Disclaimer: I do not claim to own any of these characters nor am I making any money on this.
Chapter 7: The Training Trip
Rain continued to fall in torrents as the four teenagers sloshed up the mountain. Loud complaining could be heard long before they were seen. Finally fed up with it Kari swiftly turned. "No one asked you to come! So stop gripping about it. We all know it's cold and wet."
Si Cwan glared at her between wet bangs. "This is all your fault you know."
Kari rolled her eyes. "Yeah because I control the weather now."
"You know what I meant! If you hadn't told your parents about this trip while my family was still in the room, I wouldn't have been forced to come."
Kari scowled. "How was I to know that Shampoo'd flip like that?"
Taki coughed lightly. "Common sense? It was kind of a forgone conclusion." Si Cwan nodded still glaring at her.
Kari rounded on her brother. "Oh shut up!"
"Why don't you all shut up?" Mika grumbled up ahead.
"Mika!" Kari said shocked.
"Seriously! All I wanted was a nice little training trip with my friend and my dad. What do I get? A pair of squabbling two-yr-olds and a jerk. God only knows where Dad is now."
"Genius here was suppose to keep an eye on him." Kari said waving at Si Cwan.
"It was a one room stop. I seriously didn't think someone could get lost." Si Cwan explained. Again.
"Well he did." Mika bit out.
Taki cleared his throat. "That reminds me. Tell me again, why are we letting you lead?"
Mika glared. "Because, I'm the only one who's been there."
"That's great and all but this is the third time we've passed this tree."
"It is not."
"Is too! Look." Taki pointed out several indentations in the trunk. "That's where Kari threw Si Cwan when he grabbed her arm, and here's where you threw Si Cwan when he pointed out that west was in the other direction. Oh and here's where I threw Kari for knocking me down. Sorry about that sis."
Kari joined them. "No problem. Wow look at them it's a really good likeness of Amazon boy."
Si Cwan snorted. "Alright. It's cold and we're all hungry and tired. Why don't we just set up camp here for the night? Or at least till it stops raining."
"That's the first intelligent thing I've heard you say." Kari said. "How about it Mika?"
"Fine!" Mika said throwing up her hands.
Taki sighed. "Great, I could use a break. I'll clear a patch out and set up, care to help me Si Cwan?"
"Whatever."
Kari bit her lip. "Um, can I help you with dinner Mika?"
Mika glared at her. "Fine." The two worked in silence setting out ingredients.
"What'd I do?" Kari finally asked.
"Why'd you have to go an bring him along!"
Kari looked affronted. "Hey it wasn't my idea! You heard him, Shampoo made me."
"Not him! Your brother."
"Oh." Kari said quietly. "You're mad 'cause I brought Taki? Well I didn't think about it really."
"Obviously."
"Hey!" Kari said insulted. "Look Taki and I always train together. It's just something we do."
"How touching." Mika said sarcastically.
Kari frowned. "Well, it is. I'm sorry that it inconveniences you SO much."
Mika sighed. "Sure, fine, whatever."
"Jeez, can't you let this go? Just try and get along with him?"
"No."
"He's really a nice guy. And he's my brother." Kari pointed out.
"And I like you despite that."
"We'll just have to work on this."
"No, we won't." Mika said firmly "Dinner's ready."
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Back in Nerima, things were fairly quiet.
"YUI SAOTOME!" Akane shouted. "Get yourself in here right now!"
Yui cautiously peeked around the corner. "Yeah Mom?"
"Is this true?" Akane asked waving a piece of paper.
"I dunno. What's it say?"
"Yui!"
"Well if I don't know what it says, how can I truthfully say whether or not it's true?" Yui said reasonably.
Akane groaned. "Trust you to get Nabiki's negotiating skills."
Yui grinned. "Really? That's cool!"
Akane glared. "I was kidding."
Yui's face fell. "Oh. So what's it say anyway?"
"It says that you've been making a habit to climb the tree outside the girls locker. It even says that you've been spying on them."
"Nope not true."
Akane looked relieved. "Really? That's good, becauseā¦"
"I've been trying to spy on the teacher in the room above the girls locker room. I just happened to fall into the locker room when the branch broke."
"Yui!" Akane said shocked. "What in the world possessed you to spy on a teacher?"
"It's 'cause he's a zombie you see." Yui said excited. "He's all pasty and has these dark circles under his eyes. Rumor has it that he even keeps voodoo dolls in his office. I just thought it'd be cool to catch he mid-ritual."
"Gosunkugi is not a zombie!" Akane said sternly. "He is a very nice man."
"Really? You sure? Cause' he sure looks like one."
"Positive. Your father and I went to school with him. Now promise me that you'll leave the poor man alone."
"Alright." Yui grumbled. "But if a guy doesn't want to be taken for a zombie he really ought to get more sun, and some sleep. Can I go play with Makoto now?"
Akane flopped into a chair. "Fine, go. Let Nabiki deal with you."
Yui flashed a grin. "Cool!"
Akane winced as he slammed the front door. Sighing she glanced around the cluttered room. "Guess I'd better clean this up." Akane got up and made her way to the cleaning cabinet, she had just taken out the supplies and when she went back to the living room she found it immaculate with Kia sweeping up the last of the dust. Akane sighed. "Kia, honey I could have gotten that."
Kia smiled benignly. "I know Momma, but I like cleaning. Would you prefer sushi or stew for dinner? Or I have a nice ramen recipe Auntie Shampoo left, or the one Auntie Ukyo left."
Akane sighed again in defeat. "Sushi will be fine, Kia. It's been hot lately. Is your father home?"
"Oh, Daddy's in the dojo still. Sushi it is then, and maybe some nice rice balls. Tea?"
"Thank you dear." Akane said not even bothering to ask where a tea set came from in the living room. It just wasn't worth it. "How was school?"
"Very entertaining as always. Such funny people go there." Kai said as he started to dust. "Today we learned division in math and we read a very nice book in literature. It was the one Daddy read to me last summer."
"That's nice. You liked that one."
"Uh-huh. And then at lunch this silly boy was teasing Miya so I punched him."
"Oh. That was, um kind of you."
Kia smiled. "Wasn't it? After I explained things to him. You really shouldn't tease people, it's not nice."
Akane closed her eyes and leaned back. "Very good. But you shouldn't punch people either."
"Oh I know that. But he was a boy and I just couldn't think of another way of gaining his attention. Sensei Haruna had a long talk with me about it." Kia explained, fluffing the couch pillows. "Oh dear, it looks like Yui spilled grape juice on this cushion again."
"Are you training with your father again tonight?"
"Uh-huh." Kia answered absently. "He's teaching me a new kata."
"Really? Already?"
"Yes. This is not going to come out. I know I have some cleanser in my room. Be right back."
Akane nodded as he left the room and sipped her tea. Just another normal day in the Saotome house.
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Across town, Yui and Makoto had been told to go play somewhere else, as Aunt Nabiki was in the middle of a hostile takeover and didn't want distractions. They did get money out of the deal from Kuno, so they went out for ice cream. Yui bounced along on the fence while Makoto walked more sedately below.
"So your mom really didn't flip out this time?"
"Nah." Yui said "She was much more upset about the frog incident last year."
"Oh. Well I can understand that." Makoto said. "This time there were no police involved."
"Yup!"
"MAKOTO!" A voice cried just before Makoto was tackled by a brown blur.
Yui grinned. "Hey Michelle."
Michelle grinned back. "Hey Yui! Heard you fell into the girls locker room."
"Yeah, I was trying to get the goods on Sensei Gosunkugi when the branch broke."
"That's too bad. Should've invited me, I would've been your look out."
Yui grinned. "Maybe next time. How's your mom?"
Michelle scowled. "She's fine."
Makoto sighed and pushed herself up. "I see you found your skates again."
"Yeah! Mom must have hid them with Dad's stuff again. They were lying in a pile in the hall this morning. Dad must be off somewhere again."
"What does your dad do anyway?" Yui asked.
"Besides hide from my mother?"
"Yeah." Yui answered.
"I don't know. But he has some of the coolest stuff." They started walking again. "So where are you headed?"
"Ucchan's!" Yui said. "We were gonna go for ice cream but Aunt Ukyo promised free food."
Michelle grinned. "Cool. Can I come?"
Yui dropped down between them and flung an arm around each. "Sure thing. The more the merrier!"
"Great! Mom will never think to look for me there!"
"Is she trying to put you in dresses again?" Makoto asked.
"Not any more then usual. She started babbling about an old lost pet she found and then lost again at this train station. She wants me to go and help her look for 'Charlotte.' Personally I think the thing has the right idea, run away! Far away!"
"Not to worry! We'll keep you away from the clutches of the collector!" Yui said seriously.
"Thanks, I feel soo safe." Michelle said dryly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Back in the woods the rain finally stopped and they got to dry off. So training started in earnest
"Mika! Come on you're got to charge more aggressively."
Mika growled. "I am you twit!"
Kari's eyes narrowed. "Twit?"
Watching from the sidelines Taki winced. "Here it comes." He said to Si Cwan.
"Here what comes?"
"The Mallet of Justiceā¢."
Whomp! Mika lay flattened a mallet still rested on her head as Kari stalked off.
Si Cwan goggled. "Where did that come from?" 'Is that how she defeated me?'
"Beats me." Taki said. "But only she and my mom can do it. Least, that I've ever seen. If you really tick them off whomp! Out comes the mallet. Dad's usually the only one Mom hits. Kari's a little less selective. Wanna spar? We can work on getting you up to speed."
Si Cwan glared. "Up to speed?"
Taki smiled. "Okay bad choice of words. But come on you know we all can take you."
"Bring it on Saotome."
Taki shrugged. "Your funeral."
Five minutes later. Whomp!
"Again!"
Whomp.
"Again!"
Whomp.
"pant-Again!-pant"
Whomp.
"Ag-pant-ain."
"Hey you sure about this man? You look really tired."
"I-pant-said again!"
Whomp.
"Look man, it's getting dark. Why don't we try again tomorrow?"
Si Cwan lay flat on his back panting. "Is dinner ready yet?"
Taki glanced over to where Kari was helping a bandaged Mika. "Almost."
"Then we'll stop." Taki reached down and hauled Si Cwan to his feet.
"Look man, I'm not trying to insult you. But you got to realize me and Kari were trained by the best."
Si Cwan glared. "I was trained by my Great-great-grandmother."
Taki smiled a little. "Yeah, I knew her, she was fun. Dad beat her nine times out of ten, but it was always fun watching that tenth. Mika's Dad never beats ours but he always beats us. So it's kind of even. I doubt Mika could really take either of us but she could take you."
"Nice to know." Si Cwan said bitterly.
Taki patted him lightly on the back. "Don't take it so hard. You haven't fought impossibly hard villains every year of your life, so it's no wonder you can't take us."
Si Cwan glared a bit then sighed. "Thanks so much for the sympathy."
"HEY! You two going to sit there gabbing all night or are you going to come eat!" Kari called from the campfire.
"We're coming! Chill out sis!" Taki called back. "Look Si Cwan. I have enough people who want to beat the crap out of me, some in my own family, so it'd be nice to have a friend. We could work on trying to bring you up to our level I don't think it'd take much. You're pretty good."
"Oh gee thanks so much." Si Cwan muttered. "Come on dinner's getting cold. At least these two can cook."
Taki chuckled. "Yeah, we're all thankful that Kari got Dad's cooking genes and not Mom's."
Author's Notes: Gee has it really been that long since I updated this? I guess so. Well here's another installment of AM. I'm not sure if I want to continue with the training trip or not next time, well we'll see. I also thought I'd add in a bit more to the other members of the family. This isn't going to just be about Kari and Taki after all. I was thinking about a chapter just on Tacchi, how about that? A Tacchi chapter? Would anyone like that? Also Michelle's parents should be showing up soon. I bet most have already guessed who her mom is, I know Ghost in the machine did. It's really not hard I've left tons of clues. More in this chapter. Her dad might be a bit harder, but I believe I've left some clues to that also. Oh! I was also thinking about doing another interlude. One dealing with how everyone got their names, would that interest anyone? Well let me know. Till next time!
