The family was nonetheless shocked by the news. After Takashi explained the situation, they let the young man stay a while to clear some things up that happened at the house. It couldn't get any more painful for Yuri.

As the adults discussed, Yuri hid in the veranda at the back of the manor. She didn't want to be surrounded by those sympathetic faces; she hated receiving sympathy, which she made very clear when she fled the Jinnouchi clan after Takashi told them about her parents. She wanted to be alone and calm her nerves. For the time being, she just sat on the veranda huddled into a ball with her face buried in her knees and her arms around her calves. The midday ambience surrounded her with peace, with the exception of the chirping cicadas.

The veranda began to creak, indicating someone was approaching, but Yuri didn't move an inch. Kazuma calmly sat beside her, careful not to disturb her. He sat next to her for a bit, his arm coolly resided on his knee as he patiently sat with her. After a few seconds, he finally came out with the question he'd wanted to ask for some time. "Want to talk about it?"

He was met with more silence. The tan boy sighed, letting his leg fall. "You know, Yuri, you can't keep avoiding this. I knew you were hiding something, and I've been keeping the questions to myself because I had a feeling you would act this way. I recognize the look on your face whenever I brought up your parents. I know it's frustrating and I know you may not want to talk about it, but as a friend, I'd like it if you'd just talk to me. It's okay. I'm listening."

Yuri heard the sincerity in his voice. It was enough to bring her head up. When Kazuma saw that she wasn't crying, he was relieved, but he was afraid that wasn't a good thing, either.

"You gave me that look," she mumbled quietly.

"What look?"

"You know… The look." The only look Kazuma imagined he had on his face was the look of confusion. "I was hoping you would understand. I'm sure you got those looks when your great grandmother died. People came and gave you pity, sympathy, as if it was the worst tragedy to happen to anyone. It's painful."

Kazma nodded. It was painful, but as time passed, everyone went on, just as Granny wanted them to.

"But things were different when people found out about my parents. They just looked at me like I was a lost puppy. They thought I was helpless, like I couldn't handle myself. But I wasn't. I knew I wasn't. When my parents died, I didn't cry, not once." Yuri let her legs dangle over the veranda, and her hands held onto the edge. "Don't get me wrong, I was sad when my parents died, but I didn't see the need to cry. Even before that happened, things got harder for our family—my dad lost his dojo, we didn't have enough to provide for ourselves so we had to ask favors, we had to move into a smaller house—I was only getting accustomed to things getting worse for my family; my parents' deaths were no different a dilemma.

"The peak of it all was when my father got sick, and around the Love Machine incident three years ago, he only got worse until…" Kazuma noticed her grip on the veranda tighten. The wood creaked under the force. "When he died, my mother was completely heartbroken, and before I knew it, she was gone, too. The doctors didn't know what happened to her. I could only assume she died of a broken heart. But I didn't cry. I wasn't even sad when I saw her collapse on the floor. I just… stood there. And as much as I wanted to blame Love Machine, I didn't.

"After that, I realized that things were only going to get worse and I shouldn't waste my time just feeling sorry for myself. I was going to lose everything close to me—my family, my home, everything—and I just had to deal with it. So I just… shut myself out. No more sadness, no more self-pity, and definitely no more sympathy from others. Ever since my parents died, I've been taking care of myself by myself. I was able to prove everyone, including Takashi, that I didn't need anyone to look after me. I didn't need anyone then, and I still don't need anyone now."

Kazuma sat quietly he drank this in. "So you just… shut yourself out from the rest of the world like a… like a…"

"Hikikomori."

"Yeah. That." It was a very familiar term to Kazuma, something he was referred to often as a child. He didn't like it; being labeled like that made it seem like he had some sort of disease. When he started getting bullied, he shut himself away from his family, and he didn't bother to tell anyone about his problem. But then his grandfather introduced him to Shaolin Kung Fu, and it built up his confidence—as well as his cockiness—to this very day. He slowly began to open up, but he still kept to himself.

"When I met your family, I remembered what it was like to be with my parents, and as I got closer to them, I remembered what it was like to lose them. That's why I ran away from your uncles. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but I hated myself for acting like such a coward, I hated myself for not being sad when my parents died—I hate myself for being like this! And as I sat there get mad at myself, I became even angrier and I vented the only way I knew how."

"When you were sparring by yourself," Kazuma remembered. Yuri nodded.

"And then I ran into Natsuki in the hot spring last night and Kenji later today. We were having so much fun, and then those goons showed up." Yuri hugged her knees. "For years, my number one skill was adapting to terrible scenarios, like when my glasses broke, or situations like the one that happened earlier. But when I was with your family, I completely let my guard down. I thought I could be with your family without any consequences."

"So this whole time," Kazuma said, "you didn't even need your glasses anymore?"

Yuri nodded.

"You could've just left when you wanted to, but you decided to stay... to be with us." She nodded again.

"And… you liked it?"

"I… I don't know." She sunk her face under her arms until only her eyes were visible.

Kazuma thought for a moment and smirked. "Remember what you said two nights ago?" he said. "You said you enjoyed getting pampered." Yuri looked away bashfully. "I don't know if you still delusional from lack of sleep or if you were hammered or something, but I could tell you meant what you said. You can hide it all you want, but I know you enjoyed being with my family. They all love you, Yuri, and you shouldn't shut yourself out just because you think your life is only going to get worse, not when there are people out there who still care about you and want what's best for you."

Yuri held her head up a little bit. "Why do you care so much?" she mumbled.

In that instant, Kazuma smiled—a real, genuine smile—and took her hand. "Because I'm your friend, and I care about you."

When Yuri sat up again, Kazuma saw hot tears streaming down her face. "Thank you," she whimpered out hoarsely.

When she wiped her tears away, more fell and she began to sob. As she did so, Kazuma moved closer to her to put his arm around her and pulled her head into his shoulder. When she didn't pull away, he put his other arm around her in a soothing embrace. She clutched his shirt as she burrowed her face into his chest. Kazuma didn't know why he did it, but having Yuri in his arms, knowing that he could comfort her, it felt extremely right to him.

And as Yuri continued to nestle in Kazuma's embrace, she also felt right. She didn't know why, either, but she didn't want to leave his arms. She held on a little more even after she stopped crying. When she knew to let go, she pulled away from Kazuma and wiped her sore, red eyes.

"You okay now?"

She wiped her eyes and sniffed again before answering, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you want to head back?"

"Yeah. I'll be okay."

Kazuma got up and offered his hand for her to take. When they were both off the veranda, they slowly began to make their way back to the rest of the Jinnouchis. As they walked, Yuri quietly said, "Kazuma?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks for that. I haven't… I've never been heart-to-heart with anyone like that since my parents died, and I've never cried in front of anyone before. It means a lot that you would comfort me even if it made you uncomfortable."

"I wasn't uncomfortable," Kazuma said. "I mean, you're not the only ones who's cried in front of people and felt embarrassed about it. When I saw you crying like that, I just…" He laced his fingers with hers. "I just wanted to be the one to stop the tears." He looked away with a blush on his face. "Man, I think that's the corniest thing I've ever said."

Yuri giggled. "It was corny, but sweet. Thank you, again."

The two continued walking quietly through the halls with their hands intertwined when Kenji and Natsuki came. "Hey, we were just looking for you two," Natsuki said. "Are you okay, Yuri?"

She nodded. "Yeah, now I am." When she said this, Kazuma's grip tightened.

Natsuki noticed this but she did nothing but smile a bit. "Takashi wants to take you home. He said you can stay a while, but you guys will have to leave."

Yuri sighed. "I understand. I guess we should spend as much time together as we can. What should we do?"

Kazuma smirked. "I have an idea."

"The poor dear," said Kiyomi. "We had no idea she was suffering so much."

"And she hid it so well," said Mariko.

"Yuri was never one to share anything with anyone," Takashi said. Kiyomi placed a cup of tea in front of him and he smiled at her gratefully. "She's always had a knack for hiding. When her parents died, she completely shut herself away. I didn't want to leave her alone when I went on my business trips, but she was able to convince me that she could take care of herself and she wouldn't take no for an answer. But then the same rats who took away her father's dojo started hunting her down again looking out for every chance they could to try and take her fortune away and send her to an orphanage."

"How awful," Kiyomi said.

"Wait, her father owned a dojo?" Mansuke asked.

"Yeah. Her father used to be the master of the Shaolin Kung fu dojo in town before it was closed down."

"The old Shaolin Kung fu dojo?" Mansuke thought for a moment. "What was her father's name?"

Takashi looked at him warily. "Hideo Takane. Why?"

"Takane!" Everyone was startled by Mansuke's sudden outburst.

"Are you familiar with them, Dad?" Naomi asked.

"Of course! The Takanes!" Everyone gave him confused looks. "Don't tell me you guys don't remember! Me and Hideo ran the dojo together. I used to take Kazuma when he was a boy before it closed down. I haven't heard from Hideo since."

Kiyomi gasped in realization. "That's right. We used to see Hideo and Tomiko all the time when we visited the manor." What Takashi told them suddenly made sense. She remembered the Takanes and their renowned children's dojo. Kazuma used to be a happier child back then. But she didn't remember them having a child of their own. "This certainly explains their sudden disappearance. We lost all contact and I forgot about them ever since."

"So, does that mean Granny also knew them?" Shota asked. "I mean, wouldn't she have mentioned something like that?"

"Maybe she forgot," Katsuhiko considered. "We all forgot, after all. There's no telling what she hasn't told us."

"Like the deed," Kunihiko muttered.

Sensing the tension in the room, Takashi slowly rose from his seat and yawned. "I supposed it's time for me to take Yuri home. I'm sure these series of events have shaken her a bit."

"Natsuki and Kenji were supposed to be looking for them, weren't they?" Kiyomi remembered. "I wonder where they…" The two young adults suddenly entered the room where everyone else was. "There you are. Did you find them?"

Natsuki grinned nervously. "They're… a little busy."

"Doing what?" Takashi asked curiously.

"Sparring," Kenji answered.

Takashi sighed. "Typical Yuri. For minute there, I thought you were going to tell me they were making out."

Natsuki and Kenji exchanged glances. "Yeah…"


As soon as Yuri and Takashi were home, Yuri immediately rushed to her room. Takashi sighed. She was avoiding confrontation, again. But they couldn't keep avoiding this, especially after what happened.

"Yuri, please. Let's not do this."

When she didn't respond, he barged into her room and found her huddled at the corner of her bed with a pillow clutched to her chest. He slowly approached her, afraid that she would run away once again. He sat on the bed and when she didn't move, he began to talk to her. "I wish I came sooner, Yuri. I'm glad you were at the Jinnouchi manor, otherwise those guys would've found you sooner and taken you away."

"Why'd you want me to stay away from them?" she suddenly asked.

"What?"

"You have always told me to stay away from the Jinnouchis. Why?"

Takashi ran a hand through his hair. "I was hoping to avoid this conversation for as long as possible. I guess I have no choice now." He left the room and came back a few minutes later with two boxes.

One was long and narrow, like a giant sheath, Yuri thought. And surprisingly, when he opened it, there were two sabers. They looked so ancient they could probably crack and crumble into dust from a single touch. Then there was the other box which was fatter in girth. When Takashi opened that one, Yuri saw photos, some in black and white, and others in dim color. She couldn't recognize anyone in the older ones, but then when she spotted a particular photo, she uncurled herself and reached for the picture. "Is that… Is that my grandmother?"

"I'm surprised you recognize her. She passed away when you were three. But yeah, that's her and your parents."

Yuri took another picture. It looked like the oldest one. Two young women were posed next to each other, except one was seated. The one standing looked much older than the one sitting; the sitting woman looked about ten years younger. Her hand was placed on the younger woman's shoulder sagely while she had her hands folded in her lap. Both held impassive looks on their faces. "Who are they?" she asked.

"That's your grandmother," he answered pointing to the sitting young woman. "And that's her best friend, Sakae Jinnouchi."

"Sakae Jinnouchi? Is in…?"

"Yep, the lead matriarch of the Jinnouchi clan. She passed away three years ago, around the time your parents did. Your family had close ties with them, especially your grandmother. She and Sakae were practically inseparable, even after the Takeda war."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because that's what you wanted to know, why we—your parents and I—agreed that you shouldn't get so close to the Jinnouchis." Takashi handed her another older picture. She saw three rows of men lined up with samurai armor. They held swords similar to the saber in the case next to her. On the breastplate of their armor, Yuri saw her grandmother's family symbol. "Yuri, your mother's maiden name is Takeda. Your grandmother is from the Takeda clan."

"… Why did no one tell me?"

"Because your parents, your grandmother, and Sakae wanted to keep you safe. Sakae loved your grandmother more than anything, and she vowed to protect the Takedas as long as she lived. Ever since your grandmother passed away, Sakae has been looking out for your family. Even after the war, there were many bitter clans who wanted to get after your family's fortune. Your grandmother already lost the estate before you were born, and then your father the dojo, so Sakae gave your parents the money to find a new home, somewhere safe away from those rats. She also left something in your grandmother's name, but I'm afraid I don't have it."

"So… they had us keep a distance in order to protect us?"

"To protect you. Your parents loved you, Yuri, and so did your grandmother. And Sakae considered you a part of their family."

Yuri looked back at the picture of the young Sakae and her grandmother. She didn't even realize this woman existed until she met Kazuma. Looking at her picture, Yuri felt something familiar and almost maternal. It was all so overwhelming.

"So why are you telling me this now?"

Takashi looked away hesitantly before looking into her eyes. "I wanted to tell you… before we left."

"Left? We're going somewhere?"

"Yeah. I just came back to Ueda on such short notice. I need to go back to Nagoya, Yuri, but I came here to get you first. You can't stay here any longer, not while those rats are hanging around the Jinnouchi manor."

"But… I can't leave. It's summer. I have a job—two jobs—I don't want to leave!"

"Yuri…" When he saw her bottom lip quaver, he sighed. "I'll leave you alone. But be ready by tomorrow, Yuri."

As soon as he was gone, she broke down into tears. Takashi couldn't do this to her, not now—not after everything she'd been through these past few weeks. Of course, she shouldn't have been surprised. After all, she was so accustomed to having her most precious things taken away from her. But yet it still made her incredibly frustrated, outraged, sad… She was going to lose her family again. And once again, Reality proved to be a seriously harsh bitch.

Wiping her tears away, Yuri looked at the picture one more time before putting it back into the box. Then she took out the saber and held it out. It felt right holding it in her hands. The hilt was obviously fit for a right handed person, someone small and fit like herself. Like her mother and her mother before her. She brandished it about when she noticed her laptop.

Yuri put the saber away and sat at her desk gazing upon the PC. Once she and Takashi were gone, she'd barely have any time on OZ. She wouldn't be able to talk to her friends or do her job. She glanced at the picture frame next to her PC. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I failed." With a shaky sigh, Yuri entered into the OZ for the very last time.

...

Usagi sat on her little platform entry to her Home. She knew if she waited long enough, King Kazma would come eventually. For some reason, the white rabbit was enthralled by her; he couldn't stay away from her. At first, it was really annoying and every time he came around her all she wanted to do was pound him into the ground, especially after he defeated her in the OSTF initiation, but as she spent more time with him, the challenges became more fun and Kazma began to grow on her; maybe they could be friends. Too bad that would be over soon enough.

It wasn't long until King Kazma finally showed up. He took his usually spot next to her, propped his foot up and put his elbow on his knee as his palm rested on his cheek. It was nice, just sitting here in the peace and quiet, which was why it was going to be harder for Usagi to talk to Kazma.

"Kazma… how's about a race?"

The white rabbit glanced at her dubiously. "What?"

"You know, a race. Let's have a private run in the Midnight at Tokyo place."

He looked at her suspiciously. "You've never challenged me so suddenly before. What's this about?"

"Nothing. Why is it so suspicious that I want to have a little race? You haven't already forgot about what I said about having fun, did you? Don't tell me King Kazma's a stick in the mud."

Kazma was still not convinced, but he decided to humor her. "Alright. Let's race."

The two left Usagi's Home and went to the arcade where they entered the Midnight at Tokyo room. The rules were the same. Everything was like it was when they first faced each other. Except this time, Usagi didn't seem very game at the moment. In fact, as she stood the way she always stood when she readied herself for a challenge, King Kazma couldn't help notice the melancholy in her gray eyes. Not that they could tell since they were online characters, but he could still feel some gloom coming from her.

3... 2... 1... BEGIN!

The course was the same. Same creatures, same obstacles, same game. But Usagi was more determined than ever to win this time. She jumped past all the creatures and left them to Kazma as she tried to get to the buzzer. She didn't even bother to take out her scythe. It was strange, but he continued to ignore it. And he wasn't going to let her go so easily.

Once he reached the buzzer, Kazma found Usagi on the other side of it several meters away, waiting. Then he saw the look in her eyes. "What's going on, Usagi? You're acting strange."

Instead of answering, Usagi brought out her scythe and aimed it at him. "Let's make the best of this, Kazma."

"What do you—" The scythe nearly slashed his chest, but the white rabbit was able to dodge it in time.

"Sorry, Kazma. I just thought that it would be fun to spend my last day on OZ as an OZ-ecutive being with you."

"Your last day? What are you talking about?" Usagi swung at him, and Kazma jumped out of the way once again. "Usagi!"

"I didn't want to tell you until the challenge was over, but I'm no longer going to be your commissioner. I'm not capable of doing my job—I never was. It was nice working with you even if it was for a short while."

King Kazma kicked at her, but she was able to jump away in time. "You don't know what you're talking about, Usagi. You're more than capable of being the commissioner. Nobody's nearly as capable as fulfilling that task, not even Luka."

A small grin formed at the corner of her. "I'll be sure to tell him that. And thank you, Kazma, but nothing you say will change my mind."

He looked back into her eyes, seeing traces of hopelessness and sorrow. "But Usagi… you can't…"

"It's already been done. I sent my resignation. It was nice working with you. I'm glad we could have this one last moment together." He didn't even notice until it was too late, but throughout their effortless spar, Usagi was able to make her way next to the buzzer. With her hand hovering over the button, Usagi smiled at the white rabbit with the most compassion he had ever seen on her face. "Goodbye, Kazuma."

Before he could even make a move, Usagi pressed the buzzer, and King Kazma was returned to his Home, the screen going black.

O.O

"Hm…"

"Kei, please stop squirming," Kiko said as she was putting eye drops into Kei's eyes. The poor Shiba Inu was whimpering like a puppy. "Sorry, girl. I know it's painful, but you need these drops to help with your cataracts." Kiko petted her headed in apology.

"Hm… interesting…"

"What is it, Mr. Takeuchi?"

"… Kiko, I've noticed that you don't address me by my first name."

The secretary looked at her boss dubiously. She thought he was thinking of something more important, but Mr. Takeuchi had his moments. "I just don't think it would be professional, sir."

"Professional or not, I consider us more than just employer and employee. We've known each other long before I started this foundation and I trust you far more than my other associates. I even let you put in Kei's eye drops."

"Yes but that's a part of my job description, sir."

"But Kei doesn't let just anyone do that." The dog barked to reaffirm this.

"Well… if that's what you want, I'll start addressing by your first name from now on."

"Good. Now come look at this, Kiko."

His assistant did as she was told and went over to her boss's computer. "What is it?"

"It's a resignation letter from the commissioner of the OZ Security Task Force."

"What? Then… who's keeping the OZ-ecutives in check?"

"Not to worry, my dear little assistant. This is all just a misunderstanding."

"Oh. So, the commissioner didn't send a resignation?"

"No, they did. On their personal stationary and everything. They also momentarily suspended their account."

Kiko looked up at her boss in confusion. "Then how is it a misunderstanding?"

Mr. Takeuchi opened up the first drawer in his chest and pulled out two files. "I've been monitoring the commissioner's relationship with our newest recruit, King Kazma. They seem very close. Now, I have a few theories as to why she would resign, but then I remembered her file. Usagi doesn't want to resign. This job means everything to her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know the people behind King Kazma and Usagi, and I know just how to fix this problem. Since the commissioner quit, I doubt King Kazma wants anything to do with the OSTF now, and they're both very essential assets to the group. But if Kei were to bring them together and convince them to fix the problem…"

The white dog looked up when she heard her name. She had no idea what her master was planning, but she had a feeling things were about to get more exciting.


R&R!