Chapter 6

--

After a substantially long ride through roads even Natsuki was unfamiliar with, Nao led her two cousins up a narrowing road that seemed to lead up a mountain.

Nina and Natsuki shot each other questioning looks but as they were experienced riders anyway both chose to follow their red headed cousin up the slopes without incident.

A few moments later Nao signalled her cousins to slow down as she parked her bike at the top of the mountain, near a large tree.

"What are you doing Nao?," Natsuki asked suspiciously. "Don't stand too close to that tree, I don't want you angering nature."

Grinning, Nao ran a hand on the tree's trunk and motioned to the two objects lying underneath it as Nina and Natsuki ambled towards her.

"Dig," she said simply.

"Hell no." Natsuki deadpanned.

Nina gaped.

"Please don't tell me we're here to steal a tree. Did we ride all the way over here to steal the tree?"

"Just dig," Nao insisted.

Her cousins, wondering why the redhead was without her usual smirk or even her annoyance causing grin decided to act a little unexpected themselves by actually humouring her.

"Hey what's this, we hit a hard thing," Nina observed nervously as she allowed her shovel to make contact with the object once more.

"Oh my God we dug up a coffin!," Natsuki announced. "Put it back put it back!"

"Nao probably killed someone through her ridiculousness and now we know about it! Oh my God we're gonna go to jail!" Nina said, now equally panicked. "What should we do? Should we run?,"

Natsuki threw her shovel to the side and nodded.

"Good idea Nina! Let's sacrifice the stupid!," she said. "Let's leave Nao and run."

The redhead in question who had taken to posing next to her bike wandered closer to where her cousin's were located.

"Hey what are you guys doing over there? Why do you look like you're about to run away? Geez just finish digging up the time capsule and bring it over here ok?"

Natsuki backtracked a moment while Nina felt her jaw drop.

"The time what?"

"Oh yeah that was in the note," Nao said.

"What note?"

"There's a note?"

"Oh yeah I didn't tell you guys, I got a call from my dad and then Natsuki your dad gave me this piece of paper this morning and then Nina's dad sent me a text, it's like they thought I was gonna forget or screw up or something."

Nina and Natsuki found their coffin-fear was subsiding and shot glares at their cousin.

"Natsuki, what? Nina was at school already and they prolly didn't want to walk into you and Shizuru doing your thing..." Nao replied as she took steps towards the other girls.

Normal, danger fearing people would have usually taken the more sense making back wards steps but then again, Nao was a purebred risk taker.

"You had instructions?? Why didn't you tell us this before?!," Natsuki asked as she grabbed the note, tossed it to Nina and smacked Nao on the forehead.

"I didn't think it was important," Nao replied as she shot glares at Natsuki as she rubbed her forehead.

"You're Nao we never even gave you permission to think on your own!"

"Oh my God am I not allowed to forget and/or not care enough to remember?! You guys are too demanding. Here it is. Just read it for your selves."

"This isn't a note Nao, it's a map."

"Yeah that's what I said," the redhead replied as she stepped over to the tree and carefully dug out the small container by herself as her cousins hovered close by.

"There is seriously something wrong with you," Natsuki declared.

"I know," Nao replied agreeing wholeheartedly. "I'm not feeling comfortable at all, I don't think I was made for manual labour."

--

Meanwhile at the Kikukawa-Suzushiro residence...

"Fujino, it's Haruka Kikukawa-Suzushiro here. Put down that tea I'm sure you're holding for a moment and pay attention to me."

"Haruka you don't have to announce yourself like that whenever we find ourselves having a telephone conversation."

"You can tell just by the sound?"

"You have a distinctive voice."

"Ugh, you're doing that laughing with your eyes thing again bubuzuke. I can tell, quit it."

"Did you call just so we can play telephone games Miss Kikukawa-Suzushiro?"

"I said quit it! Anyway no, I called because I'm very busy and important and..."

"You called me."

"Be quiet for one second! I called to challenge you!"

"What was that Haruka?"

"I challenge you!"

"Ara."

"Don't ara... don't do that! Why do you have to be so frustrating?!"

"Play nicely with your friends Haruka," Yukino called.

"Wait there bubuzuke!," the blonde said into the phone before hastily attempting to cover the receiver. "Yukino! I tried using my non yelling voice and all she did was 'ara' at me and drink tea!"

Fortunately for the both of them, Haruka missed Shizuru's slight giggle coming through from the other end.

After receiving a sigh and an understanding reply from Yukino, the blonde general returned her attention to the phone call.

"Alright Fujino, just listen for now, no tea, no ara, no daydreaming about your Kuga."

"Then what can I do?," Shizuru wondered aloud as she unconsciously broke out into her thoughtful pose.

Haruka massaged her temples with one hand willing her oncoming headache to change its destination.

"Just listen!," the blonde said in an exasperated fashion. "I told you what to do right after saying your name!"

At the silence from the other end of the line, Haruka tried to prevent herself from letting out a low growl.

" Oi, oi are you there?"

"I'm listening," Shizuru replied with smile in her voice.

"How did we not kill each other in high school?," the defeated blonde asked.

"You tried. I evaded."

Haruka sighed.

"Are you going to listen to my plan or not?"

"Of course Haruka. You are asking me are you not?"

"It's called the Romancing Nina Kuga Competition."

"Romance? Kuga? I think I like this plan already."

--

After the phone call, Haruka went in search of her calm wife and found Yukino sitting next to the bed she'd just helped Erstin get into.

"Good job Yukino dear, you prepare the Tokiha! I've successfully issued the challenge to the bubuzuke! I feel exhilarated. This is just like old times!"

"Haruka I'm not preparing her... Erstin only came to a second ago. I thought a lie down would help her get her bearings back."

"Excellent Yukino!"

"Somehow I don't think she's listening anymore," Aoi observed as she and Chie looked on at the scene from just outside the room.

"Haruka gets nostalgic about the weirdest things," Chie said as she nodded her agreement.

The two reporters seriously thought about calling Natsuki to issue a warning. They had once again been summoned by the blonde general who was at that point looking the most excited they had seen her since Natsuki and Shizuru's wedding.

"Ah, canoodling reporters," Haruka said as she acknowledged the two girls standing before her.

"You sent for us Haruka?," Chie asked with a glint in her eye.

"I have an interesting proposition for you two," the blonde replied simply.

"More secret camera installations?," Aoi offered.

"Not quite. I need you to make certain other preparations for me."

--

"Arika?," Shizuru said pulling the younger girl's attention for a moment. "How would you feel about taking on a certain challenge?"

Tomoe looked on interestedly as Shizuru explained Haruka's offered challenge to her sister.

"A battle between me and Erstin?," the ant girl questioned, automatically leaping to her feet.

"No weapons Arika," Tomoe said quickly. "No fighting. No falling on people's faces. No deaths."

Of course the green-haired girl had already been informed of the plan as Haruka sent out a group text to all those she wanted to be informed.

"Haruka seems rather excited Shizuru," Tomoe said. "Should we be worried?"

"Hmm, I don't believe so. In fact, this could prove interesting for us all don't you think?," the older girl replied with a calm smile.

"Shizuru... most families have a barbeque or play twister at get togethers. Isn't this a little too..."

"It's a Haruka plan after all," Shizuru replied with an amused glint in her eyes. "Her parents and ours enjoyed other such competitions did they not?"

--

At the mountain...

"How long are you planning on digging Nao?," asked Natsuki impatiently. "We already hit the hard thing all you have to do is pull it out."

"Don't rush me Natsuki! I already explained that I wasn't made for this kind of thing. I work best as the smirking onlooker with the humorous comments!"

"Just hurry up you two!," an annoyed Nina said, breaking into the conversation. "While the three of us are here, the other freaky people are no doubt planning weird things!"

"How could you possibly know that Nina?," Nao asked with a flick of her hair and a final tug at object she was digging out.

Tossing the object to Natsuki she dusted off her riding leathers and shot a smirk at her younger cousin.

"Besides, whatever their planning, it can't actually be that bad right? They're doing it without me!"

At that statement, Nina and Natsuki exchanged worried looks. Nao had seemed especially sure of her statement and the two dark haired cousin's just knew that had to be a bad sign. Nao was always wrong about things that were bound to lead to weird moments for the both of them.

--

At that point in time, the Kuga cousin's fears were materialising under the direct control of one excited Haruka Kikukawa-Suzushiro and one impishly grinning Shizuru Fujino.

The two had somehow re-gathered their friends and family, save for three Kuga's back at Shizuru and Natsuki's mansion.

"Umm," Mai started as she was ushered into the large lounge along with Tate and Mikoto. "Did we honestly just get thrown into a car and rushed here as in some kind of emergency?"

"Of course Tokiha!," Haruka insisted. "Something important is happening, can't you feel the excitement?"

"To be completely honest I mostly just feel the fear," Mikoto said as she scanned the room for Erstin.

Locking eyes with the blonde girl, Mikoto immediately rushed to her side.

"Ers are you ok?," she asked. "Why do you look so pale? What did they do to you?"

"Relax relax," Haruka said as Yukino felt the urge to apologise to Mai and Mikoto for Erstin's condition.

"I merely suggested to the girl that she should go out and marry the baby Kuga and then she went all pale and monosyllabic. And then she fainted."

"She what?," Mikoto asked, pulling Erstin away from Haruka and closer to Mai who was at that moment pointing at the blonde general.

"I trusted you with my cousin and you make her faint!"

"I'm also trying to secure her entire future happiness! Why must you focus on the unnecessary?!"

"Ah I just want to eat some cake," Mikoto said as she led Erstin to an unoccupied couch and sent some thoughts to her still yet to be seen friend.

'Better hurry up Nina,' the girl thought. 'I'd hate for you to come back only to be thrown up the aisle...'

--

"Oi Nina," Natsuki said, calling out to the suddenly preoccupied girl. "We finally dug the hard thing up..."

"Tch."

"Ok ok, Nao the digging slave finally dug the hard thing out, what're you doing sitting there looking so spaced out?"

"Haruka's doing it again," Nina replied simply.

"It? It what? What is she doing? Is she messing with my stuff?"

"No... it with the planning of the weird."

"Oh that. Daily occurrence. Learn to ignore. Like Nao."

Nao nodded as she tried to steal the 'hard thing' from Natsuki.

"Wait a minute you fool. That map note thing you so helpfully forgot to mention carefully instructed that we had to open this thing together," Natsuki said as she slapped the red head's hand away.

"It's not my fault Nina's freaking out before she needs to."

"What?"

"I mean... when she doesn't even need to."

"I'm kind of doomed aren't I?"

"Can you be doomed slash not doomed later? I wanna open this thing too. Maybe it's got guns inside."

Sighing, Nina walked over to her older cousins and crouched next to the box as the other two were doing.

"Well, here goes," Natsuki said as she took the top off.

The three looking down were greeted with a variety of objects but the first Natsuki decided to pick up was a wearing photograph of three young men around the ages that she, Nao and Nina were.

The photo showed that the young men were posing next to three motorbikes all flashing the victory sign at the camera.

"Hey I know that guy," Nao said in a surprised fashion as she pointed to the young man standing in the middle flashing the cheekiest smile.

"I should hope so," Natsuki replied as Nina rolled her eyes.

"That's your dad you dork," the younger girl said.

"No wonder he's the best looking out of the three," Nao said as she flashed a matching smile. "Your dad's were weird even back then. Why're they looking so annoyed."

"Because your dad was there!"

Natsuki and Nina looked closer at the photograph and saw that the eldest and youngest sons who both gave off infinite amounts of cool vibes had odd looks plastered on their faces as they seemed to be expecting the middle child to engage in some act of stupidity at any given moment.

"Harsh you two. Harsh and ... likely," the redhead admitted smiling proudly at the thought of her father being able to happily bother his brothers. "So what else in the box?"

Natsuki put the photograph aside for a moment before pulling out three intertwined bracelets that was wrapped around a rolled up piece of paper.

Nina, being the more observant of the three, took a closer look at the photograph and pointed at her own fathers wrist.

"Hey, they were wearing those," she said.

Natsuki nodded and handed each cousin a bracelet, identical to what their fathers were wearing. Upon closer inspection each one seemed to be of simple design inscribed with the name 'Kuga'.

Unrolling the piece of paper, Natsuki placed it between her and her cousins as each read out the different scripts of writing.

"What's up twerps?"

"Oi, don't address my son like that idiot!"

"Yeah, and don't make it sound like they're gonna marry at such a young age. They're not gonna marry at a young age right? Your heirs aren't gonna make my heirs marry at a young age right?"

"Hey why are we writing notes to each other on the piece of paper that's supposed to have a letter to our heirs on it."

"Because the idiot redhead is here."

"I'm older than you! Where's the respect?"

"Up your..."

"I hate you guys. Letter writing. Now"

"Right, what's up... non twerps. It is I your father and/or uncle! Along with my ridiculous older and younger brothers here, I decided to give you guys a little present well, sort of..."

"Hopefully, if all goes right, you three will be getting this letter at around about the time you're all ready to choose your partner of your own."

"Of course our dad gave them to us with the instruction that we were supposed to give them to our heirs and we hope that you three will be able to pass them onto yours."

"You three are the future of Kuga Corporation, lead well."

"Have fun."

"And take care of each other."

"Peace out."

"Peace out? What the hell."

"I wanna be the cool dad."

"You're a moron."

--

As the note came to an end, the three girls reading it were rather unsure of the appropriate reaction. Nina and Natsuki were both proud and embarrassed of their fathers while Nao was trying to determine who was cooler between her father or herself.

"It's gotta be me," Nao said aloud as she smacked both her cousins on the back.

"Oww! Geez Nao," Natsuki said as she attempted to rub the sore area.

Nina on the other hand seemed to be more silent than usual.

"You ok kid?," Natsuki asked as she put a hand on the girl's head.

"Yeah, you ok?," Nao asked as she poked Nina's arm repeatedly.

The girl in question nodded slowly as she snapped the bracelet onto her own wrist and walked thoughtfully back to her bike.

"You think she's gonna be cool?," Nao asked.

"Of course," Natsuki agreed with a small smile as she and Nao walked over to mount their own motorbikes. "She's a Kuga."

--

The three go back to Natsuki and Shizuru's mansion.

"Finally! What the heck took you people so long? And why are you wearing matching leathers?"

"Shizuru! I don't like the way you're looking at me right now," Natsuki sputtered out as she blushed nervously. "I'm not food!"

"That's what Natsuki thinks," her wife replied as she sauntered over and commandeered sole use of her mayo pup.

Tomoe, who sported a similar expression to Shizuru shot Nao a 'come hither' expression that just about had the redhead bouncing towards her.

Nina on the other hand was much less sure about who she should be wandering over to.

Three definite sets of eyes were set on her at that moment, Arika's with a rare Fujino drool showing outside of the bedroom, Erstin's with a powerful blush that Nina found herself mirroring and Mikoto's who seemed to mouthing something to her friend.

'Nina!,' Mikoto attempted to communicate to her classmate. 'Nina run!'

'What?,' Nina mouthed back as she noticed Mikoto's desperate expression.

'Run you idiot!'

Shrugging, the young Kuga did what she thought Mikoto wanted and jogged over to the other girl.

"Not to me idiot!," Mikoto hissed. "Away! Run away!"

"Away? Why? Oh God why?"

"Ok now that we're all here," Haruka began.

"Nevermind Nina," Mikoto said with a sigh. "We're all doomed."

"Kuga, perfect timing."

"Haruka, first of all you seem to have been waiting for us and second of all you seem to have gathered all these people in my house. What are you people still doing in my house? And why the hell do you have luggage?! Wait, unless you're all planning to travel somewhere on vacation in which case I'll be willing to change the tone of my voice."

Nao raised her hand.

"Put your hand down Nao! Your answers are weird and unwelcome! Besides we arrived here at the same time."

"We live here," Nao said. "And Tomoe filled me in while Shizuru was trying to consume you in public," she added with a smirk.

"What did I just say?!," replied her blushing cousin.

"Nao, your answers are weird and welcome."

Mai, who was standing closest to Nao apart from Tomoe took the opportunity to extend a hand and have it connect with the back of the other girl's head.

"Oww!"

"What the hell did you say that for?!," Mai asked in an annoyed fashion.

"I don't know I just said it!," the redhead replied as Mai continued her assault.

"I'm standing right next to you Nao! Natsuki looks totally annoyed right now what and if she starts shooting and she doesn't even aim? We'd all die! I would die. Then Tate would only have jdramas and Reito left.

"Yeah!" said Tate in an equally annoyed fashion. "Jdramas and Reito"

"I hate you guys," Natsuki said as she looked for a place to sit.

"Ara, perhaps Natsuki should be a little kinder to our house guests," her attached wife said in a teasing tone.

"See Mai, you shouldn't have worried. Shizuru's here!"

"Arrgh house guests? That sounds permanent... is this permanent?," Natsuki growled and wondered aloud. "Haruka, serious suggestion coming up, voice of reason? Get one!"

"Don't rage at me Kuga, I won't be living here," the blonde general replied with an indignant hair toss.

"You won't?," Natsuki asked hopefully.

"No I've recently acquired the mansion next door..."

The mayo pup's jaw dropped as she once again pointed to the door.

"Everyone just go away!"

"All of us?," Tate asked. "Because I'm not really doing anything. I mean I eat the food here but apart from that..."

"Tate come on! You have a mansion like twenty minutes away, why do you live here?"

Natsuki's older brother shrugged and pointed at the blonde general.

"Haruka made me."

"What?!"

The girl in question shrugged off Natsuki's well aimed death glare and blinked nonchalantly.

"I figured it would be better to have all the staff on hand so the plans go smoothly."

"Staff? What staff? What plan?"

"Staff as in staff," Haruka said simply while motioning to all the people in the room. "And plans as in PlanS. Plural."

Natsuki turned her death glare on maximum and everyone shuffled nervously.

"Oi Kuga, I don't like that look your giving me."

"Yeah, Natsuki... are you even breathing?," Mai offered. "Maybe you should sit down, or go on holiday..."

Mikoto who was closeby tried pulling her sister's sleeve to get her attention.

"Mai, can we leave yet? I'm really thinking we should leave. Natsuki's angry, Nina's about to be angry, Haruka's ... you know... in the room and this is the House of Guns."

"I'm about to be angry? Why am I about to be angry?"

"Finally a question I can easily answer!," Haruka replied again choosing to bypass the thought process. "We are all gathered here today to hear the announcement of the newly spearheaded 'Romancing Nina Kuga Competition'!!!"

WTF. Nina's face said.

Mikoto nodded as she understood her friend perfectly.

"I told you to run."

--

Thanks for the reviews, writing as I go so suggest as you please :P Hope you enjoyed it, more soon.