Maya laughed as she dodged one of Souichiro's punches in her confined form. Her eyes made contact with his as she gracefuly landed on his shoulder, then jumped up, kicking him square in the jaw.

"AH! Damnit!" Souichiro growled as he held his jaw, sitting down; indian style. "What the hell is with you runt girl." Maya merely chuckled, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. It was rather amusing from this point of view. Being his height as he sat down had its advantages as she took time to admire his biceps.

"You've got to be quicker." She smiled, one eye closed. Souichiro made a face, looking away as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Yeah well dodging ain't my sorta thing." She couldn't argue with that. He did claim to be a street thug after all. And she knew all too well how powerful he really was. He had defeated Mitsuomi, and he even showed his true colors by letting her former lover live. Inhaling, Maya allowed her refinement progression to take place as she transformed into her normal, voluptuous self. Souichiro turned his head to her, a soft smile crossing his face as she turned hers towards the setting sun.

"I do owe you thanks, boy." She said softly, a gust of air rustling her short hair. "You let him live, and that seems like hardly your thing." Tossing him a smirk, she took a seat near him, remembering the first time the two had trained near this very spring.

"Well, I couldn't just kill him. Aside from being a total jackass, he was important to you. If I killed him, you'd hate me now." Maya smiled softly, looking over at him as he gazed at the setting sun. There was another soft breeze, swaying his hair slightly as a soft expression took over his usually pissed over features. The purple haired woman felt a soft pull in the pit of her stomach, her heart nearly folding in her chest. "And I can't have that." He said, turning his attention to her. For a moment, the two allowed their eyes to communicate with each other. Maya didn't quite understand her feelings for him yet, but she knew how he felt. Bunshichi, Masataka and Aya had each told her. Mitsuomi, in fact, had taken time out from his daily routine to have a small chat with her. She remembered each one of them saying the boy had been in love with her. But, she just couldn't allow herself to show that vulnerable side. That side at which had gotten her brother killed three years ago.

"You know I'd never hate you." Again, her voice was soft, her attention setting on the lake now. Darkness had over taken, the sky filling with stars. "I'd have been mad at you, but I don't think I could ever despise you. Mitsuomi wanted to die. you didn't do him any favors by prolonging his life."

"Why don't you kill him then." Souichiro shrugged, laying back with his arms behind his head. "I don't really harbor any good intentions towards the guy, I only spared his life for you." That were also true. He hadn't cared for Mitsuomi, but Maya, he felt, was still in love with him. Love hurts, that much was obvious. And he couldn't grasp why love was the way it was. Souichiro never gave any thought towards it, it only gave him a migrane when he did.

"Hows your mother?" Figuring that changing the subject was the best thing to do now, Maya leaned back on her hands, glancing down to him. The blonde narrowed his eyes, intent on the sky above them.

"She insists on continuing her job, even though I asked her repeatedly to reconsider. Shes so damn persistent, I can't get a word in edgewise." Well, that certainly ran through their family. Maya could tell that, she had spent quite some time with the boy. He was more that hot-headed and nothing short of persistent. Every guy he saw, he wanted to make sure they knew how strong he was. And if that wasn't it, he wanted to get stronger, without even knowing the reason why he wanted to be so powerful.

"So, why am I the reason you want to be stronger?" Oh hell, she rememberd that? Souichiro glanced up at her, a small blush on his face. Her eyes met his, her smirk obvious. Why did she torment him so? Seeing now way out of this, the blonde tore his eyes away from her, looking off to the side as he mumbled something incohereable. Maya chuckled, shifting her position as she leaned over him, holding herself up as she planted her hands on either side of him. Souichiro blushed darker shade of red as he looked up into her eyes. That was all Maya needed to know as she leaned down and placed her lips on his. It was just like their first time; the lake, the stars, them. This time, Souichiro allowed his eyes to close as he returned her kiss, their tongues touching briefly before mingling completely. He wasn't sure if that kiss meant anything, or if it was a spur of the moment sort of thing; but he did know that he rather enjoyed the gesture.

A/N: And there you have chapter one to my newest chapter fic, Love is a Battlefield. This takes place a year after the anime, again. Maya has never shown that she really knew what sort of feelings she had towards Souichiro, so thats what this fic is going to be about. Maya finding her true feelings towards him while struggling through the drama of their everyday lives, thus, love truly is a battlefield, in their case. R&R Pwease:3 I need opinions, if its good or not, how I can change it, and any ideas for what should happen in the fic. I'm still working on the idea sketch, so, lemme knows!