Chapter 12: The resident's hidden talents: MUSIC!
Late Tuesday night
Ryuko climbed out of the same window she'd used earlier to enter the annexe. She had numerous bruises and scrapes from her encounter with the mecha-tamas. Her torn overalls were dirty from her exploration of the abandoned building, giving the appearance of a true tomboy. Her mother wouldn't have approved.
Trying to close the window, she found the sash was again stuck. She put all the elbow grease she could muster into it, and slowly it started to budge. Suddenly, the sash slammed shut, but in the process she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
"Owwww!", she yelled, grimacing at the pain in her right ankle. She also had a fairly large splinter deeply embedded within the palm of her left hand, thanks to the old plank she landed on. The plank had apparently fallen from the side of the annex not too long ago.
Ryu-chan was squished in her backpack. "what's wrong, ryuko?", came his muffled voice.
"I think I sprained my ankle!"
Ryuko sat there on the ground for several minutes as she tried to think what to do. Finally she scooted herself off the plank beneath her, then stood up and used it to support herself. "This'll at least get me back to the house," she thought aloud.
Shinobu was dressed in her pajamas, having come down to the kitchen to get a drink of water, when she heard a thump just outside the side door. "Nani?" She sat her glass down and went to investigate. Upon opening the door, she found Ryuko on the ground with her makeshift crutch, having tripped. "Ryuko-chan!" She dropped to her knees to help her up, and couldn't help but notice the torn clothes, bruises, and scrapes. She gasped, "What happened?!"
So much for keeping her activities for the day a secret. Her mouth ran into overdrive as she hurriedly explained in a run-on, "I went into the old annexe, and got attacked by an army of dancing robot turtles, and saw my grandmother, and then I fell down as I was leaving, and I think I twisted my ankle, and, well, here I am..."
"Ano..." Shinobu didn't quite know what to make of the account, but stranger things have happened. "Let's get you cleaned up and bandaged...then we can get you to a doctor, if you you think you need to see one."
Ryuko shook her head. "Uhm, I'd rather not. Not like this."
Shinobu nodded, understanding Ryuko's reservation about being seen as a ten-year-old. If she reverted to normal in the middle of the visit to the doctor, she'd surely be the subject of innumerable medical examinations for who knows how long to come. She pulled Ryuko up and supported her as they made their way through the house.
Ryuko glanced up at Shinobu, finding this an unusual perspective. "I see you've gone back to normal."
Shinobu nodded silently, preferring not to think about it. "I think you're the only one who hasn't."
Upon arriving at the bathroom, Shinobu pulled out a short stool from beneath the sink and helped Ryuko sit down. Then she started some hot water in the sink, and dug out a washcloth and the first aid kit. Thoughtfully, she shut the bathroom door.
Ryuko partially undressed, tossing the torn clothing aside. It wasn't like she had anything to hide from Shinobu, especially given her current level of "development", or rather the lack thereof.
Shinobu turned and gasped again at seeing the true extent of the bruises and scrapes. "Ano...you said something about dancing turtles?" She soaked the washcloth and began administering a sponge bath, taking extra care to be gentle.
Ryuko nodded. "It's all a blur. But Ryu-chan stopped them, and I brought one of them back with me. It's in my backpack. Maybe Kaolla-chan can do something with it...Ow!!!"
Shinobu winced, having found the huge splinter in Ryuko's left hand. "Gomen. That's got to come out. Want me to try...?"
"Please. It would be hard for me to work it out with only my right hand."
Shinobu produced a pair of tweezers and began digging, while Ryuko's face contorted every which way. Several minutes passed before Shinobu got a good hold of the wooden debris. "Almost there. I'm going to yank it out now. Three...two..."
Ryuko clamped her eyes shut and bit down in anticipation of the momentary pain, but fate chose a different path for her. At that very moment, little sparkles of light appeared all over her body, and she began to feel warm all over.
Shinobu dropped the tweezers in surprise, then realized what was happening. /That's what it must've looked like from Keitaro's point of view/, she thought.
Ryuko opened her eyes to a strange sight. For a moment, the world around her seemed to distort, and Ryuko's few remaining garments felt very tight. She looked down just in time to witness the dramatic return of her breasts, accompanied by the total disintegration of her panties and socks.
They both blushed bright red.
"Well, that was...surreal." Her restored voice already seemed foreign to her. Ryuko glanced down at her prominent feet. "I'm just glad I already took off my sneakers." She shuddered at the pain she might otherwise have suffered. Inspecting her palm where Shinobu was digging just moments ago, she frowned. "Look, returning to normal caused the splinter to get buried way under the skin." It was difficult to see now, new flesh and skin having just grown over top it. "It'll take too much digging to get it out now, I'm afraid." She contemplated being stuck with the splinter for the rest of her life.
Shinobu blinked, realizing something. "You look healed all over."
Ryuko checked, and sure enough, there wasn't a blemish to be found. Even her ankle wasn't sore anymore. She stood up and looked in the mirror in silent amazement.
Shinobu averted her eyes. "Ano...since you don't need me anymore, I'll leave you to your privacy. There should be plenty of hot water if you want to take a soak. I'm going on to bed now."
Ryuko nodded, not seeming to mind her circumstances for the moment. "Arigato gosaimazu, Shinobu-chan."
--------------
Al yawned. Once again it was 6AM, and he was wide awake.
This was becoming an annoying habit. He rolled over in his futon: he would not move, he would not leave his room, he was going to stay right here.
He sat staring at the ceiling, so very tired, but unable to fall back asleep.
Moments later found him scribbling away in his notebook, doodling comics.
"Maybe I just need to work out some creative energy." He thought as he drew some of his characters in fighting poses.
After a few minutes he realized something -- he had been drawing cartoons of the people at the Hinata house, but for the oddest reason the picture of Motoko had been drawn more then any of the others.
He leaned in closer, scribbling another chibi motoko onto the paper. Al's art had never been that good -- it always came out a bit cartoony -- but his cartoon Motokos looked better then any of the others he had drawn.
"Hmmm, I wonder if my readers would like to see what's been happening with me in Japan? After all, it's been eventful, to say the least."
Al took out his tools and began putting panels to paper.
-------------
Keitaro woke up from his bed screaming. "No!"
The morning was like a circus funhouse. There was the disorientation, the spinning vertigo sensation, as if he were flying in outer space instead of sitting in his room. Keitaro felt a moment of panic as he tried to get his bearings, but a deep breath and closing his eyes was all he needed to bring the world back into place, at least in his head. He took another deep breath, trying to remember what had happened the other day. There was a date, wasn't there? And it was with Shinobu? Except it wasn't with Shinobu, because there was a grown woman involved. But that grown woman was Shinobu. Except it wasn't. Oh, he didn't know anymore!
He opened his eyes. There was another moment of disorientation, but this time it was of an entirely different kind.
Naru and Shinobu were standing before him, both wearing aprons... and nothing else but smiles. Well, to be fair Naru was also wearing her glasses, which Keitaro always secretly found very cute. But other than that, there was little to cover their birthday suits but the frilly cooking cloth.
If Keitaro was going to say anything, he certainly didn't know what it was. But it didn't matter anyway, since the ladies immediately attacked him upon finding him awake.
"Oh darling, you're awake!" Naru squealed happily.
"Um, excuse me?" He croaked, his face turning redder and redder by the second.
"I was so worried about you!" Naru kneeled down, exposing a great deal of herself as she touched Keitaro's forehead with her palm. "Do you feel well, my husband?"
"Well, I guess I feel all right-HUSBAND??" Keitaro sputtered, leaping out of the futon and standing at attention. After a moment, he realized to his horror that some other things were standing at attention, as well.
But instead of the beating he expected, Naru blushed and giggled. "Already, Kei-chan? You're such an animal!" She smiled, a sultry thing he had never seen before in his life; it already scared him. "Well, since I'm such a wonderful wife, I'll let you do it this time..." She began to remove the apron.
Finally, Keitaro's senses returned to him. He stopped her with his hands, noting for a moment how smooth, soft, and utterly desirable her skin was. But there was no time for that. "Wait a second!" He practically screamed. "What's going on here? I don't understand!" Keitaro looked to Shinobu, who so far had just been standing there looking at everything. "Shinobu-chan, help me out here! Why is she acting so crazy?"
Shinobu said nothing. Then she smiled and blushed.
"Anata (Honey)..."
Keitaro sweatdropped. "Oh, crap."
The blue-haired beauty (who suddenly had much better proportions than he remembered) knelt down next to Naru. Both of them were crawling to Keitaro slowly, their eyes alight with the flame of desire. He was panicking.
"Darling..."
"Anata..."
"Let me cheer you up!"
"No, let me... I'll do everything for you..."
Keitaro backed up to the wall, but still they approached. He closed his eyes and extended his hands imploringly, even as they clutched him and made his hands grab other, softer things. "No! Get away! This isn't right! Aiieeee!"
He opened his eyes again, when a curious silence descended on the room. Keitaro suddenly found himself surrounded by the three old men.
The oldest-looking one, who was facing him with a frilly pink apron around his neck, frowned seriously. He said only one word before smashing a frying pan over Keitaro's head:
"Choose."
---
Keitaro woke up screaming. Again.
He was in his room once more, but this time everything was normal. There were no sexpot Naru or Shinobu after him, which left him both disappointed and quite relieved. Keitaro looked at the clock: 7:00. He sighed, letting himself relax on the futon for a few more moments before the day began.
That was one crazy dream. First Naru and Shinobu trying to do him... And then there was that whole thing with the date. So strange, dreaming of Shinobu all grown-up. She was lovely, but that was just too good to be true. Too good to be real, anyway.
Yes, Keitaro thought as he rose from the futon. Some strange dreams, indeed.
---
Motoko awoke with a start, and immediately realised -- the child Al was gone!
She spotted some ripped cloth on the floor, and bent down to investigate. It appeared to be the outfit Al had been wearing, but it was in shreds.
"He must have returned to normal while we were asleep." she thought, but another thought struck her, one that made the color drain from her face.
"I...if he returned to normal, he'd get bigger, and his clothes would be too small, and he'd....b...be n...naked, IN MY FUTON!?!" She shot across the room to get away from the futon.
"UNCLEAN!" She pointed and accusing finger at it, wondering what to do. Could she simply wash it? Would that make it clean, or should there be a sacrificial burning?
She held her sword to her chest like a child would hold a security blanket -- this was wrong, so very wrong! A naked male had been in her futon, while she was in it!
She shivered. She could almost feel him... she could smell his sweat on her body... no, she could never sleep there again, she had to burn it!
She grabbed the futon and ran outside with it, and took a fresh box of matches, getting ready to rid herself of the shame.
Sam was walking down the hall. He was so tired. He hadn't gotten a good nights sleep after his dream about the fire, and Mutsumi's final accusation.
He sighed, and then paused -- a scent, a strange scent... the scent of smoke.
His eyes went wide and his color drained. Smoke, so soon? It couldn't be!
Motoko stood uttering purification chants, her mattress on fire in a pit she had dug.
"I suppose I should ask Urashima if he has any spare futons in the attic." she muttered as she finished her chants.
Before Motoko knew what was happening she was splashed in the face with water, soaking her from head to toe.
She turned very slowly, spying Sam looking nervous as he tried to hide his buckets.
"Uh...sorry, I thought...err..." Sam blushed and looked away as he noticed that the water had soaked through Motoko's night shirt.
Motoko looked down and blushed, "YOU HENTAI!"
As Sam flew through the air, he wondered why he hadn't managed to forsee this one. Maybe he was just too preoccupied with the impending disaster.
Avoiding the hectic night before by hiding in the air ducts again, Lance slowly crawled down the stairs to the dining room where he ate breakfast. As he peacefully (for once) ate, he darted his eyes to Shinobu, who had undergone a lot of changes since she had reverted to her usual self. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew something was different. When he was done with breakfast he still had an hour before he could leave for school.
"I'll be up in my room. I'll leave for school in 45 minutes or so." he told everyone, leaving the table and heading upstairs.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, he picked up the guitar Yamasugawa-sensei had given him yesterday and reached into his closet, pulling out a small toolset. Then he began to fix up the guitar, first starting by tightening the strings that weren't broken. The two that were broken were taken off and thrown away, meant to be replaced later after coming home from school.
He scrubbed the wood of the guitar, making it seem good as new. All it needed now were two new strings and three more tuning screws. All were relatively easy to buy, and affordable. He smiled as he put it away on top of his futon, knowing that by tonight he'll have a fully working guitar to play.
When he was done, he was still ten minutes early to leave. But he decided to go ahead and walk on to school, telling Shinobu on the way out that she could catch up with him if she wanted to.
-----
Al sat down to breakfast smiling -- he always felt good after drawing.
He started in on his meal, for the oddest reason feeling starving hungry.
"Grr." Dizzy held up the newspaper he had been reading and pointed. Al read, "Actor needed in a fire safety play, must provide own costume."
"Coolness, I could use some extra cash." He smiled and swigged down a glass of milk.
Mutsumi bumped him as she walked by. "Oh dear, I'm sorry... ooh, is that your bag?" Mutsumi asked, pointing to a bag hanging by the door. It had an old Nintendo controller on the flap, and the Nintendo logo.
"Uh yeah, I'm kinda a game nerd." Al smiled, trying his best to ignore the turtle girls "most generous" body part which was unfortunately directly at his eye level.
"oh my! I loved playing the old Nintendo when I was a little girl." Mutsumi admired the bag, inspecting it closer.
Once she was sure no one was looking she slipped a metal object into the bag that she had previously taken from Alex's room. Normally she didn't like to use her powers to change things, but then again, if she saw him pulling it out of his bag later was she changing fate by putting it in? Strange questions.
She had foreseen him pulling this item from his bag and it saving him a beating, so she was sure that this was the right thing to do.
She hoped...
-----------
Keitaro stumbled into the dining room late that day. His weird dreams had kept him awake during the night, and (unusually for him) he had overslept. Doubtless this would earn him yet another beating from Naru or Motoko (or both), but first, he'd try and get some breakfast.
He was pleasantly surprised at just how many of the repairs to the inn were already finished, although (in his mind, at least) it was only Tuesday. Remembering his weird dreams of Shinobu fromt he previous night, he tried not to meet her eyes during breakfast, in case his perverted thoughts came out. What would Shinobu think to hear that he'd been dreaming of getting... intimate... with her? He shook his head sadly.
Time to get back to work. On Thursday, the builders would be working inside the Inn, so better to get the smaller parts repaired as soon as possible before they came in and disrupted everything.
-----------
The last couple of days had been really weird for Cody. Yesterday had to be one of the weirdest, and from what had happened to him since coming to the Hinata Sou, that was saying a lot. Age changing... Well at least he was unaffected, as much as anyone in his place could be. He remembered the previous day... he had woken up, woken Moe from the futon he had set up for her and headed down to breakfast. Boy, was that a shock! Shinobu was drop dead gorgeous, that kid Rush was a baby (and covered with oatmeal), the others where either regressed in age or older. So the start was really different, but that was the end of weirdness, for the most part. After breakfast he spent the day at work, Moe stayed and played with the others, so his day turned out normal. Now today... Today was going to be interesting.
Cody woke to up to someone calling him.
"Oh good, you're awake! I've got something to ask you, Cody-sama." Moe said as Cody returned to consciousness. He waited for Moe to ask her question.
"Go ahead Moe, you can always ask me anything." he said to reassure her after a few moments of silence.
"Well I was wondering if...", she started to ask in a shy tone, "With this weekend being the Spring Festival, would you help me pick out a Yukata?"
"I would be happy to help you pick one out Moe-chan." He said with a smile. Her face lit up with a huge smile.
-----------
The air had a sharp chill to it this morning, which suited Maho just fine. She pulled her long brown coat tighter around herself, and walked at a nice quick pace. For once she actually got up early enough to not have to run to school, and she intended to enjoy it. Unfortunately, such dreams were cut short, as Maho heard two pairs of footsteps from behind her. She glanced back, and upward.
Despite the problems that had been plaguing Al since the other day, the creeping guilt over what happened with Maho was still wandering through his mind. Rather than say anything to annoy her, the tall young man just waved, not a little nervously.
She raised an eyebrow in response. "Ohayo." Maho's eyes moved further back. "Motoko-san."
"Urashima-san." Motoko, who had been trailing slightly behind Al, acknowledged the shorter girl with a nod. The three of them walked together, in a silence so thick with tension that it could probably double as a pound cake. Either they were all lost in thought, or they were just wondering what to say to the others. The result was the same either way.
Finally, Al sighed and stretched, as if to break the quiet before he said anything. His bag was slung over his arm.
"So did I miss anything good yesterday?"
"There were some new pictures of you." Maho noticed Motoko bristling from the corner of her eye. "You're not very photogenic when you're naked, Lupin-kun."
He groaned. "Geeze, at this rate everyone in the school will think I'm into all sorts of kinky stuff. I mean I may be a pervert, but I'd never go around doing those sorts of things." Alex smiled warmly at the females he was walking with.
Motoko looked at him but did not speak. She was still trying to decide if he deserved a sound beating for being naked in her futon- the fact that he couldn't help it didn't matter.
Noting the silence, he tried another topic. "Um, hey Motoko, Dizzy told me about you watching me yesterday, I can't really remember most of yesterday, but I just wanted to say thanks."
She swallowed the venom that built up in her throat. "It was no problem, Rush. You were a well behaved child, though a bit... clingy."
"Heh, yeah I did do that as a kid. But I heard I trashed your room and felt really bad about it."
"It was nothing, really." Motoko practically had to hiss the lie from her clenched teeth. It had taken her hours to get everything put back to where it belonged. It was a miracle he hadn't ruined anything valuable.
"At the rate I'm going I'll owe you three more nights out as well as money." He joked, trying to calm her. He felt a small pang of guilt at what he had done after eating all the ice cream. The truth was that he remembered everything in embarrassing detail.
Maho said nothing, opting instead to look at her feet as she walked. So this is what it felt like to be the third wheel, she thought.
"Well, Rush, as long as you pay me back." Her eyes narrowed. "But if you're just trying to throw me off and you turn out to be a male Kitsune, then I could always cut out some organs and sell them should the need arise."
Al stopped, his face in mock surprise "D...did our little Mo-chan make a joke just now?"
He moved towards her and began inspecting her face closely "Who are you and what have you done with our Mo-chan?"
"Rush, I wasn't joking." She looked at him solemnly.
He paled. "Really?"
"Maybe." She winked and took off jogging. The slow pace meant they would make it to school just on time, but she needed to take care of some Kendo club things before school.
"You know not only was that out of character for her, but it makes it all the harder for me to figure her out." Al said, watching her jog off.
"Mm." Maho looked at him askance. "Mo-chan?"
"Oh." He scratched his head. "That's just something I ended up calling her."
"Right." She marched ahead.
For once his senses picked up that something was amiss. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Betsu ni."
"Are you sure?" Al walked backwards, facing Maho with what he hoped was a reassuring grin. "Doesn't look like nothing to me."
She frowned. "Stop trying to be cute, and move."
The fire in her voice made Al oblige immediately. Maho started to run. "Hey, where're you going?"
"I have something to take care of. See you at school, Lupin-kun." She bowed and dashed off, never looking at him even once.
"Oh, uh, okay." He waved, but she didn't see it.
As soon as she left Al behind, Maho slowed down to a leisurely walk. Her sister's words rang in her mind, over and over again: Al liked Motoko. And she liked him back.
"Baka."
---------
Cody quickly made himself ready, wrote a quick note to the others, and posted it to his door and he and Moe left to go to the shopping district. There wouldn't be that much time before he had to be in work, so better leave early.
Cody walked behind Moe as she went through the street looking things that caught her eye in shop windows.
"She's so full of energy and curious. Reminds me a little of sis." He thought to himself, watching Moe window-shop.
"Cody-sama! Come look at this!" Moe shout to him pointing at something in a shop.
"Yep, just like sis." He thought again with a smile, "Ok I'll be right there." In the window was a very cute spring Yukata, a kind of peach color with pastel pink, blue and wheat colored butterflies as the pattern, a band of solid pink for the obi, and a pair of sandals.
"Isn't it beautiful, Cody-sama?" Moe said in awe.
"Yes I think its very beautiful Moe-chan, would you like to get this one?" He asked her.
"YES!!!" She yelled excitedly and then blushed at the commotion she had caused. Cody smiled and they went into the shop to get her the Yukata.
A few minutes later Cody and Moe came out. Moe with her sandals in a bag and Cody carrying the Yukata and his wallet a lot lighter. They walked back to the Hinata Sou, Moe smiled the whole way back.
"Alright Moe-chan, I've got to go to work now. So I'll see you this evening? You'll have to learn how to put your new clothes on, ready for the festival on Sunday." Cody said to Moe, giving her a pat on the head and leaving for work.
"See you later Cody-sama!" Moe waved after him a smile fixed on her face.
Cody arrived at work on time for once and started immediately.
"Good afternoon Minako," Cody said to his co-worker and now date for the spring festival.
"Afternoon, Cody. Oh I can't wait for the festival!" Minako said wistfully.
"This will be my first Festival, so I don't know what to expect." Cody said a little worried.
"Don't worry you'll be with me so I'll show you the best parts." Minako reassured her soon-to-be date. Cody just smiled sheepishly.
"Well, lets get to work!"
----------
"Al looked deep into Motoko's eyes. She was so lovely... her smooth body fit the dress so perfectly, and he couldn't take his eyes off her. Angels danced in the background..."
Al smiled, this was one of his best works, and he was truly proud of himself. The panels were all almost perfect, and the characters were nicely done. For Al, this meant you could tell what they were.
He had just finished drawing the portion of his new comic about his date with Motoko, but now his eyes drooped -- he was so tired. He looked up, and saw that the rest of the class was still fighting the English test that he had finished with so much time to spare. Surely he could take a short nap?
He yawned and lay his head down on the desk, slipping off into odd dreams about stories he would later write.
Motoko put her pencil down. The test was over, and she was confident that she had passed -- all the studying of the Japanese to English dictionary she had done in order that none of the new tenants could talk about things they didn't want her to know had paid off.
She glanced over at Al, and saw that he was sound asleep on his desk, the lazy otaku.
She then spotted something else, a tiny chibi version of herself on a paper under his arm.
Carefully she pulled it, and the papers underneath it free of his arm and looked over them,realising that they were a comic book!
As she looked through it, it seemed to her that many of the pictures dealt with her, and a boy with cat ears.
She quickly stuck the papers in her bag -- she'd need to use her dictionary to figure out what the squiggles she assumed were words actually meant.
Motoko flipped from the comic to the dictionary with an almost Zen-like finesse. Her right hand held the heavy tome, which she used her thumb to flip through, and her right elbow held the comic down on the table. Her left hand, meanwhile, was picking at a simple chirashi bento that Shinobu had made the previous morning.
She muttered the phrase under her breath, through a mouthful of salmon. "Al looked deep into Motoko's eyes. She was so lovely... her smooth body fit the dress so perfectly, and he couldn't take his eyes off her..."
"Angels danced in the background."
Motoko jumped in surprise, and was about to jab her chopsticks into the eyes of whoever was behind her, when she recognized the face. "Oh. Urashima-san."
Maho smirked, in about as friendly a way a smirk could be. Her doves were perched on her shoulders, scrutinizing Motoko with detached interest. "That's an awfully sappy piece you're reading."
"This?" She quickly hid the comic under her arm. "Ah, it's nothing. Just extra credit work."
"Ah, sou." Maho nodded.
"Yes, so if you don't mind I'd like to..." Motoko soon realized that there was nothing under her arm, and Maho was casually flipping through the comic, which had somehow gotten into her hands. "How did you do that?"
"Magicians never reveal their tricks," she replied, as if from rote memory. Maho read the comic as she dodged Motoko's attempts to get it back. Meanwhile the birds cooed wildly at all the excitement, flapping their wings and dancing around on the girl's shoulders. The other students stared, but did nothing; stranger things had happened before.
"Give it back!"
"Oh-ho-ho, well this is charming!" Maho pointed at a picture of a girl collapsed on top of the cat-boy in a lewd position. "Look, here I am."
"Yes, I can see that." Motoko snatched for the book again.
"Not so fast, Motoko-san! Let me read the juicy details!" She examined a few more pages, her eyes scanning quickly over the squiggles of English. For a moment Motoko felt jealous that she could do in seconds what had taken her half the lunch break, but that passed when Maho spoke again. "How many synonyms for 'beautiful' can he think of for you, anyway?"
Her tone of voice made Motoko look at Maho curiously. The way her eyes narrowed, and the way her lips set into a thin line, she almost seemed angry. She toyed with her hair-spiral absentmindedly as she continued to read. Finally, she handed the comic back to Motoko. "Here."
There was a long, awkward silence. Maho just sat on the desk and fumed, offering no answers behind her cryptic expression. "So... What do you think of it?" Motoko finally asked. "Should I kill him for writing all this about me?"
It took so long that Motoko almost thought she wouldn't reply. But eventually, she did. "Being in love isn't wrong, Motoko-san."
"Excuse me?"
"It isn't." Maho looked right into the other girl's deep brown eyes. "Love is the most precious thing in the world! People spend their whole lives just looking for someone who will love them, and they never find them!" She paused. Her next words were quieter, almost inaudible. "Sometimes you even fall for someone who you know will never love you back."
Motoko was speechless.
Maho crossed her arms. "Do what you want. But just talk with Al-san. He's deeper than you give him credit for." With that, she left the room.
Motoko looked down at the comic once more. On the open page was a sketch of her.
"Just talk with him... You make it sound so easy, Urashima-san."
Meanwhile, the other students in the class sweatdropped. Why was it that people always acted like they weren't around?
---
In the restroom, Maho was looking at herself in the mirror. Too short, she thought. She was too short, and her eyes were too large, and she was too unfeminine. Maho's insecurities and imperfections magnified themselves to a painful degree, and she came to the same conclusion she always did.
On her right shoulder, Kyoko cooed supportively. But like all the other times, it was no use.
She sighed. "Well, that's that. Nothing I can do about it." She ran her hands through her hair, making a big smile for the mirror's sake. "I just have to get over it now."
---
It was already the ten-minute break before English, a subject Lance had obviously mastered and could even teach the professor some tips. He sat at the far left of the room, stretching his arms and yawning. A young girl came into the room and sat in front of him, taking her notebook out. She turned to Lance with a bright smile, then frowned. "Lance-kun, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, Maki-chan. Just a... hectic night." Lance replied.
Maki Noguchi was a student in all of Lance's classes, and was assigned to show him around the school, although he had Shinobu help with most of it. Maki was a bright and cheerful person who, as well as Lance, enjoyed writing stories. Although she's only known Lance for a few days she's already considered as a good friend who can talk to him about anything.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Maki said apologetically, "Did you sleep well?"
"Well, I caught about four hours..." Lance shrugged. "But I'm alright now. How about you? You just missed the last class."
"I know, I had a doctors appointment this morning." she said, opening her notebook on her desk, "Just a checkup, so nothings wrong with me."
"Thats good to hear."
"Oh, that reminds me!" Maki cried, as if recalling something. "I saw Yamasugawa-sensei there at the hospital, he's in with the cold."
Lance gasped and his eyes widened. "He what?!"
Maki nodded. "I caught up with him, and he told me to look for you at school and tell you that you have the day off today. Lance-kun, what does he mean?"
Lance sweatdropped. Students weren't supposed to know that Yamasugawa-sensei was hiring students for independant studying, let alone that he was one of the workers. He quickly thought up of a well planned, impenetrable story to cover him up.
"It's nothing. He must be crazy, too."
Al yawned and stretched, enjoying the sun. It was such a nice breezy day.
He dug into his bag and withdrew his lunch. It was the same food they were serving in the lunchroom downstairs, but he had grabbed his and made for the roof.
"Mmm, dumplings and curry and chicken, delish."
He watched the clouds sail by overhead. Other then his comic going missing, he had been having a good day.
The door to the roof opened and his good day took a bad turn.
The boys from his class walked out and faced him, "We had hoped you had run away when you weren't in school yesterday." The leader said looking none to friendly at Al.
"Well no, sorry, I just needed a day to, shall we say, get in touch with my inner child?" Al said and laughed, pausing "Oh...right, you wouldn't understand why that's funny."
"Well, we'll just have to remind you of Why you skipped class on Monday."
Al stood up "Listen, how can I prove to you I'm not some honorless loser?" He asked hoping for a peaceful solution.
The leader of their group looked thoughtful for a moment, but his bigger friends interrupted "There is no way!"
"Wait up, alright Rush, are you part of any club yet?"
"Well err..." Alex paused, he had been looking into the drama club, but that group was so stuck up they had refused him a audition.
"Yeah, I'm in the Detectives club!" Al said thinking back to his old janitors closet back in the States.
"The Detectives club? We don't have one of those!" The leader growled cracking his knuckles. How dare he lie?
"I know, I just started it! Look we even have badges!" Al dug around in his backpack and pulled out a metal badge with a magnifying glass on it.
"Hmmm, and what does this club do?"
"Well, in our spare time we read mystery novels to hone our skills, but if anything goes missing or someone needs something investigated our crack team goes to work to get the job done, for a reasonable fee naturally." Al blabbered on making it up as he went along.
"And you can find out anything?"
"Yup."
"Fine, to prove you're honorable, find out who's been stealing the balls from the gym. Our soccer team is almost out of balls to play with, and if you don't figure it out by Friday, then we're gonna make you wish you were never born."
Al nodded, and the group left. With a sigh Al slid back to the ground, "Now what have I gotten myself into?"
He looked at the badge he had clutched in his hand. It went with his detective costume. He had started the detectives club at his old school, although he was the only member, and he had mainly just napped in the janitors closet which he claimed was his office.
"But how did my badge get in here?" he asked himself, confused.
He looked at his watch, and saw he still had twenty minutes of lunch left. Maybe he could go take care of something he had been thinking about all day.
He ran to a pay phone to call Dizzy.
Al pulled his goggles on and gave Dizzy a thumbs up sign.
Dizzy sweatdropped "Grr." When Al had asked him to bring his vespa, he didn't think this would be why.
"It's safe! now put the tokens in!"
Dizzy began putting the tokens in the slots as Al put his vespa in neutral and grinned, this was a great idea, he had been getting annoyed by how little he got to bathe with the bath only being open to men twice a week, Al was a clean individual who preferred to bathe at least once a day.
Well this would have to work till he could afford to have a shower installed in his room.
Dizzy pushed the button and Al, wearing nothing but his goggles and his swimsuit rode forward on his vespa into the car wash.
Five minutes later Dizzy stared at Al. His body was so shiny, so clean... so red and sore looking.
Al whimpered "W...who told you to get the hot wax?" Al whimpered as he fell to the ground in a twitching mass of pain.
Dizzy looked confused. He hadn't pushed a button, but maybe he had put in one too many tokens?
-------------------------
Back at Hinata, Moe was waiting for Cody's return. Despite being on her own, she didn't seem lonely -- just excited, waiting to show Cody-sama how cute she looked in her new yukata. Since most of the other residents were out, it was she who met Haitani as he arrived cautiously at the door.
"Hi, Moe-chan!" he said a bit nervously. "Err... would Motoko or Naru be in?"
"Motoko-san is at school," replied Moe, "and Naru-san studying upstairs. Would you like me to fetch her?"
"Ah, no, no!" said Haitani quickly, sweatdropping. He was a bit relieved that Motoko was out of the way, too. Suddenly, an idea hit him.
"Actually, Moe-chan, it was you I wanted to talk to! I have a great idea for the festival on Sunday. Myself and Shirai are doing a warm-up act for the band contest, and we'd like you to join us as a backing singer!"
Moe looked doubtful. "I'd have to ask Cody-sama..." she said, uncertainly.
"Don't worry! Shinobu, Naru and Motoko are already helping us out with this! If they have all said yes, then you've nothig to worry about!"
"I guess not..." replied Moe, "And it would be so exciting! I'll talk to Cody-sama! Tell me more about it...?"
Haitani continued to tell her about the weekend. However, inside his head, he was still thinking about how to get Naru, Motoko and Shinobu to agree to it. Although Shinobu would probably be fairly easy to convince, Naru and Motoko would be another matter. Maybe, if each of them were told that the others had already joined up....?
Haitani moved his plans into action.
Al sighed and kicked at a stray can. He had been drawing such a nice comic, and it had vanished. He ad been forced into becoming a detective again, (not that that was all bad) and then he had been roasted by hot wax at the car wash, not a great feeling.
Lance turned toward the sound of a kicked can, and saw Al walking behind him with his head down and Dizzy sitting on it, muttering something to Al.
"Yeah, I suppose that makes sense, but why am I taking advice from you? The only girl you have is not even of your own species!"
Lance chuckled, hiding in the alleyway ready to attempt to scare Al once he passed.
Al walked by, saying "Dizzy, that van has been following us for three blocks now, when I say go, hang on....GO!" Al dashed into the alley, smashing into Lance, and sending them both to the pavement.
"What the....Al! What was that for?"
"What the heck are you doing here!" Al asked from under the Californian boy.
"I was.... looking at the pretty looking..." Lance looked around the alley as he got on his feet, ".....garbage. what about you, huh?"
Al suddenly remembered why he had moved in here and frog hopped behind a dumpster.
"RUN!" He yelled as the sound of gunfire filled the alley and some holes appeared in the trash cans behind them.
"Crap!" Lance dove behind the dumpster after Al, covering his head.
"You picked a real bad time to be here!" Al muttered as the van stopped and doors opened.
"What are you talking about?" Lance muttered back, "I was on my way home since I have a day off work. What about you?"
"I have work later, but for some reason I think I'm in trouble."
"You mean we?"
"Oh..yeah...sorry bought that."
"Just come out and we'll make it quick." A mean sounding man called into the alley.
"Oh crap..." Lance whispered
"I'd rather not thanks!" Al called back.
"Does that mean you want it the slow and painful way?" said another gruff voice.
"Um, no, could I actually have it, but without the death?"
"No." the mobster growled.
"Do you WANT us to die that way?!" Lance whispered fiercely at Al.
"Relax, I always get out of these situations somehow, right Dizzy?" Al looked towards where Dizzy had been, but he was gone.
"Where did he go?"
"HEY, THE VAN!" screamed the mobsters. Al peeked his head around, their van had apparently started moving all by itself. Al jumped up and bolted down the alleyway.
"Gotta go!" he called to the mobsters, who were unsure of whether they should save the van or shoot the boy. Lance ran after Al, not wanting to wait for his death with the strangers in black.
They came to a dead end, with brick walls to all sides, and a fire escape a good 10 feet from the ground.
"Quick, give me a boost." Lance instructed as he listened for the sound of approaching doom, which would sound like footsteps in this case.
Al got down and cupped his hands, in which lance put his foot and Al gave him a quick extra few feet to work with.
Lance couldn't reach it with the boost, so he bent his knees and jumped up, grabbing the rail and hoisting himself up.
He held his hand down to Al. "Let's go!"
Al grabbed Lance's hand and gave a pull, almost pulling lance down with him
"I'm a little heavy for you, try pushing down the ladder!" Al called as the noise of footsteps became audible.
Lance let go of Al (causing him to fall on his behind) and dropped the metal ladder just far enough for Al to reach it. Al grabbed it and in seconds the two were running up the escape as the mobsters spotted them and began shooting.
"Shitshitshitshit, why does this stuff always happen to me mamen?" Al cried tears streaming down his face comically as bullets hit the brick and steel around them, "I never do anything bad to anyone else but I'm always getting into trouble mamen!"
"Why are your crying in French?" Asked lance confused and a little annoyed, Al wasn't taking this nearly as seriously as he should have been.
"You know that's a very good question." Al stopped for a moment to ponder why indeed he had been crying in French.
"MOVE YOU MORON!" Lance gave Al a shove, and sent Al crashing through an open window into someone's apartment.
"Ow, ow, ow, what the heck did I land on?" Al asked, standing and pulling an action figure from his back.
Lance peeked out the window. The mobsters were coming up the fire escape, they needed to leave, NOW!
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lance spun around to face the creator of a very high pitched girly scream, expecting to see the owner of the bedroom.
"It's just what I've been looking for!" Al cried hugging a Wolfwood action figure complete with cross.
"That's not yours, put it back."
"Aw, but if I had it, I'd have the whole collection."
"I don't care, we're in enough trouble already."
"Excuse us."
The two turned to the window, the mobsters were peeking in and pointing their guns.
"Are we interrupting anything?"
"Yes, actually... could you give us a few minutes?" Alex asked with a polite smile.
"Yeah we just need to settle this little argument, then you can kill us."
"Sorry, we're already running late -- after you two we have to find our van, that stupid little weasel!"
"He's not stupid, he just can't reach the brakes!" Al defended his friend.
"What do we do now?" asked lance as he wondered if praying would help the situation.
"Hey cool!" Al bent down and picked up what looked like a huge mini-gun, "This is the same gun used by stun-gun Milly in Trigun, so cool!"
The gun went off unexpectedly in his hands and shot a big green cross out the window and into the faces of the would be attackers.
"You idiot, now we're really gonna die!"
At this point the door opened, a face peeked in, "Hey...Al?"
"Hey you're... that guy I work with!" Al pointed.
"MY NAME IS SHIRAI!" Screamed the poor forgotten otaku.
"Whatever, where'd you get this?" Al pointed the gun at the mobsters who were trying to come back in the window and fired, sending them flying out again, "It's so cool!"
"You like? I bought it off a guy I know, he makes all sorts of anime weapons, swords and guns... let me give you his number..." Shirai began scribbling down the number on a piece of paper for his fellow otaku.
"I'm still so lost." Lance muttered to himself.
"So, sorry for busting in and all, we were being chased by the mob." Al explained to Shirai with a halfhearted grin.
"Y...ya don't say?" Shirai stammered and turned red
Lance looked out the window. "And it looks like they're staying down. For now at least."
"Hmmm, just to be safe, would you mind showing us to the front door?" Alex asked Shirai, who after muttering a brief "Yes." led them out, then shut and locked the door behind them.
"Did he seem nervous to you?" Al asked Lance as they made way for the elevator
"I was too busy with the thought of a bullet being lodged into my head." he muttered with a glare towards the hallway behind them.
"Oh come on buddy boy, you'll never be happy if you worry about something as silly as that, I mean what are the odds that you'll get shot in the head?"
"With the odds given just moments ago, I'm surprised we even had a chance to get out of it."
"Why's that? You mean you've never had guys with guns chase you into an alley before?" Alex asked with a look of shock on his face.
Lance stared at Al. "I hope to God you're kidding."
Al continued to stare at Lance as if he was seeing someone who had never had seen T.V or tasted ice cream.
"Fine. So what if I never had a gun pointed at me before? I don't do anything that would lead to that. I didn't do anything at all, and now THIS happens! Who in their right mind would order a hit on innocent people?"
Al just shrugged. This sort of thing seemed commonplace for him! He stepped into the elevator.
"I dunno, seems to me they were aiming for me, you just happened to see too much."
"But what would you do that would make a mob try to kill you?"
"Dunno, I make a lot of enemies without really doing anything, I just figure it's fates way of playing with me.
Lance decided to change the subject "Who's he, by the way?" Lance asked, meaning Shirai.
"Oh him, just a guy from work... wait... I should have gotten those photos from him..."
"What photos?"
"Hmm, come to think of it, I think you've seen him before, remember when Mo-chan gave us that money to keep him and his friend out?" Al asked completely missing Lance's question.
"Oh yeah, that's right... weren't they planning on moving in, but couldn't because there wasn't enough space?"
"Yup, poor guys, all they need is an extra room, and... wait, there's that one room... but it's got..." Al stopped and looked at lance with a snicker.
Lance blinked. "What? What room?"
"Err... nothing! Hey, shouldn't one of us push the button if we want this thing to move?" Al stammered, and looked away not wanting to look directly at lance, knowing he'd burst out laughing if he did.
Lance sweatdropped. "Something is wrong with you.... more than usual." Lance pressed the button and the elevator shuddered to a start, lowering them down.
"Nothing's wrong with me! What would be wrong? So anyway, when are you gonna ask blue eyes on a date?" Alex asked quickly changing the subject on the shorter boy.
Lance's eyes grew wide with shock. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well it's clear that you have a thing for her, I can sense these things." Al winked and looked oddly enough like Kitsune.
"I've barely even talked to her, let alone see her on a daily basis!" Lance said with a blush. "And how would you even know?"
"Ah Lannie my boy, when you've been around as much as I have you can sense these things, actions, expressions, and the color your face turns when you see her speak louder the words."
"Been around where?" he snorted, "You're barely older than I am. And you're one to talk, Mr. Motoko's Man Slave."
"In order I shall respond, Been around the world, I am still a full three years on you, and Man-slave implies I am serving her, I cannot recall doing anything for her I wouldn't do for anyone else."
"Count your days Al, because once you get things off with her, there's no telling what'll happen." The elevator came to a halt, and the door opened, allowing Al and Lance to walk out into the lobby.
"Who says anythings gonna get off? Unlike you and blue-eyes, Mo-chan and me have nothing between us but a thin friendship, and knowing me that's as far as it will go."
"What do you mean, 'unlike'? I told you, we barely even see each other!"
"Yeah but you guys have this connection, I can sense it." Al said before speaking and making gesturing dramatically "It has been foreseen in the tarot, and written in the stars!"
Lance smirked. "Then your senses have gone wrong, there's nothing going on between.... the hell?" Lance looked out onto the street.
As the two of them stepped out, the mob men had formed a semi-circle around the pair.
"Uh...this isn't where I parked my vespa." Al said with a grin
"You have been ordered dead, Alex Rush." The leader of the group proclaimed.
"By who may I ask?"
"No you may not."
"Please?"
"NO!" The man growled, this boy was making a mockery of their business.
"Al, just shut up!" Lance hissed
"What'd I do?" Al asked Lance
"You're getting yourself killed, that's what!" he replied. He looked toward the head mob man. "Look, I've got nothing to do with this. Can I go now?"
"You've seen too much boy, I'm afraid we'll have to kill you too."
"Are you kidding?" Lance said, fragilely smiling and waving his hands in the air. "You don't get it, I'm a blind person! Yeah, thats right, I'm blind! I have no idea what's going on, for all I know I'm still at school!"
Al chuckled as the mobsters stared.
"I'm sorry then but you've also heard too much, you could identify us by our voices if we let you go."
Lance thought for a second. "You see, there's a problem with my hearing too. All of the voices I hear all sound exactly the same, so there's no way I can identify anyone at all!"
"Never heard of that problem before." Al said looking at lance curiously
"Hmmm, well it would be bad if we killed someone who didn't need to die." the leader mused.
"Exactly! So can I go please? I need to look for my guide dog and my cane."
As the men discussed it there was a crashing noise from down the street.
Al and Lance turned to look, and saw a pair of vans destroying the traffic -- a black van driven (barely) by Dizzy, and a white one driven by a man Al didn't recognize but Lance did right away.
"Oh no....AL! DUCK!"
"Where?" Al asked looking for birds as the van's drew closers, smashing through most everything in their path.
"TO THE GROUND, YOU IDIOT!" Lance tackled Al to the ground, just as the two vans came crashing through the sidewalk, scattering the mob members.
Al stood up dusting himself off. The black van had caught on fire and was pretty useless for anything but scrap at this point, and the mobsters lay scattered, moaning in pain.
Out of the white van crawled a man, bleeding down his forehead but otherwise fine.
"Seta? What're you doing here? Your traffic hours aren't usually without prior warning by police." Lance asked, standing up and picking up his bookbag.
"Sorry, sorry, this moron in the black van cut me off!" he pointed an accusing finger at Dizzy who tumbled from the flaming wreckage a little black ball of fur.
"Dizzy!" Al picked up his roasted friend.
"Lance-san! It's good to see you again!" said Seta, stepping over a mob member to get to him.
"HEY, YOU'RE THE SAME GUY WHO ALWAYS ALMOST KILLS ME WHEN I'M ON MY VESPA!" Al raged reading the license plate.
Lance sweatdropped, keeping an eye on the van. "That sounds like Seta, alright."
"So do you boys need a ride back to Hinata Sou? I'm on my way there to check up on Sarah." Seta waved his hand over to the overturned van.
"Shotgun!" Al cheered as his anger was forgotten, he climbed into the front seat stepping on a mobster on the way.
"May God take pity on your soul." Lance muttered to Al, helping him and Seta turn the van back over and climbing into the back seat.
The van shot off, leaving the poor thugs to tend to their broken bodies, and attempt a save later.
"So, you're Sarah's dad?" Al asked he relaxed in Seta's van (though how this was done no one ever knew)
Lance groaned to himself as he studied artifacts on the van's shelves.
"More or less." Seta said as he swerved around a boy scout crossing the street with a little old lady on his arm
Al stuck his head out the window -- cars were fine, but nothing beat having the wind in his face.
Lance shook his head. "Idiot..."
"AHHHHH!" Al screamed and pulled his head in "I CAN'T SEE, I'VE GONE BLIND!" He cried, a piece of paper was stuck to his face, it looked like it had become attached to his face when Seta had smashed into the lamp-post
With a disgruntled sigh, Lance pried the piece of paper off of Al. "Again, I call you an idiot."
"I CAN SEE!" Al cheered with tears in his eyes. As Al began singing amazing grace Lance looked at the paper.
"Hmm... it says that there's a band contest at the Spring Festival this weekend." at first he didn't think on it. But suddenly it clicked in his mind. He looked at the flyer again.
A band contest? Prize for the best performance? This sounded like a great way to finally pay off the rent, and then some.
Lance grinned to himself. "I'm so glad I have a guitar back in my hands..."
"I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I seeeeeee." warbled Al, oblivious.
"Tadaima!" Maho burst through the entrance of the Hinata Teahouse, throwing her bookbag down at a table and sitting on the floor.
"Maho-chan!" Haruka admonished as she wiped a glass clean-the same one she'd been wiping for the last half hour. "I told you not to come in here while there're customers!"
"What customers?" She looked around innocently.
The older woman winced at the obvious lack of business. "Well, you ever know when one could come in."
"Hai hai, gomen nasai." That was when Maho noticed Kentaro. He was hunched over his mop, listlessly drifting back and forth like a reed in a light breeze. "Hey, what's the matter with him?"
Haruka coughed. "Um, about that..."
"Oh, what does it matter?" Kentaro put the back of his left hand against his forehead in a perfectly practiced 'woe is me' position. "My love is gone forever! I no longer have any reason to continue this bleak, pointless existence!" He dropped to his knees and raised the mop handle to the heavens. "Ai-chan! Why did you run away to Alaska with a Mexican pearl diver? Was I not good enough? Oh, cruel, uncaring fate!"
"Haru-nee, what's he doing?"
"Just ignore him, Maho-chan. He's been at this for a while."
Kentaro looked to his employer tragically. "No amount of time could possibly heal this sorrow!"
"And I suppose no amount of time could possibly let you keep that sorrow to yourself?"
Maho started backing away, pulling out a steel ball and chain from one of her many pockets. "If he gets any closer..."
"Oh, but dearest Maho-san!" The young man wept theatrically. "Your cousin, Amano Ai, was the brightest light in my sorry, pathetic excuse for a life! Her beauty was indescribable, her charms innumerable! Oh, but I may never see her again!"
She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Amano Ai? I don't know anyone named-"
Haruka grabbed her sister by the arm and began dragging her to the back. "We need to talk."
Kentaro continued, pulling the mop handle dramatically to his abdomen. "I can't go on living without her!"
Haruka gave him a good kick to the head. "You can't commit seppuku with a mop, baka. Get back to work." She closed the door behind her.
---
Maho was laughing hysterically. Haruka, on the other hand, was not nearly as amused. "It's not funny."
"Are you kidding? It's hilarious!" The short girl wiped the tears from her eyes. "You and Ken-kun were really making out on the floor??"
"Don't say it so loud!"
She settled down into chuckles. "Well, you have to admit that it's unexpected. I didn't know you were into younger men, 'nee-san," she teased.
"I'm not." Haruka replied matter-of-factly. She lit a cigarette, balancing a cheap plastic lighter with an unopened can of cold coffee in her other hand. "I don't really know what came over me. Everything moved so quickly, I guess I just got swept up in the moment."
"Listen to you!" Maho looked shocked. "My tough-as-nails sister is waxing romantic! The horror."
She cracked her knuckles with a flex of the hand. "You're not helping."
"Hai, gomen, gomen." She took a deep breath, leaning against the wall. "So you want me to keep up the alibi until he forgets about her, right?"
"Right." Haruka puffed away. "If he found out it was me, I'm not sure who would have the heart attack first. Or maybe who would kill the other."
Maho grinned, making the victory sign with her fingers. "You can count on me, Haru-nee. I'll keep it a secret." She thought about something. "What about Kei-kun?"
"He doesn't come around here often, so he doesn't need to know." Her expression darkened. "The less people know about this little incident, the better."
"H-Hai." Haruka could be a little frightening at times.
"So what's the matter, Maho-chan?"
"Hm?" Maho looked at her sister from behind a can of sweet tea.
"There's something on your mind."
"Oh." She waved it off. "Not really. I'm not thinking of anything."
Haruka nodded, unconvinced. "Boy trouble?"
Maho sputtered, with just a hint of déjà vu washing over her. "No!"
"If you say so." She looked at her sister carefully, as if she were sizing her up. "Hey, I forgot to tell you, but..."
"Nani?"
"You look more and more like your mother every time I see you." She smiled, just a small gesture. "I know it's a bit random, but it's true. There's a little bit of Papa in you, too. Two good things."
"Really?" Maho looked up at her sister's face. "I think you look the most like Papa."
"You think so?"
"Hai. You have his eyes."
Haruka looked out to the sunset. "Mm. Sou."
They didn't say much after that. But that was the beauty of that moment.
---
Sam collapsed onto his bed, exhausted. He'd only been enrolled at the school three days, and already he was skipping school! Maybe he could convince them he had been ill... no way could he tell what he had really been up to.
All over the house, in strategic and concealed positions, Sam had been hiding buckets of water, fire extinguishers, bagd of sand, blankets and other various equipment that could be used to combat fires. He wasn't going to be caught out when it happened... whenever that was.
Thinking back to his vision, he knew it would be one evening (although he wished he had remembered that this morning before the scene with Motoko!) Something else told him it would be fairly soon, but he still thought he was missing something.
Quite apart from the horror of the vision, he had another worry. The last time he saw a fire, he failed to prevent it, and was also blamed for it. Would that happen again? Could he prevent it? Although Mutsumi claimed to have faith in him, was he attempting the impossible?
As Sam wandered around the corner in thought, he almost bumped right into Shinobu.
"Oh... gomen, Sam-kun!" she stammered, blushing, as he looked into her soft blue eyes. "Excuse me!"
As Shinobu bowed and passed him, he looked after her.
Whatever the future might bring, he would do everything in his power to protect her from this vision.
He just hoped that Mutsumi was right.
---
Lance zoomed up the stairs to his room after arriving back home via Death-Van, the flyer clenched in his hands. He shut himself in his room and slapped the flyer on his table, looking over the details.
Yes... this Sunday at the Hinata Spring Festival. All hopeful bands can participate as long as... what's that? An ink smudge? Must be a printer fault. Oh well, that's not important now. All bands sign up at the festival three hours prior to the event beginning at 5:50 pm.
Lance was excited. Finally after all his years of skilled guitar playing, he could make it to the big top with all of his freshly-written songs! But suddenly, reality clashed inside his head.
Where on earth will he find band members? And how can he find them in time for the big contest?
Al sighed happily as he entered the kitchen, "Dizzy, I'm working late tonight so that means I gotta whip up something to keep me going, and what keeps the life in a man into the wee hours of the night?"
"Grr?"
"No not mini-tofu cows on a stick, that's what keeps life in weasels working into the wee hours of the night."
"Turtle soup?" Asked Su as she popped out of a drawer to his left.
"No." Alex said as he reached into his bag and withdrew a long slim dust covered box.
"Ooooo, what's in there, drugs?" Su asked looking at the box.
"No, it's the family recipe, passed down to me by my father, and to him by his father, and so on for several years."
"For what?"
"Gumbo."
"Grr?"
"Yes, gumbo."
"What's gumbo?" asked the scary tan girl.
"It's like a really tasty soup, and if you promise not to tell anyone, I'll let you help me make it."
"Oooo, okie-dokie! How do we start?"
"Well let's see here." Al looked around and took some pots and pans off the wall, placing them around Dizzy, "Can ya give me a beat?" He asked his weasel.
Looking offended, Dizzy growled a yes and took out his drumsticks, although from where we'll never know.
Dizzy tapped out a beat that made Alex start to tap his foot to the rythem, "Alright, now Su, do you play anything?"
"Oh yeah!" Su dove into the drawer and returned seconds later with a Lute and a saxophone.
"Alright then, just play along with Dizzy." Al instructed before opening the box and taking out a weatherbeaten old scroll.
As the beat began to catch on, Lance peeked into the kitchen to find out what all the noise was about, Al took a wooden spoon and sung into it, preparing the food while he sang,
(Mini disclaimer- Al doesn't own this song)
"I don't smoke I don't shoot smack,
But I got a spicy monkey a rid'en on my back,
Don't eat no cinnabuns to much sugar and dough
But, I will play for gumbo!"
Al took some vegetables and began slicing them into big thick pieces, while Dizzy hit the makeshift-drums and Su danced around the room laughing and playing, what a great game.
"It started at my grandma's in her kitchen by the sea,
she warned me when she told me 'Son the first one's free'
It hit me like a rocket or some Ti quan Do,
But now, I will play for gumbo, oh yeah, I will play for gumbo!"
Al opened a fresh bag and threw some French bread into the oven,
"A piece of French bread with which to wipe my bowl,
Good for the body, good for the soul,
It's a little like religion and a lot like sex,
You should never know when your gonna get it next."
As lance watched the spectacle unfold his mind formed an idea. Perhaps he could enter them into the band contest? With that money, he wouldn't have to worry about rent for the next month, and would still have enough pocket money to live it up.
Al tossed in some ingredients and stirred while he sang the next verse.
"Maybe it's the sausage or those pretty pink shrimp,
Or that popcorn rice that makes me blow up like a blimp,
Maybe it's that voodo from so long ago,
But I will play for gumbo, yes I will play for gumbo!"
Al turned up the heat on the pot and pulled out the harmonica Dizzy had given him this morning. Blowing into it, he sounded like a trained jazz performer, and made the sound that the other two were putting out perfect.
"A piece of French bread with which to wipe my bowl,
Good for the body, good for the soul,
It's a little like religion and a lot like sex,
You should never know when your gonna get it next."
Al trailed off as he poured the soup into bowls for his fellow players, playing the last few notes and pocketing the instrument.
"And that's how you make the Rush family gumbo."
"Wow, that was so fun!" Su cheered as she slurped her gumbo.
Al poured the rest of it into a container for later. This stuff could raise the dead.
Lance's jaw was dropping. "How.... how...."
Al turned "Oh hiya, Lannie, you look pale, want some gumbo?" Al asked, not noticing that the gumbo had melted his spoon and the only way to eat it was to drink it.
Lance couldn't find his voice for a few seconds, but he mustered it up. "How did you play like that? That was... that was amazing stuff!"
"What? Oh that, no big thing, Dizzy and I love to sing and make music so we used to do it at home all the time, took classes, even made best in the state for singing one year."
Lance looked over at Su. "And you... you can play those?" he pointed at the saxophone and lute.
"Yup, I love to play! I had to learn to, it's a tradition from my homeland." Su grinned and slurped down a second helping of the gumbo.
Lance beamed. "This is so awesome! Finally, I have found them!"
Al dizzy and Su exchanged looks and shrugged "Ok I'll bite, found who?" Al asked.
"There's a band concert taking place at the Spring Festival this Sunday! I've been looking for band members to play with so we can win, and I've finally found them, all of them in this very room!"
Al looked over his shoulder, Dizzy under his bowl, and Su dug in Al's pockets, all looking for whom Lance was speaking of.
"That means me, you," he said pointing to Al, "Dizzy, and Su!"
"That rhymed!" Su giggled as she climbed onto Alex's shoulders and sat on them, her skirt falling over his head.
"You want us to play, in a band, on stage?" Al asked moving the skirt and blushing.
"Of course! If we win the grand prize, we'll get enough money to pay for the rent, and then some!"
"Hmmm, tempting... hey Dizzy, what do we have planned for the week?"
"Grr." Dizzy read off of the schedule.
"Ah, see loafing, goofing off and being lazy, we're pretty booked."
"You know, you can still goof off and be lazy when you're in a band.... but not too much."
"I dunno..." Al was grinning, he was clearly just joking around.
"If Al don't do it I don't do it." Su said crossing her arms in a defiant pose atop Al
"C'mon Al," Lance pleaded, "Pleeease?"
"Oh alright, I hate to see a boy cry."
"Yay, we're gonna be in a band!" Cheered Su.
Dizzy played a quick happy beat on the pots before growling for joy.
"This is gonna be so awesome! From this day forward, we're a rock and blues band!" Lance cheered, punching his fist into the air.
"YEAH!" Cheered his three new recruits as they clinked their bowls of gumbo together and drank them down.
A split second later, Al and Su moved out of the way to allow Lance to reach the sink. It seemed that he wasn't quite as used to spicy cooking as the other two.
Shinobu was, in a word, worried. Keitaro was cheerful in the morning and for the whole day, but there wasn't a single word spoken about the date. She knew that she wanted to speak about it to him at breakfast, but when it came down to it, Shinobu knew that it wasn't proper. She had to wait for him to say something, right? If she was too forward, Keitaro wouldn't like that at all. Right.
Who am I kidding? She thought miserably, as she went through the laundry. I'm just scared.
And she was; she was scared out of her mind, so much that she couldn't even think of the words. The date was so wonderful, and to have it end the way it did... Maybe she should have been more mature about it. Maybe she shouldn't have cried. Maybe Keitaro didn't want to say anything because he was ashamed he went out with someone so emotional. Maybe, maybe, maybe.
If she wanted to know why he disappeared, she should have asked him herself. She knew this, and yet she was still afraid. It was as if bringing it up would shatter whatever precious feeling of love she had left. But if she didn't ask, then who knew how long this uncertainty would last?
Shinobu didn't want to live unsure of herself. Keitaro-sempai had taught her that much.
"Hai," she concluded aloud, as she got out Keitaro's jeans from the basket. "I have to do it myself. I have to be more confident in..."
Whatever else she was going to say died a slow, quiet death, as she felt something familiar in Keitaro's pockets.
It couldn't be. She refused to believe it. Sempai would never be so cruel. Slowly, very slowly, she pulled her hand out from the pocket and looked at the object in her fingers. It was a thumbnail-sized sticker, a picture that was supposed to commemorate a very special date. And here she found it, in his pocket where he had shoved it the other day.
Tears of frustration, self-loathing, hatred and sorrow welled up all at once.
But whatever emotion it was that drove her to do it, Shinobu put the picture back in the pocket and shoved the jeans into the washing machine. Once the water went in, mixing with the detergent she always measured exactly right, the picture didn't stand a chance. The colors would fade and bleed into each other as the paper wrinkled and became useless. A thousand words, a thousand feelings, would all whisper away into oblivion.
They would be wiped away like tears, you could say.
Like a young lady's tears as she sits next to the washer, feeling alone and so very helpless.
-------------------
Al pulled his bag tight and stepped out onto the now repaired deck. The sun was setting and all was right with the world.
He started towards the stairs, since he needed to be at work in an hour so it was best if he left now.
"Rush!" Al turned at the sound of Motoko's voice.
She walked towards him and handed him his comic book, "S..sorry I borrowed it without permission, I just wanted to make sure you weren't drawing rude things about me."
"Oh uh...no problem, did you like it?" Al flushed scarlet.
"Well your handwriting is harder to read in English then it is Japanese, but I did find it...amusing."
"Oh good, I thought maybe I was getting too sappy when I wrote the bit about our date... oh... uh... how did you like that?"
"well..." Motoko was turning beet red and look at the ground, "D..did you really mean all those things you wrote, about you thinking I wa...was..."
"Attractive?" Al supplied.
"Yes....did you mean it?"
"Well....yeah...I guess so." Al blushed and looked away embaressed.
"You....thought I looked feminine?"
"Err... yeah... b..but don't take it seriously, I mean it's not like I'm trying to flirt with you or... anything." Al blinked, shocked by his own stupidity at saying that.
"R...right, we're just friends."
"Just friends?" Al asked disappointed.
"W..well we're very good friends."
"I...I guess, and I did mean it, you looked absolutely stunning that night."
"T..then why didn't you kiss me?"
"What?" Al was stunned! She had wanted him to... oh, man, what a moron! He hadn't picked up on the signs. What must she think of him?
"I...I well I just figured it wasn't a real date and well... we are... friends...err... I have to go to work!"
Al waved and bolted, tripping on the stairs and rolling down the hall, where he leapt to his feet and scrambled away.
"Alex..." Motoko was so confused, what was going on? Did he or didn't he like her? Maybe he did only feel friendship... after all, he was a foreigner, maybe a date just didn't have the same meaning to them? She suddenly realised that she didnt have a clue about men in general. Maybe she should ask Maho-chan for advice, she always seemed to be so knowledgable...
Al ran all the way to the garage, where he drove off on his vespa, chewing himself out, "Stupid stupid stupid, why did you do that!?!"
He turned sharply, speeding up, his anger at himself made him want to go faster.
"She likes you, and you choked, and said all the wrong things you idiot!" He shot through an alleyway scaring the life from some innocent hobos.
He tried to turn back onto the street but turned too sharply, and crashed into a tree.
"What am I gonna do?" He sighed as he lay on the ground.
The tree cracked and snapped and fell over on him.
Al walked into the kitchen of the cosplay cafe, dressed in a long red coat, red hat, white gloves, yellow sunglasses, and fangs.
"Whoa, nice Alucard outfit Al." Shirai smiled as Al walked by.
"Thanks dude, so um... where's the rest of the staff?"
"We are the staff." Haitani sighed as he was cooking someone's order.
"Yeah, apparently this is the slowest night of the week so the three of us are the only ones on duty."
"Bummer, Well I'll take the register if you don't want to." Al smiled at Shirai, which was scary with his outfit.
"Sure." Shirai smiled as Al left and then he turned to Haitani. "Please tell me that Al being hunted by the yakuza was not your fault and you are in no way connected to it!"
Haitani smirked "Well we need them out, so I hired the best in the business."
"B...But they didn't... they tried to kill him!!!"
"Well err..." Haitani sweatdropped, "I didn't tell them how to get rid of him, but we can't exactly tell them otherwise, they'd just do it to us."
"Aw man, he's not really a bad guy you know!"
"Well...we need a room in Hinata sou, and he just happened to be the random victim."
"Hey, Where's my meal!" Called the one annoyed customer in the place.
"One moment sir!" Shirai grabbed the plate and left the kitchen, no longer feeling that the Hinata house was worth doing anything for.
Al yawned. Not a soul had been in for hours, Shirai and Haitani had gone off to play cards at a empty table, but Al was at a computer, instant messaging with his friends back in the states.
I be Chibb (Al): And that's the story, I ran off after that.
Yo mama: You pud.
00 : Come on Al, you finally have a girl interested in you and you choke? what about all the training we gave you in being cool when talking to babes?
I be Chibb: What training?
00 : You were supposed to be paying attention all those times you were with us when our dates were around.
I be Chibb: Oh really? And I though I was supposed to be looking away while you did nothing but make out for three solid hours.
00 : No dummy, you were supposed to be paying attention on how we got them to make out with us.
Yo mama: You mean by bringing Al along so we look better?
I be Chibb: Damn you're cold.
Yo mama: you know I'm just kidding Al.
(GRR Has entered the conversation)
Grr: Grr
I be Chibb: Hey Dizzy.
Grr: grr.
I be Chibb: You finished getting their measurements already? sweet, begin costume design, try and replicate some of the outfits they own already, and tomorrow we'll put together some masks.
Yo mama: I'll say one thing for ya Al, you may not know girls, but you sure know acting.
I be Chibb: thanks, so before I go any advice my friends till the end?
Yo mama: Use protection, in the case of kendo girl, a three inch thick shield.
00 : And stop making enemies.
Grr: grr.
I be Chibb: gee...thanks...don't know where I'd be without you all.
(I be chibb has signed off)
It had started lightly drizzling by the time Al set off for home. His vespa was trashed, he'd have to ask if anyone in the Hinata house knew a good mechanic. He had already called to get it towed home while he was at work.
His hat kept him dry as his feet splashed the puddles, but his mind couldn't help but become depressed with the current sequence of events. Making a fool of himself in front of Motoko, making so many enemies...ugh.
Al hated being depressed -- he tried to stay an upbeat person, but when he got cold he couldn't help but also get depressed.
He shivered trudging off into the night, as the rain started to become heavier.