Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy ❯ Chapter 65

“Welcome to Molmol,” intoned a fancily-dressed dignitary as the Hinata crew debarked the jet. The only way to get to Molmol was aboard a Molmolese air carrier, and very few people would or could fly to the obscure island destination. Amalla and Kaolla nodded to the man as they passed him.

 

“Excuse me,” Keitaro said, “but which way to customs?” he wondered. The airport was not what would be considered normal. There was no control tower, no terminal, no hub, no concourse, no anything save a runway.

 

“You do not require customs,” the man said. “Your party has already been cleared. Speaking of which, please come with me,” he said, leading the group off toward a different place than Kaolla and Amalla were going.

 

“Shouldn't we be going with Amalla and Kaolla?” wondered Shinobu.

 

“Princesses Amalla and Kaolla are required at the palace,” answered their guide. “Before the wedding can proceed, you must pick up your citizenship proof,” explained the man.

 

“And you are?” asked Haruka, eyeing the man.

 

“I am under-priest Fulalu, liaison to the crown,” he introduced himself. Flicking his wrist, he palmed something that might have been a PDA, glancing at the screen. “I see that the RLA has signed off on the amendments, and the palace has not filed a challenge, so everything is ready to proceed,” he said aloud.

 

“RLA?” wondered Naru.

 

“Royal Linage Academy,” supplied Haruka. “Remember Amalla telling us about them?” she prompted the younger girl. Naru recalled the details after a moment of thought. Feels like a lifetime ago… she mused. Glancing to her side, where Mutsumi was walking with her. Mutsumi glanced over at Naru, smiling softly. Naru smiled back, catching Mutsumi's hand in her own. It has been a lifetime, by some measurements, she thought.

 

In short order, the group was in a government office building, though only people who had lived with Su would get that impression from it. It was the familiar strange mix of crude and ultra-modern, the doorways sporting the three-eyed symbol of Molmol. The group was whisked down a hallway, paused while they were handed off to another bureaucrat, taken down a different hallway to another room, stepped through some sort of scanner, then been split up, a technician of some sort taking each of them to a small stall or booth along the back wall of the room.

 

Each of the Hinata crew were processed swiftly and efficiently. In short order, only Keitaro and Shinobu remained, the rest waiting a little ways back from their booths. When asked what was going on, they were told that because they were marring into the royal family, they would need their Molmolese citizenship glyph and documentation.

 

“Glyph?” gulped Keitaro. Shinobu didn't look that thrilled either.

 

“Yes,” his technician said, not even looking up from the terminal he had been entering data into. “All royal family members have glyphs.” His tone made it clear he thought the question incredibly stupid.

 

“Um, about this glyph,” Keitaro doggedly moved forward.

 

“Don't get too worked up,” came a voice from the door to the room. Looking over, Keitaro had to work for a moment to realize who it was. “It's just an old tradition. Doesn't hurt at all, and can't be seen in most cases,” the visitor elaborated.

 

“Lamba?” Keitaro asked, not quite believing his eyes. “Is that really you? You look…” he groped for the right words.

 

“Old,” Kitsune supplied bluntly.

 

“Eh heh,” Lamba laughed weakly at that remark.

 

“Yes, it's me, Keitaro,” he confirmed. He was leaning on a cane, his hair whiter than it had been the last time Shinobu had seen him. She also thought there were more lines on his face. “Good to see you all again,” he greeted the group at large.

 

“Is your appearance due to this glyph?” asked Kanako, her tone cold and distant. Haruka knew that tone. If that glyph thing is doing that, no way are they going to put it on Shinobu and Keitaro, she thought, knowing that Kanako was thinking the same thing.

 

“No, not at all,” denied Lamba Lu, the crown prince of Molmol. He was the brother of Amalla and Kaolla, as well as being Amalla's husband. “This,” he made a vague sort of gesture toward himself, “is just a recessive gene or something in the royal family, so they tell me. Or maybe from being around Kaolla as she grew up, either way,” he added after a moment of thought.

 

“So where is this glyph thing going, anyway?” Kitsune wondered.

 

“Usually it is on the forehead or cheek,” Lamba answered.

 

“I don't see one on you,” challenged Kanako, her eyes on the crown prince.

 

“I said usually,” reminded Lamba. “In recent generations, it has been placed less obvious places. Mine is on my right upper arm,” he said, raising the short sleeve on his shirt-like garment.

 

“Still don't see any glyph,” Haruka noted critically.

 

“Watch,” Lamba said, holding his other hand over his upper arm and pressing hard. After several moments, he pulled away his hand, and for a moment, the group saw a pattern of lighter skin against the reddened patch. In moments, it faded away again.

 

“Neat trick,” allowed Kitsune. “Where are Kaolla's and Amalla's glyphs at?” she asked.

 

“Amalla's is on the upper slope of her right breast,” Lamba said. “As for Kaolla, I haven't a clue,” answered the prince candidly.

 

“Ok, where do you want your glyph, Keitaro?” the landlord's technician asked, holding a device not unlike a blood-pressure cuff, but with computer data lines and power cords connected to it.

 

“Um, upper arm,” Keitaro chose, offering his right arm. The tech swiftly fitted the device and pressed a button. Keitaro twitched.

 

“Does it hurt?” asked Naru, seeing the twitch.

 

“Not exactly,” Keitaro said, his voice a little uneasy. “Just feels kind of…weird,” he settled on his vocabulary.

 

“Ok, Shinobu, we're ready, so remove your shirt…” said the woman who had been processing the petit woman.

 

“What?” blinked Shinobu. She didn't mind removing her shirt if it was just her family there, but there were strangers there, as well.

 

“Your glyph,” the woman said, holding up a device similar to the one on Keitaro's arm. “You need to remove your shirt so we can imprint it. You are getting it on your breast like the princess, right?” prompted the woman.

 

“I…um,” Shinobu blushed a little.

 

“Do you want it somewhere else, Shinobu?” asked Kanako, eying the woman behind the shallow booth in a disconcerting way. “If you don't want it on your breast, just say so,” she offered meeting Shinobu's eyes for a split second. Shinobu felt a lot better. She would make them put it wherever I wanted it, thought the girl. But, if Kaolla and Amalla have theirs on their breasts, she swallowed roughly, gathering her nerve.

 

“It's ok,” she said, swiftly unbuttoning her thin summer blouse and opening it before unclipping the fastener of the minimal bra she wore. “Could you put on my left breast, just over my heart?” she asked quietly, holding her blouse open.

 

“Of course,” the woman said, position the strange device over her modest breast. “You have very nice breasts,” she added, touching a button on her terminal. Shinobu flinched, a short gasp escaping her as the device came to life. Instantly, she felt someone steady her from behind.

 

“Does it hurt?” asked Kanako. Shinobu knew that whoever was holding her steady was not Kanako - they were too tall to be Kanako. Turning her head, she spotted Motoko steadying her.

 

“It's not really `hurt',” Shinobu said, “it's…hard to explain,” she left it at that.

 

“How long does this take?” Motoko demanded of the woman.

 

“Should be about twenty seconds,” the woman replied.

 

“It's ok, Motoko-sempai,” Shinobu said, “I can handle it.” Motoko's arms slid around her waist, hugging her reassuringly.

 

“I know you can,” Motoko murmured. Kanako remained by their side, her eyes never leaving the woman operating the device's eyes. The Molmolian technician began to squirm under Kanako's cold gaze.

 

“All done,” she announced, switching off the device and removing it from Shinobu's chest. The girl looked at her left breast.

 

“I can't see it,” she murmured. I know it's not supposed to be visible normally, but I thought I would see it, she mused.

 

“Try this,” the technician said, offering her a thing sort of like a magnifying glass, but with a strangely-colored pane in place of a lens. Looking through the filter, she could see the glyph.

 

“That is somewhat appealing,” Motoko admitted, looking over Shinobu's shoulder.

 

“I agree,” Kanako said. Before she knew it, all her Sempais were crowded around her, looking at her glyph. They all seemed to be satisfied with it. Each of them also individually checked to see if it was normally visible or not.

 

“You know,” Kitsune mused aloud, “I might like to have one of those, too.” The women surrounding her froze for a second. Slowly, they started looking at each other, thoughtful looks on their faces.

 

“Hey, where's Keitaro?” came the voice of Kaolla from the doorway. Blinking, the girls turned to look, seeing the princesses just entering the room.

 

“He's...?...!” Naru blinked. Keitaro was no longer at the booth he had been at. “Where did he go?” she asked, scanning the room.

 

“Lamba is missing, too,” Haruka noticed.

 

“Lamba was here?” Amalla asked. The girls nodded. Amalla glanced at Kaolla, who pulled out a small device from her skimpy native attire, grinning widely.

 

“Not your Keitaro radar again,” sighed Shinobu.

 

“No, don't need that any more,” Kaolla said. She showed the screen to her sister, who ducked out of the room.

 

“Then what was that things?” challenged Kitsune.

 

“And why is Amalla running off?” Motoko asked.

 

“Is there something you haven't told us?” Haruka asked directly.

 

“No, nothing's wrong,” Kaolla said. “You noticed Lamba's condition, didn't you?” she asked. The group nodded. “He's supposed to be resting, so Amalla has gone to collect him,” explained Kaolla. “This is something I made to track his glyph,” she finished, flashing the device.

 

“So the glyphs are tracking devices,” Kanako interpreted.

 

“Not exactly,” Kaolla began, an eager expression on her face. “You see…!”

 

“Never mind,” Kitsune waved off the explanation. For being a genius, she can't explain anything so anyone can understand it, recalled the fox. “Hey, would it be possible for the rest of us to get glyphs?” she asked. Kaolla pursed her lips for a moment before slowly smiling. Her smile grew wider and wider until the girls from the Hinata were considering backing out.

 

-

 

“Wow, Lamba, that's something else,” breathed Keitaro. The prince was standing with his soon-to-be brother-in-law, overlooking one of the palace gardens. Keitaro had been a little surprised when Lamba had tugged on his arm, tossing his head toward the door while his women were focused on Shinobu's new glyph. Before he knew it, he was on a terrace a block away, overlooking a garden.

 

The garden reminded him of Su's room at the Hinata. He said as much, and Lamba had shrugged, telling him it was not surprising. Molmol, he explained, was a unique island. Weather, deep ocean currents and position had shaped the island, giving the western edge a band of dense jungle along the coast and only natural port, with deserts and high scrub in the center. The eastern coastline was rock and sand, with cliffs of basalt and limestone.

 

But the unique environment had some nice advantages. Molmol had an extinct volcano backbone, and that volcanic cone was nearly choking on diamonds. Lamba had explained to Keitaro that their economy was diamond-based. Each of their monetary units was worth the printed amount in carats. Keitaro had gulped, thinking of the number of notes Su had freely passed about in Hinata town. He also recalled that he had a couple of years worth of the strange notes in his room. Like Hina had before him, he had accepted her monthly rent in her native currency, bundled the notes, and tucked them into his drawer, quietly giving the girl her room for what amounted to free.

 

He had wondered aloud if Granny Hina had known that the Molmolese used a diamond-standard currency plan, and Lamba had surprised him by telling him that his grandmother knew full well that those bills could be exchanged at any time for the face value in diamond carats. He had further surprised Keitaro by sharing with him a bit of Molmol history and economic policy. The small island could literally flood the world diamond market if it wanted to. In fact, it was only a few generations before that they had begun to grasp the power they had. They had assumed - incorrectly - that all other nations used a diamond or gold standard for their currency. But when they finally figured out the concepts of credit, fiat currency and inflation - which remained a theory on this island to that very day - the Molmolese had realized how dangerous their economy was to other nations.

 

They were not the only ones to figure this out. Sharing a trait with Japan at an earlier time, Molmol had not been very welcoming of visiting nations. They had preferred to drive off strangers who happened across their island rather than welcome them, and their society tended to view the strangers as either possible enemies or as savages with no intrinsic value to them. When the first European ships began to nose around in the Pacific, the Molmol people had re-thought their stance. Clearly, there was some interesting technologies to be had.

 

Of course, the Europeans were looking for colonies; and for resources. The very few ships that happened on Molmol had thought they found both. The Molmolese people were welcoming - to a point. Inevitably, the Europeans got greedy once they discovered that diamonds were currency in Molmol, and tried to `claim' the island. Molmolese hospitality only went so far. Those ships were never heard from again - nor were any of their crews heard from again. Lamba left it at that, commenting instead on what his people had learned from dismantling the tall ships.

 

By the time that the Japanese had bumped into Molmol in the early 1930s, the state of Molmolese technology was running about twenty years ahead of the rest of the world. It had not helped much that the Japanese task group of three ships had assumed a belligerent stance when they arrived. It had only taken six minutes to deal with that group. When a larger battle group had come looking for the missing task group, they had seen a way to finance their war machine with the diamonds and technology of the Molmolese. As a battle group, they had sixteen ships, troops, and even aircraft from the light carrier that was the core of their group.

 

Keitaro could guess what happened. After all, Kaolla's Mecha-Tama series of robots were a good indicator of what could happen. Lamba had almost casually mentioned that it took only four and a half minutes to resolve the issue of the battle group. Nothing had prepared the Japanese for facing directed energy weapons, homing munitions and missiles. A few of the Japanese had managed to survive, and the decision was made to let them escape, in the hope that they would warn their nation about aggressive moves toward the island nation. They had, and no other warship had ever come looking for Molmol again.

 

As time passed, the Molmolese people had reached out in a bid to acquire new technologies and materials, in addition to a growing interest in the larger world. In the late forties, small parties of Molmolese had ventured out, seeking trade. One of the first places they had gone was Japan. By the time they had arrived, Japan had just regained sovereignty from the occupation forces. It could be considered ironic that the Molmol happened to run into a member of the Urashima family within an hour of arriving in Tokyo.

 

“Amazing,” Keitaro shook his head. “But, why are you telling me all this, Lamba?” he wondered.

 

“Well, you are marrying into the royal family, so you should know a little of the history of your new nation,” explained the prince. “Also, it will help you understand things here a little better.”

 

“What things?” Keitaro asked.

 

“Are you familiar with the dynamics of a closed DNA pool?” Lamba asked. Keitaro frowned.

 

“Sort of,” he said. “I'm an archeology man,” he half-apologized.

 

“Well, the downside of our isolated society is that our gene pool is…limited,” he said. “Kaolla is an aberrant, as am I,” he continued. “That has led to some difficulties in maintaining the royal line.”

 

“Sounds like the situation with the Aoyama,” mused Keitaro.

 

“Exactly,” a voice said from behind him. Turning, Keitaro saw Amalla hurrying toward the two. She stopped by the two, looking at Lamba. “You are supposed to be resting, Lamba,” reminded the woman. Lamba shrugged.

 

“I'm feeling ok,” he replied. “Besides, I wanted to talk to Keitaro some; and thank him.”

 

“Thank me?” blinked the young man. “For what?”

 

“For marrying Kaolla,” Amalla cut in smoothly.

 

“Well, that, too,” Lamba nodded.

 

“Too?”

 

“Let's get you back to the palace, Lamba,” Amalla said, taking her husband's arm. “It's about time for your medicine anyway.”

 

“Hold on, Amalla,” Keitaro said, holding out his hand to stop her, “just what is Lamba talking about?”

 

“You mean they didn't tell you?” Lamba asked, surprised.

 

“Tell me what? And who?” Keitaro asked.

 

“Amalla, I thought you had told him,” Lamba said, looking at his wife.

 

“We haven't gotten around to it yet,” she said casually. “Besides, we wanted to talk to the girls first,” added Amalla.

 

“What aren't you telling me?” asked Keitaro. He was a little apprehensive and a little irritated at being more or less ignored. It's not like I'm asking something unreasonable, right? And while my girls have looked out for me before, it sounds like whatever this is hasn't been run past Haru-chan and the others, he thought.

 

“It's just a small family matter,” Amalla assured Keitaro, smiling at him.

 

“Small family matters have been turning into international incidents of late,” he replied dryly. Lamba looked at Amalla.

 

“Maybe you better go talk to the women,” he said. “I'll tell Keitaro myself,” he added.

 

“But Lamba,” began Amalla.

 

“Ok,” Lamba agreed easily, “I'll go tell the girls, and you can tell Keitaro,” he offered almost eagerly.

 

“You just want to ogle Shinobu,” Amalla snickered. Lamba shrugged again.

 

“About all I can do,” he countered blandly. Amalla glanced away from her husband.

 

“I'll tell them,” she said, moving away from the two. “But after you tell Keitaro, you better go back to the palace,” warned the tall, tanned woman.

 

“I will,” promised Lamba. Amalla gave her husband a long look, then Keitaro a longer look. Then, she moved off again. Keitaro watched her leave, finding himself watching her ass as she walked. When he realized what he was doing, he twitched. I really am a pervert, he thought, recalling the frequent accusation of the girls in the early years at the Hinata.

 

“Due to my condition,” Lamba began, interrupting his ass-watching, “there have been some issues with my marriage to Amalla. Namely, that my recessive trait not be passed on. More to the point, there seems to be some problem with compatibility between Amalla and myself. Four years, and no success, even though the Academy has determined that there is nothing wrong with either of us. As this condition progresses, it is getting hard and harder to continue.”

 

“Ok, I think I get it so far,” Keitaro cautiously confirmed.

 

“That is where you come in,” Lamba continued. “That same law that allows for your taking concubines also has a provision governing such marriages. In the event of taking concubines, all partners are held as common within the marriage party.”

 

“And what does that mean, exactly?” wondered Keitaro, his tone verging on suspicious.

 

“It means that by using that law, you gain Amalla as another wife, and me as your co-husband,” Lamba explained. Keitaro jerked, sucking in a breath to speak. Lamba held up his hand. “Before you say anything,” he said firmly, “you should know a few more things. Most important is that I likely won't live another five years, and even if I do, I have no intentions of running loose in your harem,” smiled the other man. “We share more than just our looks, my friend. I, too, have a driving passion in my life. I am completely fascinated with anthropology, and would like to spend what time I have left pursuing that love.”

 

Keitaro could understand that. And yet, he thought, that doesn't mean that I can speak for my girls, either. Recalling his women, he was sure that none of them would appreciate him speaking for them in this matter. “That's great, Lamba,” Keitaro said slowly, “but I can't speak for the girls. You understand, right?” he asked.

 

“Absolutely. Amalla was supposed to have been speaking to them her last visit, in fact,” the other man sighed. “I can only image what happened to prevent her from doing so.”

 

“So, um, if this law is going to be a problem, then…?” began Keitaro.

 

“Well, the temple and palace are already aboard, and you and Shinobu already have your glyphs, and the wedding is tonight, so it's going to be nearly impossible to change things now,” Lamba said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

 

“Can we postpone the wedding?” wondered Keitaro. Lamba shook his head.

 

“That is one thing that just won't happen, Keitaro,” he said. “Too many traditions and laws and lunar cycles have been invested in this date.”

 

“What if we just said that we - Kaolla, Shinobu and I - decided not to take any concubines?” he asked hitting upon an idea.

 

“Would the three you were planning to take be ok with that decision?” Lamba asked. Keitaro considered the question. Haru-chan probably won't mind, but I can't see her being happy about it after I asked her. She seemed to light up when I chose her. Kanako I doubt would care too much, since she'll act like my concubine or wife no matter how this plays out. Shinobu did seem to want her specifically, though. Hmm. Kitsune, on the other hand… he came to the realization that he didn't want to see the look on Kitsune's face if he told her that he and his wives had decided not to take the three as concubines.

 

“But she probably won't be too happy to hear she's going to have another husband; or lord or whatever,” he thought out loud.

 

“Who? Shinobu?” wondered Lamba.

 

“Um, well, her, too, but really, all the girls are probably not going to be too happy to hear that they are getting another husband or lord or whatever,” Keitaro sighed. “Why does this sort of thing always happen?” he wondered. Does Kami have a grudge against me or what? he wondered.

 

“Can't answer that one for you,” Lamba answered his last question. “Would it help if we talked to the girls?” Keitaro briefly played that out in his mind. About the time he was telling Shinobu that Lamba would be her husband too, he realized what a fiasco that would be.

 

“Um, let's save that for a last resort,” Keitaro suggested. “See if maybe Kaolla and Amalla can explain it them. Girl talk and all that…” he offered a weak laugh. Lamba hummed.

 

“You are probably correct,” he concluded. Silence fell between them for several minutes. “There is one final reason I'm glad you are marrying into the family,” Lamba said at last.

 

“What's that?”

 

“Amalla is insatiable in bed; I was afraid I would die trying to keep her happy.”

 

-

 

“Where are we?” wondered Kitsune, looking around. Amalla had returned the room not too long after she left, leaning down to murmur in Kaolla's ear. The younger princess gave a half shrug, but didn't say anything. Amalla scanned the group, seeing the `senior' harem sisters watching her. Haruka and Kanako were obviously not convinced that they had been told everything, and Motoko and Tsuruko were following the lead of the Urashima women. Not that I expected them to just swallow blindly, Amalla thought, a small smile twitching across her lips.

 

Amalla found herself looking into Mutsumi's eyes. The Turtle Clan priestess was smiling like always, but the older Molmolian princess was suddenly thinking of all that she had learned in the past few months. That Mutsumi's family had some sort of power was easy for her to accept, given the facts she been privy to. Judging Mutsumi as a priestess in the terms of her own culture's clergy and shamans, Amalla wasn't comfortable believing that Mutsumi could be underestimated.

 

It was reassuring to note that Naru, Kitsune and Shinobu didn't seem to be overtly suspicious or concerned. Some is better than none, and if you count Kaolla, we have a tie between the two sides, with Mutsumi and Keitaro undecided, though I don't know for sure about Mutsumi. She glanced at her kid sister, seeing the girl smiling eagerly as she talked with Shinobu. To her surprise, she noticed that Kitsune and Naru were talking with the technician who had done Shinobu's glyph.

 

Before she could stop her, Kaolla had told the technician to proceed, and Naru and Kitsune were topless, the technician fitting the imprinting devices over the upper swell of the two girls' left breasts. Amalla had checked the settings, finding that the glyph pattern had been switched to kanji. Looking over at her sister, she saw Kaolla just grinning widely. With no cause not to, Amalla waited while the kanji characters were imprinted and the results checked by the others.

 

That had led to a hurried conference that ended with the other girls getting kanji imprinted on their own breasts. Even Shinobu had asked to have the kanji imprinted on her right breast, since her left already bore the glyph for her upcoming marriage. Kaolla had grabbed Amalla's hand, eagerly suggesting that she get the kanji imprinted as well.

 

Such a move proved to be a mistake, as Kaolla's enthusiastic suggestion had triggered the harem's antennas. Seeing where this was going, Amalla had pre-empted the questions, telling them to follow her. She had swiftly led them out of the administration building and toward a building further back. Brushing aside a sign hanging on a chain across the door, Amalla had shoved the door open and entered, the others right behind her. Now, standing in the middle of an empty room in an empty building, the girls wanted answers. And Kitsune was opening the session.

 

“This is the old administration building,” Amalla answered Kitsune's question. “We moved to the new building twenty years ago, so we can talk privately here,” she added.

 

“What haven't you told us, Amalla?” Haruka got right to the core issue.

 

“Don't waste our time stalling, either,” warned Kanako.

 

Amalla eyed the group briefly. “Very well,” she said, Kaolla stopping beside Shinobu. “The temple law that allows for concubines in a royal marriage has a stipulation to it that all are held common within the marriage group. This means that the marriage between Keitaro and Kaolla places his wedding within the royal family, and that means that he - and you all - will be registered as spouses of Lamba and myself.”

 

The room was dead silent for several heartbeats.

 

“So, you are saying that Shinobu and the others will be Lamba's wives as well?” Motoko asked, her hand unconsciously curling like she was holding her sword hilt.

 

“Unacceptable,” Kanako bit out.

 

“I don't want any husband but Keitaro,” Shinobu said. Kaolla caught Shinobu's hands in her own.

 

“Such details should have been addressed much earlier,” Tsuruko said, her tone smooth and dark. Her fingers - like her sister's - were curled like she held an invisible sword.

 

“You will have to contact the palace and the Agency and hold the wedding until this matter is resolved,” Haruka ordered.

 

“Can't,” Amalla said, standing steady and calm as the mood in the empty room mutated toward ugly. “The treaties are done, the Agency has already processed the application, and the temple has performed the pre-marriage rituals. Delaying the marriage - or even stopping it - isn't an option.”

 

“How about if there were a death in the royal family?” Kanako asked, teeth bared. Amalla felt a tingle race through her spine. She's serious!

 

“That won't change the situation,” Haruka said, scowling at the older sister. “You have a hell of a way of treating friends, Su,” she added, mind busy.

 

“What's the problem?”

 

Everyone turned to see Kaolla looking at her adoptive family. The younger princess was holding Shinobu's hands, giving the group a curious look far to genuine to be contrived. Kitsune groaned, massaging her face with her hand. “Su…” she exhaled. “Of course you haven't a clue what the problem is,” realized the fox.

 

“Don't you want to marry Keitaro?” pressed Kaolla.

 

“Of course we do,” Shinobu said quietly, “but you didn't say anything about being married to Lamba and Amalla,” she tried to explain to Kaolla what was wrong.

 

“But brother and sister are nice people,” Kaolla countered, puzzled.

 

“Whether or not they are nice people is not the problem, sugar,” Kitsune took her turn.

 

“You…don't like sister and brother?” guessed Kaolla, pouting a little.

 

“It isn't a matter of like or dislike,” Kanako said, shooting a dark look at Amalla as she talked, “it is that we don't want to marry them.”

 

“Why not?” Kaolla insisted.

 

“Because I only want Keitaro,” Shinobu said, looking into Kaolla's green eyes. “I…can't stand the thought of another man touching me like he does,” she added, blushing a little.

 

“But, you like it when Kitsune, Naru and the others touch you like that,” observed Kaolla. “And you accepted my marriage proposal, too,” recalled the genius. “Don't you still love me?”

 

“It's different when it's my sempais or you, Su!” squeaked Shinobu. “I…I'm sure Lamba is nice and all, but he's practically a stranger!”

 

“So, you just need to get to know Lamba better,” Amalla cut in carefully, sensing a chance to calm things down.

 

“I have no interest in getting to know him better,” Kanako nearly snapped back. Haruka put her hand on Kanako's shoulder.

 

“Would it resolve the problem if Keitaro and the girls didn't take us as concubines?” asked Haruka. Kitsune jerked her head around, meeting Haruka's gaze for a moment.

 

“If it would, I think that would be best for everyone,” Kitsune agreed an instant later.

 

“Agreed,” Kanako finalized.

 

“No, not particularly,” Amalla said. “But more to the point, would you three be ok with such a decision?”

 

“If it keeps Shinobu safe, yes,” Kanako shot back with no hesitation at all.

 

“Shinobu isn't in any danger…” began Amalla. Four glares shut her up.

 

“She doesn't want any husband except Onii-chan,” Kanako growled. “And that means no husband except Onii-chan, Amalla.”

 

“Let's talk realistic options,” Haruka said, tightening her grip on Kanako's shoulder a little. “If they don't take concubines, then you and Lamba are not included in the wedding party, right?” she pressed.

 

“If you don't take concubines, then the wedding will likely not be held, since the rituals have been done with the understanding that concubines will be taken,” Amalla answered. “If the wedding is not held, then things will get complicated.”

 

“How complicated?” asked Tsuruko.

 

“It could end up as a war between Molmol and the Urashima family; or even Japan,” Amalla said. “At the least,” she added, feeling the atmosphere begin to pressurize, “it would result in a backlash against Keitaro and Shinobu, since they have received their glyphs and Molmolese citizenship.”

 

“Try it,” snarled Motoko, her pony-tailed hair waving slightly in the unseen currents of her Ki. Beside her, Tsuruko was also focused and ready.

 

“You will not touch any of my family,” promised Kanako, fists bunched and eyes cold. Haruka had both her hands on Kanako's shoulders, though she was clearly not intending to stop Kanako if things deteriorated.

 

“Everybody, just STOP!” yelled an unexpected voice, making everyone in the room freeze for a moment. Naru stepped between the girls and Amalla. “”We're not doing this,” she said, facing her friends and family. “I'm tired of this always happening! Just calm down and let's discuss this like intelligent, mature people instead of posturing teenage boys,” sighed the girl.

 

“Kami knows I don't like this situation any more than the rest of you do,” she continued after a moment. “But lashing out isn't going to help, and getting into a fight isn't going to help, either, so calm down and let's figure out some options,” she urged. No one said anything. Seeing her friends and family staring at her, she blinked. “What?”

 

“Just still a surprise to hear you be the voice of reason, sugar,” grinned Kitsune. Naru blushed.

 

“I've burned enough bridges, Kit,” she said softly. Taking a breath, she glanced at Haruka before speaking again. Not seeing any indication she shouldn't, she took the lead in the discussion. “We're in another bind, but there is always something we didn't think of or overlooked. Let's try and find that.”

 

And we don't have a lot of time, either,” Amalla added. “The wedding starts at sundown.”

 

“Noted,” Naru said. “Ok, we know we have problems with holding or stopping the wedding, and we have issues with going forward. Not a good start, but we have to start somewhere. Why didn't you tell us about this part earlier?” she asked the sisters.

 

“Because I want to make my wife happy,” Kaolla replied carelessly. “She wants the others to be happy, so I figured out how to get everyone what they wanted.”

 

“Well, it would get us Keitaro, sure,” Kitsune spoke for the potential concubines, “but damn it, Su, I don't like bait-and-switch!”

 

“Except when you do it, right?” Amalla countered. Kitsune blinked.

 

“I don't…” began the fox.

 

“You do, too, Kitsune!” giggled Kaolla. “You used to do it to Keitaro every month when rent came due, but even when you stopped doing it so often, you still do it to amuse yourself.” Kitsune's eyebrow twitched. Damn it, didn't even realize I was doing that, either, she thought, reviewing her behavior. Leave it to the little genius to notice, too!

 

“That is a valid point,” Naru sighed.

 

“Basically,” Amalla said, her tone contemplative, “you all are upset more with the way this was done than the situation.”

 

“Of course we are!” hissed Motoko. “To be treated like…!”

 

“Keitaro?” Amalla blandly suggested. All the girls except Shinobu twitched at that. Naru closed her eyes.

 

“That's the real problem, isn't it?” she said quietly. “We don't like being treated like we used to treat him.” The girls didn't look at each other, shifting nervously. After a minute, Naru nodded to herself. “Guess we need to talk about that, too,” she made a note. “But right now, we need to focus on the immediate problem.”

 

“I…I would be ok with…if it would help Keitaro,” Shinobu offered, stammering.

 

“We know you would do anything for him, Shinobu,” Mutsumi said, hugging Shinobu. “We all would; right?” she suggested, looking each of her fellow Hinata sisters in the eyes. The girls began to glance at each other.

 

“It isn't like we aren't in a similar situation right now,” Naru considered aloud. “Except for an extra man,” she added, grimacing.

 

“No other man will ever touch me,” Motoko stated. Her gold ring flashed as she caressed it.

 

“Nor me,” Tsuruko added.

 

“Only Onii-chan,” Kanako chimed in.

 

“Same,” Haruka quietly agreed.

 

“Yeah, me, too,” Kitsune weighed in.

 

“K…Keitaro,” squeaked Shinobu.

 

“Yeah, I know,” sighed Naru. Mutsumi just smiled at Naru.

 

“Can't help but notice that you are focused on Lamba,” Amalla observed. “You all saw him, right? What if I told you that he is unlikely to live more than a few more years? And that he has no intention of pursuing any…intimate contact with any of you?” she asked.

 

“Ok,” said Naru slowly, “assuming this is on the level, why?”

 

“Brother has a genetic condition, caused by a convergence of recessive genes in the royal family,” Kaolla picked up. “For all the advancements we have, we have not yet found a way to cure this condition. It is an intrinsic problem of the relatively shallow gene pool here on Molmol.”

 

“Oh, I think I see,” Naru was nodding, along with Haruka and Kanako. “The royal family is pretty heavily inbred, right?”

 

“It's been the custom of the family to marry based on genetic convergence to preserve certain abilities,” Kaolla confirmed. “But there is also the problem of our males not surviving very long, too.” The girl nearly pouted.

 

“Yeah, you tend to blow them up, don't you?” Kitsune recalled that talk from what felt like years ago.

 

“Because of that, multiple-partner marriages are common within the royal family. And are not all that uncommon outside it,” Amalla added. “In fact, before Shinobu's name was added to the marriage permit, it would have been necessary for me to marry Keitaro as well, since Molmolese law dictates that the heir apparent have two spouses.”

 

“What?” wondered Kitsune. “Aren't you three siblings?” she asked.

 

“Kaolla and I are half-sisters, genetically speaking,” Amalla answered. “Lamba is our half-brother.”

 

“Three women, one man,” Kanako did the math. Amalla nodded.

 

“Lamba is the oldest, six months older than me. His mother - First Queen Paolla - died in an accident when he was about three. My mother - Second Queen Basalla - took over his raising from then on.”

 

“I'm sorry to hear he lost his mother,” Shinobu said softly. “Was…it…bad?” wondered the girl.

 

“The accident?” Amalla asked rhetorically. “No, not really. She took a bad fall when her racer suffered a mechanical failure and broke her neck. They said it was instantaneous,” she added.

 

“Racer?” wondered Kitsune.

 

“Annual Water Over Sand race. She was the defending champion,” Amalla said. “Six-time champion, three course records - one of which still stands - and if she hadn't broken her neck, she probably would have repaired her racer and won again.”

 

“A queen was racing?” wondered Motoko.

 

“Of course,” Amalla replied. “Just because she was a queen doesn't mean she had to give up her hobbies, after all.”

 

“But still…” murmured Motoko. And she had a kid, too…

 

“Not much different from you and your family style after marrying Keitaro,” pointed out the elder Molmolian princess. Motoko considered that.

 

“We're getting off topic,” Naru brought the side trip to an end.

 

“Right, sorry,” Amalla nodded. “Like I was saying, law and custom demand that each king have two wives. So, with Kaolla getting married, she would have filled the second slot for Lamba, even without the issue of concubines. But, Lamba's condition was discovered, and that mean that barring a very unlikely break-through in bio-technology in the next year or so - or a nearly-impossible sequence of events - he would not be assuming the throne when Father dies or steps down. That created a crisis of sorts.”

 

“Of sorts?” wondered Haruka. “You and your sister remain. Or is there a law that Queens cannot rule?”

 

“Queens can rule, yes. But not without marriage,” Amalla lectured. “Which is why I was married to Lamba; before his condition was diagnosed. Once his condition was discovered, it caused a problem for the succession. Only Lamba, myself or Kaolla can assume the throne. Lamba is unlikely to live long enough,” she paused, glancing away for a moment before continuing. “So, that means me or Kaolla will rule next. I am the elder, so it falls to me.”

 

“But you haven't got a second husband, do you?” Kanako deduced the problem. “Or am I mistaken about the customs?”

 

“You are not mistaken, Kanako,” Amalla said. “I need two husbands before I can be recognized as the heir by the temple and the bureaucracy. When this thing with Keitaro broke…”

 

“I think we see how we got here,” Haruka replied dryly.

 

“But, weren't you mad at Kaolla before?” Shinobu wondered.

 

“Yes, but not for quite the reason you thought,” Amalla admitted.

 

“And from there to here was a logical step once you saw how the issue between my family and my lord's family played out,” Tsuruko followed the reasonsing.

 

“It was Mutsumi's clan that gave me the idea,” Kaolla chimed in, sounding pleased with herself. “And this way, we all get what we want, Shinobu! I get my wives, we all get Keitaro, and sister becomes Queen so I don't have to! Isn't it great?!” she beamed at the group.

 

“Su…!” groaned several of her housemates in unison. Only Su could come up with that kind of reasoning and not see any problems with it.

 

“Had you just talked it over with us…” began Haruka.

 

“Kanako, would you have discussed family business with me of this sort? Before or after?”

 

“No,” it was a flat statement of fact from the sister. Amalla looked to Haruka.

 

“And you, Haruka? Would you have sat down and discussed with me - a virtual stranger to you - the details of the scroll, or the curses?”

 

“Of course not,” sighed Haruka. The others considered that.

 

“And I doubt that you, Naru, would have said anything about your mental issues. Likewise, I cannot see how you would expect me to discuss issues of my family before you were part of it,” concluded Amalla.

 

“You make a good point,” Kitsune allowed.

 

“But there is one more side to this,” Naru said, looking one by one to her harem sisters. “We need to talk to Keitaro about this, see how he feels,” suggested the former rage machine. The girls slowly nodded.

 

“And after this is over,” Naru continued, “we need to sit down - all of us! - and discuss some important issues; like how we plan to handle our relationships and responsibilities.”