Disclaimer: standard disclaimer applies, which in my case usually begins with nope, wish I did, if did, even if I don't and all the like sentences that come with these phrases. Everything else belongs to me the future ruler of the world. (hah! I wish!)

Once upon a time, long long ago, before everything came apart... something had to start...

Chapter 3: The reason... part one.

Fuuko slammed the door as she went into her room. Today wasn't a good day. She thought as she went up to her room almost missing Recca who was sitting on her couch reading the latest issue of a fashion magazine.

"What the hell are you doing here!" Fuuko screeched as she did a double take and backtracked to where Recca was sitting.

"I thought it was obvious! I'm reading."

Fuuko placed her hands on her hips, her right eyebrow arching. "Really?" her tone was wry.

"Uh yes" Recca replied unsure of what her tone meant.

"I didn't know you read Cosmo..." (Uh, don't own this title. My best friend was reading it and I sort of figured that it was something like FHM for women or something. No need to sue or anything. I just need a name for a magazine... and it was the first one I saw.)

Recca felt his face warm up but immediately recovered and grinned mischievously. "You'd be surprised at how entertaining reading can be."

"You're gross, have I ever told you that." Fuuko grabbed the magazine from Recca and threw it to the far side of the room where Kaoru caught it deftly.

"Recca-niisan reading girly stuff again?" Kaoru asked Fuuko as he flipped through the pages of the said magazine and upon realizing what it was threw it back with a childish "ewwww."

"Yeah." Fuuko did a double take. She felt the beginnings of a huge headache that has nothing to do with the drinking spree from last night. She pinched the bridge of her nose as if to ease the tension building up in her head.

Recca and Kaoru looked at Fuuko concerned. And involuntary stepped back as Fuuko gave them a murderous look.

Fuuko sighed. There has got to be a better way to go about life than this. "Recca, Kaoru what in heavens name are you doing here?"

Recca and Kaoru looked at each other. Recca cleared his throat. "We, -uh. That is..."

"Spit it out already!"

"My, aren't we a bit grouchy today." Recca was looking at her funny, as if he was discovering something new.

"Yep, I think she is." Kaoru agreed as he looked at Fuuko in the same manner as Recca.

Fuuko rolled her eyes. "What do you guys want?"

"Actually we were supposed to drag you out of your house for a late night/ early morning gimmick..."

Fuuko stared at Recca for the longest time before inquiring how long have they been here in her house.

Recca had the gall to blush and say they've just arrived. Fuuko raised her eyebrows and planted her hands on her hips. "Okay fine an hour or three."

Fuuko threw her hands in the air in exasperation. "Have you ever heard of the word privacy?"

Recca and Kaoru looked at her as if she had grown another head. "...Apparently not."

"Come on it'll be fun." Recca chided.

"It better be but if you're dragging me to one of your delirious girl hunting escapades, you better find yourself a good doctor... No wait make that an undertaker. Because when I'm through with you---"

Recca smiled and pushed Fuuko into her room "Yeah, yeah I know the whole tirade... Get changed something preferably more casual than what you're wearing." He added as an after thought when he took note of Fuuko's uniform.

Fuuko was lazily leaning back on the chair outside a cafe where her friends talk amiably. She felt a presence; she turned around and found a girl about the same age as they are looking at her hopefully. "Anou---"

Fuuko frowned. 'Is she talking to me?'

"I was walking by and I couldn't help but notice you... and -anou-" The girl was pink when she started talking she was now --- let's just say that most of her blood was on her face.

Fuuko waited. And wondered if it's possible for all the blood to pump and stay in your face for prolonged periods of time without fainting. The girl shoved something on her hands before scampering away.

Fuuko frowned at the package. It was... a box of chocolates. 'What the hell!'

Fuuko suddenly felt Recca watching her. She turned to him and asked "What?"

"Wow. Now that I think about it... you do look like a guy."

A vein popped on Fuuko's head. "Why thank you, it must have been very difficult for you... thinking."

"You're right." Raiha stepped out of the shadows. "A very handsome guy at that."

"A boyishly handsome guy if you ask me." Kaoru piped up beside them.

Surprisingly Fuuko didn't jump them when she heard their comments. Sarcastic they may be but in the end she has to acknowledge those comments as true. She glanced at her reflection on the glass walls of the cafe and let out a sigh. 'Shit, they're right.' As she dejectedly took note of what she was wearing. A shirt and dark denim pants that are both loose enough to hide her figure. Her hair in wild disarray due to the slight breeze that was blowing. 'Yep definitely bishounen material.'

The other three ninjas were expecting a shower of pointy thing jumped back instinctively when Fuuko moved. Fuuko had a smirk on her face that somehow looked like a cat that swallowed a canary. "Well, at least I'm better looking than the three of you. And that has got to be more than something."

The three looked at her. All of them were looking at her and each and every one of them was echoing each other's thought. 'She sure knows how to turn things around.'

"Ah..."

"Ah! What does 'Ah..' mean."

"Were kind of in need of another guy for the group date later today. I was hoping you could tell a friend of yours or something... now--"

Fuuko had a sudden change of expression on her face and ran to the nearest tree she could find. Recca and the rest of them followed her there. "Fuuko wait up!" shouted Recca.

"No way! If you think that I will let you guys drag me into this kind of mess think again!" Fuuko shouted as she attached herself firmly to the tree.

"It's just on measly date! Don't be such a baby!"

"I am not a BABY!" Fuuko screeched at Recca who was giving her tentative tug. "And in case you haven't noticed I ALSO HAPPEN TO BE A GIRL!"

Fuuko mentally calculated the chances of an ambush from either Kogonei or Raiha, 'Oh shit.' Fuuko thought as she felt a stronger tug. She looked around her and found herself surrounded. She tightened her hold on the poor tree. She was now gripping the trunk as if her life depended on it. And mind you Fuuko hanging on for her dear life is next to impossible to extricate.

Another way of looking at it is Fuuko strangling the life out of the poor tree.

After several attempts to pull her away. Recca sighed and sat beside Kogonei. Fuuko smirked. 'You either have to cut away my arm or take the tree with you. Hah! And I thought you were world class assassins! Hah!'

Raiha had an annoyed look plastered on his face for more than a quarter of an hour suddenly stood up and dialed a sequence of numbers. After conversing with someone on the other line realization dawned on his handsome features. Fuuko swallowed inwardly. Fuuko heard them discuss their options in one swift movement of Raiha's swords Fuuko felt her world come apart and down came the tree.

"Fuuko... let go of the tree."

"No! Never!"

"You're not taking me to this ...THIS----!"

"FINE BE THAT WAY!" Recca shouted back as he trudged towards Kaoru and Raiha's slumped form in the nearby tree. Fuuko was still holding on to the tree and it was beginning to get dark.

"FINE!" Fuuko shouted back.

A few meters away from Fuuko…..

"But Recca-niisan, how are we supposed to get her home if she won't let go of the trunk..."

"If I learned anything from fighting Fuuko; she could be stubborn as hell." Raiha agreed.

Recca was silent for a few minutes. After a while the smirk playing on his lips became a full fledged grin. "Well, if its stubbornness she wants. She'll get it. There's always more than one way to skin a cat." Recca laughed as he motioned for the two to follow him.

Fuuko felt a sinking feeling when she heard Recca laugh. 'This is bad. VERY BAD.'

"Are you still hanging on to that tree?"

"DUH!"

"You won't let go."

"Probably in the next few... I dun no hours?"

"This is your last chance Fuuko."

"No."

"Fine don't say I didn't warn you."

Raiha gripped Fuuko's hands while Kaoru secured it from the other side. Recca chuckled as Fuuko now struggled to let go of the tree. Too bad. Finally they took the tree with them.

When they arrived home Kurei just got off the limousine and was looking through some papers. He was greeted with a sight. Fuuko was carried in jungle style, suspended on a log with her hands and feet around it, complete with a gag. If it weren't for the gag Kurei would've pointed them out within a five mile radius blindfolded.

"What in heaven's name are you doing?" He asked as his younger brother Recca passed him by.

"We're convincing Fuuko to come with us."

"Aah." And with that Kurei walked away, towards his study where it was as far as you could get away from the four when they released Fuuko from her bindings.

After a while... After an earth shattering scream (which very much sounded like Recca) and several crashes later…..

"I hate you."

The three ninjas smiled at that. 'They all look like... like the Cheshire cat in Alice in wonderland. It just makes me want to pound their teeth in.'

"I really really hate and despise you."

Kogonei snickered behind Raiha. Fuuko flipped a kunai at him. Which was dodged so easily just like the first few...uh, well... hundreds or so times after the kunai she showered them upon her release. She wasn't satisfied with that she repeated her tirade several times just to take away the frustration and annoyance she was currently experiencing.

"Thank you Fuuko, I really owe you big time."

Fuuko gave Recca the middle finger making him smile a bit wider. "You do. And I swear YOU WILL PAY." Fuuko lifted her hands as if to claw his face out but Raiha already had his hands on her wrists in time to stop her from exposing Recca's Face to severe head trauma.

"Now, now Fuuko we wouldn't want to explain How Recca got claw marks on his face to Yanagi-san. Do we?" Raiha reasoned to Fuuko while he thought that protecting Recca is part of his duty after all he was master Kurei's only brother.

Fuuko grimaced inwardly as she waved back at her "date". 'I am so going to hurt you after this Recca.' Fuuko solemnly swore as she surveyed the room. And her eyes met up with a guy with silver hair, who came over to the bar get a drink.

He leaned casually at the table before quietly saying "Shouldn't you be going out with a guy not a girl?" he asked Fuuko.