Sunday Morning after the Last Chapter - Rito's Room - With Rito and Tearju
"How did I get myself into this?" Mumbled Rito absently as he fiddled with something just off screen, reflecting on the events of last Thursday.
"We had an orgy," Blushed Tearju as Rito helped her adjust an anti-gravity bra Sallem had sent her when he finally saw the photos he said in his note he'd be taking. "But aside from that, I thought you were happy that things turned out this way?"
"I am happy," Rito reassured her gently. "And I'll always make sure that you are too, make no mistake of that. It's just that, ever since this whole harem thing got started, I've been drawing in women every month." As he said this, he wrapped his arms around Tearju's midsection and rested his head on her shoulder. "It's not that I don't love all of you, and I know you all love me, but I'm just worried about where this will all cap off."
"What do you mean by that?" Asked Tearju curiously.
"I'm just worried that I'll attract so many girls that I'll be arrested for polygamy or something." Rito sighed as he casually groped Tearju.
"You do remember that my daughter used to be an assassin?" Tearju asked with a mixture of happiness and sorrow, likely from the combination of Yami's old occupation, and the very vivid reconciliation they had three days ago.
"I could never forget that," Rito said nervously as he recalled all the various times Yami tried to kill him in the past. "But she's still young, she can still make amends for her mistakes. Not to mention..." He trailed off with a faint blush.
"Not to mention what?" Tearju asked cutely as she leaned towards Rito, already half knowing what he would say.
"Not to mention that I plan to marry her someday." Rito said sweetly as he pecked Tearju on the lips. "And you," Another peck, "And Lala," Peck, "And Ryoko," Peck, "And Yui," Peck, "And Haruna," Peck, "And make you all bear my children." Deep kiss.
When they parted to come up for air, Tearju chuckled. "I think I can live with that."
Just Outside Rito's Room - With Momo
'Ohhh, Rito!' Squealed Momo inwardly as she spied on the couple making out. 'To think that this day has finally come. The day when the Harem Plan begins its full realization! Now I just need to figure out how to get in it myself.' She racked her brain in contemplation, trying to think of a good way to get Rito to reciprocate her feelings as well. Even though he was now open to the idea of a harem, the fact still stood that she didn't have the same 'experience' with Rito as all the others did. 'Oh, what I wouldn't do to have an experience like that with Rito.' She thought dreamily as she recalled the few details she'd managed to pry out of Lala.
"What do you think you're doing outside Rito's room?" Questioned Nana, who'd caught Momo fiddling with her own tail.
"Nothing! Nothing!" Panicked Mom in a hushed tone, trying to look as innocent as possible while diverting attention away from the door. "Say Nana, do you want to go play video games or something?"
"Maybe in a minute," Nana said suspiciously as she tried to move past her twin. "Right now I'm more interested in what you're spying on this time."
"Spying? You certainly have a vivid imagination there Nana." Momo waved nervously as she tried to bar entrance to Rito's room.
"It's not my imagination if it's right," Insisted Nana as she entered a power struggle with Momo. However, while they were evenly matched in terms of strength, Momo was still suffering a slight fatigue from pleasuring her tail, so Nana managed to overpower her sister and open the door. When she saw Rito and Tearju passionately making out on his bed in nothing but their underwear, she became unhinged.
"RITO YUUKI!" Exploded Nana as she stormed over the boy, snapping him and Tearju out of their make out session. "How many times do I have to remind you that you're Lala onee-sama's fiance before you get it through your perverted head!?" She demanded as she tried to grab Rito in a headlock, only for him to consistently manage to swerve out of the way.
As Nana continued her attempt at assault, the gears of Momo's mind were turning in concern for her plan. 'This isn't good,' She thought. 'I forgot that there are more obstacles to the Harem Plan than just Rito's own resistance. Nana's also set in her ways, and she thinks too highly of Lala to allow Rito to become a carnivore. No matter how I try to get around it, Nana's just as big of an obstacle to the Harem Plan as Rito used to be. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not as good at this as Sallem is. At least he could force his way through obstacles until there were none left. Even after he left, the Cola he left behind for Celine to find was instrumental to adding Tearju and awakening Rito's inner desires. He probably didn't plan for exactly that to happen, but the fact that he can take a gamble like that so casually is just proof of my own inexperience. I wish there was some kind of school for learning these things.'
Suddenly, Momo was struck with a turn of inspiration. It was a risky and desperate gamble, to be sure. However, if she played this just right, then she could add herself to the harem, and prevent Nana from becoming an obstacle to the Harem Plan ever again. As she brought her attention back to Rito, she could see that Nana was starting to exhaust herself trying to punish Rito, while he was barely winded from evading. A wicked smile came to her face as she realized that her plan might be even easier than she thought.
"How are you doing this?!" Demanded Nana in exasperation. "When did you get so good at dodging?"
"Well, I did play a lot of soccer during middle school," Rito explained, half guessing the answer himself. "I guess that between that and all the panicking and running I've done ever since Lala came to Earth, I've gotten pretty good at getting away from these things unharmed." Smiling, he pat Nana on the head playfully. "All that aside though, there are answers to your problems aside from just trying to hit them all the time."
Blushing at the indignity and embarrassment of Rito's actions, Nana swatted away his hand and scoffed. "Say whatever you want! But just remember who your fiance is!" Taking one last attempt to smack Rito, and failing that miserably, she stormed off in a huff.
Once she was gone, Tearju turned to Rito curiously. "Hey Rito, I've been meaning to ask this for a while, but why is Nana so insistent on you marrying just Lala?" She asked as Rito returned to her side on their bed, which they continued to share at night because they had both grown so accustomed to living together that she had moved in on a permanent basis. "Lala herself is perfectly okay with the arrangements we've all planned out, and I know that polygamy is allowed for at least high-class members of Deviluke society."
"It's just her personal preferences I guess," Shrugged Rito as he wrapped his arms around Tearju again. "I should know, I used to have the same kind of mindset after all. Now where were we?"
"We had just gotten my bra on, and we were making out." Tearju supplied as she batted her eyes at him.
"What would you say if I said that I think you look better with it off?" Rito questioned teasingly as he started kissing her neck.
"I'd say we should take off my panties too and make it a matching set." Tearju replied seductively.
"Just let me get the door then," Rito said as he got up and closed the door before returning to Tearju.
Meanwhile, just outside the room, Momo debated between putting her plan into action immediately, or staying around for a bit to take notes based on the noise. After a few brief moments, she decided that the long-term investment was more important right now than was satisfying herself with just muffled noises. So with a sigh of disappointment, she went off to find Nana.
Monday Morning - School - With Rito, Lala, and Yami
"It's soooo good to be back in school!" Cheered Lala happily, her left arm intertwined with Rito's right.
"I've missed it as well," Seconded Yami as she turned a page in her math book held in her left hand, her right arm wrapped around Rito's left. "While it's not as nice as being rained in at Ryoko's house on Thursday, or rained in at your house on Friday, I've wanted to get access to the library again."
"It's nice to see you two being so interested in education," Rito sweatdropped as he felt the unified glares of dozens of envious males bore into him from all angles. "However, it might be nice if you paid a bit more attention to the atmosphere as well."
"What do you mean by that?" Asked Lala.
"He means this," Yami answered as her hair turned into a pair of hands, a fist pounding a few times onto an open hand, sending out a very clear message that quickly sent many of the lurkers on their merry way in fear. Some of the more bold and desperate ones still hung around, but even they fell back a bit. "It's amazing how much like wild animals they are." Yami noted casually.
"After what happened on Thursday, I'm afraid that I might qualify under your definition of wild animal too." Rito said in good spirits.
"You're not a wild animal, Rito," Denied Lala as she nestled her head on his shoulder. "You're more like a lovable puppy."
"Thank you for reminding me of the day you actually made me a dog," Rito joked, though he was clearly being heavily sarcastic. "What would I do without you, Lala?"
"He's not a dog," Yami insisted as she nuzzled Rito. "He's a proud and strong alpha wolf."
"Did you just compare him to Sallem?" Yui asked her as she latched onto Rito from behind. "Because I have to disagree. Rito's much better than some mangy wild mutt. If anything, he's a proud and strong lion."
"When did you get here, Yui?" Asked Rito in surprise.
"I've been listening for a while." Yui answered as she nuzzled her face against his. "Cats are very light on their feet after all."
Meanwhile, at the sight of three hot girls being so affectionate with the same guy, the tempers of the envious boys reach such a high point that it overrode a great deal of their commonsense. Enough so as to drive two of them, one of them being Saruyama, into such a frenzy that they threw all caution into the wind and lunged. Before either of them could reach their mark however, a large flower caught Saruyama, while an oversized bull charged at the other boy.
"IT REEKS!" Shouted Saruyama in agony as he struggled to escape the clutches of the fowl smelling flower.
"What just happened?" Asked Yui in shock and confusion.
"I think I've seen this theme somewhere before," Rito said awkwardly as he scanned the area, quickly catching sight of Nana and Momo up half a flight of nearby stairs. To Rito's surprise, they were both dressed in the uniforms of his school. The fact that he could see their panties from the angle he saw them made him blush slightly.
"Nana! Momo! What are you two doing here?" Asked Lala excitedly as she let go of Rito and rushed off to her sisters.
"Isn't it obvious by the uniforms?" Momo asked playfully as Lala wrapped them both in a hug.
"We've decided to enroll in school here too." Nana explained, glad to see her sister in an especially happy mood.
"That's great," Rito said as he walked up the stairs with Yui and Yami. "Though I hope that you didn't enroll in our class." He added awkwardly.
Momo shook her head, "We're going to be in the grade below you," She told them. "I wish I could be in your class though." She teased.
"How did you get enrolled here anyway?" Asked Yui suspiciously.
"We just asked The Principal and he said he'd handle the details." Nana told her simply.
"That seems to be the standard procedure at this school," Rito said, his external calm betraying his inner disappointment in the education system. "But why did the two of you enroll anyway?"
"Our father is making us study anyway, so we thought we'd do it like the locals do." Momo lied easily, her true intentions being somewhat more apparent to Yami.
"I'm just here to make sure you remember your place," Nana glared at Rito. "Every time I turn my back for even a second you're cheating on Lala onee-sama. Well you've had your fun, so now you need to get your priorities straightened out. Here," She scolded as she yanked him away from Yui and Yami and handed him off the Lala, now with a collar around his neck. "If you don't keep an eye on him he might wander off again. That's why I ordered this collar."
"Dare I ask what it does?" Rito ventured as he fiddled with the collar, nervously taking note of the many lights and studs on its smooth metal surface.
"It's very simple," Nana said smugly as she pulled out her cell phone. "The collar monitors your actions and words, so if you decide to get chummy with any girls besides Lala, I can just do this," She pressed a button on her phone, and she was suddenly electrocuted. "What... just... happened?" She asked, smoke trailing from her cindered body as she fell to the ground.
"I hacked the collar with my powers," Yami said as her hand shifted back from a cord. "I didn't like it." She told her bluntly as she climbed on Rito's back.
Watching on as Nana yelled at Yami for screwing things up, Momo sighed. 'A situation like this is exactly why I didn't enroll us directly in Rito's class,' She thought. 'While it might have helped add myself and maybe even Nana to the harem faster, it's just too risky to allow Nana in the same room as Rito for an extended period of time. It's better if I do this in smaller doses.' Taking notice of how Rito was calmly resolving the situation, her thoughts continued. 'Lunch period would be the best time for a daily interaction between the three of us, since the whole harem would be there to act as a buffer. With Rito already a carnivore, the job's already halfway done. Now I just need to awaken Nana's feelings for him, and the Harem Plan will be secure.'
"Why is it that her expression is making me feel so worried?" Yui whispered to herself as she noticed Momo's lecherous face.
Nana and Momo's classroom - Shortly after introductions
"Who is she trying to fool?" Nana glared at her sister, who had become almost instantly popular with others, especially the boys. While a few boys had paid attention to her, she quickly beat them away the moment they revealed themselves as Lolicons. If she was ever looking for a boyfriend, which she wasn't, she'd go for a guy who didn't care at all about proportions, instead of one who actively went for flat girls. "She may act all goody-goody around others, but she's more of a beast than anything I've made friends with."
"Excuse me," Came a female voice from behind Nana. "But is this seat taken?"
"Does it look like it-?" Nana began bitterly, but instantly stopped short when she saw who was addressing her. She had blood red hair cropped around neck level, but that was all that was even slightly normal about her appearance. She had no right leg from the knee down, instead possessing a metal peg leg, her left arm was completely gone, her sleeve dangling freely, and she wore an eyepatch over a likely missing right eye.
"Sorry, I'll just go look somewhere else then," The red-head amputee hobbled away steadily.
"Wait! Hold on a second!" Nana hurried off after her. "I'm sorry about being so rude, it's just that my sister's acting is getting on my nerves so much that I was a bit on edge."
"Acting?" Wondered the amputee as she glanced over at Momo talking animatedly with her classmates. "She seems pretty genuine to me."
"Like I said, it's all an act!" Nana hissed to her. "She tries to look like little miss perfect for others, but deep down she's actually a perverted maniac with a bigger sex drive than any one of my pets when they're in heat!"
"You have pets?" Asked the red-head curiously. "Do you think I could meet them sometime?"
"Of course," Agreed Nana happily. "It may surprise you to hear this, but I have more pets than I can count sometimes." She boasted proudly.
"How do you deal with having so many animals?" Asked the girl.
"I have a huge garden for them to roam around in," Nana explained as she extended her right arm. "My name's Nana by the way, what's yours?"
"My name is Mea Kurosaki." Mea answered as she shook Nana's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise," Said Nana. "Hey... if you don't mind my asking, how did you, umm..." She trailed off nervously, not sure how to broach the obvious question. Mea caught on though, evidenced by how she clutched her left side tightly.
"It's not a story I like talking about very much," Mea hesitated. "But let's just say that a demon's responsible for what happened to me."
"Oh..." Gulped Nana sadly. "I'm sorry if I brought up anything unpleasant."
"Don't worry about it," Mea brushed aside her worries. "I'm living with some nice people now, so I guess my life isn't all bad since that day."
Nana wanted to ask what she meant when she said she was with nice people now, wondering who she was living with before. But she was too uncomfortable with asking about it, afraid she might dredge up something else she didn't want people to know.
"It's alright," Mea said suddenly, having guessed what she was thinking. "I wasn't really living with anyone before that happened. It was just me and a relative who sent me money every so often. I'm actually pretty content with how things turned out."
"If you say so," Nana relented quietly as they both took their seats for class. "Anyway, I'm glad that I could make a friend here so soon. We are friends, right?" She asked uncertainly.
Mea stared blankly at Nana for several seconds, as if wondering what the right response to that question could be. Just as Nana was beginning to feel nervous about having suggested the idea, Mea smiled lightly and replied. "I'd like that."
As class started and everyone turned their attention to the front of the room, the million-watt smile Nana had on could light up a room.
Lunch Period - Rooftop
"Remind me again why I can't put a stop to this right now?" Nana growled bitterly before tearing at her lunch like a wild animal.
"Do you wanna be the one to stand up to them and tell them no?" Momo asked snidely as she slowly inched ever closer to Rito.
"I really don't think you should try, Nana," Recommended her new friend Mea. "They look pretty dangerous."
"He's just a perverted, wild beast." Glared Nana. "What does Lala onee-sama see in him?"
"You do know that we can hear every word you're saying, right?" Asked Rito sarcastically from his seat in Ryoko's lap.
"Don't mind her, Rito," Ryoko reassured him as she spoon fed some soup to Celine, who she was looking after during school days now, since no one else was at the Yuuki household to watch her. Since she wanted to keep her hands free, she'd just placed Celine in the warm valley between her large breasts. "She'll come around and join us soon enough. Isn't that right, Yui?" She said as she scratched behind Yui's ears.
"What makes you so certain she wants to join," Yui said from her seat on Rito's lap. "She doesn't seem very interested."
"I know she will." Yami said from her seat on her mother's lap as she fed her. "I could tell by the way she reacted when Rito confessed at the pool a few months ago."
"I keep telling you all, that much was just an accident," Rito sighed as he fed Tearju, who was sitting next to Ryoko and Lala.
"You do know that WE can hear every word YOU'RE saying, right?!" Nana shouted at them, somewhat appreciating the irony.
"Your sister's fiance looks pretty intense," Mea observed, though her attention was secretly more focused on Yami and Tearju than anything else. "Why is your sister with him?"
"He's tricking her somehow," Nana hissed. "I just know it."
"I was actually talking about your other sister," Mea amended as she pointed to Momo, who had managed to slip up beside Rito while everyone else was distracted. To say Nana was surprised at the sight was an understatement.
"What does she think she's doing?" Nana scowled as she marched over to her.
"What do you think you're doing?" Rito asked Momo as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Well, I was thinking that since you already have a harem, do you think that... Oh! I just can't say it~!" Momo gushed, her cheeks red from excitement.
"You're damn right you can't!" Declared Nana as she yanked her sister away from Rito by the collar of her shirt. "What is wrong with everyone?! I don't see what's so special about Rito, so why is he getting all this attention!"
"That's what I'd like to know as well." Mea remarked as she kept her one remaining eye focused between Rito and Yami, giving her a decent view of both of them.
"Why don't you all just find out then?" Asked Lala enthusiastically, who was seated between Ryoko and Tearju the whole time. "Rito, Yami, and I are going on a group date on Sunday to the zoo. Why don't we have Nana and Momo come with us?"
"O-Onee-sama..." Gaped Nana, who was still unable to grasp that Lala actually preferred the idea of polygamy when it came to Rito.
"What a wonderful idea." Sighed Momo in barely concealed euphoria, glad that Lala had just extended a perfect invitation to a place Nana couldn't resist if she tried. Especially considering it came from her much adored sister.
"Do you think I could come too?" Asked Mea suddenly, coming off as a bit too eager, but for reasons other than what one might expect at a glance.
"Mea, you can't be serious..." Gaped Nana, then she suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders with a sense of urgency. "Listen Mea, I'm telling you this right now for your own good. You want to stay away from Rito. He can suck girls up into his clutches before they know what's happening and have his way with them! He's a perverted beast among beasts!"
"We can still hear every word you're saying." Scolded Yui sternly.
"Well..." Hesitated Mea as she hurriedly thought up an excuse for wanting to go with them. While her master had taken over her body, and Maverick had brutally damaged her body beyond repair to separate them, she was still loyal to her master. If she was to convince Yami to kill Rito and come back to the darkness with her, she couldn't let her true intentions be known. "Isn't it natural for boys to have urges like that?" She lied smoothly, trying to cover it up with embarrassment.
"Not you too." Twitched Nana bitterly.
'Could she be a candidate too?' Wondered Momo curiously. 'We've just met her, but it seems like she's already taken an interest in Rito.' She mused suspiciously.
"I think I see what's going on here," Tearju smiled as she brushed Yami's head. "You're trying to make friends, but you're not sure how. Your expression is so awkward that I can tell at a glance. You're just like my daughter, Yami."
"I don't want to hear anything from you." Mea glared coldly at Tearju for daring to treat her sister like some normal little girl, or at least she tried before her gaze was inevitably drawn to her attention grabbing breasts and hips, a blush forming on her face as she did so from the indignity of being so easily distracted. Someone else however, took her reaction a different way.
'What was with that reaction?' Wondered Momo. 'At that moment, she seemed almost jealous of Tearju. While any girl would want at least a fraction of her figure, there seemed to be more to it than that. That blush... could it be...? She's been secretly admiring Rito for a while?' Momo had to admit that her brain had made a bizarre jump in logic, but what if that was the case? Based on the Dating Sims she's played to prepare for the Harem Plan, it's very common for a kouhai to have a crush on one of their sempai at least once in their lives. Given that Rito has an unnatural talent for attracting women because of the ghost haunting him, it would only be natural for him to attract the attention of at least a few kouhai. After all, Momo herself was Rito's kouhai now, and she definitely had a crush on him.
"I think it's a great idea," Grinned Lala. "We haven't really done anything as sisters in a while, so all of us spending the day together would be a fun way to catch up, not to mention it'd be a good chance to get to know your new friend more."
"I guess so," Mumbled Nana, her feelings about the situation greatly conflicted. While she still saw Rito as Lala's fiance only, she did want to spend time with her new friend, and she couldn't resist the temptation of meeting a lot of new and exotic Earth animals. "But only to make certain that he doesn't try anything while you're out." She pointed at Rito accusingly.
"Will you just let that go?" Rito, Ryoko, Yami, Yui, Tearju, and Momo asked together in exasperation.
Friday Morning - School - With Rito
Today was just as any other day for Rito. He goes to school with Lala and her sisters, they all set their stuff in their lockers, and they go about their own stuff for a bit before class. It was a bit different today because Lala had to drop Celine off with Ryoko, and also wanted to talk with her about something. Momo had suddenly excused herself to take care of something she didn't specify, but so long as it didn't affect him directly, he didn't really care too much. Nana meanwhile, had gone off to find Mea once Momo had left, saying she felt fine with leaving him alone since she wasn't here anymore. As he sat outside on a bench, he took this rare bit of quiet time to entertain himself with just his thoughts.
"What is with her anyway?" Rito sighed as he casually took out his wallet. "I get that she wants Lala to be happy, but she's going about it all wrong." As he said this, his eyes scrolled down a long roll of hologram, full-body photo inserts Sallem had installed into his wallet, each one containing a different girl in his harem. Lala, Ryoko, Yami, Yui, and Tearju were all accounted for, but for Ryoko, Yui, and Tearju, their photos were from after they were each mutated or altered in some way. "I wonder what's next with this stuff. Will Run become a centaur? Will Mikan become a dragon or something? Will Yami become an Asura? With the way things have been, I just don't know anymore."
"You might not be far off in your guesses, Rito." Said Sallem as his image appeared on a new slot in the hologram inserts, scaring Rito right out of his seat.
"What are you doing in there?!" Panicked Rito as he glared at Sallem's image, memories of the torment he went through because of him still fresh in his mind.
Sallem just shook his head in amusement from his screen. "This thing isn't just an insert for your wallet, dude. It doubles as a video phone for interstellar communication."
"I didn't ask how you got in there," Said Rito bitterly. "Knowing you, I already kinda guessed that this thing had some kind of extra function you wouldn't tell me about until you felt like it. What I want to know is why you're contacting me."
"Well, I actually have good news, bad news, worse news, and horrible news," Smirked Sallem in barely concealed excitement, which Rito knew meant the bad things were only for him. "The bad news is that someone lost a few mutagens onto the planet in an 'accident' a few weeks ago, and nobody seems all that concerned to collect it."
Rito noticed with disdain that Sallem had said the word accident with air quotes, cluing him into the fact that it almost certainly wasn't the real story. "What about the worse news?"
"The worse news is that it's all landed in Japan," Sallem chuckled happily, not at all concerned by this turn of events. "And given that the ghost haunting you is currently throwing a bit of a tantrum with what's left of its power, you can likely expect all of those mutagens to impact the girls around you in some way."
"So more of my harem is going to turn into freaks." Rito summarized bluntly.
"In a nutshell, yes." Sallem confirmed somberly. "The horrible news is that I have no idea what the mutagens that were lost in this area do. Seems that the people responsible for losing the cargo weren't exactly told much. Either that, or they're just trying to pass the buck for illegal dumping on a developing planet. Things like this happen so often that even the Galaxy Police don't put much time, effort, or money into investigating these things anymore. It's gotten to the point where telling insurance companies to send out the check for the damages and losses is pretty much routine these days."
"Is there really any good news in all of this?" Rito asked, but just as Sallem was about to answer he added, "And I don't mean good news that's just for you." Sallem suddenly deflated with a grunt.
"And I had a good line for that too..." Sallem grumbled over the video phone. "Fine, fine, fine, how's this? While I don't know the effects of the mutagens, I was able to convince a cop I know into giving me any details they had on the case." He said as he flipped through a folder. "According to the reports, there were 9 different mutagens lost in the area. Like I've already said, I have no idea what they are, but they seemed to be only in minute amounts. Nothing that could cause people to turn into Kaijus or something like that, at least I hope not, but wouldn't it be something incredible if they did?" He sighed as he looked up, obviously fantasizing. "Still, anyone who intakes these things in one way or another are likely to change drastically."
"That's a lot of girls," Sighed Rito in exasperation. "And you're warning me about this, why?"
"I value my friends," Shrugged Sallem. "I know you don't think of me the same way, but I like to look out for good people when I can." With that, his slot in the photo insert vanished.
"Oh boy, Rito." Sighed Rito as he hung his head in exhaustion. "You've really stepped in it this time. Before I know it, I'm gonna be dating lizard women."
Homeroom - With Rito, Lala, Yami, and Yui
"If this is true, then the circumstances are indeed worrying." Yami said once Rito told her Sallem's message.
"Tell me about it," Sighed Rito as he scratched his chin in contemplation. "While I'm pretty certain that there's more to this than just what Sallem's telling us, my twisted luck is making all of us step in it this time. The look he had on his face when he started talking about Kaijus has gotten me especially worried." Unabated, images of every girl he knew transforming into some kind of giant monster went through his mind, sending shivers up his spine.
"Even if all of this is true, what do you think we should do about this?" Yui asked worriedly
"I could try to build a machine to track them down," Lala offered, though not in her usual high spirits. "But I'd need to have samples of each of them to program a tracking sequence."
"If we had the samples, we wouldn't need to build a device to find them." Yami pointed out the paradoxical flaw in her plan. "Not to mention that mutagens are fairly common goods for cosmetic, medical, or even combat purposes. There are so many different varieties on the galactic market in both legal and illegal channels that it would be next to impossible to get samples from them all."
"Are mutagens really that popular in space?" Yui asked curiously, her tail swinging in interest.
"They're much like how tattoos and cosmetic surgery are on Earth," Yami explained as her mother and Honekawa-sensei walked in the room to begin class, and everyone began to take their seats. "While there are some radical differences in application and results, the reasons people have for getting them are more or less the same as their counterparts on Earth. Rebellion, vanity, intimidation, necessity, a drunken night, or just because."
"I never really saw the point in them though," Lala whispered to Rito from her seat. "I think I'm just fine the way I am, right Rito?"
"You're beautiful," Rito whispered back sincerely.
"Rito, Lala, eyes forward, and no whispering!" Tearju scolded them.
"Yes Ma'am." Replied Lala and Rito nervously. In spite of her ridiculously exaggerate hourglass figure, Tearju could be a very intimidating woman when teaching.
'I'm actually dating her?' Rito thought in disbelief. 'The manipulations of an evil ghost are a terrifying thing. Under normal circumstances, I probably never would have landed a catch like her.'
Lunch Period - With Rito
"I seem to be on my own a lot today." Remarked Rito as he scanned the room for familiar faces, but came up empty. "Lala's working on one of her inventions, Ryoko has to deal with all the people that got hurt in gym today," He shivered as he thought back to how some guy in the baseball club who thought himself some kind of super Casanova, but was actually a total wannabe, had upset a lot of girls when he dropped shots of them in the changing room that he was selling to some friends of his. Apparently he had done this before, and none of the girls were happy about it happening again. Rito thought he looked kind of familiar, but he must have been too inconsequential for him to remember.
"Yui's busy with the Disciplinary Committee, Run's got her job today, and Yami's hanging out with Tearju, Nana, and her new friend Mea." Hunching over in his seat, Rito sighed. "While I'm glad that Yami's opening up to more people and Nana has some friends she can hang out with, I can't help feeling a little lonely." Bending back in his seat while munching on his lunch, Rito reflected on his emotions. "It's funny, normally I'd find myself wishing for some peace and quiet, but now I just want them to be here. Maybe I have an aversion to loneliness?"
Already halfway finished with his lunch, he decided to pack up what was left and wander around. "I wonder if Momo could use some company..." Thought Rito aloud as he left the room to search for her. When thoughts of what she might define as 'company' from him surfaced in his mind, his face turned a tinge of red. "Then again, if I try that things might go pretty far." He muttered neutrally. Little did he know that he was being watched by dangerous eyes.
'I've got to warn the others about this!' Thought the stalker angrily as he pulled out a cellphone.
Same Time - A Certain Room
"What was that?!" Exclaimed an unimportant boy in a mask angrily. "Did he really say that?!" A brief silence, "That beast! We cannot allow this! Keep tailing him and wait for our arrival!" Hanging up with a bitter grunt, the unimportant boy addressed a crowd of similarly masked and equally unimportant boys in an authoritative tone that really didn't work for him. "Gentlemen! It has just come to my attention that our idol is in grave danger!"
"OH NO!"
"Say it isn't so!"
"We can't allow this!"
"Who is responsible!?"
"Let's kill the guilty party!"
"Why are there so many whackjobs in the bathroom again?" Asked a more important teen as he entered the room and went over to the urinal. "You guys really need to get a life. Spending so much time as a group obsessing over one girl is really unhealthy." He lectured them as he took a leak, all of the unimportant boys just staring in shock. "I mean seriously, you guys are crazy fanboys. Instead of grouping together to all worship the same girl like she's some kind of super idol, why don't you set some more realistic goals for yourselves instead of degrading yourselves to this. Seriously, I've seen things like this on TV before. It always ends up with a bloodbath between the girl cult when she finally chooses to go after someone who doesn't obsess over her and creep her out."
"What do you know?!" Demanded the enraged head idiot as he slapped his hand against an over sized poster of Momo for emphasis. "Our idol - nay, our Goddess - is a pure and perfect example of the female species! We are each prepared to protect her purity for the day when she inevitably chooses only one of us, and the rest of us are willing to step down when that happens! Don't you dare make light of our resolve!"
"Here, here!" Seconded every other idiot in the room enthusiastically.
"Pretty words," Chuckled the important teen as he finished up his business and went to wash his hands, completely ignoring anyone in his way. "But ultimately, it's going to amount to just that in the end. Pretty words, and nothing more." He mocked them sadistically as he scrubbed his hands with soap and water. "Since you all took the liberty to break down your fantasy plan into easy to understand steps for me, I'm going to be just as generous, and explain to you all how reality is going to play out." As he casually went over to the air dryer, everyone else in the room glared at him, but some mysterious force stayed their hands for the moment, allowing the important teen to continue his spiel.
"First, all of you are going to worship and wait on her hand and foot for your entire school lives, sacrificing the better part of your educations for a girl who will never return any affections you hold for her." He paused to lick his gums for a few seconds. "Second, anywhere between 25 to 75 percent of you will eventually wise up within the first year of this idol worship, either to focus on your much neglected education again, because you've found a girl who genuinely likes you, you get sent to Juvie Hall for sexual harassment and/or stalking, or any combination of the above." Finally remembering that air dryers are completely useless, he went over to the head idiot and casually used his shirt for a towel, completely ignoring his shouts of protest.
"Third, by the time she finally does get a boyfriend who isn't going to be any one of you, almost all of you will either have been arrested, or moved on to more worthwhile things, sometimes both. And finally," He was about to finish, before the head bozo punched him in the gut, though he didn't notice or even flinch. "The few of you who are left stalking her will spend the rest of your lives sulking over what you perceived to be missed chances, worshiping and pleasuring yourselves to her photos, and surviving on the streets by eating garbage due to poor character and a lack of education. And remember everyone, knowledge is power!" With an exaggerated bow farewell, the intelligent male silently excused himself from the bathroom, the fists of anyone who tried to beat him for his insults throbbing in pain from the many failed attempts.
Once outside the bathroom, Sallem's ears twitched as he caught the head retard going at his stalker speech again, and receiving many hooplas and hoorays in response. Silently chiding them as he shook his head, he turned back for a moment with a chuckled and his signature mutilated grin. "Sometimes people just have to learn their lessons the hard way. Oh well, no more skin off my face than the usual." He thought aloud before jumping out the window. "And to think, I originally came here only to place DNA monitors on Rito and every female he knew as a precaution against the mutagens, yet when I get here, I find that so many possibilities have arisen in such a short time. It really makes you think about how complex Chaos Theory can be sometimes."
Back With Rito
"Brrrr!" Shivered Rito as a chill crept up his spine. "I wonder what that was all about? Is something weird going to happen soon? Because that's what it feels like." Peering cautiously around the next corner in the hallway, he finds that his worries are not unfounded, as a menacing looking group of students is marching down the hall like a squad on a mission. 'Why is it that I'm getting so good at calling these things?' He wondered worriedly as he tried to talk himself out of believing that they were after him, but as he caught sight of the pins with Momo's face on them some of them had fixed to their shirts, he accepted the truth that they were indeed here for him.
'Just my luck,' Rito thought tiredly as he shielded himself from sight by using some other passing students as a shield. 'Another angry mob is after me, right on cue it would seem. If the usual pattern holds up, I guess this time Momo's joining the harem.' As he took his time to contemplate the implications of that, a less than savory thought worked into his head. 'If it happens that way, then there's no telling what she might do. At this point, I'm pretty much fine with any girls, so long as I know them well, but Momo's always been a little too enthusiastic about the idea of a harem. Since I'm not a virgin anymore, it probably won't be anything too surprising, but she's always been a bit... frisky.'
Pausing to look back, he just caught sight of the last of the mob working its way around the corner he had just come from. "It's scary how used to this stuff I'm starting to get," He whispered to himself as he split off from the group he was hiding in. "It really is. Now with them on the lookout, where would be the best place for me to hide?" He wondered as he scanned along his path for various possible hideouts. "Honestly, why is it that so few guys at this school actually seem to have lives outside of wanting girls? I can't help but feel as if they're actually trying to give my gender a bad name."
"Rito!" Came Momo's panicked voice as she came rushing down the hall. Once she got to him, it became clear that she'd been running for a while based on her heavy breathing. "Thank goodness I... found you... before they could." She panted as Rito helped support her.
"Just calm down for a second, Momo," Rito told her gently as he guided her to a water fountain to get her a drink. "Right now I just want you to catch your breath, cool yourself down, and slowly and calmly tell me who 'they' are, and why you needed to find me before them. Everything else can wait until later."
Coming up from her drink with a gasp of air, Momo smiled gently at Rito. "Thank you so much, Rito~" She sighed in relief and an attempt at cuteness seduction as she pressed her cheek to his chest. "You're always so kind and gentle with me."
"Momo, angry mob, focus." Chided Rito firmly, with a playful bop to her head. "What was with that group of people that were wearing your face on buttons and sending off waves of killing intent."
"Eh? You could really feel something like that from them?" Momo asked in surprise. "Normally even people on Deviluke have to go through rigorous training for years to learn that. You must be some kind of prodigy if you learned it so soon..." She trailed off as she began to wonder what other fields he could be a prodigy in. "Wait, wait! Before all that, how did you know I came here to tell you about them?" She asked, getting back on track.
"It was pretty obvious," Deadpanned Rito as he pulled out his lunch, deciding that this was a good a place as any to eat for now. "Whenever something really weird goes on anywhere within a kilometer of me, there's almost always someone I know personally involved with it somehow. Even more so if it directly affects me, which is almost all the time."
Blinking a few times in contemplation of his answer, Momo thought back to just a few of the many odd happenstance that had gone on since she first met Rito. "That does seem to be a pattern, doesn't it?" She conceded.
"Yeah," Nodded Rito as he began eating. "At this point, I'm mostly just waiting for the bubble to really burst and make a murder happen while I'm around." He mumbled, not really caring that they were getting off topic. "Until that happens, I'm pretty sure that nothing will surprise me anymore."
"But if you're expecting it, how could it surprise you?" Momo asked as Rito offered her a sandwich.
"You never know how these things are going to go," Rito explained, taking a pause to swallow. "Even though I'm pretty much positive that a murder will happen around me eventually, I have no idea when it's going to happen. Also, unlike with any other crazy situation I may get into on a regular basis, I've never actually seen a dead body, unless you count Oshizu's artificial body, so it's going to make quite an impression on me no matter what."
"I guess that makes sense when you put it like that." Momo granted him before taking a bite from her sandwich. "This is really good. Who made it this morning?"
"Yami's actually been working on her cooking skills again," Rito answered. "She says that she wants to be as good as Tearju someday, but with the way she cooks compared to Yami, I really think their abilities are just going to go further and further in the opposite directions." He explained awkwardly. "I have no idea how she could find her cooking fine dinning, but so long as it helps them get along, I'm not going to complain."
"Speaking of Tearju and Yami," Momo began slyly.
"Before you even voice the question," Rito cut her off with a halting gesture. "I still haven't gotten a straight answer from you about your bloodthirsty fan club."
"I never said they were my fan club," Momo panicked, not wanting Rito to get the wrong idea about her and deny her a place in the harem. "What gave you that idea?"
"They made it pretty obvious with the buttons they were wearing." Rito explained.
"Well it's not like I asked them to fawn over me," Momo pouted in protest. "They just started waiting on me hand and foot on Tuesday, and I thought it wouldn't be so bad if I milked it for a while and let it pass, but by the end of Thursday I was just sick of the treatment they were piling on me."
"They started a fan club the day after you transferred in?" Rito quirked an eyebrow in disbelief. "I knew that some of the boys in this school were pretty desperate, but I never imagined it would be this bad."
"I think that they're starting to feel the pressure from your Alpha Male status in the school." Momo ventured.
"Alpha Male?" Rito tested the sound of the idea, not liking any of the possible implications that came to mind. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Well, with what a roll you're on, you've probably already guessed by now," Momo remarked, Rito's slightly satisfied, slightly tired expression told her she was right. "But just in case you have any doubts, it's because you have a harem of beautiful women by your side. Even though I'm no expert on animals like Nana, I know that animals only fight for three reasons. Dominance, items of worth, and the right to mate."
"And they want me out of the way because I have a serious edge on them." Rito finished tiredly. "What is it about humans that makes them so shallow and difficult?"
"You say that like you're not a human," Noted Momo worriedly. "Is there something going on with you?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no," Sighed Rito before continuing his lunch. "I'm just beginning to see that I don't have all that much in common with any of the humans around me. I mean, I'll admit that I'm in love or at least attracted to a lot of the girls around me, but I wouldn't go on a raving rampage if one of them got together with someone else. Maybe I'm just some higher evolution of human that only recently developed." Shaking his head tiredly as he pushed himself from the wall, he started walking down the hall again. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to be running now."
"What do you mean by that?" Momo asked him.
"There he is!" Came an angry voice from down the hall, drawing Momo's attention instinctively to the fanboy postured like an objecting, bow-legged, chimpanzee in a courtroom. "And he's dared to approach Momo-chan! After him!" The sub-human yelled as he led a charge of desperate idiots.
When Momo switched her view back to Rito in alarm and concern, she saw that he was already gone. "Rito, what's happening with you?" She whispered worriedly.
Schoolyard - With Nana, Mea, Yami, and Tearju
"Haaaaa~" Sighed Nana pleasantly from her relaxed seat on a bench with Mea, while Tearju and Yami occupied the one next to theirs. "Sometimes things are so perfect you just want to lay back and enjoy everything about the day. This is one of those days, don't you agree?" She asked Mea cheerfully.
"It is pretty nice," Mea agreed, actually enjoying herself while she waited for a good chance to get Yami back to her old life. "I wonder if there's any way to make it better." She whispered to herself as quietly as a mouse, her true intentions subtly working out a bit.
"Make it better..." Hummed Nana in contemplation, alerting Mea to the fact she had voiced her thoughts aloud. "I've got just the thing!" She exclaimed as she pulled out her phone and began dialing up several of her smaller and cuter friends.
"Nana, what did you just do?" Mea asked in astonishment.
"I told you I had a lot of animals," Nana smiled as she invited some fluffy ones over. "I just called a few over to play with us." She explained as she handed a woolly little ball of fluff to Mea.
"This thing is soft." Whispered Mea curiously as the little fluff ball started licking her affectionately. "Hahaha, that tickles!" She giggled as more animals began approaching them.
"What's going on here!?" Panicked Tearju as several animals began crawling around in her bosom and up her thighs. "This doesn't feel right!" She fidgeted as she tried to shake them all out.
"That's strange..." Said Nana worriedly. "They don't normally act like this. I wonder what could be wrong." As she contemplated what she could do to help, the eerie voices of her animals creeped in her ears.
'Hey, look over there.' 'Those guys are licking that milky lady all over.' 'Do you think we should start licking people too?' 'I think we should.' 'That one looks pretty crowded though.' 'There's three others right here though.' 'Let's get started then!'
As the small fluffy animals glared at them menacingly, Nana knew she had made a terrible mistake. It was all she could do to let out a cry of fear and terror before her animals turned on her, Yami, Mea, and Tearju in a frenzy of flying fur and wagging tongues.
"WAAAHHHHHH! Get them off of me!" Panicked Tearju as her body flailed and jiggled around in an effort to shake the animals off.
"Wait! Stop you guys! I mean it! You're all much better behaved than this!" Demanded Nana, being the only one able to fully communicate with the animals she summoned.
"Ecchi," Seethed Yami as she began pounding any approaching animals into the dirt. "Only Rito is allowed to do that to me."
"Waaahhh! My animals!" Cried Nana in distress. They might be out of control right now, but these animals were still her friends.
"Hahahahahahahaha! Is this something normal for them to do?" Laughed Mea, the only one actually enjoying the treatments she was getting.
"Why am I not surprised this is happening?" Rito deadpanned as he walked upon the scene. "Yami, do you think you could give me a hand here?" He asked as he casually began removing animals from Tearju's body, not minding that he had to reach in her cleavage to grab a few of them.
"Of course, Rito." Yami said as she began removing the animals from her mother, and pounding them with her hair. "I don't like these animals, anyway."
"Like them or not, I'm pretty sure that smashing them is animal abuse." Rito pointed out as he yanked the last animal off of Tearju and threw it in a pile with the ones Yami smashed. While he may not approve of the extreme methods Yami used, seeing what she did to their fellow animals did seem to deal a profound blow to their nerves.
"My friends~" Whined Nana as Rito began casually plucking her small furry friends from her body. "What do you think you're doing to them!?" She demanded of Rito angrily as she tried to attack him.
"Getting them off of you?" Rito replied sarcastically as he dodged her grappling with ease. "Or do you want to be covered from head to toe in over-affectionate animals like your friend over there?" He asked as he gestured over to Mea.
"Ummm..." Nana hesitated as she took notice of how Mea was basically getting molested by her animals, and enjoying every moment of it by the looks of things. "I... really think I'd rather not." She replied pathetically, her voice getting wobbly as a few of her animals started working their way into her skirt. "Waaahhh, get them out, GET THEM OUT!" She panicked as she began dancing about.
"Just hold still for a second," Requested Rito as he yanked two animals off her arm. "Why did you dial up so many of them anyway?"
"I thought it would be a good way to bond with Mea," Pouted Nana. "She sometimes gets this vacant and lonely look in her eyes, like she's reliving some old trauma, so I just wanted to see if I could cheer her up somehow."
"That's very nice of you to look out for your friend like that," Rito smiled as he pulled out the last animal from under her skirt, dodging a strike immediately afterwords. "However, next time I think you may want to just stick with a cat or something." He didn't suggest a dog because he'd had several unpleasant experiences with them in the past.
"I guess that would probably work a bit better," Nana admitted, feeling deep shame for her impulsiveness.
"All things considered though, I think things worked out eerily fine nonetheless." Rito reassured her as he pat her on the head comfortingly, though he couldn't help making a few uneasy glances at Mea, who still looked like she was having too much fun with things. "Maybe we should get those animals off your friend first, though." He suggested awkwardly.
"Agreed." Nodded Nana.
Yuuki Household - Bedtime - With Rito
Rito yawned as he pulled the covers over his body. He'd had a long day and wasn't in any mood to put off bed rest. However, while Tearju had unofficially moved in with his family, she was spending tonight with Ryoko, so it seemed he was sleeping alone tonight... At least until one of the other residents in the house tried to sneak in, at which point he'd just keep quite and let them crawl in bed with him. Strange as it may sound, Rito now had trouble falling asleep without having at least one girl in bed with him. He didn't know what it was exactly, but having a girl by his side at night was comforting.
Suddenly, about an hour after he got in bed, he heard the door slowly creak open and closed, as well as footsteps trying their hardest to stay quiet. Having lived with so many people for so long now, he could tell who was who just by the subtle sounds they made when moving. Rito was surprised that Nana of all people was sneaking into his room, but he let her hesitantly approach and eventually sneak into his bed without giving any hint he was awake. He didn't mind her being here, and as she gently pressed herself against his back, he was glad that she was opening up to him, even if it was only when she thought he was asleep.
Deciding that he should try to press the matter a bit further, Rito grumbled and turned over while still pretending to be asleep, wrapping Nana in his arms in the process. Rito suspected he could get away with this because she still thought he wasn't awake.
"You-you idiot," Mumbled Nana as a blush came to her face, though she made no signs or motions of retreating. In fact, while she wouldn't admit it out loud, and especially not when he was awake, part of her actually enjoyed how warm it was to be wrapped in the embrace of another person, especially Rito.
'I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this,' Rito thought as Nana nestled herself in his arms. He knew it'd be likely that she'd either be gone by the time he woke up, or she'd try to smack him in the morning, but for now, he'd just let her sleep. 'I wonder if I should be afraid that things like these are beginning to become easy for me? Maybe, but I suppose I can worry about that in the morning.' That being one of the last fading thoughts in his mind, with a girl in bed with him, he was finally able to get to sleep.
Meanwhile, from the roof of a building several blocks away, Mea was scoping out Rito with her ones eye. "The nerve of that boy," She growled as her right hand turned into a plasma cannon. "How dare he turn my Onee-chan away from the life of Darkness. If I can just kill him, if I can manage that much, then the despair Golden Darkness would go through would turn her back to the path of an assassin." Just as she was about to turn her weapon on Rito however, a muscular red arm reached out and grabbed her cannon, Mea's face turning chalk white the moment she saw it. "Please... no..."
"What have we told you about killing people?" Asked a rough female voice, a pair of yellow eyes glaring down at Mea.
"I'm sorry!" Panicked Mea, realizing she was busted. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just want my Onee-chan! Please don't hurt me!"
"To get a girl to be your sister, you plan to kill her boyfriend and turn her into and assassin?" The red woman asked sarcastically. "And aliens wonder why they have such a bad reputation on Earth." She muttered.
"What are you going to do to me?" Mea asked meekly, not even bothering to resist.
"What am I going to do with you?" The red woman parroted. "I'm going to wait until we get home to Jackson, Jenn, and Karen, and from there on it's very simple," Deadpanned Elizabeth Ross-Cortez, better known as Red She-Hulk. "Cortez Family Smash."
Sunday Morning - Zoo Entrance - With Rito, Lala, Nana, Momo, and Yami
"Well, here we are." Said Rito. "Is there anybody missing?"
"Mea isn't here yet," Nana remarked curiously. "She said she'd try to meet us right away, but I can't see her anywhere."
"Perhaps we should sit down for a few minutes." Yami suggested. "If we go inside now, it'll be that much harder to meet up with her."
"Might as well," Rito remarked as they all kicked back on a nearby bench. "So, how have things been at school lately? With all that's been happening recently, we haven't really had as much time together as I would have liked."
"I know what you mean," Cooed Momo as she nuzzled Rito closely. "We haven't been able to have any alone time together."
"Keep at a distance," Yami told her bluntly as she lifted her away from Rito by the scruff of her shirt, taking her place next to him.
"That was mean, Yami." Momo pouted. "I thought we were all in this together."
"I never agreed to your involvement," Yami pointed out. "Ryoko, Yui, Lala, Haruna, and my mother, I've all accepted. But your intentions are too obvious and dubious to be trusted."
"You really don't bother hiding anything, do you?" Momo said nervously.
"I have no real need to," Yami said plainly as she nuzzled in the crook of Rito's neck. "The fact of the matter is, I'm in Rito's harem, and you're not. You wild animal." As Yami said this, imaginary arrows labeled 'Wild Animal' and 'Not in Harem' stuck themselves into Momo's back.
"That's... very... blunt of you..." Momo twitched in barely contained offense.
"There, there you two. Why don't you just take a step back before you hurt someone." Rito said calmly as he pat them both on the head. "We came here so we could all have a nice day at the zoo. I don't want to see anybody fighting here today. Understand?"
"Very well," Yami said as she held him tightly. "Just for today, I won't hurt people." While Rito wanted to tell her that hurting people during any day was a bad thing, he accepted that progress with Yami still needed a few more steps.
"I understand perfectly, Rito." Blushed Momo happily. 'I just love his responsible face. It's like he's practically an adult. I can't help but wonder if this maturity carries over to some other areas...' Her thoughts faded into obscene and graphic images.
"I see that none of you have changed all that much," Sounded a baritone, yet jovial voice. Instantly, Lala, Nana, and Momo were stiff as boards.
"That voice, it can't be." Whispered Nana breathlessly.
"But what if it is?" Whispered Momo hopefully.
"Could it really be...?" Wondered Lala excitedly as she looked around.
"Could it really be who?" Asked Rito, worried as to where this was going.
"I think they're talking about me." Came a happy voice from behind Rito, taking him by surprise, but not so much as to upset his composure. Before he could turn to see who it was however, the girls reacted.
"JACKSON!" Cried Lala, Nana, and Momo excitedly as they launched themselves at the mountain of a man behind Rito. He had to have been at least ten feet tall, and every inch of his body was built of strong, well-defined, yet not exaggerated muscle. He was dressed in old fashioned clothes; a flame patterned samurai gi, a large kasa, geta sandals, and a rainbow patterned scarf. His hair was red as blood, and tied in a long ponytail. Speaking of tails...
"You're one of Sallem's brothers, aren't you?" Rito remarked as he caught sight of the red furred tail swinging behind this Jackson person.
"Unfortunately, yes." Jackson admitted playfully as he set Lala, Nana, and Momo down. "It's kinda hard to deal with the wild family I've got when you're such a nice guy like me. But family's family, what can ya do?" He shrugged calmly.
"Well these three really seem to like you," Rito remarked as he noticed Lala and her sisters were the happiest he'd seen them in a while.
"That's because I always bring the best stories to tell," Jackson explained. "Like my brothers, I tend to do a lot of traveling, and more often than not I wind up saving some village, planet, kingdom, or some such nonsense."
"That sounds like a lot more than just some nonsense," Remarked Rito in awe.
"It is when you have to deal with it every other vacation," Said a seven-foot, muscular, green-skinned woman in a purple workout uniform of a midriff shirt and bike shorts. "I have to deal with saving people enough in the courtroom, I don't need to do it during my time off too."
"Jenn's got a point," Agreed an equally muscular and tall red-skinned woman in a black workout uniform. "Just once I'd like our time off not to be filled with saving some lemmings in need of a cliff. Don't get me wrong, I like wrecking bad guys, but I'd like time for other things too." Judging by the way she looked at Jackson, Rito could guess as to what some of those 'other things' were.
"Let me guess," Began Rito, ignoring the stares the gathering crowd was giving them. "You two are Jackson's significant others?"
"I think you mean us three," Declared an average sized, though physically fit and well endowed blond woman in a casual white button-up shirt and blue jeans. While most of the crowd were caught off guard by the fact that she was flying unaided, Rito and his harem were more curious about who she held in her hand by the scruff of her shirt.
"Mea?!" Wondered Nana in shock. "What are you doing there?!"
"Believe me, I really don't want to be." Mea complained, her spirit seemingly crushed completely.
"I take it Sallem asked you to keep an eye on her?" Rito deduced. "Make sure she doesn't cause trouble and all that."
"Why would she need to be watched?" Momo asked curiously. "With the way she is, it doesn't look like she could hurt anyone."
"Appearances can be deceiving," Rito began as he casually walked over to Mea and grabbed her by her sides. "Excuse me, but do you think you could let her down now? I think I can take her from here."
"No problem kiddo," The flying woman complied, descending to the ground herself. "By the way, the name's Karen, but you can call me Power Girl if that suits you."
"Jennifer," The green woman introduced herself briskly. "But you can call me Jenn, or maybe She-Hulk. Either or will work fine."
"Elizabeth," The red woman introduced herself with an aggressive look in her eye. "But don't call me that, or Betty. Red She-Hulk only."
"They seem like a nice bunch to be your jailers," Rito remarked casually to Mea as he ruffled her hair playfully. "Judging by how much Lala and her sisters like him, there are definitely far worse people you could have keeping you from acting up."
"I'm not a bad person!" Panicked Mea, desperately hoping that they'd believe her, and maybe get her away from her captors while they're at it. "These people have been doing horrible things to me! They're the reason I've been hurt so badly like this, I didn't do anything wrong!" That was a lie, and even in her skewed sense of morality she knew it was. She'd brutalized and killed hundreds of people, far more than her sister had done. Mea was a killer through and through, but she'd gotten so many rotten brakes because of it lately that even she was considering at least a temporary career change.
"I don't believe you," Yami told her flatly. "Jackson Cortez is well known throughout the galaxy for his heroic exploits. If you ask almost anybody in the galaxy that leads an honest life, they'd agree that he only hurts those who deserve it. The only ones who'd say otherwise are low-life criminals."
This caught Mea off-guard. She honestly hadn't been expecting Jackson to have a good reputation, but then again, her only contact with other people before coming to this planet involved assassination and other criminal activities. While she was also a bit offended that everyone she'd ever had partially pleasant workings with had just been labeled as low-life criminals - not so much for their sake, as it was for making her look ill-informed - she knew there were more pressing issues to address.
"Well it wasn't him exactly," Mea corrected herself in embarrassment. "But it was still some friends of his! You've gotta get me away from them. These people are crazy!"
"None of us are going to contest that." Nana said to her friend as she pat her on the back, not bothering to defend Jackson and his wives. "But Jackson's crazy in all the right ways. If he's watching over you, then it's just because he wants to help you." Wrapping Mea in a quick hug before holding her comfortably at arms length, Nana frowned when she saw how troubled her friend looked. "If there's something wrong going on in your life, then it's okay to just come out and say it. We're friends after all." She reassured her with a gentle smile.
'No, no, no, no, no!' Thought Mea in frustration. 'This isn't how it's supposed to go! Why couldn't things have gone smoothly?! Yami-onee-chan was supposed to kill the one called Rito and come back to space with me! We belong in the Darkness! Not surrounded by normal people! The only way for a weapon to live is by fighting and killing people! That's all there is for people like us! No one but a weapon can understand a weapon!'
"Your circumstances seem to be pretty incredible for someone so young," Rito suddenly cut into her thoughts as he placed his hands on the shoulders of Nana and herself. "However, just because you're not used to the concept of being friends with people, doesn't mean that it's impossible." As Mea looked at him in awe and fear, Rito just chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not a mind reader by any stretch of the imagination. I'm just getting really good at reading people. Now come on, we came here to enjoy the zoo, so that's what we're going to do." Giving them both a quick pat on the back, he ushered them towards the entrance.
Meanwhile, Lala looked on in admiration, happy to see that Rito seemed to be growing up. She already knew he was a very responsible man. It's part of why she truly loved him with all her heart. As her heart fluttered at thoughts of the future, she jumped a little from a gentle pat on the back. "So that's the guy you've chosen to marry," Jackson noted sagely. "Seems like a nice kid. He's got a good head on his shoulders."
"He does," Lala smiled widely at her love. "I just feel so warm around him. No one else has ever made me feel like this. None of those lame suitors daddy picked out ever even came close."
"Yeah, your dad has terrible judgment." Jackson joked as his longer stride made him pull ahead. "I swear, the only parents worse than him are Pure-Blood Saiyans." Shaking his head disdainfully, he continued. "Honestly, those people have no place raising children. When I become a dad someday, I'm gonna always be there for my kids, and teach them good family values."
"You always have such amazing stories of the best places, Jackson." Lala said as she caught up with him. "I've never even heard of Saiyans and I already want to know more."
"Another time, perhaps," Jackson chuckled as he ruffled Lala's hair. "But right now, there's something a bit more pressing on my mind."
"What's that?" Lala asked, surprised to hear such a serious tone from her normally fun loving friend.
"It's about this Rito guy of yours," Jackson began. "Now I'm pretty certain that this has already brought to your attention, but when you first met him, he wouldn't have even given you the time of day had you asked."
"Probably not," Lala admitted, a bit less down than when this topic usually gets brought up, having gotten used to the familiar sting that old shame brought up. "His first love was always Haruna. I just got in the way at the time."
"Don't worry, I'm not going to chew you out over that," Jackson reassured her. "I wasn't here to see it myself, but it sounds like things worked out okay. However," Lala grumbled. There was always some 'but' or 'however' with these lectures. "There's a good reason things worked out. You see, Rito's at a crucial point in his development. He's at a crossroads where he's still trying to figure out exactly what he wants to be. The fact that he managed to change his views on group marriage at all is proof of that. If he were 10, or even 5 years older, he'd likely be too set in his lifestyle choices to give you so much as a second thought or passing glance."
Noticing that Lala was really looking down now, Jackson pat her on the head again. "What I'm trying to say is this. Rito's growing and changing at a rapid rate, especially so since his very way of life is being turned on its head. He might wind up a completely different person than the guy you first met when you ran away. Now you're either gonna have to be prepared for that, or make sure he winds up in a good place once he finds his groove for life. As one of the people closest to him, it's kind of your job."
Pushing Lala forward with a gentle nudge, Jackson smiled at her and whispered. "If you want him to turn out right, you've gotta make sure he's getting a good balance of responsible and playful influences." As Lala tilted her head in confusion, Jackson took off his kasa for a second, and pointed the tips of his ears towards Momo and Nana. Putting his hat back on with a nod, he and his wives turned to leave. "Oh, and Peke," He called out to the costume robot.
"What is it Jackson?" Peke queried from her perch on Lala's head.
"Don't give up hope so easily," Jackson said. "Things like these aren't over 'til they're over. You've made a good choice from what I can tell."
Suddenly, Peke started steaming a bit. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Jackson!" Blushed Peke madly.
"Yohohohohoho!" Guffawed Jackson. "Happy trails!" He called out as he picked up She Hulk and Red She Hulk, jumping several stories to the rooftops once they were nestled on his shoulders. Casually shrugging, Power Girl flew after them.
"Peke, what was Jackson talking about just now?" Lala asked her friend curiously.
"I have no idea," Peke denied hurriedly. "Now let's catch up with Rito and the others before we get left behind."
"Oh, right," Remembered Lala as she hustled off after them. "But still, why would he say that to you if you wouldn't understand it?"
"I'll think it over while we're at the Zoo, Lala-sama," Peke reassured her, barely convincing her of her sincerity. "Maybe something will come to mind as we look at the animals." She suggested, secretly glad that Lala wasn't exactly the most attentive of girls.
"Okay then," Smiled Lala as she caught up with Rito, who'd already purchased their tickets. "I really hope that they have some chickens, pigs, and cows!"
"Lala, we're not here to go grocery shopping," Rito reminded her.
"I know that," Lala chuckled as she latched on to his side. "I'm just hoping that they have some at the petting zoo."
"They'll probably have chickens, and maybe even pigs, but cows aren't likely." Nana guessed. "They won't want to risk the kids getting hurt."
"I hear that goats are pretty popular at petting zoos." Momo remarked as she tried to approach Rito, but Yami got in the way as she latched onto his other side. Seeing this, Momo huffed in disdain. "I'll have you know that I was the first one in favor of the Harem Plan." She said indignantly. "If anyone's going to get close to Rito and turn him into a carnivore, it should be me."
"Enought with that Momo," Rito sighed while Nana growled, both of them turning to each other in mild shock.
"What's got you complaining?" Nana said crossly. "I thought you'd be glad to have more floozies to mess around with."
"Yami, don't kill her," Rito preemptively scolded her the moment her hair started transforming. "People tend to react poorly when they feel that the people they love are in some kind of trouble."
"Wh-wh-where did you get a crazy idea like that?" Nana asked in a panic "I am not in love with anyone, Rito!" She denied with a blush.
"I was talking about how you're worried about Lala," Rito explained, causing Nana to have a brain fart. "There's different kinds of love you know. What did you think I was talking about?"
Nana, realizing that she was suddenly in a very precarious position, but selectively refusing to acknowledge it, immediately backpedaled. "N-n-nothing! Get your mind out of the gutter, you wild hentai beast!"
"My mind isn't in the gutter." Denied Rito nonchalantly. "We came here to relax over the weekend, not work ourselves into a frenzy. Maybe you should just take a step back and cool your heels."
Lala looked on at the conversations flowing between Rito, Momo, and Nana. As she did so, she remembered what Jackson had said about how Rito needed balance to mature properly. Jackson, unlike his brothers, had never lied to her before, so she knew she could trust his judgment on this one. "But how to do it..." She whispered.
"Did you say something, Lala?" Asked Rito as they entered the aquarium.
"Huh?! Nothing, nothing!" Denied Lala quickly, looking for something to distract him. "Hey! Are those manatees?" She asked in honest, though somewhat forced sounding excitement. "Ever since I found out about them, I've always thought they were just so cute!" Grabbing Yami by the arm, she ushered her towards the huge tank containing said aquatic mammals.
"She's certainly easy to please," Rito chuckled as he watched how animatedly Lala was talking with Yami. It made him particularly happy to see Yami had a small but noticeable smile on her face as well. "Looks like I don't have to worry about her." He said with muted happiness as another person watch on in a silent rage.
'How dare he!' Thought Mea angrily, her face contorting in anger. 'How dare he take my sister away from me! If I wasn't treading on paper thin ice, I'd kill him now and be done with it.' But just as those thoughts worked through her head, she was also pitifully reminded of her own severe lack of leeway on this planet. If she made so much as one step out of line, the Cortez Family would have her head on a platter, literally!
If the tales of their potential cruelty was even a fraction of what she'd heard - and her body was living proof that the tales were very painfully true - they could keep her alive even if there was nothing more than her brainwaves left, and make her live through hundreds of simulated years of pure misery. Mea may be a professional killer, but even she had to admit that there were people of a vastly higher caliber than her. As her head drooped in defeat, Nana placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"I don't know what's causing you so much trouble," Nana began softly. "But whatever it is, you've got friends like me around to keep your spirits up." Her voice dropping to a whisper, she continued. "I know that Rito may be a wild beast, but I'll admit that he's at least observant. I don't like having him around, but he makes a good point sometimes."
"He's not a wild beast at all," Objected Momo, surprising both Nana and Mea at her intrusion. "Rito's like a gentle willow tree tickling at all your sweet spots. He's the most caring, daring, and helpful man in the world, and someday soon, I'm going to be part of his glorious harem, and we'll do naughty things almost every day."
"See what I mean?" Nana asked Mea, stating Momo as an example. "Only someone as nasty as they come could get a perverted maniac like her interested."
"Rito could be good to you too, you know." Momo reminded her. "He doesn't care about the size of your chest. He'll capture any girl who catches his eye without fail." Leaning in close, she whispered to Mea. "If you really try at it, I'm sure he wouldn't mind adding you to the harem. There's always room for one more after all."
As she watched Nana and Momo bicker about Rito, Mea could only regard them with confusion and curiosity. During her limited observations of Rito, Mea had managed to figure out almost nothing about him. All she could see was that he seemed to be kind to the point of suicidal. He knew Yami was out to kill him, but he still treated her with respect and goodwill. Not only that, but somehow he had managed to brainwash her into believing that they could understand each other. If it weren't for her severe impairment at the time, she'd finish the job herself. She was so caught up in her musings that she barely noticed Nana and Momo had suddenly stopped arguing.
Blinking her one remaining eye at them curiously, both of them staring back at her, Mea asked. "Why are you two looking at me like that?" Slowly though, she noticed that they weren't actually looking at her, but rather at something behind her. Turning around in confusion, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw that Rito was casually sitting just inches behind her. 'How did he sneak through my defenses?' She wondered in a panic. 'I may only have one eye now, but my instincts are still as sharp as ever. Only a master of stealth could do something like this.' Fearfully wondering if there was, perhaps, far more to this Rito than met the eye, he just met her unsettled expression with an easygoing grin.
"Please, don't stop your discussion on my account," Rito joked. "You two looked like you were in a really heated debate, so I didn't want to interrupt."
"H-How long have you been listening to us?" Nana asked worriedly.
"Long enough," Rito answered vaguely as he stood up. "Come on, we came here to enjoy the exhibits, didn't we? What do you say we put aside all thoughts of this harem thing for today, and just go with the flow? After all, Yami and Lala really seem to be enjoying themselves." Tilting his head towards them as an example, both girls did indeed seem to be greatly enjoying themselves, discussing the writing on the tanks while observing the fish in awe. While Lala being happy to be somewhere new was completely normal, to see Yami's face light up like it was had never before been witnessed by the bickering twins and their amputee friend.
"I've never seen Yami like that," Nana said, completely awestruck. "Usually she looks like she couldn't care less about anything, but right now she actually looks... happy."
"No doubt thanks to the power of Rito's support," Momo flattered him. "Now do you two see what he's capable of? He can even make the most jaded of people into blossoming flowers like this. Hopefully he can do something about attitude problem of yours, Nana."
"Momo," Rito scolded her before Nana had a chance to object.
"Alright, Rito." Pouted Momo as she latched onto his arm. "Why don't we go over this way? There's a kiosk where we can plan out our visit."
"You're not deciding anything without me," Nana insisted as she chased after them. "I can talk to animals, so I get first pick on where we go. Come one, Mea! We've got a long day ahead of us."
"We certainly do," Mea agreed, her words holding more than one meaning to them. Seeing Yami look so happy confused her to no end. All her life, she had only known violence, and that's what made her most comfortable. Even her time on Earth playing friends was little more than an exercise in patience and control for her. How could someone who was just a weapon like herself find happiness in companionship? While many would see Mea's perspective as utter madness, it was all she's ever known.
And this Rito, the one who'd managed to changer Yami so radically, what was so special about him? Why was he so friendly towards someone who tried to kill him when they first met? What was the reason for his kindness? While Mea would normally see compassion as a weakness, somehow, Rito had managed to turn it into a psychological weapon. 'I have to keep watching him carefully.' Mea thought as she followed after the group. 'If I can just figure out what he did to Yami Onee-chan, then I know I can find a way to undo it.' Of course, in spite of her recent extreme failures, Mea was almost entirely unaware of the concept of the hunter becoming the hunted.
'Whatever her problem with me is, I hope I can help her sort it out,' Rito thought worriedly, once again picking up on the carefully concealed killing intent emanating from Mea. He'd first noticed it back when Nana had introduced her, and he'd discussed it with Yami shortly afterwords. Neither of them could really figure out her game, but they could tell from the start that she was more dangerous then she looked, and Jackson showing up today only reinforced the idea. For the time being at least, she didn't seem to want to risk making a move, and since Nana got along so well with her, he didn't want to do anything to ruin their friendship. With any luck, Mea would get over whatever problems she's had in the past, and focus more on living in happiness for the present and future.