From gorgo@kwangju.net Sat Dec 20 00:16:54 1997 Date: Thu, 18 Dec 1997 13:36:48 +0900 From: Fred Herriot Subject: [fanfic][lemon][UY] "A Remarkable Destiny" Part VIII "Yo, Benten, you up?!" Priss peeks into the Fukunokami's guest room. Lights had snapped on a moment earlier as Honey, Oyuki, the other members of Pathfinder Troop Six, Shinobu and the Hostage Rescue Team stumbled out of bed. The "Lyna'cha's" crew were on the bridge, scanners sweeping Tokyo picking out targets. On the ground, Deunan's forces were scrambling in the dark to get gear on, check weapons, then move to the jump-off points. While not directly involved with take downs at first, Sylia's teams and the HRT would sweep in to help in case someone escaped the Sagussans' dragnet. Benten, however, was more tired than people assumed; she still snored loudly. "Benten, get up!" Oyuki exclaims as she walks into the room, now dressed in the dark combat uniform Pathfinders wore when on the field. "We have to go!!" "G'way, 'Yuki...lemme sleep!" Benten grumbles. "Problem?!" Rio leans inside. Oyuki's breath catches in her throat on seeing the very well- endowed blonde Ellsian as nude as the day she was re-born. She understood one reason why Rio, the HRT's master chief warrant officer, was one of the most popular dates on Sagussa...until she herself settled down. "Other than a sleepy-headed idiot who won't listen when the alarm goes, nothing!" Priss shrugs, passing a quick glance at Rio. She had seen that many times before, so she wasn't madly drooling at the policewoman like the Tritonian princess. "Well, get her up! We gotta go to work!!" Rio snaps, then smiles at Oyuki. "Hi, Oyuki-chan! Like?!" "I love it!" Oyuki bites her index finger. "Then stop gawking at her!!" a new voice threatens. That was the reason smart women left Rio alone: her hyper- jealous *pirpirsiw'r* bond-mate, Maya, the HRT sniper. The green- haired Yehisrite-born chief warrant officer, as short as Shinobu but deadlier than a king cobra, defended her mate with a passion no one on Sagussa could believe. Rio thought it very immature, but what could she do? "Maya, it's okay if someone looks at me!" she sighs, looking up in a "why me?" gesture. Maya trembles, her green eyes flashing. Oyuki is immediately reminded of an American teen comic Lum once showed her, which had as one of its characters a large dyslexic football player who passionately defended his girlfriend against all comers without fail. While Maya was not as large as Big Moose Mason, Oyuki would give the sniper better odds. "Maya-san, I have learned much since I bonded with Honey-chan. Now, I know the envy many of us feel because of your relationship with Rio-san. Be assured that while I find Rio-san very beautiful, I am aware that her love is for you and would never dream of taking her away from you." Maya flushes. The best way to bring down a jealous Sagussan was to compliment her taste of bond-mate. Rio smiles as she hugs Maya from behind. "I'd never leave you, love," she kisses her. "I...ah, jeez!" Maya stammers, then bows. "I'm sorry, 'Yuki. I just get so tense when people gape at Rio." "Maybe I should get tense if someone stares at Honey-chan," Oyuki muses. Everyone laughs. "Come along, children!" the HRT commander, Makinoshoo, claps her hands. "We've work to do!! Priss, please wake her up," she points to the sleeping Benten. "We need her." "Aye-aye, Inspector," Priss nods, then sighs. "Any ideas?" "Cold shower?" Rio wonders. "How about kicking her outta bed?" Maya snorts. "Perhaps..." Oyuki smiles, then flushes. She couldn't believe she just thought of Priss doing THAT with Benten! "What?!" Maya wonders. Oyuki gazes at the Troop's coxswain. "Lick her tower." The Sagussans gape, Priss turning as red as a beet. "Um, oh, shit, would she...?" "As Maki-san just said, we need her," Oyuki reminds them, then heads off. "Let's leave them be, Rio-san, Maya-san." "Right!" Maya nods. "Luck, Pri!" "Thanks, May...I think," Priss shudders as the door closes behind them. Gazing at the snoring Fukunokami...Lyna, how could she sleep through THAT noise?...Priss fights down her nervousness. Yes, she liked Benten. Yes, she'd love becoming her bond-mate. But no, she wouldn't force herself on the woman! Still, they needed her up, so what could she do? Certainly NOT what Oyuki suggested...! Sighing resignedly, Priss gently tugs the covers off Benten, then gapes awestruck at the Fukunokami's inviting, nude body. It takes almost all her willpower to stop her from hopping in and pillowing her right there. She wasn't beautiful, she was drop-dead GORGEOUS!! Where HAD she been all her life?! Shuddering, Priss knees down, slipping her arms under Benten's shoulders and her bent knees, then gently lifts her from the mattress, turning to carry her into the hall and down to the showers. "G'way, Moroboshi...lemme alone..." flutters from the sleeping woman's lips. "Lyna's Soul, she'd sleep through the Clone Rights War!" Priss mutters to herself as she turns into the shower room. Linna and Nene turn from rinsing each other down. "She okay?" the former wonders concernedly. "Just needs a wake up call," Priss sits Benten under one shower head, then standing clear, turns on the cold. The "Lyna'cha" then shakes from stem to stern as Benten's surprised shriek echoes from the showers, causing everyone to look up surprisedly from their chores. "***AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA... THAT'S FUCKIN' COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD!!!!!!***" "Awake now, lazybones?!!" Priss wonders. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!?!?!" Benten shuts off the water, glaring angrily at the coxswain. "How the fuck did I get here?!! If you fuckin' laid your hands on me, you pervert...!!!" "I didn't fuckin' do anything save carry you down here to wake your lazy ass up so you can help us deal with the Niphentaxians your equally lazy friend didn't want to deal with herself!!!" Priss bellows. "You're lucky I didn't succumb to Oyuki's suggestion and give you the time of your life!!! Lyna knows, I was so tempted to pillow you, I could taste you!!! But right now, we've got other things on our plate, so wake your ass up, wash up, get dressed and get ready so we can get down to business!!! MOVE!!!!" Benten blinks as Priss storms out of the showers, then shakes her head, wide-eyed with fear. Despite her anger, the coxswain's eyes flashed something she couldn't ignore. No, this wasn't happening to her! First Lum, then Oyuki, then Shinobu, now...her? Actually becoming lovers with...Priss?! Oh shit, oh shit...! "Benten," Oyuki walks in with the Fukunokami's toiletries. "You need this." "Um...er, thanks," Benten nods, as she turns on the hot water, then the cold. "Hey, Oyuki, what the hell's going on?! Did you actually suggest to Priss that she...?!" "I did...I'm sorry," Oyuki looks down. "Lyna knows, becoming a Sagussan's bond-mate has let loose all sorts of ideas into my head, things I never considered doing even with Koosei-kun!" Benten grins. "Always knew you were a twisted one deep down!" she cackles, then starts to lather herself. "Yes, I am...and I'm proud of it, so there!" Oyuki snorts, then smiles. "Benten." "Yeah?" "Priss really desires you." The Fukunokami jerks, then gazes wide-eyed at the Tritonian. "You're shitting me...!" "No, I'm not," Oyuki shakes her head. "You should've seen the look on her face after you two met. Same look Honey-chan gave me when she decided I was the one for her." Benten shudders, hugging herself. "Oh, fuck, what do I do?!" "Accept," Oyuki muses. "Oyuki!!!" "I'm serious," Oyuki turns, then smiles contently. "Believe me, I was just as nervous when I came to understand Honey-chan's interest. But once you're over that, it's a whole new world. Do think about it, Benten-chan. If you accept, you'll make many people happy, including Priss-san." *And me,* she mentally adds. With that, she heads out of the showers. Benten blinks, then gazes at Nene and Linna, absorbed in a very throaty kiss. Her mind then imagines her doing that with Priss. "Oh, shit," she hisses under her breath as she turns to wash down... * * * "A Remarkable Destiny" a Urusei Yatsura lemon fic by Fred Herriot gorgo@kwangju.net **** **** **** Based on "Urusei Yatsura" created by Rumiko Takahashi **** **** **** NOTE: All standard lemon warnings apply. This is my second time at this, so please give me a break. I'll try to keep it as spicy as possible without going too overboard. WRITER'S NOTES 1) Sagussan rank structures and codes: Three rectangular tabs: Fleet - Fleet Shipmistress; Squadron - Brigade Commander; SISF - Chief Detective Two rectangular tabs: Fleet - Shipmistress; Squadron - Squadron Commander; SISF- Inspector One rectangular tab: Fleet - Watchmistress; Squadron - Troop Commander; SISF - Detective Four square tabs: Fleet - Master Chief Petty Officer; Squadron - Chief Sergeant-major; SISF - Master Chief Warrant Officer Three square tabs: Fleet - Chief Petty Officer; Squadron - Sergeant-major; SISF - Chief Warrant Officer Two square tabs: Fleet - Petty Officer; Squadron - Sergeant; SISF - Sergeant One square tab: Fleet - Leading Servicewoman; Squadron - Corporal; SISF - Constable Note that Pathfinder Troop Six follows a unique tradition. Sylia and Reinoevan follow the squadron rank structure while Priss, Linna, Nene and Asukanoevan follow the fleet rank structure. 2) The *pirpirsiw'r* always call each other by nicknames: Priss - Pri; Lufy - Luf (LOOF); Maya - May; Makoto - Mako or Mack. 3) TTSed - Tied, Tapped and Stashed. **** **** **** PART EIGHT - NEW LOVES, NEW LIVES Atako shudders, gazing into the dark night. The kotatsu was turned off, the chill of the mid-evening racing through her small flat. Half her body was swathed in bandages and casts, hidden by the pretty blue winter uniform of a Tomobiki High student. She was plain, with dull brown eyes and stringy black hair draped aimlessly over her head to her shoulders, covering the pointed ears which marked her a Niphentaxian. She grips the gold medallion showing the Goddess in flight, the sigil of the Church of Lum...and knew nothing could be done to save her. She had Hifuto Syndrome, already in third stage. Referred to casually as "leprosy with an attitude" for those who would never experience the pain one struck with HS endured, it was caused by a flesh-eating bacteria which disintegrated cells with a voracious appetite which made the most vile cancer tame. It killed with a thoroughness that put Ebola and AIDS to shame; once you had it, you'd die from it. In essence, her body would fall apart, unable to support itself thanks to massive internal bleeding and organ breakdown. Further, it was transmittable via contact with blood or other bodily fluids, hence Atako's isolation. When she developed second stage HS, her mother petitioned her priest to be permitted to come to the Holy City so she could die as close as possible to the Goddess. Struck by her sincerity, he tearfully took her case personally to President Oogi, who had Atako assigned to a team based not two blocks from Tomobiki High School. Atako woke up every morning to behold that holy edifice from her bedroom window. But now she knew what would soon happen. This might be her last day in this existence. Sighing, she draws out a pen and painfully writes a note, then places it by her bed. Drawing her pendant over her head, she rises, then slowly limps out of the bedroom. Descending to the main floor, she heads into the cool night air. Not here. There. It wasn't far... * * * "Are we ready?!" Makinoshoo wonders. The three members of the Hostage Rescue Team nod. Behind them are Marianoshoo and Nanvel, who while not actually a part of the team, were always around to help when the Team got in trouble. They were Internal Security's Pros from Dover, the Sagussan police force's equivalent to Pathfinder Troop Six. It felt odd that police officers would be operating way out of their jurisdiction, but given what was happening, everyone with skills that could help protect Sagussa's new allies were needed. Besides, the chances were good that a hostage situation could arise when dealing with alien spies, so it was always good that people trained to handle that were close at hand. "We're set and raring to go, boss!" Maya winks, flashing the thumbs up. "When do we go down and set up?" "Not yet," Maki nods. Maya was always too gung-ho for her taste, but as a sniper, the *pirpirsiw'r* was Rei's equal...and there was enough of a rivalry between Sylia and Maki that ensured that the former'd never snatch Maya away. "Given the lateness of the evening, I doubt the Niphentaxians will be in good enough mental shape to conceive of, much less execute, a hostage taking." "Niphentaxians actually having brains?" Rio wonders. Everyone laughs. "Still, for everyone's sake, we must be ready for anything. H-Hour is twenty minutes away, so why don't we go down to the cafeteria and have something to eat?" "Let's go!" Maya nods. The Team walks to the cafeteria, where Honey and Pathfinder Troop Six were already getting coffee and something light. Benten, Shinobu and Oyuki were sitting beside their friends. Also there were the bodyguards, who had be awakened by the sounds of running feet and barked orders, then decided to stay up to watch the fun. Kakugari looks up, then toasts the four SISF officers. "Morning, Inspector, chiefs. Good night's sleep last night?" Maki blinks confusedly, then nods. No sense to be rude even if she didn't know how he had come to "know" her. "A very good night's sleep, Kakugari-san. A good morning to you." "What's going on?" Lilica whispers to Maria. Her bond-mate shrugs. Maki and Nanvel begin chatting, both glancing curiously at the largest of the guards. Kakugari blinks, then nods. That's right: Lilica and Maki had bond-mates outside their chosen profession; Nanvel was a weapons engineer, Maria a robotics specialist. Maybe the latter helped construct Shinobu's and Oyuki's android doubles. He'd have to ask her...in a round- about way; no sense embarrassing his friends about the "accident" which saw them first activated. "You gonna tell them?" Paama wonders. "Nah; let their sisters tell them," Kakugari shakes his head. Maki's eyes widen; oh, so THAT'S how he got to know them. She then smiles at Kakugari, toasting him with her coffee. "I trust your evening passed well, Kakugari-san?" "Better than I'd ever imagine," Kakugari nods. That made the four SISF officers flush. Nearby, Priss hides her snort. "What's so funny?" Benten wonders. "It seems the guards were busy with everyone's companion androids last night," the coxswain whispers. "A lot more busier than chasing after the girls they want." "Oh, really," Oyuki hides her laughter. "So much for loyalty to Lum. Wait until Oogi-san hears of this." The others laugh. Nearby, Maria gets a private message over her wrist-comp, then blinking, stares at Megane. "You were in Maintenance Lab Two last night?" "Um...yeah!" Megane nods. "I ran into Feb's double on the bridge, then she dragged me down there to meet April's double." "There was a problem with the doubles we were making of Shinobu and Oyuki, correct?" "Anything serious?!" Shinobu leaps to her feet. "Oh, no!" Megane readily shakes his head; what was the harm in admitting it? "Feb's double had an electrostatic problem in her hand. When she brushed Shinobu's and Oyuki's, they activated. We then discovered that both had a wiring problem between the CPU and the MCC, so we fixed it up." "You also finished work on Shinobu's double?" Maria wonders. "Um...yes, I did," Megane feels his cheeks heat. Oh, shit, how was Shinobu going to take that?! Lilica taps Maria on the hand, flashing a warning gaze. The robotics specialist nods. "My co-workers got a chance to look at them this morning. Nice work, Megane-san. If you'd like, I'd love to talk to you later about possibly working with me. You've shown quite an aptitude towards android maintenance on your first try." "Well, I had them teach me on the fly," Megane flushes. "The way I learned it," Maria nods, then turns back to Lilica. Megane breathes out. Across the way, Shinobu and Oyuki glance confusedly at him, then exchange surprised looks. "You don't think he...?" the former hisses. "If they prematurely activated when he was busy with Feb and April, how else would he react?" the latter whispers. "Besides, if he did it with 'us,' that shows how much he's turned away from Lum- chan. All the better, if you ask me." "Never thought of that," Shinobu nods, then sips her coffee... * * * "All teams in position," Janny looks up from her board. "All strike teams show all green. The SCAA's been informed and they're ready to send in pick-up vehicles when the operation's done." "Feb?" April stares at her bond-mate. "Commence!" the fleet shipmistress orders... * * * "All teams, this is 'Lyna'cha!' Starlight, Starlight!!" "Go!!!" Shildy barks as a team from the "Hasei'cha" smash into one apartment building two blocks from Tomobiki High. After Patty takes down the door, the others...Shildy, Lufy, Rabby, Rumy, Makoto and Mie...race inside to the large apartment flat holding a dozen Niphentaxians according to the "Lyna'cha's" scans. Reaching the door, Lufy and Makoto take aim at the door as Patty comes up, sledgehammer swinging. The door comes down next. "ALRIGHT, ASSHOLES, ON THE FLOOR, FACE-DOWN, HANDS OUT!!!!!!" Lufy barks as the Sagussans race in. Their night-vision devices made the pitch black night as bright as noon as they leap into all the bedrooms, grabbing the sleeping spies from their futons and slamming them to the hardwood at their feet. Handcuffs come out to secure them. Those reaching for pistols or radios are butt-slammed by the Urban Assault Cannons...Eluza didn't mind breaking a few of Feb's engagement orders when it felt right...then cuffed. "All down, TTSed!!" Rabby calls out. "'Lyna'cha,' this is Starleaf Two!" Shildy calls over her line. "Starlight executed, over!" "Confirm, Starleaf Two," Janny replies. "Good work." "Count!!" the first officer calls out. Lufy scans the room. Five female, six males. She blinks as the briefing comes back to her, then counts again. Eleven. "We're missing one!!" she warns. "Shit!" Shildy snaps, then draws a tricorder to sweep through the apartment. Outside, the other residents were up, wondering what was going on. An SCAA field team would be there soon to secure the prisoners and calm the locals. Staring at her readout, the first officer spits out. "Not here!" Lufy reaches down to the oldest Niphentaxian, slamming him against the wall, then jabbing her pistol into his throat. "Talk, asshole! There were twelve here!! Where's your friend?!!" He coughs. "Up-...upstairs...third floor...fifth room..." "I'm going!" Rabby runs out the door. "Cover her!" Shildy barks to Mie and Makoto. The three race up to the third floor, then stop by the fifth room. Goggles go back in place as Rabby tries the door. It doesn't budge. Makoto then kicks it. Her foot goes through the wood, nearly causing her to collapse. "Clear!!" Mie takes aim. Her bond-mate rolls out of the way as the pilot fires. The bolt blows the door apart, then they stream in. The barrenness of the place strikes them as odd, then Makoto flips on the lights as the three slip off their goggles. "Who lived here?" It's a small apartment, just bathroom, living room and bedroom. The cleanliness of the place surprises them. "Neatness buff or what?" Mie wonders. Rabby walks into the bedroom. There was a futon, set by a wide view of Tomobiki, her namesake high school visible in the near distance. By the head of the bed was a small altar to Lum. Very nice, but unimportant. She then sees a note by the altar. Leaning down, she reads. "'My friends...I go now to meet my fate. My love and the Goddess' blessings to you...Atako.'" A moment later, she bursts into the main apartment, now lighted to allow the prisoners to be property handled, then holds up the paper to the leader. "What's this?!" He looks, then shrugs. If Atako's sickness could kill these harpies, so much the better. "She's a newcomer to the team..." However, lies sing to a Sagussan. Rabby grits her teeth, then smashes him in the jaw. "Bullshit, asshole!! She sounds pretty prepared to die!!! What's going on?!" One of them, a young boy, looks up. "She has..." "Silence!!" a woman snaps. Lufy smashes her jaw in. Rabby kneels beside him, trying to be as friendly as possible. "They won't hurt you," she indicates the others. "They'll be mind-wiped of their memories of us before being returned to Phentax Two. You cooperate, it'll go easy on you. What's your name?" "Ushina," he smiles. "I'm Rabby. Ushina-kun, who is Atako?" He blushes, then looks down. "She came here to die," he bites his lips. He knew how Lum would look at something like this. "She has HS, third stage." "HS?!" Rabby wonders. "Hifuto Syndrome." The Sagussans gape, then Lufy glares at the others. "You were fuckin' prepared to let THAT time-bomb loose here?!!" she growls, hand sliding the pistol bolt back to deliver some personal justice. Shildy slaps the pilot's arm down. "Don't, Lufy!!" she snaps. "You know that won't hurt us!!" "We ain't the only ones in this town, remember?!" Lufy growls. Shildy nods, then taps her communicator. "Starleaf Two to 'Lyna'cha.' We have a situation..." * * * "Hifuto Syndrome?!!" Oyuki exclaims. "Has Oogi gone mad?!" "He probably doesn't care or would've assumed that Atako's friends would've taken the necessary precautions before allowing her to come," Maki reports as everyone suits up. "You may recall, Rabby reported that Atako lived alone in her own apartment that was magnetically sealed from the outside. Quite ample protection concerning that disease; the bacteria can't transmit outside exchange of bodily fluids." "What's your read of this?" Sylia wonders. Despite their rivalry, the two special team leaders did share an understanding when it came to operations. "She's come to see her life end in a place she believes guarantees her successful entry into Eternity," Maki bites her lips, slipping off her glasses and putting on her field goggles. "If she knows how deadly Hifuto Syndrome is and if her faith in Lum is strong, she'll be all the more cautious about making contact with anyone here." "Where will she go?" Shinobu shivers. Hearing about this disease frightened her more than anything else. "Where else? Tomobiki High School." * * * Atako stares at the dark building before her. Tomobiki High School, scene of all the Goddess' interactions with Her Most Faithful. She had hoped to visit the Holy Residence, but two of the Sagussan harpies were there guarding the Holy Cousin Jariten. The aliens' weapons lay about. She gazes at the giant robots with a barely suppressed shiver. The Sagussans were more powerful than anything the Goddess had ever encountered. Could She soon meet Her Armageddon at the hands of the Great Evil and his minions? Holding her pendant, she advances to the front doors... * * * "The Sagussans have been successful, Young Master," the chief Kuromegane reports. "Two hundred alien agents throughout Tokyo have been captured and turned over to the SCAA." Mendou shivers. So quick. When will Moroboshi move to strike at him? "Very well, then," he nods. Suddenly, another Kuromegane runs it. "Sir, there's a report of another Niphentaxian in Tomobiki High School!" he gasps. "The Sagussans report that she is a carrier for a terrible disease, one guaranteed to kill if it spreads!!" "What?!!" Mendou bolts to his feet, eyes wide, then shivers. "Is the Sniper Team ready to go?!" "Yes, sir!!" "Have them go to the school and eliminate this person!!!" "Yes, sir!!!" * * * "Maya in position. Nothing yet." "Rei in position. No sign of the target." "Safeties on weapons," Maki orders to the two snipers. "No shot is to be taken, you two." "Aye-aye," the Pathfinder replies. "No prob...wait!" Maya calls out. "I got someone on the third floor, south-west. Just past room Three-three-five." Maki lowers her night-vision goggles to gaze at the third floor. The remainder of the Team and the Troop were crouched in the shadows by Deunan's command tent. "Confirmed!" the inspector smiles. "Shaggy dark hair. That's our girl!" "Fuck, the shot's easy!!" Maya gasps. "Hey, Maki, I can use a low stun shot on her. It'll still take her down!" "Negative!!" Maki snaps. Lyna's Soul, her sniper was TOO gun- crazy! "Even a stun shot could lead to her cutting herself on a sharp object on the way down or a broken bone! If even a minute amount of the virus escapes, we'll have to vaporize the whole school!! What are you trying to do?!" "Hey, I may like killing perps for a living, but I ain't gonna spread that shit around!!" Maya asserts. "Remember that!" Maki snaps. "Hey, Maki, let Oyuki and me go in," Benten suggests. "This girl'll respect us. We can get her out no problem." Maki bites her lips. "She's in Three-three-seven," Maya calls over the line. "Just like you called it, boss. Safety still on... oh, shit!!!" she exclaims. "What?!" the inspector demands. "Two people in Three-three-seven!!" Maya snaps. "I can't get a clear visual of Number Two! Can you see her, Maki?!" Maki snaps up her goggles. Sure enough, the hazy outline of another person, one with waist-length hair tied by a bowtie, can be made out inside Lum's homeroom. "It's Nagisa!" * * * Coming up the side stairway, Rabby and Lufy holster their weapons, then quietly scoot for the back door to room 337. Shildy had sent them out to track Atako down, not realizing that others were already on scene. "Ready?" the Zeiwanite-born pilot hisses. "Ready!" the *pirpirsiw'r* smiles. "We do it soft. We can't catch that shit, but if it spreads, we're in for it." Rabby nods, then tenses as voices echo from inside... * * * "Hello?" Nagisa calls out. "Is there someone here?" "Here," a weak voice replies by the windows. Nagisa peers into the room, his eyes picking out a dark shape from the outside light. "Who are you?" he demands. "You realize you're trespassing on private property." "I'm sorry," the woman sniffs. Nagisa then frowns, his heart aching to hear someone's tears. "Are you lost?" he wonders, kneeling before the woman. "Don't you have a home to go to? What's your name?" "My name's Atako," the Niphentaxian coughs. "I have no nome or anything else, Nagisa-sama. I'm sorry to bother you." "You know who I am?" "Aye. You are Nagisa Shinowataru, betrothed to Ryuunosuke Fujinami, a Holy Friend of the Goddess Lum. You were returned from Heaven by the Goddess' power a half-year ago. We know you well." Nagisa blinks, surprised to hear such divine titles for his fiancee and Lum, then his face pales, comprehension dawning on him. "You're one of the aliens who came here to spy on us!" "Not me," Atako coughs. "Yes, I'm from Phentax Two...from one of our colonies, actually. But...I didn't come to spy." "Then why are you here?" Nagisa wonders. This had to be one of the strangest women he had ever met, discounting her origins. Atako stares at him bleakly. "I came to die." * * * "The SCAA has heard that the last alien is in my classroom at Tomobiki High!" Mendou calls over the net. "When she appears, kill her! Go for the heart and do not miss; lives depend on it!!" "Yes, sir!" the point man for the Mendou Clan Sniper Team One nods, his weapon trained on the windows of room 337... * * * "You came to die?!" Nagisa gasps. "Aye," Atako nods. "I have a disease similar to, but far more dangerous, than leprosy. It's killing me even as we speak. I have no intention of dying without being near the Goddess' presence. Don't worry; there is a note in my pocket. When your police or the Sagussans find me, they'll know what to do with my body." Nagisa was dumbstruck. He had heard bits and snippets of the Niphentaxians from Deunan and her friends, but he couldn't begin to believe that this woman would come all the way from her planet just to die in Lum's homeroom class. "Atako-san..." "Nagisa-sama?" "Yes?" "May I have your blessings?" The teashop "waitress" cries out, covering his face with his hands. Gods, this woman really believed that Lum was a goddess! Shivering, he rises, shaking his head, then screaming, turns to the door. "Nagisa-sama!!" Atako cries out... * * * "I see her!!" the Mendou sniper barks. "Firing!" * * * Rabby and Lufy brace themselves, then jolt as a gunshot echoes through the night, immediately followed by the sound of breaking glass!! Horrified, they smash through the back door of room 337, their goggles giving them a perfect view of what was happening. Everything seemed in slow motion. Nagisa was stumbling, an explosion of blood flying from a wound in his chest, a very surprised look on his face as the awful pain shoots up from his lungs. At the windows, Atako was screaming, rising as her faith demanded to shield one of the Holy Company from unbelievers. "SNIPER!!!!" Lufy barks automatically, then barrels for the wailing Niphentaxian, knocking her down before she got into view of whoever was trying to kill her. Rabby is also on the move, leaping over the desks to catch the falling Nagisa before he hit the floor. Her subliminal senses were working overtime, they sensing the impending separation of body and mei'na when death came. Her hands reach out as she does the automatic thing: lower her meipyokgh and prepare for tre'cha. * * * "Shit!!!" Maya screams. "Someone's shot Nagisa!!" "Who?!!" Maki demands. "I don't fuckin' know!!!" * * * "What the fuck was that?!" Ryuunosuke bolts out of bed, then races out to investigate. * * * "Target down, Young Master! Returning to base!!" "Well done!" * * * Rabby's hands catch Nagisa before his head could bounce off the floor. "Nagisa!!!" she screams as she drags the teashop "waitress" into her lap. "Are you alright?!" Nagisa coughs, then stares at the gaping wound in his chest. His blouse is already stained in blood. "Oh, my..." he weakly stares at the pilot. "I never thought...this would happen..." Rabby gazes tearfully at the dying man in her hands. No, no, no, Lyna, no!!! How could this've happened?! She then senses something odd. Her eyes turn to Nagisa's body...then her jaw drops open in disbelief. "Lyna's Soul...!!" Lufy and Atako were spellbound. Nagisa's body begins to glitter as the magic which had restored him to life not six months ago is undone. "No...no...Nagisa-sama!!!" the Niphentaxian wails, hands reaching out as she tries to struggle from the Sagussan's grasp, hoping she could do something to save him. Rabby stares at Nagisa, then steels herself. Her hands land on his forehead as she summons all her mei'na's strength for the one thing that could still save his mei'na: the passing-on. Lowering her own meipyokgh, she becomes a psychic vacuum cleaner, sucking up the Terran's mei'na in the blink of an eye. Just in time, too; Nagisa's body, a construct of magic, finally returns to That Power from which it originated. "NAGISA-SAMA!!!!!!" Atako shrieks. Rabby exclaims, dropping to her hands as she breaths out. Damn, no one ever told her that taking in another's mind could provoke an orgasm! She then weakly stares at Lufy, a grin cutting across her face, then she nods. "It's done!" "Thank Lyna!" Lufy breathes out. Atako stares at Rabby, then Lufy, the shock of what just happened having not hit yet. "I...I don't understand..." "Nagisa's alive," Lufy smiles. "His spirit, mei'na as we call it, has been taken in by Rabby," she points to her fellow pilot. "We'll then find what's left of Nagisa's real body; probably out at that island where they encountered his ghost. Once we regenerate it, we'll put his mei'na back and it'll be as if he never died." Atako gapes, then bows her head. "You are no devils!" she sobs happily. "You're the Blessed Angels the ancient writings of the Eternal Voyager told us you'd be. Oh, please, Most Blessed One, forgive this sinner for ever doubting you in the first place!" Lufy sighs. Damn, they'll be running into this no matter where they went. "I forgive you," she pats Atako's shoulder. "I'm going to tell you something else. One of your friends, a brave man named Ushina, told us about you; that's why we came after you. Hifuto Syndrome is curable on Sagussa. We're going to help you overcome it, just like we're going to help Nagisa. Understand? Ushina has helped us help you. Do you know him?" "Hai," Atako smiles. "He's my brother." Lufy laughs, then embraces her, tapping her wrist-comm. "Lufy to 'Lyna'cha,'" she breathes in. "Nagisa's body is gone. His mei'na's in Rabby; she got to him just before he went. Atako's alive and safe. We've got some work to do." * * * "You're saying that Nagisa's soul...is in RABBY?!?!" Ryuunosuke stares blankly at the Zeiwanite-born pilot, who now sits in the tomboy's small apartment. It is an hour later. Lufy and Catty stand beside their shipmate. "That's right, Ryuunosuke," the doctor nods. "When one of us believes she may die very soon, she performs tre'cha...the passing-on. Our mei'na is then placed into the mind of one we trust, usually our bond-mate. You must remember, eighty percent of the brain is not in use at any one time. If someone does die, we would then regenerate her body and perform satre'cha, the refusion. Pony's now at your family's island in the Sagami Sea. Once Nagisa's old body is found, we'll then regenerate it, then Rabby'll do satre'cha. This time, it will be as if he never poisoned himself eating those awful snow-cones!" "I RESENT that, Sensei!!" Rabby's voice is heavily inflicted with Nagisa's high-pitched cry. "They were good snow-cones!" "Good enough to get your dad and you killed?!" Lufy wonders. "Well..." Rabby/Nagisa blushes. "Shit, this is too weird!!" Ryuunosuke shakes her head, then sits before the pilot who saved her fiance's soul. "Rabby, you in there?!" "Right here," the pilot's voice returns to normal. "It's okay, Ryuunosuke-chan. I won't let anything happen to Nagisa-chan. My word of honour," she holds up her hand. Ryuunosuke trembles. Despite her earlier fears about these women, the Sagussans had yet to act in any way which'd make the tomboy not trust them. "I believe you...and thank you," she bows to Rabby. "I don't understand half of it, but thank you for looking out for us, all of us." "You're welcome," Rabby bows. Maki then walks inside. "Well, when the Principal arrives, I'll insist that your classroom be closed while Maya carries out the investigation," the inspector announces. "You're letting that trigger-happy lunatic investigate?!" Ryuunosuke exclaims. Even SHE had heard of Maya. "Maya's interest in guns does come in handy here, Ryuunosuke," Maki chuckles. "If there is anyone who doesn't know about all the personal weapons which have been built everywhere in this galaxy, she doesn't exist." "Pony to Catty," the "Hasei'cha's" second doctor calls out over the communications line. "Catty here," her fellow doctor taps her wrist-comm. "We found some DNA we've definitely matched to Nagisa," Pony reports. "But there's no body anywhere on this island, not for him nor for his father. I assume they were washed out to sea." "They were," Rabby/Nagisa reports, shivering. "Then we have one option left," Catty sighs. "Get the samples, bring them to the 'Hasei'cha,' stat." "Right away." Catty then stares at Rabby. "Nagisa," she knees before the pilot. "There's one way we can give you a body if we can't find your old one. We'd just have to give you a new body." "Can you do that?" Rabby/Nagisa gasps. "Yes," Catty nods. "It won't be direct cell-to-body cloning; that's outlawed on Sagussa. What we will do is take one of the bodies from the strike team which kidnapped Lum and Noa, then place it into the regeneration matrix, then splice in your DNA. What will happen is that with your DNA as a template, the body's DNA will re-write itself into a near-replica of yours." "Then it'll be as if I never died!" Rabby/Nagisa gasps, then shudders. "Ugh!! You mean you'll be using another person's body to give me one?! Gross!" "Relax," Catty laughs, surprised at the Terran's naivete. "How do you think we all came back to life?!" The pilot blushes; Rabby was probably explaining the whole process to Nagisa subconsciously. "Oh, I see," she nods, then blinks. "Wait! You said 'near-replica?!'" "Yes," Catty frowns. "We can do a lot to make this body as close to yours as possible. How do you suppose all of us, from over twenty races, have the same psi-powers and lifespan? It's quite easy to rewrite most of a person's DNA...except for one very important strand: the strand that controls your gender." Ryuunosuke pales. Rabby/Nagisa blinks, then sighs. "What you're saying is that...this new body would be of me...were I born a woman, correct?" "Correct," Catty nods. "Then do it. I have no objections." Ryuunosuke faints! "WHAT?!?!?!" "Ryuunosuke!!" the possessed pilot gazes tearfully at her. "You don't understand; you've never understood me! You've fought your father since the day it dawned on you that you were a girl and you were being forced into something you didn't want to be!! It wasn't that way with me and my father! He never forced me into acting as a woman...but, oh gods, I could tell deep in his eyes how disappointed he was. He wanted to honour his commitment to your father...but most of all, he wanted a daughter, one he could be proud of, one he could show off to the world! I chose to be the way I was when we met, Ryuunosuke!! I wanted so much to make him happy! Even with him gone, I will not change from that path!!" Ryuunosuke seems to deflate as Nagisa's words wash over her. She had assumed all along that Nagisa had wanted the chance to be a real man, take his proper place in the world. To actually believe that Nagisa had wanted to be a girl...and at the same time love her?! That was way too much to take! "Excuse me!" she turns and storms out of the apartment. "Ryuunosuke-sama!!" Rabby/Nagisa gasps, rising to pursue. "Stay here," Lufy waves her down. "I'll go after her." "Arigato, Lufy-san." The pilot storms out of the room. Catty sighs, then gazes at Rabby. "Nagisa, are you sure you want to do this?! I warn you now; once this occurs, we can never change it back!" "Catty-sensei, you're giving me the greatest wish of my life!" Rabby/Nagisa asserts. "Yes, I love Ryuunosuke. What does that make me?! Gay, lesbian...gods, why do people make up these names?! I really don't care, Sensei...and I can sense from Rabby-chan that giving names to things like that doesn't matter on Sagussa. Please do it. It's what I want most of all. Please!" Catty blinks, then taps her wrist-comm. "Catty to Pony. Get one of the bodies out of the freezer, then prep a regen tank. Splice in Nagisa's DNA; *she's* agreed to let it happen." "It'll be done," Pony replies... * * * "Hey, you!!" Lufy snaps. "Where the fuck're you going?!" "Damn you, will you leave me alone?!!" Ryuunosuke spins on her, her fist flying at the pilot's face. Lufy deflects it without thinking. "Will you listen to me?!" she grabs Ryuunosuke and slams her against the front fence. "What're you doing running away from Nagisa like that?! Don't you get it?! Guy or girl, Nagisa loves you!! Can't you see that?!" "You don't understand a damn thing, Lufy!!" the tomboy screams back, tears welling in her eyes. "Ever since I was born, my father kept smashing me down, kept telling me I was something I really wasn't!! And Nagisa's father did the same thing to him! Fuck, he got it worse; he's been brainwashed into believing that he'd be better off as a girl!! Damn, do you realize what'll happen next?! My dad'll come to you and demand that you'd remake me as a guy!! I'm a girl, damn it all!!! A GIRL!!!! A GIRL!!!!!!" "Yes, you are!!" Lufy snaps. "You are one Eternity-be blessed beautiful woman who's survived some of the worst shit anyone could conceive!! You're scared; I don't blame you! You don't know where your life's going; Lyna's Soul, I can understand that! But if you really want to survive, you've got to stop being afraid of your old man!! Nagisa's doing this to HONOUR his father! You heard what he said! He was willing to let Nagisa grow up as a man! He chose to act as a woman to make his father happy!! That's how much he loves him! And Nagisa had the freedom of choice all the time!" Ryuunosuke shudders, sobs escaping her. "Your father hasn't done shit to earn much from you," Lufy adds. "He never gave you the choice his friend gave Nagisa. I don't blame you for hating him; fuck, if he did that to me, I'd shoot the bastard dead! But the more you give into him, the less chances you'll have of taking control of your life, Ryuunosuke!! Can't you understand that?!" The tomboy shudders, tears flowing down her cheeks as she tries to regain control of herself. Lufy bites her lips as she tries a softer tack. "Ryuunosuke, pull up your shirt." "What...?" "Do it!!" Blinking, Ryuunosuke reaches down, then pulls up her shirt to reveal the bandages she used to cover her breasts. Lufy gazes at them, then reaches behind her to undo the knot keeping them in place. The white cloth falls away, revealing her meijasha for all to see. Lufy wraps up the cloth, then holds it in front of her. "You continue to wear these, then your father wins. It's your life, Ryuunosuke. Make the right choice for *you,* not him." With that, the pilot walks away. Ryuunosuke gapes at her... * * * Hours later, the "Hasei'cha" drifts hundreds of kilometres over Tokyo. Ataru gazes out the front viewport of the meditation room in the warpsloop's superstructure, his eyes staring at what was once his home city. He had just received Feb's final report concerning Crusader Sweep. What happened to Nagisa had made him cry. He had always liked Ryuunosuke, had deep down felt happy that someone had come to give her life more meaning. He hoped things wouldn't change too much between them. A door opens behind him. He blinks, then stares as Ryuunosuke walks in. His eyes then fall on her unwrapped breasts, barely contained by her I LOVE THE SEA T-shirt. "Hi, Ryuu-chan!" She blinks on seeing his hair, beard and moustache, then the uniform. "Damn, it's like your a different man!!" she exclaims. "I don't mind the change," he nods, then gazes at her. "So, you finally decided to stop hurting yourself, eh?! Good for you." "Thanks," she blushes. Shit, how much had he changed? "Um, so! You're fit to be with us again?!" "Yeah, it's no danger to either me or anyone else," he smiles. "Worried about Nagisa?" "Y-yeah," she nods, feeling a surge of embarrassment. One thing her father had always drilled into his "son" was to never show any emotion which would make "him" less manly. "Look, I know why he's...fuck; he, she, what is Nagisa?!...doing this, but damn if this isn't going to make my dad croon for me to do the same!" "Ryuu-chan, if you do that, your old man wins!" Ataru insists. "You are a woman; you've accepted that since day one! I've known that most of all! If your father's so narrow-minded that he can't conceive of his only child being anything other that what he wants, then's he's not fit to be your father! Besides, he can't demand any doctor from Sagussa make you into a man; only you can make that demand and our doctors have the means to ensure he couldn't force them to do what he wants against your wishes. You have nothing to fear but fear itself; if you give into it, he wins!" "Shit, that's the same thing Lufy said!" "That's the same thing we'd all say, Ryuu-chan!" The door then opens, revealing Catty, who then bows. "Oh, Ataru, Ryuunosuke!" the doctor bows. "Hi, Catty," Ataru nods. "Any news about Atako?" "We can't save her old body; the disease is too far advanced for the matrix to be effective," Catty sighs. "Worse, we can't splice her DNA into a new body; the virus has corrupted almost all her cells. I've had Hotaru do tre'cha with her." "What're your plans?" the Daimon'cha wonders. "She asked for someone to be a donor for her new body," Catty smiles. "Congratulations, Ataru; you now have a sister." Ataru blinks, then grins. "Tell her I'm honoured to have helped. I'll visit her when she's ready. Anything else?" "Yes," Catty waves to the door. "I think I outdid myself this time! Nagisa?" Ryuunosuke gapes on seeing Nagisa walk in. Now in an off-duty jumpsuit loaned by Rabby, she stops, then twirls to give the tomboy a complete view. "Well, Ryuu-chan? Do you like it?" "Oh, man!!" Ryuunosuke exclaims, her jaw scraping the deck. While Nagisa was easily mistaken for a woman in her old body, now there could be no mistake, for Nagisa was unequivocally a woman. "Let's leave them alone," Ataru faces Catty, then smiles at Nagisa. "Good to have you back with us." "Thank you, Ataru," Nagisa bows. Ataru and Catty leave, closing the door behind them. Awkward silence falls as Nagisa and Ryuunosuke gaze upon each other, then the former stares at the latter's bust. "You finally stopped doing that!" she breathes out. "You realize how much you were hurting yourself when you wrapped your breasts up like that?!" Ryuunosuke shudders, a strange warmth surging from her heart. Suddenly, everything she complained about had become meaningless. The basic fact of their relationship had never changed. "Oh, Nagisa-chan..." she sniffs. "I love you..." Nagisa's eyes widen, then she starts to cry. "Ryuu-chan...oh, Ryuu-chan, I love you so much...!" Crying, they flew into the other's arms, fiercely embracing as the pent-up tension of the last day finally drains. They were both women, but who cared about that? They were together, a real family ...and no power in the universe could change that fact. Gazing into each other's eyes, they tenderly kiss, then Ryuunosuke backs away. "So...what do we do now?" Nagisa smiles. "Close your eyes." Ryuunosuke closes them. A moment later, Nagisa says, "Okay." Her eyes open...then they widen in stunned awe, for Nagisa had divested herself of her jumpsuit, exposing her new body for her lover's full attention. Oh, damn, she was gorgeous! Still slim, but with the right curves in the right places. Her breasts were perky, her nipples framed with large areolae. Downstairs, her groin was framed by a trimmed triangle of dark brown pubic hair. Ryuunosuke felt some relief; she had never seen Nagisa's privates when she was a man and didn't know how she'd take it. At least she was something she'd get used to a lot easier. "Your turn," Nagisa smiles, then closes her eyes. Ryuunosuke blinks, then reaches down for her T-shirt. A moment later, she smiles. "Okay." Nagisa opens her eyes, then breathes in, her cheeks flushing in awe on seeing her well-exercised body. "Beautiful!" "Is it just like you imagined?" Ryuunosuke wonders. "No," Nagisa shakes her head. "Better. Much better!" Ryuunosuke smiles, then opens her arms. Nagisa leaps into her embrace, the two passionately kissing. Both tense as they feel a subtle fire race up from their groins, then part. "Oh, man!" the former realizes. "Now we gotta teach ourselves how to make love as girls!!" she slaps her forehead. "We'll do it later," Nagisa kisses her forehead, then gazes out the window at the wonderful view of Earth. "Oh, look at that, Ryuu-chan," she breathes in. "Isn't that the most beautiful sight you've ever seen?!" Ryuunosuke looks outside. Yeah, it was beautiful. She then cups Nagisa's chin in her hand. "I see someone more beautiful." Nagisa's eyes tear. "Oh, Ryuu-chan!" They kiss, then walk over to a nearby couch to gaze upon the world of their birth... * * * To be continued...^Z