Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Sailor Goddess ❯ Errors and Misunderstandings ( Chapter 1 )

Sailor Goddess

A Ranma One Half Fan Fiction

By Michael A. Ivins

 

Ranma, and all of his/her friends and family are the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. I do not own any of them, nor do I own any of the characters from Ah! My Goddess or Sailor Moon. I'm writing this for fun, not profit. I'm so poor that suing me wouldn't do you much good.

 

WARNING: This is a sequel to a previous fic I wrote called, “Nodoka's Lessons.” That was a Lemon fic. While there won't be as much emphasis on sex (it will be more implied than described) in this sequel, it will deal with subjects like incest. If these subjects offend you, stop reading.

 

This is set after the end of the manga, following the failed wedding. To get the complete backstory you should read the earlier fic. Important points to note before starting on this story are these: Because of the influence of a magic stone and through use of instant Jusenkyo powders every member of both Tendo and Saotome families has been involved in sexual relations with ever other member of both families. Ranma and Akane are now married but Akane is “sharing” Ranma with Nodoka.

 

Nodoka has divorced Genma. Ranma, Akane and Nodoka are living in Nodoka's house. Ranma's curse “template” was changed so her girl form would be as tall as his male form. Genma's and Ryoga's curses were changed so they would change into human women instead of animals. Genma was stuck in female form and Soun got her pregnant.

 

It was discovered that Genma had a sister. Happosai was actually a demon spirit that had possessed a human. That creature had raped Genma's sister and got her pregnant. Happosai's son had become a sorcerer and had killed the little pervert to avenge his mother. He was the one who changed the curses.

 

Because of Amazon laws against incest the “marriage” between Ranma and Shampoo was declared void and she, along with Cologne and Mousse went back to China. The Kuno's have been convinced to back off. Ukyo decided she didn't “swing both ways” and wouldn't be able to deal with a sex-changing spouse. She moved out of Nerima and opened a new restaurant in Osaka.

 

This story picks up later the same day as the events in the epilogue from Nodoka's Lessons.

 

Chapter 1

Errors and Misunderstandings

 

In the city of Tokyo there were some areas that were prone to violence or “odd” occurrences. On such district was the Azabu-Juuban section of Minato ward. This area was famous or possibly infamous for being attacked by demons and youma and for being defended by a group of magic wielding teenaged girls in short skirts known as the Sailor Senshi.

 

Another area well known for violence as well as weird happenings was Nerima ward. In that area there lived more martial artists than anywhere else in the world. Some of those were sufficiently strong and advanced in their various Arts that the normal people referred to them as “super powered” martial artists. One of the greatest sources of chaos in the ward could be found at the Saotome home.

 

On the couch in the living room of the Saotome home sat a young woman named Saotome Ranma. She was tall and beautiful of face and figure. The home she was in was one she shared with her wife Akane and mother Nodoka. Currently she was the only person who was at home. It was a peculiar relationship she had with the other women. Akane was the wife of her male form, but she also considered Akane as her husband when he was in male form (thanks to instant Naniichuan powder). Nodoka was her mother and also her lover. While she hesitated to call Nodoka her wife, in truth the relationship was that close.

 

The most recent major event in her life would likely seem impossible to anyone just hearing about it. They had just found out that Akane was pregnant and Ranma was the father. She had confirmed that this morning with her ki senses.

 

Ranma looked down at her abdomen and contemplated it for a moment before going on in her ruminations. As if to compound the strangeness of the situation Ranma was now pregnant herself. Her ki senses and the staff at the clinic had confirmed the beginning of life inside her womb. To this child she was the mother and her wife/husband Akane was the father. Because Akane was pregnant and unable to use the magic water to turn male, the method chosen for Ranma's impregnation was artificial insemination.

 

Now that the deed was done and Ranma was pregnant she began to question the wisdom of acting in such haste. She could have waited until after Akane had given birth before getting pregnant herself. Instead Ranma had insisted that as soon as either of them got pregnant, the other would immediately be artificially inseminated so they could give birth at or near the same time. The idea had been to raise the children together and claim that they were twins.

 

Some time ago, when the subject of how many children they would have came up, Akane had insisted that she was only willing to go through childbirth twice. She had said that if Ranma wanted more children than that, then Ranma would have to give birth to them herself. Although Akane had been joking at the time, Ranma had taken her seriously. Ranma had felt that only by the approach they had taken could they be assured of having the number of children they both wanted and be able to raise them with a minimum of social stigma.

 

Even if she had rushed into it, everything had worked out. The visit to the fertility clinic had gone perfectly, even to getting an appointment today because there had been a cancellation. The paperwork had been perfect. The people on the staff were courteous and respectful. Ranma had even sensed the quickening of life in her womb before getting the confirmation from the clinic staff before she left the clinic. It was hard to imagine things going better.

 

So why was she feeling troubled? The word “perfect” echoed in her mind. How often did things go perfectly for Saotome Ranma and her family? If there had been some small things go wrong she would probably have felt better about the whole thing. She sighed. It was a sad commentary on her life that she was worried over things going well.

 

She tried to dismiss the worry from her mind, but it wouldn't go away. It was a nagging feeling that there was a something she was missing, some problem she hadn't noticed.

 

Unable to banish the worry from her mind she finally resolved to prove to herself that there was nothing wrong. She closed her eyes and focused her ki senses inward from her abdomen and into her womb. There among her own ki patterns was the little knot of ki energies that was a baby. Wait a minute… there was more than one of those knots of ki energy. That wasn't just one baby. There were two ki patterns there. Twins?

 

When she had been at the clinic she had been so elated at feeling the quickening of life inside her womb she had stopped looking at the first sign. Perhaps she had not been looking close enough or maybe she should have waited a little longer. While it was a surprise, it wasn't a bad one. That still didn't qualify as something going wrong.

 

She scanned the two patterns closer. They looked strong and healthy but something wasn't right. With Akane being the father there should have been some trace of his ki pattern on the babies. The ki signature should be a mixture of Ranma and Akane. These ki patterns were pure Ranma and nobody else.

 

That shouldn't be possible. As Ranma understood it, a newly conceived baby should always bear traces of ki from both parents as well as a core pattern that was uniquely their own. That core pattern was a mixture of the two parents.

 

She was beginning to feel panicked when she heard the call of “Tadaima” from the genkan. She recognized Nodoka's voice. Making a strong effort to calm herself, she called back, “Hi, Mom. I'm in the living room.”

 

Nodoka came into the living room looking happy and relieved. She was about to give her good news when she took in the distressed expression on her son/daughter's face.

 

Concerned for her child who was also her lover, Nodoka asked, “Ranma, what's wrong?”

 

The redhead was trying to keep the worry in her expression to a minimum and not doing very well at it. “I don't know mom. There is something wrong with the babies' ki signatures.”

 

Nodoka took a moment to digest that. She had notice the plural used. “'Signatures' as in more than one?”

 

In an impatient tone Ranma replied, “Yes mom, they're twins.”

 

Not seeing the problem, Nodoka pointed out, “But that means it worked.”

 

Ranma closed her eyes and took several deep breaths in an effort to calm herself. “Yes it worked. Everything went perfect. That by itself worried me because things almost never go perfect for me. When I left the clinic I knew I was pregnant but I didn't really look too close after I read that part. I was so excited that I didn't even look close enough to see that it was twins. I practically floated out of the place.”

 

Now clearly puzzled, the older Saotome woman said, “Then I don't understand. If it went perfect and you're carrying twins, what's the problem?”

 

Ranma looked close to tears. “As messed up as my life has been, when does anything go perfectly for me?”

 

Now understanding the reason for Ranma's distress, Nodoka tried to soothe her offspring. “I thought my nephew fixed that `chaos attraction' problem.”

 

Ranma remembered what her cousin, the sorcerer, had told her. “He said he did. At least he said he reduced the chaos attraction. He wasn't sure how to remove that curse completely.”

 

So Nodoka had been right about what was bothering her child. “I see. So you started to think that things were going too well and it worried you?”

 

The redhead nodded. “That's right. I tried to tell myself I was worried over nothing. I wanted to prove to myself I was wrong to be worried, so I decided to do a deep ki probe on the babies. At the time I didn't know there were two of them.”

 

From Ranma's tone it was evident that what she learned from the probe had worried the girl. “What did you find out?”

 

Ranma asked, “Do you remember I told you how I could read who the father of a baby is when I do a ki reading?”

 

Nodoka nodded. “You said you see traces of both parent's ki on the baby even if it is only the tiniest embryo. If you've previously read the ki of both parents in the past you can tell who the father of the baby is. You can also read if it is a boy or girl at the same time. Oh…”

 

Ranma could sense her mother straying off the main subject again. “One boy and one girl. They're twins but not identical.”

 

“Ah! Right!” Nodoka forced her thinking back to the problem at hand. “What did you find out with your ki probe?”

 

A worried frown on her face, Ranma told her mother, “I can't find any trace of Akane's ki on either of the babies. The only ki I can sense is mine. It shouldn't be possible for there to even be babies with just my ki.”

 

Grasping at straws, the elder Saotome woman asked, “Could they have given you the wrong sperm sample? Maybe from some other random man?”

 

The young woman's frown deepened and she shook her head. “It's the same problem. If that had happened there would be a trace of a ki signature I wouldn't recognize.”

 

In firm tones Nodoka said, “I think you need to go to see Dr. Tofu. He's the only doctor I know of who can read ki.”

 

Ranma gave a jerky nod of her head. “Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll go see him.” She got up and walked toward the door.

 

Her mother stood and grabbed Ranma's arm, saying, “I'm going with you. You are in a bad emotional state. I want to be there to support you. There's no way I'm letting you go alone the way you are right now.”

 

Ranma gave another jerky nod then motioned for the older woman to come along. After they got out of the house and were walking, a thought occurred to the redhead. “I'm sorry, Mom. I was so focused on my own problems that I forgot to ask. What did Dr. Tofu say about you?”

 

“I'm not sick,” Nodoka said.

 

Ranma was clearly puzzled. Recent events would tend to argue with that statement. “Huh? If you're not sick then why did you throw up this morning? Was it something you ate?”

 

Nodoka felt a little explanation was needed before springing the news. “When Toshi first told me how Happosai had used pressure points to make me infertile I asked if there was any way he could reverse it. He told me that he didn't know enough about that part of a woman's body and that he wouldn't risk even trying. If he did something wrong he could have hurt me badly or even killed me.”

 

Ranma acknowledged, “Yeah, I remember. I was there when he told you that.”

 

Nodoka bowed her head but kept walking. “There was something else he told me. A side effect of the infertility was that I would lose interest in sex if the infertility were not fixed in three years or less. Well, that did happen - I did lose interest in sex. Until the Family Stone started to do its work in me I was only interested in sex a couple of times in a year. Otherwise I didn't miss it.”

 

Ranma nodded, starting to understand what her mother was getting at. “And the Family Stone didn't just bring your sex drive up to normal levels, it supercharged it.”

 

With a slight chuckle Nodoka replied, “Right. Toshi speculated that having that side effect reversed might also erode the primary effect of those pressure points.”

 

“Might?”

 

The auburn haired mother nodded. “Basically what he was telling me was that because the magic of the Family Stone was making me `horny' again as you call it, I might become fertile again on my own.”

 

Ranma thought it sounded rather vague. She asked, “Did he know that or was he just guessing?”

 

Nodoka made a gesture with her hands. “He was just guessing, but it seems he guessed right.”

 

Catching the implication, Ranma's eyes went wide. “What? Are you saying you're…?”

 

A smile spread over Nodoka's face. “Yes. I'm pregnant. After Dr. Tofu checked me over he had me go to an OB/GYN he knows who was able to see me right away. They did an ultrasound and confirmed that I'm about two months along.”

 

Ranma's expression grew thoughtful. “Two months? That was after we stopped going over to the Tendo's place. That would mean either Akane or I would be the father.”

 

The older woman nodded. “That would make sense. You two were the only `men' I was having sex with at the time.”

 

“I'm sorry, Mom,” Ranma apologized. “Since I didn't know you could get pregnant, I didn't even think to read your ki to look for it.”

 

Nodoka shook her head. “You shouldn't worry about it. I didn't think I could get pregnant either. The only chance I was given was a vague `maybe.' It's like Elder Cologne said about your chance of getting cured of your curse, `It's not something to build a life on.' Besides that I'm not unhappy. For years I've wanted to have another child. Finally my dream is coming true.”

 

While happy for her mother, another thought occurred to Ranma. She began to think of practical considerations. Feeling slightly alarmed, she said, “Oh, man! This could be a problem. Think about it for moment, Mom. Between you, me and Akane we're going to have four kids to raise all at the same time. That's twice as many as we were planning for. I was sort of hoping we could spread them out a little more. Maybe we'd better try to stop having kids after the current ones are born.”

 

“I don't know,” said Nodoka. “There will be three of us caring for them. Maybe in a few years after the current group are grown enough to care for themselves (at least a little) we could think about more. You and Akane are still young, after all. Maybe when they are all about five years old would be a good time to think about it again.”

 

In spite of her worries Ranma couldn't help but smile inwardly. She wasn't sure she understood the source of her mother's obsession on the subject of grandchildren but she was willing to indulge her parent up to a point. She directed, “Hold up a second. Let me read your ki.”

 

Nodoka stopped as Ranma placed her fingertips lightly on her mother's abdomen. She closed her eyes and focused her senses. When she looked at the baby she found that the ki signature was not so much a combination of parental patterns anymore but after two months had much more of her own pattern. There was still enough of the previous patterns left that she could recognize the parentage of this child.

 

Ranma told her mother, “Congratulations, it's a girl! The older she gets the harder it is to tell from just ki patterns, but I'm the father. She reads as completely healthy, too. That's if I can still read this well enough to be sure.”

 

Nodoka threw arms around Ranma in a crushing hug. “Oh Ranma, thank you. At this moment I love you more than I could have ever imagined. Our baby and she's a girl. You know I always wanted to give birth to a daughter. Having you turn into a girl was like getting the daughter I never had, but it wasn't the same. You have given me a wonderful gift.”

 

A passerby was giving the two hugging women a strange look. Ranma gave the man a glare and he quickly turned his head away and went on about his business. Nerima had a reputation for weirdness, after all.

 

The two women broke their embrace and stepped apart. Thoughtfully Nodoka said, “We will have to be careful what we tell people about this. Not many would be very accepting of a son fathering a child on his own mother.”

 

“True,” Ranma acknowledged. “Did Dr. Tofu or the OB/GYN ask who the father was?”

 

The older Saotome woman nodded. “They did and I was truthful to a degree. I told them that I had more than one sexual partner at the time and wasn't sure which one was the father. I think the OB wanted to press but held off. I was grateful for that. I think Dr. Tofu may suspect, but is too much of a gentleman to make an issue of it.”

 

They resumed their walking and were soon at the office of Dr. Tofu.

 

The doctor greeted them and asked, “How did the insemination go?”

 

Ranma frowned. “It worked. I'm pregnant with twins.”

 

Tofu was confused by Ranma's expression. “For someone who was willing to go to extraordinary means to become pregnant, you don't seem happy with your success.”

 

The redhead was fidgeting nervously. She said, “There may be a problem.”

 

That didn't sound good. The doctor asked, “What kind of problem?”

 

Ranma explained the lack of any ki signatures but her own. Tofu considered that before saying, “That almost sounds like you were the father yourself.”

 

The red haired girl jolted back in surprise. “Is such a thing even possible?”

 

The doctor's normally cheerful demeanor turned serious. He said, “I spoke with your cousin Toshi. He explained the idea of the template of the curse. Anything that is not specified in the template comes from your own genetics. Your male and female sides would basically be like a brother and sister in their genetics. It has happened in the past that brothers have gotten sisters pregnant.”

 

He directed Ranma to sit on an exam table and lightly touched her abdomen as he did his own probe of her ki patterns. When he stepped back he said, “You can sense ki patterns about as well as I can. In fact the only real difference between you and me in this regard is that I have the training and experience to better interpret what I sense. You were right, yours is the only ki pattern. However, I get the feeling that it is a double sample of your ki on each child sort of like a double exposure on a photograph. To me it looks even more like you are both parents.”

 

Frowning, he thought about it for a time. “That shouldn't be possible because the fertility clinic uses safeguards to prevent mistakes. Please wait here, I want to make a phone call.”

 

Ranma and her mother sat in the exam room while Tofu went to his office to use the phone. At one point they thought they could hear Dr. Tofu shouting. The thought of such a cheerful, even tempered man shouting was more than a little disturbing. What could be bad enough to make the good doctor so angry?

 

After 15 minutes Tofu came back to the exam room with a grim expression on his face. “What did you find out,” demanded Ranma.

 

It was evident that the doctor was angry. He controlled himself with an effort. “The people at the sperm bank are incompetent. You were given the wrong sperm sample.”

 

Almost afraid of the answer Ranma asked, “Whose sperm did I get instead of Akane's?”

 

Fearing the reaction he would get, the doctor still knew he couldn't sugar coat it. At least he had prepared Ranma a little bit by voicing his speculations. He said, “Your own.”

 

“What?”

 

The doctor explained, “I had them go and physically check their storage facility. They found all of the sperm samples for Saotome Akane are still there and one for Saotome Ranma is missing. Your female side was impregnated with sperm from your male side. You are both father and mother of the babies now in your womb.”

 

Feeling no little bit of shock, Ranma asked, “Are you saying this is like one of those cases you were talking about? Am I now like a girl who's had sex with her brother and made pregnant by him?”

 

The doctor nodded. “Normally for a person with a gender transformation curse like yours it would be impossible for your male side to get your girl side pregnant. Normally the only way such a thing could happen would be for your two forms to be split into separate people. The use of artificial insemination bypasses that limitation.”

 

Worried, Ranma remembered some things she had heard. She asked, “Isn't it supposed to be bad for the health of the baby… I mean babies for close family members to have children together?”

 

Dr. Tofu replied, “I won't lie to you. Normally when relatives have children there is an increased risk of bad combinations of recessive genes. Such combinations could result in birth defects. Just because there is an increased risk doesn't automatically mean that there will be any defects. The fact that magic is involved could provide a mitigating factor. Your two forms are, in effect, two magical halves of a single person.”

 

Ranma took that in. “I don't think I've ever heard it put like that before.”

 

The doctor nodded. “I would expect that the magic would have an effect in this. I just hope that the magic would be beneficial in your case. The only thing I can think to do at this point is to monitor the progress of your pregnancy closely. From what I can see of the ki signatures of your babies they both seem to be healthy, but it is too early to tell. At this point they can't even be called fetuses yet. It would be more correct to call them embryos now.”

 

When he had been in his office, Dr Tofu had picked up a business card. He now pulled this from his pocket and handed it to Ranma. “This is an OB/GYN I know. I want you to go see her. She has had a great deal of experience caring for women with high-risk pregnancies. If anyone can assure the health of both yourself and your babies, she would be the one.”

 

He shook his head. “If any other woman was to get the wrong sperm sample I would advise her to sue the sperm bank for a large sum of money. In your case, where you are both parents, doing something like that might not be wise. If news of this were leaked to the press, you would be branded a freak and be the subject of a lot of negative media coverage. Your babies would also be labeled freaks as well. It would probably be better to avoid attracting attention.”

 

Nodoka nodded. “I agree. Attracting attention would be unwise.”

 

Ranma was totally depressed by the current turn of events. Tears began to flow and she almost wailed, “Why did my life have to turn weird again? Akane and I were so happy together. I should have been satisfied with just her getting pregnant. Or maybe we should have taken turns instead of trying to get us both pregnant at the same time.”

 

She looked down at her abdomen and patted it with her hand. “This was supposed to be our baby, an expression of the love we have for each other. Now, it's like some kind of cruel joke the Kamis are playing on us.”

 

Nodoka rushed forward and enfolded her daughter in an embrace, trying to comfort the weeping girl. “Please try to calm yourself, Ranma. You've endured so much. You'll get through this too.”

 

Ranma shook her head, still crying hard. “You don't understand, Mom. I shouldn't have to `get though this.' This was supposed to be a thing of joy and love and the ultimate experience of womanhood for me. Instead of that it has turned into something bad.”

 

The red haired girl turned her eyes to the ceiling and cried out, “Kami-Sama please, hear me! I don't know why you have chosen me to be your plaything and I really don't much care at the moment. I only ask that you don't hurt my babies. Please let them be born healthy and normal without all of the weirdness that plagues my life.”

 

Having vented, Ranma buried her face in her mother's shoulder and sobbed out her emotions. Nodoka did what she could to comfort her anguished daughter.

 

When she cried out her prayer, Ranma never really expected anyone to hear it or act on it. The response she would receive would be a surprise to nearly everyone.

 

Elsewhere in Tokyo at an old temple that had been converted to a home, the phone rang. A young goddess with black hair answered. After a moment she stood at attention and said, “Yes, Father.”

 

Her two sisters looked at Skuld. When she finished talking on the phone she hung up and said, “I've got an assignment. I'm to report to the office of the Goddess Relief Hotline right away. Because of a prayer by a mortal, she's going to get a Wish. I'm supposed to be ready the next time she picks up the phone to make a call.”

 

Beldandy smiled and assured her youngest sister, “You'll do fine, sister. I have faith in you.”

 

“Just don't screw it up, squirt,” warned Urd.

 

Characteristic of how seriously the young goddess was taking the assignment, she didn't fire back an angry retort to her older sister's teasing. She just nodded and used some water in the kitchen sink to transport herself to Asgard.

 

Back in Nerima, Ranma had regained some control of herself and she had left Dr. Tofu's clinic and headed back to the Saotome home with her mother. Akane met them at the door and, seeing her spouse's agitation, guided Ranma to the couch. She explained to Nodoka, “Dr. Tofu called and said there was a problem and I should be extra nice to Ranma. Care to explain what's up? I'm the pregnant spouse here, after all.”

 

Nodoka put a hand on her daughter-in-law's shoulder. “You're not the only one now.”

 

Akane had been trying to joke about her own pregnancy in an effort to lighten the mood in the room but was stopped by that bit of information. She asked, “What?”

 

The older Saotome explained, “Ranma was able to get into the fertility clinic this morning because one of the other appointments cancelled. They performed the procedure for the insemination and it worked. Ranma's pregnant.”

 

Akane considered that. “That means I'm a father, right? Wow, I'm not sure how to feel about that.”

 

Ranma spoke up, “Actually, you aren't a father, Akane. They made a mistake at the sperm bank.”

 

Akane's head whipped around. “A mistake? Do you mean they gave you sperm from another donor? Who was it? Who's the father?” Akane was angry.

 

Ranma hung her head. “My life sucks. When I thought Toshi was able to use his magic to banish the weirdness from my life, it came back bigger than ever and even worse than before. It was my own sperm sample they gave me. I'm both mother and father of the twins in here now.” She patted her abdomen lightly.

 

Still angry, but focusing it in the right direction Akane exclaimed, “Those stupid Baka! How could they make that kind of mistake? If there is any way possible, they should be made to pay for…” She trailed off. “Did you say twins?”

 

Ranma nodded, looking miserable. Akane wasn't sure how she should feel. On the one hand she felt outraged over the mistake but on the other hand... twins. Still, it was obvious her spouse was hurting now and in need of support. She pulled the tall, powerfully built, redhead into her arms and said, consolingly, “It will be alright. They'll still be your children. I'll love these kids just as much as the one inside me.”

 

Her eyes bright with the tears that threatened to flow again, Ranma asked, “You will?”

 

“Of course I will,” Akane promised. “We're husband and wife (or wife and husband) and we'll still raise them as our kids. I admit raising three kids will be a bit more of a challenge than raising two would have been. I was emotionally ready for the job of raising two kids; it shouldn't be that much of an adjustment raising three.”

 

Nodoka chose that moment to bring up her own news. “Ah… Akane, you may have to make a bit more of an adjustment to make than you think.”

 

Akane looked over to her mother-in-law. “What do you mean, mother No-Chan?”

 

The older woman explained, “I found out why I was getting sick lately. It was morning sickness.”

 

Recognizing the significance, Akane said, “You're pregnant too? How's that possible? I thought you couldn't get pregnant.”

 

The elder Saotome woman said, “It would seem the infertility imposed on me by Happosai's pressure point treatment has worn off. The influence of the Family Stone may have helped with that.”

 

Instantly grasping the implications of all of them being pregnant and the same time, Akane said, “That means our little family is going to more than double in size. How long…”

 

Nodoka answered, “According to the tests and the ultrasound they did on my baby today, they think I'm two months along.”

 

Akane released one arm from around Ranma and gestured her mother-in-law to come closer. When she got close enough they clinched into a three-way group hug. They stood this way for a time.

 

When the trio separated Akane said, “Raising four kids all at once? I don't know if this house will be big enough for that. While they're babies it won't be so bad, but when they get older it will be a problem. The money Nabiki has been giving us from the family fund was calculated for raising two kids. I don't know if she could possibly stretch that enough for four kids. Ranma and I will probably have to quit school and get jobs. You may need to get a job too, Mom.”

 

Almost as if on cue, the phone rang. Nodoka went and picked up the handset, “Moshi, moshi. This is the Saotome residence.”

 

She listened for a time then said, “Yes, that's right. I'm her mother.”

 

She stood for a time making occasional responses. She grabbed a pencil and started jotting notes on the pad that was kept by the phone for this purpose. Finally she said, “I'm sorry but Ranma's husband is not available at the moment and likely may be difficult to contact. Could I substitute for him?”

 

There was a pause. “You'll send a car? That will be acceptable. We'll be looking for them.” She gave directions to the house then hung up the phone.

 

The other two women looked at her with inquiring expressions. Nodoka consulted her notes and said, “The sperm bank and the fertility clinic where Ranma was inseminated are a part of a large medical services corporation. I guess that Dr. Tofu was somewhat… outspoken in his expressed opinion of the competency of the staff at the fertility clinic. The man I spoke to did mention that he had confirmed that Ranma is now pregnant with the wrong man's babies. The corporation's representative said the individuals responsible will be fired. The corporation's officers offer their apologies and say that something like this should never have happened with the safeguards that were in place.”

 

Sarcastically, Akane said, “So they're sorry, so what? The safeguards couldn't have been all that great if this mistake happened.”

 

Reading from the notes, Nodoka said, “To `compensate for the emotional trauma Ranma must be suffering from this terrible error,' they are going to pay her a large lump sum of money and set up an annuity to support the twins until they graduate from college.”

“Say, what!” Exclaimed Ranma.

 

Being unsure how to react, Akane said, “I'm calling Nabiki.”

 

After a fairly lengthy phone conversation Akane told the other women, “Nabiki says this big corporation is basically trying to buy Ranma's silence. They could be publicly embarrassed and hurt financially if this got to the news media. She says if we weren't trying to keep this whole thing quiet we could probably sue them for a lot more than what they're offering. As things stand, she says you should take the offer. It would give us what we need and we wouldn't have to quit school.”

 

Ranma nodded. “Ok, I think I can agree with that. Oh man, this is such a mess. It's all my fault too. If I wasn't in such a hurry to have a kid…”

 

Akane wasn't having it. “Don't say that. We'll have our kids and be the best parents we can be. We won't do any of that stuff your father did to you.”

 

Nodoka said with bowed head, “And we will try to avoid the mistakes that I made.”

 

They continued to talk about it and try to make tentative plans when they were interrupted a half hour later by the sound of the doorbell ringing. When Nodoka went to the door she found a man in a blue business suit. He asked, “Are you Mrs. Saotome Nodoka?”

 

When Nodoka agreed that she was, the man said, “I've been sent here to escort you and your daughter to the meeting that was discussed on the phone.”

 

Ranma walked up and said, “That was fast.”

 

The man bowed to the young redhead and said, “I think it is in everybody's best interests to get this matter settled quickly. With these financial matters taken care of you can concentrate your attention on the health and welfare of your babies. That is as it should be.”

 

As Ranma and Nodoka went out the door they saw a large black limo parked at the curb. The engine was running. As she watched her husband/wife and her mother-in-law get into the car, Akane hoped they were doing the right thing.

 

Before the corporate representative could get into the limo with the two Saotome women another car pulled up, blocking the limo. A brunette with her hair worn in a pageboy cut got out of the car and thanked the driver for the ride. The other left shortly after.

 

“I was afraid I wasn't going to get here in time,” Nabiki said.

With a stern expression on his face, the man in the suit said, “I'm sorry, Miss. This is a private matter and it doesn't concern you.”

 

From inside the limo Ranma protested, “She's my sister-in-law and the manager of our family finances. She should be here.”

 

Nabiki smoothly stated, “I just want to check over any contracts you ask my sister-in-law to sign. I want to be sure that what she eventually agrees to is what you originally promised to her mother in the telephone conversation.”

 

The man frowned. “I assure you that's not necessary. My employers would never try to pull a fast one. We are concerned over Mrs. Saotome's well being and that of her children.”

 

Nabiki gave the man a look that said, “Do you have any other fairy tales you'd like to tell me?” Out loud she said, “Maybe I just worry too much. My little sister-in-law is a bit naïve when it comes to money matters and I just want to be sure her interests are protected.”

 

The company man didn't want to bring the other woman along, but had been instructed to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. It was clear that arguing with the brown haired woman would just delay them from handling the problem. He grudgingly agreed. Nabiki got in the limo.

 

Akane watched from inside the house. As the limo pulled away she went to stand in the front yard. She was lost in thought and didn't notice another woman approaching. She nearly jumped when a voice called out, “Akane-Chan.”

 

“Kasumi-neechan!” The older woman was nearly knocked down by the force of Akane's greeting.

 

Kasumi gasped out, “I'm… happy to see you too little sister. Uh… you're making it hard… to breathe.”

 

The youngest sister disengaged and stepped back. “Sorry about that, Sis.”

 

Kasumi said, “Before I left this morning Tofu said you had some news. He thought it would be better if you told me about it yourself.”

 

Akane sighed. “The news has gotten bigger since he spoke to you.”

 

“What's happened?”

 

“We're pregnant,” Akane announced.

 

Thinking Akane was using the collective “we” the way some wives were prone to do when talking about herself and her husband, she started to say, “Akane, that's wonder…”

 

Her sister cut her off by adding, “All three of us.”

 

That shouldn't be possible. “All? But I thought Auntie…”

 

“It wore off,” informed Akane. “She didn't want to get anyone's hopes up so she didn't say anything. Toshi told her that a lack of interest in sex was a side effect of the infertility. He thought that when the Family Stone reversed that it might wear away at the main effect. Since he wasn't sure, she kept quiet about it.”

 

“When did she find out?” Kasumi wanted to know.

 

“Today,” Akane answered. “Brother-in-law checked her ki and then sent her to her OB/GYN. They did an ultrasound and said she's been pregnant for about two months. About the same as you.”

 

Kasumi took that in. “What about Ranma? I assume this means that her plan worked.”

 

Her expression grim, Akane replied, “Yes, it worked. She's pregnant with twins.”

 

Beginning to see where there might be a problem, Kasumi commented. “That would mean four children between all of you. How will you manage?”

 

Still grim, Akane explained, “There's more to it than just how well we can cope with that many kids at once.”

 

Noting her sister's expression, Kasumi began to feel worried. She asked, “What happened?”

 

Akane told her, “The people at the fertility clinic messed up. They gave Ranma the wrong sperm sample.”

 

Kasumi thought she should feel more shocked than she was. This was Ranma, after all. “Whose sperm did she get?”

 

Akane took a deep sigh. “Ranma's female form was artificially inseminated with sperm from her own male side.”

 

“Oh, my.” Kasumi seemed to take a while to think of what to say. Finally she spoke, “I hate to say this, but it seems like the kind of thing that would happen to Ranma.”

 

With a sigh, Akane responded, “It does, doesn't it?”

 

Concern and compassion strong in her tone, Kasumi asked, “How did Ranma take it?”

 

“Not well,” Said Akane. “She was really worried about how I would react. I think she was afraid I would treat it as if it was some kind of betrayal.”

 

In a carefully neutral tone Kasumi asked, “Do you see it that way?”

 

The younger woman shook her head. “Of course not! This is just another one of those weird things that happens to Ranma. I know she didn't do it to hurt me. I'm going to do my best to love her kids, ours and Mama No-Chan's all the same. I'm worried about Ranma, though.”

 

“Why?”

 

Akane explained, “She's talking like she believes Kami-Sama has chosen her to be His personal plaything. She said He must be getting some kind of sick pleasure out of tormenting her.”

 

The vehemence of Kasumi's answer startled Akane, “Can you blame her? The way her life has gone she would be justified in believing all the Kamis were playing with her.”

 

“No, I can't blame her,” Akane admitted. “I think she's going to need an awful lot of emotional support for a while. Right now she's feeling confused, hurt, and angry.”

 

Kasumi nodded. “I'll try to stop by more often. Where is she now?”

 

Akane explained, “The medical services corporation that runs the fertility clinic and the sperm bank is going to pay Ranma a big sum of money and set up an annuity to support the kids. Nabiki thinks its hush money. Since we can't really afford to go public with this, it's probably better if we take what they give us. With four more mouths to feed, we'll need all the help we can get. We were afraid we'd have to quit school and get jobs just to get the money to feed them.”

 

Kasumi squeezed Akane's hand. “We'll help in any way we can. I'm going to have my own baby to care for, but maybe sometime we can pool resources and I could baby sit for you.”

 

“That would be nice. Whenever I can, I'll do the same for you.”

 

They fell to chatting about many things. Between them the agreed that it would probably be for the best to tell Soun and Genma only a part of the truth. They would be told of the coming babies but not of the mix-up at the fertility clinic. Kasumi said, “With their own baby on the way, they don't need the extra worry.”

 

“I guess so. Still, I don't care if daddy is calling her his wife now, I am not going to call Genma `mom.'”

 

Shaking her head, Kasumi agreed. “Me neither. She doesn't deserve it. After what she did to Ranma and Auntie No-Chan, I'm not sure if I even want to call Genma `auntie.'”

 

Akane paused for thought. “Maybe being stuck as a woman and impending motherhood have mellowed her. The last time I went over to visit, Genma was acting nicer. Still, I kind of got the feeling she was acting that way because daddy asked her.”

 

“Probably,” agreed Kasumi.

 

Akane signed, “There is one thing I'm going to miss while Ranma and I are both pregnant.”

 

“What's that?” asked Kasumi.

 

The black haired girl blushed. “I kind of got used to having regular sex with Ranma's male form and turning male and having sex with her female form and mama No-Chan. I was surprised to find out that I like both. Now that we're all pregnant, none of us can turn male.”

 

Kasumi thought about it for a while. Finally she said, “Well, I can't help you with the part about turning male to pleasure Ranma and Nodoka. If you think you'll miss having sex with a man I can make you an offer.”

 

Akane frowned and admonished, “Get serious, Kasumi. You're pregnant too. You can't turn male.”

 

Kasumi chuckled, “I wasn't offering myself, silly. I think my darling Tofu would be willing to serve in that capacity.”

 

Akane sat with her mouth hanging open. After a while she said, “Brother-in-Law, are you serious? I used to have a crush on him.”

Kasumi laughed harder. “You gave up on him because you thought it was just me that he was in love with.”

 

Akane shook her head. “It was obvious. The way he used to go totally crazy when you came around, it was pretty hard to miss.”

 

Kasumi nodded. “In pillow talk we discussed that. It turns out that it was me he was romantically in love with but had always secretly lusted after all of us Tendo girls, you included.”

 

“He told you this?”

 

Kasumi grinned. “I felt it wasn't fair to him to not tell him about the family sex games we had been playing after that magic stone influenced us. He wasn't shocked, he was aroused.”

 

“Aroused?” Akane asked, “Do you mean that all of this time he and I could have been…?”

 

Kasumi shook her head. “No, my dear sister. You were underage and, while he desired you, he wasn't going to take the risk of acting on those desires. Now, he can be quite adventuresome. He was the one who suggested that Nabiki join us.”

 

“Nabiki?”

 

The eldest sister smiled again. “Yes. Would it surprise you to know that every Saturday night Nabiki comes over to our house and Tofu pleasures both of us. Then they both use instant Jusenkyo powders to change sex and male Nabiki pleasures both me and female Tofu.”

 

Akane shook her head. “I guess that doesn't quite fit the idealized image I had of Tofu.”

 

Kasumi acknowledged, “I know what you mean. Still there was a time when I wouldn't have believed that I would ever have sex with my father or sisters. We must adjust our beliefs as we grow older and learn new things.”

 

The younger sister agreed, “I suppose that's true. So what exactly are you offering?”

 

The eldest sister said in a thoughtful tone, “On Saturday nights Tofu, Nabiki and I could come here and we could play sex games. Nabiki could turn male and pleasure Ranma and Nodoka and Tofu could do the same for you and me. In between we girls could pleasure each other.”

 

Akane said, musingly, “Hmm, two men for four women. That's going to keep the boys pretty busy. Are you sure they're up to it?”

 

Kasumi laughed again. “I'm sure Tofu is equal to the task and you know from personal experience how insatiable Nabiki is when in male form.”

 

The younger sister looked thoughtful. “If there was a way to invite daddy to come over without having Genma tag along, I'd do that. It would be like the family orgies we used to have. But after finding out what Genma did to mama No-Chan, I wouldn't want Genma along even if she is acting nicer now.”

 

Kasumi considered that. “I'm not sure if it is an act. I think she may actually be nicer now. Still, I find it hard to banish my suspicions.”

 

“Humph,” said Akane. “There is the saying that trust must earned, not given away. I'd say it will take a lot for Genma to earn my trust now.”

 

Both women continued to chat about motherhood and what they understood about child rearing. They would seek advice from Nodoka on surviving pregnancy and the actual birth, but weren't so keen on child rearing advice she might offer. The elder Mrs. Saotome didn't have such a good track record in that regard. She did have a lot of experience in things not to do.

 

They were so involved in their conversation that they didn't notice the passage of time. It was when the call of “Tadaima” came from the genkan that they realized how much time had passed. They greeted Ranma, Nabiki and Nodoka as they came in the front door.

 

They all sat down in the living room and Nabiki told them, “It's a good thing I went along. They were very slick. The contract they first presented to Ranma for her signature was for a lot less money than they told Auntie on the phone and didn't include any provision for an annuity for the kids. It's a good thing Auntie No-Chan took notes. The contract did include a clause where Ranma promised not to sue them.”

 

She frowned. “When I pointed out to them that the contract they offered didn't match what they had said on the phone the corporate representative said, `Oh, I'm sorry, that was the wrong contract. The one I just gave you was the first draft.' Then she pulled out another contract. She acted like she was going to hand it over to Ranma but I challenged her to check it over to see if it matched what was offered over the phone.”

 

Akane asked, “What did she say?”

 

“She said, `Oh, sorry about that. This was a revised version but not the final one.' She pulled out a third contract and I read it over carefully. This one matched up perfectly to what they said on the phone. They had to be lying about `first draft,' `revised draft' and `final draft.' There's only two ways they could have had three versions of the contract drawn up in as short a period of time as between when Tofu-san called the clinic and when we got there. They either had to have three versions of the contract drawn up at the same time (by three different people) or they must have a `form letter' type of contract in their computer where they just fill in blanks with names and money amounts.”

 

“Why would they do that?” Kasumi wanted to know.

 

Nabiki frowned. “They must have had to pay people off in the past. The way they handled this, I'd bet money on it.”

Nobody who knew her would ever bet against Nabiki on anything. If she said the medical services corporation had paid people off before, then it was almost certain that they had done so.

 

Kasumi looked at the clock. “I'm going to have to get home. As a long time bachelor Tofu can cook, but I hate to see him eating his own cooking. What he makes is enough to avoid starvation, but none of it is very good.”

 

She got up to go, but before she left she said, “Nabiki, call me later. I think we may want to try a little change to our regular Saturday night plans.”

 

“Oh?” said Nabiki.

 

The eldest sister smiled broadly, “It might be nice to include the `girls' here in our fun.”

 

The middle sister's eyes went wide then narrowed as a lecherous smile appeared on her face. “That does sound like fun. We'll talk later to set things up.”

 

Kasumi smiled in return then left.

 

Ranma got up and walked over to the phone. “Hey Mom, as late as it is, why don't we just order in from the Italian place.”

 

Nodoka begged, “Oh, Ranma dear please, not pizza again. I'm tired of pizza.” She loved her daughter dearly, but that didn't mean she always agreed with her taste in food.

 

The redhead thought for a moment, “I've heard good things about their lasagna. What would you say to lasagna with beef and marinara, bread sticks and salad?”

 

Nodoka and Akane exchanged a look then nodded. Nodoka said, “You're welcome to stay for dinner, Nabiki.”

 

Making a polite refusal, Nabiki said, “Thanks, but I have some work I need to do. I'll pick something up on the way back. Besides, I'm not that fond of lasagna.” She got up and headed toward the door.

 

Ranma shrugged. “More for the rest of us.” She dialed up the number from the menu that was pinned to the bulletin board next to the phone.

 

The line rang then clicked and a girl's voice spoke, “You've reached the Goddess Relief Hotline. I will be there shortly to help you with your Wish.” The line went dead. Ranma stared at the handset.

 

Author's Note: This is what I've been doing instead of working instead of “A Big Help.” It was an idea that just grabbed hold of my imagination and wouldn't let go.

 

This is a sequel to a lemon story. I had intended that this sequel would not have lemon content even if it is did get sort of lime scented at times. After writing more of it, I find there are parts of the story that fairly cry out for the fresh scent of lemony goodness. I finally decided on a compromise. I will write out the lemon parts of the story for my own amusement but not include them in this posting of the fic. However, if enough people express an interest I can handle that in one of two ways. I might make a separate post of “Sailor Goddess - Lemon Slices.” The other way would be to post a revised version of the main story with the lemon parts included and the chapters renumbered. Let me know if you are interested.