RanSquares17 Realities Squared By Jim Robert Bader (Based on the Works of Rumiko Takahashi and Others, including my fellow fanfic writers, Gregg Sharp and DB Sommers, who provided some of the characters and concepts that have appeared in this series, and to T.H. Tiger for his generous support and advice in the writing of this and many other projects) HENTAI ALERT, CONTAINS NAKED WOMEN IN MANY COMPROMISING POSITIONS AND IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART OR SHALLOW IMAGINATION, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, AND UNAUTHORIZED TRESPASSERS WILL BE VIOLATED! Nether Regions, Limbo Roll Call: Ranma Saotome --38, dark-haired brooding figure whose tragic life was marked by his doomed marriage to Akane. A Time Agent, Troubleshooting consultant, linked with the spirit of the god Shiva, the Destroyer. Nabiki Tendo --38, brown haired Lore Master and Time Agent/Dispatcher, Ranma and Ryoga's immediate supervisor and current Iinazuke to Ranma. Ranko Saotome --16, redheaded daughter of Ranma and Akane From Continuum #29715382 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan. Dimensional Nexus Owner of the Pendant Akira Tendo --20, black haired son of Shampoo-kun and Kasumi From Continuum #48972185 Watazashi Saotome --16, black haired daughter of Ranma and Kodachi From Continuum #29457180 Dimensional Nexus Rinse Saotome --17, purple haired daughter of Ranma and Shampoo From Continuum #472193567 Dimensional Nexus Silver Saotome --17, silver-haired daughter of Shampoo and Ranma, From Continuum #48972185 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan. Dimensional Nexus Tsuyori Saotome --18, brown haired daughter of Ukyo Kuonji and Ranma Native to Continuum #57821964 Part Kitsune-Fox Dimensional Nexus Lylac Tendo --17, purple haired daughter of Nabiki and Shampoo From Continuum #59343921 Dimensional Nexus Cheetah Saotome --17, amber-furred daughter of Kasumi and Ranma From Continuum #729058146 Humanoid Cheetah Dimensional Nexus Lamyra Saotome --17, green haired daughter of Ranma and Megumi From Continuum #17046289 Beast Princess Dimensional Nexus 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 Yuan-Yen Tendo --16, brown haired daughter of Mousse and Nabiki From Continuum #29457180 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 Moroboshi --16, green haired daughter of Ataru and Lum From Continuum #472193567 Kinko Kuonji --14, brown haired daughter of Ukyo-kun and Akane From Continuum #32145896 Jusenkyo Curse: Winged Angel. Kama Sutra Saotome --18, purple haired daughter of Miko Mido and Ranma Native to Continuum #57821964 Part Shikima Veil Morisato --16, brown haired daughter of Keiichi and Belldandy From Continuum #59343921 Tinkerbell Tendo --17, brown haired daughter of Perfume and Kasumi From Continuum #68743219 Toltir --Cat-Man, Elder God of Mischief, Age: Indeterminate but Ancient. Rinse gasped as she came to an awareness of herself that did not involve having objects hydraulically inserted into and pumped in and out of her nether regions, and she looked around at the formless blue-gray haze that comprised the sky above her, feeling a strangely familiar sense of unreality in the air, which prompted her to groan softly, "Oh hell...not again!" She was still naked, of course, and covered with profuse sweat from her ordeal with the machine, but at least she was still alive (after a fashion) if feeling somewhat emptied, no doubt by the experience of being a living capacitor in some giant experiment that was right out of an Ecchi Shouja Manga. Her loins ached somewhat from the pounding she had taken, but other than that (and a slight case of the cramps) she felt reasonably well off. In point of fact (if she were to be totally honest about it) she felt more than a little good, having gotten off about seven or eight times from riding that infernal contraption (and who had time to count?), but still in all she was strongly inclined to consult with Tachi on the possibilities of a mutual lawsuit for first-class sexual harassment. Just whom exactly they were supposed to sue would be a slight problem, but they could sort it out later. Right there and now the thought of Tachi brought her back to full awareness of her surroundings, wondering if the others had made it, too, or if she were the only one to get stuck in Limbo. A mere glance to the side showed her this was definitely not the case. Tachi was beside her, curled up in a fetal position and shivering slightly, which concerned Rinse greatly, for all that she was relieved to see that her cousin had also made it. "Tachi?" she asked, reaching over to gently shake the other girl on the shoulder, which brought immediate awareness from the brown haired Kuno girl, "Are you all right?" Her cousin turned to look at Rinse with the most amazing expression of delight and relief, and then before Rinse had time to react, Tachi reached out for her and drew her into her arms, bringing their mouths together in a passionate kiss that took the purple haired girl's breath away in more than one sense of the expression. "Darling?" Atari started to rouse from where she lay, just out of sight of the pair with a hillock feature of the landscape obstructing her vision. She turned on her side and encountered another warm, naked body, which she at once took to be her beloved Rinse, which was why she snuggled closer to the inviting presence of the other girl, surprised and delighted that her companion returned her snuggle, which was when their eyes opened and she met the tawny eyes of Ryeka. There was a moment of mutual recognition, then both girls sat up and voiced a mutually dismayed exclamation. "Would you guys hold it down over there?" Yuan-Yen complained as she happily snuggled up with Watazashi, "Some of us are trying to sleep..." "If sleep is all that you have in mind, then some of us will be very disappointed," Watazashi cooed with a similarly lustful expression. Tinkerbell opened her eyes as she heard this, then sat upright and stared at the couple beside her, a play of conflicting emotions welling up inside her before she managed to suppress them, reminding herself (for the twentieth time) that this was not her Watazashi, though the envy she felt for the brown haired girl's presence made it difficult to concentrate even on their bizarre surroundings. Cheetah yawned and stretched as she sat up and looked around, sniffed the air a few moments then said, "Well, this is a cheery place. You guys come here often?" "Not exactly," Kinko replied as she combed long blonde hair out of her eyes, "What happened? How did we get back here all of a sudden?" "A very good question," replied Veil as she also flexed her arms then felt her pelvis to determine that there was no lingering soreness, "I would have to speculate that some unexpected feature of the device appears to have transported us beyond the boundaries of the mortal worlds to one of the aspects of Limbo, an in-between realm that has no relativistic constant of time and space..." "In other words we're fucked again," Lylac said somewhat crudely, only to blink her eyes as she felt slender arms move around her body to cup her breasts while a soft weight pressed against her shoulder blades, like twin balloons of warm, firm softness. A head was laid upon her shoulders as she heard Lamyra sigh, "A realm where time has no meaning...how exquisitely delightful! We could have all the time we need for some mutual exploration here..." "Ahem," Ekko remarked with a somewhat bemused (if vexed) expression, "Do you mind?" "Not if you don't," Lamyra smiled back with a hint of warning in her tone, "And I don't see an ownership label anywhere on her body, but I'd be willing to share her if you will." "Huh?" Lylac began to feel some sympathy for her half-sister, Rinse, though it surprised her to no end to see the look of annoyance that flashed through Ekko's expression before resuming her normal aloofness. "Limbo again, eh?" Kama Sutra remarked as she glanced around in slow appraisal, "Well, could have been worse. We might have wound up in the Shikima realm..." "Now that would have been some adventure," Tsuyori agreed with a nod of her head, "Been a while since the last time we went back there..." "I wonder why we wound up here all of a sudden?" asked Ranko after Akira pried himself off of her and sat back with a slightly flustered expression, "I thought we were supposed to finish what we started back there..." All at once she sensed the approach of another, just before Silver crashed into her and pinned Ranko down on the ground, placing a hand over each of her breasts as she forced her to face upward. "You had fun screwing Akira?" Silver growled as she kneaded Ranko's bosoms with less gentility than she might otherwise had employed, "Got him off real good, didn't you? Guess that makes you think you're pretty special..." "Silver?" Akira's tone belied his astonishment at her behavior. "Let me go!" Ranko protested, even as she felt Silver grind her pelvis into her own reddish muff, and without a doubt (had Silver been in male form) it would have been something else that she pressed up against her vulva, "I didn't do anything to you...!" "No?" Silver growled, taking each of Ranko's nipples between her fingers and pinching them in a way that was not quite painful but did something rather interesting that hardened them immediately, "Like that wasn't something I just did? You know what it's like to see you screwing him, huh? Do you?" Ranko shuddered slightly and without consciously willing it spread her thighs a bit wider, parting her legs as Silver rubbed their crotches together and caused their clits to mash, which sent an electrical shock all through both of their bodies... "That's enough!" the voice of Saotome Ranma called out, causing Silver to halt in mid pelvic-thrust as she looked up with an almost guilty expression. She saw the stern look the man who looked like her father gave her and reflexively wilted. (The fact that this Ranma was as naked as she was hardly detracted from the awkwardness she felt, though her eyes naturally went down to his crotch level, much to his obvious discomfort). Beside him an equally naked Nabiki just paid her a very sardonic look and said, "If you want to get even with her, do it some other time when we're not all involved in a major crisis. I'm sure Ranko will be willing to meet you half way, especially if you choose a time and place that's to your mutual advantage." Silver glanced down and saw the look Ranko was turning on her, then she rolled off the other girl and folded her arms over her chest, pouting a bit before growling, "She started it..." "Like how?" Ranko wondered as she sat up, "You think I wanted to screw him? I mean---sure he's a great guy and all that---but it wasn't exactly my idea...no offense meant, Akira-san." "None taken," Akira replied with a highly perplexed expression. "Darling?" Atari hovered in the air, which naturally gave her the vantage point from which to discover what was presently occurring, to which the green haired alien princess exclaimed, "DARLING???" "Huh?" asked Ryeka, who promptly joined her, then started, "WHAT THE...? That two-timing hussy...!!!" Rinse was in no condition to acknowledge their presence, having her face buried deep between Tachi's thighs as her cousin did the same for her in an ardent "69" position that left them totally oblivious to their surroundings. From the sound of things they had only just gotten started, a fact that stunned the two levitating alien girls, who had never before even considered Tachi Kuno as a possible rival. Of course with them surprise was usually followed by something a bit more violent, but as both she and Atari were about to pounce on the unsuspecting couple, Tenko floated into their path and said, "Now simmer down you two! This is no time or place to be flying off the handle!" "Can't think of a better time for it!" Ryeka snarled. "That goes double for me!" Atari seconded, one hand glowing brightly as electrical sparks surrounded it, only to have a random discharge leap out from her hand and strike a glancing blow against Silver. In response to this, Silver stiffened and then began to recite in verse: "What's in a name? That which we call a Rose by any other name would still smell as sweetly..." "Are you all right?" Ranko asked her. Silver blinked and then her eyes regained their focus, and with a sheepish expression she glanced around and put one hand to the back of her pale head and replied, "Uh...yeah, sorry about that. Getting hit with electricity always does that...it's a Saotome tradition..." "She played Romeo in a school production recently," Akira shrugged, "Our school director...is a bit eccentric." "Oh," was all Ranko could think to say, then quietly dropped the issue. "For shame on the both of you," Tenko chided in tones worthy of an older sister, "Have you learned nothing from the examples of our parents? Atari, you could have seriously hurt someone doing that, and Ryeka...you know Juraian traditions just as well as I do. Your beloved has every right to take a second lover on the side, if that's her preference, just as father did when he chose Lady Ayeka as well as our mutual Mother. By Tsunami...if not for that you wouldn't even be here!" "That's right," Veil said in motherly tones far more gentle and yet insistent, "You're parents learned to set aside their differences and come together for the greater good of all. Surely there is room in your hearts to consider the possibilities of an open relationship, one that is mutually beneficial to all concerned parties?" "Mutually...?" Ryeka began. "Beneficial?" Atari finished, then the two of them exchanged puzzled looks before looking away with mutually confused expressions. "I think it's very sweet myself," Kama Sutra remarked, "They do make a very nice couple." "A couple of what, we won't speculate," Tsuyori added with a wry grin as she, too, enjoyed watching the two girls tongue-thrash one another. "There you people are!" a voice called out and all heads turned to see the Cat- form of Toltir suddenly manifest from seeming no where, "Wondered where you'd gotten off to." "From the looks of things I'd say it's one of the various Limbo-realms that exist outside the normal timestream," Nabiki surmised, "Although why we are here is the subject yet to be determined." "Yeah, well, that's kinda like a puzzle for me too," Toltir assumed a sardonic expression (of course for a Cat such things are easy since they always look sardonic), "Don't suppose any of you geniuses might have a clue to this?" "Sorry," Tenko shrugged, "Everything we've been doing today is sort of new to me, although a Limbo realm is usually employed like a pocket dimension by Grandmother when she wants to store things, like her laboratory equipment." "I'm still working on a tentative hypothesis that follows similar themes," Ekko added with a stroke of her chin, "But I'm convinced that there is a reason...Yggdrasil must not be done yet with the program, but for some reason it shuttled us off before the machine had fully completed its cycle." "Oh my," Veil said with a somewhat astonished expression, "That means the device is still in operation, but without living components to control it, the vortex it created might spiral out of control..." "Ah, not exactly," Toltir replied somewhat awkwardly (for him anyway), "Seems you girls were replaced by some of the local talent that bought it during the troubles. Those girls who died twenty years ago are back and taking up right where they left off, hardly missing a stroke in passing..." Continuum #17046289 Ryoga Hibiki --38, dark haired partner to Ranma whose marriage to Akari was both happy and fruitful. Time Agent/Troubleshooter linked to the god Vishnu, the Preserver. Ranma Saotome --38, dark haired Beast-Prince of a parallel dimensional realm, Changeling husband of Megumi Megumi Saotome --Age indeterminate, but centuries old, green haired Beast Princess and sometime protector of humanity. Toltir --Cat-Man, Elder God of Mischief, Age: Indeterminate but Ancient. THE WHEEL OF ECCHI Central Circle Nabiki Tendo --19, brown haired, reborn middle Tendo sister, currently occupying the place previously held by Ranko Saotome. Tatewaki Kuno --19, dark haired heir to the Kuno fortune who presently occupies the space formerly held by Akira Tendo Inner Circle Natsume Tendo --19, dark haired cousin to Nabiki and Chosen Slayer of the Undead, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Watazashi Usage Tsukino --18, blonde haired leader of the Senshi, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Tsuyori Belldandy Morisato --Mist brown-haired Goddess of the Present, age Indeterminate Reborn in space formerly occupied by Rinse Tsunami --Pale blue haired embodiment of the Juraian world tree, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Silver Aiko Managi --18, redheaded daughter of Kryptonian and Olympian heritage Reborn in space formerly occupied by No One Outer Circle Kasumi Tendo --21, brown haired older sister to Nabiki, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Veil/Tinkerbell Akane Tendo --18, black haired younger sister to Nabiki, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Yuan-Yen Kodachi Kuno --18, black haired younger sister to Tatewaki Reborn in space formerly occupied by Tachi Kurumi Tendo --18, brown haired younger sister to Natsume, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Kinko Ukyo Kuonji --18, dark brown haired Okonomiyaki Chef, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Kama Sutra Shampoo --18, purple-haired Amazon warrior Reborn in space formerly occupied by Lylac Keiko Arigami --19, redheaded Kickboxing champion, Reborn in space formerly occupied by Cheetah Makoto Kino --18, brown haired Senshi warrior, Sailor Jupiter Reborn in space formerly occupied by Lamyra Rei Hino --18, black haired Shinto priestess and Senshi Sailor Mars Reborn in space formerly occupied by Ekko Minako Ainu --18, blonde haired Senshi Sailor Venus Reborn in space formerly occupied by No One Ami Mizuno --18, dark haired Senshi Sailor Mercury Reborn in space formerly occupied by No One Lum Moroboshi --Green haired Princess of the Oni...age unknown Reborn in space formerly occupied by Atari Ayeka Masaki --Purple haired Princess of the Jurai...age unknown Reborn in space formerly occupied by Ryeka Ryoko Masaki --Green haired Space Pirate turned Juraian consort...age unknown Reborn in space formerly occupied by Tenko Beiko Daitokuji --Silver haired super-genius, Reborn in space formerly occupied by No One "Holy Mother of Frijoles," Toltir remarked to himself, "This one is definitely one for the records...!" "What happened?" Ranma asked, "How did we suddenly get our friends back, and what gives with the others who were there up until a few seconds ago?" "It seems that they were exchanged...or something," Megumi replied with a somewhat dubious expression. "Uh..." Ryoga frowned, "Is it my imagination, or doesn't it look like there are a few more girls than we had before?" "You're not imagining things," Toltir replied, "There's now five girls adorning the center and fifteen on the outer wheel, and all of them being humped like crazy." "Those are the missing heroes and Senshi who died during the fighting," Ranma remarked with an amazed expression, "Sure look pretty healthy now! Of course I kinda wonder what must be going through their minds waking up to that kind of experience!" Megumi frowned as she glanced at him, then playfully put a hand over her husband's eyes and said, "Don't look, you might go blind." "Hardehar," he growled as he gently-but-firmly removed that hand from his face, "Keep it up and you'll be as bad as Ryoga." "Yes?" Ryoga asked in response, somehow not able to take his eyes off of the singular sight of the naked girls and their bare legs bobbing to the thrusts of the machine. "Uh...never mind," Ranma said lamely. At the center atop the wheel a much-surprised Nabiki found herself staring up into the equally surprised face of Tatewaki Kuno, a boy she had lusted after for years in secret, but who had given his heart and soul of her cousin, Natsume. The fact that he had his manhood buried deep within her snatch was no less surprising than the discovery that Natsume herself was watching from close nearby. As much as her body was favorably responding to the pounding of his sex, she felt a stab of guilt as she saw Natsume's expression and realized that she was cuckolding her best friend in an all-too-blatant manner. "What...transpires here?" Tatewaki blinked his eyes as he slowed his emphatic ravishing of her body, glancing around to perceive the machine that they were perched atop and saying, "Oh no...not again...!" "Kuno-chan?" Nabiki asked, though she fully understood his reaction. He looked down at her and his face became contrite, "Nabiki-san...a thousand pardons, I did not intend for this to happen, gentle maiden! This was not of my design...but perhaps it is the work of that foul wretch, Saotome!" Nabiki felt like crying. She finally had the boy she had yearned for all along and he thought it was another stupid prank by Ranma. She might have said something rude to him at that point, but when he started to ease his stiff manhood out from her she felt an urge to protest and said, "It's all right, Kuno baby! I understand, and I forgive you!" "How can you offer one such as I forgiveness?" Kuno glanced away in misery and self-contempt, "To take advantage of one so beautiful while my true love stares at me in accusation..." Something suddenly occurred to Nabiki and she stared in amazement at Tatewaki, then said, "Kuno-chan...your face!" "Eh?" he turned back to her with a puzzled expression. Nabiki found his confusion very endearing, but at the same time she felt the urge to smack him (which of course was impossible as she was firmly held down to the altar), so she patiently explained, "You don't have fangs anymore...and I don't think that you're a vampire anymore!" "W-What?" Tatewaki felt his face with his hands as a look of amazement overcame the shame that had previously consumed him with doubt and worry, though it left the obvious question that he quite naturally voice, "H-how...?" "Uh oh," Toltir remarked, glancing down near the base, "Don't look now, but I think there's been a major oversight in the design of that last spell." "What do you mean?" Megumi asked. "Check it out," he nodded to the altar that had formerly been occupied by another Nabiki, "The grounding wire is just sitting there without a support. That means there's no way to bleed off the excess charge that's building." "No way?" Ranma turned and smiled at Megumi, "Should we do the honors?" "I don't see why not," she grinned, "And I thought you'd never ask..." Moments later Ranma was wearing the same harness formerly adorned by his counterpart while Megumi lay stretched out on the altar and looking ready to receive him, while Ryoga stood to one side and shook his head, murmuring faintly, "I don't believe this..." "What's not to believe?" Toltir asked, "Makes perfect sense to me. Yggdrasil must've designated those two are replacement components after the original pair...went wherever it is they've gone to. Hold the fort here for a bit, will you? I'm gonna go back to the office and check this thing out." "Hold the fort?" Ryoga wondered, only to find that he was talking to himself, the cat-god having mysteriously vanished. As Ranma prepared to mount his wife, he looked into her eyes and said, "Y'know...I'm not sure just why, but this seems...somehow familiar..." "So?" Megumi smiled, "Are you complaining about it?" "Not in the least," Ranma allowed his lust to fill his expression as he looked down fondly at her naked body, all ready primed and ready to receive him, so like a good husband he decided not to keep her waiting. Back on the wheel, Natsume Tendo was staring down at the sight of Tatewaki Kuno mounting her cousin, Nabiki, so in spite of the strange predicament that she was in she felt a wave of intense desire and resentment fill her. After all, he was her boyfriend, not her cousin's! A moment later she felt a wrenching sensation, as if reality had reverted once again, and suddenly she discovered that she was facing upwards with Tatewaki Kuno poised above her, while the space that she had occupied was suddenly adorned by a much-astonished Nabiki. "Natsume-chan?" Tatewaki gasped. "Kuno-sama?" she asked with an equally amazed reaction. "Would you two just get on with it?" Nabiki said as she recovered her wits, "The rest of us don't have all day to hang around here!" and then she settled in and allowed herself to experience the unique sensation of a double-penetration. "Get it on?" Tatewaki asked as he glanced at Nabiki, then Natsume, and felt his manhood stiffen like a rod of iron. "I think she means you are supposed to mount me, Kuno-sama," Natsume replied with a much gentler voice than she might have employed under different circumstances, "Please resume what you were doing...I believe this time everything will work to our mutual satisfaction." Kuno swallowed as he stared down at her naked beauty then replied, "Far be it from me to refuse the request of my lady-love..." Ryoga was starting to feel like the odd man out watching everyone else get a sexual high, and he started to turn away in mild disgust, wondering what had happened to the Akari of this timeline, and did his counterpart perish seeking to defend her? There certainly had been an awful lot of death upon this world, and it was nice to see some life being restored, even if these weird circumstances had numbed him far beyond the point of any nosebleed... Limbo Realm "You're kidding," Ranko exclaimed, "You mean...no way!" "In a way it makes perfect sense," Watazashi mused with her own thoughtful expression, "It might also explain the odd composition of our group, which varies in talent from the common to the outlandish." "What do you mean?" Yuan-Yen asked her. "I mean," Watazashi smiled as she draped an arm around her lover's waist, "That we have Gods, demons and aliens in our midst, so can you imagine the variety of persons who must have replaced us for this oh-so-interesting project?" "Good point," Lylac nodded, "I wonder how they're getting along if they're going through the same sort of thing that we just went through?" "I'm sure they'll manage," Lamyra replied, giving the purple haired Tendo girl a wry smirk, "After all, it wasn't all that unpleasant for you, now was it?" "Er..." Lylac replied, suddenly finding herself the focus of both Ekko and the beast-girl's attention. "So...what do we do in the meantime?" Tinkerbell asked as she glanced sidelong at Watazashi and her companion. "I'm sure we'll think of something," Silver replied as she sidled up alongside Akira, placing a hand to his crotch and startling him at the brazen gesture, "Still got any life left in this thing, Akira-chan?" "I think she has the right idea," Kama Sutra exchanged an amused look with Tsuyori. "Looks like those two are already well ahead of the rest," Tsuyori remarked, glancing sidelong at Rinse and Tachi, who were oblivious to all of their surroundings. "I guess it would make sense," Nabiki mused, giving Ranma a playful nudge, "Keeping the engine revved up, as it were." "I thought we were supposed to be the mature adults setting an example for the others?" Ranma asked with a no-less amused expression. "So let's set an example...over there," she nodded to a clear space of ground slightly off from the rest of the landscape, "Show these kids how it's really done." "Couldn't have put it better myself," Ranma replied, taking her hand and allowing her to lead him. "Well," Atari mused, "If the adults have given their approval..." "Then why shouldn't we have some fun?" Ryeka agreed, eyeing Tachi and Rinse. "An excellent idea," Watazashi smiled, "Everyone pick their partner of preference and get down to it!" "I have already have mine picked out," Tsuyori smiled as she leaned up against Ranko and said, "I believe you owe me a screwing." "Hah?" Ranko replied with a blank expression. "Couldn't have put it better myself," Cheetah eyed Tenko and Veil, "So...what's your story? Either of you guys have a boyfriend?" "Um...not exactly," Tenko replied, blushing slightly. "Oh my," Veil remarked, wondering if she were implying the right sort of things in the expression of the cat girl. "If the aim is to pass the time," Lamyra leaned even closer to Lylac, "Then I have no objections...do you?" she asked of Ekko, who smiled in silent agreement. "Ah...help?" Lylac replied, discovering that she was about to become the middle wafer in an all-girl sandwich. "Oh my..." Tinkerbell started to say when she saw the hand extended by Watazashi and found both she and Yuan-Yen smiling in her direction, and seeing nothing else was currently impending, she took that hand in tacit acceptance that the inevitable was sometimes the very thing that you most wanted doing. Even if it wasn't with exactly the right person. Toltir glanced around himself at all the bright and eager faces, then in a low murmur remarked, "And here I thought this was going to be a slow day." "Hey!" Kinko cried out suddenly, glancing up at the metaphorical sky, "What gives? Something's happening over that way!" "Oh my," murmured Ekko as she visually studied the swirling patterns, "Is it happening already?" "Is what happening already?" Lylac asked nervously, unable to help shuddering at the note of surprise in her redheaded companion's voice, which seldom boded well for the cosmos in general. "The reality inversion," Tenko replied, "I believe we are about to witness the re-manifestation of an inverted timeline." "In plain Juraian Interlac please, Sis?" Ryeka pleaded. "Just watch and see," Veil replied, "This ought to impress even you, Uncle." "We'll see," Toltir replied, settling in to watch the fireworks begin to happen... Continuum #17046289 The sound of rumble and thunder up above informed Ryoga that the machine was very much in operation, and that the energies it was gathering were even more intense than before, and he was starting to take notice of a rippling effect that was overtaking their surroundings. It definitely looked as if something were about to happen, and with him standing at ground zero, which was why he decided to go with his instincts and activated his Belt Locator to shield himself against the Cross-Temporal currents of energy that was sweeping over everything and causing old and worn equipment to fade in and out of existence, then appear again in a pristine condition. All at once a wave of energy poured out from the machine as all twenty-one women (not counting Tatewaki or the Beast Ranma and his lady) climaxed simultaneously with one MOTHER of an orgasm, and so powerful was this energy that even Ryoga--- momentarily distanced from the normal ebb and flow of dimensional currents-- could feel it touch him, a testament to the amount of energy involved in such a discharge. The vortex swirled far overhead, and all at once became a showery explosion of sparks and pinwheels that filled the night like a thousand Chinese New Years going off all at once. Ryoga winced as a part of him felt those energies merge and collide with their surroundings, and all at once things began changing, altering noticeably as reality itself inverted. All at once Ryoga found himself at the eye of a colossal hurricane of tidal forces, and even if his senses were not keyed to the elements that comprised the paratime currents he would have known that something incredible was happening to the Earth itself, and not just the Japanese Home Islands. With a start he realized that he was at the center of an enormous convergence, to which he could only exclaim the first words that came into his mind at this singular occurrence. "Oh my...!" he said, and then reality inverted as a new Template overrode the existing order... LIMBO Time really had no meaning to this place, so whether it was minutes, hours or even years since their arrival was of no never-mind to the many writhing forms that littered the landscape as the naked Teens gazed up at the swirl of cloud and color that surrounded them, sensing the incredible energies that were in- play without fully comprehending the true magnitude of the Inversion that was in progress. Even Toltir and the Time Cops were at a loss to fully grasp the extent of the energies that were in play as it seemed more like a computer-generated image of a galaxy being reborn, only vastly accelerated beyond the rate at which such things might normally take to transpire. In the relative blink of an eye the transition point occurred, and then a vast stellar explosion of energies caused a kaleidoscope of images and sensations to reach out to them, causing each to experience the phenomenon differently, in some cases prompting them to relive significant portions of their own personal histories in a way that seemed far longer than the instant or so in which these life-like memories actually occurred. For Lylac it came in a moment of childhood when she first met her future best friend, a shy and introspective redhead who stood apart from other children of their generation. Being a somewhat shy and introspective sort herself she naturally found the attraction irresistible, and for two kids only five years of age yet physically and developmentally ahead of their peers it just seemed natural enough that they would hang out together and share experiences quite typical for two young girls with such unusual parents. Ekko shared the same memory, only now Lylac could witness the event through her eyes and see how the mentally advanced and physically powerful young girl had found it difficult to relate to other children their own age, being so naturally strong and intelligent that other young girls tended to regard her as either a freak or a monster. Lylac had been nothing like the rest, always so cheerful and considerate, unselfish in her willingness to share and so utterly fearless in boldly volunteering to help whenever Ekko had need for an ally or accomplice. They had met because their parents were close friends visiting one another (and it would be some years before they found the other members of their close-knit circle, the demi-goddess named Veil and the alien Princess Tenko), and once they had met they had formed an instant bond that had only strengthened over the years. Lylac had become very special to her during this time, a young warrior in training who understood and appreciated the finer aspects of the science behind the art of unarmed combat, so very different from the muscle-bound fools (Tantalus Taro came rather quickly to mind) who often sought to court her affections. Lylac was fairly unattached by romantic entanglements, for all that she was a heartbreaker, physical perfection in motion and graceful in a way that often inspired Ekko to calculate the various vector angles and dynamics in order to confirm in her own mind that her friend did indeed conform within the known laws of physics, which she often quite effortlessly violated. Moreover, Lylac appreciated art and music for their aesthetic qualities and could debate deep philosophical matters with clarity and wit, making her not only a fascinating conversationalist but also a genuinely fun companion with whom to hang around. Lylac had known that they shared the distinction of being considered "too nerdy" even by their close relations, and neither one---strictly speaking---had a biological father to speak of, but beyond the superficial similarities in their lives it had never occurred to her to consider her close friend in quite the erotic tones with which she had been silently regarded by Ekko. All the adventures that they had shared together, the crazy and often situations in which they sometimes found themselves, all the times when Ekko's brilliance and superhuman strength had helped them escape from certain death (or worse) and it had never once occurred to her to wonder at the degree of her admiration for the stalwart genius. Ekko acted as if she knew no fear when in fact she had been very much intimidated in sharing the one uncertainty of her existence, the question of whether or not her secret affections might one day be returned. Affections for Lylac, the only friend she had whom she knew would support her regardless of the circumstances. Ekko valued their friendship too much to want to risk it by seeking more from Lylac than she herself was prepared to give. Instead she had contented herself with little flirtatious hints and gestures, hoping one day that the otherwise perceptive Lylac might purchase a clue and arrive at the same conclusion as Ekko. While this startling revelation was being contemplated, comparable experiences were being exchanged with other members of their time-lost party of paradimensional offspring, not to mention their elders. For Ranma it was the memory of a time when Nabiki had briefly been his iinazuke, one of the more colorful and less happy occasions of his youth, which had put him off to her for many years that were to follow. Nabiki herself now relived the memories from his perspective, seeing the rather callous and cruel way that she had manipulated and exploited him for fun and profit, alternating between the pretense of affection with displays of total disregard for his own personal feelings. He had come away from that ordeal firmly convinced that Nabiki held only loathing and contempt towards him, regarding him as just a dumb jock to be used and discarded for her personal convenience. The thought caused him more pain than he would have expected, for a part of him had secretly admired the middle Tendo girl's uncanny knack for avoiding the sorts of problems that usually ensnared him. As hurt as he had been when Nabiki had offered to sell him(or eventually rent out his services) to the other fiancess, he had understood it on a tactical level as her way of deflecting the jealousy and anger that they might have otherwise vented towards her for coming between them and Ranma. Nabiki was not then a practicing martial artist, having given up on her training at a fairly early age, so she had to use her wits rather than her fists, a talent that gave her the edge over her violent-tempered younger sister, who only knew one way of dealing with her problems. It was a quality about her that Ranma had always found quietly attractive, like her ultra-cool veneer of suave sophistication. Only now he perceived the event in a totally different mindset than he had employed as a lonely boy without any true companions. He saw himself through Nabiki's eyes and understood for the first time that she had always been very aware of him (on at least a subliminal level) and had felt an attraction from the moment of their first meeting. Years of denying her basic emotions had made her wary of commitment, and at the least hint that Ranma might be more trouble than he seemed worth she had instantly gone on guard to protect herself against possible romantic attachments, foisting him off on her younger sister so as to avoid having to deal with him directly. His curse confused her on a basic level, awakening her dormant bisexuality with the threat of possible loss of emotional control lurking at the edges of her awareness. This was why she had struggled mightily to keep her distance from him, to alienate and distance him from her own heart so that there might never be a romance between them. She was all too aware that he was cute (if at times almost as clueless as Ryoga) with a rugged handsomeness that put all the other boys at Furinkan to shame, and with a body trained to the heights of perfection, making him a rare specimen of male youth who was without true equal. He was also chivalrous and noble at the core, in spite of the raw edges that marked him as a social outcast, with an ego matched only by his need for companionship, which he unfortunately had been forced to direct towards the unappreciative Akane. Unlike virtually every boy in his age group he did not think with his hormones and tended to disregard any latent impulses towards women that totally obsessed people like Kuno. In spite of having women like Ukyo, Shampoo and Kodachi all but throwing themselves at his feet he managed to remain faithful to Akane, who nonetheless distrusted him and presumed him guilty of infidelity at every turn. Nabiki had watched their verbal jousts (which almost invariably resulted in Ranma being pounded) and had quietly despaired that the two would ever come together. That was why she had hatched her plan to try and force Akane into realizing the true depths of her commitment to Ranma by briefly taking him away from her so that she could make an ample demonstration of his loyalty to her. The plan had hatched itself in her mind during the event when Akane had angrily declared that Ranma should be her iinazuke. The idea had seemed brilliant at the time, and on so many levels. Nabiki wanted the chance to be the center of attention for a change and to grab the spotlight from Akane, if only for a few days, having always felt deep resentment at her younger sister's ability to attract attention without hardly any effort. Akane was the darling in their family, the one their parents doted on, leaving Nabiki to fend for herself, which was partly the reason why Nabiki tended to borrow so many of Akane's personal belongings, hoping to absorb in reflection some portion of her charisma. If half of the things that occupied space in her closet had come from Akane, what about it? It just meant that Nabiki had to spend less on her own clothing, so why not apply the same logic to her boyfriend? After all, it wasn't as if she was planning to keep him. At least that had been the plan, and it had seemed to work beautifully...all except for the part where Akane and Ranma continued to remain stubborn and not do their share. Neither one wanted to admit to being in the wrong or that they had an attachment to the other, and no matter how hard Nabiki had tried to provoke them it just seemed to further antagonize them both against her. She had thought showing Ranma what life with her would be like would put him off enough to want to go back to Akane, and it alarmed her when he actually seemed (for a moment at least) to be warming up to her in spite of his ill treatment. Nabiki had also been playing on Akane's sympathies to make her yearn for making up with Ranma, but it took a fortunate turn of events to bring the two of them back together, allowing Nabiki to close the chapter feeling smugly satisfied in her mental superiority over these two clue-challenged jocksters. Only not so brilliant after all, as circumstances bore out, leading Nabiki to wonder if things might have been different had she not sought to drive Ranma from her? Having him for a boyfriend had been...surprisingly nice, and the courage that he had displayed in defending her against the other fiancees had touched her deeply, for all that it failed to discourage her from continuing to exploit him. Looking back now she wondered how she could ever have prided herself for alleged brilliance, knowing that she had given up on the one chance of her youth to avoid the tragedy that eventually tore apart her loving household. The idea brought tears to her eyes, leaving her deeply ashamed of herself as a person. For all that she had endured since then, it was hardly a fair repayment for the insensitivity and senselessness of her behavior. A part of her had known it even then (a tiny part she called---for lack of a better word---her Conscience) that it was a mistake, and in rare moments she had even expressed the truth that had been rooted in her subconscious. It had been easy to profess love towards a startled Ranma, knowing he would take the bait without believing her too deeply as she was a far more accomplished liar than himself. When asked by Kasumi (the only other person to whom she felt close) she had admitted to always having loved Ranma, which she then promptly denied, pretending the whole thing a joke on her part. How was she to know that Ranma would overhear this, or that his reaction to the perceived betrayal of his feelings would affect him so deeply? Not her, for one...not Tendo Nabiki, idiot extraordinaire and all-time betrayer of the Tendo legacy and family honor. Small wonder that she had been unloved by anyone since the death of her mother, the wonder was that anyone could care for her now, especially Ranma! A touch of his hand to her chin startled her back to an awareness of herself in the hear-and-now, and looking up in surprise into his too-deep blue eyes was enough to dispel any doubts that there was at least one person who knew her and cared...the victim of so many pranks, and the answer to many more unvoiced prayers and silent petitions. Now at last she could admit to herself that she had always loved him, even when pretending not to care for fear of the consequences that would inevitably come from being his iinazuke. Tinkerbell was feeling the warm memories of many a summer spent with Watazashi, and of the anger and resentment that had consumed her when her best friend had shown affections towards another, only to have her heart be broken by betrayal. Tink had wanted vengeance on the one to break her 'Zashi's heart, but instead she had to console Watazashi while Zashi's heart had turned bitter. It all came back to her the many times when she had wanted to be closer to her Watazashi, yet being with this other version in the here and now gave her a different perspective on how relationships might be obtained. She witnessed the event when two friends had realized their mutual affections and followed the course of their relationship as it went from romance to physical consummation. Watazashi saw through Tinkerbell's memories how her other self had turned staunch materialist after giving up on romance, thus ignoring the clues that Tinkerbell had sent her. Yuan-Yen saw what life might have been like for her had she not been bold enough to overcome her own shyness in approaching her Watazashi. Tinkerbell saw through her eyes the joy of fulfillment that came from knowing that her feelings were returned by the object of her own deep affections, and silently the two Tendo "cousins" came closer to feeling like sisters. Silver and Akira shared many a moment when one had caught the eye of the other, and it forged a deeper understanding that they might share more in common than a single respective parent. Silver was bright and energetic, a force to be reckoned with, and a proven heir to the Saotome legacy, while Akira much of both his "father" and mother within him. There was much to delve into here, and for a brief, eternal moment they lost awareness of their surroundings and only knew of the existence of one another. Rinse and Tachi were still too far into their own private world to come up for air, let alone notice the changes in their environs, but as they made love they each were distracted by fleeting memories seen through the eyes of one another, helping to deepen the strains of their mutual ardor, even as Ryeka and Atari perceived these memories as if they were their own, helping each of them to understand more of the complexity of their romantic quadrangle. The other girls all had brief momentary flashes when someone or the other had caught their own interests in a significant manner. Lamyra, Cheetah, Kinko, Tsuyori, Kama Sutra, Veil and Tenko each shared a brief moment where the thoughts and memories of one became briefly the province of another, helping them each to understand how they might be loved and cared for in one way or another by a significant other. Of all though present, however, none were quite so deeply affected as Ranko, whose experience was unique because she perceived the cumulative thoughts of all the others in a wave of panoramic intensity that gave her a fresh perspective of all the other girls (and the cute guy among them), in addition to which were the thoughts and memories of her Aunt and Father. She now could see their past reflected in those memories and saw through them the contradictory images of the one who had been her mother. This brought on an epiphany, and with it a dawning awareness. "Hey!" she cried in total surprise, "I've just figured it out! I finally know what I'm here for!" Before anyone could think to question her on this, the swirling vortex reached out to touch her, and in that moment following this she seemingly faded out from existence... Continued. Comments/Criticisms/Will this Story Never End?: shadowmane@ridgenet.net An ending is in the works, I promise you this! Ranko still has one task left to fulfill, and if you are patient enough to sit through the next chapter I shall endeavor to reveal it, and still help these kids find a good home (not to mention a little something on the side as compensation for their troubles). Be there!