“As well, further reports are coming in of fresh outbreaks of uncontrolled sexual activity in throughout the rest of Japan, as well as in cities in other countries throughout the world. The only common element so far linking the initial outbreaks in foreign countries is that all the cities were central hubs of international air travel, but later outbreaks are now occurring in smaller cities and some rural regions.
“Here in Japan, the extremely high death toll reported among older men is creating chaos in the government, with a large majority of the Diet reported dead, as well as ...” — the radio newscaster’s voice turned shaky for a moment, then after a pause firmed up — “... every male adult member of the Imperial family....”
The sound of someone coming through the front door of the Cat Café distracted Ku Lon from the news program she’d been listening to on the dining room radio, and she turned to see what customers had actually come in on such a day, then straightened abruptly at the sight of two teenage girls, the black-haired youngest Tendo and Xian Pu’s Airen in ‘cute redhead’ mode. Ku Lon’s eyes narrowed at the two girls’ body language, the way Akane was walking half a step ahead of Ranma, and Ranma with her habitual swagger and probably unaware of the way she was clutching Akane’s hand — and Ranma wasn’t wet.
“Akane, Son-in-law, this is a surprise,” Ku Lon said, as she went to greet her guests. “Am I to assume that after yesterday’s events you aren’t here for ramen or to visit your wife?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” Ranma said as the couple stopped just outside of immediate striking range. “I —”
“We,” Akane corrected, giving her fiancée’s hand a squeeze.
Ranma gave Akane a brief, slight smile, then turned back to the Amazon matriarch. “We have a ... a problem ...”
“You are locked again, correct?” Ku Lon asked with a sigh, and Ranma nodded.
“Yeah, learned about it in the furo this mornin’,” she mumbled, looking at her feet. “I can’t think a’ nothin’ besides what ... what hit everyone yesterday ta explain it, wondered if ya might have an idea what magic is causin’ it this time.”
“I am sorry, Ranma, but there is no magic causing it this time,” Ku Lon said softly. “I checked as soon as yesterday’s noon rush turned into an orgy, but whatever caused it wasn’t magical.”
‘No, ya got ta be wrong!” Ranma insisted, voice rising toward a shout. “Nothin’ natural could affect the curse!”
“Actually, there is one perfectly natural event that could lock the curse, but in this case it wouldn’t —” Ku Lon broke off and for a time stared into space, then refocused on an increasingly nervous Ranma. “Child, come here,” she said softly.
For a long moment Ranma stood frozen in place, her nervousness transmuted to cold fear by the gentle tone in Ku Lon’s voice like she and Akane had never heard before. Finally, as Ku Lon simply waited, she moved forward with a jerk as Akane quietly stepped forward and pulled her lover along with her.
As the couple approached, Ku Lon leaped up to stand on a chair, then reached out and laid a hand on Ranma’s stomach. Ranma gasped as that hand seemed to glow a soft gold and she felt a comfortable warmth fill her mid-section.
After a moment the warmth receded as the glow around Ku Lon’s hand faded. After a few minutes of the matriarch staring into space, Ranma asked, “Well? What?”
Ku Lon refocused on the pair. Ignoring Ranma’s question, she turned to Akane. “Come here, child,” she ordered, motioning her closer, and Akane stepped forward, then gasped as Ku Lon reached out to touch her own stomach with a glowing hand.
As the glow faded a second time, Ku Lon looked thoughtfully at the pair, then turned to shout toward the back, “Xian Pu, come here, now!”
“Coming, Great-grandmother!” came back the instant response, and less than a minute later Xian Pu bounded into the room then squealed at the sight of Ranma. “Airen!” she called out, and rushed forward to glomp her ‘husband’, only to be stopped short by Ku Lon’s staff blocking her path. “Great-grandmother?” she asked uncertainly.
“Come here, Great-granddaughter,” Ku Lon ordered, again laid a glowing hand against Xian Pu’s stomach when she approached, then when the glow faded from her hand sighed and leaped to the top of the table by her chair and motioned the three girls to sit down.
“So, good news first,” the ancient Amazon said, and turned to Xian Pu. “Great-granddaughter, we are finally free to return home with honor — you are pregnant with Ranma’s daughter, and Ranma,” she added, turning to the redhead, “the Kiss of Marriage is no longer applicable.”
“What!?” Xian Pu shouted as Ranma brightened and Akane began to turn purple with reflexive anger. “No! Pregnancy no end Kiss of Marriage, that only happen if —” She broke off, gaping, and Ku Lon nodded soberly, eyes still on her heir’s former ‘husband’.
“Yes, that’s the bad news. Ranma, the Kiss of Marriage no longer applies because in the eyes of Amazon law you are no longer a man, but a woman ... because of your own pregnancy. I’m not going to ask how you ended up with the Lost Boy.”
Ranma swayed in her seat, blood draining from her face as an equally shocked a shocked calm Akane quickly reached out to steady her. “But ... but it’s only been half a day!” Ranma shouted. “I can’t be pregnant, not yet! D-D-Doesn’t it take longer — days?”
“No, conception can occur from a few minutes to a few hours,” Ku Lon corrected. “However, there is something odd going on. Normally, the curse doesn’t lock until around eight days after conception, I have no idea why it has happened so quickly. Perhaps it has something to do with why all three of you are pregnant, that shouldn’t have happened, either. I can only speculate that whatever caused yesterday’s mass orgy was also designed to greatly enhance women’s fertility, and has somehow hastened the lock.”
“But ... but that w-w-would mean all those ...” Ranma stuttered out, thoughts of all the girls he had encountered over the course of the previous day flashing through her mind, then slumped and started to slip from her chair as she fainted dead away. Only a hasty grab by Akane prevented her fiancé from ending up on the floor, and the youngest Tendo quickly pulled the limp redhead into her lap.
“Ranma ... ?” Akane queried, then glanced up in confusion at the two Amazons. “ ‘All those’ what?” she asked in bewilderment. “I don’t understand ...”
Ku Lon stared at the unconscious redhead, then began to chuckle, then broke out into full-throated laughter. Only when Akane’s confusion started turning into frustrated anger did she manage to bring her laughter under control. “Only Ranma,” she muttered with a few final chuckles, shaking her head. “Then again, considering yesterday perhaps not.” Turning back to Akane, she said, “Tell me, Akane, besides you, how many other girls at school did Ranma have sex with yesterday?”
“I wasn’t at school yesterday, I stayed home ... sick.”
“But Ranma didn’t, did he?”
“No ... no, he didn’t,” Akane replied faintly.
“And what time did he join you at the dojo?” Ku Lon queried.
Blushing bright red, Akane stuttered, “S-S-Sometime in the aft-t-ternoon, why, what does that matter?”
“And he didn’t bring any other girl with him?”
“Of course not!” Akane shouted.
“There’s no ‘of course not’ about it, child,” Ku Lon disagreed. “Those two facts are important because the orgies started around noon. If Ranma was at the school, the possibility that you were the only girl he had sex with is vanishingly small — but the fact that he didn’t bring another girl with him is impressive in its own way.”
At Akane’s scandalized glare, Ku Lon shrugged. “The same thing happened here, child, and I assume it followed the same pattern. First, all the men and women were grabbing the closest available partner. Then, they collapsed into exhausted sleep, to eventually wake up for another round. Very few actually left before I woke them up and shooed them out the door this morning, and those that did took partner's with them, not necessarily the ones they started with. Xian Pu, just where did you encounter Ranma?”
“On road between school and dojo,” the purple-haired teenager replied thoughtfully, and Ku Lon nodded.
“Just so, Ranma was trying to get home, and I doubt you were the only one to jump him on the way,” she said, and turned to Akane. “I must say I’m impressed, both by the stamina that kept Ranma on his feet long enough to bring him home to you, and by his determination to get back to you. You have quite a man, don’t let him get away from you.”
Akane stared dazedly at the shrunken crone for a long moment, then the last statement registered. “ ‘Man’? The lock isn’t permanent?”
Ku Lon shook her head. “No, it will last only until about a week after the pregnancy is ended, however it ends — miscarriage, abortion, birth, it doesn’t matter.”
At that, Akane slumped slightly in relief. Gently stroking the hair of the girl in her lap, she mused, “I’m glad. It wouldn’t have mattered, but it’ll be good to have him back.”
“But, Great-grandmother, if lock temporary —” Xian Pu started, then broke off at Ku Lon’s glare.
“It’s over, Xian Pu,” Ku Lon stated firmly. “Do you really think you can convince the man that left you behind for another in the middle of that mess to return to the village?”
Eyes dropping, Xian Pu stared at the table for a moment then sullenly shook her head. “No,” she whispered.
“Just so,” Ku Lon agreed. “At least you have his child, girl, be content with that.” Turning to Akane, she continued, “When Ranma wakes up, you might want to find out just how many other girls might be able to say the same. You can probably start with Kasumi,” she added with a wry smile, “She was also home, I presume?”
Akane gaped at her, then stuttered, “Y-Y-Yes, she was, because I was sick. So was Nabiki, Kasumi told me she was sick, too ...” Akane’s hold on her fiancé tightened as she looked down at the redhead in her lap. “Oh, kami, Ranma, what have we gotten ourselves into this time?”
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(Posted Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:18)
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