Well, this certainly didn't make it up on time. Hello, everyone! It's Sunday night, and I finally have the new chapter done! I had a panic attack, thought I lost this one completely, but here it is and we're back to our weekly scheduling! Please don't be too mad at me!

I actually had the start of this chapter done a while ago. It took forever to figure out an occasion to use once I'd started, and I finally settled on an activity I've taken part in myself; hanami, or "flower viewing," an activity that all of Japan takes time for around April or so. It's something I've always admired, the ability of one of the busiest nations on the planet to just stop, drop everything, and bask in the beauty of nature. I myself once spent a lazy afternoon in Salem, Oregon's capital park, where there must be upwards of a hundred trees, all of which were in full bloom. I know I can't do justice to that sort of sight, but I will say this; if you ever get the chance to lie on your back under the blossoms, do it. Don't let it pass you by.

Most of you are probably familiar with the garment Mana wears in this chapter. A yukata is like a kimono, only less formal. Often made of cotton instead of silk and typically with much shorter sleeves, they're more simple, more lightweight, and can often be seen at summer festivals. Men also wear them, as Jin demonstrates, but I can hardly see him wearing one properly, can you?

Thanks so much to all of you for being patient with me durring my absence. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, if only to laugh at all that Jin puts Mana and Touya through!

And as for the final scene... well... Rizu said I couldn't kill her, so... um... so... so let's go!


One of Jin's favorite things about the human world was the sun. Touya, too, could appreciate this; the spectral world they lived in was governed by clouds, by thunder and lightning without rain, and occasionally by blank-cast skies that offered little comfort. The human sun glowing in those clear blue skies, then, held a magnetic fascination for the man who could never keep his feet on the ground, and Touya did not like to begrudge his old comrade of a chance to bask in that glow... especially not if he got some time to marvel at that ethereal blue as well. Yes, of the whole lot of them Touya thought it was himself who could understand Jin's fascination with the human world best of all. It was the fact that Jin insisted on staying with his human friend without so much as a warning that somewhat bothered him. But then, as long as the girl kept allowing hum free reign of her father's old books, he wasn't sure he was going to complain about her hospitality.

In fact, resting on the couch in the sunlight with a good book in his hands, Touya thought he might even be enjoying himself. Apparently, he was the only one.

At first the ice apparition ignored the discontented grumblings coming from the other side of the pages. The story he was involved in was part of a series; he had read the first book on their last visit, about mid-March, and been allowed to take the second back to the Makai with him. After a month of diligent waiting he was eager to start the third piece. In fact, there had been several points once he'd finished the second story that he'd contemplated coming back on his own to borrow this particular volume on the shelves, but taking advantage of the unlocked balcony and the human's kindness was something he was loathe to do... that and he rather didn't want to think about how Suzuka would respond to him using the gates for library visits. As such, what time he did have with the book was something he did not want to waste.

But, as he usually did, Jin had other ideas. "Touy..."

Touya rolled his eyes and tore himself away from the absorbing pages. "Yes, Jin?"

Jin was sitting cross-legged on a cushion of air, his shoulders slumped in a sulking position. "Please tell me ya didn't come all this way just to sit with yer nose in a book."

"Maybe I did." Touya raised the tome again, deciding then and there that he was not going to listen to the wind master whine. He wanted to finish this story.

"Yer jokin', right?" Touya didn't reply. "Ya came all this way for that?" If he just focused, eventually Jin would loose interest in him and go away. There was a soft breeze, almost like a petulant sigh, that didn't quite seem to come from the open glass door. "Ya know, I shouldn't even be surprised by now."

The ice apparition focused on at least staring at the page when he agreed. "No, you shouldn't." True, Jin was bugging him a little too much for him to actually focus on the book, but if he pretended to still be reading it, as he'd learned to do years ago, his friend might just be fooled...

There was a long silence, and then a single drawn-out word that made Touya wince. "Mana..." Of course Jin would go start on the girl...

To his surprise, the blonde answered with a one-word reply. "Studying." Touya raised his eyes briefly. Jin had moved across the living room to try pleading with the human instead, and she hadn't even dignified him by looking up. The youthful healer's attention was locked onto the textbook in front of her, just as it had been all morning. Touya had to admire how seriously she took her schooling. Then again, human world standards were different than those of the Makai, and Japan had some of the highest standards of them all. It was practically bred into their children... for the most part.

"But ya've been studying all morning!" Sometimes, Jin's ability to complain like a child amazed him. "It's a bloody Sunday and yer gonna waste the whole thing. Look at that sky out there, it's beautiful!"

"I've got exams coming up." The blonde girl turned a page, her eyes never leaving the texts in front of her. Something else Touya could appreciate, then; she was just as good at ignoring Jin as he was. The redhead looked back towards him, but he quickly averted his eyes to his book again. There were several moments of blissful silence in which Touya actually managed to read a page and a half before Jin even spoke again...

"Ya know, there's cherry blossoms across town today. I've heard people talkin' about them bloomin' early all around. I've never seen cherry blossoms before, might like to go have a look myself."

"Mmmm. So go see them. Have fun. Stay out of trouble." The girl's tone of sheer disinterest as she made the vague commands almost made Touya laugh; he actually lowered his book again to watch the response. Jin was staring down at the human girl with a stricken expression.

"Now I know yer not tellin' me to go it alone!"

"I'm busy today. You can go keep yourself amused." And then, to Touya's amazement, the girl actually raised a hand- her eyes never even left her books- and shooed Jin away like a small child. The wind master looked as though he'd been struck. Even Touya himself didn't go that far. Jin stared down at the girl for several long moments before heading for the door.

"Fine, then, that's just what I'll do. Yer a mean one, though, makin' a person go have fun all by his lonesome."

"Mmm..." Another page turned. "Don't forget your hat."

Jin whirled around then, reaching across the table, and there was nothing the young human could do but jerk her hands back before he slammed the book shut right on them. "Ya know, I think I just changed me mind. Ya can come with me after all."

"I'm trying to study!" Now it was Mana's turn to whine. Touya dropped his gaze back to his pages before the girl could look to him for help, raising them again a moment later to keep watch in amusement. "Jin, I'm serious! I've got tests coming up!"

"Yer always studyin' for one thing or another, though! Look outside, it's a beautiful day out there. I'm not gonna be lettin' ya go wastin' it." Mana flipped the book open again; Jin actually did shut it on her hand this time. "Yer only young for a short while, so away from the table with ya. Go on, get up."

The girl's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Jin..."

The redhead had his hands on his hips. "I will pick ya up and carry ya if I have to."

"Fine!" The girl shoved her chair back from the table. "I'll go see the stupid flowers with you, just shut up already!"

"Good." Jin seemed pleased. "Touya can come with us, too."

Touya's eyes widened. "Now wait just a minute!"

"I'm going to go get my yukata," the human muttered as she headed for her room. "You two sort that one out on your own."

Jin watched her go, then looked back at Touya expectantly. Touya narrowed his eyes. "Give me one good reason." To his dismay, the wind master's eyes actually lit up.

"Now, see, that's what I was hoping ya'd be askin' me." With an eerie grin, the redhead walked over to the bookshelf. "Now, that book ya got there, that's the third in a series, am I right?"

"You are..."

Jin grinned even wider, pulling a tome off the shelf, and Touya realized all to fast where this was going. "An' this one here, this is book four, am I right?"

The ice master just stared. He wouldn't... but no, Touya knew good and well that he would. Mana's property or not, he would get rid of the book. "I despise you sometimes..."

"Good." Jin pulled his legs up, settling down to sit three feet off the ground. "Then we'll all be goin' together."

If there was any justice at all, Touya thought in defeat, then the girl would have the good sense to just lock herself in her room and spare them both...

Unfortunately, the girl didn't seem to have the same thoughts as he did. Touya stared when, about a half an hour later, she actually came out in the promised yukata. The ice apparition raised an eyebrow. The sky blue fabric suited the girl's pale complexion, he noted, as did the pattern of pink, blue, and gold butterflies. She didn't look at them; she was too busy fussing with the gold cord she was trying to wrap around her light pink obi. "Does this look right?"

"Charming," he responded, raising an eyebrow towards Jin. The redhead was staring at the girl with interest, and he followed his comrade's gaze to her feet just as Jin spoke up.

"How exactly do ya be plannin' to walk in those, Mana? They look like a pain."

The blonde looked down at the wooden sandals she was wearing. "Very carefully, thank you."

The redhead started to circle the healer. "Does everyone go gettin' dressed up for this, then?"

There was a brief instant where the girl's expression changed. Touya wasn't sure, but he thought it was a look of sorrow that flicked across her features. "No... most people just pack picnics and go see the flowers. I just like being able to wear my yukata..."

"Will we be takin' a picnic, then?"

Touya checked the page number in his book, slipping it into his back pocket. He had the feeling he was going to have very few chances to read it that day. Mana was fidgeting lightly. "We'll be able to buy one. There's one row of shops across from the park that likes to go all out for the flower viewings." The girl squeaked lightly as Jin gave her side a light prod. "What?"

"Ya got somethin' fun I could wear?"

There was a soft sigh. "I think my father may have a yukata or two that might fit. I'll go dig them out. Touya, do you want to try one? They might be a little long, but I could probably pin one for you..."

The apparition raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, but no. I'll be fine." It wouldn't do to waste any more of the morning then they already had; the longer they took, the pushier the redhead would get. Amused, he watched the girl nod. Her cheeks were actually a pale flustered pink as she headed into her father's room. Jin followed eagerly, and it wasn't even a half an hour before he emerged in a deep blue yukata, ignoring the healer's pleading attempts to fix the collar that was gaping open too far in the front; Jin had put the garment on far too loose. The ice master groaned inwardly; his friend's ears were already starting to come to a fine point. "Jin, you can't go out like that."

"And why not?" Jin pulled his hat on, settling it over his ears. "See, there's no harm there."

The healer piped in. "Touya's right. You need to calm down first. We'll wait a while, and-" Jin had that mischievous look in his eyes again as he scooped the girl up by the waist. Mana yelped as she was tossed soundly over the wind master's shoulder, almost loosing one wooden sandal in the process. "Jin! Damn it!"

Touya felt a moment of sympathy for the girl. He, too, had been victimized one too many times by what happened when Jin decided someone smaller than him needed to go somewhere...

The next thing he knew, he was being hoisted into the air by his own midsection with his friend's free arm. Without both arms to try the shouldering maneuver, the wind master just let Touya dangle. "Jin! You are not going to do this!"

Mana looked across the redhead's back at him, her arms crossed loosely as she hung there. "I say we kill him on three."

Touya grumbled. "I might have to be with you on that one."

"Oh, come on, no one's gonna be doin' any killin' today." The wind master jostled them both. "But if yer gonna be givin' me a hard time, then this is how we're goin', and no buts about it!"

"We get the point, now just..." The ice apparition blinked. "What are you doing?"

Mana's eyes were closed, one hand cupped in the other. "I'm getting ready to shoot." The human's voice was calm. Touya raised an eyebrow, now seeing the soft glow of the charging shot. "He has three seconds to put us down before I learn what happens when you shoot someone in the butt from point blank range."

"Hey! We're not havin' any of that, there! Ya put the finger gun away!" Jin's accent was edged with worry. "Yer gonna make yerself sick if ya go wastin' shots like that!"

The blonde's reply was flat. "I'm hanging here half upside down in one of the most immobilizing pieces of clothing known to man. I'm both uncomfortable and starting to get a headache. It's worth the energy."

"Em..." Jin eased them both to the ground. "Fine, then, down ya go. But we won't be dawdlin' any more!" And he was out the door before either of them could land a square hit.

Japanese street life was, Touya had to admit as they walked, somehow almost cozy in places. He liked the areas full of small shops the best, and was glad when it was one of these areas that Mana led them to. He and Jin could see immediately what she meant about the storekeepers going all out; in front of every shop was a booth set up with drinks, sweets, snack foods and easy-to-eat lunch items. And he could see why; the main attraction was greeting them from across the street as dozens of cherry tree trunks rose upwards to support floating clouds of pale, pale pink. Mana had an almost reminiscent look on her face as they stopped to stare. "I think this is one of my favorite things about this town. In most cities you have to bring lunches on your own, and the only real cherry blossom festivals are in the large parks or at palaces, but here all the small, family-owned shops are located right across the street from the park. It's almost like an excuse for a miniature festival every year."

Jin adjusted his hat lightly over his ears. "So we'll be eatin' from there, then?" Touya noted that his eyes never left the trees; he was finding it hard to look away himself. He felt the blonde girl brush past him, able to tear herself away from the sight more easily than they were. "Sounds good to me."

As much as Touya wanted to stare at the blooms, he found himself getting caught up in the throngs of people all too soon. There were enough people milling about on the sidewalks, deciding what they wanted to eat, that close attention had to be paid where one walked. Mana managed to slip through some of the cracks in the crowds, often disappearing from view completely only to reappear with some small box or bag clutched in her grip. Most of these Touya had to take, as Jin was invariably off looking at something else. Finally the girl emerged clutching a bag of drink bottles, looking rumpled. "I think that should be enough for now. Where did Jin go?"

"I'm not entirely sure." The redhead had shouted something and disappeared moments after she'd been swallowed by the throngs the last time. The two of them pushed their way away from the food vendors, finding a moment's reprieve outside a small boutique. Touya shifted the containers in his arms. "He may have headed into the park already..."

The girl muttered something soft, something that he couldn't quite catch, as she started back in through the crowds. Touya stayed close behind her, trying not to loose track of her in the masses; Mana seemed to have some idea of how to move effectively through a crowd. They had finally broken free of the sidewalks when he heard their names being shouted. "Touya! Koyama! Over here!"

The call came from in the park. Touya raised an eyebrow as he finally spotted Jin, sitting on a wide blue tarp in the midst of a familiar group. He heard Mana mutter something again... and this time he could understand her, and had to raise an eyebrow for it... as she headed towards the group. "Urameshi. You found our runaway."

The spirit detective was openly staring. "You look fancy. What's the- ow. Keiko!" Even Touya had to chuckle to himself as the detective's girlfriend silenced him with one well-placed elbow. Looking around, he recognized the faces around him easily; Yusuke, Keiko, Kuwabara and Kurama, and even Kuwabara's older sister... her name escaped him for only a moment... Shizuru. Yusuke was rolling his eyes and rubbing his side. "We didn't know you guys were going to be here today. Sit down! You guys probably don't get a show like this where you come from."

"We don't." Touya settled the boxes into the middle of the circle, where the established group already had theirs. Mana settled down next to him, tucking her legs beneath her properly. "This is something altogether new to us."

"It's only going to get better from here. Yukina's on her way!!" Kuwabara was grinning in his excited way as he poked through their bags. "Hey, nice spread. We should all share, I didn't think to grab any of that..."

"That... would work." The healer sounded hesitant now, but even that seemed to fade as boxes and bags were opened and passed around. Touya looked upwards, unable to focus on feeding his stomach until he'd fed his eyes. The trunks and branches of the cherry tree above them were dark, deep brown, but the blooms... the flowers were the palest, most delicate shade of pink he had ever seen, practically white in the sunlight, coating the branches so thickly that the wood could not be seen. Even the smallest twigs were laden with the flowers, wands of pink fluff against the blue sky. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before...


"I'm thinkin' we've lost Kuwabara."

Mana looked up from what she was eating just as the ruddy-headed youth fell over onto his back on the grass. The girl next to him- she had been introduced as an ice maiden named Yukina- frowned lightly. "Oh, dear. Should we wake him up?"

"It won't do any good. Once he's gone, he's gone. Some useless brother I ended up with." That was the new acquaintance Mana still wasn't sure about; Shizuru Kuwabara, who spent most of her time leaning against the nearest tree and playing with a small cigarette lighter. As she watched, the young woman stretched one leg out and gave her younger sibling a hard kick. "See? Out like a light."

There was a soft chuckle from Kurama. "I'm amazed he can sleep with this much noise. I don't think I've ever seen this park so full before." Even Mana had to nod at that; there were more people here on this day than she thought she'd ever seen before, even during obon. One group in particular caught her eye; a large family trudged through the park, five children in tow. They saw her at the same time she saw them; Hachi raised one arm. "Mana!"

She waved, not entirely sure if she should invite the twins over or not, only for them to head over on their own. Sachiko stared around the circle on the tarp. "Whoa. What are all of you doing here?"

"We all ran into each other!" Jin's tone was cheerful. "Wot about ya, are ya stayin' around for the day?"

There was a shared glance between the twins before they both sat down. "We are now. We were actually sitting clear across the park, but Mom wanted to get away from the crowds."

Hachi nodded. "We were actually supposed to be going home. So much for that!"

Keiko actually slid over to the side. "Well, you're free to join us, then. I think we've still got plenty of snacks..." She glanced down at the bags, many of which were lying empty around the sleeping Kuwabara. "Unless he's eaten them all..."

Jin flopped down next to her as the introductions were going around; the twins were dressed in their conflicting styles again, and Hachiko and Keiko seemed to hit it off well once they realized they were wearing the exact same skirt. "Ya need to relax. Yer lookin' too tense over here."

She brushed him off as easily as she could. "I'm just fine, Jin. Don't worry about it."

"Are ya sure?" She could feel him looking her over. "I don't see how ya can sit that way for so long. Aren't yer legs gettin' sore?"

"I'm okay. I have to sit like this a lot." Actually it was rather uncomfortable on the uneven ground... Mana yelled slightly as Jin pulled on her arm, her legs flying out from under her as she forcibly shifted sideways. She landed hard on one hip. "Hey!"

"There! Now ya look more comfy!" The redhead seemed pleased with himself. Mana sighed, shifting her legs so she could actually sit up without leaning on him. The tarp crinkled under her movements, bright blue against the grass underneath it. The sky was bright, too, just not as deeply colored. Everything was so vivid. It would have been nicer if there weren't so many people around, though... Jin was looking at her now. "Ya feelin' okay, there?"

"I'm fine." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Touya pull his book out. Everyone was really starting to relax and settle; Keiko and Hachi were still chattering away and Sachi, Urameshi, and Shizuru were amusing themselves with a deck of cards... the blonde stared... and a small pile of coins. Of course. Sachi always made friends with the strangest people. Sighing, the healer looked up at the clouds of petals above her. At least the view was peaceful.

The next thing she knew, she was jarred awake by her own body slipping sideways. Jin stared down at her in amusement as she blinked. "Ya just can't stay awake when things get quiet, can ya, Mana?"

"Um..." Well, if things were quiet before, they weren't now. Mana felt her face flush as Urameshi and Sachi both started to laugh. Damn it...

Jin patted her on the shoulder. "See, that should tell ya yer workin' too hard. Ya need to take more breaks and not run yer brain so much, and then ya'd be able to stay awake, so says I. Ya'd be fallin' asleep in yer books right now if ya were still home."

She felt her cheeks getting darker as she sat back up, keeping her voice down to a low hiss. "Could you please stop it? You're embarrassing me..." Big blue eyes blinked at her, the picture of innocence. The blonde sighed. "You're impossible sometimes."

The apparition seemed completely undaunted as Shizuru tossed a can into one of the empty bags. "Someone needs to make another snack run. We're out of drinks."

Keiko managed to get to her feet before Mana could, blessedly unhindered by a long, impractically-wrapped skirt. Urameshi looked over at her with interest once his girlfriend was out of earshot. "So how come you're wearing that thing, anyway?"

The healer sighed and looked down at herself. Of course he'd ask as soon as Keiko's back was turned. Running one finger along the wings of one of the butterflies, she observed the way her ankles peeked out from under it a little too much. She was going to have to let one of the hems out again. "I just like wearing it, that's all."

"Yeah, but for cherry blossoms? That's kind of weird."

She felt her cheeks start to burn again. "Not really. There are people who wear yukata all the time. I think there's nothing wrong with it if I feel like wearing mine."

"Okay, okay, yeesh. I get it." The detective stared down at the hand of cards he'd just been delt. "Are you sure you're not stacking this deck somehow?"

A slight "tee hee" was Sachiko's only reply.

Kurama had to leave soon after, apologizing before he went and explaining that "Shuichi" had promised to spend some time with his family that day. Mana felt herself wanting to doze again as the sun shone down through the petals, but she forced herself to stay awake. Sachiko was pulling every card trick she knew, especially once Kuwabara woke up. Mana waited patiently for the boys to realize that the girl was occasionally dealing from the bottom of the deck, but they never seemed to catch on. She thought Shizuru might have caught on, but the woman never said a word about it, only laughed as her brother finally admitted to being broke. The blonde sighed. She was going to have to scold her friend later. And yet... it was kind of fun to watch...

They parted ways as the sun was setting, breaking off into pairs or groups of three and heading off in their different directions. The day honestly hadn't been as bad as she'd feared when they'd first run into Urameshi's group. Sure, the detective had annoyed her, but she was starting to like some of his friends. Maybe... maybe if they kept running into each other like this, with other people to act as a buffer, things wouldn't be so bad trying to work with him in the future? Mana shook herself lightly. That was not likely at all. Not likely, but she could still hope...


The afternoon was bright, beautiful, and breezy, and Jin would have been spending it outdoors if this photo album hadn't been so interesting. He heard Touya come in to put his new book away, but didn't look up from the picture he was chuckling over. There was a sigh. "Jin, what are you doing?"

"Come over here and look at this, would ya?" There was another sigh, and after a moment he felt Touya lean over his shoulder as he sat cross-legged on the floor. The picture was one he'd found flipping through the book after finding it resting on Mana's pillow that morning. The picture he'd found that amused him so much was one of Mana and her mother when she was about four or five. It was the same time of year that it was now, as made clear by the heavily-pinked branches of the cherry trees above them. Mana's head was a mess of fine gold curls pulled up into pigtails, and Jennifer was laughing as her daughter blew a petal into her face. "Would ya look at that?"

It only took Touya a moment to see what he'd seen already. "That's the same as the yukata she was wearing yesterday."

"Yep. Same colors, same pattern. I'm bettin' it's the same one." The light blue fabric suited the healthy, cheerful glow of the woman in the picture, the butterflies as light and carefree as her smile. "I'm thinkin' that's why she got so defensive of it yesterday. She wears it for her mother..."

Touya was about to speak when they heard footsteps coming up the stairwell. Jin stared; Mana was actually smiling on her own and humming to boot when she came into the room from the balcony doors. "Hello!"

They both stared, neither one sure what to say. The girl seemed downright happy. "Em... in a good mood today, Mana?"

"You could say that!" The blonde kicked off her shoes, humming. Jin shared a glance with Touya. Something was not right.

Touya cleared his throat. "Did something good happen at school?"

"Yep!" Jin could never recall her using that word before. She was openly smiling as she looked up at them. "Yuki got in an accident yesterday! She won't be in school for at least a couple of weeks, probably closer to a month!"

Jin actually thought he felt a chill that wasn't coming from the ice apparition standing next to him. Mana tossed her book bag onto the couch and headed into the kitchen for a snack. He couldn't even tear his eyes away from her cheerful expression long enough to see how Touya was reacting. Finally, he cleared his own throat. "Yer... yer not always the nicest person, are ya, Mana?"

If anything, the fact that she actually laughed only scared him more...