RanSquares10 Realities Squared By Jim Robert Bader (Inspired by the Works of Rumiko Takahashi & Others) Chapter Ten. Continuum #17046289 Roll Call: Lylac Tendo --17, purple haired daughter of Nabiki and Shampoo From Continuum #59343921 Ekko Daitokuji --16, redheaded daughter of Beiko and Aiko From Continuum #59343921 Tenko Masaki --17, blue haired daughter of Tenchi and Ryoko From Continuum #59343921 Veil Morisato --16, brown haired daughter of Keiichi and Belldandy From Continuum #59343921 The Shogun of the Dark gnashed his teeth in silent fury as he studied the monitors and witnessed the inexplicable triumph of Saotome and his allies. The loss of so valuable a pawn as the Saiyajin and his party of Planet Ravagers was a setback to carefully laid out plans going back almost two decades, and now his enemies were gathered about the Core and were examining the equipment, no doubt trying to fathom a means by which to reverse the spell that the Shogun had cast so long ago on the day of his ascension, and from the looks of the matter the Shogun was powerless to prevent this! Powerless, at least, until he could summon his most powerful of all minions, the Lord of Chaos, who had been busy venting the Shogun's wrath on those upstarts on the American continent. How in the name of all the Demon Hells had Saotome become so powerful...and in such a very short timespan? The Shogun had been content to let Saotome play with his whore, humbled with the knowledge that he had not only survived the deaths of all his friends and loved ones but had been deemed too insignificant to be worth the bother of killing. Saotome had been a minor nuisance, nothing more, amusing to watch his futile attempts at heroics when all the truly heroic beings who had opposed the Shogun's rule were as dust. But now it appeared as though the Shogun had misjudged Saotome's ability to gain in strength and ability, for he had single-handedly defeated one of the Shogun's most powerful minions as though it were a mere exercise and not a truly worthy challenge. And how to explain the survival of the Tendo bitch, Nabiki? Saotome had killed her many years ago, the last that the Shogun had known about it, and with her death the Tendo line had ended. Only slightly less than the deaths of those annoying Amazons had been the celebration the Shogun experienced when the threat of that hated line had finally been ended. With the deaths of Saotome and his remaining allies the future of the Shogun would be reassured, much though that might mean having to suffer through an eternity of boring and predictable conquests. Only that did not seem quite so entirely assured now that a new Saotome had arrived upon the scene, and these other strange allies who had appeared with him...something troubled the Shogun very greatly about them. He did not know why the women should concern him to the same degree as the men, but there was something about those girls, most particularly the light haired one who had cast that spell to disrupt the efforts of the vine creatures to "entertain" them... All at once his mind filled with the voice of his true master, the Black Dragon, who said in a voice that threatened to overwhelm all other awareness, "SHOGUN, HEED ME NOW! THERE IS A DANGER TO THE PLAN, AND THESE STRANGERS ARE OF GREATER MENACE THAN EVEN YOU REALIZE!" "A danger, Master?" the Shogun asked, "Surely not for you..." "WEAK AND PATHETIC MORTAL," his Master thundered in his mind, "THEY ARE NOT OF THIS EARTH AND ARE NOT SUBJECT TO MY MIND-CONTROL! THIS MAKES THEM A DANGER, BOTH UNACCEPTABLE IN ITSELF AND OF THE TIMING OF THEIR ARRIVAL, WHEN I AM SO CLOSE TO ACHIEVING MY MOMENT OF ULTIMATE GLORY!" This stunned the Shogun even more than the defeat of his Saiyajin lieutenant. It had been fortuitous that the day of the Ascension had been during the time when Vegita had been on Earth and thus was ensnared by the selfsame spell that had given the Black Dragon, his Master, total dominion over all living things of the Earth and the Heavens. The Dragon was the unquestioned Lord of all that he surveyed, and his Master toyed with the mortals of the Earth while he renewed his sleep and regathered his expended powers. For twenty years the Dragon had slept and dreamed while allowing the Shogun to rule the planet as his Suzerain. This had been the unquestioned order of things as the Shogun played games with puny mortals, permitting them the illusion of free will while manipulating in subtle (and often not so subtle) ways their actions to while away the time and amuse himself, like a puppet master pulling the strings of those who once had lorded it over his own existence. Though the Shogun had regarded himself as far removed from the mortal shell that was his present body, he still had the memories of a pathetic wretch named Hiraku Gosunkugi who had been spat upon by gods and mortals alike. A pale and strange lad of a solitary nature, given to a one-sided and hopeless obsession for the violent Tomboy, Tendo Akane, he had been humbled by bullies and ignored by his parents, sneered at by his peers and frequently humiliated because of his frail constitution and puny physique. He was the type of boy who-in a culture given to the plentiful availability of firearms-would have most climbed atop a water tower and played sniper with his fellow students. Japan having strict laws about such things, he had instead been forced to delve into the one thing that promised to give him power beyond that known by other mortals. The Black Arts. At first he had merely dabbled to compensate for a sense of inferiority, and being a fairly intelligent lad for his age, he quickly dismissed most of the pop culture nonsense that deceived and confused the eyes of the uninitiated, learning to spot the difference between the true Occult and the junk that was marketed to appeal to people like him as an easy fix for all life's problems. Gosunkugi had discovered (or was discovered by) a forgotten book inside a novelty book shop that had appeared one day in what he had thought was an empty lot, and it had changed his life for the better, teaching him the true secrets of Magic and how to unlock the hidden powers contained within his frail form. He had committed that book to memory and one day cast the spell by which he sought to contact the spirit of his ancestors in hopes that they would reveal unto him the knowledge he craved to make himself a power among mortals. And that was how he had been discovered by the spirit of a long-dead mage named Munnihausen, the son of a deranged Nazi scientist who once had sought to unleash the power of a being known as The Lord of Chaos. Munnihausen had been the first to tell Gosunkugi how he might go about acquiring the power that he needed, and from there had shown Gosunkugi other secrets to finally obtain his dream of winning the hand of the youngest of the Tendo sisters. Gosunkugi had been content to relish having Akane under his dominion and had achieved his long- sought satisfaction, even though her annoying cousin, Natsume the Vampire Slayer, had sought to interfere, disapproving of Gosunkugi's relationship with her sister and doing much to try and win Akane away from his dominion. That was when Gosunkugi had taken the final step of his existence and cast the spell that Munnihausen had revealed to him, the one to resurrect the Shogun of the Dark from his ages long slumber. The Shogun, once awakened, had needed a mortal host to replace his depleted body, and naturally had taken Gosunkugi's for his own, annihilating the apprenticed mage as his frail body had been unable to withstand the strain of transition, which in turn compelled the Shogun to resurrect his body and remake it in his image. And, of course, for Gosunkugi, the evolution from human to Zombie had actually been a relative improvement. When he fully merged with the Shogun, however, Hiraku Gosunkugi was no more than a dim memory. Instead he was the Shogun, possessed of a mission to open the doorway unto Hell itself through which his own foul master, the Black Dragon, would emerge triumphant. It had been ridiculously easy to lure Natsume and her band of loyal followers into an ambush, and from there combined them with the rest of the Shogun's chosen victims, using Munnihausen's Murder Wheel to power the spell that brought about the Ascension. From there the Black Dragon had emerged to claim the Earth for his dominion, for all living things had been ensnared by the spell that had been cast, making the Dragon the supreme authority of the world with the Shogun serving as both High Priest and subject Emperor of the planet. Only this was all coming apart because Saotome had somehow contrived to free himself from the Dragon and was now perched atop the very Core of the Shogun's power. Discovering the dormant Murder Wheel placed him and these other strangers within reach of undoing over five thousand years of planning and sacrifice, and this could not be tolerated! The Shogun's dark hate flared to life and he studied the monitors, vowing to himself that he would destroy these impudent worms before they could further interfere with the Dragon's schemes of power. The Lord of Chaos would do the deed, provided he could be recalled in time. Even at top speed it would take the better part of fifteen minutes for him to cross the Pacific ocean. That was far too much time for the Shogun's liking, so something would need to be done to clear a path between the Lord of Chaos and his newly designated objective. It would be a strain even for his power, but the alternative was to risk the displeasure of his Master, so the Shogun cast the spell of summoning to open a corridor that would bring the Lord near instantaneously to the shores of Japan, from which he would strike at his enemies and bring the threat they posed to an end, as befit the will of the Black Dragon... "Excuse me?" Ranma said, "Would you run that by me again?" "It's quite obvious, Uncle Saotome," Ekko remarked, "The device you see now before you was crafted to use the energies of twelve women in order to power a spell the likes of which I fear were of devastating potential." "Can't you feel it?" Tenko asked as she stared at the device with obvious loathing, "It radiates the terror and ecstasy that marked the moment of their deaths. These women were stimulated to the point of ultimate excitement, and at the height of their ecstasy their life energies were sucked from their bodies, channeled through this device and used to create a massive Psychic opening in the walls of time and space." "Everything that we have seen of this world is the result of this hideous invention," Veil added in the same hushed tones that she had used since entering the chamber, "This is the source of a great evil used to empower an even greater force of evil that took control over the Heavens and the Earth and usurped the authority of the Gods unto itself. The thing that came through that gap styles itself as a God, but it is an obscenity that warps the very nature of reality as we know it and bends the laws of time and space to serve its will, thus destabilizing this arm of the cosmos." "But how can a thing like that happen?" Ryoga asked, "Time doesn't just unravel itself...the future and past exchange probability energies to achieve relative stability no matter what changes you make to a single timeline. Even I know that much!" "This goes beyond an ordinary event-level catastrophe, Ryo-chan," Nabiki replied, eyes focused upon her handheld scanner, on which she was continuing to type at a furious rate, "The means by which time often corrects itself is to arrange it so that events work towards achieving stability...but something created a massive instability here, and the process is getting worse as time progresses." "In other words this is the thing we came to destroy," Lylac said, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's junk the sucker." "Makes sense to me," Ryoga said grimly, "I've wanted to smash this piece of junk since the moment I laid eyes on it." "Makes two of us, Porky," Ranma extended a fist, "So let's get cracking." "Hold it, Muscles," Nabiki urged with a wave of a hand, making rapid calculations on her handheld scanner, "That won't accomplish anything constructive." "Maybe not," Ranma said as his fist began to glow, "But it'll sure make me feel better..." A restraining hand gently gripped his arm and Ranma turned to see the redheaded Ekko shaking her head in a negatory manner. "You got a death wish, kid?" he asked rather more gruffly than he intended. "Aunt Nabiki is correct, Uncle," Ekko explained, "Destroying the device will not help matters, rather it will prevent any chance that we might have of reversing what was accomplished here. Rather we must use this hideous thing to bring about an end to the darkness and a remaking of this world in a better image." "Reverse it?" Lylac looked at her best friend in disbelief, "You've got to be kidding!" "I wish that I was," Ekko said reluctantly, "But my calculations have demonstrated conclusively-backed by Aunt Washu's own research..." "Washu?" Nabiki paled, "That lunatic mad scientist sent you girls? Why am I not surprised?" "Grandmother was quite emphatic that we had to come to this place and time to make this device work in reverse polarity to its original setting," Tenko explained, "If this is not achieved, then time will be unwound on not only this timeline but all the adjoining temporal lines linking to it and paralleling alongside it, causing a massive catastrophic cascade effect that could infect the entire system." "Causing Yggdrasil itself to suffer a massive systems crash and the unrecoverable loss of great amounts of cosmic data," Veil further added, "So it is fair to say that the continued existence of the Cosmos itself now hangs in the balance, which is why the Anomaly is gathering its forces to achieve repairs, but for the counter-spell to work will require our full participation." "Participation?" Ranma asked uneasily, "Why do I get the feeling that I am NOT gonna like this?" "You're not the only one, Ranma-kun," Nabiki murmured in tones of evident displeasure, "Unfortunately, the calculations I've just made, using the computers at Central, back up their claims that this could become a massive Extinction Level Event of the first magnitude. Under the circumstances I believe it would be safe to say that extraordinary measures will need to be undertaken to repair the level of damage that I'm detecting here." "Correct," Ekko replied, "Extraordinary measures...and distasteful ones at that, but the alternatives may not even exist for this world as it would appear that this timeline lacks the proper components." "The components being Heroes," Tenko concluded rather grimly. "I think I follow your reasoning on this," Nabiki said, "Heroes are like the Anti-bodies that the Universe summons to combat the virus of Chaos and instability that is inherent in physical nature. The sagas, myths and legends we know of in our history are simply accounts of extraordinary individuals who rose up in their place and time to answer the challenge that they were given. Without heroes this world cannot repel the disease that infects the entire system, so the virus is spreading rapidly. The darkness that we encountered on our arrival are merely the symptoms to a much larger problem caused by the absence of heroes. A world itself can perish without champions to defend it, and reality as we know it depends on heroes correcting the imbalance and discord that chaos can have when allowed to run uncheck throughout an entire cosmos." "Like any virus that replicates itself to an infinite degree," Veil nodded, "It eventually will kill the host and convert even healthy systems adjoining this timeline to retrograde virus infestations." "You're saying this thing will cause a Retrovirus to infect Yggdrasil?" Lylac winced, "That's gross!" "So is what we may have to do in order to remedy the cure for the system," Ekko replied, "I only hope that when the rest of the Children of Time are gathered to this place that they will be as prepared as we are to lend our might to saving the Cosmos." "We?" Lylac said nervously, "Hold on, time out here! Don't you think we should have discussed this on the way here?" "If you had known in advance, would you have volunteered?" Tenko asked her. "No...well...maybe..." Lylac glared at Ekko and growled, "Some best friend you are, roping me in for a thing like this..." "Never fear," Veil assured her, "If everything works as planned, then we may yet survive this." "May survive this?" Ranma growled, "Now I definitely know I don't like the sound of this! Do your parents have any idea what you girls are planning to do? Sure as hell know what I'd say if I were in their place..." "Fortunately...or unfortunately," Nabiki said, "Depending on how you look at it, this device is in no condition to be used for anything. It was fried the last time it was used and some of the most important components have been melted into useless slag, not to mention the damage we did to this facility with our little rumble with its defenders." "Leave that to me," Veil replied, "Tenko-chan has explained what corrections need to be made to the original construction of the device, and with Ekko's calculations confirming the data, I should be able to reconstitute the system as good as new...at least long enough to use this instrument of pain and evil to remake this world and restore the balance." "Good idea, beautiful," a voice very much like Ranma's noted, "But are you really sure you sprouts want to go through with this shindig?" The party turned to see the man standing off to one side with a green-haired girl leaning against his shoulder, the two of them composed as if they had just wandered onto the scene like a couple of tourists. Ranma looked at the face of the man, who looked back at him with an almost identical expression, then in a tone of low wonder he said, "I don't believe this..." Continuum #57821964 Roll Call: Ranko Saotome --16, redheaded daughter of Ranma and Akane From Continuum #29715382 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan. Watazashi Saotome --16, black haired daughter of Ranma and Kodachi From Continuum #29457180 Yuan-Yen Tendo --16, brown haired daughter of Mousse and Nabiki From Continuum #29457180 Tinkerbell Tendo --17, brown haired daughter of Perfume and Kasumi From Continuum #68743219 Rinse Saotome --17, purple haired daughter of Ranma and Shampoo From Continuum #472193567 Tachi Kuno --17, brown haired daughter of Tatewaki and Nabiki From Continuum #472193567 Ryeka Masaki --16, blue haired fusion daughter of Ryoko and Ayeka From Continuum #472193567 Atari Morobishi --16, green haired daughter of Ataru and Lum From Continuum #472193567 Silver Saotome --17, silver-haired daughter of Shampoo and Ranma, From Continuum #48972185 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan. Akira Tendo --20, black haired son of Shampoo-kun and Kasumi From Continuum #48972185 Kinko Kuonji --14, brown haired daughter of Ukyo-kun and Akane From Continuum #32145896 Jusenkyo Curse: Winged Angel. Miroku House Kama Sutra Saotome --18, purple haired daughter of Miko Mido and Ranma Tsuyori Saotome --18, brown haired daughter of Ukyo Kuonji and Ranma Wulf Midori --17, green haired son of Yaku Midori and Ranma Shikari Mido --17, purple haired daughter of Akane and Miko Kitten Saotome --17, cherry pink haired daughter of Shampoo and Ranma Tsuyosa Hibiki --17, black haired son of Akane and Ryoga Omake Tendo --17, brown haired daughter of Kasumi and Ranmaru Shikari Tendo --16, purple haired daughter of Akane Tendo and Miko Koi Mido --16, indigo haired daughter of Miko Mido and Dan Shiromitsu Suzuka --16, silver haired son of Ukyo and Dan Tenshin Saotome --16, brown haired son of Fubuki and Ranma Bukotei Mido --16, dark haired daughter of Miyu Mido and Ranma Thorn Saotome --16, green haired daughter of Kodachi and Yaku Midori Rose Saotome --16, black haired daughter of Kodachi and Ranma Achika Hibiki --16, black haired daughter of Botsasu and Ryoga Bonbori Tendo --15, purple haired daughter of Shampoo and Akane Sakura Kuonji --15, silver haired daughter of Ukyo Kuonji and Ranma Price Tendo --15, brown haired daughter of Nabiki Tendo and Fubuki Kashiko Tendo --15, brown haired daughter of Kasumi and Fubuki Kurenai Mido --15, blue haired daughter of Yaku and Miko Kimera Suzuka --14, dark haired daughter of Miyu Mido and Dan Kyura Saotome --14, black haired daughter of Akane Tendo and Ranma Tekase Suzuka --14, dark haired daughter of Botsasu and Ranmaru Bracelet Saotome --14, indigo haired daughter of Shampoo and Ukyo "I don't get it," Ranko said to the pendant around her neck, "Why do you want us to spend the night in this place? I thought you were in a hurry to get us wherever the heck we're going?" "[Statement is correct]," the pendant spoke into her mind, "[But subjects need preparation in order to complete mission objectives.]" "Preparation?" Ranko frowned, "What kind of preparation are we talking about? You know what this place is and what they do here?" "[Affirmative.]" Ranko blinked. She had not been expecting that direct a reply to her question. It seemed that the pendant could be stingy and evasive at points, but if questioned directly it would give positive or negative responses, which meant it actually wasn't trying to deliberately frustrate her, just not give her a useable answer until it had determined that it was information that she really and truly needed. "So...you're saying we're here to get training?" Ranko paused before asking the question she most dreaded, "In what?" "[Subject House is place of special training,]" the pendant replied, still being evasive, "[Only place where subjects can obtain special skills and knowledge in order to fulfill mission assignment.]" There was a very long pause before Ranko asked again, "You know what they train people in here is something they call Sex Craft, right?" "[Affirmative.]" "So that's the deal?" Silver asked, startling Ranko, who had forgotten that at least some of her companions were still beside her, sitting down in the middle of the indoor garden area of the house, "That thing wants us to take lessons in how to screw?" "Ah...kind of," Ranko glared resentfully at the pendant before allowing it to fall back onto her breast, "Don't look at me...I didn't get any weird ideas about bringing you guys here or nothing. Heck, I didn't even think a place like this existed until we got here!" "Interesting," Tachi mused, her arms folded over her chest as she stared off towards nothing of importance. "You are thinking what I am thinking?" Watazashi asked, "That this...mission the pendant has selected us for requires more than merely our combat skill in order to be completed?" "That sort-of is what I'm figuring," Yuan-Yen also noted, "Which kind of suggests that whatever this thing is that we're being grabbed up to accomplish, it has to be Sex related, at least on some level." "Is that why most of the guys in our group are female?" Tinkerbell asked, murmuring under her breath, "I'm not sure I like where this is going. No, scratch that! I'm SURE I don't like it at all! This definitely sounds like one of those Ecchi vids that my 'Zashi has in her collection." "Really?" Yuan-Yen eyed HER Watazashi coyly, "I guess some things are a universal constant." "Sex-related?" Akira said in thoughtful tones, "That does sound nasty. I hope whatever that pendant is intending isn't going to be actually harmful to anyone present?" "That all depends on your definition of 'Harmful,'" a voice brought them around to find the two Miroku girls, Tsuyori and Kama-Sutra, standing side-by-side in the individually color-coded cheongsam outfits that seemed to be a universal House constant. "Don't be alarmed," Kama replied, "My sister and I would like the opportunity to speak with you alone, seeing as we both have been selected to help you achieve this mission that you are after." "It only makes sense that we should get properly acquainted," Tsuyori added, "Since we may be going into danger at any time and will no doubt be called upon to guard one another's backsides." "Or whatever position is of your preference," Kama noted with a smile that was both open and sexy. "Ah...well..." Ranko glanced at her companions before saying, "I've got no problems with that. How about you guys?" "It makes eminent sense that we should become more...familiar with one another's natures," Watazashi purred easily. "Just not too familiar, got it?" Yuan-Yen murmured to her at the level of a stage whisper. "Perhaps it might help if you tell us a little something about yourself," Tachi suggested, "For example...the both of you are daughters of Saotome Ranma?" "Yes," Tsuyori smiled graciously, "We are also the oldest and most well trained of our generation of the Miroku, both as fighters and in the Sex Craft that is our main calling." "Which only makes sense if you came to recruit the best of the younger Miroku," Kama noted, "Not to slight our younger siblings, who all have fine and upstanding qualities of their own and will doubtless go on to be superb warriors of our clan. Mother is concerned, though, about Tsu and I being chosen since we are the designated heirs of our respective branches of the Miroku, Mido and Saotome." "Sooo..." Silver asked hesitantly, "What can the two of your do, and what makes you so special?" "Beyond our abilities and skills as Miroku?" Tsuyori smiled a quiet little smile, "Kama and I are...somewhat more than we appear. The circumstances of our births were most unusual, and it may be that those qualities will be to our mutual advantage." "Ah...say," Ranko glanced around, "We seem to be a few members short on our party..." "You mean Rinse and her would-be paramours?" Tachi smiled in sly amusement, "My cousin is of a restless temperament and prefers action to sitting around waiting for something to happen. As for Ryeka and Atari...well...where she goes, they tend to follow like lost puppies." "Your friends are being well cared for," Tsuyori assured them. "Miroku hospitality is legendary" Kama noted with her own sly expression. "I think you guys had better be careful with those three," Tinkerbell noted, "The Blue and Green haired chicks are a couple of real hotheads." "That's not so unusual around here as you might imagine," Tsuyori assured them, "Some of our siblings can get into real cat-fights for the silliest of reasons." "Not like these two," Tachi cautioned, "If Ryeka and Atari get into it, a good sized portion of your house could wind up missing." "Not to worry," Kama said with an enigmatic expression, "We are well versed in dealing with problem cases...and I dare say that wherever your friends are, matters are well in hand." There was something about the way the indigo-haired older girl had worded this that left the remaining members of Ranko's party feeling more than slightly nervous... "Wow, can you believe this place?" Ryeka remarked with all the enthusiasm of a kid in a candy shop, "These guys must really know how to party!" "Modest but sumptuous," Atari reluctantly agreed, "I suppose these facilities will be suitably adequate for travel accommodations, provided our visit here is merely temporary." "We don't exactly have a lot of control over that," Rinse reminded, "So guys...kinda tone it down a little? We don't want to go pissing off our hosts this time, okay?" "Eh?" Ryeka withdrew her head from the portion of the wall that she had been partially phasing through and had a most uncomprehending expression, "What do you mean, Rin-chan?" "Darling is referring to your lamentable habit of picking quarrels in the most unwelcome of places," Atari said with a condescending lilt in her voice, her nose in the air in a most snooty manner. Rinse sighed and covered her eyes with one hand, being the only one of their trio to remain at ground level while they explored the spacious resort-like facilities of the Miroku, "I can't take you guys anyplace..." Rinse started as a pair of gentle hands began to massage her temples, spreading a soothing quality through out her nerves, to which she reflexively said, "Oh yeah...that feels so nice! That you, Tachi?" "Tachi?" a kawaii voice inquired from directly behind her, "That short haired girl you were with?" Rinse started, almost turning around, only to see the suddenly quite hostile looks being turned towards her by her two nominal girlfriends. No wait---the angle of their murderous glares weren't being directed her way, they were aimed slightly to the left past her right shoulder and... This time Rinse completed the gesture of turning fully around, only to find the smiling face of the pink-haired girl named Kitten standing there beaming brightly. "Nihao," she said, giving Atari and Ryeka quizzical looks that seemed to miss entirely the hostility they were visibly radiating, "Are you guys looking for a tour guide? I'd be happy to volunteer if you want someone to show you the angles." The utter innocuousness of that statement caused Rinse's two alien suitors to pause in their hostility and exchange brief puzzled expressions. "Ah...angles?" Rinse asked nervously. "Sure," the cherry red haired girl said brightly, "You guys look like you could use some help with your relationship problems. My sisters and me have been trained to help out on that score, so if you let us show you the way..." "Relationship problems?" Atari sniffed, "To whatever could you be referring?" "She means you," Ryeka snorted, "Always pushing yourself on my friend, never taking a hint that Rin-chan doesn't want you." "That's not true at all!" Atari retorted, "Darling knows that I am devoted to her, as she is committed to me, isn't that right, Darling?" "Ah..." Rinse noticed the way both girls were looking at her for confirmation of their respective positions, and suddenly she felt on the spot once again, wondering how her two closest friends (not including Tachi) had turned into such bitter rivals vying for her hand in marriage with mutual antagonism grown far out of proportion to any real conflicts that might exist between them. "Sounds like a problem to me," Kitten smiled, "How about you guys?" "I couldn't agree with you more," replied another girl, who was clinging from the overhang of the floor above them, and with nimble ease flipped herself over, turning to reveal a lush head of purple hair done up in twin pony tails extending from a matching set of odangos. "Who are you?" asked an intrigued sounding Ryeka. "Tendo Bonbori, at your service," she bowed, lean and slender with a highly muscular and scantily clad frame that was lush in all the right places, "Champion problem-solver, at your service." "Excuse her," a third voice said as a third girl-also with purple hair-slide sideways out of the shadow with a slinky, sultry air about her that suggested someone who was highly predatory in nature, "Our sister isn't known for her modesty, though she does have her good points." "And you are?" Atari asked. "Tendo Shikari," the newcomer replied, "A Leisure consultant and relationship expert, also at your service." "Er..." Rinse began, "It's nice to meet you, but I don't see what...?" "Forgive my forwardness," Shikari said, indicating Ryeka and Atari, "But it seems that these two lovely young ladies each appear to have a claim on you, but they feel competitive in regards to each other. I take it that they would like a resolution on which of them would make the better mate for you, but have as yet not found a proper framework with which to make this determination?" "You could say that," Ryeka glared at Atari. "It should be obvious which of us is the better woman for Darling," Atari glared back at Ryeka. "So what's the problem?" Kitten asked, "Make a challenge of it, pick a forum to demonstrate which of you would make the better lover for your friend here." Both alien girls glanced at surprise at the cherry-haired Saotome. "The better..." "...Lover?" "Of course," Bonbori grinned, "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Make love, not war?'" "The rules of the game are simple," Shikari explained, "You each take turns making love to your Honey and the one who demonstrates the most skill and technique in bringing her off proves themselves the more able lover." Ryeka and Atari exchanged another glance, this time more coolly calculating. "Oh really?" Ryeka purred like a cat regarding a canary. "Tell us more about this...game," Atari replied, regarding her rival with an identical expression. "Uh oh," Rinse murmured to herself, wondering if it might be a good idea to start running... "By the way," Tachi glanced around, "We're missing our youngest member of the team. Where is Kinko?" "I dunno," Silver shrugged, "She just wandered off somewhere by herself. It's a big place, and there's lots of places you could get lost in." "Oh, I'm sure she's not lost," Tsuyori smiled, "Koi is with her, and she knows exactly where to take her." "Now if it was Achika or Tsuyosa, there might be a problem," Kama Sutra smiled, "They're Hibikis, and I don't suppose I have to explain to any of you what that means." There were many nods and groans of assent from all around, all except for Ranko, who had only heard the legends regarding the Curse of the Hibikis, though she wondered if the truth about their sense of direction was really as bad as was claimed, for surely no one could get lost in their own house, could they...? "Wow," Kinko remarked as she studied the room that she had been shown to, "What is this place?" "We call it the Salad Bowl," Koi grinned in reply, indicating the arena-like ring surrounded by ropes, only curved inward with a slight depression around the edges, "So named because we fill it with a gel like mixture, similar to shortening or salad dressing, and two or more of us go at it in the ring like any conventional wrestling match until one of us yields up to the other." "You wrestle in oil?" Kinko frowned, "Isn't that kind of pointless?" "Not at all," Koi replied, touching her companion on the arm and pointing, "See there? Two of my sisters are warming up and about to go at it. Hey guys! Mind if we watch?" The two women appeared to be oiling their naked bodies down and paused to glance back their way before smiling as one of the pair (the one with dark blue hair) called back, "Sure, no problem, Koi-chan!" "I see you brought one of the Newbies along for a date," the other brown-haired girl grinned, "We'll try and put on a good show for you. Achika-chan owes me a tumble for getting us both lost at the shopping mall..." "I did not, Kashiko," the one identified as Achika retorted, "It's not my fault if you wanted to check out the Manga section, and don't ask me how we wound up in the middle of the Lost World ride at Disney World Florida! We wouldn't have taken that wrong turn if you hadn't decided to chase after that boy you saw. We were supposed to stick together." "We did," Kashiko replied, "That's how we wound up on the water slide at the Madam Lao exhibit." "Anyway," Achika rubbed her hands together, "It's time to settle up, so get ready to kiss my ass because I'm gonna be sitting on your face before you know it." "Hah," Kashiko scoffed, "You'll never get the better of me, even if you are a year older and have the strength of an ox. I'm still faster and better looking." "We'll see about that," the dark blue haired girl said as she and her companion climbed into the arena together and began to carefully balance themselves on the slippery smooth surface. "Hope you like the taste of my muff in your face," the other girl replied as the two of them squared off and assumed identical crouches. "Let's have a seat and watch this," Koi said as the two girls inside the slippery arena began to slide around, seeking traction, "This is actually pretty good training for Shikima fighting. You get used to having almost no friction to work with, and it does wonder for your posture and balance." "Is that what it's all about?" Kinko asked as they sat down together, "Learning how to fight with your body as slippery as an eel's hide?" "No," Koi grinned, "There's a lot more to it than just that. Watch, they're about to get really into it. You'll catch on soon enough." Kinko stared at the two in the arena, whose bodies gleamed like a pair of bronzed statues, slowly circling about, each looking for the first to either attack or leave an opening. It was amazing enough their ability to stand in that "Salad Bowl," more amazing still that they could move with such ease and coordination, as if they had done this sort of thing many times in the past. The impasse between them lasted only several moments before they finally moved in to close the distance, and then the two of them were grappling together, applying leverage and relative talent to augment the advantage each seemed to have as a fighter. It was plain at once that Achika was the stronger of the two of them, but Kashiko was quick and slippery as a wet seal, so for a few moments more the two of them struggled together, trying to pin the other girl to the mattress. Finally Achika got the upper hand and forced Kashiko down, then attempted to finish the move, only to have the brown haired girl slide out from underneath her and attempt to take advantage of Achika's being slightly off balance. She got a firm grip on Achika's arm and used a leg to flip her over, and then she straddled her older sister, bringing her mouth into play as her face covered Achika's dark blue loins and... Kinko's eyes got very round and in a dull tone of wonder she asked, "What the heck is she doing to her?" "If you don't know, then maybe I shouldn't enlighten you," Koi chuckled, "They might accuse me of corrupting your morals or something." Kinko started turning to her companion to ask what was meant by that when two more figures entered the room, diverting her attention to the sight of the two naked girls going at it. She reflexively placed them as the two girls named Bracelet and Tekase, the former being the Indigo-haired Amazon daughter of Shampoo (and the equivalent of Kinko's "father,' Ukyo), the latter being the dark haired daughter of Ranma and some girl named Botsasu. Both were carrying trays full of confections and refreshments, and when they saw their sister and Kinko sitting off to one side they hurried to join them, exchanging pleasant greetings before sitting down on the side matting. "They just get started?" Bracelet asked. "Only a couple minutes going," Koi explained to her sisters. "Good," Tekase grinned, "Then we haven't really missed anything yet. I see Achika's going in for an early pin...using her Tongue Hammer technique to try and bring Kashiko-chan off to an early start, eh?" "Well, don't look now," Bracelet smiled, "But I think Kashi-chan's about to turn the tables on her. She's using her three-fingered attack to break Achi-chan's concentration." "It's working," Koi said in breathless tones as the girl on the bottom managed to finally flip the girl on top over, then reversed the pin and starting attacking her in a furious sixty-nine position, "Man, Kashiko must really be worked up this time! Achika must have pulled her chord with that last maneuver because Kashi's using her quivering tongue technique! That always sends Achika screaming for the rafters!" "How can you tell?" Kinko asked in a quavering voice, wondering if it was just her or had the room had gotten hotter for some reason? "By the sounds Achika's making," Bracelet replied, "She only groans like that when she's got a hot tongue shoved deep in her slot swirling around with little vibrations that set her nerves on fire..." "On fire," Tekase sniffed, "Sounds more like Mount Fuji's about to erupt. Kashiko must really want this victory something awful." "More like she just wants to suck down on Achi's juices," Koi remarked, then took notice of Kinko's stunned expression and said, "Oh, I'm sorry, are we shocking you, Kinko-chan? We get pretty graphic when we're analyzing this stuff. Our Elders drill us on it all the time, and you don't want to pay the penalty for not knowing your shit when it comes to quiz time." "Don't I know it," Tekase winced, "Being bent over a pillory while your sisters take turns whacking you on the bottom with a sharkskin paddle is no fun." "Speak for yourself," Bracelet smiled, "I may not have been able to sit down for a week, but it was sure a great way to spend my last birthday! Especially when they let Wulf ride me for the first time ever." "Excuse me?" Kinko glanced from one companion to the other, then back at what the two nude girls were doing, and said, "Your parents APPROVE of you doing this?" "Of course," Koi sounded surprised by the question, "After all, they love us." "Not in the physical sense," Tekase hastily pointed out, "We're not allowed to do it with grown ups just yet, only our fellow sisters, and sometimes with out brothers. Not me, of course, you have to be fifteen before they'll let a guy ride you..." "Too many complications," Bracelet agreed, "And boys our age don't yet know how to control their semen. Our folks may be tolerant and understanding, but they don't encourage us to have babies just yet, at least not until after High School." "And of course they'd much rather we not make babies with our own close kin," Koi said matter-of-factly, "Too much of a danger of recessives. Of course if we don't share at least one parent in common, then it's all right, like Bracelet here wants to make babies with Wulf-chan." "I do not," Bracelet flushed a deep crimson, belying her protests. "Sure you do," Tekase teased, "He's seventeen, you're fifteen, and in a few more years, unless you both decide to look elsewhere, you're bound to be having his cubs." "Quit it," Bracelet squirmed, her embarrassment redoubled. "Poor little Bracelet," Koi cooed, "Growing up already and trying to hog one of our handsomest brothers." "I said stop it!" Bracelet nudged Tekase with her elbow, unwittingly causing her sister to spill her drink all over Kinko's lap, which just happened to be iced tea with lemon juice added. Kinko gave a slight start, then a gasp, and then the slots left bare by her tank top bulged somewhat as a pair of white wings billowed out and unfolded. The move was so sudden that it caught her companions by surprise as Kinko's features altered slightly and her youthful body became more streamlined, her hair shifting color from dark brown to bright amber. The sudden appearance of a winged Angel even attracted the notice of the two girls in the arena, one of whom was attempting to scissors her groin as though attempting to cut her down the middle. Both girls turned with mutually astonished looks at the transformed Kinko, who had been Kawaii cute before but was now a breathtaking beauty. "Ah..." Kinko stood up on her bare feet, folding her wings so that they didn't come as close to brushing the walls and the ceiling, her voice itself becoming more melodious as she said, "You're...probably wondering what just happened...ah, sorry about this." Tekase looked at her now-emptied glass, then at the winged Kinko and hesitantly said, "Jusenkyo?" "That's it, yes," Kinko folded her hands and held them down at crotch level, her wings just hovering above her shoulders as she looked down rather contritely, thinking to herself, "Here it comes..." To her astonishment, rather than the rude comments that she had often had to suffer from her peers, the Miroku girls also stood up and started to feel her feathers while Koi examined her face, and after a moment she grinned broadly and said, "NEATO! Can you fly with those?" Kinko blinked, "Uh...sure...they're fully functional..." "Interesting," Bracelet knelt down to the floor and studied Kinko's legs, then took notice of her tail feathers projecting along her sides and said, "You stabilize air currents by turning what would be landing gear on a true fowl into ailerons that no doubt help you with gaining altitude, to say nothing of maneuvering against headwinds." "Your chest development is highly advanced," Bracelet commented as she ran hands over the thin material of Kinko's tank top, gently squeezing her breasts as Kinko stood still, too stunned to make protest, "This no doubt aids you in getting the strength that you must need to effectively use those wings. How high up can you glide with these?" "Uh...about a mile," Kinko replied, "Gets harder to breathe beyond that..." "Of course," Koi came to stand behind Kinko, and the latter felt her hands probing the muscles of her back and wings, "You've got a lot of power back here, I'll bet you've got some dandy pelvic muscles to go with this. Hmmm...and you smell nice too! And I just love your tail-feathers...!" "Ah...huh?" Kinko shivered slightly as Tekase started to play with her pelvis, sliding a finger under Kinko's shorts to slide along the inner lining of her unfolding labia. "You're right, Koi-chan," Tekase mused, "She has good pelvic tension down here, and she does smell nice! Almost a cross between tuna and chicken." "Can we see?" Achika asked as she and the other slicked down girl came to join them. "Oooh, nice!" agreed Kashiko, whose oil-slicked body drew a curious fascination from Kinko, who was feeling more aroused than offended by all this attention, "Can I have a taste of her? She looks delicious!" "Be my guest," Tekase smiled as she yanked down on Kinko's trousers and panties, exposing her velvety loins to full view of these others. "Just relax and let us handle everything," Bracelet said in soothing tones as she lifted Kinko's top and began to play with breasts and nipples, "You're in good hands with the Miroku." "That's putting it mildly," Koi chuckled as she continued to do something with the nerves along Kinko's backside that ended any further thought of voicing a protest. "Gah!" Kinko gasped as she felt Tekase and Kashiko's faces nestle in between her thighs to begin competing for her pussy, while Achika's slick hands replaced Bracelet's hold on her breast, while Bracelet moved in and began applying her mouth to the other. Far from being offended by these bold attempts to molest her, Kinko found herself giving in quite easily, thinking t herself that she never had this kind of hospitality at her own parents' restaurant... "...So, in summary," Tachi remarked, "The fact that we are all martial artists in the prime of our youth and health leads me to suspect that the sexual component is geared to the fact that we have strong bodies and are well trained in their usage." "I follow that," Watazashi nodded, "You are saying that we are imminently trainable in these Miroku arts, having already established the groundwork that is the firm foundation upon which can be built a more complex structure." "Meaning discipline and refinement of things we already know how to do," Yuan- Yen concluded sagely, "But...pardon me for pointing this out...but as far as can be determined, 'Zashi and I are the only ones in our group who have any real experience with love making. Are any of you guys experienced that way?" "Who, me?" Ranko shrugged, "You guys are about it when it comes to my knowledge of the subject." "Ah..." Silver glanced at Akira and said, "No comment." "I've...had some experience in the past," Tachi said reluctantly, "Nothing much spectacular..." "Oho?" Tsuyori smiled knowingly, "What about you and your cousin?" "Who...Brand?" Tachi blinked, then saw the way everyone was looking at her and said, "Oh...you mean Rinse-chan? Uh...well..." "We can tell that you are very fond of your cousin," Kama Sutra replied with a sultry expression, "Not that I could fault you there...she is very much like some of our sisters..." "Especially Bonbori and Bracelet," Tsuyori agreed, "I can see why those two girls are always fighting over her so much...she looks like she could make for quite a tumble!" "Well, uh..." Tachi's finely honed gift for gab momentarily deserted her as she glanced off to another part of the garden, "I do...sort of like Rinse-chan...a lot...but the field around her is already rather crowded, and since I'd rather not get in between the field of fire with Ryeka and Atari, I'm content to keep my sights focused...elsewhere..." "But have you ever actually done it with her?" Yuan-Yen asked. Tachi's expression became wistful, and then she sighed, "Once...but I'd rather not talk about it, if it's all the same to you, sisters." Watazashi cocked her expression and gave an amused look at the hovering Tinkerbell, "And what of you, friend Tink? Have you ever done it with my counterpart...or anyone else who has ever tickled your fancy?" "Huh?" Tinkerbell was surprised at being included in the conversation and blinked her eyes before saying, "Er...ah...what makes you ask?" "Just a hunch I have," Watazashi leaned back on the volcanic rock formation upon which she had been perching her own lean body and smiled as she posed herself in a fetching manner, "The way you keep looking at me and Yuan-chan, those haunted looks of wistful longing, as though we remind you of someone else whom you very much would prefer to be with. The obvious history that you share, the fact that you became so jealously aroused when you received false reports that she had been unfaithful..."" "Ah..." Tinkerbell felt herself flushing a bright read from head to the tips of her toes and levitated a bit higher, "Well...actually...'Zashi's my best friend and...I...I don't really know to make of her. I've known her all my life, but sometimes she just drives me so crazy...!" "You think mine doesn't have the same effect on me?" Yuan-Yen smiled as she looked fondly towards the dark haired Watazashi, "But take my word for it, it's worth the aggravation." "I quite agree," a sultry voice purred, startling Tachi as a pair of arms went around her, and before she could react she felt a hot breath blow something perfume-like into her nostrils, "A beautiful woman is worth any cost, in my opinion. You should seize the moment and take advantage of any opportunity that might come your way, because you never know if and when it might escape you." "Price?" Tsuyori turned as the other gaped in amazement, seeing a honey-blonde haired girl appearing from the trunk of the tree against which Tachi was leaning, "What are you...?" "Don't worry," Price addressed herself at the rest of the party while keeping her arms firmly wrapped around Tachi from behind her, "I won't harm your friend in any way...I simply want to borrow her for a while...so that we might do business together." And with that both the strange girl and Tachi flowed into the tree as Ranko leaped to her feet and tried to come to her aid, only to find a solid trunk greet her hands as she explored there. "What the hell just happened?" Silver sat upright, "That some kind of trick tree with a hidden...?" "I'm afraid not," Kama Sutra sighed, "Price knows the Shadow Arts and can use natural objects as doorways between any two points...in this case, the tree and somewhere else in the complex. Your friend will be all right, though. Price may be sneaky, but she does know her business." "Business?" Watazashi asked, "That's an interesting term for it." "Well, this is a house of Miroku Ninja," Tsuyori explained, "And we do train here to fight with or against the Shikima in the defense of humanity, so...I'm afraid our sisters train at this sort of thing all of the time, only usually against each other." "You guys kidnap your own sisters for a hobby?" Yuan-Yen asked, more than slightly disconcerted at the sudden disappearance of her own near-sister. "It beats a normal game of Tag, as you must admit," Kama Sutra shrugged, "It's good practice and teaches us to remain on our guard at all times. You never know when being alert like that might save your life." "A game of Tag," Akira shook his head in amazement. "Sure hope we don't have to find out what you guys call soccer," Silver commented dryly. "It's harmless good fun," Tsuyori remarked, "And it helps cut down on the sibling rivalry here, and when you've got as many sisters and brothers as we have..." "A point well taken," Watazashi mused, exchanging looks with Yuan-Yen, "And we, too, understand the value of occasional games of discipline for...working out slight grievances," she adopted a sardonic leer that made Yuan-Yen blush all the more pretty. Tinkerbell just shook her head in dismay, still amazed the more she studied this version of Watazashi and contrasted her with her own childhood companion. The ease and sly way that the black-haired, pigtailed gymnast had of flirting with just about everything female that came within visual range was certainly more brazen than the Watazashi that she knew, and yet there was that same charming smile, the sly cunning and duplicitous air of her Watazashi, and it caused Tinkerbell to be distracted far beyond what she would ever have allowed in herself, a degree of carelessness that manifested as she drifted a bit too close to one of the upper floor balconies. A figure hanging upside down smiled as its patience was about to be rewarded. Tinkerbell was not even aware of its presence until the hand shot out and pinched her neck, then strong arms caught the hovering Fairy-girl before she fully blacked out, and with a nimble ease that was nearly cat-lithe, the figure slung the blonde girl into the shadows before anyone at ground level was any the wiser. "You talk a lot about screwing your own sisters," Silver turned to Tsuyori, "But what about the guys here?" "What about them?" Tsuyori replied with a pleasant nod, "They have it easy, they just have to keep the rest of us satisfied." "Easy?" Akira asked, eyeing the tall girl dubiously, "You call that easy?" "The standard rule here is that any boy can make love to any girl of this House, so long as she is fifteen or over," Kama-Sutra replied, "Girls under that age can only practice with other girls, either older sisters or girls in their age group." "Why fifteen?" Ranko asked. "A woman's body needs time to mature for the all-important act of procreation," Tsuyori explained, "And though we practice every precaution to limit the chances of it happening, there is always a possibility of pregnancy occurring when a boy comes to completion inside of a woman. Up to sixteen years of age, most girls don't have the pelvic structure that they would need to accommodate the safe passage of a child out of their bodies." "Our parents insist that we wait until we are eighteen and have completed High School before we even think about becoming pregnant," Kama Sutra noted, "But as our mothers had us when they were only seventeen, they well understand the risks involved, and thus the House Rules that all must observe here." "What about girls under the age of fourteen?" Yuan-Yen asked. "We train them along different learning methods," Tsuyori replied, "The moment any one of us is old enough to have sexual feelings, they begin to train in the Intermediate Miroku arts, which starts with self-stimulation and eventually winds up working in teams with a partner." "Before that, well...there are definite limits," Kama Sutra said with a slight smirk, "Always getting under heel are our younger brothers and sisters, most of whom train in a different wing of the House. We don't exactly keep them ignorant about what we older children do here, but few of them have any interest in sexual games at that age. I suppose to them the majority of us are simply perverts." "Oh, I wouldn't say that," Watazashi smiled before turning a glance up and saying, "It's all a matter of...Tink? Tink-chan? Where did she go?" "Huh?" Ranko glanced up and looked all around for the floating blonde who always seemed to be hovering in the background, but who now was no where to be found." "You don't think she might have been taken as well?" Akira asked. "We're dropping like flies here!" Silver exclaimed, now visibly alarmed as she glanced around at every shadow around them. "I must say," Watazashi remarked, "As intriguing as the games you play here might be, I cannot say that I much relish being removed from the scene without so much as a 'by-your-leave.'" "You got that right," Yuan-Yen said nervously, "Don't we at least get an engraved invitation?" "Oh, would you prefer one?" asked the rock directly behind her, causing Yuan-Yen to jump up with a start as said rock unfolded itself and became a shapely girl with sultry long black hair and an equally sultry expression. "And you might be?" Watazashi asked archly. "Kimera," she said, "Daughter of both Houses of Miroku and Suzuka." "Also master of the shapeshifting arts of disguise," Kami remarked, "You were waiting here patiently all along, weren't you sister?" "Not alone," Kimera replied, nodding to one side, "Tenshin and Kurenai were waiting here with me." "Indeed," said a tall light-haired boy as he stepped out from the concealment of another tree, "We've been keeping watch over you...just in case someone else tried something before us." "Damn," Ranko blurted, "I didn't even know you were there!" "As was our intention," said a girl with blue-green hair as she rose up from the grass near the base of the tree, virtually at Ranko's feet, "If you had known we were here, then we wouldn't be doing our job right." "Your job?" Silver asked somewhat hesitantly, "Like...what's that?" "Why, to Fuck you, of course," said a silver haired girl slowing out from the shadows directly behind Silver, "Why else do you think you are staying the night?" "Ah..." Silver tried not to betray how startled she was at being surprised in such a manner. "Are you sure that's really why we're here?" Akira asked, glancing around in dismay to find himself flanked by a pair of Miroku girls, one of whom was the fan-dancer, Bukotei. "Trust us on this, Sugar," said Shikari Mido. "We're just doing our part as proper hostesses," Bukotei assured in the same sensuous manner. "Hey!" Silver began to protest when she felt Sakura slide up behind her and repressed the urge to take defensive measures. "No need to worry yourself about it," Kurenai assured her, "My sisters and I would not mind sharing, if you don't mind it either." "Ah..." Silver hesitated slightly, sensing something about this other silver- haired girl that all but screamed, "Don't Take Her For Granted!" "Look," Yuan-Yen said reasonably, "This is all very nice of you, but..." "But we would be only to happy to allow you to show us around," Watazashi said smoothly, winking at her companion, "After all...we are here to learn." "Learn?" Ranko said nervously, "But..." "You haven't even begun to sample our hospitality here," Tenshin said with an affable smile on his handsome face, "We would be remise not to at least give you the grand tour, if you will permit us." "Kama and I were going to attend to that," Tsuyori noted, but shrugged prettily, "Still, if you insist on it, Brother, then I suppose we wouldn't mind sharing, eh Kama-chan?" "The more the merrier for me," Kama replied, "That is...if it is agreeable to you, sister?" Ranko glanced around at all the attractive faces turned her way, including her erstwhile companions, then shrugged in the face of the inevitable and sighed, "Sure...whatever." "Should we stay together as a group or would you prefer the privacy of smaller groupings?" Sakura asked as she took Silver by the arm, ignoring the other girl's somewhat uneasy expression. "Perhaps we should let the moment decide for us," Watazashi mused, "You are the hosts, we can only make ourselves available for whatever...arrangements you may decide is in our best interest." "Sure, why not split us up?" Yuan-Yen murmured under her breath, "That way we can do more damage." "I believe that I have the perfect place in mind," Kama smiled, "Follow me, everyone...I assure you that you will not regret this." "Wanna make a bet on that, lady?" Silver asked in a low mutter, but nonetheless followed, keeping a close eye on the two hussies who dared lay a hand upon HER Akira... Continued (In a special Side Story). Comments/Criticisms/Orgiastic Free-Sparring Lessons: shadowmane@ridgenet.net The graphic fun will be continued with the gang having their private flings with the various Miroku, but when they're done expect them to be on their way again for the fateful encounter with Ranma and Nabiki, who will otherwise be occupied once The Lord of Chaos enters the picture...and would you believe TWO Ranmas for the price of one? And what is the purpose of all of this "special training" leading to anyway? The climatic battle begins next chapter, so do kindly be there...you won't want to miss this!