The Shikima Interface Chapter six, Marital Arts A fan fiction based on the Manga by Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma 1/2, and using characters and situations from the anime La Blue Girl. I have no rights whatsoever to the characters depicted herein. The Hungry Tiger, schell@interlog.com This is a lemon, another word for porn. If that offends you, do not read this. It also may contain NC sex if that offends you, don't read this. If you think anything might offend you, don't read this. If you are under age for adult material, don't read this. Anyone else. Please for goodness sake read this and let me know what you think. Of course as May West said, "Goodness has nothing to do with it." What has gone before. Ryouga discovered a potion that disabled the Jusenkyo curses. Ranma thinking it was a full cure drank it while in her female form, and may be trapped that way. Under the influence of some lust demons, Ryouga took his quarrel with Ranma to a new level, and started a chain reaction that is still going on. Akane used the instant Nanniichuan on herself to treat certain side effects Ranma was suffering from. Something interfered with the temporary curse, rendering it permanent. Akane is now cursed to change into a boy when splashed with cold water. A very big boy. Due to some demonic influences, Shampoo and Nabiki have been soul bonded. Cologne has declared them married, and they are staying at the Nekohatten at the moment. Nodoka on learning of Ranma's condition, reluctantly decided that Ranma would have to learn how to behave as a girl in order to not bring dishonor to the Saotome family name while they wait to see if she will ever regain her masculinity. Ukyou had been selected by a higher power to become a demon hunter, and has acquired a spirit guide named Yousee for U.C., which is short for Ukyou-chan. It seems when Yousee selected a body for her assignment on earth, she chose one that looked just like Ukyou. But don't worry, they're easy to tell apart. Yousee is the one who's eight inches tall. Ryouga, after spending a time visiting the lovely Shikima realm, has finally returned to earth, and is currently sleeping it off in the Tendo Dojo. In chapter four we left Akane, Ranma, and Ukyou investigating the interesting combinations three very flexible martial artists, one of whom has two genders, can manage. Join them as they wake up to a new day, and a brand new chapter in their relationship. Previous chapters may be found at the following sites. The Sakura lemon page. Rteker's lemon page The RAAC archive, at and finally ************************************************ In a quiet bedroom, that had been very noisy for most of the previous evening, two lovely girls slept, one petite girl with red hair, and one large girl with chestnut brown hair. Their heads were resting in contentment on the broad chest of the man who was stretched out between them. A small duplicate of the brown haired girl was sitting, fully dressed, on his broad, well muscled, stomach. Tendo Akane looked down at the two girls, softly stroking their hair with his broad hands. They were sleeping deeply, and other than the occasional murmurs floating up from their dreams, had no reaction to his caress. Akane sighed, he himself had no desire for sleep, nor apparently, if Yousee was to be believed, would he be sleeping a great deal from now on. Yet another side effect of his new status as a part demon, part human, half male, half female being. Just thinking about it was enough to give him a headache. There was little doubt however that Yousee was telling the truth. Akane's tongue flicked against his canine teeth as it had done more than once in the last few hours. They were still the same, twice as big as normal, and very sharp. There was also the matter of the tattoos that had appeared on his forehead and cheeks. In his female form they were a narrow oval inside a larger oval with a circle at the top of the interior one. In his male form they were in the form of a rod, with two small circles at the base, and a single, slightly larger one, at the top. Yousee had explained that they were cast marks of a kind. There was an ancient agreement that beings from the other realms had to show some evidence of their unearthly origin. If they did not posses some physical characteristic that set them apart, such as an Oni's horn, then they had to display markings such as Akane now possessed. Yousee had also explained that some entities had made the best of this rule. They used the tattoos for practical purposes, such as antennas for drawing energy from their home realm. Akane's marking were just that however, markings. After Yousee's display of magic the evening before, Akane had called home, and informed Aunty Nodoka that he and Ranma would be spending the evening at Ukyou's. To Akane's surprise, Nodoka had been enthusiastic about the idea, and had even suggested that Akane reciprocate by inviting Ukyou over to the house after school the next day, today that is, and to spend the night if she wanted to. Kasumi was due home the next day, and there would be a big dinner to welcome her back. After the phone call, they had retired to the bedroom, and had a very enjoyable time of it. Akane had spent most of it female, acceding to Ranma's desires. But she'd soon realized that Ukyou was uncomfortable with her as a girl, and over Ranma's objections, she'd become male. Ukyou had been most appreciative, and even now, Akane could feel a small buzz of pleasure emanating from the sleeping girl. The memories were both pleasant, and a reminder of what he would be facing the next day. Akane looked down at the small duplicate of Ukyou who was sitting on his belly. Yousee had conjured herself up a duplicate of Ukyou's usual outfit. She had even slung one of Ukyou's throwing spatulas across her back in lieu of a battle spatula. She had not tried to copy Ukyou's bandoleer, but with the exception of that one thing, she was an exact duplicate of the chef. "Are you completely sure about this?" Akane asked the small sprite. Yousee looked up at her and smirked. "Yep, no way was I going to let you get your hooks into Ukyou's soul without some protection for her. Bad enough to let my Devil Hunter get dependent on a demon, without letting her get possessed in the bargain." "I'd never do that to Ukyou! I don't even know how to do that!" Akane protested. Yousee snorted. "You might not, but your body does. If I hadn't stepped in, you would have done it without even knowing what you were doing the first time Ukyou orgasmed." Akane looked at her horror stricken. "I would?" He turned to look at Ranma, but before he could ask the question that was on the tip of his tongue, Yousee reassured him. "Don't worry. I told you that you two were already bonded. Don't you remember, that's how you can draw energy from her safely." Akane sighed in relief, but then his eyes opened wide. "But that means . . . Oh god, Ranma is going to kill me. All the time I pounded her for having more than one Innazuke, and then this happens." "What happened sugar?" A bleary voice said from beside him. Akane looked over to see Ukyou blinking at her from sleep dimmed eyes. "Ukyou? I'm sorry, did we wake you?" Ukyou looked over at her alarm clock and grimaced. "No. In about ten minutes the alarm will be going off. This is when I usually get up." She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. "Now? It's only three thirty in the morning! Why would you be getting up now?" "I'm a business woman, remember sugar. The breakfast rush starts at four thirty. I have enough time to clean up and get the grill heated, then, the commuter rush will hit." Ukyou stifled another yawn. "Dang, I wish we'd got to sleep a little earlier last night. Not that I'd have missed it for anything sugar." She leaned forward and lightly kissed Akane on the lips. "Last night was wonderful." Then, her face took on a serious expression. "Akane . . . Akane, I want you to know that I'll do everything I can to find a cure for my problem before the thirty days are up and we have to do this again. I promised myself I wasn't going to keep fighting you for Ranma a long time ago. I'm sure as hell not going try and come between you and Ranma now. Last night was great, and I'll always treasure it, but I know you and Ranma will be wanting to get married someday. I'd only be in the way." Akane looked nervous. He tapped his forefingers together and hemmed and hawed. "Ah, that is . . . there's something you should . . . I mean something's happened you . . ." Ukyou narrowed her eyes, and looked at Akane suspiciously. "He was suddenly acting a great deal like Ranma trying to avoid saying something that would get him flattened. "Spit it out sugar!" Ukyou said. Akane looked at her in a trapped-in-the-headlights sort of way. "Oh, for heavens sake!" Yousee burst out. "Just tell her!" If anything, Yousee comment just made Akane freeze even harder. Yousee snorted. "Very well, if you don't have the guts I'll do it." She turned and looked at her other half. "Last night while you made love, Akane tried to steal a part of your soul." "Nani!!?" Ukyou said in shock. "I did not!" At the same time Akane protested his innocence. Yousee looked at the angry Akane. "Oh, so you woke up. Do you want to tell this now?" She snorted when Akane looked at Ukyou, and once again froze. Ukyou meanwhile was starting to do a slow burn. Yousee noticed, and reassured her. "Don't worry, it wasn't on purpose. It was just that he has no idea about his new body's natural reactions to certain situations. Unless a Shikima of his type mentally controls himself, he can't help doing that when his partner opens up her mind and soul to him during orgasm. Anyway, I couldn't stop it, but I was able to use the open channel to give you a part of his soul. You are now soul bonded to him. Just like Ranma. Congratulations, you're married." Ukyou looked at the little sprite in confusion. "Married? How could we be married? I mean I didn't. . ." Yousee snorted in derision. "You did. When you all decided to solve your problems by acting like animals, the die was cast." "Hey!" Ukyou said angrily. "At least we didn't go around talking about killing our friends. That seemed to be your solution. . . " Ukyou shook her head, and broke off the argument, there was a much more pressing concern facing her. "I can't be married. Akane and Ranma are going to . . . I mean if soul bonding means marriage, then they're already married. Akane can't be married to me. Besides, He's really a girl. You'll have to fix it up. Move those pieces of soul back to the proper person," Ukyou suddenly ordered Yousee. Yousee looked at her incredulously. "Just like that? Who the heck do you think I am? Kami-sama? You don't just go juggling souls around like that. You and Akane's souls are merged with each other. You also have a tiny bit of Ranma's soul that was mixed in with Akane's. There's no way I can separate them out." Ukyou was about to protest further, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at Akane with a stricken look on her face. "Akane, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to get into this situation again. I promise you that I'll let you and Ranma alone. I won't intrude." "No." Akane shook his head. "It's alright Ukyou. I hate to think what Ranma's going to say when she finds out. I'll never hear the end of it, but one thing I'm sure of, is that she would agree with me. We both care for you a lot. Maybe it's just the soul bonding, but after last night I can't see, not sharing our lives with you. If you don't mind living with a couple of perverts, than we'd love to have you be part of us." "But you can't be married to me. You and Ranma . . ." "Who says?" Yousee broke in. "He's a demon for Kami's sake. You think the temples and government is going to care if he has one wife or a dozen. If they find out about him, all they're going to want, is his hide nailed to the wall, and your and Ranma's right beside his. Besides, soul bonding is much more binding than anything they arrange. If there is a way to become more married, I don't know what it is." Ukyou would have protested more, but Akane suddenly reached out and pulled her against him. "Is the idea really so awful?" He asked, kissing the top of her head. Ukyou stiffened, but then, the feel of Akane's body pressing up against hers, the security she felt with his arms around her, broke down her hesitation, and she melted up against him. It was just like the night before. His masculinity was so overpowering that Ukyou just could not think of him as anything but a man. Her man. Just like it had been with Ranma. "No, not bad at all. It doesn't seem very awful at all. I just hope Ranma-honey agrees." Just then, the alarm went off with a shrill scream, and Ukyou hurriedly freed herself from Akane's grip to swat it into silence. Akane had started in surprise at the piercing tone, but Ranma had not even stirred. "She really gets into her sleep. Doesn't she?" Ukyou asked. "You don't know the half of it." Akane sighed. "I've had to use a bucket of cold water on more than one occasion to get her up. Her father usually did it by throwing her out the window." He looked at Ranma with fondness. "I'm glad she's resting now. She was having a bad dream earlier, but she settled down eventually." "Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Ukyou asked. Akane sighed. "Yet another wonderful thing about being part demon. Yousee tells me my healing factor has gone through the roof. My body gets rid of all the toxins that people usually have to sleep to dispose of. The only reason I need to sleep now is to give my human half a chance to dream, and I don't have to do that for more than an hour or so a day." Ukyou stifled a yawn, "Must be nice." "Not really, I spent the whole night watching you and Ranma sleep, while Yousee was filling me in on what I can expect, and what she's learned about Ranma. I dread all the nights I won't have anything to do except watch you two sleep, not that I don't enjoy that." He finished with a grin. "As long as you don't go hunting for another wife, anything you do will be fine with me." Ukyou said, chuckling. Then, she looked in interest at Yousee. "What have you learned about Ranma?" "Don't you need to get to work? I could give you a hand." Akane broke in to say as he looked over at Ukyou's clock. Ukyou looked over herself, and grimaced. "You're right, but I have a few minutes yet." She very careful ignored Akane's offer to help. "Well," Yousee began, "you understand I have to be very careful around Ranma? If I try any direct probes I could end up fried by the sheer amount of energy that's collected around her. So, I've been passively reading her aura for all the information I can get that way. It's not much, but it's better then nothing. "Now the good news is that as far as I can tell, going by what Akane tells me about her, her chi is almost back to full strength. Any other person, and I'd think they were about to explode, she's got so much. But from what Akane has described of her talents, I would have to guess it's normal for her. As near as I can tell, after she drank the potion, and destroyed her chi completely, the magic replaced it. The magic kept her alive until her body could recover from the jolt the potion gave her and replenish her chi naturally. I think it also helped her recover faster than she would have otherwise. "Now the bad news. As near as I can tell her Jusenkyo curse is permanently destabilized. There's nothing left but raw magic. A lot more raw magic, as a matter of fact, than can be accounted for by what was tied up in her curse. I can't find out where it's coming from. I'd have to dig too deep." "So Ranma-honeys stuck as a girl?" Ukyou said in a disappointed voice. "What's the matter?" Akane asked. "Are you getting greedy? Want two husbands now? Or is it you just don't want to share one husband with another wife?" Ukyou blushed. "It's not that. I was just hoping for her sake that there was a chance." "There is." Yousee said. Which drew the undivided attention of Ukyou and Akane. "There is?" They both said at once. "Sure, basic transformation is well within a magus's ability, and with all that raw magic to call on, Ranma qualifies. The time she spent with her chi being replaced by magic should have sensitized her to it. She'll have to learn how to do it, but eventually she should be able to change herself into her male form again, as well as other forms if she chooses to." "How long!!!?" Yousee toppled over backward, and had to scramble to keep from falling into the slit in Akane's boxers, as Akane and Ukyou suddenly got right into her face and shouted. Giving them a scowl, she scrambled back to her former position, looking behind herself, and giving a sigh of relief at her narrow escape. Looking back up at the girls, she answered their question. "Not long, five or ten years should do it." "Five or ten years!!?" they howled in protest. "You call that not long." "Hey, Akane has an indefinite life span, and being soul bonded to him, you and Ranma both share that. You can do ten years standing on your head." This new revelation took them aback, but not by much. Like most teenagers they figured they were going to live forever anyway. Ukyou would have liked to continue, but a glance at the clock showed her she was pushing it as it was. She got up from the futon, but then, a thought occurred to her. "Akane about your offer to help?" "Yes?" Akane said eagerly. "It would be a big help if you could wait tables for me. Since Konatsu set out on his own, I've been having trouble keeping up with the morning rush." Akane looked disappointed, but said. "Sure Ukyou, I'd be happy to help." He started to get out of bed, carefully disentangling himself from Ranma, who murmured in protest. "Oh you don't have to get up just yet. I won't have anything for you do for a half hour or so. Let Ranma sleep." Akane settled back, the look of disappointment stronger. Ukyou was about to leave, when she stopped in the doorway. Turning, she looked at Akane. "Ranma-honey told me a few weeks ago that your cooking was getting a lot better." "She did?" Akane said in amazement. He looked down at the small red head as if expecting her to change into some other person. "Are you sure it was Ranma?" Ukyou laughed. "Yes, I'm sure. She said you found one of your mother's kitchen journals, and that it was helping you a lot." "Oh yes, and Kasumi found all the rest of Mother's journals a little while ago." Akane said in a happy tone of voice, but then, his face fell, "But it's taking me so long to go through the first one, I don't know when I'll be able to cook a real meal." "How about when we go over there tonight after school, you and me go over them. Maybe I can help you go a little faster." Akane looked at Ukyou with stars in his eyes. "You'd do that for me?" "Of course, you _are_ my husband after all. I don't want you poisoning me next chocolate day." "Oh you!" Akane threw a pillow at the laughing cook, but she dodged out of the way and through the doorway. "Come on down in a little while," floated back in from the hallway. "Take a hot shower first. Pretty girls get good tips." "I will." Akane shouted back, feeling a flush of pleasure at being considered pretty. Ukyou voice came back, faint, as the sound of water running in the shower muffled her voice. "Just remember, the cook gets half." Akane snorted, but gazed in fondness toward the door. Yousee scowled up at him from her position on Akane's chest. "I may gag." She muttered. She hopped out of the way as Akane swiped at her. "Peedaaa," She said, sticking her tongue out at Akane, pulling down an eyelid to give her an evil eye at the same time. Then, she took several long hops and headed out the door in the direction of the bathroom. Akane watched her go with mixed emotion. He rather liked the little sprite, but her desire the night before to see Akane dead sort of put a chill on their relationship. "So, I'm stuck like this eh?" Akane looked around in surprise, to see that Ranma had rolled over and was looking up at him with her big blue eyes." "Ranma? You're awake." "Well, duu. What was your first clue." Ranma said with a grin. Akane did not rise to the bait, instead he said in a rather tentative tone. "Ah, how long, I mean, have you been awake long?" "Long enough to find out I'm married to a pervert." Ranma said, looking at Akane steadily, giving no indication of what was going on under her placid expression. "Oh . . . Ranma . . . I'm sorry. I . . . I didn't mean for it to happen. I didn't even know about you and me. I'm . . . I'm sorry" Akane looked down at the floor waiting for Ranma to explode, it's what he would have done after all. "Hmm, good thing you're a sex demon I guess. If you were a regular guy Ucchan and I'd wear you down to a nub." Ranma said in a matter of fact voice. Akane looked at Ranma's placid face in amazement. "You're not mad?" Instead of answering, Ranma let her head settle down on the pillow and closed her eyes. In a serious voice she said. "I had a really grotty dream last night." "I know, you were tossing and turning, but when I touched you to wake you up, you settled right down." Ranma's eyes opened and she looked at him. "Ah, that explains why you came back then." "Came back? From where?" Akane asked in puzzlement. "In my dream." Ranma closed her eyes as if visualizing. "It was at school. The guys dressing room. I was there in the shower with all the guys, only I wasn't a guy. I was a girl. At first everything was just normal, well sort of normal. I was chatting with Hiroshi and Daisuke about how I was going to skin them at poker that night. Then, someone said, "hey, Saotome's a girl!" Everyone looked at him like he was crazy, but then, they looked at me." Ranma shivered, "It was scary, suddenly their eyes changed. I can't explain it, but guy's eyes look different when you're a girl." "I think I know what you mean. I noticed something like that yesterday with the girls." Ranma looked at him, and nodded. "Right, I keep forgetting. I just see you as you, no matter what you look like on the outside. Well anyway, these guys had been looking like they do when I'm a guy, but then, their eyes changed, and they all got hard ons. Even Hiroshi and Daisuke, and they usually don't get that hentai when I'm a girl. Not that they don't look mind you. I am built pretty good after all, but they don't usually get as bad as the other guys. Anyway, I started to get a little worried . . . Shit, who am I fooling. I was ready to piss myself. I was surrounded by guys, and I knew what they were thinking." "Takes a pervert to know . . ." Akane started to say, but then broke off with an embarrassed look on his face. "Sorry, habit." Ranma grinned at her, "Hard to break ain't they? Anyway, they grabbed me, and forced me down to the floor. I couldn't fight back. I just let them push me down. Then, their hands were all over me. Poking, and pinching and grabbing, and they started to argue about who got to go first. Suddenly Mikado and Ryouga were there, trying to get at me. The other guys pushed them away, saying that they'd already had their turn. When Mikado and Ryouga moved back, you were there, like you are now, a guy. Hiroshi said. "Hey, Akane. You want to go first?" Mikado has already kissed her, Ryouga has fucked her, but she still hasn't taken anyone up the ass, or in the mouth. You want first shot at her." Ranma's voice became strained, and Akane could see she was keeping herself calm with a great deal of effort. Frankly, Akane was amazed she could even talk to him about it, little lone in such graphic terms. Despite the matter of fact tone she was using, the paleness of her face, and the sweat on her forehead, indicated just how hard talking about her nightmare was. "So everyone is looking at you, and you sort of look at me sad like, then Ukyou walked up from no where, and you put your arm around her shoulder. You turned and walked away. I tried to go afer you, but the guys piled on top of me. I could feel their dicks poking me everywhere, trying to find a hole to shove into." Ranma paused, sweat beading on her forehead, she opened her eyes and looked at Akane. "I screamed. I screamed Akane, please, I want you to be first. Then, you were there, just like that and, so was Ukyou. She started to swat ass with her spatula, and all the other guys disappeared, you were the only one left. You picked me up and held me tight and everything was alright. Ranma gave a sigh and looked at Akane. "That must have been when you touched me." "Ranma . . . I'd never leave you like that. I'll always be there when you need me." "I know that. It use to bother the hell out of me, the way you were always getting yourself in danger, rushing in trying to help me." She looked up at Akane, and flushed in embarrassment. "I don't figure I feel like that anymore. Maybe it's because you're half a guy now, but I want you beside me if I ever get in a fight. You and Ukyou, together I reckon we could beat just about anyone. Or at least we will when I get through teaching you two." A mingled look of pleasure and annoyance crossed Akane's face. Pleasure that Ranma wanted him beside her in a fight, and annoyance because the baka had to go and qualify her remark. Why couldn't she just give a compliment without qualifiers for once? Ranma was still talking about her dream, and what it meant, so Akane shoved the annoyance away, but he held on to the pleasure. "Anyway, I don't figure that's what my dream was about. Last night I was jealous of Ukyou because you were her first guy. I was mad at Ryouga because he stole that from me. Just like Mikado and Shampoo stole my first kiss." Ranma rolled over so she could wrap her arms as far around Akane as she could reach in that position. "Akane, I don't want to lose any more first times with you. I'm not giving up on being a boy again. I'm going to become a guy again, and in a lot less time than what Yousee said, but until that happens, I want to be with you. I don't want to waste any more of our time together." "Ranma, are you sure?" "Hell no! The idea scares the crap out of me, but not being with you is even worse." Akane looked over at Ukyou's alarm. "I have a half hour before I need to go help. How about if I have a hot shower and we have a quick 'snack'." He started to get up, but Ranma pressed against him." "Wait!" She said. Akane paused, feeling the small girl's body trembling with some indeterminate emotion. "All right Ranma, we can wait." "NO!" Ranma shouted. She looked up at Akane's face, and Akane was shocked to see tears there. "Akane . . . I want . . . I can't go hiding anymore, I want to do it with you no matter what body you're in . . . but . . . " Ranma face twisted in fear, and suddenly Akane understood. He rolled over and threw a massive leg over Ranma's legs, pinning them in place. He caught both her wrists in one of his large, broad hands, and pressed them up over her head. Ranma looked up at him, her eyes wide and staring. Akane could feel her body trembling like a leaf. "Akane . . ." "Shhh. I understand love," he said. Silencing her with a kiss, and Akane did understand. Ranma was going through the exact same thing Akane had gone through. For a long time the thought of a man touching him when he had been a girl had made him shudder in nausea. Then, Ranma had come, and Akane had fallen in love. Akane had desperately wanted Ranma-chan, and would have done anything to get her if she had really been a girl. She had not been a girl, not for real, and Akane could not in any way imagine giving herself freely to a boy. It would have been like surrendering. He had always been very bad at surrendering. Ranma was the same way. Akane could see the fear in her eyes, but he could also see the desire and need. "It's alright love," Akane repeated as he leaned down and kissed Ranma again. The little girl stiffened, but when Akane released her hands, they didn't push him away, they wrapped around his neck and pulled him down on her. Akane felt Ranma's large breasts flattening against his chest, and felt himself begin to stiffen. He could feel the head of his cock pressing into Ranma's thigh, and again a shudder ran through Ranma. She broke the kiss, and said. "Oh god Akane, please. . . " She was cut off as Akane once again captured her mouth. Akane moved her legs, maneuvering himself over Ranma. Ranma spread her legs, folded them around Akane's thighs. They were both lost in the sensation, neither of them wanted to take it slow. Akane fierce in the knowledge that Ranma wanted him. Ranma desperate to do it before she lost her nerve. Akane's hips thrust down, and his cock slipped up between their bellies. He drew back and thrust again, and this time his cock parted Ranma's ass cheeks, after sliding down between her damp sex lips. The sensation of Akane's shaft rushing past her clitoris drew a moan from Ranma. Akane drew back again, started to shift his weight, and then held his pose in surprise. He had planning on reaching down to guide himself into Ranma, but before he could do it, Ranma moved one of her arms from around his neck. Akane felt her hand slide down between their bodies, then, he gasped in pleasure as she felt Ranma's small hand brush against her erection, tentatively at first, but then, she grasped him firmly. Akane let himself be guided by Ranma as she steered him to her sex. Akane felt wetness surrounding the head of his cock, and with a groan from both of them he thrust himself home. It did not last long, they were both frantic for release, and a few seconds later both of their bodies were shuddering as they reached their pleasure together. Akane remained arched for a little bit over Ranma's straining body, then, he let himself settle down on top of her. Akane held most of his weight on his arms and legs only letting enough rest on Ranma to press their bodies together, savoring the feel of her sweat soaked body against his. Ranma looked up at him with a glazed look in her eyes. "Oh man," she murmured in a dazed voice. "It's not so bad . . . being a girl." Akane bent down and kissed her lightly. Then, drew back. "Thank you Ranma, that was wonderful." Ranma's eyes focused, and for a second fear filled them, but then, the fear fled, and a softness entered in its place. "Yea, it was sort of nice wasn't it." She stroked one of her legs up and down the back of Akane's calf. "Think you're up for another time?" She asked half playfully, half in dread. Akane felt himself twitch down where his softened member was still held inside Ranma, but regretfully he shook his head. "We need to get showered if we're going to give Ukyou a hand." He leaned down and kissed Ranma again, and this time they lingered for a minute. Akane rolled off of Ranma and sat up. "Maybe next time you can get on top." He said to Ranma. Ranma stiffened, and her eyes which had been full of remembered passion clouded over. Akane saw this, and hastily said with a playful leer in his voice "yea, I'll tie you up and use you like a toy." Akane sighed with relief when Ranma's eyes cleared and she swatted at him playfully. Ranma had taken a big step this morning, but she wasn't ready for the thought of having sex with Akane's male side with out Akane being the aggressor. Akane was looking forward to the day when Ranma could enjoy sex with him without their being an element of coercion on Akane's part, but until then, they could go on as they were. "Animals!" Yousee snorted out, as the noise upstairs came to a halt. Ukyou who's face was rather red, scowled at her. "They're in love, give them a break." "Love! Right. You mean they're in lust. I figured you humans would at least take a break after the way you went at it last night. Should have known the demon wouldn't be able to keep its paws off of a girl. You're lucky you got out of there when you did, or it might have been you, it was nailing to the floor just now." Ukyou blushed even deeper. In truth she had been fantasying about that very thing. However, the soreness between her legs told her she'd be leaving Akane-kun to Ranma for a little while. At least in the boy/girl category. She supposed she could get it on with Akane and Ranma girl/girl, but she was not really comfortable with that. To take her mind off of the images in her mind, she scolded Yousee. "Akane! His . . . her name is Akane. Not it." Yousee snorted. "See, you don't even know what sex it is." "A_KA_NE!" Ukyou enunciated clearly, placing her face inches from Yousee and scowling fiercely at her. "Alright, alright, Akane. Geez, It's not like A_ka_ne, is a person or nothing." "Akane is a person, and if you expect to stick around, you'd better damn well remember that!" "You can't get rid of me!" "Can't I? You just keep up the mouth and watch me!" Yousee looked at Ukyou nervously. There was no give at all in the cook's face. She sighed, "alright, you win." "What'd you win Ucchan?" Ukyou turned in pleasure and looked at the two girls standing at the bottom of the stairs. Both of them dressed in waitress uniforms. Ranma had waitressed for her before, and Ukyou had several uniforms in her size. Akane was wearing one of those, and while it was a little tight in some places, and loose in others it looked fine. " Ranchan, Akane honey. Great timing. You can go and open up the front door. Ranchan, you've done this before. You take the first few orders and show Akane how to do it." Ranma smirked at Akane as she unlocked the front door. "Watch and learn tomboy, I'll show you how to milk these guys for all they're worth." "I don't know." Akane said in a low sultry voice. "I think you've already showed me how to milk a guy pretty good." The first customer of the morning was greeted by a cute, redheaded waitress. who's face very nearly matched the color of her hair, and a cook behind the counter who was almost a match for her. Things moved at a frantic pace from that point on, and conversation was at a minimum until Ranma locked the door two hours later, after shooing the last of the customers out. "Whew. I don't know how you do it Ucchan. Is it like that every morning?" "Pretty much, but a lot of people usually don't come in when they see how busy I am. With you and Akane helping I served a lot more then normal." Ukyou started counting the receipts while Ranma looked around in confusion. "Hey, where's Akane?" Ukyou looked up, a frown on her face, she had one unpaid receipt in her hand. "I don't know, I saw her heading for the back a little while ago." She looked down at the receipt as Ranma headed toward the rear. "That's funny, Coach Mitaka didn't pay his bill. He's not a dine and dasher, I wonder what happened. Oh well, probable just thinking about his iinazuke, the one with all the dogs. I'm sure he'll pay me tomorrow." Ukyou looked up in surprise as Ranma came charging back into the room, a grim look on her face. She looked around for a second, then spotted a pitcher of drinking water on a table. She snatched it up and rushed toward the back. Ukyou was already in motion. The expression on Ranma's face had been serious. She was right behind the red head as she stormed out the back door to the Ucchan's. Ukyou had come expecting the worse, but she was not prepared for the sight that greeted her. Coach Mitaka had Akane pressed up against the outside wall, her panties shoved down around her knees and his hands busy stroking her sex. Any thought that Ukyou might have had about Mitaka forcing himself on Akane was dispelled by the fact that Akane was kissing him with some eagerness, and her hand was shoved down the front of his pants. The fact that Mitaka was still among the living was also a pretty good clue. Ukyou took all this in, in a second. Which was just enough time for Ranma to drench the amorous couple with cold water. Coach Mitaka felt the pretty girl he was fondling move, and suddenly he was no longer fingering the sweet wet cleft of a young girl. Instead his hand was full of a large pulsing shaft. At the same time the small strong hand that had been eagerly stroking up and down his own manhood was suddenly much larger, and rougher. He pulled back in surprise, and found himself looking at a massive chest, dressed in the remainders of a waitress uniform. He stared at that spectacle for a stunned second, then his gaze dropped to his hand, and what it held. "Agghhhhh" He cried out, falling back, for a second he was trapped as the hand down the front of his pants was now too large to come back out the way it had gone it, but then, a button broke, and he was free. He back pedaled a few steps and stared in complete shock at what had been a pretty waitress a few seconds before. Now, standing there in the remains of her waitress uniform was a massively built boy, four inches taller and fifty pounds heavier than he was. The boy gave him a weak smile, then a look of fear crossed his face. As he stared, shocked at this hallucination. He felt a tap on his back. Turning, he found the small red haired waitress from the restaurant smiling up at him. "Pardon me, but I believe you over tipped your waitress, let me give you some change." WHAM, Ranma's uppercut caught the Coach on the chin, and he went sailing out of the yard in a high arc. Behind Ranma, there was a loud SPLANG, and when she turned around Akane was laying on the ground, his eyes twirling, and Ukyou standing over him with her battle spatula in her hands. "Thanks Ucchan." Ranma said. "I couldn't have done that, but I really, really wanted to. Shall we get the pervert inside and find out what his excuse is?" "Excuse? Excuse? What the hell sort of excuse could he possible have for doing . . . doing . . ." Yousee, who had followed them out of the restaurant, and was standing on the back step, smirked, and said. "He's a demon, what do you expect - urk" Yousee stopped talking when Ukyou rounded on the little sprite, her Battle Spatula held high. "Don't . . . Not one word, I have had it up to here with you!" She shouted. Ukyou sheathed her Spatula and turned to Ranma. "Come on Ranma, lets get him inside." She picked up one of Akane's legs, and Ranma took the other, togther they dragged him into Ucchan's, leaving a rather pale Yousee standing on the back step. Akane woke laying on the floor, looking up at three accusing faces. Well two actually. Ranma and Ukyou both looked as mad as he had ever seen them. Yousee, who was sitting on Ukyou's shoulder almost looked sympathetic. For a moment he was disoriented, not knowing what was going on, but then, memory flooded back. He groaned in embarrassment, and adverted his eyes from the accusing glares above him. "Well Akane! Ranchan and I are waiting." Ukyou said, tapping her foot on the floor. The way she kept brushing her fingers across the throwing spatulas in her bandoleer made Akane want to cross his legs for some reason. "I . . . I," Akane tried to think of some excuse, anything, but he couldn't. He just lay there and stared at them, his mind numb. "Come on Akane, something must have happened" Ranma urged. "Did someone slip you some drugs? Did the pervert do something weird to you? There must have been a reason." Once again Akane only response was "I . . . I." He suddenly had a very great empathy for the times Ranma had been in this position. Ranma clenched her fists so hard the knuckles whitened. "Damn it Akane, if I were you, and you were me. You would have pounded me flat. This ain't fair. I can't hit you, and I won't let Ukyou, but I . . . I, oh damn it." without looking, Ranma reached over the counter and picked a kettle off the griddle. Right where Ukyou had been keeping it for the last year or so. A dose of hot water and Akane was female again, sitting in the shredded remains of her waitress outfit. Ranma reached down a hand to her, and she took it. She looked away, not being able to face them. Ranma pulled her to her feet with a jerk, but she was not finished. Ranma continued her tug, turning as she did so, Akane suddenly found herself sprawling belly first across one of the Restaurant tables. Ranma gripped her wrists and held her in place. "I'm sorry Akane," Ranma said in a voice laced with barely suppressed anger, "but we can't let this slid, and we ain't going to walk out on you. Please, if you got a reason, tell us." Akane looked up into Ranma's face, and saw the look of entreaty there, and also the hurt. The hurt Akane had caused. She had no doubts that Ukyou had the same hurt look in her eyes. She closed her own. "Do it. I deserve it." She felt Ukyou's hands on her bottom, removing the tattered remains of her dress. Then, Ukyou's hands went away, and the familiar sound of her Battle Spatula being drawn filled the air. Akane clenched the cheeks of her ass, and the thought, this is really, really going to hurt, crossed her mind. Good, she said to herself, as she braced for the coming blow. You have it coming. It was not the hard flat surface of Ukyou's Spatula that impacted on her ass however. It was something much lighter and smaller, and it was not until Ukyou cried out, "Yousee, what are you doing? Get the hell out of the way." That Akane realized what it was. "I'm stopping you from making a big mistake. I got nothing against the demon getting her fundament warmed, but it's not her fault. I got a pretty good idea you'd feel like shit if you did this, then found out the truth. So I'm stepping in. Don't go thinking I'm getting soft on the monster or anything like that." "What is the truth?" Ukyou asked, a strand of hope in her voice. "Yea, spit it out." Ranma said, releasing Akane's wrists. Akane's heart soared as she heard the hope, the belief in Ranma's voice. Both of them wanted to be wrong. Both of them wanted there to be a reason. Akane wished there was. She did not make any move to get up, instead she said. "Yousee, get out of the way. I deserve this. I'm a pervert, and I cheated on them. I would have gone all the way if Ranma hadn't interrupted us. I deserve a lot more than having my ass blistered. I just hope they can forgive me. Even if I don't know how they could. I wouldn't in their shoes." "Well of course not, you're a demon! You, keep quiet!" Akane could not see, but from what she could hear, the last was directed at Ukyou. "I'm not bad mouthing her. Facts are facts. She's a Shikima demon, she can no more help herself than you could give up cooking or you could give up martial arts." She said to Ukyou and Ranma in turn. "And what are we suppose to do, just smile as she beds every girl, and guy in the neighborhood." "Well of course not, Akane-kun won't do that, he has you. We're not talking about him though, we're talking about her." "Nani?" came from three different places. Yousee just managed to vacate her perch on Akane's ass, as the girl turned to look at her. She hopped onto the table and looked at their puzzled faces. "Haven't you got it yet?" Yousee looked at all three teenagers. All she saw was blank faces. "Mortals!" she snorted is disgust. "Look, a Shikima is a creature of sex, that is what defines it, that is what it lives for. It can go two thousand years without, if none is available, but it can't go an hour if there is some to be had. Akane's male side can get all it needs from you two, more than he needs considering Ranma is a walking sex energy battery, but her female side can't." "What are you talking about? You're talking like Akane is two different people." Ranma said. "Bingo! She is. Look the Jusenkyo curses have a personality shield that lets you remain you, no matter what body you turn into. You should know that better than anyone Ranma. The Instant Jusenkyo does not have that shield. Akane may share memories and basic personality with both forms, but when he's a man, he _is_ a man, and when she is a girl, she _is_ a girl, and her girl side ain't getting none." Ukyou protested. "We had sex with Akane's female side last night, and I think Ranchan and her have done it before as well." Both of the others nodded when she looked at them. "So how can you say she isn't getting anything from us." Yousee sighed in exasperation. "Don't you listen? How do you plan on becoming a demon hunter if you don't listen when I tell you something." "Hey, you never mentioned anything about this." "I certainly did. Last night when I told you Akane could only draw energy from Ranma as a male. Did you think that only applied to Ranma?" "What's that got to do with anything? You said Akane got all the energy he needed from me, why should her female side have to get more." "It's not about energy, it's about what she's not getting from you and Ukyou. Shikima can take lovers from the same sex, but they have to have sex with the opposite sex if it's available. She can't get rid of that need by having sex with other females, she has an itch, and the only way to scratch it is with a man. I'm surprised she held out this long." "Hold it, hold it, are you saying Akane has to have sex with a man?" "As long as she's female, yes. Like I said, in her male form, he gets all he need from you two." Akane spoke up, "What if I stay male?" "Akane no, you can't do that!" Ranma exclaimed. She turned to Yousee. "There's got to be some way to do this." Yousee shrugged, "Several." "What are they?" All three of the teenagers shouted, almost blowing her off the table. "Geez," Ranma said. "You might have said something earlier before getting us all worked up. Come on tell us, we don't got much time left before school." The other two girls looked at Ranma in amazement. She looked offended. "What? You think I don't want to go or something?" Akane frowned, and looked like she was going to say something, but Ukyou broke in and said. "Forget that." She turned to Yousee. "What can Akane do to keep control." "Well first you can use wards. You can go several routes with them. Put her in a warded room or building, and make sure nothing male gets in with her. She won't be able to leave it however." "That's no good. I can't just sit in a room for the rest of my life." "Alright, that lets out that one. Here's another, but I don't think you'll like it any better. We lock you down with wards powerful enough to stick you in stasis, but like the warded room, you'd be cut off from the world. Even worse, you'd be cut off from everything. You couldn't even have visitors." Everyone dismissed that option at the same time, and with no discussion. "The final ward solution is for her to warded with weak enough seals that she can still function, but won't be overwhelmed by the need to have sex with any man who is available." "That sound's pretty good." Ranma said. "Yea." Akane and Ukyou nodded in agreement, "That sounds like the way to go." Akane said. "There is a problem however. They only slow down the accumulation of need, eventually you'd have to spend time with some men." "Then I guess I'll just have to get my body back before that happens!" Ranma said, smacking her fist into the palm of her hand. Yousee looked at her skeptically. "Even if you did manage that, there is still the other side effects to worry about." No one said anything, but their enthusiasm waned at Yousee's tone. "It would be like drugging her with tranquilizers. She'd walk around in a fog all the time." Akane shuddered, for some reason the image Yousee painted filled her with dread. "No! I don't think so. What are the other options?" "You stay a male, as long as you are male you have no problem." "I told you no!" Ranma shouted. "She ain't going to do that!" "It's my life Ranma!" Akane shouted back at her. Ranma reeled back, a look of hurt on her face. Akane felt sorry right away for her outburst, but did not back down. "I'm sorry Ranma, but I'm going to be spending all day at school as a guy. I don't think I can safely go out in public as anything but a guy." She fingered the tattered remains of her outfit. "I think you can see why. So staying a guy full time won't make much difference." Ranma turned to Yousee, "What are the other options?" She asked, a haunted look on her face. "There is only one other solution, and you already mentioned it." "What? When?" "When you said you'd get your male body back. You need a man for her. All you have to do is get a boy to join this perverted little group of yours. It shouldn't be hard. From what I know of human males, they'll jump at the chance to bed three girls." Akane and Ranma both shouted . "No way!" but Ukyou was thoughtful. "How did Akane end up trapped in her curse anyway? Do you know?" She asked. Yousee looked nervous for a second, but recovered quickly. "It was Ranma's magic, it sealed the Instant Nanniichuan curse. Making it permanent. It filled in the broken program strands that usually cause it to break down. It couldn't fix what wasn't their however, that why she has no personality shield." "If Ranma had sex with another girl who had used it, would she end up with a permanent curse as well." Yousee looked thoughtful. "It is likely-" "No!" Ranma swatted the table top with her bare hand. Almost causing Yousee to loose her balance as it rocked from the force of the blow. "NO fucking way! You're not getting yourself cursed as well Ucchan." "I don't see any other option Ranchan. I owe Akane, and she is my wife after all." Ukyou finished with a weak grin Akane spoke up, adding her disagreement to Ranma's. "I can't ask you to do that Ukyou. Not when the easiest thing is for me to stay male." "It won't work!" Ranma said. "As soon as you try and stay in one form, the curse will be throwing hot water at you from all over the place. Take it from me. I know." "Ranma has a point, but I can fix that." Yousee said. "I can lock Akane in her male half fairly easily. It would use up most of the magic we got last night, but the way you three behave we'll have it back quick." Ranma looked at Akane's face, and her heart sank. She had seen that look before, and knew that Akane had made up her mind. She watched Akane get up and head for a pitcher of water. She moved to get in her way, but Ukyou got there first. "Akane honey, you don't want to do this." "I have to Ukyou, I'm not going to take the chance of betraying you again." "Think Akane, It's better if I use the Instant Nanniichuan. Then I can help you with your problem and you won't lose your girl half." "But you'll be stuck with a curse, and you'd hate it. Ukyou I was there last night remember, you didn't really like making love to me as a girl all that much." Ukyou looked downcast. "I won't argue with you, but from what Yousee says, the Instant Nanniichuan will cure that." "But that's the problem. It will change you! You won't be all you, there will be a different Ukyou. I can't let you do that." "And I can't let you do it either Akane." Ukyou said, un- slinging her Spatula. At least I'll be able to turn back into a girl when ever I don't need to be a guy. If you go through with this you're stuck." "But someday Ranma will get his boy side back, then Yousee can fix it so I can change." "And how long will that be Sugar? Five years, ten? How much of Akane Tendo, girl, will be left. There is no way I'm going to let you do this you jackass, not when you don't have to." Ranma watched the two girls argue over who was going to give up a piece of themselves, a sick feeling in her belly. It was all her fault. If she hadn't been so stupid, none of this would have happened. She cudgeled her brain trying to come up with a solution. The wards were out, they either took Akane out of the world altogether, or turned her into a zombie. That was no good. They needed a boy for the other solution to work, but cursing Ukyou was as bad as locking Akane in her male form. Suddenly a face floated up in front of Ranma. She shuddered, no, that was no solution. There had to be something else. She looked at the other two girls, thinking as hard as she could. There had to be a solution, there was always a solution. She just had to find it. Even as she wracked her brains, Akane shoved Ukyou out of the way and grabbed a pitcher of water and dumped it over herself. The suddenly male Akane turned to Yousee and said. "Do it!" "If you do, you're Okonomiyaki Yousee!" Ukyou said in a menacing voice. "Do it Yousee, I won't let her touch you." Akane said, in a tone just as menacing. The little sprite quailed under their combined glares, and then, heaved a sigh of relief when they turned the focus of their anger from her, on to each other. Ukyou's knuckles turned white as she gripped the haft of her Battle Spatula, and Akane's curled her fists up into massive blocks of bone and sinew. Ranma looked on in horror as the two people she loved more than anyone else next to her mother prepared to come to blows. It was all her fault, her ego, her stupidity. "RYOUGA!!" Akane and Ukyou started at Ranma's yell. They turned toward the little red head who was looking at them with a shocked look in her eyes. "What about Ryouga, Ranchan?" Ukyou asked, a puzzled look on her face. She looked toward the closed door, as if expecting to see the lost boy there. Akane on the other hand had no such problem, he new exactly what Ranma meant. "Are you out of your mind Ranma!?" He yelled, storming across the room to loom over her. Ranma had regretted her outburst the instant she had made it. She would have told the girls to forget it, saying it was a stupid thought. But then, Akane had yelled, and well worn reflexes took over. She stared back at the furious Akane in defiance. "It's the best solution. A hell of a lot better than either of the ones you two were suggesting." "How can you say that!? He raped you. How can you even suggest I have anything to do with him?" Ranma dropped her head and said. " You kawaiikune, now you've done it." Akane looked at Ranma in puzzlement, then, he heard the sound of teeth grinding together, and big sweated. He turned, and took a step back from Ukyou who was glowing blue. She had her Battle Spatula in her hands, and her fingers were entirely white from the pressure she was exerting on the haft. "Ryouga _ Raped_ Ranma!" she gritted out. "He's dead! Do you hear me!? He _is_ dead!" Akane snarled, "you'll have to wait in line, I get first shot." SPLASH! A torrent of warm water suddenly drenched, Akane. Akane-chan turned and glared at Ranma. "What did you do that for!?" She demanded. "Actually, she didn't, I did," Yousee said. Akane turned her attention to Yousee. "So, why did you do it?" "Who cares!?" Ukyou snarled. "I'm going after Ryouga. Are you coming?" "And where are you going to find him?" Yousee asked casually. Ukyou looked at her blankly for a second, then started to say something, stopped, started to say something again, and gave up. She sagged. "Fine. I'll wait for him to come to me. He always shows up here sooner or later." She gave Akane a calculating look. "I'll tell you what. You stake out your place, and I'll stay here. Wherever he shows up first, we call each other." The expression on Akane's face had changed from the one of total denial she had worn earlier. "Maybe we're being too hasty Ukyou. After all, poor Ryouga is as much a victim as Ranma." "Poor Ryouga!?" Ukyou yelled. "A minute ago you were ready to pound him into the dirt, now it's poor Ryouga! What the hell is the matter with you?" "I see!" Ranma said in a 'so-that's-why' tone of voice. She looked at Yousee. "You changed Akane because her girl side and her boy side are different." Yousee made a clapping motion with her hands, she smirked at Ukyou. "At last, someone who listens." Then, she looked at Ranma. "But you're wrong. I didn't change Akane so she would think different. I don't give a dang about what she thinks. I changed her so Ukyou could see what the results might be if she goes through with this idiotic idea of hers." Ukyou looked at Akane, who was starting to steam. Akane finally burst out. "What's the big idea of using me to make a point. I'm the same person no matter what body I'm in." "Really?" Yousee asked, she made a little gesture, and cold water splashed Akane. "What do you think of bringing Ryouga into your little group." Akane looked at Ranma, and imagined Ryouga and her together, and then, he looked at Ukyou and imagined Ryouga and her, he started to get angry. The jealousy he had always felt when Ranma had been with one of the others girls was a pale shadow of this emotion. "That creep, if he comes anywhere near Ranma or Ukyou, I'll flatten him." "What about you? After all we're not talking about Ryouga having anything to do with them, only you." Akane looked at Yousee, a frown on his face. He tried to picture himself and Ryouga, and couldn't. Suddenly hot water cascaded over her. "Just as suddenly she could very clearly see Ryouga and her together. He was so strong, he could hold her down and take her no matter how hard she fought, she felt herself growing aroused. She shook her head driving the image away. "Oh gods, what's happened to me?" She said to Yousee in a weak voice. Ukyou and Ranma looked at her in concern. "It's simple really. You are still you in either form, but your body chemistry is different in each body. Unlike when Ranma had her curse, you don't have any protection from that. Your Shikima ancestry makes things even more complicated. Shikima are driven completely by their sexual nature. When you are a male, you're an alpha male. You don't want to share females you regard as yours, especially not with another Alpha. When you are a female, you are attracted to what you see as an Alpha male. In this case you see Ryouga as that Alpha male." Suddenly Ranma broke into laughter. "What's so funny!?" The stressed out Akane yelled at her. "Ha, ha, ha," Ranma laughed. "It's just like when Shampoo arrived, only it's you who changes. When you're a boy you want to kill Ryouga. When you're a girl, you just want him." Ranma laughed again. "It's not funny Ranma!" Akane yelled, but her lips twitched a bit. It was sort of bizarre. Ukyou looked back and forth between them. "I don't understand this at all. Ryouga raped you for gods sake Ranchan. How can you take it so calmly." "Ah, the pig just got lucky. I'll take him next time. You wait and see." Ukyou stared at her. "Next time? Ranma honey, if you think I'm going to let Ryouga get near you again, your crazy." Akane laid a hand on Ukyou's arm. "Ukyou, do you remember what you felt like after Miss Hinako blasted you?" Ukyou blushed crimson as she remembered the overwhelming need that had filled her body on that occasion. Akane noted that reaction and said, "That's what Ranma thinks happened to Ryouga. He didn't have any more control than you did after you were charged by that magic." "You say that now, but if I splash you with cold water, you'll want to kill Ryouga as much as I do." Akane gave a week laugh, "Maybe, but it not really because of what he did. It's because of what I'm afraid he will do. I'm jealous of him. I don't want him near you two." Akane gave a shaky laugh. "At least that's the way I felt when I was a guy. Right now I'd more than likely jump his bones if he came in the door. Just like with Coach Mitaka." She grabbed a glass of water left behind by the last customer to sit at that table and doused herself. He gave a sigh of relief. "That's better." He looked at the two girls, noting their tense posture. "I have to do it. You have to see that. Yousee, I want you to seal me like this." "No," Yousee said. Everyone looked at the tiny girl in surprise. "What do you mean?" Akane asked. "Simple, I'm not going to freeze you like that. I'm Ukyou's helper, not yours. She doesn't want you trapped as a male, so you don't get trapped." Ranma and Ukyou heaved a sigh of relief. Akane glared at Yousee, "Fine, but I'm not turning into a girl again, not until we come up with a solution. I can remember what I felt like with Coach Mitaka, that wasn't me. I should have belted him over the fence the first time he got fresh. I don't like the way I lost control. At least in this body I feel like I have some control." "Don't worry Akane, I'll fix you up as soon as I get some Instant powder." Akane frowned at Ukyou, but before she could say anything, Ranma spoke up. "Are you planning on raping me too Ukyou?" Ukyou looked at her in shock. "What?" "You seem to be forgetting, for the curse to become permanent, you have to have sex with me when you're a guy. I'm damned if I'm going to let you stick yourself with a curse, so the only way that's going to happen is if you rape me. Are you going to rape me Ukyou? At least Ryouga could claim he was crazy from the potion. How about you?" Ukyou looked at Ranma in shock. "Ranchan . . . I could never hurt you." "Well that's it then. Looks like you're all stalemated." Yousee said. "Akane can't stay a male because Ukyou won't let her do that, and Ranma agrees. Ukyou can't acquire a curse because Ranma won't willingly have sex with her and make it permanent, and Akane agrees with that, and finally, Akane's male side won't consider bringing Ryouga into this group and Ukyou feels the same way." Yousee lifted an eyebrow at Ukyou, who nodded in agreement. "Damn straight. I don't care what Ranma says. There is no way in hell I'd let Ryouga touch either one of you." "So," Yousee said. "Every viable option has one vote for, two against." "Actually," Akane said. "The last one is one and half for, and one and half against. I'm against it, but even though I hate the idea, I have to give my female side half a vote, and I know that I want him when I'm female." Ranma looked like she wanted to make it two and half votes against, but her stubborn streak kept her quiet. After all, it wasn't like it was ever going to happen, and if it did look that way, a dose of cold water would cool the situation down, in more ways than one. Yousee continued, as she looked up at Akane. "Looks like you're just going to have to try and stay male whenever there are other boys and men around. Speaking of which, isn't it time you headed out to school?" The three teenagers continued to glower at one another. Yousee gave a sigh of exasperation, and muttered to herself. "Well, like they say, when in Rome, do like the Romans." Pulling the throwing spatula from behind her back, she bounded high into the air, and brought it down on a particulary sensitive portion of Akane's anatomy. The tall boy folded over suddenly, his eyes bulging, the other two teens reacted with outrage. "Hey, what the fuck did you do that for?" "Yousee!! How could you?" Yousee dodged out of the way as the two girls comforted Akane. "Geez, Akane, are you all right?" Ranma asked, her legs crossed in sympathetic reaction. "I'm so sorry Akane. I'll have a long 'talk' with Yousee, she won't do that again. I promise you." "I'm . . . I'm alright." Akane gasped out. He stood, suppressing a wince as he did so. The two girls supported him on either side. He turned and glared at Yousee, who looked back unrepentant. "That's better." Yousee said. "Now that you three are over that self sacrifice stuff, stop and think. Each of you was willing to make a major sacrifice because of how much you love the others. And yet you were ready to start a fight over the others disagreeing with you. If you are willing to give up so much for the others, I would think you could give up a little ego at the same time." The three looked a bit shamefaced. "I'm sorry Akane, Ukyou, I shouldn't have gotten so mad." Ranma said. Akane and Ukyou looked at her and then at each other. They both nodded and said they were sorry as well. Akane turned to face Yousee, his expression turned from one of contrition to one of anger. "Did you have to hit me 'there' to make the point?" He demanded. "Maybe not, but somewhere else wouldn't have been as much fun." For a second, Akane looked at her blankly, then with a roar he lunged at the little sprite, who nimbly ducked out of the way, and disappeared into the space between the grill and the counter. Akane grabbed the grill, and would have ripped it from its place if Ukyou had not held him back. "Take it easy sugar. We were behaving like fools after all, and you seem to be a lot better now." "Hey, when was the last time you cleaned down here? It's filthy!" Floated up from behind the stove. Ukyou flushed red with anger. Releasing the locks holding the grill in place, she rolled it out from where it was positioned. She glared down at the rather nervous looking Yousee, who smiled rather weakly, and said. "Ah, he, he, just joking." "You have a lot to learn you little brat, and now is as good a time as any!" Ukyou said between gritted teeth. She reached down and plucked Yousee from where she was cowering in the corner. Pressing Yousee down on the counter top, she pulled down the little sprites tights, exposing her small bottom. She blushed as she spotted a small mole on Yousee's left cheek. The spirit really had copied her completely. Over Yousee's vociferous objections, Ukyou asked Akane. "You want to do the honor's sugar?" Akane was tempted, but Yousee was so damn small, and when the little sprite twisted her head around to look at him with fear filled eyes, he just couldn't do it. "That's alright Ukyou, I'm sure she won't do it again, let her go." "No way, she's been a pain in the butt this morning. Now she gets to feel what it's like." With that Ukyou picked up the throwing spatula Yousee had been wearing, and brought it down with a splat on the little sprites bare backside. SMACK! "Ah, no, stop, please I'll be good!" SMACK! "Maybe you should let her off Ukyou" Akane said, he was finding the situation very stimulating, and was feeling guilty because of it. "No, not until she learns her lesson!" SMACK! "I've learned it, I've learned it. No more with the hitting!" SMACK! Yousee started to cry, big wet tears running down her cheeks. She tried to cover her sore behind with her hands, but could not get them around the hand Ukyou was using to hold her in place. SMACK. She went limp, laying there, sobs wracking her body, and Ukyou finally relented, she released her hold on the little sprit and stepped back. Akane, who was feeling even more guilty at the sight of Yousee's tears picked the little creature up and cradled her in his hands. Yousee curled up in the palm of his hands and cried heartfelt tears as Akane cuddled her against his chest. Yousee grabbed a fragment of Akane's waitress outfit that was still hanging off his shoulders and wiped her face clean with it. She looked up at Akane's face above her, and then, broke up in tears again. "I'm so sorry." she sobbed out. "I was just feeling so bad about getting Ukyou in this mess, and I took it out on you Akane. Please forgive me." "Of course I will. I understand completely. And, Ranma, if you open your mouth and say what you're about to say, I'll tan your bottom to match Yousee's" Ranma, who had been just about to remark on some of Akane's past behavior, shut her mouth with a click. "Hmph", came a muffled exclamation from Yousee. "I might have known, cross soul contamination." "Nani?" was the general consensus. Yousee looked up at the others from red rimmed eyes. "Look, I'm not saying I didn't deserve it, but why did you do it that way, and not some other way?" She asked Ukyou. Ukyou looked thoughtful. "I don't know, it just seemed to be the way to do it." Yousee then looked at Akane, "and how about you? How do you feel about spankings?" Akane blushed red, and looked away. Ranma gave a laugh. "He must like them a whole lot, considering what happens the times he turned me over his lap." "Nani?" Ukyou said. "Yep, better be careful Ukyou, or he'll find some excuse to tan your backside sometime." "That's not true." Akane protested. "You asked for it. And it's not like I could hit you like I normally do. I'm too strong in this body. I might hurt you." "Yea, like I believe that, and I suppose you don't get a hard on every time you spank me either. Geez, all you guys are perverts." "Hold it, hold it!" Ukyou yelled. When they turned to face her she asked Ranma. "You mean to tell me Akane has spanked you?" "Aww, it wasn't so bad, sort of fun actually." "That's what I meant." Yousee broke in. When all three of them looked at her, she elaborate. "Akane thinks spankings are sexy. Am I right?" she asked Akane. "Well, I do have to admit that I enjoy it, but I'd never do it if that Baka didn't do something to deserve it." "And you just love it when you find some excuse don't you?" Accused Ranma. For a second Akane looked like she'd deny it, but then, he leered at her. "Yea, I do, so you'd better be careful, because I mean to do it again." Ranma looked at him from under half lidded eyes. Her lips parted slightly and she blushed just a little. "I'd like to see you try." She said in a sultry voice. "Hey, time out here!" Yousee yelled, breaking Ranma and Akane out of their mutual heat. "As I was saying, Akane finds spankings a turn on. I'm betting when he's a she, she'd like to be spanked, but when male, it's the other way around." "Really?" Ranma said with interest. She looked at Akane with a new light in her eyes, but before she could say anything Yousee broke in, exasperation in her tone. "If you don't mind. I'm trying to explain something here. Keep your hormones in check would you. This is important." Once she was satisfied that all of them were paying attention, she continued. "As I've been trying to say, Akane regards spankings as a form of sex play, and because of the nature of your link, so do you two now." It looked like the others were going to object, but Yousee rushed on before they could say anything. "Try to remember what Akane is. While he is still basically human, he now has a very high sex drive, and unlike most humans in that situation, he also has the stamina to indulge it. That also means he will tend to like variety, such as spankings and other role playing. Because of your link to him, you also have a higher sex drive than you use to have. The link also tends to direct all three of you toward liking the same sort of thing. You already have a lot in common, now you'll have a lot more. Tell me," Yousee asked Ukyou, "what to you think of the idea of Akane turning you over his knee and spanking you?" "I'd flatten him." "Don't be so hasty, imagine it. He pulls you over his lap. He pins your hands behind your back with one of his hands. With his free hand he slowly pulls your tights down. Then, he starts to swat you, while all you can do is squirm and struggle, unable to get away. Just imagine that for a second, then tell me how you feel about it." Ukyou was about to protest, when she noted Ranma's flushed face and glazed look. She was looking at Akane with that same lustful look from before. A look Akane was returning in spades. Ukyou suddenly found herself with a desire to explore this further. "Akane?" She asked, and when the tall boy looked at her she continued. "I can't even imagine it." She hesitated, for a second, then lowering her eyes, she said rather shyly. "Maybe if you helped me with a little practical demonstration, I'd be able to answer Yousee's question." The look Akane gave Ukyou took her breath away. It was so dark and dangerous, it promised so many things, so many pleasures. Then, he smiled, and she felt her knees go weak. Her breath started to come faster, and her pulse sped up. Akane sat down on a chair and patted his lap. "Only one way to find out Ucchan," he said, his voice heavy with desire, a desire that Ukyou's body could not help reacting to. She walked across the floor toward him, not even taking note of the fact that Ranma was hastily drawing the blinds over the windows. She reached Akane and stood there staring at him nervously. He reached around behind her and pressed her against his legs, for a second she hesitated, then gulping, she let herself be pulled down over his lap. Ukyou stared at the floor, her face red, not knowing what to expect. Involuntarily she clenched her ass, which drew a chuckle from Akane. Ukyou nerves were wound so tight that she had to stifle a small scream when Akane laid his hand on her ass and rubbed it. "My, my, such a noise. What are you going to do when I do something like this." SMACK! Akane brought his hand down firmly on Ukyou's ass, causing her to bounce slightly in response. She let out a small yell, and reached around to cover her backside, but Akane caught up both her hands and held them firmly in his against the small of her back.. SMACK! Again Akane's hand fell, sending a stinging, hot sensation through Ukyou. One part of her wanted to tell him to stop, to let her up, but another part of her was reacting to the sensation of being held helpless across Akane's lap. The blows were not painful. Akane was not striking her with anywhere near his full strength. SMACK! Ukyou gasped as her groin ground into Akane's rock hard thigh. Then, hands were on her head. Lifting it up. A pair of blue eyes looked into her own brown ones. Ranma leaned forward, kissing Ukyou hard, she thrust her tongue into the cooks mouth. SMACK! Akane's hand cracked down again. Ukyou's ass was on fire, and the heat was spreading down to her pussy. She could feel herself growing wet even as Ranma's mouth plundered hers. She clenched her ass cheeks, anticipating Akane's next blow, but it never came. Instead, Akane's hand settled gently down on the small of her back, and she felt his fingers sliding under her tights. The broad calloused hand slipped under first her tights, then her panties, sliding down to cup her burning ass in his broad palm. His hands were every bit as hot as her flesh, and she felt like she had sat down on her own griddle. Akane shoved back with his hand, and Ukyou felt her tights being forced back off her ass. Cool air rushed over her exposed skin. It felt good on her reddened flesh. SMACK! Akane's hand flashed down to splat against Ukyou's bare skin. She lurched forward, kissing Ranma fiercely, at the same time she ground her sex into Akane's leg. Ukyou would never have believed something so dumb sounding as a spanking could make her feel so hot. Spankings were for little kids. Well, she was no kid, but then, this was not that sort of spanking. Despite her position over Akane's lap. Despite his actions, she felt safe and secure. He could do anything he wanted to her, and she knew that he would do nothing that did not give her pleasure. SMACK! Ranma pulled away from Ukyou, and she tried to reach out to her, to pull her back, but Akane held her arms firmly. Ranma stood and moved out of her sight. SMACK! "Ahhhhh" Ukyou cried out, as she felt pleasure stirring in her loins, she redoubled her efforts to bring herself off against Akane's leg, not caring in the least the sort of image she was projecting. She felt like a total slut, and didn't care if the whole world knew. All she wanted was for something to scratch the itch between her legs before it drove her crazy. SMACK! Ukyou groaned in frustration, no matter how hard she tried, she could not scratch the itch she needed to scratch. Her release stayed tantalizingly out of her reach. Then, she felt hands on her hips, working her tights down past them, dragging them and her panties down to her knees. SMACK! Even as her body lurched, she imagined how she must look from behind. Her legs spread, her sex wet and puffy with need. She flushed as deeply red as her bottom. SMACK! Ukyou felt the hands come back, tugging her backwards, sliding her sex free of Akane's leg. She fought to retain her position, she was so close, she knew if she could just keep on for a few minutes longer she would come. SMACK! She tensed her muscles in reaction, and lost her battle, she was pulled backward several inches and her wet sex came free of Akane's warm leg. She felt cool air wash over it as the hands that had pulled her back spread her lower lips. Then, a tongue dipped into her honey pot at the same time Akane's hand crashed down again. SMACK! "Yessssss!!!" Ukyou lifted her head and howled as a powerful orgasm washed over her body. She felt Akane picking her up off his lap, turning her so she was in a sitting position facing away from him. Ukyou felt Akane member slip in between her ass cheeks. Hands around her hips lifted, other hands parted her legs, steered a missile of hard flesh at its target. Ukyou was lowered, and once again she howled out her release as she felt herself being filled to the brim with Akane's pulsing manhood. Ukyou had been wrong before. She didn't have to wait to enjoy Akane's attention. The soreness she had felt earlier was gone, all that was left was the pure pleasure of Akane's flesh moving inside her belly. Then, the sensation doubled as Ranma's tongue reached into her honey pot above Akane's shaft and licked her rock hard pleasure bud. With the skill gained in years of fighting, Ranma kept up with Ukyou's movements as Akane lifted her up and down on his manhood. Ranma never once lost contact with her sensitive flesh, and Ukyou felt pleasure wash over her again and again as her two loves brought her to levels of pleasure she had never dreamed existed. Later, on the way to school, Ukyou walked along beside Akane thinking back on what had happened. She could not believe she had let Akane spank her. Her ass still felt bruised and tender under her tights, but she knew if it came up again, she'd eagerly lay over his lap. The pleasure she'd felt, more than compensated for the pain. "That was very strange." She said to Akane. "I've never dreamed of doing something like that." She shook her head ruefully. "But it was fun wasn't it?" Akane asked. "Oh yes. It was definitely fun, both you and Ranma were great." She grinned up at Akane. "I'm starting to think that having you a boy all the time would not be that bad a thing. I'm glad you and Ranma talked me out of using the powder." "Oh, I don't know," Akane said in a wistful voice. "I know when I"m like this I'd never want you to be a guy. But when I'm a girl, it would be nice if there was a boy for me. Not that I want you to do it!" Akane hastily added. "But it would be nice if Ranma got her body back." "No arguments on that from me sugar," Ukyou said. She looked ahead to where Ranma was doing cartwheels down the fence, ignoring the fact that she was exposing rather more than she should be of what was under her school dress. Her hair was back in its old familiar pigtail, and the sight of her filled Ukyou with feelings she had thought buried. For just a second she imagined the red hair, black, and gave a wistful sigh. "It would be nice, but I'm glad Ranma's at least back to full strength in her girl form. She wasn't saying anything, but I knew it bothered her." Ukyou looked up at Akane suddenly, a worried look on her face. "Sugar, are you sure you want to do this. I mean everyone knows about Ranma. It's not going to make much difference her going to school like this. They'll just figure it's another example of her curse acting up, but are you sure you want to let everyone know that you're really Akane. We could always say that you're still Akira." Akane shook her head. "No, I thought about it last night. I only went along with this in the first place, because we figured I'd only be stuck like this for a little while. Now, we now the condition is permanent. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life lying to my friends. It's going to be hard enough facing them after just one day. Some of them got pretty forward yesterday, and I don't think they are going to take well to the idea that I was playing a joke on them. I hate to think how they'd take it if I tried to keep it up, and they found out several weeks from now. At least if I tell them myself, it should help things go better. At least I won't have a lot of girls swarming around me." Akane looked a little shamefaced. "I hate to say it, but I was sort of enjoying it. I'll be glad the temptation is gone." "I wouldn't bet on that sugar. There are lots of guys at the school with the hots for Ranma-chan, even knowing she's a guy. I'm betting that you find there are more than a few girls that won't care that you're a girl under all that muscle. Besides, both you and I know that you're more of a guy than Ranma was a girl back last week." "Yea, thanks to getting this curse from instant rather than regular Nanniichuan." Ukyou looked at Akane curiously. "What's it like? Turning into a guy? I mean, really turning into guy. Your mind as well as your body." Akane looked thought full. "It's really strange. I find some things are exactly the same, while other things are completely different. Take Ryouga for instance. When I'm like this I want to pound him flat. Not for raping Ranma, she says he had no control, and I believe it. It's the mere thought of him touching either one of you. He's a good looking guy, and he's already had sex with Ranma. Just the thought of him being anywhere near either of you makes me mad." Yousee poked her head out from inside Ukyou's tunic. She had found she could nestle quite comfortable in Ukyou's cleavage, and had refused to be left behind. Now she looked at Akane and said. "Territorial. Most Shikima that can, have a harem, and they do not take kindly to the thought of anyone touching what they regard as theirs." "Oh, so Ranma-honey and I are harem girls now?" Ukyou said. "What happened to being happily married?" "I didn't say you were harem girls. I just said that to explain why Akane's male side feels this way." Ukyou laughed. "I got news for you sweety. Human boys can be just as bad, and human girls as well. Akane was jealous as a girl. I don't see any need to look for fancy explanations as to why he's jealous of Ryouga." Ukyou turned back to Akane, who looked like he wanted to object to the jealousy tag, but considering what he had just been saying, did not see how he could. Instead, he went on with his explanation. "Ah, well, you may be right Ukyou. Anyway, that's the way I feel when I'm like this, but when I'm female, it all changes." Akane suddenly blushed, a rather cute sight on someone who looked like he'd be more comfortable fighting monsters to the death. "You ah, remember what happened with Coach Mitaka." The look Ukyou directed his way caused Akane to stumble slightly. "Yea, I can see you do. Well, if it had been Ryouga, you and Ranma might not have been in time to keep me from going all the way with him. Lets just say I get a whole different burning feeling toward him when I'm female." Ukyou looked at Akane thoughtfully. "You know sugar, I just realized. I don't think I've ever heard you talk so frankly about your feelings. You and Ranma were both pretty shy about saying what you felt. Now you make me blush sometimes with the things you say." Akane looked down the street, his face creased in thought. "I never really thought about it, but maybe its just that it would be silly not to talk freely after all we've done since last night." She turned and grinned at Ukyou. "Besides, I like to make you blush." Ukyou obliged her by getting a little red across the nose. She looked down at the ground, and rather shyly reached out for Akane's hand. When he took it she looked up at him. "I sort of like it when you make me blush too hon." However Akane's attention was no longer on Ukyou, instead she was glaring down the lane. "Ranma, you stop that this instant. Don't you have any sense at all you baka." Ukyou followed Akane's glare, and stifled a laugh. Overcome with happiness at the full return of her agility and strength, Ranma had been bouncing all over the neighborhood on the way to school. Currently she was walking down the top of the fence, on her hands. Her school skirt was hanging around her upper body, and the only thing preserving her modesty was a rather skimpy pair of panties. Ranma looked over at Akane, a puzzled look on her face. "What's the matter. I'm just trying to get back into shape, it's been nearly week since I could really exercise and train." "Then, wait until you have some gym shorts or something on. You know what your mother said. She wants you to behave in a feminine manner while you're out in public. You're not to disgrace your family by acting like a tramp." "Aw, come on Akane, I've seen lots of girls who don't care if they flash their panties." Ukyou arched an eyebrow. "Oh really Ranma. Are you trolling for another boyfriend then. Or maybe you're just trying to get the attention of the one you already have." Ukyou looked over at Akane. "Why would I want to get that hentai's attention. I don't have time to be dragged into an alley or nothing. We'll be late if we don't hurry. You two are so slow." Akane fired up, but before he could say anything, Ukyou looked at Ranma with suspicion. "Since when have you been eager to get to school Ranchan." Ranma suddenly looked nervous. She vaulted off the fence and landed on her feet. "Hey, maybe I want to make something of myself, you ever thought of that. I'm tired of waiting for you two, I'm going ahead." With that Ranma took off down the lane, heading for school. Ukyou frowned and looked at Akane. "Do you believe that?" "Not for an instant. She's up to something. But what?" Akane's brow furrowed in thought, then his eyes widened, and he looked at Ukyou is shock. "Kuno." "Kuno, what about Kuno?" Ukyou asked. She was speaking to empty air. Akane had followed Ranma's lead, and was pelting down the lane toward school. Ukyou shrugged and took off after both her mates. She did not bother to keep to the surface streets however, she took to the rooftops and arrived at the school gates only seconds after Ranma, and a little ahead of Akane, who came puffing up beside them as Ranma scanned the school yard, looking for something, or someone. Ranma stiffened as a familiar figure came into sight. Beside her Akane stiffened as well, and a low growl came from his throat. Ukyou looked at him in surprise. Akane had always found Kuno a pain, but Ukyou could never remember him actually hating Kuno, but that sounded very much like hate. Ranma also reacted to Akane's growl. She turned fierce eyes on Akane. "You stay out of this. This if my fight. Let me handle it." Akane directed a gaze just as fierce at Ranma's at the little red head. "No way. I'm going to smash that baka for what he did yesterday." Ukyou was sure Ranma was going to argue, but instead she looked up at Akane with her eyes wide, and an expression on her face that threatened to give Ukyou a saccharin overdose. "Please Akane, it would mean ever so much to me." Ukyou waited for Akane to laugh in Ranma's face, but instead the stern expression on his face melted, and he sighed in resignation. "Fine, but the first sign of trouble, and I'm nailing Kuno." "Trouble? With Kuno? Give me a break. I'll clean his clock in five seconds." "Right, just like yesterday." Akane said. "Hey! I wasn't at full strength then. I'm recovered now. He doesn't stand a chance." Ranma turned and began to march toward Kuno. Determination in every stride she took. Akane shook his head in exasperation, and started to move closer so he could intervene quickly if he needed to. Akane noticed Ukyou staring at him, and snapped out. "What?" "Oh nothing sugar. It's just that if I had any doubt about you turning into a real boy, that piece of manipulation settled it. I can't believe you fell for Ranchan's cute girl act." "What? I never did, it's just . . . well, if it meant so much to her that she'd stoop that low, then I had to let her try. That's all, it's not like I bought the act." Stoop that low? Meant so much? Ukyou thought to herself. She had seen Ranchan use that same act to get an extra scoop of ice cream. She loved the little red head dearly, but sometimes she showed a little too much of her fathers influence for Ukyou's liking. She wisely kept from mentioning it to Akane, the last thing they needed right now was Akane proving he was not giving into Ranma. >From the way Akane and Ranma were talking, Ukyou had a feeling Ranma had lost a fight to Kuno yesterday, and that was something her Ranchan could never stand for. She needed a chance to kick his ass. Ranma marched toward Kuno grim determination in ever line of her body. She mentally went over every blow she planned on landing. She'd teach him to manhandle her. How dare he fondle her. How dare he force her over his lap. How dare he spank her. And most importantly, how dare he rub _ himself _ up _ against _ her? As her memory of the day before played through her mind, Ranma slowed her approach toward Kuno, moving slower and slower until she came to a complete stop. She was now close enough to Kuno that she had to look up to see his face. He was so tall, so powerfully built. Yesterday he had handled her like a child. Suddenly doubts filled her mind. She was at full strength today, but she had been very close to it yesterday. Yet Kuno had not even worked up a sweat. Had he been training? Had he found another magic sword? Another magic potion? Had he rediscovered the confidence that Happosai's phony magic had instilled in him? Kuno had very nearly beaten Ranma in her male form that day. Only the fact that he had become ill from eating the dirt from under Happosai's finger nails had saved Ranma, and that had all been from Kuno's own belief he was unbeatable. He had already beaten her once. Maybe that would give him the confidence to do it again. Fear was not an emotion Ranma was in general acquainted with. At least not fear of physical harm to herself. But what Kuno threatened was not physical harm, at least not the sort of harm Ranma was use to facing. Her breath was suddenly coming in labored gasps. She looked up, way up into Kuno's aloof face. Something in her quailed at the sight. He did not appear to be his usual buffoonish self. She felt doubt. What if he beat her here in front of everyone, what if he turned her over his knee and spanked her in front of the whole school. A ball of nausea formed in her stomach, and even more frightening, she became very aware of her overly sensitive nipples pressing against the firm surface of her sports bra, while the nausea in her belly was joined by another sensation she did not even want to think about. Why, oh why, hadn't she let Akane handle this? Well, it was too late to do anything about it now. She was committed. She drew a deep breath and fell into a defensive pose. "All right Kuno! Let's do it!" Kuno fought to keep his joy from showing on his face. All night he had suffered the torments of the damned, wondering if he had erred in judgment the day before. He had tossed and turned in his sleep wondering if he had irrevocably, and forever, driven his pig tailed goddess from his side by his crude actions. When she had entered the gates of this purgatory some called a school, his fears had fled. Like a crown of fire, her flaming tresses had been restored to their former glory. Gone was the dull dead hair that Saotome had inflicted on her gentle head. His heart had leaped as he had witnessed her march toward him. With every step closer he could see the struggle on her face as she fought Saotome's spell. How he had longed to rush to her, to sweep her up into his tender embrace, to shower her with the love she deserved. It had taken all the willpower he possessed to prevent himself from doing so. To truly break Saotome's spell, he was forced to treat her as nothing. If he were to do as he wished, and run forward to take her into his arms, he would sentence the poor gentle creature to the fate of enduring Saotome's vile embraces for all time. His anger burned and scorched his soul. He had to give it an outlet. Fortunately he had one. He lifted his bokken and pointed it at the foul fiend. "Saotome, thy vile shape shifting cur. I Tatewaki Kuno do challenge you. Will you face me? Or will you continue to hide your vile nature in that fair form." Ranma stared in shock. She couldn't believe it. After all this time. Kuno had finally gotten a clue. All around her the murmurs of the various students agreed with that assessment. Many of the students, who had been shocked to see Ranma dressed in Ranko's clothing, now rushed into the school. Once inside they indulged in a massive search through their lockers for their picks in, the-when-is- Kuno-going-to-figure-it-out pool. Someone was going to be a very rich person before the day was over. Ranma ignored the sudden departure of the student body. Instead a flush of crimson washed up her face. If Kuno knew the truth, then that meant he knew who he had spanked the day before. "Nooooooo!!" Ranma screamed. She rushed blindly at Kuno, intent on wiping him from the face of the earth. Kuno merely sidestepped as he had before. Ranma's side kick took him in the ribs and drove him sprawling, several yards away. Ranma reset herself, her breath coming in great gasps as she waited for Kuno to turn and face her. He didn't. Instead, not paying the least attention to her, he got to his feet and once again leveled his bokken. At Akane. "So you vile cur. You would hide behind the frail form of the one you hold in bondage." Akane looked at him blank faced, a large sweat drop on the back of his head. "You needn't look so surprised vile wretch. Did you truly think you could fool I, Tatewaki Kuno, The Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. I would have thought you would know better when you learned I had penetrated the disguise you had inflicted on the unfortunate pigtail-girl." "Hey!" Ranma yelled. Kuno ignored her. "It took me but an instant to realize that you too must have disguised yourself." Kuno gestured at Ukyou. "As the presence of the fair Kuonji Ukyou shows, such is your lust, you can not bear to be parted from those pure maidens you have coerced and ensnared. By your own vices you have betrayed yourself. Have at you vile fiend!" With the last word, Kuno charged across the yard toward the stunned Akane. Reflexes took over, but Akane was working on conditioned reflexes, which proved his downfall. Akane struck out at a person intending to grope, but that was not Kuno's aim. His bokken lashed out, and took Akane under his upraised arm. The arm that should have delivered an uppercut that would have sent Kuno rocketing over the school. Instead it was Akane who was struck. He staggered to the side with a gasp of pain. A hand clutched at his side. Red tinged Ranma's vision. Red tinged Ukyou's vision. Just like the blood the imagined under Akane's hand. Kuno threw back his head and laughed. "Fall you vile miscreant. At last your sorcery fails you. Fall at the hands and sword of the Blu--- Urk" {various scenes of wanton and cruel violence cut in the name of good taste} Akane managed to drag Ranma and Ukyou off of Kuno before they did any permanent damage. He held each of them under one arm as they screamed and cursed at the battered remains of the Blue Blunder. It took them several minutes to calm down, Ukyou first when she realized what their struggles must be doing to Akane's wound. "Akane, are you alright? Let us down. We have to get you to the nurse's station." Hearing Ukyou's words, Ranma stopped her struggling as well, and said. "Akane, let me down. I have to check you out." Akane let both of them down, and over his protest, they checked his torn jacket. They looked closely, and then, looked at each other. "I don't understand. I saw the strike, it should have cut you." Ranma said in a puzzled tone. Ukyou nodded her head. "Me to. You have a stain on your jacket, but no wound. . . Wait, here's something, . . . No that can't be it, this one is a least three days old. And why is the scab blueish? Did you spill some ink on yourself?" "What? Let me see." Ranma said. She looked closely at the wound. "That can't be right, I'd have seen that last night if it had been there. So would you have for that matter Ukyou. What gives Akane?" Akane held up her hand and showed the blood on his fingers. Only it was not blood, but a blue liquid. They all stared at it in puzzlement. Then, Yousee hissed at them from her position tucked into Ukyou's cleavage. "Don't you people listen? I told Akane last night his healing factor had increased, and I know he told you this morning. The blue stuff is what her blood looks like now." She directed an accusing look at Ukyou. "How do you expect to be a demon hunter if you can never remember even the simple things?" "Shush." Ukyou said. "Do you want everyone to see you? Get out of sight. I have some serious flattening to do." With that Ukyou un-slung her battle spatula and turned to face Kuno's battered form. "Hold it!" Akane said, grabbing Ukyou arm, then quickly doing the same for Ranma as she started toward Kuno as well. Ranma turned angry eyes on him. "Do you think we're going to let him get away with that. He didn't know you'd heal that fast. He could have hurt you." "Remember what you said about Ryouga not being responsible Ranma." "Yea, but that was because the potion had driven him crazy . . ." "Whereas Kuno has always been crazy." Ukyou finished. "Exactly," Akane said. "Kuno thought I was you, and that's why he attacked the way he did. It was my own fault. I reacted to him like he was coming after my girl side. I anticipated his movements, and blew it. I got hit because of my mistake, not Kuno's." "Uh oh." Ranma said in a worried tone. Akane followed her gaze and big sweated as well. Nabiki was marching toward them, and she did not look happy. "What the hell is going on here!?" Nabiki demanded angrily as she reached them. "Do you know how much I forked over to get Ranma's hair dyed? Now the whole school knows that Tendo Ranko is Saotome Ranma. Dim as they are, it's not going to take them long to put two and two together and figure out who you likely are. . ." Nabiki trailed off, most of her attention had been on Ranma's vivid red hair, but when she had finally looked her 'little brother' in the face, she noticed some new additions. For a second Nabiki looked at a loss for words, but then, she said. "Pick Kuno baby up. We need to talk somewhere private, and the nurse's station should do the trick." By this time Akane had noticed the marks on Nabiki's forehead and cheeks, and was eager to talk to his sister in private as well. They all gathered in the nurse's station. Nabiki gave Ukyou an uncertain look. "It might be best if you went to class and covered for Ranma and Akane," she said. "No way!" Yousee shouted out. "If you think I'm going to let you demons conspire without some supervision, you have another think coming!" Nabiki looked at the small duplicate of Ukyou who had just stuck her head out from inside Ukyou's school jacket. "Oh . . . kay," she said. "Off hand it would seem you already know what these marks mean." Nabiki said, pointing at her own forehead markings. She then turned her finger in Yousee's direction. "So would someone please tell me what the hell that is?" Ukyou answered as Yousee climbed out of her hiding spot and perched on her shoulder. "This is Yousee. She's a spirit from the Kami plain. She's here to help me become a demon hunter." Once again Nabiki was caught be surprise. "Perhaps I was too hasty. You do know what these new decorations on Akane and my faces mean don't you?" "They mean that the demon heritage in our blood line was activated by the instant Jusenkyo curse." Akane said. "You know that for a fact?" "Well, Yousee is pretty sure that's the reason." "Hmm, Cologne thought that was the case as well, but she was only taking her best guess. It's nice to get it confirmed from an outside source." Nabiki looked at Yousee and Ukyou. "I assume there is a reason you are not trying to do my 'brother' and me any harm?" "We're married." Akane said, and then, clasped a hand over his mouth. Ranma rolled her eyes in disgust. "Smooth move Akane." For the third time in as many minutes Nabiki was nonplused. It was not a situation she liked. "Married!" She said in a shocked voice. "But you're both girls . . . Ah, well, I guess that argument doesn't really hold any water does it. Still, it is rather sudden isn't it? I mean you've hardly had time to get a licence . . ." Nabiki voiced suddenly dragged to a halt. She brought a hand up and rested it on her forehead. Without looking at the others she said in a weary voice. "Let me guess, you two are soul bonded." "Us three." Ranma broke in. She rather enjoyed seeing Nabiki surprised. "All three of you!?" Nabiki shook her head. "Suddenly I'm very glad I'll be spending the next few days at the Nekohatten." "The Nekohatten?" Akane asked in surprise. Then, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What are you doing at the Nekohatten?" He demanded. "Why 'brother' dear, where else would I go. Surely you can't expect me to not stay with Shampoo, after all, we've only been married for a day or so." Nabiki quite enjoyed the reaction to that little bomb shell. She did so love getting her own back. Over at the Nekohatten, Cologne was cleaning up after the breakfast rush. She had been more than slightly annoyed to discover that Nabiki had deprived her of her chief waitress without notice. She had several part times girls who could fill in, but the earliest that one of them could start was the lunch hour. It was not that she needed the money. She could have left the cafe closed, but she took pride in her operation, and would only close it for the most extreme reasons. After all, she'd moved the whole thing on more than one occasion to allow Shampoo to pursue Ranma without having to shut down. As a result, when the door banged open, and Mousse staggered in, she was even less sympathetic than she normally was. WHACK! "The very idea, wondering in here at this hour. Where were you?" Mouse staggered from the blow to his head for a second, then rallied and cried out. "Sh. . . Shampoo, we have to save Shampoo! She's been captured by a demon who's possessed Tendo Nabiki's body!" "Nonsense. Nabiki is not possessed." "You old ghoul!" WHACK! Mousse rubbed his head and glared at a decorative good luck statue, made as ugly as possible in order to drive away evil spirits, "A lot you know! I encountered the creature myself! If you value Shampoo at all, you must help me free her!" "I said nonsense, and I meant nonsense. Tendo Nabiki is not possessed, she is a demon. Or at least she has demon blood in her ancestry. I suppose some people would consider that makes her a demon, but I've always maintained that it was . . ." "What!!! How can you prattle on like this!? Who knows what foulness that creature is inflicting on my poor Shampoo." "At the moment none, but I'm sure that will change. After all, that's why she bought Shampoo." "Bought!? What do you mean bought!? What have you done? You're joking, not even you would do something like that!" "I had little choice in the matter. Shampoo was in possession of Suzuka Slave Potion. You know what the law is in regards to that." Mousse reeled back in shock. "No! I don't believe it. You lie. It had to have been planted on her! One of the foolish girls who have fallen for Saotome's lies must have discovered the law. Maybe even Nabiki herself." "I'm afraid you're wrong. Shampoo confessed to me herself. She made it here in this very kitchen." "Sh . . she did?" Mousse said rather weakly, the light beginning to dawn. Cologne lit her pipe and blew a ring of smoke in Mousse's direction. "Yes. She was under the impression that it was a cure for her Jusenkyo curse. Of course she did not try to use that as an excuse, she was very insistent on obeying the law. She has always been a good girl that way. Of course Nabiki being a descendant of a Shikima demon, was very conveniently at hand to provide the necessary purchaser." "Shi . . . Shi . . . Shikima!? You didn't! You couldn't have!" "Oh yes I did. We were able to work out a very good price. It was too bad really, but what was I to do. I would have to do the same to any Amazon I found with that potion in their possession. Mousse, who had been about to scream in anger at Cologne suddenly paled. "You would!?" "Oh yes, I could hardly do less after selling my own granddaughter to a Shikima demon. Why don't you go upstairs and clean off? You look like you've had a hard night." Cologne watched the dazed form of Mousse as he stumbled up the stairs. He was numb with shock at the moment, but her actions would have the desired result. He would destroy or otherwise dispose of his share of the potion. She narrowed her eyes in concentration. Of course once the shock wore off, he would be out for Nabiki's blood. However, before that happened, she'd have a little talk with him. The Amazon's had taken into consideration that a friend or lover might try to save or rescue the accused, by killing their purchaser. If they did, then the convicted Amazon would be resold, and so would the would be rescuer. In the case of a male they would be dipped in the Nyanniichuan first. It was not that there were no buyers for comely boys and men, but the Amazon's wanted the law breaker to face what the captive Amazon females had faced. Cologne would remind Mousse of that, and maybe take him on a rooftop tour of some of the alternative purchasers of young female flesh. This was suppose to be a civilized country, but Cologne was too old, and had seen to much to believe there was no market for young girls somewhere in this country. It was merely a matter of contacting a source who would know for sure. Once he was thoroughly cowed, she would dangle a carrot, the fact that she intended to petition the Elders for clemency on Shampoo's behalf. If he did nothing, then it would be only a matter of time till Shampoo was once again a full Amazon. On the other hand, if he interfered, maybe even harmed Nabiki, then the penalty would be permanent, with no hope of eventual parol. She nodded in satisfaction. That would do the trick. Mousse might not like it, but she would plant the idea that Nabiki was not truly Shampoo's owner. After all, the Tendo girl was not even a martial artist. So what if she had demon blood. She was still no match for Shampoo. Yes, she would drive home the point that Nabiki was only supplying a service to Shampoo, for a price. She was even staying here so Cologne could keep an eye on her. Cologne saw no need to mention what sort of servicing Nabiki was providing Shampoo, or the fact that the two of them were soul bonded. Mousse stared into the mirror through his newest pair of glasses. They were a quarter of an inch thicker than the last pair, and still the face in the mirror was slightly blurred. Soon he would truly be blind, and with no hope of ever winning his love. He gazed at his reflection, looking at a face that was suddenly ancient, old before its time. The eyes behind those glasses were like pools of darkness that reflected the pain and anguish of his soul. His Shampoo, in the hands of a fiend from the nether regions, and he, helpless to do anything about it. With a hand that shook, he held up a small vial of potion to the light. Such a small thing, and yet it had meant so much. Freedom from his curse, a chance to at last be with the one it was his destiny to have. Now . . . now, the dream was ashes in his mouth. He did not question what he had to do. The story of the loss of the Amazon empire, the fate of the captive females, and the law that had resulted, was too deeply ingrained in him for that. He tilted the bottle in his hand so the light would shin through the golden contents. Suzuka Slave Potion, who would have thought such a vile substance could look so beautiful. Mousse pulled the top from the bottle, and held it out over the sink. Drawing a deep breath, he tipped the bottle, brought it to his lips, and pouring the entire contents down his throat with one gulp. The taste brought him out of his daze, he choked and sputtered, as he gazed at the now empty bottle in his hand in shock. Then, the first convulsion rocked his body, and he fell to the floor, a twitching heap, in too much pain to even scream as his very soul was ripped from his body. Urgant exulted, at last, at very long last, he had done it. He had wrestled control for just long enough to force Mousse to pour the foul concoction down his throat. Now, even as more raw magic than he had ever witnessed flowed out of the collapsing Jusenkyo curse, he activated the spells that he had spent the evening laying out. He had to use the magic now, with out delay, he could not for one instant try to contain it. He had to direct and channel it, not dam it up. He felt the spells he had carefully constructed pulse and bulge with energy. The energy matrix that was his present form was drawn down into Mousse's convulsing body, and the spells ripped Mousse's soul free and implanted Urgant's in its place. Sensation flooded through him, and with it came the realization that he had succeeded. He had a body, his long years of study and thought had payed off. He had a human body in the mortal realm. More importantly, he had a demon's mind in a human body that was capable of becoming a magic user. A mind loaded with the accumulated knowledge of a thousand, thousand years of existence. Even as he exulted, he controlled himself. The spells were not done yet. He had reached his goal, but the magic to do that was a fraction of the total surging through his new body. Even now it threatened to destroy the basic matrix of his being, he had to use it before it slipped out of his fragile control. Well, he had planned for that. What better use for Jusenkyo magic, than the creation of a new form for the poor dispossessed Mousse. Coils of magic cradled Mousse's sundered soul, containing it while a raw torrent of magic built a body around it. Urgant watched with hot eyes as the magic followed the template he had laid down in the patterns of his spells. It did more than just create a physical form however, he watched in glee as it implanted the controls and drives he had created into the new body's mind. He very much looked forward to savoring Mousse's horror when the fool discovered the surprises lurking in her new mind and body. It was so easy. The fool already had the inclinations, all he had to do was reinforce them, make them too powerful to be controlled. Oh yes, she was going to be a truly wondrous toy. At last the magic exhausted itself, but not before it finished every spell Urgant had prepared before hand. He looked down at the form on the floor in front of him with something very near affection. Mousse was a fool, but his blundering and poor sense had enabled Urgant to realize his dream. As he looked at the exquisite feminine form in front of him, he decided that maybe he wouldn't be quite as hard on her as he had planned. After all, thanks to the implanted controls, she couldn't really fight back. He bent over her, intent on satisfying a lust that had been simmering for two thousand years. CRACK! Urgant reared back in pain as something struck him across the top of the head. A voice cried out in anger behind him. "You fool Mousse, what have you done?" Urgant turned and saw the withered figure of Cologne perched on top of her staff, no doubt the object that had just struck him across the top of his head. Urgant had given some though on how he was going to pass himself off as Mousse while getting himself settled in this modern world. Prime in those plans, had been keeping a low profile around Cologne, in whom he sensed a great deal of power. All that careful planning went out the window. The pain in his head, coupled with his natural instinct to lash out at an insult to his status, caused him to forget caution, and to act in anger. "Fool!!" he roared. "How dare you assault me!" He flung his arms up and chains shot forth from inside his sleeves. They curved and writhed through the air as if alive. Cologne was caught by surprise, but she hoped backward to gain some distance, and spun her staff in a whirling circle. The chains struck that blurred disk, and links showered the room as they were shredded. Urgant let out a high pitched scream as this happened, and the remainders of the chains snapped back into his sleeves like wounded animals seeking their den. "That is the problem with investing your weapons with too much of your chi." Cologne said, showing little sympathy for the pain struck youth. Then, she narrowed her eyes and stared at him intently. "What are you up to? Who is that girl?" Cologne snapped out, more to gauge his reaction than in any hope of an answer. "That is for me to know crone. As for the girl, she is mine. I will take my property and leave this dreary place." "I think not!" Cologne said, placing herself between Mousse, and the comatose girl on the floor. "You would challenge me!?" Urgant said as menacingly as he could manage in the circumstances. His body was wracked by pain from his abortive attack on Cologne. "I would deny you. I do not consider you a challenge. Do you wish to attempt to change my mind?" Urgant snarled in baffled fury. Almost it seemed he would take her up on her offer, but then, he whirled and a hook-tipped chain shot from his sleeve and out the window. It found something on the other side to latch on to, and Urgant let it pull him out of the room, leaving Cologne and the girl behind. Cologne watched the window for a little while, waiting to see if he would attempt to return. At last, satisfied that he was not coming back, she turned to the girl on the floor. As she had noted when entering the room, she was quite naked, her only covering being the heavy mane of white hair that flowed from her head, and in her present position, covered most of her body. Cologne nudged the girl with her staff, causing her to roll over on her side with a small moan. Cologne came as near as she ever had to falling off her perch. The girl on the floor was, with the exception of her white hair, a perfect replica of Shampoo. "What have you done indeed you fool?" Cologne murmured to herself. Back at Furinkan, classes were starting, and Hiroshi and Daisuke were questioning Ranma out of the sides of their mouths, while they waited for Miss Hinako to show up. "So Ranma, what is it this time?" "Yea Ranma, what's with the disguise? Do you have any idea of how much money I blew on Nabiki's information sheet?" Ranma smirked. "Serves you right, you should know better than to let her sell you anything." "Yea, maybe, but what's with you? How come you're dressed like that?" "Are you trying to run some sort of a scam on that Akira guy?" Daisuke directed a sour look over at where numerous girls were crowding around Akane. Most specifically, he looked at a one particular brown haired girl. "If you are, then count me in. I'd almost convinced Yuki to go out with me, then, he showed up." "Ha, you don't have to worry about him stealing any girls from you." Ranma said with a smirk. There was no way either Ukyou or her were going to share Akane with another girl. "What do you mean by that?" Hiroshi asked "Say, what's with you and him anyway? Is he really Akane's cousin? And how come you start dressing like a girl when he shows up?" Ranma big sweated. Oops, what was she going to do now? It wasn't like she could come out and say Akane was Akane. He'd kill her. Akane intended to confess the truth, but in his own time. Suddenly a grin spread across her face, which she quickly suppressed. Turning her now disgruntled face toward her two friends, she said in a disgusted tone of voice. "It's all Oyaji"s fault," she said. Both Hiroshi and Daisuke nodded at this. It generally was Ranma's father's fault, at least to hear Ranma tell it. "What's he done now?" Daisuke asked. "Got me engaged to a guy." "NANI??" Both boys cried out in shock, then quickly lowered their voices, looking around in panic less Hinako-sensei was anywhere about. "You're engaged to a guy!?" Daisuke said in a horrified whisper. Ranma was unable to keep a twinkle of mischief out of her eyes. Fortunately, neither Daisuke of Hiroshi were looking her in the eyes, even after a revelation like that. She schooled her voice to sound as depressed as she could manage and said, "yea, and it really sucks. He's always trying to hold my hand, and snuggle up closer to me. Worst off all, he's so strong, that he doesn't even notice when I punch him. So I can't get him to back off." Hiroshi looked puzzled. "I don't get it. Why are you going around in your cursed form acting like a girl? I would have thought that would be the last thing you'd want to do." Ranma directed a puzzled look at him, then her face cleared. "Didn't I tell you? He's gay." Both of the other boys face faulted. "Ga . . .gay!?" They finally managed to sputter out. "Yea, it's a real pain. I'm going to have to try and get him a boyfriend so I can go back to normal." She cast a speculative look at her two friends. "Say, you two are always saying you'll do anything to help me out . . ." She trailed off, giving them time to register what she was suggesting. Before they could react however, the door opened, and Hinako- sensei came into the room. That would normally be enough to still all the chatter in the class, and it was true that all the girls hurried to their seats while the boys sat up straighter and looked attentive. However, this time it was not just her presence that accounted for the sudden silence. All eyes were focused on Hinako-sensei in surprise. Over the last few months they had gotten use to a home room teacher who looked like she was twelve years old. She no longer did so. Hinako's juvenile form had always hovered on the edge of puberty, and it was a continuing topic of conversation among the students, on what it must be like for her to go through puberty ever time she drained a battle aura. Whatever it had been like, she would never experience it again. Her formally flat immature chest now displayed a small pair of mounds that indicated clearly Hinako's juvenile form had at last crossed over the fence from childhood, to girlhood. They were in no way as impressive as her adult chest, but their very presence emphasized the changes in their teacher. She was four inches taller. Her face had trimmed down slightly, losing some baby fat, and highlighting her new mature looks. Of course, only in Furinkan, would a fourteen year old teacher be considered mature. Hinako scowled at the students, as they stared in surprise at her. She could not accuse them of inattention this morning. Every one of them was staring raptly at her. So she flipped open her student record book and began to take attendance. When she reached Tendo Ranko, she scowled at Ranma. "Do you have an explanation for this Mr. Saotome. I do not like nasty people making fun of me you delinquent. All the teachers put up with your bad behavior, and the way you show up in different bodies. We even allow you to wear non-regulation clothing to accommodate your condition. It's nasty of you to play a trick like this. I don't want to see you dressed like that again. Do you understand!" Hiroshi, and Daisuke exchanged sympathetic looks, and glanced across at Akira. "Poor guy. Now he's in for it for sure." Hiroshi whispered to Daisuke, from behind the cover of a hand he lifted to his mouth. Ranma's expression was strained as she rose to her feet to face the angry teacher. "I'm sorry Sensei. I won't be able to do that, not for a little while." "And why is that?" Hinako asked, reaching into her change pocket, with a scowl on her face. "Are you going to be a delinquent again you naughty boy?" "No, no. That's not it!" Ranma said hastily. "My mother insists I dress like this." She turned up the cuteness voltage in her blue eyes, and looked at Hinako with as Kawai an expression as she could manage. "You wouldn't want me to disobey my mother would you?" Hinako was unmoved by Ranma's expression, which was more than could be said for several boys who were sitting between them, in the firing zone as it were, they looked slightly shell shocked. "Why would your mother demand such a thing?" Hinako said with a scowl. "Is she a pervert?" "NO!!" Ranma shot out, her expression suddenly as angry as Hinako's. "I'm trapped like this. Mom doesn't want me bringing dishonor on our family by behaving wrong for this body in public." "Trapped?" Hinako asked with a lifted eye brow. "For how long?" "I don't know, there's a technique I have to master to change back, and I don't know how long that is going to take." Hinako continued to look skeptical, but then, she snorted, and said. "Very well, but I will be watching, and if I see any delinquent actions, I'll take steps." Giving Ranma one final glare of warning, she went back to taking attendance. Reading the next name on the list, Hinako's entire demeanor changed. "Tendo Akira." If most of the class had not been busy looking at Ranma with various expressions, ranging from shock and disgust, to barely restrained glee, they might have noticed something peculiar about their teacher's behavior. "Here," Akane answered, and for a second it looked like he was going to continue, but then, he lowered his head, and directed a guilty look across at Ranma. Ranma returned the look with one that seemed to say, so, it's-not-so-easy-is-it? Akane scowled and lunged to his feet, sending his chair clattering to the floor. He blushed in embarrassment as all eyes focused on him. Ranma hung her head, and shook it. Here we go, she thought to herself, the vampire is going to nail him good now. Much to everyone surprise, rather than scowling angrily at Akira's delinquent behavior, Hinako looked at him with a funny expression on her face and said. "Yes, Mr Tendo, what is it?" "Ah," Akane looked around at all the eyes focused on him, and blushed a little harder. "I, ah, I have . . . anannouncementtomake!" He finished in a rush, then realizing how he sounded, he qualified his statement. "I've been lying, and want to get matters straight before they go too far." Akane gave Ranma a look that said, see-it's- not-that-hard-you-just-have-to-be-honest. "And what would that be Mr. Tendo?" Hinako asked, still speaking in a tone of voice quite unlike her usual. Akane looked suddenly a lot less sure of himself. Ukyou held up a thermos. "Here sugar, maybe this will help." All the girls in class, including Miss Hinako, glared at Ukyou for using such a familiar term. Akane ignored their reaction, and took the thermos with a grateful look at Ukyou. Unscrewing the top, he took a firm grip on the waist band of his pants, and poured a small amount of hot water over his, now her head. Everyone, with the exception of Ranma and Ukyou, face faulted. Ukyou quickly produced another container, this one with cold water. She was not going to take any chances leaving an Akane, who could barely keep herself decently covered with her now oversized clothes, female in a room loaded with hormone crazed teenage boys. Akane, now male again, gave her a smile of understanding. He looked at the members of their home room, who had recovered partially, and were all staring at her with rather glazed expressions on their faces. "You see, I've picked up a variant of Ranma's curse, at first we thought it was only going to be temporary, and that's why I tried to keep it a secret. We found out last night that it's going to be more or less permanent, and so there is no reason to hide it anymore. I decided to keep coming as a guy, because of what would happen if I was splashed with cold water. The difference in size is so great, that I'd burst out of any clothing that comes close to fitting my female body." Several boys in the room pricked up their ears, looking very interested in this fact. "I'm sorry for fooling everyone, and hope you can forgive me." Akane had spent most of his speech staring at the ground, while everyone else in the class had been mesmerized by Akane's demonstration, and speech. Therefor, it came as a complete surprise to everyone when, with a load wail, Hinako rushed from the room. "Was, was she crying??" Ranma murmured softly to herself, before noting that Hiroshi and Daisuke were inching away from her. "What's with you guys?" She asked in surprise. The last thing the two leachers ever did was try to avoid her while she was in girl form. "You never told us the curses were catching!" Daisuke said accusingly, while Hiroshi nodded in agreement. Ranma stared at their fearful faces, a large sweat drop forming on the back of her head. "You're kidding, right?" The clatter of the front door caused Cologne to shout in irritation, "can't you read!? We're closed till further notice, go away." She looked up when a voice drawled sardonically, "my, what a lovely welcome. Makes me feel right at home." Cologne looked up from where she was leaning over a tattered old book. "Oh, it's you son-in-law. What are you doing home so early?" Nabiki lifted an eyebrow at the son-in-law comment, but let it pass. Truth be told, she rather liked the sound of it. Instead, she said. "I found it advisable to vacate the school for a little while." "Ah," Cologne said, "well, I did warn you to avoid boys." Nabiki very nearly blushed. After realizing Akane and Ranma were going to drop the deception, Nabiki had figured the reactions of the students to the knowledge that she had scammed them, yet again, would be fairly strong. Any other person would have decided at that point to make themselves scarce. That was not the reason Nabiki had decided to call it a day. She'd faced down outraged customers before. She rather enjoyed doing it, their faces turned such lovely shades. It was not until she caught herself fantasizing about letting one of the larger group of boys that would be looking for her, catch her, preferable in an isolated spot where they would not be interrupted for some time, that she had elected to make an early day of it. The urge was still very strong, but she hated to admit she was so out of control. Instead she changed the subject. Looking around at all the tables that were liberally covered with dirty dishes, she said. "I see you had a busy morning." Cologne snorted, and lifted her gaze from the musty old book she was reading, and glared at Nabiki. "What I had was a disaster. Someone it seems, has ordered my waitress to remain a cat for a week." Cologne looked back down at the book, but continued to talk. "That being the case, why don't you take the apron from behind the kitchen door and start clearing the tables. I'd like to get this place clean before the lunch crowd gets here." "Me?" Nabiki said in an incredulous voice. "You want me to do dishes?" Cologne lifted her head once again and looked at Nabiki, she did not say a word, but Nabiki backed up a step. "Right then. You said the apron was behind the door?" Cologne said, nothing, just went back to reading. "Right then, I'll just get started then." Nabiki gave a shiver, and started to clear dirty dishes. She was an order of magnitude more observant than Ranma, and what she had observed in Cologne's eyes very clearly said she should shut up and be very quiet while she washed the dishes. "So Ranma, you're stuck like this are you?" Daisuke asked "You're sure it's not catching?" A nervous Hiroshi added. At Ranma's disgusted look he held up his hands and said, "Ok, ok, I believe you, it's not catching." They were taking advantage of Miss Hinako's absence to talk. The two boys in particular felt they owed Ranma for the scam she almost pulled on them, and were eager to even the score. "I just want you to know that we'll be there for you Ranma." Daisuke said, resting a hand on Ranma's shoulder. "If you ever need anyone to talk to, we'll be here." "Yea Ranma, we'll stand by you in this, and if you never change back, we'll still be your friends through thick and thin." "That's right, you can count on us." "That's really swell guys. You know what would be even better?" "What's that?" They both said at once. Ranma swatted both of them up side the head. "If you jerks would stop drooling all over my tits while you're talking to me!! You Bakas!" Hiroshi and Daisuke both held the side of their heads, but the grin they directed at Ranma was unrepentant. "Aw, give us a break Ranma. You're just so darn cute." "Yea, we can't help ourselves." Ranma sighed in exasperation, but she wasn't really all that mad. Unlike a lot of the boys, who tried to hide their appreciation of her body, while buying Nabiki's stock of pictures out on a regular basis, Daisuke and Hiroshi had always been up front concerning their good humored lust for her form. More than once splashing her to make it appear. Despite that, Ranma truly liked them, and considered them friends. They, like most of the boys in Ranma's class, had begged for introductions to the pig-tailed girl. Unlike the other boys, however, they had not withdrawn in disgust from Ranma when the truth was revealed. They had merely continued being her friends. Keeping her company at school as a boy, and leering with good humor at her girl side whenever it made an appearance. Seeing as how Miss Hinako was gone, Ranma decided to engage in one of her favorite class room activity. "So, anyone up for a game of cards." "Strip poker?" Hiroshi asked, waggling his eyebrows at her. "Baka?" Ranma said. "All I want from you is your lunch money. Looking at your pathetic bodies would just kill my appetite." "Yea right, in your dreams Saotome." "Is that really you Akane?" Unlike Ranma, most of Akane's friends were avoiding her, only two, and Ukyou, were currently gathered around him. It had taken them a little longer to get up the nerve then Ranma's two cronies. However, their curiosity had finally overwhelmed them. If, unlike Daisuke and Hiroshi, they were taking Akane's status with less than glee, neither were they retreating from her in disgust, like the other girls in the class. If anyone had asked them, they might have said that they'd expected something like this to happen to Akane someday. Akane was closer to the weirdness that surrounded Ranma than anyone. It was bound to rub off on her eventually. "Yes, it's all me." Akane answered Yuki, who was staring up at Akane, a rather forlorn look on her face. "It must be so strange." She said. "You have no idea. If it weren't for Ranma and Ukyou, I don't know if I'd be handling it as well as I am." "Ukyou?" Kanomi said, "I thought you two were rivals?" Kanomi was a new friend, she had arrived at school a few months ago, and had kept to herself, until Akane had dragged her into their group. She was a tall blond with long wavy hair. She has some sort of a condition that kept her from attending gym, but despite that, she and Akane got along very well. Surprisingly, after her initial reaction, she seemed to be taking Akane's transformation in stride. She had been the first to come over to talk, and except for an initial, wow, effect, had not seemed bothered in the least by Akane's new form. "That's old news sugar." Ukyou said. "I dropped my claim to Ranma-honey a few months ago. I have a new guy now." Kanomi looked at her speculatively. "Anyone we know?" Both Akane and Ukyou suddenly looked flustered. "No!" They both said at once. Yuki blinked at their vehemence, but Kanomi merely smiled, and looked speculatively between the two of them. Yuki seemed to be oblivious to their flustered condition. Instead, she looked across at Ranma. "What about you and Ranma? She won't be chasing other girls all the time now, but it must make it pretty hard. Her being a girl and all." Kanomi snorted with laughter. "I bet pretty hard is a good description of the situation. How about it Akane," she said with a knowing look. "Are things 'hard' between you and Ranma?" Akane looked even more flustered, but fortunately, an interruption occurred. "Aloha, Keiki. It is I, the big Kahuna. Come to teach all you poor neglected bruddas and sistas while the little Wahine, she get control of herself." A not so muffled groan echoed through the class room. the only ones not upset were Akane and Ukyou, who welcomed even this insane interruption. "Damn!" Cologne slammed the book in front of her shut with a bang, causing Nabiki, who was elbow deep in hot sudsy water, to jump in surprise. Turning she looked over at the elder, who for the last hour had been silently studying. "Problems?" She asked. Instead of answering her, Cologne asked a question of her own. "You mentioned that the Suzuka potion had some side effects. What were they?" Nabiki thought for a minute, and then, said. "I would have to say that it appears to have affected their libidos. They lost control of their sexual urges. Ranma experienced uncontrolled orgasms, it was almost like she was having a seizure. Mousse, according to Shampoo, became much bolder and even more aggressive than usual. Which is saying a lot for him. I experienced that first hand. He forced himself on me when I tried to get him to leave Shampoo and I alone. I believe Shampoo filled you in on what happened then?" "Indeed she did. What of Ryouga, how did this manifest in him?" Nabiki frowned. Her face showing the debate she was having with herself over whether she should tell or not, finally she decided on the truth. "He raped Ranma." She said bluntly, and was rewarded by seeing Cologne start in shock, but she recovered quickly. "I see. That then, is what you meant by Ranma having a greater skill in self-deception." "That's right. Ranma is fully convinced that it was nothing more than another type of fight." "And do you agree with that?" "No! I watched her at school this morning when she faced Kuno. I've been watching Ranma for a very long time, and especially how she reacts in battle. She was scared of Kuno, and I can only think of one thing that would cause that. She's been affected more than she knows by what Ryouga did to her." "Do you think it is likely to happen again?" "That's hard to say. It was completely out of character for Ryouga, so I have to agree with Ranma that it was the potion. Ranma seems free of the side effects the potion caused in her, but then, she has not been taking it on a regular basis, just the one time, as well, she took a massive dose that one time, so she's maybe not a good control for evaluating the long term effect the potion. We have to assume that Ryouga is still taking it., he would have no reason to stop. Mousse has been taking it on a regular basis, and was still suffering side effects yesterday, if that is any indication." "I notice you didn't mention what sort of side effect it had on Shampoo?" Nabiki snorted, "The fact that we are having this conversation, and that I spent the night sleeping with a cat should be all that you need to know about what it did to Shampoo." Nabiki looked around, and asked. "Where is the little fur ball anyway?" Her tone of voice contradicted the words she used. It was softer and gentler than her normal speaking voice, and the sarcasm sounded good humored, rather than bitter. "She was sleeping on the seat of her new bike earlier, but we had an incident, and I put her upstairs as a guard." "Guard? Guard against what? Or should I say who?" "That is the problem. I don't know. Mousse seems to have gained some skill in magic, and has created something, or as you said, someone. His behavior was, as you described, very out of character, and quite arrogant. Have you noted any signs that Ranma might be demonstrating magical ability?" Nabiki suddenly lost her rather laconic pose, and Cologne took note of the sudden intense look that crossed her face. "You did notice something then?" "When Ranma and Akane became intimate for the first time, a golden glow surrounded them, it blew out several electronic devices in Akane's room. Even more importantly, ever since then, Akane seems to have a full blown Jusenkyo curse, even though she was only exposed to the instant variety. I'm sure that it's a result of the energy Ranma emitted." "That could be it then, but I'm at a loss as to how Mousse was able to focus it so well." "Just what did duck boy do anyway?" "You had better come upstairs. It will be easier to explain if you see for yourself. Not that I have any explanation to offer at the moment." The first thing Nabiki noted upon entering Shampoo's room was Shampoo, in human form, sitting on a chair. As soon as Shampoo saw Nabiki and Cologne, she used a nearby glass of water to change form, and wriggled out of her clothes. Nabiki reflexively held out her arms as Shampoo dashed across the room and leaped at her. Cuddling the small cat, who looked worried, she whispered, "It's alright kitten, I did say you could change in an emergency." Nabiki did not say anything else, her attention was elsewhere, because the second thing she saw after entering the room was also Shampoo. This Shampoo was laying on the bed, and unlike the purple tresses of Nabiki's love, had pure white hair. Her nude condition served to show that her hair color was no die job. Or if it was, a very thorough one. Nabiki turned to Cologne, an eyebrow arched in surprise. "Mousse did this?" She asked. "I assume so. I entered the room to find him looming over her. His intent was very clear. I stopped him. Something he did not take well to at all. He attacked me." "Mousse?" Nabiki said in some surprise. "Are you sure he knew it was you?" She asked, knowing the blind boy's penchant for attacking everything but his real target. "Oh yes, there can be no doubt as to that. He was perfectly aware of who I was. His behavior was a mystery, as was the means he used to attack me." "Used a style you're not familiar with?" "No. It was his style, but modified. He imbued his weapons with far more massive amounts of his chi, or ki as you would say than is normal for him. It gave him greater than normal control over his weapons, but I can't believe he felt the side effects worth the extra little bit of control." "How so, I would have thought the more control the better?" "You would think so, but by placing so much of his life energy into them, he made them temporally part of his body, which besides giving him more control, also let him feel pain when they were damaged." A low moan from the girl on the bed broke into their conversation. They both turned as one, and three pairs of eyes watched as the girl on the bed brought her hand to her head, her face twisted in a grimace of pain. Her eyes opened, and she looked blearily around the room. "What? . . . Where? . . .YOU!" The last was screamed out as her eyes focused on Nabiki. She stiffened in preparation of launching an attack, and Nabiki stepped back hastily. Shampoo hissed a warning in the direction of the stranger, causing her to notice the cat cradled in Nabiki's arm's for the first time. "Shampoo! I'll save you my darling!" She lunged out of bed, and fell flat on her face, her feet tangled in the bedding. As she fought with the bedclothes, she continued to hurl threats at Nabiki, vowing to punish her for what she had done to her precious Shampoo. The other three people in the room big sweated, and looked at each other. "Well," Cologne said with a wry look, "now we know who she is." Nabiki nodded, and added. "The question now is, who was it you chased out of this room earlier?" "Ahhhhhhhh, what have you done to me!?" Three heads turned to focus on the white haired girl, who was kneeling on the floor now. She was looking down at her large firm breasts, a look of utter shock on her face." Nabiki chuckle. "Well Mousse, look at it this way. You always wanted Shampoo's body, now you have _OUCH!" Nabiki cried out in pain as a stabbing sensation drove through her left arm. She glared down at the cat in her arms, who looked back with an innocent, who-me, expression. Nabiki lifted the cat so they were face to face. "That was foolish, understandable, but foolish. I hope you enjoy the consequences, because I know I'm going to." Shampoo looked defiant, but Nabiki was pleased to see a glimmer of uncertainty in the cat's eyes. The episode last night had shown Shampoo that Nabiki was quite capable of punishing her in ways that were anything but enjoyable. Nabiki was suddenly knocked sprawling as she was tackled by the enraged former boy. Shampoo went flying from her arms, and Nabiki twisted her head to look at Cologne, expecting to see some help coming from that direction. To her surprise, Cologne merely perched on her staff, giving no indication that she was aware Nabiki was struggling to keep Mousse's hands away from her throat. Her surprise turned to shock as Cologne inserted her staff between Shampoo, who had been about to attack Mousse, and the struggling pair. Cologne's eyes met Nabiki's and the mercenary girl realized she was on her own. Nabiki had time to wonder if this was Cologne's revenge, then she was too busy to think of anything else except protecting herself. The two girls rocked back and forth across the floor as Nabiki tried desperately to toss Mousse off of her body. Mousse declined to be thrown, and remained on top of her, all the time trying her damnedest to get her hands around Nabiki's throat. At first Nabiki was too busy to think about the unlikelihood of her being able to last more then a second in a fight with Mousse. Then, she realized that the only reason Mousse was putting up any fight at all, was a result of her insane rage at Nabiki. Compared to Shampoo, the girl struggling with her had very little physical strength. As a matter of fact. . . Nabiki stopped trying to throw Mousse off of her body, instead she grasped the other girl's slim wrists, and concentrated on forcing Mousse's hands away from her throat. Mousse's eyes widened in shock as Nabiki easily disengaged her hands, and started to force them up and away from her. A grim light lit Nabiki's eyes, and her mouth twisted into a scowl, as she forced Mousse's hands higher and higher. Neither one of the struggling girls noticed as Cologne gave a nod of satisfaction, as if some idea of hers had just been confirmed. Nabiki gave a twist to the side, and this time managed to topple Mousse over on her back. Nabiki quickly pressed her advantage, and threw herself over so she was laying on top of the white haired girl. Holding the other girl's hands well over Mousse's head, she pressed them tightly to the floor. Mousse writhed under her, but this time Nabiki had the upper hand, and she simply lay there and enjoyed the other girl's struggles. Finally, Mousse went limp and glared up at her. "You haven't won bitch. I don't know how you did it, but I'll stop you no matter what you try." Nabiki stiffened at Mousse words, and her eyes narrowed. "There is just one thing wrong with that my dear." Nabiki leaned down and very deliberately, licked one of Mousse's recently acquired female nipples. Shampoo wailed in shock, while Mousse was too flabbergasted to do more than gasp in surprise as strange sensations shot through her new body. "You pervert!" Mousse finally gasped out. Nabiki lifted her face up from Mousse's breast, which glistened with her saliva. "Exactly!" Nabiki said with an evil grin. At Mousse's shocked look she continued. "I'm not Ranma, Mousse. I have no intention of living the rest of my live wondering when you are going to stick a knife in my back." She turned to Cologne, and was pleased to see that the old woman was looking nonplused at her actions. That was good, Nabiki counted on doing the unexpected. Being predicable was a bad thing. "How much?" She asked Cologne, who blinked in surprise. "How much for what?" Cologne asked, then her eyes widened, and she gasped. "You don't mean . . .?" "Oh yes I do mean. How much for this one? I have a yen for a matching pair, and don't expect me to pay anywhere near what I payed for Shampoo. This little mouse is no where near being in kitten's league." "You can't do that!" Mousse yelled in shock, renewing her struggles against Nabiki's grip. "I beg to differ my little rodent." Nabiki said. "You most assuredly had possession of that slave potion, and under Amazon law Cologne has no choice. Isn't that right Grandmother?" Nabiki asked. She looked over at Cologne, who cursed silently to herself. Damn Shampoo, why couldn't she keep her mouth shut. Well, Cologne thought, as she looked down as Shampoo's shocked feline face, she's paying the price for her foolishness now. Cologne looked back at Nabiki. "You are correct, I have no choice, the law is the law, as my Great Granddaughter pointed out not too long ago." She looked over at the shocked form of Mousse, running her eyes over her body, so like Shampoo's in many ways, but so different in others. Mousse's new body had no where near Shampoo's muscle tone. She had the body Shampoo might have had if she had been born into a life of luxury, never having to fight or strain a day in her life. Firm and shapely, but soft in the ways that counted to an Amazon. That was what Cologne had noticed earlier, and was why she had not interfered in the fight between the two girls. "I will not argue with you that she is not equal to Shampoo, but still, she is attractive, I could get a good price for her on the docks." Nabiki just looked back at her. "But you're not going to do that are you. You might threaten, but you would not really do that, not unless you have to. We both know that I'm the only real option." Unlike with Shampoo, Nabiki felt no sexual pleasure at bargaining for Mousse's body, and had no intention of getting into an elaborate argument on the girl's worth. "I'll give you ten thousand yen for her, take it or leave it." "And if I leave it?" "Then, I'll go down to the docks with you, and we'll try and get a good price for her." Implicit in Nabiki remark was the fact that Mousse was not going to remain free to harass her. One way or the other, she intended to see the new born girl removed as a threat to her. Mousse who had been laying is a numb stupor, came back to herself. "You're a fool if you think I'll sit idly by and let you have your way in this." Nabiki did not even look down at her. "I take it you have methods of insuring that she causes no problems for me." Cologne was looking more and more reluctant, but she answered. "Yes, there are several methods. There is the Xi Fa Xiang Gao for instance. I could erase her memory. As far as she would know, she would have always been your slave. This is not a preferred option under the law, the elders of the time wanted the girl to be aware of just what she had lost, and what was happening to her. They would have hamstrung her, or disabled her by some other means, but in this case, I suppose it is an option." "NO!!" You can't do that!" Mousse yelled, bucking under Nabiki, trying to throw her off her female body. Cologne noticed the apparent ease with which Nabiki was holding her in place, despite Mousse using several advanced martial art moves in her attempt to escape. Nabiki seemed to be countering them without thought. Aided by Mousse's weaker body, she was having no difficulty retaining her dominant position. Another supposition clicked into place. Nabiki leered down at the struggling girl. "Oh but she can, my little mouse, and she'll have to if I insist on it. Isn't that right Grandmother?" When Cologne hesitated, Nabiki tried to project a more reasonable image. "Grandmother, I don't like operating in this manner, but Mousse leaves me little choice. This is the only way I can ensure I'm going to wake up every morning." "I see, so you only wish to control her. You do not truly wish to posses her?" Nabiki smiled, and it was not a nice smile. "As I may have mentioned before. I am not Ranma. I am not in the habit of not using my own property. I have every intention of possessing her in every meaning of the word." Nabiki felt a tremor pass through the girl under her, and she looked down at Mousse. For the first time fear was evident in that face, and Nabiki felt a rush of pleasure over the fact that she was responsible for it. Nabiki's words seemed to drive a spike through Shampoo's heart, and the little cat felt the urge to curl up in a ball, and hide from the world. Tears trickled from her eyes, and dampened her whiskers. "Shampoo?" Nabiki said in a soft voice. Shampoo looked up at her owner, and was caught in the dark brown pools that were her eyes. They seemed to bore right into her soul. She gave a shiver, but did not drop her gaze. "What's the matter kitten? Do you think I love you any less?" Shampoo started in surprise, and Nabiki sighed. "You really should start listening you know. I keep telling you. I'm not a very nice person, but kitten, one thing I am, is very much in love with you. It's not something I would have gone looking for, but it happened, and I have no intention of fighting it. However, that does not mean I'm going to let you dictate my behavior. Come here!" Shampoo's rocked back in surprise as Nabiki's calm voice suddenly became icy as she snapped out her order. Before she realized what she was doing, she was walking toward Nabiki and Mousse. As she did, Nabiki looked back up at Cologne, her eyes steely. "Ten thousand Yen, take it or leave it. What's it going to be?" Cologne's own eyes flashed back, but she looked at the figure of her Great Granddaughter, and remembered the evidence of the soul scanner. No matter what Nabiki said, there was no way she could truly emotionally hurt Shampoo, not without feeling that pain herself. If Shampoo was truly distressed by the situation, and remained that way, Nabiki would feel that pain as her own. Nabiki did not strike her as one who would live with pain if she did not have to, she would bow to Shampoo's suffering in the end, and stop this if that was what was needed. So, despite how galling she found it to give the impression of caving into the younger woman, she surrendered this particular fight. "Very well, Ten thousand Yen." She turned and hopped toward the door, then she paused, and turned back. "You do have the money now don't you? I would hate for you to handle the merchandise, and then, decline to pay." Cologne smiled to herself as Mousse flinched under her words. It served the fool right. If she had not been so stupid, Cologne would not be in this position. "In my school bag." Nabiki said, without looking at Cologne, she was drinking in the fear on Mousse's face, and could not pull her gaze away. Mousse gazed up at the face of his captor, and felt an acid burning in her stomach. The look in Nabiki's eyes was something Mousse could have gone her whole life gladly without seeing. It seemed to pierce right to her center. She found herself unable to look away, and when Nabiki released her wrists, she continued to lie there, Nabiki's weight pressing her down into the floor. She could feel her bare back and ass grinding into the wooden surface, while Nabiki's breasts pressed against her own. Her own breasts! Oh, kami, what had happened to her? How had this happen? She had drunk the whole bottle of slave potion. No! She hadn't! Something had taken control of her, and made her swallow it. Why was she still alive? That much potion should have completely destroyed her chi, should have left her a lifeless husk. Or would it have? Ryouga said Ranma had drained a whole bottle and survived. Was Ryouga's version of the potion degraded? False? Not as effective? Maybe, but why was she a girl? Nothing in the potion could have done that. Could it have warped her curse? That made no sense. The thoughts raced through Mousse's mind as she tried to come to grip with the impossibility of her current situation. It was not till Nabiki rolled off her body, and stretched out along side her, that she came back to the present situation. It was the hand cupping one of her new breasts that did it. Strange sensations rippled through her body, and she twisted her head around to stare in shock at the hand slowly rubbing her flesh. "Ah, good, I see you're back with us." Nabiki purred, as she flicked one of Mousse's nipples with a long sharp fingernail. Mousse gave a small gasp as the sharp pain mixed with the unfamiliar sensations running through her body. A low growl sounded near her head, and she twisted once more, this time to look at Shampoo, scant inches away, and looking at her with death in her eyes. Mousse could swear she could see little flames danced in her pupils. . . See! Mousse suddenly realized something that drove every other thought out of her head. "I can see!" She exclaimed in wonder. "I CAN SEE!!!" She tried to sit up, but Nabiki pressed her back down on her back, compressing the breast she was using as a handle as she did so. The sensation of having her breast mauled brought Mousse back to her senses, and her hands rose to try and pull Nabiki's hand away from her sensitive flesh. "Don't touch me!" She snarled. Nabiki snarled in turn, how dare this little bitch try and tell her what do. Grasping one of Mousse's wrists, she wrenched the girl over onto her belly. Nabiki held the struggling girl with ease, and ordered Shampoo to bring her some of the scraps from the dress they had torn up the night before. For a second Shampoo looked like she was going to refuse, but then, with her head held low, and her tail dragging, she retrieved the items Nabiki requested. Using the scraps of cloth, Nabiki quickly bound Mousse's hands behind her back, and then, pulled her legs up one by one, and tied them to her wrists. When she was finished, Mousse-chan was hogtied, and quite, quite helpless. Nabiki surveyed her handiwork with pleasure. She was practically dripping from passion. The thrill of overpowering Mousse with nothing but her own body and strength was incredibly stimulating. Nabiki noticed Shampoo sulking in the corner, and her expression grew grim. "Shampoo!" She snapped out. When the cat looked up at her, she glared at her and said. "You have no one to blame but yourself. If you hadn't tried to scam me yesterday, it would be you I'd be playing with right now. I know how you feel about Mousse, and frankly, I don't give a damn. You can either spend this night, and every night for the rest of the week in the storage room, or you can help me test drive my new toy. I won't order you, and if you decide to not help, I won't hold it against you, but I'm not going to let you spoil my fun. Make up your mind. What is it going to be?" Shampoo looked back and forth between her mistress and Mousse. She was burning up with jealousy at the thought of Nabiki with someone else, but she knew Nabiki was not going to be swayed from this coarse of action. For a second she was tempted to use some hot water to restore her normal form. She could kick Mousse's ass out the window, and take Nabiki to bed by force, no matter how much the other girl might fight. She could do that, but if she did, she'd be miserable. She loved it when Nabiki used her body. Placing herself utterly in Nabiki's hands was the most exciting thing that she had ever done. Much as sharing Nabiki with Mousse disgusted her, not being with her mistress would be far, far worse. Shampoo came to a decision. She straightened her drooping tail. Lifted her eyes, and looked Nabiki straight in the face. "Merp," She burbled. The stern look on Nabiki's face melted, and she dropped to her knees, gathering Shampoo into her arms. "Oh, kitten, I'm so happy. It just wouldn't have been as much fun without you here." She turned to look at Mousse, who had quit struggling, and was looking at her once again with fear in her eyes. Nabiki glowed with pleasure at that look. She held Shampoo up to her face, and stage whispered in her ear. "Everything looks so good kitten. I don't know where to start. How about you? Do you have any ideas?" Mousse's eyes went, if anything, wider than they already were as Shampoo turned speculative cat eyes her way. She suddenly felt very much like the mouse Nabiki had named her. With Shampoo in her arms, Nabiki walked around the bound form on the floor. Mousse found herself blushing under that intimate appraisal, and then, blushed even redder for showing weakness in front of an enemy, and Shampoo. Her train of thought was broken when Nabiki finally made her first move. To her shame she gave a muffled squeal, when Nabiki bent over and ran a sharp nail along the soul of her foot. In her old body, she had callouses on top of her callouses. She could walk over hot coals with impunity. This body had no such toughness. It was without blemish or scar, the skin as delicate and sensitive as a new born. Nabiki gave a low laugh of appreciation at Mousse's sensitivity. "Oh yes, this is going to be _so_ much fun." Using her foot, she rolled Mousse over on her side. Nabiki then set Shampoo down beside Mousse, and reached out and tweaked one of Mousse's nipples. Mousse gave a little gasp, and the small bud became hard and rigid under Nabiki's fingers. "Why don't you play with these for a while kitten." Nabiki suggested. "I want to freshen up." Nabiki stood, leaving Shampoo on the floor, and walked over to the door. Just before she left, she turned and said to Shampoo. "Play nice, I'd be very annoyed to come back and find you've scratched my new toy before I've had a chance to really put it through its paces. Nabiki shut the door behind her, and leaned against the wall with a sigh. She hated doing that to Shampoo, but she had to settle this situation, and this was the best way she could think of. Besides, she thought, thinking of the expression on Mousse's face, it promised to be great fun. "I don't appreciate being handed ultimatums in my own home son-in-law." Nabiki turned her head to look at Cologne, who was sitting on her staff in the middle of the hallway. "I'm sorry, but I won't let anyone tell me how to run my personal life." "And are you planning on making Mousse part of that personal life?" Nabiki snorted. "Please, give me some credit. Shampoo would rip her throat out if I ever made full use of her." Nabiki was vehement in her denial about using Mousse fully, but there was a certain look in her eyes that suggested she wished it was otherwise. "I need to put the fear of me into Mousse, and I need to teach Shampoo some discipline. She could turn me into hamburger anytime she took the notion. I need to keep the whip on her. Neither one of us would be happy with her as the one in charge of our relationship. She wants someone to tell her what to do, and I've never been one to take orders well." "You had better learn!" Cologne said grimly. Nabiki looked over at her with surprise, but before she could say anything, Cologne continued. "Didn't you find it at all surprising that you could handle Mousse so easily?" "I assumed it was because her new body lacked muscle tone, and she was no stronger than me." "That is part of the reason, but not all of it. As far as I can tell, and from what I observed, Mousse still possesses the knowledge of her old skill. It would do her little good against Ranma or Shampoo, but against you it should have been more than enough." "Stop," Nabiki said in a mocking tone, "You'll give me a swelled head." Something flashed through the air between them, and thumped into Nabiki's hand. She stared in surprise at the throwing shuriken that was gripped between the index and forefinger of her right hand. She paled, if she had not caught that . . .! "The linkage between you and Shampoo is more pronounced than I first thought. You are accessing her skill. Along with the physical attributes you gained when your demonic heritage kicked in, it makes you a reasonably formidable foe. At least for someone in Mousse's present condition. You can not be permitted to go un- trained." "Permitted? And what if I don't choose to be trained?" Nabiki drawled, then, eeked in shock as a veritable swarm of throwing shuriken flashed toward her. There was dozen thumps as they bit into the wooden wall on either side of her body, and one between her legs. Nabiki looked from side to side, and then down at the lethal hardware bracketing her. "I don't really need your permission." Cologne said matter of factly. "But it would be much more pleasant for you if we had a regular training routine. At the moment you can only use your newfound talent instinctively, if you have time to think, you would trip over your own feet, trying to react in two very different ways." A drop of sweat ran down Nabiki's forehead, and hung from her nose. She wiped it away with a finger. "I thought you said you couldn't train me?" "That was in the sexual aspects of your condition. I can, and will train you in the normal physical mastery of your body." Nabiki looked at Cologne in resignation. Damn she hated sweating, at least the type of sweating one did in a dojo. She sighed and gave into the inevitable. "This is for giving you an ultimatum isn't it?" "Why son-in-law, how could you suggest such a thing? Do you really think I'm so petty as to extract satisfaction in such a manner?" "In a word, yes." Cologne chuckled. "I always liked you girl. You might turn out to be almost as much fun as Ranma." She turned and hopped away. For her part, Nabiki headed for the shower, cursing the fate that moved her from her preferred role of observer, into a more active role in the madness that was life in Nerima. Then, her mind conjured up an image of Shampoo, bound and waiting her pleasure, and she decided there was reasonable compensation for the inconvenience. Back in the bedroom, Mousse and Shampoo stared at each other. Shampoo with slit eyed dislike, and Mousse in painful realization. She had never seen that look in Shampoo's eyes before, not that if had never been there before she realized, but because she had never seen Shampoo's eyes so clearly before. For the first time in her life, she could see her beloved with crystal clarity, and the view was not by any stretch of the imagination living up to her dreams. She bowed her head, and whispered. "Please, Shampoo, just free me. I'll take you away from the demon. I'll get you the help you need." Mousse winced at the kitty snarl Shampoo generated in reaction to that statement. "I understand, I've been a fool. All I ask is that you let me do this for you, and I'll be out of your life forever. Mousse was lying through her teeth about getting out of Shampoo's life. She hated to do it, but if that was what was necessary, then so be it. She vowed she'd turn that fire in Shampoo's eyes, into one of passion. Before that could happen, they had to escape from the demon, she put all the sincerity she could muster into her voice as she tried to reason with Shampoo. "I know you have some control left. You are not doing what the demon bitch ordered you to do to me. You still have control. Let me free you, please." Shampoo stiffened at Mousse's words, and for a minute Mousse thought she'd gotten through to her. Shampoo glared at the girl laying in front of her. It was like looking into some sort of bizarre mirror. Except for the hair, they could have been twins. The words her 'twin' had uttered had bitten like a knife. She had made a vow to herself when she had gone to Nabiki that first night. She had vowed to make herself utterly Nabiki's. Mousse words drove home how badly she had betrayed that vow. Her mistress had given her an order, and she had let personal distaste prevent her from carrying it out. She stared in defiance at the girl in her body, and deliberately marched forward. "That's it Shampoo, free me, and I'll take both of us away from here." But it was not the ties binding Mousse that were Shampoo's target. Mousse arched her back in shock, as a sandpapery tongue lashed across one of her sensitive new nipples. Again the small pink tongue attacked, and Mousse gasped yet again as the little bud grew rock hard under Shampoo's attention. Mousse's mind screamed at her to roll away, to keep Shampoo from degrading herself in this matter, but her body had different ideas. She found herself pushing her new breasts toward Shampoo, and tears of pleasure started to run from her eyes as Shampoo lashed, first one, than the other nipple, with her active, and rough, little tongue. The small barbs on Shampoo's tongue created a sensation was like nothing Mousse had ever experienced before. "Well, well, well, and isn't that a sight to warm the cockles of one heart. Whatever cockles are." Shampoo looked up from her task to see Nabiki standing in the doorway. Her hair wet from the shower, and one of Shampoo short bathrobes tied loosely around her waist. It was open in the front, and framed Nabiki's proud breasts to perfection. Shampoo found herself drooling as she looked at those delectable orbs. She had an overwhelming urge to leap into the other girls arms and to treat them just as she had been treating Mousse's. Nabiki's eyes took in the panting form of Mousse, noticed the light sheen of sweat that coated that oh so familiar body, and felt a stirring in her own groin. "Very good, very good indeed kitten, you've done well." Shampoo swelled with pride at Nabiki's words. Suddenly, she felt a wash of affection for Mousse, because of that fool, she had been able to please her mistress. She fought down the urge to run to Nabiki, and instead bent forward once more, and took one of Mousse's nipples delicately between her razor sharp teeth. She bit down lightly, while at the same time, she licked the tip of the trapped bud eagerly with her tongue. In her mind, it was darker nipple, on a slightly smaller breast, and she expended all the attention she longed to expend on Nabiki, on the fool on the floor. Nabiki felt an intense love for Shampoo. The little cat was doing something she hated, merely because Nabiki had told her to do it. In no more profound way could she have demonstrated her love and commitment to Nabiki. Nabiki longed to fetch a cup of hot water so she could express the love she felt properly, but she was as bound by Shampoo's punishment as the Amazon was. She could not arbitrarily cancel it. That would defeat the whole purpose of the exercise. She consoled herself with the knowledge of how much fun it would be in a week when Shampoo's punishment was lifted. For now she would have to be happy with what she had, and that meant making sure Mousse would never dream of crossing her. Nabiki had given some thought to the matter, and had concluded it was waste of her time to try to intimidate Mousse with purely physical pain. Her new body was sensitive enough, but a martial artist with any sort of talent soon learned to deal with pain. No, Nabiki intended to make Mousse deal with something she was not use to, raw, undiluted, unrestrained, pleasure. From the moment she had walked in the bedroom door, Mousse's eyes had been focused on her. She was the first attractive girl Mousse had ever seen clearly in the nude, or near nude. Whatever the changes to her body, she still had her old drives and desires, and against her will, she found herself reacting powerfully to Nabiki's presence. With a casual shrug of her shoulders, Nabiki let the robe slip completely from her body. She watched Mousse's eyes intently as she did so, and felt a rush of gratification when she spotted her pupils dilating. She smiled to herself. Whatever body Mousse might wear now, she still had a healthy appreciation of the female form. Nabiki had to wonder how, however. Considering he was as blind as a bat, or rather had been. Just how had he developed an image of a good looking woman to fill his fantasy? Brail? Maybe so, in which case, Mousse's would have very skillful fingers. Or maybe not. In any case, Nabiki knew it would be fun finding out. Mousse watched the brown haired girl with wide frightened eyes. She was so helpless, no matter how she struggled, she did not seem able to muster the strength to break her fragile bonds. Her problems were compounded by the fact that she was having a great deal of trouble reconciling herself to her current situation. She was a girl. She had breasts. Large heavy lumps that pressed against her chest, sending unfamiliar sensations to her mind. The sensations were escalated by the attention Shampoo-neko was lavishing on them. Every lick from that rough little tongue sent a flash of fire rushing through her. As the strange feeling continued to come in from all over her new body, she felt wetness growing between her thighs. For an instant, her old reflexes caused her to wonder if she had embarrassed herself in front of the other two girls. Then, with a flash of insight, she realized what she was feeling was the final proof that she was now completely female, with not a single vestige of her masculinity left. The sensation of wet heat between her legs was her vagina. Vagina! Tears trickled down her cheeks. She would never be able to show Shampoo her love in a proper fashion now. She would never sink her manhood into Shampoo body. "Tears?" A soft voice asked. Mousse blinked her eyes free of the moisture, and discovered Nabiki's face inches from her own. While Mousse had been lost in the feelings her new body was experiencing, Nabiki had lain down beside her, trapping Shampoo between their bodies. The little cat broke off its oral attention to Mousse's breasts, and gave Nabiki's a lick instead. Mousse saw the brown haired girl's eyes slit with pleasure, but she reached down and moved Shampoo's head away from her own lovely brown breasts, and back to Mousse's pale, wild strawberry tipped mounds. "Now, now kitten, don't neglect our quest. You and I will have lots of time to play later." Mousse wanted to cry out, for Nabiki to leave him alone, to go away. Yes! To even go and play with Mousse's beloved Shampoo. Only leave her alone. She said none of these things. Instead she gasped as once again Shampoo turned her attention toward her new breasts. Guilt rose up in her, she should be fighting, not allowing this to happen. She couldn't help herself. She had dreamed for so long of making love to Shampoo, that even this pale substitute was heaven. Mousse's eyes widened, as she felt a human hand cup one of her breasts, the one Shampoo was not licking. She stared at Nabiki, frozen in fear, as the brown haired girl manipulated the flesh of Mousse's new body part. She quivered in relief when Nabiki finally moved her hand away, but her relief was short lived. She gave a small squeak of shock as she felt Nabiki's hand slid down her belly, and felt fingers dancing all around her groin. She felt as if she had an erection that would split wood, but she knew the sensation was false. It was her brain's way of trying to translate nerve impulses it had never experienced before. So, it substituted one feeling of arousal, for another. Mousse gave thanks to the Kami that at least in this body, she was not giving away how badly her body was handling Nabiki's ministrations. Then, Nabiki's fingers slipped lower, and for the first time in her life, Mousse felt her flesh part. She arched her back as best she could, what with the way she was tied, but all she served to do was to drive Nabiki's probing finger deeper into her body. Nabiki quickly withdrew her finger, but not before a sharp pain lanced between Mousse's legs. "How sweet, our little girl is a virgin. Or is that was?" Mousse's eyes crossed, as Nabiki held a finger up in front of her eyes. It was wet and slick with what Mousse knew must be her own juices, and there was a faint trace of blood. Her blood! Her virgin blood! She felt a tremor run through her body, the muscles in her upper thighs clenched, a burning sensation started in her groin and spread to her include her whole mid-section. Mousse's hips started to pump and a soft wail started to escape her mouth as all the muscles in her body suddenly went rigid. Wave after wave of pleasure unlike anything she had ever experienced before crashed over her awareness, drowning out all other stimuli. Shampoo hastily backed off as Mousse began to thrash within the limits allowed by her bonds. Inarticulate sounds issued from her wide spread mouth, and her eyes were opened wide, and stared rigidly at nothing. Beside Shampoo, Nabiki was equally surprised. At first she had thought Mousse was once again fighting her captivity, but she soon realized the new girl was in the throes of her first orgasm. Why that should be, Nabiki had no idea. Neither Shampoo nor she had stimulated Mousse to the point where an explosion of this magnitude was likely. As Mousse's gasps of pleasure went on and on, and her body continued to contort, Nabiki began to feel worried that she might be suffering from a similar condition to the one Ranma had experienced several days before. Nabiki cast a look at where Shampoo was watching Mousse. She grimaced, Shampoo would be one very unhappy kitty if Nabiki was forced to treat Mousse as Akane had treated Ranma. Somehow she had a feeling Shampoo would be a lot less willing to share her male form with Mousse. Then, just as she was beginning to fear she would have to find out the hard way, Mousse gave one last gasp, and collapsed on the floor. Nabiki leaned in over the panting girl, and tried to catch her eye. When at last she managed it, she was shocked by the expression she saw there. Mousse looked up through eyes that were once again blurry, though this time with sweat rather then because of faulty vision. Nabiki's face hovered over her own, surrounded by a corona of light. All the hatred and despite she had felt for the other girl was gone. This was a goddess, not a demon, she had given Mousse more pleasure then she had ever experienced before. A flash of insight ripped through Mousse's mind. She understood now. Shampoo was a lesbian. She had made love to her. All right, so maybe it was not the full scale thing, but it was more then Shampoo would ever have condescend to do to Mousse's old male body. Mousse was sure that no order of Nabiki's would have been sufficient to bring that about. It all made so much sense now. That was why Ranma had such a hold on her. That was why Nabiki was now Shampoo's new lover. This body was not a curse, it was a gift from the gods. With this body, she would finally be united with her love. At first it might take commands from Nabiki to bring them together, but once she grew to know the true her, Shampoo could not help but falling in love with her for real. It was all thanks to the goddess who was now hovering over her. Another thought suddenly coursed through Mousse's mind. She was an Amazon now. A female Amazon, and she had been defeated in battle. It was her duty to seek to slay Nabiki, but there was another option, an option open to female Amazons of a certain persuasion. Mousse looked up into Nabiki's limpid brown eyes, and said the words she had always hoped to hear one day from Shampoo. "Wode Airen, Wo ai ni." Cologne was just lifting a cup of tea to her lips, when a loud commotion upstairs caused her to pause. The bedroom door slammed open, and a second later Shampoo came bounding down the stairs. She turned and sat on her haunches and looked back up the way she had come. A few seconds later, Nabiki appeared at the head of the stairs. She had her hand buried deep in the silver cloud that was Mousse's hair, and she was dragging the protesting girl down the stairs. Seeing as how both Nabiki and Mousse were naked, Cologne cast a quick glance at the windows to make sure all the curtains were drawn. Reassured on that point, she shifted her attention back to the two girls. To her surprise, she realized that Mousse was not fighting Nabiki, was even moving along willingly. The reason for Nabiki's manhandling of Mousse seemed to stem from some great agitation on her part, rather then from any reluctance on Mousse's part. She watched calmly as Nabiki forced Mousse into a seat across from Cologne, and then, slammed both her hands down on the table top. "That soul gem thingy, I want you to use it on her!" Cologne raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she continued the motion she had been about to complete when the commotion had interrupted her. Raising the tea cup to her lips, she took a long, and noisy, drink. "Didn't you hear me. I asked you to get out the soul gem thingy. This is important." Cologne seemed to consider for a moment, and then, said. "Fifteen thousand Yen." For a second, all Nabiki could do was stare as the older woman sat there sipping her tea. "What!?" she finally demanded. Cologne looked at her from over the rim of her cup. "The soul gem is a valuable Amazon artifact. I used it to satisfy my curiosity in regards to the situation between you and Shampoo, and to help me come to a decision in regards to what to do about it. If you wish to use it for your own private reasons, then you need to pay for the privilege." She took another sip of tea while Nabiki looked at her in anger. "This is no time for petty revenge!" Nabiki hissed. "I would hardly call fifteen thousand yen petty, but if you want, we could make it twenty." Nabiki fumed for a second, then she drew herself up and took a deep cleansing breath. "Very well, fifteen. Now would you please fetch the soul gem?" Cologne did not show any emotion, but she was a little disappointed. She had expected more of a fight out of her son-in-law. Obviously Nabiki was even more agitated then she seemed on the surface. That sparked her own curiosity. Sometime later, Cologne leaned back from her inspection of the matrix the gem showed. She looked up at Nabiki and said, "as far as I can tell, there is no connection." Both Nabiki and Shampoo slumped in relief. "Thank the Kami for that." Then, she gestured at Mousse. "So how do you explain her behavior?" Mousse was alternating her gaze between Shampoo and Nabiki, and there was no easily spotted difference between those looks. She looked at Nabiki with the same unconditional love she looked at Shampoo with. Cologne shuddered slightly, and replied. "I would hazard a guess that somehow you triggered something that was placed there by who ever is wearing Mousse's body at the moment. When I surprised him, he was clearly bent on raping her. So, I would imagine that you are not talking about a trap here, but rather a condition imposed for the benefit of whoever that was." Nabiki looked at Mousse with distaste. "Do you suppose it could wear off?" "I doubt it. The nature of the conditioning seems designed to mesh with Mousse's existing character. Those are always the hardest spells to break." At that point Shampoo gave an angry hiss, and lashed out at Mousse, who had reached forward to stroke her. A set of four shallow cuts appeared on the back of Mousse's hand, and welled blood. For a second, nothing happened, then Mousse seemed to stiffen in her chair, and a tremor ran through her body. Then, she slumped in her chair, and looked at a befuddled Shampoo with limpid eyes, "Thank you," she murmured in a dreamy voice. Cologne noted idly that the cuts Shampoo had made on Mousse 's hand were healing even as she watched. Soon, all that was left was the small amount of blood that had seeped from them. Nabiki did not note this, instead she stared at the dreamy state of Mousse's face for a second. Then, bending forward, she took one of Mousse's pale nipples between her thumb and forefinger, and pressed, flattening the sensitive nub. Mousse gave a gasp, and her hand flew up to her breast. Not to pull Nabiki's hand away, but to press them even firmer against her malleable flesh. Nabiki gave a disgusted snort, and after one final twist, which caused Mousse to shiver in bliss, she pulled her hand away. "It would look like a love spell is not the only think they imposed on her." "I would not say that." Cologne said. "Mousse has always been a masochist, I think they just intensified the inclination." Cologne gave Nabiki an evil grin. "Congratulations, I think you've made another conquest." Nabiki slumped, her forehead resting on her palms. She turned her eyes up and looked at Shampoo. Over the last week Nabiki had grown to truly enjoy the love she would see shining in Shampoo's eyes, that light was seriously dimmed right now. The flat eared glare Shampoo was directing her way predicted stormy weather ahead on the relationship sea. Nabiki swivelled her eyes to look at Mousse. The look in her eyes was almost scary for the lack of rational thought it demonstrated. Pure, unfettered, brainless affection shone forth from those limpid eyes. Nabiki gave a shudder, and said. "Why do I suddenly have the awful feeling I'm falling into Ranma's life?" Behind the brainless expression she was projecting, Mousse smiled to herself. It was all going to work out just fine. Soon she would not only have Shampoo true love, but Nabiki's as well. Well, that's another one wrapped up. Be sure to join me next chapter, as we continue Akane, Ukyou, and of course, Ranma's school day. Just how will Ranma and Akane handle gym, not to mention the shower afterwards. And of course, Ranma and Ryouga, round two, not what you expect. Impressions, suggestion, and comments, as always greatly apreciated. I would like to thank Wade Tritschler and John Rasmussen Without them this would not be nearly as readable as it is. Their help with grammar has been a big aid in giving me the confidence to write. Wade has not done any lemons . . . Yet. But anyone who has written a story where Akane and Shampoo become lovers is not far from falling over the edge into Hentai-hood. You can find his stories at Try his stories out. They're very good. Also, check out many of the fine stories archived at his site. They include, A very Scary Thought, or Nabiki 1/2. In it you will find the very interesting character Lano Cain, or Madam Lao Kung, Pirate, White Slaver, Man Eating Tigress, and many other things. She is a creation of Shadowmane, and if you like this story, you will very much like the story arc she appears in. I'd like to thank all my other pre-readers, and especially Green Eyes, My red headed, Ranma-chan wana be. Her boundless enthusiasm has gone a long way toward keeping me motivated. Thanks.