Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Trial By Tenderness ❯ Part 14 - Confrontations ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Part 14: Confrontations



Keiichi returned home from a busy day at school, anxious to ply his skills once more against the Need For Speed game. It was the week before finals, but at least the tests and studying weren't as rigorous as the juken-jigoku he endured five years ago at the end of his high school days. Keiichi remembered the 'exam hell' of his senior year in high school with its seemingly endless rigors of late night studying. Now, finishing his junior year at N.I.T., he was somewhat grateful for the juken-jigoku. It had literally stretched his brain to its limit; honing the academic skills he now utilized at N.I.T. He pulled past the torii and parked his bike.
"It's so ironic that torii are supposed to serve as gateways that distinguish the divine world from the real world. In my case, the torii *does* demark the habitation of divine beings. Who could guess that three Goddesses live inside of this wooden torii gate? And...what's up with a *temple* having a torii?" he reflected.
He chuckled as he walked to the house, and climbed into the arcade game. After 15 minutes, he finished second at the Daytona 500. He felt the usual surge of frustration at not finishing first.
"I wonder what happens in this videogame if someone wins a race?" he thought, filled with curiosity. So far, no one had finished above fifth place except for him.

* * * *

Keiichi's memory floated back to last week. He had asked his sempai, Tamiya and Ootaki, about the game. They both looked at him with mystification.
"Whut? Yuh're tellin' us that someone sent yuh an arcade game?" Tamiya had replied. Of course, they both 'invited' themselves over to his house later that afternoon to play it. Ootaki was excited when he saw the arcade machine and immediately sat down and played a race. He finished tenth out of ten cars. Tamiya tried his luck at the game, with the same results. Both sempai scowled at the arcade game.
"Whatta bum deal...this game is too hard! There's no fun if yuh can't win!" Tamiya pronounced while delivering a kick to the side of the game. That weekend, the entire club came over to his house, ostensibly for a "think-tank session" in preparation for the upcoming race. Keiichi knew that the *real* reason was this damned game that everyone was getting so addicted to.
His mind returned to the present moment.

* * * *

Keiichi was amped for tomorrow's race. The Motor Club had designed and built an ATV with large 'balloon' wheels to handle the sandy shores of the racecourse. The course was laid out right alongside the ocean, trekking up the Kujukurihama beach. The difficulty of this race centered in the oceanside course: the vehicles would literally be plunging through incoming tides as they traveled the 60km racecourse. There were two major hazards: the possibility of getting mired in the soft sand and being swept out into the ocean.
The ATV was basically a stripped-down dune buggy suspended on two sets of huge wheels. It looked like a skeletal 'monster truck', except that the wheels were much lighter in design and weight. It possessed only a spare metal frame with no doors or windshield. Keiichi would be suspended almost 1.5 meters above the ground while he raced; the rear wheels were almost as tall as he was. The motor was rear-mounted so that the smaller front wheels would have more steerage. Of course, the racing commission had placed a 300cc limit on the displacement of the motors; providing an engineering challenge which centered on how each team dealt with the tradeoff between weight, power and mobility. Not to mention the fact that the ATV had to be light enough for the driver to right it if it tipped over.
Keiichi felt confident about their ATV, the Yukai na tsutsuji. The "Jolly Azalea". The club members had pored over several suggestions for its name without success. Then Sora suggested that they give it a nonsense name. She came up with several silly names, including Yukai na tsutsuji; this was the name everyone got stuck on. So they christened it the "Jolly Azalea" with a bottle of sake.
Keiichi made himself a snack in the kitchen. The house was eerily quiet. Strangely enough, nobody was around. Bell-chan was off somewhere with Megumi doing some shopping, according to the note she left on the dining room table. Cevn was still at school while Urd was nowhere to be seen and Skuld was at the mall with Tomohisa, who had arrived yesterday to visit for a couple of days.

* * * * * * * *

Dr. Kintaro had sent me a memo 'inviting' me to his office at the end of the week. I had just drafted a rough copy of my final exam for my Asian Economics class, and was hard at work on one for my Asian History class. I put down my pencil and looked at the clock, then decided to drop in on the redoubtable Dr. Kintaro.
I greeted his receptionist with a smile and lingered in the foyer. After a few minutes, Dr. Kintaro came out and ushered me into his room. I was a bit nervous, to say the least. I hadn't met with Dr. Kintaro since the big race a month and a half ago.
"Why does he want to meet with me *now*...at the end of the summer term?" I wondered to myself. A moment later, the balding President of N.I.T. ushered me into his office with practiced formality.
"Sit down, Cevn! Thank you for coming. This won't take long!" he said as he proffered me a chair. He seemed to be in good spirits, as opposed to most of the faculty and students who were straining to make it through finals week. As usual, his office was spotlessly clean and his desktop suspectly empty. His office reminding me of a hermetically sealed museum room.
"Does this guy ever do any work in here?" I wondered to myself as I saw his uncluttered desk, adorned with expensive carved decorations and several corporate awards.
"The reason I called you here was to let you know that you will be going to China on a sabbatical during this year's summer break. I have been in contact with a Dr. Juzhi Zhao at Peking University, with whom I think you have an acquaintance with, per your resume."
My face fell with shock. BeiDa? Summer? Beijing DaXue, or BeiDa for short, was China's premier academic institution. Dr. Zhao was the Chair of the Philosophy Dept. and an informal advisor on my dissertation! We had emailed back and forth over the past couple of years. But I had been 'reborn', so to speak, once Urd had granted my wish last February. In light of the events that brought me to Japan, I doubted that Dr. Zhao would remember me. No one from my past life had a shred of awareness that I ever existed. Dozens of phone calls and letters had confirmed this repeatedly during the past several months. The fact that I had become a nonentity in the memories of everyone I knew...was staggering, despite the fact that it was offset by the new friends I had made while in Japan.
Then the realization that I was going to China settled in, reminding me of the instant I stepped out of the airport during my visit to Madras, India. The sudden rush of people, of poverty, of toil and sweat and...*humanity*...had all but crushed my Western sensitivities. Now, this stunning news had crashed past my defenses in a like manner. My summer break had been turned inside out upside down.
"Dr. Kintaro is basically planning my summer for me! He's sending me to China!" I realized with a mixture of excitement and regret.
"We are considering establishing a reciprocity agreement with their Physical Sciences Dept. as the first step in creating an exchange program. This program would provide an opportunity for N.I.T. students and faculty to be visiting scholars in China. As you know, in the first five years of the 21st century, China's economic influence and GDP has increased rapidly. This would add much prestige to N.I.T., because we would be the first Technical Institute in Japan to have such an agreement with a Chinese university. Since you are the only faculty member that is fluent in spoken Chinese, I've decided to transfer Yamashita-sensei's scheduled sabbatical to you. This will provide you with time to finish your dissertation while you negotiate our liaison with Peking University. We will provide all travel costs and a fellowship for your research in compensation for your work on our behalf," he explained, smiling innocuously at me.
"Well, I guess that I'm going back to the PRC this summer," I said resignedly. Actually, this wasn't all that bad of an opportunity...I would finally be able to complete my dissertation and get my Ph.D. However, my plans to travel around Japan were dashed.
"When do I leave?"
"You'll have two weeks after the end of the term to get your affairs in order, then you'll leave right after Tanabata at beginning of July," he confirmed. I bowed crisply to him and walked out.
I was ambushed with a jumble of thoughts and plans spinning in my head. I suddenly felt exhausted, the kind of fatigue that arises in the face of a sudden event or surprise.
"This *was* a surprise!" I acknowledged. I sat down on one of the benches underneath a stately zekelva tree in the middle of campus. Glancing blankly at the light filtering through its leaves, I espied Tamiya, Ootaki and Sora out of the corner of my eye. The three waved and started to walk towards me. I wanted to be alone for a moment to let the shock of this settle in, but now this would be impossible.
"How're yuh doin' Cevn-sensei?" Tamiya said. The giant guy from Hokkaido was in good spirits. Yes, he was an Ainu, I had found out a couple of weeks ago. Tamiya lived outside of Sapporo in a small village; his interest in motor mechanics was born out of the necessity of fixing engines on his grandfather's farm as a kid. Tamiya and Ootaki were like fire and ice. Tamiya was moody and candorous. Ootaki had a cool reserve and urbanity. Little Sora was metal to their fire and ice. She was diminutive, yet her calmness was the product of a brilliant mind and a steady ambition.
"Hey, I'm kinda in shock right now. I just found out that I'm going to China on behalf of N.I.T.!" I replied. "How are you guys? Ready for the 'reach the beach' race?"
"Reach the beach?" Sora asked.
"Yeah, you know, the Fixx. An old group from the 80s. Their album 'Reach the Beach'" Ootaki replied to her question.
"Should be cool, we've got a really souped-up ATV with all the trimmins'" he added.
"China, huh? Some guys have all da luck!" Tamiya said.
"Fine!" I said, reacting obversely to his comment. "I'm going there to set up an exchange program, and when I'm done...I'll make sure that you're the first student, Tamiya. By the way, did I tell you that it is in Xinjiang, right in the middle of a desert?" I said mirthfully.
"No! No way! Yuh wouldn't dare!" Tamiya exclaimed.
"Nan...I don't think you would make the cut. It's only for *good* students," I teased him. Tamiya smiled at me as he punched me on the shoulder, somewhat hard. Actually, all three were getting solid A's in the Asian History course I was teaching. I expected as much out of the two sempai, as they were grad students. But Sora's sharp acumen for math didn't interfere with her ability to grasp humanities either.
"Actually, for your information, it's going to be at BeiDa, aka Peking University. I would definitely recommend it for either of you...and for you too Sora, when you're an upperclasswoman." She giggled at my feminization of the generic term. "I did some graduate work there...it would be a great place for engineering students to do graduate work. They have cutting-edge technology and labs...you guys would love it. They also have killer instant noodles at the campus stores."
"Cool! Would you recommend me?" Ootaki said impulsively.
"Hmmm, I don't know if China is ready for you, Ootaki." This brought peals of laughter from all three.
"But weren't you planning to travel around Japan this summer? At least that's what I thought you would do, having just arrived here a few months ago," Sora said. I smiled at her; she was such a perceptive young woman.
"Yep, I was hoping...but I guess that'll have to wait."
Once more, my life was taking a new direction. I had learned in NA to appreciate the unexpected, rather than get personally invested in defying it. I was still planning to confront Sayoko at the end of the term, but I would have to really lay it out for her at the initial meeting instead of over the course of a couple of intervention sessions.
The three excused themselves and I remained sitting on the bench. The N.I.T. campus did have a beauty all its own, especially the tree-lined esplanade through the center of the campus. The large zekelva tree resonated with birdcalls.

* * * * * * * *

Skuld and Tomohisa were walking down a pedestrian mall in downtown Makuhari. They stopped at an ice cream and malt shop, where Skuld indulged herself with a three-scoop fudge strawberry sundae.
"Where do you put all of that, Skuld?" Tomohisa asked. "You eat more ice cream than I do, and you're just a kid!"
Skuld scowled at Tomohisa, who tried to smile innocently. He knew that he had made a gaffe by calling Skuld a kid. It was a touchy subject for her, he remembered. She looked like she was 12 or 13, almost 3 years younger than he was.
"She doesn't even have any boobs yet," he thought to himself.
"So what if I don't have..?" Skuld said irritably as she flung a spoonscoop of ice cream at Tomohisa. It splashed on his cheek.
Tomohisa was once more startled at Skuld's seemingly strange ability to read his mind. He flushed red just as the ice cream hit him.
"Skuld!" he shouted in anguish, ice cream dribbling down his right cheek. One of the white-dressed counter chicks jerked her head in his direction and scowled.
Skuld turned her nose up at him. Then she giggled, seeing the streak of white ice cream against his reddened cheeks. Her mirth touched Tomohisa and he laughed with her.
"Skuld, open your mouth," he asked. She opened her mouth and he flung the cherry off of his sundae right into her mouth.
"Ummm!" she said, feeling tastebud heaven as she munched the sweet morsel.
"Hey Tomohisa, you want my cherry?" she asked innocently. She said it quite loudly, and Tomohisa went red with embarrassment. Skuld looked at him curiously.
"What did I say?" Skuld wondered to herself, then asked Tomohisa.
"H...hey Skuld, let's go visit the Sports Vine when we're done here?" he suggested nervously, trying to avoid answering her question. Trying to get her the hell out of the crowded ice cream shop.
"Sure!" Skuld said with a wink. They both finished their ice cream sundaes and returned to the street. Tomohisa looked at Skuld and noticed once more that she had a really pretty face.
"She'll be a total knockout in a couple of years," he thought. He really liked the way she walked; a spritely gait filled with gaiety, with her hands held behind her back *just so*. A *very cute* just so.
"Skuld, what school do you plan to go to when you get into high school?" he asked. Tomohisa had just started his first year of high school; it was grueling in comparison to junior high school. By the time he was a freshman in college, Skuld would be just starting 10th grade. Skuld looked at him with a quizzical look.
"School?" she said. "Why would I want to go to school?" Tomohisa looked at her with an expression that said, "you're out of your mind!"
"You know, when you're 15, you're supposed to go to senior high school. Don't tell me you're planning to stop after junior high...are you?"
"Well, I really wasn't thinking of being here that long," Skuld answered. She put her hand to her mouth as she saw Tomohisa's instant reaction. He had lowered his head and walked silently, his face a picture of disappointment.
"<Pssst, no brains!>" she heard a voice in her mind interrupting her concerns for Tomohisa's dramatic reaction.
"<You're *not* going to make a good impression on Tomohisa if you keep disappointing him. You gotta be quicker on your feet than that, girlie! Look how sad you just made him! You should be ashamed! Besides, who would be interested in a girl who isn't thinking ahead? If you want him to like you, you need to be more considerate. Ciao!>"
"I do *not*..."
"Huh? What did you just say, Skuld?"
Skuld blushed as she realized that she had spoken her private thoughts aloud. She looked in the direction of the mental voice, and saw Big Sister Urd waving to her from inside a nomiya.
"Typical of Urd, hanging out in a drinking place," she thought with disgust.
"<You creep!>" she thought towards her sister. Urd only smiled and blew her a kiss.
"Oooooh!" Skuld growled as her cheeks turned red. "But she's right, of course!" she admitted to herself with frustration. She was not familiar with having to fabricate lies to conceal her divine origin. Since she rarely left the safety of the temple compound, she didn't need to resort to excuse-making like her sisters. But Urd had just reminded her that she needed to be inventive if she wanted to keep Tomohisa interested in her. Inventive as in concealing her true nature...by creating sublime explanations for everyday questions such as the one Tomohisa had just posed to her.
"Tomohisa, it's just that I'm...so smart that I haven't needed to be in school for a while. Matter of fact, I'm smart enough to take the University entrance exams right now!" Skuld said while smiling sweetly. "I might even go to N.I.T. when I'm old enough!" she added, trying to undo her previous mistake. In her mind, she didn't think it was possible that she could endure another three years in this Earthrealm, let alone the ten years it would take for her to go to senior high...and then graduate from a college like N.I.T.
Tomohisa looked at her in astonishment.
"Wow! You must have really worked hard at cram-schools!" he noted with fevered respect. Skuld nodded her head automatically, even though she didn't know what he was talking about.
"Then that means...that you'll be staying with Keiichi and your sisters long enough to go to N.I.T.? Cool! Because I want to go there too, just like cousin Keiichi. We could be in school together! I'd be a senior...and you'd be a freshman!" he exclaimed. His depressed mood had lifted in an instant, and he smiled brightly at Skuld.
"<See! What'd I tell ya?>" Skuld heard Urd's voice in her head. She looked back at Tomohisa; he was walking past the entrance to the Sports Vine, ignoring her completely. Skuld was momentarily upset at his act of abandoning her, until Urd reminded her that Tomohisa was actually a mortal boy who was prone to impulsiveness.
"Of all the people...to remind me of *that*!" Skuld said to herself, feeling the irony of Urd's admonition. She walked in and found him in the baseball section.
"Forget something?" she asked in a quiet voice. "Or *someone."
"Eh?" Then it dawned on Tomohisa that he had left Skuld out on the lurch in his excitement to check out the new baseball gloves. He was so contrite, he dropped the glove he was examining, but reacted and deftly caught it before it hit the ground.
"You know, Skuld, that I'm going to play on the varsity baseball team next term! I would really be happy if you watched one of our games!"
"Sure! What position do you play?" Skuld had become somewhat interested in baseball after learning about softball from Megumi. Tomohisa must be good if he's going to play on the varsity team and he's only a first year student.
"I play second baseman! Wow, look at these new gloves!" he said excitedly. Skuld peeled off one of her white gloves and tried on the baseball glove.
"Silly, that's a left-handed glove your putting on your right hand!" Tomohisa corrected her. Skuld stuck out her tongue at him, then tried it on the correct hand. She asked him to throw her a ball, and she spun and caught it behind her back, much to Tomohisa's delight.
"That was way cool, Skuld! Are you going to the race tomorrow, Skuld? The one on the beach?" he said as they played catch with the baseball.
"Of course, silly!" Tomohisa formed an idea in his mind, then walked with Skuld over to the beach toys department and bought a beach ball.
"This is for you!" he said excitedly. Skuld looked at the multicolored blob of plastic with a nonplused face. It didn't look like anything useful...maybe it was some kind of fancy piece of art.
"What's this for?"
"It's a ball! Haven't you ever seen a beach ball?"
"It doesn't look like a ball to me! It's really kinda flat and saggy," she commented humorlessly.
"That's because you have to blow in it, like this." Tomohisa felt around until he felt the plastic nipple, and then he blew in it. The ball gradually expanded.
"Here you try it!" he suggested.
"No *way*! Not after you touched it with your *lips*. Do you think I'm stupid or something? It's probably got your slobber on it now," Skuld teased him. Actually, she was fascinated by the simple transformation of a rubber blob into an inflated beachball. Tomohisa continued blowing, inflating the ball. Suddenly he stopped and his eyes seemed to flesh out, growing big and watery. His hands were shaking and he seemed to wheeze when he inhaled. Maybe he was hyperventilating...

**Gaahuh! Gasp! Cachoke! Kaff...gack! Ah...hagaahuh!**

Skuld looked at him in bewilderment as he gasped and started coughing. Her shock turned into alarm as his sudden change in breathing continued.
"What is it, Tomohisa?" she asked, looking up at the older boy. Tomohisa reached inside of his book bag and pulled out a funny looking object, then put the head of it in his mouth and pressed down twice. Skuld observed this with curiosity.
"It's my asthma acting up. I'm sorry if it startled you, Skuld...I just overextended myself. I just had to use my inhaler to get my breath back. Sorry," he explained as he hurriedly packed the inhaler back in a side pocket of his book bag. He felt ashamed about his asthma, especially around Skuld.
Skuld tried hard to remember what asthma was. Then it flashed to her that asthma was a lung condition that plagued a sizable percentage of mortals. On the tails of this realization, it dawned on her that Tomohisa had strained himself trying to inflate the ball for her! Skuld felt a wash of guilt mixed with admiration for Tomohisa's effort. It felt...so *different* to have a boy do something like this for her. To make a sacrifice. She reached over and grabbed the ball and began to blow into it, her cheeks puffing out like a trombone player's. She could taste Tomohisa's breath on the rubber nipple as she huffed air into the ball.
"<You know, that is almost like *kissing* Tomohisa, my dear little sister! You *are* growing up!>" a voice said in her head. Skuld stiffened and pulled the ball away from her mouth.
"You shut up Urd!" she said aloud.
"Urd's here?" Tomohisa asked. He didn't want to raise the ire of either one of Skuld's older sisters. He looked timidly around for a moment, then saw Urd in a bar with a glass of sake. She winked at him, and he flushed a lighter shade of red. Skuld continued to inflate the ball.
"Here!" Skuld said proudly as she handed the now inflated beach ball to him.
"I finished it. I..I think that was really brave of you to try and blow it up for me, even though you have asthma, Tomohisa!" She leaned forward and lightly kissed him on the cheek. Tomohisa stiffened for a second when she kissed him.
An astonished Urd gasped as Skuld daintily pecked Tomohisa on the cheek. Flustered, she gulped a swig of sake, trying to wash down her surprise at the sight. Too fast...as she almost choked. Gasping until she caught her breath, Urd started giggling behind her hand.
"My little sister's in love, and she probably doesn't even know it!" she thought. "*This* is going to really be fun!" she reflected maliciously.
With a deft motion, Tomohisa threw the beach ball and hit Skuld on the head with it.
"Tag, you're it!" he said, then turned on his heel and ran off. Skuld chased after him with beach ball in tow under her arm. Urd saw the two run by with all the kinetic energy of teenagers and smiled to herself.
"My advice to Skuld has worked wonders," she told herself with pride, then she savored the last of her sake.

* * * * * * * *

The racing teams were starting to line up at the beach like float entrants before a review parade. A host of bikini-clad women thronged the starting/finishing line, much to Tamiya's ecstatic joy. He would crane his head to get a view of one coed...then another would walk nearby and he would turn to look at her.
"Ah must have died an gone ta heaven!" he said to himself.
Belldandy and Urd were both dressed in swimsuits, and Skuld was dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. Despite the seriousness of the race, there was an almost festive air among the participants. There were eight entries in all: two from Yokohama; four from Tokyo; and the two N.I.T. teams.
"I hope we do better in the race than we did in the volleyball tourney," Keiichi told Tamiya and Ootaki. The three reflected somberly on the informal game played between N.I.T. Motor Club and one of the Tokyo teams before the race. They got slaughtered.
Keiichi was dressed in longshorts and a N.I.T. Motor Club T-shirt. He wore racing gloves and elbow and kneepads, just in case there was a spill. It felt weird not being in his racing coveralls, but he was happy that he wasn't. He would have roasted in this hot summer day. It was a balmy 34 degrees centigrade, without a cloud in the sky.
"*Some* people are going to walk away with a sunburn," Keiichi predicted as he looked at Sora's white legs. He motioned Belldandy over and asked her to remind Sora to put on some more suntan lotion. Sora nodded at him in appreciation after Bell-chan talked to her. He looked over in the other direction and saw his cousin, Tomohisa, playing beach ball tag with Skuld.
"Those two are having a lot of fun," he happily observed, glad that Skuld wasn't sabotaging some aspect of the race. He was still used to Bell's younger sister planning subterfuge at any given time.
The ATV's were formed in a group at the starting point. The starting order had been determined by coin toss. It would be critical to establish an early lead, as the flagged lanes of the course along the beach were only two vehicles in width. A series of red marker flags had been placed all along the route on the left side...the right side was bordered by the ocean itself. They would reach a midway flag at the end 30 km away, then loop around it and return. There were two points where the route would widen up enough for pack driving.
"Those will be the places where people will make their moves," Keiichi noted to himself.
Urd was excited to be out in the sun. Summer was coming up and she would have more time on her hands to pester Keiichi and her sister. Actually, now she could pester her younger sister too, as she watched Tomohisa and Skuld playing innocently on the beach.
"Not to mention working a little on my tan," she sighed happily. Keiichi had warned her repeatedly not to go topless during their excursion to the beach today; yet, she was tempted to do so anyway just to spite him. She wore her tiger-striped string-thing, which attracted a lot of smiles and stares from the men.
Cevn was dressed in a pair of Hawaiian shorts, a tshirt and a bandana. He had brought a boogie board and was surfing a little earlier. Try as he might, he couldn't convince Skuld to get on it. However, Megumi and Sora both tried and ended up getting playfully soaked.
Belldandy was happy to be with Keiichi. This race seemed to be more of a party than a competition. As it was the last race of the term, there was more of a friendly rivalry between the teams. Of course, a lot of the N.I.T. students had shown up, just for the excuse to go to the beach. A bevy of students had driven up from nearby Tokyo and Yokohama. This would be the final day of play before the rigorous finals week next week. She peered at her mortal boyfriend who looked so handsome in his T-shirt and shorts; then she walked over and leaned against the side of the ATV.
"Keiichi, I love you so much! I hope you have fun out there!"
"It'll be a cinch, Bell-chan! By the way, you look beautiful in your swimsuit!" he chimed with an effervescence.
Belldandy blushed slightly. It was the third time today that he had complemented her on her appearance.
"I could never get used to this," she thought happily, grateful that Keiichi was such a observant boyfriend.
"Thank you, Keiichi! You be careful out there too! Remember that you don't know how to swim!" Belldandy felt a familiar surge of panic as soon as the words escaped her mouth. There was a strong undertow near the beach, and if Keiichi tipped the ATV and got swept out... She had really wanted to send along a mini-Belldandy to watch over him, but this was impossible with the ATV's open cabin; someone would easily notice her deformed replica. She leaned far over the sidebars and kissed Keiichi lingeringly on the lips. The usual friendly applause and whistles started up from the Motor Club members...they enjoyed watching as their racer was getting the usual 'game kiss'.
Keiichi also felt apprehensive at her comment about the ocean. His old fear of swimming returned, full force. It was an unstated agreement: whenever Keiichi was racing near water, Ootaki would place an inflatable life jacket within easy reach, aware of Keiichi's inability to swim. But even with the comfort of the life jacket, he was still a little scared. Feeling a moment's hesitancy, he reached down and patted the small plastic bag to make sure it was there. Good ol' Ootaki...reliable once again.
The judges were preparing to start the race. The crowd became quiet with anticipation. The starting gun fired and Keiichi flew into the inside lane as the crowd cheered on the racers.
Keiichi was already splashed with sand and saltwater within a few minutes after the starting gun. The day was pristine...not a cloud in the sky to obscure the sun. The air swirled heavy with beachsmells. The race was 60 km in length...but with the hazard of the ocean, the drivers would have to throttle down and up frequently. He felt the waves crashing near him and swerved to miss a swell tide that surged deep into the beach. His ATV pulled against the sand as it sunk in, but with a sudden pull it climbed out of the potential sandy mire.
He rounded another curve in the beach and ran smack into a wave. Water jetted up and over his head on both sides as the ATV was momentarily lifted off the ground by the force of the wave. It felt like he was hydroplaning, which brought the instant reaction of tightly gripping the wheel and downshifting. A second later the Yukai na tsutsuji gripped land and leapt forward with a jarring motion. The ATV rocked sideways and Keiichi fought to control it. He hit solid sand and pulled to a drier stretch of the beach.
He was in first place. He looked back to see that one of the other team's ATVs had pitched on its side back there on the curve. "Whew!" he sighed in relief as he sped on. He rounded another corner and saw a sea turtle on the beach, resting serenely right in the middle of his path.
"Ack!!! Oh...Great!!!" he shouted sarcastically as he swerved to avoid the sea turtle. He had no time to brake. The turtle ducked inside its shell as the Yukai na tsutsuji's left tire harmlessly ran over it. Keiichi whipped the steering wheel with instant reflexes as the ATV tipped sideways, its center of balance suddenly thrown off by running over the big sea turtle. The ATV seemed to have a life of its own despite his frantic efforts. It spun sideways and tipped over, the seat belt snapping as Keiichi was thrown into the ocean.
Keiichi felt a bang on the back of his head, and he saw little points of light waltzing in front of him. He sputtered as ocean water filled his mouth with a brackish taste. Dazed at the sudden impact on the water, he flailed about in sheer panic until his feet found terra firma. Wading towards the Yukai na tsutsuji, Keiichi felt dizzy, and the ocean waves swept him off of his feet. He crawled the remaining distance to the shore. He paused to look down and saw blood soaking his wet T-shirt. Reaching up with his fingers, he felt a gash and a lump on the back of his head. He must have hit a rock when he was ejected from the ATV. His left knee had a dull throbbing pain every time he moved his leg. His senses clearing, Keiichi smelled the hot odor of an engine overheating. The Yukai na tsutsuji was upside down, smoke coming from its rear-mounted engine.
Belldandy had been playfully tossing the beach ball with Skuld and Urd when she suddenly became motionless. Skuld watched as the ball Urd had thrown flew by her elder sister. Urd noticed the shift in her sister's demeanor and became instantly alert. Belldandy had a look of deep concern etched on her face.
"What is it, Bell?" Urd shouted. She looked at Urd with tears in her eyes.
"Keiichi's crashed. He's *hurt*! I..I can feel it!" she said, wincing at her two sisters. Belldandy had been playfully splashing Skuld and Urd when she felt a dark sensation. She sensed something was wrong with Keiichi and immediately a vision of an overturned ATV formed in her mind.
"He's hurt? We gotta do something!" Urd said, looking at her sister in shock. Skuld overheard this and dropped the beach ball she was holding.
"I'm going to transport there to see if he's okay!" Skuld shouted before realizing that her powers were nil and she couldn't use the water as a transport field. She felt so impotent at this limitation...and huffed in disgust, throwing the beachball violently against the ground.
"Thank you, Skuld, but I can fly over to see if he's okay," Belldandy said, touched by her sister's readiness to assist Keiichi.
"I'll go with you!" Urd tried to levitate and noticed that her powers had diminished greatly. Greatly enough that she feel on her ass in a most undignified manner.
"Bell, I *can't fly*!" she shouted in dismay. Belldandy had been counting on Urd to fly with her, just like she had done when they rescued Skuld and Cevn. She always felt better if her older sister was with her in a crisis, even if Urd sometimes exacerbated the situation.
"What do you mean, you *can't*?" Belldandy exclaimed with frustration.
"My powers...they're almost gone!" Urd replied just as Belldandy turned into her ethereal form and took off in a streak towards Keiichi.
Keiichi shimmied underneath the Yukai na tsutsuji and craned his neck to find the ignition. He had to rest on his right knee, because every time he put any weight on his left knee, a sharp stabbing pain would result. He spied the ignition and reached up to shut it off, then he crawled back out and rolled over on his back upon the sand as two more racers roared past him.
"KEIICHI!!!" he heard Belldandy yell with an edge of panic to her voice. He sat up on the sandy beach as she sprinted towards him.
"Keiichi, you're hurt!" she exclaimed as she saw the blood on his shirt.
"It's nothing," he said nonchalantly as he tried to stand up on his own two feet to prove it. Things started spinning, and he almost fell over, than he sat back down.
"Damn, I must have a concussion!" he thought with despair. "We're going to lose this race!" he said dejectedly, grabbing a handful of sand and pitching it into the ocean in an act of frustration. He regained his feet by sheer force of will and walked over to the Yukai na tsutsuji. He reached underneath, gripping one of the rollbars as he struggled to right it back on its side. With a final heave, he pushed it back on its wheels.
Exhausted from the effort, he pulled himself up into the cabin seat.
"Keiichi, you can't drive like this!" Belldandy shouted desperately, trying to convince him to not ignore his injuries.
"I *gotta* win...for the club!" he replied through gritted teeth. Keiichi felt like he had the mother of all headaches. He reached down and turned on the ignition.
Nothing.
The water must have stalled the motor. Keiichi cursed his luck. He looked at Belldandy pleadingly.
"What'll I do? I was driving and I saw a big sea turtle, which had crawled out onto the raceway. I swerved to avoid it and wiped out. I didn't have time to do anything else, and I didn't mean to hit it," he rapidly explained.
Belldandy didn't want him to drive in this condition. Yet she sensed the overwhelming sincerity of his kokoro. She felt a heartbreak when she considered the consequences of losing this race. Keiichi would be unsettled, his already fragile self-confidence scattered to the winds. Right before finals. And all of this would have happened because he tried to save an innocent sea turtle from being hurt. She fought against her maternal instinct to tell him to "call it a day." She looked into his brown eyes, seeing his face shadowed by the impending disappointment of losing this race. Softly, her fears abated...her emotions couldn't bear it any more. She smiled at him and encanted:

Becalm your overheated parts/regain your inner desire
Together fly your machine'd hearts/undamp your burning fire
Towards velocity you now depart/a phoenix of spitfire!

Yukai na tsutsuji revved up. Keiichi looked at the ATV with a stunned expression, then back to Belldandy. She winked at him.
"I just gave him a jumpstart! As Urd would say, 'Go For It!'" Belldandy said to Keiichi with a disarming smile. Keiichi gave her the V-sign and blew her a kiss, then drove off.
Keiichi was so thankful for his divine girlfriend. He felt momentarily guilty about having a Goddess to give him an edge over the other racers. Then he realized that all she had done was start the ATV; the rest would be up to him.
"I'm way behind the pack," he said to himself.
He pulled even with the ocean tide and floored Yukai na tsutsuji's accelerator pedal. The ATV responded with a battle cry of whirring motorsound as it leapt forward. He saw the last two racers ahead of him and he urged his vehicle on.
By the time he rounded the turning point flag, he was in fourth place. Two cars had tipped and he had passed another car with a risky inside turn. Now he was racing against time. Aoshima's car was in first place. The beach whizzed by as he approached and overtook the third place car. As he looked around him, Keiichi noticed that crowds were queuing in front of some of the beach side properties, watching a free exhibition of driving finesse.
The widened area of the racecourse was coming up in a couple of kilometers. Keiichi planned his move. He positioned himself on the outside where the sand was much more solid and pushed his skill to the limit. The second place driver swerved in and out ahead of him, trying to block his passage. Keiichi stayed with him, and lured him to swerve his car to the outside lane. The driver responded to his fakeout...and Keiichi suddenly banked his ATV to the inside lane with a sharp cut. He steadied the Yukai na tsutsuji and overtook the second place car.
Aoshima's car was still in front of him by at least ten car lengths. He didn't have a chance in hell of catching that car unless the driver made a mistake. He pulled up to five car lengths over the next 10km.
Suddenly the car ahead of him went berserk. Keiichi glanced and saw a sea turtle. The *same* sea turtle.
"Aoshima's driver was so overconfident, he forgot about the turtle!" he thought excitedly. He breathed a silent "thank you" to the wayward terrapin. This time he had ample time to swerve around it. The other car had run over it and was hurtling out of control. Keiichi swerved to avoid the car and turtle just as the first place car tipped over. The turtle, which had almost cost him the race, had now given him the race, as long as he didn't crash.
At the finish line, Aoshima threw down his binoculars in dismay. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he shouted, wanting to curse more vehemently as he kicked divots of sand into the air. The N.I.T. Motor Club members cheered as they saw Keiichi and the Yukai na tsutsuji closing in the distance. Tamiya put on his plastic grass skirt and did a mock hula dance which sent everyone into a mirthful uproar. Belldandy felt a huge sense of relief as Keiichi approached the finish line.
Keiichi passed the checkered flags and slowly turned the ATV around. The celebratory atmosphere among the team quickly shifted to anxious concern when they saw his blood-soaked T-shirt. Megumi felt a sudden chill when she saw how pale her brother Keiichi was.
"He's hurt! Keiichi's hurt!" chorused the Motor Club team members. Keiichi sat weakly in his car seat, much too drained physically to get out of it. Tamiya came over with a look of grave concern and lifted Keiichi out of the ATV.
"We gotta get yuh to da hospital! Why didn't yuh just throw in da towel!"
"I wanted...to win this one for the Club," Keiichi intoned weakly as he looked at his sempai.
Tamiya felt overwhelmed by his teammate's strong sense of giri and started crying. He looked at Keiichi's swollen left knee and knew in an instant that his kneecap was either dislocated or broken. "Yuh're probably goin' to have ta learn crutches," he said in a deadpan voice. "Let's get that kneepad off of yuh!"
"Oh man, that's nasty!" Ootaki commented as he saw Keiichi's swollen knee. Keiichi fought down an agonized scream as Tamiya tried to take off the pad. Tamiya gently loosened the pad, seeing that his friend's knee was very swollen and sensitive.
"Oh Keiichi!" Belldandy said sadly as she saw his knee.
"That's going to take stitches, y'know!" said a worried Megumi as she inspected his scalp. She poured some peroxide on the deep gash. Belldandy hugged Keiichi, gently touching his scalp where he was injured, feeling a large lump at the back of his head.
"Oh Keiichi, you're so brave and strong! Don't let anyone say that you aren't every inch a man!" Keiichi started at her unintended sexual equivocation. Urd, Megumi and Sora burst out in laughter as Keiichi blushed red.
"Why are you laughing?" Belldandy asked innocently. Megumi whispered in her ear, and middle Goddess turned beet-red, bringing on more peals of laughter from everyone present. Urd told a ribald joke about how women confuse two inches and eight inches, which drew a caustic stare from both Keiichi and Belldandy.
"But it's true, as you guys are going to find out someday!" she taunted the couple.
"What a time to be joking, Big Sister! Keiichi's hurt and Belldandy's all upset...and here you are being all perverted and stuff! What a sick mind!" a serious Skuld admonished her.
Skuld tore a strip of cloth off from her T-shirt and wrapped it around Keiichi's head, where it immediately soaked with blood loosened from the peroxide.
"Skuld to the rescue!" she shouted.
"Thanks, Skuld! You ever thought about being a nurse?" Keiichi said gratefully. Skuld smiled at her older sister's boyfriend, feeling proud that she was able to help. Tomohisa stood behind her and massaged her shoulders, knowing that she was stressing. Skuld looked back at him thankfully. She had never been given a backrub like this before. It felt very good.
Megumi grabbed her cell phone from her beach bag.
"Do you need an ambulance?" she asked Keiichi, dialing the hospital.
"Nah, as long as you're willing to drive me to the hospital!" he said. His head was throbbing with bolts of pain. He would glad when they get him some medical attention. Megumi informed the hospital that Keiichi was coming.
"Of course I'm willing! Lemme get some clothes on!" she said as she pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and a T-shirt. After all, Megumi didn't want herself stuck driving to the hospital in her bikini.
"Belldandy, you should put on some clothes...you don't want to get to the hospital and have some guy who's in a coronary die when he sees you in a swimsuit," Urd suggested in a low purring voice. Belldandy nodded her head, and put on a long T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Belldandy and Megumi helped a limping Keiichi into the backseat of her car. Keiichi laid his head in Bell's lap as they sped off to the hospital.

* * * * * * * *

At the hospital, Dr. Fumishira admitted Keiichi. After a short wait, the elderly doctor came in and checked Keiichi's vitals. He pulled off the remaining knee and elbow pads. When he pulled off the left kneepad, Keiichi almost screamed in pain. Belldandy saw his reaction and tearfully winced in empathy and concern. His knee was very swollen and bruised almost deep red. Belldandy put her hands to her mouth in anxiety, as she knew instantly that his knee was broken. Megumi made a grimace with her mouth as she saw how bad his knee joint was distended.
"Does this hurt?" Dr. Fumishira asked as he gently prodded Keiichi's knee with a finger.
"Sshhiiiyoww...Yes!" Keiichi hissed between gritted teeth as a shock of pain ran up his leg.
"We're going to have to X-ray this, but it looks like you have a broken kneecap. If this is so, I'll have to put you in a cast." Keiichi looked at Belldandy and Megumi with desperation. In his mind's eye, he saw himself hobbling around on crutches during finals week. This brought a sinking feeling to his stomach. The doctor motioned Keiichi to a wheelchair, and Belldandy wheeled him down the hallway to the X-ray room. On the way back to the emergency ward, an even deeper sinking feeling swept over Keiichi.
"Summer vacation...in crutches!" he thought dejectedly.
Keiichi's collarbone was swollen. The doctor told him that it popped out and back in during the collision and that he would have to reset it. Keiichi gulped at this news...he had heard how resetting bones was excruciatingly painful.
A moment later, the doctor was wiping caked blood off of his scalp with a warm wet towel. Belldandy blanched when she saw the doctor begin to stitch Keiichi's head wound shut. Keiichi had never received stitches before...but surprisingly, he was intrigued by the process. After the work was done, he asked the doctor for a mirror so that he could examine the handiwork. He was impressed.
"Yes, that took 18 stitches. You also have a concussion, which means that you need to spend the next 48 hours resting. If you feel unusual in any way...nauseous, dizzy, really strong headache, disoriented...you come back here right away!"
He gave Keiichi a local anesthetic to his right shoulder and waited for it to take effect. After ten minutes, he began to move Keiichi's collarbone. With an audible 'pop!' it slid back into its socket. Megumi gagged and almost threw up at the sound; she was touchy even when people cracked their knuckles...this was too much! Keiichi smiled at her, knowing her sensitivity to bodily popping sounds.
The doctor examined the X-rays of Keiichi's left knee and found a fracture of the patella. He gave Keiichi a shot directly to the knee and manipulated the bone. Then he wrapped the knee in an elastic bandage, put some zinc on it to seal it, and then wrapped it tightly with an ace bandage. The next half-hour was spent applying plaster to Keiichi's knee. The plaster took another hour to dry, while all three read magazines. Dr. Fumishira returned with a pair of crutches, and demonstrated to Keiichi on how to use them. Finally, the doctor rechecked his vitals.
"You're Morisato, the guy who won the Solar Competition this year, right?" Keiichi nodded his head. "Could I get your autograph...it's for my grandson Toshiro. He is a real fan of racing, and he wants to go to N.I.T. when he's out of grade school," the doctor joked.
Keiichi assented, then wrote a nice long note to the doctor's grandson.
"Thanks! I'll waive half the bill for that!" Dr. Fumishira said with a smile.
"It's been an honor, Morisato Keiichi. It isn't often that I get to see a celebrity. You two pretty young ladies make sure to take care of him. I'll call Dr. Kintaro at N.I.T. personally tomorrow to see that Keiichi here gets an extension to take his final exams later in the week."
All three bowed to the doctor and left.

* * * * * * * *

At home, Urd, Skuld and Cevn were discussing the extent of Keiichi's injuries when the subject of their discussion came in.
"Crutches!" Cevn said with surprise. "What happened, did Megumi get in an accident on the way to the hospital?" Megumi stuck her tongue out at him.
"No, it turned out that I have a broken kneecap. When I got tossed out of the ATV, I just didn't notice it because of the kneepads."
"Hmmm, you better keep off your feet for a while, unless necessary. You don't want your knee to heal with a poor osteopathic alignment...then you'll need a pin there," Cevn said with concern.
"Gee, thanks for reminding me!" Keiichi said with an edge.
"Sorry, I just was thinking aloud, Keiichi. By the way, why can't one of you just heal him, like you did with me," he said while looking at Belldandy and Urd.
"I made an agreement with myself long ago. If Keiichi gets injured while doing what he wants to do, I won't interfere. If he gets injured because of some kind of divine intervention, like with Mara, then of course I would heal him," Belldandy said, looking at Cevn evenly.
Urd looked at Belldandy with pride.
"It's my idea, actually. She's such a soft-hearted one...if Bell fixed every problem Keiichi has, he'll never learn what it's like to *really* live life."
"Oh, so it was *you* who convinced her!" Keiichi said as he jabbed Urd in the ribs with the tip of his crutch.
"Thanks a lot, Urd!"
"Owww! Don't mention it, Keiichi honey," she replied with a flinch and a taunt.
"Keiichi, you must remember that both Skuld and Urd have limited or no powers. Urd has the lowest grade of powers, and Skuld had her powers completely revoked by Kami-sama. Neither one can help heal you."
Keiichi smiled at Belldandy, catching her off-guard.
"If being laid up means that I get to have you for a nurse all day...I guess it can't be all bad." Everyone chuckled at Keiichi's cheerful take on the circumstances.
"Hey, since you're going to be home, I can help quiz you in the evenings for your exams," Cevn volunteered.
"And Banpei and I can keep you company. I can set up a computer game terminal in your room!" Skuld added.
"And I can finally wash your back!" Urd said demurely. Keiichi coughed on his soda while Belldandy shot her an icy glance. She remembered Urd's first attempt to seduce Keiichi in the bathroom three and a half years ago. Urd noticed her sister's lack of humor. "Just *kidding*, sis! That's your job! He's *your* responsibility!"
Keiichi blushed at this remark. He didn't even consider the problems with bathing that he was going to have. He certainly couldn't submerge his foot in the bathtub. Belldandy read his thoughts clearly.
"Keiichi, first thing tomorrow we'll get you a stool to sit on in the tub, so you can soak yourself while propping your foot out of the water. They do have such things, don't they Megumi?" she asked. Megumi nodded her head.
"I'll get one on the way home from school," Megumi offered.
Keiichi and Tomohisa went off into the living room to talk about something that happened between Tomohisa and Skuld the day before, while the others recessed to their various rooms.

* * * * * * * *

I walked to school the next day with thoughts of the finals I was going to administer. I would meet with Dr. Ogawa in the afternoon, an event that really caused me some consternation. I pulled myself back into the present moment.
I really felt empathy for Keiichi. To have such an injury the week before finals was especially rough going. But I had loads of respect for his courage and commitment to the Motor Club. Using this logic, I was able to convince his instructors to delay his finals. I also reminded them that Keiichi & Co. had won a huge cash award from the Solar Federation for the Institute. All the professors save one were very willing to grant him an extension. The last professor was wary of my personal interest in Keiichi, and I had a heated argument with him about academic ethics before he relented. He admitted grudgingly that I had won some respect from my fellow teachers and that he felt compelled to challenge me, so that he could learn firsthand about me.
Then with a grin, he told me that Dr. Kintaro had already called about granting Keiichi special testing privileges.

* * * * * * * *

"Dis ain't fair! Dere's *nuthin'* on this test that we've studied!" Tamiya complained.
He was the first in my Asian Studies Class to notice. I watched the shocked expressions of each student as I handed out the essay books, then the set of essay questions I had written. Megumi shot me an angry look of betrayal when she saw the final. Sora looked at me with genuine dismay. Aoshima was exasperated when he read the final. Ootaki looked like he was going to snap, and Tamiya turned red in the face, then stood up and announced his opinion.
"That's right! This is a new type of testing method that I've devised. I've studied up on the education system here, so I've decided to throw you guys and gals a curve!" I said, replying to his public challenge with an equally public response.
"How are we supposed to answer these questions if we haven't studied the specific eras?" Megumi asked with a hint of panic, her disappointment diminished somewhat.
"Ok, I'll explain it. This is what is called a 'projective essay'. You have not studied these particular historical eras, but I put them there because they definitely relate to what you *have* studied. What I want you to do, if you wish to succeed in this exam, is to draw upon what we've discussed this semester and relate it to what you *think* these periods of history were like. In other words, you need to make an educated guess."
"You mean that we're not going to be tested on the historical facts we learned!" Aoshima noted with a smirk. "What kind of test is this? It's ridiculous!"
"What you and your classmates are being tested on, Aoshima, is *what you have learned* about what you learned this semester. In other words, your ability to author your own thinking. You need to think on your own and incorporate your knowledge. After all, history as a science of humanities relies on integrating fields of knowledge. Rote memorization can only ontogenize intellectual mediocrity and academic perspective-cloning. This 'cloning' or doppel-nachdenklich as it is termed in the German, is one of the reasons why you all just now got so uptight over this test...you've become accustomed to the same types of educational assessment methods. When something doesn't fit the mode...you freak out!
"But guess what? These types of surprises are what historical significances are measured by!"
After I finished, I heard a dozen or so fingers going 'snap' as Aoshima turned red in the face. Megumi and Sora stifled a giggle and I shot them a mock-grave look. Secretly, I enjoyed outwitting the haughty Aoshima.
Just a *little* bit...when he was acting like a little pompous bastard.
"You will be graded on how accurately you invent a history for each era and how succinctly you support your hypotheses," I explained deliberately.
I walked around the class. Sayoko showed up forty minutes late and I refused to give her an exam booklet. She looked at me with surprise and I told her that I wanted to meet with her after class. She wanted to argue, but I 'shushed' her and pointed to rest of class.
Two and a half hours later, all the students were finished. I previewed a few of the exams and was pleased with the work they came up with. Each student thanked me, and several wrote on their booklets that I had provided a completely different type of learning for them. As Megumi handed in her essay, I whispered "It's a go." She winked at me in acknowledgment. Then she thanked me profusely for teaching this class. I reeled at the sincerity of her compliment...I knew that I would hear more when I got home from her.

* * * * * * * *

Sayoko was sitting in the corner of the room, looking glumly at the walls as the classroom was empty.
"Sayoko, I want to meet with you in my office about your performance in this course," I said as I motioned her to come up to the front of the classroom.
"I don't care about that! Just chew me out and get it over with!" she shouted with rueful defiance.
"Have you got a surprise coming, Sayoko!" I thought to myself.
"Come on, Sayoko, let's get this over with!" I replied. We walked to my basement office in Watanabe Hall. I unlocked the door and motioned her in, gesturing her to take the seat next to my desk.
There was a knocking on my door a moment later and Genji, Megumi, Keiichi, Sora, Tamiya and Ootaki filed in. I pulled a couple chairs from the other instructor's offices and set out a couple of boxes and overturned my wastebasket. Finally, everyone was seated. I wrote "in session with Dr. Kintaro" and posted it outside my door. Keiichi snickered when he saw this.
"There. Now *no one* will disturb us," I said as I pulled the phone off the hook and placed my seat right in front of the door. Sayoko looked around the office in extreme discomfort. The atmosphere was so tense that it felt like we were breathing pea soup. Genji was downcast, and the rest looked nervous as hell.
"Sayoko, the reason I called you to my office is because of the deep concern I have about your grades...and you."
Her reaction was rapid-fire.
"What the *hell* are you doing? I'm going to report you to the Dean! You *can't* do this! Why in the hell did you bring all these people? Genji, what are you doing here, you little jerk! Shit! I thought you guys were my friends..."
"You're right. They *were* your friends. Now they can't be your friends. Who wants to be friends with who you are now...when they could have Sayoko instead?" This statement sent a shock through the room.
I got right in Sayoko's face.
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOUR LIFE IS BEING RUN BY THE DRUGS YOUR USING, NOT BY YOU!!!" There was visible recoil by everybody in the room, except Sayoko. She was getting angrier. Good.
"How *dare* you accuse me of using drugs! Do you know who my parents are? They could have you canned from your petty little teaching job here in a moment! So what if I'm using drugs? Even if I was...it's none of *your* damn business! It's none of their business either! I can do anything I want to!" I shook my head sadly at her response.
"You're wrong. You can't stop using drugs, you can't get your friends back, you can't shake the Yakuza drug pushers that you hang out with, and you definitely can't make your own brother feel comfortable around you.
"His life has been hell this semester because of you! Genji, would you clue her in on this?"
"Sayoko...sister...I have...snff...I've had to cover for you with Mom and Dad. I feel scared when you get so loaded that you can't come in the house; I've had to drag you up to your room. I'm scared to death about those hoods that come over to the house. I feel alone because...snff...I can't have any friends at school anymore because you're ruining our family reputation. I feel...snff...sad when you don't show up to school...you used to...snff...be so into schoolwork." He started crying the more he talked.
"Good going, Genji," I silently complimented him in my thoughts. He was being brave...doing exactly what we had discussed. Starting off with feeling words, then describing the actions in a non-judgmental, non-shaming manner, and finally letting his genuine feelings show.
Genji continued.
"I feel...snff...really bad when I have to clean up your puke. I feel ashamed because...snffsnff...I've had to hide your car keys when you're too loaded to drive anywhere at night. I feel hopeless, because no one else is around...it's like everything...snff...is falling on my shoulders. I *love* you, Sayoko, I...I don't want to...snff...lose you."
Megumi was crying.
Sayoko's defiance had definitely been diminished by her brother's remarks.
"Megumi, what do you have to add?" After a pause, she started. "I really like your brother, Sayoko. I felt like he didn't like me or something, because he kept avoiding me at school. Then I found out that you were doing drugs, and it became clear. It hurts me because I know that Genji's a really nice guy, and very bright and handsome, but he's so withdrawn." Genji blushed red at this string of compliments while Keiichi smiled at his sister's frank admission. I had to hand it to her; Megumi wasn't holding anything back. She went on a series of confrontations, episode by episode.
"It really angers me that he can't be free to hang out with his friends or go on a date because he has to take care of you. Because he's *ashamed* of you. And *you*...I think you're pissing your life away!" she finished bluntly.
Keiichi went next. He stood up, propping himself on his crutches so he stood above everyone in the room.
"I've known you for a long time, Sayoko. I know that you wanted to go out with me, but then Belldandy and I hooked up. But I still want you to be my friend, despite all of the past stuff. But now, I feel like I've lost someone really close. I can't be your friend when you're like this, Sayoko. Getting drunk at a party once in a while is one thing, but this...is not *you*. *Look at you*! What happened to you being the 'Queen of N.I.T.'? You used to always pride yourself on your looks and quickness of intelligence. Now, all I see is something that shocks me...you're thin as a stick and you don't take care of yourself at all! I feel disgusted when I see you now, because you *are* a very beautiful woman...but you're just letting yourself go downhill."
Sayoko dipped her head down in disgrace. Sora went next.
"I used to look up to you, Sayoko-sempai! But now, I feel sad that the senior upperclass gal that I respected so much...can't even show up to school regularly. Now...you're almost as skinny as I am," her little joke at her own expense brought some much needed laughter to our group.
"But I don't feel any respect for you now, because I don't see *you* respecting yourself!" Sora spurred. This sent another shock through the room and I was once more amazed at the inner strength of the diminutive Sora.
Ootaki and Tamiya went last.
Ootaki stood up in front of Sayoko and began.
"I...uh think you really should get looked into, Sayoko. You used to be so fun to party with, but now you don't even party with us. I miss Karaokeing with you. You're the only one who could keep up with me when we did some serious partying. Remember? I feel bummed, because you're only a shadow of yourself now! You're like a melting snowflake!"
Tamiya finished the round of confrontations.
"Ah feel bad that you is throwin yuh're life down da toilet, Sayoko. A beautiful chick like you, and yuh can't even take care of yuhself! I'm pissed because ah wanted you tuh graduate next year an join me in da Grad School! Whatta shame, look's like dat will never happen. I would die ta go out with a babe like you, but right now I wouldn't touch yuh if we were stranded alone on a deserted island together!" Judging from Tamiya's comments, I sensed that his attraction to Sayoko ran deeper than simple friendship.
Finally it was done. I let the silence do its work. Silence was a time for the emotions to arise. Sayoko was like a shaken bottle of soda...it only remained to see what would bubble up.
"Why do you guys bother me with this crap! Can't you see that there's nothing I can do about it! Even if I did quit, the Yakuza threatened to *kill* me. I've been storing and dealing drugs for them. I've also financed a crack factory they have."
"That's bullshit!" I shouted. "You didn't finance them...they extorted that money from you!" Sayoko went white in the face as the others gasped. Genji broke down into heavy sobbing.
"I love you. You're my *only sister*! I don't want to lose you, Sayoko!" he said as he ran across the room and hugged her. I stood up and gently pulled Genji away from Sayoko.
It was time for some therapy.
"Genji, you can't have her. The drugs have her!" I said in a level voice. Genji snapped at me angrily, trying to get around me to comfort Sayoko. Luckily, because my 'broom closet' office was so cramped, I could easily block his path.
"She's *my* sister! Who are you to get between her and me!"
"Yeah, who the fuck are you to stand between me and my brother!" Sayoko chimed in resentfully.
"I'm the drugs! I'm standing right between you two, right now! He can't help you or hug you, and you can't respond. I'm just doing physically in the here and now what the drugs have been doing in the past. And right now!"
Dead silence. Everyone looked at me in amazement. I had used cathartic therapy in the US, but would these Japanese college students understand? I continued.
"That's right, Sayoko. Just now, you're pissed off because I got between you and your brother when you needed some caring from him. But what about the drugs? How did you feel when I pulled Genji away from you? I bet it felt really good, didn't it?"
"NO!!! It felt horrible!" she shouted.
"Okay, so it felt horrible. I hope you can get used to it, because that's all you're ever going to get! From Genji. From Keiichi, Megumi, Sora, Ootaki and Tamiya. As for me, all you're going to get is a failing mark and a recommendation for your expulsion from N.I.T." I said with venomous certainty.
Sayoko was crying now. I was glad that she wasn't too high...at least she hadn't used anything during the test. I laid into her viciously.
"You want to die a junkie's death? Go right ahead. You *will* be alone, you *will* probably sell your body for drugs, you *will* more than likely go to jail, you *will* be a plaything for any Yakuza, and you can kiss your family and friends goodbye!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed. Tamiya erupted out of his chair, looking like he was going to hit me. Sayoko was crying hysterically in an otherwise dead silence.
"*Cool it!* Sit down, Tamiya!" I commanded, trying to sound macho. "I'm not doing this to be mean to her, I'm doing this because I've had it with her addiction!" I yelled. He looked at me, then nodded his head and lumbered back to his seat. His flash of anger seemed to undo the pursestrings to Sayoko's denial.
"I can't stop! Does that mean...I'm hooked? I get..snfff..really sick if I stop..and Kenzo said..suhsnff..he would kill me if I didn't stop giving them money. They even threatened my family!"
"Those bastards!" several voices said vehemently. I couldn't agree with them more.
"Dey's ever come near yuh again, I'll kick every one of their rat-asses!" Tamiya bellowed angrily.
"Look, Sayoko, those goons won't bother your family. You need to tell them that they need to deal with me...assuming they survive an encounter with Tamiya," I said, nodding to the behemoth N.I.T. senior.
"Realistically, I highly doubt if they'll bother your parents; that would be too indirect and it would threaten their cash supply from you. But Genji...we'll have to figure something out for the summer months. A place for you to stay...away from your folk's house."
"He could stay with us!" Keiichi volunteered without hesitation. I glanced at Megumi, who looked like she was going to fall out of her chair, unreadable expression included. Her brother has no idea of the gongs he just set off in his sister's heart and soul. I was surprised by his unexpected invitation. Actually, this was a very sound idea, except that it would place the house under threat of an angry Yakuza. I whispered this concern in his ear. He looked at me gamely.
"If you're willing to stand up to them, so am I. Not to mention our 'guardians'!" We smiled at each other when he mentioned the Goddesses. Megumi was quickly recovering her senses with a big grin, obviously reacting to this with a barely controlled joy...I bet she was ecstatic about the prospect of Genji staying at the house.
Sayoko was a fount of tears. This intervention had unfolded far better than I had planned. I was proud of all of them.
"But how can I stop?" Sayoko asked when she recovered from her deep sadness a little.
"I know you can stop. It's been done before. I've risked my job today, so I might as well go for broke like everyone else has." I looked around my office at each face, thankful for their honesty and courage.
"Sayoko, *I'm* a recovering drug addict...with over 11 years clean. These are some places where I used to shoot up," I said as I rolled my sleeves up. There was a gasp from Tamiya, Ootaki and Sora as I showed them my 'war wounds': holes in my arms, collapsed veins, scars from deep injections, places where I cut myself open to remove broken needles, knotted veins and burn marks.
Sayoko looked at me in disbelief at first, but then she started to cry again. Genji came over and hugged her, telling her "You can do this, sis!" in a calming, soothing voice of support.
"This is what is waiting for you if you get help!" I said in reference to Genji's support.
"A whole bunch of people really care about you, otherwise we all wouldn't be here," Megumi added. We watched in silence as the light filtered in through the window near my office ceiling. By some quirk of fate, it was shining on Sayoko like a spotlight. I could almost feel the gutwrenching crazymaking going on inside of her.
"What can I do?"
I reached in my desk and pulled out two travel vouchers.
"These are for a roundtrip airfare to Okinawa. There is a treatment program there called D.A.R.T. I know the guy who runs it. He's already got a bed there for you, if you choose to go. We all chipped in to get these tickets for you."
"Whattya mean we all chipped in? Ah didn't know about this?" Tamiya said. I rolled my eyes at his lack of inventiveness.
"He's just being honest and admitting that he owes me some yen, that's all!" I said. "Right...Tamiya?" I said with a hint of warning to my voice.
"Uh, right, Cevn-sensei!" I patted him on the shoulder. Sayoko looked fidgety. The emotional shock was starting to wear off.
"However, Sayoko, you only get this deal if you leave this office, go home and get some clothes, and catch the first JAL flight out to Okinawa after you arrive at Narita Airport. Genji and Megumi will drive you there." Both of them looked at me in surprise.
"Look, she is primed and ready to get some help. But it's got to be *now*! We need to get her there while this chunk of emotional reality is fresh in her mind. If she goes home and gets loaded, all of this work will be for naught! This is truly a 'carpe diem' situation. I'll ride along to keep you all company." They both nodded. In fact, everyone in the room volunteered to go.
"Well, for my part, I just want to say that I'm totally proud of all of you for having the courage to do what you did today. You guys did wonderful! And you, Sayoko, I just can't pay a high enough complement to you for being willing to get help! When you get back, you and I are going to start some NA meetings here in Makuhari!"
We formed a line and gave hugs to Sayoko. She was in tears again, only this time because she was on the receiving end of a whole lot of support and love.
I pulled Tamiya aside and whispered, "Don't worry about owing me anything for her tickets. They came from Santa Claus!"
"I get it! You wanted her to think that we all put in for the tickets!" he said with a laugh. I assented with a nod of my head.
"Really, though, we're all going to have to chip in when she gets back! She's going to need a whole lot of support!" I leaned over and whispered to him, making an observation.
"Besides, I think you *like* her, Tamiya!" He looked at me and started to deny it...then blushed.
"How did yuh know?"
"I just guessed. But you're going to figure prominently in her life when she gets back from Okinawa. She really respects you."
Megumi came over.
"What are you two talking about?"
"Ah...uh...da races next Fall!" Tamiya said in full fluster. Ootaki frowned at his friend's transparent fabrication.
Genji walked over with Sayoko.
"We really want to thank you, Cevn-sensei." I handed Sayoko the phone and dialed Okinawa.
"Sayoko, you can make my day by telling that voice on the other end of the phone that you're coming over today."
I heard Sayoko give information over the phone and ask a few questions about the residential treatment. Then the tears started up in my eyes.
"We were so lucky today. Not too many people can become willing after this kind of intervention. Not too many people even get a *chance* to get helped by an intervention. It's a total miracle that she's actually going to go!" I reflected. Suddenly I felt very exhausted. I had put my heart into this attempt. I felt a gentle massaging on my shoulders and turned my head to see Megumi looking at me with a smile.
"By the way Sayoko, I'm going to give you an incomplete for the semester. When you get back, you can do some make up assignments. We'll talk about it then."
We piled out of my office and walked to the student parking lot. A couple of the faculty looked perplexed as they saw our group.

* * * * * * * *

After seeing Sayoko off at Narita, Megumi and Keiichi dropped me off at the 'Butterfly Building' where Dr. Ogawa's office was. I went upstairs and into her now-familiar waiting room. As usual, she was prompt.
"It's odd that I have never seen another client here as long as I have been going to therapy with Dr. Ogawa," I mentally noted as she ushered me into her therapy room.
"How are you today?"
"It's been a wild week. I found out that I'm going back to China this summer, and..."
"You're going back to *China*!" she blurted out. Then she calmed down a little. I was surprised at the intensity of her reaction, she almost seemed angry that I was leaving for the summer.
"Yeah, right after Tanabata. I was disappointed, because I really wanted to explore Japan at my leisure, but now I need to do some business on behalf of N.I.T. and finish my dissertation."
"What a disappointment! I was hoping to see...er...work with you this summer."
"Hey, it's okay. I'll be back at the end of August for the fall semester."
We talked about the intervention with Sayoko, my fear of women, the stress of the end of the semester...
"How much more do *you* have to hurt before you find a girlfriend, Cevn?" Dr. Ogawa suddenly asked.
"What do you mean? I'm not good enough for any women. No one wants me. Even if some woman did want me, I wouldn't want to settle. I want the whole package. Love, romance, honesty, sex, mutual spiritual growth...but of course, there's nothing like that. It's impossible! I'm...snfff...*always* going to be alone!" I said, my earlier sense of joy now tattered. The sadness surged up, surprising even me and once more I started to cry.
I cried myself hoarse again.
I was sick of being alone, and powerless to do anything about it. In one sense, I was *never* alone...the group effort of the intervention with Sayoko proved this. But yet, I *was* alone; the loneliness of a drowning sailor's last moments, thinking of his family back on the homelands. I had no one to give my loneliness to...thus I had no one I could also give my love alongside it.
Same old story.