Chapter 4: Bishonen 2 and 3, Welcome Aboard.
There hadn't been much Ryu wanted out of life. A college diploma from a so-so college, a good looking and good natured wife who would respect his wishes, enough money coming in each month to support them at a relatively laid back life style, the chance to have his parents wiped from the face of the Earth, a government that could do more than screw up, maybe a few other things.
Right now, all he wanted was to see an end to these damn trees. And to be able to kill that damned blue jay that had been following them for at least three days. Oh, how he hated that blue jay...
Ryu nearly tripped over a root that jutted out of the ground, and he cursed under his breath. God, where was pavement when you needed it? Seemed the stuff was never around when you truly wanted it there. Ryu glanced around at the woods, feeling his city bread instincts scream at him. He really wasn't an outdoors person. He growled as his foot snagged on another root, and he nearly fell face first onto the ground.
Finally having enough, Ryu stopped, and sank down to the ground, leaning back against a tree. He pulled a water bottle out of his pack, and took a few gulps before offering a different bottle to Gaara, who took the bottle without a word. For a minute, Ryu just sat there, letting himself calm down. Once he felt calm enough to continue without lighting the woods on fire, he started to stand. Halfway to his feet, he stopped, and cocked his head to the side. For a moment he listened intently to the woods around. Gaara, seeing his trainer's behavior, stayed silent. Not that it made a big difference, since Gaara rarely spoke, and then, only when spoken too.
(Huh...Coulda sworn I heard...)
His head gave a small twitch as he caught the sound again, and fully stood up. He turned to his right, and walked off into the underbrush, trying to be quiet. For the most part he succeeded, but Gaara moved after him like a red haired ghost. After a few minutes, in which the sounds of a fight grew louder, Ryu came to a stop inside a bush that had been hollowed out by something. Ryu crouched down and moved a branch gently aside, letting him and Gaara see into a small clearing on the other side of the bush.
Two bishonen warily circled each other. One was armed with a staff, and was wearing a red and gold tunic over a short sleeved white shirt, and yellow pants. He had black hair that stuck out under a green and yellow bandana, and leather gloves on both hands, as well as, of all things, pointy shoes. The other was armed with a katana, and wearing a turquoise, sleeveless coat, with a thick, black tank top on underneath, and tan pants, which were tucked into a pair of sturdy boots. He had long, vibrant red hair that jutted out everywhere in spikes, and was kept out of his eyes by a white headband.
Ryu grinned. It wasn't a particularly nice grin. More like one you'd see on a Kyo just before he fought a Yuki. It had a definite feral cast to it. Ryu grabbed two bishballs from his belt, and glanced at Gaara. Gaara, who had been studying his trainer from the corner of his eye, merely nodded, his gourd already uncorked. Sand started to creep into the clearing, moving slowly toward the two bishonen.
The two broke their standoff, and attacked. Their perspective weapons wove shields before themselves, which the other couldn't penetrate. Finally they broke apart, circling each other. All the while the sand slowly encircled them. Neither noticed, so intent they were on the other. They both tensed and Ryu gave the slightest nod.
Sand suddenly shot up from the ground, and wrapped around both bishonens legs, earning startled yells from them both. As they looked down at the sand encircling their legs, Ryu stood up, still grinning, and threw the two bishballs in his right hand. The balls flew true, striking each bishonen in the chest, then bouncing onto the ground. The two bishonen struggled against the sand, but they were sucked into their respective bishballs.
Ryu walked forward, and picked up the bishballs, one in each hand. He held them up, about chest height.
"Come on out guys."
Two beams of light shot out, and grew to form the two newly captured bishonen. The one with red hair had sheathed his sword, and the one with the staff let it rest, one end against the ground. They both looked at Ryu contemplatively for a moment, and then looked at Gaara, sizing him up. Ryu pulled out his dex, opened it, and pointed it at one of the bishonen.
"Name: McDohl. Stage: San. Nickname: ?"
"No nickname."
Ryu then pointed the dex at the other bishonen.
"Name: Crono. Stage: San. Nickname: ?"
"No nickname."
The dex beeped in acknowledgement, and Ryu put it away. He then studied the two newly captured bishies, grinning slightly. Gaara too sized up the bishonen, gauging their strengths and weaknesses. He turned his head slightly in inquiry to Ryu, who shrugged and spoke.
"Their names are Crono, and McDohl, and they're both the main characters in two of the greater games. Chrono Trigger", Ryu nodded at Crono, "and Suikoden." He nodded at McDohl.
"So, you're our new trainer. Sigh; at the very least we're not your first capture."
Ryu grinned at Crono.
"True. But, you two are my second capture. Sorry to burst your bubble."
McDohl sighed, and Ryu heard him mutter 'newbie'. Ryu just grinned at him. Then he remembered something that made the grin fade. He had offered Gaara a choice to leave. Gaara had decided to stay. These two deserved the chance to make a choice. Ryu put the two bishballs in his belt, feeling the elation disappear slightly. He sighed, and leaned back against a nearby tree, drawing Gaara's attention.
"Tell the two of you what. I'll only keep you captured for a week. After that, if you still want to go, I'll walk right out to the woods and release you. And if you're willing to wait a few days, I'll do my best to bring you back to this very clearing and release you here. In return, just give me a chance; see if you want to travel with me. Deal?"
They stared at him in shock, while Gaara merely looked on. He too had had trouble figuring out why a trainer would go so far out of his or her way to help the bishonen that they captured. In the end, he had merely accepted the deal, thinking to leave the first chance he got.
McDohl looked puzzled as he spoke.
"Why would you release us? It was a fair capture, using the resources at your disposal."
"The word fair should never be used in the same sentence as the word capture. I have enough of a problem with authority without becoming like so many authority figures back in the old world. I will NOT take people away from their homes against their will."
Both Crono and McDohl seemed surprised by Ryu's opinion on the matter. For a moment, they both studied Ryu. Then they both nodded, and Crono spoke.
"All right. We'll travel with you for one week. Give you a chance."
Ryu grinned.
"Can't ask for more. So, any idea where the nearest human habitation is? I'm dying for some real food."
Crono chuckled while McDohl pointed.
"About an hour and a half of a walk, we'll hit the nearby town, or city I suppose, called Draglock."
Ryu's eyebrows rose.
"The two of you were fighting an hour and a half from the nearest city and didn't expect to be captured?"
They both grinned sheepishly, and shrugged. Ryu shook his head and they all walked in the direction McDohl had pointed them.
Not soon after they had left the small clearing did another person enter it. She came from a bush two to the left of the one Ryu had hid behind. She looked to be in her middle teens, had long blond hair tied back in a pony tail, and was dressed in a white shirt that left her shoulder's bare, and white pants. A crossbow was collapsed, and placed in its holster at her side, ready for a quick, easy draw. She looked in the direction that Ryu and his bishonen had gone, then, with a small smile, she moved after them, disappearing in the trees.
Ryu came to a stop when the trees ended, feeling relief at finally being out of the woods. He turned off his headphones, which had been playing Evanescence, and put them away, walking toward the city gate with his bishonen. At the gate, the guard once again held out his hand for Ryu's dex. Scowling the entire time, Ryu slung his backpack off, crouched and set the backpack on the ground, and unzipped one of the pockets. He reached in, and withdrew his dex, handing it to the guard as he stood up. The guard looked over the dex, then handed it back and let them pass. As Ryu walked through the gates, he slipped the dex back into the backpack, and swung the pack on.
"Hmm...Hotel first, then we can explore. Any preferences?"
Crono immediately piped up.
"Some place that has good food, and isn't little more than a shack."
McDohl nodded, and Gaara just shrugged.
"Alright...let's see..."
Ryu walked deeper into the town, stopping the occasional passerby for directions to a nearby hotel. After nearly a half hour, they found a hotel, and entered. The clerk looked up at their entrance, and nodded in greeting. Ryu nodded in return and walked forward to get a room, leaving his bishonen to their own devices. Gaara merely stood nearby, gazing at the wall without seeing it. Crono looked around the lobby with interest, and McDohl found an item on the receptionist's desk that was apparently fascinating. He picked it up, and turned it over in his hands, his staff resting against the crook of his neck.
Ryu figured he had better conserve his money, so he got a room with only two beds, making sure they were large enough for two people apiece. The clerk assured him that the beds in the room were large enough, and handed over a key, and told Ryu what the room number was. Ryu nodded, and turned to leave, and spotted McDohl. Ryu grinned slightly as he reached out and took the object, and showed McDohl how to use it once, then handed it back. He then walked on toward the room, McDohl clicking the object a few times. He then noticed that Ryu and the others were getting farther away, and he put the stapler back on the desk, and hurried after them.
Ryu unlocked and opened the door, looking around the room. It was a good sized room, with two large beds, a bathroom, small kitchen, and a TV. There was a couch, and a chair facing the TV. He walked in and dropped his pack near one of the beds. He rummaged through it for a change of clothes, and his bathroom kit, then headed for the bathroom for a much anticipated shower, leaving his bishonen to their own devices.
McDohl headed for the small kitchen, examining the small wealth of technology. Gaara merely un-strapped his gourd and dropped it into the chair. He climbed onto one of the beds and leaned back against the headboard. Crono grabbed the remote to the TV, and started channel surfing, seeing what was on. He sank onto the couch, his sword in the chair alongside Gaara's gourd. He glanced at Gaara.
"Any preference on what to watch?"
Gaara merely shrugged, so Crono picked something that looked interest, and put the remote down. The sounds of the TV brought in McDohl, who climbed onto the other bed, staring at the TV screen, his staff resting against the wall outside the kitchen.
Gaara, though he appeared calm, was filled with conflicting emotions, not all of which he understood or could identify. Back in his village, he had been shunned, and regarded with fear and distaste by most. Only a few people accepted him, among them his mother and the Naruto he went to for help. Overall, his chibi stage had been a hard time for him, with the san stage merely getting harder as his abilities started to come to the fore. Yet, he sat here, with two other people who didn't fear him. One of them even asked if he had a preference about what to watch. And then the fourth member of their party. Their trainer. He had offered to let Gaara go, given him a choice when most trainers would've dragged Gaara away by the ear if he hadn't left his life behind willingly. One emotion welled up more than the others, and Gaara decided he liked the emotion. He settled in to watch the TV.
After nearly half an hour, Ryu walked out of the bathroom, feeling much better now that he was clean. He had donned a white T-Shirt, and a pair of gray sweats, and was barefoot at the moment. He had simply combed his hair back, which was still rather damp. As he walked toward his pack to return his bathroom kit, he glanced at the TV to see what they were watching.
"Ranma ½ huh?"
Crono nodded without taking his eyes off the screen, watching as Ranma was pounded into the ground by his mob of fiancés for some reason that Ryu didn't know. It wasn't an episode he had seen.
"Well, how about we go get some food? I'm starving."
Crono finally turned his attention from the screen.
"Why not have room service?"
Ryu blinked.
"Didn't think of that. Well, alright, what do you guys want?"
After finding out what they wanted Ryu walked over to the phone to order it. After picking up the phone, he glanced at the bishonen staring avidly at the screen, and couldn't help a chuckle. (Heh. Just like normal teenagers.)
The food arrived a few minutes later, just as Ryoga and Mouse appeared. Ryu felt somewhat sorry for Ranma.
:Several Hours Later:
Crono eventually gave in to the call of sleep, and laid out on the couch, his head cushioned on a pillow. He was second place in an unspoken contest. To see who could stay awake the longest.
Ryu glanced over at Crono and smirked slightly. (Amateur). He glanced at the clock. 1:37 am. Ryu picked up the remote, grabbed the box of soda, and settled in changing channels to find something he felt like watching. He enjoyed anime, but he felt like watching some live action. Something like...
He pushed the button once again, and the screen changed. He grinned, and set the remote down, grabbed a soda, and settled in.
...Resident Evil.
:The Next Morning:
Someone was prodding him in the back. He groaned and weakly swatted at their hand. After a moment, the prodding resumed. He groaned again and moved over in the bed, away from that damned prodding. He felt the bed shift underneath him, and the prodding began anew. He groaned once again, grabbed his pillow, and swung it behind him, into the person's face. The prodding vanished. (Damn, I feel like crap...That's it, no more late nighters with that much soda and a horror flick...). He DID feel bad. His stomach was protesting loudly, and his mouth tasted foul. And his head was hurting. Apparently he had drunk too much soda, and dehydrated himself.
There was a sudden presence in the small of his back, quite a bit wider than a finger, and he was about to turn around and scream at whoever kept trying to wake him up. Or throw up on them, which ever happened first. Before he start to turn over, the object in his back suddenly pushed and he felt himself slide off the side of the bed to crash onto the floor. This was supposed to wake him up, but he suddenly realized how comfortable the carpet was, and simply reached up to grab the blankets that he had left behind on the bed, and a pillow. He pulled them down onto the floor with him, and proceeded to become comfortable. He then ignored the voices, and went about falling asleep.
"This isn't working. Any other ideas?"
"I've got one, but he won't like it. Why are we doing this again?"
"You DO want to get to the gym right?"
A pause.
"Then wake him up, so we can go."
"Alright." Another pause. "Stand back. Further Gaara, this water is cold."
That last statement caused him to groan in protest. Not cold. He was nice and warm. Not-
"COLD!! JESUS, THAT'S COLD!! WHO IN THE HE-"
Ryu shot upright, out of the wet blankets to face his assailants. Crono stood there, grinning, an empty bucket in hand. McDohl stood off to one side, his staff in hand, and Gaara stood over near the wall, having backed up there at Crono's urging. McDohl tossed Ryu a change of clothes, which Ryu grabbed as he sank down onto the bed, blinking blearily.
"Is there a reason you decided to wake me up at..." He checked the bedside clock. "5:30?!"
"Yeah, the gym in this city opens at 6:00. And last night you said we'd go to the gym."
Ryu glared blearily at the three of them, realizing that he had, indeed, told them they'd go to the gym today.
"I meant in the afternoon."
McDohl and Crono blinked. Crono put the bucket down.
"Oh."
Then, in a sickeningly happy voice, he continued.
"Well, you're awake, let's go!"
Ryu growled under his breath as he pulled on the pair of dry clothes, and followed all three bishonen out of the room.
(I swear, I'm going to kill the next person who wakes me up with ice cold water. Slowly.)
Ryu stood outside the gym, slightly surprised by the buildings sheer size. This was a building that could host the Super Bowl comfortably. He shrugged, and opened the door, stepping inside what appeared to be the lobby of another office building. There was the standard compliment of a receptionist desk, and waiting couches. He spotted a pair of doors with the familiar bathroom signs. Ryu walked up to the desk, his bishonen following, and the person behind the desk snapped out of a light doze and looked at them in surprise.
"What are you all doing here?"
Ryu, still annoyed and feeling a little sick, snapped back.
"We're here to use the gym."
The man behind the desk looked a little taken aback at Ryu's tone, and he responded angrily.
"Then you're very early. They gym doesn't open until 7:00."
Ryu stiffened. He glanced at the wall clock, which red 5:53. He then slowly turned to glare at Crono who was smiling sheepishly. And backing away slightly.
"Oops?"
Ryu glared at Crono for a moment, then turned back to the counter. Crono breathed a sigh of relief. McDohl leaned over and whispered in Crono's ear.
"Told you check the gym times."
They returned their attention to the desk where Ryu was inquiring about a place to eat.
"Sorry about snapping. I'm not a morning person."
The man nodded in understanding.
"Could you tell us where there's a restaurant open at this time in the morning?"
"Yes. A block from here, there's a restaurant that's open at all hours. They serve pretty good food. Just look for the sign with the cat on it."
Ryu nodded, turned, and walked out of the gym. His bishonen followed after them, and the receptionist fell back into his doze, waiting for seven to come around.
Ryu leaned back in his chair, feeling immensely better. He still had a slight headache, but it was rapidly disappearing now that he had drunk a healthy amount of water. And his stomach had stopped complaining the moment he started eating. He still needed a shower, but that could wait a little while. He checked the wall clock of the restaurant: 6:52. He was surprised that it had taken so little time to get their food and eat. He glanced at the bishonen. They had all finished their own food, and were now relaxing.
"Time to go guys."
They looked up, then glanced at the clock, and nodded. They all stood up, and Ryu quickly paid the bill, leaving a tip, before leaving.
They arrived at the gym with a minute or two to spare, and quickly entered, finding the receptionist awake. He nodded at them as they entered and moved toward a couch to wait. Soon a chime sounded, and the receptionist called over to them.
"The gym is now open."
They stood and moved through the large double doors into what Ryu could only dub a huge room. Their footsteps echoed slightly as they walked. Ryu glanced around the room once, and reasoned that they were in a room that was a general workout room. They had punching bags, weight lifting equipment, and what appeared to be a short sprinting track. As a group, they walked over to the weights where the bishonen examined them.
Crono crouched down and prodded one weight. It was about six inches across, and an inch thick, and had the number 10 on it. He looked at Ryu in inquiry.
"These are weights. You lift them to increase your strength. There are a variety of ways to do it, each way increasing a different set of muscles."
Ryu glanced down, trying to remember the different exercises from his weight training class he had taken as a freshman in high school.
"Hey, I'll be back in a minute. Go ahead and exercise, or whatever you guys do."
He turned and walked away, not noticing the bishies nods. Once out of the room, he headed for the bathroom, where he relieved himself, and splashed a little warm water on his face after washing his hands.
When he left the bathroom, he saw that the receptionist had disappeared somewhere, and a small group was waiting for him to return. Seemed that the group's trainer, and one of her bishonen, a Sanosuke, was having a bit of an argument.
"Missy, what exactly is the point of dragging us down here this early when we can't even get in?"
"Listen, Rooster Head, it was your idea to wake up early today, and it was you who dragged us down here. I, for one, would've liked to stay in bed a bit longer. And I'm going to take you to the hospital, make sure you're alright."
She turned back toward the desk, checking if the receptionist was back. Sanosuke's arms came out of his pockets, and his eyebrows started twitching in annoyance.
"Rooster Head?! Missy, that was uncalled for! And why are you taking me to the hospital?"
Sanosuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at his trainer, while she glared up at him.
"I'm taking you to the hospital because you were so eager to get down here. You're rarely eager to get to a gym, and you're NEVER eager to get up before 10!"
"Geez Missy, and here I thought you'd want to get to the gym first thing."
One of the girl's eye brows rose.
"Sanosuke, were you trying to help? Without me asking?"
He snorted.
"Don't push your luck Missy. I just wanted to get down here before you started whining."
Ryu looked over their little group, tuning out the bickering trainer and bishonen. There was a Heero, who looked like he had stepped out of the movie Endless Waltz, dressed in a green tank top, blue jeans, and boots, with a jacket slung over one shoulder, a Kenshin who appeared to have stepped from the OVA, and another bishonen Ryu didn't know, with a blue hat and blue hair, the bangs of which were defying gravity, and a scar over one of his eyes, a staff in hand. Then there was the Sanosuke. He too looked like he had stepped straight from the series, dressed in his normal white outfit, complete with the 'wicked' symbol on the back, and the red headband. He did indeed have the 'Rooster Head' appearance, with his gravity defying hair. The trainer was a girl about five feet tall, with dark brown hair that was slightly curly and reached just past her shoulders. Ryu tuned back into their bickering just in time to here the girls retort.
"Oh shut up, Fluffy."
The Sanosuke pouted slightly at apparently being beaten.
Ryu stepped forward to get a look at the map of the gym, seeing that they had the room he had already entered, as well as two others, one for official fighting, and another for more advanced training. He considered the sign for a moment before being distracted by the trainer as she smacked her bishonen on the back of the head.
"ACK, Missy!"
Ryu blinked, but returned to his considerations as he headed for the gym interior, but not before muttering something.
"Ah, Marriage. The death of every man's freedom."
Apparently he didn't mutter quietly enough as the Sanosuke turned toward him.
"What was that?"
Ryu blinked as he looked the Sanosuke in the eyes. After a moment, he shrugged.
"I said 'Ah, Marriage. The death of every man's freedom.'"
"Oi, punk, I'm not married to her..."
"Sano, be nice."
The bishonen quieted, and Ryu raised an eyebrow.
"You may not be married to her, but you're whipped as if you were."
The bishonen with the blue hat spoke up.
"Anya-dono? What's he mean by 'whipped'?"
The girl, Anya, shrugged a little with a light blush on her face.
"I'll explain later Chiri."
She turned her attention to Ryu.
"Hello." Ryu nodded at her before she continued. "My names Anya. This is Chichiri," She gestured to the blue haired bishonen, "Heero," Heero gave a nod to Ryu, who returned it, "Kenshin," Kenshin also gave a nod, which Ryu also returned, "and the chicken headed oaf is Sanosuke."
Sanosuke grumbled at his introduction but stayed quiet, eyeing Ryu distastefully.
"My names Ryu."
Ryu turned to walk back into the exercise room when the receptionist walked briskly out of the door, spotted Ryu, and marched up to him with a determined expression. Ryu merely eyed the man as he approached warily, with a slight sense of foreboding. The man came up to Ryu.
"Sir, I'm afraid that there is a slight problem being caused by your bishonen."
Ryu shrugged, and walked toward the door, preparing himself to sort it out, whatever it was. The man followed, as did Anya and her bishonen.
"And Sir, I expect any damages they do to be fully paid for."
"Eh?" As Ryu spoke he reached the door and opened it, walking through into the gym. "How bad can it...be...? What in the hell?!"
Ryu surveyed the scene before him.
It seemed that he hadn't explained the reason of the weights enough to the bishonen, who had filled in the gaps as they saw fit. McDohl had picked up one of the weight lifting bars, and was using it as a replacement for his usual staff, thinking it a training weapon. Crono, not seeing any training swords, had drawn his own, and was now sparring with McDohl. Ryu winced as he noticed the deep grooves that Crono's sword left in the weight lifting bar.
The strangest one of all, though, was Gaara. He seemed to have taken Ryu's explanation of 'You lift them to increase your strength' too literally. Which meant the higher you lift them, the greater the increase. The only problem was that Gaara had chosen a unique way to lift them that had nothing to do with him arms.
What Ryu assumed was every weight in the room was hovering up near the ceiling, supported by Gaara's sand, while Gaara himself stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. Ryu wasn't sure, but he thought that Gaara looked immensely pleased with himself.
Anya couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped at the sight of the other trainer's bishonen. She watched as he groaned and walked into the room, calling out to the bishonen.
"Gaara, please put those weights back GENTLY! Crono, McDohl, STOP!"
The three bishonen did what Ryu wanted and he walked over to McDohl, and took the weight lifting bar from him.
Ryu groaned again as he saw the extent of the damage done to the bar. Its entire surface was marred with scratches, and it had been nearly cut all the way through in nearly a dozen places. It clearly had to be replaced as it would not be safe to use as a weight lifting bar anymore.
"Okay, we'll be heading up to the second floor guys. There, you can just spar, and I won't have to worry about what you can do as much."
The three bishonen nodded, and headed for the staircase, Gaara having put the weights back. Ryu breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over to the receptionist. Ryu held out the bar, which the man took.
"That's the only thing I know that has to be replaced. I'll be upstairs helping them train, and when we leave, I'll pay for the damages. If you find anything, let me know then."
The man nodded with Ryu's proposal, and walked out of the room, the bar in hand. Ryu turned to follow after the bishonen. It took him a moment to realize that Anya had fallen into step beside him, and her bishonen were following. Ryu felt a brief flash of annoyance, but shrugged it off.
Once in the training room, Ryu headed over to the three bishonen who were doing their basic warm-ups. Or at least Crono and McDohl were. Gaara had just picked a random spot on the ground, and sat down, idly watching the other two warm-up.
Anya once again followed him over to watch the three bishonen, while her own went through their warm-ups.
"So, want to battle?"
The question caught Ryu slightly by surprise.
"What? Hmm...Maybe. Who are you going to use?"
Anya answered immediately.
"Kenshin. He needs some more training, and he's the only san I've got at the moment."
Ryu nodded, and considered the bishonen.
"Hey Crono."
The red haired bishonen looked up from his crouch.
"Do you feel up for a battle? He's got red hair, and a katana, like you. No magic though."
Crono considered for a moment, then nodded, coming out of his crouch, and retrieving his sword. Anya nodded, a smile on her face, as she turned and jogged over to her bishonen. Ryu watched her jog over, considering the way she acted. She used the terminology that implied that she owned the bishonen. But she acted, and they acted, like they were the greatest of friends, and they all stood as equals. Ryu shrugged as he turned away, with one last thought of (Nice ass.). He walked over to Crono to give him some info about the bishonen he would be fighting.
Anya jogged over to her bishonen, and walked up to Kenshin. He was standing next to Heero, both wrapped about in a comfortable silence. Both Kenshin and Heero looked up when Anya approached.
"Kenshin, I've arranged for the battle you wanted."
"Really Anya-dono? Against whom?"
The rest of her bishonen listened as Anya spoke.
"It's against Ryu's Crono, the red haired guy with the katana."
Kenshin nodded, and started walking toward the other group, who was doing the same. Anya and her bishonen followed. Once the two groups reached the middle of the room, separated by about twenty feet, Kenshin stepped forward, as did the other team's bishonen, Crono.
"I give consent to battle for my trainer."
"I give consent to battle for my trainer."
Ryu walked around the two bishonen, giving them a wide birth, as Anya did the same. They quickly conferred on the betting amount, then Anya stepped forward.
"Begin!!"
The two bishonen rocketed forward, each drawing their sword, and bringing them together with a speed Anya hadn't expected. She knew Kenshin was fast, but Crono also had speed. Not as fast as Kenshin, but he was fast. For a moment, the two pressed their blades against each other in a contest of strength before they both disengaged, only to bring their swords together again. Soon they were both defending and attacking, sounds not unlike chimes coming out whenever their swords struck.
Crono parried another blow, and brought his sword up to stop another downward slash from the Kenshin. Shock traveled up Crono's arms as Kenshin's sword met Crono's, and he bent at the knees slightly to absorb the force. Crono shoved at the blades, and Kenshin fell away, landing lightly on his feet.
Crono ran for Kenshin, slashing at his left side, followed with a slash to Kenshin's right leg, as Kenshin turned the first slash aside, and blocked the second. Crono leaned back as Kenshin shoved Crono's sword aside, and then lunged, aiming for just below Crono's ribs in an attempt to drive the air from Crono's lungs. Crono felt the sword lightly graze his chest, catching slightly on the fabric of his coat and shirt, as he reached behind him with his left hand, holding his sword in his right, to catch himself as he over balanced. Once his hand met the ground, fingers splayed wide, his elbow bent slightly, and Crono saw that Kenshin had over extended himself in his lunge, leaving his sides completely open. Crono swung his sword into Kenshin's left side with all the force he could muster one handed. Kenshin folded slightly as the magically blunted blade pressed into his side, and Crono spun the best he could on the ground, adding enough force to throw Kenshin a good seven feet away, where the other bishonen rolled away to gain more room to recover.
Crono climbed to his feet, as did Kenshin, and they eyed each other warily. Kenshin assessed the damage done to his side as best he could, and found that he couldn't take a few more blows like that one. Kenshin sheathed his sword, and assumed a battou stance. Crono's brow's knit together in concentration as he tried to figure out what Kenshin was doing. The stance was foreign to him, and Crono didn't want to find out why Kenshin was using such a stance.
Before Crono could formulate a plan of action, Kenshin shot forward fast enough to blur, even to Crono. Crono's eyes widened in surprise as he focused on Kenshin, and was able to discern the other bishonen drawing his sword, and aiming a blow at Crono's right side. Crono grasped his sword in his left hand, and placed it to block the strike barely in time, bracing the sword with his right arm.
Unnoticed to either bishonen, a crack appeared in Crono's sword.
Crono heaved at the blade and managed to turn it aside, letting Kenshin fall forward into the space occupied by Crono, as he fell to the side, unbalanced. Kenshin recovered first, bringing a slash down at Crono's left shoulder. Crono, who had just fallen to a knee, swung his sword up to block, standing as he did so. For a moment, the blades stayed locked in place. Then Crono's was forced back as his awkward position didn't allow him to apply enough force. But Crono started grinning.
Kenshin, seeing the other's grin, started to pull away. But Crono suddenly spun his body, shoving Kenshin's sword aside, and continued to spin, holding his sword out at full extension, and picking up a great deal of speed. Kenshin, unbalanced, fell forward. He tried to recover and throw himself aside, but Crono's sword came around before he could do so, and hit his ribcage, driving the air from Kenshin's lungs. Kenshin's eyes widened as Crono still spun, fast enough to hit Kenshin at least seven more times before Kenshin was thrown twenty feet away from the force of the blows.
On the sidelines Ryu's eyes widened as he saw Crono spin.
"That's his Whirl technique...but when did he start using it like the Kaiten?"
Anya turned to him.
"What?"
Ryu explained, keeping his eyes on the battle as Kenshin and Crono once again met, circling each other and trading slashes and parries.
"Kaiten is a move from the anime Naruto. One of the characters expels energy from his entire body, then spins like a top. What Crono just did is his first special attack, aptly named 'Whirl'. Somewhere, though, he figured out how to apply it defensively, using it like the Kaiten."
A voice suddenly spoke behind them, and they both turned in surprise to see Sanosuke standing behind Anya, and watching the fight.
"He spins, canceling out all attacks, turning them aside. The opponent, suddenly overbalanced, falls forward, allowing the defender to keep spinning at high speed, attacking them repeatedly, before finally throwing them away. Pretty good defense. Even if you came at him from all sides, he'd still block, and not even take a scratch. I think the only way to beat it is to hit him at high speed, stop him before he starts to spin."
Ryu nodded, as he turned his attention back to the fight.
Kenshin stood on shaky knees. After Crono had used that spinning technique, Kenshin had taken too much damage to fight as he normally did. As it was, he was putting everything he had to keep up with Crono.
Crono, on the other hand, had to applaud Kenshin. Crono was breathing heavily, but he hadn't been able to hit Kenshin again. In fact, Crono gingerly flexed his left arm, feeling the muscle protest slightly from where Kenshin's last attack hit. While Crono hadn't been able to hit Kenshin, the other bishonen had tagged him a few times.
Kenshin took a deep breath as he prepared for another special technique. He had to stop this fight soon, or risk simply collapsing.
Kenshin ran at Crono, who steadied himself, preparing to defend against Kenshin's assault. Kenshin leaped into the air, and tucked himself into a ball, his sword still jutting out, then started to spin. Crono's eyes widened as he changed his defensive tactic, and started to spin himself. The two met with a crash, and Crono was slammed into the ground, creating a large dust cloud, while Kenshin was thrown into the air, to land several feet away.
A stunned silence filled the air as the audience stared. For the first time, Ryu realized that the two battling bishies had drawn a crowd. His attention turned back to the fight as one of the bishonen climbed to his feet.
Kenshin's legs shook even more as he stood, and he was forced to use his sword as an aid to stay up right. He slowly made his way over to the dust cloud that had swallowed Crono. When Kenshin reached the cloud of dust, it had cleared slightly, and Kenshin saw a piece of turquoise fabric lying on the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and started to walk away, back toward Anya. He noticed the small crowd that had gathered.
That crowd almost saved him.
The crowd gasped, staring to behind Kenshin, and he turned around to see Crono running at him, not wearing his turquoise coat. Crono's sword was at the ready, and he leaped into the air, and brought his sword down, aiming at Kenshin's head, with a yell of exertion.
Kenshin raised his own sword to block, but in his surprise, he leaned back farther than he meant to. Kenshin's sword met Crono's much higher than Kenshin meant too, and both bishonens eyes widened as there was a 'CRACK' and Crono's sword broke, the tip of the blade flying free. Kenshin swung his own sword at Crono, hitting him in the side, and sending him flying, but not before the shorter remains of Crono's sword connected with Kenshin's shoulder, knocking the bishonen to the ground.
Anya and Ryu ran to their respective bishonen to see if they were alright. When Anya knelt next to Kenshin, she saw that he was unconscious, and would be covered with bruises, but he would be alright. She looked over to Ryu to see that he had reached Crono, who was holding his hand up weakly in a victory sign. Anya sighed in relief. Chichiri and Sano walked up. Chiri kneeled next to Kenshin, and let his healing magic flow through the other bishonen, and Anya watched as the bruises faded from Kenshin's face and body. Soon, the bishonen's eyes had opened, and he groggily sat up.
"That was a good fight. Did he come through that last attack, or did we draw?"
Anya smiled slightly at her bishonen.
"Sorry Kenshin, but you lost. He was conscious. Barely, but conscious."
"It was a draw."
Anya, Sano, and Kenshin turned in surprise to see Crono, Ryu supporting the bishonen so he could walk.
"What do you mean a draw? You won."
Crono shook his head, and held up his right hand, displaying his sword. Anya blinked in surprise seeing that the blade had been broken, the last three inches missing. She glanced behind Kenshin, and saw the tip of the sword lying on the ground. Anya opened her mouth to argue, but Kenshin beat her too it.
"Maybe so. But I was knocked unconscious, while you still have a fighting weapon, albeit broken. You won."
The two bishonen got into a slight staring contest, trying to convince the other that they had won. After a moment, she looked at Ryu, who shrugged.
"It was Crono's fight. I'll let him decide weather or not he won."
Sano scoffed, and stood up, glaring at Crono.
"You still have a weapon, and were conscious, while Kenshin was not conscious. If it had been a true fight, you would've been able to drag yourself over to Kenshin and kill him before he came around. Stop trying to be noble and accept the fact that you won damn it."
Ryu nodded in agreement, and Crono finally relented. Anya grinned and stood up, handing Ryu the money that she had bet on the match. Chiri also stood, walked over to Crono, and healed him. Crono's eyes widened in surprise as he stood up as if he had never fought. Ryu frowned a little, then handed back an amount of cash to Anya which she saw was what would've paid for a healing potion. She looked up to see Ryu and his bishonen walking away, Crono examining his broken sword.
Anya frowned and was about to go hand it back when Sano stopped her.
"Just keep it Missy. I recognize the type. He doesn't like being indebted to anyone, and he won't take the money back."
She grinned.
"Ah, I can see it now. Sanosuke, the world-wise fluffy rooster."
"Ite! Missy...!"
She laughed as she ducked under his playful attack.
:Author's Notes: So, what'd you think? Good, bad? Please review so I can know, and change accordingly. Oh yeah, about the 'battou stance'. It's been too long since I've seen Kenshin, and I can't remember exactly what they call the stances he uses. And Kenshin's not saying 'that I do' and what not because he's in san stage, or Battousai stage, and when he's like that, I believe he speaks as a normal person would. But I could be wrong.
There hadn't been much Ryu wanted out of life. A college diploma from a so-so college, a good looking and good natured wife who would respect his wishes, enough money coming in each month to support them at a relatively laid back life style, the chance to have his parents wiped from the face of the Earth, a government that could do more than screw up, maybe a few other things.
Right now, all he wanted was to see an end to these damn trees. And to be able to kill that damned blue jay that had been following them for at least three days. Oh, how he hated that blue jay...
Ryu nearly tripped over a root that jutted out of the ground, and he cursed under his breath. God, where was pavement when you needed it? Seemed the stuff was never around when you truly wanted it there. Ryu glanced around at the woods, feeling his city bread instincts scream at him. He really wasn't an outdoors person. He growled as his foot snagged on another root, and he nearly fell face first onto the ground.
Finally having enough, Ryu stopped, and sank down to the ground, leaning back against a tree. He pulled a water bottle out of his pack, and took a few gulps before offering a different bottle to Gaara, who took the bottle without a word. For a minute, Ryu just sat there, letting himself calm down. Once he felt calm enough to continue without lighting the woods on fire, he started to stand. Halfway to his feet, he stopped, and cocked his head to the side. For a moment he listened intently to the woods around. Gaara, seeing his trainer's behavior, stayed silent. Not that it made a big difference, since Gaara rarely spoke, and then, only when spoken too.
(Huh...Coulda sworn I heard...)
His head gave a small twitch as he caught the sound again, and fully stood up. He turned to his right, and walked off into the underbrush, trying to be quiet. For the most part he succeeded, but Gaara moved after him like a red haired ghost. After a few minutes, in which the sounds of a fight grew louder, Ryu came to a stop inside a bush that had been hollowed out by something. Ryu crouched down and moved a branch gently aside, letting him and Gaara see into a small clearing on the other side of the bush.
Two bishonen warily circled each other. One was armed with a staff, and was wearing a red and gold tunic over a short sleeved white shirt, and yellow pants. He had black hair that stuck out under a green and yellow bandana, and leather gloves on both hands, as well as, of all things, pointy shoes. The other was armed with a katana, and wearing a turquoise, sleeveless coat, with a thick, black tank top on underneath, and tan pants, which were tucked into a pair of sturdy boots. He had long, vibrant red hair that jutted out everywhere in spikes, and was kept out of his eyes by a white headband.
Ryu grinned. It wasn't a particularly nice grin. More like one you'd see on a Kyo just before he fought a Yuki. It had a definite feral cast to it. Ryu grabbed two bishballs from his belt, and glanced at Gaara. Gaara, who had been studying his trainer from the corner of his eye, merely nodded, his gourd already uncorked. Sand started to creep into the clearing, moving slowly toward the two bishonen.
The two broke their standoff, and attacked. Their perspective weapons wove shields before themselves, which the other couldn't penetrate. Finally they broke apart, circling each other. All the while the sand slowly encircled them. Neither noticed, so intent they were on the other. They both tensed and Ryu gave the slightest nod.
Sand suddenly shot up from the ground, and wrapped around both bishonens legs, earning startled yells from them both. As they looked down at the sand encircling their legs, Ryu stood up, still grinning, and threw the two bishballs in his right hand. The balls flew true, striking each bishonen in the chest, then bouncing onto the ground. The two bishonen struggled against the sand, but they were sucked into their respective bishballs.
Ryu walked forward, and picked up the bishballs, one in each hand. He held them up, about chest height.
"Come on out guys."
Two beams of light shot out, and grew to form the two newly captured bishonen. The one with red hair had sheathed his sword, and the one with the staff let it rest, one end against the ground. They both looked at Ryu contemplatively for a moment, and then looked at Gaara, sizing him up. Ryu pulled out his dex, opened it, and pointed it at one of the bishonen.
"Name: McDohl. Stage: San. Nickname: ?"
"No nickname."
Ryu then pointed the dex at the other bishonen.
"Name: Crono. Stage: San. Nickname: ?"
"No nickname."
The dex beeped in acknowledgement, and Ryu put it away. He then studied the two newly captured bishies, grinning slightly. Gaara too sized up the bishonen, gauging their strengths and weaknesses. He turned his head slightly in inquiry to Ryu, who shrugged and spoke.
"Their names are Crono, and McDohl, and they're both the main characters in two of the greater games. Chrono Trigger", Ryu nodded at Crono, "and Suikoden." He nodded at McDohl.
"So, you're our new trainer. Sigh; at the very least we're not your first capture."
Ryu grinned at Crono.
"True. But, you two are my second capture. Sorry to burst your bubble."
McDohl sighed, and Ryu heard him mutter 'newbie'. Ryu just grinned at him. Then he remembered something that made the grin fade. He had offered Gaara a choice to leave. Gaara had decided to stay. These two deserved the chance to make a choice. Ryu put the two bishballs in his belt, feeling the elation disappear slightly. He sighed, and leaned back against a nearby tree, drawing Gaara's attention.
"Tell the two of you what. I'll only keep you captured for a week. After that, if you still want to go, I'll walk right out to the woods and release you. And if you're willing to wait a few days, I'll do my best to bring you back to this very clearing and release you here. In return, just give me a chance; see if you want to travel with me. Deal?"
They stared at him in shock, while Gaara merely looked on. He too had had trouble figuring out why a trainer would go so far out of his or her way to help the bishonen that they captured. In the end, he had merely accepted the deal, thinking to leave the first chance he got.
McDohl looked puzzled as he spoke.
"Why would you release us? It was a fair capture, using the resources at your disposal."
"The word fair should never be used in the same sentence as the word capture. I have enough of a problem with authority without becoming like so many authority figures back in the old world. I will NOT take people away from their homes against their will."
Both Crono and McDohl seemed surprised by Ryu's opinion on the matter. For a moment, they both studied Ryu. Then they both nodded, and Crono spoke.
"All right. We'll travel with you for one week. Give you a chance."
Ryu grinned.
"Can't ask for more. So, any idea where the nearest human habitation is? I'm dying for some real food."
Crono chuckled while McDohl pointed.
"About an hour and a half of a walk, we'll hit the nearby town, or city I suppose, called Draglock."
Ryu's eyebrows rose.
"The two of you were fighting an hour and a half from the nearest city and didn't expect to be captured?"
They both grinned sheepishly, and shrugged. Ryu shook his head and they all walked in the direction McDohl had pointed them.
Not soon after they had left the small clearing did another person enter it. She came from a bush two to the left of the one Ryu had hid behind. She looked to be in her middle teens, had long blond hair tied back in a pony tail, and was dressed in a white shirt that left her shoulder's bare, and white pants. A crossbow was collapsed, and placed in its holster at her side, ready for a quick, easy draw. She looked in the direction that Ryu and his bishonen had gone, then, with a small smile, she moved after them, disappearing in the trees.
Ryu came to a stop when the trees ended, feeling relief at finally being out of the woods. He turned off his headphones, which had been playing Evanescence, and put them away, walking toward the city gate with his bishonen. At the gate, the guard once again held out his hand for Ryu's dex. Scowling the entire time, Ryu slung his backpack off, crouched and set the backpack on the ground, and unzipped one of the pockets. He reached in, and withdrew his dex, handing it to the guard as he stood up. The guard looked over the dex, then handed it back and let them pass. As Ryu walked through the gates, he slipped the dex back into the backpack, and swung the pack on.
"Hmm...Hotel first, then we can explore. Any preferences?"
Crono immediately piped up.
"Some place that has good food, and isn't little more than a shack."
McDohl nodded, and Gaara just shrugged.
"Alright...let's see..."
Ryu walked deeper into the town, stopping the occasional passerby for directions to a nearby hotel. After nearly a half hour, they found a hotel, and entered. The clerk looked up at their entrance, and nodded in greeting. Ryu nodded in return and walked forward to get a room, leaving his bishonen to their own devices. Gaara merely stood nearby, gazing at the wall without seeing it. Crono looked around the lobby with interest, and McDohl found an item on the receptionist's desk that was apparently fascinating. He picked it up, and turned it over in his hands, his staff resting against the crook of his neck.
Ryu figured he had better conserve his money, so he got a room with only two beds, making sure they were large enough for two people apiece. The clerk assured him that the beds in the room were large enough, and handed over a key, and told Ryu what the room number was. Ryu nodded, and turned to leave, and spotted McDohl. Ryu grinned slightly as he reached out and took the object, and showed McDohl how to use it once, then handed it back. He then walked on toward the room, McDohl clicking the object a few times. He then noticed that Ryu and the others were getting farther away, and he put the stapler back on the desk, and hurried after them.
Ryu unlocked and opened the door, looking around the room. It was a good sized room, with two large beds, a bathroom, small kitchen, and a TV. There was a couch, and a chair facing the TV. He walked in and dropped his pack near one of the beds. He rummaged through it for a change of clothes, and his bathroom kit, then headed for the bathroom for a much anticipated shower, leaving his bishonen to their own devices.
McDohl headed for the small kitchen, examining the small wealth of technology. Gaara merely un-strapped his gourd and dropped it into the chair. He climbed onto one of the beds and leaned back against the headboard. Crono grabbed the remote to the TV, and started channel surfing, seeing what was on. He sank onto the couch, his sword in the chair alongside Gaara's gourd. He glanced at Gaara.
"Any preference on what to watch?"
Gaara merely shrugged, so Crono picked something that looked interest, and put the remote down. The sounds of the TV brought in McDohl, who climbed onto the other bed, staring at the TV screen, his staff resting against the wall outside the kitchen.
Gaara, though he appeared calm, was filled with conflicting emotions, not all of which he understood or could identify. Back in his village, he had been shunned, and regarded with fear and distaste by most. Only a few people accepted him, among them his mother and the Naruto he went to for help. Overall, his chibi stage had been a hard time for him, with the san stage merely getting harder as his abilities started to come to the fore. Yet, he sat here, with two other people who didn't fear him. One of them even asked if he had a preference about what to watch. And then the fourth member of their party. Their trainer. He had offered to let Gaara go, given him a choice when most trainers would've dragged Gaara away by the ear if he hadn't left his life behind willingly. One emotion welled up more than the others, and Gaara decided he liked the emotion. He settled in to watch the TV.
After nearly half an hour, Ryu walked out of the bathroom, feeling much better now that he was clean. He had donned a white T-Shirt, and a pair of gray sweats, and was barefoot at the moment. He had simply combed his hair back, which was still rather damp. As he walked toward his pack to return his bathroom kit, he glanced at the TV to see what they were watching.
"Ranma ½ huh?"
Crono nodded without taking his eyes off the screen, watching as Ranma was pounded into the ground by his mob of fiancés for some reason that Ryu didn't know. It wasn't an episode he had seen.
"Well, how about we go get some food? I'm starving."
Crono finally turned his attention from the screen.
"Why not have room service?"
Ryu blinked.
"Didn't think of that. Well, alright, what do you guys want?"
After finding out what they wanted Ryu walked over to the phone to order it. After picking up the phone, he glanced at the bishonen staring avidly at the screen, and couldn't help a chuckle. (Heh. Just like normal teenagers.)
The food arrived a few minutes later, just as Ryoga and Mouse appeared. Ryu felt somewhat sorry for Ranma.
:Several Hours Later:
Crono eventually gave in to the call of sleep, and laid out on the couch, his head cushioned on a pillow. He was second place in an unspoken contest. To see who could stay awake the longest.
Ryu glanced over at Crono and smirked slightly. (Amateur). He glanced at the clock. 1:37 am. Ryu picked up the remote, grabbed the box of soda, and settled in changing channels to find something he felt like watching. He enjoyed anime, but he felt like watching some live action. Something like...
He pushed the button once again, and the screen changed. He grinned, and set the remote down, grabbed a soda, and settled in.
...Resident Evil.
:The Next Morning:
Someone was prodding him in the back. He groaned and weakly swatted at their hand. After a moment, the prodding resumed. He groaned again and moved over in the bed, away from that damned prodding. He felt the bed shift underneath him, and the prodding began anew. He groaned once again, grabbed his pillow, and swung it behind him, into the person's face. The prodding vanished. (Damn, I feel like crap...That's it, no more late nighters with that much soda and a horror flick...). He DID feel bad. His stomach was protesting loudly, and his mouth tasted foul. And his head was hurting. Apparently he had drunk too much soda, and dehydrated himself.
There was a sudden presence in the small of his back, quite a bit wider than a finger, and he was about to turn around and scream at whoever kept trying to wake him up. Or throw up on them, which ever happened first. Before he start to turn over, the object in his back suddenly pushed and he felt himself slide off the side of the bed to crash onto the floor. This was supposed to wake him up, but he suddenly realized how comfortable the carpet was, and simply reached up to grab the blankets that he had left behind on the bed, and a pillow. He pulled them down onto the floor with him, and proceeded to become comfortable. He then ignored the voices, and went about falling asleep.
"This isn't working. Any other ideas?"
"I've got one, but he won't like it. Why are we doing this again?"
"You DO want to get to the gym right?"
A pause.
"Then wake him up, so we can go."
"Alright." Another pause. "Stand back. Further Gaara, this water is cold."
That last statement caused him to groan in protest. Not cold. He was nice and warm. Not-
"COLD!! JESUS, THAT'S COLD!! WHO IN THE HE-"
Ryu shot upright, out of the wet blankets to face his assailants. Crono stood there, grinning, an empty bucket in hand. McDohl stood off to one side, his staff in hand, and Gaara stood over near the wall, having backed up there at Crono's urging. McDohl tossed Ryu a change of clothes, which Ryu grabbed as he sank down onto the bed, blinking blearily.
"Is there a reason you decided to wake me up at..." He checked the bedside clock. "5:30?!"
"Yeah, the gym in this city opens at 6:00. And last night you said we'd go to the gym."
Ryu glared blearily at the three of them, realizing that he had, indeed, told them they'd go to the gym today.
"I meant in the afternoon."
McDohl and Crono blinked. Crono put the bucket down.
"Oh."
Then, in a sickeningly happy voice, he continued.
"Well, you're awake, let's go!"
Ryu growled under his breath as he pulled on the pair of dry clothes, and followed all three bishonen out of the room.
(I swear, I'm going to kill the next person who wakes me up with ice cold water. Slowly.)
Ryu stood outside the gym, slightly surprised by the buildings sheer size. This was a building that could host the Super Bowl comfortably. He shrugged, and opened the door, stepping inside what appeared to be the lobby of another office building. There was the standard compliment of a receptionist desk, and waiting couches. He spotted a pair of doors with the familiar bathroom signs. Ryu walked up to the desk, his bishonen following, and the person behind the desk snapped out of a light doze and looked at them in surprise.
"What are you all doing here?"
Ryu, still annoyed and feeling a little sick, snapped back.
"We're here to use the gym."
The man behind the desk looked a little taken aback at Ryu's tone, and he responded angrily.
"Then you're very early. They gym doesn't open until 7:00."
Ryu stiffened. He glanced at the wall clock, which red 5:53. He then slowly turned to glare at Crono who was smiling sheepishly. And backing away slightly.
"Oops?"
Ryu glared at Crono for a moment, then turned back to the counter. Crono breathed a sigh of relief. McDohl leaned over and whispered in Crono's ear.
"Told you check the gym times."
They returned their attention to the desk where Ryu was inquiring about a place to eat.
"Sorry about snapping. I'm not a morning person."
The man nodded in understanding.
"Could you tell us where there's a restaurant open at this time in the morning?"
"Yes. A block from here, there's a restaurant that's open at all hours. They serve pretty good food. Just look for the sign with the cat on it."
Ryu nodded, turned, and walked out of the gym. His bishonen followed after them, and the receptionist fell back into his doze, waiting for seven to come around.
Ryu leaned back in his chair, feeling immensely better. He still had a slight headache, but it was rapidly disappearing now that he had drunk a healthy amount of water. And his stomach had stopped complaining the moment he started eating. He still needed a shower, but that could wait a little while. He checked the wall clock of the restaurant: 6:52. He was surprised that it had taken so little time to get their food and eat. He glanced at the bishonen. They had all finished their own food, and were now relaxing.
"Time to go guys."
They looked up, then glanced at the clock, and nodded. They all stood up, and Ryu quickly paid the bill, leaving a tip, before leaving.
They arrived at the gym with a minute or two to spare, and quickly entered, finding the receptionist awake. He nodded at them as they entered and moved toward a couch to wait. Soon a chime sounded, and the receptionist called over to them.
"The gym is now open."
They stood and moved through the large double doors into what Ryu could only dub a huge room. Their footsteps echoed slightly as they walked. Ryu glanced around the room once, and reasoned that they were in a room that was a general workout room. They had punching bags, weight lifting equipment, and what appeared to be a short sprinting track. As a group, they walked over to the weights where the bishonen examined them.
Crono crouched down and prodded one weight. It was about six inches across, and an inch thick, and had the number 10 on it. He looked at Ryu in inquiry.
"These are weights. You lift them to increase your strength. There are a variety of ways to do it, each way increasing a different set of muscles."
Ryu glanced down, trying to remember the different exercises from his weight training class he had taken as a freshman in high school.
"Hey, I'll be back in a minute. Go ahead and exercise, or whatever you guys do."
He turned and walked away, not noticing the bishies nods. Once out of the room, he headed for the bathroom, where he relieved himself, and splashed a little warm water on his face after washing his hands.
When he left the bathroom, he saw that the receptionist had disappeared somewhere, and a small group was waiting for him to return. Seemed that the group's trainer, and one of her bishonen, a Sanosuke, was having a bit of an argument.
"Missy, what exactly is the point of dragging us down here this early when we can't even get in?"
"Listen, Rooster Head, it was your idea to wake up early today, and it was you who dragged us down here. I, for one, would've liked to stay in bed a bit longer. And I'm going to take you to the hospital, make sure you're alright."
She turned back toward the desk, checking if the receptionist was back. Sanosuke's arms came out of his pockets, and his eyebrows started twitching in annoyance.
"Rooster Head?! Missy, that was uncalled for! And why are you taking me to the hospital?"
Sanosuke crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at his trainer, while she glared up at him.
"I'm taking you to the hospital because you were so eager to get down here. You're rarely eager to get to a gym, and you're NEVER eager to get up before 10!"
"Geez Missy, and here I thought you'd want to get to the gym first thing."
One of the girl's eye brows rose.
"Sanosuke, were you trying to help? Without me asking?"
He snorted.
"Don't push your luck Missy. I just wanted to get down here before you started whining."
Ryu looked over their little group, tuning out the bickering trainer and bishonen. There was a Heero, who looked like he had stepped out of the movie Endless Waltz, dressed in a green tank top, blue jeans, and boots, with a jacket slung over one shoulder, a Kenshin who appeared to have stepped from the OVA, and another bishonen Ryu didn't know, with a blue hat and blue hair, the bangs of which were defying gravity, and a scar over one of his eyes, a staff in hand. Then there was the Sanosuke. He too looked like he had stepped straight from the series, dressed in his normal white outfit, complete with the 'wicked' symbol on the back, and the red headband. He did indeed have the 'Rooster Head' appearance, with his gravity defying hair. The trainer was a girl about five feet tall, with dark brown hair that was slightly curly and reached just past her shoulders. Ryu tuned back into their bickering just in time to here the girls retort.
"Oh shut up, Fluffy."
The Sanosuke pouted slightly at apparently being beaten.
Ryu stepped forward to get a look at the map of the gym, seeing that they had the room he had already entered, as well as two others, one for official fighting, and another for more advanced training. He considered the sign for a moment before being distracted by the trainer as she smacked her bishonen on the back of the head.
"ACK, Missy!"
Ryu blinked, but returned to his considerations as he headed for the gym interior, but not before muttering something.
"Ah, Marriage. The death of every man's freedom."
Apparently he didn't mutter quietly enough as the Sanosuke turned toward him.
"What was that?"
Ryu blinked as he looked the Sanosuke in the eyes. After a moment, he shrugged.
"I said 'Ah, Marriage. The death of every man's freedom.'"
"Oi, punk, I'm not married to her..."
"Sano, be nice."
The bishonen quieted, and Ryu raised an eyebrow.
"You may not be married to her, but you're whipped as if you were."
The bishonen with the blue hat spoke up.
"Anya-dono? What's he mean by 'whipped'?"
The girl, Anya, shrugged a little with a light blush on her face.
"I'll explain later Chiri."
She turned her attention to Ryu.
"Hello." Ryu nodded at her before she continued. "My names Anya. This is Chichiri," She gestured to the blue haired bishonen, "Heero," Heero gave a nod to Ryu, who returned it, "Kenshin," Kenshin also gave a nod, which Ryu also returned, "and the chicken headed oaf is Sanosuke."
Sanosuke grumbled at his introduction but stayed quiet, eyeing Ryu distastefully.
"My names Ryu."
Ryu turned to walk back into the exercise room when the receptionist walked briskly out of the door, spotted Ryu, and marched up to him with a determined expression. Ryu merely eyed the man as he approached warily, with a slight sense of foreboding. The man came up to Ryu.
"Sir, I'm afraid that there is a slight problem being caused by your bishonen."
Ryu shrugged, and walked toward the door, preparing himself to sort it out, whatever it was. The man followed, as did Anya and her bishonen.
"And Sir, I expect any damages they do to be fully paid for."
"Eh?" As Ryu spoke he reached the door and opened it, walking through into the gym. "How bad can it...be...? What in the hell?!"
Ryu surveyed the scene before him.
It seemed that he hadn't explained the reason of the weights enough to the bishonen, who had filled in the gaps as they saw fit. McDohl had picked up one of the weight lifting bars, and was using it as a replacement for his usual staff, thinking it a training weapon. Crono, not seeing any training swords, had drawn his own, and was now sparring with McDohl. Ryu winced as he noticed the deep grooves that Crono's sword left in the weight lifting bar.
The strangest one of all, though, was Gaara. He seemed to have taken Ryu's explanation of 'You lift them to increase your strength' too literally. Which meant the higher you lift them, the greater the increase. The only problem was that Gaara had chosen a unique way to lift them that had nothing to do with him arms.
What Ryu assumed was every weight in the room was hovering up near the ceiling, supported by Gaara's sand, while Gaara himself stood in the center of the room with his arms crossed over his chest. Ryu wasn't sure, but he thought that Gaara looked immensely pleased with himself.
Anya couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped at the sight of the other trainer's bishonen. She watched as he groaned and walked into the room, calling out to the bishonen.
"Gaara, please put those weights back GENTLY! Crono, McDohl, STOP!"
The three bishonen did what Ryu wanted and he walked over to McDohl, and took the weight lifting bar from him.
Ryu groaned again as he saw the extent of the damage done to the bar. Its entire surface was marred with scratches, and it had been nearly cut all the way through in nearly a dozen places. It clearly had to be replaced as it would not be safe to use as a weight lifting bar anymore.
"Okay, we'll be heading up to the second floor guys. There, you can just spar, and I won't have to worry about what you can do as much."
The three bishonen nodded, and headed for the staircase, Gaara having put the weights back. Ryu breathed a sigh of relief, and walked over to the receptionist. Ryu held out the bar, which the man took.
"That's the only thing I know that has to be replaced. I'll be upstairs helping them train, and when we leave, I'll pay for the damages. If you find anything, let me know then."
The man nodded with Ryu's proposal, and walked out of the room, the bar in hand. Ryu turned to follow after the bishonen. It took him a moment to realize that Anya had fallen into step beside him, and her bishonen were following. Ryu felt a brief flash of annoyance, but shrugged it off.
Once in the training room, Ryu headed over to the three bishonen who were doing their basic warm-ups. Or at least Crono and McDohl were. Gaara had just picked a random spot on the ground, and sat down, idly watching the other two warm-up.
Anya once again followed him over to watch the three bishonen, while her own went through their warm-ups.
"So, want to battle?"
The question caught Ryu slightly by surprise.
"What? Hmm...Maybe. Who are you going to use?"
Anya answered immediately.
"Kenshin. He needs some more training, and he's the only san I've got at the moment."
Ryu nodded, and considered the bishonen.
"Hey Crono."
The red haired bishonen looked up from his crouch.
"Do you feel up for a battle? He's got red hair, and a katana, like you. No magic though."
Crono considered for a moment, then nodded, coming out of his crouch, and retrieving his sword. Anya nodded, a smile on her face, as she turned and jogged over to her bishonen. Ryu watched her jog over, considering the way she acted. She used the terminology that implied that she owned the bishonen. But she acted, and they acted, like they were the greatest of friends, and they all stood as equals. Ryu shrugged as he turned away, with one last thought of (Nice ass.). He walked over to Crono to give him some info about the bishonen he would be fighting.
Anya jogged over to her bishonen, and walked up to Kenshin. He was standing next to Heero, both wrapped about in a comfortable silence. Both Kenshin and Heero looked up when Anya approached.
"Kenshin, I've arranged for the battle you wanted."
"Really Anya-dono? Against whom?"
The rest of her bishonen listened as Anya spoke.
"It's against Ryu's Crono, the red haired guy with the katana."
Kenshin nodded, and started walking toward the other group, who was doing the same. Anya and her bishonen followed. Once the two groups reached the middle of the room, separated by about twenty feet, Kenshin stepped forward, as did the other team's bishonen, Crono.
"I give consent to battle for my trainer."
"I give consent to battle for my trainer."
Ryu walked around the two bishonen, giving them a wide birth, as Anya did the same. They quickly conferred on the betting amount, then Anya stepped forward.
"Begin!!"
The two bishonen rocketed forward, each drawing their sword, and bringing them together with a speed Anya hadn't expected. She knew Kenshin was fast, but Crono also had speed. Not as fast as Kenshin, but he was fast. For a moment, the two pressed their blades against each other in a contest of strength before they both disengaged, only to bring their swords together again. Soon they were both defending and attacking, sounds not unlike chimes coming out whenever their swords struck.
Crono parried another blow, and brought his sword up to stop another downward slash from the Kenshin. Shock traveled up Crono's arms as Kenshin's sword met Crono's, and he bent at the knees slightly to absorb the force. Crono shoved at the blades, and Kenshin fell away, landing lightly on his feet.
Crono ran for Kenshin, slashing at his left side, followed with a slash to Kenshin's right leg, as Kenshin turned the first slash aside, and blocked the second. Crono leaned back as Kenshin shoved Crono's sword aside, and then lunged, aiming for just below Crono's ribs in an attempt to drive the air from Crono's lungs. Crono felt the sword lightly graze his chest, catching slightly on the fabric of his coat and shirt, as he reached behind him with his left hand, holding his sword in his right, to catch himself as he over balanced. Once his hand met the ground, fingers splayed wide, his elbow bent slightly, and Crono saw that Kenshin had over extended himself in his lunge, leaving his sides completely open. Crono swung his sword into Kenshin's left side with all the force he could muster one handed. Kenshin folded slightly as the magically blunted blade pressed into his side, and Crono spun the best he could on the ground, adding enough force to throw Kenshin a good seven feet away, where the other bishonen rolled away to gain more room to recover.
Crono climbed to his feet, as did Kenshin, and they eyed each other warily. Kenshin assessed the damage done to his side as best he could, and found that he couldn't take a few more blows like that one. Kenshin sheathed his sword, and assumed a battou stance. Crono's brow's knit together in concentration as he tried to figure out what Kenshin was doing. The stance was foreign to him, and Crono didn't want to find out why Kenshin was using such a stance.
Before Crono could formulate a plan of action, Kenshin shot forward fast enough to blur, even to Crono. Crono's eyes widened in surprise as he focused on Kenshin, and was able to discern the other bishonen drawing his sword, and aiming a blow at Crono's right side. Crono grasped his sword in his left hand, and placed it to block the strike barely in time, bracing the sword with his right arm.
Unnoticed to either bishonen, a crack appeared in Crono's sword.
Crono heaved at the blade and managed to turn it aside, letting Kenshin fall forward into the space occupied by Crono, as he fell to the side, unbalanced. Kenshin recovered first, bringing a slash down at Crono's left shoulder. Crono, who had just fallen to a knee, swung his sword up to block, standing as he did so. For a moment, the blades stayed locked in place. Then Crono's was forced back as his awkward position didn't allow him to apply enough force. But Crono started grinning.
Kenshin, seeing the other's grin, started to pull away. But Crono suddenly spun his body, shoving Kenshin's sword aside, and continued to spin, holding his sword out at full extension, and picking up a great deal of speed. Kenshin, unbalanced, fell forward. He tried to recover and throw himself aside, but Crono's sword came around before he could do so, and hit his ribcage, driving the air from Kenshin's lungs. Kenshin's eyes widened as Crono still spun, fast enough to hit Kenshin at least seven more times before Kenshin was thrown twenty feet away from the force of the blows.
On the sidelines Ryu's eyes widened as he saw Crono spin.
"That's his Whirl technique...but when did he start using it like the Kaiten?"
Anya turned to him.
"What?"
Ryu explained, keeping his eyes on the battle as Kenshin and Crono once again met, circling each other and trading slashes and parries.
"Kaiten is a move from the anime Naruto. One of the characters expels energy from his entire body, then spins like a top. What Crono just did is his first special attack, aptly named 'Whirl'. Somewhere, though, he figured out how to apply it defensively, using it like the Kaiten."
A voice suddenly spoke behind them, and they both turned in surprise to see Sanosuke standing behind Anya, and watching the fight.
"He spins, canceling out all attacks, turning them aside. The opponent, suddenly overbalanced, falls forward, allowing the defender to keep spinning at high speed, attacking them repeatedly, before finally throwing them away. Pretty good defense. Even if you came at him from all sides, he'd still block, and not even take a scratch. I think the only way to beat it is to hit him at high speed, stop him before he starts to spin."
Ryu nodded, as he turned his attention back to the fight.
Kenshin stood on shaky knees. After Crono had used that spinning technique, Kenshin had taken too much damage to fight as he normally did. As it was, he was putting everything he had to keep up with Crono.
Crono, on the other hand, had to applaud Kenshin. Crono was breathing heavily, but he hadn't been able to hit Kenshin again. In fact, Crono gingerly flexed his left arm, feeling the muscle protest slightly from where Kenshin's last attack hit. While Crono hadn't been able to hit Kenshin, the other bishonen had tagged him a few times.
Kenshin took a deep breath as he prepared for another special technique. He had to stop this fight soon, or risk simply collapsing.
Kenshin ran at Crono, who steadied himself, preparing to defend against Kenshin's assault. Kenshin leaped into the air, and tucked himself into a ball, his sword still jutting out, then started to spin. Crono's eyes widened as he changed his defensive tactic, and started to spin himself. The two met with a crash, and Crono was slammed into the ground, creating a large dust cloud, while Kenshin was thrown into the air, to land several feet away.
A stunned silence filled the air as the audience stared. For the first time, Ryu realized that the two battling bishies had drawn a crowd. His attention turned back to the fight as one of the bishonen climbed to his feet.
Kenshin's legs shook even more as he stood, and he was forced to use his sword as an aid to stay up right. He slowly made his way over to the dust cloud that had swallowed Crono. When Kenshin reached the cloud of dust, it had cleared slightly, and Kenshin saw a piece of turquoise fabric lying on the ground. He breathed a sigh of relief, turned, and started to walk away, back toward Anya. He noticed the small crowd that had gathered.
That crowd almost saved him.
The crowd gasped, staring to behind Kenshin, and he turned around to see Crono running at him, not wearing his turquoise coat. Crono's sword was at the ready, and he leaped into the air, and brought his sword down, aiming at Kenshin's head, with a yell of exertion.
Kenshin raised his own sword to block, but in his surprise, he leaned back farther than he meant to. Kenshin's sword met Crono's much higher than Kenshin meant too, and both bishonens eyes widened as there was a 'CRACK' and Crono's sword broke, the tip of the blade flying free. Kenshin swung his own sword at Crono, hitting him in the side, and sending him flying, but not before the shorter remains of Crono's sword connected with Kenshin's shoulder, knocking the bishonen to the ground.
Anya and Ryu ran to their respective bishonen to see if they were alright. When Anya knelt next to Kenshin, she saw that he was unconscious, and would be covered with bruises, but he would be alright. She looked over to Ryu to see that he had reached Crono, who was holding his hand up weakly in a victory sign. Anya sighed in relief. Chichiri and Sano walked up. Chiri kneeled next to Kenshin, and let his healing magic flow through the other bishonen, and Anya watched as the bruises faded from Kenshin's face and body. Soon, the bishonen's eyes had opened, and he groggily sat up.
"That was a good fight. Did he come through that last attack, or did we draw?"
Anya smiled slightly at her bishonen.
"Sorry Kenshin, but you lost. He was conscious. Barely, but conscious."
"It was a draw."
Anya, Sano, and Kenshin turned in surprise to see Crono, Ryu supporting the bishonen so he could walk.
"What do you mean a draw? You won."
Crono shook his head, and held up his right hand, displaying his sword. Anya blinked in surprise seeing that the blade had been broken, the last three inches missing. She glanced behind Kenshin, and saw the tip of the sword lying on the ground. Anya opened her mouth to argue, but Kenshin beat her too it.
"Maybe so. But I was knocked unconscious, while you still have a fighting weapon, albeit broken. You won."
The two bishonen got into a slight staring contest, trying to convince the other that they had won. After a moment, she looked at Ryu, who shrugged.
"It was Crono's fight. I'll let him decide weather or not he won."
Sano scoffed, and stood up, glaring at Crono.
"You still have a weapon, and were conscious, while Kenshin was not conscious. If it had been a true fight, you would've been able to drag yourself over to Kenshin and kill him before he came around. Stop trying to be noble and accept the fact that you won damn it."
Ryu nodded in agreement, and Crono finally relented. Anya grinned and stood up, handing Ryu the money that she had bet on the match. Chiri also stood, walked over to Crono, and healed him. Crono's eyes widened in surprise as he stood up as if he had never fought. Ryu frowned a little, then handed back an amount of cash to Anya which she saw was what would've paid for a healing potion. She looked up to see Ryu and his bishonen walking away, Crono examining his broken sword.
Anya frowned and was about to go hand it back when Sano stopped her.
"Just keep it Missy. I recognize the type. He doesn't like being indebted to anyone, and he won't take the money back."
She grinned.
"Ah, I can see it now. Sanosuke, the world-wise fluffy rooster."
"Ite! Missy...!"
She laughed as she ducked under his playful attack.
:Author's Notes: So, what'd you think? Good, bad? Please review so I can know, and change accordingly. Oh yeah, about the 'battou stance'. It's been too long since I've seen Kenshin, and I can't remember exactly what they call the stances he uses. And Kenshin's not saying 'that I do' and what not because he's in san stage, or Battousai stage, and when he's like that, I believe he speaks as a normal person would. But I could be wrong.