Celebrations
by Apple-chan

Disclaimer: insert witty disclaimer remark here

A future fic of sorts. Set approximately 11 years after the Anime. Plot is...umm...the Hot Springs. Yeah. As in Funbari Onsen. That is, Funbari Onsen's third anniversary.

Spoilers: The whole Anime series.

Warnings: PG-13 for adult situations, mild swearing, and the lot. And the SPOILERS bit.=) You're here, you've read it, so I'm not going to repeat it again.

Others: Same as 1A.

This is the second part of what has turned out to be a very long Chapter 1. So obviously, this picks up where Chapter 1A left off.=)



Chapter 1B - The Guests, Part Two


"Hmm..." Tossing his hair yet again, Hao examined the cards on his left hand thoughtfully while his other hand fished inside his pockets for something. "Interesting..."

From the opposite side of the table, Lyserg glared at him. "Will you just DROP them already? I'm starting to grow mold here."

"Temper, temper!" Hao remarked, still looking thoughtfully at his hand. "Where in blazes are those...ah! Here they are!" Triumphantly, he pulled out his right hand from his pocket and held out his prize with a flourish. "English Lemon Tea Flavored Lights! Want some?" he placed the pack he was holding on top of the table and fished around in his pockets for something else.

Lyserg looked up from his hand and gazed at the package of what appeared to be expensive-looking cigarettes. Then he gazed at Hao queerly. "I thought you were supposed to be an environmentalist."

"Ah, but I am," Hao said smoothly, taking his hand out from his pocket and setting a silver lighter beside the pack of cigarettes. "These only have guaranteed 0.1% of nicotine."

Lyserg snorted. "Sure. That's what THEY all say."

"But this time, it's true," Hao took the pack from the table and pulled out a stick. "After all, my company is the one that produces these things."

Lyserg glared again. "YOUR company?"

Hao tapped his finger at the end side of the pack, and, sure enough, these were printed: Manufactured by Nakatsugawa Enterprises, Ltd.

"Hn." The green-haired young man snorted sarcastically. "That's right. Everything that guy owned--it's all yours now, isn't it?"

"Hai." Hao placed the stick in his mouth and lighted the end. He took a long drag, then blew out the smoke. "Besides, it tastes good. Like lemon iced tea."

"Passive smoke kills," Lyserg muttered, coughing as the cloud of smoke Hao just blew off came his way. "Could you PLEASE drop your hand already?"

"Patience, my friend." Hao tossed the pack of cigarettes to Lyserg, who deftly caught it, and proceeded with examining his hand. "Come on, take a stick. It'd do you good. I'd imagine you're probably worn out from all that work you handle at that -English- agency, am I correct?" He added with complete emphasis on "English."

"I'M English, dammit." Lyserg growled out, glaring at the pack that was now in his hands, his deck of cards clearly forgotten.

"Exactly my point!" Hao pointed out triumphantly. "It's English Lemon Tea. Perfect for an Englishman. Although you don't -quite- sound English, if I may say so..."

Lyserg tossed the pack of cigarettes on the table and sighed. "So I've lost my accent. It's not my fault," he paused, taking hold of his hand of cards again, "I might have been hanging around Chocolove-kun a little too much."

"You don't say...?" Hao gazed at Lyserg with surprise.

"It's not like that, DAMMIT!" Lyserg snapped. "It's just that he's been traveling a lot, and he's near my hometown often, and...why am I telling you this?" He then again rapped his head at the empty space on the table.

Hao rolled his eyes and took another drag from his cigarette. "PLEASE, Lyserg-kun. Let's not start that again. I wouldn't want to be the one explaining to my brother WHY you've suddenly developed a head concussion. On second thought..." he gave a little shiver. "I wouldn't mind if it's my brother. But my brother's wife..." he gave another, much harder shiver.

Lyserg looked up at the mention of Anna. Not having been the recipient--not even once--of any of Asakura Anna's much-dreaded punishments, but having been told of its nature in great detail by his friends, he was very much intrigued. And a little bit scared. Just a little bit. "What about her?"

"Her slap," Hao explained. "Have you ever had a taste of it?"

Lyserg shook his head, a little confused. Was one measly little slap such a big deal...?

Hao whistled. "Then you're quite a lucky man," he paused. "I've had a taste of it myself." He grimaced at the memory.

The green-haired young man stared. Hao? EVIL HAO? Evil, murdering Hao was scared of a measly slap by a woman? Somehow, the picture didn't quite seem logical...

"Ryu. An hour from now, you will go to the kitchen to supervise lunch preparations. I'll take care of any phone calls that may come in at that time. Is that understood?" A loud, commanding, female voice was heard speaking from near the waiting room. At the front desk, specifically.

"Speaking of the angel," Hao muttered. He tapped the accumulated ashes off his stick to a nearby ashtray, then he placed the cigarette back into his mouth.

Lyserg looked in the direction of the waiting room doorway. Suddenly, a small figure with long hair burst in and ran straight into Hao.

"UNCLE HAO! YOU'RE HERE! YOU'RE HERE!" A little girl of around three exclaimed gleefully, while jumping up and down repeatedly on the lap of the said person.

A loud, sincere laugh was head from Hao. "Keiko-chan! You'd better be careful! You wouldn't want Uncle Hao getting in trouble with your Kaachan and Touchan when you suddenly break your leg, ne?" He smiled fondly at the little girl, stroking her long blonde hair with his right hand and pinching her cheeks playfully with the other.

At once, the little girl called Keiko-chan ceased from jumping. Instead, she gazed up at her Uncle eagerly. "You've got something for me, right? Ne? Ne?"

Hao smiled again. "Hmm. Let's see..." he looked up thoughtfully, fishing yet again in his pockets for something. "I'm pretty sure I have something...ah! Here it is!" He pulled out his hand from his pockets and held out a small pink stuffed bunny and placed it in the arms of an excited Keiko-chan. "Here you go, sweetheart," he said softly.

Keiko-chan gazed at the little pink bunny like it was the cutest little thing ever. Which, to her, it probably was. Then she squealed, hugging the little stuffed toy to her chest.. "Kawaii! Arigatou, Uncle Hao! I love it sooo much! I'll put in my bed and sleep with it every night! I love you!" She wrapped her arms tightly around Hao's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Hao hugged the little girl back, feeling deeply gratified, and like he was the luckiest man on earth.

From the other side of the table, Lyserg watched the scene, smiling slightly. He knew he didn't just imagine the smile that was on Hao's face. It was real, genuine, and very sincere. It was so unlike Hao.

And yet--there it was.

Lyserg sighed, and continued to watch the scene with amazed eyes.

Who would have thought it?


*~*~*~*~*~*


"Keiko-chan!" Tamamura Tamao called out the little girl's name. "Where did she run off to? Keiko-chan!"

From the front desk, a blonde woman in her early twenties, wearing a simple black dress, a woman known to many as Asakura Anna, rolled her eyes. "She's probably just in the waiting room. Don't worry about it." She continued examining the checklist Ryu had made out earlier. "Cross out the abalone. Jun-san had brought some already." He told Ryu.

"Hai, Okami." Ryu took the list from her and sent out to do exactly what she told him.

"But..." Tamao said nervously. "Anna-sama...what if she gets lost...? Oh, why did this have to happen now! I have to leave in ten minutes!" She said in dismay. She looked over at herself from head to toe and straightened out the white blouse and dark brown slacks she was wearing.

"Tamao-chan, relax," Ryu said, not looking up from what he was doing. "She's not bound to get lost around here."

"Your appointment is at 11, isn't it?" Anna rested her chin on her hands and gazed at the pink-haired young woman.

Tamao nodded. "Hai."

Anna gazed at the room clock. Ten minutes past ten. "Why do you have to leave so early?"

"I...wanted to make a good impression..." She murmured hesitantly. Since Yoh and Anna's wedding, where, courtesy of Hao, a couple of notable people had come, Tamao had gotten the reputation of being the best and the most accurate fortune teller there ever was on this side of the planet. The most famous and powerful people hired her from all over the world to get their fortunes told. As she had never once been wrong in any of her predictions, she was never out of clients. In fact, day by day, they came aplenty. Sometimes, even more than she could handle...

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Do you REALLY think you have to?"

Tamao was at a loss for words. "Well...um..." She bent her head.

The blonde sighed. "Well, alright, you can go ahead."

Tamao looked up in surprise. "A-arigatou, Anna-sama!" She gave a swift bow.

Anna waved her away. "Just be back an hour before dinner. Help me out with Keiko, ne?"

Tamao gave another bow and smiled. "Hai!" She then picked up her belongings and headed for the front door. She stopped in her tracks upon passing by the waiting room. "A-anna-sama!" She looked at Anna, and then pointed somewhere at the room.

Anna frowned suspiciously, then walked over to Tamao and looked in the direction the other woman was pointing at...and her frown deepened.

"Ne, Anna-san, I finished putting away the abalone in the kitchen..." From somewhere around the Onsen, a female of about twenty-eight, with dark green hair that was tied back so that it was pointed at the back, walked towards the front desk. She was wearing a long, tight-fitting Chinese-styled dress. She gazed at the blonde woman with curiosity.

Anna gazed at her and nodded. "Arigatou." Then she glared at the doorway of the waiting room again.

"Ne..." Tao Jun, the said dark green-haired female, approached the inside of the front desk slowly. "...Ryu-kun," she said in a soft, sweet voice, "what's wrong with Anna-san?" She was slowly and slowly moving closer towards Ryu.

"Um..." Ryu swallowed, feeling the color rising up to his cheeks as Jun approached him. "I think she must have seen something..."he gasped under his breath as the green-haired woman casually rested her elbows on the inside of the L-shaped desk, allowing him a very good view of the outline of certain parts of her...anatomy. He felt his face growing hot. Very, very, VERY hot...

"Hmm...?" Jun smiled at the man innocently. He was quite...endearing when he blushed and stuttered. "You know, I think..."

"Umm...Jun-san?" Ryu managed, nervously looking at the beautiful woman before him and trying hard not to faint.

"Ryu-kun?"

"Umm..."Ryu looked nervously around him. He needed to get away...get away before he either faints, or loses all sense of decency and starts thinking of doing hentai things...or before he actually starts doing hentai things. Oh, where to go, where to go, where to go...jackpot. "I...need to do something in the kitchen!" And faster than a speeding bullet, Ryu zoomed out of the front desk and hid inside the said place.

"Hmm," Jun crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the door of the kitchen disappointedly. Playing hard to get again, eh...? She grinned slyly to herself. Honestly, we've been doing this for six years...well, this time, I'm gonna get you. I'm gonna get you, get you, get you, get you...she hummed the tune softly to herself. One way or another.

"You can go now, I'll take care of this," Anna told Tamao. The pink-haired young woman nodded, then she wore her shoes, her coat, and set out to go outside.

"I'll be back in a few hours!" She shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. Then she was off.

Anna continued to glare inside the doorway of the waiting room.

Meanwhile, the people she was glaring at, oblivious to her glares, continued what they were doing.

Hao had commenced playing poker with Lyserg, while Keiko-chan sat in his lap. Once in a while, she would gaze at her Uncle Hao worshipfully. And then, she would smile sweetly at Lyserg, who would smile back. And once in a while, she would gaze at Hao's hand of cards and playfully pick one out and play with it while smiling at Hao. And Hao would smile back. And then, she would pick on Hao's belt, Hao's pants, his hair...any other part of him that caught her eye.

This time around, what had caught the little girl's eye was the long, thin, stick with the smoking end in between her uncle's lips. His cigarette. She was gazing at it curiously, like it was some kind of toy. She gazed at it for a long while. After sometime, it dawned on her what the stick was. And slowly, her curiosity started to curl into what was unmistakably a frown. A big frown. Then, it evolved into a glare. The famous Asakura Anna glare.

Hao made the mistake of glancing at the little girl just then, and he winced. He then swallowed nervously, trying hard not to look at the little girl glaring at him...damn, he looked again. He tried to avoid her gaze, but her eyes followed him around. Left. Right. Down. Left again. Front...damn.

Finally, he surrendered. "What is it, Keiko-chan?"

"You're not supposed to smoke here." The child said in a voice that sounded so much like Anna it was scary. Hao winced again.

"Gomen ne. I'll put it off." He said quickly, taking the cigarette off his mouth and extinguishing the lighted end onto the nearby ashtray. He smiled at his little niece, and then turned his attention back to the card game.

"Throw the whole pack." Keiko-chan said quietly with an air of command.

Hao's head snapped into attention. So did Lyserg's, for that matter. "What?"

"I SAID, throw it OUT, Uncle Hao." Keiko-chan's Anna-like tone was really creeping both men out...

Hao grabbed the pack of cigarettes on the table and tossed it in the trash can on the other side of the room. He then looked at the little girl hopefully.

Keiko-chan's face had broke out into a big, sweet smile. She wrapped her arms around Hao's neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you," she whispered against his ear.

Hao smiled fondly at the little girl. From across the table, he noticed Lyserg looking at him oddly. "What?"

Lyserg didn't answer. He couldn't believe it. He had just witnessed a three-year-old girl ordering Hao, EVIL HAO, murdering Hao--around the place. And he didn't seem to be complaining. In fact, Hao seemed to be enjoying every bit of it.

Lyserg gazed forlornly at the trash can, where the thrown pack of cigarettes were now residing. He REALLY wished he could have gotten one stick. He could really use a drag of it right about now...


*~*~*~*~*~*


"May I take your coat, sir?" The maid at the front entrance asked the man with puffy dark hair, skin and eyes who had just entered the Onsen's front door. The man looked about twenty-four, and he was wearing what appeared to be a strangely patterned...skirt?

"Sir?" Noticing that the man didn't hear her, the maid called his attention again. "May I please take your...EEEK!" The maid panicked and fell down when, from behind the man, the head of what looked like a full-grown leopard popped out and smiled at her, baring its very sharp incisors for her to see.

The puffy dark-haired man groaned. "We're supposed to make people laugh, not scare them off, Mic," he told the leopard spirit, who nodded remorsefully at him and transformed into its smaller and less scary spirit form. Then, turning to the maid, the man said, "I'm sorry. I know he looks scary, but he won't hurt a fly." he paused. "Unless the fly hurts him first, that is." he smiled at her.

"That wasn't a joke, was it, Chocolove-san?" A voice from behind him asked. A figure, no bigger than half the door, with light brown hair and big eyes, gazed up at the puffy dark-haired man.

"Well." The person in question looked up mock-thoughtfully. "That depends. Did it make you laugh, Manta?"

The figure known as Manta rolled his eyes. "No. But none of your jokes make me laugh."

The other man chuckled. "True. But you're not a spirit, are you? Mic likes my jokes." He then turned to the maid, who was still on the floor. "Are you alright?"

"H-hai." The maid took the offered hand and stood up. Then, regaining her composure, she said, "your coat, sir?"

"Oh yeah." The puffy dark-haired man, known to the Onsen owners and his friends as Chocolove, took off his coat and placed it on the awaiting arms of the maid. "Thank you!" he smiled and took a bow with flourish.

"Mosuke-san doesn't laugh at your jokes," Manta inclined his head to the ceiling, referring more or less to the rooftop of the Onsen, where many of the Shamans' power spirits liked to hang out (his own included), as he took off his own coat and handed it to the maid.

"That figures. He's, like, ancient, like that samurai spirit of Yoh's and that warrior spirit of Ren's." Chocolove said, waving his hand casually.

Manta snorted. "You're just making excuses."

"Not true." Chocolove countered. "I'm a bestseller comedian in New York. And in England, too, if I may say so," he puffed out his chest. "You Orientals just have a weird sense of humor that I haven't quite grasped yet."

Manta rolled his eyes. "Then you had better--OOOFFF!!!" He groaned as a figure about his size burst in from the front door and bumped into him, making the both of them fall down in the process.

"Oh, my head," Manta groaned, rubbing the back of his head gently, and looking over at the person he just bumped into, who was also rubbing his--her--head. "You!"

"Ite," The figure with dark puffy hair, pulled up with a band, dark skin, big dark eyes, and wearing a dark orange fluttery coat groaned. "Opacho's head hurts." At the same time that Manta looked at her, she also looked over at him. "Manta baka!" she exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Manta asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, what are YOU doing here?" Chocolove echoed Manta's question.

Opacho stood up and glared at the both of them. "Opacho came to see if Hao-sama needed anything." Except for the fact that she was taller--right about Manta's height, to be exact, nothing at all about Hao's right-hand person had changed, down to the very voice, the eyes...everything. "Opacho has been Hao-sama's assistant for very long now. Opacho doubts that Yoh-sama's baka friends would know about such things."

Chocolove glared. "What the...did you just call us STUPID?" He exclaimed, preparing to go into battle mode.

Manta stood up and tried to restrain the other man. "Chocolove-san, take it easy..." he muttered, glaring as well at Hao's assistant.

Opacho smiled. "Opacho will go see Hao-sama now, and leave Manta baka and Yoh-sama's other baka friend to attend to their needs." She gave a little wave before skipping towards the waiting room where Hao was. "Ja ne!" She hopped on and on and disappeared into the said room.

"That really hurt," Manta muttered as he continued to rub his sore head, while still glaring darkly at the direction Opacho disappeared to. He roved his eyes a little further...and spotted a blonde-haired woman standing at the other side of the waiting room doorway, across from where he was. She was glaring suspiciously at someone inside the said room, her arms folded across her chest. She was also not saying anything. "Anna-san...?" He greeted tentatively.

The blonde-haired woman looked his way for about half a second before turning her attention to Chocolove, who was beside Manta. Another half a second later, she returned to glaring at whoever it was inside the waiting room. "Almost everyone's here then," She muttered, loud enough for both Chocolove and Manta to hear.

"I wonder what's she's looking at that's gotten her looking like that," Chocolove had abandoned his battle stance and whispered to Manta.

"What do you mean?" Manta whispered back as he spotted Jun and gave her a wave. She waved back and smiled at him.

"She's got that scary look in her eyes, see?" Chocolove explained, shivering. Just thinking about that look in the eyes of the female owner of the Funbari Onsen Inn made him feel like he was going to have nightmares concerning it for several days. She was really that scary.

"Well...um, we'd better not bother her, then." Manta said to the other man nervously as the two of them walked towards the front desk, occasionally throwing wary looks in Anna's direction. "Still, I wonder...oh." His eyes followed the blonde woman's gaze and finally understood why she looked like that. "That explains it," he told Chocolove, pointing at the direction of the waiting room.

"What...?" Chocolove gazed at where Manta was pointing at. "Oh, it's Hao with Keiko-chan and Lyserg...WHAT THE HELL?!?!?" He stopped walking and peered inside for a closer look. "LYSERG is sitting with HAO? Oh, I must be dreaming..." He rubbed his eyes, then looked again.

"You're not." Anna said succinctly from the doorway. "I'd say the two of them have been together in there for almost an hour now."

Manta winced. Lyserg and Hao, together in a room...that sounds TOTALLY wrong...

"What the HELL are they doing?" Chocolove demanded.

Anna shrugged. "Poker. I'm guessing the wager is that if Lyserg wins, he gets to kill Hao." She frowned deeply. "I don't really care much about what the two of them do. It's Keiko I'm worried about."

"KILL Hao? Lyserg agreed to THIS? What the hell is he thinking?" Chocolove muttered.

"He's not." Anna said simply. "He's..." She grimaced and rubbed her ears as loud voices sounded, coming from a nearby room. The voices gradually grew even louder...and nearer...then a door slammed.

"Well SUE ME for trying to be FRIENDLY!"

"WAAAHHHHH!!!!!" A baby's wailing. Anna's frown grew even deeper as she turned her attention from Hao inside the waiting room to the approaching owners of the voices.

"OH YEAH? MAYBE I WILL!"

"WAAAHHHHHHH!!!!"

"AARRGH! THIS IS REALLY ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU HADN'T SHOUTED IN THE FIRST PLACE THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO THREATEN ME WITH A LAWSUIT! -I'M- TAO REN! -NOBODY- SUES TAO REN!"

"WAAAHHHHHH!!!!!"

"THEN I'D BE HONORED TO BE THE FIRST ONE! ANYWAY, -YOU- WERE THE ONE WHO SUGGESTED IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

"WAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

Finally, from one of the main rooms somewhere inside the Onsen, four people appeared. Two of them were engaged in a shouting match--Horo-horo and Tao Ren, specifically. The third one was shaking her head exasperatedly at the two men, while at the same time trying to console the wailing baby in her arms--without much success. This was Pilica.

The fourth one was a little boy of five years old, who took turns looking up in annoyance at his fighting uncles and helping his Aunt Pilica console his baby brother. He wasn't having much success with the latter either. As they got to the front desk, the little boy spotted his mother and sighed with relief.

"Yohnta," Anna said as the little boy approached, along with Pilica holding the baby, "what happened here?"

The little boy sighed, then pointed at his two uncles. "Uncle Horo shouted because Uncle Ren smiled at Aunt Pilica. Uncle Ren shouted because Uncle Horo was shouting." the boy finished.

"That's it?" Anna asked blankly. Yohnta nodded. "And your father?"

This time, Yohnta rolled his eyes. "Still asleep, with Oniichan."

His mother rolled her eyes in the same fashion, sighing exasperatedly.

"Anna-san..." Pilica approached the blonde woman hesitantly. "I'm really sorry. I can't make him stop. I've tried everything..." She looked as if she was on the verge of tears herself. This didn't stop her from glaring at Horo-horo and stealing a shy glance at Ren, though...

Anna nodded and smiled at the younger woman. "Arigatou for trying. I'll take care of this."

"IT WAS JUST AN EXPRESSION, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" Ren's voice shouted.

"YEAH?" Horo-horo's next shouted statement was challenging. "WELL THEN, -DON'T- BLAME ME IF I HAPPEN TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY!"

"YOU'RE STUPID!" Ren shot back.

"SO ARE YOU!" Horo-horo shouted back.

"AARGHH! I HATE YOU!"

Anna raised her eyes to the ceiling, praying for patience. "Can you hold on to him for a little more? I'll just take care of this." She told Pilica, who nodded, watching Anna walk towards the direction of the two men who were in a shouting match.

"OH, IS THAT SO? WELL..." Horo-horo's next couple of words stopped abruptly the second he saw Anna. His face went white.

Ren's glare was replaced with trepidation as he watched Anna approach them.

The blonde woman stopped when she reached them. Then, she gave the both of them a withering glare.

The two men winced simultaneously.

And then, Anna took a step forward...and gave the both of them swift punches on each of their heads.

"Itai!" Horo-horo and Ren exclaimed in unison, rubbing their heads. They looked at Anna and both glared. "THAT HURT!" They shouted at the same time.

She just continued to glare at them. "THAT was for making my son cry." She told them icily. Then she walked back towards Pilica, who handed her the still-wailing Ren-chan. She kissed the brow of her baby, then rocked him back and forth, speaking to him in the loveliest and softest of voices that it would be hard to believe she was actually the same woman who just glared and punched two men a little while ago.

After about two minutes, Ren-chan's sobbing subsided. Another minute later, he fell asleep in his mother's arms.

Ren and Horo-horo watched this scene all the while, with looks of utmost guilt and regret on their faces.

From inside the front desk, Jun sighed. "Anna-san, you make a great mom."

Anna smiled, then glanced pointedly in Horo-horo and Ren's direction.

The two men froze. Horo-horo looked at Ren. Ren looked at Horo-horo.

Then, in unison, the two of them said, "We're really sorry."

Anna examined their sincere faces, then she nodded. "Good. See that it doesn't happen again."

"Hai!" The two men said like they were saluting an army general. Which, in theory, Anna was.

Near them, Chocolove and Manta looked on, shaking their heads, and extremely glad that they weren't the ones who got their heads kicked by Anna.

Meanwhile, from the waiting room, four people appeared, disturbed by the noise. One of them was a man with long hair, who had a little blonde girl who looked exactly like a miniature version of Anna clutching his waist--this was Hao, with Keiko-chan holding on to him. Beside Hao was Opacho, who was looking curiously at each of the people present in the room. A little bit farther from them, was Lyserg, who smiled brightly upon seeing all of his friends.

"What's going on out here?" The green-haired young man asked, smiling at each of the faces.

"Me and Ren were having a shouting match," Horo-horo replied, grinning. "But it's over now."

"Yeah," Ren agreed, also smiling at his friend.

"Uncle Lyserg! When did you get here?" Yohnta had gone to Lyserg's side almost immediately upon seeing him. Unlike Horo and Ren, Lyserg only came to the Onsen once, or twice a year, at most. He had a lot of work to do in the detective agency. But whenever he went to the Inn, he always made sure to spend a couple of hours with Yoh and Anna's twin sons. Of course, Yohmaru often slept, but Lyserg was fascinated by the intelligence of the twins, and so often talked with them and told them lots of stories about England and America. He was sort of like a library of knowledge for the twins, which is why they both adored him--most especially Yohnta. Of course, the twins adored their other uncles too, but that's besides the point.

"I've been here an hour, I think." Lyserg smiled at the boy. "Why?"

Yohnta smiled brightly. "I found this really great book at the library downtown," He said. "I was thinking you might be interested, so I borrowed it."

"Really?" Lyserg asked with curiousity. "What is it about?"

"The Big Ben!" Yohnta said proudly. "It's about the history and architecture and stuff. And I found this new database book for Uncle Manta as well!" He added, upon seeing his Uncle Manta. Manta smiled and approached the boy. He was also a favorite of Yohnta, being an expert on technology and all.

Horo-horo looked at Chocolove and smiled. "Yo. When did you get here?"

"Oh, just a while ago..." Chocolove said breezily. He gave Ren a glance...

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT." Ren told him warningly. "I'm not in the mood for your jokes today."

"You're never in the mood," Chocolove muttered sadly. But afterwards, his eyes gleamed. "But that doesn't mean I have to stop trying!"

"Anna-san, I'm finished with the..." Footsteps were heard as a blonde man in his thirties, known as Faust VIII, went down the stairs. "Oya! Manta-kun!" He said cheerfully upon spotting the small man. He went down the final step and walked towards Manta with a grin that looked suspiciously...evil.

At least, that's what Manta thought. He abruptly stopped talking to Yohnta and Lyserg and winced. He felt the blood rushing out of his face as Faust approached him and shook his hand enthusiastically. "Eh...ohayo, Faust-san," he managed, looking at the blonde doctor nervously. Do not think about dissection, not dissection, not dissection, not dissection...

Upon hearing the commotion, Ryu stepped out of the kitchen to greet everyone. "Oh, you're all here..." He said, glancing briefly at the front desk. Jun spotted him and waved and winked at him, causing him to duck back into the kitchen again. Then, Jun turned back to talking with Pilica.

"How are you and Ren doing?" She asked the younger girl.

Pilica blushed. "Jun-san! There's nothing going on..."

Jun rolled her eyes. "Right, if you say so." She looked over at her brother and grinned. "Well, just be ready during the party. I think he might just be planning on telling you something..."

Pilica sighed, gazing forlornly at Ren, who was talking animatedly with Horo-horo and Chocolove. "I don't think that's going to happen..." She then turned to Jun. "What about you and umm...Ryu-san?"

"He's playing hard-to-get," The older woman said with a laugh. "But I'll get him. He was the one who started it in the first place, during Anna-san's wedding..." She smiled at Anna, who was still rocking little Ren-chan, a soft smile on her face. "I'd love to have a baby someday, like Anna-san does."

Anna looked up and gave a small smile. "You'll never know." She then went back to stroking her little son.

Opacho looked around at all of them, smiling. Then she turned to her master. "Hao-sama, Yoh-sama's baka friends are so noisy." She commented.

Hao laughed. "Indeed, they are," he agreed. "They're a very cheerful bunch as well, aren't they?" He looked over at everyone and smiled. "I wonder where Yoh is, though." He added as an afterthought.

"Touchan is asleep with Yohmaru Oniichan!" Keiko said cheerfully, still clutching Hao's waist.

Hao looked down at the little girl in his arms. "Is he?" Keiko nodded. "Then we'd better wake him up and tell him that all his friends are here." He paused. "Or almost all. That X-LAWS nun isn't here yet. I hear she's getting really friendly with Yoh's green-haired detective friend," He told Opacho. "Anyway, let's get Yoh. Any idea where he is, Keiko-chan?"

"Main room!" Keiko answered cheerfully.

"Alright! Then to the main room we go." Hao started to walk towards the inside of the Onsen, but before he was able to take a step, the person he was looking for emerged, hair all tousled, his shirt all rumpled. One of his hands absently rubbed one eye, then the other. His other hand was holding on to a smaller one. The smaller hand belonged to one of his five-year-old clones, known as Yohmaru, who was beside him, his other hand rubbing his eyes in much the same fashion as his father's.

"Anna..." The spiky-haired version of Hao, known as Asakura Yoh, also known as the other owner of the Funbari Onsen Inn, yawned. "where'd you put my headphones?"

The person being addressed glared at him. "Away. Have you been sleeping all day?" She demanded at her husband.

Yoh looked at Anna, and grinned. "I got bored with all the database work." He yawned again. Then, seeing everybody looking at him, he gave a small wave. "Hi, everyone. You're all here."

Ren grinned at his friend. "You finally woke up."

"I was beginning to think you were dead, you know," Horo-horo told him seriously. "I mean, we were shouting so loud, and there you were, still not budging!"

"He could probably sleep away a bomb explosion..." Chocolove said thoughtfully.

"Yoh-kun. It's been a while," Lyserg approached Yoh, with Yohnta beside him.

"Yo." Yoh grinned at Lyserg. Spotting Manta, he gave another grin. "You haven't grown at all."

"Shut up," Manta said, but he was grinning as well.

"Touchan...I still feel sleepy." The little boy beside Yoh pulled his hand, then yawned, very much like his father.

Yohnta saw what his twin did, and sighed with resignation. "You didn't even help out with the databases, Oniichan." He told his brother.

Yohmaru yawned again. "I got sleepy. Besides, you were doing fine on your own." He told his twin.

Yohnta rolled his eyes and held up his hands in resignation. "You'd better hope Kaachan doesn't find out." He muttered.

"About what?" A female commanding voice demanded. Yohmaru winced.

"It's Oniichan, Kaachan. He fell asleep when we were supposed to--MMPPHH!" A hand clamped onto Yohnta's mouth.

"Yohmaru..." Anna told her son warningly.

"Ahh..." The little boy being addressed sweatdropped, looking up nervously at his mother. "Umm...Kaachan...eh...hehehe..." He grinned sheepishly.

Anna had to smile. Yohmaru was so much like her husband it was astounding. "Tell me the truth. And let go of your brother," She said sternly.

Yohmaru did as he was told. "I fell asleep...I'm really sorry! But Touchan said you wouldn't get angry, so...please don't be angry?" The five-year-old looked at his mother like a hopeful puppy.

Anna gave a small chuckle and ruffled the little boy's hair affectionately. She then glanced over at her husband, who had stopped talking to Lyserg and Manta and was now staring off somewhere else, his eyes narrowed. "Yoh?"

"What's Keiko doing with Hao?" Yoh asked, looking over at his twin brother, and then at his daughter, who was clutching on Hao's waist.

Anna frowned. "The usual," She said with a sigh. "Hao bribes her with toys and gifts. I think that's one of the reasons why Keiko adores him."

Yoh gave a laugh. "Yeah. And the fact that he's charming enough as it is." He looked suspiciously at the stuffed bunny his daughter was holding in her arms, before deciding to approach his brother.

Hao saw him and gave him a big grin. "Yo."

Yoh grinned at his brother, then continued to stare suspiciously at the stuffed toy in Keiko's hand. "Oniichan. You didn't happen to put any spell on that bunny, did you?"

Hao smiled innocently. "Of course not. It's perfectly safe. Really, you should trust me by now. I'll never do that singing spell again." He vowed.

Yoh looked at his brother. "I should hope not, because I'm never allowing you to give her a chocolate again." He grimaced at the memory of the singing chocolate bar of last year. It had kept everyone at the Onsen awake, even long after Keiko had eaten the whole box. It had been a menace to business, and plus, it had made his wife very angry, and, as she had been pregnant at that time, it had been a hell of a life for him.

From beside his father, Yohmaru and Yohnta sniffed their Uncle Hao suspiciously. Hao looked down at the twins. "What is it?"

Yohnta glared at him in reply. "Touchan," he pulled on Yoh's hand, "Uncle Hao's been smoking again."

Yohmaru nodded in agreement. "He has." But he smiled cheerfully at his uncle.

This time, Yoh glared at his brother. "I thought I told you to quit."

"Force of habit," Hao said cheerfully, waving his hand casually.

Yoh sighed, then, he plucked his daughter from Hao's waist gently. "Well, until you completely stop that habit of yours, you can't go anywhere near my daughter, understood?"

"Uncle Hao..." Keiko whined pitifully as she was pulled away from her favorite uncle. But when she looked up and realized who had taken her away from Hao, she squealed. "Touchan!" She looked up at him worshipfully and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Yoh smiled, then looked back at Hao. "It's good to see you, Oniichan." He said to his brother.

Hao gave a smile identical to Yoh's. "It's good to see you too, Otouto." He said, then added teasingly, "Even though you're no fun."

Yoh just grinned, shaking his head at his brother. He then glanced at the clock at the end of the hall. "It's an hour more before lunch gets served. Hey everyone," He said, loud enough for all of his friends to hear, "why don't you all go up to your rooms and rest up for a bit? I know everyone's tired from traveling." He smiled at all of his friends.

His suggestion was met with a resounding agreement from everybody. Yoh and Anna, along with their four children, went inside the front desk and proceeded with handing out room keys to everyone.

"I'll see you later, Yoh-kun, Anna-san, children," Lyserg waved at them and proceeded up the stairs.

"I have a whole new lineup of jokes for everyone! You're gonna have to listen to them during lunch!" Chocolove told them cheerfully as he ran up to join Lyserg.

"I can't wait for lunch!" Horo-horo said excitedly to the six Asakuras before running off, with Pilica running after him.

"Well, I'm going up," Ren told them. With air and dignity, he proceeded up the stairs with his sister.

"Later, Yoh-kun, everyone!" Manta waved as he, too, went on up the stairs to his own room.

"Ja, Otouto yo. Anna. Children," Hao said with a flourish, before calmly walking up the stairs, with his every-faithful assistant jumping up and down beside him.

"Well..." Faust said, as everyone went up, "I guess I'd better go up too, ne, Yoh-kun, Anna-san?"

Yoh nodded and grinned. "You'd better rest for a bit, Faust. We might be needing you sooner, now that everyone's here."

Faust chuckled. "That may be true." He looked at the six Asakuras. "Well, then. I'll be seeing everyone later." He, too, went up the stairs.

Yoh smiled again. Then, he looked at his daughter, who was still holding on to him and gave a yawn. "We should go up too."

Yohmaru yawned beside him. "Yeah, we should."

Yohnta rolled his eyes. "You just want to sleep again, Oniichan."

"Yeah," Yohmaru grinned at his twin and scratched his head.

Yoh looked questioningly at his wife. "Shall we go up too?"

Anna shook her head. "The five of you go up. I'll check on our lunch."

"You should rest," Yoh insisted. He let go of Keiko and took Ren-chan from his wife.

Anna smiled at her husband. "I will. I'll catch up with you, don't worry." She assured him.

"Well...ok, then." Yoh smiled. Then, he leaned over and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Let's go, you three." Holding Ren-chan carefully in his arms, he trudged up the stairs, with his other three children right behind him.

Anna smiled at them one last time before retreating to the kitchen.


*~*~*~*~*~*


At the foot of the staircase, three people appeared. They had all witnessed the scene that went on a little while ago with big smiles on their faces.

One of the three people had pointy gray hair that stuck out on either side of his head. Except for the two rolls of gray hair, he was bald. This was Asakura Yohmei, Yoh's grandfather.

Another one also had gray hair, pulled into a bun. This was Asakura Kino, Yohmei's wife, and Yoh's grandmother.

The last one was taller than the two others, and had dark brown hair which was graying at the temples. He was also wearing a mask. This was Asakura Mikihisa, Yoh's father.

"It's been another year for the Onsen, isn't it?" Yohmei commented as he watched Yoh and the children's backs retreat up the stairs.

"Hai, it has been another year," Mikihisa replied, his eyes following the direction where his father-in-law was gazing at.

Beside them, Kino just smiled.



TSUZUKU.



End notes:

Umm...smoking is bad for your health.^_^;;; It's bad for Hao-sama's health too...but...well...um. Hehehe.^^;;;

Er...I hope I was accurate with my descriptions of everyone. This includes their clothing. Someone tell me if I'm not, onegaishimasu?

Ah...I hoped you like the pairings so far.^^ More coming in the next chapters, I promise!

Thanks for all the reviews for the Prologue. It was weird, I know.=)

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had to divide it into two parts because it ended up being longer than I expected, but...hope you liked it all the same. Hopefully the next one wouldn't be as long. Will be explaining about Yoh and Anna's four (yes, FOUR) children in Chapter 2(the Anna pregnancy bit will be there, too^^). Yeah...I had to say that before you all ask why the heck Yoh and Anna's youngest kid is named Ren-chan.^^ Watch out for that next week.

Reviews will be very much appreciated.