[Ranma][Fanfic][Lime] Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty - Chapter 7: For the Sake of the Children; Past, Present, and Future ======================================================================= Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty Chapter 7: For the Sake of the Children; Past, Present, and Future Ranma 1/2 characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and copyright 2000-2001 by Jim Lazar An ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime. For maximum enjoyment of this fanfic series, please read my Childhood of Modern Dynasty series before reading Adulthood. E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: jim [at] animeprime.com Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for all released AMD stories, graphics files, and other information: http://www.animeprime.com/ff/md ======================================================================= August 20-28, 2007 - Nerima, Japan Ranma, Ranko, Akane, and Nipplering raced down the Nerima streets followed by a few dozen Amazons. "How could we have not noticed that they've been gone since this morning?!" Akane snapped. Ranko looked around the streets for any sign of their kids. "I don't know... but the Compound is pretty big and all." Nipplering paused in her scans of the area to look at Akane. "Leader, the sentries confirmed that they didn't leave by the gate and since that's the only way in or..." Akane's curse interrupted Nipplering. Ranma didn't think now was the right time or worry about how the kids got out of the Compound, so he interrupted before Akane could get angrier. "Let's worry about that later after we-" Ranma paused to thrust his arms out and form a chi ball between his hands. "-get our kids back!!" The chi ball flew from his fingers and crashed against a large wooden gate. Ranko and Akane's blasts quickly followed and finished blowing apart what was left of the gate after Ranma's blast, which wasn't much. Their battle auras were burning red hot when the three parents swarmed through the newly created entrance, followed closely by the Amazons. Seeing nothing in the front yard, Nipplering and half of the Amazon warriors spread out and began a methodical search of the area. The three parents blasted down the main door of the house and then rushed inside with the other half of the Amazons. They started systematically blowing apart door after door in search of their children. None of them expected to see the horror that befell their eyes when they entered the large living room. Kuno. Smiling. And singing a sweet lullaby to a baby that he held gently in his arms. "What the..." Ranma gasped when he saw Kuno sitting peacefully next to a woman with short, black, curly hair. Akane's shock soon vanished as she remembered the reason they were there. She looked around. "Where are they, Kuno?!" Kuno smiled. "Ah, my fair, Akane. You have finally come to meet my son, Kennan." He indicated the baby in his arms. "Soon, we will add another to our noble family." He reached over and patted the large belly on the woman next to him. "Wha...." Ranko stammered. "Son?" Ranma managed to blurt. "How? Kuno smiled and calmly looked at the woman sitting next to him. "My fair wife, Mariko, gave birth to our first just over a year ago." "Ma..." "Ri..." "Ko?" 'Mariko' smiled and nodded. "Aren't you dead?" Ranma asked in deadly earnest. 'Mariko' smiled politely and shook her head. Ranko stared at the Caucasian woman with blue eyes. "Her hair is just like Mariko's, but she's no Japanese cheerleader." Kuno handed the baby in his arms to 'Mariko' and then stood up. "How dare you break into my noble abode and claim that my dear wife is dead!" He drew his ever-present sword out of its sheath and aimed its sharp point at Ranma. "And to claim she isn't a cheerleader is the ultimate insult to her honor!! Now, be gone or I shall smite thee!!" Ranma took a step forward, but was interrupted when Nipplering rushed up from behind Kuno and looked at Akane. "Leader, the kids don't appear to be here." Taken by surprise, Kuno swung around at her voice and trust out his sword. Nipplering's own sword flashed out of its sheath. In a blur of motion, Nipplering knocked Kuno's sword out of his hands, cut Kuno's samurai clothing in half, and slipped the sword back into its sheath. Kuno looked down and saw his samurai robes fall away, revealing his Cardcaptor Sakura underwear. "Foul woman!" "Kuno, don't fight in front of our child," 'Mariko' said quietly. Kuno nodded. "Yes, Dear." "Where are our children, Kuno?" Akane asked again, very angry. "I know not, my dear Akane." Akane stepped forward, but found herself restrained by her husbands. "Akane... if he has his own kids, why would he try to kidnap ours again?" Ranko asked. Akane didn't know the answer. "But... but... if they're not here, then where?" The teardrop that splashed down Akane's cheek and onto the floor made a thunderous roar when it hit the floor. "Where..." -A- -M- -D- "Where the hell did that 'Mariko' come from?" Ranko asked as they raced away from the Kuno mansion. "I don't know..." Ranma said. "But Kuno must be crazier than we thought not to realize that she looks nothing like the real Mariko." "Speak for yourself," Ranko said, grinning. "I always knew he was that crazy." "The sentries we have watching Kuno never reported anything unusual," Nipplering informed the worried parents. "Let's worry about why that woman is calling herself Mariko and Kuno's wife later!" Akane snapped. Not only was she upset about their missing kids, she was cursing herself for all the time they had wasted by assuming it was Kuno who had taken the kids again, even if she knew he was the most likely suspect. He always was, after all. "Of course, Leader." Nipplering turned back to her warriors. "Spread out in the usual Nerima search pattern and start looking for the kids. Ask everyone you see and look in every nook and cranny. Hurry, we don't have much light left!!" She glanced to the western sky where the sun was almost touching the hills. The Amazons all acknowledged her orders and then spread out. "Where could they be?" Akane asked no one in particular. -A- -M- -D- Akane and Ranma ran down a hill north of the Compound, having separated from Ranko and Nipplering so they could cover more area. "Yohachi!!" Akane yelled out and raced towards a small boy who was minding his own business. She had only covered half the distance when she realized that it wasn't her son. In fact, it was a short old woman. She looked into the sky and shouted, "Yohachi!!" at the top of her lungs she went through the other kids' names as they resumed their search. A few minutes later, they saw Ukyo and Sanma appear around the street corner in front of them. "Ukyo!" Akane yelled and ran toward them with Ranma in tow. "Shouldn't you be with your kids?" Ranma asked. "Since Yukiko, Deeod, and Rant can't search in their condition, they volunteered to take care of them," Ukyo explained as she kept scanning the area. She didn't mention her internal fear that they couldn't look after her six kids in their condition either. Even Ukyo wasn't sure if she meant her kids or those who were taking care of them. "Any luck so far?" Sanma asked after catching his breath. Ranma and Akane shook their heads. After several minutes of searching together, Akane's cell phone rang. "Yes?" Her eyes widened. "Okay, we'll head that way." "What is it?" Ukyo asked. Akane hung up the phone and looked at the others. "Someone saw a group of kids heading east towards Shinjuku." "Shinjuku?" Ranma asked, looking towards the east. "It's our best lead. Let's go!" Akane didn't wait for anyone to reply; she just took off running towards the east. -A- -M- -D- Shuma moved through the thick bushes covering a forested hill to the west of Nerima, barely making a sound. Reaching a small clearing, he could just make out a number of small children crouched together; shivering from the night breeze that blew through the forest. He reached out to the nearest child. Daiji sighed. "It's cold." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms tighter around her knees. Unknowingly, her movement put her out of Shuma's reach. When his arms missed Daiji, Shuma stepped forward and tried to grab her again. A twig snapped. Several heads snapped around toward Shuma. Shashiki squinted, trying to make out something she thought she saw in the darkness. "You hear that?" "Yeah..." Yohachi looked around, but didn't see anything. "Maybe it just the wind or something?" Shuma remained perfectly still while the kids looked into the forest, his black skin and cloak blending perfectly into the dark background. Daiji signed when she didn't see anything in the forest. She hunched over again. "I'll never listen to you again, Yoyo." "Sorry... I didn't think we'd get lost," Yohachi said, looking at the ground in embarrassment. "I kn..." Yohachi looked up when Daiji's voice cut off suddenly. "Daiji?" He leaned forward and tried to see her in the almost pitch-blackness that the moonless night created in the thick forest. "Daiji?" Lather--who had been by Daiji's left side--reached around. "She was just here..." "DAIJI!!" Yohachi shouted. Ayami screamed. Moyashi's scream was just a second behind hers and almost identical in pitch. Shashiki and Floss stood up quickly and took up defensive positions. "Something must have grabbed her!!" Floss said as she swung her arms around to hit anything that might be nearby. Suddenly, a voice called out. "Yoyo, something's got me!!" Yohachi jumped to where he'd heard his sister cry out from and landed a kick against the back of something. "Fight it!!" He just made out a large cloaked form in the darkness as he rebounded from the kick. "It's strong!!" Daiji yelled as she tried to break the figure's vise-like grip on her. She suddenly felt her captor start to run away and felt a certain body part on her captor start to bounce as well. "Yohachi!! She's running awa.... mphhhhhhh." Yohachi and the two Amazon girls ran towards Daiji's voice until it cut off. Then they did their best to follow the snapping twigs. Suddenly a howl rang out as Daiji landed an elbow to her captor's face. Yohachi's head snapped to the side where the howl came from. "Get off me!!" Daiji cried out as she bit into the hand that was trying to silence her. Suddenly, a bright light lit up the forest and illuminated the cloaked figure that was carrying the struggling Daiji. Shashiki and Floss looked at the source of the light and gasped when they saw a ball of light floating between Yohachi's arms. "Wha..." Shashiki gasped. "Meowing Kitty Blast!!" Yohachi called out and sent the little chi ball screaming towards the figure that was holding Daiji in its arms. Shuma was so surprised at the oncoming blast that he couldn't get out of the way in time. The ball hit his leg and sent a wave of small flames flowing up his body. Daiji took advantage of the blast and forced her way out of the figure's arms. She swung her foot up and landed a savage kick to its chin, then sprung backwards to land near Yohachi. "How'd you do that?!" "Please don't tell Daddy that you saw me do that!!" Yohachi called out as his face was lit up again by a chi ball. "Or about this either!" he added as he released the second chi ball. As the second chi ball flashed towards him, Shuma jumped to the side and avoided it. He glared at the kids. -A- -M- -D- Akane pounded her arms on the ground. "No... no... no..." Ranma looked away from the group of kids and their teacher that had sent them on a wild goose chase toward Shinjuku. "Akane, we'll find them. Nipplering and the others are already searching all over Nerima and-" He glanced at Sanma and Ukyo. "-we can look somewhere else." "But where?" Akane asked, looking up at Ranma with tear filled eyes. A large explosion that suddenly lit up the western sky answered her question. Their four heads snapped around and looked at the hills to the west. They exchanged a silent glance and then set off running to the west without a word. As the old Nerima saying goes: Where there's an explosion, a Saotome or Tendo can't be far away. -A- -M- -D- "Oops..." Yohachi muttered as his chi ball hit something parked on a street near the woods. He didn't know it, but he'd just incinerated a brand new Mercedes Benz. The owner would not be pleased when he awoke in the morning to find the charred remains of his freshly waxed pride and joy. "Where did it go?" Floss asked. Yohachi lit up another chi ball and scanned the area. "I can't see anything!" Daiji eye's slowly searched the dark forest and then pointed to the side. "THERE!!" Yohachi's chi ball flashed out towards the figure Daiji had seen. Instead of a hitting the figure, a tree went up in flames. "Well... we can see now," Shashiki remarked as the burning tree lit up the kids' faces. She looked back and saw her brothers, Moyashi, and Ayami all locked together in a trembling ball. "Stay together you four!!" The four youngest kids had no problem following that order. "There!!" Floss shouted and pointed to her right. Yohachi sent another chi ball at the position she indicated. Another tree went up in flames. "Could you all please stop pointing out the trees?!" "Sorry..." -A- -M- -D- Nearby, Shuma looked at the children. He formed a black chi ball between his hands. A broad grin formed on Shuma's face as he lifted his hand, a small black chi ball already forming above his palm. "There!!" Yohachi's chi ball flashed out, hitting another tree. As soon as Shuma thought that, the tree Yohachi had just blasted toppled over on top of him, pining him to the ground. The black chi ball he had been generating exploded and charred the skin on his hands and arms. He cursed loudly. He cursed louder when the flames from the burning tree reached his body. "What was that?" "Sounded like Daddy when he loses a match to Papa-chan," Ayami remarked. Shashiki grabbed a branch from one of the burning trees and held it above her head, the burning end illuminating the area in around her. "Let's get out of here, fast." Yohachi nodded. "I'll follow you all, since I can blast anything that comes up behind us." "Good thinking," Shashiki said, then looked at the others. "Daiji, you stay with your brother, Floss, you're with me." She looked at the younger kids. "You little kids, stay between us." The kids quickly started moving through the forest, using the torch and a glowing chi ball in Yohachi's upturned hand to see where they were going. Just to be sure they weren't being followed, Yohachi released a few chi balls every now and then into the forest. He only succeeded in hitting more trees and blowing a small hole in the roof of the nearby shrine. Elsewhere, Shuma pushed the tree trunk off his body and growled. "Damn, I should have just killed the infant when I had the chance when they were beyond the portal." He stood up and scanned the area for energy signatures. He stopped when he was facing in the direction that the kids had fled. "I think it's time I show the calves my real power." His eyes turned completely black and a black aura appeared around his half-male/half-female body, which seemed to grow slightly in size. Then the rain started to fall. The two halves of Shuma's body switched positions, but otherwise he was unaffected. -A- -M- -D- Using the improvised torches to see where they were going, the kids ran as fast as they could until Daiji suddenly fell to the ground and grabbed her head. "Owww..." "What's wrong, Daiji?" Floss asked. "My head hurts again... It's okay, I get headaches every now and then," Daiji said and stood up. She took one step before the rain descended onto her small body. Her body slowly grew and changed into her boy form. Other that being a little stronger, he was unaffected by the change. "Let's get going!!" Shashiki snapped, frowning as he torch was put out by the rain. -A- -M- -D- Ranma, Akane, Sanma, and Ukyo ran towards a forested hill using the sounds of explosions and the burning trees as their guide. "What the hell is going on up there?!" Ukyo asked. "I don..." Sanma started to say before he felt the first rain drop on his head. "Uh oh..." "Rain! Get under cover!" Ukyo shouted to her currently male husband. After almost ten years of living with his new curse, Sanma didn't need to be told that. He had started running towards a house with a covered porch the moment that the first drop of rain had splashed across his skin, but only got half way before the downpour reached the point to trigger his curse. Suddenly, he split in two and a naked redheaded girl was thrown out of his male body, ripping the male body's clothes to shreds. San-chan blinked a few times and then screamed. Very loudly. "Oh no..." San-chan was still screaming as she looked down and patted her flat stomach, as if looking for something. Ranma frowned. "What's wrong?" Ukyo's eyes went wide when she realized what was happening. "Dammit! Her last memory was of giving birth and..." She trailed off and ran towards the female half of her husband. Akane finished Ukyo's statement. "She remembers dying." She shuddered. Ukyo dropped down beside San-chan and reached out to the terrified girl. "San-chan, relax..." She flinched when a dark red aura started to form around San-chan "No... no... no... my babies... I'm dead... my.... body!! The light!!" The red aura around San-chan brightened and then exploded outwards, taking about ten meters of pavement along with her. Ukyo was thrown backwards from the explosion. Just before she crashed into a brick wall, San-kun caught her and cradled in her arms. "San-chan!! Calm down, you're okay!!" "My babies!!" San-chan flailed around madly, flinging large, red chi balls into the sky. "My babies!" Akane rushed over to the distressed girl, dodging the flying pavement. "San-chan, your babies are all fine. We've got to find mine now!!" Despite all the energy flying around San-chan's body, Akane jumped in and pulled the terrified girl into a hug. "Calm down!!" San-chan struggled. "Your... babies?" The red glow started to fade. Feeling San-chan's body calm down, Akane sighed. "Your babies are okay... we have to find my kids now!" "Akane?" San-chan asked, then looked around. "Where am I? Is this the afterlife?" Akane chuckled. "No, it's Nerima." "Oh." San-chan looked around, uncertain if that was an improvement or not. "I thought it looked a little familiar." -A- -M- -D- The kids emerged onto a street at the bottom of the forested hills and looked around them. "Well, it's better than being lost in a forest with some sort of crazy man," Shashiki commented. "It was a girl," Daiji remarked. "Where now?" Before anyone could answer, a large red chi ball flew past them and into the forest behind them. A large explosion rocked the forest as the chi ball hit Shuma, engulfing him and the area around him in a large explosion. Similar explosions rocked other parts of Nerima where the other chi balls landed. The kids looked at where the chi ball had come from and saw two figures hugging in the middle of a large crater down the street. A flickering street light illuminated them. "Mommy!!" Ayami shouted and started running down the street, closely followed by the other kids. Akane looked up at the sound of Ayami's voice. She started to tremble as she verified they were all there and appeared to be okay. "My... my babies..." San-chan looked around and saw the kids running up. "You've been busy." Akane laughed. "They aren't all mine." She got up, helping San-chan to her feet. "You have six of your own at home." "Wow..." San-chan gasped. -A- -M- -D- Shuma had been sent crashing through several trees before he had been driven into the ground by the errant blast. He slowly clawed out of the crater his impact had made and spat out a wad of dirt. "That was not the calf." He reached out with his senses and frowned. "Collectors... three of them. Very close." He paused. "And the Un-cute-one." He brushed the dirt off the tattered remains of his cloak even as he reached out further with his senses. "The bitches are coming too. I can't chance fighting them all right now, especially with them on their guard." He frowned as he slid the front of his cloak aside, revealing an extended belly that was shifted to the female half of his body. "The young collector will be ours eventually, but for now there are more than enough cattle to feed us." He patted his belly as he turned around. A low, rumbling sound came out of his mouth as he strode away from Nerima. -A- -M- -D- Yukiko and Shinuma wrapped their arms around their three kids. "Shashiki... how could you do that?" "Sorry, Mommy, but Shave and Lather wanted to see what was on the other side of the hills." Yukiko wiped a tear out of her eye. "As an Amazon warrior, you have to be more responsible than that." "I know... sorry." "I just wanted some new dirt to dig in!!" Shave blurted. Shinuma laughed. "My son, the mole." He looked between his sons. "You're all grounded for the next week and restricted to this house when you're not going to school." He looked at Floss, who was hiding behind Nipplering's legs. "You too, Floss." Floss slipped out from behind Nipplering and nodded sadly. "I am sorry for my actions." Nipplering looked down at the girl. "How did you get by the sentries?" "We used an old tunnel underneath Daiji's house." Nipplering gasped. "The escape tunnel. I had forgotten about that." She looked at Yukiko. "Matriarch, I am sorry for overlooking such an obvious exit. I will have it guarded night and day." Yukiko shook her head. "That's okay. Just seal it up. They're not likely to need it anymore." "Of course, Matriarch." -A- -M- -D- "Well, this strong woman grabbed me and... well... we got away." Akane stroked Daiji's hair as she and her husbands found out what happened. "We're glad you're safe. That was a very dangerous thing to do. You're too young to be going so far from our house alone." "We're sorry," Daiji said softly. "Yeah... we just wanted to know what was on the other side of the hills." "Thank goodness you got away from that man." Akane looked at Daiji and imagined all sort of horrible things that could happen to her daughter. "It was a girl... but she was really strong," Daiji explained. "Yohachi really blasted that creep but good!" Ayami exclaimed, her pride in her brother overflowing. "What?" Akane asked, frowning. Ranma went pale. Yohachi started to wave his hands in front of his face in an effort to silence Ayami. Not noticing Yohachi's attempts to shut her up or just not caring, Ayami spilled the rest of the beans. "He made fireballs come out of his hands and saved Daiji and everyone." She smiled broadly. "It was really cool!!" "What?" Akane's eye twitched and she looked at Ranma. Or more accurately, glared at Ranma. Ranma had seen that look all too often and knew there was only one way to avoid a mallet. "I'm sorry... I just wanted him to be a strong fighter," he said sincerely as he prostrated himself in front of his wife. A position he learned from his father called the Crouch of the Fierce Tiger. Groveling and begging to be forgiven, in other words. "So... after all those times that I told you not to teach chi attacks to our kids, you still did?" Ranma gulped. "Yeah... I'm sorry." Akane slid Daiji off her lap and jumped into Ranma's arms. "Oh, thank goodness!!" Ranma was, to say the least, surprised at his wife's reaction. "Um..." "I was wrong. Teaching Yohachi the Moko Takabisha saved them all." "It's the Meowing Kitty Blast, Mommy!!" Yohachi blurted. Ranma smiled. "Figured I'd start him with something a little less destructive to start." He shuddered a bit. "Although the name he came up for the attack kind of freaks me out." Akane laughed. "Well, for once, I'm glad you didn't listen to me." Ranko huffed. "If I had known you'd be this understanding, I'd have taught Daiji too." Akane smiled. "Well, as long as you teach them to be responsible with the techniques, you can teach all three of them." "Four." Ranko patted her stomach. "I think we'll wait until you actually give birth to teach our fourth child chi attacks. Okay, Honey?" Akane leaned over and kissed her first husband and future mother of her fourth child. Ranma looked at his kids. "Okay, get upstairs and get to sleep. Don't plan on going anywhere except school for a couple of weeks." There was some grumbling from the kids, but they soon scurried off upstairs to their rooms. -A- -M- -D- "Oh my," Kasumi said after being informed of the night's events when she returned home from a long day--which had turned into a day and night--at the hospital. Dr. Tofu took his wife's hand. "He's okay, just a little tired." "It's because I spend so much time at the hospital, isn't it?" "No, it's not. Even if you were here, you'd have let him go to the Compound to play with the other kids anyway." "Maybe." Dr. Tofu wrapped his arms around his wife. "If the little devils can sneak out under the watchful eyes of the Amazons, what can mere mortals like you and I do?" Kasumi smiled and tilted her head back to receive a much-needed kiss from her husband. "I think it's best if Moyashi doesn't go to the Compound for a month or so." "Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." "I hope we don't have the same problems with the girls when they get older." "Don't get your hopes up, we have many years of parenthood ahead of us." Kasumi snuggled into Dr. Tofu's arms and smiled contently. "I know. Isn't it great?" -A- -M- -D- "Daddy's a girl again!!" San-chan's eyes widened as six small kids ran at her. "My... babies." She was quickly buried under a pile of two-year-olds. Ukyo leaned against San-kun and smiled. "They are hers, aren't they?" San-kun wrapped his arm around Ukyo's shoulder. "They're all of ours. We all played our part in having them." "Yeah..." Ukyo sighed with contentment. "Kids, don't hurt your Daddy-chan." San-chan didn't seem to mind that the six kids were doing their best to fold, spindle, and mutilate her. She was just happy to have her kids close to her. -A- -M- -D- The next morning, San-kun awoke and rolled over to where Ukyo would normally have been sleeping. Instead of wondering were his wife was, he just went back to sleep. On a normal morning Sanma would be helping cook breakfast for her kids and customers, but San-kun wasn't quite himself at the moment. It was almost mid-day when he finally rose from the futon and stretched his arms. Looking around the bedroom he shared with his wife, he smiled when he saw the small futon in the corner where San-chan had slept despite Ukyo's offer to join them on the large futon. San-kun didn't mind at all that she had declined the offer. He slid open the door to the large family room and walked though the doorway. Not seeing his wife, kids, or his female half, San-kun walked past the bathroom, the stairs to the three rooms upstairs where the kids slept, and then out onto the covered walkway that led to the two story building that housed the new Ucchan's. That was when he saw something impossible. His six kids. Sitting on the lawn between the house and Ucchan's. Sitting quietly. Sitting quietly and staring at San-chan, their little eyes sparkling and attentive to her every word. San-kun pinched himself. "And Kentaro rode off on his flying bear, promising to return one day," San-chan recited, then lowered the book she had been reading. She smiled at the kids and then asked a question. "How did you like it?" "Again!!" Iori shouted. The other kids all joined in the call for a repeat performance. San-chan smiled. "Well, I have to help Ukyo... your mother in the restaurant." The kids didn't seem to think that was a good excuse. San-kun smiled and stepped onto the lawn. "Kids, I'll read to you while Daddy-chan helps Mommy, okay?" The kids all looked at him for a few seconds before Seto blurted, "Who are you?" "I'm your daddy, of course." The two twin girls snuggled closer up to San-chan's legs. "This is Daddy!!" they chorused. "You're Unka Ranma!" Kida insisted. San-kun sighed. "Don't you remember what your mommy and me told you about my different forms?" Isai cocked his head to the side. "Yeah, I wanna ride the e'phant!!" The other kids started calling out animal names and making animal noises, many of which did not correspond to any of Sanma's cursed forms. That he knew of, at least. "Now, kids, settle down." To San-kun's amazement, the kids quieted down and looked at San-chan. San-chan smiled. "How about I tell you a story about a fairy princess who sleeps for long periods of time, but she has to make the most out of her life when she's awake?" San-kun frowned. He shrugged and decided to see how Ukyo was doing in the restaurant. He made his way to the building that faced the busy shopping district. In addition to being their restaurant, it doubled as a kitchen for them. Deciding they wanted more yard space for the kids and the shrine that still stood at the edge of the yard, they had left the kitchen off the house plan and relied on the restaurant to cook their meals. Feeding six kids was almost the same as feeding customers anyway. Except the kids usually tipped better. Any parent knows that hugs and kisses from their children are worth more than money. Not that Ukyo turned down monetary tips from her customers, of course. Although, she did turn down the hugs and kisses offered by her more lecherous customers. Usually with the blade of her giant spatula applied to the aforementioned lechers' faces. San-kun walked into the restaurant and looked around. The small art deco tables were arranged around the first floor and then stairs led up to the balcony, where more tables overlooked the busy shopping street and park that could be seen through the large panoramic windows. The park had been built after the Nerima Monolith exploded and was a considerable improvement over the butcher's shop that used to stand across from Ucchan's. The view of the pond and fountain that stood at the entrance to the park drew many people into the new Ucchan's much to the owners' delight. San-kun walked along the wall that separated the dining room from the storage room and rear kitchen. He smiled as he came in sight of the counter that ran along the long grill where their head chef lovingly made their specialty. Ukyo looked up from the large vat of batter she was stirring and smiled. "About time you woke up. Can you clean off the tables?" She looked around the empty restaurant. "I'm making the batter for the lunch rush." San-kun frowned. "Not even a good morning kiss?" Ukyo smiled and made a come-hither look that made San-kun fly to her lips. "Hmmmmm..." "You taste even better than last night." Ukyo blushed. "I think you embarrassed San-chan by being so noisy." "Can't help it, Honey, I am desperately in love with you." Ukyo giggled and then threw a towel at San-kun. "Start busing the tables, my stallion." As San-kun started cleaning the tables, he made a comment. "The kids seem to like San-chan." Ukyo nodded. "Yeah... almost too much." "Huh?" "Didn't you notice how calm they are around her?" San-kun nodded as he wiped down a table and moved to the next one. "With us, it's always a chore to get them to settle down." "Yeah... well... maybe she just has a mothering instinct or somthin'." Ukyo frowned. "We should enjoy the calm while we can. San-chan can't stick around forever." "No... she can't." Ukyo muttered. -A- -M- -D- "So, how's your little threesome?" Ukyo's jaw dropped open and she stared at Akane, unable to respond. Akane waved her hands in front of her face. "Sorry... just joking." Ukyo glanced to the side, but there were only a couple people left from the lunch crowd and they didn't seem to have heard. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "It's not like that." Akane frowned. "Huh?" "San-chan doesn't... well... in her words: she's not a lesbian so she can't do perverted stuff with me even if I am her husband." Akane chuckled. Ukyo mimicked the chuckle. "I've had to really control my urges since my twin husbands showed up last week. Just last night I almost slipped up and slid onto her futon with her." "That must be a little rough. I know there are times that I have to remind myself that Sanma isn't mine anymore when he's around." Ukyo's left eyebrow raised. "You're having fantasies about my husband?" Akane gulped. "No... no... well... maybe. I'm sorry, but it's hard to forget how I felt for him." "Aren't two enough for you?" Ukyo asked, trying to break the tension she felt forming. "I imagine you've had some wild nights with the three of you together." Akane shook her head. "Nope." "Huh?" "They freak out anytime the subject of making love to me together comes up, so we just take turns." "Lucky you." "Sometimes... but it's not easy keeping up with them." Akane sighed. "When the three of us go to Paris, I'm going to see if I can convince them to get over that." Akane winked. Ukyo blushed slightly. "Good luck." "Thanks, I'll need it. I hope you and San-chan can bridge the gap too." Ukyo cocked her head. "Maybe, but I don't think I'd mind staying platonic with her. I almost prefer it that way." "Really?" "Yeah... I love her to death, but I'm not sure either of us are ready to step over that line." "Well, it's only temporary." "Yeah..." Ukyo turned away to hide the frown that formed on her face. -A- -M- -D- The odd family settled into a new routine to accommodate their extra parent. Ukyo found herself mostly cooking, San-kun mostly did everything in the restaurant except cooking--since Ukyo didn't want the new restaurant to burn down--and San-chan took care of the children. Ukyo stood in the entrance to the bathroom and saw San-chan washing the six kids, one after the other. She sighed. "Scrub, scrub, scrub," San-chan said as she scrubbed behind Isai's ears. "Got to keep yourself nice and clean, my son." "Thanks, Mommy!" Ukyo clutched her chest. She must have made some noise, because San-chan looked over and saw Ukyo in the doorway. She smiled and turned back to Isai. "I'm Daddy-chan, your mommy is over there." She pointed towards Ukyo. Isai looked and smiled at Ukyo. "Hi, Mommy!!" Ukyo smiled. "Hi, Isai. Are you kids behaving yourselves?" "Seto has a penis," Iori responded from the tub. Ukyo giggled. "Been teaching them anatomy, huh?" San-chan blushed and nodded. "Yes, they asked about why San-kun was different than me." She looked at the youngest girl in the tub. "Iori seems to like saying that now." "Seto has a penis!" Ukyo smiled. San-chan turned towards the kids, half of who were in the half-filled tub. "I told them that Daddy and Daddy-chan are the same person, just spending a little time apart." Ukyo nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good way to put it for them." "It's the truth," San-chan remarked as she lifted Isai into the tub next to the twins. Ukyo considered this. She turned away to hide the blush that formed on her face when she had seen the naked San-chan bend over to pick up the next dirty kid. -A- -M- -D- "Ukyo?" Ukyo opened her eyes to see San-chan staring down at her. "Huh?" "Ukyo, can I snuggle with you?" "Huh? Ukyo rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "I... want to snuggle a bit," San-chan said, glancing at San-kun on the other side of Ukyo. He was drooling onto his pillow. Ukyo blinked. "Um.. why all of a sudden?" "I just want to be held." Ukyo smiled and held out her hands. "Okay... come here." As San-chan slipped into Ukyo's arms, she said, "But don't do anything dirty." Ukyo laughed and she pulled San-chan to a tight embrace. "I'll try to contain my perverted urges." San-chan sighed contently as she felt Ukyo's warmth flow into her. "Thank you." -A- -M- -D- A little over a week after the Great Nerima Hills Expedition ended, Kasumi put down a thick report and looked across her desk at the three nervous parents. "Well, the good news is that Daiji is healthy and appears to be a normal seven year old." She paused briefly. "Except that she changes sex when splashed with water of various temperatures, of course." Akane's grip tightened on her husband's hand. "Then what's causing these headaches?" "That's the bad news... we just don't know." Kasumi patted the thick report with her hand. "None of the tests we've run or any of the specialists we've taken her to has indicated or found any problem." She reached over and grabbed a second thick report. "In either of her forms. I talked to Mr. and Mrs. Saotome and they said that Ranma never had any problems with headaches when he was growing up " Ranko looked down at the ground. "But what can we do then?" She wrung her hands nervously. "I feel so helpless when I see him in such pain." "Besides frequent checkups and my husband's moxibustion treatments to help decrease the pain, there's nothing we can do at this point. Just give her the medicine when she has her headaches and keep track of when she has them so we can see if there's a pattern." Akane exhaled deeply. "I wish we could do more." Kasumi nodded. "So do I." *********************************************************************** >From the Journal of James Davidson June 12, 2058 It's awful to say this, but I've gotten a lot of good information from other family members while Akane's been unconscious. I glanced up from my wristtop's holo-display at the figure beyond the glass. They say she's better, but she still doesn't look like the Akane I know. Of course, I'm not sure I know who she is anymore. I always knew there was a part of her life that I--and the rest of the world--had no idea about, but since she was injured at the movie premiere I've found out that there is more to her than I could have ever possibly imagined. And then some. Of course, the stories of those around her are almost as amazing. Shashiki told me quite a bit about her mother's problems as Matriarch of the Amazons, the birth of her third brother, her parent's attempts to have another daughter with the help of Doctor Tofu, and what led them to return to the village. Yohachi told me about his first big adventure into the Nerima hills. From what he told me, that experience taught him that his actions affect more than just him and he became very protective of his siblings after that. I could see how angry he was with himself for putting Daiji and the other kids in danger's path--it was a look I've seen in his mother's eyes many times as we've talked about her life. I hate to think what might have happened if those kids weren't trained in martial arts before they were even out of diapers. And Kuno... well, the Mariko they found in his house wasn't really Mariko, of course. As near as I can tell from my research so far, she was actually born Suzanne Berkowitz in a small New Jersey town. I have records of her name change to 'Mariko Kuno' before she moved to Japan, but she never legally married Kuno. She just took his late wife's name and place. I figure she was either as crazy as Kuno or she was after his money. Or both. During my prior interviews with the Kuno family they never referred to the new 'Mariko' as anything but Kuno's wife and mother of his children. Sanma even talked to me about San-chan's first experiences as a mother. It sounds like Ukyo was a little jealous of San-chan's ability to handle their six-pack with such ease. Only their love for each other allowed that unusual family from breaking apart at the stress of having six kids and three parents. Much the same as what kept all families together during... "So, you're still alive and kicking, huh?" The sudden voice shook me out of my thoughts. I looked up and saw an older woman standing in front of the glass and staring through it at Akane. I couldn't quite make out who it was from this angle. The woman placed her hand against the glass. "Don't you die on us, you old hag. You promised my mother you wouldn't die before your job was finished. So, wake up and... and..." I suddenly realized she must not have noticed me in the back of the viewing room where I was reviewing my research notes, so I cleared my throat. The woman turned around, quickly wiping a tear out of her eye. "Oh, Mr. Davidson. I didn't see you there." "Nice to see you again, Ms. Tendo." Nijiko straightened and regained her composure faster than I could have imaged anyone doing. "Yes, you too. I see she's still unconscious." "Yes, I find it hard to stay away. I keep expecting to wake up and find out that she was never injured and the past few weeks have been a bad dream." "That's a fool's view on life," Nijiko insisted, turning back to the window. "You can't make the past disappear." "I know... that's not what I meant." Nijiko pressed her hand against the glass. "And even if you could, what would you change? Every change you'd make would only cause pain for someone else, even if it makes you happy." I had no way to respond to that, so I just slipped next to her and looked through the glass at Akane. "Could you be happy knowing that your decisions have made others unhappy?" Nijiko sighed and looked at me. "At what point is your own happiness more important than those around you?" "I can't be happy if the people around me aren't happy." "A fool." I smiled. "Yeah, that's what people tell me." "No, I'm a fool." "Huh?" "Never mind..." We must have stood there together, looking at Akane through the glass for several minutes before she spoke again. "Mr. Davidson?" "Yes?" "I see you finally started to use a five-thousand." I sensed that she was trying to change the subject as I looked down at the Tendo Wrist Five-thousand I wore on my wrist. "Um... yeah. My old palmtop got smashed in the Tendo One crash, so I had to get a new unit." "How do you like it?" "It's pretty good." Nijiko turned her head and looked at me. "Pretty good?" "Yeah... I love the high resolution holo-display and the speed... well, it's faster than I'd ever imagined a wristtop could be." "And the keyboard?" I ran my fingertips over the small tabs that were arranged so that the four fingers of the user's hand could enter data with just slight movements. The thumb was used to select certain modifier keys along the edge of the unit. It was totally unlike the qwerty layout of my old palmcard and most other systems on the market. "Well, it was a bit tricky to learn how to use it at first, but the Reis talked me through it. Once I got used to it, I found it very easy to use." "I'm glad you like it." "It's an ingenious design." "Yes, even better than my mother's..." *********************************************************************** December 12-13, 2007 - Nerima, Japan Nabiki and three Japanese men sat across a table from five Caucasian businessmen in very stiff looking black suits. The three men at Nabiki's side were in nice suits as well, but not quite as nice as the five men across the table. Nabiki was dressed in a very smart two piece blue and white pinstripe business suit that looked very good on her, pregnant belly and all. Considering how much she spent to get it tailor made to her current proportions, it had better look good. The tailor had gulped when Nabiki had told him exactly that. As his presentation neared its end, the tall man to Nabiki's left indicated a large flat panel screen that hung on the wall of the conference room. "The principal design has been used by three major Japanese data entry firms for the past year and as these figures show-" he said in perfect English, and clicked a small wireless remote in his hand to advance to a pie chart. "-they found their workers could input over thirty percent more records per hour and take fewer breaks due to fatigue." Nabiki smiled pleasantly and looked away from the display towards the five men. She made sure to look directly at the tall, fat, bald man in the middle, while not making it seem like she was ignoring the others. "Thank you, Mr. Kadoya," she said in English. Kadoya bowed and sat down. A couple clicks on his remote and the display turned off and the curtains behind Nabiki opened up, revealing the impressive skyline of Tokyo and the Tokyo tower. Nabiki smiled inwardly as she noticed the men's awed reaction to the panoramic view behind her, just as she hoped. "The keyboard we have developed not only makes data entry faster, it also reduces strain on the hands and wrists. This means that workers will have to take fewer breaks and the chances of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is decreased. The medical studies are fully documented in your packets." She nodded towards the thick binders that each of the men had in front of them, as yet unopened by any of them. She was a little worried about that fact, but didn't let it show on her face. One of the men on the end spoke. "This is all very well and good, Mrs. Tendo, but the keyboards used in these studies were for the Japanese alphabet, not English." "I understand that, Mr. Hansen. We have developed an English keyboard and have tested it as well. Although the results are not as impressive as the Japanese version because of the inherent differences between keying the two languages, even the limited amount of testing we have been able to do has indicated the English layout is also very beneficial to the productivity of the workers using them. The English design shares common parts with the Japanese one and can be made on the same assembly line." "What is the cost?" "We project that once production reaches five to six million units that the keyboards will cost the same to manufacture as the current layouts." Mr. Hansen raised an eyebrow. "And at introduction?" Nabiki smiled pleasantly. "Outside of-" She flinched a bit. "-licensing fees, we'd expect the new keyboards to be a hundred and seventy to two hundred and fifty percent of the cost of existing keyboard production." "They are really simple... it'd just take a little retooling of existing keyboard production lines," the geeky young man on Nabiki's far right said. He had short jet black hair and small, beady little eyes. Nabiki turned to him and gave him a subtle look that told him to shut up. "Thank you, Mr. Gosunkugi." She turned back to the five men, all traces of the look she had given Gosunkugi replaced with a pleasant, but non-threatening smile. "The manufacturing details are in your packets. Now, the..." Nabiki flinched again, this time causing her voice to skip. "The marketing campaign could focus on the benefits of the design for comfort, style, and productivity." "What about the RSI benefits?" Mr. Hansen asked. Nabiki clasped her hands in front of her. "I'm sure you know that absolute statements about the medical benefits of the new design could lead to legal problems down the road." She paused to let her words sink in and to let the small spasm that flowed through her body subside. "We wouldn't want to follow in Dell's footsteps, would we?" The five men gulped in unison and nodded. "Good. We can mention the possible benefits with the appropriate disclaimers, but it shouldn't be the focus of the marketing. You will notice that your pamphlets only contain statistical data on the causes of Repetitive Stress Injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, plus leading scientists' views on ways to prevent it, not guarantees that the Tendo keyboard design will prevent the problem from occurring." Three of the men, including Mr. Hansen, finally opened their binders and started leafing through them. "Page fifty-seven." Nabiki smiled and gripped her stomach. The man in the middle suddenly spoke. "Mrs. Tendo, thank you for your time. I believe we've heard enough." "Shall I have the contracts prepared?" "There's no need." "May I ask why?" "I just don't think it fits our business needs at this time." Nabiki was ready for this. "Since the breakup you've been losing ground to other operating systems. Having a keyboard like this would help repair the damage done during the moon landing." "Those systems were not made to our specifications," Mr. Ballmer replied. "Well, Mr. Ballmer, if you change your mind, my card is on the back cover." Mr. Ballmer nodded. As he stood up, he absently turned to the back of his binder to verify that her card was there. His eyes widened when he saw four pictures on the last page. The pictures showed the English version of the Tendo keyboard with several rows of keys wrapped around an oval space bar in a very fluid pattern. Two special function keys were situated at the neutral points where the thumbs rested. Those keys had a different icon in each picture: a framed window, an apple with a bite taken out of it, a stylized 'N' over a landscape, and a penguin. Several seconds went by as no one spoke. Finally, Nabiki broke the silence. "Is something wrong, Mr. Ballmer?" Mr. Ballmer looked up from the pictures. "Maybe we should discuss the details of the proposed contract." Nabiki smiled pleasantly while her ego was doing somersaults in her head. "Certainly. I'm afraid I have a rather urgent appointment, but I believe Mr. Hisaishi and Mr. Toshio can work out the details with you from here." The two other men on Nabiki's side of the table nodded. Nabiki stood up slowly and bowed. Then she reached across the table. "I look forward to working with your company, Mr. Ballmer." Mr. Ballmer took to offered hand and shook it. "Yes, I think the agreement would be very beneficial to both of our companies." "Yes, thank you for your time." Nabiki looked at her associates. "Mr. Gosunkugi and Mr. Hisaishi, would you see me out?" The two men in question nodded and got up and walked out with Nabiki. As they emerged into the business suite she had rented for this meeting, she turned to the tall Mr. Hisaishi. "Fusa, start at a two year exclusive agreement for the English keyboard design. He'll balk and then you can go up to as much as five years, but no higher. Got it?" "Yes, Mrs. Tendo." Nabiki smiled at Fusa's formality. She required it in front of clients, but not in front of her. That didn't stop Fusa from keeping airs at all times. "Good, now get in there and make us rich. Just don't sign the final agreement until I've signed off on it. I'll have my cell phone with me if you have any trouble." "Yes, Mrs. Tendo." Fusa bowed and returned to the meeting room. Nabiki looked at the other man. "Gosunkugi, I..." "I'm sorry!" Gosunkugi blurted. "I didn't mean to interrupt before. I..." Nabiki shook her head. "That's alright. Don't worry about that. I need you to do two things for me." "Of course, anything you want!" "I need you to call an ambulance and then my husband." "Why?" Nabiki lowered herself into one of the chairs in the elegant lobby. "I'm in labor. The contractions started just after the meeting began and are about ten..." She grabbed her large belly. "Make that five minutes apart." Gosunkugi's eyes went wide and then the blood drained out of his face. Nabiki watched him fall unconscious to the floor and start to drool on the plush carpeting. "If he wasn't so talented designing computer equipment, I'd..." She sighed and reached into her suit. Pulling out her cell phone, she dialed the emergency services number. "Sometimes you just have to do things yourself, I guess." -A- -M- -D- Mousse crashed into the delivery room. "I'm here!!" "Who are you?" "I'm your husband, my dear wife." Mousse leaned down to kiss her, but found himself punched in his stomach. He grunted as he crashed to the floor. Slipping his glasses on he stared at the woman with her legs spread wide before him. "Deeod?" He looked around. "Where's Nabiki?" "I don't know... grrrrrrr..." Deeod clenched her teeth and bore down. "Push... push... push..." the doctor droned. "Where's Rant?" "She's.... gerrrrrr...." Deeod started to pant. "She's next... door... giving birth to... Mr. and Mrs. Tendo's child." "Oh..." Mousse looked around. "Wow... imagine all three of you going into labor at the same time." "Grrrrrr..." -A- -M- -D- "Nabiki?" Mousse said poking his head into the delivery room. "Next door!!" Rant said before she bore down. "Yaayyyyy!! My baby's coming!!" little Hinako cried out and jumped around the delivery room. "Hina... calm down," Soun said from beside Rant's bed. He was sitting in a chair and holding her hand. "You're doing great, Rant." "I... I... wish Deeod could be here." Suddenly, the wall between Deeod and Rant's delivery rooms collapsed. "Where the heck am I now!?" "Ryoga?" Mousse gasped. "Mousse? Where am I?" Ryoga asked, looking around. "A hospital in Tokyo. In particular, a delivery room." "Oh..." Ryoga scratched his stubble on his chin. "You okay, man?" "Yeah... just that I can't find my family." He looked around. "What are you doing here?" "Oh... well, Nabiki is giving...." Mousse's eyes went wide as he remembered why he was there. "Nabiki!" He shot out of the room. Deeod looked through the hole in the wall at her wife. "Rant..." Rant turned her head and smiled. "How are our babies?" Deeod looked down at her stomach and the doctor. "So far, so good. How about their child?" "Yayyyy!!! Baby's coming!!" Rant smiled as the little girl jumped over her bed. "You'll probably beat me, since my doctor says I'm not fully dilated yet." "This is not a race, my love." "I know..." "Akari?!" Ryoga yelled as he wandered out of the room by way of another new hole he had just made. -A- -M- -D- Mousse slowly opened the door and peeked in. "Nabiki?" Nabiki looked up from her new baby and smiled. "You're a little late, Daddy." "Um... sorry." Mousse slipped beside Nabiki's hospital bed. "I had trouble finding you." "You've been spending too much time with Ryoga when he visits." Mousse shrugged his shoulders and reached out to touch his new child for the first time. "Maybe." Nabiki smiled and proudly told him her big news. "It's a boy and we closed the deal with Microsoft." Mousse smiled, only caring about the first part. "My son." He leaned down and gave his wife a kiss. The family enjoyed their newest acquisition for several minutes until a voice spoke from the doorway. "Someone wants to see her new brother." They looked over and saw Kasumi holding their one-year-old daughter in her arms. Nabiki smiled. "Bring her over." Kasumi walked over and placed the little girl next to her new brother. Nabiki looked into her daughter's multi-colored eyes. "Nijiko, this is your new brother, Kamosu." Nijiko proceeded to spit up on her new brother. "Oh my." *********************************************************************** >From the Journal of James Davidson June 12, 2058 "Your mom went into labor during a business meeting and didn't leave until the deal was as good as signed?" "Yes, what else could she do? Business is business." I guess it shouldn't surprise me that Nijiko would feel that way. "More people think of family first." "My mother was providing for her children's future by closing that deal. It may not have broken Microsoft's wallet, but it started Tendo Enterprises down the road to the global corporation I've built it into today." "Yes, I can understand that." Nijiko flipped a stray piece of white hair out of her eyes. "And I'll take the time my mom spent with me and my brothers over the time Akane spent with her kids making them into killing machines." I gasped at the way she talked about her cousins. I was about to say something--although I'm not sure how I could respond to that statement--when a voice called out. "My children are not killers." Nijiko and my head turned towards the glass and saw Akane staring at us with weary, bloodshot eyes. "Akane!!" Nijiko exchanged a silent glare with her aunt before speaking. "Welcome back to the living." Akane nodded. "My children..." She coughed. "My children are not killers. Neither was Kamosu." Nijiko didn't reply. Instead, she turned and silently left the viewing room. I watched the door close behind her and then turned back towards Akane. "Are you alright?" "Yes, I..." Akane response was cut off when several nurses barged into the critical care room Akane was in and swarmed around her. "Call Doctor Ono... both of them." "Vitals are good." "Disable the feed to her lungs or she'll hyperventilate." "I'm not getting any better by you all treating me like a side of beef!!" Akane snapped, pulling her arms out of the nurses' grip. "Matriarch... please let us check you out." Akane sighed. "I'm... alright." She coughed violently, a trickle of blood spilling out of her mouth. "I think." -A- -M- -D- June 18, 2058 The next several days were very hectic around the Compound. More hectic than normal, that is. Akane had finally awoken from the sleep induced by the tissue knitter regimen that was repairing her lungs. In the brief time I saw her, she still looked pretty weak and the way the nurses swarmed around her made me worried. It wasn't until after Moyashi and Kasumi arrived and checked her out--Akane wasn't as irritable with them as she was with the nurses --that they started letting her family come to see her. I was only able to see her briefly before the flood of other visitors began. I guess I should be lucky to have been in front of the line since I was there when she awoke. Apparently, the rotation has come around to me again because there was a note in my calendar for me to see Akane today. I made way down the clinic hallway on the path I'd taken many times in the past month and swung open the door to the viewing room. "Wha..." I gasped and looked around the empty critical care room. "Where is she?" I wandered out into the hallway and looked for signs of activity. Unlike the past month's frantic comings and goings in the clinic, there wasn't anyone in sight now. "Locate Akane Tendo." The Compound's systems replied back instantly. "The Matriarch is currently at her residence." She's home already? Ten minutes later, I walked up to the porch overlooking her garden and saw her sitting on a rocking chair. She looked a lot better than the last time I saw her, but I could see several wires and I.V. tubes leading from under her fancy, gold-trimmed kimono into an assortment of portable medical equipment that was piled at her side. "Hi, James," Akane said, smiling pleasantly. I smiled back and then looked around to see if anyone else was around, but didn't see anyone. "Hi, Akane. I didn't expect you to be out of the clinic already." A flash of white caught my eye and I looked at the side of the house. I smiled as I saw at least two nurses looking around the corner at Akane. Keeping an eye on their charge while avoiding Akane's wrath, no doubt. "They freaked when I said I wanted to return home, but..." Akane coughed. "But no one defies the mighty Matriarch." I smirked. "Getting critically injured has inflated your ego, I see." "Does every time." Akane thumped her chest where the tentacle had pierced it. "That which does not kill you, makes you appreciate life all the more." "That's not exactly how that saying goes." "I'm already strong enough, thank you." Akane leaned back and sighed. "These days, I only train to stay in shape. Now is my time to relax and enjoy life." "Until the next battle." Akane huffed. "You are sure a downer sometimes, James." She gestured to a chair that was by her side. "Sit down, won't you?" As I sat down on the chair, the question that has been haunting me popped into my mind and wouldn't leave until I asked it. "Um... when you were in the clinic... um..." "Spit it out." "There was a light from your chest." Akane gasped and put her hand to her chest. "You saw that, did you?" "Yes. What is it?" Akane looked away at the mid-morning sun. "My life." I didn't really expect an answer, not even a cryptic one like that. "Care to explain that?" "I can't, it's too dangerous." I knew she'd say something like that. "Are you human?" Akane's jaw dropped at the unexpected question. "What a question." "Most human's don't have glow in the dark chests. Are you?" Akane smirked. "I'll have you know that my chest doesn't glow in the dark unless there's a gaping hole in it." "And the light is caused by?" I prompted. "Something that drives me to fight and keeps me from falling into despair." I sighed. "Will you ever give me a straight answer?" Akane smirked. "Maybe, but talking about life is more pleasant." "I thought the light was your life?" "It's my life and my death." Akane smiled. "My children keep me from dying, since without them my life means nothing." "I've got a headache now..." I rubbed my forehead, after trying to figure out what she meant. "I told you it was dangerous." "I give up." Akane smiled in triumph. "That'll teach you to go up against me. I never lose." I sighed. "Well, what do you want to talk about then?" "A happy story." "Such as?" Akane thought for a few moments. And then smiled. "My first honeymoon." I frowned. "You already told me about your time in Hawaii with Ranko." "No... my first honeymoon with Ranko AND Ranma." I cringed. "Can you save the dirty stuff for some other time?" "Who said I was going to get detailed about that?" Akane smirked. "You've got a dirty mind, James." I guess she's recovering pretty well. This is the Akane I know and love. And occasionally the Akane that drives me up the wall. -A- -M- -D- Sweat poured from my forehead. "Please stop." Akane took a labored breath. "Why?" "I'm sure you had fun, but could you skip the detailed explanation for once?" "You'd think you'd cherish my little stories after coming so close to losing me." I sighed. "I do enjoy your stories, but I really don't need to know the mechanics of where tab A went into slot B, okay?" "Don't forget slot C." I blushed and looked away. "Don't remind me." *********************************************************************** April 12-19, 2009 - Nerima, Japan "We're home!" Akane shouted as she and her two husbands made their appearance in the family room doorway. One point six seconds later the three of them were jumped on by three kids. After an assortment of kicks, punches, hugs, and kisses were exchanged between the three parents and their three oldest, a little one-year-old boy crawled across the floor and did his best to climb onto his birth mother's leg. Ranko smiled and did an impressive fall backwards, pulling her youngest onto her chest. "Oh... I've been pinned by such a strong boy!" "Unka Ranko wussy!" Ranko glared at the little boy sitting calmly between Soun and Hinako. "Gee, thanks a lot, little brother-in-law." The boy giggled and curled up to his little mother's leg. "There, there, little Biri." Hinako smiled and stroked her son's black hair. He didn't have a mustache like his father, but most people thought he looked like his father otherwise. Except for his innocent brown eyes, which are without a doubt from his mother. "So, how was Paris, Akane?" Soun asked. Akane wore a large smile as she lay on her back and tossed Daiji into the air. "It was great, Dad. Springtime in Paris." She let out a contented sigh that turned into a gasp when Daiji bounced off her stomach. "I hope the kids weren't a problem." "Not at all. Only a few scrapes and contusions, without a single concussion." Akane wondered if that was the kids or her father. She decided it was likely both. Ranma stopped tickling Ayami long enough to look at his wife. "See, I told you they'd be in one piece when we got ho..." Ranma's statement was cut off when Yohachi's foot impacted his chin. Akane laughed as she grabbed Daiji and drew her oldest into a hug. "Yeah, I know. It's just the first time we've been way from them for so long." "So how are Saotome and his traveling sideshow?" Soun asked after the weary travelers had a chance to relax a bit, and gather around the table. Akane laughed at the description. "We only saw them for a couple days, but they seem to be happy." Ranma smiled. "I can't believe I have another little sister." Ranko scowled. "Another?" "Yeah, you, Sanma, and little Tsugi." If Ranko wasn't having so much fun tickling her son, she'd have beat Ranma into a bloody pulp. Instead, she just stuck her tongue out at her co-husband. Soun laughed and patted his young son's head. "Yes... well, I think four are enough for me." "Actually, Dear, I'm pregnant," Hinako said, looking at her husband with her innocent child-like eyes. Years ago, Akane would have expected her father to flood the room after hearing that. Instead, he just smiled at his wife in her child form. "Very funny, Honey." Hinako smiled back and then popped a sucker into her mouth. "Anyway, I invited them to come back to Japan with us, but after..." Akane trailed off and looked nervously at her husbands. "After?" Soun prompted. Ranko smiled awkwardly. "After Kenage broke the Eiffel Tower, they decided to leave Paris and continue their world tour. They mentioned heading to Italy." Soun thought about what there was in Italy that the might have to pay for. Ranma laughed. "Decided to leave Paris... right. They're lucky they weren't found in the trunk of the cab we snuck them out of the city in." Ranko nodded. "It looked a little like one of those old movies where the villagers storm a castle with pitchforks and torches." Akane dug into her purse and pulled out an envelope of photographs. She leafed through them quickly and then pulled one out and showed everyone. "Here, this is just before Kenage pulled that girder out." Soun leaned forward and examined the picture. "Kenage's grown quite a bit." Ranma nodded. "Yeah, he's almost as tall as Ranko." He glanced at his sister. "Stronger too." "Hey! I took it easy on the kid!" Ranko insisted and then muttered, "You lose one little sparring match and suddenly he's stronger..." Daiji looked closely at the picture. "I thought you said you went far away?" Akane smiled. "We did. Paris is on the other side of the world." "But the Tokyo Tower is here in Japan." Daiji pointed at the picture. Akane laughed. "No, that's the Eiffel tower in Paris." "Tokyo Tower," Daiji insisted. "They look similar, but they are different." "Why?" Akane shrugged. "Akane dear, I covered this in one of my classes when I substituted for the history teacher," little Hinako reminded her daughter-in-law in a very teacher-like tone of voice. Akane gulped. "Um... sorry." -A- -M- -D- "It's a... girl!" Dr. Tofu looked up from the lab report he had just received. "Congratulations." Yukiko and Shinuma jumped into each other's arms and kissed. Dr. Tofu averted his eyes from the kissing couple and scanned the report. "All signs point to her being healthy and in a little over seven months you should be parents of a bouncing baby girl... err... bouncing baby warrior." The kiss ended and Yukiko looked at Dr. Tofu, a huge smile plastered on her face. "The Amazon term is 'battling newborn warrior'. Thank you for all your help." She put her hand on her still flat stomach, as if trying to touch her future daughter. Dr. Tofu nodded. "I don't know if those moxibustion and accupressure techniques we used helped ensure a girl or not, but I'm glad to have helped in any way possible." Shinuma looked at his wife. "So are we." He looked back at Dr. Tofu and bowed slightly. "Thank you again." After finishing their appointment with Dr. Tofu, Yukiko put on her plastic suit and made her way back to the Compound. Naturally, she earned some odd stares from the people they passed. They neared the Compound and spotted Nipplering necking with her fiance. Yukiko cleared her throat loudly. Nipplering's lips reluctantly slipped off Jitaru's. "Yeah, what..." When she saw Yukiko, her eyes shot open and she snapped to attention, causing Jitaru to fall onto his butt. "Oh! Matriarch, how did your appointment go?" Yukiko smiled. "It's a warrior." Nipplering turned around and called into the open doors of the Compound. "It's a warrior!!" The call was repeated as each Amazon took up the chant. This time, Yukiko didn't mind the chant at all. -A- -M- -D- A week later, a mob descended on the Compound. Well, officially they were guests at a barbecue party to welcome Akane and her husbands home and to say goodbye to Yukiko and her family before they returned to China in a few days. In short, it was an excuse to have a big party. In Nerima--and in particular in the Compound--guests were often called mobs. Usually by those who weren't invited to the party. The uninvited guests usually became known as the uninvited mob when they attacked, lobbed heavy appliances over the Compound wall, or called the cops, Japan Self Defense Force, or Elvis to save them from the Tendos. In this case, the invited guests and/or mob weren't all strangers to the Compound, but some were. Those people might be in for a bit of a shock. Ukyo, Sanma, and their six kids were the first to arrive, having learned that arriving anywhere after other guests had already arrived led to major tether knots. The tethers in question connected the three-year-olds to at least one of their parents to keep the kids in sight and out of trouble. They worked great when there weren't that many interesting things or people to go examine, but if exposed to too many new things at once each kid ended up going in random directions and producing what their parents called the 'Kuonji Never One Trajectory'. A K.N.O.T. in other words. Based on prior experience, Seto was tethered to both parents and also to a two-meter long spike that was driven into the ground. Although not nearly as destructive, Seto shared some common traits with his Uncle Kenage, despite never having met him. Genetics is a powerful force in the Saotome family. Scary too. Mousse, Nabiki, and their two kids came with several of Nabiki's business associates. Gosunkugi looked very odd in the tuxedo he wore to the party since no one told him it was a casual barbecue. Of course, he would be forgiven for thinking this was a business party since when Nabiki invited him and his co-workers, she had said it was in appreciation for all their hard work and in celebration of the five millionth 'Microsoft Tendo Keyboard (TM)' being sold in America. For Nabiki's reasoning behind this, one only has to consider that the barbecue was free while a fancy party at a Tokyo restaurant was not. The doctors Ono, their son and twin girls, Kasumi's friend Ami, and her boyfriend arrived after the Tendo Enterprises contingent. The two women spent a good deal of time fielding cell phone calls and pages from their respective hospitals. A doctor is never truly off duty, after all. Ryoga, his wife, and their three kids broke through the west wall when they arrived. Ryoga was tethered to his wife in order to avoid his wandering off and getting lost. The kids had grown out of playing 'Hide and go seek Daddy', so Ryoga was on his own if and when he got lost. Jitaru and Nipplering sat together, with his parents sitting between the odd couple. Nipplering did her best to be respectful and not do anything that would freak out his parents. She probably should have worn a less revealing set of armor. Think Xena, then subtract a few inches of armor all around and add a few inches to her body measurements and you arrive at a fairly accurate image of what Nipplering looked like at that moment. Deeod and Rant were proudly showing off their two children, a boy and a warrior. When anyone asked who the father was, they would each both point to the other parent. That shut the questions up real fast. Yukiko and Shinuma were under an awning designed to keep out any unexpected rain. Yukiko's ever present plastic suit was there to prevent water from any other direction, but the headpiece was not attached at the moment. Their three older kids and Floss were running between them and the other kids, while two armed Amazons made sure no one with water got near her. Their youngest son, Razor, sat on his father's lap and cooed softly. There were other assorted friends, neighbors, and schoolmates spread out around the large lawn. Some were there to have fun, some to say goodbye to Yukiko and her family, and some for the free food. And of course, the residents of the Tendo house were there as well. Soun, Hinako, and their young son were enjoying the party's music. Akane, Ranma, and Ranko sat near Ukyo and her family. Except for their youngest--who was curled up in Akane's lap--their kids were mostly making an effort to talk to, play with, punch, or avoid the other guests. Not necessarily in that order. Due to all the noise, the police were called by a couple of neighbors who hadn't been invited. Mostly because they always complained about the noise, explosions, random property damage, and assorted mayhem. Instead of shutting the party down, the police joined in and had a hell of a time. What cop could resist Nabiki's fifth annual Amazon wet T-shirt contest? The party had been in full swing for over an hour when the first chi ball appeared and shot towards the newest arrival. Kuno dodged the chi ball, which was perfectly aimed to hit him, but not his wife and two kids. "How dare you fart in my general direction!!" Ranma smirked. "My farts are deadlier than that." "Fart... fart... fart..." Ayami started chanting, her siblings quickly joined her. "Kids, quiet please," Akane said with a stern tone, causing the kids to quiet down. Ukyo looked at her husband and sighed. "I wish we could do that." Sanma nodded and then reached out and pulled Seto close to him to keep the little boy from chewing through his tether. "Kuno, what are you doing here, you..." Ranko glanced at her kids. "You not nice person?" "I t'was invited to this food feast for the common folk." Kuno held up an invitation. "What?" Ranma asked and looked at his wife. "Who did the invitations?" Akane looked at Nabiki. "You didn't do this to us again, did you?" Nabiki shook her head and then glared at Gosunkugi. "Sorry, Ma'am, I thought when you said to send the invitations out to the usual troublemakers that mean Kuno too." Gosunkugi scratched his heads. Nabiki sighed and looked at Akane. "Sorry." Akane shook her head sadly. "Kuno, I'm sorry for the mistake, but I would really rather you left." "Ah, but I must refuse. For you to turn us away would be the ultimate insult." Akane sighed and looked around at all the other party goers, who had stopped whatever they were doing and were watching the confrontation intently. "Okay, but if you do anything to upset us or cause trouble, you'll regret it." "Of course, my dear Akane, I would not think of causing trouble at your fair party." Kuno and his family sat down next to Akane's family. -A- -M- -D- Seven minutes and eleven seconds later--a new record--a charred and smoking Kuno flew through the sky towards his mansion. 'Mariko' stood up and bowed. "Thank you for the pleasant party." She collected her two kids and departed, using the trail of smoke in the sky to locate her husband. Ranko watched the girl and two kids leave. "That woman scares me." Akane nodded. "Well, she's Kuno's problem, not ours." After watching where his blast had sent Kuno, Ranma sat down next to Akane. "I don't mind her or the kids, but he hasn't changed." "Mariko is actually quite nice," Hinako said in her deep adult voice. Her bowl of fighting fish floated nearby, where the two fish's battle was being intently watched by her infant son. "I see her at the lingerie shop once in a while and she's very pleasant to talk to." Akane looked over at he stepmother. "Maybe, but why is she playing the part of Kuno's wife?" Ranma wrapped his arms around Akane. "Don't worry about it, just enjoy the party." Akane smiled. "I will." -A- -M- -D- The next day, another goodbye party was held. "Ho... ho... today we have very sad thing to do. We must be saying goodbye to these here keikis." The Principal's palm tree bounced on top of his head as he joyfully pointed at Shashiki and Floss. "They be going back to China, but we should say goodbye in the nicest way." Shashiki looked a little embraced in front of the class. Considering she was dressed in very gaudy and oversized Hawaiian shirt, her embarrassment was understandable. Floss, on the other hand, stood stiffly in her Hawaiian shirt and maintained her proud and noble attitude. Or as the other kids called it: she was still stuck up. The Principal shuffled over and put leis on both Amazon kids and then picked up his ukulele. The kids--including Shashiki and Floss--quickly put their hands over their ears to protect them from the coming onslaught. The Amazon warriors watching from the trees outside the newly renamed 'Nerima Hawaiian Elementary School' didn't get their hands up in time and crashed to the ground, writhing in pain. The Principal finished his musical tribute to the two departing kids and then smashed the ukulele over his head. "Hee... hee... no more music now!!" The kids applauded his music like they never had before. Meaning they clapped and cheered instead of just staring in stunned silence at the Principal. "Oh... oh... keikis finally appreciate me music." The Principal put his hand to his chest, as if touched. "Me very touched. You all get 'A's in music appreciation." The kids cheered even more. Except for Shashiki and Floss. "Doesn't 'A' meant kissing to the Japanese?" Shashiki asked Floss. "At least that's what that anime we always watch says." Floss grimaced. "I have no desire to be kissed by the Principal." Yohachi leaned over and whispered to the two Amazons. "A is a grade for our lessons. It's a good thing." "Oh," Shashiki and Floss said unison. "Then I'd like a lot of 'A' s," Floss said straight-faced. -A- -M- -D- "One..." Ranko said, looking nervously at the targets. "Two..." Ranma said, looking around for innocent bystanders. "Three!!" Akane shouted and then ducked behind the pile of sandbags. "Meowing Kitty Blast!!" four students called out as they formed four chi balls between their outstretched arms. One chi ball fell short and blew a chunk out of the lawn. Three chi balls flashed towards the four steel drums, which seemed to have a picture of Kuno painted on them. Although the person who had painted the image, Ranma, would deny that if asked. Considering how badly drawn they were, no one would ever be able to prove it was supposed to look like Kuno. Two hit their targets and caused a terrific explosion of metal tearing thunder. One hit a house next door to the Compound and blew a chunk of its new tile roof off. Five people called the police only to be told that "they'd look into it". In Nerima-speak, that meant that they'd take a nap for a couple hours and then forget about going to the Compound, or as the police referred to it, 'where?' One person called their lawyer. The lawyer had dealt with Nabiki Tendo before and quickly hung up the phone after insisting in a funny voice that they were a Chinese laundry and not a law firm. Floss frowned and looked at the hole she had made. "Shave would love that hole, but it wasn't my intended target." Ranma poked his head out from behind the sandbags and smiled. "That's okay, Floss, you can do it. You just have to have more confidence and concentrate more." Floss straightened and looked at her sensei. "Of course I will do it, I'm an Amazon." Ranma smiled at the Amazon girl's change from being upset at her performance to her normal superior attitude. Yohachi gulped. "Sorry about that house." Akane pulled her son into a hug. "That's okay, but you'll have to apologize to the neighbors and we'll take the repair cost out of your damage allowance." Yohachi sighed. "I know." Daiji looked at her brother. "What's wrong, Yoyo? You usually hit the target." "I'm just not used to firing it with other people around." Yohachi rubbed his head and looked at the other two chi students, Shashiki and Floss. "The other blasts distracted me." "No, you just have to learn to shoot straight." "Floss!!" Shashiki gasped at her friend's bluntness. She was used to it, but she hoped to break her friend of that particular habit one day. "What?" Floss responded. Shashiki sighed. "Don't you talk that way about my brother!" Daiji said, rolling up her sleeves. "Your shot was even worse!" Before her parents could scold Daiji for yelling, Floss frowned and bowed before Daiji. "I'm sorry, Daiji, I did not mean to belittle your brother. For a boy, he's very nice." Daiji seemed confused. "Um... well... okay then." Relieved that the little argument ended peacefully, Akane knelt down in front of the kids. "Now remember, kids, this attack is only to be used in dire emergencies when your life or other peoples' are in danger. Understand?" The four kids nodded. "And anything you blow up comes out of your damage allowances. Understand?" The four kids nodded. "Okay, that's blowing up stuff class for this week," Ranma said, patting Daiji on her backside. "Go play now." Akane looked at Shashiki and Floss. "You two have to continue practicing on your own once you return to China. Just remember to concentrate and focus on your 'inner confidence'." Shashiki and Floss bowed in front of their teachers. "Yes, we will do our best not to dishonor your noble teachings." Shashiki smiled and nodded to Floss. "Yeah, what Floss said except mine would be more heartfelt." "Shashiki!" Floss gasped and took a swing at the taller girl. Shashiki laughed as she ducked the playful swing and took off running. "Catch me if you can, slowpoke!!" Floss gave chase, closely followed by Daiji and Yohachi. The three parents watched the kids run away, laughing and enjoying their childhood. Akane sighed. "They grow up so fast. One day you're changing their diapers and the next they're blowing stuff up." Ranma smiled and wrapped his arm around Akane. "Yeah... Guess Ayami is next." Ranko nodded. "Yeah... but she doesn't want to start unless Kasumi lets Moyashi take chi training." Akane smiled. "I think it's sweet how Ayami looks after Moyashi." Ranko ran her hand through her red hair. "We're doing pretty good as parents, aren't we?" Before Ranma or Akane could answer, an explosion rang out from where the kids had disappeared. The three parents looked at each other and then without a word they walked towards the pillar of smoke that rose to the south. They started running when a second explosion was heard. -A- -M- -D- That night--which was the night before Yukiko, her husband, her kids, and her entourage were scheduled to leave and return to China--three girls lay on the roof and stared at the sky. "It's pretty," Shashiki remarked as a shooting star streaked past the half moon. "I wonder what causes the stars to fall?" Floss asked. "I agree with Shashiki... it's pretty," Daiji remarked. "Yes, but why?" Shashiki smiled. "Just lay back and enjoy it for once without worrying about the details. Okay, Floss?" "Neither of you know, do you?" Daiji gulped. "No." "Well... no," Shashiki admitted a little more reluctantly. Floss smirked and turned her head to Daiji. "Daiji?" "Yes?" "I'll miss you." "Yeah, me too. You guys are harder to beat than Yoyo." "Well, we are Ama..." Floss's declaration of Amazon superiority was cut off when a blur came out of nowhere and kicked Daiji off the roof. "Beat that, Daiji!" Yohachi yelled and struck a pose. Daiji's foot struck his chin a moment later after she had jumped back onto the roof seeking her revenge. "Cheap shot!" Yohachi was thrown back from the impact. As his back hit the roof, he sprung to the side to avoid the follow up punch by Daiji and lashed out with his foot. Daiji easily avoided the leg sweep and pegged Yohachi in the back. "Mommy said to stop fighting." Yohachi's fist stopped two centimeters in front of Daiji's face and he looked at the newcomer. "Huh?" Ayami smiled and straightened her cute little dress that had gotten ruffled when she jumped onto the roof. "Mommy heard you fighting and sent me to tell you to stop." Yohachi sighed and let his fist drop. "Darn, I never get to have any fun." "Help me!" Ayami looked at where she had come up and saw two familiar hands hanging onto the edge of the roof for dear life. "You have to work on the height of your leaps, Moyashi," She said as she rushed over and helped her cousin onto the roof. Moyashi blushed. "I know." He looked around the roof. "What are you guys doing up here anyway?" Shashiki smiled and looked up at the sky. "Watching the stars fall out of the sky." Moyashi looked up. "Oh... why do they fall?" Floss giggled, startling the other kids a bit since she didn't giggle often. In fact, this was the first time the Nerima kids had heard her giggle. "They don't know." The kids all lay down on the roof and stared at the night sky. Before long, they had seen dozens of stars streak across the sky. "It's pretty." Shashiki smiled at hearing Floss's comment. They stayed up there for another half-hour before their respective parents called from them to come down and get to sleep. Daiji was about to leap off the roof when Floss grabbed her arm gently. "Daiji?" "Yes?" Daiji asked, looking back at the Amazon girl. "Before we leave... can you..." Daiji cocked her head. "Can I?" Floss bowed her head. "Can you please fight me in a full match?" Daiji looked confused. "Why?" "Of all the kids here, you are my only equal. I would consider it an honor to be beaten up by you." Daiji smirked. "Well, okay. Tomorrow morning before you all leave, okay?" Floss smiled broadly. "Thank you!" She leapt into the other girl's arms and gave her a tight hug. "Hey! I said tomorrow morning!!" Daiji yelled as she broke the 'hold' and flipped Floss over her shoulder. -A- -M- -D- "Begin!!" Floss jumped to the side to avoid Daiji's first kick and then back flipped to avoid the leg sweep the kick was meant to disguise. She lashed out with a series of rapid punches, all of which missed Daiji by a wide margin. Daiji spun around and landed a savage kick to her opponent's back and then slammed down on the Amazon's shoulder. Floss went down, but wasn't out of the fight. She rolled to the side and landed a kick to Daiji's shin. "Shit!!" "Language!" Akane shouted from where she, her husbands, and their other kids watched the match. Yukiko and her family were sitting nearby as well. Daiji lashed out at Floss with a series of fast Chestnut punches, placing her punches to keep Floss from escaping to the side. Floss tried every maneuver she knew to escape to the side, but every time she tried she would feel a hard punch from Daiji that was aimed to keep her backing away. Even a back flip only sped up Floss being herded into the back corner of the Dojo, someplace she didn't want to be because she knew it would be easy for Daiji to finish her off in such close quarters. She lashed out with her own feet and fists, but only managed glancing blows to her opponent. Sweat was flying from Daiji's brow as she sent punch after punch at the young Amazon. Her broad smile betrayed how much she was enjoying the match. Floss had different thoughts as Daiji's fist hit her already bruised chest. She gasped as Daiji's foot connected with her gut, sending her crashing backwards against the back corner. Before Daiji could jump onto her and finish the match Floss jumped straight up, every muscle in her body protesting the leap. Daiji spun to the side and avoided the Amazon's attack from above. "Ha!" she taunted and lashed out with her legs. Floss felt her legs buckle under her. Partly due to exhaustion of the fight and partly because of Daiji's well placed kick to her thighs. Crumpling to the ground she looked up and grinned. Daiji was startled to see the grin. It was a grin of triumph, not of defeat. She looked around for some trick and had just started looking up when a bucket of water crashed onto her head, splashing cold water across her body and causing her to transform into a young boy. Shashiki slapped her head in disgust. Daiji shook his hair dry and then jumped at Floss, but Floss slipped to the side and managed to land a savage kick to the small of his back. Before Daiji could retaliate, she had sprung away. Daiji laughed. "Smart move, but..." He jumped to the left of Floss and then into the air. Floss spun to the side, trying to get out of Daiji's range while still trying to keep an eye on him. She sprung back and narrowly avoided blocking Daiji's fist with her face. Daiji frowned when his latest series of punches missed their targets. He took a second to scan the dojo for a steaming kettle. Instead, he saw something that would be even better. Floss dodged a long series of punches and kicks, smiling from ear to ear. The smile vanished when Daiji jumped into the air, arcing over her head. She rolled to the side and then did a back flip. Swinging around, she tried to reacquire her opponent. That's when she saw that Daiji had rebounded off one of the rafters of the ceiling. Unfortunately, she only found that out when Daiji's foot slammed into her chest, sending her crashing backwards and into one of the dojo walls. "Ooooofff..." Daiji jumped forward and sat on top of Floss's chest. "Give up?" he asked, smiling. "An Amazon never gives up." "Then should I keep hitting you?" Daiji cocked his head and cracked his knuckles. Floss sighed. "No, I have been honorably defeated, but I battled to the end." Daiji laughed and stood up, holding out his hand to the girl that he had just beaten up. "That was fun." Floss smiled weekly and took the offered hand. "Yes, but more fun for you perhaps." She bowed deeply in front of Daiji. "Thank you for giving me a full match." Ranma huffed. "Kamajirou wasn't that polite when I beat him in our challenge match." Ranko laughed. "Kamajirou was a punk with no honor, we're lucky to be rid of him." "It still bothers me that we failed with him." Ranko sighed. "You're bumming me out, man. Forget about that creep, we've had dozens of other students who have excelled in our classes." "Yeah, but..." "I won, Mommy!!" Daiji chorused as he skipped over and interrupted Ranma's Ryoga impersonation. Ranko's eye twitched as she smiled at her son. "I'm very proud of you." Floss strode slowly up to Daiji's side. "I had hoped that Daiji's boy form would be easier to beat." Daiji smiled. "I am a bit slower when I'm a boy, but Papa taught me to use the differences in my forms to my advantage." Akane leaned over to Ranma and whispered to him. "I hope that training didn't include revealing her chest as an distraction when she gets older." Ranma smiled and shook his head. "Nope, not my daughter." Inside, Daiji made a mental note to do more training as a boy. -A- -M- -D- An hour later, the residents of the Compound all said goodbye to Yukiko, her family, Floss, and the Amazon warriors who accompanied them to Japan. A lot of hugs, kisses, and tears were exchanged as the friends--new and old--said goodbye to the people who had called the Compound home for the previous two years. The Amazons made their way towards the train station, stopping by Ucchan's on the way. Sanma hefted the backpack onto her back and looked back at her wife and kids. "Are you sure you can handle the..." She paused and decided not to mention her worries about Ukyo being able to handle the 6-pack all by herself. The two of them had a hard enough time keeping their six kids out of trouble, having only one parent around was tempting fate. "Um... can you handle everything yourself?" Ukyo nodded, knowing what her husband was worried about. "Yes, we'll be fine. Go bring my man back to us." Sanma smirked. "I will." She gave her wife a kiss and then walked off with the Amazons. Ukyo rushed back into the restaurant when a loud crash was heard. "Seto!" -A- -M- -D- So, peace and calm returned to Nerima. For about a day. Which was about the average amount of time that the peace lasted in Nerima. -A- -M- -D- April 24, 2009 - Sacred Painted Cliffs, China; Joketsuzoku, China "Wow!!" Lather gasped and stared at the cliff walls spread out in front of him. Shave shrugged his shoulders and dropped to the ground and started to dig in the dirt. Shashiki and Floss both studied the cliff walls, marveling at the intricate paintings of figures dressed in old-fashioned armor. Yukiko was in her plastic suit and cuddled up to her husband's side, who had Razor tucked into a blanket on his lap. "See, there's interesting things to see near the village too." Sanma tilted her head as she examined the faded images. "Who are the paintings of?" Yukiko smiled. "According to legend, those are the First Matriarch and the Amazon Gods." She pointed at the figure dressed in golden robes who stood between two very well endowed women. "See? The one in the middle is wearing the First Matriarch's armor." "Wow!!" the kids all gasped. Even Shave took time out from his digging to look at the cliff. Sanma smiled. "Every time I've come by here on my way to Jusenkyo to activate my new curse, I never knew this canyon was here." Yukiko smiled. "It's not easy to find and the Amazons try not to let outsiders know that it's here since this place is so sacred to us." Sanma nodded. "They're pretty impressive paintings." "Although from here they look like paintings-" Shinuma began to explain. "-they are actually a combination of using the existing rock colors and a cement mixture that has colored rock mixed in with it." Yukiko smiled at her husband playing the teacher again. His ability to teach their kids more than 'The Amazon Way' was one of the reasons she stayed in the village. "Why didn't they show more details?" Floss asked. Shinuma smiled. "They probably did, but the artwork is very old. It's a testament to the artist's skill that it has held up this well." Before continuing on their return journey to the Amazon village, they ate their lunch under the towering Sacred Painted Cliffs. -A- -M- -D- Later, Yukiko stood in front of the Circle. "I have returned from my Wan-haang." Calluse scowled. "You have returned with three drains on our resources and an unworthy spermbank." Yukiko hated that Calluse used the traditional term for boys and husbands, but kept her calm as she replied. "He is not unworthy, I am currently with warrior." She patted her belly. The blood drained out of Calluse's face. "You're lying." Powder stood up suddenly. "You question the word of the Matriarch?" Several of the Circle members murmured in surprise. Accusing the Matriarch of lying was not a good idea unless you could prove it. Calluse studied Yukiko's face and realized she had gone too far. "No, of course not. I was just surprised at the good news." A smile--or as close as she could manage--formed on Calluse's face. Yukiko wasn't fooled, but decided to get the old hag a break. "I'll accept your apology." She slipped her shoe off and held her bare foot in front of her. Calluse sneered. "Yes, Matriarch." The small woman rubbed the calluses on her hands as she shambled over and prostrated herself in front of Yukiko. Yukiko swung her foot back and landed a kick to Calluse's backside. -A- -M- -D- "You didn't?" Shinuma asked his wife after she explained how the Circle meeting went. Yukiko smiled devilishly. "Yes, the old hag deserved it." Shinuma sighed. "You shouldn't antagonize her." "I know, but I couldn't resist." Yukiko snuggled into her husband's arms, listening to his heartbeat. "Well, try to avoid confronting her for a while at least. She still has her supporters on the Circle." "I'll try." Yukiko looked at the equipment her husband had brought with him. "Is it ready?" Shinuma smiled. "Yes." He picked the remote control up and hit the power button, thankful that the Amazon village--while appearing primitive--does have some of the more modern conveniences. Electricity, in this case. Which up to now was used mostly to power refrigerators, electric shavers, and the servers hosting the Amazon fan club Super-Internet site; the Super-Internet being an enhanced version of the original Internet, of course. The servers were one of Nabiki's side ventures. In addition to amazonfanclub.co.cn, the servers hosted many other web sites. Nabiki had found that Amazons make great IT professionals, mostly since they were cheap labor. As long as the Chinese government never found out, she was all set. Across the room, the HD widescreen television, HD satellite decoder, and Ultra Dolby Digital receiver came to life. He was going to get a HD-DVD player, but--ironically--amazon.com doesn't ship to the Amazon village and there are no stores that sell HD-DVDs in the area. "Five hundred high definition satellite channels." "Just don't forget what we USED to do for fun around here," Yukiko said, winking seductively. "What was that honey?" Shinuma asked, not looking away from some sort of sport where one team was beating the crap out of another team. Hockey or baseball, it was hard to tell with all the digital static and noise that was causing the image to break up repeatedly. "Hmmm... maybe I need a bigger dish." Yukiko slipped her robes off. "Honey?" "Yes?" "I'm going to bed." "That's nice, Hon..." Shinuma went silent when he looked over at his wife spread out seductively on the bed. He gulped. Loudly. He looked at the large television and then back at his wife. One click of the remote later, the television turned off and Shinuma jumped onto the bed next to his wife. "So, I'm better than soccer?" Yukiko asked. Shinuma looked back at the television. "That was soccer?" Yukiko pulled his face back to face her. "I love you." Shinuma leaned down and gave his wife the first of many kisses that night. -A- -M- -D- April 29, 2009 - Nerima, Japan "You were right, you're pregnant." "Oh my." "Are you okay?" "Yeah... it's just a little unexpected. We are so careful about that." "Well, condoms are not always effective." "Yeah, I know..." Her eyes went wide. "Oh damn... we got carried away in Paris once." Kasumi tilted her head and looked at Akane. "Once?" Akane blushed. "Okay, a lot of times." Kasumi patted her sister's hand. "Well, at least you'll be closer to catching up to Ukyo." Akane laughed. "I think this'll be it for us. We had said four would be it when we impregnated Ranko, but now..." "If you want to make sure, there are ways to ensure you can't get pregnant again." "Yeah, but... I'd have to talk it over with my husbands." "Of course. Tofu and I talked about it after the twins were born." Akane's eyes widened. "Did he..." She made snipping gestures with her fingers. "Not yet, but he might do it eventually. We haven't decided if we want another child or not." "Well, I'll talk to my two studs." Kasumi laughed softly. "You do that." -A- -M- -D- "You want to cut what off?!" Akane cringed from the unexpected outburst. "They don't cut them off... they just snip the vas deferens to keep the sperm from getting from the..." "Stop... I don't want to hear this." Akane sighed. "I expected you of all people to take this better." "Why?" "Well, its not like they're yours anymore." The short, redheaded woman shuddered. "Maybe not... but they were mine once and I hate the thought of anyone doing that to them." Akane wrapped her arms around her female husband. "Well, we have time to decide." She patted her stomach. "At least eight months." Ranko smiled. "Sorry about that. It's probably my fault for forgetting the condom." Akane laughed. "Well, you two were always in kind of a rush to get it over with." Ranko blushed. "I didn't like being that close to Ranma when he's doing that to you, okay?" Akane kissed Ranko. "I know. Thank you for trying." "Who'd have thought a threesome would be so awkward?" Akane laughed. "You'd have freaked if we did what most threesomes do." "What do they do?" Akane leaned in and whispered something to Ranko. Ranko's eyes went wide. "That's sick!!" -A- -M- -D- "You want to cut what off?!" Akane smiled at the expected outburst. "They don't cut them off... they just snip the vas deferens to keep the sperm from getting from your..." "Stop... I don't want to hear this." Akane sighed. "I know it's a touchy subject, but we have eight months to decide if we want more kids or not." She patted her stomach. Ranma smiled. "Don't you want another one to catch up to Ukyo?" he asked, the evasion obvious to Akane. Akane shook her head. "I'll let her and Sanma win that race." Ranma pulled Akane into his arms. "I've never known you to throw a fight." He slipped his hand into her blouse. "You're just trying to distract me from talking about your vasectomy." Ranma smiled. "Is it working?" "For now... yes." Ranma's lips met his wife's. -A- -M- -D- That night, Ranma, Ranko, and Akane lay on the roof of their house with their four kids. Akane had their one-year-old son in her arms, while the three older kids were interspersed between them. They were all lying on their backs and looking at the shooting stars as they flashed across the Tokyo skyline. Akane finished explaining their news to the kids. "So, in about eight months, you're going to have another brother or sister." She reached up and flicked a long strand of errant hair that had blown over her face. She brushed it back with the rest of her waist-long hair, which was splayed out in a fan shape on the roof behind her. "Can we beat it up?" Ayami asked sweetly. "No." "Oh." "I hope he's as sweet as Rar." Daiji said, leaning over and giving her youngest brother a kiss on his forehead. Little Rar giggled and then spit up on his little jumper. "Ick..." Daiji said and moved away from her brother while Akane wiped his face and jumper off. "Where do babies come from?" Yohachi asked suddenly. Three adults gulped loudly. Akane looked at her son and smiled. "Well, when a man and a woman..." Ranma smirked. "Don't you mean a man and a woman and another wo... oooof!" Ranko pulled her fist out of Ranma's stomach. "No, she doesn't." Akane tried to hide her amusement from her face, but failed. "Yohachi, babies come from the love between two--or in our case--three loving parents." "But how do they get into your stomach?" Yohachi asked, looking at his mother's flat stomach. "Papa puts them there!" Daiji blurted. Ranma smiled. "That's right." Ayami thought about this for a moment. "So you put Rar into Papa-chan too?" The three adults paled and looked at each other, uncertain of how to answer that question. Akane finally spoke after several silent seconds. "Something like that. We'll tell you all about it when you're older." That seemed to satisfy the kids. For about a half minute, that is. "So, Daddy, you put me into Mommy's stomach?" Daiji asked, looking at Akane. Akane laughed. "Something like that." The family talked some more about babies and where they came from as they watched the shooting stars. "Why do the stars fall?" Daiji asked as a particularly bright star flashed by. Akane opened her mouth to answer, but--surprisingly--Ranma beat her to it. "They're not really stars falling, it's debris from the Moon falling down to Earth. They burn up as they enter the Earth's atmosphere and leave a trail of fire behind them." Akane looked a bit startled at hearing her husband say that. Ranko smiled. "Yeah, I saw that special report too after the Mega Martial Arts competition was interrupted when the satellite relaying it from Hong Kong was damaged by debris." Akane giggled softly to herself. Daiji saw three shooting stars fly across the sky together. "Three lucky shooting stars, make a wish!!" Everyone clenched their eyes shut and made a silent wish. "What did you wish for?" Ranma asked his wife. Akane smiled. "Nothing... I'm happy as things are now." Ranma leaned over and kissed Akane. The kiss ended when a bright light assailed their eyes. "Wha..." Ranma gasped as he broke the kiss. "No..." Akane muttered and slipped her hand onto her stomach. Ranko craned her head upwards. "They're back." Her words weren't needed, the adults knew all too well what the golden beam of light that arced towards the Moon meant. The Buyierfei were back. The kids didn't know what it meant, of course. They all cheered and clapped at the spectacular show in the sky. Except Daiji. Daiji put her hands to her head and cried out in pain. "What's wrong?" Ranko asked, reaching out to embrace her child, but recoiled when she saw her daughter's once beautiful blue eyes turn completely black. "Oh.... no... not my baby!!" The mother's cries drowned out the painful shrieks from her daughter. Their pain was nothing compared to pain of the millions of people who felt their energy ripped from their bodies a split second before a monolith's shock wave converted their bodies into a fine black ash and then fed their stolen energy into the golden beam. Of course, their pain was short lived. The survivors of the blast and the other inhabitants of the Earth wouldn't be so lucky. The Black Wars had begun. 23:01 hours, April 29, 2009 local time (Nerima, Japan) [End - Chapter 7] Coming soon: Chapter 8: The Black Wars "In the Beginning, There Was Death" ======================================================================= The real author's (Jim Lazar) notes/ramblings: I know this was a long chapter, but I just couldn't break it in half anywhere to my satisfaction. The ending was such that it really needed to be at the very end of an otherwise happy chapter to have the desired impact. Needless to say, things take a very dark turn in the next chapters. Hang in there... war isn't pretty. I'd like to thank my pre-readers Michael A. Chase, Thomas C. Kinnen, David Johnson, and Jonathan Ng for helping me find and fix problems with this story. Thank you all. Of course in the end, any mistakes and botched characters are my fault. Revision 0.0 - Rough draft began (August 1, 2000) Revision 0.1 - Rough draft finished (August 25, 2000) Revision 0.3 - Pre-reader draft (December 17, 2000) Revision 0.4 - FFML draft (January 7, 2001) Revision 1.0 - Final version (February 3, 2001) Revision 1.1 - First RAAC posting (February 8, 2001)