Twelve years ago...the Moroboshi estate in Sendai.

Located atop a drumlin to the east of the city, the mansion house is a
picturesque Western-style estate which could easily rank as one of the largest
single buildings in Japan. Of quite recent construction, it incorporates many
features which makes it unique among the residences of the rich and famous.
The house is designed with its own power plant supplemented with solar panels
lining the roof. Forming the estate's central cluster with the house is a
beautiful Shinto shrine, a planetarium, a rock garden, a glass-enclosed atrium
and other buildings. Built into the mountain itself are many entrances and
exit ports for both armoured vehicles and aircraft serving the Moroboshi Clan.
The grounds around the estate are heavily treed with an obstacle course,
shooting ranges and other areas meant for the soldiers of the Moroboshi Light
Infantry Division and the Air Corps. There is also, strange given the owner's
lack of ability in such matters, a large playground located near the mansion.

The tranquility of the playground is soon interrupted by the joyous
laughter of two children playing tag. In the lead is a cute six-year old
girl. Right behind her is an average looking five-year old boy. Both look
like each other. "Come catch me, Ataru-chan!" the girl laughs.

"I'll catch you, Nokoko-chan!" he races after her.

The two race about the grounds, hide behind trees, splash their way into
ponds and puddles, leap over rocks. Finally, in a clear field, the boy grabs
the girl's arm. "Tag!" he declares.

The two stop, then with a snicker, fall on their backs. Both are
covered by dirt. The girl smiles. "Ataru-chan?"

"What is it, Nokoko-chan?" he looks over.

The girl then looks sad. "I'm running away from home," she sniffs.

"Huh?! Why?!"

"Be-because," she sniffs again, "I just learned...that you and I...we're
not cousins!" She looks at the boy, touching herself. "We're really brother
and sister!"

The boy looks very excited. "Really?! Honestly?!"

"Uh-huh," the girl nods, "...but 'cause I'm different from other girls,
Mommy didn't want to raise me...and Grandma wants ta marry me off when I'm old
enough! Uncle's the only nice person around!! I don't wanna get married!"

The boy scratches the back of his head. "Who wants to think about
marriage?" he shrugs. "I met this really strange girl that came from the sky
and after she and I played shadow tag, she said she was gonna come back in
eleven years and we'll get married!"

"That's stupid!" the girl harrumpths. "Marriage is stupid!! All boys
are stupid!"

The boy looks hurt. "All boys accept you, Ataru-chan!" she consoles.

The boy smiles as the girl embraces him. Suddenly, an eerie light
appears above their heads. "Uh-oh!" the girl looks up. "That means I gotta
go!"

The girl stands up...and is levitated into the sky! "Nokoko-chan,
wait!!" the boy tries to pursue. "Let me come with you! Don't go!! Come
back here!!"

"'Bye, Ataru-chan!" the girl waves as she disappears. "I'll see you in
twelve years...I promise!"

The boy stops as the girl and the light disappear. Silence falls over
the scene. The boy looks down, a tear in his eye. "I'm alone again."

Ataru Moroboshi walks away from the spot where his sister had
disappeared...

* * *

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Together The Outland" Part 1
by Fred Herriot
450 Clare Avenue South, Welland, Ontario L3C 3B3 Canada
gorgo@havajava.com
**** **** ****
edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
Eleventh in a series of fan-fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura," created
by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

WRITER'S NOTES:

1) Well, after the insanity of the Saga of the Tiger, welcome to the first
of our three Senior Year Specials. Were this a hard-copy fanzine, this would
serve the same purpose that an annual issue does for comics: a special
one-shot story which normally would not fit into a regular comic volume.
However, it still is a part of the "UY - The Senior Year" continuity, as the
characters introduced here will become major players in the series.

2) "Together The Outland" is also the prequel to the "Before the Phoenix,
After the Phoenix" saga, which is the time between the end of the Spirit War
and the arrival of Nagaiwakai Moroboshi in "Ataru's First Girlfriend! Arrive
Windy-chan!!" In this series of stories, the Tomobiki gang will suffer
through the aftershocks of the Spirit War and Ataru's attempts to distance
himself (and Lum) from everyone in Tomobiki. While these stories will not be
as intense as the Tiger Saga, they will aid in developing the characters
toward the climax of this series as well as laying the groundwork for our
first sequel series, "Urusei Yatsura Twenty Years Later."

3) This story also marks the start of the "dreamscape" images Lum has in
reflection of Noa-chan's promise first mentioned in the epilogue of
"Spirit-War Tomobiki." Details and specifics about Sagussan terminology will
be relayed to you in these notes in successive stories.

4) "Plank owner" is U.S. Navy terminology for the commissioning crew of a
warship or base. Sakusei Station was a military base prior to its becoming a
trading outpost.

5) "Tokkaebi" is the Korean version of an oni. Physically, it has one horn
on the top of the skull. Not seen as an evil creature in Korean myth, it is
more mischevious and playful.

**** **** ****

Anyhow, enough talk...so ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

**** **** ****

"Lum!! Wake up!!" a woman's voice echoes.

Lum's eyes open. "Eh...where am I?" the Oni moans as she looks out the
transport's window to see the foothills of Esanta'cha pass. "Oh, I'm sorry,
Hunba!" she blushes. "I feel asleep."

"Oh, honestly, Lum!" a brown-haired Vosian in a lovely kimono sighs.

Given her present station as Special Advisor of Voisan Affairs to the
Minister of External Affairs, Hunba wears a mix of black, gold and light blue.
Lum, now volunteering for External Affairs, is similarly dressed. It had been
over seven decades since Ataru and Lum first came to Sagussa, but social
regimentation still existed, especially among the *daishi'cha*. Lum stares at
her friend. Hunba had weathered the transition from Vosian freedom fighter to
Sagussan immigrant quite well. With Noa-chan serving as the House Speaker and
Hunba's bond-mate, Noa-chan's sister Honey-chan, serving as Ataru's Executive
Assistant, Lum and Hunba had much time to themselves whenever Ataru, Noa-chan
or Honey-chan could not come to their commune on the slopes of Sagussa's
highest mountain. "Looking forward to being with Honey again?" Lum sighs.

"You bet," Hunba nods. "It may not be as close as when I was with my
husband, but at least I won't have to fight a man for my bond-mate's love."

Lum sighs. She wondered how she ever allowed herself to agree to allow
Ataru to come to Sagussa in the first place. How many years ago was it? The
Oni shakes her head. She had finally put Earth behind her thirty-eight years
ago when her parents had died, with Reiko, Koishii, Amora and Ainba married
and Kokeru fast approaching his time of destiny. The demands of Tomobiki were
presently faint echoes receding in her memory. Still, whenever she cast her
memory back to her teenage years, before and after the Spirit War, before the
Hustari apocalypse, before the Planet of Shadows, the destruction of the
Church of Lum, the Imperialist Counter-Revolution on Uru, Ataru's killing of
the Mikado, the final Tag Race, the Battle of Uru...

Lum stops herself. Thanks to an eight-century lifespan, she had
outlived all her non-Sagussan friends save Nassur, Benten, Shinobu, Junba,
Koosei and Oyuki, not to mention her sisters, Ataru's siblings and their
friends on Nagussa, Sado and in Oshika. Nassur and Benten still ran Home Base
although the Vosian now dabbled in diplomacy as the Galactic Federation grew,
expanded. Shinobu and Junba still resided on Earth, the former still acting
as *laqu'r* of Kyotos. Koosei and Oyuki lived on Triton, Oyuki fulfilling her
destiny as Queen and Koosei willingly being her consort. They still talked as
often as they could. Everyone got together as often as they could given
Oyuki's and Ataru's busy schedules as heads-of-state for their respective
worlds and Shinobu's duties as princess of Kyotos.

Given that, most people living inside the Galactic Barrier would believe
Lum a lonely woman. Loneliness was a thing Sagussans as a race loathed. Each
citizen, man or woman, could always depend on their bond-mates and
child-mates, not to mention bond-mates of one's bond-mates' brothers and
sisters. Every village, every farming commune and collective, every city,
town and hamlet were extended families to the citizens of Sagussa. No one was
left alone.

Lum smiles as she remembers the night her twins Tanko and Atara were
born. It did not help that she had been psychologically crippled when the
"Kashin" was destroyed in the final voyage which slew her parents. Noa-chan
had nursed her back to a semblance of health while Lum was in mourning,
illogically blaming herself for her parents' deaths. Just as she was soon to
enter labour, a storm had struck the Esanta'cha, cutting off all
transportation from their villa to the rest of the planet. The change of
pressure brought on early labour. Lum was alone in the villa at the time.
Her fear at losing her twins made her overcome her psychological
problems...when the door flew open and Noa-chan staggered in, having
physically climbed Esanta'cha's slopes at considerable risk to herself to be
there in her bond-mate's time of need. Tanko and Atara were delivered without
difficulty.

The transport shudders as it lands in the village transit station. Lum
and Hunba disembark. Instantly, a crowd of young children gather around the
*daimon'cha's* Other, passing her a garden of roses. A beaming Lum accepts
them, very much the unofficial queen of a world without marriage or families
like worlds inside the Barrier. After the last child has passed her good
wishes, the Oni and the Vosian proceed across the station to the entry ports
for transports arriving from the capital city.

Along the way, both pass a montage of images. All denoted as ATARU IN
REPOSE, they show Lum's husband kicking Cherry into orbit, dropping a hammer
on Mendou, seeing the guards tortured by the Kuromoroboshi ninjas, arguing
with Shinobu, punching Ryuunosuke's father away from his "son," using Lan's
own bazookas on herself, beating up Rei...they continue for a dozen more
images. "Lecasur's Eternal Soul, how long ago was that?" Hunba sighs.

"Seventy-two years," Lum sighs, "...and eleven children!"

Both laugh at the old *daishi'cha's* joke about keeping track of time
through the number of children born. Since her bonding to Honey-chan, Hunba
had given birth to a dozen children, half-siblings to Grisur, Nassur, Tarosur
and Crinba. Despite being physically in her late twenties when she underwent
*tre'cha*, *satre'cha* and the regeneration which gave her a Sagussan
lifespan, Lum believed Hunba was good for fifty more...and Vosians normally
never had more than two children in a family! "Do you miss them?" Nassur's
mother nods to the images.

"I don't miss many of them at all," the Oni shakes her head.

"Really?" the former rebel fighter muses.

They look at the images, remembering the faces now decades dead and
ashes. Finally, they turn to proceed to the visitor's gallery near the entry
port for the Tere'na City transport. "Whatever happened to those trench-waves
anyway?" Hunba hums.

Lum sighs. "Well, Darling did help Shutaro with his relationship with
Sil, although that got blown out of the water when Sil was killed. Then his
parents forced Shutaro to marry Asuka even when Osooko-chan was pregnant with
her baby. Darling forced the guards to disband by finding them girls of their
own. Cherry died soon after we married. I think he starved."

Hunba laughs. "Shinobu never got Nassur," Lum counts off on her
fingers. "Darling made sure of that, too. But that was no problem since
Junba would eventually come into her life...even though it took Shinobu
seventeen years to realize that Junba was the best thing that ever came to
her. Lan and Rei married. She wound up reproducing like a rabbit. I lost
count of the amount of kids she had. Was it seven or nine? Ryuunosuke never
beat her father, even though her daughter married into more money than Shutaro
ever had. And Sakura grew into a crabby old maid with a daughter more
sex-crazed than Darling before the Spirit War."

Both chuckle. Lum was amazed at the fact that her marriage with Ataru
had lasted so long. Seven decades?! Incredible!! They would celebrate their
centennial, bicentennial, tricentennial and more! Then again, both were from
short-lived races living on a world where lifespans could potentially reach a
millennium, even more. Ataru had obtained his dream of a large harem which
even counted a Lum-chan, still today serving as Head Scientist. He returned
to Lum no matter what. Lum would always be there for him. They never failed
to speak to each other at least once every day whenever the business of the
state took Ataru away. When they were together, their passion would build and
grow to new heights unsurpassed by previous occasions. Benten was awed that
their relationship lasted this long. Then again, cynicism was the
Fukunokami's governing trait.

However, with Ataru's work taking him everywhere in the local cluster
and beyond, there were times when Lum required a personal companion.
Sagussans had long ago recognized the fact that sexual intercourse was a
physical act, not requiring the psychological and emotional attachment other
races associated with it. Hence the practice of bond-mating. While Lum was
beginning to respond to Noa-chan's desires more by instinct than by conscious
choice, the opposite had always been instinct. The Oni felt ashamed,
especially since Noa-chan had been the one who brought Ataru and Lum together,
both twelve years before the First Tag Race, then just before the final Tag
Race.

The transport from Tere'na City arrives, heralded by the stationmaster's
announcements. Lum and Hunba descend to the departure platform. Their wait
is short. The doors slide open and two Seishin-born women disembark.
"Honey!" Hunba gasps.

"Noa!!" Lum sighs.

Noa-chan slides into Lum's arms, still dressed in her duty jumpsuit.
"Miss me, love?"

"Always," the Oni sighs as they kiss...

* * *

Lum awakens with a yawn. "Oh, *datcha*, what a dream...!" she
moans...then stops.

Her friends and classmates stand in front of her. Heat emanates from
Shinobu, Lan, Ryuunosuke and Sakura, their eyes glowing. Mendou and the
guards look devastated. "Breeds like a rabbit, eh?!!" the Seishin girl
growls.

"I never marry Nassur-kun?!!" Ataru's ex-girlfriend howls. "And I wind
up handfasting with another woman?!!"

"A daughter more sex-crazed than Moroboshi?!!" the priestess hisses.

"I never beat my father?!!" the tomboy slams her fist into the other
palm.

"I marry...that man-phobe?!" the scion of Japan's richest family gasps.
"And I lose the woman I really love?!"

"Ataru breaks us up?!" the guards' leader shudders.

Everyone points accusingly at Lum. "AND YOU LET THIS HAPPEN TO US?!?!
WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU, ANYWAY?!?!?!"

The Oni backs away fearfully...

* * *

...and falls out of bed! "*Tcha!!*"

Moaning, Lum gets up, stretching herself as she stares out the window of
her rented room. Now in the small apartments over Koruneko's Cafe on Sakusei
Station, the Oni had a clear view of the fifty-kilometre wide floating trading
post. It was early "morning" on Sakusei; since it was on an asteroid caught
between the gravity fields of three star systems, time was mechanically
measured. "Looks like another busy day," Lum muses as she heads off to get
dressed.

She walks into the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. In her
dream, Lum was physically twenty-three years old. "At least I'll still be
pretty enough to keep Darling interested in me!" she giggles as she moves to
brush her teeth.

"What about Ataru?" a voice calls out.

Lum watches as Nassur steps into the bathroom, dressed in a housecoat.
"'Morning, Nassur-chan," the Oni smiles. "Feeling a little better?"

"Somewhat," the Vosian looks at his hand. It slightly trembles.

Lum notices. "What was it like?" she stares at her former mentor.

Nassur grimaces. "Nothing I ever experienced in all my years of
training on Vos and Cademus could have prepared me for that thing," he
shudders. "I was a babe against that monster." A bite enters his voice.
"One sweep of its weapon and I was in a big, black nothing!"

"Nassur-chan..." Lum places a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?!" another voice calls out.

The Vosian sees Benten walk into the bathroom. "Hi, Benten," he lightly
smiles.

Lum notices that his hand has stopped shaking. "C'mon, let's get
dressed," the Fukunokami guides him to their bedroom. "Koruneko-san and
Koosei've got breakfast on."

"Okay," Nassur nods.

The Oni looks worried. Thanks to his phenominal mission success rate,
Nassur had very little to fear when it came to someone directly challenging
him. Varanko and Dakejinzou were allies; Ataru had no reason to hate Nassur;
the Freemasons on Elle were busy defending the kingdom and working on Project:
Black Rose; the ninjas under Nagaiwakai's and Komeru's employ could be held
back by Ataru; the Silent Ones of Vos were busy fighting the Mikado; the
Mikado's Special Hunter Corps that Nassur himself was once a part of were too
busy being chopped up by the rebels to be much of a threat; and the Zephyrite
Inquisition would not concern themselves with the hunter unless Nassur was
involved with some enormity against a Zephyrite, something totally against his
nature. Save for some bad injuries...an expected occupational hazard...Nassur
had never faced anything which could directly threaten his life...

...until he fan afoul of the *saikoo jinseijitsu.*

Lum could understand Nassur's fear, even though he did try to control
it. The sentient ninja database stored in Ataru's mind, now defused and kept
in check by the Cyborg, had eight CENTURIES of experience to draw from in
combatting the hunter. And the *saikoo jinseijitsu* did not waste time trying
to fight the Vosian toe-to-toe, but went right for the kill at the start. And
with Nassur cut down, the others confronting that monster two days ago lost a
lot of their esprit de corps. Nassur was the most experienced and toughest of
the Oni's many friends. With him out of the way, the *saikoo jinseijitsu*
would have eventually succeeded in killing them had not Noa-chan and her
friends intervened when they did.

As she proceeds to dress, Lum sighs. The shock and brutality of the
Spirit War was now starting to sink in. She could hardly imagine what people
back in Tomobiki were going through, not to mention Ataru. Lum did not know
whether to be angry at her boyfriend or not. Ataru had purposefully allowed
the *saikoo jinseijitsu* out of his head...not knowing what it was until it
was too late, of course...to teach his former classmates a lesson they would
not forget. Oh, they would remember that day for the rest of their lives!
Then again, the people of Tomobiki had some blame in this as well, especially
Mendou and the guards. It was they who tried to stop Ataru from leaving
Tomobiki. That made her Darling finally decide to give them a taste of their
own medicine...a taste that nearly killed them all, INCLUDING Ataru!!

Perhaps coming to Sakusei was the right idea. It was time for everyone
to try to reorientate themselves, time to put their lives back in order and
figure out their priorities. Ataru needed it most of all; he was the one who
suffered the most because of the *saikoo jinseijitsu,* both before and after
the Spirit War. Although Lum did not like the idea of his permanently moving
out of Tomobiki, she certainly understood his need to be alone. She needed
it, too.

Coming downstairs, she walks into the cozy restaurant/pub/cafe the
felinoid Koruneko owned. Already around one table were her friends. Koruneko
himself was serving breakfast. "Ah, good morning, Lum," the dimunitive
felinoid smiles. "A pleasant night's rest?"

"It was okay," the Oni smiles as she sits. "Thank you, Koruneko-san."

"My pleasure," Koruneko proceeds back to his kitchen.

"Any news from Tomobiki?" Lum stares at Koosei.

"Well, Lan managed to get her insurance company to buy her a new scout,"
the homeroom teacher sighs. "Reconstruction is just barely starting. Mendou
and Mizunokoji had to call in construction crews from all over Japan.
Everyone still blames Ataru for the whole mess."

"As usual," Benten snorts. "Gods, don't these jerks ever give it a
rest?"

"They will when the repair bill is calculated," Koosei smiles. "I don't
think Mendou's parents are going to pay for the whole mess themselves."

"Well, it's what they deserve after abusing Ataru like that," Oyuki sips
her tea. "All he wanted to do was leave Tomobiki in peace and find some place
where he could raise Reiko-chan and live with Lum-chan. What's so wrong with
that?"

"Think about the Niphentaxians," Koosei wryly snorts.

"You need not tell me about that, Koosei-kun," the Tritonian looks ill,
then stares at the Vosian. "How are you feeling, Nassur-san?"

"A little better, I guess," Nassur folds his hands under his chin. "The
shock of what happened is still with me. A pity I couldn't find some way to
convince that thing to go after the Mikado. He wouldn't stand a chance
against the *saikoo jinseijitsu.*"

"Wishful thinking," Lum snorts. "That thing inside Darling hates
everything that Darling stands for. It might help the Mikado kill you if you
aren't careful."

Koruneko then comes up with some herbal tea. "Speaking of that annoying
little pest," the felinoid muses, "...you all best be on your toes while
you're here. Yakuzaishi-kun just told me that there's a company of Mikado
Marines lurking about the station."

Everyone looks discomfitted. "It never rains but it pours," Benten
growls.

"Someone better call Dake-chan here ASAP," Koosei muses. "Nassur's in
no shape to take on a pack of Mikado Marines."

"And to add misery to your downpour, a hunter is soon to be among them,"
Koruneko looks sympathetic. "A woman by the name of Mujanba."

"Mujanba?!" Nassur blinks, then groans. "Yep, that's worse."

"You know her?" Benten snarls.

"By reputation," the Vosian sighs. "Mujanba's from Colony Nine. She
never went through the hunter schools; she's self-taught. She joined the
Mikado's side when a radical rebel sect burned her village and killed her
parents. She has no love of rebels whatsoever, although it's believed she
doesn't get along with the other hunters. She a lone wolf. And her success
rate, for someone who's only sixty-two, is as good as mine."

"Like Yukio, with experience," the Fukunokami shudders. "Wonderful."

"Well, if matters get too out of hand, I can always be of assistance,"
Koruneko offers.

"Thanks, Koruneko-san," Nassur smiles...

* * *

"So this is Sakusei," Mujanba hums as she looks around. "Quaint little
place."

Stepping out of the arrivals terminal after taking a transport
warpshuttle from Colony 106, the Colony Nine native mixes with the crowd of
workers, traders and tourists filing their way down Sakusei's main
throughfare. The huntress would rather be back in the Confederation instead
of the middle of the Urusian Union; back home, she could busy herself
eliminating the radical racist and socialist movements which were trying to
influence the main rebel leadership into accepting their viewpoints as the
Vosian Civil War entered what she knew was the final year. All the colonies
were in rebel hands and Vos itself had been invaded two months previously.
The Mikado was done for; it was only a question of when and how. Mujanba may
be on his side, but she was a pragmatist at heart. If the rebels could form a
decent government dedicated to social and political justice, she would gladly
switch allegiance. Right now it was still too early to tell.

But something incredible had just happened on Earth, home to some new
allies of the legendary renegade Nassur. Just a couple days ago, a titanic
battle had been fought which devestated the infamous habitation of Tomobiki,
nearly killing Nassur and all his friends. Details were still quite sketchy;
the huntress assigned to Earth had nearly been killed herself during the
Spirit War, as the local news media called it. Hearing that ominous title
made Mujanba, a child of sorcerers and nature-psionics, shudder. What had
happened there? However, the huntress in Tomobiki had confirmed that Nassur
had been critically wounded in the battle and was now recuperating somewhere
on Sakusei. Colonel Furusur, commander of the Hunter Corps, had dispatched
Mujanba to assist a company of Mikado Marines in an assassination attempt.
Mujanba suspected it was a waste of time. Nassur ate Mikado Marines for
breakfast, and even if he was wounded, he was not helpless. He had a partner
now: Hotei Shigaten's daughter Benten. Further, Dakejinzou Shogai and
Varanko, warriors with even more fearsome and very well-earned reputations,
could never be ignored when one targetted the renegade.

Mujanba runs a hand through her neck-length brown hair, her hazel eyes
scanning left and right for the person she is scheduled to meet. As she
looks, she notices someone stapling a poster to a bulletin board. Curious,
Mujanba notices that similar posters were on every bulletin board in sight.
She walks up to the person, a red-haired humanoid woman draped in a grey cape.
Beside her is a young man, also red-haired, who is dressed in a muscle shirt
and skintight pants. "Is there something wrong?" she inquires.

The woman turns around. To Mujanba, her movement is in entrancing slow
motion. What a beauty! The red hair, cut short to a taper at the back of the
neck, seems to gently sweep with the motion of her head. Her cape billows,
revealing that she is wearing a strapless silver-and-grey bikini with slip-on
shoes. Her green eyes are like twin emeralds. And that did not count the
dozens of crystals dotting her skin, looking as if they were embedded in her
skin; they were not attached to chains. The woman stops, then smiles as she
produces one of her posters. "Yes. Have you seen this woman?"

Mujanba stares at the poster, showing a face shot of a cuter female
version of Ataru Moroboshi, then looks back at the beauty holding it. "Um...I
just arrived at the station," she embarrassingly notes. "But I'll keep my
eyes open if you want."

"Oh, you're an angel, love," the woman reaches into her cape to hand her
a small snapshot of the target of her search. "Here you go."

Mujanba takes the picture, then slips it into her jumpsuit...and again
finds herself staring at the woman before her. Although Terran
human...Caucasian, if Mujanba remembered the specific sub-race correctly...her
skin is tanned as if she had spent all her life in Earth's hot tropics.
Further, her hair has a metallic tinge to it, more akin to a Yehisrite than a
Terran. And her voice is touched with such a haunting lilt. Exotic or what?!
This woman is the most gorgeous creature Mujanba has ever seen! Where had she
been all her life?

Their eyes lock momentarily. The Terran finds herself smiling, her
cheeks flushing in embarrassment, then is startled by a cough from the younger
man. "Nicole, I'll get the rest of the posters put up if you want to spend
some time alone."

Nicole? Mujanba had to find a book on Terran names so she could learn
what that meant. "Uh...eh...what did you say?" Nicole blinks confusedly, then
remembers. "Oh, sure, Jason. Go ahead."

She hands Jason the posters, then returns to staring at Mujanba as the
young man heads off. Both women blink, then find themselves giggling. "I
haven't been stared at like that since I came out of the closet," Nicole
admits.

"I...I've never stared at anyone quite like you before," Mujanba smiles.
"My name's Mujanba. I'm from Vos Colony Nine."

"A pleasure," Nicole holds out her hand. "Nicole McTavish. My friends
call me Cole. I'm from Earth...Killiecrankie, Scotland to be precise."

Mujanba places her hand in Nicole's, allowing the Terran to give her a
warm squeeze. "A pleasure, Nicole," she smiles.

"I said my friends call me Cole."

"We just met."

"And you're wanting lots more."

"Well..." Mujanba stutters.

Both women burst out laughing. "Oooh, boy!" Nicole scratches her
temple. "I came here looking for my friend and I wind up flirting with some
other girl."

"Are you taken?" Mujanba coyly muses.

"Nope. You?"

"No, but if I did become interested, I wouldn't mind recognizing you."

"Ah, yes. Vosian genetic slavery."

"Hey!!" Mujanba looks incensed.

"Sorry about that," Nicole smiles. "My grandmother's a Vosian-Yehisrite
hybrid...*azhis'f,* I think they're called. She crash-landed on Earth over a
century and a half ago. Believe me, I know about recognition."

"Oh, that explains it," Mujanba nods, gently squeezing Nicole's
hand...as her eyes glow bright silver. "Um...I'm sorry, but I have to go meet
someone. Can I meet you later?"

"Koruneko's Cafe," Nicole points down the street. "It's on the main
drag. I'll be there around two."

"See you then," Mujanba winks, then runs off.

Nicole watches her go. "Whoo, now that's a bonnie lass if I've ever met
one!" she sighs, then giggles. "Oh, Nokoko's going to be so jealous!"

Down the street, Mujanba almost skips to her rendezvous. Maybe coming
to Sakusei was not such a bad idea after all. She would have to thank Furusur
for it sometime later...with a letterbomb.

Now, if she could just remember her mother's instant self-recognition
spell!

"Mujanba-san!!" a young voice calls out.

Mujanba's eyes glow, then she looks right to see a Vosian girl of about
fourteen run up. "Hi," she waves. "Are you from the Sixteenth?"

"Yes, ma'am," the girl stops, saluting her. "Private Muzainba reporting
to take you to Major Henkensur."

Muzainba saddens Mujanba. Hardly developed, her black hair was tied in
a high ponytail. Her brown eyes seemed befitting to someone much younger than
fourteen. "You must be a new one if you forgot that you don't salute in the
field," Mujanba sighs, smiling at her gaff. After all, she had been that
innocent once.

"Um...sorry, ma'am," Muzainba blushes, looking down. "Well, I can take
you to the Major right now."

"Sure, let's go," Mujanba nods.

* * *

"Your reputation has proceeded you, Captain," Henkensur grumbles as he
stares at Mujanba. "Your adherence and service to the Mikado's cause is
admirable...but your penchant for unfriendliness, even open hostility, with
your fellow hunters does make one wary on calling your services. I had hoped
Furusur would have sent someone who could better work as part of a team."

"If you want a chance of success against Nassur, you need the best,"
Mujanba crosses her arms, her fingers touching the knotted loop of her
kill-belt slung over her right shoulder; the sign of a very successful hunter.
"Until someone better comes along or this war finally ends, that's me. If you
want someone to be buddy-buddy with, then your mission will be a failure.
Take your pick, Major. What do you want?"

Henkensur grumbles. Physically well past fifty, he had lost all his
hair and his face was already collapsing to the ages. "We have tried to trace
Nassur down, both either by himself or by his collegues. Rumour has it that
not only is his new partner here, but so is the so-called Devil's Daughter,
the crown princess of Triton and Koosei Ryooki. To date, we haven't found
where they are staying."

"Then, that's where I'll begin," Mujanba smiles. "Once Nassur is found,
what then?"

"I haven't decided yet," Henkensur snorts. "Personally, I think
Huntress Thanba's reports about this so-called 'spirit war' in Tomobiki were
grossly exaggerated. Those Terrans are very backward. I can't see what the
Urusians and the Ipraedies see in that mudball anyway!"

"That is beside the point of course," Mujanba cuts in. "Besides, I'm
more inclined to believe Thanba. I know her quite well. She's a good
huntress, stable and dependable. She wouldn't make an exaggeration,
especially if what she just reported really did happen. Don't forget she was
nearly killed in that battle."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," the major waves her off. "Private Muzainba will
show you around the station. Dismissed."

Mujanba nods, then follows Muzainba out of the major's office. The two
proceed out of the apartment which serves as the company's base onto a side
street leading downtown. "Well, most of us aren't really busy here, so we do
relax," the private explains. "We're a little worried, though. The Galactic
Federation is getting peeved with the Mikado sending hunters and marines into
their space to try to track down rebels, renegades and asylum seekers. Rumour
has it that the Urusian government is going to pass a law which will grant
official governmental recognition to Hunba's rebel army and the rebel elements
of the Vosian Defence Force, then order the arrest and expulsion of all Mikado
supporters."

"If I was a member of the Tribal Council, I'd hold off until I saw what
sort of government the rebels could form," Mujanba hums.

"Do you think the Mikado will last?" the young private looks
apprehensive.

"It's only a matter of time," the huntress projects a reassuring smile.
"If we're lucky, we could slip away unseen and go live in peace elsewhere."

"I dunno," Muzainba shakes her head. "I mean, my parents fought in the
Marines, so they expected me to do the same thing."

"Your parents still alive?"

"No, they were killed at Colony Forty. Yours?"

"Killed in a raid on my village on Colony Nine," Mujanba looks sad,
wondering if Nicole's parents were still alive so she could properly present
herself to them as their future daughter-in-law...then wonders if Nicole's
parents would accept what she is...then wonders what was making her think this
way about someone she had just met! "It's the problem with this damn war.
It'll never really end...especially the memories."

"Yeah," Muzainba nods, then her brown eyes glow gold. "Oh, there's
Jason!"

Mujanba stops. "You know him?!"

"Yeah, I've seen him around a few times since he and his sister Nicole
came here looking for their friend. He's really nice. Jason!"

Jason, who is busy stapling another poster on the wall of the station's
pharmacy, turns around, smiling. "Hi, Muzai-chan...oh, hi, Miss Mujanba!"

"Hi, Jason," Mujanba smiles, privately relieved that Jason was related
by blood to her girlfriend. Girlfriend? *I've got to get my head examined,
jumping to conclusions like that!!* she admonishes herself, blushing.

"Mujanba-san, are you okay?" Muzainba inquires.

"Eh?!" the huntress jolts, then giggles. "Oh, I'm sorry. My mind's a
thousand parsecs away! What did you say, Muzainba?"

"Jason said that you wanted to meet her sister at Koruneko's Cafe," the
private blinks confusedly. "Is something wrong?"

"I think Miss Mujanba's got a crush on my sister," Jason admits.

"Eh?!" Muzainba gasps, then leans up to Mujanba, hands clasped.
"Really?! Did you recognize her?!!"

"H-hey, not yet!!" Mujanba chuckles. "Let me get to know her first,
then we'll let recognition weave it's magic!"

"Oh, that's so wonderful!" the younger Vosian gushes. "Oh, if I
recognize Jason, then we'll be sisters-in-law! Isn't that great?!"

"Well, let's worry about that when we get there," Mujanba laughs.
"Um...Jason, where is Koruneko's Cafe anyway?"

"I was just going to meet Nicole there right now," Jason turns down a
street. "Come on."

"Lead on, MacDuff," Mujanba beams.

The three head off down the main street. Looking out a window of his
pharmacy, the dinosaur-like Yakuzaishi hums, his eyes narrow. Walking over to
his phone, he makes a call down the street...

* * *

"This is Koruneko's place?!" Mujanba whistles. "Rustic."

"Yeah, it's neat, isn't it?!" Muzainba beams. "And Koruneko-sama is so
cute...for a walking, talking cat."

"So I've heard," the huntress muses. Koruneko was a "known but not
spoken about casually in a polite conversation" type of sentient. No one had
any idea what race he hailed from, what planet was his home or why he decided
a century ago to be one of Sakusei Station's plank owners. No one even knew
his exact age, although it was rumoured to be past the thirty thousand year
mark. His wisdom was unsurpassed by anything and anyone. Further, he had a
terrifying aura of mystery about him. No one knew what he was capable of
doing or why. His reputation among the galaxy's leaders had made even the
Mikado quake in mortal dread. His laser-like stare, it was said, could drive
people to suicide.

The illusion is quickly shattered as the reality walks up. "Ah, Jason,
welcome back," Koruneko smiles as he greets them at the door. "I see you've
brought Muzainba with you...and who might this be?" he peacefully glances at
Mujanba.

"This is Mujanba, from Colony Nine," Muzainba introduces them.

"A pleasure, Koruneko-sama," Mujanba bows. Despite the peaceful
demeanor, the huntress could sense the spiritual aura surrounding Koruneko.
His reputation was very well deserved.

"Mujanba!!" a voice calls out.

"Nicole!" Mujanba lets out a tremulous sigh as she walks over to the
Terran's table, Jason and Muzainba in her wake. "Hi!!"

"Hi, yourself," Nicole grips her hands as they sit. Koruneko quickly
hands them menus, then withdraws to the kitchen. "So, you met Muzainba, eh?!"

"Well...we work in the same business," Muzainba explains.

"Hey, it's none of my business what you do," Nicole chuckles. "Just
don't get killed, huh? Jason wouldn't like it if he had to bury you."

"I'll try not to," the private giggles, reaching out to hold Jason's
hand.

"I see you got the posters up here," Mujanba notices a poster of Nokoko
hanging from each of the pillars separating the eating area from the bar.
"What makes you think you can find your friend here, Nicole?"

"Because Nokoko came here after she visited planet Elle," Nicole
blushes. "She came back to where we normally live, then disappeared again.
Jason and I checked out Elle, but we found nothing, so we came here to look."

"I hope you find her," Mujanba looks sympathetic. "Was she a close
friend?"

"You mean were we ever sexually involved?" Nicole inquires. "Nope. Mal
would never allow that."

"Ah, so Nokoko's taken," Mujanba nods understandingly, then looks
around. "Um...but where's Mal?"

"She's a private sort of person," Nicole hesitantly responds. "She
wouldn't fit in a crowd."

"One would understand that of a Nendo-kata who hasn't Crossed Over,"
Koruneko serves them ice water.

"Nendo-kata?!" Mujanba blinks. "I've never heard of a race by that
name."

"You wouldn't," the felinoid explains. "They're from a galaxy some six
billion parsecs from here. Mal and her school came to this galaxy through an
interdimensional warp, which is when they met Nicole, Jason and Nokoko."

"Wow!" the Vosian huntress whistles...then her eyes glow.

"*Tcha!!*" Lum's shocked voice exclaims from nearby. "Everybody, look
at this!!!"

Koruneko winces. "Oh, not now," he sighs. At least Yakuzaishi had
warned him this could be coming.

Mujanba spins around to see Lum, Benten, Oyuki and Koosei staring
disbelievingly at one of Nicole's posters. "I don't believe it!!" Benten
exclaims. "This chick looks like she could be Moroboshi's twin sister!!!"

"Look at the name," Koosei points.

Lum reads, her eyes widening in disbelief. "'No-...ko-...ko
MOROBOSHI?!?!?!'" she exclaims. "But, that's impossible!! Darling doesn't
have a sister!!!"

Nicole rises, walking over to them. "That's not true, if it's Ataru
Moroboshi you're talking about, love. Nokoko's his elder sister."

The four spin around to stare at Nicole...then they see who is sitting
at her table! "Who the hell...?!!" Benten slips into a defensive mode.

"Mujanba, I presume," Oyuki's eyes narrow, her voice cool.

Mujanba rises, her hand pulling off her overcoat to reveal her black
hunter's uniform and three-looped kill-belt. Muzainba also rises, a mix of
fear and determination on her face. Nicole and Jason stare at everyone,
wondering what this was about.

Nearby, Koruneko sighs. His mother warned him of days like this...

* * *

To be continued...

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Together The Outland" Part 2
by Fred Herriot
450 Clare Avenue South, Welland, Ontario L3C 3B3 Canada
gorgo@havajava.com
**** **** ****
edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
Eleventh in a series of fan-fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura," created
by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

IN THE FIRST PART OF "TOGETHER THE OUTLAND," twelve years ago, Ataru's sister
Nokoko disappears from Earth after learning the truth of her ancestry (she had
been raised by their uncle Komeru believing she was his daughter). Today,
Lum, Nassur, Benten, Oyuki and Koosei are staying at Koruneko's cafe on
Sakusei Station recovering from the Spirit War. They are not alone, for
troops loyal to the Mikado, Nassur's oldest enemy, are also on Sakusei
determined to kill the hunter. One of them is an experienced huntress named
Mujanba, a lone wolf with a fearsome reputation. However, on arriving at the
station, Mujanba comes across Nicole McTavish, a Terran expatriate who with
her brother Jason, is looking for her close friend...Nokoko Moroboshi! Pushed
on by Mujanba's attraction for Nicole and the former's new friend Muzainba's
attraction for Nicole's brother, they go to Koruneko's Cafe...where they run
across Lum, Benten, Oyuki and Koosei just after the latter group learns about
Nokoko...

**** **** ****

And with that...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

**** **** ****

"Well, well, well!!" Lum snarls, lightning dancing over her. "Look what
the cat just dragged in!!"

Mujanba remains calm as she studies the four before her. Lum and Benten
were experienced fighters although they were not soldiers by training. Koosei
was quite fearsome in his own way, as was Oyuki. Still, they were not in
Nassur's class...nor hers. "Where is he?" she evenly demands.

"Where you and your friends can't touch him, dyke!" Benten snarls,
snapping her chains. "You Mikado hunters think you're the toughest lot in the
galaxy! Against some REAL warriors, you're nothing but a bunch of wimps!"

Nicole blinks. How did the S-and-M queen know Mujanba's sexual
preference, especially since she was as hetero as they came? "I'll be more
than happy to demonstrate how tough I really am, bitch," Mujanba growls.

"Not in this cafe," an icy voice cuts in.

Everyone turns to see Koruneko walk out from behind his bar, placing
himself between Mujanba and Lum. He looks at one group, then the next. "I've
no personal interest in your petty little dispute," he intones, then stares at
Mujanba. "Nassur is currently healing under my care. You will inform whoever
is your commanding officer that I will not tolerate anyone coming in here to
disrupt my establishment."

"Certainly," Mujanba nods.

"And as for you people," Koruneko stares at Lum. "Don't provoke fights
in this cafe. I do not tolerate that of any of my guests...and besides, it's
how you make enemies."

"Of course, Koruneko-san," Lum nods.

"Excellent," the felinoid smiles, then returns to the bar.

Everyone relaxes as Lum's group sit in a booth as far away from Mujanba
as possible. "Little fella really knows how to keep control of this place,
huh?" Nicole stares at Mujanba.

"His reputation goes far and wide," Mujanba sits down beside her friend,
reaching over to grasp Nicole's hand. "Besides, I didn't expect to run into
Nassur's friends when I came to see you."

"I don't want to know about it," Nicole shakes her head. "As long as it
doesn't interfere with my looking for Nokoko, I don't care."

"Suit yourself," Mujanba smiles.

"Oh, by the way," Lum's voice echoes from behind the Terran, "...how do
you know that Darling has a sister?!"

Nicole stares at the Oni, now standing behind her with arms crossed.
"Because Nokoko told me that she left a brother named Ataru behind when she
moved into the Outland to live beside me. And Ataru is the only male child
about your age still alive in the whole Moroboshi family, unless his old hag
of a mother had another kid after Nokoko left."

Everyone save Jason looks shocked. "The...Outland...?" Lum gasps.

"That's impossible!!" Mujanba exclaims. "No human can survive in the
Outland!"

"Did I say I was human?" Nicole stands. "C'mon, Jason. Let's go ask
around to see if people've seen Nokoko."

"Okay, Nicole," Jason stands. "Bye, Muzai-chan. Bye, Miss Mujanba."

"Bye," the two Vosian women wave as the Terrans walk out.

Lum watches them go, understandably confused. "Who...is that woman?"

*That's what I'd like to know!* Mujanba mentally echoes...

* * *

Tomobiki.

Now a virtual desert thanks to the Spirit War, life in Japan's most
infamous district has nearly ground to a halt. With the scarcity of decent
repair equipment and the lack of building materials, almost everyone is forced
to live in a tent city erected by the Moroboshi Clan. Many are still picking
through the piled wreckage at the district's outskirts looking for personal
belongings which may have survived the final confrontation at the Moroboshi
home. However, there is one place which weathered the storm unscathed: the
Seikou home.

Currently, Mie is relaxing on the front porch reading a newspaper when
four shadows fall over her. "What do you dorks want?"

The guards look incensed. "Alright, Mie-san, we'll ask you once!"
Megane growls, his glasses glittering. "Where is he?!"

"Who?" the Kyushu native does not look up.

"Ataru, who else?!"

"Don't know. He didn't tell me where he was going. Even if he did, I
wouldn't tell you clowns. Now, get off the property or else I'll get Tamiko-
chan to telekinetically fire you into Tokyo Bay."

The four shudder, remembering when Suzume demonstrated his ESP powers in
the clock tower sometime before. They quickly scamper off the property, then
dejectedly walk back toward their temporary homes. "This is crazy!" Paama
snarls. "If we don't find Ataru and haul him down here quick so that the
people could lynch the son-of-a-bitch, everyone'll lynch all of us!!"

"What did you expect from that country tramp anyway?!" Kakugari moans.
"She's been on Ataru's side since day one!"

"H-hey, guys," Chibi stammers. "L-look!"

The four stop, staring at a person ahead of them. The familiar messy
brown hair cut short harkens to them. "It's him!" Megane gasps, then shudders
with unholy rage. "He's actually got the balls to come back here and gloat at
his victory!! It's time for some long-overdue divine punishment!!!
CHARGE!!!!"

The guards leap at the person, knocking their target to the ground in a
dogpile. "Ataru, you bastard, this time, you're toast!!!" Megane snarls.

A titanic explosion later sees the bodyguards fried to their bones!!
"Who was saying something about my becoming toast?!" an indignant...and
female...voice demands.

The explosion, however, has drawn a crowd. "Hey, it is Ataru!!" Momoe
snarls. "What's that demonic bastard doing back here?!"

"I don't know, but he's going to suffer for what he did to us!!" Kumiko
growls.

Shinobu is one of the last to come up. "Ataru-kun's come back?" she
inquires, a mix of indignant anger and dread on her face. "What's he doing
back here?! I thought he wanted to leave!!"

"Well, this'll be Darling's grave!!" Lan snarls, hefting a bazooka and
taking aim.

Seeing what is arrayed against her, Nokoko blinks, then sighs. "Fine!
Your funeral!!"

Everyone save Shinobu is then blasted down by a pulse-wave of explosive
energy which literally bursts from her body!! Ataru's former girlfriend howls
as she covers her face from the blast, then stares back to see everyone who
had tried to confront Nokoko now flat on their backs, burnt to a crisp.
"Wow!!" she whistles, falling to her knees. "Is Ataru-kun developing another
personality?!"

"Jeez, maybe coming back to this dump wasn't such a hot idea after all!"
Nokoko mutters to herself as she wipes the dust off her shirt. "Maybe I
should've just gone out and found wherever Ataru-chan's living and move in
with him!"

Lan then appears in front of her. "Darling, you slime!! My insurance
rates went through the roof after you wrecked my scoutship!!" she growls,
fangs out and murder in her eyes as she seizes Nokoko by her shirt collar.
"Now, are you going to pay me some money or do you spend the rest of your life
in an old-age home after I suck the youth out of you?!!"

Nokoko looks coy. "Suck away, airhead!" she sneers, then grabs her in a
tight embrace. "Pucker up, sweetie!!"

"Hey...umpth!!" Lan gasps as her mouth is swamped by Nokoko's.

Everyone blinks as the Seishin teen tries to wrestle her way out of
Nokoko's grasp, but Ataru's sister is far too strong for Lan. Their mouths
part, Lan yowling in pain as Nokoko devilishly smiles. "Had enough?" she
muses.

"Let me go, you freak!!" Lan screams, the strain of her powers
backfiring starting to show on her face. "How'd you get so much youth
injected into you anyway?!"

"It's what you get when you inherit the life-force of a Nendo-kata who
can live for two thousand years, cutie," Nokoko shoves Lan's face back into
kissing range. "Let's smooch!!"

Lan gasps as her mouth is covered again! "Ataru was never that
agressive, even before Icarus," Ryuunosuke muses.

"Something's not right here," Natsuko blinks.

Finally, Lan is let go, collapsing to the ground. Everyone notices that
the Seishin teen's features have aged considerably thanks to her backfiring
powers. "Humph!" Nokoko snorts. "Not good enough to be Mal's template,
that's for sure."

"You...bastard..." Lan gasps.

Shinobu blinks as she stares intently at Nokoko. Her memories begin to
tug at something Ataru told her a very long time ago. "No...it can't be...he
said you ran away from home..." she softly intones.

"Ataru, you bastard!!!" Megane leaps up to grab Nokoko by her shirt, his
wrists pressing into her bust. "How dare you...eh?!"

He stops, feeling a lot more softness in Nokoko's chest than he would
expect from Ataru. Letting go of her shirt, he gives her bust a gentle
squeeze. She is naturally not impressed. "Care to feel me up some more?!"
she snarls, fist cocked and ready to strike. "Only Mal has the right to touch
me there!!"

Megane stammers, falling back disbelievingly. "Y-y-you...y-y-you're
a...!"

"That's right," Nokoko snaps as her fist flies. "I'M A GIRL!!!!"

Megane flies into orbit! "Hey, that's my joke!!" Ryuunosuke barks.

Everyone is taken by surprise. "Ataru got a sex-change?!!" Paama
exclaims.

"No, stupid!!" Shinobu bashes him down with a sledgehammer! "This isn't
Ataru-kun! If it was, all that jostling around would've brought out the
*saikoo jinseijitsu*...!!"

Suddenly, all that is left around Shinobu is Nokoko! "Eh?!" Ataru's
former girlfriend looks confused. "Where'd everybody go?!"

"They took off when you mentioned the *saikoo jinseijitsu,*" Nokoko
explains, then hums. "Do I know you from somewhere?!"

"I doubt it," Shinobu smiles. "I'm Shinobu Miyaki. You're Ataru-kun's
cousin Nokoko, right?"

"No, I'm not Ataru-chan's cousin," Nokoko shakes her head.

Shinobu looks confused. "I'm his sister," Nokoko explains.

* * *

"So, you found him, eh?!" Henkensur cackles as he hears Mujanba's
report. "Good!! This mission's becoming easier than I thought!"

"I doubt it," the huntress shakes her head. "Nassur is presently under
Koruneko-sama's protection. If we tried to assault him at this time, it'd be
suicide for all of us!"

The major is enraged. "Spare me that garbage about how powerful that
walking flea-bitten furball is said to be, Captain!" he snaps. "Nassur is a
traitor, murderer and deserter from the ranks of your own Hunters Corps. He
will be dragged back to Lecashuto for trial and then be executed for his
crimes against the Mikado."

Mujanba shows no emotion by his bombast. Then again, what did she
expect? The Mikado Marines, who were hailed by the Mikado's propaganda
machine to be the special elite of the Vosian Defence Force, were crewed by
the dregs of Vosian society: drifters, racists, homophobes, fascists,
psychopaths, sociopaths and anything else imaginable. They had such an
arrogance around them which blinded them to the truth of the situation.
"Fine, then," she sighs, turning to leave. "If you want to attack Koruneko's
place head on, then it's your funeral, Major."

"Where are you going?!" Henkensur demands.

"I'm going on a date," Mujanba freezes him with an icy stare. "Besides,
I'm technically not under your command, Major. I always make sure that I
never am commanded by such incompetency as you. I'll be sure to send a report
to your regimental commander, if that will ever do anything. Good day."

Henkensur helplessly sputters as the huntress storms out of the office.
She had always made it her policy to keep herself out of any Marine chain of
command. Very few of that lot had any imagination to speak of. Was it any
wonder that the Mikado was losing ground to the rebels in the fight for the
homeworld? Then Mujanba thinks of Muzainba. A young girl who should be in
school or out looking for a boyfriend, not working as a Marine. Another lost
face in a war that no longer made sense.

She is about to walk out of the barracks when she hears Muzainba's
voice. "Will you leave me alone, you jerks! I'm not your play-toy!!"

Spinning around, she marches into a barrack dorm. "What's going on
here?!" she barks.

Muzainba is now in the middle of a bunch of male Marines, now stripped
nude and looking like she definitely does not wish to be among her fellow
troopers. They appear to be drunk, as bottles of cognac, super-vodka, red
beet wine and ale quickly attest. "What business is it of yours, dyke?!" a
sergeant slurs. "You're not going to poison our little Muzai-chan with your
perverted garbage!"

Mujanba freezes them with a stare. "If I had my way, I'd kill every
homophobic prick in the Mikado's service!" she icily intones. "But if I did,
then all that would be left would be the GOOD warriors!! Better to leave your
kind to be cannon-fodder so the GOOD warriors can survive to rebuild Vos when
the war's over!! Private, you're with me!"

The marines tremble fearfully under that gaze; Mujanba had a brutal
reputation for arranging the deaths of people who displeased her. "Yes,
ma'am!!" Muzainba snaps to attention, then grabs her jumpsuit and runs out
after the captain.

A few minutes later, both women walk out of the dorm. "Oh, thanks,
Mujanba-san!" the private breathes out in relief. "I never thought I could
get away from those jerks."

"Why'd you get assigned with this lot?!" the huntress quizzically stares
at Muzainba. "There's not another woman in the whole company!"

"It's my parents' old regiment," Muzainba looks embarrassed.

"Oh, I see," Mujanba's eyes roll. "Well, let's go find Jason and
Nicole. They might be out there putting up more posters."

"Okay!" Muzainba beams.

Unseen by either of them, a burly sergeant-major watches from a secluded
corner...

* * *

"That should be the last of it!" Nicole wipes her brow as she steps
back. "The whole station's covered with them now."

"I hope this helps," Jason looks relieved. "Miss Mal's getting very
pensive about Miss Nokoko being missing. You'd think that her tentacles were
just cut off and dumped at the other end of the Outland, the way she acts
these days."

"That's the way Nendo-kata are, unfortunately," Nicole smiles, stroking
her brother's hair. "At least you're starting to get some basic idioms down,
Jason. That's good."

Jason smiles. "Thanks, Nicole. But...can I ask you something?"

"What?" she inquires as they turn to walk back to the large ship docks.

"Why did you create me?"

Nicole remains silent for a moment. "Oh, I don't know," she hums.
"Maybe because I got a little jealous when Nokoko told me that her fondest
dream was to go back to Earth and get her brother away from the people who
rejected her...and that made me remember that the real Jason McTavish, the
same twin brother I played with and was best friends with for so long, thought
I was the lowest form of garbage when I discovered that I was a lesbian.
Having you around made my pain go away."

"I'm glad," her brother nods. "But...have you ever been tempted?"

"Tempted to what?"

"To go back to Earth," Jason shrugs. "I've never seen Earth. All I've
got are copies of your memory when you programmed my wetware."

"Well, I suppose all of us'll be making a decision soon," Nicole muses.
"Nokoko's greatest dream is to take Ataru away from his family so they could
be together again like they were when they were kids. Mal and her friends are
all for it. In their eyes, Ataru and whatever girlfriend he might have these
days would just become part of the school. And if they left the Outland, it
would get pretty lonely for us. We've got each other and the palace, of
course, but that's obviously not enough."

"Then let's take Muzai-chan and Mujanba with us," Jason proposes.

Nicole stops. "Do you like Muzainba?"

"Uh-huh," Jason nods, then looks pensive. "Is that good?"

Nicole laughs. "It's perfect."

"Jason!" a high-pitched voice echoes. "Nicole-san!!"

Both turn to see Mujanba and Muzainba walk up. "Muzai-chan, Muja-chan!"
Nicole waves. "What brings you people around?!"

"Oh, we had to get away from those dorks in the barracks," Muzainba
sighs, reaching out to gently grasp Jason's hand. "They're such pigs!
Mujanba-san saved me."

"Ah, that's great!" Nicole smiles, reaching out to grasp Mujanba's hand.

The huntress leans up. "'Muja-chan?'" she coos in Nicole's ear.

"What, no one's ever called you that before?" Nicole coyly muses.

Mujanba flushes. "Oh, Jason, it was so horrible!" Muzainba turns to
Nicole's brother, passionately gripping his hand close to her heart. "They
wanted to touch me in all my private places. I'm the only woman in that bunch
and they're such pigs! Could you ever forgive me?"

"W-w-well..." Jason stammers, "...as long as you're not hurt, I suppose
we don't have to worry, I guess..."

The older women laugh. "I guess Jason's about to get his first
girlfriend," Nicole smiles, then stares at Mujanba. "Why don't we leave the
young ones alone and go find someplace private?"

"As tempting as that is, I don't want to leave Muzainba alone with those
pricks," Mujanba sighs. "Most Mikado Marines are both racist and homophobic,
as well as having other socially degenerate problems. They're just as bad as
the SS from your Earth's Nazi Germany."

"Well, who says we have to put ourselves into the path of danger?"
Nicole hums. "C'mon...my ship's this way."

Hooking arms, the four head off to the docks. Watching them, the
sergeant-major hums, then stares at a poster Nicole hung up earlier. The
contact information is clearly written on the bottom of the sheet. Icily
smiling, he heads off...

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this, Lum?" Benten inquires.

An hour later, Lum, Benten and Oyuki are walking from Koruneko's Cafe to
the large ship docks. A poster of Nokoko is in the Oni's hands. "I want to
find out what's going on, Benten," she sighs. "If Darling has a sister he
doesn't know about, then we have to find out who and what she is, not to
mention how she survived in the Outland for who knows how long."

"There's a simpler way, Lum," the Tritonian notes. "Simply go to Earth
and ask Ataru's parents. Surely they would remember if he had a sister;
Ataru's mother would certainly remember giving birth to her at least."

"Uh...I don't know about that, Oyuki," Lum looks pensive. "I mean, with
the way Darling's family is, I doubt I could get any straight answers from any
of them."

"Now, she's listening to some reason," the Fukunokami looks relieved,
then stops, blinking. "Girls, look!" she points.

The three stare at the dock where Nicole's ship is parked. The ship
itself is a giant of a vessel, equal to the size of a Zephyrite destroyer. It
resembles from all angles of view an intricate snowflake composed of many
types of gems, mostly diamonds. That does not interest them. What does is
the sight of a Vosian man trying to sneak aboard via the lone gangway leading
to the ship's bow. Lum, Benten and Oyuki scramble to a remote hiding place.
"Who's that?" the Oni hisses.

"Vosian," the Fukunokami's eyes narrow. "He must be one of the Mikado
Marines Koruneko-san warned us about. What's he doing here?"

"I could not suspect, but he may prove to be a stumbling block in our
desire to interrogate Nokoko's friends," the Tritonian muses.

"Good point!" Lum nods. "No stupid Mikado Marine is going to stop me
from learning what's going on with Darling's family. Let's go!"

The three scramble to the gangway...

* * *

"Whoo!!!" Mujanba pants as she finally recovers from her orgasm. "That
was wild!"

"That was the first time I've done it in quite a while," Nicole smiles
as they side-by-side on the former's bed deep in the crystal palace. "Glad I
didn't forget much. Sex is like riding a bicycle. You get rusty if you don't
do it for a while, but you don't forget it."

"I'm glad," the Vosian chuckles, kissing the bridge of the Terran's
nose. "Now, can you please answer me a question?"

Nicole smiles. "I'm human...human enough that if you want to have kids
with me, they'll be human, too. But...this isn't my original body."

"What happened?"

"When the palace brought me into the Outland twenty-four years ago, it
did not consider that I was unable to shield myself from the sulfuric and
hydrochloric acids that dimension is filled with," Nicole sighs. "Before I
knew it, my body was being consumed alive. It managed to save my mind in its
central computer, then after a bit, I was able to build a new body since I
didn't like the idea of spending the rest of my life a disembodied ghost
inside a sentient starship."

"That would be painful," Mujanba nods. "What about Jason?"

"I created him from my own DNA," Nicole looks up. "The real Jason
McTavish, my twin brother, was atop being my sibling, also my best
friend...until the day..."

"I hear you," Mujanba looks sympathetic. "Is your whole family the same
way?"

"They were...twenty-four years ago, that is," the Terran looks sad.
"Yours?"

"Well, I come from a very matriarchial colony, inhabited by witches,
sorcerers and nature-psis...people who can communicate with the living spirits
in plants and animals," the Vosian explains. "My family accepted what I was
right away. Mom even taught me a self-recognition spell so that if the day
came that I did find someone I really liked, I could make myself recognize
her. But...they were killed when a bunch of radical rebels came and burned my
villiage. They believed that people such as myself were polluting the Vosian
race. I thank God that such bastards are a minority in the rebel camps."

"By the sounds of it, you're about to jump ship."

"I'm tempted, I'll admit," Mujanba nods. "You heard what happened to
Muzainba. The whole Mikado Marine Corps and a lot of the Special Hunter Corps
are the same way. There are the real good ones, those who are fighting not
for the Mikado, but for a Vos that won't slip back into the social stagnation
we had a century ago, but sadly, they're few and far between. And I haven't
seen a clear enough political agenda in the rebel camps which could make me
decide what to do with myself."

"A wait-and-see type, eh?" Nicole nods. "You're pretty smart...eh?"

The Terran's face freezes as her eyes gloss over for a moment. Mujanba
looks scared. "Nicole! What's wrong?! Nicole!!"

Nicole blinks, then sits up. "We've got intruders."

Mujanba's eyes glow. "I can't sense anything."

"Because the palace is constructed of materials which reflect most
psionic powers," Nicole slips on her bikini. "Don't worry. The palace's
sensors picked them up."

She walks over to a control console on one side of the bedroom. Mujanba
stands beside her. Two images appears on the viewing crystal. "There's Lum,
Benten and Oyuki," the Vosian points at one.

"They must be here to ask about Nokoko," Nicole hums. "But who's this
other bucko near where the Nendo-kata are?"

Mujanba blinks. "He's the company sergeant-major of Muzainba's group!
What's he doing here?!"

"He's probably here to keep an eye on you and Muzai-chan," Nicole sighs.
"No matter. He's waltzing right into Donna's room. She can handle him."

"Are you sure?" Mujanba looks concerned. "Mikado Marines can be tough
when they want to be."

Nicole gives her a knowledgeable smile. "That's because you don't know
what a Nendo-kata is capable of doing..."

* * *

*Forty years in the Marines and I've never seen garbage like this until
that dyke walked into our lives!* Osensur sneers to himself as he prowls down
one of the palace's corridors, gun out as he tries to search for his targets.
*What we do with our own is none of that pervert's concerns! By the way they
were getting buddy-buddy with those Yehisrites could only mean that they're
about to defect to the rebels! Now, where are those traitors?!*

He locates a door, then gently opens it. "Never seen a ship like this
before," he mutters to himself as he looks inside.

The chamber beyond is about the size of a large classroom, high as a
silo. It is almost all taken in by a giant tank of salt water...which is now
inhabited by something which catches the soldier's attention. "What's that?!"

The dim light hides most of the details. However, Osensur can discern
that the creature inside, about the size of a small truck, is mollusk-like,
with a forest of long tentacles branching from her body. Two eyes, glowing a
deep burgundy, sit on stalks projecting from the top of the head. To one side
of that is an opaque pouch over double the size of a large man. Inside floats
something which could be human. Blinking, Osensur tries to scan her with his
powers. "What are you?!"

Suddenly, her eyes burn like twin coals as her voice booms in the
marine's mind. ***PURVEYOR OF DISUNITY!!!! YOU DARE ENTER NICOLE'S BELOVED
PALACE TO DESTROY HER LIFE-MATE AND JASON'S LIFE-MATE?!?!?! PREPARE TO
EMBRACE THE DEPTHS OF THE MOTHER OCEAN FOR YOUR CRIMES AGAINST THE
UNITY!!!!!!***

Osensur screams as his brains begin to fry in his skull...

* * *

"*Tcha!!!*" Lum howls as a psychic flash rips through her mind, driving
the surprised Oni to her knees. "What was that?!!"

* * *

The stunned Osensur watches as the creature telekinetically lifts
herself from the tank, her tentacles snaking out toward him. Naturally, he
freaks. "Get away from me, you monster!!!" he howls, madly firing away.

Several bolts burn into her skin, causing deep wounds!! None,
fortunately, come close to her pouch...

* * *

"Donna's been hit!!!" Lum gasps as she grabs her shoulder, staggering
against a wall.

Benten and Oyuki try to keep the Oni on her feet. "Lum, what's with
you?!" the Fukunokami yells into her friend's ear.

"She's psychically bonded to whatever or whoever's aboard this
starship," the Tritonian quickly concludes, feeling Lum's forehead.
"Lum-chan, sever yourself from whoever it is!"

"N-no...!" Lum shakes her friends away, then flies down the hallway.
"The Unity is disrupted!!" she bellows, her accent all but gone from her
voice. "Donna is about to Cross Over!!! The Purveyor of disUnity must be
stopped and punished before Donna is cast to the depths of the Mother Ocean
and our school is rent asunder once more!!! Donna!!!"

"Lum!!!" Benten cries.

It is useless as the Oni spins around a corner, then disappears. "What
the freakin' hell's going on in this place?!" Benten quizzically stares at
Oyuki.

* * *

Osensur scrambles back as Donna falls into the pool, her eyes fading as
blood stains the seawater which has sustained her for a millennium. Quickly
deciding that tracking down and killing two traitors is not worth this, he
scrambles for the door...just as it explodes in a blast of lightning!!!
"DONNA!!!!!!" Lum's voice yells from outside.

The marine leaps out of the way, his gun tracking on target as Lum flies
through the smoke. However, the Oni is unnaturally quick as she spins around,
a killing blast of lightning arcing at him! Osensur scrambles clear as he
returns fire, the shots going wide. "Stupid Oni, get out of my way!!" he
bellows.

Lum leaps into the air, lightning balls firing from her hands at machine
gun speed! "Sub-creature!! Purveyor of disUnity!!! Prepare to embrace the
depths of the Mother Ocean for your assault on my sister!!!"

Osensur somersaults away from the blasts as they rip into the bulkheads
and decks, trying just to stay alive from Lum's murderous assault. "Lecasur's
Soul, they said that bitch was good, but this is too much!!" he gasps as he
tries to make a break for the door...

...just as the pouch on Donna's side explodes!! "Donna!!!" Lum looks
overjoyed. "You've Crossed Over!!!"

Seeing that the Oni is distracted, Osensur runs for the door...just as a
lithe female HUMANOID form fires out of the water, flips, then lands with
unnerving grace in the Vosian's path! Osensur gasps as he stops, falling to
his backside in shock. "Get away from me!!" he screams, madly firing his
pistol.

The woman raises a hand as a telekinetic shield forms around her. The
bolts deflect off the shield to impact harmlessly on the bulkheads. "Now,"
the woman's Ellsian-accented voice hisses, her green eyes glowing a deep
burgundy, "...you will suffer for your crimes, sub-creature!"

Her hand makes a grasping motion. Osensur is suddenly lifted into the
air. "H-hey...!" the Vosian helplessly screams...

...as Donna's hand twists around, collapsing into a fist. Osensur's
screams are silenced as his body is literally twisted and crushed into a gory
pulp!! Then as Donna's hand opens, what is left of the Vosian marine falls
into a bloody heap on the deck, never to rise again. "The punishment has been
delivered," Donna announces.

Lum smiles as she flies to embrace the transformed Nendo-kata. "And the
Unity is preserved," she calls out, almost as if she was intoning a
ritualistic phrase. "Oh, sister, you are safe! Praise the Mother Ocean that
you are safe!!"

Donna looks sad. "Mal, release her. You have no right to do this, even
to help me...especially to this one."

Lum blinks quizzically, then feels faint. "*Tcha*...what happened to
me...?" she moans, her accent returning, as she collapses into Donna's arms.

Gently, the transformed Nendo-kata lifts the unconscious Oni into her
arms. "It is you," she smiles. "The beloved mate of the one our sister
Nokoko has sought for twelve of your sun-cycles. Now, you too will become
part of our school, Lum."

By that time, a crowd has run up to the door. "Lum, are you okay?!!"
Benten calls out.

"Donna, what's going on?!!" Nicole demands.

Turning, Donna carries Lum into the hallway, where everyone else is
standing. "All is well," she announces. "The Unity is preserved. The Agent
of disUnity who would have killed Mujanba and Muzainba is no more."
Nicole beams. "Oh, thank God!"

"And Miss Donna's Crossed Over, too!" Jason smiles.

On seeing the transformed Nendo-kata, Benten and Oyuki are agast.
"ELLE?!?!?!" both women exclaim.

Donna smiles, looking exactly like...yet so unlike...the Rose Queen.
"Yes. Elle is my template, the one whose blood I used so that I could Cross
Over and become human, become like Nokoko, Nicole and Jason. You need not
fear me, Benten Shigaten, Oyuki. I am not the Purveyor of disUnity who has
attempted to wrest Nokoko's sibling from his one true mate."

Benten and Oyuki stare at each other, then at the being gently holding
their best friend. "Then...who or what are you?" the latter hesitantly
inquires.

"I am Donna de Rosenbach." the Nendo-kata-turned-Ellsian introduces
herself. "I am a Nendo-kata, loyal servant and avowed protector of the Unity.
I and my seven sisters form the school which adopted the beloved sister of
Lum's Darling...Nokoko Moroboshi...as one of our own."

Blinking, Benten and Oyuki turn to Nicole. "Um...could you explain all
this to us?" the Fukunokami looks totally lost at sea.

"It's a long story," Nicole looks sympathetic.

"We are willing to listen," the Tritonian sighs...

* * *

"You're Ataru-kun's sister?!" Shinobu gasps. "But...that's impossible!"

She and Nokoko are now sitting in a tent being used by Abraham Shapiro
as a temporary shelter for his ice cream business. They are now sharing a
Mount Fuji, a mountain of ice cream which is the largest treat the Vosian-born
vendor has to offer. "It's true," the latter nods. "Uncle Komeru told me
himself twelve years ago, just before I ran away from home."

Shinobu blinks. "Boy, that must've been hard," she looks sympathetic,
then stares quizzically at Ataru's sister. "But...why would Ataru-kun's
mother do that to you?! You were a pretty normal kid, or so Ataru-kun hinted
at."

"Well, if you're homophobic, I'm as abnormal as you can get," Nokoko
quips.

Shinobu jerks. Nokoko lightly smiles. "Gotcha."

Silence settles over them as they eat. Shinobu stares quizzically at
Nokoko from time to time. This was a...? Nokoko seemed quite normal to
her...if you ignored her mysterious powers, which was easy to do in a place
like Tomobiki with Lum living here. A more feminine Ryuunosuke was Shinobu's
best impression of Ataru's sister. "Boy, that must've been hard," she finally
admits. "I don't know what I would've done if I was lied to like that. Are
you thinking of going to see your uncle?"

"It's my intention," Nokoko admits. "Ever since I ran off from Sendai,
my fondest dream was to come back and take Ataru-kun away from those morons.
As far as I'm concerned, that's still the plan."

"I think Ataru-kun beat you to that end," Shinobu weakly smiles. "He
disowned his parents over a month ago."

"He did?!" Nokoko stops, staring quizzically at her companion. "Why?!"

Shinobu sighs, then explains what Ataru had been like over the last few
years. The unrepentent skirt-chaser, doing everything in his power to keep
Lum at bay. How everyone looked on him as the "cancer of the class." How his
parents feverently wished he was never born. Then, she recaps the last
month's trauma, starting from his trip to Icarus, then leading to his showdown
with his classmates, his adoption of Reiko, his forcing Lum to either respect
his wishes or else be booted out of his life, his departure from school and
eventual departure from Tomobiki, which led to the Spirit War. Taking all
that in, Nokoko lets out a whistle as she stares out the tent's windows to see
the level of devestation. "Wow! Don't piss my baby brother off! So why was
everyone so against the idea of him going if they hated him so much?"

"Well, it wasn't him they were concerned about, but Lum," Shinobu sighs.
"Almost all the boys here have major-league crushes on her. If she moved out
of Tomobiki, they'd be devestated. And almost all the girls have crushes on
this fellow named Shutaro Mendou. They think that if Ataru-kun left, Lum
would drop him and go after Mendou."

"In other words, they wanted to make it a no-win situation for my
brother, eh?" Nokoko hums. "By the looks of it, I've come back in time.
Ataru-chan needs all the firepower he can get. My friends and I can help him
there." She then stares at Shinobu. "So, what's your problem? Why are you
so against their leaving?"

Shinobu jolts as her companion's gaze bores into her like twin drills.
"Wh-what do y-you mean...?!" she stammers, sweat appearing on her forehead.

"Uh-huh," a knowing smile crosses Nokoko's face. "You need him and Lum
around so you can get your hands on this Nassur fellow. Sorry, honey, but you
can forget it. I can see why he gave you a couple good roundhouses to your
cheek over the last while," she stands, moving to head out. "It's what you
get...it's what you *deserve*...for using friends like that. Thanks for the
ice cream, anyway. See ya."

Shinobu stares at Nokoko as she heads out. "Th-that's got to be the
most spiteful person I've ever met," she gasps, stunned at how easily Ataru's
sister could turn on people. "She could give Lan lessons!"

Nokoko heads out of the tent, stretching herself. Waiting for her there
is Shapiro. Beside him is a Vosian woman in her early twenties dressed in
normal clothes and an apron. "Thank you for coming," they bow to her.

Nokoko glares at them, her eyes narrowing. "Yeah, I'm sure," her voice
turns icy.

Both Shapiro and his friend shudder, sweat appearing on their heads.
"Wh-whatever's the problem, m-miss?" the former inquires.

"I have no problem...yet," Nokoko stares the vendor right in the eye.
"And I personally have no problem about what *really* brings you here," she
stabs a finger at Shapiro's chest. "But I give you this warning, pal. You
can do whatever you want to these clods. If you kill them all, I'll cheer you
on. But if you lay a FINGER on my brother or his girlfriend, you, your floozy
here and that purveyor of disUnity you call the Mikado are going to end up
ashes in the Outland! Understand?!"

"B-but, w-we're just immigrants f-from Israel," Shapiro's assistant
fearfully stammers, trying to look as sweet as possible.

"Sure, Thanba," Nokoko icily smiles. "Tell me another one."

Thanba jolts in shock. "How did you...?!"

Nokoko waves as she goes. "You can never lie to a telepath."

Shapiro and Thanba watch her depart. "T-telepath...?" the latter stares
at her superior. "I didn't even sense her m-mind-probe! What sort of monster
is that...?"

"F-for th-the life of m-me, I d-don't know," the former gulps, feeling
truly afraid for the first time since he came to Earth...

* * *

To be continued...

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Together The Outland" Part 3
by Fred Herriot
450 Clare Avenue South, Welland, Ontario L3C 3B3 Canada
gorgo@havajava.com
**** **** ****
edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
Eleventh in a series of fan-fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura," created
by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

IN THE SECOND PART OF "TOGETHER THE OUTLAND," Koruneko steps in before a fight
could start between Lum and Mujanba over Nassur. It is then revealed that
Nokoko, Nicole and their friends live in the Outland, a place where, it is
said, no human can survive. The commander of the Mikado Marines on Sakusei,
Henkensur, decides to launch an attack against the renegade hunter despite his
being under Koruneko's protection. Mujanba, who despises Mikado Marines in
general, takes Muzainba to see Nicole and Jason. Nicole and Jason are
bioroids, their bodies constructed by the crystal palace-starship they now
call home. While Mujanba and Muzainba are visiting their new friends, a
Mikado Marine, Osensur, sneaks in, believing the two huntresses are about to
defect from the Mikado's cause. He is caught by Donna, one of the sentient
squid-like beings called Nendo-kata who befriended Nokoko twelve years ago.
Another Nendo-kata, Nokoko's would-be lover Mal, possesses Lum to aid Donna as
she Crosses Over, literally transforming from mollusk to human being. Osensur
is executed for his planned assault against Mujanba and Muzainba. Benten and
Oyuki see that Donna is an exact genetic copy of Elle. Meanwhile, back on
Earth, Nokoko visits Tomobiki, determined to locate her brother so she could
take him away from their repressive parents...

**** **** ****

And to that end...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

**** **** ****

"My," Koruneko smiles as he brings out a small bowl of beef-and-noodles
soup, placing it in front of Donna. "The first meal as a human being. This
should make you feel a little better."

The Nendo-kata-turned-Ellsian nods. She is now dressed in a tank-stop
shirt and blue jeans, provided to her by one of Koruneko's friends. "Thank
you, sir," she picks up a pair of chopsticks, then digs in.

Lum and her friends watch as Donna starts to eat. "Wait a minute!" the
Oni blinks. "If Donna was a squid not more than an hour ago, how is it that
she's able to eat like a normal person."

"Good grief, girl, she and her friends've watched Nokoko and I eat all
the time," Nicole nibbles on some rice cakes. "There's nothing Donna doesn't
know about being human. We've been living together for the last twelve years.
Did you expect anything different?"

"But how the hell did she transform into this?" Benten stares at Nicole.

"She's a Nendo-kata," Nicole shrugs. "Crossing Over is as natural to
them as breathing is to us."

"Is this permanent?" Oyuki inquires.

"Oh, yes," Nicole nods, then looks worried. "Oh, poor Nintaiko!
Donna's Crossed Over and we've yet to find a genetic template for her to Cross
Over, too!"

"Nintaiko?" everyone looks confused.

"My life-mate," Donna smiles.

"Life-mate?!" Lum blinks. "You mean that Nintaiko's a girl, too?"

"Of course," Donna nods. "ALL Nendo-kata are what you would address as
female."

Everyone not of the Outland faints! "I don't believe it!!" Benten
exclaims. "A race of dykes! What will they think of next?!"

Suddenly, the huntress finds herself at the receiving end of withering
stares from Mujanba and Nicole. "Keep it up, recognition bait, and Nassur'll
be looking for a new partner!!" the former snarls, cracking her knuckles.

"Benten, that really was quite gauche," Nassur admonishes. "After all,
to people like Donna, WE'RE the aliens."

"Alright, alright, already!!" Benten bows repentently. "I'm sorry I
called you that. But...how the heck do you people have kids if you don't have
guys to do it with?!" she looks at Donna.

"Well, we did, many generations ago," Donna does not look disturbed.
"But when the males in our society sensed the great joy females experienced in
bearing new life to renew the Great School, they wanted to experience the same
thing. So, all the males Crossed Over and became females themselves."

"Wow!" Benten whistles.

"But that still didn't solve the problem." Lum notes.

"On the contrary, Lum," Koruneko cuts in. "The males did realize that
if they became females, the whole race would become extinct. So they modified
the eggs their ovaries would produce so they could combine not with sperm, but
with other eggs. A natural form of parthenogenesis, so to speak. And all
they had to do when kittens were desired was telekinetically implant their
eggs into the recepient's womb and permit their partner to do the same thing.
Within a generation, all Nendo-kata had adjusted to this form of reproduction.
It was quite civil."

"How'd you know that, old timer?" Koosei quizzically stares at the
feline.

"Why, I was there, Koosei-kun," Koruneko admits. Taking a cup of herbal
tea in hand, he sighs. "Ah, to actually know that Nendo-kata will be living
in this galaxy brings joy to my heart. No race was ever more in touch with
the very spirit of Creation than they."

"Well, I hate to ruin this little reunion party, but we've got a big
problem," Benten cuts in. "Thanks to Donna...who deserves a medal for this,
by the way...a Mikado Marine is dead. It won't take long for Mujanba's
friends to clue in as to what happened. And once they do, we're all going to
be in for a rough time."

"She's right, you know," Mujanba sighs, then looks contritely at Nicole.
"Sorry, Nicole. Looks like you people just got involved."

"No big deal," Nicole shrugs. "With Donna and all her friends involved,
those pricks'll just wind up like that jerk she and Mal fought."

"Don't you mean Donna and me?" Lum cuts in.

"Lum-chan, Mal-san did take control of you, remember?" Oyuki stares at
the Oni.

"Um...yeah, that's true...I think," Lum looks confused. "I mean, when I
sensed Donna challenging that sleezoid, Mal just...joined me. I remember what
happened. She wasn't in control of me. We were trying to kill that creep
together."

"Ah, true Unity at its best," Koruneko smiles. "It appears, Donna, that
Mal has found her template."

"You mean...Mal would really want to become a double of me?!" Lum
blinks, pointing at herself.

"Do you wish to suggest someone else?" Donna stares confusedly at Lum.
"After all, you are bonded to your Darling and Mal wishes to form a permanent
bond with Nokoko. Nokoko and Ataru are siblings, remember?"

"Um...yeah, that's right!" the Oni embarrassingly laughs. "I just hope
Mom and Dad'll understand it when I tell them I just got a sister out of
nowhere!!"

"But we should find templates for the others," Donna then frowns. "It
is not right that I have Crossed Over and the others have not."

She then stares at Benten and Oyuki. "H-hey, what're you starin' at us
for?!" the former stammers.

"Surely, you're not actually thinking...?!" the latter tries to back
away.

Nassur and Koosei appear behind them. "You just volunteered," the
Vosian smiles as the two gently push their girlfriends to join Donna and Lum.
"Looks like you'll be getting sisters, too."

"Who said we volunteered?!!" both women demand.

* * *

A while later, a wheelbarrow covered in a tarp appears in front of the
dorm where Henkensur's Marines are based. A private comes out, curious as to
what brought this here. "What's going on?" he stares at the wheelbarrow, then
pulls back the tarp. On seeing what is inside, he backs away, paling. "Oh,
gods!! Major!!!"

Henhensur runs out at that time. "What is it?!"

"Look!" the private points to the wheelbarrow, then turns away to vomit.

The major pulls back the tarp, then gags on seeing Osensur's remains.
He then notices a note attached to what is left of the sergeant-major's
uniform:

"Dear Bad Guys,

"You're butting your noses where they don't belong. Mujanba and
Muzainba are now a part of us. Nassur doesn't like it when people
try to hurt his friends. Try to stop us and you'll wind up like
this prick.

"The Good Guys."

Glaring at the note, he then tears it up. "We'll see about that!!" he
growls, then yells at the private, "Get everyone mustered!! That renegade and
his allies are dead!!"

"Yes, sir," the private doubles into the barracks.

* * *

Watching this from some distance away, Mujanba lowers her binoculars.
"How utterly predictable," she sneers, then pulls out a small communicator.
"Sorcerer to Crystal. Tell Renegade the party crashers are on their way."

* * *

"How exactly does this work?!" Lum blinks as she, Oyuki and Benten
follow Donna into a very large chamber.

Inside the chamber are seven large vats of seawater, each inhabited by a
Nendo-kata. While the skin colour and spotting differs between each
individual, there is no discernable difference between them. Each of them has
a small tag attached to their chambers. The names marked are MAL, NINTAIKO,
SAITEN, OSOOKO, OOKAKO, TATSUKO and HEI. "All that is really required for a
Crossing Over is a blood sample, or other sample that possesses a complete set
of chromosomes. Once we have that, our bodies then begin to quite rapidly
produce the chromasomes in a hatching pouch. Once the body is fully
developed, it is then released."

"But such production must be very energy-consuming to your old bodies,"
Oyuki notes.

"It's fatal," Donna admits. "When the Crossing Over occurs, our old
bodies literally disintegrate once our new bodies are released. There is no
danger to our spirits, though. When the new body is complete, we simply shift
our minds from our old bodies to our new bodies."

"Wow!!" Benten whistles. "How long does this take?"

"A day," Donna admits. "And in case you were wondering, Nicole was the
one who obtained the genetic samples from that Purveyor of disUnity who is now
my sister. She did so when we travelled to her planet to try to locate
Nokoko..."

The Nendo-kata-turned-Ellsian jolts as she stares at Mal's chamber.
"Mal, don't be so impatient!" she snaps. "Lum's here!"

"I guess Mal-chan wants to get this underway as soon as she can," Lum
smiles, flying over to Mal's chamber. "Don't worry. I want to hear the story
of what Nicole did to that hubby-thief! Any story about Elle suffering makes
me happy!"

"I see," Donna hums.

"So, what about us?" Benten walks up. "Which one do we get?"

In answer, Donna draws two blindfolds to cover her companions' eyes.
"That, we let the Unity answer," she explains. "The one thing I've noticed
about you air-breathers is that you allow your physical senses to dominate
your opinions. This time, let your hearts do the exploring. Your hearts will
never lie to you."

"If you say so," Benten muses.

As Benten and Oyuki are permitted to try to find their new sisters, Lum
sits on the edge of Mal's tank, slipping off her boots to allow her feet to
soak in the water. "So, you want to be my sister, eh?" the Oni muses, staring
at the Nendo-kata below her. "How did you and Darling's sister meet, anyway?"

In response, Mal's eyes glow a deep burgundy. Lum's mind is then
flooded with images...

Every twelve years, the Outland Nebula, the region of space which
encloses the gateway into the Outland dimension, orinetates its interdimension
gateway to face the general direction of Earth's solar system. Twelve years
ago, Nicole began to despair about not seeing another human being again.
Sensing their need, Mal's school cast their minds out to locate a suitable
companion for their neighbour.

They found Nokoko Moroboshi.

Back then, Nokoko was a very physically active, tomboyish sort of girl,
living under the illusion that she was Komeru's daughter instead of his niece.
Ataru visited on occasion, but Nokoko wanted him to visit more, or even
better, come live with her. Ataru's parents naturally balked at that, so they
threatened to prevent their son from visiting his unknown sister. Tired of
Kinshou's game, Komeru sat Nokoko down one day and told her the truth: she
had been sent to Sendai shortly before her fourth birthday to be raised by him
for reasons which made no sense whatsoever to Komeru.

Nokoko was heartbroken, not to mention very hurt over the lies people
kept perpetuating around her. She was also hurt over not being able to live
with her brother Ataru, the one person she cared for more than anything else
in the whole world. With that, she resolved to run away from home, in hopes
of making Komeru force Kinshou to take her back. Realizing that Nokoko stood
low odds of surviving alone at such a young age, Mal telepathically contacted
her, offering her a place to stay and friendly sentients she could meet.
Nokoko accepted and in a day, was in the Outland.

Of course, the Outland was no place for a young Terran girl. Nokoko was
nearly eaten alive by the acid fields which filled the dimension before
another Nendo-kata...Mal's would-be life-mate...gave up her life for Nokoko to
survive. While Mal was heartbroken over that action, her faith in Unity
allowed her to overcome her grief and accept Nokoko as part of the school.
Eventually, as Nokoko matured, their friendship blossomed into love...

"And now you want to be Nokoko-chan's life-mate...just like I want to be
Darling's life-mate," Lum sighs, then smiles, allowing herself to slip into
the tank...

* * *

*Allow my heart to choose, she says!* Benten snorts to herself as she
feels her way along the chambers, questioning for the umpteenth time why she
was even going along with this idea. *Sheesh!! Easy for Donna to say: she's
a bloody telepath!!*

Suddenly, a voice fills her mind. Do not be angry at Donna, Benten.
You air-breathers really do have different perceptions than we.

Who are you? Benten calls out.

The speaker does not answer. Frowning, the Fukunokami moves to take off
the blindfold...then realizes why Donna put it on her in the first place. *Of
course! They all look alike to me, so I can't really tell the difference
between each of them by looks alone!!*

You're learning, that voice croons.

Benten sets her jaw as she allows herself to walk away from the tank.
"I'm gonna try to do this," she announces.

"Good, Benten," Donna nods.

Benten uses a meditative technique Nassur taught her to relax her mind,
then reaches out. Turning one way, she takes a step, then pauses. No mental
reaction. Nope, not there. She then shifts to another direction. A touch of
cold touches her skin. Oyuki was in that direction. Not that way, either.
Relaxing, Benten tries to think. Whoever she chose was going to be a physical
double of herself. Go on that.

An image appears in her mind. She is relaxing on the beach, her feet
being gently lapped by the waves. No, it was not a beach, but a small island
in the middle of an endless sea. That made sense; the Nendo-kata's homeworld
had to be totally covered by water. Now, just wait. Suddenly, an airbike
bursts from the water some distance away. Riding it is herself. Bingo!

Benten walks into the water toward her waiting sister. That's right,
Benten, her duplicate speaks, rising into the air. Now, there is Unity
between us.

A ladder appears. Benten looks up, then begins to climb...

* * *

While Benten found herself on an island, Oyuki now stood in an empty ice
field on Neptune, in a region still envioromentally devestated thanks to the
Seifukusu occupation centuries before. Her throat is dry. *I need something
to drink,* she muses to herself as she begins to look for a pocket of unfrozen
water.

She walks around for a bit. It is a clear day despite the fact that
most of Neptune's atmosphere was too poisonous to allow people to live there
for more than a day without falling ill. Oyuki then realizes why she is not
suffering. This was her fondest dream come true; for Neptune to be restored,
made habitable for her people. Oyuki then stumbles onto a tower of solid ice.
A step ladder leads her to the summit. Slipping off her kimono, she ascends
the latter to the top.

Waiting for her is herself...

* * *

"Whoo, that was fun!!" Benten smiles sometime later as she dries her
hair.

She, Lum and Oyuki were now relaxing after taking a swim with their
future sisters in the crystal palace's sauna. "At least now I finally learned
what brought Nokoko-chan to the Outland in the first place," the Oni sighs.
"Darling's family is even more fouled up than I first suspected."

At her friends' questioning stares, she explains the story Mal
telepathically communicated to her. Benten and Oyuki are aghast. "Holy shit,
Moroboshi's old lady did that to her?!" the former exclaims.

"Imagine what Ataru will do when he finds out," the latter sighs.

"I hope it doesn't turn out too bad," Lum sighs. "I mean, Darling may
have reasons to be angry at them, but I don't like the idea of him just
walking out on them like that! They're his parents. They've got feelings."

"Yeah, for what, I wonder?" Benten snorts.

The door opens and Mujanba walks in. "Hi, everyone," the huntress waves
as she slips herself into the sauna. "Oooh, that feels good."

"So, what's new?" Benten wonders.

"They got Osensur's body back, plus Nicole's note," Mujanba smiles.
"Henkensur's trying to muster his troops now. Problem is, half of them are
either drunk or stoned, so he has to snap them back into shape before leading
them against Koruneko's place."

"How long will that take?" Lum wonders.

"About a day...just long enough for Mal, Saiten and Osooko to be
involved," Mujanba smiles. "Further, Koosei got Koruneko-san to jam all
Vosian military and civilian frequencies out of Sakusei so Henkensur can't
call home and tell them that Muzainba and I've skipped town."

"That's good," Lum smiles. "Then once this is over, you're free to be
with Nicole and Muzainba's free to be with Jason."

"Yeah, but will they have to go back to the Outland?" Benten wonders.
"I wouldn't want to live in that dump, especially if the rumours about that
place have an iota of truth in them."

"Oh, they're more than true," Mujanba warns. "Nicole was nearly killed
when she first entered the Outland."

"So was Nokoko-chan," Lum comments, then smiles. "I know!" she snaps
her fingers. "You can all come down to live with us on Earth!"

"In Tomobiki?!" Mujanba blinks. "Lum, where would Nicole park the
palace?"

"Then, you'd have to live with Darling, wherever he's going to be
living," the Oni counters. "Nokoko-chan wants to be with her brother again.
Mal-chan and the others are going along with it, so why can't you go with
them?"

"Well, that's what Nicole's been thinking," the Vosian muses, then nods,
smiling. "Okay!"

* * *

"Thanks for letting me sleep here, Mie-chan," Nokoko yawns as she walks
into the kitchen.

After leaving Shinobu behind, Nokoko wandered around Tomobiki a little
more before stumbling across Mie. The Kyushu native had been looking for her,
hearing from some of her classmates that a female version of Ataru possessing
terrifying powers was on the loose. After meeting and getting to know each
other, Mie offered Nokoko the chance to sleep at her house. "It's okay,
Nokoko-chan," Mie smiles as she prepares breakfast. "Ataru-chan and
Reiko-chan were guests here too, especially after he decided he had enough of
his parents. I don't mind."

Both relax in the living room, digging in. "I can't believe it," Nokoko
sighs. "I'm nowhere close to doing it with Mal yet and my brother's already
got a kid. Is he actually married to this Lum I've heard so much about?"

"Officially no," Mie shakes her head. "But it's just a matter of time
before they finally do tie the knot. Lum-chan just has to get used to the
idea of not living in Tomobiki anymore. After all, why would Ataru-chan want
to raise his daughter in the range of the assholes who live in this dump?"

"That's true," Nokoko muses, remembering her encounter with Ataru's
ex-classmates yesterday. "I can sense all the hatred and anger being
projected at him. I just wonder why he never did it sooner."

"Well, I think the *saikoo jinseijitsu* was holding him back," Mie
muses. "It really did a number on him, made him look like a total spastic
moron in the eyes of everyone around him...all just to get enough negative
emotional energy to burst out and destroy Ataru-chan. Gods, he must be
feeling really used right now."

"He won't be as soon as I see him again," Nokoko asserts.

The front doorbell rings. "I'll get it!" Tamiko calls out as she runs
to the door, opening it. "Oh, Yumoa-san, you're here! Come on in!!"

"Thanks," Reigi Yumoa smiles as he steps inside. Dressed in
construction overalls and a hard hat, he had just been called down from the
reconstruction of the Toranoseishin Finances building. "Where's your sister?"

"In here, Reigi," Mie calls out, then stands as the financier walks in,
waving to her guest. "Look familiar?"

Surprise crosses his face. "Ataru, what are...?!"

Nokoko lightly smiles as she turns around. "Wrong Moroboshi,
Reigi-chan."

He is stunned speechless for a moment. "No-...ko-...ko...?" he gasps,
eyes wide under his glasses.

Nokoko giggles as she leaps up to embrace him. "How are you,
Onii-chan?!" she cries.

"'Onii-chan?!!'" Mie and Tamiko quizzically inquire.

Nokoko and Reigi part. "Well, since I believed that I was Uncle's
child, I looked at all his wards as either my brothers or sisters," the former
explains. "It's a little hard to get out of the habit, even twelve years
later."

"Speaking of which," the latter stares at his guardian's niece,
"...where in Buddha's name have you been for the last decade or so?! We've
torn the whole planet apart looking for you!"

"Well, I wasn't on Earth," Nokoko explains. "Actually, I was in another
dimension."

Reigi blinks. "I'd like to hear this story."

"Sometime later," Nokoko assures him. "Now, will someone please tell me
where my brother is?!"

"He's in Oshika right now, supervising the construction of his new
house," Reigi explains. "Just don't tell anyone here about that. We've still
got to get the prefectural supreme court to get the court injunctions in
place."

"Well, if they don't want any of Tomobiki's garbage to infect Oshika,
they'll do it," Mie sarcastically notes.

"I'm sure they will," Reigi chuckles.

"Oshika?!" Tamiko muses. "That's actually on the seashore, isn't it?"

"It's on a small peninsula on the east side of Sendai-wan," Reigi
explains. "Curious that Ataru-kun chose that place given the presence of the
*saikoo jinseijitsu* in his head. I'd've figured he would have chosen a place
close to a volcano or an active fault line."

"What do you mean?" Mie blinks.

"The *saikoo jinseijitsu*, from what I remember, is deathly afraid of
water," Nokoko sighs. "One of its previous hosts nearly drowned, which came
as close as possible to destroying it."

"Further, it has no defense against a water-based attack since its
powers are earth-based," Reigi augments.

"Ah, understandable," Mie nods approvingly. "I wonder how long it'll
take Supersnob to put it all together."

"He still has to avoid getting blamed for having his house destroyed by
his parents," Reigi chuckles.

Everyone laughs. Nokoko then blinks. "Mal..."

The others stare at her. "Nokoko-chan, what's wrong?" Tamiko wonders.

A curious look crosses her face. "Mal..." she repeats, turning to stare
heavenward. "Mal...you're Crossing Over."

"Eh?!" Tamiko blinks. "What's she talking about?"

"Mal's her lover, I think," Mie explains, placing a hand on her friend's
shoulder. "Hey, you okay?"

"I...yeah, I'm fine," Nokoko blinks. "I think I better get back to the
Outland as soon as I can. Something's going on with Mal and the others."

"When can you muster the power to get back?" Tamiko inquires.

"Not for a day or so," Nokoko sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "I
just hope Mal's okay."

She turns and stares out the window...

* * *

"Alright, men, are you with me?!!" Henkensur demands.

The hundred or so Mikado Marines which form Henkensur's company let out
a muffled roar of approval. Everyone is now mustered in the ground floor of
their barracks. "Now, listen up!!" the major barks. "The slimes who are
keeping that renegade Nassur safe have also corrupted that dyke and one of our
own!! They murdered our sergeant-major! Are we going to let them get away
with this?!"

"Never!!!" the Marines roar.

"Remember Colony Seventy-one!!" Henkensur admonishes them. "Remember
the innocents who were killed!! Remember all our comrades who have died!!
Remember the innocents in Lecashuto killed by the Niphentaxians!!! Leave no
survivors!! The spirits of your friends will never rest until they are
dead!!!"

Suddenly, the whole building begins to tremble violently as some
invisible force assaults its walls. The Marines blink confusedly as they look
up...just as the ceiling collapses on them! "We're under attack!!!" Henkensur
screams.

The whole building shatters, then all the parts implode on themselves,
catching the helpless warriors inside. Viewing this from nearby, Mujanba lets
out an awed whistle. "Shit, they're really effective, aren't they?!"

"I'm pretty impressed," Nassur muses, standing beside her. "If we had a
battallion of Nendo-kata fighting for us, the Mikado wouldn't stand a chance!"

Benten nibbles on some popcorn. "This is better than watching a movie!"
she snickers.

The others nod in agreement. In a minute, the building has collapsed on
its inhabitants. However, almost as quickly, people begin to dig their way
out from the rubble. Henkensur is one of them. "Who...dares...?!"

"We dare, sub-creature!!" a voice snarls.

The major spins around to see four shadowy figures down the street. One
is Oni, dressed in a sleeveless ankle-length skirt. The second is Ellsian, in
tank-top and jeans. The third is Tritonian, hair tied in a ponytail, dressed
in blouse, tie and slacks. The fourth is Fukunokami, in long-sleeve shirt and
jeans, her hair tied in a bun with a ribbon. Their faces are in shadow, but
their eyes glow deep burgundy like mythical demons. "Wh-who...?!" Henkensur
gasps.

Not answering, the four raise their hands, their eyes then glowing
star-white. Henkensur then screams as he and the other surviving Marines are
literally twisted inside out by a force none of them could counter. In a
minute, the rubble is now stained with blood and gore. The hands lower as
their eyes revert to normal. "They are no more," Donna sighs. "Such a pity.
Their devotion to their cause was most...admirable."

The Nendo-kata-turned-Fukunokami...Saiten Shigaten...walks to the
rubble, her hands raised in offerance to the Nendo-kata's diety. "Tatsuko, my
love, speak through me," she softly intones, then speaks out, "Blessed Mother
Ocean, Mistress of Unity, Creator of All Things, accept these lost sentients
into Your Depths where they may be cleansed of their thoughts of disUnity,
then allow them to return once more to the Cosmic Chain of Life, never again
to tear the Unity asunder."

"Let it be so," Donna, Mal and Osooko chant, hands clasped in prayer.

Saiten's eyes then glow. The rubble and its shattered human cargo glows
for a moment, then literally ignites as their component atoms are shattered
with such awesome force, it would destroy Sakusei Station itself were it not
totally controlled by Saiten's powers. Everyone, even Koruneko, blink in
dumbfounded shock as the funnel of energy blasts away from Sakusei, scattering
the fragments of a hundred Vosian warriors and the building they called home
into the black vacuum. "Lecasur's Eternal Soul, did you see that?!!" Nassur
gasps.

Oyuki, tricorder out, scans the funnel of energy. "Unbelievable!" she
stares at the readings. "Saiten-san literally smashed all their atoms into
their component parts, then sent them flying off into space!! Nothing I know
of can do something like that!!"

"Is that normal for a Nendo-kata?" Koosei worriedly stares at Koruneko.

"Actually, that is far more power that I've ever seen a Nendo-kata
display," the feline hesitantly admits. "Well, I best go to the
station-master and tell him what's happened. I'm sure this will cause
something of a row."

With that, Koruneko walks off. By that time, nothing remains of the
building save a hollow square in the ground which was the basement. And with
that, the four Nendo-kata proceed to join their friends. "The matter is
ended," Mal smiles as she walks up to Lum. "Those sub-creatures will threaten
you no more, sister."

"Um...th-thanks," Lum hesitantly answers, unsure of genetic duplicate
now openly acknowledging that she is part of her family. "D-did S-saiten-chan
r-really blow the building up?"

"I only needed one atom to commence the chain-reaction," Saiten
confesses, thinly smiling. Despite standing upright and speaking with a clear
voice, the Nendo-kata-turned-Fukunokami seemed physically fatigued. "Once
that occured, the others exploded on their own accord. Then all that was
necessary was to shield the others from the effects of the blast. It was of
no problem...although I will confess it shall be a while before I do that
again."

"I think that's what all of you inherited after all your years in the
Outland," Nicole muses, doing her best to make the others feel calm around her
friends.

"I was wrong," Nassur admits.

"What ails you, brother-in-law?" Saiten stares at her sister's partner.

Nassur and Benten suddenly flush at Saiten's supposition. "Well, I
believed that a battallion of Nendo-kata would be enough to destroy the
Mikado. After seeing what you did, only one of you would be needed to get rid
of him!"

"If you want, we can do it right now," Osooko offers. "All of us can
sense the terrible level of disUnity that sub-creature has unleashed on you
and those you care for."

"Don't tempt me!" Nassur gasps.

"Well, I guess that means I can't go back to Vos," Mujanba hums. "A
pity."

"Why's that?!" Nicole quizzically stares at her lover.

"I can't send Furusur a letterbomb!!!" Mujanba cries.

Everyone faints!

* * *

"Hi, everyone!" Ten-chan cheerily calls out as he lands his scooter on
the ground beside the Moroboshi family tent. Stepping off, he blinks, looking
around at the level of devestation which befell Tomobiki. "Wow!!! Who did
all this?!"

"That stupid son of mine!!" Ataru's mother snaps as she slaves over a
portable stove. "I wish he was never born!"

The young Oni sighs, obviously having not got the answer he wanted.
Ataru's father is reading his paper, oblivious to his being without a house.
At that time, Shinobu walks up. "Oh, Ten-chan, you're back!" she smiles.

"Hi, Shinobu!" Ten-chan floats to her. "Who did all this?!"

"Some evil monster inside Ataru-kun," Shinobu admits. "It's the thing
that made him act like a skirt-chasing idiot for the past ten years or so.
But it was Lum who destroyed it...and wound up doing all this," she waves
around to indicate the district.

"Lum-chan did all this," Ten-chan blinks. "Boy, don't get her upset.
So, did Ataru move off to wherever he was going?"

"Yes, he did," Shinobu sighs. "And none of us still know where. Oh, by
the way, how's Nassur-kun?"

"Ah, he's fine, or so I heard yesterday," Ten-chan smiles. "They were
worried about a bunch of Mikado Marines on the station, but they hooked up
with some new friends to take care of them. They should be back later today."

"Oh, that's nice!" Shinobu beams.

"Hey, who's the little tokkaebi?" a voice inquires from behind them.

Ten-chan looks indignant. "I'm NOT a tokkaebi!!!" he screams.

He then gets swept into Nokoko's arms, then swamped with a kiss! "Wanna
bet?!!"

"Ack!!!" Ten-chan gasps, then disbelievingly stares at Ataru's sister.
"Who are you?! You're a girl!"

Nokoko silences him with a finger to her lips, then walks into the tent.
"Hi, Dad!" she waves at her father.

"Oh, hi, Nokoko," Muchi does not look up from his paper.

Nokoko walks up behind her mother. "What's cooking, Mom?"

"Just some sukiyaki, Nokoko-chan," Kinshou cheerily answers. "It'll be
ready in a few minutes."

"Okay," Nokoko nods, moving to sit down.

Her mother jerks, stunned realization on her face. "***NOKOKO?!?!?!***"

A second later, Nokoko is pelted with beans. "Oni out, luck in! Oni
out, luck in!! Oni out, luck in!!!" Kinshou chants.

"Forget it, Mom, I'm not an Oni!" Nokoko's eyes roll as she zaps her
mother with a force-blast. "Sheesh!! She hasn't changed in twelve years!
It's no wonder Ataru-chan decided to leave this place!"

"What are you doing back here?!!" Kinshou demands as she stares at her
daughter, disbelief and fear in her eyes. "Why don't you go back up to live
with Broken Balls?!! At least he was willing to put up to you!!!"

"But I wanted to come back here and annoy you, stupid!" Nokoko sneers, a
mirthless smile crossing her face. "I vowed I'd get my revenge on you for
what you did to me when I was a kid, and I meant it!!"

Kinshou growls. Shinobu and Ten-chan blink surprisedly at this
confrontation. "Um...Shinobu, who is she?" the latter stares at the former.

"She's Ataru-kun's missing sister, believe it or not," the former shakes
her head...then blinks on hearing a curious rumbling noise. "What the...?!"
she turns to stare to the sky.

Everyone walks out of the tent to see Nicole's crystal palace hovering
over Tomobiki. A gangway is already extending to the ground, Nicole and
Mujanba riding down with it. "There you are, you silly girl!!" Nicole snaps
on seeing her neighbour. "Where the devil've you been all this time?!"

"Here having fun, Cole!" Nokoko waves as she walks up to embrace Nicole.
She is then quick to notice Nicole's lover. "Oh, who is *this* delictable
creature?!" she coyly inquires, batting her eyelashes. "Nicole, you must
introduce us!"

Introductions are made as Lum flies down from the ship. "Lum-chan, who
are these people?!" Ten-chan points at Nokoko, Nicole and their friends. "Is
that really Ataru's sister?!"

"That's her," Lum beams, then points out everyone else as they come down
from the crystal palace. "That's Nokoko-chan's friend Nicole, Nicole's lover
Mujanba, Nicole's brother Jason, Jason's girlfriend Muzainba, Elle's sister
Donna, Oyuki's sister Osooko, Benten's sister Saiten and my sister Mal!"

Ten-chan and Shinobu blink in shock. "***YOU DON'T HAVE A
SISTER!!!!!!***" both exclaim.

"Mal?!!" Nokoko exclaims, bolting up in shock.

"Right here," a voice coos from behind her.

Nokoko spins around to see Mal standing there. Reaching out
telepathically to confirm that the mind within the Oni's body is the same one
who brought her to the Outland years before, tears spring in the former's
eyes. "Mal-chan...you really did Cross Over...!"

"I did," Mal nods, joyful tears flowing down her cheeks. "Oh, Beloved,
isn't it wonderful?! Now at last we are One!!!"

With a delighted wail, Mal leaps over to embrace her life-mate. "I...I
guess w-we are...!" Nokoko laughs, then cheering, lifts Mal up, twirls her
around, then swamps her with a loving kiss.

"Oh, isn't it beautiful?!" Lum gasps in admiration.

"What is this?!!" an incensed male voice demands.

Everyone spins around to see Mendou and the guards staring
disbelievingly at Mal and Nokoko. "Hey, dyke!!!" Megane snarls, pointing at
Nokoko. "Unhand Lum-san's sister this instant!!! How dare you presume you
have the right to touch her, much less KISS her?!!"

"She's my lover, dorks!!" Nokoko slips an arm around Mal, giving them a
snide glare. "Got a problem with that?!"

"We do!!!" the guards growl.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Lum warns.

Nokoko and Mal stare at each other. "Beloved, we should not permit
these sub-creatures to infest the lives of my sister and your brother," the
latter muses.

"I guess we're going to have to destroy them, then," the former hums.

Both then turn on the five boys, their eyes now glowing a deep burgundy.
Seeing this demonic vision, they quickly retreat. "L-lum-s-san, h-help
us...!!" Megane stammers.

"Don't run to me for help!" Lum sneers. "You deserve this!!"

A nuclear explosion later sees the five fried nearly to ashes!!!
"***BUTT OUT AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!!!!!!***" Nokoko and Mal scream...

* * *

To be continued...

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Together The Outland" Part 4
by Fred Herriot
450 Clare Avenue South, Welland, Ontario L3C 3B3 Canada
gorgo@havajava.com
**** **** ****
edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
Eleventh in a series of fan-fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura," created
by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

IN THE THIRD PART OF "TOGETHER THE OUTLAND," as Donna adjusts to being human,
Osensur's body is returned to the Mikado Marines with a challenge, daring
Henkensur to try to retaliate. The retaliation comes soon enough, but the
Marines are destroyed when Donna teams up with three of her newly Crossed Over
schoolmates...Mal (Lum's sister), Saiten (Benten's sister) and Osooko (Oyuki's
sister)...to kill them. With that, Mujanba's and Muzainba's fates are forever
locked with Nicole's and Jason's. Meanwhile, on Earth, Nokoko (who spent the
night with Mie Seikou) reunites with Reigi. She is then informed that Ataru
is now living in Oshika, having his house constructed. Later on, Nokoko
surprises her parents. Her mother is certainly not happy to see this dark
ghost from her past waltz back into her life. Her father pays it no heed (as
usual). By that time, Nicole and the others arrive. Nokoko is more than
overjoyed to see that Mal has Crossed Over, thus solidifying their
relationship, much to the chargin of Mendou and the guards, who get a taste of
Nendo-kata "hospitality" for Agents of disUnity such as they...

**** **** ****

And with that...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

**** **** ****

"This is a wonderful day!!" Lum beams. "Darling's sister has come back
after living twelve years in the Outland and all her friends are on their way
to becoming human so they can live with her. Darling will be so happy when he
finds out!"

She smiles at Nokoko and Mal, who are now the center of attention at a
small gathering in a large tent serving as the town cafeteria. With them are
all of Lum's classmates and friends plus Nokoko's human friends from the
Outland. "If Lum-san considers this a happy day, then let's celebrate,"
Mendou smiles, still wincing in pain from the powerful energy blasts he
received from Nokoko and Mal earlier.

The others smile. The Nendo-kata evenly glare at them, then look at
each other, communicating psionically. What a pit of disUnity! Saiten
sneers, looking violently ill. These sub-creatures will do anything to have
Lum-chan's approval!

And their hatred of Nokoko-chan's brother is more than obvious!
Osooko notes. We should destroy these sub-creatures at once, so their
disUnifying thoughts do not pollute Lum-chan further.

No, Mal shakes her head. Ataru-kun's plan to remove Lum-chan from
this pit of disUnity is sound. Lum-chan must come to her own decision in
regards to these sub-creatures. To force disUnity between her and them
against her will, while it will do her much good in the end, is an Act of
disUnity in itself.

The others readily nod. Lum notices the secretive stares between the
four women. "Nokoko-chan, is something wrong?" she then stares at Ataru's
sister. "They don't seem very happy."

"I don't blame them," Nokoko muses, sipping her tea. "After all,
Nendo-kata can smell a pack of liars a kiloparsec away. They know what these
idiots've done to my brother. If they were given the chance, they'd kill all
of them in an instant."

Lum jerks in shock. "What does that mean?!"

"It means that as long as you continue to stay in this moron's paradise,
you risk losing Ataru-chan," Nokoko shrugs. "Why do you think he left? He
doesn't want to be around this place, much less raise his daughter here. If
you're really smart, you'll move out and go live with him."

Everyone from Tomobiki pales. "B-but...I can't l-leave..." Lum
stammers.

"Why not?"

"W-well...b-because these are my friends!!" Lum waves at her classmates.
"I can't just walk out on them like that! Besides, I can't just change my
visa on a whim! I have to stay in Tomobiki until I graduate, then I can move
out!!"

Nokoko stares at her, then shrugs. "Okay. If you're up to a
long-distance love affair, that's your choice." Swallowing the rest of her
tea, she stares at her friends. "As for us, we'll just move in beside
Ataru-chan. After all, since he disowned the two dorks we were born from,
then he doesn't have much in the way of family outside of Reiko-chan, Uncle
and Grandma. I suppose I'll just have to move in and be the family he needs."

"And we can become his neighbours," Mal augments.

"Not to mention his first **real** friends," Donna adds, then smiles at
Mie, "...outside of this wonderful Agent of Unity."

"Flatterer!" the Kyushu native blushes.

"That's true," Lum considers the point. "Well, Darling must be feeling
a little lonely right about now," she hums, then remembers something. "Wait a
moment! What about Nintaiko, Ookako, Hei and Tatsuko?! They still haven't
Crossed Over!"

The four Nendo-kata consider the point. "Yes, it is terrible that we
have Crossed Over and they have not," Saiten muses.

"Easily answered, sis," Benten smiles. "Just get four volunteers to act
as their templates. I may have been a little hesitant on allowing you to
template yourself off me at first, but I've no regrets now."

"Oh, Mother Ocean bless you, sister," Saiten beams, then stands up.
"Very well. I shall be the one who shall choose Tatsuko's template."

Donna, Osooko and Mal quickly volunteer themselves to choose Nintaiko's,
Ookako's and Hei's templates. "What does all this mean, Koosei-kun?" Sakura
whispers to her former classmate. "What is this 'Crossing Over?!'"

"It's how they became human," Koosei explains. "It's a really complex
thing. You've got to understand them a little more before you can grasp what
they're after."

"I suppose so," Sakura nods...

* * *

"What a strange day this is," Shinobu sighs as she walks back to her
family's tent, Ryuunosuke beside her. "Ataru-kun's long missing sister just
shows up out of nowhere, she brings with her a very strange group of friends,
and now they want to help their other friends turn into human beings."

"Weird if you ask me," Ryuunosuke sighs, then blinks on seeing Lan up
ahead. "Hey, Lan!"

"Eh?!" the Seishin teen looks behind her, then smiles. "Oh, Ryuunosuke-
san. Shinobu. Where are you two going?"

"Home," Shinobu supplies as they join Lan. "What did you think about
Nokoko and her friends?"

"What should I think?!" Lan sneers. "Did you hear Lum-chan?! She
actually liked the idea of those walking squid actually living with Darling!"

Ryuunosuke and Shinobu blink as they realize something. "Hey, that's
right!" the former gasps. "And when those girls mentioned that they wanted to
be Ataru's first real friends outside of Mie, Lum didn't object!"

The three girls stop, considering the point. "Then, it's really
happened," Shinobu sniffs. "Ataru-kun no longer cares for any of us."

"After what he just went through, do you blame him?" Ryuunosuke muses.
"Not to mention what we've put him through?"

"Doubtful," Shinobu looks down.

"Well, that's no problem for me," Lan yawns. "When Lum-chan moves up to
live with Darling, I'll just move up to live beside them!"

"Don't bet on it!" a hand slams into Lan's shoulder, nearly crushing the
Seishin teen into the thickness of okonomiyaki.

Everyone turns to see Mie there. "Yumoa-san just told me earlier that
they're about to get the prefectural supreme court to slap injunctions on
everyone who lives in Tomobiki!!" the Kyushu native projects a Cheshire cat
smile. "Except me! Once they're in, you couldn't come within a hundred
kilometres of him without getting thrown in jail! And I also heard that his
uncle bought up all the available land around where he lives, which means you
couldn't move up even if there was no injunction against you visiting! Tough
luck, airhead!" she waves, running off to her home. "See ya!"

Shinobu, Ryuunosuke and Lan remain in place. "We'd be...forbidden to
even...visit him...?!" the tomboy squeaks.

"I couldn't move up...to live beside them...?!" Lan stammers.

"He really *does* hate us!" Ataru's ex-girlfriend moans...

* * *

"Hello, Thanba," Mujanba smiles as she walks into the tent which
temporarily houses Shapiro's Ice Cream Parlour.

Thanba gasps, her eyes glowing as she spins around to see who just
addressed her. Fortunately for the observer, no one else is around to
overhear them. "C-Captain Mujanba!" she stammers, them smiles, drawing
herself to attention. "It's a pleasure to see you again, ma'am!" she bows
respectfully.

"A pleasure to see you, too," Mujanba nods as she sits at a table. "So,
where's the old curmudgeon you're working with?"

Both women's eyes glow. "I resent that statement, Captain!" a voice
snaps with mock indignity. "I'm not old!"

Mujanba giggles as Shapiro walks up. "Okay, middle-aged, then," the
Colony Nine native quips.

Everyone laughs as the ice cream vendor and his assistant sit with her.
"So, what brings you to Earth?" Shapiro inquires. "Did that fool Furusur
assign you to come here?"

"No, as far as he's concerned, I'm dead and ashes along with the rest of
Major Henkensur's company on Sakusei Station," Mujanba gives them a knowing
smile. "And I'd really appreciate it if that story continues."

"That's no problem," Shapiro readily nods. "Furusur's a clueless moron
who should've been retired ages ago. Then again, I never did go along with
the whole idea of a secret corps of psi-hunters, especially the way they were
recruited. If you want to be kept a secret, I'll be more than happy to help
you."

"I appreciate it," Mujanba nods.

"Actually, although I know how much you didn't get a long with a lot of
people, being the way you are," Thanba flushes, "...but a lot of us in the
ranks really do admire you, Mujanba-san. After all, unlike all of us, you
trained yourself and volunteered to be a hunter. All of us never had a choice
about it."

Mujanba looks sympathetic. "Well, when the Mikado does go down, you and
the others...those who survive the next year, that is...can get out and
finally learn the truth."

"You really think it'll be that soon?" Thanba inquires.

"I think so," Mujanba nods, then stares at Shapiro. "And I think I'm
not alone in that."

He nods. "The Mikado was good for Vos...to a point. Right now, it's
time to stop this senseless fighting and start healing. Unfortunately, the
Mikado and most of his advisors are not the type to take 'no' for an answer."

"True, true," Mujanba muses. "Oh, I just forgot. There's another
survivor of Henkensur's company...a young girl named Muzainba."

"She's dead, too," Thanba giggles.

The others laugh. Later, Mujanba and Thanba walk out of the tent. "So,
how do you like Earth?" the former inquires.

"It's beautiful," the latter sighs. "I always heard it was such a
backward world, but after living here for a bit, I realized that they're just
people, like us in a lot of ways."

"Uh-huh," Mujanba muses, staring knowingly at the younger hunter.
"Something tells me that there's another reason you like it here."

Before Thanba could answer, a male voice calls out. "Thelma-chan!"

Thanba's eyes glow for a moment, then she spins around. "Toshio-kun!"
she gushes.

A handsome young man walks up. He blinks on seeing Mujanba. "Oh," he
sighs, looking relieved. "Friend of yours, Tha-chan?"

"Yep," Thanba wraps an arm around his, then waves to Mujanba. "This is
Mujanba. She's a retired hunter. Mujanba-san, this is my boyfriend, Toshio
Yoshida. Don't worry. He knows who I am."

"Hi," Mujanba nods. "Hope you realize what you're getting yourself into
if you marry her."

"She told me after she recognized me," Toshio smiles. "Don't worry.
She's moving to retire from your group anyway. What about you?"

"I've got my own lover," Mujanba admits. "Besides, Furusur has dreamed
a lot about how he'd get rid of me. If the chance comes, I'll pay the bastard
back for it."

"Good luck to you then," Toshio nods, then snuggles against his
girlfriend. "Busy now, Tha-chan?"

"Never busy for you, love," Thanba purrs as they head off.

Mujanba smiles, then her eyes glow. "What was that all about?" Nicole
inquires as she walks up.

"Oh, just another happy outcome from a sad war," Mujanba nuzzles her
nose against her lover's neck. "What's up?"

"There's a meeting in the palace," Nicole nods to the orbiting crystal
palace. "We're going to discuss what we're going to do to keep Nokoko's
brother away from this place. C'mon."

The two head off...

* * *

"This is the situation as I understand it," Nokoko briefs her friends in
a private meeting room aboard the palace a little later. "Ataru-chan wants
nothing to do anymore with anyone from Tomobiki, although he's probably still
in a state of shock over what the *saikoo jinseijitsu* did to him. Everyone
here, Lum-chan included, believes that once he gets over the shock, he'll
return and things, they hope, will go back to normal. I want to stop that
before he gets any silly ideas about coming back."

"Agreed," Mal nods. "Most of these sub-creatures are so emotionally
dependant on Ataru-kun to be the receptacle for their scorn and disgust that
his absence from this place has left an emotional void within them. Still, it
is an act of disUnity to permit Ataru-kun to succumb once more to the sway of
these sub-creatures."

"But we cannot force him to remain in Oshika, Mal-chan," Saiten notes.

"True, but our presence in Oshika will tempt him to stay," Nokoko notes.
"Especially mine...once Ataru-chan learns what was done to me when I was a
kid."

The other Nendo-kata nod. Nicole, her brother and their lovers remain
silent. Of course, it was automatically assumed that wherever Nokoko wanted
to go live, the Nendo-kata would also be willing to go. The very thought of
breaking up the school for any reason would be like physically dismembering
them, the bonds between the Nendo-kata and their adopted schoolmate were that
strong. "So what does this mean for finding templates for Nintaiko, Ookako,
Hei and Tatsuko?" Donna inquires.

"Simple," Nokoko smiles. "Ataru-chan's obviously at a very vulnerable
emotional state right now. He could, as has been hinted by Ryooki-san,
Reigi-chan and Mie-chan, decide that he never wants to come back to this
dump...or, given how much the *saikoo jinseijitsu* influenced him, he might
revert back to his old patterns of behaviour."

"His...girl-hunts, as everyone refers to them," Saiten notes.

"Right," Nokoko nods. "And, as we can all easily tell, all his
favourite girls are right here in Tomobiki," she points down.

"So, those who become the templates for the others must resemble those
people he previously took interest in," Osooko concludes.

"Right," Nokoko drawls it out, then produces four pictures. "And with
you all now looking like some of the women Ataru-chan's liked, here are the
others."

She lays the pictures down. Sakura, Shinobu, Ryuunosuke and Lan. The
four Nendo-kata pick them up, then begin to pass them around as they look
closely at the four would-be templates. "My sister once believed this one to
be a male before she learned the truth," Saiten points to Ryuunosuke's
picture. "I think she'd be perfect to be Tatsuko's template."

"And this one in her own way used to care for Ataru-kun, much in the
same manner as my sister," Donna nods to Shinobu's picture. "She would be
perfect for Nintaiko."

"So that means Sakura and Lan for Ookako and Hei," Mal concludes.
"When?"

"Tonight," Nokoko smiles. "Then after they've Crossed Over, we all head
up to Oshika to live with Ataru-chan. By that time, the court injunctions
will be in place, so the jerks here will be able to do nothing to him...not
without getting hurt themselves."

The others nod. At that time, a voice echoes out. "Hello?! Hey, where
is everyone in this place?!"

"In here, Reigi-chan!" Nokoko calls out.

Reigi ducks into the meeting room. "Oh, there you all are!" he sighs in
relief. "You know how much of a maze this place is?!"

"Sorry about that, Reigi," Nicole giggles.

"What's up?" Nokoko inquires.

The financier smiles. "I just told some friends that you're still
alive. They want to see you."

"Who?!"

"Kinko and the others."

Nokoko blinks. "My...babysitters?" she gasps, hesitantly rising to her
feet. "How'd you get in contact with them?!"

"After they quit in the wake of your leaving, they came down to work for
the Mizunokoji family," Reigi explains. "And they've missed you a lot."

"I'll go, I'll go!!" Nokoko beams.

"May I come with you?" Osooko inquires. "I'm sure Mal-chan can handle
Sakura and Lan."

"Sure," Nokoko nods. "We've got to get to work on your problem now that
you've Crossed Over."

Osooko beams as the two women head out with Reigi. "Let's go!" Mal
stands. "Our schoolmates need us."

Donna and Saiten nod as they follow Lum's sister out. "What problem is
that, Jason?" Muzainba stares quizzically at her boyfriend. "Is Osooko-sempai
sick?"

"It's...well, I'll tell you about it later, in private," Jason sighs, a
touch of sympathetic sadness in his eyes. "Mentioning it in their presence
hurts them a lot."

* * *

"Nokoko-chan!!!" Kinko Makige yips.

"Kinko-onee-chan!!!" Nokoko gasps as she runs up to embrace the
Kurotenshi's leader. "How are you?!"

"I'm fine," Kinko beams, tears appearing in her eyes. "You naughty
girl! Why did you run off like that?! Do you have any idea how worried your
uncle was when you left?!"

"I know, I know," Nokoko nods, then stares at the other Kurotenshi.
"Hi, girls!"

Gasps of delight and relief echo from the other Kurotenshi as they
embrace and kiss Nokoko. Nearby, Osooko watches them. Her mind had already
told her what she needed to know. Her answers did not lie with these people.
She would have to look elsewhere. At least Nokoko was reunited with friends.
That was good; the Unity was again further enhanced. At that moment, Tobimaro
and his parents walk up. "Um, Kinko, who's this?" the scion of the Mizunokoji
sports empire asks.

Kinko quickly introduces Nokoko to her present employers. "You're
Nokoko?!" Tobimaro's mother Saeko gasps, then bows. "Well, welcome back!
Kinko-chan and the others've spoken about you."

"Thanks, ma'am," Nokoko returns her bow, then blinks. "What in the
Unity's name is THAT?!?!" she points.

Everyone turns. In the distance, several Kurotenshi are busy monitoring
Asuka, who is preparing to do a hundred yard dash. She is currently in her
Iron Maiden armour. "That's...my sister, Asuka," Tobimaro sighs. "She's been
in that armour day in and out since the Spirit War."

"What's her problem?" Nokoko inquires.

"She's...ever since she was brought out from the convent, she's always
been afraid of men," Saeko Mizunokoji looks sad. "But we were able to
convince her that some men...Tobimaro-chan and her future fiance Shutaro
Mendou...were not evil. However, that monster in your brother's head turned
around and destroyed what little we were able to do to make her overcome her
fear."

"Poor kid," Nokoko looks sympathetic.

One of the Kurotenshi fires a starter's pistol. Asuka bolts off...then
falls to the ground with a panicked scream! "No!! No!! Keep it away!! Get
it away from me!!! Help me!!!"

"Mistress!" the Kurotenshi runs to her aid.

Seeing this, Osooko runs off to join them. The others watch her, but
say nothing. The Nendo-kata-turned-Tritonian slows to a walk as she
approaches the shivering armoured woman. "Is she well?" she gently inquires.

"Does this look well to you?!" another Kurotenshi snaps.

"Permit me," Osooko kneels beside Asuka. "Asuka? Asuka-chan? Are you
alright?"

"Make it go away...!" Asuka sobs. "Please make it go away..."

Taking a deep breath, Osooko concentrates. Her eyes glow burgundy as
she projects her mind into Asuka's...

* * *

In an instant, she sees what is afflicting the helpless woman: dark
mental images of quasi-male monsters, looking like Mendou, Tobimaro, Ataru and
the other men she encountered in her brief time in civilization; all now
attacking Asuka, who is helplessly chained against a wall. Osooko appears in
front of the helpless woman. "Begone!" the Nendo-kata commands.

A bolt of energy lashes from her hands to pulverize the monsters,
disintegrating them in the blink of an eye. Asuka blinks when her ears do not
register their lustful growls, then she stares in the direction from where the
monsters came. "Who...?" she hesitantly inquires.

Osooko turns around and shatters the bonds chaining Asuka to the wall.
"Those images that sub-creature within Ataru-kun's mind created will plague
you no more, Asuka-chan," she announces.

Asuka blinks, then she runs into Osooko's embrace. "Oh, thank you!!
Thank you!!" the grateful woman wails.

Osooko jerks...

* * *

...for now she is being tightly embraced by a wailing Asuka, still in
her Iron Maiden armour! "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" Asuka chants
again and again.

"Please, Asuka...you're crushing me...!" Osooko gasps, not willing to
use her own telekinetic powers to pry Asuka away from her.

"Oh, sorry!!" Asuka gasps, letting go.

Because her embracer was standing up, Osooko falls flat on her face!
"This is...certainly not the way to seek a life-mate..." the Nendo-kata-
turned-Tritonian grunts, her body now half-covered in muck.

Asuka pulls up her visor to see what happened. "Ooops!" she looks
repentent, covering her mouth with her hand...

* * *

"You want ME to be Tatsuko's template?!" Ryuunosuke looks shocked when
Saiten meets her that afternoon near Tomobiki High School, which is now under
reconstruction. "Why?!"

"Well I was inspired by the time that my sister took interest in you
before she learned of your true gender," Saiten admits, maintaining her
silence about the real reason the tomboy has been targetted. "I must admit,
you are an asthetically pleasant being to behold, Ryuunosuke-chan."

Ryuunosuke turns beet red at her compliment. "Th-thanks!" she stammers,
then looks concerned. "But, there might be a problem. My dipstick of a dad
might try to make her act like a boy, just like he does to me! That might put
some crimps on your relationship."

"Not really, if what I sense of your father is true," Saiten notes. "I
notice he worships the Mother Ocean almost with the same fervour as we.
Further, your mother's spirit now truthfully resides in the Mother Ocean. In
our eyes, it would be seen as Fate that a sage like Tatsuko would template
herself from the blood of one who is in his own way so much like us."

"Sage?" Ryuunosuke blinks. "Is that some sort of priestess?"

"It serves the same idea," the Nendo-kata-turned-Fukunokami nods.
"While all of us are deeply instilled with the philosophy of Unity and the
belief in the Mother Ocean's power, there are those who specialize in
preserving and teaching those beliefs. Those are known as sages. Tatsuko is
the sage for our school."

The tomboy takes that information in. "Well, I suppose there's no real
harm in it. But what about Dad?"

"With our powers, Tatsuko will have no problems," Saiten smiles.
"Besides, we will be living with Ataru-kun and Nokoko-chan."

"True," Ryuunosuke muses. "But you better watch out for Moroboshi. Who
knows what he's capable of doing right now."

"I doubt...he will be a problem," Saiten assures her...

* * *

"Me?!!" Shinobu blinks, staring quizzically at Donna as she eats a Mount
Fuji. Both are now meeting in Shapiro's ice cream parlour-tent. "You
actually want me to be Nintaiko's template?! Why?!"

"Why not?!" Donna shrugs, sipping a milkshake. "You are very beautiful
by your great school's standards..."

"Flatterer!" Shinobu blushes.

"...and while Ataru-kun may at present be angry at you for his many
reasons, having Nintaiko template herself off you might convince him to
be...nicer towards you," the Nendo-kata-turned-Ellsian stares knowingly at
her. "While you do not see him as a future mate, I do sense that you still
wish to be his friend."

Shinobu blinks, then looks down, sadness crossing her face. "Well...I
don't know anymore. I mean, with that court injunction Mie told us about, we
can't just go up to wherever he's living to visit him, especially now that
college entrance and end-term exams are coming. We'll be pretty busy down
here."

"He wishes to feel safe again...at least, that is how your teacher
believes him to presently feel," Donna notes. "If there are duplicates of
women such as yourself around him now, over time, the chance is there that in
the near-future, he will feel safe around you."

"That's true," Shinobu nods, then giggles. "And with a small group of
women living around him, Mendou-san and the guards'll go totally bonkers
because they can't go up there to protect you from Ataru-kun."

"Yes, that might cure those Purveyors of disUnity of their disUnifying
lust for Lum-chan," Donna hums. "So, will you or won't you?"

Ataru's ex-girlfriend considers the point, then nods. "Okay."

* * *

"Why me?" Sakura blinks, quizzically staring at Mal. "Surely there are
other women who would better fit Ookako's needs."

"What makes you believe that?" Mal blinks. Both are now in the former's
shrine, now rebuilt and reopened. "After I told Ookako about you, she was
more than willing to consider you to become her sister."

"M-my...s-sister?!" the priestess stammers. "Do you actually accept
your templates as family?!"

"Of course," the Nendo-kata-turned-Oni readily nods. "Such always
serves the cause of Unity. Lum-chan has accepted me as part of her family, as
Benten-chan has Saiten-chan and Oyuki-chan has Osooko-chan."

"Well..." Sakura muses.

"You mustn't!!!" a voice intones.

Cherry appears between the two, causing both Sakura and Mal to faint!
"Sakura, you must never consider such a hideous act!!" the monk threateningly
points at his niece. "These sea-spirits are trying to drive Ataru away from
us!! If Ataru is further driven away from Tomobiki, he will further embrace
the phoenix, which will bring Doom to Tomobiki's dreams as the Spirit War
proved so well!!!"

Incensed, Mal literally burns with her lightning powers. "Perveyor of
disUnity, begone!!!"

She lets loose such a titanic blast of energy at Cherry that it nearly
turns him into a pile of ashes!! "It's...fate...!" the monk hoarsely moans.

"Are you still on that?!" Sakura snorts, standing, then turns to Mal.
"Looks like Ookako's got her template!"

Mal beams...

* * *

"Oh, no, you don't!!!" Lan wags an angry finger at Lum. "I'm not going
along with this one bit!! Forget it! Ask Seikou!!"

"I already asked her," Lum sighs. The Oni had been drafted by her
sister to get Lan to become Hei's template while Mal talked to Sakura. Both
were now meeting in front of Lan's new scout ship, the grounds now
meticulously restored to their pre-Spirit War condition. "Mie-chan said it
wasn't really necessary since she's exempted from the court injunction
protecting Darling and can visit him anytime she pleases. Besides, Hei-chan
wants you to be her template. What's the matter with that?"

"What's the matter?!!" the Seishin teen growls. "Lum, are you that
blind?! Don't you see what that dyke is trying to do?!! She's templating
those squid off all of us so that Darling has no reason to come back to
Tomobiki!!"

Lum looks incensed. "You call Nokoko-chan a dyke again, Lan, and I'll
let Mal-chan have her way with you!!" she snarls, coming face-to-face with her
classmate. "You better know that while Mal-chan may have my powers, she
doesn't have my training!! One zap from her'll kill, guaranteed!!!"

"As if that ever bothered me!" Lan snorts.

Lum gives her a knowing stare. "Oh, I see! You're just upset because
Darling can see through your act these days and he's not going to play along
with you anymore! What's the matter?! Can't stand it that the man you want
to destroy is now so powerful, he can crush you like a flea?!"

"What do you know?!" Lan sneers.

"Fine, then," Lum sighs, staring at her fingernails. "I guess I'll have
to ask Daddy to get General Yethis to have Rei posted to another frontier
group...say out by Noukiios."

Hearing that, Lan nearly has a heart attack. "**WHAT?!?!?!**" she
screams, glaring at Lum with a mix of shock and fury. "You wouldn't?!!" she
leans up to the Oni.

"Well, you know how General Yethis hates the idea of you living on
Earth, not to mention Rei coming to Earth all the time," Lum innocently muses,
not staring at the Seishin teen. "He doesn't want his nephew to be influenced
by such 'primitive monkeys.' Don't you want to make the general happy so that
you can marry Rei without his getting in the way?"

Lan shudders. "You hate the Imperialists just as much as I do, Lum!!"
she growls.

Lum stares at her friend. "Lan-chan...you know your mother was probably
killed on Shingetsu," a touch of sympathy appears in her eyes. "You have no
family left now. Wouldn't it be nice for you to have something of a
family...a real, loving family...again?"

Lan stops, blinking. Frustrated, sad tears well in her eyes as her mind
recounts the numerous times her mother beat her whenever she had been blamed
for things Lum usually did. Despite Chena's abusive nature, Lan still cared
for her mother. She had not heard anything from her since she first moved to
Earth long ago. In a sense, Rei was the only real family she had. But
sometimes...it really was not enough. "I hate you..." she grits, the tears
flowing down her cheeks. "I hate you...!"

The Oni stands, gently embracing Lan. "C'mon," she guides the Seishin
teen towards Nicole's palace. "Hei-chan's waiting."

* * *

"Your clothes are in the wash now, Osooko-san," Asuka calls out as
Osooko takes a shower.

The two are now in Asuka's rebuilt apartment, a private lodge located in
an isolated section of the Mizunokoji estate. It is also, thanks to its
mistress' fears, the most well-protected part of the grounds, with mine
fields, barbed wire fencing and automatically controlled machine gun posts
forming a defensive cordon well away from the building proper. Also, female
troopers patrol the perimeter. Asuka has now laid out a housecoat for her
guest. "Thank you, Asuka-chan," Osooko's voice echoes from the shower. "I'll
be out in a minute."

Asuka nods, then relaxes on her bed. "Oh, I feel so much better," she
lets out a sigh of relief. "The last week's been a nightmare."

By that time, Osooko has stopped showering, now drying herself off.
Asuka stands as she begins to undress for her shower. "A nice shower should
really hit the spot," she muses.

Osooko walks out at that time, her hands tying her ponytail with a
ribbon. Thanks to the bathing of hot water, her normally frozen silver hair
is melted loose, but is now quickly refreezing. "You can go ahead,
Asuka-chan...eh?!" she lets out a startled gasp.

The Nendo-kata-turned-Tritonian stares at Asuka's very firm, well
exercised body...now fully displayed for her to see. "Thanks, Osooko-san,"
the latter beams as she heads for the shower stall, not noticing the former's
stunned look.

As Asuka walks out of sight, Osooko's cheeks redden. "She is so
beautiful..." she hoarsely exclaims, feeling her heart, now beating like a
jackhammer.

"Did you say something, Osooko-san?" Asuka inquires from the shower as
the water turns on.

"N-nothing!" Osooko stammers in response, then staggers to the bed,
trying to catch her breath.

Nothing?! Nokoko's voice telepathically echoes in her mind.
Fates, Osooko-chan, we all felt your hormones kick into gear all the way
over here!

Mind your own business, Nokoko-chan!! Osooko mentally sneers, then
relaxes. Thanks to her over two decades of exposure to Nicole and later
Nokoko, Osooko, like the other Nendo-kata, intrinsically knew well what Terran
standards of physical beauty were like. Further, when she templated her new
body from Oyuki, Osooko mind-scanned the Tritonian, absorbing Tritonian social
mores and values, including their beauty standards. While such information
did not override her own culture's values, they did influence her...for unlike
the other Nendo-kata, Osooko had no mate.

Five centuries before Nokoko's arrival in the Outland, there were ten in
Osooko's school. All Nendo-kata schools were evenly numbered so that everyone
had a chance to have a mate. All Nendo-kata couples always bore two children
at the same time. Osooko's mate was the school's bard, the one who on
occasion wandered from school to school to relay information about their
school. When they were first trapped in the Outland, the bard went off to
locate a possible point of exit so that they could either return home or seek
a new home so they could all resettle.

She never returned.

Osooko was devastated. Every once in a while, she would telepathically
call out, in hopes of finding her mate so she could come back and rejoin the
school. Five hundred years of trying produced no answers; unfortunately, the
Outland is as infinitely vast as the universe from where the Nendo-kata
hailed. Over time, Osooko lost hope of ever having a mate. While her
schoolmates were always there for her, not to mention Nicole and Nokoko when
they came to the Outland, it was not enough. Osooko was more than willing to
move to Earth with Nokoko when the time came for them to leave the Outland.
Now as a human being, she stood a better chance of finding a mate.

Osooko is shaken out of her thoughts by Asuka's voice. "Osooko-san, are
you okay?"

"Eh?!" the Nendo-kata blinks, then stares quizzically at her host...then
feels the wet sting of her tears. "Did you say something, Asuka-chan?"

"You're crying!" Asuka gasps, reaching over to gently grasp Osooko's
hand. "What's wrong?!"

"I..." Osooko sniffs, wiping her face, then sighs. "I was remembering
my mate."

Asuka looks sympathetic, still gripping her guest's hand. "What
happened? Did you and he break up?"

"She," Osooko amends. "All of my race are female, Asuka-chan. There
are no males among the Nendo-kata."

The puzzled look on the Terran's face forces Osooko to explain who and
what she is. She also explains the parthenogenetic process the Nendo-kata use
to reproduce. At the end of it, Asuka is stunned. "You mean you're some sort
of living squid?" she reaches over to feel Osooko's arms. "You feel quite
human to me."

"That's because I've Crossed Over," Osooko points to herself, then
explains how that happens. "When Nokoko-chan wanted to come back to Earth, we
had to become human so we could live with her. Given your curious forms of
xenophobia, living on Earth as we once were would do us no good."

"I...can see that," Asuka whistles. "Wow! So, what did happen to
your...lover? Did she leave you?"

"No. I've no idea what happened to her, which is what hurts so much,"
Osooko sniffs, then stares heavenward. "Oh, where are you, sister?!!" she
wails. "Don't you realize how much I miss you, how we all miss you?!! Has
the depths of the Mother Ocean claimed you?!! Oh, why did you go...?!"

With a hoarse, muffled cry, Osooko leans into Asuka. The Terran
embraces her friend, sympathetic tears appearing in her eyes. "There, there,"
she gently coos. "It's okay. Let it out."

The Nendo-kata weeps for a few minutes before recovering herself,
pulling away from Asuka. "Thank you, Asuka-chan. I guess I really needed
that."

Asuka smiles. "So...you wanted to become human so you stood a better
chance of getting a lover once you were here. Can you do it with a guy?"

"No," Osooko shakes her head. "Ever since the Great Crossing Over, when
all Nendo-kata males became female themselves, the eggs produced in our
bodies, even after the Crossing Over, can only mate with the eggs of females,
even females of other species. I must have a female mate."

"Must?" Asuka looks concerned.

"Yes," Osooko nods. "Perhaps I should not have Crossed Over when the
others did. By Crossing Over, I've doomed myself to either mate with someone
as soon as I can...or die."

Asuka pales. "D-d-DIE?!?!"

"Yes," Osooko sighs. "When we Cross Over, our reproductive systems are
then driven by a profound increase of hormones to produce eggs so that we may
form bonds with our new host race. No one, at least no one at the time we
lived in the Mother Ocean, understood why this happened. It just did. If we
do not produce offspring within six of your months, the hormonal
increase...kills us."

Silence falls over them as Asuka takes that in, staring disbelievingly
at Osooko. She then remembers Osooko's curious stare as she walked to the
shower. "So...why did you tell me all this?"

"Well, you did ask," Osooko blushes. "And...I would really desire
it...if you became my mate."

Asuka blinks, then without considering the implications of what her
response would mean for her future, says the first thing that comes to her
mind. "Oh, Osooko-chan, I'd love to!!!"

Osooko faints!

* * *

To be continued...

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Together The Outland" Part 5
by Fred Herriot
450 Clare Avenue South, Welland, Ontario L3C 3B3 Canada
gorgo@havajava.com
**** **** ****
edited by E.B. Kushnir
**** **** ****
Eleventh in a series of fan-fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura," created
by Rumiko Takahashi
**** **** ****

IN THE FOURTH PART OF "TOGETHER THE OUTLAND," after meeting Ataru's former
classmates (and sensing how much many hate Ataru), Nokoko and her friends
decide to move to Oshika so they can become his first true friends, not to
mention give him a sense of family. Lum does not object to that idea. To
better ensure that Ataru does not get the urge to return to Tomobiki, Nokoko
and the others decide that the Nendo-kata who still have to Cross Over should
resemble those people Ataru once pursued in his girl-hunts. Thus, with their
hesitant approval, Sakura became Ookako's template, Shinobu became Nintaiko's
template, Lan became Hei's template and Ryuunosuke became Tatsuko's template.
Meanwhile, Osooko, who does not have a mate, meets Asuka Mizunokoji, who is
still suffering from the horrors the *saikoo jinseijitsu* unleashed in her in
"Spirit-War Tomobiki." Curing Asuka of her immediate problems, Osooko finds
herself attracted to her. When she explains her problems to her hostess
later, admitting her attraction, Osooko is stunned to heart that Asuka would
happily be her mate!

**** **** ****

Therefore...ON WITH THE SHOW!!!!

**** **** ****

"Well, that was a weird experience," Shinobu admits.

She, Ryuunosuke, Sakura and Lan disembark Nicole's crystal palace.
"Taking a swim with a truck-sized squid doesn't particularly make my day,
Shinobu!" the Seishin teen snorts.

"What's your problem, Lan?!" the tomboy stares at her classmate.

"My problem is the fact that all of you are allowing that dyke to get
away with this!" Lan sneers. "All Nokoko's doing is ensuring that Darling
stays up where he's going to live!!"

The others moan. "Oh, you're just upset because you can't get your
revenge on Ataru-kun anymore!" his former girlfriend sneers.

"WHAT'S THAT GOT TO DO WITH IT?!?!" Lan barks, then storms off. "Mark
my words!!! With them living up there, Darling'll NEVER return!!"

The others watch her go. "Brother, does she think we're that dumb?!"
Ryuunosuke slaps her forehead.

"It's been obvious for a very long time," the priestess muses...

* * *

"You WANT to be my mate?!" Osooko blinks disbelievingly, a mix of shock,
disbelief and hope on her face.

"I said I'd love to," Asuka nods.

"But," the Nendo-kata-turned-Tritonian twittles her fingers, realizing
that Asuka is quite naive when it came to personal relationships, "...what of
your planned union with Shutaro Mendou...?"

Asuka looks disgusted. "What union?!" she snorts, looking away.

This was quite a surprise. "But...I distinctively sense that everyone
expects you to unite with him," Osooko notes.

"Yes, I know that," Asuka hugs herself. "But will it be a real
marriage?"

Silence falls over them for a moment. Osooko did not need her empathic
senses or telepathy to tell that if there had been any real Unity between
Mendou and his fiancee, it had evaporated long ago. Asuka was keeping
something to herself, something that had been eating at her for some time.
"You do not love him?" she gently inquires.

"Why should I?" Asuka stares at her. "He doesn't love me."

"Yes, I did sense that he did not have any true feelings of Unity
towards you when I first met him," Osooko notes.

"Understandable," Asuka growls. "All he's ever really had eyes for is
Lum! Believe me, I'll be one very happy person when that Oni leaves this
place and goes to live wherever Ataru is living. Then again, even if she
goes, could Shuu-chan ever learn to love me? I'm nothing compared to Lum!"

"You still like him," Osooko notes.

"I care for him," Asuka admits, "...even though I may not show that I
still get scared of him whenever I'm near him. It's like that with all men,
even my brother."

"Have you ever told anyone this? Your parents?"

The Terran shakes her head. "I did. They try not to let that stop
them. As far as they're concerned, the priority is to get me married to
Shuu-chan."

"And you do not wish to subscribe yourself to such a plan?"

"Not...anymore."

Silence falls over the scene. Asuka stands up, walking to the window to
stare outside. No one is in sight. "I may not really show it when I'm with
people, but I'm not as totally ignorant as to what's been going on with
Shuu-chan as people would believe. Ryooko-chan sends me daily reports on what
her brother's been up to. Over the last while...since that business with
those big mushrooms and that tag race Lum and Ataru had...all Shuu-chan seems
to be concerned about is trying to find some way to get Lum away from Ataru."

"From what I understand from others, that is all Shutaro has ever been
concerned with," Osooko notes.

"Not always," Asuka shakes her head. "When we met...although then, I
was scared out of my mind when he first appeared...he really was attracted to
me. Over the next while, he courted me, dated me, acting as if Lum never
really existed. Oh, he still went after Ataru whenever he did something Lum
didn't agree to, but everyone did that."

"By the sounds of it, he really was interested in you."

"He was," Asuka nods. "I sensed it right away. My fear of men was
still there, as I admitted before...but it was controllable around Shuu-chan.
Ton-chan, too. When we were seeing each other, Shuu-chan came by at least
once a week. He called me almost every day. But," she sadly shakes her head,
"...I haven't heard from him in three months!"

Osooko nods, understanding the full extent of Asuka's problem. Her fear
of males was quite genuine...but it was conquered when she was approached not
with naked lust (as Ataru was want to do) but sincere friendship, the love of
siblings, even intimite romantic interest (as Tobimaro and Mendou
demonstrated). Now having been cut off from that for a while, Asuka was
beginning to wonder if Mendou's interest in her was genuine. "I did not
mind-scan Mendou enough to properly interpret what his feelings are in concern
with Lum, much less yourself," she sighs.

"You don't need to," Asuka walks back to sit beside her. "Ryooko-chan's
filled me in on everything. Three months ago, Shuu-chan decided...confided in
his diary, which she can get her hands on at any time...that Ataru had once
again proven how unworthy he was of Lum because he never gave in and said he
loved her out loud. Shuu-chan believed that the chance had come for him to
take Lum away from Ataru. And he's been working at it ever since."

"So I did sense from him," Osooko nods agreeingly.

"And to make matters worse, Ryooko-chan just found out that Shuu-chan
now believes that there's no hope for a marriage between us after what that
monster inside of Ataru did to me," Asuka points to her head. "He's even gone
as far as convincing his parents that there's no way a marriage between us
will work."

"Then all this requires is time for the Unity between you two to
reform."

"What Unity?!" Asuka barks.

Osooko stares at her hostess. "There's no Unity here!!" Asuka stands
up, pointing outside. "There's never been any Unity, to be honest with you!!
All I've ever been taught was how to be the perfect housewife, the loyal and
loving homemaker to a husband who's willing to drop me at a moment's notice so
he can chase some alien!"

The Nendo-kata remains silent as the Terran rants, "Just because I've
been afraid of men since I came out of the convent doesn't mean that I'm
stupid!" Asuka shakes her head. "I've seen how other people have it! They
have dreams, lives of their own! They can decide at any time what they want
to do with themselves! I've never been given that chance!! I think my
parents never wanted me to have that chance! Do you actually expect me to go
along with what they plan, actually marry someone like Shutaro Mendou, slave
myself to him without having something to say about it?!"

"Asuka-chan, you are woefully ill-equipped to consider other options for
yourself," Osooko warns.

"Yeah!" Asuka nods, tears welling her eyes. "I am! And that isn't an
accident, either! It's deliberate!! They want me to be ignorant so I can't
protest when the day comes! I've heard what Kinko-chan and the others've
said! They've always asked 'Where is the jerk?!' 'Isn't he supposed to be
engaged to marry Asuka, not chase after Lum?!' 'Why isn't he here?! She
misses him!' 'Why does she have to marry an insensitive clod like that...?!'"

"I understand now," Osooko cuts in, her hand raised.

Asuka shakes her head, a sob escaping from her lips as she staggers over
to fall into her guest's warm embrace. "And I hate it...!" she moans, sobs
overcoming her. "I hate it...I hate it...!"

Osooko gently rocks, allowing Asuka the chance to vent her anger and
sorrow at the horrible state of her life. The Nendo-kata finds herself awed
by the raw intelligence her host possesses. Asuka was hideously ill-educated
when it came to matters of forming some sort of successful Unity with her
mate, especially if he is one who was only interested in shattering the Unity
between Nokoko's brother and Mal's sister. Osooko found herself overwhelmed,
at a loss as to what to do...not to mention overwhelmed by her desperate need
to mate with someone. Asuka was everything Osooko could ever ask for in a
mate. Capable of incredible acts of Unity if given the chance. This
situation required Tatsuko. Reaching out, Osooko smiles. Tatsuko had just
begun her Crossing Over. Perfect. "Asuka?"

"Wh-what is it?" Asuka sniffs, staring at her guest.

"I...I have a friend who might be able to help you come to grips with
what has happened to you," Osooko sighs. "She is well versed in the ways of
Unity...that which all Nendo-kata adhere to and defend. In our eyes, you are
in desperate need of Unity...in your terms, friendship and love. And we all
are sworn to aid all who are in need of Unity regardless of what stands in our
way. I want to help you...not just because I desire you as my mate, the
co-parent of my future child...but because I really believe you need a
friend...one who will not lead you down false currents."

Asuka blinks. "Y-you mean that?" she gasps.

"I mean it," Osooko nods, smiling. "And...if this contact does convince
you to return to your pursuit of Shutaro...then I am more than willing to
accept whatever decision you make. Regardless of which...I still want to be
your friend."

The Terran beams. "Thank you..."

* * *

"What hit this place?!" Seven Bake Rose gasps.

She had arrived on Earth several hours before, on Elle's orders to
ascertain what has happened to her Honey and, if possible, retrieve and return
him to the Rose Queen. Now dressed in slacks, shirt, overcoat and a fedora
hat, the mercenary makes her way through the shattered streets of Tomobiki.
"Boy, these lunatics really DO write the book on urban renewal!" she whistles,
taking in all the devastation around her.

Minutes later, she arrives at Tomobiki High School, now almost totally
rebuilt. Nicole's crystal palace hovers over the school's back lawn. Seeing
this, Rose leaps behind a bush, eyes widening in recognition. "Fates, what's
that thing doing here?!" she exclaims, then a calculating hum escapes her
lips. "Oh, that's right! She did say she wanted to come back to get her
hands on her brother! If I time this right, I can nab both of them!"

Chuckling, the mercenary sneaks away to make a call home...

* * *

"Who's that?!" Muzainba inquires as the image of Seven Bake Rose appears
on a monitor.

The ex-Marine is relaxing in the crystal palace's main control room.
Dressed in a bikini similar to Nicole's, her body has been studded with the
same crystaline cyberlinking points Nicole and her brother possess. Jason
sits beside her, likewise linked. "Rose de Hausenbach...also known as Seven
Bake Rose," he confirms her identity. "A mercenary currently under Queen
Elle's employ."

"What would Queen Elle want?" Muzainba inquires. "I mean, I know she's
one of Nassur's enemies and that she recently had a group of Mikado hunters
killed by her Freemasons, but what would bring her here?"

"She's very interested in Miss Nokoko's brother," Jason disconnects
himself from the palace. "Miss Nokoko found this out one day when she visited
Elle's planet. She nearly killed Elle, not to mention let out all her
so-called 'Cute Boys.' When we were last there, Nicole got blood samples from
Elle so that Donna could Cross Over."

"So Rose would know about Nicole-san and Nokoko-sempai," the Vosian
quickly concludes. "Uh-oh! That's trouble."

"What's trouble?" a voice inquires.

Nicole and Mujanba, who herself has undergone the cyberlink conversion,
walk in. "Seven Bake Rose's here," Jason reports.

Nicole sighs. "Oh, wonderful! Just what the doctor ordered! Any signs
of the Freemasons she's working with?"

"Scanning for Yehisrite lifesigns," Muzainba links herself into the
palace, cybersurfing to the sensory nodules and setting them to work. After a
moment, she shakes her head. "Nope. Nothing here. The only alien lifesigns
which should not be here are Rose's."

"I'll tell Nokoko then," Nicole groans. "Boy, that witch Elle just
doesn't give up, does she?!"

"It's her most annoying trait," Mujanba confirms...

* * *

"'Morning!" Asuka's cheery voice calls out.

Osooko yawns as her eyes open, seeing her hostess entering the bedroom,
carrying a tray with their breakfast. Stretching herself, the
Nendo-kata-turned-Tritonian slips on a housecoat as the two relax and eat.
"Did you sleep well last night?" she inquires.

Asuka nods. "It was the first real good night's sleep I've had since
coming out of the convent."

Last night, nothing untoward really happened between them although Asuka
had invited Osooko to remain with her. They had spent the night talking about
their lives, the philosophy which drove the Nendo-kata, how Asuka really looks
upon the people she has interacted with since her entry into society...all
punctuated with loving hugs, tender kisses and moments when they just stared
into each other's eyes, drinking in the friendship and the first spark of love
they felt for the other.

Sleeping together seemed only natural, although Osooko was grossly
tempted to commit an indiscretion with her future life-mate. However, that
would have to wait until Asuka could fully bring herself to accept Osooko.
Proper Unity, Tatsuko had telepathically advised her, took time to develop.
Asuka would have to reorganize her whole life to accomodate her relationship
with Osooko...and that was not to mention what Asuka would have to do to keep
peace with her parents, and resolve her feelings for Mendou.

At that moment, the door opens and Asuka's mother walks in. "Good
morning, Asuka-chan," she cheerily calls out, then notices her guest. "Oh!
Good morning, Osooko-san!"

"Good morning, Mother," both teenagers automatically call out.

Saeko blushes at Osooko's words. "Osooko-san, you don't have to call me
'Mother!' Shouldn't you be calling Oyuki-sama's mother that?"

"I will when I finally meet her," Osooko smiles.

"Mother, what did you expect from her?" Asuka inquires. "After all,
Osooko-chan IS my lover!"

"Lover?!" her mother innocently blinks. "Oh, that's nice! Well,
Tobimaro-chan is off on his wilderness trek! I wonder how he's ever going to
allow himself to settle down with Ryooko-san?" she muses, then shrugs. "Oh,
well! Guess we'll have to see. Have a good day, you two!"

With that, she departs. "Mother sure accepted that easily enough,
didn't she?" Asuka stares at Osooko.

"I wonder..." the Nendo-kata muses.

Outside, Saeko heads back to the main mansion house, a delighted smile
on her face. "Oh, it's so nice to see Asuka-chan so happy," she muses. "She
and her lover look so nice together...eh?!"

It hits her, literally; a fifty tonne weight marked with the word LOVER
smashes on her head! "***LOVER?!?!?!***" she bellows loud enough to shake the
whole of Tokyo to its foundations.

Inside their room, Osooko and Asuka wince. "I believe she has fully
realized what you said," the former sighs...

* * *

"Hey, guys, did you hear the latest news?!" Momoe rushes up to Kumiko
and Natsuko later that afternoon by the front gate of Tomobiki High School.

"What, what?!" the others inquire.

"Get this!" Momoe gasps. "Rumour now has it that Mendou-san has decided
he won't marry Asuka Mizunokoji!"

"No way!!" the others exclaim.

"Hey, did you hear about Mendou-san?!" another girl runs up.

"We heard, we heard!!!"

"Let's go tell the others!" Natsuko proposes.

"Right!!!" the girls chant as they split up...

* * *

Within the hour, the rebuilding Mendou mansion is under seige...by
almost every girl of high school age in Tomobiki! Dressed in either school
uniforms or very formal civilian clothes, they mob Mendou, who is quite
surprised that the news of his decision to halt his engagement to Asuka got
out so quickly. Ryooko, no doubt. "Ladies, ladies!" he gasps, trying to calm
them down. "Please, one at a time! One at a time!"

"Oh, Mendou-san, we knew you'd finally reject that man-phobe!" Ogin coos
as she gently embraces him from one side.

"Now you can have your pick of any of us!" Yumi rubs her cheek against
his.

Mendou's father walks up, surprised by the sudden deluge of young
maidens. "Shutaro, since when did you have all these ladies take interest in
you?" he wryly muses, staring at his son, a touch of pride and admiration in
his eyes. He had never had this type of luck when he was a teenager.

"Well, they've been interested in me for some time now..." Mendou
embarrassingly chuckles.

"Ah, I understand," his father nods. "Well, with what could happen to
Asuka-san, I suppose it's for the best. I guess it'll have to be Ryooko-chan
and Tobimaro-san who marry..."

"Certainly not!!" an incensed voice snaps.

Everyone spins around to see a VERY displeased Ryooko standing there,
the air around her afire with her anger. "Ryo-ryooko...wh-what is it...?!"
her father stammers, taking an involuntary step back, surprised at her
display.

Mendou's sister freezes them with an icy glare. "If you even THINK that
I'm going to marry someone like Tobimaro Mizunokoji just so that you can end
that silly feud we've had with that family...I WILL bear you a grudge!!" she
intones, her voice now utterly demonic.

Everyone shudders as Ryooko storms back to her room, having NEVER seen
her lose her temper like that since she first came into their lives. "M-my,
sh-she's upset..." her father hesitantly muses.

As she returns to her apartment, Ryooko stares in the direction of the
rebuilt Toranoseishin Finances tower. *Reigi-kun, I will marry you...* she
vows, placing her hand over her heart, *...even if I have to conquer Heaven
and Hell itself to do so!*

In his office, Reigi sneezes!

* * *

"Sister, there you are!" Mal beams as she flies up to Lum. "It's
happened!"

"Eh?!" Lum spins around, then realizing what Mal just said, leaps up to
embrace her. "Oh, they've Crossed Over! Wonderful!! Now everyone's back
together again! Are you going up to see Darling?!"

"Not just yet," the Nendo-kata-turned-Oni shakes her head.
"Nintaiko-chan, Ookako-chan, Hei-chan and Tatsuko-chan want to meet their
sisters and families. But there's even more."

"More?!" the Oni blinks.

"Yes!" Mal giggles. "Osooko's finally found her mate!"

"She did?!" Lum looks surprised. "Wonderful! Who's the lucky girl?!"

"Asuka Mizunokoji!"

Lum blinks. "Asuka Mizunokoji?! Are you sure about that, Mal-chan?!
Asuka's supposed to marry Shutaro!"

Mal makes a face. "A sweet, beautiful sentient of Unity like Asuka-chan
mate with THAT sub-creature?!" she snorts. "Ridiculous! Besides," admiration
appears in her voice as she points, "...don't they look so beautiful?!"

Lum looks...to see Asuka and Osooko walk down the street. Both are now
dressed in stylish civilians...and holding hands. "Oh, it's so nice to be
able to walk in public knowing that I'm safe!" the former sighs.

"You'll always be safe in my arms, Asuka-chan," Osooko coos.

Cherry then appears in front of them, waving his beads and incense!
"Dark sea-spirit!!!" he barks, causing Asuka to leap defensively behind
Osooko. "Leave this innocent child!!! Return to the cauldron of fire from
which you arose!!!"

"A man!!!" Asuka wails.

A second later, Osooko telekinetically shoots Cherry into orbit!
"Purveyor of disUnity, begone!!!"

"It's fate...!" the monk wails as he breaks escape velocity.

Then from out of nowhere, Asuka's mother leaps up to grab her daughter's
free arm. "You lesbian hentai!!!" she snarls. "Stop seducing my poor
child!!! She's marrying Shutaro Mendou!!"

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!!!!" Asuka screams loud enough to knock her mother
over. "If I'm going to love anyone, it's Osooko-chan!!"

"You want to love her?!!" Saeko wails, then drops to her knees, jets of
tears showering everything around them. "Oh, Asuka-chan, you so disappoint
me!! I gave you the best education, groomed you to be the perfect housewife
so peace at last could come to our family...and you...you turn around and fall
in love with another woman?!! An alien atop of that?!! Oh, you have shamed
me...eh?!"

Asuka and Osooko have disappeared. "Where did they go?!" the former's
mother demands, looking around.

"On a date, I think," Lum muses, then stares at her sister. "You're
right, Mal-chan! They actually ARE a beautiful couple!"

"*Tcha!*" Mal imitates her sister's accent.

Saeko moans, then passes out...

* * *

"What a beautiful day!" Tsubame Ozuno muses as he walks out of his
rebuilt home. "I might as well go visit Sakura-chan and see how she's doing."

A beautiful bouquet of roses in hand, the occultist proceeds toward
Sakura's shrine. Noticing this from nearby, a group of male Tomobiki High
seniors look angry. "There's the jerk who thinks he's going to marry
Sakura-sensei!" one hisses. "Where's he going?!"

"Don't you see the roses?!" another snarls. "He's going to try to
seduce our poor nurse!"

"This can't be allowed!" a third snaps. "C'mon!!"

The group heads off in pursuit of Tsubame. After a while, they close in
on the occultist as he approaches Sakura's shrine. "We've got to do it now,"
their leader hisses. "Ready?!"

The others grimly nod. "Now!!" he barks.

Tsubame gasps as he spins around, seeing a half-dozen high school
seniors charge at him. "BASTARD, HOW DARE YOU MOLEST **OUR**
SAKURA-SENSEI?!?!?!" they angrily charge him...

...then find themselves flying AWAY from Tsubame! "Purveyors of
disUnity!!!" a familiar voice barks. "Leave my sister's mate be or else
prepare to embrace the Black Ocean!!"

The group smashes into the ground several metres away, stunned by this
development. "What...hit us?" their leader demands.

"I did!" that familiar voice snaps.

Everyone spins around to see Ookako standing protectively in front of
Tsubame. Now dressed in a stylish blouse with tie and slacks, she looks very
attractive. "Sakura-sensei, why are you doing this?!" the leader demands as
the boys get back to their feet. "Don't you see how much we love you?!"

"All I presently see are a group of sub-creatures about to be
exterminated for their crimes against the Unity," Ookako snarls as her brown
eyes glow burgundy, her hand rising to aim at them. "Now, BEGONE!!!!"

A force-bolt of cosmic energy lashes out to incinerate the boys where
they stand!! They drop in unconscious heaps on the ground as Ookako turns to
face Tsubame, her eyes reverting to normal. "There you are, Tsubame-kun," the
Nendo-kata-turned-Terran beams. "These Purveyors of disUnity will not disturb
your desire to forge a Unity with my sister."

Tsubame blinks, a mix of awe and fear in his eyes. Of course, he had
tapped into the district grapevine...in other words, Ten-chan...so he knew who
and what Ookako was. "Um...th-thanks," he stammers, trying to get some sense
of control over himself.

"Tsubame-kun, what's going on...eh?!" Sakura blinks as she walks up.
"Oh, Ookako! What's going on?!"

"Oh, don't mind us, sister," Ookako beams, waving back to the
unconscious pile of young men. "Those sub-creatures were trying to hurt poor
Tsubame-kun when he came to see you. I just stopped them."

Sakura looks. "And how," she whistles.

With that, the three proceed into the shrine. Cherry then walks up,
having seen everything. He is suitably impressed. "Maybe those sea-spirits
aren't so bad after all," he muses...

* * *

Meanwhile, Shinobu is window-shopping downtown. "Oh, it's so nice to
have all the shops open again," she sighs.

Suddenly, the thunder of running feet is heard as a familiar voice
bellows, "SHINOBU-SAN, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!"

"Oh, not HIM again!!" the girl panics, then spins around, her fist
cocked to strike. "LEAVE ME ALONE...eh?!" she stops.

Looking around, she does not see her target. "Where is he?!"

Suddenly, her own voice echoes from nearby. "Sub-creature!!! Purveyor
of disUnity!! Unhand me at once!!! I'm not Shinobu!!"

Shinobu spins back around to literally see herself being beseiged by
Soban, who has his "target" caught in a tight bearhug. "Oh, Shinobu-san, I've
heard such awful rumours about you!" the large-lipped delinquent moans. "Is
it true?!"

"I would answer you if I was my sister, but I'm not!" Nintaiko grunts as
she tries to wiggle her way out of Soban's grip. "Now, unhand me!! I already
have a life-mate!"

"Never!!" Soban snaps. "I heard you were chasing after some alien
bounty-hunter!! Do you know how dangerous that is?! I'll save you from your
mad lust!!"

Nintaiko stops, then bursts out laughing. The delinquent stops applying
pressure to her leg, staring quizzically at her. "What's so funny?"

"I'm sorry," the Nendo-kata-turned-Terran covers her lips. "It's just
that I've never sensed such true feelings of Unity since I came to this pit of
disUnity." She then points across the street. "And Shinobu is over there."

"Eh?!" Soban turns to look, then freaks on seeing TWO Shinobu Miyakis.
"Then...if she's Shinobu-san...who are you?!!" he looks back at Nintaiko.

"I'm Nintaiko Miyaki, Shinobu's sister," Nintaiko points at herself.

Soban blinks. "Oh! I didn't know Shinobu-san had a sister! I'm sorry!
Would you excuse me?!" With that, he spins around and runs after Shinobu.
"SHINOBU-SAN, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!"

"Eeek!!!" Shinobu freaks as she drop-kicks him into orbit! "Get away
from me, you freak! I don't want you!! I want Nassur-kun!"

"I love you...!!" Soban screams as he sails away.

Sighing, Nintaiko stares up, her eyes glowing. Soban then stops,
falling back to land atop Shinobu, knocking Ataru's former girlfriend to the
ground. "Ooof!!!" escapes from their lips as they try to recover.

"Th-that wasn't s-supposed to h-happen!" Shinobu gasps.

Nintaiko walks up. "Oh, sister, honestly!!" she crosses her arms,
emitting an exhaspirated sigh. "Why is it you are rejecting the honest
feelings of this sentient?!"

"Because I want Nassur-kun!" Shinobu repeats herself.

"You cannot have him," Nintaiko warns. "Nassur-kun desires Benten-
chan."

Shinobu blinks as that statement sinks in. "***WHAT?!?!?!***" she
bellows, bolting to her feet. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, HE WANTS SOMEONE ELSE?!?!?!
**MY** NASSUR-KUN WITH **THAT** CHAIN-BITCH?!?!?! I'LL NEVER ALLOW THAT TO
HAPPEN AS LONG AS I LIVE!!!!"

"Then you will die alone and un-bonded," Nintaiko warns.

Shinobu faints! Nintaiko walks over to brush Soban off, then presents
him to her. "Now, this sentient, despite his physical deformities," she fixes
his uniform, then sighs, "...although why you air-breathers put such credence
on physical beauty, I will never truly understand..." she then moves Shinobu
to stand in front of Soban, "...does care for you a lot. So why don't you go
on a date?!"

"What?!!" Shinobu barks, glaring at her sister. "Hey, I only agreed to
allow you to template yourself off me!! I didn't say you could be my marriage
counsellor!!!"

Nintaiko's eyes roll, then shifts Shinobu's head to stare once more on
Soban, her eyes glowing. "Look again!"

The image in front of Shinobu changes. Insead of the puggish,
large-lipped creature she has been beating up for the last year, there stands
a mildly handsome, dwarfish young bespeckled man with plain features.
"S-soban...?!" Shinobu gasps, surprised at the changes.

"That is what he is like past the surface features," Nintaiko smiles.
"Now, is that more preferable?"

"I...I..." Shinobu stammers, unsure of how she should respond.

The Nendo-kata walks around, placing her sister's hand in Soban's.
"There you go!" Nintaiko smiles. "Now, run along, you two!" she waves them
off in dismissal. "Have a good time!"

Shinobu and Soban stare at each other. "Want to go get some ice cream?"
the latter inquires.

"S-sure!" the former nods.

They run off to Shapiro's. Nintaiko sighs. "Well, that little crisis
is resolved! Oh, it's so wonderful when the Unity is further enhanced." A
curious look then crosses her face. "Even if it needs a swift blow in the
brain-sac every once in a while!"

"Nintaiko-chan!!" Donna's voice echoes.

"Donna-chan!" Nintaiko joyfully squeals as she leaps into her life-
mate's arms. "There you are!!"

The two Nendo-kata run off, hand-in-hand...

* * *

"Hey, guys," Paama sighs as he walks up.

The other guards stare quizzically at their friend. They are now
passing Lan's scout on their way home. "What is it, Shitto-kun?" Kakugari
inquires.

Paama waves a notice he just tore off a telephone pole. "Look," he
hands it to Megane.

The others stare at the sheet. It reads:

"To Whomever This May Concern,"

"Be advised that a court injunction passed by the Prefectural
Supreme Court of Miyagi-ken is now in effect. All citizens native
to Tomobiki-cho, Tokyo-to (except those detailed by special
exemption), as well as all aliens possessing resident alien's
visas, as well as friends of those indicated above (as detailed by
the court), are forbidden to enter a zone; its boundary denoted by
a twenty kilometre radius of the town of Oshika, on the
Ojika-hantou east-north-east of Sendai City.

"All citizens of Tomobiki-cho caught in this area will be
immediately arrested and charged with the following:

1) Contempt of court;
2) Failure to observe this court injunction;
3) Planned assault and battery on the person of Ataru
Moroboshi, now resident of Oshika;
4) Planned kidnapping of Ataru Moroboshi, now resident of
Oshika;
5) Disturbing the peace;
6) Any other charges which may be applicable.

"Signed...the Chief Justice, Miyagi Prefecture Supreme Court."

The guards utter a communal sigh. "So that's where he lives!" Chibi shakes
his head. "Shit, how could we have let this happen?!"

"Relax, Urayamu-kun," Megane suddenly smiles. "All's not lost! Don't
you realize that Lum-san is a resident of Tomobiki?"

The other guards blink. "Hey, that's right!!" Kakugari gasps, then
smiles. "Then...Lum-chan is forbidden to go to Oshika!"

"Right!!" Megane cackles. "I knew this was going to happen! The
instant he was out of town, that bastard would seal himself from Lum-san's
divine, righteous wrath!! Once she comes to realize what he has done, she'll
never have anything to do with him again!" He then stares at his companions.
"And guess who has to be around to ensure that her broken heart mends...right,
guys?"

"Right!!" the other guards nod.

"Don't bet on that," a voice warns.

They stare at Lan as she walks out of her front lawn. "What does that
mean?" Chibi inquires.

"Lum-chan doesn't have a resident alien's visa," the Seishin teen
trembles. "I have one," she then snarls, "...and if I try to change it,
Koosei'll make sure I never live on Earth again!"

"So what does Lum-chan have?!" Paama inquires.

"A visiting student's visa!" Lan sneers. "Besides, even if she did have
a resident alien's visa, Darling would've probably exempted her like he did
that bitch Seikou and her family, not to mention Koosei!!"

The guards look shocked. "WHAT?!?!?!" Megane explodes, then turns
north. "Curse you, Ataru...!!!"

The four boys are silenced as a orange tiger-bull form crashes on them!
Rei lets out a dizzy moo as he shakes his head. "There you go, Lan-chan!" a
familiar voice declares.

Lan spins around to see Hei walk up, now dressed in a T-shirt and blue
jeans. Further, Hei truly looks like a Seishin-Urusian, with tapered ears and
fanged canines. "You're me!!!" she gasps, falling on her backside in shock.

"What did you expect?" the Nendo-kata-turned-Seishin shrugs. "I caught
Rei-kun just as he was about to go to Oshika to pester Ataru-kun. You should
know that Rei-kun is barred from entering that school. So I brought him back
to you."

"You did?!" Lan looks surprised.

"Well, you don't want Ataru-kun to send poor Rei-kun to the depths of
the Mother Ocean, do you?!" Hei warns. "When he transforms into his armoured
self, he could do that with considerable ease."

Lan looks scared. "Ah...right!"

The three aliens then proceed into Lan's scout, leaving the guards
flattened on the ground nearby. "Did...someone catch...the number of...that
meteor that...hit us...?" Megane groans...

* * *

"Oh, it's so nice to have you here again," Nagisa beams as he walks out,
a large bowl full of ramen in hand. "I could use the help getting the shop
ready for winter."

"We're always ready to come out here," Mr. Fujinami smiles as he works
on the stove. "After all, you're part of the family now, Nagisa-chan! Isn't
that right, Ryuunosuke?!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure!" the tomboy sighs as she repairs a cracked crossbeam,
obviously wondering why her family purchased this island in the first place.

Insensed, Fujinami swamps her with a tidal wave! "RYUUNOSUKE
FUJINAMI!!!! HOW DARE YOU NOT SHOW THE PROPER ENTHUSIASM WHEN WORKING IN
HAMAJAYA?!?! WHAT TYPE OF **MAN** ARE YOU ANYWAY?!?!?!"

Ryuunosuke is blasted out of the teashop to fall flat on her face on the
beach! "Father, that was harsh, wasn't it?" Nagisa sighs as he heads out to
look in on his girlfriend.

"Shit, why did we come here in the first place?!" Ryuunosuke moans as
she sits up, rubbing her skull...then stops, staring at the Sagami Sea
surrounding their island. "Holy...!!"

"Oh, my!" Nagisa gasps disbelievingly.

Fujinami runs out to see what is going on. Now in the shallow depths of
the sea, a nude figure seems to be enveloped in dancing waves and waterspouts.
The short-cut hair, the taunt and well-exercised figure, this time not
sheathed in man's clothing, is all too recognizable to her observers.
"Ryuunosuke-sama, th-that's you...!" Nagisa gasps.

"What is that...?!!" the tomboy's father demands.

"Tatsuko...?!" Ryuunosuke blinks.

After a few minutes, Tatsuko allows the waves to subside, her glowing
eyes returning to their normal blue. She then walks ashore, where a towel, a
tank-top shirt and a billowing skirt await. "Oh, to finally bathe in Earth's
own Mother Ocean," the Nendo-kata sage sighs.

"Um...hi, Tatsuko!" Ryuunosuke waves.

Tatsuko smiles, waving back as she towels herself off, then dresses.
Seeing this, Fujinami freaks, angrily turning on his "son." "WHAT IS THE
MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!" he bellows in Ryuunosuke's ear. "*RYUUNOSUKE
FUJINAMI!!!! I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A DOUBLE OF YOU?!?!
IF THAT'S SO, WHY ISN'T TATSUKO A **BOY?!?!?!***"

He then flies into orbit! "BECAUSE I'M A **GIRL!!!!!!**" Ryuunosuke
bellows.

"I'm in orbit...!!!" he screams as he breaks escape veolcity.

Nagisa and Ryuunosuke sigh. Tatsuko has a wondering look on her face.
"What type of family did I template myself to be a part of?" she inquires...

* * *

To be continued...