Blue Thunder and The Blade

Motoko stood before her mirror examining her pearly body. She been blessed in the looks department she’d been told, but really thought about how she looked or held vanity about it. She was more concerned with how she could make her body perform athletically than how to use it to entice someone. Still she had to admit that contrast of her chalk pale skin mixed with her large, dark eyes and long dark hair was rather dramatic. But could a seventeen year old male find her attractive? She blushed at where her thoughts were taking her and glanced guiltily at the roses that had arrived for her the other day.

Flashback

Mokoto had opened the door to find a flower delivery man “Naru, someone sent you flowers” she called up to her room.

“These are for Motoko Aoyama” the delivery man told her.

Motoko’s face flamed “there has to be some mistake” she said as the rest of her dormmates surrounded her with curious eyes.

“They’re from Mr. Tatewaki Kuno of Nerima” the delivery boy revealed to her. “He’s one of our best customers”

Mokoto opened the box and blushed as red as the roses that lay there. “Red roses, a young man only sends those when he’s got love on his mind” Kitsune observed “or something else”

“I’m sure they’re just to apologize for hurting my knee?” she said hotly.

“In Molmol, a young man only gives a girl a gift of flowers when he intends to marry” Koalla Su said.

“When does he give her the large bunch of bananas?” Mokoto asked facetiously.

“On their wedding day” Koallo Su replied.

Mokoto could only blink at her “I’ll be in my room” she said, picking up the box.

“What are you going to do with the flowers?” Kitsune called after her.

“I’ll probably just keep them in the box” she said. She got to her room and locked the door. She carefully drew all the blinds, and then carefully arranged the flowers in the pitcher of water that she always kept beside her bed and stepped back to admire them. No one had ever given her flowers before. She opened the card and laughed when it read:

Dear Miss Aoyama,

Please accept these flowers as a token of my esteem for my fighting abilities and for you, sorry about your knee. True love’s path is usually slippery, but not usually meant be caused by the photo of another love.

Yours in love and war (as true love is the only war worth fighting for),

Takewaki Kuno

Mokoto giggled and then pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote a letter to him:

Dear Kuno-Kun,

I would like to thank you for the flowers and thought about your idea of keeping in touch. I will admit that I researched your family soon after you left and found out that your background is similar to mine. I too, am from a proud samurai family and believe that family tradition should be followed. The Aoyama School of martial arts is my life and chosen path, my goal is to become the strongest swordsperson that my family has ever produced. I will stop at nothing until I achieve this goal. The idea that you are just as dedicated to the blade intrigues me.

I hope that you understand what I am saying, I would like to be your friend and for us to get together and practice as you suggested, that is if your girlfriend doesn’t mind.

Perhaps you would care to come for dinner the next time you’re in town?

Yours,

Motoko Aoyama

She sealed it and left it on the table with the other outgoing mail.

Kitsune noticed a letter on the table; it was from Mokoto and going to Nerima. “Tatewaki Kuno” she mused. “I think that’s the name of Mokoto’s gentlemen friend, I’m sure that she wouldn’t mind if I take a peek at what she wrote to him” she murmured and put the kettle on to steam the letter open. “Wow Motoko, how are you planning to steal a man from his girlfriend with such a lame letter? You need to add more spice.”

She pulled out a blank sheet of paper and wrote:

Dear Tatewaki,

Thank you ever so much for the flowers, I don’t know how I shall ever repay you for the compliment. Well, I can think of one way, but a modest virgin shouldn’t write such things to a gentleman. ;)

Perhaps we can get together and discuss this at your convenience? I am a girl of huge appetites and would love to play with your sword.

Hungrily yours,

Motoko

Kitsune closed the envelope and kissed the seam of it to seal it with light pink lipsticked kiss. “There you go Motoko, you catch more flies if you sugar your nest” she declared. “She’s going to thank me for this one day” she said as she set the new letter back on the table.

Kuno was surprised when he got a personal letter in the mail; the only one who normally wrote to him was his old buddy bill, who normally sent him letters when Kodachi said “charge it”

He smiled when he saw it was from Motoko, he’d been wondering if she’d received his flowers and what her reaction to them had been. He’d honestly liked her as a person and admired her skill with the sword. He thought her attractive and did wish to get to know her better, but knew the he had to be faithful to his girlfriends. Surely they wouldn’t mind a bit of harmless flirtation with a girl?

“Do you ladies?” he asked staring at their photos.

“No darling, not a bit. Open your letter” The Pigtailed Goddess’s photo urged back, this was seconded by Akane.

“Thank you my loves” he said gratefully, feeling joyful that he had such understanding women in his life, he opened Motoko’s letter and read it.......and got a nosebleed. “What is this; do still waters truly run this deep? Is it truly possible that my Angel desires me? No, it cannot be, yet what else could she possibly mean by my sword, it has to be my.......?” Kuno said and blushed bright red.

He looked at the pictures of women on his walls and he realized for once that they were just that, one dimensional pictures. Not a loving, breathing woman that he would hold and make his own. Not someone he could take out on a date and kiss goodnight. Not someone who worried about him when he was unwell and would bring him his favourite soup. No they were just pictures of smiling women trapped in time and they would always look that way. “Pig Tailed Girl, Akane Tendo; you’ll have to forgive my being unfaith to you. I promise to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, but I need this, Mokoto needs this” he said and kissed each photo, then called for Sasuke “Sasuke, tell them to gas up our family jet, we’re going to the Kanagawa Prefecture tonight” he barked at the startled looking ninja.

Motoko was surprised where there was a knock on the door, most of her dorm mates were out watching a movie. She’d looked forward to using this opportunity to get in practice. With a sigh she opened the door and was surprised when soaked Tatewaki Kuno stood in the rain. Recovering she said “hello Kuno-Sempi, I guess you got my letter? I was just about to make dinner; you’re welcome to join me. However, I wish you’d called ahead of time to let me know that you were coming to town” she said, pushing open the door. Her eyes went wide at the way that other kendoist was looking at her. She looked at him curiously and then made a noise of surprise when he cupped the apples of her cheeks and pressed his lips to hers in a hungry kiss.