Chapter 9 – Kyoshiro's Way

"Hello Haru-chan! I'm glad I was able to reach you this time!"

"Hello to you too Granny Hina," the laid-back tea shop owner replied on her smart phone, nursing a small cup of her favorite tea as she leaned against the counter. The sun had barely risen, the sky outside still painted in the early morning purples and midnight blues, "You're calling earlier than normal. The fifteenth of the month isn't for four more days."

The Urashima clan head cackled, "Oh my, since when did you start keeping track of my calls so closely? That's something I would expect from Kyoshiro-kun."

"I'll bet."

"Speaking of whom, how has he been adapting?" Hina asked curiously. Not a day went by that she didn't think of the vengeful young man and how he was handling himself with his new duties. This was mostly because Kanako was always in her ears about it.

Young, misguided love and all that.

"Heh…he's been adapting pretty well to be honest," Haruka replied with a small smirk, "At first he was really distant with the girls, didn't even eat meals with them. But after a talk with Naru, the kid's starting to open up a bit more. Matter of fact, I think he's actually on a trip with Naru right now."

"A private get-away?! OUR Kyoshiro-kun?!"

The tea shop owner chuckled, "Yea, I almost didn't believe it either. Turns out he and Naru got into a little spat after they found out she failed her entrance exams," Haruka heard her grandmother gasp at hearing of the brown haired girl's failure, "Yea, she didn't take it too well. Anyway, Kyo-kun decided to go after her. We haven't heard from them yet, but if he's with her, I think they're going to be just fine."

On the other side of the line, Hina put a hand to her chest and sighed in relief, "I can't tell you how much of a relief it is to hear that he did such a thing. For so long he has had such an isolated lifestyle… thanks to all of that pain and rage he's held onto after what happened."

"Honestly, when you came up with this plan of yours, I thought it would fail from the get-go," Haruka admitted, taking a sip of her tea before she continued, "Seeing his face when he read that letter with the deed…I'm still surprised he didn't just take off right after…"

"Kyoshiro-kun has always been someone driven by immense respect to honor the wishes of his elders," Hina replied sagely, "Whether it was to his parents, his clan council, even the board of directors at Nagareboshi, who he is technically superior to in status, he would always listen to their advice and fulfill any requests asked of him."

"Ain't that the truth," Haruka sighed and took a seat, idly noticing the sun beginning to brighten up the sky, "You know, he had a legit chance to leave not too long ago. I don't know if I told you, but he ended up dueling Motoko last month."

Hina raised an eyebrow, "Really? A duel with Motoko-chan?"

"It was another small spat, but the conditions were that if he lost the duel, he would have to relinquish his position," Haruka smiled at the memory of that spectacular fight, "Needless to say, he beat her. He beat her senseless."

"I see…" the old woman remained silent for a moment, giving her niece the chance to finish her tea and begin wiping down the counter, "Maybe…the fruits of our labor are beginning to ripen. If Kyoshiro-kun truly did not take the opportunity to leave…it could mean that he may finally be moving on."

The younger woman glanced over in the direction of Hinata-sou and sighed, "Let's hope so Granny…for everyone's sake, let's hope so."

"Keitaro-san! Hurry up! We have to check out the rest of these vendors before we head out!"

Keitaro chuckled at Naru's excitement, "Calm down, woman! They're not going anywhere!"

The cheerful girl stuck her tongue out playfully before quickly walking over to one of the many stalls lining the streets, earning another laugh from the Mononobe heir. After spending the night at the hotel, the two gathered their belongings and decided to check out the festival going on in the area. Both ronin had come to the consensus that since they were already in Kyoto, and there was no pressing reason to return home anytime soon, that they might as well enjoy the mini-vacation together.

As he watched his companion zip from vendor to vendor buying all sorts of souvenirs with a huge smile on her face, Keitaro reflected on everything that had happened, 'Man…to think this all started with getting punched in the face for being an idiot. No…it probably started sooner than that.'

Never in a million years did the landlord think that his relationship with Naru would have grown into what it was now. The previous night had been the most surreal of his life, spending the majority of it holding the slender girl in his arms while they innocently explored one another's lips. Keitaro gently ran a finger across his mouth as he remembered the soft, silky sensation of kissing the beautiful brunette.

'It still feels so unreal…I knew my feelings for her were changing the more we hung out, and I had a hunch the same was happening with her…but I definitely didn't expect this. Especially with everything that I've been doing the past couple of years.'

So lost in his thoughts, Keitaro didn't notice someone walk into his path until he knocked the person onto the ground, "What the hell?!"

Looking down, he saw a rather chest-heavy girl in a long-sleeved green shirt and long yellow dress splayed out onto the ground, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her mouth slightly open. It didn't appear that she was breathing.

"Holy crap!" the landlord cursed as he quickly knelt down to examine the woman, "Are you ok? I'm so sorry!"

As he began the process of gently lifting her upper back onto his knees for leverage, Naru quickly ran over and stooped down next to him, "Hey, what happened to her?!"

"I was kind of lost in thought and didn't see her in my path until it was too late," he responded meekly, until he got a closer look at the unconscious woman's face, 'Wait a minute…she looks familiar…'

Doing a quick once over while Naru was preoccupied with trying to flag someone down for help, Keitaro began to notice several recognizable features on the unconscious young woman, all of which started raising red flags, 'No way…sudden unconsciousness, that long brown hair tied in an elaborate braid, the…ridiculously huge chest that would put Oni-Kitsune to shame…?!'

"Hey Keitaro-san," Naru's voice pulled the boy out of his inspection, "I just found this on the ground!"

Looking down, Keitaro spotted what looked to be an ID card of some sort attached to a Tokyo U lanyard. He took a quick glance at the name.

"Otohime, Mutsumi."

'…Fuck…me…'

"Ara ara, I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble."

It was only a few minutes later that the mysterious woman, identified as Mutsumi, regained consciousness, much to the relief of Naru and the few people that stopped to help get the anemic woman to a table to sit.

"It's ok, nothing to make a big deal over," Naru replied, waving off the other woman's apology easily, "If anything, it's this knucklehead that should apologize for not paying attention and knocking you over. Isn't that right, Mr Fix-It?"

"…I apologize," the landlord mumbled, while trying to keep his face hidden by turning his head to the side. Ever since Mutsumi had awakened, he'd done his best to not look at her directly, something Naru took quick notice of.

"Hey! What kind of apology is that?! Look her in the face, will ya?!"

Mutsumi glanced over at the man for a moment, before suddenly reaching out with both hands and gently turning him to face her directly. For what felt like an eternity, but was only about a minute or two, Keitaro and Mutsumi locked eyes, the younger man fighting off a cold sweat as he endured the beautiful woman's appraising stare.

'Crap…crap…oh Buddha above, if you're listening and you love me, PLEASE don't let her recognize me!' the avenger thought frantically. After a few more moments, Naru interjected, "Uhh…Otohime-san…w-what are you doing?"

"Hmm…you look familiar. Have we met somewhere before?" Mutsumi asked airily, though her eyes narrowed ever so slightly with suspicion. Keitaro quickly waved his hands in the negative and shook his head, "Nope! Never!"

The anemic woman sighed and slowly released her hold on Keitaro's head, "Then please forgive my forwardness. It's just that…you look like someone I knew a very long time ago," she giggled into her hand, "I hope I didn't overstep my boundaries, mister…um…ara ara, I don't think I asked for your names before. How rude of me."

"N-not at all," Naru replied shakily, quickly trying to find a way to shift the conversation in a different direction, "I'm Narusegawa Naru, and this idiot's Urashima Keitaro," Keitaro lamely waved hello, "So…I noticed you have a Tokyo U exam ID card. Did you take the exam the other day too?"

"Mhmm!" the older woman nodded, "Tokyo U has been a goal of mine for a very long time, ever since I was a little girl. Unfortunately, despite studying so hard for it, I wasn't able to pass this time…"

Naru's eyes widened, "You too?! Wow, talk about a coincidence…a not so happy coincidence, but still…"

"So the both of you were unable to pass as well?" Mutsumi raised a hand over her mouth, "Wow, I never thought that I would run into others who were taking a recovery trip from failing the exam during the festival as well!"

"Right?! Which part do you think hurt you the most? Personally, that new math section-"

As the two girls dove into discussing the areas of the exam that they thought were the hardest, Keitaro's eyes narrowed as he kept mulling over this new development, only keeping a slight ear out for the conversation just in case, 'Of all the people to run into randomly…I mean come on! First Mo-chan at the dorms, and now Mutsumi-chan?!'

It almost seemed as if his grandmother had conspired with the forces that be to test his ability to keep his identity under wraps. While the avenger had managed to remain out of the kendo girl's crosshairs despite her heightened suspicion, he wasn't feeling as confident when it came to the insightful Okinawan.

'She was always extremely pereceptive, even when we were kids. I don't know if Hina-obaasama told the Otohime clan of my survival, but if she didn't then this is going to be tough…'

He took a cursory side-glance at the two girls, noticing that Naru seemed to be getting a bit more animated as she continued to rant to Mutsumi about the exam, while the older woman was content with nodding her head and putting in her two cents here and there, 'Well…at least Naru seems to have gotten a bit more comfortable with her.'

"Ara ara, I forgot to go get my souvenirs," Mutsumi suddenly said as she sprang up from her seat, "Please excuse me. It was nice meeting you! Maybe we'll meet up again before the festival's end, ne?"

"Y-yea, it was nice meeting you too," Keitaro stood up and enthusiastically shook the older woman's hand, "And who knows, hopefully we will!"

As the older woman walked off, Naru leaned over and whispered to Keitaro, "Hey, do you think it's okay to just let her go like that? I mean, she might not have fully recovered from taking that fall…"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Keitaro insisted as he strapped his bag back onto his back, "It was a one-time accident…nothing to worry about."

CRASH!

The two ronin immediately looked over to the street, where Mutsumi had somehow managed to crash into a billboard sign. Shakily standing back up, the older woman waved over to the young couple, "I-I'm ok!"

Naru and Keitaro watched as she wobbled off again, before promptly bumping into a statue of a bear with a sombrero, the stone hat falling off and smacking the ditsy woman on the head, "Araa~"

"Otohime-san!" Naru exclaimed as she hastily grabbed her bag and ran over to the fallen woman. Keitaro face-palmed at the scene, '…I spoke to soon. Ugh, she really HASN'T changed since we were younger!'

"Oi, Mr. Fix-It! Get over here and help out already!"

"I'm comin, I'm comin!"

"Iyaaa~ so boooooored…"

Motoko sighed at Kitsune, unable to comprehend how the fox woman was able to lay around on the couch all day doing virtually nothing. The dorm had been rather quiet ever since Naru had left on her impromptu healing trip, and Keitaro had yet to call and update anyone beyond letting Haruka know that he was tracking his friend down. In all honesty, the whole thing seemed fishy to the kendoka, but she had resolved not to jump to conclusions…this time.

"Auu…I hope Naru-sempai and Keitaro-sempai are alright," Shinobu fretted as she set some snacks on the coffee table, only for them to be inhaled by the hyperactive Suu, "Do you think Keitaro-sempai will call again anytime soon?"

"He better! We're missin out on the adventure of the century right now!" the fox woman complained from her spot, "I swear if those two went off an' eloped without tellin me…!"

Suu hopped onto the sofa, surprising Kitsune when the woman suddenly found herself airborne, "Oh! Oh! What's 'eloped'? Does it taste good?!"

"Ack! Dammit Suu, how many times have I told ya not to do that?!" Kitsune yelled, before suddenly adopting a mischievous smirk, "But if you really wanna know, elope isn't something you eat…at least not right away…"

Before the older woman could attempt to corrupt the blonde foreigner, Motoko intervened, "I think that is quite enough, Kitsune-sempai. Suu is not old enough to hear such things."

"Oooohhhh, and how do YOU know what elopement is, Motoko-chan?" the fox woman fixed the younger girl with a knowing smirk, "Anything you wanna share?"

"Th-th-th-that is NONE of your business!" the Aoyama heiress yelled, her face flushed red, "A-a-anyway, it is improper to talk of such salacious things with children around!"

Shinobu looked on worriedly as Motoko and Kitsune continued with their back and forth, but just as the young homemaker was about to intervene, the phone rang. Quickly rising from her seat, the bluenette excused herself and took the phone from the receiver, "T-This is the Hinata-sou, Shinobu speaking…K-K-Keitaro-sempai?!"

The living room suddenly went quiet as the other girls slowly turned to the small girl, before immediately crowding the girl's hand, each one trying to get their two cents in.

"Taro-chan! Where the hell are you?! Are you and Naru-chan alright?"

"Urashima-teme! How dare you not call the dorms for two days! You better not have been doing anything perverted to Naru-sempai!"

"Keitaro! When are you coming back?! Suu came up with a bunch of new robots for us to play with!"

Poor Shinobu had no way out and no way to calm them down, her eyes becoming swirls as she was jostled between her dorm mates as they tried to get the phone. Finally having enough, the demure middle-schooler finally put her foot down, "STOOOOP!"

Motoko, Suu, and Kitsune all froze in place with surprised stares pointed at the bluenette. Taking a breath, Shinobu continued, "I-If you all want to t-talk to Sempai, l-let me put him on speaker phone first, please."

Seeing the unanimous nod, Shinobu activated the speaker phone feature, "S-Sempai, you're on speaker phone now."

"Good…I swear I was about to just chuck my phone into the river," came the somewhat snarky reply from the wayward landlord, "Ok, let's try this again: hello everyone."

"I think we can spare the pleasantries, Urashima-san," Motoko interrupted, "Now can you please tell us just why you haven't contacted anyone but Haruka-san in two days? Just what have you been up to in Kyoto!?"

The girls heard a sigh before the young man replied, "Well…in a nutshell: Me and Naru-san failed our exams, got into an argument, she fled to Kyoto, and I tracked her down to apologize. We made up, and now we're touring Kyoto for a little bit to recuperate."

"Urashima-kun!"

"Oh…and we made a new friend," Keitaro said hesitantly, his tone conjuring up the image of him rubbing the back of his forehead in the rest of the girls' minds, "Funny story, she failed too so we're all touring and healing together."

Kitsune giggled, "Healing together, huh? Has there been any…special healing sessions, hmm?"

Shinobu and Motoko blushed instantly at the insinuation, while the innuendo flew completely over Suu's head, "Special healing sessions? Is Keitaro sick?"

"…is it too much to ask that you go ONE day without trying to corrupt the youth, Oni-Kitsune?" the landlord groaned, "We've just been going around Kyoto. Later tonight, the three of us are going to take a boat to Amami Island to top off our trip and then Naru-san and I will come home."

"Just so long as you remain on your best behavior, Urashima-san," the resident kendoka warned in a clipped voice, "Naru-san better not have any stories of you letting your male urges run wild in the company of two vulnerable women."

'Is this girl for real?' Keitaro thought to himself at the other end, "…Aoyama-san, if you really think that NARU-san of all people is a vulnerable woman, you CLEARLY don't know her very well…"

"What was that, buster?!" came Naru's voice from next to him, not sounding happy at all with his observation of her.

"Oh, would you look at the time!" the landlord said in a panic, "We have to go catch the boat now! Take care girls! See you in a few days!"

Kitsune and Shinobu giggled as they overheard Naru ripping into the landlord before the line cut out. The fox woman leaned against the counter as she recomposed herself, "Well, at least we know they're ok."

"Indeed…however I still feel somewhat uncomfortable knowing that Urashima-san is alone with Naru-sempai and some other woman we know nothing about," Motoko commented, sending a slight glare at the phone.

"I-I'm sure Keitaro-sempai would never do anything t-to offend either of them," the bluenette defended, though the kendo girl scoffed at the younger girl's words, "Oh, it's getting late, I should start dinner."

The young homemaker made her way over to the kitchen, quickly followed by Suu, "Oh! Suu wants to help! Suu wants to help!"

"Well, I guess we're done here," Kitsune stretched, but she only made it a couple of steps away from the counter when the phone rang again, "What the…hmph…guess we're pretty popular today, huh?"

Motoko shook her head and began walking towards the stairs as the resident fox lady picked up, "Moshi-Moshi! Kitsune here! Mhmm…yes…oh, she's right here, hold on," Kitsune placed the receiver on the counter and waved, "Oi! Motoko-chan! It's for you."

"…Is that right?" Motoko calmly walked over and took the receiver, while Kitsune went back to the sofa and plopped down lazily, "Motoko speaking."

"…Imouto-chan…"

The temperature of the living room seemed to drop by several degrees as Motoko's countenance changed from neutral to absolutely frigid, "…Aneue…"

Kitsune shivered at the biting chill in the younger girl's voice, 'Holy crap! She just answered the phone a second ago and she's already that pissed? What gives?!'

"…You haven't been answering my calls. I was starting to get worried and I…wanted to make sure you were ok-"

"I believe I made it perfectly clear that I wanted no contact from anyone at Shinmeiryuu," Motoko replied crisply, "That includes you, Aneue."

The older swordswoman on the other end sighed sadly before continuing, "Imouto-chan…I know you still have…many objections about what was proposed…but you can't run away from this forever-"

Motoko didn't even bother to let her sister finish before smashing the phone back onto its base, nearly cracking the counter and causing Kitsune to jump from her seat. The resident prankster put a hand to her wildly beating chest, "Hey! What the hell was that, Motoko?!"

"None of your business," the irate kendoka answered, fixing the fox with a cold glare that froze the poor woman where she sat, "If anyone calls from that place for me again, you will tell them I am not here. Understood?"

Seeing the older woman rapidly not her head, Motoko stormed up the stairs to her room, her mind a maelstrom of angry thoughts.

'How dare she…how dare ANY of them…as if I could ever do something so…so…!'

Keitaro sighed in relief as he entered his meditative stance on the bed, using the steady rocking of the boat to calm himself. After contacting the dorms, the landlord and his companions quickly made their way to the docks, where Mutsumi had told them they could catch the last boat to the Amami Islands. Initially, the young man had been wary of the idea, as the more he spent time with the busty Okinawan beauty, the greater the chance she could discover who he really was. However, it seemed her air-headedness had been out in full force.

'Or I could just be really lucky,' he thought wryly before his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. Keitaro looked over to the other door in their cabin, which led to the bathroom. Citing the need for some girl bonding time (he couldn't understand that part at all since both had only just met hours ago), Mutsumi had all but dragged Naru into the bathroom to bathe with her.

"Naru-san…huh…I wonder if I can keep adding –san after last night," the landlord whispered, his cheeks reddening just a bit as he recalled the unexpected but not at all unwelcome leap in his friendship with the lovely young woman. He traced his lips again, the memory of her soft lips as they brushed lightly against his own sending an unfamiliar warmth through his entire body. For a first kiss, it was a lot more thrilling than he'd been led on to believe.

"Well…if I'm really being honest with myself, that wasn't my first kiss," Keitaro chuckled, straightening his back and evening out his breathing, "That claim goes to-"

SPLASH

"AAAH! Mutsumi-san! Careful! The bathtub's slippery!"

"Ara ara, silly me, I thought there would be a mat on the floor to prevent that…"

The Mononobe heir sighed again, this time with a sweat drop rolling from his forehead. The older woman really hadn't changed all that much from their childhood.

"She was always really clumsy…luckily she had Saya-chan to help balance that out," the recollection of his sister brought his current line of thought to a halt. Tilting his head down to the point that his bangs hid his eyes, the young man's countenance seemed to shift, "…am I really doing the right thing?"

He thought back to the moment that marked the beginning of this new chapter in his life: his grudging acceptance of the new role as manager and landlord of Hinata-sou. At first, he had been doggedly adamant about leaving and returning home, going as far as to ignore the girls around him in order to distance himself and keep his mind on the mission.

'It was pretty easy to do that at first…at least until Naru had that talk with me,' he recalled their first study session at the dorms, when she had made him rice balls and flicked him on the head as she told him to relax, 'I think it might have been around then that something started to stir between us…something I probably should have ignored…'

Ignore it he hadn't, however, which was somewhat troubling to the young man. Glancing at the bathroom door again, Keitaro mentally ran through every moment he'd had with the bespectacled beauty, from their time together at school, to moving into the dorms, even including their second "incident" on Valentine's Day.

'…I'm still pissed at Oni-Kitsune and Suu for that…'

Finally, he returned to the present, sharing a mid-sized cabin on a boat bound for the Amami Islands with Naru and Mutsumi, another precious person from his past who had no doubt been told of his and his clan's demise. Once again, he was deceiving someone he cared about, and now, he would be adding Naru to the list.

"It's not fair to her…maybe what I'm doing is a mistake," a sharp pain flared in his chest at the thought of stopping what he was developing with Naru, "but then why does it hurt like that every time I think of putting a halt on this, and going back to how things used to be? Dammit…stupid feelings."

Another splash and loud laughter brought Keitaro out of his reverie. Stifling a chuckle himself, he shook his head at the door and laid back on his arms in a more comfortable position on the bed, "Sheesh, those two sound like they're having a blast. Wonder what they're talking about…"

"So he came all this way after you, just to say sorry for lying about failing the exam?"

Naru nodded, a slight blush on her face. She didn't know how she ended up telling Mutsumi the truth about Keitaro passing the exam, then deceiving her about it, but something about the older woman just made the new ronin feel like she could trust her with just about anything, "Y-Yea…he even still had the bruise on his face from where I punched him."

Mutsumi fought the urge to recoil, instead rubbing the younger girl's back soothingly, "You shouldn't kick yourself for that so much. It seems he accepted your apology, otherwise I doubt he would be travelling with you, ne?"

"I guess that's true. We kinda talked about it last night before bed…" Naru's thoughts immediately went to what happened after their talk, the feel of Keitaro holding her close to his powerful frame, his delicate hands, and the electrifying feeling of his lips against hers. She tried and failed to hide her lobster red face from Mutsumi, but the older girl picked up on it immediately, "Ara ara, are you ok, Naru-san? You're getting really red…"

"O-O-Oh, d-d-don't mind me!" the younger girl squealed, "I-I-It's probably j-just the water temperature!"

Mutsumi giggled innocently, "Maybe…or maybe you're thinking about a certain ronin who just happens to be waiting for us outside?"

Somehow defying all logic, Naru's face became even redder, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!? There's n-n-nothing between Keitaro-san and me!"

"Really? Are you sure?" the Okinawan questioned, staring Naru down innocently, "I mean, you both seemed to be so close in the market. And on the way to the boat as well. You almost held hands at one point…or was I seeing things again?"

Naru remembered that one moment when she and Keitaro had been walking side by side while he was chatting lightly with Mutsumi. Their hands had been only millimeters apart, and the bespectacled girl had caught herself just before her hand had wrapped itself around his, mentally berating herself for trying something so forward without even talking to him first.

Seeing the girl quiet down, Mutsumi continued along her 'inquiry', "Did something else happen between you two last night? Something that may have…changed things a bit in your friendship?"

Surrendering to the inevitable, Naru nodded, "We…did end up doing something else…we kissed," she suddenly looked down with a slightly saddened expression, "But…we haven't really talked about it or made anything official. I have no idea how he really feels about me…and I'm scared he'll just do what he normally does when someone gets close to him and cut them off…"

"Well then all the more reason you should talk to him. Let's go!" Before Naru could protest, Mutsumi dragged her out of the tub and into a fresh robe, "The sooner you tell him, the sooner you two can get this whole thing settled and start showing the world your love!"

"W-W-Wait, Mutsumi-san! Not now!" The smaller girl tried to escape, but even with her unusually great strength, she couldn't escape the bustier girl's grip. The bathroom door flew open at Mutsumi's push and the two girls suddenly faced a very perplexed looking Keitaro, "Uhh…did you girls have…a nice bonding session?"

The oldest of the three nodded, "Mhmm! Naru-chan and I have become good friends now! Also, I believe she has something she wants to discuss with you, Urashima-kun!"

The landlord looked over to Naru, who seemed to be doing her best to hide in her robe, "I-Is that right, Naru-san? What's up?"

"A-A-Ano…W-Well," Naru began, her hands nervously fidgeting with the hem of her yukata, "T-The thing is…umm…a-a-about last n-night-"

Her stuttered statement was interrupted by the boat suddenly shaking viciously, nearly throwing Keitaro off the bed and launching the girls into the carpeted ground. Getting to his feet immediately, the landlord went over to the other two, "Are you two alright?!"

Naru groaned a bit and rubbed her forehead, "Other than a slight headache, I think I'll live," she looked over to Mutsumi, who was on her hands and knees, "Looks like Mutsumi-san is ok too…"

"I'm going to go outside and see what that was about," Keitaro stated as he headed for the door, "You two get dressed just in case."

Seeing Naru nod slightly, the Mononobe heir headed outside, where he was met with a vicious typhoon assaulting the boat. Passengers left and right were running around fearfully, some with bags in their arms as they headed for the lifeboats. Spotting one of the boat's sailors about to pass him, the landlord reached out and grabbed his shoulder, "Hey! What's going on?!"

"We just got hit by a freak squall kid! Captain gave the order to abandon ship!" the sailor spat quickly before rushing away. Keitaro cursed and went back to the room, where the girls had just finished dressing up, "We have to move! Now!"

Grabbing their hands, the Mononobe heir dragged the two to the nearest lifeboat. Luckily for them it was empty, so getting onboard with their things went quickly. Within minutes, Keitaro had lowered the lifeboat and began rowing against the churning waters away from the boat, "Damn…I never thought we would get caught up in something like this…"

"I thought typhoon season was ending?!" Naru screamed over the harsh winds, her voice nearly lost over the howling air, "How the hell do we get back to land?! Do you even know the way?!"

"Trust me, if I did, I would be heading there now!" Keitaro hollered back, his arms being taxed to their limits by the unyielding water, "We're just going to have to wait for this to pass and use the stars to navigate when the clouds dissipate!"

Mutsumi then pointed to the left of them, "Ara Ara! That looks really big!"

The other two ronins turned and gaped at the enormous wave bearing down on their small lifeboat. Keitaro grabbed onto the other two girls' arms and held fast, "HOLD ON!"

The wave crashed onto them, throwing the three and their lifeboat under the water. At some point, Keitaro lost his hold on the other two and was flung head over heels in the unforgiving tide. He surfaced briefly, only for another, even LARGER wave to crash onto his head, sending him back into the deep...

*Giggle*

"Silly Onii-chan…it's way too early for you to sleep…your girlfriend's waiting for you!"

"You heard her kiddo…now do as your old man says and wake up!"

"Hey, Mutsumi-san! I think he's waking up!"

Keitaro clenched his eyes before slowly opening them, revealing a clear night sky filled with stars up above. He then realized his head was lying on something warm and soft, "W-Where…where am I…?"

"If you're asking where we are geographically, I have no idea," Naru replied with a small laugh, "But if you're asking where you are exactly…you're lying on my lap. You took one hell of a beating from those waves."

The landlord tried to get up, but Naru's hand gently pushed him back down, "Take it easy, Mr. Fix-It, we have no idea where we are or how we can get help yet. So rest."

"Sorry, it's never been in my nature to just take it easy at times like this," Keitaro chuckled as he let himself get pushed back onto the girl's lap. Her hand began softly caressing and massaging the top of his head, "How long was I out for?"

"Only a couple of hours, Urashima-kun," Mutsumi answered as she walked over and knelt next to the two, "It's a good thing you held onto us for as long as you did. It kept you close by when the waters washed us onto shore."

The landlord nodded, "Well I had to do something to make sure we didn't get separated…I'm sorry if I caused either of you any trouble."

"You've been causing me trouble for days, you jerk," Naru gently raked her knuckles on top of Keitaro's head, eliciting a small yelp, "But still…you did your best, so thank you."

"Neither of you need to thank me," the young man weakly waved his hand dismissively, pausing when Mutsumi caught it in her grasp and held it gently, "In any case, I think I'll take a nap first, and then we can figure out where we are and how to get home."

Seeing the two nod, Keitaro let himself slip back into sleep's embrace, the warmth from Naru's massage and lap, and from Mutsumi holding his hand making his transition back to slumber very easy.

The sun was high in the sky when Keitaro woke up again, the warm rays comforting on his skin. Getting to his feet, he noticed Naru and Mutsumi playing in the water, chuckling to himself when he saw that they had somehow found their bathing suits.

Mutsumi was the first one to spot him from the water and waved, "Urashima-kun~! Come on in, the water is amazing!"

Naru looked over and gestured to him as well, "She's right Keitaro-san! Jump in!"

The landlord was tempted, but something told him to go explore the strange place they had washed ashore first, "I'll come join you two a little later. I'm going to go see if I can find a source of food and fresh water."

Waving one last time, Keitaro set off into the brush. There wasn't a lot of foliage in the area, which made travelling on foot go rather smoothly. However, there was something a little unsettling about the area the young man had found himself in.

'Why…does something about this place seem so…familiar?' he thought as he made his way further inland, 'It's almost as if I've been here before…not too long ago…'

The young man almost didn't even realize that he had stumbled upon a dirt trail that led back to the coast. Shaking his head, he felt something pulling him further along the trail inland. It was almost as if something was calling to him. Going with his instincts, the Mononobe heir followed along the path. After several minutes, the foliage around him opened up into a vast rolling plain, with lustrous green grass and several wild flowers growing just about everywhere. However, it was what was in the middle of the plain that caught his eyes, and made him realize why this place felt so familiar.

A small stone shrine with a tiny patch of dirt in front of it.

'…To think that storm would have washed us up here of all places,' the young man slowly made his way to the shrine, his footsteps cautious and slightly hesitant. It looked a bit more weathered than when he had left it almost five years ago, with miniature patches of moss growing on the grey stone here and there. The plot of ground that marked where the urn holding the remains of his parents and sister was buried had almost disappeared, along with the blood markings he'd made. In their place was newly grown grass and a few dandelions. Keitaro knelt down in front of the dirt patch for a moment, taking a deep breath to center his tumultuous emotions.

"…Tou-san…Kaa-san…Saya-chan…I'm home," he whispered, one hand reaching out and gently caressing the side of the shrine, "I…I'm sorry, that it took me this long to come back and visit…things became…really difficult."

Keitaro removed his hand and opened up his worn grey gi before removing it, exposing his chiseled torso, and the scars it still bore, "I've been working very hard to fulfill the promise I made to you nearly five years ago…and I'm happy to tell you, that my mission is almost halfway complete. Five of the Tachibana Pillars and their sub-branch allies are burning in hell, and a sixth will soon follow them."

The burning rage he had kept a lid on for so long began to churn in his heart again, threatening to engulf him. Without realizing it, wisps of red ki started wafting from the young man's body, making him appear as if he was in the center of a wildfire, "Hina-obaasama has done quite a bit to try and curb my desires for vengeance…but she has not succeeded. My rage…my desire for vengeance…has never burned stronger!"

The ki suddenly dissipated as Keitaro brought himself back to normal, "However…there have been many other changes in my life…changes that I never could have planned for…changes that would probably make you three laugh."

He chuckled as thoughts of Naru, Motoko, and the other girls of Hinata-sou came to mind, "I've met some very interesting people…and I was even reunited with Mo-chan, although she is completely different from how she was when we were kids. She has become full of hatred, almost as much as me, and though she hides it well, I have felt how much pain she still has over 'our' deaths..."

The wind in the area began to pick up a bit, ruffling the avenger's hair, but he paid it little mind, "I've met up with Mutsumi again too, by pure chance no less. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were guiding her to me," he scratched the back of his head as he recalled his younger days with the busty Okinawan, "you always did approve of her, Okaa-san…guess that's why you made that arrangement with her parents."

The young man looked up to the sky, somewhat anxious about what he was about to say next, "However…I've found someone else. Someone that I never expected to develop feelings for…and for a while now I have questioned if allowing myself to explore those feelings was the right way for me to take…for an avenger like me to take."

Keitaro rose to his feet, and again placed a hand on the shrine, determination in his eyes, "But I think I have found my answer. Every time I think of breaking things off with her, I get a painful feeling in my chest…it almost feels as if somehow you three have been telling me to see this thing with Naru thru to the end...so that is what I will do. It may not be the avenger's way…but it's going to be my way. I pray I have your blessing."

With one final prayer to their souls above, the young man put his gi back on and turned to leave. He was stopped, however, when a voice called out to him.

"So this is where you got to…Urashima-kun."

Sighing to himself, the young man turned to the side to see Mutsumi, still clad in only a bikini, walking over to him and the shrine, "Otohime-san…"

"You don't have to be so formal with me. I think we both know…" Mutsumi's voice quivered as she came closer until she was only a foot away from the young man, "…w-we both know who you really are..."

Keitaro closed his eyes with a small smile let out a quick breath before cutting the flow of ki to his disguise, his now shoulder-length brown hair shifting back to black. When he opened his eyes again, the irises had gone from chocolate brown to dark crimson. Finally seeing the true form of the young man in front of her, Mutsumi choked, tears beginning to flow from her eyes, "…it really is you…Kyoshiro-kun…"

"...I'm sorry I had to lie to you, Mutsumi-chan," Kyoshiro spoke softly, somewhat enjoying not having to wear his disguise for a bit. Mutsumi closed the gap and embraced him with all her strength, her chest crushing up against his as her arms wound around his back. The Mononobe heir returned the embrace, "I'm here, Sumi-chan…I'm here…I'm sorry."

He let her remain as she was for a few moments, the girl sobbing as she told him of what became of her and her family after the massacre, of the shifting political climate of the remaining clans and how the Otohime had gone to ground after the Tachibana had been declared innocent of the slaughter of the Mononobe.

At some point, the two had sat down in front of the shrine, though the Okinawan had kept holding onto the younger man, scared that she was only dreaming and he would disappear if she awoke. Kyoshiro kept an arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm to soothe her. Eventually, Mutsumi was able to calm herself down enough to speak normally again.

"So…you've really been living as an Urashima all this time…I feel like I should be angry at Hina-sama, but I can understand why she did what she did."

"Trust me…if I could have, I would have sent you and Motoko messages saying I was still alive," Kyoshiro replied, hugging the girl close to him, "But things were so unstable back then…and there were other factors to consider…"

"…like you taking revenge against the Tachibana pillars?"

Kyoshiro froze and was about to let go, but Mutsumi grabbed his arm and kept him in place, "You don't have to hide it from me…I've been keeping an eye on the news, and I was able to connect the dots. I knew someone related to the Mononobe had to be behind it, but I didn't know it was you until now."

"…The Kyoshiro you knew, died in those flames," the avenger began, a sharp edge evident in his voice, "he died when he watched his mother get stabbed through the heart from behind…he died when he had his father's head thrown at his feet before watching his sister meet the same fate of his mother, and die in his arms…he died when he had a blade run through his own stomach."

He opened his gi, giving Mutsumi an unobstructed view of the jagged, angry red line on his stomach, as well as the kanji over his heart, "He died when the demon he left behind carved his mission onto his chest."

"…I don't think so…he didn't die…" Mutsumi countered, gently running her hand over the scar on his chest, "not completely. If he did…he would never have captured the heart of that young woman that's still at the beach, waiting for him to return."

Kyoshiro turned to her, his eyes dulled, but attentive as she continued, "I know why you chose the path that you did, why you may be struggling with what you have allowed yourself to feel…but don't you think that with everything you've gone through, you deserve some happiness?"

The avenger's eyes lit up once again. He had already answered that question only moments ago.

"Hah! I still can't believe we were on Okinawa this whole time," Naru laughed out loud as the three walked through the airport. After Keitaro and Mutsumi had returned and told the other girl of their location, it didn't take long for the three of them to walk to the Otohime's home. After that, it was a simple matter of purchasing a couple of plane tickets to Tokyo a couple days later.

"Talk about ironic, huh?" Keitaro commented with a grin before going up to a receptionist with his and Naru's bags, "Checking in two, please."

The woman nodded and took their bags, "Very good sir. You can proceed straight to the security checkpoint."

Nodding at her, the three went over to security. Mutsumi looked over at the other two with a small smile, "Ara ara, I suppose this is where we must say goodbye for now."

"Thank you for everything!" Naru hugged the older woman, "That was one hell of an adventure. Hopefully next time we visit, we don't run into any freak storms."

"Indeed!" Mutsumi replied before releasing her and turning to Keitaro, "It was truly a pleasure to meet you, Urashima-kun."

Keitaro nodded, "Same here, Otohime-san. Do try to be a bit more careful in the future though. Your clumsiness is a bit…worrisome to say the least."

Naru punched the young man playfully, but Mutsumi laughed, "I will do my best. Oh! I almost forgot, I have a gift for you two!"

Keitaro and Naru looked on as the Okinawan pulled out a small gift wrapped box, the top perforated with a few holes, "I meant to give it to you earlier, but we were having so much fun at home the past three days that I completely forgot until now."

"Aww, you didn't have to do that, thank you so much!" Naru thanked, receiving the box with care. She didn't expect Mutsumi to close in land a breathtaking kiss on her lips, "M-M-M-Mutsumi-san?!"

Keitaro facepalmed, 'I should've seen that coming. I swear her family has no boundaries at all.'

The young man was abruptly brought out of his thoughts when he felt his face being cupped by Mutsumi, "Uhh…O-O-Otohime-san?"

"Well it wouldn't be fair to just give Naru-chan a goodbye kiss, now would it?" Mutsumi giggled before closing in and claiming Keitaro's lips with her own. Although it only lasted a few seconds longer than her other kiss with Naru, it was enough for the Okinawan to finally release all the love she felt for the young man.

Keitaro was stunned. Even after she pulled away, he couldn't find the energy to move. The busty Okinawan giggled, while Naru watched flabbergasted, "M-M-M-Mutsumi-san!"

"There! Now you both have the proper send off!" Mutsumi giggled before pushing the two through the security booth and waving one last time, "Have a safe trip! Send me a text when you get home to let me know you arrived safely!"

The two ronin waved back, still a little stunned, before walking over to their gate. As they approached, Naru leaned into her taller companion, "So…some adventure, huh? Keitaro-kun?"

"Tell me about it…Oni-Kitsune is going to get a kick out of this when she hears about it," Keitaro commented, before idly noticing something, "…so it's Keitaro-kun now?"

"Well…things have changed…kinda," Naru replied softly, looking away with a slight blush, "I guess we should probably talk about that soon, huh?"

Keitaro looked over to the girl next to him with a small smile, "Well, we have some time before we get back to the dorms. We don't have to rush heading back either."

Naru nodded before noticing once again how close their hands were. Taking a chance, she wrapped her smaller hand around Keitaro's, only to smile when she felt his hand wrap around hers in return.

The Mononobe heir grinned seeing the happy expression on Naru's face, 'Yea…definitely made the right choice.'

As they boarded their plane and took their seats, Keitaro felt a buzz coming from his phone. While Naru was looking out the window, he quickly took it from his pocket and saw the text message pop up on the screen.

'Time to meet. – K.T.'

'Guess I'll be getting back to work sooner than I thought,' the avenger shut his phone and leaned back into his seat. He smiled a bit when he felt Naru lay her head on his shoulder and place her arm across his chest as she went to sleep.

His life was about to get chaotic again soon, so he decided to enjoy this moment with the new woman in his life while he had the chance. It was unlikely he would feel this peaceful again for a long time.

Author's Note - And that does it for the soft stuff for now people! There'll be more development with this new relationship between Naru and Keitaro here and there, but as that text message from Kimiko alluded, it's time to get back to it!

And before any of you start crying "harem!" or anything, absolutely NOTHING romantic will be happening between Mutsumi and Keitaro. I'm gonna nip that in the bud right now. As much as I love that pairing, it won't work with what I have in store. They'll be really close friends, but nothing more. Also...Keitaro's eyes becoming crimson instead of brown like normal...that'll get explained later (NO it's not a rip of the Sharingan or anything...just a sign of something he's done).

Alright, next chapter...things start getting set up and people are gonna get some overdue reality checks. I think you'll like it...maybe.

Till next time. Ciph signin off.