| What Now? Part Four |
"Oi, she's a cutie," said Joker, propping his elbows on the table and looking through a sheaf of 8x10 glossies. "And so's she… and so's she…"
Raiha shrugged. "They all are… but I still can't decide who gets the leading role. They're all pretty much equally talented… they can sing, they can dance, they can play the piano-"
"And in an emergency, move it," chimed in Joker. He shuffled through the photos again. An impish smile appeared. "Why don't you send them over to me? I could, um, interview them?"
"Joker no hentai," sniffed Neon, tugging on one of his braids as she passed behind him.
"Oi, Neon-han… you know I only have eyes for you," he amended. "All you need to do is say the word, and I'm yours."
"That's not what I meant-"
"But it's what you want…"
"If you really knew what I wanted, you wouldn't be pestering me."
"Admit it… you'd be so bored if I wasn't here to inject a little romance into your life."
"Is that what you call it."
"Oi, Neon-han, you should accept our fate. Besides, I don't see any rivals coming around here."
"Unlike you. What's with all those women you've been bringing over here? I've stopped counting."
He shrugged. "I'm making up for lost time… and waiting until you're ready to admit your feelings for me. But they keep getting distracted by Raiha…"
Raiha smiled weakly. "Gomen," he apologized.
"Nahhh," said Joker, waving his hand airily. "Actually, they don't really mean anything… they're just a pleasant way to pass the time with. I wouldn't really want to get into anything involved with them." Realizing he still held them in his hands, he passed the photos back to Raiha. "Say, how
about you?"
Raiha blushed slightly. "I haven't really found anyone yet," he said. "We've only been away from Kurei-sama for a month."
"Only a month," snorted Neon softly.
"You're not still interested in that Fuuko-han, are you?" asked Joker skeptically. He peered closer. "You are!"
"She's too young," said Neon, shaking her head. "Give her a little time to grow up… she's still in high school."
"Now, that's a good way to forget your past… get romantically interested in one of your previous opponents," remarked Joker.
Raiha busied himself with the photos. "So, which one do you think is cute?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
Joker laughed. "You might as well put them all face-down and do eeny-meeny-miny-mo," he said, leaning back and putting his feet on the coffee table. "You know, I never really noticed before, but in the outside world is still so...so… aiii! There are no words for it... how can I put it nicely?
Them. And us. Two different worlds. Have you guys noticed that?"
Neon nodded vigorously. "It's so... strange. It's a complex game... but somehow, after being with Kurei-sama for so long... normal life is so... trite. Mundane. And the people... they're gray. They're flat. They're boring."
"The Uruha didn't exactly attract the nicest people," remarked Raiha, "But at least they were interesting. Television doesn't seem to attract the nicest people, either... but they're interesting. Not nearly as interesting as the Uruha were... but interesting in their own way."
"They don't know anything about death... so how can they appreciate life?" inquired Neon.
"They've never experienced life," corrected Joker. "They've spent their entire existence being cooped up in their little cubicles, hanging around coffee machines, and being stuck in commuter traffic. They don't know anything about the thrill of an adrenaline high… the joy of maneuvering out of a tight
spot where a dozen people are trying to gun you down… subterfuge and prowling and disguise and all that."
"I'd love a good fight," remarked Raiha wistfully. "When you don't have to keep training… it's hard to keep yourself up to standard."
"Perhaps we can find Fuuko-han," suggested Joker, with a glint in his eye. "You could say something off-color to her, and she could have fun beating you up. That should whip you into shape in no time."
Raiha sweatdropped slightly. "I thought we wanted to change the topic," he suggested lightly.
"Only you did," corrected Joker, smiling cheerfully. Turning to Neon, he said, "Hey, you feel up for a little bit of kidnapping?"
Neon smiled impishly. "I could probably handle her by myself… but if you'd like help, Joker-san, I'm more than willing to give you a hand."
"We could tie her up and bring her back here…"
"Poor little Fuuko-san, bound, gagged, and blindfolded, waiting for her prince to rescue her-"
"Oi, Neon-han, I didn't know you had such an ecchi streak."
"You went there. How did I know you would?"
"But then her prince can come, in all his ninja glory, rescuing her from the evil Neon-han and the evil Joker-han."
"And the happy Fuuko-san will clasp her hands and gaze at her prince with big, wobbly eyes, with the blush of apparent affection glowing delicately upon her nose-"
"As she gives her prince a lingering, grateful kiss-"
"-And goodness knows what else-"
"-We draw a curtain of privacy over the tender moment, but peek occasionally through the folds to point and giggle."
Neon and Joker stared at each other for a moment, before bursting into laughter.
"Or perhaps she'd just beat all of us up indiscriminately, as soon as you freed her," suggested Neon, wiping away a tear. "Oh, I miss those days!"
"Aren't you two harsh today!" remarked Raiha, grinning tolerantly at his two friends. "The love in this room is underwhelming."
"Ahhh, there's something in this room," smiled Neon, smirking.
"Say, Neon-han, tonight, could you tuck me in? And could you bring some of your scarves with you when you do it?" asked Joker, his fangs showing impishly.
"Ooo, could I gag you? That way I won't have to listen to your comments!" Neon looked a little too eager at that thought.
"Yes, and then you could tie me up so I couldn't follow you around and annoy you."
"And then I can shut the door behind me as I leave, laughing my head off."
"It would be much more fun if you kissed me very thoroughly, just to teach me a lesson. You'd show me a thing or two!"
"No, I prefer the idea of laughing hysterically as I abandon you…"
"Aww, c'mon, Neon-han… you don't want to teach me a lesson I won't forget?"
"I'll teach you not to let yourself get put in that kind of situation with this kind of woman…"
Raiha tuned out their banter. They had laughed, but had pinpointed an Issue with deadly accuracy. Fuuko had been fun and pleasant to be around. Under different circumstances, perhaps they could have worked something out. But his past, her past… the combination of the two… they provided
insurmountable difficulties. Once he had experienced the thrill of being Uruha, with its roller coaster ride of ups and downs… how could he possibly settle down? His past was a dark, heavy cloud. The guilt would tear him up, if he allowed himself to marry without informing a prospective Someone of his past. And yet, by the same token, sharing his secret was more than enough reason for anyone to be driven away in disgust. For so long, he had been Kurei's ninja… for a shorter time, he had been Fuuko's self-proclaimed prince. And now he needed to find a new purpose in life.
But somehow, working at the studio didn't fill the enormous gap in his life. Instead, the emptiness was filled with an amorphous cloud of dissatisfaction which slowly grew day by day.