Chapter 2
Friendly Reunion 2: Not a Friendly Fight
"Let's burn it up!" Haruna shouted, as she and Harima were fighting.
She fired a huge kick to him, as he ducked. He swiftly delivered a small kick to her legs and a punch to her chest. She leapt up and slammed his head with a fist. She posed in a stance, as Harima growled. She signaled to him to bring it.
"You want a piece of me?"
He then charged at Haruna, delivering a left hook to her face. She tilted her neck and growled, stretching her arms out, preparing to strike. She launched a huge left-right punch combo, but Harima blocked each attack. He countered with his own punch-kick combo, but Haruna blocked it, as well. They continued on, as the others grew concerned.
"Somehow, this has become personal," Erika said.
Kandy shook her head and replied, "No, not really. It's fun to see some action… only not in Miss Miranda's home."
Harima then barked, "So… You had enough, Dragon?"
Haruna bellowed, "You try me, you thug! You want to prove yourself, show me! After all, I do more than just a sword and shield! They say that sword is mightier, but the fist of a trained fighter has more potential."
Harima roared, "Okay, then! SHOW ME MORE!"
He charged at her, blocking each punch and kick. She delivered a huge roundhouse kick to the skull, as Harima staggered down. He charged up and launched an elbow to her gut. She stumbled a bit and roared, "NOW, I'M MAD!"
They started to grow a bit angry and tired, as Haruna took off her Chinese garb, showing a black shirt, white wristbands, and blue tights. She glared, "Now, all I need is the extra weight off me. This garb I wear is not for show, you know. From here on, I'm a well-oiled tiger!"
Harima growled, "That's fine by me! Let's see if you can show it, before you hold a steel sword!"
"HIYAH!"
She leapt towards him, launched a barrage of left kicks to Harima's head and body. He blocked each attack, as she smiled, "Not bad…"
She flipped around and nailed him with a right heel kick, "But NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"
He fell to the ground, as Haruna laughed, "Get up, you little…"
"Whiskers?" Erika asked.
Haruna said, "OH? Then I'll call him that, too! GET UP, you Jing Xū!"
Harima cried, "THAT DID IT!"
He fired a huge kick to her skull, knocking her down. He tackled her down, slamming her face with a barrage of punches. Haruna blocked each punch, covering her face.
Nick said, "I must say that he's improving his fighting prowess."
Eri snuffed, "There's a lot you don't know about Whiskers."
Kandy asked, "Uh, not to be rude, but why is he called Whiskers?"
Eri explained, "Well, ever since he suddenly grew a beard, I started calling him that. His beard was very long. You should've seen it. Anyways, during second year in 2-C, I accidently clipped some of it off, while he was asleep."
Kandy cringed, "That's terrible!"
"Well, I tried to repay him, but he just felt awful. Then, Tenma, my classmate, came by and was worried about him. I asked her if it was better to have a beard. She replied that she finds a clean-shaven look better. And Harima, of all people, changed his mind, shaving off his whole beard."
Erika asked, "I want to know what happened next. How did you take it?"
Eri said, "Well, let's just say…"
Image of Eri, shaving off Harima's head, in anger, is shown.
"I kind of noticed that he needed an improvement to his style…" she remarked evilly.
Nick asked, "So, in other words, you shaved his scalp hair?"
Erika and Kandy nodded in agreement, knowing the obvious reason.
Harima cried, "YOU HAD ENOUGH? DO YOU?"
He launched a punch, but hit the ground, missing Haruna. She rolled out of the way and cried, "You think I can best a tackle and mounted punches? Shows what you know, Jing Xū!"
She jumped up and dashed to him. She launched a barrage of kicks onto his gut, chest, and head.
"HYA! HA! HA! HYA! HIYA! HYA! HYA!" She cried.
He got plastered by her kicks, as Harima was stumbling on the ground, but was still standing. She jumped up and delivered a huge kick to the back of the skull.
"TOR-YAAAAAAAH!"
WHAM!
Harima fell, face-first, as Haruna went over him. Eri cried out, "Whiskers!"
Haruna grabbed him and did a Camel Clutch, "I learned this from Wrestling on TV, I once saw!"
She grabbed his chin and started to stretch him up in a Camel Clutch.
Nick pleaded, "Haruna, stop!"
Kandy cried, "Miss Haruna, you've made your point! Let him go and spare him!"
Haruna growled, "NEVER! I'll be satisfied, until he's dead!"
Eri cringed, as she turned away, "I can't look!"
Harima sobbed in fear, "UNCLE!"
Haruna didn't listen, as she stretched him back, tightening her hold. As she laughed, Harima was in pain, as he was about to pass out. Haruna laughed evilly, but…
SHING!
A sword was pointed at Haruna's face. She gulped in fear, as she still held onto Harima. It was Miranda!
"Let him go, Haruna… NOW!" She yelled.
Haruna gulped, "Okay. Sorry."
He fell on his face, as Haruna pouted, "I'm sorry."
Kandy sighed, "Thank goodness."
Erika cried, "What the devil took you so long?"
Miranda helped Harima up and said, "You okay?"
He replied, "Yeah. I'm fine."
She answered, "Well, I am glad you didn't get hurt. Nice to see you again."
She smiled, as she patted his shoulder. He asked where she was, and she replied that she was back from her part-time job.
"Hey, sometimes heroes need to make Pence here." She smiled.
Harima said, "I forget that you are resting here. Rich Girl and I came to visit."
He added, "I mean, the kipper, over there."
She then viewed Eri and said, "Oh, right. The blonde. I forget. I'm surprised you came."
She glared at the others, "Then, why didn't you say so?"
Erika smiled nervously, "The note said he was to come, and it was today!"
Kandy pleaded, "Miss Haruna knows Japanese, since she is from Asia!"
Haruna said, "It's true. You should've asked me first. I don't get why you people get to be so… Well, uneducated."
Erika shouted, "Don't blame us! You chose not to come!"
Miranda asked, "Uh, on a side-note… Where's Emily?"
Haruna gasped, "Aw, gāisǐ de! I forgot!"
Miranda glared, "Why didn't you pick her up?"
Eri exclaimed, "She was too busy fighting Harima that she forgot. In my opinion, you have the worst set of friends…"
Haruna shouted, "SO? I wanted to see if Harima here is the real deal!"
Miranda shouted in anger, "AND YOU LEAVE ME OWN DAUGHTER IN SCHOOL, ALL ALONE?"
Emily said, "I'm right here, Mommy."
She appeared, dressed in her black uniform, and stated, "I had to walk, by myself. Haruna told me that I have to venture home, alone, just this once. She, uh, said she had something important."
Miranda hugged her and said, "Oh, Emily! I'm so glad you're safe!"
Eri asked, "That's Emily?"
Erika nodded, "Yes. She's Mira's only daughter."
Kandy scolded, "Why did Haruna make Emily come alone, suddenly? That is rude of her!"
Nick snapped, "Yeah, you should've picked her up!"
Haruna pouted, "I was busy training to meet this joker! How was I supposed to know?"
Miranda glared, as Harima said, "No, no. It's all right. There's no need to fight about it. Besides, I wanted to meet you guys, after what Miranda and Archer Girl did, back at Yagami."
Erika grunted, "Again with the Archer Girl remark…"
Nick said, "Nah, we're cool. Nice to meet you, face-to-face, Kenneth."
Erika smiled to Eri, "Sorry about the whole skirmish there, Eri. Seems Haruna was itching to learn about you two."
Eri blushed, as Emily asked, "Mommy… Who are they?"
Miranda stammered, "Uh… Those two? Uh…"
Erika and Nick groaned, "She's nervous… again…"
Kandy shouted, "MISS MIRANDA! DO YOUR BEST!"
Erika cried, "SO SOON?"
XXXXX
That evening, Miranda and her friends sat at the table, while Harima was there. Eri was in Emily's room.
Miranda said, as she sipped her tea, "So, you two came to see me."
Harima said, "Well, yes. I thought since me and Eri are here, getting ready for our upcoming event."
Kandy smiled, "Of course. You and Miss Eri are getting married, right?"
Erika gasped in horror, "WHAT?"
Haruna cringed, "Married?!"
Harima sighed, "To be honest, I didn't want to marry her, but it's like she was lonely."
Miranda said, "I know how you feel. You know, I lost my husband, after I had Emily, when she was 2."
Kandy said, "I'm surprised that she talked, two months before the terrible twos."
Haruna asked, "So, when's the wedding?"
Erika is stammering, as Harima replied, "Well, I'm not so sure, yet. But Rich Girl hasn't set up the date, anytime soon."
Miranda asked, "You don't mind if we stay together, tonight. We wanted to know you more, so we can introduce us to you and Eri. After all, you did come to visit us, after the whole adventure, a while back."
Haruna smiled, "And since you're good with Japanese, you think you can teach us that language, too?"
Nick sighed, "We have no clue of this language. All we could do was speak in Mandarin Chinese… on a 3rd grade level…"
Haruna snuffed, "Come now. Jing Xū is being grateful to us, since he arrived."
Nick asked, "How long will you be staying?"
Harima said, "Oh… about a month. After that, we'll be picked up in our flight by Eri's helpers."
He added, "They are a butler and maid, and they are the definition of freaks. But not like you, of course."
Kandy smiled, "It's good to know people, especially since you meet them, after all these months. It sucks that you know a person and you reveal that he or she is a weird one."
She strangled him and shouted, "BUT I AM NO FREAK! YOU BITE YOUR TONGUE, YOU SODDING BEARD BOY!"
Erika pleaded, "Whoa! Calm the D down, milady! Just 'cause you were jabbed as a freak, it's not the end of the world. Plus, he was just kidding. Now stop it or you bust a gear."
Kandy calmed down and sighed, "Yeah, I'm sorry, Miss Erika. I'm not usually angry. Besides, not everyone calls me a freak. I'm well-known, since I have been globe-hopping with Mister Ol' Mike. Plus, it's nice to meet people you hear about."
Nick smiled, "Things never change, whenever we're together."
Miranda said, "You know, it does remind us of how we first met. We usually fight, after we know each other, and we become friends."
Erika groaned in embarrassment, "You're the one to talk, you liver-feeding rube."
Kandy snuffed, "Like I'd be in horrors again, after I nearly broke my arm off."
Harima asked, "How so?"
Kandy smiled, "You don't want to know."
He asked, "So, where's your daughter?"
Miranda said, "She's going to bed. I had Rich Girl, as you call her, tuck her in, and is given the proper terms of bedtime to her. Plus, I don't want her to come home, without supervision, so…"
Erika asked, "Is she grounded?"
Miranda said, "No. Yellow Card. Red Card means she's grounded."
Nick huffed, "What is this, football?"
XXXXX
Eri was tucking Emily in, as she was in her pink pajamas. Eri smiled and said, "You're very cute, in your size. You remind me of Tenma."
Emily sighed, "Yeah. Mommy said that Mister Harima knows her. She told me in the comic that she looked like the princess… with the pigtails."
Eri blushed, as she gave her Zeke, her teddy bear, "I see. Do you find me cute, in pigtails?"
Emily replied, "Well… No. I find you very beautiful. I'm surprised that you have a great hairstyle."
"Ever figured of getting your hairstyle fixed-up, like a ponytail or braid?"
"No. I like my hair, all long and daring. Haruna told me to try and fix braids, though."
She asked Eri, "Miss Eri, can you teach me? I bet I can give you a hairstyle like that."
Eri blushed in a beet red look and asked, "Uh… Me? I, uh… Oh, it's nothing…"
She smiled, as she was Rose Red in the face, "I suppose I should…"
She thought in awkwardness, "Mortified by a pre-teen…"
Emily fell asleep, as Eri smiled at her sleepy face. She cringed a bit, "How cute…"
She sat by her, as she fell asleep, too.
That night, from a faraway city in Argos, a girl with long brown hair called on the phone with a figure, wearing a black school uniform. She spoke in a Cockney accent, "Yeah, he came… And he has a blonde lassie with her."
A male voice replied, "So, he came back, after I accept his offer to take care of her."
He then refuted, "Mary Lane, make sure he is protected, so we can take her. Shawn would pay us royally, after we heard the order from your sister."
She growled, "I don't get why she'd be for you. Plus, Helen is such a tramp, trying to use dark magic. Anyways, they are with Maynard in her small hamlet. Do not muck it up, Maxie…"
Wait… Max, as in THE Exchange Student Max?
Mary Lane responded, "I'm going to meet with Harima and Maynard, personally. I'll notify you, when I'm done."
Max smiled and saluted, "Good. Master would be pleased, after we have Argos right where we want it."
Mary Lane snickered, as she hung up. She turned to the sky and smirked, "Helen… Hope you don't make good on your promise on… him."
What is she up to, and how does she know of Max?
The next morning, Eri and Emily were walking to school, as Emily asked, "Say, do you always walk to school, like this?"
She was holding her hand, as Eri responded, "That's because I never take a pre-teen to school. Besides, your mother was worried about you."
Emily smiled, "You're so funny. Besides, I'll never forget how you helped that bearded man."
"Who… Whiskers? Yeah, I suppose…"
"You're in love with him, aren't you? I'm not jabbing ta you. I'm just curious. I'm only young at my age to learn love."
"So, you're not ready?"
"No. Although… I hope one day I'll be a great adventurer… as Mommy."
"Well, okay. And to answer, some things I say are to be said, and some things are not to be said… to kids like you. You could say that we have a connection… But a frayed one, at that."
Emily pouted, as Eri flaunted her ring and laughed, "But, that's okay. We had an understanding, and he helped me."
Emily blushed, "I wish I knew what, but Mommy said not to know what adults are thinking."
Eri said, "When you get older, you'd understand."
They continued to walk to school, as a tall shadowy figure appeared, from behind, and hounded the two girls.
"Hmm… She's with that little urchin of Maynard's." He spoke, "I better see what she knows…"
Who is he? But what about Miranda? Is she in this Mary Lane's crosshairs, and who is Mary Lane?
Next time: "Mary Lane, in my Ears…"
