RanCubedSS1 Realities Cubed (Side-Story One) By Jim R Bader 1. (WARNING-NON-HENTAI SECTION! THE FOLLOWING SCENE INVOLVES WEIGHTY COMMENTARY THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE EPILOGUE AT THE END OF THE "REALITIES CUBED" SERIES. IF YOU ARE EXPECTING TO READ A LEMON SECTION AT THIS POINT, YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED! BETTER FORWARD ON AHEAD TO THE SECOND PART OF THIS CHAPTER WHERE YOU WILL SEE LEMON-YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!) Continuum # 472193567 (Inspired by "Purple Haired Destiny," by Ryan Anderson) Rinse Saotome --Daughter of Shampoo and Ranma, heir to the Anything Goes Ryu Yinra Saotome --Daughter of Akane and Ranma, younger sister to Rinse Yangra Saotome --Son of Akane and Ranma, twin brother to Yinra Tachi Kuno --Daughter of Nabiki and Tatewaki, Kendo Master Ryeka Masaki --Daughter of Ayeka and Ryoko, half Juraian Princess Atari Moroboshi --Daughter of Lum and Ataru, Princess of the Oni Ryoukio Hibiki --Son of Ukyo and Ryoga, heir to the Kuonji School of Okonomiyaki Brand Tendo --Son of Kurumi and Mousse, Hidden Weapons Master Ivory Kuno --Daughter of Kodachi and Mousse, Rhythmic Gymnastics "Here you go, guys," Ranko announced, "The pendant brought us here to your home plane. Sure you want to go back to the madhouse when the rest of us are paying our respects to the Miroku?" "Yeah, well..." Rinse winced, "Don't get me wrong, the Miroku are nice people, but I think I had my fill of that the last time we stopped in there..." "You mean you had your filling in all three openings," Tachi mused, "And me too for that matter." "Yeah," Rinse agreed, "But if we stopped by there and the other guys ever got wind that we did it without them..." "Hmm...good point," Tachi agreed, "We have enough trouble keeping the lid on things as it is, so why borrow trouble?" "You two do have your work cut out for you," Watazashi mused, "But I think I sense great love and affection behind your protestations of being beset by too many lovers." "Maybe," Rinse said, "But I've made a commitment, and it's about time I stood by my word and honored my pledges. It won't be easy, but I do honestly care about everybody, and with Tachi's help we may still be able to pull it off..." "Your confidence in me is flattering, Rin-chan," Tachi smiled, "I hope that I will be able to fulfill my obligations as your co-fiancée." "Does this one understand you correctly?" Bonbon asked, "You have accepted multiple engagements to share a marriage with two men and two other women?" "Unconventional to say the least," Tenma noted. "Sounds like you've got your work cut out for you on that," mused Silver. "You could put it that way," Tachi replied, "When I left off I had managed to calm everyone down and was actually getting them to behave like reasonably intelligent people. Our prospective mates and family ties were a task by themselves, but one could almost expect them to behave in a childish and impulsive manner. What is somewhat more disheartening is the way that the adults were behaving, our supposed role models and the authors of so much mischief that has carried over into our generation." "I can well imagine that you had your work cut out for you, my sister," Kachima mused. "You could put it that way," Tachi said with tongue-in-cheek humor, "I did my best, and after almost three hours of haggling, cajoling and outright horse trading I finally got them to agree to seating arrangements at the after-wedding reception." "That bad, huh?" Onnama noted. "The Hatfields and the McCoys were a social club when contrasted with the Masakis, Morobishis, Saotomes, Kunos and the Tendos," Tachi responded. "That's bad," Yuan-Yen remarked, "I don't even know half those people and it sounds like they could be real trouble." "Well, considering that we are talking about aliens, rival galactic powers, and three families who have a lot of pride and some pretty deep-seated traditions going back a hundred years or more, I'd say that counts as enough potential to make a major powder keg," Tachi explained, "It takes a shrewd negotiator to keep their egos in line and head off a major feud that has the potential of exploding into a war that could turn the Earth itself into a cinder." "Oh please!" Rinse rolled her eyes, "If there's anybody alive who could work things out, it's you, Tachi. This humble act you put on sometimes is about as convincing as me trying to pretend to be a Rocket Scientist." "You're selling yourself short again, my love," Tachi smiled, "But I thank you for the compliment." "Says the girl who single-handedly saved the whole planet from the Psion Galactic invasion?" Rinse countered. "Say what?" Ranko asked. "Indeed?" Kachima arched and eyebrow. "Curious," said Tenma as he eyed the shorthaired daughter of the house of Kuno. "Now this I've gotta hear," Yuan-Yen grinned broadly. "Actually, Rin-chan exaggerates a bit," Tachi explained, "All I did was speak a few words in the right ears and set a few things in motion." "Those 'some things' must have been quite significant," Watazashi mused, "If your negotiating skills are anything like my Yuan-chan." "No offense, but your girlfriend is no where close to being as sneaky and conniving as my cousin," Rinse said with a frank expression, "Get this...as you may or may not know, Earth is located in a pretty remote spot far removed from most of the intelligent civilizations that are out there dominating the cosmos..." "Actually," Tachi explained, "This arm of the Milky Way Galaxy is considered rather unimportant and out-of-the-way as things are reckoned among the major star-faring powers. The Earth was once an outpost near the center of distant far-flung empire that collapsed thousands of years ago during something called the Silver Millennium, and before that the almost forgotten Empire of Atlantis. With their fall other humanoid races gradually rose to prominence and incorporated the Earth in their territorial sphere. One group, the Jurai, even seeded a colony here on the Island of Japan, while the Oni often contended with them for control over this whole sector. Eventually they and other interested groups co-signed a treaty rendering the Earth as a protected world and then allowed the native population...meaning us, to go on about our ways in relative isolation, leaving us fat, dumb and ignorant about the goings on taking place on other planets." "Yeah," Rinse said, "The most any Earth government here will admit to is swamp gas and weather balloons. They don't want anyone on Earth to know that we're constantly being visited by alien tourists, or that this group called the MIB keeps track of the alien population sharing space on this planet." "You mean all that stuff about Alien visitations, Roswell and Area 51 are true?" Onnama asked. "Well duh," said Silver, "Even I know that!" "And to think of those poor souls in the scientific community hobbling along in ignorance of the intelligent life that is out there," Watazashi mused. "Yeah," Rinse replied, "And the Eggheads here haven't even got a clue because nobody in the know will tell them that nobody out there has even used Electromagnetism for their communications in at least a thousand years. They keep expecting first contact to come at the end of a phone line." "Not to sell them short," Tachi replied, "But far too many intelligent people are too easily deceived by their own skepticism and intelligence. They ask the wrong questions and avoid looking in the right places for the answers. The take the absence of definite proof as the proof of definite absence, little realizing that there are agencies on the Earth that prefer to keep us dumb and ignorant by eliminating that evidence before it becomes too much public knowledge. Why else do you suppose the Americans cut back on their space program in the late sixties, or why even today there is no colony on the moon or Mars when ambitious planned exploration could have relieved so many of the current stresses facing our planet?" "I don't like what you're suggesting about us being kept ignorant," Yuan-Yen remarked, "It makes us sound like we're all collectively being kept on the end of a very short leash." "You guys got no idea," Onnama shook her crimson head in amusement, "It ain't just stuff out there that they're covering up...there's plenty of stuff right here on our planet, or in other dimensions, that nobody talks about because nobody who's in the know wants to." "So what exactly is it that you did that saved the planet?" Tenma asked directly. "Weeeell," Tachi drawled, "As I said, Earth is claimed by about a dozen different Empires, chief among them are the Jurai and the Oni. Both have tried to press their claims off and on but they've always backed off due to their mutual neutrality agreement. Another group, however, are the Psions, a race of reptilian beings-methane breathers at that-who consider humans to be little more than semi-intelligent monkeys (and you can make your own minds up what that implies about what they think of the Jurai and the Oni). They don't respect any agreements or treaties and are purely interested in scientific research. Like the Streiber Aliens that they often get compared to they like to snatch up denizens of our world and use us for experiments the same way that we might use any lab animal for the field testing of new products. The Psions decided that humans could best serve their needs by being conscripted as slave labor, and so they drafted plans for an invasion in which they could kidnap citizens en-mass and cart them back across the borders of their world before any of the other powers were any the wiser." "They sound like a very cold blooded and particularly vicious group," Bonbon remarked, "Much like my mother's stories of the Sith Lord that Tenma's parents defeated." "Yeah, but lucky for us, we've got connections in high places," Rinse replied, "One of our Aunts, who works in the Goddess Relief Office, got wind of the scheme and found a way to filter the news through channels that eventually resulted in our Aunt Washu finding out what they were up to." "Goddess relief office?" Onnama blinked. "Long story," Tachi replied, "Anyway, it became rapidly apparent that these Psions had chosen their moment well. The Jurai were currently involved in some delicate negotiations with the Shi'ar and could hardly spare the time the time or energy to send ships to defend the protected region. The Oni meanwhile were locked in a minor skirmish with one of their neighbors and didn't think they could spare the effort it would take to start a second front going to war with the Psions. In effect the Earth was isolated and on its own, vulnerable to a highly advanced invading armada that was intent on kidnapping our citizens and transporting them as slaves to work on various otherworldly projects." "So what did you do?" Ranko asked. "You mean what did Tachi do to straighten things out," Rinse nodded to her cousin, "She talked to Aunt Washu, and then they put in a few calls to the right parties. First she approached Aunt Ayeka and asked if the Jurai would do anything, and when the Princess explained how she had pleaded in vain with her father, Tachi then said something that changed the whole equation." "You're exaggerating again, Rin-chan," Tachi shrugged, "I merely informed the Princess that this was the very thing we had been told to expect from the Oni." "The Oni?" Watazashi arched an eyebrow. "You know," Rinse smirked, "Like Atari...green haired, highly advanced, a bit on the obnoxious side, like to blow holes through people who tick them off, or-In my case-hurl bolts of lightning?" "Indeed," Tachi replied matter-of-factly, "I told Aunt Ayeka that Atari's Mom, the Princess Lum, had voiced the opinion that the Jurai were too complacent, decadent and lazy to bestir themselves to the effort of protecting their own borders." "Oh my," Yuan-Yen raised her eyebrows, "And let me guess...you also put in a personal attack against the royal family, right?" "Great minds do think alike," Kachima smiled rather sweetly. "Are you kidding?" Rinse replied, "I had my jaw on the floor when I heard her imply that Emperor Azusa was a womanizing lout and the product of inbreeding, and that the reason Empress Misaki had such a wide bottom was from sitting on her ass all day giving head to her co-wife, Lady Funaho. She didn't say it like that, of course...not like I'd have put it anyway..." "Bluntness of speech always was a drawback with you, Rin-chan," Tachi chided. "Yeah, well my head spins sometimes trying to keep up with you, y'know," Rinse resumed, "The way you told it, you were just an innocent bystander repeating what she'd heard from Atari. I can still remember the way Aunt Ayeka's eyebrow twitched when she heard you say that, and how polite she was in asking us to excuse her so she could place a personal call through Aunt Washu's special hotline to tell her Dad what you had told her. The next thing you know the whole Juraian fleet is on the move and ready to go to war with the Oni on nothing more than the rumors you planted." "I don't understand something," Onnama said, "If it was the Psions who were the bad guys, why did you pit these Jurai against the Oni?" "Too obvious," Tachi explained, "If I had attributed those comments to the Psions it would have been seen as a ploy to win sympathy from the Jurai, and such a thing would have earned Emperor Azusa's indifference. Placing the blame with the Oni just inflamed already existing resentments by playing on their mutual prejudice and suspicion, so, while this was going on, I then paid a visit to Atari's house and made a few similar such comments within the presence of her mother." "And that got the Oni riled up with the Jurai, huh?" Yuan-Yen grinned, "Clever." "It is?" Silver marveled. "Work with me, Sis," Rinse replied, "The problem with the Oni is that they're technologically advanced, but individually they can be more than a little stupid. They're known as fierce warriors and great fighters, but talk about naïve? You could sell these guys air conditioning in a windstorm! A standard joke I've heard the Jurai use is that the only thing that Oni are good at with building ships is blowing them up before they even see combat. On the battlefield they get all knotted up and disorganized, which is why they don't dominate a much bigger section of the galaxy, and they missed a chance to take over the Earth by playing a game of Tag with an Earther." "Precisely true," Tachi replied, "And in truth their war with their neighbors was not going well...right up until the rumors I planted began to circulate among their ranks. Suddenly each individual solder went from a muddled and confused cog in the cluttered war machinery of their leaders into a battle- enraged and vengeful horde of berserkers ready to tear their way through anything that stood between them and avenging their honor. They won their battle, then hurried off to the Solar System just in time to meet the Juraian fleet as they assembled, and the two sides then began a slow process of jockeying for position as they prepared to go to war. That was when the Psions showed up and found themselves suddenly faced with almost the total combined fleet of both Empires, and as you could well imagine, they found that a little daunting." "So what happened?" Tenma asked. "Well, by itself, nothing probably would have happened," Tachi shrugged, "But one of the Psion ships suddenly attacked the fleet without orders. It seems a nervous gunner shot off a few missiles that did no actual damage, bouncing harmlessly off of a Juraian ship's defensive screens, but that was enough to light the powder keg and get the Jurai and Oni riled against them. The Oni like to fight and the Jurai are a very proud-read stuck-up-people, and the one thing they can't stand is someone interfering in a private war that the both of them were waging. Needless to say, they turned all guns on the Psions and within the space of an hour had reduced the invading armada into so much ground up space dust." "Mighty foolish of them to attack," Watazashi smiled knowingly, "If it truly was an accident." "Of course it was an accident," Rinse smiled, "Aunt Washu made sure of it. She's real good at hacking into almost any alien computer system." "I see," Kachima mused, "Very clever that, worthy even of our mother's brilliance." "You gave them a mutual target to distract them from each other," Yuan-Yen grinned. "In other words," Tenma agreed, "You blinded them with Psions." He blinked his eyes as everyone did a face-fault then said, "Oh my...was it something I said?" "Cute guy," Silver sniffed, "I never even saw that one coming." "So what happened after they finished off the Psions?" Bonbon asked with genuine interest. "Well," Tachi smiled, "Aunt Washu and I worked out a program we called the 'Peace and Friendship Protocols. Loosely put, they were designed to defuse a secondary crisis by spreading the word among the fleet that the Emperor of Jurai and the King of the Oni were now ready to meet and celebrate their joint victories, having put an end to the lies and slanders circulated by the Psions in a futile attempt to confuse and divide potential allies who might stand against their evil ambitions." "In other words you lied like hell," Silver smirked, "Did it work?" "What do you think?" Rinse smiled, "In case you didn't notice, the planet's still here." "The Oni, as Rin-chan has already explained, do tend to be a bit gullible," Tachi smiled, "As for the Jurai...well, they were flush with victory, and the one thing that Emperor Azusa never could resist was an offer of a drink, so...the two fathers got to talking until neither one of them was in a state of mind to know which end of the Galactic hub is up, leaving their wives to settle out the details like properly civilized people." "And of course they recognized that you had something to do with their turn of good fortune," Rinse added, "Not that Lady Funaho seemed to mind the good turn you had done for their daughter." "But won't they be, y'know, kinda upset with you if they find out that you and this Washu character were behind all those insults?" Onnama asked. "Not really," Kachima replied, "Anyone intelligent enough to figure that out will no doubt want the party responsible to be recruited for their side." "Lady Funaho is an exceptionally astute and intelligent being," Tachi replied, "She not only recognizes talent but perceives the wisdom in remaining silent about some of her knowledge." "Heh, sounds like you won a place in their hearts even before this arranged marriage business," Silver smirked, "So...what made you finally decide to go for the group thing? Was it the sex you were after?" "There are a lot of reasons why I wish to be joined with Rinse and the others," Tachi replied, "Not the least is that I honestly believe that we can make the best of this arrangement. I've watched Rin-chan muddle through as best she could, but without my guidance she will probably make a mess of things, for all her good intentions. I know how strong Ryeka's bond with her has grown, and Atari has become no less attached, even as we both have young men with whom we feel a strong attraction. Rather than favor one tie over another, we will pledge ourselves to the joint unison of a marriage circle...a sacred band where each is tied in fate to the other, and all are stronger for the union." "Well said indeed," Watazashi nodded, "I wish you well in your chosen endeavor...Sisters." "And you in your own, Sis," Rinse smiled, then sighed, "C'mon, Tachi...time to face the music. We'd better not let the others see us with this bunch or I guarantee that there will trouble." "I dare say you're right," Tachi smiled, "Be seeing you around, my Sisters." "Hey, take care, guys," Ranko waved the point away as she and the rest of her entourage faded away from this particular plane of existence. "Great guys," Rinse said, "Hope we see them again...but not too soon." "True," Tachi replied, turning to glance the other way, "But I'd say they left just in the nick of time. Looks like our well-wishers have finally caught up with us." "Vacation time's over," Rinse smiled, as she saw a pair of flying forms come sailing at her-one with blue hair, the other green-even as the rest of the more terrestrial-bound members of their extended families came following in short over, "But you know something-and don't quote me on this, or I'll spank you-I wouldn't have it any other way...would you?" "What do you think?" Tachi smiled, holding Rinse by the hand as they braced to meet the rush together... * * * (HENTAI ALERT: ADULT SUBJECT MATTER! THIS IS THE SECTION YOU NO DOUBT WERE EXPECTING TO READ, SO IF YOU ARE IN SEARCH OF A LEMON, THIS IS THE PART TO DELVE INTO! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!) 2. Continuum #57821964 (La Blue Ukyo, by Jim Robert Bader) House of the Miroku Ranko Saotome --Daughter of Ranma and Akane, Apprenticed Time Cop, Holder of the Pendant, "Heart of Destiny" Silver Saotome --Daughter of Ranma and Shampoo, Anything Goes Ryu Kachima Tendo --Daughter of Ranma and Nabiki, Lore Master in Training. Tenma Saotome --Son of Ranma and Kasumi, Jedi Knight Bonbon Toru --Daughter of Tofu and Shampoo, Force Master Onnama Saotome --Daughter of Ranma and Ryoga Tsuyori Kuonji --Daughter of Ranma and Ukyo, Part Kitsune Fox Bukotei Mido --Daughter of Dan and Miko, Ninja Fan-Dancer Kitten Saotome --Daughter of Ranma and Shampoo, Miroku Sexcraft Ninja Koi Mido --Daughter of Dan and Miko, Miroku Sexcraft Ninja "All right, Girlfriend!" Silver taunted, "Show me what you've got!" "Okay, you've asked for this, Silver-mane!" Ranko replied, a smile on her lips as the two of them prepared to meet in the field of battle...albeit a most unconventional sort of challenge match for both of these young martial artists. For one thing they were preparing to grapple more than exchange the usual kicks, punches, jabs and other such violent exchanges. For the other thing they were both utterly and completely naked, their bodies oiled to a slick smoothness, their hair hanging loosely in their usual coiffure patterns of warrior's braid (Ranko) and Amazon Odangos (Silver) though both girls were pledged to avoid hair-pulling or anything that might be considered rude and "out-of-bounds" treatment! (Only Ranko's locket remained of her personal articles, and it was held contained within a pouch that was wound up with her hair-braid so as not to get in the way for this particular battle) And-watching attentively from the sidelines-their friends and fellow travelers through the sidereal timestream sat together with four members of the clan of the Miroku: Tsuyori, Bukotei, Koi and Kitten-sisters all and proud of the fact- who were serving as both referees and judges of the impending cat-fight. Of the four new houseguests: Kachima, Tenma, Bonbon and Onnama, only one was male while the others were round-eyed, even Kachima seeming to gape in open admiration of those spectacularly nude bodies on display in contrasting relief, Silver gleaming like her namesake while Ranko had that well-bronzed sheen that implied a healthy dose of outdoor living.. Neither one had any tan lines and both looked spectacularly healthy with dueling bustlines that were simply to die for and narrow waists that vied with broad hips to form perfect hourglass figures of burnished athleticism. "Oh my," Tenma breathed, tempting his fiancée with the urge to have him blindfolded. "Hmm," Bonbon mused speculatively, "This one's half sister is a true Amazon born, but does she fight as a worthy student of your father?" "Count on it," Onnama replied for her, "No way would Pop let any one of us neglect our training." "Indeed," Kachima mused, "But were they trained for sport such a this? I somewhat doubt that either one of them learned this sort of recreational match from either version of our parents." "All right," Tsuyori called out, "I want a dirty fight with hands below the belt, no unauthorized moves save those designed to inflict humiliation and/or submission in your opponent, and absolutely everything else legal. Keep your hands low and your minds filthy. Begin!" The four newcomers thought as one that this was the strangest thing for a referee to say, but then again that the Anything Goes system did make allowance for unconventional behavior... But then they saw Silver and Ranko go at it, and the term "Unconventional Behavior" began to take on an altogether different meaning than that for which their prior acquaintance... Silver went in first with a series of thrusts aimed below the belt that had to be fended off by Ranko, who blocked each one while attempting to make similar moves against her opponent. They danced around the room trying to hook each others legs with their bare feet while their hands met in a number of attempts to grab each other by the wrist or some other outstretched portion of their anatomy. Ranko and Silver seemed almost to be dancing across the floor as their bare feet shifted constantly to give their stances added power and leverage, and all the while they were smiling at each other, grinning even as though relishing the thought of what might happen should either one of them gain a momentary advantage. "How odd," Bonbon remarked, "They do not seem to be acting aggressively with each other." "Yeah," Onnama agreed, "They've past up on countless openings where they could take a free shot. All they seem to wanna do is lay their hands on each other." "That is the idea, I suspect," Kachima mused, "And the first one who loses their advantage must submit herself to the winner." "Submit?" Tenma arched an eyebrow, "In what way?" "You will see," Tsuyori grinned knowingly, urging them to continue watching the fighting. Silver and Ranko decided to up the ante, aiming their sights a little higher as they again sought to grapple and gain a purchase on one another. They were fully aware of how their audience was looking on with confusion, or of how their OTHER audience (the one hidden near the rafters and looking on from positions of concealment) were getting a good show of the two of them going at it together (not that they minded, of course, wishing their Miroku kinsfolk much entertainment from their slick and well-oiled bodies in glistening motion), but if they thought that these opening moves were something, they were about to get a load of what these two were really capable when they really got going! And so they began to include kicks and higher hand-thrusts within their repertoire, and to add some aerial ballet to the mixture, leaping high into the air (grateful that the Miroku believed in high ceilings) to begin exchanging rapid body motions as they once again sought to gain advantage over one another, knowing that the first of them to slow down would likely be the one to lose the match. "Wow," Onnama said, "First time I've ever seen anybody attempt Judo like that." "It is almost as though they defy the pull of gravity," Bonbon remarked. "Not to mention the laws in seventeen prefectures and about forty different counties," Koi seemed almost remarkably proud of that singular statement. "Indeed," Kachima agreed, "And they certainly are very...pneumatic in their presentation, eh brother?" "Ah...I suppose that is one way of putting it," Tenma agreed with a faintly sheepish expression, gaining a momentary cross look from his iinazuke. "You haven't seen anything just yet," Bukotei remarked with a smile, "We've trained these two for precisely this moment." "This is a grudge match you're seeing go down here," Kitten agreed, "Why do you think we had them shave their pussies before this whole thing started?" "I had been wondering about that part," Tenma said with lifted eyebrow, unable to help conjuring up memories of seeing the two girls (now currently competing together) take a moment during which they were made to lean up against a table on opposite ends while one of the two Miroku girls took a razor to their lower furry quarters, cleaning both girls as smooth as a baby's whiskers down there while two other Miroku proceeded to oil down their bodies, using hands rather liberally to feel the two contenders up and down (not that either Ranko or Silver appeared to mind the attention). Just watching that part had made sitting down VERY uncomfortable for the Shiatsu-trained Jedi-turned-Medical student. Nor did he judge himself to be the only one affected, if the flushed complexion and husky breathing of the apprenticed Lore Master, Kachima were any indication. The oil massage had continued when the two Miroku using razors paused to clean their charges off, first using hand-towels for the shaving cream then moving their mouths into position and briefly performing a therapeutic use of Cunnalingus to excite both of the now bush-bald prospective fighters. These oral hijinx lasted just long enough to get things started, and then the now- slick and aroused Silver and Ranko had readied to do battle of a different sort, which brought Tenma's mind up to the rather astonishing present. Those two were now going at it in a series of bouncing maneuvers that treated the solid wooden floor like it was a trampoline, meeting in mid-air for some writhing, lithesome, full-body acrobatics that made an interesting play over their too-perfect anatomies, causing muscles to ripple and knot in some very interesting... "Oh my," Tenma gasped, suddenly finding a sitting position was NOT the most comfortable one a reasonably healthy man could ask for...and yet he was oddly thankful that he was too calm to experience the phenomenon of nosebleeds! The battle raging above the floor was now shifting to levels that might be considered impossible for anyone less limber than a Saotome trained in the Anything Goes Ryu. The daughters of Akane and Shampoo fought like the laws of gravity and inertia did not apply to them, and the things they could do in their air made their duel seem more like a dance with no true animosity, only a fervent desire for one to gain the advantage over the other. "Airen," Bonbon remarked in a too-casual manner, "That had better be your lightsaber poking out between your trousers if you know what is good for you." "Urk!" the normally calm Tenma responded. "Don't be angry with him," Bukotei urged, "His reaction is perfectly normal for a healthy adult male." "If you want to take advantage of his excitement," Koi added slyly, "It should take very little effort to redirect his attention back in your direction." "Oh?" Bonbon asked, trying not to sound too interested in the suggestion. Silver thought she saw an opening and dove into the attack, managing to get behind Ranko and position herself to slip her arms around for a "Full Nelson" grapple. She had avoided using the obvious Shiatsu maneuvers because she wanted Ranko to be fully functional for the fun she had planned next. Of course, no sooner had she slipped her arms around Ranko's arms and waist, then Ranko arched her back and used her legs to grapple Silver, and then the two of them tumbled in mid-air until the both landed on the floor with the both of them locked in a two-way grapple. Ranko managed to leverage one free hand and used it to press off the floor, sending them airborne as they once again attempted to perform aerial Jui-Jitsu, again countering each others moves before they could be completed. "They do seem to be rather well matched," Kitten observed. "Think so?" Kachima smiled, "That's about to change in another few seconds." For a moment the two antagonists met on the ground and paused in the middle of one of their exchanges. Up until then they had been moving so fast that they barely registered as a blur, but now each was frozen in a particular stance, Silver with a fist outstretched while leaning forward in a classic thrust stance with Ranko blocking the punch with her forearm while her other hand had snuck in past Silver's defenses. Silver was looking down at her with annoyance and took notice of where that hand was currently positioned, covering Silver's groin area with one finger buried in the slit formerly covered by white bush. Ranko grinned up at her in a cocky, almost challenging manner. "Do you mind?" Silver growled softly. "Not in the least," Ranko leered, "This is Anything goes, remember?" A moment later they parted company again, only to immediately lock horns again as they fought for position, only Ranko turned herself sideways at the last instant and managed to slither around like a well-oiled seal and come up behind her opponent from below, tripping Silver up and spilling her face-forward onto the mat. Silver caught herself in time with both hands against the floor, but now Ranko had the advantage and wasted no time using her leverage to pin her opponent to the mat, placing a hand between Silver's shoulderblades and saying the word, "Gotcha!" "Hey, no fair!" Silver protested, trying to free herself as the Miroku counted down a three-second count. "No way!" Ranko grinned, "I got your ass this time, lover-girl!" "Oh yeah?" Silver grunted as she sought to regain leverage, "Just give me a minute and you'll be eating those..." "TIME!" Tsuyori announced, "Victory to Ranko, a hands-down decision!" "What?" Silver protested, "No way!" "Yes way!" Bukotei grinned, "You know the rules...two points, one victory, no second decisions." "She scored first with a finger to the crotch area," Tsuyori said serenely, "And the pin marks your second loss, which concludes the match in Ranko's favor." "By the rules of the house you now effectively belong to her for the next twenty-four hours," Koi added, "Loser always submits and becomes property of the victor until the end of the next day." "That means you have to do whatever Ranko tells you to do until this time tomorrow," Kitten added with a sweet grin, "She can use you as she wills and you can't say or do anything to protest or even say no to her without paying a penalty, such as a spanking." "This is how we settle disputes within this house," Tsuyori sagely nodded, "It would have been the same had you won over Ranko. Sister dear, have fun. She's yours to play with for the duration." "Great!" Ranko grinned broadly. "Ah..." Silver said nervously, "Can't we make it best two out of three?" "No way!" Ranko stated categorically, "You heard what they said, I own your ass, Girlfriend." "Then we shall leave you to your endeavors," Tsuyori smiled as she got to her feet, "Come along, Sisters." "Ah...do we have to leave?" Koi complained. "We'd like to stay and watch," Kitten pouted. "Not this time around," Bukotei replied as she urged the others to follow, "This victory belongs to Ranko, and she's asked to be left in privacy while she savors her victory over our sister, Silver." "I guess it would be rather rude to watch," Tenma said, "Not to mention very awkward." Bonbon noted the way her fiancée was moving very carefully as though favoring his crotch and got a very speculative look on her own lovely features. "Yeah," Onnama was just then saying, "I'm not sure I'd way to stick around and watch this scene. Gotta feeling it's gonna be rated X in the next minute." "Count on it," Kachima paused by the door and said, "I do hope you have fun, but I plan to be looking you up later on, after I finish taking a tour of this lovely establishment." "Enjoy the sights," Ranko waved a hand pleasantly, keeping her other hand firmly pressed on Silver's backside, holding her facedown on the mat, "I know I sure did..." "Er...what exactly is it you're gonna do with me?" Silver asked with increasing nervousness, then felt Ranko's other hand caress her fanny and said, "Oh." "An interesting question," Ranko turned a lascivious leer her way, "What shall I do with you? I know..." And with that she began to run her fingers up and down the cleft in Silver's fanny, lightly caressing her now-bald loins with gently stroking fingers. Silver let out a sigh and found her body was arching at the sweet sensations this caused along her sensitive nerve endings. Ranko's other hand began to caress Silver's back muscles, brushing aside the other girl's long frosty mane of hair while Ranko felt along the edges of the various nerve-clusters that she found there. As her finger probed more gently around the expanding nub that was all showed of her clitoris, she found and moved her around the edges, creating some interesting sensations that helped inspire Silver into relaxing and going with the flow, allowing Ranko to further possess her as she stroked delicate nerve endings and elicited from Silver a hearty groan of approval... "Sounds like they're gonna be having fun for a bit," observed Onnama. "Indeed," Kachima mused as they followed their hosts further into the sprawling complex known as the House of the Miroku, "I wouldn't mind staying to watch myself, but I suspect that there will be other attractive sights found within the next few minutes..." Silver hardly registered these words as she became enormously aware of Ranko's fingers and what they were doing, exploring her nether regions. Two fingers now were probing her depths and finding all kinds of interesting nerve clusters that were making her groans all the more heartfelt. Ranko lifted Silver's ass a bit higher, then paused to toss something to Silver's side that---much to her surprise---was a comforting pink pillow. Without asking where the redhead had obtained the object she picked it up and slide it under her face, then settled down on the new padding as Ranko resumed her finger manipulation, waiting for just the right moment and then bringing her face down to Silver's exposed loins and applying her lips and tongue to begin suckling the tender pink flesh that unfolded at her invitation. Though she had anticipated the oral sex, the sensation of Ranko gently eating her out caused Silver to moan as though she were being impaled by a tongue. The slow thrusting and swirling motions Ranko used to paint the interior of her sex made the bitter pill of forcible surrender a lot easier to swallow, and without a second thought she surrendered herself to Ranko and commended her body to whatever her paratime sister had planned for the evening. Ranko smiled as she savored once more the delicious honeysuckle flavor of Silver's loins, quite liberally using what she had learned from the Miroku about Cunnalingus to bring her new "Pet" to the edge of total ecstasy within a span of only seconds, then to hold her there without pushing her all the way over into full orgasm. The noises Silver made at first conveyed the expectation that she would cum at any moment, but when she was denied an orgasm it elicited in her another type of groan, this time one of frustration. As Ranko prolonged her agony and continued to build up increasing pressure for a climax, Silver started to writhe and bury her face in the pillow, struggling to stay up on her knees as that tongue dove in deeper and more lovingly into her moist folds, swirling around and flickering around rich nerve clusters that sent jolts up and down her spine and made her toes curl with the need of full satiation. "Oh!" Silver jolted as she felt her body spark without quite reaching a true climax, "You Bitch!" "Maybe so," Ranko smiled as she paused in her plunge to get a taste of cream on her tongue, "But you're my Bitch now. You wanna know the best way to eat a girl out? You start with the clit and you use the English Alphabet system to tongue you all the way." "English Alphabet system...?" Silver said hoarsely, when Ranko dove in again, this time avoiding the vulva and going down instead for the knobby little nub of flesh that was key to any woman's greatest pleasure. With dramatic flourish Ranko began to draw the Phonetic letters: "A---B---C---D---E---F---G---H---" and by the time she got to "I" she succeeded in finally sending Silver right over the edge, and as Ranko sensed the blonde's body tensed for her climax she left off her alphabet lesson and immediately clamped her mouth and tongue over the labia her nose had been teasing and readied herself for the spurt of juice she knew would be forth-cumming. And---as the Miroku had taught her to expect---with Silver came she came like a gusher! Had Ranko not acted to contain the rush it would have splashed her in the face and coated her with sticky-clear Cum-juice. Instead she was able to take it in her mouth and start swallowing it down as fast as Silver's loins could produce it, allowing Ranko to eat away hungrily at this "liquid lunch" from a "hot-box" far more tasty than any Bento! The mere act of being eaten out sent Silver reeling over the edge once again and she exploded with a secondary orgasm that---like an Aftershock to a major quake---shook Silver's world to the very rafters! Far above them from the observation booth, Kama-Sutra (daughter of Miko Mido and Ranma) smiled with approval, her hands at play over the naked flesh of her fellow Miroku "sister," Omake (daughter of Kasumi and Ranmaru), who had lost a similar such match earlier in the day and was now honor-bound to serve as her plaything. "Oh yes," Kama mused, "Ranko is certainly showing great promise as an honorary Miroku, don't you think, Sister?" "Oh yes," Omake's voice was heavy with lust, and not just because of where Kama's hands were currently playing, "And that Silver is certainly getting a taste of what it means to win through losing. She has no idea what all is in store for her, and I think that's delicious." "Indeed," Kama replied, "Let's watch a little longer, then you can show me your clever tongue-work, my delightful little plaything." Omake's already lascivious smile deepened as she relished the thought of eating out her older sister. Kama was part Shikima, and as such her loins had a powerful aphrodisiac-like quality that could spur even a Miroku to heights of sexual ecstasy no artificial drug could ever hope to imitate. Kama was a very loving and generous Mistress and would happily return the flavor, as Omake's loins were tingling with the need to be eaten, and only her discipline as a Miroku kept her from fingering herself off as she relished the thought of being ravaged and ravaging her ravishing older sister. Ranko, meanwhile, was feeling deliriously happy at being able to drink Silver semi-dry, but she knew better than to remove all of the much-needed lubricant as things progressed to the next level of her fiendish intentions. Silver had just experienced the pleasure that a woman could give her with her mouth, but there was another side to Ranko that was eager to be let out. Moving away from Silver's crotch she moved her tongue to Silver's nether opening and began to swirl it around at the gate of the blonde girl's sphincter. "Oh...what are you doing...H!" Silver groaned, "Whatever it is...don't stop, please!" "Don't worry," Ranko said as she finished applying some of the cum she had left in her mouth to the opening of Silver's rectum, "I'm only just getting started." This time she used her fingers to rub the cum-juice into the opening, gently forcing it down to help lubricate the way as Silver gasped and shuddered at the unexpected sensations this caused her. More and more of the cum was gently eased into the opening until Silver's rear-gate was slick and easily smooth enough to slide a finger in without much effort, then two fingers joined the first and with three fingers of one hand she eased the rest of the cum into the opening gap as Silver relaxed her sphincter even more to accommodate the intense pleasure this gave her. She was now helplessly at the mercy of those fingers and could only hug her pillow as she found a forth finger following the rest until Ranko's hole hand seem to be following it, though in truth Ranko did not go as far as she might if she wanted to further force the issue. Rather Ranko was pleased to find the way was now cleared for her real intentions, and as she saw one of the Miroku pad into the room with a tray upon which was set a glass of water and a tea kettle she grinned all the more with anticipation. Silver was so far gone into the sensations Ranko was causing her to experience that she never even noticed the pause as Ranko took the glass in hand and slowly poured it over her own head, triggering her transformation to male status. All Silver knew of this was that the hand in her ass got noticeably bigger, but other than that she seemed to have no anticipation of what else was about to fill her. Ranko paused long enough to muse on the old saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold," but what she had in mind was definitely a hot one, and what a dish to be served into! Silver definitely had a "cute rounded ass" that just begged to be entered, and Ranko-kun knew that it would be rude not to enter, so she removed her hand from the hole, causing Silver to gasp and sigh with relief at the easing of the pressure, though she was not long to have a respite from this particular action! Silver was just barely aware of what was going down when she felt something softer enter her rectum, something long and smooth that easily glided against the lubrication of her cum to bury in deep all the way, filling her up to capacity and causing her eyes to go wide with a sudden realization. "What? You---!" she gasped as Ranko-kun began to grind his pelvis against hinny. "Now you know what it feels like," Ranko smiled, "I couldn't walk straight for a couple of days after your last plunge into my asshole. Now have a taste of your own medicine, and I hope you like your tasty cream filling!" "OOOOHHH---!" was all Silver could manage to say as Ranko-kun inched his way in and out of the hole, moving his hips to grind his "meat" against her lining. The sensations this caused were enough to stifle any belated protest as Ranko- kun proceeded to give back as good as he had gotten on a previous occasion, before a week-long training session in the Miroku house had sharpened his techniques and taught him how to take full advantage of his masculine assets (to say nothing of what she could do as a woman!). "Oh yes!" Kama mused as Omake started to play with her nipples, "Tsuyori has done well in training her, and now sister-brother Ranko will share the benefits of her training." "Permission to go down on you now, Oneechan?" Omake asked in a throaty voice. "I thought you'd never ask," Kama replied, and urged her pledge-bound "love- slave" to put to work a demonstration of her "oral" tactics... "Ah, revenge is sweet," Ranko-kun sighed as he eased himself a couple of inches out of Silver's ass, then forced his way in once again as Silver groaned into her pillow and took it all the way, amazed that she was not about to split in half at this "saw blade" working its way in and out of her most private (and second favorite) port of access... "So...uh...hey," Onnama said as she studied the architecture of the wide-open garden area of Miroku House, "What's the story about this place you guys have set up here? I mean...a theme Restaurant I can work with, even one that has Ninja as its theme, but a restaurant that doubles as a sex clinic and a dojo? Now that's pushing it even by my admittedly loose standards." "The House of the Miroku is an honorable establishment with a very interesting and colorful history that we of the older generation know by heart," Tsuyori explained, "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to share our family's personal history with you, my kinsfolk. I'm sure you will be amazed and entertained by such a story." "I should think so," Kachima mused, "Beginning with your ties to the demon race known as the Shikima. Your clan leader is herself part Shikima, as I correct?" "You got it," Kitten said, "Miko Mido is the den mother to all us Miroku, and the reason all of us are here today, though I guess equal credit could also go to Pop and Auntie Ukyo." "Ah yes," Sakura mused, "My parents, truly a match made by the Gods, though in truth it's really a team effort with all the adults having done their part to make a home for we of the second generation." "Actually the roots of the Miroku go back into early Japanese history," Bukotei further noted, "Back to the time when the Shikima first made their presence known in Japan, seeking to make a foothold on the Earth by which they could invade and conquer the human world, and they might well have that if our earliest ancestors hadn't learned effective means of fighting them through sexcraft." "Sex Craft?" Tenma asked. "You mean what those two were doing back there in place of fighting?" Bonbon wondered. "Sexcraft is the Miroku art passed down for generations in the form of a sexually oriented martial arts system," Tsuyori replied, "Combined with conventional Ninjutsu it can be a very effective self-defense technique against even power threats to the security of our family unit. The Miroku clan was founded to provide a place of learning in this art for the sake of the preservation of human civilization against the forces out there that would seek to destroy us." "You sure that's it?" Onnama asked, "That isn't just a fancy excuse for lots of hedonistic sex and debauchery?" "Well, there is that too," Kitten said, "But just because we like to have fun is no reason to fault us. It's not like we agree with people who think that life is all about suffering, denial and privation." "Yeah," Koi agreed, "Why should we carry the burden just because of some sour grapes by some crab apple moralists and reformers?" "Ideals are wonderful things," Kachima said, "So long as they are based on valid precepts. Too many who pretend to be moral are indulging in sophistry and self-indulgent wishful thinking based on provincialism and myopia. I've encountered a good many people who mistake abstinence for purity and egotism for enlightenment. I think having a good life means leaving yourself open to the possibilities life offers, and in that regard you are certainly far ahead of the sort who thinks of himself as an upright and moral person." "Well, not to fault those who have different beliefs or ethics," Tsuyori began, "But the principles we live by are the pragmatic result of many centuries of discipline and experience. It all began in the dark and chaotic times of early Japan when the Shikima first made their presence known in this world. Like all true Demons, they were drawn to human emotions of greed, lust and carnality, the darker emotions of human existence. Whenever evil acts prevailed, the barriers between their world and our own would weaken, and conventional forms of spiritual magic proved less than fully effective in combating them. At first only a few creatures were able to cross over, but as they became more and more aware of our world the Shikima plotted to move in and take over, at first in small raids where they would terrify villages and prey upon the people of the country, but in time they grew strong enough to form alliances with humans who would serve their needs and do their bidding. These dark times were the lawless era when Japan was torn by civil war, and strife was the common lot of ordinary humans." "But then the Miroku came to power and brought order to this chaos," said Bukotei, "They learned the arts of sexcraft and grew stronger over the course of generations to where they could match their prowess with the arts of the Shikima. It was about at the same time that King Sikima came to power, filling the void left in the Shikima realm left by the vicious tyrant of a Demon Lord who came before him. Sikima---though arguably far from a fallen Angel---sought to ally himself with the Miroku and gave us a token of this pact that helped seal the rift between our worlds, and through this alliance we helped bring order to the human realm by siding with the Shoganate that rose from the ashes of the feudal era." "That was roughly four hundred years ago," Koi noted, "And a period of relative stability came to pass with the Miroku standing as guardians between the worlds of both humanity and the Shikima." "They still crossed over into our world in small groups and outlaw bands," Kitten noted, "But the Miroku would be there to do battle against those who broke the peace of King Sikima. We had clan members seeded throughout all of Japan with different safe houses where women trained themselves in the arts of Sexcraft." "But our success brought with it the jealousy of rival Ninja clans," Tsuyori continued, "Who resented the power and influence of the Miroku. Chief among those was the Suzuka clan, our former rivals, now honored clan mates. Over time the balance of power would rise and fall between us, but in the end the Miroku clan would maintain its preeminent position." "Yeah, but it isn't all that pretty," Koi noted, "I'm both Miroku and Suzuka by birth, and King Sikima is my grandfather on Mom's side of the family. I've heard Momma tell about the story of a Miroku woman named Amaterasu who stole much of her knowledge in Sexcraft from a Suzuka Lord whose mastery had no equal. She seduced him and learned his craft, then murdered him and returned to the Miroku clan to assume the rank of clan leader. It was what began a two-century feud between our two houses that wound up costing us some of our best warriors on both sides. In the end the war almost exterminated both sides as Suzuka and Miroku battled out to the last in the time of our parents." "It was so bad that the Mido clan was nearly wiped out, except for Momma Miko and Aunt Miyu," Kitten added, "Uncle Dan, Uncle Ranmaru and Aunt Botsasu were the only ones left from their branch of the Suzuka clans, and that was only after Uncle Dan was forced to slay his evil brother in battle after Lord Susano became a demon and tried to overthrow Lord Sikima." "Sounds...kinda familiar," Onnama said a bit evasively, "So...this Dan guy married Miko Miyu and brought and end to the clan wars?" "More or less, yes," Tsuyori replied, "Of course Uncle Dan was really in love with my mother at the time, but when the adults formed the group marriage concept it seemed to satisfy everyone's needs and provided insurance that both clans of Miroku and Suzuka would be able to regenerate their losses in a single generation. Of course, that is getting a bit ahead of ourselves here. The real story is that of Momma Miko herself, the daughter of Lord Sikima and the Lady Maria of the Miroku family known as Mido, the traditional leaders of all the Miroku houses. Miko-sama was intended to be the go-between between two worlds, but her very creation put the Suzuka into a state of alarm as they feared she would signify their permanent relegation to obscurity among the clans of the Ninja." "Small chance of that," Bukotei sniffed, "But all that did was set the backdrop for what was to happen. The real crisis happened when a renegade Suzuka by the name of Kugutsmen seduced a Miroku woman named Kamiri, and the two of them plotted the downfall of both the families. Aunt Yaku's clan village of the Midori family was all but wiped out by these traitors as a token of vengeance for a wrong done to Kamiri, so they could obtain an cursed sword called Zipang and attempt to use it to kill the King of the Sikima. This set in motion a chain of events that centered around Lord Susano's dark ambition, which was only thwarted when our parents---meaning Aunt Miko, my mother, Miyu, Aunts Ukyo and Yuka, combined their energies to help bring an end to the crisis, with Uncle Dan providing the fatal blow that killed Susano and ended the threat to the Shikima." "Yeah, and a good thing that was, too," Koi averred, "If grandfather had bought it, then both the Shikima and human realms would have fallen to Lord Susano and he would have unleashed hell on earth in both realms. Imagine...no woman would be safe in her own bedroom at night, and normal means of law enforcement would have been powerless to cope with creatures that can polymorph and phase through solid objects." "As it is, we help provide a buffer in more than one sense of the word," Kitten revealed, "Shikima who abide the King's law can get their rocks off with us instead of normal girls who lack our training. We're always happen to court these guys since they have ways of ringing a girl's chimes that ordinary boys just can't compete with." "Not that we don't keep in practice by working on each other," Tsuyori noted wryly. "Sounds to me like you just like a good excuse to party," Onnama sniffed. "So who needs an excuse?" Bukotei smiled, "We consider what we do a public service, so where is it written that we can't enjoy our work, eh?" "You actually enjoy consorting with creatures as vile as what you are describing?" Bonbon marveled. "Hey, Shikima aren't all that bad as Demons go," Koi said a bit defensively, "Compared to some other types of demon races, they're practically angels." "Maybe we're a bit biased," Kitten admitted, "But we know a lot of Shikima on a first-name basis, but some other types of demons aren't out just to have a good time and to party. Some demons we've gone up against have even been pretty downright nasty." "That's where the other half of our art comes into play," Tsuyori noted, "And our combat skills, backed by our Sexcraft, makes us more than formidable in that department." "So, your folks brought an end to a clan war and united the clans to put an end to the division," Tenma said, "And after that they set up this dojo disguised as a restaurant in which to conceal your training?" "That's more or less it," Bukotei replied, "The center of Clan Miroku is known as the International House of Okonomiyaki, run by Tsu-chan's mother, where most of us work during regular business hours, in and out of attending a local high school." "Some of us go anyway," Koi replied, "The older kids study for college, but mostly we help out with the family business...both businesses, when you come down to it." "And someday maybe we'll have kids of our own to train," Kitten mused, "Either here or in branch franchises should we choose to diversify, but for now we keep things in the house where our defenses are strongest and we can all enjoy the company of our sisters, brothers, parents and loved ones." "Do you ever take anyone on who isn't family?" Onnama asked. "Well...it has been known to happen on occasion," Tsuyori revealed, "But true mastery of Sexcraft requires a total mind and body commitment, and for that it helps if you've been given the right sort of training from childhood." "Fortunately we've had very good teachers and role models in the arts of the Hentai," Bukotei winked, "Grandfather Happosai and Grandmother Nodoka, for example, who told us lots of naughty bedtime stories in between our martial arts training." "Not to mention instill in us proper family values," Koi added with a smirk. "Which translates as: 'Screw unto others as you would have others screw unto you,'" Kitten finished with a smile worthy of a Cheshire. "We also take on challenges from students and masters of other schools who want to challenge the Miroku for their preeminent position in the field," Tsuyori added, "Like those Amatsu twins who came here a few months back...remember them, Sisters?" "Oh yes," Bukotei smile, "A couple of twin dolls who came here because they were having what they termed as a 'real problem,' namely that their mutual charisma was having an adverse effect on them and nearly all of their classmates." "Turns out they had Tengu Angel blood in their ancestry, about a thousand years going back," Koi duly noted, "It gave them both a personal charisma field that strongly affected the sex drives of everyone around them, most especially kids in their own age group, both male and female." "But we turned them around and showed them that this isn't such a problem," Kitten winked, "And now they've come through with flying colors as a couple of Twin Love Angels, thanks to the training they received here in the house of the Miroku." "And then there was that girl from the Mano Clan of ancestral Devil Hunters," Tsuyori noted with a fond smile, "Turns out her mother was related to us, and a good friend of our parents, so after we got through helping with her...ahem...education...she graduated on to become the 110th Devil Hunter of this generation." "Only she discriminates between Devils who are out to hurt people and Demons who just want to have a good time hanging out with human ladies," Bukotei added with a fond smile, "Sort of a case of the Devil you Blow and the Devil you don't." "But why Sex craft?" Bonbon asked, "It is simply because of your ties to the Demon realms?" "Are you kidding?" Koi replied, "Sex is the basic fundamental secret of the universe, the ultimate expression of the Yin and Yang of existence." "It's like positive and negative poles balancing and shifting," Kitten elaborated, "Within all of us exist the hard and soft elements of life itself, and by learning to master and balance these forces we learn to tap into the Universal power of life itself, which makes everything possible and nothing beyond the reach of the Miroku." "Besides which," Kachima smiled, "It's all in the name of good clean fun." "Exactly," Tsuyori winked, "Can you think of a stronger motivation for us to practice and perfect our techniques, enduring great toil and labor for the reward of becoming accomplished Ninja." "It does sound as if it has its...compensations," Tenma said delicately, then noticed the looks turned his way, most especially by his comely fiancée, "What?" Bonbon was the first one to recover from a virtual facefault as she asked, "Why do demons seek sexual congress with human females? Do they not obtain sufficient pleasures from females of their own species?" "Honey," Kitten said, "Some guys don't know when enough is too much, and it's only natural that they go for a hot-blooded number like me rather than hump some dried up old prune, like great-great-grandmother likes to pretend to be around customers and strangers." "Demons are rather discriminating in how they choose their victims," Koi explained, "And to their way of thinking, human girls are easy prey when compared to their own oversexed female counterparts. They like to focus on virgins and inexperienced girls who can give them less of a struggle overcoming..." "So we Miroku have to keep an eye out all the time that they don't go after any of our classmates," Bukotei added, "And we also consider it our sacred task to lower the number of virgins these guys can go after, not to mention making sure most girls have some mental and emotional resilience that will help them to cope with an attack if we don't happen to be there on the occasion." "There are also a number of significant dangers that come with being a Virgin in most occult circles," Tsuyori further noted, "That's why they are so highly sought in magical rituals where demons attempt to summon other demons. Of course no Miroku can be accounted a virgin from the day we first learn how to give and receive pleasures." "I guess you guys don't put a lot of stock on 'safe sex,' huh?" Onnama remarked. "In our line of work there's no such thing as 'Safe' sex," Bukotei answered, "We're more in the line of thought that goes something like: 'A well armed Hentai is a Polite Hentai," and anyone who tries to challenge us had better be prepared for us to blow their socks off." "Fascinating," Kachima mused as she surveyed the garden that was just outside the nearest window, "And this whole complex takes up an entire city block in the center of the Furinkan Financial district...as a matter of fact, occupying the block that normally would house a rather more modest Okonomiyaki shop in the world that I hail from. But I am curious about this lovely indoor garden you have in the center of the complex...for example, is that a waterfall and a lagoon I see from here?" "Why, as a matter of fact it is," Koi replied, "Would all of you like to see it close up?" "Would I?" Onnama grinned, "That sounds great!" "Keep in mind," Kitten said, "Nude bathing isn't just optional but required if you want to go skinny dipping. Don't need those nasty suits to trap in body moisture and pollute our nice, clean water with bacteria and unwashed body oils." "That shouldn't be a problem," Tenma said, then winced as Bonbon gave him a punch to the elbow, "Ow! What did I say?" "I see no problem in going native, under the circumstances," Kachima smiled, "By all means lead the way, I would love to sample such a natural-seeming setting and bask in the warm atmosphere that your parents have created. "And we'd be only too happy to have you," Tsuyori replied, implying more in her smile than was overtly admitted to in her statement. Bonbon saw the predatory looks turned towards her company by these "hungry" Miroku women and felt an impulse to reach for her man to declare her possessive intentions...but for the lingering sense that she was also considered to be "on the menu" leaving the Nursing assistant and Apprenticed Jedi Force Mistress to wonder what sort of "lion's den" they had wandered into, and whether or not it would be a good idea right then to keep an eye out for the exits... Not that she expected that she would get very far if she tried to haul Tenma out of there, but it was at least somewhat reassuring to mentally prepare for all eventualities as the Force of female Libido was not to be underestimated... * * * 3. "Well, here we are again," mused a leather-clad Ranma to his lovely companion, Nabiki. "I know," his wife replied, "Miroku House, where we got married only a week or so ago. Here we will find our sex-crazed counterparts living a life of debauchery and unbridled carnal lust, and where every end is a happy one, tingling with a sense of fullness and fulfillment." "Yeah," Ranma agreed, "Lucky bastards. Of course, you know if we go in there we're gonna get talked into joining another no-holds-barred all-out sex-swapping orgy where we'll be asked to perform with all the ladies, including equivalents of yourself and both of your sisters. Sure you wanna risk it?" "I think we both can manage it this time around," Nabiki mused, "Provided you're willing to abide by what passes for house courtesy, which includes pleasuring the Ukyo, Shampoo, Kodachi and Akane who live here. Of course I may also have to oblige their equivalent of you and the other men of the house, including Lord Dan and Ryoga..." "Or that hermaphrodite guy, Ranmaru?" Ranma countered, shaking his head in disbelief, "Can't figure out how a place like this can even exist, but I can't argue that it's a thriving concern where everyone seems happy..." "Not to mention the fact that you effectively have nine wives and an equal number of children," his recent bride pointed out matter-of-factly. "Well...guess there's some good and bad in every universe," Ranma shrugged, then paused as he turned a disbelieving look at her, "NINE WIVES AND NINE KIDS?" "You didn't count them when we were here last?" Nabiki asked innocently, "Of course that's only counting the children ABOVE the ages of puberty and all that, whereas my counterpart only has one daughter in that age group, and she was 'fathered' by another woman, so don't feel as if you have any monopoly on astonished reactions." "Hooboy," Ranma shook his head, "Nine kids...amazing the guy ain't exhausted from all that hard work..." "Just don't get any ideas about starting up your own harem," Nabiki warned, "It's all well and good to indulge in a fling, especially since I'll be right there with you sharing in the action, but when it comes to the rest of our married life, I intend to make my claim on you a solo package." "Nag, nag, nag," Ranma sniffed, "Now wonder they call it 'the old ball and chain.' Ever think I might have the same thing about you, Nabs? Ain't like I'm looking forward to seeing another guy stick his thing into your box." "And that's another thing," Nabiki said archly, "These nick-names, 'Nabs' and 'Nabby,' that is going to stop right now, Mister, or I'll be forced to resort to extreme measures of retaliation. Is that clear, Rans-baby?" "Clear as glass," Ranma said with a patently innocent expression on his face, "So...you wanna go in or should we just make like a couple of tourists and gawk all night?" "We go inside," Nabiki said resolutely, "Ranko is in there, and I want to have words with out wayward adopted daughter. Also too, I intend to have a few things to say to our Miroku-trained counterparts concerning something that I just found out about their idea of a 'wedding present.'" "Huh?" Ranma blinked, "How is that?" "Let's just say...that our counterparts appear to also be a collection of rather impractical jokers," Nabiki said evasively, "And that they left us with a legacy to go with our marriage license. I think they meant it as a favor, but I would have preferred the courtesy of being asked first before they did it." "What?" Ranma asked, "That orgy thing they roped us into?" "Not that...at least, not exactly," the Lore Master said with an unreadable expression on her lovely face, "Let's just say that the incident is partly related to what I've just discovered through a bit of internal examination. In retrospect I wonder that I didn't know about it right away...but at the time I was...somewhat distracted." "Uh...yeah," Ranma said sheepishly, "I guess that's one way of putting it. Some wedding, huh?" "Memorable, in more than one sense of the word," Nabiki agreed, then started forward to the front of the restaurant, compelling Ranma to follow her lead, all the while wondering what had come over his normally indomitable partner but deciding against asking her directly. Nabiki would let him in on what she knew as soon as she was ready to make her thoughts plain, but in the meantime she was obviously steeling herself to confronting the owners of this rather unique establishment, sensing---as he knew her so well---that whatever secret was bothering her it was bound to prove to be quite a doozy... Continued. Comments/Criticisms/Maternity Blues: shadowmane@ridgenet.net Can you guess what's "bothering" Nabiki at this point? You can bet that when he finds out, Time-Patrol Ranma is going to be MOST surprised (read: ASTONISHED!) at the revelation. Meanwhile Ranko is going to have more "fun" with her new silver-haired plaything, and the rest of the kids will be scoring their share of points with the Miroku. Stay tuned for Part Two, where things really get into high gear in: "Love is a Pain in the Ass," or "Moon over My Mammy!" Be there!