Mami lay on the cot in the Spartan room she had been given staring blankly at the wall. What was there to do in hell? She had literally lost her head and ended up in hell. It turned out that she hadn't even been properly damned since she technically didn't die when her head got eaten because her soul was stuck inside the soul gem. It was just a little fact that Kyubi had neglected to mention when he made her a magical girl. There also the little detail that her soul gem was designed to eventually turn her into a witch when it became completely cloudy.
But Mami didn't have to worry about that here in hell. Her soul gem was safely secured in a nearby vault rigged up to a machine that would constantly purify the gem. Granted, that also meant that she couldn't go much farther than the door entrance without holding the safe. What was the point of leaving this room anyway? It wouldn't change the fact that she was in hell.
The door opened to reveal Ranma. He turned to look at Mami and said, "Can I come in?"
Mami replied, "Do what you feel like."
Ranma walked in and leaned against the wall near Mami. He looked down at her and said, "So why are you looking so broken?"
"Broken?" Mami repeated in shock, "Why would I be broken? It's not like I unknowingly got my soul ripped out of my body by a creature that only planned to use me to harvest energy for itself before becoming an energy source. Why shouldn't I be fine when I was leading the first friends I have had in a year to the same situation I'm in? Isn't it perfectly normal to have your head bitten off and still be alive because your body is nothing more than a meat puppet? To top this all off, it is a regular occurrence for me to be the subject of an experimental medical procedure in hell!"
Mami started to sob. "I wish, oh I wish that Kyubi had never found me. It would have been better if I had died with my family."
Ranma's face hardened and he said, "Now that's a load of bullshit right there girl. The only ones who are better off dead are your enemies when they're less trouble to you dead than alive. You're still alive which means you can make choices and improve yourself so your situation is better. If you've been dealt a bad hand in the game of life you keep pressing forward until you can make a winning hand."
"Don't be stupid and think that you're the only one in life who has it bad Mami. I can see the questions in your eyes. What would someone like me who is a powerful devil know about having it bad in life right? Well let me fill you in on a few facts. I'm a half devil and down here that's not good thing to be for a devil in my position. There are heaps of political and cultural pressures against someone like me. My mother is one of the satans ruling the Underworld but she had to have me placed in my grandparents' clan due to political pressure. Most of my peers in rank are purebloods who want nothing to do with 'mongrel filth' like me. Even reincarnated devils can look down on me since they are at least pure devils even if they are not 'pureblooded' devils. There are also a multitude of enemies outside my clan that would happily assassinate me just to knock Clan Sitri down a peg or two."
"Oh, and since I'm a devil I have to hide what I truly am to most of the world. Most humans would try to either kill me or consider me a pit of moral corruption. A large amount of supernatural beings would be wary of me since devils don't have the best reputation to the world at large. To top this all off I also have all the expectations heaped on me for a typical Japanese teenager."
"I could have easily broken down under the weight of all that stress. However I used my pride to stop myself from falling down that pit. I refused to bow to challenges and worked my ass off to get stronger. Power is the leverage of success in the Moonlight World after all. My power is now among the top tier of my age group and my peerage routinely made it on the top 10 ranking in tithes for my age group as well. That was back when my peerage was just Ryu and myself. I fully expect to be in the top 5 with how my peerage has expanded recently."
Ranma paused for a moment to let his rant sink into Mami's head. Part of him was upset at himself that had let that information slip out. It just enraged him to see her so down in the dumps. He took a deep breath and spoke more calmly. "Look Mami, I'm not the best when it comes to the motivational pick yourself up after you fall kind of talking. Just take stock of what you have and figure out where you want to go. You're alive and you can stay that way. Heaven, you might be able to get transported back to earth and keep the soul gem purifier if you make a good case of it being a long term study for my grandfather and agree to periodic examinations. Perhaps you can become a valuable freelancer in the local Moonlight World and make a comfortable living."
"If the truth of your soul gem is too discomforting to you there are ways to change what you are. The main way I know is to have a high ranking devil agree to transform you into a devil by joining their peerage. There are costs and downsides to go with the advantages of such a deal. However, I doubt you'll let yourself become something different again without fully considering all the facts of the transformation. Stop bemoaning your problems in life and start figuring out how to deal with them."
With that said, Ranma left the room so that Mami could think. Ranma wanted Mami in his peerage after learning more about the girl from Homura. Her skills were perfect for long range support and she had an extraordinary amount of combat experience for a magical girl or for most people his age. Part of Ranma was still surprised that Sona had given up all rights to convince Mami to join her peerage over to him. Mom could really bring out Sona's irrational side.
The problem was that Mami had been betrayed by the Incubators and it hurt her. Ranma would have to get her to come to him to join his peerage in order for her joining to have any success. The question racking Ranma's brain was how was he supposed to get Mami to want to join? He had been able to give every member of his peerage something that they wanted when they joined. What did Mami want and was she even in a state to try and figure that out?
No longer being a magical girl of the exact type she was seemed the most likely answer to Ranma. That led to the question of how the heaven was he supposed to get Mami to accept becoming a devil given the similarities with the Incubator's deal. Being upfront that there were upsides and downsides and also offering an alternative to becoming a devil was the most reasonable option to Ranma. It was unlikely that Mami would choose to remain as she was for long. Even if she made a deal to leave the Underworld as she was, the facts about what she was would haunt her.
It was possible that Ranma was wrong in his reading of Mami. She might become comfortable with what she was and might only desire prevention to becoming a witch. If that was the case then she probably wouldn't want to become a devil. In that situation having Mami as a favorable ally would be acceptable.
Genma walked into the Yukimura Diner looking for a relaxing meal after a hard day's work. Ranma wasn't home since his grandfather had called him to witness a potential scientific breakthrough. Ryu was out doing a simple moving mission. The others in the boy's peerage were off doing who knows what. Genma didn't care to have them in his personal business so he wasn't about to go checking in on their business.
For a second Genma thought about sitting at the counter, but then he decided to sit down in one of the booths. Genma let out a sigh of frustration as he sat down. A minute later a voice called out, "I wasn't expecting to find you in a place like this."
Genma turned his head and his eyes widen in shock. He muttered, "Serafall? Why are you here?" This wasn't exactly the kind of place Genma expected Serafall to visit. It was even more shocking that she would talk to him here. He honestly expected that Serafall would ignore his presence if she ever encountered him without Ranma around. What was even more shocking was the fact that Serafall was dressed in a modest and demure dress instead of her usual magical girl outfits or her rarely seen sensual business outfits.
Serafall glanced down to her feet for a moment, took a deep breath, and then looked at Genma. "I was looking for you Genma. I, well, I was hoping to talk with you."
This was the third biggest shock Serafall had ever given Genma. Finding out that he was going to be a father and that she was a devil were major shocks one and two respectively. For a second, the look on Serafall's face took Genma back years to that fateful bar. Genma cleared his mind and motioned for Serafall to sit down. "Sure Serafall, pull up a seat."
Serafall sat down in the booth across from Genma and discreetly placed a privacy spell on the whole booth. She then looked at Genma and asked, "Genma, how were you able to cope with everything when you learned about my past?"
"It's been almost sixteen years since you told me you were pregnant with Ranma. Serafall, why are you asking me about that now?"
The devil leader looked around and then nervously replied, "Because recently I discovered something that completely upturned my view of the world. I don't know how to really deal with it and you're the only one I know who has gone through something like this that I can trust to talk about it."
Genma quickly answered, "So you know about Homura's past? What's with that look of surprise Serafall? I was there when Ranma introduced her to the rest of his peerage. I'm well aware that she comes from a time where something happened to make the Earth seem like what humans believe your home is like."
Serafall started to stammer in shock. "You know? How can you be so calm?"
"It's simple Serafall. I trust that our son can pull through when things go completely insane. He wouldn't have sent Homura back unless they had a plan almost certain to work. Ranma's got wonderful instincts and a great head on his shoulders as long as he doesn't realize he's got them. Then you add Homura with her ability to tell Ranma when an idea will not work and you have a game breaking team."
"What about your responsibility as a parent Genma? Don't you want to protect Ranma from this mess?"
"Of course I want to protect Ranma from this mess Serafall! However, there are things in life that parents can't protect their children from no matter how much they want to protect them. Do you think I like it when Ranma goes on a routine stray devil hunt? That's the reason why I have to wear this bandana since my hair fell out from worry. However, I haven't put myself in an early grave from worry because I know I taught Ranma what he needs to know in order to survive."
The fact that he couldn't really compete against supernatural dangers had long been a sore point for Genma. He could deal with the lowest level yokai with lower than comfortable odd of success. But even then it was very situational. Spells could take him out from a distance while most supernatural beings were stronger, faster, more durable, had more endurance, or any combo of the aforesaid over humans. Genma would need to know the weaknesses of his opponent and have to catch them off guard to have a good chance to win. Even then, Genma would need to end the fight quickly before his opponent had the chance to assess the situation and bring their superior abilities to the fight.
Serafall looked down at the table and muttered, "But I still failed to protect Ranma. He wouldn't be in this situation if I had done my job properly."
Genma reached across the table and gently grabbed Serafall's hand giving her a comforting squeeze. "You didn't fail Ranma. No one originally knew what was going on until Ranma stumbled across Homura. Following your request gave Ranma the key to deal with this problem. Besides, I sure you've looked over everything Homura has given you trying to find where Ranma might have overlooked something."
A silent nod was all the response Serafall was willing to give to Genma on Ranma's plan. The current plan was to deal with the witch that would have triggered the end of the world. Once that witch was removed from the picture it would be total destruction for the Incubators. Homura would provide the means to destroy the Incubators and Serafall couldn't wait to be rid of them. Not only had the little cretins subverted one of her hobbies, but their activities had increased tensions throughout the wider supernatural world.
Over three quarters of the unexplained incidents in the last decade that increased faction tension between any two supernatural groups were caused by the Incubators' activities. Ajuka had been able to cross-reference energy signals that had been dismissed or considered minor details with witch labyrinths. This had likely been happening for centuries if not millennia. However, Ajuka could not definitively tell Serafall that since the needed records weren't kept.
With the heavy subject out of the way, Genma decided to move things to lighter matters. "Would you like to stay for dinner Serafall?"
Serafall looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She blurted out, "What?"
Genma smiled and said, "Would you like to stay for dinner? The food here might not be 5-star quality, but it is enjoyable and the milkshakes are a real treat. You've already taken this much time off from work so why not take another half-hour or so and pretend that the office doesn't exist."
A faint blush dusted Serafall's cheeks as she nodded her head. She then dropped the privacy fields allowing the waitress to come over and take their order. The food was good enough and better tasting then its menu price had a right to be. However, that wasn't what kept Serafall there with Genma. It was the feeling of stepping out of her usual world into an existence that was both smaller and more enjoyable than her usual one.
Ranma lay on his bed staring up at the mural in his Sitri bedroom. It was a magnificent scene showing devil forces overpowering angels during one of the major battles of the Great War. It was normally a relaxing image for Ranma. However, he couldn't draw any comfort from it tonight. With a sigh, Ranma stopped looking at the mural and pulled out the latest issue of Modern Magic Journal. A quick look at the contents revealed a new article on the Animakenetic Spectrum by one of Ajuka's peerage members.
The article was both fascinating and revolutionary in its contents. The writer's main focus was on proving that the Animakenetic Spectrum existed by showing that all mystical energies were different expressions of one source energy. Ranma could follow most of the article and was only a little stumped with some hyper technical bits. However, what really grabbed hold of Ranma's attention was when the writer talked about source energy radiation.
Ranma paused his reading to reread several paragraphs and make sure he had fully comprehended what he had just read. Sentient beings had a danger sense because of mystical energies radiating out from someone else also known as an aura. It was a person's sensitivity to different animakenetic energies and the quantity of that energy in a foreign aura that determined how acute said person's danger sense was. Furthermore, the writer showed through extensive testing that a being's aura contained roughly 95 percent of their animakenetic energy.
"I'm only using 5 percent of my real total power?!" Part of Ranma didn't want to believe what he had just read. It was insulting to think that all the effort he had put in to get as strong as he had become was only a paltry fraction of what he really could use. However, Ranma refused to let his anger get the best of him and considered everything rationally. His pride refused to let himself have a weakness that could be exploited. It was better to accept some criticism and improve oneself than to reject the criticism and be a fool.
After rereading the relevant section of the article yet again, Ranma pulled out his mathematics textbook and flipped over the geometry section. Ranma knew from experience that you could feel stronger fighters further out from weaker fighters and that the feeling of a person's aura got stronger as you got closer to the fighter. He also knew that it didn't matter where you were around a fighter to feel their aura. The intensity was the same whether they were staring at you or you were looking at the back of their head.
Ranma found the chapter on spheres in his textbook and began to read it. He then tossed the textbook away and let out a sigh. "Bless me I am wasting my power!" The mathematics did not lie. His power had to be radiating out in an aura in order to be felt and that was governed by strict mathematical laws.
What could he do about all that wasted power? Everyone knew that a fighter's aura increased the more of their power they called into use. It's not like he could just stop emitting an aura. Ranma's eyes widened in shock as the thought truly hit him. Not emit an aura that was it. He needed to train himself to keep his power within him until he needed to use the power. His power needed to be like a laser beam instead of a bonfire.
These thoughts were put to the side when Ranma noticed his bedroom door opening. He put the magazine down and watched as Homura walked into the room closing the door behind her. Homura walked over and sat down at the foot of the bed. Ranma looked at his queen and said, "Yes Homura?"
She turned to look at her lord and said, "Mami is willing to join the peerage."
"That's wonderful news Homura! But, how did you convince Mami to join? She didn't seem like she wanted to make such a decision when I talked to her this morning."
A faint smile appeared on Homura's face. "Mami has been a friend in more loops to me than she's been a problem. Mami is afraid of being alone. I pointed out that joining your peerage will give her a place to belong with beings that will look after her. I also explained the full costs of what becoming a devil will bring her along with its benefits. Oh, I might have pointed out that living for centuries would be a way to spite Kyubi."
That tidbit brought a smile to Ranma's face. Schadenfreude was something Ranma could revel in as much as any devil. "I'll check on Mami in the morning to confirm that she truly wants to join. Anything else I should know?"
Homura disinteresting replied, "Mami will probably want to join your harem soon after she joins the peerage."
"What?" Ranma was almost certain he had misheard his queen.
Homura gave Ranma a look and replied, "Mami is a lonely 15 year old girl who has been in multiple high stress situations for months on end with effectively no support. She is modest, charitable, friendly, even tempered, and hard working. Let's also remember that from her perspective she was about to be devoured by a witch and then woke up in your arms being told she's safe now. There is a very high probably that Mami's main sin will be lust given her background and you will be her focus Ranma."
Ranma paused and thought about what Homura had told him. He could see why his queen figured Mami would become a devil of lust. There were probably other little things that she remembered from previous loops that reinforced that idea. It also wasn't hard to see why Mami might become infatuated with him given everything she had been through. Still, there was something bugging Ranma. "What's this about a harem?"
A second later Homura answered Ranma with a smack upside the head. "You're a young noble devil Ranma. First, it's expected that you'd have at least a couple of flings going on at the same time. Second, both Sona and Botan have feelings for you. That's not counting the fact that we've been lovers in many timelines and I know that most of Sona's peerage wouldn't mind having a shot or two with you under the sheets."
Ranma blurted out, "Botan too?"
"So you knew about Sona's feelings?"
A blush appeared on Ranma's face. "Well ah, Sona accidentally admitted them after I stumbled upon her training at a level she couldn't quite handle yet." The image of Sona naked in his arms had haunted him more than he wanted to admit and that kiss. Oh boy, Ranma could still feel his toes curling from that kiss she gave him. Ranma just wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle that situation or what he wanted out of it.
Botan was another issue that Ranma had shoved to the back burner. He still had 5 months and change before the 6 month waiting period he had imposed on them possibly pursuing a relationship expired. Part of Ranma honestly expected Botan to go after someone else once her emotional balance was regained after being reincarnated. Botan was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside and could easily make any man happy as their wife. Ranma didn't know how Reikai viewed things like harems in general or how Botan herself viewed those things. He just figured it was better to assume she'd be against the idea. Even women who viewed such a thing a normal typically weren't thrilled by the idea.
Homura smirked and said, "Don't worry Ranma. You'll have her moaning your name soon enough. I happen to have a confiscated home video of you and Sona if you would like to study what she likes."
There was a foreboding feeling in the pit of Ranma's stomach. "Confiscated video?"
"Your mother wanted a video record of you taking Sona's virginity."
Ranma sighed and replied, "That sounds like mom. Is that the only such video?"
Homura paused to consider things for a moment before answering. "That's the only video I collected with just you and Sona making an amateur porno. Multiple versions of it were created in different loops, but that one was the best in my opinion. Other time loops had videos made with you and other girls. With those I've kept the best versions as part of my collection. Before you ask, yes, one of those videos has me as the star actress."
"Ah Homura, how can you handle it? I mean with the looping back between having a relationship with me and not having a relationship? Doesn't it become stressful for you?" Ranma couldn't understand how Homura was able to handle the constant time travel and the stresses it put on her.
Homura flicked her hair with her hand and calmly replied, "I'm used to it. I also fully intend to move into this bed with you as your concubine once we settle the Incubator issue. It will be interesting to be a relationship with you without the end of the world hanging over our heads."
Ranma wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to that. It was both disconcerting and a little hot to hear Homura say that they were going to be lovers like she was stating the time. Maybe he had a thing for assertive women? That was something for him to mull over at a later time.
He decided discretion was the better part of valor and shifted the conversation. "Speaking of the end of the world, how goes your end of the plan to deal with Walpurgisnacht?"
Homura was willing to let Ranma change the subject. However, she was not willing to let him just brush off and ignore what she had told him. Homura casually sat down on the bed next to Ranma and leaned onto his shoulder before speaking. "Overall things are going well. I've already mined the typical battle zone with Walpurgisnacht along with the three other locations it sometimes shows up at. I actually can't wait to test radiation removed nukes on Walpurgisnacht. Trust an American mage to come up with a way to make a safer and larger explosion."
"Besides blowing the witch to high heaven I'm rather loose with an actual plan. Most of the details depend on exactly how the magical girls in the area discover the Incubator secrets and how I can manage their discoveries. I want to limit their and thus the Incubators' knowledge of the wider supernatural world. Otherwise the butterflies I have to account for go up astronomically."
Ranma snorted and replied, "It also doesn't help that we're going into the situation with both hands tied behind our backs. Clan Sitri or the Underworld in general can't mobilize many resources to deal with this situation without causing an international incident. If we inform others about what's going on we have more unknown elements it a situation that calls for precision and swiftness. Other factions might start lashing out thinking they're attacking the Incubators or might use them as an excuse to settle old grudges. Who knows what the Incubators themselves might do?"
A shiver ran down Homura's spine and she whispered, "We're going to get it right this time. I have to get it right now."
Knowing his queen needed help; Ranma wrapped his arm around Homura and hugged her tightly. Homura sunk into the hug and somehow seemed so much smaller and fragile than she really was. Ranma extended his wings and folded them around the duo to keep them safe. The blanketing darkness covered Homura and stopped the shivers.
The duo silently sat there allowing Homura to gather herself. Ranma broke the silence and said, "Remember that you're not alone Homura. You can always call me in to help you in any situation. Having my existence revealed might cause some problems. However, we can mitigate it by having me masquerade as a unique existence."
Homura sighed and replied, "Thanks Ranma. I'm just wondering how to keep as many magical girls alive to deal with Walpurgisnacht. This is the time period when my allies start to drop like flies if they haven't already."
Ranma smirked and said, "You're forgetting two very important facts Homura. First, you're no longer just a magical girl like you used to be in this time period. You're now a powerful devil with more tricks up your sleeves than even the grand asshole in the sky has. Second, you've got me to help you and to give your allies a second chance if they want it."
Homura asked with hope, "Really Ranma?"
With a smirk Ranma replied, "That right Homura. I wouldn't mind having your associates become members of my peerage since they all sound like they have skill and potential. Besides, I still have that promise I made to my mother to think about."
Hope started to fill Homura as she truly started to think that she could defeat Walpurgisnacht this time with a good ending. An amusing thought struck her. "You do realize that if you revive my comrades you'll probably have to fuck them one day. If they don't fall for you as the dashing hero saving their lives then they will have your mother egging them on to give you a try in the background."
A nervous look appeared on Ranma's face as he spoke. "Let's focus on the things we know for sure that are happening now. Potential issues that might result from possible future actions don't need to be tackled just yet."
Homura smiled as she leaned further into Ranma. "Yes Ranma."
Author's note: I'm sorry to all the fans of this story about the delay in this chapter. Life and other hobbies ate up my writing time. I will try to get the next chapter out faster, but I am only human.
As to Ranma's relationship mess that is developing as he get older in the story. He's not jumping into relationships because that's not the kind of devil he is. Remember Ranma's sin is the sin of Pride and it's focused on being good at tasks that require controlling oneself. Also, just because a harem is acceptable in a culture or even expected of certain members of a society does not mean that everyone is thrilled about that idea.
I can remember reading a book for a Middle East History class written by an American woman about her experiences living in an Iraqi village in the 1950s or 1960s and the culture she experienced. Wonderful book and I really wish I could remember the name of it. At one point in the book she relates an incident where a woman's husband had died leaving her with no relatives to help her and a few small children to take care of. A friend of the husband was considering taking her as a second wife to be able to care for her and her kids. The guy's wife was vehemently against the idea and even bought magical talismans to try and stop the marriage. The friend eventually dropped the idea because he valued the peace of his home life more than trying to take care of his dead friend's family.
Ranma is thinking along somewhat similar lines when it comes to relationships. What do I want? How much trouble is what I want going to cost me? Is what I want worth the trouble?
