-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: owd04.txt
DISCLAIMER: This is not a disclaimer.
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Our Wedding Day - Part 4
By Lady Tesser and Jack Staik
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In the Sea of Japan ...
Rose Petal was already bored.
She already missed Nerima; that odd fire hydrant sneaking
around the neighborhood; that disgusting underwear-clad boy
with the perverse stick that she'd drop-kicked; she even
missed riding a bicycle along rooftops delivering noodles.
She looked over at the cage holding the glasses-wearing
duck, the only other occupant of the room.
"[If I change you back,]" she said. "[Promise you won't try
to escape?]"
Reluctantly, Mousse-oshidori nodded.
"[Well, at least I'll have someone to talk to,]" she said.
"[The Matriarch has been sulking in her cabin since we left
port.]"
A minute later (and a free show of manliness for Rose Petal,
who made appreciative applause), Mousse sat in a chair,
wearing a spare robe. Rose Petal sat on the cot cross-
legged.
"{Tell me, Mu Tsu,]" she asked, "[why do you do it?]"
"[Do what, Madame?]" he asked, following the formalities of
an unmarried male speaking to a warrior-caste female.
"[Pursue Xian Pu. She doesn't want you, she abuses you
constantly, your behavior has made you the butt of village
humor for almost your entire life -]"
"[That doesn't matter!]" he said sharply. "[We were meant to
be together! She and I are destined to be one!]"
Rose Petal's eyes rolled. "[Then why did she send you back
to China?]"
"[That old crone probably forced -]"
"[Wrong,]" Rose Petal interrupted sharply. "[And it isn't
befitting for one such as yourself to refer to a Matriarch
in such fashion.]"
Mousse quickly clasped his hands together and bowed his
head.
Rose Petal accepted the implied apology with a nod.
"[In any case, Xian Pu is a Matriarch herself,]" she
continued. "[She's proven her will is stronger than Koh
Lon's will. I doubt anyone could force her to do anything.]"
"[It must have been that bastard Hibiki, trying to get his
lecherous hands on her -]"
She grinned. "[In point of fact, he's one of the few Hibiki
offspring who isn't a bastard. But seriously - can you
imagine that shy boy actually *manipulating* Xian Pu?]"
"[Amazon Laws compel her -]"
She sighed. "[Just face facts, Mu Tsu. She continually
chased you away. She used the first opportunity to send you
packing. She slept with any other man who caught her fancy.
She's a Matriarch now, and leader of her own colony, so she
can interpret the law to her own advantage if she wanted to
keep you. She doesn't want you. Period.]"
Mousse looked away. "[No. I don't believe that. That night -
by the waterfall - it was so ... perfect.]"
Rose Petal's face brightened in understanding. "[So ... she
was your First?]"
"[My *only*!]"
She nodded understandingly. "[I sympathize - really.]"
He snorted. "[What would *you* know about what I feel?]"
A knife embedded itself in the steel of the cabin wall,
severing a lock of Mousse's hair.
"[I'll pretend you didn't say that,]" she said calmly, "[and
tell you a tale ...]
"[When I was a little girl in Ki-yeung Village, just four
days' travel from the Amazon lands, a foreign man named
Ichiro would stop in sometimes. He and my mother were very
close. He'd bring me presents and treats from distant
places, and was very kind.]
"[He had a former wife named Peach Blossom who lived nearby,
and I would play with his son. In fact, Ichiro's son and I
were very close, because I never called him by his name.]"
Mousse looked puzzled.
"Pantsuto Taro," she clarified.
"[Pantyhose was your childhood sweetheart??]" he said
wonderingly.
She smiled. "[Yes, he was an asshole - but he was a friend.]
"[When we grew up, our closeness became ... closer.]" She
blushed. "[*Much* closer.]"
"[So what happened?]" he asked. "[The bastard drop you and
run off?]"
"[Actually, no. I told my mother about what had happened,
Between us, and asked for permission to marry. Then she told
me the truth.]"
"[Truth?]" Mousse prompted.
Rose Petal explained; "[I had always believed that my father
had died before I was born. Instead, my mother told me that
Ichiro, Pansuto's father, was also my father.]"
Rose Petal waited while Mousse recovered from his facefault.
"[He - you - your -]"
"[Yes, my reaction exactly,]" she confirmed. "[When I asked
why he hadn't married her, she just shrugged and said that
he never asked her. When I asked why she never married
someone else, she just gave a sad smile and said that he was
her First, and her heart belonged to him.]
"[When I told Pantsuto about it, he just mumbled about his
idiot father and didn't speak to me after that.]"
Mousse offered a kerchief from a sleeve for her and she
accepted it politely, wiping her eyes.
"[Tragic,]" he commented.
She nodded sadly. "[I was young, in love, confused, and
angry. I was angry with mother for not telling me my
childhood playmate was my brother. I was even more angry
with Ichiro for not being my father, for abandoning wife and
child and causing Pansuto and I pain for something that
should be completely natural.]"
Mousse nodded, knowing that the Amazon law followed a
similar thread to most other cultures in that two parents
are better than one. Even if the couple is not married,
children from a two parent family were healthier and more
stable than others. He understood her completely.
"[And what happened after you found out?]" he asked.
"[I ran away, filled with humiliation and anger; anger at my
mother for being so damned passive and keeping me ignorant,
at Ichiro for being no man, and at Pansuto for abandoning me
before we could come to terms with what happened.]
"[I lived off the land for a few weeks until a band of
Amazons found me. I refused to speak for months, but worked
for Elder Lian Ling and trained with her granddaughters.
Eventually, she sent me on a Spirit Journey during my
training and everything broke; I had to speak, cry, scream,
something to release my anger at everyone I've ever loved.]"
"[Heavy stuff,]" Mousse commented, momentarily forgetting
the Amazon version of proper manners.
Rose Petal shrugged. "[Part of being an Amazon warrior, I
learned, is facing the inner demons as well as inner
darkness. It helped me become a warrior. I thank the Goddess
for that everyday.]
"[When it came time for the Matriarch Challange, I was sent
as messenger with the pomp of Ambassador of the Amazon
Nation. I believe Elders Ko Em and Bru Xha already knew
about Ryoga being my half-brother.]"
Mousse sighed, taking his glasses off and cleaning them.
"[Madame, the world is no longer what it used to be because
of the Hibikis.]"
She nodded, leaning her head on his shoulder. "[I'm becoming
aware of it, Mu Tsu. I'm sure, you being the male champion
of the villiage, you will find another girl with better
taste in men.]"
"[Oh?]" he asked, blushing.
"[Yes. You are a handsome thing. And in no way related to my
father,]" she chuckled, looking up at him. "[You need to
broaden your horizons and take a new girl in.]"
Mousse bit his lip, smiling shyly and blushing furiously.
"[Hard idea to get used to.]"
"[Why have you always liked Xian Pu? Besides being your
First?]"
The boy shrugged. "[She was my playmate, too. She used to
protect me from bullies who picked on me because of my weak
eyes. She became the center of my world, so everything in my
life grew around her, I guess.]"
Rose Petal kissed his cheek, saying, "[You have a good
heart, learn to share it.]"
A bright red blush covered Mousse's face.
* * * * * * * * * *
The Ranko Revenge Squad (Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, Nabiki, and
Nodoka) arrived home, satisfied with the intense pummelling
they had given Doctor Tofu; severe, painful, yet leaving him
healthy enough to withstand more pummeling if Ranko decided
she wanted to join in later.
"Taidama!" Ranma called out.
"Hush!" Kasumi hissed. "Ko-chan's still sleeping."
Nodoka shook her head. "Poor girl. She must be emotionally
exhausted."
"Oh, Ranma-kun," Kasumi said brightly, "You had a visitor
while you were out."
"Oh?" Ranma asked. "Who was it?"
"He didn't leave his name," she replied, "but he referred to
you as the 'Godslayer'. Oh, and he had these lovely wings."
"Wings??" Nodoka asked.
Ranma, Ryoga, and Akane mumbled Bad Words under their
breath.
"Do you know this person, son?" Nodoka asked.
"This particular one, probably not," Ranma replied. "But
from the description, he's a native of Phoenix Mountain in
China."
"These people have ... wings?" The concept still seemed
ludicrous to Nodoka. She knew her son led an unusual life,
given his curse and all, but ... wings??
"Yeah, and nasty attitudes," Ranma answered.
Ryoga nodded in agreement. "They're probably still mad at
you for killing their god and vaporizing their mountain,
too."
"Excuse me?" Nodoka asked.
After a few minutes, the entire saga of Phoenix Mountain,
Akane's death and rebirth, and Ranma's 'slaying' of the
Phoenix-God Saffron had been related to Nodoka, who was
having trouble digesting it.
Akane and Ryoga were also finding out new things - such as
the role Ranko had played in that adventure, a thing they
had no knowledge of before.
"Why would this ... creature ... want you?" Nodoka asked.
"Revenge?"
Nabiki shook her head. "He killed a god - they wouldn't send
one person to get him, unless it was to issue a challenge.
If they wanted revenge, they'd have planted bombs or used a
howling mob of assassins or something like that."
"Well, perhaps he'll come back, and we can ask," Kasumi
suggested.
Everyone looked at Kasumi pitingly.
* * * * * * * * * *
The report concerning the attempt to bring the Godslayer to
them were discouraging.
"His sister?" one of them asked.
"Yes," the Priest of the Purple Dove said sharply. "His
sister - with a vicious savage of a bodyguard! Probably the
nastiest Amazon ever infected with distemper! With a mastery
of exotic martial arts weapons and techniques, too! I'm
lucky to have escaped in one piece!"
The Lady cleared her throat. "Couldn't you have left a note
or something? After all, you went there in peace, right?"
Liitak muttered something indistinct.
"Didn't you?"
He blushed under his Lady's gaze. "I figured that ... well,
kidnapping is more efficient than negotiation -"
"HOW COULD YOU?!?" Aga cried, distraught. "Our Holy Mission
depends on this joining! You were sent to bring the
Godslayer to us, not to antagonize him! An invitation, a
logical argument, a challenge even - instead you try to
kidnap his sister!"
The survivors of Phoenix Mountain trembled. They'd all
personally witnessed the might of Ranma Saotome, and the
notion that he'd come after them was frightening indeed.
Liitak kowtowed in desperate fear. "I'm sorry, My Lady! It
just seemed so simple -"
"Peace is never simple," Aga stated. "Wars are simple,
violence is simple. Destroying is always simple. It's
creating that's hard."
She took a deep breath. "We're trying to create a new world,
one of peace and love and justice - and for that we need the
Yang Incarnation - the Godslayer, the perfect avatar of
masculine aggression."
The assembled cultists nodded in agreement.
Liitak nodded as well. He knew the Truth; he'd explained it
to Aga himself.
"In the morning, I shall go," Aga said, "And present our
case to him."
A howl of protest went up from the cultists.
"My Lady! What if he bears a grudge? What if he hurts you?"
"If I am not willing to take such a risk, then I am not
worthy of the faith you all place in me. I will go, and - if
necessary - face his wrath alone. I have spoken." Aga turned
and left the room.
* * * * * * * * * *
The phone rang in the newly named Saotome household. Kasumi
went to answer it since the rest of the family and guests
were causing the destruction of the dining room
(translation: dinner time).
"Kasumi? Shampoo here. Where Airen and baby?? Shampoo worry
sick of baby safety!"
"They are right here, having dinner with us -" a crash
followed by said Airen yelling at Ranma to give him back his
pickles "- and Akane has been looking after Conditioner."
"Can you send Airen and baby home now? Shampoo need put baby
in bed."
"Right away. I'll have them escorted home to you."
"Arigato!! Nighty nighty!"
Kasumi hung up the phone and returned to the dining room.
"Ryoga-kun, Shampoo wants to know if you plan to return home
tonight?"
Ryoga jumped up, grabbing Conditioner out of Akane's arms,
and running through the house, screaming, "Shampoo's gonna
kill me! Yaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!"
"Nabiki? Can you take Ryoga to Shampoo's place?" Ranma
asked.
"Sure," she replied, following Ryoga and chuckling, "Come
on, Lost Boy, out of the closet."
"Poor Shampoo," Ranma muttered. "She'll be devastated when
she finds out." Akane giggled and gently swatted him.
Nodoka smiled, standing up. Her expression quickly changed
to alarm as she brushed past Ranma with her hand to her
mouth.
"Mom?"
Akane watched as her mother-in-law ran up the stairs and the
sound of a door slamming echoed over the landing.
<piku-piku>
"Think she's sick?" Akane asked.
"She can't be; Kasumi cooked tonight," Ranma inserted foot
in mouth, Akane inserted fist in head.
Nodoka appeared on the stairs, her eyes half-closed, just as
Ranma picked himself up.
"You okay, mom?"
"Oh, I'm fine, don't worry about it. Akane, we'll meet here
tomorrow around ten o'clock with the ladies to plan your
wedding. Make sure Ranko is there as well as your friends
from school."
"Of course," she replied, kissing Nodoka's cheek. "But I
think you should stay with us tonight since you are feeling
ill. I don't want you going home like this."
Nodoka surrendered, nodding. "If it is all well with you.
Domo arigato."
"Ranma-kun," Kasumi called from the kitchen. "Take Ko-chan
upstairs to her room, it's ready for her."
"Okay!" he replied. Nodoka placed her hand on his shoulder
and murmured, "It's all right to talk to me."
He gave her a puzzled expression as he went to gather up his
sleeping sister from the living room.
Nodoka sighed internally. Her children, only having each
other ... of course it would happen, what else could happen.
Genma wouldn't know the dangers of such a thing ... they're
only children!
* * * * * * * * * *
Tofu nursed his wounds in the clinic lobby.
His bruises would take him a while to recover from, but his
pride and ego wasn't as lucky. Adding insult to injury,
Nabiki made him sign a contract of services rendered for his
beating!
He accepted that he asked for it. Leaving Ranko alone with
Ina was the stupidest thing he ever did in his life. His
cowardice in the face of his fear cost him the respect of
the one person that really mattered to him.
He let a sob escape, one he didn't know was there, as he
murmured apologies to the air.
He'd broken his Ko-chan's trust in him as a man and
protector. Allowing Ina to find him again, to drop in on his
life when he was starting to truly love ... He had to take
care of her at last, if he was to have any future with
Ranko.
The doctor pulled himself off the couch and stood on wobbly
legs.
"So," a pompous voice cried. "I have found you, wretched
sorceror!"
Tofu squinted, seeing a tall boy standing in the doorway of
the clinic. A familiar offensively-shaped bokken waved in
the air. The boy was clad in plaid boxers and a t-shirt
bearing the word "Horny" in about a dozen languages.
If the doctor had enough energy, he would have facefaulted.
Instead, he collapsed on the couch due to the dizziness in
his head.
"What is it, Kuno-san?" he asked.
"I have come to win the fair Ranko Saotome from your evil,
perverted clutches! I know you intend to molest her young,
nubile, creamy flesh with your hentai ways, foul demon!"
Tofu didn't think it was a bad idea, but he wasn't going to
admit that. No gentleman would.
"Who's the pervert?" Tofu asked again.
"At least I am honest about it, lech! Have at thee for also
enchanting my faithful manservant away from my employment!"
Tofu drew a blank at the statement, which was quickly
followed by unconsciousness as Kuno initiated the first
beating he'd given since Ranma Saotome moved to town.
Meanwhile, Eryala the Succubus was making a nifty profit
from selling ice-skates in Hell due to the improbability of
the previous occurance.
* * * * * * * * * *
Ranko had been tortured all evening as she slept.
Far to the east, somewhere in the Sea of Japan, Cologne had
began her plot of the Saotome mating. Manipulation of dreams
was simple, once an exertion of will was placed upon the
sleeping consciousness with subconscious suggestion.
Of course, going about such a thing would require delicate
workings of magic and suggestion.
A mental image was formed, streaming through the ethers of
incense circling Cologne's ancient head. Invisible strands
shot out and entered the mind of Ranko Saotome almost at
once.
[Ranma enters her room in the middle of the night, leaning
down and kissing her face gently. She feels the covers peel
off her body and his fingertips tracing over her breast
through her shirt. He licks his tongue across her lips,
embracing her mouth with his. She awakens, finding Ranma
over her, kissing her, caressing her, and nude in the
lamplight from the window.
["Niichan?" she whispers. He doesn't answer her, only lowers
his head down to her throat, kissing and biting at her
flesh. She gasps, her arms involuntarily rounding his neck,
her pelvis thrusting up in shock at the reaction awoken in
her body. His fingers pinch a cotton-clad nipple, causing
her to moan.
["Ranma-sama! You said we shouldn't now!"]
Cologne noted that; there was once a time it *would* have
been possible. Interesting ... she'd have to ask Rose Petal
if she'd learned anything about her half-sister's past.
[Nonetheless, Ranko kisses him deeply and passionately. His
lips trace along the flesh down to her cleavage, then brush
his lips over a marble-hard globe. She cries out in shock
and arousal, no longer controlling her own body. Ranma slips
his fingers under the hem of the bra and pulls it down to
envelope his lips over the pink hardness. By this time, her
cries and gasps fill the dreamscape as suppressed desires
fill her body.]
This continued, tearing Ranko's subconscious into admitting
that which she always wanted - and more. To love Ranma as
she's been to him: his lover, his mother, his sister, all
the women in his life. He was always hers, she was always
his; there was no other part of that equation for the ten
months they had lived with each other.
["Nii-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-cha-a-a-a-a-a-a-annnnnn!"]
"AAAAAAAAA!!!" Ranko cried, jerking awake, sweating.
Cologne drew back into her own surroundings, opening her
eyes. She hummed softly, preparing the ritual for the
Saotome boy this time.
"For the Amazon Nation ... " she murmured.