Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Rind, the Ring, and I ❯ Tough traing, day one. ( Chapter 6 )

As planned, he woke up around noon, feeling very groggy. Too much sleep, he realized, would do that. Embarrassed, he arose and looked for Rind, finding it still hard to comprehend her nature. When he didn't find her anywhere in the small studio apartment, he began to wonder if she had been a figment of his imagination, the product of being overtired and overworked. As if on cure, the door opened revealing her there with a bag of groceries.

"I noticed you did not have much food in your ice box," she said nonchalantly. "Part of your training will include a change in your lifestyle as far as diet and exercise are concerned."

"Why? Aren't you going to bestow me with super powers?" he scratched his head.

"You still need to maintain optimum levels of conditioning. You will still be human," she answered, closing the door behind her then going over to the kitchenette area.

"I'm a sad sack in that department," he admitted with a sigh.

She handed out a container of fresh fruit, a cup of yogurt with granola, and a whole wheat muffin.

"Can't you just use your power to make me top notch healthy?" he asked.

"Mr Rice," Rind spoke sternly. "You need to be patient and you need to follow my lead without having your own expectations."

"Yes milady," he said in a low voice then took a seat at the small table.

She joined him and took out a round shaped bottle of pomengrante juice. "You will be jogging to the top of Bear Mountain today."

"From here?"

She nodded and he realized that he would be going almost ten miles up a winding mountain pass that reminded everyone of the autobahn. If not for a three foot high stone wall, cars that veered too wide would drop off the mountain road. Daniel had engaged in little to no running since high school where he played basketball. If he wanted to get into that kind of shape, it would take a few months at least. His idea of gaining super powers felt bleak at the moment. If the heavens were trying to test his worthiness by expecting him to get into peak condition, well they could have chosen a navy seal or SWAT member. Why had he been chosen anyway? He was by no means anything special.

Rind saw his reverie and spoke up.

"You should put all self doubt aside," she told him.

"That's easy for you to say, compared to you, we're insects, right?" he said accusingly.

"That is an interesting analogy, but I've come to believe that all life is sacred in all its myriad forms," the purpled haired deity replied.

"But you're at the top of the ladder, the pinnacle of existence," he interated. "Why is it that this world couldn't be a better place?"

"Your nature. Earth was created for humans and you are fallible. You have been given free will," she stated.

"People haven't chosen to be poor, sick, hungry, or victims of hate crimes," he countered. "With your powers you could help a lot more than I ever could."

"My license doesn't permit me to interfere in this world's affairs. You have been chosen to make a significant impact here."

"Significant, but not as big if you or your boss took all the pain away," he said softly.

"I can understand how you feel on things, but you must do with what you are given."

Like play with the hand you're dealt, he thought. "Why didn't you come sooner, maybe three years ago?" he asked sadly. "A great catastrophe could have been avoided."

"I may be a goddess, but I'm not God," she answered. "I don't have all the answers, but enough philosophical debates. Get started on your run."

He hadn't gone a half mile and he was already winded, gasping for air. Even a slow jog had been reduced to a slow walk wit him trying to catch his breath. His shins ached and his legs burned.

Rind appeared beside him, a troubled look on her face. "You need to pace yourself, you did not have to sprint right away. Alternate between sprints and slow jogs and use the balls of your feet."

"This is insane," he panted, eyeing the majestic view of the Hudson River between the mountains.

"I will see you at the top," she said, then bolted on ahead.

Eventually, he made it to the top of the "Go Trail" and the Bear Mountain Bridge which loomed hundreds of feet over the Hudson River. He wanted to lie on the ground, but it was frozen and snow covered. His sweatshirt was soaked in sweat and his body ached all over. Rind was leaning up against a railing, waiting for him with her arms folded across her chest. He wondered if she was upset over having to wait so long for him to arrive, but it didn't show on her neutral expression. He walked towards her, shaking his head in disgust.

"It will take months to be able to do this in a decent amount of time," he told her, bending over from fatigue.

"Here," she handed him a cup of steaming blueberry, oolong tea.

He took it and drank it as if it were a life saving antidote. "So, I'm afraid to ask, but what are you going to have me do next?"

"You will make your way back home without using your sense of sight," she instructed.

Daniel gave the goddess a quizzical look but nonetheless complied. He began to walk on the side of the road between the yellow line and the three foot high stone wall at a snail's pace, afraid of going too much into the road where a passing car would hit him. He felt for the protective wall with his foot and tried to conform when it began to wind and turn. Every so often, he would stiffen and slow down whenever he heard the rush of traffic go past him. The exercise seemed like an eternity, although it couldn't have been more than a few hours. The only way he could keep track of time was to hear his watch beep distinctively on the half hour and hour. His legs ached and he thirsted for more tea.

"Are you alright?" a concerned voice asked.

"Where am I?" he questioned.

"You're in a scenic observation area," the person said warily, wondering why some guy was walking with his eyes shut.

Daniel realized he hadn't even made it halfway home yet, the observation area was a sizable off the road spot midway down the mountain meant for travelers to park in and admire the spectacular river valley view. An idea came to him almost instantly.

"I can't see," he told the person. "Would you be so kind as to give me a lift to my apartment?"

"Wouldn't a hospital be better?" the stranger suggested.

"Just my apartment," he assured the man.

The next thing he knew, he was helped into a Geo Tracker and taken the rest of the way back to where he lived. When the vehicle came to a halt in his driveway, Daniel opened his eyes.

"Listen, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart," he said earnestly. "Here, take some money."

The benefactor appeared to be a man about the same age as he. "Do you need help getting inside?"

"No, I'm fine now. Thanks again for your kindness."

Soon, he collapsed onto his futon after getting in the door. A few minutes passed and he realized he wanted a nice soothing hot shower. Groggily, he made his way into the open bathroom, while removing his sweaty clothing. The warm air and hot steam touched his skin and he peered into the tub to see Rind soaking in the water, her upper torso submerged just above her cleavage. Her blueish/purplish haired sparkled with wetness and he stared openmouthed, recognizing the awkwardness of the situation.

"Did you keep your eyes closed the entire way back?" she asked doubtfully. As for him walking in on her in the bath, she didn't seem the least bit fazed.

"Y-yes," he stammered.

She nodded, able to discern he was telling the truth.

He stayed frozen in place for a moment, unable to take his eyes away.

"We will be going to your local fitness center," she explained.

"Okay," he sighed in defeat.

She began to stand up and he scrambled to get a towel off the rack. Turning his head sideways, he held it out to her. She took it and dried off, showing no sign of embarrassment at being in the altogether in front of him. When she was done, she wrapped it around her midsection.

After he took a very cold shower, they drove to All Sport, a nearby state of the art facility that pampered its members. One could use free weights, all types of exercise/cardio machines, nautilus, a pool and spa amenities and sporting arenas. Rind turned several heads as soon as she walked in the door, but remained oblivious to the male attention.

"Start out with stretching then do two miles on the bicycle followed by thirty minutes on the step exerciser," she instructed. "Then do a hundred laps in the pool using four different strokes followed by two hundred situps and fifty pushups."

The no-nonsense look on her face showed who was in charge and left no room for argument. Her presence would also prevent him from bootlegging, like the ride home off the mountain..

Two hours later, Daniel lay in a collapsed state near the pool, his legs cramped and utterly spent. Every limb and muscle ached, his body felt like it was on fire. Meanwhile, Rind had been doing a routine that put every personal trainer there to shame. She had benched eight hundred pounds without breaking a sweat and did so many chinups and pull-ups that people had lost count. Several jocks had tried to hit on her, but she kept maintaining that she was already there with someone. When she didn't see Daniel being active, she searched him out and tracked him to the pool area.

"Are you unwell?" she asked, kneeling down beside him.

"You're a slave driver," he moaned in agony.

"How many laps did you complete?"

"Five." Actually it had been four and a half before he had gotten a severe case of cramps and charley horses.

"I cannot stress the importance of physical fitness for you," she grabbed his leg, stretching it out.

"Point given," he rasped.

She cast a small restoration spell on him then helped him to the men's locker room door. "Perhaps you've had enough today," she said, with the slightest hint of mercy in her voice. "We shall get some nourishment then return to your apartment."

"Sounds like a plan," he smiled weakly at her.