RanCubed11 Realities Cubed By Jim Robert Bader (Inspired by Rumiko Takahashi, Buronsan, Tsutomu Isomata, Hiroki Hayashi, Ryde Tsukimono With ideas and characters supplied by Trella and Others) WARNING! HENTAI ALERT! CONTAINS SCENES INVOLVING TEENAGERS WITHOUT CLOTHING IN SUGGESTIVELY SENSUAL AND SEXUALLY IMPLICIT SITUATIONS! (FORTUNATELY, BEING IMAGINARY THE SUPREME COURT HAS RULED THAT SUCH IMAGERY IS PROTECTED UNDER THE CONSTITUTION. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!) Chapter Eleven. Anatomy Lessons Continuum # 62491378 Roll Call: Wanda Kenshiro --Daughter of Alia and Ranma, Fist of the Northstar Ryoma Saotome --Son/Daughter of Ukyo and Ranma Carmine Hitomabori --Daughter of Inaho and Mosquiton the Vampire Efreet Mitsuhara --Adopted daughter of Ifurita and Makoto, Demon-Goddess Tarot Kenzan --Daughter of Shampoo and Konatsu, Apprenticed Mage/Wicca Tachi Kuno --Son of Nabiki and Tatewaki, Nampo Master Minos Taro --Son of Kasumi and Pantsaru, Shotokan Master "Ah...that feels good!" Ryoma sighed as she eased herself into the water, "May not be a hot back like I'd want, but then I guess beggars can't always be too choosy." "Ah..." Carmine hung back by the banks, watching the boy-turned-girl wading out into the lake with a certain perverse fascination, unable to help admiring the sleek and handsome profile of Ryoma's lean and well-curved body. If anything she felt a stab of envy at Ryoma's...endowment, which were larger than Carmine's (though not quite as large as those of her co-mother, Camilla) and nicely shaped with pointy little nipples projecting out from walnut-sized areolas. "Gonna come in and get wet?" Ryoma casually asked with a glance in Carmine's direction, "Feels pretty nice and I never pass up a chance to clean myself off before I get too hot and sweaty." "Er..." Carmine wondered if that phrase was as innocent as it sounded, but hovered back for different reasons, "Aren't you...well...?" she hesitated, feeling oddly shy for some reason. "You mean because I'm a guy?" Ryoma shrugged, "Not at the minute, so you don't have to worry that I'll try anything weird or perverted on you...at least the guy-girl stuff, and I'm too much of a gentleman to do it with anybody who doesn't wanna." "Oh?" Carmine found it odd to hear a girl describe herself as a "gentleman," but was willing to let the point go as something else intrigued her infinitely more than this, "And...have you ever done it before...with a girl, that is?" "Huh?" Ryoma turned around to fully look in Carmine's direction and asked, "You mean...done it?" "Yeah," Carmine hesitated again before saying, "As...either a guy...or a girl?" "Ah...well..." Ryoma hesitated when all at once she lurched to her feet with a startled, "OOOH!" "Huh?" Carmine blinked her eyes, seeing the water foam and rise up behind the startled Ryoma and congeal into a human shape, rather like Yuki and Hona, her father's Elemental servants. Only the form that solidified before her eyes was no elemental but rather the very much human shape of a naked Kenzan Tarot! "Yes, Ryo-chan," she cooed as her slender hands went around Ryoma's body to cup her breasts in a very distinctively possessive manner, "Why don't you enlighten our new friend here on your extensive and rather substantial experience with members of the female persuasion...or do you wish to count the boys you have seduced as well in the mixture?" "Tarot!" Ryoma protested as she tried to work free from the other girl's grip, only to find Tarot was holding on and easily moved to counter her best efforts, "What do you think you're doing?" "I should think that would be obvious," Tarot cooed, "I'm laying my cards out on the table...how much more explicit do I have to get to make my interest plain to you? Or do you really consider me as nothing more than your sister?" "Ah..." Ryoma winced, "You overheard that, huh?" "Ears like a cat, remember?" Tarot smiled meaningfully, then allowed her hands to play with Ryoma's nipples, "Tell me...would a sister be willing to do this for her brother?" "Ah..." Ryoma's expression registered both surprise and a pleasurable reaction that conflicted with her desire for protest. "HEY!!!" Carmine reacted, "What the hell are you doing with her? Get your hands off this---!" "Or what?" Tarot asked with a sly smile, "Get your feet wet? You can't even bring yourself to take your clothes off in Ryo-chan's presence. I can see why you find her so attractive, though...she is a rather charming...creature..." "Why you---!" Carmine launched herself at the pair, but rather than splash in the water she floated in the air, only to find that she missed her target and came to a halt no closer to where Tarot and Ryoma were located. Whirling about in mid-air, she confronted the smirking Tarot and growled, "You let her go right now!" "Or else?" Tarot replied, "There is an 'or else' implied in your statement, correct?" Carmine balled her fists and said, "I'm warning you...don't push me!" "Oh yes," Tarot cooed, "I'm quite certain that you re formidable when crossed, but you shouldn't underestimate my powers as well. I am well aware that you possess a hybrid nature and are far more than you appear to be, and that's not even counting your faithful bodyguard, who is presently engaged elsewhere." "Tarot...why are you..." Ryoma struggled within the other girl's grasp. "I am making a point, so quiet down, Ryo-chan," Tarot replied, "Or else if you wish to fight your way free, be mindful that this is not some harmless practice session, and you know what will happen if you should defeat me." "Hah???" Ryoma's eyes got very round, "You wouldn't...!" "I might," Tarot replied, "Depending on how much you provoke me to do it. I am very serious about my feelings for you, Ryo-chan, even if you have ignored me of late and come to take my feelings for granted. Since Ivory isn't here to stake her petition, I'm taking full advantage of her absence, before you get yourself committed to yet another potential suitor." "HUH?" it was Carmine's turn to react with surprise at the boldness of that statement. "Suitor...?" Ryoma sounded more nervous than ever. "Don't play dumb with me, Lover," Tarot played her hands against Ryoma's unresisting (but VERY responsive) body, "From the moment you two met you've been exchanging significant looks and little personal gestures that makes it very plain to me that you share an interest in one another. Tell me...is it because she's new in town and thus a mystery that has you hooked, and why is it I've been unable to spark a similar such interest in you? Is it because you really do think of me as nothing more than just your sister?" "Ah..." Ryoma found her efforts at struggling with her tormentor were growing more and more confused as struggling just seemed to make the situation worse...in a manner of speaking! "Why you---cut it out!" Carmine protested, "Ryoma, are you just gonna let her get away with this?" "Ryoma knows the situation far better than you think, my dear," Tarot replied as she nuzzled the other girl's neckline with her cheek, "To resist me now would be a form of a challenge, and there is a rule about Amazons that goes 'To the Victor the Spoils,' which would be me in case you are in any doubt about such matters." "How's that again?" Carmine asked in confusion as she hovered just above the level of the water. "Whosoever defeats an Amazon in battle, be they female, then the Amazon has two options, revenge or marriage," Tarot explained, "That's how my parents got together after all...my father defeated my mother in battle, and in return my mother presented my father with the Kiss of Life, which is the seal of marriage. The revenge option was a face-saving gesture adopted by my more barbaric ancestors as a way of insuring that an Amazon would try her level best not to be taken too easy. Total commitment in battle was the Amazon way, in both love and war this rule holds certain." "But that's crazy!" Carmine protested, "You can't just marry her because she's a better fighter!" "Can't I?" Tarot chuckled softly, "Ryoma is the strongest fighter of our generation, bar none, and as such she could easily defeat me in battle, even though I am not a warrior by trade. I can fight as well as any other woman in Nerima and I'm not limited solely to the use of spells to win my battles. My father, you see, added his Ninja skills to the lore taught to me by my mother, and while Mom and I don't always see eye-to-eye about certain things, we both know that we want someone who is strong and caring to share our lives with...and there was even a time when my mother pursued Ryoma's father with the same intentions. Our families have been close friends for years...but I rather doubt that our parents would mind if our families became even closer." "But...this isn't the way..." Ryoma gasped. "That I know," Tarot said with clear regret, "I would rather you came to me of your own free will, but I could well live to be an old maid before you got around to pursuing me the way I've been chasing you around. Bad enough those other girls who also want to be your one-and-only amorata, and the way you lead all of us on giving no hint to your real preferences. I could even take some amusement in the number of boys who drool over you when you're like this...but obviously I have no problem with you being in either of your genders. You know that with me you would be in very good hands...unlike some girls I could mention." "Like who do you have in mind?" Carmine asked suspiciously. "You wouldn't know them," Tarot smiled, "For which you are envied by the both of us. Ivory I can tolerate, but some of those other girls..." she rolled her eyes towards the heavens. "Ah...Tarot-chan..." Ryoma started to squirm as her captor's hands moved ever lower beneath the water. "Don't chan me," Tarot murmured ominously, "Unless you really mean it." "Would you stop doing that!" Carmine started to float closer to the naked couple, "You've made your point...whatever the heck it is!" "Why don't you cool off, Dear?" Tarot smiled, removing one hand from Ryoma's body to make a quick gesture in the levitating girl's direction. "Huh?" Carmine blinked her eyes as she felt a tingling all around her body, followed by a peculiar draft, then she glanced down at her body and went, "GAAAAKKK!!!" as she hastily covered her now-naked body. Tarot made another gesture and suddenly Carmine dropped like a stone into the water. A third gesture with her hand and Carmine's clothing reappeared along the bank of the lake, alongside her own clothing and that of the much-surprised Ryoma. "HAH?" Ryoma gaped at the brief showcasing of Carmine's nude body, but now the redhead rose up from the water like the proverbial wet hen, glaring murderously in Tarot's direction, "Uh oh..." "YOU---BITCH!" Carmine spat out water. "Isn't she Kawaii, Ryo-dear?" Tarot remarked, "She looks so cute when she gets angry..." "You'll pay for doing that, Witch!" Carmine moved so rapidly that she splashed water in all directions, but the fist she aimed at Tarot's face found empty air as she stumbled right through a water-based illusion. "I warned you not to underestimate my powers," Tarot cautioned, "And yours are obviously weakened in the presence of moving water..." Carmine got ahold of herself and realized that she was being played for a sap, so instead of uttering another invective she closed her eyes and allowed her other senses to rise to the surface. The presence of heat far above that of the water, coupled with the sounds of two beating hearts, drew her around so that she could better aim her next punch with greater accuracy this time... Unfortunately when she opened her eyes the face she saw making contact with her fist belonged not to Tarot but to Ryoma. "OOPS!" Carmine exclaimed with rounded eyes as she saw the hapless Ryoma slowly slide into the water, stunned to semi-consciousness. "Ryo-chan?" Tarot stared down as she held a now nerveless pig-tailed girl in her arms, then she glared at Carmine and said, "You may have figured that one out but your aim could stand a bit of improvement." Carmine's anger reasserted itself and she snarled, "It's your fault, you used her as a shield!" "Oh please," Tarot sniffed, "As if I would let Ryo-chan suffer abuse on my behalf! I'm more than capable of fighting my own battles," she snapped her fingers and the water boiled up around Ryoma, floating up under her body so that the semi-conscious chef was comfortably supported as though laying atop an air cushion. "Now," the Mage said with more seriousness in her tone and expression, "Shall we be completely open here, or do you want me to tell you what I have been able to discern about you from careful observation?" "Yeah?" Carmine bared her fangs, "So...what have you figured out...girlfriend?" "That you have a very passionate and...bloodthirsty nature," Tarot's eyes gleamed, "And that there is a risk involved if Ryo-chan should take up with one of your heritage..." "You wanna see how risky it can be to cross me?" Carmine challenged. "Nothing would please me greater," Tarot replied, "Shall we get down to it...?" Meanwhile, while things were heating up around Ryoma, Tachi was recovering consciousness in a somewhat more comfortable state, feeling cool water surrounding his body as a pair of soft arms were supporting him, and as he lazily opened his eyes he found himself staring up through the generous valley of a pair of well-shaped breasts, up to an alluring face that stared down at him with some concern and asked in a pleasant voice of inquiry, "Are you feeling better now? Would you like me to give you a backrub?" "Hmm...?" Tachi asked in a dreamy voice...about three heartbeats before coming to full alert as he recognized Efreet, the self-described android, as the lovely lady currently drifting into his fantasies. He sat up with an abrupt, "GAK!" as he belatedly realized that the lady holding him close to her person was entirely naked and looked all too uncomfortably human! "Are you all right?" Efreet asked, "Did I startle you? I'm sorry, but the water looked so fine and I just had to take a bath, so I didn't think you would mind..." "Mind?" Tachi squeaked before getting ahold of himself so that he could cough and pretend to clear his voice, then saying, "Er...I don't mind...why would I mind? I surely couldn't mind a beautiful lady like yourself...ah...are those real?" he could not help staring down at her chest level. "Oh sure," Efreet replied, "Just as real as the rest of me. Do you want to feel them?" "Huh?" Tachi was certain his brain would short circuit if she kept asking him those kinds of questions. "Here," Efreet took both of his hands in her own and guided his hands to her breasts, actually encouraging him to cup them! "See? Bet they feel just the same as Carmine's." "Ah..." Tachi found his hands moving automatically to gently fondle the girl before him, testing the consistency of her bosoms as though they were ripe fruit freshly picked and ready to be sampled! "Oh...that feels so nice!" Efreet smiled approvingly, "You have good hands, I like the way they move..." "You...you can feel sensations?" Tachi was honestly surprised at this. "I have a sensory neural web incorporated into my skin," Efreet replied, "I can sense pressure, temperature and even something like your pain receptors, which can tell me if I've been damaged. I don't know how close to a human woman my senses might be, but for me it's the way I perceive the world on a tactile level, and I can tell when someone is touching me in a way I approve. You've got hands like an artist, and I like the way you move them." "Er...thank you," Tachi wondered if the situation would have seemed as surreal to someone else as it was for him, and yet he could not deny that he was deriving genuine pleasure from being allowed to handle the girl before him. "I'll bet you think I'm kind of weird...being artificial and all that," Efreet noted, "I wanted you to know that I'm real enough that you don't have to be afraid of me." "Afraid of you?" Tachi repeated. "Sure," Efreet glanced away, "Lots of people are...and not just on Earth either. Back on El Hazard, the world where I was born, people fear Demon-Gods and call us monsters. They remember how Mom did some...pretty bad stuff before Dad freed her from being controlled. That's why we don't live in El Hazard, though it's a pretty nice place if you ever want to visit." "I'm not afraid of you," Tachi continued to caress Efreet, studying her expression closely the way he would do with a fully human woman, "Should I be?" "Guess that all depends," Efreet heaved a very human sigh, "I was created to be a weapon, I've got powers that make me potentially pretty dangerous to be around. I can't even pretend to be human, like Carmine, though sometimes...I kinda wonder what it would be like to be normal." "Highly overrated," Tachi replied, "You can take my word on that." "I guess," Efreet turned back to regard the handsome boy before her, who met her eyes without flinching, "No sense wishing for what you can never have, huh?" "I wouldn't exactly put it that way," Tachi replied, "But...I kind of like the way you are...I don't think I'd ever want to change you." "Really?" Efreet moved closer to the boy, even as Tachi slid his hands around her hips and drew her closer to him, their eyes still locked as she looked on him in wonder. Tachi felt the urge to kiss the girl before him growing stronger, if only to discern if her kiss would feel as real as the rest of her to the touch...but as he was about to do so a loud explosion called his attention away to another part of the lake where they saw a geyser of water jetting upward. "What was that?" Efreet asked. "At a guess," Tachi sighed, "I'd say it revolved around Ryo. I think we had better go look, just in case." "Oh," Efreet blinked, "Then Carmine might be involved...yeah, definitely let's check this thing out!" And---in yet another part of the lake, a much larger boy by the name of Minos was recovering his wits. (For the sake of his peace of mind, it was a good thing that Ryoma wasn't around to say he did not have that many to collect) Of course the thing that made him semi-aware that he was not alone came with the sense of the warmth of the sun playing down upon his denuded body... Denuded body? Minos sat upright with a start and found to his dismay that his clothing had been removed and neatly folded to one side. He was as naked as the proverbial blue jay with no sense at all as to how he had arrived in this condition. A quick glance around revealed that he was laying next to a lake with several irregular features along the shoreline providing him with relative privacy, to which he sighed in gratitude as it would have been too much for his nerves to find himself exposed in front of the other girls...especially Ryoma! The thought of Ryoma's female form flitted briefly through his mind and caused a peculiar reaction that made Minos glance down at his male member, all to aware that it had begun to stiffen like the traitorous thing that it was. He hastily did his best to cover it with both of his large hands but the erection was now in full force as thoughts of Ryoma-chan in a bikini awoke to the surface, revealing the real cause for why he had been so angry and resentful of late around his former best friend, a dark little secret that he would killed to prevent becoming public knowledge. Well...that and the fact that Ryoma was hanging around with Belldandy an awful lot of late, and considering the Boy-Girl's way with women it was not hard to construe less than honorable intentions in the relationship. When Minos had heard the rumors about Ryoma and Belldandy, and saw a look in his younger sister's eyes that implied a certain...fondness...it brought home how much Minos had been feeling the same way about his "best buddy," especially after Ryoma's female half started growing a pair of sizeable breasts on her chest. Added to this was the fact that Minos had always been irritated by Ryoma's cocky, "I can do anything and I'm better than you" attitude and the natural instinct for competitiveness that they had shared for all the years when they had trained and fought together...well... "No way!" Minos hissed to himself, "I ain't Yaoi! I ain't gonna do it with no guy, even if he is part girl and has all the right equipment! Let that Tachi bugger her if he thinks he's such a gift to the ladies..." All at once a head broke the surface of the water, and like a vision rising up before his eyes a very large womanly body stood up before him, waist-deep in the water and entirely naked. Her long white hair was plastered to her perfectly proportioned body that boasted a pair of massive breasts the size of basketballs, which oddly seemed petite on her large frame... Minos swallowed, and in spite of himself he felt his manhood hardened up like a rod of iron as he gazed upon the woman who had so recently captivated his fancy. "Ah...you are awake," Wanda said cheerfully, "I sensed you stirring fitfully even while I lay submerged under the water." "Hah?" was the most intelligible thing that Minos could think to say under the circumstances. "I am glad to see that you are well," Wanda said sincerely, "This experience of total body immersion is quite...fascinating...and I would like to share it with you, if you have no objections?" It was a testament to his fortitude that Minos did not faint dead away right there and then and return to his dreamland, which formerly had been darkly hidden and consisted of Ryoma-chan in chains meekly bidding him to play with her pussy... One gulp that nearly caused him to swallow his own Adam's Apple later, Minos cleared his throat and said, "Ah...you...don't mind? I mean...you're naked..." "So you've noticed," Wanda seemed rather pleased on that subject, "I have no objections, else I would not have made the offer." "Right," Minos looked around for a big rock to clonk himself on the head with. What in the name of the Kami was he thinking asking a question like that...and from such an Uber-Babe as this silver haired goddess? He savagely told himself not to be nervous, that he was a Taro and thus should be as fearless as his father, who never shirked from any challenge (unless, of course, it meant having to later apologize to his mother...). He forced himself to look directly at the vision of female perfection before him and bowed his head with great formality, saying, "It would be both my pleasure and my honor, Shiro-san." "You don't have to be formal with me," Wanda said in pleasant amusement, "Just Wanda will do, unless you want me to call you Taro-san?" "Ah..." Minos replied, "Then...call me Minos." "Minos-san," Wanda indicated the water, "Come on in...the water is cool and fresh like I've heard stories about in the days when frozen water fell from the sky and painted the mountains in ice. I've often heard myself compared to such a mountain and have been curious to see them sometime in my travels, and perhaps if normal rain returns to my world then one day I shall, do you think?" "I hope so," Minos said fervently, unable to help admiring the totally unselfconscious way that Wanda carried herself, as if being naked were a natural thing for her and no great cause for modesty or aloofness. He was totally intimidated and captivated by her beauty, but not so far gone under her spell that he failed to think through the reason why she was no doubt this unworried by her exposure. After all, if you could make a guy's head explode with a single punch, there were not that many guys who could force their way upon her, let alone make her feel as overwhelmed as he was to be basking in the glory of her presence. Unbeknownst to him, however, Wanda was studying him with no less fascination than his regard for her. Minos was certainly a most...interesting specimen of the male of the human species, and Wanda had never really had the chance to look upon a boy this near to her own age without seeing him run in terror or turn out to be a predatory monster. Those men whom she had seen naked growing up with the ones overcome in battle, either dead or paralyzed by her Uncle Kenshiro in order to provide her with a proper working knowledge of human anatomy, and sometime later to practice what she knew using their Ryu. Those men so designated to die had been scum of the earth true and proper, murderous dogs without an ounce of sympathy or pity for anything else but their own needs. Delivering The Fist had been an act of justice every time, and Wanda had always made certain never to use her powers on anyone whom she had not judged as deserving execution. To be certain, their art was a gruesome one, the Fist being such an intensive mastery of mind and body that to deliver it to a foe was to effectively condemn them to a horrible and gruesome death. It had taken her years to control her own natural revulsion at the sight of a human head exploding, but she had seen far worse punishments inflicted by the raiders to innocent persons and had, in time, come to view the act as quick, clean, efficient and even merciful...after a fashion. But this boy was unlike any of those cowards who preyed like parasites upon the dwindling survivors and dregs of humanity struggling to survive on a dying planet. This boy had life and a heart that could know love and compassion. He was rough-hewn in many ways, like an uncut stone, yet bold and determined to persevere in spite of any odds placed against him. He fascinated her from the moment of their first meeting and was not only intrigued by his large size and apparent maturity but also for the clean definition of his frame, the lanky musculature of his powerful frame, and the handsome face that only hardened a bit from his years of warrior training. True he did not compare exactly with Kenshiro himself, but for a younger man he showed much in the way of promise! And then there was the way his male anatomy had gone hard at the sight of her that pleased her greatly. She wanted him to be hard in her presence, to be strong and substantial to her touch, not fragile and easily broken like the many more common people whom she had met in her years of travel... Minos finally worked up the nerve to hesitantly dip one foot into the water, and then he started to wade out to where Wanda awaited him, puzzled at the odd regard she seemed to be paying him as he eased himself closer to where she was standing. All his life he had dreamed about meeting a girl such as this, one who would not shun or avoid him or even hurt his feelings by playing on his affections, then pulling away at the last second. True he had not exactly expected to meet a girl who was a full head TALLER than himself, but...then again, such a woman was not exactly what he would have thought of as being within the realm of possibilities. It made him a bit giddy to see her smiling as he approached her, then paused as he met her gaze and gazed up into those eyes... Eyes like Ryoma's...the eyes of a Saotome! Somehow even that did not shake him out of his bedazzled state, and then he paused while only a little bit away from her, water splashing about his chest as he searched to find words that would not make him sound too dorky. This wasn't the sort of girl, after all, that you would ask something dumb like, "Do you live around here...and what's your sign?" "Ah..." he began to say, "I...want to..." Wanda said no such similar words as she reached out to him and drew him into her embrace. Minos was stunned beyond imagination to find himself gathered into those surprisingly soft arms and pressed up against a chest that was as firm and round as a pair of balloon-like cushions, but when Wanda brought her mouth down to his it was like his mind went blank and his body turned rigid...and then the kiss happened and something else went twice as rigid and stayed that way against any inhibiting powers that might have been instilled by the cool, clean waters. Which, of course, was exactly what Wanda had desired from him in the first place! Back at another part of the lake, Tachi and Efreet rounded a corner and found Carmine and Tarot confronting one another with hands clasped together above the level of the water, the two seeming to exert great force in an effort to overpower one another. A short distance away a semi-conscious Ryoma was floating on what looked like a foam bed composed entirely of bubbles and clearly was not in any state to issue protest. Carmine's eyes were crimson and Tarot's own eyes were actually glowing as they each fought tenaciously to seek an advantage. All around them the field created by their contesting battle auras was churning up the water as though they both were surrounded by a forcefield that alternated red and blue in a strangely mesmerizing pattern. "I'd better break things up," Efreet said as she started to levitate, only to find a hand gripped her by one ankle. "Wait up a minute," Tachi urged, then became very conscious of the shapely leg that he was gripping and swallowed, "You don't want to rush in there just yet, believe me! Your friend seems to be holding her own against Tarot...which either says a lot in her favor or Tarot's just playing with her, in either case messing with them now would mean trouble. Besides...you don't have your key- staff with you." "Oh," Efreet glanced back to where she had left their clothing and judged the time it would take to retrieve it, then settled back into the water, "Sorry...guess I get carried away whenever I see anybody mixing it up with Carmine." "Is this friendship...or something else?" Tachi wondered, "You say that you consider her your Master..." "That's right," Efreet replied, "She's been the nearest thing to being my Master since she first wound me up a few years back, and we've been through a lot together. Of course you could be my Master too, if you like, I wouldn't mind having two masters..." "Ah..." Tachi blinked as his hand automatically went around the girl's waist, only to encounter that area on the small of her back where he had earlier found her key-hole, which prompted him to ask, "Er...Efreet-san?" "Yes?" "Ah...about this..." he felt the plastic covering over the plug with his fingers, "Are you...water proofed? I mean...you won't short out or rust down there...will you?" "Huh?" she replied innocently, then grinned, "You're so silly! Of course I won't rust...all the important electrical components are well insulated, and the rest of me is Neural-organic synthetic tissue. There's nothing to rust, I'm not made that cheaply. The guys who built me in the time of the ancients pretty much knew what they were doing, so it's not like they'd overlook a thing like that." "Ah...of course...pardon me for asking," Tachi sheepishly amended. "I don't mind," Efreet grinned, "You're the first guy besides Carmine who I can talk with openly about this stuff. Usually I have to hide the fact that I'm artificially made...my parents seem to think it has something with the government, or those Men in Black guys. It's not like I was originally programmed to lie about my being a Demon Goddess, and it's such a relief to be able to talk this freely..." "Ah..." Tachi decided to home in on the question that rose up in his mind at her matter-of-fact explanation, "Did you say...organic?" "Well...most of me duplicates human anatomy down almost to a cellular level," Efreet replied, taking his other hand and bringing it up to her breast, "You see how real these feel? It ain't silicone, let me tell you...!" Tachi became all too aware that a certain portion of his own anatomy was very much registering the fact that it was responsive AND organic! Good thing the water obscured that particular detail or he would have been forced to have to explain certain things to the naïve young girl who was driving him to distraction...ah...make that the naïve young ANDROID girl...and more and more it was becoming hard to convince himself that she was in any way artificial! Just then the intensity of the battle auras surrounding the two other girls went up by several magnitudes, then exploded suddenly in a wave-like discharge that swept the lake in all directions. Of course one effect of this discharge was to dissipate Ryoma's foam bed and cause the girl to sink back into the water. An instant later Ryoma broke the surface again and sputtered, now fully awake once again as she turned to see a sight that took her breath away...in more than one sense of the matter! Carmine had apparently gotten the better of the wrestling match and had Tarot pinned in her arms and struggling weakly to overcome her grip. Tarot clearly did not have the leverage or the strength to break free of the steely arms of the redheaded Vampyr, but oddly she did not seem to be trying hard as she squirmed her body in the embrace of her opponent. Instead she did a very odd thing indeed, deliberately turning herself and tilting her head back as if to offer her throat for Carmine's inspection. "Well?" Tarot asked as she slyly regarded her opponent with a coy look in her eyes, her neck exposed and vulnerable as she said, "What are you waiting for? Go ahead and finish me. I can sense how much you want to." Carmine did not speak words in reply, but the savage look in her face seemed to convey a mask of curiosity and inner struggle. "I won't object if you wish to claim the prize here," Tarot continued in a sensual purr, "I know you can feel the blood coursing through my veins...you want to, don't you? I can sense that part of you is rising boldly to the surface." Carmine seemed to pull back a little, but then the inhuman blood lust in her eyes stopped her from withdrawing her face and instead she seemed to be considering the offer. "I won't resist," Tarot continued, "Do what you like with me...you have the right by spoils of battle. Give me your kiss if you believe it will assuage your hunger." "Tarot-chan?" Ryoma wondered what the heck was going on here, but then her eyes got very wide as Carmine opened her mouth wide and showed off a wicked looking pair of fangs that would have brought shame to a Hibiki! "Oh no!" Efreet murmured, "It's started! I have to put a stop to this!" This time Tachi did not even try to halt her flight as the Demon-Goddess launched herself out of the water and began sailing towards her friend and Tarot, but much too late to prevent what she knew was about to happen. Carmine's mouth closed over Tarot's neck and she bit down with instinctual hunger. Tarot gasped at the sharp pain but then seemed to relax and yield into that bite, feeling the warm, rich fluid begin to flow from her into the hungry Vampyr, a warm languor beginning to settle in all around her as a wave of pleasure replaced the pain of being bitten... And then Efreet arrived, just moments ahead of a stunned Ryoma, who was trying to separate the two girls right before the finger of the Android touched the back of Carmine's neck and caused her body to stiffen. With hardly a sound Carmine let go of Tarot and fell back into the water, eased by Efreet's hands as her friend came to rest directly behind her. Ryoma saw the blood on Carmine's lips, saw more blood on Tarot's neck as the young Amazon mage recovered herself and placed a hand over the wound, smiling a bit as she did so. "What's the matter with you!" Ryoma shouted at her childhood friend-turned-pain- in-the-neck, "Are you crazy?" "I'm touched at your concern, Ryo-chan," Tarot regarded him pleasantly, "But I had the situation under control and was in no immediate danger." "That's what you think, lady," Efreet countered, not bothering to hide the concern in her own voice. "What's wrong?" Tachi asked as he splashed up water arriving on the scene, doing his level best not to ogle the naked Taro and Ryoma, "What did she do to you anyway?" "Something she's been trained to avoid doing...except in extreme situations," Tarot replied with a nod towards Carmine, "Our friend here is a Vampyr..." "A Vampire?" Ryoma blinked. "Operating in the day...and in full sunlight?" Tachi wondered. "Not Vampire...Vampyr," Tarot explained patiently, "The child of a Vampire and human mating...called a Day-Walker in occult lexicon. She was born with Vampiric blood and abilities, no doubt of one of their Nobler lines. Contrary to what you may have seen in the movies, Vampires have normal sexual urges and do not always bite their victims, nor are their bites automatically fatal. Sunlight doesn't harm a half-breed Vampire the way it would someone with full Vampiric blood, and even some who are converted to Vampirism lack that particular vulnerability, though they remain allergic to silver and garlic..." "You're right about all that, Lady," Efreet warned, "But there's something else you ought to know...about what happens when a Vampyr tastes human blood..." All at once Carmine came back to life and broke free from the Android's embrace, her eyes bleeding crimson as she snarled with feral delight and focused her attention upon Tarot, vaulting towards her with extended hands that looked as sharp as talons. Before anyone else had a chance to move, however, Tarot extended her hand and with a word called forth her power, causing Carmine to be instantly engulfed in a blowing ball of force that held her aloft above the surface of the water. "As I was saying before," Tarot smiled, "I have the situation under control." Carmine snarled and beat her hands uselessly against her transparent prison, seeming more demon than human as she writhed and struggled to escape and reach her intended prey. "What the hell is wrong with her?" Ryoma wondered. "That's what I was trying to warn you guys about," Efreet said, "When Carmine tastes fresh blood she kinda goes nuts and reverts to Demon status. She'll be like that for the next several minutes until I can calm her down and get her back to normal." "This, my dear Ryo-chan," Tarot resumed, "Is what you were flirting with not too long ago. Though normally she seems to be a very nice and well-mannered young girl, when provoked the other side of her becomes a berserker, especially given the way I was deliberately needling her to obtain just such a reaction." "You caused her to revert like this?" Tachi asked, "Why?" "So she would bite me, of course," Tarot replied, "It was the best way of establishing a link between us, and now that she has some of my blood within her, I can do this." The Amazon mage snapped her fingers, and suddenly Carmine ceased struggling within her prison, her eyes reverting to normal. "W-What...?" the redheaded girl glanced around in a dull haze, seeing faces peering at her in some concern while she hovered totally naked in a ball of energy, exposed to their full inspection. "Wow!" Efreet marveled, "Even I could never do that..." "You made her go ballistic so she'd bite you and wind up under your influence?" Ryoma asked, "Why?" "Because if it had been left to you, Ryo-chan," Tarot said coolly, "You would have stumbled on her secret anyway and eventually provoked her to bite you, thus triggering her transformation. I would sooner face the danger myself than allow you to come to harm, but I knew that I could control her once we had established a link together...and besides, she's such a passionate young thing, and she gave me a nice hickey for my troubles." Carmine smiled as she indicated her bite- mark, which was no longer bleeding and even seemed partially healed as though by magic. "Ah..." Carmine glanced down at herself then hastily covered her body with both hands, "GET ME OUT OF THIS THING RIGHT NOW, AND I MEAN THAT!" "No need for shouting," Tarot snapped her fingers once again, and Carmine promptly fell into the water. "You know," Tachi murmured in caution, "I've been meaning to speak with you, Kenzan, about the way you choose to make friends with some people...it's hardly diplomatic." "Bite me," Tarot replied with a wink, "In a manner of speaking." "Don't tempt me," Carmine growled as she rose up out of the water. "Guys!" Ryoma imposed herself in the space between the Witch and the Vampire, "Enough of this already! I'm tired of having people fight over me all of the time! Get a grip on yourselves now or else---!" "Or else you are all coming with us." "Right---huh?" Ryoma whirled about, kicking up a spray of water. "What the heck?" Carmine blinked her eyes. "Where did those guys come from?" Efreet wondered. "I have better question to raise," Tachi raised a finger, "What are they doing with our things and our clothing?" "I should think the answer to that would be obvious," said a man sitting astride a large horse dressed in full samurai armor, flanked on either side by yet more Samurai, some with bared swords, bows and pole arms, others leveling rather realistic-looking firearms. Of even greater interest to the party, however, was the small pile of personal articles deposited to one side of the mounted samurai, which included (among other things) Efreet's key-staff." "HEY!" Efreet protested, "That's mine! Give it back!" "In due time," the mounted man replied, "Provided you earn the approval of our Lord and Master." "Who the heck are you?" Ranma wanted to know. "And who is your lord and master?" Tachi added. "I am Senzenen Ryonosuke," the mounted man replied, "Our Lord is the noble Kuno Touga, upon whose land you have trespassed. And who might you be?" "I'm-MMPPH!!!" Ryoga started to say before Tachi clapped a hand over her mouth. "Such a coincidence to wind up on lands held by a family member," Tachi said pleasantly, "I am also of the House of Kuno...perhaps your Lordship has a cousin he might remember?" "That all depends," the mounted man replied, "What is your given name?" "Tachi," the young man replied. "Never heard of you," Senzenen responded. "It would be surprising if you did," Tachi explained, "I've been away in foreign lands studying to be a poet and an artisan and have only just returned with my lovely companions, my cousins, Ryoma and Tarot-chan. And these others...well..." he smiled in a suggestive manner. "No business of mine what you do with your Harem," Senzenen snorted, "But I'm sure his lordship will extend his hospitality to your women. You, on the other hand, I doubt he'll embrace like a kinsman. You look like a Gaijin and your accent definitely marks you as foreign." "Perhaps you intend to test my claims to being a Kuno," Tachi said proudly, "And if I had a sword in my hand I would be willing to oblige you." "As much as I'd welcome the challenge, it's not my place to call one," Senzenen eased his horse away from the personal articles, "Get dressed and make yourselves ready. We go to attend the castle of my Lord, just as soon as the rest of your companions..." "And what makes you think we're going anywhere with you?" Ryoma challenged. "Shut up, Dummy," Tachi hissed, "They've got guns, and it looks like they know how to use them..." There was a tremendous explosion from just out-of-sight, around one rocky formation and a geyser of water shot skyward, even as the ground shook from side-to-side as though from a minor earthquake. "What the heck was that?" Carmine winced as she regained her footing in the water, which was rolling all around them. "At a guess," Tarot remarked, "I'd say someone has experienced their first case of coitus interruptus and did not like it. If I were these fellows I would start running before our dear friend Kenshiro-san gets here." "Oboy," Ryoma winced, "You guys are in Trou-ble!" Another explosion, almost as great as the first, followed by a large boulder being hurled skyward in a shower of debris and gravel even as two more stones split asunder and a figure emerged, followed demurely by a somewhat intimidated Minos. "Hooboy," Efreet remarked, "She sure looks pissed!" "I don't think I want to stick around and watch this," Carmine noted as she hovered near Ryoma's shoulder. "Agreed," Tarot mused, "Blood and brains being splattered is not my idea of high entertainment." "Sacred ancestors," Senzenen breathed, "What manner of demon is that?" "You don't want to know," Tachi said, "In fact, if I were in your place, I'd consider running a very good career move." "Run?" Senzenen was clearly offended, "A Samurai doesn't run from his enemies! He runs to them! Observe!" he signaled to his men, and several of them converged upon the naked Wanda. "I hope those guys have insurance," Carmine remarked as she waited for the inevitable to happen. Wanda did not even break her stride as she was confronted by a ring of steel with Samurai taking up positions all around her, then rushing in with weapons at the ready, only to be batted away as the towering giant's hands became a blur of motion, and every man she struck went flying into rocks, trees, dirt and the water, shook a few moments and then experienced a massive delayed systemic shock as hydrostatic tension built up within them, then exploded outward. "I knew it," Ryoma winced in sympathy. "Do they have insurance coverage for stuff like that?" Efreet asked, no less appalled than the others. Wanda's eyes were malevolent glints of rage as she continued to advance, ignoring the hail of arrows that archers poured her way, their arrows seeming to disintegrate long before they could reach her body. Next up came the riflemen, who aimed and fired from nearly point-blank range, but a blue glow surrounded Wanda and the bullets were harmlessly deflected. Wanda kept on advancing, sizing Senzenen up as the one responsible for her interruption. "Ah..." the mounted nobleman took stock of his diminishing ranks and felt a chill run down his spine as he saw the murderous intent of the she-demoness as she regarded him as a man would a spider fit only for squashing, "...Perhaps a strategic retreat might be in order after all..." All at once two figures landed in the space separating Wanda from her target, dressed in peculiar uniforms and assuming postures reminiscent of a pair of Ninja. "No further!" the male of this pair declared. "You shall not harm our lord," the lady agreed, and the pair began to concentrate and their bodies became surrounded by an intense pink-hued aura. Wanda paused as she studied the aura, then squared her own stance and balled her fists as a blue-white aura began to surround her own body, far larger and more intense than the one surrounding their two Ninjas. As she made a sound like the groaning fury of a woman denied her satisfaction, the very land itself shook and trembled in protest and men gave back in dismay, sensing that remaining where they stood was anything but healthy, Courage, Nobility and Honor notwithstanding! But just as it seemed that the earth itself would split open and engulf them all, Minos appeared before Wanda with arms raised and cried, "Hold it! Ratchet it down a little, will you? We don't need to destroy the land and kill anybody...at least not yet!" Wanda paused as she regarded him with eyes that were as milky white as her hair, then she relaxed by a noticeable measure and diminished the intensity of her aura. "Hey, you!" Ryoma called out as she cupped her hands, "Stand down if you wanna live! You don't wanna try and mix it up with that lady!" The two Ninja exchanged troubled looks, then allowed their aura to fade back to a barely noticeable life-glow. "Another one of yours?" Senzenen asked, unable to hide the trembling of his voice as he fought to maintain control over his mount. "Not exactly," Tachi replied, "But we are traveling together." "Your men...were most impolite," Wanda addressed the nobleman as her eyes reverted to a semblance more human. "Their mistake," Minos turned around, "You've lost a dozen of your men already...don't make another and repeat it." "Are you threatening me?" Senzenen asked, "A servant of the noble house of Kuno?" "Kuno, huh?" Minos took this in stride as he hooked his thumb over his shoulder, "Well, I'm not the one issuing threats here, but do you really want to make my girlfriend here angry?" Senzenen glanced back at the naked giantess, then visibly swallowed, "Ah...a fair point...it would be most churlish to offend so...did you say she was your GIRLFRIEND?" "Hey," Ryoma grinned, "Way to go, Minos ol' buddy! Don't tell me you actually got it on with a girl for once?" "Shut-up, Ryo," Minos growled, then colored abruptly before averting his eyes and saying, "And get some clothes on, for Kami's sake!" "Ah yes," Tachi pretended to just then remember his manners, "My cousin, Taro Minos. Minos-san, may I present his Lordship, Senzenen Ryonosuke?" "Senzenen, huh?" Minos murmured under his breath, "It figures..." "Now that we have that sorted out," Tachi resumed, "By all means do escort us to the presence of my dear, beloved Cousin Touga." "Well..." Senzenen started to say when a very loud explosion struck the ground near to the hooves of his horse, causing the already-nervous animal to scamper back and nearly throw its rider. "You heard my Master," Efreet said as she stood with her key-staff in hand, "He was asking you nicely." "Master?" Carmine arched an eyebrow and turned to regard Tachi. "Ah...well..." Tachi lowered the volume of his voice and said, "Can we talk about this in private?" "A very good idea," Tarot remarked, "Glad to know at least one of us is using their head for a change, as opposed to the other 'head' that has been seeking to find usage..." "You've got a one-track mind, you know that?" Carmine growled, then sighed, "Well, just let me get my clothes back on and we can go see the Lord High Muckity Muck, but if anybody steps out of line around me..." "Don't worry," Ryoma said, "That ain't gonna happen while I'm here." For some odd reason Carmine felt more vexed than reassured by that statement, and she wondered why it was that the thought of Ryoma taking "liberties" with her body seemed much less objectionable than when it had been Tarot taking the liberties...and decided to shelve that question indefinitely as she sought out her belongings... Continued. Comments/Criticisms/Waffling on the Gridiron: shadowmane@ridgenet.net As Ryoma and his group "accept" the "generous" invitation of his Lordship, Kuno, attention diverts back to Ranma, Nabiki and Ranko as they try to sort out their problems in Jotenheim, so be with us next time for: "Lamb of the Giants," or "Where you go, I follow! (It's safer behind you!)" Be there! PS: Sorry I couldn't make Anime Expo 2000 in Anaheim this year...car troubles and all that. I was really hoping for the chance to meet up with some of you people. Maybe next year, ne? PSS: Anybody know who to contact in order to obtain a Video from last year's Anime Music Video contest winner, "Bug Thumping?" (Just asking!) Jim Robert Bader July 1, 2000