(O(53)/O)
productions
presents:
Love Hina and the Saga Episode III
By James "Ash" Stuchly
Sound body and mind
4/20/04 – 5/24/04
"all hail the chapter blams!"
Ash awakens on the beautiful summer morning, Shinobu at his side. She had put on some weight to Ash's surprise, but nothing too serious… Well, he hopes not. Ash had become a police officer after he retired from the AFBS about 2 years ago, and has never been happier. He has lost weight, and gained physical fitness. Shinobu is very proud of her husband. Ash climbs from his bed, kissing Shinobu's warm, pink cheek on the way. In one swift movement, Ash grasps a blue robe, and spins around, closing it well around his waist. The sounds of horseplay racket on the other part of the apartments. Normal for any other day. Kaolla and Sarah were always up early, even after they turned 18. Long after in fact. They are in their late 20's now. Ash opens the door, and walks out, yawning uncontrollably. He steps into the showers, and takes no notice to the risks ahead of him. Almost immediately after he enjoys the aftertaste of the cold shower going warm, the doors slide open, and a figure approaches. The Apartments had separate showers, so Ash automatically guessed it was Keitaro getting advice for his 5-year-old daughter Sakiu. Ash may not have been a father, but he knew everything he needed to know from his own father, who of course, passed away by the hands of Ash's own brother, Treston. But everyone knows that story, so let's not get too much into that now. Ash stands under the showers, as the figure approaches him. The dark silhouette of the being is somehow, different from Keitaro's build. The figure sits on the floor, away from the steam to reveal a pink towel. 'Wait, a 'pink' towel?' Ash thinks to himself, as he double glances back to the figure. It is definitely NOT Keitaro. The figure was no doubt, female. But what is a girl doing in the men's showers? Ash prefers not to ask questions, and tries to exit the door. 'Maybe I'm in the wrong bathroom. But that never happens!' With Ash's mind in deep water, Ash loses track of his footing, and trips on the toweled woman. In true Love Hina Style, Ash falls to his knees, bows, anything for forgiveness. Finally, she speaks.
"Ash, I need your help with something." It is Naru. She is blushing a little, but in no condition to deliver a 'Naru Punch'. Ash puts on some clothes, walks with Naru to the teahouse, and orders a hot cup of coffee. Naru orders an ice tea, and settles into the table. Kentaro Sakata, a friend of Keitaro, comes around the corner of a wall, and sits with Ash and Naru. Ash looks at him angrily, and Naru asks him to sit.
"What? You wanted Kentaro to come here? I thought you wanted MY help!" Ash says.
"Yes. I might as well get two men's opinion of being a father." Naru says.
"But shouldn't you be more focused on being a mother?" Ash says as the coffee is put on the table. Naru reaches for the large tea glass in Haruka's hand, and slams it on the table.
"I'm trying to get opinions on fatherhood so I can help out Keitaro without him having to schedule a card night every week just to chat with you two about being a father." Naru says, kind of angrily.
"At least that means he is serious about doing the right thing for Sakiu." Kentaro says.
"Yeah, and I look forward to those card games now. They get me out of scheduled police work."
"Well, you can still have your games, but I'm worried that Keitaro is having some problems keeping up with Sakiu's habits. Just the other day she was sucking on his toe, and he was afraid to move, until she bit it." The group has a good laugh over this.
"That's nothing. When I was her age, I was on my mothers back, and bit her ass!" Kentaro cries. Everyone laughs harder this time. Naru turns to Ash.
"So how about you? Do you have any childhood stories?" she asks him. Ash looks down, covering his eyes with his long blue bangs.
"I don't want to talk about it." Ash says, as he gets up from the table, puts down some change, and takes his coffee to the car. Unfortunately, since he is retired from the AFBS, his G-6155 Interceptor was confiscated long ago, and his friend Jake had been on vacation since he went insane, claiming he saw a flying DeLorean that disappeared in thin air. Leaving his base locked up, and the Interceptor Defender locked in storage. The only vehicle is the old Volkswagen Beetle that used to belong to Grandma Hina, who sadly passed away the year before, giving the car to Keitaro. Unfortunately, Keitaro had no room for his family in such a small car, and gave it to Shinobu to give to Ash as an anniversary present. Ash sits in his car, sipping on his coffee, and sobs quietly. His tears add to the cream in the coffee, adding a slightly salty flavor. Ash finishes the rest of the coffee, and walks back to the Hinata teahouse. Outside, Haruka is sweeping the steps, and Ash hands Kentaro the glass, and walks back to the apartments.
"Hey!" Kentaro yells behind Ash. "What's the big deal?" Naru comes up behind him, and puts her hand on Kentaro's shoulder.
"Just leave him alone. He had a rough childhood." She says, realizing the mental damage she has caused to resurface. Ash continues to walk through the doors and sits down on one of the couches in the sitting room. Kitsune lays across the room fast asleep with a Saki bottle in her left hand, hanging over the edge of the sofa. The television is on, and a commercial about telling kids not to smoke comes on. It shows a 17-year-old boy and his father hugging, and having a lot of fun with radio controlled boats and cars, driving ATV's, and doing just about anything that would make a good father. At the end of the commercial, a D.A.R.E. logo pops up, and looks to be spray painted on a basketball court, as the boy and his father run over it, and shoot the ball into the basket. 'Hmm. Maybe I should have taped that.' Ash thinks humorously to himself. Suddenly, the sound of a thick glass landing on carpet forces Ash to spin his head towards the sofa across from him. Kitsune had dropped the Saki bottle and some excess alcohol was leaking from the neck. Ash sighs, and quickly runs upstairs to his room to keep from being fingered and cleaning the mess himself. Upstairs, Shinobu is in the shower talking to Naru about how she is getting a little worried about her weight. She was eating less, yet she still would gain weight. Ash presses his ear against the door, and listens carefully to the conversation. Naru informs her of a weight loss program from the TV and stops talking in the middle of her sentence.
"What?" Shinobu asks, seeming a little worried. Ash upgrades from the ear to the peep hole that Ash had found one day when cleaning the apartments for spring. It appeared to be around when grandma Hina was living here. Ash peeks through the hole, and watches as Naru leans her head onto Shinobu's tummy. Ash raises an eyebrow, as Shinobu stands straight up trying not to shriek.
"Shinobu, I—I think you may be pregnant!" Naru says in a happy tone.
"What? But that is impossible! I have been sterile for 5 years!" Shinobu throws herself against the wall, covered by the steam, blocking Ash's eyesight. He overhears the girls throwing around "It's not possible's" and various curse words and phrases. Shinobu is not upset, just doubtful. She had wanted a baby since she was a little girl, and her dream has never died. Even back when they were married, Shinobu was destined to make new life, even after she became sterile by the shaft of a sword. 'It's impossible!' Ash thinks to himself. 'It just isn't possible!' Ash covers the peephole so as not to give away his position. He crawls back downstairs to see the sight that had driven him up in the first place, an empty Saki bottle and a stubborn stain in the carpet. Ash sighs again, climbs back upstairs, and sits on the bed.
"Kitsune said she was giving it up when I got married." He grabs the silver Japanese remote control, and flips on the TV. Like clockwork, Shinobu appears from the door of the shower, spraying mist in every direction. Ash fumbles with the remote, and accidentally holds down the '6' button. On the 27 inch TV, the devil comes up with a huge bowl full of children, and a gigantic spoon. He looks to the camera.
"Watch me eat children!" He says, as he continuously scoops up children into his giant spoon, and eats them.
"AHH!" Ash cries. He fumbles the remote again, and hits 247. Cartoon Network. It seemed like a safe enough channel, but unfortunately, they were featuring the Hamtaro theme song played slowly.
"AHHHHH!" Ash yells even louder, and jams the remote control buttons randomly, and comes to a nature channel. Ash lets out a sigh of relief, until he actually sees what is on the television… Two monkeys having sex. Ash finally throws the remote at the television, and bursts the screen. Pieces of the thick glass and cheap plastic scatter the room.
"Oops.." Shinobu walks into the room in her pinkish bathrobe.
"Ash, what's going on?" She walks by, not noticing the mess against the wall. Her eyes focused on Ash lying on the bed. She steps on the shattered glass, crunching it into millions of smaller shards of glass that impregnate her heels, causing her to go into shock, forcing more weight onto the glass, tearing the skin with every movement. Finally, Shinobu slips on a patch of tiny glass, making her fall on her back into fresh big pieces that scratch her up really bad. So bad in fact, that she goes unconscious from shock. Ash observes the horrific sight of the love of his life lying on the floor bleeding to death. Halfway through the ordeal, Shinobu had lost grip with the pink robe around her body, and was buck-naked bleeding on the floor.
"Why does this always happen to me?!" Ash cried. He picked up his wife, and took her to "Hinata General Hospital" or in Japanese, Hinata Tea House. Luckily, Kentaro was a skilled doctor's aide, and Haruka was the cities nurse. In fact, when Hinata used to be a path between Pokemon gyms, Haruka was the alternative for Nurse Joy. "Nothing a shotgun wound can't fix." she would say. Ash lay Shinobu on the hospital bed, and sat by her side, waiting for his friends. Finally, he picked up his cell phone, and rang up Haruka.
"Haruka. Yeah, this is Ash… I have an emergency… Shinobu… She's badly hurt!.. Alright. 3 minutes. Thanks." Ash flips the phone shut, and sits back down next to his wife. She still lies unconscious and buck-naked with a thin white sheet over her body. Finally, Harukas Jeep pulls up in the grass, and she crawls out with a big bag in her left hand. She set the bag on a table and zipped it open.
"Is it really necessary to carry me with you in a Bag Haruka? It's much easier to just let me ride in the passenger seat." Kentaro whines as he struggles himself out of the bag.
"Oh really? Too bad. You still owe me a lot of money Sekata." Kentaro flushes water from his eyes in a stupefied look. Then, Kaolla ran outside with Sarah wearing their nurse uniforms, and messed around with Kentaro by poking him with a stick and jumping on his head. It looks rather funny when Kaolla and Sarah are about 30 now. Finally, Haruka approaches the table with Kaolla at her side, and examines her patient. Haruka rises up, and snaps off her surgeons' mask.
"What—exactly happened here?" she looked worried. Ash approached the bench, and sat next to his beloved Shinobu.
"It's stupid really. I destroyed my old TV in my room, shattering glass everywhere, and she fell into it." Haruka stared at the wounds. Sarah laughed in the background, but felt Kentaro about to scold her, so she stopped.
"That sounds possible." said Haruka. "Come on Kentaro. I have a x-ray machine in the back of the Jeep." They grab a small metal suitcase from the trunk, and open it up. A 6-foot high, 3-foot wide x-ray screen springs out, and sets itself up. It powers on with a powerful electronic whine. Kentaro aligns the machine with Shinobu, and watches as the screen focuses on its specimen. Kentaro is shocked at what he sees, causing concern over Ash. Kentaro motions for Haruka to approach. She runs to the screen with Kaolla and Sarah close behind. The group gasps.
"Oh my…" Harukas' cigarette drops from her mouth. Finally, Ash joins the doctors, and confirms his disbelief. Instead of seeing shards of infrared glass, Ash sets his eyes on a 3-month-old baby girl. Ash stares at the miracle, and sits down at the table near the equipment, no emotion on his face. He puts his face in his hands, and rests them on the table. Haruka comes over, and hands him a cup of coffee.
"What's on your mind?" Haruka asked, a new cigarette smoking in her mouth. Ash took a sip of his coffee.
"Well, you see, if she does have a baby, chances are it will have huge problems because when she was attacked 5 years ago, it screwed up her respiratory system right where the baby's neck is. If one single thing goes wrong, we could have either a retarded baby or one that wont live to be 5 years old, and she will spend them all in a plastic tube." He takes a sip of his coffee. Haruka puts her hand on his shoulder, and taps the ashes from her cigarette.
"We'll cross our fingers Ash. Just hope for the best." Ash glances over at his wife on the table while Kentaro and Sarah prick the stray glass, and bandage her waist around her back. Ash smiles and nods his head at Haruka.
"Yes. Hope for the best." Ash stands up with his coffee, and walks up to Shinobu, who was finally waking up. She focused her sleepy stare at Ash, and smiled.
"How are you doing Shinobu?" Ash said so softly that he could barely hear himself over Shinobus breathing. The room grew very quiet. So quiet, that the only sound that exceeded blood rushing through veins was the gentle heartbeat of the two lovers and the light teetering of the bamboo garden outside. Sarah and Kaolla went with Haruka to pack the jeep, while Kentaro stuck with Ash to monitor his friends' wife. Ash put his hand on Shinobus stomach, and felt his unborn daughter for the first time, kicking very lightly. Ash smiled, and set his hot cup of coffee on the table next to him, and sat next to his wife. Shinobu sat up, and held her waist with her right arm. Ash stood up, and helped her down off the hospital table, and walked her inside. Every step she took she moaned painfully, and nearly collapsed trying to climb the stairs to her room. Her life had definitely changed since Ash and her first met about 10 years ago on that warm morning at the park. When Shinobu was still young and energetic and not afraid to do anything at all. Here she was, hardly walking, with a 3-month-old daughter just waiting to hatch. These are the kinds of things you think about when this happens to a loved one, and Ash was no exception. But maybe I should return to the 3rd person persona again before I screw this story up by changing this to a 1st person persona. Ash set Shinobu lightly onto the feather-light bed, and looked across the dark room at the broken television set that caused Shinobus demise in the first place. Ash cleaned up the crap on the floor, while Shinobu fell into a deep sleep. Ash grabbed a tin garbage can, and in anime style, forced the huge television into it. Suddenly, Shinobu started to talk in her sleep.
"No… Please… Don't hurt her… (Moan) Stop…" She started moaning and quietly shrieking in the bed. "No! Not there!" she said surprisingly loud for talking in your sleep. "Ooohhhh!" Shinobu jumped in the air a bit and fell on her back hard on the bed.
"Shinobu!" Ash cried. He dropped the two pieces of plastic and wires and hurried to his wife who had woken up from the pain of crushing her bruised back.
"Oh! It hurts! Oh God, what an Idiot! Ah!" Shinobu cried trying to keep still, but didn't have the ability. When she finally calmed down, she tried to walk downstairs to get breakfast. Ash hadn't slept a single wink the night before, because he was occupied with throwing away the television. Ash hurried after her, and carried her on his back, her holding on to his shoulders down the stairs. She sat herself in one of the wooden chairs around the Hinata's dinner table. Also at the table were Naru, Keitaro, Kaolla, Sarah, Motoko, Mitsune, and 5-year-old Sakiu in a wooden chair, sitting on a giant stack of phonebooks. Ash got Shinobu her breakfast, while she tried to get comfortable. Finally, Ash came back with a plate with a huge omelet with big pieces of cheese, slices of red peppers, and cuts of ham and hotdogs. Ash set down his plate also, and sat next to Shinobu.
"So Shinobu. How are you doing dear?" Kitsune said as she put a nicotine patch on the shoulder. Ash noticed this, and shot up from his chair.
"Kitsune!" his loudness caused her to jump and drop the patch from her palm. "Dammit Kitsune! If it's not one drug, it's another."
"What do ya' mean suga?" she asked.
"Guys! There are children present. Keep the loudness down." Naru said.
"You said you were giving it up." Ash said in a low worried voice. "This morning you were passed out on the sofa, and now your smoking?"
"I'm trying to quit Ash. That Saki was a Birthday present, and I have been smoking for about 3 month's with Haruka, and I decided to quit. So I bought some nicotine patches." Ash sighed. Shinobu started looking pale, and leaned on Ash's left shoulder. She had lost a lot of blood, and Ash knew this, but she was going to be fine. Ash looked over at Sakiu sitting across from Mitsune.
"So, how are you doing now Sakiu?" She looked at him, and smiled with her eyes closed like a cute anime kitten.
"Fine. Thank you for asking." She said in a sweet 5-year-old squeak. Naru smiled, and looked at her watch.
"Oh! Come on Kei, we'll be late for the uh, the concert!" she grabbed Keitaros arm, and pulled him off kicking and screaming until they turned the corner into the kitchen. 'PING! THUMP.' Naru carried a cooking pan in one hand, and dragged Keitaros unconscious body with the other.
"See you guys at 3." She said as she rushed outside to her car, and drove off. Ash looked at his watch. It was 2:00. Soon, Sarah was finished with her food, and pushed it aside. Sakiu had fallen asleep in her chair, and was leaning against the back. Kaolla smiled and poked at the child, while Motoko quietly finished her rice and soup.
"Thank you for the meal." She said as she stood up and gestured to Ash.
"But—I didn't cook your food." Motoko looked up.
"Well, thanks for the company then." She turned around quickly, and grasped her sword holster, heading upstairs. She was training for the Tokyo U's fencing team, and she had to beat the master trainer. She went on the roof, and took target practice with insects, leaves and pink flower petals.
"Come on Sarah! Let's go to the nudie bar!" Kaolla laughed.
"All right!" the girls jumped up, and rushed off just as the clock struck 3. Naru and Keitaro drove up in the driveway, and entered the door.
"It's hard to believe you two." Ash said.
"Wha-? What do you mean?" Naru said with an embarrassed face.
"Naru. No concert is only an hour long." Naru and Keitaro rubbed off their embarrassment of being caught, and sat down. Suddenly, "Eye of the Tiger by Survivor" went off in Ash's pocket.
"Hello?" it was his red and black cell phone. "Yes this is Officer FoxX… Yes, I believe I can be available for a stakeout…Where? Hold on. Let me look that up and get the exact address." Ash flipped the phone closed, and stole a thick phonebook from under the sleeping Sakiu, who just plopped down, and returned to her same position. Ash slammed the book on the table, and found the address 3 pages before the open page. Ash stabbed the paper with his finger. "Bingo." Shinobu was finally awake. Her blood was circulating better, and she was back to normal.
"Will you be okay without me?" Ash asked her.
"Yes Ash. Good luck, and don't get shot."
"That's reassuring." Ash smirked. He ran outside to his Volkswagen sitting in the driveway. He drove the noisy car through the city, and ended up at 427 Fenton Ave. he crawled the now quiet car around the corner of the rough brick building, and faced the car out from an alley. As he shut off the engine, he let a great sigh, and reached into his pocket. In one hand was a half-empty box of cigarettes and the other, a gold zippy lighter. "CHIK" the metallic lighter flung its head back as Ash fondled the striker, and a medium sized flame emerged from the chamber. Ash flipped the menthol in his mouth, and lit it, as he sat back, and snapped the lighter shut. He listened silently to the sound of the seat crackling under his body. He switched on his police dispatch, and turned it just low enough to surpass the sound of his heart. The hot afternoon sun beat down on the red car, and turned it into an airtight metal deathtrap. There he sat until a couple of jet-black limousines pulled up in the corner. Ash watched as they parked the behemoths. 2 fat men in black suits exited the back seats of each car, and went up the stairs to their contact. It was a definite drug deal. Ash took his opportunity for his entrance, and placed the keys into the ignition. It was so quiet that Ash could easily hear the perps talking clear across the street. The door opened, and 2 skinny men in black suits led them in. Ash rushed for the glove compartment, and pulled out his expensive binocular lens. He sat there, in his own dripping sweat, as the two fat men entered a room with a window where Ash could spy. Inside, the skinny men stood by the door. The one to the left spoke into his shoulder, and exited the door. Behind a breathtaking wooden marble desk was an even fatter man wearing a white suit. He put his giant fat fingers in a twist, and lay them on the poor defenseless desk. He handed one of the fat men a small black briefcase, and the other a handshake. The white suit stood up, and kissed the black suits on the cheeks. Ash stared blankly through the lens.
"This isn't a drug deal, It's the Mafia!" Ash said quietly to himself. He put the lens back in the glove compartment, and got ready to attack the black suits. Unfortunately, a loud bang breaks his focus. A small crack appears on the passenger side of the windshield. Ash looks up on the roof, and sees about 4 snipers on their bellies with very large guns.
"Fuck this." Ash starts the car, which unfortunately has been cooling under the hood, and struggles to start. Once the snipers hear this, they all open fire. The sounds of the city are nothing more but rapid popping sounds across at the Hinata Apartments, where Shinobu eagerly awaits Ash's return. The car struggles to start more and more and the windshield cracks twice more across the middle. The third bullet rips through the windshield, and goes straight through the headrest on the passenger side, and crashes a big hole through the rear window. Ash pumps the gas, and the car comes to life. Ash speeds off down the street, outrunning the further gunfire.
"Whew." Ash calms, and turns onto the freeway toward the police station for backup, and to report the briefcase. On the way however, a shadowy voice comes over the dispatcher.
"The case is mine, so get off." Followed by a gunshot, destroying whatever equipment he was using to send the warning. Ash rushed on the way still to the station, heeding the attackers warning. In his rearview mirror, Ash spots a jet-black 1970's Chrysler. One of the fat black suits leans out the passenger side window, and opens fire at the bug. The sound of the bullets ricocheting off of the metal fills the cab. Finally, Ash gets fed up. He reaches into the torn upholstery on the roof, and pulls out his issued police pistol. He leans out, twisting his body, with his left hand on the gun, and the right on the wheel. He switches on the cruise control, and lets go of the wheel. He stands on the window jamb, dodging bullets, and keeping his balance with one foot placed firmly on the steering wheel. Ash finally found a straight stretch of road and faced the car in the right direction, so it stayed on the road. Ash carefully climbed on top of the car, and the passenger of the other car followed his example. But he was too late. Ash shot his whole clip into the forehead of the driver, who fell lifeless on the steering wheel. Suddenly, the vehicle closed in on Ash's car. The suit on the car looked around scared, and fired his rounds at his own car, trying to slow it down. One of the shots ricocheted off of the road, and shot out the front tire. The car lost control, and fishtailed the rear bumper of the bug. Ash's car slid in and out, and when it was completely sideways, Ash jumped into the grass on the side of the road, as the beetle rolled over and over on the road, eventually flying off the road completely, and into the lake. Ash got up, and rushed to the crash site. His car lay in the standing position with all tires on the ground. It slowly sank into the mud. Bubbles of the stinky mud came up from the exhaust and under the car as air escaped the inside. Ash stood by the whole 5 minutes until the car disappeared beneath the earth. Ash took off his derby hat that appeared out of nowhere, and saluted the fallen vehicle.
"Great. There goes my $3,000.00 binocular lens." He says as he turns away, tossing the derby hat into the mud to join the car, and puts another cigarette in his mouth, and lights it. Suddenly, he realizes what he had just done.
"Dang! There goes another perfectly good hat. Ash walks down the highway turning around occasionally to catch a ride. Soon, the heat was getting to him. Ash ran to the side of the road, and vomited. Every step he took, he would vomit a little. Finally, a squad car drove up, and stopped next to Ash on the side of the road.
"Okay bud. You are going downtown." The officer was on the fat side with a tan uniform and sheriff hat. Ash smiled at him.
"Thanks. Here's my badge." Ash flashes his wallet in the sheriffs' face.
"FoxX?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell are you doing out here?"
"Just heading back home man."
"Here, I'll give you a ride." Ash hops into the squad car, and the sheriff speeds off down the road. Meanwhile, back at Hinata, Shinobu lays on her bed waiting for the phone to ring telling her that Ash was dead. He was supposed to be back 2 hours ago. She lay on her back staring at the photos on the table next to the bed. She rubs her unborn baby.
"Don't you worry. I will take good care of you." She begins to cry. In the doorway, Keitaro stands staring at the poor girl. He frowns, and sulks away. Meanwhile, on highway 427, the squad car speeds off down the desert road, as Ash tells the sheriff his story.
"A briefcase eh?"
"Yeah. I think it must be important."
"Yeah, if the Mafia is involved. I'll get you my best men to get back on the case tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to sign your last will and testament, and tell your family how much you love them alright?" The cop stopped at a light, jerking the car and squeaking the brakes. Ash stares blankly at the glove compartment.
"Yeah… I'll uh, I'll do that tonight." Ash says slowly as if unconscious.
"Well, here we are!" the sheriff pulls into the Hinata Apartments driveway, and Ash crawls out.
"I'll be back this way tomorrow!" the sheriff said in his gruff voice.
"Yeah yeah, sure." Ash waved the sheriff away, and the squad car backed down the driveway, and headed back to the station. Ash's blue hair had turned back to its normal black color. It looked shorter now as it clung to Ash's forehead. His moustache was hardly noticeable, but it was there. Ash looked a lot like Michael J. Fox. The only difference was the hair really. Ash's hair would turn black when he was normal. It would turn blue whenever he was extreme in any way. Whether it is extreme power, or extreme love. Right now, it was extremely black. Ash had no emotions from what he had been told to do. He slowly dragged his carcass into the apartments. Kaolla and Sarah jumped up at him as soon as he walked in the door like a couple of dogs and immediately stopped moving once they saw his emotionless face. Ash walked up the steps, not realizing he had accidentally taken the sheriffs trench coat. Naru peeked out of her room with Motoko smoking a bong.
"Ash! Whe-"Ash walked right by her. A lone tear rolled down his cheek. He finally came to his senses, and realized that to his surprise, he was in his own room. He had no control over his body. It just lay limply over the wooden rocking chair as it slowly creaked on its ancient legs. On his left was the innocent young Shinobu Ash remembered from all those years ago before he had messed up her life forever. She lay on her side with her hand resting against her pink cheek as she rolled over to face away from Ash, rolling the crumpled covers everywhere. Ash stared at the innocent youth, and a tear came to his eyes. Suddenly, his right eyeball went blind from the hot tears welling from the middle of his skull and the back of his brain. Ash threw his now controlled body into his hands and felt the hot tears spill from his fingers. Ash rose his head from the fingers, and the liquid turned sticky red. Ash tasted the goop, expecting salt.
"Blood…" was all he said. He looked up, and the young Shinobu had grown again. Although she was older, she still looked like the young girl Ash had met so many years ago. She was just a bit more full in some parts, and she was taller. But her face remained the same. She was standing about a yard from where Ash was sitting. In her arms was a beautiful baby girl rolled in a blue and yellow blanket. Shinobu, still as beautiful as she was before her wedding, smiled at Ash with an eerily comforting, yet ghoulish ghostly smile. With a huge gust of wind, the transparent blue glowing figure blew away bottom up, and struck Ash with the pain of a million daggers stabbing all over his body. It was so painful, Ash could not even scream. Suddenly, he awoke in the same room. This time, he was lying on his side facing one of the walls in his room. Behind him, his back warmed up quickly compared to the rest of his body under the thick red sheets. The warmness from his back moved a bit, making Ash tingle a bit. Ash had ended up back into his own bed. Maybe it was all a dream, Ash would think to himself. Suddenly, his red and black cell phone rang on the dresser across from the bed. Ash stood up in his red bathrobe, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Ash said, still half asleep.
"Ash. Did you tell your wife yet?"
"What?"
"Don't you remember? Oh. And don't forget to write your will. Just in case. You have three hours. click" the sound of the line going dead filled all of Ash's brain and left ear. He dropped the phone to the ground.
"All this for a stinking briefcase…" Ash said quietly and sadly to himself. He walked over to a desk sitting in the corner of the room, and with a flick of the wrist, cleared off all the junk, and set down a piece of old paper that said "WILL" in huge letters. Ash wrote about 5 words, and screwed up his penmanship by dropping his sweaty, tearing face on the paper, fading the ink. He couldn't take himself to write his last letter. He crumples the page, and throws it in a garbage can across the room, causing the can to balance in the bottom rim, spinning it around a dime. Ash walks up to his pregnant wife, and sits on the bed next to her. He puts his hand in her hair, and pets her gently. Shinobu blinks, and sits up, rubbing her right eye.
"What is it honey?" Ash drops his head, and puts his arms around his wife. She does the same and cuddles into his chest.
"Shinobu." Shinobu looks up smiling at her husband.
"I—I'm going on assignment in the morning, and it's the most dangerous thing I may ever do."
"Who does it involve?"
"The Mafia… They have a briefcase that may be very important to us." Ash kisses his beloved wife on the forehead."
"Whatever happens, don't ever forget me." Ash says his final words. Suddenly, the cell phone rings again, and Ash picks it up from the floor.
"Hello?" Shinobu listens closely to the phone as she overhears the sheriffs' words.
"I'm waiting outside now. Let's get going FoxX."
"Hm, oh. Okay." Ash quietly shuts the phone, and turns to Shinobu.
"I love you." Shinobu bursts into tears and collapses off of her feet, falling right into Ash's arms. He kisses her gently on the neck, and cries softly into her blue soft hair. "BEEEEP!" the sheriffs' horn blew in the driveway. Ash used every drop of his willpower to disconnect from Shinobu and rush out the door of the apartments. Haruka stands leaning asleep on her broom on the steps in front of the apartments, as Ash rushes past, knocking her on her face. Behind the sheriffs' squad car was 4 other police cruisers lined in a diamond. Ash hopped into the sheriffs' squad cruiser, and the group backed out of the area, and sped down the road. Shinobu watched tearfully through the curtained window of her room on the second floor as the squad cars simultaneously lit up the walls of the building, and waking up every living being within a 5-mile radius. Ash reached for the denim jacket in the back seat of the speeding car, and replaced it for the trench coat he had borrowed from the sheriff. It was very cold on this particular night. Suddenly, the light pitter-patter of the light raindrops filled the car as they approached the part of town where the Mafia was doing their business. The 5 squad cars simultaneously shut off the sirens and split up on a 4-way. The sheriff went straight with an accomplice behind him as the other three turned left and right, and completely around to guard the escape route. Ash pulled his feet up, his white sneakers on the gray cotton seat, in his denim jacket and thin black tee shirt wearing his blue denim jeans that he never wore in his youth. Finally, the sheriff squeaked to a stop in front of the Mafia office with the second squad car parked quietly in the alley. The rain had picked up. Ash got out of the car and hugged his jacket shut as the rain soaked his messy black hair. A few hairs were turning gray on his scalp. Ash looked into the pitch-black sky with very dark blue clouds flashing occasionally with lightning.
"The storm." Ash said quietly to himself. His concentration broke as the sheriff called his name in his ear. Ash fidgeted up the stairs of the building.
"Grab your badge." The sheriff said with a gruff New York accent. Ash grabbed his wallet with his right hand, and readied his holstered pistol with the left. As the door creaked open, Ash pulled the leather wallet from his back pocket, and literally flashed his badge as the lightning reflected on his dampening skin with the few droplets of shiny water dripping from the golden badge. The fat black suit put his hand in his suit, and Ash pulled his weapon from the holster, followed shortly by the sheriffs' silver handgun. The fat suit slowly pulled out a silencer, and put it to his head. Ash widened his eyes.
"Don't do it." The fat suit gripped the weapon and squinted his eyes. He pulled the trigger, and Ash spun around quickly, whipping his loose denim, followed immediately by the sheriff… No sound… A silent squeak broke the silence. The fat suit was shooting water at the officers.
"Nyak nyak nyak!" he giggled to himself. Ash whipped his weapon up again. The shine of the black pistol nearly blinded the suit.
"Where's the case?"
"It don't belong to you'ze." The fat suit said. The sheriff raised his revolver.
"The officer asked you a question. WHERE'S THE CASE?!" the sheriff jammed the gun in fat's face.
"Okay! Okay! Take I' easy mah. It's in da beck." The suit led Ash and the sheriff into the building.
"I have to take a leak. Where's the john?" the sheriff asked. The suit pointed down a hallway. The sheriff entered the bathroom and spoke to the police across the street.
"Prepare boys. We don't know what can happen." The fat suit looked suspiciously at the sheriff when he came out 10 seconds later. The suit walked up to the sheriff, and Ash readied his holstered pistol.
"Forgot to flush." He said. Ash and the sheriff let out a huge sigh of relief, and followed the suit. He led them to the fat white suit.
"Ah, The notorious Ash FoxX. What can I do for you?" the white suit said in a wheezy voice.
"I want to know what's in that suitcase you gave the other men last night." Ash said calmly.
"Ah, Quite a good detective. I like you already." The white suit leaned back in his chair, making it creak in pain. "Why be so suspicious?"
"Just tell me. I don't want to arrest you, I just have to be safe." "You know what? I believe you." The white suit stood up, and opened a drawer on the wood marble desk. "But my Tommy-gun don't!"
"Freeze!" Ash quickly holstered his pistol and aimed it straight at the fat head. The white suit pulled the trigger, and short bursts of water shot across the room.
"Ha ha ha. Ain't I a stinker?" He put the water gun back in his drawer, and sat down.
"Well, I'll tell ya what's in the case. It's a gift for my friends baby."
"What kind of gift would this be?"
"Why being so suspicious, detective?"
"Just tell me." The fat man jotted down something on a napkin from the desk, and hands it to Ash.
"Here's the address to the guys apartment. And let me tell ya something more. I have more friends then you think… Just think about that…" The sheriff radioed the police across the street to stand by, and that they were coming out. Ash and the sheriff jumped into the squad car, and took off down the street, followed by one, then two, and finally four squad cars behind them.
"What's the address?" Ash asked.
"I have it in my mind Ash. Don't worry." After a couple of hours, Ash fell asleep in the squad car.
"This can't be the right address." The sheriff opened the glove compartment, hitting Ash on the knee, waking him up. The sheriff pulled the napkin from the compartment, and read it quietly.
"Ash…" The sheriff looked worried.
"What?"
"The case was sent here. This is the Hinata Apartments address." Ash looked in shock, and rushed out of the car, still wearing the rain soaked jacket. The rain had picked up again, and Ash slipped on one of the stairs, hitting his head on the concrete. There he lay in the pouring rain, unconscious. Unfortunately, the sheriff was still waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and the rain was blocking his vision. Luckily, Shinobu saw the whole thing clearly with light on the porch. She rushed outside, and kneeled by Ash.
"Wake up!" She cried. "Please…" The sheriff heard this, and rushed up to help. He kneeled next to Ash, and checked his pulse.
"He is okay, but he got a bump on the noggin. Let's get him out of this rain." Shinobu and the sheriff picked Ash up by his arms, and dragged him on Shinobu's bed.
"You're going to be fine." The sheriff said to Ash. He turned to Shinobu. "Look after him tonight, and call me at this number when he wakes up tomorrow." He hands Shinobu a business card, and turns around to leave.
"Sheriff!" Shinobu yelled. The sheriff turned around. "Thanks for everything." The sheriff nods.
"Take good care of that baby. She will make a good cop." Shinobu calls for Keitaro, and he comes running in the door.
"Help me get him in a warm bath. We don't want him catching a cold."
"No problem Shinobu." They pick him up, put him in a towel, and lay him in the Hot Springs. Shinobu climbs down too, and pats her stomach.
"The… Case…" Ash says quietly, regaining consciousness.
"Ash!" Shinobu screams. She hugs her husband as he wakes up.
"Shinobu… What was in the case?"
"I have not checked yet." Ash jumped out of the springs. It had stopped raining finally, but it was still really late. Ash located the case, and broke it open with a crowbar. Inside was a bunch of baby toys and a red teddy bear.
"Ha! I guess the Mafia isn't all that bad after all." Suddenly, Shinobu moaned, and fell down.
"Shinobu!" Ash ran to her aid. "What's wrong?'
"Ash… My water just broke…" Ash smiled, and picked up his cell phone.
"Jake. Where are ya?, Well I have an emergency. Yes, I know you are in Hawaii. Of course it does. Yeah, and don't forget my Interceptor Defender." Ash hangs up the phone, and supports Shinobu. Suddenly, the Interceptor rushed up the steps, and opened the door.
"What's up Ash?" Jake asked. "Why haven't I been in this story yet?"
"Jake, Shinobu is ready to have the baby." Jake smiled.
"Hop in!" Ash stayed with Shinobu in the back while Jake hightailed it to the hospital. The drive was only 2 minutes, and that's because Jake was being careful not to hurt the baby. The next thing you know, Shinobu is laying on another hospital table with a thin white blanket. The doctor came in, and spoke with Ash outside.
"Mr. FoxX. I'm glad to see you again under better circumstances."
"Yes. So, do I go in and watch, or wait here in the waiting room?"
"It's your choice." Ash follows the doctor back into the room, and Shinobu grunts and breaths.
"Don't forget you're Lamaze." Ash grasped his wife's hand gently, and breathed with her.
"Deep breaths." He said over and over again. Finally, the baby emerged from her warm embrace, and was wrapped in a warm blanket.
"Cut the cord?" The doctor asked.
"Definitely." Ash's scarred, dirty face and messy wet hair lightened up as he grasped the scissors, and cut the cord. His hair glowed in the room as it changed from a stray dark gray to a bright blue. Ash held his daughter in his arms, and set her next to her mother.
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Ash asked Shinobu.
"I've decided to call her… Ashley." Ash smiles.
"But I thought you were going to call her a Japanese name."
"But now, both of the loves of my life are American in blood, and Japanese in spirit." Shinobu smiled as Ashley fell asleep in her arms. The next morning, they left the Hospital, and returned to Hinata.
"Aww! She's so cute! Kaolla ranted.
"Congratulations." Motoko said happily.
"Yay!" Sakiu clapped her hands, making her parents smile. Suddenly, the doors flew open, and Jake appeared, breathing heavily.
"Ash, we've got problems at H.Q." Ash stared angrily at him.
"No way. I don't care what the problem is this time."
"What?! Did you quit?!"
"No!"
"Then what's the problem?!" The room got quiet, and a loving grin appeared on Ash's flesh colored face. Ash gently nodded at his wife standing against the wall with her right foot supporting her against the drywall as she nursed the baby underneath a white baby blanket. Jake smiled, and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"She's beautiful." He said. "They both are." Ash was finally a father. Shinobu was finally a mother. The two were a complete family now. The FoxX's would live on to see another generation. And life could not be sweeter.
The End!
Credits:
Written by James "Ash" Stuchly
Special thanks to:
Fans of the series who looked forward to part III
Ken Akamatsu for Love Hina
John Jay High for having fast reliable computers
FujiFilm for making floppies to save on
www.fanfiction.net for publishing all of my stories
My friends for keeping me on my toes, helping me get good ideas.
KaZzA for burning my working music
My production company - Ash FoxX Productions
(now known as)
(O(53)/O)
productions
No thanks to:
5th block keyboarding for two reasons:
1. Keyboarding does not help me at all with writing these stories
2. Coach Adams does not let me write during class, so I have to sneak.
Lord of the Rings for taking my ideas, forcing me to pull things directly from my ass.
The G.T. Room because their computers almost erased my floppy when I was almost finished, forcing me to make a backup.
In Loving Memory Of:
Great Uncle Gus
1905 – May 22nd, 2004
"Every happy ending has a sad one between the lines."
Ash Stuchly
This has been a
(O(53)/O)
productions
Production.
productions
presents:
Love Hina and the Saga Episode III
By James "Ash" Stuchly
Sound body and mind
4/20/04 – 5/24/04
"all hail the chapter blams!"
Ash awakens on the beautiful summer morning, Shinobu at his side. She had put on some weight to Ash's surprise, but nothing too serious… Well, he hopes not. Ash had become a police officer after he retired from the AFBS about 2 years ago, and has never been happier. He has lost weight, and gained physical fitness. Shinobu is very proud of her husband. Ash climbs from his bed, kissing Shinobu's warm, pink cheek on the way. In one swift movement, Ash grasps a blue robe, and spins around, closing it well around his waist. The sounds of horseplay racket on the other part of the apartments. Normal for any other day. Kaolla and Sarah were always up early, even after they turned 18. Long after in fact. They are in their late 20's now. Ash opens the door, and walks out, yawning uncontrollably. He steps into the showers, and takes no notice to the risks ahead of him. Almost immediately after he enjoys the aftertaste of the cold shower going warm, the doors slide open, and a figure approaches. The Apartments had separate showers, so Ash automatically guessed it was Keitaro getting advice for his 5-year-old daughter Sakiu. Ash may not have been a father, but he knew everything he needed to know from his own father, who of course, passed away by the hands of Ash's own brother, Treston. But everyone knows that story, so let's not get too much into that now. Ash stands under the showers, as the figure approaches him. The dark silhouette of the being is somehow, different from Keitaro's build. The figure sits on the floor, away from the steam to reveal a pink towel. 'Wait, a 'pink' towel?' Ash thinks to himself, as he double glances back to the figure. It is definitely NOT Keitaro. The figure was no doubt, female. But what is a girl doing in the men's showers? Ash prefers not to ask questions, and tries to exit the door. 'Maybe I'm in the wrong bathroom. But that never happens!' With Ash's mind in deep water, Ash loses track of his footing, and trips on the toweled woman. In true Love Hina Style, Ash falls to his knees, bows, anything for forgiveness. Finally, she speaks.
"Ash, I need your help with something." It is Naru. She is blushing a little, but in no condition to deliver a 'Naru Punch'. Ash puts on some clothes, walks with Naru to the teahouse, and orders a hot cup of coffee. Naru orders an ice tea, and settles into the table. Kentaro Sakata, a friend of Keitaro, comes around the corner of a wall, and sits with Ash and Naru. Ash looks at him angrily, and Naru asks him to sit.
"What? You wanted Kentaro to come here? I thought you wanted MY help!" Ash says.
"Yes. I might as well get two men's opinion of being a father." Naru says.
"But shouldn't you be more focused on being a mother?" Ash says as the coffee is put on the table. Naru reaches for the large tea glass in Haruka's hand, and slams it on the table.
"I'm trying to get opinions on fatherhood so I can help out Keitaro without him having to schedule a card night every week just to chat with you two about being a father." Naru says, kind of angrily.
"At least that means he is serious about doing the right thing for Sakiu." Kentaro says.
"Yeah, and I look forward to those card games now. They get me out of scheduled police work."
"Well, you can still have your games, but I'm worried that Keitaro is having some problems keeping up with Sakiu's habits. Just the other day she was sucking on his toe, and he was afraid to move, until she bit it." The group has a good laugh over this.
"That's nothing. When I was her age, I was on my mothers back, and bit her ass!" Kentaro cries. Everyone laughs harder this time. Naru turns to Ash.
"So how about you? Do you have any childhood stories?" she asks him. Ash looks down, covering his eyes with his long blue bangs.
"I don't want to talk about it." Ash says, as he gets up from the table, puts down some change, and takes his coffee to the car. Unfortunately, since he is retired from the AFBS, his G-6155 Interceptor was confiscated long ago, and his friend Jake had been on vacation since he went insane, claiming he saw a flying DeLorean that disappeared in thin air. Leaving his base locked up, and the Interceptor Defender locked in storage. The only vehicle is the old Volkswagen Beetle that used to belong to Grandma Hina, who sadly passed away the year before, giving the car to Keitaro. Unfortunately, Keitaro had no room for his family in such a small car, and gave it to Shinobu to give to Ash as an anniversary present. Ash sits in his car, sipping on his coffee, and sobs quietly. His tears add to the cream in the coffee, adding a slightly salty flavor. Ash finishes the rest of the coffee, and walks back to the Hinata teahouse. Outside, Haruka is sweeping the steps, and Ash hands Kentaro the glass, and walks back to the apartments.
"Hey!" Kentaro yells behind Ash. "What's the big deal?" Naru comes up behind him, and puts her hand on Kentaro's shoulder.
"Just leave him alone. He had a rough childhood." She says, realizing the mental damage she has caused to resurface. Ash continues to walk through the doors and sits down on one of the couches in the sitting room. Kitsune lays across the room fast asleep with a Saki bottle in her left hand, hanging over the edge of the sofa. The television is on, and a commercial about telling kids not to smoke comes on. It shows a 17-year-old boy and his father hugging, and having a lot of fun with radio controlled boats and cars, driving ATV's, and doing just about anything that would make a good father. At the end of the commercial, a D.A.R.E. logo pops up, and looks to be spray painted on a basketball court, as the boy and his father run over it, and shoot the ball into the basket. 'Hmm. Maybe I should have taped that.' Ash thinks humorously to himself. Suddenly, the sound of a thick glass landing on carpet forces Ash to spin his head towards the sofa across from him. Kitsune had dropped the Saki bottle and some excess alcohol was leaking from the neck. Ash sighs, and quickly runs upstairs to his room to keep from being fingered and cleaning the mess himself. Upstairs, Shinobu is in the shower talking to Naru about how she is getting a little worried about her weight. She was eating less, yet she still would gain weight. Ash presses his ear against the door, and listens carefully to the conversation. Naru informs her of a weight loss program from the TV and stops talking in the middle of her sentence.
"What?" Shinobu asks, seeming a little worried. Ash upgrades from the ear to the peep hole that Ash had found one day when cleaning the apartments for spring. It appeared to be around when grandma Hina was living here. Ash peeks through the hole, and watches as Naru leans her head onto Shinobu's tummy. Ash raises an eyebrow, as Shinobu stands straight up trying not to shriek.
"Shinobu, I—I think you may be pregnant!" Naru says in a happy tone.
"What? But that is impossible! I have been sterile for 5 years!" Shinobu throws herself against the wall, covered by the steam, blocking Ash's eyesight. He overhears the girls throwing around "It's not possible's" and various curse words and phrases. Shinobu is not upset, just doubtful. She had wanted a baby since she was a little girl, and her dream has never died. Even back when they were married, Shinobu was destined to make new life, even after she became sterile by the shaft of a sword. 'It's impossible!' Ash thinks to himself. 'It just isn't possible!' Ash covers the peephole so as not to give away his position. He crawls back downstairs to see the sight that had driven him up in the first place, an empty Saki bottle and a stubborn stain in the carpet. Ash sighs again, climbs back upstairs, and sits on the bed.
"Kitsune said she was giving it up when I got married." He grabs the silver Japanese remote control, and flips on the TV. Like clockwork, Shinobu appears from the door of the shower, spraying mist in every direction. Ash fumbles with the remote, and accidentally holds down the '6' button. On the 27 inch TV, the devil comes up with a huge bowl full of children, and a gigantic spoon. He looks to the camera.
"Watch me eat children!" He says, as he continuously scoops up children into his giant spoon, and eats them.
"AHH!" Ash cries. He fumbles the remote again, and hits 247. Cartoon Network. It seemed like a safe enough channel, but unfortunately, they were featuring the Hamtaro theme song played slowly.
"AHHHHH!" Ash yells even louder, and jams the remote control buttons randomly, and comes to a nature channel. Ash lets out a sigh of relief, until he actually sees what is on the television… Two monkeys having sex. Ash finally throws the remote at the television, and bursts the screen. Pieces of the thick glass and cheap plastic scatter the room.
"Oops.." Shinobu walks into the room in her pinkish bathrobe.
"Ash, what's going on?" She walks by, not noticing the mess against the wall. Her eyes focused on Ash lying on the bed. She steps on the shattered glass, crunching it into millions of smaller shards of glass that impregnate her heels, causing her to go into shock, forcing more weight onto the glass, tearing the skin with every movement. Finally, Shinobu slips on a patch of tiny glass, making her fall on her back into fresh big pieces that scratch her up really bad. So bad in fact, that she goes unconscious from shock. Ash observes the horrific sight of the love of his life lying on the floor bleeding to death. Halfway through the ordeal, Shinobu had lost grip with the pink robe around her body, and was buck-naked bleeding on the floor.
"Why does this always happen to me?!" Ash cried. He picked up his wife, and took her to "Hinata General Hospital" or in Japanese, Hinata Tea House. Luckily, Kentaro was a skilled doctor's aide, and Haruka was the cities nurse. In fact, when Hinata used to be a path between Pokemon gyms, Haruka was the alternative for Nurse Joy. "Nothing a shotgun wound can't fix." she would say. Ash lay Shinobu on the hospital bed, and sat by her side, waiting for his friends. Finally, he picked up his cell phone, and rang up Haruka.
"Haruka. Yeah, this is Ash… I have an emergency… Shinobu… She's badly hurt!.. Alright. 3 minutes. Thanks." Ash flips the phone shut, and sits back down next to his wife. She still lies unconscious and buck-naked with a thin white sheet over her body. Finally, Harukas Jeep pulls up in the grass, and she crawls out with a big bag in her left hand. She set the bag on a table and zipped it open.
"Is it really necessary to carry me with you in a Bag Haruka? It's much easier to just let me ride in the passenger seat." Kentaro whines as he struggles himself out of the bag.
"Oh really? Too bad. You still owe me a lot of money Sekata." Kentaro flushes water from his eyes in a stupefied look. Then, Kaolla ran outside with Sarah wearing their nurse uniforms, and messed around with Kentaro by poking him with a stick and jumping on his head. It looks rather funny when Kaolla and Sarah are about 30 now. Finally, Haruka approaches the table with Kaolla at her side, and examines her patient. Haruka rises up, and snaps off her surgeons' mask.
"What—exactly happened here?" she looked worried. Ash approached the bench, and sat next to his beloved Shinobu.
"It's stupid really. I destroyed my old TV in my room, shattering glass everywhere, and she fell into it." Haruka stared at the wounds. Sarah laughed in the background, but felt Kentaro about to scold her, so she stopped.
"That sounds possible." said Haruka. "Come on Kentaro. I have a x-ray machine in the back of the Jeep." They grab a small metal suitcase from the trunk, and open it up. A 6-foot high, 3-foot wide x-ray screen springs out, and sets itself up. It powers on with a powerful electronic whine. Kentaro aligns the machine with Shinobu, and watches as the screen focuses on its specimen. Kentaro is shocked at what he sees, causing concern over Ash. Kentaro motions for Haruka to approach. She runs to the screen with Kaolla and Sarah close behind. The group gasps.
"Oh my…" Harukas' cigarette drops from her mouth. Finally, Ash joins the doctors, and confirms his disbelief. Instead of seeing shards of infrared glass, Ash sets his eyes on a 3-month-old baby girl. Ash stares at the miracle, and sits down at the table near the equipment, no emotion on his face. He puts his face in his hands, and rests them on the table. Haruka comes over, and hands him a cup of coffee.
"What's on your mind?" Haruka asked, a new cigarette smoking in her mouth. Ash took a sip of his coffee.
"Well, you see, if she does have a baby, chances are it will have huge problems because when she was attacked 5 years ago, it screwed up her respiratory system right where the baby's neck is. If one single thing goes wrong, we could have either a retarded baby or one that wont live to be 5 years old, and she will spend them all in a plastic tube." He takes a sip of his coffee. Haruka puts her hand on his shoulder, and taps the ashes from her cigarette.
"We'll cross our fingers Ash. Just hope for the best." Ash glances over at his wife on the table while Kentaro and Sarah prick the stray glass, and bandage her waist around her back. Ash smiles and nods his head at Haruka.
"Yes. Hope for the best." Ash stands up with his coffee, and walks up to Shinobu, who was finally waking up. She focused her sleepy stare at Ash, and smiled.
"How are you doing Shinobu?" Ash said so softly that he could barely hear himself over Shinobus breathing. The room grew very quiet. So quiet, that the only sound that exceeded blood rushing through veins was the gentle heartbeat of the two lovers and the light teetering of the bamboo garden outside. Sarah and Kaolla went with Haruka to pack the jeep, while Kentaro stuck with Ash to monitor his friends' wife. Ash put his hand on Shinobus stomach, and felt his unborn daughter for the first time, kicking very lightly. Ash smiled, and set his hot cup of coffee on the table next to him, and sat next to his wife. Shinobu sat up, and held her waist with her right arm. Ash stood up, and helped her down off the hospital table, and walked her inside. Every step she took she moaned painfully, and nearly collapsed trying to climb the stairs to her room. Her life had definitely changed since Ash and her first met about 10 years ago on that warm morning at the park. When Shinobu was still young and energetic and not afraid to do anything at all. Here she was, hardly walking, with a 3-month-old daughter just waiting to hatch. These are the kinds of things you think about when this happens to a loved one, and Ash was no exception. But maybe I should return to the 3rd person persona again before I screw this story up by changing this to a 1st person persona. Ash set Shinobu lightly onto the feather-light bed, and looked across the dark room at the broken television set that caused Shinobus demise in the first place. Ash cleaned up the crap on the floor, while Shinobu fell into a deep sleep. Ash grabbed a tin garbage can, and in anime style, forced the huge television into it. Suddenly, Shinobu started to talk in her sleep.
"No… Please… Don't hurt her… (Moan) Stop…" She started moaning and quietly shrieking in the bed. "No! Not there!" she said surprisingly loud for talking in your sleep. "Ooohhhh!" Shinobu jumped in the air a bit and fell on her back hard on the bed.
"Shinobu!" Ash cried. He dropped the two pieces of plastic and wires and hurried to his wife who had woken up from the pain of crushing her bruised back.
"Oh! It hurts! Oh God, what an Idiot! Ah!" Shinobu cried trying to keep still, but didn't have the ability. When she finally calmed down, she tried to walk downstairs to get breakfast. Ash hadn't slept a single wink the night before, because he was occupied with throwing away the television. Ash hurried after her, and carried her on his back, her holding on to his shoulders down the stairs. She sat herself in one of the wooden chairs around the Hinata's dinner table. Also at the table were Naru, Keitaro, Kaolla, Sarah, Motoko, Mitsune, and 5-year-old Sakiu in a wooden chair, sitting on a giant stack of phonebooks. Ash got Shinobu her breakfast, while she tried to get comfortable. Finally, Ash came back with a plate with a huge omelet with big pieces of cheese, slices of red peppers, and cuts of ham and hotdogs. Ash set down his plate also, and sat next to Shinobu.
"So Shinobu. How are you doing dear?" Kitsune said as she put a nicotine patch on the shoulder. Ash noticed this, and shot up from his chair.
"Kitsune!" his loudness caused her to jump and drop the patch from her palm. "Dammit Kitsune! If it's not one drug, it's another."
"What do ya' mean suga?" she asked.
"Guys! There are children present. Keep the loudness down." Naru said.
"You said you were giving it up." Ash said in a low worried voice. "This morning you were passed out on the sofa, and now your smoking?"
"I'm trying to quit Ash. That Saki was a Birthday present, and I have been smoking for about 3 month's with Haruka, and I decided to quit. So I bought some nicotine patches." Ash sighed. Shinobu started looking pale, and leaned on Ash's left shoulder. She had lost a lot of blood, and Ash knew this, but she was going to be fine. Ash looked over at Sakiu sitting across from Mitsune.
"So, how are you doing now Sakiu?" She looked at him, and smiled with her eyes closed like a cute anime kitten.
"Fine. Thank you for asking." She said in a sweet 5-year-old squeak. Naru smiled, and looked at her watch.
"Oh! Come on Kei, we'll be late for the uh, the concert!" she grabbed Keitaros arm, and pulled him off kicking and screaming until they turned the corner into the kitchen. 'PING! THUMP.' Naru carried a cooking pan in one hand, and dragged Keitaros unconscious body with the other.
"See you guys at 3." She said as she rushed outside to her car, and drove off. Ash looked at his watch. It was 2:00. Soon, Sarah was finished with her food, and pushed it aside. Sakiu had fallen asleep in her chair, and was leaning against the back. Kaolla smiled and poked at the child, while Motoko quietly finished her rice and soup.
"Thank you for the meal." She said as she stood up and gestured to Ash.
"But—I didn't cook your food." Motoko looked up.
"Well, thanks for the company then." She turned around quickly, and grasped her sword holster, heading upstairs. She was training for the Tokyo U's fencing team, and she had to beat the master trainer. She went on the roof, and took target practice with insects, leaves and pink flower petals.
"Come on Sarah! Let's go to the nudie bar!" Kaolla laughed.
"All right!" the girls jumped up, and rushed off just as the clock struck 3. Naru and Keitaro drove up in the driveway, and entered the door.
"It's hard to believe you two." Ash said.
"Wha-? What do you mean?" Naru said with an embarrassed face.
"Naru. No concert is only an hour long." Naru and Keitaro rubbed off their embarrassment of being caught, and sat down. Suddenly, "Eye of the Tiger by Survivor" went off in Ash's pocket.
"Hello?" it was his red and black cell phone. "Yes this is Officer FoxX… Yes, I believe I can be available for a stakeout…Where? Hold on. Let me look that up and get the exact address." Ash flipped the phone closed, and stole a thick phonebook from under the sleeping Sakiu, who just plopped down, and returned to her same position. Ash slammed the book on the table, and found the address 3 pages before the open page. Ash stabbed the paper with his finger. "Bingo." Shinobu was finally awake. Her blood was circulating better, and she was back to normal.
"Will you be okay without me?" Ash asked her.
"Yes Ash. Good luck, and don't get shot."
"That's reassuring." Ash smirked. He ran outside to his Volkswagen sitting in the driveway. He drove the noisy car through the city, and ended up at 427 Fenton Ave. he crawled the now quiet car around the corner of the rough brick building, and faced the car out from an alley. As he shut off the engine, he let a great sigh, and reached into his pocket. In one hand was a half-empty box of cigarettes and the other, a gold zippy lighter. "CHIK" the metallic lighter flung its head back as Ash fondled the striker, and a medium sized flame emerged from the chamber. Ash flipped the menthol in his mouth, and lit it, as he sat back, and snapped the lighter shut. He listened silently to the sound of the seat crackling under his body. He switched on his police dispatch, and turned it just low enough to surpass the sound of his heart. The hot afternoon sun beat down on the red car, and turned it into an airtight metal deathtrap. There he sat until a couple of jet-black limousines pulled up in the corner. Ash watched as they parked the behemoths. 2 fat men in black suits exited the back seats of each car, and went up the stairs to their contact. It was a definite drug deal. Ash took his opportunity for his entrance, and placed the keys into the ignition. It was so quiet that Ash could easily hear the perps talking clear across the street. The door opened, and 2 skinny men in black suits led them in. Ash rushed for the glove compartment, and pulled out his expensive binocular lens. He sat there, in his own dripping sweat, as the two fat men entered a room with a window where Ash could spy. Inside, the skinny men stood by the door. The one to the left spoke into his shoulder, and exited the door. Behind a breathtaking wooden marble desk was an even fatter man wearing a white suit. He put his giant fat fingers in a twist, and lay them on the poor defenseless desk. He handed one of the fat men a small black briefcase, and the other a handshake. The white suit stood up, and kissed the black suits on the cheeks. Ash stared blankly through the lens.
"This isn't a drug deal, It's the Mafia!" Ash said quietly to himself. He put the lens back in the glove compartment, and got ready to attack the black suits. Unfortunately, a loud bang breaks his focus. A small crack appears on the passenger side of the windshield. Ash looks up on the roof, and sees about 4 snipers on their bellies with very large guns.
"Fuck this." Ash starts the car, which unfortunately has been cooling under the hood, and struggles to start. Once the snipers hear this, they all open fire. The sounds of the city are nothing more but rapid popping sounds across at the Hinata Apartments, where Shinobu eagerly awaits Ash's return. The car struggles to start more and more and the windshield cracks twice more across the middle. The third bullet rips through the windshield, and goes straight through the headrest on the passenger side, and crashes a big hole through the rear window. Ash pumps the gas, and the car comes to life. Ash speeds off down the street, outrunning the further gunfire.
"Whew." Ash calms, and turns onto the freeway toward the police station for backup, and to report the briefcase. On the way however, a shadowy voice comes over the dispatcher.
"The case is mine, so get off." Followed by a gunshot, destroying whatever equipment he was using to send the warning. Ash rushed on the way still to the station, heeding the attackers warning. In his rearview mirror, Ash spots a jet-black 1970's Chrysler. One of the fat black suits leans out the passenger side window, and opens fire at the bug. The sound of the bullets ricocheting off of the metal fills the cab. Finally, Ash gets fed up. He reaches into the torn upholstery on the roof, and pulls out his issued police pistol. He leans out, twisting his body, with his left hand on the gun, and the right on the wheel. He switches on the cruise control, and lets go of the wheel. He stands on the window jamb, dodging bullets, and keeping his balance with one foot placed firmly on the steering wheel. Ash finally found a straight stretch of road and faced the car in the right direction, so it stayed on the road. Ash carefully climbed on top of the car, and the passenger of the other car followed his example. But he was too late. Ash shot his whole clip into the forehead of the driver, who fell lifeless on the steering wheel. Suddenly, the vehicle closed in on Ash's car. The suit on the car looked around scared, and fired his rounds at his own car, trying to slow it down. One of the shots ricocheted off of the road, and shot out the front tire. The car lost control, and fishtailed the rear bumper of the bug. Ash's car slid in and out, and when it was completely sideways, Ash jumped into the grass on the side of the road, as the beetle rolled over and over on the road, eventually flying off the road completely, and into the lake. Ash got up, and rushed to the crash site. His car lay in the standing position with all tires on the ground. It slowly sank into the mud. Bubbles of the stinky mud came up from the exhaust and under the car as air escaped the inside. Ash stood by the whole 5 minutes until the car disappeared beneath the earth. Ash took off his derby hat that appeared out of nowhere, and saluted the fallen vehicle.
"Great. There goes my $3,000.00 binocular lens." He says as he turns away, tossing the derby hat into the mud to join the car, and puts another cigarette in his mouth, and lights it. Suddenly, he realizes what he had just done.
"Dang! There goes another perfectly good hat. Ash walks down the highway turning around occasionally to catch a ride. Soon, the heat was getting to him. Ash ran to the side of the road, and vomited. Every step he took, he would vomit a little. Finally, a squad car drove up, and stopped next to Ash on the side of the road.
"Okay bud. You are going downtown." The officer was on the fat side with a tan uniform and sheriff hat. Ash smiled at him.
"Thanks. Here's my badge." Ash flashes his wallet in the sheriffs' face.
"FoxX?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell are you doing out here?"
"Just heading back home man."
"Here, I'll give you a ride." Ash hops into the squad car, and the sheriff speeds off down the road. Meanwhile, back at Hinata, Shinobu lays on her bed waiting for the phone to ring telling her that Ash was dead. He was supposed to be back 2 hours ago. She lay on her back staring at the photos on the table next to the bed. She rubs her unborn baby.
"Don't you worry. I will take good care of you." She begins to cry. In the doorway, Keitaro stands staring at the poor girl. He frowns, and sulks away. Meanwhile, on highway 427, the squad car speeds off down the desert road, as Ash tells the sheriff his story.
"A briefcase eh?"
"Yeah. I think it must be important."
"Yeah, if the Mafia is involved. I'll get you my best men to get back on the case tomorrow. Tonight, I want you to sign your last will and testament, and tell your family how much you love them alright?" The cop stopped at a light, jerking the car and squeaking the brakes. Ash stares blankly at the glove compartment.
"Yeah… I'll uh, I'll do that tonight." Ash says slowly as if unconscious.
"Well, here we are!" the sheriff pulls into the Hinata Apartments driveway, and Ash crawls out.
"I'll be back this way tomorrow!" the sheriff said in his gruff voice.
"Yeah yeah, sure." Ash waved the sheriff away, and the squad car backed down the driveway, and headed back to the station. Ash's blue hair had turned back to its normal black color. It looked shorter now as it clung to Ash's forehead. His moustache was hardly noticeable, but it was there. Ash looked a lot like Michael J. Fox. The only difference was the hair really. Ash's hair would turn black when he was normal. It would turn blue whenever he was extreme in any way. Whether it is extreme power, or extreme love. Right now, it was extremely black. Ash had no emotions from what he had been told to do. He slowly dragged his carcass into the apartments. Kaolla and Sarah jumped up at him as soon as he walked in the door like a couple of dogs and immediately stopped moving once they saw his emotionless face. Ash walked up the steps, not realizing he had accidentally taken the sheriffs trench coat. Naru peeked out of her room with Motoko smoking a bong.
"Ash! Whe-"Ash walked right by her. A lone tear rolled down his cheek. He finally came to his senses, and realized that to his surprise, he was in his own room. He had no control over his body. It just lay limply over the wooden rocking chair as it slowly creaked on its ancient legs. On his left was the innocent young Shinobu Ash remembered from all those years ago before he had messed up her life forever. She lay on her side with her hand resting against her pink cheek as she rolled over to face away from Ash, rolling the crumpled covers everywhere. Ash stared at the innocent youth, and a tear came to his eyes. Suddenly, his right eyeball went blind from the hot tears welling from the middle of his skull and the back of his brain. Ash threw his now controlled body into his hands and felt the hot tears spill from his fingers. Ash rose his head from the fingers, and the liquid turned sticky red. Ash tasted the goop, expecting salt.
"Blood…" was all he said. He looked up, and the young Shinobu had grown again. Although she was older, she still looked like the young girl Ash had met so many years ago. She was just a bit more full in some parts, and she was taller. But her face remained the same. She was standing about a yard from where Ash was sitting. In her arms was a beautiful baby girl rolled in a blue and yellow blanket. Shinobu, still as beautiful as she was before her wedding, smiled at Ash with an eerily comforting, yet ghoulish ghostly smile. With a huge gust of wind, the transparent blue glowing figure blew away bottom up, and struck Ash with the pain of a million daggers stabbing all over his body. It was so painful, Ash could not even scream. Suddenly, he awoke in the same room. This time, he was lying on his side facing one of the walls in his room. Behind him, his back warmed up quickly compared to the rest of his body under the thick red sheets. The warmness from his back moved a bit, making Ash tingle a bit. Ash had ended up back into his own bed. Maybe it was all a dream, Ash would think to himself. Suddenly, his red and black cell phone rang on the dresser across from the bed. Ash stood up in his red bathrobe, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" Ash said, still half asleep.
"Ash. Did you tell your wife yet?"
"What?"
"Don't you remember? Oh. And don't forget to write your will. Just in case. You have three hours. click" the sound of the line going dead filled all of Ash's brain and left ear. He dropped the phone to the ground.
"All this for a stinking briefcase…" Ash said quietly and sadly to himself. He walked over to a desk sitting in the corner of the room, and with a flick of the wrist, cleared off all the junk, and set down a piece of old paper that said "WILL" in huge letters. Ash wrote about 5 words, and screwed up his penmanship by dropping his sweaty, tearing face on the paper, fading the ink. He couldn't take himself to write his last letter. He crumples the page, and throws it in a garbage can across the room, causing the can to balance in the bottom rim, spinning it around a dime. Ash walks up to his pregnant wife, and sits on the bed next to her. He puts his hand in her hair, and pets her gently. Shinobu blinks, and sits up, rubbing her right eye.
"What is it honey?" Ash drops his head, and puts his arms around his wife. She does the same and cuddles into his chest.
"Shinobu." Shinobu looks up smiling at her husband.
"I—I'm going on assignment in the morning, and it's the most dangerous thing I may ever do."
"Who does it involve?"
"The Mafia… They have a briefcase that may be very important to us." Ash kisses his beloved wife on the forehead."
"Whatever happens, don't ever forget me." Ash says his final words. Suddenly, the cell phone rings again, and Ash picks it up from the floor.
"Hello?" Shinobu listens closely to the phone as she overhears the sheriffs' words.
"I'm waiting outside now. Let's get going FoxX."
"Hm, oh. Okay." Ash quietly shuts the phone, and turns to Shinobu.
"I love you." Shinobu bursts into tears and collapses off of her feet, falling right into Ash's arms. He kisses her gently on the neck, and cries softly into her blue soft hair. "BEEEEP!" the sheriffs' horn blew in the driveway. Ash used every drop of his willpower to disconnect from Shinobu and rush out the door of the apartments. Haruka stands leaning asleep on her broom on the steps in front of the apartments, as Ash rushes past, knocking her on her face. Behind the sheriffs' squad car was 4 other police cruisers lined in a diamond. Ash hopped into the sheriffs' squad cruiser, and the group backed out of the area, and sped down the road. Shinobu watched tearfully through the curtained window of her room on the second floor as the squad cars simultaneously lit up the walls of the building, and waking up every living being within a 5-mile radius. Ash reached for the denim jacket in the back seat of the speeding car, and replaced it for the trench coat he had borrowed from the sheriff. It was very cold on this particular night. Suddenly, the light pitter-patter of the light raindrops filled the car as they approached the part of town where the Mafia was doing their business. The 5 squad cars simultaneously shut off the sirens and split up on a 4-way. The sheriff went straight with an accomplice behind him as the other three turned left and right, and completely around to guard the escape route. Ash pulled his feet up, his white sneakers on the gray cotton seat, in his denim jacket and thin black tee shirt wearing his blue denim jeans that he never wore in his youth. Finally, the sheriff squeaked to a stop in front of the Mafia office with the second squad car parked quietly in the alley. The rain had picked up. Ash got out of the car and hugged his jacket shut as the rain soaked his messy black hair. A few hairs were turning gray on his scalp. Ash looked into the pitch-black sky with very dark blue clouds flashing occasionally with lightning.
"The storm." Ash said quietly to himself. His concentration broke as the sheriff called his name in his ear. Ash fidgeted up the stairs of the building.
"Grab your badge." The sheriff said with a gruff New York accent. Ash grabbed his wallet with his right hand, and readied his holstered pistol with the left. As the door creaked open, Ash pulled the leather wallet from his back pocket, and literally flashed his badge as the lightning reflected on his dampening skin with the few droplets of shiny water dripping from the golden badge. The fat black suit put his hand in his suit, and Ash pulled his weapon from the holster, followed shortly by the sheriffs' silver handgun. The fat suit slowly pulled out a silencer, and put it to his head. Ash widened his eyes.
"Don't do it." The fat suit gripped the weapon and squinted his eyes. He pulled the trigger, and Ash spun around quickly, whipping his loose denim, followed immediately by the sheriff… No sound… A silent squeak broke the silence. The fat suit was shooting water at the officers.
"Nyak nyak nyak!" he giggled to himself. Ash whipped his weapon up again. The shine of the black pistol nearly blinded the suit.
"Where's the case?"
"It don't belong to you'ze." The fat suit said. The sheriff raised his revolver.
"The officer asked you a question. WHERE'S THE CASE?!" the sheriff jammed the gun in fat's face.
"Okay! Okay! Take I' easy mah. It's in da beck." The suit led Ash and the sheriff into the building.
"I have to take a leak. Where's the john?" the sheriff asked. The suit pointed down a hallway. The sheriff entered the bathroom and spoke to the police across the street.
"Prepare boys. We don't know what can happen." The fat suit looked suspiciously at the sheriff when he came out 10 seconds later. The suit walked up to the sheriff, and Ash readied his holstered pistol.
"Forgot to flush." He said. Ash and the sheriff let out a huge sigh of relief, and followed the suit. He led them to the fat white suit.
"Ah, The notorious Ash FoxX. What can I do for you?" the white suit said in a wheezy voice.
"I want to know what's in that suitcase you gave the other men last night." Ash said calmly.
"Ah, Quite a good detective. I like you already." The white suit leaned back in his chair, making it creak in pain. "Why be so suspicious?"
"Just tell me. I don't want to arrest you, I just have to be safe." "You know what? I believe you." The white suit stood up, and opened a drawer on the wood marble desk. "But my Tommy-gun don't!"
"Freeze!" Ash quickly holstered his pistol and aimed it straight at the fat head. The white suit pulled the trigger, and short bursts of water shot across the room.
"Ha ha ha. Ain't I a stinker?" He put the water gun back in his drawer, and sat down.
"Well, I'll tell ya what's in the case. It's a gift for my friends baby."
"What kind of gift would this be?"
"Why being so suspicious, detective?"
"Just tell me." The fat man jotted down something on a napkin from the desk, and hands it to Ash.
"Here's the address to the guys apartment. And let me tell ya something more. I have more friends then you think… Just think about that…" The sheriff radioed the police across the street to stand by, and that they were coming out. Ash and the sheriff jumped into the squad car, and took off down the street, followed by one, then two, and finally four squad cars behind them.
"What's the address?" Ash asked.
"I have it in my mind Ash. Don't worry." After a couple of hours, Ash fell asleep in the squad car.
"This can't be the right address." The sheriff opened the glove compartment, hitting Ash on the knee, waking him up. The sheriff pulled the napkin from the compartment, and read it quietly.
"Ash…" The sheriff looked worried.
"What?"
"The case was sent here. This is the Hinata Apartments address." Ash looked in shock, and rushed out of the car, still wearing the rain soaked jacket. The rain had picked up again, and Ash slipped on one of the stairs, hitting his head on the concrete. There he lay in the pouring rain, unconscious. Unfortunately, the sheriff was still waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and the rain was blocking his vision. Luckily, Shinobu saw the whole thing clearly with light on the porch. She rushed outside, and kneeled by Ash.
"Wake up!" She cried. "Please…" The sheriff heard this, and rushed up to help. He kneeled next to Ash, and checked his pulse.
"He is okay, but he got a bump on the noggin. Let's get him out of this rain." Shinobu and the sheriff picked Ash up by his arms, and dragged him on Shinobu's bed.
"You're going to be fine." The sheriff said to Ash. He turned to Shinobu. "Look after him tonight, and call me at this number when he wakes up tomorrow." He hands Shinobu a business card, and turns around to leave.
"Sheriff!" Shinobu yelled. The sheriff turned around. "Thanks for everything." The sheriff nods.
"Take good care of that baby. She will make a good cop." Shinobu calls for Keitaro, and he comes running in the door.
"Help me get him in a warm bath. We don't want him catching a cold."
"No problem Shinobu." They pick him up, put him in a towel, and lay him in the Hot Springs. Shinobu climbs down too, and pats her stomach.
"The… Case…" Ash says quietly, regaining consciousness.
"Ash!" Shinobu screams. She hugs her husband as he wakes up.
"Shinobu… What was in the case?"
"I have not checked yet." Ash jumped out of the springs. It had stopped raining finally, but it was still really late. Ash located the case, and broke it open with a crowbar. Inside was a bunch of baby toys and a red teddy bear.
"Ha! I guess the Mafia isn't all that bad after all." Suddenly, Shinobu moaned, and fell down.
"Shinobu!" Ash ran to her aid. "What's wrong?'
"Ash… My water just broke…" Ash smiled, and picked up his cell phone.
"Jake. Where are ya?, Well I have an emergency. Yes, I know you are in Hawaii. Of course it does. Yeah, and don't forget my Interceptor Defender." Ash hangs up the phone, and supports Shinobu. Suddenly, the Interceptor rushed up the steps, and opened the door.
"What's up Ash?" Jake asked. "Why haven't I been in this story yet?"
"Jake, Shinobu is ready to have the baby." Jake smiled.
"Hop in!" Ash stayed with Shinobu in the back while Jake hightailed it to the hospital. The drive was only 2 minutes, and that's because Jake was being careful not to hurt the baby. The next thing you know, Shinobu is laying on another hospital table with a thin white blanket. The doctor came in, and spoke with Ash outside.
"Mr. FoxX. I'm glad to see you again under better circumstances."
"Yes. So, do I go in and watch, or wait here in the waiting room?"
"It's your choice." Ash follows the doctor back into the room, and Shinobu grunts and breaths.
"Don't forget you're Lamaze." Ash grasped his wife's hand gently, and breathed with her.
"Deep breaths." He said over and over again. Finally, the baby emerged from her warm embrace, and was wrapped in a warm blanket.
"Cut the cord?" The doctor asked.
"Definitely." Ash's scarred, dirty face and messy wet hair lightened up as he grasped the scissors, and cut the cord. His hair glowed in the room as it changed from a stray dark gray to a bright blue. Ash held his daughter in his arms, and set her next to her mother.
"Have you thought of a name yet?" Ash asked Shinobu.
"I've decided to call her… Ashley." Ash smiles.
"But I thought you were going to call her a Japanese name."
"But now, both of the loves of my life are American in blood, and Japanese in spirit." Shinobu smiled as Ashley fell asleep in her arms. The next morning, they left the Hospital, and returned to Hinata.
"Aww! She's so cute! Kaolla ranted.
"Congratulations." Motoko said happily.
"Yay!" Sakiu clapped her hands, making her parents smile. Suddenly, the doors flew open, and Jake appeared, breathing heavily.
"Ash, we've got problems at H.Q." Ash stared angrily at him.
"No way. I don't care what the problem is this time."
"What?! Did you quit?!"
"No!"
"Then what's the problem?!" The room got quiet, and a loving grin appeared on Ash's flesh colored face. Ash gently nodded at his wife standing against the wall with her right foot supporting her against the drywall as she nursed the baby underneath a white baby blanket. Jake smiled, and patted his friend on the shoulder.
"She's beautiful." He said. "They both are." Ash was finally a father. Shinobu was finally a mother. The two were a complete family now. The FoxX's would live on to see another generation. And life could not be sweeter.
The End!
Credits:
Written by James "Ash" Stuchly
Special thanks to:
Fans of the series who looked forward to part III
Ken Akamatsu for Love Hina
John Jay High for having fast reliable computers
FujiFilm for making floppies to save on
www.fanfiction.net for publishing all of my stories
My friends for keeping me on my toes, helping me get good ideas.
KaZzA for burning my working music
My production company - Ash FoxX Productions
(now known as)
(O(53)/O)
productions
No thanks to:
5th block keyboarding for two reasons:
1. Keyboarding does not help me at all with writing these stories
2. Coach Adams does not let me write during class, so I have to sneak.
Lord of the Rings for taking my ideas, forcing me to pull things directly from my ass.
The G.T. Room because their computers almost erased my floppy when I was almost finished, forcing me to make a backup.
In Loving Memory Of:
Great Uncle Gus
1905 – May 22nd, 2004
"Every happy ending has a sad one between the lines."
Ash Stuchly
This has been a
(O(53)/O)
productions
Production.