[FFML] [fanfic][UY][UY 20 Years Later] Story #1 "Tomobiki 2001" (final version)

[Frederick Herriot]

Minna-san,

For your perusal, here's the revised (in past-tense) version of the first UY
Twenty Years Later story, a sequel to UY-TSY.

The second story will follow this one. Story #3 will be a while since I'll
be moving to a new address tomorrow.

Enjoy and cheers!

Fred

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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Ecartis --
-- File: Tomobiki 2001.txt

Three years after Lum's arrival on Earth . . .

*It can't end like this . . . *

Somewhere in the vastness of interstellar space, a frigate-class ship found
itself besieged by a larger starship. The frigate's name was the I.S.S.
"Renegade," pendant number NFI-337-C. Aboard, her crew struggled for
survival and the safety of their lone passenger against an enemy force of
black-suited female warriors. The problem was made more difficult by the
crew not knowing why they were being attacked.

One of the crew was male, the other female. He was one of the most
recognizable personages of the local cluster: Nassur of Vos.

She, an eighteen-year old native of the planet Fukunokami, was unknown to
all save among those circles concerned with the Galactic Federation's
growing interest in Earth: the former Shigaten Benten of Bensaikyou.

The passenger, a six-month old baby resembling Benten save for tapered
ears, slept in blissful ignorance in Benten's backpack.

This was the couple's daughter, Junba.

*It can't end like this . . . *

Benten gasped as she and Nassur struggled onto the bridge. Nassur quickly
secured the door as a frustrated Benten removed her pack, placing it on the
command chair. "We'll make our stand here," Nassur stated, resignation in
his voice, "And fight until we're . . . "

He couldn't finish the spoken thought. "So this is it," she concurred, her
voice reflecting her immediate grasping of the gravity of their situation.
"There's no place for us to go."

Without another word, they hungrily, passionately embraced. They wanted to
take the feel of their bodies against the other's into the next plane of
existence. Tears brimmed in their eyes.

*It can't end like this . . . *

After the too-short embrace, Nassur's eyes glowed. He faced the door, gun
ready. "It won't be long."

Benten stared at their sleeping daughter. *Sleep well, Junba, my Aiotoga.
Mommy won't let those scum touch you!*

Nassur was quick to notice Benten's look; he didn't have to psi-link with
her to interpret her thoughts. "There is a way, Benten," he then said as he
moved to a hatch marked ESCAPE POD. "This."

He pressed a button beside the hatch, opening the pod. Benten immediately
remembered one inescapable fact about that particular device: "But, Nassur
.. . . there's room for only two passengers. One of us'll have to stay
behind!"

"I'll stay behind, Benten," he asserted as he set the automatic controls.
"You and Junba can escape." A stare stopped her automatic protest. "No
child should be without her mother." He kissed her as he removed his
kill-belt. "Give her this when she's old enough."

Nassur handed the wrapped belt to her, and then he stepped over to assume a
defensive position by the command chair as the sound of lasers burning metal
grew louder. Without hesitation, Benten placed Junba into the escape pod.
*Still asleep,* she mused in admiration as she took a last look at their
baby girl. *She'll never know what happened.* Her nose crinkled as the
stench of melting metal assaulted her senses. A glance to Nassur revealed
that the Vosian was taking aim at the closed door. Benten remained still.
*It just can't end like this . . . *

Wordlessly, she removed her hair and sash chains, placing them beside
Junba. Mumbling a quick goodbye, she then secured the hatch. A
metallically-tinged computer voice immediately announced the countdown:
"*Automatic pod launch in thirty seconds and counting . . . *"

A viewing glass allowed Benten to stare at her still-sleeping child, Junba
blissfully ignorant of events around her. As Nassur prepared for the
showdown, he glanced over to see Benten taking up a defensive position by
the pod. "Benten! Why aren't you in the pod?!"

"I'm not leaving you, Nassur," she hissed, her voice hoarse as she choked
back a sob.

A shrieking noise turned her attention to the door as a molten-line circle
of metal dropped away, revealing their attackers. A stun-bolt lashed out,
hitting Nassur square in the chest before he could get off a shot in
response. The impact sent the Vosian sailing into the helm station. A
grunt burst from his lips as his back slammed into metal, and then he
slumped to the deck. Seeing no further motion, unsure as to his state,
Benten shrieked an inhuman cry of vengeance, she spinning around to bring
her rifle to bear on target.

***It can't end this way!***

Before she could get off a shot, the Fukunokami was struck down by a
stun-bolt! Dropping by the pod hatchway as consciousness began to slip away
from her, she was able to shift herself to gaze at her child. By now, Junba
has awakened, her wails loudly indicating her protest of the bad noise and
the absence of her mother. "Goodbye, Junba . . . " she moaned as her eyes
fluttered shut. "My Aiotoga . . .

"Don't forget . . . us . . . "

The countdown reached zero.

* * *

As quiet returned to the "Renegade's" bridge, the invaders all relaxed.
One was quick to notice the escape pod rocketing away from the frigate.
Another walked up to the team leader, she giving the other woman a salute.
"They're still alive, Boss. Orders?"

The leader gazed dispassionately at Nassur and Benten. "Move them out!
Let's get this over with."

The woman by the escape pod hatch gazed over. "What about that escape
pod?"

The team leader snorted. "Forget it. Lord Dureko's contract only paid for
Nassur and Benten, not their little brat!" Contempt appeared in her voice
as she turned to walk out. "Sacrificing themselves for their child! How
heroic!"

As the others moved to take their prisoners away, the escape pod and its
precious occupant warped out of the sector . . .

Destination: a planet named Earth.

**** **** ****
Urusei Yatsura Twenty Years Later: "Tomobiki 2001"
by Mike Smith <mcmsmith62 (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> and Fred Herriot <pyeknu (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>
**** **** ****
Originally edited by Eleanor B. Kushnir (1937-2001). C&C by Steven Cornett
<cornetts (AT) gemair (DOT) com>, the Dragon Bard <dragonbard (AT) hotmail (DOT) com>, Robert
Geiger <robertgeiger (AT) prodigy (DOT) net> and Sean Gaffney <gaffney (AT) iconn (DOT) net>
**** **** ****
First of a series of fan fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura," created
by Takahashi Rumiko.
**** **** ****

NOTE: For this series, all writers' notes will be placed at the end of the
story text.

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

The first year of the Third Millennium of Earth's Common Era . . .

"MOTHER!"

In a bedroom of a modest house in the Tokyo suburb of Tomobiki, a beautiful
teenaged girl leapt up to escape her nightmare.

Since her arrival on Earth, Junba had matured gracefully, she currently the
splitting image of her true mother at age fourteen save for her pointed
Vosian ears, slowed aging process (she had just celebrated her eighteenth
chronological birthday the previous month) and rapidly-developing psychic
abilities. Dressed in azure-blue pyjamas, Junba huddled fearfully as her
eyes swam in their own tears. She clawed the bed sheets tightly around her
as she awaited her mother. Soon to arrive was a twentyish-looking woman
dressed in a magenta pair of pyjamas and a blue housecoat. "Junba, it's all
right!" Miyake Shinobu soothed as she embraced Junba. "It's only a dream."

"N-no! It was that nightmare again, Mother!" the younger Miyake stammered.
"The one about the black-haired woman who put me into a dark room, then
waved good-bye to me! She called me 'Aiotoga' as well as my real name."
She gazed pleadingly at Shinobu. "I-I never even met her, Mom!" she
burbled. "How can she know me? How . . . ?"

Shinobu gently wiped the tears away from her adopted daughter's cheeks.
"Don't worry," she assured her with a forced smile. "It's only your . . .
imagination working overtime. C'mon, it's time we got up for school
anyway."

With that, she allowed her child to slip away from her embrace for her
morning ablutions. "O-okay," Junba stammered, nodding.

Once alone, the crown princess of Kyotos' smile fades. *Poor Aiotoga . . .
she's been tortured by those dreams since shortly after Ataru, Lum and I
found her in that escape pod. It's been seventeen years and still no one
has any clue as to what happened to Nassur-kun and Benten. Only Junba knows
.. . . but she was just a baby when they vanished. She needs to be told that
she's adopted. She must know the truth about her real parents. My only
hope is she doesn't hate me for keeping it secret for so long . . . *

The phone's ring interrupted her contemplation. Junba rushed out of the
bathroom to answer it. "I'll get it!"

She activated the receiver of a video phone. On the crystal screen, the
graphic INCOMING MESSAGE wavered for a second, it then replaced by the image
of a pretty girl's face, she possessing neck-length chocolate brown hair.
She was currently dressed in a baggy T-shirt. "Hello." On recognizing her,
Junba tried to look cheerful on seeing the caller's groggy demeanour. "It's
you, Amora! 'Morning."

"Hey, Aiotoga, you okay?"

"I just had that stupid nightmare again." Junba said.

"You don't have to tell me. I'm empathic, remember?!" Moroboshi Amora
grumbled. Despite the annoyance she currently felt at being woken up so
rudely, there was no hiding the Celtic-like lilt in her voice. "It's even
worse now that we're next-door neighbours! This is the ninth time this
month you've had that damned dream! Keep it up and I'll be able to throw my
alarm clock out the window."

The classmates laughed. Junba then frowned. "I don't understand it,
Amora! Why do I dream of this woman? Mom doesn't act as if it's anything
to worry about. You and Dansei-chan are the only ones who understand what
I'm going through."

"Well, you are pe'cha with Dansei, so she has a first hand look into your
feelings . . . and my mind's been long attuned to picking out sad feelings
from people, especially friends and neighbours." Amora then sighed on
seeing Junba's confused look, that no doubt stemming from the non-Japanese
word she just used. "I don't know why your mother doesn't talk to you about
this. You ARE part-Vosian, remember?"

Junba's eyes rolled. "Oh, Amora, you know what my mom's like. She isn't
comfortable talking about my father and how I got all these weird psychic
powers that have kept popping up since I hit puberty. They're certainly not
Sagussan-based powers."

Amora's eyes narrowed as she growled out, "You should DEMAND the truth,
Junba!" The two young women had thrashed through this debate too many times
to be counted by either of them. "It's your right. Your mother's hiding
something important. I sense it. Even my parents seem to know something
about your origins and they're won't tell me anything! You'd think it's a
conspiracy! Parents!" she spat out.

Before Junba could reply, the report of a lightning blast and Lum's voice,
audible both over the phone line and through the back windows of the Miyake
home, cut in. "Speaking of my parents," Amora commented, "That sounds like
them now."

* * *

The Moroboshis' Tomobiki home and its environs had undergone many changes
over the past seventeen years. The least of which being that the Miyake
family had moved into the house once occupied by Ryooki Koosei, that move
reflecting the marei'cha bond forged between Moroboshi Ataru and Miyake
Shinobu prior to the final Tag Race just before Christmas in 1984. While
Amora was trying to talk to her friend and classmate, Lum was hard at work
awakening her husband. "Darling! It's time to get up and ready for
school!"

Ataru groaned as he rolled over, he wrapping the bedcovers over his head as
he tried to ignore his spouse. Finally, exasperated, Lum turned to her
no-fail solution: a lightning bolt. That got his attention! With a bounce
that nearly slammed his head into the ceiling of their bedroom, Ataru
vaulted out of bed, barely escaping another stinging from his wife. "Geez,
Lum! Okay, okay! I'm up!"

The elder Moroboshis were still physically only twenty thanks to their
exposure to the regeneration matrix of Sagurei over seventeen years before.
Still, time had left its mark on them: Lum's hair had been at shoulder
length since before their adopted daughter Reiko's graduation from high
school six years before while Ataru, he having taken off his beard and
ponytail around the same time, currently sported a smartly-trimmed
moustache. Once out of bed, he quickly showered, shaved and donned a
tailored business suit. Within minutes, Ataru made his way to the living
room where Lum had set up the breakfast table for three. Amora, finally off
the video phone, took her place at the table as Ataru leaned down to kiss
them both. "Good morning, Lum, Amora," he greeted them before taking his
own place.

"Morning, Daddy!" Amora replied. "Sleep well?"

"Like the dead!" Ataru nibbled on a piece of toast. "Lucky thing I've got
a wife who can help me get up!"

"I always like to get you going in the morning, Darling," Lum purred before
she moved to consume a bowl of rice.
Quickly finishing his breakfast, Ataru then decided on dessert: Lum's
horns. She, then passing a bowl of rice to Amora, nearly drowned in arousal
from his tongue's actions. "Darling, not now!" she squeaked. "It's time to
go to work . . . and Amora's watching!"

Amora was undisturbed by her parents' blatant expression of affection,
quite different from most Japanese families even in this day and age. "Oh,
please! Don't mind me! I learn so much while watching experts at work . .
.. eh?!"

At that moment, her brown eyes began to glow a pretty light pink. The
doorbell then rang. "It's Ryooki-sensei!" Amora announced as she bolted to
her feet, running over to open the door.

Very much unchanged despite his working constantly at Tomobiki High School
for eighteen years, Ryooki Koosei was quick to laugh on seeing his former
next-door neighbours -- he currently resided in Miyake Shinobu's old home
several blocks away -- in their compromising position. "Good morning, you
two," he hailed, tongue in cheek and pinky upraised. "Starting a little
*early* for that, aren't you?"

The Moroboshis moved to clean up. "Hi, Koosei," Ataru said. "I was just
thanking Lum for getting me up this morning."

"You know," Tomobiki High's vice-principal slyly mused, "You COULD call in
sick . . . "

"No." Ataru slipped on his jacket. "I've used up too many of my sick days
this year already. Sakura's getting suspicious."

Koosei hummed. "Why would she be? She's always wanted you and Lum
together."

Everyone laughed as Amora appeared, dressed for school. Lum followed her,
she carrying two handled lunch boxes, her husband's briefcase and her
daughter's school bag. "Here are your lunches," she announced as she held
them out. Ataru and Amora took their school things as they moved to exit.
"Don't forget that Jariten is coming over from the shipyards tonight and I'm
working late, Amora-chan."

"Yeah, yeah, Mom." Amora rolled her eyes in typical teenage annoyance.
"You told me this FIVE times yesterday. I'll have dinner ready when he
comes. Did you tell Junba you're working late tonight?"

"Of course."

Ataru kissed her cheek. "Have a nice day, Lum."

"Tcha!"

Reaching the door, Ataru assumed a dignified pose. "I'm off to fight the
ultimate battle!" he declared before rushing out . . .

And crashing right into a Buddhist monk!

Lum, Koosei and Amora were taken aback on seeing Ataru run into ANYTHING.
They then noisily exhaled on seeing who the "visitor" actually was. "You
again!" Ataru snarled. "This is beginning to become a bad habit! One I'd
like to break!"

Since taking monastic vows after Seiryokuteki Tanoshii's death, Megane
Aisuru had assumed the late Cherry's spot as "protector" of the Moroboshi
family. His face was weather-beaten from years of piety on the road, the
only other change other than the robes marking his current calling was his
shaved head. Megane bowed to Ataru, his hands held forth in prayer. "I
want to speak with Lum."

"You're lucky I'm in a hurry," Ataru declared. "Or you'd have been kicked
into the next prefecture!"

He moved to pass his old classmate. Megane's hand blocked the way. "Don't
go that way! Something evil will befall you."

"Yeah, sure! Tell us another one!" Amora snapped as everyone raced past
him, they deciding NOT to bother anymore with giving him an impromptu flying
lesson at the business end of their fists or one of Koosei's vast arsenal of
hyperspace mallets.

* * *

Minutes later . . .

Visually, Tomobiki High had changed little over the previous seventeen
years. The school buildings themselves had been thoroughly gutted,
refurbished and modernized in late 1997, shortly after Ataru came to work
here. Students' names were different, many teachers had either retired or
had been reassigned to other schools, yet the morning ritual continued.
Among the students arriving this day is Miyake Junba, she still preoccupied
with her nightmare. "Why do I keep dreaming of a woman I've never met
before?!" she pondered.

Catching up with her as she gazed skyward were twin red-haired Oni men,
their eyes locked on the inattentive beauty before them. However, before
their hands could acquire target, Junba stopped, her blue eyes glowing a
murky green. *Here comes trouble . . . *

The twin with the red scarf grabbed one arm. "Penny for your thoughts!"

The blue-scarfed twin grabbed the other arm. "And then some!"

*And make it double,* Junba finished. "Rin? Ren?" She then tried to
break free from their grasp. "What're you doing?! Let go!"

Seq Rin grinned. "Only if you promise to marry one of us!"

"And it'd better be me!" Seq Ren added.

On that declaration, the twins spun on each other, their shift of attention
giving Junba the chance she needed to escape. "Forget it, idiot!" Rin
yelled as he shoved his face into his brother's. "She's gonna marry me!"

"No, she's marrying me!" Ren retorted.

"Me!"

"ME!"

In a flash, the twins morphed into three-metre tall, red-furred,
tiger-striped bulls -- virtually near-twins of their father, Seq Rei -- and
they were off! As their clawed forepaws lashed out at each other, students
arriving ignored Rin's and Ren's battle; the twins' all-too-frequent spats
were simply part of the school scene. Meanwhile, just as Junba was moving
to escape the twins' attention, another student, he draped in a white school
uniform, a cowlick sticking up from his slicked raven hair, brown starry
eyes glittering with passion, firmly seized her hand. As Junba spun around
to confront her latest stalker, he dramatically bestowed a courtly kiss on
her hand. "Never mind those uncivilized simpletons, Junba-san," he
romantically intoned. "I beg you, please! Marry me!"

"Starting a little early with that today, aren't you, Tetsubou?!" Junba
snarled as she seized him by the arm. "Can't you idiots see I'm not
interested in ANY of you?!" She then pivoted on her feet. "I only want
Jariten!"

The scion of the Mendou-Mizunokoji fortune instantly found himself slammed
onto his back thanks to a perfect judo flip! "My . . . " he groaned as he
slid back towards the ground, "Mrs. Moroboshi . . . knows how . . . to teach
martial arts . . . "

Moving to stand, the only son of Mendou Shuutarou and Mizunokoji Asuka then
paused as his ears detected the whistling sound of a pair of large incoming
missiles. Everyone in front of the school then winced as Rin and Ren found
themselves crushed by the one sure-fire way of stopping any child of Rei in
his tracks: the Saturn Five! "Knock it off, you idiots!" Koosei snapped
from the front gate as he marched through, the vice-principal trailed by
Ataru and Amora. "How many times do I have to tell you to not fight on
school grounds?!"

Noting what Junba had just done to Tetsubou, Amora grinned as she slunk up
to her classmate. "Tetsu-kun," she meowed as she leaned against him. "Are
you STILL trying to pick Junba up?" A shake of the head. "Forget her,
Tetsu-kun. She's lost to you for all time, Tetsu-kun, recognized to
Ten-chan!" Her voice then dropped to a seductive purr as she shifted
herself to give him an intimate view of her cleavage. "But Tetsu-kun, I'M
still available." A lick of his nose. "And after our last date, VERY
willing."

Blood instantly leaked from Tetsubou's nose. "W-what a woman . . . !"

"Amora," Ataru forcefully intoned. "Neither Tetsubou's father nor I want a
repeat of what you two did on your *last* date!"

Amora breathed out in a faux pout as she unpeeled herself from Tetsubou.
"Oh, poo! You're no fun, Dad!"

Once freed of his classmate, Tetsubou beat a hasty retreat. While he was
quite the ladies' man with other women, the young Mendou always found
Amora's advances overpowering and intimidating. "Good morning,
Moroboshi-sensei," Junba greeted Ataru with a smile.

"'Morning, Junba." Ataru then noted Koosei giving Rin and Ren the tenth
degree by the front door. "Those two bugging you still?"

Junba's smile grew a notch wider. "Not anymore, thanks to Ryooki-sensei."

With that, Ataru, his daughter and his bond-mate's daughter headed together
to the front doors. Awaiting them was the principal of Tomobiki High.
"Well, well, well," Ozuno Sakura slyly intoned, "On time for a change,
Ataru!"

Ataru sighed. "You've been late twelve times this term," Sakura added as
she waved an attendance file. "If it keeps up . . . "

"I know, I know," he cut in. "If you'll excuse me, Sakura, my class is
waiting."

He turned to head into the foot locker room. "Before you go," the
principal cryptically added as she gazed on him. "If you don't change your
behaviour around my daughter, I'll personally put a curse on you!"

He stopped, his dark eyes sweeping around to glare intently into her grey
ones. "What do you mean **I** misbehave around Seiteki?" Ataru icily
wondered. "Your daughter's been putting the moves on me ever since she came
here from Butsumetsu Girls' Junior High! You and she should worry. If
anyone hands out the punishment, it'll be Lum. If she had her way, your
daughter would be burnt toast!"

Unfazed by his warning, Sakura tapped him on the forehead with her
spirit-sensor. "Get to class," she ordered. "As your principal I can make
your life more miserable than it is now!"

He declines to reply as he proceeded to slip on his indoor shoes, Junba and
Amora heading over to their own lockers to get their own indoor shoes.
Koosei and Sakura remain by the doors, their eyes following their
co-worker's movements. "This isn't really gonna be Ataru's year, Sakura,"
the vice-principal gently warned as he noted the bemused smile crossing his
old girlfriend's face. "Bugging him about Kozue's 'Ataru-itis' isn't going
to make him feel better, you know. You're forcing him to quit after all the
good work he's put into this place?"

"I know, Koosei," Sakura quietly replied as they turned to head to her
office. Awaiting them there beside his favoured space heater, Kotatsuneko
was pouring tea for two of his favourite corporeal companions. "Admittedly,
it's nice to keep him on his toes," she added as they took their seats, and
then she held up a warning finger. "Though I DO avoid pushing it." Taking
up her tea cup, she took a sip. "Still, there's a good side to all this.
This crush Kozue-chan has on him's taken his mind off of what happened to
Koishii-chan."

Koosei took his own cup in hand, nodding thanks to the silent cat-ghost
before taking a sip. "I'm just pointing out that Ataru's the best teacher
we've had in the last ten years," he replied. "And Lum's been the best
cultural administrator we've had ever."

"I know." She took another sip of her tea before a grimace crossed her
face. "However, I sense a lot is going to happen this year and next." She
gazed intently at him. "There's going to be trouble. More trouble then
we've had to put up with in a while."

He considered that point for a moment; Koosei had long come to trust
Sakura's instincts when it came to matters of a spiritual or mystical
nature. "Well," he mused as he gazed at his tea cup. "Let's hope not."

* * *

After homeroom period, Ataru stepped into Class 2-4 to commence the day's
geography lesson, he taking the place of his daughter's homeroom class
teacher, Hanawa Mitsu, the boy's physical education coach and algebra
teacher. On seeing him, the class rose in greeting. Placing his briefcase
on the desk, he moved to draw out his lesson plans. "Good morning, class."

The entire class returned the greeting in unison before Junba, the class
representative on the student council, ordered them to their seats. As he
sets out his sheets, Ataru cannot fail but notice that, in the desk
immediately in front of him, the well-endowed girl with long black hair and
grey eyes seated there was wearing a VERY tight uniform, the jersey BARELY
able to keep her considerable "assets" undercover. "Ozuno S-Seiteki-kun,"
he then stammered. "Isn't that uniform a little too snug and revealing for
school?"

Smiling coyly, Seiteki -- very few people beyond immediate family knew her
by her real name, Ozuno Kozue -- leaned over her desk, purposefully
revealing her cleavage. "How kind of you to notice, Sensei," she purred.
"All my other uniforms were dirty, so I just put on this old one that I
found in my closet. It's from when I FIRST started here. It still fits
fine, don't you think?"

Sweat-drop. "You . . . you should be more modest, Seiteki-kun. I can see
your underwear!"

A giggle. "Why, Sensei! I'm not wearing any."

Steam billowed out of his nose as he took a step back from the desk, his
feet stumbling over a garbage can. The others in the class shake their
heads as he made a four-point landing in front of Junba's desk. Watching
this from her own pace to Seiteki's left, Amora sighed sympathetically.
*Poor Dad! Seiteki's on the loose again!* As she watches the game between
her father and her best friend, a devilish grin then appeared on the
empath's face. *This is SO predictable! Boring! Maybe I can have a little
fun!*

With that, her eyes softly glowed. After recovering from nearly smacking
his face on the floorboards, Ataru begins today's geography lesson. Still,
he simply could NOT take his eyes off Seiteki. Worse, she was not letting
him take his eyes off her. "O-okay, class," Ataru stuttered. "T-today's
lesson is on mountains. C-can anyone tell me what the highest mountain on
Earth is?" Understandably reluctant to allowed the only person who raised
her hand to answer, he then called out, "S-Seiteki?"

Methodically, she stood, angling her body to give him a VERY detailed view
of her tight uniform. He appeared horrified on noting that her blouse was
on the verge of ripping. "Why the highest mountain on Earth is Mount
Everest," Seiteki answered as she suggestively gyrated her hips. "It's sooo
big . . . " She threw her arms wide, causing the blouse to rip, exposing
herself to the dizzy Ataru!

Fujinami Dansei sighed. "Here we go again."

"Place yer bets!" Megane Shinpai called out.

Several students were quick to answer his call. "Oh, dear," Seiteki said,
she making NO move to cover herself. "I popped out of my blouse again. I
guess I'll have to go topless for the rest of the day. I'm sure you won't
mind, Sensei."

Down he went, two streams of blood explode from his nose into the air!
Seiteki looked confused. "Sensei?"

Shinpai and three friends -- the elder sons of the members of Lum's
bodyguards; Shinpai himself was Aisuru's nephew -- immediately gathered
around the stricken teacher. Paama Omoshiroi counted Ataru out as if he
were a boxing referee making the ten-count on a knocked-out prizefighter.
Once ten was reached, Chibi Rikoshugi rang a bell. "Time!" Shinpai
announced over a microphone. "Six minutes!"

Hearing that, Kakugari Kokishin leapt for joy. "Banzai! I win!"

Reluctantly, the rest of the male student body paid the heavyset teen 1500
yen in coins. "These guys would bet on the outcome of a nuclear war!" Junba
muttered to Dansei, the latter sitting to her right.

Dansei twirled her ponytail; outside of that, she was the spitting image of
her "father," Fujinami Ryuunosuke, at that age. "Yeah, Aiotoga, you sure
got THAT right. They're just as disgusting as Ozuno there!"

She gave Seiteki a disgusted jerk of the head. "It's a wonder anything
gets done in this class," Tetsubou then said.

"Deactivate ETH!"

Everyone cried out as "Ataru" then disappeared just as *Ataru* walked
nonchalantly into the room, he followed by a madly-grinning Koosei. "What
the . . . ?" Amora exclaimed. "What happened?!"

"It was a hologram!" Shinpai gasped.

Koosei chuckled, staring at his friend. "Yes, you just had a taste of our
new Emergency Teaching Hologram. Worked well, didn't it?"

Ataru icily smiled, he returning his friend's look and pointedly ignoring
the still-exposed Seiteki. "Lovely. Seiteki-kun, you have a week's
clean-up duty with Mr. Fujinami starting tonight, which multiplies if you
are not in your properly fitting school uniform in two minutes. And Amora,"
-- he glared at his daughter -- "The NEXT time you try to make me more
responsive to Seiteki-kun, you can join her!"

"What?!" Amora exclaimed, and then she tried to look innocent. "Dad!"

The glare increased in intensity. "I sensed you trying to wear 'me' down
with your powers, young lady. You might be a first-class empath, but I've
been at that game a lot longer than you! Meanwhile, as punishment, you can
make sure Seiteki-kun is in her real clothes before she returns to class; I
thought her bag looked rather large when I saw her come into class this
morning over the security monitor."

Humiliated, they quickly withdrew from the class. Shinpai and his friends
took their seats as Koosei headed back to his office. Ataru took his place
behind the teacher's desk. "Now, let's get onto the *real* lesson for the
day," he said as he pulled out his text.

* * *

In "office row" in the central part of the main floor of the school, Lum
watched television in her private office. The Sagussan-enhanced native of
Uru served as alien cultural advisor for the whole of the Tomobiki town
school board, she monitoring the progress of the growing number of
non-Terran students attending Tomobiki High and her sister schools
throughout Tokyo's most infamous suburb. Because she was not technically a
teacher, Lum enjoyed the added bonus of coming in whenever she felt the need
to.

Currently taking her attention was the morning news show on NHK Tokyo,
presenting a report on the Earth Defence Force's first home-built starship.
"In five days," -- a reporter indicated the nearly completed vessel, an
azure-hued craft resembling a cross between a Kashin-class battlewagon and a
Yamato-class battleship -- "The first ever Terran-built starship, U.N.S.S.
'Lum-san,' will be launched at the Tokyo Starship Construction Yards in
Kawasaki. We talked to the ship's captain, Mendou Shuutarou, about the
latest developments . . . "

The video phone rang. Lum pressed a button on her desk to switch the
television feed with the video phone feed. Currently on screen was an
elderly Oni doctor from the Union consulate in Shinjuku; the main embassy
had been shifted to New York City sometime after Pyem Maki began her term as
ambassador to the United Nations of Earth. "Doctor!" Lum greeted him with a
smile. "Why are you calling now?!"

He returned her grin. "I'm calling to inform you that the result of the
tests we ran on you are positive. Congratulations."

Lum beamed. "Tcha! So that explains why I've been gaining weight and
missing periods." The Moroboshis' usual family doctor, Mizuno Ami from
Minato Ward in Tokyo, had referred Lum to the other doctor several weeks
before when the Oni had gone to see the Sailor Senshi for her yearly
check-up. "Darling'll be so pleased! I'll tell him tonight before we go to
bed! Thank you, Sensei!"

A nod. "That's nice. Please make sure you come next month for a check-up.
I'll pass on the news to Doctor Mizuno; she contacted me yesterday for an
update." He gave her a knowing wink. "We don't want any problems, do we?"

"I will. 'Bye."

Once the television reverted to the news show, it showing the reporter
midway through his interview with a mustached Mendou Shuutarou, she absently
touched her stomach. "It's about time," Lum quietly intoned. "Now Darling
will be happy again."

Then, with a yelp for joy, she leapt up and did a victory flip!

* * *

Morning recess soon came. In the well-equipped nursing station, Ataru
enjoyed some tea with Shinobu and Koosei, all three laughing over Seiteki's
attempted seduction earlier. The school nurse wore a Sagussan nursing
overcoat, the sleeves marked with a nurse's three tabs; it was a parting
present from her friends in the Emergency Medical Response Unit after she
returned to Tomobiki in the wake of her sojourn in the Congo dealing with an
outbreak of Ebola alongside representatives of the World Health Organization
and the Belgian military. "They're both wanting attention, Ataru," Shinobu
warned her bond-mate, a knowing chuckle in her voice. "When are you going
to learn that?"

"It's gone beyond just 'getting attention.'" Ataru rubbed the bridge of
his nose. "First it was the cute notes, then the butt pinching whenever I
bend over near her, then hiding in my office wearing just a T-shirt, not to
mention the lewd messages she leaves on my video phone answering machine!
Why can't she leave me alone? I've made it more than clear that I'm not the
person I was twenty years ago."

"It's an age thing," Koosei said. "You and the other boys in your class
were the same way with Sakura, remember?" He then winked at his co-worker.
"Remember, you DID save Seiteki from those bikers . . . "

Shinobu rolled her eyes. "It's also in her genes. She's inherited
Sakura's libido."

Everyone laughed. "So how's Junba?" Ataru asked her bond-mate. "She
really blew Amora out of bed this morning."

Koosei blinked. "Is she still having those nightmares?!"

The nurse/health teacher/princess of Kyotos frowned. "They seem to have
gone away for awhile, but then they returned," she answered as her eyes
turned to the ceiling. "It's as if they were trying to tell us something."

"Like most cultures," Koosei mused, "The Vosians believe dreams foretell
the future."

"This 'dream' is giving me a pain in the ass," Shinobu then growled.
"What's worse is that she's starting to develop her psychic powers. And she
KNOWS the difference between her powers and mine. I think she's starting to
suspect that I'm not . . . "

Her teeth pressed into her lower lip as she fought to keep from screaming
out. "You have to tell her," Ataru warned. "For her sake most of all. She
deserves to know who her real parents are and that you're really her
godmother."

"I know." Shinobu frowned as she turned to stare at her bond-mate. "But
what will it get her, Ataru? What in Lyna's name will it get her? We don't
know what happened to Nassur and Benten. No one's been able to find any
proof that they're either dead or alive. Not even Varanko or Dakejinzou
have found any clues. It's like they disappeared from the face of
existence. I know Sister Niap'yeng's prediction about our finding out what
happened to them is coming due sometime this month or the next, but . . . "

"But," Ataru echoed her before he added, "Aiotoga's got Nassur's spirit and
Benten's temper as well as their physical gifts. Poor Ten will have his
hands full if they ever get married. She's just like you were when you were
younger."

"I DON'T want to be reminded of my high school days!" Shinobu snapped.

Koosei moved to calm the nurse. "Down, girl, down. Those days are long
over. We're all friends now."

* * *

Sometime later, after the bell for the third class rang, Koosei and Ataru
headed to their classrooms. "These days, Seiteki sometimes makes me regret
saving her life from those motorcycle goons," the latter declared as his
eyes turned down.

Koosei continued to try being cheerful. "She's just like her mother was at
that age. If it's any help to you, I should know." He soon noticed that
had no effect on his friend. "It's not gonna be a good year for you, is it,
Ataru?"

Ataru's lips twitched. "No, it's not. This is the class Koishii-chan
could've been a part of had she . . . "

A tear trailed down his cheek. Koosei shook his head. "I wonder," Ataru
then mused. "Would Koishii have been as beautiful as Junba? Or as smart as
Dansei or Kai? Or maybe as flirtatious as Seiteki or Amora?"

"Does Amora know about Koishii?" the vice-principal wondered.

"No," Ataru replied with a shake of his head, and then he sighed. "She
just knows that Lum had a miscarriage when the fight over Uru went down; the
same story everyone's heard. Reiko's the only one who knows the full
truth." A pause. "Sometimes I feel so grateful to Elle for creating Amora.
She's been a lifesaver for both Lum and I, although we wish she wasn't so
boy-hungry and so fond of using her powers to play jokes on people! But
Amora's always sensed she's not the child we really wanted. I don't want to
break her heart with the truth."

With that, he ascended to the second floor. Koosei watched him go up
before he sighed, and then he headed to his class.

* * *

Lunch time . . .

Seiteki, currently properly fitted in her normal school uniform, relaxed
beside her best friend as they enjoyed the contents of their home-made
bentou boxes. "What a dirty trick Sensei played, using that stupid
holographic teacher program!" the principal's daughter exclaims. "Nobody in
this place has a sense of humour! It was only a joke! I wasn't actually
gonna go topless all day!"

Amora sighed. "Sei-chan, Dad's evolved far beyond what most of the older
folks here once saw him as," she warned as she gave the other girl a
sympathetic smile. "It's called 'growing up.' There's no way you'll ever
come close to turning him on."

Seiteki glared at her. "Why aren't *you* mad?! He caught you trying to
use your powers to make him more sensitive to me!"

"True, he did," Amora admitted. "I might be more powerful than he or Mom,
but they have years of experience over me. If they guard themselves before
I do anything, I can't touch 'em." She then snidely grinned at Seiteki.
"Besides, you made it SO blatantly obvious what you wanted to do! You ought
to develop patience, Sei-chan. You'll never get anywhere with any guy the
way you're going now!"

Seiteki snorted. "I'll never let Sensei go!"

The others overhearing them sighed resignedly. Seiteki's comical attempts
at attracting Ataru's attention were one way to relieve the dull, daily
drone of classes, but her stubborn refusal to see the obvious was grating on
people's nerves, even Amora's. Meanwhile, Junba was enjoying her own lunch
with Dansei, Tetsubou and several other students. "Seiteki's so lucky,"
Junba declared as she gazed on her classmate, an envious sigh then escaping
her. "She's got such a nice figure! Look at me. I still look like a
little girl!"

"At least everyone knows you ARE a girl, Aiotoga," Dansei quipped as she
waved to her boy's uniform. Fortunately, unlike Ryuunosuke, Dansei doesn't
have the first kanji of her name plastered all over her back as her
grandfather, Fujinami Fujimi, had done for his "son" when Ryuunosuke had
attended classes. "Everyone thinks I'm a guy thanks to my stupid
grandfather and his weird ideas about raising kids."

"Junba-san would be considered very pretty if more people would quit
measuring beauty using the American standards," Ukeru Ayako -- the only
person ever to come to Tomobiki High wearing a flowery kimono in lieu of a
normal sailor suit uniform -- commented with a sneer.

"What's that to you?" Kobamu Ken, a mildly handsome young man with his grey
eyes behind ever-present sunglasses, wondered. "I think a nice big pair
like Seiteki's will look great on any girl!"

"Oh really, Kenshiro-san!" Ayako snapped.

"It's Ken!" he barked; Ken never liked anyone calling him by full name.

"Who cares?" Ayako wondered. "A girl like Ozuno Seiteki is nothing but
jail-bait. At least Amora-san behaves with some decorum."

"I'm wondering if that was a compliment or an insult," Amora mused on
hearing that comment.

"True, she is jail-bait," added Teki Seiryo, a kendou-ka with his black
hair tied in a braided pigtail in the same fashion as one of his martial
arts heroes, the legendary Saotome Ranma of Nerima Ward's Fuurinkan
district. "She has no honour at all. Much less tact."

"Agreed, Seiryo-san," Tetsubou mused before he turned to gaze once more on
the class' most popular student. "But, Junba-san, if you're really
concerned about your breast size, why don't you have a breast implant?"

Mass face-fault! Junba decked him with her fist! "How DARE you suggest
such a thing?! Who do you think I am?! Seiteki?!"

Tetsubou crashed into a wall on the other side of the room. "You should be
ashamed of yourself!" Junba growled. "At least *Jariten* appreciates me as
I am!" She put extra weight behind her boyfriend's name to make sure the
class' richest student finally got the point. "I'll tell him what you said
to me and I hope he roasts you where you stand!"

"It was . . . only a . . . suggestion . . . " Tetsubou groaned.

Junba stormed out, Dansei in her wake. "'Maybe you should have a breast
implant,' he says!" The more she repeated the comment her classmate made,
the angrier the class representative became. Finally, she spat out,
"Pervert!"

"Aiotoga, wait!" Dansei called out.

Everyone returned to their meals. "What a temper!" Tetsubou painfully
comment as he slowly made his way back to his seat. "Junba-san should be
like a Tritonian! At least they don't get mad!"

* * *

And speaking of the current inhabitants of Neptune's largest moon . . .

Near the capital of the Kingdom of Neptune-Triton, Koori City, this day,
everything is quiet. Though "quiet" on this planet always takes into
account the endless screaming howl of the constant winter winds which blew
across the surface of this world from pole to pole. Several Tritonian
women, accustomed to the noise, were busy shovelling the ever-present snow,
chattering amiably amongst themselves.

To the natives of Earth, Triton would automatically be rated as a "cold"
place.

This day, there was something of a heat wave, temperatures hovering at a
"balmy" minus forty degrees Celsius.

The "heat" had set off a siesta-like atmosphere. At an isolated
observation post some distance from the Royal Palace, a lone guard busied
himself scanning the frozen wastes beyond with a pair of computerized
macro-binoculars. After doing a sweep, he moved to wipe the moisture off
his brow as another guard arrived. "I'm relieving you," the newcomer
announced. "Go home and get out of this heat."

The first gazed on his co-worker with a relieved nod. "Thank you. This
sweat's driving me crazy! Have a pleasant shift."

Before he could respond, a bright light flashed over the blue disk of
Neptune. Both guards were startled. "A comet?" one wondered.

The other quickly scanned through a book containing data on known
astronomical phenomena. "Nothing scheduled to pass over us today."

The light then dropped, impacting the frozen ground several hundred metres
away! Triton itself seemed to tremble for several seconds as if the whole
of the moon was being shaken by a baby the size of Sol itself. The guards
struggled to maintain their balance as the ground finally settled under
their feet. One of them then drew out binoculars to scan the crash site.
There, the wreckage of a frigate-class ship bearing Vosian markings
smouldered. "Koori's Castle!" the guard exclaimed with characteristic
Tritonian calm. "That was a ship."

"Excuse me," the other then stated before he moved to enter a nearby
communications shed. "I must notify a rescue squad and alert the Defence
Command. I must also inform the Queen; we could be talking about an
invasion."

* * *

Hours later, the crash site was a hive of activity. Rescue personnel
rushed about searching through the wreck while Royal Tritonian Defence Force
personnel stood guard nearby. "Scan for survivors and check for radiation
leaks," the rescue commander ordered as he took charge of the scene. "Keep
a lookout for anything unusual. This doesn't look like a Lannarkite ship,
but there could be some aboard."

A grandly-decorated hovercraft then roared overhead, it manoeuvring to land
nearby. A nearby junior officer was quick to note the snowflake coat of
arms on the doors. "The Queen is arriving!" he stoically announced.

The hovercraft dropped near the mobile rescue command centre. The door
immediately opened, allowing Oyuki to emerge. Save for a more elaborate
crown and finer clothes, the present occupant of the Throne of Koori had not
changed over the last decade-and-a-half. Regally, she strolled up to the
rescue commanding. Personnel not busy with their duties immediately stopped
to pay the proper respect. "My Liege," the commander reported. "We're
checking the wreckage for survivors as we speak. I'm sorry that there's
nothing more to report."

"That's all right," Oyuki quietly replied. "I have no wish to interfere
with your investigation. Please continue."

Everyone smartly returned to work. A young enlisted soldier soon rushed up
to Oyuki and the commander to make his report: "My Liege, Commander, we've
extracted a survivor out of the wreckage." He indicated the downed ship
with a wave of his hand. "She's in a very bad way. I'm sorry but I must be
bold enough to recommend that she be taken to the hospital with great
haste."

"Make it so," the commander ordered.

The soldier raced off. Seconds later, a hover-stretcher carrying a
blanket-covered body and two attendants lifted away from the scene. As they
moved to pass their queen, Oyuki raised her arm to signal them to wait. As
her eyes fell on the stretcher, a woman's hand slipped out from under the
blanket. Encircling the limp grey-sheathed wrist was a silver and red
leather ornament.

"That bracelet!" Oyuki gasped. "It . . . cannot be."

Instinctively, the queen rushed forward, her hand reaching out. A nearby
soldier quickly imposed himself in her path. "Please excuse my disrespect,
My Liege," he apologized, bowing. "For your safety, you must not come any
closer to the survivor. She may be radioactive."

Jolting in shock on hearing his words, the queen gazed on him for a moment
before nodding. "Yes. I apologize; you are in the right."

With that, Oyuki watched as the stretcher was loaded into a
hover-ambulance. She turned to the commander. "Please keep me informed on
further developments," she politely ordered before returning to her
hovercraft. Unnoticed by the rescue crew, though, her thoughts were as
stormy as Jupiter's Great Red Spot. *Oh, it's really you, old friend! We
thought you were dead . . . !*

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Some time after school . . .

Amora was busy preparing supper for herself and a guest. The menu was the
usual: omelette with meat plus some naturally-ground eta powder for one and
a heady pinch of garlic for the other. Much to Lum's consternation -- and
frequent bouts of crying every time she came close to Amora's cooking! --
Amora was as addicted to garlic as she was to chocolate! As she moved from
cutting board to stove to herb rack, a tune from Kajiura Yuki drifted from
her lips. In preparation for a night on the town, she was currently dressed
in a white shirt and red slacks; the wardrobe was chosen to flatter without
revealing anything to potential onlookers. As she moved to flip one of the
frying omelettes onto a plate, her eyes flashed just as Junba's voice hailed
from the foyer: "Hey, Amora! Is Mrs. Moroboshi around?!"

"Set yourself down, Aiotoga!" Amora replied. "Mom's working a little late
tonight. Your tutorial's delayed."

"Okay."

Junba kicked off her running shoes in the entranceway and headed for the
living room, she currently dressed in a blue and red leotard with red leg
warmers, a blue Tomobiki High Usagis T-shirt underneath. "You had dinner
yet?" Amora then asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah," Junba breathed out as she collapsed on a chair by the table.

A minute later, Amora carried the completed omelettes to the living room
table. Sitting before Junba, she dug in. "I told you I wasn't hungry,"
Junba reminded her as she pointed to the extra dish.

"This isn't for you," Amora blurrily replied before she swallowed her bite.
"It's for Jariten. He'll be over in a few minutes."

On hearing the name, Junba zoned out as VERY romantic thoughts rushed in
like water thundering through the Niagara River gorge to chase away whatever
sense of rationality she had. "Ten-chan . . . !" she moaned as her whole
world went pink.

Amora sighed. Romance was one thing. Sappiness, she could do without.
"Typical of someone who's recognized someone else."

Confusion then crossed the class representative's face as her mind tripped
back from the Harlequin Romance version of the Twilight Zone. "Amora, how
do you know all these things, anyway?" she wondered.

"Hanging around Senba of the Intergalactic Boy-Chasers' Club," Amora
explained. "Whenever a Vosian or part-Vosian finds the ideal mate, they
recognize them and they're paired forever. Atop that, I'm distantly related
to Vosians through Dad and Hibaa-chan."

"Who says I'm Vosian?"

"Well, your ears are the first clue." Amora indicated the extremities in
question with a wave of her hand. "And yes, while there are other
tapered-eared races out there, you also haven't aged a day in nearly three
years. The standard Sagussan aging process slows down AFTER puberty. Then
there's your pe'cha bond with Dansei and your recognition to Ten-chan.
Also, your psychic powers are a lot like Senba's."

"Well," Junba breathed out. "I don't know who my father really is. My mom
won't tell me."

Hearing that explanation, contempt stormed through Amora's eyes. "Aiotoga,
that witch who CLAIMS to BE your mother," she growls, "Is bullshitting you.
You should demand the truth from her. I would!"

Junba gazed on her host, and then she nodded. "Someday I will." She then
shrugged, whimsically smiling. "It's funny I recognized Ten-chan of all
people. He's so much older than me. Then there's what happened to his
first girlfriend. You almost forced us together."

"Well, my powers sensed your arrival at that magic time. And with Ten-chan
depressed over what happened to Minami, well . . . " Amora smiled. "Plus,
there was just NO WAY that Ten-chan wanted any sort of relationship with
Reiko-neechan, even if they had finally buried the hatchet by the time she
started attending the Ishinomaki Young Women's Academy. And by the time
anyone could've persuaded Ten-chan and Reiko-neechan to go somewhere,
Mina-neechan was involved and she SURE wasn't interested in sharing
Reiko-neechan with anyone else outside a Sagussan-style marei'cha bonding."
A shrug. "So, in the end, why not kill two birds with one stone?"

Their eyes flash. "Ten-chan's here!" Junba chirped happily as she bolted
up, immediately rushing for the foyer.

Amora slowly followed her. "No doubt about that."

As they arrived at the entranceway, a very handsome young Oni male dressed
in an Urusian Defence Force duty uniform, ensign insignia on his collars,
entered. He resembled a male, single-horned version of Lum. "I'm here!"
Jariten announced loudly.

Within a second, he crashed to the floor after Junba leapt at him to
smother him with kisses.

"Ah," Amora declared with a chuckle. "True love conks all."

* * *

Minutes later, Jariten finished his omelette as he chatted with Amora and
Junba, he relaying the latest news from the shipyards. "The 'Lum-san' is
almost ready for her maiden voyage," the ensign finally declared. "There's
some finishing-up work to be done, though. It's hard to believe a starship
would need so much work on it before going into space."

"The christening is in a few days," Amora mused, she failing to hide her
smile on noting Junba gazing longingly at Jariten. "I'm sure Captain
Mendou'll want everything to proceed without a hitch."

"Speaking of hitches," Jariten said before wiping his lips with a napkin,
and then he turned to Junba. "There's some unfinished business between
myself and Junba."

Junba blinked. "What do you mean, Ten-chan?"

In answer, Jariten drew a black box from his pants pocket. "This,
Aiotoga."

Junba stared confusedly at it. "What's this?"

"Open it and find out," Amora urged.

Junba reached over to open the small box. Enclosed there were two tiger
star engagement rings. Junba's jaw dropped in shocked surprise on seeing
them. "They're . . . uh . . . " she sputtered before regaining some control
of herself, "Beautiful!"

He then took one to slip it onto Junba's finger. "I've already asked your
mother," Jariten reported. "She gave us her blessings if we wait until
after the 'Lum-san's' shakedown cruise is over, about three years from now."

"Are you gonna do it?" Amora asked.

The answer was instantaneous: "Yes! Oh, yes!"

The couple kissed. Automatically, Amora drew a handkerchief to wipe her
moist eyes. "How nice. You both make a lovely couple."

The video phone then rang. "Now who could that be?" Amora wondered as she
rose to answer it. "Not another salesman, I hope."

It wasn't. "Oh, Amora-chan," Oyuki hailed after the transmission went
through. "Is your mother home?"

Amora shook her head. "Sorry, Oyuki-bachan. Neither Mom nor Dad are
around right now. You want to leave a message?"

"I would prefer to speak to Lum," Oyuki gravely said. "Do you know where
Miyake Junba is? I called her home but no one answered."

"Yes, she's here. Do you want to talk with her?"

"What I must tell her, I would prefer to say face-to-face." The queen of
Triton then sighed before she enigmatically added, "I would appreciate it if
you brought Junba to Triton. What needs to be said, needs to be told in
person."

"I'll ask." Amora moved to press the cutoff button. "'Bye." Once the
link was she severed, she gazed confusedly at the darkened screen, wondering
what that was all about. "Junba, you hear that?" she then called out.

"Yeah," Junba stands. "I'm free. Let's go to see Queen Oyuki."

She then turned to Jariten. They held hands, gazing longingly into each
other's eyes. "Sorry, Ten-chan," Junba apologized as the light around them
sparkled. Violin music simmered softly in the background. "I must leave
thee but for a moment. However, I shall return."

"Your presence will be sore missed, Aiotoga," Jariten intoned over the
sound of violins. "But I await your return. And I shall inform your mother
of your absence, my beloved . . . "

"WILLYA QUIT IT WITH THE AWFUL ROMANTIC DIALOGUE?!" Amora barked.

The newly engaged couple released each other as everything around them
returned to normal. "Sorry," Jariten mumbled an apology as he scratched the
back of his head. "Just be careful, Aiotoga."

Junba smiled. "Always, Ten-chan."

"Let's go," Amora huffed as she drew out a remote to summon Lum's scout
from its hangar at Toranoseishin Finances' Tomobiki offices downtown.
"You're engaged for only two minutes and already, you're sounding like a bad
weekday afternoon soap opera!"

Jariten watched them as they left. Suddenly, his smile faded as a feeling
of dread seemed to overwhelm him.

"Why do I feel like all our dreams will end on Triton?"

* * *
Hours later . . .

Lum's saucer-shaped scout ship proceeded to Triton. On the bridge, Amora
-- she had obtained her small starship pilot's license four years before --
piloted while Junba sat nearby, lost in thought. "I know Oyuki-sama and
your mother are friends, Amora," she quietly mused, "And that she and
Ryooki-sensei are lovers." A shrug rolled her shoulders. "So why would she
want to see me? I've only met her once."

"I'm as confused as you, Aiotoga," Amora replied as Saturn passed to
starboard. "It must be important if she wants us right away."

Silence fell as the class representative considered that, and then she
started to fret. "Something terrible's going to happen."

"That's weird," Amora said after considering the point. "I have the same
feeling."

* * *

The scout landed an hour later outside the Tritonian Royal Palace. Waiting
in the reception lounge were Oyuki, several attendants, some security
personnel and a couple of girls shovelling snow. Oyuki smiled as the
landing hatch lowered. "Oh, they're here."

Junba and Amora disembarked, both high school students sensibly clad in
hooded, extreme-weather parkas, thermal gloves and over-pants. "Ah," Oyuki
hailed as she approached them. "Thank you for coming so quickly. I hope my
request didn't come at a bad time."

Amora smiled as they bowed to the queen. "No, there's nothing pressing."

Oyuki then gazed at Amora's classmate. "You've grown so much, Junba-chan.
You look so much like your mother."

Junba blinked. "That's funny. Everyone says I *don't* look like my
mother."

Amora stepped in to cover the gaff: "Maybe you do if you're far enough
away."

Oyuki raised an eyebrow; it was easy for her to understand Amora's oblique
message. She then cleared her throat. "This way, please."

"What was so important that you wanted to see Junba?" Amora wondered.

"Yeah," Junba agreed. "Triton's nice but I prefer going to warmer places."

* * *

Minutes later, a hovercar carried the three women to Koori City Hospital.
Oyuki led Junba and Amora through the busy hallways to the intensive care
ward. "Why are we in the hospital?" Junba asked with a blink.

"Neither of us is sick." Amora's lips twisted. "Besides, the emotions I
sense at hospitals are so depressing."

Oyuki smiled sympathetically. "I apologize. However, what requires
Junba's attention is here."

The high school students exchanged looks. "Why?" Junba asked with another
blink. "Are they sick?"

"Not exactly," Oyuki replied with a sigh. "Earlier today, a starship
crashed outside the city. There was only one person aboard. We rescued her
and placed her here for treatment."
They entered ICU room four, a small space crammed with high-tech medical
equipment and a team of doctors and nurses hovering over a patient on a
narrow bed. When Oyuki and her guests arrived, one of the doctors bowed to
the queen. "How is the patient?" Oyuki asked.

"She is fine, My Liege," the doctor reported. "Her injuries are minor: a
broken arm, two cracked ribs and a mild concussion. There's no radiation
poisoning but she has yet to fully regain consciousness."

"May we see her?"

"As long as you remain behind the barrier."

He indicated the force field protecting the patient from outside
contaminants. "Of course," Oyuki acknowledged as she motioned to Junba and
Amora to follow. As soon as the three got a good enough view, the queen
announced, "This is who I wanted you to see."

They gaze onto an all-too familiar Fukunokami woman, her silver and crimson
battlesuit currently exchanged for a hospital gown, bandages on left arm and
forehead, she hooked to a dozen monitors. "That's the woman in my dream!"
Junba gasped. "She does exist!"

Amora blinked in shocked disbelief. "B-b-Benten . . . ?"

Oyuki blinked surprisedly. "You know her, Amora-chan?"

Amora vigorously nodded. "Yeah! My parents told me about her. She
disappeared seventeen years ago with her husband." She indicated the
unconscious hunter with a hand. "There're statues of them in Heroes Park."

Junba nodded. "I know them. I used to play around them a lot when I was a
kid. I always wished I could meet them someday."

"How did she get here?" Amora wondered.

"We don't know what happened to her that brought her here," Oyuki replied.
"The logbook was lost in the crash. Surprising since the ship was upgraded
by the Sagussans prior to the Planet of Shadows mission."

Amora gazed anew at the long-missing hunter. "Funny. Benten-bachan was
the same age as Mom was when she disappeared, but she looks like she hasn't
aged a day. Even married to a Vosian, she would age some, wouldn't she?"

"That's still a mystery," Oyuki admitted. "But I have one clue: There is
evidence of hibernation sickness."

"Somebody froze her?" Junba gasped.

"And she has been thawed recently, too. But sadly, there was no sign of
Nassur, even though the ship was the 'Renegade.'"

Blink. "Who's Nassur?"

"Benten-bachan's husband. He was Mom's first combat teacher when they,
Oyuki-bachan and Ran-bachan were all in galactic junior high school," Amora
explained. "They were both very close to my parents, especially Mom. This
is strange."

"I know," Oyuki said. "That's why I want you to take Benten to Ozuno
Sakura. Maybe she can determine what happened to her."

Amora frowned. "I'd prefer Budou-sensei to Ozuno-sensei."

"Still, do you think it's safe considering her injuries?" Junba wondered.

"Every precaution will be taken for Benten's safety," Oyuki assured them
with a smile. "Please be careful with her. The concussion will confuse and
disorient her for a while. She could be violent if provoked."

Amora chuckled. "Do **I** look like I'd provoke a fight?"

Junba gazed at her friend. "After what happened between you and Tetsubou?
Can you HONESTLY say that?"

Amora blushed. "I'll personally supervise things for your journey," Oyuki
said before heading out of the room.

Amora nodded, and then she stared at her classmate, her attention still
completely focussed on Benten. "Something wrong?"

Junba sighed. "I was just wondering why I'm always dreaming of this woman.
I've never met her."

"I'll oversee what they're doing," Amora announced as she moved to give her
privacy.

Junba nodded gratefully. "I'll stay here."

Amora headed to the door, and then she stopped, turning to gaze anew at her
classmate. *Funny!* she mentally mused. *Aiotoga and Benten-bachan look so
alike, they could be mother and daughter. But, that's impossible . . .

*Is it?*

* * *

Lum's scout proceeded to Earth an hour later. Benten, clad in her
chainless battlesuit, rested in the small medical station. Amora and Junba
stood on the bridge, the latter lost in thought. The silence was almost
palpable.

Junba then sighed. "I wonder. Who was Benten?"

"According to Budou Chie-sensei and my mom," Amora answered, "She was a
close friend to my parents. Her husband Nassur was a great hero and
warrior. I've heard his name mentioned in some of the nightclubs on other
planets I've frequented."

Junba gazed at Amora. "There's something VERY familiar about her. And
it's more than the dreams and that statue in Heroes' Park."

Silence fell as Amora considered her reply. "Junba . . . this may come as
a shock to you, but . . . "

"What, Amora?"

"I don't think your mother is Miyake Shinobu."

Hearing that, Junba's eyes flashed. "What do you mean?!"

"Look at the evidence!" Amora snapped as she returned her classmate's
glare. "You're part-Vosian; the evidence is as plain as your ears and
powers. Even if your father was Vosian -- which I've always believed he is!
-- Sagussan genetics would take precedence!"

"That's conjecture," Junba disagreed, shaking her head. "Besides, even if
Mom DID mate with a Vosian, it doesn't automatically imply her genes would
dominate! Besides, have you ever heard of successful Sagussan-Vosian
couplings?!"

"On Sagussa, there are some, yes. But, listen, Aiotoga," -- Amora sighed
-- "Looking at you and looking at Benten-bachan's convinced me that
Shinobu-bachan isn't your mother! You and Benten-bachan look too much alike
for you not to related in some way!"

Silence fell as the class representative considered the point. "Maybe
you're right," Junba finally conceded as she stood to exit the bridge. "I
need to think about it. I'm going to lay down for a while."

"Sure, go ahead."

Amora returned her attention to the controls. Junba stepped off the
bridge. Watching her through the corner of her eye until she had departed,
Amora then gazed at the passing starfield. "Just what is going on here?!"
the empath hissed to herself.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the scout's small sick bay, Benten thrashed about in her
sleep. Her face was covered in sweat, as if the hunter herself was caught
in a middle of a struggle. "N-Nassur," she mumbled. "H-hurry up . . . "

*Benten . . . *

The hunter went still as the voice gasped an instruction: get help!
Benten's eyes snapped open robot-like. Sitting up, she examined herself,
and then the room. Recognizing nothing around her, she leapt out of bed.
Growling, she slunk out of sick bay.

* * *

On the bridge, Amora watched the ship pass Jupiter. "There's a conspiracy
going on here," she mused aloud to herself. "Everyone seems to be in on it
.. . . including my parents . . . eh?!"

Her eyes flashed as her hearing picked up stealthy footsteps approaching
from aft. Turning, she looks at the open doorway leading to the rest of the
ship. No one there. "Junba? Is that you?" she called out.

No response. Amora set the helm on automatic as she stood up. Using her
powers to confirm what she initially sensed. "Is somebody out there?" she
asks again, walking cautiously towards the corridor leading aft.

Gazing to the back, she quickly realized just how intimidating the corridor
looked when her mother's ship was in warp. "H-hello?"

Something snarling lunged at her! Before she could react, Amora was
slammed into the deck, pinned down by her attacker. Looking up, the
teenager's eyes widened on seeing Benten, the Fukunokami hunter glaring at
her with predatory eyes. "Benten-bachan, y-you're awake!" Amora sputtered
in an attempt to sound cheerful. "Y-you shouldn't be up! You're hurt!"

Benten leaned closer to inspect her best friend's adopted daughter. Amora
shuddered as the hunter's growl picked up in intensity. "W-what's wrong,
Oba-chan?!" she stammered. "You don't look so good. Why don't you relax in
sick bay for a while?"

Benten's only response was one garbled word: "Elle!"

A karate chop flew straight for Amora's forehead! She dodged just in time
as the hand forced a nice dent in the deck. The noise was enough to wake
Junba. "What's going on?!" the class representative wondered as she bolted
up. "Are we under attack?!"

Leaping to her feet, she raced for the bridge. By then, Amora was able to
slip out of Benten's grasp, she currently ducking the various punches and
kicks the deranged hunter was firing at her without any sign of letup.
Luckily, nothing vital had been damaged. Yet.

"Oba-chan, please!" Amora gasped as she ducked a kick. "I don't want to
hurt you! Calm down!"

Benten nearly decapitated Amora with a punch. "Die, Elle!"

They continued their macabre dance around the bridge. *Can't outrun her
forever!* Amora panted. *I gotta use my powers to stop her!*

Amora concentrated as Benten prepared a kick to the head. Before the blow
could land, Amora nailed her with an empathic force bolt from her eyes!
With a flash of light, Benten was hurled across the bridge to slam into a
bulkhead. The hunter was momentarily stunned. Amora dropped to her knees;
she was normally unable to maintain her strength after unleashing such an
attack.

The empath stared at Benten as the latter began to shake off the blast's
effects. "I'm not Elle!" Amora panted. "I'm Moroboshi Amora! The girl
Ataru and Lum adopted, born on Elle as a laboratory child, remember?!"

No luck; Benten's only response was an angry snarl. Amora finds herself
the target of another charge. *She won't listen . . . * Amora moaned to
herself as she braced for the impact.

It didn't come.

A punch had just sent her rolling across the deck to slam into the helm!
Amora's eyes opened, she looking up to see Junba shielding her from Benten,
her fists pulled back and ready. "Just what is going on here?!"

"Be careful, Aiotoga!" Amora warned as she tried to stand.
"Benten-bachan's flipped! She'll kill you! She nearly killed me!"

Benten jolted. "Aiotoga . . . ?" she whispered.

"I knew we shouldn't have taken her!" Junba snarled. "Look, Benten-san,
we're not your enemy! We're your friends!"

The still somewhat-dazed hunter turned to gaze at the young woman who just
knocked her down, the emotions on her face transforming from shock to
disbelief -- and then to sheer joy. "J-Junba?" she stuttered, her eyes
tearing. "My Aiotoga . . . my . . . daughter . . . !"

She collapsed to the deck, her hands flying to her face as sobs stole her
voice. Junba remained still, thunderstruck by the hunter's words.
"'Daughter?'" she finally gasped. "B-but . . . my mother's name's Miyake
Shinobu."

Amora finally staggered up to her friend's side. "I was right. Benten's
your mother . . . which means Nassur's your father."

Hearing that, Junba's eyes began to smoke with rage.

* * *

Shinobu sneezed!

"Bless you," Jariten called out.

"Thanks," Shinobu blurrily muttered as she wiped her nose with a
handkerchief.

In the living room of the Miyake home, Shinobu and Jariten were enjoying
evening tea with Megane. Night had fallen over Tomobiki. All three seem
anxious about what was happening with Junba and Amora. "Why did Amora take
Junba to Triton, Ten?" Shinobu asked.

"Don't know," Jariten replied with a shake of his head before a pensive
look crossed his face. "Something's going on . . . and I can't help feeling
that something really bad's about to happen."
"I sense it, too," Megane added as he gazed forlornly at the ceiling.
"There's something ominous in the air. Bad luck is coming for both you and
Junba, Jariten."

Disgusted sighs burst from his companions as they glared at him. "Still
saying that, eh?" Jariten growled sarcastically before he turned back to his
tea. "That joke was old even when Cherry was still alive!"

"What do you expect from Cherry's student?!" Shinobu snorted. "Incompetent
idiot!"

"That's strange," -- Megane glared at Shinobu -- "Coming from a woman who's
never married."

Wrong thing to say. "Keep it up, Megane," Shinobu threateningly growled,
"And you'll be joining Cherry in Nirvana!"

"Bah!" Megane spat out before he sipped his tea. "Nothing can defeat my
spiritual powers and they're never wrong!"

Jariten seemed ready to roast him. "Oh, right! They're NEVER wrong!"

The loud noise of a starship arriving on the street next door drowns any
reply from the monk. Jariten rushed over to a nearby window to see Lum's
scout landing. "That must be them!" he announced. "C'mon!"

He and Shinobu raced outside. Megane remained to finish his tea. "It
doesn't matter," he muttered. "They can't escape their fate."

* * *

Outside, Jariten and Shinobu watched as the former's fiancee and her
classmate disembark, both carrying someone on an anti-gravity stretcher.
"Junba! Amora!" Shinobu called out as they approach.

They stop, their eyes focussing intently on the nurse. On the stretcher
suspended from their hands, Benten soundlessly slept. Seeing her, Shinobu
and Jariten froze, both stunned. "Benten?!" they gasped together, and then
Shinobu stared at Junba. "But how?"

Angry stares answered. Amora remained silent as Junba pointed accusingly
at her godmother. "You . . . " spat out from the class representative's
lips. "You stay away from me, you . . . you . . . you IMPOSTER!"

The nurse was frozen still by those words. "'Imposter?!'" she finally
exclaimed. "Junba, how can you say that to your own mother?!"

"The hell you are!" Junba then pointed at Benten. "SHE'S my real mother!"

The older woman ducked the glare coming from her accuser. "Junba, please!
Please listen!" she then said pleadingly. "When you were a baby. we found
you in an escape pod outside Tokyo with mementoes from your real mother and
father . . . !"

"So why didn't you ever tell me I was adopted?!" Junba icily pressed.
"Didn't you think it would be important for me to know?"

"I wanted to! I planned to!" Shinobu admitted. "But the time never seemed
right. Then, it just was easier to not tell."

A slap! "You witch!" Junba tearfully growled. "How dare you keep
something that important from me?!"

Jariten moved to place his hand on Junba's shoulder. "Aiotoga . . . "

Same act, different target! "Don't you DARE use my nickname again,
Jariten!" she screamed. "Only friends use it. And YOU," -- her finger shot
up to stab him in his chest -- "Are no longer my friend!"

Taken aback by that statement, Jariten then tried to say something. Junba
cut him off. "I bet you thought it was funny, didn't you?!" she mused.
"You knew who my real parents were and I didn't! I bet you laughed yourself
to sleep every night that we dated!"

An adamant shake of the head. "No! You're wrong! I never laughed at you!
How could I?! I love you!"

"I HATE you!" Junba snapped. "It's over now! Get lost!"

With that declaration, she threw her engagement ring to the ground, and
then she rushed into the house, sobs escaping her. Jariten watched her go,
and then he quietly picked up the ring, his sadness all too apparent as he
held it in his hands. Just a few short hours before, this ring had brought
him so much joy. With a resigned sigh, he then dropped it into his uniform
pocket.

Amora walked up to him. "Ten-chan . . . ?"

"Shut up, Amora! Just shut up!"

With that, he lunged into the air, heading south for the dockyards. Amora
watched him go, and then, after a shake of the head, turned to redefine
"glare" at her father's bond-mate. Right then, Lum flew up to land before
them. Her eyes were quick to lock on the prostate figure on the stretcher,
they widening in shock as she recognizes her long-lost friend.
"B-b-Benten?!" she gasped. "How?!"

No answer. Lum was quick to detect Amora's rage and Shinobu's melancholy.
"What's going on?" Lum wondered. "Why such faces?"

"Junba just learned she's adopted!" Amora icily growled before she stomped
away.

Lum watched her march off to their home, and then she turned to Shinobu.
"How can this be? How did Benten get here?"

"Ask Amora, Lum," Shinobu growled. "She knows!"

"Ya . . . sure," Lum mumbled before she turned to fly off after her
daughter.

Shinobu sighed as she gazed at Benten for a moment. She then jolted on
hearing crashing noises from inside the house. She turned as Megane calmly
stepped out, he nursing a bruise on his head. "I suggest you look out!" he
muttered. "Junba's on the warpath!"

"So I see," Shinobu said as she passed by.

The monk then eerily smiled. "I told you so."

Shinobu froze on hearing that, an annoyed shudder flowing through her, as
Megane headed back to his camp. She then marched into her house. Inside,
everything seemed in order, save for a wrecked living room table. Shinobu
then made her way to Junba's bedroom. The door was ajar. Listening in, she
was quick to detect her daughter's sobs. Glancing in, she saw Junba crying
into her pillow.

"Junba . . . ?"

"Go away!" Junba snapped. "Leave me alone!"

Shinobu gently slipped into the bedroom. "I'm sorry you had to discover
the truth *this* way." She sat beside her, a hand reaching over to squeeze
Junba's shoulder. "We are related in a way. I'm your godmother. I adopted
you after Benten and Nassur disappeared."

No effect. "Please, Junba," Shinobu said pleadingly. "Benten's parents
couldn't take you in; Fukunokami was facing a possible war with Varakos
then, remember?" A pause. "And Nassur's mother couldn't take you in; she
lives on Sagussa. I didn't want to see you raised in an orphanage. That's
why I adopted you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before. I wanted to. I
really did! Our lives just got in our way."

Junba stares tearfully at her. "W-why did my real parents abandon me? Why
didn't they keep me?"

Without hesitation, fingers reached up to brush Junba's tears away. "I
don't know. Maybe we can find out now that your mother's back. One thing I
do know: Nassur and Benten loved you to the core of their beings. If they
left you, they had no other choice."

Finally, the younger woman's sobbing subsided. Junba slowly sat up to gaze
on the woman who had stepped in to save her from some unknown fate. She
then leaned forward and the two embraced. "Oh, Mom!" Junba sobbed. "I'm so
sorry . . . "

"I'm sorry too, Aiotoga," Shinobu apologized, a smile then crossing her
face. "Mistakes were made but none of them were meant to hurt you. I
deserved it for keeping everything a secret for so long. Now let's bring
your real mother in!"

Junba jolted. "Oops! That's not the way to gain a mother's trust!"

Both laughed as they rose to head back outside.

* * *

Sometime later, Lum returned home after docking her scout at the
Toranoseishin Finances Tower. Amora reclined on the living room floor, her
eyes gazing absently at the ceiling. A nearby clock chimes midnight.
Marching in, Lum moved to lean over Amora. "My ship's docked!" the older
woman announced. "Now, kindly explain what's going on, young lady!"

Amora sighed, and then she sat up. "We're not sure exactly. Benten-bachan
crash-landed on Triton. That's all we know right now."

Lum blinked. "What about Nassur? Was there . . . ?"

"No sign of him," Amora cut her mother off with a shake of her head.
"Oyuki-bachan sent Benten-bachan to Earth for Ozuno-sensei to find out what
happened." A snort. "Personally, I think Budou-sensei would be a better
choice."

Lum sighed. "Right." Ever since she was a small child, Amora had never
really respected Sakura despite the fact that she counted Ozuno Seiteki
these days as her best friend. "What's caused the ill-feelings between you
and Shinobu? She is your Mamon'cha, remember?!" she then reminded her
child, automatically using the Sagussan word for "father's bond-mate" when
referring to the nurse.

"She sure doesn't act like one!" Amora growled back before she moved to
calm herself. "Anyhow, Benten-bachan woke up on our way back and she
discovered that Junba was her child before she began to rip the ship apart.
*Mamon'cha,*" -- her voice turned caustic -- "Deserved all she got for what
she did to Aiotoga. Unfortunately, someone innocent got it worse!"

"Who?!"

"Ten-chan. Junba broke their engagement once she found out that he knew
everything about her parents and wouldn't tell."

Lum took that in, and then she looked down. "Poor Ten-chan. First, Minami
.. . . now this! He must be heartbroken."

Amora sighed. "He is! How could you and Dad let this happen, Mom? You
all knew about Junba's parents! Why didn't you tell her?!"

"Shinobu wanted to do it." Lum then frowned. "We kept quiet in accordance
to her wishes."

"Parents!" Amora spat out as her eyes rolled. "At least, you told ME the
truth about MY origins." With that, she stood, turning upstairs for bed.
"If it was up to Miyake, I'd probably never wouldn’t have learned about your
miscarriage! Good night, Mom."

Lum remained silent as Amora headed upstairs. After hearing her bedroom
door slam shut, she then let her tears flow.

"It wasn't a miscarriage, Amora-chan."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

Next door, Shinobu was heating some food for Benten. The hunter was asleep
on the living room couch. Junba had finally turned in for the night. Once
the meal was ready, Shinobu poured it into a bowl, set it on a tray, and
then she headed into the living room. Carefully, she jostled Benten awake.
"Benten?" the nurse/princess called out. "Wake up!"

Benten started. Catching sight of Shinobu, she then recoiled from her
hand. Glaring at her host, her lips instantly curled into a silent snarl.
"Benten, relax," Shinobu soothed with a sigh. "It's me, Miyake Shinobu.
You must recognize me!"

The Fukunokami's eyes remained fixed on Shinobu. The nurse remained still,
knowing that, in cases like this, any sudden movement could provoke a
violent response. Comfortable with the fact that her psionic powers and
strength could more than match a deranged Benten, she saw no reason to
provoke a fight. "You're probably hungry." Shinobu presented the bowl. "I
warmed up some leftover beefbowl for you."

Looking at the offered food, Benten snatched it from Shinobu's hands.
After a precautionary sniff, she then proceeded to gobble it down. "I need
to get her trust," Shinobu mused aloud as she sat in a chair across from the
hunter. "Benten?" she then probed, deciding it was time for answers. "What
happened to you? Where have you been? Where's Nassur-kun? Why haven't you
aged all this time?"

The now-empty bowl flew at Shinobu in answer. The nurse calmly dodged it.
"More!" Benten snapped.

"At least she can talk," Shinobu wryly mused.

Incensed by the flippant response, the Fukunokami grabbed the
Terran-turned-Sagussan by her housecoat, glaring into her eyes. "More!"
Benten repeated as she glared intently into Shinobu's eyes. "Hungry!"

Shinobu sighed as she firmly pulled Benten's hands off her, her grip
causing the hunter to gasp. "Hai, hai, Sahib! My feet are like wings!"
She then stood, muttering, "One thing about you I *didn't* miss is that
Lyna-be-damned temper of yours."

As she picked up the bowl from the floor, Shinobu then froze in mid-stride
when Benten sobbed, "Aiotoga."

Shinobu looked over. The moonlight flowed into the room, making Benten's
tears glisten. "She's asleep. Do you want to see her?"

Those words were enough to shatter the dam holding the other woman's
emotions back. "S-she . . . " the hunter gasped. "She didn't know who I
was, but . . . b-but I knew her as soon as I saw her! How long has it been
since Nassur and I were captured?"

"Seventeen years."

Silence fell as Benten processed that bombshell. "Seventeen years?! I
missed so much . . . and it's all her fault . . . !"

With that, her strength faded as sorrow once more overcame her. Shinobu
set the bowl on an end table, and then she sat beside Benten, instinctively
pulling her into a warm embrace. "Who's fault?" the nurse gently inquired.
"Benten, who are you talking about?"

"It was Queen Elle!" Benten icily replied. "She took us away from our
child and friends . . . !"

More sobs. Shinobu remained still, allowing Benten the chance to regain
some sense of decorum. Finally, the latter gazed on her host. "You've
changed," the hunter whispered. "You're not hyper like you used to be.
It's like you're a different person!"

"In more ways than one," Shinobu ruefully admitted. "Seventeen years have
passed. In that time, I've physically aged a year and a half. What did you
expect?" An eyebrow arched. "That we'd all go into cryogenic suspension to
wait for your return?"

"Very funny!" Benten wryly snarled. "It could be worse, I admit. You
could be an old lady . . . or dead."

"Care to have more of your body wrecked?" Shinobu dead-panned.

Benten shrugged. Gradually, as the tension faded, the old friendship came
back to them. Laughter washed away the last of the apprehension as they
warmly embraced. "Oh, it's so good to be back!" Benten said. "Hey, I'm
hungry still! Got something to eat?!"

"Okay, greedy guts, you win! I'll go get the shovel!"

Shinobu headed back into the kitchen. Benten stuck her tongue out at the
nurse's back, and then she relaxed as her mind churned over the primary bit
of news Shinobu gave her. *Seventeen years . . . !*

* * *

Finally stuffed to the gills, Benten then found herself the centre of
attention of a gathering of the "usual suspects." Lum and Ataru had come
immediately over from their home, the latter having sensed what had happened
through his marei'cha bond with Shinobu. Also present was an obviously
pregnant Seq Ran, a curious Ozuno Sakura and Ryooki Koosei and a calm Megane
Aisuru. Junba was also awake, she eager to learn the truth about herself.
Surrounded by both old friends and a new daughter, Benten realized she
needed to explain her seventeen-year absence. "Elle's troops captured
Nassur and me," Benten began. "I put Junba into an escape pod on the
'Renegade' because we both believed we wouldn't escape. We knew someone
would find her and take care of her. Nothing until five days ago. We woke
up . . . in freezer units."

"Freezer units?" Ataru said. "You were cryofrozen all this time?"

Benten nodded. "That's right. It was then we made our escape . . . "

** ** **

Five days previously . . .

On Elle, in a darkened laboratory outside Baran, Benten and Nassur woke to
find themselves standing in cryofreeze chambers. Both were quick to
discover that the chambers weren't open. The uncomfortable warmth was also
something they couldn't ignore. To make matters worse, Nassur saw thick
grey smoke seeping into the lab. Turning to each other, they tried to shout
something. No sound could pass through the walls of their chambers. Nassur
then made a motion with his open hand across his face, mouthing "psi-link."
Benten nodded understandingly as both relaxed themselves, allowing their
minds to forge a psionic line.

*Benten, can you hear me?*

*Yeah! I guess you can hear me.*

*Loud and clear. You have an idea what happened?!*

*Damned if I know! Last thing I remember's seeing Aiotoga escape. Where
are we?! Why've we been frozen? Why's it getting so hot?*

*This clearly wasn't planned,* Nassur replied with a grimace. *These units
usually open automatically when the person inside thaws. The unit's still
working but the lab's so warm, the computers haven't registered that we're
awake.*

*Great!* Benten moaned. *We suffocate or we sweat to death. You sense
anyone around?*

*Several people nearby. Their brainwave patterns tell me they're frantic
about something.*

*They aren't the only ones,* Benten began to pant. *Can we get out of
here?*

*Good question.*

Benten sighed, and then she began to bang on the glass to see if it would
break. No effect; the confines of the chambers prevented her from leaning
back and hitting the glass with her usual elan. Nassur then flashed a
warning: *Somebody's coming! Stay still!*

They assumed their original positions. Through slightly opened eyes, they
watched as several Ellsian lab technicians, supported by members of the
Royal Ellsian Defence Force, rush in. Some headed for the other chambers
and open them; others gathered and moved portable equipment, tools and notes
out of the room as quick as they could. An older technician raced to the
chambers containing his guests. "Good," she said with a relieved nod.
"They're still frozen! Take them out of those tubes before the fire spreads
to this room."

The doors were unlocked and opened. The attendants grabbed them roughly,
hurling them onto available gurneys and pushed them out of the room. The
stench of a chemical fire assaulted the hunters' noses as they were carried
out. *Now what?* Benten asked.

*Wait for it,* Nassur warned.

The technicians and the guards transported the "frozen" hunters out of the
complex. The parade finally arrived at a loading dock where a small
hovertruck marked MOBILE FREEZER UNIT awaited them. *Uh-oh!* Benten tried
not to gulp. *We're in trouble.*

*Now or never!*

Nassur sprang into action. The technicians and guards were startled at the
sight of two "frozen" beings leaping nimbly off the gurneys. Their
hesitation was enough to give Nassur and Benten the chance to easily subdue
them. Off in the near distance, another guard doing sentry duty turned a
corner, spot the ruckus, and then she yelled, "They're awake!"

"Capture them!" one of the subdued technicians ordered. "Don't let them
escape!"

Thanks to their long suspension, it took fifteen seconds for the hunters to
eliminate all potential resistance. As the last guard dropped unconscious,
Nassur and Benten quickly armed themselves. "That was easy!" Benten noted
as she picked up a rifle.

"We've learned one thing," Nassur affirmed as he grabbed a couple of
blasters. "We're on Elle."

Benten blinked. "Elle?! How can you tell?!"

He showed her a blaster. "The guards are dressed in R.E.D.F. uniforms and
these are standard issue weapons!"

"What does Elle want with us?" Benten wondered. "We're not on her list of
most popular people."

"We'll find out soon enough," Nassur mused. "Let's go."

"No arguments here."

They leave the mobile freezer unit truck behind, knowing that the darkness
of the night would help keep them invisible. The hunters made their way to
a bush behind the lab to catch their breath. "Made it!" Benten gasped.

Nassur motioned to the lab. Benten watched as the building was consumed by
flames. A dozen fire trucks, lights flashing and sirens blaring, pulled up
and try to quash the blaze. "Lucky!" Benten commented. "We just missed
becoming fried squid."

Nassur motioned into the bush. "Let's get some distance from this place!"

* * *

After an hour of running, the bush melted into Baran's suburbs. Despite
the late hour, Nassur and Benten stayed in the alleyways and back streets.
No telling what police patrols were dashing hither and yon, hunting for
criminal-looking types. "Now what?" Benten wondered.

"Right now? Avoid capture." Nassur then snorted. "What we have to do is
get off this planet."

"How?" Benten asked as she stretched herself. "My body feels so sluggish .
.. . "

"Hibernation sickness," he noted as he took a moment to examine their
surroundings. While he had not frequented this world as much as he had
places like Gomiana, Nassur did know Baran's general layout. "It'll pass
soon. We've probably been frozen a couple of years."

"Why would Elle freeze us?" she asked as she took her own look. "It
doesn't make sense." Hearing no reply from her husband, she turned to see
Nassur hacking into a street-side computer information terminal. "What are
you doing?"

"Trying to find some answers," he grunted as he played with the keyboard.
After a moment, he smiled. "There! I've broken into planet Elle's main
database. Let's see . . . "

* * *

In the core of Baran's main city computer complex, a security monitor
technician blinked as something appeared on her screen. "Commander," she
called out. "I'm detecting an unauthorized entry in terminal THX-1138.
Should I send a squad to investigate?"
The obese watch supervisor limbered up to glance over her subordinate's
shoulder. "Strange. It's only a street information post. Perhaps some
kids playing around. Keep an eye on them. They might get into something
sensitive."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Nassur gritted his teeth. "This computer's more advanced than I thought.
We've been out a long time."

Benten remained on watch as her husband worked away. "Get anything?"

"Nothing . . . wait!" Nassur then yelped. "I've just located 'Renegade.'"

"Good! Let's get out of here!"

"Agreed."

* * *

The supervisor's private audiophone rang. "Yes?" she answered. She then
tensed as the other end made its report. "I see. We'll send squads out
immediately!" Hanging up, she then opened a video phone line to the city's
internal security primary dispatch station. "Attention all units! Be on
the lookout for Nassur of Vos and Benten Shigaten of Fukunokami! They're
both armed and dangerous! If possible, they're to be taken alive! Chief
Operative Seven Bake Rose, report to duty immediately!"

Around her, the technicians all shuddered on hearing the mercenary's name.
The one monitoring THX-1138 then looked up on noting some new action from
the terminal in question. "Ma'am! The hackers stopped after gaining
information about the captured starship 'Renegade.'"

"What?!" the supervisor gasped, then, on realizing the significance of that
report, she flipped open the link to internal security.

"All units: converge on City Spacedock 245!"

* * *

City Spacedock 245 once belonged to the Royal Ellsian Defence Force.
Currently, it was largely empty. Save for storage boxes and a familiar
Fukunokami-built frigate, all covered with dust and cobwebs. "There she
is!" Nassur declared with a cautious smile as the hunters slipped inside
through a side door. "She still looks in fine shape." A pause. "I hope."

"I hope so, too," Benten muttered as she scoured the area. "This is too
easy! Somebody must know we've escaped!"

Almost in answer, Nassur's eyes glowed, and then he grabbed his wife to
force her to the deck. "Down!"

Several lasers bisected the air above their heads. "I knew it!" Benten
moved to take cover. "I see seven!"

"Mark! Let's fight!"

A sporadic firefight began. *I just thought of something!* Benten
psi-links. *Where do we go when we get off this rock?*

*Not sure,* Nassur replied as he fired his weapon. *Right now, any port in
a storm will do.*

*Thanks for the encouragement!* Benten forced a security officer to dive
for cover with a spray of rifle fire. *Here's another thought: what if
everyone we know is dead or too old to be any use to us?!*

*We're in trouble.*

Suddenly, all fire ceased. Nassur and Benten peek out from cover, both
quickly noting that more security troops were streaming into the spacedock.
*I think we can make a break for it,* the Vosian mused as he bit his lip.
*C'mon!*

Both bolted for the 'Renegade's' boarding ramp, they dodging sporadic fire
as the other side quickly noticed what was happening. *I'll stand guard,*
Nassur psi-linked as he took cover by several boxes, still some distance
from the boarding hatch. *Get her going!*

*Right!*

Benten dashed aboard. The Fukunokami ignored the dust and cobwebs as she
ran to the bridge. The disturbed air threw up a fine cloud, causing her to
sneeze. "So much for house cleaning!" she grumbled as she sat at the helm
to commence emergency start-up.

Below, Nassur kept watch. His eyes flashed, and then he ducked as a metal
fist flew overhead. "Ah, Seven Bake Rose!" Nassur then smiled on seeing an
older yet familiar -- and currently cybernetic-enhanced -- mercenary facing
him. "You haven't aged well!"

"I've waited years for this!" Rose de Hausenbach growled, sensor-eye
glowing. "I'm better than I was the last time we fought!"

"Bad imitation of Ataru's Cyborg form!" Nassur noted as he calmly began to
evade her punches. *Benten, Seven Bake Rose's here! Can you get 'Renegade'
ready?!* he psi-flashed his wife.

Benten was busy trying to cold-start the warp core. *Trying! Keep her
busy!*

It was easy; Nassur was more than able to hold his own against Rose.
"You're an idiot getting cybernetic parts, Rosie!" he taunted her. "Even
now, you can't take me on one-on-one! I speak from experience!"

Meanwhile, on the frigate's bridge, Benten angrily slammed her hands on the
console. "Damn it, why won't you start?!"

"Renegade's" engines turned over. "Finally!" she cried.

Nassur blinked as he heard the start-up. Rose moved to take advantage.
"Don't get your hopes up!"

He sidestepped the cyborg as she waded into some nearby crates with the
grace of a crashing missile. "Sorry, Rosie!" Nassur said in farewell as he
dashed to the boarding ramp. "We'll finish this some other time!"

"Coward!" Rose screamed. "Come back here and fight like a man!"

*Benten!* he psi-linked. *Coming aboard!*

*Hurry up! More soldiers!*

Unseen by either of them, a sniper had taken position behind a crate.
Calmly, she bore-sighted her weapon on the Vosian some metres away. Her
bolt lanced into Nassur's left shoulder! *B-Benten!* he gasped as he sank
to the spacedock deck. *I'm hit!*

*I'll stop and get you!*

*N-no . . . * Nassur said pleadingly as he faded out. *Get help . . .
Varanko, Dakejinzou, the hybrids, Lum . . . do it . . . !*

As more soldiers raced into the dock, he smiled as "Renegade" blasted off
before unconsciousness overcame him . . .

** ** **

"I decided to fly 'Renegade' to Earth," Benten completed. "The engines
gave out over Triton and I crashed. End of story."

Everyone remained silent as they absorb the hunter's tale. "As soon as I'm
able," Benten added, "I'm going back to rescue Nassur."

"I'll help!" Junba immediately volunteered. "I want to meet my dad."

"Junba, are you out of your mind?" Ataru demanded. "That's very
dangerous."

"Moroboshi-sensei." Junba stared at him. "I'm no green kid! Mrs.
Moroboshi's been teaching me marital arts for years."

Benten blinked as she absorbed what she just heard, and then she smiled.
"I see a lot's changed since we left!"

"We wished you could've come," Lum noted as she squeezed her husband's
hand.

"Makes four of us." Benten then gazed at Junba. "What about you, Aiotoga?
Do you have a boyfriend?"

Hearing that, the teenager's happy look crashed. "What have I done?!" she
wailed as she bolted for her bedroom.

"Did I say something?" Benten asked as she heard a bedroom door slam shut.
"What happened?"

"Junba's boyfriend was Jariten," Shinobu explained with a shake of her
head. "They were going to be married. I never told Junba she was adopted.
Neither did Ten. When you came back, they got into a fight and Junba broke
off the engagement."

"I see," Benten breathed out. "Poor kid."

The other nodded, many of them sighing in turn. In her bedroom, Junba was
weeping into her pillow. "What a jerk! What an idiot! Why did I break it
off?! What do I do?! How will he ever forgive me?!"

* * *

Next morning, Amora was quick to pass on the news to her classmates.

Tomobiki High's rumour mill did the rest . . .

"This is the most horrible day I ever thought I would live through!" Megane
Shinpai exclaimed.

"I've never seen Junba-chan so upset!" Chibi Rikoshugi noted. "What do we
do?"

"If word spreads," Kakugari Kokishin warned, "Every guy in the school will
be after Junba-chan! What will we do?!"

The bodyguards crossed their arms and thought about it. "I got it!" Paama
Omoshiroi spoke up. "Why don't we get first in line?!"

They exchanged looks, and then the quartet diabolically laughed. "And they
say **I'M** wanton and fickle?" Amora sneered at them before she barked
out, "You guys are sick! Working on a poor girl's sadness for your own
gain! Disgusting!"
Junba then arrived, her shoulders sagged in sorrow. Fujinami Dansei
trailed her best friend, concern etched on the tomboy's face. On seeing
their class representative, many of the boys moved to "prepare" themselves.
*Poor girl,* Amora mused as she gazed sympathetically on her neighbour.
*She's in for it now! How could Shinobu-bachan DO such a thing to her?!*

Junba sat down. "S-she's here!" Shinpai stuttered as nervousness washed
through him. "Who should go first?!"

"Should it be by lot?" Rikoshugi wondered.

Kokishin shook his head. "Nah! Too easy to cheat! Jurgen?!"

"Too long!" Omoshiroi hissed.

"There's only one course to take!" Shinpai's glasses then glowed. "***A
MASS ATTACK!***"

With that, they leapt at Junba . . .

And ran into a pair of tiger-stripped walls!

Of course, the "walls" were the transformed Rin and Ren. "There's the
devil twins, right on schedule!" Amora muttered.

They reverted to normal as they sympathetically gazed at their class rep.
"Hiya, Junba!" Rin began. "We heard about your break-up."

"And we'd be honoured if you'd go out with one of us!" Ren added.

"And it'd better be me!" Rin finished.

Sure enough, Ren spun on his brother, he snaring Rin's jacket. "How can
you be so airheaded?! She wants to be with me!"

"Stick your head in a cannon! She wants me!"

"ME!"

Junba rolled her eyes as the expected fight began. *I don't want EITHER of
them!*

Suddenly, a pair of rockets blasted Rin and Ren out of the class! When the
smoke cleared, Mendou Tetsubou stormed in, rocket launcher at the ready.
"Enough! You monsters will not fight near Junba-san as long as I'm here!"

"Tetsubou!" Junba gasped, surprised by his actions. "What are you doing
with that?!"

"I was merely paying homage to 'Assemble Insert,'" Tetsubou reported.

Mass face-fault! In the blink of the eye, Tetsubou is at Junba's side, his
hand gently grasping her. Expectantly, the lights around them grew fuzzy as
romantic music played in the background. Their classmates watched this
strange tableau play out. Save Amora, she clearly nauseous by his show of
exuberance. "Junba-san," Tetsubou intoned. "I know how you feel. It was
the same for me when my parents divorced."

Junba looked ready to cry. "I feel so dead inside, Tetsubou."

"I'm here if you want me. Go ahead and cry. You'll feel better."

"I see Tetsubou didn't waste time," Seiteki commented from nearby.

Amora scowled. "You'd think this was a soap opera, not a science fiction
comedy-adventure!"

Tears flowing, Junba accepted Tetsubou's embrace. "Tetsubou . . . "

He patted her back. "Aiotoga . . . "

"So THIS is what you do when my back's turned!"

Everyone spun around to stare at the window, where a VERY incensed Jariten
currently stood. "Jariten!" Junba gasped as she pulled herself away from
Tetsubou. "It's not what you think . . . !"

"Oh?!" the ensign icily growled. "What DO you think I'm thinking?!"

Amora was quick to notice the bouquet of flowers. *It's hit the fan, folks
.. . . *

Incensed by Jariten's unspoken accusation, Junba marched up to glare at
him. "Tetsubou's only showing some kindness," she growled.

"Is that what YOU call it?!" He snorted. "I came ready to apologize.
Seems to me it didn't take YOU long to find a replacement!"

"Oh, yeah?!" she retorted, her face flushing with rage. "Well, listen up!
Mendou Tetsubou's a lot better than you! At least HE knows how to treat a
woman and HE doesn't hold the truth from them!"

Hearing that, Jariten seemed stricken. "I see," he then said. "So that's
what you think, eh?! You want him?!" he demanded as he then threw the
bouquet into the air, incinerating it then with his flame-breath. "You can
have him!"

The ashes cascaded to the floor between them. Junba slapped him. "It's
over! I hope you die in space! HORRIBLY!"

"If I had to come back to a girl like you?!" he retorted with bared fangs,
"I'd rather I DID die in space!"

With that, he was off, flying back to the shipyards. His abrupt departure
instantly made Junba realize that she just let a golden opportunity slip
through her fingers. "Oh, no!" she then moaned, hand falling over her
heart. "What have I done?!"

Tetsubou then seized her from behind. "Aiotoga!"

* * *

Moments later, Ataru stepped in. "'Morning, class!"

The teacher jolted on seeing wrecked desks piled over someone and Amora
trying to calm a violently shaking Junba down. "Calm down, Aiotoga!
There's still time to get back together if you try!"

Ataru stared at Seiteki. "What happened?"

"Ten and Junba just had a fight and Tetsubou interfered," she responded
before a coy stare crossed her face. "I didn't know Junba was into kinky
stuff. It gives me an idea . . . "

His eyes rolled. "Grow up, Seiteki, and stow it!"

The principal's daughter jolted. The teacher called the class to order,
pointedly ignoring her. "Why's he playing hard-to-get?!"

* * *

Later, at the Miyake home, Benten stared in disbelief at an ornate suit of
body armour hanging on the wall of Shinobu's bedroom. Magenta with silver
piping, it was clearly Yehisrite in design, complete with ceremonial cape
and sheathed broadsword. After taking a moment to absorb that fearsome
image, the hunter then hesitantly turned to Shinobu, she busy drawing out
some photo albums. "You're a laqu'r?!"

"That's right," the nurse replied with a smile. "Shortly after you and
Nassur were captured, Sheko tried to avenge the Mikado's death on Ataru. He
nearly killed Ataru; my sister Joshu saved him via tre'cha. I killed Sheko.
End of story."

Benten moved to sit beside her. "Then why aren't you living in Kyotos?"

"I lived there for five years, helping out with political reforms and
cleansing out Sheko's cronies," Shinobu explained as she opened an album.
"But eventually, I felt Kyotos City was no place to raise Aiotoga. I moved
back here and left Varanko's grandson Chanko in charge as Principal Lord
Protector. It's the first time ever that Kyotos has tried this form of
government. No one's had reason to complain: the lords' positions are
secure and the citizens are prosperous, light-years different from Sheko's
time. Anyhow, take a look . . . "

B