Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. All related characters etr. are the rightful property of SNK Playmore. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.
Sore ga Ai, Deshou?
Rev. Reply(ies):
PPC: Dude, I love you, but ya gotta get a signed account so that I can just PM you instead. As to the age of majority thing, I was fairly certain that the age of majority in Japan was 16 because that's when girls can get married and teenagers can start living on their own without parents or guardian(s). If my information is wrong then please send me a link to an informational source or something like that so that I can learn for next time. As it is now, lets just say that within the context of this story the age of majority is 16.
Chapter Eighteen: Unexpected Guest
Andy and Jubei stayed in Tokyo that night, the trains between Tokyo, Niigata and Higashiyama stopped running after midnight (but even if they had been running, Andy was sure that his master would have still insisted on staying the night so that he could ride home during the day when the train would be packed with young attractive school girls, sometimes the old lecher went out of his way to be sukebe).
They spent the night in a cheap motel, the kind that lonely businessmen take loose girls to for an evening of scandalous behavior. Andy did not appreciate the quizzical look he and his master got from the man behind the lobby desk and couldn't wait for the next day when they could return to Higashiyama and their normal training regimen. Tokyo and the underground fighting ring was a lovely diversion and useful practice, be he much preferred the natural tranquility of the Yamada dojo to the obnoxious noise and blaring lights or the capitol.
…
As Andy had expected Jubei-sensei chose the busiest rush hour for them to return to their mountain home. The train from Tokyo station to Niigata was packed with high school and collage students all clad in either their school uniforms or short skirts of some other variety.
"Andy," his master whispered to him when they entered the train car, "I'm gonna teach you a skill that, while not pertinent to your current goal, will no less be useful for you through out the course of your life."
Knowing what the old judo master prioritized as 'useful life skills', Andy couldn't help but swallow in apprehension. He did not want to get kicked off the train or worse arrested for sexual harassment. He still remembered the day Hanzo-sensei had had to go down and bail Jubei out because he couldn't keep his hands to himself.
"I'm going to teach you the subtle art of groping."
The knot of apprehension in Andy's throat sank to become a stone of dread in his stomach. His master was indeed going to get them both arrested. "Sensei, I don't really think now's such a good time…" He cast his brain around for a suitable excuse, knowing the Jubei wouldn't accept 'I don't want to', as a suitable excuse not to.
"Nonsense. This is the perfect time." The old master insisted. "Its rush hour and the trains are packed, the surplus bodies will provide extra cover so no meddling 'heroes' can come over and interfere and most importantly of all, this is the only time you'll get this many young girls to choose from! School age girls are so much easier, they lack the independence and audacity of older women and are less likely to make a scene."
Andy could not believe what he was hearing. He was actually being taught how to become a sexual predator. "Sensei, I don't think this is such a good idea…"
The aged judo master ignored his incomplete protest as he continued his lecture. "Now, you want to stay away from girls in groups, when females travel in packs they draw support from one another and will be more likely to raise an alarm. Also, you want to beware of women and girls with a confident or assured air about them, women like that are the type to grab your arm and drag you off the train at the next stop to turn you in."
"Is that how you were arrested, Sensei?" The young ninja asked, hoping to dissuade his master from this course of action by reminding him of the consequences of his actions.
"A mistake on my part." Jubei brushed off the question. "I made a misjudgment." The old master turned his attention to studying the throng of people in their compartment; he zeroed in on a girl and pointed her out to Andy. "Her, go test your aptitude on that girl and I'll give you some more coaching after we see how you do."
"Sensei, I really don't feel comfortable with this." He wasn't used to talking back to his mentors and so was very meek when he said this. But to spite his meek and timid appearance Andy couldn't help but feel an internal feeling of revulsion at the idea or violated the personal space of a complete stranger. Jeff had taught him and Terry to respect people's personal space and to respect women. What Jubei was telling him to do violated both of those deeply ingrained lessons.
"That's exactly why you need practice." The judo master insisted. "It'll get easier over time and practice. No go on."
Andy did not want to go over and molest the girl in question but he also didn't want his master to keep pestering him about it. He moved through the densely packed train car intending to stand close to the girl where his master couldn't see his hands and wait until she got off the train. There by satisfying Jubei's desire to see Andy jaded while not violating the morals his father had taught him.
That plan changed when he actually got to the girl, however.
As fate would have it, the poor girl was already being molested by another man, a short and stocky businessman with balding hair was rubbing her butt vigorously enough to raise her skirt. Andy stood in shock for a moment or two, neither he nor his master had seen any indication that she was already in distress from their vantage point in the train car nor did this girl seem to be fighting back in any way. On the contrary, she was just standing there and taking it to spite her obvious lack of consent. The morals Jeff had instilled in him would not stand for this kind of behavior.
The young ninja reached a hand out and grabbed the man's wrist, pulling his hand up and away from the girl's backside he said, "Excuse me. I don't think she much like's you molesting her like that."
"Teme wa, gaki?" The man snarled. (Trans: "Who are you, brat?")
"A concerned passenger." The blond answered and tightened his grip on the man's wrist enough to bruise. "But who I am isn't important. I wonder what the authorities would think of you feeling-up a girl young enough to be your daughter." He nodded to the front of the train.
The man bit the inside of his cheek and wrenched his hand out of Andy's grasp, pulling the sleeve of his blazer over the handprint the ninja had left there. "The bitch isn't worth it."
Andy smirked in triumph as he watched the man wade through the crowded train car on his way to the doors, presumably to get off at the next stop. The boy turned his attention back to the girl. "Are you okay, ojou-san?"
"H-hai." She answered meekly and bowed politely. "Domo."
She blushed daintily and Andy suddenly found himself very annoyed by her bland and submissive behavior. Mai would never have been so timid or compliant, not that he went around comparing other women to childhood training partner or anything.
"Shout for help or something next time." He advised her. "If you don't want that kind of attention then you don't have to put up with it."
"H-hai." She nodded.
Her response grated on his nerves even more. Did she answer everything with a stuttered 'Y-yes'? The blond ninja decided to give up on her and wove through the crowd back to where his master had been waiting and observing.
Jubei shook his head when Andy returned. "M'boy, that was worse than a fail. I sent you over there to be and man and you became a freaking 'White Knight'."
Andy had no idea what a 'White Knight' was supposed to be within the context of the conversation but from the way his master said it, it wasn't what he was supposed to be. Which, given the type of lesson, was exactly what Andy wanted to be.
…
When Andy and Jubei finally returned to the Yamada dojo that afternoon they were greeted with the scent of fresh sukiyaki. The two fighters stood in the entryway and exchanged identical looks of dismay.
"Were you expecting anyone?" The old judo master asked.
"I have no social life, Sensei." The boy reminded him.
The two followed the delicious scent to the kitchen and beheld a young woman with her back to them. She was stirring the contents of a shallow iron pot, presumably the sukiyaki they smelled, while she hummed a little tune to herself.
"Excuse me?" Andy ventured at the mysterious woman.
"Oh, you're back!" The woman turned to reveal herself to be not a mysterious stranger at all but Shiranui Mai. It felt like it had been ages since Andy had last seen her; he was surprised he even recognized her at all.
Her face had finally filled out and exchanged the roundness of youth for an appealing heart shape that was elegantly framed by her bangs and forelocks. He breasts had grown some more as well, they were practically bursting from the winter top she wore and Andy swore he could see the delicate buds of her nipples poking out through the thick fabric. He waist had shrunk as well and her hips had finally finished that round cure they had been developing when he left, giving her an almost perfect hourglass figure. Andy felt himself go rigid at the sight of her and hoped the stiff fabric of his blue jeans could conceal it.
"Oh, Mai!" Jubei exclaimed, all smiles. "How nice of you to visit. And look how much you've grown!"
Andy wasn't sure how his master had moved so fast, but some how, the old judo master had gone from standing right beside the blond ninja to right in front of Mai in less than a second. He closed his hands over he breasts and squeezed.
"Let go!" One of Mai's sensu fans appeared in her, seemingly out of nowhere, and she smacked Jubei hard across the face with it. "Sukebe-jiji."
Andy just stood there, not sure of what he was supposed to do. Be he was sure of one thing: That was how a woman was supposed to react to inappropriate touching.
"Is that anyway to treat your elder?" The old judo master sobbed from where he now sat crumpled on the kitchen floor, a bright red fan-shaped welt on his face.
Mai ignored him and turned her attention to his blond apprentice. "Hello, Andy."
"Uh, hi." And then after a brief pause, "Ohisashiburi desu ne."
"I made lunch for you." She said awkwardly and Andy wondered if it was because she could easily see how attractive he was finding her. They were old training buddies, there was no reason for there to be this odd awkwardness between the two of them.
"You made lunch for him but not me?" Jubei asked, climbing to his feet.
"You lost your eating privileges." The kunoichi snapped at him.
"Uh… thanks. What are you doing here." Not that the blond ninja wasn't ungrateful for the meal (it would certainly be better than his own or his master's cooking) but he was still confused as to why she had broken into the dojo while they were away.
Mai lifted the sukiyaki with two thick pot-holders and carried it to the dining table. "Oh well, Winter Break just started and I asked Ojisama and 'Touchan if I could train here for the week before New Years."
"I… see…" Andy sat down at the table opposite her and accepted the bowl of raw beaten egg she handed him. He spooned out a helping of thinly sliced beef and cubed tofu to mix with it. "So you'll only be here a week?"
"Why? You wish I could stay longer?" She asked coyly, fluttering her eyelashes in sultry mocking.
"I just wanted to know how long you'll be under-foot." The blond shot back stoically. "You did show up unexpected and uninvited."
Mai huffed and laughed flippantly from behind her fan. "You should be honored that I dinged to grace this pathetic little dojo with my presence."
"'Pathetic'? 'Little'?" Jubei echoed, insulted. "My home, this is!"
Mai ignored him.
Andy merely shrugged and turned his attention to the food that was before him. Jubei took this opportunity, while Mai's vision was partially obscured by her own fan, to sneak up to the table in an attempt to get at the deadly beauty's cooking. The deadly beauty in question quickly snapped her fan shut and smacked the judo master's hand with it.
"Itai, that smarts." Jubei quickly pulled his hand away. "You just like hitting me, don't you!"
Mai's knee-jerk reaction was to come back with something along the lines of, 'No, you just like being hit.' But though better of it. The lecherous old coot might take that as an invitation for "spankings" and she really didn't want that. So instead the kunoichi just shrugged and tuned her attention back to the blond bishounnen across from her.
"So, where'd you two just get back from?"
"Tokyo." Andy answered flatly.
"Oh, that sounds fun. What'd you do there?"
"Fought in an illegal underground fighting competition." Andy said this with such a strait face and casual manner that Mai had to pause a moment to be sure she had understood correctly.
"I… see…"
The blond ninja helped himself to another helping of sukiyaki. "This is really good, by the way."
A wide smile played over her features. "Really? I'm glad you like it, 'Touchan's been teaching me how to cook and Ojisama keeps saying that I'm better than him but I think he's just saying that 'casue he's my ojisama. You really like it?"
"Uh… I believe I already said I did."
"I'd like some…" Jubei humphed. Being denied a meal cooked by the beautiful Mai was bad enough but to have the two of them sit there and talk about how delicious it was right in front of him was just cruel. He was supposed to be the master here, where had the respect gone?
The old judo master glanced between his apprentice and the lovely kunoichi and couldn't help but notice that they were looking at each other far more than they were their food. Figures, a pretty face and sexy body walk through the door and suddenly Andy doesn't care about his ageing old master anymore.
"Andy…" Jubei ventured. "Since Mai-chan is going to be staying with a for a bit, why don't you make up a room for her?"
"Ah, hai, Sensei." The boy quickly finished the contents of his bowel and stood.
"I'll help you." Mai said, also standing. After the old judo master's initial reaction to finding her in his house she did not want to be left alone with him. The kunoichi grabbed Andy by the arm, pressing his elbow between her breasts (making him blush) and followed him down the hall.
And Jubei had been left alone with the food.
…
Having Mai staying with them at the Yamada dojo was vexing. She often complained about the lack of indoor heating, electric lights or any real modern comforts. Andy came to almost be able to tell the time by how she would suddenly sigh and exclaim, "How can you people live like this!?"
Jubei didn't seem to mind all that much. The old man would smile and dismiss her discomfort by offering to warm her himself. These offers were usually followed by a smack to the head with a fan or a punch to solar plexus.
On the other hand, it was nice having another person to spar against. Mai had been taught in the same style of ninjitsu as he had, but Andy quickly found out that after his time spent under the instruction of Jubei-sensei his own rendition of the style had diverged from the original enough to make some of Mai's moves unfamiliar to him. Of course, the fact that her costume was very distracting might have contributed to that as well.
Gads, that costume! It was like she was still wearing the same red gi she had worn back when she was twelve, the same red gi. As in, she was wearing an outfit that was two sizes to small for her. Almost every inch of her body threatened to burst from its fabric confines at any moment when she moved. Add that to the fact that the winter chill made her nipples poke through the material and it really was needless to say that her costume and the body underneath it were both very distracting.
…
(A/N: Cutting this chapter short. Sorry. There's some stuff going down IRL and I can't have this fan fiction on my mind. That said, it'll probably be a wile until my next update. I apologize for the inconvenence.)