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Thanks for the reviews. Now to confuse you.
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Standard Disclaimer: I do not own, have never owned, and shall never own the rights or anything that may appear to be the rights to the property that is School Rumble. Instead, I own a set of tools that will allow me to bend reality to my will.
School Rumble - Love is a Battlefield - Chapter 4 - Art Imitates Life
*****
Hanai says YAKUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*****
"What!?" Harima shouted. The news had finally hit him, Princess Tsukamoto would be wed to Lord Kurasama, the man he swore a blood oath against so long ago, in one months time. She was already travelling to his domain in order to prepare for the ceremony and was being accompanied by her closest kin. "I can't allow this! Princess Tsukamoto can't marry that man! I'll kill him, his honor guard, and his entire army. I'll burn his entire fortress to the ground before I see her with him!" he slammed his hand into the table with those final words of resolve. He grabbed his katana and made to exit the tea house.
"Excuse me," came a voice from the door as Harima was leaving, "but I couldn't help but overhear. Is it true?"
The man that addressed Harima was wearing a blue keikogi with a katana and wakazashi hanging at his hip. He was a samurai, completely different from the tattered kimono wearing man he was addressing. Harima eyed him closely, seeing that the man was in a position that would be impossible to attack, though the stance looked to be full of holes. It was a clever deception.
"Yeah, so who wants to know?" Harima asked, a little miffed that he couldn't bash the guy's head in.
The man stepped into the doorway, a smile on his face. "I am Hanai Haruki, a traveller making his way in the world by the sword. If you're going to stop the wedding, I'd like to join you."
Harima kept walking, spitting on the ground as he felt the oppressive sun shine down upon him. "Why are you interested in it? I promised the princess that I'd do everything in my power to keep Lord Kurasuma from taking her by force, but she told me to stay out of it. Now I can't stop myself from wanting to kill that man!" Harima clenched the sword scabbard that hung at his waist tightly. "That was a year ago, however, and now..."
"I spoke with Princess Tsukamoto just last month and she didn't seem too excited to be going. That's why I want to join you. We cannot allow Lord Kurasuma to take her hand through force," Hanai said, his eyes looking deadly serious. 'Plus,' he thought, 'I loved her the moment I saw her. My sweet, sweet Yakumo, I'll save you yet!'
Harima turned and began walking down the road, "Fine, but you'll need to keep up. I won't stop 'til I find him."
"Wait, you don't know where he is?" Hanai asked, a confused look in his eye.
"Do I look like a political map of Japan? We'll just find a lord or lady in need of rescue and it will all go smoothly from there," Harima explained. "Besides, I'm a survivor. We'll make it."
"Right," his new companion replied, and it was about that time that a carriage carried by two men went running past them, followed by a group of five bandits. The sound of a woman screaming for her men to run faster was quite audible.
"What did I tell you?" Harima stated, grabbing the handle and scabbard of his sword.
"Well," Hanai drew his sword, preparing to fight, "it looks like you're lucky."
They took to the fight, Harima striking first with a flash of his battou-jutsu, slicing through two of the bandits in a split second while Hanai took down an opponent with a three-step stabbing maneuver. Their opponents fell without so much as a cry for help. The carriage came to a stop and turned to see three of the bandits fallen. The last two bandits were charging, but were sliced into sections as Harima displayed his technique, using them like training dummies. An atmosphere of awe filled the air and Harima laughed, having forgotten about Princess Tenma in the carnage.
Harima let out a mighty laugh, "It's been a while since I've been in a fight! That was great!"
His companion was examining his handiwork, "You know, you cut them in all the wrong places. It's a miracle that your sword still has an edge. Who the hell taught you the battou-jutsu?"
"What do you mean taught? I saw someone else use it and just picked it up. It's not like it's complicated."
"I take it that you just take your enemies' swords to replace the ones you break?"
"So what? It's not like they need them."
"The sword holds a samurai's soul!"
"So what? It's their own fault for challenging me."
Hanai marched over to Harima, his face becoming red from anger, "You're insufferable! How can you even pretend to be a samurai and say things like that!?"
Harima, likewise, marched over to Hanai and their faces were a mere millimeter from each other, "Well, I don't pretend to be one! I fight better than any samurai I've ever had to face, and I'll keep killing any samurai, bandit, or shinobi that dares to challenge me!"
"Oh yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Excuse me," a feminine voice came from the area of the carriage they had just rescued, "but could you not fight until after we've thanked you?"
They both turned to see a lovely woman wearing a floral kimono with...blond hair. How odd, they thought.
Hanai bowed, "No thanks are necessary. We were just being polite by killing some foolish bandits."
Harmia bashed him over the head and sheathed his sword. He bowed slightly, measuring her escort, hoping that there wasn't more here than met the eye. "Actually," he began, "we hoped to ask you for a favor."
"A favor..." she repeated, taking full measure of this man dressed in tatters. He looked so lowly but fought like a tiger. She allowed herself to smile slightly. 'This man will make an excellent lover,' she thought.
-----
They were brought to a small guest room in the castle. Their benefactor was rich, that much was for certain, but the two adventurers had little chance to ask her name. She insisted that they come at once to her home.
"Well, looks like she's loaded. She's got to know where Kurasuma is," Harima remarked.
Hanai sat down and pretended his companion wasn't there.
"Come on, you can't still be mad at me!"
Hanai remained silent.
"If it makes you feel better, I'll just use my fists from now on."
Hanai twitched an eyebrow.
"Of course, that will probably make it harder for me to fight. You'll just have to kill everyone we fight against from here to Lord Kurasuma's domain."
"It's fine," Hanai finally spoke, "you can keep using that sword. Just know that I don't like it, but it's for Princess Tsukamoto's sake that you continue to wield it. After that," he pointed at Harima with a mad determination in his eye, "I swear I'll kill you if you don't put it away."
"If we succeed then I won't need it anymore. If we don't, I might as well be dead," Harima replied with the same level of resolve.
One of the lady's men appeared at the door, "If you would follow me, the princess will see you."
"Princess..?" Harima wondered.
"Yes, please follow me," the man said, and they followed him to what appeared to be a throne room.
They saw the young woman they had saved earlier seated before them. Hanai prostrated himself before her while Harima just stood there expectantly.
"What the hell are you doing!" Hanai yelled at his companion as he saw him just standing there. "If she's a princess, then you should at least respect her position!"
"I don't respect anybody that doesn't give me their name."
"You never told me your name you buffoon!"
"That's different. You're a samurai and I'm just a ruffian."
The princess spoke, "It's fine. Give me your name and I'll tell you mine."
"I am Harima Kenji, travelling fighter and artist."
"Artist! I haven't seen you carrying paper and pen!" Hanai yelled at him, still prostrated.
"My enemies are my canvas. Would you like to offer yourself as the materials for my next masterpiece?"
"Oh my," the princess sighed, "please don't. And please don't prostrate yourself like that. You both saved us and we're eternally grateful. My name is Princess Sawachika and we believe you had a favor to ask of us."
Hanai peeled himself from the floor while Harima took a seat beside him.
"We're looking for the realm of Lord Kurasuma in the north," Hanai began, "and we thought it would be better to ask someone of your status than to run north and hope we found it since time is currently our enemy. Have you heard that Princess Tsukamoto is to be wed to him?"
"Oh, yes, we've heard," the princess replied, "and we plan to attend the wedding. You're welcome to come with us if you wish."
"It cannot wait! If you must, please tell me the directions to his realm and I'll go ahead!" Hanai exclaimed, barely quelling his passion and anger at the thought of Yakumo being held by Lord Kurasuma.
"Very well," Princess Sawachika acquiesced, "if you will accompany our servant he will give you what you need for the journey."
Hanai bowed and left.
"So, when do we leave for the wedding?" Harima asked.
"The day after tomorrow, but I'll only agree to take you on the condition that you swear loyalty to us and become our man-at-arms. This way you can be a real warrior, with responsibilities fitting of your prowess. What say you, samurai?"
'If all I have to do is lie to you,' Harima thought, 'then this will be fine. When I break my word to you, Tenma will be mine.' "I accept."
A scream could be heard fading into silence that sounded like Hanai, "YAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"
-----
It was a warm sunny day with calm seas and warm hearts. Princess Sawachika was gazing at the horizon, wondering just how far the ocean stretched beyond it. What were the people on the other side thinking as they stared back at her without even knowing it. Perhaps the was a girl staring back not unlike her.
Her new man-at-arms came up beside her as she stared at the place where heaven met earth. "Tell me," she began, "why do you want to stop Princess Tsukamoto's happiness?"
"Her happiness?" Harima questioned. "She can't possibly be happy with that man."
"She seemed to be happy about it when I last spoke to her."
"Well, she was faking it. There's no way she wants this. There's just no way she could want this."
"Could it be that you're the one who doesn't want it to happen?" she asked, pointing at him like a small child.
"No way!"
"How did you meet her?"
He sniffed the air audibly, "I was conscripted into the army, but I was uncontrollable. My superiors considered me hopeless and were going to have me thrown into a pit so I'd learn some discipline, but I beat the men who were going to do the throwing into pulp. That's when the princess saw me and had me put on her honorguard." He looked down, "When I first heard her talk about Lord Kurasuma and how she hoped he'd have her I abandoned my post and began wandering the countryside."
"It sounds like you just don't want to face the truth. You really should move on. There's no room for you in Princess Tsukamoto's heart."
"I won't believe it!"
"Suit yourself," she said and left him at the deck railing.
-----
They arrived at Lord Kurasuma's fortress where the bustle of workers could be heard from the shore. Princess Sawachika and Harima were amazed by the transformation before them as it could hardly be recognized as the impenetrable edifice that it was. The lord had spared no expense in decoration for his wedding. They were led by guards through the workers to the lord's chamber, and were greeted as honored guests. They took their seats, Harima slightly behind the princess.
"Welcome Princess Sawachika," Kurasuma began, dressed in a black school uniform from the twenty-first century, "please feel free to use the provided accommodations as your own for the duration of your visit. Think of it as a summer house, if you wish, for you and your man."
"Oh, you are too gracious, my lord," Princess Sawachika replied, "but our man here would like an audience with Princess Tsukamoto at your earliest convenience."
Harima bowed his head, hiding his considerable anger, hoping that he wouldn't have to endure having his enemy in front of him and being unable to strike at him for too long.
"I thought I recognized him," Lord Kurasuma replied thoughtfully, "and he will be escorted to the princess as you wish."
A guard appeared at the door. Harima rose and followed him.
At this time, Princess Tsukamoto Yakumo was finishing the final preparations for her sister's wedding veil. Her sister had left to walk around the courtyard moments earlier so she continued her work, hoping that her sister would be happy with Lord Kurasuma. Hoping that nothing bad would happen before that happy day.
She was putting the veil on to see if it was about right when a knock came from the door. "Princess Tsukamoto," the guard said, "you have a visitor who arrived with Princess Sawachika just today. Will you receive him now?"
She paused, wondering who it could be, hoping it wasn't Hanai Haruki, a man who was far too forward with her and had to be sent away tied to a pole and left in the moonlight with nothing but his swords and a loincloth. Maybe it was...
"Send him in," she said, hopeful, and then she saw him. Something within her stirred, since it was the man who once protected her sister fervently and fled when he heard of Tenma's feelings for Lord Kurasuma.
Harima Kenji.
She resolved to keep the veil on to see what his reaction would be. Unknown to most others, she could read the minds of those who had strong feelings for her. Harima usually had no eyes for her, but now she could feel sorrow with a small flame of hope. The flame was growing stronger as he entered.
"Princess..." he said, and she remained silent. "Princess, you must call off this wedding, please!" he was emphatic. He got on his knees, "I'm begging you, please don't marry him!"
She wished she could answer him, seeing the light begin to vanquish the sorrow made her pity him. He was so strong, but so enamored. So brave, but so driven by his passion.
Though not as much as Hanai.
But she could say nothing without risking him discovering who was under the veil. She desperately wished she could be her sister at this very moment.
Harima leapt up, grabbing the princess before him in an embrace, "Did you not hear me? I love you!" and he took off her veil with his free hand to reveal Yakumo.
"Wait," he startled, "you're not Princess Tenma..."
Then there was a commotion at the door. It burst open and there stood a furious Hanai. From his perspective, it looked as if Harima and the princess were in an all too suspicious embrace.
"You bastard," he said, his eyes glowing blue.
Princess Yakumo blushed.
"It's not what you think..!" Harima tried to explain but failed to find the words capable of conveying the message.
"Oh, don't worry," Hanai drew his sword, "your blood will explain EVERYTHING!"
*****
I interrupted her reading, "So, what do you think of the storyboard so far?"
"I think it still needs some work, and the characters seem strangely familiar..." she said, pausing to look more closely at the storyboard to be sure she had worked out who was who correctly.
I took the pages away from her, "It's a coincidence. Don't worry so much about it."
"Like that one time?" she asked.
"No, not at all like that one time," I hoped she'd at least let me have it for now.
"Well, I hope not," she said, not pressing it any further. "What are you doing tomorrow night?"
"I haven't thought about it. Was there something you wanted to do?" I asked, wondering if she had something in mind.
"You should take Eri out and try to get to know her better."
Was she serious?
"No, no, no," I began, "I don't think she'll want to do anything with me after today."
"I think she'll forget about that if you ask. Besides, I have to work."
What? She doesn't want me to get bored? This doesn't seem right.
"There will be plenty of time to go to the zoo on Saturday, so it's only fair that she gets you Friday night," she said.
Okay, what the hell?
"You shouldn't be methodical like that," I said.
And she smiled.
Confused and beaten, I gave in, "Fine. I'll ask her."
*****
The stars were out and, though it was cold, I felt the air cool my worries. It made them manageable somehow. How did things always go so wrong? One moment he likes me, the next he hates me. Was I really so wrong to say it? Though I did lie about it...
I shouldn't have said anything.
Last night I was so happy. He actually came home with me, not Yakumo or Tenma. It had to have meant something, right?
I sighed, I really shouldn't think about this too much. The more I think, the more depressed I'll get. Besides, I doubt he'll want to talk to me anymore, especially since he and Yakumo are so close.
But should I really give up? He was the first one that made me believe that it might be possible to sincerely love someone. Could I just give up that chance, to know if it really was possible for us?
It's better not to think about it.
I just wish I could stop.
"Miss," Nakamura interrupted.
"I'm fine, thank you."
"Are you sure, miss?" he asked. "I could bring you some milk and cookies, or his head on a plate."
I jerked my face towards him, surprised at what I thought I heard, "What!?"
"Or a big piece of cake," he replied coolly.
"Oh, no I'm..."
"Of course, I'll bring some milk and cookies at once," and he excused himself from the balcony with a bow.
He had to be planning something, but what could I do? Oh Harima, I hope nothing bad happens.
*****
I slipped quietly into the guestroom. He was completely oblivious to my entry, sleeping like a baby. There was just enough space for me since he had rolled over, so I climbed into the bedroll with him. He was warm, and it felt so nice to be so close to him. Had he and Eri had a night like this?
He started grumbling in his sleep, but she could only make out one word: "...Tenma..."
I sighed, it seemed he still hasn't completely moved on. Maybe that's why...
He rolled back over, managing not to crush me, and he did the most remarkable thing.
He hugged me to his chest. But was he hugging me or my sister?
"I'll...take good...care...you..." he mumbled.
I guess, in the end, it really didn't matter. At least, not for now.
*****
I was running through a green field with tall trees. The sunshine felt great, and the wind was invigorating, like a thousand warm spring days rushing through me.
"I wish Tenma and the others could feel this," I said.
I saw Pyotyr in the distance, running to me. I changed direction to meet him, jumping ten feet into the air, hugging him as we met.
"Pyotyr! Don't worry buddy, I'll be sure to take good care of you from now on!"
