The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and
rights holders. Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor
Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the
creation of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a
small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story, and to Harold
Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and
ideas.

Awkward Consequences
Chapter 10b: Felines and Family Part 2
PsyckoSama (syp104@psu.edu)

Tsukino Ikuko looked slack jawed at the girl as the meaning of her
words hit. "Excuse me, Hotaru-chan," she murmured, "but did you just
say you're going to have a baby?"

Hotaru's stance slightly altered, pressing back into Ranma. She looked
the elder Tsukino in the face, and said, "Yes. I'm pregnant."

While her face was glowing with happiness, her tone told a story of
fear of rejection. Ikuko knew the girl well, and guessed that Hotaru
was terrified, and not of having a child. She was afraid of rejection.

This wouldn't do. No, it wouldn't do at all.

The elder Tsukino swiftly banished her visible signs of surprise. If
Hotaru's parents knew, knowing Haruka it was likely that their reaction
was harsh. Not that she couldn't sympathize, she'd probably ring
Usagi's neck.

It was obvious to her that Hotaru needed someone, especially at a time
like this. She would like to be that person. There was time for
questions and answers later.

Ikuko smiled brightly, walked over to the girl, and placed her hands on
Hotaru's shoulders.

"Congratulations, Hotaru-chan!" she exclaimed as she gathered the young
girl into a loose hug.

Hotaru's eyes closed and she returned the hug.

"Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with relief.

After a minute or two Ikuko pulled Hotaru into the family room and sat
the girl down next to her.

"Now Hotaru," she said in a maternal tone, "If you have any questions
what so ever, please ask."

Hotaru smiled and replied, "Thank you, Ikuko-san. I will."

"So, how far along are you?"

Hotaru blushed. "Two months."

"Ranma's the father, correct?" asked Ikuko.

Hotaru nodded. "Of course."

Ikuko gave Ranma an appraising look. In the last two years Hotaru had
become like a member of the family. She didn't wish to pressure Hotaru,
she had seen how the girl had come in crying and been rushed up stairs
last night. She had been concerned then, and Chibi-usa had reassured
her that Hotaru would tell her what it was about when she felt ready.
Now that she knew what was going on, she was going to find out the
whole story.

Mentally she considered the situation. She needed to speak with them
both. "Hotaru-chan?"

Hotaru smiled. "Yes, Ikuko-san?"

"I want to speak to you and your fianc�. Chibi-Usa-Chan, why don't you
and Hotaru speak to each other upstairs?"

"Sure, Ikuko-Mama," replied the pink-tressed teenager. Chibi-Usa smiled
at her closest comrade and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on Hotaru! You
have to tell me everything."

The delicately featured girl smiled wearily and followed the little
rabbit up the stairs, pausing only to glance into her beloved's eyes
before continuing to the second floor.

Once Hotaru and Chibi-Usa were up the steps, Ikuko turned to the young
man and gave him a long hard stare.

The look of discomfort crossing his features was subtle but there. His
extremities quivered very slightly, his eyes darted side to side, and a
very slight sheen of formed on his stress induced sweat on his
forehead. He looked like he was on the spot, in the midst of some form
of interrogation, which in all honestly, he was.

Ikuko sat down and motioned for Ranma to join her, an act he did with
some reluctance. Once they were both seated she took a deep breath and
began to question the youth. "I see Hotaru-chan as if she were my
niece. She is a sweet girl and her happiness and well-being are
important to me, Ranma-kun. Now, how long have you known Hotaru-chan?"

"Well," replied the gender-bending young warrior, "I met her 'bout two
months ago but I've only really known her for a couple of days."

Ikuko blinked, and then, she blinked again. That answer was not even
close to what she had expected.

"What? Could you explain what is going on to me?" she asked, the raised
eyebrow and look of puzzlement obvious across her features.

Ranma took a breath and closed his eyes. "Well, it all started when..."

----------------

Chibi-Usa cackled to herself as she sealed the door to her hall behind
her. With a demented smile on her face she locked it and sat down in
front of the doorway.

"Chibi-Usa-chan, what on earth are you doing?" asked Hotaru.

"This way you're not leaving until you tell me everything!" exclaimed
the pink-haired teenager. "I want names, dates, and all the sloppy
details!"

Hotaru's face turned seven successive shades of red, from a light pink
all the way to a brilliant crimson extending below her neckline.

Chibi-Usa giggled. "Getting embarrassed?"

The purple-haired girl smiled and punched her friend in the arm. "Quit
it Chibi-Usa-chan!"

The pink haired girl smiled and gave Hotaru a hug, and a friendly kiss
on the cheek. "Relax Hotaru-chan!"

Hotaru giggled and pulled her legs up, placing her chin on her knees.
"I'm fine," Hotaru sighed, "It's just that things have been happening
so suddenly."

"Yeah," stated Chibi-Usa in response.

"I mean, a week ago I was just a normal... well, somewhat normal school
girl. Now I'm going to marry a..."

"A total hunk," interjected Chibi-Usa.

"Chibi-Usa! I'm trying to be serious!"

"So am I," quipped Usa, "he's gorgeous!"

Hotaru scowled slightly. "No, I'm really trying to be serious."

"Sorry," replied Chibi-Usa, "I'll stop teasing you."

"Chibi-Usa, I'm getting overwhelmed. I'm engaged, pregnant, I have no
idea how this will affect the future, and to be honest, I find Ranma
kinda intimidating."

"Why's he intimidating?" asked Chibi-Usa, her curiosity honestly
peeked.

"Because," stated Hotaru, "I seriously think that he is just as
powerful as one of us."

"What?"

"He's as strong as a Sailor Senshi."

Chibi-Usa gawked at her friend wide-eyed. "You can't be serious."

"You didn't see what he did to that mailbox."

"What did he do?" asked Chibi-Usa.

"When he found out I was pregnant, he punched it."

"Ouch," replied Chibi-Usa with a wince. "I hope his hand's okay."

Hotaru sighed and shook her head. "You should be more worried about the
mailbox."

"Nani?"

"With one punch he crushed the box like a soda can, ripped it off its
mounting bolts, and sent it flying through the air. It was going so
fast that it smashed a parked car on the other side of the street! It
was scary!"

Chibi-Usa blinked. "Does that scare you?"

"Yeah, and I like it."

Chibi-Usa gawked at her friend. "You like it?"

Hotaru blushed and smiled slyly. "It's a thrill..."

"Didn't think you were the type to get off on danger."

Hotaru giggled and laid back. "Neither did I, but he makes me feel safe
too."

"How can he make you feel scared and safe?"

"I know that he'd never hurt me. When he holds me, I can feel his
strength around me. It's so powerful but so gentle. I've never felt
so... protected in my life."

Chibi-Usa sighed, "That's so... wow!"

"I know... I told him what I was capable of too."

"That you can silence the Earth?"

Hotaru nodded.

"Was he afraid?"

"No. I was more scared then he was, but he was so sweet. It didn't
matter to him, in fact," Hotaru paused. "He said he already knew people
who could destroy a planet."

Chibi-Usa went wide-eyed. "You're not serious!"

Hotaru shook her head. "I am. I don't know if he was being serious but
I will ask him about it."

Chibi-Usa nodded in agreement. "That... would be a good idea."

Hotaru smirked slyly and leaned forward, looking Chibi-Usa in the eyes
"So, do you want the steamy details now?"

Chibi-Usa all but jumped her friends with a huge smile on her face. "Do
I ever!"

Hotaru smiled with glee. "Where should I start? Where all this started,
when I jumped him on the roof, the part where I pulled him into a love
hotel or the part where we experimented with my senshi powers?"

"Wait a second! You jumped him on a roof then pulled him into a love
hotel and had sex as Sailor Saturn?"

"Yep!"

"What was it like?"

Hotaru's grin widened even farther. "I think I dislocated something."

"Come on Hotaru-chan, stop playing around! I want details! Tell me all
the details! I want the whole sweaty story, leave nothing out!"

"Hey, lets not go that far!" exclaimed Hotaru, "It's private!"

Chibi-Usa looked blankly at Hotaru. "And this isn't? Come on, I'm your
friend! I tell you everything?"

"Like what? You haven't told me anything!"

Chibi-Usa sighed. "Not much to tell on my end. I have less luck with
men then Minako!" Chibi-Usa pouted. "Come on, let me live
vicariously... I'd tell you!"

Hotaru blinked, and scowled slightly. "One hell of a guilt trip..."

Chibi-Usa nodded. "Yep! One of my best... did it work?"

"Okay, Chibi-Usa-chan, you win," replied Hotaru with a slight sigh,
"How about I just give you a run-down on everything that happened?"

"Including the naughty bits?"

"Including the naughty bits."

"Yeah!" exclaimed Chibi-Usa. She sat intensively in front of her
friend. The hentai look on her face was far from innocent.

"It all started when..."

------------------------

Ranma gulped as he looked at the woman in front of him. He had given
her a run through of his life, the ten your trip, the myriad of
fianc�s, the stream of rivals, and just how they got in this mess in
the first place.  Anything of relevance, that did not embarrass him too
badly, was mentioned.

Ikuko hadn't said a word during the entire conversation. She had just
sat in place and looked at him. The furrowed brow and steel gaze made
it damn clear to him that she was thinking, a lot. He hated being the
center of attention

Ikuko looked at him with an expressionless face. "Please, tell me what
you just said was just a bad joke."

"I wish," Ranma stated.

"So, on top of the curse and the 'neko-ken' thing, you're telling me
that you are some kind of super powerful martial artist..."

"I'm the best there is!"

"Like out of an anime..."

"You'd be surprised how true-to-life cartoons can be..."

"You have an army of fianc�es..."

"Only four now, that I know about..."

"You have an endless number of rivals..."

"I wouldn't say endless, but there's a bunch..."

"There are people trying to kill you..."

"Not as often as you'd think, except for this one idiot..."

"And most of this is your father's fault?"

"Basically..."

Ikuko sighed loudly and brought up her hand to rub her temples. To no
one in particular she mumbled "Hotaru, what the hell did you get
yourself into?"

Ranma sighed and leaned back. "My life..."

Ikuko began to rub her head again. Having to deal with his life
probably gave her a headache. He could sympathize.

Suddenly, one of Ikuko's eyebrows raised as an idea flashed through her
head. "Ranma-kun," she asked, "Were you at that party to look for
girls?"

"Huh? Why would I go to a party to look for a girlfriend? I've got
enough girl trouble as is."

Ikuko cocked her head and looked at him funny, like she knew something
he didn't.

"Err... what is it?"

"You're not the type to take advantage, are you..."

Ranma blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Ranma, men don't go to parties like that to look for girlfriends."

"Ah... Then why did you ask?"

"Ranma, do your friends know about your girl form?"

"Yeah," he replied. "What of it?"

"Would you say they were trying to get you drunk?" she continued.

"Ah, yeah, I guess," he replied. "Isn't that what people do at those
parties?"

"Ranma, college boys only really throw those parties so they can get
girls drunk and have their way with them."

"Ya gotta be kidding me," Ranma replied, "My friends know that I have
enough girl troubles as is, and even if I didn't, I'd never do
somethin' like that to anybody! Why would they invite me to a party
where you..." Ranma voice slowed as he finished the sentence. "get
girls drunk to have sex with them..."

He looked at the Tsukino woman with wide eyes, "They were going to try
to get me drunk and sleep with my girl half, weren't they?"

"Probably," Ikuko replied.

Ranma's gaze went totally level, and in a flat, clear voice he said, "I
am going to get them for this..."

"Ranma?" Ikuko asked, a slight tinge of fear in her voice. The woman
was slowly putting distance between them.

Ranma blinked. What was the problem? Did he smell smoke? He looked down
at himself. Crap. His aura was out. He closed his eyes, let it fade,
and hoped she didn't mind the scorched cushion...

"Sorry 'bout that. Didn't mean to freak you out."

Ikuko slowly began to relax. "What was that?"

"My battle aura... It was my ki," stated Ranma.

Ikuko was surprised at his skill level. "You can actually make your ki
visible?"

Ranma did the patented smirk. "Yep."

"That's just so... *cool*."

Ranma blushed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I have been
training most of my life."

"What else can you do?" she asked . The serious, motherly tone was
absent. She sounded more like a little girl who had a magician at her
beck and call.

"Well... At a low level I can make myself stronger, faster, more
durable. Beyond that are some more exotic techniques, like protective
shielding, energy blasts, invisibility, and flight."

Ikuko leaned forward and looked him in the eyes. There was a big,
girlish smile on her face. "You can actually fly?"

"Well, kinda. I know the technique, it's just really hard. It takes a
lot of energy."

"Can you show me something, besides the aura?"

Ranma shrugged. "Ah, sure! Why not?"

Ikuko sat back, trying to contain her enthusiasm. Thanks to years of
martial arts anime and centuries worth of legend, most Japanese knew
what martial artists were _theoretically_ capable of doing. Ranma
guessed that having a master in your house, willing to do tricks would
be considered pretty awesome by your average housewife. With a shrug,
he raised his hand and a sphere of dimly glowing blue energy gathered.

Ikuko smiled and leaned closer, looking over the energy in mute wonder.

Suddenly, the screen to the room was opened quickly with a crash. In
the entrance was standing the beautiful, young, odangoed, fuku clad
magic girl known to all as Sailor Moon.

The twitch or her eyebrow and the death glair she was giving him did
not look good. Of course he was not in the best position, having a Ki
blast pointed at the lady of the house...

He let the energy ball fade and raised his hand in a futile attempt to
look non-threatening. "Hey, this ain't what it looks like!"

The girl growled. "I am the pretty sailor-suited soldier Sailor Moon!
In the name of love and justice I will not allow villains to threaten
innocent mothers!"

Ranma sweated. Who the hell was her speechwriter, Kuno?

>From behind the scenes, another senshi with long blond hair whispered
in her ear. The other eyebrow started to twitch.

Quickly, Sailor Moon tacked on, "Nor will I allow them to take
advantage of innocent girls! In the name of the Moon I'll PUNISH YOU!"

"Why me?"




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