Project A-Ko Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Honeymoon Hentai ❯ Breeze or Bust... ( Chapter 22 )

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.

"Say what?" Breeze asked, "You want me to be your what?"

"My future Queen," Toma replied, "I think you will do quite admirably, even if you are a few years younger than myself."

"Are you nuts or something?" Breeze asked, "You hardly even know me!"

"Well then, time enough for us to become acquainted," Toma replied, "There is no hurry to hold the ceremony, after all…it is as much a formality as it is to assume the throne in the name of my father."

"Um…your highness?" Seratoru hesitantly raised a simian finger, "Are you…certain that this is wise?"

"Do you question me, Seratoru?" Toma asked with the arching of an eyebrow.

"N-N-No!" Seratoru hastily prostrated himself, "Never, your Majesty…I would never even consider questioning your wisdom or your judgement…"

"Fine," Toma nodded, "Then it is settled."

"It is not!" Lao protested, "That's my daughter you're proposing to! If you think I'll just stand for your deciding her fate…"

"You have objections?" Toma cocked an eyebrow and smiled at the tall lady Pirate.

Lao balked at going so far, "Ah…well…"

"Then we can have your blessings and declare our engagement official," Toma gave Lao a meaningful look and added, "Correct?"

"Ah…well…" Lao visibly sweated.

"MOM!" Breeze looked shocked at seeing her mother so easily intimidated.

"My lord," the masked man spoke up, "If you have decided on your bride…then what do you intend on doing with the rest of these women?"

"I don't care," Toma shrugged, "Divide them among yourselves if you like."

"My lord," the masked man seemed both surprised and pleased by this declaration.

"Words cannot convey the happiness you give us," Seratoru bowed again, then turned and called out, "ALL RIGHT MEN-GO FOR IT!!!"

The guards all exchanged collective looks at one another, then as one they dropped their weapons and spears and started to advance on the gathering of women.

"Uh oh," Nabiki winced.

"I don't like the look of this," Ranma-chan fell into a defensive crouch.

"That makes two of us, Sugar," Ukyo agreed as she and the rest of their Posse automatically formed a circle and turned their backs to one another as the mayhem broke out all around them in the chamber…

"Uh oh," Martha said, subconsciously echoing the thoughts of a nervous Nabiki, "I don't like the looks of this…it's turning into total mayhem and confusion."

"What is it?" demanded Blossom, "What are you seeing up there? What's happening to the Mistress?"

"Ah…well…" replied the hovering Martha, who was maintaining a constant altitude of a thousand feet while scanning the interior of the palace with her Super-senses, "I don't know how to put this, but it looks like the Prince has selected Breeze to be his future bride, and he's given leave to the guards to have their way with the rest of the other women."

There was a faint pause before Blossom cried out, "HE'S WHAAAT???"

Martha winced, regretting that she had agreed to carry the portable microphone-hearing aid hooked around one earlobe, "Take it easy down there…there's no cause to get excited. I'm going in there to break a few heads and get things calmed down…"

"No, this is our job!" Maki broke in, "SQUADRON-MOVE OUT! WE'RE GOING IN THERE TO SAVE BREEZE-SAN AND THE MISTRESS!"

"No, wait!" Martha called out, too late as it turned out as she saw with a glance the stream of mercenaries who were breaking cover and charging across the open grass, converging upon the palace, to which she quipped, "Oh, hell!"

She briefly considered using her powers to stem the tide that was now converging on the palace, but decided that Lao's crew could not substantially make matters much worse than they were now, though she was going to keep a close watch on Maki and her gun-toting mercenaries just to make certain that no one got shot by mistake, especially the unarmed civilians whom they were supposed to be rescuing. From what she could see the other side was only armed with spears and swords, and a turkey-shoot was not her idea of a hostage rescue!

Other than that, if there was any head-breaking to be done, she was the one who intended to do it!

The guards on duty had little time to react when a horde of screaming women care charging at them, some with guns blazing. To Martha's relief the mercenaries fired into the air and not at the guards themselves, who wisely fled in understandable terror rather than stay at their posts and get quite plausibly slaughtered.

Of course the sounds of gunfire did not go unheard inside the palace itself where heads turned questioning looks towards the direction of the fire, and the frenzied tumult of guards snatching up potential concubines slowed down to a mere trickle.

"What was that?" Prince Toma himself inquired.

"Trouble," Breeze predicted, recognizing the tell-tale approach of the mercenaries.

"Offhand, I would say someone interrupted Maki's morning coffee break," Lao noted drolly, "And I did give orders for them to remain aboard ship…I wonder what could have possessed Blossom and the others to defy my commands?"

"Well, stop them!" Toma insisted, "Or you know that there will be consequences!"

"You don't need to remind me, Prince," Lao rolled her eyes but remained where she was as if waiting for the inevitable to happen.

"Do you hear that?" Ranma-chan asked as she disengaged herself from the guy whose elbow she was nearly bending backward.

"Sounds like the cavalry's on its way," Ukyo noted.

"And we didn't even give the signal," Nabiki sniffed, "Someone is definitely going to have to answer for that."

The next second the wall nearest to the seaboard exploded inward as one Bakusai Tenketsu rendered the palace with a new entrance, and through this gap Ryoga strode, flanked by the mercenaries and a battle-ready Alison and Beatrice, the latter having donned her customary Akagiyama armor.

"Ryoga!" Akane cried in delight, only to yelp in dismay as a pair of simian hands snatched her from the midst of the Posse and carried her off, followed by more hands snatching up Perfume and Kodachi.

"AKANE!" Ryoga reacted as he saw his girlfriend being hauled away by another.

"HEY!!!" Keiko cried out as she saw the black rose being bundled away across the back of the burly Wonton.

"PER-CHAN!" Ukyo yelled in equal parts of surprise and outrage.

"Quite a haul, eh Wonton?" the masked warrior cheerfully remarked as he bore a somewhat stunned Amazon from the room like the proverbial sack of potatoes slung across his shoulder.

"Whooowoo!" the giant dog-man replied, ignoring the struggling attempts of Kodachi, who beat her hands against his broad backside.

"HEY!" Nabiki was equally outraged, "They can't take our friends like that-and that's my sister, you frigging Ape!"

"We'd better go after them before they get hurt," Ranma-chan urged quickly.

"Don't worry," Keiko vowed, "When I catch up with that bruiser I'M GONNA HURT HIM!"

"Frankly, I'd be a little more worried about what Akane will do to that Ape-guy," Nabiki mused, "I don't think this Island has enough medical coverage to pay for his injuries, but you're right, we can't let anyone get away with stealing members of our Posse!"

"NOBODY MOVE!" cried Martha as she created a new sunroof for the palace, drawing attention back her way as she oriented her attention towards Prince Toma, the only potential source of trouble that she could immediately deal with, "Prince Toma, in the name of Internationally recognized laws of fair and humane treatment, I order you to stand down and surrender your prisoners to the custody of Captain Lao and myself. If you offer resistance then I will be forced to take action…"

"No!" Lao made a frantic effort to hand wave Martha away, "You don't understand…"

"How absurd," Toma remarked, "A woman giving me orders, and within my own palace! You should be careful with whom you adopt such a tone, Lady, it ill behooves a guest within my palace."

"Smarty pants," Breeze growled, "Do you got any idea just who that is?"

"An interloper who shall taste the fury of my wrath," Toma declared as he smoothly drew his sword and held it aloft, and all at once the blade gleamed in the sunlight and took on an incandescent glow that caused many to avert their eyes and cry out in terror.

Martha, not so easily intimidated, ignored the glare and focused her heat vision powers, intending to lightly toast the metal so that it would become too hot for the Prince to hold…but to her dismay she felt the flash of fires spreading out to engulf her, and all at once she cried out in pain and terror as her whole body was engulfed in flames, flames that lanced out to engulf many of the mercenaries and even included Alison and Beatrice, who each reacted as though their bodies were suddenly surrounded in the fires of a blazing inferno.

"NO!" cried Lao, who hastily vaulted from the dais and summoned up her powers even before her feet touched the floor, spreading out a misty vapor that surrounded those writhing in agony, including Martha, who had plunged to earth like a blazing comet.

Nabiki fought to maintain some semblance of control as she had been among the first to look away before the light became too blinding. She was aware of the searing agony experienced by the others and her first impulse was to grab Shampoo up in her arms in an attempt to shield her with her body. A moment later, however, the sense of fire threatening to consume them fell away as the room itself returned to normal. She chanced to look around and found Alison laying atop Beatrice while Ranma and the rest of the concubines were protected inside of an ice igloo that had sprung up from seeming nowhere. She further saw the mercenaries slowly recovering from their disorientation, a few having fainted or collapsed from the seeming heat wave, while Lao was kneeling down to attend to an unhurt Martha, who herself was blinking her eyes and shaking off her own sense of confusion.

"What…happened?" Martha gasped.

"You were affected by an illusion," Lao explained, "Prince Toma is a master at the art, as was his father before him. The flames weren't real, but they seemed so real that your mind overcame the actual sensations of your body and convinced you that you were burning. That's why I wanted you to stay back…you're Kryptonian half makes you especially vulnerable to this sort of magic."

"This was an illusion?" Blossom asked, "But…It felt so real…"

"That was the point," Lao turned to her second-in-command and her tone became stern, "And what is the idea of you leading an attack party like this? I expressly ordered you to remain back on the ship, to let me handle things in my own way. Why did you disobey me?"

Blossom hesitated for only a second before firming her resolve and responding, "Captain… Mistress…it was my belief that you were acting under duress imposed by Prince Toma and the threat he represents through the use of this island's cursed water. Under these circumstances I was forced to decide that your judgement had been impaired and that it was our duty, as your crewmembers, to act accordingly as we felt best represented your genuine intentions."

"You dared presume to think for me?" Lao sounded more surprised than angry, "I'm amazed at you, Blossom…you've actually started to grow a backbone."

"Captain," Blossom trembled, "If I acted in haste or have shown poor judgement, then it is my responsibility and I will face the consequences when this is over…"

"Granted," Lao replied, "But that won't excuse the rest of you, especially you, Maki. How many times have I told you to leave the guns behind when engaging less well armed civilians?"

"Boss," Maki replied, "It's always been my firm policy that those who live by the sword perish at the hands of those who don't, and that a well armed mercenary is worth twenty spear chuckers, while twenty of us are worth any regular army."

"Well stated," Lao congratulated, "But my decision still stands. Report to the Torture Chamber when this is all over."

"Yessir!" Maki saluted as if she had just been given a commendation.

"I suppose I have you to thank for this egregious breach in command protocol, Nabiki-chan?" Lao eyed the worthy in question, "Rallying my troops to mutiny against me…that's so audacious I'm actually impressed."

"Hey, it wasn't my idea!" Nabiki protested, "I was talked into it by Breeze and Ranma."

"Indeed?" Lao mused, turning her gaze towards the Ice Igloo, only to see it dissolve and melt under a fiery curtain that resolved itself into the person of Nila Caulder.

"Wow," Ranma remarked as he saw the well-tanned girl sag slightly, having finished evaporating her own ice construction, "You did all that by exchanging heat ratios?"

"It's not that hard," Nila shrugged, "Mutant power or no, it's just a simple matter of exchanging rates of kinetic vibration, exciting molecules when you want to heat them up, slowing them down to a crawl when you want to freeze them."

"Yeah, I think I see how that can work," Ranma-chan nodded sagely, "I'm gonna have to try that out for myself and see if I can do it too," she noted as she stared at her tattooed arms, which were only partially concealed by her current outfit.

"You're so talented," Xiong-Fu smiled as she hugged Nila with affection, "My hero."

"Ah…" Nila responded by blushing so deep that her brown skin became a darker shade of chestnut.

"Enough of this!" Prince Toma suddenly drew attention back towards himself, "This foolishness is ended! I gave you time to attend to your people, now…you must come with me and my chosen Bride, the Honeymoon suite awaits us."

"I know that already," Lao sighed, turning away, "Blossom, Nabiki, Martha-chan…please remain here and don't attempt to follow. Let me handle this my way…it's for the better, trust me on that, will you?"

"My lady?" Blossom blinked as Lao vaulted back up to the dais, where Toma and her daughter awaited.

"Wait here?" Ranma-chan asked, "She's gotta be kidding!"

"My words exactly," Nabiki frowned as she tried to fathom Lao's actions.

Martha struggled to her feet and growled, "If that little Rugrat thinks this is over, he's wrong by a longshot!"

"You said it, Sis," Alison replied as she helped Beatrice back to her feet, only to hear her "wife" say a somewhat startled, "Alison, you saved me…"

"Well…yeah," Alison blinked as she found herself looking into the depths of Beatrice's eyes, and finding it difficult to look away again as her companion was positively glowing.

That turned out not to be the only thing which was glowing, because a ball of light all at once surrounded the dais, shaped like a giant peach, through which Prince Toma and Lao departed, the former dragging along a surprised Breeze in tow behind him.

"Hey!" Breeze called out in feeble protest, only to vanish when the peach winked out into nothing.

"Gotta hand it to that guy," Nila remarked, "He sure knows how to make an exit."

"Shampoo no need you hold so tight, Airen," Shampoo said as she snuggled in close to Nabiki, "But I no mind you try and protect Shampoo."

"Ahm…" it was Nabiki's turn to blush slightly.

"Hate to cut in," Ranma-chan said, "But we've got something else to worry about besides Lao and that squirt. Ryoga took off after the creep who ran off with Akane, and I think Ukyo and Kei-chan did the same thing for the same kind of reason."

"Then we go get them," Shampoo declared, letting go of Nabiki as she pounded one fist into the palm of her other hand, "Nobody take cousin-wife away from Shampoo and Airen…is bad news if Amazon look like weak girl before outsiders. It…what word again for thing done that set back example, Airen?"

"Precedent," Nabiki nodded, "And I'm with you, Sham-chan, and you too, Ranchan."

"Right," Ranma nodded, "So lets go pound some sense into that brat and his freakish sidekicks!"

"Hey, don't expect to leave us behind," Alison spoke up.

"Indeed," Beatrice concurred, "We are a team in this, all for one and one for all."

"I'll never say bad things about the company you keep again, Ali-chan," Martha nodded, glancing around, "Problem is…parts of this palace appear to be lead-lined, so I'm not too sure where they took your friends, I just know it has to be somewhere in this palace."

"Perhaps if we split up we may cover more terrain," Beatrice suggested.

"Good idea," Alison agreed, "That way we can do more damage."

"I hear that," Nabiki grinned, "Ready, Ranchan?"

"You bet," he nodded, and at one the group filed out of the room at a dead run, using the very same wide-gated exit as had been taken by the kidnappers.

Blossom remained where she was until she noticed something else was amiss and declared, "Where is Lotus?"

"Pink haired girl?" one of the few remaining concubines replied, "I think she got taken with the others."

"Then I have to rescue her," Blossom said grimly, "Jasmine…Maki…I don't believe I'm saying this, but you two take charge here, I'm going to find Lotus."

"Understood," Jasmine nodded.

"You can count on us," Maki cocked her favorite rifle.

"And don't shoot anybody unless you have to!" Blossom warned before hastily making her own exit.

"AAAWWW…" Maki growled, "They never let me have any fun…"

"Hey," Corporal Tanner spoke up, "What do we do about all these guards and the ladies?"

"Good point," Jasmine nodded, "What do we always do in these types of situations?"

"What else?" grinned Maki before giving out the savage war-cry known, feared and dreaded throughout the South Pacific and anywhere that Lao's Raiders were known to drop anchor, "TAKE PRISONERS!!!"

Without time so much as to give out a yelp, the guards panicked as mercenaries (both armed and those who were dressed up like palace consorts) converged upon them, and before too long both men and women were being carried off, some kicking and yelling, as the mercenaries bore their booty back towards the beach with the happy contentment of a starving pack of savage headhunters (which, of course, might be considered an insult to the headhunters, since the kind of "Head" these girls were after was not the sort found above the shoulders)…

Ryoga ran blindly through the palace corridors wondering which way he should go to find the fiend who had stolen Akane. His usual lack of direction could have taken him anywhere, and the frustration that this gave him made him desperate to find someone who could give him proper directions. Unfortunately the guards had all vanished and the servants were making themselves scarce, so he stumbled on deeper and deeper into the palace without knowing which path would ultimately be the right one.

(Akane,) he thought with growing frustration, (Somehow I'll find you, and when I do that man-monkey is toast!)

Ordinarily this would have been an idle boast on his part, but some benevolent power was smiling down on him this day and by the more incredible of coincidences he found a set of double doors and pushed on through, and-lo and behold-discovered himself in the very lair of the Seneschal, Seratoru.

"Ryoga!" Akane cried out as she turned to see his entrance.

Ryoga nearly fell over in surprise and disbelief, incredulous to think that his direction sense had actually served him right for once, and almost not daring to believe his good fortune. Instead he firmed himself up and declared, "I'm here for you, Akane! I'll make that Monkey sorry he ever laid a paw on you…"

"Who are you calling a Monkey?" Seratoru himself snapped back, "And what's with that get up, Kid? Some S&M store was having a fire sale or something?"

"Urk," Ryoga winced, then forced himself to regain some of his composure, "You shut up, and you let Akane go now or I'm gonna take you out!"

"You and what army, kid?" Seratoru cracked his knuckles, "The girl is with me, and we were just having a lovely time together when you go and interrupt us."

Ryoga almost stumbled upon hearing this and turned to Akane with an amazed expression, "Is this true?"

"Is what true?" Akane blinked her eyes in momentary confusion, then comprehension dawned on her and she hastily waved her hands declaring, "Oh-no, no, no, no, no! It wasn't like that at all! We were just sitting here and talking together…"

"Talking?" Ryoga was suddenly suspicious, "And that's all?"

Akane blinked, "What do you mean that's all? Ryoga…I wasn't making out with him, I was just trying to convince Seratoru here that I'm not the right girl for him…"

"Oh, so you two are on a first name basis, huh?" Ryoga nodded, fueled by emotions that surprised even him at the moment.

"Well, what's wrong with that?" Akane asked, "It wasn't like I was going to fuck him or anything like that…"

"Oh, you say that now," Ryoga snorted, "But just wait until you get to know him better, right? Hey, what does it matter if he isn't even your species, what's a little experimenting to you? Just another notch in your belt, or something…"

"WHAT?" Akane bridled, surprising even Seratoru with her sudden burst of anger, "How dare you accuse me of something like that! Ryoga, he just happens to be a sweet guy…okay, so many he started life out as an ape, but with enchanted waters on the island giving him the shape of a man…"

"How would you know what he's shaped like?" Ryoga sniffed, "Did you check to see below his belt?"

"I wouldn't do a thing like that behind your back!" Akane cried indignantly.

"Why?" Ryoga asked, "Because he's not a woman? That would certainly make it better for you, right?"

"What does it matter if I sleep with girls or not?" Akane wanted to know, "You're the only guy I'm interested, you baka! You know I would cheat with some guy behind your back!"

"No," Ryoga retorted, "You'd do it in front of my face and tell me that it was for my benefit! Well, I've had it being your doormat, Akane. If you want to stay in a relationship with me, then you're going to have to decide what's really important for you…our engagement, or your desire to experiment with alternate lifestyles."

"Are you mad at me because I'm making time with Kei-chan and Kodachi?"

"Bingo!" Ryoga flared, "You care more about pleasing them than you do spending time with me!"

"That's not true and you know it!" Akane declared in outrage, "And beside…I didn't exactly see you kicking them out of our bed, and 'Dachi's ridden you plenty of times! You think I'm jealous about that? NO! Because I trust you, because I care about Kodachi, and I know the two of you would never try to deliberately hurt me!"

"Are you sure that's it?" Ryoga asked sadly, "Because I'm not sure about anything anymore. I'm not sure how much you care, and I'm not sure if I really even matter…"

"Uh…say what?" Seratoru blinked his eyes as he looked from one party to the other.

"Ryoga," Akane was stunned by the wistful futility in his voice, "How can you say that? You matter a lot to me! I care about you! I…I…I…" she faltered.

"Ah…can I say a word here?" Seratoru asked as he raised one simian finger.

"What do you want to say?" Ryoga growled.

Seratoru smiled, "Tot get to her, Kid, you've got to go through me, and frankly, from the sound of things, you're not man enough to try it."

"WHAT?" Ryoga bristled, "How dare you say a thing like that to me, and in front of my fiancée!"

"Fiancée, huh?" Seratoru vaulted over the couch and confronted the boy from the space of several paces, "Well, that's about to change because she's finally met a real man, and I'll show you why it isn't smart to face Seratoru in his own lair. SPECIAL ATTACK, SERATORU SHADOW STALKING!"

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked as it suddenly seemed as though the Man-Monkey was growing a foot taller as his shadow expanded outward, and then the room itself seemed to go dark, only to rise again with a weird, surreal cast to the entire chamber.

"Ryoga?" Akane's voice seemed to echo from very far away.

"Ryoga?" a very different Akane snapped, "What are you doing here? How dare you butt in to a private meeting!"

"Huh?" Ryoga blinked, "But…"

"Didn't you hear me?" she snapped, "I told you to get lost! You disgust me, I find you dull and boring! What I ever saw in you I'll never know, but it's over, you hear me! You're just too dull witted for me to be interested in a clod like you, so BEAT IT!"

"Huh?" Akane wondered why she seemed to be hearing an echo of her voice say such cruel and untrue things about Ryoga and she started to open her mouth to protest when she saw Ryoga's shoulders sag and his head hang down in misery and dejection.

"So it's true," he groaned, "You've grown tired of me, I'm no good for you any more…I'm just a useless vagabond who doesn't have any right to lay claim to a girl like you…"

"No!" Akane protested, "That isn't what I…!"

"That's right," another version of herself interrupted, "You're not good enough for me, you never were! I never want to see you again, so why don't you just turn around and leave?"

"Leave?" Ryoga sighed, "But leave to go where? Without you…I have nothing…"

"Then go crawl off into a corner and sulk, why don't you?" the other Akane cruelly taunted.

"Works every time," Seratoru smirked in triumph.

Akane opened her mouth to once again attempt to contradict her doppelganger, only to feel the marrow in her bones begin to freeze as she heard the next words that Ryoga uttered, "…But I'm beyond caring…if I've no reason to live, then you don't have any right to live either, Monkey!"

The nape hairs on the back of her head started standing on end as she saw the Chi-lines begin to shape and converge around Ryoga's hands, and without another word she dove for cover, hiding behind the couch and plastering herself against the floor against the inevitable maelstrom that she knew was about to be unleashed within the chamber.

"Huh?" Seratoru gasped as he, too, saw the force-lines swell around the boy whom he was busy taunting, and all at once a ball of concentrated black Chi took shape between Ryoga's hands, growing and swelling to become a thing that drew all of the negative energies in the room into itself, turning so black that it started glowing like the event horizon surrounding a Black Hole, filling the whole chamber with an unhealthy glow of rage and depression.

"How are you doing that?" Seratoru asked in horrified fascination.

"It was a mistake for you to make me angry," Ryoga flared, and all at once he shoved his hands forward and unleashed his most intensive blast, crying out, "SHI SHI HOUKONAN!!!!"

Akane tried to cover her ears as a thunderous blast shook the entire room with the force of a cannon going off at point-blank range, the searing wave of intensified dark Chi rocketing towards the hapless Seratoru and knocking him for a loop like a straw blown by a hurricane, blowing out the entire back side of the chamber without even blunting the full force of Ryoga's scorching attack. It took several long seconds before the backwash set in, and then Akane risked opening her eyes and glancing up and around past her shoulder, seeing the hole that now stood where a wall had been as the remaining positive ions settled into the room like jilted lovers wondering where their negative counterparts had gotten off in such a hurry.

And then she turned to see Ryoga himself begin to sway on his feet, the blast having taken away a good chunk of his own strength at the moment. "That'll teach him…" he remarked before toppling forward like the proverbial limp puppet whose strings had just been sliced by a katana.

With barely more than a yelp Akane leaped to her feet and vaulted the sofa, arriving just in time to catch the dark haired boy before he could strike the floor with his face and cushioning his fall into a much softer landing.

"Ryoga…" she said with concern in her voice and expression.

He opened his eyes briefly and said, "Akane…?"

"Don't try to talk, Dummy," she hugged him to her bosom and began to stroke his hair with affection, "That was some stunt you just pulled, it's gonna take you a couple of minutes just to get your strength back."

"It was worth it," he sighed as he blissfully rested her cheek between her breasts, "Nobody…can come…between you and me…you're…my fiancée…" and then he slumped into unconsciousness, leaving Akane to hug him even tighter to her bosom.

"That's right," she sighed, "You're my fiancée…and no one can ever come between us, I promise…"

"What…what happened to me?" Perfume asked as she felt a somewhat dizzy sensation, looking around at where she was and scenting by the smell of feathers that she might be in some sort of massive bird house. There were wooden perches everywhere, and the space below them seemed distant, though she privately estimated it at around seven or eight meters at least.

"Coming to your senses at last, I see?" purred the masked man in amusement, "Welcome to your new home, I've just been dying to meet you."

"You?" Perfume almost slipped as her bare foot rubbed off of her wooden purchase before she automatically adjusted her balance, then did a double-take as she saw the sheer drop that waited beneath her, "What…?"

"Don't worry," the masked man said, "I won't permit you to fall…not, at least, so long as you continue to please me. My, my, but you are a lovely thing, and that dress you're wearing hardly does you justice."

Perfume frowned as she stared at the masked man, "What do you want with me?"

"I should think that was obvious," the masked man inclined his head in a way that insinuated a smile, "Tell me something…are those breasts for real? I didn't know that women with breasts like you could be so agile."

Perfume did something very uncharacteristic for her and covered herself up with both hands, not wanting to give this stranger a free "peep show." Though she had never been particularly modest in her life, the idea of being sized up by this fellow like a piece of meat in a pet window was hardly appealing.

"You think you can take me on?" Perfume sniffed the air then said, "You're just one of Prince Toma's creatures…one of those…THINGS that he doused with that man-creating water."

"I may have been a creature before I was a man," the masked man responded, "But you'll find that I am all man where it really counts."

"I doubt that," Perfume replied, "And besides…you can't take me like some cheap floozy…I'm an Amazon, I only acknowledge as mate a strong warrior who can defeat me in battle."

"Oh, so you're an Amazon, eh?" the masked man sounded amused, "Now I'm more intrigued than ever!"

"You'll be a lot worse off if you think you can take me," Perfume stood calmly poised and tried to concentrate, to "feel" the space beyond her hands, to reach out for the "pocket space" where she normally stored her axes, hoping against hope to feel their comfortable weight in her hands, to lean on the protection that they would normally afford her.

But the man-creature moved quicker than she would have imagined and suddenly objects flew in her direction before she even knew what they were. Perfume instinctively brought her hands back up to attempt to deflect these projectiles, but to her surprise they whizzed past her body without doing any damage. Much to her surprise, however, her arms were yanked to her sides as portions of her wardrobe were snagged and pulled backwards into the wooden surface immediately behind her.

"There, that should keep you civil for a few more minutes," the masked man said as Perfume struggled against the bonds of her own wardrobe, "Now, let me look on you in more detail…yes…you are definitely a rare prize, and quite exotic…WHA-?"

All at once the masked man darted back from Perfume, dodging the familiar hiss of metal spatulas that whizzed through the space where the man had been standing.

"You keep your filthy hands off her, you Jackass!" Ukyo cried as she appeared on a nearby perch, "Perchan belongs to ME, and there's no way I'm letting you have her!"

"Airen!" Perfume declared with a surge of gratitude and relief.

"How so?" the masked man seemed confused as he stared at Ukyo then declared, "But…you are a woman!"

"Good eyes there, Creep," Ukyo said as she vaulted onto the perch between Perfume and the masked man, "But this is one girl who's gonna kick your sorry ass if you come anywhere near my Perchan!"

"Good timing, Ucchan," Perfume grinned, "But how did you find me?"

"Are you kidding?" Ukyo smirked, "It was childsplay for someone trained in Ninjutsu. By the way, you look pretty good in that, especially pinned to the wall that way. Gives me ideas of the possibilities this leaves open."

"Flatterer," Perfume grinned, "You've been spending too much time around my aunt."

"Well, I hate to say this," Ukyo leered, "But maybe your aunt does have a point…I mean…it may sound Hentai for me to say this, but the idea of taking advantage of you while you're helpless and vulnerable like this…"

"What is this?" the masked man sounded even more confused, "You two are together? But…that makes no sense at all! How can you be involved in a relationship…it's unnatural, perverse!"

"You shut your mouth before I make you!" Ukyo snapped, "I don't need to be told what's natural and unnatural by a masked kidnapper who tries to steal and force himself on my wife!"

"To say nothing of the father of her baby," Perfume added sweetly.

"Yeah, that too," Ukyo noted.

"Father?" the masked man looked stunned, "But…that can't be possible! How could you two share a baby?"

"Hey, you think you guys are the only ones who know how to use magic?" Ukyo leered, "And you know something else? Perchan here was more of a man than you!"

"You'll pay for that insult!" the masked man declared, his hand suddenly bristling with more of the same type of feathers that he had used to pin Perfume and launched those deadly pinquils in Ukyo's direction.

Much to his amazement, though, Ukyo's hands flashed in a blur and easily deflected the feathers, and then in one quick movement she advanced upon the masked man and landed a solid blow that cracked his mask right down the middle.

"AAARRGGHHH!!!" her opponent staggered away, "How dare you strike me in the face, you…harlot!"

"Hey, you know the old saying," Ukyo declared as she leaped forward and delivered a side-kick that sent her foeman staggering backwards, "Sticks and stones will break bones, but names? They only hurt if I let them!"

The feathered man lowered his hands and cried out, "You'll hurt a lot worse than that, Woman! You've aroused my anger, and for that you shall not be forgiven!"

"Huh?" Ukyo blinked, "You're…you're…"

"His face…he has a beak?" Perfume did a double-take.

"What are you staring at?" the bird-faced man blinked his own eyes as he looked from one incredulous face to the other.

"W-W-What am I staring at…?" Ukyo's voice started to quaver, and then all at once she burst out laughing, doubling over with guffaws as she hugged her ribs with uncontrollable chuckles.

"I don't believe it!" Perfume started laughing, "He looks so silly!"

"Silly?" the bird man reacted, "HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME! FOR THIS I WILL SHOW NO MERCY!!!"

Again he launched a double handful of feathers at Ukyo, only this time she was laughing so hard that she was unable to rally her defenses. Several feathers struck home, sinking into her skin and hitting vital nerve centers, which paralyzed the hapless chef and brought an abrupt end to her laughter.

"Ucchan!" Perfume cried out.

"C-Can't…move…" Ukyo struggled.

"Of course you can't," the bird man smiled nastily, "And if your friend here doesn't agree to cooperate with me you'll be shishkabobed by my next volley of feathers!

"No!" Perfume cried out, "Don't hurt her!"

"Now that's more like it," the bird man smirked, "Not laughing now, are we? Now you'll play according to my tune, and when you sing you'll acknowledge me as your master."

"Bastard," Ukyo grimaced.

"Anything," Perfume winced, "Just don't hurt her…"

"I won't, just as long as you cooperate," the bird-man crowed, obviously glorifying in his seemingly superior position.

"Perfume," Ukyo spoke up again, "Don't give into him…you're an Amazon, remember?"

"But he'll hurt you, Airen," Perfume responded.

"Doesn't matter," Ukyo summoned up her internal Chi and crossed her arms, narrowing her focus upon the opponent before her.

"What's this?" the feathered man cried out, "Woman…what are you doing? Stop that!"

"Airen?" Perfume blinked her eyes, seeing the Chi-forces that flared up around her beloved.

Ukyo suddenly made a deep-throated cry and then shrugged her muscles and caused the feathers to be ejected from her skin. She then made a number of rapid finger motions before striking an aggressive pose and stared fixedly at her opponent.

"What?" the feathered birdman declared in disbelief, "How can you be moving? Are you even human, woman? Take this!"

He launched another assault with his feathers, but this time Ukyo was ready and deflected them, then in two rapid steps she punched him hard in the face and sent him flying backwards to strike a distant post and collapse in a heap, fully unconscious.

"Hah, that'll show him…" Ukyo started to say when she lost her balance and began to tumble from her purchase.

"AIREN!" desperation leant strength to Perfume, who knew that there was only one way to free herself from her entrapment. With a few quick shrugs she wiggled her way out of her clothing and then launched herself into space, intercepting Ukyo before she could fall more than a few feet and tumbling around to get her legs underneath her in order to break their fall on the floor beneath them.

Perfume lowered her beloved to the floor then said, "That was incredibly brave and stupid, Beloved…you didn't have to do that."

"Yes I did," Ukyo mumbled, only semi-conscious, "Damn, if I had my peel…he never…would have nailed me…"

Perfume lowered her face and kissed Ukyo on the cheek, smiling in spite of everything, well secure in the love of the woman stretched out across her lap…

"Nonononononono!" Kodachi cried as she used the nearest object at hand to deflect the advances of the burly dog-man, which-unfortunately for her-was nothing more formidable than a pair of pillows, which same she wielded like Billy clubs, however ineffective.

"Whoohoo?" Wonton asked in obvious confusion.

"You are not the one who is meant for me," Kodachi declared as she stood her ground atop the bed, "I'm sorry, but I am already spoken for, and you do not have the right to take what you want without asking."

"Whoohoo?" Wonton asked again, obviously not getting it in any intelligent manner.

"This is getting us nowhere," Kodachi groaned as she maintained her guard against the man-beast, "It is not that I fail to appreciate what you have to offer…but you are not really my type, or even my species. Do be a good boy and don't offer me any trouble, eh?"

"Whoohoo?" Wanton asked, turning his head as he, too, heard the commotion in the hallway.

All at once the door to his room was knocked flying off its hinges, and then Keiko strode into the room and cried, "Aha! There you are! I wondered where a brute like you had taken my Kodachi!"

"Kei-chan!" Kodachi cried in delight, then to the brutish Wonton she said, "You had better stand down now…it would be a shame to have her hurt you."

"Whoohoo?" Wonton just inclined his head as if trying to make sense of the threat posed by the pigtailed redhead.

"That's right, Dog-breath," Keiko taunted, "Just stand there like a rock and let me show you how I break them!"

And with that she launched a powerful series of strait trajectory sidekicks at the big man's face, only to blink her eyes as he dodged her lightning-fast rapid-fire blows, moving to avoid her with an ease that belied his massive size and burgeoning gait. Before even Kodachi could blink her eyes Wonton stepped in past her guard and shoved a massive paw forward, delivering a palm-strike to her abdomen that sent her flying backwards and doubled her over.

"KEI-CHAN!" Kodachi cried in dismay as the redheaded Kickboxer grunted and struggled to shake off having the wind knocked out from her sails.

"Ngh!" Keiko winced, "You're…faster than you look…but you'll need…to do better than that…if you're gonna stand…between me and MY Kodachi!"

"Oh, Kei-chan," Kodachi felt thrilled and torn with fear of her lover taking another pounding. Wonton was just standing around with a puzzled expression as if wondering what the long-legged girl before him was intending to do next.

Keiko forced herself to take several deep breaths then squared herself into a fighting stance again and said, "I underrated you last time, but this time I'm gonna give you both barrels!"

"Whoohoo?" Wanton just cocked his head and lolled his tongue out with a particularly puppy-like expression.

Keiko summoned her Chi before attacking again, this time going all-out with both legs moving in an incredibly fast series of spinning back and side-kicks, whirling like a top as she lashed out again and again at her opponent, who once again just as easily side-stepped and dodged her assaults before launching his own counter-offensive. This time it was the back of his open hand that gently struck a glancing blow off Keiko's chest and face, but the force behind that seemingly mild slap was enough to propel her into the roof as she bounced off the ceiling then ricocheted off one wall before landing in a heap next to the doorway.

"Oh Kei-chan…do be careful!" Kodachi pleaded in anguish, "He's much stronger than he looks, and I don't want you to be hurt trying to rescue me from his clutches."

"Gah…now she tells me…" Keiko groaned ever-so-faintly.

"Whoohoo?" Wanton said again, not pressing his attack at all but standing his ground as if expecting the redhead to get up and play again with him at any moment.

"This…does not look good," Keiko grunted as she forced herself to her knees, looking battered and bruised but a long ways from humbled, "Gotta try something else…this guy's even faster than I am."

"He does seem to be well trained for combat," Kodachi conceded when she blinked her eyes then said, "Trained? He does appear to have the conditioning of a watch-dog, but…what else has he been trained for?"

"Heh," Keiko smirked in spite of her disheveled condition, "He's just an overgrown puppy…he's treating this like some kind of a game…and he's just playing with me, like he isn't really serious."

"Perhaps…that is all he really is at heart," Kodachi got a sly expression on her face then said, "Perhaps he is open to another type of game play. It's worth an experiment…I wonder…" her eyes cast down to a certain cast-off object that the Dog-man had tried to offer her as a present before and the inspiration hit her. She snatched up a ribbon-tied bone and said, "Let me handle things from this end, Darling, while you take a momentary rest."

"Huh?" Keiko asked, "Are you sure about that, 'Dachi-chan?"

"Positive," Kodachi grinned, then said, "Here boy, here boy, come to Momma!"

"Whoohoo?" Wonton shifted his focus back towards his prized playmate then saw her outstretched hand and immediately responded.

"Down boy," Kodachi bade him with a gesture and was gratified to see him sit on the floor with an eager and expectant expression, "Now…shake your paw…that's it…"

Keiko stared in disbelief as the man-brute reached out a hand the size of a melon and let Kodachi hold it by one finger, then shake it in an almost-friendly manner.

"Now roll over," Kodachi made another gesture and the Dog-man obligingly rolled onto his back upon the floor with his tongue lolling outward, then she raised the ribbon-tied bone and gave it a light toss, saying, "Go fetch it!"

"WHOOHOO!" Wonton cried with delight as he scrambled back to his feet and tracked the path of the bone as it sailed out an open window, stumbling upon the ledge as he jumped out and caught the bone between his teeth, and only THEN belatedly recalled that his room was many stories above a steep cliff fall.

"WHOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO????" he cried out in dismay as gravity did the rest.

"Well, what do you know," Keiko remarked, "He really was just a big puppy at heart…but wasn't that a little cruel making him fall like that?"

"Not to worry," Kodachi replied, "I'd already investigated the window as an optional source for flight, but I was unable to get past him to effect my own egress. At most he'll fall thirty or forty meters into some dense overgrowth, which should sufficiently break his fall to prevent him being too seriously injured. My pity is for anyone who might be walking underneath that window and not suspecting the danger of falling objects."

"Heh, good point," Keiko grinned, "Clever thinking, 'Dachi…my Mistress."

"Now, let me have a good look at you," Kodachi said as she bounced off the bed and began to study the bruises visible upon the lanky redhead, "You should be more careful with yourself when you come rushing to my rescue, Kei-chan. You are my property, after all, and a Slave should never damage the property of her Mistress."

"I know, Mistress," Keiko smiled, "Will you punish me for being so careless?"

"Maybe later, if I think you deserve it," Kodachi said with a particularly sultry expression, "But you know something…you looked positively dashing coming to my aid as you did. I think you are entitled to a reward for your gallant behavior…and look…we have bed at hand that is ready for use. The servants have even seen fit to change the sheets, though it does smell a bit of dog fur."

"You think we have time for it?" Keiko asked, "After all, Nabiki and the others will be worried."

"There is always time for the sort of reward that I plan on giving you, and allow me the favor of kissing your bruises and making them all better…" Kodachi purred as she was already setting to work on the pleasant task of denuding Keiko of what passed for her garments, her own having by now already been conveniently discarded…

"…And here we are in my abode," Toma said proudly as he showed Breeze into his palace quarters, "My home within my Kingdom, mine now that I rule in the absence of my late father."

"Pretty swank," Breeze noted dubiously, "The rent on this place must set you back quite a bit."

"We do not rent our possessions," Toma replied grandly, "This Palace was created by one of my ancestors many generations ago in exchange for some diamonds and rubies that were themselves the gift of a Mogul. This island moves about with no fixed pattern, which has given us the ability to live off what we find in the sea, whether shipwrecks or raiders, and we trade what we need from those other islands with which we come in contact. Having little arable land of our own for farming, we must manage to get by with such amenities as the Fates provide us."

"In other words you guys are little better than pirates yourselves," Breeze turned a questioning look over his shoulder, "But what gives with you, Momma? Why are you dressed like that, and what's this stuff about you being his Queen Mother?"

"Patience, Child," Lao said with a sad expression, "I've told you many times that you should never judge a situation by mere appearances…and there is a lot more at stake here than you know."

"I will explain it to her, if you don't mind," Toma replied, "Now…if you don't mind, I really do not require a chaperone right now. You have my word as Prince of this island that no harm will befall your daughter. I merely wish to take a few moments to better acquaint myself with my future Princess."

"Are you sure you want Breeze to fit that role?" Lao asked, "There were more than enough lovely young things in that room from whom you might have selected a bride…"

"And all of them were old enough to be my sisters, if I had any," Toma responded, "A few even could have been my mother. I am more interested in this one because she has a strong will and a mind of her own, plus she has the unique perspective of being both a woman and a man…and I confess that I find her fascinating for that very reason."

"What?" Breeze blinked, "You don't mean you…?"

"Oh, I have no interest in marrying a man, if that is what you are thinking," Toma waved the point dismissively, "Other men may do as they will, but I must marry a bride who can give me children if I am to pass along my heritage, and…as your mother so kindly informed me…you are unable to resume the role of a man, thanks in large measure to her efforts."

"Yeah, but…I'm kind of young for that, don't you think?" Breeze grimaced.

"There is nothing for you to fear," Toma said pleasantly, "I will not force myself on you, nor am I ready for anything so graphic. I have some knowledge of what is involved in the copulation of men and women, but it seems far too medical and technical for me, and besides, I well know that it will be a few more years before your hips widen enough for the safe delivery of children. No, what I want more than anything right now is not so much a wife as a companion."

"A companion?" Breeze blinked.

"Yes," Toma turned to face her directly, "I have read an expression in one of my father's books that I think applies quite adequately here…it is indeed lonely at the top, and I would like to have someone around who isn't afraid of me or afraid to voice their own mind within my presence. My servants are good men, and loyal beyond question, but they don't really have the nerve to tell me to my face when they think that I am wrong or am in need of being contradicted."

"I didn't think Princes wanted to be contradicted," Breeze admitted.

"You would be surprised at how boring it gets never being able to engage in an argument or to hear an opinion voiced contrary to my own mind," Toma replied, "I can remember having vigorous debates with my own father when I was close to your own age, and I miss having him around for that very reason. No one here will risk angering me, and after a while I've started to wonder if they are just humoring me or even possibly contradicting me behind my back where I cannot hear them. You represent a fresh perspective, and if you are enough like a boy to know the perils of young manhood, then perhaps you can teach me what it means to be a man in other ways…when we both deem it is the right time for such an exploration."

"Ah…that does kind of sound reasonable," Breeze scratched her blue hair and seemed to be thinking it over before turning to glance at her elder, "What do you think, Momma?"

"I think that you are coming near to the age when you will develop your own mind and opinion, Child," Lao replied, "Amazons mature very quickly because our lives force us to confront issues that many landboard Outlander children may never encounter within a lifetime. I do not want to lose you, but if Prince Toma is merely seeking a companion and not a sex partner…"

"These things will take their own time to develop," Toma assured them, "Now, if you don't mind, I would like to talk alone with my future bride. I will call you when I have need of you, Captain."

"If that's the way you want to play it," Lao nodded grimly, "Breeze…remain here, and be on your best behavior. I'll talk with you alone when matters have worked themselves out…but for now…if you don't mind, I have some people whom I need to look up. Or, rather, they should be looking for me about now, and I must talk to them to resolve a potential conflict."

"Those people who rudely forced their way into my Palace?" Toma asked her.

"The very same," Lao replied, "But one pair in particular, and if I don't leave now they might be here at any moment."

"What are you gonna do, Momma?" Breeze asked.

"Attempt to reason with Nabiki and her husband," Lao said as she turned about, "But if that fails, there are always other ways of being persuasive."

"As you will, Captain Lao," Toma acknowledged, "But be mindful of our agreement."

"As if you would let me forget that," Lao grumbled to herself as she grimly strode out of the chamber…

Continued

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