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.

9. Valenties Day and Monsters Astray

This was started not even 20 minutes after I updated chapter 8, yet it took so freakin' long to write…oi… Much thanks to those who reviewed and as usual all comments and questions will be dealt with at the end. Go on, now! Read!!  

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Keitaro woke around dinner time feeling something very warm and slightly heavy resting on his back, his vision obscured by a veil of ebony and his interest awakened by the feel of a pair of arms tightly encircling his waist. Shifting ever so slightly so his weight was more to one side than the other was, the ronin attempted to turn over on his stomach without moving his wife too much so as to not wake her. Just as he was about to try and prop her up, the same pair of hands that rested placidly at his waste sprung to life and tickled him mercilessly up his sides.

"Wha-! Hehahahah!! Hey, not fair, I thought you were asleep!" he cried, attempting to create a defense for himself and unable to as he couldn't see the attack, or the attacker as they came from behind.

"I was, for awhile," she replied lightly, pinning him to the bed by sitting on his back and continuing to tickle him as he flailed about helplessly on his stomach, trapped. She wasn't heavy, but he lacked the strength to bear up even her lightweight while being tickled. "You mumble in your sleep, did you know that?"

"Hehahahha!! Hey, come on now...hehahahe...I can't answer, until.... hahahwhha...."

Obligingly she stopped, nestling back into his back more fully pressed against it than before as he managed to regain his composure and lay there feeling every curve of her body from behind through the thin fabric of her combat clothes. Her heart raced, wondering how she dared to be so bold as she listened to his heartbeat, just as fast as her own. She wanted to be close to him, closer than this, even closer than the first night at the banquet.

"Y-you talk in your sleep too, s-sometimes," he stuttered, trying to keep his thoughts on the clean side of things as she shifted to where he could more acutely feel her breasts pressed into his upper back. Much more of this, and he'd be guaranteed to be a father before fall. "Wh...what did I say, though?"

"I am not sure," she admitted in a low voice, something in her tone telling him she intended to remain as close as she was to him for a good long while. "It was quite incoherent, though quite often a name or a phrase would come out...you dream of the other residents often, do you not?"

"Uh, yeah..." replied Keitaro, his mind going to those dreams lately of starting out with the whole group that usually ended with just his wife, alone in their room finishing what had been started those weeks ago. But he'd have to stick with just dreaming about it for now, not with Motoko still in high school. He could wait until she graduated, he had to.

There was a sudden knock on the door, Keitaro catching a glimpse of his wife's slight scowl as she rose to answer it. Schooling her face into her usual calm mask before opening it, he was able to catch a few words as she spoke with the other person before she nodded and closed the door, glancing at him with a fleeting look of regret in her eyes.

"Time for dinner," she explained as she slipped behind the screen to change out of the clothes she'd spent most of the day fighting in, he stamped on the urge to follow her around it and rose to straighten his own wrinkled shirt and pants. Feeling a lot more refreshed from his nap and massage, the manager ran a hand through his messy hair and stretched in place.

"How long as I asleep?" asked Keitaro as she emerged, fully dressed in another set of practice clothes.

"An hour, perhaps a bit more," she replied with a shrug, avoiding his eyes as he did the same. Both was very aware of the other's presence, but Keitaro knew better than to submit to the alluring tug of his hormones and wisely stepped out the door as she quickly followed. Dinner was its usual loud and crazy self, everyone in an upbeat mood with their victorious Toudai-chasers and well wishes for the exam itself.

Time passed, as it has a habit of doing, and the party that weekend was even a more fantastic affair than usual. Kitsune drank as if she were an empty well just waiting to be filled again, Su let loose so many of her new inventions that they accidentally demolished an entire wall in the back (Haruka suggested, with a twitch in her eyebrow, to build it into an outdoor deck rather than rebuilding the wall), and Shinobu turned out a feast that bested anything she'd ever made before. Eating and laughing, the entire affair was pulled off with the usual Hinata House All-Or-Nothing attitude and, of course, everyone disappeared the next day to leave Keitaro to clean it all up.

Still, time rolled on even more and soon it was nearly midway through February when two bumbling college boys showed up at the bottom of the Hinata-sou steps waiting for their 'dearest' of friends.

Haitani and Shirai each grabbed an arm when Keitaro finally made his appearance, dragging him off down the road.

"Ack! Here, lemme go...!!"

"Not until you tell us what we wanna know," replied Haitani with a wink. "You've been avoiding us, Keitaro, not showing up at the juku like a good student should be."

"Didn't mean to make you feel that way, but I've been busy," replied Keitaro as he finally managed to wrestle himself free with a wry grin. "Fixing up the old place, paying off the bills..."

"And busy planning your surprise dinner for the wife, eh?" replied Shirai with a knowing wink. "Bet you've got reservations, musicians, a nice gift...the whole nine yards!"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" replied Keitaro, stopping completely on the sidewalk as his companions looked at him as if in shock. "What? No really, what is it? Why would I do all that when our anniversary..." His voice died as he saw a poster in the background, advertising half off limos, tuxedoes, and hotel rooms with red hearts all over it.

"Don't even tell me you forgot!" cried Shirai, grabbing his friend by the collar.

"I did!" replied Keitaro in a despairing moan. "I've never had a reason to celebrate Valentine's day before! You guys gotta help me, what should I get her? Where should I take her??"

"We don't know, that's why we came to you!" yelled Haitani as Keitaro flopped down on a bench and they took seats on either side of him. "We figured since you were married you'd at least have a plan in mind..."

"Man, I screwed it up this time..." sighed the ronin, holding his head in his hands. "Motoko-chan probably won't care, she likely will have forgotten like I did, but oba-san and her elder sister will skin em ALIVE if they found out..."

"Looks like you messed up big time, Keitaro."

"Huh?"

All three guys looked up to see Kitsune swaggering towards them, a little tipsy as usual and with a fresh bottle of beer in hand.

"If I may introduce myself," said Shirai, shoving the other two out of the way as he bowed politely to the foxy lady. "My name is Shirai, and I would be honored if you would tell me yours and then perhaps allow me to escort you to a fine restaurant...?"

"Call me Kitsune, sugar," she giggled with a wink. "But I'm only here to help Keitaro out, sorry."

"How much will it cost me?" asked the manager warily.

"I've got a reservation at 6 pm for that new place downtown with a cozy table for two, the number to a florist, and the addresses for some gift and jewelry stores," replied Kitsune with a grin. "All for a measly...three months' rent?"

"Three months?!" cried Keitaro. "That's a fourth of a year! I won't pay more than a month's worth."

"Done. Here's everything as promised." Kitsune dumped a load of paper in Keitaro's lap. "And my work here is done. Nice doing business with you!"

"Bye..." said Shirai with a dreamy look on his face, waving s Haitani just nodded dumbly at the retreating woman, drool forming a trail down his chin.

Glancing over the list, Keitaro yanked out his handkerchief as his nose exploded with blood. "KITSUNE!! Half there are adult toy or S&M shops!"

"Hey, I never said what sort of gifts!" she called over her shoulder with a wink, laughing to herself loudly. "Enjoy!"

"Keitaro, I know you're going to invite me over to dinner, right??" said Shirai, practically about to beg as he grabbed Keitaro's shirt and began to shake him roughly.

"Me too!" added Haitani quickly.

"Hey, hands off here..." Shaking himself free, the Manager shrugged. "Well...I'll probably have to ask the other girls first, and you'll have to promise to behave or Motoko-chan and Narusegawa will kill us all..." he replied uneasily.

"I won't even glance at the other girls, I just wanna see that girl again!"

"Me too, she's hot!"

Sighing, the ronin felt as if he were promising his soul to the devil as he nodded before turning to head back to the apartments, his original reason for leaving it forgotten. "I'll see what I can do."

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"Absolutely not!"

Keitaro sat in the main room with all the other residents present after dinner, Motoko standing quietly at his side and Naru sitting with her arms folded across from them with a defiant look on her face.

"Does anyone else have an opinion?" asked the Manager wearily.

"I'd just like to say that I don't care either way," offered Austin with a shrug.

"Of course you don't care, it's not you they're come to ogle at," retorted Ami, elbowing him roughly.

"Ow! I was just saying..."

"Look, if they're that desperate for a date, then there has to be something about them that repulses women," pointed out Naru. "Which means they cannot be allowed in!"

"I didn't find them that repulsive," commented Kitsune coyly. In fact, the one with the glasses was kinda cute..."

"Uh, Kitsune? They both wear glasses," pointed out Keitaro carefully.

"I know," she replied with a wink, settling back more comfortably in her seat.

"...ok then."

"If I may say something?" chirped Shinobu shyly. "Sempai has proven to a good guy, right? Then why can't his friends be trusted?"

"Keitaro is married," huffed Naru in a growl. "And there fore supposedly 'safe'. All unattached or unclaimed guys are perverts!"

"What about you, Motoko?" asked Ami, motioning to the swordswoman who had yet to add anything of her own.

"I myself cannot participate in this," came the neutral reply as she tucked her hair behind her ears. "For, as they know I am Keitaro's wife, it is less likely should they be perverts that I would be affected by it."

"But if you weren't 'protected' by that?" prodded Naru. "Would you let them in?"

"It is hard to say," she replied honestly, giving Keitaro an odd look. "Misjudging a person's character, it is such an easy thing to do. To be truthful, I do not see the harm in letting them come for one meal, and should they prove themselves less than gentlemen..." Her eyes narrowed, her hand straying to the handle of her sword. "They shall regret it."

"Is that enough of a safety buffer for you, Naru-chan?" asked Kitsune teasingly.

"...I suppose it'll have to be," she snorted as she rose to whisk herself upstairs.

"Alright then," said Keitaro as he rose, shrugging as the rest dissipated to their own tasks before bed. "I guess that's it."

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"Moshi moshi, is Keitaro home?"

"Shirai, that you?" Keitaro cradled the phone on his shoulder as he finished washing the last of the dishes from dinner, everyone else busy doing their homework or watching the TV.

"Yeah, what's the word?"

"You're allowed to come..." Keitaro winced as the sound of loud cheering and the two giving each other high fives echoed back in his ear, they were obviously on speaker phone. "Ow...gees..."

"Great!" yelled Haitani in the background. "Oh, to see that lady again..."

"Hold up!" said Shirai suddenly, his companion going silent as Keitaro waiting patiently for him to finish. "There's a couple string attached, aren't there?"

"Unfortunately, yes," replied the Manager hesitantly. "No 'unclaimed' guy has been allowed here for a long time, so there are some prerequisites to your visit."

"What about that American guy?" whined Haitani. "He didn't have any!"

"He's also a Toudai student, and already got his own 'safety measure'," chuckled Keitaro lightly. "Look, all it entails is a meeting with my wife before hand to lay down some rules."

"We can do that," said Shirai cockily, Keitaro shaking his head in amusement as he imagined the overly-arrogant look on his friend's face. "When can we come?"

"Tomorrow evening?"

"Sounds good to us, right?"

"Yep!"

"Ok, later guys."

The manager set the phone on the table as he quickly put away the last of the dishes, hoping beyond hope that he hadn't just set up Hinata-sou for a round of chaos to last a lifetime.

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Keitaro flopped himself in bed a long while later, his eyes ready to close the moment his head hit the pillow as he struggled to wait long enough for Motoko to at least make it into bed beside him. They were, as usual, the last two awake with the rest of the house already long gone to sleep.

"Why are you still awake?" she asked as she turned off the light, seeing his half-closed eyes following her every movement. "You are exhausted, between your constant studying and running this place...go to sleep."

"I was just waiting for you," he replied as she slipped under the covers, cuddling against her as she settled herself comfortably. "I am sorry, it seems we haven't seen much of each other lately.

"It will pass," she replied, kissing him on the cheek before letting her own weariness claim her into blessed darkness.

"I hope so," he sighed into her hair as he closed his eyes and also let go of his conscious mind, slipping into his own dreams.

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Motoko woke around midnight, finding herself alone in bed and the hall light on outside. Laying on her stomach, she huggled the tight Keitaro had given her to her chest as she sighed. She wasn't going to be able to sleep until whatever it was that had woken her husband was remedied and he was back in bed. Reluctantly, she rose and pulled on a pair of pants, treading silently out into the hall and down the stairs.

The young woman followed the light, peaking into the office to find her husband asleep over some open notebooks and textbooks. Shaking his shoulder gently, she brushed his lengthening bangs from his eyes. He would need to get a haircut soon, she thought to herself as he slowly stirred to wakefulness.

"Motoko-chan..." he murmured as he slowly cracked his eyes open, looking rather sheepish. "Sorry to wake you up."

"No, that's ok. Why are you down here, though?"

"Oba-san....she's supposed to send me her reply any day now, and I thought I heard the machine turn on...must've just been a dream, but when I got down here I decided to stay and catch up on some work...was gonna come right back on up...sorry..."

"Come," she murmured as she slipped an arm under his, helping him to his feet. "She has not sent it yet, let's go back to bed." Letting him lean on her, she carried them both up the stairs and into their room. "Lay down," she instructed gently, helping him sit on the edge of the bed. He obeyed, half-dozing in his exhaustion as she removed his slippers before tucking him in to fall asleep once more.

Crawling over him stealthy, the samurai woman watched her life mate tenderly as he shifted in his sleep to get more comfortable. "You took care of me, and so I will now care for you," she whispered as hi hand found her own and pulled her closer. "Should you fail the exam, it will not be from lack of health! Because it is something I can assist you in, I shall."

Letting herself be hugged to his chest, she closed her eyes as well and, for the second time, fell asleep.

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The next day progressed much as most did, those who had work or school up and out the door after breakfast while those who didn't (meaning Kitsune) slept until none or so. Early afternoon found Keitaro wandering towards the steps of the Inn, stopping in at the Tea House just as Haruka came out to serve some of the guest seated at the outdoor tables.

"Be with you in a sec," she said as he walked by her and onto the inside where he took a seat at a side booth. Waving to Ami, who brought him a cup of tea from the special family-brew pot in the back, he sat back and waiting patiently for his Aunt to come.

"What do you need this time?" she asked in a flat voice when she finally sat across from him, accepting the beer from Ami who appeared randomly at her elbow before disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Whoa, she's good," said Keitaro in startlement.

"Yeah, that's why I asked her to come," replied Haruka with a shrug. "But that's not why you're where. What's on your mind?"

"I just realized it's Valentine's day recently," he explained with a frown. "Or, it will be soon, I mean. I don't need reservations, I got those through Kitsune..." The ronin dug through his pocket, coming up with the papers that confirmed all the times and dates for him as well as the other lists that had come with it.

"How much did she charge?" asked his relative as she thumbed through it lightly.

"A month's rent," he admitted guiltily.

"Not bad, at least she did her homework on this one..." Haruka raised an eyebrow at the sight of the gift shop list. Folding it up, she removed it from the stack and placed it in her apron pocket. "Don't think you'll be needing that..."

"what else should I do, though?" asked Keitaro urgently. "I mean, I've never had a Valentine before..."

"Your reservations are good, but have you ever considered what sort of formal dress you should wear?" asked his aunt languidly. Taking in his confused look, she sighed. "Guess not. Well...for you, it'd just be one of your real dress pants with a button down shirt, tie, and maybe a blazer, but for your date..." Settling back in her chair, Keitaro watched curiously as her lips slowly curled into an all-knowing smile and a secretive glint formed in her eyes that was the trademark of all true Urashima women. "Here's my suggestion," she proclaimed after a few moments of silence. "Get her some flowers from the place listed, a gift if you want, and show up at the right time for your dinner. Let me take care of the rest."

Keitaro blinked, obviously surprised by the generous offer. "Oh...ok."

"Well, I have things to attend to here," stated his aunt lightly. "And you've some things to attend to yourself, so get."

"Yes, oba-san."

Keitaro lightly skipped to the side as his aunt tried to whack him with one of her infamous paper fans. Chuckling, he gave her a final wave as he ducked out of the shop.

At least he knew what he was doing now.

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Shirai and Haitani stood at the bottom of the steps to the Inn, each with a bouquet of flower in hand and dressed in moderately nicer shirts and pants than usual. "This is it," said Shirai as he adjusted his glasses one last time. "We're going to be the first set of unclaimed males to walk these steps since Keitaro got married, and if you don't count him it's probably been years!"

"Remember: we have to behave," added Haitani quickly. "If you let your moth run and ruin it for both of us, I'll never forgive you!"

"If we get thrown out before I give my foxy lady these flowers, I'll never forgive myself," replied Shirai seriously. Breaking out into one of his usual sly grins, he winked at his friend. "You ready?"

"I was born ready! Let's go!"

Arriving at the top a few moments later, Keitaro stopped them there with the young woman they recognized from before as his wife standing slightly to one side in her school uniform.

"Hi, guys!" he greeted them as they each gave him a friendly whack on the back. "Hey, easy there...Haitani, Shirai, once again I'd like you to meet my wife, Motoko."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said as she bowed to them politely, her eyes masked but calculating none the less.

The two young men bowed, though they still marveled at the thought that Keitaro had managed to snag such a hot wife. Sure, Kitsune was sexier in every sense of the word, but Motoko had that ancient beauty look that couldn't be ignored.

"The pleasure is ours," replied Shirai, though he respectfully kept his distance rather than kissing her hand. Somehow he got the feeling that Keitaro and only Keitaro could touch her like that and live.

"I have to go make sure dinner is ready," said the manager as he gave his wife's hand a quick squeeze and the two noted the warm smile that flashed between the pair. "So Motoko-chan is going to lay down a few rules for you real fast. Have fun!"

"Please do not take offense to these rules, they are merely for our resident's protection as well as your own," said Motoko quickly as her husband made his exit. "You are not to enter any rooms but those which are common areas, such as the kitchen, main room, and hallways. All bedrooms unless given expressed permission, are off limits. You show any signs of perversion, lechery, or willing hurt another here..." Her sword was drawn in a flash, neatly slicing a leaf that had been floating between the pair in half. "You will exit the building in a manner faster than you ever though possible. Are we clear?"

"We promise to be nothing but perfect gentlemen," swore Shirai, Haitani agreeing quickly with his eyes still on the sword.

"Then we shall go in." Walking over the front door, Motoko held it open for them as the other residents inside peered out to get a good look at the 'invaders' for the evening. "Welcome to Hinata-sou."

"HyyyAH!!!" Su came swinging down from the top of the doorframe, easily knocking them over as she kicked them each in the head. "Hey, they're easier to knock over than Keitaro is!"

"Su, you can't just knock people over like that, remember?" admonished Ami as she walked over to the younger girl, Motoko having already disappeared into the kitchen. "What do you do first?"

"Umm...." Thinking about it as the pair picked themselves up, Su suddenly brightened and held out her hand to them. "That's right, I forgot! Name's Koalla Su, nice to meet ya!"

"Eh, nice to meet you too," said Shirai as he took her hand carefully, face contorting in pain when her grip nearly crushed the bones in his hand. "Oh, kami...!!"

"Anywho, I smell banana pies baking, so I'll see ya later!" Whisking herself away, Ami chuckled as Motoko peeked out to see what the commotion was and hid her own grin when she pieced it all together. Shirai was too busy making sure his hand still worked to notice, though, and Haitani had his eyes fastened on some one in the corner with a wreath of smoke over her head.

"Hope your hands alright," offered Ami as Austin came out of the back hallway to stand beside her. "I'm Ami and this is Austin, pleased to meet you."

"Shirai and Haitani," offered the crushed-handed ronin. "Nice to meet you too. You must be the American pair, right?"

"Yep, we're just here until he finishes going through Toudai," replied Ami as she nudged her companion lightly.

"And she works in the Tea House below to help with money," explained her counterpart lightly. "Before I forget, though...Motoko-san? Naru left a message wtih me for you. She said something came up at home and she'd be gone for the weekend, and she was sorry she couldn't meet Keitaro's friends."

"Like hell something came up," snorted Kitsune as she sauntered out of her room. "Sometimes I wonder about that girl..."

"These are for you, Miss Kitsune!" said Shirai gallantly as he appeared before her on one knee, the now battered bouquet held out as if offering a crown to a goddess.

"Oh, thanks hun!" she said, brightening immediately as she accepted them with a wink. "What say you come help me find a vase to keep these fresh in?"

"Miss, I'm completely at your disposal!"

"You don't say...hm..."

Motoko moved aside for them before glancing at Haruka, who still resided silently in her usual corner and exchanged looks with her. Whatever Kitsune did with this 'Shirai' fellow was entirely her business, she would merely have to be given a reminder that for the sake of her younger housemates it remained out of sight.

"Dinner's ready," called Keitaro as she stuck his head into the room. "Yo, earth to Haitani...you alright, bud?"

"Who's the gorgeous one in the corner?" asked his friend, seizing Keitaro by the arm.

"What gorgeous one...?" Keitaro's eyes followed Haitani's, his stomach giving a lurch when he realized who he meant. "Ack! You sicko, that's my AUNT!"

"Are you coming?" asked Motoko as she held the door to the kitchen open.

"Yeah," replied Keitaro, dragging his love-stuck friend along behind him. Whispering to the starry-eyed guy, he said, "Snap out of it, man! My aunt will chew you up and spit you out before you could even blink!"

"I'll take my chances."

Taking their seats at one end of the table as usual, Motoko touched Keitaro's hand with a questioning look in her eyes. 'I'll tell you later' he mouthed to her silently, before announcing to everyone to go ahead and eat.

"This is amazing," cried Shirai as he tasted a bit of everything. "The tempura, the sauces, the rice, all of it perfect! My mom can't even cook this well, did you order out?"

"Our resident chef, Shinobu Maehara, cooks better than any take out we could afford," boasted Keitaro proudly as he motioned to the younger resident who sat a seat down across from them.

"You can't be above Jr. High, and you seriously made all of this?" said Haitani in surprise. "That's amazing! Keep this up and I bet you'll be world-famous before you're out of college."

"Thank you, very much!" replied Shinobu softly with a heavy blush. "I only try and do as my mother taught me."

"Your mother must be an incredible person, then," sighed Haitani as he slurped down a bowl of fried vegetables and scallions that were a particular favorite of his. "And your father very luck to have a wife as she!"

"Yes," replied Shinobu, her voice lowering notably though the two visitors and half the tale unaware of it. "He...he is."

"You guys never told me what college you finally decided on," cut in Keitaro in an attempt to change the subject while giving the downcast cook an encouraging smile. "What are you up to these days?"

"Pretty much going from job to job trying to scrape enough together for rent," explained Haitani with an easy shrug. "I've finally found a Tech school that's doing computer and program development stuff, and I have a really good shot at getting in!" Glancing with, what he thought was suave grace in Haruka's direction, he winked and added, "I'm a man with a stable future, and now I'm looking for a nice woman to share it with!"

Keitaro choked on his tea as Kitsune burst out laughing, Motoko raising both brows in surprise as the elder woman ignored them all together and sipped her tea. Was she seeing things, or had Keitaro's friend just propositioned his AUNT?!

"Idiot!" whispered Shirai harshly as he elbowed his round companion in the gut. "Do that again and I'll kick you out myself!"

"Gee, sorry, it seemed like a good idea..."

"Well, your ideas suck!"

"What about you, Shirai?" asked Keitaro, a slight strain in his voice as he began to wonder if inviting his friends over was suck a good idea after all.

"Not a clue," admitted his fellow ronin with a light shrug. "I'm gonna go ahead and try for the same one as Haitani and at least get through the freshman basics before making a decision."

"I keep telling him programming is the way to go," broke in Haitani with a knowing look. "Especially with the way he thinks, he should get into movie graphics or even video games!"

"Feh, that's kiddy stuff," piped up Su imperiously. "The real meat of graphics and programming is virtual reality, the ones where you only use your mind!"

"Yeah, but stuff like that doesn't exist yet," replied Haitani, giving her a condescending smile as if merely humoring her. "Yeah, sure, they've got games now with the visors, but you still need the hand controllers or even those body censors that they strap to you...no, it'll be a while more before we come up with something like that."

"That's what you think..." Su just grinned innocently as the plump computer geek glanced at her suspiciously. Shrugging it off, he went back to eating as Keitaro watched the whole thing with a growing knot of tension in his stomach. Baiting Su like that was not wise at all, and the Manager doubted his friend understood the consequences of underestimating the young girl. There was stopping her once she got started, and even Motoko-chan had difficulty controlling or dealing with the foreign girl's creations occasionally.

"Excellent as always, Shinobu-chan!" sighed Kitsune as she settled back in her chair with her nearly-empty sake glass in hand.

"Allow me," offered Shirai, pouring her more in a gentlemanly manner.

"Why thank you, sugar." Kitsune grinned in return, accepting the cup in a way that gave him a flash of cleavage. "Oh, something wrong, Shirai-san? You turned real red for a moment, there..."

Motoko frowned in disapproval as Keitaro discreetly laid his hand over her own before she could say anything.

"I know," he murmured as the guest began to stutter out a barely coherent reply. "But Kitsune's toying with him, like she always does. Try not to let it get to you, because you know he likes it."

"She should at least attempt to restrain her attentions to them when Su and Shinobu are present," came the tight retort, her hand clenching under his into a fist.

"May I offer you some more wine, Urashima-san?" Haitani asked Haruka politely. "Your glass is rather empty."

"No thanks," replied the elder as she rose suddenly, nodding to her nephew. "Gotta go do the paperwork, good night."

"May I escort you, then, back down to the Tea Shop?" put in the desperate-sounding ronin quickly.

Haruka snorted, giving him a cold look a she replied sardonically, "I'm flattered, but go find yourself a girl your own age, kid."

Leaving a crushed Haitani in her wake, the woman left in her usual silently swift manner. Motoko smothered a satisfied smile as Keitaro tried to choke back a chuckle of his own. Su and Shinobu just looked confused as Ami and Austin tried to hide their amused looks and nearly failed when the rejected young man glanced their way mournfully.

"What say you come with us tonight?" offered Kitsune as she motioned to Shirai who looked slightly disappointed with that proposition. "My good buddy here offered to buy me some drinks tonight, and I'm sure we could find a nice girl for you to do the same with..."

"I guess..."

"Don't wait up for us, guys!" called Kitsune as she dragged the pair out the door.

Motoko narrowed her eyes slightly. "She had better not return at an indecent hour with those two in tow and intoxicated as well..."

"She won't," cut in Keitaro as he rose, beginning to clear the table as his wife quickly moved to help him. Shinobu disappeared up stairs, Su opting to stay with Ami and Austin who decided to go play their PS2 for awhile.

"Your friends are...more acceptable than first portrayed," admitted Motoko as she plugged the sink and began to fill it with water and rolled up her sleeves quickly. Putting in a liberal dash of dish soap, she began to scrub the plates and bowls as Keitaro finished clearing them from the table and giving it a wipe down with a wet rag.

Watching Motoko out of the corner of his eye, Keitaro traded the rag for a towel and began to dry the dishes as she finished rinsing them. "You still aren't comfortable with them being around, though?" pointed out Keitaro as he noted her slightly furrowed brow and the tension in her shoulders.

"They are...decent, but they are not like you." Shrugging enigmatically, she attempted to explain her whirling thoughts. "Yes, they are only interested in Kitsune and Haruka-san, and those two are more than capable of handling themselves in most situations. Still...should they think Su and Shinobu or even Naru and Ami easier prey, and thus pursue them instead..." She sighed and shook her head. "They have some honor, and they can be trusted...with some things. But they are not like you, Keitaro. I had thought perhaps they were, for you were friends with them, but now that I have truly met them I see little good in allowing their visits to become habitual to our home."

"Did you see any good in marrying a stranger?" asked Keitaro.

"That...that is not the same," retorted Motoko, giving him a playful glare. "You can hardly be compared to them..."

"Still, you gave me a chance, a huge one in fact," he reminded her gently. "And I just want you to do the same for them. Not in the same manner, obviously." They both blushed at that. "But...would it hurt to say, once every few weeks, they come for dinner?"

"I...suppose not..."

Keitaro grinned almost triumphantly, daring to give her a quick kiss as no one else was around. "Thank you."

"If you two aren't busy..." Both looked up to see Haruka in the doorway, an irate look on her face as she tossed some flowers on the table. "Tell that kid he hasn't got an icicles chance in hell, and if you can't get it through his thick skull, I will and it won't be pretty!"

"I would say she is not pleased," murmured Motoko as the front door slammed shut in the back ground.

"Yep," replied Keitaro as he picked up the bouquet and tossed it. "Not happy at all."

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Haitani stood outside the Tea House, a hopeful look on his face as he planned his next move. He would win his love, be it by his wooing or his persistence, she would see the light that shone in his heart only for her and love him in return for it!

Fading into the background, the young nerd disappeared as only nerds can. She would be his, he just knew it.

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"Be careful on your way home, Sempai!"

"And you as well, Gina! Please thank your mother for me for lending the kendo club her van."

"Of course!"

Motoko walked from the station towards the house, grateful for the slight breeze as she was still warm from the rigors of her afternoon practice. She was a bit later than usual, but they would wait to have dinner with her as they always did. Three days had passed since Keitaro's friends had visited, and while some of the wives had been rather giggly during school, she felt it was a beautiful and satisfying day none the less.

Coming to the steps of the Inn, she met Austin and Ami with Su and Shinobu in tow, a picnic basket and blanket among their persons.

"We're just gonna have dinner in the park," explained the young American woman with a grin.

"Are there plans left for the rest of us to eat?" asked Motoko curiously.

"In a way."

The swordswoman frowned at that cryptic remark, but couldn't ask anything more as the group had moved off in the distance. Climbing the stairs by herself, she entered the house to find it seemingly empty. When no one answered her call, she continued on her way upstairs, opening the door to her room.

"Boo."

"Eh?! Haruka-san?" Her aunt-in-law looked back at her with a shrug.

"Sorry if you were expecting your husband, but he's currently waiting for you and you are late."

"What are you-"

"No time to talk. In the shower, now." Motoko could hardly find it in herself to protest as her bath things were dumped in her arms and Haruka shoved her into the shower down the hall that the guys usually used. Numbly, she almost felt as if she was invading their 'privacy' as she quickly cleaned herself off. Drying off and letting her damp hair hang loose about her shoulders, she wasn't surprised when Haruka appeared and pushed her behind the changing screen in her room.

"May I at least ask why you are having me do this?" requested the samurai as a bra was tossed over the top at her along with a slip. "I never wear such nonsense...my bindings always suffice!"

"Do you know what today is?" replied Haruka flatly.

"Thursday, February 14th..." The words had no sooner left her mouth than it dawned on her. "KAMI! I completely forgot..."

"If it makes you feel any better, Keitaro did too," coughed her aunt with a shrug. "But the best thing you can do right now is get into this and meet him at the restaurant."

Motoko peeked around the side of the screen, her eyes widening slightly as she took it in. "But, this is...."

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Haruka dusted off her hands as Motoko disappeared into the distance, a satisfied look on her face as her niece turned more than a few years as she walked along by herself. It had taken a lot of persuading and a little arguing, but the end result was most gratifying indeed. Keitaro had better appreciated her work, though (she smirked to herself) it would be hard for any man not to.

"Urashima-san...?"

The elder woman's smirk fell into a disgusted frown as she registered  the voice of one Haitani standing behind her. Kami, why her?

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Keitaro fidgeted nervously as he sat at the table for two alone, a box by his plate that he'd obviously wrapped himself with its lopsided bow.

"Awaiting your girlfriend, young sir?" asked a kindly old waiter who came by the table. Motioning to the box, he added, "Perhaps, then, to propose?"

"Oh, no, I'm waiting for my wife," replied Keitaro quickly with a self-conscious grin. "She should be here any moment..."

"Wife?? Are you not a bit young to be..."

"Keitaro-kun?"

Both Keitaro's and the waiter's mouths dropped open as Motoko stepped fully into view, obviously a little unsure of herself and with the hostess from the front by her side. Her hair was half pulled back from her face as it had at the new years festival, but it wasn't that or the trace of lipstick and eyeliner Haruka had managed to cajole her into using. His eyes loitered on the dress that encased her almost flawless figure, a tight enough to outline the curves of her body silk Chinese dress with a high collar and no sleeves. The hem stopped mid thigh, giving a nice view of her long, muscled legs and on her feet were a pair of strappy black heels. If not for the fact that she had incredible balance as well as a high tolerance for pain those shoes would have ruined her graceful appearance and she wondered how some wore them everyday without breaking an ankle. Fidgeting as she came a few steps closer, the swordswoman felt a growing dread in her bosom that something in her appearance was horribly wrong, for men and some women had stared at her the whole way here.

"Right this way, my lady," said the waiter as he snapped back into his professional attitude and quickly moved to hold her seat out for her.

Keitaro scrambled to his own feet with a blush, trying to find the words to say as she hesitantly accepted his gentle hug. "You...I mean, um, thank you for coming, Motoko-chan. You look....amazing."

She flushed, ducking her head slightly. "You knew I would come," she said quietly, hardly daring to meet him eye to eye. "And, you look very handsome yourself."

"I'm glad you approve," he chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. "Shall we sit?"

"Of course."

The waiter moved out of the way so Keitaro could help his wife into her seat, winking at the ronin as he moved away to his other duties. "Lucky," he mouthed to him as Keitaro just grinned in return.

Heck yeah, he was. Quickly coming around to his own seat, he joined her just as another waiter came to take their drink order.

"Hot tea," said Motoko politely as the young man with the notepad blushed. "Green, if you could manage it."

"Oh, I will, and for you sir?"

"The same," replied Keitaro. Continuing to stare at his wife with a breathless smile, she twitched nervously under his gaze as she tucked a strand of escaped hair behind her ear.

"Keitaro...?"

"Yes?"

"Is there something wrong with...my looks?" came the careful query, his wife glancing up at him with a worried look on her face.

"No!" he exclaimed quickly. "Why would you think that?"

"Well...you and others continue to stare at me..." She trailed off uncertainly, biting her lip as she did. "Have I done something incorrectly? Behaved in a manner that I shouldn't have?"

"No, no, it's not that, it's just..." Keitaro blushed, his tongue tripping over itself as he tried to explain. "You...gees, you're just so beautiful...I guess the rest of the guys are just like me, we can't help but stare." The couple both turned a flaming red, one in embarrassment at having actually said that and the other in shock that it was actually said to her. Coughing in an attempt to salvage the situation, the ronin spotted the box and quickly placed it on her plate. "Erm....here. I...got this for you. You can open it, if you want."

Feeling like the hugest fool in the world as he reviewed what he said and realized just how idiotic it sounded, he watched as his wife picked it up and carefully tore away the paper along the seams. Just as glad for the distraction as he, she hardly heard what he said at all and carefully lifted the lid off the box she uncovered away to reveal a silver bracelet of delicate, interlocking lotus flowers with its clasp cleverly hidden among them.

Lifting the gift from its folds of silk, she marveled at its fragile beauty as he was inwardly relieved at the pleased look on her face. He had been afraid that she would think it too much, or reject it simply because, well, he wasn't sure. But she might have, in his mind, and he was so glad she hadn't.

Helping her put it on, he noted she was wearing her ring as well and the smile that resulted from that lasted through the whole dinner. Speaking shyly of simple things, such as life with the other tenants, they continued through the whole dinner without a single mishap before deciding to go and walk about for awhile...

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Haruka ran the Tea Shop by herself for once, having let Ami off for the evening. The crowd was mainly older couples or singles trying to find comfort in their friends companionship so the orders weren't too demanding and she was able to manager the whole pace without so much as breaking a sweat.

Lounging back against the counter as she waited patiently for someone else to require her attention, the elder woman felt her senses prickle and moved away before the young man behind her could tap her shoulder.

"Did I not kick you out of here ten minutes ago?" she growled without turning around.

"You can kick me out as many times as you want, I'll always come back!"

"Go away, Haitani," she growled warningly at him, throwing a glare over her shoulder.

"But I wished to present you with these in hopes of winning your heart on this day for lovers," replied Haitani as he went down on one knee beside her, mistakenly imagining himself to be as suave as Shirai thought he was.

"You didn't," snapped Haruka as she prepared a tray of fresh tea for a table where they appeared to be running low. "Go away."

"I can't," he replied, trying to sound choked with emotion and only getting to an annoying whine. "My heart won't let me!"

"Your heart is gonna be ripped out and on the ground if you don't knock it off," she hissed, stalking away and managing to control herself enough to serve the paying customers politely.

"Then do so, so the love in my heart will wound me no more!" cried the crushed ronin as he fell at her feet. A hush fell over the entire establishment as a pan appeared in Haruka's hand and she whacked him over the head, muttering an apology to those close by for the disturbance before dragging the young, unconscious man outside by his collar.

"You are becoming a nuisance, not only to me but also to my business," she said flatly, giving him a deceptively calm look as her eyebrow began to twitch.

"Love can be a nuisance, but its rewards far outweigh its troubles!"

"Dammit, kid, you can't have me!"

"Give me one good reason!" replied Haitani, attempting to clutch at her leg as she skipped back out of range.

"I'll give you three! Number one, you're younger than my NEPHEW. Two, I'm not interested in you, period! And third, I'm technically already taken!"

Haitani raised a brow skeptically, making the first sane comment to pass from his lips all night. "You don't wear a ring."

"There are things that can bind two people more closely than a couple of rings," came the low reply.

"Where is he, then?" probed the ronin curiously.

"In Africa."

He shook his head in disbelief. "Right..."

Haruka took out an envelope and flicked it at him, watching with seemingly little interest as he opened it and pulled out the card and picture she'd just received earlier that day. Seeing his face fall a little more with each passing second as he scanned the written note and then the photo of the and elder man with a blonde child perched on his shoulder, she almost felt bad for the poor boy...but not quite.

Sighing as a shudder passed through his body, the crestfallen young man passed t back with a shaking hand. "...oh."

"Don't take it too hard, kid, there's probably a nice girl your OWN age out there somewhere," she advised him, heading back inside without a backwards glace. He'd be fine.

Slowly getting up, the young man shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered off in the direction of the nearest bar.  A few sip/cups/bottles/gallons/tubs of sake (it was all the same, after awhile) and his world be right again. Or at least everything would be numb enough to forget about it for awhile, he hoped.

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Keitaro chuckled lightly as he took a seat beside his wife on the swings, feeling a lot more relaxed with his shirt slightly unbuttoned and his tie loose and hanging from his collar as they slowly swung back and forth under a canopy of stars.

Motoko observed her husband out of the corner of her eye, smiling a bit as their hands found each other between them. Still, she needed to ask him and it would probably be best to bring up such matter when they finally had some time alone.

"May I ask you something, Keitaro-kun?"

"Always," he replied, giving her one of those smiles that stopped her heart.

Glancing away as she strove to collect her suddenly scattered thoughts, she said, "Do you...prefer to see me dressed in this way?" Her voice was soft, but her eyes demanded the truth.

"I prefer to see you happy above all else," temporized the ronin, feeling himself to be on thin ice somehow. Then again, he had no idea where this question was coming from in the first place. Getting a raised brow in return, he shrugged. "In all honesty, I think you always look beautiful, tonight is just particularly so."

"Then, there are times you find my beauty more...appealing, correct?"

"Well, all of use are like that, though," he coughed, trying to sort out just exactly what it was she wanted to know and drawing a blank. "There are days when we look better or worse..."

"That is not what I refer to, and I think you know that, Keitaro."

Finding himself rather trapped, he scratched his nose in an attempt to collect his thought before he replied. It was a valiant effort, but those whirling bits in his brain refused to be organized and his mouth without any guide began to do the talking. Praying he wouldn't screw up to badly, the ronin launched himself into his explanation without look back.

"I truthfully do think you are always beautiful," he started seriously. "But you're wrong in saying it's more 'pleasing' in some situations then others. Really, it's just different..."

"I do not follow," admitted his wife hesitantly.

"Well, for example, when you wear your hamaka and gi, your beauty is one of silent strength..." His arm slipped itself around her shoulder, bringing them closer together as if sharing a special secret. "It is....controlled. Focused. Yet, completely untamed."

She looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Would you dare to try and tame me?"

He laughed, leaning forward so their foreheads touched. "Not even the kami could tame you, should they desire to, so I won't even bother trying." She kissed him softly on the cheek, settling into his shoulder as he tried to continue. "But...erm, back to what I was saying. That is one side of it. Another is when you wear the tradition kimonos and robes of our ancestors...then you are shy, a little more feminine but in a reserved and quiet way. It is not a beauty that openly calls attention to itself."

"What of tonight, though?" she replied, staring into the distance as he shifted to bring her even closer still. She breathed in his scent deeply, feeling those familiar but still not entirely fulfilled stirrings as he rested his head atop her own and held her closer than ever.

"When you dress like this," he explained in a husky voice as he began to gently rub her back with one free hand. "I....you are not necessarily more beautiful than any other time, however you are incredibly...uh..."

"Incredibly what?"

"...sexy. Absolutely alluring. Not in a flashy, tasteless way, but..." He sighed, nuzzling his cheek against the top of her head. "Kami, if I weren't already married to you, seeing you like this I would greatly envy your lucky husband."

"Would you prefer it if I were to always attire myself this way?" she asked tentively, holding her breath as he began to nudge his way down her neck.

He stopped. "No."

"Why?"

"Because." sighing as he backed off a little, his accepted the fact that it wouldn't be wise to press their physical aspect of the relationship tonight, not only because Su was to sleep with them but because he wasn't ready to be a father yet and control wasn't something he had a lot of at the moment. "While you are...more desirable, like this, right now, this person not the woman I married. Call me crazy, but I've only really known you as the warrior you are most comfortable with, so I at least think I understand you the most when you're like that. Does that make any sense at all?"

Motoko chuckled deep in her throat. "No."

"Oh....well, I tried."

"We should be getting back," she murmured as a clock in the distance struck ten tolls of its ancient bells. "Su will be waiting for us, and perhaps some of the others."

"I'd rather stay here, with you," he replied, drawing her closer again.

"Keitaro..." She placed a hand over his lips, shaking her head slightly when he tried to evade it. "Duty before pleasure, remember?"

"Which is entirely not fair," he grumbled.

"I know, but..." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "It is not like there will never be a later on."

"Heh, knowing my luck...eep!" The ronin danced to his feet as his wife just grinned innocently, for of course it could never be she who had just tickled him. "Ah, alright. May I escort you home, madam?" He held his arm to her invitingly.

"It would be an honor."

Motoko and Keitaro meandered along the sidewalks, comfortably arm in arm with light smiles as they shared private glances and occasionally exchanged a few words as well. Coming to the bottom of the steps to the Inn, they hesitated and stood there, looking up at the huge structure that was their haven and home.

"Did you have fun tonight?" asked Keitaro as he glanced at his wife, squeezing her hand.

She looked back at him, one side of her mouth tugging itself into a gentle smile. "I believe so, thank you."

"I was wondering where you two got off to."

The pair turned, finding Haruka standing behind them with an unlit cigarette hanging from her lips. "Thank you, oba-san, for the loan of your dress," said Motoko quickly, giving her a grateful bow.

"Consider it a gift, it looks better on you anyways," replied the elder woman with an easy shrug. "Wouldn't you say so, Keitaro?"

"I say she looks great no matter what she wear," replied Keitaro proudly. And even better when she's wearing nothing at all... added one of the little voices in the back of his brain that he quickly shoved away. "But the dress suits her well, too."

"You do not wish to have it back, then?" questioned the swordswoman hesitantly. "But was it not a..."

"The past has to be forgotten sometimes," cut in their companion with a snort. "I was jut headed in to check on Su, but since you're here there's no reason to. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, oba-san!"

Yeah, night, oba-" A paper fan hit Keitaro in the face. "Ow!"

"That's Haruka-san to you!"

"But Motoko-chan just....eh, whatever, I give up!"

Motoko chuckled as he rubbed his forehead, muttering about the unfairness of women though she could tell he was just teasing.

Haruka smirked to herself as she heard them enter and close the front door, locking it for the night behind themselves. It was a good thing the two were getting along so comfortable with each other, and even better that there would never be any contestation about another female in Keitaro's life. Considering as indecisive as he was, he'd never find the heart to pick one girl over another and considering his luck-record from the years of the curse, that's likely exactly what he would have had to do. Really, in the end, it was better for everyone this way. And really, she would know.

Fishing out the picture from earlier, she stared at it under one of the street lamps, completely alone as far as any could see. The man's tan was deeper than before, she noted, and he'd probably gotten a bit leaver since he'd left, too. The young girl's skin was darker, her hair bleached to the same bright gold her mother had sported all those years ago.

Quickly putting the picture away to block the flood of memories those same mischievous eyes and bring smile brought forth, the elder woman was distracted from her own feelings as a drunkard came stumbling down the road towards her. Deciding to ignore the idiot, whoever it was, she was about to go back inside when three others appeared with their faces masked and clubs in hand. That's when Haruka changed her mind, and figured it was time to intervene. The fool may have deserved to wake in the gutter the next morning and publicly humiliate himself when he retched up his guts before dragging his sorry butt home, but being put as the victim to a crime did not fit in that righteous picture.

Stealthy creeping up behind them, the frying pan made its second appearance for the night and with a few swift 'thunks' they were down in the gutter along with their prey who had passed out in the middle of the street. Stepping over the others, she rolled the idiot on his back to recognize one half-dead Haitani before her.

"Oh hell no..." Grumbling something under her breath about annoying nephews and their even more annoying friends, she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him around the back of the Tea House to where her private deck was. Leaving him there propped up on her side, she wondered how she'd gotten so soft as she grabbed an old blanket and tossed it over his prone form. Before she might have dragged him out of the road after she knocked the attackers out, and of course rolled him on his side so he wouldn't choke on his own puke, but that was it. Chalking it up to her idiot nephew's influence, who was often way to nice for his own good, she walked inside and locked the door behind herself with no regrets. She just hoped the smashed fool wouldn't get any wrong ideas from her generosity in the morning.

Now, some may have said her actions cruel or unfair, citing the fact that his condition was entirely related to the fact that she had pretty much crushed his hopes of ever being with her earlier that evening. However, the elder Urashima resident's motives were not ones of cruelty or unfairness, but instead a tough code of justice and independence that she herself had been forced to live by at a very young age and thus measured all others by. There are several types of aunts, ones that spoil their nieces and nephews often as they can since they'll never had children of their own, scary spinster ones that their younger relatives hate to visit because they smell like old milk and baby powder, even ones very like their nieces and nephews mothers to the point where they could practically be interchangeable, yet if there was a category of 'None of the Above', Haruka would be at the top of that list.

Youngest of six, and the only female in the last set of three that had inhabited the rooms that they'd shared at the Inn, she had been an outcast by the time her elder sister was married when she was nine and still was, in some ways. Her brothers had given her no relief from their teasing and tormenting pranks, and it was during those years that she learned nothing was fair and you couldn't be soft or others would tear you apart in a heartbeat. You deserve to pay for your mistakes, and you can't cushion others from theirs either. Point blank honesty wins out over friendly lies any day, and if you have a chance to fix a wrong, no matter how embarrassing, you sure as hell better do so. Maybe a little extreme, but considering who her relatives are it isn't all that far fetched. So really, even though it may have been a bit on the harsh side by most people's standards, she was just being herself, Haruka Urashima.

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Motoko woke earlier than usual for a weekend day the next morning, leaving Keitaro with a quick kiss on his forehead as she carried Su back to her own room to wake there and get herself ready for the day. Changing, as always, into a fresh set of hamaka and gi she glided down the stairs to meet Shinobu in the kitchen where she helped her prepare the morning meal as one of her usual cooking lessons.

"Did you enjoy yourself last night?" asked the younger girl shyly, keeping her eyes focused on the pot before her as she did.

"Yes, very much," replied Motoko lightly with a slight smile. "How did you know, though?"

"Au, Kitsune-sempai was going on about it before I went to bed," explained her companion quietly. "Please, I wasn't eavesdropping! I just happened to hear..."

"Kitsune has a big mouth and a voice that carries," replied Motoko, giving the chef a teasing wink. "I'm sure it was no fault of your own."

"Ami-chan had better get up soon," offered Shinobu, changing the subject quickly. "Haruka-san told her she has to be there for the opening today since she got last night off completely to go with us!"

"Do you think she is awake?" replied Motoko with a frown. "I have not seen her or Austin since last night when I returned from practice...do you think I should go check and see?"

"Haruka-san is scary when she gets mad," admitted the cook as she drained the noodles and set them in a separate bowl. "It would be the nice thing to do..."

"I shall be right back, then," decided the swordswoman firmly as she wiped her hands off and headed for the door. "You do not mind that we shall continue my lesson later?"

"No, anytime is fine with me."

"Thank you."

Quickly making it to the door beside her own, she rapped on it lightly and waited for a reply. Getting a muffled, "Yeah?" she cleared her throat lightly.

"Ami-chan, it is Motoko."

"Oh, come in."

"I apologize if I woke you," started the samurai girl as she slid the door open, stepping inside the dim room only to turn away quickly when she realized her American friend was not alone in her bed. "Uh..."

Sitting up in puzzlement, Ami was about to ask what was the matter when she noticed the snoring bundle of sheets beside her that resembled Austin with his spikes sticking out of the opening at the top. Leaping from bed quickly, she hurriedly closed the door behind Motoko and stood there at an angle so her visitor wouldn't have to see the bed, flushing brightly.

"Er...sorry about this..."

Motoko sighed politely, well aware of the fact that Austin was still asleep and both him and his bedmate obviously dressed so nothing TOO bad could have happened the night before. "What you do in your free time is your own business," she said courteously, moving to the side wall that separated hers and Austin's rooms from each other. "However, you might wish to use this if this is to become a habit, as well as lock your door on those occasions..." Tapping on one corner, she gave the board a gentle push and it swung inwards, showing Austin's room on the other side.

"It doesn't happen every night, and this was the first time since we've come here," blurted out the American before thinking first. "I mean...uh, thanks? Look, I am sorry about this and please don't tell the others..."

"I'll leave you to your own activities," cut in the swordswoman, keeping her face masked. "However, Haruka shall be expecting you soon...yes?"

Ami glanced at the watch she always wore, even to bed. "Oh no! Sorry, gotta go, bye!" Shoving the landlord's wife out into the hall, there was the sound of clothes being shuffled and the occasional crash and curse to go with it as the American appeared a moment later fully dressed to charge at a breakneck speed down the several flights of steps to the Tea House as only the desperately late can. Finding the front door still locked, though, she glanced in the front windows and finding her boss nowhere in sight proceeded to the back.

"Haruka-san?"

There Ami found her employer standing over a prone form on her porch, nudging it none too gently with the toe of her shoe. Getting only a few muttered grumbles in reply, the elder woman shrugged and nabbed the full bucket that lay by her feet. Unceremoniously dumping it over the poor fool's head, that certainly woke it enough for Ami to recognize Haitani scrambling out from under the soaked blanket before doubling over and retching his guts out a few steps from where they stood.

"Morning to you," Haruka greeted her helper with a light nod. "You though..." She proceeded to nudge the groaning young man roughly. "You'll be cleaning that up right now." Ami had to wonder if anything at all phased the woman or if there was ever a time she didn't think of something as the elder woman dropped a bucket of soapy water and a scrub brush by the sheepish young man. "I wouldn't suggest coming by again for awhile when you're done, or taking all day about it," she added flatly before turning away to head back inside. "Come on, Ami, time to get things rolling."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'm not a ma'am...too young for that..."

The employee followed her employer through her living quarters to the front where the elder stopped the younger for a moment as she lit a cigarette.

"It would be best for all if that isn't mentioned again," said Haruka simply, Ami nodding her understanding as she was pinned down by one of her boss's soul-piercing glares. "Good, now get moving."

"Yes, ma'am."

thwap "I'm not a MA'AM!"

Ami shook her head, trying to erase the stars from her vision. Since when did she get hit with paper fans?!

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"His power and influence is growing. I do not like this at all."

"That can be easily enough countered. Broken promises and shattered hopes...it wouldn't take long..."

"Then I would suggest you do so, and now!"

"Now, sir? But I thought..."

"Not with those, you fool! For once your intelligence shows itself, yes, it is to early to employ such measures. However, there are other ways to damage a beloved enemy...send Gishi."

"Gishi?!"

Several loud murmurs filled the silence.

"But sir...."

"Is that not the crazy one?"

"He cannot be controlled!"

"Don't have to, though, is just like a child..."

"ENOUGH!"

The silence settles once more.

"Send Gishi, as I have commanded. Now!"

There is more silence, then a reluctant reply.

"...as you wish, sir."

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Still, time flew on even more, another whole week passing in its own exhausting whirlwind before Keitaro glanced at the clock one Saturday, finding it past noon and his stomach grumbling hungrily. Setting aside his work he quickly hopped up the stairs of the Inn to the roof, finding his wife as expected doing some of her more involved katas with her eyes closed in concentration.

Admiring her fluid movements, he cleared his throat to announce his presence before beginning to speak. "Motoko-chan?"

"Hm?" She paused midstep, gracefully falling out of form and bowing to him slightly. "Yes, husband? Is there something you require of me?"

"No, just a request," he chuckled lightly. "Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"No, I was planning to satisfy my hunger after finishing her," she explained.

"Would you want to go with me to get lunch?" he asked hesitantly. "It won't be anything fancy, and I just figured we could spend some time together since it seems like we've been hardly seeing each other at all..."

Motoko paused, nodding slowly as she made sure she hadn't promised any of the other residents her time. A smile spread across her face. "Yes, I would."

Keitaro beamed, involuntarily making her insides melt as he turned to head back inside. "Great! I'm just gonna go put my things up, and you can meet me inside whenever you're ready to go!"

"I shall only be a moment longer," she called, setting aside her blade and settling for a quick cool down before she went inside and changed quickly.

"Where ya going?" asked Su as she suddenly appeared out of nowhere, grabbing her most trusted friend in a rough headlock that the samurai bore as it were nothing at all.

"Keitaro and I are going to go get some lunch," she replied simply, giving the young girl and affectionate smile. "What are you up to today?"

"Trying to work out the kinks on my latest invention, these little mini-helpers." Su drew a miniature monkey and scorpion from her pocket, obviously machines with their shiny gray outsides and slightly jerky movements as they trundled over and around her arm and hand. "The monkey, he's extra-strong so he can lift things a hundred times his own size! That way you could order him to fetch something and he can do so, instantly! The scorpion is like a lost-stuff finder. Since he's so small he can get in and under just about anything, and inside his tail to help him get up on tables and stuff is a couple of ejectable spikes with cords attached to them so he can haul himself up just about anywhere. I suppose they could also be used as like a security device if you had to, but since they're so small they wouldn't do much damage..." She paused as the monkey wandered up her shoulder, hopping up into her hair a moment latter to peer down from between her bangs. "The only probably is they'd rather just goof off than actually work, and I can't figure out hw they learned to do that! Surely not from me!"

"Well, best of luck, and try to behave while we are away," replied the elder of the two, giving her companion a pat on the head as she slid to the floor.

"What're ya talkin' about? I always behave!"

Motoko chuckled to herself as Su danced off back up to her room and her lab where most of her creations were made.

"Are you ready?" asked Keitaro when she felt her senses prickle along the back of her neck. Distracted momentarily, she was about to follow the feeling when she realized he'd said something.

"Excuse me, but what did you say?" she asked with an apologetic grin.

"I asked if you were ready to go," he replied, looking up from the note he was writing. "Everything alright?"

Casting about for a second, nothing else registered out of the normal and she nodded. "Yes, let's go."

"We just gotta stop by the Tea Shop so Haruka will know where to find us and we can go, ok?"

"It is fine with me."

It took a few minutes to get her attention, but it wasn't her fault the Tea Shop was so unusually busy. "Out for lunch, eh?" said the elder Urashima with a shrug as she cleaned some glasses behind the counter. "Better get going then. Don't worry about the house or anything, not like anything'll happen while you're gone that I can't handle."

"Thanks, we won't!"

"Where are we going, if I may ask?" questioned his wife curiously.

"Just a small place," he replied with a shrug. "I think you'll like it."

"What is it called?"

"Beef Bowl."

Motoko glanced back over her shoulder as something spiked her senses once more, looking uncertainly at the Inn as she paused for a second.

"Are you sure everything is alright?" asked Keitaro, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Finding nothing once more with her attention fully centered on it, she sighed. "Yes, I...it is nothing. Let's go."

"If you say so..."

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A lone figure sat on the roof of the apartments, giggling insanely to himself as he played with a hoop of string that he masterfully pulled into a series of pictures with his fingers.

"What was a bit closer than I usually care to cut it," coughed a second figure that suddenly appeared by the first. "You're sure they're gone now?"

"Yez, all gonez..." The first giggled again. "All gonez....and old one too busy, iz distracteded, me finks...hehhehehe...."

Shuddering at his companions all-too-obviously strange behavior, they were joined by a third that simply bowed and took his place silently by the first.

"So...uh, shall we?" said the second.

"Yez," agreed the first, nodding childishly. "Letz go!"

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While the food was less that excellent, the company more than made up for it and Motoko found herself thoroughly enjoying the time spent with her husband despite the lack of refined surroundings. In fact, perhaps it was enhanced by the rough table and old stools they sat on outside as the mood leaned more towards a light companionship rather than the heavy physical side of things that they'd been slipping towards lately.

Chuckling quietly as Keitaro almost missed his mouth eating, the ronin blushed at his goof. "Oops, uh...guess my clumsiness isn't completely gone."

"Of course not," she replied lightly. "For that would be perfection, and no person, let alone a male, could ever achieve such a state."

"But you have to admit," teased Keitaro, poking her side to make her squirm slightly. "I'm pretty decent for a guy."

She laughed softly. "I suppose so."

"Even a baka like me deserves that much," he snorted in mock self defense. "Anyways, tell me how the kendo team is doing, Yu go to the meets all the time but you never tell me much past where your top people placed."

"I did not think you would enjoy hearing of it," she admitted. "That, and you would not have time. Much of it is merely dry facts and scoring of the rounds...all of which takes sometimes hours, when the combat itself only lasted a few minutes."

"Still, I'd like to come see you compete once this is all over and it'd be nice to have an idea of what's going on," he stated firmly. "Tell me everything you know."

"It is a bit boring at times...you are sure you wish to hear it all?"

"Positive."

"Very well..." She cleared her throat, attempting to organize the plethora of facts she had stored in her mind. "Perhaps the best place to start would be the composition of the team itself. I am the student captain but officially, our team is led by a sensei..."

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The three figures restlessly roamed the halls of the dormitory, surprisingly empty as most of the residents were out or gathered at the Tea House below.

"Iz in here..."

The second figure slowly pulled the door open for the first, the third standing back and watching as a light fog rolled out to meet them from behind it. Second stepped back in apprehension at the sight of real trees growing inside and creepy groans and squeaks emitting from inside the room itself.

"This...it's not natural! Not even the great one could create a place like this."

"Iz harmless," cackled the first, shuffling his way in as third followed close. "Pretty treez, pretty flowerz...all harmless....aha!"

The first stooped slightly, the second standing guard by the door as the mists separated them almost to the point of it being a solid wall.

"What do you see?" he prodded in a low voice. "Have you found it?"

"Yez...theze do very well...letz go."

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"Are you sure it was a wise idea, sir?"

"We cannot openly show ourselves, not yet, however...this may be enough to drive the lost sheep back home."

"And if it is not?"

"Then we will try something else. Do not fear, youngling, our lost ones will come home, or else..."

"Or else what, sir?"

"They will die."

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Su threw down her cards, smiling triumphantly at the other residents that surrounded her by the counter in the Tea House. "Two pair! Read 'em and weep, girls!" Cackling, she began to gather the candy in the center of the table towards herself.

"Auu...is this any good?" Shinobu laid down her cards, showing a ten, jack, queen, king, and ace all off hearts. Su's jaw dropped as Ami laughed, Kitsune smirking contentedly. "What? I don't understand!"

"You beat Su," explained Ami as she began to draw the candy back, piling it in front of the young chef instead. "Congratulations!"

"Au, I did? Wow! I don't even understand how to play!"

"Tough break," teased Kitsune, poking the sulking foreigner. "Wasn't that the last of your banana suckers, too?"

"Ah, shuddup..."

"Break time's over," called Haruka, Ami wiping her hands on her apron as she rose quickly. "Get over to table four!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"I said I'm not a ma'am!"

"Later, Ami-chan!" called Kitsune.

"Bye! I'll be back if you guys are still here in an hour or so."

"Ok."

"What say we do best two out of three for everything banana in the pile?" offered Su as she shuffled the cards. "We'll play speed instead of poker, though."

"Au, how do you play that?" asked Shinobu sweetly.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll show you..." Su grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Well, you two have fun," said Kitsune as she rose, taking the open bottle of sake with her. "I'm just gonna go-"

WHIIIIIR-CRASH

"What was that?" asked Haruka as she stuck her head out of the back room. Finding nothing wrong with her shop, she was about to leave it be when a minor explosion came from the back of the Inn. Feeling something very wrong prickle at the back of her neck, the elder woman disappeared into the back, giving Ami a shout to stay put as she took off towards the Inn through the back way.

"What's goin' on?!" demanded Su quickly.

"Dunno," admitted Ami with a shrug as she passed them to head for some customers. "She said to stay put, though...hey, Su! No, get back here!"

"Like heck, someone's gotta go help that old hag!"

"Auu, this is scary!" whispered Shinobu as she covered her eyes with her hands, more sounds of splintering wood and something crashing coming from the back.

"Easy there, kid," said Kitsune as she gave her a long swig of sake straight from the bottle. "See? Bet you feel better already!"

The wine-drugged chef blinked, staggering slightly as she let out a very tipsy. "Auuu....uuu....uu...u...."

Rolling her eyes, Ami sighed as Kitsune chuckled. "Leave alone, Kitsune! Anyways, there's nothing Haruka can't handle, even with Su trying to tag along!"

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The first figure giggled insanely as his creations continued to smash at the back of the huge house, the heating and cooling system already having been torn to shreds and smoking slightly with scraps of torn and twisted metal lying around it.

"Yez, yez.....go and destoryz, is fun!!"

"That's enough," said the second, watching their surrounding warily. "Let's go before the rest return home."

"They are women and children," sneered the third. "Stay, and finish."

"Yez, stayz. Iz fun! Iz lotz a fun!!"

"Fun doesn't matter!" snapped the second. "Call them back now! We have to follow our orders to please the master!"

"He is right," grumbled the third grudgingly when first gave him a glance.

"Yez, yez, iz right. Come, prettiez! Come, we goez home!!"

The two-story-tall monkey swung around to look at his new master, having been breaking logs as this as his arms like twigs only moments before. The deck Keitaro had built into the second story was gone, along with a nice chunk of the walls around the hot springs. The scorpion turned as well, the remnants of the bamboo polls that had once surrounded those warm waters now nothing but splinters.

"Yez, yez, you comez with me! Good prettiez, you comez with me..."

"Oh HELL no!"

A very pissed Haruka stood at what was once the entrance into the hotsprings and was now nothing more than a gaping hole, a vien popping up on her forehead as she rolled up her sleeves.

"Iz old one," said first, watching her curiously.

Second backed up a step. "Let's get out of here...we're not to fight them, remember?"

"Feh, so?" Third chuckled darkly. "She wants to play, right?"

First nodded, a grin spreading across his face. "Yez, wantz to play."

Haruka began to advance on them, taking her time as she pulled two purple fans from the back of her apron. Not her usual paper fans, though, these were metal with razor sharp points attached to the top of each rib and a shiny silk used to dazzle the opponents' eyes inbetween when the light was favorable.

"Oh, you want to play with prettiez?" crooned first, eyes dancing with insane glee as the woman approached, suddenly breaking out into a full sprint. "Go, prettiez, show sily lady what happenz to thosez who playz with you!!"

"No, call them back!" ordered second, siezing first by the collar. "Call them back you loon, do you want the master to kill us?!"

"Iz not attacking, just playing," giggled first, brushing second off with usual ease. "Come, you no wantz to playz?"

"It is just playing," rumbled there with a gleam in his eyes. "It's not the Master's chosen one, nor the girl. We are fine."

"Morons! Idiots! We have specific orders, you can't just-"

TWHACK

The first sighed, a slightly pained look on his face. Third just shrugged and turned away to watch as their would be attacker was suddenly besieged by the two huge monstrosities below. "Poor fool, didn't wantz to playz. Doezn't pleaze me at all."

Haruka was forced back as the monkey's tail was smacked down in front of her leaping back to find the scorpion waiting for her with tail raised and pincher held at ready. Barely managing to dodge the first few swipes as well as the monkey trying to grab her from above, the elder Urashima dropped back and timed it perfectly, jumping onto the beast's claw just as it jabbed forwards, missing her only to nab its companion in the knee. The monkey fell backwards, Haruka leaping from the claw to its leg and sprinting up as fast as she could to the shoulder where she stuck both fans inot the join and twisted them as had as she could. With a mighty creak and the sound of metal tearing the bolts came loose and the appendage was sent crashing to the ground.

Su caught up just as Haruka timed jumping onto the claw, watching with facination as she pulled out a rocket launcher and aimed it at one of the creature's head. "Woah, old hag ain't so bad at this monster-butt-kicking....what?!" She tossed the rocket launcher aside and pulled out her binoculars as she recognized the symbol of the three eyes on each one's forehead. "But they were only....wait a sec!" Zeroing in a little closer, she saw another sybol added, a 'patch' of sorts to be exact that gleamed slightly with what looked to be a turtle on it. "Oh no, they didn't..."

Growing angrily, the young mechanic grabbed her bazooka instead, aiming for the monkey's head just as Haruka took off its arm. "PAY BACK TIME!!" she yelled, loud enough for the elder woman to hear as she let off the rockets towards her overly changed creation. Whoever had messed with her little guys was gonna pay, big time!

Haruka looked up in time to see the rockets flying towards her present target, barely managing to get out of the way as they exploded into the other arm, easily decimating it entirely and leaving just the tail intact. Unfortunately, the elder woman had forgotten about it.

"Get back!" she yelled at Su, giving her a scowl. "Get out of here!"

"But I- HARUKA!!!"

Haruka turned in time to see the tail fly around her middle, binding her in its hold so tightly she could hardly breath.

"GO GET KEITARO AND MOTOKO!" she managed to roar just as the wind was crushed from he entirely. "DAMMIT, SU, GO!"

The foreign girl obeyed, albeit reluctantly as Haruka gave her an icy stare. Hightailing it out of the Inn, she disappeared as the resident elder Urashima was brought over to the trio on the hillside.

"Let me go," she snapped. "Fight me like a man!"

"I would not lower myself to fight such a lowly creature," replied third, showing lots of teeth in a fanged grimace. "I might actually hurt you."

Giggling like a girl, first shook his head. "No. I no fightz. No fun, yez? No, I playz, and now you be minez. You broke toyz, new toyz." He motioned sadly to the monkey, who was now without both of its arms. "Iz not pleazed. So you play, yez? Have funz!!"

"Fun my a- hheeaahhack..." Her words were cut off as the tail tightened, barely able to breath as she felt her ribs begin to bend under the constant pressure. That crazy foreign girl had better find those two quick.

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Keitaro exited the railcar first, Motoko following him with an uneasy look on her face. A trace of fear and anger had been nagging her since just before the car had stopped, but as far as she could see there was no one in trouble close by... "Something wrong?" asked her husband, taking her hand again. "Did the food not agree with you?"

"The food was fine," she replied, giving him a slight smile. "That is not it..." She had not finished when they heard Su over the rest of the crowd, sprinting towards them with a serious expression on her face like they'd never seen before. "Su-chan, here! What is it?!"

"Haruka," gasped the younger girl, latching onto their sleeves and pulling them towards the Inn. "Three men....my monkey and scorpion...turtle symbol...destroyed stuff..."

"Show us." Su took off, the pair close on their heals, just hoping they weren't too late.

It didn't take long for them to realize their destination was the Inn itself, and Motoko took the lead with her long legs practically devouring the ground beneath herself as she flew towards her home. Reaching the steps, she took three leaps to cover the whole flight before jumping from the ground, to the porch roof, to the second story balcony, to the roof itself, and over the top.

"I wish I could do that," grumbled Su, frowning a little as she and Keitaro took the conventional way through the inside.

"I wish she wouldn't," replied Keitaro breathlessly as they hurried after her. Anxious with her out of sight, he felt as if they couldn't move fast enough.

Haruka set her jaw stubbornly, refusing to show pain though she could have sworn one of her ribs had just cracked and had sent excruciating pains up and down her sides. The coils tightened a bit more, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead as she fought to remain in control.

"Comez, not being very funz," whined the second, jumping up to poke her head only to barely lose a finger from her snapping jaws in return. "Ack! Bad toyz! Lil tighter, monkeyz....ah, yez. Gazpz for air, yez? Hehahaha! Screamz. Yellz. Begz. Thatz be funz/ Will pleaze me, and then maybe I letz you go."

"Yes," added third with a sneer. "I'll even guarantee it if you give us a good show."

"Rather...die..." gasped Haruka, biting her tongue so she wouldn't give them the satisfaction of hearing her yell.

"Oh, really now...?"

Motoko made it over the roof right then, drawing her sword and coming flying down like the wrath of the gods as she gathered her ki about herself and channeled it into her sword. "HIKEN HYATSU KERYOURAN!!"

Haruka, who had been turning pale from lack of air, unsteadily fell to the ground and sucked in a full lung of air as the tail was severed and loosened enough for her to escape from its coils. Stumbling too the side so she was out of the way, she waved to Motoko who checked to make sure she was alright before leaping back up in the air again and coming down point first with a whirlwind of ki about the tip that bore into the pendant, shattering it completely.

"OUGI ZANKUSEN!!"

The monkey disappeared the moment the pendant was destroyed, turning into the original miniature version sans both arms and part of its tail.

"Are you alright?" asked Motoko as she appeared at her aunt-in-law's side, Keitaro and Su appearing at the back of the house together with the scorpion jumping out of nowhere to trap them in a corner, tail raised and ready to strike.

"Well enough," came the low reply, the elder woman grimacing slightly. "Ah...come on."

"But Su and Keitaro..."

"Have guns," cut in the elder woman with a snort. "They'll be fine."

"The two are here," groused the third. "We must leave."

"No, having funz!" protested first quickly. "We stay, yez?"

"No, or at least I can't." Third picked up second, who was still unconscious. "You stay if you want, Master won't hang you for disobeying orders too much. Me, I'm not taking that chance."

"But...youz to protect me...right?"

"Not anymore."

First was left alone as second and third disappeared, leaving no trace that they'd ever been there at all. "Ah...well, still have some fun pla-ack!"

"Get back here so I can gut you!" snapped Haruka, fans flashing dangerously as she leapt after her prey. The squeezing had taken a lot out of her though, and she was totally unprepared when the fleeing first struck back and managed to hit her in the side. Sucking in the air painfully, she was forced to fall back at bit as Motoko took after him instead.

"You no funz now!" he groused as he ducked under her blade, pouting.

"No, I am not," she agreed quietly, refusing to use her ki attacks with an unarmed person though she greatly wanted to rend him limb from limb for the trouble he'd caused. "I do not relish this anymore than you, however you have done the unforgivable in ruining my home and hurting my family!"

"Oppz! Iz sorry! Now letz leave?"

"NO!"

"Oh well, bye!"

"What then-"

The first threw down a smoke bomb, disappearing into the swirling mists as Motoko shielded her eyes and nose with her sleeve. When it cleared he was gone, and she was left with no one to take her revenge on.

"HELP!!" cried Keitaro as he threw down his now ammunition-less weaponry several yards away, barely able to escape the snapping claws and tail time and time again. Su danced about behind him, looking a little worried as well. "Su, get outta here!!"

She pouted, ducking and rolling out of the way as another claw went whizzing over her head. "But I-"

"Just go! I'll distract it, alright??"

"What do I do?!"

"I dunno, just go!!!"

The foreign girl disappeared with a frown, Keitaro glad to see her gone but his joy was short lived as he was forced to run for his life again. "AHHH!!"

"Gottcha!"

Haruka leapt out of nowhere, knocking a claw to the side just in time with a well placed jump kick and leaping up to strike the pendant atop the stinger.

Motoko watched it open in horror, remembering something Su had told her as she recognized the three-eyed symbol on the head. "HARUKA, DON'T-"

thack thack thack thack thack

Everything went still as Haruka found herself pinned to the last bit of back wall still standing on the bottom floor, left arm fully extended with five foot long spikes keeping it in place from shoulder to wrist. Breathing heavily, she seemed unable to believe it as blood began to fall from the punctures, her hand jerking spasmodically.

"Bloody hell..."

"HIT THE DECK!!!"

Su pulled the trigged on the double rocket launcher as Keitaro sprinted for his aunt, just barely managing to make it in time to shield his relative from the worst of the effects.

"Oba-san??" he said as she blinked hazily still staring at her arm. "Oba-san!!"

"It's Haruka-san!" she wheezed, hitting him with her right arm before taking hold of one of the spikes and forcibly pulling it out. "Oh, son of a....that's going to leave a mark."

"Hold still," ordered Motoko as she took hold of the next spike, removing it and the rest with a great deal of care. "Keitaro, give me your shirt. Su? Go call the doctor! And the hospital, an ambulance would be best to get her to the hospital. Keitaro, can you lift her? We need to carry her-"

"No one's carrying me anywhere!" snapped Haruka, her gaze a little pain dazed but otherwise as coherent as ever. "Su, go call the doctor at her office, tell her its for me, she'll know what to do. Here's the keys, we'll drive there if you insist I can't make it walking. I'm not in danger of dying yet, so stop fussing over me."

"But you've lost a lot of blood," protested Keitaro quickly as Motoko used the button down shirt he'd been wearing to bind the puncture wounds with her belt as best she could. Still, it had already almost completely soaked through it as it was. "And I don't know how to drive a stick!"

"Your wife does."

Keitaro looked up at Motoko who obediently took the keys, though she obviously was reluctant to do so. "Were you not family now I would entirely disregard that an carry you myself," she snorted, quickly guiding them to the hidden garage under the Inn. "Su, go tell the others where we went, I will call later to tell you how things are going!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Keitaro steadied his aunt as her footing became unsure, her breath coming in unusually loud wheezes as the sweat began to form on her face again. "Just a little further," he murmured as the car came into sight, an ancient Camry with a fine layer of dust over it.

"I know," she snapped, blinking rapidly as she bent gingerly to lower herself into the backseat. Motoko slid behind the wheel, Keitaro remaining beside his aunt as the engine roared to life and his wife eased it out through a back path that he hadn't even realized existed to the road a few yards from the front of the Inn. That's where the easy ride ended, Motoko peeling out of the side road and took off towards the doctor's office. Keitaro held on for dear life, wondering how his completely in control wife could be such an out of control driver as his aunt just called out instructions.

"Easy on the shift."

They slid around a corner.

"Wait just a second longer...now."

His wife did a split-second shift up and they barely made it through a light.

"What are you slowing down for? Crank it!"

They skidded out onto another road, thankfully in a lesser traveled part of town with few cars on the road. If Keitaro didn't know the laws of gravity ad motion, he'd swear they were flying. His aunt swayed slightly in her seat, eyes flickering occasionally likely from the pain of her arm and sides.

"Are you ok?" asked Keitaro as they pulled into a private clinic, her giving him an incredulous look as an orderly hurried out to meet them with a wheelchair.

"My arm's been speared like a damn fish and my ribs practically snapped in half," she ground through her teeth. "Yeah, I'm damn peachy."

"Get an arm under her legs," ordered the orderly, eyeing her bloodied arm and wheezing breath as he likely made a mental list of what her injuries might be.

"You look like hell," commented a woman of midage or so, walking towards them quickly with a worried look on her face.

"Thank, Nori," replied Haruka, giving her a half-friendly grin. "Hope you don't mind patching me up again."

"No, I owe you a couple anyhow. Get her inside, Yasou, second room. You." She pointed to Motoko. "Come with us, we'll need someone to help hold her down." She glanced at Keitaro. "I'm assuming you're her nephew?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, giving her a slight bow. "What do you need me for?"

A clipboard was tossed at him, along with Haruka's wallet. "Fill that out."

"Ok..."

"Mind telling me what happened?" the doctor asked Motoko as they walked inside. "Since Seta's not here I'm assuming he had nothing to do with it for once."

"Seta-san has not been present at the Inn for nearly a year," replied Motoko, looking slightly confused. "But why would you assume he would be the cause of it?"

"Those two have nearly gotten themselves killed so many times going after this treasure or that...it's amazing they're both still alive at least a dozen times over," replied the doctor as they entered the room where Haruka now lay flat on her back on a bed, her shirt being cut away from her left arm and a tray being prepared to exam the wound next to it.

"Strap her arms down," ordered the doctor, shedding her lab coat for another and pulling on some gloves after washing her hands and a mask. "You there, take hold of her hand and don't let it slip its bond. She's probably nicked the bone and we don't want it to break. We can't give this an anesthetic, she's developed a resistance to most and the rest she's allergic to."

"Thanks for talking about me like I'm not even here," grumbled Haruka, consenting unusually quietly to the treatment.

"You're welcome," replied her friend with a teasing wink, checking gently with her hands that no other bones were obviously broken. "Yasou, get the x-rays ready to go, we're going to need a scan of both her arm and ribs...think you may have a fracture, hun."

"Joy..."

"Explain to me how these were made," she said simply as she looked at Motoko and motioned to the punctures in Haruka's arm.

"There were five spikes, about a foot in length," started the samurai girl softly.

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Shinobu and Naru chatted quietly with each other as they walked towards the springs, planning on taking an early evening bath as they wanted to see a new movie together after dinner.

"As I was saying," went on Naru as she slid the door to the springs open. "The test is supposed to be one of the hardest versions ever, but that's only rumor....Shinobu? Are you ok?"

The shocked chef pointed at the now non-existent room at the back of the Inn, as well as the ruined hot springs. They were both frozen on the spot, seeing the extent of the damage with everything that had once been in the room now pretty much unusable with the exception of a bench or two that had somehow escaped destruction.

"How in the world...?"

"Keitaro-sempai is not going to be pleased when he sees this," whimpered the younger girl.

"He already knows," said Ami, entering behind them.

"Haruka's going to kill you for leaving early," said Naru, noting the girl's lack of uniform.

"It was her orders," she replied shortly. "Look, something obviously happened, and I'm not sure about the details but Haruka had to go to the doctor for emergency care..."

"Emergency care?! Au, how awful!! She's not going to die, is she?"

"No, she just needed some stitches," explained Ami quickly. "Motoko and Keitaro are with her, so she'll be alright. All they ask is we clean this up a little bit so no one gets hurt, and keep and eye on things here for them."

"What about our baths?" asked Naru, realizing their main facility would probably unusable for at least a couple days, if not weeks.

"There's one upstairs, get in line," replied Ami with a shrug. "Kitsune's in there now, and Su and I have dibs after her."

The pair glanced at each other, sighing as they went to put their bath things away. They were going to be a long time in waiting.

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Motoko and Keitaro sat side by side in the waiting area, his arm around her though there was no contact between them except that. She had been asked to leave after the stitches had been completed and the x-rays were to begin.

"You saw it, did you not?" she asked out of the blue suddenly, her eyes centered on a spot on the far wall as if seeing something he could not.

"The turtle? Yes." He paused, licking his lips slowly. "Do you....what do you think?"

"I do not know what to think." The despair was obvious in her voice, and he pulled her closer for comfort as well as the fact that the room was freezing and he was down to his undershirt and pants.

"It'll be ok," he murmured wearily. "There had to be a reason, though I can't possibly think of what it might be..."

"Do you think they are attempting to punish us?" she asked, closing her eyes as she took strength from his presence.

"For what? Not joining them?" He snorted lightly. "If they wanted us in their little 'club' that bad, why didn't they make that known to begin with?"

"I do not know, it doesn't make sense. Then again, none of this ever has. I can't really help but feel this is partially my fault..."

"Excuse me...?" They looked up, Doctor Nori standing there with a clipboard in hand. "If you would come with me..?"

There in the room where she was first put she lay, slightly propped up by pillows with her left arm tightly bandaged up and an until cigarette hanging from her mouth.

"Those things are going to kill you someday," said the doctor, taking the cigarette from her friend's mouth and tossing it in the trash bin. Unperturbed, Haruka just took another from her apron pocket and stuck it in her mouth.

"Then at least I'll die happy."

"So...what's her condition," Keitaro asked, unsure of what else to say as Motoko stood silently at his side.

"Baka." The ronin winced as a pan smacked him in the forehead. "Don't talk about me like I'm not here," muttered his aunt. "They stitched me up, and only that's gonna heal my ribs is time."

"She'll have to stay fairly flat on her back or supported in a certain way for a couple of weeks," elaborated the doctor. "As little movement as possible, only that which is necessary, etc, etc...You'll have to haul this sorry lump of flesh back in two week for more x-rays and to take out the stitches, sorry."

"Gee, I love you too," put in Haruka wryly.

"Stop getting yourself messed up and maybe I'll consider being nicer," shot Nori sarcastically. "You're bloody lucky none of those spikes hit the bone, I will say that. Gotta couple scratches where it came close, but that's it."

"Don't think this gives either of you the right to fuss over me," cut in Haruka.

"No matter what she says, someone is going to need to stay with her most of the time," continued the doctor, giving her a quelling look as she did. "Or at least to check up on her every hour or so. Bandages need to be changed daily, etc. Any gasping for air, wheezing, etc, or her arm getting infected, and we want to see her immediately, understand?"

"Perfectly," replied Keitaro. "When can we take her home?"

"Now, if you want." Nori motioned to her orderly, Yasou, who immediately brought over a wheelchair. "I'll need you to sign for her release right here, though..."

Twenty minutes later they had the car parked in the driveway and were wheeling Haruka (they'd insisted she ride in the wheelchair to insure her ribs were jarred as little as possible) back to her home.

"You go on in," said Motoko, her face masked and voice even though she was paler than usual. "I will make sure she makes it to her bed."

"You sure?" asked Keitaro, giving her a concerned look. Getting a firm nod in reply, he sighed and walked in, planning already the phone calls he would have to make and bills that would need to be paid for all the repairs. Already, it was looking like it might be more than he could afford.

"What do you want?" asked Haruka the moment he was out of earshot, waiting for her to help her up when they reached the porch steps and assist her inside. "You didn't offer to stay because you're THAT worried about me, I know that much."

"I wished to express my apologies," replied Motoko softly, noting the true extent of the elder woman's weariness as she relied heavily on the young samurai to guide her through the halls. It was a short walk, with only a small living room and a kitchen between them and the two bedrooms in the back. "If Keitaro and I had not been absent..."

"That is not your fault," cut in her aunt-in-law curtly. "No more than I wasn't warned about the scorpion having a multiple stinger. It just happened, let it go."

"That is my family, though! I should take part of the blame!"

"Am I not equally related? Remember..." Haruka frowned. "Keitaro's father is my brother, I am cousins with your father's people just as they are."

"But, still..." Motoko bit her lip, easing her elder onto her bed before reaching over to turn on the light. "Oba-san, that last dart was only a foot away from hitting your heart, and maybe not even six inches from puncturing a lung...that would have ended your life right there! What then?"

"Then, I would be dead and you the new owner of the Tea House," replied Haruka with a slight shrug as she kicked off her shoes. "It is as simple as that."

"No it is not!"

"Now you are acting like a child," she pointed out in a low voice. "Do you know why they came?"

"No. We do not."

"There was a great deal of damage done, but in the end we managed to drive them off," came the soft reply. "They will not return to do the same again, they are too smart for that, I think, so we need not fear this sort of attack again. However, we are on guard, now, and vigilant for what may happen next. Next time, it will not go so badly."

"How can you be sure?" demanded Motoko.

"You can't," admitted Haruka calmly, meeting her eye to eye. "You know that, you've fought them before. We don't need to keep mulling over this so don't bring it up again unless something else happens alright?"

"...yes, oba-san."

"Good." Haruka observed her newest niece, sighing as she did. "Look, if...if you want to, to make it up to me or something, you come and help me out around here until I can get on my own again, ok?"

"Would you really let me?"

"According to Nori, do I have a choice?"

The swordswoman smiled slightly. "No. What time do you wish me here in the morning?"

"Before you eat, I'll just need you to help me get situated for the day and then you can go off to school," came the easy reply. "Now get out of here before my nephew thinks there's been another attack or something. Turn off the lights on your way out, though, and lock the door."

"Yes, oba-san. And...thanks."

Haruka nodded, wincing as she waved before easing herself fully on her back on the bed. It was going to be a very, very long night. Damn her resistance to painkillers, it wasn't her fault she'd built it up years ago, just like none of the accidents weren't her fault either. If that hair-brained idiot Seta had just listened to her, each time, they never would have had this problem... With her thoughts taking these familiar paths, the elder woman slowly drifted off into a light sleep for the night.

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Oh. My. Gosh. This is 35 pages long, not including authors notes and everything. Fingers are about to fall off here trying to finish this for you, but here's the replies to some of the reviews as always. Remember, look over these, you might have one among them!!!

#1. Of course Keitaro's a keeper, he's always been a keeper! Most of the girls were just too blind too see it originally in the original storyline. : P

#2. Thank you for pointing out mistakes in a constructive manner!! : ) That makes me happy, and they're all being taken note of so when (if?) I get around to doing a rewrite, it'll get fixed.

#3. I am sorry for the wait, everyone!! Finals are this week and next week, and I've been so busy with last minute projects and trying to get things in so I can graduate...give me a week and updates will come sooner again, I just need a little more time!

#4. I'm glad you approve of Su's roll in the last one. : ) To me, it was an entirely Love Hina twist to put on the couple.

#5. Not a WHOLE lotta romance in this one, but believe me it's coming. I'm going to have fluff pouring out my ears soon.... oi...

#6. Putting this in animation would be AWESOME!! But...yeah, there is a copyright on it and all...I'm thinking the creator might not be too pleased with me, and would sue me for every penny I'm worth. Which is...checks wallet Two bucks and a dime.

#7. The Urashima branch of the family has no demon blades. Hehe. No demon-eyed Keitaro, but I have NOT forgotten about the Hina blade (which is being given a new history) in the LEAST! Just wait and see, my friends, wait and see...

#8. bows To those of you who continue to heap praises on my writings, thank you!! I love you guys... : D

#9. coughs Yes there are other sexual methods than intercourse, but...no. No. And once again, no. First of all, Motoko would die of shame, and second, Keitaro of a nosebleed if he tried. And killing of the main characters is no my intention at all.

#10. Seta, yeah, he's mentioned a lot on this chapter wink wink Just wait one more.

#11. Kanako again. Are you all truly that anxious to see what she does? Lol, well, sorry but you're gonna have to wait awhile...she'll be there, though, I promise!

#12. The original Love Hina had the perfect balance of characters, I'll give you that in a heartbeat. But...this isn't the original Love Hina. : P Go figure.

#13. Once again, a much asked question, it will be widely talked of when Keitaro and Motoko finally consummate the marriage. Will it be a lemon? That waits to be seen. Will there be details? I dunno. Will you be fore sure knowing that it happens when it happens, YES!

#14.  YEAH!! NO BLEARING GRAMMAR MISTAKES!! huggles SimmyC to death Oh, that just made me the happiest author in the world... XD

#15. All forgetting to review before last chapter is easily forgiven, I'm just glad you like it and to have you on board now! : )

#16. Getting even or revenge by badmouthing your story hardly makes me look good, does it? No, I'm not going to be, and besides that probably means I'd have to make up stuff about it to say that is bad and I'd rather no be known as a malicious liar. : P Look, just knock it off and we're eve, ok? That's all I want.

Please review, it's the sweet thing to do! And I could use a nice uplift with finals and all...LATER DAYS!! : )

CB

Girls=(Time)x(Money)

Time=Money

Girls=Money x Money or Money 2

Money is the square root of all evil.

Therefore:

Girls=Evil

p.s. I am a girl, I just think that's hilarious : P