Subject: [FFML] [Fanfic][Ranma/OMG Xover] Wrath of Gods, chapter 8
From: "Corwin" <ely7@inter.net.il>
Date: 12/15/2000, 11:57 AM
To: "FFML" <ffml@fanfic.com>



Please, oh please send me C&C!



Disclaimer time:

Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications own Ranma

1/2. Kosuke Fujishima, Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus own Oh! My

Goddess (Ah! Megami-sama).



With thanks to my pre-readers for this chapter:  Dave Menard, Jeremy

Fogelman, Thomas Hackwood.





Corwin (ely7@inter.net.il or corwin@virtuallyjeannie.com)

http://www.virtuallyjeannie.com/ranma.html



* Previous chapters can also be found at:

http://members.xoom.com/phu_lam/index.htm

http://tannim.anifics.com/rfics.html











-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --

-- File: wog-ch8-draft2.txt



Wrath of Gods



Chapter 8



"It should be over by now."



Lying on her back, the teenage girl idly twirled a pen in her right hand

and looked at the patterns it made in the air.



"Any moment now, she'll come back home."



Maybe not a moment, but she could wait. After all, there wasn't anything

else to do but lay on the bed and talk to oneself to pass the time.



"Will she understand?"



God, she hoped her sister would understand her motives. It wasn't really

her choice, after all, and had there been some other way...



"Will she ever forgive me?"



Well, if she'd understand, it's a step in the right direction. Isn't it?

Forgiveness can't be that far behind. And people forgive their kin, it's

their nature.



"Will I ever forgive myself?"



--------------------------------------------------



"Ranma."



The pigtailed boy jumped to his feet immediately, upon hearing his name

whispered in his mind.



"Mother! You're alright!"



"Of course I am, my son," Amaterasu's voice assured him gently.



"Mother, I'll wait here until Akane wakes up, and then..."



Amaterasu cut Ranma off, before he would make a promise that she wasn't

sure he could keep.



"Ranma, as a goddess and ruler of Japan's heaven-space, I cannot support

you or your actions..."



"Mom!" Ranma cried out, hurt.



Unabated, Amaterasu continued, "...officially. As your mother, however,

I'd like to give you my blessing."



"That... that means a lot to me, coming from you," Ranma said slowly,

lowering his head. "Thank you."



"I don't have much time to talk, my son," Amaterasu said, her voice

sounding more urgent than before. "Take good care of your fiancee, and

continue believing in yourself. If you do that, then there is no

obstacle that you two would not be able to overcome together."



"I understand, mother. I will make you proud..."



Ranma felt his mother nod approvingly to his promise. The mental link

between them ended with Amaterasu's parting words...



"Break the world's shell!"



--------------------------------------------------



"Ranma!" Akane cried out in panic, her eyes opening. A few moments later

they've found their target, and the girl relaxed visibly, seeing that

Ranma was all right and at her side.



"You're ok! Geez, why did you hafta be so careless? Ya let a simple

second class goddess take you down!" Ranma chided her, trying to act

casual, as if nothing happened.



"Shut up, you idiot! That's the thanks I get for shielding you?!" Akane

shot back angrily, scowling.



"That ain't how I remember it! You just flew backwards and got knocked

out on a wall!" Ranma retorted, putting his hands on his hips.



"Oh yeah? Without my glorious sacrifice, it'd be you splattered all over

that wall, not me!" Akane replied, snorting in contempt.



Grabbing his head in both hands, Ranma moaned, "This can't be

happening..."



"And while we're discussing all of your stupid stunts..." Akane

continued irritably.



"We are?" Ranma asked, peaking from behind his hands.



"Yes, you idiot! Now pay attention!"



"Talk about uncute..." he muttered, matching Akane's scowl with one of

his own.



"How did you get inside my head?" Akane asked curiously, looking at

Ranma sideways.



"Ah, who'd want to be inside your tomboy head anyway?" the pigtailed boy

grumbled, pointedly turning away from her.



"Ranma..." Akane drawled out, cracking her knuckles menacingly.



"All right, all right..." Ranma gave in, waving his hands. "It's a link

we share."



"And?"



"That's all I remember, I swear!"



"So, we can talk to each other telepathically... or we could, at one

point?" Akane wondered, trying to initiate contact.



"Not exactly. The way I remember it, Holy Bell could merge with Bell-

chan at the physical level," Ranma replied, while deep in thought and

scrunching his forehead.



Seeing a blush spreading all over Akane's cheeks, he guessed what she

was thinking about and said teasingly, "No, not in that way. Who's the

pervert now, huh?"



"Get on with it!" Akane shouted, embarrassed.



"You know, Akane, I don't have any problems seeing you as a demon right

now," Ranma mused, tapping his chin thoughtfully.



"Why, thank you! And as your reward, I'll cook an elaborate meal

tonight, just for you!" she replied, smiling sweetly.



"Ack! How... elaborate?" Ranma asked carefully, trying to act very

nonchalant about the whole thing.



Brushing a stray strand of hair away from her face, Akane replied, "It

depends on how soon you'll quit fooling around and just tell me

everything!"



"So, I already told ya that Bell-chan and Holy Bell can physically

merge. Well, that got me thinking. If Holy Bell lost her physical form

but Bell-chan had ta call her, how would she do that? And then it hit

me. There must be some link between the two of them, that goes beyond

their bodies or even their minds. A link between two souls."



"But what does that have to do with us?"



Shrugging, Ranma said, "Well, you're my angel, just like Holy Bell is

Belldandy's one."



"So... I have a soul?" Akane asked, blinking in surprise.



"Huh? Why shouldn't you have one?"



Ranma turned to stare at Akane, visibly making her nervous by his

scrutiny.



"I don't know... I don't know anything anymore," she said, sighing and

shaking her head.



"No kiddin'," Ranma agreed, nodding. "I thought I knew Nabiki, and then

she goes and sells us out like that."



"Nabiki..." Akane growled, her eyes narrowing.



"Hey, Akane, you're not thinking of doing something rash, are ya? I

mean, think, she's your sister!"



"A sister doesn't betray you! A sister stays beside you no matter what!

A sister doesn't sell you for a couple of yen!!!" Akane cried out, her

voice getting stronger and stronger with each sentence.



"So what will you do?" Ranma asked, tilting his head slightly. "Do you

want to be as bad as her?"



"That girl... she hurt us. She will pay; she has to!"



"I can't argue with that." Ranma shrugged. "In fact, I wholeheartedly

agree with ya. So, how about we use a little something from our past

life to avenge ourselves?"



"What did you have in mind?"



"Well, I had this dream recently, where I..."



--------------------------------------------------



"Nabiki Tendo."



"Huh? Who said that?" the brown-haired girl asked, while looking to her

sides to locate the speaker.



"Did you forget about me already, Nabiki? I'm hurt."



"R-Ranma?!" she cried out, startled, jumping from her bed to land on the

floor in a heap.



"The one and only. Didn't expect me to be here, did ya?" Ranma taunted,

stepping out of the shadows.



"B-But, the goddesses..." Nabiki stammered, while trying to put as much

distance between herself and the demon.



"Those incompetent fools? You really thought they'd get the better of

me?" Ranma asked, grimacing.



"Especially with me protecting Ranma?" another voice added to Nabiki's

right.



Turning towards it, Nabiki came face to face with her younger sister.



"Akane? I'm so glad you're here!"



"Yes, I'm here, because your little plan didn't work!" Akane said

angrily, balling her hands into fists.



"I don't care how you did it, Nabiki," Ranma spoke, gaining both

sisters' attention. "All I want to know is why. Was it really all for a

handful of yen?"



"No!" Nabiki cried out, scrambling to her feet. "I made a deal with the

goddesses... I told them your conversation with Belldandy, and they

promised to return Akane home, alive and safe! Kami-sama himself sealed

the contract!"



"And what made you think I'd stab Ranma in the back just like you did

and leave him to his doom?!" Akane asked, incredulous.



"Akane, please hear me out!" Nabiki pleaded with her sister desperately.

"He was going to elope with a goddess, I was just trying to protect you

from..."



"I don't need your protection! I'm a guardian angel and bodyguard to one

of Nifelheim's finest operatives of all time! Ranma... is my entire

life. Did you really think I'd ever leave him?"



"But... but..."



Nabiki tried to find any other excuses, but all she could do was open

and close her mouth like a fish out of water.



"You made a mistake, Nabiki Tendo, but this time we'll make sure you pay

for it," Ranma said sternly, locking his eyes with hers.



"No, Ranma! Please! You told Belldandy that you'd gladly trade your life

for Akane's! I heard you!" Nabiki played her trump card, praying that

it'd be enough to get her through the nightmare that her life became

recently.



"Yes," he said simply, his gaze not wavering in the slightest.



"That choice was his to make, Nabiki!" Akane shouted, walking over to

stay by Ranma's side. "You had no right to judge and condemn him, no

matter what lies you might tell yourself to feel comfortable!"



In a clear voice, as if reciting a passage from a book, Ranma said,

"Nabiki Tendo, for conspiring against a first class demon and shoving

your nose into matters that were not of your concern, you are hereby

sentenced to receive a curse. One that shall remain on you until the day

of your death. Good bye."



"NOO!!!"



A flash of light later, the sole remaining occupant of the room slumped

to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.



--------------------------------------------------



"What now?" Megumi asked her newfound friend, both of them sitting

around the dining table in her apartment.



"We need to set up a base of operations and locate my brother," Marller

replied, not looking away from the diagrams she'd been examining.



"Is he still alive?"



"Yes, I can tell," the demoness answered, nodding. "Although it's

greatly subdued at the moment, I can feel his life-force."



"Is this a demon thing?" Megumi asked timidly, shifting uncomfortably in

her seat.



"Nah, not really," Marller replied, chuckling. "Anyone directly related

to him by blood should be able to sense Ranma's presence, if they're

close enough."



"Does that mean that your brother is somewhere in Tokyo?"



"He could be anywhere in Japan..." Marller elaborated, stretching out

her hands to the sides widely, "that's as far as my senses go. But once

we get started, I can triangulate his location."



"Really?" Megumi asked excitedly, moving closer to Marller.



"Yep. I'll have to hack inside the Yggdrasil. Messy job, wish my brother

were here to do it instead. He's the real whiz in the family," the

demoness replied, getting back to her diagrams, adding quietly, "not to

mention having the right contacts to get these jobs done."



"But didn't you say that he was..."



"Shadow ops?" Marller offered, smirking.



"Yes."



"What do you think he did there? Hacking computer systems was one of the

requirements from the agents."



"Umm..."



Sensing Megumi's next question, Marller decided to explain this point

again.



"Our technology is far more advanced then yours. I thought we covered

that already?"



"Um, we did. I just didn't really believe you," the brown-haired girl

sheepishly answered, studying a particularly interesting spot on the

floor.



Laughing heartily, Marller slapped the other girl on her back a couple

of times.



"Good! Doubt everyone! You'll live longer."



"O-Ok."



"Hey, don't act so scared, kid! You're on the right side!" Marller

encouraged Megumi, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Together, we'll find

my brother and bring the revolution!"



"Yes, you're right. Together... for the world's revolution!" Megumi

agreed, wondering inwardly how exactly she got the nerve to help a

demon.



"You're catching on, Megumi!" Marller quipped, nodding approvingly.



"T-Thanks."



The two sat in relative silence for a few minutes, before Marller looked

at the other girl with a calculating eye and asked, "Hey, are you dating

anyone?"



Blushing furiously, Megumi looked away.



"Um, I really appreciate the offer and everything, but..."



Barking out another laugh, Marller explained, "Don't fret, I'm not into

girls myself. I have this friend, though..."



--------------------------------------------------



"Belldandy... such a sweet child..." the Goddess of the Sun murmured,

getting off the phone, the latter disappearing into nothingness after a

few moments.



Amaterasu was about to go and visit her friends in Egypt, when she felt

a dark shadow behind her. Getting into a combat stance immediately, her

magic blazing, she shouted to the clear blue sky around her, "Who's

there? Show yourself!"



The wind carried back a hoarse whisper.



"Amaterasu..."



Whirling around, the goddess turned to face the ghostly image of her

brother.



"Susano! What do you want, you bastard?!"



"Oh my, is that any way to greet your dear brother? I'm shocked!" he

replied, putting both hands over his heart and pretending to be hurt.



"You will be, if you don't get your ugly mug out of here!" Amaterasu

warned him, charging up a moderate sized mana bolt.



"Such harsh words, spoken by such a pretty mouth..." the Storm God said,

walking slowly towards her, while keeping one hand behind his back.



"Stay back!" Amaterasu cried out, backing up a few steps.



"Are you sure?" he asked, smiling widely.



"Yes! Now get lost before I..."



"Before you... what?" Susano asked, the humor gone from his voice. As he

brought his hand from behind his back, Amaterasu's eyes widened in

shock.



"No, it can't be..." she whispered, shaking her head in denial. "How did

you get the God CD?!"



"That's not the only CD I have, my dear sister. Look behind you," Susano

offered, pointing to something behind her.



Amaterasu noticed the shadow of the new arrival, and turned around

quickly to see whom she was dealing with. Her eyes widened in

realization, and as she hurriedly scrambled to erect a protective

barrier, she cried on the inside, with the knowledge that her son will

have to pay for her mistakes.



'Oh my God! I was wrong... Ranma... I have to warn h...'



--------------------------------------------------



Ranma recoiled suddenly and clutched his chest in pain, as if shot.



"What's wrong, Ranma? Are you hurt?" Akane worriedly asked, hovering

around him protectively.



"Something's just happened to mom. I have to go and see her!" Ranma got

out, struggling against the pain.



"In Heaven? Are you crazy? You'll be killed on sight!"



"But I have to do something... anything!"



"We will, Ranma... we will. But it won't do your mother any good if we

rush into a trap. She's counting on us to save her and we have to stay

alive and free to be able to do that."



"Yes. You're right, Akane. My mother would have wanted me to think

things through first."



"I'm glad you're back to your senses now, Ranma."



"I... I am."



"Are we going back to that shrine?"



"No, it's too dangerous. If mom's been captured, than all the places

that would normally be under her protection have been compromised."



"So does that mean we're going camping again?"



"No. I think it's about time we paid an old friend of ours a visit..."



--------------------------------------------------



"Oh, no..." Urd gasped, her eyes widening in shock. 'Not the First Sign

of the Apocalypse?!'



"What's the matter?" Skuld asked, walking over to her sister.



Not getting any answer, she followed her gaze and mirrored her sister's

actions. Outside the window, the sun was colored in red and surrounded

by a corona of darkness.



"Amaterasu?" Skuld asked, when she'd finally gotten control of her vocal

cords again.



"Must be. Kami-sama is the only other god that can make that happen and,

somehow, I can't see him behind this."



"But what does this mean?"



"Amaterasu is no longer on this plane of existence."



Seeing Skuld's confused look, Urd elaborated, "Once, a long time ago,

Susano and Amaterasu had a fight, and she went into a cave to sulk.

Until the gods finally managed to trick her to get out, the entire world

was covered in darkness. Kami-sama decided to prepare for that

possibility, and created a few protocols in the Yggdrasil."



"So what we're seeing now..."



"Is the backup initializing. Right."



"Wow." Skuld whistled. "That must've taken a lot of time to program...

and the hardware Father probably needed..."



"It's not all that great, kiddo. Do you really think some modern gizmo

can truly replace the Goddess of the Sun?"



"What do you mean, Urd?"



The Goddess of the Past leaned back against the wall and closed her

eyes.



"The backup is just that - a backup. It will last for two weeks... a

month, tops. If Amaterasu won't return by then..."



"Eternal darkness?" Skuld asked, biting on her lower lip.



"Yep. And Kami-sama can't just choose another goddess to fill in for

Amaterasu. The Goddess of the Sun is one of those truly irreplaceable

gods, see? The rest of the Sun Deities only channel her power."



"Do you think that, maybe, Ranma had anything to do with her

disappearance?"



"C'mon, you're grasping at straws, Skuld," Urd replied, shaking her

head. "He will never do anything that'd hurt his mother, and you know

it. You do bring an excellent point, though."



"What's that?"



"Now, Ranma will be even more unstable than before... especially if

Amaterasu isn't coming back again..."



--------------------------------------------------



End of Chapter 8.





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