Ryu massaged his aching temples, willing the troublesome malady to leave him be, and true to his surmounting luck, it promptly ignored him, seemingly determined to decorate the surrounding walls with the inside of his skull.
This sort of thing always happened after he had one of his nightmares, but he doubted those were actually the main source of these pains this time.
As Ryu blocked another of Kanna's punches, each evasion making her angrier by the second, Kei seem to be lying prostrate before the Hinata Sou like a holy man on a pilgrimage, mumbling reverently under his breath.
The respectful image was somewhat tainted by his lecherous grin, enhanced by the way his bowed posture caused the other boy's fringe to obscure his eyes.
Any further observation was impossible with an irate and monstrously strong young woman attempting to rearrange the position of his facial features.
"How long have you been planning this you pervert!", Kanna was yelling, what a surprise, when he turned his attention back to her, "You think just cause we allowed you to live here you can bring more of your kind here to ogle us!".
Where the hell does she get these ideas, he wondered, ducking under an air ripping roundhouse kick.
Kei was no help; he was bowing and thanking Kami-sama (all incarnations) and Ryuuya himself out loud, adding fuel to Kanna's conclusions.
Not for the first time Ryu wondered if he should have just killed him and tried to hide the body.
True his intervention had proved instrumental in bringing a measure of understanding between himself and the very girl who was intent of causing him as much localised bodily harm as possible in as little time as possible, but it had also caused the current problem to a degree.
One step forward, three steps back, he thought that categorised him and Kanna's relationship quite well.
He got clipped lightly across the jaw when he didn't move fast enough after realising he had just referred to him and Kanna as having a 'Relationship'. Even in his own mind that was simply unacceptable.
Luckily Kanna was tiring finally, her blows poorly aimed and lacking their usual power. These had the kind of strength that logically suited a girl of her build.
She finally ran out of steam, collapsing into him to weak to stand unsupported.
"I'll…get…you…", she wheezed, clinging to his shirt feebly.
He snorted derisively while holding her with one arm to stop her collapsing, "You're not cute when you're angry".
The dark haired girl swallowed the wrong way as he spoke, blushing furiously even as she registered that he had been insulting, not complimenting her.
She managed to give him a semi-decent blow to the gut, smiling when he wheezed heavily, "…Jerk…".
"My, my, how very touching, the cute couple all lovey-dovey", Mizuki cooed as she reached the top of the stairs, laughing when Ryu moved away from Kanna so fast you'd think she had a contagious disease.
"Smooth Romeo", she said when she noted Kanna's hurt expression before it could vanish under a mask of anger.
"Whatever", he said coldly, folding his arms resolutely and walking over to where he had dropped his things.
"I guess I have to take that back, Romeo and Juliet you two aren't", she corrected herself dryly, a little miffed by Ryu's aloof attitude, Kanna adding a vocal approval.
"If we're talking Shakespeare, I believe 'Taming of the Shrew' would be more appropriate", Ryu muttered under his breath as he retrieved his things.
"Jerk!", Ryu blinked, how in the world has she just heard him?
Kanna stomped back toward the house, her belongings forgotten.
"Kanna!", he called after her, "Aren't you forgetting something?".
"You figure it out since you're so smart jerk!", she shouted back without turning around, slamming the door to the Hinata House behind her.
Ryu glared at the door. Did she seriously expect him to cart her things inside like some sort of bellboy?
"What?", he asked sharply when he saw Mizuki shaking her head sadly at him.
"Baka", she said before abandoning him to his appointed task, walking straight past Kei who still saw nothing going on around him.
Ryuuya felt his fist clench involuntarily. There were days he almost felt like giving up and going home.
"Kei!", he barked, drawing the other boy out of his stupor with a jerk. Kei looked around for a moment before noticing Ryu waiting near Kanna's things.
"She's already got you carrying her luggage for her?", Kei chuckled, his follow up comment dying on his lips when he saw Ryu's expression. It was quite the one from the hotel, but it was damn close.
"Erm…need some help?", he offered.
"You're too kind", Ryu hissed back, uttering dark curses on violent, ill-tempered women as he and Kei lugged Kanna's cases into the house.
Fortunately for him, Kei had the good sense not to find any of it funny.
Depositing the last of the things in the living area, Ryu refused outright to take them up to her room, the two young men sat down heavily on the sofas, the livelier of the pair glancing about his new surroundings with interest.
Kei was sort of disappointed. In his dreams he had seen the building being far more ornate, and they had been greeted by girls of great beauty and varying ages, clad only in a frilly cook's apron, but all happy to see "Ryu-sama" and his honoured guest.
Apart from Kanna and Mizuki he hadn't seen any other girls yet, and the place sounded deserted.
"Ryu…", he asked into the silence, "…ano…where are all the girl?"
"Don't tempt fate", his friend answered mysteriously, like an old fortuneteller warning of dark tidings ahead.
Kei wrinkled his brow. What could possibly be bad about being surrounded by beautiful girls twenty-four/seven? It just made no sense.
"Aw, all tired? Did you miss me? Onee-chan will make it all better".
Kei did a double take. Sitting in a perturbed looking Ryu's lap was one of the most gorgeous women he had ever seen! Tanned and exotic, she was clearly gaijin, but that hardly mattered in this day and age amongst his generation.
Even as part of his mind was trying to figure out when she had entered the living room, and just how she had gotten into Ryu's lap without either of them noticing, the rest of his brain was furiously memorising everything he could see, and from the way she dressed, it had its work cut out.
"Please Yui, not now", Ryu said, only belatedly realising how what he had just said could be interpreted by someone unfamiliar with the context in which it was made.
Indeed, the way Kei's eyes seemed to bulge in his head would indicate he had made completely the wrong assumption as Yui mock pouted and ran a finger under Ryu's jaw.
"Well did you at least bring me anything?", she asked, following Ryu's gaze to Kei and grinning in a way that had the other boy swallowing hard, "Is this it?".
She sauntered over to the memorised young man as Ryu felt the beginnings of a headache coming on.
"Hi, I'm Yui", she purred, revealing in Kei's frozen expression as she leant over a little, watching him fight briefly to stop himself looking at the proffered view.
"Go take a cold shower or something Yui, please", Ryu said, his tone almost pleading.
"Sorry Ryu-kun, I have to have some fun somehow, and seen as you don't want to play…", she trailed off, turning back to Kei and narrowing her eyes.
Kei grinned like a man who has just seen heaven and lived to tell the tale…and then fainted.
"…eh?", Yui blinked slowly, looking at the unconscious boy on the sofa before her.
Behind her Ryu's headache was getting worse.
"Hey", she poked Kei a few times, sighing when he didn't respond, "Boys, you're all so dull around here".
Still complaining she left and Ryu could finally breath a little easier. True there was a good chance she'd be back later after Mizuki told her about his 'date' with Kanna, but for now all was well again.
He glanced over at Kei. He supposed he should at least try to wake the other boy up.
Fifteen minutes and several failed attempts later brought Ryu to the point where his headache was bugging him so much he honestly no longer cared if the other boy woke up.
To make matters worse, he had the sneaking suspicion someone was watching him.
"Whoever it is come on out, I'm in no mood for games", he commanded, adding as an after thought, "Unless you're Yui…or Mizuki…or Kann- you know, on second thought stay where you are".
"Um, sempai…", he looked over at the timid source of the voice, relieved beyond words at who he found standing there. If there was one resident he could honestly say he wouldn't object to finding standing there at this moment, it was Ayu.
Even Chii would have been unwelcome at this point, her stoic nature putting even him ill at ease.
"What can I do for you Ayu?", he asked, gesturing her over while giving Kei another not so gentle nudge.
"I…I, um…", she was playing with her dress again he noticed, a curious, if somewhat amusing behaviour. Naturally Ryu had failed to notice that it only occurred around him.
"I…sempai…welcomehomesempaiImissedyou", she said in a great splurge of words it took him a while to figure out.
He chuckled a little at how breathless she had left herself trying to speak that fast.
"We were only gone a few days", he pointed out. She had no doubt said exactly the same thing to Kanna and Mizuki. Ayu it seemed, didn't have very many friends despite her unspoken popularity amongst the boys her own age and a good few older he knew having over heard a number of unsavoury conversations centred around his lunch breaks with her and Kanna.
"That's…yes…I know…I guess I was just being silly", she said shyly looking down at her feet.
That's not what I meant, she thought, I wasn't talking about Kanna and Mizuki-sempai…
He waved off her discomfort, giving Kei another jab that had about as much effect on his hormone induced stupor as all the others.
Namely; none what so ever.
"Who is this boy sempai? Is he a friend of yours?", Ayu asked, moving behind the couch so she could both observe the newcomer and stand as close to Ryu as she dared, the back of the sofa acting as a barrier in her mind to make her feel safer doing so.
"I…I guess so", Ryu admitted, not really sure if you could call someone you had known all of three days and met purely by chance a 'friend'.
"What happened?", she asked, slowly coming to realise this was probably the longest uninterrupted conversation she had had with him since…ever.
"Yui", Ryu said simply, not needing to expand upon his explanation further as Ayu offered the sleeping boy a look of sympathy.
"…Um…", Ryu could tell she wanted to ask another question, she always started with 'um' when she was building up the nerve to speak. Again he had failed to notice this tendency was only displayed around him.
If it were any of the others he might have dismissed them by now, but Ayu's questions were always earnest and usually worth the time to answer. Besides, his patience levels had been allowed to fall far enough since he began living here.
"Did you have fun…on your trip I mean".
Ryu thought back to his experiences in the Park, at the museums, and the Palace. His nightmares and personal demons that had surfaced…His 'date' with Kanna.
"It was…interesting", he admitted.
I wonder…I wonder if sempai would ever go somewhere fun with me like that…, Ayu thought, blushing a little as a number of fantasies involving a slightly bishi-fied Ryu ran through her mind.
"I'm glad", she said, mustering up the courage to smile at him directly, resting her arms on the back of the sofa and almost passing out when one corner of his mouth quirked up back at her in an instinctive half smile.
"Well, isn't this cosy"
Ryuuya glanced down, seeing Kei, his hands tucked behind his head, grinning up at them.
"How long have you been awake?", Ryu asked evenly as Ayu started a little and stepped back. For some reason the interruption bothered him. Most likely he surmised, because he rarely got the chance to have normal, quiet conversation with any of the girls.
Yui was more interested in practicing her seduction technique than talking, Mizuki was only slightly better, at least she could restrict herself to verbal flirtation unlike her 'teacher', Chii…well, no one except Yui could hold a conversation with Chii that had any meaning, and how she did that was still a mystery, and as for Kanna…well, most conversational guidelines don't include screaming and punching.
Though she had been pleasant enough company back at the amusement park…
"So, is she your…", Kei trailed off. Luckily, Ayu couldn't see him waving his pinky at Ryu from her new position.
"Eh? Naughty, naughty, what about Kan- mprphhhhhh!", he mumbled indignantly as he found Ryu's hands clasped securely over his mouth.
"Ayu-chan", Ryu said without taking his eyes off his struggling friend, "I think Kei would like some tea, it has been a tiring journey after all. Could you go make him some?".
"H-hai sempai!", she squeaked, a prize contestant for the world's first human tomato as she scurried off, almost tripping on her own feet in the process.
Ryu watched until she was out of sight before slowly removing his hand from his friend's face warily.
"Give me one reason to leave you unharmed", he said ominously.
Kei flashed him the victory sign and answered as if he had somehow missed that threat, "So it's 'Ayu-chan' now huh, awfully close with all these girls aren't you, you lucky dog you".
Ryuuya played back his words, only now focusing on the words he had used to motivate Ayu into action without complaint.
Perhaps it sounded bad the way Kei was voicing it, but she was younger than him, and in a lower grade so technically there was nothing inappropriate in referring to her thus.
"Lucky? Where you in the same room I was just now? And what about Kanna? I have to put up with that sort of thing everyday", he ground out, wondering why Kei was getting that hero worship expression again. Had this fool not been paying attention?
"You mean Yui-chan does that to you all the time?", Kei seemed close to tears.
"Yes", Ryu nodded sharply, thinking his friend was finally catching on.
What happened next was one of those things Ryu would never forget…no matter how hard he tried.
Kei was up in seconds…and on the floor before Ryu a moment later.
"I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!", he chanted to his bewildered companion, making exaggerated bows as he did so.
Ayu returned, curious as to what was going on as she carried three mugs of tea on a small tray, and utterly confused by what she found but to polite to let it show.
After standing unnoticed for a few minutes, she began to shift uncomfortably, "Ano…sempai…what, what is going on?"
"Perhaps you can tell me", he answered, rubbing the bridge of his nose, his expression more one of suppressed pain than annoyance.
"Are you ok sempai?", she asked, carefully manoeuvring around Kei and placing the tea tray on the table, hovering uncertainly in front of him as she tried to figure out what to actually do next.
"I'm fine Ayu-chan", he seemed to jerk in place, as if something had shocked him, but Ayu was to busy blushing and trying to look anywhere but right at him to notice.
Damn it, Ryu thought as he realised what he'd done, knowing without looking that Kei was smirking at him.
"You look like you have a headache sempai, are you ill?", Ayu almost gasped as she thought about taking his temperature and helping nurse him back to health.
"I said I'm fine", he pink cloud dreams were torn aside cruelly by his suddenly strict and formal tone.
The shy girl suddenly panicked, wondering if she had done something to upset him, perhaps pried too much. Ryu was a very proud man after all.
"I'm sorry sempai", she said in a small voice, lowering her head so he wouldn't see the aqueous haze in her eyes, "I'm just bothering you, I'll go now".
She darted out of the room as fast as her small legs could carry her, and Ryu was left with a strangely hollow feeling in his gut as she vanished up the stairs.
"Mizuki-chan was right", Kei said, standing and dusting off his legs, "Romeo you certainly are not my friend".
Ryu didn't feel up to retorting, so he just offered a withering stare that he could feel loosing strength even as he made a brief stab at redoubling his efforts.
He kept seeing two scenes flashing through his head over and over again. Kanna stomping away from him at the front door, was overlaid curiously with Ayu's retreat from the room moments earlier.
A strange feeling was evoked by the two powerful images, but his sixteen years left him lacking to explain it.
To compound matters, the dull throbbing in his head was getting worse; the room seemed to sway for a second before returning to normal.
No, not now, this couldn't be happening now, there was no reason for it to happen…but then, there had been no reason last time.
"Yo stud", Yui's voice rang out like a piercing bell as she practically skipped down the stairs, the motion doing interesting things that instantly distracted Kei from his ailing friend.
Her happy mannerisms suggested she knew something that had amused her greatly, but Ryu was in no condition to banner with her. Staying upright and conscious seemed a lot harder to do all of a sudden than it usually did, and half of Yui's words were lost to the sudden roaring in his ears even as she spoke them.
Behind her, her cousin, Chii, followed at a more sedate pace, her hand lightly brushing the rail as she descended in the wake of the older, more boisterous woman.
She gave Kei a quizzical expression when he finally noticed there was someone other than Yui there, her small pigtails swaying adorably with the motion.
He mouthed something about "The whole damned set", as Yui struck a pose, hand over her heart as if preaching to a crowd, while she regaled him with his inability to keep anything from her watchful eyes, and chiding him for not telling her as soon as he came back.
It took a surprising level of effort to deduce she was referring to his date with Kanna, and she confirmed as much a few seconds later, listing off all the theories she had as to what had gone on, pressing him for details seen as the pictures wouldn't be done for a while yet, even with Chii developing them.
Ryu knew he should have been concerned when she mentioned pictures, but for some reason all he could focus on was the interesting patterns the light made as it refracted off the motes of dust and other minute impurities within the air.
"So how bout it, you going to tell Onee-chan all about it, or do I have to get…creative?", she asked in a suggestive tone.
Her face slowly changed to one of concern when he didn't respond, just continued to sway lightly on his feet.
"Help", Chii said, starting forward as Yui turned to ask her what she was talking about.
That was the last Ryu saw before the world seemed to list violently to one side and everything went black.
The woods were always beautiful at this time of year. That's what he had thought as he wondered the grounds of his family home.
He was alone, but that was ok. Mother and Father were nearby so it didn't matter all that much if there were no other children around most of the time.
His cousins would visit occasionally and that was enough.
Speaking of family, it had been many years since he had seen his Aunts. One of them had had a child out of wedlock apparently, and though his young mind didn't really understand how this affected her or his other Aunt, he knew it had something to do with the way they had hidden themselves away.
He kicked a small pebble along as he wandered so lost in his own little world, that he almost didn't notice the other voices until he was on top of them.
"Come on! Don't be such a baby!"
He snuck closer, peering carefully around the trees.
"I…I don't think we should be here…I want to go back".
"There's nothing to do back there, besides, I'm here so nothing bad will happen to you", the first voice replied, full of boastful pride.
Curious, the young boy stepped out of concealment. The sun blinded him for a second, but he could make out just enough about the two children in front of him to discern they were roughly his age, five or six years old, and female, though for some reason the sun seemed to glare when he tried to look at their faces.
The smaller of the two let out a frightened squeal at his sudden appearance and hid behind the other.
"W-who are you", the first girl demanded, trying to seem intimidating.
He opened his mouth to reply, but let the words die stillborn on his tongue. They wouldn't know him even if he told them. Some of those close to his Mother and Father didn't even know who he was.
"Just…a forest spirit", he replied, thinking back on some of the tales his Father had told him as bedtime stories, "And you are?".
The smaller girl poked her head out from behind her companion shyly, looking as if she were about to answer, when the other girl interrupted.
"If you're not going to tell us your name, we won't tell you ours", she spoke with an air of finality.
The boy smiled minutely at her defiance and shrugged. For some reason this seemed to make her angry but the younger one calmed her down.
Before long they were walking together, playing as children of that age often do.
It was here that things began to change, and the evidence that this was not something real, but a dream came to head.
Their laughing stopped, gradually building up to twin screams of horror. He could only watch as they fled, confused and scared, wondering if what had frightened them would prey upon him now that they had abandoned him.
Something wet splashed against the floor, dragging his reluctant gaze down, and giving him a full view of his garments and his hands.
Both were drenched in a viscous crimson fluid.
As he held shaking hands, somehow older but still small, up to his eyes a shadow fell over him. He spun to find a tall, hauntingly beautiful woman standing over him, her narrow eyes full of sorrow.
"Mother…What's going on? Where's Father?", she didn't answer, just continued to stare.
"Father…Father!", he called out desperately, but received no answer. Behind him, his Mother began to weep, "FATHER!"
The world turned black and all he could see was a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness…laughing at him.
"Do you think he'll be ok?" That voice, where is it coming from, Ryu's thoughts were sluggish, as though his brain were on strike.
"Sleep", a monotone voice advised, seeming to be directed at the first.
"I always knew I was a knockout, but this is ridiculous", a third voice interjected with a trace of humour, attempting to lighten the mood of the others.
"I don't think this is the time for jokes Yui-chan", a similar voice chastised.
"Ara, Ayu-chan told me something had happened", this voice seemed older than the rest, and slightly further away.
Why were all these voices do familiar to him?
"Has anyone told Ema about this?", the first voice asked.
"I saw sempai's friend talking to her on the way back", a quiet voice answered, sounding on the brink of tears, "…This is my fault sniff . I saw sempai wasn't feeling well. I should have done something".
There were a number of sympathetic female noises mixed with the sniffling sounds as Ryu struggled to return to full wakefulness. The voices around him had started to take on meaning.
"It's ok Ayu-chan, the big jerk is to stubborn to accept help from anyone", that voice was definitely familiar.
"Your concern…is just…touching", he managed to get out, cracking open one eye and resisting the urge to scream when the light jammed into his eye socket with the subtly of a four by four hitting a brick wall.
"Sempai", Ayu wormed free of Natsuki's comforting embrace and ran over to him, squatting down next to him before suddenly freezing as if loosing the nerve to do what she had wanted to do next.
"There goes the neighbourhood, and just when we had a little peace at last", Kanna said. Her words were callous but no one missed the look of relief in her eyes, or the fact that she had been sitting by his side since Ayu had told her he'd passed out.
"What happened?", he asked, his memory a little groggy.
"You fainted", Kanna answered, seeming terribly amused by the concept now that he was awake again, "If I had know how delicate you were I wouldn't hit you so hard".
"Are you ok now sempai?", Ayu asked, edging a little closer so that she sat the same distance away from him as Kanna on the opposite side of the futon they had lain him in after she and Kei raised the alarm.
"You mean you'll hit like a girl from now on?", Ryu asked drolly.
"Ok", Chii intoned as Kanna went red with either anger or embarrassment.
"Jerk! I-er, we were worried about you", she yelled.
Yui smiled at the slip and opened her mouth only to close it at the look her cousin gave her and Mizuki.
Chii-chan was just such a killjoy sometimes.
"Yes…we were", Ayu agreed, looking down at her hands.
Yui cast Chii a pleading look, but her young cousin just shook her head slowly.
Reaching into the pocket of the oil stained dungarees she wore over a baggy blue t-shirt, Chii withdrew a small case. Opening it and extracting a number of small yellow pills, she walked over to Ryu's futon as Kanna and Ayu helped him sit up, the former grumbling about how heavy he was, while the latter seemed to be overheating.
"Medicine", she said, holding the pills out in front of him expectantly.
"…Thank you", he said after a moment when no one else spoke, taking the offered pills and popping one while Chii watched.
When he was done, a look of wonder briefly crossing his features as the remnant of the pain seemed to flee in an instant, the younger of the Su cousins nodded to herself and stood, leaving the room without another word.
"Chii-chan is a little…strange, isn't she", Kanna observed, rubbing the back of her head.
"You have no idea", Yui said with a fond smile at her cousin's departing form.
"Is everything alright in here?", Ema asked, her bespectacled face poking around the door and startling Yui for a moment.
"I heard something had happened to Ryu-kun, but his friend didn't give me the specifics", she walked into the room, giving him a quick glance over, "Well, you seem fine now I guess".
"Where is Kei?", he asked, shrugging aside her concern. He had a bad feeling about the idea of his friend wandering around an all girls dorm unsupervised.
"Oh, he went to pick out a room", silence descended.
"…Could you repeat that", Ryu requested, "I think I may have hit my head on the way down, it sounds like you just implied Kei would be staying here".
"Yes. He asked about staying for a few days to help look after you", Ema wiped at a tear, "I was so moved by the loyalty and friendship he displayed that I agreed".
Ryu sighed and hung his head. At this rate he was going to need more than Chii's pills to help with his headache.
"Somehow I doubt concern for me was at the forefront of his mind", Ryu muttered, all to aware of the looks Mizuki and Yui were giving each other, and the devious manner in which they rubbed their hands together.
"Double the fun", Mizuki said with a wicked grin, Yui echoing the sentiment.
"What…The…Hell", Kanna punched the floor so hard the light fixtures shook, "Will someone explain to me why we now have not one, but two perverts living here".
"It's only for a few days", Ema said gently, recognising Kanna's mood, "Just until Ryu-kun gets better…unless you'd rather take care of him all by yourself?".
Kanna's following impression of Ayu displayed a masterful aptitude for the performing arts, and had Yui saluting the manager, though Ema didn't know why.
"I…him…that…", she shook her head forcefully, prising her fingers apart, "No way!".
"Good, then I'll go see if Kei has found a room he likes", Ema said with a happy smile, turning on her heel as Kanna hung her head in defeat.
"You know, I just thought of something", Yui said, leaning back against the wall with her hands behind her head, "If he's going to be here for a few days, that makes one more helper for the festival".
Kanna seemed to perk up for a moment and Ayu nodded.
"That's true I guess", she already sounded happier.
Even though he was half convinced he didn't want to know, Ryu had to ask.
"Festival?".
As it turned out, the festival they had been referring to was something exclusive after a fashion, to the Hinata Sou.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was celebrated by all the residents every year, and was a small, informal gathering involving a lot of food, merry making, and amongst the older members, one hell of a lot of drinking.
Yui and the others explained to him that the celebration should have taken place earlier, but a number of unfortunate delays, the last of which had been his arrival and the subsequent upheaval that had caused, had delayed things.
As it was they had scheduled it for the day following his return and that day saw a flurry of organisation and preparation that, due to the effects of Chii's pills, meant he was pressed into service to assist.
The shear quantity of food involved alone was unbelievable, but having seen the Molmolian relatives eat, he had no doubts that none of it would go to waste.
The site of the party was a small clearing in amongst one of the larger groves of trees, a large cauldron like pot set over a raging fire in the centre as Ayu and Chii prepared and mixed the ingredients he and the girls brought out.
Kei was helping Ema set up the decorations around the clearing, while Yui and Natsuki were hauling crates of booze up from the teahouse.
He stood back and stretched after the last of the things had been brought, watching as the girls began to lay everything that could readily be set out, atop a series of collapsible tables.
"Phew, hard work but this is so very much worth it", Kei said, jogging over to his friend's side, "A real live party with all these lovely ladies".
Ryu rolled his eyes and snorted, crossing his arms, "Whatever".
He let his eyes move across the clearing, taking in all the residents.
Yui and Natsuki both dressed in their regular clothes, were already drinking and laughing, with Mizuki next to them in a outfit similar to Yui's except having exchanged the skirt for a pair of trousers, pouting when as Yui teased her, saying she was too young to join them in 'toast'.
Ema was picking cherry blossoms out of her hair, having fallen of the ladder she was standing on while hanging the decorations.
Ayu in a pale lilac summer dress, was chatting happily to Chii as she stirred the contents of the oversized pot, seemingly unaware that the young gaijin was focused solely upon the food within.
Finally he found Kanna, dressed in the same outfit she had been wearing the day he had first come here, meandering about the grove, lost in thought.
She spotted him and frowned for a moment before walking over.
"I think I'm going to see about getting something to drink before Natsuki and Yui swallow it all", Kei said, patting his friend on the back and straightening his clothes as he made his way over to the two women.
"Hey", Kanna said, stopping in front of him.
"Hey", he responded in turn, returning his gaze to the rest of the revellers as she moved to stand by his side.
"…Are you…feeling any better?", she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes, Chii's pills seemed to be working, I suppose I should find a way to thank her for that", he observed, unsure as to why she suddenly wanted to make small talk.
"I don't know if you'll have to, Chii-chan never seems bothered whether she gets praised or not, as long as whatever she makes works she's happy", Kanna held her arms gently behind her back.
"…I brought all your homework back", Kanna ventured when the silence between them began to stretch.
"Thanks", he said for lack of anything better.
"You know Ayu-chan missed you at lunch today", she said looking at him again.
"I've only been gone a day", he pointed out.
Kanna laughed, "True, but I think it feels longer to her, especially so soon after we went on that trip…Must have been lonely for her after she got so used to us all being together".
"I suppose".
"At least try to pretend you have feelings like a normal human being…jerk", Ryu smirked at her as she stuck her tongue out at him.
Over buy the fire, Ayu watched as Ryu and Kanna chatted, laughing and smiling together, her own face falling a little further each time.
"Ayu", Chii's voice snapped her out of her depressed trance, forcing her to focus on her young cooking partner once more.
"I'm sorry Chii-chan, I was just thinking", she said, affecting what she hoped looked like a genuine smile.
"Food", Chii pointed at the dangerously bubbling stew that Ayu had forgotten to keep stirring.
"Eek", Ayu began stirring frantically, hoping that nothing had burned during her lapse in concentration.
When she looked up again, Ryu and Kanna had moved to join the rest of the group, the former struggling with a semi-drunken Yui, while Kanna, Mizuki and Natsuki laughed at him, Natsuki's giggles the loudest of them all.
Meanwhile Kei was sitting next to Ema, bombarding the poor woman with questions she tried her best to answer.
Ayu bit her lip. She had heard from Ema that this night had a special connotation for couples at the Hinata Sou, and could act as the turning point in a relationship.
Ayu had dreamed that such a thing would happen for her, but the older woman had never specified who the couple had to be after all, and Ryu was getting a lot of attention from all of the girls at the moment.
Sighing to herself Ayu returned to her task.
Perhaps there would be another night…
After the meal, things were in full swing. Those that could be were well on their way to being drunk, and those that couldn't had snuck at least a small amount of alcohol from their intoxicated peers. All except Ayu and Ryu that was, the former because she feared what she might start spouting if she had to much and got drunk, and the latter for reasons he refused to share.
Kei was embroiled in a drinking match against Yui and Natsuki, having somewhere along the line gotten it into his head that seen as how drinking was supposed to lower inhibitions…
Of course he barely remembered that plan now, and seen as how he was facing two of the greatest drinkers since Mitsune Konno, the legendary "Fox with the Iron Liver", he had never stood a chance to start with, even with the head start they both had on him.
Even Chii had had a small sip at her cousin's insistence, bringing out a bright red flush on both her cheeks that a chuckling Ema had said made her look exactly like her mother.
"Ok!", Yui exclaimed happily, Natsuki clapping as she stood shakily, Kei slumped face first on the floor in front of the two older women snoring loudly, "I win, so that means it's finally time for the special entertainment for this evening!"
Everyone except Ayu, Ryu and Chii cheered, even though they had no idea what she was talking about.
"With the help of my lovely assistant", she said as Mizuki stood, taking a bow, "I will now reveal the source of our event".
Mizuki handed Yui an envelope as the blond smiled knowingly at Ryu. Taking the package she opened it up and extracted something from within.
"Ladies and Gentlemen", Kei snorted in his sleep, "I give you…The big Date of our favourite couple, Kanna and Ryu!".
Ryu went shock straight, his action mimicked by both Ayu and Kanna, the dark haired girl's blush hidden by the effects of the alcohol.
"Yay", Ema clapped along with Natsuki as Yui began handing out the pictures.
How did she…, Ryu found himself wondering once more as he watched the images of him and Kanna wondering around the Tokyo Dome Amusement Park change hands.
"Kanna and…sempai…on at date", Ayu's eyes were tearing as her shaking hands held the picture Mizuki had captured of Kanna in Ryu's lap on the Ferris Wheel while she had been hidden on the booth next to them.
It felt as if there was an icy vice squeezing her heart slowly.
"It's not what you think", Ryu spoke up, Ayu looking up hopefully even though he was talking to Yui not her, pushing down the part of her that just wanted to run away and cry.
"That wasn't a date", he glared when Yui just smiled at him, "It wasn't… Kanna?".
"…No…it wasn't", Kanna said, not looking at him as she spoke, her words oddly subdued.
Ayu felt a little guilty for being so relieved, and she moved to sit next to her friend, taking her hand sympathetically, so that she wouldn't have to think on why Kanna had hesitated before answering.
"Ok then, that was a bigger downer than it ever should have been", Yui said, feeling awkward and guilty about the sullen silence and tense atmosphere that had suddenly descended upon the gathering where laughter had prevailed only moments earlier, "How about we move right along to the next event? Anyone have a story for this year, or shall I go first again?".
Yui sweat-dropped when no one answered.
"Damn, tough crowd", she muttered, drawing herself up to her full height as if she could stick her head above the sudden cloud of gloom that way, "Ok, this year I think I'll do something close to home…let me see, no use talking about the abandoned annex, that thing was knocked down years ago… I got it! The Legend of the Turtle Cave".
Yui's loud and happy voice, and her natural talent for performing seemed to be drawing the group out of their solitude and she mentally congratulated herself as all eyes, whose that were awake and capable at least, turned in her direction.
"Yes the Turtle Cave", she said leaping into the centre of the group and taking up a cross-legged position, "Somewhere in this area, there was once found the ruins of an ancient Turtle Civilization by a great archaeologist and his apprentice".
She winked at Chii; they both knew where this story had come from.
"The man and his apprentice had scoured many lands hoping for the slightest hint of the location of such a place, but each time found nothing but old pots, or a few garbled scriptures. Even when they did finally find evidence, it was nothing that didn't tell them what they already knew from the start. Imagine their surprise when they found a cave that not only told of the origins of the Turtle Civilisation, but also was the home of the great Guardian of all Turtle kind", Yui loved the attention her narrative was receiving as she embellished it with fanciful hand gestures, her voice rich and grand.
Oddly enough, Ryu of all people seemed deeply intrigued by her story, but Yui just took that as evidence of her amazing talent and carried on.
She continued her tale, detailing how the two men had disturbed the Guardian and incurred its wrath, only escaping with the help of a number of 'Holy Maidens' who happened to be passing by, "…and that Cave my friends, is the very cave that lies at the base of this hill, behind the Hinata Sou".
She smiled darkly as she noticed Ayu trembling after the story, unable to resist adding what she did next as she noticed she still held everyone's attention.
"To this day the Guardian still waits in that Cave, planning his revenge on the two men, and the Maidens, and for a peaceful night like tonight, on which to exact it".
Ayu squeaked as Yui looked straight at her, the firelight in the dim daylight dancing evilly across her exotic features, seeming to make her emerald eyes glow.
The others took it in turns telling stories, though none could top Yui much to her satisfaction, and Ryu outright refused to play along which started another argument between him and Kanna that Ayu had to defuse.
Whether it had been because of all the wonderful food, the drink, or just the extent of which the celebrations stretched into the night, one by one, the group eventually succumbed to the warm embrace of the fire and the pleasant night air, drifting into peaceful slumbers.
Ryu checked the sleeping partiers one last time, not risking moving until he was sure they were asleep.
Yui's story had caught his attention.
If there was even a modicum of truth to it, then such a place would be considered a holy sanctuary. The perfect kind of place in which to secure the Sword of Two Souls.
The day had grown long and night had fallen, but luckily due to past experiences the group had brought along a number of torches and it was the work of a few minutes to find one and quietly make his way out of the grove.
He briefly thought of leaving some sort of note explaining his absence, but if he found what he was looking for, he would be long gone before any of them woke up.
Ayu awoke with a start, unsure what had woken her but very much awake regardless.
Her sleepy eyes passed over all the figures slumped around the dwindling fire for warmth, and she was about to lay her head back down when she noticed something, or rather, someone, was missing.
"Sempai?"
---Author's notes---
There you have it, the full, edited, version of this chapter, with all the goodness that implies. Coming next: Chapter 7: The Cave; Searching for something, will you always find what you seek? Some feelings are better expressed under cover of darkness. The Guardian awakens.
Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell