AN: Hey all, thanks to everyone who left reviews! And to the fellow writers who dropped me advice on AIM, even more thanks to you.
As usual, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu. Original characters belong to me and may be used with permission.
Bloodstained Heritage
Chapter 8: Fang
"Status?" Michael Blade asked as he entered the conference room, the other Syndicate council members looking at him briefly before resuming their silent vigil. Connected to a series of wires, Marik made a gesture with his hands, and a holographic projection lit up in the middle of the dark room.
"The footage is a live feed, hacked from one of the government satellites." Marik explained, rows upon rows of information blazing in his crystal blue eyes. "Though Naomi is currently engaging the residents, it seems that she has yet to terminate any of them..." Nodding, the Chairman studied the video feed before leaning forward with narrowed eyes.
"What of the inventor girl from Molmol?" Blade asked. "She appears to be down, but not dead..."
"Chances are she was fried by Rei's psychic attacks." Marik commented. "Smart move, I might add. That subject's known to have a knack for inventing weapons of mass destruction, albeit unintentionally..."
"Very good." The Chairman nodded with a smile, then raised an eyebrow at the usually vocal Hakon, who seemed deep in thought. "Something on your mind, old friend?"
"The High Council called, Chairman." Hakon replied, to which Blade's smiled faded slightly. "They are not pleased with our lack of progression..."
"Neither am I..." The Chairman's eyes narrowed. "Send orders to the sisters - Kill anything that breathes on the grounds of the Hinata-Sou, but leave Kanako Urashima to me..." He then looked around the room. "...Also, where is Tsunari?"
"...Wow, can you imagine if what Sensei Tsuruko said is true?" An elder female student of the Shinmei-Ryu commented, as a small group of swordsmen dressed in the red and white of the school colors marched through the forests surrounding the Hinata-Sou. "We finally get the chance to test our skills on a full fledged demon!"
"Do not be overconfinent, child." The leader of the group commented, her greying hair showing more experience than age. "Underestimating a foe will lead you to failure, and we cannot afford to fail should my daughter's report be correct..." The group suddenly stopped, and as one gasped at the sight before them...
Tsunari, the malevolent and vengeful spirit of the Shinmei-Ryu, hovered above the ground several yards before the group. Though his eyes were closed and his body relaxed in meditation, an aura of unmistakable hatred hovered around the spirit. Some of the younger students gulped nervously and took a step back, while the leader and several others narrowed their eyes as they drew their weapons.
"Maggots of the Shinmei-Ryu..." Though the spirit did not move, his voice echoed in the air as the green flames and ghosts surrounding the spirit turned towards the group. "It's a rare opportunity to catch me being merciful. Leave now, before you disturb my meditation to where I will crush you like the insects you are..."
"Traitor!" The leader of the group roared, pointing her unsheathed katana at the spirit. "I am Mariko Aoyoma, Headmaster of the Shinmei-Ryu. I challenge you, abomination!" She then narrowed her eyes. "But I doubt you'll have the honor or skill to go against me in a duel..." Tsunari then suddenly opened his eyes and glared down at the elder woman, before setting down to the ground on his feet.
"Foolish Aoyoma..." Tsunari growled, his face twisted in anger. "You should've left when I gave you the chance..." He then drew his own weapon, which glowed with an unholy green flame and wailed with the sound of tortured souls. "I'll be more than happy to add you to my list of fools who tried to hunt me down..."
Skidding back several steps, Motoko fell to one knee as she struggled to catch her breath. Though unharmed, her hakama had several tears, and the left sleeve of her gi was completely torn off. Keeping the werewolf in her peripheral vision, the swordswoman took a quick glance to find her landlord and fellow tenants...
Keitaro was struggling to his feet, his shirt nearly torn to ribbons and cuts bled all over his body. Though his pain was evident, he kept Kaolla and Kanako behind him and out of harm's way. Spitting out blood, the landlord made his decision and looked to his sister with a serious expression.
"Kanako, I want you to take Kaolla back inside..." Seeing her about to speak, Keitaro shook his head. "Please don't argue with me on this, just go and help keep everyone else safe..." Sighing in defeat, Kanako nodded and slung the unconcious inventor over her shoulder. Seeing two of its prey about to escape, the werewolf made a dash forward, only to be intercepted by Motoko and Keitaro.
"Leave me and my friends alone!" Keitaro roared, swinging the Hina blade with all his might...
The image of the fight continued on in the holographic image projected by Marik, who continued to process the mass of information being fed to him from the satellite hack. His eyes still flowing with digital information, the businessman turned to Michael Blade, who was watching the conflict with a neutral expression.
"Amazing..." Hakon raised an eyebrow as he watched the show beside the Chairman. "It seems that the Urashima boy's skills with the sword actually seems to sharpen when angered..." He then frowned. "...Although I wish Naomi would stop toying around and finish them off."
The Chairman was about to comment when the door opened, and Tsunari walked in with blood soaked clothes. Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he shrugged. "Hope I didn't miss much of the show, seeing as I ran into a group of the Shinmei-Ryu brats on their way to the Hinata-Sou..."
"And...?" Blade asked.
"...They still bleed well, I'll give them that." The spirit grinned evily. The council soon realized that no sound came from the video feed and turned their attention back, and everyone's expression was that of surprise except for Blade, who narrowed his eyes in anger. Several moments passed before the image flickered off, and Marik blinked in surprise.
"Images confirmed..." Marik commented quietly. "Naomi is down."
"Dammit all..." Blade swore under his breath, crossing his arms behind him.
"Perhaps we should abort and regroup..." Hakon commented. "Bring the two back before their cover is blown..."
"No." Everyone turned to the Chairman, who smiled calmly. "Gear up, lads. We're going to Downtown Tokyo to visit a friend..."
Motoko slumped with her back against the balcony railing, eyes closed as she tried to recover her breath and energy. Keitaro was down on one knee as he gasped for air as well, the Hina blade's dark edge covered in dark blood. The only sounds were their labored breathing, as they turned as one to regard a large section of the railing which had been smashed to pieces...
"Think it's finally over...?" Keitaro whispered.
"Hopefully..." Motoko replied quietly. The two then began to stand, when they heard a scream from inside the dorm. Instantly, the two looked at each other with shocked expressions.
"It's inside!" The two quickly rushed inside, their weapons ready. Upon seeing a torn screen door, the two leapt through and stared in horror. Most of the other tenants had arrived as well, and were trying to comfort Rei, who was crying as she cradled her sister in her arms. Naomi's sleeping kimono was nearly torn to pieces, and she was bleeding profusely from what appeared to be claw marks on her stomach.
Keeping a lookout for intruders, Keitaro stood by the ruined doorway while Motoko and Kanako rushed to treat Naomi's wounds. After what seemed an eternity, Motoko sat back and sighed in relief, having torn her other sleeve off to make an emergency wrap. Everyone present was relieved when the swordswoman informed that the wounds were not fatal, and that she had stopped the bleeding as well.
"That's good to hear..." Keitaro smiled, then collapsed face-first to the ground. Gasping, several of the tenants rushed to the landlord's side. Upon checking for a pulse and feeling his forhead, Motoko let out a small smile and informed that he was merely over-exhausted, and placed him in a futon to rest.
The rest of the day passed quietly, with the tenants watching over Naomi and Keitaro. Though no one said anything, everyone's thoughts were on prayers and wishes for them to get well soon...
With a bone crunching crack, a man fell to the hard concrete floor in a mess of blood and sweat. Across the fallen man, a large figure wearing boxer shorts and fighting gloves roared triumphantly to the crowd gathered outside of the fighting arena, which was enclosed in a ten foot tall chainlink fence. After quickly examining the fallen man, the referee shook his hands before raising the other's hand, declaring the winner amidst cheers and booing of the spectators.
Travelling through the thick crowd surrounding the pit fighting ring, Michael Blade and his fellow council members made their way towards a second-floor office. At the base of the stairs, four guards dressed in dark business suits and wearing shades suddenly raised their firearms at the group, eyeing them suspiciously.
"Halt!" One of the guards yelled, nearly a foot taller and more physically built than everyone present. "Turn around right now, this area is off limits!" Seeing the guards arm their weapons, the Chairman narrowed his eyes with a snarl.
"FOOLS!" Blade roared, his eyes blazing red with energy. "How dare you speak to me that way?!" He then pointed at the group of guards, who were now backing up in fear. "If I wanted you dead, you'd be a cooling corpse already!" Just as quickly, his anger faded and he put on a friendly smile. "Now, can we act civilized? I do believe I'm expected..."
"Of...Of course, Chairman Blade..." The guard replied nervously with a bow. "Forgive me, I didn't recognize you for a moment." Chuckling, the Chairman patted the man on the shoulder and stuffed several yen notes in his pocket, before leading his group up the stairs and into the office. Unlike the courseness of the warehouse setting outside, the office was as luxorious as a five-star hotel. Fine carpeting covered the ground along with animal pelts, and fine leather furnature positioned to let guests watch out of a large window the fighting in the ring down below.
Beside the large window stood a figure, who turned as Blade cleared his throat. A woman in her late twenties glanced at the group with green eyes hidden under a curtain of crimson red hair. She wore a black business suit with a red tie, and her hands were hidden beneath matching leather gloves. The Chairman's three companions all looked surprised as the businesswoman rushed over and hugged Blade cheerfully.
"Bladie!" The woman smiled, her voice cheerful and energetic. "It's been so long!"
"Stop calling me that, brat." Blade smiled and pulled away from her, then turned to his companions. "Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet the Chairperson of Tokyo, and my old partner..."
"...The Lady Fang, at your service." The businesswoman finished for him, then bowed with a smile.
"Keitaro...?" Peeking into the room with flashlights, Naru and Kitsune found the landlord still sitting in Rei and Naomi's room. As they got closer, they noticed that he had dozed off while sitting upright. Smiling quietly, the two gently carried him back into his room and tucked him into his futon before leaving.
"Poor guy, he must've kept watch over Naomi ever since he recovered..." Naru shook her head with a sigh, before joining her friend in the kitchen.
"Yeah, I don't know whether what he did was either brave or stupid..." Kitsune replied with a smile, as she fished in a cabinet for sake.
"He is a brave man, and you'll do well to remember that." Both women jumped at the voice, and turned to see Motoko watching them with a neutral expression.
"How's Kaolla holding up?" Naru asked, eager to change the subject.
"No one knows what's going on..." Motoko sighed, resting against her sheathed katana. "I believe Keitaro's explanation, but that still doesn't tell us why she didn't change back to normal after the red moon has passed."
"Guess we'll have to wait and see..." Kitsune sighed, then grinned and decided to lighten the mood. "So, I noticed that both of you seem to be mooning over our landlord... Is he that good in bed?"
"What?!" Both Motoko and Naru flushed, while Kitsune's grin widened.
"So..." Fang grinned, glancing through a binder full of information which included a picture of Keitaro. "You want my branch to help you folks in dealing with this Urashima kid, hmm?"
"Normally I wouldn't come to bother you..." Blade replied with a serious expression. "But he is vital for our operations here in Japan, and the High Council is starting to get impatient..."
Just as Fang was about to speak, one of her guards entered and whispered into her ear. Smiling, she motioned the group to follow as she made her way down to the pit fighting ring, being cheered by the spectators along the way. She then applauded as another person crashed hard inside the ring, drawing the attention of the Thai boxer who was still standing.
"Bravo, Lios." Fang smiled. "Your performance has been nothing short of extrodinary, what would you say if I offer you a position in my employment?" This drew raised eyebrows from the other Syndicate members, who was unused to recruiting from the streets.
"Why should I be one of your lackeys?" The boxer spat and grinned. "Especially when I can be the king of the ring and have bitches like you serve me all day?" The crowd hushed to silence, and everyone turned to see that Fang's expression was one of rage, throwing her suit off, she cleared the fence in one leap and stood mere yards from the boxer.
Dusting off her sleeveless dress shirt and tie, she pointed at the boxer, her arms silken white under the lighting. "Wrong answer, Lios." She then grinned. "The door's behind me, so the only way you'll leave this ring is either through me, or in a bodybag..." The crowd suddenly roared back to life, with wagers and money being passed back and forth, all while the Syndicate members watched on.
"Now you'll get to see why she's called the pit fighting queen..." Blade smiled, just as Lios roared and threw a fearsome kick, to which Fang dodged. The Thai boxer then threw several combinations of kicks and punches which were all avoided or parried, before all action suddenly stopped and he collapsed to the ground. Smiling, Fang winked at the audience as the referee checked the fallen man for a pulse, before shaking his hands and raising the victor's hand amidst the crowd's cheers.
"What the hell was that...?" Hakon and Marik both gaped in shock.
'Amazing...' Tsunari thought to himself. 'To an untrained eye, one would never have seen her strike...' He then replayed the last few seconds in his mind, where even to his vision Fang had moved in a blur. 'Three strikes to the chest, two to the mid section, and two to the sides... All at speeds exceeding one hundred miles...' He then narrowed his eyes. 'The man's body doesn't look injured, but his organs are already mush... This woman is a fearsome assassin!'
"Alright, I'll help you out, Bladie." Fang smiled, having not even broken a sweat. "But under two conditions..."
"Fine, go ahead..." The Chairman sighed.
"If I'm to off this kid for you, I do it at my leisure." She then wagged a finger at the group. "That means no schedules for me, got it?"
"Done." Blade nodded. "And the other condition?"
"You buy me a cup of iced coffee, I'm parched." Laughing as he shook his head, the redheaded woman clung to his arm with a smile as the group departed from the warehouse...
Waking with a groan, Naomi gritted her teeh as she prodded the wraps around her stomach. Resting back, she thought back to the incidents from the night before...
The werewolf roared as it slashed at Motoko once more, and the swordswoman barely had time to dodge aside. Seeing her off-balance from diving to the side, the werewolf leapt towards Motoko to what appeared to be an easy kill. It roared in surprise as Keitaro suddenly tackled it from mid-air, furious, the werewolf roared as it slashed across the landlord's back before tossing the bloodied body aside.
Catching a metallic glint from its peripheral vision, the werewolf leapt aside just as Motoko imbedded her sword into the balcony where it once stood, sending wooden splinters everywhere. Growling, the werewolf moved in a blur and pounced on the swordswoman, claws raised to rend her apart...
Except the blow never came, as with a blinding fast strike, Keitaro slashed a bloody gash along the werewolf's stomach, causing it to stumble back and crashing through the balcony railing. As it fell, the werewolf twisted so it fell onto the walkway down one floor, and crashed into Rei's room, who stared at the werewolf in surprise. Slowly, the beast shrank in size and changed until a clothless Naomi crumpled to the ground, clutching her bleeding stomach.
"I've failed, sis..." Naomi whispered, then coughed up blood.
"Then there's only one thing we can do to maintain our cover..." Rei whispered back, and Naomi nodded through pain and gritted teeth, as her right arm formed back into muscular claws...
"Naomi...?"
Snapped out of her thoughts, she looked up to see Keitaro smiling at her. "Thank goodness you're awake!"
Blinking, the fashion model saw dark rings had formed under the landlord's eyes. "You were up the whole time watching me...?" Seeing Keitaro nod, she sighed and closed her eyes, remembering the rage in his eyes while fighting and comparing it to the warmth and caring he was now showing. Opening her eyes once more, she managed a smile at the landlord. "Well, thank you for your kindness... Was there anyone else hurt?"
"Yeah, I'm going to check on her right now..." Keitaro smiled. "Rest up, okay? We wouldn't want a beautiful supermodel like you to be stuck in bed forever." As he left, Naomi blinked at his comment with flushed cheeks, before resting back with a small smile.
"You truly are a loveable idiot, Urashima..." She whispered as she drifted back to sleep.
Walking towards Kaolla's room, the landlord stopped as he heard voices from inside. Sliding open the door, he was relieved to see that the foriegn inventor had awakened and was talking to Naru and Motoko. Though visibily tired, Kaolla turned to Keitaro and smiled warmly at him, drawing a sigh of relief from the landlord as he sat beside her futon.
"You're finally awake, that's good." Keitaro smiled, then frowned slightly at Kaolla. "But I thought you said you were going to change back to normal...?"
"I did..." Kaolla nodded, then smiled at the landlord. "But since I can't for some reason, I'm going to get what I wanted last night..." Before Keitaro could respond, Kaolla met his lips with hers in a soft kiss, making both Naru and Motoko twitch in anger.
"You..." Motoko began, her eye twitching.
"...Pervert!" Naru finished, and slugged Keitaro with a powerful right hook which sent him crashing through the screen doors to the walkway outside. Shaking their heads, Kitsune and Shinobu watched as the landlord twitched in pain on the ground.
"What was that all about...?" Shinobu blinked in surprise.
"Oh, just jealousy showing..." Kitsune grinned, making Motoko and Naru's eyes twitch again.
"I'm not jealous!" The two women in Kaolla's room yelled at the fox woman, then covered their mouths with flushed cheeks and looked away.
"I bet..." Kitsune chuckled, as she and Shinobu helped the landlord to his feet...
"Goodness, Haruka..." A scruffy man scratched his chin as he drove a small shipping truck along a country road. "I know you run a teahouse and all, but why that large order of sake as well?"
"If you run into one of the dorm tenants, you'll know why..." Haruka grinned as she lit up another cigarette, then raised an eyebrow at seeing a figure dressed in business attire standing in the middle of the road, with a hand raised to tell the driver to stop.
"Huh?" The driver blinked. "Guy probably broke down or something..." He began slowing down, when Haruka suddenly dropped her cigarette in shock.
"NO!" Haruka yelled. "Don't stop! Keep driving!"
"What?!" The driver stared at her with wide eyes. "What are you talking about?" As he turned his attention back to the road, he gasped at seeing the figure leaping towards them. With the business suit cast aside, Lady Fang laughed as she landed on the hood of the truck.
"No one escapes the Syndicate, fools!" The pit fighter smiled as she slammed a fist through the hood.
Were anyone to have been on the road, they would've seen a gigantic explosion as the truck's fuel and sake cargo caught sparks and ignited, obliterating the vehicle in a matter of seconds...
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Another chapter done, and more along the way. Hopefully my lack of updates hasn't angered anyone... (Gets shot by the readers) Okay... I get the picture... I'll write faster... -- ;