Ah! My Goddess is owned by Kosuke Fujishima
Ranma 1/2 is owned by Rumiko Takahashi


For the Love of a Mortal
-------------------------------
by Anand Rao

Chapter 3: Back to School
______________________


Belldandy's eyes snapped open as the alarm clock on her desk started
buzzing.  She yawned as she sat up, blinking the sleep from her eyes.   She
stepped out of bed and turned off the alarm clock before donning a thick
cotton robe.  She had set the alarm quite a bit earlier than usual.  She
was not used to preparing breakfast for two, and usually only ate toast and
fruit in the morning.  She did not mind the extra work however, and wanted
to make Ranma a good breakfast.  

She quietly exited her room and walked down the empty hallway.  She paused
as she stood in front of Ranma's room.  (I wonder if he's awake.  Do gods
even need to sleep?)  She decided to gently knock on the door.  After
getting no response, she decided that he was most likely asleep.  She
backed away from the door, but did not walk away.  After a few moments of
hesitation, she slowly opened to door to the room and looked inside.  

Her heart lurched and the blood drained from her face when she saw that his
bed was empty.  She closed the door and quickly ran down stairs to the
bathroom, anxiously knocking on the door.  As she was once again greeted
with silence, she opened the door and found the bathroom empty.  Steadying
her breath, she calmly backed away and walked into the kitchen.  (Was- was
it all just a dream?)  She wondered sadly.  (Was I so-,)  her thoughts were
interrupted the opening of her backyard door.  She quickly walked towards
the door and was relieved to see Ranma toweling off his sweaty face and
arms as he closed the door.  

"Oh, uh, Sorry did I wake ya?"  Ranma asked, noticing Belldandy.    

"Uh?  Oh!  No, I was- was just about to make breakfast," Belldandy replied. 

"Great!  I'm starved!"  

"What were you doing out in the backyard?" Belldandy asked with a smile.

"I was just working out, doin' some martial arts stuff," Ranma replied.  

"Martial arts?"  Belldandy queried as she re-entered the kitchen.

"Yeah, I've been training all my life," Ranma replied, following Belldandy.

"Is it a hobby or something?"

"A little more than that," Ranma replied wryly, "remember, I told ya that
I'm the god of Justice.  That job requires me ta fight every once in a while."

"Don't you gods use magic or something?"

"Some do, my elder sister uses magic all the time.  My younger sister, on
the other hand, uses technology.  Skuld loves to build things.  She's
probably the best engineer around," Ranma paused, and leaned towards
Belldandy, "don't tell -her- I said that, she doesn't need any more
encouragement."  

"So you just. . . fight?"  Belldandy asked.

"I'm kinda like a general, Belldandy.  I get involved in some of the
battles between heaven and hell, and occasionally have to put some upstart
demon in his place.  Sometimes, I have to do that to a god too," Ranma
finished quietly.

"I- I thought you were some kind of a judge or something," Belldandy
commented.

"A judge?"  

"Yes.  A judge makes sure that justice is upheld," Belldandy explained.

"Oh!  Yeah, well, I guess it's sorta like that, but I rarely get involved
with events on earth, unless of course a demon or renegade god is involved."  

"It sounds dangerous," Belldandy said in a small voice, concern etching her
face.

Ranma laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Don't worry about me!  I
can handle anything!"  He said confidently.

Belldandy smiled and shook her head.  "I'm going to get started on
breakfast.  Why don't you go take a bath?"  

"Sure, see ya in a few minutes!"  Ranma replied, walking out of the
kitchen.  He jogged upstairs to his room, grabbed a towel and jogged back
downstairs.  He glanced at the phone as he reached the bathroom, and
quickly came to a decision.  Ranma tossed the towel on to a clothes hanger
in the bathroom and walked over to the phone.  He picked up the receiver
and quickly dialed a number.  After three rings, he got an answer.

"Why hello, Ranma-kun!  What can I do for you today?"  A female voice asked
speculatively.

"Hey Nabiki, how'd ya know it was me?"  Ranma asked, a bit startled.

"Please, Ranma-kun.  I know -everything-," Nabiki replied.

"Uh, hahaha... right."

"What can I do for you Ranma-kun?"  Nabiki asked with a sigh.

"Uh, how's Akane doing?"  Ranma asked, trying to sound casual.

"Have you seen the weather reports today?"  Nabiki asked dryly.

"That bad, huh?"

"If you call Hurricanes Kathy, Linda, Mary, Nancy, Ophelia, and Pamela bad,
then yes.  It was -that- bad," Nabiki replied.

"Is, uh, she all right now?"  

"Why?  Did you want to talk to her?"  Nabiki asked.  Ranma could almost she
her smirk.

"No!  Nothing like that!  I just- just wanted to make sure that everything
was okay.  She- she's not planning anything. . . drastic, is she?"  

"No, Ranma-kun, she's not.  Kami-sama forbade her from interfering," Nabiki
replied.

"Oh.  Okay," Ranma replied, letting out a deep breath.

"Was that all, Ranma-kun?"  

"No, it wasn't.  I need a favor, Nabiki," Ranma replied.

"Of course you do.  It will cost you, you know that, don't you?"  Nabiki
asked.

"What do you want Nabiki?"  Ranma asked in a resigned voice.

"You know what I want," Nabiki purred.

"I have -no- idea what you're talkin' about," Ranma replied flatly.

"Oh come on, Ranma-kun!  Remember the -last- time?"  Nabiki prompted.

"What?  You want to do -that- again?"  Ranma asked, obviously surprised.

"Sure!  It was fun!  I've -never- experienced anything like it before.  I
want to do it again!"  Nabiki exclaimed.

"But why with me?"  Ranma whined.

"Because, you want a favor; and besides, no one else wants to. . ," Nabiki
replied.

"Are you sure?  I mean, as I recall, you actually -cried- that last time,"
Ranma pointed out.

"Hey!  It was my first time!  Sure, I was a little scared and it -was- a
bit painful, but actually, I was sweating more than crying."

"Okay, if you're sure," Ranma replied, a bit dubious.

"I'm sure!  So, the next time you get back here, we'll go Sun Surfing
again, right?"  Nabiki asked.

"Right, right.  Just ask Kasumi for a day when the solar flares are acting
up and we'll go," Ranma agreed.

"Great.  Now, what can -I- do for -you-?"  Nabiki asked.

"I need you and Skuld to hack into the computer records at Belldandy's
college and make me a student or something.  In this information age, it's
really hard to get around without some proof of identity," Ranma replied.

"Ranma-kun!  I'm impressed!  I didn't know that you kept track of the
earth's current events and political and social situations," Nabiki commented.

"Uh, actually, I'm just quoting Skuld; you know how she gets sometimes,"
Ranma said sheepishly.

"I should have known.  At any rate, I'll take care of it for you.  How
would you like to be a foreign exchange student?  From the United States?"
Nabiki queried.

"Exchange student?  What for?"  Ranma asked.

"Ranma-kun, when was the last time you were in Japan?"

"Oh.  Well, I've never been here before," Ranma replied quietly.

"Exactly.  You're a foreign exchange student.  From the United States.
Your parents were born in Japan, but moved to the U.S. before you were
born, and raised you there. Yet you wanted to learn something about your
heritage and came back.  Are you writing this down, Ranma-kun?"  

"I can remember it," Ranma grumbled.

"Say, when was the last time you were in the United States?"  Nabiki asked.

"Uh, well, I was helping some guy named Washington cross a river-" Ranma
started to reply as Nabiki sighed.     

			*****************************************************

"So, what are you planning to do today?"  Belldandy asked, handing Ranma a
bowl of rice.

"Thanks," Ranma replied, reaching for a small bottle of soy sauce,
"Actually, I was going to go to school with you today; that is, if you
don't mind."

"Really?  You- you want to come with me?"  Belldandy asked.

"Sure," Ranma shrugged, "After all, it's not like I got anything better to
do."

"I don't think you'll find my classes very interesting," Belldandy replied
softly.

"That's okay.  Actually, I got a 'friend' in heaven who's gonna fix it so I
can be an exchange student or something in at your school.  It's not a big
deal," Ranma replied.

"Well, good!  This will give us a chance to get to know each other better!
Besides, I - I really don't like walking home alone that much," Belldandy
said, a slight blush covering her cheeks.

Ranma grinned quietly as he continued to eat breakfast.  (Kawaii. . ,) he
thought to himself.  


"Ohhhh! Just -look- at him!  Sitting there grinning like an idiot!"  Akane
fumed.  The goddess of Destruction had planted herself in Nabiki's office
and was glued in front a spy monitor ever since Ranma moved in with
Belldandy.  

"Can you keep it quiet, Akane?  We're trying to work here," Nabiki said
politely as she watched Skuld hack away at her computer terminal.  Akane
grumbled as she watched Ranma laughingly ask Belldandy for another bowl of
rice.  

"He never asks -me- for a second helping!"  Akane pointed out.

"Or a first," Skuld whispered quietly as she accessed the student database
at Tokyo University.  Nabiki burst out laughing but stopped suddenly as
Akane's glare focused on her.  "Uh, oneechan? Are you sure this is okay?  I
mean, Ranma-onichan doesn't know anything about America!"  Skuld said,
trying to divert Akane's attention.

"It's the best we can do on short notice, Skuld-chan," Nabiki replied,
trying hard not to laugh.

"Why are you helping him?"  Akane demanded.

"Ranma and I made a deal; it's nothing personal Akane," Nabiki explained.

"Yeah, but-"  

"Besides, it's not like he's actually cheating on you.  That girl is
pampering him.  What guy, even a god, wouldn't like that?"  Nabiki asked.

"But -I- pamper him!  I try so hard!  Why Nabiki?  Why doesn't he
appreciate what I try to do for him?"  Akane pleaded.

"Akane, it's not as bad as it looks," Nabiki soothed, standing up and
walking over to her distraught sister.  "Humans don't live all that long.
At best, he'll be gone a century!" 

"Actually, you never can tell, Oneechan; mortals are doing amazing things
with cryogenics these days," Skuld chipped in from her position behind the
computer.

Nabiki shot a withering glare in the young girl's direction before turning
back to Akane.  "A century Akane.  A century at -most-.  You spent three
times that amount of time away from him during the war with Saffron!"
Nabiki pointed out.

"Yeah, but back then he was battling a bunch of demons, not playing house
with some eager to please, young-"  

"Akane, trust me, okay?  He'll be back before you know it," Nabiki assured
her.  

"He better be," Akane said, turning back to the monitor.

		   
       **********************************************

Whenever Belldandy walked to school in the morning, she always stared at
her shadow.  As a child, she always played a game of trying to catch it;
running around in circles, squealing in glee each time she almost touched
her 'target'.  It was her fondest memory of childhood; a time spent
laughing and playing with friends and parents.   

There were times, however, more recently, when her shadow was her only
companion.  So she stared at it when she walked to school.  Sometimes, she
talked to it silently, projecting her thoughts and ideas on to it,
half-heartedly hoping that her mind would provide some response.  This
morning was different, though.  On this particular morning, there was a
shadow walking next to hers.  She smiled as her gaze turned to Ranma's
shadow, knowing that as long as it was there, she would be safe, and never
be alone.  At worst, she had a willing companion, at best. . . (It's too
soon, but someday, maybe.)

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ranma easily hopped up onto the chain link
fence next to them.
"Uh, what are you doing, Ranma?"  She asked.

"Oh, this is just balance practice," Ranma replied, casually walking the
length of the fence.  Belldandy was slightly unnerved by this action, but
shrugged it off easily. "So, you always walk to school?"  Ranma asked from
his position on the fence.

"Yeah, even with the busy streets, its beautiful around here in the
morning, and besides, I need the exercise," she replied.

"Aw, you're in great shape, you don't really need it," Ranma replied
offhandedly.  

"Thanks," Belldandy replied, her blush a bit more controlled than usual,
"but exercise is important.  I spend so much time studying that this is the
only time I get."

"Well, if ya wake up a bit earlier we can exercise together, I mean, if ya
want," Ranma offered.  

Belldandy stopped walking and slowing put her face in her hands.  Ranma,
noticing that she had stopped, jumped off the fence and quickly walked over
to her. "Is something wrong?"  He asked in a concerned voice.

"No, it's nothing really," she replied, looking a bit embarrassed, "I
guess. . . I guess, it's just going to take me a little time to get used to
you."  

"Huh?"  Ranma asked, completely baffled.

"I'm used to being complimented like that.  I'm not used to. . . boys
wanting to do things like that with me,"  Belldandy replied.

"What?  You gotta be kiddin'!  I mean, you're beautiful!  Guys gotta be
banging down your door!"  Ranma said.

"They used to, but my parents never let me go out, and after a while, boys
stopped asking.  I've never been a very social person anyway.  I never go
to parties or anything like that.  I guess. . . I'm just boring," Belldandy
said in a small voice.  

Ranma groped for a way to comfort her.  He never was very good at this sort
of thing, and tried to avoid female emotional pitfalls whenever he could.
(What do I say?)  he thought frantically to himself.  "Belldandy, You-
you're not boring,"  Ranma protested, "A boring person. . . would never
have been granted a wish.  Only a special person gets noticed by the Relief
Office."

"A special person?"  Belldandy asked.

"Yeah.  Remember I said that you have a healer's heart?  Well that's true!
You're not boring; you're kind and sweet and loving," Ranma stated
vehemently.  

"Thank you, Ranma.  I feel a lot better now," Belldandy replied, her face
lighting up.  

(God, her smile is like a sunrise!)  Ranma thought to himself, then started
as an old memory jolted in his brain.

****  Flashback  ****

"Why won't you fight BACK?"  Akane demanded swinging her fist wildly
towards Ranma's head.

"We're only sparring, right?"  Ranma asked mildly easily dodging the punch.  

"This is serious!  Nabiki said you were some kind of a great warrior!
-That's- why I invited you to spar with me!  It doesn't help me at all if
you don't fight back!"  Akane replied.

"You know, I've seen you in the coliseum, training my yourself.  You always
have such an angry look on your face.  Don't you get tired of it?"  Ranma
asked.

"No, I don't, as if it was any of your business!"  Akane replied, throwing
another wild punch.

"That's too bad, because, well, you're really cute when you smile," Ranma
said.  

**** End Flashback ****

(What the hell am I -thinking-?)  Ranma demanded of himself.  

"Is something wrong Ranma?"  Belldandy asked, looking intently at his face.

"Huh?  Oh, uh, no.  We'd better get going, eh?  I don't want to make you
late or anything."

"Right. Let's go!"  Belldandy said with a smile.

(Belldandy's a friend. -Only- a friend.  I can't get involved with her!  I
can't do that to Akane, not after everything we've been through,) Ranma
thought to himself as he silently followed after Belldandy.  

When they reached the front gates to the university, Ranma was greeted by
an unexpected but familiar surprise.   "What are -they- doing here?"  He
asked out loud. 

"Who?"  Belldandy asked, looking in the direction Ranma was pointing.  She
saw two young men arguing.  One was wearing a bright golden shirt, jet
black pants, and a matching tiger-striped bandana.  They other man was
wearing a long white silken robe and a set of -large- glasses on his face.
"I've never seen them before.  Do you know them, Ranma?"

"Yeah, I do.  They're from back 'home'," Ranma replied.

"You mean they're gods too?"  Belldandy whispered, her eyes widening.

"Excuse me for a minute, would ya?"  Ranma asked.

"Be careful Ranma.  It looks like they are going to start fighting or
something," Belldandy warned.

"They -always- do that," Ranma sighed, walking towards his two brothers.

"I still say we should go to the house!"  Ryoga yelled at Mousse.

"Right!  Even with Kami's map, you'll -still- get lost!   Let's just stay
right here.  He's bound to show up sooner or later," Mousse replied.

"Now -that- makes  -perfect- sense!  In all of Tokyo, of course he'll end
up here!"  Ryoga replied sarcastically.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of this?"  Ranma tried to interject.

"Shut up, Ranma!  This doesn't concern you!"  Ryoga yelled.

"Yeah!  You stay out of this! You. . . Ranma, is that really you?"  Mousse
asked.

"What are you talking about?  Of course that's Ranma!  He-  Ranma!"  Ryoga
exclaimed, finally realizing that he had found his brother.  

"What are the two of you doing here?"  Ranma asked wearily.

"We were looking for you," Ryoga replied.

"Why?"

"To make sure you don't cheat on Akane!"  Ryoga replied angrily.

"Actually, Kami-sama asked us to come down.  You haven't been on earth for
a while, and He wants to make sure you'll be all right," Mousse said.

"I can take care of myself!  I don't need your help!"  Ranma said.

"Yeah!  You take care of yourself just fine!  That's why you spend half
your life as a woman!"  Mousse retorted.

"We are -not- going to discuss this now," Ranma stated quietly, his face
turning red with anger.

"Well, we're here whether you want us or not!  Like I said, I'm going to
make sure you stay true to your mate!"  Ryoga said.  

"Besides, we can't disobey Kami-sama any more than you can," Mousse pointed
out.

"Oh, all right!  I might as well introduce you to Belldandy, then," Ranma
said grudgingly.

"Have you told her about Akane?"  Ryoga asked neutrally before Ranma could
move.

"Uh, no, I haven't," Ranma replied.

"Why not?"  Ryoga demanded.

"Look, if she finds out about Akane and me, she'll break the contract,"
Ranma explained.

"Oh, and we can't have -that- now, can we?  That would completely -ruin-
your chances to have an affair, wouldn't it?"  Ryoga said hotly.

"It's not like that!  She's just. . . lonely.  And I want ta be her friend.
 Just meet her Ryoga, and you'll understand," Ranma said.

"Yeah, right!" 

Ranma sighed and led his brothers to a nervously waiting Belldandy.
"Belldandy, I'd like ya to meet my brothers; this is Ryoga, and this is
Mousse," Ranma said, pointing to each of his brothers respectively.  

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Belldandy," Mousse said politely, amazingly
enough, directly facing her.  

"Yeah, nice to meet you," Ryoga mumbled.  

"I am honored to meet the two of you," Belldandy replied with a smile.  

The full effect of Belldandy's beautiful smile hammered into Ryoga like a
tidal wave.  He started to blush and he scratched the back of his head,
laughing nervously.  "It's- it's nice to meet you too, Belldandy-san!"  He
said cheerfully.

"You already -said- that," Ranma pointed out quietly.  

"Shut up-" 

"Wait! Did you feel that?"  Mousse suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Ryoga.

"Where is it coming from?"  Ranma demanded, the hairs on the back of his
neck starting to tingle.

"Over there!"  Mousse replied, pointing off in the direction opposite of
the college entrance.

"Let's get it!"  Ranma growled.

"No!  -We'll- handle it!  You have to stay here and protect her!"  Ryoga
said, pointing at Belldandy.

Ranma looked like he was about to protest then silently agreed.  Mousse and
Ryoga nodded to each other once, then ran off.  "What's wrong, Ranma?  What
is it?"  Belldandy asked, bewildered.

Ranma looked at his brothers' retreating forms, then slowly turned towards
Belldandy.  "It was a demon."  

******************
End Chapter 3

*******************

Coming in Chapter 4:  The Demon Kuno!  Urd's introduction!  And Ranma goes
to class...

Notes:

Well, as you can see... I'm back.  ^_^  The past 3 weeks have been hell.  I
haven't had access to a PC at home and then I lost my job, along with all
the Work-in-Progress fics I was writing.  (About 7 or 8 of them)  So those
of you waiting for chapter 9 of For the Sake of the Children, sorry... It's
gone.  THEN the transmission in my car died and that only cost 1000 bucks
to repair. ^^;;  Anyway, things started looking up over the past few days.
I got a new job (which I start on Monday), and I got a new PC.  So, I'm
writing again.  Chapter 4 of For the Love of a Mortal is almost done... and
look for some works coming out soon as well... Damn, I'm having fun! 

Later,

Anand