Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, nor claim to.
Chapter Thirty Seven: Disjointed and Confused:
"Too much of the same stories in our lives. I think it's time for change, don't you? Too much of the same stories in our lives. I think it's time for us to walk away from here." Trapt: Stories
Her eyes flicked a bit, before a soft breath came out from her lips. Slowly, she opened her eyelids, the bright lights of room blinding her. She ignored that, only blinking a few times, and then started to sit up. She was in a bed, a blanket on top of her, but she was still in her uniform. Her face hurt a bit, not to mention her whole body aching for some reason, so she brought her left hand up to her chin. There was a bandage there.
Her eyes widened immediately. The uppercut! She immediately began scanning around. Where was he? Where was Kakekomi! All she saw was screens and a wall. She must be in the corner of the room. It sort of reminded her of . . . no, correction, it was that doctor's clinic.
She sighed deeply, the sudden shock fading away quickly. She had lost. No question about that. She wouldn't have woken up here if she hadn't, especially since she didn't remember being the last one to hit him. Leaning forward and pulling up her knees, she rested her face on the blanket, her knees supporting it. She really did lose. Her hands clenched and her body shuddered for a moment.
THWACK! BA-CHUNK!
She grumbled to herself, feeling the slightest tinges of imitation in her knuckles where she punched one of the supports of the portable screens, knocking one of her walls over.
She lost!
"That hurt, Aki? You know that, right?"
The girl looked over, seeing a black-haired boy lifting up the screen, having felt it crash on his head. Fortunately, he was sitting further back, otherwise it would have smashed into the doctor and his patient.
Dr. Tofu's voice could be heard, although she couldn't see him as the screen was lifted back into place. "Aki-san, I'm glad to see your awake, but please don't hurt yourself again."
The girl glared at the spot where the doctors voice came from, but, with the screen lifted into position, the front suddenly shot open with that high grating sound they tended to make. "Sheesh, you bent the thing, too." The boy stepped inside, leaving the screen open, while sitting down on a spindly little stool that seemed to small for him.
"Who cares?" Aki murmured, turning and staring at the wall.
"The doctor, for one." Kite replied, rubbing his skull. "And my head, too."
"Sorry."
"Ah, forget about it. Just don't do it again."
Aki said nothing.
"Something wrong?"
Aki shook her head, but still said nothing, examining the wall. Her eyes rolled, and went lower, turning her head down along with it.
"It's over, you know."
The girl blinked, before turning her head back to him. "What's over?"
"That freaky guy, the one with the trenchcoat. We beat him, Aki. It's over."
Aki stared at him for a moment with those light green slit eyes she had, content to watch the fighter sitting in front of herself for a moment as she thought. Well, actually, tried to avoid thought. She already knew what she was going to say, she just wanted to try and enjoy the fact that they won before she admitted that this wasn't over. It didn't take long for the switch. "Not yet." She turned back to the wall after whispering those near-silent words, resting her cheek on her knee. She wanted him to drop it, and that shape she slunk to was supposed to discourage him from trying.
Kite wasn't going to, though. "What do you mean, 'not yet'? We won, he lost, he's gone! What else could there be?"
Aki turned and glared angrily at him, giving a more direct signal to let the subject go.
And still, Kite did not. "Tell me, Aki. What's left to be done? We won. It's over."
Aki snarled, "No it's not!" before swinging her hand and punching the stone wall to her left with her right hand. There was a loud crack, before she ripped her hand back, the paint cracked, with small flecks stuck to her knuckles. Kite dropped back in his seat, shocked at her scream.
Tears formed in her eyes. "It's not!" WHAM! She slammed her fist into the wall again. "It's not!" WHAM! "It's not!" WHAM! "It's not!" WHAM! "It's not!" WHAM! "It's not!"
"God damn it!" Kite shouted, grabbing her wrist and yanking it back to the right side. "What the hell is wrong with you!" Aki stared back at him, a few of her tears starting to fall. He glanced at her fist, seeing tiny red dots forming across the skin, as well as seeping through. "Do you want to get beat up more! Huh! What kind of idiot breaks their hand after a fight!"
Normally, she would have shouted something back, or socked this male across the room for shouting at her with so much venom in his tone and calling her an idiot. Instead, she just dropped her head, sighing.
"Now, wait right here! If I head one slight crack while I'm gone, I'll bring a whole bottle of peroxide with me to dump on your hand." Kite then stood up, and walked out of the small space for Aki.
> > >
Sakura, as well as most of the rest of the people in the room, glanced up as Kite walked out into the main area, his face angrier than she would have expected. Dr. Tofu, however, was already standing, mildly annoyed. Which took a lot to do.
"Kite, what happened?" he asked flatly.
The teen just sighed and shook his head. "She was beating her hand against the wall because she lost. Her hand's not broken, but it needs to be bandaged. She split the skin on her knuckles, and it started to bleed. Plus, the wall's cracked a bit. And if she does something stupid like that again, I'm going to pour hydrogen peroxide on her hand to clean the wound." Kite's reporting was as clear and concise as it always was to the doctor.
The doctor sighed, before stepping back and waving him on. "All right, I'll leave it to you. And please don't use the peroxide like that." Kite nodded, walking off to the other side of the room, into the exact opposite corner, where the bandages were kept. Dr. Tofu, sitting back down again, continued working on his patient, Tenchuu, cleaning up the last of his wounds. Nobody else said anything, although Tenchuu's eyes seemed preoccupied with the screen in front of him.
Sakura sighed, waiting for their parents to get here. Keira has already cleaned up, but was still unconscious in the other screened off bed on the opposite side of the room, near Kite. Sauske was bandaged and resting on the bed to her right, while Chii, whom she had just finished with, was on her left. Sauske was doing pretty well right now, but still in a bit of a mental shock. He would respond if you asked a direct question, and he would look at you when you spoke to him, and move and sit and act mostly normal, only very quietly. It was a good sign.
Chii, however, had been a pain. He was badly bruised in his stomach; although, that wasn't the main problem. He took off his shirt, she put on the ointment and bandaged it as she always did when her uncle needed an extra pair of hands in the clinic, and that was that. Chii's hand, though, was where things became strange. She could see the black and blue mark forming along the edges of those cloth wrappings he had over his arms, which went from the center of his hand all the way up to his shoulder blades, so she figured she would just pull them back a little, clean off the dirt, put on the ointment, and then wrap some extra gauze over it.
When she simply touched the wrappings, though, Chii snatched his wrist away with his other hand and slid back across the bed, looking at her as if she was a monster. When she tried again, he shoved her back. So, she gave up. Hey, she helped her uncle when he asked for it, but she wasn't about to force Chii to do something if it was just a bruise. If he was that sensitive about his hand, then he could just take the pain. Even the doctor couldn't get him to let them treat his hand. So they let it go. It wasn't anything serious, anyway.
Aunt Kasumi's voice could be heard as the bell above the door rang. Sakura couldn't make out the words exactly, but she could tell who the other voice was. Kuonji Ukyo. It took a few minutes from the bell ringing for the two to come into the room. Her aunt was wearing a long dress with her nearly-ever present apron draped in front of her, while Kuonji-san was wearing some loose slacks and a light jacket, her battle spatula strapped across her back. Sakura blinked at that; Kuonji-san didn't carry that too often anymore. Then again, since the rumors of Happosai first came up a few weeks ago, she seemed to always have it nearby, even after he was gone.
"She's in here." Kasumi said in her normal tone, leading the woman to the screen on the far side of the room. Ukyo followed without saying a word, although she did glance around the clinic, giving a warm, worried smile to everyone she saw, as well as nodding to Kite as she passed him by, the boy crossing the room again to where he had left Aki.
The curtains were slid open, and the chef entered calmly, saying a quiet, and a bit surprised, "Excuse me," as she stepped inside.
Sakura sighed again. This was not a great way to start off any vacation, but . . . well, at least it was over. She turned to her brother on her right side, trying to get him to talk some more again. "So, are you really all right, Sauske?"
The boy nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed, staring at his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine."
And that was all he said.
> > >
Nabiki took another deep breath. She had been standing here for about fifteen minutes when Akane starting walking off to Ono's clinic. That was ten minutes ago. She rased her hand, holding it in the air.
He lied to her. He said he was at school when he wasn't. This had happened once or twice before, but he stayed after pretty regularly, usually at least once every week. But wether it was for discipline or just a lie, she wasn't sure. She couldn't be sure. This might be an isolated incident, maybe just a one time thing.
That thought fell away like a rock off of a cliff.
She didn't know what was going on. All she had to do was confront him about this. Confront Joseph on what he was doing after school today. She could do it. She had taken on bigger, more intimidating figures than a fourteen year old boy when she was younger than him. Let him scowl all he wanted, she could . . .
That damn scowl!
"Joseph! Come on! Breakfast is ready!" Nabiki shouted through the apartment. The table was set long ago, with the food already placed about. Amy, barely half the size she would be in eight years, sat at the table, scooping out Cheerio's with the spoon in her hand, milk dribbling off the edges as she brought it carefully to her mouth.
There were two empty seats today. Brandon was in Houston, Texas, in a four hour layover before catching the flight to Chicago, Illinois, and then New York City, on his way back from his last conference in San Diego, California. His place was set out of habit, and as a reminder of the family. They were always with them, they were always together, no matter how far apart. And even if he wasn't hungry.
Nabiki smiled a bit as she looked at his seat, imagining him sitting there, stuffing his face with those disgusting "everything" bagels he always loved. Then, across from him, was the other empty seat. Joseph's. She sighed, before shouting out again.
"Joseph! Are you out of bed yet!"
"Coming!" he shouted, before the door to his room, the smaller one at the end of the hallway. He came bounding down through the living room of the apartment, jumping into his chair. He turned up to look at her.
"It's about time." Nabiki chided softly, shaking her head, before turning to him. "You better not be trying to get out of school."
Joseph chuckled a bit. "Don't worry, Mommy! School's easy!" He smiled brightly.
Nabiki stared at him for a moment, before any irritation faded, and she returned his smile. He had a nice smile like that; you could see the energy, the bright mind, in those clear eyes of his when he smiled.
"All right, all right." She replied as Amy scooped more cereal into her mouth. "Then eat something already."
Nabiki clenched her teeth, exhaling a taunt breath, before her arm dropped back down to her side. She shook her head, sending her short brown hair dancing across her eyes.
Then, she turned and walked away into another part of the house silently.
> > >
Kite stepped back out of the room, the bandages gone from his hand, carrying a few pieces of trash, which he promptly tossed in a basket sitting along the wall. Sakura glanced up at him, but he was already on his way out to the lobby, probably to take a break from all this. She felt like she should get out of this room too. The silence was deafening. Everyone seemed too quiet. She had seen her uncle working nervously during this time too. Nobody was talking. Well, not everyone, but those who tried to talk were quickly silenced by anyone who wasn't; any conversation started with them would die within three words.
Kuonji-san had already left, and Aunt Kasumi was off preparing dinner for herself and Sakura's uncle.
Suddenly, there was a loud sigh. Sakura, hearing this, turned and looked. Chii was already on his feet, and was walking forward. Tenchuu was watching him out of the corner of his eye, turning his head just enough to see him. He wasn't walking with any clean movement, but he wasn't stumbling through the clear path, either.
The girl moved as if to say something, before falling back into her seat, remembering what her uncle had said. They should rest as long as they could, but they were healthy enough to go if they wanted to. So, she let it go. The boy headed for Aki's space, before opening the curtain and stepping inside, closing it behind himself.
There was quiet chatter in Chinese for a moment, which slowly grew louder, up to the point where Sakura was about to stand up again, before dropping down again. Then, the bell rang.
> > >
Aki glanced up as the screen opened, expecting to see either the doctor or Kite entering. She was surprised when it was her brother Chii, but from the looks of him, he had been in the fight too. Kite hadn't gone over what happened after she collapsed, so it was a surprise to see him injured.
"Aki . . ." he began almost silently, his eyes at the floor. That was surprising as well, since her brother was usually upbeat.
"Chii, what happened to you?" She asked quickly, filling his pause with something instead of leaving silence.
"After you fell, . . . I ended up fighting him, . . . and beat him"
Aki was about to smile a bit, congratulate him even, but something felt wrong. Her brother was strong in his own way, but even if he could escape any technique or trick that Kakekomi used, he wasn't strong enough to fight him in hand to hand combat. Plus, he would have gone through some intense training today, so he would have been worse off. His hair was trimmed too.
Suddenly, she noticed a small lock of hair in his bangs, a bit longer than the others. It was twisted and discolored from something. It hit her immediately. His hair had been burned.
"Chii, you didn't . . ."
He nodded. "I . . . I had to, Aki. I . . ."
"You idiot! How many!"
"Three." He murmured.
"Three!" Her eyes were completely focused on the wrappings along his lines. "Why did . . . THREE!"
Chii nodded. "Yes."
"How could you possibly need three!"
Chii's head dropped. She didn't think she would get this upset, but he had promised everyone to never use his techniques until all of them were caught. "Because, I wasn't strong enough. I needed three techniques."
Aki was about to scream again, when suddenly she paused, her eyes widened. He didn't mean . . . he really meant the plain . . . for a moment she was confused, before her mind began to right itself. She sighed, calming down. Her voice matched her mood again: quiet, self-disgusted. "Which ones?"
Before he could answer, a new woman's voice called out. "Aki, Chii, where are you?"
Both of them turned out towards the place where the screen would open, and the girl was quickly on her feet. The screen opened, and a purple-haired face stuck through.
"Mother!" Chii gulped and stepped back, his face red from embarrassment. It was bad enough trying to explain this to his sister. He had forgotten about telling his mother what happened.
"Come now, it's time to go." The two children were still for a moment, staring at her. She was smiling, though, and that compelled them to follow after her as she backed out her face. "I have good news."
> > >
Sakura watched as Shampoo walked back into the room, the two children behind her, and Tenchuu at her side. Sauske was watching them too, although Kite was still in the lobby, and Dr. Tofu, who had been in his office, was now in the doorway between the lobby and here.
Shampoo turned to him, bowing deeply, while saying, "Thank you, Doctor," in the best Japanese she could speak.
The doctor bowed as well, smiling at the woman as he replied with, "You're welcome, Shampoo. Think nothing of it," to his former assistant.
Shampoo smiled back, before turning to her children and saying several phrases in Chinese Sakura couldn't exactly understand. She had the basic idea: "Let's go." The children nodded, and followed their mother out of the clinic.
Something was odd, though. Aki seemed to walk . . . sideways, her back to the rest of the room at all times. She wasn't just turning her face away, but her back was always at Sakura and Sauske, as if she didn't even want to see them.
But before fifteen seconds past, they were gone, Dr. Tofu had waved goodbye to them at the doorway before heading back to his office, and Kite had been resettled in his seat as if he was trying to sleep. The outside world was starting to get dark as time passed, but the fading rays of orange sunshine could be seen along the road and the sky.
"I did it again, Sakura." Sauske said quietly, his face turning back to his feet. "I messed up."
Sakura, startled by her brother's sudden words, turned once she landed back in her chair, facing him. Her voice was soothing. "No, you didn't. I saw you, Sauske. You were holding yourself back for a moment."
"I still lost control."
"But you're starting to get some anyway. You'll be able to soon, I know it."
Sauske slowly turned up to look at his sister. His face was pale, and his eyes were uncertain. "But . . . I didn't suddenly use it. I . . . I wanted to. I don't know how to. And . . . and I was so scared. If I lost . . ."
"That's enough, Sauske." Sakura interrupted, smiling the same way Ukyo had. "Forget about that. You did the best you could. Isn't that enough?"
Sauske's head dropped. "No . . . I used it, because I knew I wasn't . . . I know I wouldn't win . . . I was afraid to fight him . . . and I had to use it. If . . . if only I was stronger, then . . ." His voice trailed off.
Sakura shook her head. "Sauske, you don't have to be afraid. Next time he comes around, we'll beat him together."
She was expecting him to nod and turn quiet again, but he didn't. "Sakura . . . I'm going to get stronger." Sauske's voice was strong and firm. "I'm going to get stronger. Strong enough . . . " He paused, his hands clenching, as he thought of how to word it. The bell rang. "Strong enough so that I never need that aura again!"
> > >
The four of them traveled down the sidewalks towards home. Tenchuu was at the front of the group with Shampoo, while Aki and Chii lagged back, the boy behind the girl. "Chii, I found out something today you will want to hear."
The boy looked up at her, to see his mother's face looking back at him, a smile on her face. She looked ready to speak, but he would rather go first. The words exploded out of his mouth. "Mother, I used the techniques today!"
The woman was a bit surprised at that, blinking at him. "Which ones?"
"The . . . the spirit rocket, the Dragon's Claw, and the Bear's Fist."
"But not . . ." she motioned at him with her eyes, which was more than enough to explain what she meant. Chii shook his head fiercely. "Well, then that's all right."
Chii was stunned, but Aki shouted out first. "Don't . . . don't tell me we're leaving again!"
"Of course not, Aki. I met with the local elder today. She received word from the council yesterday that six more of them have been captured."
Tenchuu's eyes widened, but again it was Aki who was first to speak. "Six of them?"
Shampoo nodded. Chii stepped forward, swinging his arms. "But . . . that means there's still one more! If . . . if he found out . . ."
Shampoo cut him off. "No, Chii, it is not so bad. They say he group's scout. He only escaped by leaving another of his companions behind. He is far off, still in China, and he is not strong enough to accomplish anything by himself. We are safe here."
"For now." Aki muttered under her breath.
"Yes, that's true. And we must be careful, as he might get help somehow, but we can stay in Tokyo." As if lead weights had been sitting on their shoulders for the entire walk, that were now removed, smiles broke out among the Amazons, Chii especially. "But you must not use the lines."
Chii nodded, already in agreement with that. "I will, Mother. I promise!" Suddenly, his stomach growled. The boy's eyes widened, before he let his eyes drop.
Shampoo smiled. "All right, let's go home."
> > >
The door swung open, and he smiled up at his wife from the counter, only to suddenly frown. "Where's Keira?" He asked, concerned.
"Still sleeping." Ukyo replied gently, pulling her battle spatula from her back and hanging the strap on a hook as she rounded the corner of the counter. "Dr. Tofu said she'll stay there until she wakes up, just in case something happens."
Konatsu nodded, shuffling around some of the cooking okonomiyaki, sighing. "But . . . she's all right?"
"She looks as if she's lost another three kilograms, but yes, she's fine, sugar."
The ninja-chef sighed, shaking his head. "I thought she would be smart enough to skip fights now."
"I heard there was a good reason." Her husband looked over at her. "Thing is, they said there was another ninja there, and Keira attacked him."
"Why?"
"Nobody knows. Nobody could really describe him. The whole fight was only about a minute or two, and then she collapsed." Ukyo disappeared behind a doorway into a small washroom.
Konatsu could hear the sounds of running water being sloshed about, a bar of soap dropped onto the sink, and the squeak of faucets. He stood calmly, contemplating everything, when a customer came up to the counter. She was a woman in her late forties, and she asked for another two okonomiyaki for her table. Konatsu nodded, taking down what she wanted on top, before the woman went back to her seat, across from a man in his late forties as well.
Ukyo returned a moment later, toweling off her hands. "I think you should go check on her in the morning."
Konatsu blinked. "Why?"
"You know this stuff, hon. I help her with boys and girls, you help her with knives and ninjas. That's what you know, and I don't. Can't say I ever will, either." She leveled a falsely angry glare at the man. "You're all too secretive to make much sense."
He chuckled, smiling a bit, before nodding. "All right, I'll stop by in the morning, then. I just hope the doctor has plenty of food for her."
Ukyo began to snicker. "I wouldn't worry about that. Kasumi's probably making him a feast just to have leftovers for her."
> > >
Kite sighed. They had been here for twenty minutes since Akane arrived and Sauske shouted about how he was going to get stronger. He had been sitting in the lobby for too long, and nothing had happened. This was hopeless. It was time to go.
The boy stood up from the lumpy chair, before walking through the doorway into the main room. "Anything yet?"
There was a pause.
"No." a bodyless voice replied.
"Then let's get out of here, squirt. Mom's probably finished dinner, or will have soon, and I'm starving!"
"Don't call me that!" the voice shouted, before calmly replying, "All right."
The screen where Keira was opened, and Naruto walked out, holding her sword in his hands with the greatest of care. He turned to the wall and placed the sword on the floor, leaning it against the brick so that it was nearby, her other weapons on the floor beneath it. The blond boy took one last look at the girl, still sleeping under the blanket pulled up to her shoulders. A moist rag, replaced about eighty times since they had arrived a little over an hour ago, sat gently across her forehead.
Kite sighed as Naruto carefully shut the screens again. He was pathetic. Really, really pathetic. But he didn't say anything to his brother, and simply waited for him to walk over. "Don't worry. Doc said she'd be up by morning or so."
"I know that! I'm just worried about her!" Naruto shouted, his face red.
"Sheesh, don't blow up at me. I don't care what you think about her, as long as I get to go home and have food."
"You're heatless!"
"And you're loud, but I'm not complaining."
"Shut up!"
Kite smiled, before walking towards the door. "All right, then, let's go."
> > >
He glanced at his watch. Eleven fifty-six PM. The night was dark, but the clouds had broken up, and were mostly just streaks of pure blackness over the slightly starry, quarter moon night, augmented by the gentle glow of the streetlamps. The only sound was the insects, buzzing and chirping softly in the cool breeze.
CHINK!
The lighter sounded in the night, seeming far louder than it actually was. He ignored that. Nobody would wake up to a Zippo lighter. He flicked the wheel with his thumb, creating a small, dancing orange flame on the wick, which he held near his face, taking several small breaths. Gray, sinuous lines trailed from his mouth when he did, twisting and twirling along the smooth skin of his face. He knew it was lit by then, so he swung away the lighter, taking a deep breath in.
CHANK! . . . shhhuuuuuuu . . .
He watched the gray cloud flow out from his mouth, float into indescribable shapes, and then dissolve away into nothingness. He pocketed the now-closed lighter, stuffing it into his pants with the rest of the pack.
He scowled. He had only half a pack. Ripped off or in debt, he preferred ripped off. But that didn't really appease him either. He wanted the full money's worth, but he had to settle. If he didn't take the deal they gave him, he'd have nothing. And he was out of cigarettes and needed all the cash he could spare to finish buying gifts for Christmas.
He sighed, leaning back against the roof. Well, none of it mattered. He drew another deep breath from his nightly smoke. At least the holidays were here.
> > >
Dr. Tofu awoke with a start. Something had crashed. He paused, still laying down in bed, but his eyes were open clearly. He wasn't sure what the noise was or why, but he was now aware of everything his ears could detect.
At first there was nothing. Then, there was some quiet curse, and then nothing again. He waited, before the words, "Where is it?" could be heard muttered in the silent house.
The doctor sat up immediately, trying to listen better. He could hear staggering footsteps off in the distance. It was coming from the lower floor, the clinic. Kasumi, lying next to him, was awake as well, her breathing growing louder, but did not sit up, simply staring off at the wall of the room, straining to hear the next sound. Ono grasped the blankets as if to get out of bed and search for the intruder.
Suddenly, there was a loud moan, followed by the voice saying, "Ugh, soo huungry." Dr. Tofu paused, listening. The voice continued. "Where's the refrid- . . . ah!"
Ono sighed, shaking his head, before leaning back down onto his bed. False alarm. He heard the mini-fridge sitting in the clinic, freshly loaded with extras from their meal, open up, as well as Kasumi's tense breathing relax. Keira was awake again. So, they returned to sleep as quiet chomps could be heard in the background.
> > >
Nine AM. Konatsu pushed through the doorway into the clinic. "Hello?" he asked out to the empty waiting room. Almost immediately, Dr. Tofu poked out his head from his office, before smiling.
"Ah, good morning, Konatsu!" The doctor disappeared, before returning into the room, still smiling. "You're here for Keira, correct?"
"Yes, Doctor. How is she?"
"Well, she woke up last night, so you can see her in a minute. Let me just go check on her first." Konatsu nodded, and the doctor walked off into the next room. The man walked over to one of the chairs against the wall, before turning and flopping down into the seat. His mind was working the second the doctor turned away.
So much was going on, so much more than the few tidbits passed on to his wife and then onto himself. His daughter attacked a ninja upon sight. That certainly didn't sound like her. Keira could be aggressive sometimes, but not vicious. So, there must have been a reason. But what would cause her to rush into a fight when she would almost certainly lose.
There wasn't a good description of the other ninja, so he couldn't base his judgements on him. So, maybe because he was assisting that man Kakekomi. And yet, something felt wrong on that. First of all, why was there a ninja assisting someone like him to begin with. And two, why would Keira attack him then anyway? Because he was helping the man? No, that still wasn't enough. He was missing a critical piece, one which he didn't know. It looked like the only way to find out was . . .
Dr. Tofu returned, interrupting his thoughts. "Konatsu, she's awake. She's doing quite well, and if you want to see her, I'm sure she would be glad."
The man looked to the doctor, nodding as he stood up, before letting Ono lead him into the next room. The screens around Keira's bed were drawn away, pressed back against the wall, and so the room was completely open again, the four beds visible, and only one occupied.
Keira was sitting upright in the left bed, her back leaning against the wall, a tray which used to have food on top completely empty. She was still wearing her ninja outfit, the thin dark blue cloth still covering her body, but the belt, armguard, and other weapons were moved from last night to underneath the edge of the bed. She glanced up to see her father enter the room, and then immediately turned away, choosing to instead examine the ruffles in the blanket.
Dr. Tofu stayed at the doorway, letting Konatsu walk up to her on his own. After a moment, as the father sat down next to his daughter, he bowed himself out and returned to his office to give the two of them some privacy.
Konatsu looked her over. She had a bandage covering her face, placed over her right cheek. His wife was right. She had lost weight again suddenly, her body even more gaunt and thin than before, having used up so much energy. He guessed four kilograms, though, not three. It was probably the worst bout she'd ever had. It was not a good sign. "How are you feeling?" Konatsu knew to ask disarming questions first. Keira could already tell she had done something stupid, reckless, and brash in that fight, so he wanted her to relax before they got into that.
Keira didn't turn to see him. "Fine."
"Do you need something to eat?"
"No, Kasumi-san brought me breakfast."
"Do you think you're well enough to go home?"
"Just say it, dad." She exasperated suddenly.
Konatsu sighed.
"Why, Keira?"
"I had to."
"You had to? You've already drained yourself from fighting that gymnast a few days ago, you drained yourself a second time yesterday, your attacks, from what I was told, were rash and uncontrolled, and you're telling me you had to do it?" He shook his head. "I thought you knew better than to do that, Keira."
"I still had to." Keira muttered, clenching her hands.
"Why?"
"His scarf." Her voice wavered as she spoke.
Konatsu, however, didn't notice that, as his mind caught that phrase. A large piece fell into place, and this time, it was in Keira's favor. "What color?"
"Red."
Konatsu nodded solemnly. "What clan was he from?"
"I couldn't tell."
"Think back, Keira."
"I don't know."
"Try! What clan was he from?"
"That's the thing! He . . . I can't tell!" She was shouting into his face, but her eyes did nothing to hide the fear in her voice. "There were no armbands! None showing, none turned, none switched, nothing!"
"What about his equipment? Maybe we can . . ."
"No! It was a mix! He . . . he had a Tekko kunai brace, and armor and an extended sword from the Masamune clan! And that was only a weak showing! He had the after-image technique, father! He was fast enough to use that."
Konatsu sighed, placing his chin in his hand and balancing an elbow on his knee. "And so you attacked because . . . ?"
Keira took a breath to calm herself down, before letting her head fall forward, her braid slipping over her shoulder and falling into her lap. "He was helping that man, father. The one who attacked us. And I thought he might . . . I though he would . . . if he . . ." she cringed, forcing all of those dark thoughts out of her head, before moving on with the next one that came up. "He must be a toubousha."
"Now, there's no reason to think that he's . . ."
"He must be!" Keira shouted. "What else could he be! Families don't give out scarves! He's a toubousha, father. He's a renegade. And he's got that red cloth wrapped all over his face!"
"So you attacked him?"
"I couldn't let him hurt anyone!" She shouted, before she turned quiet suddenly, her voice sad. "I was the only one who could slow him down, at the very least. If he attacked Sauske-kun and the rest . . . nobody would get out."
Konatsu let out a long, heavy breath. This was complicated. There was no proof that he was a renegade, but the idea fit. The question came down to the same one as before, though. Why? Although, this time, it wasn't directed at his daughter.
Finally, the man spoke again, abruptly. "All right." Konatsu reached under the bed, pulling out the knives and the sheathed sword and all the rest of the things Keira had with her, before standing up. Keira grasped his elbow, using it as support as she stood up from the bed. She was a bit shaky when she first got to her feet, but with each step she was a bit stronger, so that by the time they were heading out the door and calling their goodbyes to the doctor, her steps were steady.
A renegade ninja in Tokyo. Konatsu shook his head. This was getting strange. And dangerous. He glanced over at his daughter, though, and smiled. At the very least, there was one thing to be happy about. His family was still safe and healthy.
Next Chapter: An emotional turnaround as a long awaited holiday brings some cheer and delight to the far too many complicated and secretive lives.
And that's the end of chapter thirty seven! Well, this took far longer than I expected, and I still didn't get enough time to edit it. So, I hope the text isn't too bad. I really don't like this chapter very much, as it not only is exactly it's title sometimes, but a bunch of scenes which I wanted to include to help clear some ideas up were simply too much to put into this chapter. The chapter is just too long to add any more to it. I guess the Christmas episode will just be that much longer.
Anyway, on with the reviews:
Shinjiku: Yep, just a little more waiting and the (hopefully) romantic Christmas episode will be done. Just remember, though, that there are a lot more characters (and a lot more girls than Aki / boys than Sauske) out there.
Paige C: I've been waiting to have Chii fight since I thought of him, and I'm glad it came out awesome. As for the cliffhangers, . . . well, evil cliffhangers are fun! Also, it ensures the reader will come back.
nonengle: YAY! Another long review! On who Kakekomi is trying to draw out, what you're saying is logical, but you need to think about how Kakekomi is trying to find him. How could attacking random people increase his chance of finding someone, and what does that course of action lead to? His methodology is far more important here than what may be considered normal logic. And don't forget, Kakekomi certainly doesn't seem to be from the area. (BTW: Yes, these characters are original, so finding someone similar in the comics or anime would be coincidence.) As for Chii, it isn't exactly vampirism, or even a leech-like chakra technique that he used. Those imply that he either takes the energy directly into his body, or needs it to survive (think Miss Hinako), but he did not. In fact, he held the energy right in his hand and threw it. Consider it as more of a energy theft. He can absorb it, but he doesn't have to. And as for Keira, much of her reactions, and the aura, and most of the ninja traditions and such are going to be explained over the next few chapters.
Conna McCanna: Ah, right, now I see what you are saying. That is definitely a way to overcome the Hiriyu Shoten Ha, and probably the simplest. It would definitely work. The aura which surrounds them from the spiral would still be there, but if Sauske, or anyone else, could pull their aura completely inside themselves again, it would be as if both fighters were icy cold, and the effect of the Hiriyu Shoten Ha would be nullified. Of course, as you pointed out, the only way he could do this would be controlling his red aura enough to pull it back in, which he can't do, or using an aura he can control, which he doesn't have.