"Eh?!" Kimiki Miyake gasped as she stared at her daughter. "Lum's a lesbian? And she's now married to her lover because these Noukiites came to Earth?!"
Shinobu nodded. She and Kimiki were enjoying a quiet lunch at the family home. Shinobu's father, Toshoba, was out of the house, enjoying a nice day of golf with co-workers as paid for by their employer. "Hai. Turns out the Noukiites have a special ceremony that doesn't need an actual priest to officiate it. Since those girls that came here yesterday all have high social standing in their society, they could be used as witnesses when Lum took this 'promise oath' with Tariko-san." While she now had her suspicions as to who Tariko actually was, she chose not to say anything about it to her mother.
Kimiki hummed as she considered what she had just been told. "And this girl that Lum married? Her name is Tariko Hana, did you say?" At Shinobu's nod, her mother then breathed out. "Very strange. Hard to believe, in fact."
"What do you mean, Kâ-san?" Shinobu asked.
"'Hana' is the maiden name of Ataru's paternal grandmother, Nagaiwakai Moroboshi," Kimiki replied. "Ataru's mother never got along with her whatsoever. She died some years ago, a little while before you and he started to date." She shook her head. "Never understood why, but from what your father learned from Ataru's father, his mother never approved of his choice of wife." A sigh. "Supposedly there might have been some sort of inheritance involved as well; Nagaiwakai-sama was quite a wealthy woman. Nowhere close to the Mendôs or Mizunokôji in scale, but still quite well off."
Shinobu hummed as she considered that, and then she blinked as she recalled the incident almost a year before when parents of various students in Class 2-4 came to school for Parent-Teacher Day. How an altercation between Mendô's mother and Lum's mother nearly turned into all-out war until Ataru's mother intervened and tried to swindle them both out of a considerable amount of money (which resulted in both their forces destroying the Moroboshi house in retaliation). Remembering that, she also remembered the other times she had overheard Kinshô Moroboshi bemoaning the poor state of her family finances, something that Lum's and Ten-chan's presences in the lives of the Moroboshi family — to say anything of Ataru's antics — always made worse.
Humming, she stood up. "Kâ-san, I'm going for a walk, okay?"
Kimiki perked. "Where are you going?"
A sigh. "Somewhere to think," Shinobu admitted. "This is really going to hit people hard when school starts tomorrow. If Ataru shows up there…"
"Shinobu…"
"Kâ-san, PLEASE!" the younger woman snapped as she stared painfully at her mother. "This isn't just Ataru and Lum. This is ALL of us! Everything that happens to them affects us all no matter how much other people wish it was otherwise!" A tired sigh. "If Ataru comes to school tomorrow, he better come with one of those girls from Noukiios. There's NO WAY that Mendô-san is going to tolerate what just happened to Lum, much less Megane and his friends. If they try to do something bad to him and Lum decides she doesn't like it thanks to what Ataru did for her and Tariko…" She sighed. "People are going to get hurt! Badly! I'll be back later!"
She stormed out of the house, the door slamming shut behind her. "SHINOBU!" Kimiki called out, and then she sighed, shaking her head. "In God's name, why…?"
Close to Tomobiki High School…
"So, Mimôko-san? What do you think?"
After a big slurp of noodles being sucked into her mouth, Shimei Ryomô took a deep breath to cool off her tongue, and then she nodded in delight. "Hai!" the blue-haired tôshi said with a nod as she gazed on Ataru. "That has GOT to be the best iekei râmen I've EVER had!" She then gazed on the owner of the Kissaten Nekohanten (which had no relation whatsoever to the shop in Nerima owned by the Nyûjiézú), who was behind the bar from where they were seated on a pair of stools. "Oji-san, do you actually come from Yokohama? I can NEVER eat râmen like this anywhere but there!"
A laugh. "Iie, Sebone-san." Shimei had been introduced to him by her birth-name, Mimôko Sebone, in lieu of her battle name. "I was actually born in Tomobiki. But I travelled around after high school to study the various ways of making râmen before coming back here to inherit the family business and turning it into what I have today." He waved around the nearly-empty shop in emphasis, the pride shining from his face. "And believe me, all the kids from Tomobiki High School like Ataru-kun here appreciate it." A laugh. "I even learned how to make Korean-style ramyôn for Lum-chan since it has hot chilli pepper powder in it. She really likes it, especially with kimch'i as a side dish." He then stared at Ataru. "So what's this I heard about Lum-chan being a lesbian?"
A nod. "It's true," the android replica of Tariko's boy-self replied. "Lum confessed to me her sexual orientation sometime after we met, plus told me the reason why she wanted to fake a 'marriage' with me. But shortly after that, Lum met Tariko and they fell in love. Since Lum wanted it kept secret from the otaku here, I volunteered to be her public 'husband' so that she wouldn't be pressured into doing something she didn't want to do by her dad or anyone else." He leaned up to whisper, "The real explanation is coming tomorrow at noon, Oji-san. Don't tell anyone I told you that, okay."
The older man was quick to sense a much bigger story behind what Ataru just told him, and then he nodded. "Alright," he whispered back, and then he tensed on hearing the door open. "Irasshaimase!" he called out before blinking, and then he smiled on recognising the newcomer. "Konban wa, Momoe-chan! Usual today?"
"Hai, Oji-san!" Momoe Marubeya called back, and then she perked, her eyes widening on seeing who was there. "Ara?! Ataru-kun, what are you doing here?!"
Ataru smiled at the beautiful woman with the short-cut black hair and dark brown eyes, who immediately moved to sit on his right side, opposite from Shimei's seat. "Oh, just enjoying a pleasant date with a new friend," he stated, and then he waved to Shimei. "This is Mimôko Sebone from Kimitsu. She's a friend of Lum's sister-in-law, Hiromi Hana, who goes to the Nan'yô Academy there." To Shimei. "Mimôko-san, this is one of my classmates from Tomobiki High School — and one who was voted one of the most beautiful ladies in my class not so long ago (rightly so, in my eyes!) — Momoe Marubeya."
Momoe blushed. "Ataru-kun…!"
"Pleased to meet you, Momoe-san," Shimei said with a smile just as the restaurant owner came over with a bowl of Kitakata-style râmen, which had thick, curly homemade noodles in a pork-and-sardine broth, also mixed with dried seaweed and an egg.
"Likewise, Mimôko-san," Momoe said before she started her meal. After slurping up some noodles, she then reached over to gently place her free hand on Ataru's thigh close to his crotch. "Ataru-kun, can I ask you something?"
He was quick to sense the signs of considerable sexual arousal from his template's classmate, which seemed quite unusual to him given Momoe's long-standing desires for Shûtarô Mendô over the last year. "Certainly, Momoe-chan. What is it?"
"Lum's wife. Who is Tariko-san, anyway?"
A chuckle. "She's a distant cousin of mine, related through my grandmother Nagaiwakai. Same with her twin sister Hiromi." Ataru reached over to sip his glass of spring water. "When she died, Obâ-chan left behind a considerable estate. Nowhere close to what Mendô will get, much less Tobimaro Mizunokôji might receive, but still quite a tidy nest egg. Problem is, she never liked Kâ-chan whatsoever, much less Tô-chan marrying her. So she willed everything to someone who will carry on the Hana name. Once they turn twenty, Tariko and Hiromi get the whole pot." That wasn't nowhere CLOSE to the real truth behind what Tariko would get from her grandmother, but the android Ataru had been specifically instructed to tell anyone who asked that story.
Momoe blinked. "Oh! So that's what made your mom did what she did back at Parent-Teacher Day when Mendô-san's mom and Lum's mom had that fight, right?"
Her hand slid a little closer to his crotch, something Ataru could not fail but to sense. "Hai. But since I was doing her such a favour because she and Lum were in love and wanted to keep their relationship a secret, Tariko agreed to support me as soon as I got out of high school if I agreed to adopt the Hana name myself." A sigh. "Which actually will take a lot of pressure off Tô-chan and Kâ-chan. Once Tariko and Lum start living together full time, it'll just be us in the house."
A shrug as her little finger began to brush up against his crotch. "Well, you have to admit, you did do a lot of things that didn't help there, Ataru-kun."
A nod. "Hai, that's true. But believe me, Momoe-chan, there IS a reason I've done all those things." He then gazed intently at her for a moment before he reached down with his hand to gently grasp hers, keeping it close to him. "Part of it, I promise you, will be fully explained tomorrow at noon hour," he added in a whisper as he leaned close to her, though he kept his face far enough back not to scare her. "The other part…" A shrug. "I can't say when I can reveal that, but I promise that you will understand fully what was going on and why. Okay?"
Momoe gazed on him, her heart starting to flutter as she felt his strong yet gentle grip encompass her hand as his stare seemed to encompass her with a level of warmth she had never felt before. Not even Mendô when he was turning on the charm full-force had ever made her feel THIS way, perhaps because there wasn't any strong or real sincerity in the other man's eyes when he was flirting with them. Say what one would of Ataru Moroboshi, when he focused his attention on a girl, it was with all his will and soul, even if he was later deflected away with a slap or punch or Lum stopped him with a good zap of her electricity. And that was what had made Momoe — not to mention the other girls of Ataru's Handmaidens — start to feel a strong attraction for him, especially in the last four weeks when he had turned his back literally on them all…
And for the first time since Lum came into their lives over a year before, all of the girls in Tomobiki High School found themselves not receiving the attention of ANY of their male classmates, not even Shûtarô Mendô.
And for ten of those girls, it made them realise…
…that perhaps the man they once all had despised with every fibre of their beings was actually not such a bad guy after all.
And now that Lum's true relationship with Ataru was now in the open…
…it meant that those ten girls stood a chance they never thought could be possible not more than four weeks before.
Taking a deep breath, she glanced over at Shimei. "I'm really sorry about this, Mimôko-san, but I hope you'll understand why I have to do this now."
Before Ataru could react to that statement, Momoe shifted herself around to embrace him with her right hand as she leaned in to deliver the mother of all French kisses on his lips. As Shimei and the owner of the Nekohanten stared in wide-eyed shock at this very passionate scene, Ataru then smiled to himself as he let go of her left hand, then shifted himself around so he could reach with his hands to gently grasp her by her buttocks and draw her off her stool and into his lap. Momoe's eyes went wide as she felt those hands shift her into his lap, and then she moaned with delight as she settled into her new seat as he drew her close to him. After a minute, they then parted as she turned to gaze into his eyes, a stunned look on her face though she had a delighted smile there, too. He looked shocked, though quite more in control of himself as one might have expected of him when put into a position like this.
Momoe then took a deep breath. "Ataru…I'm falling in love with you. And have been for quite some time now." She then smiled as she gave him a hopeful look. "Please don't treat me unkindly, Ataru. I know we've never got along in the past, but I want to do a fresh start with you. Please? Can we…um, w-well…!"
Her cheeks then reddened as she realised what she had just blurted out to him in front of witnesses. Ataru took a deep breath, and then he reached up to allow her forehead to come to rest on his. "First of all, Momoe, I am VERY flattered that you feel that way towards me. But if you don't mind my asking you this, WHY are you willing to do this?"
"Well…" she breathed out, and then a smile crossed her face as her cheeks reddened even more. "It's a really, really long story, Ataru…"
"Ataru, maybe it might be a good idea to let Momoe-san in on a few things."
He turned to gaze on Shimei. "You mean…?"
The tôshi nodded. The android took a moment to process that thought, and then he stared at Momoe before nodding. "Alright. I think she deserves to know some things. But first…" With that, he gently lifted her back into her own stool. "Let's finish our meals first so we don't give any other customer Oji-san will receive within the next few minutes a free floor show that might not reflect well on you. Once we're done, we'll head back to my place." As Momoe stared wide-eyed at him, Ataru winked at her. "I prefer to reveal all that's going on there," he added in a whisper.
She nodded, and then turned back to her meal. As the three teenagers began to slurp up their râmen and other elements of their lunch, the owner of the Nekohanten could only shake his head as he turned back to his various cooking vats, where noodles of all types and sizes were currently boiling. As they continued to eat, Momoe reached down to gently place her hand on Ataru's leg as she glanced sideways at him. "Ataru?"
He perked. "Hai?"
"I'm not alone in feeling this way," she whispered.
A moment to interpret that, and then he nodded. "How many?"
"Including me, ten."
"Have them all come."
Momoe perked, and then she nodded as she reached into her skirt pocket and drew out her cell phone, flipping open the SoftBank 831SHs Gent to call up text messaging…
Within minutes, nine girls got the same message:
From: Momoe
Meet at Ataru's place at 1. He knows everything. Don't be late.
That message received, the nine other Handmaidens turned immediately to head over to the Moroboshi home, their hearts beating fast as they tried not to run.
The Moroboshi home, just a little before 1:00 PM…
"Hey, Lum. Are you sure it's gonna be okay leaving the place empty and Kyekkyek's pet out in the open with her gone off with those girls from Seito?"
"Oh, don't worry about it, Benten," Lum said as she stepped out of the house. "Don't forget, Hiromi-chan's staying behind to look over things. Darling's parents won't be back from their weekend off until early tomorrow morning and I've got the whole place laced with sensors to make sure no one who isn't allowed here comes."
"Besides, Lum's bed is a lot better for a nice four-way orgy than futons," Tariko added as she walked up behind Benten and Oyuki to gently caress their buttocks, that making both alien women shudder with delight before they turned to hug her from either side.
"She's got a point there, 'Yuki," Benten noted.
"Hai, she does," Oyuki admitted, and then she gazed fondly at Tariko. "Tariko-chan, thank you SO much for asking the Lady Chancellor Nakkyek to request Her Imperial Majesty extend Noukiios' protection over Neptune as well as Earth."
Tariko smirked. "Well, when Lum told me that your people have been constantly pressured by the Imperials on Uru to not accept any offers from Noukiios concerning Neptune's full clean-up, I decided it was time to give them another kick in the ass by closing out the whole system to them so that the folks that did just a great job on Okusei could get a crack at getting Neptune back in shape." She winked. "Besides, Kaep' has always like Neptunian sherbets, so she felt it was only right to give them their habitat back."
The Neptunian crown princess laughed before she leaned over to kiss Tariko on the lips. "Well, shall we…?" Lum began, and then she blinked. "Eh?!"
Tariko perked. "What is it?"
"There's Ataru with Shimei-san. And Momoe's with them, too."
Tariko turned to look. "Momoe?" she said, immediately pulling away from Oyuki and Benten as her eyes locked in on her black-haired classmate. She then blinked on seeing that Momoe was holding one of her android double's arms in her own and that she was leaning her head on his shoulder. "What the…?"
"Who is that girl, Lum?" Benten asked.
"Momoe Marubeya," Lum provided. "One of Darling's classmates. She's one of Shûtarô's floozies, too. She was a part of the whole Rosebud thing when Darling wanted to quit being class president, not to mention leading the girls to force him to stay with me so they could keep mooning over Shûtarô." She then gazed on Tariko. "But why…?"
Tariko shrugged. By then, Ataru and his companions had walked through the gate of the Moroboshi home, Shimei breaking off to walk over to where Seuchsa was lounging beside Kotatsuneko so she could pet the large pig. Ataru and Momoe moved up to join the girls by the front door. Now seeing Momoe up close, all four women there were quick to pick up on the content smile on her face and the rosy cheeks that clearly indicated to them that Momoe was quite happy where she was at this time. "Um, gee, Ataru," Tariko then spoke up. "When did this happen to you, anyway?" She indicated Momoe with a hand.
"Actually, not so long ago, though Momoe has been preparing for some time to do this with me," Ataru admitted. "And she is not alone in this endeavour, either."
Silence.
"What do you mean?" Benten asked.
"Excuse me!"
Eyes locked on the front gate, which now had nine women currently standing just inside the outer gate as they gazed on the people by the main door to the house. "I hope you don't mind if we came in to join you all," Kumiko Gekasawa stated for them all.
Seeing that, Tariko moaned. "Oh, man…!"
"What should we do?" Lum asked as she gazed on her wife.
"Full disclosure."
Eyes locked on Ataru for a moment, and then all the women sighed. "Right…" Tariko drawled as she moved to open the door and wave everyone inside.
Minutes later…
"So even if the wedding you did earlier today is still legitimate, you're going to do another ceremony on Noukiios itself in a few weeks?"
"Tcha!" Lum said. Tariko had gone up to their bedroom so she could change into a unisex jumpsuit as well as get some things for a necessary demonstration. Everyone else was seated around the living room table. "The Noukiite version of Tanabata — it's called Tip'heng there — is coming up in a few weeks. On the northern continent east of their oldest city, there's this temple town called Suchap't'ach; it's on the shores of the Ch'uoch'ek River. The Tip'heng ceremony at Suchap't'ach is something that CAN'T be missed!" A sigh. "Now that Tariko and I are married, we're going to the ceremony to do the promise oath there with a very nice priestess friend we know, and then participate in the celebrations afterward."
The Handmaidens all blinked as they gazed expectantly on the Oni. Shimei had also come in to join them as well; she was seated to Lum's right, with a space between them reserved for Tariko. Hiromi was busy serving tea and snacks to everyone. "What sort of celebrations do they do there, Lum?" Hiromi Obinata then urged.
Benten snickered. "It's an orgy that goes all night, Hiromi!"
Jaws dropped. "What?! Why?!" Masako Yamagata demanded.
"Because the general theme of the story behind Tip'heng leans to a different conclusion than what is celebrated here on Earth, Masako-san," Oyuki noted. "Here, Tanabata tells of the story of two people separated by the King of the Skies because Orihime-sama would not perform her duties so she could be with Hikoboshi-sama." She then pointed up. "On Noukiios, it is seen as a tale that love knows no bounds, not even the barriers of caste. In the tale behind Tip'heng, Ningsai-chit' — that's their equivalent to Orihime-sama — did not forget her duties to the Lord of Heaven, but still found time to get married to Yechka-chit'…"
"That being Hikoboshi, right?" Kumiko asked.
"Hai." A sigh. "At first, the Lord of Heaven was very upset over what happened between Ningsai-chit' and Yechka-chit'. He actually forced them to live on opposite sides of the River of Heaven so they would not see each other again." Oyuki smiled. "But the Ch'uoeuk told the Lord of Heaven that Ningsai-chit' and Yechka-chit' had taken the promise oath, which on Noukiios is formally called The Promise Never To Be Broken and is seen as the most sacred oath of all." A sigh. "So realising he was violating his own edicts concerning the promise oath and how such was eternal, the Lord of Heaven commanded the Angel of the River of Heaven to ensure that no matter what happened, whenever Ningsai-chit' and Yechka-chit' wished to be together on either side of the River, they would be allowed to cross and be together."
"Rain or shine," Benten said. "What Tip'heng really is…"
"Is the anniversary of their taking the oath," Lum finished.
"Hence the orgies that normally happen on that night," Tariko said as she walked into the living room, several towels and a couple packets of instant Jusenkyô powder with her. "The night of Tip'heng is seen as the ultimate good luck day to have a wedding."
"Wow! That's so romantic!" Kumiko breathed out.
"So that's why we're doing it a second time then and there," Tariko said as she handed one of the packets to her twin sister. "Get it set up, sis."
"Hai, Onê-san," Hiromi said as she took up the packet, and then headed to the kitchen.
Tariko then took the other packet and passed it to Izumi Kagabu. "Read what's on there, Izumi-chan. Let everyone take a look at that, okay?"
The tea shop owner's daughter nodded as she took the packet and then stared at the kanji written on the outer covering. "Instant Jusenkyô…" she began before her eyes widened. "Oh, my! That's the place where Ranma Saotome…!"
Stunned silence fell over the room as ten pairs of eyes locked on Ataru for a moment, and then turned back to Tariko. By then, Hiromi had returned to the living room, a kettle of hot water in one hand and a small bucket of cold water in the other. Seeing that, all of the visitors save Shimei gaped as it finally clicked in.
"Ataru…is that really you?" Momoe gasped.
A nod. "Yeah, Momoe. It's me. Lum, can you unlock me first?"
"Tcha!" Lum said as she leaned over to press her hand into a place on Tariko's back, her hand sparking for a moment as a certain ki lock is released.
"Damn!" Tariko hissed, and then she nodded to Hiromi. The latter tilted the kettle over her head, allowing a stunning transformation to occur. "YEOWCH!" he who was born as Ataru Moroboshi yelped before he glared at Hiromi. "Not THAT hot, Hiromi!"
She yelped. "I'm sorry, Onii-san!"
Ataru took a deep breath, and then he faced the girls visiting him before he moved and prostrated himself before then. "Ladies, first of all, please accept my deepest apologies for deceiving you like this. There are reasons for this, be assured of that. And while I certainly don't have a right to ask this of any of you given my many past indiscretions concerning all of you, I only but ask that you sit back and listen to what we have to say first before judging if I did right or wrong."
Hearing that, the Handmaidens all took a look, and then they nodded. "On behalf of all of us, Ataru, we accept your apology," Momoe then stated, and then she sighed before a fascinated smile then crossed her face. "Can we see you change back?"
Ataru stared at her, and he smirked. "This is the easy part. Hiromi?"
"Hai!" Hiromi said as she dumped the cold water on her brother, transforming him back into her sister. "And to make sure you're locked again…" she then said as she leaned down to gently manipulate the shiatsu points on Tariko's back. "There!"
A sigh of relief. "Dômo!"
Nothing that, the Handmaidens all gaped. "You've really adjusted to this, haven't you?" Aiko Nagahama said as Tariko moved to dry herself off.
"I've had nine months to practice, Aiko-chan. Including four weeks straight on Okusei when I experienced my first period, not to mention the two weeks right after the Second Tag Race when Lum and I were on Tengsei," Tariko replied with a nod.
All the girls perked. "YOUR FIRST PERIOD?!" the Handmaidens screamed out in disbelief.
"How was it?" Shimei asked.
Lum giggled. "Well, since Darling never got the chance to grow naturally past menarche into being a woman who can have a baby, the first time she saw the blood…"
Tariko moaned. Seeing that, Benten laughed. "C'mon, Lum! I gotta hear this!"
The Oni smirked as she gazed on the others in the room. "She screamed for four hours straight! After we got her calmed down, she vowed that if she — either as Tariko or Ataru — ever heard someone call menstruation 'God's punishment to women,' she'd borrow the nearest carving knife and turn the loud-mouthed creep into a eunuch!"
Jaws dropped. "You're kidding us!" Yuko Sada exclaimed.
A shake of the head. "No joke, Yuko-chan," Tariko replied. "That women all across the universe can put up to THAT every month right to old age…!" A whistle. "There's real strength. And it made me hate myself for all the crap I pulled on all of you in the past. Every one of you." She closed her eyes. "Ataru, what did you tell them about what's in here?" She pointed to the side of her head in emphasis.
The android shook her head. "No. I respect that as much as you do, Onê-chan."
A nod. "Okay." Tariko stared at her guests. "That part will be explained to you, girls. I promise you that. But you need to know now what's about to happen here."
The Handmaidens tensed. "What do you mean, Tariko-chan?" Momoe urged.
A sigh. "It's like this…"
An hour later…
"Gods!" Tsuyoko Amamori breathed out. All of the Handmaidens had tears in their eyes as they stared in stunned disbelief at Lum and Tariko. "You've had THIS hanging over your head all this time?!" She shook her head. "How could you live with that?!"
A sigh. "At times, it was pretty hard, Tsuyoko-chan," Tariko admitted. "You know, as the days passed and we kept doing this silly game to fool the Niphentaxians — and all of you because of how much the Niphentaxians tracked your movements and all that — there were times that I felt that I'd never be able to live my life as Tariko." She gazed on Lum, who was now in her arms. "Never marry this girl in the way we wanted to get married and live out the rest of our lives." Another tired sigh escaped her. "But when the whole thing with Rupa came down on our heads, we realised that the time had come to take a stand. And…" A shrug. "We're doing it."
"Are you sure your friends from Noukiios will be powerful enough to counter anything this Ôgi creep can send our way, Sempai?" Keiko Kinjô asked.
"We're sure about it," Lum assured her. "A squadron of battleships backed up with a brigade of ground troops is nothing to sneeze at. And Tengsei is four light years-away from Earth, with Kaisei and Kesei not too far beyond that. Reinforcements can be here in hours, which is not the case if an attacking force comes from Phentax Two…" A sigh. "Or from Toshitto. Earth and Neptune will be totally safe."
"Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail among the leaders of the Federation and they will force the Urusian government to see reason," Oyuki added. "As for the Niphentaxians, though…" She shook her head. "I doubt nothing we say will change their opinions about anything that happens here. It's automatic to them. Anything that challenges their viewpoint on events here is automatically Ataru's fault…"
"Because he's the 'Great Evil,'" Momoe finished for the Neptunian.
"Hai."
Eyes then locked on the android Ataru, who was seated at the other side of the table from Tariko and Lum. "Ataru, aren't you bothered about this?!" Kumiko asked.
He blinked. "Why should I be bothered, Kumiko?"
"Because these bastards wouldn't mind anything more than to kill you!"
Another blink, and then he smiled. "Kumiko, there's no need to fear," he admitted as he reached over to gently pull her into his lap. "The observers here are hardly what one could consider soldiers. As long as nothing's revealed between now and noon tomorrow when the Noukiites arrive, I'm not at risk. And once they're here, the Niphentaxians won't be able to do anything, not without risking all-out war. And if the rest of the Federation don't want to look like total hypocrites in front of the leaders of Earth, they will make sure it won't happen. If they wish to have any sort of relations with us…"
"They'll have to tell Ôgi to behave himself or expel the Niphentaxians from the Federation," Tariko finished. "If that happens, the Ipraedies will no doubt move to attack them directly just to ensure their spinward flank is no longer threatened by them. And even with the strength the Niphentaxians have…"
"It won't be enough if they don't have back-up from their allies," Shimei concluded.
"Which they will no longer have," Tariko added.
Nods around the room. "Well, let's just hope for the best," Yuko noted before she cleared her throat. "Ladies, a quick vote all around: Do we accept Tariko Moroboshi as she is now, as a woman and as a friend as well as Lum's wife? As well as a future schoolmate should she elect to come to Tomobiki High School as she is now?"
"All in favour, hands up," Momoe called out.
Ten hands went up. "So it is agreed," Kumiko said. "We say nothing of Tariko's true origins until she grants us leave to do so. And only to people who won't blab it out to the papers or to Mendô or anyone else whose diaries wind up being part of that so-called 'holy book.'" She nodded to the copy of the Book of Lum that Tariko had produced to allow the Handmaidens to see what had been written there and understand for themselves how easily the leaders of the Church of Lum had warped their followers into such a deadly frenzy that the flat-out murder of five million innocent sentient beings in answer for an assassination attempt on their "goddess" was seen as proper.
"Agreed," the other Handmaidens chanted as one.
"Well, that's a relief," Tariko's sister Hiromi then said before she smiled. "And now, one last thing, everyone." She waved to Ataru. "Would you ladies like to have a chance to share a relationship with Ataru here, even if he is an android?"
The ten visitors blinked, and then they blushed. "Well, seeing that Sempai's replica is programmed to be just as passionate as Sempai herself was when she was Ataru-sempai…" Eiko said with a blush as she stared at Ataru.
"HAI!" all of the Handmaidens then chanted as one.
Hiromi nodded. "Okay! Follow me, then!"
"Uh, Hiromi-chan, are you SURE…?!" Lum began as Hiromi stood up.
"Lum-san, their interest in Onê-san (as Onii-san) is truthful and honest," Hiromi said as she winked at her sister-in-law. "It would be wrong and dishonourable to not give them a chance to explore that interest and see if they can incorporate it eventually into their lives." She then gazed on the Handmaidens. "This way, ladies."
Everyone got up and followed Hiromi into the basement of the Moroboshi home, which had been installed in after the house had been levelled by the combined forces of the Mendô Clan and Lum's parents in the wake of Kinshô Moroboshi's attempt at swindling Haruka Mendô and Chim Redet of money on Parent-Teacher Day. Once there, Hiromi then guided them to a room with an iron door and a computer security-lock. After being joined by everyone else, Hiromi then keyed the unlock code into the control panel, and then opened the door. "Everyone, go right on inside," she bade the guests.
One look inside made jaws hit the floor.
"I just died and went to Heaven!" Aiko gasped.
"Oh, my!" Yuko breathed out, and then she turned to Lum. "Lum, did you use your clone gun when you had Ataru built?" she asked as she waved inside the room, which had been turned into a quasi-storage/maintenance area for a dozen androids, eleven of whom were now unmoving on their diagnostic beds, cables linked into their bodies through the ears to monitoring computers located alongside the walls. All the Ataru replicas there were dressed in normal clothes, their eyes closed with their hands folded on their chests. The bed closest to the door on the left side of the room was empty.
Once she got her own look, Benten moaned. "Oh, fuck, Lum! Did Chara bilk you for all this?!" she moaned as she gazed at her oldest friend and lover.
A giggle. "Well, Chara-chan did, but at least she explained why," the Oni replied as she walked into the room, waving the others in to join them.
"You were forced to buy in bulk?" Shimei asked.
A nod. "Tcha!"
"Lucky us," Momoe said as the Handmaidens found themselves gaping — and in some cases, drooling — at the sleeping forms of very handsome male flesh around them.
"I guess so," Tariko mused, and then she gazed on the android Ataru that was awake and active. "On the bed, Otôto-chan. We need to do some memory downloads."
"Hai, hai," he said as he got onto his own diagnostic bed and relaxed himself.
Tariko took up two wires that ended in linking devices that seemed perfectly able to slip into the ear canal of a normal human male, and then she gently inserted them in. Once they were in place, a muffled click! echoed from his skull as his eyes began to glow with flashing data streams. "Connection made to primary monitoring unit," he announced in a calm voice, still sounding quite human as he better relaxed himself on the bed. "Recommend powering down of my primary systems to allow uninterrupted transfer of recent memory files into brother units, Onê-chan."
"Hai," Tariko said as she moved to unbuckle his pants.
The Handmaidens all tensed. "What are you doing, Tariko?" Izumi asked.
"His shut-off switch is located inside his anus, believe it or not," Tariko said as she gently shoved down Ataru's pants, keeping his boxers in place.
Blushes appeared on many of their faces. "Um, wh-why there?" Tsuyoko stammered.
A smirk. "Whenever he has to dispose of waste material, it all comes out the front as a liquid," Tariko said as she slipped her hand under his left leg to get her finger where it had to go. "Besides, it's out of the way and not on a surface that can be touched. He's designed as a stealth unit, so having him shut down after someone bumps into him by accident won't be embarrassing." With that, she grunted. "Here we go."
Ataru jolted, and then his eyes closed as a gently sigh escaped him. He soon was totally still, not even breathing. Seeing that, the Handmaidens tried not to look afraid. "Gods, it's like he's become one of those lovedolls you read about on the 'Net," Momoe breathed out as Tariko moved to slip a cover over him to keep him decent.
"Does he dream when he's like that?" Hiromi Obinata asked.
Tariko nodded. "Actually, he does. All high-end androids built on Zeiwan do."
"They're still trying to figure out why, though," Lum said with a grin as she moved to tap controls on the monitoring devices hooked to the other androids. "Zeiwanites have been building androids for two centuries (your time) and they still haven't figured out how many of them, regardless of their specific model, become G-class."
"'G-class?'" Shimei asked.
"That's their term for a fully-sentient machine, one that's emotionally no different than a pure-born organic," Benten explained.
"Doesn't it cause problems?" Masako wondered.
The Fukunokami shook her head. "Nah, not like what's often been depicted in your spec-fic media. Zeiwanite 'droids are all programmed with very high moral codes. Even the ones who are built as combat units. Ain't ever been any serious 'droid rampages as far as I know." She pointed to the android on the diagnostic table. "Girl who built these doubles of Ataru's an old elementary and middle school classmate of ours, Chara of Kutzei. She's been passionate about starting her own 'droid factory ever since she was old enough to walk. Real mad scientist, that girl, but she's really cool."
"I had to agree to allow myself to be replicated both as Tariko and as Ataru as part of the payment Lum made to get these replicas of me made," Tariko added.
"Swings both ways, huh?" Shimei mused.
"Yeah, she's a real freaky girl, but it's like I said. She's cool," Benten affirmed with a nod…
Within an hour, all twelve replicas of Ataru had been woken and fully charged before being brought into the living room. Ten were instantly paired up with the Handmaidens while the first one activated was allowed to remain with Shimei (she still wanted to finish her date) and the last one would help Hiromi around the house. Right now, all of the Handmaidens were seated in the laps of their dates-for-a-day as they got a final briefing from Tariko. "So as long as we remain inside the house with them, it's okay, right?" Momoe asked as she tried not to shudder from the goosebumps her date was leaving with all the kisses he was gently placing on the back of her neck.
"Please," Tariko said with a nod, and then she waved to her sister. "If you girls want to sleep over tonight, it'll be okay. Hiromi-chan here will explain everything to Kâ-chan and Tô-chan when they get back from their trip early tomorrow morning." She then winked. "So if you DO want to do it with them, girls, use my bedroom or the basement lab to do it there, okay? And PLEASE don't forget to charge them when they need it!"
All the Handmaidens blushed. "H-h-HAI!" they chanted as one.
"Gentlemen, shall we take our lovely guests upstairs so we can get the chance to get to know them much better?" the android holding Momoe in his lap asked.
"Hai!" the other androids chanted as one.
Squeals then filled the Moroboshi home as they rose to their feet, carrying their companions in their arms as they marched upstairs. "Have fun, girls!" Benten said as they left, and then she stared at her lovers. "What say we head on up to spend some quality time on Lum's ship, ladies? My body's seriously aching for some TLC!"
"Of course," Tariko said as she, Lum, Oyuki and Benten stood up.
"Have fun, Onê-san," Hiromi bade as the four headed out of the house.
Soon enough, Shimei and the android she was dating had also left to go see an afternoon movie at the local cinema downtown; the Chinese-made four-hour epic Red Cliff was on and Shimei wanted to see the Yûsën Wú interpretation of that epic battle back in the winter of 208-209 CE. Once they had gone, Hiromi and the last android to be activated moved to clean up the living room. Both then paused as they heard a chorus of embarrassed shrieks and playful laughter from upstairs. "At least they're having fun," Hiromi mused. "Would you make some more tea, please?"
"Hai," the android said as he headed into the kitchen.
Once he was there, she smiled as she headed to the back door of the Moroboshi home. Taking the handle in hand, she paused before quickly opening the door, causing the woman crouching out there to shriek in fright as she collapsed onto her butt.
"Konban wa, Shinobu-san," Hiromi said with a smile. "Would you like to come in?"
Shinobu Miyake stared wide-eyed at the other woman as we…
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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