A Different Life

by crosseyedbutterfly

AU that starts before the anime or manga. A forced engagment, random turtle demons, throw in some new characters, plus an explination of several people's pasts...well... guess you'll have to read it and see...CHAPTER 23 UP. Fini.

6. Passing of Time

Chapter 6 is here!! New tenants, new dimensions in relationships, etc....should get interesting from here on out. Hope you're enjoying yourself, cuz I know I am. Any and all comments/questions will be addressed at the end of this chapter. Read on!!

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Motoko woke well before dawn as she usually did, luxuriating in the feeling of their comfortable companionship as she breathed in his warm scent contentedly. His arms wrapped warmly around her middle, and his heartbeat steady in her ear, she was loath to move from such a cozy position. Yes, he was an idiot at times and she wasn't pleased with his actions from the night before...but that was from the danger he'd placed himself in, not her own. She would and had forgiven him, and was glad to simply share in this quiet moment with him. Yet, the fresh morning breezes beckoned to her and the sun began to peak its head over the horizon, so she gently disentangled herself from him and rose swiftly to greet the rising sun.

In some ways, she reflected as she changed noiselessly, she was surprised with herself and how he made her feel once more. Motoko had never really considered what sort of man she would choose if she were ever forced to marry for the issue have never arisen before. Yet, now, after being married for only a month, she imagined that if she'd never met Keitaro as she had she would desire a man very much like him. Even in only the short time she'd known him, she could hardly imagine living without him now. Besides, she...enjoyed the little physical contact they shared and was a more than a little curious of the deeper waters they'd only probed a time or two. Not that she felt she was ready for that yet, however...there was nothing wrong with a dream or two.

Motoko strode into the hallway and silently slid the door shut behind her. Finally, a morning when she could practice with no fear of hurting herself! She checked and rechecked the scar time and time again, reveling in the feel of the closed and healed wound in a way that surprised even her. She had forgotten what it was like to move and live without pain limiting her every moment, and like a bird released from its gilt cage she was ready to soar once more.

Bounding up the stairs to the roof with what felt like a depthless energy, she stood there and enjoyed the sunrise by herself before stretching out and preparing for a practice unlike that which she'd had a long time. Birds twittered lightly to each other, a few dead leaves blowing past her through the crisp autumn air. Hearing someone behind her, and finding herself rather surprised in that she didn't recognize the ki, she immediately grabbed her bokken and whirled around prepared to strike.

Her eyes were met with the sight of a young redhead man and blonde woman, both still in their pajamas and with hot drinks in their hands and obviously of Western-culture descent. Looking at her in surprise and a little fear, they backed up quickly and then froze as if by doing so she'd pass by them without noticing their presence.

"Who are you?" she asked uncertainly, faltering as there was obviously the unknown young woman involved, and not wanting to hurt her if there was a way around it.

"Put that down, and I'll tell you," returned the girl, relaxing slightly as if she realized they weren't going to meet their maker. Yet. "I'm not going to run or anything, I swear."

Motoko reluctantly did so, keeping it with in easy reach before motioning to them to continue. "Well?"

"I'm Ami Baker, and this is Austin Yonker," said the girl slowly, as if by stretching out her words as long as possible she might stall the inevitable. "We arrived last night on the last bus in, and Haruka-san said her nephew Keitaro would have room for us in his dormitories. There was a deal with him being a guy." She jerked her thumb at the guy behind her. "But the rest of the girls voted on it and said they were fine with it 'cuz he's a Toudai student or something..."

"Motoko? You up here?" The door opened again to find a sleepy Haruka walk up onto the roof, an annoyed look on her face as she lit herself her usual morning cigarette. "Where the heck...oh, there you guys are. So you already met?"

Ami rolled her eyes as Austin hid behind her unsuccessfully. "Sort of."

"You're Haruka's American friends, aren't you?" asked Motoko quickly, immediately relaxing into a more friendly stance as everything became clear to her. "I understand, now. Keitaro must have forgotten to mention you last night, but that is not unusual, he is a little forgetful at times. My apologies for my hasty actions, but you did startle me..."

"No, that's alright. We just wanted to see what the view was like while waiting for everyone else to wake up, we haven't quiet adjusted to the time zone difference yet," replied Austin with a grin, coming out from behind Ami now that he'd determined it was safe. "I assume you're Motoko Urashima? Keitaro mentioned you last night. He's a great guy, your husband."

"He is something," replied Motoko with a slight twitch of her lips. "Yes, I am Motoko Urashima, and again I apologize for not telling you myself sooner. Welcome to Hinata-sou, Ami-san and Austin-san. Generally, I would not approve of another male presence on the premises either, but if the other girls approved..." She shrugged, giving them slight smiles. "I hope you enjoy your time here. Good morning, Haruka-san. Is there something you needed?"

"Yeah, but we can talk in a moment." She glanced at the pair. "You two need something up here?"

"No, we're just getting a feel for the place," replied Ami, turning to head back down the stairs with a wave. "It was nice meeting you, Urashima-san! See you down at the Tea House, Haruka-san."

"And you as well, Ami-san and Austin-san, but just call me Motoko."

"Ok."

"Good kids, those two," commented Haruka as she settled herself against the railing of the roof area. "They'll fit in just fine. Now, do you mind explaining what it was I felt around 2 a.m. that was so friggin' strong it woke me from a good dream? I swear, if that was him 'taking you' as his wife, I'm going to castrate him 'cuz you are not taking away from my sleep with your playtime."

Motoko blushed a flaming red. "Haruka-san!"

The elder lady eyed her lightly. "What? Don't give me that look, I'm old enough to be your mother, and have enough experience to be able to say that much. Now spill."

"A very YOUNG mother perhaps..." coughed Motoko, sighing as she did. "He figured it out, somehow, and did exactly what I did not want him to do for obvious reasons last night. SOMEONE, I suspect, guided him along the way or gave him some hints so as to the healing of my side. You wouldn't know who, of course?"

"Absolutely not." Haruka smirked around her cigarette, winking at Motoko as she did. "I haven't the slightest clue who would ever commit such a heinous crime."

"Had he killed himself in doing that, and I had lived," added the samurai in a quiet voice, bringing the elder woman back to the topic at hand. "First I never would have forgiven myself for letting him do so, and secondly I never would have forgiven you for leading him on to try."

"I knew he could do it," said Haruka simply with a shrug. "The boy's always had many unusual talents, and always seems to somehow pull through in the end. Though that doesn't mean the end result is pretty, the fact is he survives and goes on to live another day. I don't know how, really, but he does. He'd probably have made it into Toudai eventually, as well, even with that demon riding his back. He's always been too stubborn for his own good."

"I suppose that makes two of us," murmured the swordswoman with a reflective twist of her lips. "Well, I am in desperate need of practice, and you have duties elsewhere I know." She bowed slightly, almost mockingly in a teasing way. "Good day, oba-san."

"If I didn't like having you for a niece so much, I might smack you for that like I do that husband of yours," called Haruka over her shoulder as she departed slowly. "Bye."

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Naru woke for the first time in awhile to the steady thumps overhead that meant Motoko was doing her practice routine, and in earnest too. Puzzled, she slipped on some presentable clothes and padded up the stairs to the roof. Once there, she waved to the kendoist who simply nodded in return without missing a beat of the complex series of gyrations and sword thrusts and arcs she forced her lithe body through.

Instead of moving on after she finished another kata, she put her bokken aside and trotted over, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a slight grin. "Ah, good morning, Naru-san. I trust you slept well?"

"Uh, yeah," replied the student as she smiled back, unable to resist the usually dour Samurai girl's upbeat mood, though she'd never seen her this happy in the morning before. "Very well, thank you. You must've slept well, too, to be so happy, though."

"My sleep was more than sufficient," replied Motoko simply with a nod. "I also met our two newest residents a few moments ago...it is a good thing Haruka-san appeared when she did, though, or we might have had one less male than you did last night."

"Oh, Ami and Austin? Yeah, they're pretty nice," replied Naru with a grin, completely missing Motoko's implication at the end of her statement. "Did he tell you? Austin's a Toudai student!! Imagine, a real one right here at Hinata-sou! Maybe he'll help me study for the exams, do you think he would if I asked?"

The samurai relaxed in the inside, and dismissed the possible threat from her mind. "He might. You will not know unless you try."

"I guess so." The school girl hesitated, watching as her long-time friend continued to smile just ever so slightly, something that was very strange and out of character for her. She was supposed to be serious and structure, the unchangeable pillar of extreme feminism! "Why are you smiling so much, though? The last time you were this outwardly happy you'd taken first in all categories at that traveling kendo competition a few years back."

The kendo girl shrugged, a her lips curling mysteriously. "I suppose, simply because I can."

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Shinobu was hard at work when Keitaro walked into the kitchen with a goofy smile on his face, whistling to himself lightly. "Morning, Shinobu-chan," he greeted her warmly, setting the table without being asked before helping her finish the food itself with ease.

"Good morning, Sempai," replied the younger girl as she watched him practically waltz to the table with a bowl of rice in his hands. Giggling at his foolish antics, she added, "Aren't you happy today!"

"It's a beautiful day," replied Keitaro with a grin as he opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of orange juice, pouring himself a liberal glass. "And I'm surrounded by great friends everywhere I look. What more of a reason do I need to be happy?"

"Morning!" Su burst into the kitchen, latching onto Keitaro's neck as he mussed her hair affectionately. Kitsune shuffled in right about then, yawning as she stretched out the kinks in her back.

"Hey, guys," she said with her trademark smirk. "Mm...smells great, Shinobu, hun."

"It always does," added Motoko as she walked in at the same time through a different door, school uniform on and meticulously groomed with not a single hair out of place. "Good morning, everyone."

"Motoko-chan!" Su immediately leapt at her long-time companion, instinctively knowing she didn't have to take her side into consideration any more.

"Coffee....oh, where's the coffee..." Ami came shuffling into the kitchen with an unusually bright and chipper Austin right behind her, both dressed and ready for the day.

"She's not quite human until she'd had three cups of that stuff, black," explained Austin in a stage-whisper with a wink. "Unless of course you catch her in the middle of a mugful, but after that she's right back to that again."

"Come over and join the club," yawned Naru as she appeared by the coffeepot, brewing another batch as fast as she could.

"She'll be her usual sweet self in a couple more cups," went on the American guy as he sat down at the table. "So, do we just help ourselves here?"

"Yeah, just leave enough for the rest of us," replied Keitaro with a nod, sitting down next to Motoko who was already eating with Su on her other side. "I see you've already met my wife, Motoko."

"Yes, thank you for warning me of their arrival, Keitaro." She glanced over at him, raising on brow slightly. The rest of the usual residents watched in surprise as their stoic friend actually TEASED her husband! And in PUBLIC too! What the heck was going on here?! Public affection was NEVER something Motoko showed!

Keitaro sweated and shrugged. "Sorry, guess it just slipped my mind this morning. That, and you were up and out of the room before I was even close to being awake."

"It's alright, Haruka-san got things straightened out for us," Austin assured him with an easy grin. Quickly refilling his plate, the foreigner sighed in contentment, unaware of the unusual looks some of the other residents were trading amongst themselves. "You are a very accomplished cook for one so young, Maheara-san!"

Shinobu blushed as she finally got around to her own small bowl of noodles and soup, not being a big breakfast person. "Auu!! Just Shinobu, please. And thank you for saying so, Yonker-san. But my mother's is better by far!"

"Just Austin, Yonker-san makes me think I'm an old man," he said with a wink, making Shinobu blush even more. "And if what you say is true then guys must be scrambling to eat at her table, and die in the middle of the meal from pleasure because this is excellent!"

"Flatterer," teased Kitsune as she lounged in her chair a space down. "Trying to score with a middle school girl, Austin? You must be pretty desperate for attention, but I don't know why a good-looking thing like you would be."

"He wouldn't dare," growled Ami as she passed behind him, the said young man sweating nervously.

"Hey, I was just trying to be polite, I swear..."

"They are new here, Kitsune, and unaccustomed to your mischievous nature," chided Motoko lightly. "Give them a few days before you treat them as teasingly you do the rest of us."

"That's no fun," replied the foxy lady with a wink at the flushed Austin, who turned every bit as red as Shinobu had moments before. "There hasn't been a single guy around here to tease for nearly a month since Keitaro went and married Motoko."

"Not that that stops you in the least," muttered Keitaro with a groan. "Heck, if anything that just makes it worse!"

"Hey, what can I say?" Kitsune winked slyly. "Newlyweds are prime ground for my kind of fun!"

"Control yourself." The simple command was all the samurai girl gave, rising and taking her plate to the sink before leaving the room entirely.

"Touchy subject?" asked Austin carefully as Keitaro quickly dumped his plates in the sink and went after her, trying not to look so concerned as he did.

"Somewhat," replied Naru flatly, shooting Kitsune a glare. "And not just with them either."

"Oh..." Austin puzzled over this, for while the couple hadn't been...indifferent about the other in any sense of the word, there was sort of a 'distance' between them that most married couples didn't have. Sort of like he and Ami had at the moment. Friends, and friends that obviously care very deeply, but still only friends. Sure, it was an arranged marriage, but to think a guy could have that much control over himself sharing a bed with a beautiful woman for a month...either Keitaro had the honor of a thousand men and a will of steel...or Motoko's bokken was a lot more deadly that he'd first assumed.

"Time for school!" cried Su as she jumped up from her chair suddenly, doing a cartwheel out into the main room where she grabbed her shoes and bag and went skipping merrily down the steps.

"Wait up!" piped Shinobu, scrambling after her and leaving a discarded chef's hat and apron in her wake.

"Actually, I have to get going or I'm going to be late," added Austin as he checked his watch and headed for the door. "Bye, everyone! Good luck at work, Ami-chan!"

"And you in school!" she replied, on her fourth cup of coffee and giving him a warm smile.

"Looks like this is my cue to leave," said Kitsune as she rose gracefully, taking a bottle of sake with her.

"Where are you headed?" asked Naru curiously, knowing her friend had no day job to speak of.

"Out," replied the foxy lady with a mysterious wink. "Later, hun!"

"Alright...bye!"

"What do you do during the day?" asked Ami as Naru took her time finishing her breakfast.

"I'm still in High school, but last-year students get first period off due to testing this week," replied Naru with a grin. "You're going to be Haruka-san's new assistant, right? Then come on, and I'll show you around some more. And don't worry about the dishes, Keitaro will take care of them as Manager when he gets back."

"If you say so! Thanks, though you don't have to if you don't have time..."

"I have plenty of time. Now, if you look right here there's one of the secret passages that run through this place. Su's found just about all of them, so don't be surprised if she randomly shows up in some part of the house she couldn't have gotten to in the normal ways."

"Wow! Wonder if she'd show them to me..."

Chattering on about the old Inn and Dormitory, they were just rounding the corner when Naru saw something that froze her in her tracks, Ami doing the same but for a different reason.

Motoko and Keitaro stood side by side at the top of the steps, his arm resting around her waist loosely. "I don't regret any of this," he said simply as he gave her a shy, chaste kiss on the cheek, which she returned after only a moment's hesitation.

"Then neither do I..."

"Aww..." Ami backed up out of sight and hearing range, gently pulling Naru with her back into the Inn itself. "They seem to be getting along well, for an arranged marriage."

Naru growled softly. "He....he...!" She sighed in frustration, unable to come up with a suitable insult after what Motoko had said to her the other day. "He's a guy Manager of an All-girl's Dormitory," she pointed out suddenly.

"Who's married," added Ami, looking rather confused. "And seems to be very loyal to his wife."

"He's still a guy!"

"Then do you have a problem with Austin?" asked Ami curiously, puzzled beyond belief. "He's a guy too, you know. And I can testify that he's very, very straight..."

"No, Austin's fine," countered Naru quickly. "I mean, he's an honest and kind sort of guy, as well as obviously 'attached'."

Ami colored slightly, but replied, "When is good friends more of an attachment than marriage? Keitaro's too honorable to cheat on his wife in any shape or form."

"Keitaro...well, he's different."

"I really don't see how-"

"Someone say my name?" asked Keitaro as he walked inside right then, grinning courteously as he did.

Naru bit back her usual retort and just shrugged, looking away pointedly. Ami seemed torn, but didn't know what to say so she simply smiled apologetically and gave him a slight shrug of her own.

"Guess I just heard this wrong," he said with an embarrassed blush, turning to head towards the kitchen with wave. "See you both later, then, and you know where to find me if you need me."

"Bye!" Ami waved back cheerfully, Naru grumbling under her breath as she began to walk to the front door in the direction of the Tea House. Ami followed obediently, a confused look still on her face.

Sighing to herself, Ami let out one last comment on what she had seen. "I don't get why you don't like Keitaro-san, though. He's a nice guy who obviously makes Motoko-san happy. And she's your friend right? So, that should make you happy too."

Naru didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't bother thinking up an answer.

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Motoko sat among her classmates and few close friends during their study period, a general steady quiet over their group as usual as most were completely homework or studying for tests. Megumi, who'd been watching the kendoist since she'd arrived that morning with that small smile on her face, smiled slyly to herself. Her friend's aura of gloom and doom had been replaced by one of light peace and warmth, and she was more than a little curious as to why. Sidling closer, she opened her mouth to speak just as Motoko leaned out of her seat to reach a book from underneath.

"So, he finally decided to make you his, hm?"

*THUMP* Most of the class stopped and watched in surprise as the samurai girl fell straight out of her chair to the ground.

"Ouch, that looked painful."

"Wonder what's going on?"

"Dunno, she never loses her balance though."

"Oi...nononono, that's not....eargh....I mean, I, eh..."

"Take it easy," chuckled the elder girl as she got up and helped her back to her feet carefully. "I was just teasing. You do seem more cheerful today, and much better rested."

"I had the best nights sleep since our return from my family's lands," explained Motoko, regaining control of herself as she dusted her clothes off. "As well as realized how lucky I am as one who was given no choice in who I would wed."

"It does save a great deal of time and heartache, usually," replied Megumi with a firm nod and smile. "Not that you're guaranteed to live happily ever after, but I think after seeing the uncertainty of dating and the stability of marriage...even an arranged one...I wouldn't change what's happened to me in the least."

"You also knew Hideki for a long time before you had to marry him," pointed out another girl, who'd been dragged to the alter much like Motoko and Keitaro with her husband sans the swords. "Some of us didn't have that automatic assurance that the person you're being chained to for the rest of your life is a tolerable guy. As well as the fact that he's the same age as you, and he's hot as anything. Not all of us married one of the best men in the world."

"I don't think your parents would've let you marry him if he weren't," countered Megumi knowingly.

"Not all parents marry their children for their children's happiness, but rather for their own gain," pointed out Motoko slowly. "There is much to be said for both sides, so rather than argue which is better, why not simply be content in the happiness you've found in either situation."

"Well spoken, Aoya-...I mean, Urashima-san." The girls looked up to find Mrs. Yozaki standing over them, the well-known Language Arts teacher with a sword for a tongue that coincidentally headed the kendo club and found Motoko to be one of the few students she could stand for more than 15 seconds at a time. "However, you need to come with me now. Your teacher has released you, as this is the last period in the day, so if you would follow me."

The Captain of the Kendo Club rose quickly, gracefully gathering her things and nodding to her friends in farewell before she hurried after the now-retreating teacher.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," she said hesitantly as she fell in step with her teacher. "But if I may ask you something?"

"You may," replied the woman with a terse nod. "As you are not inclined to ask stupid questions."

"What will be the nature of our discussion?" inquired Motoko hesitantly. "If it stems from my lax attention to the club, particularly in the last few days, I assure you it is coming to an end today."

"While that was a concern of mine, that is not why I have gotten out of class today," replied Mrs. Yozaki flatly. "And as you seem to be more yourself today, I will take your work on that. No, my concern with you has to do with one Leiko-san..."

Oh no...

They walked into the practice court set aside for both the Guys and Girls team, Leiko standing in the center of the room impatiently. It was the first time Motoko had seen her and looked her in the eye since the night not so long ago, and sometime told her this wasn't going to be a pleasant experience in the least. "I do not think my presence is truly required here. Captain Aoyama can handle any all questions you may have, Ma'am."

"There is no longer a Captain named that here," snapped Mrs. Yozaki shortly. "She is wed to a man now, Leiko-san, and you will honor her and her husband by using his proper surname if you wise to remain in this program."

"Then I am informing you have my immediate resignation now. Good day, Mrs. Yozaki." Leiko turned on her heal and stomped out of the room, leaving an unruffled teacher and disturbed Captain in her wake.

"Don't look like she's died, she'll be back," said the teacher as she glanced at Motoko out of the corner of her eye. "I suppose I could have asked you personally, but I wished to see how badly she was reacting to this or if it had anything to do with it a all. So, she's upset about the marriage?"

"She thinks he is controlling me by some form or fashion," explained the kendoist slowly. "Why do you insist she will return, though?"

"Leiko loved the sword, though hers is only a wooden one, and she also admires you," explained Mrs. Yozaki flatly as she walked towards the door suddenly. "Either she will come to terms with this, or it will eat her alive from the inside out. We can only hope for the former." The bell suddenly rang overhead. "Now, stay here and conduct you practice, Urashima-san. We will discuss this further later one."

Motoko wished to ask more questions, but the finality in the teacher's dismissal led her to believe such a course would be unwise. Bowling low, she sighed and simply replied, "Yes, ma'am."

"You're still alive," said Gina as she appeared at her side, a worried look on her face. "We're not in trouble again, are we?"

"No," replied Motoko, shaking herself free of her worries and adopting a more dominating stance as several guys and gals flooded the room and headed for the locker rooms chatting lightly. "Do not worry yourself with it, I will take care of it later on. Now, everyone get changed quickly! I have been letting you grow slack while under my tutelage, and that ends right now!"

Several groans were heard coming from the guy's side and a few cheers from the girls, the fact that some who had sided with her originally hadn't shown, and a few who hadn't sided with her were there only too apparent to the samurai girl. So the power struggle was still going, and people were switching back and forth daily. She hoped things settled down before the next competition, she needed to know what they had to work with for sure or things might not go so well in the end.

Going herself into the locker room, she quickly changed clothes and entered the large practice area once more, stretching for their usual set of warm ups. "Line up!" she called, whistling a few times to warn those still in the locker room to hurry it up. "Form straight rows so we can begin!"

The practice went through as they usually did, her pushing her fellow students to go further and further than they had the time before. She herself ever had the chance to spar a few times with a few of her more advanced classmates, enjoying the full use of her body again in battle and letting her skills show themselves a good bit more than she usually did. Finally after a long jog to cool down, they disbanded from the school and each scattered off in their different directions. Motoko headed off in the direction of Hinata-sou, feeling her now ever-present ghost a smile growing more real and far warmer the closer she got to her home.

Maybe life wasn't perfect yet and never really would be, and but it was close enough for her.

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Naru sighed as she put down her pencil, unable to concentrate anymore on the problems before her. Ami's words had been resounding through her head all day today, and it was all she could do to stop herself from smacking her forehead up against the wall a few times to make it stop. If you're friend is happy, you should be happy...and in all honesty she had yet to see him even com close to hurting the kendoist in any way, shape, or form. She'd been cheerful this morning, unusually so, and the high school girl couldn't think of anything past Keitaro that could make Motoko smile that way.

Blushing with that thought, she heard footsteps out in the hall and reached over to open her door a crack. Seeing the said girl about to enter her room, she was going to call out when Keitaro walked up behind her, saying something so quietly that she couldn't understand what the words were. Whatever it was, though, must've been good for Motoko's face opened up in a beautiful smile as she nodded once before leaning in to give him a quick peck on the cheek after discreetly checking to make sure no one else was in sight. The ronin blushed at the open affection and stood there in the hallway as she entered their room, all but doing a dance in his joy the moment she was out of sight. But it wasn't a pervert's victory dance, it was more like a little boy dancing for happiness when he realizes the girl who he passed a note to across the room likes him.

She's happy with him mused Naru with a frown as he walked off back downstairs, humming happily and with that same goofy grin on his face from this morning. And he's more than happy with her. I don't want to admit this, but...maybe....and JUST maybe....he's not quite as bad as we-...I mean, I thought.

Sighing in resignation, the hopefully soon-to-be Toudai student rose to her feet and put away her school books. She knew what she had to do, though she wasn't looking forwards to it in the least.

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Dinner soon found all the residents gathered around the seemingly ever-shrinking table. Keitaro and Haruka each took an end, Motoko, Su, Shinobu, and Kitsune on one side with Naru, Ami and Austin facing them on the other. The conversation was light-hearted and relaxed with easy smiles passed back and forth just as often as the excellent food was.

"So, how do you like your new job?" asked Austin as Ami server them both some noodles and vegetables out of habit.

"Haruka-san is a great boss," she replied immediately, getting a grin out of the elder woman. "And if things go well, I'll have enough to start adding to my little collection again!"

"You're collection's not little," muttered Austin, sweating slightly.

"What do you collect?" asked Kitsune curiously. "Me, I'm a connoisseur of fine wines and sakes..."

"In other words, a drunk," added Haruka with a cough.

"Then you could say I'm a connoisseur of fine steel," replied Ami with a gleam in her eyes. "Knives, daggers, swords, any sort of blade, really...you might be interested in the few oriental pieces I have, Motoko-san."

"I would be honored to have a look later on," replied Motoko with a slight nod. "I have actually been searching for a new blade for sometime now, and perhaps you could bring to light the answers to a few questions I have had in the past."

"I'll be glad to help!"

"What's it like being at Toudai, Austin?" asked Naru abruptly, turning the topic to one they were all interested in and could enjoy. She'd been a little strange all night, but given that nothing had been 'normal' in the last month or so, the other tenants politely ignored it.

Austin reflectively took a bit of sauteed mushrooms. "Oh, I dunno. The campus is cool, and some of my teachers are really nice..."

Time flew by, and soon dinner was finished with Keitaro and Austin doing the dishes so they could continue their discussion of the different majors at Toudai. Su and Shinobu went out to the hot springs with Naru and Kitsune, Motoko considering joining them if just for the companionship when Ami appeared at her side with a grin.

"Wanna go see those swords now?" asked the bouncy American. "Or those that are swords, any ways. We'd be there all night if I tried to show you each and every bit of metal I've got."

"If you have time," replied Motoko with a nod and slight grin. "There is nothing you could do to make me miss it. A wide knowledge of weaponry is always necessary for one of the warrior class."

"Come on, then! I've already got my stands set up and everything."

"How many blades exactly do you have with in your possession?" asked Motoko curiously as they climbed the stairs together.

"Altogether? Probably close to a 50 or 60. If you're asking about the breakdown of groups, about 5 or 6 of oriental make, a couple of good broadswords and rapiers, several assorted medieval daggers and knives, a couple dozen pocket and folding knives, and more odd little bits and pieces than I could ever count."

"Oh." Motoko followed the girl to her room, immediately taken aback by the sight of so much forged steel  lining one wall. Hung from various sorts of wooden contraptions, they covered every single inch within that one space except a single katana that sat in one corner on a floor stand. The other three walls were covered in random pictures and posters, a series of Japanese fans taking over one corner and some painted partitions lining another. There was the unrolled futon, a CD system and laptop on a low table on one side of the room, and a TV with a PS2 on the other with the strangest bowl-shaped chair Motoko had ever seen across from it.

"Ami-chan...how could you possibly have paid for all of these?" asked the samurai as she noted several expensive looking pieces among the regular sorts.

"Lots of hard work and bargaining like my life depended on it," admitted Ami with a laugh. "I didn't buy all of them, though, some were given to me too."

Motoko nodded in understanding, approaching the one sword apart from the rest curiously. "This one...is it special to you?"

"Very," admitted the American softly with a grave nod.

"May I?" Motoko extended her hand towards it slightly.

Her companion smiled. "Of course."

Motoko lifted it carefully, unsheathing the katana and studying the blade carefully. "If you do not mind me asking...this blade is of solid construction and materials, but compared to others here it is no better than average at best. Why do you choose to revere this one?"

"This one was given to me by another friend who collects blades and two others, it was the first sword I ever owned," explained Ami with a reflective look on her face. "You're right, that it's one of the least impressive to others in my collection, but to me it's the most special one I own."

Motoko resheathed it, handing it back to her new friend gingerly. "That is how it should be. The blade bequeathed to me by my sister was very special as well, though it make was more up to par than yours."

"Thank you for understand...but I think you will appreciate these more than that one." She placed the sword back on the stand and walked to the other end of the wall, removing a second katana from a hanger with a matching wakizashi and tanto below it. "This is the Orchid katana."

Motoko took it from her gently, slowly drawing the blade only to gasp in surprise. "This...this is folded blue steel!"

"Nine folds, over 500 layers," specified Ami, sighing in pleasure as she continued to rattle off other details. "High quality ray skin used in the Tsuka, and the Tsuka Ito and Saya Ito are both Japanese cotton, dyed to be just a few shades darker than the saya. The saya is wood, and lacquered that impossible shade of blue. The Koig-uchi and Kuri-gata are of buffalo horn, and the Fuchi, Kashira, and Kojiri are of bronzed iron with silver and gold detailing. The Tsuba is blackened iron, and the orchid with the butterfly there is of silver, brass, and copper. Amazingly detailed, isn't it?"

(A/N: Dictionary/Explanation at the end)

The samurai girl nodded slowly. "This is the kind of blade true sword masters dream of This must have cost you a fortune, Ami!"

"Aw, well, not really but then again I have connections is high places..."

"What she means by that is she tricked the original owner into a bet and won by setting the odds for herself," but in Austin as he stuck his head in the door.

Ami colored considerably, grabbing a pillow and chucking it at him vengefully. "The odds were entirely fair, it's his own fault he fell off that horse you big mouthed dork!"

"But an honest one!" he replied as he caught it with a grin. "I can see I'm not wanted here, there. Good night to you both, fair ladies! And sweetest of dreams to you!"

"He's such an idiot sometimes," muttered Ami to herself, Motoko's sharp ears picking up that which she was probably not meant to hear. "But he's a sweet idiot..."

"What blade do you prefer to use," asked Motoko, purposely drawing attention away from Ami as she realized with a blush that she'd spoken aloud.

"Oh, erm....uh, while that one katana is my favorite blade, if I had to actually face an opponent, I would use a straight blade. And the only razor sharp, battle-ready straight blade I have is this one..." She went over a few feet, pulling down a medium sized blade that was a cross between a rapier and a full-sized broadsword.

"I would not even know where to begin, wielding such a thing," admitted Motoko shamelessly. "Your Western Cultures' styles are so very different from our own."

"They are," replied Ami with a grin, replacing the sword on its rack.  "But in the end, they reach the same goal, be it protection or to take another's life."

"Yes, they do."

"If I may be so forward..." Ami hesitated, continuing slowly when Motoko nodded for her to go on. "You seem to very knowledgeable about bladed weaponry, and I've heard the others speak of references to the 'might of your sword' but all you carry is a bokken. Why is that?"

"The sword I used to wield is now little more than a handle with several broken shards of the one beautiful blade," explained Motoko with a mournful look on her face. "That was the blade given to me by my sister when she gave up her rights as heir to the family dojo."

"The battle must've been very fierce indeed, to have shattered such a weapon," commented Ami with a calculating look on her face. "Am I right?"

"Yes, it was. That was just this past fall, and I have merely been taking my time in replacing it. In a way I feel a sort of betrayal if I replace it, but at the same time I am in need of being armed once more. A bokken does well enough for the present, but it will be useless in the face of a true enemy."

"Well, if there's a way I can help just let me know! Though I'm sure you know of the weapons vendors in this area much better than I do."

"Motoko-chan?"

They both paused as Kitsune peeked her head in, sweating at the sight of all the weaponry covering the wall. "Oh, kami..."

"Did you require something of me?" asked Motoko, drawing Kitsune's attention back to the present.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I get Su for an extra night, don't I?"

"I did take her for a day in the middle of your time, so it would be fair of you to do so."

Kitsune nodded in resignation. "Yeah, well...I suppose I could invest in some stronger sake, but the way rent's been dragging on my funds I don't know if I could..."

"We will discuss it with Keitaro-kun," cut in Motoko dryly, getting chuckle from Ami by the look on her face. "It is he that has the final word, not I."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"It seems more time has passed than I thought," offered the kendoist, glancing at the clock on the blade-infested wall. "I apologize for taking so much of your time, Ami-san."

"It's just Ami," she chuckled in reply. "The formalities make me feel like I'm Haruka-san's age, and I'm far more a kid than I am an old hag like her. (She didn't just happen to hear that around the corner or something, did she? No? Good.) Thank you for letting me and Austin stay here, though we really didn't want to split up and apartments are just too expensive. I hope we can be friends...?"

Motoko paused before slowly extending her hand with a slightly bigger smile than usual. "I believe that is entirely possible."

"Great! You have a good night, then, and I'll see you and Keitaro in the morning!"

"Very well, Ami. Goodnight."

Silently trotting down the stairs to the hot springs for a quick bath, Motoko's lips twitched in amusement. She had a new friend from America, of all places, and one who loved blades perhaps even more than she did. Who would have thought?

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Naru knocked on Motoko and Keitaro's bedroom door after she was sure Motoko had gone downstairs for awhile for her evening bath, gingerly sliding it open when the voice inside had bid her to enter. "Urashima...?"

"Hm?" He looked up from his spot at the table with his books all around him, paling when he realized who it was. "Oh, no...what'd I do this time, Narusegawa-san? Do I need to take off now, or are you going to give me a chance to explain before you pull out the bat?"

"I'm not going to hurt you or anything," she muttered, unable to not noticed the way he flinched as she glared half-heartedly in his general direction. "Oh gees. Look, I just...I thought you needed to know something."

Keitaro frowned in concern. "What? Is something wrong? If there's a problem, I'll do everything I can to help you through it."

"No, nothing's wrong," she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Or at least nothing you haven't already tried to fix. Just listen, ok? I don't like having you here, I can't lie to you about that. Maybe we just had an unlucky first meeting, but you know what they say about first impressions, and mine of you is still very strong in my mind. Given half a chance, I'd chuck you outta here faster than you could run away, and probably farther too. However..."

Keitaro leaned forwards slightly. "However...what?"

"You're not going anywhere," she grudgingly admitted. "You're the manager Hina-san chose and who she bequeathed this place to, and I trust her more than anyone else. If she says you're good for the job, well I don't have much room to argue. But...there's something else too."

"What's that?" Keitaro cocked his head to the side curiously.

Naru grimaced, forcing the words to come from her mouth. "You make Motoko happy in a way none of the rest of us here ever have or could. I haven't seen her this...light-hearted the whole time I've lived here with her. She smiles more, she spends more time with Su and the rest of us, she laughs more easily...it's as if she's just now experiencing life for the first time. I don't know how you've done it, but it's like you've restored part of the cheerful little girl I've seen pictures of from Hina-san."

"She's a proud and kind woman, and I will honor her always," replied Keitaro immediately. "Maybe I'm not as strong as she is, or as skilled with a weapon, but I will always be there for her to protect and help her in any way I can."

"Look, let me get to the point," sighed the high school student with a frown. "I don't like you, but...for Motoko-chan's sake I won't protest having you in the house anymore. She deserves to be happy, and if you're what makes her happy then I'll try and stop being so mean about you being here all the time."

"...I appreciate it," replied Keitaro, not entirely sure what to say to it all.

"Hey, I'm not doing this for you so don't get any ideas or anything!" she muttered back, turning to face away from him abruptly. "Just...be good to her, alright? If you make her happy, I'll leave you alone from here on out. But I swear, if you EVER hurt her in ANY way shape or form..." Naru looked back at him, the demon's glare she was giving him making him shirk away slightly. "Oh....pain, and lots of it. The VERY bad kind too. That's all I think I need to say on that. So...night."

"Yeah, sure...night." Keitaro sighed as she left, shaking his head to himself. And here he thought it was going to be a nice, peaceful, quiet evening. What ever was he thinking?

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Motoko stood completely floored just around the corner of the hall, able to hear every word Naru spoke as she'd left the door open by accident. Not wishing to spy on her friend, but unable to tear herself away either, the samurai girl could only stare into space as each and every word reached her sensitive ears.

She was very glad for Keitaro's sake in this, he'd been taking a lot more grief from her lately than usual and hadn't had a way to defend himself against the unnecessary attacks. But Naru's reasons why...was there truly that much of a difference in the way she lived her life? Hearing someone walk up behind her, an idea popped into her mind as she noticed it was Shinobu returning from the hot springs with her hair still damp.

"Shinobu-chan," she called, approaching the younger girl slowly.

"Yes?" replied the resident chef, looking up only to smile when she saw who it was. "Oh! Hello, Motoko-san. Can I do something for you?"

"I was wondering if I could ask you something, actually," said the samurai with a curious look on her face. "Have I seemed...happier to you as of late?"

Shinobu paused, considering it seriously before she answered, "Yes, very much so," with a firm nod. Blushing at being so forward, she added a bit more hesitantly, "If I may say so...you've really been a lot kinder and more cheerful since Keitaro-sempai came to stay with us. I know that Naru-sempai doesn't care for him, but...I think he's a very good sempai, and I'm glad he's become a part of our group."

"I see." Motoko gave the girl a slight, but warm smile and waved as she turned to go into her room. "Thank you, Shinobu-chan, that is all I needed to know."

"You're very welcome, Motoko-san!"

Motoko slowly opened the door to her room, her hair still damp from her bath and hanging wetly around her shoulders. Keitaro was seated at his desk, glancing up with a grin as she closed the door behind herself. "Did you enjoy your discussion with Ami-san?"

"Yes, she is very well-spoke on swords and really just about any other topic for one who speaks Japanese not as their native tongue." Motoko walked behind the screen, discarding her clothes as she changed for the night into one of her long tee shirts. "I enjoyed myself greatly, thank you."

"Austin-san is exactly the same way," commented Keitaro, continuing to read over the textbook in front of him as he did. "I think we're going to get along with them just fine."

"I believe, and should hope, you are right."

Looking up as he felt her hands on his shoulder, he colored as she rested her chin to the left of his neck and shyly kissed  the corner of his jaw. "Thank you," she said simply, staying there with her breath tickling the back of his neck and her arms weaving themselves hesitantly around his chest. "I did not realize how the pain had chained my life until it was gone. Once again, you have set me free."

"I thought you weren't happy with what I did," teased Keitaro, still blushing as he turned to he could look at her out of the corner of his eye.

"What makes you think I have changed my mind?" Her growl was a playful one, though, and the ronin could sense he'd been forgiven. "If I may speak plainly, you are a fool of a man at times. But a kind and brave fool who thinks only of others and never himself. That is rare gift in these times."

"No, just a fool who thinks he can play hero without ever facing the consequences," joked Keitaro as he switched his lamp off, turning in his seat so she was crouched beside him rather than behind him. Tugging her closer, the swordswoman soon found herself in his lap with his head buried in her hair hugging her tightly. "If I'm not allowed to play the hero, though, neither are you. Please tell me next time something gets that bad, Motoko-chan, no matter what the situation is. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you."

She blinked in surprise, pulled back slightly so she could look at him. "Keitaro-kun...?"

His arms tightened, not possessively but in a protective manner. "You're my WIFE Motoko, even though it wasn't by choice...I'm not saying you can't be your own person, and live your own life or whatever, but don't shut me out like that, ok? I care about you, a lot, and I don't want to lose you."

"Then I have been as much of a fool as you." She leaned in closer, pushing her own hair out of the way so she could see his face. "I am sorry, it is hard for me to lean on another when I have been standing alone for so many years."

"You won't ever have to again, I promise."

Her reply was a soft kiss on his cheek, lingering there long enough for him to turn his head and catch her lips with his own. Neither leading or following, he was content to remain where they were with light kisses traded back and forth before the chiming of the clock downstairs reminded them of the late hour and they broke apart reluctantly.

Keitaro rising to change, Motoko slipped into their bed quietly. He head the rustle of the covers moving as he changed out of his day clothes, turning out the light on his way back over to their futon. Slighting emboldened by their previous actions, Keitaro laid down and moved closer than usual, wrapping his arms around her hesitantly. Immediately, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she snuggled up to his side. Not in an act of desperation, but one of mutual comfort and affection as together they drifted off to sleep.

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Time passed as things began to settle into a routine once again, Keitaro and Naru studying as much as they could as the other tenants attended their schools, worked their jobs, or lazed about if their name was Kitsune. Together, the married couple managed the Dormitories and all went well, days turning into weeks and weeks becoming month for the motley crew that inhabited the Hinata halls. Still, their affections for each other were rarely seen by the other tenants and to all outward appearances they were little more than good friends. Soon, it was the day before the big Exams, and not more than another three or for before Christmas itself, everyone up to their elbows in preparations for decorating their hallowed home.

"Be careful up there!" called Austin as Motoko and Su climbed the rooftops of the Inn and strung lights from the eves.

"Let'em alone, they'll be fine," said Haruka as she took the big red bows Ami handed her from below and nailed them in place along the pillars of the mansion. "Motoko's been doing the lights as long as she's lived here, and Su's been helping her for the last three years."

"They're still a long way up, though, and Keitaro would NOT be pleased to come home to a wife and tenant that need to be scraped from the pavement from falling too far."

"Ornaments coming through!" cried Kitsune as she and Shinobu appeared at the top of the steps, lugging huge boxes and panting heavily. "Oh, this had better be worth that bottle of sake you promised me, Haruka..."

"Work's good for you, it builds character," came the flat reply from the elder woman. "Keep moving, Kitsune. Another two or three things from the storage barn and you'll get your bottle."

"I'm gonna need it too, my back is killing me!"

Everyone hurried to get out of their way, Austin holding the door for them as they trundled inside.

"Did you actually bribe her to help?" asked Ami as she took a few garlands from the box outside with them, unrolling them carefully.

"Have to," shrugged Haruka. "It's the only way she ever does anything around here. Not that she knows it but I just added it onto her rent last month so I actually owe it to her regardless. Still, she helps with the work and that's what matters."

"I would usually call that underhanded and sneaky," commented Austin as he stretched out his stiff muscles slowly. "But seeing as I'm doing this for free too, it really doesn't matter does it?"

"Enough talking," cut in Haruka, jumping down from the ladder and tossing a few of the garlands in Austin's direction none too gently. "Get moving with these before the other two get home. It's supposed to be a surprise, remember?"

"Yes, ma'am..."

*THWAP* "I'm not a MA'AM!"

"I think you've finally been excepted as one of them," teased Ami as Austin rubbed the lump on his head, surprised as just how fast she was with that thing. How Keitaro avoided all the time was beyond him. "You're never going to live that one down once I tell the others about it."

"Gee, thanks..." They laughed together as they got to work, winding the long, vine-like around the railing on the stairs. Spacing it evenly and chatting all the while, they hardly noticed how much time passed before they reached the end, tying it off at the bottom before heading back up together.

Su came hurtling down the steps right about then, latching on to Austin much in the same way she did to Keitaro, though not as tightly because he tended to pass out quicker than the ronin did. "AUSTIN-KUN!!"

"Whoa!! Easy there, little girl, I guess that means you're done, huh?"

"Yep yep! Look, here comes Motoko too!!"

Austin followed her finger to where the swords master stood at the very tip top of the roof. "Huh? OH MY GOD!!"

She dove from that spot, completely a perfect flip as Austin froze in fear while she made a perfect landing on the ground below.

"You alright?" asked Ami as she poked her frozen friend.

"I really wish she wouldn't pull stunts like that," he replied with a sigh, holding a hand over his heart as Su just giggled.

"She's a trained professional, she should be fine," shrugged Ami.

"That doesn't make me feel any better about someone diving head first off the peak of a building!"

"You make it sound like she's trying to commit suicide or something. She knew what she was doing, Austin, she was in perfect control."

"Yeah, still..."

"If you two plan on standing there all day, you can also plan on not being there when we have the party!" called Haruka suddenly, Su racing ahead as everyone piled inside to help finish the decorating in there including the fixing of their tree. Ornaments, lights, bows, wreaths, and jolly little Santas went everywhere. Down the banisters, over the mantles, up and down the tree, in the windows, above the doors, it just went on and on and on. Kitsune snuck a bit of mistletoe above one of the doors in the shadows, planning on having some fun with it later but not letting anyone else see it for the time being.

Whistling merrily 'Deck the Halls with Bows of Holly' to herself, Ami was more than ready for some relaxing when it was finally over and joined Motoko in the hot springs. Enjoying the warmth and relative calm compared to the chaos inside, they sat side by side and talked idly as the tension was wonderfully drained from their taunt muscles.

"Ahhh, this feels great out here! I don't know how I managed to survive without a hot spring before this," sighed Ami as she leaned back, soaking up every iota of heat and warmth she could take in.

"You are always welcome to enjoy it whenever you like," replied the samurai with a smile. "You seem to have found yourself very much at home in Hinata-sou."

"Yeah, this place is incredible," admitted the foreigner with a grin of her own. "Austin and I haven't found a placed we liked this much since we left our parent's homes in N.C."

"N.C....was that where you lived America?"

"Yeah, for most of my life anyways. Austin, now he's lived just about everywhere it seems. He was in Hong Kong for awhile as a kid, and over in New Zealand, Tokyo, Korea, and Mexico too. That's why he speaks the language here so well, he's had a lot of practice, more than I got.

"In a few months your accent has improved some," offered Motoko kindly. "And hopefully, you will be around for many more years yet before you have to leave."

"Four years, at least," stated Ami knowingly. "So that big lug can finish his degree up at Toudai."

"He's made excellent marks in his classes this semester," pointed out Motoko lightly. "And spoke of some advance classes for after the New Year. As intelligent as he is, I have no doubt he could graduate a semester or even a full year early. What then?"

"Our grant is for four years, and while we did discuss that and then traveling again after he got his diploma...we agreed we didn't come here for Toudai's educational standards or so I could get a job. Japan is a place we've both dreams of living in all our lives, and we're happy here so why not stick around as long as we can?"

"Hey guys, party's about to start!" yelled Kitsune from the doorway into the springs. "Those two Toudai-chasers are gonna be home any minute!"

"We're coming," replied Motoko, rising from the steaming water with a shiver. "Brrr...the only downside to an outside hot spring is that it is hard to get warm again after getting out in cooler weather."

"Nothing a good mug of coffee won't cure!"

"How can you sleep with so much caffeine going through you system all the time?" asked the kendoist, glancing at her companion in awe.

"Not sure, but I do sleep at night," replied Ami with a grin. "And it's near well impossible to wake be up until I'm good and ready to! Ask Austin, he'll tell you."

"I'm sure he would," replied Motoko with a low chuckle, closing the door behind them before toweling off behind one of the screens with a shiver. Dressing in her usual hamaka and gi, she let her damp hair hand free around her shoulders. Coming out, she was surprised to see Ami in a casual skirt and blouse, struggling with some hose that matched the set nicely.

"What?" asked the foreigner when she noticed Motoko's odd look, blushing embarrassedly. "It's a party, right? And...I do like to dress up sometimes."

I did not expect it, that is all," explained Motoko, sitting beside her slowly. "What happened to 'casual and comfortable only'?"

"That applies to everyday things," said the American with a laugh. "But tonight's not an everyday night, is it? Even though the party's not in my or Austin's honor, I still feel like it may not be out of order to dress up a little..."

Motoko winced and glanced down at her plain, everyday practice clothes. Had she been neglecting one of her wifely duties, by not dressing up on the appropriate occasions? Seeing the odd look on the samurai girl's face, Ami touched her shoulder gently.

"Motoko...? Everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine," she replied automatically, rising from her seat to head for the entrance into the hallway. "We should hurry, the others have most likely started without us."

Ami followed, adjusting her skirt and top self consciously as she did. Austin was walking by right then with a load of trays in his hands, stopping dead in his tracks when he caught sight of his friend.

"Whoa...eh, you haven't worn that in awhile."

"I know." He blushed as she smiled at him, Motoko making herself scarce as they moved closer together.

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Keitaro trudged up the steps to the Inn, Naru at his side but as silent as ever with the facts and formulas of their review session still whirling around in their heads. He was surprised when they finally got to the top, though, the blaze of lights from the Inn dazzling his eyes and the homey decorations everywhere warming his heart considerably.

"They did it without us!" said Naru in disappointment, looking on everything with a mixture of pride and resentment. "Decorating's always been a group thing, everyone helps out at least a little..."

"Come on, it looks like they're all waiting for us inside," said Keitaro cheerfully. "The tree's up and everything!"

"Not quite," replied Naru as she spotted something he didn't, grinning in spite of herself.

"Huh?"

"Just walk, eventually you'll see."

"Ok...how do you think you're going to do tomorrow?"

"On the mock exam? Alright. I mean, I did have the HIGHEST score on the last test like this I took."

"Oh yeah, right. Well...good luck."

"Yeah, and you too I guess."

They entered the Inn amid the chaos, immediately accosted with hugs and wishes of luck all around as the party got underway in full swing despite the protests of the other two. Everyone gathered around the tree, perfectly decorated except there was nothing at the top, Keitaro watching as everyone formed a circle and pulled him in as well next to Motoko.

"Time for the star," said Haruka as if in some time-honored tradition that slowly came back to the young ronin.

"The star?" Keitaro's jaw dropped. "You don't mean that crystal one with the light inside? Hina-san's wishing star?!"

"The very same," replied Motoko.

"I can't BELIEVE they still have that thing!" cried the Manager in shock. "They got that before even oba-san was born, and that's almost 40 YEARS ago! That's practically prehistoric!"

Haruka's eye twitched. "I'm standing right here, you moron."

"Oops..."

Motoko reverently picked out one wooden crate from among the rest, easily removing the top before passing the silk-wrapped centerpiece to Naru. Around the room it went, passed from hand to hand including the new tenants, Su being the last one to touch it before she took it over to the ladder waiting by the tree.

"Youngest makes the final wish," murmured Keitaro as he moved closer to his wife's side, their hands intertwining between them where the others wouldn't notice. "Just like when I was a kid."

"I never understood why Hina made me take part in her 'silly Traditions' when I first came here," replied Motoko in a low voice as Su climbed the ladder with as much care as she could muster, gingerly placing the ancient star in its hallowed place. "To me, there was little point, no reason to celebrate or hope for the future. But now, I am glad that she did."

The switch was thrown, and everyone gasped in delight and awe and the little star pulsed with an ethereal light that bathed them all in its ancient splendor.

"Oo, pretty!"

"Look at it glow!"

"I've never seen anything quite like it...you?"

"Nope, can't say that I have."

"Man, that brings back some memories."

"At least you didn't drop it from a hangover this year."

"I told you not to hand it to me!"

"Hina-san said ever drunkards deserve a wish from time to time." Naru winked at her friend as everyone else chuckled lightly.

"Sounds like her, the old bat..."

"Good job, Su-chan," said Motoko as she helped the little girl down, easily catching her in mid-leap. "It is as beautiful as ever."

"Yep yep! Wanna hear my wish?"

"You cannot tell your wish, remember? Or it will not come true."

"Hina-san was a Disney fan incase you didn't notice," Haruka murmured to their American guests.

Ami nodded in understanding. "Let me guess, Cinderella?"

"Right on, for the most part. She had a thing with Pinocchio too, but not quite so much."

"Knew I'd heard those words somewhere before."

"I never thought such a thing would exist beyond my childhood," commented Keitaro as he let go of Motoko's hand, accepting Su's hug as she bounced merrily around the room before turning his back to the others and putting his arm about his wife's shoulders. "Why, I haven't seen that thing for at least 10, maybe 11 years..."

"I do not think things like that shall ever die," replied Motoko with a small grin of her own. "That is part of the magic of this place, this building and the people who inhabit it. Any tradition of love and kindness seems to live forever, regardless of obstacles it might have along the way." She glanced up at Keitaro, a teasing grin on her face. "Perhaps, even demon ridden, there would have been a place for you here, Keitaro, had you and I not married."

Holding her closer, he chuckled as he imagined the number of times he'd probably have been blown through the roof or the walls per day had he lived here like that. "I don't know if I'd have lived long, actually. My supposed 'immortality' doesn't mean I can't be killed, you know. And with the number of 'perverted acts' I would have been pinned for, my chance of surviving even a single year takes a sudden nosedive if you look at the odds right. "

"Yes, I know." Motoko suddenly went tense as she felt the back of her neck prickle, a simple ki scan telling her every single eye was on them in the entire room. "Oh, kami..."

"Something wrong?" asked Keitaro, turning to look at her. He noticed a smirking Kitsune out of the corner of his eye, also noting the way the majority of the tenants were watching them with either a shocked or amused interest. He blushed but turned back towards the tree. "...uh, what do we do now?"

"I am not sure," she replied, glad for her long hair for it blocked the others from a clear view of her flushed face. "But one cannot blame them, really. There is a first time for everything." She suddenly moved away from him, saying louder to the rest could hear. "I suppose I shall go help Shinobu in the kitchen, for there is still much to be done before the food is ready..."

"Auu!!! The bread!!" Shinobu flew into the kitchen, everyone else going back to their usual activities as Motoko disappeared after her and Keitaro sighed in relief that the attention had been removed from them once more. Or so he thought.

"So, Keitaro," said Kitsune as she slyly appeared beside the manager, nearly giving him a heart attack in the process. "Getting pretty close to our sword girl, aren't ya?"

Keitaro closed his eyes tightly as the foxy lady moved in like a wolf on its prey. "Oi..."

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Motoko worked alongside the young chef, quickly chopping the vegetables for her with the ease of having worked with blades all her life. "You are much faster at that than I am," admitted the young chef as she watched her friend's hands fly over the board and leave neatly sliced bits in her wake. "You must cook wonderful meals for Sempai on the nights we all cook for ourselves."

"Erm, well...not exactly." Shinobu looked up in confusion as Motoko blushed, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "I am actually only an average cook at best. My meals are well made, and very healthy but...rather plain. My skills were taught on the basis of necessary survival when upon a hunt of sorts, not upon actual culinary arts."

"Oh..."Shinobu seemed to think over this, chewing her lip in a involuntary show of concentration as she did. Suddenly brightening up, she grinned at her companion. "I know! I was have a difficult time thinking of a gift for you, Motoko-san, as you are rather difficult to shop for sometimes...what if I offered you cooking lessons instead?"

"I could not ask that of you," replied Motoko immediately, looking away as she did. "It is not becoming of a warrior to admit her failings. Besides, you do not have an obligation to get me anything for Christmas."

"You don't have to admit anything," replied Shinobu, putting a gentle hand on Motoko's arm. "That is my gift to you, if you'll accept it. And besides...you could not tell Keitaro-sempai and then surprise him one night."

Motoko glanced down at her young friend, one eyebrow slightly raised. "Is that not a bit conniving for you, Shinobu-chan?"

"Not really," she replied with a shrug. "But...you do want to impress Keitaro-sempai, don't you? I can't be strong like you, and help you hone your techniques with your sword, but I can teach you to cook!"

Her lips curling into an amused grin, Motoko bowed to her friend slightly. "I would be honored."

"Good! Oh...I left some trays out to stay cold in the bath courtyard, could you go get them for me?"

Motoko nodded, turning to head that direction as she did. "Of course."

♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦δ♦

Su bounced through the room, occasionally stopping by some of the others long enough to give one of them a noogie or one of her death-grip hugs, but spent the majority of her time amusing herself as she leapt through the air. Practically climbing the wall with the use of a doorframe and a window ledge, she crouched before the small window at the peak of the roof, looking outside curiously when something caught her eye.

Holding her breath so as not to fog the glass, Su witnessed the first snowflake falling from the sky, winding its way downwards as it gleamed in the light of the streetlamps. Su immediately jumped from her spot, racing towards Keitaro as fast as she could.

"First snow!! First snow!! First snow!!" she cried as she grabbed him around the neck, nearly choking him to death. "Where's Motoko-chan??"

"She's...*gasp*...kitchen..."

"Come on, we have to find her fast!!" Keitaro felt himself dragged across the floor as Su seized his arm and yanked him after her, not giving him any room for argument as she sped into the kitchen area. "Drat, she's not here...to the roof!!"

Shinobu, who was still at work at the stove, glanced up to see Su stick her head in before disappearing once more. "I hope they weren't looking for Motoko-san," she mused as the door closed behind them. "She'll be back any moment now..."

Keitaro felt himself practically flying through the air as Su dragged him up the stairs and down the hallways, coming back downstairs to the main room moments later to see his wife come out from the kitchen door.

"Motoko-chan!!" Su came hurtling towards her, letting go of Keitaro who nearly fell to his knees in exhaustion from trying to keep up.

"She's...*pant* ...been...*pant*....looking for....*pant* ....you," he gasped as he tottered over, leaning forwards as he tried to catch his breath.

"And you are about to fall over and die," she sighed with a wry grin, guiding him towards one of the single chairs and bidding him to sit with Su still clinging to her back and desperately trying to her attention. "Alright, Su-chan. What are you so excited about?"

"It's snowing!" cried Su, grabbing her hand and pulling her over to the closest window. "First snow of the year!"

Sure enough, small flecks of white drifted from above and stuck to whatever they hit. "Shinobu-chan, it's the first snow!" cried Su as the other middle school girl stuck her head out of the kitchen to see what he commotion was about. "Motoko's gonna do the wind-thingy for us!"

The samurai girl hesitated, unsure of what to do in this situation. "I would Su-chan, but I am still without a blade of my own, remember?"

"You're more than welcome to borrow one of mine," offered Ami with a grin. "Whatever it is, I'd hate to see those two disappointed."

"To the roof!!" declared Su, pulling Motoko along as she raced for the steps at a full tilt. Shinobu, to all's surprise, cheered and dashed after them leaving her apron behind.

"What's going on?" asked Keitaro as he watched Ami climb after them, Austin close on her tail.

"I'm not sure," admitted Naru hesitantly. "They've always had their little 'ritual' for the first snow of the year, but Kitsune and I have never seen it."

"Let's go have a look," suggested the ronin, already on his feet and heading for the stairs. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm curious to see what all this is about."

"Well, I dunno if..."

"Come on," said Kitsune with a wink, linking her arm through Naru's and all but dragging her along up the stairs. "Whatever it is, it has to be better than sitting around here alone, right?"

"I guess so."

Eventually they reached the top of the stairs, finding Ami and Austin already crouched by the door with their eyes pressed against the crack.

"What're you doing out here?" asked Keitaro in a whisper, kneeling beside them as he did. Naru and Kitsune were right behind him, leaning in closer so they could hear and see at the same time.

"Motoko-san asked us to leave, something about a 'certain people only' thing," replied Ami with a wink. "Not that that's gonna stop us." Opening the door a little wider, the scene unfolded before their eyes and left them completely speechless.

Motoko stood near the edge of the roof, an unfamiliar sword unsheathed and in hand as she took a peculiar stance. Suddenly, she twirled in a complex series of steps that ended in a one-legged stance with her sword pointed straight up. The now around her swirled upwards and suddenly burst into the shape of a blooming lotus, visible as the winds cut clear paths along the edges of the image.

"Ooh, pretty flower!" Su did a cartwheel out of happiness.

"Ahh..." Shinobu watched it with a touch of awe in her eyes.

"Whoa." Ami pushed Austin's jaw closed, though she herself was just as amazed as he was.

Su and Shinobu went still as the swordswoman began to moved again, her sweeping motions resembling something of a dance rather than a kata or training steps. The winds, as if obeying her beck and call, teased and twined themselves about her like curious cats, ruffling her robe and hair lightly. Weaving the blade is several shorter lines, she carefully pushed it up into the form of a blossoming rose that then drifted apart the moment it was complete.

Suddenly, what was happening hit Keitaro over the head like one of Haruka's fans, him falling into his 'Sensing' mode so he could watch more closely. Blocking out the sight and presence of the others around him, Keitaro focused on the image as the scarlet flame danced before his eyes. The sword, used as a channel just like when she did her ki attacks, traced patterns through the air and those patterns shaped the wind and air into the forms she desired. He'd bet his shirt the attacks she did worked the exact same way, only now there was the light dusting of snow to carry the form and give a physical representation of what was happening. Though there were soaring birds and leaping animals, the moon and stars within her work the main theme seemed to be flowers of all shapes and sizes. Roses, tulips, starflowers, mayflowers, daisies, lavender, lionsheart, daffodils, and a dozen more he didn't even know the name of.

Eventually her steps began to slow, the whole thing ending as it had begun with a lotus flower that seemed to hand in midair before disappearing completely with a gentle gust of wind. Panting slightly, she turned to the pair and gave them a gentler smile than usual.

"There is your one show of the year," she told her two companions, sheathing the blade once more and setting it aside before letting Su hang from her shoulders and Shinobu give her an impromptu hug about her. "Come, we had best get back before the others-" Her word died as she noticed the five extra sets of eyes watching from the cracked doorway. Blushing as they continued to stare in shock and awe, she simply finished with a soft, "...oh."

Smirking suddenly as she realized enough now had accumulated, she suddenly grabbed the sword once more and let off three short bursts of ki that scooped up the white powder and dumped it through the door onto the uninvited spectators. "That will teach you to spy. Really, I expected better of you-"

Her words were cut off as a snowball caught her right in the face, quickly wiping it from her eyes to see Naru standing there sticking her tongue out at her with one eyelid pulled down. "Naah!!"

"Oh, that's it!!" She put the sword aside and scooped up some snow into her hands, letting off a round at her friend as she hid behind Kitsune with a squeak, the foxy lady taking the brunt of the attacks in surprise.

"Ack!! Oh, you're asking for it now!"

Su giggled as she bounced around, gathering up large clumps of the frozen fluff and firing them off at random. "Snowball fight!! Geronimo!!"

The white missiles were soon flying back and forth fast and thick, with not particular sides taken and everyone pitted against everyone else. Ami and Austin suddenly banned together, covering for each other as they took refuge behind the corner of the Inn. Unfortunately for them, Su and Motoko then leapt over the edge of the roof and came down behind them, forcing them out into the open where the rest waited to hit them with a barrage of snowballs.

Things soon collapsed though, as far as their 'teams' went and soon it was once more another huge free for all.

Motoko pursued Keitaro around area, wanting revenge for the handful of the snow that had been stuffed down the back of her shirt not moments before. At that moment his feet decided to slip from under him, the rules of gravity still applying to the ronin though much of his bad luck had disappeared he went sprawling on his stomach. Motoko, hot on his tail, tripped over him and lost her balanced as well, Grunting from the impact, Keitaro opened his mouth to apologize only to find his mouth stuffed with snow and his eyes partially blinded.

"You should not mess with an Aoyama, even and ex- one, in battle," she commented as he sputtered around the snow in his mouth. "We are rather vindictive at times."

Keitaro coughed up the last of the snow, then chuckled weakly. "So I can see, my mistake." He sat up as they both looked around, Ami clinging to Austin's back as he unsuccessfully tried to get her to stop putting snow down his shirt just off to their right. Shinobu ran around in circled as Su chased her relentlessly, barely able to keep ahead of her energetic friend as Naru and Kitsune lay collapsed by the door out barely able to breath they were laughing so hard. "Wow, what a way to end this day..."

"A rather cold day, though." Motoko sneezed as the wind suddenly began to pick up, sending chills down everyone's backs.

"Come on you guys, everyone inside!" he called as the sun began to set in the distance. "Man, it's getting nippy out here."

"And more than a little damp." Motoko wrapped her arms about herself to ward off the cold, her wet hamaka and gi sticking to her chilled flesh like a second skin.

"Let's get changed real quick," suggested Keitaro as he noticed Naru and Su slipped into their rooms, pushing his damp bangs out of his eyes as he closed the door behind them. "Most everyone else is too, and we don't want to track this stuff all over the place. Though that was a lot of fun!"

"You made a rather interesting opponent," admitted Motoko with a wry chuckle. "You are the only one there who was able to sneak up on me like that."

"Not half as interesting as you were with that sword dance," he countered. "Thank was ki manipulation on a really fine level, wasn't it?"

"To put it simply, yes."

"That was absolutely incredible," he gushed on, closing the door behind them before stripping off his head shirt and sweater. "I 'Watched' like you showed me, and wish the others could have seen it too. I never thought something used to combat another, be it defensive or offensive, could be so beautiful."

Motoko, who'd relinquished the screen as her practice clothes were in the chest of drawers on the others side of the room, blushed profusely. "Erm...thank you."

"If you don't mind me asking..." Keitaro buttoned up his shirt as he walked back into the main part of the room, turning away quickly when he saw Motoko with only her chest binding and practice pants on. "Oh, sorry!"

"Hm?" She looked up, flushing even more as she realized he'd already finished and probably gotten an eyeful though her chest bindings kept her halfway decent. "My apologies, I will try to hurry," she said quickly, forcing herself to keep her voice steady. "You were going to ask me something, though?"

"It's alright, we're not in a hurry," he assured her quietly. "But...where did you learn that from? And why were the other girls never told about it? I'm sure they would have enjoyed it then too."

"When Su moved here, she'd never seen snow before and she hated it. It was cold and wet, and cold onto everything and lasted too long for her...but I told her it could be very beautiful as well. My mother had been known for her sword dance skills, and it was she who forged the technique of using minute amounts of ki to manipulate wind streams and shape them into recognizable forms. The wind itself, though, is not seen so she began to add other parts to it. Sand, dust, flower petals." Motoko's lips curled into a slight grin. "Snow. Even rain and hail, though the images do not come out half as clear."

"I bet if you tried, it'd still be beautiful," said Keitaro admiringly. "Even if I were to start right now and train twice as hard as you do until the day I die, I'd still never be half the sword master you are right now."

"You should not say things that are not true," stuttered Motoko, blushing furiously. "We have discussed that before, you have a great potential should you choose to cultivate such skills as I have..."

"And I have no desire to," replied Keitaro with a shrug, glancing back to see she'd finished tying her belt and was fully dressed. "Which we've also discussed."

"Yes, I know."

Keitaro sighed. Motoko still agreed with nearly everything he said, but at least they were getting to know each other better than before. "Come on," he said with a grin, opening the door and standing to the side so she could exit first. "There's a party downstairs that's waiting for us. Shall we?" Keitaro extended his arm to his wife.

She accepted it, albeit still hesitantly. "Yes, let's."

Their appearance downstairs was met with cheers and teases from Kitsune, both quickly getting caught up in the swirl of things. Hours passed, bottles of sake downed, but neither one remembered much of it and were content to let the world pass them by until the next morning...

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

And that is Chapter 6! Just a few quick disclaimers: I don't own Disney, or any of the ideas with the whole 'if you tell a wish it won't come true' etc, etc, etc. If you've seen Disney movies, you know what belongs to me and what doesn't. Just covering my butt here.

Now on to Author's Notes:

*Please be sure to at least skim these, I know I don't reply to ALL reviews, I just don't have the time and space, but to some especially long ones or ones that bring up certain incidents and such I do usually have a word or two in reply. Thank you!

#1. While ki manipulation is very martial-arts-ish, Keitaro has always struck me as a very caring, protective, and nurturing person. Thus, it seemed entirely plausible that he would catch on to something like 'Healing' so quickly and easily. It's far more a part of who he is than combat or fighting ever will be, that's for sure. 'Sensing' seems like it'd be a really simple thing to pick up on, though, and since he's so powerful it always seemed like he should be able to detect others more easily (aka: have a higher-powered radar system, sort of). This is no way reflects how easily he shall learn other things later on in the story. Also, this was something he felt he HAD to do. Often times people push themselves beyond 'normal' or 'possible' limits when something they care about is on the line. ^_^

#2. Grammar, argh, one of my true failings. My apologies for that, I do try but some chapters get more proof-reading than others in depending with the time frames that I have to work with and all. I am trying to catch most of it, I really am! But spell and grammar check only does so much, you know. That, and my computer's retarded. .;; About Keitaro's 'promise girl' and the whole trying to get into Toudai. If you haven't noticed, Keitaro's parents are never really encouraging as far as his entrance into the University. In fact, as I remember it in the anime, they were downright discouraging, telling him to get out of the house and pay his own bills if he wasn't going to choose a college he could at least get into. For them in this story, Toudai wasn't a lever to boost his self-esteem up, it was a way to tear him down more and more every time he failed. Pretty mean, I know, but....well, you'll find out more later on. ^_^

#3. About the ACT and SAT scores. As you can see, that's not always a factor in why a person chooses to go to a school. I myself made better-than-decent scores on the SAT, and could get into some better-then-decent colleges, but I'm choosing to go to a lower-ranked school because it's where I've always dreamed of going and living. Austin's there not for the programs per-say, but for the places around the college itself, including Hinata-sou.

#4. Newbies! Yay! Oh *evil cackle* we shall have much fun with them. They shall have many varying purposes, but...yeah, a few of those should be fairly obvious. ^_~

#5. Confessing their love, aww...., I know it wasn't it this chapter but that is coming up so be sure not to miss it when it arrives!

#6. I'm not taking offers for Beta-readers. I know there's sometimes grammar issues, and I'm sure those of you that offer are good at it. But some authors have bad experiences with bad beta readers and never go back. I would be one of them.

#7. Never assume there is only one way for a fan fiction to go. ^_~ Though because I already have my plans laid I'm not going to change it, there are many ways even a scenario like this could go wrong. Good thing this story's not listed under angst, so there's little worry of that though.

#8. To the rest of my reviewers, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! This is the reason I update so often, cuz I love hearing from you guys so much. I actually sat down the night I finished my Senior Exit stuff and wrote most of this just cuz I wanted to get it up for you guys as quickly as I could. The fact that I didn't really go to school the next to days helped as well. ^_^;; Hope you all enjoyed it as always and don't forget, REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED, NO MATTER WHAT!!!

~CB~

'The faintest stirrings of a butterfly's wings can cause a tsunami on the other side of the world.'

SWORD TERMINOLOGY:

Tsuba: guard, between the blade and the handle

Fuchi: Front pommel, at the top of the handle

Kashira: rear pommel, at the end of the scabbard

Tuska: grip wrapping on the handle underneath cording, usually of tanned leather

Tsuka-ito: grip wrapping on the handle, usually of cotton cording

Saya: Scabbard

Kojori: End cap at the 'bottom' of the sheath

Koi-guchi: throat cap at the 'top' of the sheath were the sword enters

Kuri-gata: wrapping cord eyelet

Saya-Ito: wrapping on scabbard below the throat cap

These terms were used out of respect for the style of Japanese swords and the fact that there isn't an easy translation for some of the parts as they don't exist on English blades. ^_^;;

* The Orchid Katana and blade set with Wakizashi and Tanto is made by an actual sword company, I didn't make it up it belongs entirely to them and someday I SHALL own a set of it myself. ^_^ *drools* But here's the site if you wish to go see it under the katana section: www.swordmark.com