Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, nor claim to.
Chapter Thirty Two: Ninjutsu vs. Rhythmic Gymnastics:
"The more you take, the more you blame, but everything still feels the same. The more you hurt, the more you strain; the price you pay to play the game. And all you seek and all you gain and all you step on with no shame. There are no rules, no one to blame; the price to play the game!" Staind: Price to Play
She smiled to herself. There was nothing she wouldn't be able to do. The fight would not be easy, that was for sure. But she would be ready. Her hair was set, except for the bandanna she was tying around her forehead. She snapped the knot tight against her skull, before smoothing it with her fingers. A quick glance over at the clock confirmed another twenty minutes before the required time.
She pulled her forearm slip on her left arm, placing it properly and quickly before gabbing her bracer and locking it over her forearm. There was a loud click as the metal snapped on, a very satisfying noise. She turned to her bed, where the kunai had already been laid out. She wasn't expecting to use them, but she wasn't about to leave them behind either. That ribbon had shredded Chidori's clothes in seconds. She wasn't about to do anything stupid and give Kukri a chance.
She would not make the mistake of toying with her, only to have it thrown in her face. Keira would win.
> > >
"Well, it's good to not be outside freezing today!" Sakura said loudly, stretching her legs out.
Yanagi nodded. "It is good. Especially since we have almost everyone back today."
"Almost? Is Kagura still sick?"
Yanagi shook her head. "No, she's back. She's in charge today, actually."
Sakura paled. "WHAT!"
"Yep, I'm in chaaa-aaarge, Sakuraaa-saaan. So start liking it!" A smug voice murmured happily behind them.
Sakura's shoulders slumped as she turned around. Kagura. The only other girl on the Kendo team, and the second best fighter, after Kuno-sama of course. She had short, crinkle-cut black hair; a . . . "gifted" chest; smooth, warm face; large, brown, and inviting eyes; and a hell of a lot of strength to swing a sword with. Plus, she had a secret crush on Kuno-sama too, even though he was too thick-headed to notice it and veer her off that course.
"And where is Kuno-sama?" Sakura asked calmly.
Kagura shrugged. "Taba-kun is off acting as his cousin's second for some match she has with some . . . other girl. I don't know the details, but he won't be around until that's done. Probably late, he said."
Sakura let her shoulders slump more. Kagura smiled and walked past her. Then, something clicked in the Saotome's head. "Hey, Kagura!" The girl turned back. "I guess that means I'm your sparring partner today, right?"
Kagura nodded. "Yep, you are." She smiled evilly.
Sakura returned that same smile, her piercing green eyes making it all the more powerful. "Good!"
Yanagi sighed, jotting down a note on the clipboard she held. "Just don't break anything, okay?"
> > >
Sauske leaned against the wall. Across the empty front lawn stood a deep-black haired girl and a gray-black haired boy sitting nearby. From what he had been told, it was Kuno Kukri and Tabakatsu. The girl was standing and stretching a bit, wearing a full length body suit, similar to Keira's ninja suit, except it was only a single piece, the left arm wasn't cut short, and it was black.
The boy, Tabakatsu-san, was sitting calmly, a large wooden sword resting on his shoulder. His arms were neatly folded in his lap, and he stared off at the field, ignoring most everything else. Surrounding him were piles of rhythmic gymnastic weapons. Clubs, ropes, balls, hoops, and ribbons all lay nearby.
"Keira, where are you?"
THUMP! Sauske turned to the gentle pounding sound, noticing a girl standing in the middle of the field, crouched from an awkward landing. Keira.
> > >
"All right, Aki. The word is vending machine." Ganko watched the Chinese girl scribble rapidly. "Take your time."
Aki ignored that. She knew this one . . . pretty well. She had been studying every night for the last two days, and she felt she was getting faster . . . no, better, than ever. Today, she'd know for certain.
THWACK! She slammed the pencil on the table, spinning the sheet around. "Finished!"
Ganko looked down, examining the work. "Yep, that's it!" she looked up. "You're doing pretty well, Aki. That's good!" She smiled.
> > >
"Well, you're actually here?" Keira asked, rotating her shoulder a bit to stretch it out. "That's good."
"Are you still angry at something that isn't my fault?" Kukri asked, standing tall now that her opponent was here.
"Isn't your fault? Riiiiiight."
Kukri simply shook her head. "I guess there is no more need for pleasantries. Shall we begin?"
Keira snapped her right hand down to her sword sheath. "Sounds good!"
> > >
"Damn that Kukri!" Chidori mumbled, glaring at the girl in question. Her face had several bandages on it, but some of the swelling was dying down from yesterday. Not all, though, but some.
Yoh and Kagome, standing on either side of the battered gymnast, simply nodded, unsure what exactly was going to happen.
"Come on, Keira! You can beat her!"
> > >
"Cousin, would you do the honors?" Kukri asked, turning her head to see him.
Tabakatsu pulled the sword from his shoulder, laying it down on top of his knees in one fluid motion. "Certainly." Kukri turned her head back. "Ready!" he shouted, his hands reaching out to be ready to snatch the first weapon.
Keira gripped the handle of her sword, her legs spreading to prepare for the start. She lowered herself a bit, her eyes narrowing and focusing on the target in front of her. Nothing would change. She would win. She was already prepared in the background.
"BEGIN!"
"Clubs!" Kukri shouted, racing forward.
Keira smiled. "Bad idea!" she raced forward, top speed.
Kukri gasped, realizing how fast her opponent could run, before running forward anyway. She reformulated her ideas, trying to find a opening before she reached the ninja. It became apparent quite quickly what her only option was.
Three meters separation. Keira grabbed her sword tighter. She had already bound the sheath and sword together with stiff wire, and there was no worry about it coming apart. So, it was drawn and swung in one quick, smooth motion. "Too late to dodge!"
The sword swung out, directly for Kukri. But it was certainly not too late. Her hands reached forward, grabbing the sword, before she hopped, vaulting up onto the girl's sword. It buckled greatly, but the girl was able to toss herself over, flipping once to land on the other side of the ninja. The two clubs whizzed into the air.
Keira stumbled under the sudden weight, but recovered instantly, spinning in place and slashing up, the tip of the sheath digging into the ground as it slid past her feet, causing a fluff of dust as it swung up at its target, swelling and swishing through the air as the weapon continued its journey.
The gymnast leaned aside, watching the sword whisk up to chest level before she started ducking. Stepping back to the other side, she moved under the sword, before raising her hands, now with clubs resting firmly in them over the other girl's arm. And down they came as Kukri rose back up, Keira unable to slow the sword in time to move. The ninja shifted her weight to back up, but what she had said had come true.
It was too late to dodge.
WHAP! "AAAGH!" Keira shouted, feeling two heavy blows into her arms. Her hand slipped, letting the sword go, dropping free of her hand and onto the dirt. And then came another two blows, into her stomach this time. Kukri had stepped in further, ramming the clubs into her gut, pushing them into her stomach and shoving the ninja back with whatever force she could muster. Keira unintentionally complied with that, although she was able to remain on her feet as she began skidding back.
Kukri stopped a moment, letting the girl stumble away from her, before spinning the clubs in her fingers. On the twelfth rotation, she snapped them tight in her hands, readying them for the "Blow of a Thousand Hands". Keira was hunched forward, both her hands behind her back, her feet still sliding a little. Kukri raised her hands in a high speed motion, leaving several images of her arms behind, before she prepared to move in. In her mind, a nerve shouted this was a bad idea. Something felt wrong about it all.
"Not enough!" Keira shouted, swinging both hands forward. Just because she had her kunai bracer didn't mean she left her throwing stars at home. In fact, she kept the pouch right in the center of her back, out of sight.
Two metal stars raced forward, spinning rapidly as they raced to their target. "What!" Kukri shouted, shocked again. A split second later, Kukri's clubs were ripped from her hands, a star imbedded in each one, and the pairs were flying away and behind her.
"Hey, how's this for gymnastics!" Keira shouted, running back up to her, before flipping. Back-flipping. Her feet swung up and forward, the toes and center of the foot pulling up on the ankle to leave just the heels in strike range, both connecting to the bottom of Kukri's chin. CRACK! The Kuno fell backwards, her feet and body pulled off the ground by the force of the kick.
Deftly, however, the St. Bacchus student fling her hands down, stopping momentarily in a handstand, before pushing off and flipping back. She landed on her feet before flipping again, and again, and again, alternating feet and hand landings until she was a good six metes away.
Keira had already landed easily on her feet, and groaned loudly at her opponent's speedy maneuvers. She was starting to feel the strain. Her sweat came up, and her body was weakening. She had to strike soon or drop it. That meant striking instead. She had her plan, and it wouldn't fail. If she dropped that, the strain was worthless.
Her blue aura starting to roll out, that single, pale, translucent aqua, thin and airy compared to Sakura's bold blue, glowing out a few centimeters from her body, but no more. "Are you giving up?' Keira asked her opponent, who was standing and rubbing her chin several feet away. Keira glanced down, then picked up her own sword from the ground with her blue tinted hand.
Kukri shook her head. "Rope!" A large, thick cord floated over, landing softly in her hands. The ends were knotted large, like always. But it was still a pliable, light rope, even though it could easily be used like a chain.
"I figured that." Keira muttered, starting to pant. She was pushing it. They had been still too long, and if she didn't bring them close, they would drain all her energy. She snapped her sword tight in her hands, holding it out with her arms fully extended in front of her and the point facing directly at Kukri. "Then let's finish this."
> > >
Sauske watched carefully. Keira had taken a few more blows, and she wasn't a very enduring fighter. A few hits could take her down. But she was sweating madly, and somehow, she looked completely exhausted already. The pain wouldn't do this, and her endurance should keep her from being so tired. Where had all here strength gone?
Then, it dawned on him. And all the worry was gone. Keira was definitely in charge of the fight if she was doing what he thought she was. There was no doubt in his mind that she was, either.
> > >
Ganko took a deep breath. It was her chance again. She hadn't gotten an answer last time, getting cut off by those two Amazons, Sapphiore and Ruby. That . . . probably wouldn't happen again. But still, she would approach the issue carefully. Aki was working on a full paragraph translation while Ganko corrected her last one, and while it might distract the Chinese girl, she had to know.
"So, Aki, you never answered my question from last time." Ganko muttered quietly. Aki glanced up at her. Ganko did not, still staring at the paper. "Do you love Sauske or not?"
Aki stared at her for a moment. "What . . . do you mean?"
"Well, aren't you engaged to him?"
"Yes."
Ganko still hadn't looked up from her sheet. "So, are you in love with him or not?"
"Why do you . . . want to know?"
"Well, I am his oldest friend."
Aki paused. "You are?"
"Yes. We met even before either of us can remember. Our parents are old friends, so we met very young. Technically, the first time we met was only when we were a couple weeks old."
Aki blinked. "Wow."
Ganko waited, listening to the silence in the room. Aki had stopped writing, obviously in thought, but she said nothing. "You still haven't answered my question."
Aki sighed. "It's not important . . . Either way, I am still . . . supposed to marry him."
"It's important to me. . . . I promise I won't tell him, if you want." Ganko said calmly, finally looking up from the work. "Besides, it's just a simple question. What do you feel about him? Friend to friend."
Aki paused, before sighing. She wasn't sure why Ganko wanted to know, but, . . . why not? "I don't love him." she said in a single, calm breath, no hint of fear or regret in the answer.
"I see." Ganko replied, turning back to her work. "But you seem to be getting along well."
"I don't hate him . . . anymore." Aki replied gruffly, turning back to her work as well, working for a moment, before slamming her pencil down when she finished. "But love him? . . . Not at all."
Ganko nodded. "Well, at least you know, right?" She finished reading for grammar and printing. "All right, Aki. Let's go over this one. You've been doing good." she said with a wide smile.
> > >
"Finish it? Are you really that tired already?" Kukri replied, staring down the ninja.
Wiping beads of sweat from her forehead, Keira shook her head. "Last chance to give up." Kukri didn't move. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance!"
Kurki felt that insult hit her, but she brushed it from her mind without thought. She spun the rope in her hand, watching carefully.
CHUNK!
Turning her head, she saw a kunai imbedded in the ground to her side. Keira was in front of her. CHUNK! Another one, half a meter closer.
CHUNK!
CHUNK!
CHUNK! CHUNK! CHUNK!
Jumping back to let the last three fill the void where she was standing in, she scanned the side with her eyes. What was Keira doing? Did she have help? No, something told her the ninja wouldn't do that. She wouldn't cheat. So how was she throwing the kunai? Then, she watched the kunai she dodged slowly shift to mist, trailing and fading away into nothingness.
Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her back.
"Boo!" That was Keira. And yet she could see her clearly standing across the field, watching her.
Kukri ducked, rolling onto the ground and aside. There was a SWISH! as a object swung above her. A sword. Keira's sheathed sword. There was a second Keira behind her. Kukri stopped on her feet before cartwheeling to the side, facing down the second Keira.
"What is this! Disguising your friends as you!"
Keira shook her head. "Wrong!"
The second Keira, very close, began talking. "There's only one Keira, and that's me."
"And me!" A new voice said. Kukri glanced away, seeing a third Keira waling towards her, four kunai in one hand and three in the other.
The first Keira shouted over. "So, how do you stop me now?"
> > >
"That's amazing!" Yoh shouted. "She can make copies of herself?"
Chidori and Kagome nodded. "Two at a time. They're real, in every sense of the word." Kagome paused. "They can't take much of a beating, but those kunai and weapons are as real as we are when the copies are out there."
"Incredible!"
"There's also . . . well, she'll be fine. I doubt that will be a problem."
"What?"
"Nothing. It's nothing."
> > >
Sauske watched. Keira had the fight. But something was nagging him. She had wasted a lot of chakra already, and she might not have much left to support her dopplegangers for much longer. The real Keira still showed a blue aura for a moment, the only one able to do so. She was going to throw everything into this strike. She couldn't miss here.
Or she'd have nothing left.
> > >
"Giving up?" Keira, the real one, asked through panting gasps for breath.
Kukri paused. "BALL! HOOP!"
"All right then!" the second Keira, only a meter away, shouted, swinging her sword.
Kukri rolled her shoulders inside, letting it whiz by. Her rope spun and shot forward, the knot beaning her in the eye. She cried out, but swung again. The gymnast ducked, before swirling the rope and slicing it up, hitting the girl in the chin with the knot.
The real Keira twitched at that, a tingle on her face.
The seconds doppleganger stumbled back, before the Kuno turned and threw the rope at Keira three, who was starting to run towards her.
The rope spun just centimeters above the ground. The dopplegangers may be copies, perfect physical copies, but they never have Keira's speed or reflexes at any serious distance. They slow the further they are from the ninja. Which meant the rope easily tangled itself around her legs, locking them together and causing her to fall. As she crumpled onto the ground, a rubber ball whizzed over her head.
"Remember this!" Kukri shouted. The black-haired girl ran forward, before backflipping forward. Her feet connected to the ball, flip-kicking it to shoot directly at the still recovering second Keira. WHAM! It hit her in the face again. She shrieked, blown back off her feet, before exploding into mist.
Keira, using he blue aura speed, continued the run to catch Kukri, ignoring the gently burning pain in her face. She was able to deal with the pain feedback she got from her first two dopplegangers, but it didn't mean it felt nice to get hurt from such a long distance. She had to focus on the battle at hand, though, and so she attacked.
The hop swung out to the girl's hand, before she spun with it. "Ribbon!" she shouted, releasing the hoop directly at the first Keira. She still had her excellent reaction time, though, so she jumped over it easily.
The ribbon was instantly caught by Kukri, who shot the line over to the third Keira. It snapped around her waist. "What the!" was her shout before she was up and spinning around.
Keira hadn't landed yet. And in the air, she couldn't dodge. There was nothing to push off of.
Seeing her double circling around at her, Keira crossed her arms over. Her left was put outside the right, since her right was more important for fighting. Too bad she hadn't been in a real fight since before Aki and Sauske had their second battle in the park. She might not have made such a terrible mistake.
WHAM! "AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" both screamed as they collided together, the third one rammed into the first. Keira had raised her arms to lessen the blow on herself, but that meant her kunai, attached to her left arm and now pointing outwards, simply rammed directly into the doppleganger's back. She vaporized instantly, and the real Keira was now filled with the horrifying pain of seven knives jabbed in her spine as she collapsed onto the ground.
Spinning the ribbon up into the air, it arced widely above Kukri's head as she watched the screaming ninja collapse on the ground. After a moment, she let it drop, trailing down and coming to rest on the ground gently around her feet. "Finished?"
> > >
Keira moaned loudly on the ground. She took some quick, shallow breaths, before placing her hands onto the ground. She wouldn't lose now. She began to push herself up into a seated position. It was all she could muster at this point.
Everything. She destroyed her entire plan. How? . . . She didn't give a damn anymore. There was no point in wondering. Right now she had nothing.
Except her sword. That would be enough. "Never!" Keira muttered.
> > >
Sauske stepped forward a bit. "Keira! That's enough!"he shouted loudly, seeing a small trickle of blood flowing from the girl's mouth.
Keira shook his comments off, standing raggedly on her legs. The aura was gone. He knew her chakra was gone. There was dirt all over her face, and her body looked ready to collapse, her knees buckling and bending as she balanced herself. "I'm not losing to a heartless girl like her, Sauske-kun!"
"Keira! Let it go!"
"NO!"
> > >
The ninja wiped her mouth with her right hand, before raising and gripping her sword tightly. The initial sharp pangs of pain were starting to subside, and as long as she focused, the rest would soon follow, becoming only a dull background thought. But she had to focus.
"Heartless? Didn't I explain that yesterday?" Kukri replied calmly.
"Shut up!"
"I'm not heartless, Keira-san. I simply know my limits. You can only have love in your heart for so many people. If you spread too thin, they all want more, and you have nothing left to give. Then, you break. And then you are alone." She swished a few loose hairs back behind her ear, her eyes downcast to the ground. Tabakatsu's head lowered a bit too. "And let's not forget you challenged me. Do you expect me to come bearing flowers and presents to my opponents? You asked for a battle, and I live up to my side."
"Shut up!"
"You are quite the fighter, Keira. But I've been doing this since I was four. My mother taught me everything she knew, and I added in the rest! I don't lose. I've trained myself for this style since before you could even hold that sword. You may be fast, intelligent, and powerful for a normal person, but your speed is your encumbrance. Even though you can run fast, and while you are able to stalk silently, I have yet to miss hitting more than twice."
"I said shut up!" Keira screamed, running forward, the sweat rolling down her face. "I won't lose!"
> > >
"What is going on out there!" Ganko muttered at the last few series of screams. She stood up, and Aki as well, and the two girls walked quickly to the window. The looked out, searching with their eyes, before Ganko gasped and pointed.
Aki's eyes followed it immediately, before spotting it herself. "Is that . . . Keira?" Aki asked quietly, noting the girl's ragged appearance.
"I think so. What happened to her?"
"I said shut up!" Keira screamed, before bolting forward. "I won't lose!"
> > >
Kukri turned to her brother. "Clubs!"
"It's too late, Kukri!" Keira shouted, blindly running forward, hatred burning in her eyes.
The clubs shot over, as the gymnast dropped the ribbon's handle and snatched the new weapons out of the air. She spun the clubs in her fingers, standing serenely as Keira continued towards her. "Yes, it is."
Keira swung the sword to one side, readying it for a big slash. WHAM! "URK!" she coughed, stumbling a bit. The gymnast had rammed the clubs into her stomach again, running in herself at the last moment. Keira tried to refocus her eyes, but they were starting to blur. She was able to make out the shape of the Kuno, however, and she drew her sword back, stabbing forward.
"No." Kukri replied, her form moving suddenly.
> > >
Kagome gasped. The girl flipped, landing on her hands, before her feet shot up and kicked the sword out of Keira's hands. It spun up into the air, flipping and twirling up in everyone's view.
Yoh gulped.
Chidori let her head drop. ". . . I'm sorry, . . . Keira . . . I should never have lost."
> > >
Keira stumbled, unable to focus on the world. Her sword was gone. She didn't know how, but it was. She could hear the whirling sound and a soft THUMP! of feet on the ground. "I . . . I haven't lost yet!" Keira shouted, swinging forward with her right hand.
> > >
Kukri leaned aside, letting the hand whisk past her face again. It was pointless to go on, but Keira wouldn't stop. She raised her own hand into the air, letting the falling sword land easily in it.
Twirling in place, she made a tight grip on the sword with both hands. "Goodbye, Keira." Her spin continued, until she was about to be facing the ninja again.
CRACK!
"AAAHH!" Keira screamed again, the sword's sheath smashing into her all the way across her body from her right hip to her left shoulder, knocking her away. She spun, crashing down sideways and rolling away on the ground to a stop, her face and limbs banging and bouncing on the compacted soil. Then . . . serenity. There she lay, face down, eyes staring at a spot on the ground unfocused, . . . beaten. Her mind didn't notice it at all, however. It had already shut down by the time the last blow hit her.
Kukri dropped the sword to the ground. She could hear several people starting to run over from the crowd, but when she turned to see them, she noticed they were slowing down. They saw something, and so they stopped. She turned back to the fallen ninja, and there was a boy at her side, the one shouting for her to stop moments ago. He was flipping her over, getting her onto her back and helping her up.
> > >
"Keira. Keira!" Sauske said, brushing her face. Her eyes were open, but they stared right off into nowhere. She was breathing, but it was ragged and shallow. He sat her up more, before noticing her limbs were moving however gravity pulled them.
She was out cold.
Sauske let his head drop, clenching his teeth and ignoring the sound of approaching feet. She should have stopped. Both of them should have stopped!
She looked almost exactly as she had that night he lost control, except with dirt instead of soot.
"Is she all right?"
Sauske glanced up, seeing the gymnast Kuno Kukri standing a few meters away, looking at them with mild interest, ignoring the bruise on her chin. He sighed. "She's unconscious."
"Are you going to be angry at me for this?" Kukri asked, guessing at the answer already.
Sauske glanced down, clenching his teeth more. His hands snapped tight, his eyes shut tighter, and all the hate he had in him rose up, filling his body.
And then fell away again.
"No. It's nobody's fault." he muttered.
The girl nodded, turning away. Sauske lifted the ninja up, one arm under her knees and one under her back, before walking over to the three people who had started coming out to Keira's aid: Yoh, Kagome, and Chodri. "Kagome, can you bring anything here of Keira's to Dr. Tofu's clinic?"
She nodded. "Of course."
"I'll meet you there, then." Then, he turned away, and started running off to his uncle's.
> > >
The bell above the door rang, and Ono looked up to see three people, a boy and two girls, the second with several bandages on her face, entering his clinic. "Hello? Can I help you?"
"Are you Dr. Tofu?" the first girl, carrying a few metal stars and knives as well as a large sword, asked calmly.
Ono nodded. "Yes, this is my clinic."
"Is Kuonji Keira here?"
Ono nodded again. "Ah, you must be the ones Sauske said was coming. Yes, she's in the back room, resting."
"Can we see her?" the second girl asked.
"Of course. Just don't make too much noise. She's very tired."
> > >
Sauske sat on the rolling stool his uncle used, staring at her battered friend as she continued to eat the short stack of cookies his aunt had given her. Six sugar cookies were being devoured by the girl, and so she began regaining some of her strength back. Not much, but some. Her arm bracer lay on the floor beside her, along with the cloth liner underneath it.
"How are you feeling?" Sauske asked calmly.
The girl sighed. "Fine."
There was a pause.
"I shouldn't have lost." she gobbled down another cookie. "I should never have lost!"
"Keira, it's all right."
"No, it's not! I was supposed to beat her for Chidori! I'm faster, I'm stronger, I'm smarter, I have better techniques, and I still lost!"
Sauske shook his head. "It's not your fault, Keira. She was more agile. You couldn't hit her, and you got caught off guard. It's not . . ."
"That doesn't matter." Keira clenched her hands. "I was supposed to win!" she snorted. "I'm going to beat her. Next time, I'll be ready! I'll beat her! I swear it!"
Sauske sighed. "Don't hurt yourself like this, Keira. You went too far, and I don't want to see you like this again."
Keira nodded, eating another cookie. Then, she paused, blinking . . . and blushed just a little. "Okay, Sauske-kun. I'll . . . be more careful next time."
Across the room, Kagome, Yoh, and Chidori stood, unbeknownst to the other two. They watched, silent and out of sight, smiling just a little bit. "Let's give them some more time alone." Kagome whispered, before the three sneaked back out the door secretly.
There was a quiet pause.
Sauske was the first to speak. "Do you know what you're going to do?"
The ninja shook her head. "No. I . . . need to figure out something to stop her dodging."
There was another quiet pause, Sauske nodding in reply. After a moment, though, he spoke out again in the calm, concerned, controlled voice. "Do you want me to help you train?" Sauske offered.
Keira blinked, before smiling expectantly. "Really?" Sauske nodded again. "That sounds good to me, Sauske-kun."
> > >
"What is your plan for our next course of action?"
He sighed, laying back on the bed, tossing a small rubber ball up, and catching it in his hands to relax. It was almost seven at night, and they were set. A cheap-as-hell motel, set on the outskirts. Nothing for the two of them to worry about putting up with. It was better than the forest, even if it smelled like a cat's litter box. "There were Amazons in one district. A little community, from what I saw."
"Are you certain that is a good plan? She might come after us if we start our search there." the other person replied, sitting in a chair upright, staring at his partner, the cloth sitting gently against his face.
"Geeze, can you ever relax, man? We've got nothing to worry about here. You don't have to keep hiding your face around me. I'm not going to turn you in." He chuckled lightly. "Especially since they're mad at me too."
"Old habits die hard, and I would prefer to be safe."
"Okay, whatever. Besides, I'm not worried about her. Last rumor I got, she was in Osaka. That's . . . what . . . ten stops behind us? It'll be months before she gets to us here. Constantly on the road, so that makes her completely cut off from contact. Meaning, there's no way she'll find us any faster than following each step we've taken . . . . Anyway, Amazons are the lowest risk right now."
"And what, may I ask, is making you believe that Amazons are the lowest challenge?"
"That's not what I said. They're the lowest risk. They're strong and well known fighters. Perfect for the plan. We need to build a rep now if we want to find him. We don't have anything to go on until we do. Beating them will definitely make us look strong fast. Fewer fights means less time wasted. . . . I'm more worried about her, though. You know she could come out of anywhere. And I got no idea where she is. Do you?" The other man shook his head. "See why the Amazons aren't that bad?"
"I understand that perfectly now."
He paused, holding the ball in his hand, before taking a long, deep breath. "If you want to go off and slide out of sight for a while, I won't mind. She isn't looking for me, so I'm not worried about getting spotted by her. But I won't make you do this if you want to stay hidden."
"I did not agree to stay with you just to leave you when our journey is so close to completion. Also, I can handle her."
He nodded, tossing the ball up extra high. It dinked off the ceiling, making a soft thumping sound. He could hear the footsteps outside and in the other rooms. People could probably hear them talking outside. Good thing they had his partner's conversation rules. Nobody would know diddly-squat until they wanted to say it openly. Which, right now, was never. "Can you believe it?"
"Can I believe what?"
"How close we are. How close we are to the end. To finding him. And then getting to her."
"It is good. Are you at all worried about last time you met, however? She did not seem very kindly then. We must not . . ."
"I don't care about that. What happened then happened. She and I both left worse off then when we came. And she can hate me all she wants, but I'm not losing sight of her any more. . . . It's been seven years since I left."
"What do you think she will say if she catches us before we find her?"
"To what?"
"To everything that has happened in four months. After that last encounter you had with her. She is losing her patience. It has been five years since you agreed to that pact."
"Right now, she can say whatever she wants. When this isn't done, I just can't do it! No matter what she does to me because of it, I don't care! I won't stop 'til we find her! But, once I find her, . . . well, I won't have to run out again, right?"
"I see."
"So, the target's the Amazons. We start tomorrow."
"What if they find a way to contact her?"
"Trust me, they won't know to look for her. The jacket, the hair, the glasses . . . they might guess, but I don't look like I did last time I was there. And besides, they won't worry about who I am when I smash them to the ground, right?"
"You seem quite confident."
"I am. But you have to back me up."
"I will always be beside you when needed. You can trust in me."
"I know. Same goes for me."
"Then I suggest we get plenty of rest."
"Yeah. Sounds good."
Next Chapter: It's Friday, which means it's time for Tenchuu and Sauske to battle once school ends . . . if they can get there.
Can you believe it! An update! Chapter thirty two is done! HOORAY! Sorry for the long delay, everyone, but I had a serious case of writer's block, and a lot of stuff was going on in school, life, etc. to just make it worse. I'm giving up on promising the next chapter being done in time, but I'm getting through most of the problem areas, so I'll do my very best to have it done on time this week.
And has taken away another one of my scene breakers, so this new one is from Paige C.'s fic. HopefullyI didn't miss any scene breaks, and ifI did, please tell me, and I'll fix it.
Anyways, on with the reviews:
nonengle: Well, there you go. Keira in a match outside of training. Expect more soon!
Sleepingbear: Well, cheer for Kuno if you want, or cheer for Chidori if you want. (They're both good) As for Akane's trash talking, I keep wanting to add more puns and battle taunts to my fights, and just too many came into my head for this fight to pass up. Hopefully, I can start writing more fights like than. The scene with Ranma and Akane in training was just a fun thing to prove Akane could do it. (But, seriously, was there ever any doubt?)
Paige C.: First, thank you. I really liked that scene with Akane in training too. And yes, you probably can guess what I cut out. Second, she has been in training to learn them for a while, although the last timeI mentioned that was when I went over the special moves, or during her bio, soI figured people would have forgotten, so hopefully it was a fun surprise. But if you can shoot balls of energy around with your bare hands, why not do so? And what do you think that means is going to be found out? Third, yes, Chidori was being a bit stubborn, and Kukri was right in that sense. I don't agree with everything she says, but what Kukri said about Chidori's mistakes, her being cold in the ring because it's a game, and everyone stubbornly getting angry at her, that's all right with me. Hopefully you enjoyed this little add on to her battle reporitoir. Forthly, yes, she is Kodachi's daughter. What might have confused you is her family name is still Kuno, but she is Kodachi's daughter, and Tabakatsu is Tatekawi's son (in case you were wondering).
Shinjiku: Sorry, sorry, I forgot that Aki wouldn't be in the last one when I said she was coming back. But she is back now, and will be back in the future chapters. Not every one, but she's going to be important again soon. So, don't worry.
The Liz: Yeah, Akane deserved to lay down the smackdown on somebody. She has before, and she probably will again, but it is about time she had a big fight where she takes down the bad dude all by herself! As for the Ninja/Gymnast fight,I hope it was good.