Ps
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina; never have, never will. Though, you already knew that, didn't you? Cheers for you.
Hope is like a road in the country; there was never a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence.
- Lin Yutang
Blood Hina
Chapter Four:
A Better Tomorrow
Draped in ceremonial robes and surrounded by his generals, Keitaro stood atop the balcony of his command headquarters which had been carved out of a cliff. The headquarters over looked a valley wherein tens of thousands of people crowded, cheering and screaming. They waved banners with Keitaro's likeness upon them and spelled out praises to him in a hundred different languages.
Keitaro lifted his hands into the air, palms toward the crowd, but the cheering did not cease. It only grew louder. In the distance, beyond the scene, into the cold night, artillery guns pounded enemy positions endlessly, lighting up the sky with each magnificent blast.
A smile drew upon his face as Keitaro watched with approval the spectacle before him. The crowd that cheered for him was becoming more and more zealous. And, on the farthest side of the valley, on the very tops of the cliffs, he could see a dragon land. The great beast rested its head on top a particularly large boulder. Steam and chi-fire poured out from its nostrils as it watched solemnly.
"This is my victory. This world is mine," spoke Keitaro. His voice was loud and booming. No longer did it hold the kindness and care of his former self. Now, it showed off his anger and his ruthlessness. "I am God. No creature, living or dead, of this world or another, has been able to defeat me. I am your God. Whatever gods you had before me… I have destroyed them. They have no substance. You never witnessed their power. You have witnessed my power. I am God."
The cheers intensified. The people in the crowd stepped to the side as others were pushed through, up to the base of the cliff. Upon them was written in forty different languages "The Damned" (or the equivalent, depending on the language). The men and women who had this written upon them were stripped and put up against the cliffs. Stakes of white jade were driven into their wrists and ankles. Wolves suddenly materialized, cruel spirits from the Yomi Hell of Being Skinned Alive. They fell upon the prisoners and ripped them apart and ate them as their screams mingled with the blood thirsty cries of Keitaro's followers.
The smile on his face became large as Keitaro's laughs joined in with the screams. A sudden, gentle warmness washed over him. His smiled disappeared and he stopped laughing. His eyes drooped closed
"Keitaro," whispered a voice in his mind. The voice was soft and loving, like the kind of voice a mother addresses her child with. "Wake up, Keitaro," the voice whispered again.
Suddenly, the scene in the valley disappeared. Keitaro was plunged into darkness. The voice however, continued asking him to wake up. He went towards the voice, reaching out in the darkness for its source.
And then, just as suddenly as the valley had become the darkness, the darkness became Keitaro's room. His eyes shot opened and above him, he saw a brown haired girl, smiling down at him. He pawed around for his glasses for a moment till Naru revealed them and placed them on him.
"You're finally awake," she said, smiling. "It's 7 o'clock. I was starting to get worried."
Keitaro mumbled something and sat up, still slightly dazed. He looked around once, taking in his room. It was as he had left it, TV on a table next to the wall, closets, book shelves, and books spread out on the table in the middle of his room.
Keitaro's put his hand to his forehead and then drew it away. He was soaked with sweat. Or so it seemed. Keitaro reached out, found a lamp, and then bathed the room in light.
Naru let out a eep and put her hand to her mouth. "Keitaro! What… What happened?"
The blood dribbled down from his face and was smeared across his bare chest. It soaked into the bottoms he had worn to bed and had stained the futon.
"Blood," he said simply, sighing. "I sweat blood."
Keitaro grabbed the futon, stuck it under his arm, and head out the room. Naru bit back the slight tears that threatened to peak out and reached for a book instead.
The book was written in Chinese, something Naru was confused horribly by. It was about the supernatural creatures that inhabited China and the rest of Asia. Keitaro had learned a fair bit about vampires from it but Naru couldn't make heads or tails of it. Even with Keitaro's help and a Chinese-Japanese dictionary, she could get very far into it.
That was one of the things that intrigued Nare about Keitaro now. Before, he had been hopeless with languages: He had just barely been able to figure out English. Now, as far as she could tell, he was fluent in not only English, but Korean, Cantonese, Mandarin, German, French, Spanish, Hindi… The list went on. It seemed that just by reading a book written in a language, he could master it. If anything, Naru was jealous of that ability.
As Naru paged through the book and a Chinese-Japanese dictionary at the same time, Keitaro returned to the room. He had changed into his usual sweater and the blood was washed from him. He was drying his hair with a towel as he walked and it had knocked his glasses askew. Naru looked up and couldn't help but smile. Keitaro smiled back and sat down next to her, looking at the same page.
"Keitaro," asked Naru. She pointed to a character in the middle of one of the pages. "What's this one? It isn't in the dictionary."
"That's creation. See, you can tell because it has the words for 'dirt', 'breath', 'movement', and 'man' in it. See? Breath into dirt causes it to move and it becomes flesh. So, it's man."
Naru stared at the page and shook her head. "I don't get it at all."
Keitaro laughed. "Neither do I. I'm just trying to find a connection."
Closing the book, Naru sighed. "Keitaro, if you have to get information about vampires… And I mean, you know, not just myths…"
"I thought they were myths until a week ago," put in Keitaro.
"That's not what I mean. You're not going to find it in the Toudai library, will you? I mean, something written for vampires by vampires." She then shook her. "No… That didn't come out right."
Keitaro laughed. He took the book and set it down next to a stack of other books, written in all manner of languages. "No," he said. "I don't think they have anything like that at Toudai. I figured though, that at least some of the myths might be true, right?"
Naru nodded. "I think they are. But, wouldn't something like… I don't know. The Ancient Shaolin Book of the Dead or something like that. Isn't that what you need?"
"No…" said Keitaro slowly. "What I need to find… I need to find more vampires. Like me."
Naru tilted her head to the side, taking in what he had said. All kinds of scenarios danced through her head: One where Keitaro met a beautiful vampire, fell in love with her, and then spent the rest of his unlife with her. Another which was virtually the same except it was a male vampire, not a woman. Naru silently cursed herself for buying the Anne Rice manga the other day. That thought was overridden by one of Keitaro joining a group of vampires and hunting with them. It was all too much stress for Naru and she shook her head violently.
"I… I don't think finding more vampires would be good for you. How do you even know there're others in the world? Maybe you're the only one! Maybe there're only ten more and they're all off in Africa or something. Maybe they all want to be left alone. Maybe…" Naru trailed off, running out of ideas after speaking so quickly.
"But what if that's not right?" asked Keitaro. His eyes were earnest and bore no deceit as he looked into her. Naru felt as though he looked no upon her face or her skin but upon her very soul, as though he judged what she thought and felt. "I need to at least try and find more like me. Maybe that'll be the only way I can learn about what I am and what I have to do."
Naru whimpered quietly. He hadn't come out and said it but she felt it: If he found other vampires, he would leave the inn. He would probably never go to Toudai with her. Everything they had done together wouldn't mean anything in the end. He would disappear and she would be left behind.
Keitaro sensed this. Whether it be from the worried look in her eyes or on her face, or perhaps in the way she breathed, or even on a deeper, spiritual level, Keitaro realized how this upset Naru.
"Maybe I can find how I can cure myself and become normal again," said Keitaro. He forced a smile. "When that happens, and I can… You know, take the sun. When I can be out in the sun alright, let's go to the beach." Keitaro smiled wider. "Just you and me. We can rent a house or something on a beach. How about that?"
It was all Naru could do to keep from breaking down and starting to cry right there. She bit her lip, sniffled a bit, and put on a brave smile. "I'd like that. A lot."
Keitaro laughed. "Well, good! Something to look forward to! I'll start saving up the money now. I'll make sure we get the best house I can find!"
Naru nodded slowly. She fell forward suddenly, leaning into Keitaro. She buried her face in the spot between his neck and his shoulder and let the tears flow freely. Keitaro held her and stroke the back of her neck softly. He was crying too, a bit, though he took time to note that the tears were of actual water, not blood.
"I have an idea," whispered Keitaro in Naru's ear. "I'll work hard. I'll get a government job and everything. Become the minister of something. And then, I'll buy us that house on the beach and we'll live there forever. We'll be rich like royalty and we'll have everything we ever wanted. And I'll make sure that Mitsune-san and Motoko-chan and Shinobu-chan and Kaolla-chan and Sarah-chan with Seta-san and Haruka-san… I'll make sure they all live near us so it'll be like this forever."
Naru was at a loss for words. It all sounded so perfect, like a dream. A dream that was always just out of reach. She moved her head up, rubbing her cheek against Keitaro's face. She drew back slightly, so that their noses just barely touched.
"Do you promise?" asked Naru. The tears had dried and her eyes shone now.
"Yeah. I do. I promise, one day, Naruse… Naru-chan, I'll be able to make everything perfect for us and everyone. One day, I'll make it all perfect."
The mist rolled in from the sea, covering the town. It floated lazily, like clouds that fell to earth and gently consumed every person, building, and tree, holding each in its embrace.
On the street, in front the Hinata Inn, a group of old men dressed in traditional Japanese clothes stood solemnly. There were five in all and each looked up to the inn.
"Life is dream," said one quietly.
"Never wake up…" whispered another.
"Wake up and die," said another.
"No, wake up and live," argued the fourth.
"Wake up to dream again," put in the fifth.
"No," said the first. "Hold onto dream so never wake up."
"Dream dies," muttered the third.
"People die," said the fifth.
"Dreams cause people die…" said the fourth cryptically.
"No. Nightmares cause people die," finished the first.
Just then, a man walked onto the scene. He was of average height, with long hair and a long, thin, whispy beard. He appeared to be in his early or mid twenties and wore a combination of robes, animal skins, and traditional Chinese clothes. His right arm was covered in a cloak and he had an angry look in his eyes. Indeed, he simply looked angry, with the way he walked and how his relatively narrow and bony face looked upon with contempt all that he saw.
"Is this the Hinata Inn?" asked the man, pointing up the step.
"You couldn't call it a slop bucket," said one of them old men.
"You couldn't eat it," yawned another.
The young, angry man suddenly drew a sword and placed it at the neck of the closest old man.
"I don't need Zen right now. I just need to know whether or not this is Hinata Inn."
"It is. This is the Hinata Inn," said the old man with the sword under his neck quickly. His comrades had backed away into the mist when the blade had been drawn and when it was taken away, he did so as well.
The angry man glared at the receding back of the old man. He made a mental note to kill any old men he found in the town and turned his attention upwards towards Hinata Inn. His lips contorted into a hideous, dementedly evil smile and he began to climp the steps to the inn.
"Soon. Soon, Urashima, your entrails shall adorn my sword…"
Sometimes I think it should be a rule of war that you have to see somebody up close and get to know him before you can shoot him.
– Colonel Potter, M*A*S*H
Blood Hina
Chapter Five:
Tomorrow Never Knows
"Urashima! You bastard, Urashima, come and meet your death!"
Keitaro jerked away from Naru suddenly, staring towards the window and the source of the voice.
"Get out here! I shall skin you and wear your hide as a coat! You only prolong the inevitable, Urashima!"
"What…" murmured Keitaro, puzzled beyond belief. He went to the window, opened it, and looked down at the man on the ground.
"Aha! So you hide up there! Just as I expected! A snake like you has no honor!"
Keitaro nearly fell over in shock and confusion. Naru appeared at his side. She glared down at the man and began her own round of yelling.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are but-"
"I am Lao Mu-Tong! Urashima ambushed me and sent me to my death hundreds of years ago!" proclaimed the man on the ground. He shook his fist angrily at the two in the window. "I have spent four centuries hunting you, Urashima! But now, I have found you! I am a creature of the night as you are and this time, you're demonic powers won't save you!"
At this moment, Keitaro's aunt popped into his room.
"Keitaro, there's a guy downstairs here for you."
Less than a minute later, the residents of the inn were gathered outside the building. They stood in a half circle behind Keitaro and in front of him, Lao Mu-Tong stood angrily. Most people can speak angrily, glare angrily, and make angry gestures, but Lao was one of the few beings in the world who was able to actually stand angrily.
"Now, Urashima, I shall grant you the honor of a fair fight that you never gave me! You have had proper warning! Now-"
"Hold on a minute!" yelled Naru. She stomped out in front of Keitaro, staring down Lao.
"You've got brass ones, to come here out of the blue and get all angry at Keitaro when we all know that he's done nothing!"
"Done nothing! You spread your lies, Urashima, like dandelions spread their seeds in the spring! This wretched beast here killed me without honor on one of his many killing sprees! I only tried to defend my brothers and sisters, yet he slaughtered me and them, no doubt. I am here to regain their honor and wipe this… thing from the Middle Kingdom and send him back to Yomi, where he belongs!"
This speech was met with a long, awkward silence. The mist had thinned considerably since Lao's arrival and had virtually disappeared. After several minutes, Haruka finally said something.
"You can leave now," she said, remaining seemingly indifferent.
"Leave… Leave… Leave?" mumbled Lao, stunned. He had obviously not been expecting this. A fight, yes. An argument, yes. A woman just telling him to leave? No.
"Woman, you don't understand the graveness of this situation! This beat, surely he has attempted to attack the women of this establishment…"
"No, not really," said Haruka, sighing.
"But…"
"Just turn around and start walking."
"No! You are all under his spell! I must destroy Urashima and then you'll see!"
"No, you won't be doing that. He's the dorm manager and if this place is going to remain clean, he stays."
"Clean?" asked Lao, confused.
"Yes," said Haruka, becoming annoyed. "The state of not having crap laying around. I can't trust the girls here to pick up after themselves."
"No," put in Motoko. "You just can't trust Mitsune to pick up after herself."
Kitsune laughed sheepishly. "Life's too short to pick up!"
Another silence began. Keitaro shifted nervously from one foot to the other. This certainly wasn't going good. He began going through all the options he had. He could run, of course. Try to reason with Lao. Or fight him. Or maybe trick him. As he considered all these possibilities, he didn't notice Kaolla come up behind him.
"Ya' gonna' fight him, Keitaro?" she asked excitedly, jumping on his back and spinning around while holding onto him.
"Yeah! Fight! Fight! Fight!" cheered Sarah. Shinobu whimpered and hid behind Naru who stood silent, partly in shock and partly in overwhelming anger.
"That's exactly what I had planned! Urashima, this time… You fight another vampire," cried out Lao. He drew a Chinese jian from his side and stood at ready, blade pointed towards Keitaro. Kaolla dropped off of Keitaro, common sense finally kicking in, and Keitaro looked from the blade, to Lao's face, to the blade again.
"Wait… I can-" Keitaro began. Lao didn't let him get any further. He took one step forward, raised the sword into the air, and was about to slash Keitaro when Motoko dashed in front of him.
Steel crashed into steel as Motoko deflected the blow. She spun gracefully and hit the sword again, shattering it. Before Lao could react, Motoko drew her katana back, gathering ki and launched forward. The blow hit Lao squarely in the chest and sent him flying, much in the way Motoko's attacks usually sent Keitaro flying. Lao sped through the air for some time before crashing into a tree nearly two miles away.
Motoko solemnly lowered her sword and turned on her heels to looked at Keitaro. He stared back at her for a second before dropping to his knees and folding his hands above his head.
"Thank you so much, Motoko-chan! You saved my life! I don't know how I'll repay you! I can't thank you enough! I-" Keitaro stopped as a blade found its place less than an inch away from his throat.
"'You fight another vampire'?" she said, glaring at him. "Exactly what did our friend mean by that, I wonder?"
"Ah! I can explain! See-"
"Hey!" said Kitsune. "This means Keitaro really is a vampire!"
Sarah and Kaolla both cheered. "I knew it!" yelled Sarah, hitting Keitaro in the back.
"Hey, can you change into a bat? Wolf?" asked Kitsune, enjoying the scene immensely.
"What?!" yelled Keitaro. He fell back in shock, away from Motoko's sword.
"Oooh! Do you suck blood?" asked Sarah. "Can you teach me how to do that?"
"I don't-"
"Hey Keitarooooo!" said Kaolla in a sing-song voice. "Want to be a guinea pig?"
"Senpai… Is it true?" whimpered Shinobu, peeking out from behind Haruka.
Naru finally broke out of her shock. She scowled stomped her feet and force Keitaro to his feet by grabbing onto the back of his shirt.
"There're no such things as vampires! That guy is a nut! How can you think that Keitaro is a vampire?! Besides, just the other today, you wanted to kill him if he was a vampire!"
"Nah," said Kitsune. "We were just playing. Ain't that right, Kaolla? Sarah?"
Both nodded enthusiastically. Sarah pulled on Keitaro's arm.
"C'mon! Do a cool vampire thing!" Sarah pointed at Naru. "Suck her blood!"
"I can't! It-"
"Keitaro can't suck anyone's blood! He's not a vampire!" insisted Naru.
"Nah," said Kaolla. "He just doesn't want to hurt Naru. Suck Motoko's blood!"
"I-" started Keitaro.
"Touch me, Urashima, and you'll only be able to get blood through an IV for the rest of your life," muttered Motoko.
"Motoko-chan, I-"
"Stop bullying Urashima-senpai!" cried Shinobu, who had gained just enough courage to speak. Everyone turned to look at Shinobu who squeaked and ducked behind Haruka again. Kitsune was about to say something, presumably mocking and hurtful that would traumatize Shinobu for at least the rest of the week. Just then, however, it began to rain. Actually, that's an understatement. It began to pour. Water came down from the sky in a way like never before. It was as though the gods themselves had willed it to rain so fiercely. Possibly because, unbeknownst to anyone there, Shinobu had found much favor with the gods and they each watched out for her whenever possible. As it turned out, the Dragon god of the Pacific had been watching the incident intently and caused a massive hurricane to move in suddenly. So, to avoid being blown away by the fury of heaven, everyone hurried inside.
Hard pressed on my right. My center is yielding. Impossible to maneuver. Situation excellent. I am attacking.
- Ferdinand Foch at the Battle of the Marne
Blood Hina
Chapter Six:
Keitaro's Requiem
"Now," said Motoko as they reached the inn's living room. "Are you or aren't you a vampire?" she asked plainly, hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Ah… I'm… Well…." stuttered Keitaro.
"It's a yes or no question," growled Motoko.
"Of course he isn't a vampire," put in Naru.
"Nah, I'm pretty sure he is… Hey, Keitaro, can you predict the future or anything?" said Kitsune. She reached behind her and groped around for the horse racing newspaper.
"No," said Keitaro. "I'm pretty sure I can't."
"Ha!" yelled Sarah. "So you admit it!"
"No he didn't!" shouted Naru.
"Just answer the question, Urashima…" Motoko drew her sword one inch out of the scabbard.
"Hey, Keitaro! Turn into a bat!" giggled Kaolla as she jumped onto Keitaro's back.
"Are you sure you couldn't give it a try, Keitaro?" asked Kitsune as she flipped through the paper.
"He can't turn into a bat!" insisted Naru. "Because he isn't a vampire!"
"Then what did that Low-Fat Tongue guy want?"
"Well," scowled Naru. "He's obviously insane. We should call the police.
"Urashima…" came the low growl of the samurai girl.
As the chaos continued, Haruka slipped out of the room, leaving Shinobu out in the open. She squeaked and took her place next to Keitaro.
"Senpai, just tell them you're not…" she whispered nervously.
"Yeah, Keitaro. Tell them you're not a vampire," muttered Naru.
"I'm…" Keitaro began. He looked around at the girls, from face to face. "I… I…. That is to say…." Keitaro began to form a word with his mouth. He stopped suddenly though and grinned sheepishly. "You see…"
Finally growing too frustrated, Motoko drew her sword in fury. "Just answer the question! Yes or no!"
"Ahh! Yes!" shouted Keitaro. On instinct, he took off running, up the stairs, not really sure where he was going. He stopped at the top of the stairs however, and peered down. None of them had followed him.
As he slowly walked down the stairs, cautiously going one step at the time, Keitaro noted the silence. Usually, Motoko or Naru would be yelling death threats and Sarah and Kaolla would be cheering, whilst Shinobu cried or whimpered and Kitsune laughed. There was none of that.
He reached the foot of the stairs. No one said anything as he walked back into the middle of them. The only sound was that of the rain pelting the ground. A few second later, though, the rain stopped. Then, finally, Shinobu of all people spoke.
"Do you want me to learn how to make blood tea?" she asked innocently, though obviously disgusted with the idea.
"Of course he doesn't want blood tea," said Kitsune. "He wants to take it from a living human, right Keitaro?"
"Ahhh…."
"Have you killed anyone, Urashima?" asked Motoko. Her eyes and her head tilted down.
Before Keitaro could answer, Naru scowled. "There, you've gotten it out of him. Now, if you're done with your little Inquisition, Keitaro and I need to find a cure." Naru pushed Keitaro towards the stairs. He took a few steps before stopping and turning back to Motoko.
"Three people. I've killed three people," he said. "The paramedics who tended to me after I was murdered… When I woke up, I was… Hungry. I needed food but… But my body didn't want food. I needed blood and flesh. So I killed the paramedics who were working on me and then the one who was driving the ambulance."
No one said anything for over a minute. Keitaro, however, seemed almost relieved that he had finally told someone.
"I know for a fact, Urashima, that you have killed more."
Everyone turned to the source of the voice, the door to the inn. A hand burst through the door and ripped it from its hinges. There stood Lao, as good and (un)alive as ever.
"Say, for example, myself and my family," said Lao. He advanced on Keitaro, drawing a katana from under his cloak. Keitaro found himself paralyzed, unable to do anything. He willed his muscles to move or run or even fight back but they refused to obey. If anything, the more he tried to move, the more cemented in place he was.
"I wonder if the Yama-Kings of Hell will be able to come up with a punishment fit for you… I'm sure they'll find something that will justly punish you for your crimes."
Lao drew back and attacked, the katana lashing out, about to make contact with Keitaro and presumably kill him. However, the sword never hit Keitaro. Instead, it crashed against another sword, one that was held by Motoko. At the last moment, she had leapt in front of Keitaro and blocked the blow.
A cruel, piercing laugh erupted from Lao. "Well done, child…" he whispered. "Urashima's whores are well trained."
At this, Motoko lost all control. She spiraled into a fury and attacked recklessly, forgetting all of her training. This was what Lao had been aiming for; to make Motoko become careless in her anger. He effortlessly deflected each sword strike, not even bothering to counterattack or even hold his sword with two hands.
Keitaro's muscles finally moved and he took a hesitant step forward. Lao had been influencing his body, he realized. Now that his attention was elsewhere, though, Keitaro could move. Suddenly, a small flash near Lao's wrist caught Keitaro's eye. A knife, he realized. One pointed at Motoko's stomach, he realized again.
Keitaro moved suddenly, and without thinking. As Lao thrust the knife forward, ready to slash Motoko without her knowing it, Keitaro put his hand out in the path of the blade. The knife ripped through his hand, splattering blood on both him and Motoko and she and Lao immediately stopped fighting.
Lao laughed again. "So, you have some semblance of honor left, Urashima? And some semblance of your skills…" He pulled the knife back out of Keitaro hand and smiled at both Motoko and Keitaro. "But what about this one, I wonder?"
In an instant, Lao's foot jutted out violently like a streak of lighting and slammed Keitaro into the wall. The next second he did the same to Motoko. Both groaned and attempted to get up one their own but it was only when Naru and Shinobu rushed to help that they were able to.
"Now, we may do this one of two ways," said Lao. "The easy way and the hard way. The easy way is where Urashima comes outside with me and I kill him."
Kaolla raised her hand. "Hard way," she said.
Lao smiled evilly. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," answered Kaolla.
From under his cloak, Lao pulled out a submachine gun. He smiled. "Say hello to the hard way."
The same thought possessed everyone at that instant: Run. They all flew up the stairs as fast as their legs could carry them. Lao calmly advanced and began to open fire, letting the bullet's steak carelessly about, not actually hitting any of his targets.
"To… my room!" Kaolla managed to yell. No one had any better ideas at that moment and anything that would get them away from the crazy Chinese guy with a machine gun was welcome.
The girls and Keitaro turned a corner abruptly and stumbled into Kaolla's room. Kaolla and Sarah disappeared into the jungle that grew there. A moment later, they returned. Kaolla carried a small device with a blinking red light.
"Captain, assemble your men! On the double!" she yelled into the device. Suddenly, whirring noises erupted from the jungle.
Machine soldiers began pouring out from all corners of Kaolla's room. For the most part, it seemed as though Kaolla had copied several American sci-fi movies and to a movie buff who was familiar with such films as Terminator and Star Wars, the robots would've looked quiet familiar.
The machines assembled in neat lines of five in front of Kaolla. There were four lines in all, giving a total number of twenty robots. The one closest to Kaolla stepped forward and saluted.
"Ma'am, we are ready for the mission briefing," it said in an emotionless and monotone voice.
"Alright, said Kaolla. "There's a guy out there-" Kaolla pointed to the hallway. "With a gun. You have to kill him. Got it?"
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," replied the robot. It turned to its comrades and pointed towards the hallway. "Move out!"
The robotic soldiers marched out of the room and into the hallway in neat lines, followed by everyone else, curious to see how it would all end.
The robots met Lao half way through the hallway. He was walking along casually, occasionally breaking a window or too. However, as the robots got into a formation, he stopped in his tracks.
"What… Is… This…?" he said, puzzled.
"Fire!" yelled Sarah suddenly. The robots all opened fire, spreading machine gun bullets everywhere and making Lao's earlier destruction look relatively benign.
Lao himself dashed forward into the hail of bullets. Several struck him, but they had little effect as he drew his katana and ripped apart two robots with a single slice. His submachine gun was firing again and in a second, he had broken through their lines. He jumped into the air, putting his foot through one and drove his katana into another behind him. He flung the one his foot was embedded in at two more robots, knocking them into a wall.
The carnage was over in a few seconds. The smoking remains of twenty robots lay scattered in the hallway. Lao had been shot perhaps five hundred times but he didn't seem to be phased. Now, he pointed his gun at the Hinata Inn residents.
"Now, we can finish this," he growled and depressed the trigger. As the bullets erupted from his gun, Keitaro threw himself in front of the girls. The bullets impacted on his chest and arms and face, causing blood to spurt out but otherwise doing little harm to him. As Lao's magazine emptied, Keitaro shook himself like a dog trying to dry himself and the bullets clattered to the ground.
"Hmm… I expect that. To a degree, of course…" smiled Lao. "But now, I really do tire of this game. I so wish you had taken the easy way." Lao reached into his pocket and this time revealed a hand grenade. Plucked the pin and tossed it at Keitaro's feet.
No one did anything for a few seconds. Then, the girls plus Keitaro panicked and charged around, scattering themselves through the house. As they ran, an explosion ripped through and destroyed the section of the hall where they had been.
Keitaro and Naru both happened to scamper off in the same direction. They ran as fast as their legs could humanly (well… for Naru, at least) carry them. Keitaro stopped suddenly and charged into Motoko's room as they passed it.
"Keitaro, what are you doing? If…" said Naru as she looked in. She saw Keitaro with several pieces of underwear adorning him. He ignored those, however, as he kept searching frantically for something.
"Kei… ta….ro…" muttered Naru. She decked him and he crashed into the floor. Suddenly, he stood back up, clutching a sword.
"I found it! I knew Motoko had another sword around here somewhere!" he exclaimed.
"What are you going to do with it, though?" asked Naru.
"Well… Fight Lao," said Keitaro a bit slowly.
"Fight… Lao…" repeated Naru. She then grew angry. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You saw what he did! There's no way you can stop him! Let Motoko-chan fight him or Kaolla get out the heavy artillery or-"
"No…" said Keitaro. "This is my fight. His problem is with me, it's my duty to see that all is reconciled. I should've gone out and fought him earlier and not gotten everyone involved!"
"Don't be an idiot Keitaro!" yelled Naru. She grabbed him by the shoulder as he tried to leave the room. "Stop acting like a samurai! Stop acting like… Motoko-chan! Just act like Keitaro! You've been acting weird ever since you came back. You know it and I know it and you know that we both hate it. So stop it!"
"Naru…" said Keitaro quietly. "I can't just… Turn it off. The thing is in the back of my head, tormenting me… I can't help but act differently."
"Keitaro…" said Naru softly. "You could go to a doctor about it or something…"
Keitaro laughed. "You think a doctor would be able to solve this?"
"No… But maybe you'd feel better about yourself! I meant a psychologist…"
"We can't. I don't have enough money for anything like that and-"
"I'd help pay for it!" insisted Naru.
Keitaro smiled. "I'll think about it. But for now…"
"…you're going to play samurai?" asked Naru.
Keitaro shrugged. He picked up a piece of cloth that he had tossed around while looking for the sword and wrapped it around his waist. He stuck the katana through and tied the small strings to the cloth.
"Urashima is a samurai name, you know," said Keitaro quietly.
"Yes…" came a cold voice. "Yes, it is."
Lao strode into the room, katana drawn. In a single, fluid movement, Keitaro drew his own sword and pushed Naru to the side. He dashed forward, heels sliding across the floor. Lao threw himself forward and they swords met with such speed that they flew sparks as the blade slid across each other.
The duel commenced. Lao immediately went on the offensive, pushing back Keitaro with strong slices that nearly knocked the blade from his hands. However, Keitaro managed to parry one of Lao blows finally and he spun, slashing Lao's shoulder opened as he did.
A blood curdling scream left Lao's lips as Keitaro realized that he had cut through bone. The arm itself hung on only by an inch or two of muscle and skin.
"You… bastard!" Lao kicked Keitaro hard in the stomach suddenly and knocked him to the ground. With his one good arm, Lao raised his sword above Keitaro, ready to deal the killing blow.
Naru, however, had different plans. She pulled back her fist and without warning, knocked Lao into the air. Before he could hit the ground, she spin-kicked him through the roof. She reached out her hand to Keitaro and helped him stand.
"Narusegawa is a samurai name also," she said as she winked at him.
"Thanks," he grinned. Then, as though the wing lifted him, Keitaro flew through the hole in the ceiling and landed on the roof to continue the duel. Naru, meanwhile, left the room to see if she could round up reinforcements for Keitaro.
On the roof, Keitaro faced Lao whose arm had healed. They both stood at ready till finally Lao charged, swinging his katana. Their swords collided again, sending a shower of sparks up. Lao was quick to try and disable Keitaro this time. One of his blows which had seemed to have been aimed for his chest slashed across Keitaro's wrist. Keitaro cried out and Lao leapt back.
Keitaro dropped his katana and grabbed at his wrist. He quickly began healing the wound, concentrating energy on causing the flesh to meld together. As he did so, Lao marched confidently towards Keitaro.
"Well, Urashima, it seems you've lost your sword. Now for you to lose your head."
Lao swung and his sword ripped through the air to slash Keitaro's neck. Instead, it cut through about a centimeter of skin before the blade stopped. It seemed as though Keitaro's neck was made of steel. He smiled grimly.
"Don't count on it…" Keitaro grabbed the sword by the point and ripped it out of Lao's hands. He tossed it off the roof and kicked the Chinese's legs out from under him.
Both of the combatants struggled to their feet. Lao grinned at Keitaro. Changes slowly took place of him… Keitaro watched in horror as Lao's skin appeared to be lit on fire. He instantly grew two extra feet and his skin became grey and cracked. Lao's fingers formed into claws and his face deformed, becoming slightly pig-like.
The demon advanced on Keitaro, laughing slightly. Keitaro, on the other hand, was really too shocked to do anything. As Lao continued towards him, instinct kicked in. Concentrating, Keitaro focused the Yang Chi of his body as one of the texts he had said to do. He slowly inhaled a breath and when Lao was but six feet away from him, Keitaro let it out violently.
The breath turned into fire instantly and scalded Lao. He fell through the hole in the roof screaming and Keitaro followed him. Lao transformed back into his normal state and roared with rage.
Vampire grappled with vampire as the two fell on each other and thus began a vicious struggles of clawing and biting. Keitaro's fangs grew to nearly two inches and he the Yin Chi of his body formed into poison that was injected into each of his bites. Lao, on the other hand, retained his claws and ripped away at Keitaro savagely.
As the rolled around on the floor, one of Keitaro's fists slammed into Lao's chest and the heavy blow knocked him back. The Japanese struggled to his feet and focused his mind on the Chinese man lying on the ground, struggling to get up. Keitaro focused his mind and his soul on Lao. All the anger and all the frustration and the guilt he had since becoming a vampire. Keitaro brought all of it to the surface of his soul and thrust it into Lao.
The effect was extraordinary. Lao rolled around on the floor as though he were in a fitful sleep. He screamed, cried, gnashed his teeth, and pulled at his hair. Keitaro showed no mercy, transforming the things that had been gnawing at him for over a week into a demon of the soul that tormented Lao relentlessly.
Finally, in an act of defiance, Lao hurled himself across the floor. He struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the window, and with his last amount of strength before insanity full took him, he pushed himself out the window.
Keitaro was sure he had one. As he walked to the window to make sure that Lao was dead, he began adding up how much it would cost to fix everything. He peered out the window and by the moonlight, he looked into the darkness for Lao. He was not laying on the ground.
"Uh oh…" muttered Keitaro. He looked up and saw Lao hovering serenely. The Chinese man smiled and let himself fall. As he did, he thrust out his claws and raked them over Keitaro's face, rending the flesh and bones away from him. Keitaro screamed in rage and leapt out the window after Lao.
As that transpired, Naru gathered up the girls and got them under a tree not far from where Keitaro and Lao were. She explained to them quickly what had happened. Motoko immediately insisted that she aid Keitaro in fighting Lao while Kaolla suggested that they give her a few minutes to assemble a giant attack Tama-chan and have Sarah pilot it. Even Kitsune offered to pour her liquor over Lao, so that they could light him on fire.
"No, no, no… Lao is too strong. Trust me, Keitaro's the only one who can handle this. We have to stay out of the way," insisted Naru. She hated herself for saying it. She wanted to be next to Keitaro, helping him, but doing so would surely result in her death.
"Stand by and let Keitaro get killed?!" yelled Kitsune. "Not on your life! Kaolla, think you can rig a up a few flamethrowers? I feel like roast vampire!"
"Roast vampire!" yelled Kaolla enthusiastically. "Is that delicious?"
Ktisune grinned. "Victory is always sweet!"
"Victory!" yelled Sarah, giving the classic V-sign.
Motoko scowled. "You three can make your flamethrowers. I will help Urashima kill that… Thing. It won't be able to stand up to two of us.
"It did before…" muttered Kitsune.
"What did you say?" yelled Motoko angrily.
"I said-"
"Enough!" shouted Naru. "This isn't getting us anywhere! We have to-"
"Naru-senpai…" said Shinobu suddenly. She was wringing her hands together and staring at the ground.
"Shinobu-chan?" asked Naru.
"Well…" said Shinobu hesitantly. "If Lao-san is a vampire… Then could we tie him up outside and wait till sunrise? It's only a few hours and if we stun him…"
No one said anything. Shinobu shook her head violently.
"I'm sorry, it was a stupid idea but I'm so worried about Urashima-senpai and…"
"No, Shinobu-chan!" exclaimed Kitsune. "It's a great idea! Kaolla-chan, Sarah-chan, can you two fix up a stun ray?"
"Of course we can!"
At that moment, Keitaro charged towards them with Lao hot on his tails. He tackled Keitaro and the two rolled around on the ground, clawing and biting like animals. Lao grabbed Keitaro by the shoulders and threw him forward, towards the girls.
The next few seconds were something of a blur. Keitaro crashed into Naru and they both fell down. By mistake, however, one of his claws ripped across her left cheek. Naru cried out and clutched her cheek as the blood flowed freely.
Lao crawled forward and grabbed Keitaro by the collar of his ripped sweater. He lifted Keitaro into the air and was about to throw him when Motoko drew her sword and slashed a deep cut into Lao's side.
Screaming loudly, Lao dropped Keitaro. As Keitaro fell, he kicked Lao in the stomach. Lao groaned and pitched forward. He attacked Motoko suddenly, and it was all she could do to block his quick and fierce attacks.
He would have to get Lao away from the girls, Keitaro realized. He grabbed Lao from behind and flung him as far as he could. However, Lao had grabbed Motoko's katana out of her hands at the last second and she now found herself unarmed. This produced the predictable reaction. Motoko attempted to run blindly after Keitaro and Lao to get her sword back and Kitsune, Naru, Shinobu, Kaolla, and Sarah jumped on her to restrain her.
"I… Must… Get it back!" groaned Motoko as she struggled to free herself.
"No!" yelled Naru. "You'll only get killed! I'm sure Keitaro will bring it back for you!"
Meanwhile, the fight between Keitaro and Lao continued. Lao had the upper hand, being armed but Keitaro spat fire at him like a dragon. Their bodies clashed in a perpetual duel for survival. Each lost all comprehension of time as their minds died and they simply fought on.
Then, it began to rain.
It should be explained that the gods show favoritism constantly, be it in their own way. As Keitaro and Lao fought, the August Personage of Jade (as the gods are called) smiled upon him. Perhaps it was how valiantly he had fought for his friends or because of the power he displayed or even because of how much Shinobu liked him. But, either way, the gods took note of the battle and decided to "subtly" interfere. That is, it began to rain very hard. Anyone who says the gods don't have a sense of humor is lying.
The two fighters sloshed around blindly in the mud. Not long after the rain began, the mud had turned up and it was no impossible to walk without slipping and falling flat in the mud. That and Keitaro and Lao were both tired to a spectacular degree.
"Keitaro!"
Keitaro looked around dazedly. Lao wasn't in sight.
"Keitaro!"
Who could be calling him?
"Keitaro!"
Maybe Naru?
Suddenly, something hit Keitaro over the head. He spun and saw Haruka standing there. She held a six foot long yari. Keitaro stared at the weapon and then at Haruka and then back at the weapon.
"Oba-san…" mumbled Keitaro.
"Haruka-san," his aunt said tiredly.
"The spear…?" asked Keitaro stupidly. Haruka held it out for him. When Keitaro didn't take it, she took one of his hands and wrapped it around the spear shaft.
"Let's just say Seta-san is a bit confused about what to get a girl for her birthday. Okay?"
Keitaro nodded dumbly as his aunt said something else he didn't hear. She left and he looked at the weapon in his hands.
Finally, something in his head clicked. He was armed again and Lao was out there, dazed and rolling around in the mud. He could end this easily.
And so Keitaro set out, looking for Lao. He hadn't long to look for Lao was hunting him as well.
"Urashima… This fight has gone on far too long…" groaned Lao. They faced each other, bathed in the pale moonlight. "I will end it now!"
With renewed vigor, Lao charged forward recklessly, Motoko's sword raised above his head. Keitaro made no move to dodge or block. He let Lao slash his chest, ripping through his ribs. As Lao winded up for a second blow, Keitaro struck.
He just thrust the spear through Lao's breast and that was it. The Chinese man fell to the ground, paralyzed. Keitaro pushed the spear deeper through Lao, through his heart, pinning him to the ground. He was still alive, that Keitaro knew. He would be alive for another few hours till sunrise when his body would rot. But, frankly, that didn't bother Keitaro as he picked up Motoko's katana.
Back under their tree, the girls sat, waiting. Naru ran a finger over the bandage across her cheek for the sixteenth time. Kaolla and Sarah had attempted to build a stun gun but apparently Kaolla had used up the needed parts on her robots and they were too mangled to salvage anything. Kitsune's liquor plan might've worked except for the rain. So, instead, she lay sipping sake, drowning her worries.
"My sword…" whispered Motoko softly as she had been doing for the past hour. Finally, Naru erupted at her.
"How can you be worried about a stupid sword?! Keitaro could be dead for all we know! You can get a new sword but we won't be able to get a new Keitaro! So-"
"That sword has been in my family for generations…" said Motoko blandly. "It was custom built for my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather…"
"We'll find you another sword that's even older. But for now, try and think of a way to help Keitaro!"
"Yes…" said Motoko sighing. "I'll keep thinking of a way to help Ura… Keitaro."
"Don't worry about it."
Everyone looked up to the source of the voice. There stood Keitaro, covered in mud and blood. He was holding himself up with Motoko's sword. He smiled at them painfully.
"Motoko-chan… I wasn't able to save the scabbard," he said as he offered the sword to Motoko. He smiled again and passed out. Like lighting, Naru dashed forward and caught him.
"He needs blood," commented Motoko. They all sat around a sleeping Keitaro. They had cleaned him up the best they could but his cuts hadn't yet healed. According to Motoko, they wouldn't until he got blood.
"But, if he's not awake to suck anyone's blood…" said Kitsune.
Motoko ignored the comment. She took a tanto from her robes and very carefully made a small, slight incision in her wrist. It was such that she could push enough blood out at once but could close it if things go out of control.
Motoko tilted Keitaro's head back and put her wrist to his mouth. She pushed against the cut, allowing the blood to flow into his mouth. She kept at it for five minutes till she could give no more. She wrapped a bandage around the wound and turned to Shinobu.
"Would you make some tea and bring out some cookies?" asked Motoko, looking very pale. Shinobu nodded dutifully and went to work immediately. Motoko turned back to look at Keitaro only to see Naru's wrist thrust out in front of her.
"I'll be next."
"Then me," put in Kitsune.
"Me next!" said Kaolla.
"I wanna' go after her!" said Sarah.
"I'll go last!" called Shinobu from the kitchen.
In the end, each of them gave blood to Keitaro. They took him to the basement, wrapped him in blankets and he slept there. Naru insisted on staying down next to him and no one argued with her.
As Naru lay down next to Keitaro, putting her arms around him, he whispered something to her.
"I remember something. I remembered who I was named after…"
"Your grandfather, right?" Naru whispered back.
"No… One of my ancestors… A samurai, Urashima Keitaro, who was a diplomat to China. Do you think… He was the one Lao was searching for?"
Naru shook her head. "No, he was just crazy. I'm sure of it." Naru hugged Keitaro closer to her and rested her head on his cheek. They fell asleep there. And the August Personage of Jade smiled.
End of Part Two
Author's Notes:
16 pages . That's a lot for one part… Ahem. Anyway, the few notes…
First off, this isn't actually the original part two. The original one I wrote was deemed by myself not that great and so I wrote this one instead which I feel is a thousand times superior. If you would like to read the un-released part two, e-mail me and I'll send it to you. In my opinion, it's much more depressing…
Anyway, I apologize for not getting this up sooner. I had intended to spend a week working on it and then post it. Instead, FF.net's servers went down. But, like I said, I had a chance to re-do it so all is well.
Also, a few people wondered about the depressing-ness of the story and whether or not Keitaro would be cured. First, depending on how things go, the story will get more depressing. But it will also get very lighthearted at times. Second, there is no cure for being a vampire. The exception is Enlightenment which is ungodly hard to acquire as a human and even more so as Kuei-jin. When a Kuei-jin becomes enlightened, not only does he become human again, he becomes a sort of living god, able to understand perfectly whatever is said or unsaid. Something like that.
Finally, a Chinese jian is a traditional straight sword. A Japanese yari is a traditional spear. Examples of both can be found at www.by-the-sword.com
And yes, Chapter Seven's quote is indeed from M*A*S*H. The show has too many good quotes… I was close to using Hawkeye's "I Will Not Carry a Gun" speech….
And so, that closes this chapter of Blood Hina. The next chapter? Either Sarah's parents come to get her and she goes to Keitaro for help… Or another Kuei-jin arrives. This one much more friendly than our buddy Lao…