Have I been slacking or what? I've been really lazy in my writing
recently but 2004 is going to be a good year for me. Going to be self-
publishing some original fiction and hopefully have a website up as well.
I'm going to have to finish this off as well because I hate a story without
an ending. Thanks for the patience! I'll start working on chapter 5 soon.
*********************************************************************
Keitaro stands up on the roof, a strong wind blowing through his hair. He can see the menacing dark clouds looming on the horizon and knows it will only be a matter of time before his fate is decided. Closing his eyes, Keitaro tries to clear all thoughts of doubt from his head but it was tougher than he thought.
"Keitaro?" a voice politely asks from behind. Turning around, he finds Motoko standing there, blanket draped over one arm and a bowl of rice and dumplings in the other.
"What are you doing up here?" he asks, but suspects the reason already.
"All great warriors need to keep their strength up."
Eyeing the food, the demon hunter sighs, "To tell you the truth, I am still hungry and a bit cold..."
Smiling slightly, she steps forward and joins him on the roof, looking over at the storm. "So what are you going to do now?"
Keitaro sits down with his back against a wall. "I'm not sure yet, I'm just going to keep watch for a little while longer."
Lifting up the blanket, Motoko drapes it over his shoulders while he starts eating. "Do you think Hinata House will be in any danger?" she asks with concern.
"It's possible, that's why I've asked you to watch the others, as you seem to be the most experienced warrior here", Keitaro replies after a slight pause.
Standing up, looking at her, bathed in the moonlight, "you are a very beautiful girl, you know?" he compliments.
Motoko goes beetroot at this sudden comment, but she already finds herself drawn to him, and within moments they are sharing a passionate kiss on the roof.
*********************************************************************
"Anyone know where Keitaro went?" Aunt Haruka asks the girls, after being unable to find him in his room.
Suu grins slightly, "I saw Motoko taking food and a blanket up to the roof earlier, I haven't seen her for a while."
Mitsune holds her chin in her hand, smiling, "Motoko, the sly little...I'm gonna have to have a word with her about this!"
"What's he doing on the roof in this weather?" his Aunt ponders.
Naru and the others just look at each other blankly, until Mitsune broke out in a big grin, "I wonder what they're both doing on the roof now." Shinobu goes beetroot at the thought.
Keitaro and Motoko stand on the balcony, watching the storm grow closer and closer, rain now pouring from the dark clouds. "Do we have any knives handy?"
"Why do you ask?" she asks, puzzled.
"I need to arm myself yet and I'll need some chains and some small blades. It's my weapon of choice."
"Help yourself to what you can find in the kitchen. I'll see what I can do about chains."
*********************************************************************
When Keitaro enters the kitchen, he finds Naru in an apron washing the dishes, so he coughs slightly. "Have you got any spare knives I can use?"
"Keitaro! Knives? Erm...we have a drawer full of them but what do you need them for?"
"Just making something..." Keitaro replies as he turns around to rummage through the drawer.
As Naru watches him carefully, something takes over her and she turns back to the sink, lifting out a large butcher knife from the sink. She stares at it for a few seconds before turning back to Keitaro. Stepping forward quickly, she raises the knife and prepares to plunge it into his back.
While sorting through the drawer unaware, Keitaro's sixth sense kicks in at the proper moment and he dodges to the side as the sharp edge wedges itself into the drawer. Launching himself back towards his opponent, Keitaro shoulder-barges his assailant, not realising it is Naru and causes her to lose balance and crash to the ground.
"Naru!!!" he utters, "what are you doing?"
Getting back up to her feet again, she thrashes the knife about wildly and looks at him angrily. Stepping back, Keitaro prepares to kick the blade out of her hand but would that stop any further attacks? He doubted it. The lunge comes but he can't make the kick and has to dodge again, acquiring a rip through his shirt. "Only one thing for it..." Keitaro decides.
As Naru takes another stab, the demon hunter evades to the side and launches a spiritual attack. Clenching his fist, he opens the palm of his other hand and strikes her, fist to the stomach and palm to the chest. The attack would stop her heart for a few seconds but it would also snap her out of the spell she was under.
Unfortunately at the moment he struck her and Naru hit the floor, knife skidding across the ground, Mitsune walks in.
"Naru! Keitaro, what the hell are you doing?" she shouts as she rushes to her injured friends side. As he steps forward to explain, he glimpses a green symbol fading from the back of her hand...a possession spell.
Hearing the commotion, the other occupants enter the room, led by Motoko, who is holding a few chains in her hands. After seeing the fallen Naru, she looks up at Keitaro. "I have to go now, Motoko, give me the chains and look after the others", Keitaro tells her as he took the knives he found.
Motoko nods and passes him the chains carefully while the other occupants look on bewildered. Throwing open the back door, the demon hunter racesout into the pouring rain and into the dark forest ahead.
Aunt Haruka watches Keitaro leave and turns to Motoko, "just what is going on here?"
*********************************************************************
Crouching behind some bushes, Keitaro fixes the blades and the chains together, looking around every few moments to check for the sorcerer in question. That was a close proximity spell cast on Naru and he had a feeling that whoever cast it is nearby.
"So, you going to try to stop me?" a voice asks from within the shadows.
Keitaro stands up, "I'll go one better and kill you."
Looking around, trying to track the voice, Keitaro cautiously moves in and out of the trees looming overhead. Where was he hiding?
"So, tell me, demon, what is your name?" Keitaro asks, hoping to track it by the reply it gives.
"My name is Vacilant the Great, Emperor of the Shadow Demons."
Keitaro makes his move and threw a blade but it only strikes hard wood...a tree in the shadows. Bringing the knife back by winding the chain attached to it, he spins a chain with his other hand, listening intently for movement.
"Nice throw, but you were way off!" the demon goads.
Moving with great speed, Keitaro spins around and throws the second dagger, slicing the air but nothing else. Hearing it land splash in a puddle, he quickly reeled it in and dangled the chain over his arm. Keitaro was finding it hard to concentrate now as the heavy rain and slippery ground was starting to hamper his progress.
"Want to try again?" the demon asks from its hiding place.
Gritting his teeth, Keitaro threw two blades this time but again, they only hit wood. Scanning the shadows, Keitaro kept his calm and waits for the voice again but he didn't need to wait for long as the demon drops from above and crashes down in front of him, causing him to step back and slip in the mud, falling on his back.
Vacilant is black in colour, apart from three beady, red eyes, and he is also larger than Keitaro and as he tries to get up, his foot slips from beneath him and he lands on his back again much to the demon's amusement.
"Three strikes...you're out!!!" it hollers as it raises its clawed hand to slash down at Keitaro but suddenly a large explosion causes Vacilant to fly back and crash into a tree.
What happened? Keitaro wonders as he looks behind him to see the Hinata girls emerge from the shadows.
"Motoko! What are you doing here? Why are they here? Get them out of here now before he gets up!" Keitaro shouts, managing to get back on his feet.
"So you have allies?" Vacilant asks as he emerges from the broken bark of the tree he struck. "No matter, I'll finish them too!"
Keitaro is quick to react and three of his blades embed themselves in the demons torso. "You think you can stop me with these ridiculous weapons?" it laughs as it moves forward.
A loud boom sounds and Vacilant ducks as a missile whistles through the air and destroys a tree in the distance.
"I missed!" Suu utters, as she sits cross-legged on top of a miniature tank, umbrella held over her by Shinobu.
"I think you missed me", Vacilant growls, getting back on his feet. Then he realises that Keitaro is missing. "Where did he go?"
Leaping off the thick branch above him, a chain wraps around Vacilant's neck, blade ending up across his throat to his horror. As Keitaro lands on the ground, he pulls the chain hard and the demon falls to his knees, throat cut open.
*********************************************************************
The girls, Keitaro and his Aunt were all indoors now, drinking hot cocoa, Keitaro wrapped in a warm blanket. "So is it all over?" Motoko asks after a moment of silence.
"Until the storm stops, there will be a constant threat to Hinata House."
"It's hard to believe this is really happening", his Aunt proclaims, smoking a cigarette.
"I'm sorry for not telling anyone but it's pretty hard to believe."
"I have to apologise for attacking you earlier", Naru states, "I didn't know what I was doing though."
"Yeah, and I'm sorry too, for yelling at you...but walking in and seeing you attack Naru..."
"Its fine, apologies accepted, you were under someone else's influence and you were just acting naturally. Anyone else would have acted the same."
"One thing that Motoko left out though was the identity of the girl that the demons need. Will you tell us who it is? We think we have a right to know" Naru asks.
"So the young girl, is she a resident of Hinata House by any chance?"
Motoko asked him that question earlier and he replied much to her disbelief. Keitaro scans the faces of the occupants, all of them showing concern at the thought that it might be them or one of their friends.
Keitaro sips his hot chocolate and pauses for a moment before starting again, "be prepared because it's not as straight forward as you think..."
As he explains the situation, there is a chorus from all the residents except Motoko...
"NO WAY!!!"
*********************************************************************
Just WHO is the mystery girl? The identity is revealed (at last) in the next chapter as well as the final battle to stop the prophecy. Keitaro battles the sorcerer behind it all with the aid of the Hinata girls but what will happen when Hinata House catches fire and traps Shinobu inside? Find out in Chapter 5.
*********************************************************************
Keitaro stands up on the roof, a strong wind blowing through his hair. He can see the menacing dark clouds looming on the horizon and knows it will only be a matter of time before his fate is decided. Closing his eyes, Keitaro tries to clear all thoughts of doubt from his head but it was tougher than he thought.
"Keitaro?" a voice politely asks from behind. Turning around, he finds Motoko standing there, blanket draped over one arm and a bowl of rice and dumplings in the other.
"What are you doing up here?" he asks, but suspects the reason already.
"All great warriors need to keep their strength up."
Eyeing the food, the demon hunter sighs, "To tell you the truth, I am still hungry and a bit cold..."
Smiling slightly, she steps forward and joins him on the roof, looking over at the storm. "So what are you going to do now?"
Keitaro sits down with his back against a wall. "I'm not sure yet, I'm just going to keep watch for a little while longer."
Lifting up the blanket, Motoko drapes it over his shoulders while he starts eating. "Do you think Hinata House will be in any danger?" she asks with concern.
"It's possible, that's why I've asked you to watch the others, as you seem to be the most experienced warrior here", Keitaro replies after a slight pause.
Standing up, looking at her, bathed in the moonlight, "you are a very beautiful girl, you know?" he compliments.
Motoko goes beetroot at this sudden comment, but she already finds herself drawn to him, and within moments they are sharing a passionate kiss on the roof.
*********************************************************************
"Anyone know where Keitaro went?" Aunt Haruka asks the girls, after being unable to find him in his room.
Suu grins slightly, "I saw Motoko taking food and a blanket up to the roof earlier, I haven't seen her for a while."
Mitsune holds her chin in her hand, smiling, "Motoko, the sly little...I'm gonna have to have a word with her about this!"
"What's he doing on the roof in this weather?" his Aunt ponders.
Naru and the others just look at each other blankly, until Mitsune broke out in a big grin, "I wonder what they're both doing on the roof now." Shinobu goes beetroot at the thought.
Keitaro and Motoko stand on the balcony, watching the storm grow closer and closer, rain now pouring from the dark clouds. "Do we have any knives handy?"
"Why do you ask?" she asks, puzzled.
"I need to arm myself yet and I'll need some chains and some small blades. It's my weapon of choice."
"Help yourself to what you can find in the kitchen. I'll see what I can do about chains."
*********************************************************************
When Keitaro enters the kitchen, he finds Naru in an apron washing the dishes, so he coughs slightly. "Have you got any spare knives I can use?"
"Keitaro! Knives? Erm...we have a drawer full of them but what do you need them for?"
"Just making something..." Keitaro replies as he turns around to rummage through the drawer.
As Naru watches him carefully, something takes over her and she turns back to the sink, lifting out a large butcher knife from the sink. She stares at it for a few seconds before turning back to Keitaro. Stepping forward quickly, she raises the knife and prepares to plunge it into his back.
While sorting through the drawer unaware, Keitaro's sixth sense kicks in at the proper moment and he dodges to the side as the sharp edge wedges itself into the drawer. Launching himself back towards his opponent, Keitaro shoulder-barges his assailant, not realising it is Naru and causes her to lose balance and crash to the ground.
"Naru!!!" he utters, "what are you doing?"
Getting back up to her feet again, she thrashes the knife about wildly and looks at him angrily. Stepping back, Keitaro prepares to kick the blade out of her hand but would that stop any further attacks? He doubted it. The lunge comes but he can't make the kick and has to dodge again, acquiring a rip through his shirt. "Only one thing for it..." Keitaro decides.
As Naru takes another stab, the demon hunter evades to the side and launches a spiritual attack. Clenching his fist, he opens the palm of his other hand and strikes her, fist to the stomach and palm to the chest. The attack would stop her heart for a few seconds but it would also snap her out of the spell she was under.
Unfortunately at the moment he struck her and Naru hit the floor, knife skidding across the ground, Mitsune walks in.
"Naru! Keitaro, what the hell are you doing?" she shouts as she rushes to her injured friends side. As he steps forward to explain, he glimpses a green symbol fading from the back of her hand...a possession spell.
Hearing the commotion, the other occupants enter the room, led by Motoko, who is holding a few chains in her hands. After seeing the fallen Naru, she looks up at Keitaro. "I have to go now, Motoko, give me the chains and look after the others", Keitaro tells her as he took the knives he found.
Motoko nods and passes him the chains carefully while the other occupants look on bewildered. Throwing open the back door, the demon hunter racesout into the pouring rain and into the dark forest ahead.
Aunt Haruka watches Keitaro leave and turns to Motoko, "just what is going on here?"
*********************************************************************
Crouching behind some bushes, Keitaro fixes the blades and the chains together, looking around every few moments to check for the sorcerer in question. That was a close proximity spell cast on Naru and he had a feeling that whoever cast it is nearby.
"So, you going to try to stop me?" a voice asks from within the shadows.
Keitaro stands up, "I'll go one better and kill you."
Looking around, trying to track the voice, Keitaro cautiously moves in and out of the trees looming overhead. Where was he hiding?
"So, tell me, demon, what is your name?" Keitaro asks, hoping to track it by the reply it gives.
"My name is Vacilant the Great, Emperor of the Shadow Demons."
Keitaro makes his move and threw a blade but it only strikes hard wood...a tree in the shadows. Bringing the knife back by winding the chain attached to it, he spins a chain with his other hand, listening intently for movement.
"Nice throw, but you were way off!" the demon goads.
Moving with great speed, Keitaro spins around and throws the second dagger, slicing the air but nothing else. Hearing it land splash in a puddle, he quickly reeled it in and dangled the chain over his arm. Keitaro was finding it hard to concentrate now as the heavy rain and slippery ground was starting to hamper his progress.
"Want to try again?" the demon asks from its hiding place.
Gritting his teeth, Keitaro threw two blades this time but again, they only hit wood. Scanning the shadows, Keitaro kept his calm and waits for the voice again but he didn't need to wait for long as the demon drops from above and crashes down in front of him, causing him to step back and slip in the mud, falling on his back.
Vacilant is black in colour, apart from three beady, red eyes, and he is also larger than Keitaro and as he tries to get up, his foot slips from beneath him and he lands on his back again much to the demon's amusement.
"Three strikes...you're out!!!" it hollers as it raises its clawed hand to slash down at Keitaro but suddenly a large explosion causes Vacilant to fly back and crash into a tree.
What happened? Keitaro wonders as he looks behind him to see the Hinata girls emerge from the shadows.
"Motoko! What are you doing here? Why are they here? Get them out of here now before he gets up!" Keitaro shouts, managing to get back on his feet.
"So you have allies?" Vacilant asks as he emerges from the broken bark of the tree he struck. "No matter, I'll finish them too!"
Keitaro is quick to react and three of his blades embed themselves in the demons torso. "You think you can stop me with these ridiculous weapons?" it laughs as it moves forward.
A loud boom sounds and Vacilant ducks as a missile whistles through the air and destroys a tree in the distance.
"I missed!" Suu utters, as she sits cross-legged on top of a miniature tank, umbrella held over her by Shinobu.
"I think you missed me", Vacilant growls, getting back on his feet. Then he realises that Keitaro is missing. "Where did he go?"
Leaping off the thick branch above him, a chain wraps around Vacilant's neck, blade ending up across his throat to his horror. As Keitaro lands on the ground, he pulls the chain hard and the demon falls to his knees, throat cut open.
*********************************************************************
The girls, Keitaro and his Aunt were all indoors now, drinking hot cocoa, Keitaro wrapped in a warm blanket. "So is it all over?" Motoko asks after a moment of silence.
"Until the storm stops, there will be a constant threat to Hinata House."
"It's hard to believe this is really happening", his Aunt proclaims, smoking a cigarette.
"I'm sorry for not telling anyone but it's pretty hard to believe."
"I have to apologise for attacking you earlier", Naru states, "I didn't know what I was doing though."
"Yeah, and I'm sorry too, for yelling at you...but walking in and seeing you attack Naru..."
"Its fine, apologies accepted, you were under someone else's influence and you were just acting naturally. Anyone else would have acted the same."
"One thing that Motoko left out though was the identity of the girl that the demons need. Will you tell us who it is? We think we have a right to know" Naru asks.
"So the young girl, is she a resident of Hinata House by any chance?"
Motoko asked him that question earlier and he replied much to her disbelief. Keitaro scans the faces of the occupants, all of them showing concern at the thought that it might be them or one of their friends.
Keitaro sips his hot chocolate and pauses for a moment before starting again, "be prepared because it's not as straight forward as you think..."
As he explains the situation, there is a chorus from all the residents except Motoko...
"NO WAY!!!"
*********************************************************************
Just WHO is the mystery girl? The identity is revealed (at last) in the next chapter as well as the final battle to stop the prophecy. Keitaro battles the sorcerer behind it all with the aid of the Hinata girls but what will happen when Hinata House catches fire and traps Shinobu inside? Find out in Chapter 5.
