The world returned it bits and pieces to Lazaraus as he lay on the mat in Keitaro's room. At first all he could feel was the mat beneath him but could not still hear or see anything. Then his hearing returned and he was able to make out the voices of both Keitaro and Motoko the beautiful maiden which had struck him down, and the voices of several beautiful women. Then after what seemed an eternity he was family able to see, at first it was only in colorless blobs but slowly shapes began from within the murkiness.
"Hey Laz, I'm so sorry about that whole thing back there, I should have warned you about that, Motoko tends to get a little over excited when it comes to protecting the Hinata Sou." came Keitaro's familiar smile, followed by his friendly yet somehow always goofy looking grin which Lazaraus had not seen in a very long time. "Hey don't worry about it man, it was an honor to fight such a skilled and beautiful fighter as her." Lazaraus commented hoping that his Japanese could be heard from amongst his thick accent. "Hey, your Japanese is pretty good." came another voice from across the room. Lazaraus turned to see who it was and saw that both Naru and Shinobu had also been in the room while he was out and it was Shinobu who had made the comment about his Japanese. Lazaraus felt truly flattered and wanted to express in the only that he knew how, rising from the mat Lazaraus slowly made his way towards the place where both girls sat with there mouths wide open looking up at a giant of a man that now made his way towards them and not been able to do anything but stand there and stare.
Stopping only a few inches from where both girls sat Lazaraus gracefully bowed and spoke in the most elegant voice that he could muster, " Thank you very much, I am honored that you would my third rate Japanese is any good think." He said looking directly in the young's girls eyes as she did so, as Shinobu sat there, all she could was blush, she stopped looking at his face and now could do nothing more but stare at this chest. Lazaraus was very curious to now exactly why she was so intent on starring at that one place, and looked down at his chest, to find much to his surprise that he was wearing no shirt at all.
Quickly rising from his bow, a slight blush on his face, he tried to apologize but found himself unable to speak, something which he found very peculiar indeed. He had never been one to be shy but somehow as he stared into Shinobu's eyes he found himself at a loss for words for the first time in his life. "Umm… well this is strange how exactly did I end up with no shirt one." He raised a questioning eyebrow and turned to face Keitaro who had the answer plastered all over his face like a bad rash. "OK, I never you cared so much." Lazaraus said to Keitaro his lopsided grin returning to his face as he crossed his arm over his bare chest. "Umm…Ummm…" were the only things that Keitaro was able to answer, and Lazaraus could not help but burst into a deep and powerful that seemed to shake the entire house around him.
"Don't worry about it my old friend, I am only teasing, I know that your heart beats for someone else." Lazaraus answered as he scanned the room around him trying to find his shirt. "Umm.. I don't want to be a bad guest or anything but where exactly is my shirt?" Lazaraus asked to no one in particular. "That is a beautiful tattoo, who is it?" asked a very timid voice from behind him. Lazaraus turned around quickly recognizing the questioning voice answered instantly, " I have always had a passion for beautiful woman, swords, and tattoos so I thought, why not combine the three?" he shrugged at Motoko who stood blushing shyly at him his black silk dress shirt folded neatly between her arms.
"Well do tell you the truth I saw it a dream once, a beautiful naked women with white skin, obsidian black eyes and hair, her arms hanging seductively at her sides, in her right arm she held a long Japanese Katana shimmering brightly from some unseen light, an equally black snake's body wrapped seductively between her legs across her stomach and around her chest, rising to the head of a cobra, its hood outstretch bearing its deadly fangs, his eyes red like blood, his large poetic, black angel's wing outstretched behind him, as if he were about to take the maiden to some far away place." As Lazaraus spoke, as one single tear ran down Motoko's cheek. Everyone in the room noticed what had happened but decided that it was best not to say anything. It was Lazaraus who finally broke the silence, "You are welcome to examine it closer when ever you like." He spoke softly to Motoko as he took his shirt back from her and placed it back on himself.
Every one held there breath as Lazaraus spoke expecting Motoko to take a swing at him because of what he had said to her, but she simply stood there and looked at him, unable to say anything and unable to understand why. "What am I doing" she asked herself as she continued to loose herself in his eyes.
This time it was Keitaro who broke the silence in the room "Perhaps we should go down to the living room for some tea?" he asked starting to make his way quickly to the door. "Yeah that sounds like a great idea." Added Shinobu and Naru as they both rose quickly from where they had been sitting and quickly followed Keitaro path to the door, "Yeah that sounds like a great idea." Blushed Motoko, bowing her head no longer able to look Lazaraus in the eye, hating herself for even blushing at this stranger. The entire group made there away down the stairs and into the kitchen, leaving Lazaraus alone in the room above. "This is sure going to be one hell of a trip." He smiled to himself as he made his way slowly down the stairs and towards the living room.
*Author's Note*- I hope that this spacing scheme is much better to the eyes that the first chapter of the story was, I was just so time tried from taking finals at the time that I didn't have the energy to fix the darn thing, well as always R&R and hope that you all enjoy, my attempt at being an anime author!