Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy ❯ Chapter 4

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

“Good morning, Naru,” said Mei as her older sister stumbled into the kitchen. The younger sibling had woken up about an hour before, and while in the bathroom discovered that she looked like someone had slapped her around some. Bruises covered her legs, sides, back and arms, and there was a swollen knot on her left cheek and a darkened bruise by her right eye.
 
After showering, she had re-assessed the damage, finding that while some of the more minor bruising was fading, the ones on her face and arms were still clearly visible. It would take some makeup to hide the bruise by her eye, and while long sleeves would hide her arm bruises - and a long skirt her leg bruises - she would have to find a solution for the swollen knot on her left jaw. She had decided to try a cold pack.
 
Moving to the kitchen, she had paused to check on Naru, who was still out, her legs having fallen off the couch at some point. After getting some ice and wrapping the cubes in a towel, she held it against the swelling, and after about fifteen minutes, the swelling had gone down enough that she was fairly certain that it wouldn't draw unnecessary attention. Her grumbling stomach had led her to postponing her makeup application until after breakfast. Now, as the last bits of breakfast were finished, Naru had put in her appearance.
 
“Morning, Shinobu,” said the hung-over university student, rubbing her eyes. She ran into the door frame that connected the kitchen with the living room, hissing in pain. “What is this…?” she began, focusing on the problem. After a moment, she recalled that she was in the Hinata, but rather at home. “Right,” she muttered, carefully navigating around the obstacle.
 
“Coffee?” asked Mei, offering Naru a cup. Naru took it, nodding to her sister before sipping it. Immediately, she grimaced.
 
“You forgot the honey and cream!” complained the brunette.
 
“Actually, Naru,” said Mei levelly, “I have no idea how you like your coffee,” she said. “Cream is here, and I think there is some honey in the cupboard,” she said, making no move to get it for her older sister.
 
“Uh, yeah, guess you wouldn't,” murmured Naru. Shit! I'm so used to Shinobu making it just the way I want it…! she shook off that thought, sipping her coffee. Guess milk and sugar isn't too bad, decided the girl, finishing off half the coffee before she really looked at her sister. “Mei! What happened to you?!” she blurted out when she finally realized what she was seeing.
 
“You,” replied the younger sister, meeting Naru's gaze.
 
“What? What do you mean, Mei?”
 
“I mean, I look like someone beat me because of you,” she said calmly. Naru felt a cold stab of uncertainty in her heart at her sister's words.
 
“I…I would never hit you!” she denied. Mei carefully bit into her toast. Her jaw was a bit tender, likely from the bruising.
 
“That's not what you said last night,” she replied after she swallowed. “You threatened to punch me if I mentioned Keitaro's name,” she paused, finishing her toast, “and you would have, too.”
 
“I wouldn't have!” denied Naru. Mei stood, swiftly clearing her plates.
 
“Actually, you would have,” said the younger sister, setting her plates in the sink to wash later. “But, as it happened, these are because you slipped and fell on me while we were on the stairs,” she let her sister off the hook as much as she could. “Aren't you going to be late for class?” asked Mei. Naru looked at the clock.
 
“I'm late!” she exclaimed, hurriedly downing her coffee and dashing up the stairs for he bathroom. “I'm gonna have to borrow some shampoo, Mei!” she called out behind herself, her clothes landing on the floor. Mei exited the kitchen, collecting Naru's pack before mounting the stairs.
 
“Yeah,” she said, setting the pack by the bathroom door as she heard the shower start. “Clean towel on the second rack, Naru,” she added, stepping into her room and getting out her meager makeup supplies. Now then, let's see if I can hide this, she thought, settling at her mirror and beginning to conceal the bruise near her eye. Once Naru is gone, I have to make a phone call, she remembered.
 
-
 
“As always, Shinobu-chan, an excellent meal,” said Tsuruko, setting aside her chopsticks.
 
“Really, it's nothing,” said the young chef happily. “Oh, I noticed that the laundry is piling up, so if you have anything you need washed, please let me know, and I can do it when I do the rest of the laundry,” she added.
 
“You do the cooking and laundry?” wondered Tsuruko. Shinobu nodded.
 
“I…don't pay rent, so I work for my share,” she said softly. Besides, it lets me spend more time with Keitaro, she thought giddily. Tsuruko considered that.
 
“That is admirable, Shinobu-chan,” she said warmly. “Skills like that are valuable to a potential bride,” she added, eyeing her sister. “I would ask a favor of you, Shinobu-chan,” said the eldest Aoyama.
 
“Yes, Tsuruko-sempai?”
 
“Would you allow Motoko and myself to assist you in the preparations of meals and in such domestic duties as you usually perform? I shamefully admit to being a novice in comparison to you,” she said. Motoko blinked at her sister admitting that so easily.
 
Shinobu paused, considering that. “I…wouldn't wish to insult such skilled and honorable warriors as yourself and Motoko-sempai by burdening you with menial tasks,” she said slowly. My greatest strength in this battle is my domestic skills, and you want me to teach you? You, who have so much more than I in the physical areas? You, who have a means to marry Keitaro at hand? Shinobu might be young, but she was hardly stupid. She understood the implications of what Tsuruko was asking. “Besides which, such labor is my means of paying rent,” she added.
 
“Much of your labor and Keitaro's has been caused by undisciplined use of Shinmei-ryu skills,” Tsuruko said delicately, causing Motoko to blush slightly. “Moreover, your workload is not proportional to the monetary amount paid by the other residents, is it? You would, therefore, be paying more by way of a heavier load than the others bear, would you not?”
 
“I don't mind!” Shinobu said hastily. “It really isn't hard at all,” she said. Tsuruko smiled easily at Shinobu's words.
 
She is not easily fooled, thought Tsuruko. It wasn't her plan to trick Shinobu as such, but it was informative to learn that the small, beautiful girl was as sharp as anyone else in the house. As with the others, she sees things in terms of Keitaro, she reflected. “Still, I feel that it is not right to saddle you with greater work simply because of the addition of more people to the house,” said Tsuruko. “Please, Shinobu-san, allow my sister and myself to be your assistants,” she said. If I am correct, Shinobu is too nice a person to refuse such a request, Tsuruko calculated.
 
What should I do? wondered Shinobu, a little panicked. I can't just say no without either insulting them or giving a good reason, but I can't give away my strongest advantage, either! The ringing of the phone in the lounge saved her. “Pardon me, Tsuruko-sempai,” she said, giving the tall woman a quick bow before hurrying from the kitchen to the lounge.
 
Tsuruko ruefully smiled, shaking her head slightly. “Nee-chan?” came Motoko's voice from her side.
 
“She is amazing, is she not?” asked Tsuruko of Motoko. “I had not anticipated that she would be such a skilled opponent,” she murmured. Motoko blinked, puzzling out her sister's meaning.
 
“You mean…?” she began, only to have Tsuruko touch her lips with her finger.
 
“Precisely,” murmured the eldest. “Come, we have some things to do,” commanded the older sister.
 
“Yes, Tsuruko-nee,” complied Motoko meekly. Kanako, hidden in the corner of the dining room, adjusted her plans to compensate for this latest development. A few moments after the pair had left, she rose and hurried down the hall toward her temporary room.
 
In the lobby, Shinobu was speaking on the phone with someone while Kitsune enjoyed an after-breakfast sake break before launching her own revised plan. When her cup was empty, Kitsune rose, stretched ostentatiously, and made her way past Shinobu and up the stairs, making casual remarks about going to town to put some money on the horses. Shinobu didn't seem to have heard her, being engrossed with whoever was on the phone. After a quick stop by her room to dip into her well-hidden funds and to grab the flash drive from her laptop, Kitsune hurried out the door and into town. There were things she needed and things she needed to do, and it couldn't wait.
 
Kitsune had barely been gone for four minutes when Mutsumi wandered in, dressed in a knee-length blue skirt and a pale ivory peasant blouse, her long hair still a little damp from the spring. Looking around, she spotted Shinobu on the phone. Stopping next to the cute girl, she waited for Shinobu to finish. “Yes, I will tell them. I see. Well, if you are sure, I will do that, then. Again, I am sorry for the trouble,” said Shinobu, offering a bow to the phone. “Please, feel free to call or come by any time. Yes, of course; and to you as well, Mei,” Shinobu said before cradling the phone.
 
No sooner had she hung up than a pair of arms encircled her and she was drawn into a warm hug. From the sheer size of the breasts she found herself being hugged to, she instantly knew that it was Mutsumi who had her. “Mutsumi-sempai,” came her muffled voice.
 
“Shinobu-chan,” came the easy, happy voice of Mutsumi Otohime. “Who was that just now?” she asked, stroking Shinobu's short, silky-soft hair affectionately.
 
“It was Mei Narusegawa, Sempai,” she replied truthfully. Mutsumi nodded to herself.
 
“Na-chan ran home, then,” she sighed quietly. Gently, Shinobu pushed herself free of the close, warm hug.
 
“Mei asked that I not anyone where Naru is just now; I think something happened between her and Naru-sempai,” added the girl. Mutsumi considered that.
 
“I hope Na-chan hasn't let her temper get the better of her and done something she will regret,” murmured the Okinawan. Shinobu frowned slightly, looking up at Mutsumi's face past the impressive bust of the taller girl.
 
“Sempai?” she asked softly, wondering what Mutsumi was thinking. Mutsumi shook her head.
 
“It's nothing, Shinobu-chan,” Mutsumi assured her. “Where is everyone?” asked the top-spot girl in breast size. Shinobu swiftly filled in what she knew of where people were, and Mutsumi hummed to herself. “Say, Shinobu-chan,” said Mutsumi, leaning closer to Shinobu, “what are your plans for today?” she asked.
 
-
 
Kitsune surveyed the goods laid out before her, satisfied that she had enough to implement her plan. My stash of cash is about gone, but I should be getting an advance on the column soon, the fox-girl calculated. Happy with what she had, she quickly tucked the items away in her room before wandering out to see what was going on in the house.
 
Not finding anyone on the ground floor, she headed upstairs, looking for entertainment. She hadn't even reached the top landing when she heard a cell phone ringing. Frowning, she began to track the ringing. Wonder why they aren't picking up? she thought, trying to place the ringtone. Approaching Naru's room, she frowned as she saw a cell phone wedged in the door track to the brunette's room. Looks like she forgot it in her hurry to leave, Kitsune thought, picking up the phone.
 
“Moshi moshi?” she said, picking up the call.
 
“Narusegawa?” came a male voice. Kitsune frowned slightly.
 
“She's in the bathroom,” said the fox, moving toward the deck, still looking for the other residents, “can I help you?” she asked. This could be fun, she mused.
 
“Are you a friend of hers?” wondered the mysterious male.
 
“Only her best friend since middle school, sugar,” she replied playfully. “And you are?” she asked.
 
“Akiyami. I'm a classmate of hers at Todai,” he said, his tone smug. Kitsune frowned. Assuming ass, she thought fleetingly. She knew that it was common for high school girls - hell, even junior high and middle school girls - to be infatuated with some guy who got into the prestigious Tokyo University, but that didn't mean she was impressed.
 
“A Todai man,” she said, verbally batting her eyelashes as she stepped out onto the deck where Shinobu usually hung the wash and Motoko did her morning practice. It was deserted, so she eased down to sit on the warm wood, leaning against the railing, Naru's phone to her ear. “And you were calling to ask Naru-chan what, again?” she prompted.
 
“The guys and I were having another get together next weekend, and wondered if she wanted to come along again. We would welcome her best friend, as well,” he said, the hint clumsily blatant.
 
“A get-together?” asked Kitsune, frowning. Naru was out with a bunch of guys? With all that is going on right now, what is she thinking? “What do you mean by that, sweetie?” she asked him, her tone playful and interested.
 
“Just a few drinks, some karaoke, maybe a movie; just some relaxing,” he pitched. Kitsune's frown deepened.
 
“Sounds fun,” she continued the conversation, “you happen to have some pictures of your get-together?” she asked him. “Need to see what you and your friends look like, you know,” she added, her voice dropping to a softer, alluring husk.
 
“Sure!” said the guy. Kitsune could nearly him thinking `SCORE!' to himself. Naru's phone chirped, signaling that a picture had been sent to her phone. “I'll send you some snapshots,” he said. Kitsune managed a breathless giggle.
 
“Perfect, sugar,” she said, pulling the phone away from her ear and swiftly viewing the snap-shots. They had clearly been taken with a cell phone camera. Looking through them, she saw the date and time-stamp in the corner of each image. Hearing something, she put the phone back to her ear. “Sorry, what was that?”
 
“I said, do you like what you see?” he asked her.
 
“Sure,” she replied neutrally. “I'll give Naru the message and we'll make up our minds, deal?” she offered.
 
“I'll see you then, hot stuff,” he replied. “Oh! What's your name, anyway?”
 
“Kitsune,” said the fox, ending the call before he could ask for more details. Seconds passed as Kitsune stared at the phone meditatively. Decision made, she flipped it open and swiftly dug into the phone's memory card, finding several snapshots and numbers stored there.
 
Pushing herself to her feet, she hurried back to her room, opening her laptop and powering it up before searching through her laptop's bag to find the right patch cable. With the cable found, she saw that her laptop was booted up. Swiftly plugging the cell phone into the laptop, she downloaded the contents of the memory card to her laptop, disconnected it, and shut down her laptop before entering a short message in the phone's memory.
 
-
 
Shinobu glanced at the clock as she put the packages down in her room. Hurrying out the door, she judged that if she worked hard, she could finish the laundry in time to fix dinner for her family. It had surprised her when Mutsumi had taken her shopping. It was strange to have Mutsumi's mother tag along, but after a short period of shyness, she had been won over by the mother of her friend. Mutsumi and her mother were nearly identical, personality wise; it made it so easy for Shinobu to relax around the older woman that before she knew it, she was chatting away with the pair as if she had always known them.
 
Thinking of some of the shops the two had led her into, the girl blushed even as she collected the laundry to be done and began to sort it in the corner of the changing room that led to the springs. I would never have dared to go into some of those shops if I were by myself, she thought. But, being with two curvy women, it seemed perfectly normal for her to shop there. Reflecting back on it, she mused that she had found more that was her size than the two Okinawan women had. Guess there are drawbacks to having such large breasts, she thought introspectively.
 
Sorting the accumulated articles on automatic, she reviewed the afternoon. I never really considered it before, but the Otohimes must be well-off, she thought. The trio had made some sizeable purchases, but never once had Mutsumi or her mother even bothered to look at the price of anything they were considering buying. Shinobu had found that any time she looked for a price tag, one or the other would invariably prevent her from seeing it by one means or another. And only a couple of the shops had the prices displayed by the clothes, she realized. She had heard that that was how a lot of the specialty boutiques operated, but since she was from a middle-class family - to say nothing of the fact that her parents had been fighting for a long time before separating - she had never had reason to shop such places.
 
“Shinobu-chan?” came a voice from the doorway to the main house. Blinking her thoughts away, she turned to see Motoko in the doorway.
 
“Yes, Motoko-sempai?” asked the smaller girl.
 
“You have a visitor,” said Motoko, standing aside to reveal Akiko, book bag in hand.
 
“Shinobu!” greeted the girl.
 
“Ah! Sorry, Akiko,” apologized Shinobu, “I lost track of time,” she explained. I forgot she was coming over tonight to study! thought the girl, eyeing the stack of laundry and calculating time. And Naru-sempai is still gone, so I will have to see if Keitaro can help us, she thought, not without some anticipation. “Could you wait for me in my room, Akiko?” she asked, turning back to the laundry. “I will be up as soon as I get this sorted,” she promised.
 
“No problem,” assured her classmate.
 
“May we offer you assistance, Shinobu?” came Tsuruko's voice from just behind Motoko. Shinobu bit back her first response.
 
“I would appreciate it, Tsuruko-sempai,” she said. I can't leave Akiko there after all but forcing her to come over here, thought the girl, and I do still need to review that material as well… “Have you done much laundry?” she asked as the two sisters approached her.
 
“I have some experience with it, yes,” said Tsuruko, setting her sword aside, as did Motoko. “I will, of course, obey your instructions,” she added humbly. Shinobu bowed her head.
 
“I…thank you,” she said. Five minutes later, she gave the pair one final assessing look as they worked. Satisfied that they could perform the job adequately, she had a final bit of instruction for them. “If you have the slightest question about anything, please come speak to me before doing something you are not sure of,” she said.
 
“Hai, sensei,” replied Tsuruko, giving the girl a friendly smile. In spite of herself, Shinobu felt a twinge of pride at the words. Here was something she was the undisputed master of, and even the mighty and skilled Aoyama sisters were bowing before her superior abilities. In this area, if nothing else, she thought, hurrying to her room.
 
“Akiko?” she asked, sliding her door open. “Sorry it took me so…eep!” exclaimed the girl, seeing Akiko examining some of what she had bought with the Otohime women.
 
“Wow, Shinobu!” enthused Akiko, “I knew you wore different underwear than the rest of us, but this is something else!”
 
“I…it's not like that!” squeaked Shinobu, hastily - but carefully - snatching the item in question away from Akiko and hurriedly burying the bags and boxes under her unused stuffed animals and plushies. “Anyway, we should get started!” she insisted, wrenching her own book bag up from the floor and nearly flinging the contents onto her table.
 
Giggling, Akiko more sedately set out her own books. “Is Naru going to be helping us tonight?” asked the other girl. She had been over often enough to know that Shinobu usually enjoyed the advantage of a Todai student helping her out. Her own parents weren't much help with the homework, though they did what they could.
 
“Naru-sempai is…out right now,” said Shinobu. “If we need help, I can ask Keitaro or Motoko-sempai or Mutsumi-sempai,” she said quickly. “But I don't think we will need to ask them for help for this material,” she said, considering the homework.
 
“If you say so, Shinobu,” shrugged Akiko. She is surrounded by Todai students, thought Akiko, if I were in her place, I would be getting all the help I could from them! “Say, where is Su?” she wondered. Shinobu blinked.
 
“You know, I haven't seen her today,” she realized. “She is probably in her lab or with her sister,” she determined.
 
“She has a sister?” wondered Akiko. Shinobu nodded.
 
“Yes. An older sister. Her name is Amalla Su,” explained Shinobu. “She and Shiro are…visiting right now,” she frowned, recalling the reason for the visit of the elder Molmol sister.
 
“Shiro?” wondered Akiko. Shinobu nodded absently as she opened her textbook and her class notes to the correct section.
 
“Her pet crocodile,” supplied Shinobu. Akiko blinked.
 
“Crocodile?” wondered the visitor. Shinobu nodded.
 
“Yes. We also have Kanako and Kuro here, along with Tsuruko and Shippu, so we have the full menagerie,” she smiled a little.
 
“You called, meow?” came a musical, high voice from the window, causing Akiko to jerk in surprise. Seeing a coal-black cat with large, luminous yellow eyes, a long tail with a bell tied to it with a ribbon, and large ears, Akiko wondered what kind of life Shinobu lived.
 
“D…did that cat just talk?” she breathed to Shinobu as Kuro hopped silently into the room, padded over to Shinobu, and accepted a couple of stroked and a chin-scratch before elegantly moving toward her bed.
 
“Yes, Kuro-chan talks,” said Shinobu. “Tama-chan, Kuro and Shippu seem to spend a lot of time talking,” she explained. “Oh, I forgot to get tea,” she said, standing and moving to the door to her room. “Be right back, Akiko,” she said.
 
“We'll be here, meow,” Kuro called out, giving the girl a cat-smile.
 
“Um, Kuro,” said Shinobu, pausing just outside her room, “where is Kanako-san?”
 
“Hmm,” purred the cat, “I am not sure, meow,” he answered. Nodding, Shinobu hurried to the kitchen, getting tea, two cups, a pot of water, and some snacks before carrying the tray back to her room. She found Akiko and Kuro discussing ribbon colors.
 
-
 
“Welcome back, sis,” said Mei when Naru came through the door to the family home.
 
“Hey, Mei,” said Naru, shaking her head. I was already on the bus to the Hinata when I remembered that I was staying here right now, she thought, grimacing slightly. “Mei, did you see a cell phone around here?” she wondered. Mei shook her head.
 
“No,” said the girl. “We have a phone over here, if you need to use it,” she pointed out.
 
“Guess I left my cell phone at the Hinata,” sighed Naru, moving toward the steps. “I need a long bath,” she muttered.
 
“Well, I need to talk to you, Naru,” said Mei. The girl was at the kitchen table, a few books open in front of her. Glancing at them, Naru smiled a little.
 
“Sure thing, Mei,” she said. “Once I get my bath, I'll help you with your homework,” she said. I've gotten used to helping Shinobu and her friend out, she thought. At the table, Mei thoughtfully closed her books.
 
Did it escape her notice that these aren't school books? wondered Mei. Doesn't matter, she dismissed the thought, there isn't a lot of time. Standing, she began to fix a basic dinner for herself and Naru. By the time that the garlic bread was properly crisped and ready, Naru appeared, wearing soft shorts and a tank top, her hair pulled back in a pony tail.
 
“Hey, that smells pretty good,” she said, settling at the table, “have you been getting recipes from Shinobu?” she wondered.
 
“Not exactly,” shrugged Mei. Two years in America, and the first thing that pops into her head is Maehara, noted Mei. Interesting. She swiftly dished up the pasta and put the sauce, salad and parmesan out.
 
“So, what are we studying?” asked Naru as she dished up a large plate for herself.
 
“Psychology,” said Mei dryly. Naru frowned.
 
“Psychology? In junior high?” wondered the brunette. Mei sprinkled her spaghetti with grated parmesan. “Well, shouldn't be a problem for a Todai student, right?” she grinned at Mei.
 
“We'll see,” said Mei, pouring herself a glass of soda. Watching her sister eat Mei wondered if she was making the right choice or not. It is not like I have a lot of experience in this sort of thing, she worried, but since Naru and I came to terms with each other three years ago, our relative relationship has been changing. And since she got into Todai, she has become an almost different person; and practically a stranger to us, she reflected.
 
“Hey, Mei,” came Naru's voice, “since it's just the two of us,” grinned the older sister, “I was wondering if you had a boyfriend,” she teased her younger sister. Mei wiped her lips before answering.
 
“It's not my love life that we should be discussing, Naru,” said Mei.
 
“So not yet, I guess,” Naru missed the hint. “Well, if you have any questions, just ask your big sis Naru!” she said expansively. Mei sipped her cola.
 
“Ok,” said Mei, tearing off a slice of garlic bread. “Let's say that I have a boy I like. Let's say that he confessed to me that he really, really liked me. I like him, but I couldn't bring myself to tell him. What should I do?” she asked before taking a bite of the toasted bread.
 
“You have to tell him, Mei, or he might think you don't like him back. Another girl might even take him from you,” said Naru immediately. “Be assertive, Mei!”
 
“For the sake of argument, Naru,” said Mei, swallowing the bite of bread, “let's say that I never specifically told him how I feel, but when I see him around other girls, I want to hit him. What should I do?” she asked.
 
“If he's chasing other girls, then you should hit him!” came the immediate response. “You can't let him two-time you, Mei,” admonished Naru. Mei finished off her garlic bread slice.
 
“And if I did hit him, but he came back, what then?”
 
“Hmph! Then he's an idiot,” snorted Naru. “Find a better man,” she added, waving her fork. “So, who is this mystery boy, Mei?” she asked.
 
“Keitaro,” said the younger sister. Naru's fist crashed down on the table, a crackly snap! accompanying it as the wood broke under her fist.
 
“That man-whore?! How dare he?!” she screamed. Mei swallowed, easing back a little. “First he wants Su, now he's after you?! I'll kill him!” she screamed. “Two-timing horn dog perv!” she growled, shooting to her feet. “Did he touch you, Mei?! Did he do anything weird to you?! I'm going to tear his balls off…!”
 
“Listen to yourself, Naru!” yelled Mei, shooting to her feet. “Are you psychotic, blind or just a fucking bitch?!” screamed the younger Narusegawa. Naru blinked, hearing her kid sister scream at her like that.
 
“Mei…” began the older girl, losing her momentum.
 
“'Mei' nothing, Naru!” yelled the shorter girl. “What is your damage?! Do you know how two-faced you are being? You say one thing, but do another. What has happened to you?” demanded Mei.
 
“It's not me, but Kei…!” began Naru.
 
“No, it isn't!” exclaimed Mei, cutting off Naru. “I've seen him enough to know he isn't the one doing it. I've seen you around him, and I've seen the other girls at the Hinata around him. It isn't him - it's you, Naru.” she stated.
 
“You're too young to…” began Naru, talking slowly - as if to an imbecile.
 
“I might be younger than you chronologically, sis, but I am more emotionally mature,” retorted Mei, shaking her head as she moved past Naru, snagging her cell phone and keys from the small end-table near the door.
 
“Where are you…?” began Naru, only to have Mei cut her off again.
 
“Out,” she said curtly. “I need some fresh air, Naru, because right now? I can't stand to even look at you,” she said quietly, the door closing on Naru's stammering attempt at a response. Mei made it two blocks before she had to sit down. Her entire body trembled nearly uncontrollably, and she felt like throwing up. I have never been that scared in my life, she thought, fighting back a panic attack. The memory of the stout kitchen table breaking under Naru's fist played in her mind. The look on her face at the mere mention of his name nearly made me wet my panties, she thought, shivering. How did she get so angry? Shinobu didn't say anything that would suggest what got her so worked up.
 
Ten minutes later, she managed to stand and resume her walk. Half an hour later, she was riding the train in a loop, just to keep herself moving in the event that Naru came looking for her. She needed time to think. She needed time to make some decisions. This is so much harder than it looks on TV, thought the younger sister.
 
-
 
Tsuruko set aside her damp towel before reaching for Motoko's brush. The two sisters were in Motoko's room, having just come from their morning soak. Beside her, Motoko was toweling off the last of her long hair. When she was done, Tsuruko turned her around so she could brush her younger sister's hair. Surprised but pleased, Motoko sank to her knees, her sister just behind her, as the elder Aoyama thoroughly brushed her hair.
 
“Motoko,” said Tsuruko several moments after she started, “I have been giving some thought to our stalemate here.”
 
“And?” asked Motoko expectantly.
 
“I think that if we are to succeed, we will need to compromise,” said the elder.
 
“Compromise?” wondered Motoko. Tsuruko nodded.
 
“It seems the longer we hesitate and the more circumspect we are, the more claimants appear. To that ends, I believe the best course of action is to push ahead as swiftly as we can.”
 
“How do we do that, Nee-chan?” asked Motoko. Tsuruko pursed her lips, the brush never stopping.
 
“Tell me, Motoko,” she said, “are you sufficiently comfortable with Keitaro to be a woman with him?” she asked.
 
“B…be a woman?” asked Motoko, nervous. Tsuruko nodded.
 
“Yes, Motoko,” she said. “I fear that as it stands now, your history with Keitaro means that he sees you as a potential threat or hazard - neither of which helps us at all. You say you are willing to wed him, to be his wife, but I wonder if you can bring him to see you that way.”
 
“I…will try,” promised Motoko, feeling her silky raven hair stop moving. A moment later, she saw Tsuruko offering her the brush over her shoulder. Turning around on her knees, she began to brush Tsuruko's hair. How long has it been since she and I did this? Ten years, maybe? she thought. The last time was just a few days before she announced her wedding, she recalled. Her sister's voice interrupted her thoughts.
 
“We need more than a try, I'm afraid,” Tsuruko thought out loud. “Mutsumi stands closest to Keitaro right now, as she has never offered him violence and has lived with him before. Su's marriage pledge is legally binding, but perhaps only in Molmol. Naru may or may not be an issue, but clearly, Shinobu will have to be dealt with, as will Kanako Urashima,” she said, sighing softly.
 
“Kitsune, as well, seems to be seeking a way into the fray,” Motoko said quietly, brushing her sister's hair. “Nee-chan, your hair has a lot of split ends,” she noted. Tsuruko hummed.
 
“Then, perhaps I should have it trimmed,” mused the woman. “Do you have any idea what Hina-sama might have wished to speak to Keitaro about?” she asked Motoko. Mutely, Motoko shook her head, knowing that her sister would pick up her unspoken answer. “I see,” mused Tsuruko.
 
“Anue,” said Motoko as she neared the end of her sister's mane, “what do you plan to do about your husband?” she asked. “You are already married, and yet…” she trailed off. “What will you do if you are chosen?” asked Motoko.
 
“I will honor the pledge,” said Tsuruko simply. “More is at stake than our honor, Motoko,” she added. “If we are to have any chance at maintaining our line, the curse must be lifted.”
 
“I know,” said Motoko, “but if you are chosen…” she said slowly.
 
“Ah, so that is your worry, then,” smiled Tsuruko. “You are afraid that if I am chosen, then you will be given to another man.”
 
“I won't accept any male but Keitaro,” said Motoko firmly. “The rest are vile, perverted fiends,” she stated, shivering slightly. “I can…trust him.”
 
“Trust is a very important commodity,” murmured Tsuruko. Motoko finished her sister's hair, easing back to rest on her heels. “I fear we are at a disadvantage in that area to other claimants.”
 
“Then?” wondered Motoko. Tsuruko gracefully stood.
 
“Then, dear sister, we must either forge trust, or forge alliances.”
 
-
 
“I see,” said Keitaro. “No, I understand. I will come as quickly as I can,” he said before ending the conversation and hanging up the phone. The target of the women was in the tea shop, Haruka and granny Hina with him. The head of the Urashima clan had put a lot of issues before him, and his head was still reeling from what she had told him. He wondered how he was supposed to make any kind of decision with so much hanging on his choice.
 
His endless mental circles had been interrupted by a call to the tea shop. Haruka had answered the phone, and a moment later, she had told Keitaro that it was for him. He had taken the call, finding that it was Seta, who was working at the ruins of the temple complex he had found on Pararakelse Island. Apparently, there had been a tremor, and a large part of the excavated ruins had been re-buried. While that was a setback to the project, the reason that Seta had called was that the small quake had also revealed what could turn out to be a new chamber in the temple.
 
As the discoverer of the site, he was the technical head of the expedition, though Seta was actually running the site. He and Seta were sharing the credit for discoveries, which boosted his standing toward his degree in archeology from Todai, as well as adding to Seta's notoriety. Seta had told him that he should come to the island as quickly as possible, to help explore the new chamber. The eccentric archeologist had also mentioned that Nyamo had expressed an interest in seeing him.
 
Keitaro made up his mind. After hanging up the phone, he turned to his grandma and Haruka, and told them what he had decided. Neither of them tried to dissuade him, instead watching him walk out of the tea shop and up the steps toward the Hinata. “How do you think the girls will react to this?” wondered Haruka.
 
“Probably better than you might think, though there will be some fireworks, I am sure!” grinned Hina. Hopping off the stool she had been sitting on, the old woman stretched. “Ok, Haruka,” she said crisply. “You are going to be there when he tells them, and I want you on the plane with him.”
 
“Ok, but why?” asked Haruka.
 
“This is about to break wide open, and I want you there to support him,” said Hina.
 
“Kanako?”
 
“I'll nail her foot to the floor here then go talk with the head of the Aoyama,” smiled Hina.
 
“You're going to Kyoto? Alone? That's a bad idea, granny,” Haruka said. Hina flipped her hand.
 
“Nothing like bearding the lion in his own den, Haru-chan,” she said. “Besides, who said I would be alone?” she grinned.
 
“Who are you planning to…” Haruka stopped, staring at her grandma for a moment. “You're nuts, Granma,” she said flatly. Hina cackled.
 
“So some would say, Haru-chan,” said the old woman.
 
“If you won't take me, at least have Kanako along,” insisted Haruka. “You do realize that no Urashima elder has set foot in the house of the Aoyama in six hundred years, right?” pressed Haruka. Hina grinned.
 
“Then I think it high time to do so,” shrugged the wrinkled old woman. “And if Kanako-chan comes, it is a sure thing that it will turn into a ruckus,” added the elder. “She hasn't quite learned to master her temper, I fear.”
 
“I can't convince you to take me with you or wait until Keitaro and I return?” asked Haruka, fishing for a cigarette.
 
“You cannot,” came the firm reply. She had no sooner found her pack of smokes that Hina took them away from her. “I'm not one to tell you how to live, Haru-chan,” said Hina, tossing the smokes into the trash after crushing them, “but you should stop smoking,” she said.
 
Haruka sighed. “Yes, granny,” she said. Hina hummed.
 
“You picked up the habit from Seta, didn't you?” asked Hina. Haruka frowned.
 
“I guess,” she allowed.
 
“Well, given how you and he get along, why do you still do it?” wondered Hina. “In any event, if you didn't smoke, you would have noticed it by now,” snickered Hina, clearly delighted with something.
 
“Noticed what?”
 
“Ever since Keitaro arrived, the Hinata has reeked of hormones,” leered Granny Hina. “Our Keitaro, it would seem, really gets the girls going.”
 
“You don't need to smell the lust to know that,” replied Haruka, smiling a little, “you can see it plain as day.”
 
“Exactly as it should be,” came the gleeful reply from Hina. Haruka studied her grandmother.
 
“I think I am better off not knowing what you are so happy about,” said the granddaughter, turning toward the stairs that led up to her small room. “I'll pack, then go up to back-stop Keitaro,” she said.
 
“Oh, don't mine me,” Hina said, making for the door. Well, Yayoi, it about to happen, if not in the exact manner we thought it would. Pity you aren't here to see it, she thought. It was true what she had told Tsuruko: she did miss Yayoi Aoyama sometimes.
 
-
 
Naru sat on the couch at her parent's house, drumming her fingers idly on the armrest. Since her sister had left the night before, she hadn't seen her. Naru was still trying to get her head around what her sister had screamed at her. I'm not like that, she told herself. I couldn't be, could I?
 
It worried her. Mei had never yelled at her; and certainly never told her that she couldn't stand to look at her. First Keitaro digs up that old scroll so Motoko and her sister are forced to offer themselves to him, then he makes Su send that thing to her island so he can do perverted things to him. On top of that, his sister shows up and Mutsumi says she was supposed to marry him! He's my boyfriend, damn it! Why are those girls trying to steal him from me?!
 
Mei's voice rang in her mind: Listen to yourself! Naru scowled as she thought back on it all. It's not like I'm wrong, she thought, though, maybe I over-reacted. I mean, he didn't immediately jump Motoko, right? Even when the back-stabbing bitch offered herself to him, he didn't take her up on it, so he must still be mine. Slowly nodding, Naru stood.
 
“I over-reacted; nothing more,” she said. Stooping, she grabbed her pack and headed for the door. “Just need to go back and straighten this up a little,” she muttered, closing the door behind her. “And I need to get my cell phone, too,” she recalled. Hurrying toward the nearest train station, she had only been gone about five minutes when Mei returned home, her decisions made.
 
-
 
Shinobu heard the door to Keitaro's room slid open, and bolted down the steps from her room. Reaching Keitaro's room, she gently knocked on the door. “Keitaro? I'm coming in,” she said, sliding the door open. Inside, she saw that Keitaro had his worn suitcase out, and was rummaging in the drawers of the dresser. “Keitaro,” she said, closing the door behind her, “are you…leaving?” she asked, a lump in her throat.
 
“Oh, hey, Shinobu-chan,” he said, offering her a small, fond smile, “yes, but only for a bit. They had a cave-in at the excavation, and I need to go take care of some details there,” he said. “Once that is done, I'm heading back here,” he assured her. Shinobu let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
 
“Oh. I'll help you pack, then,” the girl said, moving over to his side and efficiently folding and packing his clothes into the suitcase. Thank goodness, she thought, I had worried that he was leaving because of Naru and the current situation. “Um, Keitaro?” she asked, her heart pounding.
 
“Yes, Shinobu?” he asked her.
 
“I…I want to go with you,” she said, blushing clear to her breasts.
 
“Really?” wondered Keitaro. “The excavation site is pretty remote, and it is kind of a rough place, Shinobu,” he said.
 
“It's ok! As long as I am with you, Keitaro,” she hastily assured him. “And…um…Nyamo is there, too, right?” she pressed.
 
“It could be a few weeks; maybe even a month or two, Shinobu,” said Keitaro, touching her shoulder. Shinobu nearly melted when she felt his hand on her shoulder. Wearing tank top, she could feel the rough skin of his palm on her soft shoulder, and the warmth of his hand sent a bolt of tingly excitement right through her chest and lodging in her pelvis. “What about school?”
 
Shinobu whined. Damn school, it's you I want most! she thought, frustrated. But, I think getting into Tokyo University is important too; even if I don't win him, I will at least be near him, she thought, a small shiver going through her body as she felt him gently squeeze her shoulder. “If you don't want me to go, I won't,” she whispered, feeling her eyes tear up.
 
“Shinobu,” sighed Keitaro, reaching up to delicately wipe the unshed tears. That was too much for Shinobu. Before Keitaro could draw breath to continue, the small girl lunged forward, hugging him tightly to herself as her lips sealed to his. Keitaro's eyes snapped wide open; especially when he felt the tip of her tongue tentatively slide into his mouth.
 
“Mmph!” he managed, but Shinobu wasn't letting go. Eventually, she broke the kiss, but didn't release him from her hold. Burying her face in his shoulder, she clung to him tightly.
 
“I l…love you, Keitaro,” her muffled voice drifted up to his ears. “I want to be your wife more than anything; or at least your lover if you can't marry me,” she said, face still pressed into his shoulder. “I don't want anyone else. I am fine with you loving the other girls too, but not with you loving them but not me!”
 
Keitaro was speechless. Shinobu loves me?! That thought had never crossed his mind. Not once in the all the time he had lived here. Why would she love me? he wondered. Looking down at her, wondered what he was supposed to say. The only girl who never hit me, or tricked me, or made fun of me, he thought. She is always eager to help me out, and every time I failed, she was the first to cheer me on. But I never thought she loved me!
 
“Um…” Keitaro couldn't even conceive of what to say, let alone how. Slowly, his arms closed around Shinobu's chest, drawing her closer to him. In his arms, he felt her shiver. “Are you cold, Shinobu?” he wondered. Mutely, she shook her head.
 
Cold? she thought, fighting a lecherous smile, far from it! If I get any hotter, I might burn him, the girl thought. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, heated by the furnace in her lower belly. The short skirt she wore rustled slightly as she shifted her hips, seeking a bit of relief from the itchy need between her legs. Oh, Keitaro, the girl thought, easing her face back from his shoulder, though she pressed her chest tighter to his. “I might not be as beautiful as Motoko, or as developed as Mutsumi, Keitaro,” she whispered softly, looking into his eyes, “but please, Keitaro, don't choose one of them over me just because of that. Promise me. Please!” she pleaded.
 
“I promise,” replied Keitaro without a thought or hesitation. God, her expression! I never want to see that look in her eyes again, he thought, rubbing her back through the thin cotton that covered the smooth skin. “I would never hurt you like that, Shinobu,” he said honestly. Of all the girls, she is the most deserving of kindness, he thought, a faint smile on his lips. Seeing her face light up at that, he smiled more broadly.
 
“Thank you, Keitaro!” she squealed breathlessly, lunging up to kiss him again. She was on tiptoe, though it felt like she was floating. Keitaro instinctively returned the kiss. With some limited experience with Naru, he gently kissed her back, her tongue meeting his half way, the slim arms of the girl wrapping around his neck as she kissed him hungrily.
 
Instinctively, Keitaro drew her closer to him, one hand falling to her toned rear end, cupping her cheek and pulling her tight to his hips, where his hard member ground against her lower belly. Shinobu moaned into the kiss, her nipples springing erect against his chest. Yes! she mentally screamed in triumph. Keitaro pulled back from the kiss, Shinobu's tongue caressing his as he broke the kiss. “Shinobu,” he croaked out hoarsely.
 
“Yes?” breathed the girl, her hips grinding against his member. Keitaro's hand massaged her ass cheek as his other hand traced her cheek, to her neck, across her collar bone and down to her breast as she leaned back giving him unrestricted access to her even as she pressed her hips harder to his own. As if he were handling delicate crystal, he cupped her breast, feeling her hard nipple rub his palm. A soft, happy sigh escaped her lips.
 
“My goodness,” came a familiar voice from above them. The two jerked in surprise, looking up to see Mutsumi's head hanging down from the hole in his ceiling that linked his room and Naru's room. “Should I come back later?” she smiled at them.
 
“M…M…Mutsumi-sempai!” squeaked Shinobu, mortified. The endowed girl covered her mouth as she laughed.
 
“Yes, Shinobu-chan?” she asked. “Did you want some advice? Or maybe some help?”
 
“Ah, this isn't what it looks like!” Keitaro said desperately. Mutsumi hummed.
 
“It isn't?” she asked. “Pity,” she said casually, “I thought it had finally occurred to you how she felt,” said the girl, dropping through the hole in the ceiling, her body turning as she did so, allowing her to land on her feet. She was dressed in a thin blouse and a knee-length skirt, her chestnut hair coiled down her back. “Are you sure you don't want some advice or help, Shinobu-chan?” asked the Okinawan girl, stepping over to Shinobu and hugging the beet-red girl to herself.
 
“I…I'm fine, Mutsumi-sempai,” the girl muffed from between the large breasts of the taller girl. And I was so close, too! she silently mourned the lost opportunity. Unlike usual, however, she was content. Keitaro promised me, she thought giddily, and he always keeps his promises!
 
“So adorable,” murmured Mutsumi, letting Shinobu ease back enough to breathe easily. “But I am kind of jealous, Kei-kun,” she said, glancing at Keitaro, “you got to kiss Shinobu-chan and I didn't,” pouted the girl. “That's not fair, Kei-kun,” stated the woman. Leaning forward, she kissed the startled young girl. After a leisurely kiss, she straightened up, pulling Shinobu closer to her breasts. “Now that's better,” she said happily.
 
Faintly, a knock sounded from the front entrance. Keitaro blinked back his shock and moved out of his room, having to pause to adjust his still-hard length. Mutsumi giggled softly when she saw that, and looking down, she saw Shinobu smiling smugly as she, too, saw him have to adjust himself. “Shinobu-chan,” murmured the girl, “how about we talk a little more tonight?”
 
“Hmm? Oh, ok, Mutsumi-sempai,” came the distracted reply from the girl. Just then, Keitaro's voice came back through the front of the inn.
 
“Shinobu-chan, you have a visitor,” he called. Frowning in confusion, Shinobu moved toward the door, Mutsumi releasing her but following behind the small domestic, her curiosity piqued.
 
Moving through the common room, Shinobu saw Keitaro standing by the door, someone in front of him. Is it Naru-sempai? wondered Shinobu. A moment later, she saw who it was. “Sempai?!” she gasped, shocked. Her homeroom teacher was standing in the doorway, a stiff, displeased look on his face.
 
“Maehara-chan,” he replied. “I know it is unexpected, but I thought a home visit was in order,” he said. “I had no idea that your family lived in an apartment building.”
 
“This isn't an apartment building, sensei,” said Shinobu, bowing to him. Her thin tank top was rumpled from the interrupted session with Keitaro, and her skirt was sitting slightly crooked on her hips, also from the aborted encounter with her crush. “And I live here by myself, since my parents split up,” added the girl.
 
It was clear as day that the teacher didn't approve of that, but at the moment, Shinobu just didn't care what he thought. She was practically floating from the joy of being promised a place in Keitaro's heart. “Since I am here, I suppose I should look around,” he hinted.
 
“I'm sorry, sensei,” said Shinobu, “but while you are welcome to sit in the common room while I make you some tea, I am afraid that you cannot enter the hallways.” said the girl, turning for the kitchen. “Please make yourself comfortable, sensei,” she said respectfully.
 
“Why can't I look around?” asked the older man suspiciously.
 
“Because this is a girls' only dorm, that is why, and it would be most inappropriate for a man to enter the premises,” said Mutsumi easily. The teacher looked at Keitaro suspiciously.
 
“A women's dorm, you say? Then why is he here?” asked the man.
 
“I am Keitaro Urashima, manager of the dorm,” said Keitaro. “You are Shinobu-chan's homeroom teacher, right?” he said.
 
“I am,” replied the man coldly. Urashima…that name sounds familiar, thought the man. “I think it inappropriate for a man to be managing a girls' dorm; especially with girls as young as Maehara living here,” he said. Definitely an unhealthy environment for Maehara, he decided. Looking at Keitaro, he saw the wet spot on his shoulder, as well as the somewhat-tented pants. The pervert! He's probably been peeping on her as she changes, or been molesting her! he thought, his jaw tightening.
 
“It's not inappropriate,” said Mutsumi, “since Kei-kun is to be married shortly to a resident,” she smiled. Eyeing the beauty and her miles of cleavage displayed by her blouse, the older man swallowed a sudden lump in his throat.
 
“P-perhaps,” he said, adjusting his tie.
 
“This way,” invited Keitaro, stepping aside and motioning him toward the waiting room. Passing the kitchen, he glanced in to see Shinobu getting the tea out, a smile on her face and humming softly to herself. “We'll be in the common room, Shinobu-chan,” he said to her, missing the grimace that crossed the teacher's face at the mode of address.
 
“Ok, Keitaro!” she chirped back. Sitting on the couch, the teacher looked around, a frown on his face. This place is clean, yes, but it looks worn. I bet this lazy pervert hasn't been maintaining the building properly! he thought. He saw several signs of repair on the walls, floor and ceiling. Why, this place is falling apart! No wonder Maehara is having a hard time concentrating in class.
 
“So, Urashima, is it?” he asked, his tone disapproving. Keitaro nodded. “What is it you do? Other than manage the dorm?”
 
“I am an archeologist,” said Keitaro. “Matter of fact, I have to head to the site of a temple I found to help my associate explore a new chamber that was just uncovered,” he eagerly explained.
 
“An archeologist?” repeated the instructor, clearly not believing it. “You are too young to be an archeologist.”
 
“It's true,” said Mutsumi from where she sat next to Keitaro. “Kei-kun is the discoverer of the ruins of a temple on an island in the south pacific,” she said. A twitch of annoyance flickered across the man's face at the casual, fond form of address the stacked girl used when speaking of Keitaro.
 
“Where did you get your degree, if I might ask?” challenged the teacher.
 
“I am actually in the middle of getting my degree from Todai, sir,” Keitaro said. The man blinked.
 
“Todai?” he asked. He had tried - unsuccessfully - to get into Todai himself, back when he was getting his teaching degree. He had had to settle for a somewhat less prestigious school. And I am to believe that this lout got into Todai? he thought angrily. “I am sure that were I to check, the school would have your file?” he questioned. Keitaro blinked.
 
“Well, yeah,” he replied.
 
“Keitaro is a Todai student, sensei,” Shinobu said, setting down the tray with the tea service on it. “As is Mutsumi-sempai and Naru-sempai,” said the girl proudly. “Motoko-sempai failed her first try, but she will doubtlessly make it in this time,” added the girl.
 
“Let's not forget that Keitaro failed three times himself,” came a teasing voice from the top of the stairs. Kitsune had been attracted by the voices much like a shark is attracted by blood in the water. “What's going on?” she asked, descending the stairs, bottle of sake in hand. Spotting the old man sitting there she paused before resuming her descent. Her track book was in the back pocket of her capris, and the thin, long-sleeve top she wore accented her not-inconsiderable rack.
 
“Kitsune-sempai,” said Shinobu, offering her a cup of tea.
 
“No thanks, sugar,” smiled Kitsune, jiggling her bottle of sake, “this is fine,” she grinned.
 
“And who might you be, miss?” wondered the teacher. A drunkard! Maehara is living in the same building as a drunkard!
 
“Who's asking?” frowned Kitsune.
 
“This is my homeroom teacher, Kitsune,” Shinobu stepped in. “Sensei, this is Mitsune Konno-sempai.”
 
“Huh. Homeroom teacher, eh?” Kitsune said, flopping down next to Shinobu. She absently offered the young girl some sake, but Shinobu declined. She is trying to corrupt my student! thought the man, his temper rising.
 
“A little early to be drinking, isn't it, Miss Konno?” he said stiffly.
 
“Depends,” shrugged Kitsune, “on rather or not you are thirsty,” grinned the fox.
 
“And what school do you attend?” pressed the man.
 
“I stopped when I graduated from high school,” shrugged Kitsune. “I write for a living,” she added.
 
An undisciplined drunk, amended the teacher. Already, he was formulating his complaint to the school district about Maehara's living conditions. I can't risk Maehara being dragged down by this bunch of social rejects, he told himself.
 
“We have visitors?” came a serious voice from the top of the stairs. Turning his head to look up and back, he saw a tall woman in hakama and a gi descending the steps, a wood-sheathed katana in hand. Behind her came another who so closely resembled her that she had to be a sister.
 
“Motoko-sempai, Tsuruko-sempai,” Shinobu greeted them. “My homeroom teacher is here for a visit,” she explained. Keitaro blinked, suddenly aware of what could have gone wrong if the man had wandered the halls and encountered the two. Shinobu's teacher was eyeing the two women. From their proud carriage to the casual way that they carried their swords, it was clear to him that they were serious warriors.
 
“Sensei,” bowed Tsuruko, Motoko mimicking her.
 
“Kendoists, I see,” he said, eyeing the swords. Tsuruko smiled amicably.
 
“Not kendoists,” she said, “we are swordswomen of the Shinmei-ryu school,” said the elder sister. The man blinked.
 
“But, that is just a legend; a style used by the Aoyama clan of Kyoto back in the early days of the empire,” he protested.
 
“We are Aoyama,” stated Motoko stiffly. How dare he insult us so, she thought irritably.
 
“Impossible,” scoffed the man, “you are too young,” he insisted. Motoko's hand tightened on her sword-hilt.
 
“It's true, though,” assured Shinobu. “Motoko-sempai and Tsuruko-sempai are both very powerful warriors,” added the young woman, remembering the times that Keitaro had been sent flying from an attack by one or the other of the two.
 
“Motoko!” came a gleeful cry, followed by a tan and blonde blur. An instant later, Su was hanging from Motoko, a huge smile on her face. Spotting the old man, she frowned. “What is teacher doing here?” wondered the hyperactive genius.
 
Seeing the maniac of his nightmares frowning at him, the teacher paled. My Maehara lived with Su?! The lunatic? The psychotic gaijin? The terror of all things proper and civil?! gibbered the man. As with all the teachers at school, he had learned early and hard that Su was a dangerous girl. In Japanese classics class, she had made a missile launcher from a bento box, two pens, a box of chalk, her textbook, parts of her desk and Shinobu's backpack. In chemistry, she had built a two-stage rocket that actually achieved orbit out of distillate beakers, some clamps and a handful of chemicals. The entire time, she had been laughing and giggling like a child.
 
“Hey, sis, come meet the funny person who goes to school with me and Shinobu!” yelled the blonde girl, causing the teacher to blanche.
 
“Oh?” came a voice from the hall to the left. Turning, he saw a tall, platinum-haired woman, the same tanned brown as Su but dressed in some scanty costume, emerge from the hallway. “This is the instructor who teaches you?” asked Amalla, giving him a thorough visual examination. She was clearly not impressed. “He doesn't look very intelligent,” she said to her sister.
 
“He's not that bad,” shrugged Kaolla, “He's really uptight and keeps getting fixated on unimportant stuff,” she added. The teacher's outrage was clearly visible.
 
“It is not `unimportant' stuff, Su!” he insisted. A clicking sound drew his attention to the side, just in time to see Shiro pad out into the room. C…c…crocodile! he thought, promptly passing out.
 
“Aw, he broke again,” complained Su, slipping off Motoko's back.
 
“He does seem to be in rather poor health,” agreed Tsuruko.
 
“No problem,” grinned Su, hurrying over to a corner of the room and pulling out a box with the three-eyed symbol of her homeland on it. “This'll fix him right up!” she leered, pressing a button.
 
“No!” protested Shinobu. “Su, that could kill him!” she desperately tried to curb Su's enthusiasm for using the device.
 
“It didn't hurt Keitaro,” defended Su.
 
“What didn't hurt Onii-chan?” came the dark, dangerous voice of Kanako. The younger Urashima stood at the top of the stairs, her face a cold mask. “And who is that old geezer?” she asked.
 
“Shinobu's homeroom teacher, apparently,” shrugged Kitsune. “Can't say I think too much of him,” she added disdainfully.
 
“Why is he here?” asked Kanako, descending the stairs.
 
“Home visit, apparently,” shrugged Keitaro. Looking at the clock, he blinked. “It's getting late,” he said. “And I have an early flight tomorrow morning, so if you would get started on supper, I'd appreciate it,” he said. Shinobu nodded.
 
“Of course, Keitaro,” she said, smiling at him.
 
“Early flight?” asked Motoko evenly.
 
“Going somewhere?” asked Kitsune. Keitaro sighed.
 
“I have something to tell you all after supper,” he said firmly. “But for now, we need to do something about him,” he said, indicating the vaguely-stirring form of the teacher.
 
“Just get him out of here,” shrugged Kitsune. “He has no business here anyway,” the woman said. Damn it, because of him, my plan is going to be put on hold until Keitaro gets back from where ever he is going! thought the woman, scowling to herself.
 
“So, that is what was going on with you and Shinobu-chan earlier,” giggled Mutsumi. All the girls turned their gaze to Keitaro.
 
What was `going on' earlier with Shinobu?” asked Kitsune archly. Dang! Looks like Shinobu is playing hardball already! she thought.
 
“Oh, she was giving him a good-bye kiss,” smiled Mutsumi. “It was very sweet of her,” added the girl.
 
“Maehara was being assaulted by this pervert?” came a somewhat groggy voice. Looking down, the group saw the teacher was sort of awake again. Keitaro groaned.
 
“Why does everyone always think it's me?” he asked rhetorically.
 
“What did you accuse Keitaro-sama of?” came a cool voice from behind Keitaro. Turning, he saw Tsuruko staring at the teacher.
 
“It's just a misunderstanding, Tsuruko,” Keitaro tried to keep things from devolving into the Hinata Two-Step. He might just as well tried to keep the sun from rising.
 
“I heard what Miss Mutsumi said!” insisted the teacher. “You have been molesting my student, you pervert!” he yelled. Motoko moved to stand next to her sister, hand on sword.
 
“Open your lying mouth again, and I will tear your head off,” hissed Kanako, her fist clenched. Tsuruko could feel her chi and Ki both building.
 
“You have over-stayed your welcome,” said Motoko. “Get out.”
 
Eyeing the group, the teacher sensed it was time to go. Scuttling through the narrow gap between Motoko and Tsuruko, he made for the door. “You won't be allowed to continue this perverse behavior, Urashima!” threatened the man. “I'm going to report this to the school, the papers and the police! No one molests my Maehara!”
 
“What?!” came a volcanic yell from behind him. Jumping like a startled cat, the man turned to see a demon from hell standing behind him. “You assaulted Shinobu-chan?! You pervert!” screamed Naru, shoving past the man. Enraged as she was, her shove sent him face-first into the wall. As she passed, glowing with anger, he limply slid down into a tumbled mass by the door.
 
“Naru! It's a misunderstanding!” Keitaro desperately tried to defuse his girlfriend.
 
“No excuses!” screamed Naru, drawing back her fist. Kanako appeared before her, her own Ki-charged fist drawn back, her dark eyes alight with anticipation.
 
“Motoko,” said Tsuruko, turning to face Kanako. Immediately, Motoko stepped into Naru's advance, hand on sword.
 
“Both of you stop this!” commanded Tsuruko, her hand firmly grasping her sword hilt, feet planted. Kanako's eyes fixed on the elder sister.
 
“Get out my way, Motoko!” hissed Naru, “that pervert is going to get what's coming to him!” she declared.
 
“No, Naru.”
 
“Motoko, he molested Shinobu!” Naru growled.
 
“He didn't, Naru-sempai!” Shinobu yelled.
 
“Why are you defending him, Shinobu?!” Naru demanded, trying to push Motoko aside. The samurai girl held firm. Behind her, Kanako was judging Tsuruko, clearly weighing her chances of victory. Tsuruko held Kanako's gaze.
 
“My, my! Another lively night!” came a cackle from the doorway. Everything stopped. Keitaro had never been so glad to see his grandma and cousin in his life. “And to think you haven't even told them yet!” grinned Granny Hina.