Well, hello my friends, it's good to be back, eh? I'd say we're not doing bad as far as time between updates goes compared to past times (yeah right), and over all that is most definitely a very good thing(I wish). Thank you for your many reviews and comments, I always appreciate your input and praise for it makes the next chapter easier to finish.
I hope you enjoy it, and so I present, Chapter 19 of ADL:
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If the other residents noticed their manager and his wife exchanging secret smiles occasionally, or being somewhat distracted when others required their attention, they quickly dismissed it from their minds as the business of the times. The fact that Motoko didn't eat breakfast on those mornings was noted, but after each one checked for them selves that she wasn't sick that was dismissed as well. So when Saturday morning rolled around and Keitaro and Motoko said they had important news for everyone at the breakfast table it was met with a bit of surprise.
"Is everything ok, sempai?" asked Shinobu in concern when they paused nervously after that, giving each other unusual looks.
"It's fine, in fact it's wonderful," replied Keitaro as he put an arm around his wife. "We're just not quite sure how to say this…"
"Whatever it is, you can just go ahead and say it," said Naru as she brought her drink up to her lips, sitting between a smiling Mutsumi and a half-asleep Koshi. "It can't be that bad…"
"Yeah," agreed Koshi jokingly. "As long as you're not kicking anyone out…"
"Well, actually, it's more like we're adding a resident…" Keitaro nodded and exchanged one last loving look with Motoko and took a deep breath before saying simply, "We're pregnant."
Sppppfft!
Sarah exclaimed in disgust as Naru sprayed the swallow she'd just taken of her juice across the table, Su looking rather confused as a somewhat dazed Koshi took a second before he began to pound the choking Naru on the back and Mutsumi sat on her other side with an even bigger smile than before on her face. Kitsune looked like she'd been struck between the eyes with a pole, and Shinobu was too busy trying to clean up the mess Naru had made to realize what had been said and give a proper reaction at that time.
"Well, nothing exploded yet," murmured Keitaro to Motoko as he scratched the back of his head, watching as Naru got herself back under control and things began to stabilize around the table.
"I would keep the fire extinguisher close by just in case," his wife replied a bit dryly, a knowing look in her eyes. Kitsune still hadn't moved, her eyes wide open for once, but Haruka and Seta stood in the doorway having walked in just as the announcement was made with pleased looks on their faces.
"That's great, part-timer!" exclaimed Seta, his words breaking into the silence that had reigned for the last two moments. "When's the kid due?"
"Approximately 6 and a half months," replied Motoko, a happy look on her face as she met her aunt's knowing gaze. She was as pleased as her niece by the news, and just as pleased at how well most of the other residents seemed to be taking it.
"Au, that is wonderful news!" added Shinobu as she broke into a bright smile, Su speaking up right behind her with, "What's preg-ant? Is it good to eat? Or lots a bugs crawlin' around a 'preg'?"
"No, silly, it means they're gonna have a kid like us, only really little, 'cuz it hasn't had much time to grow yet," replied Sarah, sitting back down to her meal with a shrug. "I just hope it's a girl like Motoko-chan, all cool an' stuff!"
"Ohh, more playmates! Are they gonna look like us too? Lil' Su'd be fun!"
"No, silly, they'll look like them!"
Su tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Really? Why?"
Sarah let her head fall to the table as she rolled her eyes. "Argh…"
"Well, I think we all know what the dear couple was doing on our last trip out," commented Kitsune suddenly, shaking her head as she regained her usual foxy smile. "Gees, Motoko, keeping it from me like that…I'm wounded by your lack of girl talk!"
Motoko simply gave her a cool look that told the foxy one just how much girl talk she'd ever be getting out of her period without a fight of some kind.
"You're pregnant?" squeaked Naru, taking deep breaths as she settled back in her seat, one hand clutched to her chest and the other gripping the edge of the table hard enough to turn her knuckles white.
"I'm so happy for you both!" declared Mutsumi clapping her hands. "Ara, I shall have to start thinking up things I can give to your new baby, for they won't be able to eat watermelon for awhile after they're born…watermelon milk maybe?"
"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?" asked Koshi, sincerely interested now that Naru was no longer about to die. He sat forward eagerly, getting an odd look from the young woman beside him as she continued to try and process that information.
"Not yet," admitted Keitaro, glancing at Motoko who shrugged simply. "The baby hasn't developed enough to be able to tell, but we'll let you know as soon as we do."
"Which would you rather have?"
"A girl who is a beautiful as her mother," replied the manager immediately, getting an exasperated snort from his wife.
"Either is fine," said Motoko as she elbowed Keitaro gently. "Boy or girl, though they will hopefully be as sweet as their father either way."
"Lighten up," Haruka told Naru when the young woman continued to stare at them like they had both grown two heads. She took the seat Koshi had vacated to get more to drink from the refrigerator and poked her in the side. "What's the matter with you?"
"They're…and she…she's younger than me!" Naru finally shook her head, trying to order it all in her mind and for all outward appearances failing. "She hasn't even graduated high school, and she's pregnant! I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, she's just the last person I would've guessed that would happen to…"
"She's the only married female who lives here," pointed out Haruka with a shrug. "Who else would be getting pregnant but her?"
Naru blushed bright red at that the implications in those words, ducking her head in a feeble attempt to hide it. "Eh…I mean, you know…in general…"
"Well, that's our news," said Keitaro as he reached down to pick up his plate and his wife's, about to head over to the sink with them. "You're all welcome to go ahead and leave now…do whatever it is you had planned for today."
"What? No party?" pouted Kitsune. "This is big news, right? Then let's celebrate! Let's break out the sake, the music and the food guys, we've gotta do this right!"
Shinobu immediately got to her feet, taking the plates from Keitaro and shooing him back to his seat in a way that amused both the manager and his wife. "Au, ok! Let me go see what we have to make food with…"
Su leapt up as well, heading for the stairs. "I'll go get more bananas and my special sparklers!"
"The explosive ones? Let me help!" Sarah dashed after her, a wicked gleam in her eyes that immediately worried those who knew her well enough to know what it meant.
Seta hurried after his daughter and the incorrigible Su after Haruka gave him a rough nudge in the side. "You guys can't blow up the Inn to celebrate…! Wait for me!" Covertly watching him head up the stairs from the back under her lashes, Haruka looked back at the table when Kitsune cleared her throat, a foxy leer on her lips.
"Enjoying the view?" she said knowingly.
"I'll go get some drinks from the Tea House," offered Haruka, heading back out the door again a lot more quickly that she arrived. If there was a faint blush in place when she left, no one would know for sure because she sure as hell would never admit to it and no one could prove otherwise.
"Ara, Naru-chan, will you help me string up some streamers? It'll make things more festive!" said Mutsumi, dragging her friend along with her before Naru had a chance to react, or even think, towards the closet where such things were kept.
"Uh…sure, I guess so."
"You two stay right there," ordered Shinobu as she took another plate from Keitaro's hands, the manager trying to ever be helpful, and pushed him back down in his seat. "We'll take care of everything."
Motoko began to protest, eyes a bit wide as everything was quickly getting out of any sort of control, "No, you really do not have to…"
"Of course we do! Kitsune is right, it's time to celebrate!"
"I think this just got pulled out of our hands completely," observed Keitaro as he scratched the back of his head, more than a bit surprised and yet not so much when one considered the incentive Kitsune had of free sake for motivating this celebration into life.
"I believe you are right…"
"Heyas!" called Su as she came bounded in, six bundles of bananas strapped to her back. "Hey, Mo-chan…how do you make a baby?" The couple blushed, instantly tongue tied and unsure of where to proceed from there. Help, though, came from an unexpected place.
"Au, Su, you can't ask that!" exclaimed Shinobu as she shooed the younger girl away from them.
"Why not?" replied Su, skipping along with her to deposit her bananas on the counter.
Shinobu leaned in close, blushing herself as she stammered out her reply. "It's not polite! Did you bring the bananas for everyone?"
"Whadaya mean? I only brought enough for me!" Su immediately peeled an entire bunch in one move and shoving it down her mouth to fit in her impossibly small torso where her stomach somehow resided.
Shinobu's eyes grew wide, somehow still surprised at how much the younger girl could consume at one time. "But you have six bundles…!"
"Yeah, and I'll probably need more before long!"
"Au…"
"Drinks all around!" called Kitsune as she began to lay out the saucers, Haruka returning with some bottles under each arm. Pouring a hefty drink for both herself and Keitaro and some fine tea for Motoko, she toasted them. "To the best manager and his wife," she said as she raised the saucer before drinking it all in one go. Keitaro took a careful sip of his, letting it warm his belly slowly. "So tell me, Mo-kins…is manager boy here good in bed?"
Motoko kept herself calm though a faint blush rose on her cheeks as she met the foxy one's teasing gaze head on. "That is none of your business, Kitsune."
"Aw, c'mon, don't make me blackmail it out of you later…" Kitsune sidled up closer, Keitaro edging away as his wife held her ground. "Do tell, it would make me ever so happy as the local gossip."
"That requires you to have something to blackmail me with," pointed out Motoko, her eyes narrowing considerably. "And I was unaware that you had any to do so with at the moment. Besides, I do not please you by telling you gossip, I please you by not convincing my husband to raise your rent. Hm?"
"At the moment being the operative term there," replied the foxy one languidly, ignoring the threat pointedly though she carefully began to retreat in case it had been more than idle. "Don't worry, sword girl, I'll come up with something before too long, I'm quite sure…"
"That's enough bugging them, get up and help Naru and Mutsumi or you don't get anymore to drink off me," said Haruka as she picked up the bottle that had been taken from her, setting it out of Kitsune's reach as the foxy one rose with a grumble. "Free loader…"
"Ok, ok…" Following the kitsune-like resident out into the main room to make sure she actually helped, Haruka threw a grin at her niece and nephew as the door closed behind her.
"Unfortunately," commented Motoko to her husband under her breath in irritated tones, "I do not doubt that she will eventually."
"Hey, guys?" asked Naru as she stuck her head in by another door, seeing the room mostly empty coming and sitting by them. "Sorry about earlier…I was just kinda surprised…"
"It's ok, we were more than surprised when we found out too," replied Keitaro quickly, giving her a reassuring look as he motioned for her to take a seat. "It's a big change, and just for us."
"I want you to know I'm really, really happy for you and hope it all turns out well," she said with a small smile, motioning that she would be leaving again in a minute and so remained standing. "I'm sure the little guy or girl will be adorable with you guys as parents."
"Only if he or she inherits their father's looks," put in Motoko with a small grin of her own.
"Wait, I'm not adorable," replied Keitaro with a bemused look. "That's you…"
"I'll be heading back out to finish with Mutsumi," broke in Naru, making her escape before things got too mushy. They were generally very good about keeping it under control around the others, but she was not about to test their ability to do with this sort of news in the air. "Congratulations, though!"
"Thanks!"
"Guys?" called Haruka as she suddenly stuck her head back in the door, coming to sit near them. "Just a quick question…have you told your families yet?"
"Actually, no," admitted Keitaro with a hint of embarrassment. "I figured it wouldn't do any good to call my parents before we knew whether it was a boy or a girl, they always were big on male progeny…"
"And it would be unfair to inform my family before his, so we will wait until we know our child's gender for sure," finished Motoko reasonably.
Haruka nodded her understanding, replying tactfully. "Ah…ok. Then when you call you dad, don't tell him I knew first or he might blow a fuse, ok? Especially considering it's his grandchild, and I'm only your aunt."
Keitaro's eyes widened in understanding. "I didn't even think about that…thanks for the warning."
"No problem. Now sit back and relax, I think things'll pick up in a few moments here…"
True to Haruka's prediction, the celebration began in full swing not too long after as the residents finally let the manager and wife enter into the decorated main room, and it lasted the rest of the day as they ate, drank, and enjoyed each other's company. Kitsune got to be a bit dangerous about the kiddies with the innuendos flying out of her mouth, but they were sent up to bed before it was too, too late and then it continued 'safely' late into the night.
"This feels vaguely familiar," commented Keitaro as they leaned on each other the whole way up the stairs, Motoko out of partial exhaustion and Keitaro from the glasses of sake he'd drunk. "Except you're not weaving with me…why aren't you weaving with me again?"
"I didn't drink," she replied with a faint chuckle, carefully guiding him towards the room. "I won't be able to for awhile."
"Right…bad for the baby…I'm soooo happy! Me's a daddy! Me's a daddy, yeah!" Waving his hand in the air, he almost overbalanced them both in a way that might have ended badly at the bottom of the stairs had Motoko not immediately righted them both.
"I think someone needs to go to sleep," offered his wife lightly as she closed the door behind them a few moments later, helping him strip down to his boxers before he rolled over into his spot and watched through half-lidded eyes while she changed into her own sleep clothes.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered out of the blue, eyes shining with a quiet love when she glanced at him in surprise. "So, so beautiful…I don't deserve someone as beautiful as you."
"If we got what we deserved, we would all have precious little to call our own," she replied simply, turning off the light and crawling in next to him before cuddling in his strong arms.
"I know…good night, Motoko-chan."
"Sweet dreams, love."
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Keitaro was cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast when the front door opened a week later, closing loudly with the sound of shuffling feet coming towards where he was. Waiting curiously, he blinked in surprise when Hina walked through the door looking as wrinkled and spry as ever in a colorful kimono and her walking staff in her right hand.
"Oba-san!"
"Hello, grandson, and congratulations! Haruka faxed me the good news a week ago," she replied, coming over and patting his arm (the highest thing she could reach) lovingly. "I've come to give you my present to the new child."
"But the baby won't be born for months," he reminded her, looking a bit confused. "We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet!"
Waving her hands lighting and nudging him with her stick to make him sit at the table, she replied, "Trivial details…MAX!"
Keitaro winced as his grandmother's yelled echoed through the empty boarding house, the sound of the front door opening again reaching his ringing ears before a clean-cut older gentleman in work clothes walked in with some rolled papers under his arm. He seemed to hesitate at the sight of another, but Hina quickly motioned him over and he came and sat obediently as he was told.
"Max, be a dear and show my grandson what I would like do to for him," Hina told him, the older man bowing to Keitaro gravely, who bowed in return quickly, before laying out a few blueprints of the room Motoko and Keitaro currently occupied, the room next to it and the bathroom beyond that.
"Your grandmother had the idea of turning these three rooms into one continuous suite that are also accessible from the outside if necessary," he said as he laid out some drawings on top of it. "This second room would be turned into a nursery/playroom, and this bathroom would be re-vamped to make it into a master bath that can only be accessed through the nursery. Doors would be put in here, and here, and this door would be removed and turned into a solid wall. This we would section off, sort of making a separate hallway…"
Keitaro watched in amazement as the ground plans were laid out before him, all perfectly sensible ideas to make the two rooms and bathroom the perfect living space for the married couple and their new baby. The nursery could then be converted into an office or other personal space should the couple ever find the room unoccupied again.
"The best part is yet to come," added Hina when the man finally finished laying out the details. "Tell him, Max."
"We're going to sound proof, not only your quarters, but the nursery and the bathroom as well. A small child can make a great deal of noise in the middle of the night, and with the other residents around this will simply make things easier," he explained quickly. "The entire point is to make the area more useful for both you and your wife, while also being sure not to inconvenience the residents as much as possible. Your livelihood does depend upon their satisfaction."
"Sound proof? That's…wow…" Keitaro's jaw dropped as he processed all this, unable to believe the extent of his grandmother's generosity. "Oba-san…I could never let you…it's too much!"
"Nonsense, you can and you will. All that's left is to get you two moved down to the Manager's Room with whatever you'll need for the next two weeks and let these fellows get to work. Besides, don't tell Haruka I told you, but she insisted on chipping in when she found out, said I was stealing her ideas out from under her."
Keitaro's jaw dropped even further, a feat he had thought impossible by this point. "Haruka was gonna try and pay for something like that?"
Hina shrugged, apparently unperturbed by the amount of funds as her grandson was. "You are her favorite nephew…but anyways, get packing! The crew will be here in an hour, and they'd like to get well into things by the end of the day." Nudging him again, he immediately stood, though he paused by his seat as if unsure what to do next.
"Oh…ok…"
"Try not to look so lost, grandson," said Hina with an unusually soft look in her eyes, patting his cheek as he knelt down to her level before letting the hand settle on his shoulder affectionately. "A little overwhelming, I imagine, but this is no more than you deserve. I'm sorry I was unable to help you more in the years you grew up in close relation with the Turtle Clan, there was little I could do with the few times my way-ward son and daughter-in-law would let me visit. But now I intend to make up for those lean years, and spoil this great-grandchild as much as I can! Now, get moving, I'll be in the Tea House if you need me."
Before Keitaro could even thank her she had shuffled off again, and was well down the stairs by the time he made his way to the front door to watch her go. Amazed at her speed, considering her age (and lack of leg length), he simply shook his head before he headed up the stairs to obey and begin gathering his wife's and his things together.
The hour before the crew arrived passed quickly, and as he was hauling the last basket down the stairs she appeared in the main room again, this time surrounded by the workers who had arrived to do their job.
"Grandson, I do hope they do their job quickly and well," Hina informed him as he stopped beside her, exchanging greetings with the polite, honest-looking fellows. "Do supervise them well, and let me know if they give you any trouble, ok?"
"Aren't you going to watch over them?" he asked, slightly confused as he set the basket aside.
"No, I'm off to Africa again. Hopefully Maki-chan has finally traced down someone who can translate that map we found…I'll be popping in again later, perhaps, but not for some time unless you need me. Give the girls my love, dear, and give my congratulations to Motoko, she is such a sweet girl."
"I will, and enjoy your trip," replied Keitaro obediently, slightly vexed up used to his grandmother's random excursions by now.
"Oh, I will. And do be on the look out for other visitors, I'm quite certain you'll be having some quite soon. Ta ta!"
"What? Who!"
But his grandmother had already disappeared into the distance, leaving the manager alone with Max and his crew.
"Well, I guess I better show you where to get started," he sighed, heading back up the stairs once more. "It's right on up here…."
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"Where is the final proof?
The master's voice reverberated off the walls as all eyes were on the counselor who sat there placidly, though there was a visible sheen of sweat over his brow.
"It is coming, Master, it had simply not yet arrived," he replied calmly, though his lip twitched oddly between words. "There were delays…"
"I do not want reports, I want results!"
The door opened to admit a well-singed courier in dark clothes, grumbling loudly as he marched in with a sheaf of papers in his hands.
"Get the papers he says, they're at a doctor's office…easy mission…easy my ass!"
"Do you have the confirmation?" asked the counselor as he stood, the rest of the table watching and listening with eager eyes and ears.
"I do, and with no small price," he replied, turning around to show burn marks up and down his back through his clothes. "What kind of doctor has fire wards on their files!"
"You were warned this was a special doctor," replied the counselor dryly as he took the proffered papers. "It is your own fault only if you grew careless."
"It's a doctor's officer, who the hell is going to want to read the files?"
"Well, obviously we do, since you were sent to get them, weren't you? Or are you suggesting this counsel and the Master use the couriers foolishly?"
The man fell into silence, feeling the probing eyes on him as he carefully shook his head.
"Good. Go the ward, have them treat that, and report back to your squad leader. Here is your confirmation, Master, as you asked."
The Master viewed the sheets with a leer pulling his lips back in an unflattering manner. "This…this will do very nicely. So you have yet to fail, counselor. How long do you think this will last?"
The counselor smiled as the rest of the group dispersed, disappearing with them into the shadows.
"As long as it must…"
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Everyone was disappointed at having missed Hina's visit to the Inn, but things settled into their new pattern as Motoko and Keitaro lived out of the manager's office while the workers completed the contracted work. There was an instance or two where Su and Sarah tried to lend a hand with some inventions the wacky foreigner had come up with, but luckily nothing was destroyed and so the workers had not been put behind schedule as of yet. It was a time of joy and peace, with Koshi rarely getting punched by Naru, and often times staying well enough on her good side to make her smile every time she saw him. Seta was also around an unusual amount, and Motoko had confided in her husband that there was a growing pile of flowers in the back of Haruka's apartment, and some had even been put in vases around the various rooms. Since they both knew Haruka would never buy flowers for herself, this was taken as at least a slight sign of improvement.
The said woman, however, was reviewing the financial logs in the back of the Tea House one evening when someone knocked on the door softly.
"Come in," she called, setting her cigarette aside as she closed the ledger in front of her.
The door opened to reveal Nori standing there, a rather worried look on her face as she leaned against the frame still in her lab coat. "Hey…"
"Something wrong?" asked her long time friend as she motioned to the seat across from her, reaching over to snag a clean cup from the counter and setting it on the table beside her. Nori didn't respond at first as she watched Haruka fill the cup for her, her lips pressed tightly together and brows closely knit.
"Perhaps," she answered after a long period of silence, meeting Haruka's eyes squarely. "I…hm…" Drumming her fingers against the counter, she seemed to debate on what to say next or what not to say.
"This doesn't have anything to do with the baby, does it?" the elder Urashima asked quickly, feeling her chest tighten considerably. Though she would be the first to say it wouldn't be easy having a child this young for her niece and nephew, she also knew it would absolute devastate them and the residents should something happen to the growing child.
"Directly, no," came the immediate reply. "Let me explain, and I shall let you deduce what you can from the information…the office was broken into last night."
"They didn't take anything from the blood banks, did they?" Haruka narrowed her eyes tensely, her mind already following all the possible tangents and trails such a thing might lead to. "There's more than a couple of doctors I know who would love to get a sample of Keitaro's blood and figure out what makes him so immortal…"
Nori shook her head, once again drumming her fingers on the counter as she began to list things off. "No, nor was the register, medical supplies, or 'special facilities' touched. The only signs of anyone having been there were three of the fire barriers were set off, and some of the multiple files went missing."
"Whose?"
"Part of Seta's medical history with that virus he had in his lungs in high school, but only half of the file was gone. A few others, a page here or there…nothing linking them together, no conclusive ties…" The doctor paused, then added, "There were three full files taken, one of the few that I had full copies of for medical purposes. They were cases where immediate medical attention might be necessary at another facility some time soon, and we would have the copies on file to send in case of such an event."
Haruka watched her long time friend closely, feeling something cold grasping at her heart. "There's something else, isn't there?"
Nori paused again before nodding slowly. "Yes…one was taken was from Keitaro and Motoko's file, and mostly that which pertained to the unborn baby. I won't mention names, because we both know that can be dangerous, but…there are only a few families that practice the extreme forms of stealth, and one of them has quite the twisted relationship with your niece and nephew…" Pausing, she shook her head before adding carefully, "It could have been for the other two files, and that yours had been taken may be someone just laying a false trail, but somehow I feel…the others were unimportant, those who I'm sure have no one after them. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly sure the one they wanted was Motoko and Keitaro's."
Haruka nodded, standing quickly as Nori rose as well. "I see…thanks for the, eh, tip."
"Anytime."
The two friends stood as Haruka showed her to the door. Extending to her hand in thanks, the elder Urashima was slightly surprised when Nori hugged her tightly instead, pulling back to give her stern look. "I've been patching you up since high school," she said slowly, concern evident in her every word. "You and Seta, and you've become a sort of extended family for me, all the times I've pulled you back from death… Please be careful. These are dangerous times for your family, and you're not as young as you'd like to think you are."
"I'm young enough," replied Haruka gruffly, unused to this open display of affection from the doctor but doing her best to reassure her at the same time as laid a hand over hers added, "I will be as careful as I can, but I will also protect my family."
Nori nodded, knowing it was the best promise she would get out of the stubborn woman. Walking out of the door, she called back over her shoulder, "Ok. Call me if you need something."
"Of course."
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Su and Sarah were outside running around before it got too dark to play when they saw Haruka standing towards the back of the property, holding something in her hand and looking rather pissed.
"What's up, Haruka-san?" asked Sarah as she hugged the older woman around the knee, a move that almost always guaranteed at least a dry smile of sorts. The elder Urashima patted her absently on the head though, and silently headed back towards the tea house.
"Su, send Keitaro to me," she said simply over her shoulder as she left, obviously in deep though about something else.
"Okies!"
"Hey, Su, did you see what was in her hands?" asked Sarah, somewhat miffed but also feeling a tug deep inside that something very serious and adult-like had just happened.
"Piece a paper, all ratty'n'stuff," came the distracted reply, Su already having put it behind her in her usual childish manner.
The younger girl pondered that as they headed towards the Inn, doing as the older woman had requested. "Hm…that's odd."
Su shrugged, her face splitting into a wide grin all of a sudden. "Yeah…well, s'go get Keitaro an' jump on him!"
Sarah immediately perked up, breaking into a sprint that the other girl immediately matched stride for stride. "Ok!"
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Keitaro entered the Tea House to find his aunt carefully laying out strips of pure-white paper the length and breadth of his hand, one particular piece that was ratty and worn sitting alone from the rest. Beside them rested a ceremonial pad of ink and a brush, and along side them a scroll laid open with paperweights holding it in a certain spot. The girls hadn't given him any specifics about what he was to see his aunt about, but the way Sarah had given the message had conveyed that it was a very serious matter indeed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked when he saw the temple elders seated at the back of the room, waving the sticks with the braided paper strips down them and chanting quietly in a tongue he had never heard before.
"You know that boarder that's been on the Inn since, well…since forever?" she asked, obviously on edge as she watched the elders nervously.
"Keeps trespassers of ill-intent from coming onto the grounds, yeah," he replied with a shrug. "Not that they work that well, if at all…we've had too many attacks on the grounds themselves to even assume that they might."
"It wasn't of physical attacks," explained Haruka, rolling her eyes. "But to ward off…well…demons, spirits, that sort of thing…things with no physical form at all. That's why they wouldn't stop those past attacks."
Keitaro nodded his understanding, noting how odd it felt to discuss the supernatural with his aunt like it was an everyday occurrence. "You mean like the deamon that could only come into the Inn through the sword, otherwise it never would have gotten in."
"Exactly."
He looked at the holy men, then back at his aunt, still confused at what was going on. "So what's the matter?"
"The seals have been corrupted," she explained, motioning to the deteriorating piece of paper on the table. "They weren't just a boundary; they were also to warn the owner, which in this case would be me because we never bothered to attune you to it, when metaphysical happenings were occurring in and around the boundary."
Keitaro, who had been listening closely, seemed about to ask an intelligent question, but then sighed instead. "…I still don't see how this is important."
"The Turtle Clan could've been spying on us for months, corroding these seals away enough that their presence would not be noted, and we would never know otherwise. Why I never thought to check them before…" Taking a moment to collect herself so as to not strike out in her inner rage, she went on, "Whatever they have learned, or planned, they will learn nothing more. The seals are being replaced, tonight, and I'll be checking them more often from now on as I should've been doing previously."
"You couldn't know they would do this," offered Keitaro in an attempt to quiet his aunt's internal turmoil, seeing the grateful glance in her eyes even as she shook her head slowly.
"No, I should have. I've dealt with their kind before, but it seems these years in the city are making me soft." When he tried to deny it again, she glared at him enough to make him fall silent. "Your wife would understand the burden of duty. This was mine, and I have failed. Now go back to her and the girls, I have work to do."
Her nephew backed away, somewhat hurt by the comment but also trying to understand the guilt and pain his aunt was experiencing. Giving a silent nod, which she returned before turning back to her work, he left.
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Motoko stood before her team at Monday afternoon's practice, her insides shaking though she seemed as calm as ever on the outside as she made the official announcement to her team about her withdrawal for the majority of the season and the reason why behind it. For the most part the problems of last year had vanished with the beginning of the new term. The majority of the members who had originally deserted had returned quietly, without so much as a word or disrespectful glance in her direction, and so she had silently allowed them to pick up where they had left off as if they had never been gone at all and with a few exceptions things seemed relatively stable. Leiko, the original antagonist the year before, had transferred to another school with those who had backed her most, and no one had heard anything about them since.
The silent pause that followed after she finished scared her a great deal more than she cared to admit, though, and she was about to bow and apologize as well as offer her permanent resignation, should that be their wish, when Gina sprung to her feet, a delighted smile on her face now that the surprise had worn off, and the rest of the group soon following suit. "Sempai, that's wonderful!"
"Sempai's having a baby!"
"Do you think it's a boy or a girl?"
"I don't know, but this is so exciting!"
"We'll have to think of something to get for the new baby!"
"I hope it's a girl just like sempai!"
"A boy is good luck, though."
"You're not going to go soft on me and start crying are you?" asked Mrs. Yozaki, the official teacher manager of the club as she watched Motoko blush from the rush of affection and support from her girls that she obviously had not expected. Her voice was dour, but there was a gleam of amusement in her sharp eyes for those who knew how to look for it.
"No," replied Motoko, turning to give her a reassuring smile, even if it was a bit shaky around the edges. It firmed up completely when she took a deep breath, letting everything calm inside of her as she let it back out. "I am fine, thank you. You are not upset with me, are you?"
"For getting pregnant with your husband's child? Hardly. That would be a very silly, illogical thing to do." Sighing, she shrugged and added slowly, "Our record might suffer, though…we've been depending on you to carry us through for these last three years, it may be difficult to get the girls to move on without you." Her brow betrayed her slight disappointment, for being the captain of such a successful team have given her a fair amount of prestige among her peers, enough that she was somewhat reluctant to give it up. Still, some circumstances were simply unavoidable, and she was not about to punish her premier student for something rather out of her control.
Motoko let her grin grow slightly, shaking her head as she surveyed the chattering, excited young women. "Oh, that I can assure you will not happen if I have anything to say about it. They shall be worked harder than ever before, for we shall not lose our record just because of my...condition." Turning back towards them, she called them back to silence and met their immediate gaze with a warm smile. "Thank you for your support, it is very much appreciated and as I intend to continue to see your training personally I will remain as your Captain if there are no objections to my retaining of the title."
"Who will lead us in the matches?" asked one of the senior members, a solid girl in her final year of high school whom had challenged Motoko on more than one occasion for the title of Captain. Though she was a hard worker, she was not the best of choices for a leadership position and her actual ability was just somewhat above average.
"Gina, unless someone can prove themselves more capable than her," she replied simply, walking over and putting a hand on the surprised young woman's shoulder. "She has been my second for two years, and understands the inner workings of the matches better than any other than perhaps myself."
Her eyes got wide as she turned to her sempai, stammering out in reply, "B-but, Sempai, I can't-!"
"You can," interrupted Motoko gently, meeting Gina's eyes and giving her a reassuring look as well as squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. "And you will do so with pride and honor. Now, get into formation! Even without me, I expect us to keep our perfect record intact, and I will be counting on each and every one of you to pull your weight and more as we strive to hold the position as the number one kendo club in this city!"
Everyone's voices rose as one as they rushed to their places, afire with their desire to rise to the highest level possible with their fearless leader at the helm. "Yes, sempai!"
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Though those of the residents and friends who were used to trouble springing up were a bit wary those first few weeks after the announcement, when trouble didn't appear as it had previously right after something good had occurred they slowly began to relax and accepted the somewhat peaceful life that usually occurred at the Inn. The work was finished on Keitaro and Motoko's room within the two weeks under the hands of the expert crew, and another bathroom made out of one of the previous empty rooms to compensate for the one that growing family was taking over. With their new sound-proofed room, and access to their own private bathroom, the couple enjoyed a great deal of relational freedom and recreation that had been previously denied to them. And so a month passed with little to show for it other than continuation of their lives when compared to times previous. An added, and rather unexpected bonus, was the special lock that came with the bedroom door. It had withstood both Naru's immense strength and Su's inventions thus far, much to the couple's joy.
Motoko's diligent work with the Kendo Club had honed her girls to incredible heights, and even the teacher in charge had to admit rather grudgingly that Motoko's inability to compete was likely to cause no harm to their record at this point. And despite her slight disgruntlement at being wrong, the fact that she wasn't going to be losing face with fellow coaches helped ease that point. Gina had risen to the challenge of taking her beloved Captain's place as the head of the team in competitions, and had won a great deal of respect from her peers for her incredible work. There had a few heads that had to be cracked in practice to prove her competence with her sword, but those trouble makers had quickly settled down afterwards and everything had flowed quite smoothly since then.
Keitaro had taken to his college classes with a fervor once used to fuel his desire to get in Tokyo U. Though not at the top of his class, he ranked well in his test scores and classroom achievements, making him a respected and well-liked student on campus. On top of that, he continued to occasionally take a side job for Seta categorizing his artifacts and archeological finds when he had time for extra money that he then immediately put back into the Inn to make it better for his residents and wife. The nursery was slowly being filled with furniture and things one needed for a new baby like small, soft toys and a changing table, with the only thing lacking being the choice of colors to mark the sex of the child.
The residents watched, some in amusement and some in awe, at the change that began to take place in their sword girl at this time as well. The protruding of her stomach was slight, hardly worth even noticing if you did not know her well except to notice she might be gaining some weight, but the real change was more of an aura than a physical aspect. Daily she seemed to grow softer around the edges, her manner and vocal tones tending towards the lighter and the gentler rather than their usual stoic, and stern approach. She helped more with the daily cooking and cleaning, and was known to spend much time in the new nursery, looking over the crib and toys placed in with a strange, wistful look in her eyes. She seemed to exude a sense of femininity previously never displayed by the strong young woman and it especially unnerved Naru as she looked up from a magazine on the couch in the main room to see the couple returning from their first trip to the doctor's office. She was waiting with Koshi for Mutsumi to arrive for their next study session, with her books stacked neatly on the couch next to her.
There was no denying the soft light that seemed to surrounded Motoko, and the gentle shine in her eyes. "Everything go alright?" asked Koshi from his seat in one of the arm chairs, pausing in his idle flipping through the channels on TV.
"Everything is just fine," replied Keitaro as he removed his wife's jacket, hanging it up for her in the hallway closet with his own. "We're on our way to one very healthy, normal baby about half a year from now. How are you two today?"
"Good," replied the young man with a smile. "Professor Yang gave me an extension on my paper because of the tournaments coming up."
Keitaro snorted, amused at his friend's using the professor's known love of soccer to slack off in the class. "Lucky…"
"And yourself, Naru?" asked Motoko as she paused with the groceries they had picked up still in her arms. "How are you today?"
"Tired, and a bit stressed," she admitted with a grin, forgetting her previous thoughts for the moment. "Our next practice test is coming up soon, and I hope to ace it again."
"I'm sure you will do just fine," she replied with a kind and supporting smile that immediately brought those previous thoughts back to the fore, and Naru tried not to let her smile seem to stretched in return.
"Let help you with those," offered Keitaro as he took half the bags from her arms, leading the way to the kitchen with his wife following closely behind.
"I still cannot believe what we saw today," whispered Motoko once the door had closed behind them, setting the bags down before turning to hug her husband tightly. He returned the embrace warmly, both of their minds going to Dr. Nori's office just a few moments before.
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Motoko lay on her back with Keitaro holding her hand as Dr. Nori spread the Vaseline-like gel over her stomach, another aid prepping the machine beside them. The other tests had gone smoothly, especially since Nori already had several of the Urashima records on file, and now they were waiting for the ultrasound to begin. Someone switched on the screen, and although at first the screen was a haze of white and grey, distinctive shapes began to form as the Doctor put the receiver to Motoko's skin, apologizing for the cold feeling when she started slightly.
"That," she said in quiet amazement, for though she had done this many times it was still a point of awe for her, "Is you baby's head." The image what somewhat blurry, but the white oval attached to a torso was still distinguishable through the haze. The child moved slightly, as if he or she knew they were being watched, turning towards them slightly.
Motoko felt the tears welling up her eyes and a quiet peace settle in her heart as they saw the arms and legs and what began to look like toes and fingers. Keitaro squeezed her hand, being deeply moved as well, and the couple remained thus hardly daring to breath as they watched their child moving on the screen.
"We won't be able to tell the sex yet," explained the doctor as she continued to point out the various features of their unborn baby. "But soon that will be apparent as well."
Someone handed her a set of headphones, and Nori smiled after she listened to it for a few moments. Turning to the couple, she offered them the headphones gently.
"Would you like to hear your baby's heartbeat?"
The couple had been overwhelmed before, but this was something even beyond that. Motoko closed her eyes and lovingly counted each one, imagining the day when she would put her ear to the baby's chest and be able to listen while holding him or her in her arms. The surge of emotions was so strong she had to wipe her eyes, and did so unashamedly, looking up to see Keitaro doing much the same thing.
Everyone else seemed to disappear quietly, leaving the couple to listen and watch their unborn baby alone and muse upon the future…
"Soon," said Keitaro as he opened his eyes and kissed her on the forehead, seeing the love and joy in her eyes and knowing it was mirrored in his own. "Soon, love."
Motoko smiled with a nod, enjoying the warmth in his arms before reluctantly letting go and start putting the groceries away. No other words were needed as they worked in silence before going their separate ways.
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"Something wrong?" asked Koshi as he glanced over at Naru, seeing her looking after the couple with a strange look on her face. Shifting so he could see her without craning his neck, he added, "Are you feeling ok? If you're sick, we can put this off until tomorrow so you can get some rest…"
"No, I'm fine," she replied quickly, shaking her head as if to clear it before she looked back over at him. "I just…well…" Biting her lip she glanced back at the doorway where the manager and his wife had just went, unsure of how to proceed from there.
"Just what?" asked Koshi, curious but also somewhat worried with the odd way his companion was acting.
"It's just hard to believe that she's still the same girl I used to never see at all unless she was in her kendo uniform carrying her sword or practice stick," she explained, studying her nails as she tried to order her thoughts. Bringing her knees up to her chin, she continued with her head resting on top of them. "Hating men...helping me fight of pervert squads…it was hard enough to take the first changes in her, even if they were for the better, and I know she's been continuing to change some since they got married and all, but it wasn't that drastic, and now this…it's like she's almost changing over night into a completely different person again!" Scrunching up her nose as if she smelled something she disliked, she added, "Is that what becoming a mother does to you?"
"Well, somewhat, I think," replied Koshi with a shrug as he settled into his seat more, a thoughtful look on his face. "Partially because of all the chemical and hormonal changes your body goes through, it's almost impossible not to change some. Medically proven fact and all. But I think its mostly loving someone like the way she does Keitaro and then him loving her in return."
"I don't think I get what you're saying," admitted Naru quietly, the fact that she was admitting her confusion rankling deeply but her need to understand running even deeper.
"Well, think about how many people have children who never want them," he explained carefully. "Or who have them with people that they don't truly care about. Imagine carrying the baby of someone you don't love, would you be excited about its birth? Would you be overwhelmed with the joy at the prospect of having it? Would you be preparing yourself to be the best mother possible for him or her?"
Naru hesitated, taken a bit aback by this tangent of thought that she had previously not encountered. "I…I don't know."
"It makes sense to me that the more you love a person, cherish them and all," added the young man as he wrapped up his small sermon of sorts, sinking back into his chair as he seemed to settle into a state of thoughtfulness. "The more that the birth of your child, which is the production of your…eh…union together, would change you. For the better, you would hope, but it would still change you."
"Oh…" She nodded, somewhat lost in everything she had just absorbed, and sat back quietly to try and sort it out for awhile.
"Ara, sorry for being late," said Mutsumi as she entered through the front door, a watermelon in one arm and her books in the other. "They had watermelons on sale at the store, and I stopped to get one for us to share."
"I'll get a knife and plates, then, if you guys want to get your books ready," replied Koshi as he heaved himself out of his chair, heading for the kitchen door. "We'll start on your math today, since that's the hardest subject and I have to leave early today."
Naru snapped back into reality, giving a ghost of a smile and picking up her books. "Ok."
Mutsumi just beam as brightly as ever, immediately setting her things down and getting ready to begin. "Yes, Koshi-kun!"
The studying passed quickly for the three young adults around the low table, the watermelon nothing more than a set of rinds and some seeds by the time they were finished. Feeling a bit worn out after they had finished such a large portion of their studies, Naru immediately headed upstairs and disappeared into her room after wishing them a good evening.
Motoko stuck her head out from the kitchen, the smell of cooking food wafting out of the open portal. "Will you be joining us for dinner?" she asked them both, with a pleasant smile that let them both know they would be more than welcome if they wished to come.
"No, I'm actually meeting my uncle with Sarah for dinner," explained the young man as he rose, calling up the stairs for his cousin. "C'mon, munchkin, we gotta get going!"
Sarah and Su appeared at the top of the stairs with mischievous grins in place and funky looking controllers in hand. "Munchkin this, dork!"
Koshi dove for the right as a larger spider-looking came at him with its pinchers clacking to reveal razor sharp sides. "Ah!" He jumped back a few times as it tried to pin him down so it could get at him, almost getting caught between it and the wall when it suddenly collapsed, a kitchen knife sticking from its back and crackling slightly with electricity as it had destroyed the power center.
"Aww…" said Sarah as Su just laughed, leaping down the stairs to congratulate Motoko for vanquishing yet another of her created monsters.
"Were you trying to kill me or something!" cried Koshi when the disappointed girl reached his side, giving him a dark look.
"No, but you were supposed to go all cool ninja and kick its butt!" she replied hotly, giving him a disgusted look. "Yeah, Motoko's cool, but she shouldn't've had to save you, dork."
"That's not fair! You tried to kill me with a, a giant metal spider, how was I supposed to know how to beat it!"
"That's not my problem…"
The pair left as they continued to squabble, throwing their goodbyes for their shoulder as they disappeared from sight.
Motoko instructed Su to take the creation back up to her room after removing the knife and making sure she hadn't dented it on accident. Turning to Mutsumi, who just watched the entire proceedings with her usual, bright smile, she repeated her earlier offer. "Would you like to stay and eat with us, Mutsumi?"
"Ara, thank you but no thank you, I have friends who wished to treat me to dinner this evening," she replied as she stood, as perky as usual. "Thank you for your kind offer, though!"
"You are welcome here anytime that you wish to be," Motoko replied simply with a slight bow. The young woman left the way Koshi and Sarah had after gathering up her books and disappeared as she hummed quietly to herself.
She descended the steps slowly, taking her time as she had some to spare before she had to meet her friends. At the bottom stood an unfamiliar, pale young woman in all black who stared up at the front of the Inn carefully almost as if anticipating someone to descend any moment, or perhaps even for the entire structure to disappear without a trace. Despite her unusually gothic attire and less than friendly gaze with an odd cat on her shoulder, Mutsumi beamed at her as they came even.
"Hello! Are you lost?" she asked cheerfully as she drew near enough to speak without shouting, stretching her impossibly wide smile even wider to shower the newcomer with her sunny disposition.
"No," replied the small young woman, withdrawing somewhat in the face of such a bright personality. She obviously did not care to be spoken to, but replied regardless. "I am not lost, this is Hinata-sou. I am…visiting. Do you live there?"
"Me? Ara, no, I live just a little ways away," came the perky response, Mutsumi hooking a stray strand of her lovely brown hair and hooking it back behind one ear.
The young woman seemed to study her intently through heavy, black lashes, almost appraising her every move as she slowly spoke. "Then…you were just visiting?"
"Yes!" Mutsumi said cheerfully, her impossibly wide smile once again seeming to grow even wider and causing the young woman to back off another step unconsciously. "Naru-chan and Koshi-kun and I have just finished studying together, for our test to get into Tokyo University! Well, Koshi-kun has already made it in, but he is being kind in helping Naru-chan so we will do better than last time."
"I see…do you know the others there well?" Her tone was flippant, as if the answer was truly of no consequence at all, but the manner in which she seemed tensely waited for the answer betrayed her true motives to one who was looking. Whether or not Mutsumi noticed, however, it something only the gods knew.
"Oh yes, very well!" Motioning back up the hill, she added, "Everyone is very, very nice there. Haruka-san lets us use her tea house for studying sometimes, and Su and Sarah are so cute when they go running around. Shinobu-chan is especially sweet, and she makes the best tempura ever, and Naru-chan is very helpful in my studies. She gives me hope that I may pass this next year! And Seta-san and Koshi-kun who come and visit all the time are also very helpful. Yes, I know everyone very well there."
Looking up at the house, she spoke her next words with her eyes riveted on the building above. "Even the manager? Do you know him well?"
"Ara, not as well as some of the others for he is very busy with his studies and work and I have only be here a short time, but he is a good friend to all of us." The young woman seemed to relax, almost as if that one statement had caused her to dismiss Mutsumi completely. Mutsumi giggled sweetly, a sound that the young woman almost winced at. "Yes, Keitaro-san and his wife are very kind!"
"That is very…wait…his what!"
And that's when hell froze over.
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Well, my friends, it seems I have been a bit lax in updating. I do have excuses (school/finals/trips/summer classes/life/driving 7 hours a day/etc) but I'm sure you don't much care, right? Well, here's your chapter regardless, and your review replies. PLEASE review, it does make it easier to get the next chapter up when I find myself with time to do so.
Note: Yes, this chapter is a great deal shorter than most. The reason why? Well, I started to add on the next scene, but it got really, really, really long…in fact, it got longer than my usual chapters. So I'm cutting it off here, and I would say there's an excellent chance that your next chapter will be shorter than usual as well. So really, you can think of it as two chapters just set up at different times that equal one mega-chapter. Hopefully, this next one will not take as nearly as long as this one did.
Review Replies:
#1. Thank you very much for your wonderful and kind words of encouragement! It really makes writing each chapter a lot easier when I know there's people who care.
#2. You read every single box under reviews? Wow, major kudos to you, friend, because I think that's true dedication as a reader!
#3.Yeah, I know, the pregnancy wasn't really supposed to be a surprise. The real surprise is coming up, of course. So of those of you who were totally shocked by that, bad reader, you need to pay more attention.
#4. Oh, so you think you know what's going to happen with Motoko's father? We shall see, reader of mine, we shall see…good to know I've got you hooked, though! Hope you enjoyed this segment!
#5. A miscarriage? Well, I do suppose it is technically possible. Who knows? But yet, the child has some sort of important role here, I wouldn't just throw the poor thing in willy-nilly without some sort of reasonable explanation as to why. You just won't know that reason for some time. :P
#6. I really, really, really am sorry for the wait. I didn't die, life just crept up on me a bit. Hopefully I can keep it at bay with bloodthirsty dogs and sharp pointy sticks, but who can tell? Life is far to unexpected to be predictable.
#7. Do the twist! 'Cause C.B. loves twisty, turny stories that leave you feeling slightly motion sick, and you're in for a wild ride!
#8. My story has been compared to a potato chip, which is the heavenly food of college kids, my life is complete. Thanks!
#9. Keitaro as a dad I think would be hilarious too. He's just so…sweet. 'Daddy, can I have some candy? Pleeeease? (insert puppy eyes here)' 'Oh…ok.'
#10. What am I planning to do with the Turtle Clan? That's a really good question, and one I wish I knew how to answer in a short concise way…oh well, guess you're just gonna have to wait and see!
#11. Wow, longest review you've ever written? I'm very honored! I hope you felt like my story was a good one to use it on!
#12. Hm, the Turtle Clan claiming the child as their own, eh? Maybe, maybe not…this must be maddening for those of you not inside my head. Then again, it's maddening for me and I am inside my head. Go figure…
#13. We've got another Naru/Koshi shipper! I think they'd be cute together too. Does anyone else have an opinion there?
#14. Fan-dabbie-dozie? I have never heard or seen this word before, so I shall assume you meant it as a compliment and accept it with a huge smile. :D I think you win the award for the most interesting review ever, and using the most words and phrases that are first-timers for me. Way to go!
#15. I'm sorry to once again have to say that, while this fic is a joy to write, I am not planning to write a sequel sometime in the nearby future, and it is likely that I never will. I'm very sorry, but this is my last full-scale project in the ficdom, and with the exception of the possibility of random one-shots to occasionally ease off the tension that can accumulate when you slow down your writing I do not plan to add to this account at the end of this story ever again. Life has simply become such that I don't have the time I used to, and it's not getting any easier.
#16. Aw, so you do like Kanako? Well, we'll see, I can't make promises though….
#17. You have very high praise for me, and I thank you for that. It means a great deal to have such an in depth look at my story from others, and I thank you also for the time it must have taken to do so.
#18. If you haven't noticed, the main area is romance. Sorry, but fluff is to be expected, if not more, and I would say mine is hardly at the level of choking you to death as I have seen in others.
#19. If it took you an hour to read it, think how long it took me to write it, and that's just one chapter! Hope you enjoyed it anyways, and thanks for the review.
Well, my friends, it appears that is all until next time. Hopefully, that will be soon.
Until then,
CB
It only counts as one!
-Gimli, Return of the King