AN: Hey everyone, I'm back. Yes, I do have to agree that it is the quality
of the reviews that counts over quantity, but one can always hope for both,
no? ^_^
As to the reason why Sho's the way he is now? Well... If you get the chance, listen to Fuel's "I won't back down" from the Daredevil soundtrack, while reading this chapter...
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu, original characters belong to me and may be used with permission.
_______________________________________________________________________
For Love and Honor
Chapter 5: Bleed the past, melt the ice
"Sho Urashima..." Raina looked down upon the landlord with worried eyes. Strapping on a pair of latex gloves and putting on a surgeon's mask, she looked into Sho's eyes. "I'll ask you one last time: Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"I've been working on it for sometime now, I won't back down now." Sho replied, laying on a surgery table barechested. "Besides, if it does backfire, it'll only kill me and not the rest of the tenants..."
"Will you give my invention a rest already?" Raina sighed. "It's been four days since that happened!" She then produced a syringe and looked at the landlord, who shook his head. "You know, without the anesthetic, there'll be quite a bit of pain involved..."
"It'll serve as a reminder and make me stronger." Sho looked up at his cousin and nodded, "Do it."
With a sigh, Raina activated a machine beside the table, and Sho's mouth opened into a silent scream before the darkness claimed him...
_______________________________________________________________________
Eyes snapping open, Sho realized he was no longer bound to the surgery table, but on a rainy sidewalk. He blinked in confusion, then realized that he wore light colored clothing and had short spiky hair...
"There you are, Big brother! You'll catch a cold in the rain like that!"
Sho blinked as he felt the rain stop hitting his face, then looked over and saw a face smiling back at him. A face which has never stopped showing love for him over the years of hardship...
"Yuki... sis..." The landlord blinked at the young woman, who simply smiled as she held his arm with one hand, while holding an umbrealla with the other, sheltering them from the rain.
"Come on kids, lets go home now..."
Turning around in surprise, he watched as a smiling couple came up to the siblings. One was a woman who nearly resembled Raina in every way, but had much longer hair and wasn't wearing glasses. The man held an umbrealla for them both, and had brown eyes peeking out from under black hair and a pair of glasses. Sho was nearly moved to tears as he recognized the figures.
"Mom...Dad..."
"Come on, son..." Sho smiled as his father ran a hand through his hair, as he would always do. Together, the four of them began crossing the street that would lead them back to the Hinata-Sou. A screeching sound made them all look and stare in shock as a car came sliding towards them, parental concern kicking in, the two adults shoved the children out of the way just as the car impacted, sending the adults flying through the air like rag dolls...
Sho screamed, as a part of the light in his soul dimmed...
_______________________________________________________________________
[Subject is showing beginning symptoms of psychological trauma, continue?] The computer asked, as Raina labored nonstop over the landlord's body...
"Shut up!" Raina roared at the computer, sweat beading over her forehead. "Dammit Sho, pull yourself together! Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts!" Sighing, she continued working as fast as she could...
_______________________________________________________________________
"Who here is a family member of the Urashimas?" A doctor asked as he entered the waiting room, all the tenants of the Hinata-Sou had arrived quickly after hearing the news, and the siblings quickly rose to their feet.
"I'm Sho Urashima, their son." Sho replied, a concerned look on his face. "How are they, doctor...?"
"Your father was pronounced dead upon arrival..." The doctor began, even though he has delivered this type of news before, one can tell it was never easy for him. "As for your mother, her internal injuries were too great... I'm sorry..."
The wave of sadness following the announcement was instant, as everyone began weeping or stared at the doctor in shock. Yuki cried nonstop into her brother's shoulder as he held her comfortingly...
But Sho did not cry, instead the light of his soul dimmed again...
_______________________________________________________________________
[Warning! Subject going into cardiac arrest!] The computer warned, as Raina's eyes widened.
"No, damn you!" The scientist shouted. "Computer! Inject 20mg of morphine, activate stablization mode A-497 now!" The warning lights continued to flash for a few more seconds, before returning to its regular state.
[Subject stabilized, detecting abnormal brain wave patterns. Recommend aborting operation]
"No, continue as planned..." Raina replied, then looked down at the landlord worriedly. "Come on, damn you... How am I supposed to answer to Yuki if you croak on me...?"
_______________________________________________________________________
"...And so because of the circumstances at the time, the court sentences you to 150 hours of community service. That is all." With the slamming of the gavel, it was all over...
Sho watched on as the defendant shook hands happily with his lawyer. Even though the man was found intoxicated behind the wheel and was exceeding the speed limit on a raining day, no one wanted to mess with an in-law of the Emperor himself... But the court still had an "image" to keep, and so only sentenced him to community service to show "justice."
Needless to say, Haruka and Kanako were ready to rip the man apart there and then. Yuki was struggling to keep from crying her heart out for the pointless deaths of their parents...
But Sho was unable to do anything... And the last of the light in his soul was extinguished, leaving behind a cold shell of a man...
_______________________________________________________________________
Sitting up with a gasp, Sho looked at his surroundings with bloodshot eyes before being pushed back down by Raina, who sighed with relief as she did. "Ease up, cousin." She commented as she took off the surgical clothing, then looked at him with a smile. "The procedure was a success, even though it took all day..." She then removed her glasses to wipe them clean as she continued. "You should rest up for today, I'll have Natsumi cook up something for you later on..."
"Thank you, Raina." Sho nodded, then sat up slightly. No wounds nor scars were visible on his body as he put his shirt back on, he then looked at the woman calmly. "And please, not a word of this to anyone else."
"Of course." Raina replied, then walked out of the lab with the look of being mentally and physically spent, heading for the sanctuary that was her room and futon...
_______________________________________________________________________
The following day found itself to be rather entertaining...
"You got yourself a date with our studly landlord? You go girl!" Raina exclaimed cheerfully.
"A date with Sho?! You're so lucky!" Natsumi gaped.
"Hmm, I suppose you could do worse, but I'm still happy for you." Sarah grinned.
"Yuki, you promised..." Emi sighed, eyeing the landlord's sister.
"I'm sorry!" Yuki bowed apoligetically. "It's just that I'm so happy that Big brother is opening up to someone other than me, that it just slipped..."
"Well, enough talking!" Raina smiled. "We've got to get you looking so hot, my cousin won't be able to keep his hands off you!" Despite her protests and struggling, the other tenants happily dragged the swordswoman off into Yuki's room, leaving Natsumi chuckling to herself as she resumed cooking lunch for the dorm.
"Hmm... Is that chicken I smell?"
"It sure is..." Natusmi replied, then gasped and turned around, brandishing a cooking ladle and a spatula as weapons. "Get back! I'm not letting you through this time!"
"Is that so...?" Sho grinned, and the two resumed the chase that almost always happens before every meal...
_______________________________________________________________________
After lunch, the landlord stood in the living room to wait for his date. He chose to slick back his usually unruly hair from his face and into a tail, and instead of his usual choice of dark clothing he chose a semi-formal white suit and blue tie. Blinking, he sighed to himself, not being used to changing his appearance for anyone other than himself...
"Looking sharp tonight, Big brother..." Yuki smiled, helping him straighten his tie. "Now behave yourself and treat her with respect tonight, you hear?"
"Of course, I wouldn't think to otherwise..." Sho smiled back at his sister, then looked up as his date arrived and nearly stopped breathing...
Emi stood before the landlord with a demure smile and a faint flush across her cheeks. Her long and elegant black hair seemed to shine with a life of its own, and she wore a long and elegant blue and gold dress which came down to her ankles. The two stood mesmerized with the other's looks, much to the other tenants' amusement, and a long moment passed before the silence was broken.
"Well, aren't you two the cute couple!" Raina exclaimed, drawing an embarrassed look from Sho and a deeper blush from Emi. "Now you two go and have fun, and behave yourselves!" She smiled as she gently led the swordswoman out of the front door, then applied a foot to Sho's behind, causing the tenants to laugh as the scientist closed the door behind her...
_______________________________________________________________________
"It's beautiful..." Emi exclaimed with a surprised look, as she walked beside Sho in a intricately designed garden. The many trees and shrubs of the park were shaped delicately into artistic masterpieces, along with strategically placed flowers, made the location breathtaking as the sun began setting.
"I'm glad you like it." Sho smiled at her, and the swordswoman felt her heart skip a beat at the warmth of his smile. "I come here sometimes to enjoy the scenery myself, it's a peaceful and quiet enviornment..."
"Part of your training regime?" Emi smiled.
"No..." Sho chuckled and shook his head. "More like a getaway..." The swordswoman nodded in understanding, and said no more on the matter...
_______________________________________________________________________
"You're joking..." Sho was chuckling as the two ate at a fancy German restaurant, where the food was just as delicious as it was overpriced. Emi had complained about the landlord spending too much for their meal, but one look in his eyes quickly quelled all complaints from her, and the two laughed at jokes over glasses of wine.
"No, seriously!" Emi laughed. "Apparently Auntie Kitsune had my Mom drink so much, that she nearly started making out with your Dad!" Seeing his smile fade slightly from the mentioning of his father, she looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought up unpleasant memories with my big mouth..."
"Don't be..." Sho smiled, making the swordswoman look up in confusion. "It's always a pleasure to hear stories about my parents from people I'm close to... It helps me build fond memories of them..." Seeing Emi still being quiet, he smiled and raised his glass. "...And to my wonderful date tonight, who helped me enjoy life more than I have in the past two years."
Blinking in surprise, she could only smile with a blush from his sincere expression, and clicked her glass to his...
_______________________________________________________________________
Having drank a bit too much wine but not wanting to make a scene of having the landlord carry her, Emi clung onto Sho's arm as the two made their way back towards the Hinata-Sou. The chill winds at night began picking up, and the landlord draped his jacket over the thankful swordswoman as they walked down the street...
Raising an eyebrow, Sho noticed two figures approaching wearing dark clothing and carrying what appeared to be knives. Concerned with Emi's safety and still mildly drunk from the wine, he never realized what happened until a baseball bat connected with the back of his head, sending him to the ground...
_______________________________________________________________________
Emi nearly screamed in horror as she watched Sho fall, then tried to go to his rescue as a man in dark clothes laid into him repeatedly with a baseball bat, while two others stabbed wildly with knives. Unfortunately for her, the two approaching from earlier had rushed up and restrained her, forcing her to watch on in horror until the three men stopped and began approaching her, leaving the landlord in an unmoving heap, a pool of blood spreading under him...
"Well, aren't you a pretty thing...?" The apparent leader of the group grinned evily as he eyed Emi up and down. "I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream tonight...!" The swordswoman couldn't help but shudder in fear, as the men laughed evily around her while she was held immobile...
_______________________________________________________________________
[System back online]
[Warning: Critical puncture damage to left lung and liver. Repair in 3.78 seconds]
Slowly, Sho opened his eyes and rose to his knees weakly. Blinking away blood from his eyes, he looked down to see the stab wounds starting to close, and grinned to himself.
'How about that, it does work...' Sho thought. 'Guess I'll have to thank Raina for helping out again...'
Hearing a muffled scream, the landlord quickly looked up and saw a group of men surrounding Emi. Eyes narrowing in hatred, he quickly rose to his feet with fists clenched, and grinned to himself as he saw that the group had all trained their eyes on the swordswoman instead of their surroundings...
_______________________________________________________________________
Eyes wide in fear, Emi could only watch as she was held down by the men, screaming for help was out of question as her mouth was covered by a large hand. As the leader of the group chuckled to himself, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his face and the back of his head, and with a jerking motion had snapped his neck cleanly, toppling the large man.
"What the...?" One of the knife wielding men began, but was quickly silenced as a fist pistoned into his chest with the force of a runaway train. Ribs shattered and internal organs ruptured as the man flew backwards and landed in a heap motionlessly.
Emi watched on in disbelief as the three remaining men gathered their senses and charged the seemingly immortal landlord, but their efforts were in vain as Sho laid into them mercilessly. Bones cracked, blood was spilled, and life was extinguished. The sight of such violence was too great for Emi, and the last thing she saw before fainting was of Sho dropping the last of their assaulters, casting a worried look at her...
_______________________________________________________________________
Waking with a gasp in fear, Emi blinked as she took in her surroundings, and realized that she was laying on the futon in her room at the Hinata- Sou. Still gripped with fear, she quickly looked over herself and was relieved that her clothes were still on her and in one piece...
"You're awake, thank goodness..."
Looking up, the swordswoman watched as Sho entered her room quietly and sat across from her. She noticed that while he had changed into loose clothing, his hairstyle had remained the same as before. Suddenly remembering, she rushed to him and pulled his sweater up, then ran her fingertips over the scars of his stab wounds.
"I'm so sorry..." Emi sobbed, tears forming in her eyes.
"Don't be." Sho replied calmly. "I'd rather be me instead of you."
"No! Don't say that!" She exclaimed, pulling him close and crying into his chest. "You always get hurt because of me...! First the lion, and now this...!" She shuddered with each sob, and was nearly crushing the landlord with her arms. "I couldn't even help when it mattered the most...! I'm not worthy to inherit the Shinmei-Ryu..." Shaking his head with a sigh, Sho simply held her in his arms as she cried...
After a long moment, her tears were finally spent, and she looked up at Sho. "What do you live for, Sho...?" She asked quietly, and the landlord looked back at her with a confused look. "What gives your life meaning...? Raina has her inventions, I have the sword, what about you...?"
"I live for my sister..." Sho replied after a moment of consideration. "She's the only family I have left now... And I don't think I could live on without her..."
"Would you ever consider... living for me as well...?" Emi whispered, then looked down and shook her head as Sho's gaze returned to her. "Forget it... It's selfish of me to even say something like that..." Blinking, she found her chin being lifted by Sho's hand, and found herself looking into his eyes. They were not the normally emotionless eyes he showed to the public, but ones filled with caring and love - much like ones he only reserved for his sister...
"I don't think that's selfish..." Sho replied, and leaned towards her. Emi's eyes shot wide open as his lips met hers gently, and felt his hands pulling her closer to him. Slowly she closed her eyes and gave in to his embrace, returning his kisses passionately as she held onto him tightly. Inside, her heart pounded as she had finally broken the icy shield that had surrounded her landlord...
Her childhood sweetheart...
Her confidant in life...
Her Sho...
_______________________________________________________________________
Like? No like? Please review!
Ooh, the mystery behind Sho's brooding behaviour is finally revealed! But what other mysteries and surprises are in store for the Hinata-Sou? Stick around, more on the way!
As to the reason why Sho's the way he is now? Well... If you get the chance, listen to Fuel's "I won't back down" from the Daredevil soundtrack, while reading this chapter...
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu, original characters belong to me and may be used with permission.
_______________________________________________________________________
For Love and Honor
Chapter 5: Bleed the past, melt the ice
"Sho Urashima..." Raina looked down upon the landlord with worried eyes. Strapping on a pair of latex gloves and putting on a surgeon's mask, she looked into Sho's eyes. "I'll ask you one last time: Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
"I've been working on it for sometime now, I won't back down now." Sho replied, laying on a surgery table barechested. "Besides, if it does backfire, it'll only kill me and not the rest of the tenants..."
"Will you give my invention a rest already?" Raina sighed. "It's been four days since that happened!" She then produced a syringe and looked at the landlord, who shook his head. "You know, without the anesthetic, there'll be quite a bit of pain involved..."
"It'll serve as a reminder and make me stronger." Sho looked up at his cousin and nodded, "Do it."
With a sigh, Raina activated a machine beside the table, and Sho's mouth opened into a silent scream before the darkness claimed him...
_______________________________________________________________________
Eyes snapping open, Sho realized he was no longer bound to the surgery table, but on a rainy sidewalk. He blinked in confusion, then realized that he wore light colored clothing and had short spiky hair...
"There you are, Big brother! You'll catch a cold in the rain like that!"
Sho blinked as he felt the rain stop hitting his face, then looked over and saw a face smiling back at him. A face which has never stopped showing love for him over the years of hardship...
"Yuki... sis..." The landlord blinked at the young woman, who simply smiled as she held his arm with one hand, while holding an umbrealla with the other, sheltering them from the rain.
"Come on kids, lets go home now..."
Turning around in surprise, he watched as a smiling couple came up to the siblings. One was a woman who nearly resembled Raina in every way, but had much longer hair and wasn't wearing glasses. The man held an umbrealla for them both, and had brown eyes peeking out from under black hair and a pair of glasses. Sho was nearly moved to tears as he recognized the figures.
"Mom...Dad..."
"Come on, son..." Sho smiled as his father ran a hand through his hair, as he would always do. Together, the four of them began crossing the street that would lead them back to the Hinata-Sou. A screeching sound made them all look and stare in shock as a car came sliding towards them, parental concern kicking in, the two adults shoved the children out of the way just as the car impacted, sending the adults flying through the air like rag dolls...
Sho screamed, as a part of the light in his soul dimmed...
_______________________________________________________________________
[Subject is showing beginning symptoms of psychological trauma, continue?] The computer asked, as Raina labored nonstop over the landlord's body...
"Shut up!" Raina roared at the computer, sweat beading over her forehead. "Dammit Sho, pull yourself together! Happy thoughts, think happy thoughts!" Sighing, she continued working as fast as she could...
_______________________________________________________________________
"Who here is a family member of the Urashimas?" A doctor asked as he entered the waiting room, all the tenants of the Hinata-Sou had arrived quickly after hearing the news, and the siblings quickly rose to their feet.
"I'm Sho Urashima, their son." Sho replied, a concerned look on his face. "How are they, doctor...?"
"Your father was pronounced dead upon arrival..." The doctor began, even though he has delivered this type of news before, one can tell it was never easy for him. "As for your mother, her internal injuries were too great... I'm sorry..."
The wave of sadness following the announcement was instant, as everyone began weeping or stared at the doctor in shock. Yuki cried nonstop into her brother's shoulder as he held her comfortingly...
But Sho did not cry, instead the light of his soul dimmed again...
_______________________________________________________________________
[Warning! Subject going into cardiac arrest!] The computer warned, as Raina's eyes widened.
"No, damn you!" The scientist shouted. "Computer! Inject 20mg of morphine, activate stablization mode A-497 now!" The warning lights continued to flash for a few more seconds, before returning to its regular state.
[Subject stabilized, detecting abnormal brain wave patterns. Recommend aborting operation]
"No, continue as planned..." Raina replied, then looked down at the landlord worriedly. "Come on, damn you... How am I supposed to answer to Yuki if you croak on me...?"
_______________________________________________________________________
"...And so because of the circumstances at the time, the court sentences you to 150 hours of community service. That is all." With the slamming of the gavel, it was all over...
Sho watched on as the defendant shook hands happily with his lawyer. Even though the man was found intoxicated behind the wheel and was exceeding the speed limit on a raining day, no one wanted to mess with an in-law of the Emperor himself... But the court still had an "image" to keep, and so only sentenced him to community service to show "justice."
Needless to say, Haruka and Kanako were ready to rip the man apart there and then. Yuki was struggling to keep from crying her heart out for the pointless deaths of their parents...
But Sho was unable to do anything... And the last of the light in his soul was extinguished, leaving behind a cold shell of a man...
_______________________________________________________________________
Sitting up with a gasp, Sho looked at his surroundings with bloodshot eyes before being pushed back down by Raina, who sighed with relief as she did. "Ease up, cousin." She commented as she took off the surgical clothing, then looked at him with a smile. "The procedure was a success, even though it took all day..." She then removed her glasses to wipe them clean as she continued. "You should rest up for today, I'll have Natsumi cook up something for you later on..."
"Thank you, Raina." Sho nodded, then sat up slightly. No wounds nor scars were visible on his body as he put his shirt back on, he then looked at the woman calmly. "And please, not a word of this to anyone else."
"Of course." Raina replied, then walked out of the lab with the look of being mentally and physically spent, heading for the sanctuary that was her room and futon...
_______________________________________________________________________
The following day found itself to be rather entertaining...
"You got yourself a date with our studly landlord? You go girl!" Raina exclaimed cheerfully.
"A date with Sho?! You're so lucky!" Natsumi gaped.
"Hmm, I suppose you could do worse, but I'm still happy for you." Sarah grinned.
"Yuki, you promised..." Emi sighed, eyeing the landlord's sister.
"I'm sorry!" Yuki bowed apoligetically. "It's just that I'm so happy that Big brother is opening up to someone other than me, that it just slipped..."
"Well, enough talking!" Raina smiled. "We've got to get you looking so hot, my cousin won't be able to keep his hands off you!" Despite her protests and struggling, the other tenants happily dragged the swordswoman off into Yuki's room, leaving Natsumi chuckling to herself as she resumed cooking lunch for the dorm.
"Hmm... Is that chicken I smell?"
"It sure is..." Natusmi replied, then gasped and turned around, brandishing a cooking ladle and a spatula as weapons. "Get back! I'm not letting you through this time!"
"Is that so...?" Sho grinned, and the two resumed the chase that almost always happens before every meal...
_______________________________________________________________________
After lunch, the landlord stood in the living room to wait for his date. He chose to slick back his usually unruly hair from his face and into a tail, and instead of his usual choice of dark clothing he chose a semi-formal white suit and blue tie. Blinking, he sighed to himself, not being used to changing his appearance for anyone other than himself...
"Looking sharp tonight, Big brother..." Yuki smiled, helping him straighten his tie. "Now behave yourself and treat her with respect tonight, you hear?"
"Of course, I wouldn't think to otherwise..." Sho smiled back at his sister, then looked up as his date arrived and nearly stopped breathing...
Emi stood before the landlord with a demure smile and a faint flush across her cheeks. Her long and elegant black hair seemed to shine with a life of its own, and she wore a long and elegant blue and gold dress which came down to her ankles. The two stood mesmerized with the other's looks, much to the other tenants' amusement, and a long moment passed before the silence was broken.
"Well, aren't you two the cute couple!" Raina exclaimed, drawing an embarrassed look from Sho and a deeper blush from Emi. "Now you two go and have fun, and behave yourselves!" She smiled as she gently led the swordswoman out of the front door, then applied a foot to Sho's behind, causing the tenants to laugh as the scientist closed the door behind her...
_______________________________________________________________________
"It's beautiful..." Emi exclaimed with a surprised look, as she walked beside Sho in a intricately designed garden. The many trees and shrubs of the park were shaped delicately into artistic masterpieces, along with strategically placed flowers, made the location breathtaking as the sun began setting.
"I'm glad you like it." Sho smiled at her, and the swordswoman felt her heart skip a beat at the warmth of his smile. "I come here sometimes to enjoy the scenery myself, it's a peaceful and quiet enviornment..."
"Part of your training regime?" Emi smiled.
"No..." Sho chuckled and shook his head. "More like a getaway..." The swordswoman nodded in understanding, and said no more on the matter...
_______________________________________________________________________
"You're joking..." Sho was chuckling as the two ate at a fancy German restaurant, where the food was just as delicious as it was overpriced. Emi had complained about the landlord spending too much for their meal, but one look in his eyes quickly quelled all complaints from her, and the two laughed at jokes over glasses of wine.
"No, seriously!" Emi laughed. "Apparently Auntie Kitsune had my Mom drink so much, that she nearly started making out with your Dad!" Seeing his smile fade slightly from the mentioning of his father, she looked down guiltily. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have brought up unpleasant memories with my big mouth..."
"Don't be..." Sho smiled, making the swordswoman look up in confusion. "It's always a pleasure to hear stories about my parents from people I'm close to... It helps me build fond memories of them..." Seeing Emi still being quiet, he smiled and raised his glass. "...And to my wonderful date tonight, who helped me enjoy life more than I have in the past two years."
Blinking in surprise, she could only smile with a blush from his sincere expression, and clicked her glass to his...
_______________________________________________________________________
Having drank a bit too much wine but not wanting to make a scene of having the landlord carry her, Emi clung onto Sho's arm as the two made their way back towards the Hinata-Sou. The chill winds at night began picking up, and the landlord draped his jacket over the thankful swordswoman as they walked down the street...
Raising an eyebrow, Sho noticed two figures approaching wearing dark clothing and carrying what appeared to be knives. Concerned with Emi's safety and still mildly drunk from the wine, he never realized what happened until a baseball bat connected with the back of his head, sending him to the ground...
_______________________________________________________________________
Emi nearly screamed in horror as she watched Sho fall, then tried to go to his rescue as a man in dark clothes laid into him repeatedly with a baseball bat, while two others stabbed wildly with knives. Unfortunately for her, the two approaching from earlier had rushed up and restrained her, forcing her to watch on in horror until the three men stopped and began approaching her, leaving the landlord in an unmoving heap, a pool of blood spreading under him...
"Well, aren't you a pretty thing...?" The apparent leader of the group grinned evily as he eyed Emi up and down. "I'm going to enjoy hearing you scream tonight...!" The swordswoman couldn't help but shudder in fear, as the men laughed evily around her while she was held immobile...
_______________________________________________________________________
[System back online]
[Warning: Critical puncture damage to left lung and liver. Repair in 3.78 seconds]
Slowly, Sho opened his eyes and rose to his knees weakly. Blinking away blood from his eyes, he looked down to see the stab wounds starting to close, and grinned to himself.
'How about that, it does work...' Sho thought. 'Guess I'll have to thank Raina for helping out again...'
Hearing a muffled scream, the landlord quickly looked up and saw a group of men surrounding Emi. Eyes narrowing in hatred, he quickly rose to his feet with fists clenched, and grinned to himself as he saw that the group had all trained their eyes on the swordswoman instead of their surroundings...
_______________________________________________________________________
Eyes wide in fear, Emi could only watch as she was held down by the men, screaming for help was out of question as her mouth was covered by a large hand. As the leader of the group chuckled to himself, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his face and the back of his head, and with a jerking motion had snapped his neck cleanly, toppling the large man.
"What the...?" One of the knife wielding men began, but was quickly silenced as a fist pistoned into his chest with the force of a runaway train. Ribs shattered and internal organs ruptured as the man flew backwards and landed in a heap motionlessly.
Emi watched on in disbelief as the three remaining men gathered their senses and charged the seemingly immortal landlord, but their efforts were in vain as Sho laid into them mercilessly. Bones cracked, blood was spilled, and life was extinguished. The sight of such violence was too great for Emi, and the last thing she saw before fainting was of Sho dropping the last of their assaulters, casting a worried look at her...
_______________________________________________________________________
Waking with a gasp in fear, Emi blinked as she took in her surroundings, and realized that she was laying on the futon in her room at the Hinata- Sou. Still gripped with fear, she quickly looked over herself and was relieved that her clothes were still on her and in one piece...
"You're awake, thank goodness..."
Looking up, the swordswoman watched as Sho entered her room quietly and sat across from her. She noticed that while he had changed into loose clothing, his hairstyle had remained the same as before. Suddenly remembering, she rushed to him and pulled his sweater up, then ran her fingertips over the scars of his stab wounds.
"I'm so sorry..." Emi sobbed, tears forming in her eyes.
"Don't be." Sho replied calmly. "I'd rather be me instead of you."
"No! Don't say that!" She exclaimed, pulling him close and crying into his chest. "You always get hurt because of me...! First the lion, and now this...!" She shuddered with each sob, and was nearly crushing the landlord with her arms. "I couldn't even help when it mattered the most...! I'm not worthy to inherit the Shinmei-Ryu..." Shaking his head with a sigh, Sho simply held her in his arms as she cried...
After a long moment, her tears were finally spent, and she looked up at Sho. "What do you live for, Sho...?" She asked quietly, and the landlord looked back at her with a confused look. "What gives your life meaning...? Raina has her inventions, I have the sword, what about you...?"
"I live for my sister..." Sho replied after a moment of consideration. "She's the only family I have left now... And I don't think I could live on without her..."
"Would you ever consider... living for me as well...?" Emi whispered, then looked down and shook her head as Sho's gaze returned to her. "Forget it... It's selfish of me to even say something like that..." Blinking, she found her chin being lifted by Sho's hand, and found herself looking into his eyes. They were not the normally emotionless eyes he showed to the public, but ones filled with caring and love - much like ones he only reserved for his sister...
"I don't think that's selfish..." Sho replied, and leaned towards her. Emi's eyes shot wide open as his lips met hers gently, and felt his hands pulling her closer to him. Slowly she closed her eyes and gave in to his embrace, returning his kisses passionately as she held onto him tightly. Inside, her heart pounded as she had finally broken the icy shield that had surrounded her landlord...
Her childhood sweetheart...
Her confidant in life...
Her Sho...
_______________________________________________________________________
Like? No like? Please review!
Ooh, the mystery behind Sho's brooding behaviour is finally revealed! But what other mysteries and surprises are in store for the Hinata-Sou? Stick around, more on the way!