YOUR ORDERS
Chapter 6: Interlude Between Tsunamis

PV: MUTSUMI

Ara, ara! I was in a very good sleep when the room service called to our dormitory. Hell, it was a long time ago that I drank so much as today... Otherwise, I've just drunk in intimate moments, usually at the presence of good friends and for a special occasion. I picked up the phone and the operator warned that the lunch was almost ready, and I thanked her. I saw my wristwatch, it's almost 1 PM. It was a little past the time when we should have vacated the room, but I knew the hotel manager, Hideyuki-san, wouldn't complicate...

What a headache... I always forget the dangers of getting drunk. While I fixed my clothing (completely screwed up after having slept without taking it off), I watched Ka-chan and Kei-kun sleeping. It's such a beautiful view, watching siblings that like each other. Sometimes, I asked myself if the affection demonstration that Kanako manages to Keitaro wasn't exaggerated, but I'm not a love expert to discuss that subject. It's Ka-chan's way, I hope someday she understands that Keitaro likes her just as a sister, and there's no chance that Kei-kun will fall in love with her. Maybe that's a hard day when it comes, but she'll overcome. I'm sure of that, she's a very strong girl.

It's a shame Keitaro likes Naru, because I also would enjoy having a chance with kanrinrin. I think I won't love someone as I love Kei-kun, he's almost the air that I breathe. Whence, I strove to stay next to him, it didn't matter where he was. I never care with goods, and I utilized the ones I had to please my sweet love. My goods must have some utility to me, not to live just to get more goods.

I recalled the day when I kissed him at that beach, it's the best moment from all my entire life. Of course I like to give kisses, they're signs of well wishing for me, but that kiss had a special flavor. It had the flavor of love. If I have to lay down with someone, I hope Kei-kun will be the chosen, but without bruising feelings from any of the girls that make a pair with him someday. If I have to stay with him, let it be by his own choice, not by a malice of mine – pouding the beloved person's feelings. I think I'm too romantic...

Ara, ara! I had to wake up my little friends. I rocked them gently, warning them it's the lunch time. Kei-kun woke up and thanked with a smile after he stretched himself, that smile is the most precious jewel on this world for me. I hated when he lost the smile, it's like a part of Kei-kun was missing. Ka-chan woke up and also thanked, but in a more august way than Keitaro. I felt sorry that Kanako doesn't show the wonderful girl she is, I'm sure she'd find several wooers and wouldn't push the stepbrother to the limits. We had a quick wash and drove ourselves to the dinner room. I watched they were astonished for seeing so much food, and from different styles.

"Ahn, Mutsumi-san, are you sure we can help ourselves?", asked me Kei-kun, somewhat suspiciously.

"Of course, my friends! The lunch is included in the daily price, you just have to dish!", I explained.

"Wow, Mutsumi-san, I even don't know where I can start. It's so many different sorts of foods. And there are dishes from Japan, France, England...", Ka-chan said, showing astonishment at speech.

"Do like I do: select what you find rather pretty, rather savory, rather juicy and do the work!", I answered, always trying to keep my good temper. I like to feel the people are happy.

"So, let's do it!", Kei-kun got motivated, nodding positively to Ka-chan. Kanako returned the gesture and turned towards me, smiling and walking with me until the main table. I even didn't have to say that all of us ate a lot and got off satisfied. I still paid for a good French wine, for completing the gastronomic pleasure from that moment. What a pretty moment! I adored to do a little scheme with my sweet friends. And I adored to be very close to the man I love. I was almost sure he did the promise to Naru, but how I cannot ensure that, I always preferred not to interfere in that pair's life. I remembered to promise getting in Toudai with him, and the fulfillment of that promise is enough to make me happy. Obviously, I insinuated something, but I didn't meddle so much, I let them do the unrolling of their love story.

After we thank the Hideyuki-san's hospitality and kindness, we left the hotel and decided to enjoy a little more that Sunday in the Capital. As the Sheraton is next to Disney Japan, I proposed such an entertainment, what was accepted promptly. Of course, I did the courtesy of paying the entrance tickets for all the amusements, beyond paying for extra attractions. Gee, what an amusing day!

It's strange, in spite of giving the sensation that he was enjoying, I noticed that Keitaro was a little withdrawn. What happened with my sweet beloved one? He seemed to be so diplomatic, as if he didn't wanna offend anyone. The affair of one pair-at-time amusements evinced my theory well. Trying not to do any problem, Kei-kun played one turn at an amusement with Ka-chan, and after that, one turn with me. At other attractions, he always tried to place himself between me and her. I played myself as numb girl – I took the advantage of being a little confused too – and continued to do the things ordinarily, as if Keitaro didn't have any problem at all. He tried to strain himself at maximum for not demonstrating he was a little uncomfortable, and I decided not to show my concern. I didn't wanna dissatisfy him, not that Ka-chan had an outburst.

We played at Disney up to 8 o'clock PM, when Kei-kun decided that we should come back; after all, tomorrow is Monday and life goes on. And I still have a pending subject to discuss to Ka-chan and Haruka-san. If everything goes right, the life at boarding house will be more fun than ever.

PV: KANAKO

Gee, what a crazy weekend. It was a time of extremes: from the moment when I was almost losing my brother again, until I enjoy this so much funny Sunday ending. How Keitaro can be so stupid, he can't see I'm the right woman for him. I was the only one at every difficult moments of his life... He's always being beaten by that boarding house's shameless girls and he's still thinking they're wonderful people. We could have some good moments together, but when the topic is getting the right man, the girls must act by their own – and he's still choosing Naru, the person that is mistreating him the most at the boarding house. I'd understand if he chose Shinobu or Mutsumi, but Naru? What a bad taste!

But he's different. The happenings from this weekend disturbed my brother's intimacy. I didn't know exactly what changed, but I felt it's for better. I felt he wasn't the same passive guy from before. He could be a little confused, but now he had reaction, he seemed not to accept so easily the exploitation from the Hinata-sou's girls. It was the time to acquire some guts and answer properly the girls's ravings. My fear was that he broadened that hostility to all women and I ended up in the middle of the hurricane. I didn't want that he was getting away from me.

Well, me and Mutsumi left Keitaro at Haruka-san's home and we retracted ourselves to the Hinata-sou. Man, I was very tired, needing a good sleep to face one more studying day in an attempt to get in at Toudai. Being over there, I can fight to get closer to him. While we're getting closer to the boarding house, I watched Mutsumi-san's happy face. I was very intrigued and I decided to break the ice a little.

"So, Mutsumi-san, why is the reason for so much happiness?", I asked, keeping a very neutral expression at the face.

"Ara, ara! I'm happy because I had a wonderful afternoon with Kei-kun. Don't you like to get close to him?", Mutsumi responded. I couldn't avoid being ashamed. I don't like to talk about what I feel about my brother.

"Oh, Mutsumi-san, can I make a very private question?", I asked.

"Ara, ara! Of course, Ka-chan!", Mutsumi answered to me. I think that's strange when someone calls me 'Ka-chan', but it seems to be so natural when Mutsumi speaks...

"If I'm not wrong, your mother worked over there, didn't she?", I asked cautiously.

"Ara, ara! Of course she did! It's a shame that she worked for such a brief time... I enjoyed a lot being here, and I believe I played a lot with Kei-kun...", Mutsumi answered, showing to be nostalgic. I had forgotten she's another rival...

"I mean, how did your family get rich so suddenly?", I asked, almost spitting out the words.

"Oh, yes! The answer is my daddy got a good job, worked a lot and today he's a member of that enterprise's council, and he's a very renowned manager. It was as simple as that, ara ara!", Mutsumi told me, always smiling. It's incredible that she has such a simple view of things.

"Oh, interesting, so it was as simple as that?", I commented.

"Of course. And why wouldn't it be? After all, Kei-kun and all the girls had already been there, I'm thinking to bring everybody over there at vacations... I believe you'll like to know it.", Mutsumi spoke to me. I didn't observe we had already gotten the boarding house's main saloon.

"It could be, I accept the invitation", I said, understanding I cannot vacillate and let my brother together to that mad girls, "But I believe the day tomorrow will be full to all of us. I'll check if the boarding house is pretty locked. Good night, Mutsumi-san"

"Good night, Ka-chan!", the turtle girl answered to me. If I wasn't fighting for my brother, I think that she or Shinobu would be the best choices for him. I cannot understand what he sees at Naru. She mistreat him so much... Albeit, at this almost finished weekend, something was changed... And I believe all of us are back to the race. I'd just like to know what Mutsumi wants so much to discuss with Haruka-san.

Chapter written between Nov-25-2004 and Dec-05-2004, and translated between Jan-30-2005 and Feb-01-2005. Watching again the anime episode, Haruka called Keitaro's mother "aunt", and I put at the first episode that the parentage was by the father... I just thought strange Keitaro's mother being Urashima and the son don't have the father surname (in Japan, people just carry one surname, and the women adopt the husband's surname in prejudice from their own – whence, the importance of birthing men in Japanese Chinese culture, because the man perpetuates the family name), unless either Keitaro's mother was single in the time when she had Keitaro, or Keitaro's father is an Urashima. I won't make any change, I'll let the parentage as I wrote at the first chapter, I just put this note as a information to the readers; I just can say "sumimasen" to the fans.

This chapter was just a way to link the facts from previous tale with the rest of the story. It was meaningless to show the hotel scene without a continuance and jump straight to the next week. I decided to put something from what Mutsumi and Kanako think about everything that happened. It looks like a silly chapter, but I believed that was important to put a prelude to the next episodes from this saga. Please, send me your reviews (either positives or negatives ones), I wish a good year to all of you!

Martin, you're the man! Thank for all posted reviews, people!