Aishiteru Means I Love You

A/N: another quick Japanese lesson. "Ne" (neh) is a phrase that translates loosely as "isn't that right?". It's often put at the end of sentences as an intesifier. A "keikogi" is what one would wear to practice martial arts in. Many would call it a "gi" but, native Japanese speakers would either call it a keikogi or whatever specific martial art they practice. (Judogi, Karategi, Jiujitsugi, etc.) "Koshii" is the closest thing I could find to a Japanese term of affection, meaning something like "darling".


"And here it is," Staghart narrated as they filmed. "Some two-hundred and forty miles from Tokyo, nestled between the mountains and seashore is the lovely seaside town of Ishimura."

"We don't need the play-by-play, David Attenborough." said Brooklyn.

"Alright then." said Staghart. "Shall we have another round of 'I Spy'?"

"I like Japanese TV!" Nashville commented. "They show stuff they'd never show in America!"

"OK, end of the line!" said Vinnie, driving through the gates of Ishimura.

"Hey, Vinnie," said Broadway. "You wanna come to the wedding as my guest? Elisa's Goliath's guest. Nashville's Angela's guest. Katana's Brooklyn's guest and Staghart's Lexington's guest. Interested?"

"Uh, I don't know." said Vinnie. "Wedding always make me all weepy. But, I don't live too far from here, so I'll consider it." Broadway started to open the door. "Whoa! Ain't you ever been in a limo before, man? Openin' doors is my job." Vinnie opened the door for his passengers, all glad to get out after a four hour road trip.

"Goliath?" Robyn approached him, Dingo and Fang beside her. "I'm happy you could come." She offered her hand to shake.

"I'm happy you could invite us." Goliath said.

"And Angela," Robyn turned to her. "I'm glad you accepted my offer to be a bridesmaid. Once again, I know it is a trivial way to make up for what I've done."

"It's a step in the right direction." said Angela. "And I would rather be your friend than an enemy. Congratulations on getting married." The two hugged.

"Are you gonna kiss?" asked Fang. "I've been hopin' to see some girl-on-girl action!"

"Hello, Fang." sighed Angela. "I see you haven't changed."

"Yeah, Angela, listen," said Fang. "I know I said some inappropriate stuff back in the Labyrinth. I mean, you and your mom were trying to have a moment and I...I was being a jerk."

"Well, at least you'll admit it." sid Angela.

"Yeah, and when I wasn't horning in on your talks with Demona, I said some other things that maybe I shouldn't have said."

"Do you mean the time you said 'Shake that Jell-O over here' or the time you asked me if I'd tickle your pickle for a nickle?"

"That was rude of me." said Fang. "And now that we're face to face, Angela, what I really want to say is...HONK HONK!" Fang grabbed her breasts and squeeze. Angela immediately responded with a haymaker to the side of Fang's head that threw him a few feet. "It was worth it!" Fang declared, still laying flat on his back. "So worth it! It was...." He looked up to see Broadway and Goliath looming over him, growling as their eyes glowed white. "I'm dead, aren't I?" Suddenly, the gargoyles turned to stone. "Thank you, Jesus!" Fang said, holding his hands in prayer.

"Thought they didn't turn to stone until sunrise." said Dingo.

"Their biological clocks tell them it's sunrise." said Elisa. "It will be awhile before they adjust."

"Whew, saved by the stone!" Fang said, crawling away from the stone images of Broadway and Goliath.

"Oh, Fang." said Elisa. "If you lay another hand on Angela," She drew her gun from its shoulder holster. "I'm gonna turn you from a rooster to a hen. Do we have an understanding?"

"Yes, ma'am!" said Fang.

"Rooms have been reserved for you at the Old Temple." said Robyn. "Harry, Fang, be some dears and get the luggage, will you?"

Elisa walked up to Staghart, who had been filming Fang's fall when the stone sleep kicked in. "I'll save the battery for you, Staghart." she said into the camera, just before hitting the off switch. Out of curiosity, she hit the eject button and took out the disc Staghart had been using to record on. "Hmm...I wonder what he's got so far?"

As Elisa entered the Old Temple, the first person she saw was Kai. "Elisa!" he said with a bow. "It is good to see you again. Goliath and Angela are here as well?"

"Yes," she said. "But they're in stone sleep right now. It's going to be awhile before they adjust to the time zone change. Avalon made up for it somehow."

"I look forward to speaking with them again." Kai smiled. "I think Kaze was very fond of Angela."

"Well, I'm afraid he's going to be disappointed." said Elisa. "Angela has a boyfriend now."

"Boyfriend?"

"I believe you gargoyles call it courting."

"But they are not formally mated?"

"No, not formally. Broadway hasn't asked. I'm sure she'd agree if he did, though. Say, Kai, do you have a DVD player or anything? One of the clan is making a video and I'd like to see what he has so far." /Especially if he got that punch Angela landed on Fang!/

"There is an entertainment center in the next room." Kai motioned to a sliding door. "Please feel free to use it."

Elisa went into the room where the entertainment center was. She put the disc in and watched. Lots of aerial footage of New York, with Staghart's voice occasionally providing narration. A few candid shots of the clan. Brooklyn and Katana gliding together. Angela and Broadway waving at the camera. Nashville shining a penlight for Fu-Dog and Bronx to chase. Footage from the Aerie Tower. La Guardia and the jet. What followed were aerial shots of some cities filmed from the airplane window. Lots of aerial footage of L.A. A rolling shot of the Walk of Fame. Then, an aerial shot and zoom in on the Hollywood sign. /Strange./ Elisa noticed. /It's not so wavy close up like this./

It sounded like Lexington dropped in for a chat as Staghart got footage of the Hollywood Hills. They were discussing some heartbroken actress named Peg Entwistle and then there was the sound of a chopper and a blinding white light. A voice on a bullhorn urged them not to jump. "Cheese it!" yelled Lex. The camera jittered as undoubtedly Staghart glided somewhere safer. The chopper was seen making a 180 degree turn and flying away.

"That was close!" said Lex

"Likely," said Staghart. "They thought we were two humans about to take a lover's leap. Oh well, the view from down here is pretty good too." The camera focused on the surrounding hills and the twinkling of the city lights below.

"Oh, yeah." Lexington was heard saying. "The view from here is just fine." Things got very quiet for a while, until the camera jittered a bit.

"Lexington?" Staghart gasped as he said the name.

"Should I stop?" Lex asked. /What are they doing?/ Elisa asked.

"Not on your life!" Staghart said, as the camera became even more unsteady. As its focus shifted from the panoramic scenery, Elisa got a glimpse of a green hand squeezing at Staghart's crotch while another one was tugging at the garment he was wearing. /OK, I don't need to see this./ Elisa decided, looking for the remote. /Jalepena! Even in Japan they hide the remote!/

"Yo, Elisa!" Fang said, walking in. "I put your bag in your room. It's the...SWEET FUCKING JESUS H. CHRIST ON A MOTORBIKE WITH A BOTTLE OF WHISKEY!" Fang saw what was going on on the screen.

"Uh, nothing to see here!" Elisa said, getting between him and the screen.

"Lex, oh God!" Staghart shouted. "I'm cumming, Lex!" Elisa's face went beet red. As she covered her face in embarrassment, Fang nudged her out of the way to see the screen.

The camera had been laid on its side, so Fang had to tilt his head to figure out what exactly he was seeing. He saw that white deer-like gargoyle slunk over the ground, stark naked and plainly male. "That was wonderful, love." the deer gasped. He stretched out sinuously on the ground, twitching his tail in a silent invitation. Small green hands reached for the firm, fuzzy buttocks..

"Oh man, they're not gonna...." said Fang. "Holy fuck, they are! Aw, man! It's like a donkey show! I can't look away!"

Elisa hit the stop button on the DVD player. "My fault." she said, taking the disc out. "I should've asked him if I could look first."

"I am deeply traumatized now." said Fang, his glassy eyes staring at the now blank screen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shinju!" Yama bellowed as he entered the old temple.

A small, silvery-blue gargoyle female with bobbed black hair answered his summon. "What is it, my most treasured elder brother?" she said with a deep bow. "Whose melodious voice has not graced my ears for the better part of a year."

"Cut the comedy." he told her. "I want an explanation for this!" Yama held up his tail, which had a large calico cat attached to it. The cat snarled a bit as her teeth firmly embedded themselves in the gray flesh.

"Ah, Onii-chan," said Shinju. "This would appear to be a member of /Felis domesticus/, also known as the house cat, with coat markings of the calico variety."

"I know it's a cat." Yama growled. "What is it doing on my tail?" He shook his tail in a vain effort to make the cat let go.

"Be careful!" Shiju scolded. "You might hurt Chan-Chan."

"/I/ might hurt it?" Yama pulled on the calico. "Get this animal off me now, Shinju!"

"You'll only hurt yourself more that way." Shinju said, grabbing the cat away from him. "There's one sure way to make Chan-Chan let go of something." Shinju laid a finger over Chan-Chan's nostrils. In a few seconds, the cat opened her mouth, gagging for air. Yama's tail was loose. Shinju cuddled the cat in her arms. "Sometimes," she said. "Gentle ways are best."

Yama inspected the wound on his tail. Only a little blood. It would heal at sunrise. Still, it was annoying. "You'd better learn to control your pets, Shinju!"

"Yama, you probably scared her again." said Shinju. "Or maybe you got too close to her kittens."

"Kittens?" Yama sneered. "That thing reproduced?"

"That 'thing' has a name." said Shinju. "Chan-Chan and Tora had a litter while you were gone." Shinju smiled at the cat she was stroking. "Three girls and three boys! Aren't you a proud mama?" Chan-Chan purred and rubbed her head against Shinju. A gray persian lept up on the nearby piano seat and meowed for attention.

"Six more!" Yama groaned. "Shinju, you have too many cats as it is!"

"I'll find homes for them as soon as they're big enough." Shinju said, putting down Chan-Chan to stroke the gray cat. "Oh, look what I taught Kemuri to do! Kemuri, watch!" Shinju tapped a key on the piano. The gray cat tapped the same key with his paw. Shinju tapped a lower toned key. Kemuri tapped the same one. "I taught a cat how to play piano!"

"You must feel proud." Yama sighed.

A tall, pale green female entered the room, an electric guitar under her arm. "Ready to jam, Koshii?" she asked.

"Got the speakers ready." said Shinju, motioning to some that were sitting nearby.

"Yama," said the tall female. "Why is your tail bleeding?"

"That bite mark, Yuri," he said. "Is the fault of your mate!"

"Shinju bit you?"

"No, her cat!"

"Shinju bit a cat?"

"You know what I mean!" Yama growled in exasperation. "If you insist on playing that wretched rock music, at least keep it down to a reasonable level!" Yama stalked out.

"He's fun to mess with, /ne/?" laughed Shinju as Yuri plugged up her guitar.

"He's too serious." Yuri said as she tuned her guitar. "He needs us to help him loosen up a little!" She smiled. "Maybe we should ask Sora if she's putting out enough for him."

Shinju laughed. "Remember that time back when we were about 27? And you showed up for training with a Twisted Sister pin on your keikogi?"

Yuri laughed as she plugged in her guitar. "Remember how Yama started ranting and raving like the father in that music video?"

"Can you believe Sora had a crush on Yama even then, Yuri?" Shinju laughed. "I honestly don't know what she sees in him."

"Well," Yuri smiled and caressed one of Shinju's spiraling horns. "I have trouble sometimes figuring out what any female would see in a male." She sat down next to Shinju and toyed with her hair. "Females are so much prettier and cuddlier." She drew Shinju close for a kiss on the cheek. "Not that I'd kick Jon Bon Jovi out of bed."

"Yuri, you're terrible!" Shiju laughed as she playfully pushed at her lover. Yuri grabbed her and kissed her lips.

Yuri looked at her lover and smiled, stroking her hair. "You'll make a beautiful bridesmaid."

Shinju blushed modestly. "I wasn't chosen for being pretty. I just won the raffle is all." Shinju smiled. "You think the wedding will be like that /November Rain/ video?"

"With someone getting thrown through a cake and a sweet-ass guitar solo?" Yuri smiled. "Here's hoping! C'mon, let's play." They started a duet.

Elisa stood in the doorway, listening to the duet. It was a nice tune, mercifully drowning out the mental image of Lexington and Staghart together. Oh, she was happy that they were together, it's just that seeing something that intimate was barely a step above watching her brother and Maggie go at it. The two stopped when they realized a new person was in the room. Yuri put aside her guitar and approached Elisa. "Elisa!" she said with a bow. "It is good to see you again."

Shinju stood up from the piano and bowed, saying "Konichi-wa, Erisa-San!"

"it's good to see you too." Elisa bowed. "Um...I didn't quite get your names last time I was here." It was so awkward when someone knew your name and you didn't know theirs.

"I am Yuri, the Lily." said the tall, pale green one. "This is my mate, Shinju, the Pearl." Shinju smiled and waved. "Excuse her, please, she does not speak much English."

"Mates, huh?" Elisa shrugged. "I guess they come in every flavor." The gray persian rubbed against Elisa. "Aw, who wants to be petted?" Elisa leaned down to pet the cat, who jumped into her arms. "Careful, kitty, I don't need you scratching the disc." She still had the disc on one hand.

"What is that?" asked Yuri. "A CD?"

"It's nothing you'd be interested in." said Elisa. "Trust me. I heard someone yelling in Japanese in here long ago. Didn't scare the sweet little kitty, did it?"

"Oh, that was Yama." said Yuri. "He was complaining that Chan-Chan bit him again."

"Is this Chan-Chan?" Elisa stroked the persian she was holding.

"Oh no!" laughed Yuri. "That is Kemuri, he's a male. Chan-Chan is over there." Yuri pointed to a small calico in the corner who was bathing her paws.

"I've got one myself back home." said Elisa. "Her name's Cagney. My mom's taking care of her until I get back. Goliath and his clan are here, but they're in stone sleep. Time zone change."

"I'd like to see them all the same." Shinju tugged at Yuri's sleeve and said something in Japanese. Yuri answered her in Japanese. After a brief conversation, Yuri turned back to Elisa. "I have told Shinju what you told me." she said. "She wants to see them too."

Elisa showed them where the Manhattan Clan slept, Kemuri perched on her shoulder the whole time. "Just wanted to return this." said Elisa, puting the disc back in the recorder Staghart was holding. She yawned. "I better get some sleep too. Wanna come to bed with me, Kemuri?" Elisa went back to the Old Temple with the purring cat.

Yuri and Shinju looked at the Manhattan Clan. It was so odd for them to see gargoyles in stone form. "Goliath looks like he wants to murder the ground for some reason." Yuri observed.

"That big fellow doesn't look happy either." said Shinju.

"Look at Angela!" said Yuri. "She looks pretty pissed off. Got to admit though, she's cute when she's mad."

"Yuri! How can you say such a thing?" Shinju said crossly. "So what if her hair is longer and her boobs are bigger? It shouldn't mean anything!"

"Shinju, jealousy does not suit a face as beautiful as yours." Yuri plucked a magnolia from a nearby tree. "Shinju...."

"I don't know you anymore!" Shinju turned away and crossed her arms.

"Shinju, even this magnolia blossom is no match for your beauty." Yuri offered her mate the blossom. Shinju smiled, accepted the blossom and let Yuri hug her.

"I love you, Yuri." she said, cuddling against her. They snuggled in each others arms and looked at the other gargoyles. The one with the video camera had antlers and seemed intent on filming Goliath and the other angry gargoyle. The small one next to him looked surprised. A hatchling looked excited while two gargoyles who looked like they might be his parents looked concerned.

Yuri kissed Shinju on the forehead. "Let's go inside." Shinju quite willingly followed her into the Old Temple. Yuri took her by the hand and led her to one of the bedrooms. "What do you feel like tonight, love?" Yuri asked, running her hands up and down her beloved mate's body.

"Mmm...just make me feel good, Yuri." sighed Shinju. Yuri undid the pearl in oyster brooch that kept her garment together and slipped it off her. Shinju smiled as she undid the lily shaped buckle on her mate's belt. They embraced, loving the feel of their naked bodies squeezing together.Yuri ran a hand over Shinju's thigh as they kissed. Shinju stroked the inside of Yuri's wing, causing her to growl and pick the smaller female up and lay her on the futon.

Shinju lay back and spread her legs wide, allowing her lover to cover her. Yuri took Shinju's lips with hers, gently slipping her tongue to taste that sweet mouth. Her hands caressed the soft breasts, just big enough to fill her hands, but with tiny nipples that went hard as pebbles after just moments of touching. Shinju spread her legs wide and folded them up at the knees. Yuri could smell her musk. She looked down to see Shinju's pink folds exposed and glistening. "You are never more beautiful than you are right now." said Yuri. She opened her own folds and touched her clitoris to Shinju's.

Shinju let out a squeal of pleasure. Yuri pumped her hips, letting her juices slide with Yuri's, feeling their swollen pleasure meld together. Shinju placed her feet down on the futon and returned some thrusts, making her breasts jiggle. Yuri grabbed the jiggling breasts and kneaded them. "Ah...Yuri...." Shiju sighed as she grabbed the other female's well rounded hips, pressing her closer. Her face became serene as she let waves of pleasure flow over her.

Yuri placed playful kisses on the other female's face. Shinju giggled and returned the kisses. She French kissed her as she squeezed her breasts. They rocked each other into a steady rhythm of warm, sensual bliss.

Yuri thrust more urgently. They locked eyes. Yuri's eyes glowed red. Her mouth was open as she gasped in pleasure, revealing sharp fangs. Shinju was flushed with excitement, her eyes wide with excitement. Their slick, swollen clits rolled over one another, filling them both with hot, lusty joy. Yuri let out feral little growls as she humped her beloved harder. Shinju panted as she felt her orgasm grow. "Oh...love....I'm cumming!" she said excitedly. "Yuri, you're making me cum!" Shinju swerved her hips as much as she could.

"I-I-I'm gonna..." Yuri gasped. "Oh, my sweet Shinju, I'm about to...." Yuri threw back her head and let out a howling roar at the same time Shinju let out a long slow groan. Yuri collapsed next to her, panting.

Shinju cuddled into Yuri's arms. "Hold me until the sun comes up?"

"That won't be for a while, dearest." Yuri reminded her.

"Then, for as long as you can?"

Yuri held her beloved close. "I'd hold you forever if I could." she whispered, cocooning her in her wings.Yuri caressed her mate's face. "I was wrong. /This/ is when you are your most beautiful." She kissed her cheek.