Welcome to my second fic, sorta. This opening note, by the way, was added July 6, 2006, after re-reading the story. Since I deleted the original, I have decided to re-release this story in an edited fashion so as to correct for large details that I plan to use in upcoming chapters.

Let it be known, this story does contain a bit more of a mature theme (and it's not sex, by the way.) So if you're not into that, shoo! For the less prudish people, I want to let you know that the reason I changed some things is because my style has changed a bit. Instead of lovey dovey stuff, I wanted to write about human issues. This fic will deal with many issues of the human condition that I will explain as they come up. For the meantime, enjoy the redone first chapter of Pink Camellias.

By the way, it might do you good to learn what the original name of the story was called by finding out what the flower means. Google it!

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Pink Camellias
01 – Weaknesses
SethSolare

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Bringing a book around with her was a little bit of a weird thing for Motoko. No longer in her traditional clothes, Motoko walked around reading her English book. She hadn't touched the katana in days. At this time of day, she would be practicing intensely. However, now, she was walking slowly up the stairs to the deck where Shinobu usually hung the clothes. She knew the deck was the only place she could study. Nowhere else in the house could she get the peace she needed. Somehow, if she managed to find it, Su would be right there, clinging. If not that, it would either be Kitsune getting drunk or Keitaro screaming. All the members in the house contributed to the overall chaos making studying indoors a counterproductive activity.

"I don't know how Keitaro and Naru could ever study in there," Motoko thought to herself. It was a rather brisk day, that Friday afternoon. It was already March and she was incredibly hot. Her new tanktop was hardly helping her keep cool. It already had been hours since she'd left the house. To make it worse, she'd stayed inside all day. She recently finished her exams second try at Tokyo U, now at the age of 20, and felt pretty accomplished. However, with the weight lifted off her shoulders, there wasn't much else to do, anymore.

It was difficult for her to stay in that place by herself. She didn't have a lot of friends in cram school, besides Su and Shinobu. It seemed even worse because, without her sword, she felt almost naked. It was like a married woman without her wedding ring. Perhaps the discomfort was all because of that sword. More like a feeling of loneliness, she really wondered if it was wise to ever leave the house without her protection.

"I should really get out of this place." And with that thought, she closed her book and left the house.

Motoko walked through the streets of Hinata, passing by several shops. At times, she fancied herself in clothes in store windows. Even though it was a small town, she liked the store displays well enough. She loved the restaurants, too. And, of course, the new tea shop. She had never been to any other place like that except the one attached to the dorm that Kitsune ran. Motoko, however, wanted to try something new for the day.

"It wouldn't hurt me, I suppose. I guess they're not waiting for me," Motoko told herself. Her conviction in that statement was low, however. Everyone would always ask where she was and why she'd be coming in so late. It was almost annoying since Kitsune would be there talking about Motoko's alleged boyfriend. Naturally, she denied anything having to do with boys and dating.

In truth, however, Motoko had always wondered. As she walked around the school, she noticed the girls and their boyfriends. In the halls, it was like some pair would always be kissing. Though she didn't like any of the boys there, she still wondered. She always saw some cute guy somewhere.

She approached the counter and asked for their strongest tea. As she looked up, however, she noticed the guy standing there. Blushing completely, she stared back down and pulled out the money from her pocket. She didn't pay attention to a single word he said. She simply took the change and sat down. She did, however, remember the nametag, Yumihiko.

She wished that she could talk to him. He had gorgeous blonde hair, possibly dyed, and those dark eyes were just the prettiest things. But it was his hair that got her. It was so scraggly and unkempt that it was cute. He wore an apron just like Haruka did, in that beige color. As she watched him walk toward her, he had such a great smile.

"Here's your tea," he said to her. Finally noticing his voice, she noticed how deep and kind and soft it was. Though the three words he spoke were short and almost useless, Motoko loved that voice. The way he said those simple words dazzled her. Then, she noticed how immature she had become. Noticing her childishness, she quickly reverted back to her old, shy self and blushed once more.

"Want anything else?" he asked her.

"How about a kiss?" she imagined asking him. Her blush grew redder and she couldn't contain her embarrassment for much longer. However, she tried her best to keep it all inside, difficult as it was. "No," she replied.

She quietly sipped her tea reading the book she was carrying with her. After several paragraphs, she looked for Yumihiko again. He walked around serving the tea that he had to. She spent her time watching him walk while looking at the words on the page. Even his walk was cute. Everything about him was just unbearably wonderful. And her inability to tear her eyes away from him made it worse.

She tried reading a little more, staring down at the page, this time. After five minutes, though, she couldn't help it. But this time, looking up, she saw a young redhead girl serving tea. Realizing that he was the only server Motoko saw, she wondered if he had left.

"Maybe it would be best if I just leave now," she thought. Standing up quickly and closing her book, she walked to the door attempting nonchalance. But as she slipped to the door, Yumihiko bumped right into her. "Oh my gosh, he's right there," she thought.

"Sorry about that," he said to her. Without diverting her attention from him, she nodded slowly without blinking. She wanted to run away from him, but she was frozen in place. He then went on to open the door for her. Already blushing wildly, she whispered a thank you and left. Something she didn't notice, however, was that she dropped the book on the floor.

It was only when she was at the bus stop did she notice that she left it behind. "I need to get back there. I can't believe I left my textbook behind," she thought. As she turned around, though, she bumped into another person. This person, too, dropped a book, as Motoko noticed.

"That's twice I've done that. What's my problem today?" she asked herself. She then glanced at the book on the floor. "That's mine."

Looking up, she saw the blonde, scraggly haired guy.

"You dropped this, Motoko," he said to her. "Well, I did really. But, it is yours."

Motoko smiled for a second, feeling entirely shy. Yumihiko picked up the book and handed to her. Suddenly, though, Motoko came to a realization.

"How do you know my name?" she asked curiously. She hadn't yet figured anything out about him. The two had never talked. And it was weird that she would know his name. She studied him for a moment. Then, realizing her question, he spoke as if he were coming back to reality.

"Oh, uh, I know you from around town and the cram school, really. You live in the dorm down the street from me. Plus, your name was in your book," he stated plainly pointing to the book. He gently kneeled to pick it up and then handed it back to her. Smiling, though still red, Motoko slowly touched the book. Finding a little comfort, she held onto it and removed it from his possession.

"You, uh, live in Hinata?" she asked him nervously.

"Yeah, and I'm also in your class," he responded. A second later and a bus came up to the stop. As the doors opened, Motoko stepped on still staring at the young man as he walked in with her. Holding onto her book tightly, she sat down in the only open seat. It was the seat closest to the door she entered. Standing next to her, Yumihiko stared in the opposite direction. The bus was very loud that day, being a Friday. Common conversation easily heard were comments on the changing weather and the clothes of the youth.

Several minutes later, the pair arrived about half a mile away from the dorm, not including the long steps and the short trip to the door. Stepping out of the somewhat cooler interior of the bus, Motoko shivered a little as a cool breeze rushed past her. Turning to Yumihiko, who seemed quite cool, Motoko said to herself, "How about you-"

"How about I walk you home?"

Motoko, her thoughts then interrupted, led the way back to the Hinata dorm.

She was silent the whole way home. Yumihiko seemed to be inching closer and closer to her. While Motoko already figured out that he was cute and that she liked him a little, she didn't know what he could possibly be thinking. "For all I know, he's got a girlfriend. She has to be beautiful, and smart, and funny. Guys always go for that. That's basically the reason she likes Keitaro. Even though he's not really smart, he's getting there. I think that's why she likes him. Maybe she can teach him. Maybe that's what she likes about him," Motoko thought in a wild flurry of ideas. She then turned to Yumihiko who had kept his distance from Motoko all the way up the stairs. "Maybe he's like that."

"This place is much bigger up close, I guess," she noticed Yumihiko say. It was more of a phrase that broke the silence. In truth, Yumihiko had passed by the place several times. Everyday, actually, he would pass by the place on the way to school. Sometimes he would be right behind Motoko. She was usually alone when she left, but it seems her two roommates always came home with her. It was amazing that she never noticed him.

"I guess I'd better just go ahead and go," he thought to himself. He didn't quite understand what she was thinking. She stared off into the distance saying nothing. She, in fact, seemed to be looking past him, as if he was not there. "Anyway, I guess I'll get going," he said to her.

"Oh, uh, yeah. Maybe we can, uh, study together. Sometime soon," her sentence was really choppy as she tried to get the words out. Attempting to seem serene, she tried smiling, but the feeling was a little awkward and forced. "Maybe he doesn't notice."

"I guess maybe we can. I wouldn't mind really. Your grades are better than mine, I guess," he, too, tried to seem composed and smiled along with her. She looked back at him and nodded as acceptance before turning up toward the dorm.

- -

Kitsune stayed inside that day. It was getting considerably warmer, and she hated going out when it was just too early to be even slightly acclimated to the heat. Instead of going about the house and doing normal, everyday activities, Kitsune did chores. That day, Shinobu had to take her finals. And since Kitsune was the only capable one there that day, seeing as how Naru and Keitaro went off to class in the city, she decided that it would be best to do the chores.

"See, I'm not entirely lazy," she thought to herself as she scrubbed the last portion of the floor. It was obviously Keitaro's job to do this work, but today was different. Kitsune had absolutely nothing to do. Getting drunk this early wasn't on her "to-do" list, either. She had spent the better part of her morning, though, doing absolutely nothing.

Kitsune slowly cleaned off the table in Naru's room. Though tired, she was hoping to find some kind of indication of a little something between Naru and Keitaro. However, no sign of a diary could be found on any of Naru's tables. Though she would have rummaged through a bookshelf or two, Kitsune felt a little bored with Naru's room. Kitsune had been in here so many times that it was just entirely useless to be in there.

Instead, she slipped down into the hole in Naru's floor. Naru seemed to think that no one knew that it was still there. However, by this time, everyone knew that Naru had left the gaping hole in her room. Everyone also knew that the pair used it often.

Falling into the room, Kitsune felt slightly out of place. It was obviously larger than all the other tenants' rooms, but perhaps the hole in the ceiling made the room seem a little larger.

Just like before with Naru's room, Kitsune began cleaning up Keitaro's room. The two tables in there were cluttered with English and Math books. Archaeology articles and magazines littered the floor. Sliding away books and papers, stacking them in piles, and putting them to shelves was making Kitsune even more exhausted. However, after some time, she found a little green book. Recognizing it, she opened it and, sure enough, found all the sticker photos that Keitaro had collected over the years.

"Naru looks so cute with Keitaro next to her," Kitsune thought to herself. However, her thought was more solemn than appreciative. She sadly looked down at both pictures of her best friend and her secret crush. She stared at the beautiful girl with her beautiful arm around a beautiful man. Kitsune felt a deep, empty well within her. Within seconds, her exhaustion was eaten away by sadness.

"I've never been as beautiful as her," she thought to herself. She ran her hand over the picture, thinking of her best friend's beauty. It had been a while since Kitsune had ever thought that. In her youth, she fell in love with Naru; it was the reason they became friends in the first place. But the years together had made Kitsune's complex love turn to simple friendship. Now, it was hard to decide on either Naru or Keitaro. But, of course, "Best friends should never date," she whispered to herself.

Staring at the pair, she felt the incredible loneliness that she had felt every time she was around them. "Even a stupid picture," she thought. It felt like a prison of her emotions built in pictures. She flipped through more pages and found only pictures of Keitaro. Each one made him look even cuter than he was before. Each picture was taken alone. "That could be me," Kitsune thought to herself.

Right before she became lost in her emotions, she heard the footsteps of a single person. Quickly shoving things in their proper place, Kitsune rushed around hoping not to be caught. But within seconds, the door slid open. As she turned, she noticed a familiar person and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What're you doing here? Cleaning?" Motoko asked her.

"Oh, uh, yes, actually. I was bored and Shinobu's been studying like crazy for finals. So I thought I'd do some chores. I also did some cleaning since Naru and Kei said they'd be home late," Kitsune responded with a little nervousness. "What brings you over here?"

"Me? I was just wandering around," Motoko responded. Turning away, Motoko looked out the window, elbows leaning on the banister. Kitsune did likewise. "I heard a lot of shuffling going on before I got in there. What were you doing in there?"

Kitsune felt incredibly embarrassed by what she was doing, especially since someone caught her. Staring down to the ground, Kitsune's voice dropped to a softer tone. "I was looking at Kei's photo sticker album," she stated.

"Oh," was Motoko's only response.

Turning toward Motoko, "So, what happened to you?" she asked her childishly. Kitusne's curiosity was increasing as she saw the red cheeks of Motoko burn brightly.

"I met a guy, today," Motoko said. "And it has nothing to do with you, Kitsune," Motoko responded nervously. It wasn't that she was afraid of what suggestive comments Kitsune might give, but the rumors were going to be a problem.

"I don't believe that. I think sisters should talk," Kitsune pushed onward. She really didn't care if she told her or not, but watching Motoko become flustered was a relaxing scene for her. She walked Motoko inside hoping for more information.

"I really don't want to say, though," Motoko said. Kitsune, finally, and quickly, bored decided to walk off. She saw how Motoko wasn't really paying much attention to her, anyway. She also saw that Motoko was left to her own thoughts. She started for the kitchen when heard a sigh behind her. "His name is Yumihiko."

"Do you like him?" Kitsune asked with a little delight in the beginning openness of Motoko's response.

"Kind of," Motoko responded. She really didn't know why she would even consider that kind of answer. Yumihiko was perfect in every way except Kendo.

"Well, I'm sure that your feelings for Keitaro shouldn't be getting in the way if you want to say 'yes' to the question, someday," Kitsune said matter-of-factly.

Motoko's facial expression didn't change. She looked at Kitsune, "You assume too much, Kitsune." Motoko stood up and followed Kitsune to the kitchen.

"I didn't mean it like that. It just sounds like you're unsure of things, you know?" she said. Kitsune opened up the refrigerator and got a soda for herself. Looking at Motoko for a second, Motoko nodded to her and Kitsune reached in for a second.

Catching her drink after Kitsune tossed it to her, Motoko began again, "Don't you like him?" she asked plainly.

"I really can't say I don't. Either way, it's not like it matters," she said as she walked away. She rushed to the stairs leaving Motoko still in the kitchen. Motoko didn't understand the answer. But, judging from Kitsune's facial expression, she didn't want her answer looked into.

Motoko moved on with her drink to her room, ready to take a bath. She walked up, found some clothes, and went back downstairs to the bath.

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I haven't worked on this story in a long time. So, I spent some time scrutinizing over the details. I actually planned this story out, too! Anyway, I'm gonna spend this moment to talk about the backstory to this fic. First, I should say that it a sequel to a previous work of mine, "Tuesday Morning." Well, actually, not a sequel, but it draws on several details I implemented there. So, please, read that for a bit more of information, especially about Kitsune.

The rewrite, by the way, does take place about a year after the series ends in the manga. And by series, I mean before the epilogue parts, before Kei and Naru get married. When they go to Tokyo U, in fact. Just so you know where we are in the time line and stuff.

Like I said, I'll talk about the issues I bring up. But, chapter 1 is an expository chapter, so nothing really epic happens. Just the establishment of characters and stuff P

Don't worry, the good stuff comes sooon!

SS