Life After Molmol – A Tale Of The Missing Three Years Of Love Hina
Book Two – Making Your Way In The World Todai
Prologue – We Breathe Together
AUGUST 9TH, 1945
Rear Admiral Matome Ugaki looked out with some trepidation at the latest-and perhaps the very last-batch. Was this what they were driven to? But these callow boys were now his sons, and he would guide them like a good father. One and all, he would send them back to the heavenly father.
"Weapons that can crush cities may only crush our spirits if we allow this! In as little as a week, you will be called upon to keep the enemy at bay long enough for our leaders to consider our peril and then repel it."
He addressed a question that was on all their minds.
"Why does one in my position address you personally? Because while all my sons face death, I wish to see the eyes of those who embrace it so directly. Be as firm as the enemy is soft, when that time comes. The time that you ride on the Breath Of God himself. So Kami Be Invoked."
In perfect unison, the pilot trainees called Kamikaze responded.
"So Kami Be Invoked."
The Rear Admiral stopped and looked each man in the eye, and none dared flinch or shrink from his gaze. The last of all not only met his gaze but almost seemed to push back. The senior officer was impressed, and directed by a nod that this one was to fly point.
"Boy—what is your name?"
When the young man did not answer, he was struck and blood drawn from his right cheek.
"You will answer me!"
"I Ask Your Forgiveness, Great Sir. But I had to be certain that your request was not a test in and of itself. I was not given prior leave to speak."
"You were not. Had you not been so mindful of this, I would not have struck you, but ended your existence where you sit. You are given leave to speak, now. What is your name?"
Steel suffusing and permeating every corner of his being, the young fanatic spoke.
"I am Awa Urashima, Admiral. My life, like my death, is pledged to our Divine Emperor."
OUTSKIRTS OF NAGASAKI
"But she has no one."
"None of them have anyone. That thing they dropped was straight out of a creation myth. Wait—haven't I seen her before?"
"Yes—we brought her here from the ruins of the Emperor's City."
"Two of them in a row? This child is cursed! No one will wish to touch her, let alone marry her. Well, for the time being, we can place her in the hospital, where she may attend to her brothers who have seen combat. Girl—what is your name?"
In a halting voice, a girl who had come to believe perhaps she was cursed spoke only her given name.
"Hinata."
AUGUST 31ST, 2001
PRIVATE JOURNAL OF KEITARO URASHIMA
On this day, my fiancée struck me in the head. A warrior I know came at me with all she had. A princess and I discussed war. My new House Manager threw herself at me. Another girl I have known since childhood astounded me into silence by revealing her two most stunning assets. A girl who has never recognized her worth dueled against me with kitchen utensils, deeply offended by a proposition I had made.
If this seems like old times, let me just say anew how nothing has been the same since Molmol. Our conflict is done. The sisters' war is successfully concluded, and I will even dare to say that we have all evolved. I was also upset. I was upset that the girls thought that simply running after me while ditching Naru would be enough to change the choice my heart had already made. Even their most heartfelt explanations and apologies came across often as latter-day retellings. My thought was, my intrusions were largely accidents—this was deliberate. But I was also upset that Naru thought that some manner of seduction would change me or trick me. I weighed all this against the benefits of knowing them all and told myself I was a lucky fool who should not complain even of the madhouse almost everyone from Seta to Su turned that trip into. I settled for an oath to always declare their feelings even in the harshest times and to never pull something so loathsome and unworthy ever again against my continued friendship and affection for them. Happily, I at last forgave what was a sincere if badly muddled effort for my affections.
I was again a fool, for in my easy forgiveness I lacked the ability to see that I was the only one forgiving matters so quickly, or even at all. This fragile lovely thing we have here nearly dissolved in fire, and at certain points, I only added fuel to it. But the main source of fuel came from the underbrush, the long history these lovely women had together and all the small things and some large that had never really been addressed. Maybe it all needed to burn off. That's what Haruka said, and thank God Auntie warned me of this coming. She had told me once that we two were 'partners against the craziness' of life. She smiles quite a bit nowadays—relative to Haruka's standards, of course. It is a sweet—and I will say it—even a sexy smile, and it reminds me of why we always loved to put people ill at ease about the possible hidden levels to our relationship. Even by my standards, people are sometimes so easily thrown off.
The firestorm passed, and after reconciling with Kanako and even standing up to Grandma on the odd issue, we began our new lives. Up until now, I had still felt like an intruder who would be shown the door any day now. It was my house (qualified until recently) but it was their home and their family. Now it is ours.
In the past two weeks, we have begun analyzing just what needs to be done to make this Dorm into a summertime hotel. Each day is full and rich and long as a result.
"OW!OW!OW!"
"Wimp!"
Keitaro finally slid forward underneath her as she kept on.
"Naru! You kept hitting my head into the wallboard!"
She leaned down and kissed him as their 'session' continued.
"But I'm worth it, right?"
"Of course…"
He seized momentum and flipped their positions, giving her head the same treatment.
"Just as I am, right?"
"I'm being assaulted by a pervert…who better start putting his back into it, if he knows what's good for him!"
After they were done, she giggled.
"Maybe we should have been smashed on sake when we met in the onsen that day. If we'd done that as a result, both our tension levels would have dropped way down."
He shrugged, while disposing of their 'protection'.
"With our luck? We'd have fifteen kids by now."
"Oh? Would that be so bad?"
He carefully considered his answer.
"My clumsiness and durability combined with your strength and temper."
She shuddered, conceding the point.
PRIVATE JOURNAL
For my safety, I also told her that I meant the young people we were would not have been fit parents. She hit me with words, asking when exactly we would be 'there' in terms of parenting skills. My honest confession that I had no idea saved me, but I have to wonder if Haruka's pregnancy isn't on her mind. I think Auntie and my little joke about it being mine may have hurt Naru's feelings. I think she may value being the mother of my first child more than being my first love or my first time. My social life before I came to the Sou can guarantee she will be. Unless a girl gets pregnant by insulting and belittling you—though that would be a way to stop a lot of the bullying in this world.
Ironic that Mitsune was the one who warned us into protecting ourselves. I guess all the times she's been with guys made her doubly careful. Caution should always be used between a man and a woman—whether you're trying to decide when a new life should happen or keep the one you have from ending because you were distracted.
"URASHIMA!"
Her sword slashed at where he had just been, but he still felt the way it cut the air, almost creating a vacuum as it passed.
"You will not escape me!"
Arms and legs kicked out at every bit of air that the minor ki attacks did not. Sometimes confidently, sometimes yelping in fear, he dodged almost all attacks.
"I'm almost at my goal, Motoko!"
"That I can never allow!"
Just as his hand reached for the juncture of where her robes were tied, a full-force Ki Attack sent him flying, very nearly off the roof itself.
"Keitaro!"
In a panic, Motoko grabbed his hand, ignoring what she knew about his physiology. She loved him too much to take the chance that he might not survive this particular fall. He smiled after he was pulled up.
"Almost had you that time."
His smile was returned.
"Horseshoes and hand grenades, Urashima. My theoretical modesty remains intact."
He shrugged as he stretched sore leg muscles.
"What I don't get is, why have that of all places as my target? I am clumsy sometimes, and despite recent events, I don't see you taking being accidentally stripped very well."
"You are clumsy at your soul's core, Urashima. Therefore, the very safest way to avoid being stripped by you is if you have it as your stated goal."
"Wish we'd thought of that three years ago."
A light embrace followed, and then she looked into his eyes.
"And rob me of some of my fondest memories?"
She began to throw a makeshift medicine ball between the two of them.
"So what will you teach her after my session is done with?"
Keitaro threw it back at her full-force, respecting her wishes not to be babied. He rather doubted his strongest throw meant much to the toned and limber samurai.
"Well, since all of your lessons are by definition structured, I thought I'd let her pick from a certain set of subjects and try to teach back from her own questions about it."
"Chaotic, but when one considers our student, a wise approach."
"My father showed that learning method to me once by back-tracking the way my favorite pastry was made."
She grunted at receiving and then throwing anew, but kept up her end of the conversation as well.
"You are a fair chef, have become a decent warrior, you have a distinct mischievous streak when paired with Auntie, you have an intelligence that arises as you need it, and you are one of two people that Kaolla Su actually listens to. Is there anything else you seek to rival our band of sisters in?"
Unable to resist the opening, Keitaro caught the heavy ball absently with just one hand.
"Nothing I can think of."
PRIVATE JOURNAL
My hand is still sore, but the look on her face was well worth it. I think she even knew she was being played, but I think it's been so long since she played for fun that she welcomes it. Her hair is even growing back in, though she's wearing it looser than before. I kind of like it.
Just as some need to loosen up, others need to have their focus tightened and sharpened. Kami, I may have conquered the hearts of at least two women who said they hated me, but making the little girl with light blond hair and dark skin listen in a way that channels her wildness in positive ways may just be the thing that undoes my so-called immortality.
"I pick History."
"Okay. Come up with a question."
Eyes bright and wide and inquisitive showed her smile before she did.
"Why did the Pacific War happen?"
Keitaro knew better than to actually tackle such a huge subject, yet dismissing Su's inquiry entirely would also be wrong.
"Too much of that answer depends on your point of view."
"Is this one of those Jedi things?"
"Sort-of. Before hostilities finally erupted with Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto was heard to say that Japan would have to conquer America outright, including taking Washington DC itself."
Keitaro paused and then continued.
"His superiors in Tojo's government took this as a proud boast of Japan's capabilities. People in the American military took this statement as a direct threat of intent."
"So which was it?"
"It was neither. The Admiral was warning his superiors. Their notion that attacking Pearl Harbor would drive America into neutrality and isolation was a foolish one, and that if they wanted to stop America, it would require conquering the entire country, something an island nation already strained for resources could never hope to do."
Su shook her head.
"How does that explain about the whole Pacific War?"
"Simple. You have words taken the wrong way, attitudes reinforced by those words, and a man who may have disagreed with much of his country's path but for whom loyalty and obligation left opposing it out of the question. Other such men, to varying degrees, have included the German Erwin Rommel and the Americans' Robert E. Lee."
"But Onii-Chan, that's so complicated!"
PRIVATE JOURNAL
She's such a sweet kid. Getting her into 'complicated' thinking is exactly what Motoko and I need to do. From that one discussion, I was able to hit many basic tenets of historical research and thought. I was a bit uncomfortable placing Rommel in with Yamamoto-Dono and Lee, but again the lesson that even a man working for a bad regime can be at least complicated achieves my basic goal. I'll consult with my history professor about the finer points of my lecture—I'm certain I flubbed or overstated at least some things. But maybe by showing that even her 'Onii-Chan' can make such mistakes, she'll still learn. My head nearly exploded when she wanted to know about why it was 'history' instead of 'herstory'. Though it involved balancing Japanese, English, and Ancient Greek, again, the basic breakthrough was well worth it. Yet this sweet child who was stopped from being the first girl ever to supply me with that 'special kiss' while tied up at gunpoint still had the ability to blow my mind with a few simple words.
"What did Grandma's husband do during the Pacific War?"
Keitaro was struck dumb by this.
"Wow-I have no idea. I mean, he had to have served. Young men of that time just did. But I have never heard so much as one word-hold on Su."
Keitaro grabbed his cell-phone.
"Yeah, it's me again. Listen, what do you know about Granpa Awa's service during the war?"
On the other end, Haruka Seta was silent for twenty seconds before her nephew heard a response.
"You either? Isn't that a bit strange?"
"Okay, Auntie. Thanks."
Shutting the phone off, Keitaro shook his head.
"That's really odd, Su. Maybe next time we hear from Grandma, we'll ask."
She then said the words that blew his mind.
"Or we could just use my time machine to find out."
PRIVATE JOURNAL
Kaolla Su, a girl who had tortured and kidnapped me, and who I've had at least a few perverted dreams about (she is that cute) had successfully built an actual time machine—really a time scanner, but the idea itself is still flatly staggering—especially in her possession. She showed me the day Naru nearly killed me for real, and how her own voice in 2000 intruded on that scene. I told her gently to immediately inform Motoko, and I will have to tell Naru. What we will do about it I have no idea.
A Time Machine. If any Future Apes are reading this, know that intelligent Humans once did exist—we just weren't always that bright about things. I mean, who would have ever thought that a girl of infinite energy, easily bored and with a real problem with understanding the feelings of others would get hold of such a potentially reality-shattering power?
Besides *her*.
"Hey, Bro."
"Hey yourself, Mitsu. So what's on our exploratory agenda today?"
"Actually, you happy humpers gave it to me. A lot of couples coming here, new or established, or going to want to have that special relaxation time, too."
"Fair point. So we're talking about some level of soundproofing?"
"Actually, that's a good idea, too, if we can do it without substantially cramping the space or reducing air circulation. Most soundproofing, except for space-age thin materials, tends to be carpeting layered across walls and such. Kinda takes away from the ambience."
"Well, we could parse out the expensive thin materials, and maybe carpet the floors a bit. Also, those memory foam futon backers could add to our guests' comfort while providing some soundproofing as well. Then again, living in modern Japan, do most people have a true expectation of privacy?"
"Noper. That's why we'll have it as an advertising point. But anyway, it's not what I meant. I was talking about the durability of the floors themselves. Some couples are going to be in a rush. No sense finding out about cave-ins and splinters right after they get hot and heavy, right?"
"You don't mean…?"
"Fraid so, Bro—you and me have got to hit the futons!"
To be sure, I called Naru, setting up for her student classes. In short, bad idea for her nerves, good idea for insurance purposes.
So we hit the futons.
"Me on you!"
"You on me!"
"Simultaneous!"
"Faint forwards!"
"Faint back!"
"Stumble!"
"Trip!"
"Drop Me!"
"I'll Drop You!"
"Now-"
"Mitsu! That's enough—we've been through every room. We know which ones need work, in terms of floor integrity."
Mitsu looked at the living room as they descended the stairs.
"Would a ceiling fan be in order? Maybe a series of small ceiling fans?"
Keitaro ached all over from their simulated falls—some not so simulated.
"Do you sit up nights thinking of improvements to the Sou?"
"Yeah-it's my job now, right? Now—outside, a secondary screen for the onsen, since all guys are like you…but not as sweet or nice. I am trying, Bro."
He put his hand on her shoulder, and smiled.
"You're doing a wonderful job. You've spotted out cracks and gaps and just plain little things that neither Auntie or me caught—maybe even some things that got by Grandma."
She closed her eyes, looking almost hurt rather than praised.
"I want you to take me seriously, Bro. I have a lot to make up for."
Unable to take it anymore, Keitaro simply asked what was on the mind of all at the Hinata-Sou.
"What happened to you, after we fought?"
She tried to be noncommittal.
"I grew the hell up, Ok? End of story."
"Is it?"
She turned around and looked away.
"You're the ones who laid down the terms. Get responsible or get out. I chose answer number one."
Just as quickly, she hugged a man she ended up loving so much, she engaged in the ultimate hare-brained scheme to snag him.
"It was just an epiphany, all right? I saw the need to put Kitsune away, along with my toys and beer bottles."
Whatever happened out there shook her badly. So badly she won't tell anyone about it. Mitsune 'Mitsu' Konno is hard-working, focused, dedicated, and determined to be taken seriously.
But I can't help but hope that Kitsune is still in there. I kind of miss her.
I ordered her to take at least an hour's rest. She's been a real trooper. But it's like Granpa Awa always said to my father, the truly dedicated can easily become the fanatic, and the fanatic always crashes and burns. I wish I'd known him. Auntie says he was a wonderful man. He died not long after her parents. She said that played a part in shutting her down emotionally. That makes me sad for her. It's funny that we're so much closer now that she's no longer living in the Sou, but she said it's like when were kids. It gives us something to look forward to.
Mutsumi surely remembers those times. I just never realized how well.
Keitaro saved his document.
"Comparing Napoleon in Russia to Alexander at the Indian Border is not as easy as it would seem, at first glance."
Mutsumi leaned over him from behind, as always, part of her arriving first and pushing against him.
"Keitaro, could you look at something of mine?"
Despite himself, a flash-image of Mutsumi suddenly pulling off her blouse shot into his mind.
*Does she phrase things that way on purpose?*
**Don't be an idiot** is what Naru had told him. **Forget pervert. You are a male, and my sisters are hot. Whatever they kick up, you give to me. I may as well get something from the way they shamelessly flirt with you.**
"Okay, Mutsumi."
She had a small folding table set up, and something covered by a tarp.
"When I whip this off, this is going to be big!"
*Yeah. It's on purpose. Who's the pervert around here, anyway?*
The cloth came off, and a small-scale model of the Hinata-Sou was revealed. Finely carved and fairly well-detailed, all it lacked was paint.
"When I was a little girl in kindergarten, I saw a poster which showed the footsteps from there to college. It stuck with me, and while trying to start my first class project, I realized all our footsteps were right here at the Sou."
Also carved were little figures of all of them, regulars and notable visitors alike. All except one.
"It's awesome, Mutsumi—really. But where's Grandma?"
Indeed, all of them were there, including three smaller figures of himself, Naru and Mutsumi as children in the sandbox. But Hinata Urashima was nowhere to be seen. Mutsumi closed her eyes.
"I can't see her, Kei. For some reason, I can't see her."
She opened them again, and forced a smile.
"So I decided to carve an extra one of you and me in a recurring activity."
"Us? Doing what?"
This time, her blouse coming off was no daydream. Her hands pulled him forward.
"Guess. "
She *got* me. She was wearing her bikini top underneath her blouse—not that my face knew any different. For some reason, not being able to see Grandma as she so clearly saw the rest of us bothered her—maybe even pushed her into pulling that stunt.
God help me, I wish she hadn't been wearing that top. Naru, if you ever read this, I mean no harm—but sometimes I do think of each of our sisters in that way, and just slightly regret closing the door on possibilities—but I accept that this is what I have done, because the door I did open contained the greatest treasure behind it.
Speaking of treasures, one pile of gold keeps getting bigger and brighter, and intent on showing me that she is in fact becoming a woman. She still wants me to 'make her a woman', but I could never do that. Not just because of loyalty to Naru and the decency not to abuse the affections of a young girl. But because, and someday I will tell her this, she was already more woman than most females will ever be at four times her age, well before we met. Our relationship is evolving into friendship—maybe even best friends. We can talk with each other about nearly anything. But I must be careful. Most best friends aren't as cute as her, and if there is a real danger of me doing something stupid and hurting Naru, it is with Shinobu Maehara.
"What the he-hey are you doing?"
Keitaro had a jar of Dijon mustard, a bar of cheddar cheese, Semolina Bread, and some sunflower oil on the kitchen counter.
"Oh, hi, Shinobu. Just making some toasted cheese for my lunch."
"Like blazes you are. Sempai, sit down, and I'll cook up some fish and some soup."
Keitaro sliced his bread, and then the cheese as thinly as he could.
"I'm good, Shinobu. Seta showed me how to make this over a campfire, and it became a favorite while we camped out at sites."
Shinobu picked up two skillets, and then noisily banged them together.
"Back away from the stove. I won't say it again."
On his own property, by his own tenant, Keitaro had just been told what to do about something very basic. That he cared for this girl made this upset no easier to hold in.
"Or what? You'll hit me in the back of the head?"
Shinobu twirled her skillets.
"If Naru or anyone else laid down terms like that, you'd fall over yourself—and probably my chest—trying to give in fast enough. But I'm just a kid, right?"
Keitaro picked up two empty pots, spinning them around.
"More like brat right now. What's with you? It's just toasted cheese."
His pots deflected her pans in a flurry of Teflon-coated stainless steel.
"Keep it down in there!"
The dueling pair put the cookware aside.
"Sorry. Mitsu!"
Each seized a spatula. Keitaro stood poised for battle. Shinobu prepared for the fight.
Then, each of them realized they were holding a spatula. She sat down, dejected but happily not crying.
"You won't be mine. We won't ever kiss or make love. Our children will call the other aunt or uncle, instead of Mother and Father. I'm getting good with that—really."
She looked him in the eye.
"But would you at least let me be the one that feeds you? If nothing else, can you do that for me?"
Keitaro mussed her hair a bit, then kissed her on the cheek.
"No-I will cook for you."
And when the two sandwiches were on their plates, the dear friends ate and talked.
"I so want this date with Arlo to go right. He's the first boy I've noticed since I realized we were never going to be. Plus, he seems nice."
"It will go right, Shinobu."
"Oh, Sempai—I'm a nervous mess. I can't be this nervous when he comes over on Tuesday."
He smiled.
"I know a quick way to work off some of that tension."
"You don't mean…"
"You'll do it or I'll make you do it, Maehara-San!"
Naru walked in from morning classes.
"Hey, all—what's to eat-"
She looked and was shocked to see her fiancé and her younger 'sister' dueling it out with spatulas.
"I really have to watch those two."
I ended the day with a report to Auntie, who is trying like blazes to nail Seta down on a permanent residence, at least for Japan. Dearly though I love them both, I hope that they are not what Naru and I will become as the years go by. Then again—we could do a lot worse.
"How about a houseboat?"
Haruka rolled her eyes.
"I do not want a house in motion."
"We could get time-share on a series of apartments near the heart of Tokyo itself."
"How near?"
"Actually, it's a little place called Maple Inn near Kanagawa. Owners have had some rotten luck. That's near, right?"
"Like the New Jersey Shore is to Midtown Manhattan."
"Exactly!"
"How do you actually find any artifacts with that sense of direction?"
Seta stopped and shook his head.
"Finding a new place to live and stay after each expedition has always been part of the fun."
Haruka remembered the baby inside her, and pushed away a pack of cigs.
"That was when things were up in the air. That was when we were up in the air. Even if we fly around, Nori-Chan—I want a nest to come back to."
"How about just crashing at the Sou when we're in-country?"
"No! I won't burden the kids with a family that should be able to fend for itself."
"Who'll take care of the place when we're abroad?"
"We'll just ask the kids."
Seta rolled his eyes. Haruka stood firm.
"There's a big difference between asking them to check in on an empty house they can choose to stay in and taking on four or more houseguests with little or no notice."
Seta conceded, at least partially.
"Prices and availability will be a factor. We may end up fairly far from the Sou."
She kissed him.
"As long as it's ours, and someplace we can get Sarah and the baby into school in quick order."
He chuckled.
"We sure had fun making that baby."
She grinned.
"This place may not have an onsen, but there is the bathtub!"
The newlies stripped down and ran for the bath, jumping in with relish.
Ten seconds later, a dripping wet girl of about ten years holding a towel came out of that same room wearing a large frown.
"I'd leave, but someone is gonna have to protect that kid from this family of freaking PERVERTS!"
Wrapping the towel around herself, she opened the bathroom door one last time, and shouted anew.
"AND BY THE WAY-IT'S CALLED A TRIM-TRY IT OUT SOMETIME, THE TWO OF YOU!"
She walked off, muttering.
"-starting to think Kei-Kun and Naru-Chan were the normal ones."
BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA
The woman with silver hair wearing a pair of classic aviator goggles called the meeting to order.
"We of the California Amelia's Dream Club are pleased to have with us today one of our international members. Mrs. Hinata Urashima exemplifies our founding principle, that had the great Ms. Earhart lived on, she would have kept on flying. We don't let the preconceived notions of others dictate our sense of adventure. Mrs. Urashima?"
The diminutive figure made the podium and began to speak.
"Please, it's merely Hina. I was told there might be questions?"
"Hina? How many times around is it for you?"
"This is my second time traveling the world—the first time without my granddaughter Kanako, who has reconnected with her birth mother, a Kitsun—I'm sorry, a kitchen designer."
"Hina? What's your proudest accomplishment?"
"As an aviator? Sighting the Southern Cross. I felt something stir then, that I have not since my dear Awa left this world. But personally—well, my one grandson has become engaged to his childhood sweetheart, and continues to care well for the lives and souls of young ladies I regard as being his sisters. My granddaughter, whom I raised as my own, has married recently and has just announced my promotion to great-grandmother. In addition, my two grandchildren have renewed their deep sustaining friendship from when they were small. They even like to tease that there is something going on between them. Not that I want great-grandchildren quite that badly."
The older ladies all chuckled. One last question came up.
"North, South or East?"
"East, for now. I plan to spend three days in Las Vegas, three more in New Orleans, three in Atlanta, hit the International Skee-Ball Competition in Atlantic City on the 9th, and, let's see…"
She checked her itinerary and flight plan.
"…yes, I thought so. I plan to take an aerial tour of New York City on the morning of September 11th."
THE HINATA-SOU
The women all came running for their man, upon hearing him cry out from the bedroom. The one who had won his heart entered their room, stayed in about a minute, then came back out.
"He's fine. I think he's been over-studying, even by my standards."
Mitsu shook her head.
"Is that even possible? Then again, he did say that he wanted to ace everything from now on, the better to help all of us get in."
Motoko looked concerned.
"He leads a very rich full week. He is strong, but perhaps something has to give. Though Su's lessons without him, I cannot imagine."
Su peeked in.
"Onii-Chan looks pale. Naru, may I lie next to him?"
"That's a great idea, Su. Hug the stuffings out of him. Shinobu—you too, okay?"
"Sempai—is Sempai alright? I gave him a hard time before."
Naru mock-punched the girl's arm.
"If he can take me, he can take you. Now get in there."
As the group dispersed, Naru pulled Mutsumi aside.
"Naru? What's going on?"
"Just now? He cried out one word before going incoherent on me."
"And that word was?"
Naru seemed hesitant to say it.
"Grandma."
PRIVATE JOURNAL
Waking up with my face in Shinobu's chest and Su clambered over my crotch brought back old memories, but luckily, we all pulled back before we were found out. Shinobu just smiled and said that as long as I was all right, her chest could take it. Su just wouldn't stop hugging me. I don't know what we're going to do about her time machine. Motoko and I should just order her to destroy it-but this is a wonder of the world-or a doomsday device.
I wish Grandma would call. I would just feel better if I could hear her voice. But I don't worry. We will all hear from her, probably before two weeks is gone. Right now, she has a plane to fly, and I have enough on my plate—including helping Shinobu calm her nerves for her dinner date with Arlo. Kami, watch over all the people I love—but most especially my Grandma.
Note to self : When she does call, ask her about Granpa's war service.
END JOURNAL FOR AUGUST 31ST, 2001