Aishiteru Means I Love You

A/N: Sorry it took so long to post. A lot of R/L craziness. Next chapter will have more going on. We'll see what the Pack is up to and maybe, just maybe, a sex scene.

"Goliath! Goliath! Goliath!"

Goliath was looking forward to another evening with Elisa and wasn't exactly thrilled when Nashville bounded up to him, hopping in place with excitment. "What is it, Nashville?"

"Yama said Angela wouldn't've beaten him last time they fought cuz she attacked him from behind so he challenged her to a rematch." Nashville said this all in one breath and was fairly bouncing with energy. "An' she said cuz she was the one challenged she got to pick how they'd fight, so she chose mortal combat and...."

"Where are they?" Goliath cut him off.

"They're at the Old Temple." Nashville answered. "C'mon, hurry! We're gonna miss it!"

The three of them turned and ran back to the temple.

"I-I don't understand!" Elisa panted as she ran. "Angela is usually so level headed. Why would she do something this crazy?"

"C'mon! C'mon!" urged Nashville, opening the door. "They might start without us!" Voices could be heard from the next room.

"I warn you, ona." said Yama. "This style of fighting was invented in my country. You are 100 years too early!"

"Yeah, yeah." said Angela. "Quit yapping and get to slapping!"

"I will see that you die horribly tonight, gaijin!"

"Not if I kill you first!"

/Wait,/ thought Elisa. /Isn't that the room where they keep the.../ Her train of thought was cut off when Goliath barreled past her.

Goliath burst into the room, eyes glowing white. "You get away from her!" he roared. He saw Angela sitting on the couch next to Yama. Both were holding video game controllers. Various other gargoyles and some humans were there, looking pretty excited. Sora tied a hachimaki bearing the symbol of the Rising Sun around Yama's forehead. She kissed his cheek and said "Ganburai." Broadway smirked and whipped out a headband with a Stars and Stripes pattern. He tied it around Angela's forehead and said "Good luck."

Lexington hopped up from behind the TV set. "It's all set up!" he announced as the graphics to Mortal Kombat 3 flickered on the screen. "Just press start."

"Test your might...Test your might...." the game challenged.

"Uh, what's going on?" Goliath asked as Elisa giggled.

"Yama has a score to settle with Angela." Lexington said. "So they're settling it through Mortal Kombat 3."

"Mortal...combat?" said Goliath.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," announced Staghart. "In this corner, wearing the blue kimono, weighing in at...." He clicked his tongue and pointed at Yama.

"Eighty-eight and a half kilograms." Yama supplied.

"Eighty-eight and a half kilograms," Staghart continued. "The King of the Mountain, Yama!" The Ishimura gargoyles cheered. "And in this corner, wearing the pink bikini, weighing in at...." Angela just glared at him. "Taking the lady's perogative not to reveal her weight. The Bludgeoning Angel, Angela!" The Manhattan gargoyles cheered. Kaze also cheered, but stopped when some of his siblings gave him an odd look. "Alright, good clean fight lady and gentlemen." Staghart said to Yama and Angela. "The blood option is turned off because there's hatchlings in the room. For the same reason, there will be no Fatalities."

The children groaned in disappointment. "Aw, we know it's all just red pixles!" complained Nashville.

"Keep it clean." said Staghart. "No body checks. No trash talk. No stealing my soda, Nashville!" Nashville quickly put back the Coke can he tried to pilfer. "Now, let's get it on!"

Angela selected Sonya Blade. Yama selected Shang Tsung.

Angela pulled Lex close. "He picked Shang Tsung." she whispered. "Do you think he knows how to do the morphs?"

"Be prepared for anything." Lex advised. "And do your best!"

"Round One." announced Shao Khan. "Fight!" Angela and Yama furiously pressed the buttons as the characters on the screen fought brutally.

"Down A B, Angela!" urged Lex. "Down A B!" Sonya grabbed Shang Tsung in a leg lock and threw him across the screen. Shang Tsung recovered and threw a barrage of flaming skulls at Sonya. "Jump! Jump!" Lex urged. "OK, A and away! A and away!" Sonya tossed flaming rings. Shang Tsung evaded them, morphed into Scorpion and used his spear attack. "You're not beat, Angela! Lay into him!" As she did, a man's face appeared in the corner and yelled "Whoopsie!"

"Who is that?" asked Goliath.

"That's Whoopsie Man." said Broadway. "He comes out whenever he wants."

Angela managed to win the round by a hair. Yama won the second round, also by a hair's breadth. Round three had them both focusing intently. Both were down to their last bar of life when Shang Tsung managed to hit Sonya with an uppercut. Angela winced as Shao Khan yelled "Finish Her!" Ominous music played as Yama pressed a combination of buttons. Suddenly, a rainbow appeared in Shang Tsung's hands. "Shang Tsung wins!" announced Shao Khan. "Friendship!" The word appeared in bright, colorful letters.

"No rules against Friendships." said Yama. "You played well, Angela-San."

"So did you." Angela shook hands with him.

"Aw, man!" groaned Nashville. "I wanted to see someone's soul get eaten!"

Yuri stood next to Staghart and noticed the Coke can in his hand. She had a can of locally produced melon soda herself. "Staghart," she said. "Do you like melon soda?"

"I don't know." he replied. "I've never melled a soda before. Oh, before I forget, everyone! I have an announcment to make. Two, actually, maybe three, so hold the applause." Everyone turned his way. "You're probably wondering why I have this sparkly doodad in my ear." He twitched his right ear. "Well, Lexington asked me to be his mate and I said yes!"

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" said Angela.

"Way to go, Lex!" said Brooklyn.

"Where'd you get the earring?" asked Broadway.

"Well," said Lexington. "The software I adapted for Xanatos is a hit stateside. I've now got a sizable bank account in my name. Looks like I'm going into business!"

"And here's the big announcment!" said Staghart. "We're going to have a baby!" Complete silence, a sea of dropped jaws and confused eyes. "What? Did I just grow a second head?"

Yuri and Shinju stood with them. "They will be getting a little help from us." Yuri explained. "Three eggs will go to the Manhattan Clan, the other three will remain here in Ishimura. With our clan leaders' blessings, I hope."

Kai stood and smiled. "Yuri, I couldn't be happier to hear that you and your mate will contribute eggs to our clan." He took her hands. "Of course you have my blessing. If anything, I should thank /you/ for the blessing you are bestowing on the clan."

"Arigato, Oto-Chan!" Yuri said, embracing him. Kai embraced her and Shinju.

"Goliath?" Lex said cautiously. "This...this is OK, right?"

"It is...unorthodox." Goliath admitted. Then, he gave a small smile. "But, new eggs for our clan, however they are produced, means hope not only for us, but the entire gargoyle race." He heaved a sigh. "It appears we are to adapt if we are to thrive." He extended a hand to Lexington. "You have my blessing and my congradulations."

"Group hug!" Staghart announced, trying to hug both Goliath and Lexington at once. "Right, I need to make another e-mail and tell the folks in London about this. Oh, Ayala will probably faint!"

"Well, now that's over with." said Robyn. "I need Angela, Riko, Shinju, Izumi and Sora to come with me to Tomoko's for a fitting. And Harry, I'm having the programs printed tomorrow, so I hope you've got something nice written."

"Only got one more thing to do, sweetheart!" Dingo answered.

"Lemme guess." said Fang. "That one more thing is actually write something."

"Yeah...." Dingo said shamefacedly.

"Come, Goliath!" Kai tapped the other leader on the shoulder. "Ayame has offered to make tea for us."

Elisa and Goliath soon found themselves in the Oriental style sitting room Kai had entertained them in two years ago. A pale green female gargoyle in a matronly kimono poured tea for them. "Arigato, Ayame-chan." Kai told her. Ayame smiled and bowed from her kneeling position and poured herself some tea. "So, Goliath, it appears our clans are to be united. I consider it an honor."

"As do I, Kai." said Goliath. "When Lexington told me of his...preference, I had worries about what this would mean for the future of our clan. I am glad he found a way to solve this problem."

"I also had my doubts when my daughters Yuri and Shinju expressed their desire to be mates." said Kai. "I am aware that they are making quite a sacrifice for the good of the clan."

"They could do this artificially." Elisa pointed out. "Lots of human women who want children but not husbands do this."

"How could this be done...artificially?" asked Goliath.

"Well...." Elisa tried to think of the most polite way to put it. "The-uh-issue would be put in a syringe to be-um-inserted." /Please let him know what I'm talking about./

"They may need assistance from Dr. Kimura." Kai said.

"Kimura?" Dingo had been passing by when he heard the name. "You talkin' bout the bloke what's officiating the wedding? Oh, I'm not intruding, am I?"

"Not at all." said Kai. "Have a seat." Already, Ayame was pouring him a cup of tea. "Your wedding is most likly being officiated by Judge Daiki Kimura. I was speaking of his brother, Dr. Tohru Kimura." Kai smiled and sipped his tea. "Ishimura is home to a Judge Kimura and two Doctor Kimuras. Tohru married a veteranarian. Their parents were also doctors. Keiichi was a physician and Megumi was a psychiatrist. They were good friends, but they are one with the wind now."

"One with the wind?" asked Dingo.

"I never heard the expression either." said Elisa.

"It is a gargoyle sentiment." said Goliath. "When a gargoyle dies, their ashes are scattered to the winds."

"Humans have been known to choose a Wind Ceremony." Kai pointed out. "When they form a close friendship with a gargoyle clan."

"So," said Dingo. "Saying 'one with the wind' is like saying 'passed away' or 'in a better place.' Something like that."

"Very much." said Kai. "Keiichi and Megumi were good friends and very helpful to our clan. When the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and Ishimura was plagued by radiation sickness, they had their work cut out for them." Kai shook his head. "It was hardest of all on the children. Bushido values the code of honesty, but with children, it seems kinder to lie sometimes. After the war was over, we thought our worst problems were over as well. The Breeder's Moon of 1948 was approached with more joy and hope for the future than usual. Six months later, we were all very distressed to find that many of our eggs fell apart minuits after parturition. Many of the females saw what happened as a mark of personal shame and performed jigai rather than live with the guilt."

"What's jigai?" asked Dingo.

"It's like seppuku." Ayame supplied. "But done by a female in a way that protects her modesty. Typically, she would bind her legs in a kneeling position and slit the vein in her neck." Ayame sighed and shook her head. "I told my sisters that the shame was not theirs. But some just wouldn't listen. I managed to convince a few that their death would only bring more sorrow to an already grieving clan. Still, I thought it would be safe to hide as many blades as I could. Such a pity. Only twelve hatched."

"Twelve?" said Goliath. "I've only seen eleven that could be of that generation." Goliath had a good idea why. "You have my condolences."

"Perhaps we tempted fate." said Kai. "He was named Hoshiro, Son of the Stars. He was weak and sickly after he hatched, but we were sure he'd get better in time. Keiichi supplied us with a thing called an incubator that seemed to help him a little. But, one day, while my sister Mitsumi was nursing him, he died. Mercifully, it was swift and quiet. Unfortunately, Mitsumi's mind went a bit afterwaords."

"We did all we could for Mitsumi." said Ayame. "But she didn't seem to want to be helped. Megumi tried talking to her, but she didn't want to do anything other than either stare into space or cry." Ayame shook her head. "Hiding the blades didn't help. She made a noose with her obi. The worst thing is, Yama was the one who found her. He was barely any older than Nashville at the time."

"Well, it was a long time ago." said Kai, trying to sound hopeful. "Megumi counseled him in this trying time for him. I'm sure he's over it by now."

"No, Kai." Dingo said with a shake of his head. "He isn't."

"Yama, is difficult at times." Kai admitted. "I think a lot of it stems from him just being worried too much. Megumi used something she called 'art therapy' to help Yama sort out his feelings. He has come a long way since manilla paper and Crayola water colors." Kai gestured to the screen painted with images of gargoyles and humans, illustrating the history of Ishimura. "That's one of his works there."

"Yama did /that/?" Dingo said, obviously shocked.

"That is his mark on the bottom." Kai pointed to a kanji symbol in the corner- three verticle marks, the center one a bit taller, all three joined at the bottom with another brushstroke.

"Yama told me he painted a little." said Dingo. "This ain't a little!"

"He worked on it for more than a year before he was satisfied enough to display it." said Kai. "But, this is exceptional. His typical work tends more towards sumi-e, more like that." Kai pointed to a framed ink painting on the wall of koi fish and a water lotus. Yama's mark sat in a corner in red.

"Strewth." said Dingo. "Better than I could do." he gave a depreciating laugh. "I couldn't draw flies!"

"Why would you want to?" asked Kai. "Flies are not very attractive, even by the standards of insects."

"It's a pun." Elisa supplied.

Outside, Lex sat on a hill as he watched gargoyle hatchlings play with human children on a playground. "Watch what I can do!" shouted Nashville as he jumped out of a swing, spread his wings and did a few barrel rolls before landing. Lex smiled. He wondered if one day he'd watch his own hatchlings at play. Would they have human playmates? It wasn't long before the human mothers came for their children. That's right, human children had bedtimes. Hiroshi's children bid their gargoyle friends good night before going home. Lex briefly wondered what had become of their mother. He hadn't seen her. When Hiroshi was working, they were tended to by an elderly female gargoyle named Kaede.

He heard the familiar whosh of air being beat by feathered wings and smiled as Amp landed next to him. "Got a flood of e-mails from London." Amp told him. "Everyone wanted to wish me well. Even the Twins." Amp lay back against the hill, his wings spread out. "I replied to all with further news about our Asian baby mamas. Can't wait to hear the responses to that."

Lex lay down next to him, pillowing his head on Amp's shoulder. "I think they'll be happy for you."

"I'll probably be the first English gargoyle in more than a century to spawn more than twice." Amp caressed Lex's arm. "Lex? I don't want to sound like I'm nagging, but, could we hold our commitment ceremony soon?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on putting it off too long." Lex said with a smile. "But, how soon would you like it?"

"In her reply e-mail, Una told me we should probably do it soon." Amp sighed sadly. "It's Pog. He's 200 years old now, and it isn't likely he'll live another year. Oh, he's well, all things considered. But, he'd like to see our ceremony before he, you know...." Amp sighed. "Una doesn't think he's well enough to travel. But, she and Leo can set up some monitors if we'll set up some cameras on our end."

"Shouldn't be a problem." said Lex. "We'll probably have to hold the ceremony early in the evening to make up for the time difference."

"Coco said there hasn't been this much excitement at Knight's Spur since Diana's wedding. I was only a little older than Nashville when that happened."

"Well, this will be even better!" said Lex. "Cuz unlike Diana and Charles, we're gonna make it last."

"I never understood what he saw in that cheap slag Camilla."

"Hey! Camilla was a very expensive slag!" Lex laughed.

Amp laughed and looked up at the stars with a sigh. "Lex? Do you believe in reincarnation?"

"What brought this on?"

Amp shrugged. "Just...wondering. Like, maybe after Diana's accident, she was reborn somewhere. Maybe she'll get a chance to do things over. Or maybe she came back as a bird or a horse or, hell, maybe even a gargoyle!" They both had to laugh at the idea of Princess Diana as a gargoyle. "When I was really little, before I knew what death was, I thought gargoyles just grew up, aged, got old and when they couldn't get any older just became eggs again, and started over. Crazy idea, right?"

"Amp, I've seen some really crazy stuff in my life." said Lex. "Reincarnation seems almost normal in comparison."

"Yeah, sounds like a good deal." He stroked Lex's scalp. "By the way, I like 'Chelsea' as a name for a girl. How bout you?"

"Chelsea?" Lex quirked a brow. "Like the President's daughter?"

"Oh, Clinton will be long out of office by the time our egg hatches." Amp reminded him. "I just thought Chelsea would be nice since there's a borrough in London called Chelsea and one in New York called Chelsea. Got any ideas for boy names?"

"Well, we've got 20 years to decide." Lex sighed. "Amp? I'm kinda worried about this whole donation thing. I mean, any kids you have are gonna turn out right but...I just keep thinking of how Brentwood turned out. Maybe I'm carrying an evil gene or something."

"Lexington, you haven't got a wicked bone in your body." Amp cracked a smile. "Well, other than mine on occasion. But, seriously, Brentwood made his own choices. It's no reflection on you." He nuzzled Lex. "We'll raise our hatchlings better than that." Lex snuggled close to his lover. Life was good.