Kakuranger-New Year's Romance 8
Disclaimer: I do not own Super Sentai. They belong to Saburo Yatsude, Shotaro Ishinomori, TV Asahi, and Toei Company, Ltd. Unless otherwise noted, the characters in this story are actually speaking Japanese. Some characters may appear a bit OOC. And I'd like to thank redryuranger11 for both helping me out with the fight in this chapter, as well as for him lending me his original characters, Ryu and Ryn.
(22:00)
Over at the onsen resort owned by Saizou's uncle, who he affectonally calls 'Oji-san,' and featuring his daughter, and Saizou's least favorite cousin, Satomi, working there, the three amigos: Jiraiya, Saizou, and Seikai, were all dressed in yukatas. Jiraiya was just taking a light nap when he saw Seikai bring out bottle with some mysterious contents in it.
"Not again," Jiraiya said in English. Seikai then sat down next to Saizou.
"What is that?" Saizou asked Seikai.
"Well, Sai, I honestly don't know," Seikai admitted. "I got it while I was in France. It's pretty intense stuff."
"Try me," Saizou said.
"If you say so," Seikai said. He then poured glasses for the two of them. He handed one to Saizou.
"Bottoms up," Saizou said.
"Kanpai," Seikai said. The two then clanged glasses and drank from them.
"Wow!" Saizou said.
"Wow is right," Seikai said.
Fifteen minutes later, both Saizou and Seikai were drunk, and singing random songs from their 'repertoire.' Jiraiya had woken up from his nap and noticed their drinking.
"You guys are nuts," he said to them in English.
Over in the bath, Sasuke, with a towel on his head, was in a state of extreme relaxation. As a matter of fact, he was in such relaxation that he didn't notice someone entering the bath area. As soon as a splashing sound was heard, it snapped Sasuke out of his thoughts and he looked over to see Tsuruhime standing at the edge of the bath, covering her front with a towel.
"T-Tsuruhime!!" Sasuke said in a bit of surprise and anger.
"Hello, Sasuke," Tsuruhime said.
"Wha…what are you doing here?!" Sasuke said. He then realized why she was in the men's bath. "Oh, now I remember. It's mixed bathing after ten o'clock."
"Precisely," Tsuruhime said. "Besides…" She then sat down next to Sasuke and put the towel on her head. "You've seen me naked before, remember?"
"Oh, yeah," Sasuke said.
"Sasuke…do you remember when we first realized our feelings towards each other?" Tsuruhime asked him.
"As a matter of fact, I do," Sasuke said. "We were facing off against that Shinigama guy…"
(flashback; back during their Kakuranger days)
Tsuruhime, in Ninja White form, was facing off against several Dorodoros, rather successfully, I might add. However, she failed to notice a Shinigama-like Youkai appearing from out of nowhere. He cackled evilly and fired a beam towards her. She turned around and quickly covered her visor as the beam drew closer. However, when she uncovered her visor, she saw Sasuke, in Ninja Red form, standing right in front of her. He then fell to his knees before falling backwards. Tsuruhime was absolutely shocked at what she just saw. So shocked, that she couldn't even move of speak.
"Sasuke!" Saizou shouted.
"Sasuke!" Seikai shouted.
"Sasuke!" Jiraiya shouted. Shinigama simply chuckled in response.
"Better than I expected," he said. "Dododoros, let's go!" He, along with the other Dorodoros, teleported out of the battle scene. The other Kakurangers reverted back to their Ninja suits, with the Kakure boys rushing towards Sasuke, whose Kakuranger suit dissolved and was now in his Ninja suit. He wasn't moving an inch, and Tsuruhime, in her Ninja suit, was staring at him in fear and shock. Seikai then checked Sasuke's condition.
"He doesn't look too good," Seikai said.
"We'd better get him back to Nekomaru," Saizou said. "Jiraiya, help us carry him!"
"Okay," Jiraiya said. The three Kakure boys then lifted Sasuke up and carried him over to Nekomaru. Tsuruhime could only just stare at him in shock.
"Tsuruhime, let's go!" Saizou called after her.
"Coming!" Tsuruhime said, dusting herself off and catching up with the others.
And then, of course, there was that freaky dream I had during my "coma," Sasuke narrated.
Sasuke ended up being out of it for four whole days. While he was out of it, he had an intense nightmare where Shinigama had returned and the other Kakurangers left him in Nekomaru to go after it. Sasuke did eventually get out of bed and headed over to the battle scene, just in time to see Saizou killed at close range by the intense attack of Shinigama. He then witnessed Seikai and Jiraiya falling to the Youkai as well. But what was worse was when Shinigama grabbed Tsuruhime by the throat, crushing her neck and having the Dorodoros force him to watch the whole thing.
After Shinigama and the Dorodoros teleported out of the battle site, Sasuke went to check on his fellow ninjas. First Saizou, then Jiraiya, then Seikai, and finally Tsuruhime. He absolutely broke down upon seeing the dead body of not only the Kakurangers leader, but a woman that he was in love with.
"TSURUHIME!!" Sasuke shouted.
After paying his respects to his friends, Sasuke went on a one-way suicide mission to destroy Shinigama. His search lasted for days until he finally found him. He barely managed to defeat him, but was near death. As he felt his life ending, Sasuke could hear the voices of his fallen comrades, but they were actually trying to wake him up.
Sasuke…
(end flashback)
"Sasuke…"
"Hmm?" Sasuke said.
"If you had died at that spot, I would have never forgiven myself," Tsuruhime said.
"Yeah. And I still remember what you said to me as soon as I regained consciousness," Sasuke said. "You said, and I quote, 'Sasuke, that was the most reckless thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Thank you.' And I'll tell you this…I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
"Then why didn't you do anything while I was being molested by that pink…hentai?!" Tsuruhime asked, referring to the time they teamed up with the Ohrangers, shuddering at the memory.
"Don't remind me," Sasuke said. "I still have nightmares about that. Besides, I was tied up, remember?"
"All too well," Tsuruhime said. "I will say this—the other thing that scared me the most was when you were taken over by that flying brain Youkai."
(flashback; shortly after the Shinigama incident)
Tsuruhime woke up from having an intense nightmare where she was being ambushed by several Youkai before Sasuke showed up and defeated them all. However, just as they were about to kiss, Sasuke turned into a Youkai himself. After awakening she walked over to Sasuke's bed and noticed that he was gone. She immediately tiptoed up to Saizou's bed, which was right above Sasuke's and started shaking him.
"Saizou, wake up!" she said to him.
"Hmm?" Saizou moaned. "Tsuruhime, it's way too early. I'm going back to sleep." He then fell back onto the bed in an attempt to go back to sleep.
"Sasuke is gone!" Tsuruhime said.
"Nani?!" Saizou immediately swung his feet down and leapt to the floor of Nekomaru, then turned to see nobody in the bed below his. "He is gone! How'd he get out of here?"
"I don't know," Tsuruhime said. "I'll wake up Jiraiya, you wake up Seikai."
"Wait a minute…do you have any idea how hard it is to wake Seikai up?" Saizou said, but Tsuruhime ignored him and started to wake up Jiraiya, who was sleeping in the bed above Seikai's. "Oh, never mind." He then went over to wake up Seikai.
"Wake up, Jiraiya," Tsuruhime said as she was shaking him. Jiraiya then unconsciously swung his hand out, which Tsuruhime managed to avoid.
"Five more minutes," Jiraiya said in his sleep…in English.
"Jiraiya, Sasuke is missing!" Tsuruhime said. Jiraiya immediately sat up and turned to Tsuruhime.
"Nani?" Jiraiya said. He then asked in Japanese, "Where is he?"
"I don't know," Tsuruhime said. "That's why we're going to go out and look for him."
"Tsuruhime, wait a minute!" Jiraiya called after her, but she was already long gone. "Man, that girl is crazy!" he said in English. He then slid off of the bed and managed to avoid stepping on Saizou.
"Could you please help me wake this guy up?" Saizou asked, pointing to the still-sleeping Seikai, who had a teddy bear cradled under his arm.
"Certainly," Jiraiya said in English. The two of them then grabbed Seikai and dragged him out of bed.
"Huh? Hey, wait a minute!" Seikai said, struggling through the whole ordeal, all while keeping a hold of his teddy bear.
Soon, Tsuruhime, Saizou, Seikai (who was still half-asleep), and Jiraiya rushed over to a field, where they saw a flying brain-like figure.
"What in the world is that?!" Tsuruhime asked.
"It looks like a giant…brain," Saizou said.
"Freaky," Jiraiya said in English. Seikai was still snoring a bit, and still holding his teddy bear. Jiraiya then elbowed him in the stomach. "WAKE UP!!" Seikai then stuttered before reaching semi-consciousness.
"I'm up! I'm up!" he shouted. He then extended his arm. "Super Henge!"
"Uh…I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself, Kai," Saizou said.
"Nice bear," Jiraiya said in English. Seikai then noticed that he was holding the teddy bear in his hand, so he simply threw it to the side.
"YOUKAI…what have you done with Sasuke?" Tsuruhime asked, pointing at the brain creature. The brain creature appeared to ignore the Kakurangers.
"Dorodoros, soften them up," the brain creature, called Younou, said. Just then, a whole squadron of Dorodoros appeared from out of nowhere. The grunts simply stared at the Kakurangers for a few seconds before laughing.
"What's so funny?!" Saizou said.
"Nice wardrobe, Kakurangers," one of the Dorodoros said. The four then looked own at their clothing…they were wearing their pajamas as they had been woken up in the middle of the night. Tsuruhime was wearing a white t-shirt and gray pants, Saizou was wearing a black tanktop and blue shorts, Seikai was wearing a yellow t-shirt and black shorts, Jiraiya was wearing a black L.A. Kings jersey and blue checkered pants.
"I think we should have changed before we left," Jiraiya said, in Japanese.
"Never mind that," Tsuruhime said. "Ikkuzou!" The four then took out their Doron Changers.
"SUPER HENGE, DORON CHANGER!" The four used their Doron Changers to transform into their Kakuranger form.
"Ninja White, Tsuruhime!"
"Ninja Blue, Saizou!"
"Ninja Yellow, Seikai!"
"Ninja Black, Jiraiya!"
"Hiding from the people and slashing evil!" all four shouted. "Ninja Sentai…KAKURANGER REVEALED!"
The four Kakurangers charged towards the Dorodoros, and the battle began.
Tsuruhime fought a batch of Dorodoros on her own. She then drew her Kaku Laser.
"KAKU LASER!" She fired her lasers at the Dorodoros that were around her. The Dorodoros all yelped in pain. Then Tsuruhime prepared her final Kakuremaru move. "KAKURE RYU! KU NO JI KIRI!" The Dorodoros took the two sided slash attack.
Jiraiya was underground, but the Dorodoros didn't know that. After a moment of confusion, the Dorodoros looked at each other.
"SURPRISE!" Jiraiya exclaimed in English as he emerged from underground. Jiraiya slashed the Dorodoros up, then he landed on a tree. He then held his Kakuremaru up. Lightning shot out from the blade of the sword zapping the Dorodoros. "KAKURE RYU! NAGAREBOSHI!" Jiraiya slashed in a shooting star motion, cutting the Dorodoros up. "Got ya!"
Seikai ran towards the Dorodoros. A dorodoro slashed him from behind. However, the Dorodoro simply slashed an empty Kakuranger suit. The Dorodoros then inspected the suit.
"I'm up here, losers!" Seikai shouted out. He had used Ninpo to enlarge himself. "You know...you're not so tough from up here. Punishment." Seikai gave a thumbs down, then squished the poor dorodoros.
"Here I go," Saizou said as he summoned a flood, which washed the Dorodoros away. He then turned to Younou. "Time to finish you off!" He then unsheathed his Kakuremaru. "Kakure Ryu…" Saizou said, leaping into the air and preparing a Square Formation attack. However, just before it connected, he was slashed in mid-air by a mysterious figure and fell to the ground.
"Saizou!" Tsuruhime called out. The person that slashed Saizou then landed right beside Younou and Tsuruhime couldn't believe her eyes. It was Sasuke, in Ninja Red form, holding his Kakuremaru.
"S…Sasuke!" Seikai called out.
"Sasuke!" Jiraiya called out.
"Sasuke, what is wrong with you?!" Tsuruhime asked. Underneath her helmet, she was crying.
"I have complete control of his brain, Kakurangers," Younou said. "He will do whatever I tell him to do. Ninja Red…destroy them all." Sasuke responded by nodding then rushing over to Seikai.
"Whoa, wait a minute…" Seikai said before Sasuke suddenly slashed him with the Kakuremaru. However, Sasuke actually slashed a decoy suit, and Seikai appeared next to the fallen Saizou. "You okay, man?"
"Yeah, but this is crazy!" Saizou said as he was being helped up. Sasuke then turned to Jiraiya and rushed towards him. Jiraiya swung his Kakuremaru at him, but Sasuke parried and slashed him, sending him flying towards the other Kakure boys. Sasuke then turned to Tsuruhime, who had her Kakuremaru drawn, but couldn't really move an inch. Sasuke rushed over and started slashing her everywhere he could.
I can't do this, Tsuruhime thought to herself. I just can't hurt him! One more slash caused Tsuruhime to fall onto the ground. The three Kakure boys then slowly stood up. Sasuke turned to the trio and sheathed his Kakuremaru.
"Bunshin," he said without emotion. He then split into three individual Ninja Reds. All three then unsheathed their swords before rushing towards the trio.
"Guys, we've got to stop him!" Jiraiya said.
"Yeah, but which him?" Seikai asked.
"Never mind," Saizou said. "Just go for it!"
"Oh!" the other two replied. All three then rushed towards the three Ninja Reds and started dueling with them. Saizou was dueling with his Ninja Red, who was matching him move-for-move.
"Come on, buddy, snap out of it!" he said to him. However, Ninja Red parried his last move and slashed him, sending Ninja Blue backwards. He then launched a fire stream at Saizou, which caused the blue ninja to scream in pain before landing on the ground with a thud, and his Kakuranger suit dissolved, leaving him in his Ninja Suit. Before the Ninja Red can finish him off, Seikai delivered a flying slash towards him, only to reveal an empty suit.
"Okay, obviously not him," Seikai said. Just then, the second Ninja Red showed up appeared next to the Yellow Ninja, and he was VERY, VERY TALL! "Hey, that's my move!" The giant Ninja Red then simply squashed Seikai, and when he removed his boot, Seikai was lying semi-conscious on the ground, in his Ninja Suit. "Ow."
Jiraiya was busy dueling with the third, and real, Sasuke. The black ninja managed to temporarily overpower the red one.
"Sasuke, wake up, man!" Jiraiya said. "I know you're in there! WAKE UP!" That last part was said in English. However, Sasuke powered out of the hold, knocked the Kakuremaru away from Jiraiya, then grabbed him by the throat and lifted him off the ground. He then threw him over by a tree, which was not a pleasant landing. As he was trying to get himself up, Sasuke launched his Kakure Ryu Mangetsu Kiri attack, knocking Jiraiya out of his Kakuranger suit and leaving him in his Ninja Suit.
"Sasuke, stop it!" Tsuruhime shouted. However, her words were falling on deaf ears as he suddenly turned towards her and sheathed his Kakuremaru. He then leapt up in the air and was about to deliver a flying punch to her.
"TSURUHIME, WATCH OUT!!" Saizou shouted to her. The impact from the force of the punch was so intense that it knocked Tsuruhime's helmet off. The NinjaWhite helmet also had its visor completely shattered.
"TSURUHIME!!" Saizou, Seikai, and Jiraiya shouted. Tsuruhime was knocked down, and her helmet had been thrown to the side. She was holding her head in pain. However, Sasuke slowly approached her and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground. He then unsheathed his Kakuremaru.
"This is perfect," Younou said. "The Kakurangers about to be destroyed by their own leader." Now, whether he is unaware of the fact that Tsuruhime is the actual leader of the team, or he knows, and he just considers Red to be the most powerful member of the team, we'll never really know. "Finish her off!"
"Yes, master," Sasuke said without emotion. He then turned back to Tsuruhime and raised his Kakuremaru to attack. She had a look of fear and sadness on her face.
"Sasuke, please don't do this!" Tsuruhime said. Sasuke didn't listen and instead swung the sword towards her. "Sasuke…I LOVE YOU!" The Kakuremaru then landed just centimeters from Tsuruhime.
"Wow…didn't see that one coming," a certain immortal dragon, who was watching the battle from afar, said. At that moment, a certain immortal phoenix landed right next to him.
"Ryu, aren't you supposed to be watching that Jan kid?" she asked him. "Oh, wait…don't tell me. You are attacked by pandas again, weren't you?" She then started laughing uncontrollably.
"That's not funny, Ryn!" Ryu, the dragon, shouted to her.
"Oh, come on, it's hilarious!" Ryn said, still laughing like a hyena.
Meanwhile, Sasuke was struggling to keep the sword away from Tsuruhime.
"What's going on?" Jiraiya asked in English.
"I have no idea," Seikai said.
"Sasuke's fighting the youkai's mind control," Saizou said.
"What are you doing?! KILL HER NOW!" Younou shouted. Sasuke then suddenly, and abruptly, dropped Tsuruhime onto the ground. He then sheathed his Kakuremaru and un-holstered his Kaku Laser. He then reluctantly aimed the laser at Tsuruhime. "DO IT…NOW!" Preparing to fire, Tsuruhime then covered her eyes with her arms. A blast was heard, but she didn't feel anything. She uncovered her eyes and saw that Sasuke had turned around and shot Younou, scarring him. "You…" Sasuke then turned to Tsuruhime and chuckled at her. She simply smiled and sighed in relief.
"Tsuruhime!" Seikai shouted. The other three Kakure boys ran over to her. Saizou picked up her helmet while doing so. "Are you all right, Tsuruhime?"
"I'm fine…for now," Tsuruhime said.
"ONORE!" Younou shouted. "If I can't take over Ninja Red…" He then turned to Tsuruhime. "I'LL TAKE OVER YOU INSTEAD!" But before he could launch another mind attack, Sasuke leapt over to him and started slashing the brain monster repeatedly with his Kakuremaru.
"Wow, look at him go!" Saizou said, handing the Ninja White helmet to Tsuruhime.
"Scary," Jiraiya said in English.
"You said it, man," Seikai said.
"This is for taking over my mind!" Sasuke shouted, as he continued to slash Younou. "This is for making me attack my friends!" More slashing from the angry Red ninja. "And this is for making me almost kill the woman I care deeply about!" Tsuruhime immediately gasped upon hearing that. "KAKURE RYU…" He then unsheathed the Hikarimaru. "RAIMEI KIRI!" The double-sword attack completely destroyed Younou. After Younou exploded, Sasuke fell to his knees, and his Kakuranger suit dissolved, leaving him in his Ninja Suit.
"Sasuke!" Tsuruhime said, handing her helmet back to Saizou before getting up and running over to him. She then turned him over onto his back and started shaking him. "Sasuke! Sasuke, please wake up!" Sasuke then moaned before opening his eyes. "Sasuke?" He then saw Tsuruhime standing above him.
"I love you, too… Tsuruhime," Sasuke said weakly.
"Oh, you…" Tsuruhime said, half-crying and half-laughing, before tightly embracing him.
"Sasuke!" Jiraiya called out. The other three Kakure boys ran over to the two. Tsuruhime by that time let go of the hug and stood up.
"You okay, Sasuke?" Saizou asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Sai," Sasuke said. Seikai and Jiraiya then helped him up. He then noticed the shattered visor of the Ninja White helmet. "Oh, sorry about that, Tsuruhime."
"That's all right, Sasuke," Tsuruhime said as she took her helmet back. "I'm just glad to see you're back to normal." Sasuke then forearm bashed Jiraiya, Seikai, and Saizou. However, just as things were starting to get back to normal…Younou grew into a giant humanoid monster form.
"Whoa!" Jiraiya said in English.
"Saw that one coming a mile away," Seikai said.
"You up for this one, Sasuke?" Saizou asked.
"Oh, yeah!" Sasuke said. "Nobody takes over my mind and gets away with it!" The other Kakurangers nodded. "IKKUZOU!!" Everyone, including Tsuruhime, took out their Doron Changers.
"SUPER HENGE, DORON CHANGER!" The four males transformed back into Kakurangers while Tsuruhime's restored helmet rematerialized on her head.
"Let's do it, guys!" Sasuke said.
"Right!" the other four said. Just then, Ninjaman showed up on his could.
"Hello, everyone!" Ninjaman shouted to the Kakurangers below.
"Ninjaman!" Tsuruhime said.
"Did I miss the party?" Ninjaman asked.
"Actually, you're just in time," Sasuke said as he brought out his Shinobi Scroll. "Kakure Ryu! Chouninjuu no Jutsu! God Saruder!"
"God Kark!" Tsuruhime said.
"God Kumard!" Seikai said.
"God Logan!" Saizou said.
"God Gammer!" Jiraiya said.
The Kakurangers would ultimately use Super Kakure Daishogun and SamuraiMan to defeat Younou.
(flash forward to the following night)
Everyone else was in Nekomaru for the night, except for Tsuruhime, who was sitting at a park bench gazing into the night sky. Sasuke, wearing a red tanktop and black shorts, came out of Nekomaru and walked over to Tsuruhime.
"Tsuruhime…" Sasuke said. "When you said that you loved me, did you really mean that, or did you just say that as a gamble that that would break brain box's control over me?" She didn't answer him. "Tsuruhime? You okay, Tsuruhime?" She still didn't answer him. "Well, if you need me, I'll be inside. Good night, Tsuruhime." He then turned and went back to Nekomaru.
"Sasuke, wait!" Tsuruhime turned to call him back. "W-would you please go out with me tomorrow afternoon?" Sasuke immediately turned around to face her.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" he asked.
"Date?" Tsuruhime said nervously. "Whatever gave you that idea? I mean, why would I go on a date with you?"
"I don't know," Sasuke said. "Does three o'clock sound fine?"
"Well, Sasuke, I…did you just accept?" Tsuruhime asked.
"Yeah," Sasuke said. "It is just the two of us, right? No Saizou? No Seikai? No Jiraiya?"
"Of course," Tsuruhime said. "And three o'clock sounds fine with me."
"Okay," Sasuke said. He then went back into Nekomaru for the night.
Did I just accept a date from Tsuruhime? Sasuke thought to himself.
Did I just ask Sasuke out for a date? Tsuruhime thought to herself.
(after the date)
Sasuke and Tsuruhime walked over to Nekomaru. Their date had virtually no interruptions, although she did warn Saizou, Seikai, and Jiraiya that she would break their arms in two places if she caught any of them spying on their date.
"I had a great time, Sasuke," Tsuruhime said.
"Me too," Sasuke said. "Tsuruhime…I have a confession to make." He then noticed a nearby park bench. "We may want to sit down for this." The two then walked over to the bench and sat down. "Tsuruhime, I think you are the most beautiful woman that I have ever met in my entire life."
"Do you really mean that?" Tsuruhime asked him. "I mean, I am only fourteen years old, and…"
"Age isn't a factor, Tsuru-chan," Sasuke said. Tsuruhime blushed a bit when he called her 'Tsuru-chan.' "You really are the most beautiful woman I have ever met, and I'm not lying about that."
"You…you really think so?" Tsuruhime asked.
"I know so," Sasuke said. Suddenly, he kissed Tsuruhime right on the lips. It was just a short, light kiss.
"Did you just kiss me?" Tsuruhime asked him.
"Yeah," Sasuke said.
"What in the world were you thinking, Sasuke?" Tsuruhime asked with a bit of anger in her voice.
"I wasn't thinking," Sasuke said. "As usual." He then turned away only for Tsuruhime to grab him and turn him back. "What are you…" She then forced her lips on Sasuke's for another kiss. Only this kiss was a little bit stronger than the last one. The two then separated after nearly a minute. Sasuke was almost speechless.
"Wow…" Sasuke said.
"To tell you the truth…that actually felt pretty good," Tsuruhime said.
"Yeah…" Sasuke said. "Just one question…that kiss before this one…was that your first kiss?"
"Mm-hmm," Tsuruhime nodded. "And I'm glad that I shared it with you, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke simply chuckled in response.
(end flashback)
Tsuruhime was now resting comfortably on Sasuke's shoulder.
"Tsuruhime…" Sasuke whispered to her.
"Hmm?"
"There's something I need to ask you," Sasuke asked.
"Oh?" Tsuruhime said,
"But not here," Sasuke said.
"Why not?" Tsuruhime asked. "We are alone."
"I know, but…" Sasuke said, blushing a little bit. "I'd prefer a drier place for me to be asking you this, Tsuru-chan."
"Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun," Tsuruhime said in a childish voice.
"Tsuruhime…" Sasuke said, almost glaring at her.
"Oh, all right," Tsuruhime said. She then stood up out of the bath and wrapped the towel around her body. "Are you staying here for a little while longer?"
"Yeah," Sasuke said. "Just for a few more minutes."
"Okay," Tsuruhime said. She headed for the changing room door, then stopped for a second. "Oh, now you have me curious, Monkey Man."
"I promise you'll know the question before the new millennium, Princess," Sasuke said.
"If you say so," Tsuruhime said. She then went through the curtain to the changing room.
And that's the end of that chapter. A big surprise for the next one. What is it? Well, you'll have to wait and see…
