Chapter 7
Waking Dreams
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Soun and Cologne just stared; open mouthed, at the proposal laid out before them by Ukyo and Shampoo.
"So, what you think?" asked the bubbly Amazon.
Soun found himself collapsing to sit on the back porch, his endurance gone. "So, you plan for us to tell Nodoka that Ukyo will be Ranma's wife, and he has taken my two daughters and Shampoo as mistresses?"
"Yep," nodded Ukyo. "That way, she'll be too impressed that he was...manly...enough to get all four of us, even with his curse. She'll have no choice but to declare Ranma has fulfilled the contract."
Cologne went back to taking a long drag off her pipe. "And what if she requires some sort of proof? You do realize that Ranma would have to...perform...such duties with Nabiki and Kasumi not only present, but feeling the results just the same."
"Hey! Shampoo only help come up with plan, she no know every detail. We make idea, you help make work!"
Ukyo sighed. "Well, what do you suggest then? You know she'll be here either today or tomorrow."
Soun merely shook his head. "It'll be up to them. I won't force it on Ranma and my daughters...never again."
Cologne took a moment's thought. "And do you two honestly believe you can get past any jealousy you have? Can you accept that Ranma will always have a deeper connection to Nabiki and Kasumi than either of you...barring an unforeseen need for a soul bond?"
The two lowered their heads. "Listen, the important thing is to keep them alive. We all know Auntie can be a little over the top. But she isn't observant enough to see if we have some problems. All she seems to care about is if her son is going to give her lots of grandchildren. So what do you two suggest, since the jackass by the wall can't toss his signs this far to offer a brain dead suggestion?"
The group had ignored the panda trying to yank its chains from the wall for freedom, as well as trying to toss his signs at the group. But with the moxibustion burn, he didn't have the strength to get them very far.
Soun sighed in resignation. "I fear it is the best we have to offer." He turned to Cologne, his eyes almost pleading for another solution. "Elder?"
Cologne had none. "It will need to be discussed with them. Nabiki may have come up with an idea on her own." She turned to the girls. "Be careful, children. The bond will make them extremely protective of each other. Even if they agree, they will need to work that issue out before the Saotome Matriarch arrives." She put her pipe away. "We'll wait for a while longer. They need as much sleep as possible to restore and separate the souls.
"Come; let us go prepare a meal. Mousse will be waking up soon, and Ryoga needs to be fed as well, in case we need to...restrain...Nodoka, for Ranma's protection."
As she hopped inside, Cologne had to smile. If it worked, she could still see a future here with them all. True, she had originally wanted Ranma solely for the Amazons. But you made due with what you had.
And right now, she didn't have much.
Chairwoman Mao watched as the computer monitor displayed the search. She had spent seven hours straight adding spells to it, as well as with the efforts of several other summoners, trying to ensure that this time, they got the correct information.
She had little idea about who was displacing their quest. Other summoners would not dare interfere with Ascension. To do so was as taboo as pissing publicly on an honest and descent priest.
But someone; knowingly or unknowingly, was interfering. Messages to Ranma, visitors to see him—be they magically or mortal—were bounced around worse than the curse Kito had placed on the Hibiki clan could ever do.
Two years ago, she had herself been made to perform a summons to get her own great-nephew back from a Hell plane.
It wasn't all bad. Jinko had been enjoying his time there, making a powerful demon lord dance in a pink tutu singing "I am a pretty girl" over and over.
She had to love how much stronger their powers were on the other sides. It allowed for great amusement and protection.
But still, whoever was blocking them had immense power. The Okari clan and their allies had been trying for years to contact Ranma. But even indirect contact seemed to send the message bouncing somewhere.
Shaking her head, she removed her reading glasses and cleaned them, a nervous habit from when she was younger. "This is a young person's game."
The computer beeped, indicating a match. "Got to love bureaucracy; otherwise they never would have got all their files online for us to...inspect."
She looked over the file, a birth certificate for one Ranma Saotome. "Hmm, mother is listed as Nodoka Saotome. Let's see what she was beforehand. Maybe her family line had a curse on it. It'd be our luck that we're the cause of our own trouble."
It had been known to happen before. Two hundred years ago, a man had married into the Okari clan, only to have no children for ten years. It had turned out that four hundred years back, his ancestor had tried to rob an Okari, and been cursed to never know happiness. If he did, then the line would die out.
Shaking her head, the computer had finished locating the marriage certificate for Nodoka and Genma Saotome. "Original name was Nodoka A... Shit."
Just as there were certain demon summoner clans you just didn't go and piss off, there were also certain demon hunter clans for which the same applied.
And she may have just pissed off the highest in the land.
She got up, heading for her small bar. "I really need to go on vacation after this."
"HOW THE HELL DID THIS LITTLE MISTAKE HAPPEN?"
Kenosuke was breathing heavily. "I mean, I was hoping that Genma was the one who married into the Saotome clan, but his WIFE DID!"
Mao nodded. "Yes. Though how the hell their Elders ever approved of him is beyond my insight. But there it was on the original certificate I had an imp fetch. They did, she did, and now we did."
Kenosuke fell into his chair, turned slightly away from the video screen. They had just entered what most strategists referred to as Mutually Assured Destruction. Both were the most powerful of their respective types. "What do we do now?"
Mao simply stared into her screen. "I have sent a messenger to them for an immediate meeting. With any luck, the horrors Genma has unleashed will keep them from declaring war for our actions. We have proof that our peaceful efforts at contact had been rebuffed by an unknown force, as well as the contents of the Soul Reflection Sphere your daughter acquired as proof of the horrors that Genma has put his son through. With any luck, they will see this as proof we have been set up as well."
"If not, I will accept responsibility for the clan."
"As nice as it is to see you willing to be the martyr, Kenosuke, but we have other things to deal with. Whoever is doing this is well ahead of us."
He could only nod. This event was spiraling out of control.
And he had yet to tell Kito.
A touch...
A smell...
A stray thought...
Flashes of a body entwined with others...
Flashes of a man, kissing one girl, as another waited her turn at his lips...
Flashes of the three in the embrace of lovers, screaming out joy and pleasure...
The three neko demons smiled on as their actions were being replayed in the dreams of their hosts.
Neko-Kasumi purred from the side of her mate. "Mmm, I wonder how she'll enjoy that in the real world."
Neko-Ranma just nodded, as he cuddled the nude demons beside himself. "We'll find out in a few months. After all, the Master will keep his bond. On our own, we could never stand against him. But when we act through them..."
Neko-Nabiki purred. "You killed a bird god." She watched as the figures in the dreamscape shifted again, positions changing, actions resuming. "I bet they won't be able to look at each other the same way again after they wake up."
Neko-Ranma nodded. "Oh yes. And you can bet that if the chef or the Amazon get a whiff, they'll be going full out to...integrate themselves into this little family."
Neko-Kasumi smiled. "Who knows, if we can get him up to performing another Soul Bond..."
Neko-Ranma nodded, before the three got back to making more scenes for the dream. As a male Neko, he was always in the mood for more mates.
The group slowly returned to the waking world.
For Nabiki, the first thing she noticed was that her nightshirt was gone, she was molded to the side of Ranma, and that as she pulled her head back, she spotted a new hickey on Ranma's throat.
For Kasumi, she found herself in a similar position, except her hand was absently rubbing his upper chest, a small line of scratches indicating that her nails had done more than rub.
For Ranma, he noticed his heart racing, his blood pounding so hard, he could hear it in his ears. The link; which had been becoming dimmer for the last few days, was flowing strong, causing a feedback between the lust the dream had created, and easily running over the fear and self-doubt.
Each of them felt the need, the desire, to continue on as the dream had demanded.
Ranma continued to stare at the ceiling, trying to distract himself from the urges he had long since controlled, before he looked at either girl, and gave into the primal desires.
But as he felt hot lips upon his own, a hand seizing his cheek, and a tongue demanding entrance into his mouth, he found those urges surging past his distractions.
"KASUMI!"
The eldest Tendo snapped out of it, pulling her mouth from Ranma's.
Nabiki tried to focus, using her Ice Queen mask to brush past the desires the dream had forced upon her. "We are not going to do this now, do you hear me?"
Kasumi lay back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to keep her internal monologue from circulating among the others. That...that...that was...desirable. I wanted to continue, I wanted to give in to the need.
Sadness, quiet self-pity: these are the thoughts that flooded her mind, nearly bowling over the blocks she had been able to erect on the link.
The loss of a mother, the essentially loss of a father, and the eldest child had been forced to become a parent. She had forsaken her childhood, her dreams, her needs, so that her family might survive, so they would be safe.
She gave up the urges all teenagers go through, trying to be a shining example.
In the end, she had been repressed far more than Ranma in such areas.
And now, they demanded to be heard.
"I...I want to keep going."
The two turned towards Kasumi, listening as she began to whisper. "I want to keep going, I don't want to stop." She turned towards them. "Is that wrong of me?"
Tears began streaming down her face, the sadness and self doubt flooding the link, but still identifiable enough for Ranma and Nabiki to not act as if it was their own pain.
As Ranma embraced her in a tight hug, allowing the woman to cry on his chest as he tried to sooth her, Nabiki found herself admitting something she had been afraid of.
The link was drawing them closer together, dragging out sides they had buried, pieces they had long since abandoned. Needs, desires, dreams; all were returning, fueled by the link, strengthened by the thoughts of the others.
So she laid her head down as well, wrapping her arm around Kasumi, and was left wondering how long before she would try what Kasumi did.
But what more: how long before they didn't try to stop it.
Nodoka smiled as she packed her travel back, her silk bundle strapped to her back.
"Maybe my manly son will be there today?"
For too long, all she had seen after her long wait for her son and husband to return was their echoes, stories relayed by the Tendos.
A pang of regret hit Nodoka. She could have been there more often for the Tendo sisters. They could have used her help, and she could have easily provided it.
But old wounds...
She shook her head. She could be there for them now? Surely if she stayed there long enough, her son would return. After all, the house was filled with such lovely women.
Kasumi...Nabiki...Akane...and even Ranko, each would make an excellent wife for her son, and the rest would surely be satisfied as mistresses.
True, each had their problems.
Ranko and Akane were too much into being tomboys; Ranko more so.
Nabiki had her obsession with money.
Kasumi was too lenient, and not strong willed enough against her Father to make him behave.
Mr. Panda seriously needed to be dealt with. The pet was too wild, and would most certainly need either to be fixed or handed off to a breeding program. The animal was just too wild, and would most likely be a danger to any children her manly son would have.
Smiling once again on the thought of so many grandchildren, she departed from her home, heading towards the train station.
Not more than five minutes after she had left, a large red bird flew into her yard, chirping. It hopped through an open window on the second floor, trying to find someone.
But after a few minutes, it gave up, jumping once again out the window, and took off into the air, its message remaining undelivered.
