Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Keiko's Story... ( Chapter 29 )

Nabiki 1/2

(A Very Scary Thought)

Written by Jim Robert Bader

Proofread by Shiva Barnwell

Based Upon the Altered Destinies Storyline

Inspired by the works of such fans as

Wade Tritshler

Richard Lawson

James Jones

And Many Others

Standard Disclaimer: This is inspired by the work of Takahashi Rumiko and is not my original creation. All characters belong to her. This is only a fanfictional work, and is not intended to compromise the rights of the original owners, distributors and publishers of the Ranma series. I have no money to spare and would very much appreciate if no one tries to sue me.

"Uh…Dad, it's me," Ukyo said into the telephone, "Your little Ucchan. Yeah, I'm fine. Mister Tendo's been putting me up for the last few days and I've gotten to know my iinazuke better…oh, yeah, he's okay. Yeah I guess maybe it wasn't such a dumb plan of yours, but I sure wish you'd let me…no, I'm not going to fight you over this. I just wanted to say I…huh? So soon? But I'm not even graduated from High School yet! How do you expect me to run a business if I haven't even gotten my diploma?"

Ukyo just growled as she listened to her father ramble on about duty and obligation to the family, how he wasn't planning on living forever and that she ought to be thinking about starting a family on her own. She'd heard it all before about a zillion times, only this time she did not hang up after declaring angrily that she never intended to get married. What she wanted to ask him was serious, so she waited until he finally ran out of steam before saying, "Dad…can you answer me one question. Do ever really wish that I was born a boy so you wouldn't be going through all of this trouble trying to get the son you wanted through marriage?"

That stopped him cold. After a very long pause she heard her father say, "What makes you think I wanted that?"

"Oh, I don't know," Ukyo leaned back against the wall as the memories ticked off like a rolodex calendar, "Maybe the way you pretended I was a boy so we could play baseball together, the way you always discouraged me from wearing dresses, the way you'd talk gruffly like I wasn't a delicate little flower, and maybe a hundred other things that come to mind that you'd do to keep me from reminding you of mother."

There was another long pause before her father asked, "Is that what it seemed like?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Ukyo replied, "Look, I'm not blaming you or complaining about the way I was raised or anything like that. I figure it's time I got on with my life and stopped whining about Fate. I guess maybe you were just doing the best you knew how to do, and I really wish I'd told you this a long time ago. I know running away as often as I did wasn't the best answer to our little family problems…"

"Ucchan," her father sighed, "I'm so sorry…"

"Forget it," Ukyo sighed, "Maybe I'm finally starting to grow up, ne? It's just…the few days I've spent here…I've been doing a lot of thinking, and you know something? It's really not so bad being a woman. I mean, we've had our rough times, but compared with me other people have had real problems. Besides…I really liked playing baseball with you. I probably wouldn't have done that if Momma…"

She did not continue, nor did she have to. It had taken her much of the day to summon up the courage just to make this call, and now that she had said it she hoped desperately that her father was not going to withdraw into his shell, like always. Maybe the time they had spent apart had matured him as well…whatever, she prayed fervently that he would accept her right to make her own decisions.

"Ucchan," she herd him sigh, which was a good sign since it meant he had not yet hung up on her, "I…don't know what else to say…"

"You don't have to," she smiled, and it felt good to smile again, though at the same time she felt like crying, "But Dad…things are a little more complicated here than you know. I've gotten to know Saotome Ranma and…he's really not that bad a guy. Problem is he's in love with Tendo Nabiki. I feel like such an intruder whenever we're in the same room together."

"Your claim is more valid than hers," her father insisted, "Stand up for your rights, and give it time. I'm sure Genma's boy will come to like you the more time he spends in your presence."

"I think so, too," Ukyo said, "But…it's almost like we're best buds or something. I'm not even sure if he looks on me as a woman."

"Try dressing like one and see if he continues to have this problem," her father suggested, and Ukyo could almost hear him smiling, though her own eyes got wider. Her father was actually suggesting she dress like a woman? That was a new twist!

"I…I guess I could try that," she finally stammered out, "But Dad…there's something else…another problem I never even counted on. Well, actually, it's too complicated to tell you over the phone, but it concerns another woman besides Nabiki…"

"Saotome's son has yet another iinazuke?" her father's tone conveyed surprising anger, "That swine, Genma! Has he been making other deals besides our…"

"No, no! It's not about Ranma this time," Ukyo said, taking a deep breath to steady herself before saying, "It's me. This girl's after me this time, and it's worse than with that creep, Tsubasa."

"Another?" her father's reaction was understandably confused, "Sure you've straightened her out that you're not really a man…"

"She knows I'm a woman, father," Ukyo said tiredly, "That's not the problem."

"Oh," there was another very long pause before her father said, "Would another restraining order be required for this?"

"I don't think that will be enough this time," Ukyo said, "Besides…she's a pretty nice girl, and I don't want to hurt her feelings, I just…well…I'm trying to get Ranma to like me and…"

"Some men wouldn't consider two woman a problem."

"Daddy!" Ukyo was shocked, although why she could not say as her father was wont to tease her in just such a manner.

"Okay, okay," he said soothingly, "It was just a thought. But hey, you're not encouraging this girl in any way, are you? I know you like playing the Man, and some women actually fancy another woman in drag…probably thinks you're Butch or something…"

Ukyo counted to ten and reminded herself that pulling the phone out of the wall was not a very nice thing for a houseguest to do, even in this kind of situation, "Dad, I'm trying to be serious here, besides, this isn't that easy to explain. Have you ever heard of the Amazons of Joketsuzoku?"

"Can't say that I have," he replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Let's just say that fighting one of them isn't all that great an idea," Ukyo winced, "If you win you either have to marry one or they kill you."

Now the pause on the other end was very pronounced. At last her father said, "I'll have my people look in on that. Must be some strange tribal customs our Marketing Research people haven't informed me about. They're always telling me how important it is to bone up on other people's culture…"

"Yeah, tell me about it," Ukyo laughed without real humor, "I'd appreciate anything they might know about getting out of a forced marriage."

"That serious, eh?" her father murmured, "Well, I'll give it my personal attention. Meanwhile I was hoping to get in touch with you about the good news I've been wanting to tell you. I've finished signing the papers."

"You have?" Ukyo's mood brightened considerably as the other dream of her childhood suddenly seemed close to realization, "That's wonderful!"

"You can sign your name to the deed this afternoon, if you like," her father continued, "I assume you already know the address. I'll meet you there at around five sharp, and then my little girl will have her own business."

"I can't wait!" Ukyo said, hopping up and down on the balls of her feet in her excitement, "Thank you, father! I'll make you proud of me, I promise!"

"It would be hard to make me prouder than I am at this moment," her father said, "Of course there is one other thing you should know about."

Ukyo stopped moving, some nagging sense causing her to suddenly feel apprehensive, "Nani?"

"A last minute detail," her father continued, "The landlord only agreed to sell his place if I signed co-ownership with another tenant, a Chinese entrepreneur who came well represented…"

"Chinese?" Ukyo repeated coldly, "You wouldn't happen to know her name, would you?"

Her father's surprise was more than evident, "How did you know the new co-tenant was a woman?"

"Never mind," Ukyo said brusquely, "Just give me her name, please?"

"Very well," her father replied, "Although it is an odd sounding name, rather like a commercial product…"

Ranma was impressed. This Chinese Amazon was not only a tough fighter, but she was almost as quick and agile as Nabiki. He had no trouble going full out against her and was actually getting a pretty good work out. If it were not that he was also fighting for his life he might even have enjoyed studying her movements. As it was staying one step ahead of her deadly assault was the best that he could manage, but he knew if he did not go on the offensive soon he would lose the fight, for this Shampoo was not pulling any punches.

Shampoo, for her part, was feeling both surprise and a bit exasperated. Here she was trying her best techniques, seriously attempting to beat this arrogant whelp into a puddle, and yet he kept avoiding her attacks as though they were being telegraphed by express mail. Worse still in her view the boy was not counter attacking in earnest! He kept dodging and countering her moves while coming up with a few surprising improvisations that would force her to retreat before she had a chance to develop an effective attack rhythm. Before long it dawned on her that he was not trying to win so much as keep her from winning, and the effort was proving tiresome, even with great Grandmother's technique for drawing energy from the Earth to fortify her body and stave off immanent exhaustion.

She broke off her latest attack and assumed a one-legged crouch as they both stood along the rail of a fence, where their battle had been taken. Shampoo studied this boy, Ranma, seeing how he perspired from his exertions yet still seemed ready to continue. Anyone one else would have fainted dead away by now, but this boy kept right on coming. It was clear to note from his style that he had been trained by the same instructor as Nabiki, yet it was infuriating to fight a male this formidable who did not seem serious about actually fighting with her!

Shampoo took several deep breaths as she summoned up her Chi, then looked as calmly as she could manage at Ranma and said, "You good fighter, but you lose if you no want fight Shampoo."

"Hey, I'd lose if I won," Ranma said, "I don't want to be forced into marriage, like Nabiki, and I've already got one too many girlfriends."

"Nabiki no force to marry Shampoo," Shampoo retorted, although in truth she was not really as certain about that as she once had been. Almost defensively she added, "She Airen!"

"Yeah, I know, and on your honeymoon she turned into a girl," Ranma said, "I can see how that must have looked pretty bad at the time, but you can't really blame her for that. She didn't know any better."

"Why you excuse?" Shampoo said hotly, "You no angry she no tell you this before Shampoo come to Japan?"

"Of course I'm angry," Ranma said, "And hurt, but I can't really blame Nab-chan for not wanting to tell me about a thing like that. I keep thinking what would I have done in her place? What if I were the one who spent ten years with my Father and got a curse that changed me into a girl, and what if I'd been the one who wound up in your village?"

"That easy question," Shampoo sniffed, "You girl, defeat Shampoo, she give kiss of death and chase you," Shampoo suddenly realized the importance of what he said as she continued, "And Shampoo find you man…we marry…"

"Exactly," Ranma said without lowering his guard as the two remained balanced, "Now tell me honestly if you think you could love a guy like me just because I beat you once in combat, or anyone else for that matter! You're not really the kind of girl who could just give her heart to anyone, are you?"

Shampoo slowly lowered her guard while still remaining on one foot, "No, not marry anyone…just man who beat Shampoo, Airen. Best warrior make Shampoo proud to make husband…"

"Is fighting the only thing that's important to you?" Ranma lowered his guard but kept his eyes open, just in case she tried to surprise him, "Isn't there anything else you want from a guy? Kindness, maybe a good sense of humor…"

"Shampoo have that in Nabiki," Shampoo replied, refusing to let herself see where this was headed, "Airen best fighter…better than…anyone but Great Grandmother…"

"Yeah, well, Nabiki's more than just a fighter, you know," Ranma said, "And I think it's wrong to make her spend the rest of her life as a guy. That's just not what's in her, it's not who she really is. I may not have known her very long, but I know that she's a very special person…"

"Yes," Shampoo agreed tonelessly, "Very special. Shampoo…Shampoo want Nabiki-chan to like her…"

"And how does forcing her to got back to China do that?" Ranma asked, "I know if somebody tried to force me like that I'd be furious! How would you feel about being forced to renounce your home and family forever?"

"Shampoo…not know," Shampoo said slowly, "Never close to family, no friends in village except Perfume and Lotion. Even Shampoo mother, Kho-Hom, never much know Shampoo, beside childhood…"

"That's terrible," Ranma said, "You weren't even close to your own mother?"

"Only father take time see Shampoo well cared for," Shampoo said, "And Great Grandmother."

Ranma saw how miserable the other girl was and took a hesitant step forward on the fence, "Hey, don't feel bad. I haven't seen my father for ten years and…"

Shampoo suddenly leaped into motion, giving him no time to react before her kick spun him head-over-heals and landed him in the storm drain. Ranma sputtered as she sat up and said, "What did you do that for?"

"You very strange boy," Shampoo looked down at him thoughtfully, "You show concern for Shampoo when you her rival. Shampoo never seen boy who treat other girls like you have."

"So I'm kind of clumsy at the romantic stuff," Ranma said as he brushed his hair off his forehead, "Give me some credit for trying."

To his surprise Shampoo leaped down and landed on the dry part next to where he was struggling to get up. She looked at him curiously for a moment before remarking, "Maybe boy no so clumsy as he think. You nice person. Shampoo very sorry she say bad things about you before. You no hate Shampoo?"

"No," he smiled as he stood up and offered her his hand, "Shake on it?"

Shampoo just smiled knowingly and he smiled back, then withdrew the hand. She was nobody's fool to get taken in the way he once had suckered Keiko.

"Look," Ranma sighed, "I know we've got a problem on our hands, but that's no reason we should be enemies. Can't we at least be friends until this is all settled?"

"Friends?" Shampoo blinked, then seemed to consider it for a moment, "Boy be friend to Amazon girl? Is possible?"

"Why not?" he asked her, "Unless you really do hate men, that is…"

"No," Shampoo shook her head negatively, then smiled all the more, "No hate men, or boy for that matter. You worthy fighter. Maybe you come to Joketsuzoku? We need good men like you, Saotome."

"I'm flattered," he said as he took his shirt off and started to wring out the moisture, "But my home is in Nerima."

Shampoo's eyes got wide as she studied Ranma's chest, which was lean and rippling with compact muscles as he continued to squeeze the shirt until it were merely damp, then he flipped it several times to prevent it from becoming wrinkled. Suddenly Shampoo looked hastily away, blushing furiously and hoping that the boy would not notice. She unconsciously compared his manly look to what she vividly remembered of Nabiki's male profile.

"We'd better get back to the house," Ranma said, "Nabiki's going to need our help if she's to find a cure for this Cat Tongue business."

"You like Nabiki in girl form, yes?" Shampoo asked him.

Ranma blinked, "Of course I do! Why would you think otherwise?"

"You like her even if she no woman?" Shampoo persisted.

Ranma just smiled before putting his shirt back on, "I like her even when she's a guy, but I want to marry her as a woman. The person inside is the one I want to spend time with, I just feel a lot better about doing the other stuff when she's in her natural shape. Does that make sense?"

"Japanese very strange people," Shampoo murmured, "But boy make sense to Shampoo."

"Well then," Ranma smiled, "That's at least one thing we've got in common, right?"

"Ah," Shampoo studied him, then said, "Shampoo no mind Nabiki…either way. She still Airen."

"Oh," he said, then shrugged, "Well, that's you're business, not mine. I'm just telling you I'm not giving up on her no matter what gender she's stuck as. I suppose we could have fun as a couple of guys, doing guy things together…"

"It…no necessary be so," Shampoo slowly murmured, "Shampoo…know way to…help Airen."

Ranma looked surprised, not that she knew but that she would volunteer the information, "What about your Great Grandmother?"

"Hiibaachan…no like," Shampoo swallowed, "But Shampoo no marry her, she marry Nabiki."

Ranma nodded, "Better tell me what you know, then, on the way back to the House…"

"I just want you to know that I still haven't forgiven you for what you did when you came into my house and kidnapped…um…P-chan," Akane lamely reminded herself that Kodachi was not privy to the Jusenkyo curses.

"I am sorry about that, Akane-chan," Kodachi said at her humble best, kneeling before Akane's bed as though their positions were reversed and Akane were a nobleman's daughter, "I didn't know she was your pet or I might not have done what I did. I was just looking for some ammunition and it seemed like such a harmless little prank…"

Kodachi glared to the side as Keiko gave a derisive snort then resolutely turned her eyes back towards Akane.

"P-chan isn't my pet, 'Dachi," Akane explained patiently as she sat on her bed staring down at her best friend as if trying to decide how best to explain the situation, "She belongs to Ukyo, and she's very mad at you for doing that with her pet cat…"

"Yeah," Keiko chuckled, "Try playing with your own pussy."

Kodachi rounded on her and said, "Why are you even here, you…Peasant? Must you always get underfoot in everything I do…?"

"Well, gee, I don't know," Keiko regarded her with a facetious tone in her voice, "Maybe if you stop picking on my friends I might consider letting bygones be bygones…"

"Keiko-san," Akane sighed, "Kodachi…I don't want to lecture you like some dried up harridan, but you've got to stop playing these sick jokes or somebody is going to get hurt. I can't stand the thought of you getting in trouble or maybe worse because you couldn't stop yourself in time. You really want for somebody to lock you up, maybe in the booby hatch?"

"Your concern is very touching," Kodachi said without a trace of her usual sarcasm, "And I do know that sometimes I get a bit carried away on impulse, but you know I'd never do anything really nasty. I'm not some compulsive, swooning, poetry-spouting idiot like my brother, Taichi…"

"Want to bet?" Keiko said, but again Akane fixed her with a sobering look so she said, "Just watch yourself around Ucchan. She hasn't forgiven you yet, and she's pretty good with the Spatula of hers. I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end when she's really angry.

"The Tomboy does not concern me," Kodachi said haughtily, "But you may inform her that I will leave her silly pet alone in the future, if it makes you happy, Akane-chan."

"That's a start," Akane replied with a slight smile, "But try to avoid Ukyo just the same, unless you'd like to apologize to her in person."

"Apologize to that cross dressing Hentai?" Kodachi's superior smirk was back in place, "More like send my condolences for being betrothed to that idiot, Ranma, who treated you so shabbily for all of these years."

"Yeah, well…Ranma's changed," Akane squirmed a bit before mumbling, "For the better, actually, ever since he got engaged to my sister…"

"One Hentai attracted to another," Kodachi mused, then saw the look Akane gave her and said, "Oh, very well…I suppose they do make for a good match, at least I don't hear them fighting all of the time. Are you sure it's love? I found it rather boring waiting for him to stammer out one of his lame attempts at conversation. Now your cousin Kaneda, on the other hand…now he doesn't have to say anything, just stand there and look pretty and I swoon like a schoolgirl…"

"Maybe that's because you are a schoolgirl," Keiko snorted, "A silly, pampered virgin…"

"What did you just call me?" Kodachi's tone arched dangerously as she swiveled her attention in Keiko's directly.

"Uh oh," Akane murmured to herself, sensing an impending catfight.

"You heard me," Keiko smirked, "An inexperienced, over-privileged romantic little twit who doesn't know what real love is and probably wouldn't recognize it if the person of your dreams hit you with a giant mallet. I think you're full of pretensions and you think your money can buy you the things your daddy never had the heart to, like a good spanking."

"Leave my father out of this," Kodachi's tone was murderously deadly. She sat there fuming for several tense seconds, then finally relaxed and put on airs, "Oh, Akane-chan, your friend is most amusing in her coarse and boorish ways, but I do not see how you can learn to put up with her."

"Maybe because I don't need to use narcotics to drug my dates into submission," Keiko responded.

Akane looked at Keiko in alarm. Was the redheaded kickboxer trying to start a fight? She sure seemed to be pushing all the right buttons with Kodachi, if that was her intention!

"Like I said," Kodachi's tone was as brittle as ice, "Why does she permit you to stay here?"

"Because I'm her guest," Keiko replied, "And I have no where else to go."

"I see," Kodachi sensed a possible avenue for retaliation, "And have you no family nor friends to take you in?"

"My mother is dead," Keiko's tone stated flatly, "Or worse than dead. My father never married her and went back to the United States, where he came from. The rest of my family on my mother's side disowned me. I haven't seen any of them in years, end of statement."

"I see," Kodachi's eyes narrowed, "Nisei. I can't say that I'm much surprised, you being so obviously of mongrel origins. But surely you could claim American citizenship if you wished to find your father?"

"Why would I want to find him?" Keiko asked, "He stopped visiting me when I was seven. He taught me about Kickboxing and that's the most I owe him, besides my existence. Besides that, what's waiting for me in America? I don't know anybody there, I don't even speak their language."

"I sense bitterness in your tone," Kodachi's eyes narrowed, this time from other than malevolent intentions, "Has life treated you so unkindly?"

"I've had my share of hard knocks," Keiko inclined her head to study Kodachi with a neutral expression, "So what's your point?"

"It simply seems curious that your Japanese is so formal and precise one minute, then quite colloquial the next," Kodachi was feeling her way at this moment, uncertain where to find the chink in Keiko's armor, which came up the moment her past mentioned. Strong defenses meant deep personal attachment to some deep buried trauma that could serve in lieu of a weakness. She shifted her tactics again as she smiled and said, "My guess is that your mother tried to raise you to be a lady, only she was not there for you when you learned the harsher lessons that have shaped you."

Now it looked to Akane as if Keiko were about to attack Kodachi, so swiftly did the mood shift before her eyes as she watched this pair with horrified fascination, unable to raise the objections that she would normally use to bring an end to impending troubles. Kodachi and Keiko were evidently trying to wound one another with words, and this was a type of sport that had other consequences beside the physical damage to which a physical brawl might lead.

Unfortunately it was also a battlefield in which Akane herself was more often a casualty rather than the victor.

"Close enough," Keiko finally said, then with great effort let her anger go as she took a deep breath and said, "If you call being captured by South China Sea Pirates and sold into slavery for three years a harsh lesson."

Now Kodachi could not conceal her surprise as she gasped, "You were a…?"

"Slave?" Keiko smiled without humor, "More like part concubine, part gladiator, part personal pet. I've got scars in places you don't even want to hear about, Kuno-san, and some of those are from body piercing--without anesthesia, mind you. Don't tell me about personal pain, I've already done my time in the office."

"Ah…" Kodachi seemed momentarily at a loss before she finally managed a weak, "I see…I have heard…stories about such…experiences as this…"

"Well, don't look to see mine in the latest Foreign Travels Journal," Keiko growled, "And some parts are too sensitive and graphic for people in our age group. I suppose you wouldn't consider it ill treatment for a low bred Mongrel such as myself, finding out that I actually spent time in a real Kennel eating dog food in a cage."

Kodachi actually flinched from the heat of those words and very quietly murmured, "I am not without compassion, or a heart, no matter what else you think of me. I'm sorry for having broached such a delicate subject."

Keiko took a deep breath as if to regain composure, but her smile was not the usual cheerful one she wore that made her seem like the happiest person alive, "Forget it. What's past is past, and it wasn't all bad. I've got a few good memories to go with the bad stuff, and at least I learned some important tips about personal grooming."

The joke went flat the moment it left her mouth, and Keiko saw that neither Kodachi nor Akane was laughing. She gave it up with another sigh and said, "I'm sorry I snapped at you just now. I know you haven't seen the stuff I've seen, but it was wrong to call you…inexperienced."

"I…think maybe that is a good thing in this instance," Kodachi replied, "But I would thank you not to mention it to the other girls at my school. The administration values Modesty and Chastity in young girls before all virtues, but many of us do not. I mistook your admission for a boast, and for that I am truly sorry."

"Who-ho," Keiko eyed Kodachi with obvious amusement this time, "Don't tell me I was right? A sweet rose like you is still unplucked? What, are the boys around here dumb and blind? I'd have thought you'd have tons of suitors clamoring for your hand, not to mention how popular you must be with the ladies."

Keiko winked as she said this, but for some reason Kodachi actually found herself blushing. She lamely stammered, "Ah, well…there are a few boys who…well, they're just boys. As for my fellow students, many of them fear and resent me but I'm not actually…"

It suddenly occurred to her what Keiko had actually been implying. Her eyes went wide and then she really did blush, and got angry.

"Are you suggesting that I could be in any way like you?" she stammered in angry retort, "A-A.."

"A Lesbian?" Keiko smirked, "Or did you mean to say Hentai?"

Keiko flushed furiously and looked down, "I'm not like that…I've never even…"

"If I had a yen for every person I've ever heard say that," Keiko rolled her eyes, "What, not even a fantasy? Never looked at a girl and admired her from afar, or brushed hands with someone by 'accident' and made some pretty excuse to cover up with modesty? Never looked at an attractive female teacher and wondered what it would be like to be with an older, more experienced sister? Never even looked at yourself in the mirror and fantasized about someone touching you in the places you most want to be touched…"

"Ah…" Kodachi looked more flustered than ever and made a show of fanning herself with one hand, "That's…really quite an interesting list you make out…"

"I'm describing my childhood about the time I started having fantasies about other students," Keiko replied, "Funny thing was that the boys never caught my interest, even back then. I've since learned that most men have to cope with a set of raging hormones that compel them to behave like lovesick puppies throughout most of their adult life. They don't have monthly cycles the same way we do, it's there with them all of the time. Some never learn to control their urges, others are afraid to even try, while some like to believe in something pure and unsullied when they think at all about a woman. I've met all kinds, and the purists are the worst because they think any woman with experience is a Whore, and thus practically worthless."

Kodachi was looking at her with very round eyes, as was Akane. This was a more intense side to Keiko's personality than any of them had ever seen, and yet her tone was mesmerizing, a stark contrast from Kodachi's vampish behavior, which only pretended to sophistication. Keiko was the real thing in its rawer, unprocessed form, and in terms of life experience she was an acknowledged blackbelt.

Keiko drew a deep breath and said, "Madam Lao, who in many ways shaped what I am today, also taught me to respect myself, no matter what degrading things I would have to do in order to stay alive. The fact that I was able to keep my sanity at all was largely due to her training, which was as much in the sensual arts as the Martial and Mystical arts. I know every chapter of the Kama Sutra by rote, and I've practiced them with both sexes. I've done it in ways you can't even imagine the human body could attain, and I've known the heights of pleasure so bone-shaking and intense that words would utterly fail to describe. Yes I've known all of that, but I've only known real love with just one partner, and that's Tendo Nabiki. If it surprises you to know this about me, Kuno-san, then just chalk it up to Karma."

For once in her whole life Kodachi seemed devoid of clever witticisms. Akane was also staring at her, but she managed at last to remark, "The way you describe your former…owner…I'd almost think you cared about her…which I have to say sounds incredible, considering what she put you through, Keiko-chan."

Keiko smiled at being called that and said, "Lao Kung is a vicious pirate, smuggler, slaver, flesh peddler, rogue and renegade, not to mention other things that it's not polite to bring up. She could torture me for days, then cuddle me as if I was a long-lost child in her arms and she was a kindly schoolmarm. She played mind games with my head, forced me to confront issues no one should even have to face alone and taught me fighting skills that required a lot of pain to master. But yeah…sometimes I actually miss her. I guess I must be crazy, but even a slave can look forward to a few bright moments of hope. Hope was all that sustained me some day, after Lao sold me to that pig in Hong Kong…"

She sighed, then smiled her usual affable smile and said, "Well, I've shocked you girls enough for one day. Think I'll take a hot bath before anybody else thinks about it, then I'll get ready for supper. If Nab-chan wants to know where I am, tell her I won't mind the company while I'm soaking…"

She started to leave the room when Akane's voice stopped her again, "Keiko-chan…"

Keiko turned around and looked at her, "Hai, Akane-chan?"

Akane seemed to be struggling for words, then finally said, "What's it like…making love to another woman?"

Kodachi turned to gape at her while Keiko merely inclined her head and lifted one crimson eyebrow, "I'm not sure if I can describe it to your satisfaction. It's different from the way you do it with a man, but then most of the men I've had pawing over me varied in quality and skill level. I just know I liked being with the women much better."

Akane made several attempts to get her next question out, then finally blurted, "I just want to understand you better…I mean, Oni-chan, Nabiki…the way you look at her as if you see someone else…that the rest of us don't see…"

Keiko closed the door that she had partially opened and turned around with a questioning look. She saw Kodachi staring at Akane before glancing back at her, while Akane was blushing furiously while trying not to look away or betray the mix of emotions she was feeling.

"What I feel with a woman is magic," Keiko gently replied, "Some men expect women to have all the knowledge and experience of making love, yet they don't want us to actually be experienced, just know how to please them. They often don't know what they want themselves, but they expect us to know implicitly. If I'm going to show you anything meaningful it's going to have to include a demonstration."

Akane swallowed while Kodachi looked at Keiko with very round eyes. Keiko remained where she was standing with her back to the door, one leg thrust out in front of the other in a coy Tomboy manner she often adopted in these situations. She saw the emotional conflict on the faces of both young women and waited patiently for their resolution. If they told her to get lost she would simply turn around and leave them. It would not be her first rejection, and she had survived so many that it hardly even counted.

At last Akane looked down at her bed and said, "Okay. I guess I can accept that. How about you, 'Dachi?"

"Me?" Kodachi's voice was so tiny it could have been spoken by a girl a third her age. After only a few seconds of dramatic pause she softly nodded, "I…suppose…why not? All right."

Keiko slowly smiled at them both and said, "I was wondering when you two were going to say that…"

Continued

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