- Susan Doenime
Brisbane, U of Q
"I hit the streets / They watched me in the monitor..."



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Pastpresent

by Susan Doenime

R1/2 characters and backstory are the creations and property of Takahashi

Rumiko. Used without permission. No challenge to copyrights should be

inferred or taken.

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Pastpresent 4 - Heirlooms



		It might have seemed from this narrative that your 

	mother spent all of her time either beating me, or trying 

	to date me, or both at once. This certainly wasn't the 

	case, although she did do a great deal of both. Your 

	mother and I were very good friends, and this was one 

	reason why I tried to keep things from going too far 

	between us. I valued that friendship a great deal, and was 

	more comfortable with it than with a 'girlfriend'. I think 

	you understand that.



		There were other reasons too, ones that I didn't 

	even consciously realize at the time. They were to cost 

	me a great deal. Almost more than I could bear, in fact, 

	and the price rests on me still.



		But again I'm getting ahead of my story.



		Your mother. Yes, Nodoka and I got along well. I 

	enjoyed being with her, and I still do. She was a 

	wonderful listener, and her mind was very swift. If her 

	temper was quick, so was her sympathy.



		That temper subsided over the years, but the 

	sympathy never did. More than anyone, it was your mother 

	who brought me through my darkest days. I fear that I 

	haven't repaid her very well for her love and care.



		There are reasons for that. I have hurt her, and you, 

	and I shall doubtless pay even more for this than I 

	already have. But, son, there were reasons for it all. 

	That's part of why I've written this. You can't understand 

	them unless you know a bit of my early life. And of your 

	mother's.



		I don't think I ever really completely understood 

	her. Perhaps I still don't. Always she surprises me.



----------------------------------------------



	He was late.



	Nodoka scowled, irritably gazing up at the branches over 

her head. In the pond nearby, the dojo's carp swam about, fat 

and happy.



	Genma was supposed to have met her in the backyard 

fifteen minutes ago. It almost certainly wasn't simply a 

matter of him being held up; he had gone into the dojo to train 

just an hour before. Which meant that he was still probably 

inside, lost in whatever form he was going through.



	That grated on her. She liked punctuality, among other 

things. And she also liked being treated as if she was more 

important than a punching exercise.



	Especially now, when she wasn't the only person after 

Genma's hand.



	The damn 'kami' worried her. Misuto _was_ pretty, and 

that indecent kimono the woman wore did look good on her. 

Nodoka didn't like the idea of having serious competition for 

Genma. It was hard enough to get his attention as it was.



	She waited another five minutes, and then stood. If she 

found him merely lost in a kata, she would simply be irked. If 

she found him with the mist woman, she would really be 

pissed.



	Striding into the dojo, she gave a mental sigh of relief. 

Misuto didn't seem to be anywhere in sight; the dojo was empty 

except for Genma and a punching dummy, which was receiving a 

series of fairly punishing blows.



	"You're late," she called out, walking across the room 

towards him.



	Genma just shrugged slightly, and kept punching.



	Nodoka frowned. "I said, you're late."



	"So?" He didn't bother to turn; just kept up his exercise, 

blows thudding into the padded wood. "I'm not your servant."



	An angry reply rose to her lips, then died unsaid. This 

wasn't like Genma at all.



	She glanced at the punching dummy. The wood looked 

slightly cracked.



	"What's wrong?" she quietly asked him.



	Genma shrugged again, unleashing a series of strikes that 

almost shattered the dummy. "Mom and I needed cash, so she 

sold some stuff."



	Of course. His mother. "What kind of stuff?" she asked 

gently.



	"Nothing much. Some of Dad's junk. A few old pieces of 

art. Grandfather's collections. The tsuba."



	Nodoka stared at him. "She sold the tsuba?"



	"Yup." Genma chuckled hollowly. "It was that or the TV, 

and I guess she chose the TV."



	"I thought your father left it to..."



	"Yeah, well, she's the head of the household, and I didn't 

find out until after the fact." Another chuckle, and a string of 

sharp jabs to the dummy. "But hey, she didn't really sell it. 

Just pawned it. So if no-one buys it between now and when I 

get the money to buy it back - which'll be about the same time 

hell freezes over - then I'll have it back, safe and sound."



	"I'm sure grandfather could lend you the..."



	"I don't need his charity! I earn my lessons, and I pay my 

own way!" He glared at her. "I don't need anyone taking pity on 

us, 'cause I can take care of myself. Okay?"



	Nodoka nodded, eyes fixed on the ground, unwilling to 

meet his gaze.



	"Oh hell... look, I'm sorry, Nodoka. I didn't mean to snap at 

you. I'm just in kinda a bad mood right now, and I'm trying to 

let it out on this dummy instead of anyone else. Can we go on 

that walk some other time?"



	She nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, Genma."



	He shrugged again. "It was just an old hunk of metal 

anyway. Didn't mean anything."



	His voice said different, Nodoka thought as she left.



	Unlike the Saotome family, the Kasigis had no katana. 

While they undoubtably did at one point, it had long since been 

sold, probably towards the end of the Meiji era. But the 

patriarchs of the family had been unable to bring themselves 

to part with the tsuba, the sword guard.



	There were two real parts to the swordsmith's art. The 

first, that of the blade, was meant to kill. The second, that of 

the hilt's guard, was meant for beauty and function, the first 

being paramount as long as it didn't interfere with the second. 

Nodoka has seen the Kasigi tsuba, steel with jade inlay. It was 

a masterpiece. It even had Goto Ichijo's unmistakable signature 

mark on it; invaluable for those who appreciated such things.



	It had been a real point of pride for Genma. The Kasigis 

didn't have the status of the Saotomes, and lord knows they 

certainly didn't have the money... but they did have what was 

probably the finest tsuba in Nerima.



	Or did, until Genma's idiot mother went and sold it.



	Nodoka gritted her teeth. Aside from having produced the 

man she was in love with, she really couldn't think of anything 

positive to say about Mrs. Kasigi. It was uncharitable, but she 

wished the old shrew would simply die and let Genma live his 

own life.



	The worst part was that Genma would get over it. In 

another few days he'd have just shrugged off the loss of his 

most prized possession - his only prized possession, really - 

as just another minor setback in life. He was too easygoing to 

stay upset; it was an odd contrast to his serious side.



	So he'd just grin and bear it.



	She glanced sadly back at the dojo, wanting to go back in 

and comfort him. But he was right; what he really needed right 

now was to take out some of his frustration in a harmless 

fashion.



	No, what he really needed was for his damn mother not to 

have sold the thing in the first place!



	The pawn shop probably had no idea what they had gotten; 

the price the Kasigi's had received for it was undoubtably far 

below the actual value of it. It would probably either be bought 

by some ignorant type who didn't even know what it was, or by 

some rich collector who'd toss it in with a dozen others, or...



	Nodoka's eyes widened. Then she smiled.



	Or by Genma's future wife.



	She would go in, pluck down the money, buy the thing, and 

then give it to Genma as a present.



	She grinned. It would be expensive... her allowance for 

the next few months would probably go into paying for it.. but 

the look on Genma's face would be worth it. She'd go inside, get 

her coat, and then...



	Nodoka almost swore. She had no idea _where_ the tsuba 

had been sold, and she couldn't ask Genma without giving 

herself away.



	Wincing, she went inside, throwing on her jacket. She did 

know one way to find out, but it was going to ruin her day.



* * * *



	"Oh, it's _you_. Come in, I suppose."



	"Thank you, Kasigi-san," Nodoka said, forcing her voice to 

stay humble and respectful. It wasn't easy.



	She stepped up into the shabby little apartment, wincing 

slightly at the volume of the TV set in the corner. A gigantic 

portrait of the Emperor dominated one wall; the other was 

taken up by a large, cheaply-made shrine dedicated to Genma's 

father. Mrs. Kasigi trudged across the room and settled down 

into a threadbare overstuffed chair facing the TV.



	"Bow to the Son of Heaven, girl. Children today have no 

manners."



	Nodoka did a deep bow to the portrait, rolling her eyes as 

she did. "Have you been well, Kasigi-san?"



	"No. My lazy son does not spend enough time at home, and 

he isn't a very hard worker." She sniffed. "I don't know why 

you'd be interested in him, Nodoka. He really isn't worth it."



	"I like him a great deal," Nodoka said, doing a passable 

imitation of politeness. "He does work fairly hard, from what 

I've seen." From what she'd seen, Genma worked like a dog at 

that grocery store. In between working and training, it was a 

miracle she got to spend any time with him at all.



	"Lazy," Mrs. Kasigi said mournfully. "Not at all like his 

father. I hope the army will accept him. With the war going so 

well, they may have standards too high for him to meet."



	"Oh yes. The war," Nodoka carefully replied. Mrs. Kasigi, 

from what she had heard from Genma, was still under the 

impression that the Second World War was still going strong, 

and that Japan was winning. It seemed harmless enough, but it 

was a pointed reminder that the old woman was not so much 

callous as insane - or at least both callous and insane. 

"Actually, I wanted to ask you about..."



	"Shhhh!" Mrs. Kasigi leaned forward in her chair, staring 

at the TV set. "I like this commercial."



	Nodoka stood silently and waited until the ad, a rather 

generic dog food commercial involving singing poodles, had 

come to an end. "I was going to ask you about a good pawn shop. 

We're going to sell a few possessions to help fund the war 

effort, and since you know Nerima so well..."



	"Oh? Good, good... yes, money for the guns, for the guns 

and planes and tanks to kill the gaijins with..." Mrs Kasigi 

smiled happily. "Kill them all, and teach them to attack our 

poor Japan. Yes. We took Midway last week, you know. I saw it 

on TV. Glorious."



	"Yes," Nodoka said uneasily. "It was. About the pawn..."



	"Oh, there's a good one on Toshima Street, by the clinic. 

Yes. I sold the old family tsuba there for a great deal of 

money... sad, but Genma is not the sort who would have put it 

to good use, so I suppose it was for the best. Waste not, want 

not."



	"How much did you get for it, Kasigi-san?"



	"25,000 yen."



	Nodoka mentally swore. That was almost a year's 

allowance. "That is a good price, Kasigi-san. I'll have to visit 

it."



	"Yes. The state needs money, you know. Money to send our 

fine sons to war. Glorious." The woman stared at the TV, 

chuckling a bit as a cartoon mouse chased a cartoon cat across 

the screen. "Glorious."



	"Goodbye, Kasigi-san."



	She quickly left, breathing a sigh of relief the second she 

was out the door. Genma only went home to sleep, and 

sometimes to eat. And, of course, to drop off most of his 

paycheck.



	He probably actually spent far more of his waking hours 

at the Saotome dojo than anywhere else... that, or possibly 

Kiri's place.



	If she had anything to say about it, though, he'd marry her 

and would move into the dojo. And then he'd never have to 

return to that apartment again, or the lunatic who lived in it.



	Enough of that, she told herself. How on earth was she 

going to get 25,000 yen? She had maybe 1000 at hand...



	Ask her grandfather? He'd probably give her it, but... she 

didn't want to run to her family for something like this.



	Earn it somehow? She chuckled slightly. If there was a 

way to earn that much money in one day, Genma wouldn't need 

to work at the grocery.



	She could take out a loan... but she couldn't think of a 

single bank that would give money to an 18-year-old without 

the parents' endorsement. And the interest would be 

horrendous.



	Or...



* * * *



	"You need money? Is something wrong, Nodoka? Has a 

bank failed? Is Saotome-sensei ill? Are..."



	"No, Soun. I'm just buying a present for someone, and I 

need a great deal of cash all at once." Nodoka smiled hopefully. 

"I will pay you back; it'll just take a few months. I can 

probably manage a bit of interest..."



	"Interest?" Soun said, shocked. "Certainly not! But what 

is the money for?"



	Nodoka smiled pleasantly, mentally cringing a bit. If Soun 

learned that he was financing a present for Genma, he'd 

undoubtably refuse. At the same time, she couldn't bring 

herself to lie to someone who was about to do her a big favor...



	"It's for a piece of fine artwork," she said truthfully 

enough. "One grandfather's admired for some time." Which was 

also perfectly true. Saotome-sensei had expressed his 

admiration for the tsuba more that once.



	Soun beamed. "Ah, what thoughtfulness, Nodoka-san! 

Saotome-sensei is lucky to have such a daughter. Please, take 

the money as a gift."



	The idea tempted her for all of two seconds. "I couldn't 

do that, Soun."



	"Oh, I insist! After all, for the Master..."



	"If you give me the money, then it's not really from me, 

is it?" she pointed out. "I'm just the... the purchasing agent. No, 

Soun. Thank you, but really all I want is a loan. I'll pay you back 

on the second of every month, and then it really will have been 

from me."



	Soun frowned slightly, scratching his head.



	"Please?" she said, batting her eyes slightly. "I would 

mean so much to..."



	"Certainly," Soun conceded. "Very well, let me go 

withdraw the sum from the safe." Standing, he wandered out of 

the Tendo sitting room.



	Nodoka glanced about as he left, fairly impressed despite 

herself. The Tendo residence was huge; more of a mansion than 

a house. She got the impression that the family fortune might 

either decline or rise under Soun's management. On the bright 

side, he was a fairly spartan sort of fellow, caring little for 

worldly goods that couldn't be eaten. On the other hand, that 

very same disdain made him about as financially acute as a 

rock. The cunning, market oriented genes that had caused the 

Tendo family to rise in power had obviously skipped Soun's 

generation.



	He was also perhaps a bit too generous for his own good. 

Soun was a nice guy, but a nice guy with one hell of an 

overemotional streak.



	After a few minutes, he returned, a carefully wrapped 

packet of money in one hand. "Here you go, Nodoka-san. 25,000."



	She smiled, placing it in her purse. "I'll pay you back 

monthly, Tendo-san. Thank you."



	Soun blushed, stammered, mumbled something, and nearly 

fell out of his seat. Apparently the confidence inspired by the 

Righteous Seven Demons Wrath didn't last long past usage of it.



	"I'll just be pleased to see Saotome-sensei display his 

new work of art," he finally said.



	Nodoka nodded weakly.



* * * *



	"You were WHAT!?" Nodoka's jaw dropped. This couldn't be 

happening...



	The man behind the pawn shop counter shrugged glumly. 

"Robbed. Opened up the store this morning, place was empty." 

He glanced mournfully at the barren walls and empty display 

cases. "Bastards cleaned me out. Even took the damn cleaning 

and appraising equipment." He shook his head. "Some lousy 

rotten people in this world, girl."



	"But... but... the police'll recover the stuff, right?"



	Chuckling ruefully, the owner shook his head. "Recover 

stolen goods? The police? Not a chance. At best, they'll catch 

whoever did it a couple months down the road... but the stuff 

has probably already been resold to a fence. Complete loss." He 

rubbed his bald head and sighed. "Now we just get to see who's 

the better con artist, me or my insurance company."



	"This is awful," Nodoka moaned.



	The owner raised an eyebrow. "Hey, _I'm_ the one who's 

been robbed. You hock a ring here or something? I don't 

remember seeing you before..."



	"No," she said, cursing fate. "I just had something I 

wanted to buy here."



	"Heh. Well, pawn shops all have the same junk, girl. Try 

Zuko's downtown; he runs a pretty good store. Not as good as 

mine, but..." he waved an arm at the walls, "I'm a little short on 

inventory at the moment."



	"Right," Nodoka said resignedly. "Good luck with the 

insurance."



	"I'll need it. They're bigger thieves than the guys who 

broke in."



	She pushed open the door and strolled dejectedly out, 

kicking at a rock as she went. So much for her wonderful plan. 

Genma would never get the tsuba back now.



	It was probably being pawed at by some petty criminal 

right now, she thought blackly. Some worthless, two-bit crook 

who made his living robbing honest people.



	No doubt it was, as the shop owner had told her, already 

in the hands of some fence. Who would doubtlessly sell it, but 

who would also undoubtably not put out a 'HEY! BUY YOUR 

STOLEN KASIGI FAMILY TSUBA HERE!' ad out in the newspaper.



She could no more find a fence, let alone the right one, than 

she could fly to Mars.



	However...



	"No," she said aloud. "That's a terrible idea, Nodoka, and 

one that you want nothing to do with."



	But the look on Genma's face...



	"Oh, damn."



* * * *



	"Oh, hello Saotome-san!"



	Nodoka nodded with formal politeness. "Hello, Misuto-

san. I'm here to see Kiritsubo."



	The kami frowned slightly, and adjusted her feet on the 

office's front desk. She was sprawled casually in Kiri's 

battered leather chair, feet propped up on the garage desk in a 

pose that would have been perfectly natural for Kiri, in her 

usual garb of jeans and leather jacket, to assume. It looked 

fairly silly when done by a slender, sharp-featured woman in a 

silk kimono. "Kiritsubo-san's not in tonight, I'm afraid. She left 

me to mind the garage."



	"Do you know when she'll be back?" Nodoka asked.



	Misuto reached into a desk drawer, took out one of the 

cheap cigars 'Joe' supposedly smoked, and lit it. Nodoka stared 

incredulously as the mist kami stuck it in her mouth and 

adopted a thoughtful expression. Again, it would have looked 

perfectly natural for Kiri. For Misuto, it was all Nodoka could 

do not to burst out laughing. Maybe she wasn't as much of a 

threat as Nodoka had feared.



	"I don't think she'll be back tonight," Misuto finally said, 

glancing at the wall clock. "It's already five, and she said that 

she would either be back by four or not get home until 

tomorrow morning."



	"What, either one or the other?" Nodoka asked, confused.



	"That's right. She was considering stopping by a poker 

game, and was going to be there all night if she did." Misuto 

frowned slightly, the cigar waggling. "What is poker, anyway?"



	"It's a card game," Nodoka told her. "You bet money on it." 

Which pretty much explained what Kiri was going there. Nodoka 

wondered if the mechanic played an honest game, and decided 

that the odds were highly against it.



	She frowned, trying to decide what to do next. Kiri would 

probably arrive home in the morning and sleep until afternoon, 

which mean that Nodoka wouldn't be able to continue her hunt 

until evening tomorrow - which left an entire day for the tsuba 

to get further and further away.



	"Do you know where the poker game's being held?" she 

asked. If she could get the information she needed tonight...



	"In some place called Ant Town," Misuto said, shrugging 

slightly.



	Oh joy, Nodoka thought glumly. "Do you know where in Ant 

Town?"



	The mist kami blew a series of smoke rings, which 

spiraled up to circle the light bulb. "I think she said the 

Hagetaka, whatever that might mean."



	"That was all she said?"



	"That was all," Misuto confirmed. She frowned slightly. 

"Nodoka-san?"



	"Yes?"



	"Is it perhaps a quaint modern custom for men with 

knives to enter and demand money? Part of a festival, 

perhaps?"



	"Noooo....." Nodoka said slowly. "Why do you ask?"



	"Oh, good," Misuto said, clearly relieved. "I was afraid 

that I had made some sort of social error. But if they were just 

petty criminals..."



	"You were robbed?" Nodoka asked. "How much did they 

take?"



	"Take?" the mist kami said, puffing contentedly on the 

cigar. A delicate white finger pointed up.



	Nodoka's eyes followed it.



	"I don't think Kiritsubo will be very pleased about that 

hole in the roof," she finally said.



	"Oh dear," Misuto said, looking worried. "I hadn't thought 

of that. I tried to aim all six of them towards the same patch 

of ceiling..."



	"There were six of them?"



	"Eight, but two ran away."



	"Oh," Nodoka said weakly. She mentally revised her 

opinion of the slender woman from just silly-looking to silly-

looking and dangerous. "In that case, I think Kiri will 

understand."



	Misuto beamed. "That's good. Kiritsubo-san is under too 

much stress as it is."



	Aren't we all, Nodoka thought. "Right. Thanks for your 

help, Misuto-san."



	"Happy to help, Nodoka-san." Another puff of smoke, this 

one shaped like a dragon, drifted upwards to circle around the 

light. Nodoka watched in fascination as it devoured the 

previous smoke rings, growing in size and settling down to a 

slow orbit of the bulb. "Oh, and if you see Kasigi-sama, tell 

him I said hello."



	"I will," Nodoka lied. Shooting another glance at the 

dragon - which almost looked as though it was licking its lips 

- she left.



	Even if Misuto wasn't really a kami, Nodoka decided as 

she walked, the woman was definitely someone unusual. Not to 

mention the best smoke artist she'd ever seen.



	Again, she questioned whether or not the tsuba was 

worth all this trouble. And again, the answer she got back was 

yes.



	"Ant Town," she muttered, her walk turning into a jog. 

She'd go home, get her iaito - nothing like a katana, even an 

unsharpened one, to deter muggers - and then trying to find 

where in the town-sized junkyard Kiri had holed up.



* * * *



	It was almost nine by the time Nodoka arrived in Ant 

Town.



	The scrapyard-turned-residencial-area wasn't the worst 

part of Tokyo to be at night - a lot of the residents were poor 

but honest, their homes in the ruined buildings and piles of 

metal being conveniently close to their work. All the same, the 

unlit alleys and corridors and tunnels that wound their way 

between the rusted cars and crumbling girders weren't exactly 

the safest place to be after dark. Criminals lurked there.



	Which was Nodoka's whole reason for coming, since Biki 

Kiritsubo wasn't likely to be found in any place criminals 

_weren't_.



	It posed a minor hazard to her safety, though. She didn't 

exactly fit in. So she tried to minimize the damage by dressing 

in baggy clothing and a head scarf, making her gender and age 

uncertain from a distance. She also let her iaito ride 

prominently on one hip, and kept a hand on its hilt.



	As it was, one poor idiot did try to mug her, walking out 

of the shadows and showing her that he had a knife. Nodoka 

proceeded to demonstrate that she had an unsharpened metal 

sword, and two Dan rankings that said she could use it. She 

took the man's wallet as punishment for accosting her, and left 

his unconscious body under a burned-out trolley.



	It took her almost two hours of searching, asking people, 

and climbing mountains of scrap to find the Hagetaka. Or what 

was left of it, anyway.



	It had been a seaplane carrier, used for search and rescue 

during the war. Then it had been bombed, and was in the 

process of being refitted in Tokyo Bay when it was bombed 

again. The rusting metal hulk of it, like countless other ships, 

was towed up the canal, dragged onto the bank, and left for the 

Ant Town residents to pick over.



	At present it lay slightly tilted against a mountain of 

girders, old pipes, and fragments of concrete, half buried. A 

crude ramp had been built along the side of the ship, leading up 

to the flight deck, and it was this means that Nodoka used to 

get atop the old ship.



	The deck itself, she saw, was pitted by jagged, blackened 

craters. She repressed a shiver - her father had been a naval 

officer, and had never come home - and walked towards the 

battered stub of the bridge tower.



	She wasn't surprised to find that the lights were on 

inside, and was even less surprised to hear noises echoing up a 

stairway down.



	Carefully, one hand loosely gripping her sword hilt, 

Nodoka made her descent. 



	The stairway led to a corridor, rusted metal and rotting 

wood providing the decor. She followed the sounds of talking 

and music down it, and soon emerged into the interior seaplane 

bay. 



	This time she was surprised.



	The bay was dominated by a seaplane, one that appeared 

to be almost well maintained. The propeller engines were both 

spinning, the blades missing - instead, belts were attached to 

them, disappearing into some sort of crazyquilt machine set 

into the floor. Cables and wires veered off from it, some 

terminating in the clumps and strands of christmas lights, 

floodlights, stoplights, Chinese lanterns, illuminated signs, 

lightbulbs, and neon tubes that flooded the hangar with 

multicolored light.



	Tables spread out around the plane - some on raised 

platforms, a couple on catwalks branching off the wings, most 

simply on the hangar floor. Almost every single one of them 

was packed with people, and almost all of the people looked as 

though they had their picture hanging in a post office or two. 

Some were drinking, some were arguing, some were making a 

valiant attempt to dance to the extremely loud and extremely 

poor rock band playing from a makeshift stage in a corner. None 

of them were paying any attention at all to her, for which she 

was grateful.



	Warily, watching the patrons with more than a little 

apprehension, Nodoka strolled through the room. No-one seemed 

interested in her, which was good. But she didn't see Kiritsubo 

anywhere, which was bad.



	She sighed. Kiri had to be here; it was too disreputable 

for her _not_ to be.



	All the same, a quick circuit of the hanger determined 

that the mechanic wasn't here.



	Forcing aside her reluctance to talk to any of the people 

hanging around the place, she walked up to what appeared to be 

a bar set against one wall. The bartender, a burly fellow in his 

early thirties, glanced up as she approached. "Whatcha want, 

miss?"



	A quick glance at the multicolored liquor bottles behind 

the bar convinced her that whatever she wanted, a drink wasn't 

it. "I'm looking for Biki Kiritsubo. Do you know if she's here?"



	"I've got a bad memory."



	Rolling her eyes, Nodoka fished some money out of her 

pocket and laid it on the bar.



	"She's down in the captain's quarters, at the poker game. 

Whatcha want with Subeta Kiri?" He leered suggestively. "You 

her girlfriend?"



	Nodoka scowled at him. Kiritsubo's last name, Biki, was a 

cause of much annoyance to the mechanic - the same 

characters also meant 'Beautiful Maiden'. While the word 

Subeta - 'bitch of a young woman' - was probably closer to the 

truth, it was also fairly insulting. And so was what the 

bartender was implying. "Watch your tongue."



	"Or?" He smirked. "Kiri's tab is too high to beat me up, so 

if you were thinking about running to her..."



	"Actually, I was thinking about running to Joe," Nodoka 

told him sweetly.



	The bartender turned pale. "You know Joe?"



	Nodoka knew enough to know that he was fictional, and 

that the ex-Marine Raider was a bit of a legend by now. "I'm his 

woman," she said, keeping a straight face. "He killed my last 

boyfriend because he didn't like his shoes, and I've been with 

him ever since. He's a very nice man."



	"Er..."



	"Should I bring him down to talk to you? He hasn't had to 

chain me to the bed in a week, so he's probably in a good 

mood..."



	"That won't be necessary," the bartender said hastily, 

pushing the bribe money back to her. "Here. Kiritsubo's two 

decks down. Take the stairs at the north side of the bay."



	"Thank you," Nodoka said, smiling, and quickly walked off 

before the grin that was building gave her away. That had been 

amusing.



	Pushing through the crowd, she made her way to the 

stairs and descended.



	The bright lights of the hanger quickly faded, and rusting 

metal and dripping water again became the rule. A dim, 

flickering set of track lights were set into the ceiling, and she 

followed them.



	Before long she heard muted conversation, and saw the 

dim glow of a light through the darkness ahead. Striding 

forward, the light soon resolved itself into a open door.



	Nodoka stopped, taking a deep breath. She wasn't at all 

sure that Kiri would be pleased about being interrupted like 

this. Then again, Kiri could use a bit of interrupting. She still 

remembered the date with their 'mutual friend'.



	Putting on a confident smile, she stepped through the 

door.



	The room was paneled with wood, and a somewhat 

tattered carpet covered the floor. It had probably been fairly 

luxurious when the ship was new; as it was, it still had a sort 

of shabby splendor to it. A crystal chandelier, a single 

lightbulb illuminating it, cast glittering light.



	A round table covered with green felt dominated the 

room. Four chairs were ringed around it, occupied by three 

people, all of whom looked up as she entered.



	Kiri was in the far chair, blinking in incredulity. Next to 

her, an enormous man in his early twenties was slowly turning 

his ponderous head to examine her. A young man in a leather 

jacket and fedora, the last of the trio, glanced curiously at her.



	"Hi," Nodoka said cheerfully. "I'm here to talk to 

Kiritsubo."



	"She's a bit busy at the moment," the man in the fedora 

said, smiling slightly. Nodoka got the feeling that he was just 

waiting for something to happen.



	"Card game," rumbled the behemoth. "Busy."



	Kiri just stared at Nodoka as if she had just seen a 

mouse saunter into a tomcat convention. "Nodoka? What the 

hell are you doing here?"



	"Just wanted some information, Kiri." She glanced at the 

table. "If the game's that important, mind if I join in? You 

really should have four, just to make it even."



	"We did," the young man in the fedora said, gesturing to a 

crumpled form in the far corner. "Yukio tried to cheat. Sure, 

join in, Miss...?"



	"Nezumi Nodoka," she told him, sitting down.



	He smiled faintly. "I'm Kuonji Inji. Kiritsubo it appears 

you already know, and our large friend there is Gosunkugi Bono. 

Ever play poker before?"



	Nodoka raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh. Well, I know the 

rules, but I don't think I've ever actually played." She smiled 

uncertainly. "I can shuffle and deal very well, though. 

Grandfather and I play Old Maid a lot."



	Kiri winced.



	"Well," Inji said, sounding amused, "why don't you deal, 

then. If nothing else, it should get rid of any... 

misunderstandings... that might happen if Kiri or I dealt."



	"Or Yukio," Bono rumbled.



	"I don't think anyone's going to have any more trouble 

with Yukio," Inji said mildly, handing her the deck. "Five card 

draw, no wild."



	Nodoka nodded, swallowing slightly. Kiri was fairly 

dishonest and prone to larceny, but she got the feeling that the 

other two were, if not actually killers, people who didn't 

really mind breaking a few limbs if needed.



	She shuffled and dealt, giving five cards to each. "I'm 

afraid I only have time for one hand, and I do need to talk to 

Kiri, so I'll make you an offer. If I do win, Kiri will tell me 

what I need to know instead of the money she put in."



	Inji shrugged. "Sounds fair. Bono, Kiri?"



	Bono grunted. Kiri simply nodded.



	They picked up their cards, staring at them silently. 

Nodoka frowned.



	The opening bets were made, and Nodoka pushed 2000 yen 

into the pot to match the bid.



	New cards were called for, and dealt out by Nodoka.



	Kiri had only taken one new. Upon receiving it, she 

scowled and laid down her cards. "I fold."



	Bono and Inji simply stared at their hands, expressions 

blank.



	Betting commenced, fast and furious. After 15,000 yen 

had accumulated in the pot, Bono gave a monolithic grunt. 

Glancing at his cards, then at Inji, he put in another 2000.



	"See that, raise 1000," Inji said smoothly.



	Nodoka looked about uncertainly. Kiri, a slightly 

exasperated look on her face, just shook her head.



	In went 3000. "I call," Nodoka said.



	Bono laid down a full house, queens and jacks. "Read and 

weep."



	Inji chuckled. "Oh, a very nice hand, friend Bono." He laid 

his own down, revealing four kings and a queen. "But I think my 

collection of royals beats yours. I think I've found my funding 

for the Rabaul Expedition." He started the rake in the pot, then 

glanced over at Nodoka. "But I'm being rude. What do you have, 

Miss Nodoka?"



	Nodoka laid down four aces and a deuce. 



	The other three just stared.



	"Beginner's luck, I suppose," Nodoka said cheerfully. "Kiri, 

if you'll step outside for just a second, I'll give you your money 

back and you can tell me what I need to know. It's been nice 

meeting you, Kuonji-san, Gosunkugi-san."



	The mechanic followed her out. "You are the luckiest 

woman ever to walk into that room, Nodoka. Those two are 

damn sharks!"



	"I'd guessed," Nodoka said hurriedly. "Look, if you'll just 

tell me who robbed the Nogami Pawn Co. last night, I'll give 

you the money back tomorrow. And tell you who upstairs is 

calling you Subeta Kiri."



	"Damnit, I thought I'd put a stop to that," Kiri snarled. 

"Thanks, but I could use the money now."



	"What's the rush?"



	Nodoka shook her sleeve. Ten playing cards fell out. "I 

want to get out of here before they realize what I did to the 

deck."



	Kiri gaped at her. "You were CHEATING? YOU?"



	"Grandfather taught me how. You get a lot of dexterity 

being a martial artist," Nodoka explained impatiently. "The 

information?"



	"I heard it was Rogato, over to the north of Ant Town. He 

does business as a fence as well, and has a shop there." She 

glanced over her shoulder. "Get the hell out now, Nodoka. 

Gosunkugi's violent, but he's got a short memory. Kuonji, 

though, he carries grudges, and he's a lot more dangerous than 

Bono. I'll try to throw them off when they realize, but..."



	"Right. Bye, Kiri." 



	Hurriedly, she dashed down the narrow hallway and up 

the stairs. She had almost reached the top when she heard an 

angry shout from below.



	Gulping, Nodoka ran into the hangar. Glancing around, 

disoriented for a second by the lights, her eyes fastened on 

the cockpit of the seaplane. Behind her, she could hear the 

pounding of feet on the corridor below.



	Nodoka scrambled into the seaplane's cockpit, surprising 

the young man working the lighting controls inside. He opened 

his mouth to say something, and then Nodoka pulled him down 

onto her, kissing him passionately.



	Twisting her head slightly, she could see out the window  

a furious-looking Kiri, Inji, and Bono racing into the room. They 

glanced around for a few seconds, and then Kiri yelled 

something and pointed towards a door on the far end of the 

hangar. Pushing people out of their way, the three ran for the 

exit, and disappeared.



	Nodoka gave a sigh of relief, and then noticed to her 

irritation that the person she was using for cover was starting 

to work a hand under her shirt. 



	Two punches later, she stumbled out of the cockpit, 

straightened her clothing, and left the hangar by the exit 

opposite the one Kiri and company had taken.



	Cautiously making her way off the Hagetaka, she glumly 

began to make her way northward. Now she just had to find 

this Rogato, buy back the tsuba, and get the hell out of Ant 

Town.



* * * *



	Rogato did business in a decrepit warehouse on the north 

side of Ant Town. The area there was thinner in scrap and 

thicker in ruined buildings, and as a consequence it was 

avoided by the salvage workers but flocked to by the less 

savory Ant Town elements. Nodoka was forced to bludgeon 

another mugger before, after several sets of contradictory 

directions, she found her way to the old building.



	She had taken about two steps inside it when two men, 

gang insignia on their jackets, stepped out from behind a pair 

of crates.



	Nodoka eyed then nervously, trying not to show it. "I'm 

hear to see Rogato."



	They shrugged.



	"Buying or selling?"



	She turned. A scrawny little man in a somewhat 

conservative business suit was approaching from behind.



	"Buying," she said warily. "You're Rogato?"



	The man nodded. "I am. What kind of merchandise can I 

interest you in?"



	"I understand you obtained a tsuba last night," Nodoka 

said carefully. "I'd like to buy it."



	Rogato smiled slightly. "What makes you think I would 

have something like that? I'm just an honest, respectable 

merchant in wholesale goods."



	Nodoka sensed the implied challenge - show some 

credentials, or you're out of luck. "Biki Kiritsubo tipped me 

off."



	He seemed to relax slightly. "Kiri? That's different, then. 

Yes, someone sold me a tsuba last night. Just for the record, I 

don't know how it was obtained or who sold it to me." He 

grinned. "But I'd be more than happy to sell it to you."



	She smiled back. "How much?"



	"40,000."



	Rolling her eyes, Nodoka shook her head. "You've got to be 

joking. It's barely worth 10,000."



	"Then you clearly haven't seen the craftsmanship. I 

couldn't part with it for anything under 35,000."



	"I have seen the craftsmanship, and the left grillwork 

portion is slightly marred. 20,000."



	"Slight flaws just add character. 33,000."



	Nodoka sighed. "30,000."



	"Done." Rogato held a hand out for the money. Nodoka just 

looked at him, and he gave a slight grin, and snapped his 

fingers. One of the gang members left, returning a few minutes 

later with a small box.



	Nodoka took and opened it. There, nestled on a bed of 

white silk, was the steel and jade oval of the Kasigi tsuba. For 

a few seconds she simply admired it, then shut the box, slipped 

it inside her shirt, and handed Rogato the money. "Many thanks, 

Rogato-san."



	The little man shrugged. "Business is business... Nodoka-

san?"



	Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yes?"



	"I'd get out of here quickly, if I were you. There's a very 

angry young knife named Kuonji Inji looking for you."



	She swallowed. "Thanks. Goodbye."



	She ran out of the warehouse, slightly worried. If she 

could just get out of Ant Town she was safe; 'Nezumi Nodoka' 

didn't exist, and Kiri wouldn't give him any leads. But Inji had 

seemed more than a little dangerous...



	Quickening her pace, she ducked down a narrow alley 

running between two mountains of rubble. If she remembered 

right, it emerged near a long section of old drainage pipe that 

formed a tunnel under the great north heap on the very border 

of Ant Town. If she could get through the tunnel, she would be 

almost back in Nerima, and could catch a bus or a taxi.



	It was dark out, almost pitch black. The only illumination 

came from the moon, and from the dimly flickering lights of 

the cave-homes carved higher up on the heaps of rubble. She 

wondered for a second what it would be like to grow up here - 

would it be awful, or like a giant playground?



	She drew towards the end of the alley, and stopped. A 

figure stood at the end of it, waiting.



	"I really don't like it when people cheat at cards," Inji 

said calmly. "I suspect Kiritsubo might have been trying to 

cover for you, so I slipped away from her and Bono at the first 

opportunity."



	"Sorry," Nodoka replied. "I needed the information from 

Kiri. If you'd like your money back, I can..."



	He smiled thinly. "It's not the money, Miss Nodoka. It's 

the principle of the thing." His hand vanished inside the leather 

jacket for a split second, emerging with a long, glittering 

object. "This is a Huzipochian tine fork. They used them to 

skewer and cook meat with. It's a very nice piece, 7th century, 

with nice silver inlay and a bit of quartz in the hilt." He began 

to stroll forward, the long, twin-bladed stilleto weaving in 

and out of his hand.



	Nodoka made a quick guess as to their respective running 

speeds, swore under her breath, and drew her iaito. "This is a 

katana, 20th century with no inlay, and I'd advise backing off 

unless you want a better look at it."



	Inji slowed, piercing eyes studying her for a second. Then 

a smile crossed his sharp features. "I think you actually know 

how to use that thing, Miss Nodoka. How novel. I have three 

Dans in Eishin-Ryu Iaido, myself, but I've never relied too 

heavily on it. This might be interesting."



	She swallowed, slowly taking a few steps back, iaito 

held in a ready position. Iaido, the art of drawing the blade and 

killing in one blow, was one she had only practiced in the 

lower levels. If Inji was telling the truth, he could probably 

cut her before she could block. And she felt certain he was 

telling the truth.



	Inji began to close in, and Nodoka crouched, preparing to 

attack. If she let him take the initiative she was doomed, but 

if she struck first...



	A shadow loomed behind Inji, and her eyes widened. 



	"You're not going to trick me into thinking someone's 

behind me, Miss No-" His statement came to an abrupt end as a 

bonbori slammed down on the top of his head. Inji's eyes rolled 

up, and he crumpled to the floor of the alley.



	Nodoka watched warily as two young women, both in 

Chinese battle dress, stepped forward over the unconscious 

Kuonji. "Thank you."



	"You're welcome," one of them said in heavily accented 

Japanese. "Now you can answer a question or two."



	Frowning, Nodoka kept the iaito in a ready position. "What 

sort of questions?"



	"We are looking for an evil old man, a lecherous master 

of the martial arts. Many years ago he stole treasures 

belonging to us. He must be punished."



	Nodoka shrugged slightly. "That's not a question."



	"We know he is hiding somewhere in Nerima. We also 

know he has some connection with you and the other two who 

study at your dojo. Where is he?"



	She blinked. "Evil old man?"



	"Yes. He is a pervert, a lecher, an enemy of women and all 

decent men."



	Frowning, Nodoka shook her head. "I certainly don't know 

anyone like that." She blinked. "My grandfather, Saotome-

sensei, might know him. I know from listening to him and 

grandmother that he fought a great many martial artists in his 

youth, some of them evil. I can ask him, if you like."



	"Please do. We have seen your Saotome-sensei. He has the 

aura of a matriarch."



	Nodoka tried to figure out what to make of that 

statement. "I'll ask him."



	"Good. We go now to investigate other leads. We shall 

return, and then you may tell us what you have discovered."



	The two made brief bows, and suddenly the alley was 

empty except for Nodoka and a slumbering Kuonji Inji.



	Sheathing her iaito, Nodoka stepped over his body and 

hurried towards the tunnel and home.



* * * *



	Genma looked up as Nodoka strolled into the dojo. "Hey, 

Nodoka. Sorry about the other day. I was just in sorta a bad 

mood."



	She smiled. "That's okay. I have something for you."



	Handing him the flat box, she watched as he opened it and 

stared.



	"This... how did you...?"



	"It took a little bit of doing," she admitted cheerfully. 

"Think of it as an early birthday present."



	A tear fell onto the white silk. His face was bent, hidden 

from her view. "I don't know what to say."



	"'I'm ready for the walk I owe you, Nodoka' would be a 

good start."



	"I'm ready for the walk I owe you, Nodoka," he said.



	Beaming, Nodoka pulled at his sleeve. "Come on, then. 

Afterwards, we can get some dinner at this sukiyaki place I 

found..."



	As they left, Saotome-sensei watched from the porch, 

smoking his pipe contemplatively. After a time, his wife 

walked out to sit by him.



	"Nodoka and young Genma out for a walk?"



	He nodded. "Nodoka met some Joketsuzoku last night."



	Clucking, the old woman shook her head. "They're here for 

him, aren't they. Happosai."



	Saotome-sensei nodded. "I don't think they'll find him. 

They're following all the wrong trails, and he's been removed 

from circulation, so to speak. He won't trouble the world 

again."



	"What if they do?"



	He shrugged. "Such is fate. I suspect they have their 

reasons."



	"He wasn't truly that bad."



	"He was worse."



	They sat together for a while, watching the sunset. In the 

distance, Nodoka laughed at something, and after a time 

Genma's laugh rose up to join it.



----------------------------------------------------



		I didn't find out the true story of what happened 

	until several years afterwards. I was almost angry with 

	your mother... almost. I did make it clear to her that she 

	was far more important to me than a hunk of metal and 

	jade.



		In hindsight, I think Kiri showed a bit more respect 

	towards Nodoka afterwards. She hadn't seen your mother 

	rig the deck, and Kiri was very much an expert in that 

	sort of thing. So was Inji.



		I hadn't met Kuonji Inji, at that point in time. I 

	would, soon enough.

	

		If you wish to see the tsuba... well, you probably 

	have already. Your mother has it.



		Poor Nodoka. I have not, as I said, repaid her very 

	well for her love.