My walk to the store was nerve ending. It wasn't that people were staring at me, or that I was catching their attention. I was nervous to how Keiko would react once I enter in the store. Knowing her, I will be attack with inane questions that only a child would ask. But that's Keiko: an overgrown adolescent with the mulberry hair. Best be prepared for the worst or in this case the unexpected. That's why I wore a hat today!

After stopping in a store for less than ten minutes to pick up an apple and tea, I quickly went back on my way to work munching on a delicious juicy Fuji apple. Yummy.

Calm down, it's just another day at work. I told myself while chewing.

I shouldn't be worrying. She will be coming later on in the day...or not.

Even so, she isn't that observant to notice what I'm wearing.

Casual I unlock the front door and started to get ready for the day: sort books that people didn't want when they came up to buy, feed Momo, open up the blinds, turn the sign around that says 'open,' turn on the register, look through the mail, and etc. Just the typical things I needed to do. The bell hanging above the door rang signaling a presence coming in.

" GOOD MORNING!" She shouted inside the store causing me to drop everything in my hands.

" Morn-

" How's my Princess Momo kitty doing this morning?" Keiko hunched down to spoil her cat with words of love that the animal couldn't understand.

" Who's my little sugar baby? You are. That's right, Momo is!" She cooed to her fluffy ball of joy as she began to hug and pet affectionately, too affectionately.

" Good morning Keiko." I said the second time with a little louder volume in my voice.

" Oh, Morning Michiko." She said with her back to me and began walking away to her office.

I swear that woman is bipolar.

She abruptly stop her stroll as if I said that out loud.

" Did you say something?" She turned her body half away around with Momo hanging out of her arms.

" No! ahhh." A sweat drop was sliding down the side of my head.

That was close.

" You look different, did you get a lip wax or something because that mustache of yours looks gone." She leaned over the counter to check out my lip.

What? I don't have a mustache. She just yanking my chain!

" Nope, still there. But that there is something strange about you today, I can smell it." She started to sniff at me like a trained German Shepard looking for crack.

" I just wanted to wear a hat today. Maybe that's what your trying to point out?" I gave her some of the truth. Quickly I traced my tongue on my upper lip to check for fuzzies.

" No that's not it. Wait, why are you wearing a hat? You never wear a hat." She marched around the inside of the counter to look me up and down.

" I just felt like it." I went back to looking through the mail.

" Your lying. Why don't you take it off." Her with Momo hanging out of her arms came near me.

" No thanks, I'm a little cold."

" It's perfect in here. Take it off, unless your hiding something?"

" No, I'm fine."

There was a pause for a minute when...

" TAKE IT OFF!" She flung Momo and jumped me but landed on the ground.

I tried to run away but she caught my ankle.

" GET OFF OF ME!" We were on the wrestling each other.

" TAKE IT OFF!"

" LET GO OF MY HEAD!" I pushed my foot in her face.

" TAKE IT OFF!" Keiko moved it aside her head.

Some how she was on top of my back and got a hold of my hat than yanked it off of my now sore head.

" HA, you.. Oh kami what happen, you look like a brown skunk." She impulsively spoke.

" Thanks, I know that if I'm ever feeling down, I can always go to you for encouragement." I snatched my hat back and shoved it on my head to hide my brown and white hair.

" It wasn't supposed to be taken that way. What I meant to say was you look like a cute skunk."

" Skunks aren't cute." I declared.

" Ya but only you can be a cute skunk." She said in a sugary voice.

" Are you trying to cheer me up because you doing a great job at it." It was intended to be sarcastic.

" Really, my daughter doesn't think that." Her eyes sparkled with her poor display of trying to be bashful.

Your daughter happens to be more mature than you.

" Leave your hat off."

" No, I really don't feel like it."

" Common its not that bad."

" Okay." I removed the blue cap and placed on the table.

" Hmhpfpmh." She tried to contain her laughter with the lest bit of effort.

" It's not that funny." I said to lame excuse for an adult who was chuckling at my new hair just to tick me off.

" I beg to differ, your hair dresser left the bleach in to long." Now she was on the ground in fetal position laughing hysterically.

" First I don't have a hair stylist, and second it was this way when I woke up." My voice was aiming to the ground.

" Like you can wake up with that!"

" Your a jerk, you know that."

" Correction, I like to be called a bitch. Jerk is more masculine, Bitch has a stronger feminine tone to it."

" Whatever."

" From this angle you look really cute as in the kawaii cute, not as in big boobs and sparkles cute."

" What are you trying to get across?"

" I love you." She was playing me.

"..."

I moved myself away to the other half of the building to find a book to read.

" Don't deny your irrepressible feelings for me, Michiko. I know you want me. Those hungry brilliant orbs of yours tell me so."

" Take me now you vixen. I can't delay this burning sensation anymore." She wouldn't can it.

After finding a decent and yet mild steamy book, I sat down at a table and locked my eyes to the book. I couldn't manage to concentrate on it though. All my devoted attention was aimed on what happen last night. Looking down at my wrist instead of at the book, those two little dots where still there. But the blue energy was not leaking out. It had to be chakra. To be on the safe side I wore my bracelets. So far so good, I haven't had any headaches. Still those emotions of fear and uncertainty wouldn't be mollified unless everything was to be figured out. But all of these signs have to be connected to something: The headaches, the chakra, my hair turning white, they just have to be.

Best find something to help it. My best bet would have to be the library. They have to have some sort of medical references that could give me some pointers. If not than I could always go back to see Ibiki...or not.

Now that I was able to get that problem out of the way, back to Anju and Fudo's love scene. Yay for lemons!

" Oh Michiko." Keiko called for me as if I was her dog.

" Yes Keiko?" I said with a sigh.

" Dear, I feel really bad about teasing you. Why don't you take this money and go buy something." She stuck her hand full of money in front of my face.

" Okay." I could care less now if she was trying to do something to me.

" If I was you I would check out this lingerie story. My sister-in-law owns it. She is having a sale."

" Alright." Why not, a girl can never have too much goodies for her goodies.


So I'm starring at a moon face woman who told me she was Keiko's sister-in-law but I prefer to call her the tanuki. She was a jolly and round lady with brown hair just like the mystical Japanese raccoon spirit.

" So YOUR Michiko, Keiko told me you would be stopping by today! Isn't she just a HOOT?" She laughed causing her body to undulate as well as the measuring tape around her neck.

" Ya she is a crazy nut."

" AHAHAHAH. Ah, we are going to have a great time. Now would you please come with me." We were in a private room that had a semi-circle mirror set and a long table covered in lace, ribbons, bras, corsets, types of underwear, and a sewing machine.

" I already know my sizes. I just want a new set of undies and a bra."

" Sweetheart I know what you need, now take off your clothes and step on the platform." She closed the door behind us.

" Excuse me?"

" I'm gonna measure you. Keiko wanted me to pick out certain motifs for tonight." She chuckled again.

" What's going on tonight?" I toke of my shirt and pants.

" Don't act naive honey, she send you over here to get outfits for the shooting." Seriously, did this woman had to laugh every time she said a sentence.

" What shooting?" By socks and shoes were added to the pile of discarded clothing.

" Your funny, you'll be modeling for Keiko's new project."

That skank, I knew she was up to something!

" Could you possibly refresh my memory on what Keiko project is."

" Why sure, Keiko wanted you to come over here to try on some outfits and later on go back to the store to get your photos taken for her pin-up cards." Said the tanuki without a lau- wait, wait

" HAHAHAH." There it was.

" Dear, before we get started, I need you to take of the hat. The hair is a part of the whole deal." That laugh popped out of her sphere like body.

My hat was thrown over to my shoes.

" Okay so will you please lift up your arms." Did as I was told.

" Average." She wiped out a pen and pad to take notes.

" What?"

" You have an average bust."

" MY. You have wide hips."

" Is that good?"

" It depends. Wide hips are an advantage for carrying children. Some men like them." I wanted to choke her throat just so that laugh wouldn't come out.

" Great." I said under my breathe.

" Waist is a little heavy."

Watch it chipmunk!

She finished up with the other areas and out the door she went with her pad. In a blink of an eye she was back with a load of colorful lingerie.

This is gonna take a while.


I walked out of the store with my hands full of bags and trying to wave bye to everyone in the store. They all had smiles on their faces.

That was frickin expensive. That nearly cost me all the money Keiko gave me plus some of mine. And about that, I most definably won't be going back to work or there. How could that no-good-for-nothing think that I would be okay in modeling for her and her frickin pinup cards. If that's the way she think she can control me, than I have new plans for her. Wait tell tomorrow, i'll get her back. I'll-

My bags went flying in the air causing lacy bras and frilly thongs to rain down upon the area I was now laying on. Some jerk who probably had their nose stuck in a book crashed into me because a Icha Icha Paradise was in my veiw.

" Could this day get any worse!" I screamed as a push up black and cream push up bra landed on my head. I was about to yank out my hair.

" Are you okay?" a familiar deep voice spoke up from behind me.

I turn my body around to be face with the last man I wanted to see at the moment. All I could do was grunt and lower my head to look away from him. He advanced closer to me but I began to pick up varies sexy undies and trowing them in a bag nearest to me while trying to hold back tears.

I hate my life.

" Uh sorry about that, are you okay?" Yep, it was the silver hair scarecrow I long to encounter but not like this.

" Do I look okay?" My eyes were watery and voice cracking. I threw the bra that was on my head to a random person passing by.

" Well you-

" Am I being punished? Because this is a fantastic joke to play on somebody, you know? First off I get mauled by my psychotic manager who thinks it's funny to laugh and play pranks on me. Secondly she thinks that all that trauma she puts on me can be absolved by giving me money. And so I'm some sort of puppet she can play with? Whose life doesn't matter and be easily manipulated. Its her who has caused me to have a midlife crisis and I'm not even thirty!" It all came out.

" Or is it that fact that ever since I moved here I been getting bad shit shoved in my face." I pulled off my hat unaware since I was trying to pull on my hair.

I guess it was taking him time to absorb my verbal breakdown because he wasn't responding.

" This would be complete if my hair became fully white."

" I don't mean to be a bearer of bad news but it is." He stated with a little emotion.

" Wha? Please tell me your lying?"

" No, I'm not." He set a bag full of clothes next to me.