The Ryouga/Ukyou Chronicles
By Jeremy Sumerlin (aka the Girthman)

Disclaimer:
	Okay, you know the deal by now. Ryouga, Ukyou, ect. are not my
 creations and are all copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. I’d like to thank
 Takahashi-sensei for her great series. I once again claim no credit for
 their creation, however, some of the characters are my creations (aka Ryu )
 and I do claim them, so there!

                     Chapter Eleven:  After The Storm
*****************************************************************************

	The dawn sun arose slowly over the valley of Shurkashuuton Tengoku,
 covering the province of Spring in a blanket of golden warmth. The flowers
 seemed to lift their petals skyward to receive the precious gift that poured
 upon them. In the new sunlight, a trickle of black smoke drifted lazily
 skyward from the burned out remnants of a small campsite. Around this burned
 out firepit, there were huddled three people, while nearby two more slept
 soundly. The sun shone warmly down on these people, hoping to brighten their
 spirits and recharge their tired expressions.

"Damn sun." Hiroshi Kakeru grumbled angrily. His voice was lackluster,
 probably due to the fact that he had yet to sleep. His eyes were red, his
 hair slightly mussed, and his expression generally haggard. He turned from
 the sun’s glare and looked back at the small man in the ninja outfit who sat
 beside him. His expression was none the better. Both of them were clutching
 heavy pads of paper, on which various things had been hastily written,
 hastily scribbled out, and hastily re-written again.

"Find anything yet?" Hiroshi grumbled. The ninja, Sasuke, shook his head
 slowly.

"I fear not." He said in a grainy voice. "I think they have the best of us
 here."

"Like hell they do." Hiroshi said with spite, and began to go over Nabiki’s
 leather-bound notebook again, for perhaps the twelfth time. It wasn’t so
 much he was searching for a way to get Ukyou free, but it was more like a
 personal vendetta now. After all the time he’d spent doing this, searching
 for a law or by-law or anything that would foil that bastard Ito, he’d be
 damned if he was going to just let this slide. Not now.

	He glanced over at the third figure by the fire, an attractive girl
 with short brown hair he knew all too well. Nabiki Tendo was curled up on
 the grass, sleeping soundly. Hiroshi almost laughed, being he was already
 close to the semi-delusional state one tends to find himself in when he
 hasn’t slept. He hadn’t even noticed she was sleeping. Nearby, Kuno was
 snoring loudly in his sleeping bag. Hiroshi grumbled to himself. He
 definantly knew when Kuno was asleep. Boy, did he ever know.

	He sighed and stood up on shaky legs, then half-walked, half-stumbled
 to where Nabiki lay. He smiled down at her for a moment, then took a blanket
 from Daisuke’s sleeping form and put it over her. Daisuke grumbled in his
 sleep and rolled over, trying desperately to regain the warmth suddenly
 taken from him. Hiroshi ignored him, of course. Nearby, Sasuke watched with
 interest. It wasn’t that it was so interesting in itself, but, after twelve
 hours of reading, writing, and debating, it was pretty exciting.

"That’s very considerate of you." He said. Hiroshi glanced over his shoulder.

"Hey, it’s nothing." He said wearily. "I'm paying her to work, not get sick.
 Besides, she’s been up all night. She earned it."

Sasuke nodded. "Indeed." He said. "We all have."

Hiroshi glanced over at Kuno and Daisuke with mild spite. "Most of us,
 anyway." he said. He sighed heavily and ran a hand over his baggy eyes.

"Yeah, well, maybe we should get some rest." He admitted wearily. Sasuke
 stretched and looked around.

"If you wish." He said, but Hiroshi could detect the gratitude in his voice.
 Sasuke walked over to a nearby tree and curled up against it.

"Hey." Hiroshi said, looking over at him. Sasuke shot him a quizzical glance.

"Something wrong?" he said.

"Don’t you have a blanket or something?" he said. Sasuke shook his head.

"No. Master Kuno’s belongings are more important than mine. And he carries so
 many things, I usually don’t have the room to pack anything of my own. But
 that’s okay." He said, smiling.

"I could spare you one, if you want." Hiroshi offered. Sasuke looked up him
 with a joyful expression.

"I wouldn’t want to impose, sir." He said politely. Hiroshi smiled and shook his head.

"No imposition at all." He said. "You did more than enough to help us
 already. It’s the least I can do. Besides, it's always better to make a
 friend than an enemy. This is a good investment."

	He held out a blanket to Sasuke, who hesitantly took it, bowing
 graciously.
"Many, many thanks, sir." He said. "You are most kind."

Hiroshi smiled slightly and turned to look out in the distance.
"Yeah, well, just don’t run off and tell anybody I did this, you got me?" he
 said, but was answered only by Sasuke’s light snoring. He chuckled to
 himself and stared back out to the horizon again. He had been so busy
 searching that damned law portfolio, he hadn’t even had time to ponder what
 Ryouga or Ukyou could be doing right now. Or even Ryu, for that matter.
 Distantly, somewhere deep within them, he felt himself slightly worried. He
 shoved the feeling aside, farther within him. Feelings like those were very
 unprofitable. He sighed loudly and turned to crawl into his own sleeping
 bag. He stopped short when he saw Nabiki watching him, her elbows resting on
 the soft grass. She smiled deviously at him.

"Why are you up so early?" she said coyly, although the dreariness was still
 apparent in her voice. Hiroshi smiled slightly, more than he thought he
 could muster.

"I haven’t gone to sleep yet." He said, adding a slight tone of pride. She
 raised an eyebrow at him quizzically.

"Kuno...he...snores too loudly." Hiroshi added quickly. Nabiki gave him the
 all popular 'yeah-right' expression. He tried to ignore it.

"Sure he does." She said, yawning. "Whatever you say."

"Hey." He countered, but only halfheartedly. "That’s true. The big idiot
 sounds like he’s leveling a small forest over there."

"I agree with you totally." Nabiki said simply, offering him a small smile.
 You didn’t have to be too bright to tell it wasn’t very genuine.

"No you don’t!" Hiroshi grumbled. "Stop agreeing with me if you don't mean
 it."

"Sure thing." She said, standing and stretching. "Whatever you want."

"Stop it!" Hiroshi shouted. She smiled at him teasingly.

"Hey, both of you, shut up!" Daisuke shouted suddenly, sitting up. "I’m
 trying to sleep here!" With that said, he rolled back over and curled up,
 drifting immediately into a deep slumber. He didn't even realize his blanket
 was gone. Hiroshi looked at Nabiki and smiled slightly.

"Sorry." He said. "I suppose I’m just tired, is all."

She returned his smile. "No problem. Perfectly understandable." She walked
 over and put her hand on his shoulder. "But you should get to sleep. You
 look terrible."

Hiroshi gave her a bemused glance. "Worried? I had no idea you cared so
 much."

Nabiki frowned slightly. "No, it’s not that. I just wanted to make sure you
 were in a good frame of mind when you paid me for all this work I’m doing
 here."

Hiroshi’s glance faltered slightly. "Oh. Well, then, nevermind." He looked
 her face over for a moment, somewhat suspiciously.

"We never did agree on a price, did we?"

"Not that I recall." She said. "And I did mean to talk to you about that.
 I’ve pre-set my value in working hours on the way here, including time for
 research and transportation, plus an additional fee for paper, notebooks,
 pens, and various other materials, as well as a severance fee for the poor
 travel accommodations..."

Hiroshi’s face shifted to slight anger.
"Hey, wait a minute-" he began, but she was busy doing calculations in her
 head.

"....And the grand total is 259,750 yen." She said sweetly, mentally
 finishing her calculations. Hiroshi stared at her, wide eyed. He had to
 admire her, despite what she just said. A true businesswoman, through and
 through. Unfortunately, his visible reaction was less than grudging
 admiration.

"What!?" he shouted. "I don’t have that kind of money!"

"Hey!" Daisuke shouted, sitting up again through half-closed lids. "I thought
 I told you two to shut up!" He was, for the most part, ignored. Nabiki
 smiled at Hiroshi innocently.

"I know." She said. "I guess that means you owe me. We'll have to work out
 some kind of monthly payment plans, of course. With compounded interest
 rates, added to the total balance every six months or so..."

"Owe you..." He said in disbelief. She’d done it again. Again. That was twice
 she’d gotten the best of him. Stunned and already taxed from lack of rest,
 he sat down and clutched his head in frustration.

"I can’t believe I fell for this again!" he wailed. "Again, no less!
 Arrgghhh!" Nabiki looked at him with what was almost pity, then knelt down
 beside him and patted his shoulder. He shrugged it off angrily.

"Don’t think too badly about it, koishii." She said teasingly. "I had it
 planned from the beginning. You just don’t have much of a head for business,
 that’s all."

He glared at her. "Hey, my business sense is just fine, thanks. I’m just not
 as underhanded as you."

She shrugged. "If you say so. All I did was realize a business opportunity
 and maximized it to the fullest of its advantage. If you consider that
 underhanded, then that’s your deal."

Hiroshi sighed wearily and looked away, resting his head on his folded arms.
 "Well, I guess it’s not so underhanded, if you put it that way."

"See?" she said coyly. "I wouldn’t do anything like that to you, Hiroshi. You
 just make it so easy for me, I don’t have to be...underhanded."

"Hey!" he said angrily. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." She said simply. "Now you should really get
 some sleep." Hiroshi grumbled and turned away from her face. 

"Not tired." He muttered.

"Don’t insult my intelligence." She said smartly. "Get to sleep, you moron."

He scowled, his back still to her. "I said I’m not tired."

She shrugged and stood, yawning. "Well, I am. I’m definantly not used to
 being up this early. Hopefully you’ll come to your senses and get some
 yourself."

Hiroshi turned and looked up at her. "Maybe." He said. She smirked in her
 way. 

"Pleasant dreams, koishii." She said smartly. Despite himself and his
 weariness, he chuckled. She started to walk away and stopped, then turned
 back and walked over to him. He averted his eyes from the distance  where
 they were now trained and glanced back at her. 

"What’s wrong?" he said wearily. She smiled slightly and motioned for him to
 stand up. He did, looking more than slightly confused. 

"Okay, I’m up." He grumbled. "What’s wrong-" he began, but stopped when she
 suddenly grasped his head in her hands and kissed him. It wasn’t a very
 passionate kiss, really nothing more than her lips pressing against his, but
 it was electric. He stared down at her for a moment, then reached out to
 grasp her hips. She felt his hands and allowed them to remain there for a
 few moments. Then, she pulled away, patting his cheek softly.

"Do try and get some sleep." She said, then turned and walked off towards her
 blanket, smiling slightly.

	Stupefied, Hiroshi walked over and laid down in his sleeping bag,
 falling obediently to sleep. His mind was blank. He thought nothing. It was
 pretty much overloaded. Overhead, the morning birds began to chirp.

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

	Ryu trudged through the springtime scenery, leaning on Ryouga’s
 shoulder for support. The battle with Hisaki had harmed him much more than
 he had at first suspected. The Summer master was so monstrously strong, he
 had been unprepared for the boy’s surprising speed and dexterity. That was
 his own fault. Ryu decided gravely that he would have to dedicate more time
 to his physical studies. He glanced over at Ryouga, who was himself being
 supported by Ukyou, to the best of her abilities. Ryu smiled. The two of
 them hadn’t said much to one another since the three of them set back off to
 recover Hiroshi and Daisuke, but Ryu had noticed them both exchanging
 glances and smiles with one another frequently. He was happy for them. After
 all the pain and distress he realized that Ryouga was suffering through, it
 was good to see him happy. He turned and looked back at the horizon, and saw
 a small camp in the distance.

"Hey, two of you, look there." He said, pointing towards the figures at the
 camp. "Is probably them there, okay?"

	Ryouga squinted and peered to where Ryu was pointing. It was probably
 them, but there were a few too many people there. He counted four...no,
 wait, there were five. And one of them looked somewhat like...

"Kuno?" he said quizzically. "Is that Kuno?"

	Ukyou frowned and squinted, trying to keep the sun out of her eyes as
 best she could. It certainly looked like that pompous bastard, snoring away
 in a deep sleep. She also counted among the group his small ninja friend,
 Sasuke, who didn’t really seem like such a bad guy. There was Hiroshi, and
 Daisuke, and someone else. It kind of resembled Nabiki Tendo, but that
 wouldn’t make much sense. Then again, she noted wryly, Kuno being here
 didn’t make too much sense either. The three figures shambled towards the
 camp site, a little unsure of what to expect.

	Ryouga thankfully dropped Ryu to the ground, both glad to get the
 samurai’s weight off of him and off of Ukyou. He scolded himself inwardly
 for having to burden her. He was more than a little disappointed that he was
 unable to walk back to camp himself. Then again, he was grateful for the
 help. She was so kind to him, especially considering how often he got her
 upset with him. Or how often she cooked for him. He knew how to cook, albeit
 poorly, but nevertheless, her cooking made him feel like he was imposing on
 her. 

	He glanced around at the people sleeping around him. Of course, he,
 Ryu, and Ukyou had slept more than enough the previous night, mostly because
 he was so tired and overstrained with his ordeal with Hisaki. Distantly, he
 wondered if the master of Summer was dead. Ryouga’s shishihokoudan was
 already a powerful enough attack, but with the desperation he was feeling
 when he released it, even he was surprised by the force of it. The only
 other time he had done a so-called 'perfect' shishihokoudan was when Lime
 had nearly killed him way back in the Musk Dynasty. He silently hoped this
 would be the last time he’d ever have to meet up with any crazy princes who
 lived in mystical lands and kidnapped girls. How many was that now? Ito,
 Kirin, Herb, Saffron, and Toma, his mind piped out. Five in all, he counted
 off bitterly. What the heck was the deal with those psychotic princes
 anyway? He shrugged it off, saving that for a different time. Letting out a
 labored sigh of relief, Ryouga sank to the grass, propping himself against a
 nearby tree. Ryu glanced over at him and smiled halfheartedly.

"Something wrong?" Ryouga said. Ryu looked at him, his face awash with slight
 confusion.

"Nothing wrong. Why you ask that?" he said quizzically. Ryouga chuckled.

"You were smiling." He said sarcastically. Ryu scowled visibly and mumbled
 something indeterminable. 

	Ukyou shook her head and crawled next to Ryouga, curling up against
 him. She noted (with some mild annoyance) that he flushed a bright crimson
 and began to twitch nervously. Despite his admittance of his feelings for
 her, he was still amazingly embarrassed and uncomfortable when it came to
 anything remotely affectionate. It was something she could deal with,
 though, she surmised. It’d just take some time. Slow progress was better
 than none at all. The three of them remained silent for a long while,
 letting the events and emotions of the past few days finally settle deep
 into their respective psyches. Eventually, Daisuke stirred and slowly woke.
 He looked at the three of them, groggy yet confused.

"Hey, wait a second," he said. "What the heck’re you doing back here?"

Ryouga scowled visibly. "Nice to see you too, Daisuke."

The dark-haired boy shrugged. "Yeah, well, I guess so. Anyway, I’m just
 gonna...hey, where’s my blanket?" he began to prod through the campsite,
 searching for his lost cover. Ryouga chuckled. It was good to see Daisuke
 again, as uncaring and bizarre as he ever was. He laid his head against the
 tree and smiled. Ukyou looked up at him from her curled position against
 him.

"You okay, sugar?" she said sweetly. He looked down at her and smiled
 slightly.

"Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking, that’s all." He said.

"That’s it?" she said teasingly. "That’s really something for you."

"Hey!" he said angrily. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Ukyou put her hands up. "Hey, you big idiot! I was just trying to make you
 feel better!"

"By insulting me?" he sneered. "How the heck will that make me feel better?"

"I was just kidding with you! Can’t you take a joke?" she said, with equal
 fervor. Ryu sighed and shook his head. Nearby, Daisuke looked up from
 Hiroshi’s backpack, the location of his blanket still unknown.

"Hey, shut up you two! Geez, you sound like Akane and Ranma, for crying out
 loud! First Hiroshi and that Tendo chick, then this!"

	The two of them glanced over at him, puzzled, as if waiting for him
 to say something else. Instead, he simply resumed his search. Ukyou glanced
 up at Ryouga and bit her lower lip. He returned her gaze, a small spark of
 sadness in his eyes.

"Ukyou, I....I’m sorry...It’s just that, well, you know..." he stammered. She
 looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face. He sighed in
 frustration and searched his frantic mind for the right way to express his
 feelings. He was so confused. In the last three days, he’d had the most
 important person in his life kidnapped away from him, been attacked by a
 combat acupuncturist, nearly killed twice, actually killed once, resurrected
 by magic, and had the woman he loved suddenly given back to him. It was more
 than enough to drive a sane man mad. Luckily for him, Ryouga was never 100%
 sane to begin with, so he was able to cope with it. 

"I...A lot of things have happened...It’s confusing..." he said slowly,
 unsure of whether or not she could understand him. She smiled softly and
 wrapped her hands around his neck, hugging him tightly. He felt his face
 flush crimson. Luckily, his nose wasn’t bleeding. Well, it wasn’t bleeding
 yet, that is.

"I know, sugar. I know." She said, trying her best to be comforting. It was
 remarkably easier than she’d thought it would have been. She attributed a
 good amount of this to the fact that she actually loved him. True love
 certainly made it easier to treat someone nicely. She pulled away from him
 and put her hands on his arms, looking into his eyes with firm resolve.

"This whole thing has been hell on us all. But we’ll get through it. I’ll
 help you." She said sweetly. He smiled, and some of the bright crimson from
 his face ebbed away.

"T-thanks." He said gratefully. "I app-ppreciate this...Ucchan." he added,
 almost under his breath. She looked his face over and saw he was ashamed. He
 thought he was weak for this. It was one of his more annoying personality
 traits. She knew he wanted to be strong for her, but he never seemed to
 realize you could be strong and still rely on others.

"It’s nothing." She said. "It’s the least I can do. I mean, I do love you,
 after all."

	Ryouga’s face brightened. "I-I-I l-love you, t-t-too." He stammered,
 blushing fiercely. She smiled and kissed his cheek. He hugged her with one
 hand as she nuzzled his neck, and she didn’t she his other hand dart up to
 cover his nose.

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

	Everyone was awake shortly before noon. Nabiki gave a very detailed
 and reasonable explanation of why she, Kuno, and Sasuke were here. Well, it
 was satisfactory enough for Ukyou, anyway. Of  course, she also looked at
 Hiroshi just a little more positively. He hardly seemed like the kind of
 person who’d spend his own money just to make sure she was safely back with
 the group.

"It’s kind of like a family thing, I guess." He had explained groggily when
 she’d said something to him about it, shortly after Nabiki had finished.
 "You’re kind of like my sister, in a weird way. I guess I was just trying to
 look out for you."

Ukyou smiled sweetly. "I never thought you had it in you, Hiroshi." She said teasingly. He shrugged. 

"Neither did I." Nabiki said smartly. "Frankly, I’m a little disappointed."

	Hiroshi scowled at the middle Tendo daughter slightly, then looked
 back at Ukyou.

"Hey, even I have some kind of heart, lady." He said matter-of-factly. "I’m
 not Ryu, after all. Besides, I needed to do my generous deed for the year. "

	Daisuke glanced over at Ryu, hoping for some kind of interesting
 response. Unfortunately, Ryu was characteristically emotionless.
 Dissatisfied, the dark-haired boy turned his attention back to the
 conversation. Nabiki looked at the lot of them, then nodded her head in
 satisfaction.

"Well, my job here’s done." She said. Hiroshi gawked at her.

"What do you mean?" he said angrily. "You didn’t do anything!"

	She shrugged. "Hey, our agreement was that Ukyou would be returned
 safely before I left. Well, there she is. I’ve fulfilled the obligations of
 our contract. Now, I’ll just take my pay and be on my way."

	Hiroshi looked at her, his eyes hard. She returned his stare with one
 of her own sly smirks. It was like a slap in the face to him. The arrogance,
 the sheer, uncaring arrogant demeanor on her face that now mocked him. He
 wondered how those lips that he’d kissed only this morning now seemed to
 bear him so much malice.

	Daisuke shook his head. Honestly, he couldn’t see why Hiroshi was
 falling all over himself for this Tendo chick. Sure, she was definantly
 cute, and her body was very nice, but she was...well, she was like a worse
 version of him. Cold to the core. He himself preferred the cutesy girls,
 especially the ones who seemed to have obsessive needs to touch people. That
 was a definant plus in his book. 

"Indeed, Nabiki Tendo does bear a veridical point." Kuno said sternly,
 standing. "It does seem as though the assistance of Tatewaki Kuno is no
 longer needed. I must again resume my quest against the vile Saotome with
 renewed vigor, for I now know for certain he is a sorcerer of reputable
 note. It is up to me to free the lovely pig-tailed girl from his unholy
 clutches."

	Ryouga glanced at Ukyou, who was sitting very close to his left. She
 rolled her eyes. He nodded in silent agreement. Kuno stood and looked down
 at Sasuke expectantly.

"Loyal Sasuke, signal the Kuno helicopter to return, so that we may be off.
 It would seem as though Saotome has deceived me once again. I must re-think
 our attack strategy."

Sasuke smiled nervously. "S-signal the helicopter, Master Kuno?" he said,
 swallowing hard. "Y-y-ou were s-supposed to t-tell the p-p-pilot when to
 return for us."

	Kuno looked skywards in an imperious fashion. "Nonsense," he said
 sternly. "The Kuno helicopter shall answer my beckon call. Kuno helicopter,
 appear!" he bellowed, raising his sword heavenward. A cool breeze drifted
 by, yet no helicopter rode upon it. There was uncomfortable silence. Kuno
 looked around, confused for a moment, the raised his weapon again, sucking
 in a deep breath.

"Kuno helicopter! Return to your master, I say! The great Tatewaki Kuno does
 call for you!" he declared angrily. More silence. Hiroshi grumbled and shook
 his head. Daisuke watched with amused interest. Nabiki walked up and
 tapped him on the shoulder politely. Kuno glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Um, Kuno-baby, that’s all well and good, but maybe you should try using a
 radio." She said slowly. Kuno chuckled and sheathed his sword, his eyes
 closed.

"Tatewaki Kuno does not have need of a radio. The helicopter shall return.
 How can it resist, when I have called it to my side?" he said arrogantly.
 Nabiki chuckled slightly, then turned Kuno around to face her.

"Kuno-baby, are you trying to tell me we’re stuck out here?" she said softly.
 He said nothing. Sasuke coughed nervously and popped up loyally beside his
 master.

"It would seem as such, Mistress Nabiki." He said nervously. Nabiki nodded
 slightly, seeming to accept the news well. Kuno chuckled.

"Ah, loyal Sasuke, you are wise of many things, but I have called the
 helicopter to my side. Do not fear, Nabiki Ten-" he said imperially, but was
 cut off when Nabiki suddenly lunged for him, wrapping her surprisingly
 strong hands around the kendoist’s neck and throttling him angrily.

"HOW DARE YOU STRAND ME OUT HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, YOU POMPOUS
 IDIOT!" she shouted, tightening her grip. Kuno attempted to say something,
 but all that emerged was a cracked and strained collection of imperious
 grunts and hacks.

"Mistress Nabiki, please!" Sasuke said nervously. "Do not kill Master Kuno!
 It won’t do anyone any good now!" Nabiki stopped shaking the 'Blue Thunder',
 and slowly she released her grip on his throat. Kuno tried to maintain his
 dignity, but the need for oxygen was surprisingly strong, and he began to
 cough.

"Hey, don’t worry about it, babe." Daisuke said smugly from his sitting
 position. His keen instincts detected a chance to score points with a
 very attractive girl. "We’ll get you home."

"That’s awfully generous of you." Hiroshi said darkly. "Especially
 considering you just volunteered us all to pretty much make the last two
 months of travelling pretty much pointless."

	Ryouga looked at Ukyou, concerned. She put her hand on his
 reassuringly. 

"Ucchan, if we take Nabiki back home, then we won’t be able to get to your
 valley for a long time." He said sadly. He didn’t want things to turn out
 like this. Why did life always have to be so damn hard for him!?

Ukyou smiled slightly and tightened her hand around his.

"It’s okay, sugar. I don’t mind. Besides, I think we should probably tell
 Ranma and Akane about...us..." she said softly. Ryouga looked at her
 quizzically.

"Why?" he sneered. "It’s none of Ranma’s damn business that I love you." He
 said angrily. Ukyou sighed and nodded, her eyes distant.

"I know. But, he is my ex-fiancee and my friend, so I think he deserves to
 know, don’t you?" she said, and smiled at him in that way of hers.

"No." Ryouga said glumly, but his resolve deteriorated rapidly against
 Ukyou’s smile. She was so beautiful, he couldn’t bear to resist her.

"But if that’s what you want, then we’ll do it." He said resolutely.

	Hiroshi stood up and looked thoughtfully skyward. "Of course, this
 little expedition to be your envoys home will cost you just a little,
 shouchuunotama."

"I expected no less." Nabiki said wryly. "And how much will that be?" she
 added, already knowing the answer. Hiroshi smiled angelically and pretended
 to do some minor calculations.

"I suspect it will be about 259,750 yen." He said slyly. Everyone gawked at
 him, except Nabiki.

 she thought, amused, < maybe he does have some head for business, after all.>

	After another hour of heavy debate on the contract, Hiroshi and
 Nabiki settled on the cancellation of his debt. The group packed up and
 prepared to set off, back towards Nerima.

Back home again.

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

End of Chapter Eleven.
Comments and Criticisms welcome!

    Source: geocities.com/timessquare/stadium/Stadium/5475

               ( geocities.com/timessquare/stadium/Stadium)                   ( geocities.com/timessquare/stadium)                   ( geocities.com/timessquare)