Mocsha bows to everybody after Hanku tells them Mocsha's crime.
"They were quite tasty too. (licks his lips) Much obliged to meet you all. Especially you. Naru, was it? A lovely name."
Hanku shows a look of disgust-"That's enough Mocsha!"
"Is it? Well if you insist that it is, then I suggest that you and your kendo girl put your feet back on the ground."
Hanku and Motoko do so.
"That's better. Now setting aside the formalities of the past, why don't we have a little chat, Hanku…as you now know, I have the ability of regeneration and I, first want to point out that whenever I fully regenerate, I lose a physical trait of myself, so after 2 and a half years of 'putting myself back together', this is my eternal scar."
Mocsha removes his shades and reveals pure, milky white eyes.
"That's right. I no longer have an eye color, thanks to you."
"Why are you whining about losing something as little as your eye color?"
"Nothing, really. I'll just miss seeing people quiver in fright as much. If there was one thing people found frightening about me, it would be my eyes. Wouldn't your family agree Hanku?"
Kitsune frowns and stares at Mocsha whom continues to give Hanku an evil smirk as if he didn't remember he had Naru in his grasp.
"Why would anyone kill an entire family? You make it sound like you're entertained by this sick action. What kind of…MAN are you?"
"You'd be surprised at the answer to that, my dear. Hanku if you would be so kind as to answer her?"
"…Mocsha IS the kind of thing that finds seeing people suffer and die as a form of humor. Hopefully he would have lost that sense of humor by now."
Mocsha now looks as if he can't stop himself at an open opportunity.
"Naw! I haven't lost my sense of humor!"
He fires a glare directly at Shinobu who couldn't help but freeze in horror. Mocsha's eyes glow neon green as Shinobu's body begins to do the same.
Hanku flinches in fright and turns to Shinobu as he knows what's about to happen.
Shinobu begins to shiver and wrap her arms around herself as if a cold wind blew in. Hollering and screaming soon follows as the innocent 15 year-old falls to her knees.
Keitaro dashes to try and help the girl, but upon his touching of that green aura, he gets shot back 15 feet. Shinobu begins to look as if she was in a nightmare gone real. Her face spelled fear all over.
Moments later, Mocsha's eyes turn back to their normal form. Shinobu then, loses her green aura and falls unconscious as Mocsha looks back at Hanku and tries to hold back a laugh.
"See……I find that funny.(begins to chuckle, sinisterly, in his throat)"
Hanku immediately turns to everyone.
"Take Shinobu and yourselves inside! I don't want this to be get anymore out of hand."
"Royiaki…"
"NOW Motoko! Do it NOW!"
Motoko nods and joins everybody else inside. Keitaro carries Shinobu in and lays her across the couch. Everyone else looks outside to see the standoff.
"Now, back to business. You're most likely wondering why I'm here. Well, I've come to propose a rematch between the two of us."
"Figures. Where and when?"
Mocsha raises his free arm and launches a dark light into the sky, and into space where it hits a distant, deserted planet. The planet glows black to where Hanku was able to see it.
"On that planet, Hanku."
"WHAT! How do you expect me, let alone yourself, to get up there?"
"For me, that's MY secret. For you…use your imagination. I'd like to see how you respond to this challenge Hanku…if you can complete it.
"And if I don't?"
"Well, let's just say you'll have another friend to mourn for. It'll also take place 24 hours upon my departure. No more, no less."
"If I accept, you'll let her go?"
"Of course. I am a man of my word Hanku."
"…Fine. I accept your challenge. Now put her down, NOW!"
Mocsha smiles-"If you insist."
"!…NO! DON'T!"
It was too late. Mocsha released his hold on Naru, but didn't remove the sword from her throat, slitting it like a hot knife on butter. Just as Naru hits the ground, Hanku slides and catches her, immediately laying her down and pressing his hands on her wound. Energy shoots from Hanku's hands making a rejuvenating sound.
"C'mon Naru, C'MON! Hang in there! Stay with me!"
Naru was slowly slipping away. Hanku knew there wasn't much time. His hopes of saving Naru fell flat as he heard her last word…
"…K-Keitaro."
With her final statement, Naru's body slumps, lifeless. Hanku goes into a state of denial, as the healing was complete.
"NO! NO! NO! Don't do that Naru! Don't do that! C'mon, you can't go! Not now!"
Hanku lays a hand on Naru's neck in search for a pulse, but failed. 19-year-old Naru Narusegawa was dead. Hanku doesn't break his frown, but couldn't hold back his tears as he raises his fist and slams it into the ground, forming a small crater…
"God…NO!…Why? WHY? DAMMIT!"
Hanku's motions told everybody inside that the worst had happened. Immediately Keitaro runs out the door, but is quickly restrained by Haruka.
"NO! LET GO! LET GO OF ME! SHE MAY STILL BE ALIVE! LET GO!"
"KEITARO! She's gone! Hanku sent us in here to make sure that the same thing wouldn't happen to us! If you go out there and foolishly attack him, you'll die as well and Naru's death will be in vain."
As Haruka spoke, Keitaro began to slowly fall to his knees and let out a flood of tears.
"(sniff)…But it hurts, Haruka. (sob)"
"I know Keitaro. I know."
Back outside, Hanku stands, wiping his tears and glares back at Mocsha whom never let his smirk leave his face.
"Heheheh…Whoopsie. I really do have to stop doing that, but old habits die hard, don't they Hanku? HAHAHAHAHA!"
Motoko couldn't restrain herself anymore. She runs outside, zipping past Haruka and later Hanku…
"NO! Motoko! DON'T!"
Motoko draws her sword, leaps into the air, lands on Mocsha's chest and skewers him with her sword down the middle of his chest…
"You monstrosity…UNGH!"
Motoko then twists the blade 90 degrees, opening Mocsha's wound and giving Mocsha an even greater look of shock. As Mocsha continues to show signs of dying, he quickly switches back to a smirk and a chuckle. Motoko becomes shocked and confused…
"WHAT THE! HOW?"
"Hahaha. My turn!"
Mocsha grabs Motoko's gi and throws her onto the ground. When she recovers, Mocsha begins to slowly remove the sword from his gut. When he finally removed it, his wound suddenly mended itself, as if he was never stabbed at all. Mocsha looks at Motoko's sword with interest…
"Hmm…is this your sword? It's awfully good; the kind of sword of which every samurai should have. I must confess I envy you for this."
Mocsha throws the sword down at Motoko's feet. Motoko bends down to pick it up, but is suddenly elbowed in the back of the head. Motoko starts to feel dizzy from the attack as she lies on her hands and knees in front of Mocsha…
"However, people that I envy don't live very much longer afterwards."
Mocsha holds his hand in front of Motoko where it later glows green. At that precise moment, Hanku's true emotions were found, at last. He understood his true feelings for everybody, including Motoko. In an instant Hanku dashes at Mocsha and elbows him dead in the jaw, stopping his attack on Motoko and launching him into a nearby tree.
Mocsha stands up with his jaw dislocated, but doesn't show any look of pain. He simply places it back in its rightful place and like a shadow he moves in front of Hanku, grabs his throat and begins to raise him…
"Let this be a lesson for you Hanku, that no one comes between me and my prey. Don't make me teach it to you again!"
Mocsha punches Hanku's gut, stunning him, and throws him aside. Mocsha resumes his interrupted actions and Motoko just looks into Mocsha's empty eyes…
"You…you fiend!"
Mocsha simply chuckles-"Don't try to flatter me."
Mocsha releases his energy wave and creates a huge explosion. Hanku stands and recovers himself too late. Once the smoke cleared, Hanku felt the same exact pain that he did 3 years ago in his home. Motoko's lifeless body lay facedown with smoke drifting from her.
Mocsha looks back to Hanku and smiles-"Now where were we?"
"…Must you kill everything that stands in your way?"
"To be honest, I kind of feel like a veterinarian whenever I make women die and/or suffer, like your three friends: your two dead and that one lucky girl. Why, because I always think to myself afterwards, 'Why do I always have to put down the ugly bitches?' HA!"
Hanku snaps and grabs Mocsha's throat. Hanku raises his other fist and pounds Mocsha's left side of his face and throws him into the ground…
"I…DARE you…to say that ONE…MORE…TIME!"
Mocsha stands back up as he did before, but just as screwed up than before. The left side of his face was lower than his right side; Hanku fractured his skull in two! Just as before, Mocsha stands with an evil glare and brings his face back into place…
"…Touchy."
Hanku returns Mocsha's glare with one of his own…
"You'll pay for this Mocsha. Mark my words. You'll pay for this, DEARLY!"
Mocsha smiles-"Hanku. Your fangs are beginning to show again."
"What?"
It was true, Hanku did begin to grow fangs. Hanku panics and calms down, making the fangs return to their normal state of "tooth".
Hanku didn't know whether to be pissed or to be mournful. Two of his closest friends were now dead from the same man that killed his family in the past. The rest of the residents were all confused and wanted answers. They knew Hanku was keeping something from them, and it was obvious that it had something to do with Mocsha.
End of chp. 15
(puts on flame protecting armor) Please be merciful in your reviews and forgive me!