Ryu scowled as he found himself rubbing at his tender cheek again.
A few seats down the train from him, the cause of his current discomfort was happily chatting away with her friend and fellow tenant Mizuki Sekata, over all giving the impression that she was nothing more than a happy, gossiping schoolgirl.
She certainly didn't look like a violent girl with a short temper and a mean left hook.
Mae pointed to him, drawing Kanna's attention to the fact he was staring in her direction. Her response was something he made a note to remind her of next time she lectured Yui about maturity.
The dark haired girl had pulled down one lower eyelid and stuck her tongue out at him before turning away with a, "Hmmppphhh!", loud enough for him to hear over both the distance and the noise of the train, her nose in the air.
Irritating woman, he thought, fighting the glare that threatened to screw shut his otherwise emotionless face. Why she managed to constantly get on his nerves he had no idea.
Returning his focus to the small patch of ceiling above him, Ryu thought back on everything that had led to this point.
In the week that had preceded his current predicament, things had been rather…interesting, around the Hinata Sou.
After Yui had confessed to planting her underwear in his room to see Kanna's reaction, the dark haired girl had grudgingly apologised to him, as if she were granting him a great boon by doing so rather than repenting for her assumptions and violent behaviour.
In retrospect pointing that out hadn't been the best idea the young blond had ever had, but sometimes it's the principle of the matter that counts.
The ensuing fight had been broken up when even Yui got tired of Kanna's shouting and Ryu's icy barbs.
Another round of; "Sorry" on both accounts had settled things for a time, and Kanna had suggested that she would treat him to lunch the following day as a peace offering.
Ryu had declined politely, informing her that he already had plans with Ayu.
Once more Kanna shamed some modern sound systems with her audio output.
He had only been able to sit amazed as she labelled him with several of the more prominent forms of sexual deviancy known to man, accusing him of plotting to seduce the innocent young Ayu.
Too shocked to reply to her accusations, he had been saved by the girl in question when she had falteringly told Kanna that she had offered to make lunch for him, but hadn't expected him to eat with her as he had suggested.
Kanna had spent several minutes calming the younger girl who, after hearing the various rumours about her and Ryu, had thought Kanna was upset about her spending time with her so called 'boyfriend'.
The other girl had eventually gotten her to believe that the rumours were just that, and Ayu had perked up quite remarkably, blushing to herself as she smiled and went to prepare dinner.
Ryu was glad he didn't hear what Yui and Mizuki whispered to Kanna, leaving the room before she actually exploded this time.
Things might have gone well from there if not for what happened next.
Ryu looked over the map he had been building. The second and ground floors were more or less marked, and the first had been outlined.
He knew he should finish the mapping before he did anything else, but something about the attic drew his attention for reasons he couldn't explain. Maybe it was just by virtue of having been prevented from entering it previously, but whatever the reason it ate away at the back of his consciousness. An itch demanding to be scratched.
Finally he had given in after spending half the night deliberating over what might be up there.
Gathering his 'tools' he regarded the guitar case propped up in the corner of his closet before slowly shaking his head and closing the door.
No, there would be no need for that right now with any luck.
He moved confidently, but quietly, giving the impression to anyone watching that his movements were nothing out of the ordinary or suspicious as he made his way up to the second floor, pausing outside Yui's door to make sure that there was no one stirring in the room before pulling down the sliding stairs that granted access to the attic.
A startlingly bright beam cut through the darkness as he snapped on the torch he had brought with him, scything it back and forth from the entrance to the dust filled room.
From his position, all he could make out were a number of trunks and old boxes, the usual fare for such places, but that didn't mean that there wasn't something hidden just out of sight somewhere.
Wincing as the floorboards creaked ominously, he began to search, carefully inspecting each item, opening boxes that were not sealed, and making a note of those that were and could possibly contain what he sought.
After several minutes of fruitless rummaging, he was forced to concede defeat, and prepared to leave.
There was a creak announcing that he was no longer alone, and he was barely able to cut the power to his light before he could be found.
Ryu had berated himself there in the dark for a moment. He had forgotten to pull the steps up after himself, and now one of the girls had come to investigate.
What would he do if it was Kanna? Or worse, Yui?
He shuddered at the thought of being trapped in the dark with the over amorous Molmolian.
He had been ready to run when a small voice pierced the darkness.
"Ano…sempai? Are you up here?".
Ayu?, he stepped out of concealment, clicking the switch that would reactivate his torch.
Nothing happened.
He shook the thing a few times without producing any results.
"I'm over hear Ayu", he called calmly, however the small girl still yelped as if he'd jumped on her in the darkness.
He hoped no one had heard her, it would be difficult enough to explain why he was up here without Kanna or one of the others insinuating something if Ayu was discovered along with him.
"Where are you?", she sounded nervous. Well, there wasn't anything he could readily do about that.
"A little towards the back, stay where you are, I'll come to you".
"Why are you up here without a light?", there was the question he had hoped to avoid.
"My torch seems to have died on me", he answered the most literal interpretation of her question, counting on her proven shyness to prevent her asking any others.
"Oh…ok", it was clear she knew he was dodging her real question, but unlike Kanna she wasn't the type to pry.
"Sempai?", she asked again when she heard him muffled a cry of pain. The small girl began to edge further away from the steps when he didn't answer right away, concern overcoming timidness momentarily.
"I'm fine", he said, annoyed with himself for walking into something. Even if it was dark, such clumsiness was inexcusable. He wondered for a moment if Ema's proven fumble footed nature was in some way contagious.
Picking up his pace to distance himself from the recent indignity, he had no way of knowing Ayu had moved, or just how far, until he collided with something that just about reached chest level.
Something that gasped and staggered back, sending them both crashing down in a tangle of limbs.
"Owwww", he heard Ayu whimper as he pushed himself back up onto his arms.
"Are you ok Ayu?", she made a strangled noise he wasn't sure how to interpret, but before he could find out what had her so flustered he was blinded by a bright light.
"I thought I heard someone sneaking around up here".
He closed his eyes. Of all the people who could have woken up, even though she was the closest, why of why did it have to be Yui?
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything stud, but don't you think this place is a little too dusty to be romantic?".
He frowned as his eyes adjusted to the torchlight, allowing him to just about make out the vague shapes of Yui, her night clothes not that different from her day wear, it looked like she'd simply ditched the long skirt, and next to her Chii, the latter wearing a t-shirt many times to big for her and rubbing one eye sleepily.
A tiny sound drew his attention downward, and he finally understood what Yui had been talking about.
Her face almost the same colour as the setting sun, Ayu was all but pinned beneath him, her slender figure small enough that he hadn't noticed after raising his weight off her while he was still stunned.
The fall having hiked the bottom of her nightshirt up coupled with the position they were in looked bad by anyone's standards. Link that with her blush and he if knew if Kanna had been here he would have said goodbye to consciousness a long time ago.
"Why is everyone up? Some of us are trying to sleep", speak of the devil.
What followed was one of the more embarrassing periods of Ryu's life. Being chased by a semi-naked girl might sound like fun, but not if she intends to beat you senseless after catching you.
After that Kanna had made a point of eating lunch with them, to protect poor defenceless Ayu from 'The Beast'.
Unfortunately, spending that much time around him over the next week or so, had redoubled the rumours she had wanted dispelled, which now featured talk of some sort of love triangle between her, Ryu and Ayu.
When she had heard a group of boys lamenting how lucky Ryu was to have caught not only her but "the cutest of the lower year I've ever seen, that lucky dog!", while eating lunch with both of them, she had made a point of punting the blond haired boy down the embankment he and Ayu had chosen, claiming afterward that he had been in her seat.
Still, she had calmed down a little towards the end of the week, mostly due to Ayu playing peacekeeper to their arguments. The last few days in particular were nice, though Ryu had the feeling Ayu was disappointed by something, but it was hardly his business to pry.
Kanna on the other hand had no such restrictions, even though she couldn't get her to admit what was wrong. Naturally she had decided Ryu was to fault and proceeded to lecture him about the proper treatment of a girl's feelings.
His response had been to ignore her until she ran out of breath, then saying, "Were you talking to me?".
True he had once again been used as a human baseball, this time Kanna's bag serving as the bat rather than her foot, but it had been worth it.
Ayu seemed to have been cheered up by her friends' antics, giggling prettily behind her hand as Ryu nonchalantly warned Kanna that he would bill her to have the grass stains removed if she continued before taking a new seat on the other side of Ayu.
Kanna had been quiet for a record time of ten seconds, before realising that Ryu had managed to weasel his way in next to the girl she was supposed to be protecting. Her words of course, not his.
This aside all things seemed tranquil until Ryu had discovered a chance to investigate Ema's room while conducting his floor cleaning duties, the chore assigned to him by Kanna, because it, "Requires a person to be able to move around comfortably on all fours, something any animal can do well".
He had quietly accepted the task, using it to complete more of his reconnaissance. Also the look of annoyance on Kanna's face when he didn't complain had almost forced him to crack an involuntary smile, and when Ayu had surprised everyone by speaking up in his defence, albeit quietly and with some stopping and starting, he had had to leave the room before her expression made him laugh.
After finding a small bounty's worth of 'hidden' materials, none of it related to anything he wanted, he had pulled the tabled directly under the panel in the ceiling above, deciding that there was nobody about, so now would be the best time to check it.
His head had poked through into another room. A room that was clearly occupied, and not just because of the possessions he could make out or the fact this room was dust free.
No, what stood out the most, was the girl in its centre.
Half in, half out of her tights, Kanna blinked to clear her vision, wondering why it looked like Ryu's head was sticking through the hole in her floor.
The obviousness of the truth hit her like a ton of bricks. Ironic, seen as her axe kick impacted the board on Ryu's head with similar force, even as he opened his mouth to attempt to explain.
That had been two days ago.
The day after, it had been announced their class was to attend a cultural field trip to Tokyo, lasting a number of days.
Which brings us nicely back to the present.
The chest of draws in Ryu's room slid aside slowly, and a black clad figure slipped out of a small hole concealed by a loose panel behind it.
With movements that bespoke of to much time watching action movies and little actual experience, the would be ninja stole across the room, hand planting over the table and dropping to a low crouch, turning on the spot and surveying the area.
Convinced she was in the clear, Yui removed the stuffy mask, taking a deep breath and grinning maniacally.
No one had caught her yet.
Now she could find out just what was locked in that guitar case of Ryu's. She had tried to open it before when she had taken his things for her 'Welcome' prank, but found it strangely impossible.
Yui had a naturally inquisitive mind, and Ryu's bizarre behaviour ever since moving in had kicked it into overdrive, and since he wasn't going to be here for a few days to interrogate, she'd just have to take the direct approach.
Cackling to herself she almost ran smack into Chii as she turned around.
"Chii-chan! What a surprise seeing you here. I was, erm, I was just….hang on a second, how did you get in?".
"Door", Chii said, pointing to the conventional method of entry, sitting ajar, helpfully.
"I thought it was locked", Yui said, feeling sheepish, "…hey, Chii-chan, you're not going to tell anyone onee-san was in here are you?".
Chii just shrugged in a sort of, "Depends why you're here", fashion.
Yui walked over to the closet, feeling her fingers tingle with anticipation as she slid the final barrier aside.
"Huh?", inside was nothing but a small piece of paper. Taking it out, Yui read it carefully:
Dear Yui,
It's not that I don't trust you, but if you're
reading this…
Signed: Ryuuya
Ryu snapped out of his daydream, glancing up at the overhead storage space to ensure his guitar case and duffle bag were still in place as the train rocked gently on its tracks.
They should be arriving at Korakuen Station anytime now, and from there it would be just a short walk to where they were staying, the Tokyo Dome Hotel.
He had been impressed to learn that a member of the school student council was a son of the building's manager, and had managed to book enough places for this trip, seen as both classes were relatively small, and a large number of Mizuki's class had prior commitments.
He glanced out the window, standing as he saw the station looming closer, the excited buzz around him rising as the teachers and other chaperones stood as well.
He grabbed his belongings and waited patiently as the others followed suit, piling off the train as soon as it stopped, and gathering near the exit as instructed.
"Is everyone here!", a voice called out across the din.
Ryu thought the question rather foolish, as how would the hypothetical absentee inform them?
"No, I'm not!", apparently one of the other boys had had similar thoughts, but thought nothing of disrespectfully voicing them.
"No we only wish you weren't!", that was Kanna's voice, no mistaking either the pitch or the volume. With a reluctant sigh, Ryu, moved in the direction of the loud girl, paying no mind to a few of the boys who recognised him and asked him if there was something he could do to shut her up.
"Please everyone, no fighting", the new voice was pleasant and seem to quell the brewing disturbance even before Ryu finished his trek.
He frowned for a moment. Why did that voice sound so familiar?
"Ok, lets get moving, everyone stick together and follow me", that was their teacher, Mr. Hitachi, and soon Ryu was caught up in the mob movement that rapidly swept Kanna out of sigh.
Ryu wrinkled his nose as he was jostled, noting that a few of the bolder girls seemed to be doing it on purpose but they soon stopped when he ceased catching them after their false trips.
As their destination loomed into view above them, Ryu made another attempt to locate Kanna, finally spotting her, Mizuki and Mae near the front of the group as one of their chaperones began speaking again.
"Tokyo Dome City, formally known as the Big Egg City, was given its new name in January 2000".
He fought down the urge to hit someone as a number of students blocked his path, forcing him to take another route. All this effort, just to try and talk to someone I don't particularly like, he mentally groused.
"It is an entertainment complex consisting of various facilities that include the Tokyo Dome Hotel, the Laqua, the Korakuen Hall, and the Tokyo Dome that is the Japan's first domed stadium built as a home field of the Yomiuri Giants professional baseball team in 1988".
He was sure a number of the baseball fans began weeping openly with joy at that statement. Several blocking his path as they dropped to their knees, thrilled at the prospect of being so close to such a thing.
Ryu managed to skirt them, but it put him further back from Kanna than when he started.
"The stadium accommodates up to 55000 people and has been used not only for baseball games, but also for other sports events, music concerts, shows, and other events. Outside the stadium, are the Laqua that contains shops, restaurants, spas, and attractions, and the Tokyo Dome Attraction, an amusement park used to be called Korakuen Amusement Park."
He could see Mae nudging Kanna as that last part was said, the other girl turning red and waving her hands in front of her.
"Professional wrestling and other marshal arts are mainly hosted at the Korakuen Hall. With so many things offered for all age groups, this place is busy throughout a year".
Having finally reached the front, just behind Kanna, he now saw who the speaker had been.
"Is that Natsuki?", he asked, not knowing he had spoken aloud until Kanna jumped, letting out a startled shriek.
Hearing the noise and spotting him, Natsuki waved enthusiastically, "Hi Ryu-kun!".
"Another one?", he heard someone whisper in the crowd as Kanna finally got her heart rate back under control.
"Natsuki", he nodded as she walked over.
"Sorry Ryu-kun, you can't call me that, I'm one of your supervisors", she giggled to herself as if that were the funniest thing in the world, drawing several stares from people who wondered what they were talking about.
"Very well Otohime-san", his stiff title set off another round of girlish laughter, and he was aware of some of the boys muttering amongst themselves, although he couldn't make out what they were saying.
"Oh, and you're here with Kanna-chan, how romantic!", Kanna seemed to be choking on something for a moment as Mae patted her back.
"Hardly", Ryu spoke dryly.
"Ara, I suppose not, but remember Ryu-kun I can't let you two play like you normally would back-", Natsuki mumbled the last bit through Kanna's hand which was now clamped over the older woman's mouth.
"Ok Natsuki, that's enough time chatting with Ryuuya, time to get back to work", Kanna said with an unconvincing laugh.
"Ara, you're right", she said once Kanna released her mouth, turning back to the crowd.
"What was all that about?"
"I don't know, probably jealousy, she's already sharing with that shy blue haired girl"
"Really! I thought that was just a rumour!".
Kanna ground her teeth and shot Ryu a look that promised immense pain in his future. It was his fault she had to guard Ayu-chan when they were at school, and watch him in case he went after any other girls, so it was his fault these stupid rumours were getting worse.
"Follow me everyone and we'll get you all booked in", Natsuki called, leading them all into the lavishly decorated lobby, "The boys are all on floor twenty-two and the girls are on twenty-one".
"All students are sharing a double or triple room to save money, and there will be no interaction between floors, am I clear", Hitachi called out, trying to look as intimidating as a man of such stature and disposition could.
There was a general drone that was presumed to be a yes and the students were divided and assigned room numbers and issued keys.
Ryu lucked out after a fashion, his rising status earning him a trade off in rooms that left him with only a single roommate in a triple guest room.
As his starry eyed companion meandered about the room, describing aloud everything his found, right from the cable equipped TV to the line of bath products provided in the rooms private bathroom along with the small pile of in room yukatas, Ryu simply leant his things against one of the beds and sat down, staring out of the window, deep in thought.
For the next three days, he would be stuck here while the sword was somewhere back in the Hinata Sou.
True, three days wasn't very long, and it wasn't as if the sword was going anywhere in the meantime, but there was still the Kanna issue to solve if he was to actually be able to enjoy this time off, and he would have to watch his things, as he hadn't trusted Yui enough to leave them unprotected.
He pretended to listen to his roommate's animated description of the room, showing some vague interest when he learned of the safe the room boasted but becoming disinterested once more when he found it would be far to small to secure his guitar case in.
As his new companion, a boy by the name of Kei Yamato, if he remembered the dark haired boy's rambling introduction correctly, scoped out the room's mini-fridge, Ryu let his mind drift a little.
It would be difficult to find time to talk to Kanna alone, and attempting to find that time overtly would just lead to more rumours about the two of them, which would in turn only make her madder.
"Most bothersome", he muttered, letting his head sag.
"Hey you play guitar?", that question brought him out of his musings as he found Kei reaching for the case.
Kei cried out as an iron grip fastened itself around his wrist.
"There is nothing of interest in there for you…", Ryu spoke coldly, his eyes never leaving the other boys frightened orbs, "Do you understand?".
"Y-yes, s-sir", Kei huddled in place.
Ryu regarded him a moment longer before releasing him, watching as the boy rubbed his wrist tenderly, his eyes flicking to Ryu's face and then away again.
"I guess this means you don't have any interest in music then?" Kei said with a weak laugh, trying to lighten the suddenly dark atmosphere.
"Actually I like music quite a lot, they say it soothes the savage beast after all", Ryu sat back a little, his gaze distant as his hands clenched and unclenched at his side.
"Um….yeah, I guess they do…", the dark haired boy trailed off, unsure how to reply to such statements, "So you like music?"
"Yes"
"But you don't play guitar?"
"Why do you say that?", Kei repressed the urge to shiver under Ryu's scrutiny. He knew he'd never understand the popular guys, but this guy was just creepy in some ways.
"Most musicians can't resist the urge to show off, my cousin was in a band once and everyone he knew only needed the slightest hint of interest to rip into a list of their talents…", Kei's eyes travelled back to the case.
"That in mind, I wouldn't have said there's a guitar in there at all, so what is it? Your father's ashes or something", Kei managed a weak laugh at his own joke.
"No, Mother has those", Kei gulped as Ryu answered.
"Are you serious?"
"Can you think of a reason someone would pretend their Father was dead?", Kei scratched his head nervously, not just because of the question, but because of the pained expression that crossed the other boy's face for a moment.
"True, I'm sorry if I offended you in any way", Kei said good-naturedly.
"There is…something very important in here…", Ryu said, patting the guitar case.
A knock at the door saved them both an awkward silence as Mr. Hitachi opened it seconds later.
"Come on you two, time is wasting; we have our first stop to visit today before you all start lazing about. You have ten minutes to change and assemble in the lobby, remember to bring your notebooks and pens as what you learn will be tested when we return home".
He left without waiting for an answer and the two boys changed in silence before heading downstairs.
Today was to be a day of background knowledge it seemed, as Mr. Hitachi had scheduled a number of visits to Tokyo's various museums within the Ueno and Taito area. First up was the Tokyo National Museum.
Ryu listened half-heartedly as Mr. Hitachi and the tour guide droned on about the extensive collection of Edo period artwork the museum boasted. He knew he should be paying attention, but if the other students were as mind numbingly bored as he was right that moment, perhaps he could sneak a small word in with Kanna without anyone being the wiser.
Ryu smirked. If he was really lucky, perhaps Kanna would be drowsy enough to stay quiet long enough for him to finish.
"What's funny?", Kei asked from his side, "Don't tell me you find this interesting?"
"Not greatly, my family has an interest in such things so I know most of what they are talking about already", he missed Kei's almost hero-worshipping expression.
"You're trying to figure out how to get Kanna's attention without being noticed right?", he smiled when Ryu glanced at him with one eyebrow upturned, "Yeah, kind of obvious, you've been looking at her more than the paintings…is it true then? Are you guys really dating?".
"Don't even joke about that", Ryu surprised himself with the quip waving a hand in front of his face as if to ward off evil spirits. His face dropped as he felt an icy chill between his shoulder blades from Kanna's direction and saw Kei advert his gaze.
When he turned she was still talking quietly to Mae. There was no way she could have heard him…right?
"These are particularly rare pieces, on temporary loan from the Etsuko and Joe Price collection in California, these pieces are all the works of Ito Jakuchu, Maruyama Okyo, and Sakai Hoitsu".
The image depicted was of a rooster and a hen circling each other proudly but vaguely intimately.
"Ito Jakuchu", Ryu responded under his breath when the tour guide asked who could identify the painter.
"Remind you of anything?", Kei whistled innocently when Ryu gave him a dry look. He managed to catch sight of Kanna again. She and the others were at the edge of the group now, regarding a painting depicting a visit of the Emperor of the time and his wife to Ueno park.
He nodded once to Kei and began to slip through the crowd.
"Hey, watch were you're- oh! Ryu-sama!", Ryuuya sighed, he had bumped into a gaggle of girls while focusing on Kanna, and even as he looked they had moved to encircle him.
"I apologise, I'll just be on my way", he tried to move only to find the way blocked.
"That's ok, this isn't really very interesting anyway, but I bet someone as smart as you knows a lot about this kind of thing", Ryu managed a half smile which seemed to immobilise the girl's tongue for a moment, now if he could just distract their attention…
There was a cry and a loud crash from the direction he had just come from, and a quick glance showed Kei on the floor clutching his ankle.
He gave Ryu a significant look before he was blocked from view by concerned students.
The meaning was clear, he had created a distraction and Ryu used it, slipping away while everyone's heads were turned.
Perhaps a little popularity wasn't so bad after all. He would have to find a way to thank the boy for his sacrifice later.
Slipping around a series of display cases, he managed to position himself just behind Kanna.
Mae spotted him and he held a finger up to his lips, motioning to Mizuki with his head.
The red haired girl nodded in understanding, taking Mizuki's arm and steering her away from Kanna, deeper into the crowd.
"We need to talk", he spoke quietly, just enough for Kanna to hear. She jumped again but didn't scream this time, choosing to try and elbow him in the gut but missing.
"What the hell do you want pervert?", she asked suddenly noticing that Mae and Mizuki had vanished.
"We need to talk, somewhere private would be preferable"
"Sorry, I don't go anywhere alone with creeps", before he could reply she had stomped back into the crowd, and next time he saw her, she was with Mae and co once more.
The rest of their first stop went without further incident and soon, spurred on by all he had seen, Mr. Hitachi had them heading on to the Ritual Mask exhibit after a brief pause in front of the Ueno Park section Kanna and co had been looking at.
"This display consists mainly of a group of gyodo and bugaku masks from Amano-sha shrine on Mt. Koya, which are some of the many ancient masks in the Tokyo National Museum's collection. These masks were used to perform the bugaku dance at Issaikyo-e, a Buddhist ritual that honors the whole set of sutras.
The gyodo masks were worn by performers who pulled palanquins that carried Buddhist scriptures. Based on the shape and inscriptions written inside the masks, it is known that they represent some of the 28 guardian deities. Other examples of these masks - besides the ones stored here at the museum - are not known to exist.
While some of the bugaku masks have been lost, the 15 existing masks of 8 varieties, such as Ryo-o and Nasori masks, allow one to see the scale of bugaku performances. In addition, there is also a Tsuina mask that is dated to the end of the Kamakura period", their balding teacher was the only one with any obvious interest, but Ryu couldn't help but snort under his breath.
His family knew where several of the 'lost' masks were located, and just why their locations had never been made public knowledge as they and others had helped hide them.
Such an extensive network of knowledge was one of the reasons he had been able to find out where the Sword of Two Souls might be hidden.
Sensing his pupils growing restless, Mr. Hitachi had helped wind the tour to a close after only three hours.
He wasn't done however, oh no, next on the list was the Shitamachi Museum that lay at the other end of the park, though as a concession to his pupils, he allowed an hour's relaxation time in the park itself.
That didn't stop him from showing off his own knowledge however even if his students' enthusiasm seemed lacking.
"Ueno Park was created on the former grounds of Kan'eiji temple. During the battle of Ueno in 1868 most of the temple buildings were destroyed by fire. Soon afterward, the temple grounds were opened to the public for cherry blossom viewing, and was registered as a metropolitan park in April 1873. The Ministry of Home Affair's Museum Bureau started road improvement and other construction works in the park in January 1876, and on May 9th, the park was inaugurated in the presence of the emperor and his wife."
At that point Ryu had just managed to succeed in moving alongside Kanna, who was pretending she couldn't hear his quiet entreaties. When someone snapped a photo of the two of them, laughing about getting it autographed by the Emperor and his wife, Ryu had spent the rest of the day nursing a sore shin.
He had received only an apologetic smile from Mae and a more devious one from Mizuki before Kei and Natsuki had helped him limp over to a bench to rest. "Thereafter, Ueno Park was used as the venue for numerous national events including National Industrial Expositions held in 1877, 1881 and 1890. During that time, the museum and zoo opened, and a horse racetrack around Shinobazu Pond and Ueno Railroad Station were constructed", the teacher offered Kanna a withering look when she said that explained the number of animals in the area, to which she smiled sweetly and asked him to continue.
"The bronze statue of Saigo Takamori, one of the important persons who worked for the Meiji Restoration, was erected in the park in 1898. The Tokyo Industrial Exposition of 1907 had attractions such as a water chute and ferris wheel. At the Peace Commemorative Tokyo Exposition in 1922, a seaplane that sped around on the Shinobazu pond surface was very popular".
"Don't suppose they do airmail", Kanna muttered.
"After the Great Kanto Earthquake in September 1922, The park was used as a place of refuge, serving to make people aware of the importance of parks in large cities. Four months later, in January 1923, Ueno Park was presented to Tokyo City to celebrate the wedding of the crown prince. Since then, the park has been one of the most popular places in Tokyo".
"Hooray!", Mizuki sprinkled Kanna with shredded cherry blossoms while a group of her underlings did the same to Ryu.
Kanna glared.
Ryu's shin throbbed.
After everyone had recovered and eaten thanks to a number of food vendors that frequented the area, they moved on to the last stop in their journey that day.
"Seems so basic doesn't it?", Kei commented as he helped Ryu amble along behind the rest of the group.
"Not really, my family home is a lot like this", Ryu commented, gazing disinterestedly around the reconstructions.
"Where are you from?"
"Sendai"
"Ah, country boy", Kei laughed as Ryu rolled his eyes and went back to looking at the displays.
"Any sign of Kanna?"
"Sorry, my friend, but don't you think she's kicked you enough for one day? I'd give it a rest for now", Kei advised.
Ryu sighed, "You may be right".
"Of course I am, besides, we're supposed to be visiting the Imperial Palace and you know how amazing those gardens are supposed to be. I'm sure whatever you need to talk to her about will go smoothly in a place like that", he grinned when Ryu looked at him out of the corner of his eye.
"I thought I already explained to you about me and Kanna?"
"No, you just said you weren't dating…yet", he grinned wider as Ryu rolled his eyes at him again.
"If not her, then who? That other girl, what's her name…"
"Ayu", Ryuuya provided without thinking, almost biting his tongue afterwards.
"She's cute…plus she looks up to you being a little younger", Kei mused.
"Kei"
"Yeah buddy?"
"Shut up", he sighed as Kei grinned again. Who said friends were the best thing that ever happened to you?
He wasn't here to make friends; he was here to find the sword, nothing more, with that everything would be in order and he could leave.
If so why had he spent more time thinking about apologising to Kanna than he had about where the mythical blade might be hidden?
"So which is it?"
"What?", he asked, shaking off his thoughts and turning his attention outwards again.
"Ayu or Kanna, which one are you interested in?", Kei persisted, knowing that as Ryu's living crutch he couldn't get away from him, and even people like Ryu only have so much patience.
"What are we talking about?", Ryu almost groaned, Natsuki had wandered over to them to make sure they weren't lagging.
"Nothing much ma'am", Kei muttered, his face the same colour as Ayu's went whenever she tried to talk to Ryu for extended periods of time.
"Wait, you know Ryu right?"
"Of course, Ryu-kun and I live together after all".
Ryu fought to maintain balance as Kei missed a step and almost dropped him.
"Y-you, and s-she, tt-togther, I…"
"Breath Kei", Ryu advised, carefully making sure no one else had overheard.
"Not just me, there's Kanna, Mizuki and Ayu-chan, oh and lets not forget about Yui and little Chii", Natsuki checked each name off on her fingers, Kei growing paler with each name recounted.
"You live alone with three of the cutest girls in our school, plus two others I've never heard of and her!", he stage whispered, pointing at Natsuki who smiled and held one hand to her cheek demurely.
"I suppose when you put it that way it does sound a little naughty doesn't it?", Natsuki giggled.
Ryu could almost see the pink cloud over Kei's head containing his fantasy about Ryu's home life. No doubt it included very few clothes on the girls' part, and the sweetest dispositions you could imagine.
"You cannot tell anyone about this", Ryu warned his drooling companion.
"Huh? Yeah, yeah sure, but erm, something like this….wow! I mean er, you know, I should get something in return…how bout you show me what's in your guitar case?"
"No"
"Tell me?"
"No"
Kei frowned and thought hard for a moment before hitting upon the perfect request, "Then I want to visit you at home".
"That's not a good idea", Ryu said, already picturing Kanna's response if he turned up at the dorm with another man in tow.
"Pllllleeeeeeaaaasssseeee, come on, we're pals right?", Kei pleaded.
"We only met today".
"Please, oh, please, please, please", Kei grovelled.
"…Fine, it's your funeral", Kei seemed to ignore that warning as he tried to do a little dance while holding Ryu upright.
That night Ryu crashed on his bed exhausted. His leg only ached slightly now, but it had kept him from visiting any of the Hotel's facilities by himself, thus he had missed out on a lot.
However, as Kei had reminded him before running off to check out the pool, tomorrow was another day.
"What did I do to deserve this?", he groaned into his pillow.
He felt a twinge of guilt wash over him and his stomach seemed to cramp of its own accord.
Ryu rolled over so he could hold his arms out straight, staring at his hands.
He knew all too well what he had done.
All too well.
---Authors Note---
Ok, some nice little background hints in there, and a few bits of random cultural info for your enjoyment. What is in Ryu's mysterious case? Will he ever manage to talk to Kanna? Will he survive the talk so that Kei can get his wish? And what will happen when they all return to the Hinata Sou?
All this and more in Chapter Five: Castles and Ferris Wheels.
Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell.