In the first AMG! manga book there were people commenting that Belldandy looked Indian, and I was thinking it was because of the clothes she was wearing. However, if she normally doesn't conceal the facial marks they could think that it was like the bindi markings that Indian women sometimes have on their foreheads. *shrug*
Ranma ½ Divine Blood
- Thread starter Thrythlind
- Start date
The boys and Chihiro had moved off to get food for the group, leaving Megumi and Skuld to run last checks on the scirroco and for Bellydandy chat with the Jindai girls.
"So who's going to pilot it," Kyoko asked.
"Probably Keiichi," Megumi said. "Either him or Chihiro, they tend to trade off on the test-piloting."
"I think it's Keiichi's turn," Belldandy said. "How are you doing, Kaname and Eija?"
Kaname looked to her "normal" friends with a decidedly embarassed expression, that they had no trouble noticing.
"Everything is fine," Eija assured Belldandy, without much concern. "Though it takes some getting used to."
"What are you guys talking about?" Mizuki asked.
"Nothing," Kaname said quickly. "Noth..."
Fortunately for Kaname a distraction appeared at that point, preventing her from having to explain things.
Or perhaps, given the form of the distraction, unfortunately.
"What's this then?" a voice asked. "Such a wonderful collection of lovely young women have come to this year's festival."
The collected mechanics, pilots and festival goers turned around to see a tall man wearing a red tank-top with a military dress-jacket draped over his shoulders.
"I am Mikado Sanzenin," he said, taking Belldandy's hand and bowing over it fancily, bringing a slight blush to the goddess's face.
From there he passed to take Eija's hand.
"Cap..." he froze and shivered visibly as he touched the young goddess's hand and quickly turned toward Kaname.
Eija sighed, the whether from irritation at her normal problem, or relief that it had spared her unwanted attention in this case, it was hard to tell.
"Captain of the Nerima Red Dragon AS team," he completed, bowing over Kaname's hand, not noticing the girl's rather unimpressed expression.
<I>You're lucky</I> Kaname thought dryly.
<I>It comes in handy sometimes,</I> Eija replied.
"Oh, how handsome!" Mizuki squealed from behind Kaname, where she stood watching with Kyoko.
Back near the machine, a non-pulsed Skuld and Megumi watched the proceedings with something akin to a glare.
"If you're so impressed with the toy these girls playing engineer have made," he said. "Maybe you'd like to see the inside of a real AS."
"Well, that's a bit rude," Belldandy thought as her smile diminished slightly.
<I>Who does this guy think he is?</I> Kaname demanded in disbelief, verging on actual anger.
<I>I feel like taking a bath,</I> Eija noted with a bit more passive distaste.
"Oh wow," Kyoko gasped. "He's actually hitting on...somebody."
"TOY?! Playing engineer?!" Skuld thought in growing fury.
"Good grief," Megumi wondered to herself. "Who's going to fall for that?"
"OH! I'd love to!" Mizuki said, pushing herself in front of everybody else.
Sanzenin brushed past Mizuki as if she weren't there and took up Belldandy and Kaname's hands.
"I have tasted of the lips of more than a thousand maidens," he said. "And in you two I have found a match, nay, a superior to the most beautiful and exotic of those."
"That is very flattering," Belldandy said. "But I'm afraid my heart belongs to someone already."
"Then I must break such unworthy bonds so that you might see that such permanence is worthless," he said.
Belldandy, slowly losing even her patience pulled her hand back.
"I'm sorry, Mister Sanzenin," Belldandy said. "I cannot approve of this behavior of yours. Your actions can lead to nothing but a sad, hollow existence, and I hope you learn to escape it before it is too late."
"Well, I'm certain the blue-haired beauty is less blind to my charms," Sanzenin said. "Mikado Sanzenin, the Captain of the Red Dragon, Emperor of competitive AS events, truly has never tasted of defeat either in love or on the field."
"Well, you're about to," Kaname said brushing his hand aside forcefully. "Excuse me, if I'm interested in Nerima daikon, I'll buy some."
"That's red dragon!" Sanzenin corrected her.
And with that she walked off away from the scene, leaving Sanzenin confused as to whether to follow her or stay and keep wooing Belldandy.
"She's even more beautiful angry," he muttered in slight indecision, as turned toward Belldandy. "But your serenity is so appealing."
"Excuse me," a young voice said from in front of him.
He looked down and blinked as the youngest of the assorted females handed him a knobby device and walked away, with obvious speed.
Megumi quickly reached out and pulled away Kyoko and Mizuko from the man's area.
Eija, recognizing the signs also stepped back cleanly.
And then the Skuld-Bomb exploded over the thirty-something pervert.
"I think," he said, coughing. "I'll go clean up a bit. Perhaps I'll see again when the children are in bed."
He waverly walked off, trying to keep his dignity.
"Skuld," Belldandy said, with somewhat less disapproval than normal. "I thought you had better control of your temper."
"Hey, that's the second time that pervert has said I'm 'playing' at being an engineer," she said in her defense.
"Ecchi bastard pulled that stuff on Chihiro a few weeks ago," Megumi noted.
"Damn it," Mizuki declared. "Why'd he look at Kaname and ignroe me? Damn it! I'll have my revenge!"
"I'm not exactly certain it's her fault," Kyoko noted. "And at least you just got ignored. He treated Eija like a snake or a spider or something."
"Well, she's creepy," Mizuki said defensively.
"It's fine," Eija said with a smile and dismissive wave. "This time it was actually something of a blessing."
**********
AN: there is apparently a similarity in Japanese between "Red Dragon" and "Daikon"
I've replaced Ryunosuke Akagi with Mikado Sanzenin for this.
"So who's going to pilot it," Kyoko asked.
"Probably Keiichi," Megumi said. "Either him or Chihiro, they tend to trade off on the test-piloting."
"I think it's Keiichi's turn," Belldandy said. "How are you doing, Kaname and Eija?"
Kaname looked to her "normal" friends with a decidedly embarassed expression, that they had no trouble noticing.
"Everything is fine," Eija assured Belldandy, without much concern. "Though it takes some getting used to."
"What are you guys talking about?" Mizuki asked.
"Nothing," Kaname said quickly. "Noth..."
Fortunately for Kaname a distraction appeared at that point, preventing her from having to explain things.
Or perhaps, given the form of the distraction, unfortunately.
"What's this then?" a voice asked. "Such a wonderful collection of lovely young women have come to this year's festival."
The collected mechanics, pilots and festival goers turned around to see a tall man wearing a red tank-top with a military dress-jacket draped over his shoulders.
"I am Mikado Sanzenin," he said, taking Belldandy's hand and bowing over it fancily, bringing a slight blush to the goddess's face.
From there he passed to take Eija's hand.
"Cap..." he froze and shivered visibly as he touched the young goddess's hand and quickly turned toward Kaname.
Eija sighed, the whether from irritation at her normal problem, or relief that it had spared her unwanted attention in this case, it was hard to tell.
"Captain of the Nerima Red Dragon AS team," he completed, bowing over Kaname's hand, not noticing the girl's rather unimpressed expression.
<I>You're lucky</I> Kaname thought dryly.
<I>It comes in handy sometimes,</I> Eija replied.
"Oh, how handsome!" Mizuki squealed from behind Kaname, where she stood watching with Kyoko.
Back near the machine, a non-pulsed Skuld and Megumi watched the proceedings with something akin to a glare.
"If you're so impressed with the toy these girls playing engineer have made," he said. "Maybe you'd like to see the inside of a real AS."
"Well, that's a bit rude," Belldandy thought as her smile diminished slightly.
<I>Who does this guy think he is?</I> Kaname demanded in disbelief, verging on actual anger.
<I>I feel like taking a bath,</I> Eija noted with a bit more passive distaste.
"Oh wow," Kyoko gasped. "He's actually hitting on...somebody."
"TOY?! Playing engineer?!" Skuld thought in growing fury.
"Good grief," Megumi wondered to herself. "Who's going to fall for that?"
"OH! I'd love to!" Mizuki said, pushing herself in front of everybody else.
Sanzenin brushed past Mizuki as if she weren't there and took up Belldandy and Kaname's hands.
"I have tasted of the lips of more than a thousand maidens," he said. "And in you two I have found a match, nay, a superior to the most beautiful and exotic of those."
"That is very flattering," Belldandy said. "But I'm afraid my heart belongs to someone already."
"Then I must break such unworthy bonds so that you might see that such permanence is worthless," he said.
Belldandy, slowly losing even her patience pulled her hand back.
"I'm sorry, Mister Sanzenin," Belldandy said. "I cannot approve of this behavior of yours. Your actions can lead to nothing but a sad, hollow existence, and I hope you learn to escape it before it is too late."
"Well, I'm certain the blue-haired beauty is less blind to my charms," Sanzenin said. "Mikado Sanzenin, the Captain of the Red Dragon, Emperor of competitive AS events, truly has never tasted of defeat either in love or on the field."
"Well, you're about to," Kaname said brushing his hand aside forcefully. "Excuse me, if I'm interested in Nerima daikon, I'll buy some."
"That's red dragon!" Sanzenin corrected her.
And with that she walked off away from the scene, leaving Sanzenin confused as to whether to follow her or stay and keep wooing Belldandy.
"She's even more beautiful angry," he muttered in slight indecision, as turned toward Belldandy. "But your serenity is so appealing."
"Excuse me," a young voice said from in front of him.
He looked down and blinked as the youngest of the assorted females handed him a knobby device and walked away, with obvious speed.
Megumi quickly reached out and pulled away Kyoko and Mizuko from the man's area.
Eija, recognizing the signs also stepped back cleanly.
And then the Skuld-Bomb exploded over the thirty-something pervert.
"I think," he said, coughing. "I'll go clean up a bit. Perhaps I'll see again when the children are in bed."
He waverly walked off, trying to keep his dignity.
"Skuld," Belldandy said, with somewhat less disapproval than normal. "I thought you had better control of your temper."
"Hey, that's the second time that pervert has said I'm 'playing' at being an engineer," she said in her defense.
"Ecchi bastard pulled that stuff on Chihiro a few weeks ago," Megumi noted.
"Damn it," Mizuki declared. "Why'd he look at Kaname and ignroe me? Damn it! I'll have my revenge!"
"I'm not exactly certain it's her fault," Kyoko noted. "And at least you just got ignored. He treated Eija like a snake or a spider or something."
"Well, she's creepy," Mizuki said defensively.
"It's fine," Eija said with a smile and dismissive wave. "This time it was actually something of a blessing."
**********
AN: there is apparently a similarity in Japanese between "Red Dragon" and "Daikon"
I've replaced Ryunosuke Akagi with Mikado Sanzenin for this.
I'm pretty sure Ranma would disagree, there. Hell, (s)he'd might even kick his butt further, faster, and harder than she would Kuno's.
And it would be HILARIOUS.
:snigger: I wonder what would have happened if she'd been on the scene- would he have recognized her, do you think, or completely forgotten? People who knew Ranma reasonably well (Nabiki) have had trouble recognizing her, so I think it just might go either way.
Of course, that's my opinion, and doesn't really count for jack. ^_^
And it would be HILARIOUS.
:snigger: I wonder what would have happened if she'd been on the scene- would he have recognized her, do you think, or completely forgotten? People who knew Ranma reasonably well (Nabiki) have had trouble recognizing her, so I think it just might go either way.Of course, that's my opinion, and doesn't really count for jack. ^_^
Naiki sat on the roof and thought back to the day after she and Eija had returned home.
****
"'Kaasan," Naiki had asked the next day as the morning practice ended. "What did that goddess mean she fixed something that was broken."
"And she said something about the trigger being different," Eija had added.
Ranma looked thoughtful as her daughters asked that question, having something stronger than a feeling that she knew what it was about. She could feel a certain old magic coming alive in her again, but she hadn't yet reached out to it yet.
"Okaasan?" Eija asked as the silence stretched on.
"I used to shapechange," Ranma said finally. "Before the Gods."
"What, you're a shifter?" Naiki said, curiously, taking a deep sniff. "I thought the cat smell was just the neko-ken."
Ranma's neck cricked.
"No," she said. "I. Do. Not. Change. Into. A. Cat."
"Umm," Eija said. "What did you used to change into then?"
Ranma thought very carefully how to say this.
"I used to change genders," Ranma said finally, not specifying which gender she was born with.
"Really?" Naiki said thoughtfully. A moment later the comment was followed with another: "That could be fun."
"You know, a lot of things suddenly make sense," Eija noted.
"About me or your sister?" Ranma asked from where she was staring at Naiki and shaking her head.
"Umm, yes?" Eija said.
****
That was a bit of a surprise, but it was somewhat small compared to the other family secret revealed the night before that.
Right now, she had other things to occupy her mind as she cricked her joints and started walking towards the rickety old building.
"Hey, amateurs!" she shouted as she walked up into the main room.
The three bulky karateka inside the building stopped their sparring to turn around and face her, flinching.
"Satomi," they said, looking about. "Is your mother with you?"
"Nope," she said. "Hayashimizu sent me. Where's Tsubaki?"
"Brother Tsubaki is out attending to family errands," one of the bulky men said. "And if you're here from Hayashimizu, then you're here to tell us to leave the sacred dojo."
"The sacred death-trap, you mean," she said, looking about and rolling her eyes.
"Be warned, Satomi," a second said. "We have been engaging in extreme training since our last confrontation and we have no doubt that we shall prevail should you attempt to evict us from this our dojo."
"You're certain that your mother's not with you," third said.
"I'm certain," Naiki said. "And I'm certain it doesn't matter, since I'm not the same as I used to be either."
"It matters not," one of the amateurs said. "There is no way you can remove us from this building."
Naiki rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"You mean this building?" Naiki asked turning about to touch the wall next to her.
Issei Tsubaki was walking up to the dojo behind the school grounds, irritably enough his rarely present father behind him, when they saw the side of the dojo wall explode outward in a hail of splinters.
"The hell is going on?" Issei demanded moving to rush forward.
"Wait," his father said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know that technique. Whoever's in there could be helpful."
Meanwhile, the roof started to cave in on the dojo until it was stopped by something and then it exploded just as the wall did.
In the aftermath of dust and splinters the three karateka stumbled out, peppered in splinters and coughing dazedly.
"What the heck happened?" Issei asked as he approached his friends.
"Satomi," one said, pointing as the green-haired Naiki stepped out of the debris brushing herself off.
"Satomi!" he shouted. "What is the meaning of this assault on our premises."
"Hayashimizu asked me to evict you," the green-haired martial artist said. "The building's dangerous and needs to be taken down."
"So you decided to take it down yourself then?" an adult voice asked. "Satomi-san, might ask where you learned the bakusai tenketsu"
"Ehh," Naiki said, surprised.
She took in the tall chinese man in front of her wearing the billowing white chinese robes and wearing glasses that looked thicker than Tsubaki's.
"My mother taught me," she said. "Why?"
"Do you think she'd mind if you took part in a little contest?" the man asked. "You see the rules say the contestant has to be female."
"She just destroyed my dojo and you're wanting her to compete for us?" Issei demanded.
"That wasn't a dojo, boy," the man said. "That was a shack that you and your friends had pounded into submission. In any case, Satomi-san, would your mother mind if you were to compete in a contest for our restaurant?"
"I could ask her," Naiki said. "What's the contest?"
"Martial arts takeout race," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Mousse Tsubaki, Issei's father."
*********
AN: yes, I know, I went for the "shallow similarity equals blood relation" bit with Issei and Mousse's vision problems.
Issei is on Fumoffu for those that don't recognize him from the regular series.
Ranma earlier didn't recognize Mousse in Issei (save probably some unsaid comments about his vision) because Issei uses a karate style rather than Hidden Weapons or Amazon Wu Shu
probably his Japanese mother's influence
***********
Also: Ringlach, yes, it would be hilarious...I might have to arrange that meeting...
****
"'Kaasan," Naiki had asked the next day as the morning practice ended. "What did that goddess mean she fixed something that was broken."
"And she said something about the trigger being different," Eija had added.
Ranma looked thoughtful as her daughters asked that question, having something stronger than a feeling that she knew what it was about. She could feel a certain old magic coming alive in her again, but she hadn't yet reached out to it yet.
"Okaasan?" Eija asked as the silence stretched on.
"I used to shapechange," Ranma said finally. "Before the Gods."
"What, you're a shifter?" Naiki said, curiously, taking a deep sniff. "I thought the cat smell was just the neko-ken."
Ranma's neck cricked.
"No," she said. "I. Do. Not. Change. Into. A. Cat."
"Umm," Eija said. "What did you used to change into then?"
Ranma thought very carefully how to say this.
"I used to change genders," Ranma said finally, not specifying which gender she was born with.
"Really?" Naiki said thoughtfully. A moment later the comment was followed with another: "That could be fun."
"You know, a lot of things suddenly make sense," Eija noted.
"About me or your sister?" Ranma asked from where she was staring at Naiki and shaking her head.
"Umm, yes?" Eija said.
****
That was a bit of a surprise, but it was somewhat small compared to the other family secret revealed the night before that.
Right now, she had other things to occupy her mind as she cricked her joints and started walking towards the rickety old building.
"Hey, amateurs!" she shouted as she walked up into the main room.
The three bulky karateka inside the building stopped their sparring to turn around and face her, flinching.
"Satomi," they said, looking about. "Is your mother with you?"
"Nope," she said. "Hayashimizu sent me. Where's Tsubaki?"
"Brother Tsubaki is out attending to family errands," one of the bulky men said. "And if you're here from Hayashimizu, then you're here to tell us to leave the sacred dojo."
"The sacred death-trap, you mean," she said, looking about and rolling her eyes.
"Be warned, Satomi," a second said. "We have been engaging in extreme training since our last confrontation and we have no doubt that we shall prevail should you attempt to evict us from this our dojo."
"You're certain that your mother's not with you," third said.
"I'm certain," Naiki said. "And I'm certain it doesn't matter, since I'm not the same as I used to be either."
"It matters not," one of the amateurs said. "There is no way you can remove us from this building."
Naiki rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"You mean this building?" Naiki asked turning about to touch the wall next to her.
Issei Tsubaki was walking up to the dojo behind the school grounds, irritably enough his rarely present father behind him, when they saw the side of the dojo wall explode outward in a hail of splinters.
"The hell is going on?" Issei demanded moving to rush forward.
"Wait," his father said, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I know that technique. Whoever's in there could be helpful."
Meanwhile, the roof started to cave in on the dojo until it was stopped by something and then it exploded just as the wall did.
In the aftermath of dust and splinters the three karateka stumbled out, peppered in splinters and coughing dazedly.
"What the heck happened?" Issei asked as he approached his friends.
"Satomi," one said, pointing as the green-haired Naiki stepped out of the debris brushing herself off.
"Satomi!" he shouted. "What is the meaning of this assault on our premises."
"Hayashimizu asked me to evict you," the green-haired martial artist said. "The building's dangerous and needs to be taken down."
"So you decided to take it down yourself then?" an adult voice asked. "Satomi-san, might ask where you learned the bakusai tenketsu"
"Ehh," Naiki said, surprised.
She took in the tall chinese man in front of her wearing the billowing white chinese robes and wearing glasses that looked thicker than Tsubaki's.
"My mother taught me," she said. "Why?"
"Do you think she'd mind if you took part in a little contest?" the man asked. "You see the rules say the contestant has to be female."
"She just destroyed my dojo and you're wanting her to compete for us?" Issei demanded.
"That wasn't a dojo, boy," the man said. "That was a shack that you and your friends had pounded into submission. In any case, Satomi-san, would your mother mind if you were to compete in a contest for our restaurant?"
"I could ask her," Naiki said. "What's the contest?"
"Martial arts takeout race," he said. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Mousse Tsubaki, Issei's father."
*********
AN: yes, I know, I went for the "shallow similarity equals blood relation" bit with Issei and Mousse's vision problems.
Issei is on Fumoffu for those that don't recognize him from the regular series.
Ranma earlier didn't recognize Mousse in Issei (save probably some unsaid comments about his vision) because Issei uses a karate style rather than Hidden Weapons or Amazon Wu Shu
probably his Japanese mother's influence
***********
Also: Ringlach, yes, it would be hilarious...I might have to arrange that meeting...
Since taking the job with Mithril's Psyche Division, Ranma had mostly spent her time in her home office going over reports and matching them to the lists of exorcists, priests and demon hunters the mercenary group had identified in the area.
However, what they had to discuss this time was a bit more sensitive.
"How do we know there's a Whispered involved?" Ranma asked.
"It's very likely," Zhuge-san said. "The Intelligence division has tracked a number of purchases through various fronts that have been quietly transported to this location. The indication is that they either have a whispered captive or else they're going to be having one soon."
"From what I've heard," Ranma said. "Tactical usually does this sort of thing, why does it fall to us?"
"Because of the capabilities of the facility's staff," Zhuge said, distributing photos of a several similarly appearing girls engaged in a variety of paranatural abilities.
Ranma was considering the photos, frowning as the various girls seemed to remind her of something. She was distracted from her consideration by the ringing of her cell phone.
She stood up and checked the number, the Jindai office phone.
"Hello?" she said, picking up the phone. "Naiki? A competition, that might be a bit unf...wait, what was the name of the competition again?"
Bethany and Shen shared a look and arched an eyebrow as Ranma sighed expressively and shook her head.
"I'll be there in a little bit, Naiki, invite them in," Ranma said. "I've got to finish up here."
She closed the cell phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
"Sorry about that," she said. "Now, do you mind if we tap some of the tacticals that already know about us?"
"Who'd you have in mind?" Shen asked.
"The West Pacific's SRT," Ranma said. "Three specific members. Mao, Sagara, Weber."
Bethany nodded as she heard him and started looking up files.
"Sagara has been requested for action in Helmjastad for the same period our operation needs to run," Bethnay said. "And one of the other two will have to remain on guard with Kaname Chidori and your daughter."
"So my choice is Mao or Weber," Ranma said. "And whichever one I take with me is going to be guarding Eija and Kaname."
Ranma thought about it for a few moments.
"Mao," she said finally. "That should be enough to get in and out without trouble."
"You do realize that's going to leave Weber guarding the girls," Shen noted.
"Eija and Kaname know how to deal with him," Ranma said smirking. "And if he does something out of hand, then one of the two take him out of my hair for good."
****
Naiki sat at the warehouse with the visitors sitting across from her.
Well, Issei's father was sitting across from her. Issei was going over the practice area with a fine toothed comb and investigating all the weaponry and tools.
"If he goes into the library and messes with the tomes and scrolls," Naiki said, "I'm not responsible."
"There's some subtle magic to this place, isn't there?" Mousse asked.
"I think just a bit of feng shui to keep it unnoticed," Naiki said. "'Kaasan thinks that too many defenses attract trouble."
"The best defense is for no one to realize you're there," a voice said as Ranma entered the building.
Mousse stood up and turned around to bow to the woman entering the building.
"Satomi-san," he said. "I've heard a little bit about you."
Ranma bowed in response.
"You know," the red-head said. "I'd expect a man from the Amazon tribe to raise a child with a much less misogynist attitude."
Issei grimaced from his position.
"I'm not often around, unfortunately," Mousse returned. "And the boy's Japanese family is a bit old-fashioned."
"Amazon," Naiki said, blinking as she took in Issei and Mousse. "They don't look Greek."
"Chinese Amazons," Mousse said. "Which your mother should have told you something about, considering she's apparently taught you our secrets."
"Chinese..." Naiki asked.
"Danger list, number 4," Ranma said.
"Oh," Naiki said, blinking before she realized what that meant and stood up backing away from Mousse. "Oh!"
"You're not going into that crazy Chinese stuff, are you old man?" Issei asked as he walked into the living room with one of the norse battle axes slung over his shoulder.
"Tsubaki," Ranma said sharply. "Why are you taking that off the training area?"
Issei froze and looked over to see the red-head smiling at him.
"I'll put it back, Ma'am," he said quickly.
"I see you've already taught my son some manners," Mousse noted.
"Well, I'm not a shriveled up monkey," Ranma said. "But I can still whack a few heads when they need whacking. I have to say, I never would have pegged him for an Amazon, as weak as he is."
"Hey," Issei complained. "I'm one of the strongest martial artists in the area."
"Like I said, he has some opinionated Japanese relatives," Mousse noted. "And I'm not around much."
"And whose fault is that?" Ranma asked.
"Satomi," Mousse said, emphasizing the name in amusement. "You don't know my situation, I'd ask you not to criticize my parenting. At the very least, I am not a panda."
"Oh hell," Naiki said. "You know each other."
Issei walked into the situation after replacing the axe.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"They're old friends," Naiki said glumly.
"Are not," both adults protested.
"We're former enemies!" Ranma explained.
"Your...mother, is one of the most infuriating beings alive, girl," Mousse added.
"Oh no," Issei said. "This is hell."
"No, Hell is a nice place," Naiki said. "This is terrible."
However, what they had to discuss this time was a bit more sensitive.
"How do we know there's a Whispered involved?" Ranma asked.
"It's very likely," Zhuge-san said. "The Intelligence division has tracked a number of purchases through various fronts that have been quietly transported to this location. The indication is that they either have a whispered captive or else they're going to be having one soon."
"From what I've heard," Ranma said. "Tactical usually does this sort of thing, why does it fall to us?"
"Because of the capabilities of the facility's staff," Zhuge said, distributing photos of a several similarly appearing girls engaged in a variety of paranatural abilities.
Ranma was considering the photos, frowning as the various girls seemed to remind her of something. She was distracted from her consideration by the ringing of her cell phone.
She stood up and checked the number, the Jindai office phone.
"Hello?" she said, picking up the phone. "Naiki? A competition, that might be a bit unf...wait, what was the name of the competition again?"
Bethany and Shen shared a look and arched an eyebrow as Ranma sighed expressively and shook her head.
"I'll be there in a little bit, Naiki, invite them in," Ranma said. "I've got to finish up here."
She closed the cell phone and slipped it back into her pocket.
"Sorry about that," she said. "Now, do you mind if we tap some of the tacticals that already know about us?"
"Who'd you have in mind?" Shen asked.
"The West Pacific's SRT," Ranma said. "Three specific members. Mao, Sagara, Weber."
Bethany nodded as she heard him and started looking up files.
"Sagara has been requested for action in Helmjastad for the same period our operation needs to run," Bethnay said. "And one of the other two will have to remain on guard with Kaname Chidori and your daughter."
"So my choice is Mao or Weber," Ranma said. "And whichever one I take with me is going to be guarding Eija and Kaname."
Ranma thought about it for a few moments.
"Mao," she said finally. "That should be enough to get in and out without trouble."
"You do realize that's going to leave Weber guarding the girls," Shen noted.
"Eija and Kaname know how to deal with him," Ranma said smirking. "And if he does something out of hand, then one of the two take him out of my hair for good."
****
Naiki sat at the warehouse with the visitors sitting across from her.
Well, Issei's father was sitting across from her. Issei was going over the practice area with a fine toothed comb and investigating all the weaponry and tools.
"If he goes into the library and messes with the tomes and scrolls," Naiki said, "I'm not responsible."
"There's some subtle magic to this place, isn't there?" Mousse asked.
"I think just a bit of feng shui to keep it unnoticed," Naiki said. "'Kaasan thinks that too many defenses attract trouble."
"The best defense is for no one to realize you're there," a voice said as Ranma entered the building.
Mousse stood up and turned around to bow to the woman entering the building.
"Satomi-san," he said. "I've heard a little bit about you."
Ranma bowed in response.
"You know," the red-head said. "I'd expect a man from the Amazon tribe to raise a child with a much less misogynist attitude."
Issei grimaced from his position.
"I'm not often around, unfortunately," Mousse returned. "And the boy's Japanese family is a bit old-fashioned."
"Amazon," Naiki said, blinking as she took in Issei and Mousse. "They don't look Greek."
"Chinese Amazons," Mousse said. "Which your mother should have told you something about, considering she's apparently taught you our secrets."
"Chinese..." Naiki asked.
"Danger list, number 4," Ranma said.
"Oh," Naiki said, blinking before she realized what that meant and stood up backing away from Mousse. "Oh!"
"You're not going into that crazy Chinese stuff, are you old man?" Issei asked as he walked into the living room with one of the norse battle axes slung over his shoulder.
"Tsubaki," Ranma said sharply. "Why are you taking that off the training area?"
Issei froze and looked over to see the red-head smiling at him.
"I'll put it back, Ma'am," he said quickly.
"I see you've already taught my son some manners," Mousse noted.
"Well, I'm not a shriveled up monkey," Ranma said. "But I can still whack a few heads when they need whacking. I have to say, I never would have pegged him for an Amazon, as weak as he is."
"Hey," Issei complained. "I'm one of the strongest martial artists in the area."
"Like I said, he has some opinionated Japanese relatives," Mousse noted. "And I'm not around much."
"And whose fault is that?" Ranma asked.
"Satomi," Mousse said, emphasizing the name in amusement. "You don't know my situation, I'd ask you not to criticize my parenting. At the very least, I am not a panda."
"Oh hell," Naiki said. "You know each other."
Issei walked into the situation after replacing the axe.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"They're old friends," Naiki said glumly.
"Are not," both adults protested.
"We're former enemies!" Ranma explained.
"Your...mother, is one of the most infuriating beings alive, girl," Mousse added.
"Oh no," Issei said. "This is hell."
"No, Hell is a nice place," Naiki said. "This is terrible."
^_^ I'm still half-expecting this to turn into a brawl at some point- either Ranma saying something to piss off Issei, or Mousse doing the same and pissing off Naiki. Or someone else showing up and doing something INCREDIBLY stupid, and getting everyone after their butt. Yeah, everyone's grown up, but Ranma, Naiki, and Issei, at least, still have one hell of a temper.
Deimosu was glad that he'd stopped in the convenience store for some bottled water before heading into that first town. The clerk had the TV running and the story of the lost girl with the family offering her a reward for her return.
At first he was hopeful of finding the girl's real family, but then the image of one of those dark-haired girls came on to the screen and he saw it for what it was, a way to pin him down and recover the girl.
Now he was faced with an extra problem.
He couldn't drop the girl off without worrying that she was going to end up back with whoever it was that wanted her, and he couldn't, shouldn't bring her with him into the sort of danger he was looking to go into.
He paid for the water and a notepad that Yaku had started doodling on, and quietly walked out of the store and then out of the town up into the hills outside the small village, thanking whatever power had insured people would be distracted by the summer festival that was apparently getting set up on the other edge of town.
"We're not going in to the town?" she asked, confused.
"Not yet," Deimosu said, looking the girl over in her laboratory greys and her ungroomed black hair. "People are looking for you."
"You mean the bad people?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah," Deimosu said. "So we've got to make you look different."
"How are you going to do that?" she asked.
"That's a problem," Deimosu admitted, frowning.
As he spoke, he looked past Yaku down into the yard of a house on the edge of town and watched one of the villagers hanging up laundry to dry in the wind.
Including a couple pieces of clothing for a little boy.
Looking between the laundry in the distance and the little girl jotting numbers and letters down on a notebook, Deimosu smirked.
****
An hour later, Deimosu was walking through town with Yaku beside him dressed in a t-shirt and pants and generally looking more like a little boy than a little girl given her somewhat untidy appearance. The ill-fitting nature of the clothing only added to that.
He turned quietly into the tiny internet cafe that even this little village had and sat at one of the computers, next to him, Yaku also sat down at a computer.
With Yaku to take care of, at least until he got out of Japan, he couldn't just swim across the Sea of Japan anymore. That meant looking up some ways across the ocean by boat or plane.
Yaku at his side was skimming through the programs on her computer and experimenting with the buttons.
Satisfied that she was occupied, he started trying to plod through his own limited computer literacy to look for ferries and rides across the sea to Korea or maybe China.
He glanced again at Yaku. She was doing less random typing now and seemed to have found the help index for the operating system.
No, definitely Korea, China wasn't a safe place to bring a kid to if he remembered his news right. If the war broke out again, whatever orphanage he brought her too could be overrun by circumstances.
South Korea, with support from the US army, was much safer.
He took an hour or so to find a few travel websites and plod through their information. Next to him, Yaku had found one of the cafe's copies of Starcraft and was working her way through the tutorial.
Jotting down several pieces of information over the next hour or two, he wasn't sure, Deimosu ignored the groans and curses of various other players around the cafe. Though he did occasionally glance curiously at Yaku as she seemed to be diving into the game.
The girl certainly seemed to pick up on things fast.
"Okay, we have to go," he said. "Or we're going to run out of money."
"Okay," Yaku said, taking the time to slowly close things down and shut down the computer station exactly according to the procedure she'd found in the help files.
"Did you have fun?" he asked.
"Give me something to burn," Yaku said in imitation of one of the firebats in the game.
It was evening as they walked out of the village, past the festival grounds. Deimosu half expected Yaku to ask to ask about heading into the celebration, but she only looked at it curiously.
"Of course," he thought to himself. "If she's been raised in a lab all her life she doesn't know what a festival is."
He paused at the edge of the festival's entrance, and shrugged.
It wasn't like he'd ever been to a Japanese festival either.
At first he was hopeful of finding the girl's real family, but then the image of one of those dark-haired girls came on to the screen and he saw it for what it was, a way to pin him down and recover the girl.
Now he was faced with an extra problem.
He couldn't drop the girl off without worrying that she was going to end up back with whoever it was that wanted her, and he couldn't, shouldn't bring her with him into the sort of danger he was looking to go into.
He paid for the water and a notepad that Yaku had started doodling on, and quietly walked out of the store and then out of the town up into the hills outside the small village, thanking whatever power had insured people would be distracted by the summer festival that was apparently getting set up on the other edge of town.
"We're not going in to the town?" she asked, confused.
"Not yet," Deimosu said, looking the girl over in her laboratory greys and her ungroomed black hair. "People are looking for you."
"You mean the bad people?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah," Deimosu said. "So we've got to make you look different."
"How are you going to do that?" she asked.
"That's a problem," Deimosu admitted, frowning.
As he spoke, he looked past Yaku down into the yard of a house on the edge of town and watched one of the villagers hanging up laundry to dry in the wind.
Including a couple pieces of clothing for a little boy.
Looking between the laundry in the distance and the little girl jotting numbers and letters down on a notebook, Deimosu smirked.
****
An hour later, Deimosu was walking through town with Yaku beside him dressed in a t-shirt and pants and generally looking more like a little boy than a little girl given her somewhat untidy appearance. The ill-fitting nature of the clothing only added to that.
He turned quietly into the tiny internet cafe that even this little village had and sat at one of the computers, next to him, Yaku also sat down at a computer.
With Yaku to take care of, at least until he got out of Japan, he couldn't just swim across the Sea of Japan anymore. That meant looking up some ways across the ocean by boat or plane.
Yaku at his side was skimming through the programs on her computer and experimenting with the buttons.
Satisfied that she was occupied, he started trying to plod through his own limited computer literacy to look for ferries and rides across the sea to Korea or maybe China.
He glanced again at Yaku. She was doing less random typing now and seemed to have found the help index for the operating system.
No, definitely Korea, China wasn't a safe place to bring a kid to if he remembered his news right. If the war broke out again, whatever orphanage he brought her too could be overrun by circumstances.
South Korea, with support from the US army, was much safer.
He took an hour or so to find a few travel websites and plod through their information. Next to him, Yaku had found one of the cafe's copies of Starcraft and was working her way through the tutorial.
Jotting down several pieces of information over the next hour or two, he wasn't sure, Deimosu ignored the groans and curses of various other players around the cafe. Though he did occasionally glance curiously at Yaku as she seemed to be diving into the game.
The girl certainly seemed to pick up on things fast.
"Okay, we have to go," he said. "Or we're going to run out of money."
"Okay," Yaku said, taking the time to slowly close things down and shut down the computer station exactly according to the procedure she'd found in the help files.
"Did you have fun?" he asked.
"Give me something to burn," Yaku said in imitation of one of the firebats in the game.
It was evening as they walked out of the village, past the festival grounds. Deimosu half expected Yaku to ask to ask about heading into the celebration, but she only looked at it curiously.
"Of course," he thought to himself. "If she's been raised in a lab all her life she doesn't know what a festival is."
He paused at the edge of the festival's entrance, and shrugged.
It wasn't like he'd ever been to a Japanese festival either.
Sousuke watched to his side.
Eija was looking as cheerful as normal, but it was the sort of subdued cheer that she had in the hospital when he and Kyoko stopped by to visit her and most people moved straight on to Kaname's room.
Kaname looked like she was about to break something, probably a limb. She hadn't looked like that when he'd left to get food, so he doubted that it was actually something he'd done. As such, he only had a few ideas as to what may have made her so upset.
Mizuki looked similar to Kaname, but that was hardly unusual. Unlike Kaname, whose bad moods were usually easily traced to some manner of misunderstanding on his part, Mizuki was often raving mad without any sort of understandable source at all. As such, she was easily ignored.
Kyoko looked about the same as usual. The girl seemed able to handle almost any personality quirk without batting an eye. And yet she was able to tell when someone really did have ill intent. She was a very excellent judge of character it seemed.
Away from the girls and sitting on Sousuke's other side, Shinji was still sitting in something of an obvious pout. Their meeting with his father had somehow left being somewhat out of sorts somehow. Sousuke wasn't quite sure why.
If this were a normal situation, he'd ask for clarification on the situation from Kyoko, who was often the most patient in explaining to him the arcane and obscure practices of Tokyo high school life. Barring that, was Eija, who was just as patient, but often just about as lost as Sousuke was.
His next choice was usually Kaname. Kaname's explanations were often delivered at the end of a drill sergeant barrage, though usually that was because they usually came after something he'd done had gotten her into trouble. Very often she was right about what he had done wrong, but she wasn't always able to clearly explain just why he was wrong.
Finally would be Shinji, though, for someone that had lived his entire life in the relatively safe culture of a Tokyo kid he seemed remarkably limited on his understandings of the day to day practices of that culture. In fact, he seemed to care even less about them than Sousuke did, though granted that might be because he obviously didn't break the standards so...spectacularly...as Sousuke did.
Sousuke had heard the term "otaku" in reference to Shinji. Then again, he'd heard it reference to himself as well. Usually the term came with the word "military" before it. Given Shinji's very real expertise on military news and procedures, Sousuke was wondering if "otaku" was slang for "expert."
In this case, Sousuke was at something of a loss. Kyoko was sitting as pretty much all the way on the other side of all the girls away from him. Eija and Kaname were both already upset, as was Shinji, who hadn't witnessed whatever had upset the girls anyway.
As for Mizuki, Sousuke had long ago decided that he'd go to her for advice when the world made as much (little) sense as she did.
Left on his own, Sousuke was faced with two options: remain safely quiet and eat his food, or voice his questions about what was going on.
"Why is everybody so upset?" he asked. "Did something happen?"
"Oh, dry up and die, Sagara!" Mizuki and Kaname shouted at once, encouraging silence from everybody else.
Sousuke retreated back to eating...
Eija was looking as cheerful as normal, but it was the sort of subdued cheer that she had in the hospital when he and Kyoko stopped by to visit her and most people moved straight on to Kaname's room.
Kaname looked like she was about to break something, probably a limb. She hadn't looked like that when he'd left to get food, so he doubted that it was actually something he'd done. As such, he only had a few ideas as to what may have made her so upset.
Mizuki looked similar to Kaname, but that was hardly unusual. Unlike Kaname, whose bad moods were usually easily traced to some manner of misunderstanding on his part, Mizuki was often raving mad without any sort of understandable source at all. As such, she was easily ignored.
Kyoko looked about the same as usual. The girl seemed able to handle almost any personality quirk without batting an eye. And yet she was able to tell when someone really did have ill intent. She was a very excellent judge of character it seemed.
Away from the girls and sitting on Sousuke's other side, Shinji was still sitting in something of an obvious pout. Their meeting with his father had somehow left being somewhat out of sorts somehow. Sousuke wasn't quite sure why.
If this were a normal situation, he'd ask for clarification on the situation from Kyoko, who was often the most patient in explaining to him the arcane and obscure practices of Tokyo high school life. Barring that, was Eija, who was just as patient, but often just about as lost as Sousuke was.
His next choice was usually Kaname. Kaname's explanations were often delivered at the end of a drill sergeant barrage, though usually that was because they usually came after something he'd done had gotten her into trouble. Very often she was right about what he had done wrong, but she wasn't always able to clearly explain just why he was wrong.
Finally would be Shinji, though, for someone that had lived his entire life in the relatively safe culture of a Tokyo kid he seemed remarkably limited on his understandings of the day to day practices of that culture. In fact, he seemed to care even less about them than Sousuke did, though granted that might be because he obviously didn't break the standards so...spectacularly...as Sousuke did.
Sousuke had heard the term "otaku" in reference to Shinji. Then again, he'd heard it reference to himself as well. Usually the term came with the word "military" before it. Given Shinji's very real expertise on military news and procedures, Sousuke was wondering if "otaku" was slang for "expert."
In this case, Sousuke was at something of a loss. Kyoko was sitting as pretty much all the way on the other side of all the girls away from him. Eija and Kaname were both already upset, as was Shinji, who hadn't witnessed whatever had upset the girls anyway.
As for Mizuki, Sousuke had long ago decided that he'd go to her for advice when the world made as much (little) sense as she did.
Left on his own, Sousuke was faced with two options: remain safely quiet and eat his food, or voice his questions about what was going on.
"Why is everybody so upset?" he asked. "Did something happen?"
"Oh, dry up and die, Sagara!" Mizuki and Kaname shouted at once, encouraging silence from everybody else.
Sousuke retreated back to eating...
Big Eyes Small Mouth
an rpg system like dungeons and dragons, with the rules catered towards anime physics and abilities.
I liked the old Tri-stat system of it a lot, but I havn't looked at it in 7 years. What system does 3rd ed use?
*EDIT*
ninja'd... bah
the different editions of it have had completely different character creation systems. I loved the Tri-stat one, but when they released BESM d20 I stopped using it.
an rpg system like dungeons and dragons, with the rules catered towards anime physics and abilities.
I liked the old Tri-stat system of it a lot, but I havn't looked at it in 7 years. What system does 3rd ed use?
*EDIT*
ninja'd... bah
the different editions of it have had completely different character creation systems. I loved the Tri-stat one, but when they released BESM d20 I stopped using it.
BESM d20 is insane. They start with the premise that d20 is broken (all systems are somewhere, that's why GMs need to approve characters) and they proceed to break it beyond all sense of balance.
BESM 3rd still used Tri-Stat, I've got a e-book copy of it. Unfortunately, it is out of print. As it is out of print, contact me for directions to where you can get a copy.
BESM is a point-buy system, point-buy systems always allow a high degree of flexibility in character creation. (There's a reason I say Champions taught me algebra) It also means that you, as the GM, have to look VERY closely at what they're making, because it is possible to make a character within the rules that is unacceptably broken. The increased necessity of planning, decision making, math skills and GM oversite make character-creation much more of an event.
However, the upside is you are not bound by classes. You literally can just make anything you can imagine.
Also, I've noted that making any character faithful to a fiction-based character generally means you need a LOT more points than you usually have for a character. In this case, all the characters ended up knocking close to 700 pts (average game 350) and that's because I didn't include Sousuke's personal arsenal or the Arbalest on his sheet. If I had done that, Sousuke would be hitting around 850 pts.
Anyway, on to writing. ^_^
Note: HERO System (the aforementioned Champions being the most well known setting of it) is actually a much more flexible system....but character sheets are a lot more technical in appearance.
I use RPGs to help get an image of a character's capabilities...
RPGs are much more limited than fiction, so there's limited use in this practice, but still can be useful within those limits. Like using a skeleton to decide what an animal looks like.
BESM 3rd still used Tri-Stat, I've got a e-book copy of it. Unfortunately, it is out of print. As it is out of print, contact me for directions to where you can get a copy.
BESM is a point-buy system, point-buy systems always allow a high degree of flexibility in character creation. (There's a reason I say Champions taught me algebra) It also means that you, as the GM, have to look VERY closely at what they're making, because it is possible to make a character within the rules that is unacceptably broken. The increased necessity of planning, decision making, math skills and GM oversite make character-creation much more of an event.
However, the upside is you are not bound by classes. You literally can just make anything you can imagine.
Also, I've noted that making any character faithful to a fiction-based character generally means you need a LOT more points than you usually have for a character. In this case, all the characters ended up knocking close to 700 pts (average game 350) and that's because I didn't include Sousuke's personal arsenal or the Arbalest on his sheet. If I had done that, Sousuke would be hitting around 850 pts.
Anyway, on to writing. ^_^
Note: HERO System (the aforementioned Champions being the most well known setting of it) is actually a much more flexible system....but character sheets are a lot more technical in appearance.
I use RPGs to help get an image of a character's capabilities...
RPGs are much more limited than fiction, so there's limited use in this practice, but still can be useful within those limits. Like using a skeleton to decide what an animal looks like.
Sousuke watched as the competition went on.
The tug of war was predictable. The Narashino pilots didn't seem very skilled in getting the best use out of their machines. However, they were not incompetent, so it was surprising that they lost so quickly.
Next came the relay, which included the little Scirocco running in its own lane.
Predictably, the little AS started off slower, and quickly found itself locked behind the larger mechas even as its unorthodox power source started to warm up.
"Perhaps as a secondary power source," Sousuke noted.
"I don't think there's anything really small enough for that," Shinji said. "But they've got the framework and basic systems, maybe someone will take an interest in this later and they can get the funds to develop it further."
"I'm still amazed that a group of civilians successfully managed to build such a machine," Sousuke noted. "With no funding. Over the course of a few months."
Quietly he wondered if the goddesses had done much of the work, but dismissed that. The engineers showed so much pride in the machine, they had probably refused any magical help, though one of the engineers was a goddess.
And then the Red Dragons pushed over the Narashino mech, forcing the scirocco to engage in a show of rather ungainly and frantic acrobatics to escape the crash.
Sousuke narrowed his eyes.
And the miniature AS, given a free lane picked up speed and was across the finish line in a blink.
Some back part of his mind continued the evaluation of the miniature AS, but the main part of his mind was now thoroughly evaluating the Red Dragon's machines and tactics and comparing them to what he knew of the rules of the competition.
By the time the ping pong competition started, he was certain of it.
The Red Dragons were breaking the established rules on power limits and tactics.
Quietly, he set down his bowl and stood up to excuse himself from the bleachers.
It was a few minutes later when an AS in giant apron swooped in to make a saving smash on a ping pong that any of the other kids noticed he had left.
"Isn't that the AS that was serving food earlier?" Kyoko asked.
"Hey anybody see where Sousuke went?" Shinji asked.
Oh, he didn't Kaname thought as she looked toward the vacant seat.
I hope he did, I think they're cheating, Eija noted. They need to be taught a lesson.
But he shouldn't be attracting attention like that! Kaname protested.
As long as people don't know who he is, Eija said. Does it really matter?
The tug of war was predictable. The Narashino pilots didn't seem very skilled in getting the best use out of their machines. However, they were not incompetent, so it was surprising that they lost so quickly.
Next came the relay, which included the little Scirocco running in its own lane.
Predictably, the little AS started off slower, and quickly found itself locked behind the larger mechas even as its unorthodox power source started to warm up.
"Perhaps as a secondary power source," Sousuke noted.
"I don't think there's anything really small enough for that," Shinji said. "But they've got the framework and basic systems, maybe someone will take an interest in this later and they can get the funds to develop it further."
"I'm still amazed that a group of civilians successfully managed to build such a machine," Sousuke noted. "With no funding. Over the course of a few months."
Quietly he wondered if the goddesses had done much of the work, but dismissed that. The engineers showed so much pride in the machine, they had probably refused any magical help, though one of the engineers was a goddess.
And then the Red Dragons pushed over the Narashino mech, forcing the scirocco to engage in a show of rather ungainly and frantic acrobatics to escape the crash.
Sousuke narrowed his eyes.
And the miniature AS, given a free lane picked up speed and was across the finish line in a blink.
Some back part of his mind continued the evaluation of the miniature AS, but the main part of his mind was now thoroughly evaluating the Red Dragon's machines and tactics and comparing them to what he knew of the rules of the competition.
By the time the ping pong competition started, he was certain of it.
The Red Dragons were breaking the established rules on power limits and tactics.
Quietly, he set down his bowl and stood up to excuse himself from the bleachers.
It was a few minutes later when an AS in giant apron swooped in to make a saving smash on a ping pong that any of the other kids noticed he had left.
"Isn't that the AS that was serving food earlier?" Kyoko asked.
"Hey anybody see where Sousuke went?" Shinji asked.
Oh, he didn't Kaname thought as she looked toward the vacant seat.
I hope he did, I think they're cheating, Eija noted. They need to be taught a lesson.
But he shouldn't be attracting attention like that! Kaname protested.
As long as people don't know who he is, Eija said. Does it really matter?
As Sanzenin exited his AS to challenge the pilot that interferred with the match, Kaname watched as the other pilot exited wearing a ridiculous card-board costume that had been worn earlier by one of the people that ran a booth at the festival.
Her first impulse was to make a dash for the bottom of the stands and hurl her harisen with enough force to knock Sousuke silly for embarassing her.
The blue-haired Whispered had Eija to thank for stopping her and calming her down.
Right now, Sousuke was only embarassing himself and no one had yet any idea that she and Eija knew who he was.
Still, Kaname couldn't just stand around at the moment as Sousuke and that Sanzenin creep traded jibes and challenges.
Taking a deep breath she rolled her eyes and walked off towards the concession stand, trying to find something of a normal summer vacation. As she arrived, she noticed Belldandy also walking up to the stand.
Mercenaries, Arm Slaves, Martial Artists, Demons, Goddesses, Terrorists, Resonance, Ghosts.
Her life had recently turned upside down and dealing with it was aggravating.
In another circumstance, she might have been able to at least temporarily heap all the blame for that on Sousuke or the Satomis. However, there were a couple things wrong with that.
Eija's and her situation, the telepathic thing, was because of what she, Kaname, was. In fact, Eija had been in danger because of her.
The Gods and Demons both said that the personality mixing was even, but something in Kaname said that was only between two elements. No, the scariest part of the whole thing until Eija came back with goddess marks was the idea not that she was mixing with the other girl, but that she was slowly eating the other girl's mind.
Would it be the same with any telepath she connected with outside of Gods, Demons or other Whispered?
Was that what she was, some sort of psychic predator?
She had an image, for a brief moment, of someone out there with her abilities, hunting and "eating" the minds of other gifted people.
Is something wrong? Eija asked her.
No, no, Kaname said. Everything is fine. How's Sergeant Justice doing?
He seems to be talking with Shinji's father, Eija noted. Can you get me a soda.
Fruit punch flavored, right, Kaname asked.
Carefully she pushed those thoughts back down, afraid that Eija might hear her deeper worries.
"What am I going to do?" she wondered.
"Pardon?" Belldandy asked, as Kaname walked up to her. "Oh, Kaname, I'm sorry, were you and Eija-chan having a discussion?"
"Oh no, no," Kaname said. "I was just talking to myself."
"Oh, I see," Belldandy responded with a pleasant smile.
Kaname watched as the goddess politely waited in line and requested her food, paying and bowing before walking away. She was just about the perfect image of a woman.
Not at all what she'd expect from a goddess.
She'd expect regal declarations, demands of worship.
She didn't expect humility.
It was her turn then and she purchased both her and Eija's sodas and started back to the stands, and was surprised to see Belldandy waiting patiently for her.
"Might I speak to you for a moment?" Belldandy asked.
"Umm, sure," Kaname said. "Is this important?"
"It might be," Belldandy said, moving aside and sitting lightly on the cement foundation of the stands.
Cautiously, Kaname moved to sit by her.
"You have a difficult time ahead of you," Belldandy said.
"Yeah," Kaname said. "I know, the whole network, Whispered thing."
"No, I was not discussing that," Belldandy said. "I'm confident from what I've seen of you that you will do well with that. Though, unfortunately, I fear it will be dangerous, even arduous, but not difficult."
"Then what are you talking about?" Kaname asked.
Belldandy looked out past the pillars of the stands they were sitting under to where Sousuke was talking to the Narashino unit's CO, still wearing the ridiculous cardboard AS costume. A little closer, Eija was watching Sousuke until she turned for a moment to wave at Kaname.
"How is your relationship with Sousuke-kun and Eija-chan?" Belldandy asked.
"Relationship?" Kaname asked, blushing. "I...don't know...we're just sort of friends...I mean Sousuke's always causing trouble and doing weird things. And Eija's...kind of distant sometimes."
She flinched as she realized the other girl had "heard" that just now. The Satomi girl was a bit too polite to interrupt the conversation, but that didn't change the fact that Kaname felt a bit of Eija's discomfort.
"I mean Sousuke gave us first aid kits when we was in the hospital," Kaname said. "Eija thought that was okay, but who does that?"
"Tell me," Belldandy instructed. "What is the purpose of a first kit?"
"To take care of someone who gets hurt," Kaname said as if that were obvious.
"So, what thoughts would be behind giving such a gift to someone," Belldandy asked.
"The thoughts behind it?" Kaname said, thinking about it momentarily.
Umm, well... Eija started to say.
"And Eija does not need to give you help here I think," Belldandy noted as she looked over toward where the dark-haired girl was watching and shook her head.
"How did you know she was talking to me?" Kaname asked.
"I'm a goddess too," Belldandy reminded her. "I might not be able to listen in, but I can feel her. Now, think about it."
"Well, if you give someone a first aid kit," Kaname said. "You'd be...worried they were going to get hurt...and want to know they had something to take care of themselves?"
"Right," Belldandy said. "Sousuke and Eija live in a world where the ground can fall out from under you, literally. They haven't had the assurance of safety we have. Physical concerns are often more pressing than emotional ones, but the emotions are still there. Just expressed differently."
"I...never thought of it that way," Kaname said.
"And they likely have scars they haven't shown you yet," Belldandy noted. "Some they might not even be aware of. It will be difficult to understand and it will be difficult bear, but you will have to."
"You said we've grown up similarly, so how do you know this?" Kaname asked. "Keiichi doesn't strike me as the same as...that kind of person."
"No," Belldandy said. "But I've known many from the last war between Demons and Gods, some close...very close. Some that try a bit too hard to be 'normal'. You might wish to talk to Eija about whatever she overheard through your link."
"Right," Kaname said. "Probably be wanting her soda too."
Belldandy smiled as the teenager walked off and then started to move back toward the rest of her circle. She smiled as she saw Megumi and Chihiro checking over the AS as Keiichi described how it felt to pilot it. Off to the side, surprisingly, Urd had arrived and was watching the festivities.
"Oh, Urd," Belldandy said. "I thought you were staying home."
"Eh, I had nothing better to do," Urd said shrugging as Belldandy came up even with her. "And watching Skuld obsess over a machine is always entertaining."
With a quiet smile, Belldandy reached out to hug her older sister, surprising Urd tremendously.
"What's that for?" she asked, hesitantly.
"For being here," Belldandy said.
Her first impulse was to make a dash for the bottom of the stands and hurl her harisen with enough force to knock Sousuke silly for embarassing her.
The blue-haired Whispered had Eija to thank for stopping her and calming her down.
Right now, Sousuke was only embarassing himself and no one had yet any idea that she and Eija knew who he was.
Still, Kaname couldn't just stand around at the moment as Sousuke and that Sanzenin creep traded jibes and challenges.
Taking a deep breath she rolled her eyes and walked off towards the concession stand, trying to find something of a normal summer vacation. As she arrived, she noticed Belldandy also walking up to the stand.
Mercenaries, Arm Slaves, Martial Artists, Demons, Goddesses, Terrorists, Resonance, Ghosts.
Her life had recently turned upside down and dealing with it was aggravating.
In another circumstance, she might have been able to at least temporarily heap all the blame for that on Sousuke or the Satomis. However, there were a couple things wrong with that.
Eija's and her situation, the telepathic thing, was because of what she, Kaname, was. In fact, Eija had been in danger because of her.
The Gods and Demons both said that the personality mixing was even, but something in Kaname said that was only between two elements. No, the scariest part of the whole thing until Eija came back with goddess marks was the idea not that she was mixing with the other girl, but that she was slowly eating the other girl's mind.
Would it be the same with any telepath she connected with outside of Gods, Demons or other Whispered?
Was that what she was, some sort of psychic predator?
She had an image, for a brief moment, of someone out there with her abilities, hunting and "eating" the minds of other gifted people.
Is something wrong? Eija asked her.
No, no, Kaname said. Everything is fine. How's Sergeant Justice doing?
He seems to be talking with Shinji's father, Eija noted. Can you get me a soda.
Fruit punch flavored, right, Kaname asked.
Carefully she pushed those thoughts back down, afraid that Eija might hear her deeper worries.
"What am I going to do?" she wondered.
"Pardon?" Belldandy asked, as Kaname walked up to her. "Oh, Kaname, I'm sorry, were you and Eija-chan having a discussion?"
"Oh no, no," Kaname said. "I was just talking to myself."
"Oh, I see," Belldandy responded with a pleasant smile.
Kaname watched as the goddess politely waited in line and requested her food, paying and bowing before walking away. She was just about the perfect image of a woman.
Not at all what she'd expect from a goddess.
She'd expect regal declarations, demands of worship.
She didn't expect humility.
It was her turn then and she purchased both her and Eija's sodas and started back to the stands, and was surprised to see Belldandy waiting patiently for her.
"Might I speak to you for a moment?" Belldandy asked.
"Umm, sure," Kaname said. "Is this important?"
"It might be," Belldandy said, moving aside and sitting lightly on the cement foundation of the stands.
Cautiously, Kaname moved to sit by her.
"You have a difficult time ahead of you," Belldandy said.
"Yeah," Kaname said. "I know, the whole network, Whispered thing."
"No, I was not discussing that," Belldandy said. "I'm confident from what I've seen of you that you will do well with that. Though, unfortunately, I fear it will be dangerous, even arduous, but not difficult."
"Then what are you talking about?" Kaname asked.
Belldandy looked out past the pillars of the stands they were sitting under to where Sousuke was talking to the Narashino unit's CO, still wearing the ridiculous cardboard AS costume. A little closer, Eija was watching Sousuke until she turned for a moment to wave at Kaname.
"How is your relationship with Sousuke-kun and Eija-chan?" Belldandy asked.
"Relationship?" Kaname asked, blushing. "I...don't know...we're just sort of friends...I mean Sousuke's always causing trouble and doing weird things. And Eija's...kind of distant sometimes."
She flinched as she realized the other girl had "heard" that just now. The Satomi girl was a bit too polite to interrupt the conversation, but that didn't change the fact that Kaname felt a bit of Eija's discomfort.
"I mean Sousuke gave us first aid kits when we was in the hospital," Kaname said. "Eija thought that was okay, but who does that?"
"Tell me," Belldandy instructed. "What is the purpose of a first kit?"
"To take care of someone who gets hurt," Kaname said as if that were obvious.
"So, what thoughts would be behind giving such a gift to someone," Belldandy asked.
"The thoughts behind it?" Kaname said, thinking about it momentarily.
Umm, well... Eija started to say.
"And Eija does not need to give you help here I think," Belldandy noted as she looked over toward where the dark-haired girl was watching and shook her head.
"How did you know she was talking to me?" Kaname asked.
"I'm a goddess too," Belldandy reminded her. "I might not be able to listen in, but I can feel her. Now, think about it."
"Well, if you give someone a first aid kit," Kaname said. "You'd be...worried they were going to get hurt...and want to know they had something to take care of themselves?"
"Right," Belldandy said. "Sousuke and Eija live in a world where the ground can fall out from under you, literally. They haven't had the assurance of safety we have. Physical concerns are often more pressing than emotional ones, but the emotions are still there. Just expressed differently."
"I...never thought of it that way," Kaname said.
"And they likely have scars they haven't shown you yet," Belldandy noted. "Some they might not even be aware of. It will be difficult to understand and it will be difficult bear, but you will have to."
"You said we've grown up similarly, so how do you know this?" Kaname asked. "Keiichi doesn't strike me as the same as...that kind of person."
"No," Belldandy said. "But I've known many from the last war between Demons and Gods, some close...very close. Some that try a bit too hard to be 'normal'. You might wish to talk to Eija about whatever she overheard through your link."
"Right," Kaname said. "Probably be wanting her soda too."
Belldandy smiled as the teenager walked off and then started to move back toward the rest of her circle. She smiled as she saw Megumi and Chihiro checking over the AS as Keiichi described how it felt to pilot it. Off to the side, surprisingly, Urd had arrived and was watching the festivities.
"Oh, Urd," Belldandy said. "I thought you were staying home."
"Eh, I had nothing better to do," Urd said shrugging as Belldandy came up even with her. "And watching Skuld obsess over a machine is always entertaining."
With a quiet smile, Belldandy reached out to hug her older sister, surprising Urd tremendously.
"What's that for?" she asked, hesitantly.
"For being here," Belldandy said.