Modu annyoung,
Well, here's part 8, left off on something of a
cliffhanger.
Enjoy!
Fred
=====
<P><STRONG><EM><FONT face="Courier New">Fred Herriot AKA P'yeknu OR Gorgo</FONT></EM></STRONG></P>
<P>**** **** ****</P>
<P><A href="mailto:fherriot@yahoo.com">fherriot@yahoo.com</A></P>
<P>**** **** ****</P>
<P><A href="http://www.livejournal.com/~pyeknu/">http://www.livejournal.com/~pyeknu/</A></P>
______________________________________________________________________
Post your free ad now! http://personals.yahoo.ca
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: LoneS-08.txt
-- Desc: LoneS-08.txt
"The place where I was first activated..."
The slender man sitting in the control centre of the deep-space
probe gazes out a viewport on the glimmering blue-and-green
orb now lying off his starboard beam. Tapping controls on the
command console, he waits for information files to be called up, then
glances at the holographic readout before returning his attention
to the crescent-shaped archipelago coming into view. "Sub-planetary
cultural-political unit, indigenous name: Dai-Nihon. Terran
worldwide communicative language 'English' reference name: Japan.
Population level: approximately one hundred and twenty-five
million sentients." He taps a button, then orders, "Unit Two, begin
carbo-protein humanoid life DNA scan. Locate all sentients and/or
physical evidence of all sentients possessing generational
DNA compatibility to Nagussan organic sentient, designate 'Kaeru
ryi'Kouhae-Raikue.'"
"*Working,*" the probe's on-board sensor control robot replies,
then falls silent for a minute before making its report, "*Scan
complete. Evidence of one exact carbo-protein DNA duplicate of
organic sentient, designate 'Kaeru ryi'Kouhae-Raikue,'
located.*" A quick pause, barely noticeable even by Kaeru, then,
"*Additional information processed. Scan indicates there are twelve
additional sentients, all female, possessing same patrilineal
parentage as organic sentient Kaeru ryi'Kouhae-Raikue,
though possessing different matrilineal parentage than subject
sentient. Indicating primary location of DNA fragment scans on main
display. Scan does not indicate that target sentients are currently
on Earth.*"
Kaeru glances at the map appearing on his screen. Two target
icons flash. One is on the mainland of Japan's largest island,
within the limits of its most populous habitation and political
control centre, Tokyo. The other is on a small island bearing 230
degrees relative from Tokyo's city centre, Oomure-jima. Gazing on
small graphs now being projected on the screen, Kaeru also notes that
the scan of Oomure-jima has a significantly greater amount of DNA
fragments from all his relatives in comparison to Tokyo, indicative
that his relatives currently resided on the island.
"Unit One, engage visual cloak. Commence atmospheric approach
to Oomure-jima. Scan for best possible landing site to ensure a
minimal amount of disruption to the inhabitants," he orders.
"*Compliance,*" the ship's on-board navigation robot replies.
The probe fades out in a waver of bent light beams...
* * *
"She just cloaked?"
"Affirmative, Mister President," Otako gazes on her monitor,
then shakes her head. "Whatever type of cloak that ship possesses,
its far more advanced than anything the factory's sensors have ever
encountered. I can't even scan for an ion trail or any sort of
gravimetric disturbance."
Oogi blinks as he absorbs that information, then stares intently
at Otako. "But that's impossible! Even if they've been gone for
over ten thousand years, the Sagussans ARE the technological
leaders in the galaxy! You MUST be able to detect that ship, Otako!
Do a diagnostic!!"
"Already done, sir," Otako waves to her monitoring screen,
then she sits back in her chair. "The only other possibility
I could surmise from this is that this alien ship is actually NOT
from this galaxy."
The bodiless president of Phentax Two pauses, then nods. "Yes,
that could be possible..." his voice trails off, then he gazes again
on Otako. "From where did this ship come from? Directly from the
Barrier?"
"No, Mister President," the Avalonian replica of the late leader
of the Hegane Sect shakes her head. "She came from a stable wormhole
beyond Hustari space which connects our quadrant with the quadrant
directly opposite ours beyond the galactic core. And the factory's
databanks have no up-to-date information on any
technologically-advanced races lying in that direction, sir. You DID
instruct us not to contact the Gatherer and request an exploratory
update," she gives him a reminding look.
Oogi stiffens for a moment, then nods. "Yes, I did. And I
expect total silence between this factory and the Voyager, Otako!"
"Of course, Mister President."
"Keep an eye out for that ship or any signs of its crew."
"Yes, Mister President. Oh, if you wish to know, final
programming has commenced on the units tasked to Operation:
Hashish."
"Excellent..."
* * *
"Lonely Souls"
by Fred Herriot
fherriot@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
Crystal Palace in-jokes by Mike Smith, they first appearing in the
story "Be Forever Nassur," thirty-eighth story of the fanfic series
"Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year," created by Mike Smith and Fred
Herriot.
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko
Takahashi; and "Sister Princess," created by Naoto Tenhiro and
Sakurako Kimino. This story is set after the end of the "UY" and
"Ranma" manga series.
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are at the end of the "A" Side of the
Prologue.
**** **** ****
THE EIGHTH PART - STAFFS AND WANDS
Tokyo time: sometime in the late afternoon...
The memory/personality copy of Akane Tendou, created thanks
to the Staff of Gihan, then given physical form in an Avalonian
body thanks to the staff and her young controller, expected many
things to happen the instant the other sisters of Ataru Moroboshi
learned of her existence.
"Okay, just pucker up for a moment..."
THIS wasn't one of them.
"You're using that orchid pink lipstick, aren't you,
Sakuya-chan?"
Not that she really had cause to complain, of course.
"Hai. Okay, almost done..."
"It's a pity Ani-chama doesn't have a sewing machine and some
fabric on this ship. We could make her a wedding dress right now."
"Let's save it for the next wedding dress party, Yotsuba-chan."
"And we have to worry now about making a tuxedo for Shinshi-kun.
Unless Aniue-sama can teach him that 'tuxedo uniform' trick of his."
"I don't think Shinshi-kun's ready for that, Marie-chan."
"We'll just have to sew him one. One Yotsuba can quickly get
off him whenever Yotsuba wants to give him a CLOSE checky! Oh,
Shi-chama...!"
Laughter. "Oh, man! She's DEFINITELY in love with the guy!!"
"What sort of guy would YOU want, Mamoru?"
Instant tomato effect. "N-n-no c-comment..."
Laughter as shadow is added over Akane's eyes. "We'll leave
Shinshi-kun's tuxedo to you, Rinrin-chan," Sakuya chuckles. "Okay,
we're done!"
Akane opens her eyes, then blinks as Mamoru shifts in front of
her, a mirror in hand. Seeing the lovely vision gazing back at her,
the former's cheeks instantly ripen. Add that to the decorative
dark blue noukik'eng -- the gi-like dress commonly worn by Reiko's
people -- produced sometime ago by the "Windrider's" clothing
replicator unit...! "Wow!!" she gasps.
"Akane-chan looks so pretty!" Kaho gushes.
"If Onee-sama was still of that train of thought, there'd be no
way in HELL that she would ever think of Akane as 'kawaiikune,'"
Sakuya nods.
Hearing Ranma referred to by Sakuya's personalized version
of "big sister," Akane starts, then looks down at her lap. "I guess
so..." she admits, then perks. "Um, where is Ranma, anyway?" she
looks around. "And Shinshi and Nabiki? Chikage-san's letter told
me they were aboard..."
"Anee's asleep right now," Mamoru reports. "Something happened
when she and Seiko-chan dragged Elle aboard that really upset her
badly..."
"WHAT?!!" Akane bolts to her feet. "Is she alright?!!
Where...?!"
A hand forces her back into her chair. "Sit down and relax,
Akane," Chikage firmly ordains. "You can see her soon enough. Leave
Ane-kun to Ani-kun for now. You've something to do beforehand,
remember?"
Akane stares at the sorcerer, then nods. "Hai, I do, don't
I...?"
"Chikage-chan, do you think Nabiki-san and Shinshi-san'll
like Akane-chan?" Hinako tugs one of Chikage's jacket sleeves.
"Most likely, but it will still come as quite a shock to them
both," Chikage advises, squeezing Akane's shoulder. "As for what
Akane might have in mind concerning her template's family, that's
even harder to predict."
"It has to be done if my other-self, not to mention Kasumi,
Nabiki, Ranma and Ryouga-kun, are ever going to get the justice
they deserve, Chikage-san," Akane reaches up to squeeze Chikage's
hand in return.
Most of the sisters tense on hearing Ryouga Hibiki's name, some
of them sparing Hinako a glance. "I suppose so," Sakuya breathes
out. No sense in starting an argument over that perverted creep.
"Well..."
The door to the cabin opens, revealing Karen and Haruka. "So
what's the news about everyone else?" Sakuya wonders.
"They were just transferred to a fast warp transport provided
by the Zephyrites to see them returned to Earth by nine tonight,"
Haruka reports, then breathes out. "And it's about time, if you ask
me! The way some of those people were pestering us about our
relationship to Anigimi-sama..."
"Just as bad as that Miyaki woman if you ask me!" Karen shakes
her head, then perks. "Oh, I forgot. Mendou-san extended an
invitation to us to attend his wedding on Saturday. I told him we'll
think about it..."
The other sisters hum. "Well, we'll worry about it after we get
this 'genesis wand' Bou-san told us about," Sakuya makes a defensive
wave with her hand, then perks. "Oh, did Nabiki-san go back with the
others?"
"Iie," Karen shakes her head. "Onii-chan arranged private
transport for her with the captain of the 'Windrider Dreams,'"
she then giggles.
"Is she alright?" Akane asks.
"Personally, I believe Nabiki-san is a tad overwhelmed
by it all," Haruka politely covers her mouth, then perks as she
remembers something else. "Oh, we learned that dishonourable
Kunou fellow had been rescued by the Zephyrites alongside the
escapees from the 'Rose Emperor.'"
The others nod. "I don't think all his bombast is going to get
him much from his hosts," Chikage snidely grins.
Everyone stares at her, then snickers flow through the room...
* * *
"***I DEMAND TO BE RELEASED AT ONCE!!!!***"
"Kunou-chan, don't you EVER get tired of listening to your
voice?!"
The kendoist stops, then glares at the woman standing on the
other side of the forcefield separating his brig cell from the rest
of the "Windrider Dreams." "Nabiki Tendou!!" he charges at her, then
cries out as his body impacts the forcefield, sending him sprawling
on the deck.
Nabiki winces as a pained moan escapes Kunou's lips, then she
stares warily at the commanding officer of the Zephyrite warship.
"And he's been this way since you rescued him, Windy-chan?"
she wonders.
Sunhair Windrider -- "Windy" was the nickname Ataru gave her
when they first met, in tribute to an old American pop song he liked
-- nods. "Hai, Nabiki-chan, that he's been." Standing close by,
Ataru lightly smiles at the instant rapport his would-be girlfriend
has forged with the middle Tendou daughter. "The brig warden's
had to turn up the overall power of the forcefield here several
times to prevent him from breaking through and running rampant
throughout my ship."
"So what do you intend to do with him?" Nabiki asks.
"Well, the proper thing to do is to return him to Earth, of
course, but given his hatred of Ataru-chan, not to mention his lust
for both your late sister Akane and Ataru-chan's new girlfriend,
I don't think...!"
"***SILENCE!!!!***"
Both women spin around as Kunou LOOMS over them both. "***I
WILL NOT HEAR ANY MORE OF THIS TRAVESTY ABOUT THE PIG-TAILED
GIRL ACTUALLY BEING IN LOVE WITH THAT LECHEROUS MONSTER
MOROBOSHI...!!!!***" he bellows...
...then screams out as a shower of lightning bolts akin to Lum's
usual "divine retribution" rip through him from all points in the
cell. Seeing the now nicely-fried Kunou drop to the deck, Nabiki
tries not to fall over laughing. Nearby, the brig warden, a retired
Inquisitor who decided on a spell with the Navy in the latter half
of his life, shakes his head. "Good heavens, what sort of people
are being raised on your planet, Miss Tendou?" he stares at Nabiki.
"Being so disrespectful to the grandson of a Righteous Gentile!
Surely!" he turns back to his monitor.
Nabiki gazes on him, then Windy before both women burst out
laughing. The Zephyrite then waves the two Terrans with her away
from the cell. "If you wish to know, I was thinking of sending
him back to Elle with Captain du Kohln and her crew," Windy slides
over to wrap an arm around Ataru's. Nabiki quickly does the same on
the other side. "Technically, we're not at war with the Ellsians
and Kunou WAS a prisoner on their ship when it self-destructed,
so I'll leave his disposition with them. Besides, he DID save the
lives of Anna-san and several of her shipmates and they HAVE
expressed a desire to better demonstrate their gratitude to him if
the chance comes."
Ataru and Nabiki snicker. "Well, I must admit THAT would be a
very unique way of getting rid of the idiot!" the latter holds up a
finger, then she gives Windy a curious glance. "But do you think
we're doing the right thing forcing Kunou-chan even on them?" she
winks knowingly.
"I believe there won't be any problems," Windy winks back.
"Even as we speak, Anna-san and her friends are prepping themselves
to 'win' their beloved Tatewaki away from those 'unappreciative'
women he lusts for now."
"I'll ask Kaho-chan to give them a few 'gambattes' before we
head off to find the Genesis Wand," Ataru sighs, then perks. "Oh,
speaking of the Ellsians, any news about Amora-chan? Is the
Inspector having...?"
"Little luck, Ataru-chan," Windy shakes her head. "He contacted
the Lady Babara and asked her to come here so she could explain
what's been going on with that poor woman. Babara turned him down
right away, then demanded Amora-chan be returned to Elle immediately.
But..." she pauses, "...given what Ranma's soulsword did to her, the
Inquisitor-Bishop decided to keep Amora-chan in 'protective
custody' pending a full investigation as to who's been manipulating
her mind since shortly after she met you!"
"Any ideas?" Nabiki wonders.
"One. The psi-prober the Inquisitor-Bishop assigned to examine
Amora-chan reported that she now shows a particular aversion to the
colour magenta. Nothing specific, but flash that colour and she
nearly curls in on herself," Windy holds up a finger. "That's the
primary marking colour used by Yehisrites from the principality
of Kyotos, which are one of the two senior elements of the Royal
Kingdoms. It's not much, but still..."
"When I was working with Inspector Dragontail's team, I heard
a lot about the crown prince of that place," Ataru grimaces. "Not
a nice man."
"Agreed," Windy nods.
"Someone we should be watching out for?" Nabiki asks.
"Hard to predict," the Zephyrite shakes her head. "What I do
know of him that might interest you is that Prince Sheko doesn't
like the concept behind the Galactic Federation whatsoever.
With Noukiios breaking from the Federation and the Earth-Toshitto
Demilitarized Zone being established, the Federation's days might
be counted on one hand. If so..."
"He'll let the pieces fall, then pick off what he wants," Ataru
nods.
"Which I doubt will include Earth, since it's too close to our
sphere of influence," Windy finishes as she guides them onto the
quarterdeck leading to a breezeway connecting the "Windrider
Dreams" with Ataru's ship. "In the meantime, Nabiki-chan,
I'll get that courier ship ready for you so you can go back to Earth
and look in on your sister," she reaches over to grasp Nabiki's
hand. "How soon do you think you'll be ready to head out?"
Nabiki grips Windy's hand in both of hers. "Probably an hour
or so. Chikage-san said there was something important I had to see
first."
"Soo ka," Windy giggles, then steps closer to the middle Tendou
daughter. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Nabiki-chan."
"The pleasure's mine, Windy-chan. If you come visit..."
"I'll look you up," she leans over to kiss Nabiki's cheek, then
turns to embrace Ataru. "It's so good to see you whole again,
Ataru-chan."
"Ditto," he gives her a chaste kiss. "The wing rides the air."
"Always," she winks, stepping back from him.
The Terrans turn, stepping into the breezeway for the
"Windrider." As the hatch on the Zephyrite ship closes behind them,
Nabiki leans over to whisper in Ataru's ear, "She's one hell of an
exceptional lady, Ataru-kun. Why didn't you ever think of going back
to her when Negako-san...?"
"Restored my memories?" he chuckles, giving her hand a warm
squeeze. "I admit, the temptation was there, but there's one thing
about baptized Zephyrites you better keep in mind," he holds up a
warning finger.
"What's that?"
"They don't marry until they're a hundred years old."
Nabiki blinks, then shrugs. "Hey, I can live for eight hundred
years now, Ataru-kun. I can sure as hell wait that long!" she winks
at him.
Ataru bursts out laughing as they reach the airlock leading
into the "Windrider," then he taps controls to let them board.
Awaiting them on the solar-sail ship's quarterdeck are Shinshi Tendou
and Yotsuba Dunn. "Ah! Ani-chama and Na-chama checky!!" the
would-be detective instantly whips out her camera to snap a set of
pictures of the arriving pair.
"I aught to charge you for taking those pics, Yo-chan!" Nabiki
wags her finger at her future sister-in-law, then turns to her
brother. "Kunou-chan is most likely to be indisposed for a while
yet courtesy of a group of Ellsian naval personnel who're very intent
on showing their appreciation to him for saving their lives and won't
take 'no' for an answer."
"Oh, that's cute!" Shinshi smirks. "Wait until the Horde hears
about all this! Do you think they might want to chase him all the
way to Elle?!"
"Who cares?" Nabiki shrugs, then blinks as Hinako steps into the
room. "Hey, Hina-chan," she crouches down before the youngest
sister. "Your Onii-tama told me you have a big surprise for Shinshi
and I!"
"Hai!!" Hinako grasps Nabiki's hand, then points forward.
The others follow her to the door leading to Hinako's private
cabin. Reaching it, the youngest sister turns to gaze on the Tendou
twins. "Um, Nabiki-san, Shinshi-san, Hina wasn't really, really
the one who made this big surprise for you. It was Bou-san,"
she giggles. "Hina had to yell at Bou-san for doing this without
telling Hina, but Hina really, really hopes that Nabiki-san and
Shinshi-san and Kasumi-san'll like this surprise!"
Seeing the light frown on her face, Shinshi and Nabiki exchange
a look, then kneel before Hinako. "Well, let's see what it is,
Hina-chan," the former pats her shoulder before opening the door.
"Konban wa, Shinshi, Nabiki."
The door opens all the way to see Chikage standing behind a
chair sitting beside Hinako's bed. Sakuya and Haruka sit on the bed
itself, the other sisters save Aria -- she still asleep in her own
cabin -- standing by the aft bulkhead. Akane sits on the chair
before the sorceress. Staring at her, Shinshi's and Nabiki's jaws
hit the deck, then they exchange a stunned look before gazing on
Hinako. Seeing the pensive look still etched on the youngest
sister's face, the twins exhale, then stare once more on Akane before
Nabiki asks, "Okay, what the hell made THIS happen?!"
"That, Nabiki, is a bit of a story," Chikage begins to
explain...
* * *
Approaching Earth...
"So you and Ryuunosuke're gettin' it on, huh?!"
"I hope you don't my 'stealing' her from you, Benten."
Laughter fills the small lounge of the fast-warp transport
now carrying almost all of the members of Shinobu Miyaki's homeroom
class and Sakiko Izumo back to Earth. Unnoticed by the others in the
class until it was far too late to do anything about it, Mie Seikou
had requested to remain aboard the "Windrider." No one knew why the
transplanted native of Kyushu had done this. Further, Seiko had
chosen to remain with Ataru, his sisters and the others who came with
him on the rescue mission. While Oyuki and Benten had only started
to fully understand all the curious nuances which make Nendo-kata
what they were, Sakiko had a pretty good idea as to what -- or rather
*who* -- had caught her sister's fancy. Currently, most of Shinobu's
class are asleep in the main passenger lounge of the arrow-shaped
craft. The lounge, which came complete with a bar and other
amenities, was located forward of that. Benten and Sakiko sit by the
bar, Oyuki and Ryuunosuke standing beside their beloved friends,
the tomboy from Earth now blushing as the three alien girls gaze
knowingly at her. "Well, she didn't exactly kinda 'steal' me from
ya, Benten," Ryuunosuke flusters.
"Oh, chill out, girl!" Benten waves her down, then sighs. "So
why'd Seiko decide to stay with Moroboshi and the others, Sakiko?
You told us Nendo-kata can't have kids with guys. And with this
Saotome girl makin' the moves on Moroboshi, I don't think Seiko
stands any chance..."
"No, not with Darling of course," Sakiko shakes her head, then
winks at the other girls. "I won't say who exactly it is, but she is
closely related to Darling, so it's still technically 'in the
family."
"One of Moroboshi's sisters?! Which one?" Ryuunosuke asks.
"That's a secret, Ryuu-chan," Sakiko gazes on her lover,
winking. "'Sides, given how some of those Purveyors of disUnity
aft have started to act now that they've met Darling's sisters,
I don't think she deserves more grief coming from Tomobiki. Besides,
she struck me as being a 'normal' girl, so accepting Sei-chan's
going to be extra difficult for her."
"Yes, a lot of them do seem 'normal' for Terran girls, don't
they?" Oyuki nods. "It's a pity we never learned of them sooner.
Perhaps they might've been able to curb some of their brother's
excesses..."
"Yeah, that's true, ain't it?" Benten nods.
"Perhaps, but at the same time, Lum-chan would've had a harder
time of it given that Sakuya-chan IS the matriarch-in-waiting
for Darling's family," Sakiko reminds them. "One mis-step on
Lum-chan's part and..."
"Sayonara, Lum," Ryuunosuke finishes, crossing her arms.
"Still, they all seemed pretty nice to me, the ones who were with us
on Elle's ship and all that. I can understand why Moroboshi don't
want any of those dorks aft from stickin' their noses in too much
when it comes to those girls."
"What ARE they doin', then?" Benten asks.
"Well, first, we got Shinjin Koi," the tomboy holds up one
finger. "He now fancies himself as 'Aisuru Megane the Second'...!"
"Mother, please, SPARE US!!!" Sakiko's eyes roll to the
deckhead.
"Indeed," Oyuki shakes her head.
"Got that right!" Ryuunosuke nods. "He's got about three or
four guys who directly support him. Then there's Teiji Minamoto.
Instant he laid eyes on that Sakuya girl, it was 'Lum who?!'
There're two guys who support him there. Then we've got other
cliques interested in..." she pauses, humming as she tries to recall
some of the sisters' names.
"Shirayuki-chan, Karen-chan, Haruka-chan and Mamoru-chan,"
Sakiko provides. "Hinako-chan, Aria-chan and Kaho-chan are too
young, so the boys aren't interested in them in *that* manner.
Marie-chan's too timid and bookwormish. Rinrin-chan's seems more
interested in machines than people. Yotsuba-chan already HAS a
boyfriend. And Chikage...!"
"Is just too fuckin' scary!" Benten shudders, remembering
the first time she had locked eyes with the young sorceress when the
crew of the "Goddess of Luck" boarded the "Windrider" sometime
before Shinobu's class were allowed to head home. "So what're these
dorks' problems?"
"For the most part, they're angry at Darling for -- and I'm
quoting Teiji-kun right now -- 'HOGGING such visions of womanly
loveliness all to himself on an isolated island when they could be
better appreciated among some *real* men in Tomobiki,'" Sakiko holds
up a warning finger.
Silence falls as the others gaze on her, then Ryuunosuke
asks, "Don't they realize that they're Moroboshi's SISTERS, for
cryin' out loud?!"
"No, they haven't been able to make themselves absorb that,"
Sakiko shakes her head, then perks. "At least the girls got the
message!"
"What happened, Sakiko-chan?" Oyuki asks.
"Chikage."
Dramatic pause.
"Oh," Benten and Oyuki nod understandingly...
* * *
"Ah-CHOO!!!"
"Bless you, Chikage-chan! Are you alright?!"
The sorceress grumbles something unintelligible under her hand,
then gazes aft before sighing. "Someone was speaking about me," she
reports.
"Who?!" some of the sisters demand.
"It's not relevant at this time," Chikage shakes her head,
making a dismissive wave with her hand, then turns to Nabiki and
Shinshi.
The twins look at Akane, then exchange a look before Nabiki
takes a deep breath. "Akane-chan, it can't all be blamed on him, you
know."
"I agree," the replica of the youngest Tendou nods. "But you
have to agree with me on this point, Onee-chan: it all started
with him and how he reacted when Okaa-san died. Yes, Kasumi-oneechan
and you had your parts to play in it. Yes, we can assert the same
with Ranma, that pathetic panda and his wife. Ditto with Ryouga-kun,
Kunou and the other fiancees and rivals to a lesser extent further.
But you have to agree with me on this, Onee-chan: this whole mess
sprang from Souun and his inability to see what his actions -- or
rather, I should say INACTION -- were doing to all of us. If we
don't acknowledge that in the most stern way possible, then..."
She shrugs. "I can agree with that," Shinshi nods, then gazes
on Nabiki. "You think Onee-chan'll go along with it, Nabiki?"
"Probably. It's not that we're already tearing down what he
tried to hold onto by our moving to the Island and selling the dojo,"
Nabiki nods.
A knock is heard at the door. Mamoru opens it to reveal Seiko.
"Gomen nasai," the Nendo-kata/Terran peeks in. "The 'Windrider
Dreams' just signalled. The courier ship's ready to go, Nabiki-san."
"Oh, hell!" Nabiki grunts, then reaches over to draw her arms
around Akane. "Sorry to cut and run, but I better get going before
Onee-chan sends out the hounds to harass Negako-san and everyone
else back home." She then glances at Sakuya. "How long do you guys
expect to stay out?"
"Another day according to Mie-san," Haruka reports. "I guess
that pretty much scuttles any hope of going to the hot springs this
week."
"Ah, Hina wanted to go to the hot springs!!" Hinako whines.
"Well, maybe you can coax Bou-san to get us to wherever the
Genesis Wand is faster," Sakuya gazes on the Staff of Gihan, it now
tucked under the covers of Hinako's bed, the crystal sitting on a
pillow.
"How long does that thing need to recharge?" Nabiki wonders.
"Bou-san said about six hours," Hinako reports.
"Well, you'll probably be able to hot-foot it some of the way,"
Nabiki chuckles, waving to the others. "Come back safe, huh?"
"We will. Have a safe trip," Karen calls back as the middle
Tendou daughter departs, then faces Seiko. "Seiko-san, is
Onii-chan...?"
Seiko's cheeks redden slightly. "He's still keeping an eye on
Ranma, Karen-chan. She took what happened to Amora-chan really
hard."
"Is she going to be alright?" Akane stands.
Sensing the genuine concern burning in the young Avalonian's
heart, the Nendo-kata gives her a reassuring smile. "She's a very
strong person even if she doesn't show it all the time, Akane-san.
And, as I'm sure everyone here'll agree, Darling won't do anything
to her which might hurt her in the future. After what he's been
through, the chances of Darling ever reverting back to the way he was
before Negako-san restored his memories are below zero. Anyhow,
I have to get back to the bridge to help us uncouple from the
'Windrider Dreams,' then get on our way."
She heads off. The sisters watch her go, then gaze on Akane.
Haruka walks over to place a hand on her shoulder. "Akane-chan,
you can't hope to keep pining after Anegimi-sama, especially
after what's happened..."
"I care for Ranma, Haruka-chan," Akane gazes on her with a sad,
tired smile. "Is there some reason I shouldn't care for her?"
"No, there's no reason at all," Sakuya shakes her head, rising
to give Akane's other shoulder a squeeze. "But what your other-self
couldn't ultimately bring herself to accept was that Onee-sama
has the right to decide what she wants to do with her life. Yeah,
that bond Onee-sama has with Onii-sama plays a lot into things,
but I think that if Onee-sama really didn't want to have anything
to do with Onii-sama, she'd say so."
"Then again, what other options would Ane-kun have?" Chikage
asks. "Staying with Akane's family would in essence reinforce
what Genma and Souun tried to force on them for so long. Turning
to Ukyou or Shampoo, much less Kodachi, meant something similar.
And with Nodoka's relatives engaged in their own conspiracies
against Happousai and his heirs..."
"We were the right sort of lucky break Anee needed," Mamoru
smirks.
Some of the others nod. "Well, I'm just going to look in
myself," Akane guides the other girls' hands away from her, then
heads out.
The sisters watch her go. "Do you think...?" Mamoru wonders.
"Hard to tell, but she deserves a chance," Sakuya notes.
"You seem willing to accept her as is, Sakuya-chan,"
Karen notes.
"What about you?" the eldest sister demands.
The others laugh...
* * *
"Hey!"
Akane gasps as the door to the shipmaster's cabin opens,
revealling a content-looking Ataru. "Um..." she quickly feels a lump
form into her throat as she recalls her other-self's words to this
man not twenty-four hours before. "I'm sorry to bother you,
Ataru-san, but..."
"It's alright," he holds up a cautioning finger, then gazes back
into the cabin. Akane looks into the cabin to see Ranma presently
tucked in the bed, a cloth folded on her forehead. "She's asleep
right now, but I think she can use your company in case she wakes
up," he lowers his voice.
Silence falls as Akane stares on the man who had, in effect,
taken her "fiancee" away from her grasp, then an eyebrow arches.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you allowing me a chance to be close to Ranma?"
He blinks, then lightly smiles. "What are your feelings about
her?"
Akane blinks, then takes a deep breath. "I love her."
"Pretty different from your other-self's response last night,
ne?"
Silence falls over them as Akane considers Ataru's words, then
she slowly nods. "That's right. The other me still thought of Ranma
as a boy despite everything Negako-san told her the night
beforehand."
"Yep," he closes the door behind him, then faces her. "Akane,
I won't lie to you. I love Ranma, too. Why shouldn't I love her?"
"But what if Ranma had mentally remained a boy?" she counters.
He moves to retort, then pauses, gazing at the deckhead for a
moment before nodding. "Touche," he gazes on her. "I suppose the
revelations Onee-chan made about how her curse affected her -- I got
them the night I first met Ranma, by the way -- created an open road
for my feelings to evolve in that particular manner. If..." he
shrugs. "If Ranma remained a boy in his mind and soul, I still
would've come to care for him. Adopted brother, new best friend,
maybe even..." his eyebrows wriggle amusedly.
She gives him a look. "Ataru-san, you don't strike me as
bisexual."
"Wouldn't my being that fascinate you?"
"Eh?!"
"Well, I've often heard that a lot of girls' private fantasies
often revolve around two guys being sexual lovers with each other
as well as being lovers with a specific girl," he holds up a finger,
then winks at her. "Just as much as a lot of guys would be really
turned on by seeing two girls go at each other as well as be lovers
with a man. Again, I could be wrong, but that's part of the price
I have to pay for having to deal with the aftereffects of what my
reputation has imposed on my life."
Akane gazes on him slack-jawed, then her cheeks redden. "You're
so much at ease saying things like that, Ataru-san. It..."
"Akane-chan, please don't be that formal with me."
She pauses, then smirks. "A little of Negako-san's influence?"
"Possibly. Then again, I'm more used to 'Ataru-kun' even from
girls who wouldn't come within a cattle-prod's distance of me," he
winks again.
"Not to mention nicer nicknames, eh, Darling?"
Both turn to see Seiko standing a couple metres away.
"'Darling?'" Akane blinks, then gazes on Ataru. "Ataru-kun,
is she really...?"
"In part," he nods. "But if you want the full explanation,
I think you'd best hear it from her directly. Anyhow, Sei-chan,
what is it?"
"We're about to detach from the 'Windrider Dreams,'" Seiko
notes. "Miree-san and the girls'd like you on the bridge."
"Hai, hai!" he moves past Akane, then gazes on her.
"Akane-chan?"
"Hai?" she returns her look.
"Don't push her. She doesn't need it."
Akane nods, then faces the door as Ataru and Seiko head forward.
Opening it, she looks inside to see Ranma sitting up, using the
washcloth to wipe her face down. Closing the door behind her, Akane
remains still as her other-self's ex-fiance finishes her
mini-ablutions, then gazes on her. Akane tenses on sensing the lack
of emotion cross Ranma's face, then she bows her head. Finally,
Ranma seems to relax. "So it's true, eh?"
"Eh?" Akane stares at her.
"'Bout you bein' a replica of Akane created by Hina-chan's
staff?"
"I..." a pause, then, "H-hai."
Ranma remains still, then nods. "Okay. That means I don't have
to kick your ass all over this ship for what the other you did last
night."
Akane winces, then blinks as a grinding sound echoes through
the ship. Ranma gazes to a nearby picture window beside the bed to
see the "Windrider Dreams" seemingly drift away from them. "Guess
we're on our way to get Aria-chan's wand," she grunts, slipping
out of the bed to stare at the Zephyrite battlecruiser. "Hopefully,
it'll go easier this time."
Akane slowly walks up to stand beside Ranma as the "Windrider
Dreams" shrinks in size to a pinpoint of light. Fainter grinding
sounds herald the unfurling of the solar sails which give the
Noukiite scoutship its power. By the time the "Windrider Dreams"
has nearly vanished into the surrounding field of stars, the
"Windrider" lurches under their feet as she is instantly propelled
into warp space. "Here we go..." Ranma grins.
"How fast can we go?" Akane wonders.
"Well, if you're used to the 'Star Trek' way of thinking about
things like that, we're pretty close to infinite speeds," Ranma
replies. "Warp Nine-point-nine-nine and a few more 'nines' after
that, I think."
"Where are we going?"
"According to what Hina-chan got out of the Staff -- Ataru told
me this -- the Genesis Wand's on some artificial planet on the other
side of the galaxy from here. Didn't get too much in the way of
details after that, but no one seems bugged about it, so I guess we
can just relax and enjoy the trip. There's a shortcut to this place,
kinda like the wormhole on 'Deep Space Nine,' so we'll probably
go through that to save time."
"Wow! That'll be so interesting to see!!" Akane shudders.
"Yeah, you can say that," Ranma nods, then stares at her.
Akane blinks, then suppresses a shudder before returning
the other woman's look. They remain silent for a moment, then Akane
takes a deep breath. "Ranma, about last night, I..." she squeezes
her eyes shut.
A finger lands on her lips. "Don't apologize," Ranma shakes
her head as she tilts Akane's head up so they can gaze into the
other's eyes. "What happened last night was the final step in
somethin' that really started when your mom died and your dad fell
apart like he did..."
"He's not my father, Ranma," Akane shakes her head. As Ranma
lowers her hand from the other woman, she adds, "I told
Nabiki-oneechan that the only way that I'd accept being brought
'back' into our family is for Souun to be made roonin in answer to
what he allowed to happen to my other-self. From what
Nabiki-oneechan and Shinshi-oniichan hinted, Kasumi-oneechan'll
probably go for it. Besides, we are selling the house and dojo, so
he'll have nothing to return to once he recovers from what Negako-san
did."
Ranma blinks, then nods. "It's about damned time."
"Tell me what you're feeling."
The redhead blinks, then gazes out into the passing starfield.
"The other you really stepped out of line last night, Akane."
"I know," Akane lowers her eyes.
"Why couldn't she just accept what happened to me?"
An ironic look crosses the bioroid's face. "After all you did
FOR her and TO her? After all you tolerated from her since the day
she walked in on you in the bathtub? After being given a wonderful
human being to have as her future husband, someone whose
contradictions she'd finally come to terms with...?" she closes her
eyes. "Only to have you slam it into her face like you did since
the day you and she almost got married?" Seeing Ranma tense, the
other woman moves to moderate. "No, Ranma, I don't mean to imply
that you're totally at fault here!" she reaches up to squeeze her
shoulder, then sensing Ranma tense, a faint battle aura rising from
her, quickly draws her hand back. "Gomen ne," she lowers her eyes
again.
Ranma gazes at her, then breathes out. "Nah, I should be the
one sayin' 'I'm sorry,' Akane," she turns back to the passing stars.
"All I really wanted in the end was to give yo-..." she pauses,
then shakes her head. "To give her the chance to choose for herself,
finally. I..." she shrugs, her eyes misting. "I wanted her to be
free, Akane. I wanted to give her what she damn hell deserved
after all the crap she'd been through 'cause of Souun and Kasumi
and Nabiki and Kunou and Oyaji and Nodoka and the rest of those
damned twits! And me, too! She deserved the right to choose for
herself what she wanted to do with her life, Akane! And..."
"All you wanted in return was for her to respect the same thing
in you, right?" Akane finishes, moving again to squeeze Ranma's
shoulder.
This time, Ranma squeezes her hand in return. "Yeah."
"I can understand that, especially in light of what Genma did to
you long ago," Akane lightly smiles. "And...! Well, reflecting
on it now that I've had a chance to do that, I can hopefully try to
understand what's pushed you onto this path. You..." she closes
her eyes. "You chose to accept what Chikage-san told you on Promised
Island -- to let Negako-san fully heal you from the Neko-ken
regardless of what Jusenkyou would've ultimately done to you -- as a
way of getting back at Genma -- and yes, Souun and Nodoka, too --
because of what they all did to you, right?"
"Yeah, in part," Ranma admits. "And yeah, hearin' Oyaji finally
dismiss me as neither his son or his daughter..." a cold mask crosses
her face, "...seein' that honourless coward finally BROKEN, finally
BEATEN, finally forced to face up to all he did..." she starts to
quiver, her fists clenching, then she slowly breathes out. "It makes
me wish now that cop hadn't shot the bastard down Sunday night.
Makes me wish I hadn't used the Fire Scythe on him. It would've
been PERFECT to see him rot in jail..."
"Your own other-self didn't agree," Akane reminds her.
Silence falls, then Ranma's head dips. "Yeah, I know..."
"What happened between you and this Elle person, Ranma?"
Ranma hesitates, then seeing the concern deep in Akane's eyes,
nods before giving her a detailed explanation about events belowdecks
when the Rose Queen of planet Elle was Ataru Moroboshi's prisoner.
Akane shudders as an additional description of what the soulsword
does to its targets is made, then she shifts herself to embrace
Ranma from behind as the redhead wipes her eyes clean of shamed
tears. Ranma finishes off with this: "And I FELT her feelings
about Elle when she cut her down, Akane! She..." she shakes her
head, sniffing back fresh tears. "Elle was a COCKROACH to that side
o' me! All because Elle wanted ta marry Ataru, I nearly hauled off
and KILLED HER!!! I..." she reaches up to squeeze Akane's arms.
"Gods, I can't believe I have next to no CONTROL over that part of me
now...!!"
"You'll get it, Ranma!" Akane assures her. "You always succeed
in conquering whatever faces you! You've always had..."
Her voice trails off as Ranma seems to freeze for a moment,
then the redhead deliberately pulls Akane's arms from her. Akane
remains frozen in place as Ranma steps back to the bed, then sits
down. "Ranma...?"
"I never won at anything, Akane."
Akane stares at her. "What...?"
Ranma returns her look. "I was never allowed to win at what
were the really important things, Akane," a pained look crosses
her face. "Yeah, I could whip the tar outta anyone who faced me in a
fight, but since when were fights important? Were they EVER
important in the long run?" she looks nowhere in particular,
then shakes her head. "No..."
"Ranma..."
A pair of very tired blue eyes fall on her. "What did fighting
Kunou do in the long run? Did it make him see that you or I didn't
want anything to do with him? No, of course not. What did fighting
Jijii do in the end? Or the Elder? Or Mousse? Or Ryouga, for
heaven's sake?!" Ranma tucks her legs against herself, wraps her
arms around her legs, then shrugs. "What did all the fights between
us do in the long run, Akane? Nothing good if you ask me," she
sighs. "That's all I really was in the end, Akane."
"And what was that?!" Akane demands.
A wry grin quirks Ranma's lips for a moment. "A sorry excuse
for a human being who was made to just STAND THERE and take all that
damned abuse you all heaped on me since the day I first came to
Nerima," she stares once more on Akane. "And it wasn't just the
physical abuse, Akane. It was all the mental games, too. All the
shit Nabiki did to me. Kasumi acting like she really cared for me
when all I really was to her was the biggest damned disruption
to hit her house since your mom died. All the stabs at my sense of
manhood from Oyaji, Jijii, the Elder...!" her lips twist into a
sneer. "And especially Nodoka!" she spits out, then lays her chin
on her knees.
"Ranma..."
"You want to know something, Akane? I think I realize now where
that other part of me's coming from," Ranma closes her eyes.
"She wants revenge for all the pain and humiliation you've been
put through since Genma took you on that trip," Akane whispers.
"Yeah," Ranma breathes out. "And I just wanted all of it to
end."
"When did you realize this?"
"When I was with Tampopo-chan on my trip after the big blow-up
in the dojo, when I sent all that money to you and found U-chan's
yatai," Ranma replies, then perks as she realizes something.
"Oh, shit! That's right, you don't know Tampopo-chan, do you?!"
she snaps her fingers.
"Sounds like a real friend," Akane moves to sit beside her.
"Yeah," Ranma nods. "Ya know, Souun was kinda right about one
thing. If this whole mess my life was in was to get solved, I had to
be the one to really help solve it. But..." she shrugs. "It was
Tampopo-chan who made me realize that if I didn't break free of this
damned puzzle box everyone else had forced me into, I could NEVER
solve it. I...! I had to finally realize that the mess I was in had
become SO damned big, I had to get outside help ta finally make it
all right. And THAT'S what everyone was so afraid of in the end,
Akane, 'specially Genma, Souun and Nodoka. If I broke free of all
the concepts of honour they forced on me, then everything they held
up as bein' 'right' would've been made worthless in an instant,"
she snaps her fingers in emphasis. "So..." she shifts her hands up
to rest on her knees. "As I was goin' around earning the money I
gave your family, Tampopo-chan convinced me to break free of what
everyone saw me as." A shrug twitches her shoulder. "I did.
And..." she sighs. "It worked."
"You didn't want people to be hurt by it, did you?"
"Iie," Ranma shakes her head. "At first, I wanted to do right
for those who'd suffered because of me. Kasumi and Nabiki were the
easy ones to deal with. And besides, once they had the ability
to finally get out of that damned house and go on to make lives for
themselves, that deprived Souun of weapons he could've used against
me if things between the other you and me fell apart. U-chan
should've been easy, but her dad..." she sneers. "Well, he finally
paid for it. The Amazons were a problem, but my learning what
Jusenkyou should've done to me solved that. But then..."
"Came your parents."
"And Souun. Fortunately, Tampopo-chan and Ataru helped there."
"They couldn't accept it, though."
"Well, I couldn't help them then, ne?"
"Hai, true."
Silence falls as they sit there, then Akane winces on hearing
a faint growl echo from her stomach. "You better go get something
to eat," Ranma's lips twitch into a smile as a blush crosses the
other woman's face.
"I g-guess so," Akane rises, turning to leave.
"Akane?"
"Hai?" she looks back at Ranma.
"I know..." she takes a deep breath, then stares at her. "That
you aren't really responsible for what the other you did last night,
but..."
Akane blinks, then looks down. "Marie-san, you mean?"
"Yeah."
The young bioroid considers that, then nods. "I know."
She steps out of the cabin, closing the door behind her. Ranma
watches her go, then turns back to gaze on the passing stars...
* * *
Later...
"Fascinating..."
Night has finally fallen over Promised Island. Sitting in the
dining room of the rotunda at Welcome House, Kaeru finishes tapping
information into his personal datacomp unit. An opaque,
three-dimensional image of a rebuilt rotunda floats a foot in the air
over the datacomp. As the image shifts to project the various
subsystems needed to keep this habitation livable for his siblings,
the Nagussan engineer nods. "Quite sufficient given the
technological levels this planet possesses," he muses.
Landing his cloaked ship on the back lawn, straddling over the
large swimming pool now empty for the winter, Kaeru had spent the
last two local sub-day temporal units called "hours" exploring
his siblings' habitation to better understand what sort of sentients
they were. That investigation had resulted in the garnishing
of sometimes quite baffling data, especially from their
life-journals, "diaries" as they were called here. Still, the
overall picture forged from that collected data informed the Nagussan
that his relatives here were quite decent sentients, worthy of close
emotional association. Certainly not of the sexual nature, Kaeru
noted after reading his own twin's diary. That simply was seen as
improper here on Earth.
During his explorations, Kaeru noted that his siblings'
habitation was in the midst of structural modifications meant to
create a profound increase in terms of overall living space. Rooms
belonging to Ataru and his new lifemate Ranma, Hinako and Aria were
slated for expansion. A new habitation for Ataru's and Ranma's
adopted offspring Reiko and Kaneko was being installed on the
rotunda's second level over the main entrance. Shirayuki's
and Yotsuba's rooms on the third level were being converted into
multi-room mini-apartments to house several friends of the family,
including Yotsuba's new lifemate Shinshi Tendou. The spare room on
the third floor, beside Rinrin's, was being expanded for several
friends of the family, including a private loft for a woman named
Miree. Yet, much to the Nagussan's surprise, the rooms assigned
to Karen, Sakuya, Kaho, Haruka, Chikage, Marie, Mamoru and Rinrin
were not scheduled for expansion.
Concluding that all his relatives deserved to have expanded
spaces to call their own, Kaeru immediately launched a plan of action
to grant them such. After all, Nagussans believed that, in spite
of the harsh logic which governed their lives, an appropriately
positive show of emotional support was required when walking on
strange shores. It was such a show of emotion, in the form of a
quite successful seduction planned by his mother on her life-mate,
which led to Kouhae and Raikue stumbling on the dying Kaeru Moroboshi
fifteen Terran-standard solar revolutions ago.
Fortunately for his siblings, Kaeru had the means to express
such.
A finger taps a button on the datacomp. "Units Five, Six, Seven
and Eight. Report to me in the dining hall at once," he orders.
Seconds later, four semi-humanoid construction/maintenance
robots float into the rooms. Equipped with multiple manipulator
arms, an anti-gravity air-floatation system to keep them airborne,
microthruster units for manoeuvrability and a very advanced central
processor "brain" to carry out complex tasks without supervision,
the con/maint robots were most often used to help Nagussan engineers
maintain their starship's vital systems. Kaeru had specially
built these four units to assist him and his shipmate Naromo aboard
their home starship, the star cruiser "Ganshiki."
"*Unit Five, reporting as ordered, Master Kaeru.*"
"*Unit Six, reporting as ordered, Master Kaeru.*"
"*Unit Seven, reporting as ordered, Master Kaeru.*"
"*Unit Eight, reporting as ordered, Master Kaeru.*"
"Engage habitation construction/modification
programs," Kaeru orders, indicating the datacomp. "Download all
information about this habitation from the data-compiler here, then
commence the necessary modifications I've indicated to this
habitation. Remember to adhere completely to Terran technological
levels save for what I have indicated. Proceed at once."
"*Compliance,*" the con/maint-bots reply as one, then go to
work.
Kaeru watches them go, then sighs. "Now for that special model
android Rinrin is presently constructing," he muses...
* * *
"SHINOBU!!!!"
"Mom!!!" Shinobu cries out as Kimiki races over to scoop her
into a hug. "S-s-sorry I'm l-late," she sniffs back tears as her
mother nearly smothers her. "You wouldn't b-BELIEVE what happened
at school today!"
Kimiki tearily laughs as she pulls away from her daughter,
giving her a look-over to ensure all was well. She is quick to
notice the flesh-tone dressing covering part of Shinobu's left wrist.
"What happened?!!"
Shinobu blinks, then sighs. "When they came to rescue us,
something happened that caused Elle's ship's warp drive to overload.
The explosion threw us around the brig where they were keeping us.
Fortunately..." she holds up her bandaged hand. "No one was badly
hurt."
"Oh, thank Heaven!!" Kimiki breathes out on sensing Shinobu's
calm acceptance of the situation, then she glances over to see
Ryuunosuke now chatting warmly with Sakiko Izumo. "Ryuu-chan!!"
she waves.
Ryuunosuke looks over, then waves reassuredly as she takes
Sakiko's hand in her own, then walks over to join her guardian
and her best friend. "Hi, Aunt Kimiki!" she warmly embraces
Shinobu's mother, then draws back to link hands again with Sakiko.
"We're all back, safe and sound!"
"So I see," Kimiki looks around the front lawn of Tomobiki
High. It was now crowded with relieved parents loudly greeting
their just-freed children, all of whom were beamed down from the
Zephyrite courier moments ago. "Um, where're Ataru-kun and his
sisters?! Are they okay?"
Shinobu's smile fades, her eyes turning to the ground. "Darling
and his sisters had to go somewhere for a while, Mrs. Miyaki,"
Sakiko explains. "They should be back on Earth by tomorrow afternoon
at the earliest."
Shinobu perks. "Sakiko-chan, do you know where they went?"
The Seishin-turned-Nendo-kata/Terran
shakes her head. "Yes, I do know where they're going, Shinobu-chan,
but I won't tell you."
"Why?!!" Kimiki and Shinobu demand at once.
"Put simply, it's none of your business," Sakiko replies,
shaking her head. "I think Darling's been making that point VERY
clear since that sub-creature Alhamzi blew up the school last week.
Ne?"
Silence falls as the Miyakis gaze on her, then Kimiki's eyes
widen as she realizes something. "Wait! You call him 'Darling'...!"
her voice suddenly stops as it hits her, then she covers her mouth.
"Lum...?!"
"No, Aunt Kimiki, this is Lan," Ryuunosuke smirks, then holds
up a finger. "Sorry. *Part* of Saki-chan used to be Lan. It's a
long story."
Kimiki gazes on the tomboy, then at Shinobu. Seeing the
accepting look on her daughter's face, she crosses her arms. "Why
didn't you tell me about this, Shinobu? You know people would want
to know...!"
"That's why I didn't, Mom," Shinobu returns her look.
"Sakiko-chan and Seiko-chan..." her voice dips low as she glances
around. Fortunately for them, the crowd of parents are too busy
chatting with their children to overhear anything the Miyakis,
Ryuunosuke and Sakiko speak of. "Well, after what they were put
through by the Noukiites, they didn't deserve any more grief from
anyone here, especially after what happened last week."
Kimiki takes that in, then stares at Sakiko. "I see," she
reaches up to rub her forehead. "I think I need this further
explained, Shinobu..."
"Shinobu-chan!!"
Everyone turns as Momoe Marubeya runs up. "What is it,
Momoe-chan?" Shinobu is quick to notice the concerned look on the
other girl's face.
"Have you seen Mie-san anywhere?" Momoe wonders.
"Oh, she stayed behind," Sakiko reports.
Momoe spins on her. "Why?!"
"There was something she wanted to talk to Darling about."
"What about?!" Momoe's eyebrow arches.
"Momoe-chan, that matter's between Mie-chan and Darling,"
Sakiko wags a warning finger at her, then slips an arm around
Ryuunosuke's. "I'm sure if Mie-chan wants to tell you, she'll do it
on her own time. C'mon, Ryuu-chan, let's get you and Shinobu-chan
back home so you can get some sleep!"
"Hai!" Ryuunosuke smirks as they head off.
The Miyakis and Momoe watch them go, then the latter gazes on
her classmate. "Do you know what this is about, Shinobu-chan?"
"Iie," Shinobu shakes her head, then shrugs. "Then again, it's
their way, remember? Violating other people's privacy behind their
back IS a bad thing to do you know. Anyhow, I'm going home. See you
tomorrow!"
Shinobu waves as she guides her mother off the property.
Momoe watches them go, then sighs. "Yeah, that is true, isn't
it...?"
* * *
"Marie-san?"
Marie blinks, looking up from the book in her lap to see Akane
standing at the door leading to her private cabin. "Oh, Akane-chan!"
the younger teen closes the book, then sets it on her nightstand.
"Doozo."
"Hai," Akane closes the door behind her, then sits on the bed
beside Marie. "Um, Marie-san, I..." she begins, then moves to bow
her head.
Unseen by her, Marie does the same. "Akane..."
*CRUNCH!!*
"***ITTE!!!!***"
Both girls jolt, leaning back as their hands instantly dart to
their foreheads. "Oh, gomen, gomen!!" both chant at once, then stop
as their eyes lock with the other's. Silence falls over the scene
for a moment, then a giggle shakes Marie. Akane blinks, then starts
to laugh herself. Soon, both curl into themselves as peals of mirth
fill the room.
Finally, Marie sits up, slipping offer her glasses as she wipes
her eyes clean. "Oh, I'm sorry, Akane-chan! I didn't mean to..."
"It's okay, it's okay!" Akane waves her down. "I should've..."
They stop again before more giggles escape them. Fortunately,
a knock at the door stops them from embarrassing themselves further.
"Hai!" Akane stands, walking over to open the door. "Oh,
Shirayuki-chan...!!"
"Konban wa, Akane-chan, Marie-chan!" Shirayuki marches into the
room with a tray full of piping hot food. "Hime was able to find the
kitchen here and make something for Akane-chan's first meal as an
Avalonian!"
The chef places the tray on Marie's lap, then slips the book off
the nightstand before placing the food there. "Wow!! It's look
good!" Akane's eyes dance over what sits there. "Did you have any
problems making this?"
"Iie desu no!" Shirayuki straightens herself. "Nii-sama
made sure there were lots of food from Earth in the pantry when he
first got his ship. Hime likes that a lot; she doesn't want everyone
to start eating from the replicators! *Bon appetit!*" she waves
before heading out.
Akane watches her go, then stares at the dinner tray. Bowl of
what seemed to be ramen with soft rice cakes cut into it, smaller
bowl of rice sprinkled with parsley and sesame seeds, bread triangles
with butter spread over them, a small ceasar salad and a cup of tea.
"Is this normal?"
"She is pretty proficient, isn't she?" Marie covers her mouth
in a polite laugh, then slips out of bed. "Sit here, Akane-chan."
"Oh, Marie-san, I don't..."
"Iie, it's okay!"
Akane gazes on her, then nods in acquiescence as she sits on the
bed. Marie takes the tray from the nightstand, then after extending
the legs folded against its underside, sits that on the bed beside
her. "Here we go," she slips onto the bed, then takes up the
chopsticks.
Sensing what she has in mind, Akane blushes. "Marie...!"
"Hush! Not a word out of you!!" Marie wags her finger in front
of the other woman, then moves to scoop up some rice. "Now eat!"
"Hai!" Akane drawls, then calls out "Itadakimasu!" before
allowing the younger woman to slip the ball of rice into her mouth.
Marie giggles as Akane shifts herself into a cross-legged
position on the bed, then continues to send food her way. Silence
falls over the scene as the bespectacled teen continues to feed the
newborn bioroid. As she takes in each morsel of food, Akane feels
a faint yet thrilling chill surge through her on sensing Marie's
gaze turn her way. *She's so beautiful...* echoes deep in her mind
after Marie starts feeding her the ramen, then she starts on sensing
her cheeks redden considerably. *Oh, gods, did I just actually
THINK that about another WOMAN?!* she mentally roils.
"Is there something wrong?"
Akane acks, then flusters on noting the concerned look on
Marie's face. "Ah...! Um...! N-no, M-marie-san, n-nothing's
wrong...!!" she sputters, instantly scratching the back of her head.
"N-nothing..."
Marie is quick to sense the embarrassed lie in the other woman's
words, then frowns for a moment as she tries to conceive of what
might make Akane do something like that. Quickly seeing the downturn
in the other woman's lips, Akane pales, a surge of embarrassed
fear instantly crawling up her spine. *Ohshit, ohshit, ohshit,
ohshit, ohshit, ohshit, ohshit, ohshit, ohshit...!* rattles through
her mind at warp speed.
*Akane...?* Marie spots the sallowing in Akane's skin, then she
places the chopsticks on the tray. "Akane-san, please," she gives
the other woman a concerned look. "You can tell me what's wrong.
I..."
"Yourebeautiful."
Marie starts, surprised by the blurted noise. "Eh?"
Akane's cheeks burn bright cherry as her eyes fall on the tray
between them. "I said..." she hoarsely blurts, then gulps to get
some fresh air into her larynx. "That you're beautiful, Marie-san."
Silence.
Marie's eyes widen to the size of saucers as Akane's words sink
in, then she feels her own cheeks burn as the meaning behind those
works surges through her. "A-akane-chan..." she stutters, shying
away from Akane.
"Marie-san, gomen!!" Akane moves to squeeze the other's
shoulder...
...which causes the bed to shift enough to topple the ramen bowl
on the tray, spreading the contents over the rest of the tray and
both girls' laps. "Oh, HELL!!!" Akane bolts to her feet as her hands
move to wipe away some spilled broth and noodles from her pants,
then she grunts on feeling the broth soak through her noukik'eng
to her panties. "Shit...!!"
"Oh, dear," Marie tries to brush the broth from her skirt, then
sighs. "I think in the future, we should eat in the cafeteria,
ne?!"
"Um, y-yeah!" Akane sputters, then looks around. "Where's
the...? Ah!!" she walks over to what appears to be a fair-sized
oven built into the forward bulkhead of the cabin. Pressing a red
button over the door, she calls out, "Computer, scan this space.
Create plain-pattern noukik'eng, plus appropriate undergarments,
for both persons in this room."
"*Working,*" the computer chimes in a high-pitched girl's voice
possessing Reiko's nasal accent. "*Request names of both
occupants.*"
"Speaker's name: Akane Tendou," Akane mimes Reiko's performance
when her first noukik'eng was made. "Translation of name to Noukiite
common tongue, unknown. Other occupant's name: Marie Susumu."
A *ding!* sounds off. "*Identity of occupants confirmed.
Speaker's name in* Nouki-e, *Ei-Tech Yeho-Tech. Other occupant's
name in* Nouki-e, *Ye-Nehek Yech'u-Angsei. Requested garments
now being synthesized.*"
Akane leans back, nodding. "Wonder what the extra stuff in our
names mean," she gazes at Marie, now slipping off her skirt, blouse
and sweater.
"I suppose all we have to do is ask Reiko-chan or Kaneko-chan,"
Marie smiles as she neatly folds her clothes, then lies them on the
end of her bed, ensuring her soaked skirt didn't make more of a mess.
Akane feels her mouth dry up as Marie reaches up to undo the
clasp of her bra. A bra with the clasp up front, the youngest
Tendou gulps as the fabric is pulled away from those...! Those...!
Those...! Oh, no...!
"NO!!!"
Marie spins around to see Akane sitting on the deck, hands
covering her head as she begins to burble incoherently. Gazing on
that heap of quivering young womanhood, the bespectacled teen blinks
several times as she tries to make herself understand what is going
on, then she jolts on hearing the replicator chime off. Setting
her bra aside, Marie heads over to open the door, sparing Akane
frequent glances. The older-looking bioroid remains still, not
daring to look up and find herself gawking like some leering jerk at
Marie's developing yet still womanly body.
Sensing that her companion wouldn't move from that spot until
she was again decent, Marie opens the door, then reaches in to draw
out the two piles of clothing awaiting her within. Noting the
different sizes, Marie carries the clothes to the bed, then sets the
larger pile on the pillow before quickly moving to dress herself.
Akane remains rock-still as Marie makes herself decent, then jolts
as the younger girl touches her. "It's okay now, Akane-chan,"
Marie tries to smile. "Your clothes are ready."
Akane blinks several times as that sinks into her mind, then
looks up, surprising Marie with shamed tears streaming down her
cheeks. "I..." she sniffs, then looks down once more. "Oh, gods,
you must think I'm..."
"What?" Marie prods.
"A PERVERT!!!" Akane snaps, causing Marie to falter back, then
her hand slams down over her mouth before she curls once more on
herself. "I'm sorry..." she hisses through her fingers, then begins
to cry.
Marie stares at her, then blinks as she struggles to make
herself understand what was causing Akane to become so unstrung.
"Akane-chan..."
"...I'm a pervert..." is the only clear words which escape
Akane's lips in the middle of a babble of incoherent sounds.
"Akane-chan..." Marie whispers, then reaches over to pull the
other woman into a warm embrace. "No, no, Akane-chan, you're not a
pervert..."
"...and I called RANMA a pervert...?"
"Shush, Akane-chan! Stop that..."
"I'M the pervert...!"
"Akane-chan..."
"...you're so beautiful, Marie-chan..."
Marie's cheeks instantly heat on hearing that, then her eyes
widen suddenly as it finally hits her. *Akane-chan's...?
Bisexual?!* rants through her head, then her cheeks' darken more as
the implications of THAT sink in. *Oh, dear...* she quickly fights
down the urge to pull herself away from Akane, then she takes a deep
breath. "Akane-chan...?"
Akane's mutterings begin to fade as she feels Marie's fingers
gently thread through her hair, then she shakily pulls her head up so
she could gaze into the other woman's eyes. Beautiful, stormy grey
eyes, their heart-searing beauty enhanced by the round-frame
reading spectacles Marie was forced to wear for her astigmatism.
Eyes that burn with both warm caring and passionate determination.
Eyes which now draw Akane in like a hapless rafter being dragged
over Niagara Falls, unable to pull herself away from no matter how
much she rowed and rowed and rowed...
Marie jolts as she feels Akane's soft lips press against hers,
then her arms automatically wrap tightly around the taller girl's
body. They remain still, then their heads tilt as their mouths open,
Akane's tongue slipping inside, automatically seeking contact with
Marie's. The younger girl's breath catches in her throat, then
sensing that she didn't want this -- This?! What WAS this, anyway?!
-- to end, she wills air to flow through her nostrils to ensure she
didn't die of asphyxiation. Another moment -- an eternity? -- later,
Marie feels herself shifting to a kneeling position as Akane uncurls
herself, their arms automatically shifting to ensure they can't pull
apart, break the kiss which was saying nothing yet everything
between them. Another eternity seems to pass to the young women,
then by some unspoken consent, they pull apart, their eyes locked
on the others as they move to take several deep breaths to calm
themselves.
"Marie..."
"Akane..." Marie shudders as a lost look seems to drift across
the older-looking bioroid's face. Realizing that if something
wasn't done now to bring some control to this situation, Akane could
slip once more into a ball of frightened tears, Marie grimaces.
"Remain right here."
Akane blinks, then slightly nods. "H-hai."
Rising, Marie walks over to lift the tray off the bed. Lying
that by the door, she then draws the soaked blankets and sheets off
the bed. They, along with Marie's clothes, are set in a pile by the
corner of the room opposite the replicator unit. Marie then taps the
intercom unit set up by the door. "Marie to Bridge. Reiko-chan,
are you there?"
"Hai, Auntie Marie!" the young Noukiite calls back. "What is
it?"
"Where're the laundry facilities on this ship? We had an
accident in my room with the ramen Shirayuki-chan made for
Akane-chan."
"Oh, that's no problem! Put everything into the replicator,
then tell it to clean the clothes up. It'll get it done right away."
"Thanks!" Marie smiles.
"Marie-chan, this is Hime," Shirayuki then calls out over the
intercom. "Did you spill some food? Hime can make some more..."
"Iie, it's okay," Marie cuts her off. "Akane-chan wasn't really
that hungry in the first place. I think we'll have something
in the cafeteria later on, maybe an hour or so. Could you come here
and get the plates?"
"Hai desu no!!" the chef chimes back.
Marie clicks off the intercom, then moves to load the soiled
sheets and clothes into the replicator. Akane remains still as the
younger girl cleans up, a quiver shaking her from time to time.
Shirayuki comes by to get the tray back, then is chased off by Marie
before the chef could ask any questions about Akane. The clothes
and sheets soon come back, as good as new. Marie quickly makes her
bed, then sets her Earth clothing on the workdesk at the foot of her
bed. Facing Akane, she pauses as the warm memories of their first
kiss surge through her again, then Marie blushes. *She really finds
me beautiful...?* echoes in her mind as a hand feels her cheek, then
she catches herself before leaning down to grab Akane's arms.
The bioroid doesn't resist as Marie pulls her to her feet, then
guides her to sit on the bed. Seeing Akane's wet cheeks, Marie
sighs, then reaches into her blouse pocket to pull out a
handkerchief. Gently wiping Akane's tears away, Marie stares at the
other woman's face. The lost look etched in her beautiful brown eyes
and delicately flawless skin sends a chill through Marie as her own
painful memories begin to surge forth.
"Papa..."
Marie chokes back a tear as her mind turns back two years...
* * *
"Papa..."
Marie shuddered, tears streaming down her cheeks as her hands
brushed the hollow cheeks of the frail, middle-aged man lying on his
deathbed at the Promised Island Hospital. Despite the small
population this facility was built to directly serve, it is one of
the most advanced primary-level houses of healing in Japan, if not
the world. Those advancements, Marie knew, wouldn't save Junichi
Susumu this day. Just as much as they couldn't save Marie's mother
Chizuru when she was a little girl of four...
"Marie-chan..."
"Papa!" Marie cried as a flash of lucidity burst deep in
Junichi's eyes, she leaning up to gaze into his face. "Papa...?"
Their eyes locked on the other for a moment, then a faint smile
crossed his face. "Marie-chan..." he whispered, then his eyes
closed.
Marie shivered as the equivalent weight of the Moon seemed to
sink on his heart that very moment. "Papa..." she sniffed.
"Marie-chan..." his smile seemed to broaden for a moment. "My
beautiful -- Marie..." the volume of his voice dipped. "How...?"
"Papa...?"
"...could you...? Care for...?" he stiffened for a moment.
"Papa?" Marie paled more as Junichi's voice caught on something,
then she leaned back from him as the strength in his body flowed
out from him like some relentless tide. "Papa...?" Marie sniffed...
* * *
"Papa..."
Marie grimaces as that, one of the most agonizing moments in her
young life, replays in her mind, then her eyes focus fully once more
on the unmoving Akane. A hand reaches up to feel the bioroid's
neck pulse, then Marie breathes out on sensing a strong heart
thumping within Akane's body. "Yokatta," the bespectacled
teen whispers, then leans close to gaze into Akane's dazed eyes.
"Akane-chan, I'm going to undress you now."
No response from the youngest Tendou daughter. Immediately,
Marie's hands pull apart the belt holding Akane's top in place. They
shift up to pull the noukik'eng tunic away from her shoulders,
revealing a white, sleeveless, bodyhugging sports top. Marie
smothers a giggle on remembering Reiko's and Kaneko's wide-eyed
horror when they saw the normal bras Terran women wore under their
shirts and blouses. Noukiites, everyone learned at that time,
considered it VERY scandalous to wear anything which happened to
leave one's spinal ridges exposed. The only time you did THAT, the
sisters soon learned, was when you wanted to be intimate with your
mate.
Of course, Reiko and Kaneko hadn't explained it all; Ataru cut
his daughters off before they got to the 'juicy' details, eliciting
a storm of questions from Hinako until Sakuya dismissed it as "silly
adult stuff."
Once the top is clear, Marie tosses it aside, then pulls off
Akane's soaked trousers and the lycra shorts-like panties which were
considered acceptable by Reiko's people. As the cloth gets clear
of the bioroid's body, Marie winces slightly as a peculiar meaty-like
fragrance tickles her nose. Glancing down at where that scent
presently emanates, Marie's cheeks turn a burning crimson as the true
nature of Akane's feelings -- at least her PHYSICAL reaction -- for
the bespectacled teen fully hits home.
"Oh, my...!"
* * *
"Hey, Nabiki!"
Nabiki blinks, turning to see Ukyou, Shampoo, Kodachi and Mousse
walk up from the general direction of the Nekohanten. Her eyes widen
on seeing Kumiko and Toshiko Saotome presently hanging off the
okonomiyaki chef's and the rhythmic gymnast's arms. Automatically,
she concentrates, reaching out empathically to sense what is
happening. Quickly discovering the growing emotional attraction
from the mirror-twins to two of their brother-turned-sister's
would-be lifemates, Nabiki nods, then waves back. "Yo, guys!!"
"We hear kidnapped students from loony-loony school in Tomobiki
get back home sometime ago," Shampoo reports. "Did Nabiki find Stick
Boy?"
"Yes, where IS my brother, Nabiki-san?" Kodachi adds. "The
charming fellows who so worshipped the ground your late sister walked
on still stand ready to thrash him for his part in Akane-san's
tragic demise."
"Well, I had to break their bubbles, but Kunou-chan isn't coming
back for a while yet," Nabiki opens the gates to allow the others
to enter the Tendou courtyard. "You wouldn't BELIEVE what sort of
impression he made with the lovely ladies of the Royal Ellsian Navy
when he accidentally was made their *guest* earlier on today," she
guides them to the sitting room.
"Ah, we have guests! Konban wa!!" as sure as the sun rising
in the morning, Kasumi is already there to greet them, then waves
them inside.
"Hi, Kasumi-chan...! Eh?!" Ukyou's voice stops on seeing the
dark-haired girl in the flower-print blouse and black slacks, then
she catches herself. "Oh, damn!! Hi there, Kimiko-chan! For a
second there...!"
"You thought I was Akane," Kimiko covers her mouth in a polite
laugh, then reaches over to hold Hikaru Gosunkugi's hand. "Please,
Ukyou-sama, given what just happened last night, it's an
understandable mistake."
"Hey, girl, don't be so formal!" Ukyou laughs as the others
take their places around the table, Kasumi and Mousse heading into
the kitchen to prepare more tea. "Hey, Gos, what're you doing to
her, anyway?!"
"She's been that formal with me since we first met on Monday
morning, Kuonji-san," Hikaru blushes, rubbing the back of his head.
"So Spooky Boy finally have dream come true, eh?!" Shampoo
smirks.
The would-be voodoo sorcerer pauses, then sighs. "No,
Shampoo-san, I got something better than a mere dream with me right
now," he replies, then stares at Kimiko. "Right beside me is someone
who's been just as alone, just as misunderstood, as I've been since
who knows when. We..."
"Hikaru-kun's been so often disappointed by his attempts to even
gain a minute amount of notice from Akane, our coming together
has literally left him speechless," Kimiko leans over to kiss the tip
of his nose.
Hikaru nearly swoons with delight at that simple touch, a bright
aura of pure love radiating from him. "Geez, Gos, turn it down,
willya?!" Ukyou cries out as everyone else covers their eyes.
"That's WAY too bright!"
The would-be sorcerer catches himself, then relaxes. "Ah...!"
he flusters, then stammers out, "G-g-gomen! I didn't mean to...!!"
The kitchen door opens. "I think they understand, Hikaru-kun,"
Kasumi chuckles as she comes in with a tea tray, Mousse bringing
in some cutlery plus all the fixings. Setting that on the table,
the Tendou matriarch and the nearsighted weapons-master quickly
serve everyone, then the former turns once more to her adopted
sister's new boyfriend. "Now that everyone's here...!" she then
catches herself. "Oh my, Nabiki!" she glances around the room.
"Where on Earth's Shinshi-chan?!"
"Where do you think, Onee-chan?" Nabiki smirks, winking.
"Didn't they come back?" Kumiko wonders.
"Iie," the middle daughter shakes her head. "Right after
everyone was sent home, Ataru-kun took his ship out to find this
'Genesis Wand' for Aria-chan. They'll probably be back by tomorrow
after lunch."
"And your new brother decided to stay with his girl, right?"
Toshiko smiles as she takes up her tea cup, then sips.
"Yep," Nabiki nods. "So what's this all about, Onee-chan?"
Kasumi nods, then gazes on Hikaru. "Hikaru-kun?"
"Hai," the would-be sorcerer straightens himself, then bows
formally to his host. "Tendou-hime, in light of meeting your adopted
sister Kimiko, having to come to befriend her, care for her and
respect her as a separate entity from your late sister Akane, I
humbly ask for your permission to formally court Kimiko-chan..."
a pause, "...for her hand in marriage."
Kasumi blushes, then gazes on Kimiko. "Kimiko-chan,
despite the very short time you've know him, do you desire to
reciprocate his feelings for you, then when the time is right, accept
his proposal for marriage?"
"Hai, Onee-sama, I do," Kimiko bows her head.
The eldest daughter nods, then gazes on Nabiki. Seeing the
middle daughter also give an approving nod, she clears her throat.
"Very well, then. Since you both clearly do like each other and
desire to go through with this, I will not object. You have our
blessings and our hopes, Hikaru-kun, Kimiko-chan. I..." she pauses,
"...just hope that Akane-chan's passing won't make her would-be
suitors decide to shift the object of their fixation onto you,
Kimiko-chan. That's something you DON'T need."
"I've already spoken to Moroboshi-shihan about taking up
training in her family Art to ensure that both Hikaru-kun and myself
will not suffer in case another Kunou -- no offense, Kodachi-san
-- comes along," Kimiko nods.
"None taken, Kimiko-san," Kodachi smiles.
"Pity we couldn't have you come to the Island with us when we
move there ourselves, Gos," Ukyou notes. "Much that the guys at
school really did try to redeem themselves when it came to what
happened to Akane, I've got this funny feeling that they're just
waiting for the chance to lock their sights on another poor girl,
then it starts all over again."
"U-chan's got a point," Kumiko sips her tea, then gazes on
Hikaru. "Ne, Hikaru-kun, would you want to come to Promised Island?"
"Me?!" Hikaru eeps, then gazes on the table before them for a
minute as he considers the question. Taking a deep breath, he then
nods. "Hai, Kumiko-san, I'd love to go there. But given my
interests, I strongly doubt that Chikage-san's grandfather would ever
accept me as an apprentice."
"What about clan-sister Chikage?" Shampoo blinks.
"I take it you've never heard of Ryuuji Hirosaki, Shampoo-san,"
the would-be sorcerer returns the warrior-maiden's look.
"Should we know him?" Nabiki asks.
"In the realms of elemental magic, mana-life studies, paranormal
social studies and other such disciplines, Elder Ryuuji's name is
very prominent," Hikaru explains, then glances at Kasumi. "I know
that your friend Ono-sensei studied under him while he was off on
sabbatical, Kasumi-san. He can probably tell you a lot more about
Elder Ryuuji if you want."
"You know all that, Hikaru?" Nabiki's eyebrows wriggle.
Kimiko sighs on sensing her boyfriend tense from Nabiki's
"curious as a very hungry great white shark" look. "Onee-sama..."
Kasumi joins in. "Nabiki-chan..."
Nabiki winces. "It's easy for someone like me to take in what
others might not notice," Hikaru rubs the back of his head. "After
all, very few people notice me on normal occasions, so..." he shrugs.
"Shampoo ask Hibaa-chan about clan-sister Chikage's
grandfather," Shampoo chimes in. "Even if clan-sister Chikage's
family all right, Kimiko's family hurt because of what happen to
Akane because of stupid Lost Boy. Shampoo no want to see more hurt
come in case something happen to Spoo-..." she catches herself,
then blushes. "To Hikaru, that is."
Hikaru flusters. "Arigatou..."
"Speaking of Akane, there's something you all have to know."
Eyes turn to Nabiki. "Something wrong, sugar?" Ukyou asks.
The middle Tendou daughter takes a deep breath, then gazes on
the others in the room. "What I'm about to tell you guys, I would
STRONGLY desire not leave this room. At least until after we've
moved to Promised Island," she begins, the glint in her eyes
promising a lot of pain if those outside her family defied her.
"Because the very instant Akane-chan went to be with Mom,
Hinako-chan's staff allowed something else to happen."
Everyone gulps. "That being?" Kasumi asks...
* * *
"Nee-sama?"
"Huh?!" Ranma looks up from performing her stretching exercises,
then smiles. "Hey, Shirayuki-chan, what's up?" she waves the chef
in, then tenses on seeing the concerned look on her face. "Something
wrong?"
"Hime's sorry for bothering Nee-sama, but Hime thinks
something's really wrong with Akane-chan," Shirayuki reports.
"Akane?!" Ranma starts, then crosses her arms. "What do you
mean?"
"Well, Hime's not sure, but when Marie-chan called Hime to tell
her about some spilled ramen Hime made for Akane-chan, Akane-chan
was curled up on the floor of Marie-chan's cabin," the chef explains.
"Hime tried to ask Marie-chan what was wrong, but Marie-chan
shooed Hime away. Hime..." she looks down. "Hime's worried about
Akane-chan, Nee-sama. If something bad happens to Akane-chan,
it'll hurt Hinako-chan and Marie-chan..."
"Gotcha," Ranma's hand lands on Shirayuki's shoulder, then she
gives the younger girl a reassuring squeeze. "I'll go check it out."
The chef breathes out. "Nee-sama, arigatou desu no!"
Ranma heads out...
* * *
Kasumi is ashen-faced. "Akane-chan...!"
"Hinako-chan's staff made a replica of Akane?!" Ukyou demands.
"Hai!" Nabiki nods. "It was totally automatic, by the way.
Chikage was the first to find out, then Hinako-chan got told. She
sends her apologies for not telling us this when it happened,
by the way."
Silence falls over the room as the others consider Nabiki's
words, then Shampoo asks, "How different new Akane is from old Akane,
Nabiki?"
"For starters, she's a lot more calmer," Nabiki wryly chuckles,
then bites her lip as she considers her next words. "From what I
could sense from her, she wants to basically pick up where her
template left off last night. Ataru-kun says it's quite easy to do
with the help of his friends in the Men in Black. If..." she gazes
on Kasumi, "...you agree to welcome her into the family AS Akane,
I can just go to the school tomorrow and get her student records
so we can send them to Stargazer West College. Toofuu-sensei
won't need to fill out her death certificate. Anything which might
be seen as *embarrassing* can be dealt with by the MiBs. No one in
Nerima won't have to learn about this if we don't want them to,
Onee-chan."
Eyes lock on the Tendou matriarch. "I see," she quietly
whispers, then stares at Nabiki. "And this happened without any
influence by Hinako-chan or anyone else, Nabiki-chan? It was a total
surprise...?"
"Hai, it was," Nabiki nods. "Hinako-chan yelled at the Staff
for doing that without telling her." A pause, then, "Near as I can
figure all this out, the Staff did it because it sensed how badly
Hinako-chan was hurt because of what the original Akane pulled last
night. I..." she shrugs. "Well, I can understand that. She IS only
eight years old."
"True," Kasumi frowns, then closes her eyes. "What do you
think?"
Nabiki smiles. "Let her in. In all effect, Onee-chan,
this IS our sister brought back to life. If we toss her into the
streets...?"
"Hai, I understand. Kimiko-chan?"
Akane's double blinks, then sighs. "Onee-sama, the Staff of
Gihan was the device used to create my new body at Moroboshi-shihan's
and Miree-sama's instigation," she points to herself. "It would be
dishonourable for me to question the Staff's decisions after learning
that."
"I see," Kasumi nods. "I assume Shinshi-chan's all for this."
"Hai, he is," Nabiki nods.
"And did Akane-chan make any sort of demand...?"
"One suggestion, which I strongly agree to," Nabiki raises a
finger.
"That being?"
"Souun is to be made roonin."
Silence falls, the Japanese in the room paling as the
implications of what Nabiki said sink in. Shampoo blinks, then tilts
her head as Mousse gives her a quick explanation in Mandarin.
"I see," Kasumi nods...
* * *
"Hey, Akane, Marie-chan! You guys in there?!"
Ranma knocks a couple times on the door, then steps back. The
door opens a moment later to reveal a madly blushing Marie. "Oh,
Aneue-sama!" she catches herself before glancing behind her. "Um,
we're..."
"Is Akane alright?" Ranma gently prods.
Before she could respond, the bespectacled teen jolts on hearing
Akane painfully moan, "Ranma...! Marie...!"
Ranma tenses, then pushes the door open to gaze on a panting
Akane now on the bed, her hands gripping the sheets on her bed as her
body twists and writhes from the torrent of conflicting information
pounding down the doors to her brain's pleasure centre. "What the
HELL?!!" Ranma cries out, then kneels beside Akane, a hand
automatically reaching for her forehead.
"ANEUE-SAMA, DON'T...!!!" Marie screams out.
Too late. As soon as Ranma's hand makes contact, Akane's eyes
snap open, they automatically focusing on the redhead like the
Terminator locking onto Sarah Connor. Before she could realize
the potential danger, Ranma is knocked onto her backside by Akane's
tackle, the Avalonian pinning her template's ex-fiancee to the deck.
"AKANE, WHAT THE HELL ARE YO-...?!! MMMFTH!!!" Ranma's voice is cut
off as Akane gives her the mother of all French kisses, she pressing
her body hard into the smaller woman's.
"AKANE!!! GET OFF HER!!!" Marie moves to yank Akane off.
Unfortunately, the younger woman's strength is nowhere close
to what is needed to yank a VERY amorous Avalonian from her intended
target. "Oh, Ranma, Ranma-chan! I love you! I love you so much!!"
Akane croons as she peppers Ranma's face with wet kisses, then
squeezes her body even further against the redhead. "Ranma-chan,
you love me, don't you?!"
"Awk...! Aka-..." Ranma pants. "Need ta breathe...!!"
Her voice is cut off again by Akane's lips reintroducing
themselves to her own. "Akane, get OFF her!!" Marie grabs Akane by
the shoulders, then throws her whole weight into prying the Avalonian
clear.
No effect. "Ranma-chan, you love me, don't you?!!" Akane whines
as she pulls away to gaze deeply into Ranma's eyes. "After all, I
love you!! You love me, don't you, Ranma-chan?!!" she nearly crushes
Ranma with a hug.
Ranma groans, then blinks as the tip of what appears to be a jou
hits the back of Akane's neck just below her hairline. The bioroid
gasps as she feels the strength in her body fade, then she slumps
unconscious against Ranma. Once there is no resistance, Marie
quickly pries Akane off her soon-to-be sister-in-law, allowing
the bioroid to flop onto her back. Once free of that crushing
weight, Ranma sits up, then notices Chikage's hand hovering before
her. "It appears I was just in time, Ane-kun."
"Th-thanks...!" Ranma pants as she allows the sorceress to boost
her to her feet, then taking another deep breath to replenish
her body's oxygen supply, gazes on Marie. "What made her do THAT,
for heaven's sake?!"
If Marie's cheeks could redden even more, they would. "Gomen
nasai, Aneue-sama, but..." she glances at the slumped form by her
feet. "It seems that Akane-chan, um..." her voice halts as she tries
to muster the courage to admit something as personal as THAT to the
martial artist.
Chikage, fortunately, has no such inhibition. "It appears
that Akane has just discovered her bisexuality, Ane-kun," she lightly
smirks.
Marie gasps. "CHIKAGE!!! How can you say something like
that?!"
Ranma turns on the sorceress. "Huh?!" she blinks, then it sinks
in. "Oh, you mean that Akane's attracted to both girls and guys,
right?!"
"To be more specific, Akane's body is geared in such a way that
she will not take notice of the difference between men and women if
she comes into the presence of someone she would consider desirable
in a sexual or emotionally intimate manner. All Avalonians are like
this. Miree feels it. So do Jonna and Orin. As do Himiko and
Mikiko. The same with Shinshi and Nabiki. And Akane," Chikage
nods to the slumbering girl on the deck.
Marie tries to hide her mounting embarrassment as the
implications behind Chikage's words sink in. Ranma remains calm as
she absorbs the sorceress' words, then she gazes on Akane. "So
she...?" she then glances briefly at Marie. Noting her
embarrassment, Ranma does something one might not really expect of
someone like her: tactfully keeping her mouth shut. "Right,"
she nods, leaning down to scoop the bioroid from the floor.
Laying Akane on the bed, Ranma stares at her, then Marie. The
younger woman's cheeks still burn brightly, her eyes flicking to and
away from the bioroid who had, unbeknownst to Ranma, given Marie her
first real lover's kiss. Glancing once more at Akane, Ranma takes
a deep breath. *You asked her to keep watch on Marie-chan,
Saotome,* a snide voice in her head warns. *Even if Akane said she
understood that, that still helped made this situation possible.
You have to do something about it.*
"Right..."
"Aneue-sama?"
Ranma glances at Marie. "Marie-chan, let me talk to Akane,
okay?" she reaches over to squeeze the latter's shoulder in
reassurance. "You look like you need to take a little walk and get
some fresh air."
"I...!" Marie's voice stutters, then she nods. "H-hai!"
Chikage guides her sister out of the room, then flashes Ranma
a warning look before following. Once the door closes behind the
sisters, the redhead takes a deep breath, then kneels beside Akane.
"Hey, Akane," she taps the bioroid's forehead. "You in there?!
Hey! Akane!!"
Akane starts, then gazes confusedly around the room before her
eyes fall on the welcome sight to her right. "Ranma...?" she gulps,
then her cheeks flame as her memory catches up with the rest of her
brain. "Oh..." she bolts to a sitting position, her hands clapping
her cheeks. "I...!!"
Ranma sighs, then sits on the bed beside her. "You okay?"
"I..." Akane shudders, then tears appear in her eyes. "I...!"
she chokes back a sob, then hugs herself. "No, I can't be this
way..."
"Can't be what way?" Ranma gently prods.
"I...! I...!" Akane quakes, then screams out, "NO!!! I'M NOT
A PERVERT!!! I CAN'T BE ATTRACTED TO MARIE-CHAN!!! NO, please..."
her voice fades as her hands cover her face. "No, please, please..."
"Hey!!" Ranma firmly grasps her shoulders, then shakes the
bioroid hard. "C'mon, Akane, you're better than this!! Snap out of
it!"
Akane gargles as her body sways with Ranma's shoving, then she
stares wide-eyed at the redhead. "I'm not a pervert, am I, Ranma?"
Ranma blinks, her heart nearly breaking on hearing the painful
plea in Akane's voice, then she draws the bioroid into a comforting
embrace. "No, Akane, you're not a pervert. You're nowhere close,
okay?"
Akane remains still as her body absorbs the warmth of Ranma's
body against hers, then she allows herself to sink further into the
redhead's embrace. "I...!" she shakes her head. "I...! I don't
understand it! I just l-l-LOOKED at her! Just once! And I...!"
she squeezes her eyes shut. "Oh, gods, she's so BEAUTIFUL!!
I...! N-no!" she shakes her head again. "I'm not a pervert!!
I'm not a pervert!! I don't want to be a pervert!!" she pulls
herself away from Ranma, then covers her face. "Please...!"
"***AKANE!!!!***"
Akane jolts, staring wide-eyed at Ranma. The annoyance on the
redhead's face is quite obvious for the bioroid to see.
"R-r-Ranma..."
Ranma sighs. Ever since the day she first met the original
Akane, she could never bring herself to do what she now had to do if
she was to help the poor girl through this point in her life: firmly
force the youngest Tendou daughter into changing a deeply-imbedded
impression she always held when it came to her view of life in
general. All previous attempts Ranma had made were effectively
sabotaged thanks to a tidal wave of outside influences, mostly
Genma's, rendered ultimately useless when Akane lost control of her
temper, then closed the argument with her fist, Mallet-sama
or any other conveniently large and hard object at hand. At this
time, Akane didn't have the emotional support base her other-self
could call on. And it hurt her badly. And if things went really
wrong, Ranma grimly knew, Akane wouldn't be the only one to suffer
from this.
Very well, then...
"Akane-chan..." -- *Wait! Make it a little more personal!*
Ranma mentally rails, then she starts again -- "A-chan, do you trust
me?"
Akane's eyes widen on hearing Ranma call her *that,* then she
steels herself, a surge of new resolve roaring up her spine. "Yes,
Ranm-..." she catches herself, then smiles. "Yes, Ran-chan, I trust
you."
"Okay," Ranma nods. "A-chan, first thing: you are NOT a
pervert. Do you understand what I just said? Do you trust me in
telling you that?"
Akane blinks, then shudders. "I...!" she closes her eyes,
shamed tears flowing down her cheeks. "I don't know, Ran-chan.
I w-w-WANT to trust you, but I...!" she shakes her head. "I can't
believe that..."
"Alright, then," Ranma sighs. "Tell me this, then: what is
YOUR definition of a pervert?" she points to Akane's heart.
"I...! W-well..." Akane stutters, then a lost look crosses
her face for a moment before she stares at Ranma. "I'm n-not
sure..."
The redhead considers that, then nods, gently rubbing one of
Akane's shoulders. "Alright, I think I can understand why you'd say
that. Now, A-chan, tell me this: what exactly ARE you? Be honest
now, okay!"
Akane blinks, then nods. "I'm a bioroid. I'm a mental and
physical replica of Akane Tendou that was created late last night
by the Staff of Gihan when my template, the real Akane Tendou,
allowed herself to pass into the Te'a on contacting the departed
spirit of her mother Kimiko."
Ranma whistles. "Wow, I'm impressed!" she chuckles, then nods.
"Okay, now tell me this, A-chan: what SORT of bioroid are you?"
"I'm an Avalonian, Ran-chan."
"So what does being an Avalonian mean, A-chan?"
Akane stares at her questioner, then her eyes focus on herself
as she considers how to answer here. "W-well, Avalonians are
genetically related to a long-dead race known as the Sagussans.
Um, the Staff told me this, by the way..." her voice trails off, then
she nods. "I know I can live for about eight hundred to a thousand
years. I've got all these neat psionic powers now. I'm empathic
and telepathic, but my telepathy works best by touching another
person, like the Vulcans on 'Star Trek' do. But..." she pauses
again. "But when I was given this body, the Staff...! Well, I guess
*told* me that all Avalonians adhere to very strong standards
when it comes to using those powers. I...!" she bites her lip, then
takes a deep breath. "I can't just *force* myself into using my
powers on someone else, Ran-chan. It's not right to invade a
person's mind like that."
"Would you force yourself on me?" Ranma asks.
"I..." Akane blinks, then she rapidly shakes her head.
"N-n-NO!!! I couldn't do that to you, Ran-chan!! I love you! I
can't do that to you!!"
"Okay, then," Ranma reaches out with both hands to squeeze
the bioroid's shoulders. "Now, forget about me for a second.
There's another thing about Avalonians you haven't told me about,
A-chan. What is it?"
Akane blinks, then shudders as a clouded look crosses her face.
"I..." she rasps, then gulps before muttering something incoherent.
"What?" Ranma gently prods.
Akane bites her lip, then mutters, "Imbisexual..."
A pause, then, "A little louder, please."
Akane blinks, then sighs. "I'm bisexual."
The redhead nods, drawing back her hands, then she reaches
down to hold Akane's hands in her own. "Alright. I'm sorry I had to
force you into saying that, A-chan. No matter what, I just don't
like doing that to anyone I care for. And you're one of them,
A-chan. Never forget that."
Akane gazes on her. "Really...?"
"Hai," Ranma nods.
The bioroid blinks, then a celestial smile crosses her face.
"Oh, Ran-chan!!" she reaches over to swamp Ranma with an embrace.
They remain still for a moment, then pull apart. "Okay," Ranma
returns to holding Akane's hand. "Now that you've finally admitted
that, I want you to tell me this, A-chan: how many Avalonians
are aboard this ship now and tell me who they are. Can you do that
for me?"
"H-hai," Akane nods, then closes her eyes as she empathically
reaches out. A moment later, her eyes open again. "I count..."
her voice halts for a moment, then she exhales. "There're eleven,
including me. Miree-san and her daughters. Those two girls from
Tomobiki. Shinshi-oniichan. And those four girls who came with
Seiko-san. Um..." she pauses. "There's someone else here, too.
That other girl from Tomobiki, the one who was captured with the
sisters and Ataru-kun's old classmates..."
"Mie-san's not an Avalonian, I think," Ranma shakes her head.
"Her base chi signature's a little different than the rest of you.
Okay," she takes a deep breath. "Now, we've got eleven Avalonians
aboard. All of them are bisexual, just like you are. Now, do you
see Miree-san or any of them wanting to make the moves on anyone
else, A-chan?"
"Um...! Ah, n-no...!" Akane then catches herself, a blush
crossing her face. "W-well, except O-onii-chan!" she stutters,
then claps her cheek with her hand. "Every time he looks at
Y-yotsuba-chan...!!"
"Do you think that's perverted?" Ranma wonders.
"NO!!!" Akane shakes her head. "No, of course not, Ran-chan!!"
she asserts, then sighs. "W-well, I do think it is a little odd!
There IS a bit of an age difference between them, after all!!
And..."
"Well, I once heard that girls like older guys."
"Eh?! Who told you that?"
"Negako. When I was training with her in Sanctuary."
"Oh..." Akane's voice trails off, then her eyes turn to her lap.
"R-ran-chan, please, wh-what are you trying to tell me?"
"Do you want to hear it flat out, A-chan?"
Akane blinks, then nods. "Hai."
"Alright, then," Ranma takes a deep breath. "A-chan, the only
real on-hand knowledge you've got concerning sex and all that comes
from the other you, your template. Look what happened to her.
Instant she got to high school, she caught the attention of that
nutcase Kunou. Because the school happened to be run by Kunou's
father, the slimebag could pretty well do whatever he wanted. No one
had the guts to stop him. So he starts up with that 'beat Akane to
date her' crap. And that made her come to believe that all boys
around are perverts. The only one she didn't classify as that was
Doc Toofuu because he always treated her so kindly.
"And what's worse, no one in her family tried to persuade
Akane to believe otherwise. Why? Well, Souun was a lazy asshole
who just couldn't bring himself to be a proper parent to Akane,
especially when Akane was still hurtin' like hell because of her
mom's death. And Akane wasn't the only one, by the way. Kasumi
went and hid all her pain behind that damned 'All's right with the
world' attitude of hers. Nabiki decided the world'd be damned and
she'd do anything to prevent people from hurtin' her like that again.
So she encouraged Kunou to press on further just to milk the
son-of-a-bitch of his money to keep the dojo over everyone's
head, not bothering to stop and realize what she was doing to her own
sister!
"And then..."
"You came."
Ranma focuses on Akane. A sad smile is etched on the latter's
face. "Yeah, I came," the former nods. "And thanks to my
embarrassment at being turned into a 'weak girl' thanks to Jusenkyou,
my total lack of ANY sort of understanding when it came to dealing
with girls, plus how useless Oyaji was when it came to dealing with
all that, everything went to hell between us the instant the other
you walked in on me in the furo." She pauses, then sighs. "A-chan,
did you know that I didn't understand at first what you -- the other
you -- meant when you started calling me a 'pervert?'"
Akane blinks, then sighs. "Well, now I do, now that I know
about how little you knew about things like that when you came to the
house..."
"Yeah, that's right," Ranma nods. "I didn't have any sort of
clue about that until the day Jijii came and you called him a
'pervert.' Even then, it confused me. I didn't steal underwear
despite all the times Jijii tried to shift the blame onto me for all
his panty-raids. I didn't try to grope girls like Jijii did -- and
after he groped me a few times, I sure as hell DIDN'T want to do that
to anyone else! And the times I had to deal with Hinako-sensei
don't count since I was after the shiatsu points to control her
powers. Which happened to be around her left breast."
"Typical Happousai," Akane shakes her head.
"Yeah," Ranma nods.
A worried look then crosses the bioroid's face. "But what does
all this have to do with what happened between Marie-san and I,
Ran-chan?"
Silence as the redhead considers her answer, then she takes a
deep breath before gazing into the bioroid's eyes. "A-chan, did any
of the girls at school call the other you a 'lesbian' or a 'dyke'
when she was beating up Kunou and the Horde, shouting 'I hate boys'
and all that?"
Akane blinks, then shudders as faint echoes of whispered
girls' voices start sounding off deep in her mind. "I...!" she
stutters, then squeezes her eyes shut. "I...! Well, I...!" she
takes a deep breath.
"I take that as a 'yes,'" Ranma closes her eyes, then gently
shifts Akane's head up so they could gaze on each other. Thumbs
stroke away the tears from the bioroid's eyes, then Ranma kisses
Akane's forehead. "It's okay, A-chan. It's okay. Those words don't
mean anything to you now."
"B-but..."
"A-chan, what are you?"
Akane stops, then gently exhales. "I'm bi."
"Which means?"
"I can be sexually attracted to both boys and girls."
"Which means?"
Silence.
"A-chan?"
More silence.
"I...!" Akane nearly chokes on a big lump in her throat, then
she stares mistily at Ranma. "I'm very attracted to Marie-san."
Ranma lightly nods. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"Are you kidding me?!" the bioroid snaps, then hugs herself.
"It was awful, Ran-chan. I..." she closes her eyes. "I w-watched
Marie-s-san as she started to undress after we got soaked from the
ramen and I...!" a pause as her tongue traces over her lower lip,
then, "Gods, it was like every thought in my mind just
short-circuited, Ran-chan! Every other thing I could've thought
of at the time, I COULDN'T BRING IT UP!!! All I could think of at
that moment was Marie-san! H-how b-beautiful she was! Every
luscious curve on her body, her butt, her breasts -- oh, Buddha,
you just can't BELIEVE how I felt about that! -- her...!" her hands
land over her face. "Oh, gods, please, PLEASE, Ran-chan, don't make
me say it!!"
Ranma nearly falls off the bed laughing, then on seeing a very
hurt look cross Akane's face, catches herself before giving the
bioroid another reassuring embrace. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!" she
pats Akane's back, then gazes amusedly at her. "Gods, that's the
first time I've seen you panic like that, A-chan!! I...! Oh, I'm
sorry!!" she wipes her eyes.
"This isn't funny, Ran-chan!" Akane snaps.
"I...!" Ranma takes a deep breath, then gives Akane's shoulders
a new squeeze. "No, A-chan. What this is..." she pauses, then
reaches down to hold the bioroid's hands in her own. "Is you REALLY
breaking free of what the old you pretty much forced on you through
her memories, A-chan."
Silence.
"Breaking free...?"
"Yeah," Ranma nods. "A-chan, if she was confronted with what
you just had to face down now, how would the other you react?"
"I..." Akane blinks, then sighs. "She'd get very frustrated.
And scared, too. She'd look for some way to vent it out. Maybe hope
you'd say something wrong so she could hit you. Or if you weren't
around, she might have taken it out on Kunou or gone into the dojo
to break some bricks." She then shrugs. "Maybe even hope P-chan
might come around so she could tell him what happened." A wry grin
crosses her face. "Of course, that would've been just as bad because
Ryouga-kun might've just turned around and blamed the whole thing
on you, then..." she shakes her head. "In the end, I don't think
she would've dealt with something like that very well."
"So how are you dealing with it?"
Akane stares at her, then breathes out. "I'm not feeling
frustrated or scared. I'm really embarrassed and surprised by it
all, but now...? I..." she then hugs herself. "I just hope
Marie-san's feelings didn't get hurt, Ran-chan. Heaven only knows,
she's been hurt enough..."
"More than you can imagine."
"Eh?"
Ranma catches herself, then shakes her head. "Don't worry about
it, A-chan," she pats the bioroid's shoulder, then sighs. "So tell
me this: would you want to pursue a relationship with Marie-chan?"
"I...!" Akane's eyes go very wide, then she rapidly shakes her
head. "WHAT?!! NO!!! Ran-chan, I couldn't do something like THAT
to her!!!"
* * *
"Chikage-chan, wh-why's she s-saying that...?"
Marie and Chikage now relax in the cabin reserved for the
latter, located two doors aft from Marie's cabin. The sorceress'
crystal ball sits between the sisters, it now projecting an image
of Akane and Ranma. Thanks to a stealthy eavesdropping spell, Marie
had been able to overhear almost everything her future sister-in-law
and her would-be lifemate had spoken of. "Listen to her answer,
Marie," Chikage shushes her.
RANMA: Why?
AKANE: Ran-chan, I just COULDN'T do that to her!!
RANMA: WHY, A-chan?! You said you're attracted to her...!
AKANE: But that's not normal for HER, Ran-chan!!
Throwing up her hands, Akane stands up, then walks to the cabin
window, gazing on the passing starfield.
AKANE: Ran-chan, I...
A pause.
AKANE: Yes, I'm attracted to her. If we became l-l-...!
Another pause.
AKANE: If we became *lovers,* I...! I'd enjoy it very much!!
"Akane-chan!" Marie's cheeks brighten.
AKANE: But is that the way SHE is?! I can't impose myself on her,
Ran-chan! I hardly know her, for heaven's sake! And what happens
if people around her -- Her friends?! Her FAMILY even?! -- notice?
Will they start calling Marie-san a LESBIAN, Ran-chan?! That hurt
m-me...! The OTHER me so much, Ran-chan! I don't want to put
Marie-san through that!!
RANMA: A-chan, I don't think the girls would treat Marie-chan
like THAT!
AKANE: Still...
"Akane-chan..."
RANMA: A-chan, look! I don't know really too much about love
myself, except for it meaning that you look on someone and decide
you'll care for him or her, way more deeply that you'd care for a
friend. Hell, until I met Ataru, I had NO experience with dealing
with something like that.
Akane gazes on the redhead wide-eyed.
AKANE: Wh-what about m-m...! The OTHER me?!
"Oh, don't tell me...!" Marie shakes her head.
"You can't blame her for those feelings, Marie," Chikage warns.
Marie clams up.
RANMA: A-chan, if I could've thought a lot more clearly than I did
now and if the other you made herself stop jumping to conclusions
all the time...
A pause.
RANMA: YES, it could've worked out between us. Hell, I'm amazed
that I was able to care for the other you as much as I did! But...
Ranma shrugs.
RANMA: ...but it wasn't enough at the end, A-chan. The instant
that whole mess with the Nanniichuan casket came up, it just...
AKANE: Disappeared?
Another pause.
RANMA: Yeah.
AKANE: Gomen, Ran-chan...
RANMA: Hey, no need ta say that, A-chan!
AKANE: Well, maybe it's time someone DID say it, Ran-chan!
Yet another pause.
RANMA: Won't change what's happened to date, A-chan. And it sure
as hell doesn't change my feelings for Ataru one bit.
AKANE: But you've only know him for...? What? Two weeks?!
RANMA: So what the hell does that make you, A-chan? One look at
Marie-chan and any thoughts about anyone else just vanished like
that!
Ranma snaps her fingers.
AKANE: But that's because...
RANMA: So?
AKANE: But still...
The redhead takes a deep breath.
RANMA: A-chan, look. When I first met Ataru, we looked into each
other's eyes. You want to know what I felt like when I looked into
his eyes?
AKANE: Wh-what...?
RANMA: For the first time in my whole LIFE, I'd finally met someone
who'd been through as much crap in his lifetime as I had in mine!
For the first time in my life, I met someone who UNDERSTOOD where
I was coming from! By that time, I'd come to accept that nothing
was going to happen between me and any of the fiancees, even the
other you. Damn it, A-chan, you KNOW what I said to you, U-chan
and Xian the night I came back from my trip after the big fight in
the dojo! I MEANT what I said to you guys, for cryin' out loud!!
I was telling you all the TRUTH!! It sure as hell wasn't MY fault
that all of you had so much trouble accepting it!
Silence falls.
AKANE: Ranma...
RANMA: A-chan, Ataru and I became friends the instant we met. I
won't lie to you about that. That's the way it happened. Hell, it
was almost the same as how the other you and I were when I first came
to your house.
Akane lowers her head.
AKANE: Until she learned about your curse.
Ranma nods.
RANMA: Yeah. That didn't happen between Ataru and me, A-chan.
Look, there's something Sakuya-chan told me about love. It needs
four things to make it work out: truth, trust, respect and hope.
That applies to those you love as a future husband or wife AND to
those you love as your best friends. With Ataru, I came to develop
that because we were in a situation where other people couldn't
butt into our lives to make things complicated between us. So YES,
I feel safe in saying I love him. When I met Ataru, there was just
no way in HELL I could've said that about you, U-chan or Xian, much
less Kodachi! There were things we kept secret from each other.
There was no real trust being shown between us. Without that trust,
no respect could develop. And in the end, I just lost hope with all
of you.
A pause.
RANMA: In my eyes...
She closes her eyes.
RANMA: I saw no future with any of you I could've come to accept.
Akane quakes. Marie sees tears streaming down the bioroid's
face.
AKANE: Ranma...
Ranma turns to leave.
RANMA: You'll always be my friend. And I love you. As a friend.
The redhead stops, bowing her head. She too is crying.
RANMA: Suki da yo, Akane.
The redhead steps out of the room. Seeing that, Marie shudders,
then senses Chikage gazing knowingly at her. "Wh-what...?"
Footsteps echo past the door to the sorceress' room heading
aft. Marie glances at the door, then feels a hand on her shoulder.
"Go to her, Marie-chan," Chikage urges. "For your sake as well as
hers."
Marie stares at her sister, then slowly nods...
* * *
*You'll always be my friend.*
*And I love you.*
*As a friend.*
*Suki da yo, Akane...*
Akane shudders, tears streaming down her cheeks as she blearily
watches the stars whip past. Her arms tightly press against herself
as Ranma's words echo through her mind. Ye gods, to believe...
"Akane-chan?"
Akane jolts, then spins around to see Marie standing at the
door. The worry on the younger woman's face -- and burning deep in
her heart -- is clear for the bioroid to sense. "M-m-marie-san...?"
she stutters, her arms falling away from her, then she blinks. "You
heard...? But..."
Marie closes the door behind her, then walks up to gently take
Akane's hands in her own. "Hai, I did. Rather, *we* did."
"'We'...?" Akane blinks, then it hits her. "Chikage?"
Marie nods, then with a tilt of her hands, she gently draws
Akane against her, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's waist
to keep her in place. "Hai. I'm truly sorry about that, but after
what we just went through, it was high past time for the whole truth
to come forth." She then lowers her head, tears brimming in her
eyes. "Though I must confess that I'm glad that unlike last night,
it wouldn't lead to..."
She shudders, then a pained sob escapes her as she collapses
against Akane. The bioroid's eyes go wide, then she winces as waves
of painful guilt warp through her from Marie. *Last night...?*
she repeats in her mind, then her eyes widen. "Marie-sa-..."
-- *Wait! Too formal!!* she mentally rails before drawing her arms
around the shorter woman. "Ma-chan..." she whispers, leaning her
chin on Marie's forehead.
Marie jolts, her eyes widening in shock, then she shifts her
head to gaze on Akane's face. "A-chan..." she sniffs. "I'm so
sorry..."
Akane shakes her head. "Don't blame yourself, Ma-chan."
"But..."
"Why do you think the other me said you were right?"
Silence falls as they stare at each other, then Marie shudders
as she closes her eyes. "A-chan..." she sniffs, then gazes again
into the other woman's eyes. "That kiss we had -- regardless
of what prompted it..." a smile twitches her lips. "I'll never
forget it as long as I live."
Akane blushes. "Ma-chan...!"
"Please don't feel guilty, A-chan," Marie sniffs, her body
quaking even more. "What I did last night was so wrong..."
"Ma-chan...?"
"I actually said things that m-made the other you...!" the
strength in Marie's legs starts to vanish, "...made her g-go to
wh-where..."
"Ma-chan!!!"
Akane grunts as Marie slumps against her, then drops to allow
the shorter woman a softer landing on the deck. "...Papa..."
Marie breathes out before her eyes close, her head drooping against
Akane's arm.
"MA-CHAN!!!!" Akane shrieks, then bellows, "***CHIKAGE!!!!***"
"Relax, Akane!"
Other hands grab Marie's body from Akane's arms, then shift her
onto the bed. Chikage hits the intercom switch. "Chikage to Bridge!
Everyone, Marie just fainted! Ani-kun, Seiko, Mie, I need you back
here NOW!!"
"WHAT?!!" Sakuya cries out from the command deck. "What
happened?!"
"Something that's been building since her step-father died!"
the sorceress barks. "Don't waste time arguing about it!! MOVE!!!"
"H-h-hai...!!"
* * *
In Hinako's cabin, the darkened Staff of Gihan begins to glow...
* * *
Minutes later...
"This is not good."
"Agreed. It's like she just lost the will to live," Seiko
grimaces as she and Mie help Chikage with an examination of Marie.
Ataru busies himself with Shirayuki's assistance in the galley to mix
some naturopathic medicines from Chikage's first aid kit to better
aid in Marie's recovery.
A sniffle from the doorway, where the other sisters and Shinshi
await the outcome. "S-seiko-ch-chan, don't say such awful things!"
Hinako moans.
"Gomen nasai, Hinako-chan," Seiko gives the youngest sister
a warm smile, then the Nendo-kata turns to Chikage, her frustration
adamant. "How in the Mother's name did Marie-chan get to BE this
way, Chikage-san?!"
"This has been building up for two years, ever since her
step-father passed away," Chikage grimaces, using her fingers to
probe Marie's shiatsu points to better help her sister's internal
life-energy flow throughout her body. "Unlike some of our
step-fathers, Junichi Susumu didn't give a damn that Marie-chan
wasn't his blood-daughter. He loved her with every fibre of his
being, especially after her mother died when she was only four."
A pause, then, "However, Junichi's feelings for Chizuru could've
matched Souun Tendou's feelings for his wife Kimiko. When Chizuru
died..."
"Marie-chan's stepdad just fell to pieces," Shinshi finishes.
"Hai," the sorceress nods. "He hid it very well from Marie for
the rest of his life, but after he died, the doctor who performed
the autopsy on him reported to Marie that, in effect, Junichi died
from the simple fact that without his wife, he had simply no will to
live further."
Silence falls as the others absorb that. "That must've
destroyed her!" Mie covers her mouth, shocked at such emotional
callousness.
"It almost did, Mie. And it still COULD destroy her if we don't
succeed now in giving her a new reason to push on," Chikage grunts.
"So what you're saying is that after finding out what killed
her father, Marie-chan wanted to...?" Karen's eyes tear as the ugly
truth of what had so terribly struck down her sister now sinks in.
"Hai," Chikage nods. "Marie-chan didn't blame her step-father
at all for what happened. She missed her mother dearly, just as much
as he did. So when she understood the truth, deep within her, she
decided..."
"That if her father could do it, so could she."
Eyes lock on Akane, now kneeling by the replicator. Ranma keeps
her arms wrapped comfortably around the bioroid. "Yes," Chikage
sighs.
"So what can we do to help Marie-chan get well, Chikage-chan?"
Hinako sniffs. "We can't go find a sea shell out in the middle of
space!"
"Perhaps I might offer an answer."
People turn to the woman now standing behind the other sisters.
"Miree-san," Sakuya blinks. "What do you have in mind?"
The Hollywoodite high priestess steps through the crowd, then
kneels beside Chikage. "Something which could not only give
Marie-chan a new reason to live..." her eyes turn to Akane, a
sympathetic smile crossing her face, "...but also give Akane-chan
here a reason to break even further away from what her template's
memories have come to force on her, even now."
"Being?" Sakuya wonders.
Miree takes a deep breath, then asks, "Akane-chan?"
"H-hai?" Akane stutters.
"Do you care for Marie-chan?"
The answer is automatic. "Y-yes!"
"Would you want to pursue a relationship, regardless of how
intimate or platonic it might be, with Marie-chan?" Miree presses.
Akane jolts, her eyes widening as the hidden message in Miree's
words sink in. "I..." she pauses, then shakes her head. "No!! I
can't force THAT on her, Miree-san! Not in the condition she's in
now!! I can't...!"
"What are you two talking about?!" Sakuya demands.
"Marei'cha."
"What?!" the sisters chime almost as one.
Miree gazes on them. "That's a Sagussan term. It's most
accurate translation would be 'The one with whom you raise a child.'
An easier-to-understand term is 'bond-mate.' In other words, the
person, regardless of sex, whom you would trust more than anyone
else in Existence."
The others consider that, then Haruka perks. "By declaring
someone marei'cha, what you're implying is that you would trust that
person with your very immortality, since (after all), children
are seen as the ultimate guarantors of one's immortality through
their genes. Is that what you're trying to imply, Miree-san?"
she stares at the priestess.
"Exactly," Miree nods. "Now, from what I was able to learn
directly from both the Staff and the Avalon factory, typical
marei'cha relationships on old Sagussa were same-gender. Boy-boy
or girl-girl. The normal male-female family unit we're so used to
never existed on Sagussa."
"How did they have children, then?" Yotsuba asks.
Miree laughs. "The same way all our races -- excuse me,
Seiko-san's excluded! -- have them, Yotsuba-chan. The difference
is, on Sagussa, there was no social need for the co-parent of one's
child -- 'surei'cha' is the term for that -- to help raise the child
since one's marei'cha did that."
"That's..." Sakuya blinks, then her eyes widen as she gazes on
Ranma, the latter now whispering some sort of assurance into Akane's
ear. "Onii-sama and Onee-sama..." she whispers to herself, then
sighs. "Okay, that's easy enough to understand, but how can this
help Marie-chan?"
Miree gazes on Chikage. "Chikage-san, is there anything
physically wrong with Marie-chan right now which could describe
her fainting spell?"
"No, not really," the sorceress straightens herself, "...except
for a slow breaking-down of the autonomic AND voluntary neural
controls between her soul and body. This, I should note, is typical
of those who begin to experience thoughts of dying deep in the
innermost parts of their mind."
"The loss of the will to live," Miree nods, then stares at
Akane. "Since marei'cha isn't seen as proper between those sharing
the same blood, we have to turn to outside sources. And since every
Avalonian, not to mention Seiko-san and Mie-san, felt what just
happened between Marie-chan and Akane-chan, then Akane-chan should
be the one who does th-..."
"I can't..."
"Akane-chan!" Haruka gasps.
The raven-haired Avalonian is shaking her head, tears spilling
down her cheeks. "Miree-san, you can't ask me to do THAT with
Ma-chan..."
"You HAVE to, Akane!!!" Mamoru thunders.
"Akane has a right to refuse, Mamoru!"
Eyes lock on Chikage. "But if Akane-chan doesn't do it,
Chikage-chan..." Karen's eyes fill with fresh tears,
"...Marie-chan'll DIE!!"
"Do you honestly believe I am not aware of that, Karen?"
Chikage's eyes narrow as her voice freezes into cold ice, sending
chills down the others' backs. "There is one more thing about
marei'cha bonds Miree did not tell you of. When bonds are made, they
last a LIFETIME! Only DEATH can ultimately break a bond like this!
Do you really believe it's right to impose something as life-altering
as THIS on Marie-chan, much less Akane?! Look at how much a
marei'cha bond's affected Ani-kun and Ane-kun!"
Everyone perks, then gaze on Ranma. "You mean it was a Sagussan
who bonded Onii-chama and Onee-chama, Chikage-chan?" Kaho asks.
"Yes, Kaho. That is what happened."
"But Miree-san said the Sagussans are all gone!" Sakuya
protests.
"True, as much as she knows, Sakuya," Chikage stares at her.
"But remember, the factory was created fourteen MILLENNIA ago! As
you can all conclude, anything could've happened on Sagussa in the
intervening years."
"What do we do about Marie, then?!!" Mamoru demands, then surges
into the room to kneel before Akane. "Akane-chan, PLEASE!!" she
grabs both of the older-looking bioroid's hands, then holds them
close, her eyes tearing. "You gotta do this!! You said you cared
for Marie-chan, didn't ya?!"
Akane blinks, then shifts her hands to draw Mamoru closer to
her. "Mamoru-chan, right now, I'd bond with Ma-chan in an instant!
But I have NO RIGHT at all to impose something like THAT on her,
especially with her unable to make her own decisions now!! I..."
she takes a deep breath, then stares at Chikage. "Can't you do
something, Chikage-san?! ANYTHING that could help Ma-chan regain
some sort of consciousness now?!"
"Not really, not here in the middle of deep space," the
sorceress shakes her head. "If we were back in Japan, I'd be able
to do much more than this, but even if we turned around and headed
back at top speed..."
Her voice trails off. "Marie-chan'll die...?" Yotsuba gulps.
"Maybe," Chikage sighs. "But what might happen is that she'll
slip into such a deep coma now..." she closes her eyes.
"She'd never come out of it," Ranma finishes.
"Hai. Death would be a mercy at that point, I believe."
That pronouncement shatters what little control some of the
sisters have on their emotions. "Marie-chan, don't die!!!" Kaho
shrieks out as she drops to her knees, then screams out painfully
as she curls in on herself.
Rinrin leans down to hold her sister close to her. "Akane-chan,
for the love of Heaven, PLEASE...!!" Mamoru pleads, leaning up to
Akane.
"Mamoru, would YOU like it if you were in Marie's position
and THAT sort of decision was forced on you?!" Chikage demands.
The athlete bolts to her feet, leaning right into the sorceress'
face. "DAMN YOU, HIROSAKI, WILL YA QUIT ACTING LIKE THIS IS...?!!"
"***THAT'S ENOUGH!!!!***"
Everyone spins around to see Ataru standing in the corridor
behind the other sisters, a teary-eyed Shirayuki beside him holding
a tray of finely-sifted powder. The anguished look on his face sends
lumps into everyone else's throats. "Anii...!" Mamoru burbles.
"She's got to..."
"And step down the path her template's father walked, much less
Ranma's, Mamoru-chan?" Ataru wonders as Shirayuki steps into the
room, handing the tray to Chikage so the sorceress could get to work.
"You know how everyone came to view that, don't you?" He turns to
Chikage. "How long can you keep her stable with what you have now,
Chikage-chan?"
"Several hours, IF I'm not interrupted," Chikage sighs. "After
that, it..." she shakes her head. "It could turn in any direction,
Ani-kun."
"Alright," Ataru nods. "Sei-chan, keep us posted on how
things're going. We'll pour on the sails and burn rubber for that
wormhole."
"If I could contact a Wanderer anywhere close..." Seiko sighs.
"Let's not cross THAT bridge yet, Sei-chan!" Ataru warns...
* * *
Unnoticed by the others, Hinako has slipped out of the crowd,
then made her way back to her cabin. "Bou-san, are...?" she looks
inside, then gapes on seeing the Staff's focusing crystal burning
with a brightness she hadn't seen displayed from the ancient device
before. "Bou-san..."
***Chikage is correct, Hina. Marie's life is in grave
danger.***
"B-but B-bou-san s-said..." Hinako stumbles in, then sniffs.
"Why didn't Bou-san tell Hina that Bou-san could do this...?!"
The Staff levitates from the bed, then rests in Hinako's arms.
***I'm truly sorry about this, Hina, but when we first bonded and you
became my controller, I didn't expect a situation like THIS to
happen. So I...*** the device pauses, then, ***...deliberately
limited my access to the power of the Te'a to ensure that you
wouldn't be overwhelmed by my full capabilities. For one with a vast
amount of imagination, you...***
"Hina's still a kid."
***Hai. And I could not dream of destroying that, especially
in the wake of what happened between myself and your Onii-tama.***
Hinako sniffs. "Bou-san was protecting Hina...?"
***Hai. But now, the situation has changed...***
"Can Bou-san save Marie-chan?"
***Iie. The Te'a energies I was designed to directly manipulate
factor more toward the 'entropic' side of Existence than what could
be used to help Marie at this time. But I do know what CAN save her,
Hina.***
The Genesis Wand of Paran, Hinako realizes. "Tsue-san?!"
***Hai.***
"Can Bou-san take Hina to get Tsue-san?!"
***Hai, I could, but you all desire for Aria to become the
Genesis Wand's controller. Do you wish to alter that plan, Hina?***
Hinako blinks, then shakes her head. "Uh-uh..."
***Very well, then...***
The Staff's focusing crystal flares star-white...
* * *
Now soaring past the outmarches of Karasutengu space, currently
maintaining a velocity of over a million times the speed of light,
the "Windrider" is suddenly cloaked in a bubble of brilliant energy.
Before the people aboard could realize what is happening, the energy
sphere becomes an elongated comet as the barrier between normal warp
space and transwarp space is shattered. In a blink of an eye, the
"Windrider" and her crew are flung over twenty thousand parsecs
deep into the unknown...
* * *
"***WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!?!***"
The "Windrider" finally decelerates from hyperspace, her upper
sails automatically furling in. She careens past the Kupier belt of
a lightless and lifeless solar system somewhere in the middle of the
fifth galactic arm counter-spin wise from the branch of the Milky
Way holding Earth.
On the bridge, Ataru watches the shower of warp energies fade
from around his ship before he glances at Nobuko Fujikaze. "Where
are we?!!"
"Scanning now, Darling!" Benten's Avalonian replica taps
controls, then as the readings appear before her, her jaw hits the
deck in stunned shock. "Bensaiten's Grave, this is NOT possible...!"
"What?!!" Ataru demands.
"Darling, we've totally bypassed the wormhole Hinako-chan's
staff said we had to pass through to get to where the Genesis Wand
is..." Shinobi Nomade reports, then blinks. "Wait a minute.
Something ahead of us..."
"Koori's Throne, what IS that?!!" Yukiko Kanki demands.
"Object dead ahead of us, Darling. A BIG one!" Lan's replica,
now calling herself Mika Arashi, warns. "Size...!! Oh, FATES...!!!"
"WHAT?!?!" Ataru demands.
"It's a Dyson sphere!!!"
Eyes spin to gaze on Rinrin, who was now at her station at the
back of the bridge. "A what...?!" Nobuko wonders. "What are
you...?!"
"What's it's diameter?!" Rinrin demands.
"Um...! About four hundred million kilometres," Mika replies.
"And there's a sun inside it?!"
"Confirmed," Shinobi gazes at her readout. "A yellow dwarf...!
Darling, it's the same type of star that Earth orbits!! But
how...?!"
"What's a Dyson sphere, anyway?!" Yukiko wonders.
"On Earth, it's actually nothing more than a theory," Rinrin
sits at her station, then taps buttons on her console to draw up a
diagram of the massive metal ball looming ahead of the "Windrider."
"Back in the ninety-sixties, a guy named Freeman Dyson came up with
an idea about building an artificial construct around a star to
provide a near-infinite areas of land for people to settle. Problem
is, back in those days..."
"They didn't understand that one simply just CANNOT enclose
a whole star like that," Shinobi completes. "A similar theory was
drawn up on Uru several hundred years ago, midway through the
Imperial Period."
"So what could it be like inside this thing?" Ataru asks.
"Hard to tell from here, Darling," Nobuko grunts. "The outer
shell of this thing seems to be made of carbonised neutronium.
Impossible to scan into this thing at this distance. But I am
picking up the trace elements of a sun's gravimetric field AND a
solar wind emitting from all over this thing at about fifty million
kilometres beyond the outer surface. That's how we were able to tell
what sort of star's inside it."
Rinrin hums, then snaps her fingers. "Spacial warps!!"
"What?!" Ataru stares at his sister.
"Spacial warps, Aniki!" Rinrin taps controls on her counter,
grateful that the engineers who built the "Windrider" remembered
to add this to her station. "Instead of allowing the solar wind and
all that radiation from impacting the inner surface of this sphere,
they warp it outside the sphere to prevent anyone on the inner
surface from coming to harm!"
"Trying to scan for it now..." Shinobi gets to work, then
blinks. "Wait!! I'm picking up an entrance gate on the upper
hemisphere, about latitude thirty-eight degrees 'north' of the Dyson
sphere's equator, due 'east' of us at about fifteen degrees! It's
about two kilometres wide!!"
"Papa, should we head for it?" Reiko calls out from the helm.
The doors behind Ataru open. "Ah!! There's where Tsue-san
is, Aria-chan!" Hinako calls out as she walks in, a hand holding
one of Aria's.
One look at the young Parisian's face tells everyone else that
she had just been woken up before she managed to get a proper amount
of rest. "Aria wants to go back to sleep, Hinako-chan," she moans,
then her eyes fix on the viewscreen, it now displaying a BIG black
ball seemingly eating every star around it! "K-kusu...!" Aria ducks
behind Ataru's chair.
Hinako sighs. "Aw, Aria-chan, will you quit complaining?!"
she waves her hands in exasperation, showing everyone the
brightly-glowing Staff of Gihan. "We're here to get Tsue-san so we
can save Marie-chan!!"
"Kusu...!"
"Hey, Hinako-chan, how'd your staff recharge...?!" Rinrin
demands.
***I've locked onto the Genesis Wand, Hina.***
Hinako chirrups. "Yatta!! Hina and Aria-chan are going to get
Tsue-san!" she grabs Aria's uninjured arm, then holds the Staff high.
"HINAKO, WAIT...!!!" Ataru yelps...
...as a flash of energy blinds everyone on the bridge. As soon
as the light fades to normal, everyone looks to see the youngest
of Ataru's sisters gone from the bridge. "Hinako-chan..."
Ataru gulps.
"Darling?"
He blinks, then turns to Mika. A confused look is on the
rose-haired Avalonian's face. "I just picked up some sort of
holographic projection close to the entrance gate Shinobi-chan
detected. It's projecting a message in what looks like some old
version of Vosian Standard."
Ataru stares at her. "VOSIAN Standard...?!"
"What's it say?!" Nobuko demands.
Mika turns to her board. "'Welcome to the Planet of Shadows,'"
she reads, then stares at the others, one of her eyebrows twitching.
"'Those wishing to invade, please use back entrance,'" she
deadpans...
* * *
"HINAKO-CHAN!!! ARIA DOESN'T LIKE THIS!!!!"
Aria's eyes are as wide as saucers as she is dragged by a flying
Hinako in the wake of a comet of blinding energy produced by the
Staff of Gihan. The only indication of anything beyond the tunnel
is a dark shape which would be as black as pitch were it not barely
reflecting the dim light of distant stars. "Quit whining,
Aria-chan!!" Hinako calls back, keeping the hand not holding the
Staff firmly on Aria's arm. "We're..."
A burst of energy blinds both girls for a second, then the
energy tunnel fades as Hinako and Aria find themselves inside the
Dyson sphere. Both girls are telekinetically turned by the Staff
to "stand" perpendicular to the interior surface, presently hovering
about twenty kilometres above mean ground level. An invisible
bubble of energy protects Hinako and Aria from harsh winds or fatal
radiation. "...here!" Hinako finishes as both look around, taking
in the vast space around them. "Wow!!"
"Kusu!" Aria wilts. "Aria wants to go back...!"
Hinako groans, then spins on the young Parisian. "Will ya QUIT
saying that, Aria-chan?!!" she waves her hands as she stares into her
sister's eyes. "If we don't get Tsue-san, Marie-chan'll DIE!!!"
Aria jolts, then she blinks a couple of times as Hinako's
rant finally breaks through the fatigue she'd felt since she'd been
rudely woken aboard the "Windrider." "Marie-chan...? Dying...?"
she gulps.
"YES!!!" Hinako screams out, then points the Staff in the
opposite direction from where Aria now "stands." "Now, c'mon!!
Bou-san told Hina that only Tsue-san can save Marie-chan!!
Let's go!!!"
"H-hai..."
Hinako grabs Aria's hand as the Staff pulls them onward. As
they go, both girls take a chance to gaze on their surroundings.
"Sure is a BIG place..." Hinako muses. "Hina never thought she'd
ever go someplace where the horizon'd go UP instead of down! What
do you think, Aria-chan?"
"Whoever built this place were NOT civilized."
Hinako blinks. She hadn't expected THAT! "What do you mean?"
Aria points to their right. Hinako looks herself, then blinks
on spotting a familiar pair of golden arches lurking in the near
distance. "There's a McDonald's here?!" she gapes, then seeing the
pinched look on her sister's face, sighs, looking ahead. "Aria-chan
and hamburgers..."
"Aria does NOT like hamburgers!" Aria, as proud of her native
culture's culinary advances as any Korean could be of kimch'i,
declares, then an impish smile crosses her face. "Unless
Shirayuki-chan makes them!"
Hinako gazes on her, then giggles before noticing something
else ahead, slightly to her left. "A road sign...?" she blinks on
recognizing the rectangular green hologram, then on seeing the
characters there, asks, "Bou-san, what's that say?! Hina's never
seen any language like THAT!!"
***'Crystal Palace, 3000 kilometres,' Hina. The language
is an old version of Vosian. That's the language Seiko's friend
Nassur speaks,*** the Staff declares. ***If you wish to know, the
Genesis Wand is located in the heart of a structure at exactly that
distance from the sign, Hina. No doubt, that structure is the
Crystal Palace the sign speaks of.***
"Nassur...?!" Hinako blinks, then smiles. "Oh, Hina remembers!
He's that nice man Sakuya-chan says was as cute as Onii-tama!!"
"Aria objects to that!" Aria pouts. "NO ONE is as cute as
Nii-ya!"
"Hina didn't say that!! Hina said Sakuya-chan said that!!"
* * *
Aboard the "Windrider," Sakuya sneezes...
* * *
Silence falls as Hinako and Aria fly along. Within a few
minutes, they notice a large structure looming before them. To young
girls raised on many episodes of "Sailor Moon," they instantly
recognize it as something that might fit in perfectly in Crystal
Tokyo, if not the Silver Millennium itself. "Bou-san, is that the
Crystal Palace?!" Hinako asks.
***Yes, Hina. The Genesis Wand is within. I'll put you down
by the front entrance. Given the structure of this location,
I don't wish to risk phasing you through the walls to make obtaining
the Wand easier.***
"Okay! Aria-chan, we're going down!" Hinako looks behind her.
"Hai...!" Aria breathes out in relief.
The two drift towards ground level, touching down on a path.
Ahead of them on the path leading to the Palace's front doors, is
another sign written in old Vosian. "Bou-san, what's that say?"
Hinako asks, pointing.
***Just a minute...***
Hinako and Aria blink as the air before their eyes slightly
hazes over, the Staff projecting a hologram which transforms
the alien characters into Japanese, complete with furigana for the
kanji. "'Welcome to the Crystal Palace,'" Hinako reads aloud. "'No
campfires, littering, wild parties, feeding the animals or karaoke
singing allowed...'"
"'Documentary film crews must phone ahead,'" Aria continues,
then blinks. "'By order of the Keeper.' Hinako-chan, who's the
Keeper?"
Hinako scratches the back of her head. "Hina's not sure..."
***I believe the Keeper is the lone human-type sentient
presently residing inside the Crystal Palace, Hina,*** the Staff
reports.
"Oh, someone's living here! Okay!! C'mon, Aria-chan!"
The two girls make their way to the Palace. Both remain silent
as the sheer scale of the place nearly overwhelms them: ten-metre
tall double doors possessing a brown pigment in the shiny crystal
to differentiate them from the rest of the building, stained glass
windows giving the Palace the same feel as a medieval cathedral,
the building itself over thirty metres high. "This place is BIG!!!"
Hinako notes as they step up to the door, then she blinks on seeing
something else. "Oh, there's a doorbell!!"
She rings the bell, then steps back to stand beside Aria. There
is a shuffling sound from behind the doors, yet they don't open.
Hinako and Aria blink, then exchange a look. "Maybe Keeper-san
is ill," Aria muses, then starts as the door opens, revealling
an old yet regal-looking man in faded, flowing robes, the look on his
face presently reminding Hinako and Aria of Jii-san after something
bad happened to his prized fishing boat.
"LOOK, I SAID TO COME BACK TOMOR-...!!!" the Keeper bellows
out, then stops on seeing the two young girls awaiting him. He
blinks surprisedly for a moment, then hums. "Wait a minute!! You're
not Vosian!!"
"Ah, gomen nasai, Ojii-san!" Hinako smiles. "Hina and Aria-chan
came to Ojii-san's palace today to get Tsue-san and save
Marie-chan!!"
"Please," Aria adds with a VERY friendly smile.
The Keeper blinks. THIS, he did not expect. "'Mister Wand?!'
What are you girls talking about?! The only thing that's here is the
Sceptre of Lecasur!! Are you kids SURE your 'Mister Wand's' here?!"
Hinako holds up the Staff. "Hai!! Bou-san says so!"
Seeing the device in her hand, the Keeper pales, then lunges
back through the door.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!!!!"
he screeches at the top of his lungs as the doors slam shut behind
him.
Hinako and Aria blink. "Did Hina say something wrong?"
* * *
"Oh, no, no, NO!!! First the Vosians come back looking for
their damned sceptre, then the damned thing's ORIGINAL owners show
up, too...!"
The Keeper grips the sides of his head as he leans against
the doors, praying that the two kids outside would just go away and
leave him be. He had managed to convince the two young Vosian women
who'd come earlier in the day to come back tomorrow morning to make
a run into the heart of the Crystal Palace and retrieve the Sceptre
of Lecasur/Genesis Wand of Paran. If the girls outside now managed
to get their hands on it first...!
"Kusu..."
He jolts. "Uh-oh..."
"Kusu!"
Sweat starts flowing. Teeth start chattering.
"Kusu!!"
His whole body starts to quake.
"Kusu!!!"
Please take a moment and pity the Keeper, readers...
"KUSU!!!"
The choice is remarkably simple, when you consider it.
"KUSU!!!!"
Two Vosians, mature, beautiful, representing their
government...!
"KUSU!!!!!!"
Two very young girls, probably from Sagussa, one with a device
with the potential equivalent power of a red supergiant star on
steroids...!
"***KUSU!!!!***"
Which way would YOU choose, dear reader?
* * *
Minutes later...
"Aria-chan scares Hina when Aria-chan does that!"
"Hinako-chan told Aria that Marie-chan was dying, remember?"
"Oh, sorry! Hina forgot!"
The Keeper sighs, gazing at the two girls walking behind him as
they probe deeper into the Crystal Palace, then his eyes roll. Oh,
well...!
* * *
To be continued...
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