[Evening 5]
Once the excitement had died down, the patrons of the "No Man's Land Bar" noticed that Red did not come back empty-handed. Two young morsels were with her. Both were dressed in skin-tight catsuits with hoods. The only parts of their bodies not covered were their pony-tails, eyes, and a cut-out panel showing a valley of deep cleavage.
Both had a dangerious feel to them, like tigresses laying low, awaiting for the correct moment to pounce. Yet, it was obvious to the patrons that Red was holding their metaphoric leashes.
//Oh my, they grow up so fast,// was the thought of many of the bar patrons about Red.
The owner of the bar brought Red a pick-me-up drink, which was mostly alcoholic in nature, which Red gulped down without any problem, this time.
Still, the alcohol did its job, or rather signal the beginning of Red's story-telling. Something everyone in the bar enjoyed.
Red told them of the scroll that Happosai had given her, and how Nabiki Tendo decided to join him at the last moment, correctly guessing that she was not going to tell anyone of her latest training trip.
A training trip which ended up being through the Multiverse because of her curiosity and boredom.
They visited a total of thirty worlds, including the first.
She had been cursed, broken of many of the lingering misunderstandings of her upbringing under Genma left behind, such as views on weapons, girls, and sex. Learned other Arts, such as culinary, mysticism, and technologies, as not to be dependent upon any single Art or Way.
She had been an Iron Chef; an Armsmaster (of Jade); the fifteen Hiko Seijourou of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu; befriended an Orge, who had set about killing his nine hundred, ninty-nine siblings so he could become human, which Red helped him accomplished; she combined Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu with Orge-Slaying to become the OniKirimaru Battousai, which caused several gasps to be heared; she learned chi-sorcery; fooled some Amazons; lived on a strict Patriarchical society; extanded his Art under several Masters; battled goddesses and demon-queens; learned some Holy magic; fougt in several street fighter tournaments; found NAbiki had strong desires to submit to her; joined the American Military Elite Counter-Terrorist unit for a time; joined a global Counter-Terrorist unit battling alien androids on Mars; went on some adventures with some elves, dwarves, and dragons; fought in World War Three; studied robotics, cybernetics, and biotechnology in an advance world; deal with some Amazons wanting to rule the world; fought off a demon invasion; learned the Ways of the Force; walked among Kamis; fought in some more street fighter touranments; started a revolution while Nabiki played in the White Tower; battled the evil Dyntasy; explored cyberspace; and helped a young wizard restore his world.
Doctor Kaoru Sato, Red's Sempai, shook her head and voiced the bar's thoughts, "If it was any one but you, Red." She smiled down at the young woman, whose lap she was sitting in. Kaoru knew that Red was both hiding some of the details and down playing what had happened to her. It was simply within Red's character to do so.
It was one of the things that made her come back time and time again. Here, Red was not judged, and she was believed, no matter how crazy her life was. Of course, she also knew that many here had their own crazy lives as well.
"Look at the time," Red commented. "Got to get going. Sorry."
The bar patrons realized that Red was trying to be polite, and they let her and her pets go.
"Sempai," Red whispered into her ear. "Can you join us?"
"Why, Red, I didn't know you had it in you," Doctor Sato replied with a grin.
Red blushed, but said nothing.
Curious, Doctor Sato followed Red and her pets out the back door.
Or what should have been the back door.
The five of them found themselves in a courtyard of some ancient castle. Behind them was a gate they had obviously passed through to enter the inner castle grounds.
Doctor Sato noticed that Red had changed back into otoko-Ranma without hot water, and that her outfit had also transformed into his traditional red Chinese silk shirt, black kung-fu pants, and slippers.
She also noted that Ranma seems more powerful... more muscular... more manily, for the lack of a better word. Not something she had truly thought of her student before.
"Welcome to Hosuseri Castle," Ranma said to his guests.
"Wow, this is some replica," Reiko remarked.
Doctor Sato looked towards the two pets that she had forgotten about. Both young women were now wearing form-fitting gray gis and high-heeled slippers. She was surprised to realize that the two young women were super-models/movie actresses Reiko Yonai and Ayano Yunokawa.
"That's not a replica," Katsumi stated with absolute certainty. Kaoru did not even know her lesbian lover had followed them.
Ranma just nodded, smiled at Katsumi, and answered, "That's correct. This is the original Hosuseri Castle, built by Takagi-no-Kami back in the Yamato Era."
"How?" Kaoru inquired in awe. To what she referring to was not clear.
"This way," Ranma said.
The five walked into the Castle proper. The hallway was as majestic. The guests could easily see that this was a place of Shoguns and mighty Daimyos.
They walked down another hallway, not noticing that the four females each went down a different path.
"Have a seat," Ranma told Katsumi.
Katsumi was nervous but compiled. She had noted that they had all been separated, yet, Ranma was still with her.
"Katsumi," Ranma begin in a gentle voice. "I do know I owe you for taking all my cherries, in a very gentle way. And I know, you love Sempai... but when are you going to tell her?"
Katsumi blinked and looked for a way out. But there was not any. The very door they had come through was gone. Trying to play dumb, she asked, "Tell her what?"
Smiling gently, Ranma stated, "That you're a succubus."
Katsumi blinked again, blushed, and stated, "I don't know..."
"Katsumi-chan," Ranma begin. "Every since our first meeting, I've know you ain't human. And now..."
"Now?" Katsumi asked fearfully.
Ranma and Reiko walked into a Dojo.
"Strip," Ranma stated calmly.
Reiko ripped her gi off in her eagerness to obey her Kami.
"Kneel," Ranma commanded.
Reiko did so.
"Closes your eyes," Ranma stated.
Reiko obeyed, and she felt a breeze upon her bare skin.
"Keep your eyes closed," Ranma reminded her. "Feel the breeze upon your skin... Feel with your senses where the breeze is coming from.... Feel the breeze touch your skin... Feel where the breeze is touching you."
Ranma and Ayano walked into a Dojo.
"Strip," Ranma commanded Ayano.
Grinning, Ayano ripped her gi off in her eagerness to obey her Kami.
"Defend yourself," Ranma stated calmly. As he launched a punch, which she barely blocked.
Ranma kept the pressure upon her. Always moving at a level above her, making her work harder and harder.
"Feel the ki flowing through your body," Ranma would comment.
Ranma and Kaoru walked into a dining room.
The dining room was set formally, but the table was made for two. There were candles in the middle, lit, and the water glasses were filled.
Ranma guided Kaoru to her seat, not really giving her much of the choice.
Ranma then took his seat, and said calmly, "Ask, Sempai."
Kaoru smiled and remarked, "Very dom-ish, Red-chan."
Ranma smiled at the compliment, but said nothing else.
Before Kaoru could say anything, two naked girls, wearing only a collar and high-heels, walked into the room carrying a plate each. Each girl placed a plate, which contained a simple salad, in front of Ranma and Kaoru.
"Delicious," Kaoru stated with a smile. She was looking at the girl that placed the salad in front of her.
"The salad is good too, Sempai," Ranma replied with a smirk. To the girls, he stated, "You may feed later."
The girls had looks of anticipation upon their faces as they quickly exited the room.
Kaoru looked to him, to which he remarked, "Succubi."
Kaoru's eyes widen in surprise, and could not help herself from saying, "But they look so human...." She covered her mouth, shocked at herself for saying such.
Ranma let a very small amount of ki flow through him and into Kaoru's hand that he gently took to calm her. It was not having sex-demons so close to her that upset her, rather, it was how judgemental and limited in her thinking that upsetted her. Her whole career was based on her ability to adapt and accept what odd or different situations that her clients (and herself) could be found in.
"They are more common then you think," Ranma replied with a smirk.
Kaoru looked at her protege and waited.
"Fine," Ranma said after a while. He signed and then continued, "As you know, a martial artist uses his, or her, ki to enhance their physical abilities. This is done by adding to the ki within a person's muscles if more ki, either from other parts of the body, or from one's environment."
Kaoru nodded, not sure where Ranma was going.
"In time, there comes a point where the saturation of ki exceeds what a muscle can hold," he explained. "Most believe that, one of two things can occur at that point. Either one starts to use the ki instead of the muscle, or the muscle exploded.
"Slowly, this new ki-muscle replaces the flesh-muscle. This done basically cell by cell, and is very hard to detect. Also, once one starting lose flesh muscle to ki-muscle, it is next to possible to replace. This is Akane's problem, although with magic, instead of ki."
"Oh?" Kaoru prompted.
"Akane is, literally, living off her magic," Ranma stated. "Seal or remove her magic, and her heart can't beat, her lungs can't inflat, nor could she move.
"Wouldn't be so bad, if she didn't use her anger to fuel and focus her magic. For all intent and purpose, Akane is needs her anger to live. She's addicted to it. Until she, herself, wants to change..."
"And in your case, Red-chan?" Kaoru prompted.
Ranma smiled, and stated, "In my case, not only have my muscles been replaced by ki, but my entire being is ki. I am a being of pure ki."
"How does that make you feel, Red-chan?" Kaoru inquire softly.
"Sempai!" Ranma exclaimed softly. "I'm not paying you by the hour."
"There are many ways of payment, Red-chan," Kaoru said with a grin. She licked her lips as she glazed at Ranma's crotch.
The succubi returned. One gently inquire if she was done with her salad. To which, Kaoru nodded. The succubus removed it and replaced it with a plate with steak, a baked potato, and a side of green beans.
"Very euro, Red-chan," Kaoru remarked.
Ranma just shrugged.
"So you don't need to eat," Kaoru observed.
"Nope," Ranma replied. "But it is enjoyable, and it more socially acceptable to have two people eating, then one just eating and the other not."
Kaoru nodded, and remarked, "There's more, isn't there, Red-chan?"
Ranma signed and stated, "Being a being of pure-ki wasn't so bad... It's being a kami that I still have trouble with."
Kaoru blinked and exclaimed softly, "Kami?"
"As I am not sure when I became pure-ki, I have even less idea when I became a kami," Ranma remarked. "Maybe it was instantaneous, nor not. Not even sure what the difference between a being of pure-ki and being a kami."
Kaoru thought for a moment and asked, "If you're a kami, Red-chan, what are you a kami of?"
"Had to asked, didn't you, Sempai," Ranma replied. "OFficially, I'm the Kami of Art. Art in all its forms."
Curious, Kaoru asked, "Officially? Which would also imply there is something unofficial..."
Ranma sighed. "Officially, as is there is a registry of kami and their domain maintained by Benten-no-Kami. Unoffically, Ma-mian tried to make a joke that I'm the kami of women. The Jade Emperor agreed..."
Kaoru smirked and enquired, "Kami of women?"
"As an unofficial dominion, it's not defined," Ranma replied off-handedly. "As such, a lot like to joke that I have complete dominion over all females.... or something."
Kaoru stared, and in a small voice asked, "Do you?"
Ranma just shrugged.
The succubi returned, taken away the dishes, and brought out a dessert. Both they left, each got a long, passionate kiss from Ranma. After the kiss, both succubi, literally, floated out the room.
"Over did it a bit," Ranma joked.
Kaoru smiled at Ranma, and asked, "What else is bothering you, Red-chan?"
Ranma smiles at his sempai, who knows him so well. "Nodoka."
Kaoru's right eyebrow was raised slightly, in the manner of a sci-fi character that shall remain nameless.
"Nodoka's thoughts are centered and focused on sex," Ranma calmly stated. "She does not have a single non-sexual related thought in her entire life."
Kaoru looked at Ranma, and he defended himself by saying, "It's true. And from what I have been able to research, her mother, and her mother's mothers, and so on... were all like that. I can't find anything in either her body chemistry or mental landscape to explain it. No succubi blood... No Shikima blood... No sex-kami blood... Nothing."
"While that does explain some of your mother's quirks," Kaoru began. "If she's been that way all her life?"
"What's different now?" Ranma finished. He calmly remarked, "Last night, No-chan, technically, raped me."
Kaoru blinked and waited. Her wait was not long.
Ranma answered, "You need to understand that No-chan has needs. Which the old panda isn't up to filling. If not that he doesn't try... He does... Just that he's just one mere human male. No-chan could tire out an entire sport teams... That unlike No-chan, the old panda was a virgin when they married, and hasn't ever thought of sex except as a chore that a husband does. So after No-chan tired him out last night...
"No-chan decided, if she couldn't find her ideal man, she'd birth him.
"So when I came upon her last night... She surprised me."
"How so?" Kaoru asked with curiosity.
"The Universe is a living entity," Ranma recited. "Just as a World has it's on Chi... So to does the Universe has it's own Life Force, or what was simply called The Force. It binds the Universe together, exists in all plants, all rocks, all beings, all planets... Anything you can do with chi, you can do with the Force. Like magic, there are some that are born with the ability to tape into the Force, while others can learn it. Those born with the ability are called, The Jedi. The Jedi are part Shaolin Monks, part Samurai, part Ambassadors, and part Seekers of Knowledge and Truths.
"As with both ki and magic, not all Jedi have the same abilities, power levels, or even skills. Or even the same philosophy...
"Genma's Force-abilities are minor, but do allow him to master a martial arts technique much faster then someone else could. Before last night, I didn't think No-chan had any ability at all."
Ranma took a sip of water, out of habit, and continued, "But last night, No-chan used the Force to, literally, pull me to her. Her raw strength was impressive, and completely unexpected.
"Just because I can completely satify her, does that mean I should?" Ranma asked.
Kaoru looked at Ranma with a patented neutral face.
"The old panda would thank me," he joked. Turning serious, "Plus, it's my duty as Jedi Master to train any Force-senstives that I came across."
"You've trained students..." Kaoru began, and trailed off.
"The bond between a Master and his pawadan learner is very imtimate, and while the bond only lasts for the length of the apprenticeship, it's still felt by both for the rest of their lives. And some times, even beyond... Which is why the Council usually only permits same-sex Master/student bonding... or marriaged couples. The joke that's told is: What do you call a male Master with a female student? Answer: A husband/father.
"But enought but me," Ranma concluded. "How are you doing, Sempai?"
The two talked quietly as the confidant they were for each other.
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