Ranma Onehalf: First steps. Book Five.

DISCLAIMER: Bres diary entrys are property of Jackie Baethke.

Chapter Six.

Bres nose twitched as the scent of breakfast reached her nostrils. Cracking open an eye she looked at her bedside clock, which read 7:45 am and presented her with a bit of a dilemma: Either listen to the messages her stomach was sending her and get up, or roll over and try to get back to sleep.

She lay there and debated this for a few minutes before hunger won out and she crawled out of bed.

"Who allowed it to be morning?" she asked Kamone as she sat down.

"And good morning to you too, sleepyhead." answered Kamone. "Anything you want for breakfast?"

"Food." was Bres reply before she plunked her head down on the table.

Kamone snorted in amusement and looked up as Dokuhotei poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Give her an omlette." he said. "And a cup of Kenji -grade tea."

Dokuhotei gave Kamone an odd look from the kitchen. "We want to wake her up, not put her into orbit Kamone." he said. "Regular tea would do just fine, right Bre?"

Bre groaned incoherently and waved one hand above her head in a gesture that could be taken as a 'yes'. Dokuhotei nodded and turned back to the stove.

"See Kamone? Se agrees with me." said Dokuhotei said.

"I disagree, but you're the one cooking, so it's up to you." answered Kamone with a shrug. Nudging Bre in the ribs he leaned over. "So, what are you doing today?" he asked.

Lifting her head Bre blinked and rubbed her eye. "Clothes shopping." she answered. "For my date tonight."

Kamone nodded as he sipped his tea. "Ah, yes, you and Evans." he said.

Narrowing her eyes Bre gave Kamone a suspicious look. "How'd you know that?" she asked. "Have you been spying on me?"

Kamone chuckled and shook his head in reply. "You told me, remember?" he said. "Yesterday?"

Bre gazed woodenly at him for a few moments before her brain kicked in and she got the message. "Oh, yeah, that's right." she muttered before dropping her head onto the table. "I hate mornings." she said in muffled English.

A laugh from Dokuhotei made Bre open an eye and send a glare in the direction of the kitchen.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You sound like Haruko." he said, which got a laugh from Kamone.

"What?" Bre asked, totally confused.

"Your moth- you're birth mother." Kamone said. "You take after her in so many ways. Tell me, do you hit people with blunt objects and musical instruments?"

"No." was Bres reply before she covered her head with her arms. "My sister-in-law to be does that for me."

"Oh." Kamone said before draining his tea.

As Kamone refiled his teacup Bre lifted her head and gave her father a look. "And what do you mean I take after my birth mother?"

"He means your mannerisms." Kamone said as he came in with a large plate of scrambled eggs with a side of hash browns and a steaming hot mug of coffee. "The way you take mornings for example." he said as he set the plate and mug down in front of Bre.

Grabbing a fork Bre dug in, the scent of food kicking her stomach into gear. "Anything else?" she asked between mouthfuls.

Dokuhotei scratched his chin as he thought for a second. "Well, there's artistic side, your writing. Then theres your love of rock and roll." he said. "And your love of insanely high speeds of course."

Bre nodded as she shoveled hash browns into her mouth. Swallowing she took a sip of coffee then looked at her grandfather.

"What about my little brother? Who does he take after?" she asked.

"Kamone in a lot of ways." Dokuhotei replied. "Haruko in others."

"Yeah, his guitar playing." Bre said with a nod.

"And his piety." Kamone said. 'Those and Kenji have helped keep him in one piece mentally."

"That I'll agree with, but I don't see where he gets anything from Kamone, other than his piety." Bre said with a glance at her father. "Naota is nowhere near as big an idiot as him -no offense."

"None taken." Kamone answered with a laugh. "Actually, one of the things he gets from me is his temper."

Bre gave him an odd look and paused in her eating. "What do you mean his temper? I haven't seen you hit anybody once since I got here."

That mad Kamone and Dokuhotei chuckle.

"Bre, that was just him being annoyed." Kamone said. "If we're well and truly furious with someone, they don't survive to report it."

"Ooo-kay." Bre said cautiously. "That scares me."

Kamone smiled at her and patted Bre on the shoulder. "Oh, don't worry, it doesn't apply to family." he said.

"That makes me feel better." Bre said as she went back to her breakfast. "I think."

Both men chuckled again as Dokuhotei looked at the clock, which now read 7:25 am.

"And we have to get going. The shop opens in about thirty minutes." he said as he got up. "Have fun on your date Bre."

"And be home by midnight." Kamone added in a mock gruff tone as he got up.

"Ha ha." Bre said in a deadpan tone.

After they left Bre finished her breakfast and then got up to get dressed. Forty -five minutes later she stepped out the door and headed out to do some serious shopping. With some help, of course.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Ranma was watching highlights of the national karate championships on the news when he heard a knock at the door. Pausing the news(1) he got up and walked to the door to find Bre standing there.

"Morning." he as as he opened the door.

"Morning." answered Bre with a nod. "Is Lia up yet?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Ranma answered with a shrug. "She spent the night over at your brothers place."

"She did?" Bre asked, raising an eyebrow. "And you let her do that?"

Ranma nodded sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I did. I figure she's getting married soon, so it's okay." he said. "That, and Mallet -sama(2) convinced me." he added, getting a giggle from Bre.

"I thought so." Bre said as she tried to keep from smiling at that mental image (And failing). "What about Matoko?"

"She's over there too." answered Ranma. "Her muse was whispering in her ear."

"Ah." Bre said with a nod. "Kenji too, I assume?"

"Yep." Ranma answered with a nod.

"And you're not worried in the least about the two of them spending the night together unsupervised?" Bre asked.

"No, not in the least." Ranma said. "With those two? You gotta be kidding me. Matokos as bad as Kenji. When Naota was turned she and Lia both got a nose bleed."

Bre got a look of confusion on her face and crossed her arms. "Oh? When was this?" she asked.

"Before you arrived." Ranma said. "Ono was giving Naota a full exam, the girls walked in and they ended up getting a full frontal Full Monty."

That made Bre break out laughing and it took her a couple of moments before she regained her composure. Wiping a tear away she straightened up and took several breaths.

"Of course the real corker was when Akane came and gave Naota her two cents worth." Ranma added, which made Bre break out laughing all over again.

After nearly falling on the ground laughing Bre recovered and managed to finally regain her composure.

"Thanks Ranma." she said. "Now I have something to torture my little brother with."

"You're welcome." Ranma answered with a grin. "Thats what he gets for marrying one of my daughters."

"I'll be sure to pass that along to him." Bre said as she turned to leave. "Later."

"Later." answered Ranma as he shut the door.

Stepping out of the Saotome gate Bre turned and began her trek to the Sano print shop and bachelor pad. The walk wasn't a long one, but wasn't a short one either at about twenty minutes(3).

When Bre reached the shop Kamone was easing out of the alley in the shops delivery truck with a load of flyer's that they had printed up the previous evening. He stopped and beeped his horn as he waved Bre over.

"What brings you over here?" Kamone asked as he put the truck in neutral(4).

"My soon to be sisters -in -law." Bre answered, jerking a thumb up at the second story of the shop. "I was going to go shopping with them."

"Ah." Kamone said with a knowing nod. "I see. I know Kenjis up already, as for the rest, well, no one knows."

"Kenjis up? At this hour?"Bre asked.

"More like he hasn't gone to bed." Kamone said. "There was fresh tea when we opened up the shop and it tried to eat through the cups."

Bre chuckled and nodded. "Thats Kenji all right." she said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Kamone said as he put the truck back into gear.

After Kamone had pulled out of the alley Bre walked to the back of the shop and climbed up the outside stairs to the apartment door proper. Knocking of the door she stood back and waited for

someone to answer.

"I'm coming!" Matokos voice came from inside the apartment. There was the click of a lock being thrown and the door opened to reveal a somewhat bleary eyed Matoko. "Oh, Bre." she said. "I thought you were the deliveryman."

"Nope. Just me." Bre said with a shake of her head. "I was wondering if you'd be up for some shopping."

"Shopping?" Matoko asked. "I'd love to. I have bit of writers block and that should help get over it."

"Great!" Bre said as she clapped her hands together. "How about Lia?" she asked.

"She and Naota are still asleep, so I don't know." Matoko answered with a shrug. "Though they should be up soon. Why don't you come and wait while I freshen up and change?" she asked.

"Sure." Bre said before she followed Matoko into the apartment.

Inside Bre found the apartment surprisingly clean for bachelor pad, with the only exception being the area around Kenjis drafting table which looked like it had been hit with a blizzard of paper. On the table there were several notebooks and loose sheets of paper covered with Matokos neat kanji along a pot of tea.

"Long night?" Bre asked as she took a seat.

"Something like that." Matoko answered as she picked up an overnight bag. "I really haven't been to bed yet."

"You've been up all night?" Bre asked in a surprised voice. "Writing?"

"For the most part, yes." Matoko said as she glanced over her shoulder at Bre. "Until I ran into my writers block. That stack to your left are final drafts that I did last night."

"This stack right here?" Bre asked, pointing to it. Getting a nod from Matoko she whistled in surprise as the stack in question was at least four centimeters thick. "You were busy."

"Actually, that was just a little bit compared to what I normally do."

Bre face -vaulted as Matoko turned on the bathroom light and closed the door. Picking herself up she shook her head and glanced over at Kenji, who was oblivious through the whole thing. Getting up she padded over to him and peeked over his shoulder to take a look at what he was working on.

It was a pencil(5) of a comics page, number 16 of issue -Bre squinted to make out the kanji from her angle- eighty(6).

Glancing to his left Bre saw that his 'out' box held at least four issues finished and there was scripts for another three sitting in Kenjis 'in' box. Bre frowned when she realized that he had quite literally been drawing for the whole night at least.

Feeling slightly annoyed at her brother and Lia for neglecting the Tall Twins Bre stepped back and crossed her arms.

"Morning Kenji." she said.

Kenjis reply was to grunt and keep on drawing. Looking around Bres annoyance increased when she saw a couple of empty energy drink cans lying on the floor, but no food wrappers or containers.

"Note to self: Hit brother and sister in law repeatedly for this." Bre thought to herself as she looked at Kenji. "So, Kenji, you tired?" she asked.

Kenji merely grunted again and kept on drawing.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." she said.

Getting a third grunt in reply Bre wondered just how out of it Kenji was. Thats when in the back of her brain the little voice that urged her to cause mischief grabbed a bullhorn. Hearing the water start up signaling that Matoko was starting her bath Bre grinned and looked at Kenji.

"Matokos in the bathroom." she said, with again no response from Kenji. Now slightly annoyed she reached out and tapped Kenji on the shoulder. "Hey, Kenji." she said.

"Huh- wha?" Kenji jerked his head up and blinked owlishly at Bre.

"Could you get me a glass of water out of the bathroom?" she asked sweetly.

Kenji nodded once and got up as Bre headed to the kitchen area to start some breakfast for him. She heard the door open, and the sounds of running water and Matoko singing softly as she bathed.

There was a clang and Matokos song ended in a gasp. For several seconds the only sounds were the running of water and the splashing it made on the bathroom tiles before they abruptly muted with the closing of the door.

Bre turned around to see a rapidly redding Kenji walking over to the table and sit down.

"Matokos using the bathroom." he said quietly as he stared off into space.

"Hmm. Interesting."thought Bre to herself. "No nosebleed. This is unexpected. I may have put their relationship on an entirely new course."

Seeing that Kenji needed a few minutes to compose himself Bre decided to put off getting him to his futon could wait for a few minutes, and that Matoko could use something to distract her and a decent meal too would help.

Crossing over to the kitchen area in a few quick strides Bre went to the cupboards and pulled out a couple of pots and pans and put them on the stove.

Opening the fridge Bre sorted through the contents and pulled out a couple of containers. Putting them on the counter she opened the freezer and dug out a bag of frozen vegetables, idly noting the three quarters -full bottle of Everclear in the back.

"I wonder who's booze that is." Bre asked aloud as she closed the freezer door.

"Naotas." Kenji answered automatically, his brain in full multitasking mode.

"Really." Bre said as she opened cupboards for mixing bowls and spices. "I didn't know that little bro drank, and to ask him why he didn't tell me, and more importantly, why wasn't he sharing."

Pulling out a couple of bowls and various spices she put them on the counter and started opening the containers she had pulled from the fridge. One contained assorted meats and fresh veggies, but the second one contained what looked like off -color modeling clay.

"What the- Kenji, do you keep clay in the fridge?" Bre asked as she walked over to him.

"No." he answered.

"Then what is this stuff?" Bre asked as she held the container in front of him.

Kenji looked at the contents of the container, searched his memory for a moment, then answered.

"Thats Naotas." he said.

"What is it?" Bre asked.

"Semtex(7)." Kenji answered matter of factly.

Bre 'eeped' and almost dropped the container. Grabbing it before it land on the floor she held for several long seconds as her heart pounded in her ears. Then, very carefully, she walked back to the counter, put the lid back on and put it back in the fridge.

After waiting a few minutes for her heart to quit trying to burst out of her chest Bre took a deep breath, exhaled slowly and then went over to a stack of magazines and picked one up. Rolling it up into a tube she walked over to Naotas door and went into his room.

Inside the curtains were drawn shut, so it was dark and Bre could make out two shapes lying on the bed, one larger than the other and curled around the smaller figure. Padding softly over Bre knelt at the head of the futon and raised her arm holding the rolled up magazine above her head before bringing it down at Naotas head.

Her strike never made it. Before she knew what was happening her arm hit what felt like a rock, then she was grabbed by the front of her shirt and she was flipped onto her back, then something metallic was pressed against her fore head with a 'click'.

It remained there for what seemed to be an eternity for Bre before there was a snore from Lia and it was pulled away.

"You okay?" Naota asked in the darkness.

"Y-yeah." Bre said with a nod. "W-what happened?"

"Theres a reason why Grandpa told you not to surprise any of us in our sleep." Naota said. "Thats why."

"Okay." Bre said as she stood up and turned around to face her brother. "I'll keep that in mind."

"So, whats the emergency?" Naota asked.

"Well-" Bre began as she squinted to make out her brothers form in the darkness. "Hold on." she said.

Bre fumbled around in the dark for a few moments before locating the pull cord to the blinds and giving them a tug.

"Gah!" Naota shielded his eyes as bright light flooded the room and Lia remained sound asleep.

Closing her eyes against the glare for moment she let them adjust and then gradually reopened them. When she did she saw Naota sitting in front of her naked in all of neko -youkai glory with his SOCOM in his lap.

"Gah!" Bre said as she averted her gaze. "Do you mind?" she asked.

"Huh?" Naota asked.

"Cover yourself!" Bre hissed.

"You are such an American." Naota said as he grabbed the covers and pulled them over his lower half. "There. Better?"

Doing a quick peek out of the corner of her eye Bre nodded and turned to face him. "Thank you." She said. "Anyways, I almost blew up the house."

"Huh?" asked Naota. "What are you talking about?"

"That Semtex you have in the fridge, I almost put it into breakfast." Bre said, glancing over as Lia snorted and rolled over, revealing the same lack of clothing as Naota. Averting her gaze upwards she looked Naota in the eye. "And that reminds me. Did you check on Kenji last night? He's at least spent the last night drawing and he hasn't been eating."

Naota blinked as he thought for a second before smacking his knee. " Shit." he swore.

Bre nodded as she looked at her brother. "Yeah, exactly. Make sure you check on him before you and your mate go have fun, okay? Kenji needs to be looked after." Getting up Bre dusted herself off and pointed in the general direction of Lia. "And when she wakes up theres something I need to ask her."

"Okay." Naota said as his sister left the room. He sat there for a few moments before a thought occurred to him. "When did they get here?"he asked himself.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"Home sweet home."

Shutting the door behind him Evans put his bags down on the floor and knelt to unlace his boots.

"Idiotic West Point louie." he grumbled as he pulled his bootlaces out. "Calling me in on my day off to help him with something he could do himself..." he added.

Switching to the other boot he unlaced it and then stood up. Kicking his boots off Evans put them in their cubbyhole and pulled off his beret. Putting that on its hook he grabbed his grocery bags and headed to the kitchen, still muttering under his breath.

Evans day had not been going well. It had started with a call the night before from his superior, 2nd Lieu tenet Moore(8) telling him to come in tomorrow to help him fix a paperwork problem that had occurred.

What had been something that could have taken a half hour at most had taken three due to Lt. Fuzz's lack of a brain and Evans having to constantly remind himself that killing your CO was a court -marshal offense, even if your CO couldn't find his ass with a road map.

By the time that was done it was rush hour and the trains were packed, making things uncomfortable for Evans and six foot frame. That and when his stop had came up he hadn't been able to get to the doors in time and he had missed it.

It took him six more stops before he could get out and then get a transfer. On the ride back he had to listen too a salary man gripe about Americans in Japanese after he had accidentally stepped on his foot.

Evansmood had brightened considerably after he had turned around and apologized to the man in perfect Japanese. The look on the salary mans face had been priceless.

After getting off at his stop he had walked home, stopping by the neighborhood grocery to pick up a few things and chat with the shopkeeper, Mr. Mutsu about what was up in the neighborhood before walking home.

Grabbinga pop out of the fridge he shut the door with a sigh. Opening the pop he wondered what he was going to do for breakfast as he walked into the living room. Stopping in front of the couch he took a swig and let his gaze wander around the room.

Uncharacteristic of a bachelor pad his apartment was clean, everything set as though for inspection.

"I wish Bre was here." mused Evans to himself. "I could really do with some of her cooking right about now."

He stopped cold at that thought. Putting his pop down on the coffee table he looked around again at his apartment and realized something. It was missing something.

True, it was lived in and looked it. The carpet needed vacuuming -Evans mentally made a note to do that today- and there were wear paths in the carpet. The controllers on his PS 4 had a few dings in them and a bit of grime and dried sweat from the amount of gaming he had did with them.

On his shelves there were picture frames of his family and friends back home, as well as what he considered his Nerima family. On the walls was his high school diploma, as well as the various awards and medals he had won in his career in the Army.

But it was all his. There was no one else.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts Evans realized he needed to do some serious thinking, and lots of it.

"Well, I have plenty of time." he thought as he walked over to his dresser.

Once he was changed Evans flopped onto his sofa and put his feet up. Picking his soda up he reconsidered his original train of thought.

"How long has it been since I was with someone?" he asked himself. "The last time I was with Kathy and that was -shit."

Evans blinked when he realized just how long it had been. Kathy and him had been sweethearts in high school, but it had ended when he had gone off to the Army. She hadn't wanted to be an Army wife and he had wanted to see the world. He had dated a few times when he was first in, but then had just given up.

His semi -nomadic lifestyle his first few years in had not allowed for the creation of serious relationships with anybody. That, and every girl he seemed to meet thought that there was very real chance that every soldier in the Army could be shipped off to fight the War on Terrorism and end up coming home in aluminum box.

It was only after he had gotten his specialist training and had gotten posted to Camp Zama that he finally made the first friends he'd had since leaving basic. They the Saotome clan and people in his neighborhood.

But the same habits he had developed early in the Army had stayed with him, he had really never did anything like dating.

Bre had changed all that. For some reason, it had just 'clicked' with her. When she was around Evans now realized he felt... complete. He didn't realize that was what he had been missing for so long.

And the more he thought about it, it was obvious she wanted him not as a friend.

"But I've been out of the game for so long that I missed the signals." Evans thought as he drained his pop. Getting up he chucked it into the recycle bin and got himself another one. "I can't believe it's been seven years since I last went on a date."

Sitting back down on his couch Evans put his feet back up and opened his pop. Taking a drink of his pop he knew that he really felt the same way.

And as he considered it, they had a few things in common. They were both from small towns with large extended families that were close knit. They were both newcomers here who had found themselves a second home in Nerima. They both played poker, one considerably better than the other -a fact he found out after Bre had cleaned him out of every dime of his 'rainy day fund' (9).

They had some differences too. He like beer, she liked Smirnoff Ice. He liked Scotch, she like tequila. She was a great cook; he was passable.

"So now what do I do?" he thought to himself. Holding his pop can he swirled it around for a few moments be answered himself aloud.

"Thats easy Bill." he said. "Just respond."

"But how?" he asked himself.

Evans blinked as he considered that question. It had been seven years since he had been on a date, and ten since he'd been in a serious relationship.

His mouth suddenly dry Evans took a drink of soda and racked his brain as he tried to remember what to do. He couldn't remember anything so he decided to take a page out of what Ranma had taught him and adapt to the situation as it changed.

That helped, but not by much. Lying back down he began some of the meditation techniques he had learned in an effort to calm the horde of butterflies that was in his stomach.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

KoiEnomoto was not having a good day. It had been slow all day, and the couple of customers she'd had were window shoppers. It had been that way all week, and she hoping to have a couple of customers by the end of the day so she could get some commissions so could actually afford some decent food in addition to paying her part of the rent.

"Heads up."

Koi looked up at her managers voice and saw a trio of the strangest looking females she had ever seen coming through the front doors. The one in front was dressed like belonged at a punk concert rather than a respectable upscale clothing store, the second was dressed no less strangely in a outfit straight out of a Hong Kong action film and with auburn hair in a thick pigtail that hung to the floor, and the third, well the third Koi thought was a gajin(10) until she came closer and was actually Japanese.

Normally Koi would have tried to avoid them, but she needed commissions, so she went over to them. That would turn out to be a wise move on her part.

"Good morning." she said. "Welcome to Spring Blossoms. How may I assist you?" she asked.

Up close they were even stranger than they had looked at a distance. The punk was definitely Japanese, the Kung Fu one was definitely in the face Japanese but those curves underneath the clothes were not and if her hair was a dye job Koi wanted to know who her stylist was. And the tall one up close was definitely not fully Japanese, not with those eyes and wavy hair.

"Hello." the punk said in Japanese with a definite American accent. "I'm trying to bag a hot guy. What do you have that would help with that?"

Koi blinked for a second at the punks directness, then smiled. "Why, we have plenty of things for that." she said as in the back of her mind a cash register went ka-ching!

"Good." the punk said as she rubbed her hands together and cackled gleefully. "Lets get started. "

As she was showing their newest items to the punk a flash of movement caught Kois eye and happened to glance at the Kung Fu girl and then realized that she had cats ears.

Despite herself Koi stopped in mid-sentance and gawked at the Kung Fu girl. The punk saw what was happening and said something in English to the Kung Fu girl. She sighed and bowed to Koi.

"Sorry. Yes, they're real. They are part of a curse." the Kung Fu girl said.

Koi started as she realized what she had been doing and bowed back to the Kung Fu girl.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare-" she began but the girl waved it off.

"It's okay." she said. "And call me Lia. She's Bre, and the tall one is my sister Matoko." she added, pointing to her companions in turn.

"Oh." Koi said. "Are shopping as well, or?"

"Ah no." the called Lia said. "No offense, but none of your stuff will fit me for-" Lia glanced down at herself "-Obvious reasons."

"Likewise." the tall one called Matoko said.

Koi nodded and turned to Bre. "I see." she said. "So I assume you're the one who is going to be purchasing?" she asked.

"Yeah." Bre said with a nod. "And I like what I've seen, so I think that I'll be buying a lot more than I was originally intending. Have you any more?"

Koi smiled and pointed to another set of racks. "Right this way." she said.

Almost two hours later Bre, Matoko, and Lia emerged from Springs Blossomscarrying several shopping bags amongst themselves and Bre several hundred thousand yen lighter in the pocketbook.

"I wonder why she fainted?" Lia asked, referring to Koi.

"I would imagine it would be because of the commission that she's going to be getting for all the sales Bre racked up." Matoko said. "It is a good thing I carry smelling salts with me."

"Hush." Bre said, throwing Matoko a mock annoyed look over her shoulder. "If they had things in your size you would have racked up just a big a bill as me."

"True." Matoko said with a nod. "Sadly, it's that way for all the stores I go into." she added with a sigh.

"That reminds me." Bre said as she stopped and turned around. "Just where do you get all of your clothes? I like the styling."

"Thank you." Matoko said with a smile and a slight nod. "Akane and Lia sew them for me."

Bre gave Lia a surprised look. "You sew?" she asked. "When? I've never seen you sew."

Lia smirked as they began walking again. "At school. Theres a reason why I passed Home Economics not being able to cook." she said. "That, and the amount of mending that Christian and Mamimi generate have given me a lot of practice."

"With those two, I can believe it." said Bre with a laugh before her expression turned serious. "Speaking of Mamimi, just where are her parents? Are they okay with her spending all her time over at you guy's place?"

Lia and Matoko looked at each other before Lia responded. "No one's told you?" she asked.

"Told me what?" asked Bre.

"About her parents." Lia said. Getting a shake of the head from Bre she continued. "You know why Mamimi always follows Christian because she has a really bad sense of direction?"

"Ah, yeah." Bre said. "I remember over at Naotas place she got lost and ended up in the closet."

Lia nodded as she remembered that incident. "Well, she inherited that from her father." Lia said. "And her father and my father competed for my mom back when they were my age, and Mamimis mom and my mom competed for my father."

Bre stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Lia. "You're kidding." she said.

"Nope." Lia said. "Apparently my parents getting married was too much for them, so they decided to use the Hibiki directional sense to get themselves lost so they didn't have to face what had happened."

"So why is Mamimi here, and not with her parents?" Bre asked. "Did she wander off?"

"No." Matoko answered. "Her parents decided that she needed to have better schooling than what they could provide and at their last visit to the Hibiki home they enrolled her into the local school district."

"Once she knew the route to school." Lia added.

"And what about them?" Bre asked.

"Disappeared."Matoko said with a shrug. "The Hibiki direction sense again."

"What kind of a parent abandons their child?" Bre asked in an incredulous voice.

"A Hibiki." Lia said. "And they haven't fully abandoned her. They send her letters."

"With exact postage." Matoko added darkly.

"Lovely." Bre said.

"Fortunately,she's got us." Lia said. "We're her surrogate family."

"No wonder she was asking me so many questions." Bre said, partly to herself as they started walking again.

Lia grinned and nodded to Matoko. "Thats what big sisters are for." she said.

Bre glanced over her shoulder at Lia. "Can I be one too?" she asked.

Lia half shrugged as they turned a corner. "Sure." she said. "You can never have too many."

At that Bre grinned herself. "Great!" she said. "'Cause theres a dress I saw the other day that she would absolutely adorable in!"

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

The clink of china on china was the loudest sound in the shop as Asako sat at the counter drinking her afternoon tea. Off to one side in the 'sitting area' her assistants sat and chatted as they waited out the afternoon lull before the evening rush began.

That began at around five -thirty in the afternoon and continued on till nine, when young women began coming in for the 'special something' for their dates for that night and Saturday.

But until then, it was basically an extended break for them. So Asako was taken by surprise when she drained her tea and happen to glance at the tea leaves at the bottom of the cup.

She sat for a moment as she double checked the leaves to make sure she had read them right, shrugged and got off of her stool.

"Be ready. We're going to be having customers soon." she said to her assistants.

"Not for another two hours." one of her assistants said as she glanced at the clock. "It's only going on three -thirty."

Asako merely grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Oh, these are not going to be our regular customers." she said. "And they'll be here soon."

"How soon?" one of her other assistants asked.

The chiming of the bell on the door answered her question as Asako turned around. "Right now." she said in a low voice. "Hi girls. How can I help you?" she asked.

"Hey." Bre said with a casual wave of her hand. "We were passing by and Lia wanted to stop in."

"Really?" asked Asako in a mischievous voice. "You looking for some more 'accessories'?"

Lia colored slightly and her ears folded partly back as she nodded. "Ah, something like that." she said. "You know those big kites that were flying around?"

Asako nodded. "Yes, I remember those." she said. "Especially the bras, panties, and boxers for the tails."

"Well, that was my brothers doing and by the time we got them down, everything was ruined." Lia said. "Including what I'd bought here."

"Ahh..." Asako said as she nodded in understanding. "You're looking for replacements."

"Bingo." Lia said. "That, and I was looking to expand my choices a bit."

"Gotcha." said Asako with another nod. Turning to Bre she looked at her. "How about you? Are you looking for anything in particular?"

Bre shook her head. "No, I'm just browsing right now." she said. "But if I see anything, I'll let you know."

"Okay." said Asako as she turned to Matoko. "How about you?" she asked.

Matoko started to shake her head no, but stopped when a rack in the back of the store caught her eye.

"Ah, yes, actually." she said. "I'd like to look at those nightgowns in the back." she said.

"Mitsuko will help you with that." Asako said as a woman stood up. "Now, Lia, what would you like?" she asked.

"Well, basically what I bought before, also, do you carry sports bras?" Lia asked as they started walking to one wall.

"Ah, yes we do." Asako answered. "Is there anything you had in mind?"

"Do you have the kind pro athletes wear?" Lia asked.

"Certainly. Right this way." Asako said as she grabbed Lias wrist and guided her off to another part of the store.

Matoko watched as her sister and Bre walked off into other parts of the store, then turned to the clerk who was standing nearby.

"Mitsuko is it?' she asked, getting a nod in reply. "As I said, I'm buying a nightgown."

"Is there anything you had in mind?" Mitsuko asked as they began to walk to the back.

Matoko sighed as she gathered her thoughts together. "I want something nice, that's feminine, and attractive." she said. "And that fits." she added, pointing out her height.

Mitsuko smiled as they approached the clothes rack. "I think we can find something." she said.

An hour later they stepped out of the shop, each with purchases of their own. Standing out front they took a moment to pause and get their bearings.

"Your right Bre." Lia said. "Shopping is fun."

"Uh-huh!" Bre said with an energetic nod.

"So where to now?" Lia asked.

"Home."Bre answered. "I want to get this stuff put away and take a nice, hot, bubble bath while the apartment is empty."

"Okay." Lia sad with a nod. "I was going going to drop my stuff off at the bachelor pad before heading home." she said as they began walking.

"I don't think Ranma is going to put up much of a fuss about what you bought Lia." Matoko pointed out. "Not now, anyways."

Lia shrugged and looked over her shoulder at her sister. "I know." she said. "But I'm getting married, remember? I'm going to be moving in there soon so I might as well leave them there."

"Oh, yes that's right." Matoko said with a nod. "I forgot about that. Too much on my mind again."

"I'll say." Bre said. "So, how do you think Kenji will like that nightgown you bought?"

Matoko nearly stumbled as she was caught completely off guard. "Huh-what- what are you talking about?" she asked as she started to turn red.

"Matoko, theres a reason why girls by nightgowns like the one you bought." Bre said. "And that's to impress their guy."

Matoko sputtered for a few seconds as she turned an even brighter shade of red.

"But I- I would never-!" she said.

Seeing her sisters dis comfort Lia decided to join in. "Matoko, it's okay." she said. "If I can buy stuff for Naota, then you can buy stuff for Kenji."

Matoko was silent for a couple of blocks after that as she considered what Lia had said. Taking several breaths as they walked she calmed down and her color returned to normal.

"Alright." she said. "I did." she said.

"See? That wasn't so hard." Lia said as they walked along. "Now lets get going. Hopefully the games on and I can take my nap and have my cat demon pillow."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Bang bang bang!

Evans jerked awake and flailed around for a second before he was completely awake. Sitting up he realized that he had been dreaming. Shaking his head he looked around his apartment and sighed.

Bang bang bang!

Evans looked at his door for a second as he wondered who would be at his door.

"Evans? Are you there?" came Bres voice through the door.

Glancing at the clock Evans saw that it read 5:53 pm. "Shit!" he muttered as he got to his feet. "I'm coming!" he called as he went to the door.

Outside Evans door Bre stood and waited as he unlocked the door. Tapping her foot she listened as the deadbolt was thrown and the doorknob unlocked.

"Sorry. I fell asleep." Evans said as he opened the door and stopped when he saw Bres outfit. "Woah."

Bre smiled when she saw Evans expression. "Like my outfit?" she asked. "I just got it today."

"Uhh..." Evans said as he took in what Bre was wearing.

She was wearing a black off the shoulder crop top over a red tank top. On her arms Bre had instead of her usual arm warmers a pair of red ones with black lacing, and on her wrists black leather bracelets with metal spikes. Around her throat she had a black studded leather collar.

Bre had her hair in braids as usual, but instead of drawn up into a ponytail they were hanging loose like dreadlocks with rings braided into the ends of them and her eyes were outlined heavily in kohl.

Riding low on her hips Bre had on a pair of hugely over sized baggy cut jeans, with several equally over sized pockets and red stitching. Complementing the look and protecting her modesty were a pair of boxers patterned in several shades of red along with a pair black anodized chains attached to her jeans, one on each side.

Finally her feet were shod in genuine Altama -made combat boots.

Evans took this all in and nodded. "I like it." he said.

Bre grinned and took a note of what he was wearing, which was a pair of cargo's and a black t- shirt with 'Army' in gold lettering.

"Yours ain't too bad either." she said.

Evans looked down at his attire and shrugged. "This?" he asked. "This is just my everyday wear." he said. "I was going to go change before you came over, but like I said I fell asleep."

"Thats okay." Bre said with a shrug. "But what you're wearing is okay with me."

"I know." Evans said with a nod. "But since I asked you out, and you went to the trouble I figure I might as well."

Bre gave a quick shrug as her reply as Evans stepped aside. "Come on in. I'll just be a minute while I change." he added.

"Kay." she said as she walked in and took off her boots.

While Evans was changing Bre wandered around the apartment, idly taking details and running through her mind ways she'd decorate it. She'd replace those blinds with drapes, put a slipcover over the couch, and repaint the walls more of an almond color rather than that dirty white they were now-

"I'm ready." Evans voice derailed Bres train of thought.

"Okay." she said as Evans casually chucked his jeans and t -shirt onto the hamper. "So what movie are we seeing?"

"The Lord of the Rings." Evans said as he walked over to his desk and pulled an envelope off of his cork board.

Bres eyebrows went up at that one. "The Lord of the Rings? Evans, that one came out when I was a kid." she said.

"I know." Evans said with a nod and mischievous wink. "Theres a theater downtown that plays old movies, and on Fridays they play American movies without dubs or subtitles."he added as Bre tilted her head to one side and gave him a questioning look. "It's for American servicemen and women, gives us a little taste of home."

"Okay." Bre said with a nod. "Cool."

"Very." Evans said as he began to walk to the door. "Shall we? The next showing starts in about thirty five minutes."

After getting their boots back on they walked down to the theater, which was looked like it belonged back home in Hudson, Iowa rather than in Nerima, Japan. Stepping inside she was surprised to see that it's interior was decorated much like the outside.

"How old is this place?" Bre asked.

"It turned a hundred this year." Evans answered as they walked into the theater proper. "It was built during World War One."

Bre whistled as they reached an empty row. "Wow. Thats impressive." she said as they began to walk down to the middle.

"I know.' Evans said as they took their seats. "Its survived earthquakes, the fire bombings, and progress thanks to the family that owns it."

"Stubborn?" Bre asked as she took a look around at the rest of the audience.

"Thats putting it mildly." Evans said with a chuckle. "They are on par with Lia."

"That would explain it." said Bre as she settled back into her seat. "A lot of sailors though." she added.

Evans took a look around and nodded. "Must be a ship in." he said as the lights dimmed.

For Bre the movie was a treat, as she got to see one of her favorite movies of all time on a really big screen with Dolby Digital surround sound. For Evans it was some great fight scenes and time with Bre.

Afterwards they stood out in front of the theater and stretched their legs while they figured out what to do next.

"So what do you want to do?" asked Bre.

Evans 'hmm'd and looked around at their surroundings while he thought that one over. "It's a nice night." he said. "You up for a walk?"

"Sure." Bre said with a small shrug. "You have anywhere in mind, or...?'

"Nowhere in particular." Evans said. "How about we go that way?" he asked, pointing to his left.

"Okay." Bre said and then they started walking.

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

"You thirsty?" Evans asked.

"A little." Bre answered. "Why do you ask?"

Evans pointed to a convenince store that was nearby. "I was gonna hit that store over there for some beer. You want anything?"

"Bacardi." answered Bre.

"Any flavor?" Evans asked as they walked towards it.

Bre shrugged. "You pick." she said.

"Kay." said Evans as they walked through the doors.

Inside Bre puttered around while Evans grabbed his beer and a Bacardi Raz. As they stepped out of the store he passed Bre her Barcardi and he opened his beer. Taking a healthy swig he sighed happily as Bre opened hers.

"Ahh... Sapporo." he said. "It's not Mickeys but it's a close second."

"Whatever." Bre said before she took a swig of Bacardi. "All beer tastes icky to me."

"To each their own." Evans said as he hefted his bottle. "Cheers."

"Cheers." Bre answered and they clinked their bottles together. Taking a healthy swig herself she sighed. "Ahh...that tasted good."

"This reminds me of home." Evans said out of the blue.

"It does?" Bre asked.

Evans nodded as they rounded a corner. "Yeah. Out walking, enjoying a summer night with some liquid refreshment." he said, hefting his bottle for emphasis.

"Sounds like home was a pretty nice place." Bre observed.

"It was." said Evans. "Where I come from is a small town, you know where everybody knows each other." he said as Bre nodded in agreement. "Me, and a bunch of my friends use to spend our Friday nights running around, just hanging out and not doing anything in particular." he added. "How about you?" he asked.

Bre shrugged. "Me? Well, me and my friends, we'd go swimming or suntanning, then go skating at the rink." she said. "Or just go hang out at one of our houses." she added. "Maybe go see a concert if one was nearby."

"You must've been near a good venue." Evans said, a bit surprised. "Back home, the closest place for a good concert was the city(11) and there was no way our parents were going to let us go down there unchaperoned." he added before flashing a grin. "Of course we had a few good local bands that put on a good show."

Bre arched her eyebrows as she looked at Evans. "Close? Evans, the closest place was Cedar Rapids, and thats a couple hours drive." she said. "Half the time the concert was in Des Moines."

"Where did you live again?" Evans asked.

"Hudson." Bre answered. "Its a little town outside of Waterloo." she explained.

Evans nodded in understanding. "Oh, where Lia was born." he said, getting a nod from Bre.

"Exactly." she said. "She and I were born in the same hospital."

"Huh?" was Evans response.

"Covenant." explained Bre.

"Oh." said Evans before taking a swig of his Mickeys. "I was born at home."

That answer surprised Bre. "You were?" she asked, getting a nod from Evans. "Why not in a hospital?"

Evans shrugged. "My aunt on My mom's side is a midwife." he answered. "She delivered me and my brothers, along with a good percentage of our friends."

"Huh." Bre said. "Thats interesting."

"Like I said. It's a close knit community." Evans said.

"I'll say." Bre said with a nod. "What was school like?" she asked.

Evans paused to take a healthy swig from his Mickeys before answering. "Pretty normal, I think." he said. "I had pretty much the same group of people from elementary to high school. How about you?"

Bre smiled and looked up at the sky as she remembered her school life. "Me? I went to the same school from elementary to high school." she said. "High school was the best. Field trips, going to football games, it was a blast."

"Sounds like you had fun." said Evans.

Bre nodded as she looked at Evans. "Oh yeah." she said. "What was high school like for you?" she asked.

Evans made a 'so-so' gesture with his hand. "It was okay." he said. "I liked football the best. I was a receiver, but I wish we'd had a boxing program." he added. "Thats what I'm good at."

Bre smiled at that and took a drink from her Bacardi. Evans paused to take a drink from his beer and then looked over at her.

"What's your family like?" he asked. "In Hudson?"

Bre chuckled before taking a quick swig from her bottle. "What are they they like?" she asked. "Well, for starters, they're everywhere. And we look out for each other. If one of the family is in trouble we all try to help out." she said. "When my parents died, they were there for me, and it was a big help. And when I told about my biological family they were there too."

"That was good." Evans said.

"Though I wish that liar- I mean lawyer had given me more up to date info though." she said. "For one thing, knowing that my little brother is a cat demon would have been a big help."

Evans gave Bre a long look out of the corner of his eye. "Would you have believed it?" he asked.

Bre shook her head in reply. "No. Probably not." she said. "But I would have been warned at least. Also I would have liked to have known that I was going to have a future sister in law, and that she can pull large mallets out of thin air, and that she can change into a cat girl with a splash of water, and that her little sibling is either her little brother or sister depending on the water temperature, and so on and so forth."

Evans chuckled as Bre shook her head and sighed. "I know, it can be a bit much." he said. "How about the Sanos? How are they treating you?"

"Pretty good." Bre answered. "Kamone is teaching me the ins and outs of Nerima, and Dokuhotei keeps trying to teach me shogi...and my little brother has been pretty good too. He now doesn't freak whenever I'm within arms reach of our mothers guitar"

"Oh, that Fender of his." said Evans.

Bre nodded."Thats the one." she said. "Lia smacked him with a mallet a couple of times and it knocked some sense into him."

Evans snorted in amusement at the thought of that. "Thats always fun to watch." he said. "A big , tough, ninja cat demon getting beat up by a five -foot nothing redhead."

"Yeah." Bre said with a nod. " He could dodge them, but he's so head over heels in love with her he doesn't."

Evans nodded in agreement before draining his beer. "I know. So is Lia with him." he said. "She's just giving him love taps. I've seen what full powered mallet strike can do, she is definitely pulling them."

"Oh yeah, she is." Bre said with a laugh. "Though it's gonna be interesting watching Christian and Mamimi when they get older."

"You think they're going to be more than friends?" Evans asked.

Bre nodded. "Oh yeah." she said. "I mean, they can't survive without each other."

Evans thought about it for a second, then nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right." he said, then laughed. "I pity poor Ranma when those two hit puberty." he said.

Bre laughed herself and and nodded. "Oh yeah." she said. "He thinks he had it bad with Lia and Matoko? Poor guy."

"One things for sure, it's gonna be interesting to watch." Evans said.

"Definitely." agreed Bre. "Most definitely."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Naota paused in his writings to yawn and when he glanced at the clock he was surprised to see it was 11:33 in the evening. Looking around he discovered he was the only one in the living room.

Soft snores from Kenjis room confirmed he was still sleeping off his bender and purring coming from his room told Naota that Lia had already gone to bed. Looking at the music sheets in lying on the table in front of him he decided that he had followed his muse enough for one day and it was time for some shuteye.

Getting to his feet Naota stretched and listened to his vertebrae pop. Twisting his torso side to side he considered whether or not to put away his music sheets and decided against it, he could always pick up where he left off in the morning -or whenever he woke up.

The only problem was his brain was still going a mile a minute with ideas for songs, and there was no way he was going to be able to get to sleep with it going like that. So thats why he decided to have a nightcap after he switched off the overhead lights.

He waited for a few seconds to allow his eyes to adjust the gloom and then walked over to the freezer for the bottle of Everclear that he kept in there. Pulling it out he grabbed a tray of ice cubes and walked to the sink.

Getting a glass out of the cupboard he put it on the counter next to the Everclear, then grabbed the ice cube tray and held it over the sink. Giving it a twist he broke the ice cubes free and took out a handful.

After dropping them into his glass he grabbed the bottle of Everclear and was about to twist the cap off when he happened to glance out the window and saw his sister and Evans. They were walking together and drinking from brown paper bags.

He saw Bre drain her bottle and then say something to Evans. Naota was tempted to open the window and listen in on them with his demonic hearing, but decided against it. He watched her say something to Evans and then she handed her bottle to him.

He walked over to a trash can and chucked it in before walking back to Bre. What happened next caught him and Evans totally by surprise.

Bre watched Evans as he took her empty over to the trashcan and throw it in.

"Two points." he said as he turned around.

Bre didn't know what it was that gave her the idea. Maybe it was the way the moonlight and the streetlights hit his face. Perhaps it was the way he smiled, the way his eyes lit up. Or it could have been the three Bacardi's she had drank. And maybe it was all three.

But it came up into her mind, and she knew that she had to do it.

"Hey Evans." she said. "Come here a second."

"Okay." Evans said as he walked up to her. "What is it?" he asked.

"I want to give you this, and tell me what you think." she said.

And then she kissed him.

For a second Evans was stunned, unable to think. Then he came to his senses and responded to the kiss. They held it for a several seconds before breaking it and coming up for air.

"Well?" Bre asked.

"I liked it." was Evans response.

"So did I." Bre said.

"Thats good." Evans said. "Though I have a question now."

Bre tilted her head to one side and looked at Evans. "Yes?" she asked.

Evans took a deep breath and spoke. "Do you want to see where this goes?" he asked.

Bre giggled and nodded. "Of course I would." she said. "Why else would I have kissed you?" she asked.

Evans nodded in agreement. "Good point." he said before his stomach rumbled. Grinning sheepishly he looked at Bre. "Ah, you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah." Bre answered. "But is there anyplace good open at this hour?"

"Oh, yeah. There is a place." Evans said, pointing down the street away from the shop. "That way."

"Well, lets go, cause' I'm starving." Bre said as she started walking.

"Wait up!" Evans said as he started after her.

As they walked away two glowing, red eyes watched them go. Standing at the sink Naota took several deep breaths to get himself under control, then sighed.

"Looks like I need to have a 'talk' with Evans tomorrow." he thought. Glancing at the bottle in his hand he went and unscrewed the cap. "But I'll want to do that with a full nights sleep." Naota thought as he raised the bottle to his lips. "Lia would kill me if I shot her 'Uncle Evans'."

Chugging half the bottle Naota felt the clear liquid burn all the way to his stomach, giving him a nice warm feeling. Blinking from fatigue Naota re screwed the cap on the bottle as he felt the alcohol began to work its way into his system.

Putting the bottle back into the freezer Naota headed to his bedroom, where his futon awaited him, along with his mate.

Evans stretched as he walked over to the fridge. Yawning he smacked his lips as he opened the door.

'Breakfast." he muttered to himself.

Rooting around in the fridge he found something edible and grabbed it. As he straightened up he was wondering what Bre would like when something cold, hard, and metallic was placed against his temple.

"Hello Evans." Naota said calmly. Flicking off the safety he continued. "I'd like to talk to you about my sister."

Evans blinked as he considered his options, mind racing. "Well, this is good. Irate brother. With a gun." he thought. "Lets see here, what can I do? Disarm him?" Evans glanced out of the corner of his eye at Naota. "Nope. He's too damn fast. Reason with him? Might work. At the very least stall him until Bre gets done with the shower."

Clearing his throat Evans spoke. "Ah, so what do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, what did you two do last night?" Naota asked in a low rumble.

"We saw a movie, then got a beer and talked." Evans replied.

Naota growled and cocked the hammer back on his SOCOM. "I meant after the kiss." he rumbled.

"Oh SHIT!" Evans thought. "You saw that?" he asked.

"I was having a nightcap before bed." Naota said. "I saw the whole thing." he said as his eyes flashed red. "And when I come over here, her clothes are on the couch and she is in the shower. So what happened?"

Evans gulped as he scrambled for an answer that wouldn't further enrage the already irate demon.

"Well, for starters, it's not what it looks like." he said. "After the kiss we went to an all night diner for a bite, and by the time we were done it was really late so she decided to crash here. She borrowed one of my t-shirts because that was a new outfit and she didn't want to sleep in it."

"Then why is her scent on the bed and not the couch?" Naota asked.

"We were talking and she crashed first." Evans answered. "I was being a gentleman and put her on the bed and slept on the couch."

Naotas eyes narrowed even further and his lips curled back into a snarl, revealing his sharp teeth.

"Somehow I have trouble believing you." he said, which made Evans start sweating bullets. "So you had better convince me or I pull the trigger-"

"BAD KITTEN!"

Evans jumped at the crack of a mallet hitting a skull as Bre cracked Naota one on the back of the head. As Naota lurched forwards Evans training kicked in and he whirled out of the pistol's line of fire before snatching it from Naotas hand and flipping the safety on.

Standing there Evans was surprised to see Bre standing over her brother holding a medium sized mallet, with her hair up in a towel and dressed in the t -shirt she had appropriated from him last night.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing Naota?" Bre demanded.

Naota groaned and rubbed his head. "Just making sure you were okay." he said.

Bres left eye twitched as she looked down at her brother. "Excuse me?" she said. "How does putting a gun to a guys head and threating to kill him be considered to be 'making sure I was okay'?" she asked, hefting the mallet.

"When you're my sister it is." Naota said. "We lost one member when I was five, and I almost lost Kenji when I was fourteen because I wasn't paying attention. I'm not going to let that happen again."

Bre opened her mouth to speak, then thought better of what she was going to say and resting the mallet on the floor crouched down next to him.

"Listen bro." she said in a softer voice. "I appreciate why you doing it, I really do. But I can look after myself." she said. "But I'm glad to know you're there. Now why don't you get home? Lia's going to be waking up soon and you can probably get some snuggle time in."

Naota nodded gingerly and started to get to his knees. "Okay." he said. "Maybe it'll get the guy with the drum to knock it off."

Bre chuckled as she and Naota straightened up. Glancing up at Evans he he held out his hand.

"Gimme my SOCOM." he said, to which Evans shook his head.

"Hell no!" Evans retorted. "You tried to kill me."

Getting to his feet Naota looked Evans square in the eye. "Evans, keep in mind I'm a hell of a lot faster than you or Bre, and also, I know where you live and you have to sleep sometime." he said. "Gun, now."

Shaking his head Evans grasped it by the slide and handed it back to Naota. "Just how did you get in here anyways?" he asked.

Taking the pistol Naota gave him a smile. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you. Then Bre would be pissed." he said. Turning around he eyed the mallet that Bre was holding. "Speaking of which, when did you learn to access Hammerspace?"

"Huh-Oh!" Bre said as she finally noticed the mallet in her hand. "I can do that? Cool!"

Evans and Naota both sweat dropped. Glancing back at Evans Naota gave a smile. "welcome to Sanos." he said. "Watch your head."

Wow. What a day, or two I should say. Yesterday started wonderfully! SHOPPING! Me, Lia, and Matoko, all went shopping. Lia had to replace some "unmentionables" and Matoko got a new night gown, I'm sure it will be well liked by her other half. I got a few new outfits, one specifically for my date with soldier boy. I loved buying it, and the wearing of it proved to be fun as well! We went to a movie. My personal fave, Lord of the Rings, in english, no subtitles no dubs. We decided to go for a wlak after that. I got to talk to him and found out a lot.I fellasleep while we were talking,he did the good boy thing and le me have the bad and he took the couch. The Kitten showed up bright and early and put a SOCOM in Evans face. And I learn to access Hammerspace and thawped the kitten on the head. It was fun. I wonder when I'll get to do it again!

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

End.

(1)They have the spawn of TiVo. Be afraid.

(2) That would Akanes favorite mallet, reserved specifically for the number one aka in her life. :) (3) this is of course for normal run of the mill people, the Nerima Wrecking Crew being the major exception. (4) For my American readers out there, most vehicles in Japan have manual trannies, versus automatics here in the States.(5)Thats the rough layout of a comics page before it's inked and zip -a -toned.(6)the manga books you buy are the collected editions of manga that are printed in anthology's like Shonen Jump. Where a American comic normally is thirty plus pages a month, a manga is thirty plus pages a week.(7)Thats Czech made plastic explosive. When it goes off prematurely, you get a canceled Czech. (8)The nicest of who's nicknames was Lt. Fuzz. The rest could make a sailor blush.(9)Thats where he puts spare change and his spending cash (and his poker winnings).(10)Loosely translated, it means foriegen.(11)Thats New York City, by the way.