V.01

Ascension
By Kevin D. Hammel

A story which Could occur sometime before
"It's a Wonderful EVA" By James Lee

Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi. Publishing Rights are held 
by Viz in The US and Shogakukan in Japan. Neon Genesis Evangelion is 
property of Hideaki Anno. Video rights held by GAINAX in Japan and ADV 
Films in the US. My purpose is to honor these creators and their 
works. No infringement intended.

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Ranma slowly regained consciousness. His life had finally come 
together. Akane and he had gotten hitched, and were on their honeymoon 
when they saw the orange streak race across the sky, followed by the 
flash. The last thing Ranma remembered was the water pipes bursting in 
their rented condo before...darkness.

Ranma struggled to his feet, and realized 'he' no longer applied. She 
was in a featureless room, furnished only with a bed. There were no 
doors. A middle-aged woman appeared in the room, holding a clipboard. 
"Let me see...Saotome Ranma?"

"Yes"

"Because of you strong, good heart and noble spirit, you have been 
selected to serve Kamisama as a goddess."

"But I'm a..." She stopped. She WASN'T a guy, not anymore.

"A few things will need to change," the woman said as she pointed a 
finger at Ranma, then handed her a mirror. Her waterlogged clothes had 
become a combination dress-gi, and a ying-yang symbol now adorned her 
forehead. Longer hair completed her new look. "You'll also need a new 
name, how does 'Ranko' sound?"

"Fine, I guess." Ranko thought about the day she and Akane had spent 
as husband and wife. It did nothing to improve her spirits.

"Don't look so down. We like our goddesses to staff their offices as a 
pair, and we've selected a teammate for you, Ranko."

"Great, just great."

"Don't worry, a few days and all these mortal cares will pass. Do you 
want to meet your new teammate?"

"Yeah," Ranko replied, trying to muster a little enthusiasm. She 
noticed that she did have SOME enthusiasm. She wondered how long she 
would even remember Akane...

Forever, but she might not matter to her in a few years nearly as much 
as she did right now.

"We wanted to pair you with another martial artist, because we thought 
your souls would be more compatible. I think we have made a excellent 
choice."

Darkness, then light as they appeared in another featureless room to 
meet her teammate. The other neo-goddess' head was bowed, but Ranko 
noted that she ha d long black hair, almost like...

She spoke..."Hello, I'm Akane, do you think we can be..." She raised 
her head, which was adorned with a disk like Ranko's, displaying a 
hammer. Her voice was stilled when she saw who her partner would be.

Ranko finished her sentence "friends?"

(END)