Realities Squared
By Jim Robert Bader
(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi and others)
Chapter Nine.
(No Sex this time, but plenty of suggestive stuff and gratuitous violence.
I'm expecting this one to be controversial with some of the DBZ fanatics,
but other than that, I hope you enjoy this chapter)
Continuum #17046289
Roll Call:
Lylac Tendo -17, purple haired daughter of Nabiki and Shampoo From Continuum #59343921 Ekko Daitokuji -16, redheaded daughter of Beiko and Aiko From Continuum #59343921 Tenko Masaki -17, blue haired daughter of Tenchi and Ryoko From Continuum #59343921 Veil Morisato -16, brown haired daughter of Keiichi and Belldandy From Continuum #59343921
Ranma slammed into the side of a mountain and instantly was buried deep in the stone by his enemy, who took great delight in the pain expression this gave him. He had been hurled a full mile when his foeman impacted against his body, driving him out of the lair of the Shogun and away from Ryoga and Nabiki.
"Hurts doesn't it?" Vegita smiled in cruel calculation as he pulled the man up out of the crater he had created, "Get used to it, because I'm only just getting started."
"With what?" Ranma grunted, "With boring me to death?"
Vegita dumped Ranma face-first into the ground, shattering a wide section of what was left of the granite face and partially collapsing it into the cave system underneath it.
"You gotta pretty smart mouth, Punk," Vegita sneered, "It's gonna get you into a world of pain..."
"I've been through pain," Ranma said as he began to pry himself up out of the near-avalanche that had piled on top of him, "I was married for a year, and the girl I married hits harder than you, creep."
Vegita kicked Ranma in the sides like a football and sent him flying back into the wall of the crater and beyond it. Ranma was briefly airborne when Vegita closed in on him, not content to let the fall finish his opponent off, and fully intending to crush him in one devastating attack.
But to his surprise Ranma merely smiled at Vegita and twisted his body in mid-
air, performing an impossible maneuver that caught the Saiyajin warrior and locking both of his arms behind his back, locking them together in such a way that Vegita could not exert his enormous strength in an effective manner.
"WHAT...?" Vegita struggled to no avail to break the hold as the ground started to loom up underneath them.
"Y'know the problem with you Saiyajin creeps?" Ranma snorted, "You're all mouth about how tough you are and how you can destroy whole planets-Big Deal! All you are is a cheap thug who's been genetically engineered to blow up stuff and destroy things, like that's something you can brag about! Let me tell you, Twinkletoes...destroying things is nothing! What really matters is if you can create something new and important, and in that department, junior, you've really been short-changed."
That was all the time they had before both men went plowing into the ground at high velocity, gouging out a crater that could easily fit a locomotive.
The landing broke Ranma's hold, however, and Vegita wasted no time freeing himself and taking the initiative again, grabbing Ranma by his jacket and slamming him around until even Saotome's teeth were rattled.
"You dare address me with such insolence?" Vegita snarled, "I could crush you like a flea! You're nothing to me, do you hear? NOTHING!"
"If I'm nothing," Ranma gritted and spat, "Then why are you yellin'?"
In response the Saiyajin slammed him into the ground again, half-burying Ranma amid the pulverized rock that had formerly been a solid piece of granite.
"I don't see why a wimp like you even rates the Shogun's attention, let alone why he insisted we drop what we were doing before and come seeking you out."
Ranma opened his eyes and glared at his enemy, "Guess he didn't trust a retard like you to do the job alone, which is why you brought your goons with you."
"What?" Vegita went rigid as he shook the larger man in his hands, "You dare say that to ME? You little punk! I'm gonna rip you apart for that!"
"Yeah, right," Ranma said as he gripped the other man by the wrists and started squeezing.
"Eh?" it was Vegita's turn to grimace in pain as he felt his arms-arms that could rip apart continents-being forced to turn at unnatural angles. He had to let go of his foe into order to ease the pain, giving Ranma the opportunity to kick upward and backflip out of the Saiyajin's grasp, landing effortlessly on his feet to confront his much shorter opponent.
"Hurts, doesn't it?" Ranma taunted, "Not used to somebody who can dish it out as well as take it?"
Vegita's reply was direct as he extended his hands, building up his energy level within seconds in preparation to unleash a massive discharge that would have laid waste to half of what remained of the city. But before the act could be completed a set of sledgehammer blows began pelting his face and body, breaking up his concentration and staggering the little man several paces backwards.
"Oh come on," Ranma sneered as he slammed his smaller foeman into the ground with sufficient force enough to bury him part-way, "You didn't honestly think I was gonna let you hit me with that, did you?" and to emphasize his point he slammed Vegita down two more times for emphasis moving so fast that Vegita concentration was further disrupted.
But the Saiyajin warrior managed to shrug off these blows and took to the air the moment he was able, taking advantage of his ability to fly, which Ranma, of course did not copy.
"Your power level is greater than I estimated," Vegita sneered, once more building up a glow about his hands, "Too bad you're only human."
"Human?" Ranma snorted, "I'm a Saotome. That doesn't exactly count as human."
"DIE!" Vegita cried as he unleashed his blast upon Ranma, who merely crossed his arms and stood his ground, his own eyes starting to glow as the blast struck the ground where he stood with enough force to incinerate a mile-deep crater.
But when the fumes of the blast cleared Ranma remained standing where he was, and the ground about his feet was unaltered, even though an area a hundred meters wide now boiled and bubbled.
"WHAT?" Vegita cried, "It can't be! I used enough force to level a mountain!"
"I ain't a Mountain," Ranma growled as his own hands began to glow and his eyes were like blazing infernos, "Like I told you before, I'm a Saotome! MOKO TAKABISHI!"
The energy that he had absorbed from Vegita's blast was now returned to its source greatly amplified by the force of Ranma own spirit. Vegita never even had a chance to dodge or avoid the blast as it moved with the speed of thought and erupted into his face, propelled him backward. He traced an arc nearly five miles long before gravity recaptured him again while Ranma estimated his landing spot and immediately shifted to speeds beyond mortal imagination.
The battle, as it raged, had one spectator who studied all of this with more than casual interest, leaning against what was left of a melted flagpole and formed a sardonic expression. This version of the Saotome boy had gotten flashy since he'd taken on the aspect of an avatar. Most human mortals would never last a second against a Saiyajin of Vegita's power level...but mortal didn't describe Saotome in the least bit these days. Instead it was Vegita who had just bitten off more than his puny, sociopathic mind could even imagine.
"That boy just ain't right," Toltir sighed as he shook his head almost sadly, though it was an difficult question guess to which opponent the Elder God was referring, the Saiyajin or Saotome.
As Vegita came back down to earth, recovering from the stunning force of the blast that he had taken, he found Ranma waiting to greet him with fists at the ready, and he turned barely in time to meet and intercept a hurricane of blows that rained down on him at speeds beyond imagination.
Meanwhile Ryoga was having a tough time of it with his own Namek foeman, a burly mountain of muscle who dwarfed Ryoga in both size and muscle mass. To all appearances he was squashing Ryoga into the floor of the former laboratory and holding him pinned by sheer gravity as well as superhuman power.
"Heh, this one is easy," the Namek-whose name was Bakuro-sneered to himself, "Crushing the life out of him will be no challenge at all..."
Ryoga was finding it difficult to get the proper leverage he needed in order to fight back, to say nothing of the air being cut off by the Namek's body, but both problems resolved themselves as Ryoga stabbed a finger into the ground at his side and caused it to explode in a shower of gravel-like fragments.
"Eh?" Bakuro flinched as his green face was pelted by the sting of the bursting fragments, and for a moment he eased up on the pressure that he was exerting. Ryoga wasted no time digging into the concrete that surrounded him, all but flowing into the stone as he shifted around him until he had the leverage he needed. Bakuro glanced down in annoyance and growled, "Stop squirming and die you little..."
That was when his face went rigid, and all at once pain replaced his gloating, for Ryoga's hands were now free to dig through something other than stone, and though a Namek's skin is ordinarily like armor, it proved to be fragile putty in the hands of Ryoga the Oni Destroyer. Bakuro died horrible as Ryoga tore through is body, not even allowing himself to think on what he was doing as he took the path of least resistance to free himself, which just happened to Bakuro himself!
A moment later Ryoga gasped air and climbed to freedom, covered in the enemy's gore but nonetheless triumphant with the elimination of the second most dangerous of their foemen.
The third most dangerous hung back while the fourth attacked Nabiki, sensing that there was something most unusual about this girl that belied her seemingly soft appearance. His scanners were reading conflicting estimations of her power level, and without more hard data he was reluctant to commit to battle.
This proved wise as the forth assailant-the smallest and weakest of their band-
was trying to tear into Nabiki, only to find that she somehow flowed out of his reach before his fists could connect, as though her location in normal time and space was entirely arbitrary.
"Stand still and die!" the creature cried in frustration, as Nabiki's image appeared to remain stable for a moment.
"You first," Nabiki replied, and without warning she was suddenly behind the alien creature, her hands jabbing against it in a number of odd places. She stepped away in time to avoid a savage backswing then held her ground as the creature rounded upon her, more determined than ever to crush the life from this annoying insect.
But as he started to lurch forward his body suddenly seized up on him and his muscles refused to obey his commandments. He felt his limbs begin to shake and his body trembled from within, and a blinding pain filled his skull as he clutched helplessly at the air and screamed, "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME, YOU BITCH?"
Nabiki turned away, ignoring the threat as she turned her attention to the third remaining enemy while the forth began to suffer massive power ruptures all over his body.
"What did you do to him?" growled the hulking Radugo.
"I've killed him, of course," Nabiki replied without the slightest trace of emotions, "He's already dead, he just needs another minute to..." she paused as the explosion of blood jutted out from the spot where the forth most dangerous attacker's head had formerly been, just missing her cheek though some of the gore did strike her jacket, to which she fastidiously brushed some of it off as she added, "Never mind, you get the point..."
The tide of battle appeared to briefly turn against Ranma as Vegita finally got the upper hand while their battle ranged over into a desolate part of the ruined ward known as Nerima. The Saiyajin warrior was hammering away at Saotome's defenses and landing more blows than before as Ranma seemed to be tiring, and Vegita smiled victory, having finally found his enemy's human limits.
"You want to play hero?" Vegita sneered as he staggered Ranma with a solid punch to his gut, another blow moving with the speed of thought to drive Ranma back a hundred feet before his heels dug in to halt his momentum, "Fine! I've slaughtered most of the heroes on this pathetic mudball! I'd have destroyed you puny weaklings by now, but it's been so much fun to play with you...you make such easy targets!"
A solid blow connected against Ranma and sent him flying back through several walls before a building started to collapse over him. For a moment Vegita was content to catch his breath and watch as his foe was buried, then he started to step forward again when the rubble shifted, and Ranma emerged like a Phoenix from the ashes.
"Heh...That all ya got?" Ranma ran the back of his hand against his lip, wiping away the blood that flowed there, "This is startin' to get borin'."
Vegita could not believe his senses as he called on his combat computer to make a reassessment of his opponent. The initial rating for this Saotome Ranma had been around seven thousand, but now he was manifesting a rating of fifteen thousand, and if anything the rating was going up as his body kept repairing itself as fast as it was damaged!
"To restate my point," Ranma said as he took another defensive crouch, "Destroying stuff ain't nothing compared t'th love of a good woman, an' I oughta know. I thought I knew what love was when I got married, only my wife was the high spirited sort and could pound me like this in her sleep, which made her more of a man than you'll ever be."
Vegita was so enraged that for a moment all he could do was stand there in trembling anger. Not only did this Ranma character absorb his best blows but he kept right on coming back with pointless witticisms and insults. It was enough to drive even the most determined sociopath mad! Vegita desired nothing less now than to pulverize Saotome with such force that he would exterminate all of the man's ancestors.
"Got one question before we renew this dance, Loser," Ranma asked, "Why exactly are you working for the Shogun? I thought you Saiyujin had more pride than to take a pay-chit from a retard like Gosunkugi?"
"I...?" Vegita hesitated, wondering himself why he was working for a mere human. He only knew that he had come to work for the Shogun one day when the urge came upon him, and he had since been working to extend the dominion of the demons to other planets.
"Never mind," Ranma nodded, "Kinda thought it'd be like that."
The moment of hesitation ended as Vegita rushed his foe, moving like thought with the intent of finishing the fight with one final blow that would exterminate even this annoying blemish named Saotome. But Ranma just as quickly avoided the Saiyajin's powered fist as he stepped into and past Vegita's guard as though he were sliding through timespace and suddenly another wave of power-
blows ran down upon the Saiyajin warrior, coming at him at velocities even faster than light and hammering him down into the smaller man right down into the pavement.
Vegita shrugged off these blows and took advantage of his humbled position to grab his opponent by one ankle, slamming Ranma down into concrete and asphalt several times the way he had been slammed before by Ranma. He followed this up by Driving Saotome face-down into the foundations of one building with such great force that They both wound up submerged in the basement.
A moment later Vegita shrugged off the huge slabs of stone and concrete that had covered them and hauled Ranma up by the collar of his jacket. Satisfied that this time the annoying human had definitely felt it, Vegita tossed him lightly aside and said, "You may be tough for your species, but you're not as good as a Saiyajin warrior! All you'll get for your ridiculous pride is an early grave, because this battle's a foregone conclusion!"
Ranma fell heavily to the ground and for a moment did not move, but then-to Vegita's considerable surprise-Ranma started laughing from where he had fallen.
"Pride?" Ranma growled as he got back to his feet once again, battered and bruised but hardly even winded, "I don't got no pride left...none at all! Ain't got no Honor either...lost it a long time ago, not that I ever had that much to begin with."
"How can you...?" Vegita stared in disbelief, seeing a man stand up who by all rights should have been splattered for the amount of abuse that he had just taken. Worse still, his Scouter was detecting a rapid upsurge in energy levels as Ranma's power rating jumped from thirty to fifty thousand!
"Don't got nothing of value, not even the shirt on my back, which is company manufactured," Ranma brushed himself off then assumed a martial arts stance, "Only got one thing that matters to me, the only thing they never took that's mine, the only thing I ever really needed."
"And what's that?" Vegita asked, morbidly fascinated.
"My name," Ranma replied, and suddenly he was all over Vegita, hammering him with blows that flew so fast that the little man had barely enough time to even think to deflect them. One blow penetrated and it was Vegita's turn to go flying, striking a wall with his backside and plowing right through it to the other side of the block. As the Saiyajin came to a rest he heard a voice speaking directly over him and saying, "I AM RANMA SAOTOME OF THE ANYTHING GOES SCHOOL OF MARTIAL ARTS!"
Vegita opened his eyes in time to see the blow coming, put up both hands to intercept the downward strike, but the blow was aimed precisely with all the force and fury of a man who had been through hell and back so many times that he'd earned frequent flyer mileage, and he might as well have tried deflecting the weight of the world as a thousand times a thousand metric tons of force slammed into him, backed by the full weight of a full-scale Mako Takabishi.
The shock wave alone traveled out two miles to level everything that was in its path and completely leveled twenty city blocks within the immediate radius, kicking up a storm of masonry and mortar as ruined buildings were vaporized and deserted corridors flared up in a brief, intensive flashfire blast of Ki-force that fried the air and briefly caused it to catch fire, incinerating all that was contained within it.
The blast took a full minute to subside as though a nine-point earthquake had occurred, followed up by lesser aftershocks as a single figure remained standing in the resulting crater. Ranma stared down at the Saiyajin warrior, who had been severely stunned by the massive blow that would have killed a lesser mortal.
In a deceptively calm voice the somber Time Agent said, "I'm Ranma Saotome...and I don't know how to lose..."
"The problem," Nabiki was explaining in the tense stand-off that was taking place between herself and her opponent, "Is that you vicious, space-faring criminal types always assume a fight comes down to a matter of overwhelming physical power. Saiyajin are the worst in that regard, having their power handed to them genetically, so easily in fact that they come to believe that they are the toughest, strongest and deadliest creatures in all the known Universe, which of course tends to make them overconfident and sloppy."
"And you took advantage of that to trick Itoki into attacking you, giving you the chance to analyze his fighting techniques and determine a counter?" Radugo determined.
"I knew he wouldn't be much of a challenge," Nabiki replied, "His kind never are. They're so quick to pursue blood that they don't even wait to find out if the one facing them is logically a threat or not. The entire philosophy of the martial arts is devoted towards allowing a weak opponent to overcome a stronger enemy..."
"And you think that you can try the same trick on me?" the burly giant clapped his fist into his palm, "I don't think so."
"Of course," Nabiki said casually, not looking the least bit concerned, "There is another side to the art, which I'm sure you are aware of."
"Oh?" Radugo sneered, "And what's that?"
"Me!" cried Ryoga, and as Radugo turned to face the new threat he felt a hand strike him in the kidney, and suddenly a fire-like lightning shot throughout his body, causing nerves and synapses to fire and overload as the full force of the Chi-Shock Wave Attack overwhelmed even the tough composition of his massive body. Radugo staggered, toppled forward to his knees, gurgled once as blood fountained out of his mouth and collapsed with hardly a whimper.
"That a good little man can beat a big man," Nabiki replied, "But a good big man can beat a little man of equal skill. Too bad you never studied the subtleties of the art...and Ryoga-kun, you look like a mess!"
"I feel like it," Ryoga winced, "Took me a while to dig free from that carcass, or I would have been on him sooner. Just don't ask me what that other guy had for breakfast, okay?"
"Deal," Nabiki nodded, "Meanwhile I think you're the one who ought to be using the porta-shower. Get yourself cleaned up and then we can finish up with what we came to do."
"Right," Ryoga started to turn away, then belatedly realized something, "Where's Ranma?"
A meaty thunk signified Vegita's body hitting the floor, and then Ranma vaulted down to easily catch his balance beside his two companions.
"Sorry I'm late," Ranma apologized, "There were a lot of rocks littering the ground between here and where this guy passed out, and I had to make sure to drag him over every one of them. What happened to you, Ryoga?"
"Nothing much," Ryoga said, "You should see the other guy."
Ranma turned to see a lump in one corner of the room and said, "Oh. Forget I asked."
"It's forgotten," Nabiki glanced at the fallen Saiyajin and asked, "Did he give you any trouble?"
"Naw," Ranma shrugged, "That version of me playing Raiden was more of a workout. Twinkletoes here passed out when things got a little hot, though...I actually had to break a sweat this time."
"Amazing," Nabiki remarked, "But then again, when you're the living embodiment of physical destruction, I guess you don't often find playmates that give you much of a workout."
"Don't start with me about that again," Ranma groaned, "This has got nothing to do with me and Shiva..."
"Excuse me, but are we late?"
The three Time Agents turned to see the four young women approaching them from a side-corridor, the very one they themselves had come by as a matter of fact, and for a moment they just stared, and then Nabiki said, "Nani?"
"Hello, Fama," Lylac smiled, glancing around, "Looks like you guys threw quite a party."
"Didn't leave much for us to do," Tenko mused, "But it's good to see none on our side were unduly injured."
"You must be the Saotome Ranma that Lylac has been telling us about," said the pleasant-voiced Veil, "A sincere honor and a privilege to meet you."
"I also see that your reputation for excess carnage and destruction has not been exaggerated," Ekko noted, "Whoever they are, I assume that they deserved it?"
"Er..." Nabiki looked at the purple-haired Lylac, then at the other young women and said, "Excuse me for asking...but who are you?"
"We haven't been formally introduced," Tenko replied, "My name is Masaki Tenko, and these are my best friends, Morisato Veil, Tendo Lylac...and this Titian-
haired Titaness with the exaggerated Elocution has a mouthful for a name, but we refer to her affectionately as simply Ekko."
"Eileen Kent-Kane Managi Daitokuji, at your service," the redhead in question replied, "Student of the Sciences and all things of a Technical nature."
"Er..." Nabiki looked at the four girls, then her attention swiveled towards Veil, "Did you say...Morisato?"
"Well, yes," Veil replied, "But I..."
"WATCH OUT!" Ryoga cried as Vegita suddenly came back to life and rushed at Veil, clearly seeking to take a hostage, only to find Ekko standing athwart his path, and her fist suddenly filling his vision.
POW!
The Saiyajin was knocked backwards and only managed to right himself after the unexpected power of that blow had nearly dislocated his jaw. He hovered in the air, preparing to summon up his energy in order to fry the offensive humans when Tenko's form suddenly shimmered, her body covered in an alien form of armor while her hands were suddenly clutching a light blade. Tenko leaped into the air and made a single swipe with her energy weapon, passing beyond the astonished Saiyajin warrior before coming back to Earth again as she completed her swing in proper Samurai manner.
Vegita hovered there a few seconds more, and then a line passed all the way through him from head to crotch as the energy contained within his body was suddenly released with a massive explosion. The force was considerable, yet none of it touched the party as Veil had constructed her own barrier while this had happened.
Several dozen heartbeats more, after the debris had begun to settle, Lylac turned back to Nabiki and said, "As you can see, we're here to help in any way we can, and we're quite formidable in our own distinctive respects."
"Okay," Ranma said softly, "Even I'm impressed by that one."
And from the shadows where he was observing this, Toltir shook his head a bit sadly. Too bad, he rather liked Vegita, for all the Saiyajin's brutal ruthlessness. But then again, that was only to be expected when you went up against Shiva's Avatar, one of the Triune aspects of the Lord of Creation and Destruction.
Of course that had only been the Vegita of this world, who had never encountered Goku and Piccolo or learned to modify his ways, and his power level was much less than the Vegita who could intimidate Kami-sama. This one had only been a brutal thug in the image of the Vegita that Toltir knew of on many an alternate dimension, and so this one world would not miss the little sociopath. Toltir could content himself with knowing that the Vegita that he favored would still be around to haunt many another future timeline.
But then he smiled for a different reason, his eyes falling upon the gentle brown haired girl, who bore such a striking resemblance to the divine magnificence that was her mother...
Nabiki was eyeing the girl who stood before her narrowly and asked, "Do your parents know where you are, little lady?"
"Well..." Lylac shrugged, her expression almost a mirror for one that Nabiki had often seen in the reflection of a mirror.
"Right," Nabiki sniffed, "Well, now that you're here, you might as well make yourselves useful. I assume one of you has some idea what this is about?"
"I do, Auntie," Ekko replied, "We're here to save reality itself, at least as we fathom the concept."
"Again?" Ryoga asked as he started to set up the portable shower, "You'd think we'd earn bonus money doing this..."
"Not in this life, P-chan," Ranma snorted, eyeing the four impressive young women at his side before glancing at Nabiki, knowing the both of them were thinking the same thing at once: "I really need a loooonng vacation..."
Continuum #57821964
Roll Call:
Ranko Saotome-16, redheaded daughter of Ranma and Akane From Continuum #29715382 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan.
Watazashi Saotome -16, black haired daughter of Ranma and Kodachi From Continuum #29457180 Yuan-Yen Tendo-16, brown haired daughter of Mousse and Nabiki From Continuum #29457180 Tinkerbell Tendo -17, brown haired daughter of Perfume and Kasumi From Continuum #68743219 Rinse Saotome-17, purple haired daughter of Ranma and Shampoo From Continuum #472193567 Tachi Kuno -17, brown haired daughter of Tatewaki and Nabiki From Continuum #472193567 Ryeka Masaki-16, blue haired fusion daughter of Ryoko and Ayeka From Continuum #472193567 Atari Morobishi-16, green haired daughter of Ataru and Lum From Continuum #472193567 Silver Saotome-17, silver-haired daughter of Shampoo and Ranma,
From Continuum #48972185 Jusenkyo cursed: Nanniichuan.
Akira Tendo -20, black haired son of Shampoo-kun and Kasumi From Continuum #48972185 Kinko Kuonji-14, brown haired daughter of Ukyo-kun and Akane From Continuum #32145896 Jusenkyo Curse: Winged Angel.
Ranko remembered seeing a sign when she had entered this wing of the Miroku House that read, "WARNING, TRESSPASSERS WILL BE VIOLATED," but at the time she had not realize how literal it should be taken.
Sitting in the Temple-like room with her fellow Time Travelers while facing the row of unfamiliar faces sitting across from them, seventeen in all, over two thirds of the number of offspring who were old enough to be considered potential candidates in her quest with about an equal number of underaged children gathered behind them, constituting a humongous extended family that constituted the Clan Miroku. And this was but a reflection of the gathering of parents that she saw on the other side of the room, beaming proudly at the youths while giving Ranko and her group very curious and polite scrutiny, as if trying to match one group to the other.
In fact there were many confusing aspects about the marital arrangements on this timeline, not least of which being that the acknowledged Clan Lord here was Miko Mido and not her father. Miko was married to the Suzuka clan lore, Dan Suzuka, and at least one of the daughters of this house-the vivacious Koi Mido-was the progeny of their union. Of course Miko had children by other people in the room, including the Ranma Saotome of this world...and their daughter was among the oldest here present, a tall girl with the odd name of Kama Sutra Saotome.
Ranko eyed the indigo-haired Kama Sutra, whom the pendant had identified as the second child whom they had come to claim for their party. Kama was very tall and willowy with a cunning smile that suggested a very sensualistic nature, but not in a bad sense as she perceived no actual taint of evil in her aura. Kama was one of those girls who seemed to undress everyone with her eyes while maintaining a steadfast neutrality over whether they be friend or foe, as befit the designated heir of the house Mido. Ranko wondered about the girl's fighting skills, but something suggested in her mind that this Kama Sutra was formidable in a very different sense. She wore a fore-fitting pant suit that flattered her well-endowed figure, and from the way she had moved there was a relaxed ease and bearing that suggested that she was a fluid as quicksilver with good command of her internal power.
The other girls going down the row bore curious names like Kimera and Kurenai, with one girl-the child of Akane and Shampoo (another Fusion, Ranko winced, go figure!) bore the curious name of Bonbori and was as bouncy and kawaii as any Amazon, with a killer right hook that Ranko had seen demonstrated upon an innocent cinderblock in one of the restaurant live demonstrations.
The green-haired Thorn sat beside a black-haired half-sister named Rose, and both were clearly the daughters of Kodachi, while a boy and girl named Achika and Tsuyosa each shared the misfortune of having the last name of Hibiki. Sakura Kuonji was just as silver haired as Silver herself yet had a feral quality in her expression that made her look especially predatory. There was a black haired girl named Kyura, who was Ranko-s full blooded sister, due to the fact that her parents were Ranma and Akane, yet her parents were married to other people and had the rest of their children by other sources, so it was difficult for Ranko to relate here, being an only child and thus unused to such a crowd of close relations (even given the events of the previous day, of course).
She was somewhat amused to note that Rinse was eyeing her counterpart in this universe, a pink haired girl with the curious name of Kitten Saotome, and beside her was an indigo-haired girl with the even more curious name of Bracelet. Among the few boys who were present was a cute lad named Tenshin, who was the son of their father, Ranma, by the brown haired girl named Fubuki, who had somehow also fathered a Fusion daughter upon Ranko's Aunt Nabiki named Price Tendo, a very sly looking girl whom Tachi and Yuan-Yen were eyeing with a curious interest.
On the whole there were so many children born to their promiscuous elders that it was amazing that anyone could keep track of it all, and it was thus unsurprising that the kids tended to call all the adult women either Aunt or Mom regardless of who had been born to whom. Ranma, Ryoga and Dan were referred to as either Uncle or father in the same manner, and while there was a clear demarcation line between the generations, there was also a healthy amount of respect by the children for their parents, since everyone seemed quite comfortable with their overall relations.
Lady Miko listened patiently as Tachi and Watazashi elected to take the initiative and explain about their time traveling adventures and the various worlds that their party hailed from. To Ranko's considerable surprise this improbable lunacy seemed to be taken in stride by both Elders and Children without the skepticism and disbelief that Ranko had fully expected. When Tachi came to a pause in explaining how they had arrived before the Miroku restaurant, Miko nodded and used her fan to indicate Ranko.
"So you are the bearer of the pendant that's caused all of this, and it conspired to arrange it so that you will have to continue wearing it or risk fading out from existence?"
"Uh, yeah," Ranko gruffly replied before remembering her manners, "I mean...yes, I was more-or-less singled out from a group of candidates to be the thing's guardian or mistress...I don't really know why, but I'm kind of stuck with it for the duration."
"How tragic to learn that your world worked out so badly," Miko spoke with obvious sympathy before nodding to Akane, who sat dutifully beside her, "Akane-
chan used to suffer from the sort of rages that you described as overtaking your mother. Fortunately we caught her condition in time to give her proper treatment, and now she is a much beloved member of our household," Miko smiled with such fondness that it was not difficult to interpret this as more than merely friendship. That Akane smiled back in the same manner was even more puzzling to Ranko, before this odd version of her mom turned a look towards her of great sympathy and compassion.
Oh yeah, Ranko thought to herself...that was the other curious thing...the number of kids born to two women was higher here than any other world that they had visited, barring only Tinkerbell's world, and among those Fusion kids was one named Shikari, who claimed both Miko and Akane for her parents!
"I am sorry to learn that my sister of your world was the cause of so much suffering," Akane began saying to Ranko, "I only wish that there were some way that I could make it up to you...but how could I possibly do that after having cost you your father?"
She exchanged looks with Ranma, who nodded, then said, "You're welcome to stick around and get to know our clan. You kids look all right, for the most part, and the hospitality of the Miroku is second to none."
"You got that right," grinned Ukyo as she reached over and squeezed the hand of her husband, who squeezed back in the same manner as she and Ranma exchanged intimate looks of their own, then both turned to regard Kinko, who was staring at everything with her mouth hanging open.
"Alas, we cannot say how long we will be dwelling here," Watazashi remarked, "The pendant seems to follow its own course and logic, and we might very well fade out from this world at any moment without more than a few seconds of warning."
"Plus the pendant will probably snatch two of your kids, once it makes its selection," Tachi added, "It's kind of random looking in the way it operates, but I'm pretty sure that there is a method to the seeming madness of our constant transitions."
"And who will be the ones taken when this happens?" Shampoo asked curiously, seeming to accept in stride that Silver and Rinse were her offspring, though she kept steeling puzzled glances in Akira's direction.
Eyes turned towards Ranko, who felt immediately as though she were in the spotlight once again and swallowed almost shyly before saying, "Well...it's up to the pendant, not me, but I think the ones it wants are your two oldest daughters, Kama Sutra and Tsuyori."
"Me and my sister?" Tsuyori asked, exchanging quiet looks with Kama Sutra before adding, "May I ask why we are being selected?"
"I don't know," Ranko shrugged, "Like Tachi says, it seems kinda random."
"But obviously there is a purpose involved here," Miko mused, using her fan to partly cover her face as she seemed to think it over.
"Maybe it's after a diversity of talents," Fubuki spoke up suggestively, nodding towards Ryeka and Atari, "After all, these two aren't directly related to any of us, as near as I can remember."
"May I be allowed to ask a question?" Atari politely inquired.
"You just did," Ryeka snickered.
"I wasn't talking to you, Peasant," Atari sniffed, "I was merely curious to know the way in which you formed such a large and impressive clan of Tendos, Midos, Hibikis and Saotomes. Such a large and impressive extended family you have here, and quite enormously fruitful."
"You think this is something?" Nabiki asked, "Wait until the rest of the girls get off duty."
"Oh my," a scantily clad Kasumi smiled as she added, "We do seem to fill up a room when we are all together."
"That many?" Akira's eyes got somewhat rounded.
"We're up to our eyeballs in Hentai," Silver murmured in a low whisper.
"Don't knock us until you've tried us, sister," Sakura winked in her direction.
Tinkerbell eyed the oddly dressed version of her mother with barely restrained amazement before turning to glance once again at the feral Thorn, who kept looking back at her and smiling, causing the honey-blonde Tink to color once more as though deeply flattered.
"In answer to your question," Miko began, "A generation ago, back when Dan's evil brother was clan lord, a war broke out between the Miroku and Suzuka that was caused, in no small part, by a pair of renegades from either clan that sought to destroy us. I won't bother you with the details, but in time Dan dealt with his brother and became the new Lord of the Suzuka, and peace was declared among the few surviving members of both clans. However, our ranks were so badly decimated that it was decided eventually that we would unite our Houses and bring an end to the bitter rivalry between us forever.
"About this time we, the surviving members of the Miroku, chose to settle down in the Nerima ward and set up a restaurant together under Ukyo's patronage, which back then was titled Ucchan's. Ukyo had a longstanding quarrel with one Saotome Ranma, but that was resolved when they decided to honor the marriage pact between their houses, and Ranma was formally adopted into the House Kuonji of Clan Miroku. Along with this agreement came the sisters of House Tendo, who were also adopted as Miroku, followed in turn by Shampoo and Kodachi. There's quite a bit more to the story than can be told in one sitting, of course, but suffice to say that we have been enormously happy over the years and have worked ceaselessly to rebuild the ranks of our once-depleted clan...a task in which we have succeeded beyond our wildest expectations."
"No fooling," Yuan-Yen said dryly, glancing around at the place before adding, "Looks to me like you made quite an investment and it paid off hugely. This place is amazing! And you combine the aspects of a dojo training center with a commercial business that's open to the general public?"
"Isn't it, like, kinda hard keeping what you guys do a secret with your own kids?" Rinse asked uneasily, "Not that there's anything wrong, of course, but..."
"You are familiar with the old Ninja trick of hiding something in plain sight?" a silver haired boy named Shiromitsu asked (son of Dan and Ukyo no less), "We combine live shows with actual combat training sessions, and so far no one has questioned us on any official level."
"That's because the locals tend to look away from anything involving martial arts in this province," replied his father, "And those few who do pay attention...well, we see to it that they understand that the traditions of the Miroku and Suzuka schools are vitally important to the health and well being of all who live within this Ward."
"Why is that?" Ryeka asked, intrigued.
"Because of the Shikima," Ryoga spoke up, "Without our truce with them no woman could sleep safe and sound in her bed."
"The Shikima?" Akira repeated.
"Oh yeah," Koi sniffed, "Nasty buggers if you run into one on a Friday, like I have. They're not bad as dates go, but they tend to forget the candy and flowers and jump right ahead to the bump and grind stuff..."
"What our sister means," Tsuyori gently intruded, "Is that we are trained to deal with the Shikima, and we maintain the peace between both Human and Demon worlds through the practice of our Sex craft..."
"Excuse me?" Ranko asked nervously, "Your what craft?"
"Sex Craft," Kama Sutra responded with a knowing smile, "If you wish to know more, we can give you and your friends a free demonstration, simply as a friendly family gesture."
"Indeed?" Watazashi mused, "What an intriguing offer."
Yuan-Yen and Tinkerbell looked at her, the former with annoyance, the latter with a much-surprised expression.
"You combine Martial arts with Sex?" Rinse sounded as incredulous as Ranko.
"Not to suggest that there is anything wrong with the concept," Tachi smoothly added, "But making Love while doing battle..."
"Sounds pretty self-contradictory to me," Silver stated in uneasiness.
"Why is that?" Kinko asked.
"Never mind," Akira told her, "Wait until you are older."
Kinko made a disgusted noise and rolled her eyes, "Why does everybody always say that to me? It's not fair!"
"I have no idea," Kimera replied, "You seem like a very attractive person."
"So do I," Kyura grinned, "And she's the same age as me...neat!"
Kinko stared at these two, taking in their good looks and friendly expressions, and without knowing quite why she found herself blushing.
"A shame if you're leaving," noted Thorn, "We wouldn't mind having you guys over for the night."
"She means stay the night," Rose eyed her half-sister with a slightly cross expression, "Didn't you, Sis?"
"Ha-ha," Silver growled in an even lower whisper than before, "Yeah...right."
"It's nice of you people to offer us a place to stay and all that," Ranko began, holding up the pendant in her hand before adding, "But any minute now this thing is gonna be taking us out of here and..."
She paused, glanced down at the pendant, then said, "You...what? You're kidding!"
"Who's kidding?" Ranma looked at his nominal "daughter."
"The pendant is imparting to you more of its secret, inner workings?" Watazashi hazarded.
Ranko did not immediately answer, but when she did her expression was almost comical as she looked at her companions and said, "We're staying."
"We're what?" it was Tachi's turn to blurt in a rare moment of surprise.
"It says we're staying the night," Ranko repeated, "We're not leaving to get to where we gotta go until tomorrow morning. It's giving us the night to rest, says we should just hang out a while and do whatever we feel like, and then when we wake up and get ready it's taking us to the place where we gotta be."
"You're joking!" Rinse sounded more than slightly appalled.
"I wish I was," Ranko said softly, then as one she and her party turned to face their counterparts among the Miroku, who were smiling back at them as if opportunity had just knocked in a big way.
"Oboy," Silver murmured faintly, "I gotta bad feeling about this..."
Continued.
Comments/Criticism/Miroku Family Secrets: shadowmane
Yet more revelations, a Hentai section, plenty of sex and-of course-more stuff about what's going on that Dark world where the Time Agents "get acquainted" with their junior league helpers. Toltir speculates while another Ranma makes his move and the plot advances slightly further towards the eventual confrontation between Two Ranmas and the Shogun. Be there!
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