Honor On High
Chapter Three
Meetings part two
( draft )
"We need some water to take a shortcut, so we can go
directly to the Temple
where your mother and father live.'" said Skuld, as they
passed out the front door.
" Do you want to meet us there or ride along, Mara?
"I had better meet you there, I might be getting along
with you girls since I
was taken off your cases but I am still not their favorite
person. So I'll give you a
few minut- huh that's funny. Spinning in place Mara turned
around and looked
behind her at the Tendo Dojo
.
"What is it?" Ranma asked.
"There is a spell over this house and a similar one
over much of the town. I
can't recognize it though it seems familiar in an odd sort
of way. Urd do you
recognize it?"
"No but like you it seems to be familiar but warped or
something. Maybe we'd
better check this out before leaving."
"No I think we'd better get Ranma here out of here.
exclaimed Skuld. I think
whatever it is must be aimed at him. Look as he walks away,
the spell seems to
follow.
"Huh, I wonder everyone in the house was acting
awfully strange earlier.
Could this be why?" exclaimed Ranma
"Urd, Skuld get Ranma out of here, I can see that spell
trying to hurt his soul
as we stand here. Urd, grab Ranma and get him away! So we
can have the time to
figure out how to protect him from that spell. It's eating
his life force, his time!
"Blast it! They aren't moving, I'll have to do it but where
can I take him that he
would be safe and that spell can't follow. I'll try for the
Temple, maybe the defenses
would let me pass with the three of them."
"Transport me and these three to the Temple where Belldandy
lives."
chanted Mara as she grabbed the two goddesses and Ranma.
"It's a good thing I
only have to touch someone to transport them, or this
wouldn't work" As she stood
one foot with the other touching Urd in a position, Mara had
often wished she could
get away with and Skuld and Ranma each touching one of her
hands.
Bamf, The three of them appeared on the edge of the Temple
property as
Mara staggered under the magic load. Then Belldandy came
running out and
Banpei began to attack. "Truce Bell Truce" Mara cried.
Belldandy stopped Banpei
and looked at Mara and her three charges.
"We were all summoned to Ranma, when someone attacked us. I
had to
rescue them. Bless it! I wouldn't have bothered to rescue
them but I owe Ranma
and he wouldn't leave without them. This is the only place I
could think of, that
would be safe from the spell that was trying to eat Ranma
and everyone who cares
about him.
The spells you have around this Temple should stop even the
most powerful
demon spell, at least for a long while. I figured you would
let your sisters in and
your son. I would just have to take my chances. I
lo-car-like him, so I would be a
target too, eventually, it would just take longer as a demon
inspired spell wouldn't
recognize me as a would-be victim immediately." Mara hid her
face as she blushed.
Ranma stared at the woman in front of him, she looked hard
to describe, she
was very Beautiful but it was impossible to even guess at
her age. She could be
anywhere from around 16 to her late fifties. Her hair was
both silver colored and
brown simultaneously. Her voice reminded him of Kasumi but
was much warmer.
She had three tattoos on her face, like diamonds, they
helped to refine and shape it,
bringing out her inner beauty, to a greater degree. He could
tell she was a loving
person just by the look in her eyes. The way she stood told
him that she could fight
and would if necessary. The look in her eyes said she hoped
never to have to again.
After a few seconds, he noticed the man. Short, but strong
willed he had a
firm but not muscular body, he was rather handsome in
general appearance. He
had a pair of markings on his cheeks, shaped slightly like
the woman's but more
like diamonds in shape, where hers were more like half
diamonds or triangles. The
look in his eyes when he saw the Woman called Bell, was
almost horrifying in the
depths of love it showed. The man was in his early or middle
Thirties in appearance
but he moved like someone much younger. He had a firm almost
hard look on his
face, when he saw Mara.. When he saw Ranma he looked
startled, almost
frightened.
"Are you Ranma?" He asked.
"Yes" replied Ranma somewhat shocked at the changes of
location and the
appearance of the two strangers. He felt like he should know
them but he didn't. He
looked around him at the area.. He invoked his Ki abilities
to see what he could
learn about the building and it's grounds.
He quickly observed that the woman was a goddess, probably
related to the
two he had met earlier. She was running some type of
shielding spells around the
area.. He could use his Ki but any kind of Magic, harmfully
aimed at anyone here
would be stopped. The man was some kind of mage or magic
user. He was a mortal
but his aging had been stopped by his magic. He could see
the bonds of love between
the man and the woman. Stronger than diamonds and far more
precious, Ranma
rather envied them.
At his reply the Woman turned to him, and ran towards him
sobbing.
Ranma held her. Wishing she wouldn't do that and wondering
how to get her to
stop. The man came over and held them both for a couple of
minutes.
Then the man introduced himself as Keiichi and the woman as
Belldandy
and Ranma almost started to cry. His parents, real honest
parents, people who at
least wanted to love him. He hugged them back.
Mara, who had been watching began to turn a bright red and
stuck her
finger down her throat in a gesture of contempt and
jealousy.
"Oh Man it is good to meet my real parents, I never really
could believe that
fat, lazy, Foolish beyond foolish, old braggart of an
imbecile was my real father but I
had to live with him. Every time I tried to leave someone or
something would stop
me and force me to go back. Life with him was Hell but I
never really had a choice
until now."
" Who are you two? What do you do? I can feel she is a
goddess and you
seem to be a mage, although not of a type, that I am
familiar with."
I am Belldandy; I am goddess of the present and a friend of
Nature. I am
also your Mother.
I am Keiichi. I am a race car driver and a holder of a
doctorate of
engineering, I know some magic but don't like to use it
unless I have too. I also
teach at the NIT university, Engineering college.
After about a half hour of happy talk ( talking without
saying much in
the way of new information) mostly about Ranma's history,
up to and through
Saffron and the failed wedding and what happened today. (
see the first chapter).
They decided to all relax and start plans for the future.
When the black cloud which had attacked Ranma and his aunts
in Nerima
attacked here. At first it was stopped by the defenses and
nothing happened but as
time went by it began to pull power from all of the other
parts of the spell which
had covered all of Tokyo and it's suburbs. Gradually it
began to press on the shields
with greater and greater pressure.
Mara cried out in fear as the spell attacked the defenses
around the Temple
and slowly began to press their way in. Belldandy started
to reinforce them but had
to stop when the power levels rose over what she could
handle with her limiters.
Turning to face Mara, she asked " Do you have any advice
Mara? If I put anymore
power into shielding this place, it will destroy the
Limiters I wear and probably
damage the Temple and harm all of you. Especially since my
sisters are still out of
it from Nerima and Ranma hasn't reacted to anything Magical
since you arrived. I know he
can see it but he is in such a state of shock he'll be
another half hour in recovering."
"You take Keiichi and Urd and I'll take Ranma and Skuld and
we will head
for Asgard, I have been studying the spell and it is either
a god spell done by more
than one of the Fallen acting together or some of your gods
have teamed up with
some of the Fallen. Nobody else has that much power. Nor
such dark power, unless
it's at least some of the Fallen. God Bless Them, but I hate
them for being such
total Fools."
" I don't know why they want to hurt Ranma so bad but this
is ridiculous.
They have put so much power into this spell in order to
cover all of Tokyo and it's
suburbs, it is more power than we used in the last five
years total. Then to reinforce
it to break down the shields you put on this old Temple,
well they had to double or
triple the level of energy in the spell. They may cause the
spell to follow us to
Asgard but if they do we can find out specifically who is
casting it. Unless it is
Lucifer himself, somebody is in big trouble. Lucifer would
have to authorize this
much power or it would have to come from an outside source,
some of your gods
perhaps, with some of the Fallen. That would be a first
since they Fell, normally
they only co-operate in order to get one of the Risen."
"You have everyone ready, then lets go. I'll meet you at
Mimir's well."
As a soft Bamfing noise sounds as Belldandy and her load
slide through the
hall mirror. The shields continue to hold for a few seconds
then collapse. The spell
doesn't do harm to any things and there are no people left
in the Temple. If anyone
wonders, Banpei was shut down and so registered as a thing.
In Asgard, by Mimir's well, there is a soft Bamfing sound as
Mara and Skuld
and Ranma appear in a puff of Sulfurous smelling smoke.
As they sat there recovering from the recent events, Ranma
began to look
around with an increasingly odd expression on his face.
"I have been here before, I can't quite place when but I do
remember the
sight of the well and the feel of here. It's not like
anywhere else, there is a kind of
background feel like standing in the noonday sun with out
the bright light or the
heat." said Ranma; in a small quiet voice; almost
worshipful. I know I have been
here in the general area but not this specific spot."
"Where are we anyway Mara" asked Ranma as he peered
around
seeing all of the scenery, that he could see. Watching to
make sure that nothing
harmful was sneaking up, while Mara was looking in a
different direction. Suddenly
he spotted his real parents approaching. His father looking
around just as he had.
The Tourist Look was a well known Martial Art technique and
apparently both he
and his father knew it. Which made him feel better about his
real parents.
"We are in Heaven or Asgard as this section is called"
replied Mara " It is an
odd little place near your aunt Urd's place. "It is called
Mimir's Well. It is an easy
place to reach from Earth and one of the places that I am
allowed to visit up here."
" any further explanations will have to be made by your mom
or one of your
aunts as I don't like to visit here. It hurts to see what I
missed by being born and
raised by a demon.
Belldandy grabbed him by the arm and hugged him, as if she
wanted to
make up for all the hugs he had missed in the past.
"Where are we going from here, Mom" Ranma asked as he put
his hand
behind his head and turned his head slightly.
He noticed a large group of people coming up the hill
towards them with a
bunch of electronic equipment. Figuring they wanted to do
something on the hill
and he and his family were going to be in the way.
"Well we had planned to introduce you to your grandfather
but I'll have to
make an appointment. He is so busy, he only sees people on
an emergency basis or
with an appointment or when he summons you."
"That's ok, mom, I would like to look around here anyway." I
remember
some of this place and I suspect the more I see of it the
more I'll remember."
"How could you remember Asgard, Ranma?" asked Belldandy and
Keiichi
simultaneously.
" I know it was so strange I acted like a tourist the first
time I arrived and
just stared at all of the differences between here and what
I had seen of the
Earth." added Keiichi, as he stared around, while hugging
Belldandy.
"I think I was here before but I don't remember when or
why." Ranma
complained.
The longer I am here the more I remember. The more of Asgard
I see the
more I remember of being here. I think I used to visit a
friend in this part of
Heaven. Loki, I believe his name was.
"Look Over There" by the Bifrost Bridge It's coming here!
Screeched Mara.
as she pointed to the left.
We will have to try a spell to determine who is casting it.
It has to be
someone who lives here. Whoever it is, is in trouble, after
this." added Urd
"If you can't stop it we'll have to take Ranma to Him, his
offices are the one
place no spell can enter without His permission." squeaked
Skuld. As she drew her
portable computer out and started her E-Mail program.
"I'll try to make an immediate appointment and get his
secretary to find out
who is powering that spell. Somebody must have either recast
it or drawn it up
here."
You do that, I'll prepare a transport spell to His offices.
Said Mara, as she
stood there shivering from fright.
Lord, I hope they can stop it before I have to go there.
she thought The odds
are that I'll hurt for weeks from being so close to HIM!
Well I can't tell Ranma or
he'll refuse to go and I would rather hurt myself than see
him hurt.
"Father says come in with Ranma and Mara., He wants to talk
to both of
them together. chirped Skuld.
Belldandy removed her earrings and began a spell of
transportation.
Suddenly they were all in the outer offices of Kami-Sama.
Next to his head
secretary, in a room full of plants and animals without any
walls visible although
you could fell where the office began and ended.
Ranma looked around and suddenly said " I remember the last
time I was
here, he had a lot to say to me then. Now I have something
to say to him as well.
The last time I had to beg a favor, this time I have another
one to ask."
He walked over to the door and began to open it, turning to
look behind. He
asked "Are you ready Mara?"
Mara replied "NO!"
Ranma came back and held her shivering body. "Don't worry He
won't hurt
you, He is nothing like the demon lords you are used to
facing. He is a wonderful
person, Glorious beyond description. When we leave you will
never find the words to
describe the parts of your memories, which you retain. I
have been here many
times and although I have fought him he still loves me as if
I were a son or someone
equally close."
"ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO IN " Mara shouted in fear. After all
she had been
taught that this was the one place a demon could be erased
permanently or even
turned into a mortal or an angel or even a goddess. She
wanted to stay herself but if
she didn't go in what would HE do to Ranma!
Passing through the door, the place seemed to become lighter
and lighter as
they approached Him. Until it was brighter than the noon day
sun in the middle of the desert in summer. The light never
hurt though, not even to Mara's sensitive
eyes.
Then they were in the main office, facing the desk behind
which He sat.
Facing Him.
"Hi Boss", Ranma said, "You Rang?"
"Yes Ranma, do you feel up to resuming your responsibilities
as my chief
trouble shooter or do you think you need more time as a
mortal?"
"I think at the end of this life. I will have enough
experience to do the job
but right now I am not ready. You know when I started this,
I really didn't expect to
end in a higher position than I left. Listening to Lucifer
was the dumbest thing I
ever did. I honestly believed he was working for you, until
the day of the actual
rebellion. I fought to beat my fellow angels, without
hurting anyone. In that whole
affair that is the only thing I have to be proud of, I
didn't hurt anyone innocent."
When I approached you for reinstatement, I didn't expect
such a generous
offer. Immediate Forgiveness for my sins and to reborn as a
mortal. If I earned
enough points I could even get promoted, theoretically to my
original job or even
higher. If I earned it. It has been a long and winding road
but I think I am near the
end of it."
"I do need to know if my fiancee here can get a similar
offer though. She
hates being a demon but fears she can't do anything else
with out being hunted
down and destroyed. I am willing to offer her my protection,
subject to what ever
terms you give her. I hope you will let us be together
though."
"All right, Ranma , You go back outside and tell your Mother
your story and
the terms of your agreement. I'll talk to Mara. and see what
her Choice is. "
"I did promise she could leave safely no matter what, Boss".
Ranma through
over his shoulder as he left.
For the details of Ranma's repentance see the
Honor on High
side story two Choice.
The End.
--
Rick Robinson
RICHARDROBINSONJR@prodigy.net
If violence is not solving your
problems you're just not using enough of it.
Misato
"I guess I'm just an old-fashioned sentimentalist at heart.
I refuse
to accept a no-win scenario. I hate the thought of a
universe without
justice. If the maneuverings of dark powers can't be
exposed and
defeated by the pure of heart, then there's no point in
anything. I
can't believe that."
-- Benjamin Hutchins