Those Who Hunt Elves Fan Fiction ❯ Paths Not Taken ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2

-

Ritsuko was sitting on a couch in the `sun room' as Airi called the semi-enclosed pergola in her side garden. She had her phone in hand, and was talking to Misato. The teenager had called her an hour earlier to talk, and Ritsuko - middle of the night or not - would not turn her down. Dressed in the oversized NERV-logo shirt she had first worn when staying with Asuka and a pair of small, comfortable, loose-sided panties, she sipped the bottle of water she had snagged as she moved out here from her room. Her phone was in speaker mode, and she settled it beside her head on one of the cushions on the outdoor furniture so her hands would be free. Water bottle in one hand, she absently toyed with one of the sheath knives she had gotten while working on the lack-of-guns problem.

“So you think that idiot is going to be heading out again soon?” Ritsuko asked.

“He's giving signs of it,” Misato said. “I heard him and Kyoko and Yui talking the other day. Apparently, Yui and Kyoko are going to be chasing down a research path, but dad doesn't seem to be interested. He thinks he has found a `missing piece' of his endless energy theory, and wants to chase it instead.”

“Oh? Where is that missing piece?” she asked. If she says `Antarctica', I fly there tomorrow and kidnap her if I have to, vowed Ritsuko.

“As usual, he isn't sure, but he was wanting to check Easter Island and some hilly region of South America,” Misato said, sounding unenthusiastic.

“Let me guess, the Nazca desert of Peru?” snickered Ritsuko.

“Yeah,” Misato confirmed, sounding a little resigned.

“He isn't even original!” laughed Ritsuko. After calming, she spoke again. “So, how long is he going to be chasing rumors and myths?” she asked.

“Knowing him, years,” Misato said. “I mean, yeah, I will see some more new places, but…” she trailed off.

“I know, Misa-chan,” Ritsuko said supportively. “In ways you will never believe, I understand. So, what is he doing about your schooling?” she began her new strategy.

“Home-schooling like always,” Misato said. “I get to spend about eight hours a day self-studying whatever has caught his fancy from whatever sources he happens to have, he - or Kyoko or Yui more often! - spend a couple more hours helping me understand it, then it is a couple hours till bedtime. Repeat seven times a week.”

“You are almost twelve, which would usually mean you were about to hit final year of elementary school,” Ritsuko said. “How many days have spent in an actual school, Misa-chan? Like normal school, with classes, classmates, teachers, clubs and the rest?” she asked.

“School school? I think maybe two years? Maybe three? It was before mom died,” she said.

“From what you said, I suspect your math and science and geography scores would be excellent, but what about literature, history, and social skills?” she asked, mind busy. “How is your Japanese literacy doing? How many characters have you learned?” she wondered.

“Oh, you know, it is how it is,” Misato deflected. Ritsuko wondered how this other Misato could use much the same tone and words as the Misato who had come before her.

“Misato,” warned Ritsuko firmly.

“Kyoko says my math is good, but not great, Yui says my science - mostly chemistry and biology - are `as expected',” Misato gave in to her `big sister'. “I can find and have been to more countries that any other Japanese schoolgirl,” she bragged, “and I picked up a lot of history from each country I live in if it is for more than a few weeks, so yeah, I'm good on history, Ritsu-nee,” she promised. Ritsuko was not fooled in the least. “And I am usually really good at making friends, too, but I haven't been doing that much since I always seem to be dragged away just when it was getting good,” she said, her tone once more unhappy.

“Yeah, that can happen when you have an irresponsible father,” muttered Ritsuko.

“As for kanji, I can read it enough,” Misato said disingenuously.

“Sure you can,” snorted Ritsuko. She has determined that Misato could read and write kanji a little bit better than Asuka in the other Japan could.

“But hey, I am always in other countries that don't speak Japanese anyway, so it doesn't matter, right?” insisted the girl. Ritsuko was sure that Misato had an easier time reading and writing English and German than Japanese, but it was still not great in her opinion.

“Misa-chan, would you like to attend school normally? As in living in one place, going to school, progressing through the grades and being given options for the future?” asked Ritsuko quietly.

“I guess,” Misato said. “I mean, it can be fun traveling around, but dad is always too busy, there are never kids my age around, if I make friends I end up leaving shortly after. Until dad got me this phone, I never even had a way to talk to anyone who wasn't with me physically. I always thought it might be nice to go to school. I have seen shows and stuff about schools, and most of them looked fun.” Ritsuko hummed, but said nothing. Misato was silent a minute or two, then spoke again. “Did you like school?” she asked softly.

“I loved it,” came the immediate reply. “The friends I made, the stuff I learned; well, most of the stuff I learned,” she amended herself, “the festivals, the sports, clubs and feeling like part of a group. Sure, there were things that weren't fun - like homework, midterms, certain school rules,” her tone flattened a bit, making Misato giggle.

“I can image,” the purple haired girl lilted. “My big sister was a delinquent trouble-causer,” she sniped.

“Lies. All lies. I was led astray by my evil friends,” she stated emphatically, knowing that her friends had been telling stories to Misato, who had ended up with their contact information as well as her parents.

“Sure, they really had to fight to drag you along,” snickered Misato. The two shared a laugh.

After the two had been silent for a few minutes, Ritsuko took the plunge. “Misa-chan, I want to take custody of you from you dad,” she said. “To give you a normal upbringing in a stable environment where you can grow and develop without the insanity your father finds so attractive spilling over onto you. What do you say?”

“Could you?” Misato almost gasped. “But, aren't you still a minor? Would they let you take custody of me? And,” she paused, “it isn't that I don't like my dad. He wouldn't let me be adopted by you,” she predicted.

“I think I could convince him,” Ritsuko said evenly, her eyes hooded and teeth bared in a shark-smile.

“And aren't you going to be doing Hollywood stuff with Airi?” asked Misato. “I know they go to locations and stuff to shoot those, so how would that change with you as my guardian?”

“You've talked to my parents before, right?” Ritsuko replied.

“Yeah, I like them; especially your mom!” agreed Misato eagerly.

“Well, I can tell you from personal experience that they are incredible parents, just the best. How about if they were your guardians and you lived with them while going to school?” she asked. “My friends would also be around to help you get up to speed on things and give you tips, tricks and cheats about school, too.”

“That sounds great!” blurted out Misato. “But…they probably wouldn't want to,” she added a moment later.

“I have mentioned it in passing a few times, and they were eager. There are reasons, but I think you would find it impossible to tell you were not their biological daughter based on how they would treat you, love you and raise you,” Ritsuko said, her voice softening toward the end. “And you have an example of their skill right here in your big sister, so you know they are good!” she bragged unashamedly. “And it would make it easier to visit if you lived with them rather than wherever that directionless loser happens to find himself going,” she added sourly.

“Do you think they would?” Misato asked.

“Positive. So? You want to be my little sister formally?” she asked.

“He'd never agree,” sighed Misato.

“That isn't what I asked,” Ritsuko cooed in response. “Do you want to live a normal childhood, Misa-chan? With loving parents and a super-cool big sister?”

Misato burst out laughing at that self-marketing, getting a smile from Ritsuko. “Yeah, yeah, I do,” she decided.

“Excellent. For now, don't say anything to your dad. I want to get things set up before I spring it on him.”

When Ritsuko ended the call ten minutes later, she immediately called her mom, since it was only a little before when she usually woke up in Japan.

“Ritsu? Is everything ok?” Eri asked immediately.

“Misa-chan needs a new guardian, a stable home life, school life and childhood. Are you interested in the position, mom?” she asked.

“Yes!” her mom nearly squealed.

An hour later, it was past three in the morning, her battery was low, but her mom was onboard and so was her dad, who had been woken up by his wife's excited squeal. Yawning, Ritsuko got up and began to walk back toward the house. She was tired, but feeling very good, even as she knew she had just made a huge mountain of work for her already-overcommitted time.

Stepping into Airi's house, she saw Airi sitting serenely in a chair just inside the den. Without a word, Airi rose, stepped to her and hugged her.

-

“What is this?” gaped Ritsuko a week later. Airi giggled softly.

“Can't you tell? It is an evening gown,” said the actress. Ritsuko turned a sour look to her friend.

“That is what they said it was, but I have worn lingerie that was more modest than this!” she stated sourly, gesturing to the gown that was carefully spread out over her bed. It covered her from just above her breasts to her ankles, but left nearly all of her visible in one way or another. The body was not unlike a swimsuit top, but looser and of finer material, with thread-thin straps to hold the top in position, which left pretty much no support for her breasts, though the cups were at least wide and deep enough to both fit her and to have a modest chance in hell of keeping her tits from popping out. The skirt was split to her waist on each hip, and had an upper-thigh-length hidden split in the front. The colors were a dulled silver, shimmering sky blue accents with a few grey and black accent pieces. Ritsuko spotted some understated semi-precious stones set in a few of the joining seams on the bodice and the hem of the skirt part.

The item in question has been hand-delivered to Airi not an hour before and she had immediately called Ritsuko, eager to see how the final product turned out. Turning the item over, she had realized that the back ended just barely above her ass, a very short zipper meant to snug it to her hips mostly hidden in the design. The flimsy, super-thin straps were arranged so they would not cover anything as they crossed the back of her gown. “I think I would be more dressed if I were naked,” she muttered, feeling the material. “This feels thinner than plastic wrap!” protested the red-head.

“It is perfect, Rit-chan,” Airi said. “And I got you these to complete the look,” she added, producing a round container that was fancily decorated. Ritsuko frowned.

“A hat?” she guessed. Airi laughed.

“Not a bad idea, but your hair is too pretty to hide like that,” she said, opening the ornate box to reveal a pair of stiletto heels presented like expensive diamond jewelry. Ritsuko groaned.

“Now, now,” chided Airi evilly, “these are the perfect shoes for your gown. I had them rushed to be ready on time, but I think you will find they are a perfect fit,” she nearly purred.

“I have no doubt,” Ritsuko sighed. “But I doubt they are comfortable or that I can walk in them,” she added.

“Some sacrifices are necessary,” Airi dismissed her veiled complaint. “And I know you are very athletic and will learn to walk in these in no time,” she added. She knew that Ritsuko had no issues with balance or motor control, after all. “And to finish the look, underwear,” Airi said, offering Ritsuko a small bag.

“I'm almost afraid to look,” Ritsuko muttered, opening the bag and searching for whatever was supposed to be in the bag. She found the accent paper but was having a hard time finding any underwear. Finally, she just up-ended the bag on her bed, and began to methodically sort through the wreckage, Airi giving her an amused smile as she did so. Finally, she found the underwear. Folded and neatly tied for display, the entire thing was about the size of the `how to wash' tag on a pair of her jeans; and barely any thicker. “Tell me this is a joke, Airi,” she exhaled.

“It is not a joke, Rit-chan,” Airi assured her. With her nails, she plucked the small bow open and with two fingers shook the `panties' out. Seeing the item unfolded to full size, she turned a look on Airi. “I am serious, Rit-chan, those are the panties for this gown,” Airi assured her.

The item was a single piece of cloth - silk with a super-thin cotton sheet on the inside to Ritsuko's estimation - with the rest consisting of a very thing, very narrow elastic-type material that went from the front corners over the hips and then merged into a single strap that joined at the back of the main part. It was an abbreviated G-string thong design done by a minimalist and produced with the absolutely bare minimum of material. Ritsuko frowned, as her quick visual and finger measurement made her realize something. “Airi, this thing won't even cover all of me!”

“It will cover the part that needs to be covered,” Airi assured her. “And you can't have panty lines showing with this gown, so it is this or go bare,” she smiled.

“You are enjoying this too much,” Ritsuko complained, dropping the `panties' onto the gown and watching them float down like a leaf.

“This is a necessary step, Rit-chan, I promise you,” Airi said, her tone serious as her hand landed on the younger woman's shoulder. “Come on, let's make sure everything is correct and comes together correctly,” she continued mercilessly. Ritsuko knew arguing was pointless, so she peeled off the small strapless bikini top she had been wearing, before wiggling the bikini bottoms over her hips. Ritsuko had been sitting in the sun on the patio, working on her plans to seize control of Misato when Airi had called.

Airi studied her naked friend. “We will need to be careful of tan lines, but this will work fine,” she judged as Ritsuko picked up the panties. It was harder to step into them than she thought because of how small they were. After a try or two, she worked them up her legs and settled them. As she thought, the front of the crotch showed the start of her clitoral sheath, and the back of them ended between her pussy and ass, the width being not quite enough to completely cover her lower lips. The straps were pretty weak, but also very flat, so she suspected that there would be no lines, just as Airi had said.

“I feel like a stripper getting ready for a set,” she complained to Airi, seeing herself in the reflection of the wall mirror in her room. Airi patted her shoulder before picking up the gown. Ten minutes later, Ritsuko was buckling the heels on. Standing carefully, she studied herself in her mirror.

“Well?” Airi asked, smiling. Ritsuko wasn't sure what to say.

On one hand, she had never thought she would look like a movie star, but she did. The gown made the most of every bit of her attributes, build and form. Even without any makeup or prep, she looked like a movie star; and a very sexy one at that. Turning carefully as she looked in the huge mirror, she couldn't find a bad angle anywhere. Nor could she see any lines whatsoever from the panties. She did notice that her nipples - even when only semi-hard from the soft material rubbing them as her breast jiggled as she moved - were visible from certain angles. The heels made her legs look longer and enhanced her calves and ass.

On the other hand, she felt she looked like some slutty socialite or desperate starlet looking to hook a producer with her tits and ass, and she didn't like that being something that might be associated to her. She was not desperate, nor was she easy, but this gown gave certain impressions she was finding hard to shake. Also, the gown meant that she couldn't have anything with her - and she meant ANYTHING. Even a handkerchief would visible and look out of place, to say nothing of a knife, gun or anything useful. She was also sure that she would have to be careful when walking or sitting.

“I don't know, Airi,” she said after several moments of thought. “I don't think this is me,” she murmured.

“No, it is not my Rit-chan,” Airi agreed calmly, her hands landing on Ritsuko's shoulders. “This is Mystery Woman, who is somehow associated to Airi, the Hollywood legend, who may or may not be an actress and may or may not be tied to the rumored project Airi is said to be working on.”

Ritsuko gave a soft laugh. “How many people am I, Airi?” she asked.

“I have no plan to force you, Ritsuko,” Airi assured her.

“Airi, you are the one I trust,” Ritsuko quietly assured her.

“I will not betray that trust, Ritsuko, as it is far too precious to me to ever do such a thing,” Airi assured her. “Are you going to be ok with this?” she asked.

“I will make it work,” Ritsuko replied.

“Excellent,” Airi smiled at her partner, “now, let's teach you how to walk in those heels and how to dance and sit in that gown,” she smiled, making Ritsuko groan.

-

“Wow, Ritsu, you are a movie star now!” gushed Yuki, making Ritsuko roll her eyes.

“No, I am not,” she said, “and remember what I told you all: nothing in any social media or gossip or anything! That goes double for you, Atsuko,” she admonished the phone, which was set to speakerphone mode and sitting at her elbow as she took off the makeup that Airi had spent two hours doing before they had headed out to the `social event' that turned out to be a Hollywood award ceremony.

The two had arrived in a blacked-out SUV driven by Airi's preferred driver, and as they pulled up to the event, Ritsuko had gasped softly, seeing the red carpet, velvet ropes, and rank upon rank of reporters and shutter-bugs waiting like vultures. Airi had touched her arm and murmured `relax, and follow my lead, Rit-chan. This is nothing special,' to her. Fighting her nerves back down, she had done as requested.

Because of the approach, Ritsuko had been on the side that faced the red carpet. As the large SUV had shifted into park, Ritsuko had reached for the door handle, but a touch from Airi had stopped her. In the front passenger seat, a large, quiet man had stepped out, moving back to block the door for a moment as he scanned the crowd before stepping past the door so he could open it, his off-hand offered to her. Ritsuko had taken it as she stepped carefully out, having learned that with the stiletto heels it was very hard to get in and out of a vehicle easily without a bit of help. She had also discovered earlier that getting out of the SUV tended to expose her leg to the hip; and more if she was not careful. The red-head could feel the camera flashes as she stepped out, the ride height of the SUV making it necessary to fully extend her leg as she scooted her tight ass over so her foot could touch the red carpet.

Once she was out, she dropped the man's hand and stood aside as Airi emerged like a Queen to her court. Ritsuko wished she had her sunglasses to easy the blinding barrage of the camera flashes as Airi paused, smiling professionally and giving small body-language acknowledges to the assembled group before she turned and smiled directly at Ritsuko, catching her hand in her own and guiding her along the red carpet. Ritsuko had to fight with all her might to keep her expression mild and pleasant and to not stumble or trip in the ridiculous outfit she was in. Airi's hand holding her own was a great help in this endeavor.

Airi - judging the mood, response and reaction - was very satisfied that things were going correctly. She knew Ritsuko would have much preferred to show up in a skirt and top and tennis shoes, but this was a special case, and required more of her younger partner. She was very relieved to know that once more, Ritsuko had stepped up and delivered.

Pausing to do the usual `not interview interview' thing, she had smoothly and easily danced around questions of who Ritsuko was, what their relationship was, her rumored project and pretty much everything else. Ritsuko, per the plan, remained silent and pretended to been uncomfortable with the language. The few questions directed at her were intercepted and neutralized by Airi, leaving Ritsuko to give a small shrug and say nothing. One of the more cunning members of the Hollywood press had asked her a question in Japanese. Of course, Airi had intercepted this one, too, deflecting the attempt with an offhand remark about why he would think she was Japanese.

Airi had rather quickly moved along, breaking contact with the mob as the next celebrity took their place. A glance at Ritsuko to assess her condition had gotten a small nod, though Airi knew Ritsuko was not comfortable in this environment. Working through the `gift stations', she and Rituko had collected their stuff before settling at Airi's spot at a table. Ritsuko made sure her small clutch-purse was firmly in her lap. It held some small make-up items, a carbon-fiber nylon knife, a cigarette lighter and small breath spray can that Airi knew she had taken because it could be made into a make-shift flame thrower, a tampon, small notepad and pencil stub, a few cough drops, a tiny bottle of perfume, her cell phone, a handkerchief and - at Airi's insistence - a couple of condoms.

There had been some light appetizers served, but mostly it was alcohol. Ritsuko had found a glass of champagne in front of her before she could say anything. Glancing at Airi, she had taken a `sip' that barely counted as wetting her lips and decided to make the glass last all night. Airi had been given a glass of the same, but after she had finished it, she had spoken to the wait staff and her glass had been filled with something that was not bubbly, and Ritsuko suspected was a white wine of some sort, given it was Airi.

The table she and Airi were seated at was not theirs alone, of course. Within minutes of Airi sitting down, another actress had joined them to Airi's left. Her partner had greeted her with professional tone and manner and Ritsuko had placed her in the non-aligned group. To her eye, the guy with the actress was more interested in looking at the other women than in his `date'. It was a while before Ritsuko realized she was looking at the lead singer for a rock band that was growing in popularity.

No sooner had Airi wrapped up her brief greeting than another group arrived at their table. The guy she recognized as an actor that Airi despised and as his eyes raked over her, she found herself scowling a little. Airi's greeting to him had been a poisonous dagger wrapped in flowers. He had fired back, but it was clear that he was out of his league with Airi. Having been defeated in the verbal skirmish, he had tried to engage Ritsuko, but she had remained silent and ignored him aside from the occasional scathing glance at him. She had had a few whispered exchanges with Airi in Elvish, and the man finally gave up and took his seat a few positions to the right past Ritsuko.

More groups populated the table, which Ritsuko swiftly figured out was the `main' table, as the most popular and powerful actors and actresses ended up there. It was also front and center to the stage. Eventually, the ceremony got under way, and Ritsuko set herself for a grind. To her surprise, Airi had been to the stage three times for awards, though she didn't recognize what they were. They were not Oscars, nor Academy Awards, which were the only trophies she was familiar with in this environment. Airi's body langue - to her - told her that her friend was indifferent to them for the most part as well, so she dismissed the awards.

After the awards, Airi had guided her to side room where an after-party was going on. There were quite a few stars in there, along with producers and studio heads, and Airi was very obviously playing their Mystery Woman card hard, flitting from group to group, Ritsuko usually in tow. Seeing some people dancing in the middle of the room, Ritsuko found herself being maneuvered to dance by Airi, who had obviously selected a couple of men. Not happy with the situation, Ritsuko had nevertheless troopered through the dancing, finding one of the men who was about her real age was pretty good, and the other who was noticeably older than her was at least engaging to dance with. Just as soon as she could, she cut out and forted up in defensive position, watching Airi work.

Hours later, Airi had escorted her out of the party, taking her back home. No sooner had she gotten into the SUV than her phone buzzed, and she found out that her friends had found pictures of her online on various social blogs and Hollywood news sites. Seeing some of the pictures, she had been forced to admit she made quite an impression.

Her friends had kept conferencing in each other until they were all on the call, and her friends were not going easy on her. Ritsuko, used to it, had dished it right back at them. The call lasted through the drive home and into her room where she was busy getting ready for bed. With a pair of actual panties on, she was stripping off her makeup and freeing her hair from the style Airi had put it in. Hearing her phone chirp, she had seen Misato was texting her. Feeling tired, she nevertheless wouldn't leave Misato hanging. Wrapping up the call, she had hit up Misato, finding the girl had been talking to her parents, and was looking forward to being her little sister formally. Ritsuko had told her she was almost ready, and it would be soon.

With that done, Ritsuko had plugged her phone in to charge and flopped back on her bed. Within a couple minutes, she was asleep. Airi looked in on her about twenty minutes later. Seeing her partner sound asleep on top of her bed, naked save for panties, she had smiled before getting Ritsuko under her sheets and heading to bed herself.

Airi had drifted off to sleep, very satisfied with how well the `Mystery Woman' gambit was paying off, even this early in the plan.

-

“Well, here she is,” Ritsuko had said, gesturing to Misato, who was looking around the living room of her parent's house. The twelve year old focused on Eri and her dad, who both welcomed her warmly. Ritsuko had hugged them and introduced Misato formally, handing her mom a manila folder of paperwork. “Your new daughter and my little sister.”

“Welcome home, sweetie,” Eri had smiled at Misato before hugging her warmly.

“Thank you, Eri,” Misato had said. “I look forward to living here,” she added.

“Misato, welcome,” her dad had taken his turn. “Please think of this as your home and us as your family,” he encouraged.

“Thank you, Jiro-san,” Misato replied. Seeing her dad's expression, Ritsuko had giggled.

“It will take her time to get used to you, dad,” she soothed him. “Come on, Misato, let's get my old room fixed up for you,” she said, leading her sister to her old room.

It took Ritsuko only a couple hours to go through her stuff, packing up, sorting for giving away/discarding, and one lone box for storage. Misato had watched her big sister clean out the room with a mixed expression of anticipation and trepidation. Ritsuko had smiled at her and assured her that it was fine, and this is how things worked. Each item she cleaned out she only spent a moment deciding the fate of. Her old books on her hobbies were slated for donation without hesitation, as were most of her old posters and nick-nacks. The desk was emptied in less than five minutes, though Misato had been sworn to secrecy about the gun she pulled out of her hidden spot. Same for the carbine she had hidden in the roof of the closet.

Seeing Ritsuko swiftly sort, stack and pack her photos, Misato had said she could leave the photos there, she wouldn't mind. Ritsuko had assured her that she would make her own friends and memories and hobbies and would need the space Ritsuko's old photos had occupied. She had also made sure that Misato knew this was what Ritsuko wanted. Eri had backed up her oldest daughter, telling her that this would be her - Misato's - room and Ritsuko was glad to have her take it over.

With her mom helping, Ritsuko had gone through all her clothes, sorting and preparing. Most of her stuff was slated for give-away, as she had out-grown or no longer needed it. Her mother had insisted that the spare high school uniform Ritsuko had was going to be kept, and that the middle school and junior high uniforms would be perfect for Misato, so they got kept. Likewise some of Ritsuko's older coats and winter gear were saved for Misato. Her father was called in to pack-mule the full boxes out of the room and provide new ones. A couple of Ritsuko's old plushies found new service with Misato.

By the time that supper was being prepared - with Ritsuko having encouraged Misato to help her mom, hoping to avoid her Misato being unable to cook even water like the other Misato - her room was bare of her stuff, with the pack and suitcase Misato had lived out of for more than six years sitting next to the bed. Ritsuko had gotten a couple phone calls that she had to take, and had been on the small back patio talking quietly for the last half hour when the doorbell rang.

Ritsuko's father had opened it to find all five of Ritsuko's friends outside. Ritsuko had come in from the back patio about ten minutes later to find her friends were waiting, spending the time getting to know Misato in person. Ritsuko had smiled a little, her mom giving her a knowing look as she finished up supper. The family had eaten, along with the friends, who were busy planning a karaoke night to `properly greet Misato'. To her surprise, Eri had sided with her friends, suggesting it was a good idea. Before she knew it, she was explaining to Misato how karaoke worked and was teaching her to use a karaoke machine as her friends did what they always did when they were doing this: namely, loading up the nearly the entire playlist without asking her.

There was a slight snag in that Misato didn't know a single pop song from Japan, nor any anime songs, nor most of the song list. Not to be foiled, her friends began to work on finding a song Misato knew. Ritsuko had hit on an idea, and using her wirless earbuds for her phone, had cued up a song popular in Germany that Misato knew. With each of them wearing one of the earbuds, she had done a duet with Misato on the German song. Her friends cheered and carried on wildly, which was all it took to bring Misato out of her shell.

While Yuki and Atsuko were belting out a particularly good version of an anime song, Ritsuko had helped Misato with her kanji problem in finding more songs. All in all, it was a good night, and Misato was obviously on good terms with all her friends now, which was a win in her book. After three hours, her friends had gone home, Ritsuko and Misato going to their home, talking comfortably as they did so. Arriving home, they found their parents waiting, and Misato got her first taste of what real parents did.

Ritsuko had volunteered to teach Misato about the bathroom controls, and get a bath run for her. Misato had been yawning a bit as she showed her the controls. As the tub filled, she got Misato undressed, finding that Misato's breasts were already starting to grow. Before, she had been as flat as any other pre-pubescent girl, but now, she was already an A cup. Suspecting that her Misato would end up as stacked as the other Misato, she had made a note to get her a training bra, and to warn her mom. After getting Misato settled in the bath, she had stepped out to talk to her mom. Her mom and she had shared a fond trip down memory lane about Ritsuko's own first training bra and real bra.

Returning to the bathroom, she had helped a nearly-asleep Misato out of the tub, got her dried off and into bed before settling on the couch. Her father had stopped to get a glass of water before bed and saw here sitting silently on the couch, in teeshirt and shorts, staring out the partially-closed blinds at the street lights. “Ritsu?” he asked her.

“Hey, dad,” she greeted him. “Did you need something?” she asked.

“No, just wanted to make sure you are ok,” he said, moving to the couch and sitting beside her when she sat up. “So much has happened…” he began, but stopped.

“I'll be ok, dad,” she said, giving him a smile and leaning against him for a moment. “You and mom did a good job with me, after all. And now, you have a second daughter to dote on and raise like you did me. Hopefully she won't get hijacked by elves like I did, and you can watch her grow up without interruption,” she added softly.

“Ritsu,” he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a hug. “If you ever need us,” he began.

“I know, dad,” she smiled at him. “I have always known,” she said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. “Now I need you to do that for Misato, too,” she said firmly.

“I will do my best, Ritsu,” replied her dad, getting a giggle from his oldest daughter. “About Misato,” he began.

“I can't promise you she will be a quiet, obedient daughter, but I can promise you she will worth raising like you did me,” Ritsuko said. “I will be around as much as I can, but there are things I have to do now, so we will be ready if they make their move,” she added, her tone going a bit cold at the end.

“So, you are going to be around for a bit?” her father asked.

“Week to ten days is what I expect. Got a lot to do to get Misa ready, and make sure she has what she needs, knowledge-wise. Oh, and she will need help with catching up with homework, at least for a while. I can count on you and mom like before, right?” she prompted.

“Of course,” he agreed, knowing he couldn't really say no about this.

“Good,” Ritsuko said. “I think you and Misa will become close,” she smiled at something. “Oh, but be very careful about alcohol with her. I think she has a genetic disposition toward alcoholism; at least in the other world, and I won't risk it here,” she cautioned him. Neither of her parents were drinkers or smokers, though both her parents like a traditional cup of sake on holidays and had done their share of drinking in college and as young workers in their companies when their bosses went drinking.

“Anything else, Ritsu?” he asked drolly. Ritsuko giggled.

“Not right now. I will add items as necessary,” she replied loftily. “Oh, and since this was my idea, I will be sending some funds here to help with her expenses; which will likely be high,” she said, fishing around in her bag before finding what she was looking for and handing an envelope to her father. “First installment,” she explained.

“Ritsu,” he began.

“I can afford it, Dad, and you will need it,” she cut him off. He took the envelope reluctantly.

“Does miss Airi pay that well?” he asked.

“Airi is my partner and friend, not my employer,” Ritsuko cut that topic off.

“I see,” said her father, though his tone clearly indicated he did not see anything. “I saw some photos of you at that Hollywood thing,” he shared. She glanced at him.

“Where did you see them?” she asked.

“Online. A co-worker has a girlfriend who is into celebrity gossip. He noted on the similarities between the woman with miss Airi and you, since pictures of you decorate my desk at work,” he smiled a little.

“Be sure to add some of Misa,” Ritsuko said, her tone distracted. “Did you tell him your co-worker it was me?” she asked.

“No,” he replied.

“Good. Keep that a secret, dad,” she instructed, her mind elsewhere.

“Where are you getting this money, Ritsu? You didn't have that many gold coins,” he pointed out.

“I am an adult now, dad, I make my own money, and all you need to know is that there isn't any blood on that money; yet, anyway,” she added, her tone odd.

“I am worried about you, Ritsu,” he admitted.

“I know, dad, but please trust me. This is something very necessary.”

“I trust you, but you are my daughter,” he tried to explain.

“And that is why I want you and mom to help me raise Misato,” smiled Ritsuko.

-

“How did it go?” Airi asked as Ritsuko entered her house late at night.

“Success as far as I can tell,” Risuko yawned. “Misato has a lot of catch-up to do, but she learns fast by doing, and both my parents and friends are full onboard to help her. By the fifth day, she was eager to go to school. She has already made a few friends, in fact. Just before I left, she was trying to decide what club she wanted to join. Last I heard, it was between the track and field club, the karate club and the automotive club,” smiled Ritsuko.

“No feminine clubs for her, I guess,” Airi smiled. Ritsuko shrugged.

“Neither Misato really seems overly girly,” she said, grabbing a glass and filling it with water.

“True,” agreed Airi.

“Where are we at here?” asked Ritsuko.

“We are right on track, Rit-chan,” Airi said, seeing Ritsuko yawn again. “Let's get you in bed and we can pick up in the morning,” she said, guiding Ritsuko to her room.

The next morning, she had enjoyed breakfast with Airi and after they were done, Airi and she had talked about the plans for the script Airi had written. The `Mystery Woman' scheme had reached its peak, by Airi's estimation and it was time to decide how to spend it. Airi and Ritsuko, sitting in the shade of the modest pergola in the back yard of Airi's house, discussed the next move.

“I feel that now is the time to start the project,” Airi said. “It is the best time to maximize on the interest and focus of our plan, and it will grant us the biggest return on invested time and energy, but I wanted to be sure you were ok with releasing the script, given how personal it is to us and you in certain parts,” Airi warned her partner.

“I won't say I am gung-ho about putting those parts of my life out there as a Hollywood movie, but I am not scared, either,” Ritsuko said.

“I know we have discussed this before, but there will be changes to the script; perhaps even multiple movies to cover the story. Are you ok with that?” Airi checked.

“I trust you to make sure it is a good script or scripts,” Ritsuko confirmed. “Besides, re-writes might get me off the hook yet for being an actress. That, I do have reserves about,” she reminded Airi.

“If you really do not want to act, I will find an actress who can at least give some measure of life to the character,” Airi said, sighing softly. “But, Ritsuko, I know you have the character down cold, as she is you, and you lived the events, so your being the actress would make it all far more natural and organic. Sometimes, it is not about the skill of the actress, but the ability of that actress to be the character. Besides, you have presence, and that will be vitally important to making this movie or movies tell the right tale.”

“I might just as easily completely ruin it with my inability to act,” Ritsuko gave her partner a small smile.

“With me as your lead and personal coach, I would bet my life on your abilities, Ritsuko,” stated the actress calmly.

“Please tell me you are not wanting Junpei to reprise his role as muscle-headed dork idiot,” Ritsuko rejoined before sipping her lemon tea.

“While it would make some things easier, I cannot say I want him to play himself, either,” confirmed Airi, the two laughing softly. “Depending on how the script is re-worked, I have a couple actors in mind who can do what the character needs to do. Nearly all of this will be on my shoulders, with you - well, your character - carrying the next largest burden. Junpei's role in the story is limited and mostly for plot management, after all. And idiot is an idiot and there is no cure for that,” she philosophized. Ritsuko hummed.

Some minutes passed as the two reflected on what they were about to do. “So, last chance,” Airi said softly.

“Send it,” Ritsuko said quietly, pausing to give Airi a look and a clear, but small nod. Airi picked up the phone handset she had taken with them, and dialed a number. After a couple of hand-offs, she was speaking to one of her producer friends.

“It's Airi,” she said once she had the right person. “I have decided that I will be going forward with the project. The problem is that you and another producer I know both want this project. And while I am grateful for all you have done for me up to now, I feel it is only fair to pick the production house with the clearest vision of what I have in mind for this project; and the resources to bring it to completion, of course. To that end, I would like to set up a private meeting with you and the other production house to discuss which house will get the project. Yes, you can think of it as bidding for the project if you like, as I am looking for shared vision of the project and resources available to make that vision a reality. I completely understand if you are too busy or not interested…oh, well that is nice of you to say, at least. I will contact you once I have a date that works for all of us to meet and discuss brass tacks on this. Who? Oh, you mean my guest. I do not know why you are so interested in my guest, but I may decide to see if she has any interest in the meeting, though I doubt she will have. Why, what could ever have given you that idea?” Airi giggled nastily. “Me? I am sure I have never said any such thing, my friend. Anyway, I will be in touch soon about the project. Oh, and as always, please keep the fact that I am moving forward with a personal project a secret. Yes, thank you, and I will talk to you soon. Bye bye,” she ended the call.

Ritsuko sipped her drink. “Sounded good,” she noted.

“Hook, line, sinker and rod,” purred Airi, dialing another number. “Now for his dance partner,” she murmured. Once again, after a couple of transfers, she basically repeated the spiel she had given, including the dancing around the subject of her `guest'. Ritsuko found it interesting that no dates or times were discussed.

“So, how do you schedule a meeting between produces if you never talk about dates and times?” she wondered.

“If you ask them if a time and date is good for them, you have lost the negotiations already,” Airi said, setting the phone aside. “In a few days I will tell them when we are meeting and where,” she smiled. “I will not give them much time to think about it, and if they have to cancel or re-schedule another meeting with someone else, all the better.”

“What if they don't show? Or lose interest?” wondered Ritsuko.

“That is where Mystery Woman comes in,” Airi said, making Ritsuko wonder why she even bothered. “And why we are heading to Nevada tomorrow,” she added. Ritsuko frowned.

“What?” she wondered. Rosita appeared, handing Airi a message memo. Looking at it, Airi smiled. Picking up a pre-paid cell phone, she sent a text and then entered an entry on her official social media account comment as if she were a follower. With that done, she asked Ritsuko to text Atsuko and have her follow up with the social media bait. Lost as to what she meant, Rit-chan texted her friend, who texted back less than a half hour later to say it was done.

With that done, the two had spent the rest of the day going over other items, relaxing and planning. Ritsuko called Misato at supper time in Japan, checking up on her little sister, and finding that - as she had expected - Misato was doing very well with school, though she was not without complaints. Foremost were the huge amounts of homework, her lack of appreciation for uniform wearing and the fact that (in her estimation) all her classmates were `drones' who only wanted to fit into the group. Misato was not much of a follower, after all.

Ritsuko had enjoyed a long talk with her little sister, explaining certain concepts Misato had not been exposed to yet as well as reminding her that socialization was one of the main things they wanted her to work on. Prodding from Ritsuko had uncovered that Misato was about two grades behind on kanji and Japanese literature, but was about four years ahead in Foreign Languages - especially English - which she spoke better than the instructor and with only a small accent. So, she tended to use English class to study her kanji. Her parents had set up a slot of time after supper to work with her on her kanji as well, using a kind of `game' that she found helped her learn faster.

Ritsuko had assured her that it was perfectly normal for Eri to have her help her with domestic work and meal preparation, as well as grocery shopping. She had shared some of her fondest memories of doing that with her mom with Misato. She had also learned that Eri was going to take Misato shopping for her very first bra the next week, opting to skip the training bra. She had reinforced with Misato that it was a good thing and necessary without revealing that she suspected that Misato would end up as `gifted' here as the other Misato had been.

Overall, Ritsuko was very satisfied that Misato was being raised properly and by loving parents; the best parents, in her opinion. An hour after her talk with Misato, her mom had called, and she had reviewed what she knew with her mom, making sure they were on the same page. Her mom had laughed as she told her that Misato reminded her of herself. She had already had two notes sent home with her from her teachers, and Misato had already gotten detention once, but none of that worried her parents, as they had been down this route with their oldest daughter, and were very aware of Misato's situation and the resulting issues it would cause.

Her mom has asked if she knew anything about Misato's health education, to which she had been forced to admit she knew little. Eri had mentioned that Misato seemed to have a general overview of things, but was in need of detailed explanation and help. Ritsuko had said that she had done an incredible job with her and she knew her mom could do the same for her little sister, but that if she preferred, Ritsuko would fly over and go over things with her little sister.

“Heavens, no, Ritsu,” Eri laughed. “I am more than capable of teaching her what she needs to know. I have gotten her set up with our doctor, and when we go out next week to go bra shopping, I will get the other stuff for her and when the time comes, I will teach her how to manage things like I did with you. I was just a bit curious, is all. She knows the technical side well enough, but doesn't seem to have any practical expeience.”

“Yeah, given how she was living, I am not surprised. I don't think she has had her first period yet, either,” Ritsuko shared.

“She hasn't, but it will be soon,” Eri stated calmly. “Her breasts are growing rapidly, and her hair down there is coming in fast, so it could be any day now. I will make sure I am ready for it.”

“Thanks, mom,” Ritsuko said, gratitude filling her words. “You are the best.”

“I just have experience with my oldest daughter,” Eri replied. “I really do love my youngest daughter, though,” she said happily. “And Jiro is completely taken with her. The other day, she called him `dad' and it just melted him down to a puddle,” she laughed softly. “He has taken some framed pictures of her to his office already, and I would bet you he has already started bragging about her to his co-workers,” she gossiped. Ritsuko laughed easily.

“And I bet you have, as well, Mom,” she said.

“Of course. My team all adore her,” her mom said. “That picture we took as a family is a favorite in my office,” she bragged. Before Ritsuko had left, she found herself taking a picture with her parents and her little sister, Misato wearing her middle-school uniform and Ritsuko in a skirt and top. Her parents were in work clothes, but the smiles on their faces were unmistakable.

“Has she started making that room her own?” she asked her mom.

“Yes, she is starting. The other day, she put up her first poster, and the desk has five pictures on it now, not counting the ones of you and us. It looks like some school friends, though she is not quite ready to tell us about them,” Eri said.

“That's good,” Ritsuko said.

“And you, sweetie? Have you made that room in Airi's house yours yet?” asked the mother.

“I am Airi's guest, mom, and am gone as much as I am here. I live out of my dufflebag and a suitcase lately,” she snorted.

“I see,” Eri mused. “You should at least know where home is to you, sweetie,” she said softly.

“I know where my home is, mom,” replied her oldest daughter softly. “And it isn't defined by posters or pictures or anything else. I will be ok, promise,” she added.

“You are my daughter, and I am your mother, so I get to worry about you as much as I please, young lady,” came the crisp reply from her mom. Ritsuko giggled.

“Fine, fine,” she relented. “I do love you and dad,” she said what was becoming a regular statement for her. “It is getting late here, and we have a trip tomorrow, so take care of my little sister and be safe. Love you, bye bye,” she said, ending the call and leaning back against the couch. Airi had been sitting in a chair near her end of the couch, reading something on her tablet while Ritsuko was on the phone.

“That sounded like a good conversation,” noted the actress.

“It was. Misato will get the normal childhood she deserves,” Ritsuko confirmed, yawning. Airi set aside her tablet, rising.

“Come, let's call it a night. We have a long day tomorrow,” she said, offering her hand to Ritsuko. Ritsuko took it, rising and moving upstairs with Airi, the two heading to their bedrooms.

The next morning, Ritsuko had been awakened before dawn by Airi. Shaking off the sleepiness, she had gotten ready, dressing in cargo shorts and a tee shirt with hiking boots at Airi's suggestion. Grabbing her go-pack, she had had a light breakfast and joined Airi in a SUV that had appeared right as they finished breakfast. Tossing her bag in the back, she had gotten in the back seat with Airi, finding that the driver was the one that Airi preferred and the man from the Hollywood function was in the passenger side seat.

“Where are we bound?” asked Ritsuko, seeing a cooler in the back.

“Las Vegas,” Airi said, producing a small bag and handing it to Ritsuko. “You will need to be seen in these,” she added. Ritsuko opened the bag, finding designer sunglasses, some accessories and a smart phone along with some cosmetics and skin care products. Airi set a smaller bag in the back as the SUV cleared the gates to the estate. Minutes later, the two had laid down as the SUV exited the community. Ritsuko spotted at least three paparazzi waiting.

“We going to have this tail all the way?” she asked, sighing.

“Yes, it is necessary, I am afraid,” smiled Airi. “But fear not, we will make minimal stops, and the usual `never-alone' protocol is in effect. Hugh, did you get the arrangements made?” she asked the man in the passenger seat.

“Yes, miss Airi. It is taken care of,” he replied.

“Excellent,” Airi smiled. Her phone rang, and she spent much of the first hour and a half on the phone or sending texts. Ritsuko's phone saw a little action, and Ritsuko spent about twenty minutes playing with the smart phone from the bag Airi had given her. The very obvious branding on the stuff made it clear it was `courtesy' stuff - meant to be seen in use by celebrities. Ritsuko didn't trust any of them, and only dialed memorized numbers. She would be seen `using' it, but her personal cell was her main unit. She did like the sunglasses, though.

Other than two stops for fuel and bathroom breaks, the SUV rolled straight to Vegas, arriving at a convention center, where the two had gotten out and headed inside, picking up their passes at the desk along with a room key. Ritsuko had been expecting another Hollywood deal, and at first, that seemed to be the case, as Airi had meet-and-greeted with some other celebrities - once again deflecting any questions about Ritsuko - before leading Ritsuko to a casino floor and getting a large stack of chips for each of them.

“Let's play a bit,” she had murmured to Ritsuko, who had shrugged and nodded. The two had drifted around the gaming options, playing a little poker, a little blackjack, some slots, some roulette and trying craps and whatever else they happened across. Ritsuko, not being a gambler or from a rich family, had never played most of the games, and just bet the way she saw others betting. Still, she had almost half of the chips left when Airi signaled it was time to move on, and they cashed out and headed for the convention center, where Ritsuko found herself smiling from ear to ear.

“I thought you might like this little convention,” Airi had laughed softly. The room was packed with guns of every type. “Shall we?” Airi asked. Ritsuko happily took the lead. They didn't leave the convention hall until closing. After dinner at a good restaurant, they returned to their room and Airi explained they would be driving back the next afternoon, but there was one more thing for them in the morning. Ritsuko wondered what it was, but still managed to fall asleep next to Airi in the large bed.

The next morning, she rose early, got breakfast, and then found herself and Airi queued up to board a smaller bus. Ritsuko sat next to Airi, the two driving about a half hour into the desert, where she spotted a large firing range set up. Airi couldn't help but smile at Ritsuko's reaction to seeing the guns and ammo stacked all over the place. Exiting the bus, she had been handed a pass by the large man who had ridden shotgun on their way over, along with hearing and eye protection and a pair of shooting gloves.

For five hours straight, Ritsuko shot various guns, talked with the vendors and owners, and basically had a wonderful time. As noon passed, the range was running low on ammo, and Ritsuko had reluctantly allowed Airi to pull her away, the two going back to the hotel, where they showered, changed and checked out. Exiting the hotel, the SUV pulled up, the two slipping into the back. Ritsuko spotted a paparazzi snapping pictures as the door closed. Once they were out of Las Vegas on their way back to L.A., Ritsuko leaned forward. “Thanks, Hugh,” she said to the man.

“My pleasure, miss,” he said. “Where did you learn to shoot?” he wondered.

“Self-taught,” Ritsuko replied.

“You must be a genius at self-study, then,” the big man replied. Airi laughed softly. Ritsuko settled back in the seat, enjoying herself as they chased the sun back to L.A.

-

Ritsuko sat back on the lounger after taking a sip of the iced drink Rosita had set out for her, sunglasses on her face as she tanned a bit between swims in Airi's pool. The actress was on the phone with the producer who had won the bidding for their project three months before. She had been working hard with the staff the producer had assigned to her project exclusively, and they were hard at work on the script. So far, it was looking like a trilogy, but it appeared there was an insane amount of work to get any of the scripts worked to Airi's specifications.

Their trip to Las Vegas had created more stir with the Mystery Woman, and had pictures of her in her cargo shorts, tee shirt and gear both in the casino, in the convention hall and even a few from the range day. The speculation was at a fever pitch about what any of it meant - her, going to Vegas, being with Airi, shooting guns - all of it spawned theories and tabloid articles and a lot of attention on the rumors of Airi's project, which was a widely-known `secret' in Hollywood.

Airi had explained that that was per plan, as she knew that the producers were not going to keep it a secret, and telling them to had only guaranteed leaks, but no official word. Other celebrities and actors and actresses had been sniffing around to try to audition for a role, regardless of what kind of movie it might be, but Airi managed it all with professional skill. She had hosted a couple of very exclusive parties at her house, which she filled with her friends and allies, and one or two selected neutrals or enemies.

Again, per plan per Airi. Ritsuko trusted her to know what she was doing, and had focused on backing her plays, Misato and keeping her friends focused on Gendo and his wife's activities. So far, nothing has been out of place. Ritsuko couldn't make herself believe there was nothing, however, and her friends did say that Gendo had not managed to make any friends in the class or on staff as far as they could tell. That fit his personality from the other place perfectly, in her opinion.

In between this all, Airi was working with her on her acting abilities. She remained unconvinced, but gave it her all to support both Airi and their shared goals. Airi assured her that she was doing fine, but she never had any way of independently confirming that. The parties, she suspected, was to give her a bit of real practice as much as to manipulate the establishment.

“Rit-chan,” Airi's voice caught her attention. Turning, she saw Airi easing down in the lounge chair beside her own, wearing a bikini like she was. “They have a rough draft of the first movie pending approval. Tonight, let's give it a read and see how it flows,” she said.

“Ok, Airi,” Ritsuko said, not very enthusiastic.

“My producer is in negotiations with three major studios, but I doubt it will happen before next year,” she continued. “So, I have been asked to take a small support role in a different project, and I am considering accepting.”

“Do we need the money that badly?” wondered Ritsuko. Airi laughed.

“Of course not,” she assured her partner. “I wanted you to see how a movie set worked, for one thing, and the role is a good fit for me, and would give me a favor owed me from the director and production house, which is having some difficulties. Are you ok with that?” she asked her partner.

“You know that Hollywood is not for me, Airi, but I have your back, like always,” Ritsuko replied.

“I thank you for your trust, Rit-chan,” Airi replied. “The scenes I need to shoot should take about three months to finish, and are being shot in Australia and Thailand. I believe you have never been to those places before?” she asked.

“No,” confirmed Ritsuko. “Could be interesting to visit there,” she added.

“I assure you, this will be a working trip,” Airi said.

“When do we leave?” asked Ritsuko.

“They have promised me the script by next week, and we fly out in three weeks,” Airi said.

-

Ritsuko was wearing a battered boonie hat, a towel draped over her neck and tee shirt, bandana over her nose and mouth and sunglasses on. She was wearing shorts and boots to help deal with the heat, the bandana to help with the dust in the air. Around her hips was a web belt with four canteens, a sheath knife, med kit, radio and some assorted tools. The red-head was standing out of camera angle, watching Airi work. It turned out the movie was a re-hash of the old `time-loop adventure' trope in sci-fi. Airi, as a supporting actress, was only in two of the `loops' - this one, which was a stand-in for a post-apocalyptic world where the film started and ended and Ritsuko was positive had been picked for the obvious `Mad Max' association, and another one that was supposedly the `good outcome' world, which would be an alternate `future' world where nature survived and would be the one shot in Thailand.

Airi was in wardrobe, which looked distinctly low-budget to Ritsuko, but she didn't say that where anyone except Air could hear it. Airi had laughed and said she wasn't wrong, but that she had also worn worse costumes when she was starting out. The actress had introduced her as her personal assistant, and Ritsuko found it was a lot like when they were elf hunting, which made it comfortable for her. Right now, she was watching through the blowing dust and grit as the director and his film crew tried to get the shot they wanted. It was their fifth attempt in the last hour to shoot a four-minute dialog scene between Airi's character and the lead and co-star's characters.

“Cut!” came the frustrated voice of the director. “This is not working, people!”

The star had immediately began to argue with the director. Airi stayed out of it. Ritsuko moved forward, one hand pulling a spare handkerchief from her pocket and the other grabbing a canteen. Soaking the bandana with the water, she offered it to Airi, who - theatrical make-up not withstanding - was sweating. Carefully, Airi used the handkerchief to cool her face before wrapping it around her throat just under the collar of her fetishwear-meets-thrift-store-meets-recycling costume. Taking the offered canteen, she drank deep for a bit. “Thank you, Rit-chan,” she said, listening to the star and co-star argue with the director about the scene, the shot, the script and everything else.

“That panty hamster is a drama queen,” grunted Ritsuko, having taken a bit of a dislike to the star and co-star.

“He is young and hot-headed, that is all,” Airi said.

“As the professional here, is there any way you could shorten this before we grow old and die trying to get a single scene done?” wondered the red-head sourly.

“Sadly, not without getting entangled with his mess,” Airi replied quietly. The two listened to the childish argument. Airi sighed softly. “I am not sure that this is worth the favors,” she observed.

“Want me to go charm them?” grinned Ritsuko behind her bandana. Airi giggled.

“Tempting, but I will handle this,” she said, straightening and moving directly toward the three, her stride one of a superior about to step on a subordinate firmly. Ritsuko stuck to her elbow, eyes moving and hand on her knife hilt. She really missed her guns at times like these.

“This is my movie, and one word from me and you are out!” screamed the star at the director.

“Go ahead! This will be your last role if this is the best you can manage!” yelled back the director. “All the other directors said not to take this project, and now I know why!”

“Without us, you wouldn't have a project,” the co-star interjected hotly, fanning herself.

“Listen, girl, tits and ass are a dime a dozen,” sneered the director. “You can be replaced in five minutes flat. Stay out of this,” he warned her. She made outraged sounds at that, but Ritsuko didn't hear her arguing the fact.

“Gentlemen,” Airi's voice cut through the argument like a knife. “This is not professional behavior,” she said, her tone firm, distant and cool. “I accepted this support role as a favor to a friend; one who assured me that you could handle the project, and that you could put in the work. I have yet to see either of those claims borne out. If you two cannot be professional about this, I can and will walk. And be sure that I have no issue telling anyone who asks why I walked,” she intoned darkly. The three were silent. When a star of the standing of Airi Komiyama spoke, they knew to listen.

“The heat and dust makes this a difficult location, it is true,” she said, looking the director in the eye, “and there is no question this script is not top-shelf material,” she said, eyes slicing into the lead and co-star, “however,” her tone got distinctly chilly, “you all took the money, and you all signed onto this project. I expect everyone to put in at least the required effort to bring this project to completion, or I am done with this juvenile film-student behavior. Are we on the same page?” she asked them, Ritsuko staring at them silently, ready in case they proved to be stupider than she thought they were.

“It's just that…” began the man, his tone uncomfortable.

“Yes, I am aware,” Airi cut him off. “Do you think I find this fun and rewarding? It is not. However, this is what it means to be an actor. This is what it costs to be a lead. And trust me when I say that this is nothing compared to some locations,” Airi warned him. “Do you want to win an Oscar? Do you want Academy Awards? Do you want Guild trophies? Do you want multi-million dollar roles? Do you?” demanded Airi.

“Of course,” answered the co-star.

“Then stop acting like children and start acting like professional actors,” Airi bit out distinctly. “I am almost of patience with all of you,” she warned the three.

“Sorry,” the three said. Airi turned to stare at the director.

“I think you will find that your issues with lighting and framing can be reduced or eliminated by re-orienting the camera sled to film right to left. A shift in the reflectors should compensate for the lighting change needed to bring up the details. Also, why no use a B crew on a pintel or a lift to create the second angle and fix it in post? Yes, the editing costs will go up slightly, but they should be less than the cost of trapping us all here on location for another week.”

The directory considered that. “I had originally thought of that, but my cinematographer didn't think it would mesh right,” he began.

“While I am aware that you are a director with little experience as a cinematographer, you have done work with two-camera shooting of a scene. It is not my job to tell you your job, but this is turning into a mess, and if you don't get it under control soon, it will snowball until this whole thing crashes and burns around your ears. I can assure you that I will not be part of that catastrophe,” Airi warned him. The man lips tightened.

“You are right, Airi,” he said, sounding more resolute than Ritsuko had ever heard him sound. “Listen up!” he yelled to the crew and cast. “We are resetting the cameras. Cast, take an hour while we reset, then we are back at it. I need B crew here,” he said, turning toward the production crew. Airi turned and walked off, Ritsuko at her elbow.

“Well, that will either fix it or break it enough for us to leave,” she said softly to Ritsuko.

“Either way is fine with me,” Ritsuko replied. The two moved to the tent they had set up outside the set pieces. It was a simple, rough wall tent, but after their time in the elf world, it was fine with them both. The lead and co-star, who also had tents, were not so happy with it. The co-star had been bitching about the lack of a private trailer since before Ritsuko and Airi had arrived. Having a superstar not complain made her shut up, though, as it left her looking distinctly whiny.

Sitting in one of the camp chairs, Ritsuko reached into the refrige/freezer they had, pulling out a cold bottle of water. The frige/freezer was a DC-powered type, two large panels positioned to catch the sun so a lithium battery bank could be charged by them to provide power to the frige/freezer, the LED lights and a few other electronic gadgets. Also outside their tent were two camp showers, filled with water, the black plastic heating them up to scalding temp during the day. By the time the two were ready to clean up, they were just very hot, which they found perfect, as the temperature dropped rapidly once the sun was down.

Airi sat carefully in another camp chair, sighing. Ritsuko offered her the ice cold water, the actress taking it with a nod of thanks and cracking the top. Ritsuko grabbed another for herself. “Well, Airi, I am learning a lot,” she smiled at her friend after tugging the handkerchief off her nose and mouth.

“That is the main point, I suppose,” Airi replied.

A knock on the post signaled a member of the crew or cast wanting to talk to them. “Enter,” Airi said, Ritsuko watching as one of the wardrobe/makup artists came in along with one of the film crew members. Ritsuko recalled the man was some sort of team lead or something. He was a little older than she was, and seemed to be interested in her.

“Miss Airi, I just wanted to check on your makeup and wardrobe, since we have a break,” the woman said, moving to the actress and kneeling in front of her, critically examining her makeup even as she pulled a rather large makeup kit up and opened it. “Yeah, a little touch-up is in order,” she said, Airi nodding, sipping her drink.

“And you needed, what?” Airi prompted the young man after several moments of silence.

“Oh, the director asked me to check with you about the B crew positioning,” he said, having been watching Ritsuko with open interest. The red-head was staring back impassively, frowning a little.

“He is the director, is that not his job?” Airi asked. “But I suppose, if he is too busy to look into it himself, I would say that if the B crew and a wide-angle were set up on the left angle from the main shot, it should be fine,” Airi replied.

“Sounds good to me,” he said, still looking at Ritsuko, a smile on his lips. “Would you like to like to supervise the setup, miss?” he asked her.

Ritsuko snorted. “No,” was all she said. She spoke rarely on set, and usually in Elvish just to keep messing with them. She had deliberately given herself an accent in English, and was careful to make her answers as short and direct as possible, to give the impression that her vocabulary was small. She drained half her bottle of water.

“Will that be all?” Airi asked, clearly dismissing him.

“For now,” he gave Ritsuko a cocky grin before leaving. Ritsuko sighed.

“He obviously thinks that confidence is enough to get in my panties,” she said to Airi in Elvish. Airi laughed softly.

“To be sure, he is not lacking in confidence,” she agreed.

“Pity the same can't be said for brains,” Ritsuko giggled a little. “Hungry?” she asked Airi.

“Just a granola bar, please,” Airi replied, Ritsuko handing her one a moment later.

When the sun set, the scene was in the bag, along with another scene. Retiring to their tent, Airi had gotten out of costume for the night, cleaned off the makeup and then she and Ritsuko had hit the cook station for supper. While not great, it was decent food, and they were glad it was warm and tasted decent. After supper was a meeting with the cast, and another meeting with the crew about the shooting schedule and scenes, then the two retired to their tent for the night, the temperature falling. Ritsuko grabbed the two thermal shower bags as they entered the tent. In a corner of the tent, the canvas floor could be untied and unrolled, giving them a small patch of ground where they could shower, the water soaking immediately into the ground.

The two stripped down, grabbed washcloths and soap, and began to shower. They first got wet with the nearly-too-hot water, then turned the nozzle off as they lathered up before rinsing off. With that done, they had used the last of the warm water to do some laundry before filling the bags for the next morning. As they were finishing up, they heard the tent flap move, and turned to see the young man from before staring at them. Ritsuko was naked, having just reached for her towel. Seeing him staring at her, she had stepped between him and Airi, a scowl on her face.

“Boy, I hope you got a good look,” Airi said. “Because she is about to kill you,” warned the actress. Ritsuko wrapped her towel around herself as she reached over to her cot, grabbing the sheath knife. The man blinked, then - as if he were just hearing what Airi said - he bolted for the door. Ritsuko took one step after him, but Airi put her hand on her shoulder. “Ritsuko, leave it alone,” she said softly.

Ritsuko sighed before sliding her knife back into its sheath. “Time was, I would have killed him before putting the towel on,” she mused.

“Most women would have screamed,” Airi noted.

“I guess I am not most women anymore,” Ritsuko said.

-

Ritsuko and Airi wandered around the Thai city, mostly just sight-seeing. They had been on set in Thailand for four weeks, but were now done with the scenes with Airi in it, and neither were sad to bid the cast and crew farewell. They had a day to kill before their flight home, and had decided to do some sight-seeing while in Bangkok. Ritsuko had learned the star and some of the crew were going to visit a whorehouse a little later. Naturally, they had not invited her or Airi, though she had heard him invite the co-star. She had said she would go with them. Part of her wanted to find a way to get them to go to a brothel with lady-boy workers, but dismissed it as wasted time.

So, she and Airi were playing tourist, Ritsuko snapping a few pics and sending them to her friends, Misato and her parents. She was, of course, careful of what she captured in the pictures. Time spent in the elf world and the other Japan once more proved useful in helping them organize their mostly-aimless wandering. They hit the places that interested them and ignored the rest. They tried street-cart food that passed their five-point safety assessment, visited temples and famous places, checked out less-known areas and sites, and mostly just mingled with the crowd.

As even fell and the time for their red-eye back to America drew closer, they had paused at a park to watch the sunset behind the hills. Ritsuko had determined that the park bench was safe enough, though she remained alert. Airi was not ignoring the environment around her, either. Another lesson learned in the other worlds. “Have you ever wondered what would have happened if we had stayed in the elf world?” Airi asked her partner quietly.

“What do you mean? Like never finding the spell fragments?” Ritsuko asked. “I've thought about it a time or two. Why?”

“How do you think our lives would have turned out over there?” mused Airi. Ritsuko laughed softly.

“Pretty sure you would end up the queen of some land,” she said. “You are more than a match for any of the kings we have ever encountered, and could easily sway a few kingdoms. Plus, it would let you live comfortably, like you prefer. And if we couldn't get home, no point living in hardship, right?” the red-head replied.

“Perhaps,” Airi allowed. “I suspect you would end up as a conqueror or similar, given how unafraid you are to stand up for your convictions. With Mike, your guns and your skills, you could have easily steam-rolled a few armies without breaking a sweat. Many local lords would prefer to swear fealty to you than face you on a battlefield. And in spite of all other factors, I believe you would make a good conqueror. Ritsuko the Barbarian, even,” she laughed softly, fondly patting Ritsuko's thigh.

“Maybe,” sighed Ritsuko. “There were plenty of things there that needed fixing, but we were always so focused on getting home…” she trailed off.

“Do you regret it?” Airi asked her.

“Sometimes,” admitted her younger partner. “But then, most of our friends were elves, and we would die in what would seem the blink of an eye to them. Human friends weren't something we did well, if you recall,” she murmured. “Spending our lives in virtual isolation in a fantasy world would probably not be very fun, all things considered.”

“I think Junpei would have found it a good life,” Airi suggested. Ritsuko considered that.

“Given how he is, he would likely have spent the rest of his life being a professional fighter and womanizer. Now that you mention it, he probably would have liked it if he had stayed there,” she concluded.

“Hmm,” Airi hummed. “Me the populist ruler, you the conqueror, Junpei the gladiator…perhaps it would not have been the worst outcome,” she thought aloud. Ritsuko was quiet for a long moment.

“It might have been even better to stay in the other Japan,” she murmured.

“I don't believe that, and I don't think you do, either,” Airi said. “Shinji wanted you safe and back with your parents more than anything. Rei, Asuka, Hikari, Misato - they were all willing to risk what little they had because they had so little. To them, you - with a loving, normal family and a safe, sane world - were their hope and pole star, as far as I could tell. They wanted to know that someone they so admired and looked up to would be safe, even if they failed. And I do not believe for a moment that they failed, Ritsuko. Do you?” pressed the actress.

Ritsuko sighed. “In my nightmares, sometimes,” she admitted. This was confirmation of something that Airi had suspected since they left the other Japan, but only now could confirm from the source.

“Have you been having more nightmares since running into the Gendo in this world?” Airi asked.

“For a while, yes. Not so much now. But I meant it when I said that if I had to see that bastard's face regulary, I would empty a magazine into it,” Ritsuko said through bared teeth.

“At least I know you have dreams of Shinji often enough to off-set the nightmares,” Airi casually shared. Ritsuko blushed a little.

“Yeah, I guess,” Ritsuko admitted. She still recalled the gift that Airi had gotten her a while back. She had come back from a trip abroad to find a gift on her pillow. Though no name had been on it, she knew it was Airi who had gotten it for her. Opening the elegantly-wrapped package, she had gone tomato red at finding two different dildos and three different vibrators in the `gift pack'. Once she had forced herself to calm down, she had noted that one of the dildos was a pretty good match for Shinji's size and shape. In spite of knowing it was Airi who had been responsible, she had never been able to bring herself to confront Airi about it so far. She did try the toys the next time she was feeling hot and horny, and she had to admit that they were better than her fingers.

The sun was half-way set, and the shadows were getting deeper. Once the sun was just a sliver, the two rose from the park and headed for the nearest place where they could get a ride to the airport. They would cool their heels for a couple hours, then board and fly back. As they neared the gates to the park, Ritsuko managed to ask Airi a question she had had for a while.

“So, um, am I going to have to get a boyfriend or whatever for the plan you are working on?”

“Do you want a boyfriend or lover?” Airi asked her.

“Honestly, I still want Shinji, but at the same time, I get…” she frowned.

“Horny?” smiled Airi, a knowing look in her eye as she glanced at Ritsuko.

“Fine! Yes, I get horny,” Ritsuko admitted, fighting the blush she felt trying to rise on her face.

-

Rosita served Ritsuko and Airi breakfast with her usual efficiency. Ritsuko nodded to her as she sipped her orange juice, Airi murmuring a `thank you' to her, phone to her ear. Again, it was more talk of the scripts for their project. They had sent the first draft of the first segment back to the script writers three days ago, and it was heavily marked up by Airi with both her own notes, concerns, issues and editing as well as Ritsuko's observations. The first part of the project had been decided to be the initial elf-world visit. Airi had made a good script, but had also explained that a first draft was never a good base for a project. Also, they needed to get the project picked up by a major studio if possible to absorb costs. But neither of them would allow final creative control to be held by anyone but them. The story was too important to them to let that happen.

Airi was clarifying various points with her producer friend and the script writers, as they seemed to not quite be all on the same page yet. Naturally, Airi knew how to get results, but it took time and involved conversations. Apparently satisfied that she had made clear the intent of one of the noted sections to be re-written, Airi ended the call and began to eat. Looking out the window, Ritsuko saw the lawn and gardening service Airi retained working on the grounds. Her eyes followed the movements of the three men. They were weeding the flower beds, cutting the grass, trimming the edges, applying mulch and replacing plants that were not doing so well with new plants. Once a week, for maybe two hours or so, they would come tend to the lawn and garden.

“Is that guy in the tan cap new?” she asked before taking a bit of the French toast. Airi turned to look out the window.

“Can't say I recall seeing him before, but that is not saying much,” Airi replied. “Why?” she asked.

Ritsuko had become what some might call `paranoid' after their experiences in the other Japan. Airi didn't feel she was paranoid, but she did feel that Ritsuko was more on edge after the events with NERV than she had been before. The night after they got back, Ritsuko had been dealing with jet lag and had taken a midnight swim while Airi - also a bit jet lagged - had watched Ritsuko swim. They had only bothered with the accent lighting, leaving the pool and most of the back yard dark. Ritsuko had chosen to wear a rather small bikini, while Airi was in her silk bed gown. Pulling herself out of the pool lithely, Ritsuko had started to sit on the lounger next to Airi, only to stop and turn to look at the back wall, frowning. A moment later, she had grabbed her sheath knife from where it had been under her towel and stalked toward the back wall. Airi had noticed, and grabbed a flashlight even as she used the small control panel to turn on the perimeter lights. As Ritsuko reached the edge of the planter nearest the wall, a dark figure had suddenly rushed out, running for the back wall. Ritsuko had nearly caught the figure, but it had climbed over the wall with a speed that spoke of practice.

Needless to say, Ritsuko had taken steps to fix the problem. Airi had also called the security company that was responsible for their gated community and complained about the lax security. It had turned out to be a stringer for a tabloid, looking for compromising shots of Airi or her guest. All they got were some hardly-clear shots of Ritsuko in a bikini and Airi in her gown. Neither were anything special. The next time someone tried to climb the walls they would learn why it was not smart to antagonize Ritsuko.

“I don't think he is here for the plants,” Ritsuko said, eyes on the man. The other two were working normally, but the third guy seemed to be working slower and in an inefficient manner.

“Going to chase him with a knife?” Airi asked.

“Not if I can get a gun,” she murmured. “He seems really interested in my wall improvements,” she added, scowling. Airi turned her head slightly, watching the guy.

“He does seem rather interested,” she allowed.

“He also just put something from his coverall pockets in the flower bed. The one that faces your windows,” Ritsuko added, her tone mean.

“Finish your breakfast, Ritsuko,” Airi said. “We will see what was dropped before we do anything, agreed?” asked Airi.

“I guess,” Ritsuko allowed. The two finished their breakfast and the crew departed. Ritsuko had hurried out and checked the beds carefully. She returned with a small wireless device and a camera. Airi had studied them for a moment before gesturing to Ritsuko, who destroyed them.

“Rosita,” Airi said, the maid appearing a few moments later, “please call the lawn and garden company and cancel our service. Be sure to tell them that it is because they tried to violate my privacy. Also, I need to find a lawn and garden service. Have you heard of any trustworthy ones?” she asked.

“I will ask around,” Rosita said.

“Didn't you say your cousin ran a landscape company?” Ritsuko asked.

“Si,” confirmed Rosita, “but he does not have any clients in this neighborhood,” she said. “And he does not have a large company,” she added.

“I am more concerned with if he is trustworthy or not, Rosita,” Airi caught on to what Ritsuko was saying. “If you think him trustworthy and reliable, I will be glad to hire him,” she assured the maid. “You have proven to be the perfect maid, after all, Rosita,” she smiled.

“I will ask him,” promised Rosita.

“I would like to meet him and get a formal estimate for his service. See if you can arrange that, please,” Airi said, getting a nod from Ritsuko.

The next day, Ritsuko and Airi were meeting Juan, Rosita's cousin. He was a wearing a clean but worn dress shirt, and neatly tucked blue jeans with work boots. Ritsuko was sure he was trying to make a good impression. His work truck was worn and used, but seemed to be maintained well enough. Rosita had explained that his English was ok, but not very comprehensive, so she offered to help with any translation issues that might arise. Airi and Ritsuko were dressed in light sundresses and sandals, wide-brimmed hats on their heads in the late-morning heat.

Airi had shown him the grounds, explaining what services and how frequently she needed it done, the man making some notes on a clipboard. After the tour was complete, Airi had invited him to sit at the patio table for a glass of lemonaid and a brief interview. She had asked him a few questions, then moved directly to the meat of the matter, stressing that trustworthiness was what she valued most, followed closely by reliability and discretion. Satisfied with his answers, Ritsuko has asked him about his company, and learned he had three employees and a modest lawn service company in L.A. Ritsuko glanced at Airi, giving a faint nod.

Airi had asked him for an estimate, and he had handed her a simple estimate sheet, hand-written numbers on the page. Airi had studied it for a moment, then handed it to Ritsuko, who ran the numbers before nodding to herself and Airi. Airi had told him he was hired, and had gotten enough information to give the guards at the gates to know to let him or his crew in. She had told him that Rosita would have his first payment ready in the foyer and she hoped they would have a good business relationship.

The lawn and garden service was not the only one to be changed. Airi had always used whatever service company her fellow stars swore by, and had never had a problem with the service, but the companies were rarely the same from instance to instance. It was also a gamble every time. So, she decided to try a new approach to home maintenance by hiring a unified home service company.

If something in her house broke or stopped working, Rosita called them, they sent someone over, identified the problem, and got it fixed as fast as possible. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, concrete, windows - didn't matter. The company covered it all, start to finish. It was one number to call, and they handled it. Research had satisfied Airi that the company was at least trustworthy enough to try.

Ritsuko had become friends with Rosita, and one of the things she had noticed was that Rosita was very busy. With only one maid, and Airi not liking housework in a larger home, the maid was busy. Ritsuko and Airi had a few talks about it, and Rosita ended up with a junior maid. It was another cousin of hers, the young woman maybe high school age, who worked five days a week from afternoon to evening. This eased Rosita's workload quite a bit and gave her relative a stable source of income. Once satisfied that the new maid was trustworthy, Ritsuko had ended up friends with her as well, which reassured Airi.

Most days, the two - Airi and Ritsuko - exercised together in the mornings. Airi was doing it for her figure, while Ritsuko did it as a form of therapy. The two found they liked working out together, as Airi was always motivated by watching how Ritsuko worked out, and Ritsuko liked sharing time with Airi as they talked about various things. Ritsuko also helped Airi stay on diet and fitness plan both. Airi was back to her `fighting weight and figure' as she called being back to her best dress size and with firmed-up muscles.

In the evenings, Airi usually worked with Ritsuko on dancing, some basic acting practice, and some singing, though Ritsuko was decent enough to not really need Airi's help there. Ritsuko was still not comfortable with the plan for her to play herself in the project, but she would see it through because she was disciplined and if she was going to see it through, then a half-assed job was not good enough for her. Besides, why waste the opportunity to learn from one of the best actresses in history?

It was pretty frequent for Ritsuko to either get a call from or make a call to Misato and her parents. Her little sister was really getting into school, though also not quite adapted to having a real set of parents who actually acted like parents and being in an environment where there were expectations and rules that she was not used to. Still, Ritsuko was very pleased at her progress. Her mother reported that Misato had become pretty popular with her fellow students, and her desk was nearly buried in pictures and awards and trophies.

Which was not to say that Misato was a model student. Twice her parents had been called by the school about incidents with her, and once her mom had gone to the school for a meeting with the guidance counselor about Misato's behavior. Eri had laughed at Ritsuko's reaction, saying she didn't mind in the least; and had had plenty of practice with that raising Ritsuko. Ritsuko couldn't really argue, since she knew she had been a bit of a wild one at times.

Ritsuko often shared selfies and pictures from her travels with her family and friends. They had gotten pictures of her on the set of the struggling movie Airi had cameoed in Australia and Thailand, pictures of Hollywood locations, a few of her and Airi relaxing, some random pictures of things and places she found interesting enough to take pictures of and of course a lot of pictures from the Las Vega convention. Her friends had responded as she knew they would with catty snipes and teasing.

She had responded by making sure that they were watching the targets carefully and making sure she knew what was going on with them. So far, they were not making any suspicious moves. Her friends were in their final year now, with entrance exams looming, and Ritsuko was debating what to do about the situation when her friends graduated. She was also weighing the pros and cons of Misato going to her high school. There was no reason to think that Akagi or Ikari wouldn't recognize her or her name, but there was also no reason to think it was any more dangerous than any other school. She had some time yet, but she kept it in mind and considered things carefully. With Misato about to start junior high, it was coming up steadily.

-

“Absolutely not,” stated Airi firmly. She, Ritsuko, Airi's producer friend and the three screen writers were having a business lunch at an exclusive restaurant. The producer had said he needed to talk with her about the project, since he had found an interested movie studio. So, they had set up the meet, and after they had started their meal, the producer had begun to discuss what the studio was wanting.

“I do not pander to politics nor to this current trend of ideology over craft,” stated Airi. “My project is not some propaganda piece nor a piggy-back for their political agenda. There will be no `alternative characters', no check-box activism, no branded messaging. Period. You can tell them that directly. If they don't like it, we are done talking with them. Am I clear?” she asked.

“Airi, I have known you for years, since before your first big role, and I hear what you are saying, but times change,” the man said.

“They do indeed, but that does not mean I change to match their beliefs. If I want politics in my project, they will be my politics, not some studio's lame agenda,” Airi cut that off at the knees.

“What about you, miss? Surely you can see that a little compromise is not a bad thing,” the producer said to Ritsuko. Ritsuko - who had been frowning and grimacing a lot during his talk about what the studios wanted for the project - glanced at Airi.

“No compromise,” she said, accenting her English with a pretty convincing Hong Kong English accent.

The man sighed. “This is going to be a tough sell, Airi,” he warned.

“Then I will look at financing it myself, and keep all the money myself,” the actress smiled a mean smile.

“That will lower the production value and limit the reach, which could mean this fails to turn any profit,” warned the man.

“Personal projects are rarely about making money, as you well know,” snorted Airi, signaling the waitress for a refill of wine before tucking back into her pan-seared steak. “Besides, I have a larger bank account than my fellow superstars because I have fewer expensive addictions and costly hobbies,” she smiled sweetly. She had learned that her friend was being baited by another of the big names in Hollywood to take up their project film. Airi also knew that the actor couldn't make his project if a major studio didn't pick it up because he routinely blew his earnings on stupid, trivial gestures and attention-seeking stunts. She, on the other hand, had spent only a modest amount of her earnings, mostly on pampering herself and on good wine, with the rest in savings and investments and tax-sheltered financial havens.

The three screen writers were mostly listening during the engagement between the producer and Airi over the studio wanting to `change a few things' if they picked up the project. But now, with Airi the victor, they were getting curious. “I have been curious for a while now,” began the head writer for the first part of the project, “but what exactly are you going for in this project. It is all over the place, and the changes you have been making are, well, puzzling. Is this an adventure/fantasy, a drama, an action flick or a mystery?”

“It is all of those at once and none of those at the same time,” Airi said. “It is a story about three very different people, forced into a world they know nothing about, having to find a way to work together toward a goal with nothing in common between them, and the results of that necessity.”

“I get it,” another of the writers said, “but pulling that off is going to be nearly impossible. It is too complex a range in too deep of a plot for audiences to get behind, your name on the star board or not,” he predicted.

“While I do appreciate your candor and honesty,” Airi said, pausing to sip some wine, “that is not your concern. Your concern is getting me a script that I can work with to tell this story.”

The man made an `ok, ok' gesture.

“Is your friend going to play the supporting actress role?” the third screen writer asked, eyeing Ritsuko. “The pieces of characterization I have seen for that role is a good fit for what I have heard about her,” the screen writer observed.

“If you have time to gossip about my friends, you have time to work on fixing the script,” Airi replied dryly. “No role other than mine is decided until we get a script I approve of, so there is no point in conjecture.”

Ritsuko swallowed the last of her food, patted her lips with her napkin and then took a drink from her glass, which was loaded with a non-alcoholic frozen drink. She had been adamant that she didn't want any alcohol, and Airi had made arrangements.

Talk turned to more casual things, with only occasional side-trips into business for Airi and the producer. They gossiped a bit about people they knew, traded rumors about what else was going on in Hollywood, and lingered over drinks before the meeting ended. Airi smoothly ushered Ritsuko out, the two heading back home.

-

“Lake Tahoe?” Misato asked. “I've heard about it, of course, but never got to go. Who are you going with?” she asked her big sister eagerly.

“Some people Airi knows,” shrugged Ritsuko.

“Are there any cute boys?” asked Misato, her tone almost a purr.

“No idea,” Ritsuko replied. She had discovered that the odds that her Misato would be as horny as the other Misato were pretty high, given how puberty had not just started her on the killer rack Ritsuko remembered from the other Japan, but had also very clearly hit her right in the ovaries. Not that Ritsuko could fairly lecture her on her libido, given how high her own was since she gave her virginity to Shinji. “It is apparently important, so I am going,” she dismissed the trip that was almost last-minute for them.

“Of course you are going! It is Tahoe with a bunch of famous people!” Misato replied.

“Aside from Airi, I don't really like these people,” Ritsuko said quietly.

“What? How can you not like movie stars?” gaped Misato.

“They are shallow, vain, arrogant, stupid and greedy,” replied Ritsuko. “They remind me too much of certain other people I had the displeasure of meeting,” she added, darkness in her tone. “I just don't have anything in common with them, excluding Airi.”

“That's really very strange, you know,” Misato pointed out.

“How so?” Ritsuko asked idly.

“You are super tight with Airi - one of the biggest stars in the world - but you say you have nothing in common with any other stars, and that you don't like movie stars. So, the question is how you got so tight and close with Airi,” Misato said.

“Someday, when you are older, I might tell you,” Ritsuko said after a long moment. “I can promise you it is not what you think it is. For now, how about you just take my word for it that Airi and I have more in common than I have with anyone else in this place, ok, little sister?”

“I guess,” sighed Misato, clearly wanting to keep digging, “but you have a lot of explaining to do later!” she insisted.

“We'll see,” smiled Ritsuko. “So, how are your studies going? Mom said you are doing good, occasional drama aside,” she steered the conversation away from herself.

“It's going good,” Misato insisted. From the upbeat tone in her voice and her excited pace, Ritsuko had no doubt that Misato was enjoying school. “I've got a lot of friends now, and studying isn't too bad, plus clubs are fun,” she nearly chirped.

“I told you you would like it,” Ritsuko said, “So why are you getting in trouble over?” she asked.

“It isn't me,” insisted Misato. “There are just some idiots in school and the rules they have here make no sense to me,” she huffed. “Why would I let some ass bully me just because they are in a higher grade or not argue with a teacher when they make a mistake and mark a right answer wrong?”

“It is not that you shouldn't, Misa-chan, it is that there are ways to do it that are more right than making it a big scene and embarrassing the staff,” she explained.

“If they are wrong, they are wrong!” insisted Misato.

“True, but part of socialization is learning to work within the society you are living in,” Ritsuko said, smiling to herself.

“Mom said you had more than a few guidance meetings and detentions,” argued Misato. Ritsuko could clearly see the characteristic traits of the other Misato in her Misato.

“True,” admitted Ritsuko. “But try to learn from them rather than repeating them is the key,” she added. Misato snorted.

“I do learn from them,” she retorted. “They aren't able to pull the same thing twice on me, and none of the bullies want to keep messing with me after I am done with them, either.”

“I guess you are a work in progress,” laughed Ritsuko. “Mom said you have been talking about a boy for the last week? Tell me about him,” she said. Misato was immediately giggling as she excitedly told her big sister about a boy she had found interesting and was pursuing in her own manner. Ritsuko paid close attention, making mental notes as she went. She had made supportive sounds and encouraged Misato while also reminding her that junior high was a bit early to start some things. Naturally Misato had friends who had already started having sex, and thanks to her impressive build, Misato was the target of a lot of boys' lustful gazes. Ritsuko managed to get a pledge from Misato not to have sex until later, and also warned her that she better keep a couple of condoms on her `just in case'. Misato had actually been embarrassed when Ritsuko responded to her remark about where she would get condoms by telling her to talk to mom. To help reassure her, Ritsuko had told her that she had had a very similar talk with their mom and Eri had made her daughter carry a couple of condoms while also urging her not to use them.

With Misato embarrassed and needing to do homework, Ritsuko had ended the call, immediately calling her mom. After a quick bit of communicating, she had told her mom she loved her and hung up. Glancing at the clock, she grabbed her pack and tossed it on the bed, swiftly beginning to prepare it for the trip to Tahoe the next day. Laying out the things she kept in her pack, she found herself missing her `normal' gear of guns, ammo, knives, explosives and grenades. In their place for the moment were a small make-up kit Airi had asked her to always have, some different dresses and skirts and swimsuits as well as her smartphone. Doing a bit of quick research, she packed a one-piece swimsuit, a couple of bikinis, a hoodie, spare panties and bras, an extra set of pants and shorts, her flip-flops and her emergency kit. In her hygiene kit, she added a small bottle of assorted pills, a couple of emergency tampons, some condoms, some wipes and a small bottle of sanitizer.

With that done, she had set her pack aside and gone looking for Airi. She found her partner in her office. Catching her eye, she had been gestured in, Airi on the phone with someone. Silently Ritsuko had ghosted over to her and settled in the chair to the side of the desk. Airi seemed to be about done with her call. When she hung up, Ritsuko had told her she was packed, and asked what she was supposed to do on this trip. “Why, enjoy yourself, of course,” Airi has replied.

“Let me put it another way,” smiled Ritsuko, “what are our objectives on this trip?”

“Aside from having fun, you will be meeting a few people for the first time. These people may well be necessary before our project is complete, so if you could be charming and approachable, it would make things much easier for us later,” the actress said. Ritsuko sighed.

“I will do my best, Airi, but the more of see of these people, the less I like them,” she said. Airi knew this, and she understood it. Since her adventures to the other world, her entire outlook and priorities had shifted drastically from what they had been before. Reaching over, Airi patted Ritsuko's bare thigh.

“I know you will, Ritsuko,” she said. “You have never given less than you best at anything since I met you,” she smiled. Ritsuko blushed a little.

“Same could be said for you, miss Airi,” she replied. “Anyway, getting back to the previous discussion, when you say `charming and approachable', what do you mean, exactly? Are we still doing the Mystery Woman bit? Or should I try to stomach them long enough to tell some jokes and maybe pretend to listen to their self-absorbed whining?”

“Ouch,” smiled Airi. “You are truly blunt and to the point when annoyed, Rit-chan,” smiled the actress. “But, to your question, treat this as a chance to practice what you have learned about acting. Sort of an improvisation bit, where you plan the unscripted role of a new-comer to Hollywood but with unspecified connection to established Hollywood talents.”

“Like your act with Diahl?” smirked Ritsuko. “But if this ends up with a fifty-foot tall naked starlet, I am blaming you,” she warned.

“If it ends up with a fifty foot tall naked starlet, I will just hope it isn't you that ends up being in that role,” replied Airi smoothly, smiling at her friend. Ritsuko inclined her head. Their talk turned to other things before the two went to bed.

Early in the morning, the two got ready and Ritsuko found herself being driven to a local airport, Airi explaining that `an associate' had a private plane there and had offered to zip them up to Tahoe since they were going anyway. She had also mentioned that there would be a couple more of their group in the plane, so she should `get in character'. Sighing, Ritsuko had done as asked.

The car has dropped them off at a hanger, where Ritsuko saw a business jet being prepped. She and Airi got out, Airi grabbing her luggage as Ritsuko slug her pack over her shoulder, everything she needed - aside from her armaments - in the bag. Following Airi over to the plane, she was introduced to the `associate' who turned out to be a person she had heard of before, who had once been an actor, but was now more in the production side even though he was mostly retired. She had learned that flying was a hobby he had picked up years ago and was now devoting much of his time to.

Ritsuko had feigned interest as he talked about the small jet, realizing that she probably sounded the same when talking about her hobbies. The jet was an older straight-wing design, but was characterized as a `classic light jet' by the owner. She had handed her pack to the man, who had stowed it in the small cargo area, along with Airi's. He and Airi had apparently known each other for a while, and spent a bit of time talking shop as the man finished up prepping and signed off on the maintenance check report from the staff that apparently worked for him or the airport. A fuel truck stopped by briefly, topping off the tanks, she guessed, as not too much fuel was added.

As the fuel truck pulled away, a SUV had pulled up, and four people had gotten out, the driver setting bags out of the back before driving off. Ritsuko recognized one of them as a woman Airi had briefed her on as a `neutral'. The guy with her didn't ring a bell with her, so she decided that he was likely a neutral as well. Another woman was someone Ritsuko had been briefed about as a hostile, though not a very dangerous one. More of a bitch than anything, from what Airi had said. With her was a young man about her age, who was looking around much like she had, meeting her eyes for a long moment.

It had taken them another twenty minutes to get loaded and ready, Ritsuko finding herself sitting beside the young male in the rearmost seats, with Airi facing her across the opposed seat block. Between her and Airi was the neutral woman and to Airi's side was the presumed-neutral man, with the enemy diagonal in the four-seat block. Ritsuko didn't really mind - she could see Airi and the cockpit, which was the important part. There was a small toilet behind the set of seats she and the younger man had ended up.

The owner and pilot warned them they were starting, and a moment later, Ritsuko heard the engines spool up and shortly after, the plane began to taxi, the pilot on the radio. Ritsuko make sure her seatbelt was set and visually confirmed Airi was belted in and no loose items were in evidence, which might become a projectile if things went sideways. After a bit of taxiing, the pilot warned them they were about to take off. The engines spun up to full and the plane barreled down the runway, lifting off smoothly with about a third of the runway left. It only took them a couple of minutes to get to altitude and on heading for Tahoe.

“So, I don't think we have been formally introduced,” the young man said, offering her his hand. “I am Tanner,” he said. Ritsuko took the offered hand, giving it a business shake.

“You can call me Ritsu,” Ritsuko said. “Is Tanner your real name or a nickname?” she asked.

“Real name, sad to say,” he replied easily. “Could have been worse,” he added.

“Oh?”

“I have been told that my parents were considering naming me `D'vorce',” he shared. “Rumor has it that they split up because of me,” he explained easily.

“Tanner does seem the better of the two,” Ritsuko said. “You don't seem upset about your family situation,” she noted.

“Happened before I even met them. Got adopted by a good family,” he dismissed the family situation. “You?”

“Normal family,” was all Ritsuko said.

“So you aren't an adoptee of Airi's,” he said. “Darn, thought I had it figured out,” he sighed. Ritsuko snorted softly.

“You weren't even close. No offense,” she added. Airi was talking with the neutral woman, while the enemy was trying to be snide and rude to her, but was foiled by Airi ignoring her completely.

“None taken,” the young man replied easily. “Guess my boss and your boss don't get along,” he shared, also seeing how the situation was playing out.

“No, they do not, though you missed another guess,” Ritsuko said, but didn't elaborate.

The young man shrugged. “That happens sometimes,” he shared. “Tell you what, how about I see if I can figure out your situation before this trip ends and we make a little wager?”

“Not much of one for gambling, but what did you have in mind?” asked Ritsuko.

“If I can figure out what your relationship to Airi is, then you have to come sailing with me for a day once we get back. If I can't, I will treat you to dinner and a movie,” he smiled easily.

Ritsuko snorted. “Sounds like you win either way,” she remarked.

“I assure you, it just sounds that way,” he replied with obvious insincerity. Ritsuko laughed softly.

“Yeah, sure,” she rolled her eyes. “How old are you anyway?” she asked, her eyes studying him intently for a moment.

“Turned twenty three last week,” he replied easily. “How about you?” he added casually.

“You should know not to ask a woman her age,” Ritsuko cut that off easily. “And you are fishing for pieces of the puzzle, which I won't give you so easily.”

“What is the fun in being given the answer?” he replied philosophically. “I put you as being right about twenty. Am I close?” he smiled playfully.

“Within a ten-year range, yes,” Ritsuko smiled back just as playfully.

“Hmm, so fifteen to twenty five, then,” he grinned. “Betting you are not fifteen, and I don't think you are twenty five. This should be fun,” he said.

“Good luck - you will need it,” Ritsuko smiled benignly at him.

“I was born lucky,” he fired back immediately.

“I thought you were born Tanner,” she parried, smiling a bit more. “Or could it be you changed your name to match your hobby?”

“Could be,” he refused her bait. He did have a very good tan, after all.

As Ritsuko verbally sparred with the young man, Airi watched even as she talked with the neutral and ignored her bitch enemy. She didn't let the smile on her face show as she watched Ritsuko carefully. To Ritsuko, it seemed like the flight just flew by. Before she knew it, they were at the regional airport and being driving to a fancy home on the shores of Tahoe.

-

Four days later, Airi and Ritsuko climbed out of the private jet to find their car waiting. With brief good-byes to their companions, including a wave and smile from Ritsuko to the young man she had spent most of the trip around, the two climbed into the sedan and headed home.

“I think you enjoyed yourself, Rit-chan,” Airi purred. Ritsuko hummed.

“Yes, I suppose I did,” she admitted after a moment of thought. She had found her room was in a separate `guest bungalow' that was nearly the same size as Airi's entire house, with Tanner being in the room next to hers. Airi was in the main house with their host, and three other people - all younger than the others - were in the separate house. Not that really mattered, since the main house and the bungalow were connected by a tunnel with an escalator and a set of very nice stairs. The bungalow was right by the boat house, with the main home being almost a hundred feet higher and back from the lake on a salient of rock and giving a very grand view of the lake through the massive glass wall of the great room.

The size of the house told her it was built as a statement for someone who loved to entertain. The group - consisting of about thirty people - was small enough to feel like they were rattling around in the great room, but the layout was good, as it allowed various sitting arrangements so groups could gather without being forced into one another. There were two wings off the main great room, and the house was three stories tall at the front, and one story at the side facing away from the lake. The driveway and gardens were opulent, and Ritsuko spotted a large fence further back by the road that the driveway connected to. She spotted cameras as well.

The group had been greeted by the staff, which consisted of three women and three men, as well as their host. Ritsuko didn't know the man and his trophy wife who was barely as old as Ritsuko, but he matched a description given by Airi for a very wealthy `silent partner' to many of the studios and production houses in Hollywood. He had been classified as neutral by Airi.

Their host has welcomed them all, given them a quick tour of where things were including the great room, dining area - which could seat about eighty people without crowding anyone - library, gym, patio, outdoor entertainment area with a barbeque big enough to cater a sporting event, movie theater with seating for about thirty, pool, spa and sauna, a honest-to-god conference room, and the rooms for Airi and the other Hollywood elites. Laundry and food would be provided on request by the staff, who would also address any issues the guests might have. The owner had shown them all the small intercom boxes in nearly every room, and given them the three-digit code to connect them to the staff room, where someone was already ready to provide the requested services.

The host had shown the VIPs their rooms then invited them to tour the bungalow where the `youngsters' would be staying as well as the boathouse, which he encouraged them to feel free to use whenever they wanted. That was when Ritsuko had learned of the tunnel escalator. The bungalow had six rooms, four that shared a bathroom between them and two with private bathrooms, a common area, a perfectly functional kitchen area, den with a humongous TV and pretty much every game console she had ever heard of with a bookshelf full of games and controllers, a small sun room/library/study space that was glass-walled on three sides and had a tinted glass roof that could be opened if airflow was desired, a hot tub and sauna and a half-court basketball area on the side. The wooden and stone walkways connected it to the main house and the dock and boat house. The dock was a floating type, wide and semi-rigid that stuck out nearly eighty feet, the boat house forming part of the `T' shape at the end, with a fishing/swimming area with a picnic area and BBQ forming the other half of the `T'. Their host had shown them around the boathouse, which had a pontoon boat, a ski boat, a pair of jet skis and a pair of wave runners. The keys were in a non-locked cabinet and labeled by the license number on each craft. Water skis, inner tubes, float pads, canoes and kayaks completed the compliment, and life jackets of every size and type decorated one wall, along with some wet suits. In a small room that backed up to the outside end wall of the boat house was enough fishing gear to fill a small shop.

Ritsuko wondered if the owner wasn't trying too hard.

She found that her room and Tanner's shared a bathroom. The bathroom was pretty big, with a walk-in shower and large double-sink. Ritsuko smelled a set-up, but wasn't sure who was behind it. It could be Airi, the enemy or just a coincidence, though she doubted that. A glance at Airi had gotten a tiny head-shake. She wasn't sure if Airi had guessed what she was thinking and was denying responsibility or if she was wanting her to not make a scene, but either way, Ritsuko let it got. After all, she had shared a bathroom and pretty small apartment with a boy before.

With that done, the `get-together' could begin, and had immediately, with the groups breaking up. Airi had gone back to the main house, already talking with their host about something. Ritsuko, recalling her instructions, wondered if she was supposed to charming and engaging with the hosts, the neutrals or everyone. Tanner ended up deciding that for her, as he asked her if she wanted to look around the property. Since she had planned to do that anyway, she and he had hiked around the entire perimeter, even though some of it was pretty hard hiking.

When they got back to the bungalow, they were sweating pretty good, so Ritsuko had checked her watch before suggesting a dip in the lake. Tanner had agreed, asking her if she had ever swam in Tahoe. She said she hadn't, and he had laughed. Ritsuko knew he thought he could put one over on her, but she already knew the lake would be cold. Altitude does that, after all. Still, she had swum in cold water before, and since the day was warm, she figured it would be fine. In her room, she changed into a comfortable bikini, checked her phone and then re-secured her pack.

Grabbing a towel from the stack in the bathroom, she headed for the dock, seeing Tanner a short distance in front of her. There were already a few others out there, two swimming, two sitting at the pick-nick table, and three out on the water on the water craft. Tanner greeted the others like he knew them already, and introduced her as Ritsu, Airi's friend. Ritsuko greeted them back, managing a pretty friendly demeanor. With that done, they had dropped off the towels on the dock and dove in. Breaking the surface, Ritsuko had gasped, feeling how cold the water felt. But, she turned a knowing smile to Tanner, who had apparently been expecting her to say something about the water temp. Instead, she began to swim.

Twenty minutes later, she pulled herself out the water to warm up, ignoring the swim ladder in favor of just pressing herself out with her arms. Her nipples were nearly tearing through the bikini top and she was feeling a little cold, but the warm sun and air would have her warmed up in no time. Taking the towel, she began to dry herself off. Tanner managed to get out of the water using the swim ladder. She had discovered that she had superior endurance and tone to him while swimming.

“You must do sports,” he said, shivering a little as he grabbed his towel and began to rub himself dry. Ritsuko noticed that the cold water had not done him any favors in the swim trunks he had on. “Track and field? Swim team? Probably got trophies in whatever you did in school,” he suggested.

“Maybe it was weight-lifting,” a voice cut in, Ritsuko turning to see a woman in her late teens watching from the table. “Look at how cut and ripped she is,” she said, casually pulling out a cigarette. The girl was in a tiny bikini that was obviously not meant to get wet, and looked skinny to Ritsuko's eyes; except for her very obvious implants.

“Not weight-lifting,” Ritsuko said, accent back in place, “just honest work.”

Her not-exactly-subtle jab hit home cleanly from the look on the other girl's face. She lit her cigarette, snorting disdainfully. “At least I am not some scarred-up beefy bimbo,” the smoker shot back.

Ritsuko had honestly forgotten about her scars. Not that she cared she had them. “It's fine, in a couple years, you will look like a leather raisin and will be fighting respiratory problems at best,” Ritsuko replied.

“Athletic is sexy,” Tanner had said in her defense, not that she needed it. Ritsuko glanced at him, but didn't say anything. Her eyes spotted tattoos on at least five of the seven younger people around her. The tattoos varied in size and type and number but seemed to be the `in' thing in these circles. Tanner seemed to notice her gaze. “I'm glad I didn't make a bet on if you had ink done,” he said casually, draping the towel over his shoulders. “Unless you have some where they can't been seen normally?” he asked.

“No tattoos,” Ritsuko replied easily.

“Cultural or personal?” Tanner asked, giving her grin at her glance at him.

“Both and neither,” Ritsuko said, easily pushing herself to her feet. “What time is it?” she asked, glancing at the sun as the other two swimmers got out of the hot tub. The guy at the table with the smoking girl glanced at his smart phone.

“Half past one,” he said, getting up. “I'm getting hungry,” he said, waving to the three on the water craft. Two of the three came back.

“What do you want to do for lunch?” Tanner asked Ritsuko.

“Not sure yet,” Ritsuko said, heading toward the bungalow. Tanner hurried after her, the rest trailing along behind the two. Ritsuko had gone right to her room and checked her phone. Firing off a quick text, she had gotten an answer a moment later. Seeing Tanner poke his head inside her room, she told him she would be eating with Airi in the main house, and had to get ready.

“I will go with you, then,” Tanner had said, smiling at her.

“Suit yourself,” she said, grabbing her bath kit and a fresh towel as she stepped into the shared bathroom and started the shower. Stepping under the spray, she rinsed off before stripping off her bikini and setting it aside in same motion she grabbed her body wash and wash cloth. She was scrubbing herself down when she saw that Tanner had entered the bathroom. She frowned at him, but didn't immediately say anything, as he had stepped to the toilet that was in an alcove past the shower.

Ritsuko had finished washing herself and was doing a quick check to see if she needed to do any grooming when Tanner emerged back into sight. “Are you going to be long?” he asked casually. Ritsuko turned off the water, snagging her towel.

“No,” said the red-head, wrapping her towel around herself and exiting the shower area. Tanner had quickly ducked into the shower as Ritsuko paused at the sink to wring out her bikini and grab her brush and hair dryer. Long hair was a problem sometimes. She worked quickly and efficiently, towel around her from breast to upper thigh. She was almost done drying it when Tanner finished up.

“Need a hand?” he asked her, drying off before wrapping his own towel around his hips.

“I am done,” Ritsuko had said, swiftly gathering her stuff and exiting the shared bathroom, locking her door behind herself. Tossing the towel into the hamper, she had stepped into a pair of panties, grabbed a comfortable skirt and a peasant top that went well with it and dressing before once more putting her hair up her usual ponytail. With that done, she had put on a little perfume and then stepped into her comfortable sandals and headed for the main house, phone in her pocket.

She had arrived at the main dining room right as the rest were sitting down, Airi saving her a space beside her. Tanner arrived three minutes behind her, sitting next to the enemy he apparently worked for. The meal had been what Ritsuko had expected: fancy, gourmet and not particularly to her liking, though she ate a little of most everything out of curiosity. She noticed that Tanner seemed to have no issue with the food. She found herself with a glass of wine poured for her before she could say anything, and a peek at Airi had indicated she should pretend to be used to it. So, once more, she had sipped at it and feigned drinking it but had quietly requested a glass of water. She noticed that Tanner had noticed her not drinking the wine. His own glass had what appeared to be beer in it.

During dinner and after it, she had verbally danced with the older guests, working in tandem with Airi by habit, like back in the elf world and the other Japan. Between them, they presented an unbreakable defense to probing or unwanted questions without seeming to be evasive or secretive. To be sure, the others knew they were avoiding the questions, but they never thought it was because they were defending, instead concluding that they were just not interested in the topics the probes or unwanted questions pointed toward.

As the Hollywood heavy-weights broke up into groups again a couple hours past lunch, Ritsuko had retreated to the bungalow, finding that the younger set were playing video games and finishing up what looked like pizza and drinks, with a group on the couch playing video games while a couple others were watching.

Feeling a little sluggish from the fancy food, Ritsuko had gone to her room and changed into a tee shirt and shorts, adding a sports bra and putting on her sneakers before heading back down and heading outside. Tanner had spotted her exiting and had gone after her. Seeing her eyeing the half-court, he had asked if she wanted to burn off a little of the lunch, and before she knew it, she was playing half-court against him.

His play style reminded her of Touji's style from the other Japan. He wasn't bad, really, but then, Ritsuko was not a couch potato either, and she hated to lose. They had agreed on twenty one as the win score, and the first game had gone to Ritsuko by five, since she had dialed in her half-court shots pretty quick and favored them over maneuvering in the key for simpler shots. Tanner had demonstrated he could dunk, which had amused Ritsuko more than impressed her. She had shown him she could lay-up easily but was better working from further out with longer shots.

The second game had attracted some of the others and they had watched for a bit as the two played. Ritsuko was once more sweating and breathing fast, but not winded like Tanner was getting. She began to press harder on working up to the key, which further taxed his stamina. The second game went to her by six points.

“Time,” he said after she had done a perfect lay-up on him for the winning point. “I need some water and a short rest,” he said, putting the basketball down after catching it.

“Ok,” Ritsuko replied easily. The two had gone to the kitchen, finding sports drinks and water both stocked, along with energy drinks, sodas and things like hard cider and wine coolers. Ritsuko grabbed a water and a sports drink before moving back outside, where a group of four were playing two-on-two half-court. Since it was half-court, it was mostly a passing game, and they weren't terrible at it. The four were guys, with the other two girls and the last guy watching them play.

“Once I catch my breath, want to double on the winners?” Tanner asked. Ritsuko glanced at him. “We can take either set, I know it,” he smiled.

“I have doubts about your stamina,” Ritsuko replied, taking a long drink from her sports drink, her water already half gone. Tanner's expression told her that her dig had hit.

“I admit you have more stamina than me,” he said. “But we could still take either of these pairs,” he insisted. Ritsuko considered that.

“If they want to, I guess we could try,” she replied.

Ten minutes later, Ritsuko and Tanner were facing off with the winners of the two-on-two. As the shadow began to grow longer, Ritsuko and Tanner were fighting for the last point they needed, the other two desperate to make up the four points they were behind and take the winning point themselves. Ritsuko was once more soaked in sweat and breathing hard, while Tanner was on his last legs, stamina and cardio-wise. Still, the other pair were not much better, one nearly unable to move faster than a slow jog, the other looking like he was in danger of a heart attack. Ritsuko managed to get the ball before her opponent could shoot, fired it back to Tanner at half, who faked a half-court throw, but instead bounced it back to Ritsuko who grabbed it and did a jump-shot. Her aim was a little off, the ball catching some rim and almost bouncing out before circling once and dropping in.

“Thank god,” panted Tanner, dropping to the court on his back and laying there panting harshly. One of the other pair was likewise lying flat on the court, panting. The other member of the opposing team managed to make it to the bench, where he more or less collapsed. Ritsuko, after a moment of resting her hands on her knees, straightened and made her way to where the last of her sports drink and water was, draining the water and remaining sports drink. Picking up the half-bottle of water Tanner had, she made her way over to him, her breathing steadying as she did so. Untwisting the cap, she had up-ended the water bottle, emptying the water on Tanner.

Tanner had hissed, then sighed. “Feels good,” he managed as the water cooled him faster.

“Damn, girl, you can play some ball,” the young man on the bench said. Ritsuko shrugged, collecting the bottles and moving toward the bungalow. It was twenty minutes before Tanner and the rest came inside, the sun almost touching the mountains. Making his way up to his room, he heard the shower running, and tried his door to the bathroom, finding it unlocked. Looking in, he was just in time to see Ritsuko turn off the water. Her eyes met his for a moment as she grabbed a fresh towel. Her hair had been put up to keep it dry as she showered. Tucking her towel around herself, she left the bathroom, closing her door behind her. Tanner heard the lock click before he pulled off his clothes and got a shower himself.

Ritsuko grabbed a fresh pair of panties and her skirt, slipping them on before adding a tank-top tee shirt. Flopping back on her bed, she checked her phone, sent a couple of text then snapped a few pictures of the sunset and the house and bungalow before sending them to family and friends. Seeing a text from Airi, she grabbed her sandals and headed out, noting in passing that the group was back to video games except for one person, who appeared to be fishing off the dock.

She had met Airi at the top of the escalator and the two had taken an evening stroll, talking quietly about their day and plans. Thirty minutes later, Ritsuko returned to the bungalow, finding that the other had ordered food. She selected some items and ate before heading to her room. The sun had set and she wanted to check on her family. When she had texted her mom, she had gotten a call, and the two had talked for nearly a half hour. Then Misato wanted to talk to her, so she had spent another half hour before her parents told Misato she had to start on her homework, which wasn't popular with Misato, but she did as told, Ritsuko feeling good that her plan was working.

Moving back down stairs, she saw the gaming session was petering out. Offered a change to play, she said she wasn't one for video games. The third girl - the one who she hadn't talked to much - discovered the bungalow had a karaoke function, and had immediately rallied support for it from the others, who had been into the wine coolers and hard cider and beer. The smoker girl who had irritated her earlier had been a big fan of the idea, making a point to call Ritsuko out. Ritsuko had not really been in the mood, but with the talk Airi and she had had earlier, she decided there was little point in not doing it. Tanner seemed a little irritated at the antics of the other girl.

“What is her deal?” murmured Ritsuko to Tanner.

“She was a rock star groupie who is now trying to make the jump to actress after her boyfriend's band imploded, then exploded,” he murmured back. “Rumor has it she was the cause. She tried re-making the band with her as the lead, but it failed immediately, which is when she decided she was meant to be a star,” he explained quietly as the young woman in question was looking for a song she knew.

“You don't have to sing if you don't want to, Ritsu,” the third young woman said.

Ritsuko shrugged. “It's not an issue, Dani, right?” she ask for confirmation she remembered the girl from the brief introductions. The blonde nodded.

“You've done karaoke before?” Tanner asked.

“I have done a lot of things before,” murmured Ritsuko before taking a sip from her fresh water bottle. The bitchy stick-girl found the sound she wanted and the rest of the group settled in as she cleared a `stage' area. Ritsuko grimaced as the girl began to `sing' and `dance' in front of them. “All that is missing is a pole,” muttered Ritsuko darkly to herself.

Tanner - sitting close beside her on the couch - snickered softly. “Yeah, she does sort of remind me of a stripper doing a routine,” he agreed.

“You a connoisseur of strippers, Tanner?” Ritsuko fired back.

“I've seen some before,” Tanner replied with a shrug.

“Points for honesty, at least, perv,” Ritsuko replied, her tone neutral.

The karaoke machine they were using had a rough scorer function on it. Apparently it was based on if the singer was on key and on-pace with the lyrics for the music. And the smoker was not doing well. While not a karaoke singer of the caliber of Yuki or Kaede, she was not a bad singer. Her mind recalled how good Milliea was at singing and how the simple elf swordswoman loved to sing, and she found she was smiling a little.

The former groupie finally finished, getting a few cheers from the group, but mostly indifference. The score on the screen was barely in double digits. The dyed brunette smirked at Ritsuko, pointedly holding out the mic. “Your turn,” she said, a nasty edge in her voice. “Try not to embarrass yourself,” she added smugly.

“No problem after that disaster,” Ritsuko said, scrolling through the songs the machine had. She would have preferred one of her favorites, but she didn't think she would be that lucky. She saw some anime theme songs she knew, but discarded them as being a risk of compromising her secrets. She scrolled on.

“Guess you can't find a song you know,” smirked the failed singer. Ritsuko ignored her, finally spotting a song she knew well. Smiling a benign smile, she selected it and prepared herself. Closing her eyes for a moment, she recalled doing this song with Yuki a few times when she and her friends had karaoked in Tokyo and the dance the two of them had worked out. It was a pretty popular club song, after all.

Opening her eyes she hit the mark right on time, dancing as she sang, finding herself remembering the fun she had with her friends. Six minutes later, she finished smiling brightly as the other cheered and whistled. Straightening from her pose, she handed the mic to the third girl before glancing at the smoker. “I don't seem to have embarrassed myself,” she noted, opening her bottle of water - which she had held in her off hand the whole time she sang - and taking a drink. The score on the screen was nearly perfect. The smoker had not been able to say anything, though the glare she sent Ritsuko said plenty.

Ritsuko sat back down next to Tanner, who had casually put his arm behind her shoulders. She sent him a look but didn't say anything more, as he didn't try anything after her look. Before she turned in for the night just over an hour later, she sang once more, choosing a slower vocal-focused song and crushing it with an even better score, though she had not managed a perfect score. Dani had done several songs with very high scores, and the annoyance had tried a few more times before the rest had started booing her when she tried to sing. A few of the guys, including Tanner, had taken turns, mostly doing rock ballads or country western. One guy had managed to bust out some rap singing, and wasn't too bad at it.

Ritsuko woke right as the sky was brightening. Getting up, she had changed into her exercise clothes, texted Airi, and the two had met in the gym for their morning exercises. Tanner had come looking for her as they were finishing up. Before Airi headed up to her room to get ready for the day, she had given Ritsuko a hug, which Ritsuko had returned. Passing Tanner, Ritsuko had seen him staring after Airi for a long moment before turning to look at her. She felt his gaze rest on her ass before he hurried after her.

The rest of the trip had fallen into a similar pattern, with her spending a lot of her time with the younger set, but several hours of each day engaged in socialization with the power set. She found that Tanner was sticking with her, though the two mostly stayed with the group. Her first-day performance had seemed to have gained her the respect of the younger group, excluding the drama queen. The man who had been spending his time with her had started to seek out Ritsuko and Tanner more as the days went by, while the others did a similar thing, leaving the smoker as an almost after-thought who no one invited first for anything the group did.

Ritsuko learned to water ski with Tanner's and Dani's help, which was fine with her. She had proven she was the best one of the group with a grill, too, which mildly surprised her. The nights were getting more involved and varied, and Ritsuko still verbally danced with Tanner about her history and relationship to Airi, finding that she liked the mental games with him. He slowly worked on getting to first base with her, and she debated with herself before allowing him to get to first base on the second night. He had controlled himself, so when he moved for second base, she had only put up token resistance. The third night he had managed to get to second base with her.

The next day, they flew out just after lunch, bound for L.A. once more. The flight back had been more of the same, but Ritsuko had still danced and played mind games with him about her relationship while not allowing more than casual touches. Now, having landed and gotten into the car, she braced for Airi's critique of her performance.

“That young man - Tanner - doubtlessly would agree,” Airi said casually.

“Of course he would,” Ritsuko agreed easily. Airi glanced at him.

“About that young man,” she began carefully.

“He's an enemy agent, I know,” Ritsuko cut her off at the pass. “But he didn't learn anything useful, and I think the mission was overall successful,” she assured her partner.

“Oh, the mission was absolutely successful,” Airi assured her, “but why did you classify him as an enemy?” she asked.

Ritsuko glanced at Airi, frowning. “He works for an enemy, so he is a hostile,” she explained as if it should have been obvious.

“Hmm,” Airi hummed in response.

“Isn't he? He stated he worked for your enemy, and there is no doubt he was tasked with trying to get close to me or maybe seduce me to get intelligence on what you were up to and maybe some dirt on you through me,” stated Ritsuko.

“He is employed by that shrew, yes,” Airi confirmed. “However, his situation is sort of like your situation with me, but with some family obligation in there. What did he tell you of his history?” she asked directly.

Ritsuko swiftly recapped the story he had told her and why she didn't buy it at face value. Airi had listened silently before responding. “From what I have learned, that is pretty much the truth. He was adopted at birth by the step-sister of the shrew. Later, they were killed in an airline accident, leaving him alone. The shrew was obligated to take him in, and found him to be a good assistant, so she hired him at basically minimum wage to do similar work for her like you do for me, but his adopted parents left a large trust, so he is not dependent on his step-aunt.”

Ritsuko frowned. “If you knew that, then your motive is likely to pry him loose from her to neutralize a lot of her resources,” she thought aloud. “So, you brought me to be a wedge?” she asked, glancing at Airi.

“Among other things. Do you object?” Airi asked. Ritsuko frowned.

“I don't know,” she said a moment later. “I guess hanging out with him wasn't terrible,” she allowed.

“I saw you give him your number; or a number at least,” Airi smiled at her. “I understand he owes you dinner and a movie?” she added.

Sighing, Ritsuko nodded. “I haven't decided if I will take him up on that or not, though.”

“Why wouldn't you?” Airi asked her. She frowned.

“My main focus is you and my family and friends. After that is making sure that rat-bastard doesn't start any shit like he did before, and after that is the rest, I guess,” she explained. “You said you wanted me to split him off from her, but I don't know if I have any use for him,” she added.

“That is up to you, Rit-chan,” Airi replied. “But there is no real reason to not give him a try,” she added.

“Other than it causing tabloid fare?” Ritsuko asked. “Never been a fan of slutty celebrities, and you know that, Airi.”

“You are not a celebrity, Ritsuko,” smiled her friend. “You are a Mystery Woman. Different rules apply,” she assured her.

“Speaking of that, we need to do something about how I get paid for the movies and how to fix the credits. I do not want my real name in the credits because it would cause issues for my family,” insisted the younger of the two.

“We will do it the normal way, with a LLC as a front, and a pseudonym for you in the credits. The pay goes through the LLC, which keeps it private, and you get paid by the LLC,” Airi said. “That was always my plan,” she smiled, reaching over to pat Ritsuko's thigh.

“Oh,” Ritsuko said. “Should have known you had it all under control,” she said wryly.

“Getting back to this boy,” Airi said in response, “as I was saying, there is no reason for you to feel you shouldn't give him a try. You seem to have been ok with his advances,” noted Airi.

“I guess,” sighed Ritsuko. “He's no Shinji, but…”

“I am not telling you to sleep with him, nor am I telling you not to sleep with him,” Airi said. “But I will suggest - just suggest, mind you - that you not compare every man to Shinji. It is unfair to you, unfair to Shinji and very unfair to the current man to do that,” she observed.

Ritsuko frowned, considering that.

-

“How do I look?” Ritsuko asked, glancing at Airi.

“Better than he deserves,” Airi replied. Ritsuko sighed. She had on a sundress and sneakers, a small amount of make up on her face, and a purse slung across her chest.

“I hate being nervous,” she muttered.

“Well, to be fair, you did say you didn't have a lot of experience with dates,” Airi pointed out.

“Guess I skipped ahead to the sex with Shinji,” muttered Ritsuko, eyeing herself in the mirror. “Maybe I should wear something else,” she considered.

“You are fine,” Airi said firmly. “Do you remember the restaurant I told you about?” asked the actress.

“Yeah, I remember the name of the place and where it is,” Ritsuko replied.

“And the theater?” prompted Airi, smiling.

“Yes, Airi,” Ritsuko confirmed. “But remember I am not looking for formal dining. Are you sure they are casual enough?” she wondered.

“You will be fine,” Airi repeated herself from earlier. “Also, this is not one of their busiest days, so it will be fine.” Ritsuko was checking her purse and outfit again. Airi snapped a picture of her. “You have your phone and the app is on, isn't it? I will be watching your back from a distance, Rit-chan, so just have fun,” encouraged Airi.

“We'll see,” Ritsuko murmured. “Wish this were the elf world so I could carry my guns,” she muttered to herself, leaning a little closer to the mirror to study the very minor makeup Airi had done for her. Airi snuck another picture of her as the alarm on Ritsuko's phone went off. The younger woman took a deep breath, held it for a moment then released it. “Let's go, Ritsuko,” she murmured to herself.

With that, she turned for the door to her room, Airi following her, smiling a little. She had `helped' Ritsuko pick the dress, and she was smugly pleased to see how well it complimented her figure. The two had just reached the head of the stairs when the doorbell rang. “Prince Charming is certainly eager. Shall we make him cool his heels for a bit?” Airi asked archly, touching Ritsuko's bare shoulder.

“Let's just get this over with,” Ritsuko replied, hand absently checking her dress. Airi gently slapped her hand. Rosita opened the door. Ritsuko descended the stairs, Airi a few steps behind her, cell phone unobtrusively held ready. Ritsuko reached the landing and paused as Rosita entered her field of view, catching her eye for a moment before gesturing.

“Miss, your date is here,” the woman said politely. Ritsuko was sure that Rosita was having as much fun at her expense as Airi was.

“Thank you, Rosita,” Ritsuko said, forcing her tone calm. Tanner stepped into view a moment later, dressed in a dress shirt and khakis. Ritsuko had to admit he looked pretty good dressed like that. The young man froze for a moment, seeing Ritsuko in the sundress, his jaw dropping slightly. He recovered very fast, but the reaction pleased Ritsuko for reasons she didn't want to think about.

“Wow, Ritsu,” Tanner said. “I feel a little under-dressed now that I have seen you in that dress,” he said. Ritsuko wondered how come it didn't feel like a cheap pick-up line when he said it.

“You're fine like that,” she said, giving him a smile. “We are not going anywhere fancy, after all,” she said.

“I'd go anywhere you wanted to go after seeing you dressed like that,” he replied, smiling back. Ritsuko giggled.

“So would almost any guy,” she snorted softly. Tanner gave a careless sort of shrug.

“Not untrue,” he replied, making her giggle a little. “So, where are we heading?” he asked, gesturing toward the front door. The two moved toward the circular driveway, where Ritsuko spotted a rather modest Lexus sedan.

“What, no Ferrari, Benz or motorcycle?” she asked, her tone teasing.

“I'll let you in on a secret,” Tanner said, opening the door for her, “I tend to cheap out on cars. Most of my money is spent on my sailboat. Does that disappoint you?” he asked her.

“No. You would be shocked if you knew what my preferred conveyance is,” she laughed, catching Airi's eye as the actress gave her nod.

“Mysterious as ever,” Tanner said, grinning as he closed the door behind her and moved over to the driver's side.

“Tanner,” Airi said, her tone low but firm. “Not a scratch, am I clear?” she asked him directly.

“Yes, miss Komiyama,” he confirmed her warning.

“That being said, she is a big girl,” added the actress, winking at him. He gave her a smile, opening the door and slipping into the car.

“Where to, Ritsu?” he asked as he cranked up the car. Ritsuko gave him the name of the restaurant and he nodded. “Excellent choice,” he said, shifting the car into drive and pulling away.

On the way to the restaurant, he and Ritsuko kept up their verbal dancing, Tanner finding he enjoyed being around Ritsuko more than the other starlets he had dated before. There is something very different about her, he thought. That thought brought to mind what his step-aunt had wanted him to do.

Before he had left to pick up Ritsuko, his step-aunt had asked - again! - what he had learned about her. He had repeated himself again. “She goes by the nickname Ritsu, she is friends with Airi but I see no indication they are lovers, she is athletic and smart, hates to lose and I don't think she is a virgin. Beyond that, I haven't learned anything about her or how she fits into with Airi. It seems like she and I are in comparable situations, in fact,” he said, checking his hair before adjusting his shirt and applying a little colone.

“There is more to it, I know it,” insisted his step-aunt. “That bitch Airi is up to something, just showing up out of the blue with her, having her live with her, and starting a project when she had said not three weeks before that she was not interested in any projects at the moment,” scowled his legal relative. “That dress she wore the awards was no ordinary dress, either,” she huffed.

“You know, you sound jealous,” Tanner said casually, checking his wallet. Cash, credit cards and condom were all there. He tucked it into his pocket, grabbing his smart phone and car keys. “Anyway, I gotta head out. I will be back later,” he said, smiling as he moved past his nominal employer on his way out of the bathroom.

“I want you to find out more, Tanner,” ordered the older woman. “I don't care how, but find out everything about her.”

“You make it sound like I am some gigolo,” he protested.

“So? Seduce her or fuck her stupid for all I care, so long as you get the information,” insisted his relative.

“I wouldn't mind doing that, but remember what I said: she's smart. I am sure she considers me an enemy because you and Airi are bitches to each other,” he warned as he hurried to the detached garage where his car waited him. “Anyway, don't wait up!” he said, laughing as he cranked up and headed out to pick up Ritsu.

Handing the keys to the valet, he put his hand on Ritsuko's lower back, steering her into the foyer of the restaurant. It was a Tex-Mex themed restaurant, straddling the line between fancy and fast food, with comfortable booths and tables, as well as a take-out counter to the side by the foyer. Tanner greeted the receptionist, who smiled at him and greeted him by name, making Ritsuko sure that the blonde at the small podium was used to seeing Tanner there.

“I'm looking for a table or booth for two,” Tanner said. “What have you got and how long?” he asked after a short exchange of greetings between him and the girl working the table book. She scanned the page.

“There is a booth in smoking,” began the blonde.

“Non-smoking,” Ritsuko said firmly, Tanner glanced at her but nodded.

“Non-smoking, looks like about a twenty minute wait for a table, maybe thirty or forty for a booth,” the blonde replied.

“I think a booth is what we would prefer,” Tanner replied, glancing at Ritsuko, who shrugged. “Anyone I know here tonight?” he asked her. She glanced at Ritsukos again.

“None of your ex's, anyway,” she smiled. Ritsuko didn't react. “But Patrick is here, table for three in smoking, and Carmine has a reservation in an hour,” the blonde girl said. “New girlfriend?” she asked archly.

“No, though not for lack of him trying,” Ritsuko replied, her tone still pleasant and casual. “Scooter here lost a bet, that's all,” she added. The blonde giggled.

“Scooter?” she asked, grinning at Tanner.

The man shrugged. “It would appear so,” he responded. “Ritsu, Trish. Trish, Ritsu. She's a friend of miss Komiyama,” he added.

“Is she now? Wow,” Trish breathed, reaching into a small basket by the podium before fiddling with a small item. Satisfied with what she was seeing, she handed it to Tanner. “Here,” she said.

“Thanks, Trish,” Tanner replied, tucking the item into his shirt pocket. “We can wait in the bar or on the benches,” he said to Ritsuko, guiding her away from the receptionist with the hand on the small of her back.

“Bench,” Ritsuko said. Tanner did as asked, finding them an available bench just past the entrance to the restaurant, the two sitting down. Ritsuko checked her phone, sending a quick text to Airi as she did so. “So, you usually bring dates here,” she said, tucking her phone away.

“Also friends,” he mildly defended himself.

“Given the remarks made by Trish, you have dated a lot of girls. I surmise they are starlets or rock girls, or similar,” Ritsuko said, her tone smooth and slightly sharp.

“Some were,” Tanner replied. “Disappointed?” he asked her, smiling at her playfully.

“Hardly,” Ritsuko dismissed it. “It tells me a lot about you, your habits and your history,” she smiled a bit sharply at her. “Fair warning,” she said before he could frame a reply, “I have no interest in drama from or about ex's. This turns into a romcom, I am out.”

“I don't like drama from ex's any more than you do,” he assured her. “I do my very best to make it clean when ending a relationship. How about you? Pretty sure you have ex's of your own,” he probed.

“My ex's will never cause problems,” Ritsuko said, briefly thinking of Shinji.

Tanner filed that away. The two waited to be called, still playing their little verbal chess game. Before they knew it, the beeper went off and they headed in to be seated. The two found themselves in a cozy booth that was likely for four people, but it would be a bit close for four. It was tucked in the corner of `L' shaped non-smoking area, with large potted plants - real, Ritsuko determined - bracketing it and mostly hiding it from direct view of most of the room. There was a staff door past the plants, and the wall to the other side was straight, with no booths or tables crowding it because of the shape of the room.

Their waitress appeared, and again, Tanner seemed to know her. He greeted her by name, the two exchanging a few moments of casual talk. Ritsuko heard him ask if she had gotten the role he had mentioned to her, and she had said she auditioned, but hadn't heard anything yet. Tanner encouraged her to keep her spirits up - it sometimes took time for the studios to decide if they would offer a role, even for a minor role. Ritsuko scanned the menu as they talked, and by the time they were done in less than two minutes, she had her order picked out and placed it immediately. Tanner did the same from memory, the girl confirming and heading off.

“You know a lot of people here,” Ritsuko noted, sipping on her water. “Are you looking to become a producer or director?” asked the elf hunter.

“No, not at all,” he denied. “I am actually saving up money as fast as I can so I can become a cruiser full-time,” he said, as if it were a secret. Ritsuko studied him.

“You did say if you won, you wanted me to go sailing with you,” she mused. “So, you must have a boat,” she stated.

“Yeah. I bought one used five years ago, and have spent the last five years working on it. I have done a lot of the work myself, but I have also had a lot professionally done. She is ready to start cruising, but I have been doing some day sailing and a few over-nights to get in practice, and you really need a bankroll to cruise full time, so I am building capital as fast as I can.”

“By working for your step-aunt,” stated Ritsuko. He shrugged.

“Zero living costs, reasonably easy work, excellent pay, so yeah. Aren't you doing the same thing with Airi?” he asked. Ritsuko laughed.

“You haven't a clue,” was all she said. “So, you planning to be a bachelor sailor out for the next party or what?” she cut off any attempt at a reply.

“Well, maybe,” he replied. “Right now, I don't have any friends interested in doing full-time cruising, but solo sailing is pretty rough. I wouldn't mind a friend or two joining me,” he shared.

“Let me guess, the starlets are all looking to be actresses?” Ritsuko stated. He shrugged.

“Most of them, yeah. Dani likes day sailing, but she doesn't really feel comfortable over-nighting if it is out of sight of land. Sharron gets sea-sick too easily, and Amber…”

“So you are looking for a bikini crew,” Ritsuko snorted.

“Don and Jeff usually come day sailing with me and Dani if their schedules work out,” he defended himself. “But, yeah, I'd rather look at scantily-clad girls than scantily-clad guys,” he grinned, getting a laugh from Ritsuko.

“Of course you would,” she snickered. “How big is your boat, if you are taking three people day sailing?” she asked. The red-head could tell she had asked the right question just by his expression.

“She's a classic blue water cruiser, forty two foot, cutter rigged. I have her set up for minimal handling so I can sail her alone, though it is easier with at least one other person,” he began, clearly excited to talk about his boat. Ritsuko suspected she would sound that way about her hobbies, too. She let him talk, making mental notes as he did.

Their food arrived, and they enjoyed their meal, Ritsuko finding the food to be very good and plentiful. Tanner took care of the check, and once he got the receipt back, he suggested they find a movie to watch. Ritsuko had agreed, ducking into the bathroom before joining Tanner outside as the valet brought Tanner's car up. Ritsuko gave him the name of the place Airi had recommended, and he once more commended her on her choice.

The place where they ended up was an older-style movie theater, not very crowded, clean and calm. Ritsuko made a mental note to thank Airi for her recommendations. They had picked a movie, gotten tickets and enjoyed the movie. Ritsuko didn't say anything when Tanner put his arm around her shoulders, nor when he took her hand in his.

When the movie finished, Ritsuko once more hit the bathroom before finding Tanner waiting for her by the exit. He had suggested they take a walk before calling it a night, and she had agreed. The young man had driven them to a beach, and they had walked on the sand as the very last of the sun dropped below the horizon. Tanner kept her hand in his as they walked. Stopping for a bit, the young man had slid his arm around her waist. Ritsuko was debating if she wanted to say something or not, but chose not to.

Almost before she knew it, she was making out with him, his hands on her ass as he held her hips tight to his. After a good fifteen minutes, he had eased back. “Do you want to see my ship?” he asked her. “It is not too far from here, at the marina,” he added. She could feel his dick throbbing against her lower belly, as well as how damp her panties were.

“Sure,” she said, breathing a bit fast.

Tanner reluctantly let go of her ass, grabbing her hand and nearly jogging down the beach, which made Ritsuko snicker softly. Reaching his car, he had almost hurried her into the passenger seat before jumping in and cranking up. True to his word, he pulled into a marina less than three blocks from where he had parked his car by the beach. He once more took her hand and led her toward the gated pier access, using a card to open the gate.

With the ease of practice, he led her down the pier, onto another, then to a slip on a finger. He confidently stepped aboard a fiberglass sail boat that was tied the dock, offering his hand to her. She touched his hand, but hopped aboard on her own without assistance, landing in the cockpit of the boat. He was smiling eager at her. “Well, here she is,” he said. Ritsuko looked around at what she could see of the boat. Tanner unlocked a passage cover, reaching inside and a moment later, lights came on in the cockpit and from inside the boat.

“Not bad,” Ritsuko said, assessing the boat. She was no sailor, true, but she judged the boat to be in good shape, and appeared to be cared for. Leaning over, she looked for the boat's name.

“She's the Sea Chase,” Tanner replied, as if he could tell what she was looking for. “I can give you a tour,” he offered. Ritsuko looked around the cockpit and over the deck. The sails were stacked in a cloth pack of some sort, all the lines were neatly coiled, and the boat appeared clean. Looking down the hatch, she saw a mix of dark wood, light paint and some polished brass and chrome. She shifted her legs, her panties feeling distinctly damp.

“If you want,” she answered, pulling out her phone and swiftly sending a text. Tucking her phone away, she followed Tanner down into the cabin area. Tanner had swiftly shown her around, telling her about the layout, fittings, materials and the like with obvious passion. In the front berth, she spotted the bed was not quite made, and a bit of color caught her attention. Curiously, she reached down and pulled out the brightly-colored cloth, finding it to be a skimpy lace and cotton thong. Seeing Tanner's expression, she laughed.

“Somehow, I don't think these are yours,” she giggled, twirling the tiny garment around a finger.

“No, of course not,” he replied, sounding a bit nervous. “I think Dani left those last time she was sailing with me,” he offered.

“Dani? The one who only day-sails? Why would she leave her panties in a barely-made bed if she only day-sails?” challenged Ritsuko, grinning an evil grin. Spreading the panties out a little she hummed. “Seems a little large for her, too,” she added.

“It might have been Sharron's,” he tried again.

“You've had so many girls on board you don't know who left their panties?” she asked, her gaze amused. Tanner managed to grab the panties.

“I'll just put them somewhere,” he almost mumbled. Ritsuko smirked, but let it go. The rest of the tour was quick. Her teasing him seemed to have cooled him a little. Ritsuko settled on the bench by the small table, leaning back comfortably against the wall. Tanner glanced at her, noticing that the position and lighting accented her hard nipples. “Um, do you want a drink? I have some beer, some soda and some water,” he offered her, hand going to the door to the refrige.

“Water,” Ritsuko said, receiving a cold bottle of water. Cracking the top, she sipped. “Not bad, Tanner,” she said, indicating the boat. “So you want to cruise. Where do you want to go?” she asked. Tanner joined her on the bench.

“I'm planning to do some coastal until I get a bit more experience,” he said. “I have more or less decided I am going to head south, to Mexico, then work down to Panama, then maybe Ecuador, Peru and possibly Chile, depending. I am pretty good with Spanish, having grown up in L.A.,” he said. “I don't think I want to try sailing around the tip of South America until I get a lot more experience, so I was thinking of heading out toward the islands, maybe French Polynesia, Tonga, Maybe Palau or the Solomon Islands. Depending on the season, I might either head for New Zealand or Indonesia for the typhoon season. If I am in New Zeland, I would probably cut back up and over to catch northern Australia, but if I end up in Australia, I would probably go south, hit the western coast, then move up into the Indian ocean, Thailand, the Maldives, then hit Madagascar, Africa, round the cape, hit the west coast spots. Again, depending on the time, either up to the Med and Europe, or over to Brazil and up to the Caribbean.”

“So you plan to circumnavigate the globe,” mused Ritsuko. “Ambitious,” she noted. “You will need some help. Also, it is more fun to do things as a group. How many languages do you speak?” she asked casually. Tanner smiled.

“Three,” he smiled, arm back around her shoulders. She let him guide her closer to his side. “English, Spanish and French; well, I can usually make myself understood in French,” he admitted. “You speak at least three that I know of,” he noted.

“Do I?” she asked, smiling playfully.

“I know you speak English without a real accent, I have it on good authority that you speak Japanese - and that is probably your native language - and you speak another language no one can identify,” he said, smiling at her. “I have sources,” he added smugly.

“Do you now?” she laughed. “At least you can probably start with just the languages you can speak. Wouldn't hurt to have someone who can speak languages you can't. How are you set up for skills? You said you did some of the restoration work yourself. Can you patch fiberglass? Repair a broken engine? Stitch a sail? Treat wounds? Perform maintenance on systems? Blacksmith parts in a self-built forge?” Ritsuko asked, genuinely curious. Her experience had taught her things that no normal person would even think of learning.

“Hey, I am modifying the electronics on this ship even now,” he protested. “I may not be a professional fiberglass layer, but I have done a lot of the work on this ship. I am a fair hand with mechanical systems, and I have a good set of reference books and tools.”

“Hmm,” hummed Ritsuko, sipping her water. “What do you plan to do at these places you visit?” she asked.

“Hike, dive, explore - the usual,” he shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” Ritsuko dismissed the topic, thinking of her time in other dimensions. “Do you dive?” she asked.

“Got my scuba certification last year, and have been free diving for years. This tan is not a tanning bed tan,” he bragged.

“Yes, I saw the tan lines,” snickered Ritsuko. Tanner twitched at that remark.

“So, um, did you like seeing the tan lines?” he asked. “I noticed you didn't have any,” he added, his voice lower as he leaned closer.

“Not bad,” she replied, allowing him to draw her into a kiss. The make-out session gained speed fast. What seemed like moments later, Ritsuko was throwing off her sundress, leaving her in panties before she impatiently shoved them off as well, Tanner pulling off the last of his clothes as they nearly fell onto the bed in the V-berth. While Tanner explored her breasts with his hands and lips, she worked her hands down between them, one briefly touching her groin, unsurprised to find she was already very wet. Her other hand closed around his hard dick, exploring it.

He's bigger than Shinji, I think, though that only makes sense, part of her thought, stroking his length. He feels good, she smiled as Tanner sucked on her nipples, getting a soft moan from her. Again, part of her couldn't help but compare him to Shinji. The memories of her times with Shinji got her hotter. Tanner moved down, kissing her tight belly as he went, making her giggle a little. Reaching her hips, he glanced up at her. Ritsuko spread her legs, smiling a hungry smile at him.

Tanner fixed his gaze on the exposed sex of Ritsu, licking his lips. “Wow,” he murmured.

“Thanks,” breathed Ritsuko, “but are you going to just look all night?” she nearly demanded. Tanner brought a hand to her puffy lower lips, gently spreading them. It was very obvious that she was ready, given how she was all but dripping. Leaning in, he swiped his tongue over her slit, getting a horny shriek from her, her thighs clamping against his head for a moment.

“Sensitive?” he asked playfully once her legs had relaxed enough for him to move his head back from her twitching sex.

“Shut up and fuck me,” Ritsuko nearly growled. Tanner began to slide up between her legs.

“As you wish, Ritsu,” he grinned at her. A hand met his chest firmly.

“Condom,” she commanded, having remember that this was not Shinji she was with, and pregnancy was a risk. Tanner blinked.

“Right,” he breathed, scrambling to find his wallet. Ritsuko watched for a few moments before maneuving to the foot of the bed, grabbing her purse and fishing out a condom.

“Here,” she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him to the bed. She swiftly ripped the package open with one hand and her teeth, extracting the condom before spitting the wrapper aside, her other hand holding his dick firmly, slowly pumping it. She swiftly put the condom on him, making sure it was correctly fitted before pushing him back on the bed, climbing on top of him.

Tanner had had some aggressive girlfriends before. In fact, Dani could be pretty aggressive when she was horny, but Ritsu was an entirely different matter. Seeing her straddle his hips, one hand holding his dick steady, the other spreading herself open, he could only grin stupidly. Ritsuko positioned herself and sank down, moaning as she did so. It only took her three strokes before she was fully impaled on him. Tucking her legs under herself, she leaned forward a little, hands on his chest, and began to ride him.

“God,” gasped Tanner, grabbing her hips. Ritsuko was going to town on him, and he couldn't believe how incredible it felt. He watched her breasts bounce, Ritsu's head thrown back, eyes closed as she made soft sounds and gasps. Nearing his climax far too soon for his liking, he moved his hands to her breasts, grabbing them and gently squeezing them and teasing her hard nipples. “Ritsu!” he groaned, managing to sit up and wrap his arms around her. Her head lowered, and she locked lips with him, kissing him hungrily.

Teetering on the brink, Tanner managed to twist them around so he was on top of Ritsuko, who locked her legs around his hips, even as she kept rolling her hips. Tanner swiftly began to thrust hard into her, one hand grabbing a breast and firmly pinching a nipple. Ritsuko twitched and jerked under him as he did that, Tanner holding himself still as he blew his load. After several moments, both of the young adults slowly relaxed, tanner managing to get half-off Ritsuko once her leg lock relaxed. Breathing hard, he looked at Ritsu, who was breathing deeply, but not very hard, a smile on her flushed face.

“Mm, not bad,” she murmured. Both of them were lightly sheened in sweat.

“I aim to please,” he managed, making her giggle.

“I said `not bad', not `that was great',” she replied archly. Her hand found his softening dick, stripping off the condom and one-hand tying the base before tossing it aside. It had a pretty sizeable load in it from what she had felt. Her hand went back to his dick, gently stroking it as she checked for any signs of life. “Don't suppose you have another one in you?” she asked, smiling hungrily at him.

“For you? I will find one,” he managed, chuckling a little. Ritsuko hummed, shifting out from under him.

“I will help you,” she murmured, changing her position so she was kneeling at the foot of the bed. With a foot, she caught her purse, grabbing another condom and setting it nearby before putting her purse back on the floor. Prepared, she glanced at him before leaning forward, engulfing his dick with her mouth. Ugh, the spermicide tastes terrible. I miss not needing condoms, she thought, pushing the thought aside as she worked on him. She could already feel signs of life from his dick, and that was what she was looking for. After about six minutes of oral attention, he was hard again.

Letting his once-more-hard dick slip out of her mouth, she grabbed the condom and slipped it on him. “Found it, now what should we do with it?” she grinned at him.

“Allow me,” Tanner said, grabbing her arm and pulling her up onto the mattress, where he positioned her on her belly as he moved behind her. Lifting her hips, he got positioned before pushing the tip of his wrapped dick against her warmed-up entrance. “Ready?” he asked her.

“Mm,” she nearly purred. Tanner pushed forward, bottoming out in one stroke, sighing in pleasure as he was once more enveloped in her tight, slick channel. He began to build a steady rhythm in her, much to her enjoyment. As Ritsuko was nearing her second orgasm of the night, she felt him lean forward, catching her arms and pulling on them. The change in angle sent her over the edge, a very deep and strong orgasm sweeping through her.

As she came back down, she felt him once more shift them so she was laying on her side, one of her toned legs hugged to his chest as he pounded into her. She found the new position didn't stimulate her as much, but it must be doing something for him, so she let it go, gradually reaching toward another orgasm. Feeling him began to lose tempo, and being near her third orgasm, she kicked her leg free, rolling on his dick so she was on her face again, though her hips were lower than before. Tanner lunged forward to lay against her back as she arched her hips up and spread her knees as wide and as far forward as she could, opening herself to him.

“Ritsu!” he groaned, arching his back as he fired his second load. Feeling the condom swell in her as his dick twitched against her sheath, Ritsuko had a very nice third orgasm for the night. Tanner was panting harshly as he went limp on top of her. Ritsuko caught her breath as the last of her orgasm rolled through her. After several minutes, she used an arm and leg to heave him off her, the young man rolling onto his back as his semi-soft dick pulled out of her. Ritsuko saw he was still breathing hard and was sweaty. Again, she pulled the condom off him, tying it off before tossing it somewhere near where the other one should be.

Catching her breath, she felt her energy rising. Smiling a little, she leaned over him, giving him a kiss. “Thanks, Tanner,” she said. “Now let's get cleaned up - you need to get me back before midnight,” she smiled at him.

“What happens if I don't?” he asked her, sounding half tired, half curious. “Does Airi turn into a pumpkin?” he teased.

Ritsuko leaned over him so she could look him in the eyes. “No, Tanner,” she said firmly. “I turn into a dragon and burn the city down,” she stated calmly. Tanner blinked, considering her expression and the look in his eyes.

“You are kidding me,” he nearly asked. Ritsuko's expression didn't change.

“You can try it and see, but happens will be on you,” she stated, expression not changing. With that said, she got off the bed, stretching like a cat before grabbing her purse, sundress and panties. Moving into the saloon, she pulled a small pack of wet wipes from her purse and swiftly cleaned herself up, smiling a little as she found she was soaked to her knees. Once she was satisfied that she was clean enough, she stepped into her panties, only to take them back off, since they were far wetter than she had thought. A moment of rummaging in the galley produced a plastic zip-lock bag, and she put her panties in it before tucking it into her purse. With that done, she wiggled back into her sundress before turning to look at Tanner, who had managed to sit up. “Come on,” she urged him, checking her phone.

“I'm coming,” he managed, yawning. Man, Dani, Sharron and Amber together have nothing on her, he thought. He was used to the girls he slept with resting with him, but Ritsu seemed to have absorbed the energy he spent, and didn't seem inclined at all to cuddle or sleep the night with him.

“You already did twice,” laughed Ritsuko. “You need to be going,” she teased him. He scratched his head as he yawned again. Ritsuko pulled out her pack of wet wipes again, grabbing one and stepping back to the V-berth. Using the wet-wipe, she swiftly cleaned his soft dick off before spotting the two condoms and using the wet-wipe to pick them both up. In the galley, she tossed the condoms into the small trash can. “Tanner? Get dressed,” she ordered him. Tanner managed to pull on his pants and shirt. By the time he had, Ritsuko was on deck, in the cockpit, phone in hand.

“You are a slave driver, Ritsu,” he said as he secured his boat. While he did that, Ritsuko had easily hopped over to the dock.

“Yeah, yeah,” she ignored his words and tone, still looking at her phone. Tanner wondered what she was doing on her phone, but as he started to drift closer, Ritsuko blanked the screen and tucked it away. Grabbing his hand, she led him unerringly back to his car. “You going to fall asleep before you get me back home?” she asked evenly, eyeing him.

“I'll be fine,” he insisted. Ritsuko frowned.

“Uh huh. Keys,” she demanded, holding out her hand.

“Do you have a license?” he asked.

“Keys,” warned Ritsuko. After a moment of thought, he handed them over. She got into the car and cranked it up. Tanner was tense for the first ten minutes or so, but seeing how she drove, he relaxed, yawning again. By the time they were half-way back, Ritsuko saw he was asleep. He didn't wake up until they entered Airi's driveway. Stopping the car in front of the house, Ritsuko put it in park and released her seatbelt. Seeing him blinking at her, she lightly slapped his cheek a couple of times. “I will get you a cup of coffee for the road,” she said. “I had fun tonight, Tanner,” she added, exiting the car and nearly scampering into the house. By the time Tanner had gotten behind the wheel of his car, she was back, with a Styrofoam cup of hot coffee in hand. She handed the cup to him, which was capped and had a straw in it. “Drive safe,” she said, leaning into kiss him briefly before waving over her shoulder as she headed back into the house, phone once more in hand, though she seemed to be talking to someone.

“Didn't expect the night to go like this,” mumbled Tanner. After a long sip, he set the cup in the cup holder, fastened his seatbelt and headed toward his step-aunts house.

-

“Airi, is it ok if Mom and Misa stay here for a week? They want to come visit over the holiday week,” Ritsuko said at breakfast.

“Of course,” Airi replied. “We are just working on script revisions right now, and the studio has not committed yet, so the producer is focused on getting a commitment from them. It is really a good time for them to visit,” she said.

“Thanks, Airi,” Ritsuko said, sending a couple of texts.

“But is this going to interfere with your dates with Tanner?” Airi asked, smiling.

“I told you, we aren't dating,” Ritsuko said. “We just hang out when we can.”

The morning after her `date' with Tanner, Airi had casually said she looked much calmer and happier. This had been an opening salvo in her merciless grilling about what they had done. Ritsuko had not bothered to play coy, and told her about the night, including sleeping with Tanner.

That frank admission had resulted in Airi asking her how she felt about being sexually active again. Ritsuko had frowned as she considered that question. Her response had not been what Airi had expected. “It felt good, but not like with Shinji,” she had said at last.

“How so?” Airi had asked.

“I don't know, exactly, but even though I got several orgasms out of it, it was not like with Shinji. It didn't feel as good in a physical sense, but it is more than that. I don't know, I can't really explain it, Airi,” she said.

“What was different about it physically?” Airi asked in turn.

“Well, Tanner is bigger, but that only makes sense, given his age and race,” Ritsuko replied, “but aside from that, he didn't feel as good as Shinji. I guess you could say that it felt more like a dildo than a dick, if that makes sense. I mean, yeah, he was wearing a condom which Shinji never needed to, but even setting that aside, it wasn't as good as with Shinji.”

Airi considered that information. “Have you told him who you really are? Or about the missing four years? Or elves? Maybe about what our relationship really is?” she asked.

“Of course not!” scoffed Ritsuko.

“Because you still classify him as hostile?” she asked.

“He works for an enemy, Airi,” stated Ritsuko, frowning a little. “God, I am turning into a slut, aren't I? Sleeping with an enemy agent just because I am horny…”

“You are hardly a slut, Rit-chan,” Airi assured her. “But, back to the point, can you honestly say you trust him? Emotionally, most of all?”

Ritsuko was quiet for a long moment. “I don't know,” she admitted at last.

“There is your answer, then, Rit-chan,” Airi said. Ritsuko sighed in frustration. “Do you like him?” asked the actress. Ritsuko frowned.

“Well, yeah, in some ways,” she answered slowly. “He is not a jerk, idiot or `player' as they say around here. He is actually fun to be around most times, and he handles himself well,” she thought aloud.

“So you assured me,” purred Airi, getting a blink from Ritsuko.

“Pervert,” sighed the teen, which Airi ignored. “I meant he can keep up with me in our little mind game, which is pretty rare,” she noted. “If only he didn't work for an enemy,” she mused.

“I know you could seduce him away from that shrew in one minute flat,” Airi stated, “so what is really holding you back?”

“I…I already know what he wants and what I want for the future are not compatible. So, it's better not to go down that road,” she said quietly.

“Ritsuko, your future is entirely in your hands. If you want him, you can change your future to be compatible with his,” Airi stated. “Shinji and the others risked everything to secure their own future, and he wanted you to come home to your parents and your world so you would have a future as well. Whatever you decide to do, we will all support you and be proud of you.”

Ritsuko had not said anything for a long moment. “That's the problem - I don't think I want him that much, Airi.”

That had been a couple of months ago. Since then, Ritsuko had had a few more dates with Tanner, both as a couple and as a group with some of his friends. She had gone on a weekend sail with him, Dani, Jeff, Amber and Don to Catalina, where they had spent two days hiking, diving and exploring before sailing back.

She had gone to visit some national and state parks for hiking, off-roading and general exploring, once more with friends. Ritsuko had met a couple more friends of Tanners on these expeditions, and found she got along with them well enough, though Dani was the one she got along best with. Tanner's friends were ok, but many of them had habits she didn't like. Some were smokers, some were drug users, one was already a borderline alcoholic, all but one were tattooed or pierced or both, they all had goals she didn't have any interests in, all except Tanner focused on Hollywood or the recording business.

Of course her own friends in Japan - as well as her family - had somehow gotten a few pictures of her with him, and they all pounced on her, though in their own ways. Her friends were all over her about her gaijin boyfriend, Misato was always wanting to know when she could meet her brother-in-law, and her mother was asking about their compatibility. Her father was more focused on rather or not this `punk' had a stable job and could provide for her properly.

Ritsuko had born up under the relentless assault surprisingly well, though she tended to return fire quite freely and sometimes harshly. Not that it mattered - her friends and family could take what they dished, after all, and they knew Ritsuko's personality. Ritsuko freely shared pictures of the places she had been and sometimes of the group she was with, though not frequently. Her phone had gotten to the point where she had to offload some pictures. She had ended up using a cloud storage service for that, as well as an offline backup.

She and Airi were often busy with meetings and managing the `scene' as Airi called it. Airi also continued to work with her on acting and dancing and singing, which she appreciated but was not enthralled with. Still, being stubborn and hating to lose, she had focused on doing her best to learn what Airi was teaching her. It was a sign of her respect for Airi that she did this, and Airi knew it. The two had come to like their morning exercise as it gave them time to talk and relax as they exercised. Airi was fully back to her `fighting weight' and was planning to keep it that way, while Ritsuko maintained her athletic, slim build she had gotten in the elf world.

Before Ritsuko knew it, she was greeting her mom and Misato at the airport, and taking them back to Airi's house. Misato had been all excited, while Eri had been more focused on her daughters. Arriving at Airi's house, Misato had been formally introduced to Airi in her real identity, as in Germany, Airi had been disguised and playing the role of the imaginary `Doctor Horaki'. Misato knew who Airi was, and was pretty star-struck by the famous actress.

Settling the guests in rooms - Misato next to Ritsuko's room and Eri across the hall - Airi and Ritsuko had been sidetracked by a call from the producer that turned into a conference call with the studio he was courting, and it took far too long wrangling with them. It ended in a draw, the studio still not committed, but definitely interested. After the studio people had dropped off the call, Airi and her producer friend had talked shop a little longer, strategizing about the next move as well as Airi laying down the law about items she would absolutely not compromise on, and if the studio didn't like it, they would re-shop the project; and Airi insisted that the producer make it very clear to the studio that that was set in stone.

After they got off the call, Ritsuko saw she had missed a call from Tanner. She had been using the `gift' phone she got to do all communication with Tanner, since she kept her personal phone for her private life. She found Misato and her mom eating a meal that Rosita had prepared. Hitting Tanner back, she learned he wanted to set up another date. He had come into possession of some exclusive tickets for a sold-out premier, and wanted to take her. The show was that night, in a few hours. Ritsuko had asked him how many tickets he had gotten. When he asked why, she said family was in town and she wanted to spend time with them. Tanner had said he had obtained four tickets.

So, a few hours later, Eri and Misato met Tanner in person. He had obviously been aiming to charm them, and he had succeeded by most measures. Ritsuko had been glad that Misato and her mom spoke English proficiently. She had explained to her mom the little game she and Tanner were playing while they were getting ready, and she had told Misato that she needed to be careful about what she told Tanner about her big sister, as she was teasing him. The group had settled in for the premier in reserved seats. Tanner and Eri were at the ends, with Misato and Ritsuko between them.

The movie had been ok, but wasn't really Ritsuko's taste. Knowing that her family being there was cock-blocking Tanner, she had teased him with light touches at random times in the movie, giggling silently at his reactions. He had managed to get a few touches in himself, but was clearly worried about being caught doing anything by Misato, who was right next to her big sister.

After the movie, Tanner had offered to give them a tour since Misato was nearly bouncing off the walls with excitement of being in Hollywood. Eri had said she was ok with that if he didn't mind. So, Tanner played guide to them, working along the district, sharing little bits of history and stories from the sites he knew. Misato had wanted to find Airi's star, and when she did, she wanted a picture with it. So Ritsuko had snapped a few pictures of Misato with the star. Near the end of the tour, as they were about to head back toward the theater, Ritsuko's attention was captured by a small group. Excusing herself, she moved over the group.

“Does she know them?” Tanner asked the other two.

“Japanese tourists,” Eri said. “Ritsu is likely asking if they need help,” she predicted. She knew her daughter, after all. Seeing Ritsuko speak with them for a moment, then gesture to Tanner, Eri smiled. “You are up, young man,” she said pleasantly. Tanner had hurried over. Eri's hand landed on Misato's shoulder as the junior high girl wanted her big sister. After a minute or so, the tourists had bowed to Ritsuko and moved off, Tanner waving to them as Ritsuko gave a small bow back.

“Yep, you are definitely a Japanese native,” Tanner was saying as they returned to the other two.

“You had already decided that before,” scoffed Ritsuko.

“But now I am sure,” he grinned at her. “Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into my hands, Ritsu,” he bragged. She snickered.

“Has it now?” she asked sweetly. “Are you sure I didn't do all that just to make you think your initial conclusion was right so you wouldn't know it wasn't?”

Tanner considered that. “You would do something like that, wouldn't you, Ritsu?” he sighed.

“Oh, absolutely,” purred Ritsuko, smiling pleasantly. Tanner studied her for a long moment.

“Well, I am not buying it,” he stated firmly. “You are Japanese, I am sure of it,” he pronounced.

“If that makes you feel better, you can tell yourself that all you like,” Ritsuko giggled. “I'm getting hungry, let's go,” she said, her arm draping over Misato's shoulders. “What are you hungry for, Misa?” she asked. “Tanner is treating us, aren't you, Tanner?” she grinned.

“Ritsu,” chided her mother, but didn't argue.

“It doesn't look like I have a choice,” he replied, his tone cavalier. “How about we find a taco cart?” he suggested.

“Nice try,” Ritsuko replied, “but with jet lag, they need a proper meal,” she said. “Sit-down, not to snooty, with good food and not a shutterbug joint,” stipulated Ritsuko. “I trust you know of such a place?”

“Yes, actually,” he confirmed. “But it is not here,” he added, tossing his head. “Please allow your poor servant to be of use, oh great and fearful Lady Ritsu,” he hammed it up, getting a laugh from Ritsuko.

“It is pleasing to know you know your place, knave,” she replied arrogantly as she followed him, arm still around Misato's shoulders, her mother just behind her.

“Knave? I have been promoted, then,” Tanner teased back.

“From what?” Misato asked, cutting into the conversation. Tanner grinned wide, opening his mouth.

“Answer that and you are done, Tanner,” Ritsuko warned, her tone cool and sharp.

“Sorry, I have been silenced by Lady Ritsu, Miss Misato,” he said instead. Misato pouted.

“What was he going to say, Ritsu?” she asked her big sister.

“I will tell you later,” Ritsuko said. Years later, if then, she left unsaid. Behind her, Eri smiled.

Tanner had driven them to a neighborhood adjacent to the one they had been in, arriving at a restaurant with a rather low-key d�cor for where it was. It was pretty busy, but Tanner managed to snag a spot without much trouble. He led them into the restaurant, requesting a table for four in non-smoking. They had an estimated wait of ten minutes, so they sat on the bench near the door. Ritsuko sniffed the air. “Barbeque?” she guessed.

“Good nose,” Tanner replied. “This is a sort of a fusion between Brazilian, Italian, Southern and Tex-Mex,” he explained. “It sounds weird, I know, but there is a pretty good overlap in those cuisines, and it actually works well.”

“I will give you the benefit of the doubt,” Ritsuko replied. The group was seated about twelve minutes later, and found the menu was as scattered as Tanner had said. Nevertheless, also as he had said, it actually worked. The group had enjoyed a good meal. The check was handled by Tanner, and shortly after, they had headed out, bound for Airi's house. Getting out of the car, Ritsuko had paused to lean over to Tanner, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek as her hand touched his chest. “Thanks, Tanner,” she said. “That is our share of the meal,” she said as she walked away, waving a hand. Feeling some paper against his chest, he found a folded fifty tucked half-way inside his button-down shirt. Blinking, he turned to call after Ritsuko, only to find the door already closed. Frowning, he put his car in gear and headed for his own home.

Ritsuko and Misato were having an animated talk in Ritsuko's bedroom, so Eri went looking for Airi, finding the actress in her den, curled up on the couch, reading a thick sheaf of paper, a marker and pen in her hands. She glanced up as Eri settled on the chair nearest to her. “How was your evening?” Airi asked, setting the paperwork aside.

“Enlightening,” Eri replied. “That Tanner boy is certainly something,” she noted.

“Yes, he is,” Airi replied.

“So, do you have any idea why Ritsu is keeping him at arm's length?” asked the mother of the young woman in question.

Airi sighed softly. “That is a complicated, long conversation,” she said, glancing around. “How about we have it somewhere less likely to be overheard?” she suggested, rising. The actress was wearing casual clothes, consisting of a peasant blouse and a mid-thigh loose skirt. Eri nodded, following the actress as she made her way to her wine cellar, selecting a bottle before moving through the kitchen, taking two wine glasses as she did so before moving upstairs, past the bedroom, where she paused to listen to the voices from Ritsuko's room before leading Eri to a small door, which she opened to reveal a small balcony. There was a bench in the corner of the shallow area, a bit of the framing making a small table near the bench.

Setting the glasses down, Airi poured some wine in each, corked the bottle and set it aside before locking the door behind them and sitting on the bench. Eri joined her, sipping her wine as Airi began to explain what was going on with Ritsuko's love life.

Hours later, Ritsuko and Misato were swimming in the pool at a bit past midnight. Jet lag had Misato wide awake and energetic. Ritsuko didn't mind humoring her. Misato had eagerly shown off her brand-new bikini. Ritsuko had just grabbed a bikini at random from her dresser. Misato - who had changed in Ritsuko's room - had been very happy to point out that her chest was almost as big as her big sister's. Ritsuko, knowing how big Misato would end up being, had just said that some women got luckier than others, adding a moment later that big tits had their own issues and left it at that. She was very happy with her breast size, after all.

She had tried to find Airi or her mom, but had not been able to locate either. As it was not an emergency, the two sisters had gone for a swim before laying on the lounge chairs. Ritsuko had taken the time to grill her little sister about school, social life, grades and hobbies as well as how she was doing as part of the family. She had also asked about Misato's father, which had gained her the knowledge that Misato thought something was up. When pressed, she had not had a firm answer for why she thought something was going on, but she said that her dad had not been acting normal; even for him. Ritsuko, dreading the answer, asked if he was going somewhere new. Misato had shrugged, saying last time she heard from him, he was still in Peru. He was no better at staying in touch with his daughter than he had been at raising her.

Some cross-questioning had revealed that Misato felt that something was going on in the group. Based on what she was told and what she was not told, she suspected that it was something to do with relationships between the four members of the group. Ritsuko recalled that Yui was probably in a relationship with Fuyutsuki and Kyoko was sleeping with Kaneda, so she was not sure what might be going on. Misato wasn't sure either, but both of them trusted her instincts.

By the time it was past one in the morning, Misato was finally ready to sleep, and Ritsuko had gotten her to her room and settled down. Yawning, Ritsuko headed for her own room, but stopped, seeing her mother watching her. She moved over to her mother, covering a yawn with one hand. “Hey, mom. Did you need something?” she asked curiously.

Eri reached out and caressed her daughter's cheek. “It can wait,” she said, smiling a little.

“Now is fine,” Ritsuko said. “Is something wrong?” she worried.

“I just wanted to know if you wanted to talk about your love life,” Eri said, making Ritsuko twitch. “Or maybe see if you wanted to ask any questions,” she added, smiling at Ritsuko.

“Oh,” breathed Ritsuko.

“And also talk about that Tanner boy,” added her mother. Ritsuko blushed just a little. “But, like I said, it can wait,” she dismissed the issue for now. “Have a good night's sleep, Ritsu, and just know that if you want to talk, or have questions, I am here any time,” she assured.

“I know, mom,” smiled Ritsuko, hugging her mom. “You and Airi have been incredible,” she murmured before releasing her mom, once more covering a yawn. “See you in the morning,” she added, moving to her room. Eri watched her go, sighing softly.

“This is going to be tricky, just like Airi said,” she murmured before moving to her room and picking up her phone. She swiftly sent a text to her husband before turning in for the night.

-

“What is on your mind, Ritsu?” asked Tanner, joining her by the small fire. The two were hiking in a national park, along with Amber and Don, who were busy in their tent. Ritsuko and Tanner had been busy as well earlier, but when Tanner had run out of stamina, Ritsuko had wet-wiped herself clean and left the tent, sitting by the small fire at their camp site.

“What makes you think anything is on my mind?” Ritsuko asked quietly.

“It's not like you usually sleep beside me after we have sex, but lately, you have been almost…distant. Something is on your mind. It has been for a while,” he noted. Ritsuko shrugged. Tanner waited.

“How close are you to having enough bank to cruise full-time?” Ritsuko asked minutes later. Tanner frowned.

“Well, pretty close, actually,” he admitted. “Don't suppose you are wanting to join me?” he asked.

“No,” Ritsuko answered without hesitation. “But you should ask Dani,” Ritsuko said quietly.

“Dani? She doesn't like overnight sailing…” began Tanner.

“Ask her,” insisted Ritsuko. “How short are you on your goal?” asked Ritsuko, changing the subject. Tanner frowned.

“Well, it is hard to say, but I had planned to have a certain amount in the bank as capital generating funds. There is a bit of uncertainty there, of course, but…”

“How. Short. Are. You?” Ritsuko asked clearly.

“I'm short about twenty grand from my optimal prediction,” he said, frowning. “Why are you asking?” he wondered. She did not usually talk about anything related to finances.

“Do you still want to be a sailor, roaming the seas?” Ritsuko asked him, locking gazes with him.

“Yes,” he replied. She nodded.

“Bit of advice for you, Tanner,” she said softly. “Chase your dreams while you can. You never know when life will kick your ass, or when you might lose the change or means to chase your dreams. Quit working for your step-aunt, ask Dani if she wants to cruise with you, untie the lines and chase your dreams. Live your life as hard as you can.”

Tanner frowned, trying to figure out her meaning. “You sound like an old person when you talk like that, Ritsu,” he said slowly.

“Do I?” snorted Ritsu. “Maybe I am,” she murmured.

“You are eighteen,” he stated. “I happened to look in your passport a while back,” he grinned. Ritsuko knew when that had happened. They had ended up on his boat again, having day-sailed with Dani and Sherron, and she had ended up spending most of a night with him. She had gone into the cockpit to answer a call from Misato, and she had seen him trying to be sneaky about getting her passport out of her purse and looking in it. At the time, she had pretended not to notice.

“I know,” Ritsuko said, her tone even. “I watched you do it,” she added, a half-smirk on her lips. Tanner frowned.

“Was that a test?” he asked slowly. Ritsu nodded. “I have the feeling I failed it,” he added, looking at her uncertainly.

“Depends on what part,” Ritsu said, waving her hand. “It doesn't matter,” she dismissed the topic. “Let's just say that life experience is not bound by age, and leave it at that.”

Tanner considered that. “This is about your relationship to Airi, isn't it?” he stated more than asked.

“Yes,” Ritsu gave him an uncharacteristic straight answer. “And before you asked, no, you are no closer to the answer now than when we started this little contest. And also no, I won't tell you even now.”

“I am not surprised,” Tanner admitted. “You are the most guarded, most careful person I have ever met,” he admitted. Ritsuko giggled softly.

“I think that might be a compliment,” she replied.

“So, why are you telling me to head for open water and chase my dreams all of a sudden? What changed?” he asked.

“That is just it, Tanner, nothing changed and everything changed. I like you, I really do, but I don't love you. My life and yours are going separate directions, and it is not fair to either of us to tangle each other up when nothing will come of it. Pursue your dreams before you lose them, Tanner.”

“I have the feeling I am being dumped,” he said, not sounding very enthused.

“How can you be dumped when we were never dating?” Ritsuko asked, a bit of teasing in her tone. “Which is another issue, but doesn't need separate handling,” she admitted. Seeing his expression, she sighed softly. “Against my better judgement, I am going to tell you a little about myself,” she said. He focused on her. “As I am sure you are aware, I was not a virgin when we first had sex,” she said. “I fell in love, hard, with someone before. The details are not important and frankly are none of your business, but things happened and I will never be able to be with him. The take-away for you is that I still judge men by that standard, and it is a very high bar. It causes issues with my relationships.”

“It's not you, it's me?” Tanner asked.

“No, it is me,” Ritsuko said. “But it is also you, and circumstances, and our life goals.”

Tanner watched the fire for a bit. “Wow. I can honestly say this is a first for me,” he admitted. Ritsuko sighed softly.

“I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I tried to come up with a better way, but none of them seemed workable, so I decided to just be honest and make it quick. Sorry, but that is how life is sometimes,” Ritsuko said. They were hiking the last few miles back to the car in the morning.

“Could have been worse, I suppose,” Tanner finally replied.

“Trust me, it most certainly can be far worse than anything you can imagine,” Ritsuko said softly. Tanner instinctively knew that she was talking about whatever happened with her first love.

The two sat silently by the dying fire for another hour before Tanner silently went to the tent and turned in for the night. Ritsuko stayed by the fire all night, mind working. In the morning, they hiked back to the car, loaded up, and after dropping Amber and Don off at his car at the rest area they had met up at, Tanner had driven Ritsuko to Airi's house. She had told him to wait a minute, and gone inside. She returned a few moments later, handing him a check for twenty grand before kissing him and telling him to ask Dani if she wanted to join him and then hit the seas.

-

“You what?” Ritsuko asked, staring at Misato.

“I got a boyfriend,” her little sister said, fidgeting a little under her gaze. Ritsuko was at the family home, having come for a visit; and to check up on her prime targets. It had been five months since she had encouraged Tanner to chase his dreams, and three months since he and Dani had invited her to the boat. When she had shown up, they had announced they were sailing on the morning tide, and had thanked her for the encouragement. She had told them they shouldn't thank her - adventures were often painful and full of suffering. They had been very curious about that, but she had just shaken her head and told them they didn't need to know details, only that she spoke from experience. They had seen her scars and something about the flat certainty in her tone told them she was dead serious.

They had had a meal aboard the boat, and Ritsuko had ended up being a bit of a mother hen, going over checklists to make sure they were properly prepared. The two had not seemed surprised she was doing that, and they had even caught a few things they had missed as Ritsuko worked her way through the issues. It was late when they were done. Dani had offered to drive Ritsuko back home since Tanner needed to attend to a few small issues before the morning tide. During the ride to Airi's house, Dani had asked Ritsuko why she had basically bowed out. The blonde had stated that she knew that Ritsuko had won Tanner fair and even. Ritsuko had told her much the same thing that she had told Tanner at the camp fire, cautioning her that there was a lot ahead of them both and it would not be a cake walk all the time.

As she had gotten out of the sub-compact that Dani drove, she had asked what she was going to do with the car. Dani had said that it was a leased car, and the lease was up in a week, so she had asked a friend to turn it back in for her. Tanner had sold his own car, as they were not planning to be back for years. Ritsuko had smiled and wished them luck. With that, they had parted ways. Three weeks later, Airi had said that her producer friend had gotten commitment from the studio, and was in the process of finalizing the contracts.

So, it was a good time for her to visit her parents, as they would be busy soon. Ritsuko had flown back to Japan. She had not even been in the house for ten minutes before Misato had dropped the news she had a boyfriend.

“I see,” Ritsuko said, studying her younger sister. “And why did you get a boyfriend?” she asked.

“Because he is popular and cute and you have one,” began Misato.

“First of all, Tanner was never my boyfriend,” Ritsuko cut in. “Secondly, dating is not about the guy being popular or cute. This is not a social game,” sighed the older sister.

“It does matter if he is cute!” protested Misato. Ritsuko started to answer, then shook her head.

“Did you ask him, or did he ask you?” she asked instead.

“Um, well, a little of each?” Misato hedged.

“You made eyes at him and he asked, is that it?” Ritsuko interpreted. Misato fidgeted a little. “Who is he and what does he do?” asked Ritsuko, her tone mild.

“He's a third-year, and he is the manager of the soccer club,” Misato replied, sounding a bit dreamy.

“Manager? Not player or captain?” she asked.

“Manager,” confirmed Misato before frowning. “Why would you even ask?” she wondered.

“No reason,” Ritsuko dismissed the topic. “What is his name?” she asked.

“Kogokagi Reiji,” this time, Misato sighed. Ritsuko nodded absently.

“Describe him,” she commanded, mind busy. Misato did so. Ritsuko was frowning as she finished up. There had been some `bad boy' flags in there, like his (lightly) bleached hair, ear ring, incorrectly-worn uniform, tan and how he talked. Ritsuko knew that the other Misato had had a taste for bad boys; before Shinji, anyway - and one could argue that Shinji was a pretty bad boy himself at the end. “What do your girlfriends say about him? How about his ex's?” she asked.

“Why would I care about his ex's?” wondered Misato. “They are old news,” she smiled sharply.

“It matters because they can tell you what he is really like,” Ritsuko mused. “How many of them are there, anyway?” she asked.

“Not sure,” shrugged Misato, making her shirt jiggle. She had already known that Misato needed to go bra shopping again, as her growth continued. With her mom busy with a work project, she was going with Misato after school the next day. “Most of my girlfriends only talk about how hot he is and how popular.”

“And the ones that don't?” wondered Ritsuko.

“They just gossip about him, rumors from other years,” Misato dismissed the dissent.

“I see,” Ritsuko said. “What does he do, exactly?”

“What do you mean?” Misato asked, frowning in confusion.

“When he is not in class or managing the soccer club - whatever that means - what is he doing?” Ritsuko asked.

“He has a lot of friends, and he usually hangs out with them,” Misato replied.

“Are these friends from your school?” Ritsuko asked.

“Some are, some are from other schools, and some I don't know. Why the third degree?” Misato asked.

Ritsuko studied Misato for a long moment before making her decision. “It is what big sisters do,” she said. “When you are a bit older, I might explain to you why I am doing this,” she said, putting her hands on Misato's shoulder. “I want to ask you to trust me, Misa-chan. Can you do that?” she asked, looking Misato in the eyes.

Misato considered that for a long moment. “Ok, but only because you are my big sister,” she said at last. Ritsuko hugged Misato.

“Thanks, Misato,” she said softly before releasing the younger girl. “How about we make supper for mom and dad?” she suggested, getting a luke-warm response from Misato, though the purple-haired girl followed her into the kitchen. When her mom got home, she was greeted with her two daughters just finishing up the evening meal preparations. By the time her husband got home, it was ready to serve.

The four sat at the table, and it was a great evening for all of them. As the house only had two bedrooms, Ritsuko had planned to crash on the couch, but Misato had insisted she sleep in her room. With no particular reason not to, she accepted the invitation.

In the morning, Ritsuko dressed in casual clothes of a spaghetti-strap top, a mid-thigh skirt and a thin over-shirt, left unfastened. She had tennis shoes ready to go. Misato changed into her school uniform and the two quickly ate breakfast before they left. Misato had headed to her school, and after Ritsuko saw her into the school, she had cut over to her old high school, once more accessing her two observation points. Her friends were no longer in the Rat Bastard's class, so she wanted eyes-on recon of him and his whore, Akagi. She studied him for an entire class period, eyes glued to him through her powerful binoculars, assessing his body language, the reaction of the students, how the room moved and how he reacted to the students.

She made her way to the park OP where she checked on Akagi, finding the woman to be treating a student for some sort of minor mishap. Again, she studied Akagi closely, judging how she moved, what she did, how the injured student - a girl who looked like she was first year - reacted and as much body language as she could observe. Once the student was patched up and sent back to wherever she had been, Akagi had made some notes in the school records, put the supplies away, updated the supply log and then moved to the window. Cracking it open, she had pulled out a cigarette and lit up, leaning most of her body out the window as she smoked.

“Always with the rule breaking,” muttered Ritsuko. Smoking was not allowed in school except during specific times and places and only by the staff during those times and at those places. The nurse's office during class periods was not the time or place.

She studied Akagi - Ikari - carefully for most of the period. As she watched, she let her mind run through her plans and schedules and the like. When the next period started, she left the park, made a couple of stops in town then headed back toward her old school, phone in hand. She sent a text to a group of contacts, getting answers pretty quickly. Seeing the time, she window-shopped for about three quarters of an hour before stopping by a small restaurant she knew well and getting five take-out meals. With the containers secured, she ducked into a convenience store a half block down and grabbed some drinks. Supplies secured, she headed for her old school once more, reaching the gate as the bell for lunch period rang.

In very short order, she was handing the lunches to her friends through the gate. They had offered to leave the grounds, but she reminded them that that was a disciplinary violation, and she only needed to talk to them for a bit about `those two'. She didn't need to say who - they were all too aware of her distrust of the Ikaris. Her friends had moved to a spot they knew about and sat on a bench to eat the meals. Ritsuko, after checking carefully, swiftly climbed the wall, dropping next to the five and leaning casually against the wall. It was coincidence that her outfit was the same colors and mostly the same style as the uniforms at her old school. From a distance, she would look like a student, and the spot they were at couldn't be seen directly from any occupied classroom.

“So?” she asked softly, eyes moving as she checked each window that could see the group.

“So, nothing suspicious, like always,” Kaede said.

“Gendo isn't popular with the students or the staff. The staff thinks he has an attitude problem, and the students find him to be, well, an asshole,” Masumi shared.

“They have no idea how big an asshole he is,” snarled Ritsuko.

“Ritsuko, I mean, Akagi,” Atsuko corrected herself, “seems to be a competent nurse, but only a few students like her. Most find her to be cold and impersonal, and almost no students trust her. Usually, girls will confide in the nurse, right? Not her,” her friend reported.

“Smart move. They can sense how untrustworthy she is,” Ritsuko grunted.

“For all that, though, they have not done anything suspicious since they started. By the way, your little first-day stunt really put the screws to them,” Saeko noted. “Gendo went to complain to the principal after class, and Akagi did the same, but since you had withdrawn and were gone and hadn't physically done anything, they were pretty much told to suck it up and get back to work.”

Ritsuko smiled a nasty smile. “Scant pay-back, but I will take it,” she purred. “And it was your all's fault that I didn't get to end him,” she added darkly.

“I'm glad we stopped you from being a murderer,” replied Yuki.

“Years too late for that,” muttered Ritsuko. Her friends looked at her, but didn't say anything. “So, you should be studying for entrance exams,” she changed the subject.

“We are,” confirmed Saeko for them all.

“I am glad you are all going to college,” Ritsuko said, eyes sliding up to the sky.

“There is nothing stopping you from joining us,” noted Atsuko.

“Yes, there actually is,” Ritsuko said, but didn't elaborate. “You all aiming for the same college or going your own ways?” she asked, eyes on her friends. They exchanged looks. “Exactly,” said Ritsuko.

“Just because we are going to separate colleges does not mean we will not still be friends,” Kaede insisted.

“Certainly not, but as the small divergences grow, each of us will move further and further down our chosen paths, and before you know it, you will find yourself reminiscing about high school and the friends you made there, wondering where they are now and how it is possible that you haven't spoken with them in years,” she said quietly. “Family and life splits up even the closest of friends made in school,” she murmured, frowning.

“So, apparently, do being kidnapped by elves,” Masumi replied blandly.

“Also true,” shrugged Ritsuko.

“Are you and Airi going to grow apart?” wondered Atsuko.

“In time, probably,” Ritsuko said. “But the bond we have is not a school bond. It is…a different bond.”

“And you will becoming an actress like her, too,” Saeko said. Ritsuko sighed.

“Just for the project. I have no taste for acting, and I think I am starting to hate Hollywood with a passion,” she added.

“That can happen when you dump a hot boyfriend,” Kaede interjected.

“We were never dating, and he was heading elsewhere in his life, so I simplified mine,” Ritsuko said simply.

“That Tanner guy was hot, and you just tossed him,” huffed Atsuko.

“I would have given him to you horny girls, but you are still in school and he was half a world away. Besides, he would have been left-overs from me. Sure you want that?” grinned Ritsuko.

“Slut,” sniffed Saeko.

“Apparently,” Ritsuko said, frowning at some thought. “Anyway, I have things to do. Enjoy your lunch,” she said, turning to climb back over the wall.

“You are not running off yet,” Saeko stated, standing and grabbing Ritsuko's arm. “Tonight, nine pm, the usual place by the arcade. You and Misato. Attendance is mandatory!”

“I have things I need to do,” began Ritsuko.

“They can wait,” Kaede cut that off.

“Misato has homework,” tried the red-head.

“You can help her with it, and it will be done in no time,” Yuki denied that out.

“You all have entrance exams to cram for,” Ritsuko would not be denied.

“That is our business, not yours, and we are fine,” Masumi smiled.

“You cannot escape, Ritsu,” Saeko smirked at her.

“I will see if we can make it,” Ritsuko said, shaking off Saeko's hand and vanishing over the wall. Saeko sat back down to finish her meal.

“Her arm was toned like spring steel,” she shared with the others.

“Yeah. Did you see her abs when landed? Still six-pack city,” Kaede noted, absently touching her abs as she did a crunch. “How did she get her figure so tight without it becoming macho?” pouted the other girl.

The group finished their meals just a couple minutes before the bell. After tossing the trash, they hit the bathroom to clean up for the afternoon periods. When school let out, they texted Ritsuko, but didn't get an answer. Texting Misato, they got a short answer that she was shopping and would hit them up later.

In a shop some distance from the school, Ritsuko and Misato were in a lingerie shop, shopping for bras in Misato's ever-growing cup size. Misato was beginning to learn what Ritsuko had meant about big tits having issues all their own, as finding bras that fit her was getting harder as her tits grew bigger. But, they did succeed, eventually. They dropped by home, had the evening meal with their parents, and did Misato's homework.

They finished just in time to hurry to the karaoke place to meet their friends. Misato was developing a taste for karaoke, and the group stayed until midnight, at which point Ritsuko excused herself and Misato, and the others reluctantly broke up and headed to their homes.

The next morning, Misato cheerfully bid her family good-bye, hurrying off to school. Ritsuko had been lounging at the table in tee shirt and shorts, phone in hand and a pencil and pad at her elbow as Misato hurried off. As soon as her younger sister was gone, Ritsuko got up, cleared her dishes, changed into street clothes and settled her shoulder bag. Eri saw Ritsuko tucking her USP and some mags in her bag.

“Ritsu, what are you planning?” she asked, a little concerned.

“Just checking something, mom,” Ritsuko said, checking her appearance in the mirror before turning to see that her mom was still looking at her with a worried expression. “Honest, mom, I don't plan on needing it, but I have felt positively naked without it, and you never know, right? Anyway, I need to get going,” she said, pausing to hug her mom, who returned the hug. Then her oldest daughter was out the door. Sighing, Eri finished getting ready before heading into work. As she rode the train, she sent a text to Airi.

Ritsuko, meanwhile, was heading for the junior high where Misato went to school. Finding it, she had scouted the area. After working the perimeter, she started working on finding good vantage points. She knew her Misa-chan was supposed to meet with her new boyfriend after classes, and wanted to be in a good overwatch position. Ritsuko really wished she still had her PSG-1 for this, but she didn't, so she pushed the thought aside. It took her a bit to find a good spot, but she did. With her spot picked, she once more broke out the binoculars to glass the senior classrooms, looking for anyone who matched the description Misato had given her. She didn't have visibility to all of the classrooms from her OP, but she had a good view. The fourth classroom held a promising candidate.

After checking the last two rooms, she moved down to the first floor and checked the rooms, swiftly spotting her kid sister. Seeing what Misato was doing, Ritsuko laughed softly. A brief impulse to text her sister and tell her to pay attention flittered through her mind, but she dismissed it as - while it would be funny to see her reaction - it would give away that she was watching.

Patiently, she watched through the period, observing her suspect and the people around him. During the break between periods, he was approached by a few other young men, and some girls. Ritsuko watched how he played court to them, and thanks to her ability to read lips, she was able to grab small bits of the conversation if the person speaking was positioned correctly. So far, just normal junior-high boy talk, she mused. The next teacher came in and the group broke up. As they did, she caught an odd movement as one of the boys moved past her target toward his seat. She hadn't seen the move itself, but rather the oddness of how the two moved past each other.

The young woman settled in, a pad and pencil on her thigh for notes. Though most of her attention was on the target, she also regularly assessed what was going on around her, since she was not completely out of all sight, and in a semi-public place. She figured that a girl sitting alone was not too likely to grab unwanted attention from any public servant, and she could handle any men who wanted to disturb her. The periods changed, and she saw the young man man leave the class, heading for the field. Ritsuko considered the angles she had available, and decided there was no advantage in moving, since none of the vantage points she had identified would give her any better view than this one.

The young man and his friends emerged onto the field, and began their PE class. Ritsuko noticed that he was not putting in any real effort, and spent most of the time talking with his classmates. Observing the teacher showed that the man was not doing anything about her target or his friends basically doing nothing. Glassing around the grounds, she determined that the girls were in the gym. Her surveilence revealed that there were a few people playing hookie, girls and guys both. Her eyes stayed on mission.

As class finished up, the young man had given a bare minimum of effort in the final exercise, then waved to his friends and classmates as they headed back to the locker room. He and another young man who seemed to be a friend of his began to put away the equipment they had been using, but they were in no rush. Ritsuko frowned, glassing to the gym, where the girls were mostly gone, leaving two doing the same thing as the boys.

Ritsuko watched as the two boys finished up gathering the gear and then moved toward the equipment shed. With the gear stored, they had casually moved around the corner of the gym, out of sight of the class block and admin office, pausing only to tap on a window of the gym as they rounded the corner. Leaning forward a little on the bench, Ritsuko intently watched. The boy she had tagged as the likely new boyfriend of her little sister pulled out a small box from the pocket of his shorts as his friend fished up a lighter. From the small case, he pulled out a small object, which his friend lit. The young man took a hit, holding it before releasing it and passing it to his friend, who also took a hit.

A black scowl spread over Ritsuko's face. She hated druggies and positively loathed dealers, so if this was the boyfriend of her little sister, she would dispose of him before he could damage Misato. Her eyes caught sight of the two girls exiting the gym, but instead of heading to the locker room, they moved around the corner of the gym. One of the girls immediately took the joint from the other guy, while her friend nearly pounced on the delinquent, kissing him hard before dropping to her knees and freeing his dick before excitedly getting to work.

She must be good, Ritsuko thought to herself, as the young man finished in about five minutes, holding her head tight to his crotch. The girl had not resisted, and once she was released, she tilted her head back. Judging from what she could see, she was showing him she had swallowed. Ritsuko saw the two friends giggling at the other girl. Reaching into his pocket again, he pulled out the small case, this time retrieving something small, which he put in the still-kneeling girl's mouth. With that done, he said something to her before turning and walking off, his friend following him. The girls waited a few moments, then headed to their own locker room.

“He's a fucking dealer,” muttered Ritsuko, furious. Even worse than being a womanizing scum-bag, he was a drug dealer. She checked her surroundings then focused back on the class room. The boys sauntered in a little after the bell, the girl who had blown him following almost two minutes later. Seeing the girl speak to the teacher, she noticed the teacher didn't even say a word to the two boys. Watching the rest of the period, she was surprised to see the girl do the class rep duties. Things were getting clearer to her. Spotting a purple-haired flash on the field, she chose to watch her little sister do her PE class. Seeing how competitive Misato was, she smiled. Seeing how she interacted with her classmates and friends, Ritsuko knew she had done the right thing.

During the lunch period, she had watched to see what Misato and her new boyfriend would do. Misato had tried to eat with him, but her friends and his friends had interfered, so she ended up eating with her friends. Ritsuko was glad, as she wasn't sure she wouldn't have busted in and stomped his ass, given her mood. When lunch was over, Misato had managed to speak to her new boyfriend before running to class. It had made Ritsuko scowl to see how the boy had played all innocent with her kid sister.

Once Misato was back in class, she had gone to eat herself, having a meal in a small shop not too far from the junior high school. Her mind was busy as she ate. Finished, she had done another perimeter sweep, looking for intel. Once she had made a full circuit, she had resumed her spot as the last period got under way.

When last bell rang, she had seen the young man move toward the soccer field, Misato eagerly walking beside him. Seeing him put his hand on her lower back, Ritsuko growled softly. She watched as Misato helped him bring out the gear for the soccer club, doing most of the work as he talked with the boys in the club. She saw how Misato wanted to get attention from him, and it made her more furious as he only barely paid attention to her. I should go down there and re-arrange that smug face before doing the same to her dad, seethed the elf hunter. The red-head was all too aware of Misato's unresolved issues with her dad, and seeing the punk deliberately manipulate her that way made her see red.

Forcing the rage aside, she concentrated on learning about her target. He spent most of the club time lounging around with Misato. When he put his hands on her, she almost grabbed her gun and opened fire, but stopped herself. The pistol was not the right tool for the range, and while she was sure she could hit the little shit, Misato would likely take rounds, too, and that was not acceptable. And there was the issue that she was in Japan, not the elf world, and gunfire drew a lot of unwanted attention here.

Ritsuko's phone buzzed with a message, and she checked it seeing it was a text from Airi. Reading it, she had sent back a terse, short reply before focusing back on the field. Clubs were winding down, and once more, Misato ended up doing most of the work, while the guy just alternated between flirthing with her and ignoring her. Ritsuko fired off a text to Misato, and watched through her binoculars as Misato checked her phone. A moment later, she replied to the text. Ritsuko snorted, hitting the button to call her sister's phone. She smiled a sharp smile as Misato twitched, seeing the caller ID.

“Uh, hi, sis,” she said. “Can't talk, in club,” she said hurriedly.

“You need to pick up some stuff for mom on your way home. I am taking care of something else, so do me a favor and grab the following stuff for supper,” Ritsuko cut her off before rattling off a list that she knew would take Misato some effort to find. “Repeat it back,” she ordered, smirking as she watched from her vantage point.

Misato surprisingly got it all on the first try.

“Excellent, Misa-chan,” praised Ritsuko. “Be sure to get it all and be home in time for supper, ok? Love you, sis. Bye,” she ended the call, watching carefully as Misato apologized to her new boyfriend, who didn't seem to like that Misato had been called away. Misato held fast, and he went back to ignoring her, moving off before the equipment was cleaned up, leaving her to do it. Ritsuko ran to a new OP, watching as he exited the school, walked about a block, then loitered for a few minutes until a fancy sedan had pulled up and he had gotten in. The sedan had not moved, and about two minutes later, he got back out, bowing to whoever was in the sedan. Ritsuko noted the license plate number before watching the young man move off down the street.

Jogging, Ritsuko had managed to get behind the young man, ghosting him from a half block back or so, watching as he meandered here and there. At the corner of the block, he had picked up two girls who seemed to be about Misato's age. His hands were very free with them, and the three headed to an arcade, where they had met another group of people, some of them his friends from school. He had passed one of the girls to a friend, fondling the other openly as they moved game to game. It was about an hour later when he left, a different girl with him and one of his school friends. Ritsuko drifted along, watching. At another small shop, he had handed the friend something, slapped the girl's ass and then more or less pushed the two into the shop before continuing down the block. Passing the shop, Ritsuko had spotted a man in a track suit loitering near the door. He had some scars and she spotted a missing finger on his right hand. She kept moving after the young man.

At the next corner, he turned right and when Ritsuko spotted him again, he was talking to the girl who had blown him during PE. He had her arm in his hand, and was shaking her a little. She was looking down and trembling a little. Ritsuko drifted to a stop, pretending to be busy with her phone as she snapped a few pictures. The punk had apparently not been happy with what he was hearing, as he shoved the girl down the street, where he jerked her into an alley. Ritsuko waited a few moment, then slowly moved along the street, hand falling into her shoulder bag.

Just short of the alley, she had stopped, listening. Among the other sounds, she picked up some sounds from the alley. Carefully, she peeked around the edge, seeing that the alley made a small bend further back. Stepping into the alley, she picked her way silently down the alley toward the bend.

“Shiori, I've heard that shit before,” the young man said harshly. “You owe a lot of money, and you haven't been paying it back. If it weren't for me, your family would have already had a visit from the association about the outstanding loan. And you have been running up quite a tab for those vitamins, too.”

“I've been paying you back…!” protested the girl.

“You haven't even been keeping current with the interest, bitch! And another thing,” he said, Ritsuko hearing a smack, “the guidance counselor wanted to talk to me about my attendance. You are supposed to be taking care of that, you useless whore! If I get called in again, I am going to have to hand you over to collections. I can't keep doing you favors if you aren't going to return them.”

“I…I've been fixing the attendance, I swear!”

“Fix it better, then,” he ordered. “Just before I ran into your lazy ass, I had a meeting with my senpais. They are wanting to know when the loan will be paid back. You are causing me to lose face. How much have you made this week?” he demanded. Ritsuko peeked around the edge of the alley, seeing he had the girl pinned to the wall, one hand rifling through her bag.

“I have made about eighty thousand,” she began as he pulled a wad of bills out of her bag.

“Looks more like about one twenty,” he said, slapping her again. He didn't slap her hard enough to bruise, but enough to hurt as he shoved the cash into his pocket.

“I need the rest for food and medicine for mom,” began the girl.

“You need to pay your debts,” he cut her off, shoving her against the wall. “You just aren't working hard enough,” he said. “I asked my senpai if he could help find you work, and he has an opening for you at a local business the association runs. You start tonight, and you will work every night until your bill is paid off,” he stated. The girl paled.

“Please, no! I have to take care of my mother, and I have customers lined up for tonight,” she began.

“You aren't earning enough to clear your debt doing that, so I got you real work. You know what happens if you don't pay back that loan, right?” he growled.

“Y…yes,” she whimpered.

“You going to behave and work off your debt?” he asked her. She nodded.

“Yes,” she said.

“Yes, what?” he pressed, hand on her throat.

“Yes, master,” she said.

“Was that so hard?” he asked, grabbing a breast. “If you behave and do as you are told, things are easy,” he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the case. Pulling out a pill, he pushed it into her mouth. “Swallow your vitamins,” he ordered, the girl doing so. “Good girl,” he said, reaching down to lift her skirt. “Now, how do you say thank you?” he asked. The girl straightened enough to push her panties down to her knees before turning around and putting her hands against the wall. “That's a good slut,” the boy said, flipping her skirt up as he freed his dick. “Now take it, whore,” he growled, shoving himself into her.

The girl moaned. “By the way, I need you to give me the file on Katsuragi in first year,” he grunted, pumping into her. A moan was his answer. “You hear me, bitch?” he asked grabbing her hair and pulling on it, making her cry out in pain.

“Wh…why her?” the girl asked, hissing a little in pain.

“Because she had a huge rack, and will make a lot money, you stupid slut,” the young man grunted. “Unlike you, she is pretty and can do porn for years.”

Ritsuko's teeth were bared, her hand on her USP. She was panting softly in rage. Forcing herself to let go of the gun, she looked for more subtle options. Her hand caressed her knife hilt, but then she spotted a length of rusty conduit pipe laying discarded on the ground. Carefully, she picked it up, testing it and finding it still sound. An idea formed in her head, and she felt in her bag until she found the plastic bag she had gotten her lunch in. Swiftly but silently preparing it, she crept around the corner, seeing the guy was about to climax in the girl, who was staring blankly at the wall in drugged bliss.

Silent as a ghost, she moved behind him, using both hands to drop the bag over his head before jerking back as her knee hit his lower back. The guy spasmed, his balance broken. Ritsuko grunted as she twisted and pulled, using her leverage and his broken balance to throw him against the wall, where she used her left hand to pin him by the throat, her other hand bringing the conduit into play as she used it like a baton, hitting his knees, groin, solar plexus, arms, shoulder and then head with strong, short swings and strikes with the end. After half a dozen hits to his head, she used a foot to stomp on both his insteps before lunging forward and driving her knee into his balls twice. As he fell forward, she went back to the conduit baton, working his head, neck and kidneys with the tool as he fell. Ritsuko dropped onto him, one knee on his neck, the other on his lower back. With one hand, she shoved his leg aside so she could apply the conduit to his exposed groin. Hearing him making noise from inside the bag, she twisted her knee and increased the pressure on his neck before hitting him in the ankles four times each.

Panting a little, she felt him go limp. After another ten seconds, she got up and checked him. It was with mixed emotions that she found he was still alive. Kicking him in the ass, she gave his bloodied balls one final stomp with her shoe before ripping part of his uniform off and wiping down the conduit. Glancing at the girl, she saw she was still oblivious to anything. Pausing, she had an idea. It took her only a few moments to shove the end of the conduit into his ass and then she was off, the entire thing having taken less than a minute. Emerging from the alley she moved off without a backward look, unhurried. Her eyes didn't see anyone paying attention to her, but given her emotional state and the fact her hand was on her gun, it was just as well.

By the time she got home, she was in a better mood. Misato had arrived home about ten minutes after she had gotten home, bags in her hands. Ritsuko had greeted her cheerfully and told her she would cook supper. Misato had pouted a bit about her lost time with her boyfriend, so Ritsuko began to talk to her about him. She prefaced it as if she were curious, but she asked her things like `does he pay attention to you' and `does he help you with your tasks and work'. She knew the answered, and it didn't take too much to make Misato start to think about those questions.

When her parents arrived home, a meal was ready, and the family sat down to a meal. Ritsuko engaged her mom in backing her up in regard to Misato's boyfriend and how he should be treating her. By the time Misato went to bed, she was obviously re-thinking her relationship. To further underscore her point, Ritsuko told Misato about Shinji and Tanner, and how it had been with them, though not the sex parts. Her mom had told her about meeting her dad, and how their relationship had developed. Misato had a lot to think about.

The next day, Misato had said that her new boyfriend would be out of school for quite a while because of some sort of accident. The school was also working with the police to investigate some sort of complaint made about activities at the school. Ritsuko said nothing of note. The day after, she was flying back to L.A.

-

“I hate this city,” Ritsuko said quietly as she and Airi once more relaxed on the patio as night fell.

“I know,” Airi replied. “Before, it never really bothered me this much. But now, after all that has happened? I hate it, too,” she said. “The good news is that the contract is signed now, and pre-production has started. Shortly, we should be signing off on shooting locations and starting production. For the next year or so, we will be out of here.”

“I leave all that to you, Airi,” Ritsuko said. “I still don't know if I am the right person to play support, but it is a familiar role for us, at least,” she smiled a little.

“Yes,” agreed Airi. “And you are the only one who can play that role. Just trust me and follow my lead.”

“Business as usual,” laughed Ritsuko. “How about Junpei's role?” she asked. Casting was a real bitch given the script.

“I have a few names in mind. With the changes made, it will put his role further in the background, so we can adjust the roles enough.”

“Is that going to compromise the story, though?” wondered Ritsuko.

“Some, to be sure,” Airi replied. “Are you upset with the changes?” she asked directly.

“Before we started, yeah, but now, I think it is more important to that the project work than it be a `documentary'. I don't know if I could handle reliving that again,” she said.

“I am relieved to hear that,” Airi said.

“We will always know the truth,” shrugged Ritsuko.

“Speaking of,” began Airi, “we still have to get that other matter dealt with. Are you free tomorrow?” she asked.

“I can be. Why?” Ritsuko replied.

“We need to get you set up under your screen name, and get the money path fixed,” said Airi. “You have your passport, so we can swing by the lawyers, then the bank, then the production house to complete the process.”

“I thought auditions were supposed to be held first,” stated Ritsuko.

“The only way anyone but you will play that role is if you tell me you don't want to do it,” Airi said. “The rest, yes, auditions. Your role, no auditions unless you flat-out do not want to do it.”

“I will give it my best, Airi, but don't blame me if it flops because I am not an actress,” Ritsuko said, giving Airi a crooked smile.

“If you give it your best, it will not fail,” replied Airi.

The studio that had signed on was a smaller one, so the budget would be tighter, but Airi had been satisfied, since she absolutely refused to even consider any of the bigger studio's demands which included `diverse' casting, `progressive values-focused narration', and Chinese-market focus for story and tone. Three major studios had found themselves frozen out after they had tried to force Airi to accept their conditions. She wouldn't even talk to them anymore. She had also forbidden her production partner to speak to them about the project in any capacity. It had made her some enemies, to be sure, but she had already decided that her project was her capstone and was lining up her retirement behind the scenes.

By the next evening, they had taken care of arranging for Ritsuko to be paid under a screen alias, and her bank account was obscured behind an LLC incorporated out of Texas. The salary for her work would be wired to the specified account, which was associated to the LLC, and then the money would be moved to her personal account, which was legally a one-way revocable blind trust. She had learned that Airi had a similar arrangement and though it complicated things a bit, it shielded her from prying eyes and stalkers. Airi had also arranged for her to become a client of the same wealth manager that she used, who had been more than happy to take her on once Airi personally introduced her and said she would be starring in a project with her. Given her pay scale for the last several years for her roles, he could smell the money, and agreed to take her on even before her work started. Her account had been opened with five grand that Airi had shifted to it to get it established and stabilized.

With that done, they were free to work on familiarizing themselves with the script and the scenes. Airi and she often worked on the scenes while relaxing on the patio, or while exercising. Airi was a very strict and perfectionist instructor, and Ritsuko was a meticulous person that hated to do badly at anything, so it worked out pretty well. Airi found herself giving Ritsuko every bit of advice she had about acting, presenting to camera and screen presence that she had learned over her career. She worked with her on diction, pitch and projecting emotions into the script, as well as every trick and tip she had ever been given or learned.

Before they knew it, they were scouting shooting locations from a short list of candidate sites. Among them were New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Chad, Honduras, Romania and Laos. Part of the list was because of the budget constraints, part of it was because of accessibility. There had originally been over three dozen potential sites that matched the described terrain in the script, but it had swiftly scaled down as investigation into feasibility went forward.

Studio work would be done in L.A., London and South Korea, oddly enough. While Airi and Ritsuko scouted locations and looked at the film stages where some of the work would be done to verify their suitability, the producer was busy organizing the selection of the crew and auditions for the open slots. He had a list of names from Airi, a list of names from the studio, and a list of names from his contact list. His three dedicated script writers were still entirely committed to the project, working on the next script while also waiting for any re-works that may become necessary on the first one, which was in revision four already.

When Airi and Ritsuko returned to Airi's home after two straight months scouting sites and locations and verifying film stage capabilities, they had auditions spooling up. The directors who were being considered and were interested in the project were first, and Airi and the producer handled those for the most part, Ritsuko playing Airi's personal assistant again.

Once they had narrowed it down to two finalists - a new director with no projects to speak of on his resume, but a very good reputation as a cinematographer and experience as Assistant Director on some well-received indy films and low-budget art films who had been very passionate about the vision the script presented to him and a slightly older director who had been assistant director on one of Airi's previous projects and a couple of other highly-successful films, as well as being director on a few sequel projects that won awards for cinematography and editing and seemed to understand what Airi was going for in the project - they were at a sort of impasse as the producer loved one, and Airi liked the other for the job. Ritsuko had suggested giving them knives and having them pit-fight to the death as a joke. Somehow that turned into a strangely-parallel `final interview' where the two were told to take a digital camera and shoot a scene that Airi had selected. She told them that she, the producer, Ritsuko and some `select parties' would judge the two scenes and decide which one best captured the vision of the project.

The scene was a simple one, with little contextual bits in it. Airi told her that in her experience, such a shot - usually done on a film stage - should be completed in no more than three takes and in no longer than an hour, so giving the two directors two weeks to do the work was being generous. She had specified that the two were forbidden from collaboration, or from outside help. It was them against the scene and each other, and they best make it count. Oddly enough, the two had gotten behind the challenge almost eagerly. While they were doing their best to prove their skills, Airi was spot checking the hiring of staff and specialists.

Most of it she could leave to the producer and studios. Some of it, however, she had specific requirements of. One of those was make up and visual effects. She had the applicants read the description of the elves aloud, then had each one create an elf to match the description as they envisioned it. Ritsuko was surprised at how a single description could generate so many different interpretations. Airi had smiled at her and said that was why she wanted to verify the make-up artists and visual effects people were up to spec.

Viewing the results, Airi had flatly told two they were wrong, told another they were only doing what had been done before, and another that they needed to re-think their vision of an elf such as described in the script. Finding one she liked, she had said they were close but not there yet. Borrowing Rit-chan's phone, she had found a picture of Annette and Celsia having one of their common arguments that Ritsuko had snapped a few months into their second tour in the elf world. She showed it to the artist, telling them it was a `CG rendering based off of a longer discussion during script revision'. The artist had studied the picture very carefully, then tried again. The results was a near-perfect rendering of Annette. Airi had praised them, then told them to show her a dark elf.

Airi's reputation of being a bitch was renewed during the three months of interviews for the staff and supporting cast.

When it came to the core cast, auditions took on whole new layers of nightmare for the candidates. Airi showed up and randomly changed the scene on them, giving them five timed minutes to memorize the scene, then had them play opposite her. Ritsuko was glad she didn't have to audition that way, as the stress of an un-rehearsed scene opposite one of the most talented actresses in Hollywood on a personal project of that actress was a ton of pressure; and it broke more than one hopeful. Her review of their no-practice scene was usually harsh and sometimes downright mean.

Ritsuko and the producer had taken to being the `good cops' to Airi's `psychotic cop' act. They would have the thoroughly frazzled applicant try the scene they had rehearsed - still playing opposite Airi, while claiming it was not very fair for Airi to give them only five minutes to grasp the nuances of a scene and then act it opposite her. Airi always allowed it but made a scene about doing so. More than a few had given up and withdrawn their application for a role.

Still, by the time Misato was graduating from second year junior high to third year, Ritsuko and Airi had a director, crew, cast, locations and studio time lined up and ready. Ritsuko could honestly say that she was relieved to leave L.A. bound for Ireland to start shooting. The script, like usual, was not shot in chorographical order. The schedule had them shooting scenes almost randomly, all of which would be sequenced, edited and polished in post before release.

It had been a comedy show when the armorer who had been selected wanted to do some familiarization work with Airi and Ritsuko with guns. Airi because she had never shown any interest in them and had never had a role where she worked with guns enough to be of note. Ritsuko because he believed all Japanese were scared of guns since they were all but unheard of in Japan. Ritsuko had smiled benignly as he had shown her the guns - the USP, the G36 and the PSG-1. He had assured her that, handled correctly, they were perfectly safe and not scary at all. She had giggled, peeking at Airi who minutely shook her head.

The armorer had been a bit miffed as they seemed to be taking this too lightly. He had asked Ritsuko to try holding the USP. She had picked it up, checked and cleared it and took her stance, two-handed grip and solid stance, dry firing twice before dropping the mag, locking it back and placing it back on the table. “Like that?” she asked. He had slowly nodded.

“Yeah, something like that,” he said.

“May I?” Ritsuko asked, gesturing to the rifles. He had nodded, then watched as she had picked up the G36, cleared and checked it, shouldered it, dropped the hammer, reset it, dumped the empty mag, cleared the rifle and placed it down before doing the same with the PSG-1.

“That was fun. What next?” she had smirked at him.

“Let's try some live work,” the man had said, retrieving a couple boxes of ammo from a lock box and setting them on the table. Without hesitation, Ritsuko had opened a box and in no time at all had the mags for the USP loaded. Picking up ear and eye pro, she had looked at him.

“Ready when you are,” she smiled cutely. He was looking at her suspiciously.

“Middle target,” he said, settling his own muffs as he saw Airi do the same. Ritsuko had been smiling wickedly as she slapped a mag home, sling-shotted the slide and then nearly mag-dumped on the target set up fifteen feet from her, putting fifteen rounds in one ragged hole in the X ring. No sooner had the slide locked open than the flicked the spent mag out, seated the second and dumped another ragged single hole into the head of the target, firing quick and steady. Dumping the spent mag, she glanced at the man.

“Something like that?” she asked sweetly. He frowned at her.

“Let's see how Airi does,” he denied a direct answer.

“Oh, my character never uses a gun,” she replied, even as she stepped over to Ritsuko who stepped aside. “I doubt I will hit anything,” she said, loading the third mag and dropping the slide before taking her stance and slowly shooting at the target, getting solid hits in the 10 ring.

The armorer had been nearly scowling as he got out some boxes of rifle ammo and smacked them on the table.

“Enough of this game, show me your skill,” he had grunted. Ritsuko had smiled, loading mags quickly for the G36 and PSG-1, noting that the .30-caliber ammo was match ammo, which made her smile. Picking up the G36, she had proceeded to have fun with all targets except the ones furthest away. When the last empty G36 mad hit the table, she had slapped a mag in the PSG-1, run the charging handle, dropped the mag to verify the chamber had a round in it, reseated the mag and then worked on the far target. By the second mag, the armorer waved her off the gun.

“You proved your point. Are you sure you are Japanese?” he asked sourly.

“Hai,” she chirped happily.

“Let's just review safety protocol,” he said. Ritsuko had recited the safety rules, including the `check clear' protocol before listening to him give her the rules under which the guns would be handled on set.

Ritsuko and Airi set the tone on locations and sets both. They pushed hard, delivered and expected professional-level work and behavior from the cast and crew, and lived in rough conditions without a single complaint, which kept the other members from daring to complain since the star and supporting actress never said a single thing about the conditions. For eleven months, they were non-stop go, only taking short breaks while unexpected issues were ironed out and problems fixed.

Misato graduated from junior high the week before they wrapped the final scene. Ritsuko was tired of all the bullshit, and to take a break, she had swung by her family home coming home from Romania. She spent a week with them, attended Misato's high school entry ceremony, celebrated with her family and her friends, then flew back to L.A. to finish up the first project.

The film had been released as a late-summer `sleeper'. Airi had decided on a low-key advertising, using mostly free means and word of mouth. Given how much they had stirred the pot with Ritsuko's `Mystery Woman' bit, and the endless rumors of Airi doing a vanity project, the tactic worked like gang busters. The first showing in all markets was sold out in less an hour in all theaters it was released in. Airi had also managed to keep the film out the hands of established critics, forcing them to see the movie for the first time at the same time it went live.

It was a serious gamble, and one that her producer partner begged her not to do. She said the rewards outweighed the risks, and overall, she was right. The film was well-received by most, though it certainly had its detractors. Airi fans loved the effort, loved the idea and loved the rumors that there might well be more of this story to come. The critics nearly all praised the unique story, the top-tier filming work and the acting of Airi in her role as Ehrie Komatsu, celebrity TV star.

The critics were less kind to Ritsuko as Reiko Inubei, high school otaku. They didn't hate her performance, but the most common complaint was that she was `inconsistent' in her character, and was `stiff like she wasn't sure of her motivation' at other times. Most critics were quick to add that that wasn't all that surprising, given she was in her first major role, acting opposite Airi on a project that was clearly intended solely for Airi's skill set. They usually pointed out some scenes where they felt she had absolutely nailed it and it all meshed perfectly with Airi's work and with the work of the male supporting actor playing the role of Junichi Ryuuji, martial arts idiot savant and compared it to other scenes where they pointed out flaws in her work. Even so, most critics gave her good marks, if with an asterisk. Fans of Airi were more favorable toward her work since Airi stated more than one that she herself had no complaints about Ritsuko's work in the film, though some didn't like her at all.

The film - shot, wrapped and promoted on a thirty one million dollar budget - made forty million the first two weeks. Viewing share slowly cooled over the next six months. When it dropped below a pre-set threshold, they pulled it from theaters and spun it up for streaming services and digital sales. The residual income was what made hundreds of millions, Airi had explained, as royalties were still to come for syndication and archive streams.

Given the hefty profit made by the film - and mostly profiting Airi - the studio had been hot to sign a contract for the sequel, script unseen, and an option for a third installment if the second did as well as the first. Airi refused to commit, saying she was weighing her options and working on feasibility reviews of the material left. This resulted in other studios trying to get in on the gold mine; which was exactly what Airi had planned, using the jostling to both raise the offers and to grab even more creative control over the next project.

Over Misato's second year in high school, the second script was finally ready with version one, and the circus started all over. The supporting actor was hot to go again, and the supporting actresses who had played Annette and Celsia's roles likewise also wanted in again. Seeing as they had the characters down pretty good, it was a no brainer to bring them back, though the actress for Annette had been warned there was not much of her in this script, but could be more in the third, if she still wanted to get more screen time in the character.

Airi, after a lot of discussion with Ritsuko, had cast one of the actors she hated as Gendo's character because he could play the role so well that Ritsuko wanted to shoot him in the face. He was an asshole and grated on both their nerves, but they decided it was the right role for him. They cast the other roles, though Shinji's analog was hard to cast because it was a strange role and Ritsuko's memories of the real thing made her a harsh critic of actors auditioning for the role.

Ritsuko and Airi had left for the first location in the shooting schedule two days before Misato started her senior year in high school. This movie had a different tone than the first, with darker elements in it, and was shot in mostly urban areas. It actually shot a bit faster than the first one, since the analog of the Evas were simplified CG robots and the scope of the HIP was vastly simplified and narrowed for the purpose of the story. It mostly focused on the emotional, ethical and moral toll taken during the fighting because of the use of children soldiers and bioweapons that could consume them body and soul. Ritsuko found the scenes sometimes uncomfortably close to the real thing.

The movie was released a month after Misato graduated high school as a sci-fi/action/drama/horror film. It was another high-earning movie, and was well-received by most critics and the vast majority of the audience, though it was the darkest role Airi had ever played. Ritsuko found herself nominated for an award though she didn't win it and Airi took her third Oscar off that role. Already, the fan base and viewership were speculating on the third movie.

One of the unconfirmed rumors about the films was that Ritsuko had had affairs on both of them. She and Airi never even responded to the questions and gossip. It was true, though. Ritsuko had found herself in a light relationship with one of the crew while filming the first one. It was a relationship based off compatibility both in bed and in personality. It was never anything serious in terms of emotional connection, but both of them had fun. The second movie, she had ended up in a not-dissimilar relationship with the actor who played Shinji. Their relationship had been tricky for both, but they had kept it from interfering with the shooting, and when the project was wrapped, Ritsuko had broken it off without much explanation to him, though he had learned enough about her to realize it was something to do with a past relationship. They had parted as friends.

The third movie had been released as Misato got her Associate degree in Applied Engineering. It had been lighter than the second, but had deeper undertones than the first, even though it was back in the elf world. The reception had been very solid again, with the critics liking Ritsuko's work even more than they had liked her efforts in the second movie. Ritsuko got nominated for an Oscar, but didn't win it. She did take home an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The money from the three films poured in for the small studio, the producer and Airi and Ritsuko. The production group was looking at a fourth movie, given how the third had ended, but Airi had flatly said no, since the ending was precisely what she wanted to end on.

The final shot had been a three-pane screen of the characters back in their world, separated from each other for the first time in years, all asking `What am I supposed to do now?' of themselves and the audience. It was an art-house film finale, but nearly everyone loved it, as it tied the story together very well, since it ended where it started, but in a totally different frame of reference. Airi had stated that there was to be no further sequels to the three movies, as the story she wanted to tell ended there, though obviously the lives of the characters did not end with their hard-won return to their world, which only drove home that they were as much in a different world as when they were first dragged into the elf world.

The production house started looking at a TV series based on the story they had. Airi had refused to commit, saying she was not sold on the concept of a spin-off series and was not interested in being a TV actress again. Still, she didn't say she wouldn't allow it if there was a good enough script and she retained all control over production, casting and stories. It had been a part of the contract from the very start that the entire intellectual rights to the story belonged solely to Airi.

Misato graduated from college with her degree the year the first season of the spin-off TV show following the lives of Annette and Celsia aired. The TV series ran for three years before being canceled. It was fortunate that Airi had made sure the seasons ended on a tone that could be a series finale if necessary, and there were no major complaints from fans about the series ending.

It had happened so smoothly that no one had noticed until it was done. Airi had slipped away from Hollywood like a ghost, as had Ritsuko. Airi had simply said she was done with Hollywood and acting when someone had finally asked her about it. She stated her project had been her swan song, and she was happy with the results so she was retiring on a high note. As for Ritsuko, the veteran actress had said that her experience in Hollywood had disgusted her friend so much that they both left. Airi never gave even a hint of where Ritsuko might have gone, and she herself had sold her house and vanished as well. Hollywood shook like a nine point nine quake had hit it. Neither Airi nor Ritsuko cared. They had their own lives to live once more and they were looking for the answer to the question asked at the end of the third arc of their story.

END

Epilog:

Ritsuko closed the door behind herself, shaking the snow off her coat before shedding it and moving into the small but charming chalet. She was in the Swiss alps, following up on some information she had gotten. Detouring by the kitchen, she found a pot of hot water on the gas range, waiting for her. Her hand hesitated between the coffee and tea before she grabbed a tea bag, poured a cup of the nearly-boiling water and dunking the tea bag. With a coaster for the cup, she headed into the living room of the house.

“Welcome back,” Airi said from one of the overstuffed leather chairs in the room. It was facing the large double-pane windows that looked over the alpine meadow. A small side-table held a bottle of wine and a wine glass. The actress was dressed in a warm robe, having apparently been in the hot tub.

“Thank, Airi,” Ritsuko said, taking a seat in an identical chair and setting her tea on the side table.

“What did you learn?” Airi asked calmly.

“The information was correct,” she said quietly.

“What are you planning to do? Or, perhaps, what have you already done?” Airi asked her. Ritsuko sighed.

“I haven't done anything yet, Airi,” she said, absently drawing a handgun from a holster under her wool sweater, checking the USP before re-holstering it. “And I don't know that I need to do anything,” said the younger woman.

“I see,” murmured Airi. “Perhaps you would share your reasoning?” she asked politely.

“It's nothing special,” Ritsuko said. “The new head of research is Naoko Ikari ne Akagi. She was placed there by `special arrangement' of the primary `financial backer'. She contacted the Bitch and Yui, hiring them away from their current jobs to work on some sort of bio-engineering project. Since the Bitch is now the main bread-winner, Rat Bastard is left with free time. I shadowed him a bit. He is not making contact with anyone that seems to be SEELE or any other group. In fact, he seems to be mostly going to the library and hitting on women.”

“I cannot say I am surprised,” Airi replied.

“The Bitch is reported to be pregnant,” shared Ritsuko. Airi arched an eyebrow. “Seven months now. Gossip says that she has agreed with her pimp that if it is a girl, it will be named Rei, and if it is a boy it will be Naoto. What is more surprising to me is that Yui is pregnant as well. It looks like about five months.”

Airi gave Ritsuko a look. “Who is the father?” she asked, knowing that it was something that might be an issue, one way or another.

“Short of getting a DNA test, there is no way to be sure. I heard that she and Fuyutski split up a couple years ago, and it was widely believed to be because of an affair. Yui has not said much, but from what I see, she still hates the Rat Bastard, so I suspect it could well prove to be Kaneda's kid in her belly. It would explain a lot of what happened to that group. The timing is a bit odd, though, as those two don't seem to have seen each other in a couple years. Fuyutski was in Bonn six months ago for that meeting, though. It could be his if Yui slipped out and they got together again,” suggested Ritsuko.

Airi frowned. “You found Kyoko in Cologne earlier this year, shacked up with the head of that research group and also pregnant,” recalled the actress. Ritsuko nodded.

“Confirmed three weeks ago she had a daughter, whom she named Asuka,” Ritsuko said. “Different father from the other Asuka, and doesn't seem likely to be a red-head. Probably a brunette or dirty blonde, given her parents,” stated the younger of the two, checking her tea. “And Kaneda has been in the Philippines for the last three years, working on some sort of wild goose hunt project in the boonies.”

“Misato tell you that?” asked Airi. Ritsuko nodded.

“She actually tracked his ass down and told him she was getting married and he was invited, but only if he didn't make a scene. He was a no-show of course,” she snorted. Ritsuko had been at her kid sister's wedding to one of her college sweethearts, and had been reassured that Misato had not been emotionally stressed by her failure of a father's lack of attendance. Seeing her own dad give Misato away made her smile. Her mother had cried at the wedding, and Ritsuko had been more or less forced to be a bridesmaid. Not that she minded, necessarily. Her kid sister had indeed turned out like the other Misato, though without being a damaged, alcoholic, socially-awkward head case. Her chest was every bit as impressive as the other Misato's had been, and she wasn't shy about using it. Her wedding dress had been a show-piece for them, after all, and in spite of her not being a virgin, it had been white.

She had been hounded by her friends - all of whom were married now or engaged - about her own love life and when she would become an honest woman. She had shrugged it all off, even her mom's rather blunt request that she make her a grandmother before she got old. Ritsuko was still too busy for that. Snarky remarks about Christmas Cake had gotten scathing replies that left her friends unwilling to bring that up again.

It was at the wedding that she had gotten hints that things were moving. The Ikaris had resigned suddenly from the school, moving overseas. Ritsuko had not needed any more information to start her pursuit. Airi had joined her when she learned the K�rper group had dropped out of sight. The two had picked the trail and chased each of them down in case they were starting the HIP up again. So far, they had not found any sign that anything was happening on that front. Instead, a different arrangement was taking place.

The two were in a rented chalet that was under the name of one of their LLCs as a non-profit group. “So, what are you thinking of doing? Waiting to see if Shinji is reborn in this world?” Airi prompted.

“Even if she names him Shinji, he won't be my Shinji,” Ritsuko said softly. The two were silent for nearly an hour before Ritsuko rose and moved back to the kitchen, starting a basic meal for them. “If we are staying longer, we will need to do some shopping,” she noted as she set ingredients out of the refrige. They were six weeks into the two-month rental agreement.

“Do you think we need to stay longer?” Airi asked. Ritsuko didn't answer for a long moment.

“No, I don't think there is any real reason to stay longer,” she said quietly. “Besides, your lover is waiting for you, isn't he? Didn't mean to keep you so long, Airi,” Ritsuko smiled.

“A little absence makes the heart fonder,” Airi said. Ritsuko had happened to walk in on Airi with her lover over two years ago. She had suspected that Airi was sexually active, but in all the time she had been living and working with her, she had never walked in on her until that time. It had been a bit awkward, as Ritsuko had come home from a somewhat tiring day, only to hear sounds from Airi's bedroom that made her think Airi was in trouble, so she had burst in with her gun, finding Airi to be engaged in vigorous sex with a handsome young man. She had blinked, apologized to Airi and left the room. The next morning, she had been introduced to the man, and learned that she had been dating him for nearly a year by that point.

Ritsuko had yet to find someone to have that level of relationship with; something that was worrying Airi a little. The younger woman had had a few affairs, but not one Airi would honestly call a relationship - let alone one of the depth she had had with Shinji. “Speaking of, how is your love life?” she asked her partner directly, rising and moving to the breakfast table where Rituko was layout their evening meal.

“Same as always,” deflected Ritsuko.

“So you dumped that young man as well,” sighed Airi.

“He wasn't what I thought he was,” was all she said in reply.

Airi considered her words. “Rit-chan, the odds of finding someone who is what you think are low. The odds of learning to accept a good match are far better,” she said.

Ritsuko stilled for a second. “I know Airi,” she sighed softly, “but it just doesn't feel like it did,” she half-explained.

“It should never feel like a previous relationship,” disagreed Airi. “Each and every one should be different, you know.” Ritsuko was quiet. “Do you plan to have children, Ritsuko?” Airi asked as Ritsuko sat down at the table to eat with Airi.

“Maybe. But I don't need a husband for that,” she said.

“I am not sure your parents would agree,” the actress noted. Ritsuko shrugged, starting to eat. Five days later, Airi flew back to her main home, where her lover waited on her. The day after, Ritsuko flew out as well, headed to a different location.

It was six months after her wedding that Misato excitedly shared with Ritsuko and her parents that she was pregnant. Ritsuko was not really surprised, congratulating her little sister. “When are you going to get married and have kids, Ritsu?” asked Misato.

“When I get around to it,” replied Ritsuko, very used to and sick of this topic. Misato gave her an odd look.

“I'm worried about you, Ritsuko,” she said quietly. “Where are you, anyway?” she asked, peering at the phone she was video-calling her big sister on.

“An island somewhere,” was all Ritsuko said. She was in a bikini, relaxing in a beach chair. She had been relaxing nearly three months now, bouncing between Australia, Indonesia, the Marianas and the Maldives. Right now she was at a small resort in Indonesia. The resort had a small marina and as it was off-season, it was not at all crowded. Ritsuko still didn't like crowds.

“Come stay with us,” Misato said.

“Thanks, but newly-weds are icky,” she smirked at her little sister, who giggled back.

“They stay with mom and dad,” she said. “I want you close by so I can show you what you are missing with being married and pregnant.”

Ritsuko snorted. “Pass, sis, but I will swing by and visit soon,” she said. “I see your breeder just got home, so you are going to run off to fuck him against the nearest wall and I don't need to see that. Talk to you later, sis,” she said, ending the call. Sighing, she got up, picked up her towel and headed toward the small restaurant between the marina and the resort for some food before she planned to head back to her bungalow and decide her next move.

Entering the small restaurant, she saw that half the tables were occupied. Glancing over at the marina, she saw that three new boats were there. Her eyes absently settled on one, pausing as she saw the stern. Blinking, she turned to look at the tables before moving over to one with three people at it. “Scooter, you are looking quite tanned,” she said, her tone teasing. The man she was talking to blinked, turning to look at her. Ritsuko smiled easily, towel in hand, small bikini on, waiting for him to respond.

“My god, it's Ritsu!” the woman at the table figured it out first, standing and hugging her. “It has been years, Ritsu!” she said.

“Holy shit, it is Ritsu!” Tanner realized, shooting to his feet and hugging her as soon as Dani let go of her. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Relaxing,” shrugged Ritsuko.

“Come sit,” insisted Dani, gesturing to the free chair. “Jean, this is our friend Ritsu,” she introduced the third person. “Ritsu, this is Jean. He is a French sailor who got shipwrecked, and we are working on getting him to Fiji,” she explained. Ritsuko settled into the simple chair, signaling for a fruit drink and a fish dish.

“Where did he get shipwrecked that this is on the way to Fiji?” wondered Ritsuko.

“His ship foundered a ways off Malaysia, and we picked up his emergency call,” shrugged Tanner.

“And I am very thankful,” the man said, his English slightly accented. “Pardon me if I am being rude, but you seem familiar to me,” he said.

“I was in an independent film or two,” she said, cutting off Tanner and Dani. Her eyes raked over Dani. “You obviously have gotten over being uncomfortable on a sailboat,” she said, grinning. “Do you even have any tan lines?” she purred playfully.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Dani giggled. Ritsuko's eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the other woman's tanned belly.

“Did Scooter finally figure it out?” she asked, meeting her gaze. Dani glanced at Tanner, blushing a little.

“Um, yeah,” she said, a hand on her belly. “About two months ago,” she said, briefly showing her left hand, where a ring was tattooed around her ring finger.

“Congratulations,” Ritsuko said to them, nodding to the waitress as she set her food and drink on the table, Ritsuko handing her a large local bill.

“I really do need to thank you for telling me to ask her, Ritsu,” Tanner said. “Things worked out better with her along,” he said, grinning at his wife.

“I'm sure. How are you liking your dream?” Ritsuko asked between big bites.

“It is awesome,” he grinned like an idiot, Dani nodding. “We started a video sharing account and are actually making money off the followers now,” he said.

“I am sure that Dani and her skimpy bikini has nothing to do with that,” teased Ritsuko.

“Nothing at all,” denied Dani, snickering. “What about you? There were rumors about you during the shooting of the movies,” she began.

“My private life is just that - private,” Ritsuko warned her.

“So you are still flying solo,” Tanner said softly. “Isn't that lonely, Ritsu?” he asked her.

Ritsuko turned to stare at him. “It is my choice, Tanner, leave it alone,” she warned him quietly. “How is your boat doing?” she asked. That immediately got both him and Dani going. After nearly forty minutes of eating and talking, she excused herself, moving off with a wave. In her room, she fired up her laptop and began to look at her options for flights out.

Back at the restaurant, Jean asked his new friends about their strange friend, but got little about her. Not because they wouldn't tell him, but because they knew little more than he did. Jean did find out that she and Tanner had had an affair at some point before Dani came into the picture. Recalling how she looked in the bikini, he could see how Tanner had fallen for her.

Three months later, she was hugging her parents. They were glad to have her visit them. She would be visiting Misato the next day, and her friends over the coming days. She was staying for no less than two weeks at the insistence of her mother. She did want to visit her grandparents as well.

When visiting her grandparents with her parents and Misato, she had met a young man a few years younger than her who was from the smaller town in the country that her grandparents had grown up in and retired to. Misato was obviously pregnant, and less than mobile, but that didn't stop her. Her husband was popular with both her parents and grandparents. One day, she had gone grocery shopping with her grandmother, and her grandmother had spotted a `little boy' she had not seen in years, and all but forced him to accompany them.

Ritsuko had found him to be fun to be around and he wasn't hard to look at. His name was Toshiro and he was fresh out of the JSDF, visiting his family in the town before looking at his options for work. The next morning, he had spotted Ritsuko jogging and joined her, keeping up with her the whole way. He and she began to talk about tanks and guns, her family silently staying out of the way, watching with baited breath.

When they went back to Tokyo, Toshiro ended up going with them. Ritsuko spent a fair amount of time with him, touring Tokyo sites and taking day trips. Her parents made sure to stay out of the way, watching eagerly to see what would happen. Day trips became overnight trips, and before she knew it, she had been in Tokyo for a month, and sleeping with Toshiro for two weeks.

Over the next year and a half, the two bounced around the world, visiting places and people. When Ritsuko finally told her mom that she would be a grandmother, she had been greeted with nothing but support. Toshiro and Ritsuko were married later that month, Ritsuko six weeks pregnant. It had shocked Toshiro to learn that Ritsuko was independently wealthy, owned houses on three continents and had a real rifle and pistol in Japan. She was intensely private and that suited him. She was also very horny and that really worked for him. The two settled in an adjoining prefecture to Tokyo, though they were often overseas for various reasons.