Chapter 7: Little Big Man On Campus
Once he had himself ready, he made a quick breakfast, and came out just in time to catch everyone heading off to their endeavors: Megumi was on her bike, heading to class, Skuld on some invention adventure, and Urd to her garden to pick some of the herbs she used for her potions. Belldandy spied Ian and gave a warm greeting, and then stopped. She read his aura, as well as saw what was forming on his face. Nervous, she said, "Um…perhaps you should stay home today."
Ian just gave her an odd look and said, "I can't do that…today's my first day! I have to leave a good first impression!"
"Well…are you not still trying to get a handle on the language?" asked Belldandy, hoping to find something to detain him.
"Actually," he reassured, "The language program has been helping a lot, and for some reason, I have just been able to absorb the language. I guess they were right when they said inundation was the best way to learn."
He then held up his hockey kit and said, "After class, I'll be meeting with the hockey club just to scrimmage. The season is not for a few months yet, so we are just knocking off the rust, so don't save a place for me. I'll catch something on the way home."
She tried to say something, but Keiichi shouted, "Hey, Belldandy, we're going to be late!"
"I shall be right there," she said, and then turned back to Ian and asked, "Well, perhaps, after our labor today, we can watch."
"Well, everyone's welcome to come if they like," he answered, "It's just a pick-up game essentially, but you are welcome to cheer me on if you like. Here's where we're meeting."
She nodded as she took the information and went her way, scared over what may happen that day.
Belldandy went with Keiichi to the shop where Chihro warmly greeted them, and they went to their work. However, as the day progressed, Belldandy seemed distracted. Often, both Chihro and Keiichi caught her lost in thought and actually had to remind her to stay on task. At lunch, Keiichi finally pulled Belldandy aside and asked, "Belldandy, what's wrong? I've never ever seen you this lost in thought or distracted before!"
"Oh, Keiichi," she said with a pitiful sound in her voice, "I fear Ian is walking right into trouble today!"
"What makes you think that?" he asked, "Do you think he will be ignored for being a Westerner or something?"
"It's far worse! This morning, I observed, very faintly, marks like what my sisters and I have forming on his face. If what I have come to learn about what he is correct, he is heading into the final stages of his blossoming."
"Okay, so how is that bad?"
"If it is where I fear, then he may perform some feat of strength at the wrong time, or speed, there is no telling what could happen. Worse, he may have limited abilities to will things, and if that happens… Oh dear, I wish not to even think about it! I tried to detain him, but it did no good. He headed for his bus and that was that."
"Is there a way we can catch up to him?"
"He said he was playing some hockey today and gave me this address."
"Tell you what: I'll call back to the house and see if I can have your sisters catch up to him. I'll explain why."
"I shall attempt to contact Lind, for she desperately needs to know."
During that morning, confidence filled Ian as he made his way onto the campus for the first time, and for his first classes. However, as he made his way along, he began to gain attention and muttering. At first, it seemed they were saying negative things, and, very lightly, old feelings bubbled up. However, they were smiling at him, and not in a bad way. In fact, many of the girls were pointing and looking like they were fawning over him. One finally walked up and asked, "You look a lot like someone named Belldandy. Are you related to her?"
"Well, no," he answered, "But I do know her. I met her my first day here, and now I am living in the same temple in a guesthouse with her, her boyfriend, and her sisters."
Some of the boys then said, "Oh, you know her? Wow! She is such a nice person! That Keiichi doesn't know how lucky he is!"
Now, he was the center of attention, and it seemed everyone wanted to get to know the newcomer. They asked him all about why he was there, the classes he was taking, where he was from, and so forth as he made his way along. However, this caught the attention of a couple of people. The first one was refusing yet another suitor as she spotted him. Sayoko Mishma noticed how many people surrounded this Westerner, and most were girls. She had to admit, he was sharply dressed. He was wearing a brown polo shirt, a gray sports jacket, dark gray slacks, and black wingtips. He had only done so, because this was his first day, and his mother had always told him to try to make a good first impression. However, the way he was dressed made it seem like he had some money, and she locked her crosshairs on him fast. The fact that he was incredibly handsome and looked like he had been chisled from stone didn't hurt things. Yet, upon closer inspection, she realized that all the clothes he was wearing could have been bought at any bargain department store, and so he may not have been what she thought. Still, she decided to test him and find out what he was about. Outside of Belldandy, no boy could resist her charm. She came up and smiled as attractively as she could and said, "Well, hello: welcome to NIT."
He looked over at her, grinned, said, "Thank you," and moved on without a second glance! That threw her for a loop. No boy had ever done that to her before. That could not stand! She made her way up before him, and she said, "So, what are you up to?"
"About 1.78 meters, last I checked," he said with a friendly smile as everyone around laughed at his candor as he tried to move on, but she said, "Well, I mean, what are you here to study?"
"Psyche," he said, but before he could move on, she stuck out her hand in such a fashion as if he was expected to kiss it as she said, "I am Sayoko Mishma…pleased to make your acquaintance."
He grabbed it and shook vigorously as he said, "Ian MacGovern…how do you do. Well, I have to get to class. Have a good day!"
As the entourage went their way, she stood there stunned. No one had ever blown her off like that. Well, okay, she could not say that he blew her off, but to not be instantly attracted to her was odd. That had never happened to her before, unless he was light in the loafers, and for some reason, that she highly doubted. Okay, so he had no money, but she was going to do what she could to at least fawn over her a little. She did have a rep to protect, after all.
Ian went into his first class that day: Psychology 101. Granted, he knew much of what he was to learn was stuff he had already read out of sheer interest in the subject matter, but he needed the credit, so he was willing to put up with it. However, what he found strange was how he was seemingly absorbing the information. He did not so much feel like a student at that moment as he did a recording device. Even after the class was over, if someone had asked him to, he could have recited the class back by rote memory. However, on his way to the next class, this was where the second person gained his attention. Toshiyuki Aoshima was talking to about four other girls, trying to act all impressive, and trying to figure out which one he could lure to his room later that evening. However, as he passed, one of the girls noticed Ian, and she nudged her friend. As Toshiyuki continued to ramble on about some recent mountain expedition in the Himalayas, losing focus on the girls and focusing on himself and the image he was trying to project, he had no idea that they had, one by one, slipped away. He then said, "…and my real worry was not being able to get off the Hilary Step before my oxygen ran out. Then I would have been… Hey, where did everyone go?"
He looked up in time to see the four now going up and joining the new entourage Ian had picked up after his first class and instantly both rage and the green-eyed monster arose in him. Jealousy overrode common sense at this point, however, considering that he was about to confront the interference that was trying to take his prey from him. He managed to get ahead of the crew and said, "Well, well, well…what do we have here?"
Ian saw his cocky demeanor and nasty smirk, and it did not take Sigmund Freud to see that he was posturing. Ian just said, "Okay, little man, I am not that way, okay."
Toshiyuki's eyes instantly opened wide, now realizing that the big lug nut just called him a homosexual! What was worse was that the girls around Ian were now laughing at the comment, knowing who this man was, knowing what he thought of himself, and knowing how that comment had to have stung! He marched his way back to the front and snapped, "Do you have any clue who I am?"
Ian, becoming frustrated, just said, "The campus twit? Oh, wait…you're Japan's biggest sack of wind."
"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" he snapped in a rage.
"Um…I opened my mouth and words came out," responded Ian, not liking where this was going. Toshiyuki was not going to be outdone, and he said, "You had just better watch your step, or…"
Ian had had it. He got right up in his face before he could finish his obvious statement and said, "Or else what?"
Ian did not look in a mood to muck about, and Toshiyuki began to back off a bit. Ian then said, "I thought so. You know, you really seem to be a self-made man."
Toshiyuki reacted as if this man finally saw something in him, until Ian said, "I see you worship your creator well," and went his way. Now, all the girls were laughing hysterically, and somewhere inside of Toshiyuki, he swore revenge.
Classes seemed to be going fine that day, but during that time, Toshiyuki was messing around again, and managed to sucker some girl with some tall tales. Ian was in a common area outside to eat his lunch, and he was the center of attention by this point. For him, he did not know why they were reacting this way, but for him, this was actually a pleasant switch. It seemed people really wanted to be around him, and it felt good. After he finished his lunch, he began to head for his next class, and that is when it happened. There was heard from across the common area a loud slap and a, "LET ME GO!" from a girl headed that direction. She was walking away fast and she said, "What do you think I am; your latest conquest?"
Toshiyuki was not far behind, saying, "Hey, one lunch with me, and you won't care about any of that!"
He grabbed her wrist, and she fought him. Ian noticed this, and grew quite miffed. As the scuffle was heading his way, people noticed how he was standing, and how he was grinding his right fist into his left hand, cracking knuckles all the way. Just as the pair approached, the group of people parted ways. The girl spotted Ian, broke free, and moved quickly behind him as Toshiyuki charged after…and felt like he had just hit a brick wall! He staggered back two steps to see a pair of cross eyes fixed on him like a shark eyeballing a bloody roast being dangled in the water. Ian then said, "I believe the young lady said she didn't want to go with you."
Toshiyuki was stuck. He had always acted like the big cheese, bragging about his prowess and manly nature, but now he ran into an actual man, and he could not walk away without losing some major face. He became indignant and said, "Oh, so you really think your something, don't you! I'll have you know I am a martial arts expert, wielding a form handed down through my family from generation to generation!"
Now, one thing Ian had leaned was never to underestimate one's opponent. However, the way that Toshiyuki began to pose and move indicated someone who talked a lot of trash, but had no substance. What he had to do was get the point across not to bring it his way with minimal damage and contact. Ian approached Toshiyuki, and did so with his guard down. At that, Toshiyuki gambled and tried to get the jump on Ian. However, when the thrust forward, Ian sidestepped, spun around, and hit certain points in his biceps with chops and the side of his shoe into a spot of the inside of his calf. He did not go full power, because he knew that the way he struck Toshiyuki would not take much force to cause him undue pain. However, what he did not know was that he hit him harder than he figured, and Toshiyuki collapsed to the ground in pain. Ian saw that and began to walk away. However, Toshiyuki was not going to let it go that easily. He staggered to his feet and grabbed the nearest thing to him. It was only an empty tin can, but he threw it anyway, and hit Ian on the back of the head. Ian just slowly wheeled his head around and began to lumber back, steam coming out of his nose! Again, because he had his guard down, Toshiyuki thought he had his opening, and swung. Ian merely blocked it with his left hand and just brought down his right fist in the right spot on Toshiyuki's solar plexus. Again, full strength was not needed, but because of the strength he was now unknowingly wielding, it hit harder than he thought. Toshiyuki collapsed to the ground again, and this time fighting to get his wind back, looking in great pain. Ian then said, "Let me catch you try to rape someone again, toothpick. Know that what you feel now is the least of what I could do to you."
Yet, by this point, the campus security was there, but because there were enough witnesses there ready to volunteer information on what happened, the security laughed and let it go, considering the reputation of the one now just regaining his feet. When he demanded arrest, the security said, "Be glad he knew how to keep it minimal."
This, Ian followed with, "Karma's a witch!" and he went his way, now with a bigger crowd, all abuzz about how he had handled things. However, all that did was strengthen Toshiyuki's resolve to get revenge. He would just have to be more subtle about it.
About this time, Keiichi was informing Urd and Skuld, and gave the address of the place where his hockey would be. Meanwhile, Belldandy was in contact with Lind, who moved swiftly, knowing there could be grave danger to many. With unknown power, that he could wield left unchecked; he could cause a major catastrophe. As for the rest of the day, Ian was having moments where he found it hard to focus. He felt a bit sick to his stomach and his head was swimming some. However, he managed to shake it off by the time the pick-up session came along, and he grabbed his things and went to the "barn", as it is called in hockey terms. Once there, he got on his gear, including his beloved Bruins sweater, but that was when someone from the club said, 'Hey, man, you're wearing war paint? Wow! If you do this for a pick-up game, what would you do for an actual game?"
The player left, having Ian wonder about what he was talking. With that, he went to a mirror, and now the marks were more prominent. He had not noticed it before, but they had been getting darker. This was followed by someone hollering, "Hey, let's get going, everyone," which shook Ian awake, and so he put on his helmet with the full face cage and went to join everyone else.
By this point, however, Mara had arrived. Hild had informed her of the contract and the game plan, and she was to fetch him, bring him to her and his mother, and they could commence working on his head to get him over to their side. Mara stood in the rafters while the norns took their seats in the stands to watch and to move in if something was about to happen. The captain said, "Well, another season starts in a few months, so we have some time to get ourselves ready. What I would like to do is go through some basic drills and then some open play to knock the rust off from last season. We're going to take the all-Japan title for NIT this year!"
There were cheers of affirmation, which followed with, "So, let me introduce some new folks to the club."
He then introduced a few people, and then he said, "And this is Ian MacGovern. He comes from America, and from an area called New England where the sport is big, being so close to Canada. He brings with him the North American style of play, and if we can learn that, we can rule the field! So, what position do you play?"
"Defenseman," he answered.
"Are you an enforcer?" asked the skipper.
"Very much so," he answered back, "But I also attack well."
"Well, what do you suggest for play?"
"Hmm... Well, the first coach of the Philadelphia Flyers put it like this—if you can't beat 'em on the street, you can't beat 'em on the ice! They had the nickname of the Broad Street Bullies. This is not to say that WE play dirty or something, but, this is a hitting game, and it is supposed to be tough. Too often in play outside North America, there is this want to play with finesse and skill, and the United States and Canada eat them for breakfast because they beat the dog out of their foes with hard play and good checks. I mean, you steal a puck, and you have possession. You take a puck with a clean check, and you take possession AND knock a player out of that phase of play. That could make an odd man advantage, and allow a better chance to score. Therefore, physical hockey is winning hockey, and that's the way we have to play. If they ain't ready for it, we are going to roll right over them!"
They all cheered, and the captain then said, "Okay then, what we do is drills, then play with some light contact to get ourselves back into a playing mindset, and then we go live. Okay, let's hit the ice."
Once on the ice, Ian was amazed at the rink's width. He said, "This thing is huge!"
The skipper then said to him, "Oh, that's right. You're probably used to North American dimensions. We play on the international size rink, so it opens up play more. You have to be quick."
"That's no problem," answered Ian confidently, "But does that mean international rules? I mean, I can hack that, because high school and college level is close to those rules."
"Well, it is international rules," he said, "Which means, if you really need to get into a fight, make sure you pick someone that we want off the ice for the game, because, as you know, in these rules, fighting gets you a game misconduct. Make sure it's worth it!"
"Check," said Ian, and the continued the drills.
After that, sides were chosen, and open play began. For the first ten minutes, contact was limited to incidental contact—when both players were making a fair attempt to gain the puck. For the girls, Ian seemed to be doing okay enough, though some of his bumping seemed a bit harder than for which some would have cared, but they wrote it of to his size and experience they assumed he possessed. Then, something interesting happened. On the start of the next series, the goalie held the puck behind his goal, and Ian came around the back at full speed as the goalie flipped the puck to him, and Ian took off. He had always liked trying the Bobby Orr Rush, but he had never succeeded in scoring a goal, and only the occasional assist. He knew he would never reach to Orr's level of play, or else he would have been playing junior hockey by that point, the National Hockey League would have been observing his play. He rarely did this in games, but loved trying it in things like this on the off chance he just may succeed that time in getting a goal. However, this time, he took off like a rocket and really DID look like Bobby Orr as he moved around the other team as if they were practice pylons! He then swept between the slot created by the two face-off circles in the attacking zones and ripped a hard slap shot everyone was certain the goalie had no chance of seeing go by. Ian was ecstatic as he whipped by the goal and skirted the boards on one skate, leg in the air, pin wheeling the arm not holding the stick. That was the first time he had ever done that, and he hoped it would not be the last. Everyone on both sides was tapping the blades of their sticks on the ice, and even Belldandy was on her feet and shouting, "Well done, Ian! That looked magnificent."
However, Urd remembered the "Catch Me If You Can" highlight reel Ian had shown her of this Orr character, and it looked eerily like the film. She knew it had to do with what was happening to him right then. After about ten minutes, full play was called. It was soon to get rough!
As soon as the puck dropped, what Ian had said about the game and the sound came out in full force. For Mara, it was beautiful! She loved it when humans started to play rough like this, because she knew great opportunities for mayhem and misfortune could crop up. Ian played hard, but he always played clean. Yet, for some reason, everyone felt like they were playing against an NHL star, because, when he hit, he hit HARD! Ian was not trying to hurt anyone, but he played full out, because he felt that, if you did not practice this way, you would not play this way. The truth was, he was becoming the entire opposition, either setting up plays, or giving the goalie nightmares. The two managers acting as referees were watching him closely because of this, but they could find no foul play in his play. Ian then came down to help with a 3 on 2, and someone flipped the puck back to him, setting him up perfectly for the one-timer. He reared back, aimed, and hit the slap shot with all he had. The puck was a blur as it shot over the outreached mitt of the goalie, and there was a notable *thud* as it hit the boards in back, and everyone began to play as if he had gone wide. However, one acting as a referee blew his whistle and signaled goal. There was protest from the opposite team, but he pointed to a black mark on the goal netting that had not been there before. What had happened was that he had hit it so hard that the puck managed to squeeze through the netting and keep on going, leaving rubber marks on the net. Everyone was shouting and patting him on the back for such a hard shot, but now even Ian just stared. He had NEVER hit the puck that hard before in his life. The girls, however, were no longer cheering. They knew what had happened and why. After a couple of minutes, a ten-minute break was called before they had one more session and called it a day. As everyone was making their way to the benches to talk about their play, Ian just practiced a slap shot at the empty net, and just to put the puck in there for the next session. However, it went high and hit the Plexiglas behind it, shattering it! There was a notable pop as the glass went, yet, before anyone could wheel around to see what had happened, Ian had said, "Oops…sorry!" while raising his hand, wishing that it had not happened. Once he did, the panel reassembled itself as if nothing had happened. No one had seen it save for the three and Mara. Ian quickly skated past everyone and headed into the locker room, scared to death. Urd, at that point said, "Move now! Go get him! Belldandy, cause some mist to come up from the surface, because I need to use the Jumbotron. You can use my compact."
Belldandy complied as a hard wind blew up the loose spots of water made by the play that was refreezing and created a thick enough mist long enough for Urd to move through the Jumbotron. Belldandy then went through the mirror, and Skuld just used the ice, considering that she used water to do her supernatural travel. Yet, Mara going to beat them to the punch.
Ian, by this point, had ripped off his helmet, almost in hysterics. The Orr move he could have written off to luck, and the slap shot through the net he could have let go as mere happenstance. However, the glass not only breaking but also reassembling at his beckoned command was too much. He threw his helmet to the ground, staggering around like a man who had jumped onto his horse and rode off madly in all directions, all the while screaming, "What's happening to me! WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?"
After stumbling a couple of times and regaining his feet, he looked at the mirror, and now the marks were just as dark as the ones he saw on the sisters. "SOMEONE HELP ME!" he screamed, which was answered by, "Help has arrived!"
He wheeled around to see Mara staring at him with a sinister grin, saying, "Come with me, and I shall give you all the help you need!"
However, just as Mara had picked him up and took off, Urd came though the screen there to review games, Skuld through the tub, and Belldandy through the mirror. "MARA!" yelled Belldandy, "Put him down at once!"
"Blow it out your ear!" snapped Mara, who then disappeared with Ian just as Lind arrived. Lind was primed for action as she said, "What happened?"
"Mara has him!" said Urd, as Skuld added, "He broke out fully just now!"
"We have to hurry!" announced Lind with some urgency, "He is in a critical state right now. We can only hope his mind is strong enough, or else Mara just might bend his mind to her will, and then we are all in trouble. Quick, everyone come with me to Yogdrasil. We have to pinpoint his location and try to bring him back!"
"But, what about me being here?" asked Belldandy, to which Lind said, "Come on, you know you can come and go as you please. Besides, this is an emergency."
In a flash, they were at Yogdrasil, hoping they were not too late.
6
