Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Honeymoon Hentai ❯ Family Feast... ( Chapter 12 )

Nabiki 1/2

Honeymoon Hentai

(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.

There is a place that hangs over the world where the Over-People live…those charged with the safety of those who dwell upon the blue marble known as Earth. Here, a third-generation-manned satellite belonging to those who championed the cause of Justice hung in geosynchronous orbit, the product of both Earth and Thanagarian science and home to a League of paranormally gifted meta-humans who maintained a Stormwatch over the planet.

Here, standing upon the bridge doing monitor duty, a man born on another world stood watching as the automatic controls monitored and recorded the significant events that affected the lives of those who might most be in need of protection. It was all taken care of by a sophisticated computerized system that filtered out the "merely bad" and alerted one of the truly "Earth Shattering" emergencies that one was likely to encounter, the sort well beyond the means of ordinary mortals. It was a necessary filter that helped them concentrate their resources for dealing with the kinds of monumental emergencies that heroes were supposed to cope with…but at the moment the only discernable event of any real significance was not taking place upon the planet but rather on board the satellite itself, at least as far as the one on duty was able to determine.

He was a man truly unique among all others, the last son of a long dead world, whose very appearance of humanity was in itself a carefully calculated illusion. Jon'n Jonz was his name-or at least as far as any Earthling might be able to pronounce it-but to many he was simply known as the Martian Manhunter, itself a misnomer though it would have been difficult for him to explain to most people the actual name of his original home planet. These days being an alien was nothing particularly special, but there was a time when people automatically assumed that anything "out there" was from Mars. Jon'n was truly reluctant to call these the "Good Old Days" (he knew better and they weren't) but it truly was a more innocent time, less cynical about the world…or-at the very least-less inclined to doubt the very name of hero and all that was good and decent for which it stood. Not at all like these young Turks who thought they could show their elders a thing or to, oh no! Try telling them that age and experience were just as important (if not more so) than youthful exuberance and they'd just pat you on the arm and say, "Hey there, old timer, we know enough about the score that we don't need any pointers…"

Jon'n reflected that it was probably a good thing that-in the old days-people did just naturally assume that the Earth's protectors were above all the pettiness and squalor that seemed to be the lot of everyday life among mere mortals. A Hero was supposed to stand for something shining and ideal, to embody all that was pure in essence and beyond reproof, so a hero was not supposed to be humping his wife like crazy while shouting out lines like, "YEAH BABY-WHOSE YOUR DADDY-BEG FOR IT!" or other such lines more typical of an adult movie.

Not that Jon'n could hold it against his two best friends (the ones in the rear pressurized Zero-G cabin, and shame on you for thinking anything else!) for humping like rabbits after the successful conclusion of yet another space-hopping adventure. They had won the day, saved an entire civilization from destruction, put down a galaxy-spanning tyrant and spit death in the eye once again (well, actually nothing as rude as all that, Death being a really nice sort when you got to know her better), surely a little celebration was in order? And so what if the two of them going at it all-out combined to make enough pressure that they may well have blown the whole satellite apart with each climax, were it not for certain measures taken to restrain the collateral forces. As it was, the stabilization system was straining mightily to compensate for the added stress currently torturing the system, and yet it was a good thing they were doing this in space and not within a planetary atmosphere for the results could well have been truly catastrophic.

Of course, if they were a bit less…enthusiastic…then Jon'n's sensitive nerves might not find the tumult half so grating. He had sensitive hearing, not to mention a lot of other specially endowed senses that made "shutting out" the sound and fury of titanic sex play going on in back much easier to endure. It was times such as these that he was genuinely glad that he was not human, and that his own people were a bit less…demonstrative…about expressions of affection. Of course, he might feel different about it if Zantanna were on the station with him during this watch…she was one human woman whom Jon'n never felt alienated just being around, and one who found his…special attributes…to be quite exotic, in fact…

"My Lord," called L-Ron II (called affectionately "Elron"), the faithful AI monitor drone who helped maintain the systems on the satellite far better than any human caretaker, "I am receiving a call on the special line that has been reserved for emergency usage. A lady from Japan says that she was given this number and asked to call a Mister and Mrs. Managi should they happen to be in residence…"

"A girl from Japan?" Jon'n was puzzled about that, but also sufficiently intrigued that he nodded, "Put her through…I'd like to speak with her directly."

"As you wish, Sir," Elron replied, and then a moment later he spoke internally and said, "You may speak freely, Ma'am, his Lordship will deign to address you directly."

"His lordship?" a puzzled voice asked in roughly translated Japanese, converted to English by a helpful Elron.

"Hello," Jon'n replied, then corrected himself, "I mean…mushi-mushi…do I understand that you wish to speak to a Clark and Diana Managi?"

"Um…yes…if it's not too much trouble," the girl said shyly, "My name is Ryonami…I'm calling on behalf of some friends…they asked me to call in case I didn't hear from them and…well…it has been a few hours, but I wanted to call anyway…just in case…"

"Just in case of what?" Jon'n asked, "You don't need to be nervous, Miss Ryonami-san, if you have this number, then you probably have legitimate business to make it worth calling."

"Well…all right," the girl said reluctantly, "The person on whose behalf I'm calling is their daughter, Alison Managi…"

"Alison?" if Jon'n had ears in the conventional (as opposed to the faux-ears he manifested to appear more human) sense they would have perked up at that moment as he said, "I know her quite well…in fact, I was at her christening. How is she faring these days?"

"Oh…she's…well," Ryonami hesitated by a slight fraction, "Um…look…I may be worrying over nothing, but when she and Beatrice-san left here they were worried that they might not be able to get back to me right away, so they gave me this number to call in case of an emergency. The deadline hasn't elapsed yet, but…well…considering who her parents are and all…"

"I…see…" Jon'n said slowly, "Then…I take it you already know the particulars about Ali-chan?"

"If you mean do I know who her parents are, you bet," the girl said simply, "Um…look…maybe I should call back later when I'm sure that there's an actual emergency, but…well…I just wanted you to know in case I needed to call…er…did that make any sense?"

"I'm…not certain," Jon'n admitted, "Could you perhaps state the nature of the almost-emergency so that I can tell Alison's parents why you are so concerned for her welfare?"

"I'd love to, honestly, but…Ali-san told me that I was only to tell her folks if it was an actual emergency. Look…I'll call back later, you've been very nice to me, really, but…sayonara."

And with that she broke the connection.

"Elron?" Jon'n asked.

"Way ahead of you, your Lordship," the AI replied, "I traced her call the moment I received it. She's calling from an apartment in the Nerima ward near Tokyo, and I even have an address handy if you wish to further investigate…"

"Thank you," Jon'n said, pausing to add, "Just as soon as things quiet down back there, inform Kal and Diana that they have a…situation concerning their daughter…"

"Again?" Elron seemed to electronically blanch, "I thought they moved from Graviton City to get away from this sort of thing?"

"So did I," Jon'n sighed, his imagination supplying far too many likely details over what sort of "emergency" his God-daughter might have gotten into, "I wonder if the Avengers ever have days like this? Times like these, I really need a Twinkie…"

"I'll make it a double, Sir," Elron replied, and dutifully went about fulfilling his regular functions…

Ryonami fretted as she stared at the phone that she had just set back on its cradle, wondering if she had done the right thing by using that number, and shaking a bit from the simple awe of having placed a call to the people she knew would be receiving her on the other end. Being something of an Otaku at heart, she naturally had big eyes at the thought of actually meeting some of her favorite heroes in person, even if only in a casual, matter-of-fact kind of way.

The thing for her was that her concern for Nabiki, her beloved sempai, who had been missing for well over a good forty-eight hours and in the clutches of someone whom she neither trusted nor even liked, a woman who-in the past-had even made an effort to ENSLAVE Nabiki-sama, and who could hardly be expected to pass up on the opportunity to take advantage of her now, was driving Ryonami to distraction. Sitting as she was at the monitor screen inside Alison and Beatrice's apartment, she had been monitoring the satellite relays as instructed, only to see their signal disappear off the screen a good two hours ago, when Beiko-san had last reported. That was enough to make Ryonami cross her toes and fingers, hoping that the rest of her friends had not all wound up casualties of Madam Lao's insatiable lust, not that Ryonami could blame the lady pirate for wanting to claim possession of her sempai, and after all, what hentai in their right mind would pass up on the prospect?

And was it getting warm in there, or was it just Ryonami that was heating up a bit just contemplating what Nabiki might be going through at the moment? Of course she also thought the same about Ranma, and what went with one tended to go with the other…but mostly she fretted about the whole situation, wishing that somebody would call in before she had to leave to meet up with her mother for dinner, which effectively would mean leaving the whole matter unresolved until the next morning. What a suckie way to spend the summer break when she would much rather be out shopping (or even spending more time with that dynamic Keiko-what a tongue that girl had! Her loins were still humming like a song ever since enjoying her first taste of cunnalingus…). She hoped that everyone would be all right, but that was the whole point to all this, wasn't it, with her imagination all afire with wondering just what had happened to Ranma and Nabiki…

"Whoah!" Ranma cried as he lunged for the speeding ball as Breeze hit a pop-fly that bounced off the far wall and came rebounding back at him almost too fast for him to counter.

He would have thought that a ten year old girl could barely even know how to hold a bat, let alone prove to be such a powerful slugger who could even nail his fastball slider, something other guys seven years older than Breeze had been unable to master. With a bit of effort, Ranma caught the ball after the first bounce, but that meant the hit was good and that Breeze had scored on him again. That left the score at four to three with Ranma on the losing end, a fact that made him fairly twitch with outraged pride, wondering how he could ever live this down if anyone found out about this back in Nerima.

Still and all he was impressed with Breeze, who was a quick-witted study who adapted well and used her size to an advantage. For someone not even at the point of puberty, this pale-blue haired girl had a lot on the ball and hardly even seem to mind that she was working a lot harder even than Ranma with a competitive streak that would have done justice to Nabiki.

"Not bad," Ranma said as he watched Breeze circle the diamond and head for home plate, idly tossing the ball and out of his mitt while waiting for her to complete the circuit, "You've gotta real good swing there…never saw anybody slice it up like that before…"

"What you really mean is, 'not bad for a girl,' right?" Breeze asked as she bent down to retrieve her bat, "Bet you thought you'd have to take it easy with me and didn't expect this kind of workout, right?"

Ranma made a face and growled, "Watch it there, nobody likes a smart mouth. And besides, you ain't just some girl, right?"

"Right," Breeze replied, then sighed, "I'm a girl because Momma made me like this…but I used to be a boy too…well, sometimes I am, sometimes I'm not…"

"Ah…" Ranma paused felt awkward for a moment, "Sorry…didn't mean to bring that up…"

"Oh?" Breeze asked, "Why?"

"Well," Ranma felt the back of his head as he searched for an explanation, "It must be…kind of weird changing around like that…turning into a girl, I mean…"

"What wrong with me being a girl?" Breeze asked, "It's being part boy that's kind of freaky."

"It is?" Ranma blinked.

"Being a girl's natural, especially around here," Breeze replied, looking down for a moment and adding, "I'm glad Momma did this to me. She says most guys…don't know how to behave around girls…she says that being able to switch back and forth like this give me some kind of pros…por…perspective? Yeah, that's the word I'm looking for, right?"

"Perspective?" Ranma repeated, "Is that what you call it?"

"Well…I never got a chance to know my real dad," Breeze said awkwardly, "He was some kind of Musk Prince, and Momma says they chain their women and keep them hidden away like prisoners…or something like that. She says my dad did something…very bad to her that made her not like him, and then he gave her the Tiger curse, and she ate him. Doesn't sound very smart, does it?"

"Ah…well…" Ranma conceded the point, amazed to learn that the child knew this much of her own origins.

"Momma risked a lot to get me back," Breeze continued, "She, Lotus and Blossom even got themselves banned from the regular Amazon society in order to take me back from the Musk, otherwise I might have grown up to be just like my father. It was because I was a boy that the other Amazons turned against her, so Momma took me to Jusenkyo and made me like this…" she spread her hands to show off her naked body, and Ranma fought the urge to flinch away, not being comfortable with the idea of looking on a girl this far from maturity…even a girl who was a boy at the very center.

"So you…like being a girl?" Ranma faltered.

"Well, so far it doesn't seem too bad," Breeze shrugged, "But Momma says that I'm almost old enough to start bleeding with a menstrual cycle, and I've seen how that works with the other women. I should also start growing breasts real soon, and then I really will be a woman, but…well…I'm not looking forward to the cramps and stuff, but I understand guys have to shave their balls, so I guess growing up's got problems either way…"

"Shave our…?" Ranma blinked, "Who told you that?"

"One of the older girls," Breeze shrugged, "They're like my older aunts, and they treat me like I'm special. Since guys aren't normally allowed around the harem, I have to rely on them to tell me stuff about men, and a lot of it doesn't sound all that good. Some guys really did bad stuff with a lot of them, y'know, that made they turn away from men, and…it kind of embarrasses me when they call me the 'Little Master.' I'd rather be the 'Little Mistress' than remind them about stuff like that."

"Hey," Ranma said defensively, "Not all guys are mean to women…"

"Well, Momma says you're not all that bad," Breeze said, "But you've got four women who could beat you up if you didn't treat them right…"

"Uh…" Ranma winced slightly, "You…may have a point about that…"

"But a lot of the girls around here aren't really what you'd call fighters," Breeze shrugged, "Momma says she likes them that way, but she also likes the ones who do put up a fight, and she trains a few to be almost as good as Amazons, and then there are the Protectors…they're the women Momma hires to do a lot of the fighting around here. Some day I'm gonna be a great fighter myself, and then I'll have a harem of my own and I'll protect them against guys who don't know how to be with women…"

"You mean…you want to grow up to be just like your mother," Ranma said blandly.

"Yes," Breeze said guardedly, "What's wrong with that?"

"Kid," Ranma sighed, "You know what it is your mother does for a living?"

"Sure," Breeze said, "She liberates other women from the chains of society and trains them on how to have fun. I already knows that she sells a few to men who want to have their own harems, but she's real careful in how she selects her clients and she'd never sell a girl to any guy who didn't deserve her. And she even has women clients too, so…what about it?"

Ranma opened his mouth to say something about that, then closed it again and really studied the child before him, "You really don't understand, do you? You've never been off this ship, so you don't know what it's like out there in the real world?"

"I know enough from my studies," Breeze bristled, "There's a lot of fighting and bad stuff with corrupt politicians and guys who rig elections to help their brothers and everything. I don't see that I'm missing all that much, except…"

"Except?" Ranma asked.

"Well…" Breeze paused before adding, "…I think I'd…like to ride on a pony sometime…I mean, we have Pony-women, and they're fun to ride, but…it's not the same as riding a real horse, is it?"

"Well…" Ranma began to answer that, then paused and blinked his eyes, "Pony women?"

"Yeah," Breeze affirmed, "Mom trains them in a different area of the ship. I could show you the stables, the girls there spend a lot of time being all tied up and conditioned, but they're real nice to talk to when they're not gagged with bridles…"

Ranma's mind froze up a bit as he tried to picture a woman wearing a saddle, and unwittingly conjured up the image of Nabiki with a bridle in her mouth, scowling at him and daring him to make something about the matter…

Breeze, being largely innocent about such things, failed to catch the odd look that crossed the older boy's features as she continued on rather blithely, "…Of course, I've ridden on the back of a dolphin several times…they're real chatty and like to talk about fish and stuff, but they know so much about the sea and they can tell you what other dolphins are doing on the other side of the ocean…"

"Are we having a good time here?" Lao's voice caused Ranma to whirl around and fall into a defensive crouch, only to blink his eyes as he saw Perfume and Nabiki…CLOTHED? (Well…sort of…) And in a pair of cheonsangs that looked as though they were about to split down the sides and burst loose at the chest level at any second, while Lao was in her Captain garb, minus that silly Tri-corner hat she sometimes used for effect and…

"Momma!" Breeze cried with delight, only to pause and blink her eyes, "You're not…naked?"

"We have new guests," Lao replied, turning to Ranma, "I'm sorry to interrupt your fun, but I need for you to put something on that will appear to be at least semi-decent. Have you been having a good time with my daughter?"

"Uh…yeah," Ranma began to relax a little, finding the entire situation to be highly…awkward, which did not even begin to cover the way that Nabiki was glaring at him with a look that was pure accusation.

"It's was great, Momma," Breeze ginned hugely, "The Concubines were beating the Posse by four to three, and it's only the fourth inning!"

"You mean…" Nabiki's tone went arched, "That YOU"VE been playing GAMES here while I've been stuck in another hold all this time, RANMA???"

Ranma began sweating bullets, silently admitting to himself that few people could put as much of an arch into their meaning as Nabiki when she got good and properly annoyed about something.

"Ah…look…it's not what you think…!" Ranma began to say in his own defense, "I didn't do nothing wrong, I…"

"You were babysitting for Lao while I was out rescuing our wife, is that what you mean, Saotome?" Perfume seemed more amused than annoyed, but she could not help wanting to put the screws to her husband by teasing him about this.

"Well, that…uh…wasn't what I had in mind, but…" Ranma stammered defensively.

"How could you?" Nabiki stormed up to him with a hurt expression, "Do you have any idea what I've been going through for the past twenty-four hours, Mister?"

"Twenty-seven," Perfume automatically corrected, "It's been that long since you stormed away to confront Cousin Lao and…"

"WHATEVER!"

"Huh?" Ranma blinked, "What's wrong? What happened to you? What did she do to you, Nabiki?"

"What did she do to me?" Nabiki started to fume, "She-ah," and all at once she found herself tongue-tied, unwilling to state for the record the humiliating list of complaints that she had, of being tied up and dangled by ropes from the rafters, of hanging around naked with a group of similarly restrained women while a catheter was shoved up her rear and attached to her clitoris for…waste extraction, all because Lao's Undines were not allowed to touch her and…then Perfume coming to her rescue, only to wind up being locked into a room in Neko mode with her and…Nabiki colored abruptly and said, "Never mind…" in a hasty manner.

Ranma just blinked his eyes and said, "Huh?"

"Never mind, Airen," Perfume reassured, "It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand."

"Uh…yeah, right," Ranma prudently decided not to further address the subject, judging that it must have been very serious to make Nabiki blush that peculiar color, which meant it was not worth his life to ask about it, but he glared appropriately at Lao, suspecting the pirate of all sorts of unspeakable mischief.

"Shall we go now?" Lao asked, "Our dinner guests await, and I promised that I would produce you shortly. They seem to think that I've done something truly awful to the both of you, and we can't have them thinking that, now can we?"

"Yeah," Nabiki turned her icy glare upon their nominal 'hostess', "Right."

"Who are our guests this time, Momma?" Breeze asked, "New customers who want to buy a few of our women?"

"Not exactly," Lao replied, "More like…friends of the family. I'll introduce you to them, now…this way lightly, children…"

Lila frowned as she circled one area of the ocean once again, her instincts telling her that she was on the right trail, feeling the currents swell in a most unusual way around one particular cloud that was drifting low over the level of the water. That had to be significant, she reasoned, a dimensional inversion of some sort, and she had hung around with the team known as Fem Force long enough to know that there were few coincidences in the world that were not worth a closer investigation.

That had to be where Joan had gone missing…a portable Bermuda Triangle no less, which only made sense given Joan's predilection to getting herself in all kinds of really unusual and rather awkward trouble. Well, no matter what mess she was up to her neck in this time, Lila would still come and bail her out, just as she knew that Joan would move heaven and earth to come to her aid if she were in danger. Whoever this lady pirate-slaver character was, she had better watch out, because Lila was coming and ready to tear a whole battleship apart with her bare hands if that was what it took to be reunited with her lover…and she could do it, too, if really pressed to the matter, being a Mistress of Magnetism, and by definition no one to lightly anger.

"{Hold on, Rad…I'm coming,}" she murmured aloud as she started her descent, a living meteor who glided back into the atmosphere under her own power, and not the least effected by the superheated air that formed around her mental shielding. The envelope of air that she had brought with her was nearly exhausted, and she would be breathing clean air once again shortly, so she hurried herself along, secure in the knowledge that there was very little in the world that could resist her mutant gifts. It was not her own safety that concerned her, after all, it was Rad, Rad and anyone else whose personal safety was in jeopardy, but mainly Rad, the light of her life and source of so much personal vexation…

"Well now," Lao said as she sat down on a pile of pillows that formed her personal divan, surrounded by many of her attentive ladies, who had adopted light "harem costumes" for the occasion, "Since we've all been formally introduced to one another, let me officially welcome you to my seraglio and home away from the office. Feel free to partake of the rare delicacies that you see on display, and do try the food while you're at it. My women have gone to a lot of extra trouble to prepare it for this special occasion."

"Interesting," Martha glanced around the spacious room, "Didn't know you had anything this large inside your ship…and it certainly is…different from your regular cabin…"

"I use that mainly to conduct office work," Lao smiled, "And for personal one-on-one encounters. Here is my real home, the place where I hang up my spurs and…anything else that might possibly get in the way of having a good time. These women are my family and tribe, they serve me loyally, and they are very good when it comes to providing entertainment."

"Ah yes," Beatrice smiled, having swapped her Akagiyama armor for something more fashionably relaxed, which displayed a lot more flesh than Alison-who was at her side, like always-felt comfortable about, "A virtual Sultan's dream of paradise, I can see how you would feel right at home in these environs…"

"Watch it," Alison growled, being also dressed in something more relaxed but a bit less…flaunty than the "barely legal" outfits of these "kept women" who belonged to Lao, some of whom were dressed in such shockingly revealing attire that it would have put a blush on Barbara Eden, and the last thing she needed in her life was for someone to put ideas like that into the mind of a Hentai like Beatrice!

"Ah, home sweet home," Kodachi mused, "Has it only been a few months that we've been away, Keiko darling?"

"At least three months, I think," Keiko replied with a smile, "But some things never change, and that's the way I like it."

"Really?" Akane asked, eyeing the silken furnishings as if trying to imagine what it would be like to live comfortably in such surroundings.

Ryoga was much less comfortable about it at her side, but mainly because of the way the women just seemed to be **noticing** him in a coy yet not-too-subtle manner, as though he were suckling pig lightly braised in sauce on a waiting platter or something of that nature. Those hungry smiles, and much licking of their lips, made him conscious about being one of the only two MEN currently in residence amid this ship-borne "village of horny young women."

Nabiki-who had just sat down beside Ranma-was not looking at the place with anything nearly so cordial in her expression. To her this place was a gilded cage, nothing more nor less, and the chatting, happy little hens infesting it-though beautiful even by her standards-were convicted prisoners locked together on life sentences who had for some reason decided that this was acceptable and were determined to make the best of their situations…with a handy amount of Mind Control to insure that their loyalty remained absolute to their Warden.

Ranma was not so guarded or judgmental about the place, having yet to make up his own mind about the whole idea behind owning a harem, having some rough idea of what a demand that put upon the nominal "Lord" of such a place, what with the responsibilities that came with all the pleasure. Trying to satisfy the demands of over a score of women must have taken an exceptional degree of stamina, he reasoned, and Lao was not only a lover but a **provider** for these people. Their every need had to be served by Lao in order to insure their care and safety was insured, and given that many of these women had **children** to look after…he had to privately admit that he was impressed at how Lao managed to carry it off and still look so trouble-free and cheerful on the matter.

Shampoo and Ukyo-also near to their sides (and eyeing these other women with wary gazes that as much as said "Back off Girls, they're Mine!")-were happy to greet Perfume back into their midst, but they also had a lot of questions for her, questions that the "barely dressed" Enforcer found more than a bit…awkward, not wanting to explain in details how she had found Nabiki and nearly gotten eaten. Though they pleaded and cajoled her (and hinted at the possible resort of torture in the offing), she was only so forthcoming in her explanations about why it had taken three hours for her to track down both Nabiki and Ranma. The only thing that she would concede was that she was feeling a lot better about her Airen and the entire five-way marriage arrangement.

"Now then," Lao resumed, "As you can see, I have produced the goods, and they have been treated well by myself and my crew, or…at much so as could be reasonably expected."

Nabiki almost gagged on her drink, and if she were not so utterly ravenous in her hunger and thirst she would have refused the food on general principles, but there was no sense starving to make a point, not that Lao would refrain from forcing her to eat by other methods.

Martha was staring at the young girl tearing into her food like some manner of wild beast, the only person in the room who did not seem to be enjoying her time aboard the ship, and who-strange enough-made Martha feel a curious sort of kinship. Though clearly Japanese, this girl resembled Martha in a way that was uncanny, and yet she was protectively surrounded by at least three other girls, and the handsome boy beside her, whom Martha was given to understand was the girl's recently wed husband.

She understood that the harem normally had a "clothing free" policy, and-oddly enough-that would have suited her own mood rather well under the circumstances. That said "clothing" was hardly the sort of thing one would wear to a formal setting, it felt easier to relax and indulge in the feeling of silk against her skin, the absence of any undergarments giving a sensuous, almost naughty sense of shameless bravado that she was finding highly appealing. Indeed, this whole atmosphere was helping her to relax and lose a lot of her regular inhibitions, and she could not remember the last time she felt so good about herself. It vaguely disturbed the Puritan ethic within her to be this "laid back" and sensualistic, but Martha decided to adopt a "When in Rome" attitude and followed the lead of their charming and disarming hostess.

"Hey Ranchan," the one named Ukyo suddenly spoke up, "I hear you were playing ball games with Lao's kid…"

"Indeed?" the sultry one named Kodachi mused, "Showing off your balls before minors, Saotome? That is so unlike you…"

"HEY!" the boy-Ranma was it?-reacted to the good-natured teasing, "It ain't like that! The kid just asked me to play with her, so what's the big deal…"

"The Big Deal?" his wife-Nabiki was her name?-asked archly, "Have you forgotten where we are, Ranma? We're not in a day care service, you know, and in some places that would be called 'Fraternization with the Enemy.'"

"The enemy?" Ranma looked at her, "She's just a kid!"

"I'm not just a kid!" Breeze (the annoying little girl who had earlier exposed Martha to Kryptonite) protested, "I'm almost eleven!"

"Yeah?" Nabiki asked, "They why weren't you playing with the other kids?"

"But they're just babies!" Breeze protested, "The oldest one of them is seven!"

Martha almost choked on her drink as laughter bubbled up from inside her. Lao noticed this and asked, "Are you all right? Is something amusing you, darling?"

Martha turned a surprised look at her nominal "captor" and said, "Darling?"

"Well," Lao shrugged, "If that's not too familiar sounding, or would you prefer that I call you Ms. Kent?"

"Hmm…well…under the circumstances…" Martha shrugged, "I suppose it would be all right…"

"Uh…Sis, Oneechan?" Alison glanced at her, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Hmm?" Martha turned back to the redhead, "Why do you ask, Ally-chan?"

"Well, it's just…weird…seeing you like this, if you know what I mean," Alison said uncomfortably.

"I suppose it does seem…unusual," Martha conceded, but then decided to turn the point back in the other direction, "But what about you? I've been meaning to ask you about that baby of yours…"

"Ah…yes…" Beatrice said nervously, "Our baby…I rather thought that would come up in conversation sooner or later…"

"Don't look at me," Alison hooked a thumb at her nominal partner, "It was Beiko's idea to knock me up. She used one of her Nanoprobe whatsis to cross some of her DNA with mine and-presto-instant baby!"

"Say what?" Martha blinked, "She did…what?"

"Nanotechnology," Beatrice replied, "A while back I encountered…some alien technology that was used to save my life. As a consequence, I carry within me a colony of microscopic artificial life forms that I can use to my advantage in many…interesting ways…"

"Tell me about it," Nabiki spoke up as she set aside her drinking glass, "In fact, I was just going to bring that up myself in another minute."

"Ah…" Beatrice suddenly appeared twice as uneasy as before, "You…found out about that, eh?"

"Tell me…Beiko," Nabiki managed to construe the word to make it sound downright nasty, "How long were you going to leave me in the dark about your little…project? And did it ever occur to you to consult with me about it in the first place?"

"Ah…well, I did obtain a partial consent from you before," Beatrice hastily explained, "Do you remember a while back my offering to help assist you in finding a cure for your…rather unique condition?"

"I…" Nabiki paused, "…I remember you said something about that…but I told you not to bother…"

"You told me that you doubted that I could do anything for you, then thanked me for making the offer," Beatrice said gently, "I took it as a bit of a challenge, you see, to prove to you that my Science could be effective even when employed against the ensorcery that prevents you from having a child. Of course when I designed my experiment it was with the intent of proving you wrong, but I only meant to study your condition. I gave the probe secondary instructions to seek and preserve a child if a fertilized egg were found within you, but I certainly am not the one who would have forced you to become pregnant."

"Why make her the exception?" Alison asked, "You did it to me without asking."

"I did ask, Aiko-chan," Beatrice replied with a slight shrug, "Retroactively…"

"Retroactive," Alison sniffed, "I oughta retro you for pulling a stunt like this, and where do you get off doing this to Nabiki after you promised me you wouldn't go around doing stuff like that without peoples' permission? You ever hear of the Nuremberg laws, Beiko?"

"That's quite enough," Lao spoke up, "Clearly there are merits to both sides of the issue, but let us be fair and acknowledge that your wife did not intend you any mischief…nor did she seek to harm a friend, even if she could have been a bit more tactful about the whole matter."

"And what business is if of yours, might I ask?" Nabiki turned her glare towards the captain.

"Why, as your consulting physician, I should think that entitles me to rendering a medical opinion," Lao beamed, "Having a magically-enhanced embryo growing within you is something you should already understand from Kuonji and cousin Shampoo's two examples…and as the maternal progress of the child within you is already maturing at four times the normal rate of cellular division, I think it behooves me to point out that your offspring is a growing concern, which thus leaves you with a very important decision to be made about whether or not you intend to keep this unplanned and unexpected pregnancy, or if you would rather abort it."

"A-Abort it?" Nabiki blanched.

"Hey!" Ranma protested, "It's my kid too, you know…isn't it?" he looked questioningly at Nabiki.

"What do you mean is it yours?" Nabiki growled, then paused and looked at Beatrice, "It is…isn't it?"

"It's not mine, if that's what you mean," Beatrice replied, "I didn't program the probe to impregnate you with my DNA, as I did with Aiko…"

"It better not be yours," Nabiki glared, "But if I find out it has white hair…"

"Excuse me," Martha spoke up, "Am I the only one here who finds this a little…shocking? I mean…you're having a baby with another woman, Ally-chan? And…this young woman is your…?"

"Wife?" Alison finished for her, "What's the matter, Oneechan? You think I was gonna have my kid out of wedlock?"

"We had a ceremony in which I posed as the husband," Beatrice explained, "It was a Shinto wedding, a friendly priest performed the ceremony. It's not strictly legal or binding by the laws of Japan, but with a marriage certificate that fictitiously presents Aiko-chan as the wife of my non-existent male half, she escapes the stigma normally attached to unmarried women in Japan, even if her so-called husband is me, officially her sister-in-law, and thus close enough to her legally to be entitled to some of the benefits of cohabitation."

Martha shook her head and said, "Weird…but I guess…if it's your life…but what does Dad have to say about all this?"

"Um…well…" Alison winced, "He's not entirely…happy about it…but Mom gave us her blessings…"

"She would," Martha frowned, her tone somewhat disapproving.

"Actually," Kodachi spoke up, "Your sister's case is not without precedence. Kei-chan and I share the benefits of a union that is almost a marriage in every important sense of the word, and then there is the example set forth by our good friends over there. Nabiki and Ranma are, after all, co-married to three other women, two of whom have had children together."

"Ah…excuse me?" Martha blinked, turning to look at the five youths in question, "I thought that boy was married to…Nabiki, was it?"

"Er, yes…" Nabiki said somewhat awkwardly, "Ranma's my husband but…well…I also have a wife…Sham-chan here…"

"Nabiki Shampoo first Airen," Shampoo replied, "Is done by laws of Joketsuzoku."

"Wait a second," Martha asked, "You married that girl and her name is…Shampoo?"

"That's right, Sugar," Ukyo answered, "And Ranchan's also my husband, too, while Perfume here is my cutie."

"Hah?" Martha blinked again, looking at Ranma, "You're married to two women?"

"Er…no," Ranma replied, "I'm married to all four."

"But…how…?" Martha asked.

"Ranchan married me the same time he married Nabchan," Ukyo explained, "It was a double ceremony, only we worked it so that Nabchan and me shared co-equal bidding. Strictly speaking we did bend the law a little, but we each have marriage certificates that make it official."

"There were…complicating factors that we had to take into consideration," Nabiki added, "And with more than a little legal finagling on my part to make sure that the authorities looked the other way, thus allowing us both to satisfy an obligation of honor to both of our two families. Shampoo and Perfume just came with the package."

"So you…both agreed to marry this boy," Martha slowly started to work things out, "And you other girls are all right about this?"

"Aiyaa," Shampoo grinned, "Is much, much happy!"

"Couldn't be more happy about it," Perfume agreed with obvious enthusiasm.

"But I understand that there are also…children involved here?" Martha blinked as she saw a pair of blue-skinned attendants sauntering into the room, both of them holding tiny infants in their translucent arms, which same they presented to their respective mothers.

"Whoop," Ukyo said as she accepted her tiny newborn infant, "Guess it's time to feed the little nippers again…"

"Could be worse," Shampoo said as she wasted no time in baring one of her large bosoms, "At least no have to change diapers with nice Blue womens helping."

Martha took a long moment before she said, "You've already had two babies? How long have you been married?"

"Actually," Ranma rubbed the back of his head as he replied, "We only just got married. This is supposed to be our honeymoon…"

"You fathered those babies before you even got married?" Martha tried to work out if that were what was meant by an "honor obligation," or giri.

"Oh, they're not mine…at least…not that way," Ranma amended lamely, "Guess maybe I am sort-of their step-dad now, but…"

"I fathered one of them," Perfume admitted, "And Nabiki fathered the other one on my cousin."

There was an almost audible "blink-blink" coming from Martha and then she said, "You want to run that one by me again? You mean…you two girls…?"

"Ah…it's…kind of complicated," Nabiki winced slightly.

"But I thought she said that you couldn't have children?" Martha pointed to Beatrice, then at Nabiki.

"Not on my own…at least…I didn't think I could," Nabiki blushed then said, "Oh wow…it's just now sinking in on me…I'm…I'm carrying Ranma's baby…?"

"But not for long unless you choose to act," Lao cautioned, "At the moment the probe is protecting the child from any collateral effects brought about by your…condition, but the spell I cast over you won't last forever, and the power of Jusenkyo cannot be set aside for any great length of time…at least not by any means of which I am aware, and I consider myself something of an expert on Jusenkyo."

"You mean…I'll revert back and…" Nabiki swallowed.

"That is why I am proposing to help you out here," Lao noted, "Your body will eventually reject the child…it cannot be helped. Sooner or later you will miscarry, and that will end what is-to date-the only real chance that you and Ranma will have to make a baby together. It's still too early to know if it will be a girl or a boy baby, but either way…"

"Ain't there something we can do?" Ranma asked while Nabiki continued to think it over.

"That is why I am offering to help you," Lao replied, "There is one solution that can avoid the problems brought on by your Jusenkyo curse, and that is to have some other woman volunteer to be its surrogate mother."

"It's…surrogate?" Nabiki asked.

"If another woman were to agree to accept your child as an implantation, then that woman would become its surrogate mother and could deliver the child as both healthy and normal," Lao explained, "It would be a simple enough matter for me to move the embryo from one womb into another, but the question is…which woman will do this favor for you, taking a few months out of her life in order to have your baby?"

Beatrice sighed, "I am the obvious candidate…I owe it to Nabiki for putting her in this unusual situation."

"What?" Alison blinked, "No way! You're womb belongs to me, and if you're gonna any anyone's kid, it's gonna me mine, you got that?"

"I did promise you that I would have your next baby, Aiko-chan," Beatrice replied, "But as a matter of simple justice I want to make it up to Nabiki for acting without her permission…"

"Hold on a minute, Sugar," Ukyo said, "I think if anybody's going to be having this kid, it ought to be someone who's already in our little marriage circle, and that makes me the obvious candidate. I've already had one baby, so I know what's involved here…"

"Shampoo no mind have baby by Airen," Shampoo said, "Is much great honor, and having baby give Shampoo much, much pleasure…"

"Ah," Ranma blanched a little, remembering full well what had happened the last time that they had rushed the purple-haired Amazon to the hospital.

"You two are obvious choices," Lao noted, "And your bodies are already well adapted for bearing new offspring, but…I think it would be better if you both rested a bit between pregnancies. No sense rushing back into the fold prematurely…"

"I could do it," Keiko spoke up, "I've always wanted to have a bit of Nabiki in me, and it might be fun trying my hand at being a mother."

"I could do it also," Akane spoke up, "Nabiki's my sister, and that wouldn't that help the baby's chances if the mother is another Tendo?"

"That's very good thinking," Lao complimented, "Genetic compatibility is indeed an important factor, in fact, it is a good thing to have multiple potential candidates to select from in a matter of this sensitivity and importance. The question remains up to you, Nabiki…do you want this baby to be born, and-if so-who would you prefer to be its surrogate mother?"

"Ah…well…" Nabiki blanched, suddenly finding all the food that she had wolfed down was not entirely to her liking.

"There is no rush to decide, of course," Lao said, "A few days more will not hurt in any event…"

"That's assuming I want to wait a few more days around here," Nabiki scowled, which reminds me…how did the rest of you get here?"

"Ahm…" Alison winced slightly, "We…sort of borrowed my mom's invisible plane…"

"Ally?" Martha arched an eyebrow.

"Well, at the time it seemed like we didn't have any choice!" Alison protested, "We thought you guys were in danger, especially you, Oneechan and…hey…what about Joan? Why isn't she here?"

"She's…being taken care of," Martha replied, "There's…something that Madam Lao brought to my attention about my daughter…"

"She's in detox, right?" Keiko asked.

Martha blinked, "How can you possibly know…?"

"It's been done before," Keiko turned to Lao, "My lady takes in many strays who wind up on the high seas, like me, and some of them are addicts. The Kraken helps clean out their systems and restores their brain chemistry, but it also has to purge them of the **desire** to further poison their bodies. That's what's happening now, right? I've been watching the way you've been acting like your mind is somewhere else, my Lady."

"Indeed," Kodachi said, "This is similar to the process that you used upon me and Keiko's mother?"

"Right on both points," Lao said, clearing her throat, "There are just two things that make this…somewhat different from those other occasions, one being that Joan Wayne Kent has a lot of…personal demons that need to be purged…and the other being that those toxins that have been flushed out of her body…well…some of them have proven to be…unexpectedly potent…"

"Is that a problem?" Martha asked in some concern.

"Not entirely," Lao smiled a bit awkwardly, "But the feedback to me is…unusual, to say the least. I should have known that any chemical agent that could have such a strong effect on a Kryptonian's physiology might have an…unexpected effect upon the Kraken…only temporary, of course, but…"

"You and the Kraken will be all right, won't you, Mistress?" Kodachi asked in mild distress.

"Oh yes…" Lao leaned back with a silly grin, "But…for the next few hours…I think I'm going to have the HAPPIEST Kraken in these seven seas, I…"

All at once she ship lurched suddenly, and the hull seemed to groan and strain as if great force and pressure was being exerted against it.

"What the heck was that?" Ranma gasped.

"I…don't know," Lao shifted her focus back to a serious frame of mind and stared up at the ceiling, "Oh dear…more company already? This is getting to be a habit…"

"Who?" Martha asked.

"Good question," Beatrice mused, "There are so many of us here already."

"You think maybe Ryonami jumped the gun and called in my Mom and Dad already?" Alison asked.

"I should hope not," Lao turned to Martha, "Would you care to come with me to investigate?"

"I'm game for that," Martha replied.

"Good," Lao gestured and an Undine sprang up from the floor and formed an automatic portal. Lao took Martha by the hand and together they leaped through the space, briefly traveling through solid water as Martha gasped in amazement, feeling a world of shining blue surrounding her in all directions…

And then they emerged out the other side, arriving on the main deck as a second Undine had formed a portal for her Mistress. Martha had by now regained the power of flight, so she hovered above the deck even as Lao touched down on the wooden surface, and both of they turned to gaze at the overwhelming sight that greeted them on arrival, of Lao's crew being terrorized and her mercenary force rendered helpless by a heavenly apparition against whom their weapons were not only useless but a definite liability!

"I asked you once, now I'll ask you again," said a levitating girl whose short-cropped reddish-gold hair swirled around her face while her body hovered in the air as though floating on an invisible current, and the air itself seemed oppressively thick with an unexpected pressure as she growled out in English, "{Where is Rad, and what have you people done with her?}"

"{POLARIS???}" Martha blurted.

"{That's Polaria to you,}" the redhead turned to eye Martha, "{Polaris was already taken…and…hey! It's…you?}"

"{What do you mean, me?}" Martha replied, but then to the surprise of the redhead she saw the brown haired demi-Kryptonian smile at her, "{Are you here to rescue my daughter? My, how…gallant…}"

"{Look, I don't want any trouble,}" Lila was immediately on her guard, "{I just want to know where Rad is and where these people have taken her. She came all this way to rescue you, and I won't leave without…}"

"{Oh, I understand about all that,}" Martha said calmly, "{But there's no reason for you to be upset or to take it out upon these people. As you can see I'm just fine, and as for Joan…well…Lila…may I call you, Lila? Or maybe I should call you…daughter?}"

"{Huh?}" Lila blanched, "{Say what…what did you call me?}"

"{Well,}" Martha shrugged, "{You are the next best thing to being my daughter-in-law, so I might as well call you that, right?}"

There was a very long pause and then Lila said, "{All right, who are you, and what have you done with the real Power Woman?}"

For some reason Martha found that enormously amusing, and after all the strangeness that she had been forced to absorb over the last day, she felt as if she needed a good laugh, especially seeing the comical expression in the lovely features of the other woman.

"{Polaria,}" Lao spoke up, having already signaled for her women to fall back once again so that she might deal with the matter without distractions, "{You're the girlfriend of Joan Wayne Kent, her one and only truly beloved Lila}?"

"{Huh?}" the girl in question reoriented towards the lady pirate, "{How do you know about me…?}"

"{I'm psychic,}" Lao shrugged, "{Or Psychotic…I never could tell those two words apart. At any rate, you want to have your Joan back, and I'll be more than glad to accommodate you. She's…a bit busy at the moment, but if you will come with us below deck, where we can get better acquainted, I'm sure we'll be able to discuss this matter like rational human beings.}"

"{You're serious?}" Lila blinked, "{You'd rather…talk than fight me?}"

"{What would it gain me to want to have to fight you?}" Lao asked, "{It's clear enough that you're far too powerful for me to want to face directly. Magnetic powers are-after all-somewhat compatible with the power of water by basic Alchemy, and yours are so…forceful…that I doubt that anything I might try to do against you would be all that effective.}"

"{You really want to just talk?}" Lila sighed, "{Hardly anybody wants to talk anymore…they always want to fight me. I try telling them that it won't do them any good, but…}"

"{You and I really do need to talk,}" Martha said, "{We've…never really had the chance to before…which was actually my fault, I didn't want to have to deal with you and what you…represented in regards to my daughter…}"

Lila blinked then murmured to herself, "{Weird…definitely freaky…}"

"{You haven't seen anything yet, Kid,}" Lao promised, already taking the time to admire the new arrival and satisfying herself that the floating girl in the odd costume was worth a closer study, "Just follow this way and we'll straighten things out in no time.}"

"{In a manner of speaking,}" Martha added, also taking the time to "check out" her prospective daughter-in-law, having a fine appreciation of what her daughter saw in this remarkable young mutant, whose profile was nothing short of…breathtaking...

A few minutes later and they were convened once more in the seraglio, where Lao's women wasted no time making Lila feel "right at home" (well, actually the strawberry blonde novice heroine was staring wide-eyed at some generously well endowed beauties, who were eyeing her back and flirting with her in a surprisingly audacious manner). The party resumed where it had left off with semi-informal exchanges and hasty introductions, then Lao and Martha took turns explaining to everyone about the matter of Joan Wayne and the Kraken.

Fifteen minutes later Alison was thoroughly heartsick, "Kami-sama…I had no idea…!"

"Indeed," Beatrice remarked, "You were reluctant to involve her, but now it seems as if you had better reasons than even you knew, Aiko-chan."

"Gordon…" Lila murmured faintly, "That bastard…I knew I should have dunked him into that silo, like I originally meant to…"

"I take it you didn't know the extent to her addiction?" Martha asked, "But you did know about it?"

"I knew that Joan was a junkie, yeah," Lila blinked, then pondered what she had just said and remarked, "Hey…I'm speaking in a foreign language…?"

"Japanese to be precise," Lao replied, "I find it so much more relaxing if everyone can understand each other without having to read the subtitles."

"I'm not even going to ask how you accomplished this," Martha shook her head.

"It's easy," Lao replied, "Dubbing in good dialogue just needs a talented Mixing agent."

"Japanese?" Lila questioned, "All right…I've always wanted to be able to read a manga without having to wait for it to be properly translated! Ah…but…about Joan…are you sure that she'll be all right? Being trapped inside some tentacle rape beast…well…I've been through that myself, and it's wasn't a lot of fun…er…I mean…it was kind of fun, in a really perverse kind of way, but…"

"It's all right," Martha said, "I was there myself not too long ago…"

"SAY WHAT???" both Alison and Lila said together.

"Oh, I can assure you, there were no…unpleasant side-effects," Martha replied, "Joan's just being detoxified of the V-45 that's in her system. Madam Lao assures me that she'll be clean and sober when she joins us a bit later, we just have to wait until the process is completed…"

"A clean and sober Joan?" Lila blinked, "Do you think I'll even be able to recognize her?"

"Oh, I wouldn't think that this will be any sort of a problem," Lao replied, "Unless you know a lot of six foot tall Amazons who have ring piercings in both nipples…"

"Ah…I guess that is a point," Lila reluctantly conceded, "But…what will Joan be like when she's not on drugs? I've never known her when she was totally and completely sober about anything…the idea…is a little scary…"

"The thing that's important is that Joan will need both of us if she's to stay off her addiction," Martha took Lila by the hand and affectionately squeezed it, which ironically did nothing to relieve the magnetic girl's state of mind as she stared at the hand then at the semi-clad woman it was attached to, thinking to herself that this Martha Kent was definitely one of the Pod people!

"She'll also need a firm hand to insure that she does not slip back into her old habits," Lao further noted, "You both will need to be strong for her, because she will be anything but strong inside, and she is used to having the drugs for a filter, so she will be sensitive in other ways, so you have to lay down the law and be firm to make her understand that she cannot use artificial substances to cover for her inadequacies."

"I wish I could be that strong," Lila said, "But I've tried helping her to quit before, but she always tells me to go fuck myself. She's a very sweet person most of the time, but when it comes to those poisons the General's been supplying her, not to mention the cocaine and hashish she eats like candy…"

"Joan has been ingesting cocaine and hashish???" Martha sounded appalled.

"The V-45 somehow makes her able to take other drugs, so long as she does it orally," Lila looked faintly ill the more she thought about it, "It's been tearing me up inside…I love her so much, but she's so intent on killing herself slowly…"

"Well then," Lao said firmly, "You are just going to have to tell her that she cannot have any more of her poisons."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Lila asked bitterly, "I'm just her live-in girlfriend, I don't own her…"

"No," Lao smiled, "But would you like to?"

"Huh?" Lila blinked, "What do you mean?"

"I'm asking if you would like to own her," Lao said matter-of-factly, "Have her for your personal property, make it so you can tell her NO and she will obey you?"

"Own her?" Ryoga and Akane blurted out then exchanged astonished glances.

"That's…that's….you're serious?" Lila blinked.

"Never more so," Lao replied, "I'm in the business of helping young women to find themselves, to discover what is in them and to learn how to enjoy it. I teach young girls what the price is for having a bad attitude, and I change minds by example, so what better place than this to teach your lady love how to stay clean and sober? I can also teach you how to make sure that she respects your authority and gives you the token of her admiration as her dominant and loving partner. Now wouldn't that be nice?"

"You want me to…what?" Lila asked mildly.

"It's simple, if her mother has no objections," Lao smiled, "I will sell her to you, at a substantial discount. You can buy her off me and I'll give you full ownership papers and help you to train her. You can be her wife, lover and Mistress all at the same time, as well as her undisputed owner, and-with this authority as your backing-you can tell that General of yours to go perform an impossible sex act for men. I'm sure you've wanted to do that for some time, haven't you?"

"Well…yes…but…" Lila turned to Martha and asked, "You're all right about this?"

"Dear," Martha sighed, "I've tried everything that I know of in the book to make Joan understand the way I feel about her, but still she has rejected me and my authority over and over. You might have better results than I ever would, and if you want to take responsibility for my daughter…"

"Yeah but…to own her?" Lila sounded both shocked and intrigued by the concept.

"I can't think of any better hands into which to place her welfare and safety," Lao replied, "And a girl like that is positively crying out to have an owner who can be both firm and loving at one and the same instant."

"But…how much would you charge?" Lila asked.

"That all depends," Lao smiled, "Make me an offer and I'll accept it. One dollar, two…whatever you think she's worth."

"Oh no," Martha spoke up, "You won't sell my daughter short that way! How much do you normally charge for a slave girl?"

"Well, without training, the basic asking cost is five thousand American dollars…"

"FIVE THOUSAND?" Nabiki blurted suddenly, having broken her own silence in dismay over that number.

"Oh don't worry, Tendo-san," Lao grinned, "I'd charge much more than that for you, if I were meaning to sell you…"

"Done."

"Eh?" Lao turned back to regard Martha.

"I'll buy Joan off you for five thousand dollars, plus whatever you charge for her training and expenses," the Power Woman replied, turning to Lila and adding, "And I'm giving her to you as a belated wedding present. Have fun with her, do whatever you like, she's yours to have for as long as you want her."

"You're…giving her to me?" Lila blinked, "Seriously?"

"Congratulations," Lao replied, "You've made yourself an excellent purchase. Although she is-how shall I put this?-damaged merchandise, I think with a little care and patience that she should turn out to be worth every penny."

"You mean I…?" Lila slowly started to smile, "I can do with Joan…anything I want to?"

"I'll have the papers made ready in time to sign, standard contract with all the provisions and sub-clauses attached," Lao turned to Martha, "Feel free to look it over in case you have any objections to the fine print. It won't be legally binding in any nation of the world, but…you would be amazed at what having a contract such as this in written form can do psychologically to reinforce an ownership rule. Of course, you will still have to work out the details with Joan, and I rather expect she might put up a strong argument against being sold and traded like common goods…"

"I guess that's where the training part comes in," Martha mused, "And what a coincidence that you still have those Orichalcum chains, eh?"

"Actually I have two sets," Lao replied with a wink, "In case another party were interested in learning the basics of Pleasure Slavery and Bondage."

"Bondage, eh?" Lila smirked, "It might be fun tying up Joan for a change…Lord knows she does it to me whenever she gets peevish…"

"I don't believe this," Alison finally spoke up, "Oneechan…you're selling your own daughter, my niece, into bondage?"

"It's better than letting Joan destroy herself," Martha replied, "I've failed her as a mother, now it's time to resort to more drastic measures. I know it seems odd, but in a way…I'm actually glad that Captain Lao proposed this. I don't know of any other way left for getting Joan's attention."

"In my opinion you have made a very wise choice," Kodachi spoke up, "As a recovering addict myself, I can well attest that Mistress Lao's methods are most admirably effective."

"Besides," Keiko grinned, "From the sound of things, you won't be making this Joan character do any stuff that she wouldn't be doing on her own anyway…which reminds me…I'm getting tired just sitting here with all these clothes on. Is this a Harem or what?"

"Point well taken," Lao observed, "I had allowed us to be semi-informal here, but now that we are all friends and understand the basic ground rules, I see no reason for us to hold ourselves back. Everyone…feel free to get casual and do whatever comes naturally to mind."

"I thought you would never get around to this, Mistress," Kodachi grinned, then turned to Keiko and said, "Strip naked, Slave, and pay proper obeisance to your loving Mistress."

"As you wish, Mistress," Keiko smiled and promptly pulled her tank-top off and tossed it casually to the side, stripping her shorts down mere moments later.

"Akane-chan," Kodachi addressed herself to her other near companion, "Be a good apprentice and show Ryoga-kun the respect you owe him as his true and proper iinazuke."

"All right," Akane grinned, and like that began to peel off her own clothing, much to the sudden alarm of an unprepared Ryoga.

Kodachi leaned back on her pillows and deliberately spread wide her legs as Keiko moved into position and straddled her Mistress, planting a gentle kiss upon her lips before beginning to glide down with her lips and hands covering much of Kodachi's body. Akane rudely shoved Ryoga on his back and straddled him before he knew it, pulling open his shirt in order to work her hands against his chest with a lusty expression that would have brought terror to the eyes of even a love-besotted Tatewaki Kuno.

All around the chamber the women of the harem wasted no time stripping down and getting down to business. Attendants dutifully urged the children away and removed them to another portion of the seraglio, Breeze vanishing with the others after turning a last over-the-shoulder glance in Ranma's direction. That left the Tendo and Daitokuji parties alone unaffected as a spontaneous orgy broke out all around them.

"Oh my…" Lila said with very round eyes.

"I'll second the motion," Martha agreed as she, too, studied the various women getting it on with free and total abandon.

"Would you care to sit and watch?" Lao asked, "It will be a few more hours until Joan is ready to leave the Kraken."

"Well…." Lila said reluctantly, "If it's not too much trouble…"

"I guess there's no harm in watching?" Martha mused, then impulsively reached out and took Lila by the hand and said, "Let's sit together. I really do want to get to know you better. There's so much about you that I don't know, and I never took the time to listen to any of Joan's explanations…"

"Er…" Lila felt an odd thrill from the contact of that hand clasping her own and turned to stare at the mother of her beloved, seeing for the first time not a disdainful parent but another woman who shared a deep abiding concern for Joan's welfare. It made her tingle in a nice sort of way, and without resisting she allowed herself to be drawn to a nearby divan for some fairly harmless…talking…

Lao smirked knowingly as she saw the two women-formerly strangers and mutually antagonistic to one another-becoming fast friends and even "bonding" (in the other sense than in what Lao specialized), which could lead to much else that she rather hoped would be forth-cumming. She drew a deep breath and sighed, feeling content with the world in general and murmured to herself, "It's not easy having a good time…but somehow I manage…"

And then she found a spot to sit down and "dig in" as several of her favorites oriented on her and made plain by their expressions that they were willing and eager to attend to the needs of their loving Mistress…

"This place is nuts," Ukyo remarked, "They'll screw anything that isn't nailed down to the floor."

"Looks to me like they're doing a fair amount of screwing, Airen," Perfume turned and asked, "Do you want to join in, Cousin?"

"Shampoo think you never ask," Shampoo grinned, "You also want have fun, Airen?"

"Ah…" Nabiki looked wary, not trusting the way her own hormones were beginning to react to the sight of so much sensualism.

"Don't worry," Ranma assured her, "I'm right here, I won't let anything bad happen to you, Nabiki."

She turned a curious look towards him, then finally she growled, "Oh hell!" and before he could even blink she wrapped her arms around him and started kissing.

"Wow," Alison glanced around in token amazement at what was happening all around them.

"My sentiments exactly," Beatrice turned and studied her pregnant wife, "I do believe that we are the last holdouts in this party-eh?"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me," Alison said roughly, reaching up and drawing her partner into a passionate embrace that was a foretaste of things to cum…to say nothing of the people themselves who would soon be doing the "cumming..."

Continued.

Comments/Criticisms/Christmas Wrappings Madam Lao style: Shadowmane@msn.com