Fanfiction Skip Beat!: Date with Natsu

If you are interested in reading this, start here or, even if you're a fan, you'll get confused. Note that the disclaimer and introduction still apply. And I'm really almost done with this.

Disclaimer: these characters and scenarios are based on the work of Nakamura Yoshiki and I'm just speculating on what might happen later in the story. Nothing more, nothing less. It is not an original work and I will never try to market or profit by it in any way. The manga is rated "Teen" but this is probably closer to "older Teen" 'cause, unlike the manga, there's actual sex. Especially this chapter.

When Ren pulled into the parking lot at the studio so Kyoko could film her scenes for Box R, Kyoko had long since lost sight of what she was feeling. Too much, too fast, her heart was overloaded. Ironically, her mind was no longer reeling but crystal clear...unless she tried to sort anything out. Ren, with an apparent ease she couldn't help but admire had changed everything. Cradled in Ren's—no Kuon's—large but gentle hands, she'd been carried above the tide of frenetic activity as Ren, Yashiro and President Takarada changed the entire landscape of her future.

In some ways, it was too easy, with her only responsibility coming to grips with new truths: who Ren was, really, having a father she'd already coveted who would be her father for real (Koo and Kyoko had both wept on the phone along with Ren's mother, "Julienna," who Kyoko had never met), knowing and accepting Ren loved her, really loved her. The fairy tale, complete with her gorgeous, clever and accomplished prince in disguise, had landed in her lap without fanfare or warning, without requiring her to lift an additional finger to take it all.

And she had Ren, beautiful, gifted, admirable, caring and protective, as the man who loved her. How was that possible? His heart-stopping heavenly smile, his unnerving Emperor of the Night look, both belonged to her, both thrilled her in entirely different ways. As her mind wandered back to the feel of Ren's long-fingered hands on her skin, the feel of his mouth that explored her with a thoroughness that made her skin heat at the recollection, the fairy tale dreams of her youth seemed insipid and colorless by comparison.

"Kyoko," he said softly, opening her door to hand her out. "You're looking particularly radiant. What are you thinking about?"

Her cheeks flooded as she tried to figure out how to answer him. Not with the truth, or she'd never get her color under control for work. "So much has been happening, it feels unreal. I don't know how I'll get my focus back for Natsu."

He lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss with a look that made Kyoko suspect he knew exactly what she'd been thinking, before he tucked her hand in his arm. "You will. You're a professional. And I very much want to see your Natsu in action. Filming's almost over so this may be my only chance." He glanced around as they began the short walk to the studio, then stopped still. "That," he said with emphasis, "looks like one of the boss' cars."

As if his voice provided the magic words, the door of the shimmering lavender Rolls opened and disgorged a very pretty girl child with a less-than-pretty expression on her dainty features. Behind her, President Takarada, blinding in a glittery ensemble of Renaissance splendor, unfolded himself with a rueful expression on his face.

Maria was not so reticent and marched right up to Kyoko. "You liar! I thought you didn't love Rem. That you weren't going to love anybody."

Kyoko crouched automatically so that their eyes were even. Given Maria's long-standing crush on Ren, Kyoko had known Maria would be upset. The best she could offer was honesty. "So did I, but I was wrong. Turns out I do love him, very much."

"I loved him first!"

"I know. But Ren and I have learned to love each other. We want to be together."

Maria refused to unbend, her lips a tight line. "It's not fair."

"Probably not. Life frequently isn't. But it doesn't change how I feel about him or how I feel about you," Kyoko said.

"Well it changes how I feel about you!" Maria shouted, stamping a foot, eyes bright with angry tears. "I hate you!"

Kyoko'd prepared herself, but it still stung.

Ren had also crouched down and opened his arms to Maria, but Maria hung back. "Maria," he said softly. "Do you think I won't love you any more if I love Kyoko?"

"Why? Why do you love her? Why are you marrying her?"

"Because she touches me and amazes me," he said simply. "The same reasons you love her."

Maria stole a glance at Kyoko, but gave Ren most of her attention. "You'll never marry me," she accused, as a tear slid down.

"No, I won't. I can be your big brother, though." He said, "Are you really going to stop loving Kyoko?"

The second tear fell and her lip was trembling now, instead of tight. She looked at her toe before glancing up at Ren through her lashes. "I've always wanted a big brother."

He grinned as she leapt into his arms. "I'll forgive you, but I'm keeping your doll in case you ever change your mind."

Caught up high on Ren's chest, she sheepishly looked around at Kyoko. "I'm sorry, onee-san. I didn't mean it. It's just hard to give up a dream."

Kyoko crept closer and hugged them both from behind. "I know. It is hard and it won't be exactly the same, but then again, it might even be better. Will you be my flower girl at the wedding?"

"Will I? Absolutely! I'll be the most beautiful girl there!" Maria said without hesitation, then turned back to Ren and touched his nose. "And you'll be able to see what you'll be missing."

Ren stood with Maria still in his arms, Kyoko's hand in his other hand. "That will teach me. You know, Maria, Yashiro's still available."

"Huh! He's an old man!"

"I'll be sure to tell him."

That went fairly well, Kyoko thought to herself as she hurried to her dressing room while Ren, Maria, and President Takarada went to talk to the director. Even without everything that had happened the past 24 hours, Kyoko wondered how well she'd be acting with Ren and the President both watching. As she carefully applied makeup and put on her school uniform, Kyoko fretted. Would she be able to find Natsu as easily as she usually could?

The answer came sooner than she expected for, when she came back to the set, Ren was under siege by nearly every female cast member from Box R. Maria was now in front of Ren in a defensive position, but the President and the director were deep in conversation on the other side of the studio, ignoring the whole situation.

Natsu arrived unbidden, Kyoko found, changing her stride and her stance as she bore down on the crowd of imploring women that circled her fiancé. With Natsu's leggy stride, she could soon hear what was being said.

"You stay away from Ren," Maria warned, her posture as menacing and futile as that of an angry kitten. "He belongs to Kyoko!"

"It's a stunt, isn't it?" one girl cried. "'Cause you have the same agency."

Other girls took up the cry. "You can't be getting married!" "Ren! Ren! No!" "Why Kyoko?" "Kyoko's nothing special!""Say it isn't so, Ren!"

Ren looked distinctly flustered, even alarmed as the women clamored around him. Looked like her prince needed rescuing, and Natsu was just the girl to do it. Without checking her stride in the slightest, Natsu sliced through the crowd, even bumping an open-mouthed Maria aside with her hip. Without hesitation, Natsu she stood up on her tiptoes and slid her hands up Ren's shoulders before twining them around his neck and giving him a little tug.

When he bent down, uncertain, she planted a lingering kiss on his beautiful mouth, reveling in the spike in his heartbeat she could feel through his shirt, the way he automatically cupped the back of her head with his hands. She left him, trembling and gasping, and slithered back down his body before turning, her back still plastered against his full length. She let her hand slide back up, toying with the hair at his nape, at his ear as she drawled, "We may all be friends here, ladies, but there are some things a girl just doesn't share."

Maria stared up in amazement, then had to stifle a laugh behind her hand when Natsu winked at her. Natsu felt Ren smile with her drifting fingertips before he bent and kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, girls, I'm taken."

The girls began to back off, some muttering, most looking disappointed. Natsu let her most evil smile touch her lips as she pulled off her engagement ring. "Hold this for me, won't you, darling?"

Ren grinned down at her. "I'm really going to enjoy this afternoon."

Natsu gave him a wink. "I hope you do, handsome. Though I'm a very naughty girl." She rose to her tiptoes again, but didn't kiss him this time, just brushing her lips on his earlobe as she breathed, "But Ren's so staid, it's almost a pity. I think I prefer Cain. I do love danger." Maria could not have heard the whisper.

Ren's eyes blazed as the hand at her back clenched. "If he were here, Natsu, you'd never have gotten away with only one kiss."

Natsu smirked and pushed him away with a laugh before blowing him a kiss and sashaying on to the set. Her little interlude with Ren, staid though he might be, had energized Natsu and she was on fire that afternoon, burning through scene after scene in single takes and taking the rest of the cast with her, enrapt with her performance. If she hardly noticed Maria's or the President's eyes on her as she acted, Natsu was well aware that Ren watched her closely, carefully, his eyes dark and mysterious, completely focused on her.

"Cut! That's a wrap!" the director called out, unable to hide his smile. "That's it for the day, everyone. Great work!"

Kyoko shook herself, Natsu receding, and looked for Ren, but saw no sign of him or the President. "Director! Did you see where...?"

"Nice work today, Kyoko. Even better than the show you put on before we started filming. I think your boyfriend walked the President out earlier. I haven't seen him since."

Kyoko tried not to let it bother her and bowed politely as people congratulated her on the work she'd done. Ren would be back. It's not like he would leave her stranded, even if he were disappointed in her work or upset about her kissing him in public earlier. Kyoko could feel her ears heating at the memory. And after she'd lectured him about a kiss on the cheek in a dressing room! Surely something like that wouldn't change Ren's mind about her...

Even as the thought came up, she found herself unable to take the fear seriously. Her love and acknowledgment of Ren's were new, but her relationship with Ren was of long-standing and had grown over time. He didn't commit to things unless he were committed, dedicated to seeing them through. They were alike in that. She trusted Ren. He said he loved her. It had to be true.

She'd just closed the door to her dressing room, lost in thought, when she was lifted bodily off her feet with two hard hands on her thighs and crushed against the door, her mouth being devoured mercilessly. No way this was the gentleman, Ren. If Kyoko were overwhelmed by the aura of reckless danger, Natsu recognized it immediately and wrenched her mouth free to breath into his ear as her hands fisted in his dark hair. "Cain."

His hands were relentless and rough on her clothes then under them, his mouth voracious as it blazed a trail down her throat. She reveled in his physical power, pinning her against the door as his body strained, hard and hot, with a desire that was her power over him. She gloried in it.

"Don't tell Setsu," he muttered before they both lost their minds.

When Ren pulled into the parking lot some forty-five minutes later, he realized he was still at a loss for words. After they'd used each other in a brutally satisfying way, Natsu had rubbed herself against him like a cat, literally purring, then evaporated leaving a mortified Kyoko in her wake. Kyoko had changed quickly for Yappa Kimagure Rock and they'd left without so much as a word passing between them.

He needed to say something, apologize, make sure she was alright. She didn't appear angry, but he was unable to gauge what she really felt. Had he scared her? He'd nearly scared himself. So many aspects of her appealed to so many aspects of himself, he didn't know how he could keep up, and if he were struggling with it...

"Are you angry with me?" she asked softly. "You don't feel angry but I feel like you should be."

"Me?" he asked, legitimately shocked. "Why would I be angry? Did I hurt you? I was rough—,"

"No," she said with a sigh. "You didn't hurt me. I was, Natsu was, loving it. Natsu has no shame. It was only afterwards... And I loved it too, even though it scared me."

He closed his eyes as he walked around the car to her door. The memory was incredible, arousing. Life with Kyoko would never get boring. But he had to reconcile all her facets just like he had to reconcile his own. "Don't feel ashamed, Kyoko," he assured her, stroking her hair. "You're a very passionate person, more so than even I knew. I'm finding passions in myself I never suspected. Natsu gave you a way to indulge your passions, and mine. It doesn't make you any less Kyoko. At worst, it makes you more."

"And after I lectured you about a kiss on the cheek," she said as he handed her out.

Ren laughed. "Yes, well that should that teach us both. Fortunately, I think I can resist Bo."

"You don't think this will be boring for you?"

"Not a chance. I loved watching you earlier today. I don't want to miss a thing."

If Ren had thought he was being polite when he'd told Kyoko that, he soon discovered that it was true. Kyoko, her mobile fascinating face hidden behind a chicken mask, her versatile voice silent inside the bulky suit, was still mesmerizing. Her every move was perfectly balanced, her gestures evocative, her energy captivating, her lampooning hilarious. And Ren wasn't the only one seduced. The audience was caught up in Bo's antics just like Ren was, dancing to her tune.

She was brilliant.

After the show, as she changed out of her costume while Ren wandered off to fetch her a drink. When he turned from the vending machine, he found himself face to face with an unhappy man just barely taller than Kyoko herself. A quick flip through his mental files and her remembered a name. "Ishibashi Hikaru-san, right? Good show you had there. I think I met you at the thank you party."

"Tsuruga Ren," the young man replied, with a very brief nod and no enthusiasm. "I heard you were marrying Kyoko."

Ah. Now that he was looking for it, Ren could see the signs of distress behind the brown eyes, the hopelessness. "I am marrying her," Ren said gently. "You like her, do you? Can't blame you. Did you tell her?"

"I tried to," he said. "I asked her out lots of times, but I don't think she ever understood that I was asking her out out."

Ren snorted, then held up a hand before the kid bristled. "Sorry, I wasn't laughing at you. I know just how you feel. Subtlety, when it comes to romance, is completely wasted on Kyoko. I feel for you."

"You wouldn't want to postpone..."

"No. No I wouldn't," Ren said, trying not to laugh again."But I don't blame you for asking."

Hikaru shrugged. "Well, I didn't think you really would and I guess I can't blame you for that. I know everyone likes you, girls scream over you, but you're lucky to have her. Don't you forget it."

"I don't intend to."

"Treat her right," he said, with as much menace as that sweet-faced boy could muster. "She's special."

Kyoko burst through the her dressing room door, tidy, charming, her smile as bright as her eyes. Instantly, Hikaru was forgotten. "She surely is."

See part seven: Shoudown

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Fruits Basket: Gotta Have 'Em All

If I'm going to talk about my favorite manga, I have to start with the one that first captured my interest: Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. I never read comic books as a kid. I was neither enamored or repelled by the anime I'd seen to date, though husband and daughter were both fans. Even the shows I'd seen and liked really didn't have a profound impact on me. Then, my daughter, who was a fan of both anime and manga, asked me to watch the anime Fruits Basket with her (first disc rented via Netflix). I was enamored before the disc was completed and had to rent them all. Then buy them for her, then for myself. Then I read the first manga of the series. Then the rest.

The series is over now at 23 volumes and, yes, I have them all, pre-ordering the English version as soon as I could. I've read the whole series now multiple times and I still can't tell you exactly why it so appealed to me. I think that's part of my manga obsession, the fact that there's an ineffable something that calls to me in some of these manga that I can't put my finger on. I know that Fruits Basket (anime and manga) have made me laugh, made me cry, made me think, made me feel. Really, what more could a story do?

I'm not alone in my admiration. Fruits Basket is the #2 Shojo manga in Japan and it's #1 in the US, at least according to Wikipedia (which is a terrific resource for anime and manga information). There's something about this complex, character-heavy (and this is a true ensemble cast), often desperately sad manga that touches people. It touched me.

Anime: Yes Volumes of manga: 23 Status: Complete

My rating: Gotta have 'em all (anime, too)

Age range: I wouldn't personally have an issue for 12+ kids, but I'm pretty progressive.

Taboos and "warnings": Some sexual innuendo, some violence, neither of it particularly graphic. Homosexual flirting and cross-dressing. There's indication of some underage sex between teens. Romance between adults and teenagers (over the Japanese age of consent).

Premise: (Perhaps one of the stupidest premises ever) Thirteen members of the wealthy and influential Sohma family will transform into their zodiac counterparts (+ cat) when stressed or "hugged" by someone of the other gender (who isn't a zodiac counterpart). Tohru Honda stumbles into this secret and becomes an integral part of the secret part of the family, striving to undo the "curse."

Common manga themes: (1) overwork=fever=collapse (2) no one is irredeemably bad (3) who one is is more important than what one is (4) acceptance of others goes hand in hand with accepting oneself (5) our view of ourselves and what others see can vary to alarming degrees (6) novelists are perverts (though, admittedly, this might not be a manga theme so much as my own observation). Like most of the mangas I've seen, brainy boys are popular (though they frequently excel at sports, too), in contrast to how they are frequently perceived here in the States. Food for thought there.

What works: I think it says a great deal that this story works despite the silly premise and the Pollyanna main character. Tohru, the focus in many ways, is almost painfully humble and always looks for the good in people. That could readily get sickening, but it turns out to balance nicely with the emotionally scarred Sohma clan (and doesn't entirely negate her own scars). Her refusal to be judgmental, her acceptance of everyone, even if they are overtly hostile, and give in return really indicate a strength instead of a passivity, which is appropriate in my opinion, and that's how it's portrayed. Her cloying humility does get frustrating at times, but her defenders are legion and she never hesitates to stand up for others even if she doesn't stand for herself so much. She's quite intrepid if she feels its required, though perhaps more polite than always strictly called for.

Pacing is frequently a challenge, particularly for a long manga, but I think this one works despite its length largely because the cast is so diverse and complex (rather than pat standard side characters). Although there is a potential for the shojo standard reverse harem (one girl with many male potential admirers), it's generally more family-like with really only Yuki and Kyo as serious potential love interests. The side stories and complicated emotional histories of the various characters have considerable depth and, frequently, charm. Sometimes, they are downright heart-wrenching and it's somewhat intriguing to me how the author used the silly premise to highlight some key family interactions. Momiji's past (and his Tohru-like acceptance) of a horrific situation was particularly touching for me.

Interspersed with the considerable drama are moments of hilarity and believable teenage interaction. Shigure is frequently hilarious and sarcastic (especially when tormenting his editor), but Yuki, despite a deep sweetness for Tohru, can be equally cutting. Hatsuharu's method for proving his white-on-black hair color is natural to the Student Council President is probably my favorite moment ever. Much of the "violence" is funnier than it is, well, violent. Some of it definitely is not.

The artwork can be quite effective, particularly in relating emotion and mood. Boys and girls both tend to look a bit on the effeminate side, but the emotion that can be conveyed with just pictures is truly amazing and frequently effective. The author's style changed over the course of the manga to smoother faces and blanker looking eyes. I'm not sure that I didn't like the earlier style better, but that's probably a personal preference.

Favorite character: Hatsuharu. Of the main trilogy (Kyo, Yuki and Tohru), Yuki is definitely my favorite, but, overall, I love Hatsuharu. He does everything 100%, he's loyal and protective. He's sharper than you think. He's deadpan when he delivers his most delicious lines. Although less charismatic than Yuki, he probably is more effective in getting things done in his quiet way. No fanfare. I even love his dark side. Although younger than our main three, he is far more progressive in many ways, not the least of which is sexually. And he's tough, defending others, older and younger, without question.

Some of many quotes I liked:

Shigure: We have just witnessed a classic example of what I like to call 'misdirected rage.' I believe the technical term is 'being an ass.'

Yuki: I wish you'd stop making your inferiority complex my problem.

Kagura: I will forgive him right after I kill him!

Shigure: Perfect, now why don't you heat that up for us, Yuki?
Yuki: You're kidding, right?
Shigure: Of course, you're not too handy in the kitchen, are you? Well, Kyo, I guess that leaves you.
Kyo: Why do I gotta do it?
Shigure: No, no, it's all right. If you don't mind letting the last of the wonderful beef stew that Tohru put her heart and soul into preparing for us get burnt to a crisp, than neither do I. After all, I suppose burnt beef stew would be just as satisfying as burn miso soup or burnt rice or burnt eggs or any of the fine burnt dises Yuki used to make for us before Torhur fell into our lives. Ah well, we all seemed to do quite well on our charcoal-rich dieat and I'm sure there's no reason why we won't grow accustomed to it again.

Hatsuharu: Do that again and they'll be tracing you with chalk.

What I didn't like: I could easily have done without the Yuki fan club and most of the whole student council nonsense. I frequently skip those sections when I read the manga. Although a common theme, the tendency to have everyone redeemed at the end can feel contrived and make conflict lackluster, something I think happened toward the end. Given the extent of the early malevolence, it all seemed too gentle.

The curse and the devotion toward Akito that came with it made the male characters (in particular) seem more passive than I usually like in male or female characters (perhaps why Hatsuharu stands out for me). Sohmas were largely reactive and passive, wanting things to change but waiting for someone else to do it. I don't often say this, but the story could probably have used a bit more testosterone.

Also, Tohru did not end up with who I wanted her to end up with. Given my love of romance, it says something about the story that this was a minor point.

The anime, which did not move anywhere near as far into the story as the manga, was charming, has a lovely set of dubbed voice in English and did everything for me the manga did, only in less time. If you're not sure who'd gonna get the girl, the end of the anime gives a pretty strong hint.

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Fanfiction: Tokyo Crazy Paradise: Afterglow

If you are interested in reading this, start here or, even if you're a fan, you'll get confused. Note that the disclaimer and introduction still apply.

Disclaimer: these characters and scenarios are based on the work of Nakamura Yoshiki and I'm just speculating on what might happen later in the story. Nothing more, nothing less. It is not an original work and I will never try to market or profit by it in any way. This is probably closer to "older Teen" 'cause, unlike the manga, there's actual sex.

Turns out, it had been painful, she reflected, but she had every expectation he'd recover.

"Are you alright?" he asked. He had her tucked up against his hard chest which she found inexplicably comfortable. However, from her position, she couldn't see his face. Did he sound worried?

"Hmm?" she answered. "I'm terrific. Unbelievable. I can't think straight yet. How about you?"

"Mmm," he answered cryptically. "I'm hungry. Food's ready, let's eat."

"Food?" she asked, shocked. Someone had come in during them middle of that and brought food? Ryuuji didn't even look fazed as he slid back into his slacks and left his shirt for her. He really did have ice water in his veins. As she knelt at the coffee table, wearing only Ryuuji's shirt and wishing she hadn't yanked off quite so many buttons, she remembered some of the activities the past couple hours and blushed. Not ice water. Not hardly.

The smell of food reminded her stomach that it was empty and she spent the next few minutes scarfing the tasty spread, barely sparing a thought for what she was eating. Red bean rice, what was that all about? As hunger abated, she noticed that Ryuuji was eating more slowly, his focus apparently on her. When she looked up at him, he smiled at her, but warily, and stroked a hand along her short hair. "Did I ever tell you you were beautiful?"

"Me?" she choked, inhaling some of her rice the wrong way. "You think I'm beautiful?"

"Very. I love looking at you, even when you're dressed like a guy. Though I like you dressed as a girl better, as long as everyone knows you're mine. Especially cops and long haired assholes."

Best to ignore that last part. "It's easier to fight as a boy."

"Either way, you're gorgeous."

"Yeah?" she asked, feeling her face heat. Ryuuji looked misty-eyed even. It was a little scary.

He was still stroking her hair, as if she were precious. The man was so slick. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you?"

"Nah," she said, hoping to lighten the mood a bit.

He didn't smile back, his face rueful. Was Ryuuji blushing? "Did you like it? I should have... I meant to... You felt so good I couldn't stop myself. I just want to make sure you enjoyed it, too." He closed his eyes, then exhaled. "I'd dreamed of it, but I wasn't prepared for it like I thought I was..."

Tsukasa put down her chopsticks. "Enjoy? Enjoy is the wrong word. It was unbelievable, like that moment when you're flying in the middle of a fight and everything is perfectly lined up, everything going as you envisioned. Only more so. I've never felt anything like it. I want to feel it again. We can, can't we?"

Ryuuji choked on his tea. "Yeah," he gasped finally. "Sure. Anytime you'd like."

"And I didn't hurt you?"

"Remind me to trim your nails. Maybe your teeth." He stroked her hair, his voice lowering into a smug purr, "But, I'm great."

"I noticed." Without meaning to, she blurted, "Is it always like that? With everyone?" She bit her lip. Idiot, she had never intended to bring up the women he'd had before.

His answer was immediate and absolute. "Never. Sex has never been like that before with anyone." A touch of smug crept back into his smile. "You're not bothered about the women in my past, are you? They'll never be a threat to you." He kissed the top of her head. "You're the one I want."

"Today." She couldn't help her response, even when he took her hand and tugged her back to her feet, leading her back to the bedroom.

He turned and wrapped himself around her. "Always," he said into her hair. "The one. If you want, I swear I'll never touch another woman. I can't let go like I can with you." His hands slid up and down her back. "I won't settle for less."

She closed her eyes and tightened her arms around him. That was more than she'd expected, an unprecedented offer from someone in his position. When he would have let her go, she yanked him back down and kissed him with all she had. His response was instantaneous. He crushed her body to his own with urgency, his mouth ravishing her own. One hand fisted in her hair while the other roamed her body, his shirt a puddle at her feet again. His hand migrated to the small of her back to keep her pressed against his heat. "I lose my mind when you kiss me," he said when he let finally her go. "I love that you want me, too."

"I do. I'm glad you offered to be faithful. I was afraid I'd have to maim you," she admitted. Truth was truth. She'd want to accept it, but she knew she never could, not after opening herself so completely to him. She couldn't let him share himself like that with someone else, not while she was alive. It meant something that he understood that without her having to tell him.

She fell back on the bed, uncertain how he'd maneuvered her back there. He slid in beside her and hooked his arm back around her waist. "And I'm glad you feel that way," he said with something in his tone that set her alarm bells ringing. "So you'll understand my own position. No one, and I mean no one, touches you like this. I've asked you before if you wanted to be a murderer. You'll be one if you let anyone touch you in any but the most platonic manner."

"Platonic?"

"You can beat the living hell out of anyone you want, hug your brothers. Maybe shake hands with a friend if you don't stand too close. But, from this moment on, no one touches you like this," he said, stroking his hand over her hair, down her back, down her butt. "No one's lips touch you except mine. And no one marks you but me." His lips brushed her temple as his fingers flicked over places on the back of her neck and her shoulder. She suspected he'd left kiss marks in various places.

"I can agree to that," she said carefully, noting his body had tensed back up. "At least, to never be touched willingly. But if—."

"Either way, he's dead. So bear that in mind." His hands had tangled in her hair and were pulling her head back so he could bury himself in her lips. "I won't kill you even if you were willing," he added after a languorous kiss. "But I will punish you and put you back in your collar."

Her protest, if she would have made one, was lost against his mouth. Probably better for him to not to know she was gratified by his jealousy rather than offended. As if she'd let another man touch her. He wasn't the only one who could take off fingers.

Once again, they were too busy to talk for some considerable time. When they finally rested, the day felt much advanced, though she could only guess in the windowless room. Her head rested on his chest as he lay on his back and stroked her hair. She could never remember feeling so content.

"You're sure I haven't hurt you?"

She snorted. "I feel fantastic though I might be a bit sore tomorrow. Right now, though, I'm so comfortable. I could stay like this forever."

She could feel him react, his body relaxing. Then he chuckled, his evil laugh. "Really? Just what I had in mind myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Stay with me. I'll have your things moved in tomorrow."

"What? Live here? In the same room? You'll rifle through my clothes! Watch me change! Grab me at odd moments!"

He shrugged. "I do that anyway. It will just be more efficient if you're already here, if you're always where I am."

She lifted her head to look at him, seeing not a calculating face or even a teasing one, but an earnest face, a tender one. "I want to hold you when I sleep," he said simply.

She dropped her head back and sighed. "You're so sly, damn it. So sly." She kissed him lightly. "No limiting the hot water. And I pick my own underwear." She fell asleep in the arms she loved most before he'd stopped laughing.

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Fanfiction: Tokyo Crazy Paradise: Consummation

Okay, this is a first for me. I've never had the urge to write fan fiction because, truthfully, coming up with characters and scenarios has never been a problem. When I've been prompted by something to write before, it was usually because a good idea was so badly mangled I had to rework it into something good. Admittedly, it was usually unrecognizable long before I was through with it (and that was largely epic poetry that will never see the light of day).

But Nakamura Yoshiki, author/artist for Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Skip Beat! has built such terrific sequences and characters that I couldn't stop myself. Whereas the bit I wrote for Tokyo Crazy Paradise is a bit of consummation after the end of the series (which is complete); it's just speculation using someone else's story. Note that I have also written fanfiction for Skip Beat that begins here.

If you haven't read the manga, you probably will be confused. If you want to read it but haven't yet (and I definitely recommend it), I'd avoid reading this because spoilers are built all through it. In fact, this is unlikely to be of any interest to anyone other than a fan of Tokyo Crazy Paradise if even that because this is how I see the characters.

Disclaimer: these characters and scenarios are based on the work of Nakamura Yoshiki and I'm just speculating on what might happen later in the story. Nothing more, nothing less. It is not an original work and I will never try to market or profit by it in any way. This fanfiction is "older Teen."

Ryuuji leaned over and whispered something to Bun-san. Tsukasa wasn't close enough to hear more than "android invasion" and "without disturbing us."

"Of course, Sandaime."

When Bun-san left, Ryuuji went with him and closed the door behind him. And locked it.
When she started and turned sideways on the couch, he met her eyes directly. The impact was staggering. She could feel blood steal into her cheeks, her heart hammering in her chest. "What are you doing? It's only 2:30. Don't you have some sort of work scheduled?"

He shrugged, loosening his tie. "I might have once, but I've just told Bun-san to cancel whatever I had on my schedule through tomorrow. No one's to disturb us for any reason up to and including android invasion."

He tossed his tie on the coffee table, still sauntering toward her. All at once, she became painfully aware that this suite wasn't just his center of operations, complete with computers, tables and couches. It was also his bedroom.

She knew that look in his eyes, had seen it nearly since the beginning, even if she hadn't originally understood its significance. That look had become more frequent of late, more obvious, less patient. No harrowing experience from the past year scared her as much as that look in his eyes. Or thrilled her as much.

He noticed her reaction, of course. Those sharp compelling eyes missed nothing. As she shrank back against the couch cushions, he sat down sideways beside her, refusing to let her look away. "I don't understand why you look scared, Tsukasa. I'm not some bakemono like the ones you've fought without flinching. You've promised to stay by me forever. Don't you want to be here? Don't you want to be with me?"

"Yes!" she said, more forcefully that she intended in her surprise. "Always."

The smile on his lips was her favorite, the crooked one she suspected no one saw but her. "And not just as a bodyguard or a friend," he pursued.

She couldn't pull her eyes away. She knew she was blushing like a schoolgirl, which she was in a roundabout sort of way. Still, embarrassing. "N-no," she stammered in a dry throat. "I mean yes. I mean..."

His lips quirked so she knew he knew what she meant. He was relentless as always. "And you've managed to convert or subvert anyone who had a problem with that, including my former fiancée."

"I didn't—," she protested automatically, but he silenced her with a gentle finger against her lips that began to stroke.

"I know she's not my former fiancée because of you. But she supports your position now and that is because of you. As far as the world's concerned, we're mated, married in all but name. Even your brother's accepted it though he won't acknowledge it officially. I'll make it by name, too, if you want." His fingers feathered across her lips, leaving them tingling as his face softened. "The instant you tell me you want it."

"I don't care about the name."

He smiled as he bent his head toward her, but she retreated automatically, cursing herself as she did so. His fingers slid away as his eyes hardened. "That's what I don't get. We've gone toe-to-toe and fought side by side, fought others to the death and each other nearly the same. I've seen you naked. You've seen me sleep, even seen me cry. And no one's seen me cry. I've touched you before, kissed you before..."

"And groped me every opportunity," she added with a touch of asperity.

"And will again, you can bet on it. There's something about exploring a body few others have ever touched. Hmm. Don't distract me. It was easier to get up close and personal with you when there were half a dozen obstacles standing in our way. Now that there are none, you're scrambling for distance. When I come close, you lash out or back off."

"I've lashed out since the beginning," she protested, feeling her face heat further. "It's a conditioned reflex, and I don't lash out like I used to." Damn, she sounded like a sulky kid. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

His fingers found their way to the tips of her hair and played with them. "I'm a fairly resilient or I would have given up on you in the beginning. But your scrambling back doesn't hurt less than a kick to the face. It's like you're afraid of me and I don't get that. Don't you trust me?"

She snorted. "On this subject, are you really trustworthy?"

His crooked smile returned briefly at that, but his eyes were still intent. "Do you love me?" His eyes closed before he leaned in next to her ear and breathed, "Because I love you unreasonably." He inhaled and then released it in a warm shaky breath that stirred the tendrils of hair at her ear. "I've wanted you for so long. I ache to touch you, really touch you," he whispered and her own eyes closed at the answering need clamoring inside her. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," she said, then choked over how to say it better. He was so smooth, so assured. She knew nothing about love, hadn't recognized it for the longest time. The first time he'd kissed her, she'd already known she loved him, but she'd been unaware how her heart and body would open with that single touch. When he'd kissed her, she'd been drowned in him, swamped by emotion and sensation she had no way of handling. Overloaded.

She could feel his lips smile against her cheek as he brushed them against her flaming skin, seeking her mouth. She could have wept with frustration when her hands pushed him away without her conscious command. His curses were soft but original, but he couldn't curse her more bitterly than she cursed herself.

For a moment, she thought he'd retreat, but he waited instead, her chin caught in his hand until she opened her eyes again. "Why?" he asked, when she did. "Explain it to me. You love me. You want me. I can feel it. Why don't you want me to touch you?"

"That's not it!" she choked out, fighting tears. "It's not that I don't want you to touch me. I do want you to touch me so much it scares me. I don't know how to handle it. It's like drowning and I can't come up for air. It's too much. I keep thinking I'll get used to it." She sighed out gustily. "I'm probably not explaining this right."

Her eyes downcast, she stole a glance at him and was stunned to see him smiling at her. Not angry as she'd expected, but grinning broadly. Smug, even.

That bastard.

Before her temper, never far from the surface, could bubble out, he defused it with the gentle brush against her cheekbone with the back of his fingers. "Silly brat," he said in a warm tone he reserved for her. "Is keeping me at a distance helping you get used to it? Or making it worse? You don't learn to swim standing poolside and wringing your hands. You gotta jump in."

Surprise made her look up at that and he used that opportunity to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. His lips were not demanding, but her head fell back naturally to give him more, spellbound by the single contact. Her hands didn't push him away but fisted in the folds of his shirt. When he pulled away, she was dizzy and breathless, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

The fingers that had once been at her chin fluttered over the side of her throat as he slid his face next to hers again, his lips brushing her ear. His ragged breathing not only inflamed, but gratified, even if there was laughter in his voice. "You don't have to hold your breath."

The laughter died and his voice dropped to a whisper, almost lost in his heavy breaths. "Let me touch you, Tsukasa. I need you." He lifted his chin to kiss her temple, then buried his lips in her hair. "I won't hurt you."

She couldn't help her snort of laughter. "Like that's worries me."

He nuzzled his way along her hairline on a languorous path back toward her lips, sending electric shocks along her skin. His touch was lazy and patient, but she could feel the muscles trembling in his chest, his heart galloping beneath her clenched fingers. His scent, spicy with the smoky edge due to too many cigarettes, filled her senses with his warm presence, erotic because it was unmistakably his. And he was hers.

She stopped thinking and let herself drown. Her body reacted on its own, turning her head and angling her jaw so that she found his mouth. One of her hands released its hold on his shirt and slid into his silky hair to provide the pressure her mouth demanded. Her body had always known what to do instinctively. How had she forgotten that?

He froze for an instant, his fingers spasming against her throat, his lips unresponsive for the briefest moment before he sank into her. His mouth matched her urgency and forced hers open to plunge deeper.

Feeling stormed through her, immersed her in a thousand unfamiliar sensations, each of them overwhelming. She didn't fight it. How often had she let passion rule her? Trying to fight her emotions had always been like holding back the tide with a broom. Instead, she dove.

She was tucked up now between his knees. The hand not tangled in his hair fought his shirt buttons one-handed, breaking them off by force when her fingers weren't skilled enough. Only as she fought the last button did she realize her own shirt was only attached at the wrists, her protector long gone. Both of his hands roamed over her torso beneath her tank top. She wrenched her mouth free to complain, "How do you do that?"

He responded by latching his devastating mouth on her throat and setting it afire, but she could feel the rumble of his chuckle beneath her fingers. His hands cupped either breast and rubbed thumbs over her nipples. He purred against her throat when she gasped. "Shake your arms to lose the shirt. Crazy girl, how long are you going to wear men's clothing?"

"At this rate, I won't be wearing any clothing." One of his hands slid behind her back at her hip to yank her up and against him. His body through his open shirt was hot and hard, his scent like a drug to her senses. Shirtless, she buried her hands in his hair as his mouth blazed a trail down her neck to her shoulder.

He removed her tank top with a simple movement of his hand up her back and into her hair. "I hope you're not wearing more idiotic boxers." His other hand had already released her belt and her pants, then slid below to grip her thighs. Without warning, she was lifted up easily in his arms as her loosened pants slid off and away. He smirked as he rose and carried her across the room toward the back room and his huge bed. "Yes, much better," he said as he eyed the ridiculous thong underwear she wore.

"Bastard. You keep having someone rifle through my underwear drawer and steal my underwear, leaving stuff like this," she said against his throat.

"Nonsense," he said, laying her gently on his wide bed and making no secret of his leisurely examination of her all-but-naked body. "I go through that drawer myself. It's strictly off limits for any of any kumin that want to retain their fingers."

She tried not to shiver as his fingers danced, butterfly soft, over her heating flesh. "You don't kill them for that?"

"Not for a first offense," he said, letting his lips wander over her face. "As long as its clothing and not your actual body. I know how tempting you are."

He was driving her crazy. Why was he keeping a distance? Moving so slowly, so patiently...what was he playing at? Well, she didn't feel like waiting. She levered to an elbow and wrapped her arm around his neck so she could blow in his ear. After all, she knew his weaknesses, too. "Stop talking and touch me like you mean it."

To her amazement, he shuddered. She could feel his hand fist at her hip, his jaw clench against her cheek. Oh, ho!

"Patience," he rasped out, though it took a moment to get where he could speak. "I...it's a little harder holding myself back than I thought it would be."

"What?" she yelped, perhaps louder than called for given her lips were only a breath from his ear. When he flinched, she rolled him to his back, straddling him. He'd managed to ditch his shirt but he was still wearing trousers. She, of course, was wearing only token clothing. When had he removed her shoes?

With menace she knew was effective, she bent to his face. "What kind of crap is that? Holding back? Since when have I ever asked you to hold back for me? What makes you think you're allowed?"

"I'm trying to be careful. I don't want to hurt you," he explained, not meeting her eyes. Pink tinged his ears and cheeks and endeared him to her—not that she'd ever admit it.

"I told you I wasn't worried about that."

"For a woman, the first time—" She cut him off with a kiss that was hard and demanding. She remembered him kissing her like that before: desperate, angry, needy. That's how she wanted him now so they'd be meeting on even ground.

She felt him struggle with himself as if their mouths were a battlefield, felt his incredible control tremble, pushed to its limits. She gloried in it. She knew in her heart, that, though he was no novice with sex—she knew that—, he'd never lost control with anyone else. Let that be hers and hers only.

With an oath, he managed to roll her back to her back, his own body crushing hers, hard as iron. She could see his pulse beating madly in his throat, hear his shattered breathing. "You don't know what you're doing! Will you let me do this my way?"

"Only if 'your way' is the real you, not the face you show your kumin."

He closed his eyes, chest heaving. "I don't know what would happen, how I might hurt you if I let go. Shit! You're driving me crazy."

Her fingers worked the clasp of his belt. "Driving you crazy is, like, my favorite thing to do," she breathed against the pulse in his throat. "Touch me like you mean it, or don't bother."

He was still as stone for a moment, eyes closed, fighting himself now. She took the opportunity to slide his slacks down his narrow hips, her fingers stroking caressingly along the naked skin in its wake as she bared her teeth on his windpipe.

The growl in his throat made her pull back. His eyes blazed down on her with such visceral animal need she thought she'd burst into answering flame. "You asked for it," he spit between gritted teeth before he swooped down on her and began battering her with teeth, lips, tongue, hands, body and his desperate need.

That's more like it, she thought before her mind ceased all ability to function. Nor was there more conversation on either part other than a number of moans, groans, and some guttural screams until, some considerable time later, they both lay sweaty and gasping, bruised and momentarily sated.

Continued here: Afterglow

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New Header Thanks to My Husband and Great Mangakus

Using picture manipulation magic (which I don't have the software for, sob sob), my husband has taken faces of five of my favorite mangas and made me a lovely header. Isn't it beautiful?

He didn't provide the artwork, but only manipulated the artwork of some of the greatest mangaku ever. Nakamura Yoshiki, author/artist for Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Skip Beat! is well represented as well as Shinobi Life by Shoko Conami, Maid-Sama (aka Kaichō wa Maid-sama!) by Hiro Fujiwara, and Dengeki Daisy by Kyousuke Motomi.

I am so happy.

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Tokyo Crazy Paradise [4]: Favorite Characters

Normally I describe my favorite character in the original review (and I have one: Ryuuji just edges out Tsukasa, though it's a close-run thing). However, in Tokyo Crazy Paradise, the characters are too good to wedge into a single post review. That's how good they are.

Nakamura-Sensei tends toward large casts and there's quite a sizable one here, but unlike Skip Beat! with an endless parade of charming characters, the list of truly notable characters here is much shorter, the villains less charming (with one exception). BUT, the notable characters they have are fantastic.


We have to start with Kozeki Tsukasa, who would definitely have been my favorite character her if Ryuuji had been just a little less perfect. Ostensibly one of four brothers, she's gregarious, volatile, straight-forward and prone to whimsy. Raised as a boy by her cop parents, she fights like a pro (better, actually) and thinks of herself as a boy, which is a challenge as she's at the age where she's attracting men (which confuse them if they don't know her true gender). When she "cross-dresses," however, she's all girl. Still a butt-kicker, but quick to play feminine tricks to get whatever she wants. Since she's curvy and beautiful, both methods are effective.

She is naive and dense, depending on the topic, but she's got a sharp mind, an nose for trouble, and is quite observant and skilled with sniffing out bad guys and workable strategies. She's incredibly swift and exact and has this really cool chain with a weighted end she pulls out that is both offensive and defensive weapon. Really, it is so neat. She dodges bullets, beats small-time and big time hoodlums up with similar ease and is almost always able to leap between Ryuuji and his many assailants.

She's devoted to doing the right thing, helping the innocent (in a world where most walk by trying not to see. Despite her disdain for the yakuza, she has always been intrigued by Ryuuji (who is everything she's not) and quickly (and almost against her will) becomes devoted to protecting him. He frustrates her. She doesn't understand him. She doesn't trust him, but she's first trapped by her do-gooder nature and then by a genuine regard for Ryuuji.

As she starts out fighting her attraction to Ryuuji (and confounded by his overt interest in her) but quickly wants to be a friend. Over time, however, other concerns (including Ryuuji's unscrupulous and dangerous fiance) force her to try to deny her romantic feelings and his to protect herself and her family. Ah, if it were only so easy. What she does learn, however, is that she can't turn her back on Ryuuji, who she respects more and more, and devotes herself to his protection, whether she's ever more than his defender or not. And that's despite the growing contingent of other males sniffing around her. And the revelations about who she really is that challenge what she wants, what's important in the future.

Shirogami Ryuuji is the youthful leader of a powerful yakuza syndicate, a syndicate with unusual scruples and standards, including a prohibition in dealing with drugs or getting involved in human slavery or dealing in particularly nasty weapons (that they once manufactured for the military). Born prematurely to a mother that didn't survive his birth, Ryuuji is in the care of Kamojima (his bodyguard) from almost the first moment, groomed to be unemotional and completely devoted to the preservation of his yakuza group and their ideals. Brilliant, capable, skillful, Ryuuji masters everything and never lets his guard down around anyone, learning to hide his emotions and set aside his own needs in deference to those of his group. He's also close to Tsukasa's level in hand-to-hand as well as being a crack shot (which she is not).

He's a very powerful young man and well aware of his power and skills. He's serious and stoic and counts on those protecting him and supporting him to do their jobs without his intervention. When it comes to his honor, the standards of the Kuryugami (his syndicate), and his duty, he is uncompromising and demands the best, especially from himself. When his group choose a bride for him, he doesn't even consider questioning it (as far as can be seen).

And into this dispassionate perfection stumbles...Tsukasa, his heedless frivolous katagi (non-yakuza) classmate. Although ostensibly unfriendly when Tsukasa first comes asking for help (and ruthless about forcing her to become his bodyguard and help him find his father's killer), we eventually realize that he's always been intrigued by Tsukasa, that he was the one who saved her from drowning three years previously, and that, as a result, he knows Tsukasa's a girl. He is also well aware that Tsukasa is very capable combatant.

More than that, however, we soon learn that, around Tsukasa, he can be himself, that he can smile and lose his temper and be a teenager. His attraction for her sneaks up on him and he begins by manipulating the situation so she is stuck by his side (using any means necessary). Used to women throwing themselves to him, Ryuuji finds Tsukasa a reluctant (and unaware) object of his affection who both intrigues and frustrates. He pursues her aggressively, while accepting the poundings he takes as a result philosophically (note that Ryuuji does not nominally allow people to beat him up). She comes to his rescue; he does the same for her when her heedless meddling gets her into trouble (as it frequently does). As Kamojima is quick to realize, Tsukasa is the spot of light in a dark unforgiving life. He wants her, even though he doesn't really expect to have her the way he wants, though he is quickly jealous if she interacts with anyone else. (And it's Tsukasa, not just a girl that looks like her. She has a temporary personality snafu due to poisoning and what he wants is his own Tsukasa back). And, yeah, that appeals to me.

And I really can't tell you more about him without giving away great gobs of the story. Pity.

Instead of talking about the villains (though there is one notable one), I want to focus on the other pivotal character here, Kamojima Toshiyuki, Ryuuji's bodyguard and the man who effectively raised him. Kamo-san is cool for several reasons, not the least of which is that he seems so harmless in general, when he's really a pretty decent badass (though not a good shot). But, though he taught Ryuuji growing up, where Ryuuji's focus is the good of the syndicate, Kamo-san is focused on Ryuuji's happiness. Period.

That means, while Ryuuji's pulling back from Tsukasa and cozying up to his fiance for the good of his group (since the fiance has the blessing of all the factions and can prevent internal strife), Kamo-san is trying to make sure Tsukasa is not driven away in the mean time. He makes no bones about working against the fiance. Even as Tsukasa's strongest supporter, the one he's focused on is Ryuuji, willing to put Tsukasa in any role that will make Ryuuji happy. Will he push Tsukasa to become a second wife for Ryuuji? You bet. Will he spread secrets about Tsukasa to make her more appealing to the yakuza (given she's a civilian?)? Hell yes.

The story about about Kamojima adoption of this pivotal role of Ryuuji's caretaker then bodyguard is heart-wrenching. His unselfish and unflinching focus on Ryuuji's happiness - not just survival, actual happiness - in this world where happiness seems hard to find, well, I can't see how you can't love Kamojima, even if he's pretty ruthless when it comes to everything else. Especially when you realize that, though he does the kindly appearing things really for Ryuuji's sake alone, they're still good things. In the end, he's working in Tsukasa's interests too because, well, she belongs with Ryuuji.

I can't do any of them justice here, actually.The best way to find out how truly amazing and satisfying these characters are is to read the books. Now if someone would just publish them in English.

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Tokyo Crazy Paradise: Getting It Published Here in English

So, if this Tokyo Crazy Paradise is so good, why isn't it published here? The author is successful here (Skip Beat! by the same author is quite popular). Heck, Viz media, which publishes Skip Beat!, proclaims she's the author of Tokyo Crazy Paradise on the back of every volume. But they don't publish Tokyo Crazy Paradise.

I've heard several reasons: it's already on scanlations. Well, I'm not sure that's going to fly. I've read a number of mangas on-line that are still being published, even though they are complete (or have several additional volumes) already on-line. Although I'm sure there are people who are happy to read on-line and don't buy books, I know I'm not the only one who has bought more mangas because I read them on line than I would otherwise have done.

There's a lot of violence. True, but it's pretty benign compared to many shonen mangas that are desperately popular, so I'm not buying that. There is nudity, but, again, it's hardly pervasive and I've seen mangas, for older teens, with as much nudity or more, so I'm not sure I find that compelling. It has a good bit of sexual tension and some sexual harassment, but considerably less than a manga like Black Bird (which is rated "Older Teen"). Selling books that show yakuza in a favorable light is being cracked down on in Japan, but that should hardly be an issue here where we still embrace all kinds of criminal elements in our media.

So what is it?

I think it's simple, not only a simple answer but a simple fix. The protagonists are too young. For some reason, Nakamura-Sensei made them both fourteen and still in middle school. In Japan, the age of consent is thirteen. Admittedly, our young protagonists don't have sex during the course of the manga, but Tsukasa ends up losing her top several times and Ryuuji's overt sexual interest in her is hard to miss. I think, for people taking it at face value in this country, it's disturbing (and you can put whatever spin you want on that statement). I don't think of them as fourteen so I'm not even slightly bothered. More on that in a minute.

Sounds like a tough problem, doesn't it? Except, I don't think it is for the same reason their age doesn't bother me (despite the fact I'm not a proponent for underage sex): I just don't see them as fourteen years old. They don't look fourteen. They don't act fourteen (mostly, not so much I couldn't buy them being 2-3 years older). There's no overt reason I can identify that the school they're going to is a middle school rather than a high school. The fact they're "brats" is a big deal in the yakuza organization, but I have a hard time thinking a bunch of middle-aged ruffians are going to regard a 16/17 year old leader desperately differently than they'd see a 14 year old. Both are likely to look like "brats." I mean, look at them!
(Especially noting these from Skip Beat!: Kyoko at 16 and Ren at 20)


In fact, I'd ask the author to OK a text-only change, change the year to 2022 or 2023 and go from there. As far as I can tell, there's nothing to lose. There's not a single drawing that I think needs to be reworked. The school trip they go through is a staple of second year high schoolers, too. The uniforms could be high school as easily as middle school (and dropping out, as Ryuuji contemplates, makes more sense since only middle school is compulsory in Japan - not that that's really going to bother a gangster). Shiva and Shiki could be as readily in their late twenties as their mid twenties. It's not less of a sacrifice for Tsukasa's older brother to drop out of university than it is high school.

What's more, some of the plot points that were a bit hard to swallow at their current ages actually make more sense. For instance, Ryuuji discovered Tsukasa's gender saving her from drowning three years before by discovering breasts. Well, I have to say 13/14-year-old breasts are much more noticeable than 11-year-old so it makes the discovery more plausible, rather than less. Ditto the pervasive rush to get Ryuuji married. Admittedly, without an heir, there would be pressure on Ryuuji to produce one, but one would hardly need to push marriage (particularly when one can't legally marry at fourteen), yet the push to get formally engaged/effectively married is hits like a hammer as soon as Asago turns fourteen. If she's turning sixteen (where one can legally get married with a parent's permission) that makes a lot more sense.

I don't think of them as 14 year olds, actually. I think of them as youthful adults, with real responsibilities and real adult issues to contend with. A little text tweaking without losing any of the impact or charm of the original, and I truly believe this could be a very successful title here in the states. Are you listening, Viz Media?

But, either way, I love it.

Next, I'm going to go into the characters a bit and then I'll let the review go...but I have fanfiction for this manga, too.

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