Here's the draft of AMD 6. Just what's the leader of a tribe of big breasted

women supposed to do when she's caught in a political nightmare (this was

written well before the current election situation, honest).



C&C until my ears bleed.





=======================================================================

Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty

Chapter 6: Pregnant Pause



Ranma 1/2 characters/situations created and copyright by Rumiko

Takahashi/Shogakukan/Kitty/Fuji/Viz - Used without permission



Adulthood of a Modern Dynasty series created, written, and

copyright 2000 by Jim Lazar



An ongoing series set after the end of the Ranma 1/2 manga and anime.

For maximum enjoyment of this fanfic series, please read my Childhood of

Modern Dynasty series before reading Adulthood.



E-mail comments and/or criticisms to: mailto:jimlazar@animeprime.com



Make sure to check out my Modern Dynasty website for

all released AMD stories, graphics files, and other information:

http://www.animeprime.com/ff/md

=======================================================================

>From the Journal of James Davidson



June 5, 2058





     Moyashi and I stood at the back of the South Gate's media room as

Shashiki walked up to the podium. I was more used to being on the other

side of the podium, but since Birth was been published, I've spent more

time being reported on than being the reporter. Even today, I was here

mostly to act as a semi-impartial witness to events instead of doing the

reporting.



     Shashiki smiled pleasantly to the holo-cameras and the hundred or

so assembled reporters that had been chosen from the over eight hundred

reporters that had been camped out at the various gates to the Compound

since Akane was critically injured three weeks ago. Living in the

compound we didn't notice the throngs of reporters that much. If not for

the occasional holo-videos that the Reis showed on their private

holo-channel, we might forget they were there at all. That video usually

involved the troublesome twosome turning the lawn sprinklers on or

extending the anti-Buyierfei spikes when the reporters got too close to

the outer wall.



     There but for the grace of God go I.



     "People of the Earth," Shashiki began. "As you know, three weeks

ago the Matriarch was critically injured during a battle with the

Buyierfei. Presently, she is stable and is not in any danger. As we have

told you many times before, the Task Force is still fully capable of

defending the world against the Buyierfei while the Matriarch recovers."

She took a breath. "So I have to ask that the people who have or are

evacuating to the Great Shelters to please return to their homes and

relax. There is no reason to worry, the world is in safe hands." She

held out her hands, palms upturned.



     A wave of murmurs passed through the crowd.



     Moyashi leaned over to me and whispered into my ear. "She always

has been a bit over-dramatic."



     I smiled.



     Shashiki cleared her throat.



     "Good hearing, too," I whispered back.



     Shashiki repeated her statement in English and then continued her

media conference in Japanese. "Yesterday, the last civilian who was

injured in the attack was released from the hospital. So the final

report is twenty-seven civilians injured, treated, and released from the

hospitals, five Task Force members injured--which includes the

Matriarch--and about three hundred million yen in property damage--not

including the Task Force equipment destroyed during our response to the

Buyierfei attack. I understand the property owners were all fully

insured for Buyierfei damage, in fact many of them doubled their

policies for the movie premiere."



     There were some chuckles from the crowd.



     "Despite what some reporters have indicated-" Shashiki glared at a

tall man near the front of the crowd. "-there were *NO* fatalities.

Civilian or Task Force." She repeated her statement in English again and

then turned her heads towards Moyashi. "Here to fill you in on the

Matriarch's medical condition is our Head Physician, Doctor Moyashi

Ono." She stepped aside and let Moyashi take the podium.



     Moyashi smiled pleasantly, but kept a professional look on his face

and stature. "Thank you. The Matriarch's wound was serious and life

threatening when she was first brought into our clinic, but she is

stable now and in no danger. After the initial operation to repair the

damage caused by the Buyierfei tentacle being thrust through her chest,

she did go into arrest seven times. Fortunately, she is a strong woman.

We have since managed to stabilize her and we expect her to make a full

recovery."



     As he repeated in English, I realized that he didn't mention the

light from her chest or what caused it. I wouldn't expect them to

mention it, but it's hard for me to listen to this while knowing about

that particular detail.



     Moyashi pressed a button on the podium and then gestured at a

holographic wire-frame representation of Akane's body. It showed her

heart and lungs inside the wire-frame body, with her bones displayed in

blue and red. "As you can see in this holo-image--which will be

available from the Compound media feed after the media conference is

over--the tentacle entered her back at her fifth rib, shattering that

rib and perforating her lung." The hologram showed the entry point and

the path through her lung. "The exit was between her third and fourth.

The broken rib--shown blinking  in red--has replaced with a

carbon-bonded ceramic replacement." He gestured at the display, which

had over a third of the bones displayed in red. "That brings her to an

even eighteen replaced ribs altogether for those keeping track. Six more

to go." Again, he repeated his statement in English. As ghoulish as it

seems, there are actual ultra global net sites that track Akane's

injuries, not to mention the auction sites that constantly have Akane's

body parts--fake of course--for sale. Everyone want's a piece of Akane,

it seems.



     "She has not regained consciousness yet, but we expect her to once

we take her off the tissue-knitter regimen that is repairing her lung

tissue."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     After the media conference was over, I walked out of the South Gate

building with Shashiki. Moyashi had left earlier to check on his

patients. "Well, that went well."



     Shashiki nodded slightly. "Yeah, but you should have seen the

circus I had to contend with when word first got out that she was

injured. Even the mere hint that she may die always sends the media,

politicians, and public into a frenzy."



     "I can't say I was that calm when it happened either."



     Shashiki nodded. "I guess it's a normal reaction, but it's just

irrational to believe that one person holds the world's fate in her

hands."



     "Like your mother?"



     Shashiki stiffened.



     "Sorry."



     "That's okay. My mom may have had more than her fair share of

problems when she was Matriarch of the Amazons, but that was nothing

compared to the pressures and problems Akane has these days."



     "Did your mom ever want to resign as Matriarch?"



     Shashiki smirked. "Quite often, but something kept her there. I

never really understood why, but she seemed to like living in the

village. Maybe it had something to do with the time she spent with my

grandfather before he died. She always talked fondly of him and even

named one of my brothers after him."



     "How did you kids like the village?"



     "My brothers and I always wanted to see what was on the other side

of the mountains."



     I laughed. "Whatever's over the next mountain always seems better

than home until you go there."



     Shashiki nodded. "So true. So true..."





***********************************************************************

August 10-11, 2007 - Joketsuzoku, China; Jusenkyo, China





     "Halt! What is your business with the Matriarch?!"



     The little longhaired girl looked up at the huge sentry with her

pure and innocent eyes. "I got some flowers for my mommy!" She held out

her hands and showed off the blue and white flowers in them.



     "Do you have any water on you?"



     The little girl shook her head.



     "When did you last pee?"



     The little girl started to count on her fingers and then held up

eight fingers. "This many minutes!!"



     The sentry nodded. "Okay, you may see the Matriarch."



     The girl smiled and gestured for the sentry to come down to her.



     The large woman looked all around and then bent down.



     The girl put a blue flow behind the woman's ear, which looked good

with the long green hair the Amazon sported. "There, you look pretty

now, Nair."



     Nair smiled. "Get in there, Shashiki, before I change my mind."



     The girl giggled and the bounded past the large sign that read 'No

Water Allowed' in Ancient Amazon, Traditional Chinese, Simplified

Chinese, Japanese, English, Tibetan, Russian, and about a dozen other

languages. It also had a glass of water pictured with a big circle and

slash through it to cover the occasional illiterate wanderer.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "There's no doubt about it. It's a boy."



     "I'm happy, but..."



     Shinuma looked up from the ultrasound image and finished his wife's

statement. "But it'll cause some problems with the Circle."



     Yukiko, who was laying naked on a large fluffy bed, nodded.



     Shinuma reached over and pulled the ultrasound monitor off his

wife's large belly. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we got this thing

from the doctor in Shirazek. Now we know what to expect and can prepare

for the backlash from the Circle."



     "I hope so."



     "Whatever happens, I'll stand by your side." He wiped the gel off

her stomach with a towel and then pulled the sheet up over her body.



     Yukiko smiled. "I know... The problem is that they are talking

about you being a bad spermbank."



     Shinuma sighed as he sat down on the edge of the bed and started

rubbing her stomach. "I've been doing my best."



     "I know..." Yukiko touched Shinuma with her hand. "But a third boy

will not sit well with the old bat."



     "Why don't you just kick her off the Circle?"



     "If only it was that easy. Unless she does something against Amazon

law, there aren't enough Elders who would vote her out. Powder for sure

and possibly one other, but the rest are still stuck in the past."



      "Well, whatever you decide, I'm here for you. Whether it's getting

you pregnant again or fleeing to a tropical island with you, we'll be

together." Shinuma bent down and gave his wife a long kiss.



     "Kissy, kissy!!"



     Shinuma and Yukiko broke their kiss and looked over at the entrance

to the room.



     "Oh... hi, dear," Yukiko said as she made sure she was covered. Her

daughter tackled her a second later. "Careful about the baby, dear."



     Shashiki smiled and nodded. "I brought Mommy some flowers." She

held out her hand and offered the blue and white flowers to her mother.



     Yukiko smiled as she took the flowers and then gave her daughter a

kiss. "Thanks, honey."



     "So another icky brother, huh?"



     Yukiko and Shinuma exchanged an uneasy glance.



     "Were you listening, Pu?" Shinuma asked as he brushed his

six-year-old daughter's hair.



     Shashiki's eyes went wide. "No!"



     "Good Amazon's don't lie," Yukiko said softly.



     Shashiki scrunched up her face. "I'm sorry, Mother. Yes, I was

listening."



     Shinuma pulled his youngest onto his lap. "Pu, it's very important

that you not tell anyone about your new brother, okay?"



     "Okay. Can I tell Lather and Shave?"



     "No. No one."



     "Can I punch Lather and Shave then?"



     "Why?"



     "They bug me."



     Yukiko giggled. "They just look up to their big sister, that's

all."



     "Can I tell Powder?"



     "Pu, do you know what NO ONE means?"



     Shashiki shook her head.



     Her parents laughed.



     "No one means everyone. Anyone not in the room right now. So you

can't tell anyone who is not here in this room right now." Yukiko cupped

her daughter's chin in her hand. "Understand?"



     "So..." Shashiki scrunched up her face in concentration. "I can

tell Mommy, Daddy, and my brother-" She patted her mother's stomach.

"But I can't tell Lather, Shave, Powder, Nair, Latexco..."



     Yukiko cut off her daughter before she tried to list the names of

everyone she knew in the entire village. "Yes... that's right. Just

don't mention it to anyone. Okay?"



     "'Kay!" Shashiki smiled and then ran from the room.



     "I hope she..." Shinuma started to say before a loud shout was

heard from outside.



     "Hey, Nair, guess what?!"



     Shinuma shot out of the door and just managed to stop his daughter

from spilling the beans.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "May the Matriarch give birth to a strong warrior!! I now declare

this meeting of the Circle in session!" Powder proclaimed and then

handed the golden staff to Yukiko, who was laying in her bed.



     Normally, Circle meetings were held in the Circle's hut, but with

Yukiko effectively under house arrest to avoid her getting wet and

turning into a cat, they had been holding the weekly Circle meetings in

the Matriarch's bedroom for the past four months.



     Yukiko looked at Powder, wishing the white haired woman didn't have

to use the opening words that were traditionally used whenever the

Matriarch was pregnant. <If they find out I'm having another boy,

there'll be trouble.> She looked at each of the six circle members,

lingering ever so slightly on the oldest of the Elders. "First order of

business?" she asked Powder, even though she knew what it was.



     "Prayers and the ceremony to ensure a proud female warrior is born

of the Matriarch." Powder grasped her... well, the two most recognizable

female parts on her body and started to chant an ancient Amazon mantra

which loosely translated meant 'Let the pure and mighty Matriarch bear a

proud and busty female warrior that will lead the Amazons to victory

against all who oppose the mighty mammary glands of our foremothers'. It

sounded much more noble and dignified in the original language of the

Amazons.



     The other Elders took up the chant as they squeezed their own

breasts.



     Yukiko lowered her head, not wanting to watch the old women squeeze

their breasts. <At least I don't have to join in that old mantra.>



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Next order of business?" Yukiko asked after the Circle meeting

went into its third hour. She looked very weary.



     "The last item is a special request by Elder Calluse." Power looked

at one of oldest women in the hut.



     The old woman got to her feet. Although at first glance her slow

and unsteady rise to her feet would make her look frail and weak, the

noble posture she ended up in and the look in her gray eyes revealed her

strong will and intelligence. Her long, white hair was tied up in an

elaborate series of loops that ran down her back. Most of the other

elders had much simpler styles, including Yukiko's simple triple pony

tails that bound her waist-length white hair.



     The old woman waited in her noble pose to be recognized by the

Matriarch.



      Yukiko waited to recognize Calluse a little longer than she would

for the other Elders. Some might call it a power trip, but Yukiko knew

she had to return Calluse's constant challenges to her power with the

same intensity or risk losing face in the eyes of the whole tribe. After

almost a minute of the two women staring intently at each other, Yukiko

spoke. "Calluse, you may state your request."



     "Thank you, Matriarch," Calluse replied, her words tainted with a

slight edge that revealed her contempt for the woman who she had to call

her leader. "My request is simple. Being as you have dishonored the

Amazon tribe by bearing two manchilds since you first bore a mighty

warrior, we ask that you be tested to determine if your current child

will be a warrior or not."



     There were a few shocked murmurs from the other Elders and a even a

more shocked response from Powder, who stood up suddenly. "Calluse, you

are out of order. The sex of the Matriarch's baby is not a factor until

she gives birth."



     Yukiko had been prepared for something like this, so she just sat

silently while Powder did her job as the Eldest.



     Calluse's expression didn't change. "True, but would it not be best

for us to know now so we can prepare for a new Matriarch if she does

indeed break the laws and bear a third manchild."



     The baby boy within Yukiko's uterus chose that moment to kick.

<Calm down, my son. This old hag cannot force the issue today.>



     "The laws do not preclude the Matriarch from having three

manchilds," Powder insisted, glancing at Yukiko. She was a little

surprised at how calmly her leader and friend was taking this latest

challenge.



     "It does if she has married an unworthy spermbank."



     Powder's eyes narrowed. "You consider Shinuma unworthy?"



     "I do."



     Powder looked at Yukiko. "Matriarch, Elder Calluse has challenged

the worthiness of your spermbank. How say you?"



     "My husband's sperm is of the highest quality and I deny that he is

unworthy."



     "How many warriors has he fathered before he became your

spermbank?"



     Yukiko was caught a bit off guard by Calluse's question, since she

knew that Shinuma had only dated a few girls during high school and

college and had definitely not gotten them pregnant. "None. His sperm

has only fathered my three children."



     Calluse reached into her robe and extracted an old scroll.

"According to Amazon law, a spermbank that marries an Amazon without a

track record of fathering warriors and then proceeds to father three

manchilds in a row is considered unworthy." She handed the scroll to

Powder.



     Powder unrolled to scroll and studied it carefully. "Where did you

find this?"



     "In the archives."



     Powder glanced at Yukiko. "She speaks the truth, there is a clause

in the ancient scroll of sperm policies." She handed the scroll to

Yukiko.



     Yukiko studied the scroll, trying her best to remain calm. <That

old hag has gone farther that I thought she would.> Her calmness

vanished when she realized that the scroll was genuine and binding.

<Does she know somehow about my having another boy? Did Shashiki tell

anyone? What can I do?> She looked over at Calluse and saw the smug

smile the old woman was trying to hide. <There is no way I'm going to

let that old hag force me out. She just wants to be Matriarch herself

and she'll do whatever she thinks will get her there.>



     Yukiko slowly scanned the other faces of the Elders. <Problem is,

if I step down or am forced out right now she has the family lineage,

the respect of enough Amazons, and the votes on the Circle to become

Matriarch.> She looked back at the scroll. "I will need time to study

this issue before responding."



     "I ask that you respond now," Calluse declared.



     Powder spoke up. "The Matriarch has three months before giving

birth, there is no reason that this issue has to be resolved now."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Shashiki climbed to the top of a small hill on the west side of the

village. "Matriarch of the hill!!"



     Another six-year-old girl promptly tacked her. Together they

tumbled to the bottom of the hill.



     "Matriarch of the hill!!"



     The two girls stopped wrestling and looked up at the top of the

hill.



     "Lather, you can't be Matriarch!!" Shashiki yelled at her

five-year-old brother.



     "Why?"



     "You're a boy!"



     "Then I'm king of the hill!"



     The little girl with Shishiki's fist in her gut frowned. "What's a

king?"



     Shashiki looked at the girl. "It's what my mommy calls my daddy at

night. Sometimes she calls him a stallion too."



     The girl's eyes widened in recognition of what Shashiki meant and

looked at Lather. "Oh, you mean that you're spermbank of the hill!"



     Lather heard that and smiled. "I'm spermbank of the hill!!"



     Another boy just shy of three years old was digging in the dirt at

the base of the little hill. He looked up at his older brother. "Whatcha

doing, Lath?"



     Lather puffed out his chest like he'd seen the Amazon warriors do

when they defeated their opponent. "I'm spermbank of the hill!"



     "Why?"



     "Because it's here!"



     Shave scratched his head with his dirty hand, leaving a streak of

dirt down the side of his head. "Stupid reason." He continued digging.

"Digging is funner."



     Lather grinned. "This special hill!"



     "Why?"



     Lather looked down at the ten-foot high hill and frowned. "I don't

know." He looked down at his big sister. "Hey, Pu, what's so special

about this hill?"



     Shashiki stopped her swing before her fist reached the crying

girl's face. "It's the biggest hill in the village!"



     "Oh..." Lather looked at the hill again and then looked around at

the tall hills, mesas, and mountains that surrounded the Amazon village.

"Someday, I'll be spermbank of those hills too!"



     "Those hills are Mommy's."



     "Well... I'll be spermbank of what's behind them then."



     Shave looked up with his dirt-covered face. "What's beyond them?"



     Lather frowned and scratched his head. "I don't know."



     "Let's ask Mommy!!" Shashiki suggested, earning agreement from her

two brothers. They looked at the girl Shashiki had been fighting with.



     "You'll get in trouble again," the skinny girl with short hair

tucked into two buns said.



     "So?" Shashiki asked.



     The girl thought for a moment and then smiled. "Okay, let's go!"



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     After the Circle had left her hut, Yukiko was in her husband's arms

and crying softly. "I hate that old hag!"



     Shinuma stroked her white hair. "I know. I can't believe the

Amazons made laws regarding the sex of babies."



     Yukiko sighed. "They've always been a female dominated society ever

since the First Matriarch. Whether out of fear of being outnumbered by

males or because they just didn't know any other way of thinking, their

laws favored the women and promoted that more women should be born than

men." She wiped a tear out of her eye. "What are we going to do?"



     "You could just resign."



     "And let the old hag become Matriarch? Not a chance."



     "Why? We were only originally going to stay for that first year

anyway."



     Yukiko looked at her husband's eyes. "Don't you like it here

anymore?"



     "I love it here. This is our home now, but you don't have to be

Matriarch to live here."



     "But... but... she called you an unworthy spermbank!"



     "So?"



     "But... but... I don't think she would be a good leader for the

Amazons. She is so set in the old ways."



     "So? Although the Amazons may a bit extreme in some of their views

on male-female relationships, they are still good people. Many of the

changes you've made have been readily accepted by the tribe. They won't

suddenly change if she becomes Matriarch."



     "She could reinstate the separate huts for husband and wife law."

The 'separation of sperm and egg' law was the first one to go after

Yukiko became Matriarch.



     Shinuma went pale. "That... that would not be good."



     "No..." Yukiko sighed heavily.



     "Mommy!!"



     The two parents looked over and saw their three kids and the skinny

girl rush in. After a series of hugs, Yukiko asked, "What's up kids?"



     "What's on the other side of the hills?" Lather asked.



     "Huh?"



     Shave climbed onto the bed with his mother. "The hills around the

village."



     Yukiko smiled. "Oh, well there's more hills, more villages, more

people. The world is very large."



     Shinuma slid off the bed and over to one of the bookshelves in the

room. "Let's see... here." He pulled an atlas out and walked back to the

bed. Opening the book, he flipped to a map or Asia. "This is Asia. It's

one of seven continents on the Earth. We live in the Amazon village

which is here." He pointed to a spot in northwestern China. "Here is

Japan, where I was born and met your mother." He pointed to Japan.



     Yukiko smiled as her husband went into teacher mode. Since the

Amazon teachers concentrated on combat training and Amazon history and

traditions, Shinuma had taken it upon himself to give their kids a

broader education. He was so good that many other Amazon kids attended

his 'classes'.



     The kids were studying the map with keen interest.



     "How many hills between here and Ja... ja... Japon?" Shave asked.



     "Ja... pan... is many hills away. Someday we'll go and visit your

grandparents."



     Shave tilted his head. "When?"



     "Someday when you're older, dear," Yukiko responded and smiled at

her children.



     "I want to walk there tomorrow!!" Shave insisted.



     Shinuma shook his head. "You can't walk there. We'd have to fly."



     Shave's eyes went wide. "You can FLY?! Wow!!"



     Yukiko giggled. "Well, we can't fly by ourselves. There are

machines called airplanes that allow us to fly."



     "I wanna airplane!!"



     "My mommy went on an airplane once," the little skinny girl said.



     Yukiko nodded. "Yes, when Powder went with me to visit the Amazons

in Japan."



     "Mommy said it was high."



     Yukiko decided not to mention how terrified Powder was of flying.

One does not insult the bravery of an Amazon warrior. Especially not

when that Amazon warrior is as good of a fighter as Powder was. "Well,

Floss, your mother is right. The planes fly very high."



     "Let's fly!!" Shave said and jumped off the bed.



     "Let's fly!!" Lather repeated and jumped onto his brother.



     Needless to say all the kids started to jump around.



     "Kids... kids... we can't go anywhere right now," Shinuma insisted.



     "Why?" Shashiki asked mid jump.



     "Because..." Shinuma's response was cut off by his wife.



     "Yeah, why can't we?" Yukiko asked, looking at her husband and

smiling.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Matriarch, you have the floor," Powder said the next day and knelt

down with the other elders, who were arranged in a semi circle around

the Matriarch.



     Instead of being in her bed, Yukiko was standing in front of the

Circle in the First Matriarch's armor. Although she looked a bit odd in

the golden armor while pregnant, it did have the effect that she

desired. <Even the old hag is stunned to see me like this.> "As

Matriarch, I have many duties. Bearing future warriors is one of them.

Protecting the Amazon Way is another. Of all these duties only one

supercedes all other concerns."



     Yukiko paused to all them to wonder what. "Every Matriarch since

the First has embarked on one, and now I do too. Tomorrow, I will

perform my Wan-haang."



     Gasps resonated across the room. Those gasps were drowned out by an

angry shout, just as Yukiko had expected.



     "You can not do that!! Not while you are under suspicion of

carrying a manchild!!" Calluse shouted as she jumped to her feet.



     Yukiko remained calm and tried her best to retain her regal pose.

"There is no prohibition as to when the Matriarch can take her

Wan-haang, only that she must do it. I have chosen now as the

appropriate time."



     "But... but..."



     Yukiko was doing backflips in her head at seeing Calluse so

flustered. <I really screwed up the old hag's plans. With me on my

Wan-haang she can't press for my removal as Matriarch.>



     Powder stood up and she backed up Yukiko's claim, as requested by

Yukiko before the meeting. "The Matriarch has declared her Wan-haang!"

She made a fist with her right hand and pressed it between her breasts.

"Wan-haang!!"



     All around the room, the other Elders released the gesture and

called out Wan-haang.



     Except for Calluse. She was still standing silently and staring at

Yukiko with a venomous stare.



     After it became obvious that Calluse wasn't going to recognize her

Wan-haang, Yukiko raised her golden staff and started to talk. "Save

one, the Circle honors me with my Wan-haang. I will go forth tomorrow."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Calluse is really pissed," Powder remarked to Yukiko the next day

in the Matriarch's bedroom.



     Yukiko looked up from the duffel bag she was packing and grinned.

"I know."



     "You can't stay away on your Wan-haang forever, you know."



     "I know. But this will give us time to relax, have my son, and..."

Yukiko slapped her hands over her mouth when she realized she had let

that slip out.



     Powder smiled knowingly. "You know you're having a boy, don't you?"



     Yukiko nodded. "Yes. And this is the only way I could think to keep

the old hag from becoming Matriarch."



     "She says than she had no interest in being Matriarch and is only

looking out for the good of the Amazons."



     "You don't really believe that, do you?"



     "No..."



     "Well, just keep the Circle in line while I'm gone. I trust you

with my proxy."



     Powder nodded. "Thank you. Um... I was wondering something."



     "What is it?"



     "Floss kept me up all night asking to go over the hills."



     Yukiko smiled. "Yeah, our kids have been excited ever since we told

them we were going on a trip over the hills."



     "Well... do you think she could go with you? Ever since her father

passed away she's been so wild and I think she could use the time away

from the village."



     Yukiko smiled, never considering Floss to be 'wild'. "Sure, the

more the merrier."



     "I just hope you know what you're doing. One splash and you'll lose

the baby."



     "We have my plastic suit."



     Powder looked at the waterproof suit that was hanging near the

door. It was made out of clear plastic and meant to be worn over

Yukiko's regular clothing. It looked a little like a bio-contamination

suit, complete with a large headpiece with air hoses running from the

headpiece down the back to a small portable air conditioner that was

worn like a purse. "You can't stay in that thing all the time. You've

always complained that it gets too hot if you use it for an extended

period."



     "It does, but I won't have to stay in it where I'm going."



     Powder looked puzzled. "Where are you going?"



     "Somewhere where I once lost myself and found myself."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



August 16-20, 2007 - Nerima, Japan; Shinjuku, Japan





     Nipplering stood in front of the Compound's South Gate,

dressed--barely--in a pair of cutoff jeans, high heels, and T-shirt with

'I am not an Amazon...' emblazoned across her ample bosom.



     That ample bosom was currently the focus of the tall teenage boy

with a crewcut that Nipplering was talking with. "You're kidding?!"



     "No, they really look like they're hiding beach balls under their

armor." Nipplering spun around, revealing the back of her T-shirt, which

read '...and neither is the big breasted woman next to me'.



     The boy ran his hand through his hair. "You Amazons are sure

strange."



     Nipplering glared at the boy. "We are not Amazons."



     The boy waved his hands in front of her. "Sorry.. sorry..." Inside,

his thoughts were different. <Yeah, right. I don't know why they're here

or why they don't want anyone to know who they really are, but it's

pretty obvious they're the real Amazons. Not that I'm going to tell

anyone... I'd rather not have Nip angry with me.>



     "You're forgiven, but remember we're just really big fans of the

Amazons, nothing else."



     The boy laughed. "Okay, Nip, I believe you."



     Nipplering ran her hand playfully down the boy's chest. "We're

still on for Saturday, right?"



     The boy gulped and his voiced rose several octaves. "Yeah, but my

parents are coming with us."



     Nipplering frowned. "Why?"



     "They still aren't comfortable with you being my fiancee."



     "I told them that I would not take your virginity until you were

eighteen. What more do they want, Jitaru?"



     Jitaru laughed. "Well, you are a little older than me, Nip."



     In a flash, Nipplering whipped out dagger from... somewhere... and

placed it against Jitaru's throat. "It's not nice to remind a woman

about her age."



     Jitaru gulped. "Well, I tried to tell them that two years isn't

that much, but they..."



     Nipplering smiled. "Well, I guess that's understandable."



     Jitaru relaxed. <Whew... that was a close one.>



     Nipplering lowered the dagger.



     Suddenly, Jitaru sprang forward, grabbed Nipplering's wrist and

twisted in an attempt to disarm her.



     Nipplering's counter attack sent Jitaru flying down the street.

"Nice try, my future husband, but you need many more classes at the dojo

before you'll best me in anything but marital arts." She winked.



     Jitaru laughed as he arced through the air. The laughing stopped

when he crashed into someone.



     "Matriarch!!"



     Jitaru opened his eyes and saw a woman in her twenties, who was

enclosed in clear plastic for some reason. "Um... sorry." He suddenly

found himself violently flung off the woman by his fiancee.



     "Matriarch, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there or I'd have never

thrown my fiance at you!" Nipplering apologized as she helped Shinuma

help Yukiko to her feet. Then she noticed her stomach. "Oh no... I may

have hurt the future warrior of the Matriarch!!"



     As she got to her feet, Yukiko rubbed her stomach. "No, he didn't

hit the baby." Then she exchanged a uneasy glance with her husband.



     Shinuma knew that his wife was concerned about Nipplering already

starting on the 'warrior' comments. They had hoped to lessen some of

that by leaving the Amazon village, but an Amazon is an Amazon no matter

where they are. "Nipplering, can you please refrain from discussing the

sex of the baby?"



     "Why?"



     "Ummm..."

     

     Yukiko saved her husband. "In Shinuma's family, its considered bad

luck to discuss the sex of a baby."



     "I understand, I will make sure no one ever discusses your baby's

sex while you're on your inspection." Nipplering glanced at the four

kids and the two dozen Amazon warriors that had come with Yukiko.



     Jitaru bowed in front on Yukiko. "I'm terribly sorry."



     Yukiko smiled. "That's okay."



     "No, I will make sure he's punished severely, Matriarch!"

Nipplering snapped. <A bare bottom spanking would be appropriate, I

think.>



     Jitaru gulped and tried to change the subject because he knew what

that look on Nipplering usually meant. "So, this is the leader of your

fan club?"



     Nipplering flinched and quickly fell into the cover story. "Yes...

yes she is." She looked around awkwardly. "You'd best get home, Jitaru."



     Jitaru grinned. "Sure thing, Nip," he said, then made a hasty

retreat.



     Yukiko and the others watched Jitaru scurry off. "Your fiance?" she

asked Nipplering.



     "He rendered me unconscious with a blunt object."



     "Just don't get carried away. You know that I changed the laws

regarding engagement by blunt objects, right?"



     "Yes, Matriarch," Nipplering said sadly. "I have explained my

honorable intentions to marry him to his parents after he hit me with

the Sunday edition. He and his parents have not rejected the engagement

and I have not taken his virginity."



     Yukiko nodded. "Good. Marriage by love is much more rewarding."



     "I agree, Matriarch."



     Yukiko studied the tall woman and wondered if the unlikely couple

actually shared some attraction. <Well, time for that later.>



     "Matriarch, we were not told of your visit."



     Yukiko smiled from within her plastic suit. "I am on my Wan-haang.

You will not report our presence here to anyone and especially not to

Joketsuzoku."



      Nipplering nodded. "Yes, Matriarch."



     "And instruct all the other warriors of the same."



     "Yes, Matriarch. How long to you plan to stay?"



      "That..." Yukiko exchanged a look with her husband. "That hasn't

been decided yet. At least several months." She patted her large belly.



     "May the Matriarch give birth to a strong warrior!!" Nipplering

called out, and was echoed by the other Amazons. Both those that came

with Yukiko and those from the compound.



     Yukiko rolled her eyes.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Word of the Matriarch's arrival spread fast and before long all of

the Amazons who called the Compound home were in full armor and

assembled to greet her.



     "May the Matriarch give birth to a strong warrior!!"



     Yukiko sighed, leaned over to her husband, and whispered, "Maybe we

should have gone somewhere without Amazons around."



     Shinuma smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "At least here we have

help to keep you away from water."



     "Can your parents come up?"



     "Yes, they'll visit as soon as they get the summer crops

harvested."



     Nipplering marched over and stood at attention. Instead of looking

like an extra in the Dukes of Hazard, she was now in her full formal

armor. "Matriarch! Your warriors are ready for inspection!!"



     Yukiko laughed. "I'm not here to in... spec... um... err..." She

trailed off as she caught sight of Deood and Rant in the row of Amazons,

since they kind of stuck out from the rest of the warriors. "Um... how

did Deood and Rant get pregnant?"



     "I believe Soun Tendo is the father."



     "Mr. Tendo?!" A very bad feeling crossed Yukiko's mind. <The

traditional Amazon punishment for impregnating someone else's wife

is...> "Err... is Mr. Tendo still in one piece?"



     "Matriarch?"



     "I mean, is he still... um... attached to his... um... you know."



     "I believe he still has his penis and testicles, Matriarch." A

thought occurred to Nipplering. "I haven't personally verified that, but

if you would like me..."



     "No... no, that's alright." A sigh of relief emerged from Yukiko's

mouth, but her mouth dropped open in surprise at Nipplering's next

statement.



     "I believe they asked him to do it."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Later in the Amazon's west house that had been 'waterproofed' for

Yukiko's use, Yukiko and her husband were listening to Deood and Rant

explain their pregnancies. Soun, Hinako in her child form, Akane, Ranko,

and Ranma were all there as well.

 

     "And that's how I got pregnant," Deood said, finishing her

explanation.



     Yukiko rubbed her head. "That's... a very interesting way to get

pregnant."



     "Well, Rant and I wanted a child and since Hinako's spermbank was

an acceptable male, we decided to make use of him."



     "So, the baby you're carrying-" Yukiko pointed at Deood. "Is from

your egg and Mr. Tendo's sperm?"



     Soun blushed.



     Deood nodded. "Actually, I am carrying two babies. We started out

with four eggs; two from me and two from Rant. Two of the eggs took, so

these babies will be both of ours."



     "So, why is Rant pregnant as well if you're carrying eggs from both

of you?"



     Rant rubbed her belly. "This is not our child."



     "Then who?"



     Soun and Hinako clasped their hands and recited in unison, "It's

ours!!"



     "Huh?"



     Rant smiled at Soun and explained. "After our first choice turned

us down, we evaluated the various males available to us."



     "I was honored that they thought so highly of me," Soun said

proudly.



     "After we went through the first fifty-three men on our list, we

asked Mr. Tendo."



     Soun's shoulders slumped.



     Ranma puffed out his chest and smiled. "I was number one."



     "Actually-" Rant interjected. "-you were number twenty-eight, right

after the fish salesman down the street."



     Ranma's ego popped like a Goodyear blimp being hit by a pin

traveling at warp speed.



     Hinako giggled and rubbed her husband's shoulders. "Anyway, when

they asked us we were having our own troubles trying to have a baby of

our own. Since I can only hold my adult form for short periods using my

fighting fish, I can't stay adult for nine months. We tried once and it

turned out to be impossible."



     Yukiko nodded. "I know the feeling. I have to take extreme

precautions to avoid triggering my curse." She glanced at her plastic

suit that was hanging near the door.



     Akane smiled. "Your four kids are darling." She looked towards the

window, outside of which all the kids could be seen playing. Actually

'playing' and not fighting for once.



     "Actually, Floss is Powder's child." Yukiko patted her stomach.

"This is number four." She looked at Hinako. "So Rant is carrying your

egg which was fertilized by your husband?"



     Hinako nodded. "Yes, we are so grateful for them for helping us

out."



     Rant smiled. "It's the least we can do since they helped us have

children."



     Yukiko suddenly burst out laughing. "You... you have built quite an

Amazon tribe here, Akane."



     "Huh?"



     "Amazons sharing spermbanks is a very ancient tradition."



     Akane giggled. "Well, we're not making a habit of it. Deood, Rant,

and Ranko is as far as the sperm sharing goes."



     "Ranko?" Yukiko asked and looked at the woman in question.



     Ranko blushed and touched her stomach. "I'm two months along."



     Akane beamed like a proud father. "It would have been sooner, but

the sperm donor was reluctant." She looked at Ranma.



     "It's not a very manly way to get my sister pregnant, okay?" Ranma

muttered irritably.



     Akane's eyes narrowed as she looked at her male husband. "You'd

rather get her pregnant the normal way?"



     "Of cou... err... no!!" Ranma stammered.



     Yukiko giggled. "Well, at least I'll have some company as I go

though my last three months."



     Akane nodded. "Yup, even more so. Nabiki's second child is due in

four months."



     Yukiko smiled. "Another one so soon, huh? I saw the pictures you

sent us of her first child. How did Nijiko get those rainbow colored

eyes?"



     Akane smiled. "They are striking, aren't they? Apparently, they run

in Mousse's family."



     "I'll have to go see them when I get a chance."



     Shinuma cleared his throat. "I'm sure they can come here. It's

safer."



     Yukiko nodded. "Of course." She looked around the living room they

were in. "So this is my new prison for three more months, huh?"



     Shinuma took his wife's hand and squeezed. "As long as there's no

rain in the forecast you can take walks outside in your plastic suit."



     Yukiko giggled. "You're so good to me, my sweet warden." She looked

at the other pregnant women. "At least I'll have some pregnant company."



     Smiles flowed across the room.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Shashiki introduced herself and her brothers to the other kids in

the Compound. "I'm Shashiki, this is my brother Lather and this is my

other brother Shave," she said in perfect Japanese--well, as perfect as

any Japanese six-year-old spoke Japanese. Then she pointed at the skinny

girl. "This is Floss, my best friend."



     Floss bowed. "Pleased to meet you."



     "She's a bit stuck up, but other than that she's nice."



     "Pu!!"



     Shashiki punched Floss's arm playfully. Which for an Amazon meant

that Floss ended up on her butt and rubbing the bruise on her arm.



     Yohachi looked at the fallen Floss. "My mommy says you shouldn't

hit girls."



     Shashiki looked confused. "It's part of training."



     Yohachi laughed. "That's what Daddy says."



     "And Papa-chan!" Ayami blurted.



     Yohachi nodded. "I'm Yohachi, this is my little sister Ayami and my

brother and sister, Daiji." He gestured to his side, only to find no one

there. He spun around and found Daiji cowering behind him. "Come on,

Sis, they're nice."



     Daiji gulped and stepped into view of the Amazon kids. "Um... hi."



     Shashiki smiled. "Hi... why did he say brother and sister?"



     Daiji looked at Yohachi, who nodded. "Go ahead, Sis, Mommy says

they know about it."



     Daiji dug into a deep pocket on her oversized pants and pulled out

a small plastic bottle of water. She tipped a little of the water over

her arm and suddenly grew a few centimeters in almost all directions.

"My Daddy says I have a blessing."



     "Cool!!" the formerly stiff Floss blurted.



     "Hey, that's like my Mommy, but she turns into a cat!!"



     "Really? We have an uncle who turns unto an elephant, a pig, a..."

Daiji started to recite the list, smiling broadly.



     When she was done, Yohachi added, "Our grandpa is a panda sometimes

and we have another uncle that turns into a duck."



     "Uncle Lost Boy's a pig!!" Ayami blurted, using the term for Ryoga

she heard her father use frequently.



     "Wow, I thought Mom was the only one." Shashiki looked around.



     "Wanna play something?"



     "Sure, what?"



     Yohachi scratched his head. "Um...." He looked at Daiji. "Sis, you

choose."



     Daiji looked a bit nervous as all the other kids looked at her.

"Um...  hide and go seek?"



    "Great!" Yohachi and Ayami chorused together.



     "What's that?" Shashiki asked, looked between the Amazon kids and

the Nerima kids.



     Daiji smiled and stepped forward to explain. "Well... one of is

*IT* and has to..."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     The next day, Shinuma stood in front of a two-story building

located along a busy street in Shinjuku.



     "Oh, Mr. Dobutsu, I didn't know you were in Japan."



     Shinuma flinched at the sudden voice. He turned around and smiled

pleasantly. "Mrs. Ono, nice to see you. We got in yesterday and I

thought I'd take a look at my old animal clinic." He gestured to the

building that now had a sign that read 'Bunny Club'.



     Kasumi smiled pleasantly. "I guess they get different kinds of

animals in there now."



     Shinuma nodded.



     "Do you miss it?"



     "Sometimes, but I like life in the village too."



     Kasumi tilted her head. "I'm on my way home from the hospital,

would you like to take the train back to Nerima with me?"



     "Sure." As they started to walk to the train station, Shinuma asked

a question. "I thought you were going to go into private practice after

your internship ended, so why are you still working at the hospital here

in Shinjuku?"



     Kasumi smiled. "At the moment, Tofu can handle the clinic by

himself and the kids. They really don't need me around, so I decided to

continue at the hospital. I enjoy the work and I think I can see a much

wider variety of patients this way. Just today I had to set three broken

legs, assist in a heart bypass, and pull a Lego block out of a boy's

nose."



     Shinuma smiled. "Yeah, I've dug some interesting things out of my

kids' cavities. You know, I'm sure they wouldn't mind having you around.

When Yukiko is busy with the Circle or other Amazon affairs, it can be

quite boring around the hut."



     "I hope Tofu isn't bored. He doesn't seem to be." Kasumi looked at

Shinuma with concern. "Does Yukiko seem to spend more time on her job

than with you?"



     Shinuma flinched as Kasumi hit the bull's eye. "Maybe. You're

worried that that how your husband feels, aren't you?"



     "Maybe." Kasumi's expression didn't change, but Shinuma could tell

there was some problems under Kasumi's calm expression. "He says he's

happy and always encourages me to do what I want, but I'm not sure."



     "Maybe your heart is telling you that you want to spend more time

with your family and you're hoping Tofu will give you the excuse to back

off on your job at the hospital."



     "No." Kasumi paused. "Maybe." She looked at Shinuma. "Do you ever

regret giving up your practice?"



     "Never." Shinuma paused. "Sometimes. I help out with the animals in

the village and help our resident human doctor as best I can when she

needs help, but it's still not the same as life in the big city."



     "You should talk to your wife."



     "Yeah. You should talk to your husband."



     "Yeah."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Watcha doing?" Shashiki asked a couple days later as she walked up

to Daiji, who was digging a hole in a large sandbox behind the dojo.



     "Digging."



     "Shave would love to be here. He's always digging."



      Daiji looked up from the hole that she was digging out. "He's over

in the corner."



     Shashiki looked over in the cover of the sandbox and saw her

youngest brother's head peeking out of the sand. "Shave!!"



     The head smiled. "Daiji digs big holes!"



     Shashiki exhaled heavily. "I swear my brother's a mole."



     Daiji looked up and blinked a few times. "He turns into a mole if

you splash him with cold water?"



     Shashiki giggled. "No. He's just always digging, making a mess, or

getting into tight places." She glanced at the head.



     The head squirmed a little. "I gotta pee!!"



     Daiji and Shashiki exchanged a nervous glance and then rushed over

and started to dig out Shave.



     They had gotten most of his chest cleared when he said, "Too late."



     "Ewwww..."



     Shashiki sighed and brushed off her hands. "He never did have a lot

of holding power."



     Daiji looked at Shave for a moment before she started shoveling

sand back around him.



     "Hey!!" Shave cried out.



     Daiji didn't stop reburying him. "What? You already went."



     Shave thought about this for a moment before nodded. "Yeah... that

makes sense."



     "So what else is there to do around here?" Shashiki asked as she

started to build a sandcastle around her brother.



     "We, train a lot."



     "We do too."



     "I think Ayami and my cousin Moyashi are in the dojo right now with

Papa."



     Shashiki suddenly lost interest in the sandcastle. "Let's go see!"



     "Okay!" Daiji agreed and scurried to the front of the dojo with

Shashiki, leaving Shave behind.



     "Hey!!"



     When Shashiki and Daiji slid the door open they saw Ayami fly

across the room and crash into the wall.

 

     "I'm sorry!!" Moyashi blurted as he ran to his cousin and hugged

her.



     Ayami giggled. "Sissy... don't apologize for throwing me."



     Ranma stood over to the two kids. "Moyashi that was very good, but

in a real match you normally don't hug your opponent."



     Moyashi looked up at Ranma with worried eyes. "But.. but... it

looked like she got hurt."



     Ayami stood up. "I'm a Saotome! Nothing hurts us!!" One punch to

her stomach later, she cried out, "Ow!!!!"



     "I thought nothing hurts you?"



     Ayami smirked. "Well, almost nothing." She punched Moyashi in his

gut.



     Ranma smiled proudly as Moyashi collapsed to the floor. <When he

started, he would have been crying and blubbering by now.> He clapped

his hands. "All right. Square off, you two. Free form drill until I say

stop."



     Ayami helped Moyashi to his feet and then they took up positions

opposite each other.



     "Bow," Ranma commanded. The kids bowed. "Begin!"



     Ayami flew at Moyashi feet first. Moyashi sidestepped her lunge,

swung around and pegged the back of her torso. She did a back flip and

kicked his shin.



     In the doorway, Shashiki looked at Daiji. "This isn't very

interesting."



     Daiji shrugged. "They're just training."



     "Training is much more aggressive in the village. This is baby

training."



     Hearing the voice from behind them, Shashiki and Daiji turned

around and saw Floss standing there.



     "Floss, that isn't polite," Shashiki said softly.



     "It's the truth. Amazons train much harder than this. I could

easily take the girl. I can see the holes in her stance from here."



     Ranma's lip twitched, but he continued watching his students.



     "Left jab, but the boy will evade."



     Ayami's left jab went wide.



     "She'll get hit on her left leg."



     Ayami crumpled to the ground after Moyashi landed a kick to her

left hip.



     "Hold." Ranma looked back at the three kids in the doorway. "Floss,

our method of training does not empathize hurting your opponent during

training like the Amazons do. It focuses on the techniques and how to

apply them in challenge matches and, if needed, how to apply them in

real combat."



     "Silly way. Combat is combat."



     Shashiki slapped her hand over her friend's mouth. "Sorry, Mr.

Saotome. Floss is a little stuck... owwww!!" She shook the hand that

Floss had just bit.



     Ranma smiled. "Floss, there are different ways to train. The Amazon

way is a good way too. Our way focuses more on the form than the power."



     "I could beat them both."



     Ranma nodded. "Maybe. From what Yukiko tells me, you're quite a

good fighter."



     "How dare you speak of the Matriarch in such familiar terms!"



     Ranma sighed. <This girl has quite the bug up her butt.> "Sorry,

it's just that I've known her since way before she became Matriarch."



     Floss opened her mouth to speak again, but Shashiki clamped he

hands over the younger girl's mouth. "Sorry, Mr. Saotome, we'll just go

now." She left the dojo, pulling Floss with her.



     Daiji smiled at her papa and then followed the other two girls.



     Ranma sighed and then turned back to his students, who were playing

patty cake. "BEGIN!"



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Floss, we're guests here!!" Shashiki scolded Floss later.



     "This is an Amazon outpost, so we outrank them all."



     Shashiki slapped her head. "My mommy told you to behave yourself."



     "I have."



     Shashiki slapped Floss's head. "Floss, my mommy says that we are

not better than anyone else. We are all equals."



     "What about Elder Calluse? Your mom always calls her a..."



     Shashiki slapped her a hand over the other girl's mouth. There were

a lot of things that her mother called Calluse and Shashiki was afraid

her friend would spout some of the more colorful ones. "Well, just try

to be nicer to the other kids. I like them and think they fight pretty

good."



     "Well... okay, but I doubt any of them are any better than us."



     "Maybe not, but it's fun to play with them more than the kids in

the village, so please be nicer."



     "Okay..."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Sorry."



     Daiji looked up from the large, two-meter high castle she had built

around Shave's head and saw Floss and Shashiki standing at the edge of

the sandbox. "About what?"



     "What I said in the dojo," Floss mumbled.



     "Oh..." Daiji shrugged her shoulders. "No big deal." She turned

back to her sandcastle. "You okay, Shave?"



     There was no response.



     "Hmmm..." Daiji looked over the castle walls and saw nothing but a

hole. "Huh?" The sand erupted behind her and Shave shot towards her

back. Daiji immediately twisted to the side and grabbed Shave's wrist.

She spun around and flung Shave into the air with a mighty heave. "Nice

try."



     Shashiki watched her brother crash onto the sandcastle and shook

her head sadly. "He should know better."



     "Wow!! She's good."



     Shashiki looked back at Floss. "Huh?"



     "She didn't even hesitate." Floss looked at Daiji with awe in her

eyes. "Her body just reacted without any indication of what she was

going to do to your brother." She clasped her hands together and pressed

them to her chest. "She is so cool!!" If eyes could sparkle, Floss' eyes

would be lit up like a super nova.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Yohachi and Lather sat on the roof of the Tendo house and looked

out across the Nerima skyline.



     "What's that?" Lather asked and pointed at a tall building the to

east.



     "That's the high school where my mommy used to beat up boys."



     "What's that?"



     "That's were Aunt Kasumi and Uncle Tofu live."



     "What's that?"



     "That's the train station."



     "What's that?"



     "That's Ucchan's."



     "What's Ucchan's?"



     "The best okonomiyaki in the world."



     "Oh." Lather wasn't sure what okonomiyaki was, but he was more

interested in what he saw around him. "What's that?"



     "A hill."



     "What's behind it?"



     "Another hill."



     "You been there?"



     "Not that one, but we went on a camping trip once. Lots of hills

there."



     Lather looked longingly at the hill, but could only see the houses

lining the nearest hill. He sighed. "Wherever we go, we only see the

nearest hills."



     Yohachi looked at Lather. "Really?"



     "Yeah. I wish I could see some more hills."



     Yohachi's eyes brightened. "Then let's go see them!!"



     "Huh?" was Lather's confused reply.



     "We can go hiking and find out exactly what's behind those hills!!"



     And thus was the origin of 'The Great Nerima Hills Expedition'.



     "Great!! Let's go!"



     Yohachi looked at the late afternoon sky. "We'd better wait till

tomorrow. It's pretty late."



     Expedition delayed due to an early bedtime.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     It was dark.



     Very dark.



     "Ouch!! You bumped into me!"



     "Sorry, Daiji."



     "Why do we have to go this way?"



     "Because they wouldn't let us out of the Compound alone."



     "Why do we have to be alone?"



     There was a pause. "I don't know. It's funner this way."



     "Is it much farther?"



     "I don't know."



     "What?! How could you lead us down here then, you stupid boy!"



     "Don't yell at my brother. We've never used this thing before."



     "Sorry, Daiji."



     "Tell him."



     "Sorry, Yohachi."



     "No problem, Floss."



     "We should have brought more batteries."



     "Moyashi's right."



     "Arghhhhh.... Ow... Ow... Ow..."



     "What's wrong, Yoyo?"



     "I think we found the end." A loud clanking sound was heard and

then a bright light assailed their eyes. All the kids shielded their

eyes from the sudden morning light that poured into the escape tunnel

they had been walking through.



     After their eyes adjusted, they saw Yohachi rubbing his head in the

steel doorway he had just opened. "It looks kind of overgrown, but we

can get out," Yohachi said as he pushed a bush out of his way and

stepped outside.



     The other kids followed. Shave, Lather, Daiji, Floss, Shashiki,

Ayami, and finally Moyashi left the tunnel and made their way through

the bushes to find themselves on a sidewalk about five blocks from the

compound. They all had little backpacks on, carried canteens, and were

wearing various clothing suitable for a long hike.



     "How did you know that was there, Yoyo?" Daiji asked as she

adjusted the backpack she wore.



     "Nippy told me about it once."



     "For a boy, he's fairly intelligent," Floss remarked.



     "Hey, don't talk that way about my brother!" Daiji snapped.



     Yohachi frowned. <I thought that was a compliment?>



     Floss bowed her head. "Sorry, Daiji."



      Moyashi looked back at the steel door and then down the street to

where his home should be. "We shouldn't be doing this."



     "It's okay, I'm here with you, Moyashi." Ayami smiled.



     "Well..." Moyashi looked around nervously, then saw Ayami's

confident look. He nodded. "Okay..."



     Lather looked around. "Where's the hill?"



     Yohachi smiled. "We're halfway up it. The top is that way." He

pointed away from the door and the Compound. "Let's go find what's on

the other side of the hill!"



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     The group of small children crested the hill and saw...



     "Another hill," Lather said, somewhat flatly.



     "And more houses," Shave remarked, searching the ground for some

dirt to dig in.



     "Lather! You were the one who wanted to do this! Show some spirit!"

Yohachi blurted and pointed at another hill. "Now we see what's beyond

that next hill."



     "Why are you posing, Yoyo?" Daiji asked, causing Yohachi to blush.



     "Yohachi's right, I'm embarrassed to be your sister!" Shashiki

said, shaking her head.



     "Sorry, Sis," Lather and Shave said together.



     "We should go home," Moyashi said for the hundredth time.



     Ayami slugged Moyashi's shoulder for the hundredth time. Hundredth

time that day, that is.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Back in the compound, Akane poked her head into the kitchen, where

Ranko was cooking something on the stove. "Have you seen the kids?"



     Ranko tasted the sauce she was making and then looked at Akane.

"Not lately. Why?"



     "It just seems too quiet."



     Ranko smiled. "Enjoy it while it lasts. With Sanma and Ukyo coming

over, dinner tonight is going to be anything but quiet."



     "Need any help?"



     Ranko smiled. "I could use some Akane on my lips."



     Akane took the hint and leaned over and gave her husband a long

kiss. "Hmmm... that sauce is good."



     "Not as good as you." Ranko leaned over for another kiss.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     In the main room of the west house, Yukiko looked up from the book

she was reading. "What's that?"



     Shinuma looked over at his wife, pausing in flipping through all

the television channels offered in Tokyo. It was the first time he'd

seen a television in almost two years. <We have to get a satellite dish

in the village.> "Huh?"



     "That noise."



     "Huh?"



     "That noise."



     Shinuma cocked his ear and listened. It was a distant roar. And it

was getting closer. "Um... I don't know... but..." He jumped forward and

grabbed his wife's arm to help her up.



     Yukiko rose from the ground. "It's here!!" she cried out as she

snapped into a defensive posture and stared at the doors to the garden

where the noise was coming from.



     Both of their eyes went wide as the door was slid open to reveal

six crying two-year-olds being herded in by two very tired looking

parents.



     Yukiko relaxed. "Ukyo!"



     Ukyo looked up with weary eyes. "Shinuma, Yukiko... meet the

Six-pack."



     Sanma--currently human and male--jumped to the side and grabbed a

shirttail before one of the boys managed to escape. "Oh no you don't!!"



     Ukyo's head snapped to the side. "Iori!! Don't do that!"



     Shinuma jumped forward and caught the vase on the table that Iori

had just knocked over. "Got it!"



     A crash was heard from across the room.



     "Seto!!"



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Later after the kids had quieted down a bit, the adults were

kneeling around the low table. Except for Yukiko who was sitting in a

low chair with one of the girls in her lap. The girl had long bright-red

hair like her father's girl form, but not in a pigtail. The boys were

all stumbling around the room, looking for something interesting to

break. One of the boys had short red hair and the other two had black

hair--one short and one in a pigtail. The other two girls had long dark

red hair, similar to Sanma's male form's dark red hair.



     And Sanma was male at that moment.



     "I see you've managed to stay male since you last visited Jusenkyo

three months ago," Yukiko remarked.



     "Yup." Sanma glanced at Yukiko's plastic suit. "I don't envy you

having to use that suit."



     Yukiko's eyes narrowed. "Well, if SOMEONE didn't buy all the

no-get-wet-soap from Jusenkyo, I wouldn't have to be this careful."



     Sanma gulped. "Sorry, when we bought our supply I didn't know they

lost the instructions on how to make that soap."



     Yukiko grinned slightly. "That's okay, we'll manage."



     "How are things back in the village?" Ukyo asked, since she hadn't

been able to go to China with Sanma the last time the Spring of Drowned

Sanma refilled because she had to take care of the babies and the

restaurant.



     Yukiko sighed. "Okay, but the old hag is giving me trouble again."



     Ukyo smirked. "That explains the vacation."



     Shinuma and Yukiko nodded in unison.



     "Kida!! Don't even think about it!!" Ukyo suddenly snapped without

even looking in Kida's direction.



     Yukiko looked the boy and saw him put down the tatami mat he had

lifted up. "How do you keep track of their names? They look a lot alike

to me."



     Ukyo smiled. "It's a combination of knowing each of their

mannerisms and what they're likely to do at any given time."



     "Plus, we always dress them in a different color," Sanma added,

revealing one of their little secrets of raising sextuplets.



     Yukiko scanned the kids situated across the room and then down at

the redheaded girl in her lap. The girls were in yellow, pink, and

orange. The boys were in blue, green, and red. "What a great idea."



     Ukyo smiled. "Thanks. It was almost required to keep track of them

when they were younger, but now with the different hairstyles and hair

colors, it's not as hard to mistake one for the other."



     Sanma looked at the dark redheaded girls, who were playing patty

cake. "Except for the twins. They refuse to get different hairstyles."



     "Because then we wouldn't be twins, Daddy!!" the twins chorused

together and then went back to their game of patty cake.



     Sanma smiled. "Now, THOSE two are a handful by themselves."



     Yukiko looked around at the kids again. "They're all adorable."



     A loud crash was heard.



     Terrible twos times six. Be afraid, be very afraid.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Akane, where are Yohachi and Daiji? They missed their lesson

today," Ranma asked as he poked his head into the family room where she

was knitting a... something for... something with five... or maybe six

arms.



     "Have you checked to see if they're with Yukiko's kids?"



     Ranma shook his head. "Yukiko and her husband have their hands full

with the Six-pack."



     Akane frowned and reached for the phone. Pressing one of the quick

dial buttons, she held the receiver to her ear and waited. "Nipplering?"

she asked when the phone was answered. "Have you seen any of the kids?"



     Ranma's gut tightened as he saw the worried look that passed over

his wife's face.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Ranma, Ranko, Akane, and Nipplering raced down the Nerima streets

followed by a few dozen Amazons.



     "How could we have not noticed that they've been gone since this

morning?!" Akane snapped.



     Ranko looked around the streets for any sign of their kids. "I

don't know... the Compound is pretty big."



     Nipplering paused in her scans of the area to look at Akane.

"Leader, the sentries confirmed that they didn't leave by the gate and

since that's the only way in or..."



     Akane's curse interrupted Nipplering.



     Ranma didn't think now was the right time or worry about how the

kids got out of the Compound, so he interrupted before Akane could get

angrier. "Let's worry about that later after we-" Ranma paused to thrust

his arms out and form a chi ball between his hands. "-get our kids

back!!" The chi ball flew from his fingers and crashed against a large

wooden gate. Ranko and Akane's blasts followed and finished blowing

apart what was left of the gate after Ranma's blast.



     Their battle auras were burning red hot when the three parents

swarmed through the newly created entrance, followed closely by the

Amazons. Nipplering and half of the Amazon warriors spread out and began

a methodical search of the area.



     The three parents blasted down the main door of the house and then

rushed inside with the other half of the Amazons. They started

systematically blowing apart door after door in search of their

children.

 

     None of them expected to see the horror that befell their eyes when

they entered the large living room.



     Kuno.



     Smiling.



     And singing a sweet lullaby to a baby that he held gently in his

arms.



     "What the..." Ranma gasped when he saw Kuno sitting peacefully next

to a woman with short, black, curly hair.



     Akane shock soon vanished as she remembered the reason they were

there. She looked around. "Where are they, Kuno?!"



     Kuno smiled. "Ah, my fair, Akane. You have finally come to meet my

son, Kennan." He indicated the baby in his arms. "Soon, we will add

another to our noble family." He reached over and patted the large belly

on the woman next to him.

 

     "Wha...." Ranko stammered.



     "Son?" Ranma managed to blurt.



     "How?



     Kuno smiled and calmly looked at the woman sitting next to him. "My

fair wife, Mariko, gave birth to our first just over a year ago."



     "Ma..."



     "Ri..."



     "Ko?"



     'Mariko' smiled and nodded.



     "Aren't you dead?" Ranma asked in deadly earnest.



     'Mariko' smiled politely and shook her head.



     Ranko stared at the Caucasian woman. "Her hair is just like

Mariko's, but she's no Japanese cheerleader."



     Kuno handed the baby in his arms to 'Mariko' and then stood up.

"How dare you break into my noble abode and claim that my dear wife is

dead!" He drew his ever-present sword out of its sheath and aimed its

sharp point at Ranma. "And to claim she isn't a cheerleader is the

ultimate insult to her honor!! Now, be gone or I shall smite thee!!"



      Ranma took a step forward, but was interrupted when Nipplering

rushed up from behind Kuno. "Leader, the kids don't appear to be here."



     Kuno swung around at her voice and trust out his sword.



     Nipplering's own sword flashed out of it's sheath. In one movement,

Nipplering knocked Kuno's sword out of his hands, cut Kuno's samurai

clothing in half, and slipped the sword back into its sheath.



     Kuno looked down and saw his samurai robes fall away, revealing his

Card Captor Sakura underwear. "Foul woman!"



     "Kuno, don't fight in front of our child," 'Mariko' said quietly.



     Kuno nodded. "Yes, Dear."



     "Where are our children, Kuno?" Akane asked again, very angry.



     "I know not, my dear Akane."



     Akane stepped forward, but found herself restrained by her

husbands.



     "Akane... if he has his own kids, why would he try to kidnap ours

again?" Ranko asked.



     Akane didn't know the answer. "But... but... if they're not here,

then where?" The tear drop that splashed down Akane's cheek and onto the

floor made a thunderous roar when it hit the floor. "Where..."



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     "Where the hell did that 'Mariko' come from?" Ranko asked as they

raced away from the Kuno mansion.



     "I don't know..." Ranma said. "But Kuno must be crazier than we

thought not to realize that she looks nothing like the real Mariko."



     "Speak for yourself," Ranko said, grinning. "I always knew he was

that crazy."



     "The sentries we have watching Kuno never reported anything

unusual," Nipplering informed the worried parents.



     "Let's worry about why that woman is calling herself Mariko and

Kuno's wife later!" Akane snapped. Not only was she upset about their

missing kids, she was cursing the time they wasted by assuming it was

Kuno who had taken the kids again.



     "Of course, Leader." Nipplering turned back to her warriors.

"Spread out in a circular search grid and start looking for the kids.

Ask everyone you see and look in every nook and cranny. Hurry, we don't

have much light left!!" She glanced to the western sky where the sun was

almost touching the western hills.



     The Amazons all confirmed her orders and then spread out.



     "Where could they be?" Akane asked no one in particular.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     The sun was low in the western sky when the kids reached another

hill.



     "Cool! This hill has trees instead of houses!" Lather explained and

then hugged a tree.



     Shave dropped to the ground and started dig in the dirt.



     "I wonder where that shrine is that we saw from the last hill?"

Daiji asked as she looked into the dark forest.



     "We should go home."



     Ayami started to slug Moyashi, but stopped when Yohachi spoke.



     "He's right, it's getting late." Yohachi looked around.



     "Lather, get down!" Shashiki yelled at her brother, who had started

to climb the tree.



     "No!"



     "Yes, or I'll tell mom about that time you wore the First

Matriarch's armor!"



     Lather grumbled as he started climbing back down the tree.



     Yohachi turned around and started to walk back the way they had

come. "Let's go!"



     "Why is he in charge anyway?" Floss asked.



     "Why not?" Shashiki asked.



     "He's a boy."



     Shashiki rolled her eyes.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     Akane and Ranma ran down a hill north of the Compound, having

separated from Ranko and Nipplering so they could cover more area.



     "Yohachi!!" Akane yelled out and raced towards a small boy who was

minding his own business. She had only covered half the distance when

she realized that it wasn't her son. She looked into the sky and

shouted, "Yohachi!!" at the top of her lungs. She repeated for the other

kids as she and Ranma resumed her search through the streets.



     A few minutes later, they saw Ukyo and Sanma down the street and

ran towards them.



     "Shouldn't you be with your babies?" Ranma asked.



     "Since they can't search in their condition, Yukiko, Deood, and

Rant are taking care of them," Ukyo explained as she kept scanning the

area. She didn't mention her internal fear that they couldn't look after

her six kids in their condition either. <They'll be okay... I hope.>

Even Ukyo wasn't sure if she meant her kids or those who were taking

care of them.



     "Any luck?" Sanma asked after catching his breath.



     Ranma and Akane shook their heads.



     After several minutes of searching together, Akane's cell phone

rang. "Yes?" Her eyes widened. "Okay, we'll head that way."



     "What is it?" Ukyo asked.



     Akane hung up the phone and looked at the others. "Someone saw a

group of kids heading east towards Shinjuku."



     "Shinjuku?" Ranma asked, looking towards the east.



     "It's our best lead. Let's go!" Akane didn't wait for anyone to

reply; she just took off running towards the east.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     A figure wearing a large cloak that covered his head looked down on

western Nerima from the top of a tall hill. "Something..." a horse male

voice said as he scanned the dark cityscape with his eyes. Not seeing

anything of interest, he reached out with his other senses. "Several

collectors headed away from their fortress." He tilted his head. "And

most of the bitches are outside the walls as well." He took a step

forward. "Their fortress will be virtually unguarded now." A low

rumbling sound emanated from his mouth as strode forward towards the

compound. It wasn't quite a laugh or a cackle, but if anyone had heard

it they would have run in terror from the inhuman sound.



     After taking several steps, the figure flinched and stopped

suddenly. "Something else..." He turned around and looked towards the

west. "Another collector..." He closed his eyes and concentrated. "A

pure one. And several other rich energy sources."



     The figure stood up straight and tossed off the hood covering his

face, revealing his split male/female halves. "So far from the other

collectors and the bitches... this should be even easier than devouring

the energy from those within the fortress."



     Shuma started walking silently towards a forested hill with a

shrine at the top of it.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     After walking for an hour, Daiji stopped and looked all around her.

"Um... shouldn't we be out of the woods by now?"



     Yohachi nodded. "Yeah... um... which way is it back to the

compound?"



     Daiji, Shashiki, Lather, and Floss all pointed. Unfortunately, they

each pointed in a different direction.



     Yohachi sighed and looked into the sky. He could see a faint light

along the horizon. "That has to be where the sun set... and we've been

mostly walking towards the sun, so let's go-" He turned around and point

away from the light. "That way."



     Shashiki nodded. "Yes, that is very logical. You would make a

worthy Amazon warrior."



     "If he wasn't a boy, you mean," Floss added.



     "Of course."



     Yohachi blazed the trail through the forest; not realizing the

light he was walking away from was the Tokyo city lights. The others all

followed close behind him, holding hands so as to not get separated in

the darkness. Daiji brought up the rear.



                    -A-           -M-           -D-



     The hood on Shuma's black cloak was up over his head and he had

forced his skin and eyes to turn completely black. As such, he was

nearly invisible as he walked silently through the dark forest in the

direction from where he had sensed the collector's energy. Hearing

voices, he stopped in his tracks and listened.



     "I think we're lost, Daiji."



     "Yeah, me too, Yoyo."



     <Daiji? That is the name of the infant collector that was denied to

us.> A large grin spread across Shuma's face. <Denied no longer, it

would seem.>



     "It's so dark!!"



     "It's cold!!"



     "Don't worry, Ayami, I'll protect you."



     "Thanks, Moyashi..."



     Shuma moved through the thick bushes, making barely a sound.

Reaching a small clearing he could just make out a number of small

children crouched together, shivering from the night breeze that blew

through the forest. <Ah, how nice. The collectors and bitches have been

breeding. I will have to thank them for the energy once I reopen the

portals.> He reached out to the nearest child. <First, the collector.>





[End - Chapter 6]



Coming soon: Chapter 7: For the Sake of the Children; Past, Present, and

Future

=======================================================================

The real author's (Jim Lazar) notes/ramblings:





I set the forest the kids got lost in around a shrine since that is

about the only forested land left close enough to Tokyo for the kids to

walk to. 



Wan-haang is a term that means 'soul/spirit walk/travel' in Cantonese (I

think). 

The closest English term that corresponds to the original Amazon meaning

is "Getting away from it all."







Revision 0.0 - Rough draft began (July 15, 2000)

Revision 0.1 - Rough draft finished (July 28, 2000)

Revision 0.3 - Pre-reader draft (November 12, 2000)

Revision 0.4 - FFML draft (November 27, 2000)







-- 

Jim Lazar



Animeprime - http://www.animeprime.com

(No Editing Zone/Fanfiction/Anime Top Ten/DVD Case Covers)









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