Urusei Yatsura Fan Fiction ❯ The Senior Year ❯ Sakura's Class Reunion ( Chapter 6 )

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

Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year: "Sakura's Class Reunion"
by Fred Herriot
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edited by E.B. Kushnir
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Sixth in a series of fan fiction stories based on "Urusei Yatsura,"
created by Rumiko Takahashi
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WRITER'S NOTES:

1) Welcome to the "Saga of the Tiger," the adventure guaranteed to
shatter all the illusions by which Tomobiki has lived since Lum came
to Earth. While certain events may seem out of place in the context
of each story, all five..."SCR," "Arrive Reiko-chan," "Tag Race Mark
Three," "The Return of Koosei Ryooki" and "Spirit-War Tomobiki"...form
one storyline. If you are confused about events, be patient...it will
be hopefully clear (or remain tantalizingly mysterious) in the end.

2) Many new characters will be introduced: Mie Seikou and Yuukiki
Seishin for this story plus innumerable others. While Mike and I
support the use of our characters in other people's works, DO NOT use
them in lemon fiction!

3) Momoe and Kumiko are characters from the manga series, introduced
in "Even Though I Wait For You..." reproduced in ANIMERICA, Volume 2,
Number 4. Their last names, as well as Natsuko's, were created by
myself.

4) When I created the character of Chiezou Budou, I did not realize
the word "chie" was a ladies' name, until a pen-pal from Japan told me
otherwise. I decided that while "Chiezou" would be his proper name,
"Chie" would be his nickname.

5) In Sagussan, "tomobiki" means "place of fools and madmen."

6) Ataru's Cyborg persona is a physical mix of the Terminator, the
Cyborg Superman and a patrol labor. Since his jaws are metal, he
speaks with a strong metallic twang. I use bold print in all his
lines.

7) "Daimon'cha" and "Keiseiri'cha" are figures from Sagussan mythos,
which Ataru is unable to remember at present.

8) "De'ne" is the Sagussan equivalent of "idiot." It actually
translates "one who does not use one's mind."

9) "COC" means "Central Operations Control," the control centre for
Moroboshi Clan operations. The Mendous and the Mizunokoji would
probably have the same thing.

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

"Darling!!" Lum screams.

The Oni finds herself in a very dark tunnel. Ataru's wimpering moans
echo from one direction. Turning with a snarl, Lum flies down the
tunnel towards her distressed would-be husband. "Hang on, Darling!!
I'm coming!"

Before she can get close to him, a blast of tiger-striped energy
lashes out, nearly burning Lum where she stands. The Oni howls in
pain as her nerves are overloaded from the brutal assault, knocking
her on her backside. Gritting her teeth, she turns to stare upon
Ataru. "Darling...!!" she cries, then her voice catches. "No...!"

Lum watches wide-eyed as the being now holding her Darling begins to
consume him with an appetite a starving man would admire. The
creature, larger than even Rei in tiger-bull format, is tiger-striped,
two bright beacons serving as its eyes. Suddenly, those eyes fix on
the Oni. *TOO LATE!!* a dirge-like voice assaults her ears. *HE IS
MINE...AS HE WAS ALWAYS MEANT TO BE! YOUR DREAMS ARE DUST!!*

"Lum...help me...!" Ataru gasps.

"NO!!!!" the Oni screams as she leaps to her feet, a lightning ball
forming in her hands. "LET DARLING GO!!!!"

She strikes. The bolt hits the creature, but the energy is sucked up
like a sponge consuming water! *FOOLISH ONI!!* the creature jeers.
*I AM THE ONE THING YOU CANNOT DEFEAT! I AM THE ONE THING YOU CANNOT
DESTROY...FOR TO DESTROY ME IS TO DESTROY THE ONE YOU LOVE!! EITHER
WAY, I WIN!!!!*

"NEVER!!!!" Lum screams as she summons all her energy to let go with
a killing blast. "DARLING IS MINE!!!!"

The blast succeeds in consuming the creature...and consuming Ataru
along the way! "Lum...!" is choked out of his voice as his body burns
up.

The elation of victory in the Oni's eyes turns to grief-wracked
horror. "DARLING!!!!" she screams as she flies over to catch the
hideously burned body.

Ataru collapses into his arms, now barely recognizable. Accusing
eyes lock momentarily on Lum. "Why...couldn't...you
leave...me...alone...?"

Before Lum could answer, Ataru disintegrates to ashes! "No...!" she
lets out a gasp of disbelief, then she lets out a scream. "NO!!!!"

"Well done, Lum," a voice calls out from behind her.

Lum spins around to see a familiar form walk to her. "Darling!!!"
she lets out a cry of surprise, then flies over to fiercely embrace
him. "Oh, Darling, you're alright!!"

"Of course I am, my love," he cants her face towards his, then their
lips awkwardly caress.

"Darling...mmpth!" Lum gags.

The two remain in place for a moment, their kisses becoming more
passionate. "Oh, Darling, you finally admit you love me," Lum happily
sobs.

"Now I can learn to love you," Ataru allows Lum to rest her head on
his shoulder. "With that creature out of our lives, we can finally
become one."

Lum sobs, then tenses as she senses something wrong. Was it her
imagination, or wasn't Ataru's shirt supposed to be white, not black
trimmed with gold? She looks down to his left arm, then sucks in her
breath as she realizes that everything from above the elbow down has
been replaced by a gunmetal grey cybernetic arm and hand with a
forearm shield emblazoned with the motto AI TO JIJITSU. She then
pulls herself away from him. "Darling...?"

What she sees nearly causes her to scream. Ataru's body is now
half-cybernetic: along with the lower left arm, the right torso and
upper abdomen, the whole right arm, the whole left leg and the right
leg from above the knee down were gone, replaced by semi-humanoid
cybernetic simulcra. The remainder of his body is covered in a black
form-fitting jumpsuit emblazoned with a gold phoenix motif on the
chest. Fortunately, his face is still fully organic. "D-darling,
wh-what have y-you done t-to yourself...?!" Lum fearfully stammers.

"**This...was necessary**," Ataru's voice suddenly takes on a
metallic twang. "**You see, my Other, the Intruder is right...you
cannot destroy it without destroying that which you have pursued for
the last two years.**" A wry smile crosses his face as his left eye
glows. "**By destroying the Intruder and that which I have been
forced to be for the last decade and more, you have freed me.**"

Lum shakes her head in denial. "Y-you're n-not D-darling...!"

"**You are right,**" a wry smile crosses the Cyborg's face as he
reaches up with a hand to his hairline above the glowing left eye.
"**For you see, Lum...that which you call 'Darling'...does not
exist.**"

His hand tears the flesh away, transforming three-quarters of his
face to a gunmetal-shaded skull-like pretense of a man's face. Lum's
breath catches in her throat as her eyes water on seeing a hinged
lower jaw, metal teeth, a fully-formed nose and polished metal where
there was once a soft cheek and dreamy lips. "**I hope you don't mind
the improvements,**" the machine-man in front of her muses.

"NO!!!!" Lum screams as she turns away from the Cyborg, tearfully
flying back down the tunnel. "NO!!!! DARLING!!!!"

"**You can't run from reality anymore, Lum!!**" the Cyborg calls
after her.

After what seems an eternity, Lum approaches a chestnut-haired girl
dressed in a full-body jumpsuit, her back turned to the Oni. "Excuse
me!!!" Lum lands behind her, gently touching the girl's arm. "Have
you seen Ataru Moroboshi here?!"

The girl, a Seishin-Urusian who also bears the strange phoenix motif
on her jumpsuit's anterior, freezes Lum with an icy glare from indigo
eyes. "Are you the Other?!" she intones, her voice touched with a
Celtic-like lilt.

"Other...?!" Lum blinks. "Other what?! What are you talking
about?!!"

"Then you are not the Other," the strange woman dismisses Lum with a
wave of her hand. "You are not the one for our *daimon'cha*...Ataru
Moroboshi!"

"Darling?!!" Lum looks surprised. "What do you mean?!!"

The woman then transforms in the fiery image of a phoenix. ***YOU
ARE UNWORTHY OF HIM!!!!*** a voice like God preaching to Moses
thunders at Lum. ***BACK TO THE PLACE OF FOOLS AND MADMEN FROM WHICH
YOU AROSE, UNWORTHY ONE!!!! THE DESTINY OF THE DAIMON'CHA OF THE
FIFTH REPUBLIC OF SAGUSSA SHALL NOT BE AFFECTED BY ONE SUCH AS
YOU!!!!!!***

Lum screams as a pit opens below her, revealing all her friends from
Tomobiki. Their faces are twisted in hideous, lustful sneers as they
beckon Lum toward them. "NO!!!!" she screams. "DARLING, HELP
ME!!!!!!"

The Cyborg Ataru and the chestnut-haired woman watch her fall.
"**None can help you now but yourself, Lum,**" the machine-man intones
in judgement.

"A pity," the woman looks sad. "I actually had hope for you."

Lum's pleading screams echo from the pit as she is swallowed by those
of Tomobiki...

* * *

...which transforms into a real scream as she bolts from her bed.
"NO!!!!"

The Oni inhales deep gulps of air as panicked eyes scan left and
right, detecting the familiar contours of Ataru's closet surrounding
her. Ten-chan is peacefully asleep in his futon, having abandoned his
sock thanks to the Moroboshis finally buying him a futon. Finally,
Lum lets out a relieved sigh as she realizes what had happened to her.
"*Tcha*...it was just that damn nightmare!"

Sliding open the closet door, she peers into the darkened room
beyond. In the middle of the room, Ataru Moroboshi sleeps in his
futon. The Oni moves on hands and knees to sit beside his face,
confirming with her own eyes that it was fully human, not the
nearly-metallic monstrosity she saw for the fourth time in as many
nights in her dreams...since their return from Icarus.

Lum gently reaches over to stroke his hair, a smile cutting across
her face. Ataru was so beautiful this way. It seemed to be the only
time he was truly at peace, at least since he returned from Icarus. A
questioning stare crosses Lum's face. What had happened to make Ataru
so sour? First, he expelled Hazel from the house, sending her back to
Home Base with Nassur and Benten. Then, he took a knife and cut off
Ten-chan's horn when he protested Ataru's treatment of the hybrid...as
well as stopping Shinobu and Lum with some ugly stares when they also
tried to protest.

And that was just the first day! The next day, the gang went to the
beach. Ataru had not enjoyed himself, complaining that he might have
enjoyed himself had some of his friends come to the party, too. That
confused Lum to no end. While he did have spats with everyone who was
in his life, he certainly did not seem to hate them in any way. Look
at the way he played with Shutaro all the time?

Lum allows a humourless chuckle to escape her lips as the next few
days flash past in her memory. Ataru had become snarly, snapping at
anyone who crossed him in any way possible. Even his parents received
a couple of nice broadsides...and when they tried to discipline him,
he threatened to call his grandmother. Grandmother? Lum had no idea
Ataru's grandmother was still alive...not to mention what was going on
between her and Ataru's mother: mention the word "Grandma" and
Kinshou Moroboshi would launch into a fit of pained mooing on the back
porch, facing north.

The Oni sighs as she leans down to kiss Ataru on the cheek, then
silently moves back to the closet. Something awful had happened to
her Darling; she was sure of it...but what could have it been?

* * *

Lum lets out a tired moan as she flies behind Ataru the next morning
en route to school. He glances concernedly back to her. "You okay,
Lum?"

The Oni blinks, then shrugs. "It's nothing, Darling. Just a
nightmare I've been having for the last while."

"Nightmare?" Ataru blinks, slowing down to allow Lum to float beside
him. "What sort of nightmare?"

Lum looks down, unsure as to how to reply to his question. Normally
when she tried to pour her heart out to him, he would either ignore
her or go off to chase girls. She adored him dearly but found his
lack of concern for her feelings quite annoying. Besides, what if
that dream was a premonition of some future calamity? She had woken
up from her nightmares in the middle of the night, usually with a full
moon shining down on her. Lum had heard of the local legend about how
dreams could become real if one remembered them after awakening before
dawn. If that legend had any basis in fact, she was in for serious
trouble.

A finger taps her nose, causing her to sneeze. "Hey!" Ataru calls
out. "Earth to Lum! Come in, Lum! You still there or did you hit
the silk?!"

Lum blinks, then stares quizzically at Ataru. "Did you say
something, Darling?"

"I was asking about your nightmare," he repeats himself.

The Oni catches herself, then decides he had no need as of yet to
learn of what she had seen. "Um...I'd rather not talk about it if you
don't mind."

Ataru hums. "Oh, that sort of nightmare, eh? Well, it just might be
your lucky day. I happen to know of someone who could help you come
to understand nightmares. He's a little on the young side but he's an
expert on these sorts of things."

Lum blinks. "Who?"

"His name's Ashin Budou," Ataru waves her down the street. "His
father Chie is an old friend of my grandmother's. He's also a Shinto
priest working out of Tsuchiura. I'll give him a call after school
and get an appointment for you."

Lum blinks. This was the first time that she remembered Ataru having
mentioned this person. "Ashin...Budou?" she inquires, then shakes her
head. "No, that's not necessary. I'll just go talk to
Sakura-sensei."

Ataru blanches, then stares disgustingly at her. "Sakura-sensei?!
What could that incompetent, gluttonous idiot do for you?!!"

Lum pauses, staring at Ataru in shock. That comment indicated
another change about him: his making crass insults towards everyone
living in Tomobiki. And some, mostly aimed in the direction of their
classmates, were quite vile. Unfortunately, Ataru is on quite a tear
that morning. "She pretends to be able to free you from curses when
she and that moronic uncle of hers try to mooch you out of every
morsel of food you own. I can't believe I once even liked the twit!
Believe me, Lum, you're better off seeing Ashin-kun! He can be a bit
on the creepy side, but he gives you results you can appreciate!"

"Um...if you say so, Darling," Lum cuts in to make him stop.

Silence falls over the two as they proceed toward Tomobiki High
School. Lum steals glances in Ataru's direction as they go. A
neutral stare crosses his face, but the Oni could tell that he did not
approve of her going to see Sakura. In fact, Lum got the very
distinct feeling that Ataru would gladly wish she would not see ANYONE
from Tomobiki. But...how could she turn her back on her friends? She
liked it here. She liked the people here. Throwing them out of her
life would be like...like throwing Ataru out of her life. She could
not do that, not in a million years!

The two turn onto the front lawn of Tomobiki High. Lum looks around,
her concern for Ataru disintegrating as the beautiful morning brought
cheer to her heart. The Kantou plain had experienced a gorgeous
summer; only now was the weather starting to cool. The leaves,
turning from green to gold and crimson, draped Tomobiki with a
eye-pleasing decollage in preparation for the coming of cold air from
the plains of distant Siberia. Birds from dozens of species were
mustering for the migration to the East Indies and Australia for the
winter months. Some crows were perched in the cherry trees framing
the front walkway. A crow stared at her. Lum feels herself shudder
lightly. Like the people native to this district, she had picked up
the subtle fear of the dark-hued avians' presence. Were they trying
to tell her something?

"Good morning, Lum-chan, Darling!" a cheery voice calls from behind
them.

Lum slows down, turning back to smile at Lan. "Good morning,
Lan-chan!" she returns the Seishin's greeting.

Ataru looks away, his eyes rolling, as if saying, "What is she doing
coddling this (blank)ing, vindictive, airheaded twit?!"

Neither Lum nor Lan notice. The Oni was pleased that her fellow
Urusian seemed in a good mood today. Lan had been impossible when
they had come back from Icarus, covered in pimples and blisters thanks
to the green makeup Nassur had forced her to wear when they broke into
Ipraedies space. Then, Lum thought it was divine justice, revenge for
Lan's attempt years ago to sell Lum, Benten and Oyuki to the Ipraedies
Circus. However, it seems at present that Lan had forgotten that.
She privately hoped Lan would forever forget the sour incidents which
had haunted their friendship.

Wishful thinking. "I've got good news!" Lan declares.
"Hanawa-sensei has agreed to allow me to become a member of Class
Three-Four! Isn't that great?!"

"Th-that's nice, Lan-chan," Lum weakly smiles.

"Which means I can be with you two all the time, not to mention
Ryuunosuke-san and everyone else!" Lan adds, clapping her hands. "Oh,
this is something I've always wanted since I came to Earth!! Now we
can be together as often as we can, Lum-chan!"

"I...I'm glad y-you're happy, Lan-chan," Lum hesitantly replies.

Ataru looks ready to vomit. "I'll remind everyone to get
clothespins," he sarcastically notes.

"Why?!" both Urusians stare at him.

"To prevent us from being overwhelmed by the stench your presence in
our class will bring," Ataru icily stares at Lan.

Lan jolts. Lum winces, but deep down, found herself laughing. Lan
had, aboard the "Kashin" after their rescue from Icarus, got the cold
shoulder from Ataru when she tried to swamp him with her "cute,
innocent girl" act. Whatever else was happening with her Darling, she
liked this part.

Ataru decides to salt the wound. "And I'll also get a few rocket
launchers secured in the class so that we could give that cow you call
a boyfriend a WARM reception whenever he gets it in his hollow space
of a mind to come visit us," he adds, his voice grated in acid.

Lan's eyes flash as she moves to defend Rei, but she jolts on seeing
the glimmer of a very sharp knife appear from below Ataru's crossed
hands. That, matched with the spark in his eyes, quickly warns her to
back off. "You don't have to be so insulting, Darling!" she sniffs,
turning her back to him.

"No?!" Ataru twirls the knife to absently pick at his teeth. "Then
what should I call you and Rei?! Two (blank)ing pains in the
mother(bleep)ing ass?!"

Lum and Lan blanch at the deliberate insult. Watching the
confrontation from nearby stand three female classmates from their
class, Momoe Marubeya, Kumiko Gekasawa and Natsuko Shinryaku. "Even
censored, that sounded awful!" the ears of the girl's volleyball team
captain billow with steam.

"Until four days ago, I never heard Ataru insult a woman," Momoe, a
tall, statuesque woman with short-cut black hair, stares wide-eyed at
Ataru.

"These days, everyone's been getting it," Kumiko, a slightly stockier
girl with bob-curled shoulder-length black hair, adds with a nod.
"What do you suppose happened to him when he was kidnapped by the
Ipraedies?"

The other girls empathically shake their heads. "C'mon, Lum," Ataru
turns to his would-be wife. "Let's get to class and spill the bad
news."

"Um...if you say so, Darling," Lum gives Lan an apologetic shrug,
then follows him into the school building.

Lan glares at Ataru as they go. "I don't know what's got into
Darling, but I won't ever let him get away with insulting Rei-chan!"
she hisses. "He hasn't heard the end of this!"

* * *

Classes being with homeroom, then a study period supervised by Mitsu
Hanawa, Class 3-4's homeroom supervisor and the men's physical
education teacher. Ataru relaxes in his chair as he absent-mindedly
twirls a pen in one hand, performing remarkable contortions with his
fingers without missing a beat or dropping the pen. The other
students in the class seem not to care, each concentrating on their
own work. Ataru blinks, then stares at Lum, who is watching him. A
smile crossing his face, he pulls out a sheet of paper, then writes a
quick note to pass to her. Lum blinks, then nearly falls over
laughing:

"I can't believe I'm THAT gorgeous."

Recovering, Lum writes a reply, then hands the note back to Ataru:

"Darling, you're the only one for me. Don't you know
that by now?"

Ataru stares at the note, then a sad look crosses his face. Lum
stares quizzically at him, then braces as he writes a lengthy reply,
then hands it back to her:

"I've know that much, but there are times I feel as if
you don't care about anything else but making yourself
happy. I want you to be happy, but I want to be happy
too...and there are many times I've never felt happy
when you were around. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh,
but that's the way I really feel."

Lum blinks as she interprets the message, then stares at him. He had
not snapped at her, fired her an ugly look or moved to chase a girl.
He had rationally stated his position. She sighs, then writes her
reply:

"Darling, I've stated it more times than I care to
count...I love you. You're the only one I want, the
only one I care for. Can't you understand that?"

Ataru looks at the message, then writes his note and hands it back:

"I do understand that, Lum. I just find it difficult
to believe. In fact, I think I've always found it
difficult to believe. I don't really know how to put
what I'm feeling into words because I don't understand
what I'm feeling right now. Maybe that's why I've
been such an ogre (no pun intended) to everyone as of
late. Could you forgive me for that?"

Lum blinks as she reads the note. Realization dawns on her. This is
the first time they had ever had a serious talk about what was going
on between them. It was not one-sided or punctuated with Lum's temper
and lightning or Ataru's skittery behaviour and girl-hunts. If she
destroyed the mood of this, what would he think of her?

Staring at him, she mouths her response. "I do."

He nods, then returns to twirling his pen as Lum slips the note into
her pocket. Ataru's words confirmed her suspicions. Something very
strange was going on. Did it have something to do with her
nightmares? If it did, what would she do?

* * *

"Lum, are you alright?" Shinobu inquires as she sits beside the Oni
at lunchtime.

"Huh?!" Lum jolts as she stares quizzically at Ataru's ex-girlfriend.
"Did you say something, Shinobu?"

"Boy, are you out to lunch today or what?!" Shinobu muses as she
attacks her meal. "What's going on? What was with the note-passing
at study hall?!"

"You saw that?" Lum blinks.

"Everyone in the class is talking about it," Shinobu responds after
swallowing her mouthfull of sandwich. "What's going on?"

"I really don't know," Lum shakes her head. "Darling's in a bad
mood."

"He's been in a bad mood since we got back from Icarus," Shinobu
comments. "Snapping at people, giving them ugly looks, insulting
them. What's wrong?!"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Lum sighs, staring at her
former rival. She had noticed it as of late: Shinobu had been
spending a lot more time around her and Ataru. She wondered what was
going through her classmate's head. Lum always felt a nagging sense
of trepidation whenever she was around Shinobu, even though both had
made their peace long ago. It was probably an aftereffect of the
bitter fight the two had over Ataru. Now that Shinobu's mind seemed
to be concentrating on something...or rather someone...else, it seemed
silly for Lum to guard herself against her classmate.

"Well, I hope you do find out about it soon and fix it," Shinobu
notes. "Ataru-kun's behaviour starting to get on everyone's nerves.
No one knows what to think these days. Believe it or not, I'd be
relieved if he tried to date another girl."

Lum blinks. While she resented Ataru's consistent girl-chasing, she
did realize it was something her Darling was comfortable doing. She
then realizes that was another change which had come over him. He
barely stared at another woman except when he was in a crowd and could
not avoid it. Yet, he had not said anything positive towards another
woman since coming back from Icarus.

Icarus?! The Oni's brow furrows as she remembers her brief
imprisonment there. Nothing untoward had happened to them despite the
Ipraedies commandant's attempt at sending them to the Circus. Oh,
Ataru was taken away on Nimrod's orders, probably to be tortured, but
he had been found by Nassur whole and healthy, none the worse for
wear. So, what happened to make him change so much?

* * *

Ataru walks down the hallway towards the cafeteria. Absently looking
at his hands, he reaches up to brush some of the dirt from his
fingernails. His visits to Takenotsuka were going to attract
someone's attention sooner or later. The fact that he left Tomobiki
late in the evening, caught the subway to the northern Tokyo district,
then spent several hours picking through the ruins of North Tokyo High
School looking for...what? His first visit there on the day they
returned from Icarus, had been out of curiosity. He had heard the
stories of the place and, wanting to get away from everyone in
Tomobiki after planning to banish Hazel, he decided to stick around
and find out what happened there twelve years before. His consecutive
visits, every night from ten at night to about three in the morning,
had gleaned a lot of information. It was strange. He hardly got more
than four hours sleep, yet woke up the following morning refreshed and
ready to tackle another day at Tomobiki High School. Maybe because he
had finally come to a decision which he kept from making for three
years had given him a new sense of purpose. Something living in
Tomobiki could never do.

Before turning into the cafeteria, Ataru is halted by a shout.
"Ataru-chan!! There you are!"

Hands quickly cover his eyes. "Let's see," he hums, sniffing the
perfume. "Cleopatra? The Mona Lisa? Marilyn Monroe? Mae West?"

A flighty giggle answers him. He smiles as he turns to see Mie
Seikou standing behind him. The last girl he had attempted to date,
Mie hailed from Yame, a small village in Kyushu. Having arrived at
Tomobiki a month before the new school term began, Ataru decided to
take advantage of Mie's innocence by pressing for a date.
Unfortunately, Lum, Mendou and the guards put an end to that. "You
knew it was me all along, Ataru-chan!" Mie wags a finger at him.

"Naturally," he purrs. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I wasn't busy tonight, so I was wondering if you'd be
interested in a date," she crosses her hands behind her back.

"A date?! Sure! What time?"

"Say right after school?" Mie proposes.

"Done," Ataru nods.

A concerned look then crosses the Kyushu native's face. "Um...what
do we do about Lum? You really didn't shake her loose last time."

Ataru sighs. "Because I didn't make use of certain advantages. I
never really saw the need or want to use them...until now, that is,"
he winks at her. "Don't worry about Lum. Without Mendou or the nerd
patrol, she won't be much of a problem. Besides, I don't really see
her at present as anything more than a friend, so what's the big
deal?"

"She sure as hell makes it a big deal," Mie warns.

"She does, doesn't she?" Ataru muses. "Well, she'll just have to
learn not to make such a deal about it anymore."

"Okay!" Mie waves, heading off to her next class. "See you then,"

"See you," Ataru waves as she heads off. "Now, there's a nice girl,"
he muses to himself.

*And one who had some secrets,* he mentally adds, heading into the
cafeteria. Mie may act like a naive country bumpkin, but behind that
veneer was a razor-sharp mind matched to a bed of passion which would
put Shinobu to shame. Ataru had sensed her friendly intentions when
he came back from being the Ipraedies' prisoner, resulting in Mie
being the only girl outside of Lum he did not snap at. Now, was Mie
looking for a friend or something more? "Guess I'll find out
tonight," he hums to himself as he walks into the cafeteria...

...then stops, an annoyed stare crossing his face as he sees Lum
surrounded by her usual "entourage"...Mendou, Shinobu, Megane, the
guards, Lan and Ryuunosuke. Letting out a disgusted groan, he walks
straight to the serving line to get himself a sandwich, hoping that
Lum would be distracted by everyone to not notice his presence.
"Darling!" Lum's voice calls out.

No such luck. Ataru essays a smile at her as she flies to him. "Hi,
Lum. Something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong," Lum shakes her head, curiosity crossing her
face. "Aren't you coming over to sit with us?"

Ataru looks around her to see who is at her table. "Thanks but no
thanks," a slight growl enters his voice. "You, I don't mind. But
the company you keep leaves a LOT to be desired."

The voice is raised enough so that everyone at the table three metres
away gets the message. The reaction is instantaneous. "Moroboshi,
how dare you slight Lum-san in such a disgusting manner?!!" Mendou
leaps to his feet, hand snapping for his katana.

*Nice draw but too slow!* Ataru's knife appears in his hand, blade
clenched by his fingers as he snaps a wrist toss. The blade twirls
like a buzzsaw, nearly parting Mendou's cowlick and his scalp from his
skull to impact the wall behind him! The scion of Japan's richest
family falters, dropping back in his chair in disbelieving shock at
Ataru's speedy retaliation. Everyone else trembles at his display.

"What I do with Lum is none of your business," Ataru puts enough of a
growl in his voice to send shivers down Ryuunosuke's and Shinobu's
spines. "What I do with the rest of you clowns...well, let's just say
that you better pray that I never get a gun in my hands or else you'll
be ashes in your family graves!"

With that, he takes the sandwich, pays the cashier, then heads out of
the cafeteria. A chorus of stunned looks and jaws scraping the floor
follow him. "What's biting him?!" Ryuunosuke demands.

"For the life of me, Ryuunosuke, I don't know," Lum shakes her head.

* * *

"Ah, that's another day done and over with!" Momoe muses as the bell
for last class rings. "Time to go home!"

"Amen to that!" Kumiko adds as the majority of the students begin to
file out of the room.

Ataru slowly packs his books, then stretches himself. Lum comes up
to him. "Ready to go home, Darling?"

He yawns, then faces her. "Actually, Mie asked me for a date
tonight. I'm heading off to see her now."

Lum blinks, nonplussed. "Oh! When will you be back?"

"I should be back before nine," he muses. "I don't expect much to
happen."

"Oh, okay!" Lum waves, flying out the window. "See you then!"

Ataru watches her go. "Now, either she accepted that as is or it
hasn't quite hit her yet," he mutters to himself, then shrugs. "Ah,
well." Taking bookbag in hand, he heads out the door to go find Mie.

Watching him go, the guards are aghast. "I don't believe I saw
that!!" Megane stammers disbelievingly. "Ataru actually is going on a
date with another girl and he admitted it right to Lum-san's face?!!"

"That has got to be the strangest thing I ever saw!!" Chibi shudders.

"So what do we do?!" Kakugari faces his friends.

Megane muses on that point, then adjusts his glasses, his usual
motion when in deep contemplation. "It is obvious that Lum-san has
yet to realize what he actually said to her. Given his vile
mood-shifts as of late, she is obviously guarding herself in case he
suddenly turns against her. You follow Ataru, I'll tell her what's
going on!"

"Right!!" the three guards nod as one.

Megane storms out of the room. "So how do we keep track of Ataru?!"
Paama turns to the others.

"Let's do what we did last time!" Chibi hums. "It worked."

Sinister stares cross the other guards' faces...

* * *

"Ah, it's so nice to see Darling enjoying himself for a change," Lum
smiles, acting as if Ataru had just gone out to get something to eat.
"I hope he has a nice time dating Mie..."

She stops, eyes widening in shock as realization dawns on her.
"***TCHA!!!!***" she exclaims, lightning exploding from all points on
her body. "***WHAT AM I SAYING?!?! DARLING!!!!***"

* * *

"There you are!" Mie waves as Ataru runs up to her by the gate to
Tomobiki town park.

"Hi!" he gently grips her hand, then escorts her into the park. The
park seems busy today as crowds view the changing colours in the
cherry trees. "Well, it doesn't seem too bad this time around," he
muses, then points to a location. "Let's go there."

"Right," Mie tenses as she glances right. Was it her imagination or
did she see three people disguised as cows? "Um...Ataru-chan?"

"What is it?" he looks curiously at her.

"Don't look now, but I think we've got company," Mie gently nods in
the direction of the disguised guards.

Ataru glances at them out of the corner of one eye. "Seems we do,"
he muses. "Well, well, well. A little afternoon entertainment before
the main course."

"What are you going to do?" Mie stares at him as they sit under a
tree.

"Play a little mind-game with them," Ataru smiles, then hums. "What
did you call Mendou and the guards again...let's see..."

"Supersnob and the Four Tweedledees," Mie answers.

"Yes, Supersnob and the Four Tweedledees," Ataru chuckles, actually
liking Mie's insult towards them than any of the more vulgar terms he
could have conceived. He then looks at her. "Care to play along?"

"I take it this has something to do with the big-city game you wanted
to play with me last time," Mie coyly smiles at him.

In a second, he has swept her into his arms. "Exactly!" he purrs.

Nearby, the guards gag disbelievingly as Ataru and Mie passionately
kiss. "I don't believe I'm seeing that!!" Chibi stammers. "A girl
other than Lum-chan WILLINGLY kissing Ataru?!!"

"This is beyond serious!" Kakugari pronounces, then pulls out a
walkie-talkie to contact Megane.

He does not realize that Ataru and Mie are watching him out of the
corner of their eyes. "He's making the call..." he hums, then smiles.
"Now!"

In the blur of an eye, both teens disappear...just as a lightning
bolt slams into the ground where they were! "Darling!!" an incensed
Lum flies up, looking left and right. "Where are you...huh?!"
confusion crosses her face. "I could've sworn he was here just a
second ago!"

Megane, Mendou and the guards race up at that time. Looking at the
burned patch of grass where Lum's bolt of lightning struck the ground,
the guards' leader then stares at Lum. "Lum-san, I think you
disintegrated him!!"

The Oni groans, then zaps Megane! "Idiot, Darling could take a lot
more than that!!"

"But, we followed him here!" Kakugari protests. "He was right here
with that Mie girl not ten seconds ago!!"

Lum lets out a snort of disbelief, then turns to leave. "Oh, I'll
find him!"

Mendou, naturally, grabs her hand. "Lum-san, do not waste yourself
anymore on that fool! Permit me to fill the gaping holes in your
heart!!"

Expectantly, this elicits a blast of energy from the annoyed Lum!
"I'LL LEAVE GAPING HOLES IN YOU IF YOU DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE,
SHUTARO!!!!" she bellows.

"L-lum-s-san..." the scion of the Mendou family collapses to the
ground as the Oni flies away.

"Brother, doesn't he ever learn?!" Paama inquires as Lum fades from
view.

"No!!" an incensed voice snarls from above them, "...and neither do
YOU!!!!"

Before the guards could react, Ataru and Mie drop from the tree atop
them. With a murderous flurry of kicks and knife-strikes to the
throat, eyes and legs, the two incapacitate the guards in the
proverbal blink of an eye. Mie wipes her hands as she stares
admiringly at Ataru. "For someone who eschews violence, you fight
well," she muses.

"And for someone who's from a backwoods town in Kyushu, you're more
vicious than a pack of ninjas," Ataru returns her compliment. "What
say we depart this looney bin for some place more private?"

"Lead on, MacDuff!" she wraps her arm around his.

Ataru drops a note on Megane's shattered glasses, then the two
depart. A moment later, Lum comes flying back, a suspicious stare on
her face. "I could've sworn I heard Darling's voice somewhere near
here," she muses, then stops, staring disbelievingly at the sight of
the guards pounded literally into silly-putty! "Eh?!!"

Her eyes then fall on the note. Picking it up, she reads:

"Lum,

"If it hasn't got through your head after two years of
my telling you this, you're NOT my wife, you're NOT my
fiancee and you're NOT my girlfriend. At most, I see
you as a good friend...and right now, you're sorely
testing that friendship! And if you keep using these
assholes to make my life miserable, then you leave me
no choice but to turn around and make YOUR life
miserable...and believe me, I have the ways and means
to do that!

"As John Paul Jones once said, 'I've not begun to
fight!'

"Ataru

The Oni blinks as she reads and re-reads the message. This could not
be happening. Ataru had treated her with respect earlier, yet here he
was again chasing other women. What was going on here?!

* * *

Many kilometres from Tomobiki, in the northern Tokyo district of
Takenotsuka, Ataru and Mie disembark from a elevated train, a large
canvas backpack slung over his back. They proceed to street level.
The two students make their way through this border district of Tokyo.
They pass an empty lot which once could have held a small camp for a
Buddhist monk. They pass a closed Shinto shrine. Finally, they stop
in front of a disintegrating gate which lead to a high school similar
to Tomobiki High School.

Or rather...the remains of one.

Where there once stood a central building with side buildings housing
gymnasium and spare classes, there now stands the shattered skeletons
of a central building and barely visible foundations of other
buildings. There are some cherry trees. Most of the vegetation is
tall grass and weeds. While the space remains vast and available for
development, there is no sign of construction within a kilometre.
Ataru and Mie walk through the gate. A fading sign denoting NORTH
TOKYO HIGH SCHOOL is posted to one of the gate pillars.

Walking to where the main entrance stood, Ataru peacefully looks
around. "Why am I drawn to this place?" he hums, stepping through the
doorway.

"A tragedy happened here, didn't it?" Mie softly inquires.

Ataru nods as they make their way to one of the more intact parts of
the main building, a class. Two walls still stand, although the
windows are blown out. Bullet holes dot the walls. The class was
littered with the skeletons of chairs and desks. Ataru has long
shoved them clear. Setting himself up, Ataru takes off his backpack
and unloads.

Mie sits beside him. "This has got to be the queerest place I've
ever been to for a date, Ataru-chan."

"Well, we couldn't go anywhere in Tomobiki where those knuckleheads
couldn't have followed us," he muses. "Sorry. You'll have to get
used to that if you're going to hang around me."

"So I see," the Kyushu native crosses her arms. "Though I must admit
this would probably be the last place Lum would look. When did you
find it?"

"I went for a walk after we got back to Earth with Yukio-chan," he
smiles, remembering the beautiful, beguiling, red-haired hybrid he
befriended on Icarus. "We discovered this place. She was curious as
to why a school was destroyed in a battle. That piqued my curiosity
and before I knew it, I was coming here every night to explore the
place." He stops, looking to the sky. "I must get it from my uncle.
He's an archaeologist. Right now, he's tramping through old Inca
territory in Peru looking for lost cities."

"Is that all of your family other than your parents?"

"No, I've got a grandmother...my dad's mom," he adds. "Mom's parents
were killed in an earthquake some years back."

"No cousins or anything?"

"None, I'm afraid," Ataru smiles. "Then again, now that I think
about it, I really don't seem to have much in the way of a family."

Mie stares quizzically at him. "You seem to have be doing a lot of
thinking these last few days, Ataru-chan. I've watched you for the
last month. Before the Ipraedies took you to Icarus, it seems as if
you had no care in the world. Now, it's as if..."

"...a switch turned over in my mind," he completes.

She nods. "Maybe it has," he pulls out some drilling tools. "Maybe
it needed a nice jolt like the one I got on Icarus to make me realize
that it's time for a change."

"Care to talk about it?" she gently inquires.

Ataru moves to speak, then shakes her head. "No. No disrespect,
Mie-chan, but I've got to figure this out on my own."

"I can understand that," she nods. "I applaud it, even. But the big
question facing you is how are you going to convince Lum of that."

"That is the question, isn't it?" he pauses, then shrugs. "For the
last two years, she's acted as if she was the only one who had the
right to decide what was good for me. I don't mind the idea of her
caring for me. In fact, I'm grateful to her for a lot of things she's
done. But...there's a point where a desire for someone becomes a
fanatic craving."

"Loyalty and fanaticism are divided by a very fine line," she muses.

"Amen to that," he nods, then a wry smile crosses his face. "In
fact, you might say that I've been just as fanatic chasing after other
girls."

"Have you tried to figure out why you do that?"

He stops, then shakes his head. "No, not really. I...I'm still
missing a lot of clues before I could put together this puzzle my
life's suddenly become. Right now, all I'm interested in is taking
back control of my life."

"You're going to be stepping on a lot of toes doing that," she warns.

Ataru hums, then gives her a mirthless smile. "I know."

Mie looks around the school. "So, tell me about this place. What do
you know about it?"

Ataru looks around, then begins. "Well, North Tokyo High was a
'shameless school,' part of a swinging late 1960s-early 1970s movement
advocating complete student freedom. NTHS, however, pushed themselves
too far for even those times, which got the PTA up in arms. After
some students died and the others thought the PTA responsible, the
students and the staff took control of the place. The police and the
army were then called in. Now, the **official** story said there was
a gas main explosion which caused a fire that killed the students and
staff. However, since I've been coming here, I've found loads of
spent ammunition casings from about a half-dozen calibers, not to
mention unexploded bombs!"

"No shit!" Mie whistles.

Ataru nods. "I've got a weird feeling that something is not
**right** about this place!"

"Amen to that," Mie stands. "I'm going to go look around."

"Okay. Watch your step, though."

"I'll be fine."

Mie heads off. Ataru sighs, then decides to continue his own
exploration of the wrecked school. Reaching into his bag, he pulls
out a cellular phone, then he proceeds to what little stands of the
old gymnasium. All that is left is one wall which holds lockers.
Ataru looks them over. Although most of the name plates are faded,
one is still legible. Ataru leans up. Reading it rises an eyebrow.
"'Sakurambou...Sakura'...?"

* * *

Later, Ataru and Mie look at the items he found in Sakura's locker.
"Sakura-sensei was a student at this place...?" the Kyushu native
muses.

"Maybe that explains her incompetence," Ataru mutters, then he picks
up what *barely* could be called a bikini bottom; it is a string with
a small patch of black fabric. "Shit!" he whistles. "Did she
actually *wear* this?!"

"Amazing that it survived all this time," she hums.

"Well, it was in a locker all these years," he notes.

They look at the other items. There is a bomber jacket emblazoned
with the Confederate States of America battle flag, the Romanized
script S. SAKURAMBOU over it and the kanji for NORTH TOKYO HIGH under.
"I bet she can still fit into this," Mie lays the jacket open to act
as an impromptu dufflebag. The bikini bottom is placed inside.

Ataru picks up a picture, showing a younger Sakura with a beautiful
kentaro-cut black-haired hazel-eyed woman. Both are dressed in
oversized flower-crested shirts and torn jeans, the kanji for PEACE on
their foreheads. "Sakura was a flower child, eh?" he smiles. "I
wonder who her friend was."

A jockstrap comes next. "Old boyfriend, I guess," Mie muses.

Ataru picks up another picture, one of a somewhat handsome young man
with spectacles. "Another boyfriend?"

"Maybe the same one," Mie proposes.

More clothing is there, including brassieres, panties, a flower shirt
and a torn pair of cut-off jeans. There are more pictures, depicting
Sakura by herself, with the black-haired woman, the bespeckled man, or
another: a barrel-chested fellow about the size of Captain Invader
with a mangy black beard, dressed only in a jockstrap...no doubt the
source of the male sportswear! "Shit, she even did a *teacher*?!"
Ataru exclaims.

Mie picks up the last item...a yearbook dated 1970-71. Opening it,
the teenagers learn that life at North Tokyo High School was not
liberal studies mixed with protest movements. Life at Sakura's alma
mater was a continuous round of mah jongg and pachinko parties, jock
and panty raids, orgies, strip searches of both male and female
students...it went on and on! Coming to the autograph section, Ataru
and Mie shake their heads in understandable bewilderment. "Did they
ever do *anything* in this place?!!" the Kyushu native ponders.

"It is to wonder," Ataru shrugs.

Most of the autographs are from male students who left notes which
will not be repeated here thanks to their XXX-rated content.
Sakura's pet nickname soon becomes apparent. "She...she was
called...'Thunderthighs?!!'" both students exclaim.

Ataru then notices a picture of the black-haired girl with:

"Sakura-chan,

"My soul-sister, soul-mate, confidant, bed partner,
shoulder to cry on, jock raid teammate...my best
friend.

"Yuukiki Seishin"

"Yuukiki-chan," sadness crossing Ataru's face. "Who killed you
people? Why?!"

Mie nods sympathetically. Ataru closes the yearbook and places it
with Sakura's other belongings. Folding the jacket up, Ataru slides
it beside his backpack. He stands and looks around, questions on his
face. "Why?! What happened here?! Why?!!"

"Maybe that's why you came here," Mie proposes.

Ataru stares at her. "I was just remembering why I came here," a
whistful look crosses the Kyushu native's face. "I came to Tokyo
because I sensed the answers to the riddles my life has been plagued
with had their answers here."

"Do you believe that now?"

"Yes, I do," a celestial smile crosses her face. "Maybe your
discovery of this place may act as a bridge for you to find your
answers, or at least put yourself on the right road to finding your
answers. My parents believe that people are predestined to be where
they are. Destiny placed you in Tomobiki for some reason. Now it's
drawn you here. Once you find the answers for why you're here, then I
think you'll find all the answers you've ever needed about yourself."

Ataru considers the point, then nods. "I concede that. I guess I'll
be making a few trips to this place in the near future. Want to tag
along?"

"If you want," she shrugs. "But, I think I could be of better use to
you running interception in Tomobiki. It's not going to take those
morons long to figure out that you're travelling outside the district
to be alone."

"That's more than appreciated," he smiles, then looks at the pile of
Sakura's personal belongings. "Now, what do we do with all this?"

* * *

Several hours later, the doorbell rings at an imposing Western-style
building located in the north end of Tomobiki. The door soon opens,
revealing Tsubame Ozuno. "Yes, can I help...eh?!" he blinks. "Ataru,
what are you doing here?"

"Hope you don't mind my visiting at such a late hour," Ataru smiles,
a large box in his hand. Mie stands with him. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure," the occultist waves the two students in, curiosity crossing
his face. "What's that?"

Ataru places the box down, then opens it. "I think it's time you
give Sakura an early Christmas present," he reaches in, pulling out
her old school jacket. "Like this?"

Tsubame blinks. "That's a North Tokyo High...!!" he exclaims, then
stares at Ataru. "Where did you get this?!"

"Where do you think?" Ataru smiles.

Tsubame lets out a low whistle as he kneels by the box, reaching
inside to pull out the other artifacts from the destroyed school.
"I...I always knew Sakura-chan was a student at this place...but I
thought nothing survived it. When did you stumble onto this?"

"Just tonight, Ozuno-san," Mie cuts in. "But Ataru-chan's been
checking the place out for the last four nights, five if you count
tonight."

Tsubame quizzically stares at the Kyushu native. "You're that new
girl in Ataru's class, aren't you?"

Mie introduces herself. "A pleasure," Tsubame bows, then takes a
frank look at her. "My. Please don't take this as anything more than
a compliment, but I've never sensed a psychic aura quite like yours in
the years I've dealt in the occult."

"Thanks," Mie blushes.

"Pervert," Ataru snorts to himself.

Tsubame quizzically stares at him. "And I have to say, Ataru, that
your aura has changed considerably since we've last met. Something's
happened to you...something big, unless I miss my guess."

Ataru looks at him, then shrugs. "You just made the understatement
of the century, Tsubame."

The occultist is quick to sense the student's hesitation. "Ah, I
understand. You want to figure this out on your own.
Understandable...applaudable, even. But if you feel the need to get
any sort of advice, feel free to drop by."

"Um...thanks," Ataru blinks, wondering if he heard that right. He
would figure that after all the times he butted into every attempt
Tsubame and Sakura made to solidify their relationship, the occultist
would gladly wish he never existed.

Tsubame smiles. "Relax, Ataru. I can sense even from here that the
change within you is so profound, that you could possibly never
conceive of some of the outrages you pulled on people before. As I
said, if you feel the need to talk to anyone, by all means come by."

"Thanks, again," Ataru blushes, then looks at the box. "So, have you
figured out what you're going to do with all this?"

"I might want to take a look at it," Tsubame crosses his arms.
"While Sakura-chan and I are very much endeared to each other and do
try to be honest with each other, there are certain points she keeps
to herself. What happened at North Tokyo High is one of them. Maybe
I'll just give this to her...but I might have to watch it, though. I
can tell that her memories of this place are really painful."

"That's the reason I brought this to you," Ataru admits, standing.
"If I took this to her, I'd be accused, rightfully I guess, of butting
in her personal affairs. I feel that the more pleasant memories of
this place would be brought back if it was you who gave this to her,
not me."

"Thanks," Tsubame flushes. "But, if she asks, I'll tell her who
found it for me."

"Fair enough," Ataru sighs, slipping his shoes on and moving to
leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some bad memories to start
expunging on my own. Good night."

"A pleasure to meet you, Ozuno-san," Mie bows as she follows Ataru
out of the house.

Tsubame watches them go, a concerned look on his face. *Tread very
carefully, Lum. A storm's brewing in him...a storm that could destroy
you in the blink of the proverbal eye...*

* * *

"I'm home!" Ataru calls out as he walks into the foyer of the
Moroboshi home.

While he speaks calmly, all of his senses are alive, moving to detect
any possible attack coming at him. He is not long disappointed.
"There ya are, ya creep!" Ten-chan's voice utters from above him.

Ataru is already on the move. Leaping to one side to avoid the blast
of flame he anticipated, he draws his knife from his shirt sleeve,
leaps into the air, grabs the young Oni by the throat, then with a
brutal uppercut, slices off his horn! Ten-chan screams as the pain
shoots through his skull, then he is unceremoniously dumped to the
floor as Ataru returns the knife to its hidden scabbard. "That should
keep you in line for the next while," Ataru comments as he walks to
the stairs to head to his room.

"He cut my horn off again...!" Ten-chan dizzily moans.

"Ataru!!!" his mother's voice barks from the living room.

Ataru rolls his eyes, then icily glares at Kinshou, who is seated in
the living room with her husband and a wet-faced Lum. "What do you
want, you bitch?!" he snarls.

Everyone jolts at his insult. "Ataru!!" Muchi snaps, surprising his
son because he is not reading his paper. "How dare you talk back to
your mother in such a tone...?!"

"Oh, go back to reading your stupid paper in your own stupid world,
you old fool!" Ataru counters before his father could complete his
sentence. "I've no time for idiots like you!!"

The sharpness in his voice causes his parents to hold their tongues,
staring disbelievingly at him. Lum watches this in shocked confusion.
Ataru and his parents had spats before, but nothing this vile. "As a
matter of fact," Ataru icily adds, "...if you two idiots keep butting
your noses where they don't belong, I just might decide to ELIMINATE
you both...and you know very well WHO I can call to help me to that
end, don't you?!"

Kinshou trembles as Ataru walks upstairs, maniacally laughing as he
goes, then explodes. "THAT COW!!!!!!"

Lum watches helplessly as Ataru's mother runs to the back porch,
faces north, then starts mooing. "Moo...moo...moo...you cow! You
ageless bitch!! Moo...moo...moo!"

Ataru's father shakes his head, then returns to his paper. Lum turns
to speak to him, then seeing no help there, sighs and moves to head
upstairs. At the foyer, she looks down to see Ten-chan painfully
walking towards the bathroom. "You okay, Ten-chan?" she
sympathetically smiles.

"Something's wrong with him, Lum-chan!" the younger Oni moans.

*Tell me something I don't already realize,* Lum mentally replies,
then walks upstairs. Peeking into the bedroom, she essays a friendly
smile. "Darling?"

Ataru is at his desk, absently twirling his pen. He looks at her.
Lum blinks as his features transform from icy rage to a warm
friendliness in the proverbal blink of an eye. What was wrong with
him? "Hi."

She slowly steps into the room. "Um...how was your...date?" she
utters the last word as if she had drunk acid.

Ataru shrugs. "It was pretty cool. Mie-chan's just looking for a
friend. Unfortunately, with all the guys being a bunch of lovesick
puppies because of you and all the girls being lovesick puppies
because of Mendou, her options aren't that extensive."

Deep down, Lum lets out a breath of relief. Still, a question had to
be answered. "Um, Darling...the guys said you and Mie did kiss..."

Ataru turns on her, incensed rage flashing in his eyes like the
initial light burst of a nuclear bomb exploding. "And what makes
those morons think it's any of their business?!!" he snarls, causing
Lum to jolt back in shock. "Much less what business of YOURS about
what I do with another girl?!!"

Lum moves to retaliate, but no sound utters from her lips as a
curious realization quickly comes to her. Ataru was acting as if his
emotions were being controlled by some sort of mental switch. "You
seem to not give a damn whatsoever about my feelings!!!" he points an
accusing finger at her. "It's bad enough that I have to live in a
town full of morons who'd gladly wish me dead, not to mention two
complete assholes that I have to call my parents...and that doesn't
BEGIN to excuse you brat cousin or your other stupid friends from out
there...but if you think YOU have the sole right to continue to judge
me, you're very mistaken!!! Keep it up and you'll find yourself
heading back to Uru...and if I'm in a particularly vile mood, I might
send you back home in a PINE BOX!!!!"

Lum's mouth drops open in disbelief, her eyes widening with a
considerable measure of fear. Ataru had NEVER threatened her in this
manner before! However, she did not intend to give up on him.
"Darling, please try to understand...!" she moves to touch him.

"Get your hands off me!!!" he barks, causing Lum to jolt back.

They stare at each other for a moment, then Ataru's demeanor changes
from rage to anguished confusion. The switch turning over again, Lum
realizes. "Darling...!" she hesitantly reaches to him.

"Please...I want to be alone," he looks away from her.

She stops, then realizing that he meant what he said, nods and turns
to leave the room. Reaching the door, she looks back. Ataru was
seated at his desk, looking to nowhere in particular. With a silent
sob, she flies out of the room.

He painfully looks over his shoulder, then shakes his head, tears of
his own springing in his eyes. Ataru buries his face in his hands.
"Gods, what's happening to me...?!"

* * *

The next morning, Lum helps the wounded Ten-chan back to ground
level, both having spent the night about her scout. "I hope he's in a
better mood today," the older Oni sighs as she lands by the door, then
places her cousin on the ground.

"He better be!" the younger Oni winces. "I can't take him taking a
knife to my horn like that all the time." Right now, a bandage covers
the mark in the scalp where Ten-chan's horn used to be.

Lum opens the door, then walks inside. "Darling!" she calls out.
"Are you ready for school?!" She walks into the foyer, then looks
left into the kitchen...and screams!

Ten-chan looks to see Kinshou Moroboshi smashed head-first into the
refrigerator. "What happened to her?!!" the young Oni exclaims,
visibly trembling.

"That...cow..." weakly escapes from somewhere inside the
refrigerator.

Lum looks into the living room to see Ataru's father calmly reading
his paper, then she flies upstairs. The door to Ataru's room is
closed. She moves to open it, then senses a giant shadow falling over
her. "My son wishes to be undisturbed..." a haunting voice sounding
somewhat like Megane's with a Toohoku accent echoes from behind her.

The Oni lets out a shriek as she spins around, a sledgehammer
appearing her hand and lashing out at the monster behind her! The
monster, Lum suddenly realizes, is in fact a very tall, dignified
gentleman in his late thirties dressed in the robes of a Shinto high
priest. He reaches up to his wavy black hair to feel the nice lump
Lum gave him, then a friendly grin splits his face, framed by
moustache and goatee. "Sorry about that," his voice turns back to
normal. "It seems that I've started to pick up some of Cherry's idiot
habits."

"Wh-wh-who a-a-are y-y-you...?!" Lum fearfully stammers, still unsure
as to how to take the stranger's more than intimidating appearance.

"This guy can scare Nassur-chan!!" Ten-chan hides protectively behind
Lum's leg.

"Ah," the priest smiles. "Permit me to introduce myself," he hands
her a business card.

Lum looks at the card. "'Chiezou Budou,'" she reads, then
recognition dawns on her. "You must be Ashin's father, right!"

"Correct," Chie nods.

Lum looks back at the card. It stated that Chie (his nickname, also
printed on the card) is the high priest of the Kantou Region, not to
mention the chief priest of the Moroboshi Clan. Realizing that Ataru
had more than enough right to call a priest directly affiliated with
his family, the Oni lets out a relieved sigh. "I'm sorry about that.
Pleased to meet you."

"A pleasure," he slips his arms into his robes. "My, I must confess
you're far more attractive than most discriptions of you would make."

Lum flushes. "Flatterer!"

Chie turns to the closed door of Ataru's room. "Ashin and I came by
earlier to look in on Ataru. Actually, it's been over two years since
we last saw him. However, it seems that our presence may be required
given Ataru's recent mood shifts."

"You know about that?" Lum looks surprised.

"My dear, virtually nothing in Ataru's life is kept a secret from
me," the high priest preens. "After all, his grandmother has spies
upon spies in this town monitoring how those two incompetents
downstairs are treating her grandson."

The Oni blinks, realizing that Chie was implying something she was
now starting to come to grips with. "Um...Budou-san, what are you
saying? That Darling's grandmother doesn't trust his parents?!"

"Exactly," Chie nods, then gives her a warning stare. "Nor, I should
add, does Nagaiwakai-sama trust *you!*"

Lum jolts, pointing to herself in a "who, me?" gesture. "Yes, you!"
Chie nods. "You see, Lum, your presence in this household has
completely disrupted a lot of people's lives, most of all Ataru's.
Your motivations might be honourable, but as far as Nagaiwakai-sama is
concerned, you proved how much you DON'T love Ataru back at the Second
Tag Race!"

The Oni jolts. She and Ataru had put their awful spat long behind
them. "What does that have to do with this?!!" Lum exclaims.

"It has a lot to do with it," Chie sighs. "Lum, surely you noticed
it even before the Ipraedies kidnapped you because of that hybrid
child. The Second Tag Race was what, two months ago?! You're
performance there, you must admit, wasn't the least bit stellar."

"I...!" Lum moves to defend herself.

Chie silences her with a wave. "Permit me to explain. You and Ataru
had an arguement...then you turned around and make use of an
ecological disaster unleashed by that airhead Lan to force him to say
'I love you' in public. To any outsider, you had taken hostage of an
entire planet just to make one man submit to your will. And given how
much Nagaiwakai-sama cares for Ataru, that act earned you an enemy you
cannot begin to hope to deal with."

The icy tone in his voice causes Lum to shiver. "Wh-what does
th-that mean?" she hesitantly asks.

Chie mirthlessly smiles. "My dear, she was this close," he forms a
very small space between index finger and thumb, "...from ordering
your death at Day Six."

Lum turns sheet white. "And none of your friends would've been able
to help you, either," the high priest adds. "They would've been
killed at the same time...and Nagaiwakai-sama would've made sure it
would've looked like an accident. And if your father would've tried
to take his anguish at your loss on the people of Earth, well...she
could take care of him, too."

The tone in the priest's voice sends chills down Lum's spine as she
realizes that he was speaking the truth. "Even now, two months later,
Nagaiwakai-sama would gladly wish you were ashes back in your family
tomb," Chie continues. "As a matter of fact, she's been tempted to
put out a fifty million uniCredit bounty on your head in case
you...again overdo it around Ataru."

Lum feels the strength in her legs drain from her. "F-f-fifty
m-m-million u-u-uniCredits...?" her voice utters in a terrifying
squeak. The bounty the Galactic Federation put on her for her part in
the Second Tag Race fiasco was only a million!

"You heard me."

The Oni hangs her head as she contemplates what he just told her.
She was used to having rivals for Ataru's love. First Elle, then
Yukio, now supposedly Mie. But, Chie's revelation hinted that she now
possessed a personal enemy, one willing to go to any lengths to see
her driven out of Ataru's life. And this enemy, worst of all, was
Ataru's grandmother, a person Lum would respect and be more than happy
to love just like she loved Ataru's parents!! Suddenly, her life just
became more complicated, in a most unpleasant way. "Wh-what sh-should
I do...?" she fearfully stares at Chie.

The high priest sighs. "Sadly, Nagaiwakai-sama will have to wait,"
he rubs the bridge of his nose. "I know you'll have to face her
sooner or later...and your task will be made all the harder because
when Nagaiwakai-sama comes to hate someone, it's nearly IMPOSSIBLE for
her to subside to forgiveness. Right now, we should concern ourselves
with what's going on in Ataru's head..."

At those words, the door opens and a younger, clean-faced version of
Chie steps out. "Ah, there you are," Ashin smiles, then grabs Lum by
the hand. "Come with me, please."

Lum does not have any chance to argue the point. Soon enough, both
are on the front lawn. "What's this all about?" the Oni demands.

"It's about you and the way you're treating your so-called husband,"
Ashin turns on her, a very displeased look on his face.

Lum jolts, sweat appearing in her hair. "You call your mindless
abuse of Ataru over the last two years 'love?!'" Ashin lashes at her.
"Good grief, woman, where's your sense of fairness?! Hasn't it got
into your skull yet that he's nowhere near ready to even contemplate
marriage?!!"

"But...!"

"Silence!" Ashin barks. "I'm talking here!!"

Lum clams up. Not even Nassur had shouted at her this way back when
he was training her. "You, my dear, have a lot to learn about how to
live alongside someone!" Ashin jabs a finger in her direction. "What
your intentions are, I've no care for. The fact is, if you were
married to Ataru, he could legitimately file for divorce on the
grounds that his wife was abusing him!! What type of wife would turn
around, totally take over a person's life, then deny him the chance to
express himself in a way beyond what you want him to express?!!"

Lum shakes her head. Unfortunately for her, Ashin is on a roll. "As
of now, I've sent a recommendation to Nagaiwakai-sama that Ataru be
removed from this house and this town as soon as possible," he warns.
"Further, if you don't start straightening your act up, I'll have YOU
removed from his life! Got me?!"

"P-p-perfectly!" Lum stammers.

"And another thing," Ashin turns to leave...then smiles. "Don't give
up hope."

Lum is so stunned by his sudden change of mood, a twenty-tonne weight
crashes on her head! The Shinto priest chuckles as he heads off the
property. Lum blinks as she watches him go, then turns to look at
Chie, who has come out at that time. "Wh-what was th-that all about?"
she hesitantly inquires.

"Please forgive my son," the high priest smiles. "However, as I was
telling you earlier, Ataru's behaviour began to shift thanks to the
events of the Second Tag Race. Surely you've noticed it in bits and
spurts. An angry comment, snapping at people..."

"Yes," Lum nods. "It's been bad over the last month...before Hazel
came, that is. It's as if Darling doesn't care about anything or
anyone around here."

"Given the way people treat him, I don't blame him," Chie sighs.
"Think of Ataru's temper as a slow fuse to a stack of dynamite. For
the last month, it's been burning bit by bit towards exploding point.
Suddenly, something happens...as if the slow fuse was switched for a
faster-burning fuse. Ataru's temper is about to explode, Lum...and
there's nothing you or anyone can do to stop it."

Lum feels her face pale. "Wh-what do I do, th-then?" she inquires.

Chie gives her a sympathetic look. "Get ready for a typhoon," he
shrugs. "If you attempt to bottle that anger, it'll just make matters
worse. Ataru NEEDS to release his buried rage. There are other
forces involved in this, although I can't as yet sense what they are.
Believe me, if you show some acquiesence...pardon me, if you show a
LOT of acquiesence...then your friendship with him could survive
relatively unscathed, and I dare say that it could then have the real
potential to blossom into a relationship. That, however, totally
depends on you."

"I see," Lum nods. "Thanks for coming."

"My pleasure," Chie nods...then disappears like the wind!

Lum nearly passes out in fear. "Ten-chan's right!" she gasps. "He
IS scarier than Nassur-chan!!"

With that, she returns to the house. By that time, Ataru's mother
has extracted herself from the refrigerator. "Who does that cow think
she is sending her lap hounds down here to spy on my son?!!" she
demands to no one in particular.

"At least Chie-san and Ashin-kun are more pleasant company than the
twits we normally get around this place!!" Ataru snarls as he walks
down from his room, dressed and ready for school.

"Morning, Darling," Lum hesitantly ventures.

Ataru looks at her, then an apologetic look crosses his face. "Sorry
about last night," he weakly smiles. "I was in a bad mood and you
caught me at the wrong time."

"It...it's okay," Lum smiles, glad that his temper is once more under
control. "Well, ready for school?"

"Sure," Ataru nods.

"A-hem!!" Kinshou coughs.

Icy anger suddenly appearing on his face, he looks at his mother.
"And what the hell do YOU want?!!" he intones.

"Don't you have something to say to us?!" Kinshou glares at him.

Ataru looks nonplussed, then snorts. "You don't DESERVE an apology
for me, you worthless old windbag! C'mon, Lum...let's leave the bat
to *grow old and die alone!!*"

Before Lum could protest, she is pulled away from the house by Ataru.
Kinshou watches them go, then drops to her knees in a wail of anguish.
"WHO'S GOING TO TAKE CARE OF ME WHEN I'M OLD AND GREY?!?!?!"

"If you don't like it, go get a job," Muchi ventures from the living
room.

Kinshou faints!

* * *

"Darling, why are you snapping at your parents?!" Lum stares at Ataru
as they head to school.

"Why shouldn't I?!" he groans. "My idiot mother wishes I was never
born every five seconds and my idiot father ignores everything by
reading his damn paper! How would you feel if your parents did that
to you?!"

"They still care for you!" she protests.

"No, they don't, and they never have!!" he snaps at her. "As a
matter of fact, I'm tempted to move out of the place so I CAN leave
them to grow old and die alone!!"

Lum blinks, then looks at him. "You mean...we'd go live on our
own?!"

Ataru seems to calm down at the time. "If that's what you want."

The Oni blinks, then smiles. "I wouldn't mind that!"

"Then consider it done!" the Terran smiles back.

Suddenly, a voice utters from behind them. "Young Master."

Ataru stops, then looks back. No one is there, but a large box lies
on the ground by his feet. "What is it?" he asks.

Lum looks around. Black blurs seemed to be darting around them. "A
present from the Mistress, sir," a female voice utters, then the blurs
disappear.

"Ah!! I love Grandma's presents!!" Ataru smiles as he reaches down
to pick up the box, then starts to attack the packaging.

"Who were they?!" Lum points in the direction where the blurs
originated.

"The Kuromoroboshi," Ataru explains. "Grandma's personal ninja
brigade."

The Oni almost faints. Given that revelation tacked on to what Chie
just told her, Nagaiwakai Moroboshi had to be one of the richest women
on Earth, if not the whole local cluster! By that time, the packaging
is off and the box is open. "What have we here...well, well, well!!"
Ataru's face brightens as he reaches in. "Grandma always thinks of
everything! Isn't she the greatest?!"

Lum faints on seeing what Ataru just got: a gun which looks like an
outer-space version of an nineteenth century breech-loading rifle
musket shortened to carbine length! "A Yehisrite *qu'f-piaqu'r,*
blunderbuss version," Ataru smiles as he finds the breechbolt handle,
then pulls slightly back to unlock the bolt, swinging it to the left
to reveal an empty firing chamber. "Always wanted one of these!"

Lum gags. Firearms and Ataru Moroboshi NEVER mixed before now!
Along with the weapon came two separate boxes of ammunition, a
bandolier also filled with rounds for the particle-photon musket, plus
a leather carrying bag to sling it over Ataru's back. She watches
dumbfoundedly as Ataru pulls out the bandolier, then secures it around
his waist. Looking at what was available, he picks out one round,
then inserts it into the musket's firing bed, snapping the breech shut
and cocking the firing hammer one notch to the "ready" position.
Ataru slides the weapon into its carrying case, then slings that over
his back. The boxes of ammunition go into his briefcase. "There!!"
Ataru smiles as he piles the empty box beside some other garbage.
"NOW, I'm ready for school!"

"Darling, I don't think the teachers will allow you to carry that
thing into the school!" Lum warns.

"Oh?!" Ataru looks at her. "They allow Mendou and Lan to bring
weapons to school! Can't I defend myself?!"

Lum prepares to counter, then realizes Ataru has a very good point.
"Well, I guess so. But...are you sure you can use that thing?! In
the hands of a professional, that can take down a building."

"Guess I'll have to test it," Ataru shrugs as they proceed towards
school.

"Darling, Lum-chan!!" a sickly-sweet voice calls out from behind
them.

"Oh, hi, Lan-chan...!" Lum moves to wave at her friend...

...then jolts in shock as Ataru pivots on his foot, his hand yanking
out the *qu'f-piaqu'r* from its holster. The weapon is brought to
bear on target as Ataru cocks the hammer to the firing position, then
sqeezes the trigger. With a deafening roar, the weapon spits out a
ball of energy which impacts the ground at Lan's feet! The resultant
explosion sends the hapless Seishin girl in an impromptu flight into
orbit!! "Hey...!!!" she screams as she disappears into the sky.

Lum is ashen-faced at the sight, then turns to Ataru, who is ejecting
the spent casing from his musket. "Sights must be off," he muses,
then after reloading, slings the weapon back into its casing. "C'mon!
Let's go to school!"

"O-okay, Darling," Lum nervously nods as they head off...

* * *

"Mie, we want to talk to you," Momoe walks up to Mie's desk.

The Kyushu native blinks, then stares at her classmate. Standing
with Momoe is Kumiko, Natsuko, Shinobu, Ryuunosuke and several other
girls. "What's the big problem?"

"We'd...like to speak with you in private, if you don't mind," Momoe
notions towards the door.

Mie sighs, then shrugs and follows the other girls out of the room.
The guards observe this. "Thank the gods for them," Kakugari muses,
feeling the bruised ribs he got from Mie the previous afternoon.
"They'll convince her to stay away from Ataru."

"I don't know, Daremo-kun," Chibi hums. "That's a wild woman. She
even makes Shinobu look tame."

The other guards hum as they consider his point. Meanwhile, the
girls conviene in the clock tower. "So, what's the big deal?" Mie
crosses her arms.

The other girls exchange looks, then turn as one to face Mie. "We
want you to stop seeing Ataru-kun," Shinobu speaks.

Mie blinks. "May I ask why you want me to stop seeing Ataru-chan?"

Some of the girls blink, surprised to hear Mie use the more familiar
term. "Well, we're trying to protect you," Ryuunosuke cuts in.
"Moroboshi ain't like most other guys, you know!"

"How would you know, seeing that you're aren't either a perfect *guy*
or a perfect *girl!*" Mie fixes her with a stare.

Incensed by her insult, Ryuunosuke moves toward her, but is stopped
by Shinobu. "Relax, Ryuunosuke. Look, Mie, all we're saying is that
if you keep chasing after Ataru-kun, Lum's going to be very hurt."

"Oh?" an eyebrow rises in response. "And Lum's hurting of Ataru-chan
doesn't count, I take it."

The girls jerk. "Look!" Kumiko cuts in. "If you get Ataru under
your control, that means Lum's free to go after Mendou-san!!"

"Ah, now we come to the crux of it!" Mie smiles knowingly. "If I
form a relationship with Ataru-chan, Lum will fall back on old
Supersnob, which of course means that none of you will be able to fawn
over him like the bunch of lovestruck morons you are!"

The other girls jolt. Before they could muster a response, Mie turns
on Shinobu. "And what's your reason for being concerned about what I
do with Ataru-chan? Far as I can understand, you don't have any real
interest in him and you certainly don't have interest in Supersnob!"

"Well, I..." Shinobu flushes, twittering her thumbs in embarrassment.

A smile crosses Mie's face. "Oh, it's Nassur-san, isn't it?"

Shinobu retreats as Mie leans towards her. "You happen to know that
if Ataru-chan dumps Lum, she'll leave and go back to Uru. And once
she's gone, there's no way in hell that you can land Nassur because
Lan, Jariten and everyone else will go away, right?!"

"I...I..." Shinobu stammers.

Mie leans back, crossing her arms. "Fine, then," she nods. "I'll
keep seeing Ataru-chan!"

An explosion occurs!! "Haven't you been listening?!!" Natsuko
demands, leaning up to Mie. "If you keep seeing Ataru, you'll be
influenced by his idiocy!! He's the biggest idiot in the whole damn
school!!!"

The other girls launch into more vile descriptions of Ataru's lunacy,
ranging from town to city to country to planet, then start comparing
him to things like rotten natto and whatever else comes to mind.
"Don't you understand?!!" Shinobu concludes. "You're doing yourself
a...eh?!"

The girls blink on seeing Mie asleep against a wall. "HEY!!!!!!"
they all scream. "HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING TO US?!?!?!"

Mie yawns, then stretches herself. "Sorry. I always get sleepy
whenever I listen to moronic diatribes."

Frustration sets in as the other girls realize that Mie will not
bend. "Look, you!!" Shinobu leaps over to grab the Kyushu native by
the lapel of her jacket. "You either play along with us or else..."

Mie, however, does not scare. "Or else *what*, Thunderhips?!"

Shinobu turns a brilliant shade of crimson. "Why, you...!"

Her fist lashes out, which is caught by Mie's hand, then with a
beautiful side-flip, the Kyushu native sends Ataru's ex-girlfriend
careening into the school bell with the force of a torpedo impacting a
ship's hull! Shinobu lets out a pained moan as she slides off the
bell...falling the three storeys to the main foyer! "Ooops!" Mie
blushes. "Silly me! Sometimes, I forget my own strength."

She fires a warning glare at the other girls, who are all cowering
behind Ryuunosuke. "Ryuunosuke-kun, protect us from that monster!!"
Momoe pleads.

"Wh-who's g-going to pr-protect m-me?!" the tomboy stammers.

They are interrupted by the thunder of tank treads echoing through
the window facing the front lawn. Running to the window, everyone
sees a column of the Mendou Clan's Leopard II tanks roll onto school
property. "What's Mendou-san doing with his armoured forces?!" Momoe
inquires.

"Looks like he's preparing a warm reception for Ataru," Kumiko notes.

Seeing the array of smoothbore cannons, Mie clasps her hands in a
prayer-like gesture. <<Ataru-chan, if you can hear me, be careful!
Danger lies at the school!>> she telepathically projects out...

* * *

"Young Master, the tanks are deployed and ready," a soldier reports
to Mendou.

The command car now sits in front of the main entrance to the school.
Mendou ignores the crowd of watching students. "Do not fire unless
Lum-san is clear," he orders. "I do not wish her hurt."

"Hai!" the soldier salutes, then returns to his vehicle.

* * *

Some three hundred metres away, Ataru tenses as he feels a familiar
voice whispering into his mind. "Mie...?" he quietly intones.

"Eh?!" Lum looks at him. "Is something wrong, Darling?"

Ataru stops, looking around. The streets are torn up with a very
familiar set of markings. "Looks like old Supersnob's prepared a
little reception for me," he muses, his voice taking on a fraction of
Mie's Kyushu accent.

"Eh?!" the Oni looks at him, then stares at the ground. "Oh, Shutaro
wants to play!" she smiles. "Isn't that nice?!"

"Yes, it is," Ataru reaches behind his back to draw the
*qu'f-piaqu'r.* "I think I'll oblige him. Mind holding this?" he
hands her his briefcase.

Lum winces on seeing the particle musket drawn. "Darling, isn't that
a bit of overkill?!"

A gleam of mayhem projects from his eyes. "It is!" he whispers, then
throwing off his school jacket to give him unobstructed access to the
bandolier, he races down the street.

Lum watches him, blinking...

* * *

"Sir, there!!" a soldier points to the front gate. "He's alone!"

Mendou tenses. Ataru was now walking onto the school property.
"Prepare to fire at will!"

"Who's Will?!" another soldier quips.

The Leopard's turrets swing on target. Ataru chuckles, then swings
the musket out from behind him, cocking the hammer and taking aim at
Mendou's command car. "Sayonara," he chuckles as he squeezes the
trigger.

The bolt of energy rips through the car like a knife through hot
butter, detonating when it hits the stairs leading to the front
entrance! The car's gas tank also explodes, sending Mendou and the
soldiers with him flying in every direction!! As the Mendou Clan
forces blink, trying to discern what is happening to them, Ataru
ejects the expended round from his weapon, loads a new one, aims and
fires. Three Leopards are showered with a storm of tiny bolts, their
ammunition and fuel detonating at once! The explosions also detonate
some of the chemicals in the science labs behind them!! The soldiers
panic. Several move to give the order to return fire as Ataru
reloads, aims and fires again. The line of tanks on the other side of
the main entrance blow up! By now, total pandemonium has broken out
inside the school as the horrid realization dawns on many that the
days of the peaceful, playful Ataru are autumn leaves.

Ataru ejects the old round, loads a new one, then scouts around.
Mendou had only brought a troop of tanks with him, all of which were
destroyed in the last two shots. He then spots his classmates staring
disbelievingly at him from the window of their classroom. "Once
bitten," he takes aim. "Twice shy," he fires.

Room 337 disintegrates in an explosion of wood, steel and flying
students!! Watching this from the front gate behind him, Lum and Lan
are awestruck. "Boy, what's got Darling in a bad mood today?!" the
Seishin teen gasps.

"This is not good," the Oni shakes her head.

Ejecting the expended round, Ataru's eyes fall on the clock tower.
Now standing on the balcony staring at him are several female
classmates. A snarl rises from his throat as he remembers the time
Momoe and the others abused him. And Shinobu? The snarl turns into a
gutteral rumble as Ataru realizes several things his former girlfriend
did to him, the latest being when he was kidnapped by the Ipraedies.
Howling, he snap-aims and fires. The tower disintegrates, sending his
classmates flying in every conceivable direction!!

Seeing this, both Lum and Lan tremble. "He's even firing on the
girls?!" the former exclaims.

"Th-that's n-not D-darling...!" the latter fearfully stammers.

Ataru lets out a sigh as he surveys the destruction around him.
Pained moans for hundreds of wounded tickle his ears but he pays them
no mind. Once...once such destruction would have sickened him to the
core of his being. Now? A mirthless chuckle uttering from his lips,
he simply slips the *qu'f-piaqu'r* in its case, turns around and walks
back to Lum. Calmly slipping on his jacket, he looks at her. "I'm
going for a walk. I'll see you later."

"S-sure, D-darling," Lum weakly waves at him as he heads down the
street.

At that moment, Mie walks up, none the worse for wear thanks to her
having cleared out of the clock tower when the shooting started.
"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," the Kyushu native muses...

* * *

A half-hour later, Ataru enters a small office complex in the east
end of Tomobiki. Etched in the glass doors is a portrait of a curled
tiger, its jaws grasping a drawn ninja's gaikatana. The kanji for
TORANOSEISHIN FINANCE CORPORATION is under the tiger. In smaller
print is written the notation A KOMERU MOROBOSHI ENTERPRISES COMPANY.

Inside are a group of office workers now watching news footage of
Ataru blasting away at Tomobiki High School. The usual commentary,
condemning the evil Ataru Moroboshi for his rash and vulgar action
against peaceful, law-abiding citizens, drones on. However, on seeing
the man in quiestion entering their office, the workers leap to their
feet and give him a round of applause. "Thank you, thank you," Ataru
bows to them.

"Nice shooting, sir!!" one calls out.

"Did you see the looks on those idiots' faces?!" another asks.

Laughter echoes from the workers as they return to their machines.
Ataru feels a touch of nostalgia in his heart. He had scant reason to
come visit his uncle's company offices in Tomobiki even before Lum
came. Komeru, who spent most of his time trekking through the world's
dangerous and unknown places, was a misty, distant figure to him; the
globe-trotting kind uncle who sent him weird presents for Christmas
and birthdays. What made matters worse was that Komeru always kept
Muchi and Kinshou at arm's length, obviously vying for Nagaiwakai's
favour. Oh, it was true that since Komeru could not have children,
Ataru would be his sole heir, but Ataru wondered even now what he
would do with all of Komeru's...stuff (there was no better word for
it).

Besides, Komeru possessed a touch of arrogance, something which
reminded his nephew too much of Mendou. Ataru had no need to be
reminded further of his rival; he had his fill of the idiot every day
at school. Which of course made his coming here all the more unusual.
Ataru was not want to turn his uncle's people loose on those who got
under his skin, no matter how much they deserved it. However, there
were other, more effective, ways of skinning the cat...or in this
case, the octopus.

Approaching one desk, he looks at the name plate. "Um, Suwari-san,
does Reigi Yumoa still keep his offices here?"

"Yes, sir," the clerk nods. "He's the third door on the right," she
notions down a hallway.

"Thank you," Ataru nods to her as he heads to the office in question.

A doorplate announcing CHIEF OF OPERATIONS hangs over the door as
Ataru knocks on it. "Come in," a voice calls out from inside.

Ataru looks in. "You busy?"

"Ataru!!" Reigi Yumoa leaps to his feet to pump his friend's hand,
then embraces him. "You old snake! So, you finally decided to get
away from those twits and come back to your real home, huh?!"

Ataru chuckles as he unslings his weapon, then relaxes in the chair
across from Reigi. Given the man's American ancestry, the handshake
and hug were expected. Like many of Komeru's key administrative
personnel, Reigi was an orphan, supposedly the son of an American
service personnel killed while in Japan. Such did not matter, In his
early twenties, with brown hair and hazel eyes, he looked like a
Western version of the bespeckled teen Ataru saw in Sakura's old
yearbook. Those eyes bespoke a lot of intelligence, which was all the
more understandable; a child prodegy, Reigi earned his master's degree
in business administration and finance two years ago. "Well, it's
only a visit," Ataru shrugs. "You know how stifling it could be when
you're with Komeru-oji-chan for any length of time."

"True, I suppose," Reigi sighs, obviously mystified by Ataru's desire
to live in a normal house with a normal family, even if they left a
lot to be desired. "So, what does bring you about after two years?
Finally getting tired of Lum?"

"Not Lum, but those who like to hang onto her like a school of
remora," Ataru's mouth twists.

"Ah, we heard the blasts all the way over here," Reigi looks over his
shoulders to see the smoke billowing from the area of Tomobiki High
School. "We knew that eventually, sooner or later, that idiot Mendou
was going to step over the line."

"He did," Ataru nods to his musket, "...but thanks to Grandma, I
pushed him back."

"And how," Reigi turns back to Ataru. "Well, it doesn't matter.
Great thing, being the only finance company which caters to people
like the Mendous and the Mizunokoji. We get filthy rich on their
petty little feuds!"

"I bet," Ataru smirks. "Actually, it's because of that little
connection that I came to see you today, Reigi. How'd you like to do
me a favour?"

"What sort of favour?"

"If I remember the terms of the contract between Toranoseishin and
the Mendous, you can launch a Conglomerate-wide inspection of all
their operations, including all the extra stuff Mendou has at his beck
and call."

Extra stuff meaning Mendou's private army, air force and Kuromegane,
Reigi privately realizes. "We can. After all, we loan the money for
them to operate such forces. So until they pay us back, we have a
right to see how they're using it. It affects things like credit
ratings and all that. I do confess that they are pretty punctual with
their payments."

"So how'd you like to do an administrative inspection?" Ataru stares
at him.

"When?"

"Like right now."

Reigi winces. "Ouch! Just as things are heating up between you and
the idiots at your school." He then mirthlessly smiles. "My
pleasure."

"Thank you so kindly," Ataru nods to the telephone on his desk.
"Mind if I use that? I'd like to call Grandma."

"Go ahead," Reigi nods as he stands. "I better call the Mendou
mansion and give them the bad news."

With a chuckle, he walks into the main office. Ataru smirks as he
reaches for the phone. Mendou would not see this coming in a million
years, which was another reason Ataru always kept information about
his other relations a secret. If Mendou did learn that Ataru had an
uncle and grandmother who together outweighed his whole clan
financially, he would have gone ballistic, causing all sorts of
trouble.

He picks up the receiver and tabs the button to direct-dial his
grandmother's home in Hokkaido. "Nor will those idiots back home see
what's coming," he muses...

* * *

"Boy, Darling sure can get mad when he wants to," Lan muses.

Lum stares at her friend, then nods, realizing that Lan has a point.
Right now, the front lawn of Tomobiki High School looks like a trauma
ward at a big city hospital mixed with a junkyard. Students, most of
them from the clock tower and room 337, are being patched up for their
wounds. Nearby, wreckers are towing what remains of Mendou's armoured
force back to their hangars at the estate. Mendou himself is being
treated by several pretty nurses. "That swine!!" he snarls, causing a
spasm of pain to shoot through his ribs. Gritting his teeth, he
continues, "What gave him the right to use that howitzer on us?!"

"The same right you took when you laid lay a trap for Moroboshi in
the first place," Sakura looks over from tending to Shinobu.

"After what that slime did to Lum-san?!!" Megane roars from his
stretcher. "He deserves it and more!!"

Agreeing grunts come from the other boys. Nearby, the girls who were
caught in the clock tower are mute. Noticing this, Mendou walks over
to kneel beside Momoe, tenderly taking her hand. "Momoe-san, are you
well?"

Momoe shakes her head, staring quizzically at her favourite student.
"I...he actually turned a gun on us and...he tried to kill us!
Mendou-san, he's never done that to any girl since I've known him!"

"I know, Momoe-san," Mendou shudders as he fixes her with that
heart-melting gaze of his. "And be assured that no matter what, I,
Shutaro Mendou, shall not stop until that swine pays for his many
crimes against you!"

"Oh, Mendou-san," Momoe's eyes soften in admiration.

Lustful swoons flow from the other girls. Nearby, Mie looks sick.
"Gyaah!" she sticks her tongue out. "Excuse me while I throw up!
That's disgusting!!"

In a flash, Mendou leaps over to Mie's side, grasping her hand.
"Mie-san, I've no idea how that swine has entranced you so, but I,
Shutaro Mendou, shall not rest until you are free of his evil
and...!!"

A vicious slap across his face drives the scion of Japan's richest
family to his knees. "Save it for your tramp brigade, Supersnob!!!"
Mie barks, following her slap with a vicious kick to the ribs. "I've
no time to put up with your swill!!"

Mendou drops to the ground with a pained moan. Some of the girls let
out horrified gasps at seeing their favourite classmate beaten so low.
Jaws drop as other people stare at the Kyushu native. "Could it
actually be possible...?" Paama gasps.

"That someone is INVULNERABLE to Mendou?!" Kakugari completes.

"Now, that's what I call a woman!!" Chibi admiringly nods.

"***YOU IDIOTS!!!!***" an explosion occurs behind them!!

The guards tremble in fear as Megane glares at them like a scornful
Buddha. "How DARE you gaze upon another woman when you have all taken
an oath to protect, preserve and defend Lum-san?!!"

Watching this, Mie then turns to Lum. "And this doesn't bother
you?!"

"Aren't they nice?!" the Oni coos.

The guards beam at their favourite classmate's attention. "The
Defense rests its case!" Mie throws her hands up in surrender.
"Sheesh!! You coddle these twits, then zap the hell out of the man
you SUPPOSEDLY love! It's no wonder he doesn't want you as anything
more than a friend!!"

The guards pale at Mie's barb. Lum does not take too well to that
comment, either. "Hey, who gives you the right to criticize how I
behave towards Darling, you hubby-stealer?!" she leaps over to grab
Mie by her jacket collar, the familiar smell of ozone around her as
her powers begin to express themselves.

Everyone winces, some turning to look away, bracing themselves as Mie
gets charcoal-broiled. However, the Kyushu native remains still, her
eyes locked on Lum's. The Oni, expecting Mie to apologize, finds
herself uncomfortable at her glare. The staring contest continues for
a minute as sweat pours down Lum's hair, for Mie does nothing save
remain in place and glare at the Oni. "Well?" Mie finally ventures.

Lum gulps as she backs off, waving her hands in a peaceful gesture.
"Nothing, nothing!" she stammers fearfully.

"I didn't think so," Mie walks away.

Their classmates are stunned. "Did you see that?!" Natsuko gasps.
"Mie can actually stare Lum down!!"

"She could probably stare Nassur-san down, too!!" Megane trembles,
realizing that if Mie could overwhelm someone as strong-willed as Lum,
she could make mincemeat of him.

* * *

Ataru returns home an hour later, having finished business with Reigi
and his grandmother. Looking into the kitchen to see his mother
preparing something to eat, he smirks, then lets out a barking laugh
as he walks upstairs. Kinshou jolts in shock, then walks into the
foyer. "What are you doing home so soon?!"

"Classes, I suspect, are going to be cancelled for a day or two while
they fix up the mess I made of Mendou's tanks at the school," Ataru
comments, suppressing a smirk.

"The mess YOU made?!" Kinshou blinks, then blinks again on seeing the
musket partially visible in its carrying case. "Where'd you get
that?!!"

"Oh, Grandma sent it to me," Ataru walks into his room to pick up the
tools he is using in Takenotsuka. "Early Christmas present."

His mother, naturally, quakes on hearing him mention her
mother-in-law. In a flash, she runs downstairs to the back porch and
begins mooing in the general direction of Hokkaido. Ataru shakes his
head as he slings the backpack over his shoulder, then heads out the
door, seeing no need to tell anyone where he is going. Come next day,
it would not matter. Unseen, Ten-chan watches Ataru head down the
street to the subway station. He walks back to his hover scooter,
starting the engine so he can follow Ataru. "Better keep an eye on
that idiot, just in case," he mutters.

Ahead, Ataru's eyes narrow as he hears the sound. Obviously, some
people needed to be reminded to mind their own business. In a flash,
he draws out the musket, spins around and fires! Ten-chan does not
see the oncoming ball in time to dodge. An explosion later sends the
hapless Oni careening in the general direction of Tomobiki High
School!! "That should keep him occupied for a while," Ataru muses to
himself as he reloads his weapon, then proceeds towards the subway
stop...

* * *

Later, Ten-chan has his wounds bandaged by Sakura. "I see you also
ran afoul of Ataru," the nurse muses. "There, that should do it."

"Thanks, Sakura-onee-chan," the young Oni winces, then looks at Lum.
"Lum-chan, where the heck did that idiot get a hold of a
*qu'f-piaqu'r?!*"

"That's the question I'd like to have answered," Lan adds,
remembering her encounter with Ataru's photon musket.

"His grandmother sent it to him," Lum sighs.

Everyone blinks. "Moroboshi's grandmother is still alive?" Paama
inquires.

"I've never heard Moroboshi mention her before," Megane muses.

People then look to Shinobu. "I've heard of her, but I've never met
her," Ataru's ex-girlfriend sighs. "From what I gather, she lives
somewhere to the north of here, but I don't know exactly where. I
think Ataru-kun has an uncle, too...an archaeologist, I believe.
But...from what do I remember, the various parts of Ataru-kun's family
do NOT get along with each other."

"I can agree to that," Lum nods. "Mention Darling's grandma to
Darling's mother and she goes off into a fit of mooing! You can hear
her right now!"

Everyone cants their head as they listen to Kinshou's imitation of a
cow. "So we can hear," Kakugari hums. "But, that still doesn't
answer the question of how the heck his grandmother could get Ataru
that howitzer!"

"And what is a...*kyuif-*...?" Megane stammers.

"*Qu'f-piaqu'r,*" Lum offers. "A particle-photon musket produced on
the planet Yehisril. It's considered one of the deadliest hand-held
weapons ever created in the local cluster."

"So how did his grandmother get it?!" Megane demands.

"I don't know," Lum shakes her head, a touch of fear entering her
voice.

Others quickly notice. "Lum, are you alright?" Ryuunosuke inquires.

"N-no," tears spring in the Oni's eyes. "I just learned that I have
an enemy the likes of which I've never crossed before, one that's
determined to see me driven out of Darling's life!"

"Is that actually so bad?" Mendou hums.

Lum fires Mendou an icy glare. "We've taken care of Elle before,"
Megane muses.

"It's not Elle, Aisuru," Lum shakes her head.

"Mie, then," Shinobu proposes.

"Not her either, Shinobu," Lum sniffs, then blurts, "It's Darling's
grandmother!!"

Shocked silence falls over everyone for a moment. "Ataru's
grandmother?!" Megane scoffs. "What could an old windbag like that do
to you?!"

"A lot," Lum's lip trembles. "The chief priest of Darling's clan
just told me that Grandma was ready to see all of us killed during the
Second Tag Race!!"

Everyone blinks as that message gets through. "How?!" Mendou
demands.

"She has her own corps of ninjas," Sakura cuts in. "The
Kuromoroboshi Brigade." At everyone's questioning glance, she
elaborates. "The chief priest of the Moroboshi Clan, Chie Budou, was
my Shinto instructor. He told me quite a lot about Ataru's family."

"And Moroboshi never saw fit to tell us?!" Megane growls.

Sakura crosses her arms, a light smile crossing her face. "If he
told you that his grandmother has both terrestrial and intergalactic
connections going into the billions of uniCredits, not to mention an
uncle who has a financial stranglehold on Mendou's family, what would
you have done?!"

An explosion occurs!! "WHAT?!?!?!" everyone exclaims.

"What stranglehold?!!" Mendou demands.

"Guess who owns Toranoseishin Finances?" Sakura calmly inquires, then
answers her own question, "Komeru Moroboshi. Muchi Moroboshi's elder
brother."

Stunned realization dawns on everyone's faces. "And Muchi...is
Ataru's dad," Megane lets out a fearful gulp.

"Right," Sakura lets the answer drawl out.

A wide-eyed Mendou drops to his knees, stunned at the news. "I...I
never knew..." he stammers. "Moroboshi never let..."

"You're not the only one," Lum's lip trembles. "Sakura-sensei, do
you know what planet Darling's grandmother deals with? It can't be
any of the Federation worlds. The Non-Interference Treaty states that
no world of the Federation is to have any dealings with Earth until it
becomes a member of the Federation."

"I don't know," Sakura shakes her head. "You have to ask Sensei."

"Lum, you look ill," Shinobu comments.

"I am," Lum stares at her former rival. "You see, Budou-san just
told me that Grandma is right now contemplating putting a fifty
million uniCredit bounty on my head if I don't learn to leave Darling
alone."

An H-bomb blast occurs!!!! "FIFTY MILLION UNICREDITS?!?!?!" the
Terrans exclaim.

"That would make a murderer out of a monk!!" Lan gasps, wide-eyed.

"Even Nassur-chan would be tempted!!" Ten-chan adds.

Trembling, Mendou lets out a snarl as he grabs his cellular
telephone. "Moroboshi will NEVER be allowed to get away with this!!!"
he snarls as he dials a number...

...then blinks when a hand snatches the telephone away from him.
"Uh-uh!" a voice mockingly intones. "That's not allowed, Shutaro."

Mendou snaps around to see Reigi Yumoa standing beside him, a
mirthless grin on the financier's face. "Y-y-yumoa-san," the scion of
Japan's richest family stammers, eyes wide with shock and trepidation.

Reigi tsks as he slips the phone into his blazer pocket. "Honestly,
Shutaro. Actually making use of the paramilitary forces WE loaned the
money to construct on the nephew of the chief executive officer and
owner of OUR company," he sits beside Mendou, playfully slapping him
in the ribs. "Sorry, old sport. That's not allowed."

Mendou yelps in real pain as he fearfully stares at Reigi. "Wh-what
d-do y-you m-mean...?" he stammers.

"Well, as of now, I've decided that it's time that the Conglomerate's
books be opened for our inspection," Reigi pulls out the agreement
between Mendou's family and Komeru Moroboshi. "I've just called your
parents and told them the good news. Isn't that nice?!"

"An...inspection...?" Mendou gulps.

"Of everything," Reigi's voice drops to a dirge-like moan. He then
stands, looking at the Mendou soldiers still there. "All vehicles are
to be put back in their hangars!!!" his voice rises to a boom. "All
aircraft are grounded!!! All personnel are put on compensated leave
until further notice!!!"

The soldiers snap to attention, then trot off to do as the financier
ordered. Mendou watches helplessly as everything which made him
Ataru's most dangerous rival is taken away. The other students are
just as stunned, not used to seeing defeat being delivered on one of
their number so easily. "This is unreal!" Natsuko finally utters. "I
expected an all-out fight between Mendou-san and Ataru, not this!!"

"Kind of anti-climatic, isn't it?" Chibi hums.

"Not so!!!" Megane snarls, turning to face his classmates, the fire
of his determination to protect Lum blazing in his eyes. "Mendou may
be crippled, but we aren't!!! Are we going to stand here and allow
Ataru to get away with ruining all our lives?!!"

Urged by his passion, everyone leaps to their feet. "NO!!!!!!"

"I wouldn't say that if I were you," Reigi cuts in, snapping his
fingers.

Megane pales as a fleet of attack helicopters bearing the
tiger-and-gaikatana insignia appears out from behind the school. A
foregone conclusion later, almost everyone from Class 3-4 is buried in
a deluge of explosions!! "Hey!!!" Sakura snaps, hopping around in
anger. "I just bandaged those idiots!!!"

"Boy, this is neat!!" Ten-chan smiles. "Ain't it, Lum-chan?!"

"Um...if you say so, Ten-chan," Lum wanly smiles...

* * *

"Fools!" Sakura hisses to herself as she walks back to her shrine
after dealing with the new set of injuries. She had always known the
full strength of Ataru's family, but chose to stay silent about it.
Telling everyone would, as was just proven in the front yard, be
counter-productive; it would launch a whole new series of bitter
fights as everyone fought Ataru to...what? Keep Lum for themselves?
Surely everyone realized that sooner or later, Ataru would finally
give in and marry Lum. However, until he publically acknowledged his
love for the Oni, everyone, regardless of how they personally felt
about Lum, would continue to press him to remain loyal to Lum.

Entering her kitchen, Sakura prepares a cup of tea, then relaxes at
her kitchen table and contemplates what is happening. Part of her
admired Ataru for his restraint. One call to his grandmother or uncle
would have brought untold misery to everyone around him, especially
Lum. The fact that he had never once resorted to them added weight to
the argument that he indeed did care for Lum, that despite her temper
and jelousy, he felt he needed no shield to protect him from her.
Yet, part of her wondered if these series of events could have
actually been inevitable. That Ataru would finally grow sick and
tired of everyone horning into his life, then turn around and send his
relatives' forces against them.

If it was, then many dark days lay ahead for a lot of people. Mendou
and the guards would be the automatic first targets; they lusted after
Lum and would gladly kill Ataru if it guaranteed a clear shot to the
Oni's heart. Chances were good that her uncle had better learn to
watch his back from now on; Ataru would be quick to slam the monk back
into his place for all the "advice" Cherry heaped on his favourite
meal ticket. Lan was another possibility; Ataru had demonstrated that
he no longer would tolerate her antics.

But what explained the blind hatred towards girls like Shinobu and
Ryuunosuke? It was becoming evident that Ataru was finally wearying
of his fruitless girl-hunts. Or were they now really necessary?
Sakura had heard about Ataru's date with Mie Seikou, plus the interest
the hybrid Yukio had shown towards him. If there were indeed other
women out there who were willing to be friendly with Ataru, willing to
accomodate his lustful nature, then Ataru could finally get the urge
to drive Lum out of his life. With Nagaiwakai backing him, it would
be simplicity itself. Lum would confront a force the likes of which
she could never overcome.

Sakura nibbles her lip. Something was missing in this puzzle. Then
again, did she really have to concern herself with Ataru? After all,
he had been a pain in her posterior since they first met. However,
she was the district priestess as well as the school nurse. She had a
moral responsibility to see to his welfare regardless of how he acted
around her. It was time for a visit to the Moroboshi house. Before
she could contemplate what to do, the doorbell rings. Sakura turns
the burner under the tea kettle off, then heads to the door.
"Coming!"

She opens the door, her eyes widening in surprise. "Hi,
Sakura-chan," Tsubame smiles at her.

"Tsubame-kun!!" the priestess leaps at him, swamping him with a kiss.
"What are you doing here?!"

"I came to give you this," he pulls out a large wrapped box from
under his cape.

"Oh, for me?!" Sakura squeals, then looks confused. "Wait a minute.
It isn't my birthday and Christmas is still three months away. What's
this for?"

"Never mind," the occultist walks into the house, placing the package
on the desk. "Go on," he urges her. "Open it."

Smiling, she moves to oblige him. "I'm so happy to see you. It's
been hell and a half at school today," she rips off the packaging,
then opens the box. "I can use the break..."

Her voice catches as a familiar insignia comes into view. Sakura
blinks as her eyes widen, a tremble shaking her hands. Tsubame walks
up to place his hands on her arms as she reaches in to pull out what
he had brought her. "M-my school jacket..." she stammers, then sees
what else is there. "M-my yearbook...m-my clothes..."

"I'm sorry," Tsubame's voice lowers to a whisper as he gently kisses
the area under her ear. "I know how painful this is for you."

Sakura lets out a hoarse gasp as she embraces her jacket, the
memories of a mindless tragedy which destroyed her innocence and took
away so many wonderful friends overcoming her. Tsubame holds her as
she cries, faces and names coming back with the force of a typhoon.
"Koosei-kun...Inazuma-chan...Kyooshi-sensei...Yuukiki-chan...oh, gods,
why?! Why did you take them away from me?! Why...?!"

Her legs giving out, Sakura sinks to her knees, Tsubame hanging on to
her. The priestess wails, the cry akin to the girl of fifteen she was
when North Tokyo was destroyed than the woman of twenty-seven she is
now. "It's okay, Sakura-chan," her fiance whispers, repeating the
mantra to ease her pain. "It's okay. It's okay. It's okay."

Sakura cries for a few more minutes. Finally, after her tears begin
to dry up, she looks confusedly at him. "Where did you get this?"

"Actually," he nibbles his teeth, "...it was Ataru who found all your
stuff."

Sakura blinks. "Ataru?! Where did he find it?!"

"At the school," Tsubame sighs.

"He's been at the school?!!"

"Yes. In fact, I think he's there right now."

Sakura stares at her jacket. What was Ataru doing there? No one had
been to the school since the army destroyed the place, murdering
nearly a thousand defenseless civilians. What cause had he to go
there...unless it had something to do with his recent mood changes.
If so, then she had to find him as soon as possible. "I have to go."

Tsubame lets her go as Sakura slips into her priestess' robes, then
runs for the front door. As she slips through it, a voice halts her.
"Stay here, Sakura-chan."

Sakura stops, staring at the shadows beside the door, which form into
Ashin Budou. "Ashin-chan...?"

The Shinto priest walks up to her, then both face east, towards
Takenotsuka. "Your presence will do no good, Sakura-chan," Ashin
shakes his head. "You see, Ataru is there now to find out something
about himself. If he is interrupted in his quest in any way, the cost
to himself and all around him will be enormous."

"Find out what?" Sakura quizzically stares at him. Ashin's
precognative powers were stronger than hers and Chie's combined, so
she knew not to question his motivation.

"That is for Ataru to learn first," Ashin sighs. "But, no matter
what, for his sake and in the long run, for all our sakes, what
happens next MUST happen..."

* * *

"This is an outrage!!!" Megane screams, then winces as his ribs
protest the overt use of his larynx.

Mutters of agreement escape the lips of everyone around him.
Everyone is in the living room of the Moroboshi home, now recovering
from the dose of hostile fire they received. A sense of disbelief,
above what is normal for Tomobiki, hangs in the air. Many have a look
on their faces which screams, "ATARU did all this to us?!!" The only
ones not wounded are Lum and Mie, not to mention Ataru's father, who
is doing his typical thing. Ataru's mother is in the kitchen trying
to make a meal. "I wonder where Darling is," Lum sighs, looking out
the picture window. "It's getting dark out there."

"Yeah, and a storm's coming in," Mie notices a band of clouds passing
over the distant peaks of the Kantou-sanchi. "Hope he gets under
cover soon."

Lum stares quizzically at the Kyushu native. Despite the previous
day's events, Mie seemed uninterested in forming a romantic liaison
with her Darling. If so...and if Ataru seemed to be finally throwing
off his girl-chasing habits...then Mie stood the real chance of
becoming his friend. Lum feels reassured at that notion. Better to
have Mie, a woman who in her own way is as intimidating as Chie Budou,
as a friend than a potential enemy. Now, if only she could do
something about Yukio and Elle.

Mie blinks, then glances briefly at Lum. A light smile crosses her
face as she returns to staring out the window. Lum's thoughts,
although not a clear picture, were discernable enough to interpret.
The Oni was no longer seeing her as a potential threat. That was
fair. Despite her selfishness and naivete, Lum was a decent
person...and it was obvious that Ataru did have some interest in her.
Now, if only Lum would ditch the idiots around them. Then perhaps a
little peace could come to this home. Unless...

Mie sighs. She knew exactly where Ataru was now: Takenotsuka,
probing the grounds of North Tokyo High School for the mass grave
which hid the bodies of a thousand students and teachers. Ataru's
investigations, aided by his uncle's intelligence people, revealed
that no bodies from the massacre were entombed in any of the local
cemetaries. If a coroner saw what happened to the students, then the
curious coverup which blanketed North Tokyo High's fate would have
been blown wide open. And if many, as evidenced by Sakura's yearbook,
were the school nurse's good friends, then Sakura herself would be
able to put a dark time finally to rest. The Kyushu native steals a
glance at Lum. Should she tell the Oni where Ataru was? Mie then
notes who else is present. Not such a good idea.

"Darling..." Lum lets out a forlorn sigh.

"Ataru-chan..." Mie echoes her.

Their words are echoed by the roar of thunder and a close-range blast
of lightning. Everyone is blinded but for a second. When their
vision clears, Cherry stands calmly in the middle of the crowd. "A
fateful storm, this is!" he intones.

An explosion decks everyone around him!! "Where'd you come from?!!"
Mendou demands, shivering at the monk's dramatic appearance.

"The door was open, so I came in out of the rain," Cherry
non-chalantly shrugs.

A refrigerator then buries him! "I don't recall giving you the right
to barge in here, you old fool!!!" Kinshou yells from the kitchen.

"It's fate..." Cherry groans.

"So, what are you doing here?" Shinobu inquires as Cherry extracts
himself from under the thrown appliance.

The monk nibbles on a sweet potato. "I sensed that Doom is coming
for Ataru this evening," he muses, then curiously looks around.
"Where is he?"

"If we knew that, would you think he'd be alive right now?!" Megane
growls.

Cherry's eyes narrow. "Then, it's true," his voice turns to a
dirge-like moan. "Ataru has gone to embrace the phoenix!"

Lum and Mie pale at his prouncement. "The phoenix?!" both girls
quizzically demand, staring at Cherry.

"Correct!" the monk faces them.

"What phoenix?!" Paama asks. "We know nothing about a phoenix!"

"The phoenix is real!!" Cherry faces the other students. "Its power
is terrible, its desire for Ataru even more so!"

Lum shudders, remembering a dream about a chestnut-haired Seishin
girl and Ataru turning into a cybernetic monster, both bearing the
insignia of the phoenix. "G-go on," the Oni stammers.

"If Ataru embraces the power of the phoenix, then Doom will come to
Tomobiki," Cherry turns to fix Lum with his stare. "Further, all your
dreams will be rendered dust, Lum. More so, the changes which have
come over Ataru will become permanent. And worst of all, Ataru will
move to destroy EVERYONE's dreams and hopes! Unless he is stopped,
none shall be safe!!"

Everyone looks at each other. Despite Cherry's annoying habits, none
could deny that the monk was rarely wrong. And this time, he spoke to
them with a clear tone, not wrapping his predictions in the curious
verbal codes he normally salted them with. None could deny that this
time, the matter had become serious. "We have to find Ataru!" Megane
bolts to his feet. "If only to save our own futures and Lum-san's
happiness!!"

Mie rolls her eyes. "There he goes again! Somebody shut off that
broken record player!"

Megane turns to scream at the Kyushu native, but gets an icy stare in
return, which quickly convinces the guards' leader to back down.
"Mie-onee-chan's neat!" Ten-chan smiles. "Whatcha think, Lan?"

"She's definately her own woman," the Seishin teen muses, a hint of
admiration in her eyes.

Everyone turns to look at Lum. The Oni contemplates Cherry's words,
measuring them with her curious dream. The Seishin woman's forlorn
words come back to her. "A pity...I actually had hopes for you."
Hope? Hope for what? She then blinks as another detail comes back to
her: she had been cast into a pit filled with everyone from
Tomobiki...as if Ataru was something, someone higher. Was that woman
trying to tell her, warn her, about something? But...what if Ataru
was in trouble? Could she afford to take the chance? With a sigh,
she stands. "Let's find Darling," she announces to everyone else.

The others let out a cheer save Mie, who shakes her head. The
students move to the door...only to have their way blocked by a
terrifying figure in black! "No one asked you to butt your noses in
Ataru's affairs!" a dirge-like voice intones.

Everyone screams in shock, then leap back into the living room...as
the figure becomes Chie Budou. "Oh...B-budou-san, it's y-you...!" Lum
stammers.

"I apologize for coming in so suddenly," the high priest grimaces.
"It is a bit drafty out there, I do confess."

"Chie!!!" Cherry appears in front of his niece's trainer, now on
stilts. "Why are you interfering?!! Do you realize what's at
stake?!!"

Everyone nearly faints at the speed by which the monk can move, save
Chie, who pays no mind. "Yes, I actually DO realize what's at stake,"
the high priest smiles. "Your favourite meal ticket is about to dry
up!"

Cherry faints! "What are you doing here again?!!" Kinshou storms out
of the kitchen, a meat cleaver in hand and aimed at Chie's chest. "I
thought I told you that I will not tolerate any agent from that cow
entering this house!!!"

"Actually, I won't have need to come again," Chie evenly replies,
unfazed by Kinshou's knife. "Nor will Ataru for that matter."

His mother blinks. "He's dead...?!" she muses.

Lum bashes her with a sledgehammer! "*Tcha*, don't say such unlucky
things!!"

"Is that really unlucky?!" Mendou hums.

Mie bashes him down! "Who asked you, jerk?!!"

"No, fortunately for you," Chie blows on his fingernails. "After
all, if Ataru did die, then Nagaiwakai-sama would not waste a second
in hiring bounty hunters and professional hitmen to kill Lum and
anyone else stupid enough to be around her."

Everyone from Tomobiki balks at his threat. "Actually, I just heard
that a judge in Sapporo has just declared you and Muchi unfit parents
for Ataru," Chie continues.

Ataru's mother blinks. "Unfit...parents?"

"That's right," Chie muses. "You see, you were charged by
Nagaiwakai-sama with many counts of psychological abandonment, child
abuse and forcing of a marital engagement in complete contradiction to
your own marital agreement when you and Muchi wed."

"WHAT marital agreement?!!" Kinshou demands.

"The marital agreement which stated clearly that whenever you wanted
to engage Ataru to marry someone, that Komeru and Nagaiwakai-sama BOTH
had to be consulted AND grant their blessings to the engagement prior
to the omiai taking place," the high priest explains, taking a
perverse delight at the discomfort he is causing Kinshou.

"I don't seem to recall anything about that!!" Kinshou snarls.

"No?!" Chie sighs. "Strange. I just saw the agreement in
Nagaiwakai-sama's vault not more than three hours ago. It was quite
legitimate."

Lum blinks. "You mean...my engagement to Darling...is ILLEGAL?!?!"

"Afraid so," Chie gives her a sympathetic stare.

In a flash, Mendou and the guards surround Lum, begging her to forego
Ataru and turn to one of them for emotional comfort. Kinshou is
turning a nice shade of red as she has visions of killing her
mother-in-law and son for their abuse. The other students walk around
the crowd with Lum, then stare at the high priest. "So what happens
now?" Shinobu asks. "With Ataru-kun, I mean."

"Well, to make a long story short, Ataru has renounced all legal
connections to his parents," Chie smiles. "Nagaiwakai-sama and the
courts supported his demand given the hell these two idiots put him
through."

"WHAT HELL?!?!?!" Kinshou demands.

Chie produces a pile of VCR tapes and computer diskettes. "Look for
yourself," he waves to them, revealing that they are a collection of
the "Urusei Yatsura" television, OVA and movie series, plus the first
five stories of "UY - The Senior Year" and all other fan fiction
stories concerning Ataru's interaction with his parents. "You wishing
every five seconds that Ataru was never born, doting over Lum while
ignoring him, allowing Ten-chan and Lum to abuse him to their hearts'
content, then allowing Captain Invader to intimidate poor Ataru on the
'Kashin' into agreeing to marry Lum."

"Court's adjourned!" Mie chimes in. "The defendants are guilty as
charged!" She then looks at Chie. "What's the sentence?!"

"They'll grow old and die alone," Chie turns to leave. "Take care."

He disappears with the wind. Kinshou looks like one of Zeus'
thunderbolts had just hit her. "Grow old...die alone?" she squeaks,
then explodes. "THAT COW!!!!!!"

In a flash, she is on the back porch mooing in the direction of
Hokkaido. Mie sighs, then holds out her hand to Lan. "Can I borrow
your bazooka there, Lan?"

"Sure," Lan hands her the weapon.

A foregone conclusion later, Ataru's mother flies into orbit. "That
cow...!!!" she screams as she breaks escape velocity!

The other students sigh as they watch Lum still fighting off advances
from Mendou and the guards. "So, now what?" Momoe looks at Natsuko.

Cherry suddenly appears in front of her. "You must prevent Ataru
from embracing the phoenix!!" he declares.

The girls look at each other. "Didn't Budou-san imply that if Ataru
does what he's predicted to do that Cherry would starve?" Kumiko hums.

"I got that notion," Momoe muses.

"Fine, then," Natsuko shrugs.

Cherry watches as the others walk out of the house. "Where are you
going?"

"We're going home," Shinobu replies. "Whatever could be happening to
Ataru-kun can't be so bad if you end up starving to death! We'll be
rid of you once and for all."

"See ya, jerk!" Ryuunosuke waves as they race off for their homes.

"Wait!!!" Cherry screams. "Don't you understand...?!!"

"Ah, shaddup!!!" Mie kicks him into the sky. "Who asked you?!!"

"It's fate...!!!" Cherry wails as he breaks escape velocity!

Mie sighs. "No one needs your interference, jerk!"

She then ducks as a blast of lightning from Lum fries Mendou and the
guards! "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!" the incensed Oni screams.

With a chuckle, Mie heads home. "Or theirs, for that matter!"

* * *

As the storm clouds billow over the Kantou plain, Ataru continues his
work: probing the earth around North Tokyo High School for disturbed
ground. He is looking for a mass grave. He was working on an
assumption: if the army was responsible for the slaughter of a
thousand people, they would have had to get the bodies out of sight as
quickly as possible. The real cause of the school's destruction was
easily proved by the presence of so much expended ammunition on the
property. Ataru could easily imagine what the scene must have been
like eleven years before; he had seen it a lot whenever Mendou or
Tobimaro Mizunokoji got the itch to unleash their private armies on
innocent people. Except this time, the bullets all found their marks.

Ataru makes use of foot-long iron stakes, which he pounded into the
ground with a large jackhammer. Right now, his school jacket was off,
lying with his other stuff in the classroom, allowing him to work
without mussing up his clothes. Not that it mattered anyway: a call
from his uncle's COC in Sendai had given him the wonderful news. That
propelled him into intensifying his search for the hidden graves which
held the bodies of Yuukiki Seishin and all of Sakura's other friends.

The student stops as he thinks about what he is doing. Why WAS he
searching through this place? It was true that he had only recently
discovered Sakura's connection to North Tokyo High. If he had known
about it right at the start, he might have been tempted to turn his
back on the wrecked school. After all, what did he really care about
that incompetent fool? She was very beautiful, that was true, but
that was the only positive comment which Ataru could consider for
Sakura. As a nurse and especially as a priestess, she left a lot to
be desired.

Or so he wanted to believe.

Ataru blinks as he drops to his knees, considering that point. Until
he went to Icarus, he had never really cared about how he thought
about everyone. The punches and slaps he got from everyone were just
an occupational hazard in his girl-hunts. So why did he chase after
girls like that? Part of it was obviously to make sure that Lum was
nearby; no girl-hunt was perfect without her in pursuit. The other
part was obviously to persuade Lum that he really was not willing to
fall into the role of being her husband. After all, he wanted to
enjoy his youth. What was simpler than that?

But now...now he could not see himself chasing women. After all,
none of them had any real interest in him. Besides, Sakura was
engaged; Lan, Ryuunosuke and Benten had boyfriends; Shinobu had lost
interest in him; and well as others. In fact, now he was wondering
why he was drawn to them in the first place. After all, Sakura was a
pathetic excuse for a nurse and a priestess. Lan was warped in the
head. Ryuunosuke had no idea of how to be a girl and as long as she
stayed with that moronic father of hers, she would never learn.
Benten was too violent even for him. Shinobu was passionate and
pleasant when the mood struck her, but too hyper-tempered; he got his
fill of that sort of nonsense from Lum. Oyuki was as chilly
emotionally as she was physically. He could probably spend months
detailing everyone's faults.

What did his sudden awakening about those around him have to do with
this place?

Ataru looks around the district surrounding the school. The citizens
of Takenotsuka seemed to be ashamed for some reason about this place.
Whenever he watched people pass by the front gate, they averted their
eyes, as if what had happened here was a black mark on their social
record. Understandable. He knew that the district PTA had called out
the police and the army when the students and staff seized North Tokyo
High School. Obviously, the members of the PTA could not predict that
their sons and daughters would end up slaughtered. It was clearly
evident that the guilt still hung over this place to this day.

So why was he here?

Ataru looks to the darkening sky above him. Flashes of his own
experience begin to return. The insults. The hatred. The revulsion.
He was called "the cancer of the class" by his schoolmates. His
mother ferverently wished he was never born. The boys at school would
kill him without hesitation to get their hands on Lum. The girls
would abuse and hurt him just to ensure he stayed with Lum so they
could fawn over Mendou. Shinobu would probably make use of every
chance to abuse and hurt him these days so she could still have access
to Nassur; her determination to win the Vosian's interest in the face
of her past failures was now all too apparent. In everyone's eyes, he
was indeed a cancer. An outcast. The unwanted element in a dream
world which centered around Lum. Remove him and the situation would
be perfect in many people's eyes.

Ataru lets out a hoarse gasp as he finally makes the connection. He
was the object of an entire district's hatred and revulsion. Eleven
years ago, North Tokyo High School's students and teachers were the
object of Takenotsuka's hatred and revulsion...and they paid for it
with their lives. And now he could pay for it with his life as his
going to Icarus so brutally revealled to him.

"No...!" he shakes his head, tears brimming in his eyes. Now he
could understand. It was no wonder he was so angry. Ever since he
and Lum began living together, he was under the potential threat of
death from uncountable sources. Real death. The people of Tomobiki,
all the alien races and their unique problems...and worse of all,
those races and people who viewed Uru and Lum as blood enemies. He
grimaced. After two years of slaps, punches, zaps, burnings and
everything else, it took one exposure in the Box on Icarus to help
Ataru realize how precarious his life really was. The grin turns into
a chuckle. No! The Box was no torture device.

It was his liberation!

Ataru looks around again. Now he fully understood. He had been
given the chance to see what sort of disaster his life had become.
Now, he was moving to correct the mistakes. The students and staff at
North Tokyo High never got the chance. They were brutally cut down
before they could redeem themselves, prove themselves, in the eyes of
the society from which they originally rebelled. Ataru smirks. He
knew that any attempt by him to redeem himself in the eyes of the
people of Tomobiki was a wasted effort. They would not care. He was
a cancer after all! Cancers had to be eliminated.

With a grunt, he reaches over to pull out the drilling spike. The
ground was too hard here. He had once heard from one of his uncle's
people that even after a decade, the ground over a mass grave would
have not melted and remoulded enough to regain the hard density of the
surrounding soil. The grave was not here. Look elsewhere, then. But
where...?

Wait.

Ataru blinks as he looks at a peculiar drumlin-like mound of ground
near the back end of the property. It seemed to rise like some sort
of tunnel from below the grassline, then abruptly stop as if a giant
had chopped the end off. "Isn't that peculiar?" he muses to himself
as he walks over to the mound. It was about four metres high at its
zenith. Ataru walks to what should be the open end of a tunnel, then
laughs. The end was covered in rock, weeds and small bushes,
obviously not smoothed over. To make sure, he places the drilling
spike on the ground, then takes a whack with the hammer. The spike
punches in without much in the way of resistance.

Bingo!

Ataru leans back. Alright, now he had found the most likely place
where the bodies could be buried. Time to get some excavation gear.

* * *

An hour later, Ataru is attacking the mound with a shovel and spade.
The ground was surprisingly easy to manipulate even with the shower
now falling on Tokyo. This had to be the sloppiest job anyone ever
did to cover a gravesite. One good-sized monsoon would have washed a
lot of this away. Now he was interested in digging a man-sized hole
in the ground, then drilling inward. "Wish the Prince of the
Underworld was here," he mutters to himself. The Koomori prince, who
Ataru watched in action at Lum's engagement party a year before, would
find drilling through this dirt no problem whatsoever.

Remembering that instance sends fire through Ataru's muscles as he
attacks the earth more fervently. Soft ground or not, it was a lot of
ground to cast aside. Further, he had to watch himself. One false
move would collapse a ton of earth atop him. He could not afford to
lose it all right now. After all, he had the rest of his life to look
forward to, not to mention a bunch of idiots in Tomobiki to smash
down. That place had put him through hell over the last two years.
Now it was payback time!

Laughing, Ataru digs away. Time seems to become meaningless as he
continues to excavate. The rain continues to fall, punctuated by
blasts of lightning and the rumble of thunder. Finally, his shovel
punches through a thin section of dirt into a pitch-black space. "Did
it!!" he laughs.

After a few minutes clearing enough room to be able to safely step
through, Ataru returns to the surface to take hold of a lamp and
safety helmet. Walking back into the tunnel he just dug, he flicks on
the light. Blinking, he is surprised to see what he finds. "A subway
tunnel?!!"

Before him was an abandonded...or perhaps never completed...subway
tunnel. The architecture indicates that this had to date from
sometime after World War Two; he had seen the original underground
lines and stations in frequent trips around Tokyo. Obviously, this
was a branch line which was once used, then abandonded, or else it was
slotted for completion, but lost favour. Ataru puts the irrelevant
issue out of hand as he takes in the details. The track bed was in
place, but no tracks or ties were present. The safety walkways were
there, along with unused light fixtures bordering the ceiling. Ataru
then takes a whiff of the air. Stale, mouldy, mixed with a faint
putrid smell. Rotting flesh. "This is the place," he steels himself,
walking inside, sliding down to the level of the track bed.

There were no bodies present in this part of the line. Ataru lets
out a sigh as he begins to walk down the line. There was no problem;
despite the staleness, the air was breathable, which indicated that it
was being replenished by underground caves, which would naturally come
into existence in a geologically active region like Tokyo. And if
there was a cave-in, he could wait. His uncle's people would know
where he is, as would Mie. If he was trapped, Mie would probably
figure out what happened, get Lum, and he would be out in no time.

Ataru walks along a curve in the tunnel...then stops. "There you
are," he intones.

Before him lay row after row of bodies, all laid out on army-issue
stretchers. Almost all looked like they were high school students.
Their clothes were all high school uniforms. The few adults he saw
were dressed in formal three-piece suits, the perfect epitome of
teachers throughout Japan. Regardless, the bodies were badly
decomposed, not to mention chewed up as if they had been put through a
meat grinder. Machine gun and rifle bullets. Many had missing arms
and legs. Grenades and rocket launchers. Ataru lets out a hoarse cry
of disbelief as he sinks to his knees. Slaughtered like the
Holocaust's millions of victims, then dumped aside like they had no
value, that they were not human. He could have been this way, if
Tomobiki had its way with him.

And with that brutal reminder come tears. Ataru buries his face in
his hands as the senseless tragedy of this place comes to haunt
him...not to mention his own tragedy. His youth, that which he had
fought to retain for so long, was forever lost to him. His innocence
forever shattered. He could never go back to the way he was after
this...

* * *

"He's found them," Mie looks up from her desk.

The members of her family stare quizzically at her. "Can you be
sure, child?" Mie's mother walks up to her.

"I can feel him," Mie's eyes close, sympathetic tears flowing down
her cheeks. "I can feel his pain, his grief, his anguish and anger.
So much is happening to him so quickly. I think I should be there for
him."

"No, child," her mother shakes her head. "Whenever one grows up, he
always must do it alone. Be there for him when he comes back, but not
now. Your interference could do him more harm than good."

"And that won't do you much good, sis," her sister Tamiko looks up
from her own studies.

"True," Mie nods...

* * *

As Ataru finally wipes his cheeks clean of the tears he had shed, he
slowly rises. Now that the bodies had been found, it was time to go
home. He would call his uncle's people tomorrow to get a graves
registration unit here to exhume the bodies and see them properly
buried. Further, he had to give his grandmother a call. Nagaiwakai
was a hard-core Liberal Democratic Party supporter, not to mention
someone with the necessary amount of political clout to permit the
scandal Ataru's discovery would unleash on the government and the
military to bear the necessary fruit. Careers were about to be
shattered, which would really bring a sense of justice to this place.
"Pity I can't shatter Tomobiki just as easily," he quips.

He then stares down the tunnel. Blinking, he takes a harder look.
What was that light up ahead? Picking up his light, he makes his way
between the rows of bodies towards the light. As he approaches, he
realizes that the light was a dullish red in colour, not the bright
white or yellow of a normal lamp. This seemed more like a lava flow.
Possible; perhaps that is what caused construction on this tunnel to
stop. What he does find is so unlike what he expected, it causes him
to drop the lamp. It shatters on the concrete floor, but Ataru no
longer has need of it; the light ahead of him was bright enough to
allow him to clearly see what had taken him by surprise. "A
woman...!" he gasps.

Ahead of him is a pillar of rock about a half-metre above the floor
of the tunnel. It seemed to glow with its own power, a power which
hinted that it was not lava surging up from below the crust. Laid
atop the rock was a stretcher, like the nearly countless numbers of
stretchers which lined the tunnel as far as Ataru could see. On it
lay the body of a young woman dressed in a sailor suit uniform. What
made her different from the others around him was that she was not
decomposed in any fasion. It was if she was asleep, not dead.
Curious, Ataru approaches the woman, who seemed to be framed by the
reddish glow projecting from the rock below her. As soon as he comes
close enough to see her face, Ataru's breath catches. "Yuukiki...!"

It was indeed Sakura's best friend from this school, Yuukiki Seishin.
Ataru stares at the beautifully peaceful face, his heart thundering a
kilometre a minute as he drinks in her beauty. Sakura was a looker
but in comparison to Yuukiki, she was plain. Yuukiki was elegance
personified. Every curve in her body was as soft, as fragile, as an
expensive porcelain doll. Her face was dignified but it also had an
impish tinge. This girl was born to party! She obviously fit well
with the other social rebels who populated North Tokyo High. Was she
a classroom representative? Perhaps president of the student council?
No matter what, if Yuukiki walked the halls of Tomobiki High School
today, everyone would be asking, "Lum who?"

Raising his hand, Ataru moves to gently touch that face, hoping that
whatever preservative agent had kept Yuukiki's body intact these
eleven years had got to every part of her body and not just the skin.
Ataru suddenly stops, drawing his hand back as he notices the holes
in her jersey and skirt. Bullet holes, at least a dozen. Yet the
skin under them was unblemished, unmarked. That preservative agent
was also a restorative agent. Could it be possible that Yuukiki might
still be alive? Only one way to find out. His hand reaches out
again, lightly touching her forehead. She was warm! He even felt a
heartbeat!! "She's alive...!" he gasps.

Then the fire hits him. The energy surrounding Yuukiki lashes out,
ripping into Ataru's body with the force of a typhoon. He lets out a
gurgling scream as the fire consumes him, shredding his flesh and
worse, his very soul!

* * *

"Darling...!" Lum bolts up from her futon, her eyes wide with horror.

She had put herself to bed early, having worried herself into a
frenzy over where Ataru could possibly be. But that psychic flash was
real. Somewhere, Ataru was being literally consumed alive.
"No...no...!" Lum lets out a hoarse gasp, then feels her body's
strength fail.

Was her dream now real?!

* * *

Ataru painfully whimpers as he lays on the tunnel floor some distance
from Yuukiki's body. His body was scarred from head to toe. It had
been worse than anything Lum or Ten-chan had ever unleashed on him.
Feeling all his strength gone, Ataru could not move to shift himself
around. What had happened to him?! Suddenly, the tunnel's walls seem
to light up as a mystical fire begins to burn around him. Ataru lets
out a weak cry of shock as he realizes that his exploration into
learning the truth of North Tokyo High School might be the last thing
he would do in this plane of existence. "No...no...it's not fair..."
he gasps as the flames lick towards him. "Lum...I'm sorry..."

The flames reach him...but nothing happens. Ataru feels the heat,
but not the scalding pain he normally received from a blast of
Ten-chan's powers. In fact, it seemed as if the flames were caressing
him, almost like they were some divine lover. Bolts of energy leap
out of the sea of fire, lashing into him with a will of their own.
They still do not hurt him. Ataru feels his strength slowly return as
he begins to rise into a kneeling position. After a few more seconds,
he stands. He looks down at himself. No burns, scars or anything
else. In fact, his body did not even possess the massed callouses he
had accumulated over two years of suffering from everyone's abuse.

Was he reborn? Was he dead? Ataru looks around to see that he is
surrounded by flame. The bodies of Yuukiki Seishin and her classmates
have vanished. "Wh-where am I?!" he finally ventures.

Suddenly, something arises from the floor of fire ahead of him. He
turns to watch as it becomes humanoid, then solidifies into
flesh...and an all-too familiar face. "Y-you...you're me!!" Ataru
gasps, taking an involuntary step back.

The creature's eyes focus on his doppelganger for a moment. He is
clothed in a ankle-length drape-like robe emblazoned with a phoenix
motif and fringed with white crinole lace. Under the robe was a black
form-fitting bodysuit also fringed with lace. His mouth then
opens...but Ataru registers his voice in his mind, not his ears. YOU
ARE THE ONE THE CHOSEN OF THE FIFTH REPUBLIC SELECTED AS *DAIMON'CHA!*

Ataru blinks. It was not a question but a statement. What was going
on here? "How do you know who I am?!"

OTHERS NATIVE TO THIS WORLD WHO WOULD TOUCH THE REGENERATION MATRIX
WOULD SUCCUMB TO THE THROES OF ENTROPY AS THEIR MINDS WERE SEARED
CLEAN OF THEIR SOULS, the creature responds. YOU RESISTED. THAT
MEANS YOUR MIND, YOUR BODY MUST HAVE BEEN PREPARED TO RESIST BRIEF
CONTACT WITH THE MATRIX. LOGICALLY, THE ONLY PLACE THAT COULD HAVE
BEEN DONE TO YOU IS SAGUSSA...AND LOGICALLY, THE ONLY MALE TO SET FOOT
ON SAGUSSA AT THIS TIME WOULD BE THE *DAIMON'CHA* OF THE FIFTH
REPUBLIC...ATARU MOROBOSHI.

Ataru blinks. He had no idea whatsoever about what this creature was
saying to him. He did not seem hostile...in fact, he seemed to have
come to help Ataru understand what had happened to him. That was
nice; after all the "help" he got from the morons who had surrounded
him for the last few years, the creature's willingness to help him was
a breath of fresh air. "I don't know what you're talking about," he
finally utters.

Eyes narrowing in confusion, Ataru's doppelganger moves up to lightly
touch Ataru's forehead. His eyes glow star-white for a second. WE
SEE, he withdraws his hand. YOUR BODY AND SOUL HAVE BEEN GROSSLY
CORRUPTED BY AGENTS OF THE *KEISEIRI'CHA* WHO CONSCIOUSLY AND
SUBCONSCIOUSLY CONSPIRE AGAINST YOU! FURTHER, YOU LIVE IN THE
SPIRITUAL DESCENDANT OF THE PLACE OF ENTROPY...THAT WHICH YOU CALL
'TOMOBIKI.' ALSO, YOUR BOND WITH YOUR OTHER HAS BEEN PLACED IN DIRE
JEOPARDY. IT IS FORTUNATE THAT FATE BROUGHT YOU TO THIS PLACE AT THIS
TIME. HAD YOU NOT SOUGHT TO BEGIN TO UNCHAIN YOURSELF FROM TOMOBIKI
BEFORE LONG, THE AGENT OF THE *KEISEIRI'CHA* WITHIN YOU WOULD HAVE
CONSUMED YOU AND THOSE YOU CARE DEEPLY FOR.

Other? Did he mean...Lum? "What should I do?"

YOU HAVE ALREADY COMMENCED THE NECESSARY CORRECTIVE ACTION, the
creature lightly smiles. YOU MUST CARRY OUT SUCH CORRECTIVE ACTION TO
THEIR LOGICAL CONCLUSION. SIMPLY PUT, YOU MUST REMOVE YOURSELF AND
YOUR OTHER FROM TOMOBIKI. ONLY THEN CAN YOU BE FREE OF ENTROPY'S
INFLUENCE AND FROM THERE, FULFILL YOUR DESTINY.

Leave Tomobiki?! Ataru had been contemplating such a move before
Lum's arrival turned his life upside-down. "That won't be easy," he
shakes his head.

YOU ARE CORRECT, the doppelganger nods. NONE THE LESS, THERE IS
HOPE...IF YOU ARE WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK.

"What sort of risk?!"

The creature turns, pointing in the direction Ataru came from. Ahead
of him lay a bright white doorway. SIMPLY WALK THROUGH THAT PORTAL.

Ataru blinks, then watches as the creature disintegrates into a
shower of flame which flows towards the portal. "Obviously knows what
he's talking about," he muses to himself as he steps towards the
awaiting gate.

DO NOT LET FEAR OVERCOME YOU, ATARU MOROBOSHI, the creature's voice
still echoes in his mind. FOR TOO LONG, FEAR OF EMBRACING THE
UNKNOWN, FEAR OF COMPLETING CREATION'S WORK AND EMBRACING YOUR OWN
MATURITY, HAS KEPT YOU IN PLACE WITHIN TOMOBIKI. FEAR IS THE
*KEISEIRI'CHA'S* GREATEST WEAPON AGAINST ALL AGENTS OF CREATION. YOU
CANNOT DENY FEAR; SUCH IS ILLOGICAL. BUT YOU CAN CONTROL IT...AND
THROUGH IT, CONTROL THE AGENTS OF ENTROPY BOTH WITHIN YOU AND AROUND
YOU.

Ataru pays the creature no mind as he comes to the threashold. He
pauses, then taking a deep breath, walks through...

* * *

...then finds himself outside the tunnel!

Ataru blinks as he recognizes his surroundings...then realizes
something else. Only one eye, his right, was working! His left
eye...what was wrong with him? Ataru reaches up to touch his
face...then stops, staring disbelievingly at his hand.

Or rather, a cybernetic simulcra of his hand and arm!

Ataru brings up both arms as he sweeps his head to take a detailed
inspection. His organic left arm was gone from just above the elbow.
Jointed at the elbow and the wrist, the cybernetic limb standing in
its place seemed composed of two thick rods of metal covered by a
curious forearm shield shaped into bird's wings. His right arm, fully
cybernetic, was the same way. Looking down his chest, he notices that
his whole right side has also been rebuilt, covered by a plate forged
in the image of a phoenix, its wings swept up as if to embrace the
heavens. The human parts of his body were covered in a black
skintight jumpsuit trimmed in gold, the phoenix on his chest melting
into a golden cloth insignia on his left side. His eyes then look to
his legs. Right leg was gone from above the knee, left leg gone from
below the hip joint. Then, he reaches to his face. Three-quarters of
it is gone, saving the upper right quadrant. His face was now a
metallic skull-like construct with a hinged lower jaw, a fully shaped
nose and a small circuit hatch above his eye. At least his hair and
ears were intact. "**I have to see a mirror,**" he metallically
intones. Was that his voice?!

Suddenly, a small object ejects from under one of his forearm
shields. He pulls it out, then watches as it transforms into the
requested mirror. This was not bad! Taking a detailed look at what
had happened to him, the Cyborg lets out a mirthless chuckle. "**This
ought to raise a few hackles back in Tomobiki!**"

Returning the mirror back to its housing, the machine-man looks up as
the rain continues to fall down upon him. It was so strange now,
being able to touch the physical world again after twelve years of
being imprisoned in his own subconscious mind by the Intruder.
Strange...and yet it was wonderful! After twelve years, the chains
which bound him to the depths of Ataru Moroboshi's mind were shaken
off. So now what? The Cyborg pauses as he realizes that his entering
the physical world gave him one other advantage; after so long, he had
unobstructed access to Ataru's memory. He needed that access, for
without memory, he could not properly function. And those memories
told him plenty.

Right now, Ataru Moroboshi stood at a crossroads. The Intruder, in
its attempt to overwhelm its host, had burned through a lot of the
bounds it had placed over Ataru to prevent his growing up and
embracing that which was due him. Worse, it had uncorked Ataru's mass
reserve of anger and frustration, which were now flowing out of him
like a rampaging river. The Intruder had defeated itself by
shattering the bonds that allowed the surface Ataru to see the truth
of what was around him, not to mention give the Cyborg a chance at
coming to the surface after twelve years of darkness. And now both
parts of Ataru were keyed to push on to claim that which the Intruder
had tried to deny him for so long.

His destiny...and Lum.

"**Lum!**" the Cyborg gasps. Here he was standing in the middle of a
downpour while she was back home, probably worried sick about him.
The machine-man turns back to gaze at the hole Ataru had excavated to
allow him to find the bodies of Yuukiki Seishin and her schoolates.
That could wait until after school tomorrow. Ataru had other things
ahead of him now. He had to get back home to see if Lum was
okay...then tomorrow, the party would begin in earnest!

Letting out a braying laugh, Ataru allows himself to transform back
to normal as he runs to the wrecked school building to get his
things...

* * *

"Where is he?!!" Lum demands as she floats in front of the living
room window, then flips around and floats the other way, the
Oni-Urusian version of pacing. It was now close to midnight and Ataru
had still not come home.

"Lum-chan, willya stay still for a moment!" Ten-chan shakes his head.
"You're making me dizzy lookin' at ya like that...!!"

"QUIET!!!!" Lum barks at her cousin.

Ten-chan recoils. "Sheesh!! Okay, okay!"

Suddenly, the door flies open and footfalls are heard in the foyer.
Lum blinks in surprise, then flies to the front door. "Darling, there
you are!!!"

Ataru looks at her, now soaked to the skin but none the worse for
wear. Lum lets out a sigh of relief as she confirms that he is well,
then her eyes lock with his. There seemed to be a curious glimmer in
those eyes. That plus the more determined look on his face and his
willingness to stare her straight in the eye sends tingles of
excitement down Lum's spine. She had never seen him look so handsome
in the two years she had known him...nor undeniably sexy! "Hi," he
lightly smiles. "Sorry I was gone for so long."

"That's okay," she weakly offers back. She was melting under that
gaze of his, feeling her own desires ignite. With that came a touch
of embarrassment. Lum had no desire to orgasm right in front of
Ataru, especially with Ten-chan close by.

Then, as if by some unseen signal, they drift into each other's arms,
their lips tenderly caressing. Unfortunately, as usual, someone
interrupts them. "So, there you are, you creep," Ten-chan snarls as
he floats into the foyer. "What's the idea taking off like that and
scarin' Lum-chan...eep!!"

The young Oni stops as he watches Ataru and Lum passionately kissing
away, ignoring him. Ten-chan blinks, having never seen Ataru
willingly allowing himself to be THAT intimate with Lum. "Um...never
mind," he weakly notes as he turns and floats back upstairs to give
them some privacy.

Ataru and Lum slowly, almost reluctantly part, staring into each
other's eyes. "Darling...wh-what's happened to you...?" she
hesitantly asks.

"I don't really know," he shakes his head. "What's worse, I've no
idea of what's going to happen to me over the next while...and how
that's going to affect us."

Lum was tempted to ask him right away if he loved her. However, his
words had raised a flag of caution. Ataru's feelings, emotions, his
very sense of self...they were all in enormous turmoil. Whatever had
started on Icarus had not yet run its course. Chie and Ashin had
warned her this would happen. Smart advice. If she asked him if he
did love her, he would be unable...rightly so...to give her an answer,
much less the one she had sought for so long. "I can...try to
understand that," she lightly smiles.

"I'm glad," he nods. "If you didn't, or didn't want to...I've lost a
lot of hope, for you and me."

They look at each other for a moment. A bemused smile crosses
Ataru's face. "Care to go someplace private?" he gently inquires.

Lum blinks, then looks back at the house...the house that was now no
longer his. "I have an idea, if you don't mind," she looks back at
him.

"Upstairs?" he looks up. "*Way* upstairs?"

She nods. "Best idea I've heard all day," he firmly grips her hands
as she opens the door, then soars off into the night with him, up to
her waiting scout...

* * *

Lum's eyes open.

The Oni sits up, stretching herself as she yawns. Looking at the
chronometer beside the bed, she relaxes. It is still quite early
although Ataru did not return to Tomobiki until after midnight. Lum
smiles as she remembers what happened when they got aboad her scout to
spend the night. There was no need for words as their passions let
them unleash their sexuality for the first time. While their bond was
still in question, Lum could not deny that it did not prevent them
from having fun.

She looks beside her. Ataru was still asleep, obviously tired. Lum
hoped he would be in the mood to tell her where he had gone off to
every night since they had returned from Icarus. However, after
seeing his temper violently flare over those same last few days, she
realized that it would not be prudent to push the issue. Ataru would
tell her in his own due time. Letting out a sigh, she lays back down,
cuddling beside him as she draws the blankets over them.

Last night had been unreal. Experiencing their first sexual
encounter, Lum came to realize that she had no idea whatsoever about
how to make love to a Terran...nor did Ataru had any idea how to be
intimate with an Oni. He proved an insanely quick study as
reverberations from her scalp remind her. He knew instinctively to
suckle her horns to induce an orgasm; to an Oni, there was no
erogenous act more enjoyable. She did know about the Terran penchant
for oral sex, although such sickened her when she first learned of it.
Ataru seemed to sense that, too; he did not have her do that. For
their first time, it had been wonderful. So passionate, so perfect.

"You are the one for me, Darling," Lum gently whispers as she leans
up to kiss his cheek. "Now I know it in my heart."

But how was their increased awareness of each other going to survive
whatever was storming through Ataru's soul? Lum sighs, then blinks as
she realizes something: for the first time in nearly a week, the
nightmare she had experienced had not replayed itself in her sleep.
For some reason, Lum felt sad. While she found the cybernetic monster
Ataru transformed into in her dreams revulsive to the extreme and the
tiger-striped monster frightened her to the core of her being, the
strange Seishin woman seemed to beckon her for some reason. Why?
"Guess I'll never find out," she muses aloud.

"Find out what?" a groggy voice inquires.

Lum looks up to see Ataru turning to look at her. "Good morning,
Darling," she leans up to kiss him.

"Mmm..." he purrs as their lips caress. "Now, you are a lovely sight
to wake up to, you know that."

Her eyes water. "You want to know how long I've waited to hear you
say that to me?"

"The realization is just as galling for me as it is for you," he
admits, then sits up. "Just as I realize that last night changed
everything for both of us."

"Did it?" Lum tucks her legs in. "I don't think so."

He stares at her. His innocence was wrecked thanks to Icarus, which
meant that hers was also condemned to destruction. "Lum, I may be
developing a greater affinity for you. Maybe it is the first sign of
love. But we've both got a long way to go before we say the 'I do's.'
I'm only now starting to realize what we're up against."

"I don't see any problems," Lum admits.

He nods. Her ability to seemingly rise above the petty minutae of
daily life had always been her most appealing virtue. It was also a
potential dagger aimed at her heart. "Maybe because you see things
much differently than I," he muses. "Unfortunately, I think that's
going to happen a lot in this relationship. We're as different as day
and night."

"I don't want it to stop us," she sighs, realizing he had struck on a
very important point hanging over them. "Believe me, it's a lot nicer
than chasing after you all the time."

"Even though I recognize...I've always recognized...that you had no
right to do that to me," he warns her. "As I said before, that's what
I believe."

Lum's eyes flash, but she feels her hand gently grasped by his.
"So," Ataru playfully yanks her into his lap, "...to save the
electricity costs, why don't we just agree to disagree for a while,
okay?"

"Oh, okay!" she laughs, then leans up so they can kiss.

And as luck would have it, the doorbell rings. "Who could THAT
be?!!" both angrily demand.

Growling, Ataru shifts out of bed, wrapping himself with a towel,
then grabs his *qu'f-piaqu'r.* "Why are you ready to use that?" Lum
inquires.

"Because if someone's come all the way up here to bug us, then it
shrinks the candidates for visitors to only a handful of idiots," he
snarls as he heads out of the cabin to the scout's quarterdeck.

"True," Lum sighs as she rises.

Ataru heads to the hatchway located on the underside of the scout,
which would serve well were it, like Lan's, parked on the ground
instead of hovering a kilometre over the Moroboshi home. Peeking
outside, he sighs on seeing who is out there, loads case shot into his
weapon's firing chamber, then placing the buttstock on his leg, opens
the door. "What do you two want?!" he growls.

The shock on Benten's and Oyuki's face on seeing Ataru sans any
clothes aboard Lum's scout is all too apparent. It is then augmented
with confusion because Ataru is not leaping over them like he was
normally want to do...then countered with a healthy dose of fear on
seeing the gaping muzzle of his musket now aimed at the Fukunokami's
heart! "G-good m-moring, Ataru," the Tritonian stammers, clearly
unnerved. "Is...Lum-chan in?"

"Gods, don't you two believe in calling ahead before coming here?!"
Ataru shakes his head. "Yes, Lum is here, but we're busy as you can
see! Go away!!"

The hatch then slams shut, the force of the air nearly knocking
Benten and Oyuki off the former's airbike! "Man, I must be hitting
the sauce too early!" the huntress shakes her head. "Did I or did I
not see Moroboshi standing there nearly starkers and practically admit
that he was having a good time with Lum?!"

"It is fortunate that you did, lest I believe that I was going mad,"
the Tritonian muses. "And where in Koori's name did Ataru get ahold
of a *qu'f-piaqu'r?*"

"That's what I'd like to know," Benten hums.

Inside, Ataru tosses the musket on the bed, then quickly locates Lum
by hearing the sound of the scout's shower. Entering the head, he
sees her soaping down. "Want some company?" he peeks past the shower
curtain.

"Wouldn't mind it," she purrs. "Who was at the door?"

"Benten and Oyuki," he slips into the shower, drawing her against
him.

Lum cries as his tongue flicks at her horn. A second later, her
joyful "Oh, Darling!!!" echoes from the scout...

* * *

An hour later, the two depart a ramen shop for Tomobiki High School.
Lum looks somewhat depressed. "Darling, why didn't you let me cook
for you this morning?"

"Lum, I believe you're a good cook. But may I remind you that you're
used to cooking Oni food, not Terran," Ataru stares at her. "Or need
I remind you of the time your cooking transformed me into a werewolf?"

The Oni flushes as that disaster comes back to her. "You have a
point," she hums.

"Hey," a voice calls out from behind them.

"Morning, Mie-chan," Ataru smiles as the Kyushu native runs up to
walk alongside him opposite Lum.

"My," Mie stares quizzically at them. "May I enquire if both of you
had an interesting time last night?"

"You may," Ataru smiles at her. "As for the details, we'll leave
that to your imagination."

"I can imagine a lot," Mie muses. "Besides, I'd figure if you
weren't going to sleep in your parents'...excuse me, your
EX-parents'...home, the only other place you would feel comfortable is
Lum's ship."

Lum looks depressed. "Darling, *why* did you do that to your
parents?!"

"Do what?" he looks at her.

"Disown...or whatever you did to them?!"

Ataru rolls his eyes. "Lum, if you think I'm going to live in that
miserable house, you're mistaken! A blind man can see that they don't
love me anymore...and right now, I'm wondering if they ever HAVE loved
me!! Believe me, my life is going to be worlds easier with them out
of my hair!"

"But, Darling, you're still underage," Lum reminds him.

"I'm aware of that," he nods. "Grandma's my legal guardian now."

Lum is so stunned by that revelation, she slams face-first into a
telephone pole! Ataru carries on, not noticing her reaction. Mie
stops to stare at her. "You okay, Lum-chan?"

"No..." the Oni groans.

After brushing her classmate off, Mie grabs Lum, then with her in
tow, races to catch up to Ataru. The three walk onto the front lawn
of Tomobiki High School. The mess from yesterday's battle has been
cleared up, the repairs to the science lab, room 337 and the clock
tower made. Noting the resentful stares coming his way from many
students, Ataru reaches behind him to unzip the carrying bag holding
his musket. The deliberate preparation causes many to turn away from
him with innocent whistles. However, as could be expected in this
place, there are the holdouts. "Moroboshi, prepare to die!!!" an
incensed Mendou howls as he charges at his rival, katana out and
murder in his eyes.

Instead of his usual catching the katana between his hands, Ataru
draws the musket and fires. An explosion later, the three students
walk past Mendou's charred body. "You'd think that after yesterday,
he'd know when to give it a rest," Mie muses.

"Him?!" Ataru snorts, reloading his weapon. "Maybe in a million
years!"

The guards then appear, weapons out and ready. "Ataru!!!" Megane
challenges.

It avails them not. As the guards drop like marionettes with their
strings cut, Lum lets out a depressed sigh. "Darling, you play too
rough, you know that?"

"I can't help it," Ataru muses. "I seem to have this mad urge to
blast away at idiots!"

"Good vocation," Mie nods approvingly.

At that time, Mark Onsen appears in front of Ataru. "Moroboshi!" a
warning tone enters the vice-principal's voice, his hand out. "Turn
it over!!"

Chants of "Confiscate!!" instantly fill the air around Ataru. The
student seems undisturbed as he icily glares at Onsen. "I'd be more
than happy to turn it over to you for the day," he muses, then looks
back at Mendou, "...IF you confiscated Mendou's and Lan's weapons
first!"

Silence drops like a guillotine blade as everyone stares
disbelievingly at Ataru. "What does that mean?!" Onsen threateningly
raises his bokan stick.

"Are you saying Darling *doesn't* have the right to defend himself?!"
Lum demands.

Before he could respond to the Oni's question, a black blur drops
from the heavens to ram the vice-principal's head into the stairs,
then disappears, leaving a rolled piece of parchment behind. "For
you, Young Master," a female voice intones.

The other students jolt back in shock. "What was that?!!" Ryuunosuke
gasps.

Ataru picks up the parchment. "Grandma's personal messenger," he
responds as he walks over the insensate Onsen to head into the school.

"Grandma uses ninjas as messengers?!" Lum inquires, then flies after
Ataru.

By that time, Ataru has taken a glance at the message. Giggling
maniacally, he rolls it up before Lum could get a clear view of it.
"I've got to go see the Principal for a few minutes, Lum," he leans
over to kiss her cheek. "Be back soon."

"Oh, okay, Darling," Lum blushes as Ataru heads to the office in
question.

Gasps escape many of the Oni's classmates in the wake of their
witnessing Ataru's demonstration of affection for Lum. "He actually
KISSED her!!" Natsuko gapes. "I don't believe it! Ataru actually
kissed Lum!!"

Suddenly, a titanic blast of heat washes over the girls from the
front door. They turn, quite intimidated at seeing Mendou and the
guards standing there, incensed by the volleyball team captain's
statement. "HE ***DARES*** KISS LUM-SAN?!?!?!" the five howl with
mindless rage...

...then get blasted down by a bazooka shell! Behind them, Mie hands
the weapon she used on them back to Lan. "Get it through your skulls,
jerks!!!" the Kyushu native snaps. "It's NONE of your business!!!"

Mie walks over them as she joins Lum to head to class...

* * *

"Can I see you, sir?" Ataru leans his head into the Principal's
office.

Typically, regardless of day or season, the bespeckled elderly school
administrator is having tea with Kotatsuneko around a kotatsu. "Come
in, Moroboshi-kun," he beckons Ataru into the office. "Would you like
some tea?"

"Please," Ataru bows, then sits beside the cat-ghost as he is poured
a cup. "Thanks," he nods as he sips.

"I'm actually glad to see you this morning, Moroboshi-kun," the
Principal stares at him. "It has come to my attention that you were
the one who put down the overt show of military force Mendou-kun
demonstrated in front of the school yesterday."

"I apologize for that, sir," Ataru bows. "I was merely acting in
self-defense."

"So it was intoned by Seikou-kun, the new student in your class," the
Principal muses. "I must admit that I found it quite disturbing. I
would never believe it of you to use such brute force against anyone
else. That, I would expect of many of your classmates. I find myself
somewhat disappointed in you, Moroboshi-kun. While your record is
certainly not stellar by far, it is better than most others in your
class."

Ataru blinks. If his jaw was any lower, it would be punching through
the floor, the shock is so intense. He had never thought the
Principal had actually taken much of a liking to him. "You certainly
have many reasons for...striking back, shall we say...against your
classmates," the Principal continues. "I may have not mentioned this
before, but I have kept an eye on you. Your...willingness to hold
back denotes that you possess more intestinal fortitude than others
would attest."

Ataru pauses, then looks down. His decision for coming here suddenly
left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Then, sir, in the wake of what you
have said, it now comes with regret that I must present to you this,"
he hands the Principal the rolled parchment.

Surprised at the formal note, the Principal breaks the seal, then
unrolls the parchment. Scanning the note, he blinks, glancing at
Ataru. "What has occasioned this?"

Ataru sighs. "You may know of my recent kidnapping by the
Ipraedies."

"I am aware of that event."

"Then know this, sir. While I was on Icarus, I came as close as I'd
ever want to face real death...all because I was seen as being linked
to Lum," the student haltingly explains. "It was...a most profound
experience for me. I came to realize that unless I gain some sense of
order in my life, I will lose it. Unfortunately, I have also come to
the conclusion that...remaining a student in Tomobiki High School will
do me no good. I give you my sincerest apologizes, sir," he bows to
the elderly school administrator.

The Principal sighs. "I am saddened that you have come to that
conclusion, Ataru," he places the note down. "But I am also
sympathetic. You of course realize that if you withdraw from the
school, Lum will be tempted to withdraw as well."

"I am aware of that," Ataru nods. "In fact, I'm counting on it."

"I see," the Principal muses. "It is a pity, none the less. It is
also a pity that a teacher has not come along with sufficient
intestinal fortitude to bring your class under control. I regret very
much that you have felt the need to make such a drastic step as this.
May I enquire as to your future plans."

"They are...unknown to me, sir," Ataru sighs.

"Well, then," the Principal places his tea cup down. "Obviously the
matter has not been resolved within your own heart. I shall await to
hear what decision you make. If, however, you no longer feel the need
to distance yourself from this place, do consider coming back."

"I'll...keep it in mind, sir," Ataru bows, then rises. "Good day to
you, sir."

He departs the office. "So sad, isn't it, Kota-chan," the Principal
sighs.

The cat-ghost nods. Meanwhile, Ataru is walking back in the
direction of room 337. *The old guy actually wanted me to stay!* he
muses to himself. *I always thought that everyone in this dump hated
me!!* He then tenses as an ill-feeling crosses his heart. "What do
you want?!" an icy tone enters his voice as he turns around.

Sakura finds herself trembling from his glare. "Um...can I talk to
you?" she hesitantly inquires.

"I'm supposed to be heading to class, you know."

The priestess waves her hands in a peaceful gesture. "It'll only
take a minute," she stammers, sweat pouring down her hair.

Ataru sighs, then nods. The two proceed to the nursing station.
Once inside, he turns to face her. "Now, what's this all about...?!"

To his total surprise, he finds himself swamped by her kiss! "Thank
you!!" Sakura lets out a sobbing cry as she embraces him...

...then finds herself shoved away. "What the hell are you doing?!!"
Ataru snaps, glaring at her.

"Can't you accept a simple token of thanks?!" Sakura quizzically
stares at him, surprised by his instantaneous rejection of her.

"Thanks?!! For what?!!"

The priestess sighs, then walks over to a box to pull out her North
Tokyo High jacket. "Look familiar? You did find it, didn't you?"

Ataru blinks, then relaxes. "Oh, that!" he breathes out. "Sorry."

"You seem unwilling to take much in the last few days," Sakura muses
as she sits down by her desk. "Care to talk about it?"

Refusal immediately flashes in his eyes. "If I want spiritual
advice, I'll ask Ashin or Chie," Ataru turns to leave. "After all the
'advice' you and your idiot uncle have heaped on me, I have quite the
jaundiced opinion of anything further you might want to say."

Sakura blinks in shock. "And another thing," Ataru slides the door
open to depart. "I went to North Tokyo High for MY reasons, not to
put a bandage on YOUR heart. Whatever your feelings are towards that
place are no concern of mine. What I did was a simple return of
property, nothing more or less. Good day."

He closes the door behind him, Sakura watching him go. "What
provoked that?!" she gasps, clearly stunned by Ataru's lack of manners
towards her.

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Sakura-sensei?" Lum leans into the nurse's
office sometime later.

"Come in, Lum," the nurse waves her inside.

The Oni walks in and seats herself at Sakura's table. Her eyes are
instantly drawn to the box on her desk. The nurse sits herself beside
Lum. "Lum, what exactly has been going on with Ataru?"

Lum hesitates, then sighs. "I don't know. Did Darling do
something?"

"Other than he was deliberately rude to me when I called him into the
office this morning," Sakura notes, then shakes her head. "I guess
that would be expected. Ataru has always been somewhat divided when
it comes to me. However, his words to me today really caught me by
surprise."

"Why did you want to see Darling?" Lum inquires.

Sakura pauses, then leans back. "That story actually begins thirteen
years ago, when I first entered high school. As you know, I was not a
healthy person when I was younger."

Understatement of the year, Lum muses as she remembers the tales of
Sakura's unhealthy days when she was younger. "To act as a change of
pace, I was sent to North Tokyo High School in Takenotsuka district by
my mother," Sakura continues. "It was...a wild place, not to mince
words. In fact, North Tokyo back then would make Tomobiki these days
look quite plain. Of course, we didn't have the spice of aliens being
in our school."

"It must have been a nice place," Lum muses.

"It was," a whistful stare crosses the nurse's face as her memories
of North Tokyo flow back. "In fact, in the two years I was there, I
never suffered a single day absent because I was ill. My uncle and
mother believed that the great spirit which filled the school at the
time chased all the disease demons possessing me away."

"That's wonderful," Lum beams, then tenses as she sees a sad stare
cross Sakura's face. "What happened?"

"Unfortunately, given the time, we were...too wild," Sakura bites her
lips, a touch of bitterness in her voice. "Not to mince words, we
were considered so far beyond the norm that the local PTA was up in
arms over what we were doing with ourselves. Several students, those
considered the 'ringleaders' of our school, were beaten. One was
killed. We panicked...and seized the school in an act of protest."

"*Datcha!*" Lum gasps. "What did the PTA do?!"

"They overreacted...and called in both the police and the army,"
Sakura hisses, angry tears brimming in her eyes. "I don't know what
happened next...but before someone could diffuse the situation, shots
were fired, then the army went beserk...and destroyed the school."

The Oni pales. "No...!"

Sakura looks down. "And I'm...the only survivor."

Lum blinks, stunned to hear the tragic story of what befell her
friend. "I'm sorry," she utters, looking ashamed that she could not
do anything more. "I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. I know you mean it," Sakura smiles.

"So what does this have to do with Darling?"

To answer that, Sakura reaches into her box and pulls out her North
Tokyo High jacket. "He found this...all of this," she waves to the
box.

Lum stands to look into the box, then picks up the yearbook. One
glance inside causes her to gasp in disbelief. "What type of school
were you going to, anyway?!!" her face flushes red with shock and
embarrassment.

Sakura smiles, her own face colouring. "We called ourselves a
'shameless school,' That meant that all the rules were thrown out the
window."

"Whoa!" Lum breathes out, returning the yearbook back to the box,
then blinks. "Wait! You say Darling found this for you?!"

"Yes, he did," Sakura nods. "He took it to Tsubame, who passed it on
to me."

Lum considers that information. "Then...the only way Darling would
be able to have found this was..."

"...when he went to the school itself," Sakura concludes. "In fact,
I hear he has been going to the school once a day since our return
from Icarus."

Silence falls over them as Lum considers the information the nurse
gave her. "But...why would Darling go there for?! Did he know about
your having been a student there?"

"No, he discovered that when he found my stuff," Sakura shakes her
head. "As for his reasons, why don't you ask him?"

"I...I've hesitated."

"Why?"

Lum sighs. "Sakura-sensei, you know what he's been like the last few
days."

"It's hard not to noice," the nurse muses. "Actually, I'm
half-pleased that he's finally thrown off his girl-chasing
habits...and half-concerned because he seems to be isolating himself
from the remainder of us. While many do look down upon him, he is a
student here, a part of our community. How have things been between
you and Ataru?"

"They..." Lum flushes, "...um, couldn't be better."

Sakura blinks confusedly, then realization dawns on her face. "On a
scale from A to D...?"

"C," the Oni smiles, now a brilliant cherry.

"I see," the nurse leans back. "That's unbelievable."

"Tell me something I don't already know," Lum flusters as she tries
to justify what happened to her. "But...well..."

"Relax," Sakura pats her hand. "It's alright. Believe me, I know
how you feel. I lost my innocence at a far younger age than you...in
more ways than one."

"Thanks for understanding," Lum smiles, then looks concerned. "But,
still, that doesn't begin to explain Darling's purpose in going there.
In fact, he's not let on once that he was going to this place."

"Well, he's always been secretive with you," Sakura notes.

"True," Lum nods. "But, when he went on his date with Mie, he came
up and told me what he was doing right to my face."

"That was brave."

"It...took me by surprise," Lum admits. "But now I know that Mie was
just looking for a friend. There was no real harm in it."

"Well, that's good," Sakura nods. "However, we've been skirting the
real issue. What exactly is happening with Ataru?"

"I don't know," Lum sighs. "Neither does Darling."

"Oh?!"

"He...he's admitted to me that something's happened to him which...is
making him look at everything in a new light," the Oni explains. "He
has no idea what will finally come out of this...for himself and for
us. And Budou-san and Ashin-san both warned me that this has to
happen or else matters would get worse, not better."

"We have to weather out the storm, then," Sakura sits back. "Well, I
suppose that does go far in explaining Ataru's recent behaviour,
especially to his classmates. It still is quite unnerving, I admit.
Despite his overactive libido, he was a very peaceful person at heart.
It seems those days are over."

"So I've seen over the last while," Lum nods, then stands. "Thanks
for telling me this, Sakura-sensei. It helps my trying to understand
what's wrong with Darling. Maybe it could give me a clue as to what
to do to calm him down somewhat."

"Be careful, Lum," the nurse cautions. "If Ataru feels you're
pressing down on him again, he could easily turn against you...and
given how much his grandmother hates you, that would give him the
excuse necessary to send you packing."

Lum jerks at that warning...

* * *

After school, Ataru and Lum walk out together. "Well, that's one
less day for me to worry about anymore," the former muses, stretching
himself.

"Darling, are you going somewhere tonight?" the latter glances
concernedly at him. "Say to...Takenotsuka?"

Ataru blinks, looking nonplussed. "Ah!" he then nods
understandingly. "Sakura told you, right?"

"She did," Lum nods. "Darling, everyone's concerned about you. Why
are you going to a destroyed school for?"

"That's a lie and a half," he snorts.

"What is?!"

"The part about everyone being concerned about me!"

"Darling, everyone is...!!"

"They are **not!!**" Ataru snaps, causing Lum to jump back in shock.
"Good grief, Lum, a blind man could see how little these pathetic
morons in this ramen stand give a damn about me!! All they've ever
given a hoot about is you and Mendou!!"

"But, Darling...!"

"Don't 'but Darling' me!!" he snarls. "If you can't see the truth of
what's around us, then *you've* got a problem, Lum, not me!!"

The Oni looks down ashamedly. Expectantly, the guards and Mendou
appear behind Ataru, killer looks on their faces. "MOROBOSHI, HOW
DARE YOU...?!?!?!"

Another bazooka round thanks to Mie blasts them away! "Why don't you
creeps mind your own business for once?!!" the Kyushu native hands the
bazooka back to Lan, then walks up to join Ataru and Lum. "So, where
to?!"

"Where else?!" Ataru waves them off the property. "There's work to
be done!"

The three head toward the Moroboshi home. Mendou and the guards let
out pained moans. "Things would be...much simpler if...that bitch
Seikou...would mind her...own business for...once!" Megane weakly
comments.

"Good luck in persuading her of that, Aisuru-kun...!" Chibi sighs...

* * *

Two hours later, as night begins to fall over Tokyo, Ataru, Lum and
Mie step into the darkened cave where Ataru had found the bodies of
Sakura's old schoolmates. "What a creepy place," the Oni shivers as
she stays close to Ataru.

"It's also the most perfect place to hide a mass grave," he muses.
"I hope you two realize that what we're about to do is going to open a
nasty can of worms."

"Hey, mass murder happened here eleven years ago," Mie comments.
"Let's show the world what happened so the bastards responsible for
this can pay!"

"Amen to that!" Ataru notions ahead of him. "There."

The three stop on seeing Yuukiki's body. It is still innundated with
the peculiar glow from the rock she lays on. "Hey, that's Sakura's
friend, isn't it?!" Mie points.

"Exactly," Ataru walks up to Yuukiki, confirming with his eyes that
nothing has changed since his incredible encounter the previous night.
He reaches up to touch her face, confirming again that there is a
heartbeat. "And crazy as this sounds, she's alive and breathing."

"What?!!" both girls exclaim, then lean up to take a closer look.
Sure enough, Yuukiki's chest is rising up and down with a faintly
discernable rhythum.

"She is alive!!" Lum gasps. "Or else, she's that new type of ghost
we bumped into sometime ago at Tsubame's place."

"Then why isn't she conscious?" Mie inquires, gazing at Lum.

"Good point," the Oni muses.

"Near as I can figure, her spirit was separated from her body," Ataru
cuts in, drawing back his hand. "But when it was placed here,
something happened that allowed Yuukiki's wounds to heal and preserved
her body all these years until I found it. Now, all we have to do is
find some way to draw her spirit back into her body..."

"...and she'll live again," Lum concludes, then claps her hands in
anticipation. "Oh, Sakura will be so happy to see her friend alive
again! Darling, you're doing her such a favour by coming here!!"

"Who says I'm doing that jerk a favour?!" Ataru snaps.

Lum jolts in shock at his remark. Mie sighs, then walks over to drag
the Oni away from Ataru. "C'm'ere," the Kyushu native directs her to
a place where they would be out of hearing range.

"What is it?" Lum quizzically stares at her classmate.

Mie faces her. "Look, Lum, I don't know how long it's going to take
to get it through your head, but stop referring to those dimwits we go
to school with as Ataru-chan's friends!" she hisses.

"But they are...!"

"Hey!!" Mie snaps, cutting Lum's protest in mid-sentence. "He may
have thought of them like that before Icarus, but he doesn't think
about them that way now! If your relationship with him's going to
survive the next while, you better keep comments like that to
yourself! You're not doing him any good and you're not doing yourself
any good if you keep trying to push Ataru-chan together with the rest
of that lot!"

"But, still...!"

"Lum!"

"Oh, alright, then!" the Oni sighs.

Both then see Ataru gingerly pick up Yuukiki's body and carry it to
them. "Mie, reach into my pocket and pull out my cellular. Dial
four-nine-four. That'll get you the Moroboshi COC in Sendai."

"Why do you want to call them?" Mie pulls out the cellular and dials
the number.

"To get a graves registration unit here to take care of the others,"
Ataru nods to the bodies surrounding them. "Plus, we'll need all
sorts of people to protect this place; when the word gets out that the
truth of North Tokyo High's fate is going to be exposed, a whole bunch
of people are going to wind up with ramen on their faces."

"No problem," Mie puts the phone against Ataru's ear so he can make
the necessary instructions.

Soon, the three proceed outside to Lum's waiting scoutship. "So,
what do we do with her?" the Oni inquires.

"We pay a visit to Ryuunosuke's island," Ataru tells her. "After
all, it's a full moon tonight."

Lum blinks, then nods understandingly...

* * *

A couple of hours further, the site of North Tokyo High School is
surrounded by a brigade's worth of paramilitary forces. Dressed in
World War Two-era British combat uniforms, they all bear Komeru
Moroboshi's tiger-and-gaikatana insignia. Helicopters roam over the
school as the troops keep back the curious crowds. A small party from
Tomobiki High School follow Sakura and Cherry to where the front gate
once stood. "You actually were a student at this school, Sensei?!"
Mendou looks incredulously at the nurse.

"Yes, I was," she nods as she approaches the gate, now protected by a
platoon of parachute infantrymen. "May I pass?" she asks the platoon
warrant.

"You and your uncle may pass," the soldier salutes, then disgustingly
glares at their companions. "Not them!"

The students shiver fearfully as the soldiers part to allow Sakura
and Cherry through. Once on the grounds, Cherry begins to spread
incense to ward off spirits. Sakura is also praying, keeping her eyes
narrowed so she does not have to look at her surroundings. Before
long, the two arrive at the entrance to the tunnel. Ataru's digging
has been expanded to allow soldiers to carry out the other bodies.
Seeing them causes a cry of anguish to utter from Sakura's lips.
"There, child," Cherry places a supportive hand on her leg. "Look at
this as just. Their karma is brightened by the revelation of the
truth. From here, they will ascend to Nirvana. What better fate is
that?"

"Y-you're right," Sakura stammers, then blinks as the sound of Lum's
scout is heard. "Eh?!"

Both watch as the scout lands, the boarding hatch lowering as Lum
flies out, followed by Mie. "*Tcha!* There you are," the Oni lands
in front of them.

"We came to see how you were doing," Sakura smiles, then looks
around. "Where's Ataru?"

"Here," his voice echoes from the scout.

Lum and Mie smile as Ataru disembarks, a woman covered with a
tiger-striped blanket with him. She walks with a hesitant step, but
stays with him as they come up to stand in front of Sakura and her
uncle. "No...!" disbelief crosses Cherry's face. "This is
impossible."

"Who?!" Sakura blinks, then pales. "Oh, gods!"

The blanket comes off to reveal Yuukiki Seishin, alive and conscious.
Gazing at her former schoolmate, Yuukiki shakes her head confusedly.
"Geez, Thunderthighs, I must've had too much to drink last night
'cause I'd swear that you're over twenty years old! What happened to
you?!"

Sakura blinks as happy tears flow down her cheeks. "S-sempai...oh,
Yuukiki-chan!" she sobs as she leaps forward to embrace her
now-returned friend.

Yuukiki stares at her, then looks at Cherry. "Hey, what's with your
niece, old timer?! She looks as if she just saw a ghost!"

"She...perhaps she has...!" the monk stammers, eyes wide at seeing
one of her niece's best friends literally return back from the dead.

Yuukiki blinks, then looks around. "Hey, what happened to the
school?!" she demands. "It looks like World War Three happened here!"

Everyone looks at each other, realizing that whatever power had
brought Yuukiki back to life, it had mercifully erased her memories of
that bitter final day eleven years ago. "In a sense," Ataru sighs,
"...it did."

* * *

"...scandal surrounding the destruction of North Tokyo High School in
1972 still rocks the government as officials in both the Interior
Ministry and the Self Defence Force are called onto the carpet to
explain their actions," the NHK reporter carries on his commentary.
"The truth of the destruction of the so-called 'shameless school' was
uncovered by Ataru Moroboshi, the infamous Earth tag-race champion,
who, with his would-be wife Lum and fellow Tomobiki High School
classmate Mie Seikou, carried out a private investigation of the
school grounds over the last week. There is a call now in the Diet to
award Moroboshi, normally denounced by the people of Tomobiki district
as a trouble-maker, a civic award for his gallant struggle to bring
truth and justice to the nearly thousand slain victims of North Tokyo
High..."

The television is shut off by the Principal, who returns to his spot
beside Kotatsuneko. "Well, isn't that nice?" he muses, sipping his
tea. "I am pleased that Ataru was able to bring a positive resolution
to this problem. And I am also pleased that he was able to bring a
sense of healing to our comrade's long-wounded heart."

The other teachers nod to Sakura, who sits at one end of the kotatsu.
"I just wish Ataru was willing to accept my thanks," the nurse muses.

"He has undergone a profound experience," the Principal warns her.
"Give him time to bring a sense of order to his life before you seek
to thank him."

"How's your old classmate, Sakura?" Hanawa inquires. "After all,
spending twelve years in isolation in that tunnel would hurt anyone."

Sakura smiles at Hanawa's naivete. Part of her would not believe it
herself were it not for Yuukiki now staying at her shrine and Cherry
not trying to chase her away for being an evil spirit. "The culture
shock's getting to her, not to mention the shock of losing all her
friends. But, Yuukiki's a survivor. She'll come through this."

"I heard Moroboshi is getting his uncle's intelligence people to
locate Seishin-san's relatives," Onsen muses.

"That is good," the Principal nods. "Being with family would restore
the poor woman's spirits faster than anything."

Onsen chuckles, drawing curious stares from his co-workers. "What
bemuses you so, Mark?" the Principal inquires.

"I just find it...unbelievable, that's all," the vice-principal
smirks. "That Moroboshi of all people would transform so quickly and
to such a degree...I think it'll be a long time before we get used to
him, if ever."

"And we don't know if this transformation's run its course," Sakura
adds.

"Perhaps," the Principal sighs as he looks to the rolled parchment
Ataru handed to him yesterday. "However, it has now been taken out of
our hands."

The teachers stare at him. "What do you mean, sir?" Onsen asks.

The elderly school administrator takes the parchment and hands it to
his immediate subordinate. "I suggest you read that..."

* * *

"So Yuukiki's alive and the crooks who were responsible for her
friends' deaths are going to get put on vacation," Shinobu laments
sometime later in room 337. She then looks to Lum. "Lum, what's
going to happen to that tunnel you found everyone in?"

"Darling's going to get his uncle's people to collapse the tunnel,
not to mention entomb that rock Yuukiki was found on to ensure no one
gets at it," the Oni smiles. "He's afraid that if someone could make
use of that rock's powers, all sorts of trouble would result."

"Incredible," Paama looks to the ceiling. "For the first time,
Ataru's going to *prevent* trouble, not **cause** it!"

"What about the trouble YOU cause, asshole?!" Mie fires him an icy
glare.

The guards sputter at the Kyushu native's words. At that time, the
door slides open and Yuukiki Seishin steps inside. "Yo,
wage-slaves!!" she waves. "How's it hanging?!"

Everyone gags on seeing what the once-deceased student is wearing: a
skintight biker's jumpsuit with the zipper undone all the way to her
navel, showing all the cleavage in the world. Blood instantly leaks
from the noses of every boy present. "What are you doing here,
Yuukiki?" Lum flies to her side.

"I just came by to thank Ataru-chan for getting me out of that
place," Yuukiki smiles whistfully.

"I hope it's not in the usual North Tokyo tradition, Yuukiki-chan,"
Sakura muses as she walks in, having heard the last of her
ex-classmate's statement.

"What tradition is that?" Lan inquires.

"A date," Sakura muses. "But Ataru better be careful. Yuukiki can
get quite wild when she wants to."

"And you don't, Thunderthighs?" Yuukiki snidely glares at the nurse.

Sakura sputters, flushing a deep red as everyone laughs. "So
Ataru-kun's going to get a civil award for what he did," Shinobu hums.
"That's nice. We should throw a party and celebrate."

"That's a wonderful idea!!" Lum's eyes brighten. "Maybe that'll
cheer Darling up since he's been so grumpy over the last while."

"Then you better not invite these clods," Mie thumbs Mendou and the
guards.

The five look incensed. "Well, if you do that, you better do it as
soon as possible," Sakura sighs.

Everyone stares at her. "What does that mean?" Ryuunosuke asks.

"Yesterday, the Principal was handed a note from Ataru's
grandmother," the nurse sighs. "As you now know, she is Ataru's legal
guardian since he is estranged from his parents. That note announced
Nagaiwakai-sama's decision to withdraw Ataru from Tomobiki High School
as soon as possible. He will spend the remaining time he requires for
his high school degree in private tutorial."

The silence that follows her statement is deafening. "He...he's
leaving...?" Mendou blinks.

"Hey, now THAT'S cause for celebration!!!" Megane laughs.

"Oh," Lum looks undisturbed. "Then I guess I'll be leaving, too."

At that statement, all the boys look as if they are about to have
heart attacks. Uncertain looks cross the girls' faces, especially
Shinobu's and Lan's. Before anyone can say anything further, the door
slides open and Ataru walks in. "Morning," he calls out, then stops,
staring at the baffled stares coming his way. "What's with you
idiots?"

Megane comes up to him. "Y-you're leaving the school...?" he
hesitantly inquires, pointing at Ataru.

"Yes, I'm leaving the school," Ataru sighs, a knowing glare in his
eyes. "From now on, you won't have anyone to push around."

Megane trembles as he realizes something else. "Y-you'd take
L-lum-san out of this school, too...?!" he stammers, a growl entering
his voice.

"Well, if she wants to leave, that's her business," Ataru shrugs,
giving Megane a devilish smile, then walks over to Lum. "Got good
news!"

"What, Darling?!" the Oni looks excited.

"I've got agents looking for an empty lot of property so we can build
our house!" Ataru announces.

Mendou and the guards gag. "Really?!!" Lum claps her hands. "Oh,
have you picked out a place you like?!"

"Well, I'm keeping an eye on several locations," Ataru thinks for a
moment. "There's Nagasaki, of course. Sado Island in Niigata's nice.
Tokushima has some nice places. Plus, there's Soya and Rumoi, not to
mention Miyagi."

Everyone gapes disbelievingly at him. Lum leaps around, then stops,
realization dawning on her. "D-darling, wait a minute," she stares at
him. "Nagasaki...Niigata...and Miyagi? And Tokushima...that's on
Shikoku! And Soya and Rumoi...?!"

"North end of Hokkaido," Shinobu supplies.

"Sure," Ataru nods, quizzically staring at her. "Something wrong?"

"W-well, I was h-hoping we'd live in T-t-tomobiki," Lum stammers,
realizing that all those places are well over two hundred kilometres
from Tokyo.

Ataru blinks. A sickened look crosses his face. "Me?!! Live in
*this* dump?!! Are you crazy?!!"

Lum jolts back as he projects an accusing finger at his classmates.
"If you think I'm going to live *anywhere* near **these** morons,
think again!!! I've had it with these knuckleheads and their butting
into my life!!! Believe me, you'd be better off away from them too!!!
They've been ruining your life just as much as they've ruined mine!!!"

The Oni blinks, unsure if she just heard that. "Darling, these are
your friends...!!"

"Lum!" Mie hisses, wincing.

Ataru recoils as if Lum had splashed acid in his face.
"'Friends?!!'" he exclaims, then points to people. "Friends like this
fat-hipped slut?!!" he indicates Shinobu. "Or that vindictive
airhead?!!" to Lan. "Or this snob or those geeks?!!" to Mendou and
the guards. "Or this incompetent jerk?!!" to Sakura. "Forget it,
Lum!!! With 'friends' like these, I don't need **enemies!!!**"

Everyone jolts back, stunned by the vile tone in his voice. Insulted
glares appear on Shinobu's and Lan's faces. Before the former could
bolt up to confront Ataru, she finds herself facing the business end
of his *qu'f-piaqu'r!* "Go ahead, Miyaki!" Ataru's voice turns to a
dirge-like moan. "I think it's time I dished back the shit you've
heaped on me over the last few years...starting right *now!!!*" he
cocks the hammer to the firing position, finger on trigger.

Shinobu trembles, then passes out. Ataru blinks, then pulls the
musket back. "Just as I figured all along," he snorts. "A coward!
Then again, all bullies are cowards at heart!" He then moves to fire
the musket anyway. "Well, might as well get rid of her right now..."

Everyone panics, backing away from the student as he moves to
administer the coup de grace. Lum stares disbelievingly at Ataru.
This was getting totally out of control. Raising her hand, she sends
a lightning bolt at him! "Darling, stop it!!!"

The bolt lashes at him, dances around him for a moment, then
dissipates, leaving not a scar or burn on his body or clothing!
Everyone blinks, jaws falling to the floor in shock on seeing this.
"He wasn't affected!!!" Chibi exclaims.

*Lum, you idiot, that's the **worst** thing you could've done!!* Mie
snarls to herself.

Ataru looks away from Lum a moment, then turns to her. The Oni
shudders as she sees that all sense of pleasantness is gone from his
face, his eyes. He now looks at her like she was a cockroach.
"So..." he icily breathes. "You'd rather take the side of these
slimeballs over me, eh?"

"D-darling, y-you d-don't u-understand...!" Lum stammers.

"Shaddup!!!" Ataru snaps at her, causing Lum to jolt back fearfully.
A touch of betrayal is in his eyes. "Now I understand all too well!!
You'd rather keep me as your little pet, pen me in, then use these
idiots to keep me penned in!!! You'd rather let me suffer just as
long as you knew that I wouldn't run away from you!!! Damn you, you
don't love me at all!!! You've *never* loved me!!! You never wanted
a husband to marry, you wanted a damn **slave** to possess and
dominate!!! Isn't that right?!! Well?!! ISN'T IT?!?!?!"

Lum stares disbelievingly at him. "How...can you accuse me of
something as callous as that?" she gasps, her voice hollow.

"The evidence is obvious!!" he snarls. "Now I'm beginning to
appreciate my disowning those two twits I was born from!!! With them
out of our way, that *abortion* you call a marriage pact is ended,
too!!! Now, all I need is one call to Grandma and you'll be out of my
life FOREVER!!!!"

Silence falls like a guillotine as Lum stares at the man whose life
she had shared for the last two years. There was no friendliness in
his eyes, no warmth, no love. Now there was nothing save anger,
betrayal and pain...all aimed at her! And this time, he was in a
position to ensure that she could never exercise any influence on his
life ever again. In just under ten minutes, everything she had worked
for so long to build had been pulverized, never to be restored.
"D-darling..." she pleads.

He turns around, walking to the door. "Sayonara," he snarls. "I
never want to see you again!"

He walks out of the room. Silence falls over the class as everyone
stares at Lum. Shaking her head as tears spring into her eyes, she
leaps to her feet and flies out of the window, shrieking in pain as
she ascends to her scout. Everyone races to the window, watching
helplessly as she disappears inside her scout, then it rockets away
from Earth! "LUM-SAN!!!!!!" Megane screams fruitlessly.

Behind them, Mie crosses her arms as she walks towards the door.
"The stupid jerk brought it on herself!" she mutters. "I warned her
this would happen!"

Hearing that, Mendou and Megane exchange looks, then they turn to
their classmates. "GET MOROBOSHI!!!!!!"

The students spring for the doorway...only to be received by Mie
employing Lan's bazooka on all of them!! "**GET IT THROUGH YOUR
HEADS, *DE'NE!!!!!!***" the Kyushu native screams. "**MIND YOUR OWN
BUSINESS!!!!!!**"

Watching this, Yuukiki turns to Sakura. "And *these* are the type of
jerks you teach?!" she blinks disbelievingly.

"They do leave a lot to be desired, don't they?" the nurse sighs...

* * *

As Lum's scout breaks clear of Earth's gravity well, the sobbing Oni
stares at the peaceful picture of Japan many thousands of kilometres
behind her. She could have tried to maintain her place in Ataru's
life, but the past week's revelations had revealed that for everything
she could employ to help her maintain her link with Ataru, he could
employ something to counter it! There was no help coming from any of
her classmates; Ataru had demonstrated how little he now cared for
them. She was helpless, a feeling she had never experienced in the
two years she had lived on Earth. Totally helpless! Staring at the
viewscreen, she blinks as the image of the strange Seishin girl from
her dreams comes back to her. "A pity...I actually had hope for you."

Letting out a pained shriek, she punches the warp button to send her
back to Uru...just as another ship from a different world arrives over
Japan...

*** To be continued ***