During the past season things had changed 
considerably over at the Nippon Broadcasting Network. 
It was now successful rather than merely booming. It 
might have been attributed in part to the huge 
success of their new show last summer. 
	The meeting of the central programming board 
was a very somber and deadly serious affair. The room 
had no exterior windows or central lighting. It was 
also so cold that breathing was enough to cause a 
slight fog to emerge from people's lips.
	Each seat at the meeting table had it's own 
lighting. Sort of. This wouldn't have been so bad if 
it were the cheerful kind that lit up a good portion 
of the room, unfortunately, these were harsh 
spotlights which focused upward, somewhere around the 
chin of whoever was seated at the chairs, 
highlighting the shadows of the faces of the board. 
The result? Wonderfully dramatic mood lighting. 
Except for the painful drawback. 
	Everyone in the boardroom was close to 
freezing. Except for their chins. Those tended to get 
severely burnt. It gave entirely new meaning to the 
term five o'clock shadow. Or in this case sunburn. Or 
light burn. Something.
	This did not make for particularly cheerful 
meetings. Every single member of the central 
programming board wore dark suits with severe cuts. 
They were all distinctive men, all possessed of an 
impressive stature within the company.
	A fat old man in totally unnecessary dark 
shades at the head of the table said to the rest of 
the men in the room, "This meeting is now in session, 
gentlemen. The matter for discussion is whether or 
not we intend to option a second season of the 'Real 
World: Tokyo' show."
	A hawk-nosed man with a whiny, grating voice 
interjected, "Consider, chairman after what happened 
at the end of the first season, it might be foolish 
for us to enter into another such fiasco."
	"On the othew hand," lisped a granite-faced 
man, "The watings we gawnewed from ouw fiwst season 
were totawwy beyond ouw highest expectations."
	The hawk-nosed man asked the granite-faced man 
pointedly, "Yes, but the cost!"
	"It was just one house," casually remarked an 
unshaven, youthful man with a messy thatch of brown 
hair. "I mean, it should be easy enough for us to 
choose people for this season who won't be quite 
so... destructive." He grinned, "I mean this company 
has grown quite a bit since then."
	A long-faced man with a droning, monotonous 
voice replied, "He has a point. We cannot turn down 
the potential advertising this could pull in for us. 
The returns far outweigh the cost of a single house 
and the environs."
	"I still say it leaves us open to potential 
lawsuit," whined the hawk-nosed man.
	The man at the other end of the table with a 
beard but no mustache kept himself positioned leaning 
forward in his chair to avoid frying his chin with 
the spotlight. His tie was beginning to smolder, but 
he ignored it. He quietly rested his elbows on the 
table, and his chin on his gloved hands as he cleared 
his throat, "Gentlemen, it would appear that we are 
more or less all in agreement, save for our one 
dissenter."
	The hawk-faced man sputtered, "But the risks!"
	The fat man in the shades, the chairman, nodded 
sagely. "Agreed. I see no need to even put this to a 
vote. The second season of 'The Real World: Tokyo' 
will begin shooting within the month."
	The fat man nodded to the bearded man, "You are 
charged with locating the new residents for this 
season. Put it under a suitable operation name... I 
don't know... Marduk or something. And make sure we 
are covered or it will be your head on the platter."
	The bearded man nodded, "Understood, Mr. 
Chairman."
	The hawk-faced man glared darkly at the bearded 
man.
	"I hearby call this meeting to a close." The 
fat man rumbled, "Now... let us get back to the 
business of destroying our opposition."
	The lights shut off indicating that the meeting 
had indeed come to an end.
	"Hey... is that the door?"
	"No..! Ow!"
	"Caweful..!"
	"That's my nose you're pulling on!"
	"It's here somewhere..."
	"Argh!" <crash>
	Of course... overly dramatic board rooms do 
make for very difficult places to leave if there are 
no lights to see the door by.

=====================================================
==================

=The Surreal World=
The 2nd Season

Written by the Scriviner
Based on the Surreal World 
by RpM
Written with his permission.

=====================================================
==================

	Shun Kisaragi finished packing the last of the 
luggage. It was mid-afternoon on the first day of 
summer vacation and the Greenwood Dorm was 
sweltering. Shun jumped up and down on the last bag a 
few times, to flatten it and pack the luggage inside 
properly. 
	Shun brushed aside long strands of pink hair as 
the second huge bag was finally shut. This was one of 
the few times Shun regretted having such long hair. 
It kept getting in the way. But then again, Shun 
thought with a slight giggle, it's a price one has to 
pay to look so good.
	This, admittedly, was true enough. Long 
straight pink hair, delicate features, a slender 
build. All of it summing up to a very attractive 
package. Shun looked to all the world to be a very 
pretty and friendly sixteen year old girl. This was 
not entirely true of course, after all appearances 
could be deceiving.	Shun's best friend and room 
mate, Kazuya Hasukawa, stepped into the room and 
shouldered one of the large bags with a little 
difficulty. "Shun, d'you have everything ready? I've 
got one of the lowerclassmen holding a cab for us 
downstairs."
	Shun nodded, grabbing the other large bag and 
dusting the numerous footprints off of the sides, 
"Yup. All packed and ready, Suka-chan. Let's get 
going." 
	The two roommates made their way out of their 
dorm room. Other residents, also preparing to leave 
for the summer, nodded greetings to the two of them. 
Hardly surprising, since Haukawa was the dorm 
president and Shun... was... well, Shun. It would be 
difficult for Shun to not have been noticed at an all 
male dorm.
	"I still can't believe how lucky you are Shun," 
Hasukawa said as they started down the stairs, "You 
get to be on TV. I'm sort of surprised that you 
aren't going home for the summer though."
	"Well, I sort of talked my family into it. 
Besides, I figure I could use a break..." Shun 
replied, smiling cutely.
	Hasukawa looked mildly concerned, "I still 
remember all of the weird stuff that happened on that 
show last season."
	"Oh, you mean with the girl?" Shun asked, 
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. This'll be great."
	"If you say so, Shun." Hasukawa replied 
gloomily.
	Shun looked at him, puzzled, "What's the matter 
with you?"
	"Hmmm? Oh, nothing's wrong. It's just..."
	"You're going home for this summer?"
	Hasukawa nodded. "Yup," he sighed, "Back to my 
brother's home."
	"I thought you'd gotten over your brother's 
wife?" teased Shun, "Or is it NOT being able to see 
Mia-chan this summer?
	"Nevermind."
	Shun giggled, giving Hasukawa a slap on the 
shoulder, "Lighten up a little." There was a brief 
pause before Shun continued, pouting slightly, 
"Although I do wish Mitsuru-sempai and Shinobu-sempai 
hadn't rushed off so suddenly."
	"Well, Shinobu apparently had some kind of 
family crisis, he sorta dragged Mitsuru along. They 
did apologize about it."
	"Still..." Shun replied, still pouting, "By the 
way, I want to thank you for helping me move my stuff 
to the house..."
	Hasukawa grinned a little, "Why not? Besides, 
if it turns out that you're going to be living with a 
girl who looks like Urd from last season, I want to 
know where the house is."
	Shun laughed easily. This was definitely going 
to be an interesting summer.
- - -
	Akane Kasuga collapsed heavily onto her bed. 
She was a pretty enough sixteen year old girl, her 
shoulder length brown hair tied off in a ponytail. 
She was slender, but she also had a good figure. She 
was currently wearing a pair of shorts and a tanktop 
to beat the heat. It wasn't working too well. She was 
sweating. 
	She wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but she had a 
certain... something... to her. A certain appeal. In 
all likelihood, there were no small number of men who 
were interested in her, unfortunately for them she 
had no time to waste on them.
	She had a decision to make, and she wasn't too 
happy about being forced to choose. She'd already had 
her summer vacation planned out, but her plans were 
thrown into disarray by a single letter.
	In hand, she had the letter addressed to her 
from the Nippon Broadcasting Network. It was 
basically an invitation to become part of the 'Real 
World: Tokyo' TV show. They were offering to pay for 
the house, the utilities, plus the signing fee, but 
that wasn't the important part. It was the chance to 
be seen on TV! There were going to be TV cameras set 
up all over the house, except for the bathrooms and 
bedrooms to capture what EVERYONE was doing.
	 She stared idly at the letter, struggling with 
herself. Under normal circumstances there wouldn't 
have been any sort of problem whatsoever, but she'd 
been planning on a visit to her cousin Kyosuke's 
home... and a visit to HER.
	Kasuga shifted her gaze to the ceiling 
immediately above her bed. There was an 8 foot by six 
foot blown up photo of Madoka Ayukawa, a woman who, 
in Akane's own words, was her 'ideal person'. Akane 
had intended to spend the summer at her cousin's 
home... it gave her the prefect excuse to be near 
Madoka, all summer long, since she was usually with 
Kyosuke anyway. When he wasn't with his girlfriend... 
during those times, Akane could have Madoka all to 
herself. She smiled vaguely, that had been the 
original plan. 
	She looked at the letter again. Her cousin had 
been invited to the last season's show. He called it 
a fun time, a little strange, but fun. He also 
claimed that after a while you forgot about the 
cameras entirely. The show was a chance to get 
discovered... always a consideration for any aspiring 
actress.  Not to mention the possible recognition 
that came with the role. After all, plenty of people 
were bound to see the show. Plus, last she'd heard, 
at least two of the people who'd been invited to the 
first season had been offered movie deals. 
	Possible fame, wealth, an acting career, plus 
the definite free rent/utilities and the signing 
fee... weighed against a summer with Madoka. She 
thought about it some more... the house that she'd be 
staying in wouldn't be THAT far from Madoka's 
neighborhood... a small smile began to appear on 
Kasuga's features. 
	She suddenly floated up off her bed and hugged 
the photo on the ceiling, sighing happily... this was 
probably going to be a summer to remember after all.
- - -
	At a small teashop somewhere in the suburbs of 
Tokyo,	Junta Momonari grinned excitedly as he 
reread the letter he'd received from the Nippon 
Broadcasting Network to Ami.
	"They're saying I get to appear on TV and all I 
have to do is live in this house with a bunch of 
other people for a couple of months!" He gushed. 
"There's a signing fee they're giving me, and they're 
even paying for the rent and the utilities on the 
place and everything."
	Junta seemed to be a fairly normal young man of 
sixteen. His dark hair was unruly and not even the 
most assiduous brushing could force it to come down 
from its accustomed spikiness. While not quite 
handsome, it had to be admitted that he did look 
cute, in a gormless and somewhat nebbishy kind of 
way, distinguished slightly by a mole under each eye.
	His companion smiled amiably at him. She was a 
pretty, sweet looking girl also of around sixteen 
with short brown hair. She was a waitress at the 
teashop, but it was a slow day, she was on her break, 
and her boss liked Junta. "So does this mean you 
won't be helping your parents out this summer?"
	Junta nodded, "Yup. I've talked to mom about it 
and she says she can spare me. Just as long I greet 
her on the show or something... and maybe wear a T-
shirt with the store's logo and stuff, but she's 
probably kidding." He thought about it for a moment, 
"At least I think she was kidding..."
	"I guess that's good..." Ami replied distantly, 
her eyes focusing on a point a few inches to the 
right and behind Junta's face.
	He looked down at the letter again, not 
noticing, "Yeah... its only a short ride away so I 
can probably still visit the rest of the time..."
	"Really?" Ami asked, brightening slightly.
	Junta smiled at her, "Well, if it weren't I 
might've turned it down... you know..." he stammered, 
"Wouldn't want to... um... you know... I'd probably 
miss you and stuff..."
	Ami giggled a little, "Nice to see you haven't 
forgotten me."
	Junta reddened slightly. "I wouldn't do that!"
	"Well, I've seen this show before... last 
season there were all these really pretty girls 
living in the house with the guys. What are you going 
to do then, Momonari, hmmm?" Ami asked pointedly, 
half joking.
	Junta thought about pretty girls. His 
imagination, unfortunately was too good for his own 
good... thoughts of pretty faces, sparkling eyes, 
flashing thighs, lovely pert busoms flashed through 
his head... His face suddenly turned greenish and 
sickly as he clapped a hand quickly over his mouth... 
"Ergh..."
	Ami chuckled, "Hopeless..."
	Junta fought down the urge to vomit... his 
cheeks requiring color slowly before he finally 
managed to smile back at Ami.
	The two of them had been getting along quite 
well since... the incident. Admittedly, he hardly 
remembered what had happened, but she remembered it 
well enough for both of them. Ami had been alert the 
whole time for any possible relapse in Momnari, but 
thus far he'd shown no signs of it. His girl allergy 
had been reduced considerably, as an apparent side 
effect, but it still left Ami worried. She still had 
her doubts about Karin Aoi's competence and the cure 
she'd given Junta, so she kept a close eye on him to 
make sure. 
	But even as the two smiled at each other, a 
small part of Junta Momonari's mind that had been 
walled off since the... incident... was clamoring. It 
knew it would only be a matter of time before HE once 
again had freedom. Away from Ami. There would be so 
many women for the choosing... the small part of 
Junta's brain gave the mental equivalent of a grin. 
Momonari was a genetic time bomb just waiting for the 
chance to blow. And what better place than in a house 
so far from his usual stomping grounds? Who could 
possibly stop him there? And Ami did say something 
about... pretty girls? The small part of Junta's 
brain murmured to itself... this was going to be a 
fun summer indeed.
- - -
	Ryuunosuke Fujinami finished wiping down the 
tables and chairs of the recently renovated New Hama 
Teashop, at around ten in the morning, just in time 
for their fifth 'Grand Reopening' this month. It was 
always recently renovated. Ryu's dad had the place 
renovated practically every week or so. Considering 
that the restaurant was located in notorious Tomobiki 
district, this was hardly surprising. Between the UFO 
landings, rampaging demons, oni, monsters, alien 
invasions and the frequent spats between the infamous 
Ataru Moroboshi and his volatile alien fiance Lum, 
most buildings in the area had a life expectancy of 
about 3 months. Construction in the Tomobiki district 
was a thriving business.
	Ryu was getting tired of it all. The elder 
Fujinami had been on Ryu's case all morning about not 
working hard enough. Which was laughable when you 
consider that Ryuunosuke had been working since dawn 
and hadn't even had a single break yet. Not to 
mention that this was the summer break when kids were 
just supposed to be goofing off... Ryu never had a 
chance to goof off... or just relax. It was always 
work.
	A chance glimpse in one of the teashop's new 
mirrors caused Ryu to wince internally. The image 
reflected was that of a somewhat sweaty, if 
undeniably handsome young man of around seventeen. A 
shock of unruly black hair and gray eyes to 
complement him. A loose fitting T-shirt and blue 
jeans to complete the picture. Ryu glared at the 
reflection. It was a much hated image.
	Ryu sighed heavily, stalking to the front door 
to turn the sign and pick up the mail which had been 
waiting there for the past few hours. It was probably 
all bills again, which would set the elder Fujinami 
off on a new bout of ranting and raving about working 
harder... not that the old fool would actually do too 
much of that work himself. He was probably in his 
room... asleep again. Ryu was getting SO very tired 
of it all.
	The mail did indeed prove to be largely 
bills... except for the last letter. It was an 
invitation to appear on a TV show. Ryu gaped in 
shock. This was it! This was precisely the break that 
the teen needed. It offered free rent and utilities 
for a few months, at a house somewhere in the Nerima 
district. It wasn't that far away, but far enough 
from the Elder Fujinami that Ryu's long held dreams 
of wearing feminine underwear and pretty dresses 
could become reality! So what if it would be mostly 
under TV scrutiny? According to the letter, there 
wouldn't be any cameras in the bathrooms and the bed 
rooms... that was good enough! Not to mention that it 
was close enough so that the Elder Fujinami wouldn't 
worry about Ryu, but also far enough away from the 
man's ideas regarding the way a 'dutiful son' should 
look and act!
	Ryu gave the piece of paper another look then 
smiled wryly... it was a nice enough fantasy... but 
there was always more work to be done. It wasn't as 
if the elder Fujinami was likely to allow Ryu to go, 
anyway. And idiot or not, that idiot was still Ryu's 
father.
	There was a sudden sound from the door, just as 
Ryu made to crumple the paper, intending to throw it 
away. Ryu turned just in time to see a moving blur 
with brown hair dash into the teashop screeching 
lovingly, "Ryuuuunosuke-chaaan!!!"
	Ryu sidestepped quickly, just as the form of 
Ataru Moroboshi, body poised for a full body contact 
grapple careened into the teashop... this was 
followed closely by Lum, who began to rake the place 
with bolts of lightning all intended for Ataru... all 
of which he handily avoided... where Lum went, of 
course, followed, the four Lum Stormtroopers, 
carrying mallets... and Shutaro Mendo, waving his 
sword... and Rei, who was a tiger-bull at the time... 
and where Rei went, followed Ran, who had her 
bazooka... followed by... erhm... let us say simply 
that in short order... the New Hama teashop was in 
dire need of remodeling once again.
	It was a few minutes later when Ryuunosuke had 
cleared out the combatants... the elder Fujinami 
having slept through the disturbance... that Ryu 
surveyed the damage. In hand was still clutched the 
slightly crumpled invitation from NBN... 
	"THAT did it!" Ryu's face was twisted into a 
half-mad scowl, a hand raised to look at the 
invitation again, "I'm going to have a relaxing 
summer, even if it kills me!"
	And with that, Ryu stalked into the living 
quarters behind the shop to talk to the elder 
Fujinami. It was time to get as far away as possible! 
But even as those thoughts impressed themselves, 
other more hopeful images presented themselves... 
images of pastel pink dresses and lacy underwear 
foremost.
- - -
	The beautiful, darkly tanned woman set her tea 
down in front of her and brushed back her long, dark 
green hair, "That's basically it, you two. Haruka 
absolutely MUST accept the invitation from NBN when 
it arrives. Alone. Otherwise, something very bad will 
happen."
	She gave the young couple across from her a 
level stare.
	Haruka Tenou frowned, arms crossed and leaning 
back in the easy chair. Haruka a tall, confident, 
handsome blonde. A racecar driver by trade, but 
secretly one of a small select group whose task was 
to protect a very important individual. Haruka faced 
down ravening monsters, careening down race tracks at 
ridiculous speeds, reincarnated extra-terrestrial 
princesses as a matter of course, but this was 
different. This was separation from Michiru... the 
woman Haruka loved. "I still don't have to like this, 
Setsuna. I know you've got this entire 'oracular-see-
the-future-thing' going for you, but why do I have to 
leave Michiru?"
	Michiru shifted slightly where she was sitting 
on the couch's armrest and put a hand on Haruka's 
arm. She adjusted her dress nervously as she spoke, 
"Well, I don't like it much either, Haruka... but if 
Setsuna says its necessary, I guess it is. I'm going 
to miss you."
	"Well, I can call home can't I?" Haruka asked 
Setsuna.
	Setsuna replied, "That would be alright. But 
you must-- I repeat MUST-- stay apart during the 
duration of the show." She saw the expressions on the 
pair's faces and relented slightly, looking 
thoughtful, "Well... I guess... it might be possible 
to risk letting you see each other on weekends... I 
mean my vision didn't... erhm... nevermind."
	"Are you really sure this invitation thing is 
even going to arrive?" Haruka asked.
	Setsuna returned a level stare, "Have I been 
wrong before?"
	Michiru merely stared at Haruka worriedly...
	Haruka on the other hand was merely annoyed... 
the entire vacation shot to ruins... this was going 
to be one lousy summer.
- - -
	Yusaku Godai flipped through his mail... he was 
having another tense episode with his landlady and 
wasn't really in any mood to deal with it. She was in 
another of her moods again and the tennis coach was 
apparently trying to put the moves on her... again. 
Godai, college graduate and somewhat wishy-washy 
tenant of Maison Ikkoku, wanted to step in and try to 
keep the coach away from Kyoko, his landlady... if 
only he and Kyoko were currently on speaking terms...
	He sighed as he glanced at the senders on each 
envelope... junk... junk... junk... bill... bill... 
junk... bill... bill for junk... a letter from the 
Nippon Broadcasting Network... Hey!
	Godai tore the letter open hurriedly... he'd 
applied for a job there a while back, and they never 
did get around to sending him back a reply... while 
his job as a teacher was alright, it certainly left a 
lot to be desired. Godai's expression changed from 
happiness to complete bafflement as he read the 
invitation to be involved in 'The Real World: Tokyo' 
TV show. 
	He scanned the paper as his eyes suddenly 
latched on certain key phrases... 'Complete rent, 
power and utilities paid in full by NBN each month', 
'Signing fee', 'House located in the Nerima 
district', 'Privacy ensured in certain areas of the 
house'...
	This could be his chance to have a vacation! 
Away from all of his annoying neighbors! Away from 
all of the tension! Away from... Kyoko? He had to 
stop that line of thought... that was NOT a good 
thing.
	He heard a voice suddenly murmur near his ear, 
"Well, well, well, young Godai. Isn't this a 
fortunate development for you."
	Godai screamed and leapt to the other side of 
the room, his face a mask of terror. Until he 
realized who had spoken. It was a man near his mid-
thirties, his black hair slicked back and wearing a 
gray suit, which had not only seen better days, but 
was also serving as a repository for plaster dust. It 
was Godai's neighbor, Yotsuya.
	"Oh. It's just you." Godai muttered, calming 
down.
	"Godai, is it merely my imagination or do I 
note a certain lack of enthusiasm in your voice 
regarding my presence?"
	"Gee, you have to ask?" Godai returned 
peevishly. "What're you doing in my room?"
	"I had intended to summon the rest of the 
tenants of Maison Ikkoku for a party within your 
quarters, however, I caught sight of your invitation 
before I had a chance to do so. Tell me... are you 
planning on going?"
	Godai crossed his arms and looked pointedly in 
the other direction, "What's it to you, anyway?"
	Yotsuya lifted a finger and smiled at Godai, 
"Well... surely you could not imagine trying to leave 
yet again. Surely you remember the last few fiascoes 
which transpired as a result of your intending to 
move away?"
	Godai winced, "Yeah... okay, so maybe those 
didn't work out... but this is just temporary..."
	"Ahhh... so you'd merely like to leave our 
lovely young manager a little extra space is it?" 
Yotsuya asked.
	"T-t-that's not it!" Godai sputtered.
	Yotsuya waved a negligent hand, "Surely you 
realize the moment you leave the vicinity, the good 
coach Mitaka will immediately move in on our dear 
manager... not to mention your own problems..."
	"What are you babbling about?!"
	"Well... for instance, what would happen if... 
merely for the sake of argument... that Kozue decided 
to show up at the house while they were filming you, 
hmmm?"
	"Gah..."
	Yotsuya smiled, pressing forward, "I'm certain 
the manager would not appreciate the two of you 
flirting on television... where anyone could watch 
you."
	"I don't flirt with Ko--" 
	"And what if, oh... say, Yagami, were to show 
up? What would her father think if it became public 
knowledge that you... a teacher... were carrying on 
an illicit affair with one of your students? What 
would the whole of Japan think?"
	"It's not an illicit affa--" Godai replied 
weakly, eyes bugging...
	"Then remember how many gorgeous women there 
were on the first season of this show? I'm certain 
you watched it... I believe you found 'Urd' to be 
quite attractive... I imagine they shall be choosing 
women just as exquisite as those of the first 
season... I'm sure you remember how jealous our dear 
manager gets at times...
	Yotsuya grinned in satisfaction as Godai 
cowered. He said in a friendly tone, "Therefore, I 
relieve you of this burden and hazard upon your 
self..." before snatching the invitation from Godai's 
nerveless fingers and tucking it into his coat 
pocket. "After all, what are friends for?"
	He grinned as he stepped out into the 
corridor... Godai, in his room was only beginning to 
come to his senses. Yotsuya glanced at the letter, 
"Ahh... a vacation, how lovely. I shall be sharing 
the house with six other people... I'm certain this 
promises to be a rather entertaining summer."
- - -
	Ukyou Kuonji buttoned up her shirt and gave 
herself a quick glance in the mirror. She wasn't in 
any mood to be feminine and it showed. She was very 
attractive in a certain androgynous fashion. Long 
brown hair, straight and gathered in a ponytail. She 
was in a loose button up long-sleeved shirt and 
slacks, which hid her slender figure, giving the 
illusion of masculine bulk. Truth be told, Ukyou 
looked remarkably like a handsome young man. An 
illusion that she was gladly fostering once again. 
Events having been what they were.
	She hadn't forgotten how crazed she'd gotten 
when she'd heard about Ranma and Akane's wedding... 
nor had she forgotten how embarrassed she'd been 
after having tried to kill the bride to stop the 
ceremony. Or how Ranma had looked at Akane, then at 
her after he'd regained consciousness. Ukyou sighed. 
She wasn't stupid or blind, except perhaps blinded by 
love. She didn't want to give up on him... it made 
her a quitter... but she didn't want to humiliate 
herself any further.
	She picked up the letter from NBN off her 
dresser. The one inviting 'Mr.' Ukyou Kuonji to be 
part of The Real World: Tokyo TV show. She smiled 
slightly as she folded the letter and tucked it into 
her back pocket. If they were expecting a Mister 
Kuonji, that's what they would get. 
	She was trying not to think of accepting the 
invitation as a form of running away. It wasn't. Not 
quite. It was still within the vicinity. The house 
was apparently closer to the opposite edge of Nerima, 
so she could still visit with no difficulty if she 
wanted to... if she wanted to... She was trying to 
compare it to what Ryouga had said when she's seen 
him last... That he was taking a long journey to 
clear his mind. That's what she needed. A long spell 
without Ranma to perhaps get her to start thinking 
clearly again.
	She hoped it would help.
	She glanced out the window into the alley. 
She'd prepared the yattai to bring along with her, 
and most of her luggage had already been loaded into 
the compartments under it. Standing next to it, was a 
very beautiful individual, with long hair and a 
radiant expression, demurely clad in a kimono. 
Konatsu Kenzan, was practically Ukyou's only employee 
of any regularity, and one of the best ninja girls 
around, if but for one slight physical flaw. Konatsu 
used to work for Ukyou for less than minimum wage, 
but recently, Ukyou had relented and given the ninja 
a fairly generous salary. It was worth it, Konatsu 
was a good draw for customers, and recently, thanks 
to Ukyou's patience and a lot of work, Konatsu had 
shown considerably more promise in handling business 
matters. Ukyou had a few doubts about leaving the 
restaurant proper in Konatsu's hands, but it didn't 
seem right to shut it down in the middle of the 
season. She didn't want to have anything to do with 
the restaurant for a while, if it weren't necessary. 
She was trying to make something of a clean break. 
But she still wanted to be close enough in case she 
changed her mind.
	Ukyou jumped out of the window and landed next 
to Konatsu. Konatsu bowed deeply in greeting, "Ukyou-
sama. The okonomiyaki cart is prepared as you have 
requested. Would you wish me to do anything more 
before you leave?"
	"No, Sugar. I guess that's about it. You're 
going to be on your own for a while." Ukyou grinned, 
"You feel up to it?"
	Konatsu nodded, "Yes, Ukyou-sama... although I 
wish you didn't have to go."
	"Don't feel ready yet? Don't worry, you can do 
this! You can handle it. I trust you." Ukyou smiled.
	Konatsu blushed, bringing a hand up to cover 
it, "Thank you for your confidence, but I was 
thinking more along the lines that I would miss 
you..."
	It was Ukyou's turn to blush... she knew that 
Konatsu was in love with her... and while she wasn't 
in love with the ninja, she'd grown very fond of 
Konatsu. "I'll miss you too, Sugar." 
	Ukyou took hold of the yattai's handles and 
pulled it into position, preparing to exit the alley. 
"If you run into any trouble at all, you know the 
phone number to the place, right?"
	Konatsu bowed low again, "Yes, Ukyou-sama! I'll 
do you proud!"
	Ukyou favored Konatsu with a last smile as she 
turned out of the alley, "I'm sure you will Sugar," 
She gave him a peck on the cheek just as she left, 
"You have yourself a good summer. I'm sure I will."
- - - 
	In the outskirts of the Nerima district of 
Tokyo, Kintaro Oe, newly hired camera man for NBN's 
The Real World Tokyo TV show fussed with his uniform. 
He addressed the harsh looking gentleman in dark 
glasses and a beard, but no mustache, "Um... sir, is 
the outfit really needed?"
	The other man narrowed his eyes, "If you don't 
want the job, Mr. Oe, I'm certain we can find someone 
else who is."
	"No, no, no, that's not it, sir!" Kintaro 
replied laughing nervously, "It's just a little odd."
	"Company policy Mr. Oe," The man replied 
stiffly, "You are to have as little interaction with 
the current season's cast as the last cameraman did 
with the season before. This is about their lives. 
Not their lives with you. Am I clear?"
	"Er, yessir."
	"They may address the camera directly on 
occasion, but they are not to address you."
	"Yessir."
	"And what are you doing with that notebook?"
	"Um... I was writing down the rules, sir."
	The man snorted, "I don't want you constantly 
fumbling for that thing while you're filming. Just 
memorize the rules."
	"Err... yessir." Kintaro hastily replied, 
shoving his notebook into the belt of his uniform.
	The man glanced out the window then added, "And 
you'd best park your bike properly. It wouldn't do 
for it to be caught on television, since it is 
something of yours and not theirs."
	"Yessir."
	"Good. They should be arriving soon. Their 
letters already briefed them on what is expected of 
them. For this instance, you may interact with them 
to the extent of having them introduce themselves to 
the camera and to lead them to the possible rooms, 
but any further... interaction will be dealt with... 
harshly."
	There was something about the way the man 
said... 'harshly' that made Kintaro's blood run cold. 
"Um... yessir."
	The man gave a curt nod and walked out, "Don't 
forget your hood." He called as he stepped through 
the doorway.
	"Yessir," Kintaro replied hurriedly slipping 
the hood on as the man entered the limo parked on the 
street and left.
	Kintaro sighed. Well, he thought, this summer 
ought to prove to be a learning experience.
- - -
	Unnoticed by either the man or Kintaro was one 
Mr. Yotsuya, in his gray suit and fedora, breaking 
into the house through the back door. He had 
overheard that the other tenants would be arriving 
soon and he had only a little time to prepare. But he 
was ready. He had a power drill.
- - -
	Ryuunosuke hefted the large bag and walked past 
the gates of the large well appointed house. It was 
in fairly good repair, and it looked roomy enough... 
	Ryu noted the racing bike parked just inside 
the gate and rechecked the address on the letter... 
Yup, this looked like it alright. Ryu knocked on the 
door.
	It was opened by a sinister figure dressed all 
in black... even to a black hood which hid it's 
face... it said, "Your name, please," in low sinister 
tones, muffled by the hood even as it aimed some sort 
of arcane device at Ryu's face.
Caught by surprise, Ryu gave a startled cry and 
whirled the bag around, striking the figure full in 
the face, knocking it over. It gave a strangled 
cry... 
	"What the heck..?" Ryu asked, hefting the bag 
menacingly at the now cringing figure which 
apparently was in... a... kuroko uniform? Ryu noted 
oddly enough that it also carried... a camera?
	"Don't hit me!" The figure muttered groggily 
under its hood, "I'm the cameraman! I knew this thing 
was a bad idea."
	"Oh, sorry." Ryu replied, bending over the 
figure to help it up, profoundly embarrassed, "So 
this is the place for the TV thing?"
	"No problem... um... yeah it is. You're one of 
the new cast right?" The cameraman asked as he was 
helped up. He continued to keep the camera aimed at 
the Ryu's face.
	"Yeah, that's right. Hey, is that thing on 
already?"
	The cameraman nodded as he straightened up, 
"Why don't you give us your name and tell the camera 
a little bit about yourself? I'm not supposed to talk 
to you folks, but I have to ask that." He added.
	"Oh, sure. My name's Ryuunosuke Fujinami. I'm a 
student at Tomobiki high school and I work part time 
at the New Hama tea shop, in the Tomobiki area. I'm 
here because I figured I deserved a little 
vacation... oh yeah... " Ryu made a slight face and 
added in a bored voice, "For the best tea ever, come 
on down to the New Hama teashop, the grand reopening 
will be in two weeks."
	Ryu continued confidentially to the cameraman, 
"I had to promise my dad I'd say something about our 
Teashop every couple of days. It was the only way 
he'd let me go here."
	The cameraman nodded sympathetically and 
wondered what the company's stand on free advertising 
was.
	"Is anyone else here yet?" Ryu asked.
	The cameraman shook his head along with the 
camera.
	"So where am I staying?"
	"Just pick a room I guess." The cameraman swung 
his head to the side, indicating the hallway beyond 
the living room, the camera swung in the same 
direction as well, "There's four rooms on the ground 
floor and four more on the second floor."
	Ryuunosuke nodded and hefted the bag again.
	"Hello, is this where they're filming The Real 
World?" asked a feminine voice outside.
	Both the cameraman and Ryu turned to find a 
lovely pink haired individual in a pastel yellow, 
short sleeved sweater and bluejeans, accompanied by a 
somewhat tired looking boy with orange hair. Both 
were carrying large suitcases.
	The cameraman nodded.
	"Hey, both of you on the show, too?" Ryu asked.
	The pink haired individual giggled, "No, just 
me. I'm Shun Kisaragi, this is Kazuya Hasukawa, he's 
just helping me move in."
	"Ryuunosuke Fujinami, nice to meet you guys. I 
guess we're housemates."
	Shun smiled, "Yeah. I guess we are. Nice to 
meet you too."
	"Hi," Hasukawa replied.
	Shun turned to Hasukawa, "I guess that's far 
enough, Suka-chan. I can take it from here. I really 
appreciate this."
	"Hey, no trouble at all." Hasukawa said 
grinning a little as he turned a nervous eye to the 
camera, "Is that thing on?"
	The cameraman nodded again, remembering to keep 
his mouth shut as much as possible.
	Hasukawa waved nervously. Shun bounced in front 
of it and smiled broadly, "Really? Wow! Cool! Can I 
greet people?"
	The cameraman hadn't been told not to let them, 
so he nodded...  needless to say all this while the 
camera had been nodding with him.	
	Shun waved happily into the camera, "Hi, to 
Mitsuru-sempai, Shinobu-sempai, and everybody else 
back at Greenwood! Hi, mom! Hi, dad! Hi, Reina!" 
	Ryu grinned. Shun certainly was... energetic. 
 	Shun looked around the camera the guy holding 
it and asked, "Um... Why are you in the kuroko 
outfit?" 
	"It's... um... part of the job..." he replied, 
"I'm not supposed to talk to you guys much, so try 
not to address me too much... er... I'm supposed to 
ask you to say a little about yourself..." Underneath 
the hood however, the camera man's features were 
twisting into a grin, as the thoughts of how cute 
Shun looked flashed through his mind... and of how 
cute Shun would probably be in a two piece bikini... 
or flimsy sleepwear...
	"Oh, well... I'm Shun Kisaragi, but I said that 
already." Shun put an arm around the mildly 
embarrassed Hasukawa "And this is my roommate and 
best friend, Kazuya Hasukawa, but I call him Suka-
chan."
	The cameraman's heart fell... she's already got 
a boyfriend... damn...
	Kazuya winced, somewhat embarassed.
	"We're both high school juniors." Shun grinned 
suddenly, "Say... don't you want to say hi to 
anybody, Suka-chan?" Shun said meaningfully, digging 
a knuckle into his ribs...
	"Er... ah... I'd better get back to the dorm, 
they're expecting me at home in a little while," 
Kazuya said moving a little away from Shun as he 
moved back to the parked cab.
	"Okay!" Shun called after him, waving, "Don't 
forget to write okay?!"
	"Sure thing!" Hasukawa called back as he 
entered the cab.
	Shun walked through the door carrying both 
suitcases and smiled at Ryuunosuke, "So, where do I 
stay?"
	"Well," Ryu replied jerking a thumb at the 
camera, "He said that there's four rooms on the 
ground floor and four more on the second floor..."
	"Okay." Shun smiled.
	"Hey, I hope you don't think I'm nosey or 
anything but are you and that guy..."
	"Suka-chan?" Shun asked.
	"Yeah... you two are... um... close?" Ryu asked 
tentatively.
	Shun nodded happily, "Yeah we've been living 
together for a couple of terms now..."
	The camera man's jaw dropped, so young and 
yet... so... so... worldly... and frank about such 
matters! What a babe!
	"So you're not in the market for a guy, right?" 
Ryu asked somewhat bluntly.
	Shun barely suppressed a laugh. "Of course 
not!"
	Ryu looked relieved. Well this was one girl for 
certain I don't have to worry about falling for me... 
that would definitely be awkward, Ryu thought, She 
looks pretty happy with her boyfriend...
	"D'you want to take adjoining rooms?" Shun 
asked finally.
	"Sure," Ryu grinned "Why not?" As the two of 
them walked into the house. The cameraman followed... 
the focus of his camera every so often drifting down 
to catch a view of Shun's posterior as they made 
walked.
	Ryu turned to glance at the cameraman, barely 
catching him as he quickly shifted his focus once 
again to their backs, "Are you going to be following 
us around all the time?"
	Shun also turned to look at him too, "Well, I 
guess we'll just have to get used to it."
- - -
	"Hey, this room looks okay..." Ryu said after a 
glance.
	"Yeah, I guess so. You want this one or should 
I take it?"
	"You can have it if you like." Ryu replied.
	"Thanks," Shun replied cheerfully, tossing the 
suitcases on the bed.
	The cameraman hovered behind them catching a 
good shot of the clean and fairly large bedroom 
beyond.
	"Excuse me." A voice said pointedly behind 
them.
	All three turned, the kuroko nearly knocking 
the Ryu over with the camera.
	"I have taken this room already," The dapper 
man in a suit and fedora continued, "But if you 
insist upon it I shall be more than happy to move."
	"Really?" Shun asked, "Sorry, I didn't know."
	"Perfectly all right." The man replied.
	"Hey, I thought you said I was the first one 
here?" Ryu asked the cameraman.
	The kuroko shrugged, "Hey, I didn't see him 
come in..." he focused the camera on the man's face 
who took a moment to pose, tipping his hat at a 
somewhat jaunty angle.
	"Perfectly all right, young sir. I came in 
through the back door. Of course he didn't see me." 
He took a moment to look over the kuroko outfit, 
"Although I must say, your taste in clothing--"
	"Hey, it's a job uniform okay?!" The cameraman 
sputtered.
	"So what's your name?" Shun asked.
	The man grinned clasping his hands behind his 
back, "I am Yotsuya. Pleased to make your 
acquaintance... I'm certain we can sort out this room 
matter with little difficulty."
	"Hope so." Ryu answered, arms crossed.
	Behind him, Yotsuya quietly coiled up the cord 
of the power drill. The bathroom was simple enough to 
set up, but it certainly wouldn't do to distress his 
new neighbors unnecessarily.
- - -
	"Is this it?" Junta asked for what must've been 
the fiftieth time. He and Ami were on their bicycles, 
Junta's few possessions were lashed to the rack 
behind his seat. Ami was dressed rather casually. 
Junta was in shorts and was wearing a T-shirt which 
advertised his family's teahouse.
	"Let me see that address again." Ami said, 
snatching the paper from Junta's fingers. "It looks 
like it."
	Junta smiled, "Well, let's go in and ask."
	Ami peered at the front door and noticed 
someone already ringing the doorbell. "Hey, I guess 
one of your housemates is here already."
	"Hmmm?" Junta asked as he unloaded his gear.
	The pair walked up the steps to see an 
attractive girl with short hair tied off in a 
ponytail waiting impatiently at the door. She was 
dressed in a tanktop and denim cutoffs... Junta had 
to do his best not to look.
	"Hi there!" the girl said.
	Ami smiled back, while Junta cowered behind 
her, waving shyly.
	"Here for the TV show?" the girl asked.
	"He is." Ami jerked a thumb at Junta, who was 
keeping his eyes anywhere but on the new girl. That 
better be where they stay, she thought to herself. 
"I'm just helping him move in."
	"Cool. I'm Akane Kasuga. You are?"
	"I'm Ami. This is Junta," she said as she 
stepped aside slightly to let him come into view. 
Junta gave a timid wave then dived behind Ami again.
	"Kind of shy isn't he?" Akane giggled. 
	Ami got a sour look on her face, "Not all the 
time, that's when I worry."
	"Ohhh... he's your boyfriend?"
	"Actually we're..!" Junta blurted, standing up 
suddenly. He got another good look at Akane... her 
long legs... her slender body... his face suddenly 
turned a mild green as he ducked behind Ami again.
	Ami rolled her eyes, "No, he's not. We're just 
friends..."
	Akane's next statement was cut off by the door 
being opened and a camera lens suddenly pushed into 
her face.
	"GAHHH!" the girl screamed as she whapped the 
camera to one side, "What the hell?!"
	"Is this going to happen every single time I 
open the door?" the kuroko muttered.
	Ami peered at the man, "Who... or what are 
you?"
	"I'm the cameraman," The kuroko responded 
without much enthusiasm. "You guys here for the Real 
World: Tokyo TV show right?"
	Underneath his mask, the cameraman's eyes 
widened in delight, "Whoa... two more babes for the 
house!" Without meaning too, his camera began to rove 
slowly up and down their bodies...
	Junta continued to cower.
	"In any case, you guys are supposed to tell the 
camera a little about yourselves... you know where 
you're from, why you're here, what're your 
measurements... what you would like to do with some 
whipped cream..." 
	The three teens could notice a thin trickle of 
drool leaking out from under the kuroko's hood.
	Junta jumped out from where he was cowering 
behind Ami and frowned into the camera, "Hey... what 
sort of perverted question is that?!"
	The kuroko took a startled step back, "Where'd 
you come from?"
	Junta rolled his sleeve up, "Why I ought to..."
	Akane elbowed Ami, "Mmmm... quite a man when he 
gets riled up, huh?"
	"You don't know the half of it," Ami replied 
distractedly.
	Junta overheard the conversation and stopped, 
sputtering and blushing simultaneously, "Hey... um... 
not really... er..."
	Akane laughed lightly, "He's pretty cute when 
he gets all steamed up don't you think?"
	Ami's distraction faded slightly as she aimed a 
frown at Akane, "Excuse me?"
	Junta suddenly stopped stammering and blushing 
as he straightened up. His gaze was fixed on Akane, 
who wasn't looking in his direction.
	The kuroko kept recording. Ahhh... she's a 
playful one... the kuroko thought, keeping the camera 
on Akane.
	"I thought you two weren't an item?" Akane 
asked innocently.
	"That's not the point..." Ami began to say but 
she noticed that something odd was beginning to 
happen to Junta... his body seemed to be produce tiny 
little sparkles... and he had that weird look in his 
eyes... they were focused on Akane.
	"Momonari!" Ami said sharply, causing Junta to 
blink and turn in her direction. The glitters faded 
and Ami blinked her own eyes as if to clear them. 
That could've just been her imagination. She hoped.
  	She strode over to him, grabbing his collar as 
she whispered into his ear, "You'd better not cause 
anybody any trouble, got that?"
	Junta nodded helplessly.
	Akane smiled lightly, "Sorry, sorry... I was 
just kidding. I'm not interested in him, okay? No 
need to get so possessive..."
	Ami frowned at Akane one last time before she 
turned on her heel and strode out...
	"What just happened?" Junta asked, baffled...
- - -
	The camera followed Junta and Akane into the 
hallway which led to the bedrooms, Junta walked well 
ahead of Akane, and was obviously trying not to look 
at her. The cameraman on the other hand was pretty 
shameless about panning downwards... 
	The doorbell rang suddenly. Junta ignored it, 
making his way to the rooms.
	The kuroko muttered, "Aw nuts..."
	"Fine, I'll get it." Akane said turning around 
to face the cameraman. In immediate response the 
camera panned downward, catching a good view of 
Akane's cleavage. Akane frowned at him for a moment 
then shoved him roughly out of her way as she moved 
to open the door...
	A voice suddenly called out from the other side 
of the door, "Is anyone home?"
	Akane Kasuga's heart fell... that voice... she 
flung the door open and shouted, "Madoka!" as she 
rushed out, barelling into the person standing in 
front of the door. The two fell in a tangle of limbs 
caught by the cameraman who was chewing furiously on 
his lower lip and bits of his mask. The only thought 
in his mind at the moment was, "Oh if only that were 
MEEEEEE!!!"
	Akane lifted her head up, her legs still 
entangled somewhat with the person she'd run into, 
"Madoka, it's so good to see-- you're not Madoka."
	A rather shocked looking boy of about seventeen 
was sprawled under Akane, "Uh... no, I'm not..."
	Akane noted that he was pretty good looking... 
long brown hair... good clothes, neat looking... so 
cute... and he sounds so much like Madoka... pretty 
firm stomach under me too... but he's a guy... but 
he's so cute... that voice...
	The two picked themselves up with some 
difficulty. "This is so embarrassing," Akane said, 
blushing slightly.
	"Er... no problem... I'm Ukyou Kuonji by the 
way," the boy said with a slight smile.
	"Uk-you Ku-onji..." Akane sighed, giving Ukyou 
a goofy smile, "Such a nice name."
	"Um... thanks." Ukyou said carefully.
	Akane grabbed onto Ukyou's arm rubbing her 
cheek lightly against the shoulder, "My name's Akane 
Kasuga. Anything you can think of, to let me make it 
up to you, just tell me." Her breathing seemed to get 
a little heavy. That sounded like a definite 
invitation. The cameraman had all but chewed through 
the lower portion of his mask.
	Ukyou gulped nervously, "Er... sure... you 
could let go of my arm..." Akane was pressing her 
front against Ukyou's arm already. It wasn't anything 
in particular, but it was very embarrassing and 
uncomfortable. Great, Ukyou thought, I'm not on TV 
five minutes and already I've got a weird girl 
clamped onto me. 
	Ukyou's face suddenly darkened slightly, "Your 
name's Akane?"
	Akane released Ukyou reluctantly, "Yes. Is 
something the matter?"
	"Nothing." Ukyou said brusquely, picking up the 
fallen suitcase, "Just a bad memory."
	Akane watched in confusion as Ukyou pushed past 
her, moving angrily into the house.
	The cameraman wondered what was going on, but 
decided to worry about it later, as his current 
position gave him a wonderful view of Akane's legs...
- - -
	Haruka, in a coat, shirt and tie despite the 
heat, pulled the car into the house's driveway, still 
wearing the same dark expression that had been there 
all day. Michiru, dressed in a flattering green 
blouse and jeans, smiled lightly at Haruka, a hand 
resting on the blonde's arm, "It's not that bad."
	"Maybe, but I don't have to like it." Haruka 
grumbled. "Here's the place, I guess."
	There was what appeared to be an unmanned 
okonomiyaki yattai blocking the garage. Near it, also 
helping to block the driveway were two bicycles, but 
they were off to the side. Didn't these people know 
how to put away their stuff? Haruka frowned again. 
"This is really, really stupid."
	The couple stepped out of the car and Haruka 
shouldered the duffel bag Michiru had packed. "I 
still don't see WHY..."
	"You know Setsuna wouldn't do something like 
that on a whim, Haruka."
	Haruka grinned playfully and touched a finger 
to Michiru's lips, "Heh... for all we know she's just 
doing this to get some time alone with you."
	Michiru colored, "Haruka! I don't think she's 
into other girls..."
	"Only one way to find out," Haruka continued 
playfully, "Besides, it ought to be a good enough 
payback for getting me stuck out here."
	"Now, now... what are you going to do if she 
does turn out to be into women?" Michiru asked 
playfully. "Think you could share me with someone 
else?"
	Haruka laughed, "Touche."
	The door opened suddenly, pretty young girl 
with long pink hair smiled up at Haruka, "Hello! Are 
you here for the TV show?" Behind her, a man in a 
kuroko outfit aimed the camera.
	"Yeah, yeah," Haruka replied gruffly. "I guess 
this is the place, huh?"
	The pink haired girl nodded, "Yup. Heard your 
car coming up the doorway, so I thought I'd greet 
you. Pretty much everyone else is here already and 
they're picking out rooms, you're the last one."
	Michiru smiled, "See, Haruka? It doesn't look 
like it's going to be that bad." Although her smiled 
was veiled slightly as she took a very good look at 
the girl. Pretty. Very pretty. Haruka had better not 
try anything on her. Weird... she looks... familiar 
for some reason...
	The girl's eyes widened when she heard 
Michiru's voice... she pushed past Haruka, mouth 
agape in surprise, "Michiru-chan, is that you?!"
	Michiru also stood back in surprise as she 
finally recognized the pink haired girl, "Shun? Shun 
Kisaragi?!"
	Shun nodded happily taking Michiru's hands, 
"Yes, it's been so long. I thought I'd never see you 
again!"
	"Same here. What are you..?" Michiru replied, 
stunned.
	"I'm here for the TV show too!"
	"Ahem." Haruka said finally, with much 
impatient foot tapping and crossed arms, "Anyone care 
to tell me what's going on?"
	Michiru blushed lightly and Shun looked up at 
Haruka curiously.
	"Er... Haruka... this is an old friend of mine 
Shun Kisaragi. Their family owns an inn where I 
stayed a couple of years ago..."
	Shun grinned, "Yeah. We spent the whole summer 
together, it was great..."
	"I see," Haruka said slowly, around pursed 
lips, "Old friends, huh?"
	Shun nodded happily. Michiru looked at Haruka 
carefully, looking for any possible signs of a blow 
up. 
	Haruka said in a low and dangerous tone, "Well, 
nice to meet you then, Shun. I'm Haruka Tenou. 
Michiru's significant other."
	"Ohh... oh." Shun turned to Michiru with a 
slightly forced smile on his lips, and a rather 
exaggerated pause between sentences, "That's good to 
hear. That you've found someone. I mean."
	"Er... um... yes..." Michiru replied awkwardly.
	The kuroko wisely enough kept silent and 
recorded the full thirty seconds of uncomfortable 
silence.
	Shun brightened up suddenly and smiled at both, 
"Well... in any case, we've still got two rooms to 
spare, if both of you are going to be..."
	"Actually, it's just Haruka who'll be 
staying..." Michiru said.
	Haruka glowered at Shun.
	"Er... well... right this way, Haruka..." Shun 
finally said after a while.
	Michiru waved to both of them as they stepped 
into the house, "I'll call."
She took a last nervous glance at the house as she 
stood on the curb to hail a cab. Setsuna may have 
been right. She had a bad feeling about all of 
this...

End Ch. 1
- - -

-----------------------

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