The Ryoga/Ukyo Chronicles
By Jeremy Sumerlin (aka the Girthman)

Disclaimer:
	Okay, you know the deal by now. Ryoga, Ukyo, 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 the four seasons masters) and I do claim them, so there!

                     Chapter Eight: For Her I Will
*****************************************************************************

	Ukyo sighed to herself as she took in her dismal surroundings. The
 room was lavishly furnished, complete with a king sized bed with red silk
 covers, beautiful oaken furniture, and all the finer things one would
 normally associate with royalty. It was cold, though. There was that bleak
 desperation hanging heavy in the air that seemed to wipe clear the crimson
 ambiance of this place. After mauling Ryoga, Ito and his goons had taken her
 to a tower in the center of the valley. It was quite a spectacle to behold.
 The tower was huge, and it appeared to be made out of crystal, a fact which
 made it rather dazzling to behold from the outside, especially during the
 daytime. Ukyo of course thought that was just perfect. Even someone as prone
 to getting as hopelessly lost as him couldn’t miss it. At least, she hoped
 not.

	Ryoga. Ukyo rolled onto her stomach on the lavish bed and ran that
 name through her head for the tenth time in as many seconds. She had seen a
 side to him today that she supposed she knew was always there, but never
 acknowledged it. He was angry. No, he was beyond angry. He had reached some
 special place, between fury and madness, where he lost control of himself.
 He’d tried to save her. She closed her eyes as the words ran through her
 over again.





	The flash of light. The smell of burning flesh and ozone. The
 sickening sound of bone and bark colliding and crunching. The blood. Oh god,
 the blood. His hand, reaching desperately out. For her.

	Ukyo rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes tighter, but was
 still unable to stop it. The single streak of moisture that rolled down her
 soft cheek spoke more about her inner feelings that a thousand words could.
 She wiped it away angrily. Why was she crying? What good could something so
(natural? human?)
stupid possibly accomplish? Ever since this trip started, she’d cried more
 than she had in her entire life. She had no idea why, but she did. It was
 almost as if the emotions she’d kept in tight check for so long were
 suddenly free to run amok within her and treat her psyche as they willed.
 She hated it. She hated crying. She hated to show she was weak. Warriors
 don’t cry, she reminded herself dryly. It was at that moment that he walked
 in.

	Ukyo stared at Ito for a moment, her hateful, red eyes locking with
 his brown, cold, emotionless ones. Neither gave any indication of backing
 down.

"What do you want from me now, you bastard?" she said with dark anger. Ito
 stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, those leaves still
 mysteriously falling about his cloaked form. He strode over and looked down
 at her with an imperious glare.

"Stop crying, girl." He said in a bitter monotone. "It is unbecoming of you
 to do so."

	She felt that pure anger rising in her chest and angrily she heaved a
 pillow at him. One of the delicate leaves began to glow, and it shot forward
 suddenly, like a bullet. It tore the soft, silken pillow in half in midair,
 and the splay of feathers and cloth fell to the ground. Ukyo sat back on the
 bed, slightly humbled by his demonstration of chi mastery. But only
 slightly.

"I came to wish you a pleasant stay here in Shurkashuuton Tengoku." He said
 emotionlessly.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she said bitterly. Then, his eyes broke the
 lock between the two, glancing away from her and out into nothing.

"I know it is something you will not enjoy." Ito said in his same tone. "But,
 you will grow accustomed to it, in time."

"I will never ‘grow accustomed’ to being kidnapped from my friends and held
 hostage here by a group of pompous, holier-than-though bastards like you."
 Ukyo snarled. Ito raised an eyebrow at her, but showed no other signs of
 emotion.

"Mankind is adaptable by design, my dear." He said solemnly. "You will adapt
 to these new surroundings in time. You must, or you will surely be destroyed
 by your own fallibility."

	The coldness of his response shocked her slightly. He was worse than
 Ryu. Then again, she supposed Ryu had never kidnapped anyone. Well, she
 supposed. Ito continued to speak.

"As for why, it is the law. It must be obeyed."

"It’s a ridiculous law!" Ukyo shouted. Ito showed no signs of a reaction.
 "What about the people who enter the valley? Don’t they have a right to know
 the laws before they enter?"

Ito looked back at her. "Rights and the law are two separate entities, my
 dear. I am concerned with the law, not something so ridiculously
 unpredictable as the soul."

"What is so damned important about the law, anyway?" she shouted. Her voice
 was full of desperation. Her mind flashed images of Ryoga against that tree.
 His weakened hand reaching out for her. His eyes, his sad, sad eyes. She had
 to get away. She had to go to him, to make sure he was safe. If he died....

	She tightened her mind, pushing that thought away from her collective
 psyche. He couldn’t die. He just couldn’t, because...well, just because. If
 he died, she had no idea what she would do. For the first time, she realized
 this. Without him, what would she do?

"The law is absolute because it provides stability." Ito was saying as she
 pondered those disturbing thoughts in her mind. "It is proof of
 civilization, advancement, and logical security. Without the laws, there
 would be no justice. Only pure, seething anarchy. A complete collapse of the
 social entity."

"Please." She said suddenly, and her voice surged with emotion unlike any
 she’d spoken with before. "You have to let me go. The man you attacked,
 he’s...very special to me. I have to make sure he’s okay. He...needs me."
 She looked down as she said the last part, her mind noting the surprise with
 which she reacted to her own words. Did he need her?

"How utterly pathetic of you, to let your soul speak for you instead of your
 mind." Ito said with disgust. "I shall do no such thing."

"How can you be so heartless?" she shouted, her eyes burning hot with
 moisture again. Tears of sorrow, loss, and fury. Ito looked away from those
 biting hard eyes.

"I adapted." He said simply. "If the heart were allowed to overrule the law,
 then what good would the laws be to anyone?"

	Ukyo fell silent, knowing she had no answer for that. Ito strode out
 of the room slowly, leaving a trail of dead, withered leaves behind him. He
 shut the heavy iron door, and the metallic clang was as pure and unemotional
 as he presented himself to be. Sniffing, Ukyo curled her arms around her
 legs, pushing her knees to her chest, and put her head down. And she prayed,
 to whomever would listen to her.

 her mind whispered into the great emptiness of everything,
 

****************************************************************************
 
	Ryoga’s eyes opened slowly, gently monitoring the amount of blazing,
 painful sunlight they allowed to creep in.  He winced as the rays dazzled
 his vision, and he struggled to sit up. Pain lanced through him, and he felt
 as if he were on fire with every movement. He fought against it and
 struggled up to a position where he was leaning against a cracked tree. He
 raised a hand to his throbbing head and shook, trying to clear the confusion
 away. What the hell had happened to him?

	Glancing around, he saw Hiroshi and Daisuke kneeling by his side. A
 few feet behind them, Ryu was looking at the huddle, and he was standing in
 a small, shallow hole, clutching a shovel.

"See, you idiot!" Daisuke snarled to the samurai. "I told you he wasn’t
 dead!"

"Well," Ryu said emotionlessly, "He could have been died."

"He was breathing, moron!" Hiroshi added, scowling. Ryu shrugged and tossed
 the shovel in his hand aside. He came over and kneeled down. His eyes were
 cold and hard.

"Hibiki-san." He said sternly. "Where is Ukyo at?"

	Ryoga’s eyes widened. Ukyo. She was gone. He remembered now, the
 images flooding back into him like a bolt of lightning. The Dragon Column
 technique had brushed him aside like a fly. 

"Ukyo..." he whispered. Hiroshi and Ryu exchanged concerned glances.

"That’s right, Ryoga." Daisuke said slowly. "You know. Brown hair, nice eyes,
 hot body, decent breas-"

	Daisuke’s commentary about Ukyo’s...qualities...were cut short by
 Ryu, who promptly smacked him on the head with his sheathed katana. Daisuke
 yelped in pain, the rubbed his injured cranium ruefully.

"He know who she is, moron!" Ryu shouted. "Can you no see he is full of
 emotional distress?"

"You didn’t have to give me a concussion to tell me that, you freak!" Daisuke
 snarled back, clenching his fist in anger. Hiroshi sighed and shook his
 head.

	All of this was lost on Ryoga. All he could think of was one thing.
 He had failed. He tried to protect her from those four seasons people, and
 they’d crushed him like dry pine needles. He remembered her face, her sweet,
 beautiful face, staring at him with horror as consciousness slipped from his
 grasp. He put his head into his hands and sighed deeply. She was gone,
 spirited away from him. There was nothing he could do to save her.
 Desperately he fought to keep his tortured emotions in check, to strengthen
 himself against the madness and sorrow, but his mind continued to tear into
 him like a savage beast. 

	He could never see her again. He was helpless. Against all the
 struggling, all the fighting, and all the strength he mustered, Ryoga Hibiki
 began to cry. 

	Daisuke and Ryu, who were now gripping the collars of each other’s
 clothes, stopped. Hiroshi looked at Ryoga, amazed. The whole world seemed to
 stop in that instant. Ryu glanced at Daisuke, then released him, the
 dark-haired high school student doing the same. The three men sat and
 watched the strongest man they knew cry before them. It was a very emotional
 moment. Hiroshi had never expected to see it in his entire lifetime. Neither
 had Ryoga, who suddenly realized what he was doing. Raising his head from
 his hands, he looked up at the three guys who were watching him. Concern
 strolled across their faces like a funeral march.

"She’s...gone..." Ryoga choked out. The three men looked at each other.
 Despite the fact that his statement was blatantly obvious, no one dared say
 so. Not even Daisuke, who had the tendancy to do things like that often.

"I tried to save her..." he continued. "But, I failed." Suddenly he lashed
 out and grasped Hiroshi by his black school uniform, shaking him viciously.

"She needed me! I failed her, Hiroshi! I failed her when she needed me the
 most!" He shouted in desperation. Hiroshi fought desperately shake him free,
 but with no luck.

"You...didn’t...fail...her..." he said jerkily as he was jarred by the
 emotionally distraught boy. Slowly, Ryoga released him, shame in his eyes.

"I...I’m s-s-sorry, Hiroshi." He muttered. Hiroshi smiled weakly and patted
 him on the shoulder.

"S’Okay." He said reassuringly, trying his damnedest to sound cheerful.
 "You’re upset. I don’t blame you." He stood and looked at everyone around
 him. It was time to take charge. Hiroshi needed a plan. He looked back down
 at Ryoga and his tear-streaked face as he spouted off the whole story, about
 their need to maintain their preciously moronic laws, and he ended with the
 Dragon Column Technique. Hiroshi shuddered at the thought of something like
 that tearing into him.

 He thought dryly. Then, it hit him.

"So, these scumbags are rules sticklers, are they?" He said slyly, his plan
 formulating. The others exchanged worried glances. In a lot of ways, Hiroshi
 reminded Ryoga of Nabiki Tendo. That could be a disturbing thing indeed.
 Hiroshi began to rummage through his backpack, praying he’d remembered to
 bring something. The others watched on with interest. Suddenly, he withdrew
 a small, rectangular, black object and a small address book.

"What is you doing?" Ryu said, watching intently. Hiroshi smiled slyly and
 pressed a button on the small object, and it unfolded. Apparently, it was a
 cellular phone. Hiroshi opened the book and began flipping through it. His
 eyes scanned the pages intensely, then brightened as he came across the
 phone number he’d been looking for.

"They want to play by the laws, then that’s fine with me." Hiroshi chuckled.
 Daisuke and Ryoga exchanged curious glances.

"Who’re you calling?" Daisuke demanded. Hiroshi smiled deviously.

"My lawyer."

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

	Nabiki Tendo was in heaven. Actually, she was in the bath. Still, it
 was one of the things she could most closely equivocate heaven to. Nearby,
 her cellular phone lay silent. Sighing, she slipped further into the warm,
 soothing water. There were few things more relaxing to her after a long day
 of business (ie extortion and blackmail) than a long, soothing bath. Of
 course, her business contacts were well aware of this fact, and none dared
 call her to interrupt during this precious time. So, when her phone began to
 ring, she was sufficiently surprised. Sitting up in the bath, she grabbed
 the phone irritably. Whoever this was, it had better be pretty damn
 important.

"Hello, Nabiki Tendo." She said, annoyed. "What is it?"

"A fine hello to you too, shouchuunotama." A male voice said smoothly over
 the line. At first, she scowled. She hated that nickname. Her associates
 were constantly calling her that, ever since Hiroshi had-Then, her eyes
 widened. She said the only thing she could think of.

"Koishii?" she said, using the name she’d called him so often. It was more
 than he deserved, giving her a stupid nickname like 'The apple of my eye'.
 The man on the other side of the conversation chuckled.

"Ah, so I see you remember me." Hiroshi said. Nabiki smiled slyly and laid
 back in the bath, letting the warm water swallow her body up to her neck.

"I seem to vaguely recall knowing someone I might have referred to as my
 koishii. But, it’s been so long since he last decided I was worthy to speak
 to. He’s so rude about things like that." She teased, but there was
 something in his voice that sounded very serious. She began to wonder if it
 was really Hiroshi. Serious wasn’t usually his business. "What can I do for
 you today?"

	Hiroshi chuckled  his trademark chuckle. "Oh, I can think of lots of
 things, but none of them would be appropriate in this context. I think your
 father would probably require us to be married."

	Ryoga and Daisuke exchanged confused glances. Daisuke shrugged. He
 had no idea who the hell his friend was talking to. Ryu seemed...well, he
 was Ryu.

	Nabiki felt herself blush. She was usually annoyed by her business
 associates saying things like that, but then again, so few of them did. Not
 that she made much effort to be attractive, however. Certainly, it came in
 handy, and she herself thought she was in excellent shape. Still, money was
 worth more than looks. Enough money could make anyone beautiful, she
 surmised.

"However, there is one thing in particular I need from you." Hiroshi said,
 his voice taking on the serious demeanor so uncharacteristic of him. "I need
 you here. We have a little legal problem we’re going to need that lovely
 mind of yours to help us with."

"Well, I’m stunned." Nabiki said. "Are you asking me for help?"

"No," Hiroshi said with resignation. "I’m hiring you. You’ll be well paid for
 your services."

Nabiki smiled. He was the same old Hiroshi. He knew exactly how to get her
 attention.

"Ah, you always knew the way to my heart, koishii." She teased. "So, where
 are you, anyway?"

"It’s called Shurkashuuton Tengoku." Hiroshi said. Nabiki frowned.

"Never heard of it." She said. 

"It’s a mystical valley surrounded by mists. Just ask one of those martial
 artists you have hanging around you all the time. I’m sure one of them
 knows." Hiroshi said. Nabiki nodded. If no one else, then Mr. Saotome would
 know about it. He seemed to be abundant with useless information like that.
 Of course, there were other problems.

"And how do you suggest I get there. Hmm? Walk?" she said coyly.

"Give me the number to the Kuno estate." Hiroshi said. "I’ll wager I can get
 him to help you."

"Kuno-baby?" Nabiki said. Hiroshi winced. He hated it when she called Kuno
 that. It got on his nerves for some unknown reason. "Well, I don’t see how,
 but here’s the number." She read it off to him, Hiroshi committing it to
 memory. After she finished, he thanked her and prepared to hang up.

"Oh, and koishii," Nabiki said. Hiroshi put the phone back up to his ear. She
 prepared to use her most sensual voice, if for no other reason than she
 delighted in teasing him.

"I’m looking forward to seeing you again." She cooed. She smirked as she
 heard him stutter over the line.

"Y-y-y-you a-are?" he said. Instead of answering, she hung up. Sighing, she
 slipped out of the calming waters. She’d have to remember to charge him
 extra for interrupting her bath. Remembering his reaction, she decided it
 was worth it. She wrapped a towel around herself and left, going to seek out
 some info on this place.

 she thought. 

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

	Hiroshi hung up and immediately began dialing the number Nabiki had
 given him for the Kuno estate. He breathed in deeply. He had a plan, but
 he’d have to execute it perfectly if this was going to work. And it had to.
 He had to play into Kuno’s dementia about Ranma. It was the only possible
 way he could see to bring Nabiki here. The phone rang a few times, then
 someone picked up the line. Hiroshi readied himself.

"Moshimoshi, this is the estate of Kuno." A familiar voice answered. It was
 that little ninja man Kuno always had hanging around him. Hiroshi racked his
 brain for the name.

"Sasuke!" he said in a loud, almost shouting voice. "This is Ranma Saotome!
 Put Tatewaki on the line, now!"

	There was a few minutes of silence. Hiroshi broke into a cold sweat.
 He hoped desperately that the ninja was buying it. Suddenly a voice shouted
 back over the line, much to Hiroshi’s happiness.

"Villain!" Tatewaki Kuno shouted over the line. "How dare you to speak to me
 over this infernal device, rather than to face me in battle, as a true man
 would!"

Hiroshi breathed deeply. Showtime, he thought dryly.
"Hah! Why should I face you when my magic can assail you from a secret
 location, you fool!?" Hiroshi shouted back. There was silence on Kuno’s end
 for a few moments.

"Cad!" Kuno yelled back finally, and Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. "So,
 now the villain does admit that he is nothing more than a pitiful sorcerer!"

"Pitiful as I am, Kuno," Hiroshi said deviously, "I have the lovely
 pig-tailed girl here as my captive! Mwahahahahahaah!"

"You evil..." Kuno said breathlessly. "I shall take flight to the Tendo abode
 and settle the score! The last battle is anon!"

"No, wait!" Hiroshi said. "Did you honestly think I was really at the Tendo
 dojo, you fool? That was simply....uh...a robot!"

"A robot?" Kuno said distantly. "Of course! No mere man could ever beat the
 great Tatewaki Kuno in a contest of arms! Quickly, you cur, reveal thy
 location to me!"

"I am in the mystical valley of Shurkashuuton Tengoku." Hiroshi said, putting
 on his best ‘evil guy’ voice.

"Uh, I don’t know where that is..." Kuno said, disappointed. Hiroshi sighed.

"Nabiki Tendo does. She can guide you there.  Make haste, my mortal enemy,
 lest the beautiful pig-tailed girl be made my unholy bride! Mwahahahahahah!"
 he said, cackling megalomaniacally. Kuno gasped.

"Argh! My pig-tailed goddess, hold fast! I shall save thee from the evil
 Saotome’s sinister magic!" Kuno shouted, then the phone clicked. Hiroshi
 closed the cellular, chuckling to himself.

"Easy money." He said in self-satisfaction. He turned to see the other
 looking at him, clearly confused.

"Uh, I suppose you’re all wondering what that was about." He said, chuckling
 nervously. Silence.

"Yeah, well, I’ve got some help coming. They should be here soon." He said,
 walking over to Ryoga and kneeling beside him. "We’ll beat them by their own
 rules."

"Soon?" Ryoga said. "How long is soon!?"

Hiroshi shrugged. "I have no idea. Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan."

"Tomorrow!?" Ryoga shouted. "I can’t wait until tomorrow! She needs me now!" 

	He gripped Hiroshi by the collar of his black school uniform
 desperately. Hiroshi tore him off, eager to get those monstrously strong
 hands as far from his neck as possible. No one could really be sure what a
 man driven to the brink was capable of. Or who he would do it to.

"Sorry, but I’m not God, Ryoga. I do the best I can. It’s all I can do. It’s
 all any of us can do." Hiroshi said, prying Ryoga’s hands free.

"I did my best to save her...But it wasn’t enough..." Ryoga said, ashamed.
 Hiroshi sighed and glanced back at the other two. Their reactions were
 similar. Pity. Ryoga suddenly stood up and looked off into the distance,
 towards the trail of leaves Prince Ito had left behind.

"I’m going after her. Now." He said sternly. The three men exchanged worried
 glances at one another.

"Right." Daisuke chided. "In your condition, what good would you be?"

"I'd be better off than the condition you’ll be if you try to stop me." Ryoga
 growled. Wisely, Daisuke backed off. Ryoga looked at the rest of them.

"Any of you." With that, he turned and began to walk off, following the path
 exactly. He himself was stunned by this. It seemed that he knew exactly
 where to go. It was remarkable; The first time it had ever happened in his
 entire life. He took it as a good omen, and continued on, ignoring the pain
 in his injured back and the burning cuts on his skin. 

"We can’t just let him go off like that, you know." Daisuke commented as he
 watched the lost boy unerringly follow the path of leaves. Hiroshi nodded.

"Ryu, you go with him." Hiroshi said. Ryu glanced at him.

"What?" he said, surprised. "Why me? Why I have to go?"

"He’ll need someone to watch his back, just in case." Hiroshi added. 
"Besides, I have to wait for my backup to arrive here."

"Hai." Ryu said, nodding. He ran to catch up with Ryoga, careful to walk a
 step behind him. Before them, the trail of leaves seemed endless.

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

	Prince Ito watched the scene unfold before his eyes in the dim glow
 of the reflecting pool. It served his needs well, allowing him to check
 anywhere in the valley from the relative comfort of the great Crystal Tower.
 Next to him, The tuxedo clad Nobara watched with equal interest. Ito averted
 his eyes and the scene faded, reverting once again to the crystal clear
 water it was. He sighed.

"He’s coming for her." Nobara said. His voice was filled with something
 almost like respect. "How heroic of him. He must truly love this girl, to
 ignore wounds like those."

"Physical wounds heal with time, Nobara." Ito commented emotionlessly.
 "Emotional wounds never do."

Nobara nodded, taking in his master’s wisdom. 
"What would you have me do?" he said. Ito turned his back and gazed out of
 the open window, the cold breeze of the winter province tussling his short
 black hair haphazardly.

"Destroy the two of them. They are in your province, so they are your
 problem." Ito said without looking back. He sighed regretfully. He had no
 love for the laws of Shurkashuuton Tengoku, nor those that created them, but
 as heir to the land and its inhabitants, he was bound to uphold those rules.
 Honor would demand no less. Here he was, this Ryoga, coming into their land
 and threatening to tear the very fabric of those laws apart for this...
 this...girl. He couldn’t be allowed. She must understand. She must see.
 Nobara was turning to leave, but Ito stopped him with a command.

"Yes, Prince?" Nobara said. 

"I and the girl will be watching." He said coldly. "See that this Ryoga
 suffers sufficiently. You seem to take delight in that type of thing."

Nobara grinned, a disturbing look glinting in his eyes.
"As you wish, my liege." He said sinisterly, and quickly departed. Ito stared
 out into the horizon for a few moments more before departing himself to
 retrieve the girl Ukyo. Hopefully, she would be more...polite...this time.
 For her sake.
*****************************************************************************

	Ukyo wiped another rouge tear from her reddened eyes, perhaps for the
 twentieth time. She hated to cry so much. But, all she could do was think
 about her life here, in this damnable prison. It was the pinnacle of
 eloquence, but she reminded herself that shackles of gold were still
 shackles. But, there was that faint tether of hope, the glimmering, silver
 line in the blackness around her. It was hope, her hope in him. Her trust in
 him, in the fact he would rather die than let her be taken.



	She closed her eyes and sobbed more. It was becoming uncontrollable.
 Unstoppable. A raging surge of emotions that poured into her like a deluge
 from a shattered dam. She despised it, wanted to reach into her heart and
 tear that part of her out and crush it into the ground. Why did she know he
 would come for her? She just did, that’s all. He would come. He would never
 let her be taken from him. At least she hoped not. But then, there were
 dangers in this.

	He stood no chance if all four of them attacked at once. He could be
 badly injured, or worse. Ito seemed a cold, hateful man. Ryoga would
 probably never surrender. They’d kill him. This thought filled her with a
 new sense of dread. She didn’t want him to die. He was too special, not just
 to her. There was something about him, whether his adorable innocence or his
 sense of honor, that was lacking in so many other people she’d met. She had
 come to depend on that, to find comfort in his simple wisdom. He had become
 her best friend in this time, true, but there was something more than that.
 Something greater than either of them. It was a bond, strong, pure, and
 unbreakable. Now that he was separated from her and risking all he had, his
 very being for her, did she see it there. Inside her, as integral a part of
 her as her soul.

In short, she loved him.

	This came as little surprise to her. She had known for quite a while
 that there was an attraction there, be it physical only at the beginning.
 There was an emotional bond there now, and it was more sacred to her than
 her very being. She threw herself to the floor in rage and weeped bitterly,
 choking and sobbing. 

 Her mind screamed at her. 

	No one in heaven or hell seemed to be able to answer her. Outside,
 the cold, bitter air howled furiously.

*****************************************************************************
End of Chapter Eight.
Comments and Criticisms welcome!

*Author’s note- The term "koishii", the one Nabiki likes to call Hiroshi,
 means "my dearest" or "my beloved", while Hiroshi’s nickname for her,
 shouchuunotama, literally means "the apple of my eye". Perhaps there’s more
 there than harmless flirting? We can only wait and find out...

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