Disclaimer: I don't own Fatal Fury, King of Fighters or related characters. I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit entertainment.

Sorega Ai, Deshou?

Chapter Twenty-Four: Kotowari

The next day, Andy and Jubei prepared to leave for their return to the Yamada dojo. Hanzo did not ask about when Andy might make a decision, and Andy did not mention his master's offer. Koinosuke had also spent the night and -while no one explicitly said anything out loud- Andy got the distinct impression that the others wouldn't want the ninja prince knowing that they were considering having the American adopted into the clan.

Truth be told, Andy didn't really know the other man that well. They were never really friends as children, and as adults they had exchanged words a grand total of once. Yesterday. When Andy answered the door and Koinosuke attacked him. So, maybe the blond ninja didn't have the right to judge. But he still got the distinct impression that anything said within the ninja prince's hearing would go straight to the ear of either his mother or grandfather. Not necessarily out of malice, but just because Koinosuke wouldn't see a reason to keep things from them. Hanzo's decision to induct Andy into the clan would not go over well with them, so the blond resolved to keep it quiet until he did come to a decision.

As per usual, Jubei insisted they take the rush-hour train. Full of young, innocent, and distracted school aged girls for prey, and other people for cover. Andy was not in a mood to play babysitter for his master. After yesterday's conversation, he had to many heavy thoughts weighing on his mind. He grabbed Jubei's wrist before the older man could even begin to pick out a target, never mind feel one up.

"Sensei," he began softly, "as a favor to me, could you not today?"

The older man turned to glare at his student as if the boy had just insulted his ancestors. But seeing the tired and sober expression on Andy's face, Jubei relaxed. It had been a rather shocking couple of days for him. Being seduced by the exquisitely beautiful Shiranui Mai and having the steel and backbone to reject her, learning that it wasn't just sex she wanted from him but that she'd prefer him as a husband over her current fiance, and finally, being offered not only the opportunity to go on real ninja missions, but also to be adopted into the clan. Yes, it had definitely been a rather shocking week for the normally quiet and withdrawn fighter.

Jubei patted him on the shoulder. "Chin up, puppy. When we get home I'm gonna make you a strong cup of tea."

…

The 'strong cup of tea' turned out to be a normal cup of tea with a spike of brandy. Andy winced at the harsh flavor. He still wasn't used to drinking alcohol yet.

"You'll acquire the taste eventually." The old Judo master assured him, spiking a cup for himself before sitting down at the table across from his pupil. Sipping his tea slowly, Jubei regarded the younger man from over the rim of his cup. "You're going to accept Hanzo's offer."

"What?" Andy blinked at him.

"Not today." The older man conceded. "Maybe not even before New Years. But you will -and before you have to go back to South Town. You know yourself, Andy, and you know you need the experience being a Shiranui Genin will give you."

Not knowing what to say to that, Andy just took another sip of his tea. Tasted more brandy than tea and set the cup back down. Paused. Thought. Then spoke. "Do you know what Hagi is, Sensei?"

Jubei snorted. "You mean Hanzo's own private island befitting a Bond-style villain? Yes, I've heard of it."

Of course, Jubei and Hanzo had been best friends for longer than Andy had been alive. Even if the Judo master had never been there himself, he would know about it. Andy nodded. "Well, at Hagi they have this obstacle course where you're dumped on one end of the island and have to navigate to the other side. Anyway, there was this one time when I was running the Course, I was really hungry. Like, really, really hungry. I had caught a squirrel, this cute little adorable rat with a fluff-tail. I was gonna eat it. I had it in my hands-" he held up his hands one fist wrapped around the other to illustrator "-all I had to do was break its neck." A pause. He lowered his hands. "But I couldn't. I couldn't even harm a squirrel."

Sighing, Jubei nodded. The boy couldn't even bring himself to kill a vermin, yet he still somehow planned to kill a man.

Andy understood and lowered his eyes.

A silence settled over them so loud that they could hear the drip of condensation in the cooling tea kettle.

Finally, Jubei stood. Poring his unfinished spiked tea in the basin, he turned back to Andy. "Change into your training dogi and throw on a jacket. I'm taking you hunting."

…

Andy had been taught a little of tracking and stalking. Enough to be able to fend for himself in the wilderness or trail an enemy in a crowded city. But it was Jubei that did most of the actual hunting on this trip. The most Andy did was keep up and stay quiet.

Finally, the old Judo master stopped them near a tree with a hallow at the base where there were clear signs of an animal living there. The snow was dirtier, having been stirred into the mud by tracks going both in and out, brown and black fur from when it's winter coat had come in and it shed its summer one.

"I assume they taught you how to set a snare." Jubei cast a sideways glance at his pupil.

"H-hai, sensei." Nodded the younger man, not really sure where his master was going with this.

"Then please set one here." He indicated in front of the hallow. "And when we catch something, we'll move onto the next part of the lesson."

Andy had a feeling of where this lesson was going and it did not make him feel very comfortable. But, as both Masters Jubei and Hanzo had said, if he was to defeat Geese and avenge his father's murder, then he would need experience killing. He couldn't just jump from having never harmed anything outside the training ring before to full blown murder instantly. He would have to work up to it. Best to start with small animals.

Kneeling in front of the hollow at the base of the tree, Andy set the snare.

Jubei nodded. "Now we wait."

Andy was about to ask 'out here in the cold?' but thought better of it. Ninja were trained to tolerate all kind s of uncomfortable conditions while waiting for a target. It would have been a slap in the face to his training and disrespectful to everything Hanzo had done for him to ask to go back inside. Instead, they found a suitable tree to set up a makeshift hunters' blind in and waited.

The sun was dipping low, the air getting ever colder when something finally did emerge from the hallow. A single black and brown raccoon, his thick winter coat making him look fat at first. But when he moved you could see where the skin hung from his frame from rapid weight loss. The winter had been much more lean for the animal than he'd anticipated. He sniffed the air, sensing that something was different outside his den, but not quite able to tell what. Putting his nose to the ground, the raccoon took three steps out of its lair-

-and was caught in Andy's snare.

"Good job." Jubei hopped down from their blind.

Reluctantly, the younger man followed him.

Seeing the two humans coming towards it, the raccoon panic. It struggled against the snare, and only succeeded in getting itself further entangled in Andy's trap. Jubei knelt down next to it. The raccoon proceeded to snap at him, hissing and growling warnings. Threatening bites and scratches if the human didn't leave him alone. All of these the old Judo master ignored. He grabbed the creature by the scruff of its neck, holding it still.

"Alright, puppy." He looked up at Andy. "Come here and break its neck."

He knew the oder was coming, and yet the American-born ninja found himself exclaiming, "What!?" He paused. "But- -its a tanuki."

"Its a vermin that lives on the mountain and you need to start getting used to the idea of killing things." Jubei reminded him. "I promise you, real tanuki don't have any magical powers."

Still hesitant, Andy knelt down across from his master. He placed one hand on the animal's head and the other on its shoulder, holding each with a firm grip. One quick motion and he could wrench the raccoon's neck. Kill it instantly. A quick and relatively painless death.

Sensing the imminent danger it was in, the animal struggled even harder. Pulling on the snare to the point of cutting into its skin. Blood dripped off of its dark fur onto the stirred-up and dirty snow. He was already thin from the winter and now this... Andy didn't wanna kick a creature when it was down. That was the sort of thing Geese would do. He didn't want to be like the man he was going to kill.

With a sigh, Andy took his hand off the raccoon's shoulder and began untangling it from his snare.

"Oi! What are you doing?" Demanded his master.

"He's already weak and now injured, sensei." The younger man informed him. "There's no honor in this kill."

Jubei sputtered for a second before running a hand through his long white hair in sudden frustration with his student. "The point of the exercise wasn't to learn honor, it was to learn what its like to kill something. How do you expect to ever avenge your father's death if you have no stomach for killing!?"

Realizing that this second human was helping him and that the danger had momentarily passed, the raccoon stopped struggling enough for the younger human to finish unwrapping the string he'd been entangled within.

Andy scooped the animal into his arms. "We'll take it back to the dojo with us. I'll treat its wounds and give it a proper meal, and when its a full strength, then I'll challenge it."

"'Challenge it'?" Jubei echoed. "Its a raccoon, not a fighter. Its hobbies include stealing food and spreading disease."

But the younger man wasn't listening. He had already made up his mind, and as Jubei had learned over their time living together, while Andy was respectful, he was also stubborn. Once he made up his mind about something then his mind was made up and there was no changing it. He would dig his heels in and oppose his master at every step. Jubei grit his teeth.

"I'm not gonna be responsible for it." He snarled. "That thing makes a mess you're cleaning it up!"

"Of course, sensei." Andy nodded.

So it was decided, and there was nothing Jubei could do to change it.

…

New Years finally arrived, and Mai came of age.

She did not wake-up early to watch the first sunrise of the new year. She did, however, wake-up early to prepare herself for her rejection of the betrothal.

Traditionally, yuino were big banquet affairs involving both the bride and groom's families, as well as a mediator. In this case, the bride and groom's families were the same family and they had no mediator. Instead of a traditional and decadent engagement ceremony, Koinosuke and Mai had agreed on a smaller, quiet, and intimate exchange of bridal gifts with just their immediate relatives. Mai and her father and grandfather, and Koinosuke and his mother and grandfather. That was decided long before Mai's failed attempt to seduce Andy and her decision to end the engagement entirely.

Koinosuke looked still and tense in his elegantly embroidered haori over a formal kimono and hakama ensemble. Then again, he had been tense and uncomfortable around her ever since she slipped up and said the wrong name during their lovemaking. And she was about to hurt his feelings and embarrass him again, too. This time right in front of his overbearing mother and controlling grandfather. Poor guy. She almost felt sorry for him. She did feel sorry for him.

Just not sorry enough to go back on her plans.

She was not going to marry Koinosike.

He presented her with an wooden box with a beautiful yosegi finish, lacquered to a shine. Mai didn't have to open it to know what was in it. Her first bridal gift. An obi meant to represent female virtue. She was expected to reciprocate with a new hakama for Koinosuke, to represent fidelity, and in fact, she had been sewing one for him right up to to moment she resolved to never, ever, marry him ever. Ever! If she was going to be marrying anyone, it would be Andy. Andy Bogard or no one. Mai wasn't really sure when she'd come to that particular decision, but that was the final decision she'd made. Andy or no one.

Bowing low in an apology, head nearly touching the tatami mat, Mai pushed the lovely yosegi box back to Koinosuke.

"I'm sorry." She said. And in all truthfulness, she was a little sorry. For doing this to Koinosuke in front of his family. "But this isn't going to happen."

Nagare and Shiszune's outrage was immediate and vocal.

"Unacceptable!" Shizune snarled.

"This is just the sort of thing I'd expect from a konketsuji!" Nagare spat a slur in reference to Mai's mixed blood.

That was when Kazutaka stood. "Oi! That was uncalled for!"

"You do not have the right to speak, traitor!" The older man growled at him, then turned his attention to Hanzo, whom had not moved. "Aniue, this is just the kind of disrespectful behavior we were afraid of. This is the reason your hafu granddaughter cannot inherit without a proper Shiranui husband."

"Well, then its a good thing I'm not about to keel over any time soon, then. Isn't it." Hanzo raised his eyes to his brother, a self-deprecating smile on his face. The illness he'd been fighting was mostly over now and the color was back in his cheeks. But he was still wearing thermal pajamas under his formal hakama and haori. The winter and the cold becoming just a little more difficult for him to weather than it used to be. He was no longer ill, but he was weaker. "I still plan to live a few years longer, Naga. Years enough for Mai-chan to find a husband the clan will find more desirable, or time enough to train a suitable heir."

"Koinosuke is-!" Nagare began, but was cut off.

"Not suitable." Hanzo informed him. "I will not name him my heir, and if you try and place him as head of this clan after my death, you might get a few to support his claim. But those left still loyal to me will rally around either Mai-chan or whomever my choice of heir ends up being. That will certainly tear the clan apart. And isn't that what you wanted to avoid in the first place?"

Nagare bit the inside of his cheek, not sure what to say next.

"This marriage was the solution to that!" Shizune snapped. She placed what was supposed to look like a comforting and supportive hand on her son's shoulder. As if she were shielding her frail and delicate child from a broken heart. "If Mai-san weren't so selfish, she see the necessity."

Kazutaka stepped in front of Mai, matching Shizune's snarl with one of his own. "Maybe if your son wasn't such a spineless weakling who only ever did what his mommy and granddaddy told him, he wouldn't need my daughter to hold his hand!"

Thus, the older members of the family, those whom were supposed to be mature, and composed degraded into bickering like children.

Only Mai and Koinosuke remained seated, their knees folded politely under them. Mai looked up, chancing a glance at the man she had -up until recently- resigned herself to marry. She was expecting him to look anxious, sad, embarrassed, maybe even heart-broken. But when their eyes met, he just looked... tired. Koinosuke was tired of this shit.

"I'm done." He stood with a sigh. "You all can keep fighting if you want. I'm leaving."

And he walked out.

Mai smiled, leaving was the best idea he ever had, and she followed his example. Also standing, she offered a polite bow to the bickering adults and likewise left. To say she wanted to be 'anywhere but here' would be disingenuous, because there was only one place Mai wanted to be.

…

The Yamada Dojo was a mess when Mai arrived, still wearing her formal kimono from the yuino, her hair twisted up into an elegant knot and held in place with an antique pin. She looked completely out of place when she slid open the door to find the place in shambles. Clutter was nothing new for Jubei -although with Andy there to clean for him, the clutter had gone down in recent years- but mess, mess was something the kunoichi was not used to seeing in the old Judo master's house.

Tipped over sake bottles and spilled bowels of rice littered the floor as she stepped through the dining room.

She heard a crash and the distinct sound of Jubei's voice growling a very colorful reprimand, followed by apologies from Andy and assurances that he'd take care of it. Mai followed the sounds of -she wouldn't call it a struggle, kurkuffle, maybe- to the kitchen.

Sliding the door open, the first thing she saw was a broom in Andy's hands, the bristled pointed up. Following the angle of the handle, she saw a raccoon in an open pantry above the ice box. Fur all puffed out, hissing at the both of them. She she'd know how it had gotten into the house, but it was apparent that the animal was scared out of its mind. "Aw... poor thing..."

"M-Mai!" Andy exclaimed. So focused was he on getting the wild animal he'd brought into the house under control that he'd failed to sense her presence. His breath caught in his throat when he saw what she was wearing. Such elegant dress robes, her hair up in that cultured knot, just a slight bit of makeup to accentuate her already beautiful face. He would have forgotten all about the raccoon if she hadn't stepped in front of him, placing herself between andy and the animal.

Dragging a crate of leeks over, Mai hiked up the hem of her robes so that she could climb on top of the ice box. Andy politely blushed and looked away when the creamy white and supple skin of her thighs was exposed. True, he'd already seen more. Much, much more. But that didn't change the fact that- But that didn't change anything!

Mai pulled a leek from the crate and offered it to the raccoon.

It glared at her suspiciously, then glanced back at the males in the room. Sniffed the leek tentatively. Then took it in his teeth and pulled it out of her hand. Mai watched the raccoon munch on the leek. When it was done, she pulled another one from the crate and offered it to the animal. She repeated this until it was calm enough for her to grab and pull down from the pantry. Holding it tight in her arms, Mai hopped down from the ice box.

"Poor thing was just scared and hungry." She announced. Then, speaking to the raccoon added, "I hope you're feeling better, Tanuki-san."

"Oi!" Don't name it!" Jubei commanded. If she named it, it'd be harder for Andy to kill it. "Andy, do not let her name it!"

But Andy wasn't paying attention. In those extravagant robes, dressed like a princess, and now suddenly a friend to feral woodland creatures, she reminded him of some sort of fairy tale princess and the blond ninja found that he didn't quite understand how he was feeling about that.

Mai, meanwhile, wasn't paying attention to either of them. Now that she had the raccoon in her arms, she was giving him a thorough examination. It didn't take her long to find the wounds under his fur where the string of Andy's snare had cut into his skin. "He's hurt!" She exclaimed. "Was he caught in a trap?"

"Technically." Andy confirmed awkwardly. His cheeks felt hot for some reason and he really hoped it didn't look like he was blushing. He always colored so easily.

"Well, we can't just throw him back out into the wild like this." She asserted. "He could die, or get eaten by something bigger than him. I'll help you nurse him back to health."

That announcement snapped Andy out of the half-daze he seemed to have fallen into. "You'll be staying here again? But you just left!"

Now it was her turn to feel awkward. She offered a self-deprecating smile and indicated the decadent formal kimono she was wearing. "I just came from my yuino." She explained. "I told Uncle Nagare and Shizune that I will never marry Koinosuke. You can imagine how well that went. Touchan is probably still fighting with them right now. I think its best if I lay low for a couple days."

And she had to lay low here!?

Both Jubei and Andy stared. Out of all the places all over the islands she could go, and she chose to lay low here, with them. In an old hovel that hadn't been renovated since the invention of electricity, didn't have hot or cold running water, heating, lights, or a phone. The old Judo master cast a sideways glance at his pupil. There was no question in his mind as to why the Shiranui princess would want to stay at his humble dojo, and it had nothing to do with the crisp mountain air.

Jubei patted the younger man on the shoulder. Mai hadn't said exactly how long she'd be staying with them. He hoped the boy had a strong constitution.

"Ya know what you should do...?" Asked the older man, picking up the discarded broom.

"Take another trip to Tokyo?" The younger man guessed, hoping that was what his master was thinking too. If Mai was going to be at the Yamada dojo, then the Yamada dojo was exactly the place Andy did not want to be.

Jubei smiled a cruel smile and passed the broom to his pupil. "No."

Andy sighed. He did agree when he took in the raccoon, that if it made any messes, he would be responsible for cleaning them up. He took the broom. "Hai, sensei."

…