DISCLAIMER: I've said it before so check my earlier entries if really care that much.
Hey I'm back. Sorry for the long absence, but my computer crashed and I lost every thing, including my nearly finished chap. And afterward I lost the will to write for a while. Anyway with school out I should be able to get the new chaps out faster, minus driver's ED and family vacations.
Now for the typical warnings. With school out I've lost contact with my editor for any indeterminable amount of time so, anything I've said about helping find grammar/spelling mistakes before really applies now. I'm kind of using this chapter as a proof-read check, if I get people complaining on the grammar I'll know to check more.And by the way I am the master of typos, just a heads up, i think i found them all.
And finally I'm thinking about scaling the rating up to R. I just want a second opinion based on this chap and the premise.
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Kowlla Su typed away happily at her computer screen seemingly unaware of the shadow detaching itself from the forest floor of her room.
"I've got her this time." Blade thought merrily to himself, maintaining strict sound discipline. He snuck up to with in a couple of feet of SU ready to pouch...
"Good morning Blade." Su said turning around in her chair smiling happily at him.
"How'd you know?" Blade said letting his arms drop.
"Proximity sensors." Su said pointing at a stump that Blade thought looked funny earlier, but shrugged it off with a "like a having a fully grown forest in your room isn't to begin with.
"So what do you need Ku?" Blade asked using his self invented nickname. Besides Kitsune Kowlla was the only other person in the house that thought of Blade in any positive regard. Everybody else either thought of him as a psychotically confused teenager, or a undefeated opponent. Weather it was Su's charismatic and friendly nature or Blade's imposingly opposite character the two got along relatively well. What ever the reason it was all agreed that the fact that Blade was the only person in the house who would willingly teat Su's contraptions had apart to play in it. Although he had flatly refused to test the nuclear powered hover board.
"Tama Walker MK1 is ready!" Su crowed
" Oh." Blade said with a sweat drop. He didn't have very fond memories of the T.W. prototype. The balance system was shoty and the walking gears were mismatched. So Blade went about 20 feet and unceremoniously fell over on his side, and then the laser that was there because it could be went off cutting the Hinata Tea house in half. The roof still leaked.
"Let's go Blade!" Su exclaimed grapping him by the wrist and pulling Blade out the door.
"Mommy."
Naru and Kitsune peered around the door spying in on a bathing Shinobu.
"How the hell did you talk me into this?" Naru asked apprehensively.
"I didn't Keitaro did, remember. He said he wasn't getting anywhere and asked you when I brought up my idea. He said he remembers how much it meant to him to find out that you didn't completely hate his living guts." Kitsune finished.
"The things I do for him." Naru mussed nervously. " No turning back now. " and with that the two women strolled into the hot spring trying to look natural and succeeding too well.
"Wow Su." Blade said looking at the contraption before him. The walker looked like a turtle standing on it's hind legs. It was half the height of the prototype, but even then the turtle was about 4 ½ meters tall. Blade debated momentarily haw the machine was powered. It came down to either 2 million AA batteries or miniature nuclear reactor, probably the latter.
"You've out done your self this time Su." Blade said mystified
" Thanks, I fixed the balance problem. The design was fine , but the system was trying to balance far more than it was capable of. Io removed the laser and shrunk it." Su explained in one breath.
"You should consider sending your designs to the experimental weapons burro, you could make a fortune." Blade commented.
"Weapon?" Su asked
"Yes, Ku, with a few mods this could be an excellent weapons platform." Blade stated his militarily geared mind turning like clock work. "Armor being first off, heavy weapons hard points on the arms. Secondary weapons on the shoulders , maybe RPG's and a 7.62 in a half mount here." Blade finished pointing at the right chest plate.
" I never thought of that." Su said proving her clueless ness at the destructive potential of her abilities. " Time to test it."
" Do I have to?"
Shinobu Miaharaha never been a very malice person, but this Blade character was just the sort of person she detested. The kid had killed INTENTIONALLY. Ended a life, multiple lives. Destroyed the most precious thing on this god given earth, something that should at all costs. Even at the cost of your own. This particular person was probably the the reason that Naru and Kitsune were sitting in the hot springs with her. Keitaro had had this talk with her all ready, and following his advice had lead to this conversation.
flashback
" I bet your proud of your self." Shinobu said rather cross at Blade who was standing next to her cutting carrots.
" you bet your sweet ass I am, I'm just sorry so many people were harmed along the way. Including some of the best friends I've ever known." Blade said sighing, remembering all the dark places he had one trodden.
" And the dead don't bother you?" Shinobu said placing her knife down because her hands were shaking in anger.
"Of course it dose." Blade said noting the fact that Shinobu had laid down her knife. "But there's no point in regretting the people you kill only the friends that you lose. They'll do the same. It's kill or be killed on the battlefield. You respect you enemy, he'll do the same. It's the code of the modern warrior.
"What code!" Shinobu yelled in hysterics. " all you do is kill and kill without caring who you shoot!" Blade stopped cutting and turned to face the distraught young women. "How many people have you killed Blade! How many people like me or Kietaro or Naru, or even Kitsune!" Shinobu screamed at him, tears in her eyes.
"More than the stars in the sky or the waves on the ocean." Blade's face grew more sober but other wise unchanged.
"You fucking heartless bastard." Shinobu whispered barley audile. She turned on her heels and walked out of the kitchen. Tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Blade sighed, lifts the large knife, and draws it across the back of his hand. Letting the blood drip onto the floor. He had spilled enough blood in his lifetime, it only seemed fair to shed some of his own.
end flashback
Just thinking what could possibly be going thought that boy's head just boggled her mind. He didn't even seem to regret any of the deaths he had caused. He is a despicable, murderous, unforgivable human being. No matter what other people said or thought. As Shinobu came to this conclusion, a shadow came over her, cutting off the sun. Shinobu look up and saw a figure sitting on the roof, casting a long shadow over the hot springs.
" Him again." Shinobu said coldly.
Blade was sitting on the roof slowly sipping a glass of Sake and nursing a very sore left shoulder. Fixed balance of not the walker had a few bugs in it. "Huruka is gonna have a bird when she gets home" He thought to himself. Blade looked a the toppled Tama walker, smoke billowing from the opened engine compartment. It reminded Blade of a down T-63. He swirled the liquid idly, letting his mind wander over recent events. He had woken up earlier to do a load of laundry for Shinobu, only to walk in on her thanking Keitaro for it.
" Why the hell do I try so hard?" he asked the late afternoon sun. "It's like the Major used to say, love is fickle." " but then again," Blade said rubbing his shoulder " So is pain."
"Why do you hate him do much?" Kitsune asked Shinobu as she moved out of Blade's shadow.
"How can you not? He's killed." Shinobu retorted matter of fact-ly. " he's isn't sorry in the least."
" Why should he?" Naru said playing the devil's advocate. "It's war."
"I DON'T CARE! HE'S STILL A COLD HAERTED MURDERING SON OF A BITCH!!!" Shinobu screamed more that loud enough for Blade to hear her on the roof."
" THAT'S IT!" Blade screamed back smashing his glass against the roof " I MAY BE A MOURDOUS BASTARD, BUT AT LEAST I'M NOT SOME HOUSEWIFE WANNABE WHO'S TO DAMN COWARDOUS TO FACE HER OWN PARENTS!!" with that Blade stormed off. The was just out of sight where he stopped and drooped his head.
" that was stupid." Blade said with a sigh. " doubly so." He said with a glance over his painless shoulder. " that was 40 proof sake."
Shinobu glared after Blade, her gaze softening slowly. Not because the insult hurt, but because she couldn't dismiss it completely.
"Your not really all that different ." Kitsune said looking over at a mildly shocked Shinobu.
" You should get to know him." Naru said finishing Kitsune's thought for her.
" But he…" Shinobu protested weakly. Naru and Kitsune sighed collectively, this was a losing proposition and they both knew it. Naru got up to leave and Kitsune pretended to follow suit, but she still had a trump card to play.
"And by the way Shinobu, I believe you owe Blade a thank you." Kitsune said , one foot still in the water.
" Uhh?" For what?" Shinobu asked puzzled
" He's been doing a lot for chores for you behind you weren't looking." Kitsune explained thinking of the many times Blade had woken up early to do some laundry for her, or snuck in to the kitchen to wash the dishes. " you've been thanking the wrong guy."
"Wrong guy…but" Shinobu thought it was Keitaro because he seemed like the kind of guy… no she thought it was Kotare because that's what she wanted to believe.
" You've been judging him on his actions Shinobu." Kitsune said stepping fully out of the hot spring. " take a walk in his shoes, you'll find that he isn't so bad." Kitsune said sending a foxish simile at the young woman. Kitsune then left the Hot spring.
" In his shoes" Shinobu thought-spoke quietly, staring at her reflection in the water.
Blade stood bare foot in the middle of the patio, his hands clasped behind his back watching g the sun set.
" It seems that this place seems to draw me in right around sunset. Not that I mind." Blade thought. The failing sunlight sent golden waves across the river and gave a orange-red hue to every thing else.
" Beautiful" Blade said aloud. He took a deep breath before by the stairs wear his boom box and shoes sat. he set the track number and walked back out to the middle of the patio tight the weighted gloves he had on. His training music always seemed to reflect his mood in one way or another, and tonight was no different. As the lite techno beat picked up Blade allowed the music to guide hi punched at the air.
When you make love
Do you look in a mirror?
Who do you think of?
Does it look like me?
Do you tell lies
And say this it's forever'?
Do you think twice
Or just touch and see?
Uh, c'mon!
I don't wanna touch you too much baby,
Making love to you might drive me crazy,
I know you think that love is the way you make it,
But I don't wanna be there when you just start to break it.
Love bites, love pleases,
It's bringing me to my knees.
Love lives, love dies,
It's no surprise!
Love begs, love pleases,
(It's what I need)
When I'm with you
Are you somewhere else?
Am I getting through
Or do you please yourself?
When I'm with you
Are you somewhere else
Am I getin thru?
Or do you please yourself
When you wake up
Will you walk out?
It can't be love,
It you throw it about.
Uh, c'mon!
I don't wanna touch you too much baby,
Making love to you might drive me crazy,
I know you think that love is the way you make it,
But I don't wanna be there when you just start to break it.
Love bites, love bleeds,
It's bringing me to my knees.
Love lives, love dies,
It's no surprise!
Love begs, love bleeds,
(It's what I need)
It's no surprise!
Love bites, love bleeds,
It's bringing me to my knees.
Love lives, love dies.
Love bites, love bleeds,
It's bringing me to my knees.
Love lives, love dies,
It's no surprise!
Love bites, love bleeds,
It's bringing me to my knees.
Love lives, love dies,
It's no surprise!
Love bites!
The music faded off and Shinobu stood quietly at the top of the stairs, watching Blade breath deeply after his workout. Even thought the softening light was making it difficult to see indoors, their was still plenty of light to see by outside. Without opening his eyes Blade unfastened his gloves letting them drop to the floor, and walked to few steps to the railing. Either ignoring Shinobu or not seeing her, She couldn't decide which. Shinobu turned to leave by an echo of her conversation with Kitsune ran through her head. Shinobu bite her tongue and turned back around. She started towards Blade but stopped, her eyes drifted down until the fell on Blade's shoes. They were big brown hikers with a forest green band around the laces. . Shinobu kicked off her flip-flops sandals and put her feet in to the boots.
The first thing you learn for a person's shoes is their foot size. Shinobu had to tuck her toes under her feet to keep the commandeered footwear. With some minor struggle Shinobu moved up beside Blade with a series of audible clops.
" Hey." Shinobu said trying to be as cheery as possible.
" What do you want Shinobu?" Blade asked neutrally.
"Nothing , Why?" Shinobu responded concern shading her face. " Are you that angry about this afternoon?"
" No. nit really. You've never just talked to me out of the blue before." Blade stated
"Will I am now." Shinobu said, turning around and pushing herself up to sit on the railing. Blade was a big kid when he stood up straight Shinobu barely reached his shoulder. On some primal level it made Shinobu feel a little better to be taller than Blade for a moment.
After that a near absolute silence feel over the pair of teenagers. Nether one wanting to start the needed conversation. In the end Blade couldn't keep his mouth shut any longer.
"Hey, ummm shinobu errr, I just wanted to sasy thattt eerrrrummmrere."
" So am I." Shinobu said getting the message stopped Blade's general incoherent babbling.
"Don't be." Blade said crossing his arms over the railing. "Your probably right."
Now at that moment Shinobu did to things mentally. The first was noticing that Blade's face had lost the embarrassed glow it had held a moment earlier. The second was do a mental double take. " Right? Could that mean…. maybe…?"
Shinobu regarded her companion more carefully, he seemed genuinely upset, could she have been wrong? She decided to ask. Shinobu hadn't liked the answer she had gotten last time she asked this question, might as well ask again.
" Blade, I know this is kind of rude but…"
" I believe you asked me this before." Blade answered, cutting of her question.
" Ya well, I'm asking again." Shinobu stammered out.
" Do I regret what I've done?" Blade asked himself for her.
" No," Shinobu corrected him. " That you've killed. Could just have a straight answer please?" Shinobu begged.
" Yes, to a point." Blade's answer kind of shocked Shinobu, She had always assumed he killed because he enjoyed it. Blade unaware of Shinobu's revelation kept talking.
" I wish I didn't have to, but on the battle field you don't really have a choice. You can afford to really be sorry for you enemy, if you do you'll go crazy. The only regret I have is the friends I've lost. I have enough of that for my lifetime." Blade finished remembering bygone friends.
" That's terrible!" Shinobu proclaimed finally feeling sympathy for the battered young man. For the first time Shinobu saw Blade not as war bent automaton, but a human being. Person with feelings, fears, and weaknesses.
The pair spent a couple of hours on the roof just talking. Their conversation drifted away from the darker matter it had started with leaning into the things typical teenagers talk of. But sun had gone long ago giving in to the cooler summer night, and the two kids surrendered to the cold and headed inside. At the bottom of the stairs Blade spoke up again with one if those now or never thoughts.
" Hey umm Shinobu, if your not doing anything Saturday, I've got a bit of a gathering this and I'd really like it if you could go." Blade said sweating.
A few hours ago She would have flatly said no, but now…
" Sure, Why not." Shinobu answered with a smile.
" Really? Tha that's great. Umm Good night then." Blade said babbling again
"Good Night then Blade." Shinobu said turning around and heading towards her room. " He's no Keitaro but he's earned a chance a guess." Shinobu thought as she strode down the hall. She made a spin to take the hall corner and stopped mid-spin stifling a giggle with her mouth as she caught a sight of Blade (thinking Shinobu was well out of sight) doing a happy dance that would get him confused with the old man from the six flags commercial. (If you don't know what I'm talking about your either not American or very deprived of free time. In either case I apologias.) with a smirk on her face Shinobu finished her turn and continued towards her room.
A few seconds after Blade and Shinobu disappeared down their respective ends of the hall, a flying turtle with a camera on it's back descended from the patio. At the controls in Kowlla's room the rest of the Hinata residents watched as Su checked for a clear coast. there hadn't been entertainment this good sense Naru and Kietaro had gone steady. Speaking of which those two people had a dark looks on their faces. This things went any farther than this 1 unofficial date they would be hard pressed to keep everyone out of their affairs.
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Well that's it for now. Sorry again for the delay. And please review! I'm begging here. I'd even take nazi hate mail at this point…scratch that.