Suddenly Susano, the Bet
story takes place a week after the "An Akane To
Remember" plotline, with the change being noted
below. pond by Takahashi.
warning:starts out Dark, gets lighter as things
go on. Xover OMG/Ranma/other stuff
---------------------------------------------
	The dream again. Memories flooding
up, memories she didn't want to face, not again,
oh no, not again...

	Akane hesitated, seeing Ranma's girl
form, feeling the whistle of the horned mongoose
in her hands, but the Orochi was so HUGE with
its eight heads.

	The jaws snapping shut on what had
been her fiance, a final transformation from a
living being with all of those pluses and minuses
that all human beings had, to a mere scrap of flesh
and spurt of blood, sustenance for the evil dragon.
And the sound that it made as it did so, a sound
that continued to haunt her...

	"NOOOOOOOOOoooooo!!" Akane's
scream turned into wracked sobs, as she sat up in
bed. She was dimly aware of Nabiki's muttered 
comment from the hallway, Kasumi peering in out
of concern, her father down the hallway with his
own crying.

	Genma had left, to train, he said. Taking
comfort in the Art when his dreams lay dead and
barren.

	Akane turned her tear-streaked gaze to
the calender. A week. A week since she had gone
back to Ryugenzawa, to stay long enough to repay
an old debt, to meet Shinnusuke again, and to 
return the whistle.

	Akane wiped her eyes, amazed that she
still had any tears left.

	"Akane," Kasumi's voice came from the
doorway. "You should try to eat more. Breakfast will
be ready soon if you think you can try."

	Akane nodded, absently. She'd had a
great deal of trouble eating anything. Everything 
seemed so bland and flavorless. As if all the colors
and all the flavors had spilled out of the world. "I'll
try, Kasumi. For you."

	Kasumi nodded but didn't go away. As always,
Akane's attention focussed on the little photo in the
frame that Ranma had given her that Christmas. It wasn't
the only photo of them together, but it was the only one
where he was a he, and she wasn't scowling or angry.

	An arrow shattered her window.

	Akane stared at the arrow which had barely
missed Kasumi (whose expression suggested that her
usual unflappable state had very nearly vanished.) 
The arrow quivered in the wall, a note tied to it.

	"I think it's for you," managed Kasumi
when her voice started working again.

	Akane's depression was beginning to
lift a little, being shoved aside by a more familiar
emotion. She tore the note off and glanced at the
familiar calligraphy.

	"Akane, what was..." Nabiki stopped
as she took in the shattered window, the quivering
arrow about three inches from Kasumi's face, the
letter in her sister's hands, and the angry blue glow
beginning to form around her youngest sister. "Oh.
Never mind."

	Akane was in her jogging outfit in
seconds, she was outside in less time than it took
her to put on some clothes. She had flung open the
gate before Kasumi and Nabiki had made it down
the stairs.

	"Ah, Akane Tendo, my love! Now that
you are free from the spell of the foul wretch
Saotome, come fly into my arms!" Kuno postured,
as if he were greeting this new day that reunited
him with one of his two great loves.

	Kuno had gotten better over the past
year with Ranma around to fight against. Akane
had gotten a LOT better. Kuno still held back 
when he fought women. Akane, just for once,
wasn't holding ANYTHING back.

	Her first attack was a flying kick 
that slammed Kuno back into the street. She
then held back, waiting.

	Kuno slowly got up, readying his
bokken. "Very well, my beauteous tigress,
if you beat me, I shall allow you..."

	The moment he came completely
up, she was on him again, completely silent
to Kuno's talkative nature. She pulled the
sword forward and down and to the side
as he struck forward. Her foot, in the same
move, snapped up, meeting Kuno's chin.

	"That was a fairly basic move,"
noted Kasumi.

	"That was a fairly basic opponent,"
remarked Nabiki.

	"That was enough," said Akane,
looking down at the dazed Kuno. "Kuno, if
you EVER lay a hand on me again, you will
die. Do you understand me?"

	Something in Akane's voice
penetrated all the delusions. Kuno nodded.

	"Good," Akane turned, and without
another glance at the samurai, entered her home.
-------------------------------------------
	Another week went, and healing
continued, though slowly. Shampoo and Ukyou
had, despite their differences, very similar
reactions to the news. Denial, followed by
despair, followed by acceptance.

	Akane actually found some slight
measure of friendship with the other two,
without the object for them to fight over
anymore. Though at the moment it was as
if they simply wanted someone to share the
pain, knowing exactly what it is the others
were going through.

	One such tear session ended,
with Akane getting up to call the Cat Cafe
and let Cologne know that Shampoo was
going to be a little late...

	A deep baritone answered on
the other end. "Goddess Relief Office. I'll
be there shortly for a consultation!"

	"Oh, I'm sorry, I've got the wrong
number," Akane apologized. "Hello? Hello?"

	"AiYAAAA!"

	Shampoo's screech caused Akane
to leap nearly three feet in the air, coming down
again in an attack stance. Anything Goes meant
Always Ready, as the Tendo School taught.

	A lightning bolt had curled in through
a window, slamming into the floor, then gradually
drawing in on itself.

	A moment later, and a college aged man
in blue jeans, mocassins, and a "Powered By Yggdrasil"
t-shirt was waving leftover smoke away. "Damn, I got
to figure out a better way to do transports." 

	"Who?" Nabiki, finishing coming down
the stairways, looked over the odd man, still blinking
away tears from the bright flash he'd made upon his
entrance.

	"Hi." The man nodded at Nabiki but turned
a genuine-looking smile at Akane. "Hi, Akane Tendo.
Glad ta meet ya. I'm helping out some friends over at
the Goddess Relief Office, and I'm here to grant you a
wish. Well, sorta."

	"Goddess Relief Office?" Nabiki echoed.

	"Oh, don't worry, Nabiki Tendo. Only the
pure of heart, or those with other special qualifications,
who are in dire circumstance, can be granted a wish by
the Goddess Relief Office. You don't qualify."

	"Oh."

	"On the other hand, if a demon named 
Marller shows up, I'd advise you to watch your words
very carefully and avoid signing any contracts."

	Nabiki froze. Assuming that this wasn't
a trick, a lightning bolt just turned into this guy. If
gods were real, then Heaven was real. Said god had
just made a reference to demons being real. If so...
she was REALLY hoping this was a trick.

	"Oh my."

	"Belldandy, did you come to check up
on me? Oh, I'm sorry." The man grinned and nodded
at Kasumi. "Thought you were someone else."

	"Wish?" Akane repeated. "Hey, what're
you trying to pull?"

	Susano turned his smile on Akane. "Hey,
just what I said. I'm helping out a friend by filling in
for her at the Goddess Relief Office. 'Course, as I'm
just a god doing some volunteer work, I haven't got full
logon privledges to the system. Kinda limits me."

	"Shampoo wish Ranma were alive again!"

	"Sorry, like I said, I don't have full logon
access. Besides, it's Akane's wish."

	"I don't think this is very funny," Akane
said after a moment.

	Susano sighed and looked deeply into
Akane's eyes. "Look, Akane, I admit it's a little weird,
but this is as real as you are. You can make a wish,
and within certain power limitations, I can make it
come true."

	"Oh, really?" Akane began to get angry.
"Who put you up to this, Happosai?"

	Susano certainly liked the fire this girl
had, he just preferred it when it wasn't aimed at him.
"Why not just accept it, and make a wish?"

	Akane glared at him, then saw movement
beyond Susano. Ukyou and Shampoo both mouthing
something at her. Ukyou seemed to be saying "just try"
while Shampoo...she couldn't make out what Shampoo
was trying to say.

	"Yeah right." Akane turned her eyes back
to the 'god' in front of her. "Like I could just say 'I
wish...'" Akane's eyes narrowed. She could almost
hear a woman's voice whispering something in her
ear. "Look, whoever you are. You seem kinda nice,
and I wish you could help me, but if you can't bring
Ranma....back..." Akane's voice trailed off as the 
god began floating in midair and rotating.

	"Aiyaa."

	"Oh my."

	"Good grief."

	"A-Akane?" Ukyou grabbed her biggest
spatula. Not to use it, it just felt comforting in her
hands.

	After a beam of energy erupted from the
spinning god, putting a set of holes that went right
through the second floor and roof, Susano settled
into place. "I'm glad to inform you that your wish has
been approved."

	"WHAT!?!" Akane managed.

	"Oh my, I'll need to make one more portion
for dinner," Kasumi retreated to her kitchen.

	"..." Shampoo facefaulted.

	Nabiki smirked, thinking of hundreds of
ways she could turn this to her advantage. The thought
of demons and their homeland froze the smirk momentarily.
She also noticed the visitor's T-shirt changed its lettering
from time to time. It now read "I don't do Windows 98."

	Ukyou's jaw dropped. "That WORKED?!"

	Susano nodded. "Well, let's see, what do you
need right now, Akane?"

	"I..." Akane shook her head. "I REALLY don't
need this right now."
------------------------------------------
	what next, gentle readers?
Susano slowly starts the healing process of Akane
Tendo. His plan is to be strong and dependable, her
friend, and then slowly develop the relationship.

	Unfortunately, Urd tries to help. Ryouga
tries to interfere. Kuno tries to slay the new vile
sorcerer. 

	Cologne is told by Shampoo of what
transpired and attends a little get together that 
Akane is sitting in on. The other players? Magni
(Thor's son, kid ain't too bright),  Hephaestus 
(not much of a card player, but is attending as 
a favor to Susano), Urd, Ukyou, Shampoo.

	The inevitable happens. Magni makes
a stupid remark, Shampoo attacks, Shampoo wakes
up, Hephaestus fixes the damage to the walls while
making little "improvements" and complaining about
the local building materials, Urd tries to fix Akane
and Susano up and gets Ukyou and Hephaestus
together. ("Oops. Oh well, not a total loss.")
Shampoo glomps Magni, having found a REALLY
strong husband. Mousse attacks Magni, with 
results that are entirely too predictable.
Cologne nearly throws her back out laughing.

	Ryouga wanders in. "DIE SUSANO!"
<SPLASH!>"P-chan!" <grumble, grumble> "How
can you be jealous of a pig?"

	Urd notices the Tofu/Kasumi problem
and decides to fix THAT. More problems as she
runs into one of the fundamental laws of the 
universe: Love Potions NEVER work out the
way you want them to. Now Tofu is pursuing
Nabiki. Kasumi is pursuing...Mousse?

	Will Urd fix the current spate of
problems?
// picture of Skuld holding up a sign that says
"Fat Chance"

	Can Susano compete with the
memory of Ranma?
//Akane at a little Ranma shrine, burning
incense while Susano watches from a 
distance.

	What of Ukyou and Hephaestus?
//Interior of Ucchan's, where Hephaestus is
making "improvements" to the grill.

	Or Shampoo and Magni?
//Magni running full tilt down a street,
Shampoo bouncing along behind in a 
manner suggestive of a French skunk.

	Kasumi freed of the effects of
the love potion. Nabiki deciding that
maybe Tofu really is good for you.

	After all, anything that gets
resolved just causes more problems, ne?	

	PS: this will be the last Bet entry posted
to the FFML for awhile. due to underwhelming
responses & GUTB and his clones, i'm takin'
a break from the FFML and will be posting
to my prereaders and the RAAC only for awhile.

for those of you who were, thank you for your
support (and C&C), i think it helped.
--------------------------
"that which does not kill us, makes us stronger."
"Obviously, you've never worked in a trauma ward."

ja ne,
gregg