A/N: Thank you, to those who have reviewed so far, I'm aware of the troubles of getting a sequel story reviewed in a low view-rate topic, but still, I'd hoped for more than this... oh well.
Chapter Two: Friends Old and New
Just breath… There is nothing outside of the moment, all things, future and past mean nothing, I don't exist there, only here…always in the moment…
In amongst the many areas of natural and conservational woodland that exist around the town of Hinata, there is a clearing… and within this clearing stands a man.
Taller than average, he is muscled but his height makes him seem lithe, and his shoulder length black hair spills down unrestrained over light blue robes those sleeves almost cover his hands as his arms rest by his sides.
His eyes, an impossibly deep brown, are closed at the moment, the only sounds with the clearing the thundering echo of his own breath, and the gentle thud of his pulse in his ears.
Still the mind, allow everything, even time to come to a standstill.
His breath slows, becoming quieter and less pronounced until he seems almost like a statue, unconcerned with the snow gathering slowly in his hair and on his shoulders.
Hold off until the brink of death, he thought, feeling his body beginning to plead for air, trying to force his heart rate back up, continuing to recite the mantra he had been learning since he was old enough to understand.
So many years ago now it seemed, even though he was only into his twentieth year, it seemed longer sometimes, like he had been made to learn too much too fast.
Fleetingly, the image of an old man standing over him, shouting at him, striking him for a burst of childish defiance, came to him and he allowed the memory, the pain to wash over him.
It was just a distraction, a trick of the mind as it sort to thwart his will. It could be ignored.
Within himself, he allowed his perception to fall inward, toward the beating of his heart.
Set your intention, he continued, focusing on the task ahead, Entrench it firmly within your mind, there is only the moment, this moment, the second of intent… nothing more.
Years ago, Masters had sought the secret that made some of their greatest heroes, so magnificent.
Decades of research had turned up a treasure trove of techniques, both amazing and hideous, some powerful, some so laughably inconsequential it was a miracle that they had never been broken.
However, none of these were beyond the Masters' own power to duplicate, so what was missing?
It was a lowly scribe who discovered the answer. In each of the last great tales of these unprecedented warriors, these brave men and women, had been fighting for something, or toward some goal they valued more than their own lives.
Their will, their intent, had driven them beyond the limits of mere mortals, removing the natural safety locks on mind, body and spirit and enabling superhuman displays of power, even amongst those who knew the Special Arts.
It was the knowledge gained from these men, long past, that the Divine Fist, had been developed in secret, hidden from all but a few, and passed on to even fewer.
Amongst those esteemed ranks, himself.
When done correctly, his technique would allow a person to fight to the ends of their life, for as long as they had the energy and the means to accomplish their last wish, simulating the indomitable will of the dying man, with nothing left to loose.
He could feel his Ki reaching its peek, slowly fracturing the barrier that kept the majority of it trapped within the body.
Now, his thought was neither hurried, nor excited, they required concepts of consequence, of the future or the past… he was beyond such things now.
His desire at its head, he released his Ki
"First divination", his voice was as blank as slate as his right foot glided forth, churning up snow as it anchored him in a stable position, his right palm snapping out as if pushing an attacker away while his left hand made a fist at his side.
Falling snow billowed away from his touch as if caught in a breeze.
Pivoting on his right foot his left hand shot out while the right retracted, the fingers extended and stiffened as he spun before lashing out with the knife-edge of his hand like the blade of a katana.
Dropping low, he allowed the movement to carry him through a low sweep, standing swiftly and drawing his right arm back across his body, his left hand held palm out over the top of it before stepping forward with his left leg and thrusting his palm outward.
"Second divination", he spoke, his voice still as emotionless as before even as his Ki pulse and rage within him, trying to break free of his intent and only driving it faster, making it more powerful with each passing second.
Stepping back he weaved his left hand before him in a complex series of blocks, first rotating the arm outward at the elbow, then snapping it horizontally across himself.
Retreating another step, his arm swung down in a blur, stopping an imagined kick with the underside of his forearm.
He stepped into his fictional foe, his right palm striking directly upwards with what would have been, had his opponent been real, vicious, and bone shattering force.
"Third divination", his voice sounded slightly strained now, muscles trembling as the safeties that restricted their movements fell away.
He could stop here… or he could complete his training, as he should.
Was there really a choice?
Twisting, he drove his elbow back, following that with a powerful snap kick, all of which would have launched a real attacker backward into the nearest tree.
He pivoted once, twice, three times, following the path of his victim and gathering speed and power with his movements.
As his last rotation finished, he launched himself skyward, his right leg axing through the frigid air, directly ninety degrees straight up from his body as the rest of it lay parallel to the ground.
Focusing his intent to its sharpest, he pumped everything he could muster into this final strike, almost fancying he could see his leg begin to glow for a second, a bright and inviting blue.
The snow rippled and crunched beneath him as he impacted and the trees around the clearing rattled their branches as the shockwave hit them.
"Fourth divination", he croaked out in a horse whisper, his throat suddenly feeling as if he had spent all night drinking and his limbs suddenly shaky and unresponsive as he fought himself into a sitting position.
He took a moment to compose himself in the after rush of adrenaline that pounded in his ears, stilling himself to calmness once more.
He hadn't used much of his Ki, but the manner in which he had used it always left him feeling a little weak afterward.
Standing, he tilted his face to the sky, his dark locks spilling back away from his face and allowing the cooling touch of the snow to take the heat that suffused his face in excess, until his skin returned to its normal porcelain tone.
The wind rustled through the undergrowth… or rather, that's what a regular man might have assumed…
"Are you going to come out this time little one?", he spoke, pitching his voice just loud enough to carry to the outskirts of the clearing.
Not a whisper replied to his invitation.
Sighing mightily, he opened deep, warm brown eyes and cast a glance at a dense spot of foliage, an gently amused smile playing across his lips.
"Must you always hide yourself from me?", he asked curiously, waiting.
At first, it seemed as if his silent observer, if there truly was such a person, would simply remain hidden.
He had sensed no ill will from this person, so he supposed he could just leave them be if they chose to remain concealed, but he was intrigued as to why they had been watching him for so long without acting, and not just today…
The bushes rustled, and the watcher stepped out into view.
"Well… this is…unexpected", he said, his smile quirking toward one corner of his mouth as he tried to decide what to make of what he saw.
Before him was a young woman, no, a girl, standing perhaps a head and half again below him in height, with short cropped blond hair cut ragged, almost tomboyish, and startlingly intuitive emerald eyes set into a pretty, tanned face.
Though he had no particular taste for gaijin women, he had to admit, she was quite a beauty, or would be when she grew to full maturity.
Stranger still, she seemed to be wearing the uniform of the local high school with a thick brown suede coat with fir trimmed collar worn over the top.
As he watched, she glanced at something in her hand, her exotic young features contracting slightly as if vexed by what she saw there, and he caught a gleam of silver before she tucked whatever she had been holding in her hand into her coat pocket.
Her gaze, as it returned to him seemed cold, almost emotionlessly calculating, and probably would have unsettled many, but he had his reasons for being unafraid.
Besides, there was an air about her look, something that told anyone brave enough to risk a second glance that she was not purposely trying to intimidate the viewer, but that she knew no other way to appear.
Or you could just be trying to soften the young lady's image for your own reasons, he chuckled to himself, amused by the notion.
At the sound of his laughter, the young gaijin cocked her head to one side in an almost animal fashion, her expression enquiring, as though this new slant would gain her insight into his reasoning and actions.
Though, perhaps, looking at those sharp green eyes, it would.
"So little one, to who do I owe the pleasure of addressing?", her head simply moved the other way, but no response seemed forthcoming.
"I am Hayate…", still she did not offer her name.
He shrugged aside her rudeness with a good-natured smile, deciding to try a different track.
"This is not the first time you have come to watch me, is it?", this time he managed to draw a simple shake of the head from the unusually stoic girl, oddly not offered rudely or indolently, but as a simple and direct answer to his question.
"I see…".
The blond glanced at something on her wrist, her eyes shifting back to the woodland for a second.
He could guess what that gesture meant.
"You have to leave now I assume?", he asked and she nodded once before making to go.
"I suppose you'll be here tomorrow as well?", he found himself asking without truly thinking about it.
She paused for a second to look back over her shoulder at him, offering another silent nod.
Next Hayate did something he couldn't quite explain, though he would pass it off later as a simply a passing fancy.
"Perhaps it might be more instructive for you to watch from the clearing next time", from the look on the girl's face, it was clear she was surprised by his offer, as if she had been expecting him to demand her to stay away now that he knew she was there.
She dipped her head once more in acknowledgement and vanished back in amongst the undergrowth.
Hayate watched the spot of her departure for a moment, before a low chuckle rose in his throat.
Shaking his head he smiled as he glanced back at the spot she had vanished.
"What an unusual girl", he muttered, still ceased by mirth as he made his own way out of the clearing and back to the small temple he was staying at.
The was a mystery for another time, right now he had duties to attend to, he would not wish to make he master angry unnecessarily.
"Chiho-chan", the large white canine bound out of his hiding place at his mistress' call, capering around her nervously and sniffing at her, seeking any sign of injury.
Chii had told him to hide when the man, Hayate, had spotted her somehow, telling him not to come out and to go get help if something bad happened to her.
Luckily it hadn't been necessary, but her friend was still very skittish.
The princess stooped down, taking a few moments to calm him with gentle strokes of his glossy white fir before beginning the long trek back up to the road.
The journey was not long, but it seemed an eternity of clambering carefully amongst bushes and climbing over fallen logs and so on for one not comfortable with mother nature, though the natural limberness she had inherited from her mother saw her out unscathed.
As soon as she had her feet back once more on the wonderfully smooth and reassuringly firm plane of the concrete road that led up to her school, Chii fished quickly into her pocket, retrieving the device stored there and examining it once more.
To the casual observer, it would only appear to be a portable game system, something unusual perhaps to find in the hands of a pretty young girl though nothing truly eye catching. However, it was so much more than that.
Chii rapidly flicked through the multiple screens of the Spiritual Spectrum Analyser MkIX, frowning as graph after graph and reading after reading came back either blank, or perfectly within the bounds of normalcy.
Making a small, displeased sound she stuffed the gadget back into her coat after hitting the off switch, sighing mildly to herself as Chiho wined at her feet, sensing she was unhappy about something.
So her experiment had failed again it would seem, a very disappointing set back, but at least she would have a chance to try again.
She had been surprised that he had allowed her the chance to continue. She knew that most people were scarred of her for some reason, she had known this since she was a child, though Ryu's kind words after her experiment with Mecha-Chiho failed had helped her see that there were those who cared for her no matter what, because of what was in her heart.
She could still remember blushing as he had affectionately patted her head, though her naturally dark complexion and the lack of lighting had stopped anyone from noticing.
"Oni-sama…", she whispered the term she had picked up from Satomi and come to make her own over the years, though she had never called him that out loud, and felt her cheeks heating again.
It was lucky that this Hayate had, unknowingly perhaps, volunteered to help her experiment.
She couldn't ask Satomi after all, her red headed friend wouldn't like the idea of Chii trying to introduce science to her world, and worse, she might figure out why Chii was trying to do so, which would be…problematic…
Kyosuke couldn't be asked by the same token, but for different reasons. He was not a nice man as far as Chii was concerned, and if he were to learn that she was attempting to build a Ki detector for Ryu in case any more assassins were sent after him, what would the purple haired boy do?
He would most likely try to destroy her research before she could present it to Ryu.
She could not allow that, she had made a promise to herself and to Ryu to protect her family, and that included him.
Dimly she was aware of the train passing in the distance on the edges of her vision.
Chii fiddled absently the device in her pocket.
How would Ryu react when she presented him with the finished device?
A beeping from her watch reminder her that she didn't have time to loose herself in thought if she wanted to arrive at school early enough to find a proper hiding spot for Chiho.
"Follow", she said, braking into a light jog as she crunched her way through the snow to school, Chiho lopping after her with an easy stride.
Perhaps if she finished this, she could spend more time on figuring out why Yui kept sneaking around with those strange letters…
Ryu sat back in his chair, rubbing at dry eyeballs behind closed lids with the tips of his fingers.
On the desk sat a small mountain of heavy texts dealing with the life of a Lord in feudal Japan, duties, privileges, everything the scholars knew was listed in amongst this tower of paper, though having lived in a system that still functioned akin to those described here, her had already spotted a few errors.
He had decided to major in History for his degree, as, after being grilled by Kanna about what he planned to do with his life now that he was free of his curse and more or less shanghaied between her and Ayu into joining the girls in taking entrance exams, it had been the only subject that struck his interest.
He had been born a victim of history, of the oversights of others, and thus he had decided to become a chronicler of the ages in hope that his work would help prevent the tragedies that had befallen him and his family from occurring again.
It had sounded a wise and noble goal before he had learned of the shear amount of work involved, but still, he was not the kind to quit anymore, and it kept his thoughts from straying on the subject of dreams or affairs of the heart, so he would keep going.
Ryu glanced warily at the tittering pile next to him.
Even if it killed him.
A gentle chiming drew him from dark musings about burning down the grand library in which he sat, and brought his attention to the antique clock sitting on the wall above the main reception desk, the clock currently ringing one in the afternoon.
It was that time already! He was supposed to meet the girls for lunch in ten minutes, the agreed upon, by them, not him, time for them all to eat because it was the only time the two women's courses, Kanna's Track Scholarship course and Ayu Food Prep degree course, both left them with time to spare.
Having blown them off accidentally before, he knew missing the time was not an option. He was not sure which had been worse, Kanna's angry shouting, or Ayu's quiet disappointment.
"Kuso", he cursed, ignoring the irate look he drew from the librarian, and elderly and traditional woman with grey hair pulled back in an almost clichéd, server bun.
Hastily heaping his books back on the returns trolley he gather his notes, taking a little longer to properly arranged and file them, before taking off as fast as dignity would allow.
However, in his haste he made one fatal mistake, he forgot to check who was in the area when he stepped outside.
"Ryu-sama!", the first call jerked him like a subtle application of high voltage, and he tried to keep walking naturally as if he were someone else, hoping the shouter would assume she was mistaken, and he knew it was a she.
The call was echoed by a different voice, and another, and another, each one getting closer to his location.
Knowing that there was no escape now short of openly running, and option not even worth considering, he halted, plastering an impassive look over his face and turning to greet the four young women jogging toward him.
When he and Kanna had entered Toudai for their first year before Ayu had joined them a year later, they were not the only ones to succeed in gaining entry.
Amongst those from their old school, had been Kei, Ryu's best friend now studying Art/Design and Production, Kanna's friend Mai, currently unofficially dating Kei and on the same course.
However, there had also been a small number of what Kanna referred to as his 'diehard' fans from high school that had followed him for some reason, though Kanna quietly maintain that it was because he was taking so long to make a choice they thought they had a chance to intervene.
The four girls; Mayuka, Yuki, Koyomi, and Chisa, had formed the core of the embarrassing fan club that had raised him to demi-godhood back then, though thankfully, they had lost that air of worshipfulness even if their interest in him seem undiminished.
"Hey", he said with a half-hearted wave, trying to look busy and hoping they would take the hint… they didn't.
"Are you free right now Ryu-sama?", Yuki asked, her twin ponytails bouncing as she looked up to ask, "If you're going to lunch we can go with you if you want".
Straight for the throat, he thought, surprised that any of them were being that direct. Usually they would insinuate with plenty of room for him to offer an noncommittal let down and escape. What was different?
It struck him. Usually whenever he had encountered them previously, by either accident or design, he would have Ayu, Kanna or both with him or somewhere nearby.
"Yeah, come on Ryu-sama, our treat", Koyomi offered, adjusting the band that held back her short hair, the other two pitching in their agreement.
Trapped, he thought, looking around for a way out and finding none.
"Pleeeeaasssseeeee", the four girls said at once, leaning closer to him with varying pleading expressions.
"… Hey, what's that?", he asked, looking into the crowd behind them and affecting a look of bewilderment.
What the hell am I doing?, he asked himself, No one falls for such cheap tricks in real life, this is Kei's fault.
"What are we looking for?"
Ryu almost collapsed; all four women were looking in the direction he had indicated, displaying either a shocking level of trust in their idol, or a ridiculous amount of naivety.
You must be joking…, he thought as he took the opportunity to slip away into the crowd, trying to ignore the looks he received from those he passed.
Just when he thought he had made it far enough he heard a startled cry from behind him.
"Oh no! Ryu-sama is gone", came Mayuka's distressed voice.
"Quickly, find him!", Chisa answered.
Oh great, now it's a hunt!, Ryu thought irritably, pushing his way deeper into the crowd only to find his path blocked by a large cart piled high with clothes, wigs and other costumes.
"Ryu? What are you doing on the floor?", He looked up to find Kei leaning on the cart with a bemused smile, "Hiding from Kanna again?".
Normally Ryu would have fired something back as Kei traded looks with the cart's handler, Mai, but a cursory glance showed that the girls were already advancing through the crowd though he didn't think they had spotted him yet.
"I don't have time for this", he growled, glancing at his watch.
Only five minutes left.
As he went to step past the bewildered looking pair, something in the crate caught his eye.
A longish black wig sat atop a white jacket not all that dissimilar to the one he wore.
Grabbing the garments, a plan forming, he hauled Kei over to himself and slapped the wig haphazardly on his head.
"Not bad", he muttered handing the confused boy the jacket and sparing another look around.
The girls were getting closer.
"Put that on…quickly!", tapped his foot as Kei shrugged on the jacket, unsure as to where his friend was going with all of this.
"Can I ask what's going on?", he asked glancing at his friend's hands as he gripped him by the shoulders.
"Your sacrifice will not be forgotten"
Kei blinked, wondering what Ryu was talking about. It was then he spotted Yuki over Ryu's shoulder, his face reflecting his horror as he mentally connected the dots between her presence and the disguise he had been made to wear.
"Ryyyyuuuuuuuuuuuuu!", was all he could get out before he was shoved roughly in her direction, the rest of his shout drowned out by her excited squeals as he took the only option left to him at this point and ran.
Being caught pretending to be Ryu by these women was not an option.
"Oh, poor Kei", Mai said, looking on sadly as he ran for his life.
"I'm sorry, I'll make it up to him later", Ryu promised as he ducked away into the crowd once more, knowing his little distraction wouldn't last for long.
He kept going until he could no longer hear the girls shouts or Kei's screams before coming to a rest.
He looked at his watch once more.
Two minutes left and the café they ate at was on the other side of the campus.
Great, what else can go wrong?By now, Ryu should have learned the fundamental law of the universe, never question your own fortune; it can only make it worse.
It started as a faint rumbling in the distance, something barely noticeable, but all to soon it was clearer, the screeching of an engine stuck in the wrong gear and doing to many revs combined with squealing tires and tortured brakes.
"What in the world?", he asked, wondering where such a sound could be coming from. There were no public roads in this part of the campus.
He looked right, his face going from confusion, to realisation, to horror as he saw the mini-van barrelling down toward him and the barrier he sat in front of.
With no time to think he drew on his Ki, shifting himself into a world where time was but a crawl and leapt aside.
As times flow returned to normal, he watched as the out of control mini-van struck the posts, flipping up and over as if somersaulting before rolling across the ground and coming to a stop against the wall of the admin building with a mighty crash and settling peacefully as if it had just been parked there.
Ryu rushed over, unsure as to what he could do for the most like injured or dead driver, but spurred on to help anyway.
As he reached the vehicle, the passenger door swung wide, almost smacking him in the face, and from the smoky interior a man emerged.
Though his long white overcoat was ragged and torn and his head fountained blood from a savage looking gash in his forehead, the driver seemed overjoyed about something, chuckling to himself ruefully, even as he tottered dangerously on shaky legs.
"Wow, that was a bad one, I think even Seta would have a hard time topping that…ugh, Naru is going to kill me though, they said one more crash like this and no insurance company will touch me", Ryu had to wonder if the man was seriously concussed, he didn't seem all that concerned about what had just happened or how close he had come to death.
"Oh, hi there, I didn't hit you did I?", he asked, noticing Ryu's presence for the first time after cleaning the blood from his glasses, absently taking a roll of strangely convenient gauze and bandage from his pocket.
"Er, no, you didn't… Are you ok?", Ryu asked, noticing that even as he applied it, the blood flow from his wound seemed to be slowing.
"Never better, happens all the time", he replied with a sheepish laugh.
"…All the time…"
Where did this lunatic come from?, Ryu wondered.
"Hey!", both men turned to see a greying security guard shaking his fist angrily in the direction of the van driver, "You again is it! I should have known!".
"Uh-oh", the van driver said, quickly grabbing the keys to his vehicle and ceasing a handful of Ryu's sleeve, "Quickly my boy, run for it!".
"Wha- Why me!", Ryu shouted as he was dragged along behind the delusional man, but his cry was unanswered as the security guard began shouting into his walkie-talkie for backup.
For the next few minutes, Ryu found himself chased through hedges, over fences and down corridor after corridor by what seemed to be the whole of campus security, led, to use the word generously, by a goofily smiling madman who either by plan or by accident, managed to find every female restroom or changing room available in the course of their escape, each time mistaking the clearly labelled rooms for a good hiding spot, and being mercilessly pummelled by the less than impressed women inside for his 'mistake'.
What have I gotten myself into? I've been put on the run with a demented pervert! This was not how this day was supposed to go!
"Quick, in here!", the driver shouted, grabbing his arm and dragging him inside before he could object.
Rapidly closing the door, they rested against it, listening intently as the heavy sounds of booted footfalls came and went before simultaneously breathing a deep sigh of relief.
"Not bad young man", the driver wheezed around a wide smile. Ryu just stared at him incredulously.
Both of them jumped as a hand clapped down on each of their shoulders, spinning to face the one who had caught them.
"Ok, what's going on her- Dad?", Kanna blinked in surprise, recognising the two 'culprits' she had caught.
Behind her Ayu adjusted the food-laden tray she was carrying as she made her way over, "Mister Urashima?".
Behind her, a number of people sat at tables or stood in a line that snaked around the room, a few offering the newcomers a cursory glance before returning to their meals.
So I made it to the café after all, Ryu thought as what the two girl shad just said caught up with him, Wait a minute, 'Dad'?
"You're Kanna's father?", he asked dumbfounded.
"Opps, forgot to introduce myself in all the excitement didn't I", he said, rubbing the back of his head and looking abashed at his lapse in escapee etiquette.
"Sorry about that. I'm Kanna's Father, Keitaro Urashima. Nice to meet you".
---Authors Notes---
And there you have it, coming next: Chapter 3: Reunions or Heartache: Everyone is gathering at the Hinata Sou to celebrate the holidays, but will it be a time of joy, or sorrow? "Nothing makes the Heavens weep, like Love to Hatred turned…"
Till next time, Betweenheavenandhell