Chapter 4

"Very good Ami!"  Diro exclaimed.  "Wow, your English is almost perfect!  If it wasn't for your accent, I'd mistake you for being an American!"

"That's our Ami!"  Minako chimed.  "She's probably the smartest girl in our class!"

"Please Mina-chan, you'll embarrass me!"  The blue-haired girl meekly replied.  "Do you think I should work on my accent, Diro-san?"

Diro sighed and rubbed the side of his head.  "For the last time, Ames, you don't have to call me 'Diro-san!'  We're all friends here, right?"

"That's right."  She agreed.

"Thus there is no need for formalities, got it?"  He insisted.

Ami shot him a shy smile and replied, "Got it."

"Good!"  He exclaimed.  "And you should keep the accent.  Actually, I've always found them kinda charming."  He answered bluntly, eliciting a slight blush from the shy girl.  "I remember back when my grandma was first trying to teach me Japanese, she would always be on my case to speak it properly without an accent.  But, the way I see it, it's important to remember who you are and where you come from, even if that means you talk kinda funny!"

"That sounds like a good philosophy to me!"  Makoto giggled.  "What do you say we all take a break and enjoy the snacks I brought?"

"Oh!"  Usagi's head perked up at the mention of food.  "What'd you bring for us, Mako-chan?"  She asked.

"Just some cookies and pastries that I whipped up after school!"  She replied cheerfully.

Minako became sullen.  "But me and Usagi already made some cookies!  I promised Diro-kun that we'd bring him some!"

Makoto chuckled.  "Oh, come on Mina-chan!  Diro can try your cooking later!  It's tradition that I bring the snacks to our study sessions!"  She leaned over to Diro and whispered in his ear, "This will serve as a distraction for now.  You can throw away her 'treats' after she leaves!"

He whispered back, "You're a life-saver, Mako-chan!"

The tall girl chuckled slightly.  All their friends had tried both Usagi's and Minako's cooking and had agreed that it was barely edible, but the two of them cooking together had to be lethal!  She didn't envy the kind of attention he had been getting.  She loved both of her friends dearly but being around them too much could likely drive a person to the brink of insanity.

"Wow Mako-chan!"  Diro exclaimed after biting into a small cake.  "This is wonderful!  How did you learn to cook like this?"

The girl smiled and said, "I kinda taught myself.  I would spend hours experimenting with different food combinations and spices until I had the perfect recipe.  It was fun!"

"Kind of your area of expertise, huh?"

"I guess you could say that, yes."

The boy shoved the rest of the cake into his mouth and stretched out on the floor.  "Y'know, I've been noticing these things about you girls.  It's like you each have your own special traits that make you stand out as individuals, but then you use them to complement each other."

Usagi cocked her head to the side.  "What do you mean, Diro?"  She asked in confusion.

Diro said, "I just mean that all of your individual talents make you girls meld perfectly with each other.  I'll bet if you had some sort of transformation device you'd be perfect magical girls."

The five girls sat in silence around the table and stared at their friend.  Ami cleared her throat and asked sheepishly, "What made you come to that conclusion, Diro-kun?"

He sat up quickly, letting his unbound hair fall over his shoulders and gave a half smile.  "I just tend to notice these tiny nuances when it comes to personalities.  It's a ninja thing, I guess."  Rubbing the back of his head and laughing loudly, he added, "Either that or I've been watching way too much anime!"

All the girls let out a simultaneous sigh of relief and Makoto asked, "What do you mean 'ninja'?"

"It turns out that our Diro is actually very well trained ninja, Mako-chan!"  Minako attested.

"You're kidding!"  Rei exploded and leaned over the table to stare into the boy's eyes.  "Diro, why didn't you ever tell me about this!?"

He visibly shrunk under her threatening gaze.  "It never came up!  Don't you remember my little scuffle at the arcade?  You saw me fight then so I just figured you knew!"

"Fair enough."  She admitted and sat back down.  "It's just that not too many people practice ninjitsu so I imagined it would've come up somewhere in conversation."

"Is that so?"  He gave her a sly smile.  "I thought that all Japanese were inherently ninjas.  I mean, you're always being attacked by Godzilla and giant robots and scary red monsters, right?"

The raven-haired girl sighed and chuckled under her breath.  "Baka.  You have been watching too much anime!"

"What was that, Rei-chan?"  Diro cupped his hand behind his ear.  "Did you just call me an idiot?"

Makoto giggled.  "Gosh, you two act like you're a couple already!  C'mon, we need to get back to our studies, right Ami?"

Amused at Rei and Diro's blushing faces, Ami nodded.  "Yes, we should.  We have to go over Algebra now."

Usagi sneered at the word.  "Ugh, do we really have to go over Math, Ami-chan?"

"Of course we do!"  She insisted.  "You know how bad your grades are!  You should be spending twice as much time on it than anyone else!"

"But, I…"  She started and tried to think up a believable excuse.  "I promised Mamo-chan that I'd stop by before I go home, and it's getting late so I should probably go now!"  She gathered her books and hurried for the door.

"Usagi!  Wait!"  Diro called and stood up.  "It's dark outside so you shouldn't go alone!  I'll walk you there!"

"But, Diro…"  Ami began.

"It's no problem, Ami!  I'm a ninja, remember?  I'll protect her!"  He said as he followed Usagi outside.

Ami remained seated for a moment until she realized his intention.  She ran out to the temple steps and saw the two of them walking on the street below.  She yelled to them, "You can't run away from your studies!"

Diro looked back up to her and returned, "We can try!  Usagi!  Run!"

The blue-haired girl sighed wearily as she watched him grab the Usagi's wrist and lead her along the streets at a running pace.  She returned to the temple to be confronted by a giggling Makoto.

"They got away from you, huh?  Looks like Di's a quick one."

Ami plopped back down in her seat.  "I just didn't think that he'd pull something like that, that's all."

After Makoto's soft giggles died down Minako said, "M-Mako-chan?  Do you think Rei and Diro would make a good couple?"

The taller girl considered it and said, "Yes, I think they would.  But that all depends on how Rei feels about him."

Rei grimaced through her blushing face.  "Will you stop trying to set me up, Makoto!"

"What's the matter?"  She asked playfully.  "Don't you like him?"

"No!  Maybe…kind of."

"I see."  Minako whispered and plastered a fake smile on her face.  "Well, it is getting a little late.  I think I should go home too!  See you later!"

Makoto glimpsed at the sullen look on her friend's face as she stood and quickly left.  After a short moment she understood what it meant.

Ami looked at the two girls left with her and at the empty spots around the table.  "Hey," She said.  "What about the Algebra?"

"Hey!  Diro!  Slow down!"  Usagi choked out between her deep breaths.

He slowed to a walking pace and stopped completely when the girl collapsed to her knees.  "Jeez, Usagi!  You're weak!"

"Am not!"  She whined.  "I work out just as much as any other girl!"

He laughed to himself and offered her his hand.  "Right.  Well, I said I'd escort you, so where do we go from here?"

Accepting his help, the pigtailed girl rose to her feet.  She thought for a while and came to her decision.  "You still haven't met Mamoru, let's go see him!"

"Sounds like a plan.  Lead on."

The two walked through the streets of Tokyo in silence.  Diro was fidgeting with his hair, trying to tie his ribbon just right, while Usagi thought of something to say.  "So what's your style?"  She finally asked.

"Huh?  Oh, yeah, it's Bushin."

"Bushin?  I've never heard of that style."

"That's because it's an ancient discipline and it's usually taught to a student in secrecy."

"Why's that?"  She prodded.

"Because…"

"Because it's such a pathetic style the masters are ashamed to admit they know it!"  A strange, slightly muffled voice announced from behind them.  "Diro Kotaishi!  Tell me, how is that scar of yours?"

Diro stopped dead in his tracks.  He recognized the voice but refused to believe the possibility.  He placed his hand on Usagi's shoulder to keep her from turning around.

"Oh?"  The man voiced.  "Certainly you wouldn't give your grandfather's murderer the cold shoulder, would you?"

Usagi gasped and looked at Diro.  His brow was furrowed and he clenched his teeth.  A deep growl emitted from his throat and his body shook as it tensed.

"At least, that's how you see me, don't you?"  The man continued, a subtle shrill of insanity was evident in his muted voice.  "Come now, you shouldn't let such an insignificant occurrence come between us!"

"You…"  The young fighter began.  He released Usagi's shoulder and clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.  "You…sick fuck!!!"  He spun around and bolted through the air.  His blurred body came to rest where the man used to stand, and his fist rested in a pile shattered concrete.

The man's giddy laughter echoed through the streets of Tokyo.  "As slow as ever I see, young Kotaishi!"

Usagi spun to see a man in a white mask and a blue and gold leotard.  His long blonde hair was braided and fell over his shoulder.  He wore no shirt and exhibited a snake tattoo that twined its way around his torso.  His arms were adorned with gold bangles and armlets, and on his right fist he wielded a claw with long, steel blades.

Diro rubbed his throbbing fist and stared at the man with unfathomable contempt.  "You have no right to speak my family's name, Vega!"

He brought his claw in front of his masked face.  "I earned the right when I spilled your grandfather's blood, and when my friend kissed your face!"

"Diro!"  Usagi screamed and ran to him.  "Diro, what's going on?!"

"Get behind me!"  He demanded.  "Don't draw attention to yourself!"

Vega's blood-red eyes squinted from behind his mask and his shrill laughter resounded once again.  "And who is this delicious morsel?"  He asked.  "Who would've imagined that someone as deformed as you could acquaint such a beautiful seniorita?  I know of a million things I could do to pleasure a pure, innocent girl like this."  He slowly removed his mask, revealing his attractive, yet sadistically twisted face.  "What do you say, little one?  Would you like to come home with me?"

Usagi tightly gripped the back of Diro's shirt and squeaked through her fear, "Stay away!"

"Your name," He insisted.  "What is it?"

"U-Usagi."

He licked the front of his teeth and moaned approvingly.  "Your name, it means rabbit.  It is fitting."  He squealed.  "I love to play with bunnies.  In my villa I would often catch them and skin them alive.  One wouldn't imagine such a peaceful creature could scream so loud!"

Usagi tightened her grip on Diro's shirt and buried her face into his back.  The fighter flexed his muscles and prepared to defend the girl.  "You will never lay a claw on her you demented freak!  Got it?"

"There is nothing you could hope to do, young Kotaishi."  Vega argued.  "You will fall before me, just as your grandfather did."  Upon seeing him tense further he said, "But not tonight.  There is a street fighting tournament being held in three weeks and I wouldn't dare miss the chance of felling the last of the Kotaishi clan before an audience!"

Diro's expression grew darker.  "I cannot allow you to dishonor my grandfather's memory.  You will not survive the fight."

Vega replaced his mask.  "How admirable.  I expected nothing less from a Bushin.  See you in three!"  He trilled as he bounded through the streets and escaped into the shadows.

The young ninja collapsed to his knees, dragging Usagi down with him.  She felt his body tremble underneath her and barely heard him repeatedly mumble the words, "I'll kill him.  I'll kill him.  I'll kill him."

"Diro-kun?"  She asked meekly and reached to give his shoulder a soft touch.  "Are you okay?"  She crawled close to his side and gently turned his face toward her own.  The senshi stared into his tearful eyes and laid his head on her shoulder.  Without asking for further explanation she smoothed down his hair and comforted him.

"I'll kill him."  He whispered in a dry voice.  "I swear to God, Usagi.  I'll kill him."

Despite her confusion, a few tears of sympathy escaped from Usagi's eyes.  The wet trails that formed down her cheeks sparkled in the scant light as the surrounding shadows crept away from their embrace.

The intangible form of the Divine Knight of Darkness emerged from the crawling shadows and looked back at them with a stoic expression.  "So," he said, "The prince has a death feud.  My lord will be pleased to hear of his fighting spirit."  The dark knight floated back into the night to relay his information to the Kingdom.

Author's Notes:

Things are finally beginning to pick up speed.  It's about bloody time, right?  From here on out, you should notice a difference in my writing style.  Y'know, if you look closely.  That's because I finally got kinda good around this time.  Back when I wrote the first three chapters, in 2002, I was pretty new at the creative writing thing.  But now, I just about on track!  Yay!

A little personal news, last Monday, July 12, my best friend became a dad!  Rock on Travis!  A little girl named Joscelin (I think I spelled that right) was born on his 20th birthday.  Now they can both celebrate their birthdays at Chuck E Cheese on the same day!  How cool is that?

Anyway, stay tuned for Chapter 5, the debut of Ranma Saotome!