Ken awoke to the sounds of someone sobbing quietly. He rose and moved to stand in the doorway of his bedroom. The room was filled with pale shades of pastel, from the rising suns rays. The girl lay with her face in the pillow trying to muffle her sobs. He moved over to the bed, glad for once for his assassins stealth. Ken moved his hand and set it softly on her shoulder.

"Cat? Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, sitting next to her. She shook her head, her sobs stopping. "Are you sure?  I mean last night must have been.. weird." She nodded, and rolled over. "Cause I mean,. Aya doesn't usually attack people. Well at least people who aren't a target that is." She rolled her eyes.

"Really, I wouldn't have known." She grinned. "I mean I assumed it was normal. And any ways that wasn't why I was crying." Cat sat up. "Do you mind if I have a shower and get dressed? Then maybe one of you guys can show me around the flower shop?" She wiped  her eyes and crawled out of bed. "Thanks for the shirt and  well the bed." She said wryly seeing the couch, with its nest of blankets.

"Your welcome. Towels are in the bathroom. Where's your clothes?" Ken held up a bag, and she nodded. "Here you go. Bathroom is the on the right." He continued. "Umm listen after you shower and eat, maybe we should go shopping. I mean if that's all you have. Plus you need furniture."

"Yeah that would be good actually. Hey Ken," Cat said, rummaging through her bag. "You don't think I could borrow a shirt do ya? I  guess I lost my other one." Seeing Kens approval she dove for his closet, and came out with a black t shirt. "This one ok?" She asked as she headed for the bathroom. Ken grinned. It was Ayas any way.

"Yeah sure, that ones fine!" He called after her as she entered the other room. After a few moments Ken heard the shower turn on then over the water, he thought he heard singing. After realizing that his radio wasn't on, he decided that it had to be Cat. Ken moved closer to the bathroom door in order to make out  the words. He recognized it as a song from a popular anime. Cowbop Beboy or something. He hadn't liked the show but the soundtrack had been amazing. Cats voice soared over the water as she sang.

"Don't care for me, don't cry

Let's say goodbye, adieu.

Its time to say goodbye,

I know that in time

It will just fade away

Its time to say goodbye.

I stand alone and watch you fade away like clouds

High up and in the sky

I'm strong and so cold

As I stand alone,

Goodbye, So long, Adieu.

 Oh how I love you so,

Lost in those memories

And now you've gone

I feel the pain

Feeling like a fool,

Adieu" The shower turned off as the last words faded away and Ken quickly headed for the bedroom, to appear moments later as Cat emerged from the bathroom wearing Ayas shirt as it had never been worn before. She had jeans on as well he noticed, but they didn't do the things that the shirt did. The shirt clung, tightly to curves that well, Aya just didn't have. Ken quickly looked away and focused on the towel that she had wrapped around her head like some sort of a hat. 'Ok, weird hat. But the rest is nice.' Thought Ken, then was rewarded by an instant replay session of Ayas shirt and the curves by his hormones.  "So Ken, what do you have for food around here? Right now an eggo would be really good." Ken was confused

"Eggo? Don't you mean egg?" He asked hesitantly.

"Its not an egg. So, shopping first, breakfast later. Whos paying you or me?" Cat said, grinning at Ken who's face was now an expression of terror. "Right I'm paying. Well I have about 995  thousand 900 hundred Yen  in my bag, think that will do me for the nesseties?" Ken nodded.

"Yeah that will definitely do you for nesseties and more." He said. "But just let me get dressed, and then we can go.  So where'd you get all the money from?" Ken headed for his room. Cat sat on the couch and spoke as she waited.

"Well I had a great college fund, then I had all my money that I earned myself, plus my mom, Aunts and grandparents gave me some money. It was my college fund and what my grandparents gave me that made up the most." Cat said rather matter of factly.

"Wow." Came Ken's voice from his bedroom. "Where'd you make all of your money? That's a lot for someone with just a normal job" He stuck  his head out the door and raised an eyebrow at her.

"I've never had a normal job. Alot of it is all prize money, from various compititions.  some of it is from my singing, and the rest is from babysitting and a few summer jobs at a restaraunt." She shrugged. "My sister has a lot more actually. She decided not to work at a normal job and worked for my dad. I think she earned 15 grand every summer since she was 16.  Plus she worked for him in the winter too, earning about 4000 every month." Ken excited the bedroom.

"Why didn't you work for your dad? And what did you compete in?" He asked.

"Well I never got along with my dad, plus computers for me was fun, and I didn't want to make it work. I competed in Judo, talent competitions as well as some underground stuff. It was all fun." Cat replied as Ken walked over to her and held out a hand. As she stood Ken noticed her baby curves, and reminded himself exactly why he didn't want to get involved with her.

"Underground stuff?" Ken asked, suddenly interested.

"Yeah well, I did some dancing.. and the competitions were.. wild to say the least. As well as fighting. I won 5 thou in one competition. I beat out six guys for the prize, plus two girls. It was all fun."  They headed out of the apartment and down the stair, to where Omi was hard at work in the flower shop.  He was surrounded by girls. Many of them came to flock around Ken. Cat found herself the recipient of many dirty looks. Then she saw one girl pointing at her belly, her pregnant belly. Cat began to blush and called out to Ken. "Ken-kun, lets go, we still need to buy baby clothes…" Ken whirled around form where he was talking to Omi. His face was white. "You promised we'd go shopping today…" Cat whined beginning to enjoy herself as several girls began to look very upset. She flashed Omi a look and spoke in English. "Any of these girls speak this language?" After a moment he shook his head and she went on. "Ken come on lets go, if we don't leave now then these girls will not leave you alone. Besides, now they think you're taken." Cat grinned at Ken who began to hesitantly smile back. "Lets go Ken." And Cat left the shop.

Cat stood outside and waited, counting silently. Just as she reached 'four' The door opened and Ken stepped out of the shop. He still had two girls on his arms, and when Cat turned to greet him, she received nasty looks.

"Loose the bimbos Ken, we have stuff to do." She said in English, smiling sweetly at Ken. He shook his head and gently disengaged the girls. They stomped down the road and Cat had a quick vision of the two wearing Godzilla suits, stomping around downtown Tokyo. She grinned, and headed down the street in the opposite direction from the girls. Ken followed, then jogged a few steps to be at her side.

***

 In the shop, Aya appeared behind Omi and suddenly the female population of the store doubled. He said nothing, but began to serve the customers. After a few moments he sighed and stepped to the center of the store.

"We're closing for an hour." He announced, to the sighs and frowns of many of the girls. After a few moments, the store was empty, and Aya switched the sign over the door and  turned the lock. "We've got a new assignment, and Manx dropped off Cat's weapons, you need to see them. She has a huge assortment of knives and bladed weapons." Omi grinned.

"What do you mean by huge?" He asked, his eyes wide with teasing innocence.

"You'll see." Aya promised darkly, walking up the stairs.

"So what's this assignment about? Is Manx still here? Did Ken talk to you? He went out with Cat. She's dragging him shopping for the baby. She announced it right in the store, and so many girls got mad. One girl even started to cry, and a few asked why it hadn't been them. Ken was really startled. It was really funny." Omi bounced along behind Aya, speaking at a mile a minute.

"She made a girl cry?" Aya asked, his voice thick.

"Yep it was hilarious. You know I think Ken likes her."

"Which girl?"

"You know that Luka girl, the one with the bad blond hair, the grabby girl?" Omi asked as they reached the top of the stairs.

"The one who grabs in.. the eh.. uh.. personal region?"

"Yep the ball grabbing chick.  She's done it to Ken almost four times this week. She apparently thinks that it's a good come on. I think its weird. I'm glad that she thinks I'm to young for her. I don't want her any where near my privates." Omi chattered as they entered the living room.

Youji was sprawled over a sleek leather chair, his latest buy. He was reading a think file folder.

"I don't like this, way to much can go wrong. We'd be putting too much at risk." He muttered, glancing at them over the folder.

"If you haven't noticed, we still haven't read our folders yet, or even the mission folder. So we don't have any idea as to what your muttering about." Omi said, grabbing his folder from the coffee table. "And where is Manx anyways? She usually briefs us."

"She's gone searching for Ken-kuns conquest, and Ken-kun too." Youji said, glaring at Omi over his folder. "Now be quiet and read."

"What is with you Youji, get turned down last night?" Omi hissed sitting down, before opening his folder and beginning to read.

Aya grasped one of the last three folders and sat on the floor. He leaned against the wall, and after a moment swore and murmured, "Shi-ne Takatori….." Ayas face went almost white and he looked up over the edge of his folder to meet Youji's hostile glare. He glared back and then nodded curtly before returning to his folder.

Omi read his folder, but found that his attention kept being drawn back to the sort of place they had to manipulate their way into. The sentence describing it twisted on the back of his mind. "The Twisted Dime is a brothel that specializes in the sale of young women, usually those who are pregnant." Seeing as how the only member of the team that qualified for either of the requirements was Cat, Omi felt disturbed. All he had seen of her was when she had arrived, looking wet, tired upset and bedraggled, and when she was having her nightmare, then confronting Aya. She had looked delicate while she was sleeping, like something that should be protected, not be doing the protecting. Then today she had seemed bright, happy, full of joy. She'd embarrassed Ken and pissed off half of the girls in the store, before wandering away from the window talking with Ken. She was pregnant and this was very dangerous. Omi read on and when he had finished his folder he placed it on the table.

"I am going to go and water the flowers. I didn't get to do that yet today." He said, and then he was racing for the stair his mind full of question and worries.

As Omi  raced away Aya and Youji exchanged a glance and then laid down their own folders. Youji raised a single arched eyebrow at Aya and then stood, stretching his back vertebrae by vertebrae.

"What ever happens, she's in and we can't back out of this. Manx was upset, visually upset when she gave us our folders. She doesn't like this any more than we do. This is weird. Aya, if we are going to do this mission, we've got to make sure that Omi and Cat don't let their emotions get in the way." Youji said, and then turned to go to his room. "We've pulled off other missions."

Youji sauntered out of the room, leaving Aya alone with the folders. Aya sighed and placed his folder on top of the pile.

"And I thought we were messed up before the girl showed up."

Owari part 4