It is finally finished.

Hurrah! Hurrah! Break out the champagne! Strike up the band! Make the cheap $5 stripper a night jump out of the cake! Never shall you have to hear from me again, of my vague and messy descriptions, of the unclear and incoherent lengthy dialogue, of my slow movement of plot! This story comes to a close, much to the relief of many!
 
Thank you for you patience. I am much obliged. Let it be known that it was your kind words of encouragement and honest criticisms that have kept me going. To those handful few ( and even then I fear I am already exaggerating the amount largely ), that actually thought I wrote adequately, I feel, however, that I may have let you down in this last chapter. In par with my peculiar writing habits, there are again many scenes that probably have nothing to do with the progression of the storyline, but to which I put in anyway. May I add that it was selfishly done for my own personal amusement, to serve simply as mere speculation as to what the characters would do and/or think when thrown into a particular situation. It is meant to entertain, and perhaps enlighten a little as to what I think of the character’s personality. In other words, to some of your chagrin, it is my rather biased contribution to the already sizeable cesspool of all your insights, thoughts and interpretations about certain characters and their relationships with others. But, as much of an excuse I make for it’s presence, it can more or less drag the entire story down, especially for you Fuuko and Tokiya fans who prefer fast action! ( I mean no offense in that by the way ).

 The descriptions are meant to be romantic. They are cheesy. Oftentimes repetitive. They borderline gross, IS gross, even senseless at times… most times. Included are rotten puns, running gags, over recycled clichés, recurring images, and maybe even some inside jokes. Sweet sentimentality is what I aim for- Of new bonds of friendships formed, of old ones renewed and strengthened, of nostalgic pangs from days gone by, of mistakes made, of childhood memories, both good and bad, of regrets, of the pains, aches and wonders from a silly joyous bubble called love, of responsibilities and finding limits within a given inhuman power ,and, of course, of what-ifs. Please don’t get too sick for my benefit.
 
I don’t particularly like reading about characters made by the fanfic writer that pop out in a fanfic. I prefer reading those that have to do with the characters present in the original story. And for  those of you that have this preference as well, let this be a small warning. Being the eternal hypocrite that I am, I have included some of my own characters. They have brief stints, staying  for a few paragraphs in each chapter, and there are about two that have even stayed since the first chapter -- the money grubbing, blue haired, current girlfriend of Domon, Kanojo, and Moesama Kirisawa- softhearted, skitzophrenic principal. All I can offer in defense for my actions of putting these guys in is that…gee, come to think of it, I can’t really think of a defense. But, for all it’s worth,  to all you fellow fanfictioners  out there who also share a lack of fondness for fanfic made characters ( my, my! Alliteration is at work in my mind today ), but who still include them anyway for the sake of bridging together their fanfic story, all I can really say is:  I can relate.
 
Once again, may I take this opportunity to sound soppy and express my most heartfelt gratitude for your graciousness towards my writings. Thank you kindly for your words of support, of your infinite patience with my slow-ass progressions…and of your constant bomb threats. And I know I have said/written this countless times, but nevertheless, lucky you, you get to hear it again.

Please enjoy! ( or at least try to )

        I remain
        Your’s faithfully,
                 Kat
ceraby@yahoo.com
 
----o
Winter Night’s Boogie

Part 1- The Calm Before The Storm

 They stood on opposite sides of the road. The cherry blossom leaves blew delicately in the wind, creating an atmosphere of serenity… and romance. Their gazes met, eyes locked. The struggle to break free from the bindings of the heart slowly dwindled away as their defenses fell apart and their inner core was exposed.

He was the first to make a move, legs already propelling themselves to the center of his universe.

“Fuukoooooo… “

She could only follow suit in his actions. “ Tokiyaaaaaaa… “

 Hands desperately reached towards one another and found their destinations. He held her close in his arms, savoring her scent. She held him back, relishing in the warmth of their bodies on a cold, windy day…

He looked deeply into the eyes of his beloved  rose-haired enchantress that captivated his soul, and whispered huskily  “ Fuuko… you must know, I love you with all my heart… “

She looked back at him with an equal amount of sappy adoration. “ And I love you, Tokiya,  with all of mine “.

“ My darling… “

“ Oh, My love… “

 “ Together… we can forget… “

“ Nothing will ever keep us apart… “.

Lips met in a tender kiss. Bodies melted in an embrace that could put all other embraces to
shame. The wind sighed softly, as if to signify their consent . Music of violins, harps, and God knows what other stringed instruments,  played in melodious symphony bringing to end the long denied passion. Flowers way out of season bloomed madly in the heat emanated by the two lovers. Doves. And some chubby cupid in a white, bad fitting diaper ( oddly resembling Kaoru and his Kougan Anki in bow form ) winked in triumphance, flying elsewhere to find other victims for its sick pleasure.

 Fuuko and Tokiya were married soon after that.

“ Oh, honey… I’m hoooome “.

Tokiya walked in their two bedroom apartment wearing a dark blue business suit. He was tired and wanted nothing more than to see his wife.

“ Tokiya! You’re back! “ Fuuko threw her arms around her husband and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. She was dressed in some pink, lacey apron and looked like she had been cooking.“ Welcome home! So how was work today, dear ? “

“ Oh, the usual. How’s our baby? “ He put his ear to Fuuko’s swelling belly. She was pregnant with their second child.

“ Just fine. He kicked twice today “.

“ And how’s our other one? “

Tokiya walked over to the crib of their first born. Fuuko stood beside him.

“ He’s fine too. Shall I go bring him out for you to see ? “ Reaching into the crib, she carefully picked up a small package of cloths. She gently peeled off the light blue clothing to reveal their little baby boy…

…Which consisted of Domon’s head stuck on a normal baby’s body, complete with nose ring and mohawk.  It was their son!  It was their pride and joy ! IT was also a complete monstrosity of nature.

Tokiya waggled a finger playfully at the baby’s (???) face. “ And how are you, my little munchkin ? “

It popped it’s pacifier out of it’s mouth.

“ Duh-duh “. It said.

Tokiya cooed and smiled lovingly “ Awww…. Isn’t that sweet, honey? He called me da- da “

It relieved itself on it’s diaper and broke into a very wide grin.

Fuuko could only smile back in mute, motherly affection….
 

“ AGGGHGHHHHHHHHHHH!! - WOAHfff!! “

 Dark. Hard. Cold. Floor. She had fallen off the bed and landed flat on her face. Fuuko thought twice before crawling back to bed. The floor was actually more comforting and sleeping there would be a sign of thanks for waking her up from THE worst nightmare she had ever had. Her head throbbed and she shivered, not because of the cold, but  in sheer terror of having to remember that terrible dream. Cooking? Cleaning?! Babies?!?!?!? She sank her head back to the floor with a ‘ thunk ‘ and went into fetal position. Ooooo….. No more ice cream with pickles and mayonnaise for her.

---O

“ Come on Fuuko. Rise and Shine! “

Fuuko woke up to an irritatingly cheerful voice of Yanagi Sakoshita. Yanagi had found Fuuko off the bed. She must have fallen off.  It wasn’t unusual.  Fuuko shooed Yanagi away.

“ Go’ way. Five more minutes. “

“ We’re going to be late if you don’t get moving,  “. Yanagi opened the closet and took out Fuuko’s uniform. She placed it on the chair. “ We’ll wait for you outside. Okay? “

Fuuko reluctantly got up and changed when Yanagi had left. She met her friends outside. Kaoru already left for his school early. That left Domon, Recca ,Yanagi and Ganko.  They walked to Ganko’s elementary first and dropped her off. As they were walking to their high school, Recca suddenly blurted out “ Hey, isn’t today the start of hell week? “

Yanagi gently corrected him. “ Don’t you mean Upper Classmen and Lower Classmen Friendship week? “

Domon repeated Recca.  “ Yeah, hell week. “

“ Is that today? Great. I wonder who I’m stuck with. I can’t wait ‘till I get to boss around some lower-class twerp “. Fuuko kept walking and just noticed that her friends had stopped in their tracks. Domon and Recca just exchanged a sly wink. Yanagi didn’t seem to share their deviousness. She shrugged it off. It probably had nothing to do with her anyway.

---o

“ Tokiya Mikagami “.

Fuuko read it out slowly. Like one does an epitaph.

“ Oh! Look at this Domon! I get the privilege to be bossed around by some guy named Shin Shi!  “ Recca pointed out the name with his finger on the piece of paper stuck on the bulletin board.

“ Oh! And look at this Recca! I get the honor of having a girl named Hato Piman be my master! “ Domon likewise did the same action with his finger.

“ And who did you get, Yanagi? “ Recca inquired oh- so sweetly.

“ Um... well I got- “

“ How did you manage to do that? “ Fuuko sourly wondered just how exactly those two were able to pull it off. The chances of Tokiya and her being stuck together were astronomical. No way would chance accidentally pick the both of them.

Recca’s hand flew to his mouth in mock surprise. “ Why Fuuko, how could you suggest such a thing? Do you honestly think me and Domon had anything to do with choosing you and Tokiya? I thought the pairs were chosen randomly “.

She puffed her cheeks.

Domon held his two fingers up in a ‘peace/V ‘ sign. “ Besides, does it matter how we did it ? We just did!”

“ So you  did have something to do with this. “

“ Uhh.. no.. “ Domon clamped his mouth shut. Oh-oh.

“ You do know that following the upperclassman’s orders are purely optional “. Fuuko smiled confidently. She didn’t have to participate in any of the activities with Mikagami. And she didn’t have to do his bidding if she didn’t want to. The school only came up with the “ Upperclassman and Lower Classmen Friendship Week “ as a fun tradition  of orienting the lowerclassmen into the next grade. It only took place during the last three days of school, even though it was called a ”  week “.The activities of the last three days took place after final exams and were conducted after school hours. Only during the last day of the “ week“, the lower class ‘ servant ‘ had to do the bidding of his ‘ master ‘ for the whole school day. These were optional as well, if the ‘ servant ‘ found the task too demeaning or against school rules or against their own morals.

“ But you get merits for participating and even more for winning an activity “. Yanagi reminded everyone of that fact.

Recca added, “ And since you’ve been absent for a lot of times Fuuko… you got a lot of demerits “.

Fuuko’s confidence crumbled. She couldn’t have too many demerits otherwise her school record would look bad and she might not graduate. Dang it, they had a point…She fixed her most violent gaze at Recca and Domon.

Domon took one look at it and went, “ I’m not sure about you Recca. But I think now’s a good time to… RUN!  “

Yanagi’s skirt lifted a little due to the gust of wind made by the fleeing Recca and Domon.

---o

 Little Ganko was 8 years old. She lived in a nice house with a white door, located just at the edge of town. She had no parents; her father long passed into the other world, and her mother had died about a year ago. Her guardians were her brother, uncles, grandfather and aunts. One day, when the teacher at her elementary asked her to draw a picture of her family, little Ganko needed two pieces of paper and big box of crayons. Why? Because she had to draw her Aunts Fuuko, Kagehoushi and Yanagi, her Uncles Recca and Domon  on one piece of paper and then ran out of space. So on the other paper she drew her big brother Kaoru, Uncle Tokiya and grandfather Hanabishi.

 When someone asked her about her parents, she would always have to go through  that exhausting list of people. And when some kid told her it was impossible to have that many parents, she would beat the living snot out of them. She was, after all, a former madogou user.  And some whiny kid was not going to make fun of her family. That was what Aunt Fuuko told her.

“ Is something wrong Ganko? “ Her Aunt Fuuko asked as they were eating cotton candy.

“ No…”

“ Oh? “

“ Yes…. “

“ Then tell me all about it. You know you can tell your Auntie anything “.

“ People say that since I don’t have parents then I don’t have a family… “

“ Well they’re lying. “

“ But… “

“ Whenever you have people who love you, then that makes a family right there. “

“ So you and Uncle Tokiya would make one, right? “

“ Uhhh… no…ummm… “ Me and Tokiya make a family?!

“ You’re turning red Aunt Fuuko. Are you okay? “

“ Are you sure you’re 8 ? “

“ I’m turning 9 soon “.

“ You sure are! You’re going to be a big girl soon! “

“ Ha ha! Stop tickling me Aunt Fuuko! “
 

And that was how a typical day in the world of little Ganko went. Until one day…
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Oh okay, nothing happened. I’ll go back to writing about Tokiya and Fuuko.

---o

“ So? “

“ So. “

“ So?? “

“ So. “

“ SO?!! “

“ So. “

“ Damn it Tokiya! Would you PLEASE tell me what activities are lined up for the week? And why do I gotta carry this heavy box?! “

She hefted the ominous box that weighed a ton in her arms. Only five minutes after Tokiya found that she was to be his lower class servant did he already start bossing her around.

“ You are my slave, correct? “

“ That doesn’t mean you can break my back while at it! You get the hospital bill if that happens! … and don’t call me your slave! “

“ The exercise will keep you warm. But you can use your Fuujin to lighten the load. A reason why you are better suited for the job than I. Servant . “

“ I can’t use it while in school! People are gonna stare! Why can’t I drop this off behind the school or something?! What the heck is IN this box anyway?! Rocks? … And what’re the activities ? And don’t call me servant either! “

He looked down to the sheets of paper given to him as an upperclassman master. “ Hmm.. is seems that starting tomorrow there will be an ice skating competition at the local pond… then a field day at the indoor heated gym  the day after tomorrow…starts at 3’oclock…All a complete waste of my time ”.  He shrugged his shoulders and walked forward quickly.

Meaning that she had to jog to keep with him, jiggling the bulky box in front of her.  “ No! It’s not! I need those merit points!! C’mon! You have to go with me to those events and record that I actually participated! “

He patted the box sending her temporarily out of balance. “ Well then. You’re going to have to convince me about participating. “

“ You!… You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?! “

His voice was level and face devoid of any expression. “ Immensely “.

---o

Kanojo entered earshot range of Fuuko’s rantings and immediately took a seat. She didn’t want to miss a thing.

“ That’s it! I don’t care about my demerits anymore! “  Fuuko had spent the entire morning catering to Mikagami’s whims. She was dead beat, and wanted nothing more than the three days to be up so that she could devise a plan to get back at him.

“ What did he do ? “ Ever curious, Kanojo eagerly inclined forward.

“ He made me carry this stupid heavy box…”

“ That’s not so bad… “

“ Up and down three flights of stairs?! “

“ Oooo… “ Kanojo nodded in sympathy, making her short  blue hair bob.

“ I don’t get it.. Why  he made me carry that stupid thing up and down the stairs for no purpose… “

“ Maybe he just wants an excuse for you to be close to him… without people being suspicious… “

Yanagi sighed dreamily . Hearts were practically in her eyes.

Fuuko looked extremely skeptical. “ Tokiya? We talking about the same guy here? Nah, it’s probably just his sadistic streak acting up. It’s not fair that I gotta do whatever he wants just so that he can monitor my merit points while you guys have no problem with your masters… “.

“ Hime! Oh HiiiIiIIIime! I’m finally here! I’m so sorry I’m late! “

Waving like a frantic idiot, Recca sidled up to the table where the girls were sitting down to lunch. Fuuko smirked at seeing her toughest friend acting like a lovestruck fool in front of Yanagi.

“ Kanojo! Kanojo baby! Sorry I wuz late! “

Domon scratched the back of his head, looking as pitiful and sheepish as possible. Fuuko’s eyes glinted with mirth at seeing Domon turn to a quivering mass of jello when apologizing. Ah well. Those were her two best friends for you. But enough of that. Back to figuring out how to get Mikagami to lighten up his hold on her, and on how to get merit points.

“ Here, Hime! Say ahhhh…. “ Recca lovingly forked a rice ball and lovingly fed a Yanagi blushing in loving pleasure.

“ Domon, for being late, ya gotta buy me that cute stuff toy we saw last week at the store! “

“ Sure Kanojo, if that makes you happy! “

“ Really? Oh, you are so sweet! “

Squealing with delight, Kanojo clapped her hands in glee, eliciting a wide grin from Domon’s face.

“ Now it’s your turn Recca… you say ahhhh … “

“ Ahhhh… “

AHHHHH!!! She couldn’t take it anymore! This was too sickening for her to bear!  No one really noticed a revolted Fuujin wielding Fuuko  stand up quickly and run away from the entire lovey dovey scene.

---o

To Be… or not to be… that is the question…

“ Er. Hey Tokiya… Mind if I… stay here ? “

Tokiya looked up from “ Hamlet “ and sighed. She always had bad timing. “ Why? What do you want? There are no errands for you to do “.

“ That’s not why I’m here! It’s lunchtime! Geez, gimme a break! I’m not your- “

“ Slave? “ He finished the sentence for her with an air of snootiness. She was used to it, however, and snorted in half -hearted disdain. She positioned herself near where he was seated on the ledge. Not too close. The guy might bite.

It  felt cold. Was it almost Christmas time? In less than a month it would be. That would mean almost a year would pass of her meeting Tokiya… Yanagi… Kaoru, Ganko,Kagehoushi. It all happened during spring…She chanced a glance at Tokiya who seemed perfectly comfortable with the current weather. It figured… The dreaded box she had to carry lay beside him, open. Macbeth… Julius Caesar… all the great Shakespearean tragedies.. Whopps, no, there was Dante’s Inferno sticking out…

“ You’ll have to read it next year “. Perhaps he said it too defensively? She had raised an eyebrow in question. It seemed to say : all of them? You made me carry all of them when you were probably only going to read one or two? He put his current reading material down. “ What happened to Recca and the others? “

“ They’re uh… busy “.

“ Oh? “

“ Yeah. “. She coughed nervously.

“ Even Domon? “

“ Heh-eh.. I think I made a mistake in introducing Kanojo to him… although, he’s probably happier now.” There was a little ache in her heart again. It was always her and Domon together… beating up the same opponents… figuring out how to beat Recca… fighting with Recca…her knuckles itched from  missing having someone to punch.

Tokiya looked the least bit interested. “ Oh “.

“ Yeah… know how three’s a crowd? “

“ Ah. “

“ Yeah, and two’s a company.. “

“ I see… “

“ Yeah… “

Awkward silence for the next two minutes. The pages of Tokiya’s book made a crinkling sound as the wind passed through. Her dangling heels hit the ledge  while swinging them to and fro. Fuuko just realized something.

“ No, not that I’m only hanging out with you because they’re not available, since they’re busy,  and you’re convenient,  I mean, you can be good company, right? And it’s not like you’re the only friend I have left who’s single, and  uhh… riceball? “

Tokiya didn’t know what to make of her blustering. All he got was ‘ friend ‘, ‘ busy ‘, ‘convenient ‘… ‘ riceball ‘ . She offered it with a candid smile and had to fight down every drop of blood from rising to her face in embarrassment for probably hurting his feelings… and for babbling like an idiot. She chided herself for ever snickering at Domon and Recca. It was all due to karma.

---o

“ Are you sure this is it? “

“ Sure, I’m sure! It said that the first event would take place at the local pond located nearby school. And this is the only pond  I know of. “

 Fuuko plopped down on a tree stump and started to lace up her spankin’ new ice skates. She got her dad to buy them for her as an early Christmas gift. All shiny and new. No way could she lose this ice skating contest! But… which way did the laces go?!

“ Do you even know how to skate, Kirisawa? We are not going to win if you don’t “

Tokiya dusted the stumpy platform and seated himself . They had arrived about 10 minutes late. He carried no ice skates, the condition of the event being that only lowerclassmen could participate. There was no one around. Perhaps they would show up soon. He noticed her having a hard time even putting the skates on. Fuuko gave a haughty laugh, sending all his warning signals on loud alert .

“You bet I do! They used to call me the Ice Skating Queen! “

“ You don’t know a thing, do you? “

“ I do too! And what about  you, huh? “

There was a pause of silence before he replied. “ Mifuyu taught me. Long ago .“

She stopped trying to lace her skates. Tokiya leaned forward to stand up, letting his hair cover most of his face.

The small, worn out ID he always carried fell from his shirt pocket onto the icy ground . It landed with an eerie sounding pat . She picked it up and carefully brushed away snow on it. There was a photo of a very attractive girl with long brown hair. Almost like Yanagi, but the face showed more signs of hardship than the meek healer... So this was how his sister looked like. This was the girl who took her brother’s love with her to the grave. She handed the ID back to him from where she sat . He looked at it once and touched the face of his sister gingerly before stuffing it back in place. So much  sadness and regret…all very clear in his eyes of baby blue …

Change the subject. That was what she was good at. Not good in bringing painful memories to the surface. Changing the subject. Why bother  talking about it? Make everyone depressed. What’s done is done. She should know as well how it hurt to think about the death of a loved one. Now what should she -

“ Oh here, let me do that. You are totally inept when it comes to lacing skates. “

He couldn’t stand seeing her fumble around like an incompetent! Especially when it came to doing something as simple as lacing skates. Squatting down and muttering , he took hold of one end of the string and started lacing a skate.

There was a faint smile of relief touching her lips before she bent down to her other skate, copying his deft, criss- crossing motions …

“Hey ! Can’t you be gentler? You’re cutting the circulation offa my legs! “

“ It’s supposed to be tight. “

---o

 4’o clock. Everyone seemed to be an hour late… maybe the ice skating event was cancelled and they didn’t know?

“ Oi! Fuuko! Tokiya! What’re you doing there?  “

Recca skates were tied together, and were slung over his shoulder. He was walking home with Yanagi.

“ Where were you two? We were so worried that maybe something happened to you… “ Yanagi quickly scanned  Fuuko and Tokiya for any signs of a fight.

“ Where’s everybody ? “ The question came from a confused Fuuko.

Recca jerked his thumb to the opposite direction. “ They’re at the east side of school. There’s a bigger pond on that side. Didn’t you see the sign? “

“ No, “

Tokiya searched the area… and found a piece of board sticking out from the snow. He scraped the snow away to reveal a semi- large sign simply stating : Not here. Next pond on other side. ( big red arrow pointing to eastern direction ).

“ Well, looks like you’ll have to try tomorrow. Can’t believe you thought it was THIS pond… “  Walking away, his hime beside him, Recca headed home.

“ This is… not good… “ Fuuko sighed deeply . But then her shoulders started to shake with laughter.

“ What’ s so funny? We wasted an hour! “ He demanded to know what sort of amusement she found in this… this.. waste! Waste of time was what it was!

“ That’s not it. I just found it so funny that here I was, all revved up and ready to skate... and it turns out that we were on the wrong side of the school. It’s so ironic, I just gotta laugh! “ She steadied herself with a nearby tree trunk and started to make her way to the pond.

“ You’ll fall. Again “.  They had already tried practicing, him staying at the edge of the pond instructing her as best as he could. It had been a humiliating and painful experience for her.

“ I don’t care. They cost my dad major paper! I might as well use ‘em for as long as I can… besides, watch this! “

She placed a foot on the pond, and executed a perfect glide across the icy plane.

“ You’re cheating! You’re using your Fuujin! “

“ So what ? My bum’s sore and cold . I’ve fallen at least 50 times! I’m going to enjoy myself, damn it! “

Fuuko proceeded to glide with her back towards him, doing a twirl in the middle of the pond,  and trying to look as professional as possible .

The blades of the skates were an inch away from the ice, leaving the frozen pond free of any markings when she passed over it. Small tufts of wind billowed behind her invisible trail. Skimming the glassy surface without a care in the world, arms slowly carving arcs in the air…

There was a certain… grace in her movements, if there was any ever possible, one he had witnessed only when she controlled her Fuujin. A completely surprising knack for elegance rarely seen except when using her chosen madogou…Oblivious to all  surroundings, like she listened to the gentle rhythm of a song the breeze played… a sweet melody  his ears, or anyone else’s, would never hear nor would ever fathom… so a monkey could learn ballet…

 Fuuko didn’t pay attention to him . Probably thinking she was crazy.  Hah! She’d get her merits tomorrow, that was for sure!

Something wet just touched her cheek. Ice… tiny flakes of ice… And there was a light fog encircling the area. What was happening? She whipped her head around so fast it cricked, fearing that he disappeared due to some unseen presence. But he stood calmly behind her, ensui drawn and emitting a soft radiance around it’s outer edges. A brief upward twitch on the corner of his mouth flittered to let her know that it was his doing. The counterfeit snow only fell until the outskirts of  the pond.

It took her breath away. Tiny, crystalline snowflakes descended slowly, glittering to make the most precious of diamonds envious at their pure, natural beauty. They sparkled in a delicate translucence.  The fog drifted about in a lazy haze, adding an even more dramatic effect to the panorama of fantastical wonder. Ice as light as a feather…it landed on the pond only to evaporate and be seen once more coming down from the heavens above.

 She should really feel a tinge of annoyance at being put on display. It felt like being in one of those snow globes you see in stores, ones that children shake while waiting impatiently for their mothers to finish shopping. The ones that are shaken to let styrofoam snow fall ontop a miniature house or Santa’s North Pole workshop. But this was beautiful, this was real…There was only a sense of awe that stirred her soul.

“ Wow! This is great Tokiya! I didn’t know you could do this! “

 She pranced around the pond, pushing fog in different directions wherever she moved. Strutting like a proud peacock , unexpectedly jubilant in the probable fact that maybe, just maybe, he had fashioned this makeshift stage just for her. Her dark purple -red hair stood out from the powdery, snow covered enclosure, like a rose among thorns… or in this case a rose amongst the whitest of lilies…

More snowflakes sparkled in dazzling brilliance. The fog covered her tracks with every step she took. Dark hair followed the shifting patterns of the artificial breeze she created, and gently flowed around her delighted face. Ice swirled around her slender body  at his command  and her merry peals of childish laughter reminded him of his own past happy childhood…

The snowflakes stopped to descend.

“ This is so much fun! Come and join me Tokiya! “

The same words Mifuyu used to coax him into skating.

The fog completely evaporated. Fuuko’s  laughter died along with it.

 One look at his forlorn face, and she knew instantly that she had somehow bungled up and reminded him of his sister. Part of her mind screamed  to change the subject. Or offer words of comfort, to make him cheer up. He was part of the Hokage Team now! And they wouldn’t leave him alone, not even if he begged them to! Recca and Domon would be there for him! And she would make sure Yanagi wouldn’t get hurt, Yanagi being the most important person in his life right now.

 But another part told her to stay silent. His refusal to laugh and enjoy since his sister’s death… She couldn’t compete with a…a corpse! Or with the memory of a perfect sibling.

“ Maybe we should go home …“.

There was no point in talking about it. It would make him even more sadder… and that in turn would get her all weepy!

 In a way, she had the right idea. To keep quiet and let things settle over with the passing of time. But what she didn’t see was that there are always two sides of a coin - That to talk could help ease the pain, and the sharing of the past could help lighten the burden of guilt. Because in the end, the person still had to carry the heartache all alone.

---o

WELCOME TO SOPHOMORE-JUNIOR FRIENDSHIP WEEK!
        FIELD DAY
 
Drum roll please, and flashing disco lights. Hell week. Day two. The big banner in multi-colored letters hung from the ceiling of the school’s indoor gymnasium. Students were bustling about, signing up for events or chatting with their friends. Freshmen were present, but could not participate in the events. There were teachers around, mostly gym teachers, and there were about two nurses manning the first aid station.

Domon turned around to see his two friends walk towards their group. Fuuko was in front, bouncing along, having pep in every step, while Tokiya opted to walk behind her in a leisurely fashion, absorbing the surroundings like a sponge. He was practically dragging his feet, making it seem that the action caused him to spend a lot of effort. In a way, he was being dragged since he had to monitor her merit points.

 Bringing Kanojo to the school gym wasn’t exactly easy. Domon had to borrow one of Fuuko’s gym uniforms so that Kanojo could be with him. Kanojo’s school was at the other side of the neighborhood, but there was nothing interesting going on there, so she decided to spend the day with the her boyfriend. The indoor heated gym was one of the buildings Domon loved the most. Even during winter he could oggle at the girls all he wanted, watching them  in their skimpy shorts and delightfully tight tee shirts. He paused to wipe some spittle that had inadvertently slid down from the side of his mouth.

“ Hey, hey! How’s it going! “ Energetic as ever, Fuuko took a seat beside Yanagi.

Recca answered. “ Nothing much. My upperclassman master went off somewhere. Which event have you signed up for? “

“ Hm, not sure yet… “ She didn’t really know which one to choose. Which one would give more merit points, and which one could she win in so that more points could be gained? She looked back to ask for Tokiya’s advice, and was just in time to see swarm of freshmen girls surround him. Almost the entire female freshman population was at his beck and call.

“ Mr. Mikagami ? You are him, aren’t you? ”

“ He looked at me! He looked at me! I could just diiiiie “.

“ What a gorgeous man! “

“ Are… are you free later on today Mr. Mikagami? “

“ What’s your phone number Mr. Mikagami? “

“ Do you like handcuffs? “

“ How do you feel about dinner? My place? “

The giggles and swooning sighs could be heard even from a five mile radius.  One girl fainted. Fuuko stuck her tongue out in complete and utter disgust making miscellaneous gagging noises.

Tokiya was used to admirers. But not THIS many… Well  he couldn't really blame them for good taste, could he? Such is the curse of being beautiful! Mikagami  slid his hand through his long, unbounded hair and tossed it to one side. Invisible sparkle dust filled the air with their shine. He shrugged idly and flowers seemed to pop out of nowhere.  But his pupils anxiously darted out to the corner of his eye to look for help…

Just to see Fuuko imitate every gesture he did. Badly. But she got his glimmering effect done quite well.

“ Hmp. You really are a monkey “.

Harrumphing about ‘ monkey see, monkey do ‘ , Tokiya tried to talk to the more obvious intelligent conversationalists present before him.

She was about to launch herself full force at him, if only her arms weren’t held back by Domon-!

“ Excuth me. Are you Mith. Kirithawath? “

She stopped trying to break free. There was a short, pudgy freshman standing in front of her. Curiosity took the place of anger.

“ Yea. Want something? “

“ Well.. uhh.. could… could you sign this please? “

The freshman shyly offered her a piece of paper. He bowed his head submissively.

“ Of course I’ll sign it “. Taking hold of a pen, she signed her name with a flourish. It was actually a bit flattering. What a nice, sweet boy. Unlike most of the other males she met who acted like pigs . One in particular, who she would not care to mention right now.

The freshman grinned in happy delirium. And yelled out-

“ Hey guys! It’s okay! I’m still in one piece! “

“ What ? “

She didn’t quite see how it all happened. Everything was a blur. One moment there was only her and the freshman. Then the next there was an entire stampede of geeks that practically trampled her.

“ You’re... you’re so cooool !“

“ Miss Kirisawa! Marry me! “

“ Will you show me that spin kick you do ? Huh? Will you? Will you? “

“ Do you think aliens exist? “

“ Mi amor Kirisawa! ”

“ How do you feel about younger men ? “

 A freshman drawled and made lewd smacking noises. She tried to hold back puke. Another gave her flowers that looked like it was pilfered recently from a nearby tomb. Barf bag please. One freshman nerd held her hand affectionately. Augh! Disinfect! And still another offered her a romantic walk under the moonlight to in order to watch for UFO’s . Oh. My. God.  What was happening?!

---o

In the gym she squinted her eyes to get a closer magnified view.

That girl… the one Tokiya was currently talking to.... yes… yes… there it was… she was sure of it… that girl…

…had all the makings of a moustache! And THAT one! Were those logs or legs?  And the other one…! The other one had the fattest tush ever to be seen on the planet alone! Not to mention the OTHER one…

“ Yoo- hoo! Mith Kirithawathhhhh! “

“ So Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk walk into this bar and go- “

“ Aw, don’t tell her that one! She musta heard that already!  “

“ What did one amoeba say to the other amoeba? “

“ I know! I know! Me! I can answer it ! “

Tokiya jolted himself up mentally from falling asleep due to a freshman girl’s patter and stifled a yawn. His eyes narrowed at the scene opposite him. That guy over there looked like he was bothering Fuuko. But no matter. She could handle it.  He glanced again in her direction and saw that the number of her admirers had suddenly increased dramatically. A smile sneaked on his face at seeing her squirm. Now she knew what he had to go thorough on a daily basis. He quickly dissolved it and focused on whatshername. Freshman girl  currently talking to him. Didn’t want to seem rude.
 
 She felt a small.. no, tiny… no, not even-! A miniscule pang of… of something!  That girl just made him smile! That was her department! And Yanagi’s, too. Team Hokage’s, actually . Come to think of it , none of them had ever made him smile that wide ( i.e. a micro millimeter ) . And now there was one on his face! The brazen hussy! Ah well. Whatever. He could smile at whoever he wanted. She had more urgent matters to attend to right now. Like on how to get out of this mess.

Tokiya was now down to a few adoring fans. The others had left immediately after he had signed their diaries, or their books, or their hankies. Or after he had done that and given them a cold stare. Some had stayed behind, in the desperate effort to get a date. His hand was wilting from signing about a million billion trillion gazillion of those damned autographs. The freshmen batch of girls never seemed to end.

 She went back to try and listen to her dreaded admirers. There was something wrong with this picture. Why did Tokiya get a babe parade, and she got stuck with geeks galore?! It just wasn’t fair! This never happened before! The most admirers she ever got was in the Urabatousatsujin. Well at least those spectators and these freshmen admired her for her fighting spirit. …and hey… knowing it as the reason… felt pretty good. To have people like her for what she was, and not how she looked like.  Unlike Tokiya’s admirers who only liked him for his appearance. After realizing that, she started to appreciate the geeks brigade slightly. But, there was also the fact that it again reminded her that she wasn’t very attractive to begin with, having numerous battle scars and only having the toned body of someone who did exercise constantly. And that brought along little sense of self consciousness. She would never be  pretty enough to catch his eye…wouldn’t be WHAT?  She shook her head several times at the speed of light in order to get some thinking back into it.

Are all girls like this? At least Fuuko wasn’t this annoying. Asking him so many inane questions and pretending to be cute. Like they were brainless. Such coy flirtations... But he was sure they had a brain. Why were they afraid of showing it? So much makeup… wasn’t this girl younger than him? He was sure the girl would look much better without the gunk on. It made her face look waxy and old when it should look youthful and natural.

He smiled politely. Coldly. A thin smile. Hoping this freshman girl would get the hint and Leave. Him. Alone. But it didn’t work. She was still talking to him. Going on and on about some upcoming prom and on how many other guys had already asked her out, but she refused since she was waiting for a ‘special someone ‘. He had already managed to get rid of the others, but still this one stayed. He hoped his lowerclassman slave was doing much worse than he was and instead saw that she was starting to enjoy herself. Fuuko had actually laughed at some nerd’s joke.

 It made him even more irritated. How… how could she enjoy herself while he was so miserable! They were geeks! What did they have that he didn’t?! The ability to treat her nicely? Big deal! The ability to actually make her laugh? So what?!  The ability to care and show it? PAH! Why did she have to be so nice to everyone?! Why couldn’t she be like other girls and fall in love with him merely for his looks and attitude?!

Now why the hell did he just think that?!

Amayakasu pouted. Despite all her efforts to get this guy’s attention, he was still focused on that Kirisawa girl. Didn’t he know that almost every guy in the senior year considered her a major freshman hottie? Well it was time to make Mikagami realize that. They would look so perfect together! She could get invited to their senior prom! They would be voted THE couple of the entire school year! The yearbook would be spread with her picture, him beside her looking dashing in every way. She would be known as the one who captured his heart! She would be the main dish and he would simply be parsley on the side. A compliment to her already stunning beauty. She was trying her best to seem helpless so that this guy’s confidence would build up and therefore he would feel all manly protecting her. She thought her cute lower lip pout and big puppy eyes would surely get him. She brushed her thigh against his by  “accident “ and looked at him coquettishly , batting her long, ( false ) eyelashes. What she always wanted, she got. And she wanted Mikagami.

He felt something brush against his jogging pants and saw Amayakasu suddenly bat her eyelashes. He held down a wave of revulsion. Even through the layers of cloth, his skin crawled. Amayakasu looked at him with hopeful, expectant eyes, like he was supposed to say or do something. What the hell was wrong with this girl!? He was starting to get fed up with every female on this damn planet! Except Yanagi. And his sister.

Domon stopped talking with Kanojo for awhile to check up on his two friends. He heaved a great, big sigh. The freshman girls were green with envy over attention Tokiya was giving Fuuko. And the geeks were throwing daggers at Tokiya or using pig latin to insult Mikagami.

 Those two were the biggest sissies he ever knew. Fuuko had already crushed her second plastic cup without realizing it. Mikagami always kept looking up and glancing at her direction. Who did they think they were fooling? If they didn’t like each other, at least they acted like concerned friends. Both were so alike. The chickens.

These were two people he knew who would always seem to offer comfort in their own ways, yet refusing it in an instant when it applied to them.  Here was Fuuko, never wanting to show love in case it would mean she was weak. But she had her instincts of caring... he had always known it but she had only exhibited it more these past few months, fighting in Kurei’s mansion and  in the Urabatousatsujin.  He had always admired her for being able to balance toughness and her soft side, wanting to prove himself to her. Only being able to try and protect her at the few times she might have needed it. He would show that even she was not invincible and needed a good friend’s shoulder at times.

 And he knew that Tokiya was an okay guy, just hiding behind his cold mask, and aloof demeanor. The guy cared, saving Kaoru when no one else had asked him to, and when everyone was also too afraid that Mikagami might kill Koganei just to win the battle. Domon had always felt that Mikagami did that to prove that he could be trusted and because he could feel  just a small amount of comradeship. Little by little, Domon had seen more humanity in Mikagami and was liking the guy more.

Although a little opposed to Yanagi’s matchmaking at first, he had started to accept the fact that Mikagami could relate more to Fuuko than him . The pain of Mikagami losing his only motherly figure could be the same as Fuuko losing her own mom. He had also known some of Fuuko’s social history. She was just as lonely as he imagined Mikgami’s childhood must have been. But Fuuko was luckier in the sense that Domon had tried to stay by her side when he had seen that everyone else was too afraid of her. Other guys, except a handful few, were too scared to talk with a girl they knew could kick their ass to the moon. And girls too. He had seen them avoid her like the plague. Fuuko was some bully girl he had tried to beat up, in order to teach her a lesson,  but had somehow ended up pitying. Her kind heart that started to show itself as he spent more time with her, had moved him. Like in their first fight, she had sent him immediately to the hospital. And in their second fight, she had been nicer and this time only made him stay in bed for about a week. Then in the third fight, she had let him get away with a few scrapes and bruises.

That experience alone had taught Domon that people weren’t what they seemed. It made him think twice about Mikgami’s true nature and his instincts had been partly right. Once he found that Mikagami’s sister had been murdered, Domon had also started to feel  the pain that Mikgami must have and started to  treat him  with more patience.

He dabbed his eyes with his shirt sleeves and wiped his runny nose. All these fond memories! Oh, the tragedy of all his friends! If only Ganko and Kaoru were here! He wanted to just run up to them and enclose them in a  nice big bear hug and they would all be happy happy!

 And hey, his analysis… had actually sounded… quite intelligent… Hmmm, he was getting used to this stuff. He could start his own letter column: Dear Domon... ask on the affairs of the heart. He could see it all now...

“ And then I like, said, you know that ribbon simply does not go with your hair. You should try getting a perm first, then like, conditioning it and then try that indigo psychedlic nail polish and … Mr. Mikagami? Are you like, listening? “

“ My mind… was elsewhere “

“ Oh. Anyway, she told me that I could, like, go use it myself since such raaaad color would enhance my… attributes “

 Amayakasu demurely looked back up at Mikagami. And was pleased to see him staring straight at her.
 
 Mikagami’s mind was somewhere else, all right. The minute Amayakasu started her soliloquy on her so-called virtues, he had already begun to calculate the quantum physics in his head, recalled all of Einstein’s theorems, carried all the denominators in every unfactorable fraction  possible,  deducted the competition for his lowerclassman slave’s attentions ( Eh? Where’d that come from? ), as well as multiplied more menial tasks for her to do, corrected all of Euclid’s Geometry Theories and was now at a close to figuring the sure fire formula for time travel. But then Amayakasu had broken his concentration and he had lost track. He stared straight at her and was amazed at how wonders would never cease when finding someone even stupider than Domon .

 Fuuko had brains. So did Yanagi. And Kanojo. Fuuko had a good, caring heart… and especially   Yanagi. Kanojo at least had a heart, just not in the right place. She was only nice if it got her something in return. And Fuuko could be attractive… in a refreshing way… possessing the natural, healthy look of youth that no amount of face paint could replace. And Yanagi too . Mustn’t forget Yanagi.

“ Then she said that maybe I should, like ,  try that fruity passion body spray-  “

This girl looked flirty and very fickle. His lowerclassman slave could at least be counted on. And this ‘ Amayakitsu ‘ kept playing hard to get. Not all girls were like her though.. Yanagi surely wasn’t. And from what little he observed of Domon’s girlfriend, Kanojo wasn’t either. Fuuko could be straightforward.

“ And oh-! “ Amayakasu purposely took a step towards Mikgami and tripped. She had expected him to catch her but he just stared blankly. She excused him for not being fast enough to cushion her fall. He was probably too awestruck by her magnificence.

This girl had a  singsong voice that was really bothering him. It was a nasal tone that emphasized words that didn’t need to be emphasized. Going up and down like a roller coaster with the same result of motion sickness. Except not as thrilling.

“ Oh, I’m sooooo sorry. I’m just so dizzy... “ She put an arm to her head, striking a wretchedly helpless  pose on the floor, while making sure that her nubile body could be exposed in the best  possible way.

He gave her credit for trying. It certainly looked like it took a lot of skill and practice to use shadows and lighting to do that. And her recovery from a would- be embarrassing fall was certainly prompt. But he had already seen even lovelier girls with better shape do more to get his attention. Where was this freshman girl’s pride? Fuuko would never stoop so low.

“ Ohhhh… my knee…. I think I hurt it…. “

 If that was Fuuko in her place she would have dismissed is as a teeny weensy injury and still do a triple somersault in the air . No fuss, no worries about something like that. If it was Yanagi, she would have whimpered a little but heal herself immediately and not talk about it. And if it was Kanojo… well Kanojo would be different and sue.

“ Do you think you could help me go to the infirmary? Please, Mr. Mikagami? “

 Fuuko was more than capable of taking care of herself. If he had ever been in Recca’s place and had to choose a princess to serve, if Yanagi was already taken, his next choice would be the wind controller. She was a lazy ninja’s dream come true . All the ninja had to do was sit back and relax while their princess would do all the fighting and all the protecting. There wouldn’t be much for him to do.

“ Mis-ter Mika-ga-mi? “

 When she had first met him, it was in the mirror house. He was winning against Recca and she had fearlessly challenged him. She was the first female to do so. At that time, he had dismissed her as an air- headed windbag, using puns on his opinions to show how lowly he considered her to be. She had let a madogou master her, after all, when it should have been the other way around. But he was partly grateful to her for not treating him any different from anyone else. The girls he met looked at him with melted eyes or with fear. Or, in this  Amiyakatsu ‘s place, like they wanted him for breakfast. He wasn’t some conquest. He had his pride!

“ Mister Mikagaaaaaamiiiii! “

 But.. but Fuuko was commanding and domineering! And hot headed over the littlest of things! Loud and immature! Owning a boyish, easy going charm that could make even him feel a little relaxed….

“ Mister -? “
 
 STUBBORN! THICK HEADED MONKEY! A witty, mischievous… little BRAT!

“ Mister Mika-GA-MI! “

 Yet kind and caring…

“ Hey! “
 
… loving and loved…Not particularly by him, of course. She was almost completely opposite his sister in terms of looks, attitude and style.. but they both had gentle hearts that cared, he knew. Maybe this opposition was what interested him.

“ MISTER MIKAGAMI! “ Amayakasu stood up, knee injury obviously forgotten.

Still on the opposite side of the gym sat Fuuko. She decided to check up on her upperclassman master, it being almost time for an event to take place. He was engrossed in conversation with the last persistent freshman. Her eyes darted uneasily  up and down the porcelain face and voluptuous body.

“ That’s Amayakasu! She’s really pretty, huh? “ One of the geeks saw her glance. She looked back at the first freshman she gave an autograph to.

“ Yeah, she’s in my class. But she’s also really snobby… You’re much nicer than her Mith Kirithawath! “

“ Yeah! “ Another geek agreed. “ We’d much rather have you than her at any time of the day ! She’s nothing but a stuck up wannabe!  “

“ Yeah! “

She smiled genuinely at them for the first time. “ Thanks guys. That was probably the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me… “

“ She… she smiled! AT me! “

“ No it wasn’t! It was at me! “

“ You’re so pretty when you smile Mith Kirithawath! “

She blushed at the onslaught of admiration. Their sincerity had touched her heart. That Amayakasu chick could have Mikagami! They deserved each other! Two arrogant, pretty people! As soon as hell week was over… she would have nothing to do with him anymore.

 Tokiya realized that the next event would soon come and tried to see if the crowd around her had lessened, hoping that he could get a chance to talk to her and find out what he was supposed to record. What he saw instead was her blush and smile warmly . The knuckles on his hand suddenly turned white from clutching them too tightly.

He remembered that particular smile. All too well. More than he would have liked to admit.

 It was the same smile of gratefulness she had given him when they ate at a diner together a few months past; when he had had been forced to help her out, buying a necklace to ease her troubled conscience.

 It was the same smile that actually curved her lips sweetly; once seen light up her tired face when thanking him from the bottom of her heart.

It was the same smile whose sacred memory was supposed to be especially preserved for him, but now had to be shared

WITH A BUNCH OF GEEKS!

The voice in the PR system  boomed  to life, nearly shattering Amayakasu’s eardrums.
 
“ Atten-chun! Atten-CHUN! The three legged race is now being started. Volunteers participating, at yer stations! Remember, anyone can be your partner, just make sure your upperclassman master takes note! “

“ Opps! Looks like we have to go Mith Kirithawath. “

 The freshmen obediently withdrew from around her, some blowing kisses in her direction. She tossed them a flattered grin of amusement and waved good bye. Let’s see… she’d just have to tell Mikagami who she was entering the competition with. So Recca would go with Yanagi, of course, then  Kanojo and Domon, and that left… blast it all to pieces!!

Yanagi’s words echoed in her head:You get merits for participating and even more for winning.

Hoo boy did she need those merit points. But that meant having to…

Merit points… merit points.. merit points…

All right. Think merit points!

“ Hey,  Mikagami. You mind being my partner? “

“ Why not ask Rec… oh “ He saw that Yanagi was also entering. “ Or Domo… “ He caught a glimpse of Kanojo.

“ Yeah… “ she knew he saw them pair up. “  So is it okay? “

“ I have never joined one, and do not intend to start so now “ .End of discussion. His arms crossed over his chest.

“ That’s right! Why spend time on some stupid race when he could spend it with me! “ Amayakasu hooked an arm possessively through his and stuck her nose up in the air.

---o

 How humiliating. Here he was, talked into doing this damned race. Not that it took much prodding. Once Amayakasu had tried to make him spend quality time with her, he had become a more willing participant in this three legged race. When he had been a servant last year, the master was too scared to force him to do anything, and Mikagami had passed that week like any other. The gym teacher tying the rope above their ankles nodded and stood up to let them know he was done securing the knots.
 
 People around Tokiya  were giggling like kids. The barely whispered gossip of students, and even some teachers, could be heard.

“ Is that Mikagami? Guess that guy has some life in him after all! “

Another did the voice of  one of Batman’s villains.   “ Kirisawa’s with ( in a terrible impression   ) Mistah Freeize? “

“ Ohhh… the Taming of the Shrew! Mikagami’s got his mitts on one hot tamale! “

One started singing an altered version of  ‘ Do you Know the Muffin Man ‘ : “ Do you know the Ice Cube man, the Ice Cube man, the Ice Cube man…that lives in this ol’ town.. “

Crude comments could be heard from both sides. “ Fuuko’s gonna warm him up real  fast!“
 
And what subtlety the last one had, humming to the tune of Frosty the Snowman.

“ Don’t you mind them, Mikagami. We’re gonna win for sure. We’ll show ‘em “. Her eyes set on the goal line; blazed in fiery defiance and winning determination.

An admirable trait. He crouched beside her  as well, forgetting the words of the people, ready to spring at the bang of the starting gun. It would be the first time he was determined to win something that really had no significant reason  , except to prove to himself that he was good at everything he put his mind to.

The starting gun went off. They took one giant leap for merit’s sake-! And immediately fell. In a most ungainly manner conceivable.

“ Ah! No!!!! “ She tried to get up again at seeing the others take the lead.

“ Our legs are tied together, remem-! “ He had gotten up just as she fell down on her rump, making him ridiculously follow suit after.

 They had started with the wrong, opposite legs. She had started on the foot not tied, while he had started with the one that was, making him unable to bear both their weights with one leg and she having none to stand on.  They also did not want to put their arms around each other, making the balance harder to control, not being able to get themselves steadied .

The ending gun sounded. The first, second and third placers had been announced. She laughed heartily. Everything seemed to be going wrong whenever she was with Mikagami!

“ Guess that didn’t work! “

“ I told you so. “ He grumbled at the sheer idiocy of it and started to untie the ropes. This was all her fault.

“ Oh, hey. Let me help. “ So she bent over to make the work go faster.

 But as the moments passed, their hands fumbled over the simplest of knots. Any idle chatter she was going to start, had slowly began to be  forgotten, giving way to instead to idle monosyllables. What would have taken a few seconds, was now taking a few minutes to get everything untangled. Their fingers clashed clumsily--frustratingly so. Each awkward touch stirred blood. Her skin went tingling with a sort of high volataged electricity experienced in the fight against Gashakura. Wasn’t it really cold around here awhile ago? The indoor heater must have been turned up.

 The rope finally loosened. There was a mutual refusal to look at the other for fear of being caught red-faced. Silence filled the conversation. She decided to finish getting rid of the rope around her ankle, arching her leg to bring it closer to her hands. Tokiya looked to the side, avoiding the hint of temptation. And saw that the geeks were staring.

“ You should wear more conservative clothes “, he reprimanded her.

“ Huh? “

“ That way those guys won’t be all over you “.

The last sentence was spoken too softly. She didn’t hear it.  “’ You wear ‘em! It gets hot. Besides, it’s not like anyone looks. “

Oh, you’d be surprised… Some geeks were getting nosebleeds. One even had fogged glasses and was breathing perhaps a bit too heavily than normal. . He looked back at her. She really had no clue as to what kind of havoc was being wreaked among the lowest batch of high school and  by the simple action of her bending over. Her naiveté was starting to get infuriating.

“ Besides, look at this! “ She pointed to her fat, brown bubble jacket that reached lower than her knees,  lying at the corner of the gym. “ Once I get out, I’ll be wearing bundles of clothing. I’ll look like some hot dog in a week old bun! “

He imagined it. Her hair could certainly be considered as an off-standish color of a hot dog. With that only sticking out of a brown bubble jacket… His suppression to laugh came out as a derisive snort. She always came up with the weirdest analogies…

“ Where ya goin’? “

“ Get a drink “.  He started to get up, positioning his own body to temporarily block the geeks’ view of her side profile. It was too disgusting to stay and see them drool.
 
 Domon and Kanojo walked up to her then.

“ We won fifth place! “

“ Wow, that’s great! “ She grinned, rising up to greet them.

“ Ya, and Recca and Yanagi were sixth! “

“ Ha! Recca’s probably pissed! “

Kanojo recounted the scene.” Exactly! He’s over there right now, arguing with the referee. Yanagi’s trying to calm him down “.

“ Where’s Mikagami? “ Domon saw the empty spot beside Fuuko.

“ Oh, he went to get a drink “.

“ Really? Doesn’t look like that to me. “ She followed Domon’s gaze. Amayakasu was again talking to Mikagami.

 “ Who’s that ? “

“ Some girl named Amayakasu… She’s a freshman “.

“ Only a  freshman?  Man, look at THAT bod… don’t really blame Mikagami…He’d be crazy not to go out with HER! Just LOOK at that ! “Domon’s eyes took on the look of someone whose wildest fantasies were currently occupying all brain cells.

Fuuko executed  a right uppercut on Domon’s left side of the jaw while Kanojo did the same with his other side. He flew thru the roof and into orbit proclaiming that they had no sense of humor at all.

“ Fuuko Kirisawa? “

“ Ye-hes? “ She answered tiredly to the new voice that appeared behind her.

“ So I’ve finally found you… Dear Fuuko… “

Dear Fuuko? She spun around on her heel. Her vision was suddenly filled of a man with the height of a tower. “ Who-? “

“ How do you do?, “ He offered to shake her hand. “  I’m Gashakura. “.

“ Gah... Gashakura?! “ She craned her neck upwards, and took a bewildered step back. This was Gashakura?

 Gashakura was not the man she had thought of to be behind all that armor. Sure, she thought he had to be big in order to carry all that metal , but still…

Gashakura was everything opposite his brother. Where Magenshiya was pale and frail, with a long, clean shaven face and long black hair, Gashakura sported a  short crew cut of  ebony, gelled down flat on a squarish face. A five o clock shadow appeared over a cleft chin; complimented nicely with suntanned skin.

 Here was a perfect example of a man who provided  the model for sculptures, posing as different Olympian Gods and Grecian heroes, giving unlimited inspiration for muses with his chiseled face and short, slicked back hair. Here was a man who had been a very good little boy and never disobeyed mother when told to eat all his veggies and drink all his calcium enriched milk. Here was a man, who, as a growing youngster, had eaten a great deal of lean, red meat and used it as a form of a staple diet. This man had muscles upon his muscles. If committing understatements was a crime, simply referring to this man as ‘healthy ‘ would get you convicted of murder to the first degree and land you in jail for two life sentences with only two phone calls allowed each year.

“ Is that really you? “

“ Yes.  “

“ No way!”

“ Want me to prove it? “

“ Sure! “

“ Fight me. And this time I will not lose. “

“ Hahahha! You really are him! Only the real Gashakura would do that! “ She playfully punched his shoulder.  “  Oh yeah, this is Kanojo by the way… and oh!  I gotta tell everyone that you’re here! “ She spotted Tokiya first and turned her back on the hulking mass of muscle. Her red school shorts were strained tight enough to see the clear imprint of a high cut panty line.

“ Hey, you’ll never guess who this is Toki- “

Gashakura playfully patted her bottom.

“ aaAAAAA??! “

She whirled around immediately, face turning scarlet by the second, hands flung behind the lower part of her body in defense. He looked back at her with round, innocent eyes.

“ There was dirt. “

 Domon ( who had miraculously appeared back from his one way trip to the Milky Way ),  snapped his fingers. All the missed opportunities when he could have used that excuse! Tokiya looked in on Gashakura’s  “ innocent “ act, arms crossed boredly in front of his chest.  Magenshiya’s steroid-boosted  brother flashed a 24 karat smile at Fuuko, showing a pair of deep setted dimples, and laughing brown pupils through slitted eyes. He faced Mikagami.
 
Lightning crackled. Thunder crashed. The background theme music to Clint Eastwood and  Lee Van Cleef’s famous western dual in “ The Good, the Bad, and The Ugly “ suddenly played in the air and a dried tumbleweed blew by. A fly unfortunately passed between the space of their glare and woke up to find itself in the next insect life. Cause of death? Burned to a crisp. Gashakura didn’t know what this Mikagami’s problem was , but he had some nerve to stare at him like that. Didn’t like the way the ensui wielder was looking at him. The alien mark on Gashakura’s forehead glowed a little dangerously.

“ Hey! Gashakura!  Here! It’s Konyakusha ! “ Tsukishishiro called out to his comrade.

“ Tsukishiro’s here too? “ Fuuko moved to the side of Gashakura to get a glimpse of Tsukishiro.

“ Konyakusha ? “ Gashakura  straightened his back and ignored Mikagami One of the pretty, young female teachers in their school walked up to them. He beamed proudly at her and put an arm around her shoulders.

“ Everyone… I’d like you to meet Konyakusha….”

“ You’re one of the teachers here- “

“  My fiancé.“

“ Fuh… Fiance?! “ Fuuko’s right eyebrow rose sky high.

“ Yes! Isn’t she the prettiest little thing you’ve ever seen? “

“ Now Gashey! Don’t embarrass me like that! “ Konyakusha blushed daintily and nudged Gashakura’s arm  with her shoulder.

“ Guh.. GaShEy?! “ Fuuko’s mouth gaped wide open.

“ I can’t help it if it’s true! Oh, and the reason I’m here Fuuko, is to ask if you can be one of our bridesmaids in our wedding. “

“ Yes, “ Konyakusha nodded her head enthusiastically. “ I’d heard so much about you and your fighting ability from Gashey. “

“ Buh… BRIDESMAIDS?!  “  Some strands in Fuuko’s hair started to stand and curl unnaturally.

“ We’d be honored to have you at our wedding… Fuuko?…. Miss Kirisawa? “

“ Uh…  what? I’m sorry… uh… “

“ Perhaps we should let the information sink in, dear “ Konyakusha looked back worriedly at her future husband. “ It was a bit too fast… “

 Amayakasu spotted Tsukishiro. She winked and shrugged her shoulder, beckoning him over. Tsukishiro was at her side in a flash; charming pretty boy mode on, and making the flirting game come to a start.

 Kashemaru began to  blend in with the background. He spotted a ranting Recca and decided to play a little joke of  peek a boo. He had just gone along for a free ride.

“ So will you be our one of our bridesmaids? “

“ ME? Are you sure you want me ? “

“ We’re sure we want you. “

 “ Sure! Sure! Okay! I’d be glad to ! “

“ Great! Here an invitation, and the dressmaker’s address. I’m so happy to finally meet you! And to think we are in the same school! I’m glad Gashey told me your full name. It wasn’t very hard to find out who you are, since you are the principal’s daughter.”

“ Yeah. Um.  “ Gashey. Gashey? Gashey!  Gash-EY! GASHEY?! Somehow, Fuuko could not imagine herself, or anyone else for that matter, using that pet name for her former foe of Herculian strength.

“ That was pretty much all we stopped by here to ask, Kirisawa. Thank you very much for accepting. Until our next battle! “

“ No prob. You better keep yourself fit even after marriage!  I’m counting on a good fight! “

Recca came by with Yanagi, an unconscious Kashemaru in tow.

“ You in a dress? Now THAT I gotta see! “

“Quiet! “ She threw random gym objects at him making him run away  with Kashemaru’s slumped body . Tokiya looked at the departing couple, particularly at Gashakura.

“ How arrogant. “

She grinned amusedly. “ Yeah, you should talk, Tok. Hey, heheheheh... Tok Tok. Get it? “

“ No. “

---o

By summer standards it was still way too early for dusk to settle in. But by winter standards, it was normal.

“ What’s taking her so looooonnng “ Kirisawa stifled a yawn and stretched. Mikagami had already left for home, Recca was still talking to Kashemaru and Kanojo was in the changing room.

“ She’s almost done, I’m sure of it “. Yanagi checked her storyboard one last time and started to arrange it. Tomorrow, she would  show a new story to her kids in what they referred to as ‘ kindergardy ‘ class .

“ Hey, new story? Lemme see! “

Yanagi quickly covered up her storyboard.“ No! Uh.. I mean umm… I mean.. I don’t think you’ll like it. It’s a romance Cinderella type of story… For the little girls this time since last story was about the Urabatousatsujin and the boys liked that one a lot, but the girls didn’t as much and um…”

“ Aw, why so shy suddenly? “ Fuuko grabbed the paper out of Yanagi’s hands. “ I’m sure it’s fine, and – “

“ That’s a pretty good impression of … uhh… “ Domon decided that it was wiser to keep his mouth shut about the comic. For once, he would go home without any more than the usual lumps on his head.

  Yanagi’s latest storybook was definitely  gorgeous. It was, by far, certainly the best she had ever done. In every aspect it was Cinderella. The romance, the plot, the characters….

With Tokiya as the lovely princess in full length ballroom gown, Fuuko as the handsome prince that charmed Cinders off her feet, Domon as the fairy godmother in frilly pink tutu and Recca as the cackling, evil stepmother.

 “ Now, now Fuuko… temper, temper! Don’t crumple it …. “

“ Oh… it’s… the art is nice, Yanagi “

“ Um, you’re just gripping the edges a little bit too tight…um… “ She caught Fuuko’s frown. “ Um, very little… “

“ Hime! Ready to go? “

“ YES! I mean, yes, please Recca. Well, uh, see you tomorrow ! “

“ You in a rush today, hime? “

 Fuuko sighed and tapped her foot impatiently.

“ Not a word, Domon “

“ Well, Mikagami’s gown did look  nice “.

“ He hears you say that, and he’ll make you wear that ballerina outfit for real. “

Domon laughed and took a seat on the floor. They would continue waiting for Kanojo.

“ Hey, Fuuko… “

“ Mmm? “

“ Ask you something? “

“ Yeah? “

“ Does Mikagami really bring out a different sort of joy from you? A different… sort of feeling that you don’t get from me or Recca, or any other guy? “

“ Yeah, you bet! Never thought I could hate anyone so much! “

“ That’s not what I meant! … you never hugged me! The only physical contact I ever get from you are punches!  “

“ Oh, hey, that was only once Domon! Geez, don’t worry. Won’t make that same mistake again. Besides, if I did that when you won, you would have gotten the wrong idea. Tokiya don’t care. “

“ If you say so… “

“ Don’t if you say so to me in that tone! You don’t believe me! “

“ Can’t say I didn’t enjoy slapping him during his double team match with Recca after that …”

“ Ha! Yeah! “ She burst in laughter.

Kanojo was really taking her time.

“ But you know… I’m kinda glad someone hugged him. He probably hadn’t got one for a very long time “

“ Mmm… yeah “. She leaned her body against the wall.

“ You think we’re helping him come out of his shell? “

“ Dunno. Probably. All I know is that Yanagi is the best for doing that “

“ When are you going to admit that you like him?”

“ WHAT?! “ She immediately straightened up.

“ Everyone succumbs to love… when are you gonna surrender to it? Even Recca, the person we least expected to… “

“ Not me. NEVER me. “

“ Can’t choose who we love… “

She rolled her eyes upward.“ Helpless types appeal to him. I don’t think-“

“ Don’t think! Love’s in your heart! In your blood! Not your brain! “

Uggggggghhhhh… how did the conversation get to THIS! Why did Domon have to be so full of tripe! But…

She looked at him strangely then and seriously contemplated something else. She sighed deeply, letting a small huff of submission get released. Did she dare? Oh, why not? She would do this before he would get even sappier and start going on about rainbows and roses and whiskers on kittens. She would forgive him for being such a maudlin mass of mush. He was trying… she’d do this for the simple fact of him trying.

“ Domon? “

“ ? “

“ You really are a big idiot… “ She leaned down and pecked him timidly on the cheek.

“ An idiot,  who is much too sweet for me, and far too optimistic. I  really don’t deserve you. And that kiss is some ‘physical contact ‘  I’ll never do with Tokiya. Got it?  “ She picked up her backpack lying nearby and winked. “ I’m gonna go home now. Kanojo is taking way too long for me to wait “.

Domon watched her leave,  blush covering face and eyes as big as saucers.

That was…

That was it?

THAT WAS IT?!

All those years of dreaming of this day, of dreaming of this in the most romantic setting possible, and now…

NOW! No fireworks?… Ringing bells? Nothing? Just… a…warm fuzzy feeling.

It felt like he was just  kissed by a sister.

Maybe he should ask  Recca to kiss him and compare …No, bad idea! Very bad idea!

“ Hmmm.. I’m jealous. A little competition for me over there. “

Slipping her arm to help him get up, Kanojo patted his winter jacket in mock scolding.  She had only come out after Fuuko had left. He said nothing, only smiling silently and taking her bag. Together they started the long, romantic walk home.
 

---o

“ WAAAHHHHH!! She DUMPED me! And then!… And then she- WAHHHHH! “

“ There , there. It’s okay… It’s not that bad… “ Fuuko let him soak her shoulder and sighed. It was all her fault. Maybe she should go talk to Kanojo…Domon said he had walked her home last night , and at the doorstep, she had promptly declared that they were no longer going to see each other. It didn’t make any sense at all.
 
She continued patting his back and tried offering soothing words. Her head turned to the side at the presence of a group of young girls headed towards them.

“ There he is girls! I told you he was the big galloot always with those weirdos! “ A swarm of girls began to surround Domon, each one whispering to each other on whether or not it really was him.

“ Excuse me, “ asked one red haired girl who got the courage up to ask him “ Are you THE Domon Ishijima we’ve been hearing so much about? The sweet, sexy guy that gives treats when asked? “

Domon looked at Fuuko, thinking that she might have something with this. But she looked just as bewildered. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

Then.. Then that would mean…

That these girls came on their own accord because they liked him!!

Facing the girls with the suavest look he could muster, Domon flashed his pearly whites, and did his best ‘ Jiyemesu Bondu ‘ impersonation, flexing his muscles in different Mr. Universe poses.

“ Yes, I’m Ishijima. THE Domon Ishijima “.

“ Ohhh! I love a man with muscles! ( And little brain power to question my authority ) “

 The girl with red hair bumped Fuuko aside. The rest of the group created a circle around him.

Fuuko blinked, not really believing the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. Pretty girls liking Domon?! She scratched her head and looked to the side. Kanojo was standing at the school entrance.

“ Kanojo? “  she said,  walking  over.

“ Hey Fuuko “.

“ You angry? “

“ No. But… “ Kanojo swallowed hard. “ It was like you said. I don’t think I deserve him either…. He’s really close to you. “

Kanojo smiled in good humor “ Know how hard it is to spread rumors around in a different school? He better appreciate this! “ But as she turned to leave, her arm was held back. Domon had spotted her as well.

“ Don’t go. I’m sorry! I did something wrong! “

Kanojo took a step back, almost speechless at this reaction. His eyes held her in place-  They looked… completely different from what anyone saw him as. There was a touch of sorrow and longing.

Fuuko looked on, astonished,  head following the conversation being tossed back and forth, a sort of sick feeling in her stomach at seeing all of this.

“You…  did nothing wrong Domon! I just thought that it would be better if…“

“ I’ll do anything to make it up to you! Gimme a chance! “

Disbelief filled Kanojo’s usually confident voice. “ What are you talking about?! I just dumped you! You should be mad at me! You didn’t do anything wrong! “

“ But I must have! “

“ You didn’t! It’s not you, I- “

“ One last chance!  “Before she could utter another word out , Domon bent down on one knee and took Kanojo’s hand into his. Eyes focused intently on her surprised expression.  “ It’s all I ask! “

 They stared into each other’s eyes. Not a muscle moving; Kanojo confused, Domon pleading.

At this point Kirisawa wanted to puke. She would have, if any guy did that to her. And he admitting it was his own fault when it really wasn’t. Mere dots took the place of her eyes. Jaw dropped past chin level.  But Kanojo found it really sweet… As did the others. Some sighed at his selfless act of putting his pride on the line.

“ She was right! He IS such a pushover! “

 They stayed that way until freshman hottie, Amayakasu came along and glanced suggestively.

 “ Woah! Isn’t that the Amayakasu chick? “

BWACK! Was the sound of Fuuko and Kanojo’s fist, one on each of his side’s.

“ When he comes back…“

“ I know. Heads,  he lives. Tails, he dies “. Kanojo fixed a slanted eye towards Amayakasu. “ But for now… I gotta take care of something “.

“ Hey ! you! Yeah, you! I wanna talk to you! “ She stomped over Amayakasu until she was directly in the pretty freshman’s face.  “ You lissen here missy! That guy you just winked at! He’s MINE! You hear that, Jezebel?! MINE! “ She pressed closer until she was practically nose to nose with the freshman. “ He buys me things! He’s mine!”

“ Isn’t that right, money? , “ She yelled at the general direction of where Domon took off into an unexpected trip past the rising sun. “ I mean, honey? “

Fuuko continued to stand in amazement. Wow. Someone actually fighting for Domon! For the wrong reasons, but...  Hooking her hands behind her head, Kirisawa smirked. Kanojo held fast to Domon, lecturing Amayakasu.

Guess things turned out happily ever after in this little fairy tale story.

---o

 She was dreaming… of him again….

Of him with his unsmiling face, and long hair…

Of him with frigid stare and eyes as cold as winter night…

He had just come out from the shower, fresh and clean…

Here he was primping in front of the mirror with curlers on and a rubber ducky shower cap including matching bathrobe.

And here he was after taking off the curlers and trying to decide on what hairstyle he should try on today.

Should he go with the Pippi Longstocking’s look with two braids sticking out at his sides?

Or maybe he should trying wrapping it into a neat bun, tucking it behind his head, just like some strict female teachers do?

Or should he go with the famous pigtailed hairdo of the character Usagi, with hair extending from two meatballs evenly distributed at the top side of the head?

“ Ohhhh baby “, he’d say to his best friend, the mirror. “ You’re looking hot as usual today “.

He’d pucker his lips and blow himself a kiss. After realizing his hair was just like his sister’s, maybe he would also take on her name. And from there, maybe pierce his ear and start wearing an earring in her memory ( already had ensui ). Or, even better, he’d start to call himself some forest animal, have a constant craving for sunflower seeds, then maybe dedicate his entire life to finding out about aliens because perhaps they would have the technology for restoring people back to life.

She dreamed on his various hair-dos and don’ts. Each time he looked even more angrier than the next, always calling out her name.

“ Fuuko? Fuuko! FUUKO! “

 Recca poked her with his pencil. She giggled and said Tokiya’s name. Recca rolled his eyes upwards and leaned back into his chair. No use in trying to wake her up before the teacher caught her sleeping in class.

Yanagi found it soooOOOoo romantic. Fuuko was probably dreaming of Tokiya tickling her. That should be the only explanation for her friend’s hearty guffaws.

Oh-no! The teacher spotted-!

“ Kirisaa WAAAA! “

---o

 Tokiya closed the Men’s bathroom door and started to walk towards his next class. He would have to pass by Recca’s in order to reach his own.

She was whistling outside the classroom when he was at the corridor. Fuuko stood upright, bucket of water on head, and small stack of books in each hand. The teacher had kicked her out of the classroom after throwing a blackboard eraser at her face to wake her up. So here she was in this current predicament.

She continued whistling an obscure resemblance of a tune. It was a song, he recognized, heard on the radio recently that drove half the population crazy. The other half would scorn listening to it, but 20 seconds later, would be humming or snapping their fingers to the catchy beat, or maybe even bopping their heads in a vertical fashion. Deny all they wanted, but it was either that or they would be wowing everyone else with epileptic dance moves.

 He passed by. He had nothing to say to her, the “friendship” week being over. He didn’t bother to glance at her direction. But as she saw him start to walk by, the small smirk he had seen on her face started to spread contagiously into a wide grin, and the barely audible titter of mirth began to erupt into a cacophony of demented laughter.

“ What’re you laughing at ? “ , he demanded. He stole a glimpse behind him, particularly down at his heel. This could be the dreaded instance wherein after exiting the public restrooms, a  trail of toilet paper could stick to one’s shoes and follow like a faithful lap dog.

“ Nothing, nothing! I.. Your hair just… “ She stifled a snicker, took a deep breath and calmed herself. The bucket on her head had wobbled dangerously. Tokiya thought it was  good that her head was actually being used for once.

“Nah, it’s  Nuthin’, Tokiya. I was just… remembering something funny. “ She smiled helplessly. “ Oh, Almost forgot to tell you. The team’s going to the newly opened Ninja House at the fair. You know, a final get together before the holiday break? “

“ I have no desire to spend my last few school days in the presence of wild –“

“ Yanagiiii’s asking… “

“ What time? “

“ After school. Okay? So see you at the front gate? “

“ Fine “.

He turned around to leave. She began to whistle, picking up the tune where she left off before interrupted.

He should have left then. He really should have.

But conscience made him walk back in order to point out that there were chalk marks on her face from the blackboard eraser. Logic made him take out his handkerchief to wipe it off, her hands being full with a stack of books. His nature made him grunt in loathing.

 He took out his handkerchief. So. He would feel comfortable at the thought of touching her face. He concluded he was back to seeing her as a simple friend.

Of course! What else did he see her as- !

An irritated blush came on then.

So surprised was Fuuko at turning her head to the side and finding her gaze met with his solemn eyes that she immediately jerked back with such force, lost balance with the bucket on her head, and spilt water all over her.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Don’t scare me like that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! You just shaved off 3 minutes off my life! Tryin’ to kill me… “

 The words spewed forth under the world record time of 5 seconds. The bucket spun on the floor. Books dropped to the ground. She sputtered water out , hair dripping with its droplets, clothing slightly damp and clinging against her peach skin.

“ I’m wet! And I got no other spare clothes! “

He took out ensui with the contrasting manner of cool composure. His madogou  would mop up the spill on the floor. She looked alarmed and gestured wildly, hands becoming animated and eyes opening in fear.

“ No! Dry clean only!!!! “

He wondered just exactly what she meant by that. Her clothes started to tighten in certain areas here and there.

But her hair was now dry!

“ Argg!  Please tell me you didn’t do that on purpose… “

 Inside the classroom, everyone ignored the loud crash outside. Kirisawa had finally let the bucket fall. Big whoop.

 Yanagi continued to listen attentively to the lesson, occasionally taking down notes. Domon and Recca propped their books up to cover their heads and flung rubber band slingshots. Everyone else passed notes and whispered. The teacher paused his lecture to yell at Kirisawa.

“ You just pick up your books and fill that bucket with water again, and stay out until class is over, you hear? “

---o

 He should have left then. He really should have.
 
 It was a good thing she had spare clothing. If ANY of the team members found out what just happened… he would be deemed a closet perv for life!
 
“ Did something bad happen,  Mikagami? “ Recca walked in step with Tokiya , hands in pockets, curious look on face. “ ‘Cuz you’re pouting more than usual “.

The only reply from the Hyoumen Ken master was a glare that carried petrifying properties and an even more sour frown, enough to make freshly shipped milk cartons read  - Expiration date: NOW.

Recca backed up a little, averting his attention to where Fuuko was taking a drink from the public water fountain, just outside the entrance of the Ninja House. There was a stranger talking to her. He looked like the typical, teenage street sleazeball.

“ So I’m gunna be complet’ly straightforward here, ‘ cos you looks like the type o’ girl who likes straitforwardness, n I’m a gunna ask you for a date “.

“ Huh? A date? “ Fuuko stared at him blankly. Tokiya subtlety shifted his weight a bit nearer to hear.

“ Tha’s right. A date “.

Understanding expression. “ Oh! A date! Gosh…well…hmmm…”

Mikagami stood alert. If she turned the guy down, it looked like the creep would put up a fight.

“ Well, sure! Why not? I’ll be glad to help you out! You wanna date, right? I can give you one! “

His eye twitched. She agreed so readily?! Just like that?! What kind of silly girl was he friends with anyway?!

Teenage dirtbag grinned. She grinned back.

“Heck, I can give you lots, in fact! For starters, how’s July 5th?“

It occurred to teenager stranger that he and his prospect were not on the same topic.

“ What you talkin’- “

“ Oh, no good? Then... then how about March 9? Yeah, that sounds like a good date! Or how about my birthday? That’s a really good date! Or hey, how about today? Today’s date is good too! Or- Hey? Are you okay? “

She blinked in surprise. The teenager had magically turned to stone and all of a sudden contracted a nervous tick in his right eye.

“ Hey buddy?  Yoo-hoo? “ She passed a hand over his eyes. They never blinked. “ Ah well. I guess we should just leave him like that, eh Tokiya? You think it was something I said? “

She walked past the entrance of the Ninja House to meet with the others already inside. He followed in exasperation.

“ You’re… you’re unbelievable! Did you really have no idea what that guy was asking for?! “

“ Huh? What else do you mean? “

“ He wanted to take you out! “

“ Take me out? Oh, a fight did he want, eh? Well he could try! “

“ No, as in… to take you out for dinner or somewhere! “

“ Take me out for dinner? Why would any guy do that? “

 He searched her face to see if she was teasing him. All he found was complete innocence.

“ Where in the WORLD do you get this ignorance of not knowing-“

“ Hey Recca! Recca! This guy outside wanted a date! I’ve already given him some good ones, but they don’t seem to be enough! “

 “ Really? I don’t have any nuts with me though, Fuuko.  Maybe he’d like some almonds instead?  “

“ …Never mind, “ Tokiya said to himself. “ I rest my case “. They all continued through the Ninja House, two of them still bickering.

“ Nuts? NUTS?! Recca, why would that guy like nuts? He was asking for the date! As in... September 23rd or Febuary 19! “

“ No way! The guy was hungry!  He got all stiff from starvation! I guess his last wish was to taste some dates before he died.  “

“ You are SO slow Recca. He wanted stuff like… the 8th  of January , or… “

“ That’s not what he means!”

“ It does too! “

“ No it doesn’t! You’re nuts! “

“ Lousy pun Recca! “

“ EEEEEEEEEKKKK! ”

“ Hime! “

“ Yanagi! “

 Recca bounded to her rescue, Fuuko and Tokiya right behind for back-up, Domon  beside . Yanagi stood too shocked to move. The ominous figure of a red armored, ancient Samurai moved forward to strike a deadly blow to the part - time daycare worker.

“ Hime! Get back! I’ll get rid of that for you! “

The samurai’s sword glinted in the killing downwards stroke, it’s two eyes mere pits of blackness bored into the depths of the red helmet…
 
“ NADARE! SAIHA! HOMURA! MADOKA! SETSUNA! RUI ! KOKUU! “

She closed her eyes and cringed back fearfully, hardly breathing.

“ And finally! RESSSSSHHHIIIIIN! “

The samurai’s rubber sword gave a dying ‘squeak ‘ of defiance before crumbling to ashes.

“ Hime! Hime! Are you allright? He won’t bother you anymore! “

“ Oh! Recca! I was so frightened for awhile! “

“ That’s okay ! I taught him a lesson! “

“ You’re not… hurt, are you? “

“ Who? Me? No! Are you? “
 
 They all walked along in the long hallway, paying very little attention to the near comatose samurai actor on the floor jerking in agonizing spasms of pain, clutching an area only a member of the male species would be able to sympathize with and send most sincere condolences to.

---o

The place was bigger than it looked. The tatami mats, the shoji screens, clean-cut , simple, bamboo-iness of it all rang authentic Japanese especially to any foreigner’s limited knowledge.

The two girls were alone. The Ninja House’s trap doors and trick walls had separated the team into pairs or left each member alone. An occasional cardboard dart would spring from the walls, or a cutout  ninja would pop out to scare them with a particularly menacing, tape recorded battle cry  of ‘eeeyah! ‘ or ‘ hiyeahhh! ‘ or ‘ bweeeaaahhhh! ‘. Each time, the wind-controller had protectively blocked the healer from any harm.

They had been walking for some time now.  Fuuko continuously stopped in her tracks in order to tap the walls for any hollow sounds. The exit had to be close by somewhere.

“ For the last time, I’m sure they’re all okay. Don’t worry so much, Yanagi “.

“ Are you sure, Fuuko? “

“ 100%. They can take care of themselves. Hey, watch it!  “

The taller pink haired girl immediately used her own body to shield the petite one from the spurt of faint flame that appeared from pressing a trap switch on the floor. Yanagi could only watch in wide-eyed surprise, grasping hold of Fuuko’s arm.

“ Ey, you’d think I’d learn from Kurei’s mansion of horrors… You fine over there ‘Nagi?“

She looked down into the face of Recca’s hime, expecting to see a small nod.

 But instead grew panicked to find it near tears.

“ Ohmygod! Are you hurt?! “

“ No, I’m not… I’m just… “

“ Then why are you crying?! What happened?! “

“ I just wish… “

“ Did I accidentally step on your feet or something?! “

“ No, no “

“Then what the hell happen-?! “

“I just wished that I was as strong as you sometimes! “ Yanagi blurted it out with strong conviction and regret. The Fuujin wielder could only look puzzled.

“ Aw, Yanagi. Geez. You don’t wanna be like me… Cuz uhh… ‘Cuz I look like a boy! Yeah, I’m not pretty! Y’See, not pretty at all! “

She smushed and squished her face into various modes, fast proving that point.
 

But Yanagi retorted angrily. “ That’s not true! That’s not the least bit true! Have you looked in the mirror recently? “

They simultaneously turned to look at the mirror located beside. It was the sort of trick mirror that warped anyone’s face into an unflattering Picasso portrait.

“ Well, umm… maybe not that sort of mirror… “ Yanagi blushed in embarrassment.

“ Ha, that’s okay Yanagi! Thanks anyway! “

Yanagi kept her eyes downcast, blush still noticeable. This was all turning out wrong!

Fuuko turned her attention back to the walls.

“ Hey…Yanagi. Has anyone ever told you you’re weak? “

“ No, but… “

“ Then quit thinking like that! “

“ But I never do anything… “

“ You inspire us all to fight! I’ll fight for you, Yanagi. My life is your’s if need be. “

Yanagi looked up to the taller girl’s face. Fuuko scratched the tip of her nose, a lopsided grin forming. “ ‘Sides, keeping you alive just to see ninja boy blush and act all stoopid  is good enough reason for me!    Ha-ha! I wanted a ninja servant and instead end up fighting for the girl that stole my title! “

“ I’m sor- “

“ Don’t be. I’m not. I’m glad you met Recca. I’m glad I met you.  So don’t say that. “ She placed each hand on each of the smaller girl’s shoulders..  “You’re pretty tough yourself, y’know. You’re much stronger than you look. Maybe you can’t fight, but it’s inside that really matters. “

She turned around to continue knocking on the ninja house’s walls, checking again for any hollow parts. Yanagi decided to listen attentively to the walls, still unsure of what to exactly expect. For the walls to talk back, maybe?

“ Mori Kouran’s experiments on you… were pretty scary, weren’t they? They still bother you and you have nightmares at night because of it. “

Tap tap.

Yanagi’s answer was disembodied.

“ How… did you know?”

Her hands fell to the sides, the walls being forgotten. It was if someone else was answering for her. Her mouth formed the words of the question mechanically, partly being conscious of what was being said. Her mind tried to banish all thoughts of the experiments , but the issue had been brought up, and the experience had left its mark. Deep into her mind she saw herself, waking up in a sweat and a gasping for breath. In her mind she had the experiments haunting her even when she should have been under the spell of the Sandman, in a realm of peaceful dreams.

The memories came in a surge of flashing images; a blur of mixed emotions of fear and shame.  She remembered… She remembered  them leaning over her, and adjusting black rimmed glasses, peering through uncaring eyes, stretching surgical gloves, poking and prodding, touching and writing…preparing her for experiment after painful experiment, methodically stripping her, until not even her dignity had been left. She remembered the clank and clink of test tubes and wires and switches, and she remembered the feeling of fear gripping her heart because she knew what was to come. She could hear the scientists chatter of ions and blood type, and how many volts they should use on her, or how long the next incision into her body would go. Then all scientific remarks were to be casually tossed aside , giving way to a talk about lunch. She could smell the overwhelming chemicals, of sulpher and brimstone…

She could smell the burning of her own flesh. They would sear her purposely, to see the extent of her healing powers, and they had cut her.. deeper and deeper, using tools and different instruments, just to find how many kinds of wounds she could heal.

She had passed out from pain many times, but had been rudely awakened by jolts of electricity; first prickling, then burning. They never allowed her the sweet release of unconsciousness. They needed her to heal for them. They needed more data.
T
hey did not stop. Even when she had yelled and pleaded with them. Even when she had screamed and begged for mercy ! They had looked at her like a specimen in a test tube and her pitiful cries were as good as unheard. Nothing more than an object! Like she wasn’t even human…

“ Yanagi… It’ll never happen again, I promise “.

Yanagi nodded numbly. She tried to clear her throat. Her voice was raspy and tight with emotion. “ But how… “

“We slept in the same room. You don’t say anything, and you probably don’t know it, but sometimes you toss and turn a lot. Almost kicked me out of the bed twice in a row, in fact. I didn’t want to tell Recca, cuz I know it’s something you should do “.

“ I’m sorry for that! “

“ No biggie. I should be the one apologizing. We came to rescue you so late “.

Tapataptap.

“ Hey. Yanagi ”.

“ Y-Yes? “

 “ I envy you too…. You and Domon... and Recca. All of you can say what you feel without paying much consequence to what people will think. You got the freedom to express . I gotta be tough all the time, otherwise I’ll loose my edge. It’s a matter of pride, do you understand? “

tap.tap.

“ But Yanagi, I envy you most of all though. Your heart’s stayed pure in this wicked world, even after everything that’s happened. I have never heard you wish the deaths of Kurei or Mori Kouran. And they were the people that hurt you the most. There are so many times I’ve wanted to kill an opponent in the Urabatousatsujin. Even for the pettiest grievances! But you…you’ve been so forgiving. You have the power to heal, Yanagi. I was given the power to kill. “

tap… tap…

“ People… want to protect you so much, even at the cost of their own lives… and that includes me. Maybe it’s because you’re a rare find these days, and doesn’t it feel right to want to preserve a dying species like yourself? People… want to defeat me. Some guys most of all, just because they think it’s their sole duty to put me in place as a woman of society…”

tap… like Domon did when I first met him…

“ Or at least that was before! “

 She turned around swiftly to face Yanagi.

“ I know I said this before, but I’ll say it again. I’m glad you and Recca met. And I’m glad to have met you,” She grinned widely, eyes twinkling in the spirit of mischief.

“  Because it’s really funny to see this other side of him! “

Her smile became a loud laugh. It bounced off the walls with jovial delight.  Yanagi’s troubled face split into a smile as well, thankful for a the change in grave remembrances. She let herself join in the laughter to let the warmth flood her body, and to let herself forget the past like nothing more than waking from a bad dream.

“ I’m glad too! “

---o
 Of all the people to get stuck with…

“Mikagami! Hey Mikagami, wait up! “

 Why did he have to be with that walking boulder of idiocy?!

“ Phew. Finally caught up with you. Didn’t you hear me back there? “

 Mikagami walked on, picking up his pace, not once looking behind him. But it was no use in shaking Domon off. By this time Domon was stuck to him like really good quality superglue that actually had truth in advertising when it said ‘ guaranteed to immediately stick to anything it has been in contact with ! ‘ .
 
“   Could I ask you something?  “.

“ I believe the exit should be nearby “.

“ No, not that… I wanted to ask ehermm… about what you thought of… umerrrher her…” Domon bit his tongue and decided to go straight all out. “ What do you think of Fuuko? “

 Tokiya continued to walk ahead. He decided to avoid the bigger man’s question. He knew where this conversation was going and wanted nothing to do with it. He would have to be a ‘Domon ‘ to not figure out where it was leading to.

“ We should take the path to the right. “

“ Won’t find another girl like her, you know “.

“ Now if we turn here… “

“ So uhh… you still haven’t told me what you thought of her “.

 Tokiya stopped abruptly. The only way he would get Domon to shut up was to compromise.

“ She-is-a-very-adequate-fighter “, he said in a robotic tone, trying to keep his impatience from showing.

“ Oh. So do you .. y’know…, “ Domon started to make dust circles on the ground with his big toe. “ So could you like her? As… er…“

“ She-is-skilled-in-her-techniques “, continued Mikagami’s patient monotone voice with teeth grating.

“ She’s been my friend for more than a few years, you know... I just um. Wanted to know if you’d take care of her. I mean, she can pretty much take care of herself, but she’s still, well… a woman “.

“ I –am-sure-I-have-no-idea-what-you-are-talking-about “.

“ Oh, you know… she’s got the strength of a man, but the heart of a woman… “

“ Yes, yes and the looks of a horse “.

Domon sniggered. “ Um, I mean… don’t tell her I found that funny “. His forehead pores sweated a little at the thought of his friend getting mad. There was a reason why Fuuko had a small reputation to be called the “ literal knockout “, him being a frequent tried and tested product to that.

Mikagami sneered at the side of his mouth. “ I can see why you fell in love with her “.

“  Hey, I respect her. Admire her. She and Recca have been my friends for as long as I can remember. But I’m not in love with her. Hey look, it has to be a two-way thing, right? I guess that was what was missing. Her falling for someone else doesn’t bother me at all. I dunno. Maybe I was too enthusiastic about falling in love that I didn’t realize I was never in it.I guess I mistook it. I guess I was in love, with love! What do you think?  “

Domon took a chance to look at Mikagami eye to eye. “Lemme tell you a little something though. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed with her, is that even though she laughs and smiles a lot, she’s not very good with intimacy. The only relationships she’s ever got are surface level… even with me and Recca. But you… I think she won’t mind telling you “.

“ Domon? “

“ Yeah? “

“ Don’t get philosophical with me. Doesn’t suit you “.

“ I was only trying to- Woah! “

 Tokiya heard the big man stop in mid- sentence, then  a creek and a click behind him. Domon was gone. It was just as well. The one way conversations were tiring, and were enough to drive anyone mad. Besides, he would be able to search for Fu-, Yanagi, faster alone without any senseless patter buzzing around his ear.

---o

Ganko was having the time of her life! The merry-go-round at the fair was sO muCh fUn! But her big brother Kaoru didn’t look very happy. Guess he didn’t like being seen riding the carousel with her. He looked terrible. Around and around the merry-go-round went, making him look even sicker each time it finished a rotation. Ganko began to spur her “horse “ into full speed, adding a ‘yippee yo kay yayyy! ‘ and waving her hands like a real western cowgirl.

---o

“ Why ? “

“ Why what ? “

“ Why are you doing this Recca? “

“ Because you’re a friend. I want you to feel the joy I felt when I met Yanagi. Domon too. You feel like you can take on the world! “

“ You’re forcing me “.

“ Really? Am I ?”

“ Yes! Stop it! Stop trying to put Tokiya and me together! We don’t…like each other and have nothing in common! “

“ Funny. He reminds me of a certain arrogant girl in school who thought she was the best, ‘till they met me, that is! “

“ Oh, please “.

“ You’re two pretty tough nuts to crack. ( heh ) “

She crossed her arms in front of her.

“ Hum, then why don’t you admit you love Yanagi ? “

“ Gee, wasn’t it obvious, Fuuko? “

“ Uh? But you never- “

“ Not in front of her face, I don’t. I don’t have to say it, do I? She knows it! I know it! You know it! Everyone does! Why do I gotta say it anyway? “.

She raised an eyebrow. “ You must really hate me, Recca. Why do you wanna put me together with him? I’d be miserable! “

“ Aw, you’d be good for each other! “

“ Thought you didn’t like Mikagami “.

“ He can get on my nerves, since he’s so pompous and all. But you and me know it’s mostly a show “.

He winked lewdly.

“ Can you get any less subtle, Recca? “

“ Actions always did speak louder than words! And I’m sure you two definitely got a lot of act- “

“ RECCA! “

“ Whuuuuuu-! “

He ran further down the corridor before his childhood friend could chase him down and eventually cripple him for life.

She yelled out- “ Hey! Keep taking real good care of Yanagi, okay? “

“ Don’t need to tell ME that! I’m gonna go find her! We’ll be the first ones outta here! See ya! I’ll direct Mikagami over here if I bump into him! Hweeee~ !“

He was long gone to hear her holler back: “ Don’t do ME any favors! “

---o

Scene: The exit of the ninjahouse. There are benches to the side, a trashcan beside each bench, a public water fountain. A few people loiter around.
Setting: Nighttime fast approaching, Ferris wheel lights being turned on.
Characters: Yanagi, Kanojo, Fuuko, Tokiya, Ganko, Kaoru.
Bottom line: No Recca. Or Domon.

“ Not here yet “.

“ Isn’t Recca supposed to have ninja blood? You’d think he’d be the first one out! “

“ Yeah. At least Domon has an excuse for being the last one! “

“ I just hope they’re all right… “

“ They probably are, Yanagi “.

They all waited.

Then they waited some more. But it appeared that neither Domon nor Recca would be out anytime soon.
 
“ Oh, look. I’m really sorry I can’t wait anymore, but I have to be home by some time to-day! “

“ They really are lost, aren’t they Aunt Fuuko? “

“ They sure are, “ Kanojo answered Ganko’s question instead. “ Hey, tell you guys what. How about some of us wait here, while the others go home? I have to wait for Domon. Yanagi and Kaoru can’t leave without Recca. So you guys , “ she gestured at Fuuko, Ganko and Tokiya. “Can leave if you want. That way, we don’t ALL have to wait “.

“ Suits me. C’mon Ganko “.

But Ganko held back.

“ Ah, wait, Aunt Fuuko…I want one more ride on the Carousel.”

“ Sure, I’ll go with you- “

“ With big brother Kaoru. Only. “

“ O-kay. I can wait for you at the exit line then- “

“ Oh, no I don’t want you to wait for me at all! Ummm… “

She took hold of Yanagi’s sleeve, motioning her eyes to her Aunt Fuuko...then to Tokiya.

 “ Oh? Oh! What Ganko’s trying to say is uhm, that, all of us waiting might as well go, since we have nothing else to do anyway and none of us have gone yet to that ride and – “

“ Yes! “ Kanojo intercepted. “ We should all just go to the merry-go-round to wait… we’ll bring Ganko home ourselves! Nothing to worry about! “

Fuuko shrugged. Made sense to her.“ ‘ kay. If that’s what you really want. You take care, Ganko. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. “ She turned and left. Tokiya began to follow the others going to the carousel line.

“ Mikagami! Shouldn’t you be going with Fuuko? “ Kanojo  said.

“ Of course not “.

“ But she’s going home all alone and- “

“ What concern is it of mine? “

“Well she’s ALL ALONE and- “

“  Mikagami, is it fine with you if you just walk her back home? We’re a big group here, so we won’t get into trouble or anything… but Fuuko doesn’t have anyone to accompany her. We don’t want to make you wait any longer… unless you’d like to ride the carousel with us? “ Yanagi smiled her best, making small motions to usher him in the opposite direction.

 Everyone shared the mental image of the stoic Mikagami riding a pretty pink horsey.

“ I have no qualms about waiting. “

“ Hey, what am I, chopped liver? If it’s their safety you’re worried about big brother, I’m here, remember? “ Kaoru pounded his chest once and stood as straight as a soldier. “ I can take care of them! There’s really no point in you waiting! “

“ Yes! You should leave! “

“ Yes! And follow Aunt Fuuko! “

“ Yes! Make sure she doesn’t get hurt! Otherwise,  “ Kanojo took hold of Yanagi’s face and turned the smile upside down. “ Yanagi here’ll be sad… really, really sad “.

---o

 No light shone in one of the small bamboo rooms of the ninja house. The sliding doors on each side of the room slipped in place as two familiar figures collapsed gratefully into each other’s arms in the darkness.

“ Hime! Hime, I’m here! … Since when did you get so big? “

“ Kanojo? You’re pretty muscular… “.

“ AUUUGHHH! “

“ You touched me! “

“ No you touched me first! “

“ Where… where are we ? “

They clutched to each other like scared little bunny rabbits trapped in a teeny widdle hole. The terrified chorus of: “ WE’RE LOST! “ reverberated in a hollow echo, rebounding off the walls in the never-ending darkness. Tomorrow in the papers there would be headlines of a certain newly constructed Ninja House that under highly mysterious circumstances, suddenly burst into flames. It was presumed to have been caused by the faulty wiring.