  I wish I never had let you on that training trip."  Nodoka
hugged her son, her tears couldn't be stopped by Ranma's reassurance that he
was perfectly fine or accustomed to his curse.  "No, Ranma.  I should have
never allowed your father.  I shouldn't have."

"Mrs. Saotome.  Please relax, you are still not well."  Kasumi had the
motherly touch everyone needed right now.  She persuaded Nodoka to lie back
in bed, and for her to forget most of her present troubles.


Soun helped his friend up from the floor, but by the looks of things, he
need his own separate bed, if not a separate room too.  Nabiki made the
arrangements, though she wasn't the least bit relieved that Ranma's father
had finally gotten what he deserved.  Maybe because she had to fix him his
own hospital room too.

Ranma sat down, picking up a magazine but he wasn't really trying to read.
And everyone knew it since the title was upside down, but no one bothered to
remind him.  He was going through a lot lately, being responsible for his
mother's almost death, being told that he may not be Nodoka's son anymore,
and that news of his curse had finally reach Nodoka.  All in one day, he
sighed thinking.

A knock and then the door opened.  A rather young looking nurse, complete in
uniform and an accompanying tray of medicine, begged everyone to leave the
room for her to do her duty.  Everyone didn't see anything wrong, and
everyone left as asked.  Ranma just looked back before the door closed
behind him.  "She's kinda young too be a nurse?"  Akane asked him, though he
wasn't really paying attention to the nurse, but more to the patient inside.

-----

Keiichi brought his single luggage out of the house and placed it on top of
his motorcycle's sidecar.  He waited for his companion to come out.  But
when Belldandy appeared at the doorway she had a most disturbing question.
"Kei, have you seen Skuld?"  Something about a missing juvenile goddess
loose in Japan made Keiichi's hairs stand on end.

"What?  You mean she's not inside the temple?"  That got Keiichi thinking.
In fact he recalled Skuld unusual behavior since yesterday.  He had chanced
upon Skuld inside her room hacking away at her computer, but for some
particular reason she was being very secretive about it.  "I'll go look for
her around the temple, Bell."  He strolled around the premises, but nothing
unusual turned up.

-----

"Mrs. Saotome, I've come to give you some medicine."  The young nurse had to
bring a stool near the bed to get to Nodoka's head level.  When Nodoka
opened her eyes, she saw a young girl with long black hair that had a whiff
of it rising up on top.  Strangely though, the nurse had this circular
marking on her forehead.  "Mrs. Saotome.  Please take this medicine."

Nodoka sat up, taking the little cup to her lips.  "Tell me, are you really
a nurse in this hospital?"  Instantly the nurse turned away, Nodoka took it
as if she had just been insulted or something.  "Oh, I'm sorry.  I wasn't
trying to be rude.  Its just that you look too young."

"Oh, really?  Well, my sisters tell me that.  But I should know better."
Skuld planted her hand over her mouth.  She tried her best, but she almost
slipped that time.  She just smiled at Nodoka, playfully adjusting her
nurses cap and the lapels of her uniform as she waited for Nodoka to finish
drinking the medicine she had just given to her.  "Thank you for the
compliment, Mrs. Saotome."

She stepped down from the small stool, and that really spooked Nodoka.  Not
only was she young, she looked like a child from where she was lying.
Nodoka couldn't believe that the hospital would let children work as nurses.
But the medicine's effect was kicking in, and soon Nodoka fell fast asleep.

Skuld flexed her hands, feeling terribly uncomfortable in her disguise.  It
was the smallest she could find, but she still had a few more inches
allowance, so she had used a lot of pins just to keep it from falling. Not
even her tall shoes were useful.    "Ah, why did I agree to this?"  She
reached over her back, her debugging staff magically appearing out of
nowhere.  "Well, I'm in this so deep now, might as well try and fix
everything before somebody finds out."  The end of her staff lit brightly
and it started to discharge on the floor.  "I hope Belldandy doesn't find
out."

Slowly an image was being drawn on the floor.  Skuld figured she had a
minute or two more before she finally finished the basic plan.  Then she'll
have to ... The door slowly opened, much to her surprise.  Like lightning,
Skuld removed her staff.  And as the  person coming in had the chance to
see what she had been doing she stomped and smudge the plans off the floor.
"Ah!  Who is it?"

"Um.  Oh, nurse.  There's a doctor here who say she wants to see you."
Akane stared at Skuld.  Even with her disguised, Akane somehow suspected
that she was really too young.  And her dress didn't even look like it
fitted her.  She wanted to ask, but the doctor barged herself in.  "Oops."

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Miss...Tendo right?"  A tall woman, in some pretty sexy
white robes came through the door.  "Please stay outside while I see the
patient now." Rather irked by the situation, Akane muttered something that
only her own mother was willing to forgive her for.  "Pretty please."  She
finally calmed down, realizing that she didn't want to start any kind of
trouble, especially when it's Ranma's mom was affected.  "Thank you.  Oh,
and please no interruptions."  When the doors closed, Urd turned to the
rather shocked but relieved little goddess.

"Well, what's the status?"  Urd walked over towards Nodoka, inspecting her
health and condition. "We better move fast, she's going to go under if we
don't hurry."  Bright flashes of light filled the room.  When she turned
around, Skuld was busy making the drawing, at full force of her staff this
time.

"I was halfway through the basic plan, but you had to interrupt!"  Skuld
grounded her teeth.  Obviously not enjoying the work she's doing.  "I wish I
never listened to you!"

Urd walked over to her little sister, staring at the work in progress.
"Don't talk like that.  I merely tried to help!" The room went dark, Skuld
took off her shades and looked up at Urd discontentedly.  "Um."

"Helped?  Helped?  If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be in this mess at
all!"  Urd motioned to Skuld to stop wasting time and continue to set up the
debugging ward on the floor.  Skuld muttered something but obeyed Urd.  The
room was filled with the flashes of electrical streaming light, the sound of
burning silicon, and the heat of Skuld's anger.

-----

"Bell, I can't find Skuld."  Keiichi entered Bell's room.  He accidentally
interrupted a brief meditation ceremony Bell was undertaking.  Somehow she
was talking with someone, with authority perhaps, Keiichi reasoned to
himself as Bell failed to react to what he had just said.

Keiichi knelt down, waiting for Bell to come back.  A minute passed before
the goddess finally stirred.  She looked alright, so Keiichi didn't have to
worry.  "Oh, Keiichi.  Have you been waiting long?"  He wasn't so they
walked out of the room together.  "I finally know where my sisters are."
Keiichi thought she was talking about Skuld.  "Urd and Skuld are already in
Nerima.  Isn't that nice of them?"  The thought that first came to Keiichi
was why?  Urd and Skuld combo in Nerima, and they surely must be up to
something.  Usually nothing good, but he hoped that wasn't the case.  "Well,
Keiichi?  Don't you think that my sisters were nice to have gone to Nerima
ahead of us."  An unsuspecting 'yes' was his reply.  "I knew you would like
this.  You and me, taking the drive to Nerima all by ourselves."  Bell
grabbed his arm in a show of affection.  Keiichi winced, realizing he failed
to pick that one up.  What was he thinking?  Was he really worried about Urd
and Skuld?

"Kei, can we pass by the bay?  I love to see the sea today."

"Sure, anything for you, Bell."

-----


"Pop, are you alright?"  Ranma stood at the foot of his father's bed, a safe
distance from his arms that he had expected would have slapped him
immediately.  Unfortunately, Genma had a pan underneath the covers.  Ranma
grimaced as the flying disc caught him by surprise and the sound of it upon
impact on Ranma's face was more like crushed metal that would leave it's
imprint forever on cement.  "Oww!  What the hell did you do that?!"

"You ungrateful son!  How could you do this to me?!"  Genma's head was taped
all over like a fresh mummy from Egypt.  His eyes were bloodshot red, and
his arms clenched in anger.

"Well, what do you want me to do?!  Lie to mom, again!  After what I did to
her! No way!  Not anymore!"  Soun broke the fight, Akane had to help or her
father would have to share the room too.

"Come now, boys boys."  Nabiki muttered from a seat in one corner, a
newspaper hiding her face.  "I wish to let you know that this room is
courtesy of Dr. Tofu, so don't even think of making poor Kasumi unhappy."
Everyone looked at Nabiki, even Kasumi.

"Oh, my.  Nabiki, why do you say that?"  Now everyone looked at the eldest
of the Tendo sisters.

"Gee."  Nabiki turned a page, never intending to answer her older sister's
query.

-----

End of Chapter 1

-----

Please C&C
You know what?  I've been pouring a lot on Ranma fics these three days, I
better get back to TM, EVA and El Hazard before I become sick again.

Status:

TM - The Secret of the Past - In a week or two, or after Manatsu no Eve
comes out.
EVA - Hmm?  No series idea yet.
El Hazard - The Legend of El Hazard - Before the week is through.
Ranma - In My Life - Huh? After doing miserably at the Ranma 1/2 voting, why
should I? (Oh, so Ok. It's 33% complete, so what?)

Until the next installment.