A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and support thus far, it means a lot guys
Chapter Four: Fragile Equilibrium
One need only look upon the residents of the Hinata Sou the following morning to know something was amiss.
There was a tense silence that always oppressed any form of conversation around the table whenever something occurred that weight heavily on all those present.
In this case everyone's minds were on the one person absent for the morbid gathering, Kyoko Sagura.
Each of those assembled had their own private thoughts, wondering if maybe one of them should offer to go collect the reserved young woman from her room or leave her to her own devices.
Only Koichi didn't seem indecisive, after telling everyone to: "Leave her be", he had tackled his breakfast, only his reduced pace showing that he wasn't as disinterested as he was letting on.
Shinobu looked at the newly set place, devoid of its occupant and fidgeted with her folded apron beneath the table. She cast a look around the others who kept glancing at the door with open worry.
They had told her what Koichi had told them after she had returned from comforting a distraught Kyoko the previous night. The blue haired girl now couldn't help but wonder if her words had been anywhere near enough. She had no idea what that would be like, held up to the image of someone you would never meet.
She recalled the previous evening, holding the sobbing Kyoko until she had cried herself out and then until she had fallen asleep. She had wondered if this was what it was like for her friends when they had done the same for her.
The room seemed to go quieter if that was possible, or maybe Shinobu was just picking up on some unspoken shift in attention.
Either way she looked up.
Kyoko stood nervously in the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her, and her eyes barely meeting those of the others gathered.
"Good morning", she said, her voice hardly a whisper, long bangs of black hair hiding most of her face from view.
When no one spoke she took a slow half-step back, as if contemplating running back to her room and locking the door.
Shinobu stood hastily, jogging round to the other girl with a forcibly cheery smile on her face.
"Good morning Kyoko-san", the blue haired girl said, lightly taking her shoulders and steering her away from the door to her seat next to her brother, "I'll bring your breakfast out in a minute".
Kyoko mumbled a thank you and looked around at the others as if expecting them to breakout into a round of derisive laughter at any moment.
Shinobu smiled and gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before padding off back into the kitchen.
Kyoko kept her head bowed to hide the inquisitive glances of the residents from view, concealing herself behind her hair.
"You ok brat?", she heard her brother ask, his voice so low she wasn't sure she heard it.
She peered carefully out from behind the raven curtain that hid her face, at Koichi. He was carefully eating a small bowl of rice, looking for all the world as if he had never spoken.
He gave her a half glance that confirmed that he had indeed spoken and she replied with a fractional nod and a weak grin.
He smiled lopsidedly back at her and as if by some unspoken signal the others began eating, chatting lightly amongst themselves.
They're not commenting on last night, she thought, risking a glance upward, finding no stern, or disapproving glares focused on her.
Su looked up from the meal she was all but inhaling and smiled happily at the dark haired girl before returning to what was left of her food.
They're not making light of me…why?"I…", she felt her voice fail her as everyone's gaze settled on her, "I…"
"It's ok Kyoko-chan", Motoko spoke up from the other side of Koichi, "Take your time".
Kyoko smiled to the older woman in thanks and sat up a little straighter, drawing on her training to quell her nerves.
"I would like to apologise for my conduct last night…It was unseemly at best"
"Don't worry about it", Kitsune said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "I've done much more impressive stuns when tanked than that".
"That's certainly true", Naru put in slyly, laughing at the look of mock hurt her best friend affected.
"Oh, now it's on missy, shall we talk about what happened last time you got drunk?"
Keitaro looked at his fiancé curiously as she turned a bright shade of red and shouted, "Don't you dare!", at the smirking Kitsune.
"You shouldn't tease others like that Kitsune", Motoko spoke up disapprovingly though she was obviously fighting down her curiosity.
"Why, what will you do if I don't stop? Sing?"
It was Motoko's turn to colour and she glared angrily at the fox girl.
Soon the table had devolved into a series of conversations and good natured laughter as Kitsune told stories about both her own drunk exploits and those of the other house members.
Kyoko was taken aback by the open and jovial atmosphere.
They're really not judging me…they're going out of their way to make me feel welcome and accepted.
Looking around at the semi-tamed chaos, Kyoko couldn't help but smile. Koichi had been right after all. This place wasn't anything like back home.
Kyoko wondered what it would be like to live in a place like this like her brother did.
"Careful there brat", Koichi said, leaning over and elbowing her, his face a parody of seriousness, "You just cracked a smile".
Kyoko glowered darkly at her brother, but it didn't affect the happiness she felt inside.
He laughed at her reproving scowl and went back to watching the banter between the others.
When Shinobu re-emerged from the kitchen it was like stumbling into the twilight zone.
When she had left the dining area had resembled a wake. Now everyone was joking and laughing like they would on a normal day. There was even a small verbal fight going on between Motoko and Kitsune.
She turned her attention back to Kyoko. The grey-eyed girl no longer stared down at her lap, but was smiling softly, taking in the pleasant ambience with obvious relish.
Shinobu felt the corners of her own mouth tugged upward, it was nice to see the other girl smiling for a change.
She carried Kyoko's tray over to her, placing it down and smiling brightly as the other girl expressed her thanks.
"Are you feeling better this morning Kyoko-san?", Shinobu asked quietly.
"Yes… thank you, for everything Shinobu-san".
The sudden break in conversation, brought both girls heads up and they both looked around uncertainly at all the enquiring faces.
"Is something wrong?", Kyoko asked.
Su voiced everyone's collective thought; "You just called Shinobu by her first name".
The dark haired girl merely raised an eyebrow, while Shinobu seemed to be growing increasingly uncomfortable with all of the sudden attention.
"And?"
No one answered straight away, unable to say why it came as such a shock to hear her refer to someone in an informal, mostly at least, manner.
Koichi chuckled, "I think they're just surprised that you have it in you to be friendly toward someone".
Kyoko glanced over the faces of those gathered, her brother's statement confirmed by noting their expressions.
That just wouldn't do.
Kyoko sipped at the tea provided for her by her new friend, nodding her thanks as she contemplated the situation. Something would need to be done to show these people that she did indeed appreciate their kindness.
Su narrowed her eyes, tapping the one of the buttons on the headpiece she wore, causing the tube like protrusions on her work goggles to slide forward with a faint mechanical whir and click, bringing the circuit board's minute details into fine focus.
Ah-ha!, there was the problem. When the board had over heated the solder on two of the CPU's connector legs had melted and fused, creating a pathway where there shouldn't have been one.
That would probably explain why her latest Mech-tama had begun walking backwards all of a sudden and responding to her commands with random actions.
The blond haired genius groped blindly for the soldering iron she knew was somewhere nearby, apparently oblivious to the threat the red hot device posed to her exposed flesh as her hand inched ever closer.
The questing extremity began to send frantic warnings back to the girl's distracted brain, which, much to said extremity's alarm, informed it that Su was busy right now, and would it care to leave a message?
"Huh?", Su looked at the heavily magnified patch of soil where she was sure she had left the tool, her hand encountering only dirt.
She looked up and the world seemed to go grey.
Su tapped the switch on the other side of the goggles and the magnifying tubes telescoped inward fast enough to momentarily knock her head back.
"Owie", the Mol-Molian girl complained, rubbing her face as she removed the goggles.
"Are you ok Su-san?", a female voice asked and Su blinked a few times to clear her vision before looking up at the speaker.
Kyoko frowned down at the other girl, but it was more a look of concern than annoyance.
"Oh, I'm fine", Su replied cheerfully, wondering why Kyoko had come into her room, "Is it lunch time already? Have you seen my soldering iron?".
Kyoko smiled slightly, "No and yes, is this it?".
The dark haired girl held up the tool, careful not to touch any part of the metal.
"You were about to burn yourself", Kyoko added, handing it over and watching as Su went back to work.
"Do you need any help?"
Su looked at her strangely for a moment before shrugging and smiling, "Sure. Pass me that round silver thing over there".
Kyoko followed her pointing finger to the object in question. It vaguely resembled a turtle's head but on a larger scale, and this reptile boasted an impressive set of razor sharp, steel teeth.
The younger Sagura sibling hefted the considerable weight of the head and eyed it dubiously.
"Su-san…what is this?"
"It's the head for my latest Mech-tama", the other girl replied in a matter of fact tone, without looking up from the circuit board she was inspecting, "This one will have five times the destructive power of its nearest cousin!".
"…I see", was all Kyoko could think to say after that rather cheerful proclamation, handing the head over without another word.
She squatted down next to the tanned girl, careful not to let her kimono touch the soil that seemed to cover the other girls room, but low enough that she could pass tools from a nearby pile as they were requested.
For the next hour or so she they worked in relative silence, Su occasionally verbalising her reasoning for doing this or that, but Kyoko lacked even a basic understanding of mechanics or electronics in most cases. They had not been part of her upbringing and thus everything the girl genius told her was completely new, and intriguing if somewhat confusing to follow at times.
Kyoko was watching one of the trees in Su's room. She could have sworn she saw something move in it.
"Here"
Kyoko looked down at the casing and screwdriver that had been pressed into her hands.
"It's part of mecha-tama's left arm", Su explained seeing her confusion, "I need you to unscrew that outer shell for me while I finish making some software upgrades, ok?".
Kyoko, nodded, gripping the screwdriver in her slender hand and placing it against the closest screw as she had watched Su do before, and twisted it slowly.
The screw turned. Not a miracle by any stretch of the imagination, but to someone who has never before partaken in manual labour of any sort, quite astounding.
Su nodded and turned back to her own task.
Kyoko allowed herself to get seated more comfortably and got to work.
Kitsune did a double take when Kyoko walked through the door of the Hinata teahouse.
The young girl had only come in here once before, and that had apparently been to grill Motoko about how far her relationship with Koichi had progressed, something the fox girl was eternally sorry to have missed.
In the week she had been here, the youngest Sagura hadn't ventured out of her room for much more than meals or to talk with her brother. So it wasn't really a great leap of the imagination to think that she had some reason for being here other than to drink tea, and as Kitsune and Mutsumi were the only people here she knew…there was a fifty-fifty chance of being singled out for something or other.
Kitsune hadn't forgotten that it was she who got Kyoko drunk the previous night, and she doubted the younger girl had either.
There was a startled yelp and she looked down to find that she had poured the scolding hot tea over her customer's hand rather than into his cup.
She murmured an apology while he ranted on about something or other, using words like "Sue" and "Lawsuit" that she probably should have been paying more attention to.
She gave him one of her best melt in your mouth, smiles and turned back to locate Kyoko.
The dark haired girl was looking around and appeared to have just spotted her. She gave an infinitely small smile and began walking toward her.
Kitsune briefly considered running.
"Hello Konno-san", the smaller girl said with a bow.
"Hey", Kistune responded, still irked despite herself with the use of her last name rather than the nickname she was accustomed to, "If you find a table I'll be with you in a second".
Kyoko shuck her head slowly and Kitsune braced herself for the worst.
"That won't be necessary, I wanted to know if you required any assistance?"
Kitsune opened her mouth to deny having done anything on purpose and defy the other girl to prove her wrong when the words finally penetrated.
"I'm sorry, come again?"
"I want to know if you need any help", Kyoko repeated.
"Er, sure, I guess", Kitsune said brushing a lock of stray hair away from her face, "I don't know if I could pay you or anything though".
"That's ok", Kyoko reassured her, "I am simply repaying the kindness shown to me here at the Hinata Sou, I am not seeking monetary gain".
Kitsune had to restrain the part of her that rebelled at the very idea of that last statement and shrugged.
"Fine by me honey, come on I'll show you the ropes".
Kyoko was introduced to Mutsumi after helping revive her when she was found passed out in the back room. Kyoko was surprised to learn that a woman of such frail health was not only employed here but all a student at Tokyo University, as well as living away from home by herself.
It was a remarkable display of character and independence.
When Kyoko had voiced that opinion, Mutsumi had told her that was very sweet of her and promptly kissed her.
A laughing Kitsune and told the flustered girl that Mutsumi did that sort of thing a lot, so there was no need to panic.
They had given her an old apron and taught her the basics of being a waitress before kicking her out onto the floor to fend for herself.
"Emersion Therapy", Kitsune had jokingly called it.
Kyoko stood at the centre of the room, gripping the notepad and pencil she had been given tightly and trying to figure out what to do next.
She was saved the trouble when one the customers began waving her over.
She glided swiftly to the table at which he and his shorter companion sat. The gentleman who had called her over smiling in a way he probably thought winning rather than over emphasised, and pushed his small round glasses higher up his nose, flicking a strand of mousy brown hair clear of his face with a slight toss of his head.
"Hey there cutie", he said with an attempt at charm, "I'm Haitani, and my vertically challenged companion here is Shirai".
He motioned at the darker haired young man who half glared at his friend while waving weakly at her.
"What's your name?"
"Kyoko Sagura", she said curtly raising the pad so it was in clear view, "Now, what can I get you gentlemen?".
The twinkle in his eye, coupled with the way his friend glanced at him, gave her a pretty good idea of what he was likely to say, and she mentally kicked herself for giving him the opening.
Before he spoke however, his eyes lighted on something behind her and his face was split by an almost comically wide smile.
"Mutsumi!"
Kyoko turned her head slightly as a pair of slender hands came to rest on her shoulders and a wave of chestnut hair spilled past her face as Mutsumi leaned over to great the two lecherous customers.
"Hi boys! Ara I thought you two were supposed to be at work today?"
Kyoko looked over her shoulder an noticed Kitsune gesturing her over to the counter.
She slipped out of the older woman's grasp, noting with interest how both mens' attention was now fully on her, as the one called Haitani answered her question and his companion tried to hide his shy expression.
"I guess I should have warned you about those two", Kitsune said from where she was leaning against the counter, "But they usually don't drop by today".
Kyoko looked back, finding that Mutsumi was now seated at the table with the two men, laughing at something one of them had said or done.
"Why is she being so friendly with them?", Kyoko asked, not realising she was speaking out loud, "They don't strike me as particularly trustworthy individuals".
Kitsune shrugged a little.
"She says that they're really nice boys when they're not trying so hard", Kitsune leaned over to mock whisper to the younger girl, "Personally I think she just likes all the attention".
Kyoko carefully hid a smile behind the sleeve of her kimono. The tone of the older woman's voice made it clear she was only joking but it was still funny.
"Table waiting", the fox girl pointed out.
Kyoko nodded and hurried over. Today seemed to be working out nicely.
Kyoko slid the front door of the Hinata Sou closed and gratefully kicked off her sandals, changing into a comfortable pair of house slippers.
Who knew that simply walking a few meters back and forth would be so trying on the feet?
She could hear the faint hum that meant Shinobu was in the kitchen again and allowed her weary feet to carry her to its source.
She found Shinobu busy over a frying pan, monitoring the progress of what, by the smell, must have been Okonomiyaki, the strips of fried meat filling the air with a wonderful aroma that reminded Kyoko that she hadn't eaten lunch, having gone directly from Su's room to the teahouse.
Her stomach gave a low growl and she glanced down in shock and embarrassment, looking back up to find Shinobu holding the spatula and chopsticks she was using to prepare the meal in one hand, using the other to cover her smile.
"Hello", Kyoko said, moving to stand a little way over form the blue haired girl as if nothing had occurred.
"Hello Kyoko-san", Shinobu said, returning to her preparations, taking a pinch of some red powder out of a small container and sprinkling it over the contents of the frying pan, "Where were you at lunch today? Su said you were with her earlier".
"I went to assist Konno-san and Otohime-san at the teahouse", Kyoko replied, trying unsuccessfully to keep her eyes of the pan.
"I see", Shinobu's mouth was straining to prevent the smile that wanted to break out every time she saw Kyoko's eyes twitch in the direction of the Okonomiyaki.
"All that work must have, made you hungry"
Kyoko raised an eyebrow and Shinobu had to work hard to stifle a giggle.
Then the grey eyed girl's stomach decided to voice its own opinion on the matter.
Even though she knew she shouldn't, Shinobu couldn't help but burst into a fit of giggles at the look of shear mortification on Kyoko's face as her body betrayed her.
"I fail to see what's so funny", Kyoko said icily, but it only made it harder to stop laughing.
When her laughter was back under control, Shinobu wiped away a tear and smiled apologetically.
"I'm sorry Kyoko-san, I truly am, but it's hard to picture you and picture your tummy rumbling like that".
Shinobu made a few deft slices with her spatula, scooping up the small portion she had cut which her chopsticks and blowing on it carefully, "Here we go, I'll let you have some before dinner seeing as how you're so hungry. Just don't tell Su".
Kyoko eyed the chopsticks with a look that clearly said "Are you mad?".
"Oh don't be such a baby", Shinobu chided, holding the food up for her, "Now say, ahhh".
Kyoko glared at her for a moment, but gave in when her stomach threatened another act of rebellion.
She opened her mouth and allowed the other girl to deposit the morsel. Kyoko chewed slowly, closing her eyes savouring the taste and the delicate spices that suffused the meat, marvelling once more over how anyone could make something like this.
"Ahem"
Kyoko's eyes popped open. Motoko was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at them oddly.
Kyoko found herself strangely unable to meet the older woman's gaze, and a quick glance showed Shinobu seemed to be having similar difficulties.
How humiliating, she saw me being fed like an invalid, Kyoko mentally cringed at the thought.
"I was just wondering when dinner will be ready", Motoko said, still giving them a strange look.
"It should only be a few more minutes Motoko-sempai", the younger girl replied, busying herself with the last of her preparations.
Motoko nodded as she left, throwing Kyoko one last curious stare.
"Well…", Kyoko said after a moment, "…That was certainly interesting".
"… I guess…You know I only just realised it's been a whole week or so since you got here Kyoko-san", Shinobu said, rather grindingly shifting topic.
The dark haired girl's head froze mid-nod.
A whole week already! But that means…oh no.
"Shinobu-san, where is my brother"
"I don't know", Shinobu said, noticing the worry in the other girl's usually calm voice, "He might be up on the roof again I think, why?"
"We must find him immediately!", Kyoko spoke urgently, grabbing Shinobu's arm before she could protest and dragging her along.
Her mind drowned out Shinobu's protests and she made her way swiftly toward the roof.
Please let me not be to late.
Koichi yawned and stretched, shifting his weight around on the roof to return circulation to parts of his extremities that had long since gone numb.
It was the perfect day for lying under the sun and letting the world drift by. The fact that Koichi saw any day like this in no way detracted from the blissful simplicity of this moment.
He allowed his eyes to drift closed, his breathing coming closer to the pattern of sleep.
A sudden shadow dropped over him, blocking the pleasant warmth of the sun on his skin and making him growl with irritation.
"Whoever's blocking my rays better have a damn good rea…", he trailed off as he opened his eyes, finding himself staring into another set of sea grey orbs, framed by unruly shocks of flame red hair, and a cruel smirk.
"You!"
Motoko had just gathered her bokken and katana, intent on exercising some of Koichi's chronic laziness out of him, when she heard the shout.
"You!"
It was followed by a loud crash from the direction of the laundry annex and the muffled sounds of fighting.
Motoko grasped the hilt of the Hina as she ran, skidding to a stop at the stairs to the annex and leaping up them in a single bound.
As she touched down, she noticed Koichi standing alone in the middle of the deck, legs set wide, right arm held with the fist inline with his face, elbow down, the left bend at his side, fist over his kidney.
His face was tense and serious and his eyes scanning the area slowly, the grey orbs seeming to reflect the light around him like they were made of glass.
He spotted Motoko and his eyes went wide, "Kuso! Motoko get out of here, now!"
Before she could ask why, she felt a surge of Ki.
This pattern…so familiar, but why?She got her answer seconds later, when a man garbed in tight fitting black and white robes, with flame red hair and a condescending smile, blurred into view behind Koichi.
Motoko was stunned, that technique was supposed to be something only a member of the Oni's Bane school knew, so why was this person attacking Koichi?
The mystery assailant levelled a powerful kick at her fiancé's head, but Koichi was already gone in a blur of his own.
Motoko had seen enough to know that she didn't want this man around Koichi any longer.
"Rock Splitting Sword!", she yelled, whipping the Hina free of its scabbard and unleashing a wave of spiritual energy.
The red head smirked at her as he blurred, reappearing a few feet away from where the strike impacted at his previous position.
"Ms. Aoyama I presume, charmed I'm sure, now why don't you put that down before you hurt yourself".
The pure contempt in his voice made Motoko's blood boil, how dare he talk to the heir to the Gods Cry school in such a manner!
Koichi reappeared behind him, snapping out a punch which the other man barely avoided, twisting around it an striking with the edge of his hand only to be blocked by Koichi.
Koichi brought his knee up toward his opponents gut, stunning him as the air was forced from his body and following up with a roundhouse kick to his face that sent him skidding to a halt against the banister.
The red head was on his feet again in seconds, seemingly un-phased although his expression was much darker.
"Oh I did hope I'd get chance to do this", he said cryptically, raising his hand across his body as if preparing a knife edge strike that there was no way he could land across such a distance, "Let us see what they all think of you now Koichi…Serpent's Strike!"
Motoko saw the surprise on Koichi's face as his foe slashed at the air viciously, his hand releasing a wave of Ki shaped like some terrible snake toward him.
Her hand was on the bokken at her side and hauling it free long before she remembered acting.
"Koichi!", she shouted, hurling the weapon toward him.
He caught it and drove it point first toward the ground, "Soul Mirror!"
The spiritual power of his opponent rebounded as if it had struck an invisible wall and Motoko had the satisfaction of seeing the other man's look of smug superiority vanish as he was forced to leap clear of his own attack as it screamed by, tearing through the banister he had been standing by like wet tissue paper.
He glared at the hole in the banister and turned back to find himself faced with the tips of both Koichi and Motoko's blades.
"Oni-san! Wait!"
Motoko glanced over her shoulder to find a very out of breath looking Kyoko and Shinobu standing at the head of the annex stairs.
"Nicely timed little cousin", the red head said.
"Cousin?", Motoko said, looking over at Koichi who nodded roughly.
"They didn't tell you about me? Tsk tsk Kyoko-chan, don't tell me you forgot to tell big brother I was coming", his voice was dripping with poorly concealed contempt.
"Who are you?", Motoko asked.
"My name is Akira Sagura, first born son of Koichi and Kyoko's uncle though it is really none of your business woman".
Motoko moved her blade closer to his neck warningly.
"Why are you here Akira", Koichi said, his tone and eyes radiating danger in a way Motoko had never seen before, "I know Uncle wouldn't trust you with anything, he knows you for the pond scum you are, but father wouldn't hesitate, out with it!".
Akira glared angrily at his cousin, "You're father demands an audience with you and your…bride. I have been sent to retrieve you, and before you think it, there is no use running, I'm not the only one, even you can't fight an entire school cousin".
Koichi's eyes could have melted steel at that point, but Akira merely smirked at him.
"The whelp was sent to keep an eye on you until everything was ready, make sure you didn't catch wind of us and flee, I think she did quiet well, don't you cousin?"
"You know that's not why I'm here Akira!", Kyoko shouted at him, a rare display of emotion.
"If that is what you wish to tell everyone Kyoko-chan", he replied, smiling snake-like at the younger girl.
His laugh was cut off as Koichi whipped the bokken across his face, hard and stalked away.
"Oni-san…", Kyoko pleaded as he breezed past her without a word.
Kyoko flinched at the look Motoko gave her as she followed him.
She watched them leave without another word, her gaze finally falling on Shinobu. The blue haired girl's eyes were full of disappointment, as she sadly turned away and vanished from sight.
Kyoko could feel the sting of tears threatening to pour from her eyes as a cruel voice echoed up from behind her.
"Was it something I said?".
---Author Notes---
Fragile indeed, what does this mean for Kyoko and what of Motoko and Koichi, what awaits them at the hands of his father, will they be strong enough to survive it? Or will they to break like glass?
Find out in the next chapter: Chapter Five: Father
Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell