Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Vampire Hunter (Darkstalkers) Fan Fiction ❯ Nabiki 1/2 (A Very Scary Thought) ❯ Switching Curses... ( Chapter 61 )

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.

<"What is it that is so urgent that you felt it necessary to disturb my pleasures, Blossom?">

A very tall Amazon with dark blue hair almost jumped at the stern, commanding tone of her Mistress and turned to greet Madam Lao with an obsequious, <"Forgive me, my lady, but we have company, it seems. We believe it to be a Chinese military vessel, possibly Destroyer class and steaming our way at flank speed. We thought that sounded more than a little urgent.">

<"A destroyer you say?"> Lao frowned as she surveyed the bridge of her ship, <"You are certain it is Chinese and not Russian?">

<"The marking make her out to be from the Mainland,"> another Amazon with cherry pink hair reported as she scanned the seas with an antique-style spyglass, leaning against the rail for support against the sway of their ship in the ocean.

Nabiki--who stood a couple of paces behind Lao, still naked and in chains--surveyed the ship for the first time from the nominal outside. It did indeed look very much like an incredibly large Chinese-Style Junk from many centuries past, only it did not appear to be as large as what she would have expected, judging by some of the corridors she had traversed since awakening inside the vessel. The bridge itself was actually an enclosed wooden cabin with a large steering wheel at the front instead of an even more ancient rudder that she would have expected. The roof over their heads blocked off full view of the sun so that the time of the day was difficult to estimate, and there was a weird curtain of distortion like a haze that perpetually surrounded the vessel. The sky did not look right, and she felt an eerie hint of a general unearthliness that defied rational understanding.

Lao's eyes were narrowed as she seemed to be contemplating something that could not be seen by Nabiki, and then she murmured softly, <"They're out there all right, but why? Why here? By rights we should be invisible to their radar, while their sonar wouldn't be able to identify us either, yet they seem to be coming this way as thought they knew of our location.">

<"Shall we take evasive action, my lady?"> Blossom asked.

<"Indeed,"> Lao's eyes narrowed, <"Do so at once. Let's see how they react.">

Blossom turned to one of the blue-skinned Undines and relayed her instructions while two others at the wheel began turning their direction until the very large Junk was moving at a sharp angle away from their previous heading. Lao was silent for a long moment while Lotus scanned the shifting horizon, then at last she smiled and said, <"That confirms it. They've continuing on along their original heading. They either don't see us or they're too distracted by something else to pay us any attention.">

<"You think it was only a coincidence, my lady?"> Lotus asked her.

<"I don't believe in coincidence,"> Lao folded her arms over her breasts and frowned, <"Somebody sent them out here expecting to intercept us. That much is obvious, and so is the probable identity of their sudden source of information.">

"You mean Phat, don't you?" Nabiki spoke out in Japanese, surprising the two other Amazons as though she had been invisible to their notice before this moment.

"Sounds like his speed," Lao nodded sagely, "I'd heard he was retiring a few months ago, but it seems the religious life just didn't suit him. No surprise in that, but if he's found out that I'm coming to pay him a visit it means we can expect more such interference. Hong Kong is presently under Mainland Chinese authority, and while the ports are mostly open for business as usual, they have made a show of trying to crack down on independent activities such as those that I engage in."

"You ever think it might be the nature of your business that the authorities don't approve of?" Nabiki countered.

"Oh please," Lao sniffed, "Who do you think have been some of my most ardent clients? In the past I've supplied many of the rich and powerful in these and other ports with the sorts of entertainment for which they pay quite handsomely. Your own Japan has long been home to many of my best clients. Everyone deep down wants what I have to offer them. It's only for the sake of appearances that they claim otherwise, and not from any silly misplaced concept like virtue."

"So you think everyone at heart is a criminal?" Nabiki asked.

"Don't you?" Lao responded, "You're a practical sort, Tendo Nabiki, you believe that everyone has their price and that people do what they believe they must out of enlightened self interest…"

"I used to believe that was iron clad," Nabiki replied, "But I can also see now that everyone also has their limits, that there is such a thing as too much greed and corruption. There have to be some rules to any game, Lao, and you can only go so far when breaking them…"

"As much as I find this discussion fascinating," Lao replied, raising a finger, "I'm afraid we must postpone it for now as we are having a bit of a crisis here. Blossom, Lotus, what is the status on that Destroyer?"

"It has not moved off as we had hoped, lady," Blossom replied, "The Stealth field is holding, but they may have other means of detecting us, and at this range…"

"Yes, I see," Lao sighed, "I had really hoped that we could avoid getting into a shooting war with the Mainland authorities, but it would seem that the danger they pose to us is such that we may have to err on the side of expediency and caution. Ready the torpedo tubes and prepare to sink her."

"Torpedo tubes?" Nabiki reacted.

"Not everything on this vessel is as primitive as you may have been led to believe, Tendo-san," Lao replied, "And I have amassed a considerable fortune in the course of my trade. I thought it prudent to have a few modern conveniences added in during one of our more recent outfittings. In these days of post-Cold downsizing, weapons systems are cheap and easy to obtain. I could also swamp their vessel with a Chi-attack or have it boarded by Undines, but a conventional torpedo is much less easily traced and won't draw as much attention my way…"

"Except that every major power in the region is going to start accusing one another of attacking a Chinese military vessel," Nabiki countered, "Do you really want to trigger an escalation of world tensions?"

"If necessary, yes," Lao replied, "But I would prefer to avoid bloodshed if a reasonable alternative can be suggested. Need I remind you that the weapons on that ship have sufficient range and firepower to reduce even a magical vessel like the POJ to kindling? I have the lives of everyone on board to think about, not incidentally including you and your friends."

"I get your point," Nabiki replied, glancing to the side with a thoughtful expression, "They haven't fired yet, which means they're not certain that we're out here. Maybe they're having trouble calibrating their instruments or they don't really know what they're looking at, or what to expect. Perhaps you can use that to your advantage."

Lao smiled, "That's what I like about you, Tendo-san…you are always looking at the possibilities, seeking alternatives to resorting to violence or using the direct approach. You believe that intellect should prevail over the body, and in this matter I happen to be in total agreement. Lotus, have the weather vane recalibrated, point it in their direction and tell Nimue to have her people ready to coordinate the attack when I call up the Kraken."

"Kraken?" Nabiki asked, "What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing too drastic, I assure you," Lao smiled, "I'm going to blind them to all outside contact and leave them blind for half a day while we make our escape. They are about to experience the worst fog bank that they have ever encountered. It is infinitely preferable to what I could do should I choose to get nasty."

"And that is?" Nabiki asked, not entirely certain she wanted to know the answer.

Lao's chuckle was mirthless, "You are aware, of course, that this ocean flows over one of the most geologically active fault lines in the world. There are pockets of subterranean gas located everywhere, and sometimes they release large quantities of methane over a localized area, which can be very hazardous to shipping. Ocean water that is permeated with gas becomes too light to support a normally buoyant craft, and the methane has been known sometimes to spontaneously detonate so that a ship--even that size--could utterly disappear as if swallowed by the sea leaving very little trace of its passing. Believe me, if I have to, I am prepared to send that ship to the bottom before risking myself and my crew, so let us hope that their captain is reasonable and slows to wait out the fog, otherwise there will be some real fireworks in this ocean."

Nabiki felt a chill pass down her spine that had nothing to do with her state of undress. Somehow, she found herself believing that Lao meant every word she had just spoken, that the resources at her disposal were sufficient to allow her to carry out her threat and that the lives of hundreds of Mainland Chinese sailors depended on the success of Lao's tactic. She watched in growing nervousness as the one named Lotus fiddled with some device that looked like a brass astrolabe that had a goose-egg sized diamond-shaped crystal in its center.

"Coordinates are aligned as you ordered, my lady," the pink-haired Amazon reported a moment later.

"Nimue indicates that her squadron is in position, my lady," the blue-haired Blossom also related, indicating what looked like a reflection of the light somewhere off to their starboard.

"Excellent," Lao said, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating…on what Nabiki could hardly guess, but she sensed the waves of force emanating out from the tall sea-foam haired ex-Amazon and knew implicitly that she was making contact with…something that was invisible to others.

Time hung in the air for several long moments, then Lotus raised her spyglass again and said, "It has already begun, my lady. The fog is beginning to form and will soon engulf the entire enemy vessel."

Lao did not open her eyes as spoke in a toneless voice, "Set a new course to take us around to our original destination. I'll recall the Kraken, and Nimue's squadron, as soon as we are fully past them."

"Aye, my lady," Blossom nodded to the two Undines manning the wheel and they began to turn to the newly given coordinates. In fact, everything on the bridge appeared to be proceeding with clockwork precision and nobody was bothering to take notice of Nabiki as she smiled to herself, sensing the opening she had needed.

As quietly as it could be managed, Nabiki bent her knees and tucked herself into a ball, rolling backwards while bringing her hands down below the level of her hips, swinging them around as she curled her legs and brought her handcuffs under her feet and all the way forward. Her chains rattled slightly, but by this time she was already putting to use her training with Cologne, sensing out the weakest points in the chains, and with her hands now in front of her it was easy to get the leverage she needed to jerk her hands sharply, snap-forcing the cuffs open. She next turned to the manacles around her feet, which she found were not lock in place but merely held by a latch, which same was easily opened. In all the maneuver used up the better part of nine complete seconds.

By this time the sense of disturbance at her side caused Lao to open her eyes in surprise, then turned in time to see Nabiki straightening up again, making a dash for the nearest exit.

"Stop her, you fools! She must not escape!" the Pirate sternly ordered.

Two Undines standing on guard duty sprang to cut off Nabiki line of escape, but Nabiki anticipated this and leaped into the air, spreading her legs wide as she aimed for a double-kick that would have slapped two ordinary assailants to the floor like a pair of gnats. These were not ordinary opponents, however, and her bare feet slapped only water as those heads seemed to dissolve while she continued forward, splashing herself with the constituent fluids of their bodies.

At once something happened, her body twisted and collapsed in mid-air, and before she knew it Nabiki was falling to the floor with her arms and legs spread wide to blunt her impact. She managed to land without incident and looked up from where she crouched with a slightly bewildered expression. The water that now covered her body seemed to cling to her like a sopping wet blanket while her perspective appeared to have shrunk to something like a few inches as the two Elementals reformed themselves then peered down at her, now the size of giants. By reflex Nabiki twitched her face and found that she was now sporting a set of whiskers, which seemed no less odd than the fact that everything seemed so much bigger to her now.

She saw Madam Lao approach from a cyclopean height and heard her voice the words, "Well now, young lady, I trust you appreciate just how foolish this was?"

"Meow?" Nabiki tried to ask, then froze as the realization very suddenly hit her.

She had been splashed with water.

She did not revert to her male body.

Lao said that she had switched the outer template of her curse with Perfume.

Therefore…

"MEOW!!!!???" Nabiki cried, her mind suddenly going numb with shock for one whole second before her panic hit her full force.

She was in Perfume's cursed body, the thing she feared more than anything else in the world, including a visit from a Tax auditor. Her mind refused to process this fact and suddenly she was overcome with the instinctual need to run and hide, to get away and flee, to find some small cubbyhole to hide out in until the terror could pass her by. There was no way for her to deal with this in any rational way, so without pausing to think she turned and scampered out of the cabin on all four clawed feet, running at full speed so that even the fluid Undines were unprepared for the speed of her exit. Like a shot she was down the stairs and heading off into the depths of the strange magic vessel.

"What the hell?" Lao mildly cursed, "Now what set her off like that I wonder. She looked positively terrified over something."

"Shall we pursue her, my lady?" one of the two Undines asked.

"There is no need," Lao replied with a sigh, "There is no place she can go to escape, and sooner or later she will calm down, before or after she reverts back into her original cursed body. I tried to warn her," she sighed again, "Kids these days…no respect for their elders…"

"Ucchan?"

Ukyo reacted to the unfamiliar voice, though there was something familiar in the tone, accent and expression of the person making it. She blinked her eyes several times and tried to focus upon the speaker, and on her third attempt she manage to get him squarely into the center of her attention…

And found herself looking up into the face of the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes upon.

He was big, broad-shouldered and very tall with muscles that defined him powerfully as a man in the pique of physical condition. He had rugged features and a very manly profile that reminded her very powerfully of Ranma or Nabiki in male aspect. His features were oriental but his hair was a long chestnut brown done up in Amazon fashion and his eyes were soft, large and highly expressive, a reddish-brown color that…

Reddish brown? She knew those eyes…they were the only thing completely unchanged besides the hairstyle!

"P-Perchan?" Ukyo gasped in stunned comprehension.

He nodded sadly, "It me, Airen, I Perfume…no ask me how I got this way. I think it have something do with Lao Kung and Nabiki."

"Nabiki," Ukyo softly repeated, grasping hold of the only sensible explanation, "They changed you?"

Perfume nodded, "Hai, Airen. I no understand how…maybe somehow use curse to make Perfume male, like Instant Nannichuan potion, but we locked in room together, and think maybe know why. Lao said something about enjoy…"

She let her words dangle unfulfilled, allowing Ukyo to slowly work things out to their most logical conclusion, and then she said, "You mean this Lao character wants you to…?"

Perfume nodded and Ukyo swallowed.

"But…" Ukyo started to say when her eyes inevitably drifted down to stare at something else that was changed about Perfume. Her face was expressionless in shock for a full half minute, then she managed to gasp, "Nani?"

Perfume could not help but wince and feel his cheeks burn with hot shame. Normally he was quite uninhibited about such matters as sex, but her recent transformation, coupled with the many unfamiliar sensations he was presently having to cope with, and the way Ukyo was looking at his body was only making matters worse, causing that new member of his to react in a very surprising way that added to the awkwardness of the situation. He could not blame Ukyo for staring, her member was swelling out to a size and stiffness that was difficult to deny. For the first time ever she understood why Ranma and Ryoga were always so shy around women, and if matters progressed much farther he would not be at all surprised to discover that he was giving himself nosebleeds.

Ukyo managed to regain control over herself with great effort and said, "Lao wants us to mate like this? But why?"

"Perfume not know," he shrugged, "But…maybe Lao think she breeding us like horses…"

"Farm animals," Ukyo growled, her eyes narrowing to slits, "Like a couple of pigs in heat…"

Perfume had to suppress a shudder and look away in hot shame at the analogy. He knew Ukyo well enough to know that she would resent being used in such a fashion.

Ukyo looked up at the transformed Perfume and softened a little, "Hey, it's all right, I'm not blaming you or anything like that. This doesn't exactly look like your style for one thing…"

"Airen is kind to know this," Perfume forced himself to turn back and found his gaze unwittingly traveling down to the view his height afforded him of Ukyo's ample cleavage (if the word could be applied to a naked woman's breasts). Perfume swallowed and hoped Ukyo did not notice the pause before he continued, "Perfume never force herself on Airen, especially like this. Lao maybe think she doing me favor, but is not…is not right choice. Ukyo deserve better."

Ukyo laid a reassuring hand on Perfume's arm, only to pause as that contact made her recognize the fact that the Amazon not only looked different but also felt different…more solid, "Ah…is this condition permanent or temporary…?"

"Not know that either," Perfume replied, "If it like Instant Nannichuan, then it only work one time, then afterward useless. This form not one I normally have when wet, so maybe somehow I got curse switched with Nabiki…"

"Oh Gods," Ukyo breathed, "Let's hope not. You know what she's most afraid of…"

Perfume knew all too well, although why Nabiki feared cats was a thing she always found difficult to comprehend. The training for the Nekoken sounded rigorous, but no more so than her own training in the Bakusai Tenketsu when Cologne had suspended her by a rope in front of a huge bolder with only one finger extended. Perfume had spent the better part of a week learning not to smash into the rock at even the gentle taps Cologne permitted before sheer survival instinct caused her to focus on the breaking point and master it completely.

"She maybe okay if she no get wet," Perfume suggested, but it sounded weak even in his hearing.

"We gotta find some way out of here so we can get back with her and the others," Ukyo said soberly, but even as she did so she did not remove her hand from Perfume's person. If anything her touch slid down to continue establishing the rock-hard nature of Perfume's…

"Airen," Perfume said as gently as she could manage, "Is you all right? You look a little funny."

"I look funny?" Ukyo repeated, staring directly at Perfume's chest where pectorals had replaced soft breast tissue in all save basic volume.

"Oh," Perfume mentally kicked himself. He should have suspected this from the start. Her Great-Grandmother had often stressed the point that Lao had been as good, if not better, than she and Shampoo were at their age, and with more than ten years of practice to perfect her arts who knew how far she might have perfected the Xi Fang Xiao technique when it came to nerve and personality alteration? Even Perfume, at her current level of training, knew how to stimulate the pleasure-centers in the body in such a way that they would experience an increasing desire to have sex in a steadily more demanding tempo.

Her only problem was that she was still working to perfect the counter. The basic pressure-point technique she knew in principle could cause a certain part of the brain to feel hyperstimulated for a limited time, not unlike causing the tingling along the nerves that would create a feed-back loop that could only be broken by giving the victim a release for their frustrated desires. Once satiation was achieved the resonance would be broken and the person would gradually return to normal with no ill effects save for an acute case of embarrassment at their incredibly lustful behavior…or so she had heard from her true biological mother on those few times when she and Perfume had spoken civil to one another, on the day--in fact--when Perfume had needed Mother-daughter counseling (at Cologne's insistence) on the day when she had first been acknowledged a woman.

Her mother had said it in a moment or rare intimacy, implying that she had used the technique on Perfume's father, a point on which she refused to elaborate in spite of much blushing, as though their sessions had been unusually intense and involved a lot more activity than had been employed when sparring together. Perfume suspected her mother knew the full technique, including the counter, but whether she had ever made use of the latter was a subject she rather doubted.

If there were time to go to her and learn the counter-pressure point for breaking the Lust-center attack without having to actually have sex with the victim, or maybe find Shampoo, who knew a lot more about the Xi Fang Xiao than Perfume, having been specially trained by Cologne herself (and Perfume stoutly resisted the sudden mental image that came to mind when she wondered where the Elder ever had found occasion to use this particular side to the method). As it was Perfume would have to improvise, and she did not dare risk a blind experiment on Ukyo, not even to save her from the inevitable side effects of an unfulfilled libido.

The rational part of her mind concluded that Perfume would have to give Ukyo what her body desired in order to break the Lust-Center attack. Her emotional side at once rejoiced at the idea as it would give her an excuse to do the thing she had always wanted to do with Ukyo in the first place. There was, however, a third part of her mind that did not want to be ruled by need, want or desire, especially if it was at Ukyo's expense and would constitute a betrayal of her Airen's weakness.

Damn you, Lao! Perfume silently raged. You set us up like this for your perverted idea of amusement without once thinking about our feelings. You think you can play with people like this without thought for the consequences?

Aloud what she said was "Is new body…Perfume no used to having male cursed form. Is very different being man instead of cat."

"No kidding," Ukyo continued to run a hand over Perfume's naked pectorals as she added, "Some curse…"

"Ucchan," Perfume said urgently, urging her beloved to raise her eyes so that they could lock gazes and open a much deeper dialogue together, "You know why Lao put us together like this?"

"Uh-huh," Ukyo imperceptibly nodded, "She wants you to put your thing in my…only I don't think it'd be an easy fit…" she seemed to fight the urge to glance down once again at Perfume new organ.

"Lao want to make us have sex this way," Perfume said urgently, "Male to female instead of normal way we do, female-to-female. You want do what she tell you? Perform for Lao Kung like trained animal? You much better than that, no toy for someone else amusement."

"Right," a flickering of understanding showed that Ukyo was starting to think again and her expression clouded slightly, "Wants to breed us like a couple of wild horses…" she caught herself and gave a slight chuckle as she belatedly realized that she had just used words that made a play on Ranma's name. She mimicked the word by adding the term "stud" to the end, then looked up at Perfume again and laughed, "She wants you to stud me, are you a stud now, Per-chan?"

"Ukyo," Perfume growled, "I being serious here. You know Lao is Mistress of many Amazon arts, one of them is nerve touch-manipulation. I think she use it on us, make us forget ourselves for time, maybe perform for her in questionable manner. You feel like you need bath?"

Ukyo frowned again, "Yeah…now that you mention it, like somebody tried to use me for a Popsicle or something."

"We forget what we did, so must have been powerful manipulation," Perfume replied slowly, letting Ukyo absorb her next words more carefully, "Maybe it good thing to no remember what occur, but this situation very different because we conscious now. I do what can to break you out of trance, only not all way it seem."

"Right," Ukyo asked, "Only what haven't you been able to undo?"

Perfume drew a deep breath then explained to Ukyo about the Lust Center Attack technique. Ukyo listened with slightly widened eyes then said, "And the counter?"

Perfume smiled weakly, "I not know, but mother very specific that connection break if you achieve right stimulation."

"If we cum you mean," Ukyo concluded, then eyed Perfume with suspicion, "And why are you telling me this? You could have just had your way with me and I wouldn't have been any wiser."

Perfume looked long and hard at her Airen then replied, "I no want force you this way. You tell Perfume that you no want to be made to do anything you no choose for yourself. What kind of weak girl I be to use Airen like this without consent? Perfume respect Ukyo too much to do that."

At the mention of the words "weak" and "girl" Ukyo could not help looking down at Perfume's body with a highly dubious expression. Here before her was the very pinnacle of Manhood to which lesser mortals could only aspire in knowing futility. To call Perfume weak in this form would have been to call Ranma a womanizer. Perfume looked as if she could break Ukyo in half without trying.

"Okay," Ukyo said, "I can see where this is heading. What happens if I don't receive the treatment?"

Perfume mentally winced at the tone Ukyo used. Did she think he was making this up to justify getting her rocks off with the woman that she desired more than any other? Aloud what she said was, "Feelings you now have only get worse with time. Nerves blocked to allow release unless you have sex in time. If no find release…you begin spasm out of control until you exhaust self or find self-release. It not pretty way to die, which is why technique is no used more often."

"So, that's it, huh?" Ukyo tried to make her words seem light but was failing badly, "I have sex with you if I want to live. What could be more easy?"

Perfume sighed as he looked down, "It no have to be this way. We could wait until see if maybe cursed form change, then we could have sex in own bodies. That show Lao we no just toys for her amusement."

"And how long will that take?" Ukyo asked her.

Perfume almost bit his lip but thought better of it, "Not know…maybe hours, maybe whole day, however long it take for Perfume to change back."

"That's assuming you can change back at all," Ukyo noted, then moved on to her next point, "What if I…got myself off without help? Would that break the spell?"

Perfume shook his head sadly, "You can try but it just exhaust you. Need other party to stimulate right centers of body and brain. You achieve release more easy if have partner, no can do without second party."

"Right," Ukyo said, "So the only alternative is to do you now and accept the consequences?"

"No have to be like this," Perfume reminded, "If wait we be sure we do it because want to, not because someone else want it."

"But we may not have enough time," Ukyo reasoned, giving Perfume a more thorough study, "You're right, though, I don't want to do this just to make somebody other than you happy. What do you think about doing me in your present body?"

"I…?" Perfume's eyebrows shot slightly upward.

"You must have thought about it before you laid things out for my understanding," Ukyo replied, trying to keep her voice level in spite of a certain trembling she was now all-too-aware of, "A beautiful male body, a willing woman to share it with you, the two of us making out like…wife to husband," she swallowed.

Perfume looked away with an expression of intense discomfort. She had indeed thought about it and was excited by the prospect in spite of her moral and ethical reservations. At one time in her life she would have just plunged on ahead without a single doubt or hesitation, but now…

"You like me better as man," she said slowly, "You once tell Perfume you no like girl body for sex, that you want strong man for husband, not weak girl…"

"Oh for the love of the Kami," Ukyo muttered under her breath, "Yeah, I said that then…I said a lot of things I've learned to regret, Per-chan, and yeah, I'd be lying to you if I didn't think you look incredibly sexy like this…" she paused before going on, "But it's not just the gender that I like about you. I know what the real you is like, and I've got no complaints with you at all. You're not weak in my eyes…if anything you've proven to me many times that you're not the weak one. You sure don't look weak to me right now…" she allowed herself a slight chuckle at the irony of that statement.

Perfume looked at her with a questioning expression, "But…when Perfume is back to right body, you no feel the same way about me again?"

"I don't know," Ukyo said honestly, "Truth is I've…always kind of wondered what you'd look like as a guy, but that isn't so important to me now. You've taught me that it only matters what you're like on the inside, not the outside packaging. It's the real you that matters, Per-chan…" she paused then allowed herself a lurid grin before adding, "Not that I've got any problems with the packaging in either of your two forms, and besides…maybe this is the only chance we'll ever have to really find out. Doesn't have to be two people rutting like sheep you know…we could do this the slow way using all those tricks you've shown me to help bring you off besides me…partner."

Perfume very hesitantly reached out with a large male hand, then steadied both of Ukyo's shoulders and said, "You no mind we do this? You no have to do this to convince Perfume you care…"

"Maybe so," Ukyo reached out and drew Perfume closer to her body, relishing the feel of his manly contours and the heat of his body as she finally brought her breasts up against his chest and made full body-contact, "But maybe I'm the one who needs convincing that I really am just like any other normal girl. Besides, whom else can I experiment with if not you? At least I'm doing it with my husband."

Perfume arched her eyebrows again and said, "But…what of Ranma?"

Ukyo seemed prepared for that question as well, "I'm still waiting for Ranma…but I may well be old and gray before I get him to open up like this and besides…well, don't I need to practice being a good wife? For the Honeymoon, that is..."

Perfume finally allowed herself to smile, feeling his third member come to full life as his belly pressed against Ukyo's body. Ukyo noticed it and deliberately parted her legs so that Perfume's organ to slide between the gap between her thighs without actual coitus. She smiled at this and brought her thighs together, watching as Perfume's expression became alarmed. One tug and it would mean instant castration.

Instead, Ukyo sought and found the right leverage for throwing Perfume back onto the bed, and since the Amazon had not yet become adjusted to the new change in his center of gravity he could not effectively counter as Ukyo landed atop him and straddled Perfume's body. The two of them locked eyes…then the urgent cry of nature took over as she brought her mouth down to lock lips with her Airen…and what followed afterwards was magical beyond description…

The one thing that Mousse was grateful for in his new body was that his small size gave him an easy ability to fit through really tight corners. The other thing he was grateful for was that even a magical vessel such as this had to have a working ventilation system to pump fresh air to the lower holds and chambers. By means of such a system he was finding it easy to traverse the ships interior without setting off alarm bells.

It also afforded him a very interesting view from above of the activities that were going on in many of these chambers. Lao's minions were certainly a more diverse lot than just the Elemental creatures that did her bidding and seemed omnipresent throughout the vessel, and all of them seemed to go in for many kinds of kinky indulgence during their spare time, often with some of the ship's true cargo: the comely young ladies being trained in the arts of sexual indulgence.

Few men were in evidence anywhere, it was almost exclusively Lesbian sex that he found both crewmates and slaves immersed in with reckless abandon. The more civilized parts of him were fairly disgusted at this hedonistic indulgence in forbidden arts where no true man was needed--or even desired in some points--but another more human part was luridly fascinated by the chance to see what most men could only dream about and deny actually wanting. The term "Every Man's Fantasy" most certainly applied to the crew of the POJ, and if he had to judge by reading body-language and appearances, the vast majority of the slaves did not much seem to mind being the centers of attention.

Mousse privately wondered if Lao knew the means for turning a fully Heterosexual woman into a Muff-diving carpet muncher, or did she just dispose of the women who did not agree to go along with these transactions? Quite possibly the latter, he grimly concluded, unless one were to subscribe to the ancient theory that all human beings were secretly bisexual. Lao was certainly ruthless enough to have her way with everyone who did not fit her particular designs for a proper "Piece of Entertainment." He had already discovered one chamber in a lower hold that supported the grim notion that Lao was more than just blood thirsty, and it was thoughts of that which kept him searching with determination for the chamber where his beloved Perfume was presently being held.

So it was that he went from room to room searching for any sign of Perfume or Kuonji Ukyo, knowing that finding one would invariably lead to the discovery of the other. He dismissed most of the chambers he passed at a glance, grateful that his glasses had somehow shrunk to scale with the rest of him, and was about to pass yet another vent by when he caught a name being shouted by a voice he knew all too well…

Kuonji!

"Oh, yes…yes…go on Per-chan, keep going…"

Kuonji! Mouse scampered along with a mixture of elation and dejection at the thought that his greatest mortal enemy was once again making love to the object of his desire. He crept on up to the vent, careful not to betray his presence to Perfume's hypersensitive perceptions, and looked in past the wooden slots into the adjoining chamber.

What he saw froze him utterly to the spot. That was indeed Kuonji-Ukyo spread out upon silken bed-sheets making impassioned noises and entreaties to her present lover, but unless he missed his guess entirely the other figure presently plunging his thick manhood into the Okonomiyaki chef's moistened cleft was definitely a man…a very large and well-built man by the look of him. The man was showing great vigor in maintaining a rhythm that most men would have considered impossible, and the control of his thrusts implied this man was a Martial Artist of some skill and power. His hip-movements suggested nothing less than a Master-level of coordination and timing.

Even more surprising to discover was the fact that the man in question was neither Tendo Nabiki nor Saotome Ranma!

Mousse was stunned, and then he felt himself become elated at the realization that a man was doing unto Ukyo the thing that was only permitted to an Amazon's husband or consort. In effect Ukyo was cheating on Perfume, which meant that she had disgraced herself and Perfume in the eyes of their people. He could now challenge and kill Kuonji without worrying about the legal ramifications. Since Kuonji was clearly the offending party here, even Perfume would be forced to concede that the chef had disgraced her, and it was very likely she would punish Ukyo herself for such a faithless action.

And then Mousse got a better look at the guy in question and his blood turned to icewater.

NO! he mentally cried, It isn't fair! That can't be his Perfume sex-changed into a man like some victim of Nannichuan! Perfume already had a curse, which excluded getting another unless the guy in question was sporting ears, fur and a tail, which was obviously not the case here. He had to be mistaken, some other guy who just looked a lot like Perfume with her hair color and distinctive profile…

Before he fully registered this thought something else occurred to him, and he glanced past his shoulder at hearing a sound that could have come from the throat of a fear-maddened banshee.

What the…? his mind said again…just instants before he perceived something coming directly at him from the far end of the ventilation shaft. The light was not too good, but he would have sworn that something small, white and furry was streaking right at him and…

POW!

Mousse saw stars and felt as though he had just gone one-on-one with a power mower. The furry streak continued on past him without stopping, as if barely even aware that it had run him down without a seconds hesitation. All he knew for certain was that his tiny body hurt something awful, and it seemed like a good time to be taking a nap as he got a good view of the roof of the shaft before his eyes closed again and he lost outward sentience.

Down below him Perfume paused in the midst of his thrusts and looked up in mild confusion before gasping, "What that?"

"Who the hell cares?" Ukyo demanded coarsely, "Don't stop now, we're just getting to the really good part!"

Perfume smiled down at his wife and said, "You very demanding girl. How many time you need? I sure we already out of danger…"

"Just because Lao's touch isn't in effect doesn't mean I'm completely out of the woods yet, Per-chan," Ukyo leered up at him, "And we can't afford to take any chances, ne?"

Perfume returned the leer and went right back to her furious, near-Amaguriken pumping…

Continued

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