Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina
"Strings
Intertwined"
by Chronos Astral
Chapter 10 -Lady Luck
Urashima Keitaro is met with unexpected visitors, all claiming to be someone close to him. Closer than he or anyone else ever imagined.
"Well Keitaro, I have to hand it to you. I never expected you would also land Kitsune as a future wife. Much less, have a kid like Yumi." Haruka jibed while taking a deep inhale of her omnipresent cigarette, savoring its addictive toxic gas.
"But Aunt Haruka, it's not my faul-"
Fwap!
"Don't call me 'aunt'." The older Urashima reprimanded the boy with a good hit to the head with her trusty fan.
"Gomen. But I seriously had nothing to do with it! Well, erm... at least not yet I guess. Ah... This is so confusing!" The poor kanrinrin of Hinata-Sou rubbed his head vigorously, trying to fight back a very strong migraine. Time-traveling, marriage, daughters, the residents, all these were hard enough to sort in his head and to have it all shoved into his face in the span of a few days did not help. There was also his promised girl and Tokyo University. What of that? Being in the midst of total insanity didn't really help him in reaching his goal. It was really cutting into his studying.
He found it hard to read Kitsune's thoughts on the matter. As nearly predictable as she may be in her playful mannerisms, he wasn't entirely sure of her opinion of being married to him, much less have children with him.
Keitaro then thought back to the others whom he will have children with as well. What were their thoughts on it? Surely they couldn't take something like this lightly. He doubted that they had thought this over carefully with all the hectic occurrences that have been coming about within these few days.
He saved these thoughts for later, deciding to focus on the spectacle before him.
The kanrinrin, along with the tenants, was seated anxiously outside of the Hinata apartment building. They were made audience to the bout set to happen between the brash and manipulative Yumi and the fighting pair of Yunalla and Chiyoko. Chiyoko took a stance, brandishing the sword, Shisui, that was given to her by her mother. Yunalla garbed herself in her newly constructed armor, which looked similar to her previously destroyed one only sleeker and thinner in design for speed-oriented combat. Yumi stood impassively opposite the pair with a smug smile, her bag of trinkets still slung on her back.
Mika looked uninterested in the battle, confident that its results are no threat to her. Katsumi still retained her bemused expression, nearly identical to her mother's. Yuri sat a bit further away from Yumi's side, watching over her older sister while being uninvolved in the fight. Megumi and most of the other tenants watched on in interest.
Su cheered her daughter on in the sidelines. "Yeah, Yunalla! Kick her butt!"
This earned a small smile to grace Yunalla's lips underneath her helmet. She nodded her head assuredly still gazing at her opponent.
Motoko, being one of the 'older' experienced fighters was made referee and stood in between the the two groups. The swordswoman studied her daughter with a scrutinizing eye. "Your stance is off, Chiyoko. Shift your right foot more to your left and bring your sword up higher."
Chiyoko looked annoyed and replied in a mock whiny tone. "Kaa-san. I know what I'm doin'."
Kitsune, being a person that enjoyed interesting confrontations, sat next to her younger twin child and eagerly awaited the battle. "Make it good, Yumi-chan." She called out.
"Don't encourage her." Yuri pleaded dryly. "I'm surprised your taking this children dilemma well too."
Kitsune only shrugged. "It was bound to happen, seeing as Shinobu and Su were in the same position. After all, who couldn't resist this body?" She finished with a seductive pose eliciting an incredulous stare from Yuri.
"Alright then," Motoko announced, drawing everyone's attention. "This will be a 2 vs. 1 battle. The wagers and conditions for winning the battle are set," She raised her arm and made a brief glance at the fighters.
"HAJIME!"
In a flash, Yunalla disappeared from her previous position and into a fast approaching blur towards Yumi. With the speed-enhancements done into her armor, Yunalla was easily closing into the arrogant older twin as fast as the eye could blink. She smirked at her apparent victory. I'll put you in your place, girl.
Within a meter of a distance between them, Yunalla leapt from her stride and geared her fist for a devastating punch. Yumi merely stood there, unphased, with her smirk still present. The punch connected with her face, making it break and shatter into... glass?
What trickery is this?!
The shards of broken glass turned to mirrors before, reflecting the light and shocked faces of the audiences before fading away into nothingness.
"Whew, that was close. Almost had me there Hime-chan." From a certain voice distance to her left, Yunalla turned to see Yumi still standing unscathed.
In a rage that put away any voice of reason, she charged again in her superior speed for another blow. Her fist only met glass once again.
"Show yourself!" Commanded the angered princess.
"Yoohoo! Hiiiiime-chaaaan!" A sing-song tone called out to her from behind. Yumi waved to her in a mocking manner like one would to a child.
With a growl of impatience, the tanned girl advanced again with more speed, intent on landing a successful blow this time. Once again, her fist only managed to plow through a thin sheet of glass. As the shards cleared, it showed that her gauntlet had come in contact with a sword intent on blocking her blow.
"Oi, boke! Watch where you're throwing those punches!" An irate Chiyoko berated her. She stood in place of the glass illusion, almost too late to have blocked the armored girl's blow.
"If you had not been in the way, I could have hit her!" Yunalla spat back as she retracted her fist from Shisui.
In their quarrel, they failed to notice the handful of red dice Yumi held in her hand. "Ikke! Shukumei no Saikoro!" The girl threw the dice onto the floor, making them clatter and roll noisily. This caught the pair's attention.
"This is bad! There are too many dice!" Chiyoko took a step back in caution, recalling the unique powers of the dice.
"But she couldn't possibly guess the number showed by all these dice!" Yunalla quipped.
"True. If I can't guess the correct number, its full power won't manifest." Yumi smirked as the last few dice began to stop in place. "But I can always try another method."
Just before the last die halted its rattling, Yumi spoke. "Even."
A bright flash emitted from each die and sent a large volley of energy projectiles at the wide-eyed pair.
"How-!?"
"It was impossible to find out the exact number, so I guessed if it was an odd or even number. It's only half as powerful as the effect of the exact number, but when I send out that many, it's nearly as effective." Yumi lectured to them as the dice magically drifted back into her hand.
Chiyoko cursed, knowing she couldn't dodge that many projectiles. She aimed her sword at the ground and concentrated her ki into its tip. "Urashima Chiyoko-ryu: Shipuu Tate!" With a cry, she drew a circle with Shisui around herself and released the ki from it, discharging a strong wind that wrapped around her and Yunalla in a large hurricane. The dice's attacks were shredded by the force of the wind barrier, protecting them from harm.
This came as a surprise to Motoko. "The Shinmei-ryu school never taught an attack like that..." She mumbled as the hurricane dissipated.
Yunalla appeared in a blur in front of Yumi with her leg poised for an axe kick to the card-wielder's shoulder. She only struck glass once again. "Damn!"
How does she do that!? Were the thoughts of basically everyone besides said girl's sibling.
As if sensing the unvoiced question, Yuri decided to enlighten them. "It's called 'Kyokkai Kagami'," She paused to see if she had their attention before continuing. " It's a a rare artifact in the shape of a pocket mirror that she keeps almost all the time."
"As the name suggests, it sort of creates an illusion that distorts light by making dimensional mirrors to trick people other than the user to see false images. It has many uses even in a fight," Though she uses it more often to cheat in poker and other games... Yuri thought wryly to herself at her sister's immoral mindset. "She's using it to make Chiyoko-san and Yunalla-san think she is in one place when she is actually in another."
"Where did she get such a thing?" Asked Naru.
At this, Yuri looked sheepish. "Erm... Let's just say that it involved breaking into a sacred Japanese temple and... 'tactical persuasion' for the monks." She stifled a small whimper at her recollection of those events. The revealing clothing and the smell of sake was still fresh in her memory. The monks weren't very happy either.
Yumi reached into her bag again, drawing a deck of playing cards from its cluttered recesses. "Shukumei no Karuta: Kirinaosu." The deck then started shuffling itself in an alarmingly fast rate on the palm of her hand.
"Zankusen!" A wave of ki was sent rocketing towards Yumi only to impact against glass once again while also nearly hitting Yunalla.
"You oaf! Be watchful of where you attack!" Reproached the armored princess.
"Well you should watch where you're standing!" The swordswoman spat back.
"What was that!?"
"You heard me!"
Chance! Taking advantage of the pair's squabble, Yumi drew five cards from the deck and smirked. "Three of a kind."
"Huh?" The two paused from their bickering to see Yumi leering at them with her hand holding 5 cards for them to see. The images of the 3 Jacks then jumped from their respective cards and stood at the ready before Yumi. One of the two red jacks held a spear with the blade in the shape of a heart, while the other beheld a large diamond-shaped shield and readied himself to defend Yumi. The black jack sported a spade shaped sword and held it with poise.
"Go!" Yumi ordered the two offensive jacks with a commanding point of her finger. The two jacks nodded and rushed at the opposing pair while the shield-wielding one stayed with their master.
Chiyoko managed to block her assailant's attack with a small deal of difficulty as Yunalla dodged. "What the hell is this thing!?"
Ever the arrogant one, Yumi explained in a mocking tone. "Shukumei no Karuta. One of the many demon playing devices along with the Shukumei no Saikoro. Like the dice, these cards rely on sheer luck as the creators of these enchanted items believed that true warriors are those blessed and favored by fate. The methods used for harnessing its powers is in the laws of poker One shuffles the deck and draws five cards, then they play whatever hand they get, manifesting it into a physical being. Its power varies on how high in standing the hand is with the 'Royal Flush' being the highest."
"It's only weakness being that you need to shuffle the deck before you can draw another hand again." Yuri added off-handedly.
Yumi turned abruptly with a scowl. "Baka Yuu-chan! Don't tell them its weakness!"
"You didn't say I couldn't and don't call me 'Yuu-chan'!!" The humorous exchange earned a few laughs from the audience including her own mother. Yuri let out an anguished groan before lowering her flushed face.
In that moment of distraction, Yunalla took the time to slip past her assailant and make a dash for Yumi. At a speed nearly rivaling her own, the shield-wielding Jack of Diamonds placed himself between her and her target, his large bulwark set to defend The girl sent a barrage of fast punches at the jack, each blocked with effortlessly with his diamond shield. She attempted to elude the guard but it appeared before her before she could get close to Yumi. "Get out of my way, damn you!"
Try as she might, whether trying to step to the side, jump over it, or fight it, the jack guard would not let her pass beyond the protective circle he had set around his master, his shield holding strong and true to its purpose. If she got too close, he would push her back with the bulk of his shield, garnering a few choice curse words from the pompous girl.
Yumi grabbed a handful of dice and chucked it onto the floor, speaking the word "Odd." before they landed. Her guess rang true as beams of black light jutted from the red cubes and barraged into her enemies.
Spotting the jets of black energy racing towards her, Chiyoko gave an unfeminine grunt and thought up a plan. She crouched in front of the poker manifestations using them as a shield against the enormous volley. Yunalla, not having considered the same tactic as her 'partner', opted to dodge the near endless assault, gradually draining her suit's power as well as her own energy.
This isn't working! At this rate, she will win! The time-traveling princess thought as she knelt on one knee to catch her breath and regain a little bit of her auxiliary power in her armor.
Damn! I can't keep this up! If this gets any worse, I'll have to use that Motoko's daughter cringed at the thought of using her last resort as she still lay crouching before the battered remains of the jacks.
"What's wrong, Hime-chan? Swordie-chan? Tired already? Is it possible that the two of you can't handle little me?" With a huff, Yumi crossed her arms in a victorious fashion and gave a smirk that silently asked 'Is that all you've got?'. "Kirinaosu." she whispered to the deck once more and it began its spectral shuffling.
Crap! She's going to draw another hand! With the hime-boke tired, there's no one distracting that last jack. Even if I use that, I'd probably miss because of that damn mirror illusion of hers. There has to be a weakness to it... With this in mind, Chiyoko strained her brain in thinking up any possible way to counter the collector girl's illusion. If she wasn't careful, she could actually hurt someone without knowing, possibly Yunalla again. The mirror was a damn nuisance since it always found a way to trick her eyes no matter what.
Wait... That's it! It relies on the opponent's sight to confuse them! So if I don't rely on my eyes and instead concentrate on feeling for the person's energy signature... She closed her eyes and focused her ki to reach out to her surroundings, sensing the faint flickering of light around her. Truthfully, she had never honed these kinds of skills to a great extent, thinking they had no real merit in a fight. It was hard, but she managed to find a blob of light in the shape of a woman to her right.
There! At that she gathered an unstable amount of ki into her sword and arms, making both glow a bright blue. With the one remaining jack still defending the tan-haired collector, she had no other option but to unleash her trump card.
Such an ungodly amount of ki! What is she doing! Motoko tensed at the tendrils of blue energy that amassed around her daughter's sword. She was near ready to intervene.
Yumi took a step back in caution within the confines of her illusion, her danger senses kicking in gear.
This won't kill her... Only knock her out at most... "Urashima Chiyoko-ryu!! Kessen Ougi!!" She paused to bring the glowing Shisui up overhead, ready to strike. This move was unstable, but it was enough to bypass the defenses of the shield-bearing jack. At least that's what she hoped.
"JOUTEN HANASU!!"
With a fierce warcry, the swordswoman released all ki in one large burst as she slashed downwards. A wave of energy came forth, engulfing the girl, and cut through ground and air with earth-shattering force. It swerved and swayed dangerously, taking the unfortunate Yunalla in its path of destruction earning a shrill cry.
Nearly all had retreated within the safer walls of the Hinata estate, watching on from its windows at the powerful attack. The only exceptions of the aforementioned were Keitaro, Motoko, Su, Mutsumi, Katsumi, and Yuri for varying reasons of either concern, curiosity, or obliviousness.
"Chiyoko! Yunalla! Yumi!" Keitaro cried out, restrained by Motoko from trying to go help them.
"You will hurt yourself, Urashima!" The Shinmei-ryu heiress held him back, trying hard to suppress the tingly feeling she felt at their close contact despite the situation.
Yumi gazed at the wildly flailing surge of ki that had already decimated her mirror image and coming straight at her. Having no real physical training, she knew that she couldn't outrun it and therefore came up with a conclusion.
"I am freakin' screwed..."
As those words left her lips, the wave of energy buffeted her dead-on, disappearing in the upheaval of wind, earth, and dust.
"Nee-san!" Yuri needed no other motivation and jumped into the field. As she ran, she pressed her thumb and index finger in her mouth and gave a loud distinct whistle, as if to signal or summon someone. True enough, an eagle the size of a car had swooped down from the heavens and grabbed on Yuri with its mighty talons, carrying her into the skies.
After a while, the ki attack had dissipated, leaving behind three female forms several dozens of feet off the ground. In true Akamatsu style, the attack had not harmed them that much, only knocking them out cold and shredding them of their clothing, a sight that Keitaro had forgone, their well-being put in higher regard than his libido.
The younger twin sibling, now riding the aforementioned bird, had caught them in mid-air before gravity reacted to their momentum. She let out a sigh in relief that her older sister and two other acquaintances were relatively unharmed, albeit bare as the day they were born besides the parts of torn fabric and metal that still stuck to them.
"Nee-san no baka... You're too reckless." A soft smile graced her beautiful features as she gently swept a stray hair from her comatose sister's face.
Yumi mumbled softly in her sleep. "... But I wanted to win..." A cute pout then formed from her lips.
Translations: (Not 100-percent accurate) (Correct me if I'm wrong here)
'Hajime' - 'Start'
'Hime' - 'Princess' (Hime-chan used as a mocking term by Yumi for Yunalla)
'Ikke' - 'Go'
'Boke' - 'Idiot' (synonymous with 'baka')
'Shukumei no Saikoro' - 'Fate's Dice' or 'Dice of Fate'
'Urashima Chiyoko-ryu' - 'Urashima Chiyoko Style' (comes before any original attack made by Chiyoko)
'Shipuu Tate' - 'Hurricane Shield' (original attack made by Chiyoko)
'Kyokkai Kagami' - 'Distortion Mirror'
'Shukumei no Karuta' - 'Fate's (Playing) Cards' or '(Playing) Cards of Fate'
'Kirinaosu' - 'Shuffle' (command used to automatically shuffle 'Shukumei no Karuta')
'Zankusen' - 'Air-Cutting Flash' (Shinmei ki attack)
'Kessen Ougi' - 'Decisive Battle Ultimate Secret Technique' (Seriously, not making it up) (Denotes powerful technique)
'Jouten Hanasu' - 'Heaven Divide' or 'God Divide' or 'Providence Divide'
----------
Anyways, sorry for the wait. Blame the usual suspects (laziness, video games, sleep-deprivation, etc.).
Longest chapter I've written. Hope you enjoy it.
Review your thoughts on the battle and the daughters! Thanks!