Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction ❯ The Senior Year ❯ Surprise, Darling! You're A Father! ( Chapter 13 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Surprise, Darling! You're a Father!!"
by Fred Herriot
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edited by E.B. Kushnir
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Thirteenth of a series of fan fiction stories based on "Urusei
Yatsura," created by Rumiko Takahashi
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WRITER'S NOTES:

1) This story originally was Mike's idea, but I took up the task
of writing it. Further, many of the ideas infused into the Seifukusu
Dominion were inspired by the events in the alternate Urusei Yatsura
classic "Just a Dream." My special thanks to all the other Yatsura
fanfic writers, especially "Just a Dream's" creator Lew Burden, whose
ideas and proposals are seeing light for the first time in "Urusei
Yatsura - The Senior Year."

2) In concern with the use of house names such as Redet, Seq,
Pochal, Azu to the naming system I first noted in "Alternate Lum-san,"
here is a simple rule to follow:

a. When dealing between two clans (i.e. the Midorinokaminoke-onis
[Lum's clan] and the Akaikaminoke-seishins [Lan's clan]) people greet
each other by given name and clan, i.e. "Lum no Midorinokaminoke-oni"
or "Lan no Akaikaminoke-seishin."

b. When dealing between two houses in the same clan (i.e. the
Redets [Lum's house] and the Seqs [Rei's house]) people greet each
other by given name and house, i.e. "Lum, House Redet" (or Lum Redet)
and "Rei, House Seq" (or Rei Seq). Note that due to the abuses of
many of the Seifukusu houses, the use of house names on Uru is
considered somewhat in bad taste with many people.

c. When dealing between two families in the same house, house
names are dropped.

3) On Triton, Seifukusu house names have been banned. On
Fukunokami, who weathered the Seifukusu rule with little problems, the
house names were later adopted as clan names (i.e. Shigaten, Hisaten,
Shogai, Hyooga, etc).

4) "Mashi'cha" is the way a Sagussan would address a mother's
bond-mate. The male term is "mamon'cha." It is the Sagussan version
of the common usage of "oba-chan" and "oji-chan."

5) Sagussan children are named with a given name, then a middle
name using the order of birth and mother's name. Sagussan numbers
work in both cardinal and ordinal format. The basic numbers are:
ai=1, ei=2, ii=3, oi=4, ui=5, ao=6, eo=7, io=8, uo=9, o=10. "Eioao,"
therefore, is 26...and "Eioaonoa" is "Twenty-sixth of Noa."

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Deep space...approaching Earth.

The beautiful blue orb rotates far below the keel of the
"Redet Princess" as Paishu's emerald eyes focused on the archipelago
of Japan. She had seen this two years before when she was an
impetuous young girl seeing the hinterlands beyond the Dominion's
borders for the first time. Now she was mature...she had to be, given
what happened in Tomobiki before the Urusians came.

A hint of a smile tweaks at Paishu's lips. The
Urusians...indeed a majority of the worlds claiming membership in the
Galactic Federation...had born thriving Dominion colonies eight Earth
centuries ago. Then was a time of turmoil in the Dominion as the
Houses fought for dominance and control of the Magate. The civil wars
had distracted the Dominion from maintaining a close watch on the
lesser races. That distraction spelt disaster.

Paishu turns from her viewing portal to slip out of her silk
robes marking her a daughter of the First Mage of the Seifukusu
Dominion. She was the youngest of Belok's twenty-five, not eligible
to inherit title, much less land. However, given her present status,
she had gained something more: a family, not to mention a foothold in
claiming Earth as a Dominion affiliate.

Such possibilities would fly right in the lessers' faces, for
the Federation also coveted Earth, mostly as a defence against the
Ipraedies. Had the events of two years ago not occurred, Paishu would
simply be shuttled into marrying a minor official from a House
friendly to the Redet, then conveniently forgotten. Now, she stood
the chance to overcome her sisters and brothers and bring a world into
the Dominion's fold for the first time in a millennium.

Dressing in ashore furskins, Paishu slips on the tiger-ruby
necklace which marked her House and position. Looking once more at
Earth, she smiles, then turns and heads to the nursery. Her future
husband would certainly wish to see his newborn son...

* * *

"No, you *cannot* see Ataru!!!" Koosei Ryooki roars.

The Saturn Five dive-bombs at mach speed, crushing Lan under
its awesome weight!!!! Everyone in room 337 automatically backsteps
from their homeroom teacher as he straightens himself, shoving his
glasses into place. "If I said it before, I'll say it again,
airhead...I will **not** give you a chance to change your visa so you
can pester Ataru!! Siddown and shaddup!!!"

Lan scrambles into her seat. Everyone moans. "Doesn't she
give up?!" Mie Seikou whispers to Lum.

The Kyushu native had moved into Ataru's old seat in the wake
of his leaving Tomobiki High. Lum did not mind since Mie was
presently probably the only trustworthy person outside of Koosei in
Class 3-4. "Lan doesn't know the word 'give up,'" the Oni sighs.
"It's alien to her language!"

"Dipwit!" Mie snorts.

Koosei returns to his chair, then pulls out his newspaper,
ignoring the lethal stare Lan gives him. Shutaro Mendou rises.
"Sensei, can I be excused to dispatch a letter?"

A hundred-tonne sledgehammer bashes him into the back wall!
"I saw that letterbomb you wanted to send Ataru!!" Koosei growls.
"You're not the Unabomber!! Siddown...that's another week's detention
for you!!!"

Mendou groans as he crawls back to his chair. The other boys
snicker in delight on seeing their wealthy classmate humiliated at
their teacher's hands. Since Ataru's departure from Tomobiki and the
imposition of the court injunction preventing everyone from
approaching Oshika, the mood in the class has gyrated from deep
depression (Ataru was not around for them to heap their problems on)
to mad lunacy (again, Ataru was not around for them to heap their
problems on). Only Lum and Mie were allowed to visit the man they
cared for. Further, Ataru was entertaining guests in Oshika:
Dakejinzou Shogai and Yukio; the former resting after learning the
shocking truth of her existence, the latter desiring to be separated
from her fellow hybrids in Sendai, being supervised by Komeru
Moroboshi while Nassur was on Sabaku undergoing the *nicha*.

The putter of a hover scooter is heard as Ten-chan drives in.
"Koosei-onii-chan!! Koosei-onii-chan!!" the young Oni calls out.
"Oh, there you are!"

"Ten, I've told you often enough not to come to class!!"
Koosei rises. "Do you listen or do my words pass through one ear and
out the other?!"

"No, no, no!!!" Ten-chan lands his scooter, then points out
the window. "We got a visitor!"

"Visitor?!" Koosei looks confused.

Instantly, everyone is at the windows looking up. "Look!!!"
Aisuru Megane points.

"A flying clipper ship?!!" Shitto Paama gasps.

"That's a Dominion cruiser!!!" Lum turns white.

Lan instantly leaps under her desk! "Dominion?!!" Koosei
yelps. "What the hell are the Seifukusu doing here?!!"

"Who are the Seifukusu?!" Shinobu Miyaki looks confused.

The "Redet Princess" settles into a hovering orbit at five
hundred metres altitude, blanketing much of Tomobiki with its slender
thousand-metre long hull. People see crews manning the five
windjammer-style masts pulling in hectares of solar sails. As soon as
the cruiser comes to a halt, a light-escalator extends its way to the
window of room 337. Everyone watches as two beings magnetically glide
to the window. Seeing them, the Terrans turn white. "ALIENS!!!!"

"Boy, those Kibajoomuu are sure ugly!" Ten-chan shudders.

"I've never seen one this close before!" Lum nods.

"They look like walking porcupines!" Momoe Marubeya gasps.

"Don't those quills hurt?!" Kumiko Gekasawa hums.

"They'll hurt if you hit them or if they fire them at you!"
Lum whispers.

The two Kibajoomuu step down, both capable of towering over
Captain Invader. They then part, allowing the person they are
escorting to step into the class. Everyone gasps. "What a
goddess!!!" Megane has hearts in his eyes.

"A turquoise-skinned woman?!" Natsuko Shinryaku looks
confused. "Is she sick?!"

Paishu sighs, then looks around. "Is this the educational
institution known as Tomobiki High School?"

"It is," Koosei walks out of the crowd. "I'm Koosei Ryooki,
the teacher of this class."

One of the Kibajoomuu raises his fist. "Show respect to the
Lady Paishu Redet, lesser!!"

"She's Redet?!" Lum gasps, her voice hushed.

The Saturn Five answers!!!! "Further, I'm a cultural observer
of the Galactic Federation!" Koosei sternly warns. "By the Treaty of
Kooshoosuru, the Seifukusu Dominion has vowed to stay out of the
territories of the Federation. You've no business here!"

Paishu waves the other Kibajoomuu down from attacking Koosei,
then sniffs. "You forget, observer, that this world has not been
claimed by the lessers of the Federation, despite what the Urusians
may say to the contrary," she fires Lum a condescending stare.

"That's what you think, slaver!!!" Lum growls.

The Saturn Five separates the two. "Enough!!!" Koosei snaps.
"Paishu has a point, Lum!"

"How dare you spit on Lum-san?!!" Mendou draws his katana and
moves to attack Koosei. "This is unforgivable...!!"

The Saturn Five stops him!!!! "Yes, it is unforgivable to
attack your teacher!!" Koosei growls. "That's another week for you!"

"If I may interrupt this idiot convention..." Paishu growls.

Everyone looks at her. "What do you want?!" Koosei relaxes.

"I seek the grandson of the Zephyrite Righteous Gentile
Nagaiwakai Moroboshi," the Seifukusu sighs. "His name is Ataru."

"Darling?!" Lum looks surprised.

"You want Ataru-chan?!" Mie looks suspicious.

"He no longer attends this school," Koosei reports. "You have
to go to Oshika, on the Ojika-hantou, to find him."

"Thank you," Paishu nods.

Without a farewell, she steps on the escalator and returns to
her ship, her Kibajoomuu falling in behind her. As soon as she is
aboard, the "Redet Princess" retracts the boarding ramp, then
levitates away from Tomobiki. Everyone watches the ship fly away,
then look at Lum. "Lum-san, who was that?!" Megane gasps.

"She's a Seifukusu mage's daughter," the Oni explains. "In
her eyes, we're no more than slaves since the Seifukusu Dominion
conquered over half the worlds in this sector a millennium ago."

"WHAT?!?!?!" everyone cries out.

"They, why don't we know of them?!" Mendou demands.

"Because Earth was too primitive even for the Dominion to
consider annexing," Lum looks sad, remembering the darkest days of her
race. "However, worlds like Uru and Neptune weren't so lucky."

"What are these people like, Ryooki-sensei?" Momoe wonders.

"Think of the European powers' actions in Africa over the last
five centuries," the teacher sighs. "That will give you an idea."

Everyone winces. "Wait a second, here!" Mie interrupts.
"What does that skunk want with Ataru-chan?!"

"Who cares?!" Megane growls. "If that woman's here to take
that slime away, all the better for us!"

"Speak for yourself, Aisuru!!" Lum growls, zapping him!

"That's a good question," Koosei hums. "The Dominion and
Zephyrus are enemies, have been since the Inquisition excommunicated a
whole planet to stop the Dominion's advances into their territory."

"Ryooki-sensei, may I be excused?!" Lum pleads.

"Go!" Koosei nods.

Lum flies out the window. Mendou and the guards move to
follow their classmate, but the Saturn Five stops them!!!! "I never
gave you permission to leave!!" the teacher growls.

"Forgot about the court injunction?!" Ten-chan snickers.

The five boys moan...

* * *

Ataru's eyes open.

He moans on seeing Dakejinzou's angelic features. It was a
weekday, with Lum still in Tomobiki. As he rises, the former class
president contemplates what has happened over the last three stories.
Moving to Oshika should have been simplicity in itself. However, Lum
could not get her visa changed so she could be allowed to live
full-time with him. Further, Ataru felt that his girlfriend was
stalling on the question of living away from her friends in Tomobiki.
"It's not like I want you to stop seeing them!" Ataru told her. "All
I want is for you to get away from what perverted nonsense they think
of when you're around!! I don't want to take your friends away! I
just don't want to live with those idiots anymore!!"

"But they're *your* friends, too, Darling...!" Lum's response
was automatic. Ataru shakes his head as he walks out of his bedroom
to allow Dakejinzou to sleep. Trying to wedge Lum out of Tomobiki was
becoming a chore. The Moroboshi Clan's intelligence forces had heard
that the Mendou Clan...undoubtedly Mendou himself...was trying to
influence the Interior Ministry to prevent Lum from shifting her
living address away from Tomobiki. Normally, Ataru would respond with
an appeal to his grandmother to get the Minister to lean the other
way. Unfortunately, with Nagaiwakai's hatred of Lum and everything
which came in the Oni's wake, Ataru might as well wish for the moon.

Stepping into his kitchen, Ataru notices food had been
prepared, obviously by Yukio before she went off to train with the
other hybrids. The apprentice executioner was spending some final
days with the other hybrids before returning to Cademus and commencing
training under Hazel's great-grandfather Varanko. Ataru admitted that
he would miss Yukio. It felt as if all the people he wanted as
friends were leaving him. When they were gone, Ataru would not have
much left outside his sister and her friends, plus Lum and Mie.

Perhaps leaving Tomobiki was not the right solution.
Unfortunately, Ataru could not see any alternative. The blows of the
Spirit War and Nokoko's return had yet to wear off. And if he did
return, what then? Go back to the way it was before Icarus? No
chance, Ataru concluded. Things were going to change in his life even
if he had to drag Lum kicking and screaming through every step! The
doorbell rings. "Who's that?!" Ataru walks to the front door.
Opening it, he looks...then turns white. "Y-yes...?"

The two Kibajoomuu crouch as they step inside, then stand away
as Paishu steps in. Ataru's pulse instantly fires into overdrive on
seeing her. He had never seen a Seifukusu before, only having heard
from Brother Sunfire that males were typically enormous, repulsive and
witless, while the females were typically slight, stunning and apt.
Paishu was a perfect example of a Seifukusu of high breeding, standing
no taller than his shoulders. "C-can I help you...?" Ataru stammers,
trying desperately not to faint or leap at her.

"Are you Ataru Moroboshi?" the Seifukusu hums.

"Yes," he nods.

"Grandson of the Righteous Gentile Nagaiwakai Moroboshi?"

"Um...yes," Ataru looks confused.

"The one the lessers from Uru chose as a champion in their
silly tag games?"

"That's me," Ataru is more confused. "Um...who are you?"

She gracefully nods. "I am Paishu of the House Redet,
daughter of the First Mage Belok."

A First Mage's daughter?! This was becoming more intriging by
the minute. "Hajimimashite," Ataru bows.

"Please," Paishu giggles. "There is no need for such
formalities around me, Ataru." She turns to her servants. "Leave us
and return to the ship."

The Kibajoomuu bow, then depart. "What's this about?" Ataru
crosses his arms, relieved that the giants were gone.

"Why, Ataru..." the Seifukusu looks hurt, "...surely you must
realize that I've come here to claim you as my husband!"

"Oh, is that all...eh?!!" he turns white. "'HUSBAND?!?!?!'"

Paishu beams. Ataru does the most logical thing: faint!

* * *

Ataru now lies on the living room couch. Paishu waves a
magazine over his face. Dakejinzou stands beside him, dressed in an
oversized T-shirt. "Oh, what happened...?" he moans as he looks
over...then panics on seeing the Seifukusu. "Yeow!!!" Ataru leaps up
to create distance between them. "You're still here?!!"

"I have no place to go, Ataru!" Paishu smiles. "Now, stop
being shy and come down here!"

"Ataru-chan, what's this about?!" Dakejinzou shakes her head.

Ataru slowly comes down. "She...she said she's here to marry
me...!" he points at Paishu.

"Oh?!" the huntress looks at Paishu. "Well, one must credit
her good taste!"

"Dake-chan!!" Ataru moans.

"And one must credit Ataru's taste in friends," the Seifukusu
gracefully bows. "Your exploits in the Dominion are well know to me,
Dakejinzou of House Shogai. It is such a pity you did not decide to
join your tribespeople in the Dominion."

"Sorry," Dakejinzou giggles. "Being employed as a breaker
seems boring to me."

Both women giggle. Ataru looks at them, then decides to let
the matter pass. "Why are you here, anyway, ma'am?" he stands,
looking closely at Paishu.

"Ataru, there's no need for such formality," the Seifukusu
corrects him. "My friends call me Pai. My husband can call me
anything he wants."

"O-okay...Pai-chan," he stammers. "You still haven't answered
the question."

"Didn't you hear me earlier?"

"I did, but I don't understand why," Ataru nods. "You know of
my grandmother and you know my connection to Uru. Both things the
Dominion would consider intolerable."

Paishu looks hurt. "Husband, do you not remember when we
first met?" she sniffs.

"We just met now," Ataru affirms.

"Oh, what has happened to you?!!" tears jet out of her eyes.

He tries to calm her. "There, there, Pai-chan!! Don't cry!"

"How could you forget me?!!" Paishu wails. "How could you
forget the passionate night we had two years ago?! How?! How?!!"

"What passionate night?!" Dakejinzou looks confused.

"That's what I'd like to know!" Ataru sighs.

"Y-you don't remember?!" Paishu sniffs.

Ataru shakes his head. Paishu reaches up to her toga top and
unfastens the locket on her shoulder, allowing the cloth to fall away.
"Surely you'd remember these..." she coos, caressing her breasts.

Blood leaks from his nose. "I...I would if I...s-saw them
before..." Ataru stammers.

She unbuckles her leather strap skirt, allowing it to fall
away. "Or here, perhaps...?" she hums, reaching between her legs.

Ataru gulps, the blood coagulating in his moustache.
"N-no...n-never saw th-that before..."

"Oh, husband, really!!!" Paishu snorts, hands to hips. "I
remember our night of passion as if it was yesterday!!"

"S-sorry..." Ataru shakes his head. "Believe me, Pai-chan,
I'd remember everything about you if we ever met before!"

Silence falls over them. "Well...s-surely you remember when
we met in that alley...?" Paishu stutters, visibly trying to
comprehend their mis-communication.

Ataru shakes his head. "The fact that you said I was the most
beautiful woman you'd ever seen?!" Paishu leans up to him.

He shakes his head. "The fact that I had to teach you how to
love a woman?" she hums.

"That's not Ataru-chan," Dakejinzou shakes her head. "He has
long known how to comfort a woman."

Ataru shrugs. "Sorry...wrong guy! Um...could you get
dressed, please?"

Paishu hums as she slips her clothes on. "If it was dark,
wouldn't you've not seen him?" Dakejinzou interrupts.

"Well, most Terrans do look alike to us," Paishu hums.
"However, there's more proof." She snaps her fingers.

A Kibajoomuu appears beside her. "Ma'am?"

"Fetch the letter," the Seifukusu orders.

The creature disappears, only to return a moment later, a roll
of parchment in hand. "Here you are, ma'am."

"Leave us."

The Kibajoomuu leaves. Paishu unrolls the parchment, then
shows it to Ataru. "Look here!" she points.

Ataru looks. "'I, Ataru Moroboshi, do agree that if the Lady
Paishu of House Redet does bear my child, that I shall be her
husband.'" He looks closer, then gulps. "Um...gee," he giggles,
"...th-that's my signature!"

"You remember?!!" Paishu smiles.

"Nope," Ataru shakes his head.

Paishu faints! "Oh, what has happened to you?!!" she growls,
standing, then snaps her fingers.

A Kibajoomuu appears. "Bring *him* here," Paishu orders.

"At once, m'lady," the creature bows, then leaves.

Ataru and Dakejinzou look at each other, still confused. The
Kibajoomuu returns, a small bundle in his spiny arms. He gently hands
it to his mistress, who unraps the top part and shows it to Ataru.
"There you are, husband...your son!"

"It's a...it's a...it's a...!" Ataru falters.

"A baby!!" Dakejinzou gulps.

Ataru faints! "My husband's so silly!" Paishu giggles.

* * *

An hour later, Ataru's eyes open. He is now in his bedroom.
Dakejinzou leans over him. "Ataru-chan, are you alright?!"

"Oh, gods...!" he moans, rubbing his skull. "Dake-chan, it
was crazy! I just had this weird dream about this girl coming here
and saying she's the mother of my child!"

"Um...I hate to say this, Ataru-chan, but it was no dream,"
the huntress turns and picks up a small bundle.

Ataru turns white on seeing a beautiful year-old baby boy
wrapped in gold silk. "G-gods..." he stammers. "I-is th-that...?"

"Paishu's son," Dakejinzou smiles. "His name is Trolok.
Isn't he beautiful?"

"Y-yeah...I guess..." Ataru stammers, looking closely at the
sleeping bundle. "Dake-chan?"

"Yes?" she looks at him.

"I'm not his father," Ataru nods to the baby. "I would
remember someone as beautiful as Pai-chan."

"I'm aware of that," she sits beside him. "The problem is how
to persuade Paishu of that."

"Yeah...and do it before Lum finds out!" Ataru lays back. "If
she thinks the wrong thing, I'm dead! But...how the hell did my
signature get on that letter?!"

"Forgery?" Dakejinzou proposes.

"Yeah," Ataru hums. "But who and why?!"

"Can't help you there," the huntress shakes her head.

The door opens and Paishu steps in. Ataru's jaw drops on
seeing her in a opaque silk gown which leaves nothing to the
imagination. "Oh, husband, you're awake!" she sits beside him,
handing him a cup of tea. "Here...this will soothe your nerves."

"Um...th-thanks..." he stammers. "Um...Pai-chan?"

"Yes?" she beams.

"W-would you st-stop calling me 'h-husband?'" he smiles.
"After all, we've just met..."

"Ataru, we met two years ago...!" she interrupts.

"No, we didn't!!" he snaps.

Paishu jolts. A wail utters from Trolok at the outburst of
noise. "Oh, hush, little one...hush..." Dakejinzou comforts the baby.

Trolok calms down as a purr utters from the huntress' throat.
"Um, why don't you take him out for a moment, Dake-chan?" Ataru nods.

"Of course," she rises, giggling. "I'll leave you and your
fiancee be."

"Dake-chan!!" Ataru snaps.

The huntress ducks a pillow as she leaves. Paishu giggles as
she leans into Ataru. "Oh, she is such a delight, Ataru!" she
lovingly embraces him. "When did you and she meet?"

"Pai-chan!" Ataru shoves her away. "Stop that!!"

"What's wrong?!" she demands. "Why are you denying what
happened to us?!"

"Because *nothing* happened!!" Ataru snaps. "I don't know
you, Pai-chan! Believe me, I would remember it if I met you, much
less made love to you or signed that stupid paper!!"

"Then if it wasn't you, then who could it be?!" Paishu stands.
"Is there another Ataru Moroboshi living in Tomobiki?!"

"Um...not th-that I know of..." he shakes his head.

The Seifukusu looks hurt. "Ataru, am I not beautiful?!" she
sniffs. "Do not deny to me that you find me attractive!"

"O-of course y-you're attractive..." he stammers. "B-but
th-that's not the point! The point is..."

"I see," she turns away. "You've been plagued so long by
lessers that you've forgotten the companionship I gave you..."

"Th-that's not it!" he shakes his head. "You're twisting
things around...!"

Paishu turns around, slipping her gown off. "Come, Ataru..."
she reaches for him, "...come and remember the love we had..."

"H-hey...!!" Ataru backs away.

"Darling!!!" someone snaps.

Ataru and Paishu turn to see Lum standing by the glass doors
to their bedroom. A wounded, incensed look is on the Oni's face.
"Darling, you better explain this to me..." she growls, lightning
dances over her body, "...if you know what's good for you!!"

Ataru moans. Just what he needed. "Well, Darling?!!" Lum
repeats. "What is this slaver doing here?!"

He looks at them, unsure of what to say or do. The Seifukusu
is clearly not impressed. "Ataru, kindly inform your house-slave to
act her station!" she sneers.

"'HOUSE-SLAVE?!?!?!'" a volcano erupts on Lum's head. "You've
got gall saying that to your house-mate!!!"

"'House-mate?!!'" Paishu retorts. "You would only be *my*
house-mate if your race rejected the teachings we willingly gave you!"

"You mean the teachings you *forced* on us!!!" Lum growls.

"Now, now, girls...!" Ataru tries to calm them down.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!!!!!!" both deform into horrible monsters!

"N-no problem...!" he cowers from them.

Lum and Paishu face off. "What are you doing nude in our
bedroom, slaver?!!" the Oni snarls. "Out to entice Darling with that
fat ass?! You're even uglier than Shinobu Miyaki!!!"

In Tomobiki, Shinobu sneezes! "'Our' bedroom?!!" the Seifukusu
howls. "You've got gall, lesser; I'll grant you that!! But, if you
really wish to know, Ataru is my fiance!"

"WHAT?!?!?!" Lum howls. "Darling is ***my*** fiance!!!"

"She's right!!!" Ataru hugs Lum's leg. "Lum's my fiancee!!"

Paishu looks hurt. "Husband, how could you...oh, I see,
now!!" she snarls, lethally staring at Lum. "You brainwashed him!!!
You're afraid we'd take this world from you lessers, eh?!!"

"That's not so!!!" Lum retorts.

"What about your second Tag Race?!" Paishu hisses. "I saw how
badly you abused poor Ataru, behaving like the model eco-terrorist,
forcing him to say 'I love you' to save Earth from Yaminokuni
mushrooms!! You cannot even begin to deny that, Oni!!!"

"Y-yes, th-that's true..." she regretfully nods. "I'll have
that incident on my head for the rest of my life...!"

"True," Paishu walks to the door. "Dakejinzou!!" she calls
out. "Can you bring Trolok here, please?!!"

Dakejinzou returns with Trolok in her arms. "He's a lovely
child, Pai-chan...oh, Lum!!" the huntress looks surprised...then
realizes what could potentially happen. "Oh, dear!"

"Wha...?!" Lum turns white.

Paishu takes her son in her arms, pulling the cloth away to
reveal hair and eyes the same shade as Ataru's! "Tell me, Oni?" she
smiles. "Can a pure-blood Seifukusu bear a child with *brown* hair?!"

Lum drops to her knees, then angrily spins on Ataru.
"Darling, what's the meaning of **this**?!!"

"I...I...I...!" he stammers, unable to say more.

"And further, I have this..." the Seifukusu pulls out the
incriminating parchment. "Ataru agreed the day we made love that he'd
marry me the instant I have a child!! I have a child, I'm here and
that's **my** fiance you're threatening!!!"

Lum looks closely at the parchment. "No...it can't be...!"
she sniffs. "Th-that's D-darling's...!"

"Lum, it's not what you think!!!" Ataru gasps. "She only
**thinks** she's my fiancee!! I don't even remember...eeep!!!"

She is in his lap, rubbing her cheek against his. "Leave this
lesser be! I want to experience the night we met all over again!"

"Cut it out, Pai-chan!!" Ataru shoves her away.

Lum looks very hurt. "You...you're calling her a
nickname...?" she sniffs. "You...you...how could you, Darling...?"

"Lum, will you listen for once, please?!!" Ataru pleads.

The Oni turns away. "You...I could understand if it was
Yukio...I could understand if it was Mie...I could understand if it
was Dakejinzou if anyone could ever have a child with her...I *maybe*
could understand if it was Elle...but this...this...!"

"Lum, that baby is **not** mine!!" Ataru points at Paishu. "I
never met her until today!!!"

"I met you two years ago...!" the Seifukusu cries.

"Stay out of this!!!" he barks.

Paishu falls silent. Ataru turns to Lum. "Lum, don't let
what her people did to yours cloud what's going on here!!" he places a
hand on her shoulder. "She's made a mistake, that's all...!!"

She stares at him, betrayed. "Darling...you...you...!!" she
stammers, lightning dancing over her skin.

"No, Lum...!!" he cries.

"That's enough!!!" a voice barks.

A stun blast impacts Lum's abdomen, sending the Oni crashing
into the wall! Ataru and Paishu see Dakejinzou with a smoking firearm
in hand. The Oni looks at the huntress is shock. "Wh-why...?"

"You forget who still has me on retainer!" Dakejinzou replies.

Lum looks more hurt, feeling the all-encompassing reach of
Ataru's grandmother Nagaiwakai. Ataru stares at her, then shakes his
head. "I don't begin to believe you...!" he hisses. "After all the
shit we've been through over the last three months, you **still**
persist on not listening to a thing I say before jumping to
conclusions!! Is that all you can think of me; just your pet who
doesn't have any right to think and act on his own?!!"

The Oni is speechless. "Darling...?"

"Get out!" he turns away.

Lum turns white. "Get out of this house!!" Ataru hisses.
"You have no right to come here anymore! I'll call Grandma and have
your visa revoked!! If you won't learn a damn thing, then I've no
interest in having any sort of relationship!! And don't expect Mendou
or the others to come to your rescue once Dake-chan and the
Inquisition get through with them!!!"

"Darling, wait...!" the Oni pleads.

"He said 'leave!!'" Dakejinzou levels the gun at her. "Or
else Uru will have to find a **new** tag champion!!!"

Silence, then Lum flies out of the room, tears trailing her.
Ataru sits on the bed. Paishu moves to his side. "Ataru...?"

"**You** get out!!!" the Terran roars.

Paishu backs away on seeing the fire in his eyes.
"C'mon...you've done enough!" Dakejinzou grabs the Seifukusu by the
arm and drags her out of the room.

Once alone, Ataru leans into his hands, crying...

* * *

"...calling Grandma to get me kicked off Earth!" Lum sniffs as
she talks to her parents over the space-phone. "Then, he'll get the
Inquisition to kill everyone in Tomobiki!"

The Invaders look at each other. "This is fantastic!" Lum's
father growls, looking angry enough to chew neutronium. "First there
was Elle, now there's this girl...and she has a child?!! How dare
that two-timer do that to you?!!"

"Dear, what if this is some attempt by the Dominion to take
Earth from us?!" Mrs. Invader hums.

Invader falls silent. "If Ataru's grandmother does proceed to
kick Lum off the planet, then there'll be no way we could claim first
contact rights with the United Nations," Lum's mother continues. "The
Federation will be split no matter which foe we face!"

"That's true..." the giant captain hums.

"It doesn't matter!" Lum sniffs. "Keep me out of your
political nonsense! I'll never go back to Darling again!! How can I
forgive him for **this**?!!"

"Lum, you have to do your duty for Uru...!" her mother warns.

Lum responds by cutting the link. Slowly, painfully, she
makes her way into the stateroom. Beside her bed is a picture of
Ataru, Lum and Reiko taken sometime after the Oshika house was
completed; the scene of a perfect family. "Why...?" Lum moans as she
takes the picture in hand. Suddenly, a burst of anger explodes inside
her as lightning flares around her hands. Her eyes then focus at the
image of all three holding hands. The lightning vanishes as Lum pulls
the picture to her heart.

The Spirit War had ripped away almost everything Lum held
sacred. Ataru had never questioned things before the *saikoo
jinseijitsu* made hash of it all. It was convenient to blame all of
the changes on the sentient ninja database's covert, then overt
influence on her Darling's thoughts and beliefs. Convenience no
longer made sense when Ataru moved to Oshika. Convenience no longer
made sense when Reiko was sent to school in Ishinomaki. Convenience
no longer made sense when every person Lum trusted to help her watch
over Darling now could not come within twenty kilometres of him!

She had hoped that she could finally convince him to come
home, to bring Reiko home. She had hoped he could come to trust
people again, to love his parents, to accept the people she liked as
his friends. To date, she could not budge him. What made matters
worse was that he was as determined to drag her away from Tomobiki, to
place her where she did not know with people she still had trouble
trusting. Now...she had been robbed of all chances of reconciliation
thanks to a slaver from a race which had raped Uru long ago.

"Darling, you idiot..." she moans as sleep seizes her.
"Idiot...idiot..."

* * *

"...IDIOT!!!!!!" Lum cries out.

"Eh?!" Mari-chan looks surprised. "Is something wrong, Lum?"

Lum looks around, quickly recognizing the architect's private
studio on the slopes of Esanta'cha, not far from hers and Ataru's
home. The Gophentaxian-born woman, as tall as Captain Invader and
more muscular than Arnold Schwartzenegger, walks around her canvas,
absently twirling one side pigtail framing her beautifully sculptured
face. The Oni pants as the Sagussan places a suntanned hand on her
shoulder. "Oh, *datcha*, what happened...?"

"You're supposed to be posing, remember?" Mari-chan smiles,
angelic despite her mass and brawn. "Did you forget something?"

Forget something? Lum sees herself in the black-gold and
light blue of external affairs. Now Lum remembered. She had, after
complaining incessantly to Ataru and Noa-chan about not having a job
on Sagussa, been drafted by Kaori-chan to be a special advisor on
foreign relations. What was she supposed to be doing, anyway? "I...I
don't remember..." the Oni stammers.

A doorbell is heard, followed by knocking and a man's voice.
"Lum!! *Mashi'cha*!!!"

"Kaede-chan?!" Lum looks over.

Mari-chan answers the door, allowing a handsome young
Seishin-descent man in government black-and-gold to step in. "There
you are, *mashi'cha*!" he walks up to Lum. "Don't you remember?!
Mother's giving birth!"

Lum turns white. "Oh, *datcha*, how could I forget that?!!"
she bolts up. "I'm sorry, Mari!!" she bows. "I'll be back!"

"Take your time!" Mari-chan waves as Lum and the man leave.

The two race down the path to the local transporter station.
"Oh, Noa's going to kill me!" the Oni frets. "I promised her I'd be
there to see your sister born, Ainoa! How could I've forgot that?!"

"You've been bored stiff, then deluged by work!" Kaede Ainoa
Moroboshi allows Lum to step into the transporter, then follows her
in. "What did you expect?" He turns to the control pad. "Shote'cha
Village Hospital..."

* * *

Lum and Noa-chan's eldest son Kaede are transported fifteen
kilometres to the valley below Esanta'cha, where in front of a
beautiful medical clinic, a blonde-haired Terran in child services
gold-and-silver with flowers at her temples waits. Seeing Lum and
Kaede emerge from the transporter, she waves. "Lum-chan!!!
Yoh-hoh!!! Yoh-hoh!!!"

"Shiko!!!" the Oni flies up. "I'm so sorry!!! Where's Noa?!"

"She just gave birth an hour ago," Shiko-chan sighs. "Noa's
in recovery! C'mon!"

"She'll kill me..." Lum moans as she follows the nanny in.

A moment later, Lum peeks into a private room. "Noa?"

"Hi, Lum..." Noa-chan slurs, still under the effects of
pain-killers.

The Oni slides to her bond-mate's side, taking her hand. "I'm
sorry," she kisses Noa-chan on the forehead. "I've been so busy, it
totally slipped my mind..."

"Ah, don't apologize..." Noa-chan shakes her head. "It's my
fault! I wanted to carry this one all the way. I asked for it,
y'know!" she coos. "I looked ugly! How'm I supposed to let my looks
go in front of the woman I love?"

"Oh, hush, you!" Lum playfully swats her bond-mate's forehead.
"You were more beautiful than you ever were!!"

"Oh, you're just saying that!"

"I mean it!"

Noa-chan smiles. "I know you do, love."

The door opens and Shiko-chan steps in, a bundle in hand.
"Here you go, Noa!" the nanny beams as she hands Noa-chan her newest
joy. "Your daughter...Kum Eioaonoa Moroboshi."

"Oh, she's a darling!!" Lum squeals.

She is angelic, with Ataru's eyes and hair and Noa-chan's
ears. The Seishin-born bureaucrat immediately begins breast-feeding.
"There you go, Kum-chan..." the mother coos. "Drink all you want.
It's a change from all the stuff you got through my stomach!"

Shiko-chan departs. Lum sighs as she shifts around to gently
stroke Kum's cheek. Since coming to Sagussa, she had seen scenes like
this from a dozen *daishi'cha* and more. Noa, Honey, Lufy, Catty,
Biiko, Eiko, Shiko, the architects, the bodyguards, Kei, Yuri, Madoka,
Hikaru, her own spirit-sister and those of her friends...the list went
on and on. Every time, the Oni felt reborn, watching the children of
Sagussa...hers by spirit as much as Ataru's and the other *amon'cha*
by genetics...take their first few steps.

"So...do I miss your next birth?" Noa-chan teases.

"You better not!" Lum playfully growls. "Fate only knows
where Darling would be!"

Both laugh. "I have to admit that you've come a long way,
Lum-chan," Noa-chan kisses her.

"How?"

"Well, back when the first *seirei'cha* went into gestation, I
saw the touch of jealousy in your eyes," the Sagussan smiles. "You
felt that every child we had with Ataru was a dagger in your heart."

"I was defending my husband," the Oni purrs.

"On a planet where marriage never existed."

"True," Lum sighs. "Then again, there was that time when
Paishu came by claiming that Darling was the father of her child..."

"Your behaviour then was not laudable," Noa-chan smiles. "You
always did that to Ataru. Zapping him day-in, day-out, not realizing
that he had feelings, too. He may have felt comfortable having you
live with him, but your horning into his life all the time did hurt."

"Well...it was after the Spirit War..." Lum looks defensive.
She hated it when Noa-chan exposed all her past mistakes with Ataru.

"And you hurt because of that," Noa-chan nods. "You forgot
that Ataru was hurting even worse. He had to live with that monster
in his head, remember? And you turned around, not listening to a
single thing he said and went back to the way you treated him before
the Spirit War!"

They look at each other. "You made me learn," Lum sighs.

"I had no choice, remember...?"

* * *

Lum's eyes open.

Looking around, she finds herself aboard her scout. Her eyes
fall on the family portrait. Standing, she stretches herself, then
restores the picture to its proper place. What was she doing, sobbing
here in Tomobiki when some strange woman was trying to steal the man
she loved with some bogus story about a baby?! Ataru said that he
never met the woman before! Lum knew her Darling well enough to
understand that he would have remembered someone as beautiful as
Paishu. If he had forgotten, then it was probably because of the
influence of the *saikoo jinseijitsu*.

None the less, she could not stay here...

* * *

"Hey, Ataru-chan, who's the cutie with the kid?" Nokoko leans
into Ataru's bedroom.

Ataru is asleep. Dakejinzou looks over, shushing Ataru's
sister as she walks in. "Leave him alone, Nokoko-chan," the huntress
whispers. "Ataru-chan and Lum-chan had a fight."

"What about?" Nokoko sits on the bed.

"Thanks to Paishu out there..." Dakejinzou nods out the door,
"...Lum now believes that Ataru two-timed her. Did you see the baby?"

"Yeah," Nokoko nods. "Oh, I get it now! That girl thinks
Ataru's the kid's father, right?"

"Right," Dakejinzou nods.

"Hey, can you keep it down?" Ataru sighs.

Nokoko sees his damp face. "Boy, Lum's an idiot, isn't she?"

"Got that right," he snorts.

Nokoko and Dakejinzou step out of the room. "So, what's the
big story with that girl?" Ataru's sister sighs.

"She's a daughter of the first mage of the Seifukusu
Dominion," the huntress hums. "Strike one. The Dominion conquered
half the local cluster a millennium ago...and they weren't nice to the
people...the 'lessers,' they call them...they ruled over. Strike two
is that she has a half-Terran child. Typical Seifukusu pure-breed
hair spans from white through blue to black. One look told Lum a lot.
And third..." Dakejinzou shakes her head, "...Paishu somehow obtained
a letter from Ataru stating he would marry her if she had a child."

"Therefore, she wasn't nice when Lum-chan came by to look in
on Ataru," Nokoko concludes. "Wonderful! Where's Lum?"

"Back in Tomobiki, where else?"

"Terrific!"

The two step into the living room, where Paishu currently
nurses Trolok. Mal sits in the love seat across the room watching the
Seifukusu tending to her offspring. Paishu warily eyes the
transformed Nendo-kata, quickly noting her resemblance to Lum. "Are
you spying for your sister, lesser?"

Mal looks confused. "Are you speaking to me?"

"Of course I'm addressing you!!" Paishu snaps. "Answer me."

"I apologize," Mal remains neutral. "You are in error."

"What?!!" Paishu snaps.

"All sentients are equal in the eyes of the Unity," Mal
smiles. "I am neither superior or inferior to you. You make a grave
mistake by implying superiority over anyone."

"Why, how dare you...?!!" Paishu bolts up.

An incensed Nokoko appears in front of the Seifukusu. "Try
it, sister, and that kid'll end up an orphan!!!" she growls.

Paishu backs away. "Wh-who are y-you?"

"That's Ataru's sister," Dakejinzou joins them. "And Mal is
Nokoko's mate."

"Oh, one of *those*!" Paishu sneers.

"Yeah!!" Nokoko growls. "Got a problem with that?!"

Mal stares at Nokoko. "Beloved, why is this Agent of disUnity
attempting to shatter our siblings' happiness?"

"I hear its a habit her people haven't lost," Nokoko sneers.

"A habit the galaxy should do well to thank us for
possessing!" Paishu sniffs. "If it was not for us, all the lessers
would still be at the state Earth is now!! We gave them progress!"

"Oh?!" Dakejinzou looks disgusted. "You call the poisoning of
Neptune's atmosphere progress?! Thanks to your kind, Oyuki's people
are forced to reside in exile on Triton!"

"That was House Pochal, not my house!" Paishu shrugs. "They
were always a little too aggressive in controlling their possessions!"

"And I suppose the genetic slaughter of all male Tengu
humanoids was helpful, too!" Dakejinzou continues.

"They were barbarians who abused their mates!" Paishu snorts.
"Besides, Karasutengu was an Azu world!! Again, it was none of my
House's business!" She points to Mal. "Do the Onis regret our giving
them their ability to fly?! My House led that development! We taught
them how to industrialize, instituted advanced medical care, taught
them the basic rights for mates and offspring, showed them how to
better use their world's resources! Uru would not be the beautiful
place it is were it not for us!"

"And all that was built on the backs of slave labour and over
the graves of thousands who resisted your rule!" Dakejinzou amends.
"You raped their culture, smashed their spirituality, denuded them of
self-worth and cultural pride, all in the arrogant belief that the
Dominion was the finest, most perfect culture in creation!" She
plunges for the kill. "The Eternal Voyager taught you a bitter lesson
when it destroyed your fleet at Sakusei, a lesson the Inquisition was
more than willing to re-teach you a century later!"

The Seifukusu looks infuriated. "You are so lucky your deeds
for the Dominion have masked your crime of walking on that oversized
rusting garbage scow! One day, we will find out wherever that barge
of dead corpses is home-ported! Then, there'll be a reckoning!"

*And you'll be executed for befriending that world's
head-of-state*, Dakejinzou maintains her demeanor.

Mal and Nokoko look at each other. "Beloved, I do not desire
to see your brother suffer at the hands of this Agent of disUnity,"
the former sighs. "Why does she claim Ataru-kun as her mate?"

"She says that's his kid," Nokoko thumbs Trolok.

"Trolok **is** Ataru's baby!!" Paishu growls defensively.

Mal looks at the sleeping child, then seizes him. "Hey!!!"
Paishu snaps. "Unhand my child, you disrespectful...!"

Nokoko shoves the Seifukusu away. "What are you doing?!"
Dakejinzou looks confused.

"We shall confirm the sub-creature's story," Mal turns away.

"Are you sure you can, Mal-chan?" Nokoko looks hopeful.

"Beloved, trust me!"

Paishu glares. "How could that lesser prove anything?!"

"She can prove it better than you could," Dakejinzou sighs.

The door opens and Lum peeks in. "Um...Darling?"

"Sister!" Mal beams.

"He's asleep," Nokoko sighs. "It's safe."

"*Datcha*!" the Oni breathes out in relief, then sneers at
Paishu. "If you think I'm going to let you get away with stealing
**my** husband, you're sorely mistaken, slaver!"

The two face off. "Oh?!" the Seifukusu sneers. "What do you
intend to do about it, lesser?"

"If you think you're going to claim this world for the
Dominion, you're wrong!" Lum growls. "Uru's not the only one that'll
let it happen! The whole Federation will go to war over this world!!
And Darling's grandmother'll never allow him to marry an arrogant
witch like you!! The Zephyrites'll see to it that doesn't happen!"

"Oh, I'm scared!" Paishu mirthlessly giggles. "The Federation
could not agree on a single policy even if their very existence
depended on it! Besides, the Ipraedies would never allow the
Federation the chance to win favour over Earth!"

The two launch into a staring contest...interrupted by Mal's
words. "This is not Ataru-kun's hatchling."

Silence for a moment. "What did you say?!" Lum gasps.

"What?!!" Paishu pales.

Mal faces them, her fingers on Trolok's face. "The child's
paternal DNA is similar to Ataru-kun's, sister...same race, same great
school. The child's father experienced much the same environmental
conditions as Ataru-kun. However...this child is not Ataru-kun's."

Paishu is stunned. Lum looks ecstatic. "Are you sure,
Mal-chan?!!" she claps her hands.

"Sister, how is it I could analyze and replicated your DNA so
that I could accomplish the Crossing Over?" Mal giggles.

Lum shudders in delight, then fires Paishu a triumphant stare.
"There!!!" she snaps. "You can't claim a thing now!! Once Darling
finds out, you won't have a rock to stand on, slaver!! What have you
got to say to *that*?!!"

Everyone looks at the Seifukusu. Paishu stares at her baby,
then turns away. "Then...I am dead..." she whispers.

"What was that?!!" Ataru cries. Everyone looks as Ataru
descends to the living room. "Well?!" he demands. "What's this about
Pai-chan dying because I'm not the baby's father?!"

"What is that about?!" Nokoko echoes, looking at Paishu.

The Seifukusu looks sad, then wailing, runs out of the house.
"Pai-chan!!" Ataru calls.

"Let her go!" Lum snorts. "It's what the witch deserves!"

"Stay out of this, Lum!!" the Terran barks.

The Oni yelps in fright. Ataru turns to Dakejinzou. "Well?"

The huntress sighs, taking the sleeping Trolok from Mal.
"Paishu, like all Seifukusu females of the higher Houses, is forced to
live under a strict moral code. If she gives birth to a child or even
if her virginity is put into question, she's considered 'damaged'
goods. Since such people are considered an insult to the honour of
their Houses, her family therefore are seen to have the right to kill
her. Such 'crimes of honour,' as the Dominion calls them, are quite
legal and very acceptable."

Ataru pales. "Gods, are her people **that** vicious?!!"

"So, what do we do?" Nokoko looks at her brother.

"Leave it alone!!" Lum growls. "Let the witch die!"

"You, shut up!!!" Ataru points a finger at her.

Lum looks ashamed. "There's only one thing we can do," Ataru
turns to the phone.

"What's that?" Dakejinzou looks confused.

Ataru dials a number. "Find the kid's real father!!"

* * *

Later, Tomobiki High is buzzing with the news from Oshika,
thanks to Ten-chan and his willingness to proliferate information
without care of consequences. "What?!!" Mendou gasps. "That woman
claims Moroboshi is the father of her child?!!"

"Uh-huh!" the young Oni nods. "Lum-chan's really upset, too!"

The boys immediately cackle. "Isn't this a coincidence?!"
Megane growls. "With Ataru forced to marry someone else, then Lum-
san is free to marry **me**!!"

The other guards beat him up! "IN YOUR DREAMS, JERK!!!!!!"

Koosei reads his paper. "So, what happened next?" Mie hums.
"Did Lum go into a snit like she normally does?!"

Ten-chan nods. "Uh-huh...but this time, Dakejinzou-onee-chan
shot her!"

"***WHAT?!?!?!***" the boys howl in shock.

Koosei winces. "Oh, it was only a stun-shot!" the young Oni
giggles.

It does not lighten the mood. "That...that...that robot!!!"
Megane growls. "She should be scrapped for all her offenses against
Lum-san!!!"

He gets beaned by a hundred-tonne sledgehammer! "Dakejinzou's
not a robot, Megane!" Koosei growls.

"Then what would you call her after what Nicole learned?"
Shinobu hums.

"The proper term is 'synthezoid,'" the teacher flips a page.
"Synthetically-constructed humanoid."

"You don't seem bothered by it, Sensei," Momoe hums.

"There's no reason for me to be bothered by it," Koosei shakes
his head. "Dake-chan's as human as you or I even if her body is
constructed of a mix of carbon-proteins and trisilicon hydroxide-based
DNA. The chances are there that her race may have developed that way
naturally. However..." he sighs, "...the chances of that are slim
since Dake-chan was in cryofreeze for over five million years prior to
the Fukunokami finding her. Anyway, Megane, you've got a ten-page
essay due tomorrow entitled 'Why I Should Not Insult Others' or else
it's a **month's** detention!"

Megane faints! Mendou chuckles. "So after Shogai-san
finished with Lum, then what?" Ryuunosuke Fujinami looks at Ten-chan.

"Ataru threw her out of the house, then threatened to get her
visa revoked and get the Inquisition down here to kill all of you,"
the young Oni shrugs.

Everyone is decked by an H-bomb blast!!!! "***WHAT?!?!?!***"

"What was that?!" Mendou draws his katana. "Moroboshi *dares*
try to throw Lum-san off Earth!!! That is unforgivable!!!"

The Saturn Five nails him! "Yes, it's unforgivable to *shout*
in class!" Koosei growls. "That's another week for you, idiot!!!"

Mendou moans. The other boys back off...just as a black storm
appears! "Excuse us!!" a female voice calls.

Before anyone could react, the boys are deluged by a swiftly
moving mass of Kuromoroboshi ninjas. Koosei lowers his paper.
"Um...what's going on here?!"

Jinseiko's head sticks out of the storm. "Pardon us, sir, but
the Young Master has ordered that blood samples be taken from every
boy his age in Tomobiki! We'll only be a minute!!"

A minute later, the Kuromoroboshi vanish, leaving a pile of
dazed boys. "Wh-what was th-that all a-about...?" Megane moans.

Koosei shrugs and returns to his paper...

* * *

Later that night in Oshika, Nokoko's Nendo-kata friends from
the Outland have been drafted to telekinetically analyze the thousands
of blood samples taken from every boy Ataru's age from every school in
Tomobiki. Fortunately, the process is remarkably simple; all they
have to do is touch the blood, then mentally compare it to their
memories of Ataru's own DNA. Ataru, Dakejinzou, Nokoko and Lum sit to
one side, the synthezoid huntress still holding the sleeping Trolok.
"Darling, this is useless!" the Oni sighs, clearly lethargic from the
day's events. "There's no way that you can find whoever that baby's
father is before Paishu's parents come down and have her killed!"

"We're going to find that kid's dad!!" the Terran snarls.
"Not only to save Pai-chan but so I can kill the son-of-a-bitch for
using my name and getting me into trouble over it!" He then leans at
Lum, clearly incensed by events earlier that day. "And that **still**
doesn't forgive you for what you thought of me earlier!!!"

Lum leans back in shock. Trolok starts to cry. "Oh, hush,
little one...hush!" Dakejinzou coos as she rocks the baby back to
sleep. "Ataru-chan, stop yelling! You're frightening him!"

Ataru sighs, then heads upstairs. Nokoko looks at Lum.
"Jeez, Lum, don't you know by now that Ataru-chan'd never allow a
woman to come to harm if he's got the power to stop it?!"

"That still doesn't give that slaver the right to wreck **my**
relationship with Darling!" Lum snaps.

"If you'll have a relationship with Ataru-chan after this,"
Dakejinzou sighs.

Lum immediately looks melancholic. "Oh, how could I've been
so stupid...?" the Oni sniffs back tears. "Oh, Noa, you were right!
Why didn't I listen to you?!"

The Oni wails. Dakejinzou and Nokoko look confused. "Who's
Noa?" the huntress hums.

A depressed Paishu steps in. "Hello, everyone."

Dakejinzou hands Trolok over. "Here you go, Pai-chan," she
smiles. "I think he wants to be with his mother again."

Paishu numbly nods as she allows Trolok to nurse from her.
"There, little starlight," the Seifukusu dolefully smiles, sitting
beside Ookako Sakurambou and Hei. "Drink all you want...for it may be
the last time you'll drink from my breasts again..."

"Do not fret, Paishu," the Nendo-kata-turned-Seishin beams,
patting the Seifukusu's shoulder. "The Unity will not permit your
descent to the depths of the Mother Ocean because your hatchling's
father chooses not to reveal himself."

"I wish I had your faith, Hei," Paishu smiles.

Lum looks surprised. "How could they even treat that witch
with respect after the way she treats other people?" she whispers.

"'When one lives, one learns,'" Nokoko replies. "Old
Nendo-kata proverb."

The Oni nods. Nokoko stands, then walks over to sit beside
Paishu. "Hey, stop being so glum," she slips her arm around the
Seifukusu. "Ataru-chan's not gonna quit until he finds out who the
skunk was that used his name when he got you pregnant!"

"How could he even treat me with kindness after I humiliated
him like that?" Paishu sighs.

"Well, Ataru-chan's a pretty forgiving guy under normal
circumstances," Nokoko shrugs. "Besides, you fell victim to some jerk
from Tomobiki and he got blamed for it. It's been the story of his
life until three months ago."

"Yes, even we in the Dominion have heard of that lessers'
paradise your brother once called home," Paishu sniffs, a touch of
self-pride returning. "If he was Trolok's father, I'd have the
satisfaction of freeing him from that place, not to mention forming a
bridge of peace between the Dominion and the Republic of Zephyrus."

Lum and Dakejinzou looks confused. "Wouldn't the Pochal and
the Azu stop that?!" the former wonders.

"If they were as strong as they were centuries ago, they
could," the Seifukusu smiles. "However, their isolationist feelings
have become passe with the Magate Round. My father would be so
pleased if we're able to bring Earth into the fold as well as make
peace with Zephyrus."

The Oni looks incensed. "Over our dead bodies, slaver!"

"That can be arranged, lesser!" Paishu sneers.

Lum stands. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I intend to spend
time with **my** fiance!" she huffs as she proceeds to her bedroom.

Paishu looks away with a snort. "There's no chance of any
Unity forming between their schools," Tatsuko Fujinami whispers.

Lum steps into her bedroom. Ataru appears asleep. Sitting
beside him, she starts to cry. *How...how could I've allowed myself
to hurt you all this time?* Lum sniffs. *That's not the way I should
show I love you? Oh, Darling, please forgive me...!*

The Oni leans down and gently kisses Ataru's lips. The Terran
does not react. Lum brushes back her hair, then kisses his forehead.
The door opens. Lum looks over, surprised to see Paishu step in, this
time not with her child. "Wh-what are you doing here...?"

The Seifukusu gently walks over, sitting on the bed at a
respectful distance. "The waiting makes me apprehensive. How would
you feel if your life hung on the balance of a DNA reading?"

"Like I'd rather be elsewhere," Lum pulls her legs to herself.

"That is the truth," Paishu echoes her movement.

Silence falls over the two women as they contemplate their
next statement, attempting in some way to overcome their centuries-old
racial hostility. Finally, Paishu looks over. "You're Redet?"

Lum looks surprised. "Um...yes, I am," she nods.

Silence falls over them again. "And you desire this world for
your people?" Paishu probes.

"No..." Lum shakes her head. "All I desire is Darling."

They fall silent once more. "How could you've assumed so much
when you came here two years ago?" the Oni looks over. "You really
put Darling on the spot, you know."

"Perhaps I did, perhaps I didn't," the Seifukusu shrugs.
"Then again, one could ask you why you allowed Ataru to suffer so much
at the hands of those in Tomobiki."

"I never saw what happened as 'allowing' Darling to suffer."

"I never saw what I did as 'assuming' anything about Ataru."

They sigh, destitute in the face of the current status of
their lives. The door then opens and Mal leans in. "Sister?"

"What is it, Mal-chan?" Lum leaps up.

The Nendo-kata looks disappointed. "I am sorry, but there is
no match in the DNA corresponding to Paishu's hatchling."

Hearing this, the Seifukusu wails. "No!!!" she leans into
Lum. "I don't want to die!!!"

Without reservation, the Oni comforts the crying Paishu. By
now, Ataru is awake. "What was that again, Mal-chan?"

Mal repeats her statement. Paishu continues to weep. Ataru
is silent as he contemplates what to do next. "Get the Kuromoroboshi
to head back into Tokyo. There're only two options now."

"What's that, Darling?" Lum looks confused.

"One: the guy transferred to another school," Ataru holds up
one finger. "Two..." he extends a second, "...he's dead."

"Immediately," Mal nods, then leaves.

"But, Darling, if the father's dead, what happens next?!" Lum
looks helpless. "Paishu'll still die when her parents find out!"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," the Terran sighs.

* * *

"WHAT?!?!?!" Mendou howls. "They're picking through graves?!"

He, his classmates and Ten-chan relax in Mendou's study, he
now on the phone with the chief of the Kuromegane. "What was that?!!"
Mendou demands. "Oh, I see!! Very well, then! Keep me informed!!"

He hangs up. "So, what's the word?!" Ryuunosuke hums.

"Moroboshi is having those walking squid that live with him
analyze DNA samples from every man his age who lived in Tomobiki,"
Mendou gingerly reaches for his hand, now bearing a bandage. "It
seems that Lum-san's maniac doppelganger discovered that witch's child
was not Moroboshi's!"

"Well, Mal-chan knows best," Ten-chan shrugs.

"What happens if they don't find the father?" Paama muses.

"Then Paishu will be put to death as a matter of honour," Lan
sighs, then smiles. "But I don't think Darling'll let that happen!"

The boys suddenly smile. "Hey, that's right!" Megane grins.
"Ataru would never allow a woman to suffer! He'll do anything to help
that poor little slaver...even marry her!!"

"Happy days are here again..." Daremo Kakugari sings.

"The skies above are clear again..." Urayamu Chibi continues.

"And you'll still face the Inquisition," Ten-chan interrupts.

Everyone faints! "***WHAT WAS THAT?!?!?!***"

"Ataru's not gonna leave Earth without taking care of you
jerks!" the young Oni leaves. "Bye-bye...have a nice afterlife!"

The boys look violently incensed. "This...this is **beyond**
unforgivable!!!" Megane howls, his glasses glowing. "We shall punish
that slime for his sins against Lum-san and Tomobiki!!!"

"Court injunction!!!" Lan sings.

The boys faint!

* * *

"Dakejinzou?" Paishu steps into the dining room.

"What is it, Paishu?" the synthezoid huntress looks over.

The Seifukusu steels herself. "If...Ataru's search does not
bear fruit...I ask if you will be willing to become Trolok's mother."

"Me?!!" Dakejinzou points to herself.

"I am aware of the fact that you...are incompatible with any
other humanoid race known. Even the breakers and controllers we use
to maintain order on the colonies are of a different model than you.
Still, I would consider it an honour if my son found a home with you."

Silence for a moment, then Dakejinzou reaches over and takes
Paishu into her arms. "Hush, Pai-chan. Don't fret. Ataru-chan
hasn't given up hope. You shouldn't, either."

Paishu wipes her face clean. "It does not matter. I would
rather end my own life then shame my House and force my kin to slay
me. Besides, once in your hands, the House would never dare think of
hunting Trolok down to fully expunge the shame of his existence."

Dakejinzou is silent as she contemplates the request, then
smiles. "I'll think about it."

Footsteps are heard as Nintaiko Miyaki joins them. Both women
see a regretful look on the Nendo-kata-turned-Terran's face. "Well?"
Dakejinzou prompts.

"We have found the father," Nintaiko sighs.

"And?!!" Paishu looks hopeful.

"The one...is a fellow named Kosuke Gizou," Nintaiko looks
down. "However...he is now in the embrace of the Mother Ocean."

"Oh, no!!!" Paishu wails.

"What was that?!!" Lum and Ataru run out of their bedroom.
"Did you find him?!"

"He's dead," Dakejinzou sighs. "Do you know a fellow named
Kosuke?"

"Kosuke?!" Ataru and Lum look at each other. "Hey, didn't he
die in that earthquake...?"

"I thought it was a fire...!" the Oni moans.

Both then see Paishu wailing. "I guess it doesn't matter,"
Ataru shakes his head.

"Not really," Lum looks sympathetic. "So, now what do we do?"

Before an answer could be given, the rumble of another
starship is heard. Everyone looks confused, then runs to the living
room windows. Looking outside, they see another Dominion cruiser land
beside the "Redet Princess." "Who's that?!!" Ataru gapes.

"My mother," Paishu looks down.

"Uh-oh," Lum sighs. "That's trouble."

A moment later, a phalanx of Kibajoomuu escort a beautiful
woman into the house. Ataru is quick to see where Paishu obtained her
looks from. "What a babe!" Nokoko hisses, eyes wide with awe. "I
wouldn't mind looking like that after twenty-five kids!"

"She's part of a concubinage," Lum whispers.

"Paishu!" the elder Seifukusu claps her hands. "There's my
little jewel!"

"Mother!" Paishu enters her embrace.

After a moment, the elder Seifukusu releases Paishu, then
walks to Ataru. "So, you're the one who desires my little jewel!" she
smiles. "I am Syumopa of the Houses Seq and Redet, Paishu's mother."

"Ma'am," Ataru bows. "I'm Ataru Moroboshi. This is Lum," he
nods to his girlfriend. "She's also of House Redet, Clan
Midorinokaminoke-oni."

"Oh, what a lovely servant-girl," Syumopa giggles.

"'Servant-girl?!!'" the Oni growls.

"No, ma'am, you don't understand," Ataru shakes his head.
"You see...I'm not the father of Paishu's child!"

Syumopa looks surprised. "I...beg your pardon?"

"I was lied to, Mother," Paishu moves beside his mother. "The
man who gave me Trolok is not Ataru," she points.

The elder Seifukusu pales. "Paishu...if this is true...?"

"Pai-chan was lied to, ma'am," Ataru leaps to her defence.
"When she met this creep, he deliberately gave her my name and forged
my signature to take the heat off him should she come back. That's
what led Pai-chan to me. We Terrans must look alike to you just as
you look alike to me. It was an honest mistake."

"'Honest mistake?!!'" Syumopa gasps. "Young man, this is not
a simple matter to resolve! Where is the dishonourable swine who
raped my child?!!"

"He's dead," Lum replies.

"Oh, dear," Syumopa looks down. "That's bad."

"What's so bad about it?" Ataru gasps. "Pai-chan's innocent!"

"But Paishu has no right to own property...and as of now, her
chances of marriage are nil!" Syumopa shakes her head. "Our society
must sound barbaric to one educated by Zephyrite custom, but it is the
way we live, Ataru. Do you think any man would desire my little jewel
when she has that to care for..." she points to Trolok, now being
cared for by Mal, "...and it was not the groom's child?"

Everyone looks silent. "Wait!" Ataru holds up a finger. "If
someone would marry Pai-chan, would that be okay?!"

"But, of course!" the elder Seifukusu nods. "Do you know of
someone, Ataru?"

"Give me a night to set it up," Ataru kisses Syumopa, then
runs out. "I'll be back!!"

Everyone watches as he runs to the bridge leading to Nicole's
crystal palace. "What's Darling up to?!!" Lum looks confused.

"Search me!" Nokoko shrugs.

* * *

The next day, everyone meets by the front door of the
Moroboshi home. Paishu is quite unnerved for nothing has been heard
from Ataru. Reiko sits in Lum's arms. "Lum, what's Daddy going to
do?" the Noukiite whispers. "Is he going to help Paishu-oba-chan?"

"I think so," Lum nods.

"Hi, everyone!" Ataru's voice is heard.

Everyone sees him walk up to them. "Ataru, what has
happened?!" Paishu looks anxious.

Ataru responds by slipping a beautiful diamond ring on her
finger. "Pai-chan, will you marry me?!"

Everyone not of the Dominion faints! "***WHAT?!?!?!***"

"A-ataru...?!" Paishu pales. "But...what of Lum and your
child...?!" she points to Lum and Reiko.

"They've got somebody!" he pulls her into his embrace.
"Relax! Let's find a Justice of the Peace and get hitched, then I'll
teach you how **I** make love to a woman!!"

"Daddy!!!" Reiko wails.

"Darling!!!" Lum looks incensed.

Before they could get a response, Ataru and Paishu are
teleported aboard the hovering "Redet Princess"...revealing **Ataru**
standing beside Nicole and her mate Mujanba. "Nicole, you promised me
he'd be better tempered!!" Ataru snaps.

"It was a rush job!" Nicole looks defensive. "What did you
expect from one night's work?!"

Everyone is decked by an H-bomb blast!!!! "What's going on
here?!!" Lum demands. "Darling, I demand an explanation!!! If you're
here, who was that...?!!" she points to the departing Dominion ships.

"Relax, *koishii*," Ataru pulls Lum into his arms. "It's a
long story..."

* * *

"Did they learn who the father was?" Mie hums.

Ten-chan has just come to Tomobiki High School to update
everyone on events. "It was Kosuke Gizou," Momoe sighs.
"Unfortunately for her, he's dead."

"What did he die of?" the Kyushu native looks curious.

Everyone looks at each other, wondering what did end Kosuke's
life. "So, what happens to that girl?" Shinobu looks at Ten-chan.

"Oh, she's okay," the young Oni smiles. "Ataru made a double
of himself for her to marry."

Silence as everyone takes that in, then they freak. "***TWO
ATARUS?!?!?!***" everyone cries.

"Uh-huh," the young Oni nods. "Ataru had Nicole-onee-chan
make a bioroid double of himself so Paishu could have a husband!
They're on their way back to the Dominion to get married now!"

"Two Atarus?!!" Megane gasps. "One's bad enough!!"

"I heard that Ataru's going to make a couple more, one for
Dake-chan and one for Yukio," Koosei reads his paper. "When that
occurs, I heard that Ataru'll marry Lum!"

"WHAT?!?!?!" the boys scream.

"And when that occurs..." Koosei winces, "...Lum won't live in
Tomobiki anymore."

No one save Mie takes to that idea well. "This is beyond
unforgivable!!!" Megane screams. "We shall punish that bastard for
all his sins against us...!!!"

The Saturn Five crushes the whole class!!!! "Yes, it **is**
unforgivable to shout in front of your teacher!!!" Koosei snarls,
glasses glowing. "That's **another** week's detention for you
clowns!!!"

Ten-chan snickers...

*** The End ***