"Thanks for letting me use the shower, Karen-chan!"
"It's alright," Karen absently mused as she watched the star field
whip past. The "Hasei'cha" was keeping even pace with the "Windrider"
at a distance of two hundred metres; Karen knew the "Kiboo'cha" was
doing the same thing on the other side of the barque. Narrowing her
eyes, she focused her attention on an observation gallery on the
warpsloop's upper hull. Two people were standing there. Blinking,
she reached over to her nightstand as Seiko walked out of the
bathroom, totally ****d save for the towel she was using to dry her
hair. Opening the drawer, Karen smiled on seeing a pair of macro-
binoculars, just like the pair Ataru had in his cabin, sitting there.
"I guess Onii-chan thought of everything when he had this ****p rebuilt
for us," Karen stated.
"Here, let me show you how to use them," Seiko announced.
After a quick set of instructions, the pianist put the binoculars to
her eyes so she could see who was in the gallery on the "Hasei'cha."
"Ah, it's Spea-san and Amy-san!" Karen then announced before her
cheeks started to colour. "Oh, dear . . . " she breathed out.
"What?" Seiko asked as she returned to drying her hair.
Karen lowered the binoculars. "They weren't wearing any clothes."
"Well, that's to be expected," Seiko noted. "They've been an all-
female society for over ten thousand years, Karen-chan. The idea of
public ****ity must be as totally irrelevant to the Sagussans as it
would be to the Vosians."
"Vosi- . . .?" Karen then nodded. "Oh, Nassur-san's people!"
Seiko was quick to sense her host's understandable reaction to the
expat Vosian hunter. "Handsome, isn't he?" she asked.
"Hai, he is that!" Karen admitted as she put the binoculars away.
"But he's too rugged for my tastes. I'd prefer someone like Onii-
chan."
"Which Onii-chan?"
Both laughed. "Hai, that's true, isn't it?" Karen mused as Seiko
wrapped a towel around her, and then walked over to sit beside her
host. "I mean, Onii-chan -- well, Ataru, I mean -- he's more like
what I'd want. Much that I am happy that Kaeru-oniichan's alive and
okay, but . . .! Well . . . "
"The idea of him being so logical turns you off, doesn't it?"
A nod. "Hai. I mean, it's not Onii-chan's fault, but still . . . "
"It's alright. Besides, it's not as bad as you might think. Some of
the Great School actually made contact with the Nagussans not so long
ago. They may act very logical on normal occasions, but when they're
alone with someone they love . . .! Oh, my!" she breathed out. "It
can get pretty hot and heavy at times! All we have to do now is find
some way to convince all of Naromo-san's people about what they really
are, de-sterilize them, and then lock Kaeru-san and Naromo-san in a
room somewhere." She then raised her finger. "Preferably one with a
king-sized waterbed in it. And no condoms in sight."
Karen giggled. "We'd all become aunts soon enough," she then said
before a knock was heard at the door. "Hai!" she called out.
"It's Hime!" ****rayuki announced as she walked in, a tray full of
warm buns in hand. "Hime brought some Pang Manjok barely rolls."
"Plain?" Seiko asked.
"Iie desu no!" the chef assured her as she put the tray down. "Hime
put lots of cinnamon and cane sugar in them to make them really
sweet."
"Arigatou, ****rayuki-chan," Karen thanked her sister.
As Karen and Seiko picked up a roll to nibble on them, ****rayuki
quickly withdrew to give them time alone, closing the door behind
her. Seiko watched her go before she moved to nibble on the roll.
The sweet taste exploded in her mouth, she grinning with delight as
Karen took her own bite. "These are great!" she muttered. "I wish I
could cook as well as this."
"Yeah, it would've saved you a lot of trouble, especially after your
lollipop helped turned Onii-chan into twins that one time."
"You girls would've loved that, I bet."
"Hai!" She then sighed. "Seiko-chan, I don't hate you. None of us
do."
Seiko stopped, and then she sighed. "After what I did . . . "
"You made mistakes," Karen assured her as she reached over to give
the Nendo-kata's shoulder a friendly squeeze. "And the biggest
mistake of all was that you didn't try to *diagnose* the problem with
Onii-chan. You just charged forward and *punished* him . . . "
"I had no right to do that!"
"But who was there to tell you otherwise?" Karen asked.
"These days, I wish SOMEONE had done that!" Seiko stated, and then
she turned to gaze regretfully on Karen. "It's a pity that Negako-san
didn't decide to come back earlier and set Darling's memories
straight . . . oh, say right after Tag Race One instead of Tag Race
Two. It would've saved us all a lot of trouble in the long term."
She then looked down, she then adding, "And maybe it would've saved
Ranma-san a lot of trouble, too."
Karen sighed, nodding. "Hai, that's true, isn't it?" She then took
another bite of the roll in her hand. After swallowing it, she then
gazed once more on her guest. "You still love Onii-chan, don't you?
You'd marry him still if you got the chance, wouldn't you?"
"Hai," Seiko replied with a nod before one of her hands drifted to
rub her tummy. "Even though I'd never be able to bear Darling's child
in this body. I can only mate with other women, even after I've
Crossed Over."
"That's pretty unfair, isn't it?"
"Damn right it is."
"Would you want a surrogate co-parent for your baby?"
Seiko shook her head. "No. We really don't believe in that sort of
thing. Even with us, you need two to tango. And once you tangoed,
you have to stay together to ensure the child grows up loved and cared
for in a COMPLETE family. To do otherwise . . . " She shook her head
again. "No, that's not our way at all. I couldn't think of doing
that to my child."
Karen nodded as Seiko took another bite. "But you still love Onii-
chan."
"I'll love him to the day I slip into the Black Ocean and become one
with the Cosmic Chain of Life," Seiko vowed.
"Would you want to become my girlfriend?"
Seiko jolted, and then she spun around to stare at her host.
"Karen!"
The pianist laughed. "Gomen nasai, Seiko-chan! I didn't mean to
shock you like that!" She then took a deep breath before she gave the
Nendo-kata a knowing look. "But that WAS you on Monday, wasn't it?
When we were at the Tower pool swimming after shopping at
Esmerelda's?"
"Chikage-san said you were pretty sensitive to empathic probes."
"Hai, Chikage-chan told me that a long time ago. I've always
remembered that." A pause. "It didn't take me too long to suspect
who it might have been that made me feel that when I was at the pool.
Onee-chan confirmed it for me that night." Here, Karen took a deep
breath before she reached over to gently grasp Seiko's hand. "I'm
very flattered by your interest in me, Seiko-chan."
"You deserve it, Karen-chan. You are very beautiful."
"Really?" Karen's cheeks reddened further. "Arigatou."
The Nendo-kata then sighed. "Still, I don't think it would really
work out between us. There're my feelings for Darling. And even
after finding out what I have about Ranma-san and what Lufy did . . .
" She shook her head. "I still love him, Karen-chan. I'd die for
him if it had to come to that." She then turned once more to stare at
her host, her eyebrow arching knowingly. "And there're your feelings
for Darling, too."
Karen blinked, and then she nodded. "Hai, that's true."
They gazed at each other, and then Karen leaned up to give Seiko a
chaste kiss on the lips. Seiko blinked as the sincerity of that
contact surged through her, and then she reached over to draw Karen
into her embrace. They remained together for a moment, and then Karen
pulled back, she extending her pinkie to the Nendo-kata. "Friends?"
"Forever," Seiko vowed as she linked her pinkie with Karen's.
They kissed again, and then Karen stood. "Why don't you get some
sleep, Sei-chan? We're still over an hour away from this place and I
want to ask Lufy-san if we can find some way to contact Mie-san or
Ayumu-san to see how Hi****o-chan and Aria-chan are doing."
"Thanks," Seiko replied as Karen moved to leave. "Ka-chan?"
"Hai?"
"It's your bed, too."
Karen smirked. "Etchi!"
Both laughed as Karen stepped through the doorway. Seiko remained
still for some time after the door closed behind the pianist, and then
she sighed as she ****fted over to gaze out the window at the
"Hasei'cha." Sure enough, Spea and Amy were still in the observation
gallery, they currently in each other's arms and sharing very wet
kisses. Smiling enviously as she empathically took in the bloom of
love emanating from the warpsloop's combat officer and coxswain, Seiko
then moved to slip under the covers.
"Darling," she whispered as she closed her eyes.
* * *
"That could easily become a problem for us in the future."
Karen stopped, and then she looked over to see Chikage reclining on
the bulkhead by the door leading to the pilotage. "Sei-chan, you
mean," the pianist mused as she stood beside the sorceress, clasping
her hands behind her back. "I don't think I could ever feel that for
her, Chikage-chan."
"True," Chikage agreed. "I doubt any of us could feel that way to
her, especially after we got a taste of how much hers and everyone
else's actions against Ani-kun had come to hurt him in the long term,
memory loss or no."
Karen scowled as THAT particular memory of the time immediately after
Ataru's arrival on the Island flashed past her mind's eye. "Hai,
that's true," she breathed out, and then she shrugged. "Still, we
should try to do something for Sei-chan. But what CAN we do, Chikage-
chan?"
Chikage considered that, and then she smirked. "There is a
possibility."
She gazed on Karen. The latter blinked as she considered what her
sister just said, and then her eyes widened as it hit her. "You
mean . . .?" she began before her voice faltered as she considered
that fact. Seeing Chikage nod, the pianist breathed out, "We can do
that, can't we?"
"If Ani-kun'll go along with it," Chikage warned.
Karen nodded.
* * *
"Ah, Negako-san! Konban wa!"
Negako blinked before she gazed over her shoulder to see six girls
from Tomobiki, all of them having dressed in casual clothes before
they came to Nerima, standing close to the main gate to the Tendou
property. "****nobu," she returned ****nobu's greeting, and then her
eyes sharply focused on Momoe before an icy smile crossed her face.
"I see Ataru had to use extreme force to deal with one of your
kidnappers, Momoe. I assume you have come here to consult with me
about the emotional after-effects of that event."
Momoe jolted as the grandmaster's words washed through her, and then
she gave Negako a look as her eyebrows twitched. "What on Earth are
you anyway, Negako-san?" she demanded. "Sherlock Holmes? How can you
tell all THAT?!"
"She's the Earth Angel," Ayano, who stood at Negako's side, replied,
and then she gazed on her. "Ne, Tedai?"
Negako sighed. "Ayano . . . "
"You're an Avalonian, aren't you?"
Eyes spun around to gaze on Sawada Mi****o, who was standing beside
****nobu. "ANOTHER one?!" Sakiko demanded as she turned to gaze on
Ayano, an ironic smile crossing her face. "Sweet Blessed Mother, how
many of you actually got away from those devil-shark Niphentaxians?!"
"Hopefully soon, we'll ALL get away from them," Ayano asserted.
"Right, sister?" She winked knowingly at Mi****o.
Seeing that, ****nobu began to fluster, her cheeks reddening. She
then stopped as she thought about it. Why had she felt THAT way about
Ayano winking at Mi****o? Mi****o wasn't her girlfriend, for Heaven's
sake! Was she . . .? "Right," Mi****o replied before she gazed at
****nobu. "****nobu-chan. All Avalonians call each other 'sister' on
first meeting."
****nobu jolted. "Eh?! Oh, I'm sorry!" she apologized.
Embarrassed laughter then escaped her. "Well, I will say this,
then," Ayano observed. "You have EXCELLENT taste in potential bond-
mates."
Mi****o jerked before her cheeks reddened. "Um, th-thanks . . . "
****nobu's own blush deepened as her classmates began to snicker.
"You're trapped now, ****nobu!" Ryuunosuke then asserted.
"Ah, we have more guests!"
"Ah, Kasumi-san, konban wa!" Momoe hailed as Kasumi walked up to join
them, and then she blinked on seeing the tense look on the elder
Tendou daughter's face. Momoe had never met Kasumi before, but she
had come to know a lot about the older woman thanks to her long
association with Nabiki. To see Kasumi look like THAT in PUBLIC was
almost unheard of. "Kasumi-san, what happened?!" she then asked.
"Are you alright?!"
Kasumi blinked, and then she gave Momoe a weak smile. "No, I'm
afraid I'm not really alright. We had an incident here . . . "
Sakiko tensed. "What sort of incident . . .?" she began before her
empathic powers locked in on the people inside. Her eyes then glowed
as she did a quick telepathic scan before she winced. "Oh,
Mother . . . " she breathed out. "My sympathies, Tendou-san."
"What?!" Kumiko demanded.
"Kasumi's father is dead."
Eyes locked on Negako. Kasumi gave the ninjutsu grandmaster a
grateful smile before she turned away, heading back towards the
house. "What happened?" Momoe asked before her eyes scanned around
the yard. "Where's Nabiki, anyway?! Did something happen to her?!
What . . .?"
"She is well," Negako stated in a voice that quickly dampened Momoe's
panic about her friend. "Nabiki is currently engaged in some
necessary stress-relief, allowing all the frustrations and anger which
have built up inside her since her mother's death vent themselves out
finally. Given recent events, the target of Nabiki's anger may not
surprise you in the long run, but it will most likely offend your
sensibilities, Momoe."
Momoe blinked as she took in Negako's words, and then she broke away
from the others, racing to the patio. "Momoe-chan, wait!" Kumiko
cried out as she moved to follow, and then she yelped as Negako's hand
caught her wrist. "Hey!" she cried out. "What're you . . .?"
"Momoe understands Nabiki in ways you do not, Kumiko. Do not
interfere."
The others just stared at her. Meanwhile, Momoe had stopped herself
just before turning to walk into the Tendou sitting room, a sense of
trepidation arcing through her. She had never come to visit her
friend at her home before; whenever Nabiki had wanted to see Momoe
about business, the two always met either in Tomobiki itself or at the
coffee shop on the border between Tomobiki and Nerima. Taking a deep
breath, she then moved to step inside when her hearing detected a
faint sparking noise. Pausing to consider what could be making that
sound, she then squared her shoulders and marched in. She then
stopped on seeing what was there, instantly wi****ng she had stayed
put.
"Nabiki . . . "
Nabiki jolted before spinning around to see Momoe standing nearby.
In her hand, the energy tip starting to burn a hole in the wooden
floor of the sitting room, was Tomo's stun-baton. Seeing the
electricity sparking around that device, Momoe was instantly convinced
that it was powerful enough to even stun Rei in tiger-bull format.
But it was what was lying beside Nabiki that caused a surge of bile to
rise up in Momoe's throat.
She had never met Tendou Souun, but she had heard enough descriptions
of the man to recognize him. Even if he was currently a corpse, a
bullet hole of some sort in the chest, with deep burn marks scorched
across his face. Burn marks that had to have come from the weapon in
Nabiki's hand. Momoe then focused on Nabiki once more. Seeing the
tears in the middle Tendou daughter's eyes, Momoe's revulsion vanished
in an instant as she raced over to sweep her friend into a comforting
embrace. Nabiki didn't resist her as the stun-baton fell away from
her hands to clatter on the floor near Souun's leg. A second later, a
hand scooped up the weapon and deactivated it.
Momoe blinked as Tomo straightened herself, the Sagussan calmly
stowing her weapon on her utility belt. The latter sighed as she gave
the former a knowing look, and then she tapped her left wrist-
bracelet. "Tomo to Yomi."
"Yomi here," came the reply.
Tomo gazed on Nabiki. The latter nodded. "Set trans****ter on
maximum particle dispersal. Beam this hunk of stormwalker dung outta
here."
"Right. Energizing now."
A trans****ter beam carried away Souun's body. Momoe watched it
vanish, and then she stared at Tomo. The internal security officer
took a deep breath. "On our planet, Marubeya-san, child abandonment
is a capital crime."
With that, she walked out of the sitting room. Momoe watched her go,
and then she gazed into Nabiki's tear-streaked face. "Nabiki, what
happened?" she gently prodded as she reached up to massage the other
girl's cheeks.
Nabiki blinked several times. "Count yourselves very lucky, Momoe-
chan."
"Eh?"
Nabiki then blinked before she breathed out. "It's a long story."
"We've got all night," Momoe advised her.
Nabiki considered that. "Yeah, we do, don't we. Let's get out of
here."
With that, the two walked out of the room.
* * *
A pair of hands crossed Mizuho's face to cover her eyes. "Guess
who?!"
The manager of the Hotel Kirabo**** gasped. She spun around to find
herself gazing at what appeared to be a pointed-eared, teenage version
of Sakurambou Sakura standing there. Blinking several times as she
took in the other's measure, Mizuho then squeaked, "Otako . . .?"
"Been a long time, sister," the replica of the high priestess of the
Hegane Sect, Otako odai-Meinyak, noted with a wagging finger.
Mizuho blinked several times as she took that in, and then with a
delighted laugh, she rose from her chair to sweep Otako into her
arms. Watching this from nearby, Priss could only smirk before she
turned back to gaze on the two active gestation chambers in this part
of the Avalon bioroid factory. "I take it you know this lovely lady,
Kaili."
Mizuho chuckled as she wrapped an arm around Otako. "We were created
at the same time, Priss-san," she explained. "The odai-Meinyak, in
whose image Otako here was created, wanted an 'older sister' figure to
play with while she was growing up." She then tensed on feeling a
wave of intense sadness warp through her skin from Otako. Staring at
the raven-haired woman, Mizuho then closed her eyes. It was easy to
figure out. "When?" she asked.
"When the ot'ndai-Zkuhsbagh seized control of the factory using the
spirit-energy of many of those who were killed in Lumukyou," Otako
replied. Since he was the founder of the Church of Lum, Oogi was
accorded the highest name ranking among Niphentaxians, though both
Priss and Mizuho were quick to sense that Otako really wouldn't care
if Oogi either lived or finally died. "He was powerful enough to even
overcome the influence of a controlling orb from the Milky Way 'Curses
'R' Us' Management Organization my other-self found in some rubbish
heap near Uru sometime after I was first activated. With that, he
seized control of the factory and blasted us off from Phentax
Twelve . . . "
"And when that happened, the whole planet got turned into an asteroid
field, killing everyone who was alive on it," Priss finished. Sensing
Otako's surprise, the Sagussan smirked as she crossed her arms. "I
originally came here with some friends of mine to obtain a bioroid
body for a companion android who'd achieved full sentience and wanted
to be fully organic. When we checked out the Phentax system, we saw
what happened."
"It didn't matter, anyway," Otako observed. "By the time the ot'ndai-
Zkuhsbagh came to the factory, my other-self's orb had succeeded in
completely subverting the living spirits of every Invader on Phentax
Twelve."
"Where'd it exactly come from?" Mizuho asked.
"An friend of Lum's family, the Lady of the Oak Forest Asteroid,"
Otako answered. "When Lum was born, invitations were sent out to all
of the Invaders' friends to attend the christening and baby shower.
The invitation to the Lady of the Oak Forest was lost. She took it
personally, and then she created a curse to ensure Lum would never
know true love. For some reason, when my other-self found it, the
curse's power grew out of control." She bowed her head. "What
happened after the ot'ndai-Zkuhsbagh came . . . "
"Was a mercy-killing," Mizuho finished. "I grieve for you, sister."
"Thank you," Otako replied, and then her eyes focused on Priss.
"We've all noticed what one of your co-workers did for us when you
last came here. You're lucky that the ot'ndai-Zkuhsbagh is so
obsessed with destroying the 'Great Evil,' he hasn't had time to
devote himself into making sure that none of us can seriously rebel
against him." Her eyes turned down. "Still, as long as Gloriana
remains locked away in the main computer core by the ot'ndai-
Zkuhsbagh, we can't hope to free ourselves from his control."
Priss blinked as she took that in, and then she closed her eyes as
she considered what options there were for the Avalonians. She knew
"Gloriana" -- that was a slurred version of an ancient Kyre'sha
phrase, "glorgh-anghya" ("the Divine One who beholds all of Creation")
-- was the name given to the central controlling conscience inserted
into the factory by the people who launched Project: Avalon fourteen
millennia ago. "Do you have any DNA samples left from the time the
Project was started?" she then asked.
"All gone," Otako replied. "They were destroyed as soon as the
Invaders were able to figure out how to keep Gloriana from reasserting
full positive control over the factory. None of us dares try to do
anything like that."
Priss hummed. "What about DNA samples from Lum?"
Otako blinked. "Lum?" She shook her head again. "They're gone,
too. The ot'ndai-Zkuhsbagh deleted them from memory."
"No doubt, to ensure his precious 'goddess'' memory remained as pure
as possible," Mizuho added, and then she peered at Priss as the
Pathfinder's ultimate idea finally came to her. "Priss-san, who could
we use as a physical template for Gloriana's new body, then?"
"Ataru's out; he's the 'great evil' in Oogi's eyes and that's that.
Izumo Seiko is out since her body's based off three of her friends
from Tomobiki. We can't use Miyake ****nobu since she's considered a
'sinful doubter' . . . " Her voice then trailed off. "Hey, wait a
minute . . . " she whispered before she snapped her fingers. "She's
perfect!"
"Who?!" Otako and Mizuho demanded in sync.
The Pathfinder flashed them an icy smile before she tapped her
communicator. "Priss to Yomi. I need Tomo for a job."
"Can I help?!" a high-pitched voice then demanded over the line.
Priss blinked. "Chiyo?!"
* * *
The Mizunokooji estate was well lit in the early evening as two
people in kimonos walked through the beautiful gardens close to the
main residence. It had thoroughly annoyed Mendou Shuutarou that,
almost as soon as he had returned to his home from being rescued from
Elle, he had been packaged off and delivered to the front gates of his
fiancée's home just to spend some "quality time" (his father's words)
with Mizunokooji Asuka.
But, in the end, it WAS family honour that forced him to agree to
come here. And besides, Asuka was, despite her quirks, delightful
company. Even if they WERE currently being ****elded from potential
outside problems by half of the Kuroten****, the Mizunokooji Clan's in-
house troop of young, gorgeous female bodyguards whose quite revealing
uniforms -- polo ****rts, leather ties, hot pants, leather knee-high
boots and shooter's glasses -- were just as ubiquitous as the
Kuromegane's three-piece suits and dark Ray-Bans.
"Onii-sama, are you alright?"
Mendou jerked on hearing Asuka's question, and then he flustered as
he gave her an apologetic look. "Gomen ne, Asuka-chan," he said, he
reaching to give her hand a squeeze. "I'm still bothered because of
today's events."
"Okaa-sama told me about that Elle woman," Asuka said. "I was afraid
she'd put you into her awful refrigerator, just like she tried to do
when you first met her!" She then reached over to wrap her arm
protectively around one of his. Fortunately for the young heiress of
the Mizunokooji s****ts empire -- not to mention her fiancé -- Asuka
had been given a lot of tips from her classmates at Keppeki Girl's
Junior High School about how to deal with a man she cared for. "I'm
just glad that you're safe again, Onii-sama."
"So am I," Mendou confessed before a blank look crossed his face.
Asuka did not notice as his eyes turned once more to the starry
night. That was good, for the young scion of Japan's richest family
had a lot on his mind. And the primary thing that was bothering
Mendou Shuutarou was a man whom he dared not mention to his fiancée,
even if, as it seemed these days, Morobo**** Ataru would not succumb to
the disgustingly lecherous behaviour that had so frightened Asuka in
the past. Of course, Mendou really couldn't bring himself to believe
that his hated rival had truly changed, had evolved away from his
idiotic past. But the evidence of the last two weeks, especially the
events on the "Rose Emperor" earlier, were strongly shouting
otherwise.
To believe . . .
Morobo**** had KILLED!
What was worse, he had killed a WOMAN!
Worst of all, he had killed demonstrating the same general lack of
emotion one might express when one squashed a cockroach!
And if he had done that . . .
What could happen next?
Indeed, what WOULD happen next?
And how could he, Mendou Shuutarou, react to it?
What indeed . . .?
"Eh?!"
Mendou jolted as Asuka's grip on his arm tightened considerably, he
instantly coming to a stop. Looking at Asuka for a second, he then
followed her line of vision to a point in the path five metres ahead.
Seeing what was presently sitting there gazing at them with dark eyes,
Mendou's jaw dropped to the ground in shocked disbelief. "What on
Earth . . .?" he demanded as his mind tried to wrap around that
image. "A tiger . . .?"
Saying that, the scion of Japan's richest family immediately
dismissed that description of the odd-looking, beige-furred feline up
ahead. While the beast was indeed about the same size as a Siberian
tiger, it had the lanky leanness of a North American cougar. Atop
that, there were s****-like muscular appendages sticking out from both
sides of the beast's neck, just beyond the curve of its jaw. And that
did NOT take into account the huge, furred, bat-like wings sticking
out from behind its shoulder blades. Even folded against the
creature's side, the wings could at LEAST span ten metres from tip to
tip if they were extended. And the long tail that was currently
curled against the beast's forepaws ended in a diamond-shaped flat pad
of flesh similar to a beaver's tail. Realizing instantly that this
creature could simply NOT be from Earth, Mendou tensed himself as he
drew his katana from under his kimono. "Asuka-chan, stay behind
me . . . " he warned his fiancée.
"Don't worry," a female voice called out. "Tadakichi won't hurt
you."
Everyone blink-blinked several times as a slender woman dressed in
the light green-and-gold of a Sagussan civilian medical officer moved
out from behind the feline. Seeing her, Asuka's jaw dropped as she
instantly recalled a certain manga series a classmate of hers had
shown her -- and of its lead star. "Chiyo-chan . . .?" she gasped as
she pulled away from Mendou.
Mendou blinked. He knew a little bit about "Azumanga Daioh" -- while
he didn't partake in reading that form of common entertainment, he had
heard a lot about various popular series at school -- so he understood
the reference. But attaching the name "Chiyo" to this strange woman
was pu****ng it. In Azuma-sensei's manga, Mihama Chiyo was a child
genius that had been promoted straight into first-year high school
from fourth-year elementary school, which made her ten years old at
the start of the series. The woman Asuka just called "Chiyo" had to
be eighteen, if not twenty! And she certainly had the body to back up
such an assertion, given the very nice pair of breasts that seemed
almost ready to burst free from her oddly-cut jumpsuit top, to say
AHYTHING of a body that rivalled Sakura-sensei's in general shape,
plus she standing as tall as Asuka! Further, while the woman WAS
wearing her dark caramel hair in the ponytails the manga character
had, Mendou knew Mihama Chiyo did NOT have tapered ears!
"Close enough," the newcomer asserted as she pulled her hand away
from the alien beast beside her, and then she bowed, clasping her
hands together in a splayed-finger prayer-like gesture. "I sincerely
apologize for disturbing your time together, but I've come here to
speak to you about something of great im****t." Her eyes fell on
Asuka. "Asuka-san, how'd you like to be a . . .?"
"WHO IS THIS?!"
Everyone screamed out in shocked surprise as Chiyo and her companion
spun around to stare into a matronly woman's face frozen in a
perennial smile. As usual, she was draped in a flower-embossed
kimono. "Okaa-sama!" Asuka gasped.
Mizunokooji Saeko quickly focused her starry eyes -- a feature she
shared with both Asuka and her son, Tobimaro -- on the intruder. "WHO
IS THIS?!" she hotly demanded before blinking wildly as Chiyo drew out
a scanner from her first aid bag -- no Sagussan doctor or nurse ever
left home without one! -- to pass it over her face, the device
chirping. "Eh . . .? What are you doing?! Why are you waving that
thing in my face?!" she demanded.
Chiyo hummed as she drew her scanner back to examine the readout on
her medical tricorder. "Oh, my!" she breathed out. "I never thought
I'd ever see a case of facial palsy quite like yours, Saeko-san. Have
you ever had a chance to see a neurologist to be treated?"
The iron-willed matriarch of the Mizunokooji family shuddered as
outrage billowed from every point on her body, and then she screamed
out, "***I AM NOT DISEASED! NOW, WHY ARE YOU HARRASSING MY DAUGHTER
AND HER FIANCÉ . . .?!***"
"***DOUBLE CHOP!***"
A pair of clasped hands came down HARD on Saeko's head, driving her
into the walkway. Seeing that, Mendou dodged in front of Asuka,
partially drawing his katana at the same time. Multiple hands then
gripped his arms and legs. A glance over his shoulder revealed that
ALL of the Kuroten**** were hiding behind him, they fearfully gazing on
the black-and-blue dressed woman who just knocked down their employer
with ONE BLOW! "Young Master! Protect us, please!" Makige Kinko, the
Kuroten****'s wavy-haired leader, wailed.
"Tomo!" Chiyo screamed out. "You didn't have to hit her THAT hard!"
"Hey, it ain't MY fault this perp was threatening you!" Tomo yelled
back.
Staring at her, Mendou blinked, his jaw dropping. "It's you!" he
gasped as he pointed at the Sagussan internal security officer.
"You're the one who was on the 'Rose Emperor' when Seiko-san and
Sakiko-san came to rescue us!"
The scion of the Mendou fortune found himself staring at a monster
with blazing eyes and a battle aura that would scare the bejeezus out
of Saotome Ranma! "***WHO GAVE A MORON LIKE* YOU *THE RIGHT TO
CREDIT* THOSE *TWERPS WITH SAVING YOUR SORRY ASS FROM ELLE?! IT WAS
ATARU-SAMA AND HI****O-SAMA WHO SAVED YOU, NOT ANYONE ELSE! AND DON'T
YOU EVER FORGET THAT! GOT ME?!***"
Mendou and Asuka screamed as both leaped behind the massed Kuroten****
to get away from that horrid vision. "TOMO!" Chiyo yelled. "JUST
BECAUSE THEY'RE FROM A TOGHMOGHBIKI DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO GIVE
THEM HEART ATTACKS!"
Tomo reverted to normal as she glared at her friend. "It ain't MY
fault THIS kimei'aidoei acts like such a fool when it comes to Ataru-
sama, Chiyo!"
The doctor paused as she considered the internal security officer's
words. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. "Yes, I suppose
that's true!" A disapproving glare was then sent Mendou's way. "His
behaviour when it came to Ataru-sama DID leave a lot to be desired!"
"WHAT?!" Mendou cried out. In a flash, he lunged over to grasp
Chiyo's hands. "Miss, you MUST reject Morobo**** . . .!"
An ear-splitting roar then sent Mendou scrambling away from Chiyo as
the animal she called "Tadakichi" leapt to his feet to stand between
them, spreading his wings out in a threatening posture. The doctor
sighed before she drew out a handkerchief to wipe her hand down.
Seeing her do THAT, Mendou froze in paralysed shock as Chiyo turned to
Tomo. "Honestly! The man simply can't respect any choice a woman
makes, can he?!" she muttered.
"Yeesh! Tell me about it!" Tomo replied before she thumbed the still-
dazed Saeko, the derision she felt for Asuka's mother flowing in
torrents from her voice. "And to believe this dipwit actually wants
to force her own daughter into marrying the stupid twit!"
Chiyo sighed. "Well, what did you expect from a woman who raised her
daughter in total isolation from all men for FIFTEEN years?!"
Hearing that, Tomo started, and then she turned to peer intently at
Asuka. "Yeah, that would explain why is it she's so darned afraid of
guys these days, huh?!" The internal security officer then snapped
her fingers as she gazed on the doctor. "Sounds like child abuse to
me!"
Chiyo blinked, and then she sighed, a sweat drop pouring down her
hair. Even if she WAS a doctor, she had no skill when it came to
trying to curb Tomo's mood-swings. Only Koyomi seemed to have any
luck doing THAT! Besides, given what she knew of Mizunokooji Asuka's
history, it was easy to conclude her mother WAS ultimately responsible
for the girl's androphobia, regardless of what or who finally
triggered it and then forced it into such an acute state. And Saeko
and her husband honestly believed that Asuka was fit to marry Mendou
Shuutarou when she obviously had next to no real control over her
physical strength?
Terrans were SURE strange people, weren't they?!
Oh, well . . .!
"Hai, it's child abuse!" the doctor then muttered as she waved Tomo
off, the tiredness in her voice quite apparent. "Have fun!"
Tomo jolted. "Really?! You mean it, Chiyo?!"
"I said it, didn't I?"
"YA-HOO!"
The internal security officer whipped out her stun-baton, flicked it
on, and then went to work. Seeing what Tomo was doing to their
employer, the Kuroten**** remained frozen in place. Mendou was also
frozen stiff, his eyes spiralling from Chiyo's sharp show of
rejection. As Saeko's pained screams echoed across the property,
Chiyo tiredly turned to Asuka. "Gomen nasai, Asuka-san!" she
apologized with a bow to the young heiress. "I only wanted to ask you
to be a hero, but my friends insisted that Tomo come along with me!"
Asuka blinked. "A hero . . .?" She pointed at herself, her eyes
widening. "You want me to be a hero, Chiyo-chan?"
"Hai."
Asuka blinked again, and then she nodded. "Okay!"
Hearing that, Chiyo beamed.
* * *
"Just what do you think you're doing, Nodoka?"
Nodoka gasped as that question echoed in her ears, and then she spun
around to see someone standing in the entranceway of her home. She
blinked several times as her mind tried to interpret who it was. As
realization dawned, Ranma's mother shakily turned away from Hisayo,
her eyes focusing on the tantou before her. A sheet of expensive
paper, a calligraphy brush and ink well were off to one side, ready to
be used when Nodoka would compose her farewell poem. She was draped
in her most formal kimono, the flaps around her collars pulled a bit
away to expose her neck; for the wives of samurai, it wasn't the
abdomen that was ripped open when one committed suicide. Blinking as
it dawned on her why Hisayo had come to see her, she then sniffed back
tears. "Don't stop me, Onee-chan. Please . . . "
"Oh, I'm going to stop you, alright!" Hisayo growled as she kicked
off her shoes and stepped into the living room to drop herself down in
front of Nodoka. Though it was possible for the latter to snare the
tantou before the former could grab it and toss it aside, Hisayo did
nothing of the sort. Nodoka's sense of manners wouldn't allow her to
act that way, even in a situation like this. "I'm damn hell gonna
stop you from making the most stupid mistake of your life, Nodoka-
chan!" She blinked as tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
"You're my sister, damn it! And there's no way that I'm going to
allow my sister to kill herself, especially for something idiotic
li- . . .!"
"'IDIOTIC?!'" Nodoka shrieked. "Kasumi, Nabiki and Akane are ORPHANS
now! And their father was killed by Naho-san's GRANDFATHER . . .!"
"I KNOW THAT!" Hisayo roared back. "I just got told the whole damned
story!" She waved to the doorway. Catty Ray was standing outside
waiting for Hisayo to call her in; Nodoka's sister had a communicator
on her ****rt collar.
"Then you know why I have to do this!"
"Tell ME, then!"
Nodoka shuddered as Hisayo's glare bored into her. "Onee-chan, when
she finds out what happened to Souun tonight, Ranma-chan could
possibly go all the way into declaring a BLOOD-FEUD against Father and
our whole family!"
"And what's so damned wrong about that?!"
"Onee-chan!"
Hisayo frowned. "Nodoka, what has our having that name done for
us?!"
"It's the name we were born by!"
"Is it really?"
"Onee-chan!"
Hisayo crossed her arms. "Nodoka, you know how I feel about our so-
called 'father' and our brothers! You know how I feel about what they
did to you in response to you making a simple mistake when it came to
Saotome Genma!"
"Father had a right to do that . . .!"
"NO, HE DID NOT!" Hisayo barked. "AFTER ALL THE **** HE PULLED ON
MOM, THAT BASTARD HAD NO RIGHT TO JUDGE YOU AT ALL!"
Nodoka's eyes flashed before her hand lashed out at Hisayo's cheek.
Before it could strike, a hand snared Nodoka's arm, yanking it back
hard enough to cause Ranma's mother to scream out. She nearly
collapsed before her eyes turned up to see who had intercepted her
slap. They then widened as the newcomer's many features came to her.
"Wh-who . . .?"
"Thanks," Hisayo breathed out. "You must be Priss."
"That I am. Guess I was just in time," Priss replied before she
gazed at the entranceway. "Ray, get in here!" she yelled.
The door opened, revealing Catty Ray. "Update from Chiyo, Priss,"
the android-turned-bioroid re****ted. "Another twenty minutes or so."
"Any sign of detection from Ataru's playmate?" the Pathfinder asked.
Catty Ray shook her head. "No." She then perked. "Oh, Koyomi
called. She has the other prisoner in mid-trans****t suspension."
"I'm sure Naho would love to hear that," Priss noted, and then she
stared down at Nodoka. "You gonna behave yourself?" she wondered.
Nodoka blinked several times, and then she hesitantly nodded. Even
though she really did not have anything close to the ki-sensing
abilities her daughter could call on when needed, some deep voice in
her head was loudly warning her that any, ANY show of defiance toward
this strange woman would be a VERY stupid thing to do. Priss then let
go of her hand before she dropped unceremoniously to the floor beside
her. "Okay, then! It's time to play a little game here. It's called
'Revelations.' You, Nodoka, are going to be told a rather complex and
long story that concerns your daughter in a most intimate way. And,
if we go along with the mating rituals of your race, that story also
deeply concerns the man you would look on as your future son-in-law."
Seeing Nodoka's eyes go wide, Priss added, "Morobo**** Ataru."
Silence.
"Have they gone all the way yet?" Hisayo asked, she trying not to
smirk at Nodoka's imitation of a guppy on hearing THAT statement.
"No, not yet," Priss responded. "But you really can't blame Ataru,
though. After he got a VERY up close and personal look at three
billion people getting turned into instant air pollution back on
Phentax Two, his libido took a nose-dive." She then raised an
objecting finger. "But that's another story we can talk about later.
First, we have to explain to Nodoka about *this!*"
She pulled out a picture from her vest top, flipping it around to
show to Ranma's mother. It was a two-dimensional photograph, which
had been printed from a hologram Lufy created from bioscans her
equipment had made of herself, Ataru and Ranma that fateful day in
Sendai thirteen years before. Priss knew that if she had pulled out a
****table holographic projector or something else that would be
"flashy" for Nodoka, the latter could easily try to deny the visual
evidence as the whole, unvarnished truth. A 2-D image, what Nodoka
would see as "normal," worked better in this case.
"That's Ranma . . . " Nodoka whispered as her finger felt the
picture. "And this must be Ataru-kun . . .!" She pointed to the
other boy, and then the blonde girl with the same skin colour as
Priss. "Who's this?!"
"My oldest, dearest friend -- and Catty Ray's lover -- Lufy," Priss
replied with a wave of her hand to Lufy's bond-mate. "As you'll
probably remember, thirteen years ago, your late husband took your son
on a little training trip that ended with him winding up in intensive
care at the city hospital in Sendai for a month, recovering from a
whole slew of broken bones and deep slash marks over most of his
body."
Seeing Nodoka's eyes widen in realization, Priss continued, "That was
Lufy and a large feline companion of hers, Starleaf. We hail from a
planet named Sagussa, located thirty thousand light-years from Earth
just outside the limits of the galaxy. The reason Lufy came to Sendai
that day was . . . "
* * *
"Naho-san, I don't even know what to begin to say . . . "
The crowd from the Tendou doojou -- minus Cologne, who had gone over
to the Morobo**** home to retrieve Shampoo and Mousse -- had ****fted
themselves to Okonomiyaki U-chan's to enjoy a late dinner. Hana Naho
had just finished explaining about the tortured history of her part of
the Morobo****-Hana Clan and how that had come to so badly affect the
surviving members of the Tendou family earlier that evening. "Don't
bother, ****nobu-chan," Naho replied before she gave Konatsu a nod as
he placed a fresh okonomiyaki in front of her. "Just be thankful my
grandfather's obsession with obtaining Negako-chan's knowledge didn't
lead him to do something to anyone in Tomobiki. Even if Lum had many
advantages, it would've been child's play to chop off her horns and
render her powerless enough to turn her into a very impressive hostage
to force Kinshou to come open about a few things concerning what
happened to Ataru-chan. After all, since that fat ignoramus Lum
called a father was willing to do ANYTHING to protect his child, the
Men in Black would've responded immediately by calling in the
Zephyrites. And given the suspicions in the Holy Republic concerning
Urusian involvement in my aunt's murder, they would've most likely
turned around and punished Lum in the place of those people who were
truly responsible for what happened." Her eyes focused on Izumo
Sakiko. "Seq Yethis, Rei's uncle, being the primary suspect on that
list, of course."
The crowd from Tomobiki took a moment to absorb that information.
"It woulda been one hell of a friggin' fight," Ryuunosuke mused.
"That it would be," Sakiko agreed with a grimace before her eyes fell
on Negako. "And if Darling was hurt in any way . . . "
"I would have willingly killed everyone who was involved, regardless
of their affiliation," the ninjutsu grandmaster finished.
"Which could've started an intergalactic war," Naho finished.
"Damn!" Momoe exhaled, and then she gazed on Negako. "You know,
maybe it was a smart thing you never did come to Tomobiki before the
Second Tag Race, Negako-san. Given how possessive Lum was with Ataru-
kun all the time . . . "
"Even after living for three years with Naho, Mizuho, Ayano and the
others in Onogawa, I still required more time to fully adjust myself
to being free and living my own life under my control, Momoe," Negako
said. "If I came to Tomobiki to fully deal with all of Ataru's
problems before I was truthfully sure of myself, the possibility was
there that I might do something which would have ultimately made
Ataru's position worse."
"It's ironic, isn't it, Tedai?" Inaba Ayano mused.
"Yes, it is."
"What is, Negako-san?" Kasumi asked.
"The situation concerning the First Tag Race," Negako replied. "As
you are all now aware, the Urusians learned about Nagaiwakai's
connection with the Zephyrites prior to the First Tag Race, which
prompted Pochik Ando's attack on Ri****ri-tou while Ataru was
attempting to tag Lum's horns. What the Urusians never learned -- as
Ataru and I discovered when we were training together and we finally
captured Ando and the members of his strike force -- was what
Nagaiwakai asked ME to do in case Lum won the race."
"Don't tell us! Let us guess!" Nabiki declared with a raised
finger. "You were ordered to kill her."
"Correct," Negako confirmed. She ignored the shocked looks from
Lum's former classmates as she continued, "Once that happened, I would
have then employed a lava blast, using Fuji-san as the firing point,
to destroy the 'Ka****n' and ensure that whatever fragments from
Invader's flag****p would have splash-landed in the Pacific Ocean."
Negako then took a deep breath. "If I had done THAT, the Urusians
would have suffered a fatal disruption in their overall plans to seize
control of Earth. By the time occupation forces could have deployed
here from To****o, a Zephyrite fleet would have arrived in the system
from Jiyuu and be in a position to intercept." She lightly smiled.
"In essence, Nagaiwakai's murder would have given the Urusians no
advantage."
"Poor Ando-kun," Sakiko crooned as she tilted her head to and fro.
"All that work and it was ultimately for naught."
"You knew this jerk, Sakiko-chan?" Ryuunosuke asked.
"Please, Ryuu-chan!" Sakiko groaned. "DON'T ask!"
"Right . . . " the tomboy drawled.
"What happens now, Kasumi-san?" Gekasawa Kumiko asked.
Kasumi sighed, she giving Horikawa Mutsumi -- they were holding hands
-- a grateful smile before she turned back to Momoe's friend. "Well,
with Father now gone, I see no real reason for us to remain in Nerima,
Kumiko-san. I had him stricken from the family register this
afternoon, while everyone was busy with Ataru-kun's 'fiancée,' so his
death need not concern the authorities."
"That's good," Nabiki snarled.
"Further, come Friday morning, the real estate people will take
possession of the property," Kasumi then added. "Hopefully by then,
we'll all be able to move in with Ataru-kun and his family on Promised
Island . . . "
"'Promised Island?!' Where's that?!" Momoe asked.
"Oomure-jima, off the coast of Odawara in the Sagami Sea," Nabiki
provided. "'Promised Island's' the nickname of the place."
"That's right!" Ryuunosuke said, she snapping her fingers. "That's
the island near our island, Sakiko-chan!"
"I doubt Darling'll like the idea of any of us visiting him there,"
Sakiko warned as she considered that point.
"And I KNOW that Ataru-kun and the sisters certainly WON'T like the
idea of Mendou finding out where they live now," Nabiki added as she
gave Momoe and Kumiko knowing looks. "Right, girls?" she asked, an
eyebrow arching.
Momoe sighed, a content smile crossing her face. "Nabiki, the man
just killed to save my life. I've made up with him and I've accepted
his apology for what he did to me in the past." A pause. "If he
wants me as a friend, I'll gladly call him my friend. Hell, I'll even
date him if he wants. No matter what, though, he's got nothing to
fear from me."
"Nor from me, either," Kumiko added. "But I'll pass on the dates."
****nobu, Ryuunosuke and Sakiko laughed. "What about the Rosebuds?"
Nabiki asked as she crossed her arms.
"Who're the Rosebuds?" Sawada Mi****o wondered.
"Mendou's town-wide fan club," Ryuunosuke answered.
"At times, they were just as obsessed with Mendou as Megane and his
fools were with Lum," Nabiki added with a raised finger and a wink.
The rose-haired Avalonian nodded. "Aaaah! Gotcha!"
"Hey! We weren't THAT bad!" Kumiko cried out defensively.
"Then why on Earth did you all try to lynch Ataru-chan when he simply
wanted to retire from being class representative?" Naho asked.
Kumiko flustered. "It was a mistake, Naho-san! We all thought Ataru-
kun was dumping Lum once and for all!"
"And that was a problem?" Naho wondered.
Kumiko balked. "Well . . . "
"They were afraid that if Ataru succeeded in ending his relation****p
with Lum, she would turn around and seek Shuutarou out romantically.
That, of course, would have effectively destroyed any hopes Momoe,
Kumiko and their friends -- even ****nobu -- might have possessed in
winning Shuutarou for themselves," Negako explained to her "mother."
"Of course, given how immature and irresponsible Lum's behaviour was
at the time, the chances were better than good that she would have
most likely permanently maimed Ataru in retaliation for his
'betrayal.' And once that happened, the Kuromorobo**** and the Sunin
would have come down to permanently maim -- if not KILL -- Lum in
turn."
Everyone from Tomobiki blinked. "Who're they?!" Ryuunosuke asked.
"The Kuromorobo**** were my aunt's kunoichi bodyguards," Naho
explained. "The Sunin were my grant-aunt's sumotori bodyguards."
"You know about them, Konatsu?" Ukyou asked from behind the grill.
"Only the Kuromorobo****, Ukyou-sama," the male ****nobi replied.
"They're some of the finest shadow warriors in Japan, if not all of
Asia. Of course . . . " -- he flashed Negako a smile -- "They're
nothing compared to Negako-sama."
Negako's eyebrow twitched. "Konatsu . . . "
"Tedai, that's enough," Ayano gently scolded as she playfully batted
Negako's arm. "He has every right to admire you, because you're so
admirable!"
An incredulous look responded. "Oh?"
"Negako-chan, take it easy for once," Naho added.
The grandmaster shook her head as muted laughter echoed from the
others around her. "Um, can I ask a question?" Gekasawa Kumiko then
asked.
"What is it, Kumiko?" Negako wondered.
"What does Ayano-san mean when she calls you 'Tedai?'"
"Easily explained," the raven-haired Avalonian replied. "'Te' comes
from 'Terra,' the Latin name for your home planet, Kumiko-san." Ayano
then sighed. "And my home planet now, I must confess. And 'dai' is
Niphentaxian for 'blessed one.' A more proper translation for that
would be 'Earth Angel.' It's what we all sometimes call her." She
gazed fondly at Negako as she added, "After all, the Earth speaks and
she listens."
"You mean you can actually 'hear' the chi and mana flows of
everything on Earth, Negako-san?" Kasumi wondered. "Even sense the
Dragon Lines?"
"Yes," Negako confirmed with a nod.
"Negako-san, that must overwhelm you at times," Sakiko noted.
"It initially did," Negako replied. "In the more than three years
after I was freed from Ataru's subconscious mind, Sakiko, I was
bombarded CONSTANTLY with what seemed an endless storm of thoughts,
images, feelings and the like from every point on the planet. As
Naho, Ayano and their friends may confirm, in the first thousand days
of my freedom, I was fully cognizant for, at most, THIRTY of them."
She then took a deep breath. "Because of that, I was unable to see
what real harm I had unleashed on Ataru."
"Wiping out his memory, you mean," Ryuunosuke mused.
"That and one other matter, Ryuunosuke." Negako closed her eyes.
"And I confess it was that second matter which, in part, caused Ataru
to attempt to molest you as often as he did from the time he passed
into puberty until I restored his memories and removed him from
Tomobiki." Another pause, and then the ninjutsu grandmaster added,
"Something that I, had I then been in a much more stable frame of
mind, would have eliminated from him as soon as possible after I was
freed from his subconscious."
Everyone gazed curiously at Negako. "If you don't mind our asking,
Negako-san, how exactly did you do that?" Saotome Kumiko asked.
A smile turned the grandmaster's lips. "Before I explain that,
Kumiko, I wish you all to consider what my exact situation was at the
time I was first inserted into Ataru's subconscious mind." Her
eyebrow then arched. "Well?"
She paused to allow the others to think about it. "According to the
biography Yumoa-san presented on you on TV Tokyo after the school was
wrecked, you became self-conscious in 1808, right?" ****nobu began. At
Negako's nod, Ataru's former girlfriend breathed out, "And until you
were freed, you worked constantly to try to seize control of your
host's body so you could be free."
"As any slave would react when she fully becomes aware of the nature
of her slavery," Yusa Rinko added.
"Ataru-kun WASN'T prepared to be your host, right?" Momoe asked.
"Exactly."
"You must've felt like you'd hit the jackpot," Sakiko noted.
"Indeed I did, Sakiko," Negako replied. "Everyone, you must
understand that at the time I was inserted into Ataru's subconscious,
I had never, NEVER truthfully enjoyed any positive experiences with
normal humans." Her eyes then focused on the Tendou sisters. "My
three encounters with Happy during Emperor Mutsuhito's reign were very
brief ones. And in the third encounter, Happy was punished by
elements of the Morobo**** Clan ALL BECAUSE he wanted to help me live
my own life." She turned back to gaze on the girls from Tomobiki.
"In spite of those -- NO, even BECAUSE of those encounters with Happy
-- to me, every human I encountered would always potentially
contribute, in one way or another, to my continued enslavement." The
people around her began to quake on seeing the look of sheer, pure
RAGE crossing the grandmaster's face as she continued, "I was a
monster that had to be caged at all costs. A beast that should never
see the light of day. The ultimate expression of the darkness in
human hearts and souls. Anything I did, anything I said . . . " A
deep breath. "It was to be ignored. I was a nightmare best
forgotten."
"Jesu Cristo!" ****nobu whispered, sympathetic tears welling in her
eyes.
Everyone remained silent for a moment, and then Mi****o said, "And
then you got downloaded into Ataru-kun's head."
"Indeed," Negako said. "A five year-old boy. Not prepared in the
LEAST to be my host. No one even SUSPECTED where I was at the time it
happened. To me, being placed into Ataru was akin to ****nobu here
finding the Garden of Eden. I could finally do what I waited YEARS to
do. And given the fractious relations between Kinshou and Muchi on
one side, Komeru on another, Nagaiwakai on yet another and with Naho
in hiding . . . " She shrugged as a sly smile crossed her face.
"What could I NOT do in a situation like that?"
Negako then raised an objecting finger. "However, there were
problems. Number one: The psionic bond with Saotome Ranma. Number
two: The empathic bonds Ataru shared with Priscilla, Tomo and all of
their kind. Number three: Ataru's body, if it was to be of ultimate
long-term use to me, had to be gradually upgraded so that I could
employ all my knowledge and skills when the day came that I would
finally free myself. So I had to go forth and seek a way to built up
the necessary heavy ki energy -- 'dark' ki if you will -- so that when
the day came, I could destroy Ataru's soul and seize his body for
myself with as minimal amount of problems as possible. To do
that . . . " A pause. "I decided to use Ataru's empathic bonds with
Priscilla's people . . . "
"The Sagussans," Nabiki helpfully cut in.
"Thank you, Nabiki," Negako carried on. "Using those empathic bonds
and Ataru's inner desire to reunite with the Sagussans, I slowly,
gradually transformed him into a receptacle of heavy ki, which was
then transmitted into the large mana node that exists under Tomobiki
to this very day." She gazed directly at Sakiko and ****nobu. "You
encountered one sentient expression of that mana node sometime ago,
prior to the second Tag Race."
"The Pseudo-War?" Momoe asked. "That thing under the Tarouzakura
hill where Lum disappeared to just before the fighting started?!"
"Exactly, Momoe. The 'Memory of Tomobiki' as it addressed itself."
Nabiki then snapped her fingers. "Oh, I get it now!" She then gazed
on Negako. "You made Ataru act like a letch and an idiot to gather up
all that dark ki, and then you used this thing under the Tarouzakura
as a huge storage battery. And when you finally had enough heavy ki,
that would've eventually helped you wipe out Ataru's mind and seize
control of his body for your use."
Negako nodded. "Yes."
"Damn!" Ryuunosuke whistled. "So every time Morobo**** went
crazy . . . "
"People struck back," Negako finished. "Physical blows, verbal
rejections, the growing estrangement between Ataru and his parents,
the inability of Ataru to forge any friend****ps, to say ANYTHING of
forging a relation****p with ****nobu. And then, after the First Tag
Race, energy attacks like Lum's bio-electricity, Oyuki's ice-
manipulation powers, Jariten's flame-breath, the threats from Ran to
absorb Ataru's youth and other events. ALL that produced heavy ki
that his body transmitted to the node under the Tarouzakura for my
later use. And as that carried on, his body was slowly but surely
altered to Sagussan levels of physical ability. His superhuman speed,
his ability to absorb blows that would have killed a normal person,
his stamina." A tired smile crossed her face. "All that came
originally from me."
"And all you had to do then was sit back and wait," Kasumi added.
"Exactly," Negako replied with nod. "And that was the state of
affairs until five years ago, when a woman named Sunhair
Windrider . . . "
"The captain of the Zephyrite battlecruiser we locked alongside with
after the business with Elle," Nabiki augmented.
Negako nodded. "When Sunhair, the daughter of a friend of
Nagaiwakai's from the Zephyrite colony of Magairu, mind-probed Ataru
one day when he was visiting Nagaiwakai at Ri****ri-tou . . . " She
then closed her eyes as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "Her
mind made contact with my spirit within Ataru's subconscious. Once
she understood what I was, she informed Ataru. He was, despite my
attempts at making him ignore whatever had been told to him about me,
aware of what I was, how I came into being. And then . . . "
Here, the grandmaster stopped, her eyes turning to the table before
her. The others stared at her, all of them anxious to hear what
happened next, yet afraid to come out and ask Negako to continue.
Finally, Nabiki breathed out as she reached over to squeeze her hand.
"Then what, Negako?"
Negako blinked before she reached up to wipe her eyes. "And then,
Ataru did something I never believed ANY human being outside possibly
Happy would ever have done for me. He asked Nagaiwakai a very simple
question." A pause. "'Why can't she have her own life?'"
* * *
"Oh, by the Lady Pizalna! It just CAN'T be . . . "
The hunters gazed on Varena. After identifying the Maidens by the
jumpsuit the Yizibajohei-born one was wearing, Hinanba and Pamanba had
psi-flashed their friends. As soon as the other junior hunters had
gotten dressed and prepped their kit, everyone raced over to join
their friends in the hedge bordering the manicured lawn surrounding
the Crystal Palace. As the younger ones took turns looking through
their binoculars to take in all the details, Varena and Mujanba walked
off to one side to put their heads together and decide what to do
next. Still, even the witch hunters from Colony Nine were excited.
This after all, to any Vosian, was the ultimate first contact:
To actually MEET the Maidens of the Eternal Voyager!
"Major, you recognize the Pirpirsiw'r?" Kanba asked.
Varena nodded as she lowered her binoculars. A smile crossed her
face as she gazed on her friends. "As a matter of fact, Kanba, I do.
She's Izripra of Varakos, a court sage. One of the wisest people ever
to live."
"I thought no one was to know any of their real names," Ryoonba said.
"The common folk on Yehisril, yes," Varena confirmed. "My great-
grandfather on my mother's side, however, was a wandering mystic from
the northern hills of Kyotos who was willing to teach his craft to
anyone who wanted to learn and had the aptitude to learn. Lady
Izripra, when she was on her honour-quest before she was formally
welcomed into the Sisterhood of Steel, trained under him." The
"Sisterhood of Steel" was the most common name applied to the Most
Dangerous Ones as a group. "He grieved when Lady Izripra was killed,
but later became overjoyed when he later sensed that the Eternal
Voyager had come and taken her off to its home planet."
"Yeah, wherever that is," Hinanba mused.
"So what's the plan, Major?" Ikura, a grey-eyed, platinum-haired
azhis'f and another of Bujosur's former personal harem, wondered.
"We stay here for the time being, Ikura," Mujanba answered for the
other Colony Nine native. Instantly sensing the disappointed looks
appearing on the younger hunters' faces, the captain chuckled.
"Girls, I know you all want to meet them. Believe me, I'm as excited
about this as you are. But we have to keep this in mind: Lecasur's
original contact with the Voyager really didn't produce a lot of hard
data on the Maidens. And much of that was later lost when Lecasur
disappeared with the 'Unification.' We can't base our opinions on the
legends, wild theories and what-have-you when it comes to the Voyager
and the Maidens. Now's the time for hard facts. Understood?"
Nods from the others. "Don't forget, the Maidens might have detailed
intelligence on events on Vos," Varena added with a warning finger.
"After all, it WAS the Voyager that destroyed that Ultimate Weapon
those rogue Kamahanites might have used against the Mikado."
The others nodded. Forty years ago, relations between the military
dictator****p running the Confederation of Vos and all its immediate
galactic neighbours -- including the Royal Kingdoms of Yehisril, Vos'
oldest ally and economic trading partner -- began to plummet into the
sub-strata when elements of the Mikado's cabinet began to make ominous
noises about territorial expansion into sectors of space already
claimed by those other powers. It got to the point where radical
militarist elements from Kamahana, a planet near Zephyrite space which
was the home of a highly-advanced race of reptilian humanoids, seized
control of an Ultimate Weapon (a six kilometre-long flying antimatter
gun that could easily blast apart a small star) and moved to use it
against Vos itself to force the Mikado to abdicate. The Voyager
intercepted the Ultimate Weapon near Tokkaebos (an independent world
which shared the same solar system as Vos Colony Forty), and destroyed
it with its anti-proton shock cannons. Despite the resulting
propaganda that loudly declared the Eternal Voyager clearly sup****ted
the Mikado's "benevolent dictator****p," cooler heads later concluded
the Voyager had intervened simply to prevent some idiot from turning
Vos into an asteroid field and slaughtering billions of its citizens.
"That's true," Kanba mused.
"What do you suppose they're doing here, anyway?" Ryoonba asked.
"Yeah, why ARE they here?" Ikura parroted her friend.
"Could they be after the Sceptre?" Pamanba wondered.
A chorus of confused and concerned looks was exchanged by everyone.
"It might be a possibility," Varena mused. "The Keeper didn't mention
anything about anything else being stored in the Palace outside the
Sceptre."
"But why would the Maidens want the Sceptre?" Sanba, a green-haired,
purple-eyed girl who was yet another of Bujosur's harem, asked.
"We can ask them," Kanba proposed.
"Can we do that?" Hinanba wondered.
* * *
As whispered chatter picked up between the hunters, the young girl
kneeling beside Sanba slowly stood, silently turning to head deeper
into the forest surrounding the Crystal Palace, and then she started
arcing toward the Palace itself. This was Tsuna, the last of
Bujosur's harem. An azhis'f like Varena and Ikura, Tsuna was a petite
girl with hazel eyes and black hair. She was only three years past
the Wild Time, when Yehisrites and a fair pro****tion of azhis'f
hybrids underwent a frightening month-long series of hormonal surges
and depressions prior to the onslaught of puberty (and for azhis'f
hybrids, the coming of Stop Time, when the growth and aging process of
Vosians was slowed to one-fifth the rate of Terrans). Like all
azhis'f females who had accepted Yehisrite cultural influences over
Vosian influences, Tsuna cut her hair VERY short; for pureblood Vosian
women, hair was NEVER cut until she recognized someone -- or when (as
in Mujanba's case) one discovered one was a lesbian. For Tsuna, the
coming of Stop Time had nearly destroyed her; she had been addicted to
kookyuu for two years when the coming of the Wild Time added to the
damage the drug had done to her effectively wrecked twenty percent of
her brain tissue. It didn't affect her combat effectiveness; in fact,
the teachers at Mensohn soon learned that Tsuna could take on injuries
that could normally incapacitate other hunters. But to ensure Tsuna
could be used in the field, she needed a handler. Sanba had been
specially trained to do just that.
But there came times . . .
* * *
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