A Ranma 1/2, Ah! My Goddess, crossover fic.

A new story by Carrot Glace.

Rain.

++++++++++++++++++

The moon hung high in the air, fighting for dominance against the
lights of Tokyo. It was late night, and the surreal glow of the city
in the distance shined dimly as he watched the horizon. A cold wind
blew across the rooftops, causing him to shiver lightly, his thin silk
shirt doing little to warm him. Still, he remained still, staring out
across the horizon, silently.

His mind turned the recent events in his life over and over. The
past few weeks had been nothing really; just a more intense version of
his life, before the battle, before the greatest fight of his life had
ever shattered his reality.

"Saffron," he whispered quietly as he closed his eyes, shutting
all of the dim light around him away. It was not the fight itself that
plagued him, nor the life that hung in the balance during the fight.
It was the final moments, the time just before he had unleashed his
final and desperate attack. The moment just before he tore a hole
through the burning body that threatened him, and Akane.

He felt nothing, no remorse for killing him, he knew the godling
would return after the fight was over. What bothered him, was that he
had no idea how he knew that. That wasn't even the worst thing of all.
He knew, before he had ever thrown his final attack, that there was a
way he could destroy Saffron completely. A way to kill him so that he
would not return, and he knew how to do it. He didn't.

"Why?" he asked himself silently. Finally, he opened his eyes
again and stared down at the city below once again. "It's going to
rain again."

And it did no sooner than the words left his mouth. Ranma shifted
forms and sighed as she turned back towards the window to her room. A
bath could wait until later; the change didn't bother her anymore.
"You don't have to change if you don't want too," said a voice in the
back of her mind.

"Shut up," she hissed as she climbed into the window of the home.

+++++++++++++++

Dreams are often the way that we peer into our own souls.
Cowardice is sin, the way of Bushido, and the way of the Kami. These
things meant nothing to Ranma Saotome. He knew what honor was, and
what was expected of him, and that is how he acted, if he felt like it
that is. Thus he found himself in another unusual situation.

"Aren't you coming?" said Akane as she looked at him from the
doorway. Everyone was dressed in their best clothes. Kimonos were
hanging from the curvy forms of all the women of the household.

"Naw, I don't like temples and stuff much," he replied calmly,
simply standing with his hands in his pockets as he watched them
getting ready to leave.

"Let him be Akane, my son must find his own path," said Nodoka
calmly as she took her husband's arm.

"Oh my!" said Kasumi as the boy nodded at this statement. "You're
sure that's all right?"

"My son is not a religious person Kasumi, I was not there to teach
these things to him. My husband has neglected that aspect of his life.
To force him to come, would only push him away," said the woman
quietly as she watched the boy sit down in front of the television.

"Come," said Soun as he took his eldest daughter's arm and gently
moved her towards the door.

Ranma sighed as soon as they walked out the door, even Nabiki had
gone with them. He had never felt the need to pray in his life. It
just seemed a bit odd to him, the whole concept of the practice. It
was if he had always known that it was an unnecessary practice for
him. Temples were uncomfortable places to be. It always seemed like he
didn't belong there to him. The monks were usually kind people, and he
had often visited such places during his training. He found himself
deliberately avoiding the holy areas of the temples when he could
though.

He had been to a few places from time to time, and had faked
praying a few as well. He did what was expected of him when he found
himself in such a situation.

Now he simply sat alone with his thoughts again. "I feel...
different."

+++++++++++

Akane Tendo stood up from in front of the altar, her offering to
Yamma no Kami resting on the small shrine. It was really nothing more
than a small stone, meant to symbolize a more real offering. She bowed
her head and turned away to join her family.

"Heh, Stones. People think so little of the gods these days," said
a familiar voice from beside her.

Akane turned and gasped. "Ranma? What are you doing here? I
thought you weren't coming."

The boy standing next to her ignored her for a moment, and seemed
to realize that she was speaking to him. "Who are you? I think you've
got the wrong person." He turned away again after she did not respond,
continuing to ignore her again.

Akane blinked in surprise. The boy looked exactly like Ranma, it
was uncanny. His clothes were jet black, a business suit, and his hair
was cut short along the back of his neck as well. The most disturbing
difference was his eyes. Where Ranma had pools of aqua blue, this boy
had silver, an almost metallic shine seemed to bore through her soul
when he looked at her. She stepped away from him slowly and turned
away, running towards her family. "Who was that?"

The boy turned to watch her go, his eyes narrowing as she rushed
towards her family. "Who was that? Ranma? It couldn't be..." He turned
away from the shrine without bowing and walked into the crowd, passing
close to the family she rushed up too. His eyes went wide as he saw
another familiar face in the crowd, and a cold smile formed on his
lips as he continued on his way. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't be
surprised, this is her shrine after all."

+++++++++++++++

That night, Ranma Saotome rolled on his futon uncomfortably. The
events of that horrible day replaying in his mind. "Do it!" screamed a
voice from behind him. "Use your power! Destroy him!"

He slowly turned, just as he was supposed to unleash his Hiryu
Shouten Ha. The final blow in the long battle.

"What are you doing? Destroy him!" snapped the leather-clad woman
who was floating behind him. She had long light colored hair and was
deep in concentration. "You have the power! Use it! Come back damn
you! I've found you after all this time, and I won't lose you again!"

"Who?" he muttered absently. He turned back and saw himself
perform his final blow. The Hiryu Shouten Ha blasted forward, tearing
through Saffron and draining his power away completely

"NO!" cried the woman desperately as she suddenly broke her
concentration and clutched her head. A look of complete and utter
failure covered her face, followed by what seemed to be extreme
sadness. "I've failed! Why? Why didn't you? Damn you!"

"Who are you? What did I?" muttered Ranma as he looked down on her
for a moment. Something inside his gut turned him away, and he found
himself unable to pity her. Something hard and angry surged up inside
him, he did not like her, and had no idea why.

Suddenly, the vision ended abruptly. There was only blackness
around him now, but it was a familiar darkness to him. A low rumbling
filled the air, quickly followed by the snap of lightening. It ripped
through the air, passing by him a few feet away and slammed into the
ground that was far below him. For a moment, he could see the clouds
that surrounded him glow with a blue light. The rain fell all around
him, drenching completely. He did not change, and felt completely
comfortable.

Two men appeared on either side of him, both almost mirror images
of him. "What is your name?" asked the one with silver eyes. They
slowly began to glow and a bolt of lightening crashed behind him.

"Ranma Saotome." It was the wrong answer, and he knew it.

"Tell us your true name," said the other figure. His eyes were not
visible at all, but a blast of wind hit Ranma violently. He felt no
pain, and was not pushed down by the swirling torrent that ripped at
his clothing violently.

"Tell us your name," said a booming voice from behind him. Ranma
turned to face the first figure again. His eyes went wide as he stared
at the thing before him. It was a huge demon, its horns rose high into
the clouds, and it's skin was a dark red color. Huge sharp claws
rested across the surface of a huge drum that was sitting in its lap.

The most confusing thing of all was that he felt no fear.

"Give us your true name!" said the other figure in a horribly loud
tone; it could not have been human. Ranma saw what he had expected
when he turned again. A demon stood where the other figure had been,
he was dark, and wore the skin of a leopard on his body. A large bag
hung over his shoulder as well.

"I am..."

Ranma woke up, gasping for breath with sweat covering his entire
body. He stared at the wall opposite him with wide eyes as his heart
raced. "What? What was that?" His gasps slowed as he calmed down a
bit. Finally, he lay back down and closed his eyes again. "Just a
dream."

+++++++++++++++

Genma Saotome, who was sleeping next to his wife and snoring
loudly, did not notice these things. He had stopped sleeping with his
son once they had returned to the Tendo home after the destruction of
their own. He did not notice a lot of things it seems, like his wife
sitting upright with a frown on her face. "Leave, you are not welcome
here yet." She said it quietly, with her head turned towards a nearby
window.

Genma didn't notice these things at all, he merely continued to
sleep, blissfully unaware of the two shadowy figures that appeared in
the window for a moment. One, with his long hair blowing in the wind
behind him, and the other with softly glowing eyes. They appeared only
for a moment, and then vanished in a small, silent flash of light.
That was when the rain came again, the low roll of thunder sounding
like a gentle rumble as it lit the sky far away from them.

"My son," muttered Nodoka as she lay her head back down once more.
A single tear fell down her face. "I cannot protect you any longer I
fear. The time is coming soon, for you to realize the truth."

She turned her head and looked at her husband for a moment.
"Although, I admit, your revelation is not without its perks." She
smiled at him and turned away. If Genma had been more aware, or
possibly even awake, he would have left on a long voyage of training
again after seeing the look in her eyes.

After a moment, she turned away again.

++++++++++++++

Ranma Saotome walked down the street the next morning. Rain fell
from the sky gently, as it had for several days now. He didn't seem to
notice, and didn't care either.

"You actually remembered to bring an umbrella for once?" commented
Nabiki as she strolled by him.

"Shaddup," he snorted bitterly. It was painfully obvious that he
had not gotten much sleep.

"Jerk," muttered Akane under her breath.

++++++++++++

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, Kuno was beaten several
times, and he had been splashed several times as well. The only real
difference in his life, was that Akane no longer hit him as much. She
also seemed to be spending more time around him, even as far as
sitting with him at lunch regularly. Today was no different, the rain
had stopped just before the lunch period was called, and students
wandered around outside the building.

As per the norm, Ukyo and Shampoo appeared at this time, with
gifts of food for their fiancee.

"Ranma eat Shampoo Ramen!" squealed the Amazon.

"No way! My Ranchan is gonna eat my Okonomiyaki," countered the
chef.

"I ain't hungry," said Ranma as he stood up and walked directly
between them.

Akane looked up with a start as she watched him move past the two
girls. "What?"

"I just don't feel like it today," said the boy with a shrug. "I'm
just tired or something." He shrugged casually and continued walking.

"Ranchan?" said Ukyo in shock.

"Aiya! Airen?" muttered Shampoo with a similar expression on her
face.

Ukyo leveled an evil looking glare at Akane for a moment. "What
did you do to him?"

"What? Me?" snapped the girl defensively.

"Spatula Girl right! Airen no act like this before!" agreed
Shampoo.

"I don't know what's wrong with him all right?" cried Akane as she
returned the hateful glares.

"You know, you've been getting awful fresh with my Ranchan
lately," said Ukyo with her frown deepening.

"Come too too close to being Airen wife, instead Shampoo," agreed
the Amazon.

"She's right, you'd better back off, honey," said Ukyo as she
cracked her knuckles and snorted.

"Why should I?" snapped Akane indignantly, not even realizing what
she was saying.

"Because I said so," said a new voice from behind them. All three
girls whirled around to face the newcomer.

"Aiya! Airen!" said Shampoo happily.

"Ranchan?" muttered Ukyo as she looked at the boy oddly. There was
something wrong, she could feel it in her gut.

"You again? Who are you? What are you doing here?" said Akane
calmly.

"My name isn't important, and I don't know any of you," said the
boy calmly as he eyed them for a moment. It was the man Akane had seen
at the shrine. "I'll I have to say is this, stay the hell away from
him. You don't know what you're getting into girls. Not one of you is
worthy of him."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" said Ukyo as she pulled her
baker's peel off her back.

"Aiya! Shampoo know when insulted!" agreed the Amazon as two
bonbori were pulled from an undisclosed location.

"Are you related to Ranma? A cousin or something?" said Akane as
she walked up between the two girls and frowned.

"I'm not a Saotome, and I don't know anyone named Ranma," said the
boy calmly as he looked up at the sky for a moment. "Hmm, the rain is
coming again." He turned away, leaving the girls standing there as he
left the school grounds.

"Who the heck was that guy? Why does he look like Ranchan?"
muttered Ukyo.

"Maybe is new cursed spring? Spring Drowned Ranma?" wondered
Shampoo out loud.

Akane merely shook her head for a moment. "Not that I know of.
Something weird is going on here, and I don't like it."

"You and me both sister," commented Ukyo as they watched the
strange boy vanish through the gates. He had taken his time walking
away from them. "Maybe we should ask Ranma?"

++++++++++++

"What?"

"I said, is there a Spring of Drowned Ranma now?" said Akane as
she looked at Ranma with a scowl on her face. Ukyo and Shampoo flanked
her on either side. Class had not yet started and they were all
standing around his desk.

"No!" replied the boy with his own frown.

"Well he looked just like you!" said Akane irritably.

"Huh?" said Ranma in shock, he suddenly froze in place and stared
at her for a long moment.

"Yeah, accept his hair was different, it was short, and his eyes
were..."

"Silver," finished Ranma calmly.

"You know him?" said Akane with relief flooding her face. "He was
a real jerk."

"Aiya, Shampoo agree," commented the Amazon.

"Who the heck was this jackass?" said Ukyo with a frown.

"I don't know," said Ranma as the color drained from his face.

"Ranma is something wrong?" said Akane as she bent down and looked
him in the eyes.

"I don't know," he mumbled as he stood up. "I'm going home...I've
got to..." The boy rushed out the door, leaving the trio simply
watching dumbly.

"Ranma?" said Akane. "Wait!"

"What is going on here?" said a familiar voice from behind them.
"What happened to Mr. Saotome?" Miss Hinako walked into the room in
her child form, with a stack of books under her arm.

"I don't know sensei! He just ran off!" said Akane as she bowed
apologetically.

"He probably forgot his homework again," said Hinako with a
disgusted looking frown.

"Sensei, I have to go..." started Akane.

"Yeah, Ranchan needs me! She can stay here!" snapped Ukyo.

"Bai bai!" said Shampoo as she started towards the door.

"Take your seats!" said Hinako as she pointed a coin at the trio.

"But..." said Akane as she froze suddenly. "Never mind," she
amended and quickly sat down. Ukyo was quick to follow.

"Ha, ha! Shampoo go see Airen now! All by self!" said the Chinese
girl as she continued on her way.

"And where do you think you're going young lady?" said Hinako as
she shifted her aim towards Shampoo. "Sit down and pull out your text
book! I won't have delinquents in my class!"

"Shampoo not go school here," replied the Amazon irritably.

"That's no excuse! Sit down!" screamed Hinako.

Shampoo immediately did so, knocking an unfortunate boy out of his
seat in the process.

"That's better, now where were we class?" said Hinako as she
turned towards the board.

"Shampoo go school with Great Grandmother, she not need stupid
class!" said the Amazon girl irritably.

"No talking in class!" said Hinako without turning to look at her.

Shampoo hung her head in defeat. The little vampire was starting
to look impatient, and she knew she'd never escape her if she tried to
run out the door.

Hinako frowned as she turned around again. "Would somebody be kind
enough to allow Mr. Gosunkugi to share a book with them?"

The skinny, pale boy was standing at the back of the room, looking
rather pathetic after being thrown from his seat by Shampoo.

+++++++++++++++

Ranma stood in the rain, water running down her face as she walked
along the street. "What happened to me? Who are these guys?"

"The question is, who are you?" said a familiar voice from the
wall.

"No!" gasped Ranma as she whirled her head and saw her
doppelganger looking down on her from the wall. "Who are you? What do
you want?"

"I'll tell me who I am, if you tell me who you are."

"If he tells us who he really is, we won't have to," said another
voice. Ranma glanced back to see what she already knew would be there.

Another mirror image of her male form stood behind her in the
street. This time he had long, straight hair that hung to the middle
of his back.

"I asked first," said Ranma carefully.

"You wouldn't believe us," said the first boy calmly as he jumped
down. "Now tell me, who are you?"

"Ranma Saotome," she replied.

"You know that isn't your name," said the longhaired boy with a
small chuckle. "Try again."

"I am Ranma Saotome, of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts."
Her voice became firmer this time.

"Wrong answer," said the shorthaired version of her male side
calmly.

"That's the only name I know!" snapped Ranma angrily.

"Then why are you struggling so hard? Why aren't you afraid? Why,
don't you feel threatened by either of us?" asked the longhaired boy
calmly.

"Because you're my brother!" snapped Ranma. She stopped cold and
put her hand over her mouth in shock. The intended reply of, "I ain't
afraid of nuthin", had not gone as planned.

"You're starting to catch on," said the shorthaired boy.

"I don't have a brother!" muttered Ranma in confusion. "But I know
I do...mom never..."

"That woman, is not your mother," said the longhaired boy with a
small nod.

Ranma looked up at him, her eyes wide with horror. It was true,
and she knew it.

"Now, I shall ask you again. What is your name, brother?"

Ranma froze, her mind in turmoil as she desperately searched for
an answer. She shook the feeling off and tried to scream the name she
had known for the last sixteen years again, but it didn't come out.
"Kura-Okami! God of rain, defender of the realm of..." She fell to her
knees and clutched at her head. "No! Noooo! It isn't true! It can't
be! I'm..."

"Welcome back, brother," said the shorthaired boy as her eyes
began to glow with a strange blue power.

"We have missed you," agreed the longhaired boy as his hair began
to billow around his head as a wind suddenly began to blow around him,
leaving the rest of the area around him undisturbed.

Ranma pounded at the pavement with her bare hands, cracking the
asphalt. Tears ran down her face as she sobbed desperately. "Who am
I?"

"You know who you are," said the shorthaired boy.

"Raiden," said Ranma as she looked up at the shorthaired boy for a
moment, "Fujin," she nodded towards the other. "What happened to me? I
know you, but...I don't remember you!"

"Kamisamma has given you another chance at life. Your sacrifice,
saved the gods, and their realm, so you were reborn instead of lost,"
said Raiden gently. "We could not find you, they had hidden you away
while you were still young. You were frozen in time, an eternal child.
Until sixteen years ago, when you were reborn, and given to the
goddess, Yama no Kami, until you matured. We opposed the idea, and
attempted to find you, but they had hidden you well. Now, we have come
to take you back again."

"I..." stammered Ranma in shock.

"That is for me to decide," said Nodoka as she strolled out
between the three of them and took Kura into her arms.

"We grow tired of waiting," snorted Raiden calmly.

"Your impatience is not at issue here. Kamisamma himself has given
your brother to me for care. Until I release him, you can do nothing
to take him away," said Nodoka angrily.

Ranma was shaking like a leaf, her body shivered desperately in
the woman's arms as she clung to her.

"Hush child, be calm," said Nodoka gently.

In an instant, Ranma was asleep in her arms.

"What you say is true, we are not fool enough to oppose
Kamisamma," admitted Raiden. "Not again anyway."

"Good, go in peace then, leave this to me," said Nodoka coldly.

"I will not be kept from my brother again," said Fujin firmly.
"The storm is now completed."

Nodoka sighed and hung her head as she lifted the girl up into her
arms. "Very well, you will be permitted to visit, the damage is
already done after all. However, you have unleashed more upon him than
he can handle. It was intended that he be slowly brought back into our
world. You have opposed the counsel itself."

"But not Kamisamma, that is all that matters to us," said Raiden
coldly. "We will abide only by his law."

Nodoka frowned, but nodded. "Your impatience is your weakness. He
will never be the same."

"He will remember enough," commented Raiden.

"How did you find him?" said Nodoka as she looked down at the girl
in her arms for a moment.

"Kamisamma told us where he was," said Fujin calmly.

"What?" gasped Nodoka in shock, "Why would he?"

"Amatsu Mikaboshi," said Raiden calmly. "The storm must be
complete."

"No!" said Nodoka in shock; a look of terror covered her face
completely.

"She's here you know, in Japan," said Raiden as he casually
changed the subject.

"That is of no concern to us," snapped Nodoka.

"It may be of concern to him," said Fujin with a small nod towards
Ranma's sleeping form.

"Stay away from them, and do not tell Kura of this. That is an
order," said Nodoka firmly.

"You don't really think we have the power to keep them apart do
you?" said Raiden with a small chuckle. "The punishment still stands
you know. It will not take long, and he will break the hearts of these
women that surround him."

"I shall deal with that soon enough," said Nodoka with a small
snort as she turned away and started walking towards the dojo.

"Well, this should be interesting," said Raiden with a small
chuckle.

"Always the trouble maker," agreed Fujin. "He always was the
sensitive one, the ladies man. I wonder what will happen when some of
our old friends find out he's still alive?"

"I can hardly wait, but it's best not to tell them yet," said
Raiden as he smirked at his brother for a moment.

"You're right, they'll find out soon enough," said Fujin with a
wide grin on his face.

After that, the two brothers vanished, one in a small whirlwind,
and the other in a bright flash of light.

++++++++++++++

TBC...

This one will be fairly short folks. Don't expect a long series
with this one; I don't want it too keep me away from my other works.
Maybe ten parts, max.

The Dragon and The Ghost will be the next story I post, so don't
think I skipped it. It's just not done yet. ^_^

All the identities of the Kami I've been using will be revealed
over the course of the story. They're real Japanese deities though;
I'm not making names up or anything. Tell me what you think of this
one.

C&C to Carrotglace@juno.com

Previous parts can be found at Http://www.fanfiction.net and R&C Books
International Fanfic Company at Http://www.rcbooks.org

Ja!