[FFML] [Mai Hime, Future] Road Trip Revision Effort Two

[John Biles]

This is a huge revision of this and Crystal's following scene.  I'm a lot
happier with this version as it covers some ground I'd need to cover later
and sets up some stuff for me for later well and avoids people finding out
things I don't want them to find out yet. :)

Feedback appreciated.




    Please, kami-sama, don't let anyone be watching us.  I tried to see if I
could hear Natasha snickering, but all I heard was the distant sound of the
radio and some song about loving someone as much as an elephant.  As an
elephant?

    "Shun, is that you?" a woman's voice asked.

    I froze up; a second later, Kagami froze up as well with one of my hands
on her back and the other on her butt.  She had one of her hands on my chest
and the other on my back.

    "Who?" a guy's voice asked.  "I told you someone else would already be
here, plus I think they're having a party."

    "Shun?" the woman asked again.  I know this woman; it was Tamura April,
one of my old girlfriends.  She's blonde and on the lush side, though not as
lush as Crystal (more like Natasha).  She was wearing a very pretty blue
dress today.

    The guy with her was fairly good looking in a conventional way, a little
on the tall side with short brown hair and brown eyes, wearing black slacks
and a white dress shirt.  A blue tie half-dangled out of his pocket.  I had
no clue who he was.

    April and I had dated for several months; we'd slept together, in fact.
However, her parents weren't fond of me and April wasn't doing as well as
they wanted, and I think they blamed me, so they transferred her to another
school.

    Which it suddenly struck me was the kind of thing I could easily see
Kagami's parents doing if they found out about us.  I don't want to go
through that again; April and I broke up because we knew we'd probably never
see each other again at least until college, but it hurt a lot.

    I gave Kagami one final kiss.  "Hi, April, it's me," I said.  "April,
this is my girlfriend Mitsu Kagami."  I moved the hand on her butt up to her
back and took her left hand with my right.  "She's the Queen of Rosewood."

    "I'm not the Queen," Kagami mumbled, a bit flustered; her face was red
now.  "Just a member of Ring Club."

    "This is my boyfriend, Hayasaka Shigeru," April said, putting an arm
around him.  "He's the captain of the basketball team."

    "That's a good sport," I said.  April plays women's basketball, so I'm
not suprised she ended up dating someone from the men's side.

    Stupidly, irrationally jealous, yes.  Surprised no.  There's no reason I
should feel jealous of this man; we both agreed to break up and I have a
girlfriend now.

    Unfortunately, humans are pretty stupid sometimes.

    I could tell he was trying to assess my threat level as well; I couldn't
decide whether to try to be innocuous or whether to put the fear of Shun in
him.  Normally, I'd do the latter, but I don't want to hurt Kagami's
feelings.

    April sat down on another bench facing us with her boyfriend.  They held
hands, but she didn't get into his lap.  I'd be stunned if Kagami had gotten
into my lap with anyone watching, though.  "Mitsu-san, did we have some
classes together when I was at Rosewood?  You look kind of familiar, but I'm
starting to forget everyone I knew there."  She sounded embarrassed about
that.

    "I've heard of you and I think we did," Kagami said, concentrating.
"Didn't you play basketball or something?"

    "Yes," she said.

    "She's one of the stars of the women's team," Hayasaka-san said
proudly.  "That's where we met, at one of their games."

    April smiled goofily and I felt the jealousy knife in my gut.  "He came
up after the game and asked me out on the spot."

    Which is what I did.  STAB.

    "Shun, are you okay?" Kagami asked me.

    Could she tell?  I was doing my best to just smile brightly and not show
it.  "I'm fine," I told her.

    "So what brings you two all the way to Fuuka?" April asked curiously.

    "We just needed a new place to make out," I teased.

    Kagami turned more red.

    "Actually, my aunt is the headmistress," I said.  "We basically all came
out here to party with her."

    "I'm suprised you don't go here if your aunt runs the place,"
Hayasaka-san said.

    I'm kind of surprised myself. On the other hand, we've never been
attacked by monsters at Rosewood, so I have a feeling that's why.

    "Our family wanted us closer to home.  We're a good ways away at
Rosewood, but not hours away like we'd be here," I said.

    I heard movement behind me and suddenly rose to my feet, hopping away
from the bench.  Too late, Mother advanced on our old position, a straw in
each hand.  "Very good," she said.  "I see you've kept up your drills even
if you forgot how to obey school rules or to keep other people out of your
trouble."

    "Hi, Mom," I said.

    "Hello, Tokiha-san," Kagami said, embarrassed.

    "Hello, Tokiha-san," April said, rising and bowing to Mom.  Confused,
her date did likewise.  April tried hard to get Mom's approval, but Mom was
never satisfied with her.  I hope Kagami doesn't have that much trouble.

    Mother half-bowed to them.  "I am glad to see you well," she said to
April.

    "Hi, April," Dad said, coming out of the darkness himself now.  "Good to
see you again."  Dad liked April, but then Dad usually likes almost anyone I
date or befriend or just save from getting rained on.  If I ever dated
someone and Dad didn't like them, I'd be stunned.  If he hates anyone, I
don't know who it is.

    "Hi, Tokiha-san," she said.  "This is my boyfriend, Hayasaka Shigeru.
He's captain of the basketball team."

    "We both graduated from Fuuka," Dad said.  "I was in the gardening club
and Akira was in the painting club."

    "You never told me your kin ran this school," April said. "Whose sister
is the headmistress, if I may ask?"

    "She is mine," Mom said.  "We don't look much like each other."

    "That's so true," Kagami said, then put a hand over her mouth,
embarrassed.  I was still holding her.

    "You can set her down, Shun.  I promise I won't attack," Mother said
dryly.

    April scooted her boyfriend over and I sat down next to them with Kagami
still in my lap.  Hayasaka-san seemed to have a mixed opinion over whether
he wanted me there.

    April...  I told myself to focus on the present, on the woman I was
holding in my arms.

    Mom and Dad asked April about the things she'd been doing at Fuuka,
shared a few recommendations on things to see in the area, then Mom said,
"Shun, Kagami, we need you to come with us."

    "Okay," I said, standing up and letting Kagami down, though I held her
hand.  "Nice to see you again, April.  Nice to meet you, Hayasaka-san."

    "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking my other hand, though I'm not so
sure he meant it.

    "Nice to meet you both," Kagami said to them.

    "Remember, he needs GENTLE guidance," April said, then laughed.

    "I will be gentle," Kagami said, smiling.

    Mom and Dad led us into the antechamber of Fumi's house and we went to a
parlor; I could hear the distant drone of conversation.

    "What's up?" I asked softly.

    "I am going to be training Kagami to fight," Mother said.  "And working
on your training, too, as best I can with you being grounded to the school.
And as best I can since I still have my own students to teach who I don't
want to leave high and dry.  Which means you're both going to have to work
with Akane most of the time."  She sounded frustrated by this.

    "I'm sure she will teach us well," Kagami said very seriously.

    Taught by Aunt Akane?  Well, she has been teaching Kasumi and Kasumi
totally tore the hell out of those snake monsters and...Aunt Akane has 23
years of experience on Kasumi.  Holy shit, she must be death on a stick...in
which case Mom...  My eyes crossed.

    "Respect your Aunt," Mother said sharply to me.  "No eye games."

    "No, I...Yes, Mom," I said.

    "You will respect your aunt," Mother said firmly.  "And any of the rest
of your aunts who come to help.  And I will give her exercises for you."

    "Yes, Mom," I said firmly.

    "Neither of you can leave campus under your own power.  Fortunately, we
have a teacher in the family.  This means that Chie or Aoi will have to do
the paperwork any time you want to date and it will have to be supervised by
one of them or us," Mom said.

    I nodded firmly.  "Yes, Mom."

    "And I expect both of you to keep your grades up," Mom said.

    "Of course, Tokiha-san," Kagami said.

    "You may call me Akira and Takumi by his name too, since you are dating
Shun," Mom said.

    Holy shit, none of my other girlfriends ever got to use her first name.
They really like her.

    "You flatter me," she said, turning a little red.

    "You're the first one of my girlfriends they ever said that to," I told
her.

    Now she looked really embarrassed, which is to say, super-cute.  I
kissed her softly.  "It's an honor."

    "I respect Kagami-san's intellect and discipline and expect her to
instill some of those in you," Mom said.

    "And Kagami, Shun will no doubt teach you all about getting in trouble,"
Dad said, smiling.

    "Honey," Mom said.  "Don't encourage him."  They've had this argument a
few thousand times, I think.

    I grinned.

    "Remember, any time you two think you can have sex without us catching
you, I could be anywhere at any time. In the ceiling, in the floor, in the
closet, the walls, under the bed...  And you know what happened the time I
caught you with April," Mom said to me.

    I winced.  "Yes."  It hadn't stopped us, but it did stop us for a
while.  And then her parents had stopped us anyway.

    Kagami mumbled something incoherent about parents.

    "I think that's everything," Dad said.  "You two ready to go back to
your cousins?"

    "It's not everything," I said softly.

    My parents now both looked very nervous.

    "Kagami, I..."  I stared her in the eyes.  "Am I really worth defying
your family for?"  No one's ever thought I was worth that.  I know Mom
defied her family and threw away everything for Father.  And Aunt Kazuya and
Akane did that for each other.  But...in the end, though April loved me, she
couldn't defy her family.  I have defied my family...sort of...but not so
much so as they did or as Kagami is going to do.  I like myself, but I never
thought I could be as lucky as my parents.  Not once my first few love
affairs all blew up one way or another.

    "Yes," she said simply, then pulled me into a kiss.

    That filled me with simultaneous joy and terror.  Could I really love
her back as much as she deserved?  She's so beautiful to me and I love to
see her smile and be happy and I can tell my body wants her, but do I really
deserve this?

    And my parents...well, of course they approve.  They'd be hypocrites not
to.  And Aunt Akane left her family too...no wonder she feels sympathy for
Kagami.  But can we really hide our relationship?

    Or am I going to fuck this up in spades.  Please no.  I don't want to.
I just want to feel joy like I do right now.

    I've never had so much blessing from my parents for a relationship.  But
that also gives me more to lose if I do screw up.

    Please don't let me screw up.

    I broke off the kiss.  "I will do my best to be good to you," I said
softly.

    "I know you will," she said confidently, smiling at me so brightly.

    "Okay," I said.  "Let's go back and tell everyone."

***************

Crystal's Tale:

    "Maybe we should check on Mitsu-san and Shun," I said to the others as
we hung out on the porch listening to music.  "They've been gone a long
time."

    "They're probably doing it like weasels," Natasha said.  "Mad weasels."

    "You always think that," Dan said dismissively.

    "I don't think Mitsu-san would jump right into bed with Shun," Kasumi
said.  "She has more sense than that."

    "I was a little more worried about black oily snakes," I confessed.
Those things had scared the hell out of me yesterday.

    "Surely Aunt Fumi would not have snake monsters attacking people in her
gardens," Erica said.

    "They're probably kissing and that's all," Dan said, sounding perhaps
just a touch jealous.

    I was just a touch jealous.  I don't want to kiss either of them, though
I have kissed both boys and girls in the past.  Mostly boys, though.  I've
never actually dated a girl, but I have kissed at parties and kind of liked
it.  But then, so does Mom.

    But I am starting to feel the lack of a boyfriend.  But I don't have
time to try to find one, really.  And I can't really date someone until I
stop being confined to campus.

    And make sure everyone stops thinking I'm dating Dan.

    Mitsu-san and Shun now came around the side of the building.  Mitsu-san
looked like she could power half of Japan with her smile.

    "I see you two had a good time," Natasha said, grinning.

    "Wonderful," Kagami said.

    "Kagami-san and I are dating now," I said.

    "I..."  Mitsu-san suddenly looked nervous.  Then she straightened up.
"Please, everyone, call me Kagami.  I hope to be closer friends with all of
you now, both as Shun's girlfriend, but also as me.  I...I hate to ask this
of you, but my parents can't know that Shun and I are dating and we'll only
be able to be fully honest with you all.  I know that's a heavy burden to
lay on you all, so I'll understand if you can't promise me that," she said
urgently.  "But please.  I beg of you."

    "Hah!  That's an easy promise to keep, given none of us have ever met
your parents and aren't likely to any time soon," Natasha said.  "We'll keep
your promise, Kagami-san."

    "Of course," I said.  Man, she's defying her family to date Shun.  Now I
am jealous.

    Everyone else agreed as well and she relaxed.  "Your family is so kind
and...and loving.  Thank you for welcoming me in."  She bowed to everyone.

    I bowed back, as did the others, then came over and took her other
hand.  "Welcome aboard, Kagami-san," I told her.  "And good luck to both of
you." I squeezed her hand and released it.

    We all then hung out and chatted about school stuff until it was time to
go back to the shrine and sleep.


















    Marduk has fallen; the Spawn of Tiamat are free.  The Dragon Princess
has shattered the Namcub of Bel Marduk Tiamat-Slayer and freed the
Princesses from its power, but with its destruction, all its deeds are
undone, for good and ill.  For though he ruled demanding absolute obedience,
he also brought absolute safety from the Children of Tiamat.  Who will
protect us now?

"Many headed Tiamat stirs in her watery grave, and her six children from
which the world was made, once mastered by Marduk's all-seeing eye, now
squabble to see who will rule in the world to come.  And many, many other
pretenders to the throne of Heaven come forth.  The age of Chaos begins."

"The call has sounded against the daughters of the Crystal Princess.  The
Crimson Huntsman rides again through the wild places, leading his Wild
Hunt.  He will cull the weak and reward the strong.  For he knows that might
makes right and only the strong survive in a world of predator and prey."

    "As Chaos rises, the old rules fade; those with the will may forge their
own Namcub and make their own destiny, may seize power with their own two
hands.  Others may join the powers that be, strengthening them for the
battle to come.  But even in the age of Chaos, power has its price and its
risk, so few will do so.  In the hands of those who do, the future will be
written.  The elements will answer their commands, their noble robes will
protect them, and their children fight by their sides.  But remember, to
grasp the rose, you must risk the thorns and these thorns bite deeply."

"The future will be written in battle, the new Tablets of Destiny written in
blood and tears and terror and hope and love and hate.  You stand now within
the circuit of the First City, beautiful Eridu, where the Gods came to
Earth.  And in your hands is its future and that of the world, as they come
again.  Marduk created humanity to serve him, but now this world belongs to
you.  If you can keep it by the strength of your right hand and the wisdom
of your left."


    "Remember, love is both a weapon and a balm; it can both heal and slay,
unite and divide.  The wise Knight knows the utility of both and wields
their love wisely instead of it weilding them and surrendering to Chaos."
Dan's voice sounded labored now, almost as if the words were speaking
themselves through him instead of him speaking them.

"This is the Namcub of the Crystal Princess.  As it is spoken, so it shall
be.  By the speaking of these words, the contract is sealed and the prophecy
made. The Prison is broken, but you are the hope to seal it once more.  I
wish you all luck, my children, my grand-children, and all the foundlings
you have or will gather in.  My time in your world has ended, but your time
is just beginning.  Power has its price, but without power, you can only
watch and trust to others to save this world. Together you must forge a new
First City or all that is and has been will perish in fire and ice and
thorns and blood and steel and terror."
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