never take you to her bed."
Cristal looked over at Takumijo. "I might. He's kind of fine."
Satoshi lowered his glasses and snarled at her. "Why, because Yi-jun broke your heart?"
"Don't mention his name," Cristal said. "He is such a creep."
"The sentence is music to my ears," Satoshi said. "What did the big lug do?"
"He's thinking about permanently moving to the United States."
"Oh, that would mean you wouldn't get to see him that much," Satoshi said happily.
"Try ever," Cristal said. "Unless I visit my parents or he flies here."
"Sound like he dumped your ass," Amaya said from her seat on the other side of Yori. "He's probably living it up with some little blonde starlet."
Cristal rolled her eyes at Amaya.
Satoshi chuckled. "My money is on Cristal."
"Where are the parents to be?" Yori asked.
"Kyoto," Takumijo replied. "They went on a weekend date."
"What? I thought he was just taking her out to dinner."
"Same thing I thought," Satoshi said. "I had no idea he'd planned a romantic weekend. He must be desperate."
"No horny," Takumijo explained. "He planned to charm her panties off."
"Urg," Amaya said. "She's pregnant."
"And hot," both Satoshi and Yori said simultaneously.
"Do you two rehearse your timing?" Cristal asked them.
Both Yori and Satoshi shrugged at the same time.
"Well I'm proud of Ichiro for taking the initiative," Cristal said. "He's bound and determined to win back Shaundra's love."
"When did he lose it?" Yori asked as he sipped his tea.
"Why are you worrying about that?" Amaya asked. "You should be worried about my love."
Cristal chuckled. The look on Yori's face was priceless. Ah, young love was wonderful. "Why did he have to take her all the way to Kyoto?"
"That's where Ich is building his new restaurant and where he took Shaundra when we first returned to Osaka from Korea, before the hurricane. It has sentimental meaning to him," Takumijo explained.
"He took her to meet his family too," Satoshi said. "I'm sure they have all fallen in love with her."
"I just wonder why he took so long to do it," Yori said.
"Would you take her home to meet your parents?" Amaya asked. "Hell, she's old enough to be your parent." She laughed at her own joke.
Yori frowned at her. "I thought we had this discussion before. If you can't say anything nice about a person, don't say anything at all."
Fat chance of that happening, Cristal thought.
"I am a grown woman, Yori, and I can say what I want."
Ooh, Cristal mused. Drama.
"Remember that the next time the two of you get into a bar fight. I won't interfere this time," Yori threatened.
"There wouldn't have been a fight if you hadn't danced with her," Amaya argued back.
Both Satoshi and Takumijo laughed.
"She's fat and pregnant now. I can take her."
"Don't put any money on that," Cristal replied. "She's still pretty feisty."
Satoshi sighed. "She probably has poor Ichiro in tears by now."
"I should be so lucky," Yori mumbled.
"Can't you two losers think about anything else?" Takumijo asked.
"How was your date with Osamu?" Amaya asked Takumijo, ignoring Yori. "He's so fine."
Yori didn't seem a bit upset by that comment.
"I'll remember to tell him the next time I see him,"
Takumijo said.
"You do that. Tell him to put me in his next drama."
"Since when did you want to be an actress?" Yori asked her.
"Since I was a girl. But my mother talked me into becoming a designer. I like that too but I still want to make a drama."
"I'll tell him that too," Takumijo said. "There might be a walk-in part for you in this drama."
"That's why you're my favorite," Amaya said to him.
Takumijo just chuckled. "I'll give you a call the next time Yori is out of town. We'll hook up."
"You don't have to wait until I'm out of town," Yori said arrogantly. "Feel free to take her any time."
Masaaki and Kenshin entered the kitchen and said good morning to everyone. Kenshin headed straight for the coffee pot and poured himself a cup. "Yuck, who made this? Where is Ich?"
"What's wrong with the coffee?" Cristal asked.
"It's weak," Kenshin told her.
"Remind me not to get out of my bed in the morning to fix you spoiled bunch of pop tarts breakfast ever again. The next time you can starve."
Kenshin rolled his eyes at her like that hurt her feelings.
"Don't mess with me Kenny," she warned him. "I'm postal this morning."
"Ich took his wife to Kyoto on a date. They're coming back tomorrow," Takumijo told Kenshin.
"Tomorrow?" Masaaki asked. "Darn. I wanted to tell you all the good news."
"What good news?" Yori asked.
"You guys are going