[Ranma][Fanfic][Lime] Childhood of a Modern Dynasty - Chapter 13: Two Ranmas for Kuno, One for Kodachi, and None for Akane ======================================================================= Childhood of a Modern Dynasty Chapter 13: Two Ranmas for Kuno, One for Kodachi, and None for Akane Ranma 1/2 characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission Childhood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and copyright 1998-1999 by Jim Lazar An ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime. "Speech text in double quotes is spoken as Japanese." E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: jim [at] animeprime.com Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for all released CMD stories, graphics files, and other information: http://www.animeprime/ff/md ======================================================================= >From the personal journal of James Davidson: September 4, 2057 On our way to Akane's house, my new bride and I walked across the small bridge over the stream that ran through the Tendo Compound. On an impulse, I stopped and pulled Hanaki in for a kiss. After our lips parted, Hanaki smiled. "What was that for?" "Because I love you," I replied, and received another kiss for my trouble. As we approached Akane's house, I waved to Akane who was sitting on the porch. She waved back and ushered us over. It had been a long time since I talked to Akane about her experiences back in 1999. My impromptu trip with Hanaki had allowed me to gather some information, but hearing it first hand was always better. Of course, I did have more fun getting the information from Hanaki. "Getting settled in ok?" she asked as we sat down. "Yes, though life in the compound is taking a little getting used to. It's not exactly like I'd expected." "What did you expect," Akane asked, smirking. "Well, considering your past, lots of explosions and red headed girls running around naked." Akane smiled. "I can arrange both, if you really want them." Hanaki winked at me. "I'll get a red wig for tonight, Honey." I blushed. "That's not really what I meant... I just meant I figured there would be more action." "Give it time. But in the meantime, enjoy the peace; we do." I guess that with the life Akane and the others have led, I can see why they would want to try to have a calm home life between the battles. "I can understand that. Well, it's time to get back to work before my editor has a stroke over my delays with the book." "Good. I actually missed our little talks over the past two months." "Me too." "Oh, I'm sure Hanaki kept you entertained on your honeymoon." "Auntie!" Hanaki exclaimed, blushing. I wisely choose to not comment on that. "Well, want to get started?" I said, turning on my palmcard. "Sure. We were just getting to the point where Ranko split from Ranma if I recall correctly." "Actually, Hanaki told me all about that, your trip to Australia, and your aborted wedding with Ranma," I explained. Akane looked at Hanaki with scolding look. "Hanaki, you know that's one of my favorite stories to tell." "Err... sorry, Auntie," Hanaki said softly. "Favorite? It sounded like you were put through the wringer." "I was. To hell and back, but it gave me three people that I love dearly." "I guess that's one way to put it." "No other way to put it," Akane said. This statement confused me a bit, was she actually glad that Ranma had split into three people? "So you actually welcomed having three Ranmas around?" "Well, they were all great in bed, so why not?" I blushed deeply. "I'll file that under the 'things that I won't put in the book' section of my palmtop." "I've hid my relationships with Ranko and Sanma over the years, but I don't mind if you put information about them in the book." "Oh, I'll put information that you became comfortable with making love to women in the..." "Men," Akane corrected me. "Of course. I intend to describe your life with them as honestly as possible, but I don't intend to get detailed about your sexual relationships." "Shame, you'd sell a lot more books if you did," Akane said, and winked at me. I think it's time for me to get her back for all her teasing. "Hmmm, I did have some porno producers wanting to make movies based on your story, so maybe I'll take them up on it." "Oh good, but make sure they get a real busty woman to play me," Akane said, sticking out her chest. My jaw dropped. Damn, she got me instead. "Auntie, stop flirting with my husband," Hanaki scolded. "Thank you, Hanaki." I flashed my bride a smile. "Besides, he has these goodies to come home to!" Hanaki declared. Then she struck a pose that accentuated her ample proportions. I almost gagged on my tongue. "Hanaki!" I gasped, shocked. Of course, Hanaki was... well endowed in that department. I paused, and let a thoughtful look cross my face. "Hmmm, maybe a threesome?" I offered, trying not to laugh. This caused Akane and Hanaki to recoil in shock. "You pervert!" Akane snapped. "Gotcha!" I exclaimed and started laughing. This caused Akane and Hanaki to glare at me and I realized that I might have taken the joke a bit too far. Thank god Akane doesn't use the mallet anymore. I hope. -C- -M- -D- September 7, 2057 It took a few days, but Akane covered the events that Hanaki had already described to me. There were a few differences in the stories, but nothing glaring. For one thing, Akane hadn't mentioned the therapy sessions that helped her cope with the apparent deaths of Ranko and Sanma. I chose not to mention to her that Hanaki had told me about these. I made my trip to Akane's house alone today, since Hanaki had some training with the Task Force. I sat down on the porch with Akane. "So you were still undecided about marrying all three Ranmas?" I asked. "Yes. I wanted to, but it still was hard to take the final step. I decided to get away for a couple nights and relax and see if that would help any." "I always think better away from distractions." "Yes, but distractions always seemed to find us." "I can imagine. Wha..." My voice was drowned out as a large hoverjet roared overhead and hovered just above us. I looked up at the large aircraft. It wobbled its wings a couple times and then shot off to the south, doing a smooth barrel roll in the process. After it had quieted down a bit, I straightened my hair and looked at Akane. "What was that?' "Your wife, I assume," Akane replied, smiling. "Hmmm, she's getting better at her barrel rolls." The end of her statement was lost on me as I realized my wife was flying that large hoverjet. "Hanaki?" "Yes, she was scheduled for flight training in the new hoverjet model." Come to think of it, that hoverjet did look different from the others I have seen. The rotors were smaller and it looked sleeker than the other hoverjets that I've seen the Task Force using for troop transports, although I'm sure Akane would scoff at her family being called 'troops'. "A new model?" "Yes, it's supposed to be more durable in combat. Recently, the Buyierfei have been getting better at finding the chinks in the current model's armor, so the engineers decided to redesign it... again." "Wow. I guess I'm married to a real jet-jockey." "Yes, actually. She's probably the best young pilot around these days. We have other pilots, of course, but eventually you have to let the kids take over." I knew that she wasn't just referring to her own kids and grandkids. When she got like this, she was considering all of the various Tendo family descendants hers. I sometimes forgot that she carried a large load on her shoulders, despite her normally relaxed and cheerful attitude. "I just wish I didn't have to leave the Buyierfei for the kids to fight. It's not fair that they have to fight my battles." "Are you alright?" I asked, concerned at the tone of her voice. She almost sounded like someone who knew they were dying. "Healthy as a horse, but I'm not immortal. No matter how many battles we win, it seems like we can never fully defeat the Buyierfei." "Yes, that is unfortunate. They do tend to pop up when you least expect them." "Like your little desert honeymoon," Akane said, smiling. I tried to keep my voice neutral. "Well, we crashed. It wasn't a honeymoon until after we got to Vegas." "That's not what Hanaki told me," Akane remarked, smirking. I blushed. "Err... she told you about that, huh?" "Yes. Don't worry about it, James. I didn't exactly wait for my real honeymoon either. Good thing in my opinion." "Good thing?" "Putting things off too long can cost you." *********************************************************************** March 1999 - Rural Japan; Nerima, Japan Ryoga walked aimlessly through central Tokyo, which for some reason looked a lot like a rural farm. "Okay, I'm in downtown Tokyo... now all I have to do is head northwest to find Nerima," he said, consulting his internal map of Japan which closely resembled a moebius strip except with hundreds of never-ending loops. "And soon I will tell my dear Ukyo that I love her!" Something in the back of his mind started to wonder why the area looked so familiar. If it wasn't for the fact that his mind insisted he was in Tokyo, he could have sworn this was a pig-farm. A pig-farm belonging to the family of someone he knew and loved. Unfortunately, his mind only registered whose farm it was when he saw her from a distance. "Akari?" Ryoga said softly. His mind started to click in various facts. A look of determination crossed Ryoga's face as he decided on a course of action. He took one step towards the farmhouse that Akari was washing clothes in front of and then stopped. His heart broke when he saw a well-built man walk out of the farmhouse. The man was tall, muscular, and wearing only a large towel around his waist. Ryoga couldn't see the man's face, but noticed a large scar on his back. "Akari..." Ryoga gasped as the breath left his lungs. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he turned around and walked away from the farmhouse. "I'll find Tokyo for sure and tell Ukyo that I love her! I've lost two wonderful women already due to my inability to just tell them how I feel! I won't let Ukyo slip through my fingers," Ryoga declared to himself as he walked off into the sunset. Since Tokyo was to the east, he wasn't likely to find Ukyo anytime soon. He started to grow very depressed as he walked away. -C- -M- -D- Down at the farmhouse, Akari was wringing out a well-worn pair of jeans and hung them on the line to dry. "Well, Mr. Kang, I'm sorry again for the pigs getting your clothes all dirty. The clothes should be dry in a few hours," she said, starting to wring out his shirt. "Don't worry your pretty little head over it, Ms. Unryu. Getting trampled by a dozen huge pigs is nothing compared to life in the outback," Kang replied as he dried his hair with another towel. "Well, just sit down and I'll get you something to eat while your clothes dry." "Much obliged, ma'am," Kang said, sitting down on a chair overlooking one of the many pigpens. "I never expected to have so much trouble finding Tokyo in a small country like Japan." He picked up his mud-covered giant barbecue fork and started to clean it off. "Well, you'd be amazed at how easy it is to get lost in..." Akari trailed off as she thought of her dear lost boyfriend. "Ms. Unryu? Are you okay?" Kang asked, shaking Akari out of her thoughts. "Oh, yes. Just day dreaming, I guess." She looked towards the western horizon as a loud explosion was heard in the distance. She shrugged her shoulders, then went inside the farmhouse. -C- -M- -D- Nabiki stood in the entryway and handed an assortment of items to Ranko and Sanma. "Here you go. All the paperwork you need to prove you exist...at least according to modern society." "I still wish we could be registered as men," Ranko mumbled. "Hey...I'm good, but not good enough to hide those breasts you two are always flashing around," Nabiki declared, then finished her instructions. "You're triplets. Ranma being the oldest, then Ranko, and little baby Sanma." "Hey! Don't call me a baby!" Sanma shouted. "You're the youngest, aren't you?" Nabiki looked at Sanma. Sanma just glared back, so Nabiki continued, "I even got you ladies in as seniors at Furinkan, so you will all be able to graduate together." "Yippee," both of the other girls muttered flatly. "That's the attitude! You'll be sweeping floors in no time!" "We're going to run the dojo, so what do we need school for?" Sanma asked. "Well Ranma passed his finals, you wouldn't want Ranma to be smarter than you two, would you?" Nabiki asked. Both Ranko and Sanma shook their heads. Nabiki smiled as she wondered what she could do with three Ranmas under her control. Akane came down the stairs and interrupted Nabiki's delusions of grandeur. "Nabiki, you ready?" Nabiki looked up at Akane. "Yup, just giving Ranko and Sanma their new identities." "Good, now my fiances are all legal," Akane commented, then kissed each of the redheaded women. She ruffled Sanma's hair and asked, "Ranko, you need a hair cut. Actually, you both do." "I'm Sanma," Sanma declared, miffed. "Oops...sorry. Um...maybe while me and the girls are at the hot springs you two should get some haircuts AND style your hair a bit differently so I can tell you apart," Akane suggested. "But I like my pigtail!" Sanma insisted. "Me too!" "Me three!" Ranma said, coming into the entryway. "But she's right, ladies...it is impossible to tell you two apart." "Don't act so superior just because you have that thing in your pants!" Ranko replied to get back at him for the 'ladies' remark. Sanma nodded her agreement. Nabiki and Akane couldn't help themselves and chuckled. "Did I say I was superior? You ladies have to chill out," Ranma said, calmly. His second use of 'ladies' convinced Ranko and Sanma that Ranma was using the remark intentionally, so they took a step menacingly towards Ranma. "Ranko and Sanma, calm down," Akane pleaded. "He was just making the point that you are both beautiful." "I didn't really say..." Ranma trailed off as he saw the look Akane shot him. "Anyway...think about it while we're at the hot springs. Err... Ranma you could use a trim too," Akane said, then called upstairs. "Kasumi!" "Why can't we go with you?" Sanma asked. "It's for women only, of course." "You think these are men's bodies?" Ranko asked, pointing at her and Sanma's breasts. Akane sighed. "You two have to decide if you're men or women. You can't just be women when it's convenient for you." "We're men of course!" Ranko and Sanma declared in unison. "You never complained when we used our girl bodies before," Sanma mentioned. "Actually, you idiots, I did complain, but you never listened to me!" Akane snapped. "Calm down, Akane. It'll take them time to adapt to life as women full time," Ranma said, rubbing Akane's shoulders. "You're one of the Three Stooges, you know." Ranma looked at Akane with a pained look. "Huh?" "You never listened to me back then either," Akane mentioned. Glances went around the three Ranmas and then they all bowed to Akane. "We're sorry." "You're forgiven," Akane said, then kissed each of her fiances. Kasumi finally came down the stairs with her bag. "Ah, good. Let's go!" "Alright! Party time!" Nabiki exclaimed. She and Kasumi left, followed by Akane. Akane poked her head back inside. "Hey, guys?" "Yes?" they all replied. "Try not to do anything stupid while I'm gone." "We'll try," Ranko answered for all of the Ranmas. The Tendo sisters walked out to the gate and met Ukyo, who had been waiting patiently by the gate. "Glad you could come, Ukyo. Let's go, girls!" Akane exclaimed and led the group to the train station. -C- -M- -D- Ranko and Sanma stood in front of the beauty salon and just stared at the entrance. "You really think this is a good idea?" "Yes, Akane thought we should." "But we've had our pigtails almost all of our lives." "We don't have to get rid of it. Just modify our hairstyle a bit, so Akane can tell us apart." "I guess that's for the best, just like we needed to choose new names." "Still doesn't seem fair that Ranma got to keep using our original name." "I know. At least you got to choose your name, mine was thrust upon me." "I do REMEMBER that event, you know. I was still you at the time." "Oh, yeah..." "Any ideas about how to style our hair?" "Nope." After another half-hour of pointless discussion and steeling themselves for the most important battle of their lives, the two women entered the beauty salon and discussed different styles with the hairdressers. Sanma finished first and was waiting in front when Ranko came out. Ranko swore when she saw Sanma's haircut. "You bastard!" "What?" "You just got a haircut! The pigtail's the same!" Ranko snapped, glaring at Sanma. Sanma grinned and ran her hand through the slightly shorter haircut. Her pigtail was the same as always, except had a small gold bead at the end. "No it's not! Look, she put a bead in the end." "Big freaking deal! My hair is a completely different style!" Ranko shouted and pointed at her new hair. The pigtail was gone from her back, but was now hanging from her left temple. A fancy Chinese bead hung at the end of the pigtail. The rest of the hair was a staggered mop, slightly more organized than her old hairstyle. "It looks nice, Ranko," Sanma insisted. "I couldn't decide when I went in, so I just had her trim it and give me the bead. I figured since you were changing yours, there was no reason for me to change mine too." "Now I look more like a girl than you do!" Ranko screamed, then jumped at Sanma. Sanma sidestepped the lunge and pegged Ranko on her head. "You bastard!" Ranko lunged at Sanma. Soon, the two were trading kicks and punches. Sanma was kicked savagely in the stomach and sent crashing through a nearby wall. Ranko moved towards the rubble to continue the fight, but was knocked backwards by a large chi ball. Ranko went flying through the beauty parlor and out the back entrance. Well, that was what the owners of the building started calling the hole that Ranko had made. Some people will do anything to avoid paying for repairs. Ranko landed in a garbage can. She jumped up and looked for Sanma. Not seeing her, Ranko jumped to the nearest roof and scanned for her. She jumped to another roof and then another. Ranko thought for a moment about what she would do in this situation. Ranko smiled as she realized what part of town they were in, then did several running roof jumps and landed in front of an octopus ball cart. She kicked Sanma in her side, just as the vendor was handing the octopus balls to her. Ranko took the offered balls and gulped them down. "No fair! Those were my balls!" Sanma yelled, then jumped at Ranko. The two women traded kicks and punches again, until a large crowd formed. "Hey, look. That redheaded girl who's always running around naked has a twin sister," a man in the crowd said. "Damn, wish they were naked now," a young teenager said. All the men in the crowd agreed with him. In the cold, Antarctic wastes, a frozen old pervert agreed as well. The two redheaded women traded blows for several minutes; neither managing to get the upper hand. The battle started to drift down the street towards a park. Sanma landed a blow to Ranko's chest, but Ranko spun around and landed a follow-up kick to Sanma's back. Sanma went flying into a nearby lake. "Ha! Serves you right," Ranko muttered, then turned around and walked into a man's chest. "Oops, sorry." "Ah, Pigtailed girl! Alas, I must turn down your invitation to nibble my chest for, above all, thou art a man," Kuno recited. "Kuno," Ranko spat. Kuno wiped his face off. "Can't talk now, jerk." Ranko started to walk around Kuno, but was grabbed on her arm. "Ranma Saotome, how dare thee spit upon my noble personage. Let us get some hot water, so I can smite thee." "Just leave me alone, butthead!" Ranko grabbed Kuno's hand, twisted it, and pulled it from her arm. With a mighty swing, she flipped Kuno up and over the trees. Ranko resumed her walk home. Sanma was wading to shore when Kuno landed in front of her. "Huh?" Kuno rose from the water and looked up. "Saotome! How dare you!" "I didn't do nothin'!!" Sanma declared, truthfully. "You cur! Prepare to die!" Kuno bellowed. He pulled out his bokken and swung it at Sanma. She dodged the wooded sword, but was slapped by the koi that was chewing on the end of the sword. Sanma flinched at the trout slap, then snapped her fists up into a ready position. "You jerk! How many times do I have to kick your ass before you'll leave me alone!" "'Twas not I who flung me into this lake! You may have changed your hairstyle quickly, but I know my hated enemy when I see him!" "You sure came running fast enough when that Amazon was attacking me!" "And for my trouble you have forsaken my noble self." "I never sakened you in the first place," Sanma insisted. "Do not mock my noble speech by making up words, you fabricated dung feldercarb!!" Kuno drew his bokken and started swinging savagely at Sanma's head and body. A few close swings tore into Sanma's shirt and ripped it, exposing her breasts. "Don't think you can show me your fake bosoms and distract me!" Kuno declared, but despite his words, he ogled the breasts in front of him. Sanma took this chance to grab Kuno's bokken and flipped him over her shoulder. Kuno came down hard on his head and collapsed into the shallow water. Sanma shook her head sadly and walked away from him. "Jerk." -C- -M- -D- "Hey, it looks pretty," Ranma said upon seeing Ranko's new haircut. Ranko scowled. "Great, just what I wanted to be called, PRETTY." "Fine, then you're un-pretty." "Shut up!" "Make me!" "Children, behave yourself," Nodoka said, walking in on the impending battle. "Yes, Mom." "Ranko, it looks very nice. I'm sure Akane will love it," Nodoka said. Ranko looked embarrassed. "Thanks. Err... how did you know I was Ranko?" "A mother knows." Nodoka relaxed internally after she realized she'd guessed correctly. A curse rang out from the hallway. "Damn, Kuno. I'll kill that asshole one of these days!" "Sanma, watch your language!" Nodoka scolded her youngest daughter. "Okay, Mom," Sanma said, kneeling at the table. "You two have to start behaving more like proper ladies," Nodoka instructed her new daughters. "What the hell for?" Sanma grumbled. Then she glared at Ranko, who was kneeling close to Ranma. "Damn ball stealer." Ranma looked confused. "Huh? I didn't steal them, the split just sort of gave them to me." Both Ranko and Sanma glared at Ranma. "Not THOSE balls you idiot! Sanma stole MY balls!" Sanma exclaimed. Ranma confusion intensified. "When did you get balls?" "Damn, I can't believe I was ever that dense..." Ranko mumbled. "She stole my OCTOPUS balls, idiot!" Sanma snapped. "Oh," Ranma said, blushing slightly. Suddenly, Kuno crashed onto the table and held his bokken to Ranma's throat. The table splintered into small pieces. "Ranma Saotome! You have defiled my noble person for the last time! Prepare to die!!!" Kuno bellowed, then repeatedly jabbed his sword at Ranma, who deftly avoided all of the blows. After a series of thrusts and misses by Kuno, Ranma swung out and landed a blow to Kuno's stomach, followed by a kick to his side. Kuno crashed into Sanma. Kuno looked up from the breasts his face had landed in and wiped the drool off his face. "Don't think you can use your feminine bosom to keep me from killing you! I shall smite thee!" "You say that all the time, but you never do! Give it up!" Sanma said, then punched Kuno several times in the face until he tripped backwards and fell on Ranko. "You insolate cur! I shall..." was all Kuno had time to say before Ranko used a piece of the broken table to bat Kuno into the yard. A loud crash was heard when he hit the yard's recently repaired wall. "Shit, I guess he knows about the splits now," Sanma said, looking worriedly at the prone figure imbedded in the wall. "It was only a matter of time, I guess," Ranko said. Kuno finally fell from the wall, leaving a Kuno-shaped mark in it. He staggered to his feet and, being the glutton for punishment he was, he made his way back to the Tendo's family room. "How dare you! I shall be back to avenge my honor!" he said, then turned around and staggered away. Ranma, Ranko, and Sanma just looked at Kuno's retreating back in surprise. "Boy, I knew Kuno was clueless, but this is beyond his usual insanity," Ranko said. "Thy shan't underestimate the lengths of the 'noble' Blue Thunder's stupidity," Ranma quipped, mimicking Kuno's usual pattern of speech. Everyone laughed. -C- -M- -D- "Sister, we have been deceived," Kuno declared as he entered his sister's greenhouse. Kodachi cut the head off a black rose and then looked up from the stem. "How so, dear brother?" "The vile Ranma Saotome does not have this so-called curse that they falsely claimed he does. He has two twin sisters who have been tricked by the foul sorcerer into rejecting my love!" Kuno declared, then looked off into the distance and got a goofy look on his face. Well, goofier than normal. "Ah, my two lovely pigtailed goddesses!" Ignoring Kuno's ramblings about his pigtailed goddesses, Kodachi looked at her brother. "Ranma is not cursed? His so-called girl-side is actually twin sisters?" "'Twas what I saw with mine own two eyes. Two visions of pure womanhood, held in the evil clutches of the foul cur!" "I thought the tale of the curse was a trick, but could not figure out how they did it." Kuno looked thoughtful. "Come to think of it, I do recall a grand event some time ago when I could have sworn I saw my two pigtailed goddesses together. I thought at the time I was delusional, for such a beauty as she could not possibly have an equal." Kodachi scowled and glared at Kuno. "A shame you had not realized this back when that money witch tricked us, dear brother. The fiendish sisters of my dear Ranma must be controlling him to keep him from my loving arms!" Kodachi started to chuckle as a plan formed in her mind. The chuckle turned into full out maniacal laughter as she realized she could use her brother to get the man she loved. Kuno was too busy thinking of what kind of statue he should have made of him and TWO pigtailed goddesses. he thought as visions of threesomes danced in his head. -C- -M- -D- Akane lay back against a rock and soaked in the large outdoor hot spring. The cool night air caused steam to rise from the surface of the water. Akane was admiring the clear country sky, when she felt the water bob up and down against her breasts. She looked down to see Ukyo slide in next to her. "Hi, Ukyo." "Hi, Akane. Thanks again for inviting me," Ukyo said. She looked nervously around as if she wanted to get something off her chest. Besides the towel that she had just tossed onto the rock that she was leaning against, that is. "No problem. After all, you're my best friend." "I wasn't acting like one in China and Australia. I'm sorry." "No, but on the way back you were. You and Ranma helped keep me sane." "I just want you to know that I have no illusion that I may end up with any of the Ranmas now. Your love is too strong for them to accept anyone but you." "I hope that is enough to allow us to handle a four-way marriage." "Then you've decided to marry all three?" "Yes and no." "Huh?" Ukyo asked, confused. "I've accepted that I love them all and that I want to marry them all. I even gave them all engagement rings so they know I love them all, but I still have doubts that the four of us could handle that kind of marriage." "Well, from what I've seen, you've accepted that you can love them as women. Um... what's that like anyway?" Ukyo asked, hesitantly. Akane gasped a little in surprise. "Err..." "Sorry, it's just something that I was curious about." "No problem. Just girl talk, right?" Akane said, winking. "Well, yeah... but it's not talking with them that I'm curious about," Ukyo said and winked. She and Akane soon broke down laughing. When she finally stopped laughing, Akane asked, "Want me to show you?" Ukyo's jaw splashed down into the water. "Err..." "I'm just kidding. It's strange, women don't excite me at all, but when I see Ranko or Sanma naked, I get all weak in the knees. Ranma too, for that matter." "Sounds like true love." "Imagine that," Akane replied looking wistfully up at the stars. A while later, Nabiki and Kasumi joined them. "Anything going on at home?" Akane asked. "Well, once I got Kasumi off the phone with her boyfriend-" Nabiki said, which caused Kasumi to blush. "-I found out that Ranko and Sanma had a big blowup over their hairstyles." Akane smiled knowingly. She had assumed it would cause some squabbling, but she hoped they would stop before blowing something up. "Kasumi, how are things with you and Dr. Tofu anyway?" "Well, he popped the question," Kasumi calmly said. "WHAT?" all three of the other women shouted in amazement. None of them ever suspected that Kasumi and Dr. Tofu would have been engaged so fast. "Yes, he asked me to go steady with him." Various jaws dropped into the hot water. Akane was the first to recover her motor skills. "That's great, Kasumi!" She gave her oldest sister a hug, which the others soon joined into. -C- -M- -D- After two nights at the hot spring, the Tendo sisters all walked into their home and dropped their bags next to the stairs. "That was great! We have to do it more often," Nabiki said. "It's been ages since I've been to a hot spring. I enjoyed it," Kasumi said as they walked towards the family room. They walked in and were greeted by Nodoka, Genma, and their father. Akane looked around. "Um, where are my fiances?" Nodoka frowned. "Didn't they join you at the hot spring?" "No, why?" Akane asked. "Well, we haven't seen them since yesterday," Nodoka explained. "The three idiots probably are off looking for us," Akane said, smirking. "And probably getting beaten up by a horde of naked girls that they peeped on," Nabiki remarked. Akane smiled, but suddenly had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. -C- -M- -D- Most of the day passed without any word from the Ranmas, so they started asking around Nerima to see if anyone had seen them. After visiting several places in the vicinity, Akane walked up to the gate of the Kuno mansion. Nervously, she knocked on the gate. She knew she'd be unlikely to get much help here, but it was worth a try to ask if the Ranmas had beaten them up recently. After a long pause, Satsuke answered the gate and grew visibly nervous when he recognized Akane. "Hi, Satsuke. Have you seen or has Kuno been beaten up by Ranma lately?" she asked, then quickly added, "As a man or woman?" "Mistress Akane! Oh dear. No, I'm afraid I have not seen Ranma," he said. As he closed the gate, he added quickly, "If I see any of them, I'll call you." Akane frowned and started walking down the street. Suddenly, she stopped short. she thought, then snapped her head around towards the Kuno mansion. -C- -M- -D- "Here, Kuno, let me feed you some grapes," Ranko said as she snuggled up to Kuno's side. She was wearing a skimpy white dress that barely covered her breasts. She picked grapes off the vine she held in her hand and fed them lovingly to Kuno. "No! Let me feed you!" Sanma insisted. She grabbed the vine, pushed Ranko away, and started feeding the grapes to Kuno instead. She was wearing another dress like Ranko's, although there didn't appear to be enough fabric in both dresses together to qualify them as a dress. The term 'handkerchiefs' would be more accurate. Kuno was, of course, in heaven. He smiled broadly then looked down at his two pigtailed goddesses. "No need to fight, my fair maidens. Plenty of my noble self to go around." Ranko returned to Kuno's side, opposite of Sanma and stared rubbing his shoulders. "Yes, Master." Sanma continued feeding the grapes to Kuno. "Of course, Master." Just then, a shrill voice cried out. "Faster! Harder! Deeper!" "Oh dear, looks like Kodachi is running our dear brother ragged," Ranko commented. "Yes, but Ranma can handle her. He is quite well endowed, after all." Ranko nodded her agreement. "Stop talking about the cur! If it was not for the fact that he keeps my dear sister out of my noble hair, I'd have dispatched him by now!" Kuno declared. "Of course you would have, my darling Kuno," Ranko insisted. Over in the green house, Ranma was pleasuring Kodachi. "Ranma! You missed the hole!!" Kodachi shrieked. "Oh, I'm sorry, my love. How can I make it up to you?" he asked, as he backed up and planted a seed in one of the previously dug holes. "Marry me." "But of course, my love. That has always been my intention," Ranma replied, then picked up Kodachi's hand and kissed it. Kodachi's laugh echoed across the green house. "What the hell are you doing, Ranma?!" a very angry Akane shouted. Ranma and Kodachi looked over to see Akane standing in the doorway. "Why, I'm proposing to my sweet Kodachi, of course," he replied. "Sweet? That crazy woman?" Akane said, her mind refusing to hear the part about the marriage proposal. "Do not speak foul of the woman I love! You un-cute whore!" Those words got through. "Whore? Wh... why are you doing this?" Akane asked, tearing up. "You defile yourself by sleeping with other women, you sleazy lesbian! I love only Kodachi!" "Ranma?! How could you say such things?" "It's the truth. Leave now or I'll have to kill you!" Ranma insisted. Everything finally registered in Akane's mind. "Ranma, I love you. I'm not leaving here without you and your sisters." "I don't care about Kuno's two lovers, but you can't have MY Ranma!" Kodachi screeched. "He's not yours! He, and his sisters, are mine!" Akane shouted back. Her battle aura sprang to life and she advanced towards Ranma. She didn't want to hurt him, but she knew she had to shake off whatever is controlling him. "Ha! What do you think you can do to the world's greatest martial artist?" Ranma mocked her. "This!" Akane shouted and held up her hands, a ball of chi appeared between her fingers. "Going to shoot yourself in the foot again, you little fool?" "Moko Takabisha!" Akane called out and sent the ball flying at Ranma. It hit his chest and caused his shirt to smoke a bit. "Hmmm, that tickled. What shall I do, my dear?" Ranma asked Kodachi. "Fry her." "Of course," Ranma replied. He built up a ball of chi, calling on his confidence of his love for his dear Kodachi. After he had built up a large ball, he released it and sent it flying at Akane. Akane ducked out of the way, but didn't see his follow-up blast before it hit her. She crashed through the greenhouse glass and into the yard. "Ha! Go away little girl!" Ranma said, emerging with Kodachi in his arms. They both started laughing mockingly at her. "No, Ranma... I love you!" Akane pleaded as she staggered to her feet. "I love only my dear Kodachi," Ranma declared. Then to prove it, he turned to Kodachi and gave her a deep kiss. Akane grimaced at the sight and suddenly felt very sick. "Now I know she has you under a spell or something. Remember that I love you, Ranma." She built up another chi ball. Knowing that it was now or never, she dug down deep into herself and drew on her confidence in her love for the Ranmas. When a large chi ball had formed, she fired it towards Ranma. It impacted against his chest and sent him and Kodachi flying through the greenhouse to land in the koi pond in front of a startled Kuno. "Sister! I told you to keep that cur away from me!" Kuno declared. Kodachi didn't move, since she was pinned under Ranma. Finally, Ranma rose and pulled his lover to the surface. "Don't die, my love." He bent down and kissed her gently on her lips. "Ick, that's gross," Ranko replied. "'Tis a crime against nature that that cur be allowed to live, but as long as I have my two goddesses, I care not," Kuno declared, then pulled Ranko and Sanma into a tight embrace. Akane came into the yard just as Ranko leaned in and gave Kuno a long kiss. Her jaw dropped. "I love you, Kuno," Ranko said, after breaking the kiss. Sanma took her turn and gave Kuno a deeper kiss. "Ranko and Sanma too? What have these lunatics done to you?" Akane shouted. "My, what a disgusting little girl," Ranko said. "Yes, that's not proper talk for a young lady," Sanma insisted. "Screw that! You two are much worse!" "Never, we are visions of pure womanhood," Ranko insisted, placing a hand modestly on her barely covered bosom. Akane smirked. Now she was sure that they were not themselves. she thought and held out her hands. A chi ball formed, along with flickering static of red chi energy. Ranma took up a mocking pose in front of his sisters. "Ha! You can't beat even one of us, not to mention all three of us!" he taunted. Ranko and Sanma agreed, and started laughing mockingly at Akane. All three Ranmas built up chi balls. she thought as the chi ball grew in power. "Moko Takabisha-Rapid Fire!" Multiple chi balls flew from her fingers and impacted against the Ranmas and the two Kunos. The chi balls they were forming exploded in their hands and they were knocked backwards. Akane smiled and dug even deeper into her inner confidence. "Aikizuna Mokoutsu!!" she shouted and the chi balls were followed by beams of wavy, red chi. The desire in Akane's heart to free her lovers made the chi balls and now the beams the most powerful that Akane had ever managed to form up to that point. The other end of the beams impacted the Ranmas and Kunos and sent them flying. By design or not, Kuno and Kodachi took a scenic trip through several concrete walls. The Ranmas all crashed into some wooden walls of a small outbuilding. The roof of the building collapsed on top of them. When her energy was spent, Akane dropped to the ground, exhausted. She looked up to see if the Ranmas had snapped out of whatever had them under the control of the two Kunos. She flinched when she saw the three people she loved most in the world glaring down at her. They didn't even seem fazed after being buried under the roof. They were building up chi balls between their hands. "Shit," she muttered. "You bitch!" "How dare you hurt my sweet Tatewaki!" "And my lovely Kodachi!" Ranma added. As one, they shouted, "Moko Takabisha-Three pronged blast!" "NO! Please! I love..." Akane's scream was cut off when the three powerful beams hit her square in her chest. She was sent crashing through the already damaged greenhouse and across the Nerima skyline. "Ranma..." she cried, meaning all three of course, as she landed near Furinkan High School. She tried to get to her feet, but collapsed to the ground, unconscious. -C- -M- -D- Later, Akane rushed into Ucchan's. "Ukyo, I need your help!" Ukyo looked up from the okonomiyaki she was cooking and smiled when she saw Akane. The smile faded when she saw Akane's worried look, her bloody lip, and torn clothes. "Akane! What's wrong?" "They... the Kunos have brainwashed Ranma, Ranko, and Sanma. They blasted me across town," Akane said as she collapsed into a chair by the grill. Ukyo rushed to Akane's side and held her. "What?!" "They're all over at the Kuno mansion. Ranko and Sanma are acting like they love Kuno and Ranma is drooling over Kodachi. They were even kissing each other," Akane explained, shuddering at the thought. Ukyo recoiled. "Oh, that's gross. They can't be doing it voluntarily." Akane nodded her agreement to Ukyo's assessment. "Damn. We have to get everyone together and storm the Kuno's place." "Well, my dad and Mr. Saotome can help. Dr. Tofu, too. Damn, I wish Ryoga was around." "Konatsu, can you help?" Ukyo asked Konatsu, who was waiting tables. Konatsu looked up from the dishes he was clearing. "Sure, Ukyo. I'll help." "Good, watch the restaurant," Ukyo said, as she helped Akane to her feet. "Oh no you don't! I'm going to help get them back. They are friends of mine too!" Ukyo smirked, she had known that he would offer to help in the battle. "Okay, let's close up and head over to the dojo with Akane." "Thanks guys." -C- -M- -D- In the dojo, Akane, Ukyo, Konatsu, Soun, Genma, Dr. Tofu, and Ms. Hinako in her child form all sat around in a circle making plans. Kasumi, Nabiki, and Nodoka stood in the newly repaired doorway and looked on. "Akane, I don't think your little friend should go with us. This will be dangerous," Soun said, glancing at little Ms. Hinako. "Hey! I'm a big girl! I can fight!" Little Hinako declared, then started sucking on a lollipop. "Err... Dad, it'll be okay. She can be useful," Akane said. "Yaaaayy!!! I get to fight!" Little Hinako cried and started jumping around the room. "This isn't going to be easy. If it was just one of them I could beat them easily, but with all three Ranmas on their side they could be impossible to beat," Genma suggested. Everyone looked at him incredulously. "Yes, but we must get them back so Akane can marry them!" Soun insisted, earning agreement from Genma. "I hoped that they would show some reluctance to hurt me, but they blasted me pretty hard. Whatever those insane lunatics did to them, they have them firmly under their control. We may have to knock the Ranmas unconscious and find a way to release them from the spell, or whatever it is, later," Akane explained, trying to avoid thinking of the kisses that kept flashing in her mind. "Well, I still say you should let me call Doctor Isakawa and have the Kuno's carted away to the loony bin," Nabiki interrupted the planning session. "This is more than enough to ensure they get committed this time." She was scolding herself internally for not doing this earlier, but she didn't think she'd be able to get them committed for long with what they'd done up to this point. Kidnapping three people and brainwashing them put the Kunos into an entirely new class of insanity. "No. With the three Ranmas on their side, the police and whoever else they sent wouldn't have a chance," Ukyo insisted. "Yes. Three of them together are almost unstoppable," Akane added. "Okay, but after we get the Ranmas back, the Kunos are going to be locked up. I don't want my little sister hurt anymore," Kasumi insisted. Everyone agreed to that. "Okay, we still need some way to break the spell or whatever is controlling them. Any ideas?" Several ideas were discussed, but since they didn't know what was controlling the Ranmas was hard to formulate a plan. They all wished that Cologne was still around to help, since she always seemed to have answers to problems like this. Sometimes you don't realize how much you depended on someone until they're gone. Suddenly, a thought struck Akane. "I've got it!" she declared and then laid out her plan. -C- -M- -D- Kasumi, Nabiki, and Nodoka left to take care of their particular parts of the plan, while the others all got dressed in their usual battle clothes: Soun in his Samurai armor; Genma in his gi and a leather protector worn underneath; Akane in her yellow gi; Ukyo with all her spatulas, including the large spatula she had won in Australia; Konatsu in his slinky black ninja outfit; Dr. Tofu in a gi; and Ms. Hinako wore her usual yellow spandex dress. The group walked out of the Tendo gate and started towards the Kuno mansion. They were stopped by a voice. "Excuse me, but do you know where I can find a Ukyo Kuonji? Someone said she might be here," a deep male voice asked. They all looked around. "Kang!" Ukyo shouted and gave him a big hug. Konatsu glared at the newcomer, somehow instinctively knowing he was a rival. "Ukyo, I'm glad I found you!" Kang replied. He was still wearing the same clothes he wore in the Australian outback, although they looked like they had been washed recently. His large barbecue fork was strapped to his back as usual. "Hi, Kang. What are you doing in Nerima?" Akane asked, giving him a quick hug. "I had the urge to come visit you all. I also wanted to see if any of those stories you told me were true," Kang replied, running his hand through his messy hair. "Yes, unfortunately they are. Ranma, Ranko, and Sanma have been brainwashed and are at the home of some really nasty people." "Ranko is alive?" Kang asked. "Oh, yes... it turns out they survived the destruction of the monolith," Ukyo explained quickly. "And they are being held against their will at these foul people's home?" Kang asked. Akane and Ukyo nodded. "Great! Let's go get them back!" "Thanks for the offer, Kang, but it's too dangerous," Akane said. "You are my friends, I shall help," Kang replied, matter-of-factly and drew his fork from his back. He swung the fork around in a series of fancy movements, that would have been impressive if he hadn't finished by slamming the handle of the fork down on his foot. He grimaced, but tried not to react to his goof. "Thanks, Kang," Akane said, trying not to laugh. -C- -M- -D- They laid out their plan to Kang on the way to the Kuno mansion. Then they broke into two groups and approached from two different sides. Akane, Soun, Dr. Tofu, Ms. Hinako formed one group; Ukyo, Kang, Konatsu, and Genma the other. For some reason that Soun couldn't understand, little Hinako didn't want to be on his team. "Don't worry, I'll protect you," he said, while stroking her hair. Little Hinako beamed with joy and clung on Soun's arm as they made their way over the wall surrounding the Kuno mansion. Akane's group dropped into the Kuno garden and scanned for the Kunos and the three Ranmas. Not seeing anyone, they slipped into the main house and started a silent search through the building. They reached the second floor without seeing anyone. "Where is everyone?" Akane muttered. "Well, it's pretty late, maybe..." Dr. Tofu started to say, but then trailed off before mentioning that maybe they were in bed. "Let's find them fast," Akane said, also trying to avoid thinking about that. She wasn't entirely successful. They continued their search until they reached a lavishly decorated door at the far end of a hallway. Akane listened at the door briefly, then opened it a crack. Inside Kuno's voice could be heard. "Now my fair maidens, shall we to bed?" Akane cringed as she heard Ranko or Sanma reply. "Yes, master. Can you help us off with our dresses?" Akane looked back at her team and whispered. "Okay, this group's first. I'll go in and when you hear the signal come in and make as much noise as possible to draw Ranma. Hopefully this will get all three of them together." The others nodded their agreement and then Akane burst into the room. Kuno was just releasing the strap that secured Ranko's dress, Sanma was already naked and curled up in the huge bed. It had been specially made for Kuno to hold him and his 'twin goddesses'. "Kuno, leave my fiances alone!" Akane screamed. "Fear not, my dear Akane. I have not taken their maidenhood yet. If thou wish, you may join us and make it a foursome!" Kuno nobly declared as he drooled over Ranko's now naked body. "That's disgusting!" Akane snapped, forgetting that she was in a foursome with the Ranmas herself. "If you touch them, I'll kill you!" "Ah, my fair Akane. I would bet that someone as pure as you would never commit an act that would bloody your fine feminine hands." "You lose!" Akane yelled, then leapt at Kuno with her foot aimed squarely at his chest. "I've killed before and I'll do it again if you dare to touch them again!" Kuno pivoted out of the way and chuckled. "Please, Akane, let us not fight while we could instead be embraced in ecstasy." Akane snorted. "You still don't get it, do you? I hate you!!" "You are just jealous that I would take their fine maidenhood before yours!" Akane grinned. "Too late, Kuno! *I'VE* already taken their virginity!!" Kuno recoiled in shock. Outside in the hallway, the others were also shocked; Soun most of all. His mind refused to process the fact that his little Akane was no longer a virgin, so he did what he did with things he didn't want to think about: he forgot it. Kuno backed up against the wall, and shook his head in disbelief. "But thou art all women!!" "So? My love has no bounds!" Akane declared. Ranko and Sanma, who had been patiently waiting in the bed for Kuno to join them, gasped suddenly. "My dear twin goddesses, is this true?" Ranko and Sanma hung their heads in shame. "Yes, master. I'm afraid that that dirty lesbian did force herself upon us," Ranko confessed. Akane flinched at the lesbian comment. Sanma crawled over and hung on Kuno's arm. "I'm sorry master. We don't deserve you. You deserve pure virgins." Akane smiled when she noticed that Kuno seemed to be locked in an internal battle. The plan was going good so far, now she decided to throw in another tidbit for Kuno to ponder and confuse him further. "Care for me to show you?" Kuno gasped. "No, 'tis not right that women do such things together! So I must refuse," Kuno declared, but at the same time was pushing Akane over to the bed to join Ranko and Sanma. "Why did you push me here then?" Akane asked wryly from the bed she had been pushed onto. "My noble self cannot stand in the way of my lovely huntress. So, if it is your wish to make love to my twin goddesses, who am I to stop you!" Kuno humbly instructed, while setting up various video cameras and floodlights facing the bed. "My, you are most generous," Akane remarked, with a lopsided grin. She moved over to give Ranko a kiss, but Ranko recoiled from Akane. "No! 'Tis not right!" Ranko insisted, covering herself and looking at Kuno for guidance. Akane flinched. "Fear not, dear Ranko, she only does it so she can join our little harem." Kuno was now standing in a large puddle of his own drool. "If you say so, Snookie-bear." Akane almost choked on her tongue, but then leaned in and kissed Ranko deeply. After separating, she whispered softly, "Ranko, if you're still in there, please snap out of it... I love you." Akane frowned as she received no response at all from Ranko. The kiss had felt wrong too, it wasn't the kiss of the man she loved; it was devoid of feeling. She slid over and repeated the kiss and whisper to Sanma, but with the same results. she thought, glaring at Kuno. "What is it, my fair huntress? Should thou not be naked by now and squirming around with my twin goddesses?" Kuno asked, from his now ankle deep pool of drool. "You really are clueless, Kuno," Akane muttered, then thrust her arms out and pushed Ranko and Sanma away from her. "Moko Takabisha!" she yelled and formed a chi ball between her fingers. The chi ball shot from her hands and crashed against Kuno, sending him backwards. He crashed into a closet and was buried beneath clothes and boxes. As Kuno began to dig his way out, a lead, one-twentieth scale model of the new statue of Kuno and his twin pigtailed goddesses that he was having made, fell from the top shelf. It hit Kuno on his head, rendering him unconscious. The others crashed into the room after hearing Akane say the signal phrase, which had been 'Moko Takabisha', and they quickly surrounded the bed. Ranko was the first to react. "You bitch! You tricked Master Kuno!" Sanma growled and started to build up a chi ball. "Prepare to die, you filthy whore!" "Takes one to know one!" was the first thing to come to Akane's lips. Akane immediately regretted the lame comeback. "Happo Goen Satsu!" Ms. Hinako shouted and held up a five-yen coin. Sanma and Ranko snapped their heads around to look at the child. The chi ball that Sanma was forming dissipated as she brought her fighting sprit under control. "Think you can suck us dry, huh? Not a chance!" Sanma declared, then plugged the hole in the coin. Soun used this distraction to kick Ranko in the back and sent her crashing outside. Akane jumped after her. Dr. Tofu tried to apply a finger to Sanma's back, but Sanma deflected his arm and kicked him savagely in the stomach. "Don't think that you can defeat us just because you have the little 'sucker' here!" Sanma declared. "Sucker? Where?" little Hinako said and started to look around for the candy. Sanma grinned and quickly built up a chi ball. Without a word, she released it towards Ms. Hinako, but Dr. Tofu leapt in the way and took the blast for her. He dropped to the ground and gasped as he got the breath knocked out of him. Little Hinako turned around at the sound of the blast and saw Dr. Tofu crash to the ground. "Happo Goen Satsu!" she yelled and held the coin high. Sanma didn't have time to control her fighting spirit, so little Hinako began to drain her. Fortunately for Sanma, Ms. Hinako only managed to drain a small amount of chi energy before Sanma controlled her fighting spirit again. Of course, even a little of Sanma's energy is more than all of ten normal men's energy combined. Ms. Hinako's little yellow dress expanded as her adult features stretched it to its limits, and beyond. "Sanma Saotome, you've been a bad child," she declared in her deep baritone voice. "Happo Tsur..." she began holding her hands out in front of her to return the energy as a blast, but was interrupted by a voice. "Ms. Hinako?" Soun gasped. His mind started to process the fact that the child he had seen before was now the lovely Ms. Hinako. Normally his mind would refuse to accept this and forget it ever happened, but in this case, he had an anchor to keep him from forgetting it. The anchor in question was Ms. Hinako's breasts, which had finally broken free of the yellow spandex dress that usually managed, beyond the known laws of physics, to contain them. Forgetting the return blast, Ms. Hinako looked over to Soun. "Oh, Soun... I wanted to tell you about this," she said, tears forming in her eyes. This distraction was all Sanma needed and she sent another chi ball at them. Soun took the full force of the blast and flew against Ms. Hinako. They both crashed through the wall and into the hallway. Sanma surveyed the room and decided to make sure Ranko was dealing with Akane, so she leapt out the window. -C- -M- -D- In the hallway, Ms. Hinako awoke on top of Soun's chest. Not an unpleasant sensation, in her opinion. "Soun?" She gently touched his face and looked into his eyes. "Please don't die. I love you." She leaned down and kissed him gently on his lips. Energy seemed to flow from her lips to his. Soun slowly opened his eyes at the sensation on his lips and gasped. "Ms. Hinako?" he said as her lips separated from his. He looked up to see the now child Hinako looking down at him. "Oh, my dear Soun..." she said, sounding unusually adult for her current form. "You're a child?" "No. I'm really a grown woman, but without a constant influx of fighting energy my body can't maintain it's adult form." "That's very... unusual," Soun said, stroking the little girl's hair. Little Hinako smiled at the feeling of Soun's touch. "Do you have any candy?" she asked, looking at Soun's face. Soun started. "Um..." "Err... sorry to interrupt, but our job here isn't done yet," Dr. Tofu called through the hole in the wall. Soun cleared his throat. "Yes... of course," he said, getting to his feet. He took on his normal serious expression and went back into the room to deal with Kuno. -C- -M- -D- Earlier, Ukyo's group made their way down another wing, searching for the Ranmas. "I think we need to make some noise and draw them out," Ukyo suggested. "Let's finish checking these rooms first," Genma said as he opened another door. A golden candelabra could be seen sticking out of his gi. Ukyo cleared her throat. "We're here to save YOUR children, not steal stuff." Genma tried to act innocent, but just then about a dozen assorted pieces of fine gold and silver knickknacks dropped out of his gi. "Err... how did all that get there?" "I can hardly imagine," Ukyo remarked, rolling her eyes. They stopped in front of a large door with an elaborate rose pattern engraved on the wood. "This has to be Kodachi's room. Remember that she may try to use various poisons and light arms... so be careful," Ukyo instructed and then rushed into the room. The others all nodded and followed Ukyo in. They all skidded to a halt as they saw something that none of them could ever have imagined Ranma doing. Even Kang, who had only known Ranma for a brief period, couldn't believe what he saw. "My god, what has that witch done to you to force you to do something so disgusting!!" Ukyo yelled in disbelief as she saw Kodachi and Ranma in bed together. "Son, for you to do something like that is the most dishonorable thing I can imagine. Prepare to get horsewhipped!" Ranma looked up from the book of poetry he was reading to Kodachi and scowled at the intruders. "Get out, Pop! I'm romancing my bride-to-be here!" He was wearing a pair of black silk pajamas with a monogram that read 'Property of Kodachi Kuno' embroidered on it. Kodachi, who was wearing a frilly nightgown, was curled up at Ranma's side and looked up at the intruders. "ONLY I can horsewhip my darling Ranma! Be gone, you peasants!" Ukyo swung her spatula at Kodachi's head, but Ranma deflected it with the book. Pages of poetry flew all over, as Kang followed up with a series of throwing forks, which Ranma and Kodachi managed to avoid easily. Genma landed a kick to Ranma's side and sent him tumbling across the room. Genma and Konatsu began to attack Ranma, but Ranma managed to deflect all their blows. In the process of defending himself, he was unable to see Kodachi or assist her. Ukyo swung her giant spatula and landed the blade against Kodachi's skull, which rang as if empty. Kodachi crashed onto the balcony overlooking the garden, then flipped to her feet and tore off her modest nightgown to reveal her green leotard underneath. "Damn, don't you ever take that ugly leotard off?" Ukyo muttered as she and Kang came onto the balcony. "Only for my wedding night with my dear Ranma. That was the sacred vow I made after my darling came into my life," Kodachi declared, then whipped out her ribbons and wrapped one quickly around Ukyo's neck. Kang swung upwards with his large barbecue fork and sliced the ribbon neatly in two. He followed by thrusting the fork at Kodachi's stomach. Kodachi jumped straight up to avoid the thrust and landed on top of Kang's shoulders and started squeezing his head between her vise-like thighs. Kang tried to shake her off or hit her with his fork, but was unable to. Unable to hit Kodachi with the sharpened blade of her single spatula for fear of hitting Kang, Ukyo pulled out her other giant spatula and sandwiched Kodachi between both. A dazed Kodachi fell from Kang's shoulders and lay still on the balcony. Kang massaged his neck. "Are you okay, Kang?" Ukyo asked, coming over and examining his neck. "Yes, it's..." Kang began, but went silent when Kodachi wrapped a ribbon around him and Ukyo. The ribbon was pulled tight, locking Kang and Ukyo in a tight embrace. Ukyo blushed at the closeness, but tried not to show any reaction. "Dammit, Kodachi!" Kodachi started laughing hysterically. "How dare you try to take my darling Ranma from me?" she declared, preparing to wrap another ribbon around their necks. "Stop!" Kang snapped. "I don't know who you are, you... big handsome man, but death is the punishment for assaulting me in my boudoir!" Kodachi said, then advanced again. "You are a sick woman. Love which is forced is not love, but obsession," Kang said. Kodachi recoiled in shock. "No! My darling Ranma loves me!" She wrapped the ribbon around Kang's neck and pulled it tight. "You must have drugged him to get Ranma to act like he is. There is no way he'd ever dump Akane for a lunatic like you!!" Ukyo insisted. "You're just saying that because he never cared for you, you common cook!" Kodachi said, causing Ukyo to flinch. "I have only released him from that bitch's unnatural hold over him!" She began to laugh in an extremely annoying high-pitched laugh. Nearby windows shattered. Ukyo winced from the sound, but then started to nibble on Kang's chest. Kang, who was gasping for breath, was a little surprised at this until he realized she was trying to get one of his throwing forks from his vest. Ukyo managed to get one of the forks between her teeth and then, before Kodachi saw what was happening, sliced the ribbon around Kang's neck. Kang gasped for breath, but then quickly went into action. He jumped towards Kodachi with Ukyo in tow and barreled into her. Kodachi went crashing back into her bedroom, while Kang landed on top of Ukyo. He blushed as he felt her feminine curves under him. "Err... sorry." Ukyo was also blushing and squirmed out from under him. "No problem," she muttered from the side of her mouth. Then she used the throwing fork she still had clenched between her teeth to cut the ribbon that bound them together. "Where did that 'Love which is forced...' line come from, anyway?" Kang smiled as the last of the ribbon fell off. "Not much to do in the outback, so I tend to read a lot of poetry," he remarked, not mentioning that the line came from a book called '1001 Lines Guaranteed to Pickup Cute Chicks'. Ukyo thought, before she made her way back into the bedroom to see how the fight was going. Just as she and Kang entered the room, Ranma and Kodachi crashed into them and all four of them fell over the edge of the balcony. They crashed to the ground in pairs. Ukyo landed on top of Ranma and Kang landed on top of Kodachi. Kodachi opened her eyes and saw Kang on top of her. Perhaps what she did next was because of the setting sun that cast a beautiful glow over the garden, or perhaps it was that she was still dazed, but more likely it was because she was just plain nuts. Whatever the reason, she looked up and gazed lovingly into Kang's eyes and said, "Oh, my darling." Kang gasped in shock and got off the woman. He looked nervously around to make sure Ukyo was okay. "Are you okay, Ranma?" Ukyo asked. Ranma opened his eyes. He gasped, shoved Ukyo off his chest, and looked around. "Kodachi!" Kodachi looked away from Kang and saw Ranma. She jumped to her feet, ran to Ranma, and embraced him. Suddenly, she started looking between Ranma and Kang with a very confused look on he face. Before any of the four had a chance to decide whom to fight, Akane crashed through a wall connecting Kodachi's garden to Kuno's. She tumbled across the lawn and came to rest against a tree. She winced as she felt a sharp pain shoot up her side. Her lip was bloodied and her gi torn and burnt. "Akane!" Ukyo called out in shock. Akane looked up and saw Ranma. Then Ranko and Sanma came through the hole she had just made in the wall. She got wearily to her feet. "All three of you are together now. Good." Ranma snapped his head around at the voice. "Ah, the un-cute bitch is here too. You all will die now for disturbing my dear Kodachi." "Yeah, yeah... whatever. You three may be the world's greatest martial artists, but you can't beat me," Akane declared. "Why is that, bitch?" Sanma snapped. "Because love is on my side!" Akane replied. She regretted using the old cliche, but her plan relied on them chasing her. "Come and kill me if you can, you cross-dressing perverts!" she taunted as she leapt out of the garden and headed west towards the setting sun. Ranma acted first and took off running. "After her!" he yelled. Ranko and Sanma quickly followed Ranma out of the garden. Ukyo looked around to see Kodachi snuggled up to Kang. "What are you doing now, you loony bitch?" "I'll just add this one to my harem," Kodachi replied. "If my brother can have two lovers, then so can I." For some reason that she couldn't understand, this made Ukyo really angry. She made a flying leap and smashed Kodachi on top of her head with her spatula. Kodachi ended up embedded halfway into the ground. Within a few moments, Dr. Tofu, Konatsu, and Genma joined them in the garden. "Kuno is tied up and awaiting the ambulance that Nabiki has on the way," Dr. Tofu said. "Soun and Ms. Hinako are watching him." "Good. Konatsu, take care of Kodachi. I'm going after Akane and the Ranmas," Ukyo declared and left the garden. Kang, Dr. Tofu, and Genma followed, while Konatsu took care of tying up Kodachi. -C- -M- -D- Akane led the Ranmas on a seemingly random course through the streets of Nerima. She dodged Moko Takabisha blasts, but didn't return any of them. Tiring herself out was not part of the plan, but the bags filled with a brown powder that she occasionally tossed at the Ranmas, were. As they raced past a busy street corner, a group of men looked at the chase. "Wow!" one of them gasped and pointed. "Oh my god! I've died and gone to heaven!" another remarked. They all gawked at the sight of Ranko and Sanma, who were still naked, running down the street. The men's eyes tried to follow the rhythmic bouncing of their breasts, but soon the men grew dizzy and started to fall to the ground. One of the men still standing said, "I wish that short haired girl was naked too." "Nawww, she's too much of a tomboy," another man replied. He suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a kick from Akane and fell to the ground with the others. "So.... un-cute," he gasped and passed out. Eventually, Akane found herself at her destination, the local zoo. She backed up against a fence surrounding a deep pit, seemingly cornered. She took a deep breath and took up a defiant posture as the three Ranmas closed in. "I'm sorry," she said softly and built up a ball of chi between her hands. Tiny bits of red chi flickered around the edges. "You will be!" Ranko yelled and charged at Akane. The other two Ranmas followed suit. Having used most of their energy to try to blast her during the chase through the streets, they couldn't do any of their chi attacks. They were as confident that they could handle one woman between the three of them as they were of their love for the two Kunos. Suddenly, Akane leapt into the air, did a back flip, and landed behind the three Ranmas. The chi ball she was generating reached its brightest point as she landed. "Aikizuna Mokoutsu-Triple Tiger Attack!" she screamed. Instead of the single chi ball blast of a Moko Takabisha or the somewhat random blast of the rapid-fire version, this blast sent three perfectly aimed blasts of thick wavy red chi at each Ranma. As the blasts hit, each Ranma was blasted backwards and fell into the deep pit behind them. After they managed to stand up again, they met the real reason behind the 'Triple Tiger Attack'. The three white tigers, their long fangs dripping with saliva, advanced on the battered Ranmas. All three of the Ranma's started to shake, but calmly started to walk away from the tigers. Sanma looked up at Akane and defiantly shouted, "You don't th... think a ff... few big cats will stop us?" "Do you?" Ranma finished the question. He tried to leap out of the pit, but in their exhausted state, it was too deep for them to escape from. "You're right. I guess a few big cats wouldn't faze three big strong men like you," Akane said sadly, but with a slight mocking tone in her voice. "Hey!" Ranko snapped. "We're women!" Sanma insisted. If none of their other actions proved it, this statement from Ranko and Sanma proved to Akane that they were still very much under the Kunos' control. She suddenly called out, "Here kitty!" Suddenly, Nodoka, Kasumi, and her friend Ami appeared and released boxes of cats into the pit. Soon the pit was swarming with hundreds of cats of all colors and sizes. Ukyo and the others arrived and piled in behind Akane to look down into the pit. Ranma, Ranko, and Sanma held their cool, but were starting to twitch as the cats swarmed around them. The cats started to lick the brown powder that Akane had covered the three Ranmas with earlier. Since Ranko and Sanma were still naked, this produced a very sudden and extremely unpleasant sensation that caused the two women to go rigid with fright. Ranma, who was still wearing his black silk pajamas, was withstanding the onslaught better as the cats licked and clawed at his pajamas. The cats seemed to be very interested in the brown power that covered his clothes. Since it was catnip powder, this was to be expected. Although she was expecting it, the inhuman meows that emanated from the pit startled Akane and sent a shiver down her spine. The three Ranmas had roared at almost the same time and their eyes had narrowed as they entered their Cat-fist trance. The three Ranmas started screeching and racing around the pit. The tigers and other cats cowered away from the rampaging Ranmas in terror. Akane and the others looked on as the three Ranmas started to use their chi claws to dig out of the pit. Unfortunately, they were so distracted watching the events in the pit that they didn't notice Kuno and Kodachi approach them from behind. "What have thou done with my twin goddesses?" Kuno asked, brandishing a sword in his hands. "Akane Tendo, if you have hurt one little hair on my darling Ranma you shall pay dearly!" Kodachi declared, holding what looked like a razor sharp jump rope in her hands. The other whirled around to see the Kuno siblings standing behind them. "Damn, how did you get past the three who were guarding you?" Akane asked. For some reason, Kuno felt like answering her. "The fools guarding me were too stupid to notice my clever escape." Of course, that 'clever' escape was only accomplished because Soun was still in shock over finding out about Ms. Hinako's unique physiology. "And that cross-dressing ninja shall never accept flowers from a lady again after he got a whiff of my beautiful roses," Kodachi explained and started cackle. Ukyo gasped. "If you've hurt him..." she said, then started towards Kodachi. Nodoka put a restraining hand on Ukyo's shoulder. "Calm down, I'm sure he's okay." Akane appraised the two Kunos in front of her. They were a bit battered, but still able to do some harm with their weapons. Her internal clock ticked off the seconds. "Well, your precious Ranma and twin goddesses are mine now. I suggest you go home," she said, stalling for time. "Never! They love only me!" Kuno declared. "Only because you two maniacs drugged them!" Akane snapped back. "It was a magic pin, not a..." Kodachi said, then trailed off as she realized she'd been tricked into revealing how she had bent the Ranmas to their will. The pins had cost her brother a pretty penny, but it had been worth it so far. Akane grinned. Seeing the ground under the Kunos start to shake, she said, "I'd move if I was you." "You foul woman, don't tell me what to do!" Kodachi screeched. Suddenly, the ground around the Kunos erupted and the three Ranmas burst out. They landed on all fours and scanned the area. Apparently in their Cat-fist state they were not under the Kunos' control, since they launched themselves immediately at the two Kunos. Ranko sliced Kuno's sword into tiny pieces with her chi claws and then proceed to shred Kuno's shirt. Since Ranko was still naked, Kuno couldn't honestly say he didn't enjoy this. Of course, once Ranko reached Kuno's flesh he screamed in pain and promptly fainted. Ranko sniffed Kuno cautiously, then started to shovel dirt over him with her hind legs. Cats do tend to bury excrement after all. Ranma and Sanma attacked Kodachi from both sides and managed to avoid the razor sharp jump rope. Since Kodachi had to divide her attention between them, she couldn't use it effectively. Soon Kodachi was overwhelmed by the two cats and did a backward leap to escape. She ran and climbed a tree to avoid the two Ranmas, forgetting that cats can climb trees. Ranma and Sanma followed her into the tree and soon Kodachi was leaping all around the branches, trying to avoid them. Eventually, she lost her balance, slipped, fell from the tree, and landed on the ground hard. She was apparently unconscious, because she had a goofy look on her face. Well, more goofy than normal. Figuring the Kuno's were effectively dealt with, Akane patted her thighs and called out, "Here kitties... come to mommy..." The three Ranmas looked cautiously around and then sniffed the air. In a flash, all three of them pounced on Akane, knocked her onto her butt, and started to lick her all over. Since her plan seemed to have worked, Akane started to cry with joy. Suddenly, Ranma let out a loud hiss and his pigtail stood on end as he swiped at Ranko and Sanma. The two naked women hissed bank and soon the 'cats' were trading swipes. Some of the swipes hit Akane and caused her to grimace in pain. "Oh no, they're fighting over Akane!" Kasumi mentioned. "Damn, we should have seen this coming!" Genma exclaimed. Ranma swatted Ranko away and then winced when Sanma's chi claws dug into his arm. He hissed again and tried to bite Sanma's arm, but ended up biting her breast. Sanma savagely kicked Ranma with her hind legs and sent him flying across the clearing. Ranko leapt on top of Sanma and started clawing at the other woman. "Ranma! Come to mommy!" Nodoka called out and sat down on the pavement. When Ranma didn't respond, she called out again and patted her lap. Ranma glanced around, leapt into Nodoka's lap, and started to purr softly. Kasumi took up the idea and sat down. "Here Sanma... come to auntie Kasumi," she called out. She patted her lap repeatedly. Ranko and Sanma were still fighting over Akane, but when Sanma heard the call she glanced around, but ignored Kasumi and went back to fighting with Ranko. Akane was crying under the two fighting women and shielding her face from their blows. "Please... stop... I love you all... just please stop," she sobbed. Sanma looked down at Akane and frowned. Somehow, she sensed that Akane was being hurt, so she finally gave into Kasumi's repeated calls. She leapt over and curled up into the offered lap. Soon all three Ranmas were curled up and purring contently as they were comforted by their respective 'mother'. Everyone visibly relaxed, but they weren't out of the woods yet. Genma and Kang rushed over and began to tie up Kodachi and Kuno. As an afterthought, they made sure they were still alive. Dr. Tofu bent down and started to examine Ranma, who was sleeping contently in his mother's lap. He found something at the base of his skull and started to pull it out. Ranma squirmed as it was pulled out. When he managed to get it fully out, he looked at the ten-centimeter long pin and grimaced. "Damn. That must have been painful for them. Kasumi, take care of Sanma, I'll get Ranko." Kasumi nodded. While Dr. Tofu took care of Ranko, she brushed Sanma's hair out of the way and pulled the pin out of the same spot. Ranma suddenly looked up and saw his mother. "Mom?" Nodoka smiled. "Welcome back, Dear." As events came flooding back to his mind the horror of recent events crashed down on him. "Shit! Akane?!" He looked over at Akane to make sure she was okay. Ranko stirred and looked up at Akane. "Akane? What..." she trailed off as she too received a rush of memory. "Oh no! Akane... I'm so sorry." Akane brushed Ranko's hair softly and tears streamed from her eyes. Soon she was hugged closely by Ranko, Sanma, and Ranma. They all mumbled their sincere apologies. "It's okay, as long as I have you all back," Akane said softly, then fainted. "Akane!" all three of them cried out. Dr. Tofu quickly examined Akane. "She's fine, just exhausted. Let's get her and the Ranmas to my clinic so we can fix up their wounds and give them all a full exam." "Oh, we're okay," Ranma mentioned, rubbing his neck. "Yeah, after a good night's sleep we'll be fine," Ranko mentioned. "Well, I'd like to make sure there aren't any lasting side-effects of the pin." "What pin?" Sanma asked. Realizing that they didn't know about the pins, Dr. Tofu held up one of the pins. "You each had one of these stuck in your head." The Ranmas all looked at the long pin and gulped. "Err, okay... I guess a check-up is a good idea," Ranko said softly. The other Ranmas agreed. Just then, an ambulance pulled up. Nabiki, Soun, Konatsu, and Ms. Hinako in her child form piled out of it. "Ah, looks like our plan worked," Nabiki said, surveying the situation. Soon, the two Kunos were packed into the ambulance and were whisked away to their new lives at the local mental hospital. While Ukyo, Kang, Konatsu, and Ami took care of rounding up the cats, everyone else made their way to Dr. Tofu's clinic. "Um, does this sort of thing happen often around here?" Ami asked, while collecting the cats. Ukyo smiled. "Yes, it does." Kang let out a big laugh. "And I thought the outback was exciting." "This is just the tip of the iceberg, Sugar," Ukyo said, smiling at Kang. Konatsu frowned when he saw the look they exchanged. -C- -M- -D- After everyone had their injuries attended to and were examined by Dr. Tofu, the Ranmas and Akane lay on separate beds in a large examining room and rested. "Um, we're really sorry Akane." Ranko said, looking away. She didn't want to look at Akane with all her bandages on her head and body. The thought that she could have done such a thing sickened her. "Yeah, we didn't have any control over anything. We couldn't stop what that pin made our bodies do," Ranma said, apologetically. He shuddered at the memories of his body doing things with Kodachi while his conscious mind was held in check by the pin. With her eyes closed, Akane smiled slightly. "It's okay, guys. I know it wasn't you. Give me some credit for realizing that you'd never do those things willingly." "Um, Akane..." Sanma trailed off. She knew she had to talk about this, but just the thought sickened her. Akane opened her eyes and looked over to Sanma. "What is it, Sanma?" "Err... Kuno never did anything with us." "What things?" Akane asked, smirking since she knew exactly what Sanma meant. "Well... you know..." "What?" Seeing Sanma wasn't going to say it, Ranko did. "Had sex with us." "I know." "Huh? How did you know?" "I just know." "Err... me either with Kodachi," Ranma said. "We were chained up while the pin took hold of us. So they only had us under their control for a few hours before you found us." "But you did do something with her you never did with me, Ranma," Akane said, opening her eyes and looking at him with a pained look. "What?" Ranma asked, trying to think of everything Kodachi had made him do. "Well, Dr. Tofu said you were reading her poetry." "Oh, that's just sick, Ranma!" Ranko shouted. "How could you do something so vile, Ranma! To think you were once me," Sanma said. A shudder ran through her body. "It was the pin's fault! Honest! I'd never do something like that voluntarily!" "You can make it up to me by reading some to me sometime." "Really?" "Yes." "You like that sort of stuff?" Akane smiled. "Yes, most women do." "Yes, but you're not most women." "True, most women would have dumped you three idiots and found a normal man. ONE normal man. " "We're glad you're not like most women then," Sanma mentioned. The other two Ranmas agreed, walked over to Akane's bed and gave Akane a group hug. Nabiki strolled in and smiled at the quadruple. "Found something at the Kuno mansion." She tossed a little ziplock bag at them Ranma caught the bag. "What are th... Oh, our engagement rings!" Akane smiled as she saw the three rings she had given to her three fiances after Ranko and Sanma had returned. "Looks like I'll have to propose all over again." "Practice makes perfect," Ranko said, smiling. -C- -M- -D- "Are you sure you want to do this?" Ranma asked Akane nervously that night. "Yes." Akane said, curled up to his side. "Are you really sure?" "Yes." "Wouldn't you rather train in the dojo?" "No." "How about a backrub?" "No." "A front rub?" "No." "Err... maybe Ranko would be better at this..." "Oh, just read me the damn poetry already, Ranma!" *********************************************************************** >From the personal journal of James Davidson: September 8, 2057 "Well, that had an happy ending." "Yup, and got the Kunos out of our hair for a while, but like the nightmare that they were, not for good," Akane said, as she finished her story. "So, what..." I began to ask a question, but was interrupted by a voice. "Shit, what do those idiots think they are doing?" a familiar voice cried out from behind us. We both looked around and saw Hanaki come walking around the corner with a tall man in his late forties. I believe it was Haasu, one of the Task Force's pilots. They were both in flight suits, but Hanaki's was torn and covered in grime. "Hanaki! What happened?" I asked and I rushed to her side. Akane was right behind me. "Stupid engineers couldn't build a flashlight that didn't blow up in your face," Hanaki muttered. Haasu put a hand on Hanaki's shoulder. "Clam down, Hanaki. Akane, I'm afraid the hoverjet crashed into the Tokyo Tower." "Not again. The last time we blew up the Tokyo Tower they wouldn't let us declare it a Task Force expense." "That new hoverjet handles all wrong, damn it," Hanaki swore. "But are you okay?" I asked, holding her arm. "Yeah. We're all fine. I'm just pissed that it had to happen with me behind the controls." "You saved everyone onboard, Hanaki. We're all proud of you," Haasu said. Akane looked up and called out, "Visual: Tokyo Tower. Half kilometer." A holographic picture popped up in front of us showing the Tokyo Tower from a half kilometer away. I was amazed at the clarity of the holo-picture that showed the aforementioned hoverjet. It was sticking through the middle of the tower and looked to be hanging by just a few girders. The top of the tower was leaning over precariously. For the life of me, it looked like a scene from a bad movie. I couldn't help myself and started chuckling. Akane and Haasu soon joined me. "Hey!" Hanaki blurted. "I'm sorry, it just looks so funny," I said, and gave my wife a big hug and a kiss. "What happened?" Akane asked, sitting Hanaki down next to her. Hanaki sighed and began to explain. "Once we finished putting the new hoverjet through it's paces over the ocean we were headed back to the Compound, when we got to about two hundred meters above ground the hoverjet became unstable. No matter what I did, it wouldn't handle right that close to the ground. Something must have broke during our exercises over the ocean. Possibly the horizontal stabilizer or the core vent manifold." Haasu spoke up. "They didn't have any dropjets onboard, so they couldn't bail out. It was stupid of me to forget to make sure it was fully equipped for the test flight." "No, it's my fault. I was the pilot. It was my responsibility; the crash and the equipment," Hanaki insisted. I made to object, but Haasu held up a hand to stop me. "Hanaki, it's true that a good pilot is responsible for everything on his aircraft, but don't carry everything on your shoulders. On my first flight in the new model I thought it handled a bit odd, too." "Really?" "Yes, that's why we were all taking turns piloting it during the test flights. So we could get a broad range of opinions," Haasu explained. Hanaki allowed herself to smile slightly. "Well, I think you can guess what my opinion is." Haasu chuckled and nodded. "How did it end up in the Tokyo tower?" I asked. "Well, I tried landing on a rooftop helipad, but the solid surface caused the hoverjet to wobble uncontrollably. Landing in the framework of the tower wouldn't have that problem. I had hoped to avoid damaging the tower, but it isn't as sturdy as it looks." Akane smiled. "Well, you and the other people on board are safe. That's all that matters. Equipment is easy to replace, family aren't." "Yeah, but that makes two aircraft I've totaled in as many months," Hanaki muttered. "Well, this one isn't that badly damaged. They might be able to salvage it," Haasu commented, then happened to glance at the holo picture. When he saw the hoverjet start to slip from the framework of the tower, he added, "Or maybe not." Everyone followed his gaze and saw the damaged hoverjet crash to the ground and the top of the tower follow. Pieces of metal flew everywhere. Hanaki sighed heavily and swore again. Akane let out a loud laugh, causing both me and Hanaki look at her strangely. "Hanaki, do you know how many assorted aircraft the Task Force has totaled in its history?" Hanaki wiped a tear out of her eye and looked up. "No, how many?" "Beats me. I stopped counting after the first hundred." Hanaki and me both cracked a smile. "That many?" I asked, amazed. "Yup. The Buyierfei are very hard on technology." "So what you're saying is that I can look forward to destroying more aircraft?" Hanaki asked. "I guarantee it!" Hanaki paused briefly to consider this, then exclaimed, "Cool!" I was amazed at the sudden shift in her attitude, but then started laughing along with the others. [End - Chapter 13] Coming soon: Chapter 14: Three Suitors for Ukyo, No Skirts Allowed ======================================================================= >The real author's (Jim Lazar) notes/ramblings: BTW, Ranko's new hairstyle is like Karin's from DNA^2, in case you're wondering where the idea for the pigtail on her temple came from. I'd like to thank my pre-readers Thomas Kinnen, David Johnson, EBJ, Jonathan Ng, and Johan Holmberg for helping me find and fix problems with this story. Suggestions given from FFML members Bert Miller, Jason, Christopher J. Olsen, David A. Tatum, and Michael A. Chase were also helpful in fine tuning this story. Thank you all. Of course in the end, any mistakes and botched characters are my fault. Revision 0.0 - Rough draft (October 18, 1998) Revision 0.2 - Pre-reader draft (February 11, 1999) Revision 0.3 - FFML draft (February 27, 1999) Revision 1.0 - Final Version (March 14, 1999) Revision 1.1 - First RAAC posting (March 17, 1999)