Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Tale of Two Wallets ❯ By Jupiter! ( Chapter 81 )

A Tale of Two Wallets

(An Altered Destiny)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Ukyo-kun parried the thrust of Yumi's baker's peel, using her own to turn the leverage of that thrust around into a counter-thrust, using her whole body to roll about with a sweeping slash that forced his aunt to back-step a half a pace. Metal clanged upon metal as he sought to press home his advantage, but the older warrior just met his attack calmly and methodically, waiting for Ukyo to lose momentum before rallying for a counter-attack that had the backing of her superior strength behind it.

Ukyo found himself on the defensive as Yumi drove him relentlessly to the edge of their arena, but he was not long at a disadvantage and avoided being cornered by leaping high over his aunt's head with a perfectly executed somersault that brought him around to Yumi's rear before the larger woman could fully compensate. Ukyo executed a perfect backwards thrust, only to be met by a deflecting block that set Ukyo up for a counter-thrust, which same Ukyo neatly side-stepped, the edge of the baker's peel narrowly passing by his head as he sought to step into Yumi's guard to deliver a devastating back-slash with her own cooking implement. Both antagonists separated to their respective corners, and Yumi called a halt to the affair, breathing deeply as each took full stock of the other.

"Very good, Nephew," Yumi congratulated as their breathing steadied and they had saluted one another, "You're learning to anticipate more on instinct. Before you were more inclined to rushing in while attempting to overwhelm your opponent's defenses. On the whole I'd say you've improved tenfold as a fighter."

"Aunt Yumi," Ukyo winced, "We're alone now. Do you have to call me nephew?"

"Pardon me, but it is descriptive, Whelp," Yumi smiled lopsidedly, "And you'd better get used to thinking of yourself as male whenever you're in that form, because nobody else is going to mistake you for a female."

"I suppose," Ukyo said reluctantly, "By why did you insist on fighting me as a guy this time?"

"Because you need to work more on your posture and balance," Yumi clapped the cursed girl-turned-boy on the shoulder, "You have to get used to fighting in your male form if you want to make a better showing of yourself the next time you go up against that Ryoga, and no way will any niece or nephew of mine lose out to a Hibiki!"

"I didn't realize you had such a history with their clan," Ukyo winced as he flexed his shoulders to insure that his arm had not accidentally been dislocated.

"You can't really call them a clan…not properly anyway," Yumi replied, "But the line of Hibikis goes back a long way to their ancestor, the legendary Razor, who wandered into the Edo passes long ago and once courted a Kuonji woman. I won't bother you with the full details, but their line was allied with ours for many years, right up through the Meiji era, only they seem to either have died off or wandered and gotten lost over the last century or so, and now they're as rare as an honest merchant. Of course my own involvement with Atsuko goes back a good twenty years to when our paths first crossed, and while we were never exactly friends we weren't really full-out enemies either."

"Then why should I be training to fight against Ryoga?" Ukyo wondered, "That fight between us was a misunderstanding. I wasn't acting like myself…"

"Are you so sure about that, Cub?" Yumi eyed her nephew slyly, "Maybe that pearl just brought something out in you that was always there to begin with. After all, that Akane is a pretty enough young thing, and boys have been known to brawl for considerably less provocation."

"Akane's just a friend," Ukyo insisted, trying hard not to allow his cheeks to redden at the thought of the cursed Tendo sister, "It's not like I've got any claim on her, and besides…" he faltered as he tried to put his thoughts into words and came up with nothing.

"Hmm," Yumi smiled shrewdly, "Obviously I neglected certain parts of your education. Oh well, you'll figure some of it out on your own, probably long after I've left town. At least you no longer bristle at the mere mention of a boy's name, and you've stopped sharpening your spatulas and carving them with that Saotome boy's initials."

"I never did that," Ukyo insisted, unable to help blushing furiously at his Aunt's relentless teasing, "So…when are you planning on leaving?"

"By the end of the week, unless I find some compelling reason to stay," Yumi replied, "Just as soon as I think you're training is back on par, but I can tell in certain quarters that I've already overstayed my welcome."

"It's been…nice having your around," Ukyo replied, "But I guess I can handle things now that the restaurant is up and ready for business."

"You'll do just fine, Cub," Yumi playfully cuffed her nephew's cheek, "I taught you all the basics, and you've got a good head for business, so you don't need me to hang around holding your hand and boss you about. You've been ready for this a long time now, and I'm very proud to see you're growing up into a fine representative of Clan Kuonji."

"I've been ready for it my whole life," Ukyo affirmed, "I'm gonna do you proud and prove to Pop and everyone else in the company that I can handle the responsibility. Still…it's been nice having your around. You don't have to feel like you can't come and visit…"

"I'd love to," Yumi replied, "But I've spent enough time away from my own restaurant, and Okonomiyaki don't get flipped on their own. I only came out this way to keep an eye on that stubborn old mule, your father, to see he didn't up and die on us and drop the whole company on MY shoulders," she snorted, "Like I'd know what to do with the whole franchise!"

Ukyo nodded a little grimly. The company business was his responsibility to look after. He'd been studying all that he could learn about running a business, and when the time came to assume control over Kuonji Industries he intended to be fully briefed and ready. He already knew a lot more about the business end than most kids his age, and once he graduated from high school he intended to make his mark in the restaurant business. But first, of course, he had to show his father that he could turn a profit in his own personal outlet.

"One thing I intend to teach you before I go," Yumi noted with the lifting of a finger, "Come sit with me and assume the Nine Levels of power."

Surprised by the request, Ukyo followed his aunt's example and joined her in sitting in the middle of the floor so that they could meditate together until they each attained a higher level of consciousness. Once breathing and heart rate had steadied to an even pulse, Yumi raised her hands, and Ukyo copied her example, and together they made the finger motions that symbolized the nine levels of consciousness that were essential to the art of Ninjutsu.

"Rin," Yumi said as she brought her palms together, index fingers pointing with thumbs twined together, then brought her hands up to where the thumbs were almost touching her breastbone.

"Harmony of Mind and Body," Ukyo replied as she copied the same gesture.

"Chiu," Yumi called out, curling her middle fingers over the forefingers to form a kind of "M" with a pyramid above it, then raised her hands up and down as if channeling with the gesture.

"Direction of energy," Ukyo replied as she dutifully did likewise.

"Doh," Yumi called out, making an even more complicated twining of her fingers.

"Harmony with the Universe."

"Sha!"

"Healing of yourself and others."

"Kai!"

"Premonition of Danger."

"Jin!"

"Knowing the thoughts of others."

"Retsu!"

"Mastery of time and space."

"Zai!"

"Controlling the elements of nature."

"Zen."

"Enlightenment," Ukyo clasped the palm of her right hand over the clenched fist of her other hand and saluted her mentor, then the two of them bowed their heads and allowed the silence to fill the space all around them.

When they emerged from their dual meditative trances, Yumi opened her eyes, compelling Ukyo to do likewise. For a moment the air between them vibrated, and then in a fluid motion Yumi stood up and bade Ukyo to do likewise, then the both of them put their hands together with palms touching.

"Feel the flow of your ki," Yumi urged, "Tap into the force lines that you perceive all around you and when you have found your center call the force up from your navel to the top of your head and down through the palms of your hands. Do you feel the Third Eye awakening within you?"

"Yes," Ukyo replied softly, "I feel it."

"Then feel this and remember," and with that Yumi's hands suddenly grew very warm, and an instant later a flash of electricity shot from her palms into Ukyo, who staggered backwards.

"W-What…?" Ukyo exclaimed in surprise.

"Sorry if that startled you," Yumi smiled, "It's part of a little initiation ritual passed down from Kuonji to Kuonji. Consider it a rite of passage that you've earned…now…do you think you can remember the feeling of that force flowing through you?"

"Y-Yes," Ukyo replied a bit unsteadily.

"Learn to tap into that power and let it flow through you like water," Yumi replied, "Be like all the elements combined, Air, Earth, Water, Fire, Stone, Iron and Wood…learn which one to tap into and which to use as a counterbalance to the others. Now, let me show you the practical application to the full use of this power. Wait here and I'll demonstrate."

Ukyo waited as Yumi want back to the rear of the restaurant and came back a moment later with a pair of cinder blocks, which she set up on the floor, then left and returned a moment later with a large wooden block that had obviously been cut from the trunk of a sizeable tree, roughly a foot tall and about as wide in diameter. Yumi then stood back and brought her hands together, then murmured to Ukyo, "Watch very closely."

Yumi closed her eyes and began to hum softly to herself, raising her tone a level until the air around her vibrated, and then she shot her hands out like a pair of sword thrusts and parted them as if tearing an invisible screen asunder.

The block of wood that stood only three meters away tore apart into splinters, startling Ukyo, who had not been expecting such a violent resolution. Instinctively he flinched away, but the fragments of wood went all in one direction, away from him and his aunt, though some bits imbedded themselves in the far wall and left one with no doubt of the force registered by the explosion.

"You see?" Yumi smiled, "A ki attack, one of several that our clan has to offer. I want you to practice mastering this particular form so that by the time I leave here you can shatter either wood or stone without needing to touch it."

"W-Wow…" Ukyo replied, impressed both by the display and that his aunt believed that he was ready to learn such a powerful technique. He had never even previously suspected that his aunt knew such advanced attacks styles, and it left him to wonder what other weapons she had in her arsenal, and how long it would take for Ukyo to master these advanced elements of the Kuonji Ryu.

Yumi was smiling and about to say something when a sharp glance to the corner of her eyes alerted Ukyo that his Aunt had detected something out of the ordinary. Without turning her head the senior Kuonji remarked, "If you want to admire my nephew, it might help if you come out into the open, Kino-san."

"Huh?" Ukyo blinked his eyes, turning to stare in surprise at a reluctant Makoto, who edged away from the shadow near the rear entrance.

"Ah…sorry about sneaking up on you like that," the tall girl replied nervously, "Not that I was sneaking or spying on you, of course…I mean…I wouldn't spy on you, Senpai…at least…ah …"

"Mako-chan?" Ukyo exclaimed, only to stop in mid-turn as he caught full sight of his old girlfriend.

Makoto was not wearing her usual school uniform but had rather dressed in something much more…casual…if not outright eye-catching. The brown haired girl was wearing a short-trimmed tank top with a pair of worn cut-off shorts that left the entire length of her very long legs exposed to view, to say nothing of her bared midriff. A pair of sizeable breasts were poling their way against the thin material of her white shirt, and her washboard-smooth tummy was so elegantly trip and waspish that it made her look even more like a tomboy than usual…except that it also made her simultaneously seem both feminine and incredibly sexy. She was barefoot and had a simple country elegance about her that belied the simplicity of her appearance, and while her face was only lightly touched with makeup, her green eyes were framed by just enough of a hint of eye-shadow that their understated beauty drew the eye like a magnet. Looking on the pony-tailed girl, who even drawfed his male form by a couple centimeters in height, Ukyo could not help himself for staring, and rather than speak he found himself swallowing against a certain tightness.

"Ah…" the tall girl glanced down and blushed, looking all the more feminine for the gesture, "I didn't mean to intrude, but I was…in the neighborhood, jogging, and I found the door open in the back, so…I…wanted to come see you…"

"Hah?" Ukyo replied, about the most intelligent thing that crossed his mind at the moment.

"You should try calling ahead next time, Kino-san," Yumi smiled in an approving manner, impressed that the other girl had been able to summon enough courage to even attempt being this brazen, "I'm sure my nephew would appreciate having more time to properly prepare to receive you."

"Hah?" Ukyo repeated, only this time having a nagging sense that his Aunt was implying something of significance.

"Um…" Makoto tried to rally her courage once again, "I caught the last few minutes of your practice session…you've very good. I've never seen anything quite like it. Well, unless you count that fight between Shampoo and Amber. Um…well…do you have a moment, Senpai? I'd…like to talk if you're not too busy."

"Oh, my nephew's not too busy," Yumi nudged Ukyo with an elbow, "In fact we were about to straighten up a bit, but since you're here I think I can spare the Cub for a little bit. You two young things must have a lot to talk about, so don't mind this old-timer, and I'll be minding my business in the back if you need me."

"HAH?" Ukyo forced himself to turn away from the stunning vision that was Makoto to give his aunt a look of alarm and faint dismay. Yumi was already heading for the rear with the cinder blocks in hand, leaving Ukyo alone to contemplate the odd rush of emotions and sensations that were presently overwhelming his senses.

"Senpai," Makoto took a nervous step forward, as if afraid to startle Ukyo like a timid deer into full retreat, "I wanted to apologize to you for the other day…"

"Apologize?" Ukyo replied, swallowing another thick lump, his voice a bit off-key as he added, "For what?"

"For the way I behaved back on the beach," Makoto eased forward another step, carefully testing the floor with the sole of her foot as if afraid to creek a board and make a sound that might shatter the moment, "I acted like a fool over Amber, and I hope my conduct didn't offend you."

Ukyo tried to pry his eyes away from staring at the rise and fall of Makoto's chest, and with as much self-control as he could still mange he said, "You weren't to blame…any more than I was…with Akane."

"I know," Makoto replied, easing forward another foot, "I tell myself that, but I can't help but feel so jealous. I wanted you to look at me…ah…well…the way you did her," she paused before continuing, "Sempai…I want you to be honest. What do you think about me? I mean…really?"

"Ah-huh?" Ukyo blurted, "Wh-what makes you want to know that?"

"Because…" Makoto glanced down, wringing her hands together in a very feminine gesture of coy anxiety, "When we first met…a couple of years ago…I was a different person back then…I was still angry and resentful about losing my parents. You were the first real friend that I'd had in quite a while, the only one who seemed to want to spend time with me…and I thought you were so cute…I mean…even though you were really a girl only pretending to be a guy, I thought you were a guy, and you looked so sexy…ah…I mean in a guy kind of way…"

"Er…right," Ukyo decided to agree with that rather odd statement, feeling his own anxiety increase at the memory of how he had deceived people like Makoto in a mistaken quest for personal vengeance.

"I…know you didn't deliberately lead me on or anything," Makoto resumed, now only a couple of meters away from Ukyo, who was still staring at her with a kind of fascination that made her pulse quicken, "If anything I'm the one who got her hopes worked up over nothing. You tried to ease out of our relationship as gently as you could, but it…still hurt…more than a little…"

"Mako-chan?" Ukyo wondered why he had this sudden urge to turn around and run like mad, while simultaneously held in place by a force beyond his understanding.

"But I got better," Makoto hastily continued, "I transferred to a different school, met up with some really cool friends and…I didn't feel so alone any more. My friends helped me to see myself in a whole new light…but I never stopped trying to find myself another boyfriend. I mean…to find a real guy who was as nice as you, or as much fun to be with, or who didn't mind me being so tall and…well…such a tomboy…"

"Mako-chan," Ukyo smiled, "I never thought of you as…anything less…"

"That's sweet of you to say," Makoto replied, "You've never acted like you were intimidated by me, or like I frightened you away by being too aggressive and violent…or stuff like that. I wish there were more guys like you…real guys, that is…not that you're not a real guy now…well…sort of…"

"Ah…well…" Ukyo felt his cheeks burn slightly.

"I guess my problem is that I compare every guy I meet to you," Makoto continued, "And you know what? There really isn't anyone like you. You're very special…which is why I…want to know if you still feel anything positive about me."

"Positive?" Ukyo blinked, "Such as?"

"Well…" Makoto curled her hands behind her back and scuffed the floor with the toes of one foot, posing her body in an unselfconscious manner that made her look even more feminine than before, "..Do you think I'm…pretty?"

Ukyo's eyes were as round as saucers as he considered that question in frank astonishment, "Come again?"

"I mean…are you attracted to me at all?" Makoto asked, then continued in a rush as if not wanting to give Ukyo the chance to deny her, "Because I really can't stop thinking about you. I don't know why, but you're just the nicest guy or girl I know, and you look good in either form, guy or girl and…and I want to know if I'm wasting my time hoping or not, because if you don't see me that way, then I want to know now before things get any farther. I…I care about you, Senpai…you don't know how much I've wanted to get close to you these last few years…"

Ukyo made a very audible noise as he swallowed the new lump in his throat, "Ah…Mako-chan…"

"I used to think it was finding out that you were really a girl that caused us to separate," Makoto said, "But I was wrong…you were just being honest with me. You never tried leading me on or deceiving me, and I was the one who tried to make too much of what we had back then. But…you know what? I've never stopped thinking about you…and when I was under the influence of that pearl I found out that I could think of another girl that way…that it really wasn't such a big problem with me, that I was willing to do anything that Amber asked of me if she'd let me do it with her."

Ukyo frowned slightly at the thought of the pink haired Amazon, who came so near to seducing Makoto, and his tone grew hard, "Mako-chan…"

"Don't say it," Makoto turned away, "I couldn't stand to know if I'm just making a fool of myself and embarrassing you. I…I couldn't bear to have you think of me as some kind of cheap harlot…"

"Mako-chan…" Ukyo softly chided.

"I-I'm sorry that I bothered you, Senpai," Makoto turned away, "It won't happen again…"

"Wha-huh?" Ukyo blinked his eyes as his former girlfriend started to walk dejectedly back towards the rear exit, wondering what in the hell had just happened to cause such a dramatic scene change. He was about to call out to Makoto to stop when a ball of paper bopped against the back of his head, causing Ukyo to snatch it from the air and unfold it in great haste.

Written on the paper in her aunt's clear handwriting were the katakana script for, "Don't just stand around gaping, you fool, bring her back!"

Ukyo stared at the paper, glanced back to where he could see his aunt mouthing angry words in silent pantomime, and finally put it all together. Crumpling the paper in his hand he darted forward, catching up with Makoto even as she was bending down to put on her footwear.

"Mako-chan!" he said, only to misjudge his footing as he tried to come to a sharp halt on the slick floor at the back of the restaurant.

"Eh?" Makoto asked, turning around just in time to see Ukyo trip and fall towards her.

There was a moment when the two friends collided and then Ukyo broke his fall just after having knocked the tall girl over. Ukyo found himself nearly nose-to-nose laying atop of Makoto's body with some interesting padding pressing against his chest and Makoto's green eyes looming large before his vision. Ukyo's hands were pressed against the floor to either side of the taller girl as they lay like that for a long astonished moment, and then Makoto bent to impulse, reaching up to frame Ukyo's face in her strong hands, and cupping her mouth in an appropriate pucker, she brought Ukyo's lips against hers and applied enough gentle pressure to make the cursed girl/boy's mind go blank with the explosion of fireworks and pin wheels.

Peeking over at the two from a discrete distance, Yumi wiped the tears from her eyes and beamed proudly, "She's such a fast worker…way to go, nephew…"

Shampoo's diary resumes:

It was a very ordinary type of day at school, save that it was brightened considerably by the presence of both of my beloved airen, so I suppose I can overlook a few odd things that appeared even stranger than what I've become accustomed to seeing in my new homeland. It was not until lunch break that I began to notice anything unusual, and that mainly from Nabiki, who seemed very thoughtful and distracted, no doubt over weighty affairs known only to a Lore Master.

She had been absent much of the day before when we had that business with Hibiki Kennou, but now that the strange golden-haired girl is a temporary guest of her family's dojo, I would have expected matters to be resolving themselves as the Oni woman, Atsuko, seemed to believe that she had matters in hand and under control. I, however, do not rest well knowing that one such as the golden hair might harbor ill will towards my husband. Thankfully he is staying at the home of his mother, so there is at least that much separation between them. I am also somewhat comforted by the thought of the demon hound who guards her against further attempts against his person.

So where had Nabiki vanished with Elder Lotion while Ranma and I were moving away for temporary quarters with our respective parents? She would not say directly, other than to imply that it had to do with a visit to see her mother. I took that to mean that she had visited the family plot where her mother's ashes reside, unless the Elder's powers are even greater than I have believed and an actual trip to the afterlife was implied by this statement.

I do confess that there at times that I am awed and humbled by the abilities of my talented wife. Nabiki is still learning the rudiments of what it means to be a Lore Master, but already she surpasses my understanding and expectations for her, for her speed and reflexes have increased to a phenomenal level, and with hardly any effort she can side-step perilous situations that would daunt a seasoned warrior even twice her age. And she is so beautiful and talented in bed…aiyaa! How difficult it will be to have to endure two weeks without snuggling up beside her under the pale moonlight of springtime!

Anyway, as I have just said, something unusual occurred when she and I made a visit to this wonderful facility that the Japanese have called a privy. Now I know back home that there is no great significance attached to having a place set aside for the necessity of bodily waste disposal, but the indoor booths they have are so much more comfortable and clean smelling than an outhouse, and who would ever believe that they could invent such a wonderful use for rolled up paper? This something that should be mentioned to the Elders in terms of basic home improvement, along with this other curious invention that they call indoor plumbing.

Ah yes, before I allow myself to become too distracted over the matter, it was as I was cleaning myself and preparing to leave my booth that I heard my wife give a somewhat startled yelp, and then a voice that sounded like Nice Girl Kasumi spoke words to reassure her. I made haste to finish my business and push down on the handle to flush the unmentionables away, then quickly dress and prepared to exit the booth, just in case the nasty girl who Kasumi dates might be around looking to cause trouble.

Imagine my surprise upon leaving the booth that I should meet someone who is as nice as Kasumi, a celestial beauty who stood wearing a different school uniform than that which is worn by a Furinkan student. My wife turned a startled look my way and made hasty introductions, giving the name of this new girl as Belldandy, whom she claimed to have met the previous day at a temple.

"Very good to meet you," this strange girl bowed to me with perfect Japanese politeness, "Nabiki-san did not inform me that she had such a beautiful wife. I'm sure the both of you will be most happy together."

Right away I was put off my guard, for every instinct in my body cried out to trust this girl and not harbor suspicious thoughts towards her over my wife's association. I could see that there was something about this one that troubled Nabiki greatly, but with no hostile intentions in evidence I took this to mean that this beauty was a most transcendent individual, the kind whose presence makes one feel humbled, and of course there was her curious resemblance in voice and mannerism to her beloved sister.

"This one is honored to meet with you," I replied, returning the bow, "Are you an exchange student or visitor from another high school?"

"Oh my, no," the celestial one replied with a pleasant smile, "I go to Nekomi Tech University, as does my fiancé. I'm just here to pay a brief visit to Nabiki, and to share some information that I thought she might find useful regarding her sister."

"What about Akane?" Nabiki asked, her tone and manner implying great anxiety on this subject.

"Well," this Belldandy said as she turned back to regard my wife with benevolent interest, "Peorth has agreed to personally look into the matter, but from what inquiries I have been able to make so far from calls to the main office, I believe that your sister is in a transitional state where her dormant potential is gradually rising to the surface. It seems that her manifestation of wings is but the outward form of a deeper transformation, and at this stage there is no telling where she may go in the next phase of her personal evolution."

"So you're saying that becoming an angel may not be the final form after all?" my wife asked her, "What…happens if she does become more like you guys?"

"I'm not sure that it could go that far," Belldandy responded, "Becoming a full goddess is not as easy as simply manifesting wings in a transitional form. There are quite a few other levels that would have to be undergone before she might become anything like Peorth, though it is true that the seed for such an eventual change may well have been planted."

"That's…pretty disturbing," Nabiki admitted, "Akane is going through a lot more than just a physical transformation right now, and she's having a pretty rough time of it. I don't think she's at all ready to have to try and cope with what you're describing."

"It is a problem, I will admit," Belldandy nodded, "But my sisters and I will continue to research the matter, and I'm sure Peorth will be intimately concerned with her welfare and will do everything in her power to protect your sister from potential complications."

"I guess that's as much as I can hope for at the present," Nabiki replied, "But I'd feel a lot better if you actually met Akane and saw for yourself the sort of problems she's going through."

"That would be for the best," Belldandy agreed, "And it would help us to make a proper analysis of the extent of her changes. I will arrange to pay you a visit at the appropriate time, after I've obtained more information from the main office, and…"

Before she could complete her statement the door to the oddly named rest room opened up and in walked Kodachi and Kasumi, both of whom were happily chatting together over something. Kasumi caught sight of her sister and said, "Imoutochan, you left this morning without taking your bento box. Kodachi and I thought we would…"

My nice sister-in-law paused as she caught sight of Belldandy, who turned and looked at her with a curious mix of awe and wonder on both of their features. Nabiki seemed oddly worried for some reason, while Kodachi's eyes went from the new girl to her companion and back again as if sensing, as I did, a curious connection.

"Oh my!" said both Belldandy and Kasumi together, and by the tone of their voices it was near impossible to tell the one from the other…

Nabiki's Journal Resumes:

That was freaky, hearing my sister's voice in stereo like that. I can only attribute it to being the curious effect of a Template meeting up with the original Matrix, because once the both of them got over their initial surprise they began chatting away together like old friends, which further bewildered both Shampoo and Kodachi.

Having the two of them stand side-by-side like that helped me to better define both the similarities and the differences between the goddess and my sister. Belldandy manifests a kind of timeless beauty that transcends her apparent age, while my sister appears that much more earthy and human by contrast. They don't look exactly alike, but there is enough of a resemblance for me to almost think that they were both sisters, and that air of serenity that attends them both is unmistakable. Guess what the old woman said was true about a Template being a reflection of the original model, which leaves me to wonder about how Kachu might fit into this equation.

Anyway the news about Akane doesn't exactly cheer me up as my sister is really having a tough time of it in the romance department. I can see her repairing her ties with Ryoga after the Hibiki affair and that fiasco with the love pearls and the poor lost boy no longer walks around here looking so much like a whipped puppy. The problem is she still has feelings for Kuonji, and that doesn't look like it's going to wind up in a happy resolution like what I worked out with Shampoo over Ranma.

How would I cope if I had my sister's problems? Not well I think! A pair of wings on my back would fit me like a halo, which means, "NOT BLOODY LIKELY," in case you have any doubts on that subject. And while I can certainly understand the way Akane fell hard for Kuonji's good looks, she's never exactly been short on potential suitors, while I've always been the girl most boys my age tend to avoid due to my reputation as a hard case. Just thinking of all the ups and downs that I've been through in my relationship with Ranma I have to concede that the hardest part for me was even admitting that I wanted the guy as my iinazuke. Wanting somebody creates vulnerability, and a weakness like that was something I would ordinarily have avoided before learning the hard way that I was better off with him than without him.

Thinking on the subject of Kuonji, I'm amazed I don't feel as much resentment towards her as I do with Kodachi's presence around my sister. But to be fair I guess the girl-turned-boy is having her own rough time of it adjusting to her curse…and I keep wondering how I would manage to cope in her place. Supposing I turned into a boy whom other girls flocked around wanting to date? I know it doesn't sound like a very likely concept, but I have to admit the idea is kind of scary…

"Do tell?" a voice suddenly manifested at the computer console, and Nabiki jumped back with a start, seeing the face of the goddess Urd suddenly fill her monitor screen, smiling and winking in her direction.

"GAK!" Nabiki jumped back out of her chair, even as the screen suddenly flared with a brilliant white light that caused her to briefly flinch away, only to turn back in time to see the body of the goddess flow out from the narrow fourteen inch screen, manifesting in full form and solid life a moment later, serene and majestic in fashionable garb worthy of a goddess.

"Hi there," Urd smiled as she stood to full larger-than-life attention before the dismayed Tendo sister, "Sorry I didn't call ahead, but I make a habit of surprising people…and don't worry about what you were typing, I made sure to save it before I transferred."

"H-H-How…?" Nabiki began to say, then corrected herself with a hasty, "Don't you guys believe in doing things like ordinary people?"

"Pah, that's so mediocre," Urd said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Traveling this way saves so much in time, gas and air fair. Besides, I figured you wanted the information I was bringing enough that you might put up with a little inconvenience."

The goddess waved several computer printout sheets, which instantly drew Nabiki's attention.

"Is it about my sister?" she asked.

"That and the full details about Peorth's stay with your family," Urd winked, "Everything but the juiciest details."

Nabiki accepted the small stack of papers and quickly leafed through a comprehensible timesheet, schedule information, listing of names, dates and places and other such neatly arranged data that would no doubt take hours to leaf through, let along digest in any detail.

"Thanks," Nabiki said as she took note of the letter heading on the stationary address, "Central Registry-slash-Yggdrasil dot com?"

"It's a very exclusive data-base," Urd replied, "You need Level Two clearance just to access the website, and it helps if you're a licensed goddess."

"Uh…right," Nabiki set the sheets down on her desk then turned to regard the goddess, "You guys have all the latest systems hardware, huh?"

"Some would say we were the original System programmers back before you humans had even created your first Univac," Urd smiled, "Kami-sama insists we keep up with the changes. Used to be in the really old days that we'd have to keep track of all this stuff by hand, which was pretty time consuming."

"And you were around back then?" Nabiki asked, "I mean…after all, you are a goddess…"

"Two thousand, four hundred and seventy-six years old and still going," Urd posed herself in a fetching manner and added, "Not bad for a woman my age, huh? Of course nobody keeps track of the time after their first few centuries…Belldandy for example."

"How…old is she?" Nabiki wondered.

"That would be telling," Urd smiled, "But as her big sister it is my job to keep track of such things. As she's the goddess of the Present, though, setting an actual age to her wouldn't be too relevant. She's eternally self-renewing, and what you see is pretty much what you get in a non-strictly chronological sense."

"The present," Nabiki replied, "And you're the goddess of the Past?"

"Well…that is my official title," Urd replied with obvious reluctance, "But I prefer to think of myself as a Goddess of Love…which, by the way, reminds me. Nice catch, couldn't have arranged it better myself."

"Ah…excuse me?" Nabiki asked.

"You nailing Saotome and the Amazon of course," the goddess turned and walked over to the nearby bed before sitting down and crossing her legs in a fetching manner, "Not many girls are fortunate enough to get both a Nexus and a Juraian Princess. I have to say that reading over your file was certainly pretty eye-opening."

"Ah, yeah…" Nabiki replied with a nervous smile, "I can imagine it made for some…interesting reading…"

"To put it mildly," Urd regarded Nabiki with a frank expression, "Especially the part that starts a few months ago when you first met your current iinazuke. Would it interest you to know that originally you weren't the one scheduled to wind up engaged to him? Originally it was your kid sister."

Nabiki stared in frank disbelief at the Goddess for a long time before saying, "Come again?"

"That's right," Urd nodded, "According to the original projected plot for this timeline, Saotome Ranma was to meet and become engaged to one Tendo Akane, only something happened…a paradigm shift in the system, possibly caused by a bug or a glitch, and the engagement got switched over to you. Imagine that and what a fuss it made back in the home office when the anomaly was discovered."

"That's impossible," Nabiki said and her tone was flinty.

"You're telling me?" Urd regarded her frankly, "Contrary to popular belief, the system is a long way from infallible. I don't know why some mortals insist that we're so all-fired perfect or that the 'divine plan' never makes glitches because as a System Analyst I'm in a position to know that this sort of fuck-up happens a lot more often than you could imagine. To err may be human, but to really screw things up takes a computer."

"My sister…and RANMA?" Nabiki became visibly upset, "No way! They hate each other! They'd make each other miserable for life!"

"If you're expecting an argument you came to the wrong department," Urd regarded Nabiki benevolently, "Believe me I've no objections to the current arrangement, but I thought you ought to know, just in case your mentor didn't feel like sharing the news with you at your current level of training. Ranma and Akane were due to have a lengthy and tempestuous relationship with many stops and starts along the way, but at the end of a feisty two year courtship the two of them would admit their love and marry, producing one child, a daughter, before the marriage came to an abrupt and violent end after a one year trial that was as much ordeal as union."

"Wh…what was supposed to happen?" Nabiki asked, feeling the strength in her legs begin to give out so that she had to sit down in her computer chair to keep from fainting.

"What happens in a lot of marriages," Urd shrugged, "Both parties had unrealistic aspirations and conflicting goals. Ranma wants to pursue his martial arts career while Akane elects to pursue a higher education. Their fights become more occasional and random and everyone thinks they're getting along better when they're barely even speaking to one another. Ranma stays to try and run the dojo but his idea of training clashes with that of your father. Akane wants to put off having kids but lets herself be talked into having one in a futile attempt to preserve the marriage. She goes to a college in Tokyo, Ranma barely sees her for several weeks and starts to feel enormously frustrated, then he gets it into his head that she's seeing someone else. He surprises her in a restaurant where she is having lunch with a male friend, and in the ensuing brawl that results they suffer a permanent break in the marriage. In some scenarios the violence erupts in death for one or more parties, in other variations no one gets hurt but emotions are frayed and trust is permanently broken…"

"But that can't happen!" Nabiki insisted, "Ranma isn't going to marry Akane! Not if I have anything to say about it anyway!"

"I know," Urd replied, "As things currently stand the scenario I just gave you is altogether unlikely, which broaches the interesting subject of how this timeline was changed in the first place."

"Changed?" Nabiki asked, "What do you mean?"

"Contrary to another popular belief," Urd said, "There's more than one timeline, one path through which time can flow, or only one destiny with one possible outcome. What we call 'reality" is more like a multi-lane superhighway, and there are a near infinite number of parallel worlds exactly like this one, yet in some small way different. On this timeline a change occurred when you elected to accept your engagement to Ranma, which apparently caused a cascade effect that affected the rest of the timeline."

"You mean…I had a choice in this?" Nabiki asked in dull wonder.

"Free Will," Urd smiled lopsidedly, "It's one of the gifts particular to you mortals. It makes all the difference in the long run, only thing that I wonder about is what motivated you to change your mind at the exactly critical instant."

"I…I don't know," Nabiki said thoughtfully, "I was going to refuse to have anything to do with him…I remember thinking that I didn't need the hassle…only then I started to think about how lonely I was, and that it really wasn't all that bad that he turned into a girl…"

"So you said yes instead of no," Urd replied, "And that made all the difference."

"But…why did I do it?" Nabiki asked.

"I don't really know," Urd replied, "And that's what makes it so interesting…"

Continued

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