Shogo: Thanks for the Memory
By Hamish Paul Wilson.
Edited by Graham L. Wilson.
http://www.blood-wiki.org/Shogo/Expanded-Canon/

Thanks to Monolith Productions for the Shogo game and characters.

	Sanjuro sat comfortably on the couch in his Admiral quarters living room. Kura and Kathryn sat beside him, cuddling and leaning comfortably on each of his shoulders, for the moment not feeling a care in the world. Sanjuro closed his eyes and began to drift off to sleep, still waiting for the end to a long day. Suddenly however, the view screen in front of them flicked to life and the image of the Commander in charge of the ship's night shift appeared before them.

	“Sorry to disturb you Admiral...” the Commander stated apologetically, aware of the severity of her present intrusion. Sanjuro tried his best not to doze off while the Commander in front of him was speaking. Kathryn, who was still a little embarrassed to be shown so intimately with Sanjuro in front of another officer, tried her best to to hide her face behind her long wavy hair, as well as by embedding it into Sanjuro's shoulder. Her sister Kura, by contrast, instead tried her best to stay comfortable and ignored the screen.

	“What is it then Commander?” Sanjuro asked sleepily, before releasing a little yawn.

	“I am just calling to inform you that a message has arrived for you from High Command” the Commander on the screen answered. “It is not marked urgent but it does have an official seal.”

	“I will deal with it in the morning, thank you Commander” Sanjuro replied politely, sinking even deeper into his chair.

	“Good night Admiral, Commander, and Lieutenant Commander” the Commander commented before doing a little salute and closing the channel. Kathryn finally removed her head from inside Sanjuro's shoulder; it was still coloured a little scarlet, however.

	“I wonder what that was about then?” Kura asked quietly as she settled her head more comfortably on Sanjuro's side.

	“Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow” Sanjuro answered, flicking the privacy switch on the screen with his toe and resting back in the chair. Sanjuro felt the soft feel of Kathryn's hair brush against his neck as she resettled herself as well, the three of them now having mostly returned to the positions they were in before the Commander's unpleasant interruption. The last thing Sanjuro remembered was the quiet whisper of Kathryn's voice greeting “good night” in his ear before he finally and gratefully fell asleep.


	Sanjuro awoke slowly the next morning.  After opening his eyes he promptly leaned his head to the left to see that Kura was no longer beside him. She entered the room just then, still in the process of getting dressed in her military uniform.“Where are you off to then?” Sanjuro asked immediately after she noticed that he was awake.

	“Military training for my squad today” she answered as she finished buckling her belt. “I will probably not be done until late.” He felt the bangs of her hair brush against his face as she gently leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. She then purposefully and deliberately left the room, her pistol dangling almost threateningly from the holster on her hip. Sanjuro sighed and leaned back in his chair. He then felt a small jolt of movement from his shoulder, and turned to notice that Kathryn was still asleep there, a pleasant smile on her face. Sanjuro then looked down at her face for a little while, a hobby he often employed when he could not think of anything better to do. Sanjuro continued to just look and think, and started to remember something...

	For three months he and Toshiro had been stuck together in the Military Academy, and to be honest they were both sick of it. Not that it was not nice of the institution, offering to give two orphans a place to live, but being stuck in a large building with only a few staff for the summer was not what Sanjuro would call fun. He had eagerly awaited the day that the school year would begin and he would have people to talk to. Toshiro was lonely too, but unlike Sanjuro he was not looking too particularly forward to having a whole school's worth of people; he would much rather have just spent the time with a few more close friends.

	Sanjuro was waiting expectantly in the Academy's main hall, with a less enthused Toshiro standing beside him. In only a few moments the large entrance doors would open and students would start pouring into the place, like cattle being led onto a new lush green field. Sanjuro was almost shaking with anticipation. After a few more moments the door opened and the predicted large group of students entered the hall, two of whom were of particular interest to Sanjuro and Toshiro.

	Being a Military Academy, the children as time went on were expected to learn proper military discipline and practice. For example, students were expected to spend more and more time away from their home and family and more time staying in the barracks-like structure of the Academy's dormitories. Another example which was of more particular relevance to Sanjuro was that starting from his age and up, students were expected to start wearing military-style uniforms. The male uniform consisted of a green shirt and pants, each with a patch stating his name and grade, which at this point in time was the closest equivalent students held to proper ranks. The female outfits were a little more elaborate...

	“We were looking for you two!” Kura greeted energetically as she approached Toshiro and Sanjuro, pulling the slower Kathryn behind her. They were both clothed in their own uniforms, which were similar to their male counterparts except for the fact that the pants were replaced with a knee-length skirt and black stockings. Which were, as Kura was going to become increasingly fond of pointing out for the next ten months, absolutely impractical in any true combat situation.

	“Hello” Sanjuro responded simply, casting a considered gaze over the two sisters. Toshiro instead stared down at the floor; it would take some time before he would be truly used to their company again. Kura's eyes burned with a youthful energy as she looked around the large hall. Kathryn was more similar to Toshiro, still not comfortable with her current company just yet and still a little bewildered at being thrust back into the herd again. Before too terribly long another student came trotting over to their group.

	“Hello Baku” Sanjuro said politely. He said nothing in response, evidently not too terribly happy about having to return here again. A moment of silence passed between the four as they just stood near each other not sure if there still was anything else to say. Before long Kura's patience was beginning to fray, and she decided it would be best for them to move on.

	“Come on, let's go see our rooms!” Kura suggested, pulling on Sanjuro's arm. She ran off towards the hallway door, pulling Sanjuro behind her. The other three were left to try and follow and keep up, with Kathryn especially feeling lost in the crowd...

	Sanjuro was jolted back from his memories by another nudge of movement from his shoulder. He looked to see Kathryn slowly opening her eyes. “Sanjuro...” she murmured pleasantly upon seeing his face staring down at her. “What time is it?” she asked, lifting her head gracefully from his side. Sanjuro leaned over to have a look at the clock.

	“We should probably be getting up...” Sanjuro decided, reluctantly leaving Kathryn as he pushed himself off the couch. Kathryn yawned quietly, stretching tiredly on the chair before getting up herself. Sanjuro hated having to assume command on mornings like this, but even if he did not have a ship to run he would have been left alone anyway because Kura and Kathryn would still have to leave to attend to their own stations. He would have much rather have stayed here with Kathryn, and Sanjuro was sure that she thought the same way as well. Sanjuro sighed as he started getting dressed and prepared for the day ahead.


	Kura entered Sanjuro's quarters later that day, long after both he and Kathryn had made their way back home. Her hair was ruffled, her brow was covered in sweat, and she felt like collapsing out of exhaustion. She fell on the couch beside Sanjuro with a great and audible sense of relief. “Hard day then?” Sanjuro observed as Kura settled herself comfortably beside him.

	“You would not believe it if I told you...” Kura moaned.

	“What was the trouble?” Sanjuro asked, knowing that letting her bitch about it would probably make her feel better.

	“That Ensign kept trying to outdo me in the training courses!” Kura sniped bitterly. Sanjuro felt a little tense about her comment.

	“That would not be Ensign Carmack would it?” Sanjuro probed hesitantly.

	“She better watch herself...” Kura replied caustically. “You do not mess with me!”

	“Just don't do anything too drastic...” Sanjuro suggested cautiously. “For Baku's sake.” The two had only just recently gotten into a relationship, and Sanjuro was intent on making it work for them. His comment did work to shut Kura up, but there was still the look of the devil in her stare. Sanjuro decided it would be best for him to try and change her mood, and started to gently move her so that she was now laying down on top of his lap. She closed her eyes as Sanjuro slowly stroked her hair, her features softening. Kura decided to think about other things, and her mind started to wander off onto far distant topics....

	Kura laid lazily on her bed in the dormitory at the Military Academy, staring up at the bottom of the bunk bed above her. Kathryn sat on the floor nearby, unpacking various items from her backpack and placing them on the dresser. Kura started to move about restlessly, never one to stay still for very long. Kathryn, who was already accustomed to this, ignored her and continued to unpack. “I'm bored Kathryn!” Kura moaned. “When can we go visit them?”

	“Not until tomorrow morning, you know that” Kathryn replied, a little annoyed. Kura groaned, and started kicking in the air aimlessly. “Sanjuro seemed happy to see you...” Kathryn commented, trying to keep her sister occupied. Kathryn could not help but notice that Kura had suddenly stopped kicking upon the mentioning of Sanjuro's name. She shrugged it off and continued to unpack.

	“He has grown since last spring...” Kura considered almost dreamily. Kathryn thought the comment as being a little absurd but again shrugged it off. She was at least relieved that Kura had gone back to staring at the top bunk instead of all that jerking and kicking. She continued to unpack in silence for a little while, until she had finally finished what she was doing and decided that it would be best for her to go lie down herself and try and get some sleep.

	“Good night Kura” Kathryn called out as she took off her shoes and started ascending the bunk bed's ladder. She waited for a few moments without an answer. “I said good night Kura” Kathryn said again, this time a little louder.

	“Hmm?” Kura commented, before finally saying “Oh, yes goodnight.” Kathryn finished climbing up onto the bed. Before moving under the covers, she leaned her head over the side of the bed and looked down at her sister, her hair falling over her face. Kura was still staring dreamily up at the bottom of Kathryn's bunk, evidently thinking deeply about something. Kathryn shrugged it off and tried to get some sleep...

	“Are you awake?” Sanjuro's voice asked. Kura had not realized that she had fallen asleep.

	“I am now” she told him, looking up at Sanjuro, a little smile appearing on her lips.

	“Good, supper is ready” Sanjuro commented. Kura debated whether or not to get up; she was quite comfortable where she was, but she was hungry, so she finally lifted her head and slowly moved back onto her feet. Kathryn was busy labouring over three bowls in the kitchen, steam rising from the pot from which she was serving. Kura sat herself down on one of the chairs, with Sanjuro quickly following suit.

	“I seem to remember that there was something you were supposed to do today” Kathryn commented as she handed Sanjuro his bowl. Sanjuro realized that she was right, and started to think about what it was that he had been forgetting. 

	“Oh, of course!” Sanjuro exclaimed in realization. He took out an envelope from his pocket, which bore an official seal, and opened it. Kura and Kathryn watched expectantly as Sanjuro read. ”What is this all about?” he commented, placing the letter on the table. “Admiral's Ball?”

	“Oh those...” Kura exclaimed, rolling her eyes. “Father used to go to them. It is some old military tradition for those in higher command posts. It is all really just a bunch of rubbish.”

	“Attendance is not mandatory, but it is expected” Sanjuro read out loud. “You may choose who you wish as your date.”

	“You're not actually going to go are you?” Kura asked incredulously. Sanjuro did not answer, pocketing the letter and turning back down to his soup.

	“So are you going to go?” Kathryn inquired. Sanjuro had the feeling that she thought more of these things than her sister.

	“I will think about it” Sanjuro replied. Kathryn thought over something for a few moments before turning down to her soup. Whatever it was she did not share however, and they ate the rest of their meal in silence. 


	Sanjuro leaned his head on his arm in boredom. Ironic, since when he was a Commander squad inspections scared him to death. However, now that he was an Admiral who was judging instead of being judged, it was a different matter. “Okay, preform standard training drills” Kura called out, aware that she was losing him. Her squad members jumped into activity, preforming various U.C.A. combat drills with a considerable amount of skill.

	“She has gotten them pretty fast” Sanjuro noticed to himself with mild interest. Of course Sanjuro did not expect anything less from Kura, so none of this was the least bit surprising. He passed the while staring over at his girlfriend curve and move around in the drills. Kura evidently noticed, because she let out a little wink back at him. It was then that Sanjuro noticed the black haired soldier who was preforming next to Kura. She was actually outperforming Kura in the training, completing the drills at an incredible speed. Irritated, Kura closed her eyes and pushed herself to her limits. Now the tables had turned, with Kura quickly outdoing the black haired soldier.

	“Okay, break!” Kura shouted, a little breathless. All the soldiers immediately stopped and sat down on the floor. The black haired girl glanced over at Kura with smug satisfaction that she was breathless. Kura noticed this, and shot her back a glare. “You have all done very well!” Kura called out to her squad. “We will resume training tomorrow!” The majority of the squad left the room then, but the black haired soldier lingered.

	“Hello” she greeted as she approached Sanjuro. He looked up, a little surprised.

	“Hello, you are?” Sanjuro replied, although he had a feeling he knew the answer.

	“Ensign Cara Carmack sir, it is a pleasure to meet you Admiral” she responded, confirming Sanjuro's suspicions. Besides the black hair and voice Sanjuro could almost swear that he was talking to Kura. “How do you think I did in the training sir?” she inquired.

	“You did well...” Sanjuro replied honestly.

	“Thank you Admiral” she responded politely, smiling over at him.

	“I see you have met the Admiral then” Kura commented, walking protectively over to Sanjuro.  Sanjuro could not help but notice a bit of jealously in Kura's tone.

	“Yes, he says I am doing well” Cara responded calmly, coolly, still smiling.

	“Yes, though I can't help but notice you are a little... overconfident” Kura snapped. Sanjuro was beginning to wish he was somewhere else. The comment simply bounced off Cara however; she did not even change her expression.

	“Well I have to go now, it was a pleasure meeting you Admiral” Cara commented, saluting, and then finally leaving the room. Kura glared over at the spot where she was previously standing.

	“The nerve of that Ensign to try and humiliate her Commander...” Kura griped. Sanjuro let out a little sigh. He just hoped this would not cause problems for Baku.

	“Maybe she was just trying to impress you” Sanjuro offered encouragingly. Kura ignored him, continuing to glare over at where Cara was previously standing. “Let's just forget about it, okay?” Sanjuro suggested, kissing Kura on the cheek. She could not help but smile back at him. The two then walked hand-in-hand back to their quarters.


	Kura may have been entering a busy stretch due to her squads mandatory military training, but Sanjuro and Kathryn had barely anything to do now that active military operations had ceased for the moment. So once again Sanjuro sat, Kathryn beside him, on his couch after his command duties had finally ended for the day. “I heard you met that Ensign who Baku fancies” Kathryn commented, her head on Sanjuro's lap. “What's she like?”

	“She is very much like Kura” Sanjuro answered simply. “In fact, she is too much like Kura...”

	“That explains a few things” Kathryn observed, understanding flashing on her face. It seemed the only thing that Kura could not handle was another Kura. “Have you put any more thought into the Admiral's Ball?” Kathryn asked, suddenly changing the subject.

	 “Not really” Sanjuro replied. In truth, he had completely forgotten about it. “Why do you ask?”

	“No reason” Kathryn responded. Sanjuro could tell however that she herself wanted him to go, as if he were to go she would be the logical choice to bring with him. Going to the Ball would give them something to do and maybe relieve some of their present boredom. Then again, going to a place full of other Admirals and High Commanders did not sound very appealing. Sanjuro thought the matter over for a little while, Kathryn's face staring up at him acting like an adviser advocating for saying yes. After a few moments of staring down at her, he relented.

	“Alright, I'm going” Sanjuro commented. “Would you like to be my date?” A deep smile quickly blossomed on her face as she acknowledged in the affirmative. Sanjuro thought for a minute about how disturbing this was, being controlled by a pretty face. Kathryn continued to smile up at him, and Sanjuro could not help but smile back. Damn these feminine charms! Sanjuro thought back to when he thought he first gained this weakness...

	Sanjuro sat behind his desk at the Academy, bored out of his mind. On his left were seated Kura and then Kathryn, with Kura looking as bored as he was while Kathryn actually tried to make an honest attempt to listen to what their teacher was saying. Toshiro and Baku were sitting on his right, seeming to be the only ones other than Kathryn who were not bored and were taking in every word that the teacher said. Kura tapped her desk with her fingers in tedium as the teacher continued to spout mindless introductory school policy. “Is he ever going to realize that nobody is going to remember what he is saying?” Kura whispered to Sanjuro annoyed.

	“He could probably slip up and no one would notice” Sanjuro replied, causing Kura to smile, giving Sanjuro an odd buzz of happiness. He decided to continue. “He could probably insult most of the class and no one would notice” Sanjuro added, this time causing Kura to laugh. Too loud evidently, as the teacher stopped his speech and turned his gaze over to where Kura was sitting.

	“And what is so funny about our new lunch policy?” the teacher asked sternly, walking over to where Kura was sitting. Toshiro and Baku focused on their notepaper, trying to avoid being involved. Kathryn proceeded to do similar, as well as obscuring her face with her hair. Kura remained calm however, and tried to look innocent.

	“Nothing sir, it is just that it reminded me of something funny” Kura explained sweetly. The teacher looked her over, his gaze hovering over her name tag for several moments. Sanjuro raised his eyebrows when he saw the expression on the teacher's face change.   

	“Please try and stay quiet for the rest of the speech Miss Akkaraju” the teacher said calmly, before walking quickly back to his desk and continuing with his speech. Kura flashed her victorious smile, as Sanjuro thought over what had just happened. It seemed that something in her name tag had scared him off. Sanjuro shrugged and looked down at his notepaper, but his attention simply was not there. Instead, it was staring off over to his side. Kura, it seemed, was doing the same. 


	Shore leave was not all that welcoming a prospect for Sanjuro. It did beat being on the bridge all day, but he was still quite bored. He was a soldier, and now he was instructed to sit and wait in expectation of future events that may not even materialize. The problem with peace, a peace he himself had created. The only one that really seemed to be busy was Kura, who for once in her life seemed to have exhausted herself. Then again, there were not many times in her life where she had a true rival, in the physical sense at least. Sanjuro continued to rest himself on his couch, paying mild attention to a magazine. Kura sat in a recliner nearby, reading causally from a book. Sanjuro had never seen her so relaxed, at least not when it was not after being intimate with him. Of course, anyone would look relaxed if they were exhausted and resting.

	Sanjuro let out another bored sigh as he placed his now well read magazine on the side table and laid down. Sanjuro felt that he needed action to live. In a way he depended on Ryo Ishikawas, Capricorn Raiders, and Donovan Disraelis to manage in life. This was kind of sad and a little disturbing on some levels, but it was true. His life was one long fight. Kathryn entered the room just then, carrying something in a paper bag. Sanjuro opened his mouth to speak but she quickly passed the couch and entered the bedroom. Sanjuro let it go and returned to his revelry. After a few moments Kathryn walked back out of the bedroom.

	“Well, what do you think?” she asked. Sanjuro leaned up and took a look at her. She was clothed in a fancy white dress, designed in particular to show off her various feminine qualities. Sanjuro as a man could not help but gape for a few moments.

	“This is for the dance then?” Sanjuro asked the figure in white.

	“Yes, what do you think?” Kathryn replied, doing a little dancer's twirl.

	“You are a piece of eye-candy” Sanjuro replied, still looking her over. She smiled pleasantly over at him, adding to the effect. Sanjuro glanced over to see Kura's response; she lowered her book for a few seconds and then raised it again, staring harshly at the text. Sanjuro had an uneasy feeling that she was not all that fond of the idea of the Ball. At least Kathryn was happy, and Sanjuro found that he could not manage to do anything but continue to look over at her. Once again, damn feminine charms!


	Later that evening Kura as well as Kathryn, who was now wearing her usual clothes, were lying at their favourite places by Sanjuro's side. Sanjuro's view screen played a movie, which they were vaguely following. Sanjuro then heard the noise of his doorbell and slowly separated himself from the two girls and walked over to open it. He found Baku standing in the doorway; evidently he must have previously shuttled to the Leviathan from Cronus.

	“I had some free time so I decided to visit” Baku explained quietly. Sanjuro decided to have a word with him, and gestured for Baku to follow him. Kura and Kathryn both got up as well, but Sanjuro gestured for them to stay. They shrugged and complied, wondering what Sanjuro was intending to tell him. Baku followed Sanjuro into a vacant storage room.

	“We know why you are really here” Sanjuro commented.

	“What do you mean?” Baku asked, an uncomfortable expression on his face.

	“We know about you and Ensign Carmack, let me give you some advice...” Sanjuro continued, beginning to pace around. “She is very much like Kura, I know, I have met her. That means that she will be stubborn at times and also competitive and dominating.”

	“What are you trying to say?” Baku inquired, somewhat guardedly.

	“Don't compete with her, and don't question her too much. If you remember that she will be happy, and if she is happy, you will be happy” Sanjuro finished. Baku sat down and considered what Sanjuro had just advised for a moment.

	“Anything else?” Baku pressed, now interested. 

	“I don't know if I should tell you this...” Sanjuro commented, peeking Baku's interest. 

	“Go on...” Baku prodded further.

	“Never have someone like Kura on top when you are making love, put yourself in the more dominate position. Otherwise you will have someone with too much energy in a position to... well...” Sanjuro explained quietly. Baku could not help but flash a peevish smile.

	“And someone like Kathryn?” he could not help asking.

	“You better not tell anyone I said this...” Sanjuro replied, knowing that he had now entered far more treacherous waters. “She is fine any-which way, a more gentle touch.” Baku raised an eyebrow. “Also, she has... a larger chest” Sanjuro added quietly. Baku once again could not help but smirk.

	“I think I will stop asking questions” Baku commented. “I do not think I want to know anything more about my childhood friends.”

	“Good luck with Cara” Sanjuro replied encouragingly as Baku started to leave, no longer comfortable with the idea of returning to the quarters and looking the two sisters in the eye. He simply sent Sanjuro a thumbs up and left. Sanjuro himself wasted no time in going back to his quarters, where Kura and Kathryn were waiting for him.

	“Did you have a good talk with Baku?” Kathryn inquired. Sanjuro walked up and grabbed Kura and Kathryn in a strong embrace.

	“Fairly” Sanjuro replied smiling. Sanjuro felt his girlfriends bodies rub against his own, and could not help but feel extremely lucky. Especially due to a certain proportion mentioned before...


	Sanjuro felt a guilty sense of relief as the transport shuttle took him off of the ship he commanded and back onto solid ground again. Sanjuro felt better simply from just being away from that boring place for a little while. The shuttle sped off towards Earth, carrying numerous passengers from the Leviathan, mostly civilians and U.C.A. soldiers on shore leave. The last group to board were Kura, Kathryn, Sanjuro, Baku, and a particular Ensign.

	“You are doing well” Kathryn commented as Baku entered Sanjuro's room on the shuttle; he did indeed look healthier.

	“Having a girl agrees with him” Sanjuro thought to himself. Baku stayed and visited for a little while, talking with Sanjuro and Kathryn on various topics. Sanjuro did start to wonder a little about Kura however, who seemed to be keeping herself strangely distant from what Sanjuro and the others were doing, breaching her usual determination to always be the centre of attention.

	“Do you have anything to add Kura?” Sanjuro eventually asked, trying to pull her away from ignoring them. She just shook her head and continued to stare absently into space. Sanjuro wondered exactly what she was thinking about. At the moment, she was actually reminiscing...

	Kura lay on her bunk, her mind wandering in boredom. Kathryn laid on the bunk above, quietly reading from one of her assigned textbooks. After a little more pondering, Kura decided to find something else to amuse her. “Kathryn?” she asked. “Are you awake?”

	“Yeah, why?” she replied, still focused on the book she was reading.

	“How do you know if somebody likes you?” Kura inquired.

	“What do you mean?” Kathryn replied, turning a page.

	“How do you know if someone... really likes you?” Kura pressed, hoping that by adding another word it would help convey her meaning better.

	“How am I supposed to know?” Kathryn responded incredulously. “Why do you ask?”

	“Say there is this boy you like...” Kura began. Kathryn groaned.

	“Just concern yourself with school, all right?” Kathryn replied, not wanting to hear any of this right now. “Anyways, you are too young for that sort of thing.” She had already noticed that something was up with Kura before; she was not paying any attention in school, she was becoming absent minded, and she was seeming to be overly preoccupied all the time. Kathryn wanted to hear nothing of this.

	“Fine, have it your way...” Kura griped, glaring at the top bunk. Kathryn simply did not understand, Kura decided; in fact, she was getting in the way. Not telling her anything, forcing her to be active in school, the nagging, etc, etc, etc. Kura grabbed the covers, and laid her head on her pillow. “Kathryn better not bug me in the future” she decided, before closing her eyes.


	“It is too cold here” Sanjuro decided as he walked through the streets of Moscow. The dance this year was hosted at the headquarters of Andra Biomechanics, one of the founder corporations of the U.C.A., underscoring a recent diplomatic conference. Kathryn's face showed a similar dislike for the cold, while Kura somehow seemed to be able to simply ignore it, walking around as if there were no difference in temperature here than there was in the shuttle that they had just departed. Sanjuro was relieved when they finally walked into the large hotel the U.C.A. had rented for attendees.

	No one bothered taking off their coats, and Sanjuro quickly sat down in a chair, blowing down on his numb fingers. Whoever picked this place at this time of year for a dance was either a sadist or a lunatic, maybe even both. Kathryn cuddled up to Sanjuro, placing a blanket around him, her warm breath on Sanjuro's neck. Kura once again ignored them; she still seemed to be numb about something other than the cold. Kathryn stared over at her sister for a few moments.

	“Aren't you a little cold?” Kathryn inquired concernedly.

	“What?” she responded, before shaking her head dismissively and looking away. Kathryn shrugged and look over at Sanjuro questioningly. Sanjuro just stared back at her blankly; all he could really do was hold Kathryn's cold hands comfortingly. “Kura probably just needs some time alone” Sanjuro thought to himself. Kura continued to stare into the wall.


	“Are you sure you will be okay?” Sanjuro asked.

	“Don't worry, I will be fine” Kathryn replied, wrapping a warm cloth over her dress. “Besides, it has warmed up a little.” Sanjuro was still not really convinced, but was not going to argue the point. After all, she may be a more peaceful Akkaraju, but she was still an Akkaraju, and they tend to be stubborn. Speaking of stubborn, Kura was still staring over at the wall.

	“We are leaving now” Sanjuro proclaimed, approaching her. She looked up over at him, her face not nearly its normal self. “Well, goodbye” Sanjuro added, as he leaned down to kiss her farewell. Her face started to brighten up.

	“Sanjuro, we are already going to be late” Kathryn called from outside. Sanjuro sighed, and ran out the door, leaving Kura sitting expectantly on the chair.

	“Just typical” she groaned, “first she drags him off to this god awful place, and then she denies me anything.” Kura got up and started to pace around, glaring down at the floor. “Nothing goes right for me anymore” she thought aloud, “there is that bitch Cara, and then there is always Kathryn.” Kura walked over to the bedroom, where she saw Kathryn's regular clothes lying on the bed. She knocked them to the ground and angrily started to kick at them, causing them to go spinning through the air. “Kathryn always got in the way...”

	Kura and Kathryn sat cross-legged on the floor of Sanjuro's dormitory. Nearby in a vaguely circular pattern sat Sanjuro, Toshiro, and Baku. Kura seemed very excited about the new game she was going to be introducing to the group. Of course, this was hardly surprising behaviour for Kura, as she always seemed to be exited. “What is it you want us to do?” Sanjuro asked, curious as to what this whole thing was going to be about.

	“It is a game” Kura explained. “I spin this bottle and whoever it points to determines a dare.”
	
	“What do you mean dare?” Sanjuro replied, a little fazed.

	“Well...” Kura began, eagerness clearly evident in her tone. “As an example, lets say you would need to... kiss the girl this bottle points the closest to.” Sanjuro just stared blankly at her, while Kathryn shot her a questioning glance. Kura was up to something. Toshiro and Baku just sat, glad to be neutral parties for now. Kura placed the bottle on the floor, and with a quick jerk of her wrist sent it twirling. She smiled as the bottle began to slow down and swivel in her direction. Her smirk was quickly wiped from her face however when the bottle went past her and stopped pointing directly at Kathryn.

	“Umm...” Kathryn gulped, her face turning pale white. Sanjuro looked over at her, trying to summon up the courage to fulfill the dare. The look on Kura's face had now turned to that of anger against probability and of great, great, disappointment. Sanjuro breathed a deep breath, and crawled his way up to Kathryn, whose face was now turning from bloodless white to crimson red with abashment. Sanjuro closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Kathryn's, her eyes going wide. After a few moments Sanjuro pulled back, and crawled his way back to where he was seated before. Kathryn's eyes continued to be wide, almost like she was in a trance.

	“Umm... well...” Kura stated roughly. “Me and Kathryn have to leave for our room now...” She got up and walked over to the door. “Come on Kathryn!” she called out in a sharp voice. Kathryn simply continued to stare out in a trance. “Kathryn!” Kura almost yelled, beginning to lose her temper. Kathryn finally shook her head and looked around.

	“Umm... yes, see you guys later” Kathryn commented right before being forcefully dragged out of the room by Kura. Kathryn gave Sanjuro one last gaze before she was dragged out the door...

	Modern Kura continued to kick Kathryn's clothing about the room, the memory running through her mind like fire. “Oh, whats the point!” she exclaimed, finally realizing the futility of assaulting her sister's wardrobe. She sat and pouted on the bed, beginning to tear up. “Why is it my friends always like people who stab me in the back?” Kura griped to herself. The face of a smiling Cara ran through her mind, and all she wanted to do was stab her in both her eyes. Kura's own eyes then saw the glint of something behind her. It was a small bottle of vodka, probably supplied by the hotel. She grabbed it and took a quick gulp, tears now running down her face. She continued to cry and gulp, cry and gulp, until she realized she had drunken the whole bottle, potent though it was.

	“I should pull myself together” Kura realized, staring at her face in the mirror. Then she stared down at the empty bottle of vodka again, wishing for one more drop to help numb her. She sighed and pulled herself up, grabbed her coat, and walked out the hotel room door, down the stairs, and into the cold outside.


	Sanjuro was not particularly comfortable here, being crammed in the same room with a bunch of other Admirals and high officials. He always felt like an imposter. Sanjuro wondered why Kathryn had wanted him to come here in the first place. She was dancing softly to the music, her head comfortably on his shoulder. “Maybe she wants us to be here so I will be away from Kura” Sanjuro thought, “maybe she wants to imagine that it is just me and her again.” None of this seemed to sit well with Sanjuro's conscience, but then again, it did seem harmless enough, and she seemed so peaceful. 

	“You're quiet this evening” Kathryn whispered after the current song ended.

	“I have just been thinking” Sanjuro whispered back.

	“About what?” Kathryn asked, as a new song began to play.

	“Never mind” Sanjuro replied, and Kathryn rested her head on his shoulder again. She seemed very calm, calmer than she had been for a long time. He decided to stop thinking about it and just concentrate on his footwork. As time passed Sanjuro had lost track, and when he looked down at his watch he finally noticed that an hour had already passed since they had first arrived at the dance. “Mind if we take a break?” he asked, feeling his legs beginning to tire. Kathryn shook her head, grabbed Sanjuro's hand, and started leading him out of the room. “Where are we going?” Sanjuro inquired as Kathryn dragged him out of the building.

	“Somewhere a little more private” Kathryn answered, seating herself on a bench outside. Sanjuro sat down beside her, relieved that the weather seemed to have warmed up somewhat. It was still a little chilly however, and Kathryn cuddled up close to Sanjuro, wrapping her cloth around him. Sanjuro stared at her in the light of the full moon, feeling naturally happy to have such a beautiful girl by his side. Kathryn stared back at him, still seeming extremely peaceful. “May I ask you a question?” she eventually asked, her pretty eyes staring up into Sanjuro's.

	“What do you want to know?” he replied, not sure where this was going.

	“Do you remember our first kiss?” she probed, smiling weakly up at him.

	“You mean that night....” Sanjuro began, obviously thinking of a far different event.

	“No...” Kathryn interjected quickly. “The one before.” Sanjuro remained confused by this comment; he could remember nothing of this. Kathryn observed this and sighed, eventually whispering the words “spin the bottle” in his ear. What significance did that have? Suddenly a thought in Sanjuro's mind was triggered, and he could at last remember Kathryn in her school uniform, her face when he approached to kiss her, and the almost trance like state she was in after.

	“I remember” Sanjuro commented. “I remember now.”

	“It must have been the only time you approached to kiss me with your eyes closed” Kathryn commented, smiling to herself.

	“Why on Cronus would I want to close my eyes when I could be looking at such a beautiful face?” Sanjuro complimented before he closed his eyes, leaned over, and pressed his lips to her mouth reminiscently.

	“What was that for?” she asked softly after Sanjuro had finished.

	“Thanks for the memory” Sanjuro answered. Kathryn closed her own eyes and laid her head down on her favourite spot of Sanjuro's shoulder. Sanjuro, meanwhile, began to think over why she had brought up this conversation. It did fit into his theory that she was fantasizing about being alone with him and only him again, referring back to a moment where she had somehow managed to get lucky with him alone. Sanjuro decided to just shrug it off; it was innocent enough. His mind was stirred again however by movement in a building across the street. Something about the figure he spotted seemed too familiar to Sanjuro. Far too familiar.

	“Where are you going?” Kathryn cried out in disappointment, as Sanjuro pulled himself up.

	“I need to go check on something” he replied, running across the street. “You wait here.” 


	The building Sanjuro entered was at severe odds to most of the places he had been in that evening. The bar was full of various people, who were to type mostly drunk. Unfortunately for Sanjuro, he recognized one of them. “Sandjuro!” Kura slurred quickly, before downing another swig from a bottle of vodka. “I've been wantink to shee you!” She was evidently drunk out of her mind.

	“I need to take you back to the hotel” Sanjuro requested. She took another swig from her bottle.

	“There is somethink I wants to give you...” she commented, ignoring Sanjuro's previous statement with a forthright heave of her right arm.

	“I need to get you back to the hotel” Sanjuro pressed. Kura, again, ignored him.

	“I want to give you something” she repeated.

	“Whatever it is, you can give it to me later” Sanjuro replied undeterred.

	“I want to give it to you now!” Kura said, and started unbuttoning her shirt.

	“Kura, not here, not now...” Sanjuro stated urgently. Kura ignored him and continued to unbutton. The cheers and whistles from the other bar patrons were more than audible. “Not now Kura...” Sanjuro pleaded. Kura once again ignored him, forcing Sanjuro to try and stop her from undressing. Kura jerked her chest causing Sanjuro hands not to grab her, but to fall directly into her breast cleavage.

	“Sanjuro, what is going on?” Kathryn asked as she entered the bar, causing even more cheers and whistles. Sanjuro quickly pulled his hands out of Kura's breasts and grabbed hold of both of her arms, prioritizing restraining her over pulling together the folds of her shirt.

	“Kura is drunk, I need to take her home” Sanjuro explained, beginning to drag her unwillingly off to the door.

	“But I wants to give you somthink” Kura complained. Sanjuro ignored her and, with Kathryn's assistance, managed to haul her out of the bar and return her some modesty.

	“You wait here, I will take Kura home” Sanjuro ordered, wanting to keep her sister out of this as much as possible.

	“Come back soon” Kathryn called out, disappointment still in her voice. Sanjuro nodded and continued to drag Kura off through the Moscow streets. She had settled into a kind of disorientated trance for the moment, making it so she was limp in Sanjuro's arms. She no longer resisted, but she did not do anything to help them move either. Sanjuro was more than relieved when he entered the hotel, dragging Kura off to their bedroom with some effort.

	“I want to give you something” she muttered quietly while Sanjuro placed her on the bed. She was very close to falling asleep. Sanjuro leaned over and kissed her good night on the forehead before turning to leave. He could hear Kura softly snoring when he closed the bedroom door behind him.


	Kathryn sat alone and stared at her feet, shivering a little in the cold. She turned her head as he approached, hearing the sound of footsteps behind her. Gone was the comfortable expression on her face; her fantasy, it seemed, was shattered. “Kura is asleep now” Sanjuro commented, sitting down beside her. Kathryn returned to staring down at her feet. Her change in mood cut at Sanjuro like the edge of a sharp knife. He never liked to see either Kura or Kathryn unhappy. There must be some way to cheer her up. “I am sorry if this ruined your evening” he offered quietly. Upon hearing this, she turned to look up and over at him.

	“It was not your fault” she commented softly, “it is also not necessarily ruined.” She smiled lightly at Sanjuro, moving herself closer to him. She then placed her head on his lap, her eyes staring up at him warmly. Sanjuro simply stared back down at her, gently stroking her soft hair with his hand. The two continued to stare cordially at each other, transfixed by each others eyes. This exchange continued for several moments until Kathryn finally decided to avert her gaze, blushing a little.

	“Let's go back to our hotel” she suggested quietly. She slowly lifted her head from Sanjuro's lap and pushed herself up, grabbing Sanjuro's hand in her's. Sanjuro followed her lead, snow beginning to fall softly from the greying sky. Kathryn gently guided Sanjuro to the hotel entrance, up the stairs, and into their rooms. Once there she stared over at Sanjuro's face again, her cheeks continuing to go red.

	Sanjuro embraced his blushing girlfriend, her face inches away from his. She looked back at him, her eyes showing tenderness and want. Sanjuro kissed her gently on the cheek, causing her face to light up even more. To Sanjuro's surprise Kathryn quickly moved forward and started to passionately kiss him. Kathryn's eyes glazed over in satisfaction as Sanjuro started kissing back. Kathryn backed up, still embracing Sanjuro, and deliberately fell onto the couch, Sanjuro landing gently on top of her. After a few more moments of this Sanjuro finally pulled back and took in a few breaths.

	“Sanjuro...” Kathryn said warmly, smiling up at him. “You are better than sex.” Sanjuro raised an eyebrow at this comment.

	“You want to find out for sure?” he whispered softly into her ear. Kathryn's eyes went wide at this unexpected comment.

	“But what about Kura?” Kathryn asked startled.

	“She is comatose in the bedroom and can not disturb us” Sanjuro answered reassuringly. “Tonight is for you.” Kathryn's face turned a dark scarlet. There was of course a part of her that wanted to, but she still felt a little guilty about the idea. Then again, Kura had already made love to Sanjuro herself since the Cronus affair. Kathryn felt Sanjuro gently kiss the exposed part of one of her breasts. She was still torn, thinking over all the options. She then looked over at Sanjuro's face for a few seconds. Finally temptation and desire won out, and she pressed her lips against his.

	“I am willing” she whispered into Sanjuro's ear, but did not seem to release anything more. Sanjuro smiled down at her face, which was now fully scarlet.

	“You are really cute when you are embarrassed” Sanjuro commented. Kathryn smiled weakly up at him, feeling at a loss for words. An awkward silence passed, while the two just stared at each other, unsure about what to do next. Sanjuro kissed Kathryn gently on the neck, and she laid limp, expectant. Sanjuro knew just what to do...


	Kura stirred slowly, still trying to work out where she was and what had happened. Gradually she opened her eyes to see that she was lying in an unfamiliar bedroom, alone. “What did I do last night?” she wondered to herself, thinking hard for a couple of moments, still unable to remember anything. “Where is Sanjuro?” His name stirred something in her mind. Then, suddenly, she remembered everything, and this made her pissed off no end. She pulled herself achingly up out of the bed and stomped roughly over to the bedroom door.

	In the living room, Sanjuro and Kathryn lay together asleep. Kathryn's dress was ruffled and loose, Sanjuro's hair and clothes were unkempt and dishevelled. Kathryn was sprawled out on the couch, her face showing how relaxed she felt. Sanjuro laid next to her, his head resting on her chest, using her breasts as a pillow. Seeing all this did little to help Kura's increasingly spiteful mood. She glared over at them, before turning back into the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind her.

	Sanjuro jerked awake as the door slammed. After taking a few moments to sort himself out, he slowly moved to extricate himself away from Kathryn's side. As he did so her expression changed to show a more disturbed face, but she stayed asleep. Sanjuro took a blanket from one of the chairs and placed it over her. Her expression changed again to something that appeared to be a little more comfortable. Now free, Sanjuro decided he would have another little rest to help sort out the events of the previous night. He walked over to the bedroom door and opened it.

	Kura glared over at him from where she was sitting on the side of the bed. Sanjuro almost felt like putting his hands in the air. “What's wrong?” he asked, but Kura ignored him, continuing to give him the look of death. Sanjuro tried to think what could be the matter; what did he do wrong? She only got like this when... when she was jealous. Of course, it all made sense now; her keeping to herself, getting herself drunk, it all made sense. “Maybe I did go a little overboard with pleasing Kathryn, especially with Cara already making her frustrated” Sanjuro thought slowly to himself, “the question is, what do you do with an angry Kura?” He thought over his various options, while Kura kept glaring and grumbling at him. Sanjuro decided to go with a simple approach.

	“Good morning Kura” he greeted politely, strolling towards her. She stared back at him with so much raw hatred it could make a person go blind. Sanjuro just continued moving over to her, planning his next moves carefully. With a sudden jerk of movement Sanjuro quickly grabbed Kura and started vigorously kissing her. She immediately started to struggle, but Sanjuro persevered, trying his best to pin her down. She started to kick at him forcefully, but Sanjuro still kept kissing her. Kura pushed with all her strength, and Sanjuro was beginning to succumb to exhaustion. Sanjuro managed to look Kura in the eye, his face showing that all he was asking for was forgiveness. She looked over at Sanjuro, her eyes looking into his and considering the situation. Her body suddenly fell limp, her features softening. Sanjuro leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead.

	“I hate you” she commented lightheartedly, a small smile appearing on her lips. Sanjuro smiled down back at her, gently moving her bangs with his hand.

	“Then why are you smiling?” he asked jokingly, causing Kura to let out an almost school-girlish giggle. She then moved her head forward and kissed Sanjuro with her usual gusto. Sanjuro kissed her back, almost feeling proud about how fast he had made her mood turn around. Kura eventually rested her head back again and started to look up at Sanjuro thoughtfully. He gazed curiously down at her, causing her to flash her dirty smile.

	“Why don't we put all this behind us...” Kura said coaxingly, seductively. She wrapped her limbs around Sanjuro like a cobra, trapping him on top of her. Sanjuro did not really like where this was going; not that he was questioning his virility, but once was enough. Then again, what could he possibly say? I can not because I just had sex with Kathryn? Sanjuro mentally pictured Kura, wrapped around him, squeezing him to death, his face turning blue. Kura continued to smile temptingly up at him. Sanjuro simply took in a deep breath and waited for Kura to make the first move. So much for a relaxing trip, though at least he was no longer bored.


	Kathryn woke up calmly, opening her eyes slowly. She gently felt beside her and to her surprise felt that there was no one there. She then looked over at the clock and realized that it was around mid-morning, far later than she had thought. She slipped out of her blanket and got to her feet. She felt really good this morning, better than she had felt in ages. She walked near a mirror, and saw that her appearance contrasted her good mood. Her hair was coarse and unkempt, her dress ruffled and embarrassingly loose and promiscuous. “I better get myself cleaned up before Kura sees me” Kathryn decided quickly.

	For some reason her regular clothes were lying in a disorganized heap near the bedroom door, when she could have sworn she had left them in the bedroom. She shrugged it off and started to change, admiring herself in the mirror. For some reason she suddenly felt like she was incredibly sexy and attractive today. She folded her dress and neatly placed it out of the way under the hotel room couch. She then looked over herself in the mirror again, her hair still ruffled and messily falling over her eyes. She took out a hair brush from her suitcase and started brushing it in front of the mirror.

	The bedroom door burst open, and Sanjuro entered, carrying a comfortable Kura in his arms. Kathryn took one glance, and then went back to brushing. To her surprise Sanjuro then shifted Kura into one arm and picked up Kathryn with the other, her brush slipping from her hand and falling onto the floor as he did this. The two sisters looked up at Sanjuro amused as he tried to carry them both, swaying and straining. He actually did pretty well for a while, but before long he lost his balance, tripped, and landed onto the couch with a thump, Kura and Kathryn falling on top of him. He looked up to see their faces smiling down at him.

	Just then the hotel room door opened, and Baku and Cara entered the room, causing Kura and Kathryn to lay flat, pressing their faces into Sanjuro's shoulders. He looked up weakly towards his new visitors. “I don't mean to intrude...” Baku stated apologetically, now aware that they had come at a bad time, “but I wanted to ask you something.”

	“What is it then Baku?” Sanjuro inquired, feeling both of their breath on his neck.

	“We were wondering if you would like to join us for a walk in the park outside of town” Baku replied nervously, still painfully aware of their intrusion. 

	“Get to know each other better” Cara interjected, her eyes on the back of Kura's head. She did not feel awkward at all, in fact she was almost enjoying it.

	“Fine by me” Sanjuro answered, keen to break the emerging tension. “We will meet you there in about an hour.”

	“Can you please leave now?” Kura interjected, rather impolitely. Baku nodded his head and left the room immediately. Cara lingered for a few moments, savouring seeing Kura squirm. “That is an order Ensign” Kura hissed, noting her insubordination. Cara simply rolled her eyes, and left. “I really hate that woman” Kura griped, lifting her head up from Sanjuro's shoulder.

	“What should we do now?” Kathryn asked, also lifting up her head, her hair falling over her face and ticking Sanjuro's side. He then felt his stomach growl; for some reason he felt drained.

	“You know, I would kill for something to eat” he commented, smiling weakly up at them. Kathryn and Kura smiled back at him, both thinking they knew the reason why. To be perfectly honest though, they both got it wrong. In part at least.


 	Kura grumbled as she grabbed her coat. Sanjuro gave her a stern look, and she reluctantly pushed her arms through the sleeves. She really did not want to take this walk. She would rather spend seven weeks in solitary confinement than spend yet more time with Cara, but it would be rude to Baku to ignore his invitation. Besides, Sanjuro was curious about Cara being this “diplomatic”, as much as she was. Was she trying in her brash own way to end the stalemate, or did she simply have her own reasons for desiring this walk?

	“Oh, come now, you look like a five year old!” Kathryn griped, moving to fix her clothes. “Even if you don't want to come that does not mean you can't dress properly!” Kura flashed a look that roughly translated to “go to hell, I don't give a damn!” Kathryn, in stark contrast, was perfectly dressed; she even had a ribbon in her hair in order to help keep it out of her eyes. She buttoned up Kura's jacket, looking very much like a kindergarten school teacher, and walked out the door. Sanjuro followed, but by the time he had caught up with Kathryn she had already turned around and was walking back to their room. She then led a disgruntled Kura out and down the hall.


	“...and she is so damn stubborn damn it!” Kura continued, Sanjuro bobbing his head up and down softly, while at the same time staring down at his feet, all a difficult act to keep up.

	“To be fair, you are one to judge...” Kathryn remarked, her patience fraying. Kura stopped, turned on her heels, and faced her, obviously not amused.

	“Name one time I was as stubborn as she is?” she snapped. Sanjuro stared more intently at his boots. Being near a pissed off Kura was bad enough, but Baku could become a casualty along the way. Kathryn remained unperturbed by Kura's attitude, and even had a little smirk on her face.

	“Quite a few spring to mind, but I am too polite to say them...” she replied coolly. Kura just looked at her and shook her head.

	“I bet it is really because you can't think of anything” she muttered to herself, but she was wrong. Kathryn was in fact thinking of just a moment where Kura's antics went too far...

	Kathryn stared up at the roof of her school dormitory, thinking. She had a lot to think about. The foremost thing on her mind was Kura's actions over the past few weeks. She had always been stubborn, disobedient, and a little rude, but never like how she had been acting recently. Kura only ever got like this when she was worried or focusing hard on something. One time she got herself so worked up and irritated preparing for a test that, just before they were set to start it, she lipped off the teacher. It would have been comical if her, Sanjuro, Toshiro, and Baku were not also blamed by association.

	It certainly deserved thinking about. Or at least, that was what she was trying to convince herself of. Whenever she did not keep her mind on a particular subject, it would inevitably end up wandering to that kiss. She remembered hearing how her mother got through the Academy at the top of her class by steering clear of any sort of relationship and focusing solely on her studies. Kathryn had modelled much of her life after her mother's example, and wanted to continue following her lead. She was not even all that interested in boys, so she had had no trouble. That kiss changed all that of course.

	“It was my first kiss, it is only human to think about it...” She turned over on the bed. “Anyways, I was scared as all hell when he did it...” she reminded herself. “It is not like I will be seeking it out again.” Well, that was not entirely true. She remembered how she had felt after the initial shock was over, when she was getting used to it, and then how she felt when it was suddenly over. She had to admit it to herself, she wanted it to last longer than it did; that was not evil, it was normal. If only it had lasted for a few more moments, maybe she would not be thinking about it so much. Maybe it would not feel like she was deprived of the full pleasure of it. Maybe if she got Sanjuro to kiss her one more time...

	“No!” her mind screamed, trying to regain control of her desires and fantasies. “That is silly. I just need to get over this, and then I will be fine. People have had crushes on people before, and have gotten over them. And this is not even really a crush, more a mere temptation. Surely I will get over Sanjuro at some point!” Kathryn got up, not wanting to be left alone with her mind anymore, and looked down at the bunk below. Kura was also awake, staring over at the clock. She called down to her and asked for the time, desperate to hear another human voice. Kura ignored her, and continued to stare over at the clock.

	“Kura, what time is it?” Kathryn repeated, this time louder and more forceful. Kura did not even bat an eyelid. “Kura, what time is it?!” Kathryn exclaimed, now irritated. This time Kura did look up, but only for as long as it took for her to roll over and turn to stare at the bedroom wall. “You're ignoring me again aren't you?” Kathryn inquired, downcast. Kura grabbed her blankets and pulled the covers over her head. “Come on, this is childish, why are you ignoring me?” Kathryn demanded, unsure of herself. Kura picked up her pillow and put it over her ears. “What did I do wrong?”

	“I'm not talking to you!” Kura replied finally, glaring at the wall.

	“That did not answer my question” Kathryn replied calmly, relieved for even that level of human contact. “What did I do wrong?”

	“Why do you hate me?” Kura exclaimed suddenly. Kathryn looked down at her puzzled.

	“I don't hate you” Kathryn answered softly, almost apologetically. “Now, what did I do wrong?”

	“Everything, okay!” Kura shouted out curtly. “You are always bossing me around, you never let me do anything, and now you are taking things for yourself!” 

	“What on earth are you talking about?!” Kathryn replied, taken aback.

	“You know what I am talking about...” Kura responded in almost a growl. Kathryn let out an exasperated sigh.

	“This is about that spin the bottle thing isn't it?” she inquired, surprisingly calmly. Kura shot her back a glare of utter hatred. “Look, I know what you are trying to do, but we are too young for that sort of thing...” Kathryn began, but was quickly cut off by Kura.

	“You may be too young for that sort of thing, but that is because you will never be, and that is because you are not human!” This remark cut through Kathryn like a knife through butter. She wanted to tell Kura that she was wrong, that she was not inhuman, that she thought of these things to, but she could not. To think, she had wanted to talk to someone to distract her from the very feelings that Kura was now denying she had. All this just made her feel even worse.

	“Look, Kura, I can understand what you are going through, but please think about what our mother said...” Kathryn implored, almost as much to remind herself as to remind her sister. Kura was in no mood for a lecture.

	“Fuck mother, I don't care anymore!” Kura screamed. Kathryn just stared at her, not believing what she was hearing.

	“What did you say?” she asked quietly.

	“I said fuck mother!” she yelled out once again. “And fuck you too!” With that she turned, hopped off the bunk, and ran out the door. Kathryn just stared at the doorway, unable to speak. Then she started to cry. Kura was always impulsive and she had always spoke her mind, but she had never done anything like this before. She cried for a full five minutes, out of shock, fear, and frustration before finally pulling herself together. She climbed down from her bunk to the floor, took out a piece of paper, and started writing. She did not want to do this. A part of her mind screamed that she was letting Kura win, while another part screamed that she was betraying her mother, but the most unbearable part, the one that ate at her very being, was the part that said she was betraying herself.

	After she finished writing, she grabbed an envelope, wrote “Sanjuro” on it, and slipped her note inside. She did not want to do this. It would lead to exactly to the situation that she had been trying to avoid, but she almost did not care anymore. Anything would feel better than how she felt now. She just wanted this all to end, for everything to be back to normal. She was not used to her emotions telling her what to do. She usually was able to keep them under control, but now she felt so many variations of shock, fear, love, frustration, pity, loathing, self-hatred, betrayal, and confusion that she could not help but feel overwhelmed. She sealed the envelope, and walked out into the Academy's hall.

	It was strangely silent in the hallways at this time of night. The teachers and other staff enforced a strict curfew policy, essential in their minds to instill a sense of military discipline. All Kathryn could hear was the soft scamper of her own feet as she progressed. She kept moving, searching for Sanjuro's quarters. The lights being out was not helping matters at all. She sat down for a moment to get her bearings. Her head began to throb, already strained from her inner torment and now being compounded by even more confusion and frustration. She looked up, and there in front of her was Sanjuro's quarters. How come she had not noticed it before?

	She pulled herself up and moved over to the quarters' letterbox. She gripped the letter in her hands tightly. She still did not want to do this. She took a deep breath and placed the letter in the slot. She could not convince herself to let it drop inside. She just stood there, holding it halfway in the slot, not sure what to do. “If you let go of this letter, you will regret it for the rest of your life” her mind told her. She suddenly felt bitter, not against any particular person, but against her mind itself. It had kept her hostage all night; it was its fault she felt the way she did now. She did not care anymore. She let go of the letter. She exhaled finally. It had been done.

	“And what exactly are you doing out of bed young lady?” Kathryn spun to see one of the teaching staff standing behind her, arms crossed, tapping his foot on the ground accusingly. She really had no good answer, so she just stared down at the floor while the teacher grabbed her arm and started to drag her back to her quarters.

	“You found the other one then?” someone said. Kathryn looked up to see Kura was being held rather undignified by her arm by yet another member of the teaching staff. She must have woke them up when she ran off into the halls. “Now look you two...” the man holding Kura said, addressing both Kathryn and Kura. “You know better than this, and you know your father expects more from you. Give us one good reason why we should not tell him about this little escapade?” Kura looked up livid. 

	“Don't lose your temper Kura...” Kathryn thought anxiously. “Don't get father involved....” Kura must have seen the look on Kathryn's face, or maybe she had just seen reason, but she finally lowered her gaze and allowed herself to give in.

	“Now, we are going to let you off with only a warning this time” the teacher continued, aware of the power that they had now regained over them. “But if we ever catch you out of bed again you will not be shown the same amount of fair treatment.” 

	“Yes sir” both Kura and Kathryn murmured simultaneously, before being forced back into their quarters. The door slammed shut behind them, and an audible click could be heard as they locked them inside as an extra measure. Both of them just stared at the wall for a few moments, before Kathryn finally turned over to Kura. “That sure was close...” she commented quietly.

	“Fuck off” Kura replied, her face still angry and evidently not forgiving. Kathryn could not help herself, she began to tear up again. Kura just glared over at her, before finally returning to bed. Kathryn ran up to her top bunk and began sobbing into her pillow. She would be crying until morning.


	“Ah, you're here...” Baku acknowledged nervously. “I was beginning to think you were not able to follow my directions, I was rather vague after all...”

	“They were fine Baku, some of us just had a little trouble getting ready” Kathryn replied, her eyes shifting towards Kura for a second. Kura allowed herself a glare back for a few moments, before her face returned to its previous forced placid expression.

	“Where is Cara?” Sanjuro inquired, unable to see her nearby. A bush then rustled and she rolled out from behind it, leaping to an upright position. She stood satisfied, a smug smile appearing on her lips.

	“You know we are not in training right now Ensign...” Kura commented, rolling her eyes. “You do not need to roll around like you had an accident involving petrol and a cigarette lighter.”

	“Well, I had to do something while I was waiting for you to show up” Cara replied smugly, “some military timing...” Baku let out a little “cough” into his hand, and Cara sighed reluctantly.
“But I suppose you had more important things to do” she added uncomfortably. With that, the five of them headed off down the path's main trail. Baku, Sanjuro, and Kathryn tried to make conversation from time to time, but with Kura and Cara glaring at each other everyone still felt too awkward to say much of anything. This continued for a little while until Cara tripped on a tree branch, evidently paying too much attention to her staring match with Kura than her own two feet. Kura could not help herself.

	“Watch your footwork there Ensign, a soldier can't let mere trees get in their way” Kura commented coolly. Cara looked over at her annoyed.

	“As you said, we are not in training” she snapped back.

	“Well, it is best to watch where you are going anyway...” Kura remarked, barely being able to hide how much she was enjoying this. With that remark both Kathryn and Sanjuro “coughed” into their hands much like Baku had done. Kura sighed. “But I suppose you did recover pretty well...” she offered unwillingly. She then shot back an irritated glare over at Sanjuro and Kathryn. Baku shifted uncomfortably.

	 “So, did you enjoy the Ball?” Baku asked Sanjuro, trying to change the subject.

	“Yeah, it was fine” Sanjuro replied. “I am sure Kathryn enjoyed it.”

	“We thought you went with her, considering we saw Kura next door drink...” Cara remarked, before being cut off by a quick “cough” by Baku. “Not getting a cold are you, Baku dear?” she asked, shooting him an annoyed glance. Baku simply shook his head and looked down at his feet again. They then continued to walk down the path, once again clouded in an awkward silence. Sanjuro sighed; this was not going well. The only time they were able to talk was when Kura or Cara were trying to send jibes at each other.

	“Well that's just brilliant...” Cara exclaimed suddenly, pointing towards the path ahead. In front of them was a natural gorge, a bridge connecting the two ends. Unfortunately the bridge was not extended, and the only extension controls were teasingly on the other side. Across the gorge lay the end of the path and the exit from the park. If they had to turn around it would take another half hour to get back to basically this position.

	“Where do you think you're going?” Cara asked, seeing that Kathryn, Sanjuro, and Baku had already turned around and were heading back down the path.

	“We can not possibly cross here” Baku replied. “I guess we'll have to turn back.”

	“It's only a short way across...” Cara responded, studying the terrain.

	“And a long way down as well...” Kura interjected sharply, “what do you plan to do, take a running leap?” She had actually been thinking of a similar plan herself, but with Cara acting so brash it was probably in her best interest to act as the voice of reason for once.

	“Kura's right you know...” Sanjuro commented. “I personally would only try that in a M.C.A. with its hydraulics in good working order. You could probably manage it if you really tried on foot, but I would not recommend it.”

	“Admiral, I think you are being overly cautious” Cara snapped. 

	“Don't you speak to Sanju... the Admiral like that Ensign!” Kura replied sharply.

	“What is the point of all those training exercises if you won't let us use them?” Cara retorted, looking over the side of the gorge.

	“Those are for emergencies, and when you are doing those you should have U.C.A. backup” Kura replied. Kathryn could not help but smirk, she sounded just like their father.

	“I am going to try it!” Cara exclaimed, “if you four want to turn back than I won't stop you.”

	“Ensign, I am warning you...” Kura growled, her voice low and dangerous. Cara rolled her eyes and jumped. All was going well. Her feet made contact with the ground on the other side. Unfortunately that ground was not very stable, causing her to slip on the ice and fall backwards back towards the gorge. Right before she fell feet first into the dark precipice her hands gripped the edge. She looked back to the other side.

	“You were saying about U.C.A. backup?” she asked sheepishly. Kura groaned. The others looked over unsure what to do about the situation. Cara looked back at them, even like this retaining an expression of independence. It made Kura want to kill her.

	“I can't see any real way for us to get across...” Kura commented, taking charge, “can you try and pull yourself up?” Cara tried her best to push on the edge, but all that did was cause it to fall apart and she had to quickly grab onto a different part of the ledge before the bit she was holding crumbled. “Guess not...” Kura muttered before letting out a deep sigh, walking a few steps backwards. Then she suddenly took a running leap across the gorge and landed on the other side. She too slipped, but she had come prepared and immediately grabbed hold of a nearby tree. “Take my hand...” Kura ordered as she walked over slowly to where Cara was hanging. Cara extended one hand over towards her, but the weight shift to her other hand proved to be too much for the ground and it too crumbled.

	Before long Cara found herself falling, frantically trying to grab hold of the side of the gorge, unable to get a grip. Kura leaped and grabbed her hand just seconds before it would have fallen out of her reach. Cara looked up at Kura, her eyes anxious, her face for once losing its arrogant confidence. Kura tried her best to hold onto her, but she had problems of her own. The only thing stopping her from joining Cara in the gorge was the fact that she had lodged one of her feet in between two tree trunks. She could tell already that it would not hold and she was going to fall. She had to think fast. She reached for something on her belt just seconds before her foot lost its hold.

	“Kura!” Kathryn exclaimed as she tumbled over the side. Sanjuro ran up to the side of the gorge, Kathryn beside him. Baku nervously paced from side to side, unsure of what to do. Sanjuro looked over the edge alone, Kathryn not being able to muster the courage to look with him. At first Sanjuro was not able to see anything. Then he noticed what looked to be a length of metal wire which lead all the way to the two tree trunks Kura had used as earlier. Embedded in one of the trunks was a small metal hook.

	“Are they alright?” Kathryn asked, tears of worry going down her cheeks. 

	“I think they are going to be okay...” Sanjuro replied, seeing a welcome sight. Kura was now climbing up the wire, Cara clinging onto her back. Her progress was slowed down considerably by the extra weight, but she was now being powered by pure adrenaline. She dragged herself over the side and threw Cara over the edge. She then walked over, pressed the extension panel, and collapsed beside Cara on the ground. Sanjuro, Kathryn, and Baku immediately ran across over to them.

	“Are you okay?” Sanjuro inquired concernedly. They both continued to lie prostrate on the ground, breathing heavily. After a few moments they looked over at each other. Then they just started laughing, uncontrollably and unashamedly. Baku gave Sanjuro and Kathryn a questioning look, who just responded with looks of their own. The two continued to laugh for four minutes before finally stopping and catching their breath.

	“I can tell you one thing...” Kura commented between breaths, “you did get us to the other side!” To that, Cara only grinned.


	Sanjuro opened his eyes and glanced over at the clock, which displayed that it was six o'clock in the afternoon. He must have fallen asleep, and considering what he had gotten up to last night, that was probably a good thing. He tried to turn over but found a large immovable object on top of him, which upon further inspection turned out to be Kathryn. She was in her favourite position in the world, cuddling up to Sanjuro, her head resting on his shoulder. Sanjuro gently placed his arms around her, and her smile deepened into a full blown beam. Suddenly they were disturbed by the sound of talking and laughing coming from the hallway outside. Kathryn opened her eyes and frowned at the door; she had been enjoying herself.

	The door burst open and Kura, with Cara only a few steps behind, entered the room, talking loudly.	“I mean, what idiot decided to build a park on a gorge anyway?” Cara remarked, a good humoured sneer on her face. 

	“Hey, they weren't expecting people to jump into them you know!” Kura jibbed.

	“It just proves that they have too many lethargic people around here...” Cara replied coolly.

	“Why don't you go to the bar downstairs and say that?” Kura smirked.

	“I would, but you explain that to the paramedics and the cops...” Cara returned, “and besides, that would make my statement untrue now wouldn't it?” That comment caused both Cara and Kura to suddenly burst out laughing, oblivious to everyone else in the room. Kathryn had had enough.

	“I thought you had a date with Baku this evening?” Kathryn commented. The look on Cara's face took a sharp u-turn as a look of realization appeared on her face.

	“Oh god, I forgot!” she exclaimed. “Sorry Commander, I have to go!”

	“That is Kura to you” she replied with a wink.

	“Goodbye Kura” Cara smiled back, before turning on her heels and running out the door as Kura plumped herself down on a nearby easy chair.

	“Do you do anything but sleep?” Kura asked, staring down at where Kathryn and Sanjuro lay.

	“I had a late night last night if you recall...” Kathryn replied curtly, resting her head ever more deeply into Sanjuro's chest.

	“No Cara's right, there are too many lethargic people around here...” Kura remarked.

	“I thought you said she was a lying backstabber?” Kathryn commented, recalling a previous conversation.

	“Umm... yes” Kura replied muddled, “how on earth would you know she had a date anyway?” she inquired, trying to change the subject. For once, they were actually on Earth when she said that.

	“I didn't” Kathryn answered. “I was bluffing.” 

	“Why the hell did you do that?” Kura asked surprised.

	“Because it was more polite than saying 'get the hell out of my room you screech owl'” Kathryn responded, enjoying the fact she could now voice her complaint out loud.

	“You just don't want anyone to have any fun...” Kura replied, idly flicking through a magazine she found on one of the tables. Kathryn sighed, and nestled herself back into a comfortable position by Sanjuro's side. If only Kura did know what she had given up for her so that she could have some fun. Kathryn closed her eyes and went back to sleep...

	Kathryn sat underneath a tree in the Academy's large grounds, focusing intently on the textbook which lay near her feet. Not that she really needed to study; all she really needed was something to distract her for awhile. At the moment, being trapped with her own mind did not really bear thinking about. She turned another page in her textbook only to find out that she had passed her assigned pages long before. She then finally closed the book, after having read through it five times already. She leaned her head against the tree behind her and closed her eyes for a few moments. She was very tired, but she knew if she tried to sleep she would only feel worse in the end.

	She opened up her eyes again and took a look around, before something caught her eye. Sanjuro and Kura were walking down the main path together. This was not exactly an unusual sight, but something about how they were walking was different. After further inspection Kathryn noticed that the two of them were holding hands. Kura suddenly stopped, and on tip-toe whispered something into Sanjuro's ear. Sanjuro whispered something back conspiratorially. Kathryn leaned forward for a better view. Sanjuro gently embraced Kura in a warm hug before giving her a friendly, if inexperienced, kiss. Kura's face blossomed into the biggest smile Kathryn thought she had ever seen in her life. She could not help but feel a pang of jealously as Kura walked up and gave Sanjuro a kiss back.

	Suddenly she turned and saw Kathryn, and then she started to run towards her. Kathryn quickly opened her textbook and stared down at it, not wanting Kura to know that she was looking. “Hello...” Kura said breathlessly after she had approached, her face still glowing.

	“Hmm?” Kathryn replied, still looking at the textbook.

	“Look, I just wanted to say thank you for... you know....” Kura mumbled, “Sanjuro and everything.”

	“What makes you think that I did anything?” Kathryn asked, finally looking up from her book and facing Kura.

	“Who else could have?” Kura replied quickly. Kathryn frowned and looked back down at her text book. Noticing this, Kura quickly added “Who else would have?” Kathryn could not help but smile, and stared back up at Kura, who was grinning back.

	“So you two are now a...” Kathryn began.

	“Looks like it” Kura responded, staring at the ground. She began kicking the grass idly with her feet. Finally she looked up and asked “Kathryn?”

	“Yes?” she answered.

	“I... I just wanted to apologize for how I acted last night. I was rude and out of line and I did not mean some of the things I said...” Kura started.

	“It is okay. I suppose I will just have to get used to people telling me to fuck off” Kathryn replied coolly. Kura frowned, staring down at the ground. Kathryn's face softened before adding “you know I didn't really mean that.” Kura looked up and smiled back down at her.

	“Thanks for everything...” Kura commented.

	“I don't know, somehow I feel I am going to live to regret all this...” Kathryn responded.

	“Oh, don't worry!” Kura replied quickly. “I promise to study my hardest and I wont let this get in the way of anything!” That was not really what Kathryn meant, but she smiled back anyway.

	“Go on...” Kathryn commented, “your lover boy is waiting for you.”

	“See you later!” Kura replied, before running back towards Sanjuro who was waiting for her back at the path. After a few more steps she stopped, turned around, and called out “I'll be sure to tell you all about the best bits!” Kathryn waved back as Kura turned and started running again. She skidded to a halt right into Sanjuro's waiting arms. She gave him the first of her really energetic kisses in response, squeezing him as tight as she could. Kathryn watched all this with a thoughtful frown. If she had really wanted to, it could have been her. Kathryn closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree again, allowing herself to imagine just this once what it would have been like.

	 She sighed and opened her eyes again. Kura and Sanjuro were continuing to walk hand-in-hand down the path. They looked so happy together, and she wished them the best, even if it meant keeping her own feelings hidden and buried. She yawned and looked over at her watch. She should probably get some sleep, she did have a test scheduled for tomorrow. She picked up her belongings and pushed herself up. Sanjuro looked over at her for a second, and their eyes met. After exchanging friendly glances, Kathryn gave a little nod and Sanjuro did the same. With that, they turned and both went their separate ways...

	Kathryn opened her groggy eyes once again. The sun had set outside and moonlight illuminated the room through the hotel window. She looked over at the clock and saw it flash “1:00 AM”. She moved to stretch and to her surprise felt no one beside her. Sanjuro had manged to slide himself out from under her, placing a pillow beneath her head and tucking her in for the night. She slid out herself from underneath the blankets and got up. She walked over to the bedroom door to find Sanjuro and Kura both asleep on the bed, her head resting comfortably where Kathryn's was just hours before. 

	Kathryn stared down at them for a moment. The expression on Kura's face looked so similar to how it looked in her remembrance it was surreal. She sighed. There was no way she could join them without waking them both up. “No room at the inn...” she muttered, before turning around and walking back to the living room. She sat back down on the couch. Life was cruel sometimes. All she wanted to do now was just know Sanjuro was by her side, to know that things had changed. She pushed her face into the palms of her hands for a moment.

	“This is silly...” she thought. “I know perfectly well things have changed. I don't need Sanjuro to remind me of it.” She slipped back under the covers and closed her eyes, trying to get back to sleep, but her mind was trapped in another time, pondering things from the past, missed opportunities. What if things had been different? What could she have experienced? How different would she be right now? She tossed and turned and thought for what seemed to be a lifetime before finally opening her eyes and staring over at the clock. “1:45 AM” it read. Kathryn sighed once again. It was going to be a long night.


	Sanjuro rested his eyelids for a few moments before finally opening his eyes and looking around the room again. It was finally quiet for once. Not that Baku and Cara's company was unwelcome, but it did add to the noise level quite a bit, especially now that Cara and Kura were friends. He felt Kura yawn beside him, before leaning downwards and resting her head on his lap. He ran his hands through her hair as she smiled and fell asleep. He remembered the first time he had done this, back when Kura was just beginning to be his girlfriend. He honestly had very little idea about what to do with girls, but if it worked with animals why would it not work with women? Luckily for him she did seem to enjoy it and did not think that Sanjuro was treating her like a household pet.

	With one girlfriend “subdued”, he looked over to check on the other one. Kathryn was sitting opposite him staring thoughtfully, almost forlornly, out of one of the transport shuttle's windows. “What's the matter?” Sanjuro asked, commenting on Kathryn's expression.

	“What?” she replied, distractedly, her gaze not leaving the viewport window. 

	“You seem a little melancholy” Sanjuro responded concernedly.

	“Oh, it is nothing” Kathryn lied.

	“Look, I know you better than that...” Sanjuro said sharply, “tell me what's bothering you.” Kathryn at last looked away from the window and stared over at him.

	“I really do love you, you know...” she replied with a sigh.

	“I know you do” Sanjuro responded, now a bit confused, “that still does not explain the reason for the sad face.”

	“I don't know, I have just been thinking about a lot of things recently...” Kathryn began, before stopping mid-sentence to stare Sanjuro straight in the eye. “Do you know when it was I first fell in love with you?” she then added quietly.

	“I don't know, I knew you had a crush on me in college...” Sanjuro answered, still unsure.

	“No, it was much earlier than that” Kathryn commented, cutting him off.

	“How much earlier?” Sanjuro asked, raising an eyebrow. Kathryn leaned back in her seat and stared up at the roof for a few moments.

	“Since you first kissed me” she replied quietly. She looked back towards Sanjuro. “Do you have any idea what it is like to have to live with that for around a decade?” Sanjuro stared back at her, unsure what to say. “All that time spent in silent affection seeing you with somebody else...” she continued solemnly, “if Kura had been any other woman I would have killed her.” 

	“I thought you had sworn against violence” Sanjuro commented quietly.

	“Well, I hadn't then had I?” Kathryn exclaimed, now irritated. Sanjuro thought that she was going to tear up.

	“Look, if it makes you feel any better I always did think highly of you...” Sanjuro reassured her comfortingly.

	“Oh, it was not your fault...” she responded glumly, “it was not even Kura's. It was all just circumstance.”

	“Circumstance did give you a chance in the end though” Sanjuro reminded her.

	“Maybe...” Kathryn replied, “but of course then I had to feel guilty about it.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Though I was not always guilty...” she continued, more for her own benefit than for anyone else. “I hate to admit it but sometimes... sometimes I feel those were the best days of my life; my schoolgirl dream finally being realized, you and me being together with only each other.” She paused, and started staring down at her feet. “I am really am a witch aren't I?” she inquired sadly.

	“Kathryn...” Sanjuro sighed, now sure of what to say. “You have got to stop beating yourself up over things. I know you missed Kura as much as I did, but that does not mean the time we had together wasn't special.”

	“Even so, I still feel bad” Kathryn replied morosely.

	“Well, that just proves you missed her” Sanjuro commented. 

	“Remember when we were very young and all five of us were best friends?” she asked, changing the suspect, “back before we fought over each other, before we lost each other in U.C.A. missions?”

	“What are you alluding to?” Sanjuro replied, now unsure again.

	“Ever since I fell in love with you a part of my life has felt, well, fragmented in some way. It was very subtle, but it was always there somewhat. I could no longer be just your friend, and Kura could no longer just be my sister anymore.” She paused for a moment to further gather her thoughts. “Our interactions with each other never seemed 'whole' anymore” she continued, “and then when I finally did have you to myself all my friends were dead and Kura with them. Sometimes I wish we still had gender segregated schools, then none of this could of happened.”

	“I would never have met you though” Sanjuro said, considering the prospect, “I would probably still be a lonely orphan boy with no one to count on. Well, other than Toshiro...”

	“Yes, but you know what I mean...” Kathryn commented, not satisfied with the response. Sanjuro decided to try again.

	“Anyways, everyone's back now and I still love you...” he replied, wanting her to get it out in the open, “why don't you feel whole now?”

	“I don't now, that's the problem with emotions, you can't reason with them” Kathryn answered annoyed, ”I still do feel trapped, knowing that I have to share you.” She finally looked up and stared over at Sanjuro again. “There are times when I... try to convince myself that you are mine and mine alone again, and I do apologize, I know it gives you a hard time...”

	“It's all right Kathryn, I don't blame you...” Sanjuro started. She started looking down at the floor again.

	“It is true though isn't it? I just want so much for myself that I take it out on other people. It is incredibly selfish of me to want you to be with me alone. I was right before, I really am a witch...”

	“No you're not” Sanjuro replied, “after all, it was you who set me up with Kura in the first place.” Kathryn froze, and then looked slowly up at Sanjuro.

	“You actually remember that?” she said surprised.

	“Of course I do, I even still have the letter” Sanjuro answered.

	“So it was a letter then was it?” a voice asked calmly. Sanjuro turned to see Kura staring back up at him from his lap. “I did wonder” she said smiling.

	“How much did you hear?” an embarrassed Kathryn cried out.

	“Oh, pretty much everything from 'do you know when it was I first fell in love with you?' onwards” she replied, getting up. Kathryn's face turned a dark shade of red as Kura turned to look at her. “Oh, it's alright Kathryn...” she soothed, “it is nice to finally hear you being completely honest for once.” Kathryn fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. “If it means anything to you, I never did forget what you did for me” Kura continued, “I am not stupid; I knew you fancied Sanjuro yourself, but I always did remember, even when I found you with him.” Kura paused. “To quote you” she said, “'if you had been any other woman I would have killed you.'”

	“That's a paraphrase actually” Kathryn corrected quietly. Kura smiled and rolled her eyes.

	“You always were a little English teacher weren't you?” she grinned. Kathryn shrugged and turned to look back out the shuttle's viewport window. After a few moments observing this, Kura sighed and said “come over and be with Sanjuro, you know you want to.” Kathryn quickly turned to face the two of them. “I won't stop you...” Kura continued. Kathryn stared thoughtfully over at Sanjuro for a few seconds, before getting up and running over to his waiting arms. She moved her head forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

	“...assuming of course that I get to be with him later” Kura added with a wink. Kathryn turned to face her irritably, before her face softened and she let out a little laugh. Kura grinned back.


	Sanjuro shifted comfortably on the couch in his quarters. Although it was an eventful trip, he was glad to be home. It may have been a long time since he was able to exercise his trigger finger, but at least it managed to cure him of his boredom. Now he could enjoy the slower pace for a little while, with many of his problems sorted out. Sanjuro stretched and sunk his head deeper into his pillow.  From this new position he could hear something, the faint sound of keys tapping. Sanjuro decided to follow his ear. Upon getting up he twisted the knob on his bedroom door slowly, barely causing it to creak as he opened it up just a crack. Peering inside, he could see Kathryn typing on his computer terminal. Sanjuro smiled; she was writing again.

	He pushed the door the rest of the way open and walked briskly towards her. Always secretive, she turned off her screen and twisted her chair around to face him. Sanjuro smiled amused. “What are you hiding?” he asked softly. Kathryn just blushed up at him, unsure how to respond. “You really are cute when you are embarrassed” he commented.

	“Oh, so you are going to make a habit of sneaking up on me are you?” she asked lightheartedly.

	“Not that you are not drop dead gorgeous when you a smiling” Sanjuro added with a wink. Kathryn grinned back up at him, her cheeks still red. “But you still have not answered my question...” Sanjuro continued, “it is my computer you were using you know.” Sanjuro reached for the monitor's on switch, as Kathryn started twirling aimlessly around in her chair, continuing to look sheepish. Sanjuro gazed through the columns of text on the screen. “I did not know you used to keep a picture of me with you at all times” Sanjuro commented, continuing to read the text on the screen.

	“Of course I did, I even still have the picture” Kathryn replied, miming Sanjuro's words from earlier that day.

	“So what inspired you to write all of this then?” Sanjuro asked, finally turning his face away from the screen. Kathryn shrugged up at him.

	“I have been thinking about the past a lot lately, and it seemed to make sense to write some of it down” she explained. Sanjuro nodded back at her with a smile.

	“Take this” he commented, handing her a piece of paper. “Something to write about” he explained softly. Kathryn looked down at the piece of paper, a deep smile appearing on her face.

	“The letter!” she beamed, “I don't know what to say... thank you!” Sanjuro responded simply with a wink.

	“You wrote it, you might as well have it back” he commented.

	“Well, it was addressed to you for Kura's sake” she replied, archiving the letter, “where is Kura anyway?”

	“Gone drinking with Cara” Sanjuro answered, “with those two being friends I wonder if Carla's paycheck will increase. I don't know what Baku should have been more afraid of; Kura not liking her, or them becoming best friends. Cara barely has time to be with him anymore!”

	“She will make time” Kathryn said, “I always did for you.”

	“That's a pleasant thought at least” Sanjuro mused, right as something opened the door.

	“What is?” Kura asked, walking into the room. Kathryn quickly span to face the terminal interface, selected the save and close option, and turned back at a speed that made some of Kura's combat drills look sluggish.

	“The prodigal sister has returned then?” Kathryn remarked, as if nothing had happened at all.

	“I had to” Kura replied with a smirk, “we nearly ran the bar out of anything decent!”

	“Shocking...” Kathryn retorted, releasing a little yawn, turning to look at the clock. It flashed in large friendly letters the numbers “10:00 PM” back at her, and she pulled herself out of the chair. “I don't know about you two, but I think I am going to have an early night.”

	“Eh, why not?” Kura responded, walking over to her wardrobe. Kathryn moved to do the same before she noticed that there was something different about the room.

	“Hey, what happened to the mattresses?” she asked confusedly, referring to the two large mattresses that had previously laid on either side of the bed. Now both Kura and Sanjuro smirked.

	“We got rid of them” he answered. Kathryn raised her eyebrows. “It is not like we used them much anymore” Sanjuro elaborated.

	“And besides...” Kura interjected while slipping on her nightgown, “you were saying how you wanted us to feel 'whole' again.” Kathryn smiled thoughtfully.

	“Thank you” she murmured, taking her own nightwear out of the closet. After redressing, she turned to see Sanjuro and Kura already settled on the bed. She slid in beside Sanjuro, her head resting on his arm, looking around the room. On the nightstand were two pictures of Toshiro and Samantha hand-in-hand, as well as one of the few pictures Cara had convinced Baku to take of them being together. At the other end of the bed, Kura was smiling pleasantly, her eyes closed. Sanjuro had his arms around them both, holding them in a warm embrace. Everyone around her seemed happy, and Kathryn could see no reason why she should be unhappy.

	“The past should not be viewed as a realm of missed opportunities and sad memories” Kathryn thought to herself, “you should enjoy your past and think of the good times. Face problems today and don't let them cloud your memories. I should not let parts of my past traumatize me today.” She looked over at the photographs again. She heard Kura snoring softly behind her, and could feel the warmth of Sanjuro's arm wrapped around her waist. “We are all here, and now it is time for me to enjoy it” she concluded before closing her eyes and nestling herself even more comfortably into Sanjuro's side. She was happy; she felt whole again.

THE END

July 5, 2008 – July 25, 2009
(ONE YEAR, TWENTY DAYS)

Review read and cleaned up on June 17-22, 2014, July 6, and August 4-9-10, 2014.

Reviewed by Graham L. Wilson from August 27-28, 2014.