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.

7. Christmas Pastimes

Chapter 7, coming through!! Man, the updates before this one just flew up, this one just kinda plodded along though…sorry! As usual a HUGE Thank You to all those who reviewed out there, much love to you all!! And now, as I'm sure you're all very impatient to see just what happens the next morning....here's chapter 7:

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Naru slowly pealed one eye open, the first image to hit her bleary vision being the clock, a clock that showed the time being about 20 minutes from when her test was to start. A single thought formed in her sake-clouded mind, coming through loud and clear as panic suddenly gripped her by heart and kick started her into motion with an almost electric shock.

"Oh, SHIT! I'm LATE!!!"

Scrambling to her feet, Naru ran to her room as a curious Kitsune followed, already on her second saucer of sake for the morning and feeling just fine. Searching for clean clothes and stuffing some notes in her book bag, the foxy lady just chuckled in amusement as Naru suddenly paused.

"Did Keitaro leave already?" she asked quickly.

"Don't know," admitted her friend with a shrug. "Seems unlikely he'd go without you, but no one's seen him or Motoko since they disappeared upstairs last night right before I passed out. Last thing I remember, really."

Before Kitsune could react, Naru marched across the hall and yanked the door to their room open without so much as knocking first, barging right in. "Urashima, we're-"

Her voice fled her at the sight of Motoko and Keitaro still asleep in their bed, him flat on his back with one arm around his wife's waist and the other hand entangled in the raven locks strewn across his chest and her curled up at his side with his shoulder as her pillow and her arms clasped loosely about his waist. They were both obviously dressed, as the blankets were pooled about their waists and neither one was less than decent, but their was a look of cuddly contentment about them that unnerved the pair in the doorway none the less.

The couple woke from the sound of the door being practically ripped from its post, Motoko freezing with a very deer-in-the-headlights sort of look on her face and Keitaro just confused out of his mind. Not that Naru and Kitsune rushed to explain what was going on, they were too shocked or amused with the sight before them to say anything at all.

"Um..." Keitaro was the first to break the silence, as tactful as ever. "Why are you guys in here? It's only..." He glanced up at the clock, immediately leaping from the bed and dashing for the changing screen with the realization that they were horribly late. "AH!!"

"Sorry to wake you," teased Kitsune, winking coyly as she was the first to recover herself in all this. Motoko blushed and wrapped herself in the covers, sitting up with her head still bowed. "Though, if you don't want people barging in you aught to lock your door at night."

"We do, and we did, which puzzles me..." Motoko looked at the door, eyes widening as she saw the lock dangling rather brokenly from the door. "I suppose that would explain it, however that would have taken quite a bit of force..."

"Sorry!" cried Naru, turning a flaming red as she realized she'd been staring. "I just, um, it was late and-"

"Not time to talk, gotta run, bye!" yelled Keitaro as he went racing out the door, grabbing Naru's wrist and dragging her with him.

Motoko rose to her feet, spotting Keitaro's student I.D. on the table by the bed, forgotten in the headlong rush out the door. Quickly picking it up, he came barging back in seconds later and took it from her with a sigh of relief.

"Thanks," he said, giving her a quick hug. She kissed him lightly, pushing him back gently when he tried to follow her.

"For luck," she said simply.

"Thanks again, then," he said as Naru's tenacious grasp caught him by the collar and dragged him out the door. "Bye!"

"Good bye, Keitaro-kun."

"You," said Kitsune as she put an arm around Motoko's shoulders. "Have a LOT of explaining to do. Come on!"

"Wait, where are we going?!"

"The hot springs, where else?" replied the foxy one with her trademark wink. "That's the only place I can get anything out of you, for some reason. It's like all the hot water makes you vulnerable, or something..."

"By Kami..."

Shinobu waved to them at the bottom of the stairs, heading out with Haruka for their usual groceries as Keitaro would be unable to do it that day. Su was no where to be seen, but hearing the clicks, whirs, and foreign curses emitting from her room's direction convinced the pair to leave her well enough alone.

Ami, they found as they entered the spring, was already there enjoying her usual morning bath. Kitsune snuck up behind the young woman and dumped a bucket of cold water over her head before the samurai could stop her, leaving their friend sputtering in shock as Kitsune chuckled giddily. Her mirth was short-lived, though, as she squeaked in surprise at being shoved straight into the water by a firm push from their sword-bearing friend. Surfacing to the laughing pair, she sighed and shook out her short hair as Motoko doused herself with the usual cold water and gave herself a quick scrub before lowering herself a great deal more gracefully into the water.

"I would dunk you, but I think she took care of that for me, oh drowned fox," said Ami with a satisfied chuckle.

"I'd like to see you try," retorted Kitsune with an odd smirk on her face. "Anyways, you looked very cozy this morning, Motoko-chan."

The said young woman shrugged, attempting to keep herself calm though she wasn't able to completely banish the blush that spread across her cheeks. "Is there some I should not have been?"

"What's she talking about?" asked Ami, a confused look on her face.

"Naru burst in their room this morning, and found the married couple all nicely cuddled in bed," explained Kitsune mischievously, Ami blushing for the sake of her friend as Motoko completely lost the battle and turned as red as a prize tomato. "So tell me, Motoko-chan, was he unusually smooth in his moves last night, or has that become a common occurrence? I wonder what it would've taken for you to get that close to begin with, too."

"It is none of your business."

"Aww, come on, you must've found another word to besides 'gentle' to describe his bedtime ways by now," prodded Kitsune mercilessly.

"I feel no obligation to answer your questions."

"I pay you rent, and I take Su for you every other week," pointed out Kitsune.

"The rent all tenants pay, and we give you a bottle of sake every week for your time with Su!" retorted Motoko, frowning in annoyance.

"That is so worth more than one bottle of sake! Not all of us were raised to endure hours of pain on end, sword girl."

"Not that you are coherent enough to know the difference between pain and a hangover at that point most of time, hm?"

"If I may suggest something," broke in Ami before things could get more heated than they were. "What if, every other week, part of the deal with Kitsune taking Su is she gets to ask you any one question . That's free, and while she'd get a chance to think over her question ahead of time she'd only get to ask ONE. And since she's been doing that for a couple of months, today she gets to ask, say, four questions."

"I'll take it!" said Kitsune immediately, extending her hand so they could pinky promise it. "I'll even throw in the guarantee I won't bug either of you about less rent until after this summer, and I won't ask the questions unless it's just you and me.

"I feel as if I am about to sell my soul to the devil," commented Motoko hesitantly as she slowly extended her pinky, linking it with Kitsune's firmly.

"Not your soul, hun," came the sly reply. "Just your brain. Or what's contained inside it, anyways."

"Well, I'd better get back to the Tea Shop and open up before Haruka gets back," said Ami as she rose from the water, leaving the poor kendoist to her fate. "Later, you two."

Kitsune grinned, deciding to go straight for the kill without beating around the bush. "Now, for my first question...have you had mad passionate sex, or any other kind of sex with your hubby yet?"

Motoko looked her straight in the eye. "No."

That brought a sight of disappointment, but not one the info-aholic couldn't work around. "Hell, that's gonna put a limit on things...alright, second question then. How far did you get before that demon showed up? The details were rather vague there after all, nothing past rumpled clothes with the other layers already taken off. Say like, what base?"

Motoko frowned, obviously perplexed as she tried to understand the meaning behind the word. "Base? I'm afraid  I do not understand."

Her companion shrugged, as if it should be obvious though she explained it none the less. "Think of bases as in like the diamond they use in baseball?"

"I do not see what that has to do with relations between a man and a woman," murmured the samurai in confusion.

Kitsune rolled her eyes. "Just hang with me a sec! Each base represents a 'stage' in a way. First would be kissing, with or without tongue, second he's going up your shirt, third he's down your pants with his hands, and a homerun would mean you're not a virgin anymore."

"Oh..." Motoko seemed to think on that, retracing the steps of that night before shivering slightly as if in pleasure as she replied quietly. "I would suppose second, then...yes, second. Or, perhaps part of the way there...? Is it possible to be between bases?"

"Sort of. Have you ever gone that far with him against since you've gotten back here?" prodded Kitsune greedily, trying to get a good gauge on just how the two stood with each other as their actual relationship with each other was rarely seen by the others. "And if so when."

Cursing her inability to lie effectively in such situations, Motoko sighed as she blushed. "Once, the first night we were back at Hinata-sou together. We were both more than a little drunk, and things ran a little warm for awhile." She coughed as she attempted to regain control of herself once more. "That is three," she added after a few moments of silence. "You only have one more."

"Oh, I know, believe me I'm hunting for a good one." So, they were close, but not that physically close yet. Still, there had to be some little detail there she had yet to dig out of her married friend that she hadn't asked yet. Kitsune closed her eyes, opening the right one suddenly to pin her wary companion with a triumphant look.

Motoko quietly gulped, inching away slightly. Oh hell, I'm dead. I may be the warrior of our group, but she has us all beat hands down when it comes to prying information out of others. Please, I pray this is not too painful...

"My fourth and final question is..." stated Kitsune, drawing it out as long as she could to watch the usually unmovable samurai squirm. "How does your dearest Keitaro kiss?"

"What?!" Her eyes were so big, Kitsune swore she thought they'd pop straight out of her head.

"You heard me, kendo girl, and now that I know you remember the details of your little 'encounters' with him, I'm sure you could describe them too."

"How can I describe something I have nothing to compare it to?!"

"Do your best, it's not like I'm grading you but a deal is a deal and you have to say something."

Motoko hesitated, her words coming only a few at a time with pauses occasionally as she sought the best words or phrase possible. "Gentle, but you already know that...not demanding or begging...inviting and warm, usually..." Kitsune held her breath as Motoko went on, soaking in every work with the air of a professional snoop. "He tastes...I am unsure of what he tastes like, actually. But it is like nothing I have tasted before in my life. Yes, I do find his kisses to be enjoyable and...exciting at times. I believe I understand now why everyone is so concerned about who their first kiss will come from, and when."

"Were you satisfied with your first kiss?"

"Yes, very. Though, I was not exactly in control of myself at the time."

"None of us ever are, hun, that's the great part of it all." Kitsune sat back, unusually sated with all this new info floating around her mind as her companion fidgeted nervously.

"Eh...Kitsune?" she said after awhile, obviously hesitant as she did.

"Yeah?"

"If I may ask you something...? For you did get one more question than was your due share..."

"Shoot, hun, that's what I'm here for."

"Er...what would a suitable gift for one's husband be?"

Kitsune's eyes opened fully in surprise. "You mean you haven't gotten Keitaro anything yet?? Hun, it's only a few days 'till Christmas!"

"I know that!" snapped Motoko, rising from the water quickly. "If you do not wish to assist me, you only need to say so."

The foxy lady caught the samurai girl's arm, a grin on her face. "I didn't say that. Hurry up and get changed, my friend, we're going to the mall!"

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Keitaro sat among the other students in the huge room, bent over his test and scribbling in his answers furiously. Naru was a few seats in front of him, only her back and the tips of her braids visible as she hunched protectively over her work. Plowing through the questions, Keitaro felt his heart constrict in panic as he ran across a page of math equations he didn't know how to solve. The equivalent was much like that of a charging bull running into a brick wall, and he could feel a result similar to that as his attention scattered in several directions at once.

Oh no, what if the rest of the test goes like this?? I'm not that far through it yet, and if I can't finish it I'm sure to fail... On the verge of full-out panic, he suddenly went still as he felt the ghost of warm lips touching his and 'For luck' reverberated through his mind. Sighing slowly, Keitaro marked the page and skipped past it to the problems he did know how to do. Getting back into the rhythm again, he chugged along steadily. Everything was gonna be alright, he could do this. He could master this test.

He hoped.

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Motoko followed Kitsune as the foxy lad wove her way in and out of the daytime crowds, coming to a stop at the Food Court where she picked up a bottle of beer and sat at one of the small side tables.

"Why are we stopping here?" inquired Motoko as she sat as well, obviously feeling out of place in her surroundings. "I thought the point of this excursion was  to help me in the finding of a gift for Keitaro."

"Yeah, but I just realized I have no idea what Keitaro likes so you're going to have to help me out in this a little," replied Kitsune lightly. "Now, generally married wives seem to get their husbands ties or socks or golf clubs or something like that, but you and Keitaro are hardly ordinary."

"Then...it would not be appropriate for me to purchase such things for him?" asked Motoko, slightly puzzled.

"Well, it might be a nice gesture but it'd be as empty as air, really. If you're gonna buy something, make it a gift that'll mean something to you both."

"Oh." The swordswoman mulled over this as Kitsune contentedly sipped her beer.

"You could get him some new cologne," she offered after a couple of minutes had lapsed. "What kind does he wear, anyways?"

"None, that I know of," admitted Motoko hesitantly. A small, reflective smile crept on her face as she added mostly to herself, "Not that he needs it..."

"Earth to Motoko!"  called Kitsune, her companion focusing back on the present with a blush. "Well, not ties or cologne...there is one thing you could give him that no guy in his right mind would say no to."

"What is that?"

Motoko was sure she was going to regret those words the moment she said them, Kitsune leaning forward in a conspiratorial manner with a wink. "Yourself."

"Myself? I do not..." The meaning of it suddenly hit her over the back of the head like a two-by-four, the swordswoman blushing profusely as she sputtered quietly in denial.

"It'd be easy," went on Kitsune, planning it all out in her mind. "Some black leather bits, and you wouldn't even have to buy all those, I'll lend you a few. Though you might prefer to go with a silk teddy or something like that...the shop's right over there, you can see it from here, if you wanna go take a look at what they've got. A few hours alone as a gift from the rest of us, and I'm sure I could swing that without our youngest friends knowing if you want..."

"No." Motoko's response was low, but clear, Kitsune sighing in disappointment as she did. "I would rather burn within all nine hells than shame myself in that manner."

"Oh well. So, no you, no cologne, and no ties...well, shirts might work. What's his favorite brand?"

"Generally he tends towards the sweaters and buttoned up collared shirts when he is out doing something other than working on the Inn, but I did not notice any brand in particular while doing our laundry."

Kitsune winked. "Humbled to menial tasks, eh? Still, we might be able to go on the shirts route. Come on, there's a shop right over there in nice clothing and I think it'll be easy to find what we're looking for."

"Very well."

Together they got up and walked towards the store, Kitsune heading straight for the Men's Department as Motoko reluctantly followed. Beginning to browse through what selections they had, something clicked in the foxy lady's mind that she'd forgotten to ask.

"Hey, Motoko-chan?"

"Yes?"

"What sort of a budget are we working with here?"

"Money's not an issue," Motoko assured her with a shrug. "It is more important that a suitable gift is found."

"Alrightly, then. What do you think of these two? I'm leaning more towards the red, but I can't quite remember what the color of his eyes are..."

Time passed as they argued the merits of different shirts, finally settling on three they could agree on. Purchasing their choices and with the department bag hanging safely from Motoko's hand the pair was just about to leave when something caught the sword girl's eye.

"Kitsune, go on ahead without me," she called suddenly. "I will return shortly on my own." The foxy lady turned only to lose sight of her tall friend, glimpsing her only once more and headed in the general direction of the lingerie store she'd pointed out earlier.

Chuckling to herself, she congratulated herself on a successful day of meddling as she exited the mall with a slight saunter in her steps. Oh, if she was right, Keitaro was in for one hell of a surprise.

Motoko stroke along confidently, by passing the store Kitsune had wanted to go into to turn into the quaint shop next door. The sign over the entrance read 'Ye Ole Art Shoppe', and she perused over the items on the window shelves before walking inside.

"Evening, miss," greeted the old man behind the register with a friendly but respectful grin. "Something I can help you with?"

"Yes," she replied carefully with a shy nod. "My husband, he has great artistic talent sketching things he has seen, but he has never been granted the ability to expand his talents beyond what he could teach himself. Could there be a such a gift that would satisfy that here?"

"A sketcher, you say?" The old man hopped from his stool, shuffling towards the shelves as he did. "You look a bit young to be married, ma'am, but I believe this shall suit your needs none the less."

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Keitaro was the first in line for his test scores the moment they came out, leaving Naru to scramble after him as he rushed towards the bus station.

"Hey, wait up!" she cried as she almost lost sight of him a few times. "Kami, that guy's fast when he's in a hurry!"

"Come on, come on, come on..." Keitaro stood by the empty tracks, waitin impatiently for it to arrive. Naru just barely managed to reach his side as it pulled into the station, grabbing onto his coat as he practically leapt aboard incidentally pulling her along with him.

"Baka!" she yelled as she barely managed to keep her balance, but Keitaro was beyond even noticing her insults at this point. He stared intently at the front of the train, almost as if by will alone he could somehow make it go faster. Finally it reached their station and he jumped out, making a bee-line for the Inn while ducking and dodging through the afternoon crowds.

He ran up the steps of the Inn, Naru barely keeping up as she jogged after him. "Urashima, what's the rush?! Just open it and see what your score is, baka!"

"I can't!" he called back as he opened the door and kicked off his shoes. "It's bad luck!"

"Bad luck?! What the hell are you talking about, you freak!"

"It just is!" Spotting Kitsune on the couch, he waved to her with a grin. "Hey, Kitsune-san! Have you seen Motoko-chan around?"

"She just got home, so I would guess she's upstairs," she replied with a sly grin. "You looking forward to Christmas, Keitaro?"

"Uh, yeah, why?" He paused at the bottom of the steps, thrown off by the random subject change.

"Just a hunch that you might be more surprised on Christmas day than you thought!!"

"Ok...well, thanks for the warning...? See you later."

"Yeah, later."

"What was she talking about, more surprised than I thought?" wondered Keitaro under his breath as he took the steps two at a time, glancing back over his shoulder in confusion when he reached the top of the steps. "Oh well, guess I'll find out Christmas day."

He reached his room and tried to open the door, surprised to find a new lock already in place and apparently in use. Knocking, he called, "Motoko-chan? Are you in there?"

"Keitaro? Oh! Sorry, just a moment..." There was the sound of papers rustling and a drawer sliding shut before the bolt slid back and he was able to enter the room. "My apologies, I was finishing some wrapping..."

Seeing the mess of paper and tape on the low table, Keitaro just grinned with an understanding nod as she resumed her place there. "Oh, that's alright."

"How was it?" she asked as he came and sat down beside her, turning so they were facing each other.

"I don't know," he admitted sheepishly as he put the sealed envelope in her hands carefully. "I want you to open it."

"Me? But I-"

"For luck," he added shyly, meeting her eyes with his own before she nodded slightly. "Also...if I don't pass, don't tell me by how much. I just wanna know if I got high enough to make it or not."

"Very well." Her nimble fingers easily opened the sealed flap and pulled out the folded sheets of paper. Her sigh of relief and immediate smile told him everything he needed to know, though, whopping for joy as he jumped and danced about the room.

"I passed! I passed! I passed! By how much? What was my score and rank?"

"They are not as exceptional as last time, but both commendable none the less. You placed near the middle of the group," admitted the samurai girl as she carefully read over the charts with his points of interest highlighted. "Narusegawa-san scored much higher than you, but she was ranked highest of the first year applicants last fall. You both should be very pleased."

"I, for one, am!"

"You two in here?"

Motoko immediately swept several of the gifts off the table onto the floor on the other side where they couldn't be seen, sighing in relief that they were out of sight as Naru suddenly stuck her head in the door. "Did you not learn your lesson to knock this morning?" she asked with mock severity, earning herself a blush from the elder girl.

"Er...well...I did call first, this time. Anyways, we're having a party downstairs to celebrate! I assume he passed from that racket I heard?"

"Yeah, isn't it great?!" gushed Keitaro.

"I still scored higher," she replied with a flippant shrug of pride. "Betcha can't get that high on the next test!"

"Oh, we'll see about that."

"Whatever. Just don't be late, we're gonna start in a couple of hours, ok?"

"We won't!"

Keitaro chuckled as Motoko brought the unwrapped gifts back into the open with a sigh. "Should I leave you alone to finish this?" he asked politely. "Seeing as I've managed to disrupt you enough as it is already."

"No, in fact I would appreciate your help, if you do not mind...?" She looked up at him, a masked look on her face as if unsure of offering such a thing. "There is nothing here you cannot see, but...you do not have to stay if you do not wish to. I'm sure you have many other things to attend to, as Manager."

Keitaro smiled, the warmth that radiated from his smile melting her insides little by little until she felt like she was nothing more than a little puddle of Motoko-goo. "I'd love to. Who's this for?" He help up a fuzzy monkey with a bunch of bananas in hand.

"Su-chan, if you have not noticed she is rather addicted to her bananas," replied Motoko as she pulled herself back together and nudged a roll of paper and some scissors towards him.

"What did you get for Ami and Austin, if I may ask?" he inquired as she began to tie ribbons on a few of the already wrapped gifts.

"These two packages here are their gifts," she replied, motioning to the set of boxes in her lap. "A kimono from her and a traditional robe and belt for him similar to your own. They expressed a desire to own their own upon arrival, and each was quite helpful in giving the measurements for the other."

"I bet. Who's that leather book for?"

"Shinobu-chan. It is several of my family's more famous recipes, simply for her own reference.

"And let me guess, this is Kitsune's right?" he chuckled, motioning to the bottle she'd just picked up.

"I do not approve of most of her ways, but she has modulated her tastes more towards that of a connoisseur rather than that of a drunkard on most occasions," she replied lightly. "Besides the fact that she is the only one of drinking age who would appreciate such a gift here at the Inn."

"Oba-san enjoys a good cup of sake occasionally," pointed out Keitaro, just to be contradictory.

"Yes, but her gift is this." Motoko pulled out a wooden fan painted with a beautiful garden scene across it. "Your aunt is quite the collector, though she does not care to broadcast it. I believe only myself and Hina-san know how in depth her collection is, though my knowledge is only through helping her move it into safer storage a few years ago."

"I'll keep that in mind when I go shopping for her," said Keitaro with an embarrassed grin. "I'm actually really behind in buying things for people this year, what with trying to keep this place running smoothly and studying for my exams..."

"No one would fault you for not presenting each with a gift on your first year here," Motoko assured him lightly, neatly writing out Kitsune's name on the card before taping it to the bottle. "Things such as meaningful gifts take time..."

"I still feel like I have a responsibility to get them something," replied Keitaro with a frown, puffing his chest out slightly. "I am the Manager after all!"

Motoko looked at him a moment, almost as if considering something before she spoke. "Should you wish you to share in the responsibility of giving gifts...there are none here so personal you could not share in the claim of them," she offered tentively, fiddling with a strand of her hair nervously. "It might be considered appropriate...?"

Keitaro blinked in surprise at her unselfish request. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

Motoko shook her head slightly, though her expression was still guarded in uncertainty . "No, I would not."

"Well, that would be great!" He gave her a warm hug, sighing in relief as she allowed herself to be folded in his arms but only hesitantly reciprocated the action with a heavy blush. "I had absolutely NO idea what to get for some people, like Ami or Su or even my Aunt Haruka, it's been so long since I've seen her. Thank you SO SO SO SO SOOOO much!!"

"Ah...you are welcome." She pulled back from his enthusiastic embrace, albeit reluctantly. "Though had you asked, I would have done so from the very beginning..."

"Of course, you'd be too polite to offer it until I brought it up, and I'd be too stubborn to do so 'cuz I think I can save the world on my own," laughed Keitaro, once again marveling at his own supposed stupidity. "Well, it's taken care of now, and that's what matters." They kept working for a little while longer, Keitaro picking up a small leather photo album that appeared to already be full. "Who's this for?"

"Naru-san. She has a great affinity for pictures of all sorts," came the simple reply. "If you wish to look through the pictures in there, there is a box beside your foot that contains the same pictures, among others." Keitaro handed it over to her, picking up the box and sifting through it carefully as she wrapped the gift.

"Going somewhere?" he inquired as she stood, taking the gifts with her.

"To put these away where they will not be found, and then to some practice before I must change for tonight's gathering," she replied respectfully. "Is there anything you require of me?"

"No, just wondering," he replied, looking up at her with a smile. "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you later, ok?"

"Ok."

He flipped through the pictures as she left the room, shifting to a more comfortable position with his back against the wall as he did. Several were of most of the other girls, taken at different festivals or special occasions such as birthday parties or vacations over the course of the several years she'd been there.

Beach shots, school scenes, bits around the Inn, people when they'd just woke up, Naru standing there with a triumphant grin covered in mud with a flagged stick in hand (he wasn't sure he wanted to know what that was about) among many, many others. He finally reached the bottom of the stack finding two shots that were obviously recent but were somehow out of order with the rest.

The first was of Motoko herself, taken when she wasn't looking with her arm outstretched to accept her sisters bird on her wrist and a fine breeze blowing her hair back from her face. She had an odd little smile on her face, the one that warmed her heart when she was with her family and made her face light up beautifully. He picked it up and set it aside, deciding she probably wouldn't mind if he borrowed it and he had a mind to sketch it later on if he could.

The second was a bit more startling than the first, as it included himself as well and was probably the only one that included just the two of them in existence that he knew of. He remembered the day quite clearly, Motoko had been working herself silly after being healed to regain her skills and he'd insisted she take a break with him sitting in the shade for a few moments one afternoon. Not that they'd been doing anything other than talking, but they must've fallen asleep together for the next thing he remembered was seeing the sun set as Shinobu's cry for dinner roused him from his slumber laying stretched out on the deck. His wife was up and gathering her things already, which made him wonder if she'd slept as well, however here was all the proof he needed. Her back was against the wall, legs crossed indian style with him sprawled unceremoniously over her lap and her head resting over her crossed arms on his back.

They were both obviously fast asleep, but somehow he could see things in her that were only obvious during her times of peaceful slumber, for that was the only time when all her guards were down. The kind softness hidden behind her hard masks, the gentle curve of her lips hidden behind sever looks, her complete ease that was all but erased with her alert poise she maintained during the day. His mouth was opened in a snore with a bit of drool at the side of his mouth, but hers was curved in a content smile, with her hair falling across her face in a graceful sweep that gave her an angelic look. Taking that one as well, he placed the rest back in the box and put it on her desk before slipping the pair of pictures in his notebook for later on.

Walking out the door, he whistled to himself as he headed for the stairs where he knew some of the others would be busy with the decorations. Just because it was partially in his honor didn't mean it got him out of his duty to help.

:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*O(:O*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(O:*(

"This isn't fair!" Shinobu buried her head in her pillow, hiding her tears as much as she could as she listened to the others in the Inn around her preparing for the party that night. Crumpling up the letter that was the source of her latest anxieties she dropped it in the trashcan with a vengeful sniff. How could they do that to her, were things really that bad at home?

Hearing steps approaching her room, she quickly wiped off her face and took a few deep breaths to calm herself as best she could.

"Shinobu-chan?" Su stood outside her locked door, obviously puzzled as Shinobu almost never locked her door. "Are you in there?"

"Yes, Su-chan. What do you want?" She strove bravely to keep her voice from wavering, and barely succeeded in doing so.

"Come on! Haruka-san said she needs some help with the baking, and you're the only one that knows how to make the cooked fish-thingies just the way Naru likes 'em!"

"Oh...ok." Shinobu paused, knowing her eyes would be red and need to be washed before she could convinced anyone she was fine. She couldn't let them know she was weak and emotional, not when they were all so strong, even Sempai though his strength was more of the heart. She had to be strong like all of them, no matter what. "Um...I have to change though, and go to the bathroom, so...you go without me and I'll be there in a minute, ok?"

"Ok! Just hurry up, so we're not late! This is a big party, you know."

"I will!"

"See you there!"

Shinobu sighed as she quickly put on some different clothes so her story would be plausible and rushed to the bathroom and scrubbed her face clean after making sure the coast was clear. She's be strong for them, and for herself, after all it wouldn't be much longer before she wouldn't have the other residents around to help her anymore. She had to learn to stand on her own two feet, without anyone's help ever again.

Or at least she hoped she could.

^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^&^^

Ami worked with Keitaro to move the furniture around a little so they'd have a little more room for their usual fun and games before setting up the drinks, ice, and cups that would be needed as well.

"Excited about Christmas?" she asked as she lit some festive lanterns and set them around the room.

"Yeah, but I haven't really gotten Motoko anything yet," replied Keitaro with a nervous look on his face. "I mean, I did get her something, but not that I have it I don't know if I should give it to her or not."

"It is something she might not like? Or it might not fit?" asked Ami curiously. "Like a new dress or kimono...?"

"No, it's more complicated that that," replied Keitaro slowly. "I mean...you've heard at least partially how we got to be married, right? It...our marriage wasn't exactly in the traditional setting, and I'm not sure how she'd take it if I gave her this...gift."

"Well..." Ami considered his words, then raised one brow slightly. "This isn't for some twisted fantasy of yours, is it? Cuz I'd knock you out cold if I were your wife if it were and that's what you got me for Christmas."

"No no no!! Nothing like that!! I just..." Keitaro trailed off, shaking his head slightly. "I probably shouldn't have gotten it at all, but I thought it was perfect for her..."

"Taking what you said, I'm assuming it's not getting her a new sword, right?" prodded Ami gently.

"Keitaro sighed. "I wanted to get her something like that, but I wouldn't know where to start and with all this studying there hasn't been time for me to read up on it enough to make an educated decision on what she would need," he admitted with a shrug. "Swords have never really been my thing, outside of drawing them."

"You come along with me then," said Ami as she grabbed him by the arm, dragging him up the stairs. "Just in case that present of yours falls through, I have just the sword for you..."

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Naru barely managed to dodge her way out of the path of an ecstatic Su zooming her way through the halls, unable to do more than shake her head slightly in light of her merriment. Slipping into her room she changed into one of her more conservative skirt and shirt sets. No real reason to show off when there weren't any guys to show off to, and she wouldn't want to see what would happen should Motoko or Ami ever decide to get jealous for some reason.

Coming downstairs, the majority of the crew was already present and enjoying themselves to the fullest with trays of food and drinks set off to the side. Keitaro and Austin sat across from each other, holding a loud debate of some sort as Kitsune teased a blushing Motoko about who knows what.

"You are wrong and you know it!" declared Austin as Ami came and sat down with them, tossing hi a can of beer. "Just admit it, you lost!"

"Never! The guy can't sing, and on top of that he's not even cool!"

"What're you two arguing about?" she asked in puzzlement.

"American Idol, the first one," replied Austin, glaring at Keitaro as he did. "Clay can to sing. You're just jealous."

"He. Can. Not. I can't believe he got as far as he did, the skinny little wimp, he was a total loser!"

"You two are very strange," she said, backing away as she did. "Guys aren't supposed to talk about other guys like that..."

"Yeah, well...we're special."

"Hell yeah, you are...so special, I'm just gonna leave you to be special together for awhile."

"You're still wrong," snapped Austin, oblivious to some of the implications of that statement.

"I am not!"

"GERONIMO!!"

"ACK!!"

Keitaro went down hard with Su hanging about his neck, managing to at least keep himself from hitting the table as he went and breaking his fall on his arms.

"Gotcha!" she giggled, ruffling his hair before bouncing off again.

Keitaro groaned for a moment, shaking his head to relieve his vision of its multitude of spots and the ache of having her hang from him like that in his neck. Rising back up to his feet, he caught sight of Motoko talking with Naru by the food table. She'd put her hair up, letting only a few shorted strands hang about her face, and the blush that had spread across her cheeks from her conversation with Kitsune remained ever so slightly, just enough to highlight her pale cheeks with its rosy tint.

"Having fun staring?" commented Kitsune as she appeared at Keitaro's side out of the blue.

"Hm? Oh! Uh...yeah, I guess." He blushed hotly, only doing so all the most as Kitsune laughed at him. "I mean..."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna give you too hard a time tonight," she assured him with a wink. "It's a party partially in your honor, and Motoko gave me enough info to sate even this gossip hunter for a few days."

The ronin paused, confusion apparent on his face. "Wait...what did she tell you about?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself," she replied coyly. "Confidential info and all."

"Right..."

"Drinking time!" declared the foxy lady suddenly, pulling a few bottles of hard liquor out thin air.

"Ah...no thanks," said Ami with a flushed face.

"Don't hold your drink too well?" teased Kitsune with a wink.

"Well...no, not really. Beer's really my limit."

"Not that she has to worry that much when I'm around, I won't let her do anything too stupid," added Austin cockily. "And yes I can hold my drink." He puffed his chest out only to double over a moment later with a gasp as Ami elbowed him in the gut.

"Down, boy."

Everyone looked in surprise as Haruka chuckled, the sound so strange to all there are she rarely showed any sort of humor. "She has you whipped, Austin," she commented lightly. "And I know she's not giving you anything back for it either. Are you going to let her get away with that?"

"Do I look like I have a death wish?" he replied, sweating nervously. "I'd rather be alive and whipped than dead and free! Besides." He winked at her roguishly. "She's kinda cute, so I think I'll keep her around for awhile yet."

"Smart move."

Ami blushed, but still stuck her tongue out at him. "Dork."

"Brat."

"Ignoramus."

"But a sweet one!"

"Why do Ami-chan and Austin-san always fight?" whispered Su to Motoko, a puzzled look on her face. "They're not brother and sister, are they?"

"No, I believe it may be what Kitsune refers to as 'flirting'," she replied slowly.

"Flirting? Is that good to eat?"

"No, it is not something you eat. When Ami flirts with Austin, or he flirts back it supposedly means they like each other."

"Then why would you call someone you like an 'Ignor-something-or-other'?"

"It must be the foreign version," the elder girl mused lightly. "I do not really know, I suppose you shall have to ask Ami later on."

"Do you flirt with Keitaro?" Su nuzzled her cheek against Motoko's curiously. "Does that mean you like him like Ami likes Austin?"

"Well...I-"

"Banana pie time!!" called Shinobu from the doorway of the kitchen, coming out laden with a few of Su's all time favorite treats.

"YEAH!!"

"Having fun?" asked Keitaro as Motoko came and sat between him and Austin, who was still teasing a playfully growling Ami.

"It is as enjoyable as ever," she replied with a slight smile. "Su-chan is as curious as ever, though."

"Younger ones always seem to ask the questions that are the hardest to answer," he chuckled in reply, scratching the back of his head as he did. Glancing around, he added, "I was wondering if I could ask you a question, though..."

"Of course," she said immediately, pouring herself some of the punch from the big bowl in the table and taking an experimental sip only to find it very much to her liking. "You may ask me anything you desire."

"Oh, right...well, Kitsune said something about you giving her information...?" Keitaro paused, coughing as Motoko's face turned a noticeable shade of red. "I was just wondering...what you told her. Incase it comes up later or something."

"Uhh..." Keitaro blinked, surprised as Motoko actually, for the first time since he'd met her, seemed to be at a complete loss of words. She glared across the room at Kitsune, who just waved sweetly in reply, before turning back to him slowly. "It was not particularly interesting..." she hedged slowly, the wheels in her mind whirring as fast as they'd go so she could get out of it without telling a lie. "It was just...'girl talk.'"

"Girl talk?" Keitaro cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Oh...you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, you know, I was just curious."

She hesitated, then replied slowly, "If you so ask, I would tell you all of it..."

"No, that's alright," he replied quickly, noting the relief that spread across her face as he did. "I think that's just one of those things guys are supposed to leave alone."

"Thank you..." She nodded once, giving him an appreciative look as he just grinned back.

The rest of the night past on with its usual wild drunken Kitsune, laughing Shinobu and Naru, and hyperactive Su with Motoko and Keitaro somehow finding their places among them as well. Sometime around midnight the different residents found their way to their respective rooms, Kitsune remaining on the couch as usual. The next day there were a few hangovers, and Naru luxuriated in the feel of her bed for many more hours than usual past sunup for she figured she deserved a break after her months on months of studying.

It didn't matter though, for their Winter Break started that very morning, and they spent the next few lazing about doing as they pleased as Naru was. The days filled with friendly banter and long naps, and the nights with parties or get-togethers among close friends, it was everything one could hope for in a school break. Eventually it came to Christmas eve, everyone excited and willing to go to bed early for once as they'd all be expected to rise early the next morning .

Motoko and Su stood beside the lit and decorated tree, arranging the cookies by the chimney there so they'd be sure to be seen. Finally getting it all to her satisfaction, the younger girl leapt upon her companion's back and hugged her tightly.

"Are you sure he's gonna come?" asked Su curiously as Motoko carried her up the stairs, shutting off the lights on their way as they were the last ones to leave the bottom floor. "Is he gonna like the milk'n'cookies we left him?"

"I see no reason why he should not," replied Motoko as she slid the door open with her foot, Su jumping down and racing towards the bed with a grin on her face. Snuggling under the covers, she watched as Motoko quickly changed with Keitaro out of sight behind the screen and slipped into bed with her. Wrapping her skinny little arms around Motoko's waist the moment the samurai girl had herself arranged in the bed, she was out like a light and fell fast asleep.

"You asleep?" whispered Keitaro as he came from behind the screen in his usual sleep shirt and pants, about to turn off the lamp.

"No," she replied quietly, turning to look at him quizzically. "Why do you ask?"

"I found an old Santa costume while looking around for some other stuff," he replied softly as he turned out the light and laid beside her, only holding her hand loosely as Su was with them. "Do you think it'd be cheesy to surprise everyone with it?"

"Su and Shinobu would enjoy it," she murmured sleepily, her eyes closing as her voice drifted off as she joined Su in the lands of nod. "And it might...make the others...smile..."

"I'll do it then," he said to himself, watching the pair sleep and giving Motoko's hand a gentle squeeze before he dozed off himself. "Just to see them all smile..."

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Su's eyes popped open exactly at midnight, quietly creeping out of bed and making sure to leave a pillow in her place with the covers situated around her guardian's stomach as if she'd never left at all. Slipping out of the room, she flipped on her night vision/heat sensor goggles and began to sneak her way down the hall. Seeing a blurb of red up ahead, she sent a scan through the known residents of the Inn and quickly came up with a match. "Shinobu-chan?"

"Yes?" came the timid reply. "Is that you, Su-chan?"

The younger girl snorted quietly. "Who else would it be? Come on, we gotta hurry, though, if we're gonna catch that mad scientist guy..."

"I still don't see how Santa Claus is a mad scientist," sighed Shinobu, sticking close to her friend as they crept down the stairs. A few months ago a mission like this would've been impossible to do using the stairs, but with the ever watchful manager having fixed all the squeaks and creaks in the old staircase they were able to descend without a sound.

"He's go reindeer and a sleigh that flies, and he's somehow figured out how to make himself shrink so he can get down chimneys of all shape and sizes without getting stuck. Then there's the loads and loads of presents, probably some sort of super-radioactive assembly line that works faster than the blink of an eye. That, and he's somehow made himself flame resistant, probably through some DNA reconfiguration...if I could learn his secrets, I might stand a chance of world domination by 16 instead of 21...think of all the time I'd save!"

Shinobu sweated, unable to decide if her friend was being serious or just joking as she usually did as Su busied herself with dragging out the equipment she'd stashed around the place earlier. "Right..."

Whistling lightly, Su began to set her trap as Shinobu curled up on the couch and waited, watching as the wires were laid, the bait prepared, and adjustments made until the whole thing was perfectly balanced.

"What now?" asked Shinobu as they hid behind the arm of the couch.

"Now, we wait..."

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Keitaro rose well before the rest would by experience, quickly changing after making sure Motoko was still asleep. Assuming the lump beside her under the covers as Su, he left them alone and crept down the stairs while putting on the beard he'd scrounged up and adjusting his had so it wouldn't fall off.

All he had to do was grab the bag of goodies he'd stashed under the kitchen counters and come make an appearance as soon as the majority of the tenants were downstairs. Perfectly and totally simple, completely fool proof, and in no way at all possible for him to get hurt unless it was by being hugged to death. Or at least that's what he thought.

Spotting the cookies Motoko and Su had set out, his stomach grumbled hungrily. Guessing the real Santa hadn't been hungry, his fingers began to inch towards them. Giving into the rationalization Su and Shinobu would be crushed if their 'offering' wasn't 'accepted', he picked one up and took a bite.

Hearing something snap, he looked down to see a nearly invisible net of thin wires snap up, wrapping him in their unyielding confines and leaving him to hang sideways in midair.

"AHHH!!"

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Motoko woke suddenly, finding herself alone in bed and wondering why something felt very, very wrong. Keitaro wasn't beside her, but that wasn't unusual. Feeling on her other side, she realized Su was gone as well and instinctively knew they hadn't gone together. Pushing herself up, she threw on some pants and opened the door just in time to catch the sound of a wire snapping and Keitaro screaming in the main room below.

"AHHH!!"

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Su woke as the wire to her trap was tripped, whooping crazily as she pulled out a rocket launcher and planted herself firmly in front of her 'prey'. "Shinobu-chan, wake up! We got him!!"

"Auu?" The young girl woke, peeking around the edge of the couch nervously. "Are you alright, sir? Please, just tell my friend what she wants to know, so no one gets hurt!" She hid once more as Keitaro only groaned in reply, thrashing about helplessly in the trap.

"That's right, I'm gonna pump every bit of info outta you I can get!" Su grinned maniacally as she cocked the rocket launcher. "Don't make me use this sucker, either. So, how does the sleigh  fly? Where's your reindeer? How do you warp time so you cover the whole world in one night? Come on now, speak up you old fart!"

"I'm not Santa!" cried Keitaro as he wriggled around helplessly. "I was just pretending to be, Su-chan!!"

She sneered at hm, setting her sights on the poor ronin and ominously placing her finger on the trigger. "Don't you Su-chan me! A fake, eh? How'd he find out I was gonna try and trap him? Mind reading? A spy? Or are YOU the spy?"

Keitaro almost wet himself in fear, struggling all the more to get free. "Hey, I didn't do anything! Let me down!"

Su's maniacal laughter echoed through the halls of the house. "Not a chance, bugger!"

"Motoko-san, could you help us please?" Shinobu beckoned to the swordswoman, who stood at the bottom of the stairs with a strange look on her face. Hiding her lips behind one hand, she shook with silent mirth as Su continued to drill the 'False Santa' and Shinobu just looked back and forth in confusion. "Auu, what's going on??"

"Su-chan, let him go," advised Motoko as she finally managed to regain control of herself, putting a more serious look though her eyes still danced merrily. "He cannot tell you anything, and I believe you brought you something besides..." She picked up the discarded sack and carefully looked through it, pulling out a bundle of chocolate-covered banana chips with a now in them.

The hyper-blonde's eyes immediately lit up, doing a back flip as she tossed the rocket launcher aside. "Whee! What do you think, Shinobu-chan?"

"He has this for you," added Motoko, pulling out a stuffed teddy bear with a blue ribbon about it's neck and a chef's hat on its head.

The cook's eyes immediately softened. "Aww, how cute!!"

"Gimme, gimme, gimme@" Su released the lever, Keitaro hitting the floor hard as she snatched up the gift and Shinobu took hers gingerly, cuddling it in her arms. "I'll let you go this time, but you'd better tell the big guy to come himself next time! Got it?"

"Uh...sure..." Keitaro stumbled to his feet, shaking his dizzily with his beard askew as Motoko quickly supported him on one side.

"I shall escort him off the premises," she offered, leading him towards the stairs.

"Please be careful when you fly off the roof!" called Shinobu as they left, waving kindly. "And thank you for the bear!"

"Oh, you're welcome! Merry Christmas!"

"To you too!"

"What's going on?" asked Naru, sleepily sticking her head out in the hall and giving them a squinty-eyed look.

"Go back to sleep," replied Motoko, shrugging lightly. "That was just Su being her usual self."

"Oh...ok."

Keitaro shed his beard, hat, and red coat the moment they entered the room, standing there in just the pants, boots, and an undershirt with a frown. "I never through impersonating SANTA could be so PAINFUL! I feel sorry for the old guy, if there's more like Su out there in the world."

"At least she did not pull at your beard to see if it was real," offered Motoko as she broke down into light laughter, leaning back against the door she'd closed behind herself. "My apologies, but... 'Santa' hanging upside down by the tree was the very last thing I expected to see."

"Santa didn't plan on hanging from the ceiling either," he replied with a wry grin, pulling down his suspenders and changing out of the rest of his suit into some real clothes as his wife looked away respectfully with a blush.

"You did not injure yourself in the fall did you?" she asked kindly.

"Just a lump, and a broken pride," he joked with a sigh, feeling along the top of his head. "Probably be gone and mended by tonight, if not before."

"Your pride or your head?" she replied, teasing him as she was now prone to do every once in a long while.

"Both, I hope."

"That is good to know." Seeing Keitaro tiredly dump himself on their bed as if in defeat, she carefully sat beside him with a tentative hand on his shoulder. "It was a thoughtful gesture, attempting to play Santa Claus for them."

"Thoughtful it may have been, but not very well thought-out in the end," he replied with a snort. "I should have known Su would pull something like this, especially with all the technical questions she was asking last night."

"You still accomplished your goal, though," Motoko reminded him lightly. "You made her smile, did you not?"

"How did you know that?" he asked in confusion. "I thought you were asleep by that time."

"Not entirely," she replied, giving his hand a gentle squeeze as their fingers laced themselves together out of habit. "But you did in the end make them smile, correct?"

"You're right, as usual," he laughed lightly. "And...I made you smile too, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did," she replied, giving his hand another squeeze and a smile as well. "Much of what you do makes me smile."

"I think your Christmas present will make you smile as well," he said with a grin. "Go look on my side of the closet."

She glanced at him, wary, but simply stood with a nod in obedience. "Very well..." Crossing the room, she slid open the door with hesitant hands, giving him a puzzled look when she found a sword stand there with what was presumably a blade in a black silk bag resting on it.

"Go ahead," he assured her with a nod, sitting up so he could watch her more easily. Picking it up with the greatest of care, she undid the strings at the top and let the covering slide to the floor.

Blue lacquered sheath, cotton cording for the handle and holder, silver and bronze accents in the shape of the butterfly and orchid...the moment her hand closed around the handle she recognized it completely. "By kami...I cannot accept this!" she cried, fumbling for the bag to recover the precious weapon. "This blade...it is worth far more than you should have spent on me! I do not deserve such a gift..."

"But you do," cut in Keitaro quickly, rising to his feet and wrapping her hands back around the blade when she tried to hand it off to him. "It's my fault your original blade was destroyed, remember?"

Motoko shivered involuntarily. "I try not to."

"Still, you can't deny that what happened that night is partially my fault," went on Keitaro stubbornly. "And now I'm repaying part of my debt to you for saving our lives by giving you this."

"First, it is not your fault," countered Motoko in a low voice, capturing his eyes with her own fervent gaze. "We have been through this already, you cannot be faulted for the doings of your family in their attempts to suppress you! Second, you have already repaid your debt, in this." She took his hand and laid it along her side where the scar remained. "A life for a life...mine for yours, we have been at least even ever since, if not putting me in your debt instead. You owe me nothing!"

"You guys awake in there?" called someone from outside their door, the pair parting as Keitaro stepped on over and flicked the lock open.

"Yeah," he replied after getting a quick nod from his wife, "Come on in."

Ami stuck her head in, Austin right behind her and both still in their rumpled pj's from the night before. "The others are all downstairs, or about to get down there, for breakfast," explained Ami. "Just wanted to know if you were going to join us or not."

"You sold this to him, didn't you?" Motoko said suddenly, pinning Ami where she stood with one of her piercing, hawk-like gazes.

"Keitaro wished for a sword, and thus I presented him with one," replied Ami with an impish grin. "Just doing my dealings, you know. Collectors often sell or trade blades with others..."

"Not blades like this!" Motoko drew the weapon in one skilled sweep, holding the blue-hued steel out for all to see. "This is hand folded steel!! This weapon is worth perhaps even as much as half this Inn alone, sold at true value! You cannot have sold it to him at full, or even half price, which makes it an unfair dealing!"

"He drives a hard bargain," snorted Ami in self-deprecation, though only teasingly so. "What was a girl to do? I needed the cash to support this idiot through his gamin addiction." Austin flushed slightly beside her as Ami nudged him in the side. "Besides, I'm not looking to rebuy it back or find one like it anytime soon, so he's stuck with it whether you like it or not."

"Diabolical American wench," muttered Motoko, frustrated, yet amused by the way things had fallen out. "You knew all along, did you not, that I would refuse to accept such a masterpiece unless forced to?"

"What can I say? Us Americans just have those certain qualities in us," Ami replied, shrugging with a wink as the two foreigners left the room, laughing quietly together as Motoko resheathed the weapon and held it gingerly.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Keitaro as he stood beside her, wavering between putting a hand on her shoulder and putting more distance between them.

"No, not at all," she replied, giving him a dry smile as she sighed. "You do not understand the true value of this blade from a users view...yet the value increases all the more because you gave from here." She reached out and touched his chest, though her face remained hidden in her hair so he couldn't see her expression. "I accept your gift, not because you owe me anything but because it was so purely given. Thank you."

"It IS a debt," he replied, pulling her closer to give her a timid hug. "But you're welcome just the same." Keitaro's stomach growled right then, both of them looking down at it in surprise before looking back up at each other with small smiles.

"We had best go eat before your stomach rebels anymore," stated Motoko with a low chuckle, Keitaro following her as she moved towards the door. Setting the sword back on the stand on their way out, they quickly made their way down the stairs to the merriment happening without them below.

"So, looks like the late ones have finally arrived!" called Kitsune from the couch where she lay snuggling with the several bottles of vintage sake that had been given to her in light of the holidays. "Tell me, Keitaro, did Motoko-chan surprise you this morning?"

"No," he replied, giving her a puzzled look as they took their seat among the others and had their presents passed to them. "If anything...I surprised her."

"With what?" asked Haruka curiously.

"Shishui has finally been...replaced," explained Motoko, giving Ami a mock glare though her lips still curled up into a ghost of a smile.

"Yeah!!" cheered Su. "Motoko-chan can kick major butt once more!!"

"Not that she couldn't without it," sweated Naru with a wry grin.

"What is your new sword called?" asked Su, huggling her best friend merrily.

"I do not know..." She turned towards Keitaro, tilting her head inquiringly.

"I didn't name it," he replied quickly. "You can name it as you please, I really wouldn't know what to call it after all."

Motoko paused, slightly taken aback as she'd never named her own blade before, it had always already been named before it had come to her hands. "Oh...thank you."

The morning progressed more easily than usual, except for Su presenting them all with a 'Super-Maid 300 XGT. The robotic helper had been a little too helpful when first started, even going so far as to throw out food before the eater could finish their plateful or tossing whole presents still wrapped in the trash as a 'timesaver'. Obviously, that contraption was shut down as quickly as possible as most of hers were with its disassembled parts dedicated immediately to the building of a new, better model later on.

Breakfast as served right there in the main room, and after everyone had stuffed themselves as full as they could with the special sweet rice cakes and fried rolls with honey and syrup they all laid back and lazed together there in the midmorning sun streaming through the windows.

"Why don't you two take advantage of those IOU's right now and get upstairs so you can get ready and let these guys clean up for once," suggested Haruka when Keitaro finally found it in himself to stir his body and begin to clean up. "That was one of your Christmas gifts, after all."

Keitaro protested quickly. "Oh, no! That's my job, and I might need it more later on..."

"It is our responsibility," agreed Motoko as she rose as well, helping him as she did. "One the rest of the residents pay their rent to be rid off."

A sudden flurry of wings attracted everyone's attention, Shippu coming to rest on Motoko's shoulder with a letter in her beak and a package attached to one leg.

"From my sister?" asked the swordswoman dubiously. The bird nodded, affectionately butting his head against Motoko's with a series of low clicks and whistles. "I wonder what she wants..."

"Go feed that feathered windbag and then get on out of here," ordered Haruka, already organizing the others into their specific jobs.

The couple exchanged glances, Keitaro shrugging in defeat as he gathered up their things and began the trek upstairs. "I'll meet you in our room," he said simply with a grin, giving Shippu a cautious pat on the head on his was past them.

"Come," she told the bird after flashing her husband as reserved smile. "You are probably tired, eh? No? Hungry then, for sure, and I do have something to remedy that..."

@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@+@_@

Keitaro sighed nervously, toying with the little black box that held the other of the gifts he'd gotten for his wife. Still unsure if it was a wise choice, seeing how the sword had gone over, he quickly pocketed it when he head the door slide open. Smiling at his wife, who did so back though with more composure than he, he noted how tenderly she gazed at the new blade when pausing beside it on the sword stand that had been empty for so long.

"Have you decided on a name yet?" he asked hesitantly, moving a little closer as she carefully folded up the silk carrying bag and placed it on the self with the cleaning kit.

"No," she admitted, giving it a long look before glancing back at him in embarrassment. "I have never had the honor of naming my own blade before."

"Whatever you come up with, I'm sure it'll be fine," he assured her immediately.

"Keitaro-kun...?"

Keitaro looked up to se Motoko pull a wooden box from under her desk with a bow around it. "What is that?"

"Though I did not know about your gift before hand, as you have always supported me in my form of the arts I will support you in yours," she replied quietly, handing it to him shyly before backing up a bit so he could inspect it. Watching his face light up first with surprise and then joy, Motoko felt her heart warm as he examined the special pencils and erasers, the paper made especially for drawing, and the little booklet with tips and other odds and ends artists seem to enjoy.

"Wow...you...I mean, even after the notebook incident?" Keitaro looked up at her, stepping closer as he did. "You're really going to help me with this?"

"The notebook 'incident' was not your fault, and I will support you in what makes you happy," she replied simply, giving him a steady look as she did. "You deserve that much for all the work you do to make others happy."

"Thank you!"

Motoko instinctively tensed up as Keitaro wrapped his arms around her, hesitantly relaxing and hugging him back gently. They didn't say anything for a little while, but the swordswoman pulled back as she felt something dampen the shoulder of her gi.

"Why are you crying?" she inquired in concern, too shocked to do anything but try and comfort him by wiping his tears away with her hands. "Are you displeased?"

"No," he replied, strangely laughing through his tears as he smiled at her, though the saltine drops still slid down his cheeks. "It's because I'm so happy that I cry! You...this place...all the other people living in it...I've never lived somewhere like this before in my life even as a kid, with so much love and joy just flowing all the time...I guess I just never realized how lucky I am to be in a place like this until now." He blushed, and added, "And how lucky I am to have the wife that I do."

"You are not so lucky there," she rebuked him gently, though a flush spread across her cheeks as she glanced at the floor. "A true wife would have done many things for you that I have not..."

Keitaro immediately picked up on the hidden meaning there, his blush deepening as he did. "T-that doesn't matter," he stammered slowly, quickly wiping away the rest of his tears. "Look...that could be blamed on me just as much you, so you can't use that  excuse to say you've been a bad wife. Motoko-chan, look at me." She did so, reluctantly. "If I asked you right here, right now, to let me...make you mine, would you agree?"

Motoko's eyes widened slightly, her lips hanging open for a moment before she stuttered out a reply. "Ah...I...yes, for I must obey..."

He leaned over, kissing her chastely before saying, "Then you are a true wife. But I promised to let you decide when that would happen, and as you'll see I never break a promise."

"..." Motoko was still searching for a reply when there was a timid knock at their door, Keitaro setting his present aside and answering it when Motoko showed no signs of movement at that point in time.

"Yes?" he inquired politely, finding his aunt lounging in the doorway as usual.

"I'm taking most of the girls with me to a movie, though Shinobu asked to stay behind," she explained shortly with a shrug. "Just make sure no one breaks in and takes everything, ok?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks for telling us."

"Yeah, sure."

"I suppose I should go practice now," commented Motoko uncertainly, still off-balance with what he'd said and feeling more than a little unsure of herself. "It will be the first one since we left my family grounds, thanks to you."

"I'll stay here, and see what I might learn from your present that I didn't know before," replied Keitaro, giving her a warm grin as he held up the bound booklet the box art set had come with. "Just be careful, alright? I know it's warmed up quite a bit and the snow's gone, but there's still some ice up there in mornings."

"Alright."

Keitaro sat himself at the main table, spreading everything out before he skipped back to the section he'd noticed earlier about copying pictures or photos with supreme accuracy. Pulling out the two pictures he'd taken from his wife, the ronin got to work...

XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD=XD

Motoko ascended the stairs to the roof, humming to herself as she carried her new sword on her back to her first practice with it. Opening the door, she was more than a little surprised when she realized she wasn't alone, and even more so when she realized the other person was crying. Carefully rounding the corner she found Shinobu crouched beside the wall with her head buried in her arms.

"Shinobu-chan...?"

"Auu?!" The younger girl jerks her head up, quickly dashing away her tears and standing to nod respectfully to the elder resident. "Motoko-san! I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you coming. I should probably leave now..."

"You are fine where you are," replied Motoko, giving her a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Is...everything alright?"

"It has to be," the young girl sniffed, obviously on the verge of tears again. "Parents never really give their kids a choice, you know?"

"Actually, I do." The samurai hesitated, then asked softly, "What happened?"

"Dad's gone again, and he said he's not coming back this time," she whispered, fighting the tears that threatened to flow again. "Not as mom's husband anyways, and he's not going to send her money anymore either."

Motoko nodded, everything slowly becoming clear to her. "Is that the money that paid for the rent? That which he sent her?"

"Yes," came the sorrowful reply. "They sent me here two years ago while they tried to salvage the restaurant my grandfather opened years and years ago, as well as their marriage, I think. I didn't really realize what was going on so I was ok with leaving for awhile, but every time I came home things got worse and worse. They'd fight over the smallest of things again and again when they thought I couldn't hear. But I always did. Even when I wanted to run away it was so bad, and I'd bury my head in the bedcovers I could hear them. Mom wouldn't leave the restaurant her father established, and dad thought it was a waste of time and money. So he's gone, and mom can't afford to keep me here on her own for long, let alone try to reopen that place on her own. I get to finish the school year, and then I have to go back to with her. Forever."

"My f...father left my family as well, but for a very different reason," admitted Motoko hesitantly as she sat down, against the wall, Shinobu sitting with her in exhaustion. "I was just about your age at the time as well."

"Do you miss him?" asked her young companion, the rare opportunity to find more about Motoko's mysterious past sparking her curiosity for a moment.

"No." Gulping as her eye twitched, the swordswoman's hands formed tight fists that trembled slightly. "He was a very bad man, who hurt me, my sister, and my mother with his abuse. I was glad to see him leave."

Shinobu gasped in shock, her mouth hanging open slightly. "Your mother...she must be very strong to have raised you and your sister on her own!"

"She was strong, but my mother was never given that chance. My sister had long since married an outside by that time, and my mother...died due to his treatment. That is why Hina-san brought me here, so I could start over again with the family I found here."

"Oh....I'm very sorry for your loss." Motoko watched the chef as her words whirled through the young mind a few times. "If...um...may I ask you something, Motoko-san?"

"Of course."

"I heard Kitsune talking and...I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear! It's just...she said you'd been engaged to Keitaro through you dad, and if he left...how did he do that?"

"Keitaro is distantly related to my f...fa...paternal side of the family," admitted Motoko roughly. "Though he is nothing like the rogues and fiends most of them are. He had never completely nor legally relinquished his hold upon me, and thus was able to demand my engagement and marriage to Keitaro through a series of unfortunate events during that weekend...if not for Keitaro's courage in standing up to him as it were there is little doubt that our days together would be as pleasantly spent as they are now."

"...if I may ask you one more thing?"

Motoko looked at Shinobu, her dark expression lightening when she saw her curious look. "Yes?"

"Was he very brave?"

"'He'?" The swordswoman paused briefly in confusion. "As in...?"

"Keitaro-sempai."

"Yes, he was very brave indeed..." Motoko glanced at her young companion, making her decision the moment it became plain the girl's tears had dried and was interested enough to forget her own worries for the moment. To keep her mind from dwelling on her own pain is the only thing I can do right now, and if I must share part of myself to do so, it is a small price to pay that she might have some relief. "Would you like to hear the tale?"

"Auu?? Really? I'd love to, you haven't told one of your tales in a long time!!"

Her words brought a slight smile to the swordswoman's face, prompting her to take a deep breath and exhale slowly before speaking in the traditional lines of the storyteller among her family. "Lend me your ears, open your hearts, rest your soul for my tale does now start..."

_%_%_%_%_%_%_%_%_%_%_%_

Keitaro looked surprised when Motoko walked back into their room, the sword still on her back and a worried look on her face. "You didn't practice?" he asked puzzledly, for she hadn't even broken a sweat and rarely did things halfway. "It there something wrong with the sword?"

"No, there is nothing wrong with kokoro no tanryoku."

"Kokoro no tanryoku? Heart of courage?"

"Ah...it is the new name of my sword, simply tanryoku, or courage, for short."

"You named it? Great! And anyone would agree you have a very courageous heart."

"I did not name it for myself," she replied with a slight blush. "I named it for the one who gave it to me."

"Oh..." Keitaro blushed as well, then changed the subject quickly. "But...why didn't you practice?"

"That is what I came to talk to you about. Shinobu-chan may be forced to leave Hinata-sou as her home..."

"What?!"

(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)♠(o),(o)

A low fire in the middle of the dark room lights the faces that surround it, eleven in all with the twelfth so deeply hid in his cowl that no light could ever penetrate it's depths. A beady pair of black eyes stares out, glinting in the light intelligently in the only sign that the being inside is alive at all.

"There has been a stirring as of late," says one of those lower in the circle. "She has freed him."

"All chains have been cut," adds another.

"And he has begun to taste his powers, even having gone for far as to healed the bitch as he heals himself," finishes another. "Such power wasted on our enemy...you should have slain her when you had the chance, Shoji."

"To do so would have upset the boy far too much," cuts in the faceless one. "We need him, never forget that! The line cannot be continued without him, and if it is not continued within this generation we will fail!"

"There are others," one of those at the far end reminds the rest. "Ones not as potent, but much more loyal to the Clan and its priorities, as well as easier to control."

"The Clan cannot rise to its full potential on partial power and lesser beings," scoffed the one who's visage could not be seen darkly. "Curse him again, however you must do it do so now! His heart is stronger now, but his will weakens every moment he is away from the constant fight he's known all this life. He is more vulnerable now that ever, especially with the taste of his powers that he's had. A little more convincing...that is all he needs. Just a very little more...see that it is done, Shoji."

"Of course." One of the figures rises, motioning for two others to follow as he exits the room.

"You are to lenient on him as his father," snorts one. "Giving him as many chances as you have. The time to strike is now! We can easily get by the boy to her, all it would take is one well-placed dart or knife thrust..."

"No, he would never bend to our wills then. We need him, for even when our mission is complete we will not stop. Once the main bloodline has been undone we will be able to rise again..."

~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@ ^ ~_@

Winter Break passed quickly, and soon they were on their second to last day with the New Years Festival upon them. As usual, Hinata-sou hosted the year fortune stand and Keitaro woke at dawn to find Motoko long gone and the other residents moving about in their rooms excitedly. Quickly dressing in jeans and one of the shirts Motoko had given him for Christmas, he was soon down the stairs making breakfast as the others trickled downstairs in their formal kimonos, Austin the only one not get dressed like Keitaro as he was saving his new yukata for later.

"Don't you look nice this morning," said the ronin as Su pranced into the room wearing her yellow kimono and bright orange obi, Shinobu creeping in moments later wearing one of pink with sprays of white flowers decorating it. Kitsune and Naru appeared a moment later, an unusually shy Ami being dragged between them and protesting that the kimono didn't look that good on her. "In fact," added Keitaro as they sat down and he put the bowls on the table within easy reach for them. "You all look great."

"Even Austin?" joked Ami, poking her friend in the ribs.

"I wasn't including him in that statement, but if you want me to clarify:" Keitaro cleared his throat. "All you GIRLS look great today."

"Hurry up and eat!" ordered Haruak as she walked in, wearing her usual jeans, shirt, and apron as she was far too practical to do otherwise until that night. "Motoko and the Festival aren't going to wait forever."

Breakfast went off without a hitch, everyone piling down the steps towards the park except Austin and Keitaro who hung back to clean things up before following.

"I've never been to a New Year's Festival before," admitted the American as they jogged down the steps. "The American custom is to stay up all night on New Years Eve until 12:01 and drink and party the whole time and then sleep most of the next day."

"Don't tell Kitsune that, or she'll insist we do it next year," said Keitaro in a stage whisper. "Especially if the host is supposed to provide the drink."

"Usually, yeah."

"Then don't tell her."

"I wasn't planning on it." Austin chuckled to himself, Keitaro grinning in reply. "By the way, how big is this thing? I can see some of the tent tops still come up from here!"

"Dunno, it didn't seem that big when I was a kid, but I haven't been back since I was 8 or 9. That's at least 11, maybe 12 years!"

"Wow..." They eventually reached the front of the area set off for the festivities, bowing respectfully to the elders there before wandering among the crowds in search of their friends.

"Hey, look over there!" Austin pointed to a large, wooden stand that was open on all four sides with its own roof and rows of doors with letters written on them, waiting for the fortunes inside to be unlocked. Motoko stood in the very front, a striking figure in her formal warriors garb and new sword slung across her back as the traditional guard to the shrine behind them. Keitaro grinned to himself, remembering the days Haruka had played the honored roll position as a young adult in the must armor Hina had made her wear.

"We'd better go catch up with them," offered Keitaro as the strode onwards, waving back when Su spotted them and began to call out energetically. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go!"

{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}o{:~:}

A dark man with green eyes watched from his perch in the trees as Keitaro approached the shrine and was greeted by the rest of his comrades. Sneering in disgust at the affections so openly displayed, he settled himself more comfortably on the limb.

"Soon," he ground through his clenched jaw as he felt into a partial trance. "Soon the last one will be brought back into the fold. Soon, things will be righted in their course of action once more. Soon that heinous bitch will burn with her ancestors...and soon." He sighed as if in bliss, an eerie look coming over his face. "Soon our true Master will return to us once more..."

$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$~$_$

"Are you sure you wish to do this?" asked Motoko as Keitaro began to approach the shrine with the others.

"Why?" He looked back at her in confusion.

"Whether good or bad, the predictions are usually exceedingly accurate and do come true in one form or another," she replied carefully. "With your own luck so recently reestablished...are you sure you want to take that risk?"

"I can't stay hiding in the shadows forever," replied Keitaro with a shrug. "And besides, we took care of that little 'problem', didn't we? I'm not saying my luck is great but things should turn out fine."

"...I suppose so."

Keitaro gave his dubious wife one last reassuring grin, going around the shrine once before he randomly reached down and picked one of the sticks in the many clay holders. Unnoticed by all, the dark figure in the tree leered in satisfaction as he easily found the right box in his mind and switched the existing roll of paper with the one in his hand with a few short words and a burst of borrowed power from the Clan's present Master. Everything was going exactly to plan.

Keitaro found the box matching the stick in his hand, picking up the last roll of paper in there and flattening it out so he could read the fortunes listed there. With each line, though, he felt his heart begin to race and his stomach harden into a knot. This isn't good...

Worst of Luck

Watch out for falling pots, roaming wild animals, and the trickery of the pointy-eared one. Those who care will forget why, all grounds won will be lost, and your chance of a change of luck is 1:500,000,000,000 within the next then years.

Good luck!

The ronin sighed and took a step back, bumping into a craftsperson who happened to be walking by. Knocking the fellow off balance, Keitaro suddenly fell flat on his face as the biggest 3 pots at the top of the load came crashing down on his head.

"Scrawny runt!" roared the man, a huge guy at least twice the size of Keitaro. "Look what you've done to my best pots!"

"I'm sorry!!" cried Keitaro as he ran away as fast as he could. Tripping on the stairs, he tumbled all the way tot the bottom to land with a painful 'THUMP'.

"Keitaro! RWAR!!"

The stunned ronin looked up to see a lion peering down at him, opening its mouth to reveal a mischievous Su inside.

"Oh, hello there Su-chan. You need something?"

She nodded vigorously. "Yeah, you!"

Keitaro blinked in surprise. "What for?"

Su closed and open the jaws emphatically. "Lion food! Must make a sacrifice to the Su-Lion, and you have been chosen! Prepare to face your doom!"

"What?! NO!!"

Keitaro was back up on his feet and running seconds later, Su noisily galloping after him in her giant lion-thing-machine-costume. Pushing and shoving his way through the crowd, several of the townsfolk yelled and cursed at him as he went flying by for his rudeness. He wished he could stop and apologize more than once, but a single glance back at Su and the predatorial look on her face convinced him that would not be a very wise idea at all.

Suddenly taking off into the woods, Keitaro  managed to loosed Su as he hid behind some rocks and she went flying on past, completely unaware she'd left him far behind as she charged onwards. Peeking out once the cost was clear, the manager sighed in relief and began to make his way back towards the main area of the festival.

"Keitaro, that you?" came the sudden call.

He turned, a little nervous only to find a relieved Austin jogging towards him. "Oh, hey there Austin-san! Enjoying yourself?"

"Yeah, I was until I found Kitsune...or she found me, I'm not sure which yet, but could you come give me a hand? She's had one too many drinks, and not quite right in the head if you know what I mean."

"Uh...sure."

They found the drunken foxy lady a few yards from where they'd met up with a dazed look on her face. Holding a sake bottle in one hand, she glanced up as they each gave her a boost so she was standing on her feet with their support.

"You come to join the fun, too?" she purred with a giggle as she threw an arm about both of their necks. "Didn't know you swung that way Keitaro, but three's fine with me..."

"You've had FAR too much to drink, Kitsune," sighed Keitaro as they began to stumble their way out of the woods. "Come on, let's get you back to the Inn so you can sleep this off before tonight, hopefully."

She shook her head slightly, her words running together at times but not to the point where they were unintelligible quite yet. "Awww...but I wanna have some fun right now, with you two. Spoilsport, no wonder Motoko-chan hasn't let you do her yet, as stiff as you are  she'd probably not get anything out of it at all. Tell you what, I'll break you in for her if you want, just a favor to a friend and all..."

Keitaro flushed, giving Kitsune a shocked look as Austin pretended not to hear, though he stifled a laugh of his own. "Eh...just hush, Kitsune, you don't know what you're saying..."

"Sure I do..." She laughed suddenly, Keitaro swearing later a pair of fox-ears appeared for a moment as she spoke. "Managers are supposed to take care of needs, right?"

"Uh....yes, why?"

Kitsune suddenly glomped on them both, bringing their faces perilously close to her breasts. "Cuz I gotta need...you two wanna help me get rid of it?"

"KITSUNE!!" they wailed as one, unable to escape from her sudden vise-like grip. "LET GO!! LET GO!! LET GO!!"

"Come on, it'll be fun, I promise..."

"AUSTIN DALE YONKER!!!"

"URASHIMA!!!"

The trio froze as Ami and Naru came streaking towards them, fists raised.

"CRAP!! AHH!! IT'S NOT OUR FAULT, WE SWEAR!!!!!!"

Time seemed to slow down right then, Keitaro's heart stopping entirely as he just barely ducked under Naru's flaming fist of death, only to find Su leaping at him yelling something about the sacrificial body that escaped  with her lion head and all. Managing to jump and roll out of the way by a hair's breadth, he sobbed for air as he took off towards the exit...only to run smack dab into Motoko.

They went down hard, Keitaro somehow pulling them both back up enough to crouch behind her and hold on with all his might around her waist. "HELP!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DON'T LET THEM KILL ME!!!"

"Move, Motoko!" ordered Naru as she rolled up her sleeve threateningly, her eyes flashing in rage. "Not even you can save him from taking advantage of Kitsune with Austin when she's had a bit too much to drink!!"

"Must have sacrifice for the Su-Lion!!" added Su, snapping the jaws of her creation happily.

"Kitsune came onto us!!" cried Austin, following Ami as she pulling him along by his ear roughly. "She's drunk as anything, and we were just trying to get her back to the house so she could sober up!"

Kitsune hiccupped with a wink as she leaned on Naru from behind with her arms about her neck. "Guilty...though they didn't want to have any fun, which is a pity..."

Motoko, who had no idea what to say, simply looked at Naru with a raised brow. "So it seems the fault is neither Keitaro's nor Austin's," she ventured carefully. "Though it would be wise of Kitsune to keep her hands to herself in the future..." The poisonous glare the trickster received from both Motoko and Ami made her make a mental note not to try that again for awhile, but other than that she was too smashed to care.

The high schooler brindled at that, but shrugged roughly, putting an arm around Kitsune and dragging her along as she stalked off. "Come on, Su," she ground through her teeth as she grabbed the junior high girl as well. "We're going to get something to eat."

"Yeah! Food!!"

"Are you sure you didn't have anything to do with Kitsune?" asked Ami suspiciously, though she'd already let go of Austin and it was obvious her will to punish him was wavering.

"I'm sure! I, literally, stumbled over her while taking a shortcut through the woods to catch up with you guys, and found Keitaro who just happened to be nearby for some reason to help me out. We got her up and were heading back for the house, but she started talking and then grabbed us...I swear, she has a grip like a bear when she doesn't want to let you go!!"

"Why were you in the woods?" asked Motoko guardedly, her mask in place so Keitaro couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"Right after I read my fortune, which I should have listened to you because it was BAD, Su came chasing after me with that Lion thing of hers and I had just managed to lose her in the woods when Austin found me," replied Keitaro honestly. "We couldn't just leave Kitsune there, someone with less honorable intentions might have found her...we were only trying to help."

"If you would not mind excusing us," said Motoko to Ami and Austin with a polite nod, putting a hand on Keitaro's shoulder as she did. "I believe I need to speak with my husband alone."

"We have some things to discuss as well," replied Ami, helping Austin to his feet with an apologetic look. "We'll catch up with you guys later, ok?"

"Alright."

"I'm sorry you had to save me like that again," said Keitaro sadly, letting go of her waist though he made no move to get up from his seat on the ground. "I just can't believe things have been as awful as they've turned out in only the last few hours!"

"Stand," she told him quietly, giving him a hand and pulling him to his feet before holding out the same hand expectantly. "May I see your fortune?"

"Here." He watched bleakly as she gingerly unfurled the slip of paper, reading the words to herself quickly. "It's like I'm right back to square one, I swear, and none of the curse-breaking stuff happened at all!!"

"It would seem so," she replied in a murmur, turning away slightly towards another grove of trees. "Come, there is one way to banish such an...ill omen."

"There is?" asked Keitaro, a note of hope in his voice. "What is it?"

"Tie it to the branch of one of the sacred trees." He followed her to one of the side paths, looking around fervently with for one that might be reachable when they arrived in the right area.

"There's one!" he said, pointing to the right.

"It's too far out," she replied with a shake of her head. "It will be no use to put it there."

"Oh..." Finding none low enough to be useful after that, Keitaro sighed heavily. "I once again find a way to possibly solve some of my problems, and it's literally out of reach," muttered the ronin sardonically. "No pun intended."

"Kneel down," replied Motoko simply coming to stand behind him with a hand on his back.

"Huh? Why?"

"I do not believe it would be wise for me to bear your weight upon my shoulders, and if you do not bear me on yours there will be no simply way to reach a branch," she explained calmly, though her face bore a slight blush. While she was certain it wouldn't be an unpleasant experience, she also wasn't sure she wanted his head between her legs at that moment in time.

"Oh, I get it. Here..." Keitaro got to his knees, waiting patiently as she settled herself there on his shoulders, legs hanging over his chest as he grasped them gently at the knee to steady her.

"Do not look up," she cautioned automatically. "Or turn your head. As little movement as possible would be advised..."

"Why?"

When she didn't answer, Keitaro merely blushed as he put it together himself. He felt her legs tense around his neck  as he rose carefully to his feet, finding her lighter than he expected though he hadn't realized how muscular her legs were either as he felt them flex around his head. A little dribble of blood ran from his nose, and he bit his tongue to bring him mind back to the task at hand as it began to go off on some tangents that he could hardly afford to entertain right at that moment.

Motoko reached up for the first branch that was within her range, easily tying the bit of paper there and bowing respectfully to the tree before motioning silently that she was finished and he could go back down.

"Come," she said hurriedly, leading the way out of the grove as he scrambled after her. "It is best not to look back."

"Oh, ok..." He passed her, so focused on following her directions to the letter that he missed it as she turned and silently destroyed the slip of paper with a ki-riddled dart from her sleeve. Someone had been foolish enough to tamper with the fortunes, whether it had been targeted for Keitaro or just anyone in general, and her message to that person was quite clear as she glanced about herself, quite sure whoever it was was still watching them.

You lose, and you had best not try that again.

-*_*-# -*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-#-*_*-

The man in the tree snorted lightly, easily slipping away in the shadows and leaving nary a trace that he'd been there at all behind. He hadn't truly expected it to be this easy, and while it had provided some amusement the fact that it had utterly failed did not help his position with Shoji and the Counsel at all.

Regardless of this setback, they would find a way. Their work would continue until every last member fell, and he doubted it would come to that. Soon, things would be balanced in their world once again, and the Turtlists would rule as they once had.

Soon.

~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~@#~

Tralalala!! And we have ended Chapter 7! You know the main body of this chapter is 31 pages long? That's the longest one yet... Sorry for the wait, things have been insane around here! But as usual, here are my Authors notes in reply to a large percentage of the reviews. Be sure to skim them as a few answer more than one persons question at a time.

#1. Yes, Ami-chan and Austin are real people I know. ^_^ Or are very similar to them, anyways, no promises on having exactly pinned their personalities as I needed to stretch them a little. No, they aren't reading this fic, but should they ever do so I look forward to what their reactions to their portrayals will be. (Like as to the fact that they aren't a couple in real life...)

#2. *Bows* My thanks to the many of you for your positive requests for more updates, I do try to comply with the limited time I have!! Your encouragement is quite helpful, though, and I look forward to what you have to say this time as always. ^_^

#3. *blush* The debate as to whether or not there will be a lemon-scented or straight lemon scene is yet to be decided. While this fic has had many innuendoes, and a few hot scenes, and the R rating hasn't exactly been reached in language or violence yet...well, I'll warn you if a lemony scene happens at the beginning of the chapter but until then don't be expecting much more than there already is as far as descriptive wise.

#4. Grammar, the one thing I am killed on every time...SORRY!! And yeah, I know there's more mistakes in this one than usual but I just didn't have time to read it through like I have been, or you'd have been waiting another week for this update!

#5. Chapter 6 has been RELOADED with the glossary of the sword terms used at the end. My apologies, there was a long gap between when I wrote that and the notes at the end, so I completely forgot about it until afterwards. It's there now if you wish to go see it.

#6. The Urashima style of Jujutsu hasn't been mentioned for two reasons. First, Kanako hasn't been brought into the story yet as you said, and two there hasn't been a reason for Haruka to bring it up. Also, Keitaro in this fic has rejected all forms of fighting for himself, and thus why would he ever talk about it? That doesn't mean it's gone, that just means it won't be brought into play until later on. ^_^

#7. Do not underestimate what someone has planned or the depth of their characterization, after all ^_~ No on here is quite as they appear.

And that's it for the authors notes!! Please review, I would love you dearly for it!! ^_^ Oh, and if this chapter seems a little more disjointed than usual, well, I wasn't given my usual couple hours at a time to write and had to do it in 20 minute chunks. I didn't like that very much. .

~CB~

'Only two things are certain, the universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the former.'

-Albert Einstein