Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Ship of Fools... ( Chapter 60 )

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.

"Ken," Guile murmured to one side, "Think you can do your stuff and break loose for your cage?"

"I could try," Ken replied, glancing down, "Only this room's a little too confining for my Sho Ryu Ken, and the rest of you could get hurt in the blast. Then there's the little matter about the landing…"

He let his voice trail off, and Guile grunted his acknowledgement. Their cages appeared to be hanging over some inky black water, and he could have sworn he saw something swimming down there with the barest hint of a tentacle or two. He was pretty certain it was not a tank filled with goldfish.

"Good point," he said, "I was thinking the same thing for my Ki attack. What about you two?"

"No good either, Colonel," Bison responded, "I've been trying for the last couple of hours but I can't seem to bend these suckers. Whatever this metal is it's a lot tougher than iron."

"Same here," Honda replied, "I've been using all my strength but I can't even get these bars to bend a little."

"Guys," Ranma smiled, "I think I know how we can get out of these cages," he turned to the cage nearest to him and said, "Right Ryoga?"

"Huh?" Ryoga said despondently, "What do you mean?"

"You know," Ranma said, "That thing you've been practicing with me for the past several weeks, the special attacks Cologne's been teaching us, remember?"

"Oh," Ryoga said, "Well, if you mean the Breaking Point, I've already tried it. Something about the cage prevents me from getting a focus. I can't find the breaking point anywhere, and I have been trying."

Ranma narrowed his eyes, "You're telling me you can't use your Ki? I thought you were just moping about Akane."

Ryoga looked up and said, "I am worried about Akane, Ranma, and everyone else too, if you must know that. What about you? Aren't you worried at all about Nabiki?"

"Of course I am," Ranma said a bit defensively, "Who knows what that…Pirate lady will try and do to her? But if it comes down to a bet, I'll put my money on Nabiki."

"Man, what is it with you and the sex-change artist?" Bison asked, "One minute he's a guy, the next thing you know he's a she. That'd weird me out if somebody I knew went through that all the time."

"Like Chun-Li or Cammy?" Honda winced, "No kidding!"

"It's not like that!" Ranma declared angrily, then amended, "At least…it's not like it's deliberate with her or anything. She's got this weird Chinese curse I told you about that she picked up in a place called Jusenkyo…"

"The Cursed Springs of legend?" Ken asked, "I read about them once. At the time I thought it'd make a great plot for a movie."

"How does this curse work exactly?" Guile asked him..

"Cold water activates the curse," Ranma explained, "Hot water returns a person to normal. Nabiki's a girl, my iinazuke as a matter of fact, but she turns into this guy and…yeah, I guess it does sound crazy, but you gotta believe I'm not making it up…"

"Kid," Bison said, "Ain't nobody could make something like that up unless they'd seen it happen. I saw it with my own eyes and I still don't believe it."

"Well, there's lots of other curses besides the one that turns Nabiki into a guy," Ranma continued, "I know one girl who turns into a cat, another girl who turns into a ferret, and my father turns into a giant panda. There's, uh…even somebody I know who turns into a vulture."

"You've got some strange relations, kid," Guile frowned, "Anyway these things can get broken?"

"We don't know," Ranma sighed, "Far as we know there's no cure for these curses. Cologne the Amazon Elder says she's never heard of anyone breaking a curse, and her people have lived right beside Jusenkyo for thousands of years."

Guile's expression darkened, and Bison noticed this, which prompted him to ask, "What's up, Guile? Somebody nip your poodle?"

"It's just something I thought I saw happen when we went overboard," Guile said, "Before we all blacked out. I was trying to reach for Keiko when I thought I saw…" his voice trailed off as he turned and looked at Ranma, "A vulture, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Ranma winced inwardly, realizing that Keiko was going to kill him for this, "It was kind of an accident, Nabiki…bumped into her right after getting her curse. She's pretty much adjusted to everything, but she tries to stay away from cold showers as much as possible…"

"Oh smooth," Ryoga snorted, "And they call me thick."

"Look," Ranma said, "I'm sure she was going to get around to telling you sooner or later, and it's something I think you ought to know, but I didn't mean to spill the beans or anything…"

"Kid," Guile waved it away, "I think I get the point. I'm not happy to hear about this from second hand sources, but I don't suppose I can blame Keiko for not bringing it up. I just hope she doesn't have any more surprises like that to spring on me, I'm not sure I can take it."

"Ah…" Ranma exchanged silent looks with Ryoga then said, "Ah…nothing too important. I'm sure Kei-chan will be glad to tell you anything she thinks you ought to know…"

"Kei-chan?" Ken asked with arched eyebrows, not missing the angry glare that appeared on Guile's face, "Want to run that by us again, Mister 'I'm engaged to four women?'"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "What do you mean? I'm not interested in Keiko, and I know I'm not her type…"

"Give it up, Saotome," groaned a somber voice in the cage where Mousse was currently trussed up, "You're just digging yourself in even deeper."

"Well, back among the living I see," Bison remarked, "Guess whatever they gave you must've worn off already, huh?"

"Not completely," Mousse grumbled as he forced himself up to his knees, holding the bars to keep himself upright, "It's just the noise of all of you shouting that's giving me a headache."

"I thought you were under some kind of mental Amazon brainwashing for a moment there," Ranma sniffed, "Never thought I'd ever say this, but it's nice to have the old you back."

"Likewise," Mousse replied, "The effects of the Xi Fang Xiao are pretty potent. Good thing I've had previous conditioning to strengthen my resistance, and besides that I'm just lucky Lao is an Amazon. Exiled or not, she tends to take men like us for granted."

"Well, now that you're awake, got any ideas on how to get out of these cages?" Ranma asked.

"I might," Mousse replied, reaching up to rub the back of his neck, only to come away holding up a key that seemed to have appeared from no where.

"What the…?" Guile sat upright in his cage, "Where did you get that?"

"Off one of our jailers," Mousse replied, "Like I said, they tend to take male Amazons for granted."

"He means how did you manage to hide a thing like that in your hair?" Ken asked in amazement, "I thought your hands were fastened behind your back."

"Oh please," Mousse snorted, "I am the Master of Hidden Weapons. What kind of Magician would I be if I couldn't slip out of a few chains and hide a thing like this on my person? They may have taken my clothes away with most of my weapons, but I'm not completely helpless."

"Yeah, but will that key fit the lock, that's what I want to know," Bison pointed out.

"One way to find out," Mousse replied as he reached around and inserted the key in the lock on his cage, did some twisting and jiggling around with it, then made an audible click and pushed the door open with a smirk of satisfaction.

"Neat trick," Honda grunted, "You said that you're some kind of a Magician?"

"I've done some work on the stage," Mousse replied as he swung his legs around and sought the wooden walkway leading past their point, balancing on his bare feet before turning to the others, "This should also work on your cages, but once I let you out I want your assurance that you won't try to interfere with me when I go to rescue perfume, Saotome."

"Hey," Ranma said, "What kind of a deal is that? You think I'm going to stand aside and let you attack Ucchan?"

"I'm not interested in attacking her this time," Mousse replied, "We'll have enough trouble dealing with Lao at our full strength. I'm just saying that Perfume is mine and no one had better get in the way between me and my future bride. I won't go after Kuonji directly, but if she stands in my way all bets will be off. Is that understood?"

"Man, you are obsessed," Ranma complained, "Don't you get it yet? Perfume doesn't want anything to do with you! She's told you that often enough…"

"But no one can protect her the way I can," Mousse replied, "No one could care for her or love her the way I do. I've loved her since the time that we were little children growing up together, and I'll always love her. I can't allow anyone to take her from me, not even Kuonji, whom I respect even though I must destroy her."

"Man," Bison blinked, "Did he say obsessed? This guy's a total wacko!"

"A wacko am I?" Mousse turned a blind stare in the general direction of the Boxer's voice, "Well, it just so happens that I'm the one who's holding all the cards here, or should I say the key? And another thing--Gulph! Sputter!"

There was hardly any warning as the form came pouring down upon the unprepared Mousse, and suddenly his form began to collapse inwardly, shrinking in size until all that was left of him was a figure barely two feet tall and covered with fur. The incoherent noises he made sounded angry and nettlesome but was from a part of the human family tree that was only just learning to walk bipedal.

"Oboy," Ken started in disbelief.

"Oh my," Bison breathed, "Did you suckers see that?"

"Saw it, yes," Honda replied, "Believe it? No way!"

"So it's true," Guile's eyes narrowed, "There really are such things as Jusenkyo curses."

"Mousse?" Ranma exclaimed in disbelief, staring at the primate with a disbelieving expression, "You also have a Jusenkyo curse?"

"Makes sense," Ryoga sniffed, "I wondered where he disappeared to that time on the ice rink. I was a little busy saving Akane, but I could have sworn he fell into the water and vanished."

Mousse made a very unhappy noise as he glared at them all as if to dare them to say that someone had just made a monkey out of him. The next instant he jumped to the side as the watery figure that had triggered his curse resolified into the form of yet another translucent woman, their jailer from before.

"I suggest you get back in your cage before I am forced to take action," the Undine said in a practical, no-nonsense manner.

Mousse took one look at the woman and wasted no time in turning to vault towards the nearest of the cages, which turned out to be Ranma's. He scampered on the outside, keeping just out of reach of the Elemental as he fit the key into the lock and turned it abruptly. The next moment he was dodging a streamer of water as the Elemental converted to her liquid form and launched herself his way. Mousse was swinging around to land on the next nearest cage, and in a moment he had the door swung open, releasing Ryoga.

"All right!" Ranma cried as he and Ryoga jumped out of their cages and landed together on the walkway, "Now let's…party?"

His exultant tone trailed off as a number of liquid forms solidified before his very eyes, three more of the elemental women squaring off to confront him as Ryoga also discovered the same thing from the opposite direction.

"Hi there, cute stud," the lead of the trio Ranma faced, as her opposite number on Ryoga's side said, "Going somewhere?"

"Uh oh," Ranma murmured, "Somehow I don't think this is gonna be easy…"

"I don't care!" Ryoga cried, "Nothing's stopping me from finding Akane!"

He lumbered forward to attack, only to find the first of the female forms he encountered did not move out of the way. Ryoga was too angry to stop himself, though ordinarily he would not have struck at any woman out of anger. This time, however, he did not need to fear for the security of the target. The woman's body dissolved on contact and absorbed his forward punch, solidifying around his arm as she smiled down at him with teeth that looked remarkably shark-like on close inspection.

"Don't you know it's not nice to hit a lady?" she asked before she and her companions all dissolved and flowed around to engulf Ryoga in a globe of aqueous gel. Ryoga fought to win free but to no avail, his strength utterly useless as he floated about without support to lend balance to his efforts.

Ranma's own hesitation to attack for once came to his aid as he caught Ryoga's situation out of the corner of his eye, then regarded the trio more warily, understanding at last that normal means would not serve in this instance.

"Hang on, kid," Guile called out as Mousse got through unlocking his cage, "We'll be with you in another minute."

"No hurry," Ranma stood back and assumed a defensive crouch, "I've got this thing covered."

"What's the matter, cute stuff?" the lead elemental asked as she and her companions took a step forward, "Don't you want to play with us like your friend? We can show you a real good time…"

"Guile," Ken suddenly straightened out in his cage, almost ignoring when Mousse unlocked the door for him to escape, "I think I know what he's up to."

"Mind filling me in later?" Guile asked as he vaulted onto the ramp behind the elementals that were giving Ryoga so much trouble, "Hang on, kid, I'll get you out of there."

"Colonel" Honda warned a bit too late as more female forms took shape behind their leader. Before Guile completed the motion of turning around he found himself overwhelmed by sheer weight of aqueous numbers.

Mousse completed the motions of unlocking the last two cages, then hastily scampered up the nearest chain before vaulting onto the ramp closer to the exit. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder and smiled a monkey smile, seeing all the elementals focusing on the human presence in the chambers while ignoring him, exactly as anticipated. Let the others serve as distraction while he made his own escape. In his cursed form he was even more agile than when human and had the ability to fit inside really small spaces, exactly the sort of assets you would want if you needed to go somewhere unnoticed…

Not that Ryoga would have cared at the moment, close as he was to the point of drowning. The Undines that overwhelmed him physically were only toying with their prey, however, not really meaning to cause him an early death. They had not had a male presence to play with in this manner for quite some time, and the novelty caused them to become a bit careless. That was why they circulated just enough oxygen into his system to keep him awake, and did not notice for several long moments that Ryoga had grown suddenly very quiet, his struggles ceasing as he drew upon deep reserves of inner anguish.

Ryoga, being a manic-depressive at the best of times, had been holding it in for the last several hours, all the loneliness and despair that made up a large part of his misbegotten nature. The pathologically misdirected boy now allowed those feelings to surge up from the depths of his soul, allowing every scrap of agony and dread to mix with his intense fear for the welfare of Tendo Akane, the one girl in his existence who had ever been truly kind to him and treated him like a person rather than an object of pity.

The Undines had not anticipated this and so were at a loss to account for why they suddenly felt quite weak as though Ryoga were absorbing their strength. They did not seriously start to worry, however, until he started to glow, and by that time it was too late to withdraw as Ryoga turned the force of his anguish into his hands and exploded with the power known as Shi Shi Hokoundan!

Almost simultaneous to this, and facing in the opposite direction, Ranma's hands started to glow as he smiled at the now-nervous elementals, and all at once the energy came flowing outward as Ranma cried out the words, "Moko Takabisha!"

The force of his attack caused the very air itself to detonate. The elementals were blown into fine mist and dissipated, even as Ryoga's attack caused the elementals surrounding Guile to fragment and scatter, leaving them all victorious upon the walkway.

"She-oot!" Bison exclaimed into the thundering silence that followed this double-offensive, "Hey Ken, I thought you and Ryu had the patent on this kind of attack."

"Don't look at me," Ken shrugged, "It's not the same as my Hadou attack, and it felt more like these guys were using opposite charges."

"Lucky guess," Ranma said with just a hint of minor exhaustion, resting his hands on his knees as she steadied himself against the inevitable drain the maneuver usually left in him, "We trained together in the use of opposite techniques. Ryoga's Ki attack comes from his rage and depression, mine works on confidence, the results are pretty awesome."

"You won't hear any complaint out of me," Guile said as he looked down at Ryoga, who was on his hands and knees coughing up the last traces of water in his lungs, "Think you two can manage to walk? There may be more of those things where they came from."

"Indeed so," said a voice from the far end of the ramp as Cologne hobbled into view on her walking stick, "I'm glad to see all that training wasn't wasted on you two after all, but next time you might have a better care for your surroundings. It this chamber was not magically sealed the twin blasts you unleashed would have been sufficient to rupture a normal vessel."

"What took you so long?" Ranma smiled weakly, then straightened up, "We have to find Nabiki and the others."

"Indeed we do, Son-in-law," Cologne replied, "The matter is graver even than you suspect. My former student has become more unbalanced than I even dared believe. I apologize that it took some time to engineer my freedom, but my skills as a locksmith are almost as rusty as the lock she used. I know you both need rest, but time is of the essence here, and there is no telling what insanity Lao intends for your loved ones."

"Akane," Ryoga gasped, forcing himself back to his feet with great effort, "Nothing's going to stop me from finding her…nothing!"

"No argument there," Ranma said as his confidence returned, along with his fighting spirit, cracking his knuckles as he added, "Let's show this Lao character what men are made of."

"That's the spirit," Honda said cheerfully, slapping a meaty hand against Ranma's back that nearly floored the younger boy, "But you'd better let us take the lead this time. We're still fresh for the fight, and we've got a reputation to look out for."

"You got that right," Bison smacked fist-to-palm and grinned, "Time for Round Two. I just hope Chun and Cammy aren't having too much fun and left us some of the action."

"We'll know as soon as we link up," Guile said authoritatively, "Ken, you take point, keep an eye out for sudden leaks. Honda, Bison, you hold the rear, the rest of you follow me."

Ranma raised one eyebrow before turning a questioning look Cologne's way to see if she would contest this. What he saw instead shook him more than the notion that she would allow a man to lead the way, for though the Amazon Elder tried to conceal it there was a look of intense worry in her expression. He suddenly felt less than certain about the whole matter, and without meaning to his thoughts became frantic with the fear that he had been holding down for the welfare of Nabiki and the others. Without another word or complaint he fell in line with Guile and Ryoga, Cologne following after them while all around it felt as if hidden eyes were watching them from every corner.

Which was an accurate enough description of affairs, had anyone care to know this…

"Now, that wasn't so bad an experience, was it?"

"Oh sure," Nabiki snorted as she trudged along in her chains, "Now I know what a salad bar feels like. I don't suppose my friends will remember this when they wake up?"

"Only if I want them to," Lao replied with s smirk that Nabiki could not see from her position behind the pirate, "If I'm feeling generous. Why, would you mind it?"

Nabiki only glared silently at the ex-Amazon's swaggering backside. In truth she felt exhausted, both inside and out, having been put through a kind of ordeal that was neither as pleasurable nor entirely unpleasant as she would have admitted to anyone's face. Any other time she would have simply gone with the ride and taken her licks without question, but the thought of doing it under someone else's compulsion was anathema to her nature.

Besides, she knew very well what Ukyo and Perfume would think if they were to awaken to the memory of their behavior of only a few moments past, and that spoiled any enjoyment she might have taken in being the object of their mutual passion. The two were acting like a pair of robots now, but they had been pretty animated when fulfilling Lao's explicit instructions, and Nabiki felt like she needed a hot bath to wash off the slaver and saliva that seemed to coat every inch of her person.

"Here we are at last," Lao smiled as she indicated yet another chamber in the seemingly endless corridors of the vessel. She led the way, like always, Nabiki following unsteadily with Perfume and Ukyo only a few paces at her opposing flanks.

Nabiki allowed her eyes to rove about in search of all details. At first it just seemed oddly like another room, but then she noticed the pillar-like stand that was set in the exact center of the chamber, upon which was another brass egg-shaped covering that had an ominous presence. Lao approached this with a note of caution in her tread, but her voice held the hint of a smile as she carefully caressed the covering, then turned a glance towards Nabiki.

"As you know," she said, "Jusenkyo curses are very stubborn, permanent things for which no reliable cure has ever as yet been discovered. The reason for this is that the curse is more than just a magic spell that causes a bodily transformation. The curse, in fact, is tied to your very Akashik pattern and becomes a part of your Karma. The instant you fall into a spring or feel the caress of its waters your body undergoes a literal transformation. The imprinted image of whatever has died there becomes the shape of your alternate body. When you get splashed you don't really change at all, you exchange your form with that of the new template."

"What, like a student exchange program?" Nabiki snorted.

"Facetiousness ill becomes you, Tendo-san," Lao smiled as she indicated to her two robotic slaves that they were to urge Nabiki to take a position on the opposite side of the pillar, "Have you ever wondered just exactly how it is that these Curses perform their miraculous functions? After all, you seem to possess a very rational mind with well-ordered thought processes. Does it seem rational that a full-grown woman can change genders while increasing your mass by one third? For that matter, how does 'Cousin' Perfume here manage to shrink to the size of an animal that I understand you have a certain aversion for, yet still retain her human-level intelligence? The conservation of matter and energy would seem to be violated here, along with the rules of Entropy and Quantum dynamics."

"All right," Nabiki said, "Since you seem to have all the answers, why don't you tell me how it happens?"

"You understand, of course, the term 'Virtual Reality,' do you not?" Lao smiled, "The kind that I refer to has nothing to do with computers, it has to do with the state of Virtual matter that surrounds us everywhere and comprises over 90% of the particles in actual existence. Dark Matter is, I believe, one of the terms currently in vogue. What is meant here is that the particles that can be recorded in the Physical Universe are only those that have the right vibrational resonance to match Quantum frequencies with the reality we relate to. Change the Quantum vibration of a particle and it no longer resonates with our reality and seemingly fades from existence. It is not gone or destroyed, it merely passes to a parallel level of being. There are an infinite number of such parallel worlds separated by one heartbeat of this Cosmic vibration, and between Universes there is an empty space where all the lost or unrealized potential energy of our Universe is stored. This Quantum interface fluctuation is the Realm of Dark Matter, only a tiny bit of which we can directly relate to, the stuff that comes closest to achieving harmonic vibration."

"So?" Nabiki asked, struggling to follow the concept as it did match closely with what she had been taught concerning Vibrational reality, albeit her training had been in using the Akashik or spiritual energy of Manna and Prana employed in Ki-Force manipulation.

"So," Lao purred dramatically, "Our cursed forms take root out of this Virtual State of existence, and when we transform the shift in our mass is caused by an exchange of these forms through the filter of the Spring's template, thus a man can become a panda, and vice versa. It might also account for why some curses allow you to retain your clothing when you transform while others do not. In this case size and volume really does matter."

"I'll buy that," Nabiki replied, "So what about it?"

"The curses, as I have stated, are bonded to us permanently," Lao resumed as she caressed the brass covering, "But it is possible to temporarily exchange templates with the help of a certain device I have here in my possession, a powerful artifact that can switch your cursed form with that of another Jusenkyo victim thus allowing them to briefly gain your curse for a few hours duration, and vice versa."

"And you want to take my curse and exchange it with your own?" Nabiki asked with a certain dread anticipation, wondering just what exact shape it was that Lao intended to inflict on her, however long it lasted.

"Not me," Lao smiled, "I like my cursed form very well, thank you, although I will admit to a certain fascination with your ability to experience the perspective of the male of the species. The one I was thinking of is none other than my adoptive cousin."

Nabiki paled, shooting a glance at the silent Perfume, who was continuing to stare straight ahead without flinching. Nabiki looked back at Lao in alarm and said, "Why?"

"Because," Lao replied, "I know what it is like to be a parent, and to have your child taken away by circumstance. Those few days without my son were some of the longest in my entire life, and I would not wish a childless condition upon anyone who desired fervently to be a parent. I know that Perfume, with her aversion to pain, can never dare to have a child of her own in the normal sense of the matter, but she is willing to allow Ukyo to bear children by that boy you are all so fond of. I've nothing against surrogate parenting, but I think these two deserve a chance at expressing the joys of their union under conditions very much like what you are enjoying with my niece."

"But…you can't possibly make this kind of a decision for them without obtaining their consent!" Nabiki protested, "They're human beings, not mice in a lab that you can breed for your own amusement…"

"Why not?" Lao said as she lifted the lid covering the object upon the pillar, "I have the means and the will, and besides this I already know what is in their hearts. Ukyo herself expressed regret that Perfume would never have a child of her own to care for. I think she is willing enough to do this, and it's not as if I will need to exert that much pressure to obtain their cooperation."

Nabiki was only half-listening as the object exposed to her view caught and held her attention. It looked something like a Faberge egg with a marble-shaped crystal the size of a hen's egg held tightly within its center, growing with a cerulean light that bathed the room with its unearthly radiance. Lao turned to Perfume and ordered her to take her place opposite Nabiki while she circled around and commanded Ukyo to exit the chamber for a few moments. Nabiki and Perfume remained staring at the glowing object as the images in their minds took hold in plain view. A ghostly aura surrounded Nabiki, taking the form of Kaneda, while similarly the appearance of a ghostly cat appeared from within Perfume and hovered in space for a long, drawn-out moment.

Lao watched from a comfortable distance as the exchange of templates proceeded in stages, but before it was halfway completed she looked sharply off to the side as though sensing a trembling in the air of a very different sort. Her gaze became momentarily unfocused while Ukyo stood numbly at her side watching the exchange take place without a noticeable change of expression.

"Bugger," Lao murmured, "I knew that I should have had her watched more closely…"

"My lady," said one of the Undines, flowing from a gap in the floor to take the form of a kneeling woman, "Many pardons, but I have grave news…"

"Yes, yes, I know," Lao waved the point away, "The prisoners have escaped. You know what needs to be done, so follow your instructions on this matter…"

"Matters are being tended to even as we speak," the Undine replied, "But I was sent here on a different purpose. Lotus and Blossom have requested your presence at the helm at your earliest convenience."

"Hmm?" Lao looked down at the elemental in puzzlement, "Is this matter all that urgent, Selke? They cannot handle it in my absence?"

"Regretfully no, my lady," the Undine replied, "Shall I tell them to expect your presence shortly?"

"Tell them I will be there," Lao said, then amended as an afterthought, "And if I am not satisfied as to the importance of this summons I shall be very cross with them. Make certain that they understand that."

"It shall be as you command, my lady," and at once the elemental shifted to her fluid state and seeped back through the floorboards.

"Double bugger," Lao grumbled, "Those two need help just tying each other up. Well, the process is nearly completed, there should be time enough to move to phase two. Shall we greet your newly improved beloved, Kuonji-san? I think you will like the present I am about to give you."

The exchanged images faded away as the crystal itself now hummed with diminished radiance. Lao returned and covered the object, then snapped her fingers to bring Nabiki out of her daze. Nabiki blinked her eyes and gasped, "Wha-what…?"

"A slight change of plans has forced me to move up my timetable," Lao replied as she turned to Perfume and said, "This way, my foster-cousin, your bride awaits you."

Nabiki was given little choice in following as Lao exited the chamber, bringing all three of them along to another room just a few paces further down, which she opened before smiling at her two hypnotized subjects, indicating that they should enter. Just before they stepped past the threshold, however, Lao reached down and ran her hands over their backsides, then brought her right hand over Ukyo's pelvis and concentrated for a moment. A satisfied smirk seemed to confirm her expectations as she urged the okonomiyaki chef to continue into what Nabiki saw was an already prepared bedchamber, complete with a large well-padded futon.

As Perfume entered after Ukyo, however, Lao raised her left hand and caused a spray of water to gush upon her as though conjured up from nothing. Perfume began to change instantly, and within the blink of an eye she grew taller and heavily muscled, filling out in places that caused Nabiki to gasp in astonishment, never having witnessed this particular change take place in another.

Perfume as a man was an entirely different-seeming person. Standing close to six feet or more and perhaps just under two hundred pounds even, he was solidly built with muscles as thick as tree-trunks. His long brown hair looked odd for his new gender but he otherwise had many of the same distinguishing features as Perfume, even in some slight way resembling the male version of Nabiki. Only his eyes remained unchanging, eyes that seemed to be dilating slightly as Nabiki looked him up and down, unable to help feeling an involuntary reaction of pure lust. For the first time ever she knew what it felt like for Kasumi!

"My," Lao smirked as she looked the now-male Amazon up and down, "What big equipment you've got there, bright boy. I'm actually envious of Kuonji and the pleasure you are about to give her."

"Wha-what is…happening?" Perfume slowly seemed to be coming out from her--no his--daze, looking around in confusion before turning towards them with a puzzled expression, "Who you…?"

"Oh my," Lao smiled, "You seem to be throwing off the effects of the Xi Fang Xiao, Cousin. This confirms yet another theory I have long had about one of the side effects of Jusenkyo curses speeding up the healing process. Instant transformation seems to be accompanied by a partial restoration of health, no doubt caused by the filtering effect caused by the exchange in bodies through the template."

"You…?" Perfume threw off the last bits of his daze as recognition took him, "You are Nameless one whose place Perfume take in family…"

"Yes," Lao smiled, "And I really should resent you for that, but somehow I just can't manage to be angry of someone with as many problems as you have faced in your young life. Never fear, everything will turn out for the best, I assure you. No doubt you will begin experiencing the delayed effects of that last bit of nerve-manipulation I just applied to you and your Airen."

"What you do to…Airen?" Perfume turned to see Ukyo standing beside the bed with a blank expression and in two paces he crossed to her side and gripped Ukyo by her forearms and saying, "Airen…Ucchan…is you all…right…?"

It only belatedly occurred to him that there was something very different in his angle of perspective. Ukyo seemed somehow shorter than usual rather than a shade taller than Perfume. The now male Amazon was actually staring down at his wife, and with a very slow dawning comprehension he looked down at himself and cried out in dismay some colorful Chinese words that Nabiki mentally chose not to interpret.

"I do so love when a plan comes together," Lao smiled, "Well, cousin, have fun exploring your new toy. I'll leave you two lovebirds to become better acquainted. In another few moments you won't have a care in the world, so don't bother trying to escape as this room is both reinforced and quite thoroughly sound-proofed. Come along, Tendo-san," and with that Lao shut the door and urged Nabiki to follow as she headed for a stairway.

Perfume stood rooted to the spot, staring down at something that absolutely should not be between his legs. He noticed the absence of a pair of substantial bumps upon his chest, but the new pectorals he was sporting were large enough to almost make up for that loss. He simply could not believe the size and thickness of his thighs and forearms.

The size of his other limb--which was just now flexing itself out--was another matter altogether!

In cold horror, Perfume knew at once what Lao had done to her…or rather him…though the exact mechanics of the deed were beyond her limited understanding. He also had a pretty good idea on the what and why behind Lao's actions, and the fact that Ukyo was standing naked before him in a blank-eyed and quite obviously receptive state left no doubt in the world what was expected to occur in another few moments.

The horror came from contemplating a thing that--under different circumstances--Perfume would count a miracle devoutly to be wished for. He had been given an option he never would have dreamed of possessing until now, a chance to do the impossible, to share the joys of his cousin in away that would leave no doubt in the world of his devotion to his Airen…

And he simply could not do it! Not this way, not to Ukyo, not without her knowledge and consent, and certainly not while standing there staring at nothing in a state that only the Xi Fang Xiao could induce. It was violation of the grossest order, little better than rape and certainly not the act of love that Perfume would have gladly expressed here. Though his pulse was racing and his body throbbed with need he could not give into the deed without making a mockery of the very thing she would want to accomplish.

"Ukyo…" Perfume shook his wife by her shoulders, attempting to elicit a response, then belatedly cursed himself for a fool in not realizing the means by which Ukyo's mind could become unclouded.

He circled around behind her, all too conscious of the beautiful naked body that waited to service his needs, which were growing more insistent. Ukyo remained unmoving as Perfume brought his hands up to feel around the back of her head, seeking the vital nerves that his heightened senses could read like Braille, remembering her lessons in applying the techniques of memory manipulation, recalling in detail her instruction in the art of Xi Fang Xiao.

For barely a moment he hesitated, but his resolve grew firm as his handsome face set in a look of determination. With a barely audible prayer to the spirits of his ancestors, Perfume plunged ahead and began to apply the counter-remedy that would unlock the real Ukyo from her prison deep within to which Lao had dispatched her true Airen.

And if awakening her meant forgoing the fulfillment of their pleasures…well, Perfume would make that sacrifice…depending on what Ukyo felt when she had recovered…

Akane was half-numb with fatigue and her shoulders felt as though they were being torn loose from their arm-sockets, but she was aware that someone was speaking to her, and that they were standing to one side leaning close enough for her to feel the warmth of their body. She also felt herself being shaken slightly, but she not feel the cuffs coming off of her wrists until gravity was suddenly restored and she found herself tumbling forward like a stringless puppet.

"Easy, Akane-chan, I've got you!" Keiko urged as she held Akane close to her body and gently eased her to the floor. She knelt with Akane in her lap, using her hands to smooth out her long, silken black hair and ease her bangs from her forehead, all the while saying soothing words as if to nurture Akane to a state of easy comfort.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked another voice that Akane automatically identified as Kodachi.

"I think so," Keiko replied, "She didn't have as bad a reaction as you, so I think she's just numb from her ordeal. It'll pass soon enough once she gets the circulation restored to her wrists. Believe me, I know what this feel like. I've been through the full treatment."

"Then that is one experience for which I do not envy you," Kodachi cooed, moving closer to Akane's position as though to add her own extra comfort.

Akane forced her eyes to open before staring up at Kodachi, who was looking back with concern and deep affection. Akane had to crane her neck to stare up at the equally concerned Keiko before at last managing to say aloud, "Wha-What happened? Wh-where are we?"

"We," Kodachi said mildly, "Are in one of the conditioning chambers that Madam Lao employs for the purpose of brainwashing us into being her loyal little sex-toys. Keiko-chan was just in the process of freeing us both right now. The only question is…how soon can you recover your strength?"

Akane had to think on that a moment before replying, "I'm sure I'll be up to speed in another minute. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," Keiko said mildly, "Other than the fact that we're trapped on the high sees on board a ship belonging to a renegade Amazon who wants to turn the both of you into the latest pets in her floating menagerie…is this starting to make sense to you both? If not, I could try outlining the rest of what is in store for you if we don't try to get out of here while we're still sentient."

In spite of how tired she felt Akane was able to work up enough annoyance to glare, "You could have just said we're in trouble and left it at that…and what about the two of you? I seem to recall something about the two of you making out while I was hanging here like a piece of meet hung out to dry."

"Sorry," Keiko said sheepishly, "That was reflex. I needed to shake 'Dachi-chan here out of her funk, and I was acting pretty much on automatic. Chalk it up to reflexes…"

"Some reflexes," Kodachi sniffed mildly, "But I'm glad just the same. I don't know what I'd have done if you hadn't…well, I'm just incredibly grateful."

Akane looked at her longtime friend and said, "Are you going to be all right? And what were those…things doing to us anyway? I feel like I've cum about a hundred times and my body's aching all over, like I want to do it again another dozen or so…"

"That's a side effect of the conditioning treatment," Keiko hastily explained, "The Undines like to play with their victims, drawing a bit of vitality out of the physical act of lovemaking. The idea is to get you both used to feeling pleasurable so that when you're not being stroked you still anticipate these sensations. Lao likes to make her victims into raging sex-addicts willing to do anything to please her, makes it that much easier to get your cooperation for the really intense stuff that comes later."

"Indeed?" Kodachi sounded curious, "You're going to have to tell us about the rest of what we're missing. At the moment, however, I am starting to feel something like my old self…only I'm not quite so sure if that's accurate. There is something…very different about the way that I am feeling. I feel…more alive than I can ever remember having felt. The shadows I am so used to are gone…"

"Gone?" Akane asked, earning a wondrous look from Kodachi.

"Gone," Kodachi repeated, and then smiled a genuine smile that made her face brighten, "The voices I am so used to hearing…the tightness in my chest…the…the shadows that have so long haunt me…all gone. I feel…giddy…as though I have been reborn into a new life. I'm not sure I can describe the way I feel in words, I just know that a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. The pain…is gone…or at least it's quieted. I don't know how or why, but somehow I feel as if it has all been made new…"

Her voice trailed off as she turned to stare at Keiko in wonder. Keiko felt something strange as she endured Kodachi's silent stare, so at last she asked, "What is it?"

"Your hair," Kodachi said slowly, "It's red."

"Yeah…so?" Keiko asked with caution.

Kodachi smiled even more poignantly than before, "I never realized it before…how beautiful the color…so beautiful…you are beautiful, Keiko-chan."

Keiko blinked then stared back as if trying to confirm in her own mind that what she saw was for real, her eyes locking onto Kodachi's as the two stared at one another in a silence that seemed to drag on forever. They might have gone on staring like that if Akane had not cleared her throat right then and there, deciding to return their talk to more pertinent matters.

"Okay," she said, "Now that we've established that you two really like each other, why don't we turn the agenda over to suggestions on how we're going to get out of here in one piece. That Madam Lao may come back at any moment."

"Good point," Kodachi replied, then added, "You are not jealous, are you, Akane-chan? I still feel the same way I have always felt about you…"

"Jealous?" Akane reacted in surprise, then thought about it before replying, "No, not really jealous…just surprised. I knew you guys liked each other a lot, but I didn't know you planned on going steady."

"Sounds to me as if somebody needs reassurance of our feelings," Keiko smiled, turning a conspiratorial glance towards Kodachi.

"Indeed," Kodachi leered, "We must show our beloved friend here that we still intend to indulge ourselves with her at leisure, but for now I think the escape option is a more appropriate idea. You do have a plan for that, do you not, Kei-chan?"

"I ought to," Keiko replied, "This ship was my home for a couple of years, and Lao trusted me with a lot of her secrets. I'm grateful to her and everything, but I can't condone what she's doing to your guys. It isn't right, especially the stuff she plans to do to Nabiki."

"Oneechan," Akane whispered, "We've got to find her and Ryoga…I mean the others…"

Keiko shared another amused look with Kodachi as they each caught the gaff and telltale self-correction, then as one they said, "Riiiight…. Ryoga and the others."

"You two," Akane sniffed, then growled, "Help get out of these ankle-cuffs, will you? They're not exactly the kind of fashion accessory I feel like growing attached to at the minute…and what are we going to do if those water-ladies come back?"

"That's a very good question," Keiko sighed, "Undines are Water Elementals, which makes them especially dangerous to Kodachi-chan and me. They can revert us both to our cursed state without half trying, but you might be able to handle them if we could only get our hands on some cold iron…"

"Cold what?" Akane blinked.

"Cold iron," Keiko replied, "It's another way of saying magnetized iron pyrite that's been shaped without fire into a raw form of the metal. Cold Iron is lethal to elementals and spirits of all kind… something to do with its magnetic properties I guess. Certain kinds of steel can do the trick as well if you stroke it with a magnet to get all the force lines moving in the same direction. These chains won't do the trick, of course, since made of non-ferrous titanium and can't carry a charge without a power outlet."

"Perhaps we can improvise something," Kodachi mused, "If I remember my folklore correctly there are other substances that one can employ against elementals, such as Prayer chains and rocksalt…"

"Not much of that on hand," Akane sniffed, "And the last I checked none of us are practicing Shinto Priestesses. Whatever we're going to use it has to be made from the materials we've got on hand."

"Maybe so," Keiko said thoughtfully, "To tell the honest truth, I'd really rather not hurt the Undines if it can be helped. They're just servants of Lao's will, and some are pretty nice as people. This ship is their home, and most have lived on it for centuries. They're not actually trying to hurt us, they just like playing with flesh-and-blood mortals…"

"Then perhaps that might work to our advantage," Kodachi looked around, then smiled, "I think I have a pretty good idea what might work here," and she began to outline her scheme, for once cooking up a typically Kodachi-like plan without once resorting to her trademark laugh, for which both of her friends were both disturbed and highly grateful…

Continued

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