An original fanfiction by Kae G.
disclaimer I don't own LH, at least not yet... But I do own this fanfic!
"speaking"
thinking
[electronic sounds]
In the last chapter:
"What do you mean?" I asked, examining the papers. Sure enough, there was the ownership inside and the papers saying that I, Keitaro Urashima, was now the legal owner of the Hinata Inn. I handed the papers to Kanako, who was now curios about this new development.
"You shall see soon enough, nephew. But first, help me close the teahouse. Then we will visit your new home." Enough said, I really was having a bad feeling about all this. What had she meant that the inn was no more?
Episode 2. The Hinata Inn: Friends And Foes
Naru Narusegawa plopped down in the living room couch of the Hinata dormitory. "I'm SO bored!", she said, sighing, to no one in particular. A muffled grunt came from the other side of the couch. It was Mitsune "Kitsune" Konno, drinking from a sake bottle. Then there was a knock on the door. "Are you expecting anyone?", she asked, knowing full well that Shinobu and Kaolla were still at school at this time, and Motoko wouldn't be back from her training until tomorrow afternoon. Kitsune shook her head. "Nope, not me." She then got up and went to open the door when there was a second knock on it.
When Naru opened the door, she let out a surprised yelp from the sight. In front of her were four weird looking persons. One was a woman about Kitsune's age and height, white-bluish hair down to her waist line and smoke gray eyes, wearing a samurai breast plate and a and a white gi, and wielding two kodachi, one at each side. There also was a young man about the same age, wearing a black and red gi and hakama. He had dark brown hair and matching eyes, and had a katana also by his side. The third one was a sumo wrestler, about 2.10 meters tall, black hair arranged into a loose ponytail and black eyes, wearing a huge light blue silken robe. The last one of the strangers was a little girl who looked like Shinobu's twin, but with tanned skin and black hair down to her shoulder blades, also arranged in a ponytail, wearing khaki pants and a sleeveless dark green blouse. The little girl was sitting on top of the wrestler's shoulders.
"Y-yes, how can I help you?", Naru said, tentatively, looking from one individual to the other. "Konnichiwa," started the young man. "My name is Ichiro. This is Isamu, Marina and Nyamo," he said, pointing to the wrestler, the young woman and the girl. He bowed respectfully and was followed suit by the young woman, while Isamu and Nyamo just nodded their heads. "We are looking for Urashima Keitaro. I believe this is where he came to. This is the Hinata Inn, isn't it?" Naru was still staring at them oddly. Then the sumo man spoke up. "To stare to the guests a bad thing it is." His voice was deep, but with joviality in it. The little girl on his shoulders giggled a bit, which seemed to startle Naru from her trance. The man chuckled softly, patting his potbelly the way sumo wrestlers do, looking up to the little girl.
Realizing her mistake, Naru bowed and quickly answered the question. "Ah, yes, I'm Naru Narusegawa, and yes, this in the Hinata Inn, but now it's a girls dormitory." Kitsune chose that moment to come to scene. "Hey Naru, who was that?" Seeing that they had guests she hurried to Naru's side. "Yes? How can we help you?" Just as Naru, Kitsune was impressed at the oddity of the group. This time, it was the blue haired girl who spoke up and repeated their query. Kitsune answered now. "This is the Hinata Inn, but I haven't heard about this Urashima Keitaro you're looking for. Are you sure this is the address he gave you?"
The wrestler reached under his robe, extracting a crumpled piece of paper. He handed it to Kitsune, who stared in awe at how big his hand was. It could have been, easily, five times bigger than hers. She reached out for the note, read it and passed it on to Naru, who read it out loud.
"Isamu,
I got a phone call from my aunt. I have to head back to Tokyo. I'll be staying at the Hinata Inn. Please take care of Nyamo while I'm away.
KeitaroP.S. I'll try to come back as soon as I can, so tell Nyamo not to worry."
"Well, it's finally done," I said to myself, looking around the teahouse. The cash machine was the only item that needed repairing, but the people from the company wouldn't send someone until tomorrow. Besides that, the kitchen was clean, and the tables and everything else that had been knocked down or moved aside during the robbery was back in place. I adjusted my gi again, since it happened to open during the clean up, no matter how hard I tied it. My training pants were a bit dusty, but that was not a problem at all. I would take a quick bath in the hot springs, do my laundry and take a nap. As simple as that.
Well, it would have been that simple, had it not been for one single detail: the inn was not an inn anymore. What could have happened to make grandma close the inn? I kept pondering on this fact, unconsciously strapping Muramasa to my obi and shouldering my duffel bag, but my train of thought changed as soon as I felt the familiar weight of the sword resting at my side. I hope I don't have to use Muramasa. I certainly do not wish to awaken him, not after what happened last time. Am I really capable to handle Tenro? I sighed. This was something I kept asking myself since I received Tenro, the cursed Muramasa sword. Another thought also entered my troubled mind. I wish you guys were here. At least things wouldn't be so confusing.
Further thoughts were interrupted by a hand waving in front of me. "Um, sir, are you okay?", asked Kanako. She was giving me a weird look, but she also looked a bit worried. "Yes, I'm fine. I was just wondering what did aunt Haruka meant when she said that the inn was no more. Is it closed now?", I really wanted an explanation about the inn's situation, so I decided to ask Kanako, since aunt Haruka wasn't telling. "And, please, call me Keitaro, ok?", I said, smiling at her, trying to ease the mood. However, I never got my answer.
"Do you still insist on flirting with my employees Keitaro?", said my aunt, coming back from wherever she had been. "Anyway, could you go ahead? I just got a business call from a friend, and the matter at hand requires my full attention right now. Kanako-san, could you please be a dear and close down the teahouse for the day?" And without waiting for any kind of answer, she turned on her heels and got out of the teahouse.
The walk up the stairs to the inn was slow. Aunt Haruka had left to attend some urgent business and Kanako had to close the teahouse for the day. I insisted on helping her, but she told me I should go ahead to the inn. "You should get familiar with the inn as soon as possible," she said, "after all, you are the owner now." Well, that was true. Grandma Hina did left me all the estate, but I don't understand why me, and why now?
My senses suddenly perked up. I could feel a presence somewhere in front of me. I held out my duffel bag, put it down in the ground and stopped moving. Then the mist came. Three figures came walking towards me, but I felt no threat on any of their energies. As they came closer, I could make out their outlines, and soon, I could see them clearly. Three old men were in front of me, looking at me like I was some sort of lab rat. What's with them? What do they want? And... where did all this mist came from? I looked around, noticing that I couldn't see anything beyond three meters in any direction. Then they spoke.
"Light before darkness. Day before night."
"Good against evil. Reason against impulse."
"Think with your heart and feel with your mind."
"For things are not always what they look like."
"Judge with your soul's eye."
"And you will find the answers to your questions."
"Knowledge is power. Search for it and you shall be rewarded," the three of them intoned that last line, took a step back and faded in the mist.
As soon as it came it was gone. The mist disappeared and I was back at the steps heading to the inn. What the hell was that all about?
A shady looking figure stood in a nearby tree branch, hidden by the leaves and shadows cast by its natural cover. It's red eyes glinting and a feral smile upon its mouth. It had been spying Keitaro since he arrived, now getting ready to attack. This pathetic human will die by my hands. I shall not let master down. And with a thought on its perverted mind, it leapt towards its unaware prey. Its smile widened. Yes, I shall rip his heart out and eat it before his eyes!
I picked up my duffel bag and started to walk, but I didn't get more than two steps before I fell face first into the ground, my left side hurting like hell. I could smell the blood, so I tried to turn around, only to find my left arm feeling numb. I looked down and saw that my shoulder had a huge gash and my blood was pouring out from it.
"Yes, this is going to be fun! Don't you think so?", said a hollow voice from above me, its foetid breath reaching my nose. I knew who that was. "No, I do not think so Varlig," I said, trying to stand up. Lenak Varlig, who had been hunting me down ever since I received Tenro stood in front of me. He was a vampire who hunted anything that had a price on its head. Except maybe me. He seemed to enjoy causing me pain for free. Or maybe he did it for the challenge that laid in my sword.
Standing up, I could now see the full extent of my wounds. That gash is the only wound I have. At least for now. "What do you want from me, Varlig? I've already told you, I do not wish to fight you!" He snickered. "Oh, is that so? Because I do want to fight you. Get ready, you fool!", he said, lounging at me faster than I could follow. I barely parried his right claw, which was aimed to my head, but I failed to see his knee coming up. I received it full on my stomach, making the air leave my lungs temporarily. He elbowed me in the back of my head, sending me reeling back to the floor.
"Is that all you got?", Varlig said, starting to laugh. He stopped suddenly and attacked again. "You are more pathetic than I thought!" I managed to avoid his head-on attack this time but I failed to see, once again, one of his kicks. The roundhouse kick hit me in the face, sending me flying a few meters into the air. A tree trunk stopped me in middle-flight. Cornered, he attacked me with a flurry of punches to my head and torso, while I tried to defend myself, unsuccessfully.
I tried to sidestep, but his punches kept flowing and I couldn't seem to avoid most of them. I was losing control of my body reactions. Everything seemed like a blur now, even the punches felt too faraway and alien to me. In a last attempt to free myself I faked a sidestep and then quickly ducked. It worked. He hit the tree trunk and it splintered. I gathered all the strength I had and did a frontal high kick, aiming for his head. But he was faster than I thought. My left leg impacted with his raised right arm, making me lose balance. As he swatted my leg aside, he clawed me in the stomach with his left. Now I knew I was lost. Not only I had an immobilized left arm, but also four slashes in my stomach. I was suffering from blood loss. I'm going to die this time, was my last coherent thought, before darkness came and took me.
A/N: Um... Sorry for the delay, but each time I wrote this chapter something didn't feel right for me, so I kept erasing it and writing it all over again... Three or four times I think, and even though this is finished, I'm still not very pleased about the outcome... sigh well, nothing I can do about it...
Also, I wrote this to introduce some of my original characters in the story. They won't be chaotic in any way, they're just to set a background on why Keitaro looks and acts like he does. And yes, Nyamo is THE Nyamo from Pararakelse Island... I just love her so much I had to put her in! ... Oh, and Hanku, sorry 'bout Kana's hair color. I originally intended to do the scene with Tsubame Sanjou (Rurouni Kenshin), but changed it at the last minute, so I forgot to change some tiny details... Like her hair...
To The Vampire... I'd really appreciate your help with the 'Mumyu Jinpu Ryu', since I haven't had the chance to read much of the manga, nor have I watched the TV series. I do know some things about SDK, but it's just character profile and story layout. Oh, I hope you liked Lenak!
DrazenFlames, you really are the pervert and insanity man... lol... But your idea is somewhat appealing, y'know...
Thank you everyone for your kind reviews. They mean a lot to me, since I never expected to receive any... Well, enough ranting... See ya soon!