Chapter 4: Expecting the Unexpected
The next morning, the sun rose in all of its shining glory and its beautiful rays woke up Tommy in its most peaceful manner. As he slowly opened his eyes, he made a smile that could send all ladies into swoon mode. He never let the memory of his kiss with Ibuki leave his mind and he just couldn't stop smiling because of how good it actually was. Knowing Ibuki as a ninja in a desperate search for a boyfriend, he never expected her to kiss him so professionally, as if she's had a boyfriend before. This left Tommy thinking deeply in his mind:
Is Ibuki already taken?
This left a feeling of doubt within his heart as he slowly sat up, stretched his strong arms, and yawned simultaneously. He looked at his digital clock and calendar. He saw that it was a Saturday. This got him cheering on the inside. His teammates offical first day in Sarusuberi was on a Friday, which left them to get enough time to think up of a good name for their team. Tommy looked over at Bobby, who was already up on his PC on the far left side of the room. He was in a chat room.
"Hey, Bobby." Tommy greeted. "Did you sleep well?"
"Duh!" Bobby replied, keeping his focus on his digital conversation with his sister, codenamed 'KittyRogue64'. "How did you sleep?"
"Like a baby." Tommy paused for a moment as he looked at the door to their dorm. He heard footsteps approaching and he reacted smoothly by standing up and walking towards the door. When he opened it, he saw that it was Broderick at the door. "Hey, Coach."
"Hey, boys." Broderick greeted. "Just came by to let ya'll know dat I'm callin' up a team meetin' at five."
"Why?" Bobby asked as he turned around in his computer chair shortly after properly exiting the chat room.
"The Dean is really gettin' impatient 'bout not comin' up wit a team name. Da soona we come up wit one, da betta."
"Obviously."
"Fo' now, ya'll can chill. I know ya'll have somethin' more important ta do."
"Huh, yeah. Homework…"
"All you have to do is some math and research. It ain't dat hard, boy. What 'bout you, Tommy?"
"I do have a job at my Mother's pet store. I have to be there by noon today." Tommy replied smoothly. This shocked Bobby.
"Say what? You got a job?" He screamed. Tommy didn't flinch in fright. He just hummed with humor as he bowed his head, not even facing his friend. "Since when did you have a job?"
"Since our freshman year in high school. I've been working every weekend since then. What I'm surprised about, though, is how you never knew all this. You know me far more than Broderick does."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know. So, now that this is the case, what exactly do you do there?"
"I tend to the new animals in the back. You know, give them their shots, make sure they're spayed or neutered, check on any other hidden problem, et cetra."
"Ohhhhh, okay. Simple jobs. Are ya hiring?"
"No. Not now."
"Go figure."
"Will ya be off in time to make it to da meetin'?" Broderick asked with a little concern. Tommy nodded with confidence.
"You can count on it, Coach. I schedule my own time, so I'll be off at 4:30."
"Good. I expect a pretty long meeting by then. Now, Tommy, I'm guessin' you betta get ready fo' work."
"Yeah. I have a feeling it's gonna be busy."
Hours later, at 10:15 AM…
Bobby was on his computer again while Tommy just finished doing his daily small trim of his sideburns. His work clothes were a brown tank top with white jeans and black work boots. He took a good look at himself in the mirror for a few minutes after he placed down his razor on the marble sink. He did have his father's African American skin color, but he barely saw his mother's Korean smoothness on him. Just seeing the smooth texture on his skin made him cry for a little while in silence. His tears silently leaked into the sink and never moved to wipe them away. His tears symbolized how much he misses his beautiful Mother. At this point, he was starting to fear that he might forget what his Mother's face looked like. He never wanted to forget his family and the high risk of forgetting his Mother was not about to happen. His eyes were closed in deep prayer for a few seconds as his tears continued to fall into the sink like a pair of small waterfalls. When he finally looked up into the mirror, he slowly opened his eyes and silghtly smiled at the sight of Ibuki, dressed in a plain white short-sleeved t-shirt and blue skinny jeans with white sneakers, standing right behind him with her signature ponytail carved into her silky hair. She had a look of concern on her face as she slowly approached him from behind and gently placed her slender hands on his chest and slowly laid her head down on his back for total comfort.
"I just… miss my Mother so much." Tommy managed to say between tears. Ibuki kept her head on his back as she spoke.
"Don't let your emotions get to you, Tommy." She encouraged. "On the bright side, she is doing okay."
"How would you know?"
"Because I do know. I'm not just saying that."
"Like you didn't just say that Sasha was cheating on me?"
"It's the truth! The boy's name is Donovan Watts. He's about a year older than you and he's just as terrible in the personality rate as Sasha, but that seems to turn her on."
"Humph! I figured that was the case. Why didn't I see this coming?"
"She somehow had a feeling that you were going to leave her, but she's keeping herself occupied nonetheless." Ibuki paused as she turned Tommy around, so that he was facing her. She began to wipe the sad linebacker's tears as she continued. "Do yourself a huge favor and forget about her for about a week. If she happens to call you within that time, then you can try to confess your feelings again."
"I can try. I know Sasha can take a break-up."
"That's why you try, Tommy." Bobby just walked in shortly after Ibuki said this and he was shocked to see her.
"What the…?" Bobby exclaimed with surprise. "Ibuki? How did you get in?"
"Does that matter? I was worried about Tommy. I heard he had to work today, so I really came in here to tell him to have a good day, but I ended up soothing his emotion monster instead."
"Is that what you were doing in here?"
"I was just thinking about my Mother and how much I miss her." Tommy confessed.
"I'm about ta say…"
"What?"
"…nothin'."
"Oh, good."
"Why'd you ask?"
"…" Tommy remained silent for a moment as he looked down at Ibuki, who nodded with a look of permission. He nodded in return before he finished off by saying: "Ibuki and I kissed last night."
"…What?"
"Yeah. Somethin' came up and… well… you know the rest."
"…How was the kiss?"
"Delicious." Ibuki replied with confidence. "He didn't see it coming. I only did it to give him a little bit of confidence."
"Whoa…"
"Hopefully, it'll mean more than just a playful kiss in the future."
"Probably." Tommy agreed with red cheeks. "By the way, where did you learn to kiss like that? That kiss had me all curious."
"Oh, let's just say that…" Ibuki paused as she got closer to Tommy's face… a little too close. "…Fate came to me and decided that I should keep you occupied until Sasha finally comes to her senses." She paused again as she slowly moved away from Tommy's face, leaving him wide eyed with nervousness. "How I learned the kiss is completely confidential. Just be happy that you just got kissed by the cutest girl on this campus."
"Great." Bobby muttered with sarcasm. "Lucky you…"
"Don't get jealous, Bobby." Tommy reassured. "I'm pretty sure Kendra makes a perfect match for you. You sat beside her at lunch yestesterday."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything! Man, I'm gonna go and finish my research on these Komodo Dragons. You go on ahead to work, man." After that, Bobby continued to mumble and complain as he left the bathroom. Ibuki watched him with a little concern while Tommy shook his head with humor.
"He's always been jealous of me for most things… ever since we first met when we were two."
"Wow." Ibuki commented. "You two have been friends for that long, huh?"
"Yeah. We're practically brothers. He's had my back ever since then, too. Whenever I got into trouble, he was always right there to help me. Personally, I always wished we were biological brothers."
"Awww, that's cute. Now, um…" Ibuki turned her attention towards Tommy as he was placing on his watch. "…Bobby did just say that you had to… go to work… right?"
"Yeah. I work at my Mom's pet shop not too far from here every weekend. Beats just sittin' here and studyin' fo' a lil' while, ya know."
"Who else works there besides you?"
"My Dad."
"…that's it?"
"That's it."
"…Mm! That's not good."
"Naw, naw, Ibuki! It's actually a good thing. It's a family store and me and my Dad is all I need to keep my Mom's dream of housing the rarest animals alive. She may be in jail, but we're makin' good money just tryin' to, at least, keep our water bill from bein' overdue."
"Oh. Right back at me on that one. So, are you hiring?"
"You too, huh? Bobby asked me the same question and I told him that I wasn't hiring right now."
"Hmmm…"
"But, since you're kinda cute, gave me some advice, gave me the most delicious kiss I have ever experienced in my life, and care so much about me, my life, and my internal struggle… I'll hire you." Ibuki was speechless after hearing this. She never knew that Tommy realized that she really cares about him. She just stood there, staring at the gentle giant with extreme surprise. Tommy chuckled as he approached her and slowly leaned down to give her a warm hug of appreciation. "I have a feeling that things are looking brighter for me, Sexy-buki… and you have been helping me out ever since we first ran into each other. It would really be an honor for you to work alongside my family."
Ibuki still didn't say a word as she slowly lifted her arms up and managed to hug him in return. As soon as she leaned her head on his strong chest, she smiled with a peaceful sigh and that made Tommy's smile grow, but he kept in his tears of happiness as they were in this adorable embrace for the next five minutes. Near the last minute, Tommy decided to get a little playful and snuck a hand down to Ibuki's ass and took a firm hold on it, making her moan with satisfaction. Tommy looked down at her and just admired her for a few seconds. He was just both thrilled and relieved that he finally found another girl that actually cared about his fragile heart and he was even more excited that it was Ibuki herself that cared. After all this, he finally decided to put Sasha on hold for a second and keep his mind on his beloved Mother. It was his trial-and-error test towards how he can control his emotions.
An hour and fifteen minutes later…
Ibuki and Tommy just got off the city bus and were right in front of the pet shop. Ibuki smiled at the store's title.
"'Animals of Happiness'?" She asked with a smile. Tommy nodded as he led her inside. "That's cute."
"Yeah, thanks." Tommy replied. "My Mom came up with the idea and the title. We keep more than just domestic animals here."
When the two got inside, Tommy's father, Johnnie, was already there behind the front desk, ready to work and he was astonished to see his only son walk in with a girl next to him.
"Well, well, well. Hey, son." Johnnie greeted. "Who is dis lovely lady? She looks familiar."
"Hey, Dad." Tommy greeted. "This is Ibuki. I want her to work with us, if that's okay."
"Say what? Ibuki? HEY! Good to see ya!" Johnnie sprung to his feet and gave the young kunoichi a loving embrace. She returned the hug with appreciation. "Welcome to Animals of Happiness! You'll love it here, sweetie."
"So I've heard." Ibuki agreed.
"Good. Now, Tommy…"
"Yes?" Tommy replied.
"You rememba dat tiga yo' Mama tried to catch befo' she got arrested?"
"Yeah. What happened to him?"
"He survived dat attack and he's restin' in the back. Dey managed ta transport him here afta dey gave him a prosthetic paw."
"YES! They gave him another chance!"
"Yep. Well, Ibuki, ya ready?"
"Born that way." Ibuki replied with confidence.
"Good. You and Tommy can start by… well, first… by clockin' in. Then, ya'll can start on tendin' to dat tiga. He is wide awake and waitin' fo' ya'll. Behave now, here?"
Ten minutes later…
Tommy just made Ibuki a time card and handed it to her. She took a good look at it and smiled.
"This is awesome!" Ibuki exclaimed as she stood up from her chair shortly after taking the card. "So, do you do behind the scenes work here?"
"Most of the time, yeah." Tommy replied. "Sometimes, I help out some customers with introductions to these animals."
"Oh, okay. So, what will I do?"
"Hmmmm… don't know yet. Let's clock in first and then, I can ask my Dad."
Twenty seconds later…
"She can be da supervisior to da animals." Johnnie replied. "What dat means is that you and Tommy can keep an eye on 'em, except Tommy does the medical procedures, includin' shots, spayin', and neuterin'. Sound good?"
"Yeah." Ibuki replied. "That sounds like an easy job."
"Great. I should warn ya, though, some animals back there only need Tommy's supavision. You'll know which ones when ya get back dere."
Another twenty seconds later…
Tommy just opened the door to the chamber of the humanely kept animals and Ibuki was just astonished about the huge number of them and the many different varieties.
"Don't be so surprised about all these animals now." Tommy warned as he placed on his protective apron and gloves. "My mom has done most of the catches here, but as soon as she was arrested, my Dad did the honors. So far, he's doin' a great job."
"Cool." Ibuki commented. "What about you?"
"I would love to help out my Dad, but you know, I've got college to deal with along with trying to get my Mother out of jail."
"Hmmm… How was she accused again?"
"Some dumb-ass bastard placed a steel trap right in between the tiger and my mom and the tiger got caught in the trap." Tommy paused as he approached Ibuki and gave her an apron and gloves. "She tried to get him out, but ended up getting accused of animal cruelty. They thought she had set the trap."
"How could they not notice?"
"Who knows? All I know is that my mom doesn't deserve to be in jail."
"That sucks." Ibuki reluctantly placed on her apron and gloves before she followed Tommy into a steel door in the very back of the room. Tommy turned the combination lock a few times before it clicked open and he slowly opened the heavy door to reveal a beautiful Siberian Tiger that was pure white with pink stripes and purple eyes. Ibuki smiled at its beauty, but immediately frowned with concern when she noticed a prosthetic paw attached to its right front leg. "Oh, my God! Your Dad was right about the paw. I'm glad he doesn't seem too phased by it."
"It feels like his real paw to him, which is a blessing in my book." Tommy agreed as he kneeled down before the tiger and offered a fresh fish to him. Ibuki kneeled down next to Tommy and carefully reached out to pet him between the ears. The tiger didn't even flinch as her soft hand touched him and gently massaged his scalp. Tommy looked over at her from a side-glance and smiled. Just seeing Ibuki pat the tiger quickly reminded him of how gentle his Mother is towards animals. Within his heart, however, he never expected a ninja to be gentle to a tiger. So far, spending this much time with Ibuki was really starting to erase his memory about Sasha completely. That kiss they had… it wasn't just for an increase in confidence anymore. He actually had… deep passionate feelings for Ibuki, but he decided to keep that to himself for the time being.
The tiger finally purred with appreciation after about three minutes of being massaged by Ibuki and this made her smile even more. Tommy chuckled at how adorable this scene was.
"Awww, look at that, baby." He started. "Velvet likes you already."
"Velvet?" Ibuki asked with astonishment. "That's his name?"
"Yeah. My mom came up with that."
"Your mom did a lot of this, huh?"
"Yeah. She's an angel towards animals. That's why she doesn't deserve to be in jail for animal cruelty. Her traps have always been as humane as she could possibly get."
"Maybe they were just jealous."
"Probably, but I doubt it. She never knew those people too well."
"Figures."
"YO, TOMMY!" Johnnie called out from the distance. That immediately got Ibuki and Tommy's attention. "YOU BETTER GET OUT HERE! WE GOT MANUAL LABOR GOIN' ON OUT HERE!"
"YES!" Tommy cheered as he stood up. Ibuki followed suit with a smile, even though she was a little confused. "Finally! I knew that Snow Coyote was pregnant!"
"…what?" Ibuki asked as she was being dragged out by Tommy. He ran to the coyote's chamber in a hurry and saw that the wild canine was indeed giving birth to new puppies. Ibuki has never seen anything like this before and she was excited on the inside while she maintained herself on the outside. Tommy kneeled down in front of the birth chamber and slowly placed a hand on the glass. Johnnie smiled as he looked down at his son and his possibly new girlfriend. He was so happy to see his son at peace, especially since his mother was imprisoned.
Ten minutes later…
Tommy, Ibuki, and Johnnie, who stood behind the couple, all kept in their smiles as the Snow Coyote named Ferrah rested well with her eight newborn puppies nursing her milk. It was too quiet in the room and even some of the other surrounding animals in their respective chambers watched with curiosity. Three silent minutes later, the sound of a customer entering the building sounded and Johnnie reacted to it quickly as he made his way out to the front counter, but before he went out the door, he took one last good look at Tommy and Ibuki. He looked at the floor between the two and saw that they were holding hands. He was about to say something about it, but decided to leave that alone and tend to the customer.
Back at Ferrah, Ibuki, and Tommy…
Ferrah finally opened her eyes after a good nap and smiled when she saw Tommy and Ibuki through the glass. Tommy placed his free hand on the glass and chuckled.
"Hey, Ferrah." He greeted sweetly. "Did you sleep well?" Ferrah replied with a bark, which Tommy translated to English immediately. "Good. Ready to name them?" Ferrah barked again. "Not yet, huh? Okay. We'll give 'em a month."
"Awww, they're so cute." Ibuki commented. "She was a trooper."
"Yeah, she held in there. Most new mothers do. So, how was it?"
"What?" Ibuki looked at Tommy's cute face.
"Your first time seeing an animal give birth."
"It was great. Speaking of which, do Komodo Dragons give birth in this manner?"
"Had to bring up homework at work, didn't you?"
"Heh, heh… yeah."
"Well, to answer your question, no. Since Komodo Dragons are classified as reptiles, they actually lay eggs."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Believe it. Crocs and alligators lay eggs, too."
"Wow. Now, I'm really getting facinated."
"By the facts or by my voice?"
Ibuki softly giggled as she showed a seductive look on her face before she moved a little closer to him, propping herself up by his legs to meet up with him eye to eye before she whispered:
"You… could say… both…" The two were this close to locking lips and begin another sexy game of tongue wrestling until…
"TOMMY!" Johnnie's voice called out again. This made Tommy and Ibuki freeze right at a millimeter apart from each other's mouths. "YOUR COACH IS HERE!"
"What?" Tommy asked with shock as he quickly got to his feet and dashed out to the front counter. Ibuki just sat there on her knees with a small smile. She felt happy to be so close to Tommy, even though it's only been two days since they met. Deep down, however, she felt as though she could possibly be the solver to every single enigmatic puzzle within Tommy's soul. She could physically help Tommy free his mother somehow, but she decided to let Tommy keep trying his attempts to break up with Sasha on his own. If she truly loved him, she would allow it.
Meanwhile, at the front counter of the pet store…
"Are you sure?" Tommy asked with shock. Johnnie was just as shocked, but kept quiet. Broderick nodded slowly. "Oh, my God! Since when?"
"Just three days ago." Broderick replied. "He left ya somethin' in the parkin' lot in the back of Sarusuberi. If I were you, I'd check it out pronto."
"Okay… but, can Ibuki come with me?"
"Sure. She's been by yo' side fo' two days now. I don't see any reason why she can't come with ya."
"Thanks for telling me… well… for telling us. I'll get there as soon as I can!"
"Alright. There is still plenty of time befo' our lil' meetin', so grieve as long as ya like until den, hear?"
"Yes, sir."
Ibuki just walked through the double doors behind Tommy and Johnnie and she showed a look of concern on her adorable face.
"Tommy, what's wrong?" She asked. Tommy started to tear up, but didn't make a sound as he grabbed her wrist and led her out to the bus stop from before.
Ten minutes later, in the parking lot…
Tommy and Ibuki just came from around the corner and saw a very expensive concept car called the EfficientDynamics sitting in a reserved parking space for a member of any field of sports. Tommy then noticed a note on the windshield of the vehicle, carefully took it, and read it outloud to Ibuki. It said the following:
"Dear Tommy Jaymes Jones,
I hate to inform you of this unexpected turn of events, but just three days ago, your grandfather of your mother's side of the family, Darikosho Krylii Jones, passed away due to his stroke he's been fighting for two months. According to his will and testament, you now own two of his prized possessions, plus one hundred thousand dollars in cash. The money is safely stored in the trunk of this car you see before you, which is one of his prized posessions. The other item in his will is actually kept away safely in an animal chamber of your Chemistry teacher's closet. I am sorry, but that is all I have time to write to you. I hope this doesn't effect your day.
Good luck maintaining your emotions and may Darikosho rest in peace.
Sincerely,
Sydney Hadgens
Personal doctor to Darikosho"
Ibuki heard every word of this letter and slowly started to cry along with Tommy, who held her within his strong arms while he gently nuzzled his face between her breasts for comfort. She slowly wrapped her slender arms around his neck and shoulders and leaned her head on top of his head. She couldn't believe it. Right when she was about to help Tommy make things right, it has just gotten worse for the both of them, but that didn't stop the kunoichi from fulfilling her promise to cheer him up anyway she could.
Three hours and twenty minutes later…
"I'm so sorry, Tommy." Ibuki apologized in her softest voice as she just sat down next to the crying linebacker, who was already seated next to the locker room door with his drenched face buried into his knees. "Death comes unexpectedly sometimes and there's just nothing we can do about it. I know how heartbroken you must feel at this point."
"I feel like shit, Ibuki!" Tommy agreed. "I already got Sasha constantly brainwashing me behind my back along with cheating on me and my Mother in prison. Now… this…"
"Damn. Somehow, I understand what you're going through."
"You… do?"
Ibuki sighed in response as she got comfortable before she looked at the ceiling while she spoke.
"My master, Enjo, told me that I was abandoned as a baby in a forest when he was part of the Geki Clan. They wanted to train me to become an assassin, but Enjo wasn't gonna let that happen. He decided to take me in by himself and form the Glade of Ninjas. I never knew who my real parents were and, judging by everything I've been through long before my secondary ninja training was completed, it seems like my real parents never wanted to raise me in the first place. It's no wonder I've been desperately trying to be a normal girl."
"So… what does that have to do with my struggle?"
"Tommy…" Ibuki paused as she turned her face towards him with a look of sadness. "…it relates to your situation perfectly. I'm an only child, too. I have no brothers or sisters… at least… not biologically. I'll be an orphan for life, no matter what… even with a little ninja training on the side."
"Well, damn. Judgin' by your story, you've been through more Hell than me. I shouldn't feel so bad. I guess we both do have similar problems."
"Exactly. Now you feel me… but just hearing that your grandfather died really strikes an even bigger pit in your heart, doesn't it? Especially about the fact that he was from your Mom's side of the family."
"Yeah, it does… but Ibuki, isn't being raised by someone… better than not being raised by anyone at all? Think about it. If the Geki hadn't found you, you wouldn't be here next to me right now." Ibuki took in that last statement with every sense on her body, including her sense of taste. It left a bitter taste in her mouth as she thought about it and started to cry, letting her warm tears stain Tommy's arm. "Consider yourself lucky, baby. All that ninja trainin' doesn't even matter in this case. Just the fact that you were actually raised by a clan or the Glade is enough to make you feel special about being an only child with a heart of emptiness, like mine."
"You're right." Right after that was said, Broderick and the rest of the football team just arrived to see the two of them sitting there, waiting patiently for the meeting to start. "Hey, boys. Hope you don't mind me joining you."
"Naw, not at all, Ibuki!" Broderick replied with a smile. "Sure, you can join us. Tommy, ya feelin' alright since you found out your granddaddy died?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Tommy replied. "Let's just get this meeting started."
Moments later, inside the locker room…
"Alrighty, boys… and Ibuki…" Broderick started. "We need to decide on a team name, so we can start our first game in a flash. It has to be catchy and flow very well with Sarusuberi."
"Hmmmm…" Bobby hummed in thought. "How about… the Sarusuberi Dragons? That has a nice ring to it."
"Mmm… yeah, it kinda does." Broderick wrote that choice down on the dry erase board behind him. "Any more ideas?"
"I've got one!" Brutus came in excitedly. "How about… uh… the Sarusuberi Tigers?"
"Another good choice. I like it!" Broderick wrote that down. "Any more? Ibuki?"
"Hmm?" Ibuki came in with a little surprise. "Yes?"
"Do you have any ideas?"
"Hey, I just came in here to enjoy the meeting. Not contribute to it."
"Why not? We sure could use a good choice from a current student in this campus."
"Well…"
"Let me ask you this, then. How's Don?"
"He's doing great, thanks! I thought he would be lonely without me by his side, but he's being a trooper."
"Great. Any chance he could… ya know… stick wit ya here on campus?"
"Oh, I don't know. The Glade is pretty far from here. Why?"
"Well, uh-"
"Oh, I get it! You want me to call this team the Sarusuberi Tanukis."
"…yeah… exactly!"
"Say what?" Brutus mumbled. Tommy smiled at the idea.
"I think that's an excellent idea, fellas." He came in. "Beats dragons and tigers when it comes to the flow of the name."
"It… kinda does, doesn't it?" Broderick agreed. "And besides, Don could be our official mascot. Give da lil' fella some attention, eh?"
"Wow." Ibuki gasped in realization. "I never thought of that. I'll call Sarai sometime tomorrow and see what she thinks. She's currently watching him while she's training."
"Great. In da meantime, I'll talk to the Dean about it before I hit the sack tonight. Great meetin', everyone! Ya'll can get some shut-eye now."
Two hours later, in Tommy and Bobby's dorm room…
The two boys were continuing the research together, even though Tommy was in the books while Bobby was on his computer. Bobby was making amazing progress, but Tommy was taking every fifteen minutes to turn a page in his book and this made his childhood friend a little worried.
"Tommy, are you feelin' okay, man?" He turned towards his gentle giant friend and saw that he was smiling while he was just staring aimlessly into the book. "Uh… Tommy? You're scarin' your brother from another mother."
"Sorry, Bobby." Tommy replied with red cheeks on his face. "I was just remembering what happened at work earlier today. I hired Ibuki and-"
"WHAT? You hired Ibuki, but didn't hire me? What da hell, man?"
"It's not like I was rejectin' ya or nothin', man. It's just that… well… Ibuki and I are bondin'… like DNA."
"Humph! Some excuse. You just told me you won't hirin'!"
"I know, but that cute face she got just commanded me to hire her, despite not havin' any openings. Have you even noticed that she's been pretty supportive of me since I ran into her that day?"
"Well, now that you mention it, yeah. What's up with that, man? Wait! Let me guess… that kiss you told me about."
"Heh, heh… yeah. That… and about what happened at work today…"
"Yeah?"
"…We almost did that again."
"Say whaaaaaaat? Man, you a player!"
"Heh, heh… not really. We're just… connecting… somehow. She's an only child, too. Did you know that?"
"I do now. I figured that, though. She just seemed like an orphan raised into an anonymous family, like the Glade of Ninjas."
"So, you know we pretty much share the same pain when it comes to having no moral support from blood relatives… except I actually do have that support."
"That's a sign, then. Sasha is out of your life, man."
"Officially. I just wish I had the fuckin' guts to tell her!"
"You will… one day. Just hang in there, a'ight?"
"Thanks, Bobby."
"You-gonna-get-some?"
"What?"
"What?"
"…" Tommy almost caught what Bobby muttered at an unusually fast speed, but as soon as he could take a guess, there were three knocks at the door. Tommy got up from his bed and approached the door before he opened it to see: "Kendra? What are you doin' here?"
"Ibuki needs your help." Kendra said with little emotion in her voice. Tommy smiled, hearing that Ibuki actually needs help with something, which is rare. Kendra was about to explain what the situation was, but Tommy shushed her before he walked out of the door and went next door to see Ibuki still in her outfit. He expected her to be in her pajamas by now and he was curious.
"What's up, baby?" He asked her. Ibuki looked over at the linebacker and her smile widened as she approached him, gently placing her soft hands on his clothed abs when she was close enough. This made Tommy react to the touch by slowly sending his big, strong hands to her hips and just held them gently. "Somethin' on your mind?"
"Since your team wants Don to be the mascot, I'll be more than happy to let him stay here with me and Kendra." Ibuki replied, not taking her chocolate brown eyes off of Tommy's neon green ones, which were glossy with passion. "The only problem is… it'll take me all night to get to the Glade on foot, if you know what I mean."
"I think I get it."
Ten minutes later, in the EfficientDynamics concept car ride…
Tommy was on the way to the Glade's location to allow Ibuki to pick up Don. The only peaceful thing about this ride was that it was silent. The radio was off and the couple wasn't having a conversation. They just enjoyed the quiet ride. The whole trip lasted for three more minutes before Tommy parked his car across the street from the exact location of the hidden village Ibuki knew so well. Tommy placed the car in park and turned off the motor, but the two still didn't say a word. Ibuki just glaced over at him with a cute and sexy smile before she eventually unbuckled herself from her seat and got out of the expensive vehicle. She went around the front of the car and knocked on Tommy's window, telling him to lower it. Tommy turned the car on slightly before he obeyed her and before he knew it, Ibuki leaned into the window for another delicious kiss. They both moaned with lust as they felt their tongues dancing around against each other, tasting every flavor on each other. After about three minutes into the kiss, Tommy's tongue caught a taste of something familiar on Ibuki's soft lips: Cherry Flavored Soda. He moaned a little louder as he engulfed her even deeper and she moaned with surprise. At this point, Sasha was indeed long forgotten in Tommy's mind and heart.
Three more slow minutes later, they both slowly ended their kiss with saliva linking their lips together. Ibuki volunteered to slurp it up seductively, licking her lips afterwards. Tommy did the same, tasting her lip gloss for a little while before she finally turned to make her way across the street towards the Glade to pick up Don. Ibuki purposely took her time getting across, however, because she felt that Tommy was secretly staring at her ass… and he was! Tommy stared at it for as long as he could until she finally disappeared into the bamboo forest. He sighed with happiness as he leaned back in his seat and waited patiently for Ibuki to return with her pet tanuki. After two silent minutes, his cell phone rang in his pocket and he reached in to answer it.
"Hello?" He started.
"Hi, honey." Replied a familiar deep female voice he hasn't heard in over sixteen years. He immediately guessed who it was as he started forming happy tears with his bright green eyes. "I was finally able to reach you."
"Mom?"
"Yes, sweetie. It's me. They finally allowed me to call you since I've been transported here. How are you?"
"I'm fine, Mom. I missed you."
"I missed you, too. I hear your in college now."
"Yeah. Saursuberi University."
"Ooooh, that's good. Did you hear about your grandfather's death?"
"Yeah. I was really upset when I heard. I was cryin' like a baby, but Ibuki supported me."
"Ibuki? I forgot she was in that college. How is she doing?"
"She's doing good. We've developed a… spiritual as well as passionate bond ever since I accidently ran into her a few days ago."
"Aww, that's wonderful! Did you two… kiss?"
"Twice, yeah. Once after I just met her and once today… she nearly kissed me at work and we did another kiss right before you called."
"Oooooh. That's so romantic. You're a man now, Tommy. You can face anything head on now. Speaking of which, whatever happened to Sasha?"
"She's my ex."
"YES!"
"But, the only problem is… I have the hardest time telling her that. She's so hard-headed, Ma."
"I know, honey. I knew she was a pretty bad egg to begin with. Your generosity cost you your fragile heart."
"I know and I feel like a fuckin' idiot for that."
"Don't go so hard on yourself. And it seems like your 'conversations' with Fate didn't go to waste. Are you still having those?"
"No. They're all gone. I must be doin' somethin' right."
"That could be and I'm so proud of you for it. So, with that being the case, did you… touch Ibuki yet?"
"If you mean what I think you mean, then no. I did give her a few small touches, though."
"Ohhh, okay. Don't rush into it then. Give her some time."
"Ya know what? I think that's what Bobby asked me earlier."
"What?"
"Am I gonna get some?"
"HA! Of course, Bobby asked you that! I'm glad you two are still friends after all these years. He's practically a brother to you, isn't he?"
"Yeah… but back to 'gettin' some' with Ibuki…"
"Do you feel ready?"
"Not… really. Even though we kissed twice already since we met, I still don't feel ready to go to the next level."
"Take your time, sweetie. In the meantime, please try to set things out with Sasha. You have to gather your courage to make it through the toughest obsticles in your life. Only then will you finally be ready to transfer your love to another." Tommy smiled at his mother's philosophy statement of the evening. He just loved it when she gave him advice like this and it really does give him the motivation he needed to get through this hard struggle. "Do you understand me?"
"Yes, ma'am. I understand it completely."
"Good. I expect some good news out of you next time I call you. Okay?"
"A'ight. Oh… and Mom?"
"Yes?"
"…I love you."
"I love you, too, my gentle giant." After that, Tommy slowly hung up the phone with his happy tears continuing to issue out of his green eyes. Ibuki just got in the car seconds later with Don in her arms and she smiled at Tommy as she allowed her tanuki to get in the back seat while she buckled up her seat belt.
"Was that your Mom?" She asked. Tommy nodded, wiping his tears away. "I know you must be so relieved to hear that she's doing well."
"So relieved." Tommy agreed. "It seemed like she's been trying to contact me for years since she was transferred to that prison."
"Maybe a few tweaks had to be made for her arrival, knowing that she's the only female in that prison."
"Yeah. I guess. I… told her about our kisses."
"Really? What did she say?" Tommy started up the car immediately after that was asked and he made a quick u-turn before he headed back to Sarusuberi, explaining the whole telephone conversation with his beloved Mother to Ibuki.
Fifteen minutes later…
Ibuki just approached her dorm room door with Don close behind by her feet while Tommy headed for his room for the night, but before he could even step in the door…
"Did you stare at my butt?" Ibuki asked out of random. Tommy's eyes went wide with extreme shock as he turned towards her. "I know you did."
"Uhhhhh…" Tommy blushed as he turned his face away quickly. Ibuki giggled as she approached him with a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"You're cute when you get all timid like that. It's okay, if you were. I was just wondering."
"…yeah, then. I was staring at your ass when you walked into that forest. Not to sound offensive or anything, but your ass was looking just… mm!"
"I see. Ya know, since we like each other this much, maybe we should exchange roommates."
"Can we? I thought we could only stick with one roommate for the rest of our time here."
"That's for new students, like you and Bobby. For students that are already enrolled, like me and Kendra, we can exchange roommates once and only once. So, I can actually let Kendra stay with Bobby while you stay with me." This was an offer Tommy could not refuse. They weren't officially a couple just yet, but having him stay with Ibuki as her roommate was the perfect opportunity to turn into that future relationship later… and maybe… get some later on as well.
"What if Sasha calls me? Will you interfere?" Tommy asked in wonder. Ibuki shook her head.
"I wanna help you get through this bitch, but I want you to do it yourself. I know you can, baby." Ibuki replied. Tommy nodded in understanding. "You just have to try."
"I will. So, can we exchange roommates now?"
"Not tonight, but we can talk to the Dean tomorrow after our classes and see what he says."
"Okay. Good night, Sexy-buki."
"Oh, my God! I just love that nickname!"
"Creative, ain't it?"
"Yeah. It suits me. Anyway, good night, Tommy."
"Good night, Don." Tommy kneeled down towards the tanuki to give him a small hug before he gave him a small noogie and allowed him to follow Ibuki into her room. As soon as her door was closed, Tommy went to his dorm and got comfortable in nothing but his boxers before he got into bed and laid down, settling his cell phone next to him on his nightstand, before he fell asleep.
Once again, he fell asleep with a smile and never forgot about his ordeal with Ibuki. As he slowly closed his eyes, he started leaking tears of pure joy, remembering his telephone conversation with his Mother for the first time in over sixteen years. Despite losing his grandfather, he still keeps his spirit alive and hopes for the very best.
To be continued…