Here's the final of CMD 28. Cleaned up a lot of stuff and changed the
wedding ceremony somewhat due to the feedback from the draft. Enjoy!
=======================================================================
Childhood of a Modern Dynasty
Chapter 28: Big Trouble in Little Nerima; The Wedding During the Storm
Ranma 1/2 characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko
Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission
Childhood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and
copyright 1998-2000 by Jim Lazar
An ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime.
<Speech text in angle brackets is thought by character.>
"Speech text in double quotes is spoken as Japanese."
E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: mailto:jimlazar@earthlink.net
Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for
all released CMD stories, graphics files, and other information:
http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlazar/anime/md
=======================================================================
>From the personal journal of James Davidson:
October 28, 2057
"Hi, Grandma," Hanaki and I chorused when the holo-call connected.
Kasumi's face visibly brightened when she saw us. "Hanaki, James,
what a great surprise!"
"I hope it's a good time for us to call?"
Kasumi nodded. "Always have time for my grandkids, you both should
know that."
"We do, Grandma," Hanaki said.
"So, how is New York?"
"Great. Just like I remember it. Although I still can't believe my
mom was mixed up in the First."
Kasumi sighed. "Those were rough times for everyone, James."
"I know." I glanced at Hanaki and took her hand.
"Grandma, we have some news that we wanted to tell you." Hanaki
smiled before spilling the news. "I'm pregnant."
Kasumi stared at us blankly for a few seconds before smiling. "Oh
my." She held her trembling hand to her mouth and tears formed in her
eyes. "That's wonderful!!"
I gave my wife's shoulder a squeeze. "Yes, we think so too." Once
we confirmed the pregnancy, Hanaki had wanted to tell her grandmother
right away. We haven't even mentioned it to anyone here in New York yet.
Kasumi tilted her head slightly. "Was it a planned pregnancy?"
"Grandma!" Hanaki gasped.
I smiled. "Yes, it was. We discussed it a while back... although I
think my wife is a little surprised that it happened so fast."
Hanaki nodded her agreement.
Kasumi let out a little laugh. "That's your Tendo blood working. We
get pregnant at the drop of a hat."
We all shared a good laugh.
"Well, I love the thought of having a child with James, but I'm
going to miss flying for a while. And who knows if I'll be able to
handle being on the combat roster and raising a child."
Kasumi seemed to chuckle. "Don't worry. It may not be easy, but you
can handle having a family and a career, but don't be afraid to ask for
help when you need it."
Hanaki looked at Kasumi and smiled. "Well, I have a great role
model."
"Don't look at me, dear, I almost ended up tossing both away."
I smiled at Kasumi. "That's not what I've heard from Akane."
Kasumi smiled and seemed to grow younger as we spoke. "Akane has
always had an over idealistic impression about my life."
"Maybe because of the extreme problems she's faced in her own
life?"
"Possibly." Kasumi leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. "I
can't claim to have had anything close to the number and kinds of
problems Akane has had, but I've taken my fair share of wrong turns in
my life."
"Like what?"
Hanaki scowled. "He's working again."
I laughed and kissed my wife. "It wasn't intentional. Besides, I'll
have a baby to support soon and knowing you and Jaki, I'll have a LOT of
baby clothes and toys to pay for."
Hanaki shook her head. "We're not that bad. And we have at least
one hand me down for our child." She looked at Kasumi. "Do you still
have it, Grandma?"
"Of course. Your child will have nothing but the best."
Hanaki smiled.
I looked between my wife and Kasumi. "Am I missing something here?"
Kasumi smiled knowingly. "It's just a tradition for the first born
child of a Tendo woman. My mother honored me with it, Daiji had it, my
first son had it, and Hanaki had it. And now your child will have it."
"What is it?"
"It is a long story."
I smiled. "I love long stories."
***********************************************************************
November 21-24, 1999 - Nerima, Japan
Akane watched as Nabiki threw open the door and peered into the
apartment where Dr. Tofu and Kasumi lived. "Ha!! Caught you in the act!"
Nabiki shouted.
Kasumi looked up from the book she was reading. "I've told you both
that we are not shacking up here."
Akane grinned. "Yeah, but we're just making sure. Where's Doctor
Tofu?"
"He's visiting a patient."
Nabiki gasped. "He does house calls? What kind of doctor is he?"
Kasumi smiled. "A very good one. So what brings you two here?"
Akane exchanged a conspiratorial glance with Nabiki. "We're going
to take you shopping."
Kasumi frowned. "Are you sure you can handle that in your
condition?" She glanced at Akane's pregnant belly.
Akane laughed. "I'm fine. It's been way too long since we all went
shopping together and I can't think of a better day to do it on."
Kasumi tilted her head innocently. "Oh, is there something special
about today?"
Nabiki smirked. "Keep that up and you won't get any birthday
presents."
"Oh, is it my birthday? I completely forgot."
Akane giggled and pulled her oldest sister into a tender embrace.
"Happy Birthday, big sister."
Nabiki took her turn. "This is probably the last time you get to
celebrate your birthday as a single woman, so we are going to do it
right."
Kasumi blushed. "Well, we haven't set the date yet..."
"Right... just do it, Kasumi. You won't regret it," Akane winked.
"Married life has some interesting benefits."
"Even more if you're married to a man who's not trapped in a busty
woman's body." Nabiki winked.
Kasumi blushed. "So, how is everything at home?"
Akane knew an evasion when she heard it, but it was Kasumi's
birthday so she decided to let Kasumi get away with it this time. "Okay,
I guess. Daiji is sleeping longer now and Ranko's actually getting into
breast feeding..." Akane frowned suddenly.
Kasumi put her hand on Akane's shoulder. "You miss it, don't you?"
Akane nodded. "Yeah, even though I still do the occasional feeding
when Ranko's not around, I still miss all the time I spent with her
before."
Kasumi nodded. "Don't worry... you'll be able to spend that time
with your own child."
"Daiji is my child!" Akane snapped, then softened. "Sorry... I
guess I'm a bit sensitive about that. When I take Daiji to the park I
always get asked whose child she is, since I obviously didn't give birth
to a two-month-old myself." She looked down at her pregnant belly.
"No, I'm sorry, Akane." Kasumi took her sister's hand. "I didn't
mean that Daiji isn't your child as well... I just meant that you will
be spending that time with another baby soon."
"I know... it's just that I miss breast feeding Daiji."
"This is rich... my sister is upset that her husband is getting her
breasts sucked more than her own."
Akane smirked. "Yeah... I guess it is pretty funny." The three
sisters all shared a laugh.
"Akane, why don't you talk to Ranko about this?" Kasumi asked.
"Well, I was the one who originally encouraged him to start breast
feeding Daiji. How can I ask him to stop now?'
"Well, just tell her how you feel. When your child is born, maybe
she'll want to share in the breast feeding duties."
"Four breasts, no waiting," Nabiki added.
The sisters shared another laugh.
"So how was the sex with Sanma?" Nabiki asked, winking.
"Or to be more exact, how was the sex with yourself?"
"Kasumi!" Akane blushed at the question from her oldest sister. "We
haven't... I mean... Well, he didn't want to until the baby is born. I
think he's afraid I'll break. He was always so wary around me."
Nabiki smirked knowingly. "Well, since Sanma has your body now...
maybe he doesn't need you to have sex with you anymore."
"Nabiki!!" Akane and Kasumi shouted in unison.
-C- -M- -D-
The three sisters' hands were heavy with packages as they stepped
into the Tendo house. "Kasumi, want to stay for a bit?" Akane asked
before Kasumi could make her good-byes.
Kasumi looked nervously out the door. "Um... I'm not sure. Tofu
will be expecting me."
Nabiki didn't take no for an answer. "You can jump his bones
later." She pulled Kasumi into the house.
"Nabiki!"
Akane pulled on Kasumi's sleeve. "Come on... just for a little
bit."
"Okay. I could use a little time to get over that bar you took me
too."
Nabiki smirked. "You seemed to like Hans."
Kasumi blushed. "I was just being polite by tipping him."
Akane raised an eyebrow. "You tipped him a lot."
"Yeah, his g-string was bulging by the time you finished."
"It wasn't the tips causing that."
Akane and Nabiki gaped at Kasumi, but were afraid to respond to
that comment. The three sisters made their way down to the family room
and slid open the doors.
"Happy Birthday, Kasumi!!" the people assembled in the family room
chorused. In addition to the regular residents of the Tendo house, Dr.
Tofu, Ami, a couple of Amazons, and a number of Kasumi's friends were
present. The door to Soun and Hinako's room was open to make room for
everyone.
"Oh my." Kasumi looked around at the assembled people and blushed.
"You shouldn't have."
Akane kissed Kasumi on the cheek and pushed her into the room. "It
was your fiance's idea."
Kasumi smiled at Dr. Tofu. "Thank you." She looked back at
everyone. "Thank you, all."
"Let's party!"
-C- -M- -D-
A while later, Ami was describing the wedding that she had attended
months earlier in China. "Yukiko was dressed in a long flowing dress.
The fabric was softer than satin and... well, I'm not sure how to
describe it. It was red with golden highlighting throughout."
"What about the groom?" Kasumi asked.
"Well.." Ami hesitated. "It was pretty much the same outfit.
Yukiko's cleavage was more pronounced, of course."
"Gee, sounds a bit dull," Ranko commented.
Akane rolled her eyes. "I'm planning on my next wedding to be very
dull, thank you."
"Well, of course, after me everything else has to be dull."
Akane chuckled. "Speaking of marriages..." She looked at Kasumi and
Dr. Tofu, who were snuggled up close to each other.
Kasumi looked crossly at her youngest sister. "Akane..."
"I know... you haven't set a date."
Kasumi and Dr. Tofu exchanged glances. Kasumi nodded to Dr. Tofu to
indicate he should tell everyone. "Well, we have set a place, but they
haven't let us know when they can squeeze us in. Apparently, they are
booked solid for the next two years."
The room went silent until Nodoka spoke. "Where do you want to get
married that's so important?"
Kasumi blushed and looked at her father. "We want to get married at
the little shrine that Mother and Father were married in." She looked at
her father and smiled sweetly at him.
Akane and Nabiki smiled broadly. Soun nodded and resisted to the
urge to burst into tears. Little Hinako scrunched up her face at the
mention of Soun's first wife, but remained calm. She knew she shared
Soun's heart with his late wife, but that didn't lessen the love he had
for her. She hoped.
"What a wonderful idea. I wanted to do the same thing, but
someone-" Nodoka glanced at her husband. "-didn't think it was worth the
money."
"But honey..."
Everyone ignored the fight that broke out between Nodoka and Genma
while they congratulated the future newlyweds.
"Dang, sis, two years would be a long time to wait," Nabiki
whispered into Kasumi's ear and winked.
Kasumi nodded. "I know," she said wistfully and glanced at Dr.
Tofu. A blush formed on her face.
Dr. Tofu became a little uncomfortable and decided to change the
subject. "So, how are Sanma and the others doing?"
Akane turned to Dr. Tofu and answered his question. "Well, we
haven't heard from them since they sprang Sanma after the 'incident' on
the plane."
Dr. Tofu nodded. "I see. Well, I'm sure they'll be fine."
Akane clutched her chest. "I hope so. I went months without them
before Sanma returned and he was here all too briefly. Now that we know
where Ranma is, I just feel so nervous and antsy for them to come back."
Kasumi nodded. "That's understandable."
"Tell me about it... I can't wait to get Mousse back into my arms,"
Nabiki commented and then looked at her father and blushed. "Err...
don't worry, Daddy, I'm a good girl."
That comment saved them from all getting soaked with tears.
Genma cleared his throat. "Good girls pay their debts."
Nabiki smiled sweetly to reassure Genma. "You'll get your money,
Mr. Saotome." Inside Nabiki was a little more concerned. <Damn, I would
have never taken that large of a bet from him if I thought Sanma would
actually become a panda like his father. And I still have to pay off
Mousse too, but I might be able to make him take something more
pleasurable than money.> Nabiki grinned to herself.
Suddenly a loud cry was heard from the nursery. Ranko jumped to her
feet and rushed to check on her son and/or daughter. She came back a few
moments later cradling Daiji in her arms. "Shhhh... don't cry."
"What's the matter?" Akane asked.
"She dropped her ring thing on the floor." Ranko help up a little
plastic ring toy and shook it in front of the baby to calm her.
Seeing the ring reminded Kasumi of something. "After the party,
there's something I'd like to give Daiji."
Akane looked at her oldest sister. "What?"
"You'll see." Kasumi glanced at her father, who nodded his
understanding.
-C- -M- -D-
After the party ran its course and most of the guests left, the
proud parents and grandparents watched as Kasumi cradled Daiji in her
arms while she swayed back and forth on a rocking chair. Nabiki, Hinako,
and Dr. Tofu looked on as well. Kasumi kissed Daiji's forehead. "A part
of me wanted to give this to my own child first, but I am pleased to
give it to my beautiful niece here."
"Nephew."
Akane shushed her husband. "Shush, she's a girl right now."
Dr. Tofu put a comforting hand on his fiancee's shoulder. "Our
first child will have its turn with it."
Kasumi blushed. "My mother passed this on to me when I was just a
babe and later told me to give it to my first born child. I will
eventually-" She glanced at Dr. Tofu and smiled sweetly. "-but for now
the honor goes to the first born child of my youngest sister."
The proud parents smiled broadly.
"Even if her husband was the one who gave birth to her," Nabiki
quipped.
Kasumi reached over to a small table by her side and fingered a
finely crafted box the size of a cigar box, but a little taller. The
wooden box had seen better days and was now well worn. The edges looked
to be taped together and the engraved wood was faded and peeling. She
gingerly opened the lid and pulled out a fancy golden rattle.
Various awed gasps were heard.
Kasumi smiled and gently wiped a smudge off the surface of the
rattle. "Daiji, daughter... and son of Akane and Ranko Tendo, I give you
the Tendo family rattle. Hold it close to your heart as we hold you
close to ours." She bent down and kissed her niece on the forehead and
then put the little rattle into the baby's hands.
Daiji cooed a few times as she wrapped her fingers around the
unknown object. Kasumi shook the rattle a little, which caused Daiji to
smile and gurgle with excitement.
Nabiki took a picture. "Dang, that must be worth a lot."
"Over twenty-five million yen."
Nodoka glared at her husband. "And how would you know that,
husband?"
Genma shrugged, trying not to let on that he had had it appraised.
Kasumi smiled at her middle sister. "It's worth much, much more
than it's monetary value. It's our family's history. Every first born
Tendo has played with it as far back as anyone remembers."
"And sucked on it apparently," Nabiki remarked while nodding down
at Daiji, who was sucking on the head of the rattle.
"I hope it's been washed over the years," Ranko remarked with the
worried tone only a mother could have for her child.
"Oh, she must be hungry," Akane reached for Daiji, but stopped.
Ranko saw Akane's hesitation. "Akane, can you take this one? I'm a
bit tired."
Akane's eyes lit up. "Sure, if you insist."
Ranko looked at Kasumi and mouthed a silent 'thank you' for
informing her about Akane's concerns about breast-feeding earlier that
night.
Kasumi nodded her acknowledgement to Ranko as she handed Daiji to
Akane.
Akane sat down and then looked up at the assembled people. "This
isn't exactly a spectator sport, you know."
Ranko laughed and herded everyone out. She smiled as she saw the
joy that spread across Akane's face after Daiji started to suckle.
<Yeah, I know the feeling.>
-C- -M- -D-
Dr. Tofu and Kasumi walked back towards the clinic, holding hands.
Kasumi suddenly asked a question. "Am I making a mistake, Tofu?"
Dr. Tofu looked down at Kasumi. "About what?"
"Becoming a doctor. It'll take so much time and I can't possibly
handle having a baby and going to medical school at the same time. I
don't know if I want to wait that long to have children."
Dr. Tofu smiled. "We'll find time."
"I don't know. Maybe I don't need to be a doctor to be happy."
Kasumi looked up at Dr. Tofu and smiled.
"I know having little Daiji around makes you want to have your own
children, but I also know you want to be a doctor."
"How can I do both?"
"You can't."
Kasumi frowned.
"But together we can."
Kasumi smiled. "Let's call the shrine again when we get home."
Dr. Tofu smiled and nodded. "Just don't expect me to share the
breast feeding duties like Ranko and Akane can."
"Of course not." Kasumi leaned into Dr. Tofu and was rewarded with
a deep kiss.
-C- -M- -D-
"Hey, Pop?" Ranko asked, poking his head into Kasumi's old room.
Genma looked away from the window he had been staring out. "Yes,
Son?"
Ranko smiled. <Leave it to the old man to always acknowledge my
masculinity.> She took a couple of steps towards her father. "Why are
you in here?"
"Oh, I just wanted to check out the view."
Ranko eyed the pile of her father's clothes and the freshly made-up
bed. "Is something wrong between you and Mom?"
"No..."
"Don't lie to me, Pop!!"
Genma exhaled and collapsed onto the bed, burying his head in his
hands. "Your mother and I are having some problems. I don't know what to
do. I try to be the man she wants me to be, but nothing I do is ever
good enough."
Ranko stared blankly at her father, unable to find her voice. <I
know they have some problems... but are they going to break up?>
"I raised a fine son and gave her a grandchild. Heck, I even
managed to give her two daughters without her getting any more stretch
marks. What more does she want?"
Ranko's jaw dropped. "First, all those things are hardly due to
your parenting skills. Mostly they're IN SPITE of your lack of parenting
skills."
"That's no way to talk to your father!"
Ranko smirked. "Yeah, I know." She continued. "Akane and I have
been going to parenting classes and you know what?"
"What?"
"Covering your kid with fish sausage and throwing him into a pit of
hungry cats is not considered good parenting."
"I don't believe that."
"Taking your son away from his mother for ten years isn't either."
Genma gasped.
"I'd go on, but I have to go spend some time with MY wife. You
know, Ranma's only been gone for about six months and Akane misses him
dearly. You should have seen how happy she was when Sanma came back
after the initial shock of the new curse wore off." Ranko turned around
and walked out. Before getting out of earshot, she turned around a
looked her father straight in his eyes. "Ten years must have been much
worse."
Genma pondered Ranko's words as he watched her leave. "How could
Akane have missed Ranma for all the years we were on our training
voyage? She never even met him until three years ago."
It took a few hours of restless sleep before Genma finally realized
what his daughter had meant. He sat upright in the bed and frowned. "Oh,
Nodoka, you missed Ranma that much? I'm sorry... but I'll do whatever I
can to get your son back to you!"
Or thought he knew what Ranko had meant.
-C- -M- -D-
"Are you stupid, old man?!" Ranko screamed a couple days later.
Genma hefted his backpack onto his back. "Huh? I'm going to go help
the others find Ranma. You said your mother missed him."
Ranko shook her head sadly. "Probably, but that wasn't what I
meant, bonehead! I meant that Mom missed you!!"
"But... but I'm back now."
"Yeah, but what have you done with her since she found us?"
Genma frowned. "Lots of stuff!"
"Such as?"
"Um... well, we went to the park last week together."
"That was to take Daiji for a walk. What have you done alone with
her?"
"I let her watch me workout yesterday."
Ranko glared at her father.
"We cleaned the bathtub together a couple weeks ago."
"Do you see a pattern here?"
"Yeah, I've been crowding her."
Ranko slapped her father's head. "Idiot! You haven't been spending
any time alone with her! Just with her. Not a walk with Daiji, not
watching your flabby body jump around the dojo, not a chore."
"Um... I had sex with her a few weeks ago."
Ranko when pale and clutched her stomach. "I really didn't need to
hear that."
"Well, what chore did you mean then?"
Ranko grabbed her father roughly around the color and glared at
him. "It's not supposed to be a chore!! Does Mr. Tendo call spending
time with his wife a chore?"
"They're newlyweds!! It's different when you've been married for a
while. You'll see."
Ranko let go of her father. "I hope not. Every day I discover
something new about Akane. If a day comes when I don't find some new
reason to love her all over again, I'll just remember all the other
reasons I love her."
"You don't have to tell me that! I love your mother with all my
heart!!"
"Then tell her, you jerk!!" Ranko spun around and left her father
behind to think about her words.
Genma looked between his backpack and Ranko's retreating back. Then
he looked up the stairs towards the room he had been sharing with his
wife until a few days previously.
-C- -M- -D-
"Morning, Mom, where's Pop?" Ranko asked as she walked into the
family room the next morning.
When Nodoka looked up at her daughter her tear stained face showed
that she had been crying.
Ranko frowned. "What's wrong, Mom?"
"Your father went on a training trip."
"What?! After everything I told him last night?" Ranko looked ready
to go out and haul Genma back.
"Calm down, Ranko, I asked him to go."
"Huh?"
"Ranko, your father and I have had some problems recently. We had a
long talk last night and decided that we could use a little time apart."
"Are you sure it's okay with you?"
"Yes."
"But..." Ranko scrunched up her face. "You're not breaking up, are
you?"
Nodoka sighed. "I don't know." She clutched her chest. "I hope
not." She silently got up and walked out of the room.
Ranko could see the tears start to pool in her mother's eyes as she
watched her leave. She had the urge to go comfort her, but couldn't
think of anything she could do or say that would help. <Did I just make
it worse last night?>
A few minutes later a loud shout was heard from upstairs. "Shit,
that dammed bastard took my family's katana!! I'll kill him!"
Ranko shook her head sadly. <You'll never change, will you, Pop?>
=======================================================================
>From the personal journal of James Davidson:
October 28, 2057
"I'm afraid that Mr. and Mrs. Saotome had a lot of problems back
then."
I nodded. "They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but that's
not always the case."
"No, it's not. They did love each other, but..."
"If that was enough, the world would be a happier place."
Hanaki placed her hand to my head. "Hmmm... usually he only gets
this deep when he's running a fever."
I smiled at my wife. "Very funny."
Kasumi looked fondly at her granddaughter. "I envy you, Hanaki. To
grow up and raise your child in these peaceful times is a luxury that I
didn't have."
Hanaki looked confused. "The Buyierfei are still around, Grandma."
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, but for the most part the Task Force has them
under control. Back before the Black Wars, the governments of the world
weren't prepared to deal with them and even during the Black Wars they
had their problems."
"What was it like when the Second appeared?"
"The truth?"
I nodded.
Kasumi thought for a moment. "It was the worse part of my life...
and the best."
***********************************************************************
December 20-31, 1999 - Nerima, Japan
On a cold December day, Kasumi rushed into the Tendo house. "What
happened? What is that thing?"
Nodoka was trying to comfort Daiji, who had been crying since it
had appeared. Soun, Hinako, and Dr. Tofu were all kneeling around the
table with grave faces. Soun's tears had run out long ago and no one
dared say that his tears weren't justified under the circumstances. "It
appeared this afternoon in front of Furinkan High," Nodoka spoke softly,
afraid to upset the baby further.
Kasumi frowned. "What is it?"
Dr. Tofu spoke hauntingly. "A Buyierfei monolith. Some of the
students said that Akane and Ranko were dragged inside after a fight
with the Buyierfei. One of the Amazons that were guarding them was
killed and the other was severely wounded. There were some attacks on
the other students, but fortunately nothing serious."
Kasumi trembled. "No... Akane is in no condition to handle this
now."
Nodoka swallowed hard. "They'll be okay."
Dr Tofu looked at his fiancee, the concern evident on his face.
"Nabiki and some of the Amazons are already over there, trying to find
out what the authorities are going to do."
"So, there's nothing we can do but wait?" Kasumi asked, trembling.
Dr. Tofu pulled Kasumi down to his side and wrapped his arms around
her.
"What a bunch of idiots!!" Nabiki exclaimed as she stormed into the
family room. Nipplering slid silently into the room behind her, looking
her usual stoic self.
"What did the police say?" Nodoka asked, then continued her
attempts to calm Daiji down.
Nabiki plopped down to the floor. "They are setting up a barricade
and are evacuating the area..."
"Isn't that good?" Kasumi asked.
Nabiki sighed and looked at Nipplering.
Nipplering stood up a bit straighter. "I told the officer in charge
that they needed to evacuate a much larger area and construct a
barricade similar to the fence that protects the compound to contain the
Buyierfei. They didn't take my warning seriously." She looked at Nabiki.
"Unfortunately, I was prevented from making him understand."
Nabiki sighed. "I don't think threatening the cops is going to help
the situation, Nip."
"Then how can we safeguard the area and the compound?"
Nabiki smiled knowingly and looked at her father. "Daddy, can you
talk to your town council friends and try to make them understand the
danger."
Soun nodded. "I will, but what about us here?"
Nipplering spoke. "I have already sent word to the Matriarch. Until
we hear otherwise, we hold the compound."
Kasumi glanced at the crying baby. "Shouldn't we get away from
here?"
Nipplering shook her head. "No, not yet. I don't have enough
warriors to protect you all outside of the compound. Historically, the
monoliths were dormant for several months after appearing. All they did
was soak in energy from the surrounding area. Unfortunately, I can't
recall any mention in the ancient scrolls about the Buyierfei focusing
on any particular people like they seem to be with Akane and the three
Ranmas. In any case, you are still safest here in the compound."
"We aren't exactly helpless," Soun declared.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow, but decided not to comment on that.
"I know, but consider if the same number that attacked the compound
in July attacked us out in the open or in an unfortified location,"
Nipplering said.
Dr. Tofu could guess a part of what Nipplering wasn't saying so as
not to worry anyone. During the battle with the Buyierfei in China, he
could tell how susceptible the demons were to chi attacks while his own
attacks were worthless. Without anyone who could generate chi blasts
around, they were in for a hard fight. He looked at his future
father-in-law. "I think Nipplering is right. I'd like Kasumi to stay
here until things blow over."
Soun nodded. "Okay, my lad, I trust you. But I want you to stay
here as well."
Dr. Tofu nodded and looked at Nabiki.
Nabiki smirked. "Yeah, I'll be staying here too. Mon Canard is too
close to that thing for my comfort."
Nodoka looked at Nabiki. "Not to mention that your staff won't come
to work and people started canceling reservations."
Nabiki frowned. "How..."
Nodoka answered before Nabiki could even finish her question. "Kiki
couldn't reach you, so she called a short time ago."
Nabiki shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, for some reason people don't
want to eat in the shadow of that thing." She frowned. "Come to think of
it, it doesn't cast a shadow."
-C- -M- -D-
In the days that followed, despite the Tendo's warning about the
danger posed by the monolith the police evacuated just a small area
around Furinkan. They also set up some makeshift barricades a couple
blocks away from what would later become to be known as the Second
Monolith.
The prevailing theory in the police department and in the local
Nerima newspapers was that it was some sort of millennium hoax
perpetrated by the students. The Tokyo television news shows hadn't even
reported it yet, but then they tended to ignore a lot of the odd things
that happen in Nerima. That would quickly change.
-C- -M- -D-
It was the night before Christmas and all throughout Nerima not a
creature was stirring, except a pack of invisible demons known as the
Buyierfei.
The invisible creatures got past the police line without being
noticed. In retrospect, the police's laxness about the barricade
probably saved their lives. Instead of slaughtering the police to get
past a more secure barricade, the Buyierfei slipped past them without
incident. Unless impeded in their mission, they had no reason to kill.
Yet.
Using the information obtained by the first group that attempted to
attack the compound, the Buyierfei split into four groups and approached
the compound from different sides. They carefully inched up the fence,
which was covered with spikes protruding in all directions.
Careful as they were, inevitably a spike pierced their tough hide
and a visible blood spot would appear at the wound.
Diligent as they were, the Amazons spotted the floating wounds
before the Buyierfei reached the top of the fence. Cries of alarm rang
out and flowed down the fence. Arrows and darts rained down from the top
of the fence to pinpoint the invisible attackers. Then swords sliced
through air and flesh to dispatch the Buyierfei they could see.
The ones that hadn't been seen slipped down the inner fence and
made their way to their objective, the modest house that sat in the
middle of the compound.
-C- -M- -D-
Nipplering rushed into the family room. "The Buyierfei are
attacking the fence." She kissed her fingers and held them to her
forehead as Amazon tradition required.
"Oh my."
Everyone jumped to their feet and looked cautiously around. Hinako
dug in her pockets, looking for a five-yen coin.
Soun smiled and handed his wife a coin. Then he rushed to a nearby
closet and pulled out a naginata, which was essentially a short, heavy
sword blade on the end of a pole about two meters long. He paused when
he saw Dr. Tofu standing nearby. He grabbed a second naginata and handed
it to his future son-in-law. "Think you're ready to fight after only a
few lessons?"
Dr. Tofu took the pole weapon and nodded, a little uncertainty
evident on his face. "Yes, I will do my best to not disappoint you,
Father." He gestured for Kasumi and Nabiki to get behind him. When he
was sure they were safely behind him, he took up a defensive posture and
waited.
Nodoka rushed over and picked up Daiji from her crib just before
the side wall exploded. She tumbled backwards, just barely managing to
hold onto the baby.
Nipplering jumped forward and slashed the air where the hole had
appeared. Instead of cleaving a Buyierfei in two, her sword rebounded
off an unusually strong bamboo umbrella.
"Where the hell am I now?"
Nabiki coughed and peered through the settling dust. "Ryoga?"
Ryoga looked around. "Nabiki? Ah, I made it!! Where's Akane?"
"The Buyierfei have her," Kasumi informed Ryoga, her voice
trembling.
"How did you get past the fences?" Nipplering asked accusingly.
Ryoga frowned. "Fences? I don't recall any fences."
Nipplering suddenly held her sword to Ryoga's neck. "He must be
possessed!! No one could miss seeing our impressive fences!!"
Nabiki giggled and pushed the sword away from the lost boy's
throat. "Nip, trust me, Ryoga could wind up on the moon without figuring
out how he got there."
"He'd suffocate," Nipplering replied straight-faced.
"It's just an ex..." Nabiki sighed and decided not to bother. She
turned to Ryoga. "As long as you're here, care to help us defend the
Tendo Compound?" She emphasized the last two words.
"Huh?"
"Well, have to call this fortress something, don't we?" Nabiki
smirked. "Why are you here anyway?"
"Well, Akari and me heard about the monolith, so I wanted to help
if I could."
"Oh, how is Akari?'" Kasumi asked casually.
"She's fine."
"You two doing it?" Nabiki asked.
"NO! Not yet. Err..." Ryoga blushed. "I mean... well, we're
dating."
Nabiki smirked. "And living together."
"Makes it easier to find her for our dates," Ryoga explained
matter-of-factly. "Most of the time."
-C- -M- -D-
While the warriors at the outer fence did their best to keep out
the invading hordes of Buyierfei, the second line of defense uncovered
the 'moat' as Nabiki sarcastically called it. The pit that ran along the
inside of the shorter wall surrounding the Tendo house was several
meters wide and about five times deeper. The nasty surprise at the
bottom would do a fair job of slicing and dicing any Buyierfei that
found themselves inside the pit.
Outside the short wall, the ground was covered with small spiked
jacks to facilitate revealing the invisible Buyierfei.
A ring of Amazons surrounded the Tendo house and waited for any
sign of the attacking Buyierfei. Only the Amazon war cries from the
outer fence told them that there was a battle underway.
Inside the house, Nipplering, a dozen or so Amazons, Soun, Dr.
Tofu, and Hinako stood ready around the non-combatants, who formed a
protective circle around little Daiji. Daiji was sleeping contently in
the sling strapped to Nodoka's back.
Then they came.
The moat claimed an untold number of attacking Buyierfei. With the
help of Ryoga, the Amazons in the yard claimed a good percentage of the
attackers before they reached the house. Unfortunately, they did reach
the house.
But those inside were not defenseless.
Soun's naginata swung out and left a horizontal trail of black
blood, which briefly floated in mid air before Dr. Tofu's follow up
swing sliced the Buyierfei neatly in two.
Soun smiled. "Nice work, my lad."
Dr. Tofu smiled and swept the area in front of him with his sword,
hoping to hit "Thanks, Father, it's all due to your special weapons
training."
"Well, can't have you marrying my oldest without knowing how to
properly handle a naginata."
Dr. Tofu nodded and continued searching for Buyierfei. "I doubt I'd
need to use it to protect myself from her, Father."
"Tofu!"
"Very amazing, my lad."
Nearby, little Hinako held up a five-yen coin and yelled out,
"Happo Go-en Satsu!" The empty area in front of her suddenly filled with
dozens of twisting black forms as she drained the energy from them.
Outside, untold numbers of other Buyierfei followed suit when her
chi-sucking technique reached out and drained them of energy. Hinako's
body grew and expanded into that of a busty young woman.
The drained Buyierfei became visible and suddenly swelled up as if
they were balloons.
"Oh, pretty balloons!" Hinako called out, acting unusually
childish.
Soun looked at his wife, concerned since she normally didn't act
childish in her adult form unless she had used her fighting fish to
maintain her adult form for too long.
"Balloon huh?" Nabiki smiled and dug into her pocket for some of
the throwing darts Nipplering had given them as they prepared for the
battle. The darts flew from her fingers and hit the inflated Buyierfei.
With a sickening squelchy, popping sound, the Buyierfei exploded and
sent pieces of black flesh flying in all directions. "Non-combatants,
indeed."
Hinako suddenly convulsed and dropped to her knees, black energy
flicking around her body. "No!!!"
"Hinako!!" Soun stepped forward and put a hand on his wife. A surge
of energy lashed out at him and sent him flying across the room. He
crashed through the doors to his and Hinako's room.
"Fools!! Sucking us into this body only hastens your deaths,"
Hinako said in a deep voice that, unlike her normal adult voice, sent
shivers of dread down everyone's spines. Her normal adult voice sent
shivers of euphoria down men's spines, of course.
"Damn! She's possessed!" Nipplering leapt at Hinako and lashed out
with her sword, but was casually brushed aside.
Dr. Tofu got between Hinako and the three women protecting the
baby. "Hinako!! Release the energy fast!!"
"I can't!!" Hinako screamed in her child's voice. Her eyes turned
black and her voice deepened. "Give us the infant collector!!"
Dr. Tofu frowned. <Hinako is still able to resist somewhat,
apparently.>
Kasumi frowned and instinctively closed the gaps between her and
the other two women protecting Daiji. "Why.. why do you want Daiji?"
Hinako smiled evilly. "We have the other collectors, so we require
the last one to ensure our dominion of this pathetic world."
Nabiki frowned. "Daiji's a collector?"
Hinako laughed and nodded. "Yes, a very pure one. And it is so easy
to make use of the young ones. I'm afraid the older ones will be useless
once we drain them."
"What are you doing to my children!!" Nodoka screamed.
Soun stumbled out of his bedroom. "If you've hurt any of my family,
I'll kill you all." He exchanged a quick glance with Dr. Tofu and then
together they jumped at Hinako with their naginatas.
"Fight it, Hinako!!" Dr. Tofu yelled as the dull backside of his
naginata's blade made contact with her, causing her to wince in pain.
Soun's swing went wide, due to his hesitation to strike his wife.
Hinako laughed evilly. "You cattle are so cute when you think you
can win." She gestured at Soun and Dr. Tofu with her hands and an
invisible force threw them against opposite side of the room.
Meanwhile, Nipplering snuck up behind Hinako and thrust her sword
at Hinako's back, but missed when Hinako stepped to the side
Hinako followed up her sidestep with a vicious swing of her elbow
into Nipplering's gut. The tall Amazon crumpled to the floor. "All too
easy..." Hinako held out her hands towards the three women. "Bring
them."
The three women all yelped in unison as they felt a clammy oily
feeling on their skin. Moments later, black forms appeared all around
them and pressed in.
"No!!" Kasumi cried out and wrapped her body around Daiji and held
onto Nodoka's back.
"Daiji!" Nabiki cried out as she felt herself pulled away from the
other two women.
Daiji started to cry.
"Oh no... save her someone," Nodoka gasped.
"Take your filthy tentacles off my grandson!!"
Nodoka looked over at the sound of the voice and saw her husband
jump into the room.
In one fluid movement, Genma kicked Hinako in her side and sent her
crashing to the ground. His momentum carried him towards the Buyierfei
holding the three women. The katana he wielded sliced through the black
flesh. In a blur of movement, he dissected the creatures and the three
women found themselves released. "Nodoka!!"
"Genma?" Nodoka's face flickered between anger and relief, but
finally settled on love. "Thank goodness." She fell into his arms,
exhausted.
"Don't relax yet." Hinako said, forming a black chi ball between
her fingers. "If we can't get her, then you all shall die." The black
chi ball flew from her fingers and towards the group protecting the
baby.
Just before the blast hit them a sheet of translucent, golden,
silk-like fabric was thrown over them. Instead of vaporizing them, the
black energy flickered around the fabric and dissipated harmlessly into
the air.
"Let none of the Blackness survive this day, lest we dishonor our
ancestors," Yukiko cried out as she kicked Hinako. The savage kick sent
Hinako crashing through the wall and into Akane and Ranko's bedroom.
Yukiko was dressed in the First Matriarch's armor, or at least the
breastplate and skirt since she had just thrown the outer robe--that
repelled Buyierfei energy--over the women to protect them. "You OK?"
"Yukiko?" Nabiki gasped as she got up.
Yukiko nodded and looked to the hole where Hinako had disappeared.
"She's possessed?"
Nabiki nodded. "Yes."
"Keep the robe for now to protect the baby, I'll take care of the
Buyierfei. Nipplering!!"
Bruised and battered, Nipplering staggered up to Yukiko. "Yes,
Matriarch?"
"Get Ryoga in here, we need his chi attacks to drain Hinako."
"Yes, Matriarch." Nipplering ran out.
"Ah, the head bitch makes her appearance," Hinako said as she
climbed back through the hole in the wall. She grabbed a dropped sword
and charged at Yukiko.
Yukiko drew a golden sword from its sheathe and deflected Hinako's
initial thrust. "Can't generate another blast so soon, can you?" She
smirked.
"We will prevail!" Hinako insisted as she traded sword blows with
the Amazon leader.
"Never! You missed your chance when you first returned. We are now
ready for you no matter what you do."
"You have no idea how much stronger we will be with the energy of
the collectors. Not even your gods contained such power."
Yukiko frowned at hearing that. <According to the ancient Amazon
scrolls, the gods had limitless power.> Distracted by her thoughts, she
almost missed a sword blow meant for her neck, but she didn't step out
of the spiral she had backed Hinako into. <Time to end this.> "Hiryu
Shoten Ha Horizontal Blast!!" she shouted and then thrust her hand into
the hot energy surrounding Hinako.
A vortex formed and blasted Hinako. At first the possessed woman
withstood the blast, but she started to get pushed backwards. "No!!"
Ryoga and Nipplering rushed into the remains of the family room and
stood by Yukiko.
Yukiko noticed their arrival. "Good, Ryoga, can you blast her? We
have to release her from the Buyierfei's control."
Ryoga nodded and built up a blue chi ball, which flickered with red
sparks. The ball flew from his fingers and impacted against Hinako's
chest. She staggered, but didn't fall. "Damn."
"Do it again!!" Yukiko cried out, dropping to one knee and her
vortex started to fluctuate.
"Right. Akari Love Blast!!" Ryoga's words coincided with him
forming another chi ball and tossing it at Hinako.
Hinako recoiled under the latest blast but was still filled with
the dark Buyierfei energy. "Kill them!!"
Yukiko, Ryoga, and Nipplering only had a second to wonder who she
was talking to before they were buried under dozens of Buyierfei bodies.
Released from the Hiryu Shoten Ha vortex, Hinako glared at the
three women cowering under the golden sheet. Well, cowering was the
wrong term, since their eyes all burned in defiance and hatred. Hinako
smiled evilly. "Now, give me the infant collector." She took a step
towards the three women.
"No!!" Kasumi cried out.
Hinako pulled on the sheet protecting the women and Genma. Before
she could get it off, she was tacked and rolled across the room with her
attacker. "Get off, you dirty cattle!"
"That's no way to talk to your husband, Hina-chan!" Soun insisted
and kissed his wife deeply.
Hinako jerked and spasmed. She bit the tongue that she found in her
mouth. "Stop, you can not..." Her statement was cut off when she let out
a piercing cry. A child's cry.
Soun wiped the blood off his mouth and smiled. "Fight it,
Hina-chan, and I'll let you suck my lollipop!!"
Nabiki almost threw up.
Hinako's eyes went from solid black to their normal appearance
almost instantly. "Yummy!!" Her body was then wracked with spasms again
and she jumped to her feet. "Leave me alone!!" She stretched her arms
out and formed a circle with her fingers. "Happo Tsurisen Gaeshi!!"
Waves of black energy flowed from between her fingers and reached
out to the surrounding area. Instead of blasting everything in its path,
the black energy flowed between the nearby Buyierfei, both visible and
invisible. The Buyierfei touched by the energy dissolved instantly into
a fine black dust.
Yukiko, Nipplering, and Ryoga were all unharmed by the release of
energy and tumbled out of the mass of Buyierfei that had been holding
them as the black creatures disintegrated. Ryoga ended up in the koi
pond. An angry pig crawled out and squealed irritably.
After the last of the Buyierfei energy left her now child body,
little Hinako fell to the ground.
"Hina-chan!!" Soun rushed over and took his wife into his arms.
"Come on, wake up... please." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a
lollipop and put it to her lips. "Open up for your lolly."
Hinako's lips parted and drew the candy into her mouth. Her eyes
flickered open a moment later.
"So you really did mean a lollipop!" Nabiki said, chuckling.
Soun looked briefly up at his middle daughter. "Yes, of course,
what did you think I meant?"
Nabiki blushed and looked away. "Err... nothing."
Soun shrugged and looked back at his wife. "You'll be okay, my
love."
"Thank you, Soun... you brought... me back," Hinako said between
sucks.
Soun brushed her hair. "I won't let them get you again. No more
sucking Buyierfei energy, okay?"
Hinako scrunched up her face and looked ready to argue, but saw the
concern in Soun's eyes. "Okay. They don't taste as good as this." She
indicated her lollipop.
Soun smiled.
Genma helped Nodoka up. "Are you alright, Snowy?"
Nodoka gasped at hearing the nickname. "You haven't called me that
for ages..."
"I know, I'm sorry... I've been a fool." Genma looked downward.
"Yes, you have." Nodoka lifted his chin with a finger. "But then I
was a fool for letting you out of my sight." She kissed her husband with
a passion born of loneliness and sadness over the loss of ten years of
their love.
Nabiki tried to ignore the kissing couple and walked up to Yukiko.
"Glad you showed up, Shampoo."
"You can call me Yukiko, only the Amazons insist on calling me by
that name." Yukiko smiled nervously and looked around. "Well, most of
them."
"It looks like you're getting used to being Matriarch."
"I'm trying. I've been doing some studying and research. Both on
the Amazons and on the Buyierfei. When we heard about the monolith I
came right away."
"How many warriors did you bring?"
"All of them."
Nabiki's face dropped. "Huh?"
"The entire Amazon tribe is here or on their way. Well, the
warriors at least. My husband wanted to come, but I wasn't going to risk
bringing the men with us."
Kasumi looked up from trying to comfort Daiji. "Oh, how is your
husband?"
"He's having some problems adjusting to life in the village, but he
keeps busy treating all the local animals."
"Matriarch, I hate to break up these tender moments, but the south
wall just fell," Nipplering reported after checking with her sentries.
"Huh? Where did these-" Dr. Tofu indicated the black dust. "-come
from then?"
Nipplering answered. "Those were just a small advance party that
slipped by early in the battle."
"Small?" Nabiki commented and looked around the ruined family room.
Yukiko internally scolded herself for relaxing. "We have to get the
baby out of here. I will not let the Blackness take any innocents." She
looked at Nipplering. "Nipplering, did you follow the standard layout
for a compound of this size?"
Nipplering nodded. "Yes, me and my sister before me."
Yukiko stiffened at the mention of Soapring. "Good... your family
has served the Amazon tribe honorably. Now all we need is a way to keep
the Buyierfei away from the escape party."
Nabiki looked down at the ground and smiled. "I think I've got an
idea."
-C- -M- -D-
When the second wave of Buyierfei reached the house they found it
empty except for a nervous woman in a simple housedress cradling a baby
in her arms. She looked up and saw several hovering wounds float towards
her, knowing that there must be many more. "Eeek! Leave us alone," she
squeaked in her best approximation of a scared housewife. She raced out
the back of the family room towards the escape route that had been
prepared.
As they had hoped, the Buyierfei followed the fleeing woman, not
bothering to check the house for the others. Or check under it, for that
matter.
The woman led the Buyierfei away, buying time and at the same time
leading the demons where she wanted them to go.
The police manning the so-called barricade were shaken out of their
boredom, and in one case sleep, when the woman ran past them toward the
monolith that stood in the middle of the Furinkan High School yard.
"Hey, stop!!"
"Stay out of the way and leave this to us!!" the woman replied with
a Chinese accent. She got about fifty meters from the monolith and then
turned and stood her ground. She clutched her bundle protectively to her
chest and faced her pursuers. Or hoped they were there to face. When the
police barricade and the police were pushed violently aside, she knew
they had arrived.
Yukiko straightened and took on her most noble pose. "I, Shampoo,
Matriarch of the Amazon tribe that banished you four thousand years ago,
promise to do so again!!"
As she finished her statement, an hail of salt-covered arrows
rained down on the area, revealing the positions of the Buyierfei.
Scores of Amazon warriors appeared and swarmed into the area, hacking
apart anything they could and couldn't see.
During the melee, Yukiko was handed a sword and she joined her
warriors in combating their ancient enemy.
As the battle neared it's end, one of the warriors cried out in
Mandarin. "Matriarch, look out!!"
Yukiko spun around at the cry and looked up at where the warrior
pointed. A large flying black mass was descending towards her. "No!!"
She thrust her sword up, but was too late, the flying Buyierfei crashed
into her and her bundle, sending them flying backwards. Yukiko impacted
hard against the side of the monolith and grunted. "Damn..." she swore
when she saw the bag that had been tied around her waist on the ground
several meters in front of her. She looked up to the see the flying
Buyierfei had circled around and was homing in on her again. She swore
again. "Double-damn. Um, I could use your help, here..." She pulled down
the towel covering her bundle to reveal a black snout.
Ryoga oinked his understanding and built up a small blue chi ball
between his outstretched hooves. Then he saw the size of the flying
Buyierfei. <Oh, shit... that's not going to do it.> He dug down deep
inside him and found something to latch onto. <If I die, I'll never see
Akari again.> That didn't seem to work. <If I die, I'll never see Akari
naked.> That didn't bring about the right feeling either. <Ah... I've
never seen Akari naked!! Oh, what a miserable life I have never to have
seen such a sight! I'm pathetic! Worthless!!> A depressed aura formed
around Ryoga and tears came to the pig's eyes. <Shishi Houkou Dan!!>
A huge blast of energy radiated from the pig's body and struck the
avian Buyierfei's body, slicing off a good potion of its right wing. The
Buyierfei veered off and crashed through the top of the High School's
tower. It spun away, leaving a trail of black blood in its wake and then
hit the ground a few blocks away.
The ground shook and the skies boiled as the avian crashed into the
small building formerly known as Mon Canard and exploded. Thankfully,
Nabiki had taken out extra insurance that covered destruction by inhuman
demons. The insurance agent had laughed when she asked for that addition
to her policy back in May, but he wouldn't be laughing after the dust
settled.
Of course, not many people in Nerima would be laughing either.
The force of the blast toppled trees and flung the police and
Amazons in all directions. Yukiko held onto Ryoga and tried to grab
something. The only thing she managed to grab was an invisible tentacle.
She swore when the Buyierfei became visible and then wrapped its
tentacles around her and Ryoga.
The blast subsided and the Amazons got back to their feet. They
scanned the area just in time to see Yukiko dragged into the monolith by
several Buyierfei.
"Matriarch!!"
-C- -M- -D-
The next day after escaping through the underground tunnel
Nipplering had constructed while the Tendo house was rebuilt, the Tendos
and Saotomes found themselves in a small, run down hotel south of Tokyo.
Kasumi cradled Daiji in her arms, while Dr. Tofu cradled her in
his.
Next to them, Soun leaned against a wall with little Hinako wrapped
in his arms. Both slept soundly for the first time since the Buyierfei
attack. Hinako held P-chan in her arms, having made sure to take her
with them when they fled the house. She hoped that the baby pigs were
all safe with the families that had adopted them.
Genma and Nodoka dozed nearby on another futon together, looking
extremely content to be in each other's arms. Some might consider that a
side effect of the pressure point Dr. Tofu used to let them finally get
some sleep, but they knew they had rediscovered their love for each
other in the middle of the storm.
Nipplering and Nabiki walked in the door and approached Kasumi and
Dr. Tofu.
Kasumi looked up from Daiji. "Any news?"
Nabiki and Nipplering looked at each other and then nodded to
Kasumi's question.
Nabiki spoke. "My restaurant's gone."
Kasumi looked at her sister. "I'm sorry, Nabiki."
Nabiki shrugged. She mourned the loss of her restaurant, but was
too preoccupied with worrying about the man who had given it to her to
care about a material object. "The authorities have finally issued a
evacuation order for Nerima and the surrounding area."
"It's about time they did that," Kasumi said, looking protectively
at her nephew.
Nabiki nodded. "Yeah... I guess after the battle they couldn't
ignore the thing anymore. That and the people who did know about it had
already started fleeing Tokyo."
Nipplering interrupted. "Well, I believe that the reports of the
monoliths in America and the..."
"Nip!!" Nabiki exclaimed. "We weren't going to mention those!"
Nipplering stared emotionlessly at Nabiki. "You said you didn't
think it was a good idea. I did not say anything."
"I assumed your silence meant... never mind." Nabiki sighed. <I can
never read this woman's expressions.>
Kasumi looked between her sister and Nipplering. "We are not
children that need to be coddled when it comes to bad news."
"I know, but..."
Kasumi interrupted Nabiki. "But nothing. Tell us everything."
Nabiki sighed. "Okay. There was another monolith found in a swamp
in Florida."
Nipplering interjected. "It is apparently very active and emitting
a tremendous amount of energy. Several roots have appeared throughout
southern Florida."
"Roots?" Dr. Tofu asked.
"When the monoliths have collected enough energy they start to form
roots into the surrounding area to collect the energy even faster. Once
it collects enough energy..."
"What?"
"The ancient scrolls are unclear on that, but it could range
anywhere from the end of all life on earth to a blast the size of the
one in Australia. We have no way of knowing, but I'm afraid it could be
closer to the former."
Kasumi and Dr. Tofu exchanged worried glances.
Nabiki sighed. "See why I didn't want to mention that?'
Kasumi nodded. "I understand your concern, but let's hear the
rest."
Nabiki sighed. "There are reports of Buyierfei attacking in
Florida, including the avian variety that caused Yukiko and Ryoga to get
captured. Unfortunately, the U.S. Government is being very tight lipped
about everything and are only saying their evacuation is a precaution
and that they believe the monoliths are harmless."
Dr. Tofu shook his head sadly. "Sounds like a typical government
response to avoid panic. What about the other monolith Nipplering
mentioned?"
Nabiki glanced nervously at Nipplering. "Well, there are only
rumors of that one on the news stories. None of the authorities or news
services have been able to confirm that it really exists. It could just
be a hoax by..."
Kasumi interrupted. "Where is it, Nabiki?"
Nabiki swallowed hard. "The Middle East."
Kasumi gasped and held a trembling hand to her lips. Dr. Tofu help
her tightly to stop her shaking. He looked over at Nabiki. "Where Sanma
and the others went?"
"Yes."
Nipplering spoke. "I haven't heard back from the warriors I sent
along with them." She noticed the confusion on everyone's faces. "Oh, I
never mentioned that to you, did I? I was worried about them, so I sent
some of my best warriors to follow them."
Kasumi nodded. "I retrospect, that was probably a great decision.
Thank you for being so diligent in trying to protect my family."
"It is my duty to make sure you are all safe."
Nabiki shuddered. "If any of them return."
Kasumi could tell where Nabiki's concern lay. "I'm sure Mousse will
be fine."
"I hope so."
Kasumi looked at Nipplering. "What do we do now?"
Nipplering looked at Nabiki. "Nabiki and I have decided it would be
best to blend in with the other evacuees and head south."
"But we can't just leave the Buyierfei to..."
Nipplering interrupted Kasumi's objection. "I have dispatched a
third of the warriors that came with the Matriarch to America and a
smaller portion to the Middle East. The rest will help protect Tokyo and
our group."
Kasumi frowned. "Why a smaller amount to the Middle East?"
"The monolith there is unverified and in the desert. Amazon honor
demands that we protect as many innocents as possible from the
Blackness."
"But Sanma and..."
"Can take care of themselves. Don't worry, almost the whole tribe
accompanied the Matriarch, so there are more than enough warriors to
battle on all three fronts."
Nabiki looked oddly at Nipplering. <That's not what she told me
earlier...>
-C- -M- -D-
It was the day after Christmas and all throughout Nerima people
were fleeing from their homes in fear of being attacked by roving packs
of invisible demons known as the Buyierfei.
"Kang, get the patients in ward five ready for evacuation!!"
Kang looked up from the patient he was strapping to a gurney. "Yes,
sir." He finished strapping in the patient for the ride and let the
other orderly wheel him away. He took one step towards ward five and
then stopped suddenly. <Oh no... not HER ward.>
He was torn between two conflicting instincts. <Do I save the
loonies or do I save my own butt?> His terminology might not have been
politically correct, but in the end he realized he had no choice but to
help.
Kang threw open the door to cell five-five-five. "Okay, you crazy
bitch, get out here. We have to get out of here fast before all the
nutcases get killed." He really shouldn't have slept through the part of
his orientation on the proper way to address the patients.
Kodachi sprung to her feet. "Oh, my dear Kang! You've come for me
at last!"
"Well, yeah, but for everyone in ward five, not just you"
"You do love me!" Kodachi flung herself into Kang's arms and gave
him a long kiss.
Kang resisted the urge to leave her behind.
-C- -M- -D-
"Begone, Peasant!! The Blue Thunder of Mariko does not flee for any
man!!"
The police officer backed up from the enraged Kuno. "But Nerima has
been invaded by some sort of demons!"
Kuno scowled at the police officer and considered this before
speaking. "Begone, Peasant!! The Blue Thunder of Mariko does not flee
for any man nor beast!!"
"Demons aren't really beasts," the office remarked. Kuno proceeded
to whack the police officer with his kendo blade until the young officer
ran off. "Fine then, die you jerk!!"
"Peasant." Kuno turned around and returned to his interrupted
activity. "Wife, we must make love!"
"Who was at the door, Darling?" Mariko asked fluttering her
eyelashes from the large bed.
Kuno sheathed his sword and put it next to the bed. "Nothing
important, my dear, just some peasant trying to chase me out of my
home."
"Did you whack him good?"
"Of course, my love. Now where were we?"
"You were about to sheath your sword."
Kuno frowned and looked at his kendo blade. "I already have."
"Not that sword, my simpleminded husband."
"Ah yes, of course!" Kuno reached into an open drawer on the end
table and grabbed one of his noble rubber sheaths.
-C- -M- -D-
Kang helped the second to last patient into the ambulance and then
looked down at the last patient. "Come on, you're the last one, you have
to go now."
Kodachi fluttered her eyelashes at Kang. "But I want to stay with
you, darling."
Kang frowned. <She has been getting better, I wonder why she's
acting so weird today?> then a thought struck Kang. "Are you taking your
medicine?"
Kodachi frowned. "No one came around today."
<Yeah, figures that the medicine would get forgotten with
everything that's going on. We've been so busy evacuating the loonies.>
Kang looked down at Kodachi. "Come on, time for you to go."
Kodachi nuzzled up to Kang's leg like a dog in heat. "But I want to
stay with you, darling."
Kang rolled his eyes and pulled Kodachi to her feet. "Stop that!
Now if you behave, the doctors will get you some nice drugs when we get
to where we're going."
Kodachi's eyes lit up. "Thank you."
Kang took a step towards the ambulance and ran into something.
"Huh?" He was only momentarily confused as to what happened before the
black creature faded into existence in front of him. "Shit!" He pushed
the black creature hard and it vanished as it lost contact with him.
He grabbed Kodachi and pulled her towards the ambulance. He
screeched to a halt when he saw the ambulance was rocking back and forth
and he didn't think it was because the patients were making out in the
back. His concern was verified when a black creature with tentacles
appeared by the driver's door and started to drag the driver out of the
ambulance. Kang looked around for a weapon and grabbed a bedpan off a
nearby gurney. He flung it at the Buyierfei, but it bounced harmlessly
off the Buyierfei. He scanned the area for another weapon, before
realizing he had overlooked one. Seconds later, the gurney rolled across
the asphalt and hit the Buyierfei in its central mass. The blow managed
to separate it from the driver.
Released from the tentacles, the driver floored the accelerator and
the ambulance sped off down the road.
"Hey!!" Kang called out, running a few steps before realizing that
there was no way to catch the ambulance. "Some thanks I get for saving
him." He looked around and decided on a plan of action. He ran towards
the employee parking lot.
"Darling, wait for me!!" Kodachi yelled as she ran after him.
Kang sighed. <I guess I can't leave her behind.> He looked back at
her. "Come on, if you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind.
Kodachi looked down at her straightjacket. "I could run faster if I
was out of this thing."
Kang swore silently. "Yeah, but I don't trust you without it. Come
on."
Kodachi ran behind Kang, looking very awkward as she ran in her
straightjacket.
Kang had almost reached his scooter when he was blindsided and sent
crashing into a nearby bush. "Damn..." He scanned the area as he ripped
the bush out of the ground. He swung it all around him, trying to locate
the Buyierfei. When it stopped suddenly in mid air, he knew he had
located the invisible creature. With out any hesitation, he kicked out
and hit the invisible creature. It became visible for a brief moment as
his foot connected with it. It vanished as it flew away from him.
He rushed over to his scooter and quickly undid the lock. "Get
on..."
"How can I ride on that like this?" Kodachi gestured at her
straightjacket with her chin.
Kang sighed and looked around. "Fine, but don't try and escape." He
started to undo the ties that bound Kodachi.
"When I'm with you? Never. I'll stay at your side forever." Kodachi
looked at him with a look of pure adoration.
"Oh joy..." Kang replied flatly. He finished undoing her straps and
climbed onto his scooter, hefting his giant barbecue fork in one hand.
"Get on."
Kodachi peeled off the straight jacket and revealed her green
leotard underneath. "Of course, darling."
Kang frowned at seeing the leotard. <Where the heck did she get
that from?> He shrugged and looked away.
While Kang's back was turned, Kodachi picked up the discarded chain
from his lock and concealed it on her person before getting on the back
of Kang's scooter and wrapping her arms around him.
Kang hit the starter and then sped off down the road, keeping a
lookout for anything out of the ordinary. Just what he was looking for
would only occur to him when he saw it, since he had no way of seeing
the invisible Buyierfei.
When he saw a Japan Self-Defense Force jeep picked up and thrown
across the road, he knew he had found some trouble. He saw a squad of
JSDF soldiers firing bullets at the area where the jeep had been thrown
from. The bullets hit a dozen of the invisible creatures and caused
wounds to appear in mid air, but did not stop the Buyierfei from
advancing on the soldiers.
A private threw down his empty gun in disgust. "Sergeant, bullets
aren't stopping these things!"
The sergeant emptied his gun's entire clip into the advancing
Buyierfei, but only caused more wounds to appear. "Tell me about it!" He
slapped his last clip in and was about to open fire again when a man and
woman on a scooter shot into view. "What the... Hey! Get out of there."
Kang smiled broadly. "Don't worry, mate, I'll handle these blokes."
He held his giant fork in front of him and aimed from the group of
floating wounds. Several of them slid out of the way as he approached,
but he did manage to spear at least two of the creatures on the end of
his fork. He braked and spun his scooter around a hundred and eighty
degrees, slicing the Buyierfei in half as the sharpened edges of his
fork's tines cut into the flesh of the creatures.
As the pieces of the Buyierfei became visible and dropped to the
ground, the soldiers gasped. This was their first real look at their
enemy.
Unfortunately, a couple Buyierfei suddenly appeared in front of
them and wrapped their tentacles around the surprised soldiers and gave
them an even better view of their enemy.
The private swore. "Sergeant!! We need to get us some forks!!"
"Shut up, Private, and draw your dagger or bayonet!!" The sergeant
pulled his dagger from its holster at his belt and leapt on top of one
of the creatures throttling his men. He cut into the flesh and was
rewarded with a gush of black blood, but the Buyierfei continued
attacking the two men it had embraced with its tentacles. "Dammit! Die
you foul beast!!"
Kang made another run and dispatched another two Buyierfei before
he saw the soldier's predicament. "Stay here." He leapt of the scooter
and ran towards the melee, swinging his fork in wide arcs. The sharpened
edges dispatched several invisible Buyierfei as he ran. "You've got to
slice their central mass in half!! Minor wounds won't stop them and they
quickly heal!" he repeated the advice given to him during his last run
in with the Buyierfei.
His fork slashed downwards and slew one of the Buyierfei that had
its tentacles wrapped around three soldier's necks. The men dropped to
the ground and gasped for breath. Kang wasted no time in driving the
tines of his fork into the other Buyierfei and spinning his fork. The
result was a gush of blood from the Buyierfei's central mass as he
disemboweled it. A quick sideways movement ended the Buyierfei's
struggles for good.
"Kang, look out!!"
Kodachi's cry caused Kang to spin around just in time to see a
Buyierfei flash into existence as it wrapped its tentacles around him.
He felt another pair of tentacles rip his giant fork out of his hands
and throw it across the roadway. "Ack...." Kang kicked and punched at
the thick leathery skin, trying to find a soft spot or pry himself out
of the vise-like grip, all to no avail.
Kodachi flew through the air and landed on the back of the
Buyierfei. Of course, that back looked like its front, so it was only
its back since it not facing Kang at that particular moment. Kodachi
swung out the lock chain she had secreted away earlier and wrapped it
around the midsection of the creature and then pulled.
Kang felt the tentacles loosen enough so he could breathe and
speak. "Kodachi, get away!!"
"Now it's my turn to save you, darling." The muscles in her arms
strained and bulged as she pulled the chain, working the chain links
into the leathery flesh of the creature. With one final yank, she
succeeded in slicing the Buyierfei in half. A sickening squelching sound
accompanied the rattle of the chain as it tumbled to the ground with
Kodachi and the pieces of the dead Buyierfei.
Finding himself released, Kang bent down over Kodachi. "Are you
okay?"
"Yeah..." Kodachi took his hand and got back to her feet.
"Who are you people?"
Kang looked at the sergeant. "Um... just civilians trying to get
out of here."
The sergeant looked at the pieces of Buyierfei that littered the
ground and then at Kodachi in her leotard. "Are you with those weird
women who are all over the place fighting these creatures?"
Kang smirked as he retrieved his fork. "Not exactly, they aren't my
type. What's the safest way out of here?"
The sergeant decided he had better get going himself. "Last report
had the Fuji-kaifo road heading west being clear of the creatures, but
that could have changed."
"Much obliged," Kang tipped his hat and then got back on his
scooter. Kodachi slid in behind him and grabbed hold.
The sergeant watched the couple speed off. "Odd. Okay let's get
going!!"
The private frowned. "Where? We're out of bullets!"
The sergeant smiled. "I know a shop nearby that sells a large
variety of swords."
"Huh?'
"You do remember your basic training in sword combat, don't you?"
"Um, I was sick that week."
The sergeant shook his head sadly.
Kang and Kodachi sped along the deserted Nerima streets, avoiding
any Buyierfei they could see and crashing into those that they couldn't.
Bruised and battered they found themselves on the Fuji-kaifo road headed
west. Kang applied the brakes and almost sent Kodachi flying from the
scooter. Only her strong grip around his waist prevented her from flying
off.
"What's wrong?" Kodachi asked from behind him. She tried to look
over his shoulder, but she could only see a tower of flames and smoke
rising from the roadway.
"We have to find another route," Kang said flatly. He swung the
scooter around and headed back the way they had come.
As they spun around, Kodachi caught a brief glimpse of several
military vehicles spread out across the road. They were all engulfed in
flames. Several bodies could be seen through the flames. In front of the
inferno, several more soldiers were being torn apart by dozens of black
creatures. Kodachi shuddered at the sight and gripped Kang tighter.
-C- -M- -D-
The Tendos and Saotomes huddled in a corner of the evacuation
shelter they had wound up at. It was a rather typical earthquake
shelter, with sturdy steel girders holding up the roof. Nabiki looked
around at the other evacuees and then spoke to Nipplering. "This is what
you consider 'blending in'?" She gestured to the fifty or so Amazon
warriors in full armor that surrounded their little group.
Nipplering nodded. "Yes, I would normally have had at least a
hundred warriors here in this situation."
Nabiki laughed. "You always crack me up, Nip."
"Do I?" Nipplering asked, straight faced.
Nabiki looked around when a young woman ran up to the front of the
hall and tested a microphone that was setup there. The others in her
group looked up when they heard the loudspeaker come to life.
The young woman looked very disheveled and tried to straighten an
errant strand of hair before speaking, but it refused to be tamed and
just flapped back in front of her eye again. "Um... I have some news.
The evacuation of the immediate Nerima area is complete, so if you were
worried about anyone who didn't make it here, you shouldn't be. They are
likely in one of the other evacuation centers."
Nodoka clutched her chest. "We are worried, but the ones we are
worried about aren't in Nerima anymore." She looked around the
evacuation center. "Or one of these centers."
Genma hugged his wife tighter to reassure her.
The young woman continued. "Um... the authorities are evacuating
more of the surrounding area now..."
Nabiki looked back at her family. "She means that people are
fleeing the area and the government is calling it an orderly
evacuation."
"We have had some reports of some attacks on the police and
self-defense force personnel who are still there, but the government
does not believe that there is any truth to these rumors of invisible
creatures." The young woman bowed and left the area fast, avoiding all
the shouted questions directed at her.
Nabiki shook her head sadly. "They'll try to hide and deny it, but
I don't think they will be able to after all this."
Nipplering looked at her charges. "The last report I had from my
warriors in Nerima was that things were quiet, but if the Buyierfei are
on the move then they may be looking for the infant again."
Kasumi pulled Daiji tighter into her bosom. "I won't let them have
him, no matter what."
"As my honor as an Amazon, I shall not allow that either."
Nipplering struck a noble pose.
Nabiki decided to break up the tension with a joke. "Hey, Nip, your
panties are showing."
Nipplering gasped and pulled the hem of her armored skirt down.
"Nabiki, you should not mention a Amazon's panties in public. If I
didn't consider you my equal, I would have to kill you for seeing them."
She winked and then turned around to keep watch over the area.
Nabiki smiled and found herself liking the huge Amazon for some
reason. <Go figure.>
Suddenly, Daiji started to cry. Kasumi patted his back. "There...
there." She ran though the usual checks. "You're not wet. And we just
gave you a bottle... what's wrong, Daiji?" Kasumi tried everything she
could think of to calm her nephew down, but didn't have any luck. Even
offering the baby another bottle of formula didn't help, the baby just
turned her head aside at it. "Why are you upset, Daiji?"
Nodoka slipped over. "Is everything alright?"
"I don't know... he suddenly started crying and won't stop. He's
not wet and not hungry..."
"Hmmm... maybe..."
Any further conversation was interrupted when the ground shook and
the walls of the shelter swayed. Kasumi was suddenly buried under
Nodoka, Dr. Tofu, and Genma's body as they tried to protect Daiji from
anything that might fall on them. The shaking lasted a few minutes and
then stopped suddenly without causing any apparent damage to the
shelter.
Nodoka looked up. "Was that an earthquake?"
Genma made sure everyone was all right and then answered his wife.
"I don't know. It felt different somehow."
Kasumi looked down at Daiji with surprise. "He stopped crying."
Dr. Tofu bent down and quickly examined the baby. "Odd, he seems to
be sleeping now."
A few minutes later the young woman rushed up to the microphone
again. Her hair was even more frazzled and she made no attempt to
straighten it. "Um... no need to panic, ladies and gentlemen. We just
had a little earthquake and there hasn't been any damage reported."
A man from the crowd shouted back. "Bullshit!! I just heard a news
report on my radio that said that the thing in Nerima is shooting
lightning bolts into the sky like the one in America!!"
The young woman hesitated. "Um... I haven't been given any
information concerning that. It's probably a mistake." The woman made a
hasty retreat to avoid another round of unanswered questions.
Kasumi looked at everyone. "What do you think that could mean?"
Nipplering frowned. "I'll go check with my sentries and see if we
can get some word from the warriors still in Nerima."
Before Nipplering got out of arm's length, Nabiki grabbed the tall
woman's arm. "Nip, when this is over, remind me to introduce you to some
modern electronics for communications."
Nipplering frowned. "That's why I'm going outside, the sentry has
the two-way radio." She scurried off.
Nabiki chuckled and turned back to the others. "I'm sure everything
will be alright."
-C- -M- -D-
Over the next couple of days the news from Nerima wasn't very
encouraging. The Amazon warriors were doing what they could to keep the
Buyierfei contained, even assisting the self-defense forces where they
could. The monolith pulsed with energy and occasional lighting flashes
soared into sky or came from the sky, usually accompanied by earthquakes
and tremors.
The monolith in the Middle East had finally been confirmed,
although details of it were still sketchy due to its remote location. It
had been easy enough to pinpoint once the flashes of black lightning
started since reports indicated that the three monoliths were exchanging
blasts between them. The frequent lightning blasts formed a circle
around the world with their energy. The news reports were already
calling the Florida monolith the 'First', the Nerima monolith the
'Second', and the Middle East one the 'Third'. Historians would argue
for decades about the fact that the last two should be reversed since
the Middle East monolith actually appeared before the Nerima monolith,
but logic rarely wins out over popular belief.
Some of the more sensational news shows were calling all three the
'Three Harbingers' and the world's governments were trying their best to
fight the unknown menace and keep the people from panicking. The reports
of skirmishes with Buyierfei all over Florida and most of Tokyo showed
that they weren't having much luck with the former and the riots and
looting in other parts of the world showed that the later was a lost
cause. Many people believed it was the long prophesied end of the world
and had either given up hope or decided to head for the hills after
stealing whatever provisions they could find.
It didn't help the general chaos that people with signs reading
'the world will end tomorrow' were out in full force as they finally
found people willing to listen to their spiels. Church and temple
services also reached new highs in attendance to the point that most
churches and temples were holding services around the clock as people
sought salvation or comfort from the madness that had so quickly gripped
the world.
-C- -M- -D-
In a dark basement in the southwest corner of Nerima, Kang sat with
a trembling Kodachi wrapped in his arms. "We'll be okay."
Kodachi shook as she replied. "I... I need my medicine."
Kang felt a tug on his heart as he heard the little girl in the
young woman's voice. "I know. I'm sorry I couldn't get us out of
Nerima." He glanced over at his giant barbecue fork, which had a bent
tine and was stained with black blood.
"No, you did your best. Thank you for not abandoning me." Kodachi
looked up at Kang with a pair of sad and innocent eyes.
"Don't worry, I'd never abandon a defenseless girl." Kang found
himself brushing the hair out of her face, amazed at the change in her
over the past couple of days. <She went through what I could only call
withdrawal the first day without her medicine. She was ranting and
raving about all sorts of odd stuff. The second day she threw up all the
time and now... she seems almost normal except for the tremors.>
"What are you thinking?" Kodachi asked quietly.
Kang blushed. "Err... nothing. I'm just wondering when we might be
able to get out of here."
Kodachi snuggled into his chest and sighed contently. "I don't mind
being here with you."
Kang looked around awkwardly. "Err... I can't really get involved
with the patients, you know."
"I know." Kodachi lifted her head from his chest and looked him in
his eyes. "I'm just glad to know such a kind man. Everyone else always
treats me as some sort of witch or crazy woman.
Kang frowned. "Um... I've called you crazy a lot."
Kodachi smiled and placed her hand against Kang's cheek. He
flinched, but didn't make a move to get away. "I know, but while you
said it I could tell you didn't mean it. I could feel your compassion
for me even as you called me those names."
Kang opened his mouth to deny it, but then shut it when he realized
she was right. "Well, I'm sorry I called you names."
Kodachi shook her head. "No, I deserved it. I was... out of
control, I see that now." She tilted her head. "Kang?"
"Yes?"
Kodachi leaned in and gave him a tender kiss on his surprised lips.
She smiled when she pulled back. "Thanks."
"Err... not a problem, little lady."
Kodachi smirked. "I guess that's better than being called a crazy
woman."
Kang laughed and only felt a little awkward when Kodachi laid
herself down on his lap and dozed off. <She really is beautiful when
she's not cackling or throwing sharp objects.> He looked around and
wished he had more sharp objects to fight off the next Buyierfei that
found their most recent hiding place.
-C- -M- -D-
Another tremor shook the evacuation center, causing everyone to
duck down and cover their heads as dust from the ceiling rained down on
them.
When Dr. Tofu returned from making his rounds of the center to
treat anyone with wounds, Kasumi threw herself into his arms. "Make them
stop!"
Dr. Tofu looked sadly at her and stroked her hair. "Everything will
be alright." He was growing more and more worried as his usually calm
fiancee became more and more distraught over the worsening situation.
<She tries too hard to be calm for her family's sake. Maybe the stress
of maintaining her calm demeanor is finally getting to her.
Kasumi looked around the shelter at her father and his new wife and
at the Saotomes. Despite the horrible situation they found themselves
in, they seemed to be at ease as they held each other. Nabiki was
cradling Daiji and playing 'where's the penis' with him or her,
depending on the current stage of the game. It was a game that Ranko had
thought up involving bottles of hot and cold water. Daiji always got a
kick out of it.
Kasumi looked up at Dr. Tofu's eyes. "Tofu, will you marry me?"
Dr. Tofu looked confused. "Of course, I've already said so..."
"No, right now. I don't want to chance not being your wife if
something happens."
Dr. Tofu wiped the tear away from Kasumi's eye. "Nothing is going
to happen."
"But..."
Dr. tofu interrupted her with a deep kiss. "There is nothing that
would keep me from granting you that wish."
The tears flowed readily from her eyes. "Thank you, Tofu." They
kissed again. After the kiss ended, she wiped her eyes and looked over
at Nabiki. "Little sister, I need your help."
"Where's the pe..." Nabiki stopped tipping the hot water bottle and
looked up from Daiji's little penis. "What is it?"
"We need a minister or a priest or... whatever."
After the meaning of her sisters request sunk in, a broad smile
appeared on Nabiki's face. "Damn, sis, you sure know how to challenge
me, don't you?" She started to look around the shelter as she tried to
figure out how she could pull together a wedding under these
circumstances.
-C- -M- -D-
"Begone, foul demon!!" Kuno shouted from outside his and his wife's
bedroom.
Mariko sighed. "Come to bed, dear!!"
"As soon as I dispatch these demons that have invaded our abode,
dearest!"
Mariko rolled her eyes. "Probably another mouse. If he wasn't so
cute and rich, I'd never put up with the goofball." She looked around
the bedroom. "We really have to get a television set in here. I'd really
love to catch up on my soaps and also find out what all the sirens have
been about lately." She looked over at the door and raised her voice.
"Kuno, can we get a television?"
A large thump was heard from outside the room. "Foul
contraptions!!"
"Please?"
"If you insist..." The tip of a steel sword was thrust through the
door. "Take that you foul creature!!"
"Maybe I should call an exterminator." Mariko glanced at the phone.
-C- -M- -D-
"We are gathered here today to join this woman and this man in holy
matrimony."
Kasumi smiled and looked at Dr. Tofu. She was dressed in the same
dress she had been wearing as they fled from Nerima, but had a white
shawl and a translucent white bridal veil on. The shawl and veil were
borrowed from various evacuees who had gladly donated what they could to
Nabiki's wedding preparations. In truth, the veil was made from a white
silk slip that looked a little odd on Kasumi's head, but the overall
affect was of a beautiful bride.
Dr. Tofu was wearing a borrowed tie and jacket. He tried to stay
calm as the ceremony began, but his glasses were still slightly fogged.
Fortunately, Nabiki had found a local official who was visiting the
shelters to help calm the evacuees. She didn't have any trouble
convincing him to perform the ceremony; he had done many western style
weddings before and jumped at the chance to distract the other evacuees
from the current situation with the happiness of a wedding ceremony.
Under the circumstances, they decided a western ceremony would be best.
The gray-haired man smiled at the future couple and continued.
"Marriage is a bonding of two people into one. Your hearts, souls, and
lives will forever be intertwined from this day forward." He paused
slightly. "Who presents this woman to be wed to this man?"
Soun stood up straighter. "I do." His eye twitched as he fought
back the tears.
"Who presents this man to be wed to this woman?"
Dr. Tofu was about to speak, since none of his relatives were
there, when he heard a gravely voice from behind him.
"I do."
Dr. Tofu and Kasumi turned around and then looked downwards to see
his very short mother standing behind them. Their jaws dropped and they
looked over at Nabiki.
Nabiki smiled. "It wasn't easy on such short notice, but I tracked
her down and had Nip send a warrior to find her and bring her here." She
looked over at the shelter's entrance where a very exhausted Amazon was
leaning against the wall. The Amazon looked like she had just run a
marathon with an old woman on her back, mostly because she had. "I
didn't mention it because I wasn't sure they were going to make it."
Mrs. Ono rubbed her buttocks and looked at the Amazon. "That girl
sure had wide hips!" She chuckled. "So, it only took a invasion by
demons for you two to finally get married, huh?"
Dr. Tofu smiled. "Yes, I guess so." He bent down and kissed his
mother on her cheek.
"I'll make your son happy, Mrs. Ono." Kasumi bent down and kissed
the cheek of her future mother-in-law.
Mrs. Ono smiled. "You already have, he just doesn't know it."
Dr. Tofu smiled. "Yes, I do."
The official cleared his throat and the wedding party returned
their attention to him. "Do you, Kasumi Tendo, take..."
"Wait!" Mrs. Ono interrupted and dug into a large cloth bag she was
carrying.
"What's wrong, Mother?" Dr. Tofu asked.
Mrs. Ono smiled and exposed two very fancy wedding kimonos that she
was carrying in her bag. "Your father and I were married in these, I'd
be honored if you'd use them."
Kasumi gasped and felt the fine fabric. "It would be my pleasure...
Mother."
Mrs. Ono smiled broadly.
-C- -M- -D-
After a quick change, Kasumi and Dr. Tofu stood in front of the
official dressed in their new kimonos. Kasumi's was red, with golden
embroidery forming a very beautiful pattern with flowers and cranes
throughout. The hood framed her face, which was radiating every bit of
the joy she felt inside. Although the kimono was a little faded with age
that only made Kasumi happier to be able to be wed in such an important
piece of her future husband's family history. It had apparently been
handed down on Mrs. Ono's side of the family for at least four
generations. Kasumi would be the fifth to be wed in it.
Dr. Tofu's wedding kimono was black and trimmed with gold as well,
but instead of the fancy pattern his had his family's crests emblazoned
on it. He looked a little stiff as he stood by Kasumi's side, but his
glasses remained clear. His Kimono was newer and only worn by his
father, but it still held a special place in his mother's heart.
Mrs. Ono looked at her son and smiled proudly. <Oh, Father, you
would be so proud of our son.>
The official picked up the ceremony from where they left off. "Do
you, Kasumi Tendo, take this man to be your lawful wedded husband."
Kasumi looked at Dr. Tofu and nodded. "I do."
"Will you love, respect, and honor him throughout your years
together?"
"I will"
"Do you promise to love and cherish him, in sickness and in health,
for richer for poorer, in good times and bad-" The official
unconsciously paused and looked up at the roof of the shelter. "-and
forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, for so long as you
both shall live?
Kasumi looked at Dr. Tofu and nodded. "I do."
"Do you..."
"I do!!" Dr. Tofu blurted.
The official nodded. "Will you love..."
"I will!"
"Will you let me finish!" the official snapped.
"I will."
"Will you love, respect, and honor her throughout your years
together?"
"I will."
"Do you promise to love and cherish her, in sickness and in health,
for richer for poorer, in good times and bad, and forsaking all others,
keep yourself only unto her, for so long as you both shall live?"
"I do."
"Do you mutually promise in the presence of your friends, family,
and fellow evacuees that you will at all times and in all circumstances,
conduct yourselves toward one another as becomes Husband and Wife?"
"We do," Kasumi and Dr. Tofu replied in unison.
"Do you mutually promise you will love, cherish, and respect one
another throughout the years?"
"We do."
"Your rings..."
Kasumi's face fell and she looked nervously around. She stopped
when she saw Nabiki's broad smile.
"Oh, please, like I would forget the rings." Nabiki pulled out two
rings from her pocket and handed them to the future newlyweds.
Kasumi looked at the ring. "How?"
"Don't ask, just marry the hunky doctor already." Nabiki glanced at
Nodoka and Genma, who nodded that they were sure they wanted to give up
their rings for this. Nodoka had said it was a miracle they still had
theirs with her pawn-happy husband around. Genma had taken exception to
that until Nodoka started sharpening her katana.
Kasumi smiled and gave her sister a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."
"No problem."
The roof shook suddenly and everyone looked nervously around.
Dr. Tofu took Kasumi's trembling hand and together the two hands
shook even more. After several aborted tries and missed fingers, he
managed to get it on the correct one. "With this ring I pledge my love
and commitment."
Kasumi managed to get his ring on his finger with significantly
less trouble. "With this ring I pledge my love and commitment."
"By the authority vested in me, witnessed by your friends and
family and fellow evacuees, I have the pleasure to pronounce you husband
and wife. You may now seal your vows with a kiss."
Kasumi looked nervously around at the large crowd and then leaned
up to received her first kiss as a married woman.
The crowd broke out in a cheers and applause. Daiji started to
fidget and cry, almost drowning out the crowd.
"I now have the pleasure of presenting to you Tofu and Kasumi Ono,
husband and wife."
As Kasumi and Dr. Tofu held hands and looked out at the cheering
crowd, the ceiling collapsed as a massive tremor rippled across the
world.
***********************************************************************
>From the personal journal of James Davidson:
October 28, 2057
I gasped as dust and debris obscured the video image. Kasumi's holo
image reappeared. She had been showing us the video that was shot of her
wedding back at the end of ninety-nine. At first, I was amazed that
there was a video considering the circumstances of the wedding, but
Kasumi had told me that Nabiki had been very thorough in her
arrangements, hurried though they were. I guess it shouldn't surprise me
that if she could arrange a official, rings, a makeshift wedding dress,
and get Dr. Tofu's mother there with fancy kimonos that she could find
an evacuee with a video camera.
I took a deep breath. "I assume that was the First that caused the
tremor?"
Kasumi nodded. "Having the ceiling fall on us spoiled my honeymoon
a bit, but we got through it mostly unscathed." She rubbed her hip.
"How could it have collapsed? I mean it WAS an earthquake shelter."
Kasumi sighed. "From what I recall, they said some of the support
girders had been weakened by the days of smaller tremors from the Second
and then the large jolt from the First finished the job."
"Well, it still was an amazing wedding."
Kasumi shook her head. "Not really. Akane still has me beat for the
number of and exotic locations for her weddings, but I was still amazed
at how well Nabiki pulled together mine." She looked to her side and I
could see her finger a picture of her late husband. "That was the start
of a beautiful life together."
***********************************************************************
>From the diary of Kasumi Tendo
October 28, 2057
After talking with my dear granddaughter and her husband, I watched
the holo transmission fade away. "A great-grandchild, huh?" I got to my
feet and shuffled slowly over to a dresser. I hesitated before opening
one of the drawers, but eventually slid it open to reveal a red velvet
covered box with gold trimmed edges. I opened the box and lifted the
small rattle out. "Well, it's about time." I looked at the rattle for a
while before wiping some smudges off its golden surface.
I replaced the rattle into its fancy padded box, trying to remember
how many times the box had been replaced. But the rattle always managed
to survive somehow. Thank goodness. I looked up. "Call Doctor Moyashi."
A few seconds later a holo-call connected and he appeared. Sigh.
His hair was even grayer than the last time I saw him. It makes me feel
old seeing him so gray. "Ah! Why are you calling so late? Is anything
wrong?"
I smiled at his concern. "Dear, I want to have that operation after
all."
He frowned, but then smiled broadly. "That's great!! I've been so
worried since you said that you didn't want it."
"You know doctors make the worst patients, dear."
"But what changed your mind?"
I smiled and looked at the rattle. "Let's just say I intend to be
around for my great-grandchild no matter what happens to my legs."
He gasped and thought for a few seconds. "Hanaki?"
I nodded.
"That's wonderful!"
"Now don't you go telling anyone else, they want to tell those that
are in New York first and then they'll announce it to the rest of the
family.
"Okay. But you know, you really should have had this operation
anyway."
I couldn't resist chuckling. "Always the doctor, aren't you, dear?"
He smiled. "I take after my parents that way."
"Well, we were pretty dedicated to our work."
"I know, Mom, but you were also dedicated to your children."
"Thank you, dear. It's nice to hear that you think so."
"It's the truth. I'll come over tomorrow and we can talk about the
operation."
"Okay, dear, but I want to wait on the operation until after the
twenty-first of next month."
My son frowned. "Why?"
"I can't party with all kinds of tubes sticking out of me, can I?"
Moyashi laughed. "So, you're finally going to let us celebrate your
birthday in the manner you deserve?"
I nodded. "Yes, I guess living eighty years is an achievement worth
celebrating after all."
[End - Chapter 28]
Coming soon: Chapter 29: Birth Pains and Stormy Reunions
=======================================================================
The real author's (Jim Lazar) notes/ramblings:
Moyashi is Japanese for bean sprouts in case anyone was wondering. If
you still don't get the reference, Tofu is 'bean curd'.
I'd like to thank my pre-readers Michael C. Chase, Johan Holmburg, EBJ,
and Thomas Kinnen for helping me find and fix problems with this story.
FFML member David Farr was also helpful in fine tuning this story. I'm
especially grateful for Colleen Leah Morgan's advice on the wedding
kimono and Don Granberry for information on the weapon Soun uses in the
manga, the naginata. Thank you all. Of course in the end, any mistakes
and botched characters are my fault.
Revision 0.0 - Rough draft began (November 2, 1999)
Revision 0.1 - Rough draft finished (November 30, 1999)
Revision 0.2 - Pre-reader draft (January 9, 2000)
Revision 0.3 - FFML draft (January 20, 2000)
Revision 1.0 - Final version (February 3, 2000)
--
Jim Lazar
E-Mail - mailto:jimlazar@earthlink.net
FanFiction - http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlazar/anime
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