Nihoooon- GO!

Mamouru watched as Cassie melted. He let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry I said such terrible things, Cassie-san. Whether or not she got to me, I should have restrained myself." He then closed his eyes. "Either way, I'll respect your decision. Please, let me know when you're ready to talk again." He smiled. "Take care, Cassie-san." He then looked at Akashi and bowed. "Akashi-sama." He said and slipped past her. She didn't stop him now that tension seemed to lift from the room.

Mamouru stepped out from the house and when he closed the door. H then leaned against it and sighed. His cheeks were red. What a terrible event that just happened. He swallowed hard and pushed himself forward. He just neede to get a cab and get to the airport. On the way, he'd have to think about how he was going to tell Cassie's family that he wasn't going to be seeing much of them while they were in town.

"Hey, so we're not short here." Jacob remarked as the group wheeled their luggage down the terminal. "We're just a good size. Dad might even be above average."

Mom and dad were too tired from the lengthy flight to do anything but smile absently while they looked for signs with arrows. Their language handicap wasn't as big a problem as they had thought, there was actually a lot of English around, and a lot of the signs were self explanatory. It put one of mom's fears to rest almost immediately.

"I hope there's good food here, eh. I don't want to just eat fish." Jacob said.

His stomach growled, and the faint smell of food from further down the hall set his mind on how long it had been since he'd had a full meal. Still, his energy was boundless. Even exhausted from jet lag and a 14 hour flight, he still appeared to be eager and ready to explore this strange new land.

Wherever he got that energy, it wasn't from his mother. Rachel was in desperate need of a cup of coffee and a nap. She didn't much like flying, it was just too dull and draining and such a long process. She'd managed to sleep a fair amount on the planes, but it wasn't restful sleep. She was very glad to have her feet back on solid ground, and part of her wondered if she was more excited at that very moment in time to see Cassie or Cassie's guest bed.

Marc, as usual, was quietly in control. He led the way through the terminal until they rounded a corner, passed through a security checkpoint that involved a lengthy queue, and then they were free. They just needed to find Mamouru. He took out his phone and called the boy.

"What kind of a name is Mamouru? It's like Mammy. From Gone With The Wind." Jacob said, and his mother smiled and wrapped her arms around the crook of his elbow.

Mamouru fidgeted with his phone the whole way to the airport. Things with Cassie didn't go how he wanted them to. She should be with him in the cab. Why didn't he ask her to come with? Why didn't he... do a lot of things. He let out a sigh. He couldn't say he was surprised by the outcome but that didn't mean he had to like it.

All it really meant was that he was about to have an awkward time of things as he approached Cassie's family, and her parents, without Cassie in tow. He could play it off as a surprise but what would he say when he told them he wouldn't be staying? 'Great to meet you, have fun with Cassie-san. I'll pick you up when it's time to leave and take you to the airport.'

He slumped in his seat and lifted up his phone. He started to dial Taylor's number. Why didn't he just rifle through his contact? He wanted to think clearly on it. Why did he go to her? They were family but...

He closed the phone and then opened it. This time he soughtout her contacts and gave her a ring. He let out a sigh when he got the voice mail. He wasn't sure if he could actually handle speaking to her. "Taylor-san, please visit Cassie-san in the next day or so. There's a good chance her and I won't be seeing much of each other anymore. Don't call her, I'll be in Kyoto soon enough, you can grill me on it then." He paused as he was about to hang up and pushed the phone against his face once more. "please." He added. Hopefully she would understand that much at least. He hung up the phone and closed his eyes for the rest of the ride.

He had gotten tot he airport long before the flight was scheduled to arrive. He made a small nest in one of the airport cafe's and tried to get some work done. Not that there was much to do but he still found himself watching video clips of Cassie's previous matches. He hadn't even realized the time when his phone rang and he answered it quickly and gave Marc directions.

He quickly put away his things and stood up. He waited, smiling softly He didn't think a bunch of Canadians would be too hard to spot, thinkign them a red headed mass of Cassie look-a-likes except with various features and genders added or changed where necessary. A slightly taller, curvacious mother with long, flowing hair. A stocky, yet muscular father with neatly trimmed hair and... Mamouru pondered. Well, a boy version of Cassie. He smiled softly at the image.

When he thought he spotted them, he strode quickly to their position and looked to look Marc int he eyes before bowing deeply. "The.. Elliot Family?" He said as he pulled up from his bow, with a hopeful look in his eyes and a soft smile. "Konnichiwa! N-Nihon e youkoso!" He then blushed. "Ahh... I mean, welcome to Japan!" He said, correcting himself.

"That's probably the tallest guy in Japan."

"Hush, Jacob." Said Rachel.

"I could take him."

"You're not allowed to fight anyone until we've all had a good nap."

Marc strode up to Mamouru and extended his hand, leading to an awkward moment as Mamouru bowed instead and he wasn't sure if he should bow too. He shook his hand all the same, and his rock-solid hands and firm grip were offset by his gentle eyes.

"Thank you very much, Mr Higurashi. It's good to finally meet you." He said. "We're all pretty excited to be here."

"Excited, and tired." Said Rachel, sleepy eyed.

Marc and Jacob looked strikingly similar. Both had the same sandy hair and ruggedly boyish good looks, though Jacob had inherited more of his father's softer, kinder features while his older brother Nicholas, who had remained in Canada to look after the school, had his father's piercing stare. Both of them gave Mamouru the same friendly smile.

Next to them, though, was Rachel. She was conspicuously short, shorter even than Cassie, and her long, flame red hair made her stick out like a sore thumb amidst the sea of dark-haired Japanese. Even in her late 40's, she was absolutely stunning, the rarest sort of beautiful, so much that she looked out of place. Her blue eyes shimmered with complexity over a bewitching smile that was inviting, kind, and intriguing. Like her husband, she looked at least ten years younger than she was.

"Hello, Mamouru." She said, looking like a mother admiring what a handsome young man her son had grown into. She put a hand on his arm and stepped closer to him. She had to tip her head back to look him in the eye. "It's wonderful to be here, we really can't thank you enough. You're so sweet to do this." She said, with a knowing look.

Jacob shook his hand next and gave him a friendly slap on the arm. "I'm Jake." He said. "Bear been treatin' you okay?"

It was an understatement to say he was overwhelmed by the family as they greeted him. His mind raced, they were both like and unlike what he had pictured in his head. He gave them each a shaky smile as Marc took him bu the hand. His soft grip more a testament to his unfamiliarity with the customs of the west than of any lacking strength.

"Ahh.. P-Pleasde, Mamouru s fine, M-marc-san." He said, giving a polite dip of his head. Even Mamouru, who was usually no strranger to invading personal space by Japanese standards felt suddenly claustrophobic, though it certainly wasn't in a bad way.

"I'm excited to meet you as well." He added before he felt Rachael's hand on his arm. He looked at her with a nervous blush as she spoke. He dipped his head once more as she spoke. "Ahhh... really, it was no trouble." He said, the normal smoothness in his tone nearly depleted as he tried to keep from being overcome with nerves. It didn't help that it seemed like everyone int he airport who walked by was staring at them in their own, discreet Japanese ways.

"I'm sure you'll enjoy it here very much." He said to Rachael before the slap came. he stumbled just one step and looked at Jake. A third dip of his head. "Nice to meet you. Jake-san." He said and looked at him. It was a perplexing question at the moment but he couldn't very well say how things really were.

"Yes, of course. Always." He added and looked them over. "We should get to Cassie-san's house, I know how eager you must be to settle down and see Cassie-san."

"Alright then, lead the way." Said Marc.

Jacob lagged a step behind with his mother, and leaned in to mouth the words "Cassie-san?" Rachel smiled and silently shushed him.



Cassie watched the front door even after it had closed and Mamouru was gone. From moment he was out of sight, she had never wanted to see him more in her entire life. That couldn't happen, though, and she kept telling herself that she was making grown up decisions and being a responsible adult, and that's why she felt so terrible about everything. The truth was that she had no idea what she was doing, and she was just hoping that if she stood her ground long enough things would change for the better.

But was she even unhappy? She didn't think so. She had no reason to be unhappy... apart from being separated from her family, having her best friend get married and move away, having her wrestling career continue to flounder, and then Mamouru...

Very slowly, like snow melting on a warm winter day, Cassie's face broke. Without looking at the sumo's face, she walked straight into Akashi and wrapped her arms around her, pressing the side of her head against her chest.

"Akashi-senpai..." She whispered. "What am I doing?"

Akashi stared almost blankly at Cassie when Mamouru left. She wasn't sure what to say, or even what really happened. She just knew she had to do something, but, what? When Cassie broke their perplexed stare down, Akashi could feel her body tremble. What was going on?

It only took a few seconds after Cassie's words before Akashi turned the soft hug into a tighter squeeze, wrapping her arms around Cassie's head. "Oh, Cassie-chan!" She said as she started blubbering. "We're going to get through this! Everything's going to work out, you'll see!" Why was SHE crying!? It seemed like she was always getting worked up about something. Maybe Taylor was starting to rub off on her? Maybe she was just always like this and only starting to realize it? She shrugged the thought off and stroked Cassie's red hair comfortingly. "You're doing ok, Cassie-chan. You're doing ok." She repeated through sniffles.

****

Mamouru watched as Cassie's house came into view. He still wasn't completely sure whether or not he should be going through with this but couldn't bring himself to tell the Elliots that he wouldn't be around, or that he was just dropping them off. They all seemed so nice, really he wanted to see them as much as he could while they were here. But... why?

He let out a sigh and then turned and smiled at them. "I'll get her. It will be a nice surprise." He said with enthusiasm as he scurried tot he door. Really he didn't want them to see his face, or the probably argument that might ensue when the door was opened. He was certain he could diffuse it quickly enough though. He let out another sigh and tried to bolster himself mentally. He let out a soft knock and the door was opened soon enough.

Akashi hopped her way towards the door when she heard the knock. After the moment with Cassie had passed, she had gotten dressed. She'd be leaving in a little bit to do some AFW things but for now she was dressed in her traditional attire. She had brown Kimono top with golden sparrows embroidered on it and deep red hakama pants.

She opened the door with a curious look on her face but when she saw that it was Mamouru again, her face scrunched up in anger. Before Mamouru could even get a word out, Akashi's fist heaved forward and she slugged him across the nose, causing him to stumble backwards and land flat on his butt, clutching his nose.

"What in the HELL do you THINK YOU-"

She started screaming as she took a step out the door, only to catch a small pile of people nearby. "Oro?" She said, her mouth hung open as she stared at them. Who were they and why were they with Mamouru? She suddenly became quite self aware and pulled her kimono over her breasts as they threatened to spill out. With a deep blush on her face, she turned and bowed deeply to the group.

"K-Konnichiwa!" She said with both enthusiasm and trepidation in her tone.

Rachel cupped her hands over her mouth.

"Hm." Was all Marc said.

Jacob burst out laughing hysterically.

"Jacob, stop it. Be quiet." Rachel scolded him in a hushed voice, though as usual his infectious laughter made her smile. She tried to hide it. Her boy and his mischief were a bad influence on his poor mother.

Marc strode up to Akashi and stuck out his hand. He was surprised. The sumo was taller than he thought she'd be, they were about the same height, and she also looked much younger in person. Someone as accomplished as Akashi he naturally assumed would be older, but she was young enough to be his daughter.

"Miss Tanikaze, it's a pleasure to meet you." He said, taking her hand and giving it a firm pump. "I'll admit, I know nothing about sumo, but you were an excellent champion and I was sorry to see that you had lost."

He was gracious enough to not mention that there was very little of her work that he found fit for viewing, but even when he only read the results of matches the following day he still felt a connection to certain AFW wrestlers.

Then he realized he'd skipped a step. "I'm sorry, my name is Marc Elliot. This is my wife Rachel, and our son Jacob. Ah... Cassie doesn't know we're here quite yet, is she home?"

"I got it, dad." Jacob took out his phone and thumbed away at a text message. Then he stepped up to Akashi and gave her a big friendly grin

"Wow!" He said, prodding Akashi's bicep with one hand. He grabbed her shoulder and gave it a shake. "Look at you! I wouldn't mind rolling with you once or twice!" He laughed. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at his mother, anticipating another gentle scolding, but Rachel had lagged behind a step. she didn't want to smother their new friend.

Instead, she offered a hand to held up Mamouru. She brushed him off and delicately examined his nose. "You should do a better job protecting that handsome face of yours, Mamouru. Are you alright?"

Akashi raised an eyebrow when she lifted herself up. Her face had a soft blush on it as she looked at the reaction of the family. Her mouth hung open for a moment as she watched their reactions.

She stood like a statue as Marc strode up to her and only snapped out of her stupor when Marc took her hand. She felt the firm grip and instantly her free hand slapped against his and she gave him a strong, two handed shake in return. "A-Arigatou gozaimasu..." She said as Marc pleasantly introduced herself. She had no clue what was going on! Did Mamouru bring these people here to get her autograph!? She was forced to bow again. This man was too kind!

"I... Thank you, I tried my hardest." She said and then finally got the introduction she so desperately needed. She breathed a sigh of relief. and then smiled widely. "Cassie-san's family." She added. "How wonderful." She couldn't believe it, really. Everything seemed surreal to her. She bowed politely to each of them and then turned and looked back into her house. "Cassie-san is here. Should I get her?" She said before she felt Jacob take her bicep.

She grinned and lifted her hand up and ruffled his hair, feeling a little friendly with the young Elliot. "You think you have what it takes!?" She said puffing out her chest a little bit and then laughing.

Mamouru was still trying to recover from Akashi's punch. She'd clocked him pretty good and there were some tears clinging to the edge of his eyed. Not only that but he was bleeding pretty good and pushed a hand against his sore nose. He was pretty sure that it wasn't broken, but it wouldn't be pretty to look at for a while.

When he saw Rachael's shadow, he looked up with wide eyes. He took the hand and lifted himself up as he blushed from her doting. "M-Mrs. Elliot..." He said, trying to shoo her off with a soft word. "I was not expecting Akashi-san to open the door..." He muttered and threw Rachael a soft smile. "Though, I have had worse." He said and then winced as he tried to sniff in some fresh air only to have his nostrils filled with the scent of iron.

"I take it back." He said and chuckled at Rachael. "I don't think I have had worse. I'm glad that I'll never have to fight her."

"Oh, I think I got ya covered, string bean!" Jacob said with a boisterous laugh.

"Oh, you're bleeding." Rachel said. "Well, you're just going to have to be a good soldier for a little bit, then we'll get you cleaned up. Once my daughter walks through that door."

"Dad, can I keep her?"

"I don't know, did you leave enough room in your suitcase?"

"Well, can't we just give her mom's seat and put mom in a suitcase? She'll fit with room to spare."

"Careful, Jacob." Said Rachel.

"I'm not gonna lie, you were right up there on my list of sites to see, Miss Tanikaze. It's a pleasure to meet you."

As rowdy and fun as Jacob usually was, he knew how to turn on the charm. His boyish good looks and his genuine kindness were all it took to make him popular with the ladies, though he certainly had enough respect instilled in him to not take too much advantage of it.



Upstairs, Cassie laid face down on her bed, mostly buried in blankets and pillows. She could hardly breathe with hew nose and mouth several inches into the mattress, but she didn't care. When her phone buzzed, she didn't move a muscle.

She let out a low groan. She just wanted to stay in bed for years and never have to see anyone ever again. Why would she ever want to go through the trouble of finding her phone? It was probably just Mamouru apologizing some more, or Taylor telling her about how awesome it was to be married and living across the country. None of it was remotely interesting.

Willing or not, though, her head pricked up out of her pillow cocoon. Phones had to be answered. Maybe it was something to cheer her up? Maybe it was Akashi from the other room, or... something. Probably not.

She fished around blindly on her nightstand until she came up with her phone. Her scream was clearly audible outside the house.

"BUCKYYYY!!" She screamed, and she stampeded past Akashi's room and down the stairs with a constant, high pitched squeal. "Bucky Bucky Bucky!"

She burst out of the front door and right there in front of her was her brother, just chit chatting with Akashi. "Bucky!" She jabbed him in the belly with a torrent of finger pokes and hugged him.

"Bucky, what are you-" Over his shoulder, she caught site of her dad, and her voice broke. "DADDY!"

She wrapped her arms around him as tightly as she could and didn't let go. She squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could, for fear that if she opened them she'd discover she'd only been dreaming. A moment later, her face scrunched up as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Hi Baby Bear." Her father whispered. He kissed the top of her head and then rested his chin on her while he rocked gently side to side.

Rachel tilted her head and rubbed Cassie's back while she quietly admired her daughter. "Oh, my baby girl." She said. "My beautiful baby girl."

Jacob stood a step back with a big smile, doing his very best not to cry in front of Akashi Tanikaze and the tall guy she just decked. "Hi Bear." He said.

Cassie showed no signs of letting go, or even loosening her grip. "Daddy, I missed you so much." She choked out. Her father didn't say anything. He didn't have to.

Finally, Cassie let go and stepped back, and only then realized that her mother was there too. "Hi, mom." She said, and the two exchanged a mother-daughter sort of hug.

"What are you guys doing here?" She laughed, wiping away tears. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you? And miss the show? No way." Jacob said, and ruffled Cassie's hair.

Cassie then noticed Mamouru, and remembered Akashi was still there. She silently gave them an inquisitive look, like the whole situation was just too much to piece together.