Rain

Part 2

Ghosts of the Past.

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

"Tell me that story again Oneechan," Skuld lay across Beldandy's lap,
her head resting against her as she lay down for the night.

"Which one?" said the older goddess sweetly.

"The one about the Rain God. I like it," said the younger girl
with a small yawn.

"All right, but you have to go to sleep when it's over," said
Beldandy.

"I promise," said the younger goddess with a smile.

"It was at the beginning of time. During the Great War, long
before you were born," Beldandy's eyes seemed too look far off into
the sky as she began to tell her story. "Two demons plagued the gods
on the battlefield more than any of the others like them. They were
powerful warriors, and Father decided to put an end to their reign of
terror. He sent out thirty strong gods to subdue them. They fought
valiantly, but the demons were too strong. They defeated all but one
god, a young deity by the name of Kura Okami. He was a god of rain,
and a gentle and handsome spirit. On the battlefield, he was
undoubtedly strong."

Skuld murmured pleasantly as she listened and cuddled her sister a
little.

Beldandy smiled and continued. "The demons were much more powerful
than he was alone, but he fought on valiantly. Desperately trying to
save his friends, and buy them enough time to escape. The fight lasted
for many days, and in the end, he was defeated. Raiden and Fujin
descended upon him to finish him off. However, with the last of his
strength, he attacked them, knowing he would die. The demons were
taken by surprise, but weren't defeated. They stopped their final
attack and looked upon the young god with admiration.
The two demons were so impressed by his will, and his strength,
that they offered to make him their brother. Kura accepted, on the
condition that they join the side of the Kami. The two demons
accepted, and took him as their brother, infusing their life force
into him to bring him back before he died. Thus, Kura became part
demon."

Skuld frowned at this, but said nothing. She knew of her elder
sister's bloodline, but to choose it freely was something that was
beyond her.

Beldandy smiled at the reaction. "Father was pleased with this,
and decreed that they were to be brothers until the end of time. The
three fought bravely for him after that. They became known as the
great storm, and grew, sharing one another's power and becoming the
strongest gods of storms that the universe has ever known."

"Better than Thor?" asked Skuld cheerfully.

"Yes, stronger than him," said Beldandy as she continued to look
up at the ceiling wistfully. "They were inseparable. As the war raged
on for many centuries, the three became very close."

"Then what happened?" asked Skuld, even though she knew the story
quite well.

"Kura had a fiancee. Her name was Benten; she is now the Goddess
of love in Japan. She was not happy with him for accepting the demonic
pair as his brothers, and their relationship suffered for it.
Eventually, she gained permission to break the engagement with
Father."

"And he became, available?" said Skuld with a slight blush on his
face.

"Yes, he did," said Beldandy sweetly, hiding her own blush by
continuing to look upward.

"Many Goddesses tried to get his attention, but he was still sad
from Benten's rejection of him. There were even a few demonesses
trying to win his heart, and bring him and his brother's to their
side."

"But he didn't care about them did he?" said Skuld with a proud
looking smile.

"Actually, one demoness came quite close. You see, they used to
know each other when they were very young."

Skuld frowned again, not liking that idea one bit. "So? What
happened to him?"

Two goddesses began a contest. Neither of them had any real
interest in him. They were both young and foolish, and decided to see
who could win his heart first. Thus they began to chase him."

"They sound like real jerks," said Skuld.

"Now, be nice," chided Beldandy sweetly.

"Sorry," muttered the younger Goddess.

"It's all right," said her older sister as she continued the
story. "They were both very beautiful, and eventually one of them won
his heart. The other was quite angry, with her loss, and decided to
tell Father about the bet."

Skuld's eyes went wide at the thought. "That was mean! But,
wouldn't he already know?"

"Father was very busy with the war Skuld, he didn't have time to
deal with small problems like that," said Beldandy.

"Oh," said the girl with a surprised frown.

"It was just as well. The foolish goddess, seemed to lose interest
in Kura, leaving him alone, and ignoring him. All for the sake of her
own pride. Kura became distraught, and his brother's did their best to
console him. You can imagine how that went, you've met Raiden and
Fujin."

"Yeah, they're... kinda weird," muttered Skuld with an irritated
frown.

"Father saw that Kura was very sad, and decided to help him. So,
he decreed that both him and the foolish Goddess were soul mates, and
would be bonded through eternity as such."

"Wow," said Skuld with her eyes growing wide.

"Yes," agreed Beldandy sweetly. "It upset many of the goddesses at
the time, but his will held firmly."

"Kinda harsh," muttered Skuld.

"Not really, you see, the foolish goddess had really grown to love
Kura, but her pride would not let her admit it. The punishment wasn't
really a punishment at all."

"That's so romantic," sighed Skuld.

"Yes. Unfortunately, Kura didn't think it was. He asked Father to
release the goddess from the punishment. He didn't want her to be hurt
because of him. He truly did love her. The pair went on as they had
before for many years, secretly pining for one another, while the
goddess's foolish pride kept them apart."

"That's so sad," said Skuld with tears forming in her eyes.

"Finally, Kura decided that he would go out against one of the
great gods of evil. He and his brother's joined an attack that would
go out and face Amatsu Mikaboshi."

"Wow, he was really strong!" said Skuld in wonder.

"Yes, he was," agreed Beldandy with a solemn nod. "With his help,
the darkness was winning against the light at the time. We were being
pushed back further and further."

Skuld merely nodded with a fearful look in her eyes.

"The foolish goddess heard of her beloved's decision, and came to
him. She begged him not to go, for she knew something terrible would
happen if he did. Unfortunately, Kura had committed himself, and could
not turn away."

"I kinda feel sorry for her," said Skuld.

"We'll keep that our secret then? Ne?" said Beldandy with a small
giggle.

"Sure thing!" agreed Skuld.

"Just before he left for battle, the foolish goddess poured her
heart out too him, finally confessing her love. She begged him not to
go once more. The leader of the attack, gave him permission, his heart
softened by the goddess's heartfelt pleas."

"But he went anyway, didn't he?" said Skuld sadly.

"Yes, he knew she really loved him all along. He said they would
marry when he returned, and left her behind to fight with his brothers
at his side. He could not leave them alone to face the terrible god."

"Wow, how romantic!" squealed Skuld happily.

"The foolish Goddess waited for many years, patiently while the
battle raged on. Eventually, three survivors returned from the battle.
One of them was Amaterasu, the goddess warrior of Japan. The others
were Raiden and Fujin, both demons had sad looks on their faces as
they approached her."

"Oh no. I hate this part," said Skuld as she buried her head in
her sister's lap.

"Kura had sacrificed his own life, using all his power to drive
back the demon god. Amatsu Mikaboshi, was defeated, and has not been
heard from since. His great sacrifice turned the tide of the Great War
against the demonic hoards. Because of him, the end of all that is was
avoided for the first time." Beldandy smiled as Skuld shuddered
slightly in her lap. "Thus, breaking the foolish goddess's heart
forever."

Beldandy stood up and placed Skuld gently onto her futon as she
walked towards the door. She paused when she saw Keiichi standing in
the doorway with a wistful smile on his face. "Good night, Skuld-
chan."

"Goodnight, Oneesan," was the sleepy reply.

"Fairy tales for goddesses?" said a voice from the doorway.
Keiichi stood watching the scene quietly, with a warm smile on his
face.

"Oh, I didn't notice you standing there," said Beldandy as she
blushed slightly. She turned back and looked at Skuld for a moment.
"The Kami don't have fairy tales. We tell stories of the past to young
gods and goddesses. That story is a favorite among both gods and
goddesses."

"It sounds sad," said Keiichi as he looked down at the younger
goddess for a moment.

"The Foolish Goddess story again? I wish you'd stop filling her
head with that crap," muttered Urd as she walked down the hallway with
a bottle of sake in her grip.

"Oh! Hello Urd, I didn't know you were here," said Beldandy with a
slight blush.

"Don't worry about it. That story seems to attract me like a moth
to the flame. It seems like I'm always around when someone's telling
it," said Urd with a small snort as she brushed by the pair.

"That's an odd coincidence," commented Keiichi in confusion.

"It is, isn't it?" said Beldandy nervously.

"I guess so, I guess I'm a fool for always hanging around to hear
the end of it," snorted the Goddess as she walked into her room and
closed the door.

"Good night," called Beldandy as she turned away. "I guess we
should go to sleep as well. It's getting late."

"Um, right," muttered Keiichi. "Why can't I have a normal home?"

+++++++++++

"Man, I had the weirdest dream," muttered Ranma as he stood up and
shook his head. It was early in the morning, and he was shivering
slightly. He looked up and closed the window, a gentle snow fell to
the ground outside. "Man, just what I need," he grumbled as he watched
it fall for a moment. As he turned away, he never noticed the gentle
flakes slowly vanish from the sky.

He walked out of the room and down the stairs. Kasumi was
cheerfully cleaning off the table, humming a tune to herself as she
worked. She paused when she noticed the boy standing there and almost
dropped her rag. "Oh my! Ranma! You're awake!"

"Hey Kasumi, I know. It's kinda early isn't it?" he said while
scratching the back of his head dumbly.

"Y-yes," replied the girl nervously. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Huh? Why wouldn't I? I just had a weird dream, that's all," said
the boy as he looked outside for a moment. "Hey, it stopped snowing
already?"

"Yes," said Kasumi with a slight frown. Apparently he didn't know
the state his mother had brought him home in yesterday. Luckily, it
was just before Akane and Nabiki had returned, and they were thus far
unaware of his condition. She thought it might be best if she didn't
bring it up. Nodoka had been quite protective of him, and had kept
everyone away while he slept. She said he wasn't feeling well. "I hope
it wasn't too serious," she muttered to herself as he walked out into
the back yard, ignoring her completely.

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

Ranma and Akane stood just outside the gates of Furinkan. Nabiki
had already gone into the classroom, and everything seemed normal so
far. Well, everything accept for Akane that is.

"Are you sure you're all right?" said Akane as she looked her
fiancee in the eye for a moment.

"What's with everyone today? I'm fine, all right?" said Ranma
irritably as he glared at her for a moment. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Akane sighed and looked away. "No reason I guess."

"Jeez," grumbled Ranma as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Everyone's talkin like I'm some kinda cripple or something."

"If he doesn't want to tell me what's wrong, that's his business,
the jerk," thought Akane angrily as she pouted and crossed her arms.


After a long moment they walked into the building. Akane looked
angry with him for reasons he couldn't understand, and that wasn't all
that unusual. He casually went about his day as if nothing was wrong.

Ukyo stood nearby watching the scene carefully. She glanced over
and saw Akane was angry, relatively normal really. "Did Ranchan tell
her who that boy was?" she wondered out loud. It was something she'd
have to look into later.

Ranma paused and looked out the window for a moment as he sat down
in class. "Shouldn't it be snowing again?" he wondered silently.
Slowly, the flakes began to fall outside. "Ah, that's better!" he
thought while looking pleased with himself. He had no idea why though,
which didn't strike him as odd at all.

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

Kasumi stepped out of the kitchen and blinked. Ranma was sitting
in front of the television, playing with Nabiki's video game.

"Oh my! Ranma, you're home early!" exclaimed the girl sweetly.

"Huh?" said the boy as he looked over at her. Another Ranma peered
at her from beside her, this one with longer hair.

"Who's this Ranma guy everyone keeps calling us?" said the Fujin
in confusion.

"I dunno, but I like this game," said Raiden as he continued to
jab at the controller happily.

"How come I'm not in it?" snorted Fujin irritably.

"I dunno, maybe that would be too much for one stupid sorcerer.
Hey! I can blow up that guy's head!"

"You always were a show off," muttered Fujin irritably.

Kasumi was casually cleaning off the table, as if nothing was
happening. After all, this was probably another one of Ranma's little
games. The boy could be so silly sometimes, always going off on such
interesting adventures, and bringing a few home with him as well.

Nodoka walked into the room and frowned as she saw the two gods
playing the video game at the television. "What are you two idiots
doing here?"

"Waiting for Kura," said Fujin with a shrug.

"He's not ready yet, this was all a dream to him so far," said
Nodoka firmly.

"Yeah, we know," said Raiden as he juked around, jerking the
controller to the side as he played. "We haven't been to the mortal
plane in a while, so we thought we'd check things out. We'll be gone
when he gets here."

"What if some of the mortals see you?" snapped Nodoka irritably.

"What of it?" snorted Raiden.

"It could cause trouble," said the woman carefully.

"So? We are demons you know," said Fujin as he watched the screen
with mild interest. "Besides, you can't stop us from hanging around."

Nodoka ground her teeth and watched them in helpless frustration.

"The mortals will be suspicious if they see three of him wandering
around fools. I'm trying to keep this as subtle as possible. Why don't
you go wreak havoc in America or something, just for a decade or so."

"We don't want to wait that long," said Raiden with a shrug.

"Besides, only this girl here, and some kid who's probably in
Hokkaido by now called us Ranma so far. We're pretty safe," agreed
Fujin as he pointed at Kasumi absently.

"That Hibiki boy," snarled Nodoka. "What happened to him?"

"I zapped him, he shouldn't bother us again," said Raiden
cheerfully.

"You idiot! He'll think Kura came up with some new technique!
He'll be here within a week!" snarled Nodoka irritably.

"Oops," deadpanned Raiden.

"Don't worry about it, he turned into a pig anyway," said Fujin
cheerfully. "We'll be lucky if he ever shows up again."

"Did you get wet?" said Nodoka as she sat down and began to
massage her temples in frustration.

"Yeah? So? We're storm gods, it comes with the territory," said
Raiden calmly.

"Father! Why do you do this to me?" wailed Nodoka.

+++++++++++

Ryoga Hibiki slowly stood up from the crater he had found himself
in, he was still a pig, and it was freezing cold. Snow gently fell to
the ground and he snorted as he jumped out of the hole. His mind was
on fire as he raged about his humiliating defeat.

"Ranma! A new technique, and a cure!? Prepare to die!" His battle
cry came out as nothing more than a painful squeal. He paused as the
sound of footsteps rushing up to him filled his ears.

"Charlotte!" squealed a familiar and terrifying voice.

"No! Damn you Ranma! This is all your fault!" thought Ryoga as he
dashed away desperately.

++++++++++

"What's up Ucchan?" said Ranma dumbly as he looked at the girl in
front of him. She was frowning deeply at him, and didn't look very
pleased.

"I said, what's wrong with you these days?"

"Huh? Nothing," said the boy with a shrug. "I've just been...I
dunno. It's been weird for the past few weeks, that's all."

"Weird how?" said Ukyo as she tapped her foot impatiently.

"I don't wanna talk about it," muttered Ranma uncomfortably.

"But you'll talk about it to that little uncute fiancee of yours
won't you?" snapped Ukyo as she whirled around and turned away from
him.

"No! Don't be stupid! Why would I..." he was cut off as she turned
too look at him again.

"I dunno, maybe the fact that you almost married her?"

"I didn't! I wouldn't have gone through with it, even if you
didn't stop me!" snapped Ranma. He froze, his jaw working up and down
for a moment. It had happened to him again, he said something that
wasn't supposed to be really true, but he knew that it wasn't a lie.

Ukyo's face softened, and she sat down as she noticed the look on
his face. "Ranchan? What is it?"

The pigtailed boy sat down, staring at the counter in a sort of
numb shock. "I... I really wouldn't have gone through with it. I just
realized that," he muttered quietly. "I guess, I never really thought
about it before. Why? Why wouldn't I have done it?"

Ukyo looked annoyed and smacked him in the back of his head.
"Because you're really in love with your cute fiancee, that's why you
dope."

Ranma stood up and walked away, leaving her sitting dumbly at the
counter alone. "I gotta go, sorry."

"Hey! Wait!" said Ukyo as she stood up to give chase. At the last
moment she hesitated and then rushed outside, only to find Ranma long
gone. She frowned when she noticed the light shower that had started,
and then turned back inside.

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

Ranma found himself looking down on a small park. There were a few
children playing in the rain, splashing through the puddles happily.
He smirked and felt a small sense of pride forming inside his chest.

"You know, you could destroy it all if you wanted too," said a
quiet voice from beside him.

Ranma paused, and slowly turned to see a young woman standing next
to him. She was dressed in a black cloak, with a few strands of white
hair flowing from inside the hood. "Who?"

"You know who I am," said the woman as she looked at him for a
moment. She had several strange markings on her face, and a light
smile that looked very familiar too him.

"Have we met?" said Ranma warily. She was a very beautiful woman,
but he found himself unable to trust her.

"A long time ago," said the woman with a small nod. "My name is
Mara."

Ranma found himself trying not to frown as she looked at him with
a strange longing in her eyes.

"I've come to you with an offer," she said as she turned away.

"What do you want?" he snapped a little firmer than he had
intended.

"Something big is coming, and I want you on the right side," said
Mara as she watched the children play. "I want you to join us."

"I can't do that," said Ranma as his face hardened. "I'm not even
sure what you're talking about lady, but I know I can't accept."

"Deep down you do, trust your feelings. They'll also tell you that
you could accept my offer. I want you to come back with me, be with me
again. Please, just forget about all this!" Mara placed her hand
gently on his shoulder, her eyes pleading with him.

"No!" snapped Ranma firmly. He whirled around and stared at her
angrily, tearing her grip away from him. "Don't touch me."

The woman stepped back as the rain began to fall harder around
her. The tears running down her face disguised by the raindrops.
"Please! You were almost lost to us before! I don't want to lose you
like that again!"

"Get away from me, I've been lost to you for a long time Mara,"
said Ranma coldly. He turned away from her and watched the children
run away as the rain came down even harder than before. He turned to
face her again, and saw that she was gone. "I wonder who that was?" he
muttered to himself as he walked away, strolling lazily through the
rain as he went.

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

"Boy, it's really coming down. I wonder what..."

Akane Tendo stopped cold in the middle of the street. She had gone
over to Yuka's house after school had ended for a short time. Now she
was making her way home through the pouring rain alone. Her jaw
dropped at what she saw, Ranma Saotome, was walking down the middle of
the street.

He wasn't a girl.

"Ranma! Where the heck have you been?" she snapped as she rushed
up to him angrily.

"Huh? What the heck did I do now?" he said irritably.

"You've been on a date with Shampoo haven't you? I bet you even
kissed her to get some of that Instant Naniichuan!" snapped the girl
irritably. "Or was it for that soap?"

"What the heck are you talking about? I was at the Ucchan today,"
said Ranma as he frowned at her.

"Like that's any better!" snapped Akane as her battle aura began
to burn.

"Hey! What the heck are you upset about anyway?" snapped the boy
irritably.

"If you didn't go to see Shampoo, then why aren't you a girl?"
snapped Akane.

"Okay, fine, jeez," said Ranma as he shifted forms in front of
her. "Happy now?"

Akane blinked and stared at him in shock. "H-how did?" She dropped
her umbrella on the ground and simply stared at the redhead for a
moment.

"What the heck is the big deal? It's my stupid curse, I'll do what
I want with it," snapped Ranma as she walked away.

"Ranma?" muttered Akane in shock as she watched her fiancee walk
through the rain again.

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

Nodoka looked up and turned towards the two Ranmas who were
standing next to her in the yard. "It's time for you two to leave."

"We'll be by tomorrow," said Raiden calmly. "You don't have much
more time. I want him awakened within a few more days at most."

"That isn't your decision," said Nodoka firmly.

"We don't have time for your foolishness woman. Have you forgotten
that we are awaiting the revival of the God of Evil? This is not a
matter to be taken lightly," said Fujin as he glared at her. "Kura has
other training to attend to as well. If he isn't aware by the end of
the week, we're taking it into our own hands."

"I cannot rush this, it is dangerous. He has already been in
contact with the demoness," snapped Nodoka angrily.

"And how long do you think you'll be able to protect him. We saw
the whole thing, he refused her. You are in no more danger of losing
him to their side, than when we failed to tempt him," said Raiden as
he looked up at the sky. "He walks the path of light firmer than most
gods, because of the two of us. He believes that he cannot falter, or
he risks losing us to the darkness again," said Raiden.

"Would he?" asked Nodoka bitterly.

"He is our brother, where he goes, we follow," replied Fujin.

"I see," said the woman with a nod. "I will not allow this process
to be rushed."

"You've grown too comfortable. One week is all you have to
aquatint him with the truth. We will come to meet him at the end of
the week, you've been warned." The two gods vanished in a blast of
their respective power.

Nodoka stared at the spot where they had been standing and growled
angrily. There was nothing she could do, as long as they did not try
to take him away, they could do as they pleased. Kamiisamma would not
attempt to stop them at all. "Damn!"

"Nodoka? I something wrong?" said Genma as he poked his head
around the corner.

She looked at him and smiled. "No, nothing at all dear." A dark
smile formed on her lips as he wandered away. The two demonic gods had
forced her hand, now she had to finish this much sooner than she had
wanted. Fortunately, that meant that justice could be served sooner as
well. "Husband, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

"Hoi!" said Happosai as he bounced up in front of her for a
moment. "Hiya!"

"It is time," she said to him calmly.

"Already? I was just startin to have fun too," said the old man
irritably.

"When it is finished, we will be able to return home once again.
It will be a welcome change from this sad excuse for a life," said the
woman calmly.

"Well, I guess I'd better enjoy it while it lasts then!" quipped
Happosai as he bounded off. "Sweeto!"

Nodoka sighed, she had no idea what had turned Mawaya-no-Kami into
such an idiot. She simply shrugged her shoulders and walked back into
the home. Ranma would be coming home soon, and she could feel a
familiar lost ki a short distance away. She had much work to do still.

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

TBC...

Next time: Ryoga of course. Don't be silly.



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!