Yah, same old stuff… let's get on with the story. And sorry for the long rant on the bottom. It's for those having a hard time with the story

Chapter 4: Interests…

Motoko woke up and looked around her surroundings. She felt out of place first as she noticed the change in scenario but soon remembered that she left was staying overnight at an inn at Akihabara when she left Hinata-Sou yesterday. But she soon felt someone hugging her just like the way Suu does when they slept together. "Wait, could she have tracked me down already," she thought remembering the tracker they always used when they were searching for their manager.

"Oh," the person hugging her said. "You're already waking up Aoyama-san?"

"Fuka," Motoko dizzily said as she turned around. "Why are you in my room?"

"Just thought of sleeping here for the night," the girl said with a grin. "Anyway it's only five in the morning, so why up so early?"

"Well, I have to train," Motoko said as she stood up from her bed.

"Train," Fuka tilted her head. "Train for what?"

"Well, I practice a kendo," Motoko explained. "And it has been a habit of mine to wake up early just to train so that I don't rusty."

The girl simply looked at her at awe. Motoko took this as a sign that the girl was interested in what she just mentioned and decided to invite her watch her train. She didn't understood it her herself, but ever since meeting the girl there was a sense of familiarity already between them.

After changing to their respective clothes, which for Fuka was her ninja costume, the two went to the only open area available at the place, the roof. Motoko was overjoyed, the place was spacious and there was enough room to train some of the much harder moves.

"This place looks amazing," Motoko commented as she prepared her wooden sword.

"It's good to see you like the place," Fuka grinned as she walked around the edges of the building. "Then you would definitely love it here since this is the best place to watch fireworks during festivals."

"I see," Motoko said and went to her stance but looked at the girl once more before starting. "I'll be expecting that then."

Fuka looked at Motoko and gave her a wide grin. She seemed to have made the girl comfortable in her first day and she was extremely happy about it.

Motoko started her practice and started it with some basic strokes. It was to warm her up for the next few sets of more advance moves. But it didn't took long for her to realize that the girl who was simply observing her minutes ago was already copying her exact moves.

Back at Hinata, things have started to return back to normal. Shinobu was already in the kitchen, thinking how she can make Keitaro's food taste a lot better. Suu on the other hand was in her room. She was busy tinkering with her new invention, which some suspect was for Motoko's search. While Kitsune, like always, was lying on the couch watching the daily horse races.

But with the lightening mood in the place, Keitaro and Naru where still the same. Keitaro was so worried that he couldn't sleep last night as he searched the maps of Hinata for places where he hasn't tried searching yet. Naru on the other hand was as cold as ever. Ever since waking up in the secret passage, she looked like she had something on her mind. The tenants didn't know what was running through her head and none even dared to ask… well Keitaro did and it resulted with him being blown out of the house. But things would seem to start moving when she approached Keitaro that morning with a request.

"Keitaro would you mind going somewhere with me," Naru asked with a cold tone.

"Eh," was the only reaction of the tenants as they heard Naru's sudden request.

"Wow," Motoko commented as she wiped the sweat away from her face. "You actually kept up till the end."

"It was no biggie," smiled the girl in front of her. "Do you mind if I continue 'watching'?

"I don't mind," Motoko said. "But are you sure I didn't hit anything while practicing. It felt like one of my ki waves hit someone."

"I don't think so," Fuka denied. "Why?"

"Hey," Yuki greeted the two as she came out of the stairway. "I guess you really are a samurai."

"I told you, didn't I," Motoko said and placed the towel in the sit. "But what happened to you? Blood is leaking out of your head."

"Oh this," Yuki said while looking at the cut in her forehead. "I fell down while watching you guys practice. I guess the wind was just too strong, it felt like hammer actually." The girl laughed after her own statement.

"I see," Motoko chuckled wearily and whispered to herself. "I guess that's where my ki went."

"Hey Yuki," Fuka interrupted the two's laughter. "Have you found it yet?"

"Oh, that's right," the bloody girl replied. "Yup… found the place would you like to check it out later?"

"What are you guys talking about," Motoko inquired looking at the two.

"Oh, it's a costume shop," Yuki replied. "Fuka asked me to search for a good one since her clothes are starting to get small for her growing size. And it's quite famous, the owner is one of the best doujin writer out there."

"Do they sell them there," Motoko quickly asked. Her body was shaking vigorously as she hid her face.

"What," Yuki asked. "Sell what Aoyama-san?"

"Do-do-DOUJINS," Motoko burst out. "They should sell them there right?"

The two were taken back at what the kendo girl just shouted out. They were trying so hard to suppress their laughter as they watched the girl, who was so calm moments ago, act like a ten year old kid. But Motoko noticed this and realized what she has just done. Her face turned as red as it could as she remembered how she just acted.

"So-sorry," Motoko said. "I guess you think I'm weird or something now."

"Weird," Yuki asked the girl. "Why would we think that?"

"Well, I just blurted something… perverted," Motoko replied. But this just made the two laughed out even louder. "See, you do think I'm weird."

"No, it's not like that," Yuki said suppressing her laugh.

"If you haven't realized it yet, both of us are also in love with such things," Fuka continued.

"Look, don't you remember waiting for me for three hours in a costume store yesterday," Yuki asked Motoko who seemed to have settled down.

"Or how I dragged you through my room full of Ninja-stuff," Fuka continued.

"To tell you the truth," Yuki said.

"All the five tenants in this apartment building," Fuka finished.

"ARE ALL HARDCORE OTAKUS," the two said on the same time. But as soon as they realized they were finishing each other's sentences, the two quickly burst out laughing.

"O-otakus," Motoko inquired.

"Yup," Yuki tried to answer the girl. "People who are so in love with their hobbies that some may think they're weird."

"Like me," Motoko said with a smile.

"Yup," Fuka shouted as she jumped on the girl's back. "So don't ever think you're weird."

Motoko didn't reply on this point. Just the thought of meeting people with the same hobbies as her was enough to make her happy. But the scene just now made her remember a similar scene, one that happened back at Hinata-Sou.

"So would you like to come along," Yuki invited the girl. "Aoyama-san?"

"Motoko," the kendo girl corrected Yuki's invitation. "Call me Motoko."

"Right," Yuki said with a smile. "Motoko."

Yup, here's chapter four guys… I hope you like it more than I do. But I think some of you might be wondering why the story seems to jump so much often and some the scene's just keep adding questions instead of answers (especially those in parts in Hinata) Well, they are intended that way. Think of it as a puzzle, as the story progresses things will get sorted out.

Oh and by the way, Just to clarify Naru's words. "I don't know if it's revenge for when I was young but I really hate weird Otakus like you." Well let's just say, the difference between Revenge and Redemption is paper-thin.