Author's Note: Alright, it's ranting time. Yes, I'm going to chew you out.
I'll try to keep this short, but I just have to say apparently did the same thing to its uploading protocol that
now does. This removes a lot of extraneous symbols, including
removing the question mark/exclamation point combo typically used for incredulous
questions. Most notably, it removed the stars I used for chapter breaks, so the
entire last chapter read as one long scene.

I'm a little upset about this, but it's not so bad because I have other methods of
denoting scene breaks. What I'm miffed about is that I didn't find this out until I
read the chapter over myself. Nobody said a word about it.

I refuse to believe that not a single one of my readers noticed the problem. I also
refuse to believe that every single person who read the story thought it was
supposed to look like that. Everyone must have seen it, but no one thought to
comment on it. I'm a little displeased by the possibility that I may be surrounded
by "yes men" who have nothing but praise for me no matter what I write or how poorly
it comes out (props to Infamous Bamf for calling me on my dry and vague
descriptions, by the way).

I write to improve my writing. I'm not going to be offended if you don't like my
story. I'm not going to flame you if you point out areas I could improve. Hell,
I won't even get mad if I get a review like "yor storie SUXXXXX!!!!11". I write
and post here because I want to improve, not to get ego boosts. So from now on if
you notice something wrong; if there's dialogue that doesn't work, or prose that's
a grammatical mess, or even just a spelling error, TELL ME! That's what the review
button is for!

takes a deep breath

Okay, I'm done now.

Anyway, I've got a new chapter here for you. Not a lot of action in this one,
sadly, but I promise the next chapter will provide you with your violence fix.
I'm sorry this took so long to get out... real life has been intruding on my
writing in a MAJOR way...

Cultural Notes: As has been mentioned before, this series takes place in late 1960's
Japan. Makoto seems conservative, even prudish, by modern standards but her views
are typical for her time period.

Shiritori - a word game where the players have to say a word that begins with
the kana of the previous word. The game ends when one person uses a word that either
begins and ends with the same kana or ends in "n" (since there aren't any words that
begin with the "n" character). This is what Ryudo and Mika are playing.

tekkou - sometimes translated as "wrist guards", tekkou are a type of armor worn
on the lower arm. They are thin sheets of metal that clasp around the arm from the
wrist to just below the elbow.

---

Event 13: An Unrequited Love

---

Sizable hills surrounded the town on all sides, with most of the buildings placed at the
bottom of the natural "bowl". Ran immediately thought that this would make the town
susceptible to flooding during the rain season. The forest where Ryoko's house lay was
at the top of one of these hills, so it was possible to see most of the town from there.
Ran and Makoto were heading in this direction as Ran told her friend about what happened
on the school roof.

"That sounds serious," Makoto gulped. "So what did you say?"

Ran shook her head. "I said nothing... he left before I could form any kind of response.
I do not understand the situation fully... I am uncertain what the best way to proceed
is."

"You really shouldn't do anything, Ran. You don't take school seriously enough as it
is. Besides, we're way too young to be thinking about boyfriends. They'll be time for
that after we graduate high school. What the heck is Asakawa-kun thinking...?"

Ran sighed at that. "I understand the logic, but the reality of the situation is not
so kind. I cannot simply avoid him, but I have no idea what he wants. He has made
everything so much more complicated than it had to be." Fuuka seemed to be very
knowledgeable in this "like" business... maybe it would be better to ask her?

In thinking about the conversation at lunch, Ran remembered something else that she
wanted clarified. She asked, "Makoto, you said before that Mika might attack me due
to my involvement with Asakawa. What did you mean by that?"

Makoto gave her a pensive look, as if debating whether she really wanted to get
into this. "... Alright. It's a little complicated, but I think you'd better know
about it. First, do you see that mansion on the hill there?" Makoto asked, pointing
to a large house on the far hill. It was easily thrice the size of any buildings on
the lower end of town, and even rivaled the school in greatness. A large wall
surrounded the house, sectioning off a large chunk of land as property.

Ran nodded. "It would be difficult to miss. The owners must be fabulously wealthy."

"That's the Toorami home. The Toorami's helped repair Japan and foster good
relationships with the United States after the war, and made a bundle doing it.
Mika-san's father used to hold public office, but now he's a sociologist." When
Ran gave her a curious look, Makoto explained, "He studies the way people in
different cultures live. The rumor goes that her parents hired private tutors
instead of sending her to elementary school. Nobody knew her that well before
middle school, and she avoids almost everyone now. Asakawa-kun is the only person
I know who will even talk to her, but I don't know why he is friends with her. And
with her mother traveling with her father now..."

Ran's expression softened ever so slightly as she stared at the house. Perhaps she
and Mika shared a kinship that she had not noticed before. "... So she has always
been alone," she confirmed.

Makoto nodded to confirm her suspicions. "I used to think people like her were really
lucky, being able to live in a big house like that and never having to worry about
food or anything. But after seeing her and how alone she is at school, I can't help
but think maybe it's not worth it." Ran had to agree.

Makoto continued, "Like I said, Asakawa-kun is Mika-san's only friend. But he's been
spending a lot of time with you... I'll bet she feels like you're taking him away from
her. She might think of you as a threat, and that's why she'd attack you."

"Your concern is appreciated," Ran replied. "But there is little reason to worry. My
leg is fully healed now, so we may battle to her heart's content. I only hope that
she keeps our matches friendly... I do not wish to be injured by another encounter
with her Hue."

"I don't think she'll bring that thing out again. She only uses it to scare people
off. The only reason she attacked you with it is because her pride won't let her
back down when she thinks she's winning. Now that she knows you're not scared of
it I doubt she'll use it on you again."

Ran gave Makoto a long glance. "You seem to be very adept at understanding people's
motives and feelings. That is a powerful skill... I can only hope I can develop such
a sympathetic understanding of others in my lifetime."

Makoto smiled nervously. "That's a weird compliment... you're not used to giving them
out, are you? But, I'll take it anyway. Thanks Ran."

Ran looked out towards the house again, feeling a slight amount of pity for the
occupant. 'Mika-san...'

---

Mika plopped face-first onto her bed, sighing loudly. A cloud of gloom seemed to
hover over her head, sapping her energy. She never liked school very much... the
only reason she insisted on going to school instead of receiving tutors was so that
she could be with Ryudo. But what was the point of that now, when her heart's
desire was now firmly out of reach...?

A knock at the door disturbed her thoughts. "Mika-sama?" came the butler's voice a
moment before the door opened. "We received a letter for you today."

"A letter, Watami?" she asked quizzically. "Who would send me a letter?"

"It is postmarked from the United States. I believe it is from your parents."

"From... mom and dad?" She sat on her bed, hugging a pillow as she put her knees up.
She felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as she asked with trepidation, "What
does it say?"

The butler opened the letter quickly and scanned the contents. He cleared his
throat and paraphrased, "They are enjoying their stay in America immensely.
Although the country is relatively new, they already have an impressive number
of art and artifacts. They find the culture very interesting... even intoxicating."

"... So how much longer?"

He continued, "They say they are on the verge of an important breakthrough. The work
your parents are doing now could provide valuable insight to the development of
Western thought and-"

"I know that already," Mika half-shouted as she clutched her pillow tightly. "I
asked how much longer they'd be gone. Will they be back before October?"

The butler looked down at the letter, coughing to buy time. At last, he said
sadly, "... An additional three months, at least. They... express their apologies
that they will miss your birthday again this year."

Mika laughed once, though she followed it immediately with a sniff. "I... I should
have expected that. They haven't been on time for years. Hey, at least they
remembered this time... that ought to count for something."

"... Mika-sama?"

Mika's forehead dropped to meet her knees, shuddering slightly. "Please
leave, Watami. And the rest of you, as well. I want to be alone right now."

Watami bowed as several men in kuroku clothing slipped out of their hiding places
in the room and squeezed past him into the hall. "... As you wish, Mika-sama."
He quietly closed the door, leaving Mika alone.

---

The girl watched the group of kids playing from a distance, biting her lower lip.
Slow, take deep breaths. Have a little courage. She approached them slowly,
holding her hands in front of her. "U... Um..." she spoke up a little, "Excuse
me...?"

The kids stopped playing to look at her. "Hello!" one of them said. "Are you
new in town?"

The girl nodded a little. "Um... a little, yes. Uh, I was thinking... um,
wondering... would it be okay to join you?"

Another of the kids, a girl in pigtails, nodded. "Of course! Hey, what's
your name?"

The girl smiled back. "It's Mika. Mika Toorami."

A dreadful silence filled the air. "... Toorami?" someone repeated unsurely.

"That's those people on the hill, right?" one of the kids asked.

Mika nodded tentatively, "Uh... yeah..." The other kids continued to stare at
her, making her suddenly wish she were anywhere else. It seemed as though an
oppressive aura had descended upon her, and she had no idea where it came from.

Finally, a response came: "Um... maybe you can play with us some other time. I
hafta go home now... for something."

A chorus of "yeahs" and "me toos" filled the air as the crowd dispersed. Within
moments the street was empty save for Mika herself.

She stared forlornly at the ball that was left behind, wondering what that was
all about. They sounded like they were lying when they said they had to go...
was there something wrong with her family? Was there some reason they didn't
like her?

She sighed as she picked up the ball, feeling her eyes water. She didn't
understand... why? She tossed the ball straight up, trying to move under it
to catch it. Unfortunately, it landed on her face as she was looking up and
bounced away. She dropped to her knees and grabbed hold of her nose. That
really stung!
v A voice called out, "You ought to be a little more careful. It hurts to get
hit by this, especially in the nose. Are you alright?"

The girl blinked as she looked up. Standing there was a young boy about her
age, smiling with a grin that was missing a tooth. His clothes were frayed
in places, and they seemed a little old. Mika nodded a little as she
replied, "Yes, I am fine. Who are you?"

"Me?" the boy said. "My name's Ryudo. What's yours?"

She was about to introduce herself as she did before, but stopped. He seemed
friendly right now, but if he heard who she really was... "Um... it's Mika.
Just call me Mika."

Ryudo continued to smile. "That's a pretty name. Wanna play?"

Mika gasped. "P...Play? But... I don't know any games."

"Then I'll teach you some! Come on!"

The girl swallowed, daring to hope that she could happy for a little while.
She beamed as she replied, "R-Really? Okay!"

---

"Neko." ("cat")

"Koma." ("horse")

"Mahou!" ("magic")

Mika grimaced in thought. "U... uta." ("song")

"Takara." ("treasure")

"Ra... rakkun." ("raccoon")

Ryudo blinked. "Raccoon? What's that?"

Mika found herself at something of a loss. "Um... it's an animal from America...
my father saw one once. He said it looks a little like a tanuki."

"Oh, I see." Ryudo smiled broadly as he finished, "But it's no good. You're
not supposed to end with 'n', remember?"

Mika gasped in realization, then her head sank. This game was so much harder
than she thought it would be! Ryudo encouraged, "But you were doing really well!
You know a lot of interesting words!"

Mika blushed a little at the compliment. "Um... thank you."

"So! Are you new in town?"

Mika pursed her lips together, feeling a little guilty. "Um... not really..."

"Oh?" came the confused reply. "But I haven't seen you around before today..."

Mika shrank back. "Um... that's because..."

"Ojo-sama!" came a shout from down the street. "Ojo-sama, so that's where
you've been! Your mother and I have been looking all over for you."

Mika turned slowly to face the sound. No... not now...

Her mother and one of the maids were standing just a few feet away from them.
The maid seemed a little wearied, but her mother was staring at them
expressionless.

Ryudo blinked as he made a surprised face, the pieces adding up. "Woah... so
your family's rich, huh?"

Mika spun to face him and bowed her head low, starting to tear up. "I'm
very sorry!" she said. She then bolted away before giving him the chance to
respond.

"Ojo-sama!" the maid shouted as she ran past her. "Ojo-sama, please wait!"

Ryudo watched her go, scratching his head. "What'd you apologize for?" A
shadow fell over him, and he turned to face Mika's mother. Ryudo blinked
before bowing low, "Nice to meet you... I'm Ryudo Asakawa. Are you Mika's
mother?"

"Oh, so young and yet so polite. ... Ryudo-kun, have your parents ever said
anything about the Toorami family?"

The boy scrunched up his face, trying to remember. "I don't think so. Some
of the other kids were saying bad stuff about them... but I don't think it's
fair to dislike someone because of what people say about them, so I don't usually
listen to them."

Mika's mother stared at him for a moment, then smiled warmly. "Such an honest
and trusting boy..."

---

Mika sat on the floor of her room, sighing. She had been so excited to meet other
kids yesterday... who would have thought it would turn out like that? Only one boy
would play with her, and that was only as long as he didn't know who she really
was. Was there something wrong with her? Or her family? Was it because they were
rich? It had to be... with all the renovations happening throughout the town, no
other family in town was as rich as her family was. They were all jealous... that's
why all the other kids hated her.

A knock at the door. "Ojo-sama?" asked the voice on the other side. "You have a
visitor... a Mr. Ryudo Asakawa is here to see you."

She raised her head. Ryudo? He was back? "... Thank you. I'll... be down to
see him in a moment." She stood up and walked out of the room, running her hands
down her dress to flatten it out.

On her way through the house, her mind raced. What could she possibly say to him?
No, he probably would not even give her the chance to say anything. He just came
by to call her a rich, spoiled brat and to yell at her for tricking him. She
couldn't blame him... after all, his family probably wasn't as fortunate as hers.
It was only natural that he would hate her. She opened the front doors of the house,
expecting the worst.

There was a boy standing just outside the front gate, trying to peek through
them eagerly. "Mika!" the boy called out as he waved happily, his other hand
wrapped around the bars of the front gate. "Are you busy?"

Mika was taken a bit aback. This was not the greeting she expected... what
was going on? He seemed too... friendly. Was this a trick of some kind? She
approached the gate cautiously, responding, "Um... no..."

"That's great! Hey, do you think we could play again today?"

Mika blinked in surprise. "You... want to play with me again? Don't you want
to avoid me? I mean... my family is rich!"

Ryudo tilted his head to the side, puzzled. "Why would I want to do that? You're
my friend, right? Friends don't do that kind of stuff to each other."

Mika felt her cheeks become hot. Her throat constricted, her heart fluttered,
and she felt an unmistakable sting in her eyes. "You... You'd be my friend?"

Ryudo nodded enthusiastically. "Uh-huh! You're a fun person! I talked to your
mom yesterday after you ran away... she said I could come over and play with you
whenever I wanted. So I thought... Hey, why are you crying? Did I do something
wrong?"

Mika covered her eyes with her hands as she broke down, giggling in between the
sobs. She wanted to answer him, but her throat constricted so much she couldn't
say a word. If she could have, she would have said, "No... something wonderful..."

---

That's right... it was thanks to Ryudo that she finally started coming out of her
shell. She started leaving the house more, became more outgoing... all because no
matter what she did or who she became, Ryudo would be there.

When was it that these feelings turned into love, she wondered? She could not
really remember when or how it happened... for all she knew she had always felt
this way. Of course, Ryudo had never noticed. And no matter how she tried she
could not work up the nerve to tell him. It did not matter before. As long as
she was the only girl he cared about, even if it was not love, that was enough
for her.

At least, it used to be. Before SHE came along and stole his heart.

But that wasn't all. She had been alone for years, without anyone to be her
friend. Ran had not even been in town a week and already she had made friends
with Karyu-san. Well, that was not hard to understand... the rumors said that
Ran was staying with Mitsuda-san, and since the two were under the same roof they
would of course be close...

And then there was her combat prowess. That brief skirmish had given her only a taste
of what Ran was capable of... and it frightened her. Her agility was world-class, her
speed unmatchable, her will indomitable. She was a monster that could take on any
challenger. Heck, if it had not been for her Hue she would have been swatted like a
fly. Mika had been training for years, but the gap between them was like the
difference between night and day.

Ran was, put simply, perfect in every way Mika was not.

Mika flipped over and punched her pillow as hard as she could. Blows fell one after
another as she screamed, "Who the hell are you, Ran Kusamori?! You're just some girl
who came out of nowhere! Why did Ryudo fall for you after ignoring me for so long?
How did you become such a good fighter? How did you get friends so quickly? I
had to work so hard for what I have..." She picked up the pillow and tore at it
from opposite ends, finishing with, "So why is it all just handed to you?!"

The feathers fluttered around her as she tried to catch her breath. "... It's all
her fault. Why did she have to show up? Why did he have to fall so completely for
her?" She closed her eyes as she pounded the bed again, but this time there was
no life to her punch. "Damn it all... what does she have that I don't?"

... She couldn't let it end like this. She refused to believe that girl was so
much better than her at everything. The previous battle had ended with a loss, but
it was over so quickly that it still could have gone either way. Was Ran really
that much better than her? A burning desire entered her, quite unlike anything she
had ever experienced before.

She had to know.

"I know you're there," she said toward the door. "Get in here. I want to
dictate a letter."

The door creaked open, letting in several men in kuroku clothing. They brought
in a small desk, a brush, and calligraphy ink, and they set all of it down swiftly
and without a sound. One started preparing the ink as the others set out to tidy
up the room. Mika ignored them all. "Address this letter... to Ran Kusamori-san."

---

The next morning Ran, Makoto, and Kyouta walked to school casually. They were
actually early today, so they plodded along at a leisurely pace and took in the
sights and smells of Naema in summertime. Ran was grateful for the chance to
experience these, but Kyouta was far less enthused. "Why'd we have to wake up
so early?" he whined. The sun was barely even out when we left!"

Makoto replied, "I didn't want our teacher to get the impression that Ran is always
tardy. Besides, the morning air is good for you." In response, Kyouta sighed
dejectedly as he put his hands on the back of his head. As he did this, Ran
noticed a glint of metal around his wrists.

She was forced to blink. "Tekkou? Do you plan to head into battle, Kyouta?"

Kyouta tugged his shirt sleeves over them, embarrassed. "N-no. That smarmy brat
Megane gave 'em to me and told them not to take 'em off. I wanted to tell him no,
but Ryoko insisted and... well, I can't deny a lady's request..."

"Except when they're asking you to go away, it seems," Makoto joked. "Seriously,
are you going after Ryoko now? That's really nasty."

Kyouta put a hand to his chest, crying out in mock pain. "You wound me, nee-chan!
Must you attach impure motives to everything I do? Speaking of impure motives,
maybe one of the girls' teams has finished their morning practice by now. I'm
gonna go check on that... see you two later!" He then dashed into the school,
quickly vanishing from sight.

"I'm not bailing you out if you get caught!" Makoto shouted after him. She shook
her head once he was gone. "That otouto," she said with a smile. "He never learns."
She then turned back to Ran as she got her shoes from her locker. "It's been a
while since we've been early... it's nice to not have to rush, right Ran? Um...
Ran?"

Ran stood in front of her open locker, her brow furrowed and her expression serious.
Her eyes had narrowed into slits, and she stared at something in her hands intently.
Her left hand gripped the sheath of her katana tightly, as if clinging to it for
protection. Makoto approached carefully, seeing what had caused such a reaction in Ran.

It was a small white envelope, closed with the Toorami family seal. Written on the
front, in flowing calligraphy, was a single phrase:

"Letter of Challenge".

---

Preview of Event 14: Will

Ran's posture was solid despite the damage. She stared at Mika with white-hot
intensity, pointing her blade directly at her. "This is the last chance you
will receive, Mika-san. If you place your weapon down now, I will accept that
as a sign of your surrender. If you do not, I must assume you are willing to see
this fight to its conclusion. I may not be able to recognize any sign you might
give when I next attack you, so do not hope to change your mind later.

"I should also warn you," Ran added coldly, with a distinct air of menace. "I
will hold back no longer. No... to say it more correctly, from this point on my
intention shall be to kill you."