sysop@newberry.edu

==>*Warning!*<==

     This story deals with many adult, emotional, and sexual
situations.  If you are of legal age to be reading this, and
any  of  the aforementioned situations cause extreme  mental
discomfort, do not read any further (and see a shrink!   Sex
isn't  evil.  Bad people make sex seem evil.  Okay,  lecture
mode  off...).  If you are NOT of age and are reading  this,
SHAME  ON YOU!  ^_^   If you continue reading, you do so  at
your own risk.
     Please remember the following:  While the characters in
this  story  engage in unsafe sex, that doesn't give  you  a
license  (or  excuse) to do the same.  Condom axiom:  Always
put one on before putting it in!


        "Urusei Yatsura : The Prince and the Lecher"
                          Part Four


      Mendou  returned to the social long enough to pick  up
Shinobu and fill her in on what had happened.
     "I don't know Shutaro-kun.  Ataru's enough of a baka to
think of crashing a party like this.  But if he's in an  Oni
ship, he'd need Lum's consent, wouldn't he?" she said.
      "Perhaps you are correct.  In any event, we need to be
there  when  the  ship..." Mendou  began.   His  words  were
drowned  out  by  a  mechanical roar that  shook  the  whole
building.   An  instant later, the roof of the banquet  hall
began to creak.  "Evacuate the building!" Mendou shouted  to
one   of  his  guards,  and  instantly  the  building  began
disgorging harried party-goers.  Satisfied that everyone was
going  to get out safely, Mendou located Shinobu with  Oyuki
and  Megane in the crowd and, hand in hand, each couple made
for the nearby landing field.
      Moments  later the four arrived on site to  see  armed
guards holding back some angry party-goers from Ataru and  a
hulking  man in a tiger-striped suit.  Many of those  people
were  hurling  epithets  at  Ataru,  blaming  him  for   the
interruption of their enjoyment.
      "Whoa!   I  didn't crash this party without a  reason.
Besides, I'm the life of most parties!  You should  be  glad
I'm here!" he shouted back.
      A  hastily  improvised lynch-mob of angry  guests  and
armed  security  guards approached him menacingly.   Ataru's
hands  went up defensively.  He back-pedaled from the  crowd
until his back was against one of the landing struts of  the
spaceship.  Ataru screamed back. "HEY!!  THIS IS IMPORTANT!"
      "GET TO THE POINT!!!!!!!!!!!" the angry crowd bellowed
in his direction.
     Unable to speak after that last verbal onslaught, Ataru
collapsed  to the ground.  The King, who had been silent  up
to  this point, addressed the crowd.  "I apologize for  this
interruption, and the damage to the building, but I  require
your assistance.  You see, my daughter Lum is missing."

                             ****

      Minutes later in the observation deck, Mendou  was  on
the  phone talking to one of his remote agents.  A concerned
look made itself plain on his face as his phone conversation
concluded with, "...nothing?  Then keep searching  and  call
back  later  with a progress report."  As  he  hung  up  the
phone,  he  sighed and put his hands on Shinobu's shoulders.
She'd  stayed with him once word of Lum's disappearance  was
known, lending support to the search, and to him personally.
He  bent down and kissed her on the lips.  "You didn't  have
to get involved, Shinobu.  I appreciate your assistance, and
your presence."
      "I  may have had my problems with Ataru and Lum in the
past,  but  I  am capable of shelving my anger in  times  of
crisis, Shutaro-kun." she replied, putting her hands on  his
as  she  turned  back to the unnecessarily large  operations
console of Mendou's command center.
      A  moment  later  an attendant approached  Mendou  and
bowed.
     "Yes, what is it Reeves?" Mendou responded.
     "I have the final damage report for you, sir."
      Shutaro  guessed as much, and rubbing  Shinobu's  arms
delicately, asked Reeves to read it out.
     "Yessir.  The shockwave generated by the landing of the
Oni  shuttlecraft  was the only source  of  damage.   10,000
windows  were shattered.  The roof of the banquet  hall  was
slightly  damaged, but the structure is still  sound  enough
for   occupancy.   Three  guests  were  injured,   but   not
seriously.   We were able to ascertain their identities  for
insurance purposes."
     "Is there anything else?" he managed to say at length.
     "Just that Mr. Moroboshi has regained consciousness."
      "Very  well, Reeves.  Please keep me informed  of  any
further   developments  in  the  compound.   I'll  be   here
continuing the search for Lum.  Also, get a crew in here  to
move ops from here to the banquet hall.  We'll need the room
for Lum's father and his equipment."
     "Yessir," Reeves responded before departing.

                             ****

      Ataru  had  recovered  from the audio  shockwave  that
rendered  him unconscious, and was now sitting  in  a  chair
feeling  dejected.  The source of his dejection was  all  of
the  unknowns concerning Lum's disappearance.   Her  absence
stabbed at his heart, and THAT was something that he  wasn't
expecting to feel.  Where was she?  Was she okay?   Why  was
he  worried  about  her  in the first  place?   Right  after
awakening,  Ataru  was  told  that  the  King's  forces  had
dispatched a ship to Graven's home-world, but they  reported
back  that no-one other than the civilian populace was found
there.
      He  shot a despondent glance over to the King, who was
in the process of coordinating Oni intelligence with the far
flung  resources of Mendou's defense force.   Ataru  shifted
his  gaze over to Mendou, and saw him talking on the  phone.
What  happened  next curled his toes and set  his  brain  on
fire.  `THAT BASTARD JUST KISSED SHINOBU!'
      Ataru bolted up from his chair, ready to strangle  the
life out of Mendou when a voice spoke inside his head.  `Who
do  *you*  love,  Ataru?'  Cherry's  question  from  earlier
repeated  itself in his head, cutting through  most  of  his
anger.  He sat back down and sighed to himself, still unable
to  answer that question.  No-one had apparently noticed his
angry response to the kiss shared by Mendou and Shinobu, and
for that he was grateful.
      He  was  brooding over the general status of his  life
when he received the next shock of the night.  He saw Megane
holding  hands  with  and  trying to  comfort  an  obviously
worried  girl.   He  recognized her, but  couldn't  remember
where he met her.  Then he realized with a start that Megane
was  with  Lum's  kawaii babe of a friend  from  Uranus,  or
something.  `Whoa, if Megane can net a babe like what's-her-
face  there, then I should be able to get any girl  I  want!
Wonder  why  my  life  isn't turning  out  as  logically  as
that...'  he mused to himself.  He was brought  out  of  his
deep concentration when he heard someone call his name.   He
looked  in  the direction of the voice and saw Lum's  father
gesturing  him  over.  Ataru rose and jogged  over  to  him.
"Yes, what is it Father-in-law?" he asked as he arrived next
to the King.
      "It  looks  grim,  son-in-law.  Our forces  have  been
spread thin hunting across all of known Oni-settled space to
no  avail.   We're  also  hunting across  the  rim  of  Oni-
territory,  but  that will take weeks to accomplish.   How's
Mendou doing on his end?"
      Ataru shot a sour look Mendou's way before responding.
"I  guess  that he's got things well in hand.   Although  it
doesn't look like he's come up with any answers either."
      "Tell  Mendou  to employ outside forces if  necessary.
She  may still be on this planet," the King commanded.   But
before Ataru could run off, the King stopped him.  "Hey, son-
in-law, have faith!  We'll find Lum.  I know you miss her as
much as I do."
      Those words tore through Ataru's mind as soon as  they
were spoken, slashing at the fog that had been clouding  his
judgment for so long.  Thoughts in his mind seemed to  clear
a  little bit, as he continued to sort things out.  He  knew
he  had  to  rescue Lum, but his reasons for doing  so  were
still  elusive.   He  shrugged his  shoulders  slightly  and
forced  the argument from his mind as he padded on  over  to
Mendou's location.
      Ataru looked to Mendou and spoke, "Lum's dad thinks we
should call in supplemental forces."
      "Has  he  no  faith in my resources?" Mendou  retorted
hotly.
      Shinobu  responded before Ataru did.  "Shutaro-kun,  I
don't  think  that  his  highness meant  anything  by  those
remarks.  Remember, his daughter is the one that's missing."
      "As  usual, you are right Shinobu-chan," he responded.
He  took  her  hands in his as he turned to  address  Ataru.
Unseen by either, Ataru winced when the handhold took place.
"Ataru,  please  inform Lum's father that I  will  exert  my
forces  to their fullest ability.  We'll find her for  him,"
he said, trying to sound confident.
      Ataru  nodded, saying nothing, and stormed off in  the
King's direction.
     "Geez, he's taking this harder than I thought," Shinobu
said.   Mendou didn't respond immediately, but instead stood
behind  her  and wrapped his arms around her in an  embrace.
At  length, he responded, "Yeah, but what's he finding  hard
to take?  Lum's disappearance, or my love for you Shinobu?"
      "Good  question, Shutaro-kun," she replied,  wondering
which one it was.

                             ****

      Megane was in a difficult position.  He still felt his
calling  as a Stormtrooper, but he damn well wasn't  walking
away  from Oyuki.  The poor girl was on the verge of  tears,
and  it  was all he could do to keep himself from smothering
her  with his attention.  He was about to go out of his mind
so  he decided to comfort both himself and her by talking to
her.   "Oyuki-chan, I'm sure it's going to be okay.   Mendou
and Lum's father are working on the situation..."
     "I fear that is not so, Megane-kun.  If Lum's father is
asking  for assistance, something could be terribly  wrong."
She  clenched tightly to Megane's arm, drawing comfort  from
his presence.
      Megane kissed Oyuki on the head, and held her  in  his
arms.   She  sobbed  slightly as  she  ran  through  several
possible  outcomes for Lum, none of them  pleasant.   Megane
nodded his head down and grazed her ear with his lips.  In a
low  voice he said, "Maybe we should talk with him.  If  you
pooled resources, you may be able to help him locate her."
      Oyuki  looked up at him.  Her eyes were red and rimmed
with  tears over her concern for Lum's safety.  Megane wiped
a  stray  tear from her cheek, letting his hand hover  under
her  chin.  She smiled, thinking Megane's suggestion a  good
idea.   She  told  him  so,  and suggested  that  they  walk
together  and  speak  with His Majesty.   Megane  stood  and
helped  Oyuki  to her feet.  Once standing, he  put  an  arm
around her protectively, telling her that he'd be there  for
her if she needed anything.
      They  walked  quickly to the King's  location  in  the
ballroom.   Oyuki struck a regal pose, but worry  was  still
evident in her eyes.  She addressed him, "Good evening, Your
Majesty.  How goes the search?"
      "Princess  Oyuki!   What are you  doing  here?   Well,
regardless  of  why, it is comforting to  see  a  friend  of
Lum's!" he said, putting a hand the size of a basting turkey
on  her  delicate shoulder.  "Hey, that guy isn't  bothering
you, is he?" he said, eyeing Megane suspiciously.
     Oyuki was quick to posture herself between the King and
Megane.   "No,  Your Majesty.  Megane-kun is with  me.   You
see,  he's my ...," she said, struggling for the proper  way
to  say it.  " ...my ... my fiancee," she said finally, sure
with herself of what she was saying.
     "Well, remind me to congratulate you properly once this
is all over," the King replied, bending back to his console.
      "What  do  you know so far, sir?" Megane  asked  after
getting over Oyuki's roundabout marriage proposal.
     "I guess no harm will be done if I tell you.  Ataru and
I  believe that she's been abducted by a group of men  known
as  `ShadowKnights.' "  Megane caught the  sharp  gasp  from
Oyuki  at the mention of ShadowKnights, and knew right  away
that Lum was in deep trouble.
     "What's a ShadowKnight?" Megane asked, wondering why it
evoked such a reaction from Oyuki.
      The King looked stonily at the console, his effort  to
keep  his anger in check being quite visible, before turning
to face him.  "It's a very bad thing, Megane.  And it has my
daughter."

                             ****

      "Geez!   `Shutaro-kun!'  `Shinobu-chan!'   Sickening!"
Ataru  said  to himself in mocking tones as he  walked  away
from  Mendou's position.  `I guess the old monk  was  right.
Hard  to  believe  that  some  of  that  imbecile's  chatter
actually  made sense.  I suppose Shinobu never really  loved
me,' he thought as he approached Lum's father.  Sparing only
a  curt  nod  and  hello for Megane and  Oyuki,  he  relayed
Mendou's  words to the King.  Hearing nothing new concerning
Lum's  predicament, he took his seat in a neutral corner  of
the ballroom and resumed sulking.
       One   part   of  him  was  growing  to   accept   the
responsibility  that he had for Lum's safety and  happiness.
Another part of him raged against that, decrying that he was
still  young and had many a woman to pleasure.  He shouldn't
even consider `settling down' with one woman.  However, that
rage  was  losing its potency as Ataru considered  the  fact
that  he  may  never  see  Lum again.   Still  dejected  and
confused,  he shrugged his shoulders and sank lower  in  his
chair.   Seeing Ataru's discomfiture, Mendou came up to  him
and   said,  "I  need  to  speak  with  you  for  a  moment,
Moroboshi."
      Dragging another chair to where it faced Ataru, Mendou
sat down.  Several minutes of uncomfortable silence lingered
between  the  two friends before Mendou took the initiative.
"Ataru, I want you to know that I no longer intend to pursue
Lum."  He paused for a second, trying to decide the best way
to phrase what he had to say next.  In light of Ataru's dark
mood,  he chose bluntness.  "I also want you to know that  I
intend  to  date Shinobu.  I may even ask her to marry  me."
He looked hard at Ataru for a response, and got one.
      Ataru clenched his fists, trying to suppress his rage.
He  looked up at Mendou and said, "I guess this was bound to
happen,  Mendou."  Sighing in resignation, he  released  his
anger  and dropped his hands to his lap.  "You know, I  took
it  for  granted when Shinobu proposed to me that  day.   In
fact,  I always assumed that she'd be waiting for me, loving
me  unconditionally.  I never even considered the fact  that
she'd  tire of me and move on.  Now I've lost my only chance
with her."
     "Ataru, you may have lost your chance with Shinobu, but
you  still  have a chance at a life with Lum.  If  I  didn't
love  Shinobu as much as I do, I'd still be horribly envious
of your position."
      "Mendou,  I  don't know that I'd be all that  envious.
She still has a lot to learn about humans in general, and me
in  particular.  If Lum and I were to actually behave  as  a
couple,  she'd have to actually sit down and LISTEN  to  me,
not dictate and shock and meddle and..."
      Mendou's face turned cold, and a sneer crawled  across
his  mouth.  With as much venom as he could muster he  said,
"Will  you  listen  to yourself?  You self-pitying  bastard!
She's  missing,  and all you can do is mope about,  worrying
over things that are easily solved..."
      "EASILY  SOLVED?!" Ataru yelled back.   Several  heads
turned at the outburst, but Ataru didn't give a damn at that
point.
      "Yes,  `easily solved.'  Have you ever  sat  down  and
talked  with, not *at*, Lum?  I doubt it!  Also,  I've  seen
times where you patently ignored Lum when she was trying  to
be  kind  to you.  In fact I've never seen you two  actually
discuss  something together.  Do you realize how many  times
you've made her cry because of your selfish attitude?"
      "Cry?  Me make her cry?"  Ataru asked befuddled.  He'd
never considered that.
     "More times than I dare recount, you insensitive dolt!"
Mendou  shot back, resisting the urge to punch  him  in  the
mouth.   His look softened a little.  "Ataru, I'm not  going
to  hold you at swordpoint and force you to admit your  love
for  Lum,  but  I think it high time that you thought  about
someone other than yourself."  He stood to leave.
     "Mendou. . . umm. . . thanks."
      "I'll  accept  your thanks on the condition  that  you
really try to talk with her."
     "I will.  Oh, and Mendou?"
     "Yes Ataru?"
      "Please take good care of Shinobu.  I may no longer be
her fiancee', but I still love her."
      Holding his hand up, Mendou solemnly said, "I  promise
to  take  care of her and love her unconditionally; now  and
always."
      Ataru's mouth tugged at what could have been  a  smile
when a shout jerked both men's heads around.
     "Sir!  Sir!" one of Mendou's soldiers bellowed.  "We've
got something unusual coming in!"
      Mendou  ran to the console.  "What, from  one  of  our
discovery outposts?" he asked in a winded voice.
       "No-sir,  it's  coming  from  a  standard  television
signal."
      "T.V.?!  Broadcast it on all monitors immediately!" he
yelled  as  he  focused his attention  on  the  fuzzy  image
beginning to build on the big screen.
      All heads turned to any of the available monitors as a
scene slowly developed on the screens.

                             ****

      An unknown's face and body appeared before them on the
screens.  He was very well built, and spoke with an  ominous
tone.
      "Allow  me  to  introduce myself.  I am  Prince  Aylan
Graven, Supreme Ruler of the planet Casivet!  Many out there
will  not care who I am or where I'm from.  Frankly, I don't
give a damn.  I'm sure, however, that there is at least  one
person  glued  to  his seat right now.   You  are  watching,
aren't you `your highness?' "  He mocked, cackling lightly.
     The camera pulled back to show Graven surrounded by six
ShadowKnights.   He  made a flourish with  his  cape  as  he
advanced  towards  the camera.  As he moved,  the  group  of
ShadowKnights marched behind him in locked step.   He  spoke
again, not missing a beat.
      "Long  ago,  the  Oni King took  it  upon  himself  to
disgrace  me  in front of my men and the nation  I  defended
with  pride.  I have never gotten over the pain of that day.
And as I promised then, I swore I'd have my revenge.  Now  I
get  my  chance to inflict as much, or more,  pain  on  `his
highness' as he did to me all those years ago..."
      Ataru  glanced  over and noticed  that  the  King  was
absolutely  livid  at  this point.  His  massive  arms  were
trembling.  He was barely able to contain the anger that was
coursing through him, as he kept his attention locked on the
smirking  Prince.   Unnerved,  Ataru  quickly  returned  his
attention to the screen.
      "... fully intend to ruin the good nature of these two
girls!  If you doubt our intent, here's a sample," he  said,
pointing the camera to a scene at his left.
     The camera panned over to Lum and the biker girl.  Both
were  shackled to a wall facing each other.  Lum was in  her
bikini  except for the bottom which had been pulled down  to
her  knees.   The biker girl was in the same position,  with
her pants completely removed.
     "Lum!  My daughter!  NOOO!  I'll kill you, you son of a
bitch!"  the King yelled.  He was a whirlwind of  fists  and
arms as he disintegrated the monitor he was facing.
     "NO!" Shinobu and Mendou yelled simultaneously, shocked
at  what  was  on the screen.  As if it were possible,  they
managed to embrace even closer.
     Megane, for once, was at a complete loss for words.  He
just  sat there with a stony expression on his face.  Oyuki,
on  the  other hand, shouted Lum's name.  She began  sobbing
heavily, and clung onto Megane as tightly as possible.   She
buried  her head in his jacket, unable to watch any further.
Megane's  hands flew to her head and shoulders, holding  her
to him.
      "Mother of God!" was all Ataru could respond with,  as
his mouth hung open in obvious worry for Lum.
      The  Prince  reappeared in front of  the  camera.   He
chuckled again as he indicated the two girls.  "I bet you're
upset,  aren't you `your highness?'"  He walked towards  the
girls,  talking all the while.  "I told you that if the  Oni
government didn't apologize to me and make good on requested
reparations,  my revenge would be swift and  complete.   You
chose  to  ignore  me.  Now you'll know the  price  of  your
obstinance.   Within 3 hours of this original  broadcast  my
men  and  I  will have had our way with both of  these  fine
young girls..."
      "I'll  kill  you  myself if you even  TOUCH  Lum,  you
shithead!"  Ataru  yelled at the screen,  completely  beyond
control.
      "...I will to make good on my promise.  In another two
hours, if you have not met my demands they will be killed in
a  most hideous fashion.  Until then, we will make good  use
of  their  bodies.  You do understand me,  I  trust?   You'd
better,  if  you want these girls intact 'your highness.'  "
He adopted a game-show host pose, and oiled his voice.  "And
now on to the show!"
      He  flipped  a coin and caught it in his hand.   After
looking  at  it, he walked over to the biker girl  from  the
kidnapping,  clearly identified now as Benten,  and  laughed
loudly.  He then spoke in a purely evil voice.  "Benten  you
lucky girl, you're first!"
      Lum  and Benten looked absolutely terrified as  Graven
came  closer.  Each tried to move away, but found that their
restraints hindered their movements.  He flexed his fingers,
reached over, and fondled Benten's breasts through her  top.
The girls struggled uselessly at their restraints, trying to
get  away from the caped madman.  Suddenly the camera wasn't
able  to  see  them any longer, as it closed in on  Graven's
face again.
      "Remember!   In less than 5 hours Benten and  the  Oni
Princess  will  die  by  my hands!  You  have  been  sent  a
complete list of our demands, along with instructions on how
to deliver on them.  I STRONGLY suggest that you comply with
my  demands  since you will never get to me  in  time!!"  he
said,  sliding into megalomania with an echoing  laugh.   He
jumped  back  from the camera with a sadistic  grin  on  his
face.   He then got on his knees in front of Benten's crotch
before  the  camera panned towards the captive Oni-Princess.
Lum,  unable to watch what was going on, shut her  eyes  and
screamed, "DARLING!  SAVE ME PLEASE!!!"  Benten screamed  in
apparent  agony,  and  at that moment  the  camera's  signal
abruptly stopped.

                             ****

      Utter silence reigned in the building.  What had  only
an  hour  ago  housed a happy group of party-goers  was  now
providing   shelter   to  a  gathering   of   very   stunned
individuals.  The proverbial pin drop would have been  quite
deafening.   Silence  reigned  for  a  few  moments,   until
suddenly a sound toppled it from its throne.
     A feral growl, barely audible at first, grew in volume.
Heads  turned as people tried to identify the source of  the
ominous  growling.  Eyes opened wide in shock  once  it  was
determined  that  Ataru was the cause of the  unholy  noise.
With  an angry look that could've ripped a 15 mile wide hole
through  the planet, he glared at the still image of  Graven
which  was  in  place on all of the monitors.   Suddenly  he
leapt at the nearest monitor, screaming like a wild man.  He
tore the monitor apart, yelling incoherently.  His eyes were
ablaze  with rage.  Some brave souls attempted to  calm  the
enraged  Moroboshi, but were gifted with unconsciousness  as
he  absent-mindedly beat the hell out of whoever came  close
to him.
      "THAT  SON OF A BITCH!  I'LL KICK HIS GODDAMN HEAD  IN
AND  SHOVE HIS BRAINS IN A USED MILK CARTON!  I'LL  RIP  HIS
ARMS  OFF,  SHOVE THEM UP HIS ASS, AND SPACE  HIS  WORTHLESS
FUCKING CARCASS!"  Ataru turned to an intact screen sporting
Graven's  face in freeze frame and addressed it, "YOU  PIECE
OF  SHIT!   YOU PUSHED TOO HARD, COCKSUCKER, AND NOW  YOU'LL
LEARN  JUST HOW WRONG YOUR MAMA WAS TO LET YOU LIVE!"  Ataru
yelled, louder than anyone had ever thought he could.
      The  King, understanding Ataru's rage, but restraining
himself  from joining in, made a move to subdue his  son-in-
law.   "HOW *DARE* YOU THINK THAT YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH DOING
THAT TO MY LUM?  FIVE HOURS MY ASS!  YOU WON'T LIVE TO BE AN
HOUR OLDER!  I..." Ataru stopped as the King grabbed him and
held him fast to his chest.
     "LET ME GO!  HE DESERVES TO DIE!" Ataru yelled, scaring
everyone by bodily moving the King with his thrashing.
     "SON-IN-LAW!  STOP THIS!" the King yelled.  Not wanting
to  do  this, he raised one of his mighty hands and  knocked
Ataru against the head, hard.  He went down, but didn't pass
out,  although he seemed to snap out of his rage.  The  King
released him and rubbed his own arms, knowing that Ataru put
some pretty nasty bruises on him from his struggling.
      "Shit!"  screamed  Ataru as he embedded  his  foot  in
another screen.  He then sat down in a nearby chair and  did
something novel.  He cried like a lost soul.

                             ****

       Oyuki   cried   inconsolably  for  several   minutes,
overwhelmed  by  the  sheer madness  of  the  situation  her
friends faced.  She took comfort in the fact that Megane had
stayed  with  her  throughout all of  this.   Her  mind  was
scrambling  to bring some sort of rationality to  this,  but
could see no rational reason why this happened.
      She knew that she had to do something to save Lum  and
Benten.   She  channeled  her  worry  into  thinking   about
possible  solutions, and then hit on a notion that she  felt
would help.  "Megane-kun, I may have an idea on how to  help
Lum, but it will require me to return to Neptune.  I need to
speak  to  the King," she exclaimed, jumping out of Megane's
lap.   Oyuki trotted over to where the King was, Megane  hot
on her heels.
      She  stopped  short of approaching the King.   He  was
standing   next   to   Ataru,   trying   to   console   him.
Unfortunately he wasn't doing so well because Ataru's crying
was  getting infectious, and the King was starting  to  join
in.  Oyuki cleared her throat, getting the King's attention.
      "Your  Majesty, I believe I have a plan to help rescue
Lum.  However for it to work will require the cooperation of
everyone in this room."
       The   King  immediately  wiped  his  eyes  and  stood
straighter and looked at Oyuki.  He walked back over to  his
console,  leaving Ataru alone for the moment,  and  motioned
for  Oyuki and Megane to follow.  Hope evident in his  eyes,
the King beckoned her to continue.
     "Our planet uses a form of dimensional gating to travel
between  worlds.  In fact that's how I got to  Earth  today.
If  you  could  pinpoint the location of their  hideout,  my
scientists might be able to establish a gate to that  world.
We  could pool our forces, and send them through the gateway
to  neutralize  Graven and rescue Lum and Benten."   Oyuki's
confidence  was building as she spoke.  Megane's hands  were
on her shoulders, offering her unspoken support.
      "Yes!   A very good idea..." The King said, but  Oyuki
held a hand up.
      "I  cannot guarantee that it will work.  If the planet
is  far  from Neptune, it could take awhile for the gate  to
form.   If it is too far away, then we would not be able  to
create  a gate at all.  A contingency plan will have  to  be
enacted in case the gate is unusable."
      The  King  thought it over for a bit, and  said,  "Our
personnel here will figure out a contingency plan.   But  in
the  meantime, I have a small force that acts as my personal
guard.   I will instruct them to leave Earth orbit and  head
for  your  palace on Neptune.  Will you be going with  them,
Princess Oyuki?"
      "No,  I  will  return to the palace  via  my  personal
gateway  at Megane's home.  I'll contact you upon my arrival
for a status update.  Chin up, Your Majesty.  We're going to
get   them   back,  safely."   Oyuki's  face  was   one   of
determination.  A workable plan had been set  up,  and  that
was giving her hope.  She had every intention of succeeding.
      The  King bent down to his console, sending orders  to
his  ship.  As he did so, Oyuki and Megane got their  coats,
and  left the compound.  They ran hand-in-hand back  to  his
place,  not saying anything.  Once there, Megane guided  her
into his room.
     "Well, this has been a hectic night, Oyuki-chan."
      "Indeed  it  has.  What's that saying?  `The  best  of
times;  the worst of times...' "  She reached a hand  up  to
his face, caressing it gently.  Megane captured her hand  in
both of his and kissed it.
      "Oyuki-chan, what you said earlier, to the King..." he
shuffled his feet, having a hard time articulating  what  he
wanted to say.  "You know, about... erm... us?"
     "Yes, Megane-kun?"
     "Did you mean it?"
      Oyuki  smiled  broadly, and closed her  captured  hand
around Megane's.  "Yes I did, Megane-kun."
      Megane  smiled  back at her.  `Wow, just  yesterday  I
would  have never even thought I'd see a woman as  beautiful
as  this.  What a difference a day makes.'  His look  became
one  of concern.  "Oyuki-chan, what are you going to do once
you get back to Neptune?"
      "Well, I'm going to try to coordinate Oni forces  with
mine, and help establish the gate.  I'll probably be a  part
of the strike force."
      Some of the color drained from Megane's face.  He  had
just  met her, and now she was going to face danger to  save
her  friends.   He worried that he might not  ever  see  her
again.   She  disengaged  their hands  and  headed  for  the
closet, not bothering to change her clothes.  Megane reached
a  hand out in her direction and shouted, "Oyuki-chan!"  She
stopped  and  turned  to face him.  He walked  to  her,  and
looked  at  her face-to-face.  He swallowed hard, and  said,
"Oyuki-chan, I... I do."
      Oyuki digested that for a second, missing the context.
"Do what?" she finally said, a curious look on her face.
      "Oyuki-chan, I accept your marriage proposal.  I  want
to be your husband!" Megane fairly shouted.  In spite of the
situation,  Oyuki's face broke into a wide  smile,  and  she
glowed with happiness.  She squealed and leapt into Megane's
arms.  Megane kissed her, wanting to convey as much love and
support  to her as he could.  "But you've got to promise  me
that you'll take care of yourself."
     "I will, Megane-kun.  Royals don't often get the chance
to choose who they are going to be with.  I was lucky enough
to  find you, and I have no intention of losing you either,"
she  said.   She kissed him on the lips one last time,  then
leapt through the portal which closed behind her.  The  cool
breeze ceased, leaving Megane alone in his room.
      Megane sat on his bed for a moment, unsure of what  to
do.   He wanted to participate, if for no other reason  than
to  insure Oyuki's safety.  He finally decided to return  to
Mendou's  and offer his support to whatever the  contingency
plan  was.  He leapt up from his bed, and bolted out of  the
house running for Mendou's compound like a scalded dog.

                             ****

     Mendou held himself back in the wake of Ataru's mother-
of-all-tantrums.   He  sat still with  Shinobu  for  several
minutes  until  he  felt  he  was  calm  enough  to   speak.
Struggling to prioritize, he licked his lips, and turned  to
an  operator  at  the  main console.  "Poll  all  monitoring
stations, and get me a fix on the source of that signal."
      The slack-jawed attendant snapped out of his shock  at
Mendou's  words  and  bent to his task.   Several  agonizing
minutes  of  silence  passed before he received  an  answer.
"Sir,   all  sites  reporting.   A  station  was   able   to
triangulate    the    signal   from    Earth    coordinates.
Investigation shows that the source was a tower in  Hokkaido
that  was  re-broadcasting a tightbeam signal over  standard
television frequencies.  We can safely say that the original
signal did NOT come from this planet.  We have not been able
to  trace the origin of the tightbeam signal, although it IS
continuing to transmit to the tower."
     "Your highness, can you track it?" Mendou asked.
      "Already on it!  ... GOT IT!  He's on... Mylex  Prime.
Ugh,  why did he have to choose such a scuzzy place to  hide
out?"   He turned back to one of his techs, and asked,  "How
old is that transmission?"
     "Sir, given the distance between Earth and Mylex Prime,
I would have to say ninety-four minutes old."
      "WHAT?   How  long would it take to get a strike  team
there at max. speed?"
      "Launching  from  the home-world, Oni  special  forces
would take approx. three-and-a-half hours to get there,  and
that's pushing it."
     "Is there nothing closer to Mylex Prime than the forces
on home-world?"
     "No sir, home-world base is the closest."
     "Dammit!  Commit the force, and tell them what's riding
on  this.   We can only hope that they can get there  before
it's  too late!" the King said, resigned to having to  wait.
"Notify me the moment Princess Oyuki contacts us!"
      Ataru stepped up to the King, with a possessed look in
his  eyes.  "Sir, she's my fiancee' and I'd like to  go  get
her."   He  looked  up to his father-in-law  and  continued,
"Please?"
      The  King  looked at his son-in-law with  a  new-found
respect.  Without saying anything to Ataru, he bent down  to
his console and spoke into it.  "Inform the quartermaster to
stand by for orders."  He looked up to Ataru and said, "What
do you need?"
     "I need the fastest ship you have on hand."
      "That  would  be the Black Widow," the  King  replied.
"It's an experimental stealth craft and fast as hell, but it
only  holds 6 people.  You could get to Mylex Prime with  it
well  under  the deadline, but you can't carry a big  enough
crew  in  it  to mount a sufficient offensive  against  what
Graven's capable of throwing at you."
      "Hell,  it'll  carry me and right now that's  all  I'm
looking for!  Get it prepped!" Ataru barked.
      The King decided not to argue.  "The ship will take 15
minutes to get here.  Right now my flagship is preparing  to
leave for Neptune, and the Widow won't be able to leave  the
ship until the launch bays are locked down."
      Ataru felt a hand touch his shoulder.  He turned,  and
saw  Megane and Mendou standing behind him.  Megane advanced
and spoke, "We may have had our differences over Lum, Ataru.
But as an official member of Lum's Stormtroopers I pledge to
support  you in freeing her from that scum."  Mendou  tilted
his  head  up  and said, "I would like to accompany  you  as
well,  Moroboshi.  It would do me good to know that my blade
severed the head from that pompous ass' shoulders."
      Ataru  nodded and said "Thanks guys, I appreciate  the
help."
     A tight feminine voice made itself known among the men.
"I'm going too!"
       Simultaneous  "NO!"s  came  from  Ataru  and  Mendou.
Shinobu  looked to both of them and repeated  herself,  "I'm
going, so you two better get used to it.  I can't just  wait
around while God knows what is happening to Lum and Benten!"
      Mendou  walked  away  from Megane  and  Ataru,  taking
Shinobu by the arm.  Once a safe distance away, he lit  into
her.   "Shinobu,  I  cannot  allow  you  to  go!   It's  too
dangerous!"
      Shinobu  stood  her ground and retorted  "I'll  decide
what's  too dangerous for me.  After all we've been  through
as  a  group, I think I'm capable of taking care of  myself.
Remember what happened on Planet Elle?"
      Mendou winced as images of the `Refrigerator of  Love'
whisked through his head.  "Point taken, Shinobu.  But we've
just  found  out how much we love each other.  And  I  don't
want  to  lose you just when I've finally realized what  you
mean to me."  His look softened, and he took her chin in his
hand.  "I love you, Shinobu."
      "I  love you too, Shutaro-kun.  But I can't stand idly
by  while  Lum and Benten get raped or even killed.   Surely
you  understand?" She said, putting her own hand up  to  his
face.
      Mendou  relented,  and said "You're incorrigible,  you
know that?"
      Shinobu leapt into his arms in a bear hug.  With a sly
voice  she  responded.  "You haven't seen incorrigible  yet,
dear."  A silly grin from Mendou was the only reply she got.
      The  couple  rejoined Ataru and Megane.  Ataru  spoke.
"Are we all in agreement?"
      Silent  nods  from the four were all he got.   Moments
later,  the Black Widow touched down on the main  runway  of
the Mendou compound.
      "Ataru!" the King shouted.  "The Widow's already  been
programmed  with  the  proper flight paths  and  destination
coordinates.   Let  IT do the flying.  And  BE  careful.   I
don't  want Lum choking the life out of me because  you  got
hurt on a rescue mission endorsed be me!"  He said, his fist
raised in a show of support.
      "I'll get her back, for both of us!" Ataru yelled back
as he boarded the Widow.
      Everyone turned as they watched the stealth craft take
off  with  a  blistering leap into the air.  Within  seconds
they were beyond Lunar orbit.

                             ****

      After everyone entered the Black Widow, they saw  that
the  quartermaster had provided them with every  conceivable
weapon  that they could carry on their person.  They decided
to  suit  up en-route instead of on the runway.  Megane  and
Ataru were in the cockpit, while Shinobu and Mendou were  in
the back.
      Megane and Ataru suited up in silence, even when  they
helped  each other with the webgear and ordinance.   In  the
back, however, things weren't progressing as quickly.
      Mendou  had  divested himself of  his  suit,  bringing
himself  down  to his underwear.  Shinobu likewise  had  rid
herself  of the black party dress and was clad only  in  her
black  panties.  They stopped undressing for a  moment,  and
stared  at  each other.  Mendou walked over to Shinobu,  and
caressed her face with his hands.  "Hey, you okay Shinobu?"
      "Yes,  Shutaro-kun.  I'll be able to handle  it.   I'm
just shocked that this happened is all.. .  What is it about
where we live that we always seem to find trouble?"
     "Actually Shinobu, I believe that trouble keeps finding
us," Mendou said with a slight chuckle.  He wrapped her in a
close  embrace, worried again that she might get hurt during
this  campaign.   They stood holding each other  for  a  few
minutes,  saying  nothing.   His body  began  betraying  his
emotions  as he felt himself stirring within his  underwear.
Apparently Shinobu noticed it too because she brought one of
her  hands down and traced the outline of his penis  through
the fabric of his briefs with her fingers.
     "Shutaro-kun, how long do we have before we get there?"
     "The on-board computer said approx. 3 hours.  Why?"
      "Well, it won't take long to suit up, so why don't  we
..."  she  said,  reaching her hand into his  underwear  and
grabbing his stiffening manhood.
      "Shinobu, I ... ahhh..." he said, trying to muster  an
argument.  He fell silent, however, when Shinobu pushed  him
down  in one of the chairs, knelt down, and wrapped her lips
around  his  hard-on and began sucking.  Mendou  placed  his
hands  on Shinobu's slight shoulders, sparks flashing before
his  eyes as her tongue began massaging the shaft of his rod
as it went deeper into her mouth.
      Her head was bobbing up and down on his rod, while her
breasts,  free  of  any restraint, grazed  against  Mendou's
legs.   Their  pebble-sized red nipples  were  standing  out
prominently  against the skin of her small  rounded  swells,
rubbing  back  and  forth slightly in time  to  her  bobbing
motion.   Her  excitement was building  quickly,  and  as  a
result she began soaking her panties through, and decided to
remove them before they were too wet to wear.
      Shinobu stopped to remove her panties.  While she  was
standing   and  stripping,  Mendou  removed  his  underwear,
leaving  them both naked.  Horny as hell, he grabbed Shinobu
by  her  hips, picked her up, and inverted her so  that  her
crotch lay right on his mouth.  The end result was a classic
`69'  with  him sitting under her in a control seat  on  the
opposite side of the room from the bed.
      Shinobu  put her arms against Mendou's legs  to  brace
herself.  Then she bent her head down and resumed sucking on
Mendou's rod with gusto, enjoying the taste of his skin  and
the  way he affected her.  She decided to experiment.  After
a  few abortive attempts, she was finally able to accept all
of  his  penis  in her mouth and throat in  her  first  deep
throat.
     Mendou's eyes bugged out, and he moaned loudly into her
sex  as  his  rod slid through her mouth and down  into  her
throat.   She stopped descending when her lips made  contact
with  the base of his sex, and her nose was buried deep into
his balls.  She didn't move her head, but instead roamed her
tongue  around whatever part of his rod it could touch,  and
swallowed.   The muscles of her throat squeezed  his  member
perfectly,  inspiring Mendou's own sexual drive.   Shinobu's
breathing  quickened  as he munched  away  at  her  sparsely
covered  sex,  the short-fine hairs tickling  his  nose  and
chin.   With  her nose still buried in his balls,  her  deep
breathing  enhanced  his pleasure as her  warm,  wet  breath
cascaded across them.
      Mendou sucked on her clit and the rosy petals  of  her
sex,  driving  her  crazy.   His tongue  was  probing  every
available surface of her sex, greedily seeking out any  hint
of her sweet-tasting honey.  Shinobu wiggled her hips in his
face  as  his tongue darted across her sensitive  genitalia,
coaxing  more pleasure from Mendou's searching tongue.   She
could  sense  her excitement level increasing as  her  honey
started  dripping from her blessed orifice onto his awaiting
tongue.  Excitement getting the better of her, Shinobu began
moaning.   This  was  an extra benefit for  Mendou,  as  the
vibrations  cascaded across his rod, which was  still  hilt-
buried in her hot mouth.
      She  clenched her legs against Mendou's head  to  keep
from falling off after he started working on her clit.   She
was  also  getting dizzy from being held inverted, with  her
head   pointed  towards  the  floor,  and  that  was  adding
tremendously to her sexual high.  Mendou's hands went to her
tight  little ass, grabbing the cheeks lewdly  in  order  to
stabilize  her  body.  Shinobu jumped as his  hands  roughly
handled  her  ass,  the attention to  her  rear  making  her
hotter.
      Shinobu  managed to get a hand over to  her  face  and
began  fondling  Mendou's  balls  as  her  tongue  continued
swirling over his shaft.  She noticed when her fingers  made
contact  with his balls that she was drooling slightly,  her
mouth flooded with saliva.  She swallowed to remove as  much
of  the drool as she could.  That got Mendou's attention  as
her  throat  again  exerted pressure against  his  straining
member.
      Mendou felt himself about to let go, and increased his
mouth's  activity against Shinobu's vagina.   His  increased
licking  and sucking caused Shinobu to moan constantly.   In
her sex borne stupor, she blurrily realized that she was  on
the  verge  of  coming and passing out  at  the  same  time.
Focusing  on her objective, she worked her tongue  over  his
rod  until she heard him grunt.  His body stiffened  like  a
board  underneath her.  He clenched the cheeks  of  her  ass
tightly and sucked hard against her sex.  Suddenly she  felt
his rod twitch and several hot streams of his cum splattered
against her esophagus.  She swallowed greedily, sending  his
hot cum `up' to her stomach.
      Shinobu  brought  her hands to his thighs  and  pushed
herself up, extracting his still-hard penis from her  throat
and  mouth.  As it popped out, she saw a bead of  white  cum
ooze  out  of the head and pool at the top of his rod.   She
dropped  her head back down and sucked up his seed,  rolling
it around on her tongue to savor the taste.  Shinobu thought
about it for a bit, and decided that he didn't taste as  bad
as  she  first thought.  Sucking the bit of sperm  down  her
throat,  she went hunting for more.  She had barely time  to
complete  her  thoughts,  though, when  her  body  shuddered
uncontrollably.
      She  came  with more force than she had  back  at  the
party.   Were  his  rod  not in her mouth,  she  would  have
screamed  loudly.   Mendou, whose lips had already  captured
her  gaping orifice, tightened its seal against her when she
came.   A wave of her honey hit him, forcing him to swallow.
He  loved  how she tasted, and greedily sucked  against  her
opening, drinking down the hot lubricant as it spilled  from
her vagina.
      They both sagged, with him against the chair, and  she
against  him.  He allowed his breathing to slow  to  normal,
and  occasionally  licked the edge of  her  vagina,  probing
inside her as far as his tongue would go to extract whatever
essence  of  her  that he could.  Shinobu  was  hugging  his
penis, which was still at full attention, rubbing it against
her  face and sucking on it whenever a drop of cum appeared.
Then  Mendou released his hands from her ass, and  she  slid
slowly, albeit gracelessly, to the floor.
      When  he  could  finally speak, he  complimented  her.
"Shinobu,  that  was  unreal!   You  were  fantastic!    I'm
impressed that you were able to take me all the way."
      Shinobu sat up and grabbed his erection with one hand.
"I've wanted to do that to you since the party, Shutaro-kun.
I  really  like  it." she said, indicating his  penis.   She
jumped  up, and sat on his lap, sinking her vagina onto  his
erection.   She  wrapped her arms around his neck,  put  her
lips  to  his ears.  "I know that you like this,  too,"  she
purred as she clenched the muscles of her vagina, hopping up
and down slightly in his lap.
      Mendou didn't complain as she sheathed his rod in  her
warm,  silken  channel.  He brought  his  arms  around  her,
encircling her at the small of the back.  Then he moved  his
head  down,  kissing her shoulder and the top of her  chest.
Shinobu  arched  her back as far as she could,  driving  him
deeper inside her, and giving him more headroom at the  same
time.   Mendou  grunted as he felt his rod touch  bottom  in
her.  He moved his head down, and started teasing one of her
nipples with his tongue.  Feeling hungry, he took her entire
breast  in his mouth, sucking deep while washing the  entire
surface with his tongue.
      Shinobu  gasped as Mendou took her petite breast  into
his  mouth.  She hadn't felt anything quite like it  before,
and  the sensations that his tongue was producing inside her
caused  her  to move her pelvis up and down.   The  grinding
motion  was  causing his penis to slide in and  out  of  her
slightly  and  each  time his rod went  in  he  hit  bottom,
driving  him crazy.  Mendou reached a hand down and  cradled
her ass.  He rubbed his middle finger around the base of his
shaft, getting it very wet.  Then he took it, and pushed  it
against the tight opening of her anus.
      She  gasped  again, louder this time,  as  his  finger
started  progressing upward.  She had never even  considered
asking  him to do that, but it felt different, and she  said
so.   Mendou pulled his face from her soaked breast,  kissed
the nipple, and did the same to the other breast.  As he did
that, he pushed his index finger deeper inside her ass.  His
finger  could  feel his member sliding in  and  out  of  her
vagina through the membrane separating the two orifices.
      Shinobu  was  so  juiced  she couldn't  see  straight.
Mendou was pushing all the right buttons, and the result was
so  intoxicating she couldn't speak coherently  any  longer.
He  pulled  his head up from her breasts, which  had  gotten
very  red from his constant sucking, and lifted Shinobu  off
of his erection.  He gently lay her down on the floor on her
back.   Before  she could complain he lay  on  top  of  her,
supporting himself on his hands and knees, with the  tip  of
his  hard  on  pressed directly against the opening  of  her
vagina.  Then he slowly pushed forward, the lubricants  from
her previous orgasms helping him to slide in neatly.  Mendou
had  thought  her  vagina was tight the  way  she  had  been
sitting before, but this was beyond compare!
      Shinobu didn't have much warning before Mendou started
pushing his rock-hard member into her.  She gasped loudly as
he began penetrating her, then moaned as her body was nailed
by  a wave of pleasure created by his invasion.  She wrapped
her  legs around him, trying to pull him in harder.   Slowly
he  sank  himself onto her, their noses touching  and  their
eyes maintaining a locked gaze.  She had to bite down on her
lower lip to keep from yelling.  Eventually, Mendou had sunk
all  the  way  down to the hilt, his hips cushioned  by  the
flawless  white  mounds of her cute ass.  He  put  his  arms
under  her  to  hold her upper back off of  the  floor,  and
placed his hands on her shoulders.
      Soon  he  began stroking in and out of her, his  penis
grabbed  tightly  by  the  barely-yielding  walls   of   her
incomparable  sex.  He closed his eyes as he picked  up  his
tempo, feeling not only the wondrous squeezing of her vagina
on  his penis, but also her hardened nipples as they pressed
against his chest.  They rocked back and forth on the floor,
his  member coming out as far as the head, and then plunging
all  the way in until his hips collided with her ass.   They
kissed  deeply as they rode each other, snorting and pumping
like wild animals.
     Shinobu's vision went red, and she dug her fingers into
his  back as another titanic orgasm washed through her.  She
screamed  into Mendou's mouth as she came, the rush  of  her
orgasm almost sending her into unconsciousness.
      Mendou's  strokes were made even easier  as  Shinobu's
orgasm heavily lubricated the walls of her sex and his  rod.
He felt himself ready to go over the edge, and pumped harder
into  her.   Her  orgasm was sustained as  he  assailed  her
relentlessly.  She had come so many times in  the  past  few
minutes  that she'd stopped counting after fifteen.   Mendou
was still going, however, seemingly not ready to cum yet.
      But  only  a  few strokes later he came mightily.   He
roared  loudly as the buildup hit the bursting point  inside
of  him and his penis twitched and lurched inside of her wet
self.  He maintained his motion as he emptied his seed  into
her loving body, his mind focused only on giving and getting
as  much pleasure as possible.  His orgasm was very intense,
and  he  could  feel how soaked she was with both  of  their
fluids.  His spurting member slowly stopped pistoning in and
out  of Shinobu's juicy sex as it went soft inside her,  and
he  was  more than content to just lay still on top of  her.
They  kissed deeply for awhile, breathing hard through their
noses and dripping sweat all over each other.
     Mendou was about to get up when the door to the cockpit
opened.   Ataru  stared slack jawed as  he  saw  the  couple
laying  naked on the floor; Mendou's rod sunk  to  the  hilt
inside Shinobu's fertile crescent.  Surprised, Mendou  stood
up,  yanking  his member out of Shinobu in the process,  and
crossed his arms in front of his cum-soaked rod.
      Shinobu, on the other hand, was too spaced to move, so
she just lay there panting.
      "A..  A..  Ataru!  We, um... We, uh  that  is...I  ...
uh..."  Mendou  stuttered as he looked for an escape  route.
He finally spotted the bathroom and masked his embarrassment
with  a  display  of urgency.  "Excuse me,  I  need  to  get
cleaned up," he declared as he walked to the head and closed
the  door.  A moment later a sigh of relief could  be  heard
behind the sound of running water.
      Shinobu  lifted her head and regarded  Ataru  with  an
exhausted smile.  "Hello, Ataru-kun," she said in a fatigued
voice.  "I guess you know about Shutaro-kun and myself  now,
eh?"  She was too tired to make any effort to cover herself.
Her  legs remained parted, and she was making a mess on  the
floor.
      Ataru  stared  at  his naked former-fiancee,  drooling
slightly.  He closed the door to the cockpit and knelt  down
to her, gaping openly.  It took him a moment for the serious
part  of  his  mind to realize that he was  gaping  at  her.
Shaking  his  head to clear his mind, he tried to  hide  the
blush  that  worked its way to his cheeks.    "Yeah,  Mendou
told  me that he loved you, and was planning to date you  as
long  as you wanted to.  I told him that I respected  that,"
he  stated  absently as he again stared at her body.   Sweat
glistened off of her breasts, and the small amount of  pubic
hair  she  had was pushed away from her slit, giving  him  a
perfect view of her vagina, including her stiffened clit.
      He  couldn't help but stare at her exposed sex as  she
lay  sprawled  out on the floor.  He licked  his  lips,  and
crossed  his legs, painfully ending his hard-on  before  she
noticed  it.   With his arousal killed in-progress,  Ataru's
face turned serious as he looked her in the eyes.  "Shinobu,
the  reason  I came back here is that we'll be  arriving  at
Mylex  Prime in about two hours.  You'll need to get  suited
up.   If  you or Mendou need help with the weapons,  let  me
know."   Ataru's words became heartfelt as he  continued  to
speak.  "I'm sorry about ... you know, walking in on you ...
and Mendou..., Shinobu."
      He  flushed in embarrassment as some rational spot  in
his  mind  realized  what a strange  situation  he  was  in,
looking at his naked ex-fiancee while enroute to rescue  his
current fiancee.  He hid his discomfort by looking away from
her  nude body and focusing on a spot on the bulkhead.  "And
thank   you  for  supporting  me  in  this  rescue  attempt.
Mendou's a lucky man to have you."  He knelt down and kissed
her  quickly, then re-entered the cockpit before his  desire
overcame his mind again.