Disclaimer time: Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications own Ranma 1/2. Kosuke Fujishima, Dark Horse Comics and Studio Proteus own Ah! My Goddess (or Oh My Goddess!, whatever). With a thanks to my pre-readers for this part: Dave Menard Gary Kleppe GunKnight James Merritt Thomas Hackwood Corwin (ely7@inter.net.il or corwin@virtuallyjeannie.com) http://lavender.fortunecity.com/friday/573/anime.html Wrath of Gods Chapter 3 Skuld was swimming in a sea of multi-colored ice-cream, enjoying every moment of it. And to top it all off, it was raining chocolate chips! The goddess scooped as much as she could in her hands, while catching a few with her tongue right from the air. This was a dream come true for her, perfect in every possible way. In fact, the only thing she could definitely do without in her private paradise was the annoying ringing noise. No matter how much she tried to get rid of it, the ringing in her ears just kept getting stronger and stronger and stronger... until the Norn of the Future woke up to the sound of the telephone in front of her. "Huh?" Skuld blurted out, rubbing her eyes. Getting a grip on her surroundings, she sighed, thinking, 'Urd was right. This job is boring.' Reaching out to the phone, the goddess answered it, and went to her client. From what she could gather, he wanted take-out or something. 'Oh, well, a goddess' work is never done.' Popping out of a cup of tea, Skuld floated to the ground to stand next to the shocked human, and introduced herself. "I'm the goddess Skuld. C'mon, make a wish, I don't have all day, you know." Seeing that her client was gaping, and couldn't manage a single intelligible word ever since she showed up, Skuld sighed. 'I wish I had made myself a business card like Belldandy or Urd.' "Listen, I'm going to explain this to you one more time. You, a mortal, have been deemed worthy of a wish. So, go ahead, wish for something already, and I'll be on my way." "A... a wish," her client answered, unsteadily. "Yes! A wish! Ooh, how annoying!" Skuld exclaimed, throwing her hands upwards. 'This has got to be a joke. Yeah, that's right, Tamiya must've sent her here to make fun of me because they think I'm such a loser with girls,' Keiichi thought dejectedly. "Hey, I'm not joking! And your buddies didn't send me here, although I can see why you never have good fortune with girls! Who'd like such a short boy anyway?!" Skuld shot at him, angry to be delayed so much by this mortal on Midgard. She had other things to do, like hunting for Ranma, once her wish quota was fulfilled, and this mortal wasn't helping her any. 'Hmm, I didn't know I was talking out loud,' Keiichi mused, before her reply got through to him, and he yelled, "You don't have to be so mean about it!" Skuld scowled at him, and replied "I'm a goddess, and we never-ever lie! So there!" sticking out her tongue for emphasis. 'Why, you no-good excuse for a goddess!' Keiichi thought angrily, before changing his tactics. "Wait, if you really are one, that means you'd like to return to Heaven as soon as possible, right?" he asked, grinning evilly. "That's right, buster! And just so you know, it's Asgard!" Skuld shouted back, even more put off after reading his previous thought. "In that case, since you're such a meanie, I wish you'd have to stay here until you've learned your lesson!" Skuld's eyes snapped wide open in horror, but before she could speak, a beam of bright light emanated from her forehead, going strait to the Yggdrasil directory in Asgard. A whirlwind magically created itself around her now floating body, and pushed Keiichi back a few steps. When the ray of light ceased, Skuld fell to her knees, exhausted, shouting 'NO!' before passing out. * * * After a few rings, Urd finally picked up the phone. She stayed home one measly day to recover from her ordeal, but do they care? No! They had to call her with work. With those thoughts, Urd brought the receiver to her ear, and asked in an annoyed tone of voice, "What?" She instantly had to move the phone away, lest she lose her hearing. For some time the only things that came over the lines were loud sobbing and incoherent mumbling. Eventually, the goddess had enough. "If you don't start making sense, I'm going to hang up," she threatened her caller. "Big sister!" Skuld cried out in fear. "Please, you gotta help me! I've called Belldandy but she wasn't home, and..." "Oh, so I wasn't even your first choice, huh?" Urd asked, her anger rising. "No, it's not that," Skuld stammered. "It's just that she is a first class goddess, and you're just a second class one." Urd massaged her temples. Her poor excuse for a sister was trying to get her help, that much was obvious. But couldn't she find a way to do it without constantly insulting her? Out loud, she said, "Tough break, kiddo. You'll just have to look for another first class goddess, Peorth maybe..." "I'm sorry, Urd! Just get here as soon as you can, please! I'll do whatever you want!" Skuld pleaded, starting to sob again. 'Darn, this sounds serious,' the eldest Norn thought, before making up her mind and asking Skuld where she was. Getting the address, Urd sighed, and got out of her bed, walking over to her television set. Turning it on, she walked though its surface, disappearing from her apartment. * * * Urd emerged from the television set of the Morisato family, and her eyes boggled up at the scene displayed in front of her. Skuld sat teary eyed near a phone, while the only other resident of the room was a fourteen- year-old boy. And a shy one, by his looks and the nosebleed he was desperately trying to stop, albeit unsuccessfully. "So this is the mortal that got you so spooked up, squirt?" Urd queried, smirking. Before her sister could tell her what's wrong, she tried her best guess. "What is it this time, relationship trouble? In that case, have no fear, 'cause the Goddess of Love is here!" Urd proclaimed proudly, sticking out her chest. Keiichi's eyes widened at the sight of more cleavage than he'd seen from all the girls in his class, combined. A puddle of blood began collecting on the floor, as the poor boy raised his head in a vain attempt to contain the blood within his nose. "You don't understand!" Skuld cried out. "He," she shouted, pointing at Keiichi's prone form, "made a wish, and now I have to stay at his home, here on Midgard, until it's fulfilled as a result!" "Alright! I didn't know the kid had it in him! He sure doesn't look much at the first glance..." Urd said, looking the teenager over. Already not at his best, Keiichi started feeling very self-conscious. "No, no, no!" Skuld denied indignantly, shaking her head. "He did it to spite me. I don't think Keiichi even believed in the wish." "Oh, so it's 'Keiichi' now?" Urd asked, ignoring the rest of Skuld's ramblings, while quirking an eyebrow. 'The trip was definitely worth it!' she thought, grinning inwardly. Seeing the poor boy on the verge of a unconsciousness, she decided to give him a little push and put him out of his misery. A leg raised in the pretence of checking her shoe did just that, as Keiichi got one look at her shapely leg and promptly fainted on the floor, his eyes glazing over. "Aww, shut up!" the youngest Norn shouted, fuming, all the while trying to ignore Keiichi and his perversions. 'How dare he flirt with my sister while I'm right here!' "How can I get Ranma if I spend all my time here?" she asked her sister angrily, waving her hands, deciding to change the subject to a safer one. Urd traced her jawbone with a finger thoughtfully for a few moments, before replying slowly to what in Skuld's eyes had been a rhetorical question. "You know, Ranma and Akane are on Earth at the moment. In fact, when I saw them yesterday, they were in Nerima." Skuld's gaped, as she realized her stupidity. There was no need to return to Asgard now, she'd just get her tools and her computer, and build a robot right at Keiichi's house! 'Maybe I'll even get lucky enough to spot Ranma, if he decides to take a walk in another district!' she fantasized, dreams of tearing his body limb by limb in the most painful way possible taking over her. "Skuld? Hey, squirt! Are you ok?" Urd asked, concerned. Her sister seemed to zone out for some time, and then unexpectedly started to drool. "Wha? Oh, it's you, Urd. Yeah, I'm alright," Skuld answered, wiping her mouth. "I guess I better start working on Banpei-kun right away." Turning away, she added quietly, "Thanks for your help." "Any time, kiddo!" Urd replied laughingly, waving her hand at Skuld. "Enjoy the stay with your Keiichi-chan!" With those words, the goddess walked through the TV and disappeared from the room, leaving a flustered Skuld in her wake. ***** Keiichi awoke to the sounds of expensive high-tech equipment being smashed rather violently in one of the guest rooms. Wondering what could be causing so much noise, he walked over to the room's doorway and his jaw dropped. There, in front of his eyes, a girl about his age was wielding a massive hammer several times her size, and periodically bringing it on top of what once might have been a computer. 'Although, the way it looks now, this might just as well have been a toaster oven,' Keiichi thought, frowning, but not over the fate of the computer but rather because the scene playing in front of him confronted his worst fears. 'This wasn't a dream! I made a wish, and now that... goddess... has to stay here with me!' Keiichi became frantic at that point. What was he to do when his parents returned from their overseas vacation? How would he explain their new, divine house guest? Another thought entered his mind at that point. 'At least she's cute. Maybe not as much as her sister...' Approximately at that point Keiichi's mind helpfully retrieved Urd's image, forever etched in his memory, causing the adolescent boy to grow a huge grin on his face. Unfortunately, at this moment Skuld turned towards the sliding door to her room, to find Keiichi smiling with a glazed look in his eyes. "You were thinking perverted thoughts, weren't you?!" she yelled at him, not being far from the truth, and immediately walloped him over the head with her hammer. Keiichi dropped like a sack of potatoes. * * * Huffing, the goddess went back to her work. As her smashed computer indicated, the search for Ranma and his guardian wasn't being productive. Aside of a few sparks of magic the Yggdrasil logged in the Nerima district some time after Urd's meeting with the pair, the trace programs weren't effective. Neither Ranma nor Akane's signature could be found on Earth. Even expanding the search outside of Tokyo, and then Japan, hasn't given any positive results. 'And they can't be at either Asgard or Nifelheim, not after what happened...' Skuld mused to herself. Already annoyed beyond belief after the failure of her best tracking methods, which up until then hadn't ever failed her, Skuld decided to take a look at Ranma's file at that point. Sure that it could offer her some pointers as to where to look for him, on foot if not electronically, the goddess accessed his file. Or, more precisely, tried to do so. Apparently, no files existed for either Saotome Ranma or Tendo Akane, as Urd had said they were called in this era. After spending close to forty minutes of putting her skills to use, Skuld finally found Ranma's and Akane's file, hidden in an encrypted directory of the Yggdrasil. That was as far as she got, however, as access to them was forbidden by Kami- sama himself. This was enough to send Skuld over the edge, and caused the tantrum that resulted in one smashed computer and a twitching human heap. Finally getting over her frustration, the Norn of the Future took a look around and gasped. Exclaiming, "What have I done!" she ran towards one of the heaps and cradled it in her arms, crying and repeating "I'm sorry". After a few seconds of this, she got a determined look on her face, and proclaimed, "Don't worry, I'll help you. Soon you'll be as good as new!" Running towards her tool cabinet, Skuld picked up her equipment and started rebuilding her computer using her patented god speed. In the meanwhile, Keiichi, who had recently regained consciousness, groaned "Medic!" before blacking out again from the pain... * * * A few hours later, a revived Keiichi sat down on the couch in one of guest rooms in his house; a room that was now occupied by Skuld. "So, what you're telling me is that a very powerful demon is on the loose somewhere in Tokyo?" Keiichi asked, after getting a summary of recent events from Skuld. The young goddess decided to fill him in on some things, since she really had nothing better to do. "Yes, Urd saw Ranma," Skuld practically spat the word, "and his partner in Nerima yesterday. They took her by surprise and ganged up on her, but she still got away." Skuld conveniently left out the fact that Ranma allowed Urd to make her escape, as well as some other details in her explanation, but she reasoned with herself that the mortal sitting next to her didn't need to know _everything_. "But... why do you hate demons so much? I mean, shouldn't they be in Hell while you guys are in Heaven or something?" Keiichi asked, perplexed. Hitting Keiichi on the head with her hammer, which thankfully for the poor boy had returned to its normal size, Skuld yelled, "Don't use the 'H' word!" After cooling off, she decided to continue with her explanation. "Normally, that would be true. Demons live in Nifelheim, and we have Asgard. But both of our kind have missions on Earth, granting wishes or giving curses. That's how we can meet most of the time - here on Midgard." "Wait, you gods curse people sometimes?" Keiichi asked, frightened. "No, that's what the dem..." Skuld trailed off, staring into the distance. Keiichi waved his hand in front of her face several times, getting no response, and was about to shake her shoulders, when Skuld jumped suddenly into the air. Keiichi panicked and fell backwards on his bottom, his arms flailing widely in the air, screaming, "I wasn't doing anything!" Hitting him over the head on general principle, Skuld ran over to her rebuilt computer, and started typing furiously, her fingers blurring to near invisibility. A few moments later, Keiichi, who was sporting a huge purple bruise on his forehead and a lump in the back of his head, came over to her. "What're you doing?" he asked of the goddess. After typing for a few more moments, Skuld squealed with delight and grabbed Keiichi in a hug, jumping up and down. Once her initial euphoria subsided somewhat, she saw what she was doing and quickly jumped back. One look at Keiichi, who was blushing from having certain parts of Skuld brush against his body, earned him another hit with the hammer, which left the poor boy twitching on the ground. Brushing a hand through her long hair, Skuld turned away from the downed boy and back towards her computer. She had found what she had been looking for! Finally, the Almighty decided to give her a break, and provided the Norn of the Future with the perfect tool to destroy the one she hated the most in all existence - Ranma. * * * "Hibiki Ryoga?" a voice asked from behind the lost boy. Turning around, Ryoga saw a fourteen-year-old girl looking at him. Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, he swallowed, before pulling himself together and nodding. 'Get a grip on yourself, Ryoga!' he chided himself. 'She's just a kid. What can she do to you?' "I've been looking for you, Hibiki-san," the girl continued. "My name is Skuld, and you might say that it was destiny that we've found each other." At those words Ryoga began to sweat profusely. The hungry look in the girl's eyes didn't help the situation one bit. "Umm, excuse me, Miss, but I must be going," Ryoga stammered, nervously scratching behind his head. "But we would be so good together!" Skuld pleaded with him, thinking dejectedly, 'Why is he trying to get away from me? Don't we have a common goal in life?' Ryoga had seen the situation play out enough with his rival to recognize it. The girl was either a long-lost fiancee, or an admirer of his. "L-listen here, I-I'm very flattered, but I already have a fiancee," Ryoga said, mentally adding 'sort of'. "What's that got to do with anything?!" Skuld shouted, annoyed. "I'm here to help you take revenge on Ranma!" Ryoga's eyes snapped wide open at the sound of his rival's name. Looking directly into the girl's eyes, he asked slowly, "What did you say?" "I said that I'm going to help you execute your revenge for everything Ranma has ever done to you!" Skuld shouted at the top of lungs, drawing a few stares from passerbys. As she whirled around to glare at them, everyone on the street suddenly found out they had places to be at and hurried there. "So, it seems I was right," Ryoga said, convinced by the sincerity of her emotion, "but can you tell me what's your beef with Ranma?" Skuld's face darkened, and she scowled. "That womanizing jerk has to pay for what he did to my sister," she started saying, before raising her fist to the heavens. "I'll get him, even if it's the last thing I do!" Twin lightnings crashed into the ground behind Skuld, as thunder rolled ominously in the background. Ryoga subconsciously took a step back, feeling a rise of power that easily rivaled his own in the girl. "You're... one of them, aren't you?" he asked, trying his best to mask his fear. "Not here," Skuld replied to him. "Come with me." With those words, the goddess grabbed Ryoga's arm and took out a cup of water, splashing both of them with it. The two remaining occupants of that street disappeared, leaving only a puddle in their wake. * * * A slightly damp goddess and a small black piglet fell on the floor of the Morisato's living room. Keiichi, who was just trying to relax a bit from his recent experiences while watching some TV, was startled and jumped off the couch. A few seconds later, a large bamboo umbrella fell onto the place he'd just vacated, embedding itself in the floor, after piercing the aforementioned couch like a knife goes through hot butter. Ryoga's clothes followed shortly after, raining on Keiichi, who was too shocked by that time to move. "What are you trying to do, kill me?" Keiichi shouted, once he got over his stupor. He didn't know what happened, in fact, he had a feeling he didn't even want to know that. One thing remained clear, however, in the big mess that was now his life - all the weird occurrences happening this fatal day which refused to come to its end were somehow Skuld's fault! They had to be! The goddess, having picked herself up from the floor in the meantime, was now looking at the black piglet next to her. Pulling a thermos of steaming water out of nowhere, she upended it over the piglet, transforming it into a scalded and very naked Ryoga. Blushing bright pink, she turned away from him, putting her hands on her eyes. "Here," Keiichi offered the clothes that fell on him to the strange naked man in his living room. Ryoga thanked him lamely and quickly got dressed with a speed rivaling Ranma's chestnut technique. "Now, what was that all about?" Ryoga asked Skuld. "I-I'm sorry!" she exclaimed defensively. "I didn't think the water was that cold! Your file didn't say which temperature triggers your curse!" "My... file?" Ryoga queried, looking perplexed. "Your file in the Yggdrasil directory! You see, I'm a goddess, just as you thought! I work as the debugger for the World Tree System..." Skuld trailed off, as she noticed that Ryoga had stopped listening to her and was mumbling quietly to himself. "Hey! Are you listening?" she asked, getting fed up with the lost boy's attitude. "You're a goddess?!" Ryoga exclaimed with wide eyes, paying no attention to Skuld's outburst. "Well, yeah! What did you think I was, when you said that I was 'one of them'?" she inquired, genuinely interested. "I... I thought you were one of Ranma's fiancees," Ryoga admitted, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "They all are usually super-martial artists, who hate his guts by the time they come looking for him." Keiichi could have sworn he had seen steam come out of Skuld's ears at that moment, but when he rubbed his eyes, the mirage was gone. "Just because I hate him doesn't mean I want to marry him," she growled at the martial artist. "Yes, but it was exactly like that with Shampoo, and then with Ukyo, and then there was..." Ryoga wisely decided to shut up, after feeling the intensity of Skuld's gaze upon him. "What I don't understand is what you need him for," Keiichi said, entering the conversation. "You're a goddess, so can't you just zap this Ranma demon or something?" While Skuld directed her glare at Keiichi, Ryoga blinked and asked, "Um, excuse me, but what is the deal with the 'demon' bit?" Skuld and Keiichi turned to look at Ryoga, before the goddess answered slowly. "You do know that the Ranma you know is a demon, right?" After seeing Ryoga's expression become even more confused, Skuld threw her arms in the air. Sighing, she addressed him, "Well he is. Now, are you going to help me or not?" Looking at Skuld's eager and rather maniacal expression, Ryoga mused to himself, 'Hmm, that idiot Kuno was right about all that vengeance of Heaven stuff. Who'd have thought...' Quickly deciding that he'd had worse partners before, Ryoga agreed to join forces with Skuld, before starting to walk into the kitchen. "Hey, Ryoga, where're you going?" Skuld called out after him. "Where do you think? To bring that demon to his final rest," Ryoga replied, turning around to look at her, while holding a pointed ki- charged bandanna in his left hand, that vaguely resembled a pointed stake. "He's a demon, not a vampire, you idiot! And how are you gonna do it in the kitchen?" the goddess shouted at him, exasperated. Ryoga laughed, embarrassed, before saying 'sorry' and walking towards the front door. "Now what are you doing?" Skuld yelled after him, thinking that perhaps she should have recruited that Kuno boy instead. "What?! I have the right door this time! Right?" Ryoga looked between Skuld and Keiichi, who wisely decided to stay out of the argument. 'If his ancestor was as annoying as this one, I can see how he deserved a curse,' Skuld thought, massaging her temples. Out loud, she said, "You can't fight a demon the way you are! What will you do, amuse him to death? You're no match for either him or his guardian in your current state!" "Hey, I'm a martial artist too!" Ryoga shouted in response, puffing out his chest. Had Ranma said any of this, he'd have already blasted him back to hell, but the lost boy couldn't bring himself to fry a fourteen- year-old girl, even as annoying as this one. Skuld slapped her forehead in disgust. Reminding to herself that she couldn't use her powers, small as they were, on mortals without a direct threat to her persona, the goddess took a few deep breaths before replying. "Alright, fine. You want to fight him with your martial arts? That's your funeral. But before you try to find Ranma, how would you like to be stronger and more powerful than ever?" "Really?" Ryoga snorted. "What can a little girl like you do that for me? Do you know some secret martial arts techniques?" Fuming at the 'little girl' comment, Skuld hit Ryoga on the head with her hammer. During the second it took the lost boy to recover his senses, she took out an impossibly large headset with strange-looking appendages attached to it out of her shirt pocket. "Here, put this on. My machine will increase your physical capabilities by tenfold!" she said, handing the headset to Ryoga, who was looking wearily at it. "Umm, what's the deal with the tentacles?" he asked, before narrowing his eyes. "Do they do what I thi..." Skuld's hammer cut off Ryoga's question, embedding itself in his scalp. The goddess huffed, and shouted 'pervert!' before assuming a pose. "This is my newest invention, 'Mr. Power-Up Master 5000'! And for your information, these are NOT tentacles! They are very delicate power conductors, the cutting edge in organic technology..." "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ryoga waved her techno-babble off. "Gimme that 'master' thingy, I'll put it on. But if those tentacles start getting fresh, I'm outta here." Skuld scowled at the slander her invention was receiving, but reigned in her temper and handed the Power-Up Master to Ryoga, who put it on his head. When it was secured, the goddess grabbed a remote control out of thin air and started punching various keys on it. The machine on Ryoga's head started making loud noises and before he could move, the tentacles wrapped themselves around his body. "Hey, what's going on?" Ryoga shouted, confusion mixed with a bit of fear showing in his voice. "Hey! Don't touch _that_!" Keiichi watched, fascinated, as Ryoga continued to struggle with the tentacles restraining him. Eventually, the tentacles won, and covered the poor boy from head to toe. "Now, we can begin!" Skuld shouted excitedly, while pressing the big red button on her remote... and nothing happened. Frustrated, the goddess continued to push the button several times, until the machine coughed and all power went out in the Morisato home. "Oh, no! There's not enough power for my poor Mr. Power-Up Master!" Skuld exclaimed dejectedly, holding her head in her hands. 'I wish Urd was here...' "O Sea of Clouds that Covers Heaven! Hear My Voice. Know My Will! I am Urd, Greatest of the Three Norns! And I Call Down the LIGHTNING!!" Lightning struck the machine on Ryoga's head through the roof of the Morisato home, powering it up. With a soft hum, the now charged Power-Up Master sent high voltage charges through its biological components, which were connected to various parts of Ryoga's body. Several minutes of screaming later, the lost boy was finally transformed. Taking off the now loose machine, he intended to smash it with two fingers, when his current injuries took their toll. Charred, Ryoga collapsed into a smoking heap on the floor. After rushing to pick up her invention, Skuld finally remembered that her sister was there. "Urd?! When did you get here?" "Quite some time ago, actually. You and that crispy boy were so much fun to watch that I didn't want to intrude on your conversation," Urd replied, smirking. "And that thing with the tentacles was priceless. I wish I had it on tape." "These are NOT tentacles!!!" Skuld shouted in return. "Sure, squirt. Whatever you say," Urd replied, lazily waving her hand. Considering the topic closed for the time being, she walked over to the couch and lay on it. "What do you want, Urd?" Skuld asked her in annoyance. "Whatever do you mean, Skuld?" her sister asked her in an extremely sweet voice. "Why haven't you gone back yet? Are you waiting for me to thank you? Because I won't!" The Norn of the Future crossed her hands in front of her chest and huffed "You took out all the power, Genius. The TV here doesn't work." While Skuld was looking down at her toes in embarrassment, Urd continued, "And I think I need a vacation. This place is as good as any." As Skuld was staring wide-eyed at her sister, Keiichi meekly said "Excuse me?" making his presence known. "Yes?" Urd replied, turning to look at him. Keiichi swallowed, and gathered up the nerve for what he was about to do. "Well, you see, this isn't really my house, and I already have one goddess living here..." "And that would be a bad thing?" the eldest Norn asked, confused. "Well, no... but how am I going to explain two house guests to my parents? They told me that I can't have any girls over while they're gone!" "Then there should be no problem!" Urd cheerfully exclaimed. "No?" Keiichi timidly asked. 'Maybe she understood my problem and will leave.' "No! You see, we'll just tell them Skuld an' I are goddesses!" Keiichi groaned, and lowered his face to his hands. "Besides, Keiichi," Urd murmured, "I'm not a girl. I'm a woman." Keiichi looked at the self-proclaimed Cupid of Love leaning towards him seductively, showing him a generous amount of cleavage, and passed out with a nosebleed. Urd laughed and lay back on the couch, while Skuld hit Keiichi on the head with her hammer for being a pervert and went to her room to fume. Forgotten by everyone, Ryoga regained consciousness long enough to whisper "Ranma, this is all..." before blacking out again. ***** It was almost evening when Ryoga came to again. Standing up and shrugging off all the soot covering his body, he vowed to get a hot bath as soon as possible, or at least enough water to wash his head. All the hair standing on end thing wasn't really his style. "It's about time you woke up," Urd remarked, looking over the fashion magazine she was reading. "Let's get you electrocuted multiple times and then see how long it takes you to recover!" Ryoga shot back, annoyed. "Don't play with me, little boy," Urd warned him, before going back to her magazine. A small bolt of lightning shot from her left palm as she did so, nailing the lost boy in his right toe. As Ryoga was jumping on his left foot, Urd called for her younger sister and Keiichi to the living room. "Are you done yet?" the eldest Norn impatiently queried, earning a baleful look from Ryoga. "Um, what are we all doing here?" Keiichi wondered. 'I hope this guy won't be staying here as well. We're running out of guest rooms.' Before Keiichi's thoughts deteriorated any further, plunging him into the pits of despair, Urd continued, "We're going to brief Ryoga here on what he needs to know to have a chance against Ranma." "Feh," Ryoga snorted in arrogance. "What's there to talk about? I'll find him, and then I'll make him pay for everything he had ever done for me!" Recent experiences resurfacing in his mind, Ryoga's passion for vengeance flared even brighter than before. "How stupid can you be?" Skuld cried out in disbelief. "You don't know what you'll be up against! He was a Demon first class, first category centuries ago!" "She's right," Urd picked up the explanation. "And that's not all. He was the youngest demon to reach that ranking. Oh, and if you think he earned it by granting wishes to people, you're wrong. Dead wrong." Keiichi, seemingly forgotten by everyone present, was shaking with fear. They couldn't have said what he thought they said, right? "E-Excuse me," he interrupted, causing everyone to look at him. "But aren't you," Keiichi said, pointing at Skuld, "only a second class goddess?" As Skuld scowled at him, Keiichi turned towards Urd, asking, "At least you are a first class goddess, right?" Urd looked away, answering, "Well, that is... you see... not exactly." "What's your point?" Skuld snapped at him. "Not that I'm an expert or anything... but shouldn't you be more concerned how you'd defend yourself against this demon if he chooses to come after you?" "Why should we? Belldandy's a first class goddess and if we all attack together..." Skuld started saying, before being cut off by Urd. "No! She's our last resort, in case everything else fails. I'd rather go to Thor for help than ask Bell to attack Ranma now." "Urd! You don't think she'd sell us out?!" Skuld shouted incredulously. "Do you want to find out?" As silence reigned in the Morisato living room for a few moments, the eldest Norn took the time to relax. "Trust me, we shouldn't put Bell in a spot like that. You know it deep inside. That was the reason you recruited that mortal, wasn't it?" As no answer was forthcoming from her sister, Urd pressed on. "Well, wasn't it?!" "You're right, big sister," Skuld replied, bowing her head. "In that case, here's my plan," Urd started explaining, gesturing with her hands in emphasis. "Ryoga will go and scout. I have an amulet, which should serve as a magnet between him and the caster of his curse. With it, he is bound to run into Ranma. When he does, he'll just signal us with one of Skuld's toys and wait until we come before attacking. Hopefully, the element of surprise will be on our side." Accepting the amulet from Urd, Ryoga nodded in agreement. "This plan of yours sounds good enough, but what can the little kid do? She should stay at home and play with dolls, or something." "What did you say?!" Skuld exploded. "I've had it with you! Neo-Skuld Bomb!" As Ryoga once again lay in a smoking heap on the floor, Skuld snorted and threw a pocket communicator over to his prone form, before leaving the room to work on her newest invention. Keiichi, who gained a new appreciation for goddesses and their powers during this little exchange, decided he had been lucky to be hit only by her hammer. Those bombs looked painful, from the way Ryoga's fingers twitched occasionally. Standing up, Keiichi was about to go to his room as well, when something that had been nagging at the back of his mind for some time now finally surfaced. "Urd?" "Yes, Keiichi?" the goddess replied in a sultry voice, thinking, 'He's so much fun to tease!' Gulping, Keiichi decided to get to the heart of the matter as quickly as possible. "There's something I wanted to know." "And that would be?" Urd asked, coming closer to him. "Why... why do you want to kill this demon so much? Skuld's told me that there are lots of them in He, err, Nifelheim, and that most of the time you can sort of co-exist, side by side." Urd's voice changed from sultry to sarcastic, as she answered Keiichi's question. "Yes, what Skuld had said to you is pretty much the case with most of the demons. However, Ranma's not your regular demon," Urd chuckled sadly at that point. "No, even that's an understatement." Seeing Keiichi about to ask the next logical question, Urd decided to save him the trouble. "What makes him different, you might ask?" Urd took a small break, before continuing. "How about trying to cause Ragnarok, for starters?" Confused, Keiichi asked, "Ragnarok?" "Armageddon." While Keiichi stood still, shell-shocked from the revelation, Urd went back to the sofa, and to her magazine, trying to drive out the bad memories of the past with pictures of the new fashion designs on Earth... ***** End of Chapter 3.