The Shikima Interface, Chapter four, part three.


     Nabiki exited the Uptown Downtown Tattoo parlor with an
angry grimace on her face.  Shampoo, who had been waiting outside,
looked a her inquiringly.  "Crap!" Nabiki said, "utter crap." Pulling
out a pad and pen she scratched out the name of the parlor she had
just exited, then she frowned at the list in her hand.  She had listed
five reputable places to check, and one disreputable place, the five
quality ones had all had state of the art equipment, clean sterile
rooms, and very competitive prices.  Their staff  had also had about
as much artistic talent as a bunch of robots, they might as well have
been using stencils for all the life their work showed.  It was true that
all she wanted placed on Shampoo were her initials, but she wanted
it to be something special, and special didn't just happen, it took
talent and skill.  
     She looked at the last remaining address on her list, tapping the
pen she still held against her teeth.  This was not a place for two
unescorted girls to go, even if one of them was a Chinese Amazon. 
Shampoo could certainly protect them, but Nabiki had no interest in
ending up in the middle of a brawl, and that's what would happen if
they went to that section of town unescorted.  The mentality of the
men in that area practically guaranteed that they would be hit upon. 
Which created a problem. Shampoo had a rather abrupt way with
mashers, and the men in that area would not react well to that.  No
matter how dangerous she proved herself to be, Shampoo would have
to take out every would be tough guy between here and the Tattoo
parlor, and that would take too damn long.  
  Of course Nabiki could order Shampoo to ignore the comments
and touching, she could also take her to the vet and have her de-
clawed. Either one was as likely as the other.  In other words, not a
chance in hell. Shampoo was hers, and any man who trespassed on
her property deserved every thing he got.  Even if it did cause Nabiki
a momentary inconvenience. 
  She looked at the address again.  The route they would have to
take to the final destination on her list would pass by the house. 
Let's see, she thought to herself, five minutes to change, then ten
minutes to get dressed.  She nodded, they should have time, provided
there was not a wait at the parlor, they would be home well before
 Aunty would start worrying.         
  Nabiki frowned, it had been a lot simpler when it had just been
daddy looking out for them, if you could call it that, especially after
uncle Saotome had arrived and distracted him with their endless
games of Shogi.  Nabiki had gotten used to doing as she wished
without having to worry about adult reactions. Aunty Nodoka was a
dear, a potentially homicidal dear mind you, but a dear all the same. 
However she was cramping Nabiki's style.  "O well," she sighed to
herself, "it's only for a few more months, then it's off to university
for me." Nabiki turned and started to walk towards the Dojo, not
even looking to see if Shampoo was bothering to follow. 

  Shampoo, who had been standing silently nearby while Nabiki
had gone over her plans, followed along a step behind, a small smile
turning up the corners of her mouth.  She wondered if the usually
self contained Nabiki realized how much she was giving away.  The
artwork in the Tattoo parlors they had visited had been of a less then
stellar quality it was true, but if all Nabiki was interested in was a
brand of ownership, it had been more then sufficient.  Obviously she
was looking for something special, and that filled Shampoo with
happiness, after the skittishness of Ranma, and the over the top
attention of Mousse, Nabiki's firm but steady behavior was very
comforting.  
  The idea of the tattoo had started out as a control thing.
Shampoo had seen that right off, and she had accepted it as such.   If
it had remained as simply a means of Nabiki marking her as her
possession, Shampoo had been prepared to accept that, she had made
a commitment and would not back down, but it had not remained
that way.  It had grown to mean something to Nabiki, and Shampoo
was beginning to think that her leap of blind faith had a chance of
paying off. 
  She had been shocked to discover the man who she had given
herself to was in fact Nabiki.  After much soul searching, she had
chosen to place herself in the other girl's hands utterly.  She had
willingly surrendered any hope of future happiness and well being
she had, into the care of a person, who a few days ago she would not
have paid the slightest attention to unless she needed something the
other girl was selling.  
  That night had changed all that.  She had experienced
incredible pleasure, heart stopping fear, and most significant, had
discovered that there was another Nabiki under the one that the
public and her family saw.  She might be a controlling,
manipulative, conniving, money grubbing little schemer, but she was
also a passionate and imaginative lover, with a soft side hidden
under the frosty exteriour.  It had been to that Nabiki she had given
herself, and it was that Nabiki she saw walking ahead of her.  So she
trailed after her lord and master, and the little smile turned slightly
lecherous as her eyes watched the sway of Nabiki's bottom as she
walked briskly down the street.  After all, she was still her under it
all, and deep introspective thought was not really something she
indulged in on a regular basis.  She lived for the moment, and at this
moment she was happily contemplating the celebration that Nabiki
and she would have this evening, to commemorate her twin
bindings, the micro chip for her feline form, and the tattoo for her
human. 


  Ukyou, held her breath, and slowly tipped the kettle over the
comatose form of the boy laying on her restaurant's floor.  Her
breath hissed out as she watched the large masculine form twist and
shrink away, and for a brief moment there was a double image before
her, making it hard to make out details.  When the blurry image
cleared, there was a cute female brunette laying in place of the boy
who had been there moments before.  Ukyou stared, heart pounding. 
Up until this moment she had not really believed the spirit's story in
her heart of hearts, but now the proof was laying there. Akane and
Akira were the same person. 
  "Great, just great," she muttered to herself, her shoulders
slumping in dejection.  "I must have the rarest sexual perversion in
the world. I'm irresistible attracted to aqua transsexuals.  "Akane!
Who could have imagined it?" 
  Ukyou turned away from the sleeping girl, and contemplated
the other figure laying on her floor.  Now that she knew the truth,
and could get a good look at her, she had to wonder how she had
failed to recognize Ranma.  "It was easy, I was so busy drooling over
Akane, Ranchan could have danced naked in front of me and I
wouldn't have noticed.  Akane!" She exclaimed once more in
 disbelief.    She held the kettle in her hand up over Ranma, but
then stopped.  There's no point in changing Ranma back, she
thought,  he's not going to like what I have to do, and it'll be easier
to keep him out of it, if I leave him like this.  Besides, I don't think
he would be happy to wake up as a guy dressed like that.  I'll  just tie
him up and stick him in the storage room. 

  While Ukyou had been considering her options, the figure
behind her had opened an eye a crack and carefully taken in the
situation.  When Ukyou had shouted out her Sleepy powder flour
bomb attack, she had given Akane enough warning to hold her
breath before he took in an incapacitating amount of  sleeping
powder laced flour.  Akane had taken in enough however, to be
rendered a little woozy, so he had decided to play possum while
regaining his strength.  
  Now, as Ukyou turned toward her, she hastily shut her eye, and
lay there looking as unconscious as she could, she opened her mouth
slightly, and let a little streamer of drool run out the corner, feeling
quite proud of her acting skill. Of course, if it had been Ranma or
Ryouga she was trying to fool, her deception would not have lasted a
second.  The last thing Akane was, was a relaxed sleeper. Ranma
had witnessed first hand just how much Akane thrashed.  She had
once pounded Happosai to a pulp when he had managed to sleep
with her despite Ranma and Ryouga's best effort to prevent it.  As
for Ryouga, he could lay at least a little of his toughness at her feet. 
The pounding he took every night he slept with her as P-chan had
been every bit as effective as training for the breaking point in
building his endurance.  Akane had to fool neither of them however. 
So, her deception passed with no reaction from Ukyou other then a
slight shudder.
  
  Ukyou turned her gaze away from the slightly disgusting image
Akane presented, and toward the box Ranma had been carrying
when he had been overcome.  It had fallen on its side and opened
slightly, and she noticed there was something sticking out of it. 
Curious, she focused on it, and promptly turned white as a sheet.  "O
Kami-sama protect us.  The spirit was wrong, the demon already has
Akane, and Ranma too." Projecting slightly from the open flap of the
box was a human penis, and the box was far to small to contain it's
owner. 
  With her heart in her mouth, and bile rising up her throat,
Ukyou moved closer to the box, and the horrible thing sticking out of
it.  Much as she wanted to, she could not tear her eyes away, any
more then she could stop herself from gingerly leaning down and
with one of her throwing spatulas opening the box.  
  A flood of objects fell out, and among them more of the severed
penises. Ukyou clapped a hand to her mouth in an effort to keep
from vomiting.  O god, o god, I'm too late. Akane's gone. The
demon has her.  Ukyou thought as tears streamed down her face,
Akane's dead, and I have to kill her body.  She took one last look at
the contents of the box in order to supply herself with motivation,
then readying the throwing spatula in her hand she advanced on
Akane.  

  Akane had been resisting the urge to peak at what Ukyou was
doing, she could not be sure the cook would be facing away, and she
did not want to lose the element of surprise.  Therefore she missed
seeing Ukyou approaching her, cold murder in her eyes.  Instead she
smiled internally, imagining the shock she would hand Ukyou in a
little while.  Above her, Ukyou drew back her arm, and prepared to
thrust the razor sharp blade of her spatula into Akane's unprotected
chest.  Then she halted, a puzzled look crossing her face.
  
  Ukyou had paused on the verge of striking as a thought
occurred to her.  Wait a minute, since when are penises flourescent
red?  Turning back, she made her way to the box, and this time
examined the contents a little more carefully.  What she saw caused
a wave of relief to rush over her.  While the first penis had been flesh
colored and very human like, the rest were of a wide assortment of
colors and textures.  The box was not a gruesome receptacle of
severed body parts after all, but rather was full of sex toys, with some
metal and leather handcuffs thrown in for good measure.  There
were also several things Ukyou did not recognize, and she was not
really in the mood to investigate more closely. 
  For a minute she was too relieved to consider the implications
of the box's contents, but then she realized that she had little time to
waste.  The demon was already exerting influence on Akane.  There
was no way the prudish Akane would ever have anything to do with
something like these sex toys if there was not some sort of influence
being exerted on her. 
  
  The contents of the box came in handy as Ukyou spent the next
several minutes preparing.  She used the handle of her battle spatula
to fish the metal handcuffs out of the box, not wanting to touch the
contents, there was no telling where they might have been,  and had
fastened Ranma's hands behind her back with them.  She had also
used a pair to fasten Ranma's ankles together.  Ranma was currently
sleeping soundly, and more or less comfortably, on several bags of
flour in the storage room.  Finished with Ranma, Ukyou had
returned to the dining room, gathered Akane into her arms, and
carried her up the stairs to her bedroom.

  Ukyou looked down at the firm bodied, small breasted form of
Akane.  She had easily stripped the oversized clothing off of the
sleeping girl before placing her on her bed.  Akane lay there, legs
slightly akimbo, the small lips of her sex peeking out from between
her thighs, breath coming in slow steady movements of her chest. 
The small crimson nibs of her nibbles hard and erect.  A dead
giveaway, if Ukyou had been paying closer attention.  Ukyou had
other things on her mind however. At the moment she held a glass of
cold water in a trembling hand contemplating what she was about to
do.  This was not the way she had imagined losing her virginity. 
Her dreams had always been a bit indistinct on the actual act, but
they had always featured Ranma, at least they had after she had
tracked him down to Furikan.
  Ukyou firmed her jaw.  Might have been, and should have
been, did not matter.  This was real life, not a dream, and she had to
save her friend from a demon.  She turned the glass in her hand
over, and dumped the contents over Akane.
  
  It was all Akane could do to keep from gasping in shock.
Ukyou had used chilled water, and the shock from having that
dumped on her belly was almost enough to make her give herself
away.  She controlled herself, but barely.  As she felt the now
familiar wrenching, felt the bed covers rub against his body as it
grew and stretched.  He suddenly sympathized with Ranma's
frequent cry of, what you do that for.  He stilled himself with
difficulty, and waited for Ukyou's next move.  His imagination was
already supplying certain images, and they were reflected by a
certain part of his anatomy.

  Ukyou had witnessed Ranma's change on numerous occasions,
but he had always been more or less clothed.   During Akane's
change she could not help but stare at the area where the change was
most profound.  Akane's sex seemed for an instant to be turning
itself inside out, then the transformation was complete, and where
before had been a delicate little slit framed by small puffy lips, was
now a large, male appendage, that even as Ukyou watched wide
eyed, twitched, rolled from one side to another and started to swell
into full erection.  Ukyou swallowed a sudden excess of saliva as she
stared at the large pole that she was going to have to take into her
body. Once again Ukyou controlled her uncertainty by recalling the
purpose for all this.  Turning her back on the comatose Akane, she
began to disrobe. 

  Akane could not resist the temptation to peek, except for a
rather flattering gasp, he had heard nothing from Ukyou since the
cook had dumped the cold water on him.  His strength was almost
completely back, and he should have the advantage of surprise. 
Cracking his eye he cautiously took in the current situation.  The
first thing he saw was the twin cheeks of Ukyou's ass as the brown
haired girl bent over to pull off her tights.  Framed between the well
muscled backside, her sparsely furred pussy seemed to wink at
Akane, who turned slightly red and began to breath quicker.  Maybe
I should wait a few more minutes, he said to himself, as his erection
went from solid to steel hard.
  One of the reasons that Akane had always been so jealous of
Ukyou, as compared to Shampoo who merely aggravated her, was
that she found the brown hair girl attractive.  If he had never met
Ranma he could easily have fallen for Ukyou.  There in lay the irony. 
If he found Ukyou attractive and desirable, how could Ranma fail to,
and so his jealousy when they spent any time together without him. 

  Ukyou finished removing her clothing, and turning, made her
way towards the daunting figure laying on her futon.  Uncertain of
just were to go from here, she lay down alongside the boy, and was
once again reminded of how big he was, she felt small and frail
stretched out alongside his heavily muscled body.  She reached out a
hand that visibly trembled, and lay it on his chest.  Moving in closer
she pressed herself against his side so that her breasts flattened
against his ribs.  She threw her long shapely leg over his, and slowly,
hesitantly began to stroke her hand down toward the object of this
whole exercise. 
  Several times Ukyou was on the verge of grasping the heavy
stalk that lay hard and rigid and just above Akane's belly, but at the
last second she lost her nerve and pulled her hand away.  Then at
last she steeled herself and wrapped her hand around the pulsing
column of flesh.  For a minute she did nothing else, just lay there
pressed against Akane, while the cock in her hand pulsed gently and
the sweat on her hand turned her grip wet and humid, and the flesh
under her grip slippery to the touch.  
  She began to feel her own body reacting to the situation.  Up
till now she had been carrying this out as a job that had to done,
trying to divorce herself from the implications, but now, with this
very masculine body pressing along the length of her body, and the
thick masculine tool griped tightly in her hand, she began to feel
aroused.  Her breath quickened, a faint flush began to suffuse her
face and upper chest, and she felt a wetness growing between her
legs.
  The realization of her own reactions was enough to snap her
out of the state of mind she had slipped into.  No!!  She thought to
herself, I have to focus, have to save Akane.  Ruthlessly suppressing
the urge to continue cuddling against Akane, she slid her body on
top of the large boy, and reaching between her legs, she grasped the
heavy pole that was jutting up from Akane's groin. Placing the soft
round head against the lips of her sex she drew in her breath and
thrust down with all her strength.  To be brought up short before the
head did more then part her lower lips.  Shocked, Ukyou looked
down to find two massive hands gripping her hips, and holding her
poised just above the jutting spike she had just tried to impale herself
on.

  Akane had trembled when Ukyou had pressed herself against
his body, and that had been nothing compared to what he had felt
when she had taken his member in her hand.  So when she had
straddled his body and prepared to engulf him, he was no longer in
any frame of mind to resist.  Then he saw her face through his slitted
eyelids.  It was not the face of someone consummating a love.  It was
the steely grimace of someone doing something distasteful, but
necessary.  That was when he moved, without even thinking about it,
his hands reached out and stopped Ukyou just before she could carry
out the final act.
  "Akane, no, you have to let me!" Ukyou cried out, as she
looked down into Akane's now wide open eyes.  "I have to do this. 
It's the only way to keep the demon from claiming your soul. We
have to have sex."
  "But I don't want to have sex with you." Akane said bluntly,
lifting Ukyou free of his cock. He moved her body slightly forward
then pulled her down and flat against his chest.  He wrapped an arm
around her body and held her firmly in place.  "However, I might be
interested in making love to you, if you don't mind that." 
  "Nani?" Ukyou said in surprise, looking down at Akane's
smiling face that was only inches from her own.  Then she felt
Akane hand on the back of her head pressing down, and at the same
time his face lifted toward hers.  Before she could react, Akane gave
her a gentle kiss on the lips, and then moved his hand from her
head.  Ukyou lay there, pressed against Akane's masculine body, the
smell of him filling her nose, while his erection poked between her
legs, just below her sex.  For a second she held the kiss, her lips
shocked and unresponsive, then they softened and Ukyou returned
Akane's kiss, her body trembling with conflicting drives.
  Akane broke the kiss, and lifting a hand he brushed the hair
from Ukyou face.  "There, isn't that nicer then wamm bamm thank
you Sam?"
  "I don't understand, why . . .?" 
  Akane stilled Ukyou question with another gentle kiss. Then he
said, "because you're a friend, and I like you, and for what ever
reason you seem to need to do this.  Then there's the fact that you
make me hot as hell.  Funny thing, a week ago I'd never have been
able to say that, but now, it just seems right." Akane looked off in
the distance for a minute, his face speculative, but then if firmed. 
"But I'm not going to fuck you.  If we do this, then we're going to
make love." A slight motion outside the open door caught Akane's
eye.  "Beside's wouldn't you like to do this with Ranma?"
  "Ranma doesn't have a demon in him, you're the one that
needs to have sex with a woman, and I can't see Ranma going along
with that."
  Akane gave a chuckle, "You might be surprised."
  "Hey, no way, I'm a guy." A voice said from the doorway. 
Ukyou turned beat red at the familiar voice, and if not for Akane's
arm holding her in place she would have fled, but Akane's arm did
hold her in place.  So she could only watch in mortification as
Ranma walked into the room, twirling a pair of handcuffs on her
finger.  "You ought to take some lesson Ucchan.  You're not very
good at tying people up."
  "How?" Ukyou asked, her mind grasping at immaterial matters
in an effort to avoid terminal embarrassment.  Ranma always the
show off, was glad to oblige.  Holding up one of the cuffs, she
revealed it was still locked, then folding her hand flat, she
effortlessly slipped it through the opening.  "The feet were a little
harder, I lost a little skin, but it was the same thing with them."
Ranma explained. 
  "Ranma!" Akane growled, "Who cares how you got out of
those stupid cuffs. The big question is what do we do about Ukyou."
  "Hey!" Ukyou protested, "you don't have to do anything about
Ukyou, Ukyou is not the one with the demon in her."
  "Demon?" Ranma said in surprise.
  "Ukyou thinks there's a demon sleeping in me, and if I don't
have sex with a girl, then it will get frustrated, wake up, and possess
my body."
  "The magic from the potion?" Ranma asked, looking at Ukyou
with sympathy
  "That's what I figure, so what are we going to do about it.  You
have the handcuffs, and there are other bindings in Nabiki's box, we
could tie her up and wait for it to wear off."
  "Wait a minute you Jackasses! I don't know what this magic is
your talking about, but I do know that a magic sprite told me about
the demon, and it's real.  It's sleeping in my top drawer."
  "The top drawer?" Ranma asked, going over to stand by her
dresser.  When Ukyou nodded, Ranma slid it open, she stared inside
for a minute, blushing slightly.  Then she tore her eyes away from
the delicate undergarments and slid the drawer open.  "Nothing."
She said.
  "Nothing?" Ukyou said in surprise, "That's not possible, I put
her there myself." She started struggling with Akane.  "Let me up, I
have to look for myself, she has to be there."
  Her efforts to free herself from Akane were futile, he just
tightened his grip, flattening her large breasts against his broad
chest.  Ignoring the struggling girl in his arms, he turned to Ranma,
and said, "You see how it is. What are we going to do?"
  "Looks like you already have some ideas pervert." Ranma
snickered, glancing at the tip of Akane's erection that was poking
out from between the back of Ukyou's thighs, and putting the lie to
his pose of indifference to the girl in his arms.
  "I am not a pervert!" Akane yelled, "It's just this perverted
boy's body."
  "O, and what was your excuse yesterday in the tub?" 
  "Guy's, do you mind?" Ukyou said in a slightly strangled voice,
the sheer embarrassment of her situation was getting to her, and the
last thing she needed to hear were details of Ranma and Akane's
  love making.
  Both Ranma and Akane blushed slightly. "Sorry," they said as
one. 
  Ukyou blinked, staring from one to the other.  "Sorry?  You
said you're sorry?" Sheer amazement temporarily drove her current
situation out of her mind.
  Akane mock growled at her. "Hey, don't  act so surprised."
Then he turned to Ranma.  "So what do you want to do about this?"
  "Me, why me?  Your the one with the equipment for the job,"
Ranma said, a trace of bitterness in her voice.
  "Because if I do it, I'm not going to do it without you.  I already
told Ukyou that I'd only make love to her, and I can't make love if
you're not here with me."
  Both Ranma and Ukyou stared at her in shock.  Ukyou was the
first to recover.  "Well, if you really mean that, there is a kettle on
the griddle downstairs.  I always keep hot water on hand. Ranma,
you can change, and then come back." Ukyou mind was whirling. 
Maybe she would have a chance at making love to Ranma, even if
just this once.  Then she noticed that Ranma had not moved, and
that both he and Akane looked sad.  "What is it?  What's wrong?"
  Ranma and Akane looked at each other, and something seemed
to pass between them, Ranma started to unbutton her top. 
  "Ranma can't change back Ukyou.  She might never be able to
change back again." Akane said, and then while Ranma stripped
down completely, Akane gave Ukyou an abbreviate version of what
had happened to Ranma.  As with their parents, he left out the
details concerning Ranma being raped, but he did mention that he
had to have sex with Ranma in order to cure her of the convulsions
brought on by the potion, and that they were afraid that the potion
was what was causing this desire of hers to have sex with Akane. 
  Ukyou was stunned, she had a hard time taking it all in, but
one thing caught.  She looked in horror between Akane and Ranma. 
"The spirit said that Ranma could not bind with her because she was
not a virgin, I thought that she meant that you and Akane had . . . I
mean you did, but I thought she meant that you were a girl, and
Ranma . . .  Gods Akane, you mean you and Ranma have had sex
while you're . . . and while he . . . ?"
  Akane had been alternating his gaze between Ukyou and
Ranma, and he noticed Ranma flinching every time Ukyou used 'he'
to describe her.  Once she would have insisted on that address, but
now it was a knife poking at an open wound.  
  "She!" Akane said softly to Ukyou, "Ranma is a she now.  You
need to call her a she until we find a cure." Ranma winced, but did
not make her customary objection.  "And yes, we have made love
while I was a guy, but only the one time.  The other time we were
both girls.  So, still want to go through with this?  Still want to make
love to us?  Knowing what sort of perverts we are."
  Ukyou looked from Akane to Ranma, who was now completely
disrobed and standing there waiting for her answer, a part of
Ukyou's mind noted that they had not been completely thorough
with the die job, and wondered how they had intended to pass her off
in PE.  Ukyou's eyes roved over Ranma's body, noting the firm
musculature, the high proud breasts.  If she had been any other girl,
Ukyou might have considered backing off, would have concluded
that for Akane to make this offer the demon must have taken her
over completely, but this was Ranma, and whatever body she wore,
Ukyou loved Ranma. 
   "I guess you'll have to add one more pervert to the roll call"
Ukyou said finally, smiling at Ranma, then glancing at Akane,. 
"providing you can keep from squashing Ranma and I like bugs
when we kiss."
  "Don't worry Ucchan, now that Akane is the one with balls,
he's the one that has to watch out for falling mallets.  By the way,
nice move in the back yard earlier."
  Ukyou blushed, "I didn't know . . . mmmppp" Ukyou's apology
was cut off as Akane pulled her down and as he had earlier, captured
her mouth.  Ukyou stiffened, but then she relaxed, and returned the
kiss, and when after a few seconds she felt the tip of Akane's tongue
against her lips, she parted them and let it press forward to tangle
with her own.  
  Ukyou felt Akane's arm tighten around her, and he rolled to the
side, laying her down on the futon, his lips never left hers, but he
untangled their legs from each other and swivelled his body slightly,
so that her lower body was free of him.  She missed the heat of his
body, and would have protested, but before she could, a small form
slipped between her legs. 

  Ranma took her cue from Akane, their new closeness making
words unnecessary.  When Akane lay Ukyou down and moved his
body out of the way, Ranma wasted no time in moving in to replace
his presence between Ukyou's legs.  She felt Ukyou stiffen in
surprise as she brushed against her thighs, but Akane was keeping
her too occupied to react quickly, and long before she could have
freed herself, providing she had even tried, Ranma reached her
destination.  With the eagerness of the recently converted, she eyed
Ukyou's pussy with delight.  To her surprise there were marked
differences between Ukyou and Akane that extended past the
different hair color.  Ukyou was more sparsely covered then Akane,
the hair finer and not so concealing.  The lips of her sex were not
nearly as red or as puffy as Akane's had been the night before, and
when Ranma tenderly parted the folds of her pussy, she did not leak
moisture down her thighs as Akane had. 
  Eager to find if the differences extended to taste, Ranma
lowered her head and licked Ukyou's pink flesh with a her small
tongue.  She smiled as the taste exploded in her mouth.  It was
different.  There were similarities, but Ukyou's was subtly different
then Akane.  Not better, just different.  Ranma eagerly dived in, and
forgot everything else in her quest for the flavorful fluid that started
to flow in increasing quantities from Ukyou's rapidly reddening
vessel.  Ranma soon realized that some of the differences between
Ukyou and Akane were due to the fact that Ukyou had not been as
highly aroused as Akane had been.  Ranma's tongue was doing a
very good job of changing that, aided and abetted by Akane's efforts
at Ukyou's other end.
  As Ranma savored the banquet in front of her, she thought back
over her relationship with Ukyou.  Ukyou had been her best friend,
and the fact that she turned out to be a girl had not changed that, at
least not at first, but she was so kind and so cute.  Ranma had over
time found her feeling changing.  Not that she had admitted it to
herself, no more then she had ever admitted her love for Akane.  But
the truth was, that if Akane had not been a part of her heart by the
time Ukyou found her, she could have easily fallen in love with her.  
  Unlike Shampoo who aroused and terrified Ranma depending
on her current form, Ukyou was an anchor she could always rely on. 
Someone who she could go to in times of trouble, and be sure of a
kind and undemanding welcome.  Which was ironic, because the one
thing Ukyou lacked, was the inclination to go ballistic on Ranma.  
  Her fiancees had always wondered how Ranma could fall in
love with someone who was so mean and nasty to her.  They never
stopped to consider that Ranma's whole life from the age of six had
been one of constant conflict.  She had no idea how to deal with
anyone on any other basis.  Now something new had entered the
equation.  Somehow, Akane and her no longer had any doubts
concerning the others feeling, or their own.  Ranma knew she loved
Akane, and knew just as strongly, that Akane loved her.  A week ago
if Ranma had dared to show any affection toward Ukyou, Akane
would have reduced her, or him, to a pulp.  Now that had all
changed. Ranma could feel Akane's love for her, and his concern for
Ukyou, more then concern actually.  To her surprise, Ranma realized
that Akane was as fond of Ukyou as she was.  Rather then arousing
her own highly developed sense of jealousy, it merely made her love
for Akane swell all the more.

  Akane had held tight to Ukyou when she had started at
Ranma's intrusion between her legs.  He had pressed his mouth
firmly against Ukyou's and redoubled the efforts of his tongue.  It
was not long before Ukyou got over her surprise and began to
respond to the pleasure flowing from her loins.  Her tongue was soon
wrestling with vigor equal to Akane's.  A small moan emerged from
her throat, and when Akane slipped a hand over and cupped one of
her full breasts, the nipple was like a little rock.  Akane rolled it
between her fingers for a few minutes, then pulling her mouth away
from Ukyou's, he transferred his attention to the little bud between
his fingers.  The tip of his tongue flicked out and just barely brushed
the end of Ukyou's breast.  
  After teasing  Ukyou's left nipple for a few minutes, Akane
transferred his attention to her right, meanwhile he kept twiddling
her left between his fingers.  Eager to taste more of Ukyou, he
inhaled, and drew a surprising amount of her breast into his mouth. 
He savored the firm flesh, and gently bit her while lavishing non
stop attention to her nipples with his tongue and fingers.  
  For several minutes Akane and Ranma used their respective
tongues to drive Ukyou to the edge and over.  But even then they
were not satisfied.  Despite the fact that they were both burning with
desire, they were committed to making this the best experience of
Ukyou's life.  So they brought Ukyou to several more orgasms,
before Ukyou finally said, "Enough, no more." She managed to get
out between gasps, "I can't take anymore.  Akane, you have to do it
now.  You need to satisfy the demon, keep him asleep.  You have to
feel pleasure."
  "Who's says I'm not?" Akane said with a smile.  He leaned
down and gently kissed Ukyou. "Don't you think I get any enjoyment
out of your pleasure."
  "That's not what I mean, and you know it.  You have to do it to
me."
  "It?  What's it?" Akane kissed and licked her way down
Ukyou's throat to her breasts, spent a few minutes lavishing
attention on them before continuing.  "You'll have to speak more
clearly, being a boy has shrunken my brain.  What is it you want me
to do?"
  Ukyou flushed red, only partially because of her arousal.  "You
know, it!"
  Ranma, who had been too occupied to pay much attention to
unimportant matters such as conversation suddenly became aware of
Akane's teasing.  She lifted her face, juice dripping from her chin
and frowned at Akane, who was oblivious to her, all her attention
being on Ukyou's flushed face.  Ranma well remembered Ryouga's
effort to get her to beg him to fuck her.  How he had teased and
tormented her.  That had been alright then.  It had been part of the
fight, but this was not a fight.  They were not trying to beat or shame
Ukyou.  The frown on her face grew more severe, and she reached
out a hand.

  Akane was enjoying the way Ukyou's face was turning cherry
red in embarrassment.  The way she was trembling showed that all
her talk about Akane needing to pleasure himself was all a hoax, just
as he had imagined.  She wanted him to finish it, because she
wanted it, not because of any imaginary demon that needed
placating.  He leaned forward to once again tease her sensitive
breasts.  His mouth never reached its destination.  His whole body
shuddered and he froze, as something wrapped itself around a very
sensitive part of his new body.  He looked between his legs to see a
small, but powerful hand cradling his balls in its grip.  Twisting his
head he looked down Ukyou's body to where Ranma was frowning at
him.  
  Ranma released her grip, and moved herself out from between
Ukyou's legs.  The look she directed at Akane was equal part censor
and command.  For a second anger flushed Akane face, but rather
then backing down, Ranma look only firmed.  That was shocking
enough to make Akane think, and he flushed in shame this time, as
she considered how she had been tormenting Ukyou.  It looked like
he still had a few unresolved conflicts with Ukyou, but this was
neither the place or time to resolve those.  
  Akane looked down at Ukyou, who was looking in puzzlement
between  Ranma and Akane, feeling that there was something going
on here that she could not follow.  "Ukyou, I'm sorry, I was being
cruel and mean, please forgive me."
  Ukyou, who had been looking at Ranma when Akane spoke,
snapped her head around and stared in disbelief.  Unlike Ranma, it
was not unheard of for Akane to say he was sorry, but not normally
to one of his rivals for Ranma.  For a second she stared in surprise,
until Akane finally said angrily, "hey, you don't have to look so
surprised.  Can't a person say their sorry."  
  Ukyou laughed. "Now that's more like the Akane I know.  I
was afraid for a second there that the demon had taken you over."
  For a second Akane kept her angry glare, but in the face of
Ukyou's smile, it soon faded, and he leaned forward, and kissed her. 
Ukyou wrapped her arms around Akane and pulled him down
against her.  Akane shifted his body till he was between her legs,
then breaking the kiss, he pulled his head back and gave Ukyou a
serious look.  "Ukyou, are you sure, you don't seem to be suffering
from any symptoms any longer."
  "Akane!" Ranma said in a warning tone. 
  "Be quiet Ranma, this is Ukyou's decision.  I won't tease her
anymore, at least not tonight, but this is important, she has to be
sure.  Ukyou?"
  Ukyou started to say that they had to do it because of the
demon, but then she stopped.  That was not what Akane wanted to
hear.  He did not believe in the demon.  He wanted to hear that
Ukyou wanted to do this willingly.  Ukyou suddenly realized that she
did want to do this.  She had been attracted to Akira at school, she
had always liked Akane, and with Ranma thrown in for good
measure, she was as close as she was ever going to get to her dream. 
"Yes!  Yes I want to do this. Just . . . Ranma . . . would you mind
holding me while . . . you know."
  Ranma was not good at emotional stuff, but she understood
what Ukyou wanted.  She moved closer and lay down beside Ukyou. 
Leaning forward she gently  kissed the cook.  In seconds the two
girls were passionately engaged in each other.  Akane should have
felt left out, but instead, he felt the affection between the two, and
knew he was part of it.  Reaching between his legs he felt for and
found Ukyou's slick entrance.  It was well lubricated as a result of
Ranma's attention, and his finger slipped inside easily, but stopped
as it came up against the barrier of Ukyou's hymen.  Ukyou gave a
small gasp, and flinched as Akane's thick finger penetrated her.  
  Akane knew he had to take his time, so while Ranma kissed
Ukyou and fondled her breasts, he added another finger to the one
already inside Ukyou.  For several minutes he worked his fingers
back and forth between Ukyou's legs, widening her entrance, and
getting it ready for the much larger intrusion to come.  Ukyou
orgasmed, her hips bucked against Akane's hand, impaling herself
on Akane's fingers.  Her hands came down and wrapped around
Akane's wrist, pulling his hand tight against her sex.  Akane waited
for the girl's shuddering body to relax, then freeing his hand from
Ukyou now slack grip, he brought his penis forward and pressed it
against Ukyou's opening.  Looking down past Ranma's head, Akane
looked Ukyou in the face.  "Fast or slow?" He asked.
  Ukyou swallowed, this was the big moment.  She had removed
enough bandages in her life to have no doubt as to how she wanted
this.  "Fast," she whispered. 
  Akane nodded, and thrust his hips down, groaning as Ukyou
tight hot flesh enclosed his member.  He felt her barrier halt his
forward motion, and drawing back again he shoved forward, and this
time burst through Ukyou's cherry, and on into her depths, several
more in and out motions, and he was completely sheathed in her
body.  
  Akane paused, panting as if he had just run a marathon, he
wanted desperately to withdraw his penis from Ukyou's hot flesh and
thrust it forward again and again until he released his passion deep
in her body.  The tears that were slowly trickling down Ukyou's
cheeks stilled that impulse.  He relaxed, letting his heavy shaft soak,
allowing her to adjust to his presence in her body.  He leaned
forward to kiss her, but before he could, Ranma leaned in and licked
the tears from her cheeks.  Instead of kissing Ukyou as he had
intended, he bussed Ranma on the back of the neck, Ranma twisted
her head around and captured his mouth with hers, and he tasted the
 salty tears that Ranma had just licked from Ukyou's cheek. 
Akane broke the kiss, and looked down at Ukyou, who looked back
with glistening eyes. 
  "Better?" Akane asked.
  "Marvelous.  Why did you stop?"
  Akane laughed. "I don't know." He rocked his hips and Ukyou
gave a gasp as she felt him shift inside of her.  Akane set up a gentle
rhythm, not doing much more then shuttling his cock an inch at a
time back and forth.  Soon Ukyou's hips were rising to meet him as
she matched his motion with her own.  For her part, Ranma kept
kissing Ukyou's breasts, while her fingers reached down between her
own legs and started stroking herself in time with her two partners
motion.  Ukyou was the first, she gave a shudder, and then wrapping
her legs and arms around Akane, gripping him desperately as waves
of pleasure coursed through her body.  
  Akane felt Ukyou's body shudder, and her vessel flexed and
caressed his manhood.  The gentle thrusting he had been
maintaining suddenly was not enough, he started to withdraw more
and more of himself from her body with every outward thrust,
shoving himself to the hilt on each inward thrust.  Soon the head of
his penis was exiting Ukyou's pussy on each outward pull, before
plunging back in.  After that it was only a matter of seconds before
he gave a shudder and fired jets of sperm deep into Ukyou's
clenching vessel.  With a sigh Akane collapsed on top of Ukyou who
ran her hands lazily up and down his back.  Ukyou reached up and
kissed Akane, a dreamy look on her face.  
  "That . . . that . . . was . . . that." Akane interrupted her with a
kiss. 
  "I agree.  That was . . ." Akane was interrupted by muffled
cursing.  Startled he pulled away from Ukyou,  allowing a red faced
Ranma to pull her head out from between their bodies.  She gasped
for breath for a minute or two before turning a dirty look on the two
of them. 
  "Thanks a lot. I was almost there, and then you had to try and
smother me."
  Ukyou looked embarrassed, but Akane only grinned, reaching
out a arm he hooked it around Ranma's waist and pulled her in tight
against him and Ukyou.  He kissed her soundly, and said, "Poor
baby, how mean of us to leave you hanging, I guess you get to be the
filling in the sandwich next.  What do you think Ukyou, feel up to
helping Ranma out until I'm ready for another go around?"
  Ukyou was about to reply, when her face paled slightly.  She
held out a hand to steady herself, and Akane and Ranma both took
hold of her at the same time laying her back gently on the futon.
  "Ukyou, are you alright?" They said as one.  Then Akane
reeled backward, barely avoiding taking one of Ukyou's small
spatulas broadside across the face.  Ranma and Akane both stared in
shock at the small figure that was standing on Ukyou's chest. 
  "You leave her alone you monsters.  Don't you dare lay a hand
on her again, you, you, you, PERVERTS!!" The small duplicate of
Ukyou screamed at them.  Both Ranma and Akane went into the
classic Takahashi pose of extreme shock, hair standing on end,
fingers held out in a warding gesture.


  Nabiki grimaced as he walked into the last address on his list. 
Furniture that had not been new when his father was a baby, tattered
drawings pinned to the walls in no discernable order, the walls
themselves not having been painted in who knows how long.  Finally
last, but not least, the proprietor. Fifty years old, and three hundred
pounds of greasy flesh.  He flowed around the stool he was sitting
on. The owner?  Artist?  was ensconced behind the counter with his
feet up on a tattered chair reading an adult magazine that Nabiki
recognized as specializing in young girls.  Nothing could be further
away from the last five places they had visited. 
  He looked up from his magazine, and glanced at Nabiki, his
eyes trailed up from the leather shoes.  The finally made suit, and the
last touch, the snap brimmed fedora that Nabiki had felt gave him a
dangerous look.  The man behind the counter obviously did not share
Nabiki's opinion, he snorted in derision, and started to go back to his
magazine.  His motion was arrested when Shampoo walked in the
door.  Like he had with Nabiki, he ran his eyes over her body, but
the light in his eyes clearly indicated that he was far more impressed
with her then he had been with Nabiki.
  Nabiki narrowed his eyes, and marching forward he slammed a
drawing of the initials he wanted placed on Shampoo onto the
counter top.  "How much?" He snarled out, running his eyes up and
down the man behind the counter.  He let his distaste show in his
face.
  If the man was concerned at Nabiki's opinion, he gave no
reaction, he looked at the drawing for a second, then turned his gaze
back toward Shampoo.  "One hundred thousand," he drawled out. 
Nabiki stiffened, but gave no other sign that the price bothered him. 
Shampoo was not so controlled.  She started in surprise, the price
quoted was ten times more then any of the other parlor's had quoted. 
She turned to leave, but quickly turned back when she heard Nabiki
snap out, "draw," and slap down a blank piece of paper on the
counter top.
  The man sneered at her, and then without taking his eyes off of
Shampoo, he duplicated Nabiki's drawing in about five seconds. 
This time Nabiki had a harder time controlling his reaction.  He had
spent his entire lunch hour, and about twenty pieces of paper to end
up with a drawing he was happy with.  This man had not just
duplicated it, he had produced a far superior version, and without
exerting himself in the slightest.
  "I want to see your work area!" He snapped out. 
  "I want to see some money." The man drawled. 
  Nabiki flushed in anger, but he reached into his pocket a
produced a roll of ten thousand yen notes.  Slowly, meticulously, he
counted ten bills out on to the counter.  He only had three bills left in
his hand when he finished, a fact that Shampoo did not miss.  The
sight of the money finally caused the man to draw his eyes away
from Shampoo.  He heaved himself up with a grunt and reached for
it.  Nabiki slapped a hand down on top of it and glared at him,
"when I'm convinced you're worth it.  The work room, now!"
  "Sure Mr., whatever you say." He turned and headed towards a
curtained door.  Nabiki was simmering in anger.  The tone he had
used when he said Mr. had been extremely derogatory.  Fighting
down the urge to walk out, he followed the fat man into his work
area.  As he entered the room he stared around him, taking in the
decor.  Once again he had to fight to hide his surprise.  While the
fixtures were no younger then the ones out front, they were
meticulously maintained, and gleamed with cleanliness.  Unlike the
other parlors they had visited, this artist seemed to use the old
methods.  There were a wide assortment of bamboo rakes neatly
arranged on various surfaces and drawers.  They would be dipped in
the ink, and then the sharp prongs would be shoved under the skin of
the customer to generate the artwork.  
  Just how good the artwork could be was demonstrated by the
few pictures hanging on the wall.  They were life sized copies of full
body tattoos.  The detail and artistry were breathtaking.  This was
not what had shocked Nabiki, he had already drawn certain
conclusions from the display in the front.  What had shocked him
was that the drawings on the wall were clearly Yakuza, and high
level at that.  No street soldier would ever be able to afford the work
Nabiki was looking at.  How had he missed this place?  He had
always been surprised at the low level of organized crime in the area,
and had spent a great deal of effort in finding the little that there
was.  You would think that a place like this would stand out, but he
had never guessed.
  Nabiki nodded, "Shampoo, take off your dress, get on the
table." He pulled out the roll of money and counted off the ten bills
once again as Shampoo obeyed, he held out the thin sheaf of bills to
the fat man, then snatched them away as he reached for them. "Just
one word of warning. Shampoo is your canvas for the next little
while, that is all.  Do your job, and we all go away happy.  Get too
free with your hands and you'll get hurt." Nabiki handed the money
to the fat man, who sneered at him. 
  "And who's going to hurt me?  You?  I'll do whatever I damn
well please . . ." The fat man broke of and started to sweat profusely. 
Little embers had lit in Nabiki's eyes as he had been talking.  He
swallowed nervously.  "Look, . . . I'm a pro.  You think your girl is
the first good looking chick I've had laid out on my bench.  I've seen
better."
  "I seriously doubt that.  Just do your job.  I'll be sitting over
here.  Shampoo!"
  Shampoo, who had undressed and was stretched out on the
bench looked over at Nabiki, an inquiring look in her eye.   
  "<Don't hurt, unless Nabiki say so.>  You understand?"
  Shampoo was surprised when Nabiki addressed her in broken
mandarin, but she recovered quickly,  looking over at the fat man,
then back to Nabiki she nodded, "Shampoo understand." 
  After selected several small rakes and a bottle of black ink, the
fat man approached Shampoo, his eyes now with the look of an artist
examining a canvas for flaws, rather then those of a dirty old man
staring at a lovely young girl. 
  
  
  Akane cursed vilely, and swatted at the small creature that was
leaping towards him.  All he got for his trouble was another small
cut to join the several that were already welling blood on his hands,
while the little duplicate of Ukyou twisted in the air and used his
hand as a springboard to leap away toward one of the bedroom walls
free and clear.  The cuts were not serious.  By this time tomorrow
they would be invisible, but they did sting, and the frustration of
having this little monster cutting her at will was making it very
difficulty to control his temper.  Ranma was no help. She was sitting
on the futon with Ukyou's head held in her lap.  While Akane tried
to fight off the little buzzsaw, she sat there stroking Ukyou's head
and occasionally yelling out stupid advice.  It was very clear that she
considered the little thing no threat at all. 
  When the little creature had first appeared, Akane had tried to
reason with it, to no avail.  It had attacked him, and had been
attacking him ever since.  The fight was made ridiculous by the fact
that Akane outweighed his opponent one hundred and fifty times
over.  Because the little creature was an almost exact duplicate of the
girl Akane had just made love to, and because he knew it was only
trying to help, he was seriously constrained in just how much effort
he could put into the fight.  The last thing he wanted to do was to
squash the little thing like a bug.  "Damn it all to hell!!" Akane
cursed as the Ukyou clone got in yet another blow, this time to his
bare backside. Much to the delight of Ranma who laughed out load.   
         
  "Ranma!  A little help please, if you don't mind." Akane
snapped out.
  "I don't know Akane, I wouldn't want you to think that I think
you can't handle a little thing like Ukyou-chan.  Are you sure you
want my help?" Akane sent a dirty look her way that spoke volumes. 
"Ok, ok, whatever you want." 
  Ranma reached over and picked up one of Akane discarded
socks.  Folding it inside itself, she formed it into a solid cloth ball,
then waiting for just the right moment, she pegged it across the
room.  It flew straight to its target, Akane's head.  Then it bounced
right into the path of Ukyou-chan.  She swatted it away with the
small throwing spatula in her hands.  This left her out of position,
and when Akane reached out for her this time, she was not able to
get her weapon around in time to cut his hand, he grabbed her out
the air, more then two thirds of her body disappearing as Akane's
hand  closed firmly but gently around the little creature. 
  "There, got you." Akane cried out in triumph as he plucked the
small throwing spatula from Ukyou-chan's grip. 
  "Don't bet on it monster." The little creature snarled.  Opening
her mouth impossible wide, she revealed for the first time a major
difference between her and Ukyou.  She had a formidable set of
fangs.  She proceeded to use those to good effect.  She chomped
down on Akane's thumb with all her might.  With a yell of pain,
Akane opened his hand and shook it vigorously, flinging Ukyou-
chan across the room.  She landed rolling, and came to her feet just
short of the wall.  She spat out several drops of blood, and wiped
some more from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand. 
  "You little monster, you bit me." Akane yelled, just before
sticking his thumb in his mouth to suck on the injured digit. 
"Youfff, miffth haffe Phosiend mf." he mumbled.
  "Who you calling a monster demon!" Ukyou-chan yelled back.
"As for poisoning you, I'm the one who's probably going to curl up
and die from drinking your foul . . ." She broke off suddenly, and
smacked her lips several times, with a puzzled look on her fac.  She
lifted a blood smeared hand to her mouth and licked it.  "This is
wrong, this isn't possible." She licked her hand again, and then
looked at Akane incredulously.  "You taste good."
  "O thank you very much I'm sure.  It's a great relief to know
that monsters find me a taste treat." Akane snarled at her.
  "You don't understand, you're a demon, but you taste good. 
That's not right.  Something is wrong here."
  "For the last time, I am not a demon." 
  "Then why the fangs and markings?"
  "What fangs?  What markings?"
  "Akane," Ranma suddenly said, the worried tone of her voice
made Akane look over at her.  "I think maybe you had better take a
look in a mirror."
  "Puzzled, Akane complied, keeping an eye on Ukyou-chan, he
moved over to Ukyou's dresser and looked in the mirror.  His eyes
widened, and he lifted a tentative hand to the corner of his mouth. 
Lifting a corner of her upper lip, he stared at the heavy and very
pronounced canines he now possessed.  Then he lifted his hand
higher and scrubbed at several faint marks that adorned his forehead
and cheeks. 
  "I don't understand, what's happening to me?" Akane said,
then, eyes narrowed in suspicion, he turned toward Ukyou-chan,
"What did you do to me?" he said in a accusing voice.
  "Me?  Not a damn thing. I wish I had, then maybe I could fix
it." The little being said dispiritedly.
  "What do you mean?" Akane demanded, and as Ukyou tried
weakly to stand up, only to be gently pushed back by Ranma, "and
what's wrong with Ukyou?" 
  "It all the same thing.  The Powers that be have screwed the
pooch, Ukyou and I are dead meat." Ukyou-chan said, shoulders
slumping in dejection.
  "Nani?" Ranma and Akane said is shock.  "How? . . . What can
we do?"
  "Nothing, not a damn thing."
  Akane was about to demand a more detailed answer when
Ukyou interrupted him, and said in a weak voice.  "If I'm going to
die, I'd sort of like to know why.  A little while ago, you said Akane
had a demon sleeping in him, and that the only way to save him was
to have sex with him. Now you say Akane is a demon anyway, and
that I'm going to die, along with you.  What the hell is going on?"
  "It's sort of like this." Ukyou-chan sighed, when the Powers
that be sensed Akane, they assumed he had been possessed, and
given the recent happenings, that it was something to do with a
Jusenkyo curse.  From the Kami plane their vision was clouded, they
were wrong.  Akane is not possessed, he is a demon, a half breed I'd
say, and an uncorrupted one from the taste of him."
  Ranma looked puzzled. "You mentioned Akane tasting good
before, what has that got to do with anything?"
  Ukyou-chan, shrugged.  "It's the nature of demons, the nastier
they are, the worse they taste.  Conversely human innocents, like for
instance most virgins, taste delicious, which is why they are so
sought after by demons.  Akane tastes good, and is most definitely
not a virgin, therefore he's not evil."
  "So, that's a good thing.  Why does it mean you and I are going
to die?" Ukyou asked.
  "It's part of the same screw up.  Why do you think you were
selected as a demon hunter?"
  "I have no idea, because I'm a good martial artist, and I'm, or I
was a virgin."
  "Partially, but those would have meant nothing without the
magic in you."
  "Magic in me?  I don't have any magic."
  "You're telling me." Ukyou-chan said.
  Akane broke in. "It's the magic Miss Hinako took from Ranma,
and blasted into you.  That's right isn't it?"
  "Bingo." Ukyou-chan said, "but I just realized that.  You see, to
be selected as a demon hunter, you have to be one of the few humans
who naturally produce magic.  It usually means that there is a little
Devine blood in you.  It's a delicate thing, you can't have the ability
to use the magic yourself.  That's so when a spirit binds with you,
the spirit becomes the magic user.  He, or she, supplies the magic the
demon hunter needs to do his, or her, job.  The magic also supplies
the life energy for the spirit.  It's a sort of Symbiotic relationship. 
The spirit needs the magic to live, and the demon hunter needs the
skills and protection the spirit can provide using that magic."
  Ranma piped in.  "So, what's the big deal?  Ukyou doesn't have
any magic, so she can't be  a demon hunter. Akane you say, is a
good demon, and I still ain't buying that." she hastily added seeing
Akane's frown.  "So anyway, that means Ukyou don't got to be a
demon hunter, so why don't you just go back to where you came
from."
  "I wish." Ukyou-chan said bitterly.  "When I bonded with her it
was a permanent deal, only her death can free me . . ."  Ukyou-chan
broke off suddenly and big sweated as Ranma and Akane placed
themselves between her and Ukyou. 
  "You don't lay a finger on her while we're here." Akane
snarled.
  "Are you crazy, I could no more hurt my bond partner then I
could myself."
  "So why did you say Ukyou was going to die."
  "I also, if you were paying attention, said that I was going to
die as well.  I need that magic, the magic that Ukyou does not
produce.  Without it, the bond draws on her life force, and it's not an
efficient usage.  I'll drain her dry, and then we'll both die, and
there's not a damn thing I can do about it."  "
  "Well, there's something I can do about it." Ranma snarled,
she leaped across the room to where Ukyou's battle spatula was. 
Snatching it up, she raced towards Ukyou-chan, the oversized
weapon held high, ready to splatter the little girl.  Before she could
get there Ukyou threw herself in between Ranma and Ukyou-chan. 
  "Ranma stop this." Ukyou said, her face white with the effort of
keeping on her feet.
  "Get out of my way Ukyou, I'm going to squash that damn
vampire."
  "No, that's what she wants, and I'm not going to let her get
away with it.  I already told her earlier, we don't kill our friends,
there's always another way."
  "What do you mean, she wants Ranma to kill her?" Akane
asked.
  "Look at her" Ukyou said, gesturing toward Ukyou-chan who
was just standing there, making no effort to put distance between
herself and Ranma.  "Think how she explained it, remember how
she dodged Akane.  She could have gotten out of Ranma's way
easily.  Why didn't she?  She went out of her way to make  you 
think killing her was the answer, and then when you were going to
do it, she didn't make a single move to save herself."
  Ranma looked at Ukyou-chan, who glared back at her.  "You're
right," Ranma said after a minute.  She let the battle spatula fall to
the floor.  "So, what do we do now."
  "We could let Hinako zap you, and then blast Ukyou." Akane
suggested.
  "No good," Ukyou-chan said, "taken in that way, the magic is
not compatible with humans.  She would experience overwhelming
lust until I drained it out of her.  But even so, the little that was still
in her could have kept us both going for quite some time. That's why
I was so mad earlier.  You sucked all the remaining magic right out
of her while you were ,you know,  with her, obviously your own
reserves were low.  Then when Ukyou was, you know, with you, that
exhausted some of her own reserves.  I didn't help any when I
attacked you, I drained off even more when I tried to fire off some
magic attacks out of reflex.  The good news is that now that both
Ukyou and I are more or less calm, she should regain some of her
strength, but only for a few hours, eventually having to supply
energy to both of us will drain her. "
  "Taken in that way," Ukyou whispered to herself.
  "What do you mean Ukyou?" Akane asked, catching the tone in
Ukyou's voice.  Ranma had not heard Ukyou, she was deep in
thought, and her concentration was such that she was cut off from
the outside world as she tried to think of anything she had
experienced on her travels, or while living in Nerima that might help
in this situation.  Nothing short of a physical attack was going to get
her attention for a while.
  "I've had a little experience with my double here," Ukyou
answered Akane.  "Sometimes she's decides on her own that certain
options are not acceptable.  Just like when she said I had to kill you,
and then later I managed to find out that having sex would solve the
problem." Ukyou turned to look at Ukyou-chan. "So, what did you
mean when you said, taken in that way?  Is there another way of
taking the magic that would work?"
  Ukyou-chan looked nervous.  "It was just a slip of the tongue,
there's no option, you have to kill me to save yourself.  You have to
do it.  I can't do it.  I'm not wired for suicide."
  "I'd say you're doing a pretty good job.  You almost got Ranma
to do it for you."
  "There's no rule that says I can't lay the options out to you."
Ukyou-chan said defensively. 
  "The problem is, you don't lay out 'all' the options." Ukyou
said.  "It's sex again isn't it?"
  "I don't know what your talking about." Ukyou-chan mumbled,
looking down her feet, not able to look Ukyou in the face.
  "You see," Ukyou said to Akane, "she's a lousy liar.  Well, this
is what I'm going to do Yousee, . . . "
  "Yousee?" Akane asked questioningly.
  "Short for Ukyou-chan, U,C, Yousee, you see?" Akane nodded
hesitantly, moving his lips as he tried to figure out Ukyou's last
statement.  "So, Yousee, this is what I'm going to do, nothing,
absolutely nothing."
  "But you can't, you'll die."
  "Not if you give me the other option. I'm not going to try and
beat it out of you this time, and I'm sure as hell not going to kill you,
no matter how much of a jackass you are."
  Yousee turned her back on Ukyou, "You know I can't let you
die, but . . ."
  "No buts!!" Ukyou snapped her anger restoring some of her
strength and vitality.
  "All right, it's the demon, he's the key. he can take energy
from Ranma and convert it into a form that we can live on.  But it's
not a one time deal, you'll need a transfusion on a regular basis."
  "So how do I go about doing this?" Akane asked eagerly.
  "Just be yourself." Yousee sneered. 
  "Yousee, you apologize right now.  Akane is trying to help us,
he does not need lip from you." Ukyou snapped out.
  Yousee quailed before Ukyou's anger.  Turning to Akane, she
bowed, "I'm sorry, old habits. It's just so disgusting, I think I'd
rather die, but I can't let Ukyou die because of me.  You're basically
a Shikima.  That means that you can manipulate Shikima magic,
which is what Ranma is loaded with."
  "How?"
  "Simple, for you.  You have sex with her, when you do that
you'll absorb a small amount of magic as it flows from the high
energy vessel, Ranma, to the lower energy vessel, you.  You can do
this because you are bonded to her in a way that is similar to way
Ukyou and I are.  If any other Shikima were to try and tap into that
much energy, they'd end up fried.  Now before the energy can be
absorbed by your body, you have to have sex with Ukyou.  The magic
will now flow from the high energy area that you are, to the low
energy  area that Ukyou is.  Just like between Ranma and you.  As it
passes through your body, it will be converted to a form that I can
live off of and use, but that will not cause Ukyou harm."
  Akane and Ukyou were slightly stunned, together they said, "O
my." 
  Ranma was coming out of her deep thinking and was starting
to take notice of her surroundings.  "It's no good, I can't think of a
single thing that might help, I'm sorry . . ." She broke off and stared
at Akane and Ukyou, who were in turn staring at her.  "Aa, what is
it.  Guys. why are you looking at me that way guys?  Guys!?"

  Hironishi Kenji lay on his back staring at the ceiling.  The bed
he was laying on was slightly moist, and was growing clammy, but
this minor discomfort was of no concern to him.  His mind was on
far more important things. "Seven times," he muttered to himself in
a disbelieving tone.  "Christ I'm fifty eight years old, I haven't done
it seven times in one night in . . . Christ, I don't think I ever did it
seven times in a single night." 
  A slight noise from the bedroom door made him look up, he
stared in appreciation.  There she was, the miracle worker.  She was
dressed in a lovely formal morning Kimono, and her hair fell in
waves around her face, framing the gentle planes of it that he had
studied closely and intimately last night as they made love, seven
freaking times, he repeated to himself.  The hair almost, but not
quite, hid the unfamiliar tattoo's on her face.  She had also at some
time in the past had dental surgery to give her a set of fangs that
rather then appearing strange or bizarre looked strangely right in her
mouth.  She was holding  a man's robe in her hands, and she held
this out to him.
  "Would you like to have breakfast before I have to leave?  I
have it prepared."

  A few minutes later Hironishi was tucking into one of the best
meals he had ever eaten.  Like the lovely lady who had prepared it, it
was nothing extraordinary to look at.  It looked attractive, and was
well presented, but nothing he had not seen before.  When you
actually sampled it however,. . . Seven times, seven god damn times. 
Hironishi finished the last bit of food, and leaned back replete.  The
lady who had sat across from him as he had savored every mouth full
now started to clear the plates.  He caught her wrist in his.  "Please
my dear, the staff can do that. I need to talk to you."
  "O my no, I would not feel right about leaving such a mess. 
Here, you can give me a hand.  We can talk as I work." With that
she handed several dirty dishes to one of the most dangerous and
feared men in Japan.  Standing up, she carried the remaining dishes
into the small kitchen that was part of the suite they were currently
occupying.  
  Hironishi stared in bemusement at the dishes in his hands,
trying to remember if he had ever in his whole life cleaned up after
himself. Never he decided, not even when he had just started out at
the age of fourteen as nothing but street muscle.  Back then he would
have beaten any woman who was presumptuous enough to ask him
to do women's work.  Then a smile spread across his face as he
heard a happy voice humming in the kitchen.  If she can do it, being
what she is, then by damned if I can't lend a hand.  Standing up he
carried the dirty dishes into the kitchen.

  Hironishi dried the last plate and put it away in the cupboard, a
feeling of comfort and pleasure at a job well done.  He hadn't felt
this good since the time he personally broke that piano playing
welshers fingers.  And that had been nearly thirty years ago.  Since
then he had been insulated from doing anything with his own hands. 
  "I don't have to leave for a few minutes, would you like to talk
now?" His female companion asked, sitting herself down on a stool
beside the counter.  Hironishi pulled up a stool of his own and sat
close to her, their legs touching.  Reaching out he took her hand in
his own.  "Sakura, I want you to stay.  No, don't say anything." He
said, when she would have commented, "let me continue.  Last night
was wonderful, but more than that, all of yesterday, when we just
talked and ate, and even this morning.  It's all been wonderful.  I
have a penthouse that I hardly ever use. It's yours, whatever
spending money you wish, It's yours, all I ask is that you stay with
me, be exclusive to me."
  Sakura, looked down, her long hair falling forward to veil her
face from view.  "I'm sorry, I can't.  You are very nice, and I have
enjoyed the day we had, but it is impossible." This time it was her
turn to stop him from talking, she lifted one delicate hand and placed
a finger across his lips when he would have spoken.  "I'm very, very
sorry, but this is the way it must be." Hironishi would have said
something, but suddenly he felt weak, he slumped in his chair, and
would have fallen if she had not caught him in time.  Helping him to
his feet she guided him to a bedroom, different from the one they had
spent the night in.  She undressed him the way a mother might a
child and in the same way, tucked him into bed.  He tried to say
something then, but she kissed him on the forehead, and he felt a
drowsiness come over him, and the next thing he knew he was
blinking his eyes and staring into the face of his right hand man.  A
most unattractive way of waking up, when compared to the way he
had gone to sleep.
  "Boss, you alright boss?"
  "Sakura?"
  "She left over a half an hour ago with some big fat broad, we've
been trying to get a hold of you ever since."
  "A half an hour, you let her get a half an hour ahead of me. 
What sort of fuck up are you?" Hironishi snarled, but Wolf Erickson
was used to his bosses morning attitude.  He had been protecting
Hironishi's back for the last twenty years, and was well used to his
bosses manners. It was a standard joke that Hironishi Kenji was not
fit company in the morning until he had heard about the first victim
of the day.  
            "It was your orders.  If you hadn't given explicit commands 
to be left alone for the night when you and her came back from
dinner, we would have been up here the instant she walked out the
door."
  "Why didn't you stop her?  I gave no orders to let her leave
without me."
  This time Wolf looked embarrassed, rather an extraordinary
sight as he was nearly seven feet tall, and was currently shuffling his
feet for all the world like a tardy school boy.  "Well, she asked us not
to."
  "She asked you not to?" Hironishi said incredulously, then he
waved aside Wolf's explanation. "Forget it.  I'd probably have let her
go to if she'd asked me.  I don't know what it is about her, but I do
know that Sakura is the most extraordinary woman I have ever met."
He looked at Wolf with eyes that had gone steely grey.  "I want you
to find her.  That is the number one priority on your calender, farm
out your other duties.  From now on your job is to find Miss Sakura."
  Wolf nodded his assent, turned and left his boss, giving not a
sign that he felt anything over being reduced to the position of
procuring girls for his boss.

  Hong Kong airport, an hour and a half later. 
  Miss Sakura, her hair bound back in a pony tail, was hugging,
or trying to hug an extraordinary woman.  She was two inches taller
then Wolf Erickson, and must have weighed nearly twice as much. 
Tears were running down her face, as she hugged Miss Sakura with
much more success then the smaller woman had been having with
her.  Miss Sakura very nearly disappeared in the folds of the bigger
woman's flesh.  "I'll miss you, please come back soon." She said in a
quivery little girl voice, all out of proportion to her size.
  "And I you Bakah Sin.  Please give my love to Fu Ching Lan,
and Thai Yeung. I'm sorry I missed them, but I must get back to my
family. I've been away far too long." She pulled herself away from
the larger woman and picking up her bag, headed for the gate
leading to her flight.
  "Goodbye, Kasumi oneechan" Bakah Sin whispered to herself,
then sadly she made her way back to the limousine that would take
her back to her Big brother and Sister.  A tear trickled down her
cheek.