AN: Still don't own it

After a pleasant meal, Jugo paid and left. Akeno followed him back to their apartment building. As he went into his apartment, she followed him.

"Um, Akeno? Your apartment is next door."

Akeno nodded. "I told you, by right of conquest, I am now yours." She removed her hair ribbon once again. Seeing his blank stare she explained, "Just as your family has the tradition of an engagement duel, so does mine. Because I used the family sword in the duel, it became an official challenge for my hand. As you know, by giving me something to wear, you accepted me as your responsibility and even restored some of my honor in losing to you by not keeping the Morning Star. By sharing a meal, it means that you have fully taken me into your house as your bride. I could not ask for a better husband. By having Sun present, she acted as a witness to your honorable actions. Please be gentle with me." She began to remove the clothes Jugo had given her.

Jugo panicked and grabbed her hands. "We are only middle school students. Why don't you go change and come back here with my clothes. We'll talk then. I need to make a phone call."

"As you wish." Akeno stood and left.

Jugo picked up his cell and frantically called his parents. "Pick up... Pick up…"

When Renji answered Jugo cut him off. "Dad! Good I need to talk to you a bit."

"Jugo? It's late… Is everything okay?"

"No dad everything is not okay."

"Why don't you start by telling me what is wrong."

Jugo took a deep breath. He could do this. "Because I beat Sun Seto in a spar, Ren Seto's machinations led to Mermaid Examiner challenging me to a duel and I won."

Renji was impressed, "You beat a mermaid official! I'm so proud of you Jugo. Did you keep your human form?"

Jugo cut his father off before he could say anything else. "Dad! The girl who I beat, her family apparently has similar traditions to ours. Because she challenged me and I beat her, she says I'm now her husband. And she didn't see me change at all."

"Run that by me again son." Renji felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Only one family that he knew about had that tradition. If the girl was anything like her mother…Renji shuddered.

"I defeated Akeno Shiranui, a mermaid, in a duel. She said that because she used her family sword, the Morning Star, in the Engagement Challenge and I won, it means we're to be married."

As that sinking feeling fell to his feet, Renji broke out laughing hysterically. He had worked with the Shiranui family and knew of that tradition. Both he and Yuji had commiserated over it one time after a mission. For Jugo's sake, Akeno had better not take after her mother.

"Dad! I'm serious!"

"I know, son, I know." The older bakeneko calmed down. "I've worked with her father before. I can tell you she isn't lying about that. Did your normal sword fighting rules apply with girls?"

Jugo grumbled out, "Unfortunately."

Renji giggled again. "Well, as long as you didn't do anything stupid like give her something to wear or feed her, I think we'll be okay."

"Um…"

His father's voice was flat. "You didn't."

"Maybe. She was standing there in nothing but her underwear and hadn't brought a spare change of clothes. Was I supposed to just let her walk through the school like that?"

"What about the dinner?"

"It was late; she and Sun Seto were hungry. I heard their stomachs growling. I didn't want to end the fight on bad terms. Dad, it was a good fight."

Renji spoke again in the flat tone. "Did you not listen when we told you about the various ways to accept and acknowledge such traditions?"

Jugo reply was flat regardless of his agitated state. "You never told me."

Renji blinked. "I thought your mother did."

"No. The only reason I know about the tradition is because I heard you and mom talking about it and I read some of the clan scrolls to confirm it. When I asked you about it, you said that it was a tradition and then you went back to what you were doing."

Jugo heard his dad call out, "Kiriko? Did you tell Jugo about the traditions involved in accepting and acknowledging Engagement Challenge traditions?"

Jugo heard his mother respond, "No, I thought you did."

"Well, we need to make sure Amane knows that in great detail."

"Why?"

"I'll explain when I get off the phone."

Renji sighed heavily. Unions between Beastfolk and Merfolk weren't forbidden, but they were indeed rare. Some families cast out the respective individuals. Jugo would not face that. Renji was pretty sure that Akeno wouldn't, but he didn't know for certain. "I have worked with the Shiranui family in the past before to keep the nobles in line. They are very honorable people. It will take some time to go through the necessary channels, but I will contact her father to see about any loopholes in their family rules, but ours still apply. She didn't beat you did she?"

"No."

"If someone else does, this girl may likely become your mistress."

"Dad! Isn't there a way to stop this?"

Renji's voice was serious. "Jugo. If you turn her away, she will likely kill herself. By accepting and acknowledging the events, you have given her the only way for her to restore her honor. The Shiranui family is extremely influential in Kyoto. They are almost on the same level as some of the lesser Merfolk nobles. If you were the cause of one of their members killing herself, what do you think would happen? Particularly if she wields the family sword?!"

"Anything from demanding reparations to fighting between our sides resuming."

"Exactly. You need to do two things. First, tell her the truth about your actions. Second, tell her who you really are."

"But what about the mission?"

"Maintaining peace is part of your mission isn't it? Even if it wasn't, this is family honor."

Jugo hung his head. There was no arguing with that.

"Anything else Dad?"

Renji bit back several retorts about the wedding night. "Don't make me a grandpa too quickly."

"DAD!"

"Goodnight Jugo." Renji hung up. He had to tell his wife about this. It was just too funny. It was also difficult to believe a fish would be part of the family now. They really couldn't offend the Shiranui family. They were too highly placed in Kyoto. While Renji knew he was partly to blame, the thought of his son dealing with a girl was just plain amusing. While Jugo was a very gifted boy, with girls he was both hopeless and helpless. Renji prayed Akeno didn't own a tazer.

As Jugo hung up the phone, a soft knock echoed through his front room.

Jugo opened the door. In front of him, standing in a rather elegant yukata, was Akeno. The dark blue silk clung to her body like a second skin and complimented her complexion. Her hair was loose. The embroidery of waves crashing against rocks seemed to move as she did. Her ever-present sword case was absent. In her hands, folded neatly, were the clothes he had given her. Jugo blushed and gulped. The mermaid looked very attractive. WHere did that thought come from?

"Is this acceptable?"

Jugo nodded slowly. He motioned to his couch. "Please sit down. We have a lot to discuss."

Akeno nodded and sat.

Jugo sat at the opposite end of the couch. "I just got off the phone with my family. I was unaware of your family's traditions."

"But you …" Jugo held up his hand to cut her off.

"I know what my actions represented. I was trying to be nice, but now your personal honor is tied up in this as well. I know how you feel. I would feel the same in your shoes. So as not to offend your honor, or you, I will not take my actions back. That situation would just be worse."

"You really didn't know?"

Jugo shook his head. "I just got off the phone with my parents. My father thought my mother had told me how to handle things and my mother thought my father had handled it. I also did not know that your family had similar traditions to mine.

Akeno nodded. "There is something about me you need to know." Akeno seemed hesitant about the information. "I am like Sun Seto." She extended her legs and poured a small bottle of water on them. They rapidly turned into a purple tail. She was shocked when Jugo shook his head, then dried her tail off and it reverted to her legs.

"I'm impressed. How does a human like you know about this? They are to be killed according to Mermaid Law."

"What about me?"

"By me becoming your wife, you are protected."

"Just like Nagasumi?"

Akeno looked shocked.

Jugo raised an eyebrow. "What about the fact that you are a Sea Official from Kyoto sent to administer the Mermaid Exam to the Seto family and all other Merfolk in the area? Namely Lunar Edomae and Kai Mikawa."

Akeno looked poleaxed. Had he known that all along? Her eyes narrowed. Who was Jugo Semagawa?

Jugo began explaining. "I didn't know that you were a mermaid when we first met. In fact I discounted it when the waitress spilled water on you. I thought you were a normal human."

"When did you find out?"

Jugo sat back. "When you told Michishio that it was good the secret was being kept. The fact Sun was a mermaid was the only secret you could be referring to."

"How can you possibly know so much about the Merfolk?"

"Would you accept that I just know and leave it at that?"

Akeno shook her head. "It is a rather vexing problem."

Jugo sighed. "Don't freak out." Jugo shifted into his bakeneko form.

Akeno jumped and scrabbled away. "You, you're a…"

Jugo returned to his human form. "A bakeneko. Yes, as a cat, I eat fish. No, I don't eat Merfolk day in and day out. I also try to stay away from the types of fish that are clans that the Special Division works with. Besides, since I have acknowledged what happened, that means you are part of my family correct? My father confirmed that your family traditions are indeed similar to mine. He apparently knows your father."

Akeno relaxed slightly but was still on edge.

Jugo continued, "While you are a Merfolk Exam Administrator; I am a Beastfolk Exam Administrator and Inquisitor. Don't worry. I have no intention of harming you. Injuring a member of the Shiranui Clan is not high on my list of priorities. Your family is one of the few Merfolk my father has spoken positively about."

Akeno was interested despite her declining fear. "What do you mean? Who is your father?"

Jugo shrugged. "It is better to show you." Jugo went to a sword rack. It was odd in that it was mounted on a box instead of the wall. Jugo removed the swords and lifted up the rack. He pulled out a bundle wrapped in reddish-orange silk.

"My real name is Jugo Rekkaneko." Jugo slowly unwrapped the bundle and revealed a rather distinct set of swords. "My father is Renji Rekkaneko." Akeno paled. Those swords had appeared many times throughout Merfolk history. The Cat's Claws. Jugo unsheathed the pair of swords. The blades lit in flames. Akeno knew that the swords would even burn underwater. It had been recorded many times over. Jugo saw the fear in her eyes. He quickly put them away.

"When I saw the Morning Star, it was one of the few times I have been truly frightened. Many Beastfolk have lost their hearing to that sword. Beastfolk value that as much as Mermaids do their voices." With this, Jugo sat at the other end of the couch.

The pair sat in silence for a long time.

Jugo spoke first. "I think that we need to keep this whole thing under wraps for now. If I would venture a guess, neither of our superiors would appreciate this outcome. We both have missions to accomplish here. This is just another part of it."

Akeno looked at Jugo, losing a touch of the deference she had previously demonstrated. "Where do we go from here? What about the Exams?"

Jugo shrugged. "I don't know. At a guess I would say that we continue as we have. I originally came here to prevent the Seto Outfit from expanding into Saitama. I wasn't trained as an Exam Administrator. I am an Inquisitor."

Suddenly, all the pieces fell in place for Akeno. "You're the Black and White Tiger?!"

Jugo looked shocked. "You've heard of that title?"

Akeno nodded. "A few weeks ago, I heard my father talk of getting in touch with the Special Division to see about see about getting your help with nobles that are doing things they shouldn't. Apparently they are impressed byyour ability to push the Setos around." She looked surprised. "You're my age. Everyone thought you were older."

Jugo nodded again. "The Setos think so too. Because of that, I can hide in plain sight. If you tell any of them the truth, bad things will happen. I have worked hard to regain family honor that my father's injury caused us to gradually lose."

Akeno looked deep in thought. "What if another girl beats you in combat? What will happen to me?"

Jugo sighed. "Part of the paperwork you signed was that you would handle all challengers for the next week. If you beat all of them, you are free to challenge me again."

"That is why you haven't lost. They have all been humans."

Jugo smiled. "I've gotten lucky. But it is so irritating that they know. But to answer your question, I don't know."

Akeno seemed to be deep in thought for a few minutes. An evil smirk grew on her face. She began crawling over the couch and soon situated herself lying on top of a nervous and frozen Jugo. "You know, since I am your wife now, I have some wifely duties to take care of."

Jugo began stammering, his eyes were darting wildly around. He had not expected this. "Um, that's alright. We're only fourteen, no need rush on things like that…"

Akeno silenced the sputtering boy with a kiss. When she pulled away, she smirked. "Good night Husband." She sauntered out the door and back to her apartment. It appeared that the little kitty got flustered. Her mother had taught her the womanly ways of keeping a man in line. Apparently they worked regardless of species. Good to know. She would have to make sure that if someone did beat him, she would not be tossed aside.

When she got back inside her room, Akeno sagged. She held her hands up to her lips. That kiss had been calculated to begin to tie Jugo to her. But it was nice. Really nice. It made her heart flutter a little. With Jugo being a bakeneko, it was better than him being human, but not by much. When he didn't try to cook and eat her, she had calmed a little. When she realized that he was trying to at least defend her honor; a small spark had lit inside of her. Her long dormant girly side had flared up. Even though Jugo was a Beastman, he still treated her with respect and honor. He also hadn't ended their tenuous friendship. He had an impenetrable, for her at least, defense. He took her best attacks and shrugged them off. And as the Black and White Tiger he had seen easily over a hundred fights and had come out of them unscathed. He was what she always thought of as her ideal merman. Instead, he was a cat. It was kind of cute that he got all flustered. She took off her yukata and went to bed. Her thoughts before she fell asleep were simply wondering of how this would even work out.

Jugo sat staring at the door. He didn't know what to think. Akeno had kissed him. Why? It made no sense. Why had she kissed him? Mermaids were scared of his kind. Yes, it felt really nice, her lips tasted like oranges, and when he dried off her legs he saw and felt that they were nice, long, toned, and silky. Jugo shook his head again. Where did these thoughts keep coming from?! That didn't matter. Why had she kissed him? In his frustration, his transformation slipped slightly, and his cat ears and tails popped out. Jugo stormed to bed. Could this even work out between them? Why had she kissed him?! He spent most of the night staring at the ceiling. Girls regardless of species were irritating.

The next day, after all the students had gone to their first class of the day, a girl wandered into the school building. She was wearing spotted cat ears on a headband and a tail was attached to the waistband of her frilly dress. She had a small backpack on her back and necklace with a bell around her neck. Her outfit was easily defined as sweet and loveable. Her stark white hair had black streaks in it. In her hands was a cloth wrapped box

Ren was walking through the hall headed towards the Nurse's office. She spotted a small figure with cat ears. Ren stiffened. When she saw the band holding them in place she relaxed.

"Can I help you?" Ren had to hold herself back from squealing. The little girl looked so adorable.

The little girl turned. Ren realized that she was only around seven or eight.

"Oh, hello. I am looking for my brother. He goes to school here." The little girl's smile lit up the room.

Ren laughed. "Well a lot of boys go here. What is his name?"

"Jugo Semagawa." Amane was glad she had read up on her brother's cover name and story.

Ren smiled. "You're his sister? Odd hair color must run in your family."

The girl pouted and stomped her foot. "It's not odd. It's special." Her face brightened. "Do you know where I can find him? I miss him so much." She sniffed a little.

Ren smiled. "Sure. He's in class but I don't see any harm in lettin' ya visit with him for a moment. What about yer parents?"

The girl looked proud of herself. "I came here all by myself. It was a long ride. But the train went really fast. My mother has been taking care of my grandma. She doesn't have much time for me. School is boring back there. I miss my brother. And I'm worried about my grandma. Jugo always helps me feel better." She looked at Ren with wide eyes. "I hope she doesn't die. Grandma is really nice and she knows so much. She makes the best cookies. She taught me how."

Ren fought the urge to pick the girl up and cuddle her. She probably didn't even know how dangerous it was to travel alone. But she had made it here. Regardless of how she felt about Jugo, his absolutely adorable sister canceled that out. That and it was her duty as a responsible adult to help young children. Ren smiled, "Well then, since you came here on your own, maybe you can spend the whole day with Jugo. Would that be fun?"

The girl's face lit up and she hopped in place. "That would be the bestest! You're really nice."

Ren walked the girl to class 2-1. She slid open the door and whispered to her husband. Gozaburou quickly smiled. The cute little girl's visible innocence reminded him of his adorable Sun when she was little.

Amane peeked her head in and saw her brother. She ran past the adults and jumped at him. "JUGO!"

Jugo's head shot up. After what happened yesterday, he hadn't gotten too much sleep that night. He was tackled to the ground by a familiar blur.

When he managed to pry the younger girl off, Jugo sat her on his desk. "Amane, what are you doing here?"

His sister responded, "I missed you silly. It's been so boring without you." She gave her older brother a hug. "I brought you your favorite cookies!" She handed Jugo the wrapped box.

Ren smiled at the sibling interaction. The girl was too cute for words. "She said she came here on her own. Since you are her only family in the area, it will be okay for her to stay with you during your classes as long as she behaves herself. I will inform the other teachers."

Jugo smiled at his sister. "I'll keep her in line. After school, I will also arrange for her to get home safely. I may be absent tomorrow if no one else can come to Saitama." The little girl beamed back at Jugo. Jugo proceeded to take out paper and pencils for his sister.

Amane hopped down from the desk and looked tearily up at Kai. "Can you move over so I can sit next to my brother please? I've missed him so much." She had mastered the adorable kitten stare.

Against the power of the stare, Kai had no choice but to move next to Lunar. All of the girls in the class were thinking that the scene between brother and sister was so heartwarming. If Kai ruined it they would have beaten him to a pulp, money or no.

Gozaburou had a rare moment of not being a gruff, overbearing Yakuza boss and kept his tone normal for a class. He was having flashbacks to when his precious, precious Sun was that age. His kanji test that day would instead of being yakuza related terms would be descriptive words and actions of adorable daughters and doting fathers. Sadly for Nagasumi, that meant once Amane was out of Mr. Seto's range of vision the man's rage at the boy grew exponentially. Another chase through the hallways with a sword was on the schedule after classes.

After the Homeroom announcements were over, the girls all went over to talk to the little sister of the resident Samurai. When they had seen the pair interact, the first thing through their minds was that Jugo would be excellent with kids.

Jugo fixed his sister with an amused look. "I can guess why you came, but how did you leave without Mom knowing? And she is probably more than a little worried about you leaving and not knowing where you were going."

Amane tilted her head to the side. "I left a note silly. Besides, she stayed up late talking to Daddy."

Jugo narrowed his eyes. "Why haven't I gotten a call from them?"

Amane shrugged, doodling. "Dunno. Their room was locked when I left."

Jugo shook his head. Knowing his sister, that likely meant she barricaded the room, nailed the windows shut and drugged his parents so she could leave. He would get it out of her later when fewer people were around.

Mawari spoke first. "It's dangerous for a girl your age to travel alone. Don't you know the rules of this society?"

Amane tilted her head at the girl. "Why is it dangerous? There were lots of people who wanted to help me find my brother."

Mawari struggled to explain to such a young girl the reasons why it was not wise for her to travel alone.

Amane seemed to brighten up. "Oh! You mean like bad people who want to take me away."

Mawari sighed in relief. "Exactly."

Amane shrugged and went back to her doodling, kicking her legs back and forth under the chair. "Mommy told me to yell for help and she showed me how to make the bad people go away. She even gave me something to keep the bad people away. Jugo gave me a present that keeps them away too. He even showed me how to use it."

Mawari immediately got the impression that she didn't want to know.

Sadly, none of the other girls had the short girl's sense of mental preservation.

"What did Jugo give you?"

The little girl reached up her sleeve and pulled out a small mace sprayer that was bedecked with stickers of hello kitty and flowers.

"It works real well. Watch." At this the little girl promptly sprayed Kai and Sarutobi square in the face. The resulting screaming and rolling around was entertaining, yet very disquieting in that a little girl had been the cause.

She giggled and clapped. "They played along!" More than a few of the people in the classroom were disturbed by the sight of a small girl spraying mace so easily and thinking it was funny.

Jugo took the mace away from the little girl. "Amane. What did I tell you about using this?"

The little girl recited, "Only use it when someone is too close and is looking at me funny."

"So why did you use it on those two?"

"They were looking at me funny and the monkey was too close. I didn't like it."

"What should you have said first?"

"Mommy says I should say back off or die."

"Did you say that?"

The little girl looked downtrodden. If her feet could reach the floor, they would have been scuffing the floor in nervous embarrassment. "No."

"Apologize."

"Creepy looking boys, I'm sorry."

Jugo patted the girl on her head and handed her the mace back, now loaded with a new canister. "Don't use it again unless you say that first."

Most of the class was staring in shock. Mawari was working her jaw, but nothing was coming out. There had to be a law of some kind against that.

Amane nodded happily and went back to her drawing.

Then like a train wreck, Sun piped up. "What did your mother give you?"

Jugo tried to stop his sister but it was too late.

Amane reached into her other sleeve and pulled out a knife with a four inch blade. The back of the blade was jagged and barbed. "I call it Mrs. Shiny. Mommy said that I only can use it if someone touches me."

The sight of a young girl with a vicious knife made everyone take a step back.

Mawari stuttered out, "Is that blood?"

Jugo took another look at the knife. Sure enough it had a small amount of blood on it. Fresh blood.

Amane shrugged and put it away. "There was a man that put me on his lap and said he would give me candy to come home with him. That is just what Mommy told me the bad people were like. I just poked him with Mrs. Shiny and told another grown-up what he wanted to do to me. At the next stop the police arrested him. He was a bad man they were looking for. They also said something funny."

The train wreck continued. "What did they say?"

"He couldn't use the bathroom standing up ever again. That is just silly. Even I know boys use the bathroom standing up."

The mental images conjured by all males present, save for one facepalming Jugo, had them all beat a hasty retreat from the scary child.

The Disciplinary Committee members congratulated the little girl for her actions. The boys edged further away.

Finally the dam broke and Mawari was shouting at Jugo. "How can you let your sister carry that around?! She stabbed someone! She maced Chimp and Kai!"

Jugo merely looked at the girl. "Would you rather my little sister be accosted and injured by someone wanting to take advantage of her? You and I both know that the only reason you haven't maced those two is because you use handcuffs instead." Jugo smirked. "Besides are you going to take it away from her, knowing what she can do with it? She is my sister."

That shut the girl up.

Masa came in to begin his lesson. After collecting homework, he went to start his lesson. Masa was promptly interrupted by an overly loud whispering voice. "Jugo, why does that man have crispy noodles on his head? Uncle says they are grown on a special farm. Is that where they come from? Do they grow on people's heads?"

Masa, being the consummate gentleman, walked over to the little girl and knelt down. "They aren't crispy noodles." He tilted his head towards the little girl. She ran her fingers through his hair.

She looked abashed. "I'm sorry. That was mean of me to say wasn't it?"

Masa replied. "It wasn't the kindest thing to say. You also interrupted a teacher."

Amane looked sad. "I'm sorry. That wasn't nice of me at all. Jugo says that when a teacher is talking, I should listen."

"He's right, and its okay. You're young…" Masa was cut off by a little girl hugging his neck.

"I'm sorry Mr. Masa. I promise I'll be quiet today." She promptly sat back down and resumed drawing.

The rest of the class passed uneventfully.

During the next break, Amane was looking at Kai's sword. "Mr. Spiky Hair? Why is your sword so small?"

This caused the merman to draw it. Or at least he tried. His sword was sitting flat in the upturned palms of the girl. "Yep. It's small."

Kai took it back from the girl. "It is the average size."

Amane looked at Kai. "It's okay that you have a small sword. Uncle always says that it isn't the size of a man's sword; it's how he handles it. Jugo has a bigger sword than you do. He always wins fights too. Does that mean that he handles his big sword better than you handle your small one?"

This caused Jugo to facepalm again and Kai to drop the sword in shock. The girls in the class who had signed up for kendo lessons all began blushing and laughing behind their hands.

"I guess you can't handle it really well can you?"

Before the situation could degenerate any further, Jugo proceeded to open his sword case and take out four sheathed swords. "I figure you would want these back Kai."

"About time…" Kai trailed off as he pulled the hilts from their sheaths only to see broken shards of metal. He upended the sheaths and a rain of metal poured over the desk. "You broke them! They're useless!"

Akeno took the one that she had shattered and handed it back to Kai. "I'm done with this. You may have it back as well."

Kai repeated the earlier process, covering his desk with metal shards. "How?"

Akeno looked at Kai. "During our duel, they all broke. You should consider better quality blades. I had hoped the heir to the Mikawa conglomerate would at least have a decent blade. It was truly vexing when it broke against Jugo."

Kai was flabbergasted. These used to be top quality Merfolk blades. He looked at Jugo, horrified. How a human broken them in a fight against Akeno?

Amane piped in again. "Your little sword can't do anything right can it? Besides you're wrong."

Juliet spoke up, "How is he wrong?"

Amane picked up a shard. "They aren't useless. Watch."

She threw the shard and lopped the head off of a daisy that was sitting in a vase across the room. The shard was embedded in the cork board behind the flowers.

Jugo raised an eyebrow. "Were you aiming for that one Amane?"

Amane blushed. "I was aiming for the one next to it. I'm not as good as you are Jugo." Since everyone's eyes were already on the vase, they noted that the flowers on either side were only a finger's width away.

"That's okay. Go pick up the flower and put the piece of Kai's sword back on his desk."

"Okay Jugo." The little girl skipped over and as she was walking back she stopped. She pulled on Sun's skirt. "Miss Sun? Drawing is boring. Can I play with your dolly? I saw it in your desk. I promise I won't hurt it." She repeated the gesture of the pleading eyes to the mermaid

After a token resistance, Sun caved and nodded. "Sure, but be gentle with her."

Amane nodded happily, "I will."

In science class, Lunar tried to talk to Amane while she was brushing Maki's hair with a small brush from her backpack.

"Did you know that your brother has never heard of Lunar Edomae?'

Amane looked innocently at the older girl. "Who's that?"

"She's the number one singer in all of Japan."

Amane looked pensive for a moment. "The one with pink hair?"

Nodding, Lunar crowed internally. Even this girl knew what her idiot brother did not.

Amane continued before Lunar could talk. "Mommy says that anyone who dresses like that is a hooker. I don't know what it means. I asked my uncle and he said that men pay them money to spend time with them. I asked Mommy why there were so many pictures around. Mommy said that she was popular and gave concerts. Do men pay money to spend time with Lunar at concerts?" Everyone around the girl was looking on in shock.

Suddenly Lunar was aghast, trying to formulate a response that did not validate what the little girl had said.

Jugo had heard this and was trying valiantly not to laugh. "Amane. That's not what Uncle meant. You need to tell Mother what he said when I take you home. Lunar sings pop songs."

"Oh! So she sings the Pepsi and Coke songs?"

"They are about as interesting Amane. Why don't you go back to playing with Sun's dolly?"

"Okay Jugo."

Lunar was grinding her teeth. It was the entire family. Every single one of them was like that!

Maki was trying not to laugh as the girl gently brushed her hair. She put Lunar in her place just like her brother did. Maybe this family wasn't too bad. The little girl was actually doing a good job on her hair. She wasn't pulling or anything.

When Gym class rolled around, Amane followed Akeno. "I can't stay with Jugo when he changes. Can I come with you?"

Akeno nodded. As the little girl followed Akeno into the room they were changing in, the sword toting girl was curious what the rest of Jugo's family were like. His little sister was just like any other talkative kid. Granted with a wider array of skills, but she needed to be able to protect herself. A part of Akeno stirred, remembering her interactions with her own brother. She turned away before anyone would see the emotion on her face.

As the girls changed, Amane pointed to Akeno's wrapped chest. "Mommy does the same thing. She says it's because they are too big when she needs to fight." She looked around. "You're bigger than everyone else here. That must be why you wrap your chest like Mommy." Amane pointed to Lunar. "She's the smallest. I want to look like Mommy when I grow up. How do you make them so big Akeno? Can mine be as big as yours someday?" The little girl was making all of the females in the room very self conscious.

Akeno smiled. "Eat right and exercise. The rest happens naturally."

Amane nodded. "Okay." She turned to Sun. "Do you mind if I make your dolly pretty?"

Sun was distracted as she was getting dressed and merely answered. "Of course you can. You don't think she's already pretty?"

Amane nodded. "Yes, but I want to make her look really pretty."

Sun replied, "Sure, Amane." What was the worst she could do?

Maki's patience was sorely tested during gym class. She had her hair styled into three ponytails. One was sprouting off of each side of her head. The last was off center and pointing straight up with the aid of glittery hair gel. She was then forced into a pink dress with so many frills it was bigger than her shell. Her feet were pulled from her steel toed boots, her nails horribly painted and forced into pink plastic sandals with a high heel. The girl pulled this and other accessories from her backpack. Amane then applied 'makeup' and made Maki look like a demented clown. A pair of glittery wings was then clipped to the back of the dress. The final insult was when she used a purple glitter paste on her shell to complete the look. Maki was unhappy she had left her sword at home today. She wasn't able to defend herself.

Fujishiro watched the entire thing with a sense of morbid curiosity and wondering when Maki would snap and hurt the kid. What he didn't know was that Amane had hit several pressure points used to incapacitate Merfolk prisoners. The Conch was unable to move, let alone fight back.

The final insult for the mollusk was when the girl took several pictures of her artwork. Once she was even posed drinking tea with other similarly attired dolls.

When Gym was over, Amane ran up to Sun. "See! I made her prettier." Sun was speechless at the change.

She then went to Jugo. "I made Sun's doll pretty! Did I do a good job Jugo? Sun couldn't talk I made her dolly so pretty."

Jugo had to wait a minute before speaking. "She looks much better Amane, but don't you think Sun would want her back the way she was?"

"Why would she? The dolly looks better like this. She's a fairy princess."

Lunar saw what happened to the Conch and laughed so hard she almost wet herself.

Kai's response was similar.

Jugo knelt down and put his hand on his sister's shoulder. "Amane, what if she is a special dolly to Sun and she's dressed like that for a reason?"

"You mean like the collector dollies Uncle has?"

Jugo nodded. "Why don't you clean her up while we get changed? Be careful with her."

"Okay Jugo."

Akeno was fighting back laughter at the misfortune of the little Conch. On the plus side, her control around a potential human earned her a passing grade on her Mermaid Exam. After all, Maki didn't know the little girl was a Beastgirl.

Nagasumi stood with wide eyes. He knew if he said anything, he would pay for it later. Maybe he would buy the girl a snack as a way of saying thank you. He would decide later. He was too busy committing the image to memory.

Sun was amazed that Maki hadn't broken cover. She hated pink with a passion. At least Jugo convinced his sister to reverse her changes.

Moments later Maki was very glad that she could breathe underwater. She was scrubbed, soaked, and dried. Then the process was repeated. Suddenly Maki felt a burning in her eyes and abraded skin. Where had the girl gotten rubbing alcohol? And why was she using steel wool to get the makeup off? Maki's ability to hold off the change was tested to the limit before she was deemed clean enough to be returned to Sun. Maki could still blurrily see purple glitter on her shell. It would take hours to get it clean. Maki decided she would rather face the kitten again than be deemed the little demon's dress up doll. She still couldn't move. What had that little girl done to her? Amane was waiting for all the students to come back for lunch. She handed Maki back to Sun. "Thank you for letting me play with your dolly. I made her not as pretty again like Jugo told me to do. I made sure I didn't clean off the paint that they used for her face."

Sun sighed in relief. Other than a burning, redder face and wet clothes, Maki was fine. Sun quickly hid the mollusk in her satchel. Sun never noticed that Maki wasn't wearing her signature footwear.

When lunch rolled around, Jugo excused himself and took Amane up to the roof for lunch. Most of the class breathed a sigh of relief. Akeno followed the siblings.

When the three were situated on the roof, Jugo fixed his sister with a glare. "Drop the act Amane. Why did you come to Saitama?"

Amane pouted. "You're no fun. Playing the cute and innocent card works great."

"Did Dad send you?"

"No. But I heard them talking last night about what happened with you and the fish." She pointed to Akeno. "I had to see if she was worth you Jugo. I don't want a weak sister in law. A weak fish of a sister in law would only be worse."

Akeno looked shocked. This whole thing had been an act?

"Did she even make you draw your real swords?"

Jugo smirked. "We broke five Merfolk katana in our duel. That, and she fought me with the Tuning Sword."

Amane turned a calculative gaze towards the girl. "She might be worth something then. Mom said that she had to be able to have kids. Dad said she had better be pretty. Judging by what I saw when she was changing, she meets their criteria. She's just a mermaid right? Not from any of the fish races?"

"No. She is just a regular mermaid. Her tail is purple." Jugo waved his hand. "Anyway, how did you get out of the house? And don't think I don't recognize your training headband and belt in case your ears and tail come out in public. I know Mom keeps those under lock and key."

Amane smiled. "I learned how to pick locks last week. Mommy has been teaching me about the proper way to drug someone. I added it to their tea for the evening. I also covered the windows in foil-covered cardboard, unplugged their alarm clock, nailed their door and windows shut, their phones are dead, and the batteries and chargers are hidden around the house."

"Did you get the tools mom keeps on top of the ceiling fan?"

It was at this point that Jugo's cell began ringing. Amane looked at her watch. "Two, three hours tops. I was hoping for more."

Jugo smiled and shook his head. "Hello dad. I know Amane snuck out. She got here safely. I'm eating lunch with her right now. She said she had to see for herself what Akeno was like. One moment." He handed the phone to his sister. "It's for you."

Amane took a few steps away and began getting dressed down for running away.

Akeno leaned in. "This is vexing. Is she in trouble?"

Jugo smiled and shook his head. "Only a little. After they get their anger out, they will critique her as to what she did wrong, then my parents will likely start stepping up her training."

After the phone was hung up, the trio ate a relaxing lunch on the rooftop of the school. Amane even allowed Akeno a cookie.

When Jugo was waiting for a call from his mom that the train was getting close to Saitama, he turned to his sister. "Now that we are alone, I have two questions. What did you do to Masa? And did you get pictures and video of what you did to Maki?"

Amane giggled. "Slow acting itching powder in his hair and shirt. I also superglued Maki's feet into toy sandals with high heels. Dad's getting a new shoe themed keychain for Father's Day. And yes I did."

Jugo grinned, "I'll sell them for you."

"Eighty-twenty."

"Fifty-Fifty. I have the contacts, and we're family."

"Sixty-forty and you print me a poster of the tea party for my room."

"Deal."

Amane handed Jugo the memory card.

When Kiriko showed up to take the girl home, Amane hugged her brother. "Good bye Jugo. I'll miss you."