Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Madam Lao... ( Chapter 57 )

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.

Akane was barely conscious of having fallen overboard as the suddenness of events left her with half-formed impressions of something big crashing against their hull. Almost instantly, she found herself diving headfirst into the water with a jarring force that frightened her as she belatedly remembered why she had always avoided contact with the water. She had no memory beyond the point when her lungs began to fill with the cold, briny liquid, but she had a vague impression of someone swimming up to her, then of soft lips pressed against her mouth, and of the definite sensation that this was the moment when she had ceased to be drowning.

Now she found herself upright but experiencing a slight chill for some reason that escaped her. A moment more and she finally became aware of three very important things:

1.--She was alive, if naked, and obviously in no immanent danger of drowning.

2.--She was dangling by her wrists above the floor with her toes barely touching the deck, and

3,--Someone else was with her.

Make that more than one person, she mentally amended, discovering that another naked form was dangling at her side, and by focusing on her peripheral vision she was able, at length, to determine that this person was Kodachi. Her friend was as nude as herself at the moment, and certainly as helpless, but she seemed also to be slightly out of it as though having trouble regaining full consciousness. Akane wondered if Kodachi had been drugged or was merely in a semi-awake state, not yet fully aware of her surroundings. With Kodachi you never really knew for certain about such things, she only knew that they were alive and together…

And that there was someone else in the chamber with them.

"Good, you're both awake at last. Now we can get started."

"Huh?" Akane turned her head but found that she could not look behind herself to see whomever it was that had spoken.

"Begin by giving me your name."

"Who the hell are you?" Akane asked, only to gasp in surprise as something cracked against her rump, startling her as much at the suddenness of it all as it was painful.

"I will ask the questions here," the voice replied, "Who are you. It is a simple enough question."

Akane grit her teeth and growled, "Tendo Akane."

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" the voice faintly purred, "You two are among the last of those to finally wake up, and I've finished interrogating the others, so it's not as if I don't already know the answers to at least some of the things I will ask you."

"Then why ask me at all?" Akane said, then gasped again as she felt another crack against her bottom.

"I said," the voice repeated insistently, "I will be the one to ask the questions. It is not your place to ask them. I will ask and you will answer, that is the way of things inside this chamber, and if you have any doubts on that, take it up with our complaint department. Now then, perhaps I will ask the same thing of your companion."

Kodachi seemed to come to life just then, lifting her head as she tried to look over her shoulder and remarked, "I take it then that we are not supposed to speak unless spoken to?"

Akane heard as much as saw the lash this time, only it was not her bottom that was swatted, nor her voice that yelped in pain, but Kodachi's.

"You are correct," the voice said, sounding surprisingly pleased instead of angry, "You seem to have a better grasp of the situation here, Miss Kuno. Perhaps you might care to explain to your friend the significance of your mutual position."

"May I be permitted to ask if you are our captor, the dreaded pirate Madam Lao?" Kodachi asked in as humble a tone as her pride would allow.

A double crack this time, only it sounded against both of their bottoms with near simultaneous precision. After their mutual yelp died down to a faint whimper the voice calmly replied, "Some have called me that…and far worse, I assure you."

"Then…" Kodachi said with great care, "We are not just your prisoners…you mean us to be your slaves?"

"Slave is such a harsh-sounding word in these modern times," the voice cooed pleasantly, "I prefer to think of you as valuable commodities for exchange and trade at fair market value. You each have qualities that I find most appealing, even if at least one of you looks as though she could stand to lose a few more pounds and maybe take up swimming lessons."

"Hey!" Akane protested before she could think to stop herself, but this time the whip snaked around her body to flick against one of her nipples, causing her to gasp again at the unexpected stinging sensation.

"Just kidding," the voice assured her pleasantly, "I really do think you have a nice figure, and you are very cute as well, while your friend is undoubtedly a rare beauty, a dark haired queen amid the roses."

"That is my other name, Madam…I mean…" Kodachi hastily amended, only to receive a flick against her own exposed nipples, which made her gasp and tense her whole body in dismay.

"Yes, I know," Lao replied matter-of-factly, "Black Rose Kodachi they call you, a rather appropriate name all things else being considered."

"What…do you want with us?" Akane braced herself for another whipping, but the lash failed to come this time, so she started to relax a little, only to find it snake around and find her between the inner thighs. Her yelp of pain this time was mixed with a wash of other, more indescribable sensations.

"I should think that this was obvious," Lao said in faint disappointment, "Two lovely girls hanging naked at the mercy of the terrible lady pirate. Whatever is to become of you, your fate hanging in the balance?"

"By…what name shall we call you, your munificence?" Kodachi asked with a note of genuine fear in her voice, but instead of a whipping, this time a hand reached out to curl itself about her long, dark tresses until it grabbed her by the hank and tipped her head back and around so that she found herself looking into the face of a predatory beast with yellow eyes…

No, that had to be a trick of the light. It was a human face she saw, one both attractive and yet chilling to look upon with a mad gleam of delighted hunger in her expression. There was neither pity nor remorse in that face, yet there was a hint of desire and compassion as she smiled down at Kodachi then purred, "My lady will do for the present, but in time you will learn to call me…Mistress…"

Consciousness returned slowly to Nabiki, though her last memories were of the waves washing over her form, of the change that instantly came over her as she fought for survival, fear filling her lungs with the dread for the collective welfare of herself and her people…

She was aware that she was not currently having any difficulty breathing, nor did she feel even moderately damp. She was aware that her hands were currently behind her back and seemed to be held there by some manner of restraint. Her bare feet, however, encountered something coldly metallic, and as she opened her eyes she discovered the bars of the cage in which she was presently hanging.

Or rather she was hanging in a cage alongside several others, each dangling from the ceiling by a single chain and each occupied by a separate member of her party. So far as she could see only the men were currently present, which led to a rather uncomfortable conclusion that a quick glance at herself helped clarify immensely.

Or rather a glance at HIM-self as the contours of his body were quite unmistakably male at the moment.

"Nab-chan, are you all right?"

Nabiki turned his head to find that the source of this imploring comment was Ranma. The low hiss of Ranma's voice implied deep concern, but Nabiki was forced to reluctantly say back, "The name's Kaneda, and I'll let you know as soon as I figure that one out."

"Huh?" said Colonel Guile, who was hanging in another cage, "Where did you come from, and why are you wearing that thing?"

Nabiki glanced at himself again and realized that he was still had on the same bikini he had been wearing when their yacht was capsized. The slender strings attached to three triangles were ridiculously inadequate cover for his now expanded dimensions, especially in regards to his nether regions. It was a good thing he was partially curled up at the moment or Ranma might have gotten a better look at something that might have given the poor boy a bad case of envy. As it was Ranma seemed to take the hint and smiled weakly in acknowledgement.

"Right…Kaneda," Ranma repeated, "Sorry I confused you with your cousin, the light's not too good here, right Ryoga?"

"Whatever," said Ryoga listlessly, sunk into a deeper depression than was his usual wont.

"You two know each other?" said a voice belonging to Bison, "How'd you get on board our yacht?"

"Uh, you didn't see me coming on board?" Nabiki asked with a rather weak smile, feeling enormously embarrassed at being surrounded by cute guys in a state of exposure that did not involve flirting, not even with Ranma, "Um…by the way, Ranma-kun…where is my charming cousin?"

"Search me," Ranma said with a grim look in his eyes, "Ukyo and the others disappeared the same time we hit the water. When we woke up there were only guys here. I think they took them off someplace. Keiko seemed to think this Lao character was interested in the ladies."

"Oh, she's like that, huh?" said Ken Masters, "That explains Chun-Li and Cammy's absence, kind of a shame too. Always seems to happen with the cute ones these days…"

"Like you should be interested," said Honda, "Aren't you engaged to marry that girl you're always telling us about? Eliza something…?"

"Eliza?" Ken replied, "Well…sure…but that doesn't mean I can't look without touching. I don't think she'd hold it against me, just as long as I wasn't really cheating…"

"Yeah, sure," Ranma scoffed, "And they call me dense around women."

"Good thing for you that she's a doctor," said Bison in some humor.

"Why?" Ken asked.

"Because you're gonna need one with that kind of attitude," Bison grinned, "Trust me on that."

"You too, huh?" Ranma sniffed, then looked down at Ryoga, who still hung listlessly in his cage, and growled, "Come on, man, snap out of it! I'm sure she's all right! If we survived then there's a good chance they found her too."

"What's wrong with him?" Nabiki asked, "Is it Akane?"

"Yeah," Ranma nodded, "I kind of yelled at him while we were in the water that Akane can't swim. That was before they threw the net on us, which prevented us from going to her rescue."

"She can't swim?" Nabiki blinked, "That's news to me. Why didn't she ever tell me about that in the first place?"

"Oh, you know Akane," Ranma sniffed, "She never could admit to any sort of weakness--hey!" he suddenly cried out as Ryoga gripped the bars to his own cage and shook them violently, causing him to swing closer towards Ranma.

"Don't talk like that about Akane!" Ryoga growled, "Just because you didn't want her is no reason for you to always tease and humiliate her like you do…"

"Hey, I like Akane well enough," Ranma assured him, "We grew up together, remember? She's like my sister, we just sorta say stuff to each other once in a while, no harm in that."

"I'll show you harm!" Ryoga declared as he tried to reach past his own bars as his cage swung closer to Ranma's.

Bison turned from the growing altercation and said, "What about Blanka, Guile? You think maybe he made it too?"

"I'd count on it," Guile replied, "He's built for survival and could probably handle himself even better than the rest of us put together. They must be holding him in a separate facility…"

"My, aren't you the bright one."

Everyone turned to see the figure standing somewhat farther down a ramp that Nabiki had failed to notice before now leading past the hanging cages. It was almost as if a spotlight had fallen upon a half-shadowy figure posed dramatically as if entering from a stage, a figure that was noticeably feminine in outline, matching the equally feminine voice that was lightly accented with a distinctive Chinese flavor. Nabiki tried to position himself to get a better view of this figure but could only half make out the general details of someone very tall with overly broad shoulders…

No, those were shoulder pads of some sort, and the figure was wearing a long-sleeved outfit that was slightly Chinese in basic cut, only styled more like some manner of tunic reminiscent of a seventeenth century sailor's outfit, complete with a tri-cornered hat set upon a head that had long, oddly colored hair that hung down to below waist level. There was a leather whip coiled on one hip with chains trailing out from behind her back into the shadows. There was confidence in her bearing as she remained a cool distance, then gradually approached, her step easily cat-lithe with the hint of a swagger.

"Lao?" Guile straightened up in his gage, "Madam Lao I presume?"

"Guilty as charged," said the figure as she came close enough now to see her features more properly, and now Nabiki thought she saw a face reminiscent of Shampoo, only somewhat older with harder, more mature features. The hair color was a pale blue of some sort, or at least gave that kind of an impression (though if she did not know any better she would have thought the shade a bit greenish). Her expression was predatory, eyeing them all with a sly sort of cat-like expression as she gave everyone a cursory study, then returned Guile's hard looks with a glance that betrayed her amusement.

"And you," she resumed saying, "Are Colonel William Guile, formerly of the American Air Force, presently the father of my very own dear, sweet Arigami Keiko?"

She tugged on one of the chains and a figure staggered out from the shadows, turning out to be none other than Keiko herself, dressed (if that was the appropriate word to employ here) in close to nothing but jewelry and ornamentation, with a collar around her neck and her feet making a faint clinking sound from a pair of golden manacles she wore about her ankles.

"Uh…hi Dad," she weakly attempted a smile as if literally trying to put the best face she could on her near-nude condition.

"What have you done with her?" Guile hissed in deadly anger, gripping the bars to his cage with such force that his knuckles turned pale, yet they failed to budge at all under the effort.

"Why, I've merely rescued you all from certain death," Lao smiled, "Is that any way to address your rescuer or show appreciation, Colonel? I'm hurt, truly. As if I would do anything to harm my dear, sweet pet now that she has at long last returned to her true and rightful owner."

"What about the rest of our team?" Ken asked, unable to help admiring the amount of flesh on display, (though a hard look from Guile made him force his eyes away) "Ah…you did…rescue all of them, didn't you?"

"As if I would allow such abundant talent to go to waste," Lao grinned in a way that hinted at much delight, and Nabiki almost swore that she could see yen signs reflected in the other woman's eyes, "Of course I rescued them, and gave them all a nice, hot bath to refresh and restore them to their proper health. All but one, it seems…and in that regard I have been most neglectful."

She was looking right at Nabiki when she said this, which hardly put Nabiki mind at ease as she could not help but study Keiko's condition and draw from this a hint of what was to be expected for their female companions (and co-wives).

Ranma tried to come to her rescue by saying, "What do you want with us, Lady? And just what kind of a place is this anyway? Are we still on that ship of yours or something?"

"What I want should be obvious, pretty boy," Lao replied, "As for where you are presently…well, that might be rather complicated to explain. Let's just say you are on my ship and leave it at that. But I am forgetting my manners! Please allow me to introduce myself properly." She removed her hat and made a sweeping bow, "I am Lao Kung, Queen of the South Sea China Pirates and Mistress of this vessel, the 'Piece of Junk…'"

"Huh?" Honda blinked, "What did you call it?"

"'The Piece of Junk,'" Lao replied as she set her hat back atop her head, "It's sort of an in-joke around here. This vessel, as you may have already guessed, was originally Chinese in nature, and very unique in the modern age with quite a long and glorious history behind it, most of which I won't bore you with at the present time since I'm sure you have much more immediate concerns on your mind, such as what am I going to do with the lot of you now that you are my guests of necessity…"

"Akane," Ryoga staggered over to the bars of his cage and gripped them tight, "Is Akane with you? Did she survive? Is she all right? Please tell me…"

"Ah," Lao inclined her head with a pleasant look, "You must be Hibiki Ryoga, I presume. You need not fear, your Akane is well and speaks most highly of you, as though you were some kind of protector or something. I can't say that I know for sure what it is she sees in you, but it must mean something, so I suppose I really should be keeping an eye on you, and this other fellow who seems to think himself man enough to marry four women."

"Nani?" Ranma said in surprise as he was favored by some very curious glances from Ken, Honda and Bison.

"You seem to know a lot about us," Nabiki noted, "You also knew that we were coming to find you?"

"Obviously yes," Lao finally turned back to size up Nabiki with a very strange look that was more than slightly predatory, "But how is the question you would really like to ask, isn't it? Forgive my staring at you…Tendo Kaneda is it? I can't help noticing what a fashion statement that is that you are wearing. I must that say that I approve in general principle, for there is nothing wrong in a man showing off as much as possible for the admiration of the ladies, but I think you'd rather be more comfortable if I did this…"

Lao's hand went to her belt and came up with a flask that she held up with one hand while unstopping it with the other. With a quick flick of her wrist she sent the contents splashing over Nabiki, which caused Nabiki to gasp as he felt the hot water make contact with his skin and trigger the change so that in a few instants afterwards she was revealed as herself before the astonished stares of all the others.

"What the…?" Bison swore something colorful in his own language.

"I don't believe it," Ken gasped, equally amazed.

"What the hell is going on here?" Guile sounded incredulous.

"Ah…there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, guys," said Ranma with obvious reluctance.

"Indeed there is," Lao purred throatily, "I had a sense that you might be another curse victim after discovering the menagerie that we hauled on board, including my darling Keiko. I take it you didn't feel like letting these boys in on the little joke Jusenkyo has played on you, Tendo Nabiki? I can't say as I blame you...this is not the sort of thing you bring up in general conversation."

"You obviously haven't been to Nerima," Nabiki sighed, feeling exposed in more than one sense of the word in her thong bikini.

"I can't say that I've had that pleasure," Lao replied, "But I'm sure it is a lovely place to visit, if Keiko finds it homey enough to dwell there. Well, now that we've settled the matter of your gender it's obvious that you don't belong in this sector. I have strict policies concerning such things young lady, and this sector of the prison most definitely is not coed. I'm afraid I'll have to insist on removing you from your cage and replacing you with this sorry fellow."

She tugged on yet another chain, and this time it was Mousse who came staggering into view, wearing little more than boxers as his hands were cuffed behind his back while the chain was attached to yet another collar. He was staring ahead with a slightly glazed look in his unfocused eyes as though he were in some manner of drugged stupor.

"Male Amazon," Lao shook her head sadly, "And one I never thought would amount to much of anything. Apparently I was correct on that according to the testimony of the others."

"He tries," Keiko shrugged, "A little too hard at times, my lady."

"They are like that in the village," Lao sighed, then smiled at Nabiki again, "While you, on the other hand, are of great interest to me, Tendo Nabiki. One seldom encounters a Nyanniichuan victim with as many ready defenders as you seem to have…"

"You leave Nab-chan alone, you hear me?" Ranma growled as he shook the bars to his cage.

"See what I mean?" Lao just smiled more broadly, "Case in point: Loverboy over there is ready to hurl himself at me if he could. I can certainly see what you find so interesting about him. Perhaps I may make a private study of his…qualities at my leisure, do you think?"

Nabiki narrowed her eyes but forced herself to remain calm, "You obviously have us at a disadvantage, Lao Kane."

Lao's smile lost some of its humor as her eyes darkened, "So, Elder Cologne was that forthcoming about my past exploits, I see. Again most intriguing. She is usually among the most tight-lipped of the Council members, as I should well know. That speaks highly of the degree of trust that she must place in you, which only furthers my interest. But enough pleasantries," she snapped her fingers.

The cage Nabiki was being held in began to sway slightly before a figure seemed to just flow from out of the shadows. As Nabiki and the others gaped in amazement a translucent, shapeless figure hung down from the ceiling, coiling around to land upon the ramp nearest to the cage. Almost instantly the figure flowed and resolved itself into a mass that grew upward until it assumed more human contours, and then solidified into the shape of an attractive female with large breasts and a voluptuous figure. Another moment after this and the figure became completely solid with a kind of makeshift clothing that looked to be composed of three strategically placed sea-shells bound together by strings of pearl with other shells that formed shoulder pads and implied a kind of quasi-armor. A long translucent sword hung from this woman's side and there was something oddly fish-like about her features…and if you looked real hard you could almost see right through her.

The figure produced a golden key, which same it inserted into the lock of her cage, opening it before standing back with a hard, expecting glare in her overlarge eyes. Nabiki sized her up and decided on the spot that it would not be a good idea to challenge this one just yet, so she instead took the hint and swung her body so that her feet could dangle out from the cage. A moment later she stood clear on her own weight, hands still bound behind her back but otherwise quite healthy.

At Lao's direction, Mousse aimlessly moved forward and soon took Nabiki's place in the hanging cage, his expression as vacant as though he were a sleepwalker.

"Now then," Lao smiled, "I trust you will be civilized and come along like a good girl, otherwise my servant here will be forced to get rather nasty…and you would definitely not like her when she is angry. Her kind have the strength of water itself, which is far greater than human, and she is resistant to injury, being entirely composed of the element of her nature."

"I can take the hint," Nabiki replied, "Lead on, you have the advantage."

"I can see why the others say you are intelligent," Lao smiled in approval, giving Nabiki a thorough lookover, "And they did not mistake your beauty. I see that we are going to get along splendidly… after you've had time to acclimate."

"Somehow I doubt it," Nabiki noted in a level tone of voice, recognizing that Lao was indeed a dangerous woman, and one not to be underestimated.

"We will see," Lao replied as she turned and tugged on Keiko's leash to encourage the redheaded Kickboxer's compliance, "Come along, my dears, there are a few things that I would like to show you…"

The trip through the interior of the ship was like the proverbial tour through the belly of the beast as a sense of great age, coupled with the general unearthliness of the place, made Nabiki shudder a bit for no discernable reason. Keiko, who was trudging along at her side, gave Nabiki coy looks of a contrite nature but she did not seem inclined to say anything within earshot of her nominal Mistress.

Nabiki took stock of a series of room that seemed to go on endlessly in both directions. Each door was featureless save for a dull brass handle, and she would have taken them for crew quarters save that there were some pretty unusual sounds emanating from behind each wooden partition. Again she felt like shuddering, though for what exact reason she could have found it difficult to mention.

At last, after an unbelievably long time, they came to the end of the corridor and passed through a set of double-doors that opened at Lao's approach, revealing a brightly lit chamber beyond this, which same caused Nabiki to start in disbelief. This room was decorated like something out of the Arabian Nights, only with a strong Chinese flavor with hanging silk tapestries, golden fixtures and a general atmosphere that was light, pleasurable and unearthly.

"Nani?" Nabiki involuntarily gasped, estimating that the size of this room was like the cargo hold on board a supertanker.

"Do not judge by appearances," Lao cautioned with a smile, continuing on into the room while Keiko and Nabiki followed a respectable distance, their silent warden keeping pace behind them, "And welcome to my humble abode. Do make yourselves comfortable and feel free to sample the rations."

Nabiki was staring at groups of women lounging about or reclining in various positions on cushioned furnishings from pillows to divans. Most of these were either naked or very close to the same thing, the majority sporting decorative ornaments much like what Keiko was wearing, while others had a style of clothing that seemed fashioned in much the same manner as the warrior elemental behind them. Some glanced to take in the new arrivals, others hardly looked up from whatever it was they were doing at the moment. More than a few were posed in intimate embraces with hardly anyone seeming to notice such shockingly brazen behavior, and everyone in such a tight clench was entirely and unmistakably female.

The Elder Cologne was also there, standing out amid this group like the proverbial sore thumb, studying the activities of these others with an inscrutable expression. She was standing inside what looked to be some manner of large birdcage without her trademark staff at hand. She looked up to see whom it was accompanying Lao as her eyes narrowed slightly. Nabiki met that stoical expression and nodded by a fraction, then turned her attention back towards her hostess.

"Do sit down," Lao indicated a set of pillows within easy reach of the birdcage, if not for Nabiki's hands still being cuffed behind her back. Nabiki studied her captor in the now much-improved lighting, seeing for the first time that her hair was indeed a pale powder blue, bordering on outright sea green. Her eyes were pale pink and feral thought there seemed to hang an ever-present smile about her lips. The analogy that came to mind was that of a dangerous predator, and that cat-like reference made Nabiki shudder as she tried to ignore the terrifying implications.

Lao sat down on a divan and posed with one leg raised as she reclined, still smiling. She removed her hat to reveal an Amazon-style pair of Odangos atop her head, then nodded towards the cage and said, "Again I must apologize, Elder, for your present accommodations. I would much prefer to play the hostess in a manner far more suitable to one of your rank, but…you can understand my approaching you with a degree of caution."

"Hmm," Cologne said neutrally, glancing at the bars surrounding her before adding, "Orachalcum. I would be much interested in learning how you came by such a rare substance."

"The previous owner used it to house a Jinn," Lao explained, then favored Nabiki with a wry look and added, "I suppose your young apprentice here would care to know something about such matters. Tell me, Tendo Nabiki, do you know what Orachalcum is?"

"I do," Nabiki replied cautiously, "Supposedly it was a metal forged as an alloy of gold and copper by some forgotten ancient alchemical process. It was reported in Plato's Critias, his trestes that sparked the search for the legendary lost kingdom of Atlantis."

"Very good," Lao smiled and nodded in approval, "You got a passing grade. And what else do you know about this wondrous alloy which presently confines one of the greatest Elders who have ever ruled the Amazon people?"

"Just rumors and speculation," Nabiki shrugged, "It's supposedly near indestructible and can resist even the most powerful of magics…"

"It grounds Magic like a magnet," Lao corrected, "Absorbs and cancels even powerful enchantments. Allegedly it can even be used to contain the powers of a God. Hephaestus himself is reputed to have used this cage to house a Harpy many millennia ago. It may almost be enough to contain one so powerful as the Elder Cologne, at least until we have arrived at a suitable and mutually beneficial arrangement."

"I suppose I should be flattered?" Cologne replied with extreme skepticism.

"Forgive me, Elder," Lao replied, "But no one has a better idea of what you may be capable should you decide to cause me some slight inconvenience. I may well have grown in power from when I last saw you, but I am hardly stupid enough to let you roam loose for old time's sake. By the way, don't bother trying the breaking-point technique. By now I am sure that you are already aware that Orachalcum grounds Chi-force lines as easily as it does other forms of spiritual power."

"Indeed," Cologne replied levelly, "You were never stupid enough to trap me like this without taking such precautions. I trained you well never to underestimate your potential opposition. A pity you did not learn this well when you joined yourself to the Musk."

"Ancient history," Lao studied her fingernails with an idle tilt to her head, "I didn't listen when it would have mattered, now we will never know what might have been if I had. Life seldom gives us second chances to make up for the mistakes that have the greatest impact upon our lives. That was something else you taught me, and I remember everything…" she paused and repeated the word as she looked towards Cologne again, "Everything. That's why I am so glad to have this chance for a one-on-one interview after so many years apart. I won't ask what you think of the person that I have become, but do you at least concede that I have done better than you anticipated?"

"Indeed," Cologne replied, "I would never have envisioned that you would come so far…or go to such lengths to abandon our traditions…"

"I have never abandoned what truly matters, Elder," Lao said a bit stiffly, "I may not be following the Amazon ways that you know and approve of, but in essence what I do serves the same essential purpose."

"And what purpose is that?" Cologne wondered.

"Liberation," Lao had a grin like a Cheshire cat, "After a fashion. Liberation from outmoded customs, morality and beliefs that inhibit us and deny us the right to explore our basic womanhood. Amazons seek liberation through strength, I seek it by creating an atmosphere of pleasure. I believe the Outsiders have a quaint term for this: 'Make love, not war,' am I right Tendo Nabiki?"

"I have…no problems with the basic concept," Nabiki replied, "And as fascinating as I find this little reunion you two are having, I hope you don't mind that I do have a few basic questions that I'd like to have answered."

"Ask away," Lao gestured grandly, "I am at your service…in a manner of speaking."

"All right," Nabiki glanced down at herself then looked around at the Seraglio they were in, "This ship…"

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Lao had that cat-like grin once more, "Oh, it wasn't always like this, in fact you should have seen it before I renovated the place. The previous owners had such atrocious living standards, no style at all. Of course the saying also goes that this home is also my prison."

"Your prison?" Nabiki marveled.

"A gilded cage is still a cage," Lao smiled, "I am bound to this place in spirit and body. I can leave it for a short duration but always it calls me back and binds me to its rotting timbers. There is a lot of my own life-force incorporated in its basic fabric. The Floating Piece of Junk has had many masters in its time, and none have died a quiet death from natural causes. I, of course, hope to be the first, but in all likelihood I will be trapped here until the next would-be owner takes it from my dying carcass."

Nabiki saw Keiko wince a little but gave no outward indication. Instead she remained focused on Lao as she said, "You make it sound like some kind of a curse."

"Worse than a curse," Lao replied, "A binding pact, oath-bound and sealed by blood. The history of this vessel is a strange and forbidding one, bound to the legends of ancient China with its archaic history and long traditions of inscrutable culture. You'll have to take my word on faith that what I tell you is the absolute truth or nothing will make sense to a rational sort, such as I perceive you to be. Do you think that you can manage a leap of faith long enough to hear me out?"

"I could try," Nabiki conceded, not wanting to admit that her curiosity was definitely piqued.

"Good," Lao noted, then began, "You are aware, of course, that there is a legend stating how a Chinese explorer of great ingenuity and imagination once convinced an Emperor of the T'ang dynasty to fund an expedition to the east with the intent of discovering the mysterious lost empire of Lemuria using a specially constructed ship incorporating the best building techniques that were known to his generation?'

"Of course," Nabiki replied, "Twelve hundred years ago, more or less, but all he managed to find was Long Beach."

"Indeed," Lao smiled, "The remains of his ship were discovered decades ago, proving that the Chinese were first to discover the New World…"

"Unless you count the Phoenicians," Nabiki noted.

"That goes without saying," Lao waved the point away dismissively, "What matters is that the fledgling expedition failed, so no future expeditions were tried, leaving it to that Italian pirate to get all the credit for being the first to go both ways. Anyway, what is not generally known is that the basic plans for the ship were preserved in the Imperial archive, along with a description of how it was rigged and outfitted. A few centuries later it was a Eunuch in the employ of the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan who found and revived these plans, reasoning that China would need a stronger Navy to establish commercial domination over the known world of that age. The Emperor agreed and gave his blessing to the construction of the largest Chinese vessel of its era, the one we are presently riding in this very moment."

"You're saying this thing is over six hundred years old?" Nabiki wondered.

"More or less, at a guess," Lao replied, "Now, that courtier was named Han Bolo and he was a Taoist mystic and alchemist from a very old school. He reasoned that this vessel could be made more sea worthy if it incorporated a few handy spells and a bit of archaic magic, perhaps a few dozen enchantments and the blessings of a God or two, coupled with your basic pact with dark malevolent forces and…well, to put it bluntly, he went a bit overboard. Actually I think he was a few sheets short of a full mast myself, but the upshot of it is that this vessel was crafted with enough Sorcery involved to open a chain of Alchemy shops from here to the end of the next millennium. In simplest terms, this ship is saturated with elemental power and can constitute its own localized plane of pseudo-reality. It is not altogether of this world, and that is why it is both a blessing and a curse to be its owner."

"What happened to his plans for trade?" Nabiki wondered.

"The project suffered budget cutbacks in the wake of the failed invasion of the Japanese islands," Lao shrugged, "The Khan was a bit miffed over that Tsunami thing, so Han Bolo's project got shelved after the ship was close to completion. Han did not take the news very well and saw to funding its completion from his own embezzled finances. When the Emperor's Tax Collectors came knocking on his door he took to the High Seas with an unsavory crew of cutthroats he had recruited from the port of Shanghai. He became known as the Eunuch Pirate and enjoyed a moderately successful career. He also proved to be the first of many victims of his own ambitious dreams, and this ship has ever since passed hands from one Captain to the next. I happen to be its one hundred and eighth Captain, and I got that way by losing a card game to the previous owners."

"Losing a card game?" Nabiki arched eyebrows.

"If you know this place as I do you would know that winning is losing," Lao replied, "If I had known it at the time I would not have palmed those Aces."

"So, this thing's ancient and magic," Nabiki replied, "How come it hasn't been discovered before? It's not exactly inconspicuous."

"As I said, it is not entirely of the world you and I came from," Lao responded, "It is mostly invisible to the detection means employed in this century. You can see it visually through a field of distortion, but unless you are looking for it you are not likely to see it. It is a ghost ship, rather a lot like the legends of the Flying Dutchman."

"I suppose I can go with that," Nabiki said reluctantly, "Next question…how did you know we were coming?"

"Elementary," Lao smiled, "I used magic."

"Magic," Nabiki replied with a neutral expression.

"I have gotten quite good in managing the Sorceries that are at my disposal as Mistress of this vessel," Lao stood up and gently tugged on Keiko's leash, urging the redhead to stand with her before giving Nabiki a nod that compelled her to do likewise. Nabiki gave one quick look or reassurance to Cologne then followed as Lao led the way to the rear of the chamber where stood a curious tripod with a brass metal lid cupping over a dish like an egg standing on its small end.

Lao grasped the handle at the top of this covering and removed it to reveal an object that looked much like a looking glass set in a frame at a horizontal angle.

"Behold," Lao said with dramatic flourish, "The project of Chinese Alchemy, which someone long before me called the Lens of Magellan."

"The Lens of Magellan?" Nabiki asked as she stared at the nearly flawless lens, which was four inches in diameter and a quarter-inch thick and had an almost prismatic quality.

"It didn't belong to him," Lao reassured, "It's just called that for some obscure reason. It's really quite a remarkable device, let's you see through time and space. All you have to do is think of a person or event you wish to focus upon and it gives you an image. Of course it only works for me, the owner, and is attuned to my thoughtwaves."

"Of course," Nabiki replied, "How does it work?"

"I'm not really sure myself," Lao admitted as she tilted another object hanging on a small swing-arm, positioning this two-inch wide mirror so that it caught the light reflected by another mirror that was positioned where sunlight shown brightly, and then the light was cast through the lens and caused an image to be projected, one that resolved a moment later into the face and form of a beautiful teenager…

"Shampoo?" Nabiki gasped in amazement.

"My niece looks well," Lao replied, "Pregnancy becomes her. I can see why you are so proud of this aspect of your marriage."

Nabiki swallowed, unable to help feeling a desire to call out Shampoo's name, as if expecting her wife to hear her. Instead she managed to say, "You've been using this to keep track of her?"

"I have watched my cousin grow up to be a beautiful woman for some years," Lao replied, "She is one of the few things that I actually missed about Joketsuzoku. The old village was home for most of the years of my younger life, but now it seems too small and provincial. I now have a greater appreciation of the size of the world and the diversity of people who live there. Imagine my surprise when, one day, I see a handsome man come into the picture and defeat my cousin. I have had many long and amusing moments since that time to reflect on the curious course my cousin's life has taken. I am pleased to see that you have honored her in all ways, although until this moment I have not been totally able to reconcile you with the man I so often saw in these pictures."

Shampoo's image faded as Lao covered the lens up again, "The problem with this lens is that you need to have a clear mental image of the person or party you would like to see reflected in its projections. It is also limited in that the present is much easier to see than the past, while the future is…difficult due to the crosscurrents of probability lines. Always in motion is the future, and many things you see may or may not ever come to pass."

"So you saw Keiko in this lens and knew that we were coming?" Nabiki fathomed.

"I knew that my former ward had made contact with you about the same time that Shampoo arrived in Japan," Lao replied, "It was too much of a coincidence, and if I didn't know any better I'd almost suspect divine involvement. The ship itself may be helping me in its own curious way. It knows that I have missed having Keiko at my side, and that I have always regretted the circumstances that forced me to turn her over to that motherless bastard, Chu Wan Phat."

"And what does Keiko have to say about it?" Nabiki turned a meaningful look at her old friend, "Kei-chan?"

"I…wasn't exactly thrilled about it myself at the time," Keiko said reluctantly, "It was even worse than I expected it would be. I don't entirely blame you, my lady, but I know you were only doing what you thought was best for your own welfare."

"If you call throwing my favorite pet to those wolves what was best for my welfare, then you must not think very much of me indeed," Lao sounded genuinely saddened as she said, this, "Not that I can blame you. But I am here to make it up to you at last, my darling. I knew that I had to find a way to lure you back into my clutches, so I set in motion a plan that I thought for certain would attract your notice."

"My mother?" Keiko's tone was suddenly very animated, "The reports said you had her…"

"Those reports…" Lao hesitated, "Were a forgery on my part. I am sorry to tell you this, my dear, but I do not presently have custody of your mother."

Keiko looked deflated, "Then…she really is…?"

"Oh no, she is quite well," Lao replied, "In fact I do happen to know where she is at this precise moment. That was why I wanted to see you again, to reunite you both in an atmosphere that will allow you to have every tender, intimate mother-daughter moment you have ever dreamed of experiencing. All we have to do is…liberate her from a certain party."

"From whom?" Nabiki asked, already forming dangerous suspicions.

"From the one you no doubt already suspect," Lao replied, "He had briefly retired from his criminal enterprises to seek to make amends for his many sins as a religious man in a Buddhist Temple. What brought him back out of retirement was the discovery of a way by which he hopes to achieve the vengeance he so desperately craves."

"Vengeance…on me?" Keiko's tone was chilled.

"On the both of you," Lao replied, "In fact he went to a great deal of trouble to inform me that he had possession of your mother, knowing that I would have the means of contacting the both of you to deliver you safe and sound in Hong Kong. We will arrive in a few days to make the exchanges, Arigami Akiko for the both of you, of course."

"Wonderful," Nabiki said sourly realizing with grim fatalism that they were about to have an encounter with one of the devils from her darkest nightmare, and Chu Wan Phat was most likely very eager to see them, which was hardly surprising given what she and Keiko had done to the man at their last parting…

Continued

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