(Cultural Note: Extending one's little finger in Japan implies a relationship.)

All was silent in the Hinata Inn as Keitaro busily chopped green onions, and Shinobu made small balls out of ground white turnip. Today they were making soba noodles and tempura, a special meal for no other reason than that they decided to make it one.

For the past two weeks, Keitaro had been helping Shinobu out with the cooking. It was just little things here and there, nothing too impressive. Also, Shinobu liked to help out with Keitaro's dessert making. It was a new experience for her, making sweet dishes, and making them with her sempai made it all the sweeter.

Reiko walked into the room. "Hey guys, Su-chan wanted to know what was for dinner."

Shinobu looked up after placing a turnip ball on the plate. "Soba and tempura."

"Ah, great. Arigato." She left.

Everyone seemed a little on edge when Haruka announced that Rieko would be staying for a while, but once they were convinced that she wasn't a spy for the Maeharas, everything turned out fine. Shinobu, however, was still a little disturbed by her presence. She couldn't pin down why. Perhaps it was the way her gaze lingered just for a little too long on things, or that thousand-year stare she seemed to slip into every once in a while… But it unnerved her.

"Shinobu-chan!"

"Nani?… AH!" She looked down at her hands, which were now holding one massive turnip ball. "Gomen, that was careless of me." She started over.

Keitaro chuckled as he finished chopping. "Daydreaming?"

Shinobu blushed. "A… a little, yes."

"Don't worry about it. You're entitled to a little dreaming once in a while." He thought of something. "Shouldn't we have a vegetable side dish of some kind?"

"Hmm, you're right sempai. I was thinking sunomono, since I bought a cucumber yesterday."

"Okay, I'll get that out." Keitaro opened up the fridge. "… Hey, Shinobu-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Where did you say it was?"

Shinobu stood up, walking toward the fridge. "It should be on the bottom drawer."

"I don't think it's here."

She peered in, scratching her head. "That's odd… where could it be?"

*******

Chapter Three: Hinata Inn Versus the Kappa? Fight!

*******

"All gone?? All of them?"

"Mmhmm." The market owner seemed perplexed himself. "I could swear I restocked it all the other night, but they disappeared since this morning… But what kind of person would steal ten crates of cucumbers?"

Shinobu nodded sympathetically. "I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Heh, don't worry young lady." He chuckled good-heartedly. "They're just cucumbers, and you didn't steal them." He pointed his thumb toward Keitaro, who was idling around the sake section out of habit. "And your boyfriend is too nice for that kind of thing, though he does seem to drink often…"

"Urashima-sempai doesn't drink! He just buys sake for Kitsune-san very often…" Shinobu turned as red as a tomato. "B… Boyfriend??"

The owner raised an eyebrow. He waggled his little finger.

"?"

She emphatically shook her head.

"!"

He nodded. "You two just always come in here to buy things, so I figured… you know. My mistake, gomen." He ruffled her hair with a smile. "But I'll tell you this much, young lady: He doesn't know what he's missing." He winked and got back to work.

Keitaro and Shinobu met at the exit. "So what'd he say?"

"He doesn't know." She sighed ruefully. "I suppose we could make a different dish…"

"Hey Shinobu-chan, you're awfully red." He looked concerned, putting his hand on her forehead. "Are you coming down with something?"

"AH! It's n-nothing sempai!" Shinobu jumped away.

Keitaro seemed confused, but he shrugged. "Let's go back to the Hinata Inn, see if we can't find something else to make, ne Shinobu-chan?"

"H-hai!" She laughed nervously, following him. As they went up the steps, the shop owner's words kept coming up, over and over in Shinobu's mind:

'And your boyfriend… your boyfriend… boyfriend…'

"Nani? What about a boyfriend?" Keitaro turned around.

Shinobu almost screamed, and jumped back in surprise. She slipped and felt herself panic as she started to fall down the stairs…

She opened her eyes.

Keitaro was holding her hand, pulling her up.

"Shinobu-chan, are you okay?"

"Sempai?"

"It's a good thing I turned around before you fell, otherwise you could have hurt yourself." He looked concerned. "But are you sick? Be honest. I could finish up the cooking for you if you need to rest."

She looked at him.

Keitaro. He was there since the beginning, always there to save her, always holding her up when her imperfections seemed too many to count.

What would she have done without him?

Shinobu smiled. "Urashima-sempai." She hugged him, giving the older student quite a shock. "I'm fine. I'm more than fine. Arigato, sempai, for everything."

"Everything…?" Keitaro was confused. What did she mean by that? The cooking? He smiled cheerfully. "Any time, Shinobu-chan. I'm more than happy to help you cook every night."

She shook her head, still buried in his chest. "Not just that…" Despite herself, Shinobu felt tears welling from her eyes. Keitaro could feel them as well, soaking through his shirt like warm rain. "… Everything. Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome, Shinobu-chan." Finally, he reciprocated the hug. Why not, he figured. It seemed like the right thing to do.

When he saw Naru and Mutsumi coming up the steps, however, he freaked and began talking before they even looked up.

"AhhNarusegawathisisn'twhatitlookslike—"

He slipped, tumbling backward and sending himself and Shinobu painfully onto the stone steps. "Ow… Shinobu-chan, are you okay?"

"Hai…"

Well, *this* was awkward.

Keitaro didn't even protest when he heard the familiar "You PERVERT!" and closed his eyes tightly once he saw Naru's fist winding back.

*******

Rieko sat on the roof, watching Motoko practice.

"Why do you always come up here? Is it really just to watch me?" Motoko asked in an even tone as she continued her slashing exercises.

"Well, I figure we could talk, too, if you'd like." The blue-haired girl replied cheerfully.

"Very well, Maehara-san."

"Oh no please, just call me Rieko-san. How's school?"

"School is fine."

"Mm." She nodded. "How's day to day life?"

"It's fine as well."

"Mm." She nodded again. "How about here at the Hinata Inn? Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Life here is fine."

"Mm. Motoko-chan, do you have a boyfriend?"

Motoko stumbled mid-swing. "W-what?"

Rieko laughed. "I take it that means no." She winked. "Ever had one?"

"… No." Motoko returned to her exercises. "I have no use for a boyfriend. It would only distract me."

"Okay." They were silent for a while. "… How about Keitaro?"
Motoko's sword flew out of her hands, and her normally light skin turned a deep shade of red. "I… I don't know what you're talking about, Rieko-san!"

Rieko stood up, wearing a Cheshire grin. "Oh come on, it's a modern Japan now, it's okay to talk about these kinds of things!" She edged closer. "So do you?"

Motoko was growing increasingly flustered, and her usually calm demeanor gave way to manic hand motions. "Do I what?"

"Like him, silly."

"No!"

"Oh, okay." Rieko turned around. The warrior girl picked up her sword and continued to practice. Honestly, the kinds of questions some people came up with… Was she just trying to get a rise out of—

"Are you sure? I can read you like a book, you know."

Motoko stumbled again, the third time in as many minutes. Grabbing Rieko by the collar, she exclaimed, "I DON'T LIKE URASHIMA!"

"Ara ara…"

Motoko froze. Naru, Mutsumi and Shinobu had come up just in time to hear her screaming the last two words of the declaration. Naru's jaw dropped, Shinobu blushed and turned away, and Mutsumi was as nebulously pleasant as always.

Rieko patted Motoko on the shoulder and winked playfully.

"Oh, I can't believe it! So then what happened?"

Motoko looked confused for a moment, but then caught on.

"Oh, er… then he… committed hara-kiri. Yes."

"What a funny story, Motoko-chan!" Rieko turned around to face the other three as Motoko silently wilted. "Hey guys, what's up? Naru, I saw you giving Keitaro another wallop into orbit. What happened this time?"

Naru began fuming and grinding her teeth. Good, Rieko thought, the distraction worked.

"I can't believe that Keitaro!" Naru made a fist. "That degenerate pervert…"

"Naru-sempai," Shinobu weakly protested, "It was an accident, really…"

"No way!" Naru exclaimed. The smaller girl squeaked and retreated. "That's the way Keitaro always acts! Him and his 'oh I'm a bumbling moron who trips on his own feet' routine, using that to grope innocent women… oooh it just makes me sick!" She punched the wall for emphasis.

"Could be that he's really just a bumbling moron." Rieko smirked.

"I wholeheartedly agree!" Motoko nodded curtly and turned her head toward the group as she continued to practice. She immediately dropped her sword and turned as white as a sheet when she saw what Mutsumi was holding. "K… K…"

"Kappa!" Mutsumi giggled, tossing the giant stuffed turtle-like creature toward Motoko, who deftly dodged the offer with a scream.

*******

Motoko stood in the corner of her room, holding her sword blindly at the ready. If it were capable of moving its face, the stuffed Kappa facing her would look extremely perplexed. "G-G-Get it away from me!"

"Aww, but why?" Mutsumi smiled and patted it on the head. "I just got back from Tono to visit some relatives, and I thought this was perfect for you, you know, to fight that fear of turtles you have."

"So you bought me a *giant turtle*?"

"Not turtle. Kappa!" Mutsumi tossed it to Motoko, who screamed and dodged as if a missile were being launched at her. "They look like turtles, but they're really different! Look, it's even holding a little stuffed cucumber!" The older girl cooed, picking it up again and waving it in front of Motoko, who cringed and looked away. "Isn't it adorable?"

"No!"

Shinobu perked up. "Mutsumi-san, did you say cucumber?"

Mutsumi looked up, giving Motoko a moment of respite. "Why… yes, yes I did."

"Hm. I wonder." It was a little too crazy, wasn't it? Blaming Kappas for missing cucumbers.

Shinobu laughed at herself. Honestly…

"Oi!" Kitsune called out from the courtyard. "Everybody, come take a look at this!"

*******

Keitaro finally trudged up the steps. He found all of the girls clustered around something that was on the ground, and from the looks of it, it was pretty surprising. He cautiously approached. "Hey, everybody, what's going on? Narusegawa?"

Naru looked worried. "Keitaro… can you explain this?"

Keitaro looked down at the cement, and his eyes widened.

Pressed into the ground was a giant footprint. It resembled a bear's, but it seemed different somehow. "What on earth…?"

And then they all heard the terrifying cry, a deep, deafening roar that bellowed from the forest surrounding Hinata Inn and made all of the birds scatter in fear:

"*MIYUU*!!!"

*******

Naru raised an eyebrow. "So, what are we dealing with here? Is it really a kappa?"

Kaolla Su, dressed in military fatigues, nodded. "All evidence suggests so. Something about this is familiar, though." She pointed at an aerial map of the Hinata Inn. Pinned next to it, in the trees, was a poorly drawn Kappa with fangs. "Turtle Lady!"

"Hai!" Mutsumi raised her hand cheerfully. Tama-chan and Reiko were conspicuously absent.

"Tell us everything you know about the kappa!"

"Well…" She looked up in thought. "Let's see… They're big, they look just like turtles…" Motoko shivered behind her. "Except they have bird beaks, and their heads curve inward, because they have to have water in their heads. And they love the taste of cucumbers…"

Shinobu nodded to herself.

"That explains why all the cucumbers are missing in Hinata. But why do they have to have water in the heads? What happens if they don't?"

"Well…" Mutsumi smiled, which was a little scary considering the circumstances. "They die, of course!"

"Ah-ha!" Kitsune, also dressed in military garb, snapped her fingers. "So all we need to do is attract the kappa, and somehow spill the water that's on its head! It'll be a piece of cake!" Kaolla Su, Keitaro, and Sarah cheered.

"Ara ara… I forgot to mention, kappa are supposed to be excellent sumo wrestlers!"

The mood in the room sobered up.

Haruka took this moment to clear her throat and get everyone's attention. "So has anyone actually seen this kappa? Or are we just making plans for something that doesn't even exist, and potentially wasting our time, or even putting ourselves in danger?"

Everyone stared at her dumbly. She sighed.

"Never mind."

Keitaro picked up a flashlight. "I'll go look for it first, find out where it hides. I'll be right back!"

Shinobu stood up and followed him. "Urashima-sempai, wait for me!"

Naru looked at Shinobu, and stood up to follow her. "Shinobu-chan, don't go off with that pervert alone!"

Mutsumi looked at everyone leaving, and stood up herself. "Oh let me come too, please! I'd like to see this kappa!"

"Me too!" Kitsune stood up.

Sarah followed Kitsune. "Might as well."

Kaolla Su ran out. "Yay, adventure!"

Soon it was just Motoko and Haruka. The stillness was palpable.

"… So are you going to follow them too, Motoko-chan?"

Motoko shook her head. "I'll… guard the Inn against intruders."

"Okay, suit yourself." Haruka shrugged, stepping outside. "I'll see if I can't keep these kids from getting themselves killed…"

*******

Haruka's usually relaxed expression gave way to a little bit of amazement, though this time she held fast to her precious cigarette.

"Well, I'll be."

Before them, for lack of a better introduction, was a giant mountain of cucumbers, at least three stories tall. It was so large that Haruka wondered why they couldn't see it from the Hinata Inn in the first place, much less what sat on top of it. Perched right there, on the top of the vegetal mountain, was a giant kappa. Its yellow beak glistened with cucumber juice, and the water on its head sloshed carelessly around as it bellowed in gluttonous delight.

Kaolla seemed impressed. "I just followed the smell of cucumbers here. Looks like Kappa-kun really *did* take all of them in Hinata!"

Keitaro shrieked when he saw the kappa's massive head creaking in their direction, its gigantic black eyes focusing directly on them. "Oh no, it's noticed us!"

It popped a whole cucumber into its mouth and giggled, a gesture that would be cute if it wasn't coming from a giant reptilian monstrosity. Then, gathering more cucumbers into its hands, it leaped down from the top of the heap and landed with a gigantic crash right in front of the girls.

Kaolla narrowed her eyes, analyzing the beast with a doctor's studious glance. "Height, around three hundred centimeters. Muscular density suggests incredible strength, but little to no special reflexes. Armored shell may increase grounding power."

"Can we save the statistics for later??" Kitsune was backing away.

"I have to! Otherwise Motoko won't have a proper…" Kaolla looked around. "Oh. Where's Motoko-chan?"

"She's the only one who could fight it," Shinobu mused as she looked for a rock to throw, just in case. "What are we going to do? Do you have any machines handy?"

The tan girl sighed. "You mean like mechas? They're all under massive repairs."

Sarah hid behind a tree, loading a MolMol plasma rifle that was undoubtedly given to her by Kaolla earlier. "Let's just get this over with!"

"Plasma rifles won't work."

"Huh? How do you know?"

Kaolla paused to reflect. "… I don't remember, actually…"

"You're kidding, right?" Naru held her ground, standing in front of everyone as if her two arms alone could protect everyone around her. "Tell me we have a Plan B!"

"Okay! Umm…" Kaolla Su looked around, using her working knowledge of human kinetics to calculate who had the best odds.

Shinobu and Sarah would snap like twigs, and things didn't look much more positive for Su herself. Kitsune didn't appear to have enough upper body strength. Mutsumi could faint in the middle of the match, which would be disastrous. And Naru could take it on, certainly… but according to the figures Kaolla had in her head, she was just a little too short to have the proper leverage.

Keitaro? She glanced at the ronin.

No, that was silly. Of course not.

But that left…

"No."

Kaolla grinned. "Height, one hundred and sixty-nine centimeters. Upper body strength looks sufficient, previous martial experience a positive sign."

"I'm not one of your experiments, Su-chan."

"You're the only one who can. I'm sure of it."

"You're out of your mind."

Keitaro tried to look encouraging. "If Kaolla says you can, I'm sure that means something…"

Kitsune raised her fist. "You can beat it! I know you can!"

Sarah cheered. "Come on! What's the worst that could happen?"

"I don't know if this is a good idea…" Naru, the sole voice of reason, said.

"Please!" Shinobu finally pleaded, her hands clasped in front of her, "Please, save the cucumbers, Urashima-sama!"

The matriarch of the Hinata Inn took a deep puff from her cigarette, and exhaled.

She knew it was going to be another one of these days.

"Call me Haruka-san."

*******

Mutsumi nodded to Haruka. "Haruka-san, are you ready?"

The older woman nodded back, securing her bullwhip to her apron. "Hai."

Kaolla Su sat behind a boulder. "You know the plan?"

"Absolutely."

Keitaro gave a thumbs up. "Ganbatte (Do your best)!"

She smirked. "Don't worry about that."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I think she likes this…"

"Quiet, you."

The kappa had been mindlessly consuming until this moment, confident that the little pink fleshy things standing in front of him would not intrude on his pleasure. The creature considered eating them, but they seemed rather unappetizing. Too soft, too much long flowing hair, and those strange limbs they walked on seemed too smooth to truly enjoy. Where were the bumps and the rough greenness, the marks of truly good eating? They even had soft, mushy outgrowths on the front! Disgusting.

He crunched on another delicious specimen, shuddering at the excellent quality and finely crafted flavor. It wasn't too crunchy, didn't release too much juice, and was just sweet enough to tingle the tongue. Truly, an excellent cucumber!

He bellowed his approval.

"Oi, Kappa-kun!"

It looked up in annoyance. One of the fleshy things, the tallest female one, was speaking.

"What the hell do you want, fleshy thing? Can't you see I'm enjoying my meal?" The kappa growled, though it came out more like "*Miiiyyuuuu*…"

"You've stolen cucumbers, not just from Hinata Inn, but from the entire city." Haruka assumed a defensive stance. "And for that, you will be punished."

"*Miiiyyuuu*!"

"Are you afraid?"

"*Miiiyyuuu*!" The kappa stood to its full height, and gave a battle cry that shook the trees and made the birds fly away in panic.

Haruka ground her feet into the dirt as the creature charged.

"All right, Kappa-kun… Let's dance."

They impacted, their hands immediately locked and their feet slowly sinking into the ground, as both applied immense pressure to the opposition. The struggle was intense, with neither side giving out. Just as the kappa seemed to have the upper hand, Haruka would grunt and suddenly gain a second wind, shoving the beast back to its place. And just as Haruka seemed close to victory, the Kappa would attempt a tripping maneuver, throwing the woman off balance.

"This is really close!" Kaolla commented.

Kitsune took out a 1000-yen note. "My bet's on the turtle."

"It's not a turtle!" Mutsumi protested half-heartedly, her eyes fixed on the match.

Shinobu looked as if she were in prayer, but her eyes were wide open and serious. "Haruka-san… Fight!"

Finally, the kappa picked Haruka up by the arms and flung her like a discus. Everyone present gasped in shock… which turned into one of awe when Haruka landed on her feet, crouched down in a feline posture. Keitaro voiced everyone's thoughts when he said breathlessly, "Wow."

"Cheater." Haruka muttered, sweat dripping from her brow. She unhooked her bullwhip.

The kappa charged again, letting out another ear-splitting bellow. The fleshy thing may have survived that throw, but there was no way it could resist being crushed. This was going to be an easy fight.

When it came just close enough, Haruka unleashed the whip with her right hand, dramatically snapping it back before letting loose with her patented strike.

"Eat this!"

The tip of the bullwhip lashed against the kappa's head, making it recoil in pain.

Haruka leaped into the air, striking the kappa's head with a flying kick, then using the momentum to make a midair backflip. She landed as gracefully as a cherry blossom, as the water flowed from the kappa's bowed head.

Haruka stood up, dusting herself off calmly and winding up her whip.

"Haruka-san!" Keitaro exclaimed, "That was amazing!"

Naru, Kitsune, and Sarah just nodded in stunned agreement.

Taking out a cigarette and a lighter, Haruka nonchalantly lit one cigarette and took a relaxed puff, letting out a sigh of contentment. She shrugged.

"That was interesting."

"Ara ara…" Mutsumi looked at the unconscious kappa. "There seem to be sparks of some kind…"

Everyone turned around. Indeed, what was left of the beast was beginning to light up like a Christmas tree. Kaolla Su snapped her fingers. "Now I remember where he's from! He's a prototype of Mecha-Tama!"

Everyone facefaulted.

"Why didn't you remember this before?!" Naru exclaimed.

She shrugged. "It was so long ago, I assumed that it would have self-destructed by now… But no, I guess the coolant in its head really never spilled in all this time! Isn't that incredible?"

Kitsune caught that last phrase, and hesitantly pointed at the fallen kappa. "So… you're saying that once the water spills…"

The end of the sentence was finished in everyone else's mind.

They all remembered what happened with Mecha-Tama.

Everyone scrambled to get as far away from the vicinity as possible.

"Why is it always an explosion?" Naru complained, running as fast as her legs could carry her.

"I don't know! Ask the mad scientist!" Keitaro replied. He took a glance back, to see how close the kappa was to boiling over. What he saw instead made him stop dead in his tracks.

Shinobu was lying on the ground, unconscious. She was only a few feet away from the kappa. There was no way she could survive the explosion, but… if he went back to try and save her, both of them could die horribly.

There was no time.

Naru stopped, looking behind her. "Keitaro! Keitaro, baka, why are you running back??…" Her eyes widened. "Oh my god, Shinobu-chan!"

At that, everyone else came to a full stop, looking on in uncertain horror as the kappa began to glow in the distance.

*******

Keitaro ran. He ran faster than he could remember ever having run in his life, the adrenaline burning like a wildfire through his body. He ignored the branches scratching his face, and jumped clear over a boulder that seemed to have come out of nowhere. He was almost there.

Shinobu was important to him. The earnestness and sincerity in her eyes, the way she glowed whenever she was pleased with something, even the way she blushed whenever someone complimented her… Keitaro couldn't lose that. Without her, he didn't know what life would be like, and he firmly decided that he didn't want to know.

He had to save Shinobu.

Even if it meant losing his own life, he had to save her.

"Shinobu-chan!!!"

Keitaro made a flying leap at the final stretch, grabbing Shinobu tightly and turning his back against the steadily increasing light and heat of the kappa.

Everyone covered their eyes when the kappa finally exploded in a massive orb of plasma.

"Keitaro…" Naru could see an outline in the smoke. She began to hyperventilate, hundreds of horrible injuries and causes of death running through her mind in a single instant. She ran. "KEITARO!" The girls all sprung out of the forest, following Naru's lead.

"Keitaro!" she screamed. "Keitaro, if you're dead, I'll… I'll kill you!" Naru finally reached ground zero, panting and lightheaded. She grabbed the still body and began shaking it violently. "Keitaro! Answer me!"

"… I…"

Naru's eyes widened, tears threatening to let go. "Keitaro…"

"… Itae (Ow)." The ronin sat up gently, his burnt clothes crackling and smoking. "Oh. That hurt."

"Kei-kun, you're not dead!" Kaolla cheered.

"You really are immortal, aren't you?" Haruka muttered, hints of a relieved smile behind her cigarette.

"Ara ara, that was very brave, Keitaro-kun!" Mutsumi praised him, patting him gently on the back.

Naru was silent.

Keitaro suddenly stood up. "Shinobu-chan! Is she…"

Just then, the mound of dirt and clothes under him coughed weakly. "Ano… where am I?"

Keitaro smiled. "Shinobu-chan, you're alive!" He knelt down and hugged her tightly. "Thank god!"

Shinobu blushed. "S… Sempai…"

"What happened, Shinobu?" he asked. "You were unconscious when I got to you."

"I don't know." She rubbed her head gingerly. "I felt something hit me on the back of the head just when Haruka finished the fight."

"Hit you on the…?"

Just then, Keitaro's clothes, which had been reduced to ash by the plasma blast, blew away in the wind.

Shinobu's breath caught, her face turning bright red. "Sempai! Your… your…"

"Huh?" He looked down, gasped and almost by reflex stammered, "Oh noNarusegawaWAIT!"

"To think I worried over YOU!" Naru gave him a sound uppercut to the jaw. "Sicko."

*******

Rieko sat in her room on the floor, silently tuning her guitar.

She nodded at Tama-chan, who was sitting across from her.

"It's been quite a day, hasn't it?"

"Miyu!"

"Hey, I had my reasons!" she protested. Rieko glanced at the small dent in the guitar's base and pouted. "Didn't realize it took so much force just to knock somebody out…"

"Miyu!"

"Of course I knew Keitaro would save her. I'm not heartless."

"Miyu!"

"Yeah, what about Motoko? I can handle her."

"Miyu!"

She sighed. "You're right… I don't like playing with her mind. But I need to keep her distracted, otherwise everything's going to fall apart."

"Miyu!"

"Because, things just need to change."

"Miyu!"

"What do I mean?" Rieko smiled, playing a single minor chord. "Sorry, Tama-chan. That's a secret."

Rieko froze when she felt the cool fog billowing in through her window. She turned around, warily looking outside as she heard bells. Standing just outside her window were two of the town elders, mysterious and inscrutable as they always seemed to be. "Yes?"

"She seeks to change her life."

"To change her life by meddling in others'."

The two old men nodded.

Rieko frowned. "Things are going well so far, okay? Save your commentary."

"We helped her."

"Yes, but now will she help herself?"

"Does she want to?"

"I don't know."

They disappeared, the mist and sound of bells fading away within moments.

Tama-chan looked at Rieko worriedly. Rieko slowly reached under her shirt, pulling out the rest of her gold chain necklace. She opened up the gold locket on the end and stared at it for a long time, her eyes wreathed in uncertainty. When she spoke next, her voice suddenly became very quiet, and very familiar.

"So tell me, Tama-chan… What do you think is worth fighting for?"

She strummed her guitar in frustration. A discordant note issued from the instrument, echoing like the ghosts of the past down the halls of the Hinata Inn.