I do not own Ranma 1/2

Miles to Go Before I Wake

Chapter3

Shortly after safely arriving at his home, Tatewaki's seemingly ever-present weariness returned with full force. Something about the long and desolate corridors of his family's estate tired him. It almost seemed as if the darkness of the halls absorbed his vitality, while the unbroken silence smothered the whole area in a blanket of somberness. His home had truly become a place which invited only whispers and forbade laughter. At least the joyful laughter of the sane Tatewaki ruminated to himself with the ghost of a smile as he held the image of his sister in his mind for an instant.

Wearily he walked the corridors of the Kuno estate, each step more of a challenge than the last, until finally he reached his own chambers. There he became so overcome that despite sleeping through most of the day, Tatewaki fell upon his bed fully clothed and promptly fell into both a dreamless and restless slumber.

He was awoken several hours later when the morning sunlight finally reached his face after having made the arduous journey of crossing his bedroom floor and walls, more often than not reflecting off the surface of one of the innumerable photos of his two true loves. Blearily Tatewaki opened his eyes, for a moment confused between reality and his imagination. Blinking rapidly though, he quickly fell into the proper state of mind, and felt little surprise at the fact that for some reason he felt as if he had not slept at all. In fact, he could almost swear that he was even more tired than when he had gone to bed. A far cry from the restful sleep he had enjoyed at the Tendo household. Briefly he considered what the difference was between the two places that would be drastic enough to disrupt his rest, but he quickly banished that thought with the realization that he needed to get out of bed and begin the day.

There were a number of duties and decisions that Tatewaki was now responsible for since he was now the head of the Kuno household. And perhaps if he accomplished them then one day the Kuno name would be well regarded again and its bearers could be proud once more. Smiling slightly at his still sleep laden deep thoughts, Tatewaki climbed out of bed and made his way over to his closet in order to change out of the clothes he had been wearing for over two days.

Tatewaki's brief morning weary hilarity was cut short however, when stumbling toward his closet to change outfits; he took note of the many pictures and posters he had scattered across his room. They were all of his two greatest loves, roughly equally divided in quantity. But for the first time that morning, he noticed that all of the pictures where candid shots, not a single one had either of the girls looking directly towards the camera. Therefore, for the first time, Tatewaki realized that neither of his loves were looking straight at him, it was almost as if they had averted their gaze from something too disgusting to look upon.

Tatewaki felt something deep within him suddenly shift as he made this startling revelation. He had the urge to grab the photos and shake them to make them look at him, to pay attention to him, to love him. But that was just a passing idiotic fantasy. They were after all, merely photographs. Tatewaki's urge soon cooled and transformed itself into the desire to tear the images from the walls and rip them to shreds, to utterly destroy them. But he hesitated to act upon his impulse. After all these where the images of his true loves. He could not truly desire to do them harm could he?

Pushing aside those dark and gloomy thoughts, Tatewaki averted his eyes as much as possible from the many displays of his affection and threw open the doors to his closet. Inside he found row after row of his normal kendo uniform, with only a few formal outfits to break the monotony. For some reason that particular morning, Tatewaki did not feel up to wearing the kendo outfit. He felt as if he would be more comfortable wearing something less ... eccentric. However finding nothing else suitable for merely wearing around the mansion, Tatewaki reluctantly changed into his normal outfit, transforming himself into the image of the Blue Thunder that most of Nerima was familiar with.

Trying to put aside his minor feelings of discomfort from wearing his normal clothes, he turned to the other pressing matter which had presented itself to him shortly after he awoke, the gnawing hunger in the pit of his stomach. Tatewaki considered his options. Truly he would be nothing but a fool if he trusted anything in the main kitchen since it had been left to the tender mercies of his sister for a rather extended period of time. Any food product within her reach soon became a potential platform for poison or worse.

The only other kitchen on the premises that could potentially have foodstuffs remaining untouched would be the servant's kitchen out in the servant's quarters. They might have left the Kuno estate in such haste as to leave a few of their possessions behind. However Tatewaki quickly negated that option since not only would it be beneath him to partake of food purchased for plebeians, but it also occurred to him that he had very little knowledge of food preparation, thus any food left behind would likely be of little use to him.

Suddenly the solution came to him, and he lightly tapped his forehead in amusement as to how he could have overlooked such a simple solution. "Sasuke, come here immediately, I'm in need of your skills." Tatewaki pronounced to the room in general. He masterfully hid his surprise as his family's ninja popped into his room through a trap door in the floor that Tatewaki had never known existed.

Sasuke skillfully jumped into the room, narrowly avoiding the trap door as it fell back into place behind him, once more meshing seamlessly with the rest of the floor. "What is it you wish of me master Kuno?" Sasuke asked from his supplicant position, kneeling before Tatewaki.

For his part Tatewaki largely ignored his ninja servant as he cupped his chin in thought. Making a decision, Tatewaki proclaimed, "Sasuke, as I'm sure that you are aware we are currently bereft of the majority of our serving staff." Pausing a moment to tally the remaining members, Tatewaki went on in his normal, arrogant tone. "In fact, you are our only remaining servant. For the moment at least. This of course has left us without a proper chef whom I would willingly trust with providing me meals. Thus I am making it your duty to go forth and purchase what sustenance I require at least thrice each day."

Tatewaki had begun to smile while thinking of the culinary delights about to pleasure his taste buds, however when he chanced to look down and regard the bowed head of Sasuke, he felt that strange lurch in his chest that was starting to become familiar. His smile slowly melted as he remembered the hardships that his family had over the years inflicted upon Sasuke, and to a lesser extent the other servants.

For perhaps the first time Tatewaki felt, well for the lack of a better term, bad about the way that he and his family had been treating others. Quickly searching his brain for some manner in which to make up such treatment to Sasuke, Tatewaki continued. "Also, since the absence of a chef seems to affect us all, while you are procuring foodstuffs for myself, feel free to purchase whatever you wish to consume as well." Upon further reflection Tatewaki added, "In addition, please visit my sister and if she so desires, purchase something for her as well."

Tatewaki had continued to gaze upon the bent head of his ninja as he had been giving orders, so he was a witness to when Sasuke raised his tear-filled eyes to his master's and exclaimed, "Oh master Kuno! Never before has there been a servant as happy as I am now. Truly I must be blessed to be in the service of such a master, so kind, so merciful, so generous, so ..." As he spoke he had tearfully embraced Tatewaki's leg, and his pronouncement of devotion was cut short when Tatewaki began to try and shake him off.

Tatewaki successfully flung the ninja off of his leg, then cleared his throat behind his fist. "Yes, I am fully aware of how wonderful I am, but do not waste your gratitude with meaningless words, show me your conviction with your actions. By the way, do you still have access to a Kuno account?" When Sasuke replied in the affirmative, Tatewaki sighed in relief, he wouldn't have to give up one of his credit cards after all. As Sasuke prepared to execute his order Tatewaki remembered one last detail. "Oh yes Sasuke, while you are out, if you happen to see some tasteful clothing that would compliment me in a casual setting, would you be so kind to purchase it? I feel that perhaps my current wardrobe is ... inadequate. At least for the future leader of the Kuno clan." Sasuke made a final curt affirmative nod and quickly opened the room's window and leapt out.

It almost felt good, Tatewaki could feel himself slipping back into his old mindset, he could almost picture himself as a respected feudal with vassals to cater to his every whim. It was an old and familiar dream that he had turned to for comfort for several years, and he felt himself about to slip back into his comfortable mindset where he could pretend that everything was as it should be. But suddenly the image of his late father flashed before his eyes. His sick and deranged father who had abandoned his family to indulge in a personal fantasy, one that might have started out not too differently than Tatewaki's own.

Then an image of his sister came to the front of Tatewaki's conscious. She had been a quiet and thoughtful child, shy and reserved due to her fear of the world outside their compound. Once their parents had been forced to leave them, Tatewaki had promised to protect her as if he were a true samurai and she was his princess.

But now she was prideful and arrogant, and he had become just as arrogant and delusional. They had taken to their respective roles too well. He had become a noble warrior and she a beautiful princess, but they had exaggerated the parts so much that they were only cruel caricatures of who they once had been. For perhaps the first time Tatewaki fully recognized in his sister the same illness that plagued his father and himself as well, the insane tendency to drown out the real world by completely embracing a fantasy. His father had died while still suffering from his delusions, but perhaps it was not too late for his sister, perhaps it wasn't too late even for him

Then for some reason his traitorous mind brought forth unbidden a memory of Nabiki Tendo, not as she usually was, cold and condescending, regarding him with nothing except contempt and mockery. No, he saw her as she had been last night. As he had been making his exit she had seemed almost a different person, as if she had regarded him as something other than a misguided fool that others only suffered due to his fortune.

Tatewaki felt his resolve firm. Not only did he want to keep his sister from becoming another lunatic such as his father, her life likely short and with no one other than him to mourn her, but suddenly he wanted Nabiki Tendo to look at him in a different manner as well. Tatewaki didn't want Nabiki to look upon him as if she had weighed and measured him and found him wanting. Neither did he want her to look at him with the pity that he had felt she regarded him with the previous evening. No, he wanted Nabiki to regard Tatewaki with ... respect, the respect afforded to an equal. Suddenly it was very important to Tatewaki that Nabiki respect him not for his name, or fortune, but because he was a man, not a fool.

Gathering himself and his determination, Tatewaki quickly took stock of his situation. His parents were ... gone. So he was now head of the Kuno clan. A clan once powerful and respected across all of Japan, now only known and mocked in the Nerima ward. He had no other servants than his faithful ninja, whose faith seemed to be waning. He and his sister lived in a mansion which had more room devoted to booby traps than actual living quarters, funded by an account that had withered under decades of mismanagement and neglect. And most importantly he was still in his room, which meant that he was surrounded by the images of women that suddenly he was not entirely sure loved him. Deciding that his mental faculties would perform more efficiently in different surroundings Tatewaki strode out of his room and soon found his feet leading him to his grandfather's office.

For some odd reason Tatewaki felt relieved once he entered the office. The books lining the walls gave the promise of great knowledge and unapologetic logic. Both these where something that Tatewaki was only now starting to realize that he lacked, and because of that lack was less of a person for it. Unlike Tatewaki's own room, and much of the rest of the house, the personal touches in this room were subtle and elegant. They did not scream for a person's attention and recognition of the owner of the room. Instead they simply informed anyone who entered the room that it was inhabited by a person of taste, intellect, and power. For the first time, Tatewaki fully noticed the small but beautiful bronze statuettes around the office, as well as the elegant yet simple workmanship which had gone into the furniture. It made him feel as if his own rooms were garish and overblown with undeserved self importance.

As he made his way to the comfortable leather chair behind the desk, Tatewaki also noticed the thick layer of dust that coated almost everything in the room. This of course reminded him that he needed to hire a new staff for the mansion, and since it would most likely be the one of the easier tasks before him, he might as well start the day lining up possible applicants to be interviewed to fill the vacant positions. Tatewaki knew that there would be a rather long list of people who would leap at the chance to serve in a household as prestigious as the Kuno's.

Settling back into his seat Tatewaki looked around for the telephone, and was surprised to find none. He began to check the desk's drawers, then under the desk, then on the bookshelves, then under the furniture. In the end he found only a single telephone outlet in the office, and it was pulled partly out of the wall, as if someone had jerked the phone cable from it in a fit or rage. Sighing to himself, Tatewaki knew that he had to leave the comfort the office room seemed to provide him, and began to search through the house for first a telephone, and then a telephone directory, having only used them on the rare occasions that Sasuke had not been available to make the calls for him.

Tatewaki was beginning to grow ever more frustrated with the minor problems that seemed to crop up whenever he tried to solve a larger problem, but he imagined first his father as he would have handled the problem, probably not even recognizing the problem at all, and then he imagined how his grandfather would have handled any potential problem. Tatewaki envisioned a stern and strong man who let nothing stop him from his goals, whether the difficulty was a lack of food, or the absence of a line of communication, Tatewaki felt that his grandfather would have solved these problems without dwelling on them, devoting his attention only to what was truly important. With this image in mind Tatewaki ignored the small voice in the back of his head trying to convince him that no one really expected him to accomplish anything, especially without such rudimentary things as a telephone. He knew that no one expected anything from him, but if he wanted to change that perception, then he would have to suffer through the minor trials of life and prove people wrong. With a smile on his face and confidence in his steps, Tatewaki continued to search through the long dark halls and wide dark rooms of the Kuno estate.

Several hours later Tatewaki held his head in his hands, trying to gently massage his growing headache away. He had been able to find not only a telephone and a directory, but also a pad of paper and a pen which he had not thought he had needed, but had proven very useful to have. The first few calls he had made to agencies specializing in domestic help had either begun to laugh hysterically or simply hang up when he had mentioned the name Kuno. Tatewaki had quickly gone through the list of local agencies, and had broadened his search into surrounding wards. However he had been wrong in assuming that the Kuno was no longer famous, no matter where he inquired they had heard of his family and its ... eccentricities.

Tatewaki had started his exercise in humiliation via phone in the kitchen, where he had at last found a telephone, which was a rather strange place in his opinion. However a few hours into the ordeal, after Sasuke had come and gone almost unnoticed by Tatewaki as engrossed as he was in trying to reason with the many people he had tried to deal with, Tatewaki had been forced to leave the kitchen when his sister had arrived and began to either cook, or experiment, he had not been paying enough attention do distinguish a difference. He had however decided that a cooking pot should not sound like it was either about to explode, or give birth. So Tatewaki had made a hasty retreat, unnoticed by his sister. He had found refuge in the unused dinning room. It had been constructed to host dinner parties during the winter when the Kuno name still had enough prestige to conduct dinner parties. However due to its optimal positioning for late winter evenings, the room was considered uninhabitable the rest of the year. Tatewaki could not remember his family ever using the room in his lifetime.

Thankfully the room had been wired for telephones and the long low table was excellent for spreading out his work. It was soon littered with several Nerima telephone directories, then by several Itabashi and Suginami directories. Since Sasuke had returned Tatewaki merely had him go and retrieve them from wherever they came from. Several hours, wards, and quiet apologizes mixed with humor tinted denials and the occasional shouting match later, Tatewaki had finally hired a new staff for the Kuno household. Apparently the stories of the Kuno's insanity had reached as far away as Edogawa, but most of it was not believed. Still Tatewaki had to agree to a rate almost three times anyone else had to pay, and he had to provide "non-hostile working conditions" whatever those where, as well as a host of other stipulations. Through his headache, Tatewaki felt a minor sense of achievement and perhaps victory. It was a contract filled with stipulations and rules, almost to the point that it seemed as if the servants had more rights than the masters, and it was outrageously expensive, but for the first time Tatewaki had accomplished something tangible that maybe not his father, but perhaps his grandfather would have approved of. The Kuno's new butler, cook, and two maids would start work the next Monday.

Tatewaki smiled slightly to himself despite the pain, it was a minor victory to be sure, but to be honest at that moment he would take such victories that he could get. He pushed himself up from the table that had become his de facto desk during the day. The end that he had occupied was cluttered with several thick phone directories, as well as several sheets of paper that he had filled with abstract doodles he had created while on the phone as well as minor notes he had jotted down with regards to pay rate and his family's obligations. Apparently deadly booby traps went against some new law or some such. The cord for the telephone wound around the piles of papers and books, as well as the remnants of the late lunch that Sasuke had unexpectedly provided for him, stretching from the wall to the modern looking white plastic phone that seemed incongruous with the rest of the room.

Of course moving anything from one place in the house to the other created a somewhat anachronistic effect, owing to the fact that most of the rooms in the Kuno mansion had been redecorated at different times and by different people with wildly different tastes. The majority of the mansion had retained its original early Meiji era decoration, but some of the rooms such as the dining room that Tatewaki was occupying had been singled out to reflect a different taste. For example the dining room was decorated with nineteenth century Europe in mind. While obviously the late head of the Kuno's had redecorated his own area with a Hawaiian motif. The kitchen had been designed to be ultra modern and industrial, while one of the parlors and the original library that Tatewaki had later turned into his kendo training room had been influenced by Art Deco. One of the smaller bathrooms had even been redone with a Romanesque feel, and while Tatewaki appreciated the art and craftsmanship that went into creating the mosaic that flowed across three of its walls, he felt that it was a bit crowded in the room due to all of the columns that had been crammed into every nook and cranny. If he remembered correctly, it was now being used to store cleaning supplies.

Perhaps the insanity that afflicted the Kuno family was not a sudden invention of the latest generations Tatewaki mused to himself as he stepped away from the table and began to walk towards the small garden that was Mr. Turtles' home. He had no love for the creature, but he knew that it was likely that his sister would be somewhere near her pet this time of day, and he had many things to discuss with her. As for the other matters of great importance, such as realigning the family's finances, Tatewaki felt drained from the ordeals he had to overcome already that day, and knew that the rest could keep until the next day.

Tatewaki was softly surprised to find his sister was not where he expected her to be. Her pet crocodile was alone in his pond, staring at Tatewaki disinterestedly. "Sasuke." Tatewaki said to the empty garden while returning the reptile's gaze. The loyal ninja fell majestically from a nearby tree.

"Yes master Kuno?" Sasuke replied once he had quickly righted himself from the face first landing and knelt before Tatewaki.

Mr. Turtle lost interest in the antics of the two humans and with a quiet splash turned around and pretended to sleep. Tatewaki allowed his eyes to leave the crocodile and roam the garden, casually examining the same plants that he had seen a thousand times before. "Sasuke, I need to have a conversation with my sister, and I suppose with you as well." He said with a moments pause. "Please be so kind as to inform her that I will be awaiting her presence in this section of the gardens. Also I would like some tea made, see to it."

Sasuke bounded away with a "Yes master Kuno!" and skillfully avoiding the open door to the house, instead leapt to the overhang of the doorway and only had to spend a few seconds balancing himself before disappearing up and over the roof. Tatewaki for his part ignored the antics of the family ninja and walked over to the nearby outdoor furniture, sinking gracefully into one of the lawn chairs. He reclined against the back of the chair and closed his eyes, enjoying the sunlight that had just peeked through one of the puffy clouds dotting the sky.

Tatewaki knew his sister better than anyone, so he knew that what he was about to say to her would likely be ... distasteful to her. Hopefully he would not upset her enough that she drugged him and tried to feed him to Mr. Turtle. Again. While wracking his brain to find the best possible way to present his arguments to his sister, Tatewaki fell afoul of the peaceful and warm sunlight and dropped into a light sleep, which was only interrupted by the soft clinking of china. He sat up and found Sasuke adjusting the arrangement of a tea set on the outdoor table situated between the lawn chair Tatewaki was reclined upon and another which was empty.

"Ah thank you Sasuke." Tatewaki said as the ninja prepared a cup of tea to his master's exacting specifications and handed it to him. "Were you able to find my sister and inform her of my request for her presence?" Tatewaki asked before taking a small sip of the hot beverage.

"Yes master Kuno." Sasuke replied, bowing before Tatewaki. "I found her in her practice room going through her daily exercises. She informed me of the virtues of keeping in practice despite having a reprieve from actual matches. When I told her that you wanted to see her, she told me to inform you that she will come once she is finished."

Tatewaki was irritated that his sister had not dropped everything that she was doing in order to answer his summons. No, irritated wasn't the right word, it was to strong and harsh. Perhaps disappointed would be a better fit, though it too felt incorrect in describing his emotions. Tatewaki continued to ponder his emotions as he slowly sipped his tea and watched a nearby tree wave in the gentle breeze which touched only the highest points, not deigning to allow itself to be felt by those as low to the ground as Tatewaki. Sasuke continued to kneel, though he allowed his mind to start to wander, thinking that despite the new Kuno he had seen earlier this morning, maybe it had been a bad idea not to run away with the rest of the serving staff. Mr. Turtle continued to ignore them both.

The two men continued on their separate trains of thoughts with only the occasional interruption of Tatewaki refilling his cup, while they waited on Kodachi to arrive. Eventually they were broken from their revelries as they heard soft footsteps coming from the house behind them. Kodachi emerged into the afternoon sunlight wearing her normal black practice leotard with the gracefully practiced poise of a gymnast/martial artist.

She took the empty seat across from Tatewaki, as he straightened up in his own chair and silently regarded her as she made herself comfortable. Once Kodachi had situated herself and had begun to prepare her tea, Tatewaki broke the silence. "Dearest sister," He started, "Is this not one of the most lovely days of the year? I was just thinking to myself that the only improvement that could be added to the perfection of today would be your presence." Tatewaki ended this declaration with a dramatic sweep of his hand to bring Kodachi's attention to the beauty of the garden that they had both had sat in dozens if not hundreds of times.

Kodachi daintily blew on her tea to cool it down to an acceptable temperature before responding to Tatewaki. "Dearest brother, I do not mean to be rude, however I sincerely doubt that you expressed a wish to take tea with me in order to increase your enjoyment of today. In fact I would hazard the speculation that if you actually wished to enjoy the beauty of nature, you would have tried to put as much distance between my person and yourself as possible." She said all this while looking down into her tea, waiting patiently for it to cool, not eve acknowledging Tatewaki's presence. She finally decided that the temperature was correct and with the elegance born of years of practice she took her first sip, still without looking up.

Tatewaki let his arm drop to his side. He too decided to sip from his tea cup, in order to allow him time to organize his thoughts. Apparently Kodachi was not in the mood to try and pretend that they were living in a perfect world today and that they had a loving relationship between them. It seemed that she wanted to be frank, direct, and honest. Hoping that Kodachi was truly expecting him to be blunt, and not punish him for it afterwards, Tatewaki set his cup down and decided to tell his sister the truth. Perhaps for the first time in almost ten years.

"You might have been correct in your assessment of my person a few weeks ago, truly at that time I was much more selfish, unconcerned with how my actions impacted either your life, or father's." Tatewaki said with a sigh as he turned his head and began to stare at an unremarkable patch of grass through half-lidded eyes. "However recently I have realized that I can not continue to be so selfish. I must think of others before myself now..."

"Now that father is dead you mean." Kodachi interrupted. Tatewaki quickly turned to look at her, but she was still regarding her tea, seeming almost as if she hadn't even spoken.

He turned back to the interesting piece of ground and continued. "Yes, since father has died. I have become the head of the Kuno household. I know that might seem like a slight thing to you seeing as how we lived by ourselves for so long before the return of father. Yet it has made me realize a number of things, many of which I wish I did not have to face." Tatewaki paused, reaching for his tea and taking a sip, allowing Kodachi ample time to respond, however she remained silent.

"I have had to face such unpleasantries as the simple fact that we cannot continue living like this. We cannot keep trying to live in a dream world hoping that reality will not try to encroach upon us. That is what our dear father did. He ended insane,alone, and unloved. I ask you do you truly wish for the same to happen to us? To yourself?" Tatewaki set his teacup down forcefully, waiting his sister's response.

Kodachi continued to stare into the depths of her own tea, but quietly she began to reply. "Alone, unloved, insane. What colorful terms you choose to describe our father, not even cold in his grave." Kodachi finally looked up, capturing Tatewaki's eyes with a gaze of restrained anger, as she began to speak louder. "What right do you have to criticize father in such a manner? You say he was insane, eccentric I will grant you, but insane? I think not. As for being alone, he had us, and the respect of his peers. He was hardly alone, unlike someone such as yourself. I notice that you never bring over one of your many friends, or even one of your even more populous girlfriends."

Tatewaki bristled at this jab, and was about to interrupt his sister, but she would not let up. "As for unloved, why I am no longer sure of your love, but I did love him, in my own way. And I know that mother loved him as well."

Tatewaki challenged his sister's stare with his own as he quietly replied, "If she loved him so much, then why did she kill herself rather than stay with him? Dear sister."

Kodachi held his eyes for a moment longer until she fully realized what he had said. "You dare!" She exclaimed while suddenly standing. "You dare to criticize your own father while he is only recently dead. You dare to drag mother's ... absence into the matter in an effort to disgrace your own father! You are even more deranged than I had thought. Dear brother!" Kodachi started to move towards the door to the mansion.

"Kodachi!" Kuno said in as authoritarian a tone as he could. His sister stopped and turned to face him once more. "My father was not much of a person, and he was less of a father. However he did manage to teach me at least one thing, that no matter how much we wish otherwise, reality is not nice, it is not fair, and it does not care about what we want. Now that he is dead, I am the head of the Kuno family. That means that it is my responsibility. This name, this house, this ninja, and you, all are my responsibility now. I know that father shirked this duty, but I will not."

Tatewaki took a breath, his sister still stood, mesmerized. "I know that I have not been the best brother to you, despite what we pretend. I know that for too long I have ignored you, and for that I apologize. I want to..." He sighed, he just did not know the right words to express what he wanted to say. "I want to make sure that what happened to mother and father never happen you us. I don't want us to be so locked into a fantasy world that when the real world finally intrudes we have no other recourse but to deny it to the final possible measure. I want you to live a long and happy life." The last was said barely above a whisper, but Kodachi heard it.

She replied in an almost as quiet voice. "Dear brother, if you truly desire my happiness, then stay out of my affairs, stay out of my life!" She began to shout. "Oh now you want to be a good and loving brother, concerned about his little sister. Well it is far too late for that. I might have loved you once because you were my brother. But now, now I just hate you because once you were my brother, and now you are merely another fixture in this house. You are just like the rest of them, you don't love me, you don't even like me!" With that, she turned and strode towards the house.

Tatewaki knew that perhaps now was not the best time, but he doubted that anytime would be good for what he was about to say. "Kodachi." He said once more, in a much more subdued manner.

"What?" She practically shrieked as she turned to him again.

"I know that I have done nothing to deserve your love, but nonetheless I am Tatewaki Kuno, the leader of the Kuno clan, and there will be changes made. I spent today hiring a new serving staff, they will start next week. I expect that you will be kind and courteous to them, I don't know if I can replace them if they decide to quit. Further I have taken over the family finances, and I have found that we need to be more frugal in our spending. Please do not make any major purchases without first consulting with me." With each sentence he said, Tatewaki watched his sister's fury increase. Feeling that he had said enough, he lapsed into silence.

"Is that all Master Kuno?" Kodachi asked through clenched teeth. "Do I have your permission to leave, Master Kuno?"

Tatewaki wearily nodded his head in defeat. He listened to her receding footsteps as he contemplated his tea which had grown quite cold. He knew that he was a bad brother, and his actions would only infuriate Kodachi for the conceivable future. He hoped that one day she would be able to look back and realize that he acted not out of spite, but love.

Sasuke chose that moment to gently clear his throat. Tatewaki had almost completely forgotten about the ninja during his conversation with Kodachi. Quickly recovering his bearings Tatewaki turned his attention to Sasuke. "Well, yes, as I'm sure you heard, next week we will have a new staff coming to work for the Kuno household."

"Yes maser Kuno." There was only respect in the way Sasuke said it, but remembering how his sister had flung the title in his face, Tatewaki felt uneasy.

"You know Sasuke, you could just call me mister Kuno, or even just sir." Tatewaki was tempted to add the title Blue Thunder, but felt that the joke would be in bad taste in the present circumstances. "Anyway, before the new staff starts, I need you to go through the mansion and remove all the booby traps."

Sasuke looked up at Tatewaki incredulously. "But master Kuno, without the traps how will I be able to guarantee your safety, or the security of your property?"

Tatewaki leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I know it is highly improper, but I'm afraid that the staffing agency was quite adamant about their removal before they agreed to send anyone over. If I understand correctly, there are some households in Japan who for one reason or another lack the assistance of a family ninja. I believe that they rely on some sort of alert system that contacts the local law enforcement office when someone tries to illegally enter their home. Perhaps we should look into that option."

Sasuke's eyes began to fill with tears as he replied, "But master Kuno that would mean you would be relying on the police to protect you. I would no longer have a purpose in life."

"Now now Sasuke, you know that you fill so many other roles besides defending the Kuno estate. For instance, I do not believe that I can carry this alerting system with me, so you will still need to protect my person." Tatewaki replied with a comforting dismissal wave.

"So I will still be of some use to you master Kuno?" Sasuke said, clasping his hands before him in joy.

Tatewaki smiled kindly, "Please Sasuke, call me mister Kuno or sir. And no one will ever be able to replace you. But as I said, the new staff does not start until next week, so between now and then I expect you to dismantle your traps. Also, now more than ever I am reluctant to eat anything from this house for fear of my sister doing something which we both would regret. Therefore I would like you to continue purchasing all meals for both of us, as well as my sister if she would like."

Sasuke stood and saluted. "I understand. I will immediately go to procure dinner. Then I will get started on dismantling the Washing Machine of Destruction." He leapt to the tree that he had fallen out of, momentarily hesitating. "By the way master Kuno, I left a new set of clothes in your room. I hope that they meet your approval." With that he disappeared over the wall of the Kuno estate.

Tatewaki had not heard the last statement of Sasuke. Actually he had heard it, it just did not penetrate his consciousness. He had already returned to thoughts of his sister, and how much he had failed her over the years. How much she now evidently hated him. He wished that somehow he could show her his thoughts and conclusions, so that she would think the way he did, and believe in him. Then strangely Tatewaki began to think about the many other women in his life that he wished would better understand him. Akane Tendo, the Pig-tailed Goddess, Nabiki ...

Mr. Turtle settled deeper into his pond and let out a quiet snore as the breeze from earlier returned and cause a few leaves from the tree to fall down into the garden, landing on the table holding the tea set. Tatewaki did not notice them as he raised his cup to his lips and drank his tea. It was ice cold, but he was so lost in thought that he did not notice.

More to come.

Author's Note:

I apologize for the length of time between the last posting and this one. Sadly the glamorous life of a graduate research assistant reared its head. Nothing like spending countless hours gathering, organizing, and analyzing data for an asinine paper that won't have your name on it. But hey, whatever as long as it pays tuition.

You may notice that this not the last chapter as advertised in the previous one. I found trying to squeeze character development into the same space as the climax cause this piece to become ponderous and fall from the plateau of adequacy into the depths of mediocrity.

This is still unbetad. Apparently I must continue to write as I live, alone.