[RFC][SI][Multi-Xover] Being You is (Even More) Suffering

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, here you go! Tear it up, folks!

http://docs.google.com/document/d/186B ... sp=sharing
EDIT: In order to give a link that goes to the proper editable file.  Also, I realize now that by posting this, I'm showing you guys the conclusion.  Ah well.  Have fun reading it!

[Bluemage]

Hmm.  Feels sort of Clay-ex-machina-ish, but you did foreshadow it, and dimension-skipping is difficult to do any other way...
I'll do a proper editing pass in a couple days- probably Sunday or Monday, as I'll be at the coast then- but the only thing that really stuck out at me reading the conclusion is that Dr. Clay should've said 'demise'.  'Demize' is the end of a small town in Mississippi.

---

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

[Black Aeronaut]

*Snrk* Oops.

Okay, fixed the spelling error. Dunno how the hell I did that, but then the keys are like right next to each other. :p

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, since Bluemage is the only one that commented and my Google Docs doesn't seem to have had many visitors, I'll go ahead and throw the finale up here.
I did make one small change - I added a bit to what was going on after Garrick was taken away.  It seemed a bit of a downer note to end on, so I threw in something with a little more promise.
Anyhow, don't be shy.  Tell me how you guys like it.
Oh...  And wow, text copied from Google Docs is much more compact!

---

The Emperor, that is my adoptive father, and I traded some anecdotes afterward, then bade each other farewell until dinnertime.  Azusa had much work to do and it would not wait – such was the necessary evils of his position.  I can't say that I envied him much and vowed to try and make as little work for him in the future as possible.
Of course, at times that would be unavoidable, but it's the thought that counts.
I felt like seeing what Yume was up to, so on a hunch I went to the family baths.  I was not disappointed.
“You're still in the bath, Crazy Eyes?” I teased gently.
Yume chuckled from where she lounged in the steaming water.  “Oh, don't be so surprised, Handsome.  You did this to me, after all.”
I snorted as I went to start scrubbing down.  “Yeah, and who made me do it?”
“Takes two to tango, Handsome.  Regardless... This is actually my second soak of the day.  Since you've been so kind to help me purge the mating drive out of my system, I've been spending my time meditating on my future.  I'm going to be very lethargic for the next few months... and very hungry, too.  Whether new life takes root in my womb or not, I will still begin my physical maturation.  I will be craving meat and other high-protein food.  And nothing too lean.  But you shouldn't have to worry too much.  I have already sent Hishima and Takashima out to procure fresh meat for the kitchens.”
I nodded at that as I rinsed off.  “Okay then.  What about fruits and vegetables?”
“Anything that is healthy for you will be healthy for me and our child.  In fact, I would prefer if you provided that.”
As I entered the bath proper, I nodded.  “Good thing we have plenty of arable land back home.  I guess I should see if I can plant some pecan trees.”
“Pecan?” asked Yume as I settled next to her, letting her lean into me.  As her scent hit me, it felt strangely comforting – it was not like the urge to have sex with her at all.  Instead, I was filled with a sense of calm and contentment.
I smiled.  “A favorite nut from my home land.  Thin shell, easy to crack, and the meat of the nut is buttery-sweet.  I loved cracking them open in my mouth when I was a kid.  The earthy-woody taste of the shell was like a challenge to get at the treat inside.
“The trees themselves grow tall and provide nuts for as long as three hundred years.  And the  cuttings from pruning are great for cooking fires – the smoke from the wood imparts a very rich and satisfying flavor.”
Yume laughed.  “Sounds like we got ourselves a carnivore here.”
I shrugged.  “I definitely like my meat.  There's a certain cut of meat back home we call brisket.  You cook it real slow and if you do it right it comes out so tender and juicy that it practically melts in your mouth.  My grandfather made a killer barbeque brisket.  He'd marinate it for four nights in his own special sauce, and then slow cook it in a brick pit for another four nights.  That stuff was a carnivore's delight.”
Yume grinned.  “Well then, I'm glad I chose a male that appreciates the value of well prepared meat.”  Her gaze became more sober.  “Fair warning, Handsome: I'm going to be very irritable while I undergo this maturation.  I will probably gain ten-to-twenty centimeters in height and pack on between ten-to-fifteen kilograms of mass – more if I do become pregnant – and all within six months.  There are going to be a lot of growing pains involved.”
“I see.  How would you like to be treated?”
“A little pampering here and there would be nice.  For the most part a calm environment is best.”
I nodded at that.  “Understandable.  Once I have everything with Katherine and the Central Unit in order, that shouldn't be a problem.  Plenty of space for you to have your own sanctuary.”
Yume sighed.  “Thank you.  That was one of the things I was looking forward to – a nice pocket of subspace with a garden the size of a continent.”
“Well, don't forget that you gotta share it with others.  And speaking of which...”  I motioned to the entrance where a group of figures was entering the baths.  I smiled as they quickly resolved.
Minagi, with Yuki, Sasami, and Achika.  Tennyo and Minaho were there as well, and they were followed by two others.  One was Mimi Tatsuki Jurai.
The other was one of the other more notable girls that had pursued me: Anya Amake.
Anya might have been mistaken for a Russian girl on Earth with her long, slight, elfin build, silver hair, and hazel eyes.  She was actually Mimi's cousin, and really just a few years younger than Mimi.  The two regarded each other like sisters, and Anya truly hated how some of her family had a political agenda against just about everyone else.  She had said that she'd consider it a blessing to get married and no longer have to bear the Amake name.
I raised an eyebrow at the collection of girls.
“I thought I was done running from gaggles of girls,” I called out teasingly.
“Silly,” said Yuki as she stuck her tongue out at me and gave me a red-eye, albeit with a smile.  “You won't ever get rid of us, Gar-kun.  We all love you too much!”
“Speak for yourself,” said Minaho dryly.
Yuki looked to Sasami and the two grinned wickedly at each other.
“Hoo boy,” I sighed.
“This oughta be good,” Yume said.
And just like that, Yuki's hand darted out and pulled away Minaho's towel, catching the woman completely off guard.  Minaho cried out in shock as she immediately took off after Yuki, but Yuki had her own ideas about that.
“Wow!  Look at her, Gar-kun!  Minaho-chan has such a pretty body!”
Without a word, Minaho froze into place as though she had suddenly turned to stone.  Slowly, she turned to face me.  And I honestly had to admit, the view was impressive.  Minaho had a beautifully formed body with a generous bust that was not too big for her frame, and pleasant curves through her waist, hips, and thighs that gave her a perfect hourglass figure.
I also saw the scar I gave her – a neat and faint line like I had requested that paralleled her ribs.  As I had thought, it did not detract from her beauty one bit.
Yuki suddenly came up behind me and dropped Minaho's towel on my head, catching me off guard.
“If you want your towel back, you gotta come here and let Gar-kun tell you how pretty you are!” taunted Yuki.
Suddenly, tears welled up in Minaho's eyes and she began to wail.
I shot a look at Yuki, who blushed under the unspoken criticism.  “Ah... oops?” she said.
I groaned and got up, went to Minaho, and gently wrapped the towel around her.  Everyone else simply looked on in wide-eyed amazement.
“I thought the universe hated you!” she cried out mournfully.  “Why does everything seem to go in your favor!?”
I felt it was best not to answer that question.  Because really, dealing with a crying woman was bad enough.  It'd be stupid to upset her even more by pointing out that the universe was using her to make me miserable.
Instead, I gently guided her over to the washing area.  “Mimi?  Anya?” I called.
The two girls all but teleported.  “Yes Lord Grimm?” they said in unison.
I blinked at that before going on.  “Would you two kindly help Minaho here?” I asked.  “Just please be gentle with her.”
The two smiled warmly.  “Of course we will,” answered Anya.
That done, all the other girls began to wash up, mindless of my own presence.  I didn't really try to look... well, maybe a little.  These were all very lovely women to look at, and I'm rather peculiar amongst men in that I have no particular favorite piece of anatomy.  While I can appreciate individual parts of a woman, I prefer to look at the woman as a whole.  Rather like preferring to listen to the the entire symphony rather than appreciating the part of a single instrument.
“A little distracted?” teased Yume as I settled into the bathwater next to her.
“Kinda hard not to be,” I replied, a bit grumpy at being called out.
Yume snickered.  “You know, this is going to be more fun than I thought it would be.”
I gave Yume a suspicious look.  “How so?”
Yume grinned back at me.  “Just that this is starting to feel more and more like home.  You know, with all these females around.”  She then chuckled.  “It's actually quite interesting.  Juraian men typically sire far fewer sons than any other males in the known universe.  So Jurai has a rather high gender imbalance in favor of females – the ratio is almost three-to-one.  Probably why polygyny is favored here.”
“And you really have no problems with that?” I asked.
“No,” Yume answered.  “Even before I left my home I felt that my standards were high enough that I may have had to share the lucky male with my sisters.  That was a long time ago, though.  Although I haven't had a family for quite some time, I find myself warming to the idea once more.  Especially when the entire pack is shaping up to be so exceptional.”
“Hey Yume!” cried out Yuki as she came wading over with Sasami in tow.  “Let's go over there!  We gotta talk!”
“Try not to be too graphic with those two,” I groaned quietly as Yume got up.  Yume only chuckled merrily as she winked back at me.
I sighed and was suddenly embraced from behind.
“Hello, Minagi-chan,” I said with a smile.
“How'd you guess?” she asked.
“You're about my height.”  Very true, given she's about an inch taller than me.  I then gave Minagi a sly look over my shoulder.  “Besides, I should know by now how your body feels against mine.”
Minagi chuckled.  “Of course.”  She then sighed as she settled in at my side.  “I'm so happy, Garrick.  Sometimes I worry this is some kind of dream.”
“I don't,” I replied lightly.
“Oh?  Why's that?”
In reply, I motioned over to the group comprised of Yume, Yuki, and Sasami.  Mimi and Anya had just joined them, and apparently they were having a discussion about breasts.  I could tell because Yuki suddenly groped Mimi from behind, giving the much older woman a good feel-up, and then shook her head in disappointment.  I didn't catch what was said, but Mimi sure looked pissed.
“Sure, you can make shit like that up,” I said philosophically, “but you know you're not dreaming if you ever see it in action.”
Minagi barked a laugh, just as Achika came over and settled in on my other side.
“Hey, what's so funny?” asked Achika curiously.
“Yuki's embracing her bisexuality,” I said with a grin.  “Unfortunately, not everyone got that memo.”
Achika looked at the proceedings and giggled – you could see the actual moment that Mimi realized that Yuki found her to be attractive, lesser bust be damned.  I swear the air around Mimi darkened for a moment as she was overtaken by a spasm of horror.
“Poor Mimi,” sighed Achika.  “She never can catch a break.”
“She has my sympathies,” I intoned.  “I can tell already that Yuki is gonna be a force to be reckoned with around here.”
Achika nodded.  “She kinda reminds me of the stories I've heard about Grandmother Seto when she first showed up.  I've been told that once she got over her initial depression, no one in Tenju was safe from her predations.  It didn't matter if you had a penis or a vagina.  Whether or not it was all an elaborate joke on her part is still up in the air – she still hits on the younger girls now and then.  Especially if it throws them off their game.”
I shook my head but smiled nonetheless.  “Grandmother is one scary woman sometimes.  I wouldn't have her any other way, though.  Keeps things interesting around here.”
Achika laughed.  “And this isn't?”
I scoffed.  “This is the next generation of rabble-rousers.  After we take over I think Grandmother will finally hang up her devil horns and just sit back and enjoy the show.”
“I'll put money against that,” Achika snarked.  “Anyhow... Oi, Minagi!  Whose turn is it with Gar-kun tonight?”
I blinked at that.  They were orchestrating this shit?
“I believe it's your turn, Achika,” Minagi replied lazily.
“Sure you don't wanna stick around?” Achika asked coyly.
Minagi chuckled as she saw me goggle at that.  “Nah.  We can always do that later.  It'll be your first time together, so it's special.  No need for the rest of us to interfere.  Besides, you know what you're doing.”
I blinked again before I asked, “You girls have been planning all this all along?”
“Yup!” replied Achika brightly.  “It was Yuki's idea.  In fact, if I recall she's supposed to get you to herself after me.”
At my worried expression, Minagi and Achika both laughed.
“Don't worry, Gar-kun,” said Minagi.  “She promised she'd behave herself.  She just wants a bit of quality time with you.”
I sighed at that.  It would be all kinds of awkward if Yuki tried to seduce me in bed.  Bad enough she was already acting out towards other girls, but at least that was culturally acceptable for her.  Freaking Japan and it's ridiculous age of consent!
“Anyhow,” said Achika, trying to drag the conversation back on track, “we've even scheduled a night for you to spend with Tennyo and Minaho.”
“Are they aware of this?” I asked.
“They are,” Minagi confirmed for me.  “And before you ask, no, Minaho isn't really looking forward to this, but she's decided that she'll go through with it just to resolve once and for all that there's nothing between you two.”
I scoffed at that.  If there was anyone in this group that was a clear-cut tsundere, it would be Minaho.  And from the knowing smiles on Achika's and Minagi's faces, they agreed silently with me.
“And Tennyo?” I asked.
“She's pretty sure it's only physical,” Achika replied with a grin.  “That said, she wants to get it out of her system.”
I blinked at that.  “I thought she was supposed to be a 'proper lady'.”
“You're thinking of Minaho.  Tennyo's the sneaky one.”
“Sweet Tsunami,” I muttered, causing the two women to giggle.  “And you?” I asked Achika pointedly.
“After about two decades of being a proper little Japanese girl, I decided that I just don't give a fuck anymore...  metaphorically speaking, that is.  Honestly, I love to fuck whenever I can.”
“Amen!” replied Minagi and the two exchanged a fist-bump.
I gave Achika a measuring look.
“What?” she asked.
“I just want to make sure... you don't have any children of your own, do you?”
Achika went bright red and began to splutter, while Minagi exploded into raucous laughter.

---

All things considered, the bath with everyone was just what I needed to put me at ease and sort out my feelings and the feelings of my ladies.
Minagi and Yuki I already understood.  Minagi was prepared to do everything and anything for me... even if it was difficult for her, at times, to let me go.  She really meant it when she came back to Earth that she did not ever want to leave me again.  Such selfless devotion resonates with me profoundly.  It is a beautiful thing and I love Minagi deeply for it.  Her devotion will always be rewarded with my love.
Yuki... was her own woman now.  Despite her age, she had matured to a remarkable degree.  She still had a long ways to go, but the Japanese predilection to instill self-sufficiency early on combined with recent events has made her into a person who can certainly make her own choices.
And, Goddess help me, I loved her more every day.  It wasn't so much the big things, though.  Those were important, yes, but they weren't what I was really in love with.  It was how she played and teased and cajoled.  It was how she glared at a problem on paper, as though it had personally insulted her, as she tried to resolve it.  It was how she smiled when she pushed her physical limits, smiling despite how her body screamed in protest.  I had realized that, when she was ready for it and bore our first child, she will wear that same smile despite the labor pains... because she would want her first child to come into the world knowing her smile.
That was why I loved her.
Yume was still a bit of a conundrum for me.  I understood why it was she wanted me, and why I was attracted to her.  It was mostly physical and sociological... but the seeds were there.  I already appreciated her dry humor, terrible as it was sometimes.  But then, I was raised by terrible people.
Even so, this was something I did not want to squander.  I decided that I would strive to nurture the growing love and respect we had for each other.  With love, care, and maybe just a bit of luck, our feelings for each other will grow into something healthy and beautiful... even if it had something of a tart flavor to get used to.
Achika was... interesting.  Raised to be a proper Japanese girl and gone rebel.  Chafing under the unvoiced expectation that someday she would have to act like a 'proper' princess of Jurai.  One thing she certainly had was the burning passion I so adored in Ayeka.  I could always see the fire burning in her eyes, even if only banked to smoldering embers.  It always gave me a thrill deep inside whenever I saw any of the Juraian women hit me with that look – that deeply seated ferocity that was the birthright of these women born of pirates.
I don't know why I found that so fascinating.  Maybe it was because I am, in my heart, a pyromaniac.  For me, there are few things more fascinating than seeing a fire dance and writhe.  The only thing that really kept that in check was how horribly destructive it can be... but when given the chance, I will always be lost in the gentle flicker of a candle light as it slowly consumed it's fuel in a brilliant display of ferocity.
Tennyo I was uncertain about.  I did find her playful, sneaky nature to be amusing, and she also knew when to cut the crap and just be honest when it counted.  That was something rather refreshing.
Minaho... I had no idea.  She could very well be attracted to me and was fighting it tooth and nail.  If this was the case, then I definitely wanted to help her make peace with herself, no matter whether or not I win her heart in the process.  Minaho was a worthwhile person – a capable manager and a stunning beauty.
As for the others like Mimi and Anya... They all definitely had their good points.  I could see all of them being loving wives and mothers.  But the problem was that beyond adding one or two more women to my list of prospective brides, I worried whether or not there was enough of 'me' to go around.  Let's face it – there's only one Garrick Grimm.  It was going to be bad enough dividing my time between five or six wives and the children they'll bear for me.  But the other thirty-four women that all wanted a piece of the action?  I honestly hated to disappoint them, but I could only have them as my retinue and nothing more.  Not unless everyone got really comfortable with the idea of sharing, and I seriously did not want to put anyone through that emotional wringer.
“Credit for your thoughts?” asked Achika as she and I made our way to my suite.
“Eh?” I said as I looked her way.
“You've been preoccupied ever since we left the baths and all through dinner,” she said, her tone teasing the but words themselves were dead serious.  “What's going through that head of yours that's so damn important?”
“Sorry Achika,” I said, a bit embarrassed.  “I've just been trying to sort out this whole situation.”
“Which one?” she pressed.
“The one in which I have to figure out how I'm gonna make sure all of my beloved ladies get all the love and attention they need from me.”
Achika grinned.  “Is that all?  Didn't we tell you already that we're working it out between ourselves?”
“You did,” I allowed.  “But I was left out of the loop.  You see, I don't mind if you work things out yourselves, but I still want to be part of the process, because I want to see for myself that everyone is getting their say on things.  Besides, this directly involves me.  For that alone I should get a say.  Lastly, I thought I was supposed to have the final say in how we did things.”
Achika blushed.  “Well... Minagi did say something like that... but the rest of us felt that with as busy as you've been lately, it'd be a good idea to not bother you with it.”
“Well, from now on just make sure to include me on these matters.”  I sighed heavily.  “I got blindsided by the whole concubine thing.  While I at least have the right to decline, there's still going to be some of those girls that will ask me to marry them.  And I suspect that there's going to be at least one or two that you and the others are going to shove onto me.  I just want to make sure that my feelings and the reasons for them are known, even if I'm having trouble putting them into words.”
With that said, we entered my suite and the moment the door closed, Achika enveloped me in a firm embrace.
“I guess that's what I like about you, Gar-kun,” Achika whispered into my ear.  “You are not at all like these other men of Jurai.  You will stand up to us women and make your thoughts and feelings known where others will meekly accept what we say as law.”  Before I could say anything, she sealed my lips with her own.
As we kissed, she gently pushed me towards the bed, subtly relieving herself of her robes as she went so was fully nude by the time we got there.
Finally, Achika pulled away... or to be more accurate, she forced me down onto the bed, separating our lips in the process.
“Since the others want our first night together to be special,” she said in a soft, bedroom voice, “I am giving my body completely to you tonight.  You may do to me whatever you please.”
“A little trusting for our first time together, aren't we?” I asked her coyly.
Achika only smiled back.  “I have it on very good authority that you know what you're doing.”
I grinned back up at her.  “In that case, lay down on your stomach.  If I'm going to do this then I need to do it right.”

---

Achika never knew what was coming.  Sensual massage, tender kisses all over her body, foreplay that she'd only ever read about.  I used all kinds of dirty little tricks.  A blindfold to enhance her other senses, ice and hot oil, feathers and rose petals.  I drove her to orgasm several times over with my hands alone.  By the time we were making love in earnest, Achika had all but lost herself and become a quivering wreck of a woman, and she adored every moment of it.
Hours after we started, she laid against me, gasping softly as she slowly caught her breath and shuddered spasmodically every minute or so.  She didn't say anything  She simply clung to me like I was the only thing that existed... and in her state, I probably was.  Eventually, though, she did settle down and found her voice.
“Goddess, I should have known better,” she said quietly.  “I thought you'd just ride me like there was no tomorrow... I should have realized from what the others said that you like your foreplay.”
“You didn't like it?” I asked as I stroked her head.
“Oh sweet Goddess I loved it.  I just didn't expect it.  You've ruined me now – nothing will ever be the same again.  I don't care if I get pregnant every time you do that, it will be worth it!”
I raised an eyebrow at that.  “Do you honestly want children so soon?”
Achika finally cracked open one of those gorgeous amethyst eyes of hers and gave me a dreamy smile.
“I may be military, but I've seen plenty of my sisters in the Army on maternity leave... and I have not seen one of them unhappy about the child they were carrying in their arms.  I decided a long time ago that when I find the right man I am not going to waste any time.  I'll have his child and I will raise it, whether or not he wants it.”
“Bold,” I said, continuing to stroke her head.  I grinned once more and teased, “And am I that man?”
Achika chuckled slowly.  “I took a fertility treatment from Washu this morning.  I should conceive tonight.”  At my wide-eyed look, Achika laughed a little more energetically.  “I can just imagine it now.  A dark-haired little boy.  So much like his father.  So energetic.  So playful.  So sweet and loving.  He'll make all kinds of noise but no one will care, because he'll just look at you with a huge smile like there could never be anything wrong with the world.  He'll be my darling little prince.”
I shook my head.  “Achika, you are crazy and I love you for it.  Let's get some sleep.”
“Yeah,” she sighed.  “I don't think I can move anymore anyways.”

---

I dreamed of trees once more that night.  Only I was not a child.  I was a man.
The children, though... they were my own.  All of them, boy and girls, varying shades of bold and inquisitive.  Some were quiet.  Other were loud.  Some dared.  Others calculated.  But they all loved passionately.
My sons – eagerly seeking my approval of their works and council in projects to come.
My daughters – crying out for my love and affection, seeking my wisdom about life and love.
I was not alone.  There were women, women I knew intimately.  I knew their scars and they knew mine.  They were the mothers of my children and they would all flock to their respective mothers, clamoring for the warmth, love, and guidance which they gave freely.
And of course, there were the trees.
Quietly watching.
Quietly sheltering.
Quietly protecting.
Quietly giving their love to us all.
But then the dream ended.

---

I awoke with a sense of great unease.
Achika still slept.  The feel of her warm, soft form, the scent of her musk, and the gentle sound of her breathing all comforted me... but even so, the unease permeated the air around me.
Suddenly, something cinched in my gut, almost like the tightness you get right as you vomit...
...and then I was surrounded by a maelstrom of white and gray as a not-wind tore at me ferociously.
Up ahead in the distance, I could see a massive form pulling me closer with a tether of red energy, cackling with wicked glee.
Dr. Clay.
“YOU WILL NOT HAVE HIM!”
I felt the cinching in my guts once more and turned to the source of the voice.  It was Tsunami-sama, and she wore a look of fierce determination as she pulled on a tether of blue.
“TSUNAMI-ONEE!” I screamed.
“HANG ON, GAR-KUN!” she called back, her face torn between giving Clay dirty looks and giving me desperate ones as she struggled.
“INSOLENT WENCH!” called out Clay.  “HE WILL BE MINE.  HE SHALL BEAR MY MARK AND BECOME MY WILLING SERVANT.  HE WILL BECOME THE WEAPON OF YOUR DEMISE, AND ONCE YOU ARE BEATEN YOU TOO SHALL BELONG TO ME!”
“Not on your life, you bastard!” I called back.  I then took the red tether in my hands... I didn't know what to do, but I figured that if I could will it to break, then maybe...
Clay laughed.  “FOOL!  YOU DON'T HAVE THE POWER!”
Suddenly, a voice boomed like a great gong struck.
“NONE SHALL PREVAIL.”
And just like that, the red tether ceased to exist... and the backlash hit me.
For a moment all I saw was a brilliant flash of stars as I blacked out for a moment.  And I then heard the great voice speak once more.
“FOR TOO LONG YOU HAVE BEEN AWAY IN THIS WORLD, MY SON.  AS YOU ARE, I CANNOT BRING YOU BACK.  BUT I SHALL NOT LEAVE YOU AS YOU ARE.  I GRANT YOU THIS ONE LAST BLESSING... A TRIAL.  EARN YOUR POWER.  GAIN YOUR WISDOM.  CLAIM YOUR BIRTHRIGHT.
“SUCCEED AND YOU WILL BECOME MY EQUAL.  FAIL AND YOUR SOUL WILL PERISH WITH YOUR BODY.
“FAREWELL, MY SON.”

---

I slammed into something.  Light and sound flooded my senses, stupefying me for a moment before my body adapted once again.  All I could see was a beautiful blue sky, cleaner and more pure than any I have ever seen in my entire life while the wind rushed all around me.
Somewhere there was a scream.
There was a brilliant flash of red and everything went dark once more.
There were no dreams to keep me company this time.

---

---

---

---

Meanwhile...
Tenju was in an uproar.  While it had happened before in the past due to invasions or escaped prisoners, this time it was due to something totally and wholly unprecedented:
The disappearance of a person that was very much beloved to the most powerful people that resided there.
Klaxons rang out.  Guardsmen were rousted.  Trackers were summoned.  Elaborate sensors were deployed.  But one thing became quickly apparent: no one could tell where Garrick Grimm had disappeared to.
In a special emergency session of the Imperial Court, Emperor Azusa sat on his throne in his sleeping clothes, his crown resting heavily on his troubled brow.  To either side of him stood his beloved Queens, both of them orchestrating their respective organizations to find the missing man he had every intent to make into his son.  Present as well was Seto as she worked her own information networks, attempting to find out if anyone had missed any sign of some attack.  Also present was a distraught Achika, the first to sound the alarm, along with Minagi, Yuki, and Yume.
Slowly, others began to file into the throne room seeking answers.
First was Ayeka, Ryoko, and Tenchi, followed soon by a sleepy Mihoshi.  Then came Minaho and Tennyo.  Questions were asked.  Further confusion was sowed, which then settled into deep and horrified concern.  Finally, though, the one person that was thought to have all the answers entered the throne room.
She did not look well at all.
“You can call off the search parties, Your Majesty,” said Washu in a low, depressed tone.  “Garrick is beyond our reach.”
Everyone exchanged confused looks at that pronouncement.
“What do you mean by that, Washu-chan?” asked the Emperor, though not unkindly.
“He's... gone, somehow,” Washu said quietly.  “Something yanked at him so hard that it sent him skipping over all the dimensions like a stone skipping on water.  I can't even trace where he is at now.”
“But how did this happen!?” cried out Achika.  “I mean... he and I were in bed together one moment and the next he was just gone!”
Suddenly, a door slammed open and standing there was Sasami, panting for breath with a dark look of outrage in her eyes.
“Clay,” she said, biting off the word like a grotesque insult.
“But...” said Ayeka in shock, “he would never even dare-”
“Oh, he would,” Washu said darkly.  “He would do it just to spite us.  And it only stands to reason, too.  With Minagi pregnant with his child, and probably Yume and Achika as well, and he about to have his adoption tomorrow...  What better way to demoralize us?”
“PREGNANT!?” screamed Ayeka in shock, sending the entire group into scandalized uproar.
“QUIET!” belted out Ryoko as she stomped her foot hard enough to make the entire room shudder.  She then turned to Washu and asked, “Isn't there a way we can get Garrick back from Clay?”
“Clay doesn't have Garrick,” declared Sasami and all eyes turned to her.  “Tsunami was trying to pull him back away from Clay, but something else interfered...  Tsunami does not know what it was... but it was so powerful... she was frightened.  It destroyed the binding Clay had on Garrick... without even moving, it did that... and then... it sent Garrick away.”
Ryoko blinked.  “You mean... something more powerful than Tsunami!?”
Washu looked to Sasami.  “Are you sure?”
Sasami nodded.  “I think... it was Garrick's father...  His God.”
“But... I thought Tsunami-sama was a god,” said Ayeka in shock.
“Tsunami and the other Choushin might as well be compared to the rest of us,” said Washu quietly.  “But this thing... it sounds like it was the real thing.”
“Is there any way we can go after Garrick?” asked Minagi.
Washu sighed.  “There's no way for me... Garrick is traveling through a level of existence that is completely unprecedented.  I can't even begin to fathom how his God got him to that point, but he did.”
“Is there... anything we can do?” asked Tenchi.
“He is still connected to Katherine,” said Sasami.  “That means he is still connected to Tsunami.  She can feel him, somehow... I can't even say how far away... she's trying to use the bond she made with him to pull him back... but it's like he's stuck.  I think he can become unstuck, but Tsunami needs to keep pulling on him until he comes loose.”
“So, the only thing we can do is wait,” said the Emperor quietly.
Sasami bowed her head.  “Yes.”
“So be it,” intoned Emperor Azusa of Jurai.  “We will wait.  Until then... all we can do is go back to our lives.”
“We shall not!” exclaimed a new voice from the grand entryway.
Azusa scowled at the figures there.  “Mimi Tatsuki Jurai.  What do you have to present to the court?”
Mim walked in, followed by the rest of the girls that were to become Garrick’s retinue.  They all had determined looks on their faces.
“Respectfully, your Majesty, we will not simply return to our lives,” said Mimi, speaking for the entire group.  “We don’t really have anything waiting for us, aside from the prospect of menial labor in the private sector.  Of course, we all have skills, but with things as they are right now they will not feed us.”
Azusa nodded.  “And so you all sought employment under Garrick.  That is all fine and well, but Garrick is gone now.”
Mimi all but glared at the Emperor.  “Garrick is indeed gone, your majesty, but his holdings are not.  On top of that, there is the old law where if a woman so desires, she may be under the care of her Fiance’s household despite not actually being of his house yet.”  Mimi then smirked.  “I understand that Garrick’s women are all very independent people, but at the same time I think they’ll want to make sure that when he returns, it is to a home that is unquestionably his.”
Funaho chuckled softly.  “It seems that you have been outmaneuvered, my Husband.”
Azusa grunted.  “So it would seem.”  He then looked to Mimi once more.  “And where would you build this house of his?” he asked pointedly.  “Surely not on Abason.”
Mimi then smiled and looked to Achika.  “Hoi, Achika.  You’re gonna be the first wife.  I think this should be your call.”
Achika blinked at suddenly being put on the spot.  “But… I’m not sure where to start.  I mean, it’s not like I don’t know anything about him, but…”
“Texas,” Minagi said suddenly.
There were some confused looks at that, as well as some mutterings of, “What planet is that?”
Achika’s eyes, though, lit up.  “Oh!  Texas is where Garrick is from on Earth - it’s an independently operated state within a federalist nation called the United States of America.”
Washu smiled and piped up, “I think I know exactly where Garrick would want to set up shop.”  With a gesture, a holographic image appeared of a land of high, rolling hills covered in verdant sage and grass and gnarled oaks and mesquites.  And Bluebonnets.  An entire field of Bluebonnets with a brown, dusty road winding through it.
The throne room suddenly exploded into excited, girlish squealing.

[Bluemage]

There are two very good reasons why the promised editing services have not been delivered.
1.  Horrible Internet.  Seriously.  Like, text fanfic pages don't always load.
2.  It says I'm offline, so the file is view-only.
I'll be home tomorrow, so I'll update then on whether #2 goes away when #1 does.
(Seriously.  The Wi-Fi I'm on is from about three blocks away.)

---

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

[Bluemage]

Home.  Internet works again.
Your file does not, though.  Still not editable.

---

My Unitarian Jihad Name is: Brother Atom Bomb of Courteous Debate. Get yours.

I've been writing a bit.

[Black Aeronaut]

Okay, should work now. Here's the new link: http://docs.google.com/document/d/186B ... sp=sharing
EDIT: Addendum
I think it would be interesting to do side stories about the girls all coming to Texas... and how the idiot ball gets passed around in dealing with building up a homestead out here and the other assorted issues.
For one thing, they'll notice Winter around here isn't so bad... and then Spring comes along and scare the bejesus out of them all with thunderstorms so loud and flashy they'll wish for typhoons instead.  But then they'll find that their perseverance is rewarded when wildflower season starts up.
Then along comes summer and they all have to learn to cope with weather that tends to hit the 40 degree-Celsius mark (that's about 104 Fahrenheit) - loose fit clothes, very breathable material, and full coverage is their best bet.  This is because the only thing worse than the heat is the sunburns, and sunblock just makes you feel sticky and dirty in that heat.  Also, things like tubing in the Comal River (a long-standing pastime of the locals) and Schlitterbahn (freakin'... huge... waterpark...) helps a lot.
Fall is a mixed bag of tricks.  Summer can't decide if it wants to stay or go, storms roll through the area, and cold snaps will have the girls dashing to the thermostat to turn on the heat (because they got so used to the heat that sudden drops to 15 Celsius (about 60 Fahrenheit) feels absolutely frigid).
Then, Winter returns, cool, dry, and even tempered.  Some lament the general lack of snow.  Possible anecdote about a few girls, pining for snowy falls, that make a trip up to someplace like upstate New York or Maine and get a lot more than they bargained for.  (I can just hear it now... "What the hell is wrong with this planet!?")
Oh, and the picture Washu shows them in the Throne Room?  Probably something like this:Quintessential Texas Hill Country there during the springtime.  Complete with a dry creek bed - don't build too close to that!
EDIT2: Forgot to mention... they're gonna have loads of fun dealing with some of the locals (what few there are out yonder).  The sort you find out in the Hill Country are, unfortunately, mostly right-wing conservatives.  Sure, most of them are decent people, but now and then you get a couple of those that like to talk a lot about being 'sovereign citizens' or other things of that stripe.  Makes me grind my teeth whenever I meet one of these people.

[robkelk]

Oh, and the picture Washu shows them in the Throne Room? Probably something like this:

Quintessential Texas Hill Country there during the springtime. Complete with a dry creek bed - don't build too close to that!

Oh, you know they will ... the first time. Then they'll re-build somewhere else.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Bob Schroeck]

What would be fun if they make some absolutely genius mistakes -- things that, had anyone else done them, would have been disasters, but because of some quirk of the architecture or materials or design they chose turn out to be the kind of thing that gets you in design magazines...
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[classicdrogn]

... what the hell is "sovereign citizen" even supposed to mean? And that is a pretty country, but you'd have to pay me - and not chump change either - to live there. I hate summer in Massachusetts (and previously southern New Hampshire) for being too hot, when 10x is nearing "record highs" rather than the seasonal average!

One thing I always wondered about those Juraian tree ships with the huge interiors - where does all that soil and whatnot actually come from? Are there a few thousand otherwise habitable worlds out there strip-mined of their biomes to make those "garden the size of a continent" Central Units? Is it created with some kind of space-magic energy-to-matter conversion? If so, where do they get all the energy it would take? is it some kind of "directly shaped from quantum foam" thing when they initialize the pocket dimension? A side issue at best, I suppose, but a point of curiosity none the less.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[deadpan29]

According to one of those suplementary notes that the series creators release occasionally, Juraian trees have roots that extend into other dimensions, which is where they get their nigh-infinite power. In GXP, we are told that the fancy wooden structures around the central modues are power limiters and without them these ships would destroy (or at least devatate) planets with even a low-power shot. Power requirements aren't really an issue for these ships.

As Juraian trees supposedly lose their power when they sink their roots into a planet, I'm guessing there is something unusual about the soil in the ships. It may be pulled from some of those other dimensions accessed by the roots, or (as you speculated) created with the nigh-infinite power I covered above and possible lighthawk-wings-make-physics-cry dickery.
----------
No, I don't believe the world has gone mad.  In order for it to go mad it would need to have been sane at some point.

[Black Aeronaut]

Sovereign Citizens are the freaking yahoos that think that we're still in the Colonial era or something. They feel that the government is completely unlawful and that none of it applies to them. They do not pay their taxes, they do not register their guns or their vehicles. They are all freaking nuts. (Note: Timothy McVeigh was one such person.)

Now, I didn't say that these people out in the HIll Country are Sovereign Citizens... just that some of them love to talk about it. And even just that is enough to set me on edge.

And yes, the Central Units (that central pod part of every Juraian ship) is where the real magic happens. These things pull of some sort of interdimensional hydroponics that lets the trees tap into some sort of subspace network that goes all the way back to Tsunami as the source. Matter/Energy conversion is a piece of cake for these trees.
EDIT: To fix a grammar error and an addendum...
I just found this little gem...  http://www.rice.edu/armadillo/Texas/talk.html
Yes, the side stories set in the Hill Country are going to be rife with neighbors talking like that.  What will be interesting to see will be how old school Texas culture vibes with Japanese/Juraian culture.  Oh and the first incarnation of their house...  They go for the typical, airy, open style of old Japanese homes.  One neighbor says, "The first blue norther to come along and drop a frog strangler on us'll turn this place inside out."  It'll turn out to be true, unfortunately, but afterwards the advantage will become apparent: just replace the shoji and the house is fine.  The rest of the furnishings, though...

[classicdrogn]

That's the thing though, at that point they're denying the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, even if they are free-riding on at least the benefits in physical security with a national army maintaining borders and police/the feds preventing free-roving bandit gangs and so on. That type is likely to have their own wind generator or solar panels and of course a well or their own specifically for the purpose of being off-grid I'd expect, but the basic linguistic argument remains that if you're a sovereign you're not a citizen and people being assholes I wouldn't rule out taking advantage of various social services and programs either.

As for the house and survivability, Japan is known for its rather extreme storms as well, so I'd expect it would be more durable than one might think to look at it. Plus, you know, space magic and ul-tech materials.

ETA: After reading your linked page of Texas Tawk, I have to say that between 2/3 and 3/4 of those are in common use here in the heart of swamp yankee territory. I mean, I've heard people talk about "those no-good shitheels down south" in Connecticut!
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Black Aeronaut]

ClassicDrogn wrote:

---

As for the house and survivability, Japan is known for its rather extreme storms as well, so I'd expect it would be more durable than one might think to look at it. Plus, you know, space magic and ul-tech materials.

Oh, they weren't really made for survivability.  They were made to be easy to rebuild after the fact.  :p

ClassicDrogn wrote:

---

ETA: After reading your linked page of Texas Tawk, I have to say that
between 2/3 and 3/4 of those are in common use here in the heart of
swamp yankee territory. I mean, I've heard people talk about "those
no-good shitheels down south" in Connecticut!

That would be because a good number of the Texians that settled here back in the day were swampland yankees. (BTW, don't mix up Texians with Tejanos.  Texians are the caucasians that emigrated to Tejas when Mexico threw the border wide open for mass settlement, as opposed to the Tejanos that came up from the Mexican side to settle.  Texas history is fascinating stuff.)

[classicdrogn]

I suppose you make a solid point, though I should clarify that I meant the locals were commenting about Connecticut being "south," not that the statement was made in Connecticut. Bad placement of quotation marks, I guess.
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

[Bob Schroeck]

ClassicDrogn wrote:

---

ETA: After reading your linked page of Texas Tawk, I have to say that between 2/3 and 3/4 of those are in common use here in the heart of swamp yankee territory. I mean, I've heard people talk about "those no-good shitheels down south" in Connecticut!

Likewise, I grew up here in New Jersey with at least a quarter of those expressions in common use around me.  And no cowboys or Dillos.    
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Black Aeronaut]

Oh my God!

http://hanburyhouse.com/vintage-tile-scrapbook/

In that link you will find a gallery of vintage 1940's/1950's era bathrooms. Now, Garrick's bathroom is laid-out Japanese style, with the bathing area, sink and vanity, and the commode all in their own spaces (yet all adjacent to each other). However, it's all done with this style of tile and fixtures. (Some of the fixtures in these photos are obviously not the originals. Mostly the toilets, but also a good number of the tubs and pedestal sinks.)

So, that said, do you folks feel that I conveyed the look of the bathroom well enough, or should I go tweak it a bit?

(Also, I think I need to add more color. Holy crap, I forgot about that beautiful sage green color!)

[Black Aeronaut]

Hey guys! Sorry about the necromancy, but I felt better about doing that than starting a new thread.

Since Google Drive has become far more versatile as of late, I've decided to start leaving most of my more polished work there as well as working towards better organizing it.

To that end, I've begun splitting BYiS into proper chapters for later posting.

You can find the chapters I've split off the main document here:
http://drive.google.com/folderview?id= ... sp=sharing

Part of why I'm sharing the folder is because I'd like critique and commentary about how I'm splitting things up. Also, I'm adding a bit more polish to the story - attempting to fix whatever continuity errors there are, adding bits of narrative for flavor (like Garrick's cat), and generally trying to make it read more naturally (ie, fixing tricky and weirdly structured sentences and poor word choices).

I'll be setting the individual documents so that guests can post in-line comments, so if you see something that bugs you for any reason, then by all means, flag it out for me.
EDIT: Also, if you see something that requires real discussion, put it up in this thread and we'll go at it.  I want as much communication as possible!

[itsune9tl]

Add title headers to the top of your chapters.
Always double check your spellcheckers corrections. That properly spelled word may not be the word you aimed for.

[Black Aeronaut]

Well, this is going to be posted to a forum, probably my DeviantArt account, and then maybe ff.net, so chapter headings would be a bit redundant.
If I get a big enough following to warrant a website, though, I'll be sure to add headings.

As for the spellchecked words.... You'll have to flag those out for me.  I've been going over this thing again and again, and if I haven't spotted it yet, then I'll need a second set of eyes to catch it.

[itsune9tl]

Trust me on this, or at least ask some one where you plan to post.
At the very least, put a line that is just "Chapter X".

It makes it look professional.

[ECSNorway]

And let us know when you get started on the Macross section.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[Rajvik]

Honestly i miss Texas. Don't get me wrong, I love living in Florida but I miss Texas.