Iczer-one Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Earth Child ❯ Trials & Errors ( Chapter 27 )

The Earthchild

 

(An Iczer/Ranma/Sailor Moon Crossover)

 

Written by

Jim Robert Bader

 

Proofread by

Shiva Barnwell

 

(Inspired by the works of Rumiko Takahashi,

Naoko Takeuchi, Toshihiro Hirano, & Hitoshi Okuda,

with ideas and suggestions by TH Tiger and Johannes Huber)

 

 

 

 

 

“Avengers Assemble!”

 

“Whoops!” Nova declared, “Missed again, gotta book outta here quick!”

 

“Ngh….” Yui incoherently mumbled, slowly coming out of the daze that had possessed her for the better part of the last few hours. She was dimly aware that her aqueous environment was feeling warm and as inviting as a mother's caress, and yet the party responsible for being here was anything but her mother, in fact, she had vague memories of doing something with her that was anything BUT motherly, and several times over, some sessions lasting more than a quarter of an hour.

 

“Haven't you got any sense of direction down there?” Nova complained, “Can't you tell the difference between Nerima, Japan, and Westchester County? I mean, those X-guys play rough, know what I mean, and they kept mistaking my Robo for something called a Sentinel, of all things!?”

 

“W-Where…?” Yui mumbled semi-incoherently, wondering dimly how she could be breathing normally while underwater.

 

“Oho, coming out of it again down there?” Nova mused, “Well, Sleeping Beauty, you've given me a pretty wild ride, so maybe we should park and go to it again since I'm feeling in need of a recharge.”

 

Yui tried to move her arms and legs and found them immobile, “W-What are you…doing to me…?”

 

“Hey, it's not what I am doing, it's what I'm gonna be doing with you that counts, Cute Stuff,” Nova leered, finding a comfortable niche in Subspace in which to park her giant Iczer Robo, then teleporting both herself and the semi-coherent Yui onto a nice patch of pseudo-grass, whereupon she pounced on the other girl and wrestled her into a very compromised position.

 

“Hey…what…?” Yui gasped, finding herself naked and on her back looking up into the by now familiar face of her equally naked and nominal captor, the cherry-pink haired Iczer, as memories began to flood back into her of the two of them doing this very same thing on several previous occasions.

 

“Don't try to fight it, Beautiful,” Nova purred as she stroked Yui's hair in a surprisingly affectionate manner, “It's bigger than the both of us…I think.”

 

Yui tried to struggle free but the Bioroid's strength outmatched even her formidable Hibiki-spawned Oni power, and all struggling seemed to accomplish was to press her naked flesh up against the equally warm flesh of her oppressor, which seemed to delight Nova to no end the more they struggled.

 

“Let me go!” Yui insisted, “Are you crazy?”

 

“Is that a trick question?” Nova remarked as she gazed longingly into the eyes of her helpless captive, “Mother Machine, you are so beautiful…and tasty! I can't get enough of doing this with you…it's like an addiction…!”

 

“Maybe for you!” Yui complained as she squirmed some more, only to find that Nova was deliberately grinding her hip into her pussy, which caused Yui to arch her back and groan ever so slightly.

 

“Oh yeah, Beautiful,” Nova affectionately growled, “That's the ticket…work it, baby…I'll have you juicing up in no time, and then I'm gonna ream you out like there's no tomorrow!”

 

Yui gasped as she felt Nova move one of her hands to cup and fondle one of her breasts, stroking and pinching the nipple there and causing her bosom to swell into a now-customary hardness. It was impossible to deny that she was deriving some pleasure out of being man-handled (um…woman-handled?) in such a manner, but the fact that this was an involuntary ravishment---technically speaking, a rape---spoiled any enjoyment on her part as she tried to find the leverage she would need to break the hold Nova had upon her body.

 

Even as she attempted this Nova brought her mouth into play, planting a kiss along Yui's throat that brought about a second gasp, the more so when Nova started painting her way down Yui's torso until she found the breast that she was fondling and started to trace a line of kissed leading up to the aureole, and then she took the nipple firmly between her teeth and oh-so-lightly nipped it, bringing yet a third gasp of stifled pleasure from Yui.

 

“No teeth!” Yui pleaded, unable to say more as she groaned in disbelief when Nova encircled her breast and began to suckle. For the next several moment it felt as though the Bioroid was trying to suck her whole breast into her mouth, which truly was an indescribable feeling, not painful at all, just very overwhelming and completely arousing…

 

But then something very strange began to happen, her breast began to tingle from within, which Yui would have sworn had not occurred on the previous occasions when Nova had suckled her. All at once she felt as if something were shooting out of her, even as Nova continued to grind Yui's pussy with her hip bone, and to their mutual surprise a wet, sopping sound began to be heard, one that caught Nova just as much unawares as it was for Yui!

 

“WHOAH!” Nova gasped as she briefly surrendered Yui's tit, “Are you lactating? Oh man! I didn't know you human girls could do that…I mean…at least, not without first having a baby…”

 

“W-W-What…?” Yui gasped in disbelief, only to blink her eyes as her nipple squirted more milk into Nova's face, spilling some of the transparent-yet-milky fluid onto Yui's chin and cheek, a drop of it finding its way to her gaping mouth, which Yui reflexively swallowed, marveling at the taste on her palate.

 

“Weird,” Nova remarked as she stared at the now-throbbing breast, then smiled, “But in a nice kind of way…and very tasty!” So without further adieu she once again began suckling Yui's breast, relieving the strain that was building inside her and giving Yui a whole new definition of pleasure as Nova began to drink her milk down like a hungry newborn, which was why Yui rolled back her head and gave a sharp cry of approval rather than outrage.

 

This went on for several minutes during which time Nova brought her hand down to cup Yui's well-lubricated vagina. There was a fire building up inside Yui that she desperately needed to have sated, and like the accommodating kidnapper than she was, Nova went to work probing her depths with her hot little fingers, playing the Hibiki girl like a musical instrument and eliciting such sweet sounds that Nova felt emboldened to go even farther.

 

“Oh yeah…I gotta have you!” Nova cried at last as she surrendered the nipple and brought her mouth down the trail of Yui's tummy, at last finding her way to the inner thighs of the other girl and working Yui over before bringing her mouth down and thrusting her tongue into the pink meat of Yui's sopping wet crevice.

 

At this point Yui gave up all pretense of either resistance or outrage and just gave out a cry that sang a tune of sweet surrender, further emboldening her Bioroid ravager to thrust her tongue ever deeper, far deeper than a human tongue could hope to go, and swirling it around inside there against the velvety walls of Yui's vagina. Nova's nose teased Yui's clitoris and further stroked the flame of her arousal, and all at once Nova's efforts yielded fruit, for Yui's loins fired a load of hot female jism into the hungry mouth of her captive, relishing the way Nova greedily drawn her down and further teased her, working her up again until Yui had no choice but to give off a second orgasm.

 

Yui's feet were pressed against the ground with her toes arching and her thighs widening the gap that lay between them. Yui balled her fists and hit the ground repeatedly as her body rang out with the force of her third orgasm, quivering her insides like the aftershock of a major eruption, her eyes shut tight and her voice almost raw from all the shouting. Nova continued to eat her out until there was no more juice to be swallowed, at which point she licked the inside of Yui's thighs and moved her head up to grin her way, her face slick with moisture and her grin worthy of a Cheshire cat. Yui stared at that face and felt a strange thrill, like a sense of infinite wonder.

 

“My turn, Girlfriend,” Nova urged as she got up and repositioned herself, straddling the limp Yui before lowering her own bald loins before Yui's hungry face, tempting the other girl to return the favor with interest.

 

Yui was too worked up and in a state of heightened arousal to refuse this offer, and at once she lifted her lips and started to “sample” the Bioroid's wares, marveling at how soft and sensitive they were, and how much they tasted like the succulent loins of Trout, the C'thuwulf who had taken away her virginity…at least where it concerned women.

 

“Oooh yeah!” Nova arched her own back and cooed as she felt Yui begin nuzzling her loins, soft and hesitantly at first, but with much more insistence the longer she tried it. Yui definitely proved to have a talent for this sort of thing as she reached up with both hands and took a firm grip of Nova's ass-cheeks, holding her down so that Yui did not have to strain her neck so much in order to ream her, and going to town with a hungry intensity that soon had Nova screaming and begging for release. The longer this went on the hungrier and more aroused Yui was becoming, finding the taste of Nova's cherry-sweet loins intoxicating and arousing, even as Nova threw back her long mane of hair and uttered a cry that was equal parts surrender and triumph.

 

Of course Yui felt a fire in another part of her anatomy, but Nova did not completely forget her other breast and reached down with a hand to fondle and squeeze it, causing Yui to begin lactating within a few minutes. That heightened the element of pleasure in both of them, so much so that when Nova climbed down from her third consecutive orgasm she wasted no time bending down and straddling Yui once gain so she could have another shot of “breast juice,” yielding up a different kind of cream while Yui held her to her bosom and encouraged the Bioroid to drink her fill, thus easing up on Yui's internal pressure.

 

“Oh yeah!” Nova grunted between sloppy, wet noises, punctuated by Yui's continuous gasps at the feeling of milk being ejected from her nipple, “I definitely won't get tired of this anytime soon…!”

 

“NOVA!”

 

“Eh?” the Bioroid paused in mid-suckle, “Who's that?”

 

“NOVA---REPORT TO ME! WHERE IS YOUR CURRENT LOCATION?”

 

Nova sat bolt upright and immediately stumbled, “Er—ah---I'm…looking for directions, Big Gold…I mean, Granny! Honest! I'm just…encountering a few technical difficulties…”

 

“YOU HAVE BEEN GONE A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TIME! HOW LONG CAN IT TAKE YOU TO FIND THE NERIMA DISTRICT AND TO CRUSH THE ICZER-ROBO KNOWN AS GAMMA THETA?”

 

Nova winced, “Er…well…it's kind of a long story…actually, I think it's kind of funny in a way…”

 

“I AM NOT INTERESTED IN HEARING YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES! RETURN TO BASE AND WE SHALL EXAMINE YOUR PROGRAMMING TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A FAULT IN YOUR DESIGN. WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING NOW, DROP IT AND RESUME YOUR REGULAR DUTIES TO ME!”

 

“Um…yeah…recall,” Nova swallowed, “No problem…over and out…”

 

“What are you going to do?” Yui asked, “She sounds angry…”

 

“Ah, Granny always sounds like that,” Nova smiled, then she reached down and gripped Yui by one of her ankles, lifting the leg up and bringing the foot to her mouth, which she began to lick and caress with her face, tongue and cheek, much to Yui's amazement and intense surprise, especially when Nova positioned herself so that she could straddle Yui from a semi-upright position, pressing her loins up against Yui's before grinding their pussies together.

 

Yui gasped in amazement and said, “What are you doing…???”

 

“What does it feel like, Sugar Plum?” Nova cooed, “I'm raping you silly!”

 

Yui might have had mixed qualms about the “rape” part, but there was no question that she was solidly in the clutches of an amorous sexpot who did not know the meaning of the word “quit,” and the way she was rubbing her snatch up against Yui's own unfolding pink petals, it felt like they were French kissing with their vaginas, their knobby little clits rubbing back and forth against one another, sensing electric sparks coursing all throughout both of their bodies. In very short order they once-again climaxed together and mingled their love juices together.

 

“AAAAHHHHH!” both women cried out together, for the splash of hot jism from both pussies meant that they were now joined at the hip with an exchange of fluids that signified their deep attraction for one another.

 

“OOOOHHHHYYYEEEAAAHHH!!!” Nova all but screamed, “Now that's really worth shouting about! You do that again, Lover, and I'll eat you up like an Eskimo pie…”

 

“Why bother,” Yui panted in near-exhaustion, “You're just gonna do me again as soon as you feel horny…”

 

`You got that right,” Nova crowed, “Man, you humans are really something! I feel like I'm glowing all over, like I'd glow in the dark! Girlfriend, you are radioactive! Making out with you is like nothing I've ever described in my equations!”

 

“Glad somebody here is having a good time,” Yui gasped, “So…what did you want me for anyway, other than to have a nice screw?”

 

“Well, that's the unforeseen side-benefit, true,” Nova replied, “But the truth is that you were picked as a convenient ally to help me out in Granny's plan to destroy the Iczers. Our previous battles shows that only you humans seem capable of generating the types of power that we've needed to make our Robos operate at pique efficiency. I singled you out because you have a Bioform reading that's way loads more intense than any regular human, and the more I make out with you the more I can feel that power inside you growing…power that's feeding me and making me feel so aroused!”

 

“Lucky me,” Yui remarked, “But why do you want to destroy Rhea and Muku-chan?”

 

“Not Muku,” Nova leered, “Rhea's my enemy, but your Muku-chan could be more than useful for us, especially seeing as how you've got me revved up with curiosity as to how she'll taste when I screw her!”

 

“HEY!” Yui instantly protested.

 

“Hey, I was meaning to share her with you,” Nova leered, “The both of us going at her…I'll bet we could have that honey pot crying out our names in under five seconds! We'll make her forget all about her little pine-up dolly and have her eating out of your hand in next to no time! Just think of it…you can finally have your Muku and eat her out too!”

 

“Eat out…Muku-chan?” Yui was faintly stunned at the prospect.

 

“Yeah,” Nova grinned all the more, “Imagine how much fun you could have bending her to your will, to see her groveling at your feet and begging you to make out with her…don't tell me you're not turned on at the idea of seeing her quivering at your feet and pleading for surrender.”

 

“Ah…well…” Yui flushed crimson, ashamed to admit to herself that she did indeed find the prospect highly appealing.

 

“Now, time for us to get back into the Robo so we can continue the hunt,” Nova sighed as she got back to her feet, “Granny won't wait forever, but first we'd better put in a pit-stop at headquarters.”

 

“Why…are you doing this?” Yui gasped as Nova helped her get back to her feet, “Why do you want to hurt Rhea?”

 

“Don't tell me you're getting soft on the Iczer who's trying to screw around with your girlfriend?” Nova challenged, “I know full well that you'd like nothing better than to beat her senseless with your umbrella.”

 

“Well…yeah, but that's because she's stolen my Muku!” Yui complained, aware that she was sounding and feeling quite bitter on that topic, “But I don't actually want to destroy her…”

 

“Oh, you'd rather have her groveling at your feet besides Muku?” Nova asked, then blinked, “Hey, that's not a half-bad suggestion! I could get off on watching that little gold wire-head squirm under my heel, especially if I put my foot over her pussy and shove my toe in deep…”

 

“Uh…that's…not quite what I mean either…” Yui dubiously noted.

 

“I'll tell you what,” Nova looked Yui directly in the eyes and drew her into her embrace, pressing their naked breasts up against one another so that their nipples were mashing together, “You help me get Rhea into my clutches, I'll make Muku a present for you, I'll even gift wrap her up with a ribbon!”

 

“But…” Yui tried once again to protest, only to have Nova's mouth clamp down on her own as the Bioroid drew her into a passionate full-body embrace that twined their legs and made Yui's head swim with conflicting (but quite pleasant) sensations.

 

“Time to go, Honey-pot,” Nova winked, “But we'll do this again when we make the next pit-stop.”

 

Yui might have protested some more, but then she felt the tug of a tractor beam and before she knew it she was being lifted back into the chest-plate of the giant Robot. In moments Yui found herself breathing in liquid again, strapped down tight within the central cockpit while Nova resumed her place in the head, taking firm control of the monstrous Robot with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.

 

“All right…now to follow the recall signal back to home base,” Nova declared, only to gasp once again as she saw their exterior environment change into something altogether different than expected, “AW NO---NOT AGAIN!”

 

“This…doesn't look like your home, does it?” Yui tentatively hesitated.

 

“No shit, Sherlock!” Nova snapped, “What is it with you? How can you even mess up the directions for my homing recall beacon?”

 

“I'm sorry,” Yui replied, “It's not my fault…it's the family curse of the Hibikis…”

 

“I knew I should have read the fine print when I picked you for a partner,” Nova sighed, “Tell me something…is there ANY way that you can find your sense of directions?”

 

“Well…” Yui said reluctantly, “There is one thing that sometimes works…when I focus real hard on a goal and concentrate…it can actually find things. It's called Psychometry…something I inherited from my mother…”

 

“Fine…hey, as long as it works, I won't complain,” Nova remarked, “So…why don't you try concentrating on finding your way back to Muku?”

 

“But you'll hurt her if you find her!” Yui protested.

 

“Hey, I've already told you that I'm not gonna hurt her!” Nova protested, “I might rough her up a bit, but I won't scratch one hair on the top of her head, trust me!”

 

“Why should I trust you?” Yui asked reasonably, “You're the one who's kidnapped and raped me…”

 

“Details, details,” Nova dismissed the point, “Blame it on yourself for being so sweet and delicious, Buttercup. Now, do you want to see your girlfriend or not? Or would you rather leave her alone to spend more time with her precious Rhea?”

 

“Rhea?” Yui bridled, “Spend time with my Muku…?”

 

“That's the spirit,” Nova grinned, “Now…just keep thinking about the two of them together, doing what we were just doing a second ago…”

 

“Doing…what we were just doing?” Yui bridled, “I'LL KILL HER!”

 

“Now you're getting the ticket!” Nova grinned, “Iczer Gamma Theta…here we come!”

 

Just then outside of their canopy a pair of bears paused in their daily attempts at scrounging up food from the table scraps and refuse containers left behind by some picnicking tourists. Both bears watched as the enormously large robot vanished from their midst, leaving only a pair of deep crater-like impressions in the place where it had been standing.

 

“[Hey Yogi,]” grunted one of the pair in bear-talk, “{Now there's something you don't see very day, huh?]”

 

“[I dunno, Booboo Boy,]” the other bear responded, “[You see one giant combat Mecha in Yellowstone park, you've pretty much seen them all.]”

 

“[I guess it could be worse,]” the other bear shuddered slightly, “[They might have been…Power Rangers…]”

 

“[Good point, guess it could always be worse,]” the second bear replied and promptly resumed scrounging for picnic baskets…

 

 

 

 

“Good morning, Atros, and how are you today?”

 

“I am…quite fine, Doctor,” said the dark haired Iczer warrior as she examined the confines of her well-furnished cell, “You needn't bother keeping me restrained like this…your tests have confirmed that I am quite free from all traces of the Gold virus.”

 

“It's just a precaution until you're fully up and ready,” Sister Grey replied, “No sense rushing things now that you're beginning a new life as a free and independent Iczer.”

 

“Free,” Atros said without bitterness, “I wonder if I will ever be fully free from the memories that plague me now…to think that I was taken in once again by that…Monster!”

 

“Hey, it could happen to anyone,” Nagisa helpfully suggested from her side of the transparent partition separating her from her nominal “daughter,” “At least you're all right now, that's what's important.”

 

“Thank you, Nagisa-san,” Atros nodded, only to pause and wince slightly before correcting herself and saying, “I mean…Mother…”

 

“Hey, it's going to take me a while to get used to that myself,” Nagisa assured her, “So…what do you remember of your time with Big Gold?”

 

“Unfortunately…I remember everything,” this time Atros was bitter as she added, “Every sordid, miserable, infuriating second that I was held under the thrall of that twisted betrayal of an Avatar. When I think of all the things I did while believing that I was Neos Gold's creation…”

 

“Hey, I'm back!” Troi called out as she and Sakura entered the chamber, “How's the spud getting along? Not causing you guys any more trouble, I hope?”

 

“Oh, no trouble so far,” Nagisa smiled, “Other than a severe care of cabin fever.”

 

“Yeah, well, you're lucky if you only have that much to complain about,” Troi addressed herself to Atros, “You're looking pretty good there for someone who was on the brink of self-destructing a little while ago, Kid. Glad to see you're looking healthy.”

 

“To which I owe some measure of gratitude to you…Mother,” Atros nodded towards them, “But I believe the bulk of my debt is to your companion, who had the intelligence to serve my virtual self that anti-viral program.”

 

“Hey, just glad I could help out,” Sakura shrugged.

 

“So, what are your plans now, Kid?” Troi asked through the partition, “Gonna try and settle down, take stock of your sitch, maybe find yourself a cute honey-bunny to snuggle up with…?”

 

“HEY!” Sakura protested.

 

“In all honesty…I have no idea…Mother,” Atros replied, “Your companion and you may have freed my mind, but you have left me with an emptiness that I must somehow fill through other means. I do not, as yet, have a clear conception of what my purpose is in the greater scheme of things.”

 

“Heck, why make things so complicated?” Troi shrugged, “I'm sure you'll make your mind up as soon as you have time enough to sort through your marbles.”

 

“That attitude may suit you, Mother,” Atros said, “But I am not accustomed to operating in life without a clearly designated function.”

 

“Well, now's a good time to learn,” Troi reasoned, “I've been working without a plan almost my whole life…”

 

“We know,” Nagisa smiled, “But we love you for it anyway.”

 

“Ah…” Troi glanced nervously at Sakura, who only frowned slightly in reply, “Better watch that `love me' stuff, Nagisa-chan…ah…after all, don't wanna get in trouble with Oneechan, right?”

 

“Among other parties,” Sakura noted with slight amusement.

 

“Uh…right,” Troi said with a somewhat nervous expression.

 

Atros stared through the partition then shook her dark mane of hair and said, “I can't believe that you're my mother…we're so different…and yet we are the same.”

 

“You think this is easy for me?” Troi asked, “I'm so used to thinking of you as my clone that it's gonna take me some time to adjust to the idea of being your momma.”

 

“Tell me about it,” Nagisa said, “But I think we'll all adjust over time. Now that you're free of Big Gold and Neos, you can make your own way in the world, create your own destiny in life…”

 

“Can I?” Atros asked, glancing down, “You may have eradicated the virus that was in me, but I fear the shadow of Big Gold will be with me forever…”

 

“Geez, that's such a depressing way to look at things,” Troi complained, “Can't you take a more positive attitude than that? I mean, Sakura and me went through real heck to break you loose from that virus, the least you could do is try and smile a little.”

 

“Smile?” Atros blinked, “I…don't believe…that I even know how…”

 

“Well, there's always a good time to start in the present,” Sakura remarked, before turning to the others, “I have to say that I find her attitude understandable…it's not exactly like she's had a lot to smile about until now.”

 

“Good point,” Troi nodded, “Guess we're gonna have to work on that once Mom here clears you from quarantine. Don't give her too much trouble and she'll be nice and give you half time for good behavior…ain't that right, Grandma?”

 

Sister Grey just smiled, “Now that is going to take me some getting used to…but then again, I wasn't expecting you to have a child at this late stage in your life.”

 

“Wasn't exactly my idea,” Troi shrugged, “But now that I've got her, I guess I might as well keep her.”

 

“Gee thanks,” Atros responded.

 

“Don't worry,” Nagisa said, “You won't be in there for very long, just until we're convinced that you're ready to circulate among normal society.”

 

“Where?” Atros asked, “The human world…or this C'thuwulf outpost which you've created?”

 

“Your call,” Troi replied, “But if you're gonna go topside, then I'd better warn you to get ready to hear a lot of Vulcan and Elf jokes.”

 

“Vulcan?” Atros replied, “But they live forty-nine light-years from the Earth system…oh,” she suddenly caught on, reaching up reflexively to touch her long ears as she belatedly caught her meaning.

 

“Huh?” Sakura turned a questioning look towards her new partner and said, “There really are such things as Vulcans?”

 

“Hey, Roddenberry didn't make all of it up,” Troi replied, “He had a few hints from a friendly source…before our time, so we're off the hook for that one.”

 

“Either way,” Nagisa said, “The important thing is that we're all together and we're family here, and when you get to know more about what that's like I think you may come to enjoy it.”

 

“Maybe,” Atros replied, “I certainly hope that is the case, Nagi—sa---Mother…”

 

“Work on it a bit,” Nagisa smiled, “I'm sure you'll get it right.”

 

“In the meantime,” Sister Grey noted, “You do have that other problem to attend to, what with your friend being kidnapped and taken on that wild ride by the renegade, Nova…”

 

“Oh yeah,” Troi rolled her eyes, “Way I hear it they've been hitting just about every hot spot in the earth EXCEPT Nerima. That Hibiki curse you mentioned really is something, Sakura-chan.”

 

“In the first place,” Sakura said, “She's not really my friend, more like a nuisance classmate who's always causing problems, and in the second place…there has to be a less stressful way to see the world than to get taken on a ride by someone like Yui.”

 

“Well, actually,” Nagisa pointed out, “Iczer Two feels obligated to handle that one since she's also our daughter, as disturbing as that sounds on reflection, and from what I heard she took off a while ago with Sayoko and Iczer Beta. They're parked out in subspace waiting for Nova to show her face…although I think she also mentioned something about stopping by your dojo to look up your father, her old sensei…”

 

“My dojo?” Sakura blinked, “She's going to talk to my father?”

 

“Uh…what about, did she say?” Troi asked nervously.

 

“Something about making an apology, I think,” Atros replied, “Iczer Two…I mean…Aunt Two seemed to believe that she owed an explanation to her mentor…but I'm not sure I understood her reasons for feeling she was in the debt of some male human…”

 

“Oh shit!” Troi winced, “Don't tell me she's going to tell Uncle Ranma about me and Sakura?”

 

“WHAT???” Sakura blurted, “She wouldn't-—-SHE CAN'T! Mom and Dad are gonna throw a fit if they found out what I've been doing!”

 

“Not to mention who with,” Troi grimaced, “Look, Kid…we'll have to pick this up later, right now Sakura and me gotta book, later!”

 

With that Troi took her partner in hand and flash teleported, leaving Atros to blink her eyes then ask, “Is she always this flighty?”

 

“Are you kidding?” Nagisa smiled, “For her that was relatively stable behavior.”

 

“She tries,” Sister Grey admitted, “Even when at times she is very trying. But you'll learn to love her in time, Child, so try and be patient.”

 

“I will try, Grandmother,” Atros nodded, “Though I wonder truly if even the Gods have that much patience…”

 

 

 

 

“…A pretty good crowd for today, eh Ucchan?” Ranma-chan asked her wife as she waited tables in her tight little outfit and served their customers hot plates of okonomiyaki.

 

“Oh yeah,” Ukyo replied as she feverishly worked at keeping up with the steady stream of orders, “I just wish Sakura would hurry home and help out. She's been spending a lot of time with her friends lately, in case you didn't notice.”

 

“Hey, I'm not that dense,” Ranma-chan chuckled, “You think I haven't been picking up on the way she's starting to blossom out, just like her mother?”

 

“Flatterer,” Ukyo sniffed, trying not to let herself be distracted from whipping up a new batch of batter, “Honestly though, I'm worried about Sakura. She doesn't talk a lot about her problems, but I can tell that there's something that's been bothering her lately.”

 

“Aw, probably just boy trouble,” Ranma-chan remarked as she returned to the counter for another set of orders, “That Ken guy has really been riding her a lot lately…you ask me, he's a little too much like Nabiki, and that camera of his…”

 

“Maybe you're right,” Ukyo nodded at the old and familiar argument to which her husband was referring, “Maybe it was cruel to engage them when they're still too young to know what it's all about. I know our engagement worked out for the better, but…it wasn't without its rocky beginnings.”

 

“Yeah,” Ranma-chan nodded, “Tell me about it, and to think, I almost got engaged to marry Akane of all people. Good thing I came to my senses before it was too late…”

 

“Well, don't let her hear you say that again,” Ukyo grimaced, “It's embarrassing enough having to apologize for you when you go teasing her about it, and she's my friend too, you know, so…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Ranma-chan waved the point aside, “I should try and be nicer to the Tomboy, but is it really my fault if she can't take a joke? Oh…new customer? Welcome to Ucchan's, I…YOU?”

 

“Me,” said the tall redheaded woman who had stepped in through their doorway, dressed head to foot like a business woman of class and distinction and showing off a lot more leg than was usual for her, which drew the immediate attention of every man within earshot as she pleasantly smiled and said, “Hello, Sensei…are you too busy at the moment? We need to talk.”

 

“Uh…sure…” Ranma-chan conceded, “Ucchan…think you can do without me for a minute?”

 

“Just make it quick,” Ukyo nodded grudgingly, then smiled and said, “Hi Two, how's it going?”

 

“Just fine for the most part, Ukyo-chan,” Iczer Two replied, “Sayoko and I are even considering becoming parents.”

 

“Hey, that's great!” Ranma-chan grinned broadly, “Congratulations, when's it due?”

 

“That depends on how long it takes the laboratory to match our DNA together in order to fashion another hybrid,” Two answered, then nodded towards the entrance wing of the restaurant that opened out into the dojo, “Mind if we talk in there, Sensei? I'll only be a minute.”

 

“Sure thing,” Ranma-chan told the elvish beauty as she removed her waitress apron and tossed it over the counter, then led the way as she and the other redhead made their way into the dojo, all eyes following their movements as many tongues lolled out in appreciation of the graceful stride of the pantherish Iczer.

 

Once alone in the dojo, however, Ranma-chan took on a more serious tone as she turned to confront Iczer two and ask, “So what's the deal? Why so serious all of a sudden?”

 

“Forgive me, Sensei,” Iczer Two nodded her head in token of a bow, then she surprised Ranma entirely by falling to one knee and bowing her head in token respect, much like a samurai paying homage to her master.

 

“Forgive you?” Ranma-chan repeated.

 

“Forgive me for not coming by to visit you more often these last ten years,” Iczer Two replied with her head still downcast, “You and your lovely wife were so very kind and generous towards me when I was a guest in your dojo, and it is because of you two that I met Sayoko. I owe so much to you and your family that you are like family to me, and you must know that I would never consciously bring ill favor to either you or your loved ones.”

 

“What happened?” Ranma-chan began to ask when instinct warned him to be cautious, and all at once he asked, “Is it…about Sakura…?”

 

“Yes…very much so,” Iczer Two replied, then hastily elaborated, “Only it is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. You daughter recently did the C'thuwulf a great service, and I am proud to say that she acquitted herself with honor and distinction in several recent battles with the enemy. She is quite well in all physical respects…but there is…a complication that needs explaining…”

 

“What complication?” Ranma was by now entirely serious in his own expression.

 

“It is…difficult to relate,” Iczer Two replied, “In fact, I do not even know if I have the right to mention it at all. It is rather something that Sakura should be able to share with you of her own free volition. I…believe that it would be better for me to wait until she has found the means of telling you for herself about what has happened. I only bring it up because I feel obligated to make my apology for not seeing what was happening until after it was too late for me to intervene on your behalf…”

 

“Now you've got me worried,” Ranma replied, “Don't beat around the bush, Two. If you know something important about Sakura, then tell me!”

 

“I would tell you, truly,” the redhead grimly replied, “You are her father, and I have quite recently come to know what that means, the significance involved in being a parent. You have every right to know, but it should just as properly be Sakura who informs you, rather than myself. I am here to offer my apologies for any complications which may result from recent developments, especially in light of the fact that it was my sister, Troi, who is the one who is at fault here.”

 

“The kid?” Ranma-chan scratched the back of her head, “What did she do? Talk Sakura-chan into getting a tattoo or something?”

 

“Um…something like that,” Two winced involuntarily, feeling torn between loyalties and secretly wishing that she could apply corporal punishment to her own sister. The idea of tanning Troi's bottom was surprisingly appealing…

 

But just then a voice hastily cried, “Wait a minute! Dad, you've gotta hear my side of things first!”

 

“Hah?” Ranma-chan blinked as she whirled around to see Sakura rushing into the dojo with a look of unqualified panic.

 

“Sis, how could you?” Troi complained as she stormed in after Sakura, “Playing tattletale and running off behind my back? Don't you have any respect for Sakura's feelings?”

 

“I might ask you the same question, Sister,” Two arched the word as she got back to her feet and turned to confront her Bioroid sibling, “Of course I already know the answer.”

 

“Hey, I care a lot about Sakura-chan's feelings!” Troi flared as she got right up nose-to-nose in front of her fiery elder sister, “But it's her call about when she informs her old man about things, you got it?”

 

“I agree,” Iczer Two promptly responded.

 

“Oh yeah? And another thing…” Troi stopped herself in mid-tirade, blinked her eyes then asked, “You do?”

 

“I agree that it is up to Sakura to inform her father about what has occurred due to your actions,” Iczer Two replied, “I am only here to offer an apology in advance to his knowing about it. The Goddess knows somebody needs to apologize for what has happened.”

 

“Are you saying that I won't?” Troi pouted.

 

“I would say, without qualification, and after a lifetime of watching you duck responsibilities of all manner of past incidents, that the likelihood of you apologizing to Sensei is very remote indeed, if not altogether unheard of,” Iczer Two answered, “Which is why I took it upon myself to do the deed for you.”

 

“Well, whoopty doo!” Troi snorted, “Hope you didn't sprain anything trying to give yourself a medal…”

 

“Would you guys just SHUT UP?” Sakura snapped, then said, “Dad…um…well…there is something I've been meaning to tell you…actually…it's kind of funny in a way…I mean…I've been talking to Ken and…well…we still have to work out a few details, but…um…ah…ah…”

 

Ranma-chan blinked, “Something to do with Ken? You mean your engagement?”

 

“Ah…ah…yeah, that's it, right,” Sakura openly sweated, “Well…you know what he's like…he can be a real jerk sometimes, but…well…”

 

“But you're thinking on setting the date already?” Ranma-chan patted her daughter's arm and said, “Sakura-chan, we've been over this already. I know being forced into an engagement without prior consent ain't no fun, but we made that stupid agreement with the Tendos, and I said you'd have to wait until you were both out of high school, and I meant it. Nobody's gonna force you to marry anybody without letting you decide this stuff for yourself, and I'm gonna stand firm on that no matter what anybody says about the subject. Of course…if you want to marry early, I won't say no…you know I'll always stand by my little girl if you make up your mind about any of this, right?”

 

“Ah…right,” Sakura nodded, “Thanks, Dad…you're the greatest!”

 

“Heh, I coulda told ya that,” Ranma-chan smirked, then turned to Iczer Two and said, “So, what was the big deal, Two? Doesn't sound like anything you gotta apologize about.”

 

“Well…” Two replied reluctantly, “Actually…MMMPPPH!?!?” she stammered as Troi suddenly latched a hand over her mouth.

 

“Hey, no problem for me,” Troi said, “Just trying to help out Sakura-chan, y'know? When I heard that she and Kenny-boy were having problems…well…good natured me decided to play Cupid and all that, especially since she helped me out rescuing my own kid from a tight one…”

 

“Oh?” Ranma-chan arched a crimson eyebrow, “You've got a kid of your own now, Troi?”

 

“Just found out about it myself,” Troi said as she took her hand away from the mouth of her indignant older sister, “Came as a real surprise…looks a lot like me and everything, but when you play the field as much as I do…”

 

“Spare me the details,” Ranma-chan chuckled, “I never could figure out how you C'thuwulf types do it.”

 

“You would be…amazed if you knew,” Iczer Two glowered at Troi, who just adopted a look of stoic indifference.

 

“Now, as for you, young lady,” Ranma-chan turned back to her daughter, “Your mother needs help at the counter, so you'd better get into your chef's gear before she comes after the both of us with a spatula.”

 

“Right,” Sakura nodded, then hastily left the dojo and headed for the stairway.

 

“Guess that's my cue to take off,” Troi smiled and teleported away before Iczer Two could contradict her.

 

“She's a good kid,” Ranma-chan smiled, “But I can tell she must be a real handful for you, Two.”

 

“More than you could ever imagine, Sensei,” Iczer Two replied, “I must go…I said what I needed to say, but now Sayoko is waiting for me, and I dare not keep her waiting any longer.”

 

“I'll bet,” Ranma-chan nodded as the fiery and statuesque Iczer vanished from the dojo, but once she was alone again the Master to the Anything Goes Ryuu lost her smile and took on a more serious expression.

 

“What the heck was that all about, Sugar?” Ukyo asked as she appeared at the door to the dojo.

 

“I don't really know,” Ranma-chan replied, “But I'd bet a month's wages it was over something a lot more serious than that business with Ken.”

 

“Then why didn't you ask Sakura-chan to spill the beans and come clean, Ranchan?” Ukyo wondered.

 

“Hey, it ain't been THAT long since I was her age,” Ranma-chan snorted, “And you ought to remember what it was like for me to have to explain myself to Pop and Uncle Soun whenever I got myself into a real fix. I'm not gonna pressure her into telling me what's really up here, but…I got my suspicions…”

 

“Suspicions?” Ukyo frowned, “Now you're starting to make me worry, Ranchan.”

 

“Me too,” her husband/wife replied, “But it won't do to call Sakura-chan a liar, so…whatever is up between her and the Iczers, it'll have to be her call to let us know what the real deal is…but I'm telling you, Ucchan…I am starting to worry. It's like déjà vu all over again…”

 

“Tell me when it ain't like that, Ranchan,” Ukyo smiled lopsidedly, then glanced with a worried expression at the ceiling to the dojo…

 

 

 

 

Rhea was delighted and did not bother to hide it as she competed in the “Virtual Dome” beside Muku, working the controls of a sophisticated gaming system designed to replicate the insides of Labor capsule, having an intuitive grasp of the basics behind the concept of “ROBOJOX WARS,” the name of the current game the two of them were playing.

 

“Hah, nice one!” Muku crowed as she worked the controls of her own station, seeing the lifelike “3-D” Holographic detail on the monitors and window plate units that her console was using to simulate actual battle.

 

“You are very good at this yourself,” Rhea responded as she worked her controls to make effective use of her armament supplies, being careful to watch the gauge that would inform her when the drum was approaching critical empty.

 

“Oh man, how did you do that?” Muku reacted as she barely dodged a salvo of missiles.

 

“It is easy,” Rhea replied, “Just think of the suit as an extension of your own body, and the rest becomes automatic.”

 

“Hah, then take this one, Miss Perfect!” Muku declared as she brought her laser arm into play and targeted Rhea's simulated Mecha for a salvo, which same Rhea dodged by instinct.

 

“Very good,” said the actual Rhea, who was actually seated in the booth directly beside Muku, facing in the same direction while pretending that she was in an actual Combat Labor, “But you left yourself open for this…” and with that she deployed her last remaining missile and watched as it scored an unerring point-blank detonation on Muku's unprotected chest plate.

 

“GAAAH!” Muku cried as the red letters flashed before her helmeted eyes the words, “GAME OVER!” She powered down her console then growled, “I want another game! I never even saw that last one coming!”

 

“That was the idea,” Rhea said in amusement, “And you've already lost to me three games out of four. Are you certain that you can withstand further humiliation?”

 

“Hah, just watch me, Rookie!” Muku declared, feeding game tokens into the slot to reactivate her helmet.

 

“As you wish,” Rhea dutifully chimed as she, too, placed two tokens into the feed slot then prepared to once again engaged in Labor Combat, “I must say, however, that playing this game gives me great insight into how you have learned to master the basics of piloting an Iczer Robo.”

 

“Well, it's not exactly the same,” Muku conceded as they moved their Robots into combat position, “Your Robos tend to work on direct neural feed impulses, right? But this is where physical coordination and skill come into play, which ought to give me a technical advantage.”

 

“Whatever you say, Muku-chan,” Rhea replied, readying herself once again for battle, “But I thank you for introducing me to this game…it is most stress-relieving, and the best part of all is that no one is actually hurt in this form of combat.”

 

“Nothing hurt except my pride you mean,” Muku chuckled as she started lining up Rhea's Mecha in her target sites, “And didn't I tell you this Arcade is a great place to unwind for a while?”

 

“Oh yes, definitely,” Rhea agreed as she moved to avoid Muku's initial attack while conserving her own fire until she had a clear line of site for retaliation, “This is most relaxing…and it helps to train reflexes and home one's sense of the dangers of battle. The other amusements here are equally quite fascinating and emotionally diverting.”

 

“Glad you're enjoying yourself, Honey,” Muku declared while she brought her firepower to bear applying pressure against the opposing Mecha, “Sakura and I come here all the time to blow our allowance, and sometimes Yui takes both of us on in the third booth…a three-way between us can get pretty intense sometimes, almost like when we go at it in the dojo.”

 

“I notice that there are six booths lined up side-by-side here,” Rhea noted while beginning her counter-offensive, “Perhaps we could all do this sometime together?”

 

“Yeah, maybe we could at that,” Muku replied, then declared, “HAH! I winged you!”

 

“Guess again,” Rhea crowed triumphantly as she turned her Mecha on its side and unleashed a salvo that caught Muku almost totally flat-footed.

 

“YIKES!” Muku shrieked as she hastily hit her jump jets and rocketed out of the line of fire, just barely skirting being clipped by a few of the missiles. In retaliation she dropped a few of her mines and watched them land dangerously close to Rhea's position.

 

It was Rhea's time to yelp as she pulled her Mecha hastily out of the line of detonation, but one mine came a bit too close and her simulated Labor, which registered as a critical hit with an appropriate lessening of the integrity of her armor. With that vulnerability so registered Muku had little trouble finishing her off with her blasters.

 

“Hah, gotcha!” Muku crowed, “Looks like we can chalk this one up to the pro, Rhea-chan.”

 

“I guess you are right,” Rhea replied, not the least bothered to concede victory to her partner, “You are very good, and I can understand where you gained such well refined battle instincts. I had thought the advantage was mine this time, but I will gladly yield to a superior opponent.”

 

“Well…not that superior,” Muku sheepishly grinned as she pulled off her helmet, “I'm starving, want to get a few snacks? I'll pay.”

 

“Thank you,” Rhea replied, also removing her visual helmet, “My mother always said that I should try more regular earth foods…what would you suggest?”

 

“Glad you asked,” Muku said as she left her booth and joined her fiery gold haired companion, “I know just the thing to perk you up for a second round of Robojox, and then I'll show you some of the other stuff I like to play whenever I get the chance. This place is like a smorgasbord for the latest computer-assisted arcade games, and you haven't lived until you try the Virtual Tag Jungle Dome, it's really cool and even better than fighting robots.”

 

“I'll take your word for that,” Rhea said, adding in a hint of even deeper affection, “But you know that I will enjoy doing anything as long as you are with me, Muku-chan, and someday maybe I can show you a thing many times more enjoyable than playing arcade simulation games…when you are ready.”

 

“Huh?” Muku blinked, pausing in mid-stride halfway to the arcade snack bar.

 

That was when Rhea suddenly tensed up and glanced hastily to one side, but before Muku could ask what was the matter the sound of a tearing, grinding, shredding noise permeated the air and caused the heads of everyone in the arcade to turn in disbelief in time to see a giant hand ripping a portion of the dome-like roof away, exposing the face of a colossal Iczer Robo.

 

“YES!!!” a voice rang out over the screams and general dim that accompanied the arrival of the enemy Mecha, “THIS TIME I'VE FINALLY DONE IT! I'VE FOUND YOU, RHEA, AND YOUR LITTLE PARTNER WITH YOU!”

 

“What the hell?” Muku gasped with a horrified expression.

 

“Watch out!” Rhea cried as she shoved Muku to the floor…one moment before several tons of steel and rubble came crashing down on top of them, rendering the pair into a sudden onrush of darkness overwhelmed them.

 

“OOOPS!” the voice of Nova exclaimed, “DID I ERR?” being the final words Muku heard before the darkness swallowed conscious thought altogether…

 

 

 

Continued

 

Comments/Criticisms/Surplus Tax Schemes: shadowmane@msn.com