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.

15. Sweet Nothings and Chaos

Hey guys. Finals are over, and I'm HOME! Yes, that's right, I'm back living somewhere that isn't campus property, has a mattress for me to sleep on that's thicker than 4 inches, a shower guaranteed to have hot water, and meals that are less likely to keep me up at night because they don't agree with my poor stomach (then again, there are no guarantees when we let my mom play with the grill…flaming medallions…and charcoal hotdogs… shudders). And now that I'm home, with a decent paying job (one that doesn't give me too many hours either, relatively speaking) I'm here to start updating a bit more regularly again, hopefully. Here is chapter 15, part of which was written when I should've been studying a week back so don't get too fussy about it…hope you enjoy!

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"Get ready, I'm unlocking the front!" yelled Haruka as she moved towards the metal grate, pulling it up as everyone scrambled for their spots. It was their first day open, and Keitaro could feel the nervous energy that most everyone was emitting. Dressing in swim trunks and a tank top, he fit right in as he did the final checks with Shinobu's help. Being the official cooks, they donned aprons and hats as they fired up the stoves and grills, setting aside the food they would need on a countertop.

Kitsune stood a little ways off doing a couple of checks of her own, standing behind the main bar in a bikini and half-apron that were sure to get her some extra customers. Stacking glasses and pulling out some bottles to restock what was on display, her real job wouldn't start until that evening but she was happy to hang around and flirt until then. Haruka remained close to her for the most part as her assistant (aka to make sure she didn't drink more than her pay check's worth of the booze) in a tank top and shorts with an apron as she was also doubling as the hostess for the moment.

Su and Sarah wore their swim suits and shorts, having been assigned the task of clearing the tables and dumping the dishes in the back for whoever was free to deal with when the pile got to high. Making a bet between them as to who could clear a table faster, Keitaro hoped they wouldn't terrorize too many customers as a result. Loss of income would not put Haruka in a good mood, and he didn't want her wrath turned on the younger residents or himself.

Naru, Koshi, and Motoko cleaned up the main room itself, being the waiters for their humble tea house. The two females wore their respective bathing suits with matching wraps tied at the waist and their counterpart in trunks and a shirt of the same material. Holding trays and notepads, Motoko also carried a tanto at her back and a couple of bokkens were placed at strategic points around the room. As the appointed 'Worker Security Officer' she kept a keen eye out for any trouble makers and had orders to 'dispatch' any as needed. (Or, as said by Kitsune, she was the 'Perv Patrol' and if someone was caught ogling a girl the wrong way or trying to cop a feel they usually wouldn't come back for a second dose of what Motoko immediately dished out.) Considering the size of the crowd already gathered outside, it promised to be a busy day.

"You've got orders coming in," warned Koshi as he put two bits of paper on the zip line, sending them back.

"Got it!" Keitaro called back, snapping out of his thoughts as they began to work. Checking the orders, he took the rice while Shinobu sliced up the meat, preparing no more than she needed on an order by order basis. Letting himself fall into the rhythm of the procedures, the manager soon lost all track of time, though the monotonous routine was broken occasionally by the cries of one being tossed out of the restaurant or Haruka urging them to get the food out faster.

It wasn't until he found an order he made being handed back towards him did Keitaro look up at the clock, finding it to be after 3 and his stomach demanding attention.

"Lunch rush is over," his wife informed him with a smile as she took a bite from the plate of food in her hands. "And Shinobu has already eaten. Come, Haruka would like to speak with us while we eat."

"You've got everything covered?" he asked Shinobu, the young girl in the middle of making a pan of rice and vegetables.

"Yes, sempai!" she replied with a smile, giving him a glance over her shoulder. "Enjoy your break!"

"I will, thank you." Removing his hat and apron, the young man quickly ducked through the doorway and took his seat beside Motoko across from his aunt. Digging into his meal, he gave Haruka a questioning look. "What do you need? Is there something wrong?"

"Just giving you a heads up with the production we always do," she replied with a slight smile. "We've got enough people that we don't have to ask for outside help, which is nice, but there'll be some reshuffling of parts so listen close while I give a quick run-down of what's going on… Keitaro, you're our bad guy demon this year, and Motoko's playing your faithful minion. Koshi's our priest-boy, Naru the monkey demon, Shinobu the goddess, Su the traveler demon and Sarah our water demon…Kitsune's our unwilling bride…I think that covers them all, doesn't it?"

Motoko nodded, even as she asked a careful question. "Are we doing the fight scenes as before?"

"Yeah, of course, it's one of our biggest draws in bringing people in."

"But how…?"

"Don't worry about it," replied Haruka as she rose slowly, taking her glass with her though she left the rest to be cleared. "Everything should fall into place in a couple of days, good or bad, so there's nothing to worry about at the moment."

"Alright."

"Have the customers been satisfied with the food?" asked Keitaro between mouthfuls, he knew he loved Shinobu's cooking but others could be picky…

"No complaints thus far," replied Motoko as she devoured her meal just as hungrily, though with a great deal more grace. "And fewer… 'trespassers' of the law than in years past."

"I think they got the message when you snapped and put three of them through the roof last year," commented Naru as she brought them two fresh glasses of water, taking a seat herself for the moment. The only groups in were in Koshi's areas, so she had a bit of time to rest for awhile. "They got what they deserved, though, annoying jerks…"

"I was wondering," broke in Keitaro, steering it away from the 'let's kill all men' rant that Naru seemed to favor so. "Who's getting off early tonight to watch the girls?"

"Me," replied Naru with a grin. "Motoko has to stay on 'Perv Patrol' for a few weeks to make sure the stubborn ones get the message, and you're the only cook after the girls get off until Haruka's sure Kitsune won't steal half the sake behind her back.

"That, or you bother to learn how to make something other than American food," put in Motoko lightly, a teasing glint in her eyes.

"Yeah, we all know that's not gonna happen…" Naru stuck her tongue out as she rose slowly. Some customers had finally arrived in her area, and she had work to do. "Don't take too long, you too, things'll pick up within the hour and we'll need everyone on board."

"When have I ever taken a break that long?" replied Motoko, lips pressed together ever so slightly.

"When have you ever had the distraction of a husband while working?" came the short reply, Naru giving her a wry wink over her shoulder.

Motoko just blinked, unable to come up with a reply in light of the fact that Naru had made a point and teased her about Keitaro all in one bout.

"I'd say that's a mark in our favor that everyone's finally comfortable having a married couple around," commented Keitaro, picking the last bits of his plate.

"And I would have to agree…" Motoko looked over, finding his food gone and him eyeing her still half-full plate. "Do you want to help me finish this?" she teased him with a small smile.

"Only if you don't mind…" he said even as he reached over and nabbed a piece of pork to pop in his mouth.

She chuckled quietly, taking a bite for herself. "Not at all."

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Shoji walked into the dark room, the sound of deep, rattling breaths punctuated by short, staccato coughs echoing eerily around him. Just as suddenly as it had started, though, it stopped and left him standing at the end of the council table in silence.

"…Father?"

His voice came back at him from the far corners of the cavernous room, echoing mockingly around him only to fade back into silence.

"…are you alright, Father? Should I go get the doc-"

"NO!"

The word was spoken with such command it reverberated through out the room, completely destroying the echoes of his own words.

The chair at the head of the table silently glided back as the Master took his seat, coming into the pool of dim light that surrounded the chair.

"What do you want?"

His voice was strong and virulent, command present in every articulation and tone. If Shoji had no known better, he would swear the earlier echoes had come from another.

"The hunt is over, we have captured those at your request."

"Good…good…they will need the binding?"

"Yes."

"I will be there shortly…"

The chair moved back once more, and the Master disappeared into the inky black surrounding the soul pool of lightly. Kenji noted the clear dismissal, and turned to leave, The sound of the hacking coughs began to echo once more, and he paused as the man grit his teeth in frustration.

"Father…are you sure-"

"Go!"

The single word was hoarse and forced. Kenji teetered on the edge of speaking again, but stopped himself and left. They were a dying clan, and only one more certain way to survive. The Urashima boy needed to be captured soon, or it may be too late.

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Haruka chased off Su, Sarah, and Shinobu at the usual time, the trio departing with Naru in tow towards the pounding surf well below them for some more play time.

"Business is really slow tonight," commented Keitaro as she stopped by the kitchen, him taking the time to clean up a bit with no orders coming in.

"It will be for the first few days in the evenings," she replied with an easy shrug. "A lot of our regulars haven't shown up yet, and it always takes awhile for the news to spread that we're up and running in full force."

"Why don't we advertise?"

Haruka aimed a swift strike at her nephew, which he barely managed to avoid.

"Advertising crap is for newbies," she explained as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "We only do the tried and true word of mouth and hearsay. Been that way since Hina started years ago and I'm not about to change that now. If you wanna do something about it, when you inherit it, you can."

"When I what!" sputtered Keitaro in confusion, choking on some water. "I thought the Tea House's were yours!"

"They are," snapped Haruka, irritated with his reaction. "But right now, you're next in line after me if anything bad were to happen. I'm not married, have no kids of my own. Neither even is likely to take place unless pigs learn to fly, and so since I know you best of the nieces and nephews you're my legal heir."

"None of the others objected?"

Haruka blew a smoke ring, her eyes closed. "No. I'm considered a bad influence and all around bad luck among my siblings, and so everything I've had a hand in is relegated to you."

"The 'cast off' child," filled in the young man with a grimace. "Sometimes I just…"

"Order coming in!"

"You get back to work, we can go over the details when we get back if you really want to know," Haruka told him as she began to walk away. "I'd better check in Kitsune, she's looking rather flushed and is giggling quite a bit…"

Across the room Motoko served and elder woman whom was one of the 'regulars' of the Tea House, conversing with her amiably as she took her order.

"Pork or chicken?"

"As if you even need to ask…"

Motoko smiled. "Chicken." She wrote on her pad quickly.

"By the way, where is Hina-san? I would like a word or two with her as it has been a very long time since we last spoke."

"She's not with us this year. Hina-san has retired from the Inn and passed it down to her grandson, Keitaro Urashiman," explained Motoko in an apologetic manner as she paused in her writing. "Green tea to drink?"

"Yes, your memory has not changed at least…her grandson, you say? Is he with you now? And how did they work it out at the Inn? Wasn't it an all girls dormitory?"

"It still is, he was married and thus presented it has presented few problems for him to live amongst the rest of us. Keitaro is here now, working as the chef for the night. You can see him through the window, there, when he pauses to put the orders on the counter for pick up."

As if on cue, Keitaro turned from the stove with a plate in hand, placing it on the waiting tray with the order it coincided with. "Order up!"

"Is that really him?" asked the woman in surprise. "He looks nothing like the gawky, nervous lad Hina used to tote around on her back…he's become quite the handsome young man, hasn't he? And if he's retained even an ounce of his careful kindess…we used to spoil him rotten for being such a sweet heart…his wife is a very lucky young woman indeed."

"She is indeed," agreed Motoko with an amused smile even as the elder woman's sharp eyes noted the necklace and ring about her neck. It had been useful in discouraging advances upon herself, it not some of the others, and for that she was glad. "I can personally assure you she knows it well."

"Can you now?" chuckled the woman with a twinkle in her eyes. "Well then, you'd best get on, you've others to wait on."

"I will be back shortly with your tea."

"Thank you."

"How's the ol' bag a bones doing?" asked Haruka as Motoko came by for the tea, already in the process of brewing a fresh batch for their long-time customer. Misaki-san had been coming for years during the summer, and was even old enough to remember when Hina-san was in high school herself and her great aunt owned the Tea House. As such, her needs were well-known by most of the residents and workers.

"Fine, though she was surprised to hear Hina had retired from the Inn," Motoko replied with a glance in Keitaro's direction.

"Does she approve of the new manager?"

"It seems so, yes."

Haruka have the necklace a slight tug. "She was amused, wasn't she?"

Motoko let one corner of her mouth drift upwards. "Of course."

Haruka lit up a cigarette, blowing the smoke through her nose as she laughed. "That woman will never change. She was old when I was a kid, and she's old now, and I'll bet she'll still be old and coming every other day to order the same meal when your kids are grown and own this place. I think she fell in a tank of formaldehyde sometime in the past and has been wandering around perfectly preserved ever since."

Motoko bit her lip so as to not laugh even as she gave her aunt a disapproving look. "She would not be so amused to hear that…"

Haruka handed her the cup of tea with a grin. "I know, which is another thing about her that'll never change. Scoot, you've got a new person at table 5."

"Ok."

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Naru walked alongside Shinobu through the surf as Sarah and Su romped in the waves just ahead of them, running in circles about the slow-moving pair. The sun had long set, and there was a slow chill descending in the night air, but the water was still pleasant and would be so for a little while yet.

"Naru-sempai?" asked Shinobu out of the blue. "Do you think we're going to be very busy this summer?"

"Probably," replied Naru with an easy grin. "Not that I mind. The work keeps you too busy to melt in a lazy lump, but also doesn't wear you to the bone. There's nothing wrong with honest hard work and I can't complain if the tips are anything like they were last year."

"But our crew isn't all female anymore…" Shinobu trailed off hesitantly, hurrying on again when Naru gave her a questioning glance. "I heard some girls talking outside earlier, and they were saying we weren't going to do as well this summer since the all-girl crew was the only good thing about the Tea House…"

"What girls?" replied Naru, sounding more than slightly annoyed. "Did you recognize them?"

"Auu…I…I think it was the new girls at the ice cream stand…" Shinobu glanced about nervously as if she was afraid those same girls might pop up out of nowhere. "You don't think that's true, do you Naru-sempai?"

"Why would I?" Naru laughed, already formulating a plan in the back of her head for revenge. "They're just jealous because our place is so great and theirs isn't. Think about it, we've got good food, clean tables, a pretty little cook and good service all around…what more could they want?"

"Dunno, but I guarantee being served by a lovely girl in a bikini or bathing suit helps."

"Wha-! Pervert!"

Koshi ducked under Naru's fearsome punch with a grin, winking at Shinobu who hid her own grin behind both hands. "Is it perverted to say that most men prefer a beautiful woman in a swimsuit than an old hag in a blouse and skirt? No, it's a compliment to the women. Perhaps a piggish one, but a compliment none the less."

Naru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why you-"

"Koshi-kun!" Naru stood down as Sarah leapt for her cousin, grabbing him around the neck and wrapping herself around him firmly. Su was close behind, latching onto a leg, but it was Sarah who continued to prattle on at lightning speed. "Whatcha doing down here? I thought you still had to work, right? Right? Did Haruka let you off to come play? That'd be great! We could play tag, right? Wouldn't that be fun?"

"Su wants to play tag!" interjected her friend below her.

"It's getting dark and chilly, though," added Shinobu carefully.

"Slow down there, you little monster," he told her with a grin, ruffling their hair before gently prying both ragamuffins loose. "Haruka sent me on down to check on you guys and suggest you might want to go on ahead and turn in for the night. Or at least go inside, off the beach. It is getting late, and you never know you might meet at night…"

"The perfect example being right in front of us," muttered Naru to herself with a frown.

"Aww, but Koshi-kun…" Sara tugged on her cousin's hand in an imploring manner. "But I wanna stay out just a little bit longer!"

"Hey, you won't want to get up early in the morning to work and play if you're too sleepy, silly," Koshi reminded her gently as he bent down to tweak her nose. "Haruka-san's just trying to do what's best for you guys, ok?"

"Ok…"

"Do you want me to come along? Or will you guys be able to make it yourself?"

"I think we can walk ourselves from here to the hotel without too much trouble," Naru informed him dryly.

"Yeah," added Sarah with a poke in his side. "What do you take us for anyways? Kids? Geez…"

Koshi chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, my mistake…you guys sleep well, ok?"

"Ok, night Koshi-kun!"

"Nite-nite, Koshi!"

"Good night, Koshi-sempai."

Naru herded the trio off towards the hotel as the young man gave her one last furtive look with a sigh. She was really quite pretty, even beautiful sometimes, and so nice when she wanted to be…it was jus this luck that she hated him. Wishing for a change in luck that his uncle seemed to keep longing for as well (though he'd never mentioned for what) he hurried back before he was missed. Haruka was fair, but tough, and he had no desire to incur her wrath on such a nice night.

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Haruka helped Motoko wipe down the tables as Kitsune escorted the last of their guests out the door. Keitaro was busy scrubbing down the grills and Koshi worked outside, pulling in the signs with the specials listed on them. Working together, they had the entire place cleaned up and shut down with the grate pulled down and tarp with it in a matter of minutes. Motoko said her goodnights and vanished into the shower as Keitaro walked the others to the back door so as to lock it as they left.

"You two sleep well tonight," Haruka called over her shoulder as she walked out. "Or at least try to get some sleep period…"

"Yeah, try not to wear each other out too much," added Kitsune with a wink as she caught up with Haruka.

"Goodnight," said Koshi, giving Keitaro a handshake and a grave look as though they might never see one another again. "Good luck."

"Ok…thanks…?" Keitaro scratched his head, truly puzzled as he watched them until a sand dune hid them from sight and heading inside. "What in the world…?

Wondering if they knew something he didn't, the manager put it out of his mind when Motoko called that the shower was open and wearily trudged towards it. Whatever it was, it could wait until morning, he was sure.

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"Do you think we confused him enough?" asked Kitsune was Koshi caught up.

"Hell yeah!" laughed the young man.

"You two derive too much pleasure from tormenting him," commented Haruka wryly.

"And you don't?"

"I'm family, and have certain rights as his aunt. It's different for me."

"Right…"

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The Master personally strode up and down the halls holding the penned turtles with giant, black eyes, each whimpering softly as he peered through the bars at them. Pausing beside one cage in particular, he studied it before his lips curled into a mockery of a smile.

"This one. Yes, this one will do nicely."

One of the handlers came forwards, bowing low.

"And other preferences, sir?"

"No, use your imagination. I want this to be…a surprise. Yes, a surprise of epic proportions."

"Sir."

The Master walked away, almost giggling to himself. A very nice surprise indeed.

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Keitaro drowsily woke the next morning, his eyes still closed in perfect contentment as he realized his head was resting on something, per perhaps it was two somethings, he wasn't sure, that was possibly the softest thing he'd ever rested on in his life. In fact, his whole body seemed to be cushioned by the softness that molded itself to him. Idly curious, with no intentions of moving a single muscle more than necessary, he cracked on eye open and through a haze of sleepiness was just able to make out some sort of mound-ish type form covered by a well-worn fabric of sorts.

So soft…

Blinking, he hardly stirred even as the realization that the soft something he was resting on was moving slightly in a rhythmic pattern similar to breathing managed to make it's way through his sleep-fogged mind. Another random thought that popped up was the fabric was the same faded blue as the large T-shirt Motoko seemed to favor in the heat to sleep in, and that movements of breathing usually happened in the chest area of a person, but it all remained distant and fragmented as he slowly became more and more aware of his surroundings.

Of course, this didn't last forever.

So soft…same color as Motoko's sleep shirt…feels like two mounds…so soft…like mountains and a valley…hehe…sheep like valleys…baa baa…soft…like lamb's wool…it's moving…lamb's wool moving?...lamb breathing…?...breathing?...Mmm, smells like…Mo-chan…same color as…breathing…warm…chest…AHHHHHHHHH!

Keitaro froze like a trapped rabbit as his eyes popped open completely, a quick glance upwards confirming it was Motoko with his face firmly planting between her breast and one down showing he was indeed almost fully stretched out on top of her. At this point, Keitaro's brain hit the only mode it knew to turn to when he was in a position like this and coherent, for it was the only one that seemed to help keep him alive: PANIC!

"AHH!"

Unfortunately for Keitaro, panic consisted of his body trying to leap straight up in the air and over to the right towards the floor by moving all his muscles simultaneously. The end result was he somehow flipped himself off the side of the bend with a SMACK and groaned out loud as Motoko sat up quickly to peer over the edge of the futon at him.

"Keitaro! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah..." He got up, stretching as he scrubbed a hand through his hair and gave her a cautious smile. "I'm fine, it was…a dream. Yeah, that's all."

"Oh…" A dream, hm? Motoko inwardly sighed, watching him from the bed as he ambled around the room with a slightly frustrated gleam in her eyes. She'd woken well before he had, as usual, and had been almost shocked at the ease with which she adjusted to the intimate position and moved to make it more comfortable for her husband. Her next reaction had bee arousal, with his warm weight pressing her into the mattress below, and she had toyed with the idea of waking him with a surprise. With every minute bringing them closer to Haruka barging in, she was beginning to regret having not done so.

And then as if on cue…

"You kids up yet?"

"Coming!" called Keitaro. "Are you planning on sleeping all day or what? Oomf!"

Motoko smiled as her pillow took him full in the face. "I am not the one that slept late, now am I?" she asked as she swept past him for the bathroom.

"Didn't sleep late? But I…you…" Keitaro trailed off as he grabbed for a towel, the immanent implications being too much for his poor brain as his nose began to bleed.

Motoko hummed to herself happily inn the bathroom as she washed up, not sure why but feeling like she'd scored some sort of victory and was pleased by it.

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Two familiar geeks in glasses wandered down the beach, in search of a legend of epic proportions that had haunted their minds since they'd first heard of it.

"Are you sure it really exists?" asked the taller of the two, adjusting his glasses with sunglasses clipped over the lenses as his shorter counterpart continually checked and re-checked the hand-held computer with a homing device planted into it.

"The websites were pretty clear…and to have such a huge fan base with fanboys an underground club and everything…well, it has to exist!"

"I just can't believe we haven't heard about such a place until now."

The shorter glanced about, checking what he saw in reality against what he saw on the screen. "The fansites said something about keeping it out of public knowledge so only the select few can enjoy it…I couldn't even get the sites to appear without the direct link Tai gave us. I don't think he would've handed it over, either, if he hadn't heard we were coming to stay with my great-aunt…"

"Babes in bikinis, and beautiful ones at that, who run a Tea Shop with a lovely elder woman at its head…maybe dreams can come true, though last I checked places like that only existed in my dreams."

"Let's hope this dream is reality, or we've just wasted an afternoon when we could've been watching that new anime series on nothing. If the directions are right, it should be just around this next bend in the beach…"

The pair hurried on, flip flops throwing up trails of sand as they quickly rounded the bend. Before them, rising out of the dunes and a sea of people scattered on the beach was the object of their search, a well-worn tea house with the words 'Beachside Café' on one of the signs.

"It looks like the place," said the shorter as he scanned the forums quickly. "Though the picture here is a lot more run-down…apparently it was taken in the off season, it says all forms of photography are highly 'discouraged'…there's no clarification of what that means, but everyone else seems to understand it completely."

"Let's get going, then! Babes, babes, lots of bikini-ed babes…" Singing the last part to himself, the taller started to bound towards the building when his companion caught him by the sleeve.

"Wait…" He paused, scratching his head. "There's another warning, and it seems to be coupled with the no-pictures thing…something about the 'beauteous demon of feminine wrath'…do you think it's a legend of some sort or something?"

"Dunno, what's it say about her? Or it? Whatever…is she hot?"

"Defender of all innocent females, and some not so innocent ones (something inserted here about the 'intoxicated foxy lady' with a sever warning to guard your wallet…weird)…bits about 'the flashing sword of doom'…a sacred war cry?…a supposed 'true story account' of a fellow who let her put him through the roof just to see her righteous rage once more…I'm not so sure I believe that last one."

"It's probably just some stuck-up bitch that refuses to date anyone, and gets a bad rep by it." He shrugged, adjusting his glasses. "And knowing the way things run, she's probably the hottest one there with a quick temper to match her looks. It happens. C'mon, I wanna see if it's real or not! Even if they only have one or two hot girls rather than a whole staff, I'll take that over having tea with your great-aunt again any day!"

"Ok, ok…"

The two approached at an eager walk, though the shorter took the time to shut off and put away his hand-held computer as they went on. Storing it on his shirt pocket, the two gave each other one last glance as they strode through the final few steps and arrived among other at the front of the tea house.

From the outside, they found something that perhaps did not exactly match their description but was more than close enough. A lovely young woman in a bathing suit and waist wrap stood beside an elder woman who was surprising familiar in a bikini and apron of her own though they saw more of her back then anything else. A sign with the word 'RULES' pasted across the top graced the younger woman's right side, but neither fellow noticed it or worried about it in their awe and joy.

Inside they caught glimpses of a few other ladies, and perhaps one guy, but for the moment they were content to ogle this beauty with her sparkling eyes and luscious light-brown hair. Give her wings, and she would be the perfect angel in their eyes. The taller of the two cleared his throat as they moved up in line for a table. Lunch rush was long since over and things looked fairly empty inside, so they would likely be seated right away.

"Table for two?" asked the young woman, her companion standing just a ways off with her back to them smoking a cigarette.

"Three," he replied as suavely as possible, leaning on the sign that he'd neglected to read. "If you'll join us, that is. A beautiful woman like y-AHHHHHHHH!"

The pair rolled several feet before they stopped, the shadowy form in the back who'd hit them with the ki blast coming into the light though she never looked directly at them either. Staring up at her, they knew the true meaning of fear and she wasn't even looking directly at them but instead frowned at the sign she'd destroyed in meting out their punishment. Taller than the first two, and with raven hair well past her hips dressed in a similar manner to the other two she was indeed the beauteous demon of feminine wrath. Refusing to look at them as she shrugged and turned away, she simply set the bokken aside and spoke as if speaking to the air.

"We have strict rules about propositioning employees, or ogling them, especially while they work. Should you wish to remain, though such an action is not advised with your current standing, read and follow the rules or you must leave the premises immediately. Should it be necessary to take action again, what you just experienced will seem like a gentle tap as to what may and will come."

"Send out another set?" said another voice as an incredibly familiar young man came out, glancing around as he scrubbed a hand through his hair with a wry grin. "I'm surprised we don't loose customers as often as you have to do that…"

"Keitaro!"

The young man was more than a little surprised when his two long-time friends attached themselves to either leg, holding on for dear life as his wife stood there in surprise off to one side and Naru and Haruka behind her with similar expressions on their faces, though to varying degrees.

"Shirai! Haitani! What are you guys doing here!"

"The beauteous demon of heavenly wrath…" whispered the smaller of the two, apparently having not heard his friend as he stared at Motoko, the young woman now pausing uncertainly as Keitaro was directly in the line of fire should she find it necessary to reiterate their punishment. "He's married to a demon of wrath…"

"We were just checking out a local legend!" explained the taller of the two quickly, huddling behind Keitaro's leg when he accidentally caught Motoko's cold gaze. "A tea house run by several beautiful women…we thought this might be it…I just asked her to eat lunch with us! That's all I did, I swear!"

"I think I can take this from here," Keitaro reassured Motoko with a grin, her replying with a quick nod before heading back inside. "Now, as for you two…" He picked his friends up by the collar, pulling them over to some outdoor tables where Koshi served them cool drinks (keeping the female attendants away to be on the safe side. "What are you guys doing this far from home? It's not like you can afford a vacation."

"My great aunt lives out here," explained Shirai quickly. "We're here 'helping' her for a month or so. That consists of feeding her nine cats twice a day, getting her mail every day, and watering her flowers every once awhile…the rest of our time is ours to do with as we please."

"And you decided to go legend hunting today," finished Keitaro with a wry grin. "Well, you found one, I guess, if half of what Haruka says is true…you guys are welcome to stick around, I really don't mind so long as you follow the rules, and neither will the other girls if you give them the proper respect and courtesy they deserve."

"You wouldn't happen to be hiring, would you?" put in Haitani suddenly, a hopeful look in his eyes. "You've got that Toudai guy working here…and you…I certainly wouldn't mind working among such beautiful ladies…"

"No," stated Keitaro firmly, already seeing the disaster that would be. "We've already got enough hands to go around for the work in the shop."

"They'll be helping with the play, though," put in his aunt as she appeared at his side, leaning over his shoulder as she held a piece of paper up in front of the two visitors. "Unless, of course, you can pay your bill."

"Bill? What'd we get charged for!" Shirai snatched the paper away as Haintani read over his shoulder, the two visibly paling at the huge amounts of yen listed below.

"Damage to the sign, fine for possibly verbally attacking an employee, the fee for Motoko's services to remove you from the premises, earlier fees from previous happenings that I do not believe need to be dragged out in detail, a fine for disrupting the tea house itself with the spectacle itself…need I go on? Oh, and there's a compound interest rate of 10 percent added every…" The elder woman checked her watch. "15 minutes. Pay or work?"

"Work," the two said immediately.

"I don't think I'd have enough to pay that if I worked all year…" muttered Haitani to himself as he scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment at some of the 'past charges'. He probably deserved it, though, acting like such a fool at the time.

"Good. First meeting is Sunday, be there if you don't want more charges added to this. I would suggest making yourself scarce until then, too, Naru doesn't forgive easily and Motoko can be a bit bokken-happy the second time around if given reason to be." With that, Haruka walked away, Keitaro just shaking his head at the way she handled his two friends so easily.

"I guess that means I'll be seeing you two Sunday," he said as he rose, the other two doing the same with slightly disappointed looks on their faces.

"I was really hoping to eat here too," sighed Haitani as Shirai gave Naru one last longing look over his shoulder.

"Look on the bright side," Keitaro informed them with pats on the back. "Everyone has to help out with the play, and there's no rules about approaching the older girls after hours as long as you're nice about it. You still might get sent into Lower Earth Orbit, but you never know, right?"

"A chance, no matter how slim, still means you might still hear a yes," replied Shirai wisely. "Got it! Let's go make our plans, Haintani, we've got girls to impress!"

"Alright!"

Keitaro stood there by the table for a moment as the two disappeared down the beach, Motoko coming to stand beside him for a moment.

"I understand oba-san has conscripted them into helping with the play," she said in a resigned tone, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

"Yeah, and I promise they'll behave too," added Keitaro quickly. "I mean, they might try to get Naru or Kitsune to go out on a date or something, but those two are more than capable of taking care of themselves and I'm not worried about them bothering the younger ones."

"I should hope so…" She paused, tilting her head ever so slightly. "I suppose there is no harm in them helping, and perhaps they will even make things easier for the rest of us."

"I think that's the point," added Keitaro as he gave her a teasing grin. She elbowed him gently in the side, slipping away to get back to work when he tried to retaliate. In his opinion, Sunday couldn't get there soon enough, hopefully he'd finally be able to cash in on some of that 'alone time'.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

The first week flew by, everyone enjoying the work even as things became busier and busier on a daily basis. It was their first Sunday off after opening, and with everyone gathered in the main room eating breakfast Haruka was taking the opportunity to hold the first real play meeting of the summer. Haitani and Shirai sat near the back, but were as attentive as the rest, wondering what their part would be in the production.

"Everyone's parts are on the table, labeled with your name," she was saying at the head of the table. "And I know there's some shuffling around from the usual spots, but since we have actual males things year at our disposal, I thought we might use for them for the male parts."

"Question: do I have to do this?" broke in Koshi suddenly. "I'm not part of the crew, really…"

"I'm paying your debt, so you're doing it," replied Haruka in a flat manner that few disagreed with. Koshi was no exception.

"Ok, ok…"

"'Nother question," popped up Su. "Are you gonna do the really evil dude again?"

"No, I'm staying off stage completely since we have enough people this year." Haruka sighed as she scratched her ear. "Wish we'd started doing that years ago, I'm long overdue for a break."

"But what about the fight scenes?"

"Already been taken care of. Moving on…" Haruka laid another stack of paper on the table, this one being passed down the row. "Here's the production lists. Costume work, we've got Shinobu and Kitsune with Su on call for 'special details'."

"Yes, Haruka-san."

"Sure thing, sugar."

"Yeahness! Special details!"

"Moving on…technical lightning, sound, and effects, Su and Haitani."

"Whoopee!"

"Oh, great…" Haitani sighed, putting his head in his hands. "I bet that kid has no idea what she's doing."

"I think you'll be surprised," replied Keitaro with a wry grin, his friend just rolling his eyes.

"Advertising, Sarah, Koshi and Naru."

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ok."

Letting the 'ma'am' pass for once, she forged ahead.

"And set and stage construction, Motoko and Keitaro."

"Very well."

"Ok."

"I'll be moving around groups as usual, helping whoever is struggling and all. Any questions so far?" The flat look she gave quelled any who might have answered, and so she plunged onwards. "Practice starts next week, look over your scripts, and get started on your production work except Motoko and Keitaro. We'll get started on that sometime around the middle of next week. Meeting adjourned."

"Yahoo! Let's go play in the waves!" cried Su, zipping out the door with Sarah hot on her heals.

"Man, I don't wanna play the priest," grumbled Koshi as he stretched out his kinks, wearing only trunks and a tank top. "That means I gotta be all nice and stuff…"

"Wanna trade?" asked Haitani hopefully.

"Maybe," he replied slowly. "Who are you?"

"The back half of the horse."

"No….no, that's ok. Priesthood looks quite appealing when put beside that."

"Darn…"

"Are you coming or not?" called Sarah from outside, obviously impatient.

"Coming!"

"Come with me," murmured Motoko into Keitaro's ear, getting up and leaving without another word. To where, he wasn't sure, and he wasn't even positive that she'd spoken at all until she'd glanced back with a small smile. Glancing around, he realized no one else was paying attention to them and so got up to follow quickly.

Getting out the door, he cast about for his wife and just barely caught sight of her as she disappeared a dune farther along the beach. Hurrying along, he reached that point only to realize she was taking another turn into a grove of trees. A teasing glance back let him know she knew he was coming, and he tried to jog after her through the trees. She somehow kept the distance between them, though, and he almost lost her as she turned into a narrow avenue in a rock wall along one side of the grove. Seeing her disappear at the end, he ran after her only to have the avenue open up into a small cove, one that was walled off on both sides by the sea cliffs with a waterfall at one end and all sorts of rock pools scattered about.

"Wow…"

"Beautiful, is it not?" commented Motoko quietly from behind him, perched on a boulder with her arms resting on her knees.

"Very," he replied. "What is this place?"

"A cove," she said with a shrug. "Though one few people know of. It is only above water for half of each day, so even fewer actually come here, but I find it quite peaceful."

"Do any of our group know about it?"

"Haruka, I believe. She led me to it in an indirect fashion…"

"Oh…why didn't you tell the rest?"

"Perhaps because in some ways I feel as if this place were mine…selfish, and silly, I know."

"No, not at all. And…I'm honored that you'd share such a special place with me."

Motoko blushed and slightly ducked her head as Keitaro reddened as well. He was about to grasp for words in an attempt to break the tension between them when his stomach did it for him, growling fiercely at its emptiness.

"Uh…"

"Hungry?" asked Motoko, an amused glimmer in her eyes as she opened the basket she'd brought along.

"I kinda skipped breakfast…"

"I know," she replied teasingly. "Shinobu helped me pack the basket this morning, so I can promise you it is quite good."

"Hungry as I am, I think I could eat Naru's radioactive pancakes and they'd be good," he replied ruefully as he let her serve him his meal. "And that's saying something."

"Perhaps, but let's not tempt fate when it is not necessary to do so…"

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

"Motoko and Keitaro disappeared awful quick this morning," commented Kitsune lightly as she lounged in her seat across from Haruka, both women enjoying the sun on the deck of the Tea House with a couple of cold bears at hand. The elder woman took a long drag of her cigarette as she watched Su, Sarah, Shinobu and Koshi play together in the waves directly in front of them, more focused on them than her companion.

"So what if they did?" she replied, knowing the foxy lady was digging.

"Does anyone know where they went?" said Kitsune with a coloring of false concern. "If something could happen…accidents can occur anywhere…it just seems like a good safe guard if someone knew…"

"They're big kids, they can take care of themselves," Haruka murmured as she took a sip of her drink. "So long as no pointy-eared foxes try to nose in on their business, they should be perfectly fine. But then again…" Kitsune almost leaned forward eagerly as Haruka stretched out that final tantalizing phrase. "Letting a fox go sniffing about may not be a bad idea…"

"Really?" replied Kitsune quickly, encouraging her to continue. "Why would that be?"

"Because," replied Haruka in a perfectly serious manner. "There's always the chance of catching the fox and I've always wanted a fur-lined coat…"

"I've got a question," snapped Kitsune in irritation, her weaseling having gone for naught. "Do you learn to be like that at Bitches University or is that just you?"

"100 natural, thank you kindly," replied Haruka with a satisfied smirk. "Now, leave those two alone, and focus on the beer. Too nice a day to go prying, that's messy business at best."

"A fox is a fox," sighed Kitsune as she downed the rest of her can. "But I suppose a drunk fox if acceptable if you can't be a nosy one."

"Damn straight."

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

The married couple poked around the tide pools after sharing their meal, each pointing out the creatures they knew, however the quiet time together somehow ended in a splashing war with Keitaro getting chased into the ocean. His wife caught him well before he got any deeper than waist high, easily dunking him under the waves with a well-placed tackle. But when he tried to return the favor, she just as easily slipped out of his grasp and taunted him while staying just outside of his range.

"Truce!" he cried after diving for the fifth time and coming up with nothing more than salt water in his mouth and empty arms. "I give up, you're too fast!"

"One might argue you are too slow," she replied lightly, gracefully riding the next wave closer towards him. "Do you know how to body surf?"

"No," he said, pushing his bangs out of his eyes. "But I'm willing to try."

He caught onto the concept quicker than he thought he would, and soon the two of them were racing down the crests of the waves to see who could ride farther in towards shore without faltering.

One particular run found Motoko laughing as she stood in calf-high waters with Keitaro sprawled at her feet.

"How did you manage that?" she teased as she offered a hand to help pull him up. "Few others I know can find such interesting ways to make it known when they mess up at something…"

"Yes, well, I'm special," he grinned, pulling her down instead of getting up. "And last time I checked, you were stock with me for life so you'd better get use to it."

"I have never complained," she stated simply, poking him in the side as she settled in beside him with her legs tucked up to her chest. "Besides, it makes for an interesting life."

"If you can fall doing a face-plant in a foot and a half of salt water interesting." Keitaro wiped some of the gritty muck from his cheek. "This'll take awhile to get off, the waterfall is freshwater, right? I'd rather use that than saltwater to rise it off, especially around my eyes."

"Oh, I would not worry about it…it kind of suits you." Motoko grinned as she dabbed some more on the tip of his nose.

"It's quite attractive, I imagine," he laughed, pouncing on her to smear some of the sake on her cheeks as well, though she managed to squirm just out of reach once again.

"I believe I said it suited you, not me!" she informed him impudently.

"Yes, but I want you to have the same attractive-ness I have apparently gained. Beautiful as you are, no one would disagree with me that you are simply the most beautiful period with this."

"Well, thank you for the kind offer," she rolled her eyes ever so slightly. "But I'm afraid I'll have to decline…"

"Really? But I insist!"

"Keitaro!"

"What? I'm just returning the favor!"

Motoko twisted out of his grip, grinning as he lost his balance and the resulting fall gave her time to slip out of reach once more. "You will have to catch me to do so," she called over her shoulder as she dove into the waves, swimming out even further than before.

Keitaro wiped the brine from his eyes and followed, noting her flushed face and the way his pulse began to thrum in his veins when she glanced back at him. Maybe, just maybe…swimming as hard as he could, the managed angled off to the left as she started to come back inwards towards one particularly calm pool that was sheltered from most of the waves by the sea cliff. It wasn't particularly deep, though, and he quickly caught up to her there even as she stayed just out of reach.

"I promise to be gentle," he offered, trying to inch closer even as the double meaning came to mind and made him blush.

"I think it would kill you to be otherwise," she replied, ducking to the right.

"Then you should trust me."

"I do." She smiled. "I trust you are still trying to get me back, right?"

"Well, maybe just a little bit…"

"See?"

"Alright, alright…" Keitaro washed the sand from his hands, holding them up for her to see. "No more sand, ok?"

"Get your feet up, too," she ordered, eyebrows raised slightly. "I have seen you move in ways a contortionist would be envy. I will take no chances now."

Keitaro sighed, wondering if she could read minds. Floating, he had his back to the cliffs so he could see the waves coming in as he stuck his toes up above the water. "No sand, see? Now can-bblrm!"

Motoko's smile as his head broke the surface was more than a little mischievous, his body supported by her arms. "That was for chasing me," she informed him, practically radiating mirth even as she let him go to stand on his own.

"Is that so?" he sputtered as he wiped the water out of his eyes, getting a hold of his arm though he was sure she let him as he pulled her close. "And what do I get for catching you?"

"That," she told him slowly as he rested his forehead against hers. "You will find out when you actually manage to do so." The quick kiss she brushed on his lips was teasing, and yet inviting at the same time. Given the way her heart and body had been reacting as of late, the kendo master was more than willing to tread towards deeper waters, but she wasn't going to leap in head first until she was sure it was what he wanted as well. Leaving it open-ended like this…either he would understand and choose to catch her or not, or he wouldn't get it at all and then she'd have to think of something else. Perhaps she wasn't quite willing to go all the way just yet, but Keitaro would occasionally get a certain look in his eyes…one that made her shiver in a good way…and it was a look she'd like to get a lot more acquainted with very soon.

"You're not easy to catch," he sighed, eyes twinkling in amusement. "But if the re-Blrrrm!"

All the warning he had was the widening of Motoko's eyes before she jerked him towards her under the water, and something very large and heavy landed mere inches from where they'd been standing.

Surfacing at the same time as his wife, Keitaro stood there in shock before it registered that the large object was a white van, and a distinctly familiar one at that…

"That is very odd," Motoko was musing to herself, inching towards it as there were no obvious signs of life and the driver's door was open. "A highway runs along part of the cliffs, but it veers off inland miles fro here…"

"Is that you, part-timer?"

Two heads shot up to stare about two thirds up the cliff where Seta hung by the back of his shirt with blood dripping from his forehead.

"Seta-san!"

"Yeah. I could use a little help, here…"

Keitaro face-faulted at the gross understatement, but Motoko seemed to understand even as it obviously irritated her greatly. Leaving Keitaro to stand guard over Seta (her words being if he fell before she returned at least something but get through his thick skull about being more cautious) she went to hunt down Haruka and whatever resources the elder woman might have to offer.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

"Are you ready to go?" asked Naru as she walked up on the deck, exchanging nods with Haruka who went back to napping when she saw who it was.

"Are we going anywhere I need to have clothes on?" asked Kitsune as she stretched in her seat, standing slowly.

Naru tossed her friend a pair of shorts, a tank top, and flip flops. "Of course."

Kitsune slipped into the clothes, running a hand through her hair as she picked up her latest can of beer. "Oh well…I'm ready, let's go."

Further out on the beach, four other residents approached them, Koshi in the center with Su and Shinobu on either side and Sarah clinging to his shoulders.

"Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream!" sang Su as she skipped along, nearly pulling Koshi's arm out of his socket as she swung it back and forth, though he didn't complain.

"Look, its Naru and the drunk lady!" said Sarah, tugging on her cousin's ear. "Can we ask them to go with us?"

"Auu, please?" added Shinobu sweetly.

"I don't mind if you guys don't," replied Koshi with a shrug. Swinging Sarah down to the ground, he added, "Why don't you guys run ahead and see if they'll come? I'll be right behind you, ok?"

"Alright! Race ya, Su!"

"Y're on!"

"Auu, wait for me!"

Koshi watched as his cousin nearly ran Naru to the ground, grabbing her around the waist as Su took her by the arm. The trio was warmly greeted, and Naru was even smiling brightly until Sarah pointed back at him. Her face became neutral, regarding him coolly from the distance as Kitsune waved with a smirk.

"You're treat, huh sugar?" she called when he was within hearing distance, giving the young man reason to pause and check his wallet. He'd just been paid, so he could afford it, he'd just be blowing the better part of his savings for the week. Still, he could think of worse things to do with it.

"Sure," he replied with a grin. "I'd say it's worth it, to be allowed to escort two such lovely young women along with the three that I've already agreed to bring."

"Aren't we wracking up the babes today," came the light tease in return. "I can't help noticing that several of them are underage, though, Koshi…you wouldn't be…?"

"Keep it to yourself, one of them's my cousin you know," he retorted, letting the foxy lady know she'd crossed the line. "Really, though, you're both welcome to join us and it is my treat." Glancing at Naru, he added as an afterthought. "By the way, that skirt looks really good on you Naru, it fits your legs really well. So, are you girls coming?"

Naru's eye twitched. "I'd rather burn in hell. C'mon, Kitsune, we've got shopping to do."

"If you change your mind, you're welcome to come," tried Koshi as Naru spun around and left, dragging her friend along behind her as he wondered what he could've possibly said that was wrong. "Man, I just don't get her most days." Glancing down he saw three pairs of eyes looking up at him in varying degrees of confusion and impatience.

"Are we getting ice cream or not?" demanded Sarah, clambering up on his back once again.

He nodded, smiling as he caught hold of Su and Shinobu's hands once more. "We're going, come on."

"Yeah!"

Shinobu hung back just for a moment, catching the pained look in Koshi's eyes when he glanced back at the retreating pair. Feeling his pain as if it were her own, she promised herself to ask Naru about it later and see if she couldn't get things set right. Koshi was a nice guy, and she didn't like to see any of her friends in pain. Not when they'd done so much for her in return.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Two hours later saw Seta, Haruka, Motoko and Keitaro in front of the Tea House, Seta's worst injury being the fan-thwapping Haruka gave him the moment he was safely on the ground. His van had been hauled off for repairs to some place in town, apparently he was on a first-name basis with the owner of the place, and as for the manager and his wife they were simply glad to have the ordeal over and done with.

Unfortunately, their return had been like a magnet for the younger residents, and Keitaro doubted they'd be able to slip away again for the rest of the evening.

"Oh, what's this?" Seta tipped open the basket that held the remains of the couple's lunch. "Mm…I could go for a quick snack…"

"Baka." Haruka's fan smacked his hand away, her eyes pinning him with an irritated glare. "Here come Sarah and Koshi with some others, grab them and follow me. We've got work to do. Can you two keep an eye on the other two for awhile? I'm not sure where Kitsune and Naru got off to…" The elder woman sent and apologetic glance towards her niece and nephew, getting an understanding nod in return.

"What is it you need me for?" asked Seta, scratching his chin.

"Shut up and listen. It's about this years play-"

"Oh, I loved helping out with that!"

"Listen!"

"Papa!"

"Oh, hey there squirt!" Seta swung his daughter up in his arms, following a growling Haruka back towards the Hotel even as he chattered away with her and his nephew without a care in the world.

"It's a wonder she hasn't murdered him yet," commented Keitaro as he face-faulted.

Motoko sighed at the fading voices, turning towards the other two instead who'd immediately attached themselves to their older friends. "Well now, what have you two been up to in our absence?" she asked as Shinobu hugged her around the waist, Su clinging to her back as usual.

"Koshi-kun bought us ice cream," replied Su as she tightly huggled her favorite human jungle gym. "It was very good to eat. And Naru and Kitsune almost ate with us, but Koshi made Naru mad somehow and she stomped off with Kitsune."

Motoko paused, and exchanged puzzled glances with Keitaro. "What did he do to incur her wrath?"

"Auu…" Shinobu looked up at her, eyes plainly confused. "He only told her she and Kitsune were lovely ladies, and that her skirt looked good on her…I didn't understand why she got so upset. It was kinda sad…"

"Just because he complimented her?" replied Keitaro, wondering if there had been a double meaning in Koshi's words that had set Naru's temper off. "What did he say, exactly?"

Su swayed back and forth as she relayed the story with a great many gestures and mimicked voices of the those who had been present. Keeping her seat somehow, though she held on only with her legs, between her and Shinobu's quiet agreements the pair soon convinced the married couple that it was simply Naru overreacting as she often times did.

"I would not let it trouble your mind any longer," stated Motoko when Shinobu asked if everything would be alright between Naru and Koshi. "And if you are that worried about it, you can ask Naru about it later tonight. Now, what would you two like to do? Play in the ocean? Perhaps head back in and set up a game?"

"Ocean, ocean, ocean!" cried Su in that sing-songy voice of hers. "Oh, I know, tag in the ocean! Tag, you're it Keitaro!"

All three females traded swift smiles before sprinting towards the crashing waves, leaving one lone Keitaro in their wake.

"Why," he asked himself as he set the basket and blanket down. "Do I get the feeling this'll be 3 against 1?" Deciding it was all in his head, and the girls liked him too much to do that too him, even for a game of tag, he headed out towards the waves at an easy lope…and was quickly proven wrong. Needless to say, the girls won.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Naru stopped with Kistune at an outdoor ice cream parlor just outside the hotel, the foxy one treating them to chocolate sundaes even as she mentioned in a rather loud manner that earlier they could've gotten such for free. Claiming a bench just off the beach, they sat back and began to enjoy the frozen desserts together.

"So," started Kistune as she popped her cherry in her mouth. "Someone had their panties in a twist earlier today. Any particular reason why?"

"Koshi was way over the line, and you know it," replied Naru flatly, staring out at the ocean as a vein began to pop out over her left eye. "If the girls hadn't been right there, I'd have given him the beating he deserved, too."

"Sugar, last time I checked 'your skirt looks good on you' wasn't an insult."

"He said that the length suited my legs, and he shouldn't be ogling them anyways!" she shot back in a huff. "And it was all in the way he said it too, over-confident jerk…"

"You know," put in Kitsune lightly. "If you don't want guys looking at you, you shouldn't wear clothes that make you such a delectable sight."

"But I like my clothes! The guys should just learn to keep their eyes to themselves."

"If you say a guy's a pervert and it's true, you can't expect him to act as anything else which means either way he's going to look. If you're really that set against it, why are you dressing in ways that provoke them? I mean, you're not a slut, but you can't deny you wear things that make you very attractive." Kitsune suddenly grinned. "In fact, half the time I think you're down right sexy."

"Kitsune, be serious…."

"I am being serious, you're the one who's skirting around the issue here."

"Except there is no issue! Nothing's wrong." Naru took a bite of her sundae, nearly chomping the spoon in two with her pent-up feelings. "Why do you always assume something's wrong?"

Kitsune grabbed the spoon, waving the tooth marks under her friend's nose. "The evidence suggests otherwise."

"You're jumping to conclusions." Naru snatched back the spoon. "So I like to chew on the spoon? So what?"

"And you're lying through your teeth, but if you'd rather not talk about it…" Kitsune shrugged, winking at a couple of passing guys. "Me, I'm content to sit here and enjoy the scenery."

"It looks like the 'scenery' is looking back," muttered the ronin, shooting one fellow approaching them a poisonous glare that quickly sent him backpedaling.

"Aww…he was sweet looking too, Naru."

"And he probably had his mind in the gutter, same as the rest of them."

"You know, I have to wonder when your opinion of men went so low," started the foxy lady with a sigh. "You used to enjoy going men-watching with me at all the mall, and even you have to admit Koshi's a nice chunk of eye-candy, but now I can't even get you to have girl talk with me about the latest hottie on TV."

"Koshi is…good looking," admitted Naru, though it was akin to pulling teeth the way it came out. "But…have you ever noticed how much he looks like Seta?"

"Well…yeah." Kitsune's mouth curled into an amused grin, once again realizing how little her friend had put together as of yet. "Seta was good looking too, wasn't he? Mm, I dunno how you studied while he was in the same room as you, I'd rather look at him than at books any day."

"Yeah, well, that certainly didn't stop him from leaving, did it?" Naru's jaw took on a stubborn line, her eyes gleaming with a long-held anger. "Disappearing for years on end, no one knowing where he is or when he'll be back…who needs a guy like that, right?"

Kitsune's mouth twitch as the said man passed not 30 yards away, Haruka to his right and Koshi and Sarah talking them closely before they disappeared into the hotel. "Oh, I dunno…"

"Men are selfish, inconsiderate, worthless creatures that deserve to be scoured from the face of the earth!"

"Be careful who you say that around, I don't think Motoko at least would appreciate it," coughed Kitsune, rolling her eyes. "She seems quite taken with her man."

"Keitaro is definitely an exception," replied Naru with a shrug. "Even I'll admit he has a few redeeming qualities, though I still think he was a pervert the first time he was around, I just think Motoko keeps him in line too well for him to slip-up around the rest of us."

"He is whipped, I'll give you that, but I think it's more voluntary that anything else…"

"Hello, girls."

Naru jumped as Kitsune chuckled, Haruka learning on the bench between them.

"Geez, Haruka…!"

"Having fun?" she asked, lighting a fresh cigarette.

"Loads," replied Kitsune, a slightly dry edge to her voice.

"Good," plowed on Haruka, dropping a couple of papers in Naru's lap. "Here's the schedule for the practices in the morning. It's just you, me, and Motoko, Naru, so try to show up on time, ok?

"What about the guys?" she replied, obviously confused.

"That's been taken care of," shrugged the elder woman, waving it off carelessly. "Just be there on time, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"Mind giving this to Motoko for me?" she added, dropping a duplicate of the set on top of the first. "She's down at the beach with Keitaro and the younger girls. I have some other things to get done, so thanks."

"But I-"

"See you in the morning."

"She's really good at that 'give you a chore and disappear' routine," commented the resident drunk as Haruka ducked behind a corner into the hotel. "Go on, I've got a bottle of fine sake calling my name around the block and I don't intend to keep it waiting any longer. I'll see you back at the hotel tonight."

Naru rose, giving her friend a slight smile. "Yeah, ok. Thanks for the ice cream."

"No problem!" And with that, Kitsune disappeared from sight.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Motoko and Keitaro worked comfortably within the small confines of the kitchen, Su and Shinobu setting a table together in the main room near the door. They had decided to eat in for the night since it was cheaper, and with Keitaro preparing some of his childhood favorites it was sure to be good.

"Su wants juice to drink!" called the hyper blonde as Shinobu fetched the glasses, pouring everyone else hot tea from the kettle on the stove.

"I know, I got it," came the prompt reply.

"Thankies!"

"Motoko, Keitaro, are you guys in here?" called someone from the front.

"Back here!" replied the samurai woman, sticking her head out the kitchen door. "Naru, is that you?"

"Yeah, I've been looking for you guys everywhere." The young woman came farther in, no longer fearful of interrupting a private moment as she spotted the other two. "Hey Su, Shinobu, mm, what smells so good? Something cooking?"

"Yeah, Keitaro's making us dinner!" replied Shinobu.

"Would you like to join us?" inquired Motoko as she removed her apron, leaving Keitaro to cover the final preparations as she sent Su for another place setting. Keitaro called for help and Shinobu ran to assist him, both her and Su remaining in the kitchen where much shouting and commotion took place. Neither young woman paid attention, though, as that was fairly normal all things considered. "We have plenty, I can assure you."

"Sure, thanks." Naru sat down at the table, Motoko sitting across from her as she accepted the papers from Haruka. "It's the schedule for our practices. I think the old bat wants something really cool, and probably complicated, put together for this year."

"We always put together an interesting performance," came the calm reply as Motoko slipped the folded papers into her back pocket. Her eyes suddenly twinkled in amusement. "Are you sure you will be up to it, though? It is rather rigorous and complex…"

"Hey, I can do anything you can do with a sword using a staff, even if it isn't near as graceful the same goal will be reached!" retorted Naru in a mock-annoyed manner. "Has she said anything about when the guys are practicing, though? I know she told me it would be taken care of…"

"Oh, yes, she explained it to Keitaro and myself already. Keitaro and Koshi will likely be working with his uncle…" Motoko trailed off as she suddenly frowned, finding herself unable to recall the man's name. "Now that is odd, I have forgotten his name…"

"Speaking of men," put in Naru out of the blue. "Have you ever noticed how much Koshi resembles Seta? I think it's a little strange."

"Seta, of course," replied Motoko as if she'd found her answer, though Naru was hardly paying attention and simply nodded absently so intent she was upon her own thought. "Naru…do you really find it that strange? It is not that uncommon after all…"

"For guys to look alike? I suppose not," jumped in Naru as the good was suddenly brought to the table, Su and Shinobu chattering about some fire that had occurred as they all sat down together. Keitaro just hushed them, and flushed slightly when Motoko gave him a questioning glance. "Mm," she said, still rather oblivious to the goings on around her. "This smells really good. What is it?"

"Something Hina used to make me as a kid, though I'm not really sure what it's called," replied Keitaro with a shrug as he began to serve himself. "There's no official written recipe for it, it's kind of a 'cook by taste' thing, but we always have some at family reunions and everyone loves it. It's one of the few things we can all agree on."

"I'll have to ask Hina-san next time I see her how she came up with it," said Shinobu quickly. "It's very good, and it's not easy coming up with good recipes on your own."

"I can write out my version for you later if you want," offered Keitaro as he passed around the bowls.

"Auu, thank you!"

"Whatcha been doin' today, Naru?" asked Su as she paused between her third and fourth servings of the meal.

"Shopping," she replied with a shrug. "Really, just finding some souvenirs for the family, you know how it is."

"Did you make any purchases?" inquired Motoko, sending Su to the kitchen for the kettle so they could refill their cups without getting up as everyone settled in for a good meal and conversation.

"Yeah, actually, I got my little sister this shirt that I think she'll like…"

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Seta, Sarah and Koshi ate together at the local beef bowl, each slurping up their fast-food noodles on a picnic bench outside.

"So, what've I missed while I've been gone?" asked Seta as he set his empty Styrofoam bowl aside. "You guys been good?"

"Koshi keeps pissing off one of the girls," popped up Sarah with a smirk. "And he's not even trying to."

"Is that so, Koshi?" asked Seta quickly, a little surprise. Koshi wasn't usually the sort to get on girl's bad sides.

"Yeah, but I have no idea why she's always so suspicious and angry with me," he sighed with a shrug. "I haven't done anything to deserve it, I can tell you that. I've even complimented her several times and she always seems to take it the wrong way. And it's not like she's mean to everyone, it's only me. She's even sorta nice to Keitaro, and he's a guy too, even if he is married."

"Ouch…have you tried talking to her about it?" asked his uncle, pulling out a beer.

"No." Koshi ran a hand through his messy hair. "I get the feeling all I would get in return is a sore cheek and maybe a couple of loose teeth."

"Now I know I taught you how to duck better than that," joked Seta, thumping his nephew on the back. "Besides, you won't know until you try, right?"

"I suppose…" The young man thought it over, then sat up straight. "You know what, you're right. I haven't done anything to deserve this, so the worst she can do is not talk back, right? Besides, if she decides to slap me I've gotten worse sparring with you, and it probably won't hurt much after a while. I'll go and talk to her tonight and see if I can't get things worked out. And if it doesn't work, at least I can say I tried."

"That's the spirit," said Seta with a smile, taking another gulp of his drink. "It's a good tactic, I've been using it with Haruka for years."

"Does it ever work well for you?" asked the young man hopefully.

"Almost never," chuckled his elder in a light hearted manner. "But I'm still trying. I'm still trying…"

Koshi face-faulted as Sarah laughed, taking over the conversation with news of Su's bedtime antics (aka the way she nearly killed either Sarah or Shinobu each night with her death-grip hug of sleep). The young man sighed as he gathered up his trash and tossed it, heading for the Tea House. It was going to be a most interest evening indeed.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Naru followed Su and Shinobu along the tide, the two collecting shells and poking starfish or jellyfish that had washed up on the shore. Motoko and Keitaro had offered to clean up together, and with all three willing to let the couple go for it they'd headed out for a few more hours of fun before it was time to sleep.

"Look what I found, a whole sand dollar!" cried Shinobu as she carefully brushed the wet sand off the fragile creature.

"Ooh, pretty!" Su traced the star-like pattern with one finger. "Are you gonna keep it? Huh?"

"You don't find whole ones that often," added Naru, peering over the pair's shoulders. "You'll have to leave it out in the sun to bleach if you keep it, though, otherwise it'll stink up the room."

"Auu…it's very pretty, but would you like it Naru-sempai?" The younger girl held it up to her sempai, smiling shyly. "I know you'll take care of it better then me."

"Well…if you really want me to have it," came the hesitant reply, Naru reluctant to take even such a small rarity from the younger resident. "I'll take really good care of it, ok?"

Shinobu practically beamed with pleasure, her eyes shining innocently. "I know you will."

"Ooo!" cried Su, racing ahead of them down the beach. "Pretty fish! Pretty fish!"

"Don't go too far!" called Naru after her, glancing back at Shinobu. "We'd better go catch…her, is everything alright?"

Shinobu paused, her eyes unusually serious as she frowned. "I don't want there to be, but…why were you so mean to Koshi earlier?"

Naru was stopped in her tracks. "Well, I…he…" All of her previous excuses and reasons came to mind, and yet in the face of such innocence and trust even she had to admit they were as full of holes as swiss cheese. Biting her lip, she bent towards her younger friend. "I guess…I don't really know. I wasn't very nice, was I?"

Shinobu shook her head slightly. "No, I think you hurt his feelings. He just wanted you and Kitsune to have some ice cream with us."

"I see…" Taking a big breath, Naru hedged ever so slightly. "Would it make you feel better if I tried to be nicer next time?"

"I'm not the one that needs to feel better, Koshi is," replied Shinobu in a gently admonishing tone. "But yes, I think it would help."

"…oh. Right." Naru once again at the wisdom of their young cook as she straightened up once more. "I'll try and be nice next time for his sake, then, ok?"

Shinobu smiled and motioned behind her. "That's good, because he's coming towards us right now."

"He's what?"

Naru spun around to find Koshi and Motoko walking towards them, conversing comfortably between each other.

"Motoko!" Su raced past them, jumping on her favorite human jungle gym just as they came within hearing range. "Whatcha doin' out here? I thought you were gonna go out for awhile!"

"Haruka and Kitsune decided to start a bonfire by the Tea House, and we thought you would like to come and roast some marshmallows before you go in for the night," explained Keitaro with an easy smile. "And there's stuff to drink, too, you interested?"

"Yea, fire! Let's go, Shinobu-chan!" Su grabbed her friend's hand, practically dragging her towards the Tea House and the dancing flames in the distance.

"Su, wait up!" cried Naru, for it was her night to keep track of the pair for the night.

"We will make sure they stay out of trouble if you wish," offered Motoko, turning to follow Keitaro after them. "Enjoy an evening out, or you are welcome to join us if you wish. We will take care of those two for you."

Naru paused, surprised by the generous offer. "Well, I…"

"Have fun," said Keitaro, the couple already down the beach a ways. Walking hand in hand with Motoko, they made a sweet picture in their absolute comfort with each other. Naru noticed Koshi watching them intently and was about to ask what he was thinking when he went and said it out loud anyways.

"He is such a lucky guy."

"Why, because his wife is beautiful?" blurted out Naru without thinking, her voice holding a slightly rough edge.

Koshi looked at her frowning. "No, because he's found someone to love who loves him back this early in life. What she looks like, while her looks are probably a nice bonus, pales in comparison to the relationship they have, and I already know he'd agree if we asked him right now."

"…oh." Naru shuffled her feet in the sand, tennis shoes dangling from one hand. "So…where did you want to walk?"

"We don't have to walk unless you want to," he replied with a shrug. "I just wanted to talk to you more than anything. Or to be exact, I have a question."

"Go ahead and ask," supplied Naru slowly when he paused uncertainly.

"Did I do something to offend you, or say something wrong? Because you've been…well…mean every time we've spoken from day one. I tried to laugh it off at first, and I did find you getting mad funny for awhile, but I just don't understand…?"

Nary felt her cheeks heat slightly, knowing it to be the truth even as she recalled her promise to Shinobu and held her usual denial reflex in check. "Well, I guess I…" She gave him a sidelong look, clearing seeing the confusion and hurt Shinobu had mentioned earlier. "I have been a bitch, haven't I?"

"First rate," he replied, tried to make a joke though it quickly fell flat. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that…"

She shook her head, waving off his apology. "No, I'm sorry, I…you remind me of someone, ok?"

"Oh, who?" His question was quiet but earnest, and even a fool could see he truly wanted her hear her answer.

"A…guy who tutored me for a year so I would have a shot at Toudai. I used to get horrible grades in school before he helped me out…" She felt her cheeks heat even more and refused to meet his eyes as they began to meander towards the bonfire and their friends. "I suppose you could say I had a crush on him, and you look a lot like him."

Koshi coughed, unsure of how to respond to that. "Well, what happened to him? He didn't lead you on or anything, did he?"

"No, worse." Naru's hands balled up, eyes blazing suddenly as she spoke through clenched teeth. "He treated me like a child, and then disappeared one day with nothing more than a scribbled note as warning and the only other time I've heard from him was a note that said 'good luck' right before I took the final Toudai exam." Muttering to herself under her breath what she'd like to do to that 'low-life, absent-minded, idiot-brained son of a bastard', Koshi caught some bits and backed off a step out of self-preservation.

"Wow…" he said after it had been silent after a couple of seconds. "I mean…I didn't know, so…sorry, that he was such a jerk."

"Yeah, well, it happened awhile ago." She shrugged tiredly, letting out the pent-up feelings with a sigh. "You gotta move on eventually, right?"

"Yeah, and I can promise you I'm nothing like that," replied Koshi quickly. "I know how to treat my friends better than that, and that's what I'd like us to be. Friends." He stuck out his hand out carefully as they neared the others by the fire. "So…friends?"

Naru nodded, accepting it firmly and giving his arm a single pump. "Friends. You're not the guy from before, and I'll try to keep that in mind from now on."

"And I'll do my absolute best not to be that guy."

Naru smiled at that, and Koshi felt himself growing warm under her gaze. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Koshi-kun, that you?"

Naru literally froze at the sound of the new voice, though her companion simply turned around with a grin, greeting the man warmly.

"Hey, uncle. I thought Sarah was with you."

"She went on ahead to the fire awhile back with Haruka. Who's this with you?"

Naru turned around slowly, her mind hitting panic mode as her dread was confirmed in the form one of surprised but still smiling Seta.

"Oh, it's you Naru-chan! Aren't you pretty today, how've you been?"

In panic mode, her body did the only thing it was capable of doing: run. At a dead sprint she headed for the Tea House, hoping she could get inside and find a quiet corner before anyone else noticed the tears already forming in her eyes.

"Wha- Naru! Wait! What…what'd I do wrong?" Koshi turned to his uncle. "You know her?"

"Yeah, I tutored her for a year once," replied Seta, blinking in confusion. "I lost touch with her awhile, this really cool find came up and I left in a hurry to head back out to a dig, but I would've thought she would be happy to see me. She always had a smile for me before I left…"

Koshi's jaw dropped as all the little dots connected inside his mind. "Oh no…"

"What? Is something wrong?" Seta rubbed his chin. "Maybe she didn't recognize me, I am a bit rough from weeks at the dig…"

"You," stated Koshi with a growl. "Are a royal moron. I can't believe…" Turning towards the Tea House, he set off at a jog. "Naru!"

"What?" Seta stood there alone, completely lost as usual. "Was it something I said?"

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Naru made it to the backdoor of the teahouse without anyone spotting her, rushing inside and heading for the bathroom at full speed. The hotel was too far, and out of the question since she shared the room with Kitsune and Haruka, but if she could make it to the bathroom here maybe she could have her longed-for privacy…

Rounding the corner, she ran smack into Motoko, who immediately caught and steadied her out of instinct. Finding her means of escape gone, Naru broke down completely and let the tears flow down her face as she let her head fall to Motoko's shoulder.

The confused swordswoman pulled her close without thinking about it, making soothing noises even as she wondered what could possibly be wrong. "Naru….Naru…sshh…."

"Motoko-chan, did you…" Keitaro fell silent when he caught sight of them, eyes immediately filling with concern. "What-"

"Go away!" cried Naru, burying herself deeper into Motoko's shoulder. "Men! I hate them! Deceiving, lying…they're all the same, even when think they're not!"

The couple exchanged looks over the sobbing girl's head, Motoko mouthing the name that made them both frown. 'Koshi…'

Keitaro nodded and headed back outside, Motoko leading the distraught young woman into their bedroom.

"I apologize for the mess," she murmured between making quieting noises. Sitting on the futon, Naru began to hiccup as she settled down, accepting the tissues as Motoko handed them to her. "Uhh…hiccup…my make-up is running…sniff…must look awful…"

Motoko stayed silent, rubbing her friend's back in slow circles as she calmed down slowly.

"Sorry," breathed Naru after awhile, drying the last of her tears as she sighed. "I kinda panicked, I guess…should've known…you two are always here…just didn't know where else…" She lapsed back into silence, shrugging helplessly.

"Everything alright in here?"

Naru got up and started to cry all over again as she held tight to Haruka, the elder woman sighing and gently hugging her back. She hated this mushy stuff, but she had been the dorm mom for over 10 years and she had a fair idea what was causing Naru's tears.

"He's here," she whimpered, voice slightly muffled. "And Koshi's his nephew! Why? It's not fair! Of all the people for him to be related to…"

"I assume she speaks of Seta-san?" murmured Motoko, clearly surprised. "Perhaps I…"

"Wait," broke in Naru. "How long have you known he was here?"

The manager's wife looked back at her. "Are you sure you wish to know?" she replied, getting a slow nod in return. "Very well. I was aware of his presence a month or two before the school year ended, just weeks after Haruka was injured."

Naru's eyes widened. "That's over…"

"Three months ago," finished Haruka, leading Naru back over to the bed where they all sat down, the Urashimas on either side of their emotionally unstable friend. "I knew you hadn't put everything together, and that you had that crush on Seta before, but if I'd known you'd take it this badly I would've warned you sooner myself."

"Haruka!" protested Naru as she turned beat red, glancing at Motoko who just shrugged.

"What, she already knew, didn't you, sword girl?"

The samurai frowned at the nickname, but nodded. "Yes, it was quite apparent."

"…oh."

"Are you gonna pull through all right?" asked Haruka as she patted Naru on the back. "Or do I need to hang a certain idiot up by his ankles and beat him senseless for you?"

Naru broke into an unexpected chuckled, wiping her eyes away. "No…no…he'd probably just laugh and say you look cute when you're mad." Sighing, she laid back on the bed, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "It's just this whole thing with Koshi…I finally got it made up in my mind that he's a decent guy, and then find out he's related to Seta!"

"Related to are the key words, there," pointed out Haruka, raising an eyebrow. "Believe me, he's nothing like his no-good uncle in the least, his parents had the mental capacity to raise him right."

"Yeah, but still…they even look something alike!"

"Seta and Koshi are not the same person in any respect, except perhaps looks." Haruka shrugged. "Get it in your head already. Although, I think Koshi is the better-looking of the two…" She waved off the odd looks her companions gave her and plowed on. "Anyways, will you be ok now?"

"I guess so…why don't you go on back without me? I still need some time."

Motoko and Haruka exchanged looks, the elder rising to her feet. "I'll go make sure the rest know you're still alive, then."

"Ok."

"And I will stay," added Motoko as she shifted carefully. "If only to make sure no other bother you for a time."

"Thanks."

Haruka left after giving her niece one final look, leaving the two long-time friends alone together. Rubbing her back as Naru curled up on her side, Motoko waited patiently for whatever may come next.

"Motoko?" she asked after awhile, shifting so she could see her friend's face. "Why does it always hurt so much?"

"Why does what hurt so much?"

"Opening yourself to another. I thought maybe Koshi could be trusted, but then I find out this about him…!" Naru flapped a hand helplessly. "I can't just treat him like I did before, this changes everything!"

"When we open ourselves up to another, there is always the chance they may hurt us. In fact, it is almost guaranteed that they eventually will. But it can be worth the pain, especially when you find someone special. And I do not see how it changes things with Koshi. He is the same, you are the same, you simply now have a new piece of knowledge about him that you did not have before."

"Maybe…is Keitaro your some one special?"

"Yes." Naru couldn't but help relax in the warm glow that seemed to emit from her friend's face with these words. "He is."

Naru couldn't even begin to grasp the depth of love and trust that was conveyed in that single phrase, her housemate seemingly transformed into a new person before her eyes.

"You know, Koshi envies you guys," she commented suddenly, looking away once again. "And I think I now understand why."

"Envies what?" replied Motoko, a bit surprised and confused. "Our life is not an easy or glamorous one."

"Not your life, your relationship," she explained quietly. "Not that it's perfect, but it's…solid, I guess. It seems there isn't much that might break you two apart."

"I would never leave my husband short of death or a serious case of infidelity," stated Motoko flatly.

"I know, and that's the way it should be." Naru shifted slightly, resting her chin on her arm. "Koshi's right to envy you, and I think I do to. Yeah, I hated that idiot at first, but I guess I can't help but respect him for the special bond he's forged with you."

"It is special," admitted Motoko softly, bowing her head. "But in time I am sure you will find someone just as special for you."

Naru's smile turned slightly sly in a Kitsune-like manner. "It must be nice to have someone to wake up beside in the morning," she teased.

Motoko just chuckled, easily seeing through the words. "Yes," she said frankly, letting the smile grow a tad wider. "It is, very much so." The samurai woman paused when Naru suddenly froze, her eyes going wide and round. "…is something wrong?"

"I'm on your bed," came the low reply, an undercurrent of wariness on it.

"Yes…so?"

She looked up to meet Motoko's confused gaze. "The bed you and Keitaro…sleep in every night."

"Well, yes," Motoko's brows furrowed slightly. "Where else would we sleep."

Naru's mouth worked itself slowly, as if she was reaching for words just beyond her grasp. "Then you…I mean…you don't ever…" Her words died off as Motoko finally caught her meaning, a hand immediately going to her mouth. "Motoko-chan, is something wrong?" The manager's wife leaned forward ever so slightly, her face becoming flushed as her sides began to shake. Naru reached for her, panic coming across her features as she reached for her friend. "Motoko-chan, I didn't-"

"Hahahaha!" Motoko let it all flow forth, seeing the confused, hurt, and then annoyed looks that crossed her friend's face as she did but unable to stop it at that moment. "Naru, please, you…hehahahah! I do not mean to…hehehe…laugh at you, but your face…hehahahah!"

Naru just sat up, crossing her arms in a highly-affronted manner. "Well, it was a valid question."

"Yes, but the look on your face…hehehhaha…" Motoko finally managed to regain control of herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. "You have nothing to fear, Naru, for all that is done in this bed is sleeping for the most part."

Naru chose to ignore the last part of that statement that left infinite possibilities of what might be done when the couple wasn't sleeping. "Ok…I just felt weird laying in the bed that you guys might, y'know, 'use' later…"

"Yes, I believe I can understand." Motoko then stood, straightening her clothes as she did. "Are you ready?"

"I don't want to be." Naru remained on the bed, fiddling with the blankets. "I guess I knew it would come to this eventually. I still want to put it off, though."

"To run when your obstacle is before you is to delay the inevitable," replied Motoko, meeting her eyes firmly. "You are stronger in spirit then you think. I believe you will succeed in overcoming this obstacle, regardless of how difficult it may seem."

"Thanks." She sighed, running a hand through her hair before squaring her shoulders and walking steadily into the hall and towards the others with Motoko right behind her. It'd be rough, but she could, and would get this over with once and for all.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Keitaro had returned immediately to the fire after leaving Motoko, finding a concerned there Koshi asking about their ronin resident.

"She's with Motoko," explained Keitaro when put to the question, detaining the young man when a firm hand when he tried to head inside. "And they won't appreciate you interrupted, either. In fact, before you're allowed to speak to her period, I want to know what happened."

"Something happened?" asked Haruka, who'd appeared behind them. Koshi quickly explained the encounter with his uncle and their conversation pervious to his arrival before firing off several questions of his own with the main basis being why she'd reacted like that.

"That'd be for Naru to say, not me," replied Haruka with a shrug. "Stay with Keitaro, I'm gonna go make sure all's ok."

"Ok, thanks."

"Sure thing."

"I don't get it," sighed the young man as he sank into a wooden chair, scrubbing his hands through his hair.

"Don't get what?" asked Keitaro was nothing more was offered.

"Why I have such rotten luck," he replied with a grimace. "It seems like every time I take a step forwards I take two or three more back. Step forwards: I befriend the manager of an all-girls dorm, couple steps back, one in particular is very beautiful and sweet and wants me dead. Step forward: I seem to get things cleared up with the one who wants me dead, and we agree to be friends. A couple of steps back, the reason she distrusts men is apparently because of my uncle and she found that out, thirty seconds after we'd settled things mind you. Sometimes, I think the whole world just wants me to lose and die."

"I used to feel the same way, right up to just after I married Motoko," admitted Keitaro sympathetically, having a better scope now of what had occurred.

"Was it your wedding night that turned things around?" asked Koshi, entirely serious.

"Ha, no, our first night together was an absolute disaster," chuckled Keitaro, scratching the back of his head. "And not for any reason you could possibly imagine."

"Turtle demons and a drugged Motoko?" guessed Koshi, a suspicious gleam in his eyes.

Keitaro gaped. "How…?"

He pulled out a pamphlet from his back pocked with the title 'Horror Wedding of the Century'. "Kitsune sold this to me for a couple of yen, and I didn't believe her when she said it was a true story," he explained, looking a bit surprised himself. "And I laughed in her face when she added it happened to a resident."

"I probably would've too, if it hadn't happened to me." Keitaro rubbed the back of his neck, sighing in irritation. "I do wish Kitsune would stop making money off my misery, or at least give me a cut of the profits!"

"Hey there, part-timer!" called Seta as he sauntered up, catching Sarah who ran at him and swung her up on his shoulders. "Koshi, boy, did you ever find out why Naru-chan was upset?"

"You're a bigger idiot than I thought possible if you can't figure it out yourself," replied Haruka, coming out from the Tea House.

Seta just beamed. "Haruka, darling! You're as radiant as ever today!"

THWAP

"Anyways," went on Haruka calmly. "Everything's fine for now. They'll probably be out in awhile."

"How's she doing?" asked Koshi quickly.

"She panicked," shrugged the elder woman calmly. "But she'll manage it. That's all you need to be concerned about."

"But, I-"

"Something happen?" asked Kitsune as she popped in, half-empty bottle of sake in one hand. "What's the scoop?"

"I finally got to say hi to Naru-chan," put in Seta with a smile. "She sure has grown into a lovely lady, hasn't she? But she seemed upset about something and ran off in a hurry. Say, Koshi, isn't she about your age? You should ask her out sometime, I'm sure you'd have fun with a sweet girl like that."

"Idiot!"

"Insensitive jerk!"

Both Koshi's fist and Haruka's fan found their mark, Seta rubbing the two lumps with a rueful grin. "I don't know what I said, but you're probably right…"

"She's with Motoko," said Keitaro simply when Kitsune glanced at him, the drunken fox nodding and immediately heading back towards the Inn.

"In that case, I'll be making myself rather scarce and drunk for awhile as she'll likely be hunting my head when she realizes I knew he was here. Later!"

"Seeing as there's nothing the two of you can do until the girls come out," put in Haruka, pulling out some papers as Seta slipped to the other side of the fire with Su, Shinobu and Sarah to toast marshmallows. "Let's go over this schedule of working with Seta, ok?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Got nothing else to do."

Time passed quickly as they fell into a quiet discussion, and it wasn't until Keitaro felt someone tap him on the shoulder did any of them look up in the least.

He looked, and immediately scooted over to make room for his wife who stood a little ways behind a tight-lipped Naru. "How'd thing go?" he murmured in a low voice, slipping an arm about her waist as his aunt shifted off into the background and Koshi moved hesitantly towards Naru.

"We shall see," she replied as she relaxed into his embrace, feeling very tired all of a sudden. "Watch."

"Are you…is everything ok?" asked Koshi carefully, trying to show his concern without overstepping his bounds.

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, giving him a shadowed smile.

"Naru-chan, you're back!" called Seta from the other side of the fire, waving in a friendly manner. "Glad you could make it!" All eyes immediately turned to the two and Haruka wanted to put a bullet through Seta's head for his lack of tact.

"Ah, thank you," she replied quietly, wishing she could run again as she lowered her eyes self-consciously. "Sorry about earlier…I don't know what came over me."

"Of course, it's fine. I heard about the Toudai test, but don't let it get to you, I'm sure you'll pass it next year."

"Oh, ok. Thanks."

"My pleasure!"

With that Seta turned back to his daughter, Naru sighing as she sank into a chair beside Motoko's bench.

"It's over," she whispered, getting a slight smile and nod in return.

"I knew it would be difficult, but not impossible for one such as yourself," said the swordswoman simply.

"Are we still cool?" asked Koshi nervously, hoping he wasn't hurting more than he was helping.

Naru hesitated for a moment. "Do you share his passion for artifacts?"

"No, I only enjoy the digs because they're like extended camping trips." He shrugged. "I prefer living things to dead things."

"Ok." She nodded, letting a tired smile show. "Then we're still ok."

"Good." Sitting back down, they chatted for awhile until Seta took the three youngsters off to the Inn for the night and the pair decided to walk back a little ways behind him.

The married couple, finding them selves alone, decided to turn in for the night after banking the bonfire so it wouldn't spread on accident. Motoko settled into the futon while Keitaro showered, entertaining thoughts of perhaps continuing from earlier but by the time her husband had joined her she was fast asleep with a little smile on her lips.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

Motoko woke at the crack of dawn, meeting Haruka and a barely coherent Naru for the first of their practices. It went quickly, and all three were back and showered in time for the morning's opening. The day flew by in a whirl of orders and customers, Haitani and Shirai dropping by to get some details from Haruka and Keitaro before heading out to work on the play. Night came all too soon, and with it the disappearance of Keitaro and Koshi to start their training with Seta. He didn't return until very, very late and with Motoko waking early she only saw him during the work hours for the next several days.

The next day off was devoted to the set and technical work, everyone working smoothly together with one comical exception.

"She finished it all in a single morning!" cried Haitani, looking shocked at the amount of technical work Su had managed to complete. "She tells me to do the lights, so I go do the lights, and I get back and BAM! The rest of it's done!"

Su just gave him a cheesy thumbs up. "Don't underestimate the power of the Three Eyes!"

Other than that things followed along that same vein for the next few weeks, everything coming together with the usual quirks that followed the Hinata group around. Kitsune got drunk a lot, she embarrassed Motoko and Keitaro a lot, Shirai and Hiatani got nosebleeds a lot, Naru had reason to send the pair into L.E.O. a lot, Seta got whapped a lot, Haruka got annoyed a lot, Su, Shinobu, and Sarah had a good time a lot, and the author typed 'a lot' a lot.

Motoko and Keitaro tried to find time alone, but that was one thing that there wasn't a lot of. And after a couple of close calls with their younger residents in what could've been potentially compromising situations, they had to tread more carefully than ever and that resulted in fewer opportunities to be alone than ever. Haruka was the only one that noticed the mounting tension, though, and contrived a way to hopefully relieve it before things got out of hand. Before that could take place, though, the day of the performance was upon them and with it came an adventure none of them had been expecting.

/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\/o\\

A cliff hanger, which I haven't done in a long time, but not too bad of one. Before I go into authors notes, let me make note of the fact that I was very, very sick for about 3 weeks time and that's why this chapter took so long to update. I had all but the last 8 or 9 pages done, and then I was in bed for so long that I lost my motivation to continue. I sit here, in my recliner, with a bottle of antibiotics and some tea next to me as well as some decongestant pills and Kleenexes as I write this. To understand how sick I was, let's just say I lost all interest in all things chocolate for awhile. This is always a very serious thing. But all is well now (we hope) and unless our horrible internet connection decides to cut out entirely, your next chapter will hopefully take not nearly as long. Remember to read the author's notes! And thanks again for reading, and hopefully reviewing as well!

Author's Notes:

#1. Yes, Kitsune being made sober was absolutely hilarious in my opinion. Don't worry, if any of you pitied her, she won't be tortured like that for another year until the next time they come up so there's no need to start a union against torturing foxes or anything.

#2. Whatever fluffy scenes between Motoko and Keitaro I passed up in last chapter I think I more than made up for this time. And if you don't agree, well, go write your own story.

#3. Ami and Austin, they'll be explained when the time comes up. Try not to let their absence bug you too much, there's too much good stuff going on to let that distract you!

#4. Haruka was a bit pissy last time, but I think she's back in character this time around. And if she's not, I can always work on it more next chapter. Stuff happens, people make mistakes, you know the drill.

#5. For those of you who are just joining us in either this chapter or the last one, welcome aboard! It still amazes me that I pick up new readers as this story progresses, but you're more than welcome along the ride regardless of if you just started reading last night or when this story first started over a year ago.

#6. Kanako's finding everything out is not that far on the horizon, I assure you, just be patient please. It will be more than worth the wait.

#7. Thank you to those of you who keep coming back and reviewing time and time again. It really makes my day after I post a chapter to see your comments in my email box just waiting to be opened up and read. If not for you guys, I think I would've stopped long ago.

#8. Ok, so Tsuruko's husband's name changed…yeah, I noticed that too. And you know what? First chance I get, I'll go back and change it. You know when that's likely to happen? About the time I get set up for retirement so just sit down and relax, guys. Mistakes happen, this one wasn't too bad since you haven't complained about it too much, just go with the flow.

#9. I try to keep along some of the original timelines as much as possible, and thanks for appreciating that guys! I really think you'll like what I'm doing with the play it has some nice twists about halfway through.

#10. Thank you to you guys who understand the time between updates! I appreciate that especially, because life is not always in my control and even though I often times mean to get the next chapter up a week or two after I post it rarely seems to work that way.

#11. Some of you mentioned some things that might want to be explained later on. Yes, I have thought of those things. You must trust me that they will be taken care of in the end. This is an original work, with different lives set ahead of everyone, and I am having a fun time working those new lives out, believe me.

#12. Lol, Keitaro's getting his relief soon, I promise! Although, one of you had the funniest way of putting it, I almost fell out of my chair I laughed so hard at your review…anyways. I don't know why it's called a Lemon, it just is, by the way. And if I ever find out, you'll be the first to know, ok?

#13. Yes, I'm not dead. (I seem to be saying that a lot lately… . ;;) Thank you.

#14. I'm glad that you're all pleased with the rate that Motoko and Keitaro's relationship is going. I'd said the speed is slowly picking up, and things will soon fill themselves out completely. Patience.

Wow…it seems the Authors Notes aren't as long as usual. I guess you guys just didn't have as many comments as usual. ;; Oh well, please review regardless, I love hearing from you!

crosseyedbutterfly

'And you know what? Suburbans are kind of like submarines, if you think about it. No, really, don't ask me, they just are.'

-My sister, when she rambles too much