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Pastpresent
by Susan Doenime
R1/2 characters and backstory are the creations and property of Takahashi
Rumiko. Used without permission. No challenge to copyrights should be
inferred or taken.
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Pastpresent homepage at: http://www.thekeep.org/~mike/pastpresent.html
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Pastpresent 4 - Heirlooms

		It might have seemed from this narrative that your 
	mother spent all of her time either beating me, or trying 
	to date me, or both at once. This certainly wasn't the 
	case, although she did do a great deal of both. Your 
	mother and I were very good friends, and this was one 
	reason why I tried to keep things from going too far 
	between us. I valued that friendship a great deal, and was 
	more comfortable with it than with a 'girlfriend'. I think 
	you understand that.

		There were other reasons too, ones that I didn't 
	even consciously realize at the time. They were to cost 
	me a great deal. Almost more than I could bear, in fact, 
	and the price rests on me still.

		But again I'm getting ahead of my story.

		Your mother. Yes, Nodoka and I got along well. I 
	enjoyed being with her, and I still do. She was a 
	wonderful listener, and her mind was very swift. If her 
	temper was quick, so was her sympathy.

		That temper subsided over the years, but the 
	sympathy never did. More than anyone, it was your mother 
	who brought me through my darkest days. I fear that I 
	haven't repaid her very well for her love and care.

		There are reasons for that. I have hurt her, and you, 
	and I shall doubtless pay even more for this than I 
	already have. But, son, there were reasons for it all. 
	That's part of why I've written this. You can't understand 
	them unless you know a bit of my early life. And of your 
	mother's.

		I don't think I ever really completely understood 
	her. Perhaps I still don't. Always she surprises me.

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

	He was late.

	Nodoka scowled, irritably gazing up at the branches over 
her head. In the pond nearby, the dojo's carp swam about, fat 
and happy.

	Genma was supposed to have met her in the backyard 
fifteen minutes ago. It almost certainly wasn't simply a 
matter of him being held up; he had gone into the dojo to train 
just an hour before. Which meant that he was still probably 
inside, lost in whatever form he was going through.

	That grated on her. She liked punctuality, among other 
things. And she also liked being treated as if she was more 
important than a punching exercise.

	Especially now, when she wasn't the only person after 
Genma's hand.

	The damn 'kami' worried her. Misuto _was_ pretty, and 
that indecent kimono the woman wore did look good on her. 
Nodoka didn't like the idea of having serious competition for 
Genma. It was hard enough to get his attention as it was.

	She waited another five minutes, and then stood. If she 
found him merely lost in a kata, she would simply be irked. If 
she found him with the mist woman, she would really be 
pissed.

	Striding into the dojo, she gave a mental sigh of relief. 
Misuto didn't seem to be anywhere in sight; the dojo was empty 
except for Genma and a punching dummy, which was receiving a 
series of fairly punishing blows.

	"You're late," she called out, walking across the room 
towards him.

	Genma just shrugged slightly, and kept punching.

	Nodoka frowned. "I said, you're late."

	"So?" He didn't bother to turn; just kept up his exercise, 
blows thudding into the padded wood. "I'm not your servant."

	An angry reply rose to her lips, then died unsaid. This 
wasn't like Genma at all.

	She glanced at the punching dummy. The wood looked 
slightly cracked.

	"What's wrong?" she quietly asked him.

	Genma shrugged again, unleashing a series of strikes that 
almost shattered the dummy. "Mom and I needed cash, so she 
sold some stuff."

	Of course. His mother. "What kind of stuff?" she asked 
gently.

	"Nothing much. Some of Dad's junk. A few old pieces of 
art. Grandfather's collections. The tsuba."

	Nodoka stared at him. "She sold the tsuba?"

	"Yup." Genma chuckled hollowly. "It was that or the TV, 
and I guess she chose the TV."

	"I thought your father left it to..."

	"Yeah, well, she's the head of the household, and I didn't 
find out until after the fact." Another chuckle, and a string of 
sharp jabs to the dummy. "But hey, she didn't really sell it. 
Just pawned it. So if no-one buys it between now and when I 
get the money to buy it back - which'll be about the same time 
hell freezes over - then I'll have it back, safe and sound."

	"I'm sure grandfather could lend you the..."

	"I don't need his charity! I earn my lessons, and I pay my 
own way!" He glared at her. "I don't need anyone taking pity on 
us, 'cause I can take care of myself. Okay?"

	Nodoka nodded, eyes fixed on the ground, unwilling to 
meet his gaze.

	"Oh hell... look, I'm sorry, Nodoka. I didn't mean to snap at 
you. I'm just in kinda a bad mood right now, and I'm trying to 
let it out on this dummy instead of anyone else. Can we go on 
that walk some other time?"

	She nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry, Genma."

	He shrugged again. "It was just an old hunk of metal 
anyway. Didn't mean anything."

	His voice said different, Nodoka thought as she left.

	Unlike the Saotome family, the Kasigis had no katana. 
While they undoubtably did at one point, it had long since been 
sold, probably towards the end of the Meiji era. But the 
patriarchs of the family had been unable to bring themselves 
to part with the tsuba, the sword guard.

	There were two real parts to the swordsmith's art. The 
first, that of the blade, was meant to kill. The second, that of 
the hilt's guard, was meant for beauty and function, the first 
being paramount as long as it didn't interfere with the second. 
Nodoka has seen the Kasigi tsuba, steel with jade inlay. It was 
a masterpiece. It even had Goto Ichijo's unmistakable signature 
mark on it; invaluable for those who appreciated such things.

	It had been a real point of pride for Genma. The Kasigis 
didn't have the status of the Saotomes, and lord knows they 
certainly didn't have the money... but they did have what was 
probably the finest tsuba in Nerima.

	Or did, until Genma's idiot mother went and sold it.

	Nodoka gritted her teeth. Aside from having produced the 
man she was in love with, she really couldn't think of anything 
positive to say about Mrs. Kasigi. It was uncharitable, but she 
wished the old shrew would simply die and let Genma live his 
own life.

	The worst part was that Genma would get over it. In 
another few days he'd have just shrugged off the loss of his 
most prized possession - his only prized possession, really - 
as just another minor setback in life. He was too easygoing to 
stay upset; it was an odd contrast to his serious side.

	So he'd just grin and bear it.

	She glanced sadly back at the dojo, wanting to go back in 
and comfort him. But he was right; what he really needed right 
now was to take out some of his frustration in a harmless 
fashion.

	No, what he really needed was for his damn mother not to 
have sold the thing in the first place!

	The pawn shop probably had no idea what they had gotten; 
the price the Kasigi's had received for it was undoubtably far 
below the actual value of it. It would probably either be bought 
by some ignorant type who didn't even know what it was, or by 
some rich collector who'd toss it in with a dozen others, or...

	Nodoka's eyes widened. Then she smiled.

	Or by Genma's future wife.

	She would go in, pluck down the money, buy the thing, and 
then give it to Genma as a present.

	She grinned. It would be expensive... her allowance for 
the next few months would probably go into paying for it.. but 
the look on Genma's face would be worth it. She'd go inside, get 
her coat, and then...

	Nodoka almost swore. She had no idea _where_ the tsuba 
had been sold, and she couldn't ask Genma without giving 
herself away.

	Wincing, she went inside, throwing on her jacket. She did 
know one way to find out, but it was going to ruin her day.

* * * *

	"Oh, it's _you_. Come in, I suppose."

	"Thank you, Kasigi-san," Nodoka said, forcing her voice to 
stay humble and respectful. It wasn't easy.

	She stepped up into the shabby little apartment, wincing 
slightly at the volume of the TV set in the corner. A gigantic 
portrait of the Emperor dominated one wall; the other was 
taken up by a large, cheaply-made shrine dedicated to Genma's 
father. Mrs. Kasigi trudged across the room and settled down 
into a threadbare overstuffed chair facing the TV.

	"Bow to the Son of Heaven, girl. Children today have no 
manners."

	Nodoka did a deep bow to the portrait, rolling her eyes as 
she did. "Have you been well, Kasigi-san?"

	"No. My lazy son does not spend enough time at home, and 
he isn't a very hard worker." She sniffed. "I don't know why 
you'd be interested in him, Nodoka. He really isn't worth it."

	"I like him a great deal," Nodoka said, doing a passable 
imitation of politeness. "He does work fairly hard, from what 
I've seen." From what she'd seen, Genma worked like a dog at 
that grocery store. In between working and training, it was a 
miracle she got to spend any time with him at all.

	"Lazy," Mrs. Kasigi said mournfully. "Not at all like his 
father. I hope the army will accept him. With the war going so 
well, they may have standards too high for him to meet."

	"Oh yes. The war," Nodoka carefully replied. Mrs. Kasigi, 
from what she had heard from Genma, was still under the 
impression that the Second World War was still going strong, 
and that Japan was winning. It seemed harmless enough, but it 
was a pointed reminder that the old woman was not so much 
callous as insane - or at least both callous and insane. 
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about..."

	"Shhhh!" Mrs. Kasigi leaned forward in her chair, staring 
at the TV set. "I like this commercial."

	Nodoka stood silently and waited until the ad, a rather 
generic dog food commercial involving singing poodles, had 
come to an end. "I was going to ask you about a good pawn shop. 
We're going to sell a few possessions to help fund the war 
effort, and since you know Nerima so well..."

	"Oh? Good, good... yes, money for the guns, for the guns 
and planes and tanks to kill the gaijins with..." Mrs Kasigi 
smiled happily. "Kill them all, and teach them to attack our 
poor Japan. Yes. We took Midway last week, you know. I saw it 
on TV. Glorious."

	"Yes," Nodoka said uneasily. "It was. About the pawn..."

	"Oh, there's a good one on Toshima Street, by the clinic. 
Yes. I sold the old family tsuba there for a great deal of 
money... sad, but Genma is not the sort who would have put it 
to good use, so I suppose it was for the best. Waste not, want 
not."

	"How much did you get for it, Kasigi-san?"

	"25,000 yen."

	Nodoka mentally swore. That was almost a year's 
allowance. "That is a good price, Kasigi-san. I'll have to visit 
it."

	"Yes. The state needs money, you know. Money to send our 
fine sons to war. Glorious." The woman stared at the TV, 
chuckling a bit as a cartoon mouse chased a cartoon cat across 
the screen. "Glorious."

	"Goodbye, Kasigi-san."

	She quickly left, breathing a sigh of relief the second she 
was out the door. Genma only went home to sleep, and 
sometimes to eat. And, of course, to drop off most of his 
paycheck.

	He probably actually spent far more of his waking hours 
at the Saotome dojo than anywhere else... that, or possibly 
Kiri's place.

	If she had anything to say about it, though, he'd marry her 
and would move into the dojo. And then he'd never have to 
return to that apartment again, or the lunatic who lived in it.

	Enough of that, she told herself. How on earth was she 
going to get 25,000 yen? She had maybe 1000 at hand...

	Ask her grandfather? He'd probably give her it, but... she 
didn't want to run to her family for something like this.

	Earn it somehow? She chuckled slightly. If there was a 
way to earn that much money in one day, Genma wouldn't need 
to work at the grocery.

	She could take out a loan... but she couldn't think of a 
single bank that would give money to an 18-year-old without 
the parents' endorsement. And the interest would be 
horrendous.

	Or...

* * * *

	"You need money? Is something wrong, Nodoka? Has a 
bank failed? Is Saotome-sensei ill? Are..."

	"No, Soun. I'm just buying a present for someone, and I 
need a great deal of cash all at once." Nodoka smiled hopefully. 
"I will pay you back; it'll just take a few months. I can 
probably manage a bit of interest..."

	"Interest?" Soun said, shocked. "Certainly not! But what 
is the money for?"

	Nodoka smiled pleasantly, mentally cringing a bit. If Soun 
learned that he was financing a present for Genma, he'd 
undoubtably refuse. At the same time, she couldn't bring 
herself to lie to someone who was about to do her a big favor...

	"It's for a piece of fine artwork," she said truthfully 
enough. "One grandfather's admired for some time." Which was 
also perfectly true. Saotome-sensei had expressed his 
admiration for the tsuba more that once.

	Soun beamed. "Ah, what thoughtfulness, Nodoka-san! 
Saotome-sensei is lucky to have such a daughter. Please, take 
the money as a gift."

	The idea tempted her for all of two seconds. "I couldn't 
do that, Soun."

	"Oh, I insist! After all, for the Master..."

	"If you give me the money, then it's not really from me, 
is it?" she pointed out. "I'm just the... the purchasing agent. No, 
Soun. Thank you, but really all I want is a loan. I'll pay you back 
on the second of every month, and then it really will have been 
from me."

	Soun frowned slightly, scratching his head.

	"Please?" she said, batting her eyes slightly. "I would 
mean so much to..."

	"Certainly," Soun conceded. "Very well, let me go 
withdraw the sum from the safe." Standing, he wandered out of 
the Tendo sitting room.

	Nodoka glanced about as he left, fairly impressed despite 
herself. The Tendo residence was huge; more of a mansion than 
a house. She got the impression that the family fortune might 
either decline or rise under Soun's management. On the bright 
side, he was a fairly spartan sort of fellow, caring little for 
worldly goods that couldn't be eaten. On the other hand, that 
very same disdain made him about as financially acute as a 
rock. The cunning, market oriented genes that had caused the 
Tendo family to rise in power had obviously skipped Soun's 
generation.

	He was also perhaps a bit too generous for his own good. 
Soun was a nice guy, but a nice guy with one hell of an 
overemotional streak.

	After a few minutes, he returned, a carefully wrapped 
packet of money in one hand. "Here you go, Nodoka-san. 25,000."

	She smiled, placing it in her purse. "I'll pay you back 
monthly, Tendo-san. Thank you."

	Soun blushed, stammered, mumbled something, and nearly 
fell out of his seat. Apparently the confidence inspired by the 
Righteous Seven Demons Wrath didn't last long past usage of it.

	"I'll just be pleased to see Saotome-sensei display his 
new work of art," he finally said.

	Nodoka nodded weakly.

* * * *

	"You were WHAT!?" Nodoka's jaw dropped. This couldn't be 
happening...

	The man behind the pawn shop counter shrugged glumly. 
"Robbed. Opened up the store this morning, place was empty." 
He glanced mournfully at the barren walls and empty display 
cases. "Bastards cleaned me out. Even took the damn cleaning 
and appraising equipment." He shook his head. "Some lousy 
rotten people in this world, girl."

	"But... but... the police'll recover the stuff, right?"

	Chuckling ruefully, the owner shook his head. "Recover 
stolen goods? The police? Not a chance. At best, they'll catch 
whoever did it a couple months down the road... but the stuff 
has probably already been resold to a fence. Complete loss." He 
rubbed his bald head and sighed. "Now we just get to see who's 
the better con artist, me or my insurance company."

	"This is awful," Nodoka moaned.

	The owner raised an eyebrow. "Hey, _I'm_ the one who's 
been robbed. You hock a ring here or something? I don't 
remember seeing you before..."

	"No," she said, cursing fate. "I just had something I 
wanted to buy here."

	"Heh. Well, pawn shops all have the same junk, girl. Try 
Zuko's downtown; he runs a pretty good store. Not as good as 
mine, but..." he waved an arm at the walls, "I'm a little short on 
inventory at the moment."

	"Right," Nodoka said resignedly. "Good luck with the 
insurance."

	"I'll need it. They're bigger thieves than the guys who 
broke in."

	She pushed open the door and strolled dejectedly out, 
kicking at a rock as she went. So much for her wonderful plan. 
Genma would never get the tsuba back now.

	It was probably being pawed at by some petty criminal 
right now, she thought blackly. Some worthless, two-bit crook 
who made his living robbing honest people.

	No doubt it was, as the shop owner had told her, already 
in the hands of some fence. Who would doubtlessly sell it, but 
who would also undoubtably not put out a 'HEY! BUY YOUR 
STOLEN KASIGI FAMILY TSUBA HERE!' ad out in the newspaper.

She could no more find a fence, let alone the right one, than 
she could fly to Mars.

	However...

	"No," she said aloud. "That's a terrible idea, Nodoka, and 
one that you want nothing to do with."

	But the look on Genma's face...

	"Oh, damn."

* * * *

	"Oh, hello Saotome-san!"

	Nodoka nodded with formal politeness. "Hello, Misuto-
san. I'm here to see Kiritsubo."

	The kami frowned slightly, and adjusted her feet on the 
office's front desk. She was sprawled casually in Kiri's 
battered leather chair, feet propped up on the garage desk in a 
pose that would have been perfectly natural for Kiri, in her 
usual garb of jeans and leather jacket, to assume. It looked 
fairly silly when done by a slender, sharp-featured woman in a 
silk kimono. "Kiritsubo-san's not in tonight, I'm afraid. She left 
me to mind the garage."

	"Do you know when she'll be back?" Nodoka asked.

	Misuto reached into a desk drawer, took out one of the 
cheap cigars 'Joe' supposedly smoked, and lit it. Nodoka stared 
incredulously as the mist kami stuck it in her mouth and 
adopted a thoughtful expression. Again, it would have looked 
perfectly natural for Kiri. For Misuto, it was all Nodoka could 
do not to burst out laughing. Maybe she wasn't as much of a 
threat as Nodoka had feared.

	"I don't think she'll be back tonight," Misuto finally said, 
glancing at the wall clock. "It's already five, and she said that 
she would either be back by four or not get home until 
tomorrow morning."

	"What, either one or the other?" Nodoka asked, confused.

	"That's right. She was considering stopping by a poker 
game, and was going to be there all night if she did." Misuto 
frowned slightly, the cigar waggling. "What is poker, anyway?"

	"It's a card game," Nodoka told her. "You bet money on it." 
Which pretty much explained what Kiri was going there. Nodoka 
wondered if the mechanic played an honest game, and decided 
that the odds were highly against it.

	She frowned, trying to decide what to do next. Kiri would 
probably arrive home in the morning and sleep until afternoon, 
which mean that Nodoka wouldn't be able to continue her hunt 
until evening tomorrow - which left an entire day for the tsuba 
to get further and further away.

	"Do you know where the poker game's being held?" she 
asked. If she could get the information she needed tonight...

	"In some place called Ant Town," Misuto said, shrugging 
slightly.

	Oh joy, Nodoka thought glumly. "Do you know where in Ant 
Town?"

	The mist kami blew a series of smoke rings, which 
spiraled up to circle the light bulb. "I think she said the 
Hagetaka, whatever that might mean."

	"That was all she said?"

	"That was all," Misuto confirmed. She frowned slightly. 
"Nodoka-san?"

	"Yes?"

	"Is it perhaps a quaint modern custom for men with 
knives to enter and demand money? Part of a festival, 
perhaps?"

	"Noooo....." Nodoka said slowly. "Why do you ask?"

	"Oh, good," Misuto said, clearly relieved. "I was afraid 
that I had made some sort of social error. But if they were just 
petty criminals..."

	"You were robbed?" Nodoka asked. "How much did they 
take?"

	"Take?" the mist kami said, puffing contentedly on the 
cigar. A delicate white finger pointed up.

	Nodoka's eyes followed it.

	"I don't think Kiritsubo will be very pleased about that 
hole in the roof," she finally said.

	"Oh dear," Misuto said, looking worried. "I hadn't thought 
of that. I tried to aim all six of them towards the same patch 
of ceiling..."

	"There were six of them?"

	"Eight, but two ran away."

	"Oh," Nodoka said weakly. She mentally revised her 
opinion of the slender woman from just silly-looking to silly-
looking and dangerous. "In that case, I think Kiri will 
understand."

	Misuto beamed. "That's good. Kiritsubo-san is under too 
much stress as it is."

	Aren't we all, Nodoka thought. "Right. Thanks for your 
help, Misuto-san."

	"Happy to help, Nodoka-san." Another puff of smoke, this 
one shaped like a dragon, drifted upwards to circle around the 
light. Nodoka watched in fascination as it devoured the 
previous smoke rings, growing in size and settling down to a 
slow orbit of the bulb. "Oh, and if you see Kasigi-sama, tell 
him I said hello."

	"I will," Nodoka lied. Shooting another glance at the 
dragon - which almost looked as though it was licking its lips 
- she left.

	Even if Misuto wasn't really a kami, Nodoka decided as 
she walked, the woman was definitely someone unusual. Not to 
mention the best smoke artist she'd ever seen.

	Again, she questioned whether or not the tsuba was 
worth all this trouble. And again, the answer she got back was 
yes.

	"Ant Town," she muttered, her walk turning into a jog. 
She'd go home, get her iaito - nothing like a katana, even an 
unsharpened one, to deter muggers - and then trying to find 
where in the town-sized junkyard Kiri had holed up.

* * * *

	It was almost nine by the time Nodoka arrived in Ant 
Town.

	The scrapyard-turned-residencial-area wasn't the worst 
part of Tokyo to be at night - a lot of the residents were poor 
but honest, their homes in the ruined buildings and piles of 
metal being conveniently close to their work. All the same, the 
unlit alleys and corridors and tunnels that wound their way 
between the rusted cars and crumbling girders weren't exactly 
the safest place to be after dark. Criminals lurked there.

	Which was Nodoka's whole reason for coming, since Biki 
Kiritsubo wasn't likely to be found in any place criminals 
_weren't_.

	It posed a minor hazard to her safety, though. She didn't 
exactly fit in. So she tried to minimize the damage by dressing 
in baggy clothing and a head scarf, making her gender and age 
uncertain from a distance. She also let her iaito ride 
prominently on one hip, and kept a hand on its hilt.

	As it was, one poor idiot did try to mug her, walking out 
of the shadows and showing her that he had a knife. Nodoka 
proceeded to demonstrate that she had an unsharpened metal 
sword, and two Dan rankings that said she could use it. She 
took the man's wallet as punishment for accosting her, and left 
his unconscious body under a burned-out trolley.

	It took her almost two hours of searching, asking people, 
and climbing mountains of scrap to find the Hagetaka. Or what 
was left of it, anyway.

	It had been a seaplane carrier, used for search and rescue 
during the war. Then it had been bombed, and was in the 
process of being refitted in Tokyo Bay when it was bombed 
again. The rusting metal hulk of it, like countless other ships, 
was towed up the canal, dragged onto the bank, and left for the 
Ant Town residents to pick over.

	At present it lay slightly tilted against a mountain of 
girders, old pipes, and fragments of concrete, half buried. A 
crude ramp had been built along the side of the ship, leading up 
to the flight deck, and it was this means that Nodoka used to 
get atop the old ship.

	The deck itself, she saw, was pitted by jagged, blackened 
craters. She repressed a shiver - her father had been a naval 
officer, and had never come home - and walked towards the 
battered stub of the bridge tower.

	She wasn't surprised to find that the lights were on 
inside, and was even less surprised to hear noises echoing up a 
stairway down.

	Carefully, one hand loosely gripping her sword hilt, 
Nodoka made her descent. 

	The stairway led to a corridor, rusted metal and rotting 
wood providing the decor. She followed the sounds of talking 
and music down it, and soon emerged into the interior seaplane 
bay. 

	This time she was surprised.

	The bay was dominated by a seaplane, one that appeared 
to be almost well maintained. The propeller engines were both 
spinning, the blades missing - instead, belts were attached to 
them, disappearing into some sort of crazyquilt machine set 
into the floor. Cables and wires veered off from it, some 
terminating in the clumps and strands of christmas lights, 
floodlights, stoplights, Chinese lanterns, illuminated signs, 
lightbulbs, and neon tubes that flooded the hangar with 
multicolored light.

	Tables spread out around the plane - some on raised 
platforms, a couple on catwalks branching off the wings, most 
simply on the hangar floor. Almost every single one of them 
was packed with people, and almost all of the people looked as 
though they had their picture hanging in a post office or two. 
Some were drinking, some were arguing, some were making a 
valiant attempt to dance to the extremely loud and extremely 
poor rock band playing from a makeshift stage in a corner. None 
of them were paying any attention at all to her, for which she 
was grateful.

	Warily, watching the patrons with more than a little 
apprehension, Nodoka strolled through the room. No-one seemed 
interested in her, which was good. But she didn't see Kiritsubo 
anywhere, which was bad.

	She sighed. Kiri had to be here; it was too disreputable 
for her _not_ to be.

	All the same, a quick circuit of the hanger determined 
that the mechanic wasn't here.

	Forcing aside her reluctance to talk to any of the people 
hanging around the place, she walked up to what appeared to be 
a bar set against one wall. The bartender, a burly fellow in his 
early thirties, glanced up as she approached. "Whatcha want, 
miss?"

	A quick glance at the multicolored liquor bottles behind 
the bar convinced her that whatever she wanted, a drink wasn't 
it. "I'm looking for Biki Kiritsubo. Do you know if she's here?"

	"I've got a bad memory."

	Rolling her eyes, Nodoka fished some money out of her 
pocket and laid it on the bar.

	"She's down in the captain's quarters, at the poker game. 
Whatcha want with Subeta Kiri?" He leered suggestively. "You 
her girlfriend?"

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

Prereader's Note: The bartender is making a rude joke here. 
Kiri's last name, Biki, also means 'Beautiful Maiden' - a fact 
which undoubtably causes her a great deal of embarrassment, 
as she doesn't exactly fit the typical picture of one. The 
bartender is replacing it with Subeta, which means 'bitch of a 
young woman' - probably more accurate, but definitely more 
insulting. I'm unsure how to let the readers know about this 
without breaking the flow of the narrative

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

	Nodoka scowled at him. "Watch your tongue."

	"Or?" He smirked. "Kiri's tab is too high to beat me up, so 
of you were thinking about running to her..."

	"Actually, I was thinking about running to Joe," Nodoka 
told him sweetly.

	The bartender turned pale. "You know Joe?"

	Nodoka knew enough to know that he was fictional, and 
that the ex-Marine Raider was a bit of a legend by now. "I'm his 
woman," she said, keeping a straight face. "He killed my last 
boyfriend because he didn't like his shoes, and I've been with 
him ever since. He's a very nice man."

	"Er..."

	"Should I bring him down to talk to you? He hasn't had to 
chain me to the bed in a week, so he's probably in a good 
mood..."

	"That won't be necessary," the bartender said hastily, 
pushing the bribe money back to her. "Here. Kiritsubo's two 
decks down. Take the stairs at the north side of the bay."

	"Thank you," Nodoka said, smiling, and quickly walked off 
before the grin that was building gave her away. That had been 
amusing.

	Pushing through the crowd, she made her way to the 
stairs and descended.

	The bright lights of the hanger quickly faded, and rusting 
metal and dripping water again became the rule. A dim, 
flickering set of track lights were set into the ceiling, and she 
followed them.

	Before long she heard muted conversation, and saw the 
dim glow of a light through the darkness ahead. Striding 
forward, the light soon resolved itself into a open door.

	Nodoka stopped, taking a deep breath. She wasn't at all 
sure that Kiri would be pleased about being interrupted like 
this. Then again, Kiri could use a bit of interrupting. She still 
remembered the date with their 'mutual friend'.

	Putting on a confident smile, she stepped through the 
door.

	The room was paneled with wood, and a somewhat 
tattered carpet covered the floor. It had probably been fairly 
luxurious when the ship was new; as it was, it still had a sort 
of shabby splendor to it. A crystal chandelier, a single 
lightbulb illuminating it, cast glittering light.

	A round table covered with green felt dominated the 
room. Four chairs were ringed around it, occupied by three 
people, all of whom looked up as she entered.

	Kiri was in the far chair, blinking in incredulity. Next to 
her, an enormous man in his early twenties was slowly turning 
his ponderous head to examine her. A young man in a leather 
jacket and fedora, the last of the trio, glanced curiously at her.

	"Hi," Nodoka said cheerfully. "I'm here to talk to 
Kiritsubo."

	"She's a bit busy at the moment," the man in the fedora 
said, smiling slightly. Nodoka got the feeling that he was just 
waiting for something to happen.

	"Card game," rumbled the behemoth. "Busy."

	Kiri just stared at Nodoka as if she had just seen a 
mouse saunter into a tomcat convention. "Nodoka? What the 
hell are you doing here?"

	"Just wanted some information, Kiri." She glanced at the 
table. "If the game's that important, mind if I join in? You 
really should have four, just to make it even."

	"We did," the young man in the fedora said, gesturing to a 
crumpled form in the far corner. "Yukio tried to cheat. Sure, 
join in, Miss...?"

	"Nezumi Nodoka," she told him, sitting down.

	He smiled faintly. "I'm Kuonji Inji. Kiritsubo it appears 
you already know, and our large friend there is Gosunkugi Bono. 
Ever play poker before?"

	Nodoka raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh. Well, I know the 
rules, but I don't think I've ever actually played." She smiled 
uncertainly. "I can shuffle and deal very well, though. 
Grandfather and I play Old Maid a lot."

	Kiri winced.

	"Well," Inji said, sounding amused, "why don't you deal, 
then. If nothing else, it should get rid of any... 
misunderstandings... that might happen if Kiri or I dealt."

	"Or Yukio," Bono rumbled.

	"I don't think anyone's going to have any more trouble 
with Yukio," Inji said mildly, handing her the deck. "Five card 
draw, no wild."

	Nodoka nodded, swallowing slightly. Kiri was fairly 
dishonest and prone to larceny, but she got the feeling that the 
other two were, if not actually killers, people who didn't 
really mind breaking a few limbs if needed.

	She shuffled and dealt, giving five cards to each. "I'm 
afraid I only have time for one hand, and I do need to talk to 
Kiri, so I'll make you an offer. If I do win, Kiri will tell me 
what I need to know instead of the money she put in."

	Inji shrugged. "Sounds fair. Bono, Kiri?"

	Bono grunted. Kiri simply nodded.

	They picked up their cards, staring at them silently. 
Nodoka frowned.

	The opening bets were made, and Nodoka pushed 2000 yen 
into the pot to match the bid.

	New cards were called for, and dealt out by Nodoka.

	Kiri had only taken one new. Upon receiving it, she 
scowled and laid down her cards. "I fold."

	Bono and Inji simply stared at their hands, expressions 
blank.

	Betting commenced, fast and furious. After 15,000 yen 
had accumulated in the pot, Bono gave a monolithic grunt. 
Glancing at his cards, then at Inji, he put in another 2000.

	"See that, raise 1000," Inji said smoothly.

	Nodoka looked about uncertainly. Kiri, a slightly 
exasperated look on her face, just shook her head.

	In went 3000. "I call," Nodoka said.

	Bono laid down a full house, queens and jacks. "Read and 
weep."

	Inji chuckled. "Oh, a very nice hand, friend Bono." He laid 
his own down, revealing four kings and a queen. "But I think my 
collection of royals beats yours. I think I've found my funding 
for the Rabaul Expedition." He started the rake in the pot, then 
glanced over at Nodoka. "But I'm being rude. What do you have, 
Miss Nodoka?"

	Nodoka laid down four aces and a deuce. 

	The other three just stared.

	"Beginner's luck, I suppose," Nodoka said cheerfully. "Kiri, 
if you'll step outside for just a second, I'll give you your money 
back and you can tell me what I need to know. It's been nice 
meeting you, Kuonji-san, Gosunkugi-san."

	The mechanic followed her out. "You are the luckiest 
woman ever to walk into that room, Nodoka. Those two are 
damn sharks!"

	"I'd guessed," Nodoka said hurriedly. "Look, if you'll just 
tell me who robbed the Nogami Pawn Co. last night, I'll give 
you the money back tomorrow. And tell you who upstairs is 
calling you Subeta Kiri."

	"Damnit, I thought I'd put a stop to that," Kiri snarled. 
"Thanks, but I could use the money now."

	"What's the rush?"

	Nodoka shook her sleeve. Ten playing cards fell out. "I 
want to get out of here before they realize what I did to the 
deck."

	Kiri gaped at her. "You were CHEATING? YOU?"

	"Grandfather taught me how. You get a lot of dexterity 
being a martial artist," Nodoka explained impatiently. "The 
information?"

	"I heard it was Rogato, over to the north of Ant Town. He 
does business as a fence as well, and has a shop there." She 
glanced over her shoulder. "Get the hell out now, Nodoka. 
Gosunkugi's violent, but he's got a short memory. Kuonji, 
though, he carries grudges, and he's a lot more dangerous than 
Bono. I'll try to throw them off when they realize, but..."

	"Right. Bye, Kiri." 

	Hurriedly, she dashed down the narrow hallway and up 
the stairs. She had almost reached the top when she heard an 
angry shout from below.

	Gulping, Nodoka ran into the hangar. Glancing around, 
disoriented for a second by the lights, her eyes fastened on 
the cockpit of the seaplane. Behind her, she could hear the 
pounding of feet on the corridor below.

	Nodoka scrambled into the seaplane's cockpit, surprising 
the young man working the lighting controls inside. He opened 
his mouth to say something, and then Nodoka pulled him down 
onto her, kissing him passionately.

	Twisting her head slightly, she could see out the window  
a furious-looking Kiri, Inji, and Bono racing into the room. They 
glanced around for a few seconds, and then Kiri yelled 
something and pointed towards a door on the far end of the 
hangar. Pushing people out of their way, the three ran for the 
exit, and disappeared.

	Nodoka gave a sigh of relief, and then noticed to her 
irritation that the person she was using for cover was starting 
to work a hand under her shirt. 

	Two punches later, she stumbled out of the cockpit, 
straightened her clothing, and left the hangar by the exit 
opposite the one Kiri and company had taken.

	Cautiously making her way off the Hagetaka, she glumly 
began to make her way northward. Now she just had to find 
this Rogato, buy back the tsuba, and get the hell out of Ant 
Town.

* * * *

	Rogato did business in a decrepit warehouse on the north 
side of Ant Town. The area there was thinner in scrap and 
thicker in ruined buildings, and as a consequence it was 
avoided by the salvage workers but flocked to by the less 
savory Ant Town elements. Nodoka was forced to bludgeon 
another mugger before, after several sets of contradictory 
directions, she found her way to the old building.

	She had taken about two steps inside it when two men, 
gang insignia on their jackets, stepped out from behind a pair 
of crates.

	Nodoka eyed then nervously, trying not to show it. "I'm 
hear to see Rogato."

	They shrugged.

	"Buying or selling?"

	She turned. A scrawny little man in a somewhat 
conservative business suit was approaching from behind.

	"Buying," she said warily. "You're Rogato?"

	The man nodded. "I am. What kind of merchandise can I 
interest you in?"

	"I understand you obtained a tsuba last night," Nodoka 
said carefully. "I'd like to buy it."

	Rogato smiled slightly. "What makes you think I would 
have something like that? I'm just an honest, respectable 
merchant in wholesale goods."

	Nodoka sensed the implied challenge - show some 
credentials, or you're out of luck. "Biki Kiritsubo tipped me 
off."

	He seemed to relax slightly. "Kiri? That's different, then. 
Yes, someone sold me a tsuba last night. Just for the record, I 
don't know how it was obtained or who sold it to me." He 
grinned. "But I'd be more than happy to sell it to you."

	She smiled back. "How much?"

	"40,000."

	Rolling her eyes, Nodoka shook her head. "You've got to be 
joking. It's barely worth 10,000."

	"Then you clearly haven't seen the craftsmanship. I 
couldn't part with it for anything under 35,000."

	"I have seen the craftsmanship, and the left grillwork 
portion is slightly marred. 20,000."

	"Slight flaws just add character. 33,000."

	Nodoka sighed. "30,000."

	"Done." Rogato held a hand out for the money. Nodoka just 
looked at him, and he gave a slight grin, and snapped his 
fingers. One of the gang members left, returning a few minutes 
later with a small box.

	Nodoka took and opened it. There, nestled on a bed of 
white silk, was the steel and jade oval of the Kasigi tsuba. For 
a few seconds she simply admired it, then shut the box, slipped 
it inside her shirt, and handed Rogato the money. "Many thanks, 
Rogato-san."

	The little man shrugged. "Business is business... Nodoka-
san?"

	Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yes?"

	"I'd get out of here quickly, if I were you. There's a very 
angry young knife named Kuonji Inji looking for you."

	She swallowed. "Thanks. Goodbye."

	She ran out of the warehouse, slightly worried. If she 
could just get out of Ant Town she was safe; 'Nezumi Nodoka' 
didn't exist, and Kiri wouldn't give him any leads. But Inji had 
seemed more than a little dangerous...

	Quickening her pace, she ducked down a narrow alley 
running between two mountains of rubble. If she remembered 
right, it emerged near a long section of old drainage pipe that 
formed a tunnel under the great north heap on the very border 
of Ant Town. If she could get through the tunnel, she would be 
almost back in Nerima, and could catch a bus or a taxi.

	It was dark out, almost pitch black. The only illumination 
came from the moon, and from the dimly flickering lights of 
the cave-homes carved higher up on the heaps of rubble. She 
wondered for a second what it would be like to grow up here - 
would it be awful, or like a giant playground?

	She drew towards the end of the alley, and stopped. A 
figure stood at the end of it, waiting.

	"I really don't like it when people cheat at cards," Inji 
said calmly. "I suspect Kiritsubo might have been trying to 
cover for you, so I slipped away from her and Bono at the first 
opportunity."

	"Sorry," Nodoka replied. "I needed the information from 
Kiri. If you'd like your money back, I can..."

	He smiled thinly. "It's not the money, Miss Nodoka. It's 
the principle of the thing." His hand vanished inside the leather 
jacket for a split second, emerging with a long, glittering 
object. "This is a Huzipochian tine fork. They used them to 
skewer and cook meat with. It's a very nice piece, 7th century, 
with nice silver inlay and a bit of quartz in the hilt." He began 
to stroll forward, the long, twin-bladed stilleto weaving in 
and out of his hand.

	Nodoka made a quick guess as to their respective running 
speeds, swore under her breath, and drew her iaito. "This is a 
katana, 20th century with no inlay, and I'd advise backing off 
unless you want a better look at it."

	Inji slowed, piercing eyes studying her for a second. Then 
a smile crossed his sharp features. "I think you actually know 
how to use that thing, Miss Nodoka. How novel. I have three 
Dans in Eishin-Ryu Iaido, myself, but I've never relied too 
heavily on it. This might be interesting."

	She swallowed, slowly taking a few steps back, iaito 
held in a ready position. Iaido, the art of drawing the blade and 
killing in one blow, was one she had only practiced in the 
lower levels. If Inji was telling the truth, he could probably 
cut her before she could block. And she felt certain he was 
telling the truth.

	Inji began to close in, and Nodoka crouched, preparing to 
attack. If she let him take the initiative she was doomed, but 
if she struck first...

	A shadow loomed behind Inji, and her eyes widened. 

	"You're not going to trick me into thinking someone's 
behind me, Miss No-" His statement came to an abrupt end as a 
bonbori slammed down on the top of his head. Inji's eyes rolled 
up, and he crumpled to the floor of the alley.

	Nodoka watched warily as two young women, both in 
Chinese battle dress, stepped forward over the unconscious 
Kuonji. "Thank you."

	"You're welcome," one of them said in heavily accented 
Japanese. "Now you can answer a question or two."

	Frowning, Nodoka kept the iaito in a ready position. "What 
sort of questions?"

	"We are looking for an evil old man, a lecherous master 
of the martial arts. Many years ago he stole treasures 
belonging to us. He must be punished."

	Nodoka shrugged slightly. "That's not a question."

	"We know he is hiding somewhere in Nerima. We also 
know he has some connection with you and the other two who 
study at your dojo. Where is he?"

	She blinked. "Evil old man?"

	"Yes. He is a pervert, a lecher, an enemy of women and all 
decent men."

	Frowning, Nodoka shook her head. "I certainly don't know 
anyone like that." She blinked. "My grandfather, Saotome-
sensei, might know him. I know from listening to him and 
grandmother that he fought a great many martial artists in his 
youth, some of them evil. I can ask him, if you like."

	"Please do. We have seen your Saotome-sensei. He has the 
aura of a matriarch."

	Nodoka tried to figure out what to make of that 
statement. "I'll ask him."

	"Good. We go now to investigate other leads. We shall 
return, and then you may tell us what you have discovered."

	The two made brief bows, and suddenly the alley was 
empty except for Nodoka and a slumbering Kuonji Inji.

	Sheathing her iaito, Nodoka stepped over his body and 
hurried towards the tunnel and home.

* * * *

	Genma looked up as Nodoka strolled into the dojo. "Hey, 
Nodoka. Sorry about the other day. I was just in sorta a bad 
mood."

	She smiled. "That's okay. I have something for you."

	Handing him the flat box, she watched as he opened it and 
stared.

	"This... how did you...?"

	"It took a little bit of doing," she admitted cheerfully. 
"Think of it as an early birthday present."

	A tear fell onto the white silk. His face was bent, hidden 
from her view. "I don't know what to say."

	"'I'm ready for the walk I owe you, Nodoka' would be a 
good start."

	"I'm ready for the walk I owe you, Nodoka," he said.

	Beaming, Nodoka pulled at his sleeve. "Come on, then. 
Afterwards, we can get some dinner at this sukiyaki place I 
found..."

	As they left, Saotome-sensei watched from the porch, 
smoking his pipe contemplatively. After a time, his wife 
walked out to sit by him.

	"Nodoka and young Genma out for a walk?"

	He nodded. "Nodoka met some Joketsuzoku last night."

	Clucking, the old woman shook her head. "They're here for 
him, aren't they. Happosai."

	Saotome-sensei nodded. "I don't think they'll find him. 
They're following all the wrong trails, and he's been removed 
from circulation, so to speak. He won't trouble the world 
again."

	"What if they do?"

	He shrugged. "Such is fate. I suspect they have their 
reasons."

	"He wasn't truly that bad."

	"He was worse."

	They sat together for a while, watching the sunset. In the 
distance, Nodoka laughed at something, and after a time 
Genma's laugh rose up to join it.

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

		I didn't find out the true story of what happened 
	until several years afterwards. I was almost angry with 
	your mother... almost. I did make it clear to her that she 
	was far more important to me than a hunk of metal and 
	jade.

		In hindsight, I think Kiri showed a bit more respect 
	towards Nodoka afterwards. She hadn't seen your mother 
	rig the deck, and Kiri was very much an expert in that 
	sort of thing. So was Inji.

		I hadn't met Kuonji Inji, at that point in time. I 
	would, soon enough.
	
		If you wish to see the tsuba... well, you probably 
	have already. Your mother has it.

		Poor Nodoka. I have not, as I said, repaid her very 
	well for her love.