~One Way or Another~
~By Demon wind~
Walking the streets alone, a lone black- red hair girl listened to the music from her headphones. Light red shade covered her eyes as she scanned her surroundings. A smile appeared on her full blood red lips, a gaze of curiosity shining through the lens. She had spotted the person she was looking for.
A black hair boy and a blonde hair girl look at something trough a shop window. Recca Hanabishi, the black- hair boy, tried to be interested as Yanagi Sakoshita cling onto his arm. The black- red hair girl stopped behind them and removed both the headphones and the glasses. Recca, sensing her, turned around and looked slightly down into the slender face of the black-red hair girl. She was a head and shoulder shorter than the Hokage Shinobi (Fire- shadow Ninjas). Yanagi turned around to see what Recca was looking at.
It was Yanagi who broke the silence. "Hello little girl, what are you doing wandering around?" She ignored Yanagi and looked straight into Recca's face. To both Recca and Yanagi the girl looked only to be at least 13, but her looks deceived what she really was.
"Recca Hanabishi, is it not?" She asked in a mature musical voice that would have suited someone older.
"Who wants to know," he replied.
"I do. I am Hao Washi of the Raikage Shinobi (Lightning- shadow Ninjas). And I wish to speak you." Hao said gracefully.
"You mean you want to fight." Recca asked. Something caught his eye, a white gold choker with something at the center that looked like a Hokage Ningun talisman.
"Yes, but not now. I will fight you one day that is if you get any stronger Enjutsushi." With that, the small girl left with sudden speed that Recca could not track.
"Recca, what was that all about?" Asked Yanagi worriedly for fear that Recca would get hurt very badly in a fight.
"I don't know princess."
~*~
At Recca and Yanagi's school, Nashikiri High School, Fuko and Domon came up. Fuko asked, "What biting you Hanabishi?"
Domon asked, "Yeah, you look as if you lost a fight."
Putting on a brave face, Recca said, "I didn't lose a fight dog breath. And nothing is bothering me." Recca felled backwards as needle pins strike the desk. "Fuko!"
"Come on Hanabishi, you can't fool us." Fuko said as she put her arm around Yanagi's shoulder. "Yanagi, will you please tell us what's bothering Recca."
"Well, when we were shopping yesterday a weird girl came up and said that Recca was an Enjutsushi, and that she was a Raikage Shinobi."
Domon and Fuko chorus, "Raikage Shinobi?"
"Mr. Hanabishi, Ms. Kirisawa, Mr. Ishijima, I believe that your classes are elsewhere." The teacher said as he walked in. The three- some left.
~*~
Somewhere inside Nashikiri High School, Hao stood beside a teacher's desk as he introduced her to the class. As he did, Hao thought, hmm… I wonder what happen yesterday. I do not remember a thing. Maybe someone has been using my abilities for something…
~*~
After school at Recca's house, Mr. Hanabishi, Recca's father, made fireworks in the back. "Hey, Dad, I'm HOME!" Recca yelled as he walked in the house. There was a light explosion in the back while Recca was yelling. Recca walked to the back and looked at his dad. Mr. Hanabishi was cover in shoot from the explosion. It seems that he was handling gunpowder.
"Yo, dad, what's with the black face?
"YOU IDIOT! How many times do I have to tell you NOT to yell when I'm working with fireworks?"
A new voice intervened, "sorry to interrupted, but I wish to make a purchase." A black- red hair girl stood in the open doorway of the door that leaded outside.
Huh? That voice… Recca turned around as saw himself facing Hao Washi. "YOU! It's you!"
"Umm… Do you know me?" Hao asked as she pointed a finger to herself. "Well, it could be possible. I do have a major bad memory, and sense of direction."
"Don't annoy the customer, Recca." Mr. Hanabishi hit his son on the head. "Now, young lady, what do you wish to purchase?"
"I'm here to buy something?" Both Recca and his dad fell to the ground. "Oh! Yeah! Now where did I put that list?" Hao reached into all her pockets until she pulled out a list and gave it to Mr. Hanabishi.
Mr. Hanabishi raised an eyebrow and said, "All these fireworks are what Shinobi uses."
"They are? How would I know, I'm just following orders."
"Okay, I'll be right back." Mr. Hanabishi left.
"You seriously don't remember me?" Recca asked.
"Don't know? Should I?" Something flash at the base of Hao's neck "Of course I know you; then again, the real Hao doesn't know you. *Giggle*"
"What do you mean 'the real Hao'?"
A sneer crossed her face, "I'm controlling Hao from afar, but that is it for now. I'm waiting for you to become stronger Enjutsushi."
"Damnit how is it that you know so much?"
"Know what?" It seemed that Hao was back to her old self. A sweat drop appeared on Recca's head.
Recca said, "never mind," as Mr. Hanabishi came in with the items in hand.
"Here you go little girl." Mr. Hanabishi said as he handed them to Hao.
With a pout, Hao said, "I'm not little, I'm and high school freshmen." Handing the money to Mr. Hanabishi Hao said, "now that I think about it, I think I heard your name around the school." She looked at Recca and continue, "Everyone says that you a no good slacker obsess with Shinobi." with a bow to Mr. Hanabishi, Hao left.
"I'll have you know that I'm a real Shinobi!' Recca yelled after her.
She turned around and said, "If that's true, then will have to have a fight and see who's stronger. *Giggle*" She left with trace.
Man, she is fast, even without being control. I am going to have to watch out for her.
~*~
"I'm back Kaoru- chan!" Hao said as she entered an apartment that she shared with Kaoru Koganei, a Hokage Shinobi and holder of the (Steel Assassination Instrument), and his family.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me little?" Kaoru said as he tilted in his chair, with the end of a pencil in his mouth, as he did his homework.
"Have you ever told me not to?"
"Forget it, can you help me with this math problem." Kaoru asked as he set his chair on all fours.
"Sure thing." Hao walked over and laid the bag with the fireworks next to the desk. "Here's how you do it…"
~*~
As the days passed by, Recca trained and trained for the big day for the fight. While Recca train, Hao calmly went along the days without the knowledge of the fight to come.
"Great job Ms. Washi, a straight A again. Unlike Mr. Koganei grade F here." The math teacher said as he passed out a test that they took the day before. How was it possible that someone with poor memory can be such a genius?
"How did I fail?" Kaoru mumble to himself.
"Here, let me see." Hao said as she turned around to look at Kaoru. She reached out to take the paper from him; but as she did reached out, their hands touch. Which got a blush out of Kaoru. So like Hao, she did not notice that their hands touch. She laid the paper on the desk and pointed to the first wrong question. "Here is where you mess up; you forgot to do this and that."
What interrupted them was an announcement, "Students, please vacant the school in a calm order. We'll see you all tomorrow" With that, the students left the room, unknowing why they did so. While the others left, Hao lagged behind with Kaoru in front of her. As she was about to leave the room, a light flashed at the base of her neck. She picked up speed and left everyone without catching someone's eye. The only one who noticed was Kaoru; he followed in her tracks with the same speed.
~*~
Hmm… I wonder why they want us to leave the school? Oh well, I go see Yanagi and walk her home. Recca thought and walked out of the classroom.
Seeing Yanagi walking out of her classroom, Recca was about to call out to her, but a voice said behind him, "I don't think that it would be a good idea to get you girlfriend involve in our battle." Everyone left the school but Recca, Hao, and Kaoru.
"You set this up, didn't you?" Recca asked as Kaoru look on unnoticed and confused.
With a sneer Hao said, " of course I did. What else do you expect? Now here are the rules of the game: number one," She held up a finger, "the arena is the school and the school grounds. Number two: use any attack, trick, trap, or weapon. And last, the fight does not end till either Hao or the real me is dead."
The last rule stunned Recca for so long that Hao said, "you don't want to fight to the end, well then, we'll have to raise up the stake. I have your girlfriend tied up somewhere in this school. With her is the real me."
"How do I know that you're not bluffing?"
Another sneer crossed her face. "Here is how," moving a hand to the pocket of the school uniform, she pulled out a cell phone.
She dialed phone number, and someone pick it up right away and a cold, heartless male voice said, "speak to your little Shinobi dear princess."
Yanagi voice came out of the phone, "Recca help me! I'm-"
Hao hung up the phone and said, "now we don't want to ruin the game, now do we? Now you know this is not a bluff. You have 15 minutes to prepare for the fight, and if you even try to find you princess, she will not live to take another breath. Starting now."
"What! How can you do this, you bas-"
"Now, now, you have only 14 minutes left." Recca left to set up his traps as Hao took a sit on a desk that was left outside a classroom.
When Recca left, Kaoru came out of his hiding place. Kaoru removed the pieces to the Kô gon Ankin and connected them all together. He level the sharp blade at Hao's throat and said, "who are you and why are you controlling Hao?!" At the sight of Kaoru, miniature lightning bolts spark from Hao as she regain her true self.
Hao's breath came in short gasps, "what hap- happen, *gulp*, why am I- I so exhausted?" She fell to her knees from fatigue. She had never come out with such force while she was being control, or that she knew that she was being control.
Kaoru dropped the Kô gon Ankin and knell beside Hao. "From what I know is that someone is somehow controlling you and using your body to pick a fight with Recca Hanabishi and that person is hold up somewhere in this school." As Kaoru talked someone came up behind Kaoru and pick him up by the collar of his school jacket..
Domon, Fuko and Tokiya Mikagami stood behind them with Domon holding up Kaoru. "If it isn't the short swordsmen." Domon stated.
"Hello guys," Kaoru said with his usual happy smile.
"Kaoru- chan, who are these guys?" Along the hallways the words 'chan' echo. Fuko and Domon drop down laughing.
"She called him little, *Ha hah ha ha*!" Fuko laugh are she tried to keep a straight face, but end up losing the fight.
Tokiya mildly said, "ignore the simians and tell us we Yanagi and Recca are."