The Gemini Movement
Chapter 2: Single View
It was there again.
Looming.
Watching.
Planning.
Consuming.
Turning away all the blessed light from the fire.
...
"Shinobu!"
"Keitaro, calm down!"
"Shinobu!"
"Keitaro! Keitaro-sempai, I'm here!"
Keitaro was silent as he realized that the Shinobu he saw in front of him was not in flames, but was, in fact, fine, save for a slight redness that told of her experience.
"Shinobu, you're okay!" Keitaro started sobbing, "I-I thought the fire... I thought you were."
"I'm fine, sempai, it's okay. I'm more worried about you right now." Shinobu's face was a case study in anxiety, so Keitaro answered as quickly as he could.
"I-I'm fine." Keitaro tried to lie.
"Liar." Stated Motoko as she walked in with fresh bandages. "Your wounds may be healing cleaner and faster than any I have ever seen, but they're still wounds that an ordinary human would die from. You are far from healthy, and worlds away from comfortable.
Keitaro gave up the act and cringed from the pain he felt in his chest.
"Okay, I'm in pain, but don't worry Shinobu, I can't die, remember?" he laughed as he gave his trademark goofy grin.
"I thought you couldn't be injured, either, but here you are."
Everyone had a look of shock on their face except the person who spoke. "Shinobu, what are you talking about?" Naru asked, flabbergasted.
"Keitaro's supposed to be immortal, but look at him!" Shinobu shouted, "What gave me a bad sunburn seared a hole the size of Tama in his chest! The fact that he's alive is a miracle!"
"Shinobu, calm down-"
"I will not calm down, sempai," Shinobu cried, "You've almost died, and the thing that did it is still out there!"
"Wait, what?" shouted Naru, "Who did this to you, Shinobu?"
"Not just me, sempai, too..." Shinobu responded bitterly.
"Yes, what did that to you?" Naru conceded, deciding that now was not the time to put down the ronin.
Keitaro spoke from his place on his bed, "A demon."
Shinobu nodded at everyone's looks of disbelief. "A demon."
"Okay, okay, start from the beginning, you two, I wanna hear this from the beginning." Kitsune spoke to the two victims.
Keitaro started off, "Well, after I, uh, flew off, I blacked out. I must have hit my head or something, because I woke up a few hours later on the riverbank under the bridge. I started home and when I got to the top of the stairs, I saw Shinobu there, I tried to wave hello, but something kept me from waving. All of a sudden, she just burst into flames, and when I looked to my right, I saw it."
"The demon," Motoko interjected.
"Yes. He just looked at me and said, 'Have fun,' then hit me with some kind of fireball."
"Have fun?" said Naru quizzically, "I thought demons were supposed to say stuff like 'I own your soul' and stuff like that?"
"Well, he didn't say it like he was well-meaning, though. It was more like a command," Keitaro responded.
"How odd," thought Naru.
"I will search the premises for the demon and slay it if I find it." declared Motoko. Keitaro instantly yelled out to her.
"No! Don't! That thing nearly killed me, it could hurt you too!"
Motoko stopped at Keitaro's door. "Keitaro, I am the heir to the Shinmei-ryu school of sword fighting. My family has been fighting demons for many generations. If anyone in Hinata is ready to deal with this demon, it is me. Besides, if you try to stop me, I will treat you as though you were the demon for getting in my way. Am I clear?"
"Yes," Keitaro resigned.
Motoko began her search, and the others began to leave. It was then that Keitaro realized just how much talking had taken out of him. As he laid back down Shinobu, the last one behind, spoke in his ear.
"It's okay, sempai. You'll be okay."
"Thank you, Shinobu."
Keitaro then blacked out to continue sleeping off his injury.
...
Watching.
Plotting.
Hurting.
Cold.
Dark.
Endless.
...
"Urgh," ground out the ronin as he scrubbed the hot springs. It had been two weeks since the incident with the demon, and Motoko hadn't found anything on her search of the grounds. His injuries had healed in full save for a few small shots of pain whenever he moved his torso. Unfortunately, as the manager, he had to move his torso a lot, and as Keitaro, he had to move even more.
Naru and Motoko would punish him for any misdemeanor, causing him lots of pain in addition to the remnants of his wounds. Su often volunteered Keitaro as tester for her Mecha-Tama's weaponry, and Kitsune often employed tactics to get out of paying rent that would definitely involve his chest, so his outlook for the following weeks was bleak.
Luckily, his one guardian angel of the lot had come to his rescue. Shinobu had taken it upon herself to be next to him at all times she could manage, which of course led to Naru and Motoko acting as chaperones to make sure Keitaro didn't take advantage of the situation. Which in turn led to Kitsune and Su coming along for fun.
Life had gotten easier for the ronin. Because all the girls followed him around during the day, they would help with the chores, with the notable exception of Kitsune, who preferred the 'job' of keeping morale up. Strangely, his clumsiness was replaced by much more graceful reactions, catching himself when he fell, and even catching other people on occasion in very non-offensive ways. He was also more active, able to match Su's pace more often than not. And he was in a good mood, despite his recent injuries. His eyes gleamed like a child's, and his face shone in the midday sun. He seemed so carefree and joyful, and it lightened the mood of the residents just being around him.
"Hwaha! No more dirt there!" he shouted, swinging the broom like a sword. "And here! And here!" He yelled, swinging twice more.
"Keitaro, you're awfully energetic," stated Kitsune, being the designated information-gatherer of the tenants.
Keitaro, still swinging crazily simply laughed and replied, "Why shouldn't I be? After all, I'm in an amazing hot springs, and surrounded by all you wonderful girls! How could I not be happy?"
The other girls didn't even have time to blush before all hell broke loose.
"Pervert!"
"Urashima!"
The blows struck at the same time, an obvious connection, given that they rarely ever miss. Just one thing was different from all the other times this happened.
He was still there.
Firmly rooted to the ground, Keitaro looked down his chest. Naru's fist was still pressed hard into his belly, and Motoko's sword was hard-set against his hip. Both of them had looks of complete disbelief written across their faces at this breach of normalcy. He calmly reached down and grabbed both offending weapons in an iron grip, careful not to cut himself on Shisui, holding them in front of him to examine.
"Well, I see that you took offense to my compliment," Keitaro said. He looked up, and everyone was surprised at what they saw.
Keitaro's face, which had been so happy just seconds before, was now a mask of pain and sadness. Lines were on his face now that had never been there before, that told of many years of stress that seemed very out of place on his boyish face. His eyes no longer shone with the joy of the moment, but now were cold and distant as he looked over at the two would-be persecutors.
"I suppose you believe that kind gesture warrants this?" He asked.
Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "As manager, I must ensure the happiness of my tenants, but," he shifted his holds on the sword and fist, "in order to ensure that, my own health needs to be suitable to serve that purpose."
He then suddenly twisted his hand holding Motoko's sword and shattered it, leaving only the handle in her hands while she stared in disbelief. Motoko dropped to her knees, collecting what she could of her former weapon as the truth began to sink in. Shisui, the weapon that her life was dedicated to, was shattered effortlessly by the man she deemed as worthless scum.
Then Keitaro turned his icy gaze on Naru, whose heart almost stopped.
Oh my god he's going to break my arm! she thought.
Keitaro saw the fear in the girl's eyes and chuckled, adding to her horror. He spoke, his tone almost condescending, as though explaining something obvious to a child, "I won't break your bones. I'm not a demon."
He quickly pushed his hand forward, rolling Naru's hand downward, spraining her wrist, but not breaking it.
"Kyaa!" she screamed, cradling her injured hand to her chest. Keitaro looked down on her with his pitiless eyes.
"I'll be in my room. Tell me if anything I need to worry about happens."
Keitaro stalked off, leaving the entire group shocked until they finally remembered Naru, who by now was wailing from the throbbing pain, and rushed to her aid.