This was getting irritating to say the least. Yuka had gotten up again to find chaos around the Maple Inn again, and she already was in a bad mood from finding out she had been excluded from a group hike yesterday. Donut and Mayu were making breakfast together, as usual. Grif was no where to be found though would probably quickly appear to steal all the food the previous two had prepared. Simmons was reading something on Japanese culture. Sarge was yelling at Doc for his pacifistic beliefs (its a miracle the neighbours never came over to complain about his constant shouting). Washington and Carolina were absent again. Caboose somehow smashed his head through the wall and got it stuck. And finally, Kouta was sharing some of his own drawings with Kouta.
Yuka internally growled at the sight. She had always envisioned it would be just her and Kouta when the two went off to college, but ever since these weirdos came into their home, shes been getting less and less time with him all while having to deal the Reds and Blues antics. And to top it off; Kaede, Aiko, and Mayu, while more respectful (and sane) than the reds and blues, they were also hogging up Kouta's time and getting along with him particularly well. Especially Kaede. If nothing was done, he might up up falling for one of them.
"Morning." A voice greeted from behind. The speaker walked up to stand by Yuka's side to watch the chaos, revealing themselves to be Kaede. "They're at it again I see."
"Y-yeah." Yuka agrees. "Hey, I was wondering if sometime today, the two of us could take a walk together or something?"
"A walk?" Kaede questions.
"Just so we could get to know each other better." Yuka explains. "I feel like I've barely spent time with you."
"Fair enough." Kaede smiles. "I would also like to get to know you, Yuka."
"Right." Lets go after breakfast." Yuka agrees. 'Maybe on this walk I can lay down the law of whats going to happen here. And interrogate her about a few... inconsistency's in what she told me about herself.
"How would you like to come with me to walk Wanta?" Mayu asks Donut in the meantime.
"I would love to!" Donut exclaims. "What about asking Caboose? I'm sure he would like to go too."
"He just seems a little..." Mayu drones off, looking at Caboose. "Stuck, and I don't like to keep Wanta waiting."
"Fair enough, besides theres always next time. We start right after breakfast?" Donut asks.
Kaede and Yuka departed for their walk where they decided to head down for the beach. While on the way, they decided to begin their talk.
"How are you getting along with the others?" Kaede asks.
"...I have some issues with a few of them." Yuka answers.
"I get that. Again, I'm so sorry for dropping them in your lap like that." Kaede responds.
"Yeah... still so hard to believe about the other dimension stuff. Not to mention you said you supposedly have some organization after you and the others here." Yuka says.
"I suppose. I've been living it so long it actually seems kind of normal to me." Kaede says.
"Yeah..." Yuka trails off just as they reach the beach. "The problem is its still not normal to me."
"What are you getting at?" Kaede asks.
"I'm getting at the fact that theres a zoo of inter-dimensional soldiers at our house, bringing in even more people into our house." Yuka says unkindly.
"Hey, I'm said I was sorry about all that!" Kaede exclaims. "But until we find that ball thing, we have no where to go. And the others, Mayu and Aiko had no where to go."
"All while derailing Kouta's and my college school year." Yuka exclaims. "We were supposed to go together with no distractions, yet I can't even wake up to some new and crazy development!"
"Kouta has had no problem helping the others out!" Kaede exclaims. "If you don't want to deal with everyone else, don't! I'll handle them! They're my responsibility!"
"Thats not what I'm getting at!" Yuka yells back. Just then, Kaede is knocked down and pinned to the ground while Yuka is grabbed from behind and has a gun pointed to the side of her head. Kaede is able to look up to identify the attack is the soldier who had chased down Aiko and herself.
"Your gonna come with me if you don't want her to catch one in the head." Bando says as he further presses his gun to Yuka's head, making her cower away, as much as she was allowed.
"Goodbye brother! I hope to come back real soon!" Kanae exclaims as she boards the train back home. Kouta, Mayu, Wanta, and Donut are there to wave her off.
"I hope to see you again really soon, Kanae!" Kouta calls back to her.
"Let me know how things go with you and Kaede!" Kanae yells to him before the train door close and the train departs.
"What did she say?" Kouta asks his companions.
"I think she said she wanted to know how things go with you and Kaede." Donut tells him.
"Why want to know how things go between specifically the two of us?" Kouta questions. "Are you sure you didn't mishear?"
"Maybe she just want to be updated on how Kaede is, especially after everything that happened while she was visiting." Mayu proposes.
"Yeah, that makes sense." Kouta agrees. "So back home?"
"No, I've gotta walk Wanta for a bit while I'm out." Mayu says.
"Oh! Can I join you?" Donut asks.
"Sure! I would like to have your company." Mayu smiles.
"Alright. I'll see you two at home then." Kouta says before he parts ways with the two. As the two walk along, Donut starts to talking.
"I don't know if I've said this, but this city is wonderful. Truly a work of art made real if you ask me."
"I suppose it does look nice." Mayu agrees. "I'm probably numb to it since I've lived here all my life."
"I can see that. Maybe you'd find plain old home to look really nice." Donut says.
"Didn't Kaede say your home was in a boxed canyon in the middle of no where?" Mayu asks. "Where it was hot nearly all the time?"
"Yup. It sure had it's charms though." Donut continues. Wanta then started barking and began tugging his leash in a certain direction, so much so that Mayu lost her grip on the leash, allowing Wanta to run free.
"Oh no, Wanta!" Mayu panics.
"After that dog!" Donut exclaims as the two give chase. The two followed the dog into the nearby graveyard until he stopped to bark at someone sitting by themselves. Catching up to Wanta and seeing this, Mayu immediately apologizes to the girl.
"I'm sorry, he doesn't usually bark."
"It's alright." The girl apologizes. Both her and Donut see that the girl is sitting by a can of ashes and is shivering. They also notice the girls horns and pink hair.
"Hey are you alright?" Donut asks her.
"I'm alright. I just didn't realize how cold it could get when it gets dark." She answers.
Mayu takes on a look of understanding. "You don't have a place to go to?"
"There aren't many places girls with horns can go." She replies. The two think of Kaede who is now living with them.
"Why don't you come with us?" Donut says. "We're welcoming of anyone, no matter whats on their head."
"Really!" The girl exclaims.
"Yeah!" Mayu says. "The head of our house was nice enough to let us stay when we had no where to go. I'm sure he'll let you stay with us!"
"Great! My name is Nana! Whats yours?" Nana says with exuberance.
"Mayu... my name is Mayu." Mayu replies.
"I'm Franklin Delano Donut!" Donut replies.
"Wow! Thats such a long name!" Nana exclaims.
"Its my first, middle, and last name." Donut explains. "You can just call me Donut though. All my other friends do."
"Friends... can you two be my friends? I've never had any friends." Nana says.
"Yeah. I'll be your friend." Mayu says.
"Sounds good." Donut smiles. "Say, I like your dress Nana. It really compliments your hair well."
"Ah, you think so!" Nana squeals excitedly.
"Yeah. Shame that the sleeves seem ripped, though I can fix that." Donut says as the three head back to Maple House.
Bando led the two girls into a storage area near the beach, gun still to Yuka's head.
"Dead mans trigger." He told the girls. "If for some reason I let go of the trigger, she'll have a hole fucked right through her head before you can do anything about it. So don't even think about using those freaky powers of yours."
"What do you want?!" Yuka panics.
"I want to get back at red bastard for taking my arm by takeing his!" Bando exclaims.
"And we're the bait?" Kaede asks.
"There you go." Bando says before shoving the two in a storage room locking them inside.
"Damn it." Yuka's eyes water, almost ready to release tears, however, she turns her sadness into anger. "Why did you have to do this!?"
"Me? It's not my fault I have a bunch of mad men after me constantly!" Kaede yells back.
"Its your fault we're dragged into your mess!" Yuka screams. "If you just never walked into our lives, it would all be perfect!"
Kaede narrows her eyes, having the suspicions she's had at the beginning of their walk confirmed. "So... thats what this was all really about."