Disclaimer: I don't own the original FY characters; I own Kei, Taki, Lily, Jason, their kids and any other person who isn't a FY character.
Thoughts
Memories
~*~Review Response~*~
~Jamie - I don't think it's that bad that you haven't updated. It just means that you have a busy life. I spend much of my day writing cause I have nothing better to do.
~Cat - I hope my work stays high quality for you. ^_~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"So uh…what is it?" Akane abruptly yanked the gem out of her mother's hand and started playing with it.
Older Kei yanked it back. "You've got a lot of nerve, you know that? It's a gem Nozomi gave me that'll send Reizo home."
Akane grabbed it again. "I get it from you. How's it work?" She held it up to the sun. "Pretty color."
Older Kei sighed and gave up. "Sometimes I don't know about you…but anyway…once Reizo comes in contact with it, it'll release its power and he'll be back in the present."
"Future." Kei said quickly.
"Depends on who you're asking." Older Taki retorted.
"I suppose…" Kei shrugged.
"So do we wait till he comes back?" Kimiko asked.
"It's all we can do for now." Older Kouji answered. Kano let out an exasperating sigh. Older Kouji frowned at him. "What's the matter with you?"
"Nothing." He muttered. 'Wait, wait, wait…seems like that's all I ever do…'
"You need lessons in self expression…" Older Kouji sighed.
Akane looked over at Kano. She felt the same as him. She didn't want to wait any longer. She hated to think that not only was she in danger, but her mother was too. If anything happened to her mother, her father, or any one else, she wouldn't be able to take it or she could very well cease to exist.
Older Tasuki sensed his daughter's fear. He gave her a comforting look. She tried to smile.
'Jeez, I'm such a Daddy's girl…oh well. I do have a great Dad…he can be a little over protective at times though…'
While the older and younger adults began to talk about what was going on again, the kids gravitated towards each other.
Akane still had the glowing red gem in hand. "What do you think it'll do?"
"Who cares as long as it get of him?" Hiroshi muttered.
"That was surprisingly harsh for you." Naoko looked up at him.
"Well, who wants to be nice now?" Kimiko offered in defense of her boyfriend.
They all shrugged in agreement.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Reizo sat in an inn somewhere in Kutou's capital. He downed another glass of alcohol. The liquid burned in his throat as rage burned in his heart. He couldn't understand why the man he'd been told about as a child was so different from the one that just threatened to kill his only son.
'I see myself in you every time I look at you. I see how wrong I was to do what I did…' He repeated his father's words in his head. 'He is weak…he always was…he is backing down…this man cannot be my father…'
"You there! Boy! Time to go." The gruff bartender began cleaning up the glasses Reizo had drained previously.
Reizo raised his cold eyes. The bartender felt a chill run down his spine. "Is it really?" He asked calmly.
The man felt his knees go weak. Reizo's glare could have frozen the sun itself. He backed away from Reizo. "N…n…no…my mistake…I was wrong about the time…I beg you pardon sir…would you like another drink?"
"Yes…" Reizo lowered his gaze as the bartender ran off.
The frightened man behind the counter stared at the blonde man at his counter. 'That's some messed up guy…no one should have eyes that cold…' He got Reizo another drink and went into a back room, fearful of what he'd do if the rage bottled inside him ever got released.
'If my father will not help me get rid of his future killers, I suppose I am forced to do it myself…' After finishing his last drink, he tossed a small sack of money on the counter and disappeared out the door.
The bartender timidly collected the money. 'There goes someone who could use a hug…' He felt as though he had just looked Death in the face and survived.
It began raining as Reizo walked down the emptying streets of the capital. He pulled up the hood off his cape and paid no further attention to the thunder and lightning around him.
He carefully avoided small children that ran around him trying to find their way back home. He felt his anger grow when he thought about those kids running home to their parents, to a place they were wanted. He'd never been Reizo, always Nakago's son. He practically had no life of his own. The people in the palace raised him to be like his father, only stronger.
He headed to the stabled near the gates of the capital. He was headed back to Konan on his own as soon as possible.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Akane lay back in the grass and stared up at the sky. Things seemed relaxed at the moment. "The calm before the storm…" She whispered.
"Think it'll be bad?" Kimiko's voice interrupted her thoughts.
Akane sat up quickly and whipped her head around. "Kimiko! Oh good Lord…you scared the crap outta me…"
"Expecting maybe Kano?" She asked with a sly grin on her face.
"Excuse me? What did you say?" She got up.
"I bet you would have wanted him to come over here, right?"
"What makes you say that?" She looked indignant.
"Everyone knows, except for you two it seems, that you and Kano are in love."
"What?!?! I am not! Kano doesn't feel that way about me."
"Talk, talk, talk. No sense in denying it." She waved her finger in the older girl's face. "You'd feel so much better if you told him."
Akane crossed her arms. "I already told you, he doesn't like me that way."
Kimiko snorted. "Come on, you guys have kissed, right?"
"So? Maybe he's just horny."
"So? It takes two, my friend. He had to want it. And so did you."
Akane sighed. "Alright already…I do like him…a lot…hell, I probably am in love with him, but I have no idea what's going on in his head…I don't know if he cares about me that way."
"He's been protecting you this whole time! Come on! Kano's not the type to kiss a girl if he didn't have feelings for you."
"How would you know? I've known him longer than you have!"
"Please! I'm Suzaku's daughter. I know these kinda things. He is the god of fire and love or something like that."
"I wish you'd stop it with the goddess thing."
"Eh…I try to be happy about it because it makes me really upset."
"Why?"
"Because I don't know if things will work out between Hiroshi and me…"
"Kimiko, you shouldn't worry about that. Hiroshi's been in love with you for so long, a little something like immortality will not get in his way of being with you."
"Really?" She looked hopeful.
"Yes. He's my baby cousin. I know these things." She wrapped her arm around Kimiko's shoulder. "And I don't think I need to remind you, but if you hurt my baby cousin, I will kill you." She said with a smirk. "But then again, if he hurts you, I'll kill him."
"I understand. I would never dream of hurting him. I think things will be okay between us." She smiled.
"Good. I don't wanna see my cousin and my friend get hurt."
"And I don't wanna see you suffer, so I think you should tell Kano how you feel about him."
Akane let go of Kimiko's shoulder and sighed. "No good."
"Why?"
"Even if he does like me, we still can't be together."
"Is it the different worlds thing? 'Cause Kano is a seishi, I could probably ask my father to let him cross over…"
"No…it's my dad I'm worried about…"
"What about him?"
"Daddy never likes the guys I like. I mean, last time I had a boy friend, I didn't even want him to meet Daddy 'cause he'd scare him away." Kimiko kicked a rock through the grass
"Oh…Tasuki's got that 'No one's good enough for my daughter' thing going, doesn't he?"
"Yeah…I mean, it's great that he cares so much…but I really do love Kano and I wish I knew if Daddy would accept him…"
"He is Kouji's son. Maybe your dad would like him more." She shrugged.
"I doubt it. Nothing short of dying to protect me would make Daddy like a guy…"
"Well, Kano almost did that…he did let Reizo poison him and he almost got killed fighting with Reizo later…"
Akane blew some hair away from her face. "Can we just forget it for now? We should find the others."
"Fine…" Kimiko let out an exasperated sigh as they headed back to the clearing. 'I can't believe she's so oblivious. It's so obvious Kano loves her too…and Tasuki should like Kano…he treats Akane right…they're gonna have to tell each other before they explode…' Kimiko shook her head in dismay as Akane looked longingly at Kano who was talking with both versions of his father. She then looked at Older Tasuki.
He didn't look very happy about the way Akane looked at Kano. Older Chichiri stood next to him.
"You have to let her grow up, no da…"
"I don't want her to. I'd rather she stayed little."
"Like it or not, our kids are going to grow a lot from this, no da. They already have. I can see that Toshiro has already become a different person. We can't stop it. We can't stop their emotions either, no da."
"Damn you and the fact you're always right, Chichiri."
"Give Kano a chance. He cares for her a lot, no da."
"I know he does…he'd do anything for her…I just don't want her to grow up too fast."
"Too late. She's 17 and in Konan…"
"Why didn't we tell them before?" He asked quietly.
"Not sure, no da. Maybe we thought if they didn't know, they'd never see it…"
"We never should have made that assumption…" He shook his head.
"We can't do anything about it now though. We can only try to make amends with the kids…" Older Lily joined her husband and Tasuki.
"Very true, no da…"
"How much longer do we have to wait?" Naoko sat on her father's shoulders.
"I don't know." He looked up at her. "You already asked me that how many times?"
"Around 40." Nyoko answered happily. She was standing with her mother.
"I'm tired of waiting…" Naoko sighed.
"We all are." Older Nuriko picked up their other daughter.
Nuriko and Jason watched themselves from afar.
"You ever think about kids?"
"Nope. Never thought about kids, a wife…hell, even a steady girlfriend…"
"Well, how much stock do you put in this being real?"
"Well, I figure if I was drunk, wasted or other wise unconscious, I would have gotten up by now and I know I'm not dead since I can still feel pain." He looked down at her as he spoke. "So I guess it's pretty real…"
"Did I mention I was sorry about that?" She blushed.
"Yeah. So what about you? Ever think about kids?"
"Thought about it…never thought it would happen though…"
"Why?"
"That's none of your business."
He was taken aback. "Hey, I am your future husband…"
"Future, not current." She waved her hand in his face. "I see no ring. Do you?"
Jason snickered.
"And just what if so funny?"
"You."
"Me? Well, I'm glad you find me amusing."
"Humor is good in a marriage."
"How would you know?"
"I almost got married once."
"Really?"
"Yeah…she was awful." He shook his head. "My foster father tried to get me to do it. She was so serious but I almost went through it until Lily slapped some sense into me and I pulled out of it."
"Why'd you almost do it?"
"I think I wanted my foster father to accept me, so I was gonna try and make him happy."
"Others shouldn't come before yourself if you make yourself miserable."
"That's pretty much what Lily told me. So I stopped. I think it only made him hate me more…"
"Do you see him often?"
"Nope…"
"I see."
"Any idea how much longer?" Toshiro looked down at Older Hotohori. "This is gettin' real boring…" He dangled his legs from the tree branch he sat on.
"I would give it till about sun down." Older Taki looked up at the sky.
"What makes you say that?" Hotohori asked.
"We've already been through this. Granted last time we were younger, but we already know how this is going to turn out." Older Hotohori answered.
"Isn't that like some kinda of unfair advantage?" Taki asked.
"No advantage is unfair when dealing with Reizo. He tried to kill our niece. He won't get away with it." Older Taki answered solemnly.
"Does he die now or does that happen later?" Toru asked, sitting on a slightly lower branch, bangs blowing slightly in the breeze
"Later." Older Hotohori looked up at his nephew. It wasn't like Toru to ask such a morbid question, but too much had changed.
"We should go somewhere to fins shelter. It's going to start raining." Older Kei pushed herself off the tree she was leaning on.
"But Aunt Kei…there aren't any clouds in the sky…" Hiroshi started.
"It rained last time we did this. No reason it won't again." Older Kouji nodded in agreement with his friend's wife.
"This is gettin' too weird for me…" Kouji shook his head. He didn't enjoy dealing with things that involved the miko's world. Why should he care in the first place? He wasn't a seishi. His son and best friend were, but their affairs didn't concern him. At least, not before. He wasn't hadn't been concerned with it until he realized Kano was in love with Akane. Even as a baby, Kouji could see that Kano enjoyed being with Akane.
He wondered if he'd lose his son to the miko's world like he would obviously lose his best friend.
The large group left their clearing and went back to a close town. Luckily no one seemed to notice that the younger adults had older look-alikes with them and if they did, no one said anything.
They reached the inn just as it started to rain. The younger adults were a little shocked that the older ones were right.
Without anyone knowing, Akane snuck out into the rain to take a walk. She didn't care if Reizo was coming, she wanted to walk in the rain.
It was a slightly heavy rain, enough to soak her in a few minutes and the dirt road turned to soft mud.
She moved silently through the town, occasionally pushing wet pieces of hair from her face.
~*~*~*~
Back at the inn, Kano looked through a few of the rooms then went to the room where his father and Akane's parents were.
"Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt…"
"What's up, kid?" Older Kouji waved him in.
He approached the table where they sat and the glowing jewel rested in its box. "Have any of you seen Akane? I can't find her…"
"What?" Older Kei paled.
"I looked in most of the rooms. Everyone said she was somewhere else, but I haven't found her any where."
"I told her not to go out…" Older Tasuki frowned.
"Are you sure?" Kouji looked up to his son, but Kano was already gone. So was the jewel.
~*~*~*~
Akane stood on the outskirts of town. "I'm gonna be in so much trouble when I get back…" She smiled.
Her smile quickly faded when she heard horse hooves pounding in the mud. "Only a crazy person would ride a horse in this weather…" She saw a flash of gold on a shadow coming towards her. "Reizo!" She hissed in a whisper and ran back towards the inn.
She couldn't outrun a horse though and she had to stop to face him.
Reizo stepped off his horse and let it go off on its own. "Shouldn't you be with your mommy?" He hissed at her.
"Least I have one…" She spat back. As soon as she said that, she realized it might have been too much. He rushed her, but without a weapon. 'Must want to beat me to a pulp himself first…' She thought bitterly and felt herself get knocked into the mud.
His fist came up above her head, threatening to smash her skull in, but she managed to get her feet into his chest and push him over her head. "I'm not in the mood for this Reizo!" She raked chunks of mud out of her hair.
"Too bad. I am." He hurried to his feet and approached her slowly. "I will not rest until your blood is on my hands…"
"A little messy don't you think?" She got on the defensive. "Besides, my blood stays in me."
"Not for long." He shed his wet cloak so he could move faster. It landed in the mud with a soft thud.
"You never know when to give up, do you?" She blocked his mud caked boot from hitting her temple.
"Not my nature." He growled.
"I'm not threatened by a growl." She muttered and pulled out one of Kano's knives. "You don't scare me." She lashed out with the knife and cut a deep gash into Reizo left arm.
He let out a howl as blood poured out of the wound. "You will pay for that."
"Come and get me!" She pulled out the other one. "It's what you want isn't it?"
Reizo pulled out a sword. It gleamed even in the gloomy rainy weather.
'I'm not scared…I can fight him…I just wish I weren't alone…' She licked her lips as Reizo rushed her, sword raised.
A flash of silver rushed towards her head. She crossed the knives just in time to catch it.
Even with a wounded arm, Reizo still seemed to be physically stronger than her. He forced the sword down, closer to her skin.
"I win." He smirked in her face.
She spat in his eye. Instead of saying something in retaliation, he kicked her in the stomach, sending her into a wall. Her head bounced against a wooden crate as she fell. She blacked out.
Reizo took a moment to look at the cut in his arm. Akane nearly cut to the bone. It would take a lot of time to heal, but it didn't matter. It was just his left arm and he felt as though he'd won. "I would have expected more of a fight from you…something more like you display in Kutou…"
He slowly approached Akane's muddy body. A glimmer of red in the corner of his eye made him stop.
"REIZO!" Kano came out from the corner of a house. "You didn't think it would be that easy did you?" The Oni on Kano's forehead was starting to flare up again, like it had during their last encounter.
"Hello, baby brother. Still defending the wench?" Reizo lowered his weapon.
"I'm not your baby brother." Kano knelt next to Akane and picked up his knives from her limp hands. He took a moment to make sure Akane was still breathing. "You're lucky she's not dead."
"So what if she was?"
"You'd have already been dead…" Kano murmured menacingly. It began to pour harder as Kano stepped in front of Akane's body.
"You are far to attached to her."
"You know Reizo…I used to think you were a deranged psychopath…" Kano got up in Reizo's face. There was almost no difference in height between the two. "I was wrong."
"Then what am I?" Reizo snorted. "Since you seem to know me so well."
"You're a lonely little boy looking for love and acceptance from those that will never give it to you." Kano immediately moved back as Reizo attacked in a blind fury.
Kano smirked. He knew Reizo would go ballistic and not think about strategy.
He met Reizo slash for slash, blow for blow. The young Kutou general couldn't make any headway against the enraged seishi.
Reizo thought for a moment he could gain on Kano when the younger boy slipped in the mud. He almost cleaved Kano in two when he swept his legs into Reizo's and sent him into the mud.
"Heh…" Kano smirked again. Reizo was lying face down in the mud. "Eat that. Who knows what's in that besides dirt."
Reizo pushed himself up and spat the filth out of his mouth. He wiped his face with the cleaner of his two sleeves. The right one didn't have all that much mud on it, it also wasn't blood soaked.
Akane stirred as Kano and Reizo fought. She shook the pain from her head. 'Why am I the one who's always getting knocked out?' She squinted to see the two figures fighting relentlessly in the rain and mud. She saw blood mixed in the mud a few feet away from her. She hoped to Suzaku that it was Reizo's blood and not Kano's. She touched her muddy hair. She felt a bump where her head hit the crate.
Judging by the way Kano was keeping up with Reizo, sometimes getting the better of the blonde and never taking a hit, Akane figured Kano went Oni on Reizo ass.
She soon noticed Kano's knives weren't with her. Flashes of silver and sparks in the rain told her Kano had them. Then she noticed a red glimmer near her foot. 'The gem!' She cursed Kano's absent-mindedness. What was he going to do when he realizes he doesn't have it? She snatched it up and wiped it off with a cleaner part of her shirt. She got to her feet slowly and waited for her vision to clear again. 'I really do need to work on the getting knocked out thing…it hurts…'
She walked towards the fighters. 'Now…how to get Reizo to touch it? I could jump on him and shove it down his throat, but I'm in no condition for that…he isn't wearing gloves so maybe…'
Reizo was the first to notice her. "So you are awake. I expected you to be out for longer."
"I'm full o' surprises, ain't I?" She held the gem in two fingers. "Kano, you forgot your power crystal."
Kano was almost confused but then realized she was going to try and trick Reizo. "Did I drop it?"
"Yeah. It was by me."
"What are you whelps talking about?" Reizo demanded. He was getting a little unnerved.
"You can see the crystal's power for yourself." Akane whipped it at Kano. Though if she really wanted Kano to get, he would have.
Reizo stuck out his hand and caught the crystal. Akane raised her hand to her face in mock horror. "Oh no. He got it. What ever will we do?"
"Oh no. I think we're doomed now." Kano rolled his eyes.
"What is the matter with the two of you?" Reizo's question was soon answered.
The glow of the gem intensified. It was at this moment that the others from the inn finally found them. Reizo's eyes widened in fear as a red light from the gem surrounded him. In a flash, she was gone. The gem fell back to the ground, but it wasn't done. It let out another burst of energy that surrounded the kids, older adults, Jason and Nuriko.
When it disappeared, only the younger adults still stood in the rain, except for Jason. Nuriko was also a man again.
They all stared at each other, unsure of what had exactly happened. Nuriko looked around. "Where's Jason?"
Lily stared at the footprints in the mud from the fight. "He wasn't supposed to be here yet. He's back home."
"Are you sure, no da?"
She nodded. "Yeah…he's probably back in his little apartment in the city…wondering if this was real. Just like us…"
Taki pushed her wet hair away from her face. She looked at Hotohori. "Did we really just see our future selves, our son and his girlfriend?"
Hotohori shook the water from his eyes. "I don't know."
"It'd be nice to know if it was true or not…"
"Everything in due time." He murmured. Even though he wanted to know just as much as she did.
Kouji stared at the blood mixed into the mud. He looked at his son who was trying to grab at the rain and every so often sneezed when some water got up his nose. Kouji saw part of the fight between Kano and Reizo. He was amazed his son had become such a good fighter and it wasn't just because he was a seishi. Kano had said he only found out recently that he was a seishi, so most of his skill had to come from normal training.
Kei and Tasuki went to the spot were the previously glowing gem was. Kei pulled out a bandana and picked up the gem with it. She and Tasuki stared at it for a moment, wordlessly before the color drained from it and it turned to dust. Kei gasped and almost dropped it, had it not been for Tasuki grabbing her hand, she would have.
They stared at each other, wondering who should pull back first as the rainwater mixed with the gem dust, turning to a vaguely red mud.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Akane slowly opened her eyes when she thought it was safe and found herself back in her living room, though still wet and covered in mud. He eyes scanned the room. She saw her parent all her cousins, aunts, uncles…Kouji and Kano? She blinked in surprise. 'How'd they get here? Wait…the gem made us all come back here…yay!'
She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder. "Akane, are you alright?"
"Except for completely covered in mud, yes." She looked down in disgust at her muddy shirt.
"Go upstairs and take a shower. And show Kano to the other bathroom. He could use one too." Kei sighed. "I'll get you guys some clothes."
"Thanks, Mom. I'd hug ya, but…you know."
"Yes, I do." She smiled. "Now go."
Akane grabbed Kano's arm and dragged him up the stairs. She took him into one of the bathrooms. "Should I explain it to you?" She asked, meaning the shower.
"I think I get it. Thanks."
"Kano?"
"Yeah?"
"How'd you find me?"
"In the town you mean?"
"Yeah."
"I just looked till I found you." He shrugged.
"Well…thanks. I'd be dead if you hadn't." She gave him a quick kiss on the lips and left him alone. He just watched her go, then started peeling off the heavy muddy clothes and got in.
Akane threw the clothes to the floor and stepped into the hot shower. The hot water felt good on her frozen skin. As the mud washed away, she realized that it wasn't just the rain that chilled her. It was Reizo's cold gaze that made her incredibly uncomfortable. She hated the fact he wanted to kill her. 'Damn guy…I don't care if Daddy did kill Reizo's father! Daddy did it for a good reason. His father killed my mother!'
Downstairs, Kimiko was in some of Akane's clothes since hers were soaked too. She looked at a clock and shuddered. "Oh no…"
"What's wrong?" Hiroshi asked.
"My mother is going to kill me…I told Akira I'd be out for a few hours…it's been way longer than that…" She groaned.
And as if of cue, they heard an angry knocking at the door.
Tasuki went to go open the door. He was a little surprised to see an angry deep violet haired, blue-eyed woman at the door. He immediately recognized her. "Tora?"
"Where's Kimiko? I have been trying to find her all day! How come every time I called, no one was here? Where is she?!?!" Tora was royally pissed off.
Kimiko came running into the front hall. "Mom! I can explain! Don't get mad at them!"
"This had better be good…" Tora tapped her foot impatiently.
"It is! I swear!" Kimiko's mind raced to find a plausible explanation for where she'd been. "See…we were just going to hang out at the mall for a while, but then we decided to go have a water fight, which is why I'm not wearing the clothes I left the house with…and uh…then…this friend of Tasuki's flew in with his son from China for a visit so we went to get him…I guess I lost track of time."
"And why did all of you go?" Tora eyed her daughter carefully for signs of lying.
"Well, the guy is also friends with all my friends' parents so I just tagged along for the ride…" She grimaced, hoping her mother could tell she made up practically the whole thing.
Tora looked at Tasuki. "True?"
"Completely." Tasuki found himself back up from Tora a little. There was nothing worse than a worried mother.
"Then where is he?" The crossed her arms and taped her foot.
Tasuki went back to the living room and came back with Kouji, dressed in Tasuki's dry clothes. "Tora, this is Kouji. Kouji, Kimiko's mother Tora."
Tora's angry face softened when she saw the tall, tanned bandit. "Hi…"
"Hi." Kouji smiled and shook hands with her.
Kimiko and Tasuki looked at each other in surprise.
'OH MY GOD!!!!! I think my mother is attracted to Kouji!!!!!!!! From gods to bandits, my mother has a taste for guys from the Universe of the Four Gods and she doesn't even know it!' "Mom, shouldn't we be going? Akira's probably freaking out cause I've been gone all day, right?" 'He'll freak out even more if he finds out Mom just melted into a puddle in front of Kouji…'
"I guess you're right." Tora barely heard her daughter.
At that moment, Kano came down the stairs from his shower. He wore a pair of black pajama pants that had laces he tightened in the front and a plain white t-shirt that Kei brought up for him. His hair was still wet and there was a towel draped around his neck. "Hey Dad, Kimiko. Who's that?" He noticed Tora.
"Kano, this is my mom. Tora Takani. Mom, this is Kano, Kouji's son."
"Oh. Hi." Kano kinda nodded to her. He wasn't exactly sure how to act in front of the former wife of a god.
"Nice to meet you. Is your mother around?" She asked nicely.
"Nope." Kano answered quickly. "I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me." He disappeared upstairs again and waited for Akane.
"What did I say?" Tora looked nervous.
"His mother just died." Kouji answered as he looked towards the stairs.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" Now she was embarrassed.
"It's alright. Kano's just not taking it all that well."
"Were they close?"
"Not at all…"
"I see."
"Mom…I really think we should go. I'm tired."
"Alright." Tora looked up at Kouji. "Tell him I'm sorry, will you?"
"Of course." He nodded.
Tora and Kimiko left after Kimiko said bye to Hiroshi, leaving Tasuki and Kouji in the front hall.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"What? I was being friendly!"
"That was flirting if I ever saw it!"
"Was I?"
"Yes, you were!"
"I didn't mean to. It was just kinda a reaction."
"Sure…"
"What? She seems nice and she's pretty."
"You better be careful. Kano might not like it…"
Akane kicked the door to her bathroom open and came out in pajama and with a towel on her head. She saw Kano down the hall. "Hiya!"
"Hey. Feel better?"
"Much." She pulled back the towel a little. "Did I hear yelling downstairs?"
"Yeah. Kimiko's mom was kinda pissed at her."
"Oh…think she'll get in trouble?"
"Doubt it. She turned to goo when she met Dad."
Akane's eye widened. "Kimiko's mom likes your dad?"
"Possibly…my dad may like her too…" He shrugged.
"Are you okay with that?"
"I dunno…I mean, I'm not wild about my dad becoming attracted to the first available woman he meets…but then again I dunno if he really likes her. It's also his life and he can do what he wants. I can't stop him."
"But your feelings should matter to him."
"If something happens between them, I may talk to Dad about it. I dunno…"
"Well, your choice." She smiled and took his arm. "Come on. I'm hungry. We're gonna poke around in the kitchen for something to eat."
"I thought you couldn't cook…"
"Welcome to my world. Land of Prepackaged, Ready to Eat Junk Food." She dragged him back down the stairs and to the kitchen. All he could do was smile and follow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Another long chapter for your reading pleasure. ^_^
Two things:
1) I've started another story. It's currently 4 chapters and stars Tasuki and Amiboshi. Read if you feel like it. More sappy goodness that's completely unrelated to this story.
2) Aiko, a wonderful friend of mine, was nice enough to draw 2 pics for me of characters from this story. Kano and Akane. Both are absolutely gorgeous in my opinion. If anyone would like to see them, please send me an e-mail (ShadowHawk225@aol.com) with the subject line of "Akane" "Kano" or "Both", depending on which ones you want to see. Thank you again, Aiko!
~*~Shadow Hawk~*~