I didn't expect the house to be so far away from the rest of civilization. I really didn't mind the long walk-except for all of the bags I was carrying. "So..." I gasped "Do you always travel with a hundred bricks, or is this a special occasion?" "Well, you did offer to with our things." Ayeka said carrying just a purse." "I made that offer to everyone. All I'm carrying are your things." "That's because I have more to carry." "And I wonder why that is?" She stopped, and I could tell her eye was twitching. "...What?" See, I was catching on to Ayeka. She may act prim and proper most of the time, but every one in a while-what I thought at the time was-her true self comes out.

"If I opened one of these right now, I'd find only the bare essentials, correct?" The look on Ryoko's face was priceless. "Well, Ayeka?" "Mmmph! Fine! You can open one bag, and if you find anything but clothes, soap and a toothbrush, you don't get to talk for the rest of the trip." I gulped. Kiyone whispered, "Is this a risk worth taking?" I whispered back "Not really, but some lessons just have to be learned." I put her stuff down, and thought carefully. If I was right, a great burden would be lifted from me-physically, anyway. But if I was wrong... "Hmm... ...ha!" I made my choice.

I put the biggest one down, and unzipped it slowly. "GYAH!" There was a slight silence, until Washu questioned "'Gyah?'" "I, um, uh," Ayeka started to sweat. "What's wrong? Wh-what did you find?" "There are some, well-" "SHOW ME!" Ayeka said, with a hint of fear in her voice. "Uh, not sure if should be touching these..." Her face lit up like a cherry as I reached for its contents. She zipped up the open bag, and snatched the other ones REAL quick. "Come on! We're already running late!"

We just stood there and stared for about a minute until we resumed our march. "So, tell me, just between us," Kiyone whispered to me "what'd you find?" I still looked shocked. "You sure?" She nodded. "Well," I closed my eyes, and brought my lips just next to Kiyone's face, which blushed a bit. "Wh-wha-?" "A blanket." There was a silence as the breeze blew through her hair. "...What?" "Yeah. I gambled that I could bluff my way out, and it paid off." "So then, in one of her bags...!" "I can only imagine." "Ha ha, yeah." ...

"Just what are you imagining anyway?" She had my ear, and was pulling it as she walked. ""YEOUCH! I-it was joke Kiyone! C'mon!" "You have more bags to carry." And carry them I did, all the way to the station. "Hey, Mihoshi?" "Hm? Yes?" "Are my arms still attached?" "Yes, why?" "Had to check. Can't feel 'em." And I sat on a bench to get my strength back. "So Washu," Kiyone asked over her Washu's shoulder. "The train schedule. Ours doesn't come for another few minutes, but it says that the new Super Bullet Train is supposed to be passing through this station any minute now."

Sasami got excited. "Oh wow! It's supposed to be the fastest train in the world." "Heck, I wouldn't mind seeing that." As I got up, Ryoko added, "Well, if it's the fastest..." And walked over with us. We stood there for about a minute, until Washu pointed and said, "Here it comes!" She took out a special camera, as we braced ourselves for one sweet train. All we got however, was a giant gust of wind that almost knocked us off the platform. "YEOW!" I yelled as I regained my composure "What the hell?" "Was that what I think it was?" Ayeka asked Washu. "Take a look for yourself."

So we did. She caught the cause of the "air-blast": the train. Everyone on board looked terrified-even the conductor, and were holding on to the tops of the seats, legs flying in the air behind them. We just stared of in the direction it sped off to, until I broke the silence. "I have GOT to try that out." "Definitely." Ryoko agreed. It was around then, that our train pulled up. As we got on, I could distinctly overhear the conductor saying "Damn that Hakudo, why'd they pick him to drive that?" I leaned in. "Dude, if you saw what it was doing to him, you'd be a lot happier.

I left him with that. It wasn't too crowded, but I still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Waaay too many random people "up-in-my-business". Until I turned and saw: A baby. "Awww! Hey there little dude." He must've still been "new"; he was slowly taking in everything around him, and registering it in his tiny brain. Kiyone heard me say that, but didn't see the baby at first, which needless to say was kinda creepy. But, like most of life's situations, a baby makes things better. "H-he's adorable!"

The mom blushed out of embarrassment. "Oh, my! Thank you for your kind words about my son." "What's his name?" Our smiles were ear-to-ear. "Hukurou*. Isn't it beautiful?" We were still smiling, even when I said "Really?" Kiyone was getting ready to elbow me in the side, until I finished. "Because I think it's also really cool." They both blinked, and asked, "Cool?" The baby giggled, so he must've thought so too. "Take care of yourself little guy. It was nice to meet you maim." "Likewise." She told us with a smile as we walked away.

"That was fun." Kiyone said as we got back with the others." "Yeah. It's the random, unexpected good things in life that really complete a day, ya know?" We didn't see, that about fifteen feet away, were two guys wearing "sick masks" and sunglasses, muttering to themselves. "Heh, you, your baby, and that HUSBAND of yours'll be either dead or in the poor house!" "Shut up you idiot!" It was then that I got a baaaaad feeling, but I didn't know why. "Is there something wrong?" Ayeka asked me. It must have been written all over my face. "Nah, just kinda nervous, I guess." "Don't worry, once you meet Tenchi and see the sights, I'm sure it will pass."

"I sure hope so. The sights sound sweet." As I was saying that, Tokyo Tower was clearly visible out of the window behind me-but I missed it. As we were all stepping off of the train once we arrived, I was bracing myself to get all those bags again, and since Washu said that the walk would be harder than the last. "The problem isn't distance," she said with closed eyes and a pointed finger, "it'll just seem longer since you'll be moving much slower through all the people." When the lady passed us, and saw me turning into a human pack-mule. "Oh, hello again."

"Anthony, do you know this woman?" "We met on the train." Kiyone vouched. "I wanted to wish you well on your journey." She bowed, and Hukurou laughed. "Well that's formal." I started scratching my head. "Thank you. Take of your-" It all happened in a second. Not one of us saw it coming. The same two thugs I mentioned before bumped her, and grabbed her purse. But what-I can only assume they didn't plan-this caused little Hukurou to come out of her hands. For a milli-second, we were overcome with absolute fear.

But Kiyone, being the great cop that she was, was the first to respond by catching him. "Whoa! That was too close..." "Great catch Kiyone!" Mihoshi said with due excitement. They were relieved. I on the other hand, was infuriated almost to the point that it hurt. With gritted teeth, I reached for the nearest, hardest thing I could find, and threw it as hard as I could-my gold chain. I didn't expect for it to even hit them, let alone stop them. Instead, it nailed the guy holding the purse right in the back of the head, knocking him about four or five feet forward.

"Dirigere il successo!*" I said with a smile and a clenched fist. "He really got him..." Ayeka gasped. "Such force!" Ryoko whistled. "What language was that?" Mihoshi puzzled as I ran to retrieve the purse. "Holy crap! Tani! Wake up! Say something! Grrr... this punk!" As he was getting up, he noticed a grade school boy in the crowd with his parents had a baseball bat with him. "Perfect... Gimme that you little brat!" As he was trying to take it away from them, I waved. "I got it!" "Turn around!" Washu yelled. "Do what now?"

Suddenly, with a loud crack, there were wooden bat splinters everywhere. "AH! DOUCHE!" I spun around and delivered a backhand that span him three times in the air before he hit the ground. "If I get ONE splinter-!" "Ant!" Kiyone called as the girls came running over, while Sasami and Mihoshi comforted the boy whose bat was taken. "Are you alright?" "Poor kid... My stupid thick head broke his bat-" "Answer me!" I felt how she said that as much as I heard it. "K-Kiyone..." "Yeah... I'm alright."

"Oh, my..." Ryoko noticed the way Ayeka said that, and the mischievous look on her face."...What?" "Oh, just something I'm going to have to look into a bit more." "Whatever, weirdo." Station security finally showed up to deal with the now unconscious thugs, as the lady clutching her baby came over to me, her eyes filling up. "Oh, thank you so much!" "Happy to help." I said as I was brushing bat-dust out of my hair. "I just have to repay you some how!" "Honestly, experiencing a semi-super hero moment like that is it's own reward."

But she wasn't listening. "My name's Zuma Koi*. I was on my way to see my visit my husband at work, and deliver some docu-er, things from home, to his office. I'm sure he'll be able to reward you very well. Here's his card." Sasami gasped as I took the card. "Oh! We couldn't!" "She's right," The girls couldn't see my eyes, as I had my head looking away, but they definitely took notice of my smirk. "especially since... that's not why she wants me to go with her." Kiyone and the others blinked a few times, but I saw Mrs. Koi twitch.

"Wh-what do you mean?" "I'm saying that there were an awful lot of easier targets for theft on that train, but yet they took a gigantic risk in trying to steal from someone who had a baby of all-adorable-things. I wonder why that is?" "Logically speaking," Kiyone said with crossed arms, "it would actually make her easier to steal from." "That's not quite the risk I meant." "Huh?" "Seven." "Seven?" Ryoko asked. "There are seven of us here in total. Why would they take such a chance knowing they could be caught in an instant? Makes you wonder just what's in that purse that's so valuable."

"O-of course the contents are valuable, they're my possessions! They had to have been normal thieves!" "Judging from how hard that guy swung at me, I'd say he makes a living hitting people with bats and the like." She let out an audible "Urk!" "Tell me Mrs. Koi, just what are you planning to deliver to your husband's office today?" Now she was visually a wreck. "J-just some, papers that he left at home-" "That's enough!" Ayeka demanded. "Just what do you hope to gain by harassing this poor woman?"

"The truth." My gaze was un-breaking, making Ayeka jump a bit. "Now Mrs. Koi, are you ready to tell me the real-" "P-proof..."She whispered. "Huh?" "Proof. Do you have any evidence that proves that these people may have had a reason to steal from me?" "That's impossible. No one knows how or why random thugs operate." Kiyone said with a bit of disgust, since the topic was criminals. "She's right Ant." Washu said, abbreviating my name. "If you're so sure about this theory of yours, then you should only need one chance to prove that you're right. Otherwise you owe her an apology."

"Yeah, I would. ...if I wasn't right. Mrs. Koi, the evidence that you asked for... is right here!" *breaks off into two screens, one showing my possessions.* *Mr. Koi's business card selected* "TAKE THAT!" Everybody jumped. "Wh-what was that yell for you dummy?" Washu said while I ignored her, and Mrs. Koi drooped to her knees. Little Hukurou looked concerned. "So... you figured it out..." "It says your husband, Mr. Seijito* Koi, is the CEO of a security company. If that doesn't make him a living target, then not much will." I knelt down to try to look her in the eyes. "Now Mrs. Koi-I'd like the truth please." "...Very well... You win young man. I'll tell you everything.

*Sound of lock shattering*

Author's notes: Koi Zuma comes from the Japanese translation of "Loving wife," while Seijito comes from "seijitu na otto", meaning sincere husband. Dirigere il successo is Italian for direct hit, and the last two paragraphs are my own little tribute to the Phoenix Wright series.