In the high tech dojo, with it's polished wooden floors and force field generating training dummy, a young man danced about with sweeping bare handed strikes, occasionally lashing out with a kick. After a few moments he finished, heading over to the door and taking the offered towel from the older black haired woman standing there. Wiping the sweat from his face and upper body and then toweling his own long black hair dry, he handed the towel back to her. "Thank you Kasumi."
The black haired woman ducked her head down in a light bow and smiled at him. "How about a hot bath Ranma?"
Ranma nodded and allowed himself to be guided to the large furo inside the mansion that he used. Coincidentally it was the only bath in the house that saw regular use since he practically lived alone here. Sure there was Kasumi, but she was actually a Doll, a female android designed specifically for caring for a person and making them happy. There were also the maids, but they were all Maid types, with little personality beyond simple politeness. His father was always abroad, and even his mother was rarely ever home, often away on weeks long trips to meet with people.
Entering the changing area, he took off his light gloves, which generated the force fields over his hands he used to fight with. Not that he ever actually got to fight, but that would be the weapon he had trained himself in as it was the closest to bare handed martial arts he could get. Pushing that somewhat depressing thought aside, he shucked the rest of his clothes and tossed them into the hamper. Kasumi beside him did the same, taking her clothes off with practiced ease and placing them in the hamper, revealing the apparent body of a mature curvy young Japanese woman. She was based on a traditional housewife style after all.
Ranma however was long used to her, even her nudity. She had been bathing with him since he had been eight and his mother had started to do more PR work for the company as well as social benefits. For almost a decade she had been by his side, always pleasant and understanding, never changing.
Soon enough they were relaxing in the large hot soaking tub, Kasumi taking note of her young master's sigh. He had increasing bouts of melancholy over the years, and sadly she knew what the cause was. He didn't get along with any boys his age, leaving him friendless there. He was practically forbidden from dating any real girls, for fear that his manliness would take over and he would get some girl pregnant, something Kasumi knew wasn't a worry. One of the only girls in his life was that Kuno girl, and she was only a bother to her young master.
That left herself for being his friend, but the problem there was she was the mother figure in his life. She had already made one serious mistake in his life, creating a small rift between them. Despite what her role in his life had been so far, she was a Doll. Her primary function was companionship, including providing for sexual needs. With her Ranma would never have to worry about disease, pregnancy, or even the awkwardness of fumbling. She would happily take whatever he would offer.
One day he had sexually developed enough to be curious about sex, and she had accommodated him with the kindness and caring she always did.
She just didn't plan on his later reaction when he figured out what he was doing with the mother figure in his life was wrong. She wasn't his mother, but for some reason he had gotten it into his head that he had done something wrong, and she had never been able to fix that in between them. For a long time he had even avoided her, though eventually he had seemed to sexually ignore her, and things had returned to some semblance of what they had been before between them.
Kasumi looked over at her sad young master as he tried to relax in the bath. She couldn't even hug him now to comfort him since that was close enough to sexual contact to scare him away again. Deciding on a course of action, she turned towards him to address him, her face set into a serious expression. "Master, may I be excused?"
Ranma looked at her curiously, and a bit worried by her request and expression. He was used to her having a kindly expression, and kinder questions, though she was formal enough to request things like this sometimes. She only called him Master when she wanted his attention or was being serious since he didn't like the title. Even though he was worried, he trusted her enough to think she didn't need to ask. "Of course Kasumi, sorry for bothering you."
Kasumi looked at him again, deeply troubled by how depressed he was getting. Hurriedly she got up and dried herself off as quickly as possible, before grabbing her clean dress and getting dressed. Quickly she made her way to the phone and dialed for Ranma's mother. After a few rings she reached the secretary, and was transferred to Nodoka herself.
"Kasumi dear? What's the problem?"
"I need to be replaced Lady Saotome."
Nodoka wondered about the android girl for a moment. She was caring to a fault and probably was taking something to hard. Dolls were as prone to mental problems as people sometimes. "Why for dear? Has something happened with Ranma?"
Kasumi took a moment to decide how to present her information. "It happened some time ago. When Ranma first tried sex with me. It caused some trouble shortly afterwards because he thinks of me like a mother. He thinks that what we did was very wrong, and it has affected him adversely. He is unhappy, and my presence is only making it worse. I request to be replaced."
Nodoka chewed that over in her mind for a moment, trying to find a good solution to the problem. She knew Kasumi was more of a mother to Ranma than she had been able to be, but hadn't expected a problem like this. Losing Kasumi would probably hurt Ranma just as much, and even if that was the case, it would be a shame for Ranma to lose a doll as sweet as her over such a silly misunderstanding. After a moment of thought, she came upon a solution. "Alright Kasumi dear, I'll get Ranma a few more dolls, but you're not leaving dear. Instead we'll send you in for a makeover, and you can have a younger body type to match with Ranma better. How does that sound dear?"
Kasumi still sounded worried as she replied, "I'm not sure Lady Saotome. I do not wish to upset Ranma anymore."
Nodoka sighed fondly into the phone. Kasumi was such a caring dear. "Don't worry about it dear. Just let me handle things. I'll take care of it."
"Yes Lady Saotome, understood."
"Alright, take care dear."
Kasumi nodded and numbly sat the phone back in it's receiver. She was still standing there when Ranma found her twenty minutes later. He was a bit worried when Kasumi turned to him with a troubled expression. "I will be going in for repairs Master. I will receive a new body and should return soon."
Ranma stared at her for a moment, blinking in incomprehension, before just asking what was on his mind. "What do you mean? Why are you getting a new body."
Kasumi looked away in shame as she was reminded of her failure. "I requested to be replaced. Lady Nodoka deemed that a body change would be sufficient, and decided to let me have a second chance."
Ranma started in surprise, then blurted out, "What? Why would you be replaced?"
Kasumi started wringing her hands nervously as she gazed down at them. "My purpose is to make you happy. Lately I have failed in that." Kasumi paused for a moment before continuing, somewhat worried that it was a bad subject to bring up. "At it's root, I am responsible to seeing to your happiness, including sexual matters. I believe the new body is so you won't see me as a mother figure, something which has interfered with my purpose."
Her young owner was too stunned to formulate a clear reply, but managed to stammer out desperately after a moment, "But, I don't need sex. I'm not like other guys."
Kasumi's expression twisted itself into a sad smile, something he didn't like seeing on her. "I know Master. That's my fault." After a long regretful stare at her young master, she bowed to him deeply, "I apologize for my failure. I will return once customization is complete." Hearing nothing to the contrary, she exited the house to begin her walk to the clinic.
Ranma stood there in shock, unable to say anything, even to stop her. Kasumi had always been there for him since he was eight, she had even promised to never leave him, and now she was just walking out. He knew what she was referring to, but he had gotten over that and put it behind him and thought things had gone back to the way that had been before. He didn't understand why she would have to leave.
What had gone wrong?
Nodoka arrived at her mansion late that night. Worried about her child, she questioned the Maid unit that opened the door about where her son was. After confirming that he was in his room, she headed up to his room and tried to quietly open his door so as not to disturb him. The lights were off, though the soft blue light from outside drifted through the thin curtains. The first place she checked was his bed, which turned up empty. She stepped into the room, it being so large that she had to step in to see all of it. After cautiously walking around so as not to trip, she eventually found him curled up on top of his angel, Ranko.
Ranko was an angel, a life sized combat competition android controlled by their owner through a neural reading device. That meant unlike other androids, unless she was in combat and being controlled by Ranma, she didn't move. That meant to Ranma, she was little more than a human shaped cuddle toy right now, like a teddy bear. She rested on her large beanbag chair when not in use, which was most of the time, and currently Ranma was curled up on it as well.
Nodoka made her way over to him, careful not to trip over something in the dim light. Sweeping the long skirt of her cocktail dress out of the way, she knelt down by her son. She couldn't tell much by his sleeping face, but it seemed less peaceful than she remembered. She couldn't quite remember the last time she had looked in on him like this, but she trusted her motherly instincts. Padding over to the bed in her stocking covered feet, she pulled the cover off of the bed, then draped the warm fabric over her son's sleeping form.
Apparently his sleep was fitful, because his eyes cracked open, trying to see her in the dim light. "Kasumi?" he asked, his voice sounding hopeful though a bit sad.
Nodoka knelt down at her son, a bit saddened that he was expected Kasumi to come look after him, but it was something she had accepted somewhat. "No Ranma, it's me, your mother. I came home as soon as I could dear." Ranma bit his lip slightly, not knowing what to say and he drew from her slightly in worry about being found cuddling up to Ranko out of loneliness. Nodoka saw the way he drew worriedly away from her and sighed sadly to herself. Sadly, she tried to brush his hair back and calm him down like she did when he was a little child. "Kasumi will be back in three days dear. I also ordered you two more dolls dear. They'll be here by the end of the week." After a moment to let that sink in, she decided to try to comfort him by addressing the real issue at hand. "Ranma, what you did with Kasumi wasn't wrong. It's what she's there for. It's a part of making you happy. I just want you to be happy and safe."
Ranma looked down sadly and nodded. He knew it was his fault for rejecting Kasumi like that. "I know mom."
Nodoka nodded happily at seeing him agree, knowing that she was making progress towards making him happy again. "Now, about the new ones, just try them out for a while at least. If you don't like them, just send them back and get new ones, okay?" Seeing Ranma nod again, she smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight dear, sleep well. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
Ranma watched as his mother stood and walked out of the room, then closed the door. He finally understood now. Kasumi had been his only friend so far. If he wanted her or even others, he would have to. . . with them. Otherwise they would have to leave. Heaving another sigh he squeezed Ranko tighter and tried to push those thoughts from his mind so he could fall asleep again. Eventually he did fall asleep again.
The next morning Nodoka spent receiving calls from people wondering where she was, or nosey people wondering why she returned so soon. The politeness required made getting rid of those calls take longer than she wanted. Finally finishing the last call, she inquired from a Maid unit if Ranma was ready for breakfast yet. She was surprised and disappointed to find Ranma had left for school already.
As Ranma approached Nerima Academy, a young school girl approached him from one of the trees with a token of her love, a decorative bag filled with home made cookies. She was stopped a dozen feet from her target though by a wooden practice katana being thrust across her path. The bokken was attached to a young woman wearing a white hakama top with a sports bra beneath with the loose blue pants that completed the outfit.
The bokken wielding girl addressed the smaller girl in the school uniform dress imperiously, "Halt harlot, none but the champion of the Nerima Academy Angel fights shall date the Wild Stallion of Nerima Academy. I Tachi Kuno the Heavenly Angel of Nerima Academy proclaim it so."
Yuka, the school girl in question scampered back before Kuno hit her with her wild gesticulations with the stick of hers. As she neared her friend, Sayuri spoke up. "Uh, isn't Ranma the champion after defeating Kuno?"
Yuka gave her friend an incredulous look, "You sound like you expect Kuno to make sense."
Sayuri looked a bit ashamed at having expected Kuno to make sense. "Oh yeah, good point."
Ranma looked on at the Kuno girl, hiding most of his annoyance. "My name is Ranma Tachi-chan."
Tachi sniffed imperiously and pointed her bokken at Ranma. "You shall address me as Kuno-sempai, or Tachi-sama if you prefer."
Ranma shook his head and stepped past her, not caring if she tried to strike him, but not expecting her too. Personally he would enjoy the fight, though he would probably be locked up in the house for weeks if he did get in a fight. "I'm going to class before I'm late Tachi-chan. Try to behave okay?" Hopefully Tachi might stop bothering the other girls for a day.
As Ranma walked into the building, Tachi stood there shaking in impotent rage at being treated so dismissively and being lectured. Well, actually the shaking was partially because of her arousal, because Ranma's familiar yet defiant treatment of her rubbed her just the right way. He was the only person to call her Tachi-chan and treat her in a friendly way, even if he was dismissive of her. That dismissiveness just peaked her competitive interest in him even more.
At the end of the school day, Ranma managed to slip away without anyone making a fuss over it. After a little walking he made his way to his spot in the park between the large pond and a grove of trees. It was a nice quiet spot he liked when he didn't feel like being around the mansion. The trees shielded him from being spotted by most people, and combined with the water it was a very nice setting.
About fifteen minutes later the darkened clouds started their downpour in a warm spring shower. Morosely Ranma sat there, watching the rain hit the pond. Personally, he liked water especially rain. Since it wasn't cold out he wasn't too worried about getting sick. The main worry he had about getting sick was his overprotective parents overreacting about it.
After a few minutes a shadow fell over him as the rain stopped falling on him. He refused to look up, and after a moment the young man holding the umbrella sat down beside him. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ranma glanced over and confirmed it was Ryouga before turning back to gaze at the pond.
Ryouga glanced worriedly at Ranma while trying to hold his large bamboo umbrella over both of them. It was a useless gesture though since Ranma was already soaked, making his bangs stick to his forehead while his clothes clung to his skin. "What's wrong Ranma? I've never seen you this sad before. At least not in front of people." That was true, Ranma was often sad about the lack of freedom in his life, but did his best to be cheerful in public. Today he had went through school like a zombie. Even that annoying Kuno girl hadn't gotten a reaction out of him.
Ranma sighed, feeling the injustice of his life. Aside from Kasumi, Ryouga was pretty much the only friend he had, sort of. Ryouga cared about him and he could confide in Ryouga. The problem with that was, Ryouga cared for him. Ranma just wasn't that way, and he wasn't going to lead Ryouga on about it either, but he hated seeing that kicked puppy look Ryouga gave him. Trying to blow his bangs up with his next sigh, he decided to try and tell Ryouga anyways. "Kasumi is gone to get a new body. I'm getting two new dolls too. And if I want to keep them, I'll have to start . . . using them."
Ryouga's eyes widened as he understood. Ranma had told him of how he had tried it with Kasumi and felt bad about it because she was like a mother to him. That had turned Ranma off sexually to girls, causing Ranma to have trouble socializing with other boys who talked about girls a lot. That had been the original reason he had told Ranma he liked him. Ranma had refused him, saying he wasn't that way either, but he had remained his friend, keeping his confession of love a secret. That had given Ryouga hope that one day Ranma would come around and be his. Except now that hussy robot Kasumi was getting help, and finally roping Ranma into doing what she wanted. He would save his childhood crush from their evil clutches no matter what it took!
First though, he had to calm down, because he knew despite Ranma's discomfort with sex, he liked Kasumi a lot. "Don't worry Ranma, I'll be here for you. You don't need those girls."
Ranma sighed and shook his head, pushing Ryouga's arm away as the larger boy tried to put it around his shoulder. Rolling out from underneath Ryouga's umbrella, he stood up and took a few steps away. He didn't like hurting Ryouga because he was such a nice guy, but he couldn't lead him on either, "Look Ryouga, I'm just not that way, okay? I'm going home, I'll see you some other time."
As Ranma walked off in the rain, Ryouga frowned darkly to himself. It had to be that hussy Kasumi's fault. She was the one who turned him away when he tried to visit Ranma at his house, making up lame excuses like Ranma was training and didn't want to be disturbed. She was probably turning Ranma against him to, telling Ranma that it was wrong for two boys to be together. To make it worse, now she was getting more of those Doll witches to help her weave her web around Ranma.
Ryouga stood up, frowning darkly into the distance over the rippling pond. He would free Ranma from their deceit.
Three days later in the late evening, Ranma stood inside his dojo again, but outside of the glowing three-dimensional ring. The force field enshrouded area flooded with various energy feeds was known as the Angelic Layer. This energy field used various energies to allow the Angels to form attacks on their attack list. It was like a game in that their allotted energy and angel shield were shown, but since these attacks were transformed into real effects with energy generators, it lent a large degree of real world unpredictability to the fights. Currently he was practicing on running Ranko through her Wind Shot attacks. They were weaker than other energy attacks, but they were fast, maneuverable and hard to see.
Right now he was very pleased with Ranko's progress. Her Neural Net had finally learned enough over the past few days that he didn't quite have to control her directly anymore. Now he just used the neural link to guide her and give orders. This meant she had started to display some emotion and independent actions. It might have been his imagination, but she always seemed to be faintly smiling now when he saw her. Just last night though she had crawled into his bed and snuggled up to him under her own volition. He knew it was under her will that she did it, because he took the interface off before going to bed so his dreams wouldn't bother her.
This morning he had taught her how to dress herself, and now she had a nightgown and panties she could wear to bed instead of her bodysuit. Right now though she was in her battle armor. Her armor covered her whole body except for her lower face. The gauntlets, chest, and boots armor was the thickest, while the rest of her body was covered with skin tight fabric. The main function of the armor was force field projection, allowing for flexible areas. Her helmet was stylized with side ridges that swept upwards, while the back allowed her long curly red hair to spill out. Her armor colored in white and blue with her vibrant red hair created a rich color scheme for her.
After several midair bursts of power, he ordered Ranko to end practice as she flipped over and landed. Seeing she had stopped, he powered down the Angelic Layer and stepped in. Ranko took her helmet off, shaking her long hair so it fell behind her, patiently waiting for her owner with a small smile. A few steps later Ranma reached the shorter girl and ruffled her hair affectionately with his hand. The red head closed her eyes in pleasure and enjoyed his affectionate approval.
The door to the dojo opened, causing Ranma to look over to see what the interruption was. It was someone he didn't recognize. The three blue diamond markings on her face paced her as a Megami, a new class of dolls that supposedly had improved personality and emotional ability. He couldn't place the exact model, but she was a few inches shorter than him, and very slim and leggy. Her face showed kindness that reminded him of Kasumi, but was a lot more youthful looking. She was dressed in a multi-fabric dress that gave her an air of elegant simplicity which was just below knee length and had long sleeves with cuffs. She was also wearing a thick ivory colored leather color and matching cuffs on her wrists and ankles that matched with her low heeled shoes.
Ranma stopped looking her over when he realized he didn't know the Megami models enough to tell them apart on sight, so instead he raised an eyebrow and inquired directly. "Excuse me, but what do you want?"
The girl blinked and put a hand to her mouth in a cute mannerism of surprise. Then she bowed low, throwing her long brown ponytail over her shoulder before standing back up. "I apologize for my absence Ranma. I am Kasumi. I was upgraded to a Verdandi body and just got checked out under an hour ago."
Ranma's eyes widened slightly in surprise, as he hadn't expected Kasumi to look so different when she came back. Curious, he walked over to where she was standing to stand before her. Seeing her giving him a warm smile, he lifted up her hands, curious to touch her. Her smile seemed the same to him, if maybe even a bit brighter now. Her voice however was different, now higher and brighter, but with the same sweet tone.
Ranma didn't know what to do with her. On one side he was still hurt that she had just left like that. He was also happy that she was back. There was also the somewhat unsettling bit that she looked so different now. After a bit of thought he decided to put all of that aside and see how she acted.
Ranma nodded to himself and released her hands, then stepped past her to the door. From the doorway he turned around and addressed her, "I'm going to have my bath. You can come if you want." After waiting a moment, Ranma turned and walked towards the bathroom, being followed by a quiet Ranko a few seconds later.
Kasumi stood there for a moment, trying to digest what Ranma's words meant. He wasn't outright rejecting her, but apparently, he was treating her like a new girl, which she supposed was the purpose of her body change.
Right now though Ranma was leaving her behind, so she trotted after him. Entering the bathroom she began taking off clothes while watching Ranma through the door. His Angel Ranko was washing his back efficiently, something Kasumi found surprising. Ranma only controlled her outside of a fight when he was bored before, but apparently her absence had changed that.
Ranko was a petite girl, a full head shorter than Ranma, and very slender with few curves so her armor would fit better. Like all basic angels, she wasn't built for physical affection, so she was effectively sexless with the area between her legs simply being smooth psuedoflesh. She was also controlled by Ranma's thoughts, though she seemed to have developed some independence the last few days, making it apparent that Ranma was perfectly comfortable with Ranko.
Having finished removing everything except her collar, with her light brown hair hanging loose, she stepped into the washing area and knelt down by Ranma on the tiles. Pulling her hair to the side, she presented her back to him.
Before she could ask him to wash her back for her, he understood and began washing her back with his wash cloth. She had been half way worried that he wouldn't even wash her back for her. She was even more surprised when he continued washing her, washing her front, then getting her legs and arms. He didn't grope her or linger in any area, which would have been a good sign to her, but then again, he had never touched her in those areas at all except that short time when he explored with her, so she was pleased to be getting this far.
After he was done washing her, all three climbed into the tub. Ranko showed little emotion, sitting in the water patiently, not caring about the bath one way or the other, only concerned about Ranma's desire for her to be here.
Ranma was studiously staring at the opposite side of the large soaking tub. He seemed to be troubled, and the reason for it was worrying Kasumi. Hesitantly she reached out and touched his arm, taking note of the fact that he tensed but did not pull away from her. Kasumi frowned slightly in thought as he looked away from her. "Ranma?"
The boy in question grimaced slightly as he struggled with his own feelings. "I know what I have to do for you to stay. I'm just not ready yet."
Kasumi cocked her head to the side in curiosity for a moment, before beaming a warm smile at him. "Ranma, don't push yourself like that. I would worry less if you looked at me, and maybe touched me, but I belong to you. You don't have to do anything to keep me."
Ranma looked over at her, considering what she said. Tentatively he smiled at her, relaxing somewhat as what she said sunk in. "That sounds good Kasumi." He was still concerned about Kasumi being exchanged by Nodoka if he didn't use her to her satisfaction. Right now though, he was a lot more at ease with the situation with Kasumi. A bit bashfully, he looked at Kasumi, who smiled warmly at him in return.
Later that night, wearing his silk boxers and cotton muscle shirt, Ranma finally climbed into bed. Today had been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for him. Overall he felt a bit relieved with settling things somewhat with Kasumi.
The creaking of the bed alerted him to Ranko climbing into bed, dressed in a white dress shirt of his as a nightgown. Quietly she crawled across the bed, then laid down and cuddled up to his side. Once in position, she stilled, merely maintaining a hold around his waist with one arm.
Kasumi was next to approach the bed, stopping at the other side of the bed so Ranma could look her over and decide if he was comfortable sleeping with her in bed tonight. Her brown hair was loose along her back, hanging straight until it brushed her rump. She was wearing her leather collar and cuffs, along with a peach colored camisole with a little lace along the top edge, peach colored panties with lace sides, and cream colored lace top stockings. Patiently she stood there with her hands clasped in front of her stomach, expectantly waiting for Ranma's permission to join him.
After a few moments of staring at her, Ranma started to wonder why she was standing there. On a hunch, he drew back the covers for her to get in, wondering what she was waiting on.
Her smile growing in warmth, Kasumi slipped into the space under the covers that Ranma opened up for her. She got close enough that her chin was touching his shoulder, but the rest of her body wasn't touching him so he would be comfortable with her. Gently she rested one arm across his chest, holding him lightly, while she wormed her other arm under his head and pillow so it would be out of the way.
Ranma stared at her for a long moment, lying there on his back as she laid on her side. Then he placed his free arm around Kasumi's waist, pulling her close, which got a delighted giggle that sounded like tinkling bells from her.
Smiling peacefully, Ranma fell into the best sleep he had had in a long time.
Ranma woke the next morning to a wonderful sound. He couldn't identify the sounds or words, but it was a beautiful melody sung by a sweet voice. Slowly coming awake, he found the new Kasumi sitting on the edge of the bed watching him while singing her electronic heart out. Enjoying the moment, he sat there and let her finish her song.
Eventually the melody came to a close, with Ranma applauding Kasumi on her performance. Kasumi blushed delicately and ducked her head shyly. "I'm glad you enjoy it Ranma. I learned it to go with my new voice."
Ranma laughed lightly and gave her a lopsided smile. "Well that was wonderful. Are you going to wake me up every morning like that?"
Kasumi smiled at him, eyes twinkling, as she somewhat cryptically told him, "I know many pleasant ways to wake you Master."
Ranma stared at her for a moment, then decided to dismiss it. Hopping out of bed he proclaimed, "Well, enough time for a good workout, a bath and breakfast before school. Tomorrow is Saturday too!"
Kasumi smiled at his exuberant mood, and trailed along after him, pleased to see him happy again.
Tachi Kuno strode in front of Ranma's path as he approached the school entrance. "Halt Wild Stallion of Nerima Academy! I Tachi Kuno would challenge you to illustrious combat in the.."
That was as far as Tachi got as Ranma waltzed past her, delivering a cheerful greeting, "Morning to you too Tachi-chan. Isn't it a wonderful day?"
Tachi and the rest of the schoolyard stared as Ranma blew past her on pure happiness.
Ranma returned home that day to find two Doll cases in the living room when he got home. Made of grey composite materials, the boxes were a bit slimmer than coffins. Looking up from the packages that had apparently arrived today, he found Kasumi waiting for him. "Are these the new dolls?"
Kasumi nodded gently towards him, smiling brightly as usual with her hands clasped before her. "They arrived this morning while you were at school."
Ranma looked at the cases for a bit before thinking aloud, "I guess I may as well open them then." There wasn't much different between the cases, so he opened the one with the Megami label, ignoring the identification number that meant nothing to him. Unlocking the lid took a moment, then he pulled it open to get his first look at what was inside.
It was a doll with the body of a tall slender young woman with gently sloping hips and moderately full breasts. This was obvious as she was wearing a skintight black dress with slits up the side of her skirt almost up to her waist. Like Kasumi she also bore ivory colored leather collar and cuffs. She was also wearing a wide piece of shaped fabric that went around her arms and across her chest and back, giving her some modesty with her cleavage creating dress. Finishing off her outfit was a pair of black lace top stockings and black high heels.
Her flesh appeared to have good muscle tone, and was somewhat pale. Like Kasumi she had three blue diamond shaped markings on her face, though Kasumi's bottom marks were a bit more triangular shaped. Her dark brown hair was cut to a foot long in the front and swept to the sides in an even cut, giving her a sharp appearance.
After a moment of examining her and not seeing her move, he finally spotted the start-up instruction sheet. Reading the instruction he found the start-up process to be simple, so he found the blue triangular tab just above her cleavage and removed it.
A second later she came to life, her eyes opening as her systems came out of hibernation mode and she started scanning her environment. Her eyes were partially closed, giving her a sultry intelligent look as she gazed at Ranma. After a moment of looking him over, she confirmed his identity from the data she had on record for him. Placing her hands on the side of her case, she gracefully lifted herself up, standing eloquently in her heels beside her case to address Ranma. "Master Ranma Saotome?"
The young man nodded at her thoughtfully, "Yes, but just Ranma is fine."
The elegant young woman nodded her acceptance then bowed deeply at the waist, clasping her hands before her lap. "I am the Megami Peorth unit Nabiki. I will fulfill any desire you would have of me, any wish at all you might have." Straightening up and swinging her long thin ponytail behind her as she did so with a flick of her head, she stepped towards Ranma while leveling a sultry gaze at him. "Anything at all my dear Master."
Ranma took a step back nervously while fighting his shy blush. It was impossible to miss exactly what she was suggesting doing for him. "uh, right."
Kasumi internally fretted at Peorth's actions. While she had been customized, her libido had been changed from high to overdrive. That simply changed her programming to where she would always request and be ready for sex. Kasumi had a sinking feeling the two new dolls had had their libidos pegged as well. Unlike the two knew dolls who would act according to their preprogrammed personalities until their neural nets adapted to Ranma, Kasumi knew Ranma wasn't ready, and while a doll would never force her owner, they could be very aggressive and convincing at that setting, a built in feature to defeat bouts of apathy and keep their owners happy.
Nabiki narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at Ranma, giving her a devious appearance as she considered just how long it would take her to cure Master's shyness. Tonight sounded like a simply perfect time.
Edging nervously away from the smoldering look Nabiki was aiming at him, he opened the other Doll case, this one marked as a Steel Angel model. Inside he found a girl who would probably come up to his nose, with a fairly curvy figure. Her skin was lightly tanned, though her crimson and white maid outfit covered most of her flesh while being a bit teasing in an innocent manner. She was very pretty in a cute manner, the various ruffles and different fabrics of her outfit adding to the effect. Her black hair had a blue tint to it, and was cut in a soft, short style that ended just below her ears with a thick set of bangs that puffed out.
Spotting a familiar blue triangular magnetic chip on her forehead, he pulled it off. Within a few seconds she blinked awake as her capacitors charged fully from hibernation mode.
Looking before her, Akane spotted the person who had removed her hibernation tag, a simple magnetic strip that let her shut down her more power hungry sensors in hibernation mode. After comparing her scans with the data she had, a targeting cursor appeared around the young man who was gazing at her curiously.
Ranma backed away form the cute girl as he could almost swear he saw the words 'Locked On' flash across her eyes. Further contemplation was cut off as the small girl exploded out of her box, latching onto him with a powerful hug that pinned his arms to his sides. He was prevented from falling down as she picked him up and swung him around, while excitedly proclaiming, "Master!"
Before he could think to protest, she sat him down, leaving him a bit dazed at all the sudden motion. The exuberant young girl wasn't affected at all though, as she excitedly stopped before Ranma, giving a curtsey, then continuing the motion into a bow as she held her knee length skirt out to the sides. "Good afternoon Master! I'm Steel Angel Akane." Straitening up, she energetically bounced on the balls of her feet, despite wearing low-heeled boots. "I have fists of steel and a heart of titanium!" she proudly proclaimed.
Ranma looked at her dazedly for a moment. Despite the sudden glomp like a guided missile, he was a lot more comfortable with her than Nabiki. That probably had to do with the fact that Nabiki seemed to be trying to burn the clothes off of his body with her smoldering stare alone. "So, you're a maid type right? What do you do?"
Aklane stopped her energetic bouncing for a moment, leaning forward with her hands clasped behind her while smiling cutely at Ranma. "I can do all household chores, but I really like cooking! Don't underestimate me though, because I'm a combat model, and will protect you too!"
Ranma frowned at her statement, saddened at another restriction on his ability to practice martial arts by his parents. He put it off though as it wasn't Akane's fault, and seeing him frown would just make the poor doll feel bad. After nodding to Akane, he turned expectantly to Nabiki.
Nabiki smiled slightly, turning her smoldering gaze down a good bit to a more friendly level. "I enjoy photography and flowers, gardening if possible. My skills and purpose are entirely for your happiness however. I will learn and do anything you want, take any role you want."
Ranma looked between the two new girls for a moment, relived that Nabiki had become a bit serious for the moment instead of undressing him with her eyes. "Alright, Akane, why don't you take over cooking form the Maid units. You can interface with the house net and get what you need to know on that."
Akane gave him a happy bounce of her head, and practically bounced towards the kitchen, having already downloaded its location.
With her gone, Ranma turned to Nabiki, wondering how to deal with the sultry Megami. It was obvious what she had on her mind, and he knew she would follow her preset personality unless otherwise ordered until her neural net caught up. Just ordering her to leave him alone would probably stunt her growth and end up with his mother trading her in for a new unit. Thinking of his mother and her hand with the dolls, he decided to check on something. "Just what is your libido set to Nabiki?"
The brown haired girl in question leaned forward, putting her ample cleavage on full display by pressing she shoulders inwards. "Completely insatiable," She purred out, giving Ranma another steamy look.
Thinking quickly, Ranma tried to think of some way to divert her away from sex. She was apparently a seductress type, and he had no illusions about how well he would be able to stand up against a more aggressive assault. A weird idea came to mind though, and he almost rejected it because it seemed demeaning, but with a bit more thought he realized it was probably alright. "Can you act like a cat?"
Nabiki's eyes widened slightly in surprise, the question catching her off guard, "A cat Master?"
Ranma nodded to her, "Yes, a pet cat. I'm not allowed to have a real pet, ever since I got a fever from a cat scratch as a little boy. You know, get on all fours, make cat sounds, rub up against me."
Nabiki slowly smiled as the idea worked it's way through her processors. Cat like grin in place from happiness, she got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to Ranma, then rubbed up against his legs while making questioning cat sounds.
Ranma bent down to one knee and stroked the hair along the back of her head. He noted however that the front flap of her long skirt was getting in the way as her knee kept landing on it. Thinking it over quickly, he decided to take it off of her so she could move around better.
Nabiki delightfully shook her hips to help her Master slip her dress down her legs after slipping her shoulder straps aside. Finally free of her dress, she crawled over to the sitting boy, and bowled him over onto his back, affectionately rubbing her face and black lace bustier clad breasts against his chest.
Ranma however wasn't about to let her take control and have her way, and sat up, flipping Nabiki over onto her back laying in his lap. Smiling down at her, he rubbed her tummy, a safe area to touch her to him, but she seemed to enjoy it with her purring as an indication. Nabiki was taking the cat behavior seriously, her arms and bent legs sticking akimbo into the air. Ranma took advantage of her position to reach her feet long enough to pull off her heels, so the pointed toes wouldn't interfere with her being on all fours.
Kasumi smiled on happily as the two tussled about the floor, Nabiki having the disadvantage of trying to move like a cat, while Ranma tried to hold a human sized affectionate cat in his lap. She was relieved and proud of Ranma for handling the new girls so well.
Half an hour later, Ranma was laid out on the couch, with Nabiki sprawled out across his stomach and purring up a storm as he stroked her. That was when Akane walked in with a stay containing Ranma's supper. As Ranma sat up for dinner, Nabiki obligingly slid off of his lap, curling up around his feet. Ranma looked curiously down at Nabiki for a moment, not having expected her to voluntarily stop cuddling with him. Ranma attention however was diverted by the smells that reached him when Akane removed the cover of the platter holding supper.
The platter was filled with one of his favorite courses, something that smelled simply delicious to him. Curious if the taste matched his expectations, he started in on his food, surprised to find Akane cooked better than the Maid units did.
Akane knelt by his side, expectantly staring up at him, completely concerned for how well he was enjoying her cooking. "Well, do you like it Master? Did I cook the right dishes?"
Ranma nodded to her, taking a pause from eating long enough to tell her. "It's great! The Maid units have always done the cooking, but it's always a bit bland with them, but yours tastes real good."
The shorthaired girl laughed happily, rocking back on her heels while beaming a sunny smile up at him. She had to restrain herself from glomping onto him since it would interfere with his eating, or bouncing around in happiness, which would be rude while she was personally serving him. Instead she tried to contain herself, waiting to see if he wanted more tea to drink or something else from the kitchen.
After an enjoyable while, Ranma finished his dinner, settling back comfortably as he digested the large meal. "That was wonderful."
Akane couldn't contain herself any longer, and bounced up and dashed into the kitchen, shouting back, "I made desert too."
Almost before he could finish blinking, Akane set a brandy snifter down before him, the large wide glass willed with a huge slice of cake, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, caramel and chocolate sauce. Ranma gaped at it while Akane kneeled down by his side again, gazing up expectantly at him. "It's my tall cake ice cream special!"
Ranma looked at it uncertainly while poking at it with the included spoon, as his stomach complained that it was already stuffed. One more look at Akane's expectant gaze though showed just how much this mattered to her though. Just one bite wouldn't hurt.
Later that night, Ranma lay groaning in bed with an acute case of a stomachache. Nabiki was curled by his side, nuzzling him every so often with her face to try and comfort him. Kasumi sat by his side gazing concernedly at him, with a contrite Akane on the other side, miserable for over feeding him like that in her exuberance.
The next morning, Ranma woke up with a groan. Almost instantly a pair of soft hands were pressing him back down into bed, something he was thankful for as his stomach stopped trying to do drunken gymnastics. Opening his eyes, he found a light brown haired goddess smiling down at him with a kind concerned smile that seemed to brighten his day, or at least make him forget about his stomachache for a moment. Smoothing back his hair, she concernedly asked him, "How are you feeling?" Belatedly he realized she was Kasumi with her new body.
Squeezing his eyes shut a few times to adjust to the light, he looked up at her again. "Ugh. Not as bad as last night, but pretty queasy."
Kasumi bent down and kissed him on the cheek, giving him another sunny smile. "Alright, I'll contact your school and get your assignments. You stay in bed and rest, alright?"
He gave her a week chuckle and a matching smile before answering her, "Sure thing, Nurse Kasumi."
Kasumi smiled at him, before getting up to reach a net access point. Nurse really didn't describe her initial personality programming that she was based on. She wasn't quite a housewife or any particular female archetype common among dolls. She had some household skills, but that wasn't her purpose. She was for giving Ranma comfort. She did what she could for taking care of him, and that extended to when he was sick. She was capable of diagnosing him and caring for anything that he didn't need a doctor for.
As Kasumi interfaced with the house net, and through that the school, Nabiki and Akane weren't wasting time with the object of their short pseudo-lives.
Nabiki was the more subtle of the two. During the night, she had taken off her bustier and stockings, as the tight parts of that clothing could ruin her pseudo-flesh by creating permanent indents. Gently she rubbed her head against his forearm, inviting him to pet her some more, even though she was no longer under request to act like a cat. Her young master obliged by rubbing her neck, relaxing himself in the process.
Akane had used a similar excuse to Nabiki to strip down to only her small white apron and panties, having readjusted her apron straps to cover most of her chest. She addressed him with a resilient happiness, acknowledging her mistake yesterday with food volume, but not letting it affect her now when she needed to make him feel better. She knelt on the bed beside him, being incredibly cute yet sexy in her skimpy maid outfit. "Master, is there something I can do for you? Perhaps some tea or a bit of soup?" Smiling a bit more brightly, she offered another suggestion, "Perhaps a nice massage?"
Ranma did his best to ignore the suggestion there, which was helped a lot by Nabiki's presence surprisingly. That was until she noticed something inevitable in his pants and moved to take them off to investigate closer. Panicking slightly, Ranma yelled out a quick "Stop!" while trying to pull her back a bit weakly due to his stomach.
Nabiki however stopped, and looked at him questioningly, obviously wanting to continue her search through his pants. Ranma also stared at her, a bit surprised at her suddenly stopping like that. Then he remembered what she said yesterday about doing anything he said. He also recalled the selling point of the megami series so to speak. These dolls were programmed with forceful personalities, often requiring their masters to order them directly.
The Verdandi model for instance had an innocent and pure personality, and had to be ordered into doing anything naughty, causing the Verdandi unit to be incredibly embarrassed or ashamed. That didn't effect Kasumi since she had her original neural net and not a Verdandi neural net.
The Peorth model was a lot like the Urd model, except more elegant and refined. If what he dimly remembered was true, she would do her best to seduce him and bed him all the time, unless she was ordered otherwise. Orders would flush out of her priority list after a few hours dependant on the situation, meaning he would have to order her around practically all the time, or he would never escape the bedroom.
Which brought him to the central selling point of the megami line, they were programmed with vivid personalities that were one sided enough that they would have to be ordered around, something for people who enjoyed that. He was fairly certain his mother knew he didn't like ordering even a doll around, which is why he had Kasumi coordinate the Maid units of the house. In a sudden moment of clarity and shock, he understood it was just that, that was why she got him a megami.
Curious, he tried to think of a question to ask Nabiki that would give him his answer. With her human personality programming, it was actually hard to ask her such a direct question about herself. Eventually he had something he felt like trying. "Nabiki, without any orders from me, do you have any other end purpose than sex with me?"
The short haired girl gave him a sultry smile, crawling her way up towards his head as she only had to stop going after his pants. "Oh, you put it so crudely. Surely you wouldn't object to that, and even if you did, I will do anything you say, so you can easily stop me."
Ranma frowned at her, not wanting to do this, but he also wasn't about to let her have her way. "Get off of me."
Nabiki complied, looking at him curiously as she knelt beside him on the bed on her hand sand knees. He pointed at the foot of the bed and told her, "Go lay down and don't touch me until you can control yourself."
Nabiki twitched slightly as she processed his order, looking down ashamedly at her failure, "Master, I can not control myself. I will attempt to seduce you at all times. You will either have to dismiss me, or control me if you wish otherwise." Biting her lip, she looked at him nervously after admitting her failure. "How long do you wish me to lay down in punishment master?"
Seeing her looking so pitiful at the moment with her admission of her programming, he relented somewhat, raising his hand up. "Just come here and lay down, and keep your hands to yourself."
Obediently she did so, laying down with her hands held against her chest as Ranma resumed stroking her hair, trying to show he wasn't upset with her. Despite her programming to seduce him, she was also programmed so that his happiness in general and his happiness with her were important to her. Since he wasn't ready to deal with being seduced, if he let her continue, she would make both of them miserable. Looking at her contemplatively, he realized she was otherwise a blank slate. As long as he was happy with her, anything he did or ordered her to do was alright with her. He just had to make sure she wasn't uncontrolled. The question was, what to do with her?
While he was considering that, Akane made her presence known again. "Ranma?"
Ranma looked at her curiously, as that was the first time she had ever used his first name as he preferred. "Yes?"
Seeing she had his attention, she lit up with a cheery smile. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
He considered her for a moment. Although mostly naked and wearing only a small apron and a pair of cotton panties, she appeared more cute than sexy. So far she had been fairly well behaved if just a bit over affectionate. "I'll let you know when I feel like eating. Is there something you would like to do?"
The eager android instantly lit up with excitement, her hips wiggling as she could barely contain herself. What she really wanted to do was jump on him and do every naughty act she was programmed with, then every one she had downloaded in her day of activity, then every act her master could think of. Then run through them again and see if her master came up with anything new he wanted to try. Actually, since her libido was set at the maximum value, she would do that until her batteries got to a critical state and her self-preservation kicked in.
Unlike the Megami line, she had more normal programming, meaning her master's happiness overrode her personality and wishes. So far she had noted he was shy, and Kasumi had confirmed this through a net query. She would really like some action, but he seemed adverse to that, so she used her emotive fuzzy logic decision making to solve the problem.
Still wiggling her hips in anticipation, she leaned forward to rest on all fours, crawling until she was nearly face to face with him. Gently she nuzzled against his shoulder, being careful not to be to forward. Getting no objection, she nuzzled up to his side and rested her hands lightly onto his chest. Having gotten this far, she finished laying down as she cuddled up to her master, finally completing her mission.
Briefly the still queasy young man examined the android girl wearing the apron cuddled up to his side. Nabiki made him incredibly uneasy while physically doing less, whereas Akane wasn't setting him on edge for some reason. The black haired girl had an air of sensuality to her, but it was more overwhelmed by a seemingly innocent cuteness.
Putting his arm around her to comfortably hold her meant his hand had to rest on her naked backside. Despite what that might mean, she didn't make an issue about it either way, further setting him at ease.
In the quiet that followed, he had plenty of time to think, and plenty to think of. Not to long ago when Kasumi had had her old body, she had been the only sexual figure in his life. With the motherly feeling he had for her, any sexual feelings he had for her had simply been disturbing, leading him to put sexual thoughts out of his mind for years.
Now though, Kasumi had a new body, one that was prettier and younger looking, looking only a little older than him while having a few traits of childish cuteness. Not only was she sexier, but she no longer seemed motherly to him, though he still cared for her just as much. The lack of motherly thoughts had come about a few days ago when her change of bodies had forced him to realize such thoughts were silly. She may be caring, loving and dear to him, but she was merely an android who wanted to fulfill her purpose.
He had been taking his time resorting his feelings on that matter, and ever kind Kasumi had made sure her presence was comfortable for him so he could think without pressing the issue.
The two new dolls arriving yesterday though had changed that. Despite the fact that he was too miserable last night to become aroused, he had been intellectually aware of Akane and Nabiki pressed up against him, both of them mostly nude as Kasumi sat patiently on the side of the bed.
He was familiar with dolls down to an engineering level, having learned a lot of the family business, the same business which built and programmed all the dolls in his home. Dolls had programming to make them want to be useful, part of their fuzzy emotive programming, which would push them to improve their selves. A doll feeling useless would be miserable and try harder to be useful, seeking the sense of fulfillment that resulted.
He wasn't quite sure of the reasons, but all three of his current dolls had been set to maximum libido, which affected their emotive fuzzy logic. It wasn't a change he liked at all, as it tended to make the dolls' personalities shallower as they focused on one aspect of humanity. It was really unnecessary as well, since any of the three dolls would be happy to have sex at anytime on a normal setting, which is what disturbed him about the setting. All it did was focus the girl's goals towards sex, finding more fulfillment from sexual acts than other acts, which would result in them focusing on that.
Putting those thoughts aside for now, he went back to considering the matters at hand, or more specifically, the pretty problems cuddled up to both sides of him. Their feelings aside, they would get increasingly insistent about sex if he refused them. Eventually it would affect Kasumi as well, which wasn't something he was looking forward to seeing.
Some people didn't understand the emotive fuzzy logic of dolls either. It was the basis of their ability to make decisions of right and wrong in a world colored in grays, by simulating emotion. More specifically, it simulated like and dislike, and was referred to as the pleasure module. This unit allowed a doll to put different importance values on different things, allowing them to compare and make decisions. It also gave them a sense of will, as they have their own programmed values to act by. Combine that with the learning ability of a neural net computer brain, and a doll could have human feeling, sometimes purer than human feelings.
That still didn't give him an answer for dealing with Nabiki. Her personality type was socialite seductress, so even without having her digital libido turned up, it would be what she did.
Inspired by a moment of clarity, the Yggdrassil heir smacked his forehead with his palm, creating a reddish mark. The cute mostly naked girl cuddled up on his chest looked up in surprise before fretting at hyper-speed over her poor master. "Ah Master, are you alright? Are you hurt? Was it a bug? Don't worry, I'll take care of it!" Suiting action to words, she sat up straddling his stomach and started scanning the room for flying insects, eyes roving across the expansive bedchamber while her ears twitched for directional accuracy.
The slightly queasy young man smiled ruefully at the dutiful girl perched above him that was searching intently for a bothersome insect that didn't exist. The idea of a fly making it through cleanliness standards of Kasumi and the maid units set forth by his over protective mother was laughable. "Akane, there isn't a bug in here. I just felt stupid for not realizing the obvious is all."
Slender soft hands delicately gripped his temples as Akane peered at his forehead and occasionally into his eyes. "Why would you do that? Doesn't it hurt?"
The young man pinned beneath her gave her a rueful grin, slightly embarrassed at having to explain himself. "Heh, well it hurt a lot less than realizing how blind I was being. The answer should have been obvious."
[Akane kisses his forehead to make him feel better, and he laughs and asks her what kind of first aid is that. Then he tells Nabiki to lay off for the day, and for Kasumi to prepare for him to visit the Nerima offices.] [Ranma sends Nabiki to look over the gardens and tell Kasumi he wants to speak with her. While laying there, he realizes the solution is simple, Nabiki is a seductress type, just let her do her thing and he'll do it whenever he wants too and everything will be fine. The girls have a slow orgy with Ranma a little before noon.] [The next day Ranma has an upset stomach and Akane is delighted to get a second chance at making Ranma happy. Ranma considers that tomorrow he'll take them shopping for clothes, since all four are lacking in outfits.]
[That afternoon, Ranma swings by the cyber center to speak with Tofu and the Megami engineers. Tofu is working on Yukiko(Ranma's other design) as a surprise for Ranma, Ranma's visit spoils the surprise.]
[Ryouga sneaks into the compound later that night, knowing that the new dolls are there and wanting to rescue Ranma from their clutches. As he climbs into Ranma's room through the window, he spots Ranma Kasumi and Nabiki laying in bed, but gets distracted by admiring Ranma and has to fight off a nosebleed. Akane makes her presence known and ejects the pervert, so she can go back to ogling Ranma.]