Aishiteru Means I Love You

A/N: Sorry, no smut here. Just silliness and a romantic flashback.
The Japanese word "mate" (pronounced mah-teh) means "stop". "Ichi, ni" (ee-chee, nee) means "One, two". "Ite-na" (Ee-teh nah) means "That hurts". "Oni" (oh-nee) are hideous monsters that carry clubs. "Seme" and "Uke" are not only terms used in slash fiction, but also used in martial arts to denote the person who throws and the person who is thrown. Anything else, I think you can figure out through context.

Dingo finished his stretching regimen in the Ishimura gymnasium before he attacked the punching bag. His punches were as swift as ever and his kicks were high and fierce. Dingo felt his muscles burn as he pushed himself to the limit. The sound of his ki yells melded with the sound of rattling chains and canvas giving way to the fierce strikes. It was because of these sounds that he was taken completely by surprise when a pair of strong arms grabbed him and wrestled him to the ground. "Had I been a bandit, you would be dead." said Yama.

"Well, bandits don't usually rob gymnasiums, do they?"

"A true warrior must always be on guard."

Dingo picked up his towel and wiped his face. "Well, let's see how good you are on the bag, then."

"I'm not allowed to use the punching bag." said Yama. "I broke the last one."

"Did ya?" Dingo swung the towel around his shoulders and took a swig from his water bottle. "So, it's sunset already?"

"I woke up some time ago."

"Let me guess, you're trying to get away from the wedding planning madness too."

Yama shook his head. "I thought I had already gone through with it with Sora. I thought all I'd have to do is get my hair trimmed, show up in the hakama and haori, drink the saki, and that would be it. But, she and her friends wanted such and such flowers, in such and such place and play such and such music."

"She wants me to write something meaningful for our wedding programs." Dingo slumped down on a bench. Yama joined him. "I'm no writer. She also wants the program to have some bit of poetry by Robert Burns. She's Scottish, it's practically a law."

"Does Australia not have any poets?"

"Well, there's A. B. 'Banjo' Paterson who wrote 'Waltzing Matilda', a cheerful little ditty about a swagman who drowns himself rather than be hung for stealing sheep."

"Swagman?" Yama was unfamiliar with the term.

"Someone who'd travel from town to town looking for work."

"Ah, like a ronin, then."

"I believe the word American's would use would be closer. A 'bum' or a 'hobo' is what they'd call him. And we also have Henry Lawson, who wrote many poems about people dying tragically or wishing they could die. Not stuff you'd have at a wedding. Other than that, the closest thing Australia has to a poet is that bloke from Air Supply. Let's face it, Australian poetry is depressing. Now, your Japanese poetry, it's nice. Little 17 syllable things about how pretty cherry blossoms are."

"Dingo, if a Japanese poem mentions cherry blossoms, it's really about death."

"You're kiddin'?"

"I am not. Cherry blossoms are like life; they are beautiful, but they can't last forever. Eventually, they must become one with the wind as all life must. With Japanese poetry you must feel what is unsaid."

"OK, now I'm depressed."

"It is not meant to be depressing, Dingo. It is a truth and finding the beauty in truth."

"Frankly, Yama, I've found truth to be pretty damn ugly of late."

"Aren't you usually the one telling me I should 'lighten up', I believe the phrase is?"

/Time to change the subject./ Dingo decided. "I'm really focusing on not looking like an idiot at the wedding. My tux is airing out so it don't smell like mothballs and I got to get the mohawk trimmed tomorrow. Been practicing eating with chopsticks on M&M's like you showed me. What really has me worried is the dancing part. I pretty much skipped high school, meant skipping prom too. Never been much for dancing."

"I could teach you." Yama casually offered.

"You know how to dance?"

"A warrior must have many skills, preferably varied ones to live a more balanced life."

"Anything else you can do that you haven't told me about?"

"I paint a little." he said with a shrug.

"Well, alright." Dingo sighed. "I'd like you to teach me to dance then."

"We will need music." Yama approached a small stereo with some CD's resting nearby. "Not this one, not this one...ah! This is a good one!" Yama put the CD in and selected a track. Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes began singing "I've Had the Time of My Life".

"Er, Yama," said Dingo. "You wouldn't happen to have anything instrumental, would you? It's odd enough dancing with another bloke without someone saying 'This could be love'."

"As you wish." Yama stopped the disk and put it back in the case. He looked at another one. "Would you have trouble dancing to a tune called 'Isn't It Romantic'? I'm afraid all dance music is somehow connected to love and romance."

"Long as it's just instrumental." said Dingo. Yama put on the CD, selected the track and approached Dingo. "Now, take my hand." Yama offered his left hand, which Dingo uneasily took. "Now, your other hand on my shoulder." Yama put his right arm around Dingo's waist.

"Whoa, hold on, partner!" said Dingo. "Isn't the man supposed to have his arm go around the lady's waist?"

"If you want to be a seme, you must first learn to be an uke." Yama told him.

"Fine!" Dingo sighed. "Just keep your hands above the equator, mate!"

"Just look up and follow me." said Yama. "Ichi, ni, ready and..." He took a step forward. Dingo stumbled trying to step backwards. "Dingo, you must...ow!"

"Sorry, mate." Dingo took his foot off Yama's toe.

"Just wait...ow!" Dingo stepped on his toes again. "You have to move slowly." Dingo moved awkwardly, kneeing Yama in the shins. "Ite-na! Mate! Stop!" Dingo let go. Yama hit the pause button on the stereo. "I don't understand! I've seen you do complex fighting maneuvers and take to new ones easily. Why is it so hard for you to do a simple box step?"

"Maybe it would help if I could see your feet." Dingo suggested.

"Very well, we'll try that." Yama started the music again and took Dingo's hand again, resting his hand on the hip.

"Er, little higher, mate?" Dingo requested.

Yama moved his hand and took a half a step back. "Just watch what I do." Dingo lowered his gaze to get a good look at Yama's feet. Dingo had an easier time of it, knowing where his feet and Yama's were. The gliding steps were easy to duplicate. "And step, and step, yoshi, very good. Do not simply imitate me." Yama advised. "When you lead, you must improvise, just as you do in fighting. Are you ready to try leading?"

"I think so." They quickly switched the positions of their hands and arms. Dingo took to leading the dance easily enough. "Yoshi!" Yama said encouragingly. "Now, look up." Dingo looked at the gymnasium ceiling. At this point, he could confidently do the steps without looking. "I mean, look into my eyes." said Yama. "And...don't hold me so tight. Your woman bruises more easily than I do."

"This is a lot of stuff to do at once, mate." Dingo observed.

"You are doing fine." Yama assured him. "Now, smile!" Dingo smiled awkwardly. "Remember, you're enjoying yourself."

Neither of them noticed when Fang walked in until he started laughing. "Sorry! Did I catch you girls at a bad time?"

"Fang!" Dingo quickly pulled away. "Uh, Yama here was just showing me how to dance."

"Yeah, I saw!" snickered Fang. "You two fairies were just prancin' together like a couple of fags!"

"I have warned you against using that word, Fang!" Yama growled, eyes glowing.

"Aw, chill, Yamster!" said Fang. "You know I'm only kidding with you."

"I care not what you say about me." said Yama. "But you will not dishonor members of my clan! Do you understand?"

"I think ya better listen to him, Fang." said Dingo. "I won't always be there to hold him back."

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry! Geeze!" Fang rolled his eyes.

"I doubt your sincerity." Yama said. He knelt by the stereo and took out the CD. "The first memory I have," Yama said quietly. "Is Kashi telling me about Momotaro while I recovered from radiation sickness."

"Radiation sickness?" said Dingo. "I thought gargoyles didn't get sick."

"Our healing abilities mean we seldom feel the symptoms of illness." said Yama. "But, when Hiroshima was bombed, Ishimura felt the effects. The radiation got into the air, into the water. The sickness affected the very young and the very old the hardest. Gargoyles were often healed within a day or two, but we lost many of our human friends. You must excuse if some of the gargoyles from my generation come off as too solemn. We were introduced to death at a very young age."

"Yeah?" said Fang. "Maybe if you hadn't sucker punched us at Pearl Harbor, we wouldn't have bombed your yellow asses!"

"Dingo?" said Yama. "Let me kill him. Please? Only once, and I'll never do it again."

"Er, why don't you tell us who Kashi and Momotaro are?" suggested Dingo.

"Kashi is one of my rookery fathers." said Yama. "Perhaps you have seen him about. He is small and gray with long white hair."

"Oh, the one who looks a bit like a winged Yoda with horns?" said Dingo.

Yama nodded. "His mate, Riku, made origami animals. The only one I could make with any real skill was the crane. Riku would make the animals, and Kashi would tell stories about them." Yama sighed. "Riku became one with the wind while I was away. That is one thing I truly regret about my banishment, that I could not be at Riku's Wind Ceremony. I visited the shrine Kashi built, but it was not quite the same."

"Sounds like a nice gal." said Fang.

"Riku was male." said Yama. "He once told me that anyone who could make a thousand origami cranes would get a wish from the Crane God. Perhaps it is true. Perhaps it is only superstition, like four being unlucky or sneezes meaning someone is talking about you."

"Nah." said Fang. "If someone's talkin' 'bout you, your ears will burn. Sneezes means you're not gettin' laid enough."

"Er, why don't you tell us who Momotaro was?" Dingo quickly suggested.

"Momotaro is the hero of an old Japanese fairy tale."

"Oh. Well, tell it to us." said Dingo.

"I could not tell it as well as Kashi could."

"Just give us the Reader's Digest Condensed version." said Dingo.

"Once upon a time," said Yama. "There was a man and a woman who very much wanted a child."

"Man, how many fairy tales start this way?" asked Fang. Dingo shushed him.

"The woman," Yama continued. "Went to the river to wash clothes one day when a large, beautiful peach floated right into her hand. She took the peach home and suggested to her husband that she cut it in half so they could eat it. Just as she grabbed the knife, a small voice came from the peach that said 'Wait! Don't cut me!'"

"Holy cow, a talking peach!" said Fang.

"Just then," Yama continued. "The peach split itself in two and out came a beautiful baby boy. The boy told the couple 'The gods have seen how lonely you are without children and have sent me to be your son.' The man and the woman were very pleased to have such a son. Because he was a boy that came from a peach, he was named Momotaro, Peach Boy."

"And they lived happily ever after." said Fang. "The end."

"That is not the end." said Yama. "Momotaro grew up and heard of the terrible oni who would beat people up and take their belongings. Momotaro told his parents that he wanted to help the people by defeating the oni. His parents were glad that they had raised such a brave and dedicated son, so they gave him a suit of armor, a sword and a bag of dumplings and sent him on his way."

"Oh yeah." Fang said with an eye roll. "Can't go fighting oni without your bag of dumplings!" Dingo shushed him.

"Soon, Momotaro came across a Spotted Dog. The Spotted Dog growled at Momotaro, but Momotaro gave the dog a dumpling and made friends with him. He told the dog that he was going to fight the oni and asked the dog to come with him. And so the dog did.

"Later, they met a monkey. At first, the monkey and the dog wanted to fight, but Momotaro made them stop. Momotaro gave the monkey a dumpling and told him they were going to fight the oni. The monkey decided he would come too. Afterwords, they met a pheasant. The monkey and the dog wanted to fight the pheasant...."

"Let me guess." said Fang. "Momotaro gave the pheasant a dumpling and the pheasant came with them to fight the oni."

"If you've heard this story," said Yama. "Perhaps you'd like to tell it?"

"Go ahead and finish." said Dingo. "I'd like to hear the rest. Though, I must admit, it feels a bit familiar, somehow."

"Momotaro learned that the oni lived on an island." Yama continued. "So, he and his friends built a boat to sail to the Island of Oni, where the oni had built a strong fort. The pheasant flew over the walls of the fort and pecked away at the oni's heads. The oni swung their clubs at the pheasant, but the pheasant was too fast, and so they only hit each other. While the oni were distracted by the pheasant, the monkey climbed the gate and used his clever fingers to pick the lock and open the gate. Momotaro and Spotted Dog charged in. Spotted Dog bit the oni and Momotaro slashed them with his sword. The pheasant swooped and pecked them while the monkey jumped and clawed them. The oni were strong, but Momotaro and his friends overpowered them until the few oni remaining surrendered. The oni bowed to Momotaro and swore a solemn vow never to harm anymore of Momotaro's people and gave him their vast treasure besides.

"Momotaro brought the treasure home with him, where his parents awaited him. He gave them all the treasure, declaring that the best treasure he had found on his journey were his three new friends."

"I'm gettin' all misty here!" Fang pretended to cry.

Robyn stepped in. "Everybody!" she said. "You need to come outside!"

"What is it this time, Robyn?" sighed Dingo. "Can't decide which shoes to wear at the wedding?"

"Goliath and his clan have just arrived." Robyn told him.

"Angela with 'em?" asked Fang. "I remember she was hot!"

"Hudson elected to stay behind," said Robyn. "But the whole clan plus a few new members have arrived."

"Come on, mates." said Dingo. "We best go say hello."

"If you don't mind, Hunter,: said Yama. "I would rather speak with Goliath later." He and Goliath had parted on bad terms. It would be best if they met privately.

"If that's what you want." said Robyn. "But, Yama, I'd like it if you'd call me Robyn from now on. The Hunt is over."

"Very well, Robyn." Yama was left alone in the gymnasium with his memories. His memories of Ishimura during the War were hazy at best. He mostly remembered feelings. He remembered the adults being scared and trying to act like they weren't scared. He remembered being carried inside whenever a plane engine was heard. Radiation sickness was something he wished he could forget. But then, he remembered those who helped him through his illness. Kaede, who wiped his face when he was feverish. Hayato, who patted his back when he needed to throw up. Riku, who held him when the chills took hold. Kashi, who told him stories. Mitsuki, who sang to him....

Yama changed the discs in the stereo. He picked the /Dirty Dancing/ soundtrack he had originally planned for the dance lesson and selected the track "I've Had the Time of My Life" and sat on the bench, losing himself to a clearer, more recent memory. One that was one of his favorites.

The year was 1993. It was Spring Solstice. This was always a time of festivity for gargoyles, a time to celebrate life. This year in particular was the Seijin Shiki, the Coming of Age, for some gargoyles. Humans celebrated Seijin Shiki on the second Monday of the January after their 20th birthday. Gargoyles celebrated it on their 35th Spring Solstice. Male gargoyles often marked this day with a visit to the okiya, where they would be entertained by geisha. Yama had spent the majority of his own Seijin Shiki in the arms of a beautiful geisha named Setsuna. Female gargoyles marked the day by trying on the furisode, a young woman's kimono, for the first time. The elder females would then pierce their ears and show them how to put on make-up. The next evening would be a party where the young adult gargoyles would be formally presented to the community.

While males still eagerly visited the okiya, females now preferred more modern entertainment. This generation of females had already learned about make-up from their human friends and some even already had their ears pierced. The Kanai Theater was hosting a movie marathon for them. Yama hadn't wanted to go to the okiya. It made him sad to see how rapidly Setsuna was aging. Even if they hadn't been two different species, it never would've worked out. She liked being a geisha and wouldn't leave the okiya for him. Two posters hung outside the Kanai Theater, both American movies. One was something about a group of five called "The Pack" and the other was some Disney cartoon about a boy and a girl with a flying carpet and their friend the blue giant.

Toshiro Kanai had been at the counter, eating some Skittles, when Yama walked in. "Hi, Yama." he said. "Sorry there's not much playing tonight. New Disney flick in screen room one, and The Pack's new movie in screen room two. They're just another /Super Sentai/ rip-off if you ask me. Skittles?" Toshiro offered him some of the brightly colored candies.

"No thank you, Toshiro."

"And of course, screening room three is where the girls are having their little party. Nothing but chick flicks. Well, the Akira Kurosawa film festival is next month. I'll be sure to save you a seat."

"Toshiro? Do you not feel that we gargoyles are, well, a burden?"

"A burden? Of course not!" Toshiro laughed at the idea. "You keep us all safe. Ojii-Chan's been letting gargoyles in for free since this place was a projector and a bed sheet and I plan to keep the tradition."

"As you wish." said Yama. "I'm going to see how Sora-er, the girls are doing."

"You do that." Toshiro smiled and tossed a Skittle into the air, catching it in his mouth.

Recently, Yama couldn't help but notice that Sora was blossoming into a beautiful, intelligent young woman. He had trained her well, and now she was ready to show hatchlings the rudiments of Bushido and the martial arts. Yama had found her charming, enchanting, alluring, but never said anything to her about it. She was far too young for such things, hardly more than a hatchling herself. The penalty for being inappropriate with a hatchling was seppuku with not even a kaishakunin to ease the pain.

The movie they were watching was about a young lady who was falling in love with her dancing instructor. Yama saw Sora sitting there, smiling and eating popcorn with her friends, both human and gargoyle. Tentatively, he took the open seat next to Sora. "Is someone sitting here?" he whispered. Sora shook her head and offered him some popcorn. Her smile was enough to convince him to take a small handful. Yama's English was good enough for him to follow the movie without reading the subtitles, but, somehow, it didn't seem nearly as interesting as the pink beauty sitting next to him. She was so pretty with the lights flickering shadows on her face and she smelled so nice. The film ended with a huge dance number involving the whole cast and "I've Had the Time of My Life" playing over the credits.

"Alright, ladies!" Toshiro said from the projectionist booth. "What next? I got /Majo no Takkyūbin/, a dubbed version of /Labyrinth/ and a subbed version of /The Boy Who Could Fly/ and a dubbed version of /Grease/. He put up the house lights. "Let's see by a show of hands. Who wants to see /Majo no Takkyubin/?" A few girls raised their hands.

"Which one do you want to see, Yama?" Sora asked him.

"I...haven't seen any of them." Yama told her.

"/Labyrinth/ it is!" Toshiro said, tallying the votes. "It will take me about ten minutes to change the reels, so go out, stretch, get some air, help yourself to some popcorn."

The lobby was thick with the smell of fresh popcorn. Shinju and Yuri started dancing and singing together. "You're the one thing," they sang in their highly accented English. "I can't get enough of, So I tell you something, This could be ruv!"

"You really need to work on your English." Yama told them. "And Shinju, what have you done to your hair?"

"I thought it would look cuter bobbed." she said. "Like Sailor Mercury!" Yuri teasingly ran a hand through the short shag of hair. Had they been a couple even then?

"Yama!" Sora called from across the room. "Catch me!" She ran up to him like the girl in the movie ran up to her instructor. Instinctively, Yama grabbed her by the hips and held her aloft as she gracefully stretched out her arms. The girls laughed and clapped. Yama put her down, hoping no one would see their mentor was blushing.

"I...must go now." said Yama. "Enjoy your movies." He walked out the door, not noticing at first that he had been followed.

"Yama!" Sora called after him. He turned to see her, looking ethereal in the glowing neon lights of the Kanai Theater as she ran up to him. "Yama," she put her hands on his shoulders. "I-I want you to kiss me."

"What?" Yama could scarcely believe what he was hearing.

"Kiss me." said Sora. "Like Johnny kissed Baby. I want you to."

"Sora, you are too young, too innocent for such things!"

"Tonight is my Seijin Shiki." she reminded him. "I am no longer a hatchling."

This was true. There was no dishonor in loving a fellow adult. Hadn't he done more than kiss for his own Seijin Shiki? He pulled her close and gently pressed his lips to hers as the man and woman in the movie had done. She tasted like buttered popcorn and strawberry lip gloss. The combination wasn't at all unpleasant. The feel of her in his arms was even more than simply pleasant. He felt ennobled by the gift being offered to him. When they broke apart for air, Yama could feet his heart pattering with happiness. /This could be love indeed./ he thought.

It was. They had their commitment ceremony within the year. The same female who had been bold enough to ask for a kiss suddenly became shy when it was time to consummate their union. Yama had taken his virgin bride with infinite tenderness. She soon overcame her original timidity and loved him with the passion that was so uniquely Sora.

Yama was snapped out of his thoughts by a sharp pain in the tip of his tail. One of Shinju's cats had found his tail amusing and clamped its teeth down on it. Yama swatted his tail in an attempt to shake it off. The animal only growled and chomped down harder. He was going to have to talk to Shinju about this.

A/N: "I've Had the Time of My Life" written by Franke Previte John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz.