GOMEN!!! ~bows multiple times~ I had projects last week and this week I had
exams and . . . I had no inspiration so . . . there was no update until now
^^; here's the chapter!
Chapter 20: The Past Part 2
[Kage's POV]
"Oy . . . what are you doing??"
I smirked and pulled out the chunk of golden metal that punk had stuck in me. Their eyes, wide in their shocked faces, faded from my vision. The cool metal came out raggedly.
Red. Voices shouting. Pain.
"What's this bastard's problem??"
I opened my eyes, feeling a glowing warmth spread through my body. "Wh . . what?" That bitch. That bitch was kneeling by me, her hands hovering above my chest, her eyes half-closed in concentration. 'What the fuck does she think she's doing?' I smirked. 'They're fools, letting her get this close . . How could I let her live when she's one of the fucking main causes of all this?'
I clenched and unclenched my hand. My smirk widened into a grin.
"Don't even think about it," a cold voice cut in. I looked up and the punk was looking down at me, his reformed madougu blade ready to stab down. I froze, my grin glued on my face.
"Explain, Kage," Recca said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Why do you want to hurt Hime? Why are you trying to destroy all the madougus?" I sneered at him, as his princess gracefully stood up from my side and moved to him. That bitch.
'She's the one . . . it's because of her . . .'
[Flashback]
"Urabutosatojin . . .?" I murmured, looking up at Father. "What's that . . .?" He looked at the paper, not replying. I tugged at his shirt. "Ne, Otou-san, what does it say?" He pushed me away gently and left the room. I turned to my brother, who was leaning against the wall. "Nii-chan, do you know . . . what the Urabutosatojin is?"
He was silent a moment, then straightened and cleared his throat. "The Urabutosatojin. It's a fighting tournament." I looked at him. He was taller than me by two heads, his black hair was spiked up and his bangs covered his eyes. His baggy black jeans and red vest didn't fit in with the room, which was plain and traditionally simple.
"Fighting tournament? What do we have to do with a fighting tournament?" I asked. He didn't reply. "Ne, Nii-chan! Do you know? Why~"
"Madougu."
Both my brother and I turned to look up at Otou-san, who had re- entered the room silently. He was dressed in a brown kimono, similar to mine. His black hair was untidy, and his face, which usually was smiling or peaceful, was grim.
"Otou-san . . .?" My gaze flew to his hand. He gripped a small, black orb in his right hand. "What's that?"
He raised the orb to his eyelevel and gazed into it for a moment, before glancing at me and meeting my eyes. "A madougu. Kage. Shadow." I gaped up at it, at the black swirling inside of the globe, and how he held darkness in the palm of his hand.
"It's just a heirloom, am I right?" Nii-chan asked, taking a step towards us. Otou-san was silent. "Give it to them." Otou-san looked up, surprised. "Why risk your life for something so trivial? Just give it to them!"
"I can't."
"Why??"
[A/N= Otou-san: "Because . . . its my preeecioous . . .Gollum gollum." . . . gomen I couldn't resist! ~sweatdrops~ just watched the 3rd movie . . .]
"It . . . belongs with the family. . ."
"What sort of stupid answer is that??" Nii-chan shouted, striding forward and grabbing the front of Otou-san's shirt. "Who cares?? You'd rather die and lose your family then give up that thing?"
I had never seen Nii-chan that angry . . or seen him angry at Otou- san before. But then . . . why couldn't Otou-san just give up the ball? If the people who made this fighting tournament wanted it . . . and he could be killed . . . why just not give it up?
"It belongs in our family, that's all I'll say for now," Otou-san growled, knocking Nii-chan away. "I'm not asking you to fight for it. I'll do it myself." Nii-chan's eyes narrowed but Otou-san turned and stormed out of the room. Nii-chan was silent, staring at where Otou-san had been standing. I saw him clench his fists tightly and was scared to talk to him.
"Ne . . . Nii-chan?"
"Not now, Makoto," he said flatly. I could practically hear him grinding his teeth together, stopping himself from running after Otou-san. I nodded and quietly left the room. I ran into Otou-san, who was quietly arguing with Okaa-san.
"Yoshimi, I have to do this," Otou-san said, gripping the orb tightly. She looked up at him. "You know what it means to me, to my father."
"But . . Kazuo . . ." Okaa-san murmured, looking torn. "Why do you have to go?"
"I showed you the letter," Otou-san replied, nodding to the paper clutched in her hand. "I rarely have found reason to resort to violence, but now I have. I can't give up the madougu . . . and I can't give you up . . . If I refuse they'll come for it anyway . ." They both noticed me simultaneously, Otou-san with a frown that rarely would crease his face, and Okaa-san with an 'O' of surprise. They both turned to me, Okaa-san giving Otou-san a look, before coming up to and hugging me.
"Makoto, come help me with the dinner, okay?" She smiled at me and I tried to smile back. What I had heard made my mind reel and I didn't notice Nii-chan entering the room.
"Otou-san, don't tell me you're going to do it."
"Yukio . . ." Otou-san sounded pained. "Please, you have to understand . . ."
"How can I understand when you haven't explained anything to me??" Nii-chan shouted, loosing his temper. He lost his temper a lot, but usually it was with me, or his friends. Never to Otou-san or Okaa-san . . . "It has to be something important, for you to drop this 'I will do no harm' pose and want to join a killing tournament! So why don't you tell us?"
"But . . . Makoto~" Otou-san began. I didn't like it when he did that . . . looked down on me because of my age I mean. Okaa-san always said that I was grown up for my age, Otou-san never did. He was good and usually understanding about everything, except for that.
"Otou-san! I'm thirteen! Don't treat me like a little kid! I . . . I'll help you!" The idea suddenly appeared. "You don't have to fight by yourself, I'll help you, so you don't have to give up Okaa-san or your heirloom!"
Then Nii-chan hit me. I heard Okaa-san's gasp and Nii-chan's grunt as his punch connected. I stumbled backward a few steps but kept my balance. Lifting a hand to my face, I looked at Nii-chan. Of course, we had brawled and wrestled throughout the years, but . . .
"You idiot! You don't know what you're talking about! This is the Urabutosatojin!" Nii-chan shouted, looking angrier than I had seen him before. "You'll get killed! You're just a kid! You won't stand a chance there!"
We all turned to look at Nii-chan with surprise.
"Yukio . . ."
"What?" He frowned at our expressions and crossed his arms. "Damn, yeah I know about the Urabutosatojin." His frown deepened. "That's why I don't want Otou-san going there, I know how bad it is."
"Sou ka . . . But . . . I'm sorry Yukio, if I don't go, they'll come for my Madougu anyway," Otou-san said, looking at the orb.
"How can you be so certain?"
Otou-san nodded slightly to Okaa-san, while folding his arms into the sleeves of his kimono. "Read it . ." Nii-chan took the paper from Okaa- san's outstretched hand and unfolded it, smoothing out the wrinkles left in it by her tight grip. I inched away from Okaa-san and peered at the paper until Nii-chan lowered it so I could read.
[The letter]
To Hasegawa Kazuo:
I have discovered that you have a certain Madougu in your possession. Rumors of your father using it in battle have reached me. My father has certain interests in madougus, owning several himself. I invite you to the Urabutosatojin. Being the son of the renowned Hasegawa Reizo, I'm certain you will enjoy testing your skills against fighters from across Japan.
However much you enjoy yourself, I must inform you that there are two rules. One is the losing team of a fight must surrender their madougus, and the second is that each team must hold something on the line. If a team was to lose, they will lose that object. This is to insure that everyone fights to his or her fullest potential and the fights will be more exhilarating.
While in most cases, a team may chose their own 'hostage', and I use the term loosely, special cases must bring to the Urabutosatojin dome, a required person. My father requires that your hostage is Hasegawa Yoshimi.
Another letter will be sent to you shortly.
Mori Kurei
TBC
If the names are dumb . . . I'm sorry ~sweatdrops~ and if the letter sucked . . like it didn't explain why Kazuo reacted that way . . . sorry again! ^^; I think they'll be a part 3 . . . I meant for part 2 to be longer but I couldn't get it out fast enough . . sorry!!
To all reviewers . . . ~grins~ thanks for the reviews!
Midnightloner: if you have to wait too long for updates . . . email me and bug me ^^; cause sometimes I forgot to update . . . hope you did well on your test!
Emily: thanks ^^; um, I just updated . . . sorry it took so long ~sweatdrops~
Yami no tenshi: oh . . . I didn't talk about the scars on his wrist because I forgot not everyone reads the manga ^^; in the manga, underneath the cloth on Koganei's wrist was a 'suicide scar'. Before he met Kurei, Koganei was an orphan, and he stole a knife and cut his wrist, and he was afraid . . . while he was cutting his wrist Kurei came up, slapped him, and bandaged his wrist with a cloth (handkerchief?) and told Koganei to come with him. And, Koganei didn't feel afraid so followed Kurei from then on . . . I think it's the same cloth but I'm not sure. . . and the golden metal thingymabob ^^; was supposed to be the parts of the kougon anki (because it broke apart and stabbed into kage, it's still in him ^^;) just keep on asking questions if you have them :P if u want, I can scan pictures from the manga to help explain (scar + golden thingymabobs :P)
Chapter 20: The Past Part 2
[Kage's POV]
"Oy . . . what are you doing??"
I smirked and pulled out the chunk of golden metal that punk had stuck in me. Their eyes, wide in their shocked faces, faded from my vision. The cool metal came out raggedly.
Red. Voices shouting. Pain.
"What's this bastard's problem??"
I opened my eyes, feeling a glowing warmth spread through my body. "Wh . . what?" That bitch. That bitch was kneeling by me, her hands hovering above my chest, her eyes half-closed in concentration. 'What the fuck does she think she's doing?' I smirked. 'They're fools, letting her get this close . . How could I let her live when she's one of the fucking main causes of all this?'
I clenched and unclenched my hand. My smirk widened into a grin.
"Don't even think about it," a cold voice cut in. I looked up and the punk was looking down at me, his reformed madougu blade ready to stab down. I froze, my grin glued on my face.
"Explain, Kage," Recca said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "Why do you want to hurt Hime? Why are you trying to destroy all the madougus?" I sneered at him, as his princess gracefully stood up from my side and moved to him. That bitch.
'She's the one . . . it's because of her . . .'
[Flashback]
"Urabutosatojin . . .?" I murmured, looking up at Father. "What's that . . .?" He looked at the paper, not replying. I tugged at his shirt. "Ne, Otou-san, what does it say?" He pushed me away gently and left the room. I turned to my brother, who was leaning against the wall. "Nii-chan, do you know . . . what the Urabutosatojin is?"
He was silent a moment, then straightened and cleared his throat. "The Urabutosatojin. It's a fighting tournament." I looked at him. He was taller than me by two heads, his black hair was spiked up and his bangs covered his eyes. His baggy black jeans and red vest didn't fit in with the room, which was plain and traditionally simple.
"Fighting tournament? What do we have to do with a fighting tournament?" I asked. He didn't reply. "Ne, Nii-chan! Do you know? Why~"
"Madougu."
Both my brother and I turned to look up at Otou-san, who had re- entered the room silently. He was dressed in a brown kimono, similar to mine. His black hair was untidy, and his face, which usually was smiling or peaceful, was grim.
"Otou-san . . .?" My gaze flew to his hand. He gripped a small, black orb in his right hand. "What's that?"
He raised the orb to his eyelevel and gazed into it for a moment, before glancing at me and meeting my eyes. "A madougu. Kage. Shadow." I gaped up at it, at the black swirling inside of the globe, and how he held darkness in the palm of his hand.
"It's just a heirloom, am I right?" Nii-chan asked, taking a step towards us. Otou-san was silent. "Give it to them." Otou-san looked up, surprised. "Why risk your life for something so trivial? Just give it to them!"
"I can't."
"Why??"
[A/N= Otou-san: "Because . . . its my preeecioous . . .Gollum gollum." . . . gomen I couldn't resist! ~sweatdrops~ just watched the 3rd movie . . .]
"It . . . belongs with the family. . ."
"What sort of stupid answer is that??" Nii-chan shouted, striding forward and grabbing the front of Otou-san's shirt. "Who cares?? You'd rather die and lose your family then give up that thing?"
I had never seen Nii-chan that angry . . or seen him angry at Otou- san before. But then . . . why couldn't Otou-san just give up the ball? If the people who made this fighting tournament wanted it . . . and he could be killed . . . why just not give it up?
"It belongs in our family, that's all I'll say for now," Otou-san growled, knocking Nii-chan away. "I'm not asking you to fight for it. I'll do it myself." Nii-chan's eyes narrowed but Otou-san turned and stormed out of the room. Nii-chan was silent, staring at where Otou-san had been standing. I saw him clench his fists tightly and was scared to talk to him.
"Ne . . . Nii-chan?"
"Not now, Makoto," he said flatly. I could practically hear him grinding his teeth together, stopping himself from running after Otou-san. I nodded and quietly left the room. I ran into Otou-san, who was quietly arguing with Okaa-san.
"Yoshimi, I have to do this," Otou-san said, gripping the orb tightly. She looked up at him. "You know what it means to me, to my father."
"But . . Kazuo . . ." Okaa-san murmured, looking torn. "Why do you have to go?"
"I showed you the letter," Otou-san replied, nodding to the paper clutched in her hand. "I rarely have found reason to resort to violence, but now I have. I can't give up the madougu . . . and I can't give you up . . . If I refuse they'll come for it anyway . ." They both noticed me simultaneously, Otou-san with a frown that rarely would crease his face, and Okaa-san with an 'O' of surprise. They both turned to me, Okaa-san giving Otou-san a look, before coming up to and hugging me.
"Makoto, come help me with the dinner, okay?" She smiled at me and I tried to smile back. What I had heard made my mind reel and I didn't notice Nii-chan entering the room.
"Otou-san, don't tell me you're going to do it."
"Yukio . . ." Otou-san sounded pained. "Please, you have to understand . . ."
"How can I understand when you haven't explained anything to me??" Nii-chan shouted, loosing his temper. He lost his temper a lot, but usually it was with me, or his friends. Never to Otou-san or Okaa-san . . . "It has to be something important, for you to drop this 'I will do no harm' pose and want to join a killing tournament! So why don't you tell us?"
"But . . . Makoto~" Otou-san began. I didn't like it when he did that . . . looked down on me because of my age I mean. Okaa-san always said that I was grown up for my age, Otou-san never did. He was good and usually understanding about everything, except for that.
"Otou-san! I'm thirteen! Don't treat me like a little kid! I . . . I'll help you!" The idea suddenly appeared. "You don't have to fight by yourself, I'll help you, so you don't have to give up Okaa-san or your heirloom!"
Then Nii-chan hit me. I heard Okaa-san's gasp and Nii-chan's grunt as his punch connected. I stumbled backward a few steps but kept my balance. Lifting a hand to my face, I looked at Nii-chan. Of course, we had brawled and wrestled throughout the years, but . . .
"You idiot! You don't know what you're talking about! This is the Urabutosatojin!" Nii-chan shouted, looking angrier than I had seen him before. "You'll get killed! You're just a kid! You won't stand a chance there!"
We all turned to look at Nii-chan with surprise.
"Yukio . . ."
"What?" He frowned at our expressions and crossed his arms. "Damn, yeah I know about the Urabutosatojin." His frown deepened. "That's why I don't want Otou-san going there, I know how bad it is."
"Sou ka . . . But . . . I'm sorry Yukio, if I don't go, they'll come for my Madougu anyway," Otou-san said, looking at the orb.
"How can you be so certain?"
Otou-san nodded slightly to Okaa-san, while folding his arms into the sleeves of his kimono. "Read it . ." Nii-chan took the paper from Okaa- san's outstretched hand and unfolded it, smoothing out the wrinkles left in it by her tight grip. I inched away from Okaa-san and peered at the paper until Nii-chan lowered it so I could read.
[The letter]
To Hasegawa Kazuo:
I have discovered that you have a certain Madougu in your possession. Rumors of your father using it in battle have reached me. My father has certain interests in madougus, owning several himself. I invite you to the Urabutosatojin. Being the son of the renowned Hasegawa Reizo, I'm certain you will enjoy testing your skills against fighters from across Japan.
However much you enjoy yourself, I must inform you that there are two rules. One is the losing team of a fight must surrender their madougus, and the second is that each team must hold something on the line. If a team was to lose, they will lose that object. This is to insure that everyone fights to his or her fullest potential and the fights will be more exhilarating.
While in most cases, a team may chose their own 'hostage', and I use the term loosely, special cases must bring to the Urabutosatojin dome, a required person. My father requires that your hostage is Hasegawa Yoshimi.
Another letter will be sent to you shortly.
Mori Kurei
TBC
If the names are dumb . . . I'm sorry ~sweatdrops~ and if the letter sucked . . like it didn't explain why Kazuo reacted that way . . . sorry again! ^^; I think they'll be a part 3 . . . I meant for part 2 to be longer but I couldn't get it out fast enough . . sorry!!
To all reviewers . . . ~grins~ thanks for the reviews!
Midnightloner: if you have to wait too long for updates . . . email me and bug me ^^; cause sometimes I forgot to update . . . hope you did well on your test!
Emily: thanks ^^; um, I just updated . . . sorry it took so long ~sweatdrops~
Yami no tenshi: oh . . . I didn't talk about the scars on his wrist because I forgot not everyone reads the manga ^^; in the manga, underneath the cloth on Koganei's wrist was a 'suicide scar'. Before he met Kurei, Koganei was an orphan, and he stole a knife and cut his wrist, and he was afraid . . . while he was cutting his wrist Kurei came up, slapped him, and bandaged his wrist with a cloth (handkerchief?) and told Koganei to come with him. And, Koganei didn't feel afraid so followed Kurei from then on . . . I think it's the same cloth but I'm not sure. . . and the golden metal thingymabob ^^; was supposed to be the parts of the kougon anki (because it broke apart and stabbed into kage, it's still in him ^^;) just keep on asking questions if you have them :P if u want, I can scan pictures from the manga to help explain (scar + golden thingymabobs :P)