Writer's note: The second half of this one is finally ready. Sorry for the
delay.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Soun found himself impressed with the house. While not truly old, it had the
feel of a place that had seen generations of family that called it 'home'.
It was constructed professionally, appealing to the eye, and expansive, far
larger than the house Soun had grown up in. It made him feel at ease, as
though it was a glove that fit his hand comfortably. It was the first time
in the last twenty-four hours that anything had allowed his soul feel the
slightest bit of serenity.

The pain was still enormous. It had been a grueling day from the moment his
eyes had opened. Upon awakening, Soun wondered why he should bother rising
from bed. The world held nothing for him. It was a vast wasteland filled
only with emptiness lacking any meaning. He lived. He still breathed. People
were still out there. Everything was the same on the outside. It was the
inside that was dead. He was no longer a thing that was alive, he merely
existed.

He lay there until his parents prodded and urged him to prepare for the
meeting with his future wife. He could offer no protest. Marry the Tendou
girl or not marry her; it was the same thing. So, without enthusiasm or
hesitation, he went through the motions that he was instructed to do. By the
late afternoon, he and his family had arrived at the Tendou residence, and
the meeting began.

As Soun sat at the table before the Tendous, he found himself wanting to
shift in discomfort at the traditional kimono his parents had insisted he
wear. It was new, having been purchased by his parents the day before, since
they wanted to make a good first impression with their potential
moneymakers. The material itched, and it took employing strict martial arts'
discipline to keep from squirming in his seat. Fidgeting was bad for the
meeting, or so his parents had harped on up until their arrival at the home.

Staring across the expanse of the stern wooden table, Soun finally took a
moment to carefully look over the two older members of the Tendou family
who, hypothetically, were going to become his in-laws. He tried recalling
their names and failed. He just hadn't paid any attention to his parents
when they briefed him on the details of the situation. What difference did
it make, anyway?

The couple were obviously older, their hair long since having turned gray
with only the man having a few remaining strands of black that were fighting
a losing battle with time. The woman appeared even older, thin and frail
despite the beautiful kimono she wore. Their advanced age made the youth of
their daughter a surprise.

Seated directly across from Soun was the girl, Kachiko. He estimated her to
be around his age. Her hair was cut short, though in a feminine manner. A
part of his mind marked her appearance as cute, though she paled to the
beauty that was Minato. Kachiko was also of a far more slender build,
whereas Minato was voluptuous. She was youth where Minato was maturity. The
one time she had spoken during the introductions, Soun found she had a
high-pitched voice, while Minato's held a husky, sensual purr in every word.
She was the exact opposite of Minato in every way. Soun couldn't decide if
that was a good or bad thing.

Like her mother, Kachiko wore a lovely kimono that fit her demure frame
nicely. Despite Soun's depressed state, his martial arts skills were too
finely honed to have disappeared entirely. Automatically, he noted that the
girl shifted frequently, as though she was as uncomfortable in her outfit as
he was in his. Or perhaps it was the situation that was the cause of her
discomfort. He couldn't tell. He didn't care enough to think about it. What
was going to be, was going to be. Judging by the way the conversation
between the families was proceeding, matters would be decided soon.

In the beginning, the conversation had been stilted and formal, with the
Tendous asking many questions (actually, the parents asked, while Kachiko
remained quietly sitting next to her mother as a 'proper' girl would). They
had expressed some reservations early on, but then the tone of the meeting
changed as the Tendou woman (Soun felt a prick of irritation at still not
remembering the name) had suffered through a hard coughing fit. Her husband
was openly concerned while tending to her to the point of almost
overreacting. It had interrupted the meeting for several minutes, until the
woman caught her wind.

To Soun, in the dour mood he was in, the old woman reeked of decay, like
many her age. He wagered by the lack of surprise, in relation to the
concern, that it was unlikely this was the first coughing fit she had
suffered through, nor would it be the last. Or perhaps it was merely his
depression coloring everything black. It was hard to tell, and even more
difficult to care.

The discussion had taken a sense of urgency from the Tendou side after that.
Whatever wariness they had displayed upon examining Soun disappeared shortly
after, and matters flowed along more smoothly, much to the delight of his
own parents.

An elbow in the side jostled Soun out of his reverie. His mother had
delivered it. It took him a moment to realize she had been talking to him.

"I said, why don't you get better acquainted with Kachiko while we continue
talking?"

Though posed as a question, Soun knew better. He nodded.

"An excellent idea," said Kachiko's mother.

Soun thought he noticed a scowl of anger flash Kachiko's features. It was so
fleeting, he was uncertain as to whether he actually saw it or if it was
imagination. It did pique his curiosity ever so slightly. Why would the girl
be angry at spending time with what was to be her future husband?

Kachiko rose to her feet. She held her hand out to Soun and stated in cold
tones, "They're right. Once we've been dismissed, they can finish plotting
the rest of our lives for us in ease."

Both Tendou parents reacted not in shock at the tone, but with warning
glares directed at their daughter. If Kachiko noticed, she expressed no
concern.

Soun rose as well. Both bowed as a matter more of reflex than formality.

As Kachiko began walking toward the back door of the house that led to the
yard, she moved with a pronounced limp.

Both the Arisugawas looked in surprise at the girl, then to the Tendous.

The Tendou woman made a placating gesture. "There is no need for alarm.
Kachiko was in an accident a while ago. However, the doctors assured us her
leg will heal enough that she will be able to walk normally."

"It will never heal enough for things to return to normal," Kachiko said
bitterly as she headed to the back porch.

A low growl issued forth from the Tendou father. Again, Kachiko took no
notice as she continued limping away.

Soun followed, mostly because he was ordered to, but partially because the
girl had awakened that small part of his nature that was connected to
curiosity. It was probably the first non-negative emotion that made him
react since the horrible events of yesterday.

Upon arriving at the backyard, Soun found himself staring at it in
appreciation. Now the little child in him was roused as it joined his
curiosity. The yard was beautiful, with far more space than he had seen in
some time. It even had a small pond filled with koi. It was very appealing
to his senses. He wished it was his, then realized that if the people inside
had their way, it soon would be.

Kachiko led the way, despite her bad leg. It was her home, after all. Soun
followed, uncertain of what to say. In truth, he would have preferred to
remain silent. Though some emotion had been awakened in him, it also served
to stir up other emotions and remind him of the loss he had suffered so
recently.

Kachiko limped over to the edge of the pond and looked down into it. Soun
stood beside her. From the angle the sun's rays struck the surface, it
reflected their images rather than revealing what lurked below.

Silence reigned between the two. No gesture was made. No sound uttered. They
were like two residents of a statuary, though the it lacked the serenity
associated with such a place

Finally, the stillness was broken by Kachiko as she continued staring at the
pond. "So, you're damaged goods, too."

"I beg your pardon," Soun asked, startled by the bizarre nature of the
comment.

Kachiko finally looked at him as she spoke, the first time she had focused
on him since they had been introduced. "You've been busted up inside so bad
it's showing. I know. I've seen that face every time I look in the mirror."

For a moment, Soun almost shouted that she didn't know how he felt, that
whatever misery she thought she had was nothing compared to the torment he
was suffering from every excruciating moment. Then he realized that she
wasn't offering sympathy, but stating cold hard fact. And that she was
correct.

Now that Soun looked at her, he saw that she too was in pain too, though she
projected far more rage simmering beneath the surface than him. He was still
too numb to feel that, and anger was never his true forte.

"It was a girl," Kachiko said plainly. There was no judgment in her voice.
It was another statement of fact.

Soun was struck with a sudden urge to speak, as though somewhere deep inside
he became aware of a burden he had been shouldering without even realizing
it.

Soun began talking, not so much courting sympathy as much as releasing
something that had been bottled up with the pressure building ever so
slowly. "Yes. It was someone who I thought loved me. Someone I intended to
spend the rest of my life with. But," his voice choked. "It was over before
it began."

"Did your best friend steal her away?" Kachiko laced the accusation with so
much venom that the words themselves sounded poisonous.

The unexpected outburst made Soun stare at her in shock. The very idea that
Saotome would attempt such a thing, or that Minato would accept it, would
have been laughable, had the result not been so tragic. "No. Nothing like
that. She just didn't want me. I was a fool thinking she was in love with
me."

Soun wasn't certain why he felt like speaking so openly to someone who was a
complete stranger until an hour ago. Perhaps it was because he didn't care
what she thought. Or perhaps it was the sort of pain that was shared by two
people. Like strangers meeting in a bar, and spilling all of their problems
to one another in drunken sympathy.

That seemed to mollify Kachiko's anger. "I'm sorry for you. Losing someone
you love, for whatever reason, hurts like nothing else anyone can imagine.
Except maybe losing your dreams." She stopped speaking.

Soun saw the twisting emotions etched on her face. She was obviously
reliving some horrible memory. Seeing her in such a state, he now understood
her earlier comment about perceiving him as 'damaged goods'. Her mask had
been cast aside, and he saw that what lay beneath was the same thing in his
own anguished soul.

Fleetingly, Soun almost asked what Kachiko meant by her statement, wondering
if the girl would open up to him the way he had to her. Then he thought
better of it. Inexperienced with women or not, even he knew better than to
risk her ire by asking such a troubling question. Besides, as self-centered
as it sounded, the truth was he was too concerned about himself and his own
misery, and lacked the interest to wonder about hers.

Again, no words were exchanged and all was quiet between them again. Soun
had never  understood how people could refer to silence as deafening until
this moment. Now it echoed through his ears, hanging between them and
driving him to distraction. Still, he had no idea of what to say.

Once again Kachiko took the initiative. "You don't really want this
engagement thing, do you?"

Soun considered lying, then wondered why he should bother. Let the girl know
the truth. It made no difference. "Not really. I mean, it's all my parents'
idea, not mine. I'm just going along with it. Sorry."

Kachiko shook her head. "I'm not really looking forward to it either. My
parents are insisting on it. Until recently, I would have dismissed it out
of hand. But now, things have changed." Her eyes took on a distant cast, and
her eyes shimmered as they teared up slightly. "Everything has changed."

Again Soun refrained from asking anything about the girl, sensing that
trying to pry her open would just end up breaking the lever he employed and
resulted in a backlash on him. For all her sorrow and anger, there was a
sense of steel about her. He was content to allow her to volunteer the
information, like he had his own.

It took a moment for her to regain her composure. Soun was taken aback by
the shift in her emotions. Where before she had displayed anger, distance,
or distaste, she now possessed what could only be described as a
conspiratory gleam in her eyes.

"I have a proposition for you."

Now she was reminding him of Saotome. That was not a good thing. Best friend
or not, Genma tended to get Soun into as much trouble as he helped him get
out of, if not more. Still, the idea that he was finally being given a
choice appealed to him, since fate and his parents had denied him that basic
desire for the majority of his life.

"Go on," he finally said.

"Look, neither of us really want to get married, but our families are
insisting on it. If we reject each other now, which is what we'd have to do
since we aren't the least bit interested in each other, they'd just try to
hook us up with someone else. So why don't we fool them by openly accepting
the engagement to get them off our backs? We'll insist we have to get to
know each other first and act like we're genuinely interested in one another
in front of them so they aren't suspicious. We'll drag the pretend
engagement out as long as we can until they make us break it off. That
should buy us plenty of time and make them leave us alone until we have a
chance to decide what we really want to do. What do you say?"

Soun was surprised by the girl's attitude. He had gone into the situation
assuming she actually wanted to get married. That she was in a similar
predicament as him was reassuring, in a fashion. It was interesting for him
to note that until this moment, she had not made an impression upon him,
largely because he had been in a state of not caring.  However, their talk
had opened him up and brought him back to life, the shock of Minato's
rejection finally starting to pass, though the pain was still real, stabbing
at his heart even when he didn't think about it. But it least it was making
him start to cope with his feelings.

Now Soun looked upon his 'fiancee' and his true first impression of her was
favorable. It was a fairly devious scheme, and should have a high
probability of success since it played into both sets of parents' desires.
It would give Soun the time to figure a way to remove himself from his
family's schemes without them constantly trying to use him. Even if the plan
failed and their deception was discovered, he and Kachiko would be no worse
off than if they refused the arrangement outright.

Soun held out his hand. "I accept."

Kachiko shook it. He was surprised by how firm her grip was.

Her hand remained affixed to his, shifting into a more comfortable posture.
"Let's stay out here and keep holding hands until they call us back in.
Remember to smile a lot and act pleased."

Soun smiled and did as she suggested. The smile was not entirely forced. It
felt nice to have someone on his side for a change. Although he had to
admit, it was a perverse sort of irony. The cause of his woes was rejection
from a girl. Now he was eased from that pain somewhat by the rejection (in a
roundabout way) from another.

There was something else that made him take notice of the girl. When he
first agreed to her proposal, she smiled slightly. It made her look cute.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's a nice day. Why don't we skip the shopping and take a walk in the
park?" Kachiko asked.

"It sounds all right to me." Soun said as the couple changed direction to
their new destination while continuing to hold hands, smiling at one
another.

It was a clear spring day as they headed toward the familiar territory of
the park near Kachiko's home. The sun shone through a handful of clouds. A
light breeze kept the air from being too hot, and served to tousle Kachiko's
hair slightly, as though it was a thing alive that was slowly rousing itself
from a slumber.

The effect the beautiful weather had on Kachiko was obvious by her smile.
Soun had been around her long enough to recognize the difference between the
ones that were genuine and the ones that were forced. Her pleasant mood was
infectious, and Soun found himself grinning broadly was well.

Others passed by, some looking at the pair. Soun caught an elderly woman
mention what a 'cute couple' they were. Soun was about to take pride in
their act when he realized something. Everything he had done today was
automatic. All of the hand holding and smiling with Kachiko had happened
without a thought of trying to look romantic for others' benefit. It was...
peculiar, considering the painstaking steps he used to take at showing the
outward appearance of happiness with the girl. Now it was happening as
though it was second nature. He wondered exactly what that might portend.

For close to five months now, he and his fiancee (in name, if not in heart)
had been carrying on their pretense of a happily engaged couple. In the
first few weeks, anxiety was Soun's constant companion, gnawing away at his
gut and threatening to give him an ulcer. He was certain everyone would see
through their facade and his parents would again try to set him up with a
wealthy family that had a nice dowry to bestow upon any boy who was willing
to marry their daughter. But the accusations never came. No one saw through
their act. Instead, he and Kachiko were left to their own devices, each set
of parents openly delighted at how their respective children took to one
another without the resistance that had been anticipated.

Without being dogged about his future every minute, Soun had the opportunity
to relax and deal with his heartbreak. Not that he had fully dealt with it
yet, there was still pain every time he thought about Minato and her
rejection, but it didn't seem to hurt quite as much as it did in those early
days, and the ache didn't linger like before. He didn't even think about her
as often. He supposed he was healing. Perhaps someday the memory of her
wouldn't have pain connected to it at all. He could only pray that would be
so. At the moment, she no longer haunted him the way she used to, and Soun
was grateful for the chance at peace.

Turning his thoughts back to the present, Soun took a moment to look at
himself and his companion. Yes, they did appear the happy couple, and on his
part, none of his pleasant demeanor was an act. His smile was genuine. He
enjoyed spending time with Kachiko. She was a smart girl, though prone to
exaggeration, especially when it came to things she did. And though she was
smart, almost certainly brighter than him, she wasn't as smart as she liked
to think she was. She had gaping blind spots whose existence she was unaware
of, and would probably deny if they were pointed out to her.

What had also quickly become evident was that the girl had a temper. It was
an impatient thing, appearing with little warning and a terrible thing to
behold. Though at the same time she rarely held on to it for very long. How
did the saying go? 'Quick to anger, quick to forgive'? It was as though the
parable had been created with Kachiko Tendou in mind.

Yes, Kachiko was constantly proving herself an interesting girl. Every time
they met, he learned something else about her, though it was like drawing
near an iceberg. In the beginning, at a distance, one might think everything
above the surface is all there is to see. But once they draw close, they can
see into the water and realize there's even more hidden beneath the surface.
The more he learned about his 'fiancee' the less he knew, he realized.

There was one thing that vexed him somewhat; Kachiko never talked about her
past. Her parents informed him she had graduated from a local school called
Furinkan, and that she had been in some sort of car accident toward the end
of her senior year, which had damaged her leg. While it would heal enough to
walk on it and do simple tasks, she could never put any real stress on it,
or the knee would give out, perhaps being damaged worse than before. With
the time that had passed, the injury had healed enough so that they would
have to walk for over an hour before the strain on it began to make her
limp. Now he made excuses to pause during their time together so that she
didn't strain it beyond its limits.

Aside from those two things, he knew nothing about her. It was almost as
through the girl had never existed before he met her.

Soun cast those thoughts aside. He would rather enjoy himself than dwell on
the matter, especially with Kachiko at his side. There was something about
being around her that was only rivaled by the time spent with Genma. And
even then, the feelings of camaraderie weren't exactly the same as they were
with Kachiko. He was uncertain of how to define them, only that she did not
fill the same role in his life that Genma did.

They hadn't spoken since entering the park. While Soun was almost
unnaturally comfortable in Kachiko's presence, there were times when he
liked talking to her and eliciting a smile. Those were hard things to come
by. She seemed melancholy much of the time. Thankfully, for Soun's peace of
mind, he discovered early on he was not the source of it, though he still
hadn't figured out what was. His best guess was that it had something to do
with the mysterious past she wouldn't talk about.

Taking the initiative, Soun said, "Kachiko-"

The girl sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Kachi?"

Again Soun smile. Just last week she had insisted that he call her by that
pet nickname. It made him feel happy, almost unnaturally so.

He continued. "Kachi, you'll have to remind me to thank your father. I
learned a new martial arts move yesterday. I did it while sparring with
Saotome," He puffed his chest out slightly as he bragged about his prowess.
"It was truly inspired. Saotome was getting lucky and had the upper hand,
but I suddenly realized how I could harness my chi and unleash this demon
head-"

"I don't want to hear about that !#$!" Kachiko snapped.

Soun shut his mouth with an audible click. That was unexpected. She hadn't
been in a bad mood. She had seemed exceptionally happy. But something had
set her off. If it was something he said, he was unsure of what it was.

He tried thinking about what it might be. It wasn't about her father. She
spoke of him well enough, at least when it wasn't in reference to Kachiko
being a 'proper girl'. And learning a new move hadn't had anything to do
with her.

It shouldn't have been Genma. She had met him, and had been amused by his
antics. Genma liked her as well. It had been something of a relief that the
pair got along. Had they disliked one another, it would have been difficult
for Soun to balance his friendship with whatever it was he had with Kachiko.
So if mentioning Genma hadn't set her off, what else could it have been?

The only other thing he mentioned in the inconspicuous sentence was his new
move. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time the subject of
martial arts had come up between them, despite the fact her father was a
teacher. During his high school years, Soun had learned the hard way that
girls weren't interested in martial arts, to the point that when he brought
them up, they would sniff and walk off. He had just continued in the same
vein with Kachiko, never talking about them save in a roundabout way. This
was the first time he had broached the subject with her. And upon eliciting
that sort of response, it would be the last time as well.

All trace of her pleasant mood was gone. A pall of anger, similar to the one
surrounding her when they had first met, replaced it. Soun tried lightening
the mood. "Your leg is much better now."

She looked at him and her brow furrowed even more than before. Soun was
under the impression he had just made the matter worse.

He was considering halting his breathing, just to ensure that didn't set her
off, when a male voice behind him inquired. "Kachi? Kachi Tendou? Is that
you?"

Kachiko stared past Soun, and her eyes widened. "Bosatsu?"

Soun turned to see a man about his age had walked up the path behind him.
Despite a decided lack of interest in men, Soun could tell the newcomer was
handsome, in a painfully bishonen manner. It was a look that all too many
girls seemed to go for. This 'Bosatsu' had a bright, pleasant smile, and
radiated an aura of kindness that spoke of the joy of helping his fellow man
without a thought to himself.

Soun took an instinctive dislike to the newcomer.

Kachiko remained staring at him with a sort of open-mouthed gaze of wonder.
"Bosatsu, I never thought I'd see you again."

"It has been a while," he said warmly, making Kachiko almost gush at the
attention.

Soun's dislike doubled.

Somewhere behind Bosatsu, a feminine voice called out, "Bosa-chan, who is
that?"

At his side appeared a girl about the same age as him. Her face was
incredibly attractive. She could easily have graced the cover of a magazine.

Kachiko's gushing ended as quickly as it arrived. In a flat voice, she
stated. "Oh, if it isn't the bimb-" she stopped abruptly as she stared at
the young  woman's stomach. "Whoa! You got seriously fat."

"Pregnant," the girl corrected as she patted her mid-section affectionately.
Bosatsu did the same, and stared lovingly into the girl's eyes.

"Oh," Kachiko said, her voice lacking any sort of emotion. "So you and Miko
are married?"

"Right after graduation," Bosatsu said, blushing slightly.

A large portion of Soun's dislike for the man passed. First impressions were
sometimes wrong, after all. This Bosatsu was an all right guy, if a bit on
the bishonen side. Real men, like Soun, weren't girly.

Now that Soun had a chance to look at Miko more closely, he saw that despite
the large waistline, she was still a very attractive girl. She seemed to
have an air of serenity and peace about her that rivaled that of Bosatsu.
Soun felt a pang of envy at the closeness the couple shared. They possessed
something no sane person could possibly not long for. It made him feel
alone.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be there," Miko said sincerely.

"Things happen," Kachiko said quickly. She pointed at the clothing. "Not
exactly the designer duds you're used to, eh?"

Soun noticed that Miko's clothing, a baggy sweatsuit, did appear a bit
threadbare, as well as having a few purplish stains along the right leg.
Obviously it has had seen some use.

Miko fingered the clothing, as though noticing it for the first time. "Well,
I'm afraid I don't have access to those sorts of things anymore."

"Oh?" Kachiko asked, some emotion returning to her voice.

Miko nodded, her smile fading slightly. It was bolstered as Bosatsu placed
an arm affectionately around her shoulders, drawing her close.

Miko said, "My parents didn't approve of Bosatsu and I marrying. They felt I
should marry someone more prominent and rich. I refused. They threatened to
cut me out of the family's inheritance. I married Bosatsu. They cut me out
and allowed my younger sister to take over my role in the business."

"I'm sorry," Kachiko said sincerely. Soun found himself nodding in
agreement. He could appreciate such parental manipulating like few others.
Why couldn't parents stay out of their children's affairs and let them live
their lives as they would?

Bosatsu held his wife close and rubbed her shoulder.

Miko continued. "I'm not sorry, though. I'm far happier now married to the
man I love than I ever was with the money."

Kachiko looked at her incredulously. "You used to go around on a divan with
a host of burly guys to tote you around."

Miko gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "A silly teenage phase I went
through. I grew up a lot after that." She reached out and grasped Kachiko's
hand. "I'm sorry I treated you so poorly then."

Kachiko seemed taken aback by both the gesture and the sincerity behind it.
"Yes, well, like you said, it was during the recklessness of our youth. I
don't hold it against you."

"I have a job with a bank. We get by. And we have each other," Bosatsu said
as he stared lovingly at his wife.

Miko added, "And lots of friends. Bosatsu's one of the nicest people around,
and helped out lots of others. It's amazing how often people go out of their
way to help us. I'm grateful for every one."

"It sounds like you're really happy," Kachiko said. "I'm glad for you."

Bosatsu seemed to notice Soun for the first time. "I'm sorry. How rude of
me. Here I've been talking all this time with Kachi, and I neglected to
introduce myself to you. I'm Bosatsu Kanamura, and this is my wife, Miko."
The two bowed.

Soun did likewise. "I'm Soun Arisugawa. I'm Kachi's fiancee." He made a
point of bringing his arm around her shoulder and bringing her close, like
Bosatsu did with his wife.

Kachiko seemed surprised by the familiarity of the gesture, though she
didn't resist. It took but a second to find herself comfortably cradled in
his arm.

Miko stared at Kachiko in shock. It passed quickly. "Congratulations! And
here you always used to brag about how you'd never marry young."

"Yes, well, sometimes things change and you play the cards you're dealt.
It's either that or fold, and that never sat well with me," Kachiko said.

Soun thought he detected a note of strain in the statement, but did not
comment upon it. Now was not the time.

Neither Miko nor Bosatsu knew what to make of the response.

Kachiko said, "Soun's a wonderful guy. He's made me happier than I thought
possible."

"I feel the same way," Soun added. He wasn't certain how much of his answer
was said to look good, and how much was genuine. Mostly the latter, he
thought. He wondered how much of Kachiko's was genuine as well. He found
himself eager to know, even if there was no way of discovering the truth.
Today was holding many revelations for him, as well as more important
questions that begged to be answered.

After the introductions were over, the couples exchanged small pleasantries,
as frequently happened between people that were casual acquaintances in
their past. Nothing of importance was said, and the couples made token
phrases about getting together sometime, though neither took any steps
towards making it a reality, such as exchanging phone numbers or addresses.

Once they were finished, the couples continued on their way in the opposite
directions.

Kachiko remained unusually silent, leaving Soun to consider the unexpected
encounter. He was uncomfortable with the fact that two people Kachiko hadn't
met in years knew more about her past than her own fianc� did. There was
something wrong with it on some unspoken basic, level. They had been
together long enough that she should have said something by now. She knew
all about his past, save the Minato situation. Had she asked, he might have
even told her, though she never did.

Soun decided he needed to know more. What if they met another couple Kachiko
knew, and Soun ended up humiliated by having to admit his lack of knowledge
about his fiancee's past?

"Were you close to either of them?" Soun asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," Kachiko said in a tone that considered the
matter closed.

An errant thought occurred to Soun, something Kachiko said the first day he
had met her. "You didn't seem to like that Miko girl. Was she the best
friend that stole your lover away?"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!"

Under different circumstances, Soun probably would have taken his usual
spineless route and remained silent. But in a surprising show of
determination, he insisted, "Why is it you refuse to talk about your past
with me?"

There was a bleak look on Kachiko's face. "Because the past is over. There's
only the present and future to consider." She turned away, refusing to face
him as she spat out. "I want to go home now."

Tired of the games, and figuring he wasn't asking too much, he responded
with, "Fine. Walk yourself back!" And immediately headed toward the train
station that would return him to his home.

"Fine, I will!" Kachiko shouted, then hurried as quickly as she could toward
her home in the opposite direction.

It was only after she was out of sight that Soun slowed down, still too
angry to truly feel regret over his actions. He was in the right. He knew
it. She just had to accept that he should be allowed to know more about her.

It was as he took a more leisurely pace that he realized something. If they
really were a couple, than that meant they had just experienced their first
real fight.

He just hoped it wasn't their last.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The shrill ring of the phone echoed throughout the Arisugawa household,
making Soun groan. Sleep had only seduced him recently, thoughts and
concerns of the fight troubling him so much that he had almost called
Kachiko to apologize. He probably would have, save that when he had sought
Genma's opinion on the matter, his friend assured him he was doing the right
thing. It was a man's duty to call the shots and tell women how things were
going to be. If that meant being firm when it came time to remind them who
the master of the relationship was, then that was a price that had to be
paid. At least that was what Genma said.

Of course, Genma didn't really have any steady girlfriends either.

"Oh, I should have apologized," Soun moaned aloud through his drowsiness.

Through his door, he heard his mother stomp through the home until the phone
stopped in the middle of a ring. Loudly, the woman reprimanded, "Do you know
what time it is?!" There was a pause, then in a congenial voice, "Oh,
Daughter-in-Law, it's you... No, it's not too late for you to call... Of
course, I'll get Soun up."

As footsteps drew close, Soun looked at the clock on his nightstand. 1:30?
It was late. Or early, depending on how one looked at it.

The door to Soun's room was thrust open without the courtesy of a knock. His
mother stood in the doorway, gazing upon him like an avenging angel come to
mete out divine justice. "You'd better not have done anything to make her
angry. If you blow this arrangement, nothing you've gone through will
compare to what I'll do to you."

Not wanting to put up with a lecture about responsibility at this hour, Soun
pointed out, "She is on the other end of that phone out there, the one
that's off the hook," he emphasized.

That made Michiru realize her error. She immediately shut up.

With no further impediment, Soun walked to the phone and picked it up. He
had wanted to apologize. Now was a golden opportunity, even if it was at an
ungodly hour.

"Kachi," Soun said into the receiver.

"Soun." The voice sounded relieved. "There's something I need to talk to you
about."

"First, let me apologize."

"Not now. Meet me downstairs."

That confused him. For a moment it sounded like she was talking about
meeting him now. Sleep deprivation was giving him auditory hallucinations.
"Downstairs?" he said on the offhand chance he had heard correctly.

"Yes."

"It'll take you an hour to get here."

"I'm already outside your apartment. I'm calling from at the corner pay
phone. Just come downstairs."

"I'll be right down." Soun hung up the phone and returned to his room to
throw on one of his brown gis. It was something that could be donned
quickly, and on the chance some of the less civilized elements in the
neighborhood were prowling about, would identify him as a person not to be
trifled with. One of the advantages to being a martial arts prodigy was that
after a few of the local thugs twice your size went down from a couple of
casual of blows, no one went out of their way to trouble you. In fact,
people tended to be outright polite.

Michiru watched her son get dressed. "Why on earth did she call you at this
hour? Did you knock her up? You'll have to take responsibility and get
married immediately."

"It's nothing like that!" Soun snapped, disgusted with how eager the woman
was to believe the worst. He didn't bother lowering his voice. He wasn't
worried about waking his father. Kentaro Arisugawa could sleep through a war
and not even roll over from the disturbance.

"Treat her nicely," Michiru called out as Soun raced out of his apartment
and downstairs.

Kachiko was exactly where she said, waiting anxiously for him. He was
relieved to see she was fine.

"What's wrong?" he gasped out.

Kachiko didn't answer right away, instead opting to bite her lower lip. Soun
was beginning to recognize it as a sign that she was about to do something
that troubled her.

He remained silent, giving her the opportunity to start when she was
comfortable. It took almost a full minute before she said, "During my senior
year I met this guy, Hayato. He wasn't handsome, you're way better looking
than him. He was actually kind of unattractive. Even had that unibrow thing
going. He wasn't in good shape. Well, he was a bit paunchy. He wasn't really
funny, though occasionally he had a good joke or two. There wasn't anything
remarkable about him. He was normal. But despite that, we hit it off real
well. I mean, way better than I had any other guy I dated. And he liked me
too. It was one of those inconspicuous things, that started out as friends,
but became something else. Before I knew it, things had taken a life of
their own, and we began dating. It wasn't long after that that I woke up one
day and I realized I was in love with him, and he felt the same way about
me."

"You don't have to do this," Soun said before she could continue.

"Yes, I do," she assured him, then continued quickly, as though she was
afraid she'd lose her nerve. "Anyway, things were going great for the first
five months. They went so well, we started planning a life together after we
graduated school. It was that serious. But it was shortly after that things
changed, although I didn't realize it at the time. He started to seem a
little distant, but with entrance exams coming up, I just figured that was
distracting him. So I put it in the back of my mind and ignored it, thinking
everything was normal.

"And than I had my," her voice caught for a second. "I had my accident. It
was bad. Real bad. My knee was permanently messed up. All my plans for what
I was going to do for a career after graduating were over. Just like that.
In a split second, it was all over for me and my entire life changed. You
can't know what it's like, having fate take away the only thing you've
wanted your entire life. No one can, unless it happens to them, and I
wouldn't wish that on my worst foe.

"Anyway, I was a real mess. About the only thing that kept me together was
Hayato. As long as I had him at my side, I'd make it through, somehow. No
matter how bad it was, I had him to help me through it. With him, everything
would be all right. It had to be, because he'd be there, and love conquers
all, right?

"Only it wasn't love, at least not on his part. Not the lasting kind. Right
after the accident, when I was still in bed with my screwed up leg, he tells
me he's in love with someone else. That was why he was so distant lately. He
had tried to fight it, but he couldn't. It just happened naturally, like it
had with me. When he realized it was hopeless, he gave in. He was going to
tell me about it right before the accident occurred, but obviously it was
too late. After it happened, he knew he had to do it right then, since if he
didn't I would latch onto him worse than ever, like taking up the slack for
what I couldn't do, and insist we get married right away. He said he had to
end it before things got to that point. The idiot. Any other time, I might
have been able to handle it, but not then. Not like that.

"And then came the absolute crowning moment. It turned out he was in love
with my best friend, Sakura, and she was in love with him just as much. I
never saw it coming. We were lifelong best friends. We were like sisters, if
not closer. We were inseparable since we met in kindergarten. I mean, we did
everything together. Shared all our hopes and dreams. All our laughs and
tears. We always counted on each other for anything we needed, and nothing
could keep us apart. There was nothing I wouldn't have trusted her with, and
she was the same way. I even saved her life a couple of times. Whenever
either of us needed something, the other would be there. It was the kind of
friendship that would last a lifetime.

"Or so I thought. And then she did that to me. At the absolute lowest point
in my life, she stabbed me in the back at the worst possible moment. Oh, she
tried making excuses, like Hayato. She said she had tried to fight it when
she realized what was happening. She even tried to stay away from us, but
was so miserable she kept coming back. And then things happened, and she
'knew' she couldn't ignore her feelings, or him. So she gave in to her
feelings, and he gave in to his. Just like that.

"She got all teary eyed and tried apologizing, but it was worthless. I hated
her. No, I still hate her. I hate her more than every person I ever hated
rolled into one. I'll never forgive her, not so long as there's breath in my
body. When she's dead, I'll piss on her grave and dance on it afterwards. I
can't even say that name anymore without wanting to scream and cry and break
things. If I was to see her again, I don't know what I'd do, but it wouldn't
be pretty.

"Other friends tried to cheer me up, but in my anger, I lashed out at them
over and over again until I drove them all away, truly making myself alone.
Like I said, I was messed up. I didn't even attend graduation. I couldn't
stand to see any of them. All the people I knew were reduced to nothing more
than painful reminders of all I had lost and would never get back.

"I had lost my dreams, my lover, and my friend all at once. Forever. I had
nothing left. I just wanted to die. I was as close to losing my mind and
killing myself as a person can get without actually doing it. I almost did
it a hundred times, but never made it past picking up the blade. Something
inside of me refused to let go, no matter how much I wanted to. I guess I
was always a glutton for punishment. So I stuck it out, even though I was
completely broken. It was like I was moving on automatic. I don't even
remember many of those days. I was in a daze. One day blended into another.
They were all the same. Nothing happened in them.

That's why I didn't resist my parents' urging to get married. I didn't have
a future of my own. So, broken as I was, I surrendered to their wishes and
started to become the prim and proper girl they always wanted. It's not that
it was bad, it just wasn't something I was interested in. It wasn't me. Not
really. But I couldn't be what I wanted anymore, and I had to do something.
So I did this." She held her arms out helplessly at her side.

Words unbidden came to Soun lips. "It's enough for me."

Kachiko smiled, tears glistening in her eyes. She sniffled and wiped them
away. "Anyhow, shortly after I met you, things started to change. Inside me,
I mean. After a while, waking up didn't seem like an exercise in pain. I
wouldn't say I was happy. It was more like I was less miserable than I used
to be. I guess I was healing, though it was a slow process. After a couple
of months, I guess things became sort of normal, or at least what passes for
normal in my life. I mean, I still get resentful over all that was taken
from me, but I can look forward to things as well. And it gets better every
day." She looked meaningfully at Soun.

Soun nodded. It wasn't quite that bad for him. While his heart had been
really and truly broken, he still had his dreams, and Saotome, to help
console him. "I feel the same way. I used to not want to get out of bed
either. But now, I have something to look forward to when I wake up as
well."

"As well you should," Kachiko said in deadly earnest. The facade broke down
quickly, and she laughed. There was a bit of sorrow in it, but it was the
sort that was being released, rather than being bottled up and allowed to
fester like an infected wound. "Anyway, that's why I don't like to talk
about my past. There's nothing good in it. Not anymore. One thing I've
always been good at was blowing off stuff that happens to me and moving on
beyond them. That's what I had to do, and that's what I've done. I've left
everything behind in order to go forward. Those that cannot let go of the
past will be consumed by it, and I won't let that happen to me."
Determination was set her features now. Despite the pain that was still
present, it was obvious she was looking past than and toward hope for the
future.

The heart rending confession made Soun feel like crying himself, but his
pride would not let him. He did not want to appear weak in front of a woman
who was obviously so much stronger than him, at least in the ways that
mattered. "Thank you for sharing that with me. It means a lot."

"Yeah, well, I had to let go of it and tell someone," Kachiko said. "And
you're the only person I can really talk to about it. You're the only person
in my life that I really trust."

Soun wiped his eyes so she wouldn't suspect the tears that were there, but
he was certain she knew. Even in the poor light of the street lamp, she
knew.

So, their first fight was over. Their relationship had turned out stronger
because of the fires it had been thrust into. That was better news than he
had dared dream of. It raised his spirits so much, that when a risky idea
entered his mind, he decided to give voice to it rather than ignore it.

Soun cleared his throat, then said in a firm, commanding tone, "I want to go
out with you tomorrow. And not just because we're supposed to be engaged. I
want it to be an official date because we want to be with each other, and
not part of some scheme to fool others."

Kachiko's eyes widened in surprise. She turned away, interlocking her hands
behind her head. She stared up at the stars above, as though seriously
considering the proposition.

When she turned back toward him, she wore a smirk. It was one Soun was
rapidly growing accustomed to. "I accept. Of course, that means you pay for
everything and have to go to extraordinary lengths to impress me if you want
me to try for a second. This is our first official date, after all, and I
don't impress easy."

Even as relief flooded him, Soun decided two could play her game. "No hold
on a second. I'll have to wait until after the date before I can decide if I
it was good enough to want a second."

That clearly caught Kachiko off-guard, badly enough that it took several
long moments for her to regain her composure. Then she said in a voice that
was half-playful, half-serious. "Oh ho, someone thinks pretty highly of
themselves. We'll see if you're good enough to reach first base tomorrow.
Until then." She blew him a kiss, then turned around and headed back toward
her home.

Soun was left staring at her behind. It was then he really stared at it for
the first time. It was on the small side, like her chest, but he'd wager it
was firm. He was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to confirm that for a
while, Kachiko was consistent as well as rigid about what boundaries could
be crossed, but he was willing to take the chance it would be worth the
wait.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Soun squeezed again, masking it under the guise of a caress. While being
slightly soft on the surface, allowing one to gain a good handhold, there
was a definite solidity hidden beneath that top layer. Firm in the flesh as
well as appearance. It was everything one could hope for, or even dream
about.

"What is this obsession with fondling my bottom? That's got to be the fifth
time you've done it."

"Sorry," Soun apologized to his fiancee. Or, more precisely, to her
derriere, since that was what he was sitting next to on the bed. Three
months since that night when he and Kachiko went on their first official
'date', their romance had culminated in the love motel room that they
relaxed in now. Tacky to the extreme in a hot pink and tasseled decor, it
was cheap. And more importantly, close by. Close was the most important
thing, since their heavy petting session had finally persuaded Kachiko to
let Soun finally 'run home for the score.'

The initial two times they had made love were as it tended to be with first
time lovers after the end of a long courtship. Both were so nervous they had
merely concentrated on basking in the reality what they had fantasized about
for months, and made sure all the parts went in their proper places. After
getting it right the first time, they had relaxed more by the second time,
though they still concentrated on making a good impression and assuring
their partner that the enjoyment elicited from the first joining wasn't a
fluke. Once that was mutually confirmed, they moved on to the third. That
was all about pleasure and enjoying themselves, as well as one another.

With the ending of the third conjoining, they relaxed after their most
successful bout of lovemaking yet, each satisfied they had done a good
enough job that there would be a next time, and were able to relax in the
much appreciated afterglow.

"I didn't have you figured for an ass man," Kachiko said in reference to the
hand still resting on her backside.

Despite dating for months, and getting to know each other better, Soun still
found himself a bit taken aback by her raunchy statements, stated without a
hint of shame. Still, it was nothing compared to her miserable sense of
humor. As much as he loved her, he still couldn't pretend to like it. On the
upside, according to Kachiko, no one in her entire life had ever appreciated
it, which meant Soun was on even ground.

Once past the initial surprise, Soun joked back, "With an ass like yours,
it's easy."

Kachiko glowed at the statement. "Yours ain't so bad either." She shifted
enough to pinch one of his own cheeks, doing it a touch on the hard side to
emphasis the statement.

Rather than lie back down and enjoy the comfort of her body, Soun rose to
his feet and stretched, working a kink out of his back. After their first
time, when they were more or less feeling each other out, Kachiko had taken
the initiative in the lovemaking. She was definitely energetic in bed, which
didn't surprise him in the slightest. He had her pegged  as a wildcat once
she decided to go all the way. Now he had the scratch marks to prove it.

Kachiko was content to lay where she was, openly admiring his form. Soun
resisted the urge to preen. He remembered doing that early on with Minato.
All it had elicited was a laugh. Nothing could end a night's activities for
a man quicker than a laugh at the wrong time.

"You sure knew what you were doing," Kachiko said as she relaxed, posing
just a touch on the seductive side.

Soun barely kept from commenting that he had a good teacher. Women never
wanted to hear about past lovers. He also wanted to avoid thinking about
Minato now. While it would not spoil the mood (nothing could after that last
session with Kachiko on top, nearly popping a couple of discs out with how
hard she had ridden him) it would not help it either, and he wanted to enjoy
things for as long as he could. Instead, Soun opted to shift the direction
of the conversation. "That wasn't your first time either."

Kachiko blushed slightly, seeming to regard it as an accusation rather than
a compliment. "I'll have you know there's only been one other guy I've been
with. Although it was more than once, and he definitely knew what he was
doing."

Soun found his mood darkening at that, wishing he had kept his mouth shut.
He didn't want to hear about her past experiences either. What was it
Saotome had once said in an unusually philosophical moment? Ah, yes. A man
always wants to be a woman's first conquest, while a woman always wants to
be a man's final conquest. Soun knew the wish wasn't realistic, but he
didn't need the truth rubbed in his face either.

Kachiko stared at Soun pensively.

"What?" Soun asked, seeing something in her eyes that aroused his curiosity.

"You'd look good with a mustache. Not that you're not handsome now," she
added. "It's just I think it would make you look sexy. Irresistibly sexy."

Soun rubbed his upper lip. He had considered growing one for a while now.
Confirmation that it would only make him better-looking meant he'd stop
shaving as of tomorrow.

The smile Kachiko wore was like a cat that had cornered its prey. It was
almost as though she could read Soun's mind, he observed.

She continued talking. "You know, Arisugawa, you're damn lucky."

"Oh?"

"Yep," Kachiko played with an errant strand of hair. "If you had gone about
things in any other way, I'd have probably thrown you out on your ass after
that first meeting."

"It's nice to know I'm a smooth operator," Soun kidded, especially since in
his wildest fantasies he held no illusions of such. His imagination had
limits.

"I'm serious," Kachiko insisted. "On that first day we met, it was only
because we were so much alike right at that moment, two people nearly broken
by what life threw at them, that I was willing to accept you hanging around.
It was the only reason I trusted you, since I knew you weren't interested in
me anymore than I was in you. It was only after a few months passed, and I
healed up some inside, that I could accept you as a friend. And the more we
hung around together, the more I realized you were actually a good guy that
I might like as more than a friend. And then after we started dating, I knew
you were a guy I could fall in love with, which I did, which is why we were
doing the horizontal mambo tonight." She sighed. "Like I said, real lucky."

The sincerity of her speech made a lump form in Soun's throat. He only
wished he was as eloquent and could say something equally as meaningful to
her. Instead he let his body do the talking as he returned to sitting on the
bed next to her still prone body. He ran his finger tips along her side,
making her shiver at the contact. He continued doing it, allowing her to
enjoy the toying with her flesh.

"Want another round?" she offered.

Soun thought he detected a slight hesitation in her voice. Sensing the offer
was more of his benefit than hers, he declined. "It's getting late. I
wouldn't want our parents to think we were up to no good."

She laughed and punched him lightly in the side. "I'm sure the old man would
blow up at the idea of 'his little girl' rolling around with some guy and
banging her brains out."

Sometimes Soun wondered how she could ever maintain the illusion of
propriety with a mouth like hers. When he had first met her, in her placid
kimono in the formal setting of her home, he automatically had her pegged as
a proper Japanese girl, much like her mother was. It was only after several
months of getting to know one another that Soun came to understand just how
inaccurate that image was, in attitude as well as her verbal acumen.

Soun also realized her observation was probably correct. He would have to be
discreet around the elder Tendou from now on. There was no sense in getting
into an argument with the man over the matter, even if he and Kachiko were
technically engaged. Despite his advanced age, the old man had a few tricky
moves in his arsenal of techniques. One of the tenets of the Tendou school
seemed to be misdirection bordering on the edge of outright dishonor. Soun
and the old man had some vigorous training sessions, which Kachiko seemed to
avoid for some reason. Probably because of a distinct lack of interest in
the martial arts. She even went so far as to forbid him from talking about
them in her presence. Soun did as she wished. He could still talk with
Saotome over them, after all. The man was more obsessed about martial arts
than Soun was. He really needed to get a woman.

Soun rose to his feet once again, this time with the intention of heading to
the shower to clean off. He was tempted to ask Kachiko to join, but decided
they would probably end up doing something that would defeat the purpose of
trying to clean up. Besides, tiles were slippery, and most accidents did
happen in the bath. Best to keep their gymnastics confined to the bed, or at
least other soft surfaces. After tonight, it  was clear there would be
plenty of repeat performances.

As Soun once again stretched out to work on his back (he was going to have
to get used to Kachiko's energetic nature) she suddenly said, "Let me warn
you now, I'm only going to have one kid. No way am I staying fat and bloated
being some kind of baby machine. And I don't care if it's a boy or a girl,
so don't think we'll keep trying until we come up with a boy, then we stop.
You want a boy, you'd better tell your balls to make only Y-chromosomes."

Soun froze. He hadn't seen that one coming. She hadn't even tried segueing
into it. He imagined he did have something akin to a 'deer caught in
headlights' look in his eyes as he stammered out, "Y... you mean you want to
get married?"

Kachiko's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you saying you don't want to get
married to me?"

Their relationship had finally reached a point where Soun recognized some of
his fiancee's behavioral patterns. When she heard a question she didn't
like, she tended to rephrase it  in such a way that giving the answer she
did not want to hear would be very, very bad. He supposed he should have
been grateful for the obvious nature of the delivery. Despite his lack of
experience, he knew women could twist innocent statements around to make it
sound like a man was insulting or rejecting them. Kachiko's way of doing it
was almost more along the lines of an open challenge rather than a veiled
implication.

Soun considered what she was saying (and she was saying, rather than asking,
regardless of phrasing it like a question).  He hadn't really given the
matter much thought, thinking there was a ways to go before that came up.
Kachiko was the one who defined where their relationship stood, and Soun
followed without complaint. That was all right with him, as far as he was
concerned. He made a much better follower than a leader, and Kachiko was
remarkably straight forward in stating where she felt their relationship was
and exactly how far she was willing to go. Now she was stating it again,
asking him if he was ready for the next step. Did he want to make the
arranged marriage into a real one?

The quickness of the answer, and the total certainty of it, surprised him.
Before his mind cast doubts into his decision, he  said, "Yes. More than
anything in the world."

"Good," Kachiko said plainly and curled up with her pillow, watching Soun
contently.

On Soun's part, he was a bit stunned by the ease with which it had been
decided. He would have imagined the whole situation regarding a formal
proposal would have to be carefully set up, with lots of dinner and flowers,
and choosing an expensive ring he would spend the rest of his life paying
off, and carrying an ulcer in his stomach as he repeatedly let ideal
opportunities to propose slip through his fingers due to his spinelessness.
In some ways, he was relieved that Kachiko had taken the initiative and
essentially proposed to him, allowing things to be decided so easily.

They'd have to discuss matters and make formal arrangements later. Both sets
of parents would be thrilled with he and Kachiko's mutual acceptance of the
situation. The length of the courtship had gone on for so long that Soun's
parents had taken to constantly prodding him about when he and Kachiko would
go forward with the marriage ceremony. Soun had remained adamant in his
decision to wait and not be browbeaten into trying to move things along
farther or faster than either he or Kachiko wanted.

His fiancee had that effect on him, increasing his resolve and bolstering
his confidence in anything he dared to try. At his side, she made him a
better, stronger person that he could ever be on his own. And he thought he
had a similar effect on her. She smiled more often now, and the dark
expressions that frequently clouded her in the early days had long since
passed. Now they reveled in each other's company. There were still spats and
fights, no relationship lacked them, but they were always quickly resolved,
and the couple returned to normal afterwards. It was a level of happiness
Soun had feared he would never experience again after that awful day at
Minato's.

It was just as Kachiko always said. It was best to leave some things behind
so that one could move forward and into the future. And that was what
marriage with her represented: the future. And a bright one at that.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

As Soun headed back to the table where Kachiko was waiting for him, yet
another smile made its presence known. The wedding had been everything that
could have been hoped for. There was a nice, formal ceremony in the
traditional manner, which pleased the elder Tendous (Kachiko had wanted to
elope just to irritate her parents, but Soun had convinced her otherwise,
nearly throwing out his voice with how long and loudly he had to talk). All
the people invited had shown up. Friends (of which there was a surprising
number) and relatives (of which there were a surprising few) had gotten
along well, with no incidents, death threats, or people passing out in the
wedding cake. Even Saotome had behaved himself, though Soun figured he was
on his best behavior to impress his date, that Nodoka woman he had been
trying to woo for some time.

Deep inside, Soun held the unspoken fear that something would go wrong and
the wedding would be ruined. It was the way his luck usually ran. A thousand
different scenarios ran through his mind. The hall they rented would
collapse. The guests would be stricken with food poisoning. The priest would
fall over dead in the middle of the ceremony. The hand of God would strike
Soun dead at the altar. Kachiko would refuse, claiming it was all a joke and
she couldn't believe he had fallen for it. Yet none of those had happened.
Everything went exactly as planned. It was as though he and Kachiko had been
destined to be wed (not that he would ever say such aloud to her, given her
cynical view of Destiny). And now they were. Husband and wife, till death
did they part.

With the success of the wedding behind them, that left the reception in full
swing. It had reached the stage where the noise level increased
proportionally to the level of alcohol being consumed. Soon, he and his new
bride would have to excuse themselves, as much to avoid a potential incident
as for the desire for privacy. Others could deal with the aftermath that
would be left behind in their departure. Soun had more important matters on
mind.

He was just coming back from having to relive himself (not surprising, given
the copious amounts of alcohol Saotome had been toasting to him) when he
spotted his parents standing near the entrance to the reception hall. They
were out of earshot, but Soun could tell by the animated gesturing of his
father that something had him highly agitated. Kentaro only reserved hand
gestures for the most trying of times.

Soun moved toward them, wondering what was wrong and hoping he could defuse
the situation, lest it risk ruining what had otherwise been the happiest day
of his life. As he drew near, what he saw froze him to the spot. Only his
mouth worked as he whispered, "Minato."

Having come close enough to identify her meant he too had come within the
woman's line of sight. She gave an overjoyed, "Soun!" momentarily drawing
the attention of those within earshot, and proceeded to move toward him.
Given her endowments, this was accompanied by a fair amount of jiggle as
well.

With people now staring their way, Kentaro and Michiru could not dare to
continue preventing the woman from entering for fear of causing the very
incident they had tried to hide. They stood aside, remaining near the
entryway and glaring at Minato's back.

Minato bowed. Soun responded automatically by doing the same. He noted
Minato was wearing a business suit style outfit, unlike anything she had
owned before. While it was formal, on her impressive frame it made her look
sexier than he could ever remember. The way several male bystanders stared
at her seemed to agree with Soun's assessment, despite what had happened
between them, and all he had experienced since, he felt a pang of jealousy
at the men.

"I'm surprised to see you here," Soun said. And he was. Over the months, he
rarely thought of her, and when he did, the memories were no longer the
bitter, pain-filled ones they started out as. Instead, they tended to be
happy, remembering all of the kinder, gentler moments they had shared. It
was surprising. Given how devastated he was at the time, he was certain he
would never forget the pain. Now it was a secondary thing, barely with the
effort to remember.

Minato's smile softened from a joyous one to a more sentimental thing. "I
could hardly ignore one of my former favorite guys without giving him a
present for his wedding."

"How did you know I was getting married?"

"I've been stalking you for the last year."

Soun's eyes goggled.

Minato ruffled his hair and laughed. "You always were gullible. Actually I
came across a notice in the paper about you getting married, and decided to
drop by. I'm not intruding, am I?"

"No, of course not. It's wonderful to see you." And it was. Soun was amazed.
Before this moment, in his mind, he was certain that he would feel the
heartbreak anew, or at least bitter memories if he happened to accidentally
cross paths with Minato. But now, with her standing before, him, he felt
privileged and honored that someone who had meant so much to him before was
willing to wish him well, especially after how terribly things had gone. It
was only then he realized that he was truly over her, that the relationship
with Kachiko was no rebound effect. He loved his wife for who she was, and
for no other reason.

Minato leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Anyway, I can't stay long.
So I'll wish the two of you well in your future happiness, and give you a
gift." She pulled an envelope from her outfit and handed it to him.

Soun looked at it. "Should I open it now?"

"I'd prefer you did. I want to see the look on your face."

Her bemused grin put Soun's guard up. He recognized the look as one that
said Minato was doing this because she would be the one amused, and anything
Soun got out of it would be coincidental. Kachiko had an identical look, one
of the few physical traits the women shared. He wondered if all women had
such a smile.

Bracing himself, Soun opened the envelope. His eyes goggled at what was
within.

"I thought you might like it," Minato said in a throaty purr, obviously
satisfied at the reaction.

"This much money?"

"It'll help you start a family."

"It's too much." Soun tried handing the envelope back.

Minato placed her hands on her hips and glared. "It's a gift."

"But you can't afford this," Soun insisted.

Minato crossed her arms under her bosom. "If you must know, it's from a job
someone paid me to do. It was a legal one, so don't go thinking I did
something outrageously kinky to get it. However, I didn't feel good about
it. Legal or not, it was one of the worst things I ever did in my life to
earn it. I felt terrible about it, and almost didn't do it. But I did. After
some time passed, I realized that, as distasteful as it was, it was the
right thing to do. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have done it for
free. So I felt guilty about being given this large sum of money I had
without really having earned it. Returning it wasn't an option, since I
didn't like the people that hired me. So I was left pondering what to do.

"Then I saw you in the paper. Once I saw the announcement, it hit me. I
thought maybe you could use it for something good, and my conscience will be
clear. So if you accept it, you'll be doing me a favor as well."

The time spent with Minato told him of the heartfelt sincerity behind the
words, and that despite the blatantly generic delivery hiding the exact
details of the information, she was telling the truth. There was no denying
the money would serve he and Kachiko well, especially since their
'rehearsals as a married couple', before they had the actual ceremony, had
paid dividends. Luckily, Kachiko wasn't showing yet, or else there might
have been a scandal.

Soun bowed more deeply than before. "Thank you."

"Oh, no need to be so formal." Minato reached forward and embraced Soun.

He felt the familiar sensation of her impressive bust flattening against his
chest, which prodded him to remember part of their past life together. He
felt guilty over it, but couldn't help himself. He hugged much more lightly
back.

They broke off the embrace. Minato took a step back and looked Soun over
with a critical eye. "That wife of yours is one lucky woman."

"Anyone marrying you will be a lucky man," Soun replied.

"Damn straight." Minato gave him a wink, then made a great production of
looking at her watch. "I really have to go now. I just dropped by to give
you that." She blew him a kiss, then turned on her heel and sauntered toward
the exit, past a host of disappointed men and the glaring Arisugawas. She
shot Soun's parents a knowing look, and shouted over her shoulder to him, "I
hope you enjoy the money."

Soun noted both his parents turned red at the statement. In that moment,
many things suddenly made sense as various questions that had plagued him
suddenly became answered. Had it been any other day, things would have
turned ugly. As it was, he would find a way to make them pay for their
self-important meddling. But it would have to happen later. At the moment,
Soun was happy, and intended to remain that way.

As Minato sauntered out, a more demure figure sidled up next to Soun and
looped its arm through his own.

"So, who was that?" Kachiko asked as her grip tightened possessively upon
his arm.

While her voice sounded pleasant on the surface, Soun could hear the mix of
suspicion and ice that lay underneath. While his new wife was largely an
enigma to him, her possessiveness he understood all too well.

"An old friend," Soun said simply. "She came to wish me luck."

Tartly, Kachiko said, "She was certainly-"

Soun cut her off, "Whatever you're about to say, don't."

The remark surprised Kachiko, particularly the almost alien, warning tone in
it. However, one look into Soun's eyes made her sharp response die on her
lips. Icily, she said, "So, is she going to be coming by again?"

Soun shook his head. "No. She just came by to wish us luck. And to give us
this." Soun showed her the envelope.

Kachiko's eyes goggled at the sight as she snatched the money out of his
hands. After flipping through the ream of bills, they disappeared into a
fold of her kimono. Soun decided it was just as well. His wife had made it
very clear she would be controlling the finances of the house. She had a
certain appreciation for money, one that bordered on greed without actually
going over it.

Kachiko said, "That was a very generous donation on her part. It'll help pay
for the remodeling we're going to have to do to one of the rooms soon." She
patted her stomach meaningfully.

Soun allowed himself to do the same. Marveling at the idea that his child
was in there. It was a pity they would only have one. Already he could tell
he would be a good father. But Kachiko had remained adamant about the one
child limit. Soun would just have to lavish all of his paternal attention on
one offspring instead of several.

"Let's get back to the others," Soun said, leading Kachiko back to the
reception.

She made him lean down and whispered in his ear, "But not for much longer.
I'm not so far along I don't still need servicing, Husband."

Soun actually blushed. They had been mixing company with others long enough.
He would make certain to bid Saotome farewell, then they could head out to
the hot springs vacation his new in-laws had purchased for the pair as a
wedding gift. They hadn't really needed to, but they wanted the couple to be
happy.

Surrounded by friends, family, and his new wife, and with a dangling loose
end tied up at last, Soun knew life couldn't get better than that. He only
wished it could last forever.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Twenty years later, Soun put out his cigarette and turned his eyes away from
the stars, though he was looking to a place much farther away than the
celestial bodies so many millions of miles away. Looking back on everything,
it was really quite remarkable that the two of them had gotten together at
all. They had been two strangers at the lowest point in their lives, pushed
together unwillingly by others. Yet somehow, over the course of a year, they
had gone from partners in crime, to friends, to lovers, to husband and wife,
and then parents. That was why he still had faith that he could be reunited
with his impossibly returned wife. They had beaten the long odds together
once, and they could do it again.

Since Kachiko's return, there was something bothering him. Thinking of the
past had sharpened his thoughts and returned some of his wits to him. While
he and Kachiko had fallen truly and deeply in love, it was under a specific
set of circumstances. Even she had admitted events had followed the only
course they could have for things to work out so perfectly in the end. It
was by chance that they ended up married together, for which he would be
eternally grateful.

However, despite the fact they were essentially the same people on the
inside, the circumstances were completely different. Kachiko was younger and
more vibrant than ever, while he was no longer a young man in the spring of
his youth. He was a father of three, approaching middle age. As much as he
loathed it, perhaps circumstances in the past had played a much larger role
in their relationship that he wanted to admit.

"Father, it's getting late."

Kasumi's voice distracted Soun, changing his line of thought instantly. His
subconscious took the opportunity provided by that perfect excuse to return
the unwanted ideas into the back of his mind.

Soun looked down at his watch, catching sight of the pile of stubs that had
accumulated next to him. He had lost track of the time. He rose to his feet,
brushing a handful of ashes that had fallen on his formal attire.

Kasumi said, "Mother returned a while ago, so you don't need to worry about
her any longer."

The concern made Soun smile, misguided though it was. Kachiko was able to
take care of herself at any age. What he needed now was to think about the
matter in order to determine what he should do next. While his heart told
him one thing, his mind seemed to pull in another direction. He wanted to
follow his heart, like he had when he was younger, but experience countered
youth, and he knew that sometimes the heart was wrong and the mind was
correct, regardless of what poets and romantics contended.

It was too late in the evening to make any important decisions about his
life, and there was no need to hurry things along. Soun decided it would be
best to get some sleep, and tackle the problem tomorrow. His wife would be
there. Thanks to the fickleness of Fate, she would always be there, even if
she didn't love him the way he loved her. Above anything else, he could live
with that. As long as she was safe and alive.

With that sobering thought, Soun entered his home and prepared for bed,
content for the moment, if not truly happy.

xxxxxxxx

Special thanks to:
The Apprentice
Chris Horton
Michael A. Chase
Eternal Lost Lurker
Max M.
David Tai




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