Chp6: A New Dawn
Thanks for yet another round of fantastic reviews. They're really what drives me to give my very best for this story. Thank you all! I'm still a beginner, so reviews, feedbacks, and anything at all you've got to say about the story will help immensely. Thank you! I really, really appreciate it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina, Mahou Sensei Negima, or anything else here that might belong to someone else. Unfortunately, saying what exactly, would just be a complete spoiler. Rest assured that I gain no profit from this story, only pure enjoyment.
Amongst the maze of canals and waterways of Venice, a cool night breeze blew by. Silence reigned as the early hours approached. The eastern horizon was a light bluish tint, with its usual telltale rays of white light, the first signs of dawn bursting out into the cold dark world. "I need a pick up…fast…" A cloaked figure standing atop a rooftop was silhouetted against the slowly diminishing darkness. Her voice was as relaxed as the night breeze yet as energetic as the waves of the rapidly approaching aqua alta. The figure seemed to be putting something up to her ears. Then she brought it down and seemed to stare at it thoughtfully, before explicating in frustration while executing a quick hand flip into her cloak, stowing away the object.
"Typical…" She muttered, as she looked around. She was protectively clutching a waterproof folder behind her white cloak which ruffled gently in the early wind. She clutched her large, cute white barrette as a strong gust of wind threatened to blow it off. "Well…at least I've lost the crowd…"
"Found her! Executing orders!" A girl's voice shouted from behind. The cloaked figure looked around and saw her pursuer, a young short brown-haired girl, probably in her early teens. The pursuer aimed a silenced SIG handgun at the cloaked figure and shouted, "Stop right where you are. My orders are to take you dead or alive."
"You really think I'd stop? Me?" The cloaked figure turned her body around to face her pursuer fully. The first rays of sunlight glinted off the pair of shaded goggles she wore on her head as she slowly slipped them off her eyes and onto her forehead, revealing her chestnut brown eyes. "Haha, you're just chasing after the wrong gal on the wrong day, kid." She chuckled.
"Place your hands on your head and slowly turn around." The pursuer ordered.
"Whatever…" The cloaked girl turned around and leapt up into the air.
"STOP!" The pursuer shouted, raising her gun and firing up at her fleeing target. "This is Angelo 1, requesting back-up." She said into her radio. "The target is fleeing over the rooftops. I'm pursuing." She too leapt up into the air.
The cloaked figure landed in a crouch on the rooftop opposite and proceeded to run towards the edge. Just as she leapt towards another rooftop the pursuer landed right behind her and opened fire, sending shredders flying all around her. She grinned as she landed in a handstand and flipped off onto another rooftop. This was a piece of cake to her.
"Pezza di…this is just impossible…" A well groomed man dressed in a black suit shouted as he ran along the streets below, trying his hardest to keep up with the cloaked girl and the pursuers. "Angelo 1! Angelo 2! Don't lose sight of her! We need her alive!" He shouted into his radio.
"Affirmento." One of the pursuer girls said, her twin blonde pony-tail hair flying in the wind as she shouldered her sniper rifle and leapt off the church spire. She landed lightly on the rooftop tiles below before running swiftly and silently towards her target. She leapt up and primed her sniper rifle again, aiming down at her target's feet.
The cloaked figure stopped abruptly as two rounds from the sniper rifle shattered the ceramic tiles just a few inches in front of her feet. She looked up at the pursuer with the sniper rifle who landed neatly on a nearby rooftop before aiming her sniper gun straight at the cloaked girl. The other pursuer landed behind the cloaked girl and raised her gun.
"You're cornered. Don't try to fight back." The girl shouted.
"Well, well…" The cloaked girl said, looking behind her. Behind her the rooftop ended in a sheer drop into a shallow cliff that ended with the rocky sea below. "Guess I am…" She shrugged. Her cloak started to ruffle violently as a particularly strong wind started to blow upwards from the cliff below. The sun was already a blinking diamond encrusted on the horizon. The sea behind her sparkled with the brilliance of a thousand diamonds.
"I'll congratulate you two on pursuing me this far…no normal person could usually keep up with me…" The cloaked girl laughed, lowering her goggles again.
"There's nowhere left to run…" The sniper said, cocking her sniper. "Don't try anything…"
"We are the young generation! There's no point in giving up while you're young!" She laughed, as the gust of wind from behind her grew stronger. The two pursuers were forced to shield their eyes as both the forceful wind and the glaring light of the sun blinded them.
"And thusly Othello bid the beautiful Desdemona goodbye…And such an aggrieved face shall Venice no more see." The cloaked girl curtsied grandly to her pursuers, before leaping off backwards towards the cliff.
"She jumped!" One of the pursuers shouted. Suddenly, the roar of screaming jet engines filled their ears. A large bulky, sleek navy blue shape rose over the rooftop and slowly spun around. Above it stood the cloaked girl. She threw her pursuers one last salute before leaping off the top of the large bulky object onto a ramp extended from its back. The whole bulky shape turned out to be a tactical stealth tilt-jet transport plane. A large symbol bearing an angel with a scythe with the words 'Galeniev Altus' under it glinted in the sun. Its twin jets slowly tilted out horizontally as its rear ramp closed over the cloaked figure. It spun until it was facing the sun before its engines roared into full thrust, sending the transport into an abrupt cruise.
The two pursuers watched calmly as the ship cruised off towards the sunrise before notifying their superiors that they had lost their query.
"How was it?" A brown haired boy in a heavy duty vanguard vest and pants asked as he walked up to the cloaked girl.
"It went fine. First, my horse died. Then my informant died. Then my getaway agent died. Then my cell phone died…." The cloaked girl said, in a flustered voice.
"Oh…and your parents died." The boy added, after a brief thought.
The cloaked girl stared at him for a moment.
"Excuse me…my bad…I couldn't help it…" The boy said, coughing, before a flying toolbox made contact with his head. A few nuts and bolts bounced around the transport's cargo bay. A random screwdriver rolled across the floor and came to a stop at another girl's foot. The girl, who's long, brown hair was tied into two neat balls on her head which lead off into twin ponytails, picked up the screwdriver and tossed it from hand to hand as she approached the cloaked girl.
"That's for being a totally idiotic and pathetically lame moron," the girl said to the boy who was twitching silently on one side of the transport. "Well, that was fast." She turned her attention to the cloaked girl. "Err…yeah, that wasn't exactly how I wanted to break the news to you, but your parents have passed away."
The cloaked girl looked at her friend in confusion. "Wh…when?"
"Just two days ago. Grandma Hina is on her way. She'll meet up with us later on. She hasn't exactly given us a rendezvous point but we'll hear from her soon." The girl said. "Ok…business aside, I'm sorry for your loss." The girl said, stepping forwards and giving the shocked cloaked girl a tight hug. "I know how much they meant to you."
"Oka-sama…Oto-sama…" Tears slowly streamed down her cheeks before dropping onto the cold steel floor. "N…no…"
The scream of the jet engines drowned out her long tortured wail as the transport slowly readjusted its bearings and flew off into the sunrise.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the sun was just setting on a particular inn. Another pursuit was going on, but of a different kind. "DIE URASHIMA!" Motoko shouted her usual battle cry as she and Naru chased Keitaro around the living room.
"Leave Onii-sama alone!" Sakuya shouted, advancing. Her sisters shouted the things to the same effect and followed.
"No! Allow me to clear things up first!" Keitaro shouted at his sisters. "Seriously! Listen to me!" Keitaro turned to face Naru and Motoko. He looked up at his sisters, then back at Motoko and Naru. "They deserve to know the truth!" He shouted, picking up a nearby broomstick and countering Motoko's katana slash. He knew the chances of stopping a katana with a broom were more or less the same as if he had used, say, a toothpick, so he went for the part of the katana that would carry the least force and would be easiest to stop; the hilt.
CRUNCH. There was the painful crunch of wood cracking under extreme pressure.
"Huh?" Motoko looked at her katana in amazement as it shuddered with the shock of the abrupt stop. Naru too was surprised by Keitaro's sudden counter attack. They both looked down at the hilt. It was embedded halfway through the broomstick's shaft.
"Ok…now listen to me…" Keitaro said. "Mitsune was drunk. She tried to flirt with me to ask me not to raise the rents and to give her a slide on this month's rent, as usual. As for taking a bath with my sisters, I've already said no to that. And seriously, to be honest, that's not even your business. Is that enough of an explanation?"
"You…" Motoko growled. "I'LL STILL KILL YOU, YOU IMPUDENT LOWLIFE!" She screamed as she slammed aside the broomstick and raised her katana again.
"AS IF I'D BELIEVE YOU!" Naru shouted, rearing back her fist again.
"SHINMEI-RYU! OUGI! ZAN GAN…" Motoko shouted.
"NARU ATOMIC PU…" Naru shouted.
A loud clang of cold steel hitting cold steel reverberated through the air. It was followed by a loud wham and a very quiet yet distinct crunch.
"Anigimi-sama isn't the type of person to flirt with people. He is a man bound by honour and pride." Keiko said, watching Motoko's eyes glare at her menacingly with a calmness that was inherent in the stillness of her hands holding the long metal stick that had halted the progress of Motoko's katana. The end of the long metal stick was covered with a wide leather sheath.
"Anou…anou…What's happening?" Shinobu asked, rushing down, with Suu leaping down behind her.
"You should listen to Onii-sama. Just from seeing the living room, I could already guess what had happened, even if Onii-sama hadn't explained. He needs not explain anything to us for we know he's not that type of person." Sakuya said, holding onto Naru's shaking fist. "We're never going to let anyone hurt Onii-sama."
"Enough…" Keitaro said. Everyone looked around at him in surprise. "Keiko, Sakuya, I thank you for trying to protect me, but it won't be necessary. First of all, you two, I wish to impose a new rule…there will not be any physical violence under this roof or anywhere within the Hinata Sou household." He looked up at Naru and Motoko. "This will go for you two as well. I've been meaning to say this for a long time… we couldn't resolve it with brute force each time one of these little misunderstandings occur. It's best if everyone were to sit down and discuss things quietly, and get everything cleared up nice and peacefully." Keitaro said, giving the two stern looks. "While my sisters are living here, I do not want anyone setting them bad examples with such needless violence. Is that understood?"
Naru and Motoko looked at one another, before giving Keitaro a strange, appraising look. All the tenants present were amazed at Keitaro's sudden change of attitude. At that exact moment, the consequence ripples from Keitaro's sudden unnatural action caused all sorts of minor unnatural things to happen all across the world. Hens laying square eggs and managers giving wage raises, for example . Hell probably froze over at that exact moment too.
"As for you…" Keitaro got down and raised Mitsune and shook her slightly.
"Ay…Keitaro?" Mitsune asked, slowly blinking her eyes open blearily. She yawned and stretched. Keitaro did his best not to notice her clothes stretching along with her. "Oh, is it breakfast time yet?" Mitsune asked.
"No." Keitaro sighed. "Listen, Mitsune, your habit of over-drinking during the day in the house must stop. It's seriously unhealthy. I mean, look at you, passing out like that."
"Oy, that's my business…" Mitsune muttered.
"No, it's everyone's business, especially mine. I'm the manager here and my job is to look out for the well-being of my tenants. Not to mention it's a bad example for the children." Keitaro said.
"Oh give me a break…" Mitsune struggled onto her feet and wobbled a bit.
"See? You can't even stand up straight." Keitaro said, helping Mitsune over to a sofa. "Oh, and the flirting must stop too. It isn't something children should see."
"Hey…Keitaro…?" Mitsune asked, frowning up at Keitaro. "When did you turn into such a…jerk?" She fumbled slightly with the words.
"Ever since I have 12 little sisters to take care of. Now, drink." Keitaro said, handing Mitsune a glass of water, which she reluctantly accepted. "I'll go check on the boilers. It shouldn't take long to fill up the hot springs with hot water again." He said, heading off.
"…Well…" Naru was at a loss for words.
"If he thinks he's going to get off by giving us a lecture…." Motoko fumed, advancing, before Keiko barred her way, slamming her long metal stick into the floor.
"I know Anigimi-sama has prohibited me from using force." Keiko said calmly. "But I will not tolerate any acts of hostility against Anigimi-sama."
"Enough, Motoko. He was right, somewhat. Perhaps we have to try and hear him out sometimes." Naru said, placing a hand on Motoko's shoulder. Motoko shook it off.
"I will not tolerate males…not now, not ever." Motoko snapped, before turning around and storming up the stairs.
"I'm sorry about all that...I guess I and Motoko just have very short tempers, that's all. We just react that way to any signs of perversion." Naru said, apologetically.
"There's no need to apologize, Narusegawa-san." Keiko bowed. "It is perfectly natural for females to adopt defensive reactions like that. It was only a misunderstanding, after all."
"…." Sakuya remained silent, before turning around and leaving the living room. Naru watched her leave with an uneasy look.
"Ah…I've got to go cook dinner…" Shinobu said, realizing it was already early evening.
"Hime-chan'll help, Maehara-san!" Shirayuki volunteered.
"Karen-chan too, Maehara-san!" Karen said.
"Ah, Shinobu is fine. Just call me Shinobu." Shinobu said, as together they made their way towards the kitchen. "You're Karen-chan and Kaho-chan, right?" Shinobu asked.
"No, I'm Shirayuki-chan, Shinobu-neechan." Shirayuki said as they disappeared into the kitchen.
"I shall lay out the table." Keiko said, leaving towards the dining room.
"I'll go help Aniki with the boiler." Rinrin announced, leaving towards the hot springs.
"Ok, everyone, show's over." Mizuki said, pushing Marie's wheelchair away. "We'll go help in the kitchen."
"Ok!" Hinako, Hinata, and Aria agreed. Kaho too nodded and followed.
Chiikage, meanwhile, had disappeared sometime amidst the whole event. Nobody had noticed her disappear.
"Aghhh…the headache…" Mitsune groaned. "This is quite a quick hangover…then again, I drank too much at yesterday's otsuya too…ulp…" She groaned as she tried to stand up. "I think…Keitaro's right…I gotta lay off the booze for a bit. I'll go wash up…a bit…" She said, before staggering off in the direction of the bathroom.
Suu, meanwhile, had disappeared yet again.
Naru looked up at the stairs up which Sakuya had gone. She put one foot on the steps, before changing her mind and turning around. Then she looked up again and thought for a moment, contemplating her decision. She then shook her head and left towards some random direction.
"Itadakimasu!" The sister said, before picking up their chopsticks.
"Itadakimasu." Everyone else chorused, before doing likewise. The food was a lot fancier than usual. Even though it was obvious the ingredients were no different, the flavour was distinctly first class.
"Wow…the food tastes really good…" Naru commented.
"Really?" Shinobu asked. "Shirayuki-chan deserves the praise. It was her seasoning that gave it such a different flavour."
"Wow, my compliments to the chef, Shirayuki-chan." Naru smiled in Shirayuki's direction.
"Oh…it was nothing desu-no…Nii-sama was the one who taught Hime-chan how to mix the herbs and seasonings desu-no…" Shirayuki said, blushing.
"Oh yes…if there's one thing Keitaro's good at, it's cooking, isn't it?" Naru asked Keitaro.
"Err…not really…" Keitaro laughed.
"C'mon, Ani-chama, don't be modest. You were the one who taught us all how to cook!" Mizuki said.
"Anou…Y…You've really taught them well then, sempai." Shinobu stammered. "They all helped out a lot with the cooking…"
"And I thought too many chefs would burn the food…" Naru said. "Well done."
"They work together really well." Shinobu nodded.
"Well…I guess I'm the only one with abysmal cooking skills." Rinrin laughed.
"You can still learn, Nee-sama." Shirayuki said. "Nii-sama would be happy to teach you." She looked over at Keitaro.
"Ahaha, sure, anytime." Keitaro said, smiling at Rinrin. Then he noticed that Sakuya and Motoko had been quiet all throughout dinner. "Err…Motoko, Sakuya, is there anything wrong?"
"Nothing…" They both said. Motoko shot a glare at Keiko while Sakuya shot a scowl at Naru.
"Well…err…that's great." Keitaro managed, feeling slightly uneasy. "Err…by the way, does everyone know each other already? You've introduced yourselves to each other yesterday, right?" Keitaro asked, fumbling for a topic to talk about.
"Yeah…but it's going to take me some time to remember all of them. They're all so cute and cuddly, I can't really tell." Naru said.
"Anou…I can only remember a few of them now…." Shinobu said.
"Keitaro, why don't you introduce us again?" Mitsune said, having recovered quite a bit from her bad spell.
"Ok, then…" Keitaro said. "The one with her hair tied in twin-tails is Sakuya-chan, our resident fashion expert." Sakuya stood up and bowed. "The one with long purple hair is Chiikage-chan." Chiikage too stood up and bowed stiffly. "That one over there with the goggles on her head is Rinrin-chan. Excuse her Chinese accent. She's been in China for quite a bit." Rinrin stood up and bowed extensively.
"The one in the kimono is Keiko-chan." Keitaro said, indicating Keiko who stood up and bowed politely. Motoko scowled. "And the one over there with the two short ponytails is Mizuki. She just returned from England so her Japanese needs a bit of work…I believe you all shared a train ride with her. That toucan on her shoulder is called Wataru. I don't know if she's told you the story yet…I'll leave it for her to tell." Keitaro said, indicating Mizuki, who stood up and curtsied.
"And our little chef here, Shirayuki-chan, who we like to call 'Hime-chan'…I guess we told her the story of Snow White one time too many." Keitaro laughed. Shirayuki stood up and curtsied.
"The black haired one over there with the glasses is Marie-chan. You can depend on her for any book recommendations, puzzles, math work, or things like that." Keitaro continued. Marie bowed in her seat. "And here we have Karen-chan, the one with the cute brown hair." Keitaro pointed out Karen who bowed politely. "And here," Keitaro indicated the girl with light blue hair and the blue dress beside him, "Is Aria-chan. She just returned from France. Her French is not bad, so if you ever feel the need to take up French, you can learn from her." Aria stood up and curtsied, slightly clumsily.
"Here we have Kaho-chan, the gardening expert." Keitaro said, indicating the other girl beside him. "We're guaranteed a spring full of blooming flowers with her around." Kaho got up and bowed. "And last but not least, the twins…" Keitaro said, indicating the twins who shot up out of their seats and bowed. "Hinako's the quiet one, and Hinata's the one with ants in her pants."
"Hinata-chan doesn't have ants in her pants!" Hinata protested.
"You see? Well, girls, I think you all already know Narusegawa Naru-sempai?" Keitaro asked, pointing out Naru. "She's achieved top rank in the national practice exams. She's quite the genius." Keitaro said. Naru blushed and bowed.
"And here's Aoyama Motoko-sempai, our kendoka." Keitaro said, pointing out Motoko, who stood up and bowed stiffly. "Over here is Konno Mitsune-sempai." Keitaro indicated Mitsune, who, at that moment, he just couldn't find anything good to say about. Mitsune stood up and waved at everyone genially.
"Here we've got Maehara Shinobu…to some of you, she'll be a good sempai and probably even a big sister. To Chiikage and Sakuya, she'd be a good friend." Keitaro said, indicating Shinobu who blushed profusely. "She's an amazing cook…you can all learn a lot from her. Not to mention she's single handedly kept the entire Hinata Sou sparkling clean." Shinobu blushed even redder as she bowed.
"And last but not least, Suu-chan, our genius inventor." Keitaro said, indicating Suu. "Beware of her laboratory though…I swear I heard tigers in there the last time I went past." The sisters burst into appreciative laughter. "I'm serious." Keitaro warned. Everyone abruptly stopped laughing.
"Oh…those weren't tigers." Suu said, gulping down her soup.
"They weren't?" Keitaro asked.
"They were a genetically engineered new species of land sharks with T-Rex addons…but that was a week ago." Suu said.
"So they're gone now?" Keitaro asked, hopefully.
"Nope. They've mutated into some new alien life form that could eat through anything but the diamond plated bars of their cage." Suu said, casually downing the last of her rice.
"…" Keitaro and the others all sweat-dropped collectively. Well, everyone except for Rinrin.
"Well…I guess now would be a good moment to give you all a warm Hinata Sou welcome." Naru said, standing up again. Shinobu, Suu, and Mitsune all followed her lead and stood up. Motoko, rather reluctantly, stood up too.
"Welcome to the Hinata Sou!" They all shouted.
"I'll definitely drink to that!" Mitsune added.
"No more drinking, Mitsune." Naru cautioned.
"It's just plain water…boy, you're all so edgy…" Mitsune said, picking up her glass of water.
"Well…since it's already late, and the boiler's aren't exactly warm enough, why don't you all postpone that bath till tomorrow." Keitaro suggested. "By the way, the food was amazing everyone. Thanks for the food." Keitaro said, standing up and starting clearing away the table.
"Karen-chan'll help wash!" Karen said, stacking up the dishes and bowls.
"Aria-chan too!" Aria said. The kitchen ended up extremely crowded as everyone tried to help clean up.
Haruka, who had kept quiet all throughout dinner, came up to Keitaro and pulled him aside. "Well…I heard you handled the scene quite well this evening…." Haruka said. "I'm impressed…I expected no less from you." Haruka said, though still maintaining her perpetually bored expression. "Now…on to business…what about your job?"
"Well…" Keitaro scratched the back of his head. "I don't have a job at the moment yet…I guess it's about time I go out and find one."
"I've got a list of people you could try out, but they're mostly part-time jobs." Haruka said, handing Keitaro a list of contact details. "But some of them might allow you to join full time after some time…who knows?" Haruka said. "Good luck, nephew…make sure your sisters don't go hungry."
"Th…Thank you, Haruka-san." Keitaro said, bowing gratefully. "I'll do my best!"
"You should. I don't want to see my nieces ending up in the hands of Marciano…" Haruka said, walking away.
"…the prince wasn't one to give up. He dashed through the dark forest on his white steed, his sword blazing…." Keitaro said in a hushed voice as he built up the tension towards the climax. "Then…!" He shouted suddenly, making his sisters jump as he flipped the page. "The fire breathing dragon suddenly appeared, his eyes flashing, his tongue burning, his breath ablaze with the flames of his hatred!" He shouted.
"He's a natural, isn't he?" Naru commented as the others watched the family from the hole in the ceiling. Keitaro was sitting on one of the futons, animatedly reading out one of Hinako and Hinata's picture books. Hinako and Hinata were sitting in Keitaro's lap, both giddy with excitement. Beside him were Marie and Aria both leaning on his shoulders. Karen and Kaho were leaning over his shoulders and looking down at the book. Shirayuki was holding onto Marie, while the others sat around Keitaro, all listening intently. A small reading lamp shone down on them, creating a small pool of light on the floor within which all the sisters sat.
Though the story was obviously too childish for Sakuya, Chiikage, Keiko, Rinrin, and Mizuki, they enjoyed it immensely all the same, since it was the first time in a really long time that they were all together, listening to Keitaro reading out a story.
"I want to have a big brother…" Shinobu said, her eyes watering again.
"I can't say anything…" Motoko grunted.
"Man…I could take a snapshot of that scene and sell it off to the editors of 'modern families'." Mitsune commented. "It's not something you see much these days…"
Suu, meanwhile, had locked herself in her laboratory all evening since dinner.
"Keitaro…" Naru sighed. "He has it tough, doesn't he?"
"But sempai is sempai, he'll make it through!" Shinobu said, confidently. "We're there to help him too, right?"
"haha…if you say it that way, Shinobu-chan, it sounds like a scene out of some stereotyped daytime opera…but it's true though." Mitsune smiled. "Keitaro will pull through."
"I'm retiring for the night." Motoko said, standing up. "Excuse me."
"Don't want to stay for another chapter, Motoko?" Naru asked, pointing at the hole in the floor. "Or for another cup of tea, at least?"
"No, I've got morning training." Motoko said. "Good night." She bowed slightly and left.
"How does she manage to wake up for morning training after spending an entire night with Suu?" Mitsune asked.
"Anou…the story's ending…" Shinobu said.
"…And the handsome prince charming saved beautiful princess from her dark dungeon, and together they lived happily ever after." Keitaro finished, with a triumphant tone, snapping the book shut.
"That prince charming is so much like you, Onii-tama!" Hinako said, looking up at her brother's face with a glowing expression.
"Yeah, he saved the princess and the kingdom!" Hinata said.
"So that makes me a princess?" Rinrin asked playfully. Kaho pulled on her brother's sleeve and indicated herself.
"Oh, Kaho-chan said she's the princess. Why is that, Kaho?" Keitaro asked. Kaho quickly embraced her brother tightly and smiled contentedly.
"I think what she meant is, you saved her, so that makes her a princess." Keiko said.
"Hey! No fair! I got saved by Aniki first!" Rinrin shouted.
"I think we've all been saved by Ani-chama at least once or twice…maybe more…" Mizuki said. "So that makes us all princesses…"
"Hahaha, Sister Princesses…" Sakuya laughed.
"Dream on, sis. I'm the only princess around here." Rinrin laughed.
"Well, we do need an old sorceress and an ugly fire breathing dragon." Keitaro said. "Volunteers, anybody?"
"Sakuya!" Rinrin shouted.
"Yeah? Well, then I'll have Chiikage-chan be my sorceress!" Sakuya said, pulling Chiikage towards her.
"Ah…Ane-chan…" Chiikage gasped.
"And you can be the sorceress's ugly disguised form!" Sakuya said, pointing at Rinrin.
"Hey!" Rinrin shouted, getting up and leaping on Sakuya. "You really want trouble, fire-breathing dragon?! Rinrin attack!" she shouted, tickling the hell out of Sakuya.
"Hahahahaha…" Keitaro laughed. "Well, you can all be my Sister Princesses…"
"Really, Onii-chan?" Karen asked, hugging her brother tightly. "Then Karen-chan'll be your Sister Princess for ever and ever!"
"Hime-chan'll always be your Sister Princess desu-no." Shirayuki said, hugging her brother.
Kaho too tightened her hug around her big brother and snuggled into his shoulder.
"Yay! Nii-ya's Sister Princess!" Aria shouted, leaping on her brother and giving him a tight hug.
"We're Onii-chama's/Onii-tama's Sister Princesses!" Hinako and Hinata shouted, hugging their brother around the neck and kissing him on the cheeks.
"To be Aniue-sama's Sister Princess…" Marie closed her eyes and hugger her brother around one arm, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Sister Princess, huh?" Rinrin asked. "Well, that's a title better than princess anyday!" She leapt on her brother and hugged him tightly.
"Go on, Chiikage-neesama…I know you want to be a Sister Princess too." Keiko smiled, pushing her sister forwards slightly.
"I…I…" Chiikage lowered her head. Then she looked up at her brother, her gentle, caring brother. "me…me too…" She managed, before embracing him tightly.
"Our turn, Sakuya-neesama." Keiko said to Sakuya, before going up to her brother and giving him a tight hug.
"Well, if you really want a hug that badly…" Sakuya sighed, and pulled her brother into as tight a hug as she could give him.
"We're all Sister Princesses…and we'll always be with Onii-chan…forever…" Karen said, hugging her brother tightly. And at that moment, the sisters felt as if all was right with the world. Nothing else could go wrong. It was one perfect moment that would last an eternity.
The reading lamp had been dimmed quite significantly, such that it only shone down on a small review book. It was finally shut with a quiet snap as the reading lamp went out with a distinct click. Keitaro got up and looked around the room. All his sisters had gone to sleep in their own little spaces in the room. Keitaro took the time to tuck them in one by one and giving them all quick kisses. He came to the twins last of all, who were tucked away in his futon cabinet.
They were hugging one another for warmth. Keitaro smiled and tucked them into their blanket before giving them both a kiss. He finally turned to his own futon and settled into it. It wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep.
He awoke suddenly, feeling a gentle, sweet breeze blow by him. He opened his eyes and looked around him in surprise. He was sleeping under a tree. A red one. He touched the ground and gasped as he brought his hand back up. It was sand. He got up and looked around. He was under a tree with red leaves in the middle of a dessert.
The quiet, gentle breeze blew across the shifting sands, the only sign of life in the barren dessert. It was nothing but rolling sand dunes as far as his eyes could see. The sky was a deep blood red, with what looked like clouds of dust hanging in it. He looked down at his clothes. He was wrapped in a white heavy cloak, under which he wore a heavy-duty shirt and trousers.
"Wh…where am I?" Keitaro looked around. He ventured a bit from the tree, though not too far, afraid that he'd lose his only landmark. He suddenly spotted a figure standing on one of the dunes, looking out over the dessert. He ran for the figure and called out. "Hey there!"
"Oh, Ani-chama." Mizuki turned around and greeted him. She was wrapped in a heavy black cloak, under which she seemed to be wearing a long skirt, a shirt and a vest.
"Where are we?" Keitaro asked.
"Ani-chama…Mizuki-chan's actually dreaming of you, Ani-chama…" Mizuki giggled. "But…since this is a dream, Mizuki-chan doesn't even know whether or not you're real, Ani-chama…"
"I'm pretty sure I'm real, Mizuki-chan." Keitaro said. "Cause I just went to sleep a few seconds ago….now you, on the other hand, I have my doubts over…but dream or no dream, you are my sister."
"That's reassuring, Ani-chama." Mizuki said. "I've always been having the same dream, each and every night. Well…not exactly the same. The place is the same…but none of the things that happen are the same." Mizuki looked up at her brother. "Since it is a dream…Mizuki-chan's not all that afraid…but it's still scary to see such a boundless expanse of nothing…" Mizuki gestured at the waves upon waves of sand, all stretching out to infinity. "It's even scarier in the dark…" Mizuki said, darkly.
"In the dark? There's nighttime here?" Keitaro asked.
"Not exactly night time…more like darkness, just darkness." Mizuki explained. "Mizuki-chan saw it the last time Mizuki-chan had this dream."
"It is a bit chilly here…" Keitaro said, looking around. "Did the others show up too?" He asked, looking around for any signs of the other sisters.
"No. It was always only me." Mizuki said. "The dreams are so long…but I usually just sit down and wait.
"Well…since we're here, we might as well get moving." Keitaro said, offering his hand to Mizuki. "Shall we?"
"Mizuki-chan will go wherever you go, Ani-chama." Mizuki said, taking his hand. Together they made their way down the dune and into the wide expanse of deserted void.
"Well, if any of the others are here, then we'd bump into them sooner or later…hopefully…" Keitaro said. "Eh?" He noticed something sparkle on a side of one of the sand dunes. "Hey, Mizuki, check this out." Keitaro said as he ran for the brief sparkle.
He reached down and picked up the small, sparkling object. A long chain trailed out of the sand as he pulled it gently out of the sand. Sand trickled off as he lifted it into the open air.
"What is it, Ani-chama?" Mizuki asked.
"It's…Chiikage-chan's…" Keitaro said, giving the angel-winged crowned heart-shaped pendant. The silver cross in the middle of the red heart blazed brightly under the desert light. "I know this one's hers…her name is inscribed on the chain's clasp." Keitaro said, looking up at Mizuki. "Eh? Mizuki-chan? What's wrong?" He asked, noticing Mizuki's look of horror.
Mizuki lifted a finger at the horizon. Keitaro followed it and looked around.
Out on the horizon a large, dark dust cloud was rising, with dark obscure shapes moving amidst the rising sand. Keitaro took Mizuki's hand and instinctively turned away from the moving dust cloud, only to find another dust cloud rising in the opposite direction.
"Uh, oh…" Keitaro looked at both sides. "We're trapped…"
"If this is really a dream, Mizuki-chan wants to wake up…" Mizuki said, looking around for cover. "The ground's shuddering too, Ani-chama…"
"I know…" Keitaro looked about. Time was running out. The two clouds of dust were already close enough to distinguish between individual shapes in the obscurity. There were thousands of whatever they were.
Almost simultaneously, both sides shot beams of light at one another. One side shot a jet black ray while the other shot a pure white ray.
"WATCH OUT!" Keitaro shouted, pulling Mizuki down to the ground as the beams collided in the air above them. The air thundered as the shockwaves blew the dunes apart.
"THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" Keitaro yelled, before everything faded into a bright pale white...
The sky was still a dark blue outside when Keitaro suddenly got pounced on in the stomach. "Oooph…" he gasped, as the wind was knocked out of him.
"Nii-ya! Nii-ya! It's time for morning training!" Aria shouted excitedly as she sat on Keitaro's belly, shaking him gently. "Nii-ya? You're going to be late. Everyone's already gotten changed…"
"Uff…it was only a dream" Keitaro muttered, slowly getting up and picking up Aria. "Isn't it a little too early for you kids to…oh…morning training…" He yawned slightly as he looked around the room. The sisters were all dressing up in their traditional training bright red hakamas and white gis. Sakuya had to work extra hard to try and get Rinrin to get up and dressed.
"Anigimi-sama, I've prepared your hakama and gi for you." Keiko said, sitting beside Keitaro's futon and setting down Keitaro's dark blue hakama and white gi.
"Thanks, Keiko-chan." Keitaro said, standing up and stretching. "I haven't had morning training in months…I've probably gotten a little rusty."
"Well, you're still leading us, Aniki…" Rinrin yawned as she pulled on her gi.
"Hey! Don't change in front of me! I'm a guy!" Keitaro yelled.
"Huh? But you're my aniki, so you don't count as a male." Rinrin yawned again, pulling on her hakama.
"That's…a nice way to start off my day…" Keitaro sagged. Rinrin laughed and yawned again, picking up a long, cloth wrapped stick-like object from her bag. "Well...if someone can find my…oh, thanks, Keiko-chan." He said, as Keiko offered up a similar-looking cloth wrapped stick-like object. "Err…is Mizuki-chan awake?"
"Not yet, Anigimi-sama." Keiko said, gesturing at Mizuki's sleeping form. She was moaning and tossing and turning as Sakuya tried to shake her awake.
"She's still…dreaming?" Keitaro asked.
"Still…dreaming?" Keiko asked, slightly puzzled. "Where you…having strange dreams too, Anigimi-sama?"
"…too? You mean you had strange dreams too, Keiko-chan?" Keitaro asked, surprised.
"I will tell you about it later, Anigimi-sama." Keiko smiled. "It's best not to speak of ill dreams in the morning." She got up and helped attend to Mizuki.
"Ok….err…morning training first then…" Keitaro shrugged, dismissing the whole thing as just another freak occurrence. It was, after all, not the first time such a thing had happened. Last time, he had shared a dream with all the Hinata tenants over an old videogame. He shuddered a bit as he remembered it, before dismissing the entire train of thought completely.
Naru awoke slightly earlier than usual. The ceiling was a bright blue as the early rays streamed in from outside. She slowly got up and looked around. It felt rather chilly and she was very reluctant to leave her futon. But then a strange sound reached her ears.
It sounded like someone shouting something outside. It was then followed by a chorus of shouts of at least 10 other people.
Curious, she slowly got up while keeping her futon protectively wrapped around her. She tiptoed to the balcony, not being able to stand the cold tatami mats.
She slid the balcony open slowly and shivered as the crisp, chilly air bit into her face. She walked out and looked down at the courtyard below her.
There was Keitaro, in his blue and white training hakama and gi, with a boken in one hand. (boken : Japanese bamboo sword) He was standing still with his boken straight in front of him. He then shouted another battle cry 'HYAH!" And with the fluidity and grace of a ballerina, he made a quick downwards slice.
His sisters, who were all standing in a row behind him, facing him, all shouted after him, "HYAH!", as they imitated his move. Their hakamas and gis rustled gently in the fresh morning breeze as the snow crunched under their straw sandals. Their synchronization was almost perfect as they went through their steps.
"Morning exercise?" Mitsune asked, walking up to Naru with two mugs of coffee in her hands. She handed Naru one who gratefully accepted it and clutched it close to warm her hands. "Wow…it must be cold down there….in the snow and all. I didn't know Keitaro was into martial arts…" Mitsune grinned.
"That…came as a surprise, actually." Naru said. "Though I did see a large collection of antique weaponry at the Urashima residence, along with a lot of martial arts trophies and awards."
"Ok, girls. Now take out your own mediums and start practicing. It's best if you could get at least 15 minutes of personal medium practice each day." Keitaro said, lowering his boken. "And then, you can watch the master wield his medium." Keitaro said, flexing his muscles, to cheers from the sisters.
"Well…I wonder what Shinobu's cooking for breakfast…oh, let's go and have a bath…the hot springs should already be piping hot now." Mitsune said.
"Oh…sure, that sounds great." Naru said, following her friend.
"Phew…morning training could take a lot out of you, especially after such a long time…" Keitaro said to himself, wiping off his sweat on a small towel as he walked towards the kitchens. His younger sisters had again asked him to take a bath with him but he had adamantly refused, not only out of decency, but also out of fear that he might again walk in on the other tenants bathing.
As he walked across the living room he noticed two figures approaching the front doors. He squinted slightly to make out the shapes of the two people, silhouetted against the glaring sunrise behind them. Well, they were definitely girls.
"Is this the place? Are you sure?" One asked, her voice rather uncertain.
"It sure is. There could only be one Hinata Sou in this area. Besides, I used to visit this place when I was a kid." The other one said. "Should I ring the doorbell or should you?"
Keitaro decided to just welcome the visitors and, possibly, new tenants, and strode over to the door and opened it. "Welcome to the Hinata Sou, can I help…eh?" He wore a look of sudden surprise. "Well, uhh…can I help you, Makie-san? Izumi-san?" Keitaro asked, bowing slightly to the two ladies. One had the characteristic pink hair tied into twin short ponytails and wore a wooly vest and scarf over a long sleeved wool sweater and a pair of jeans, while the other had short pale grey hair and wore a long woolen white dress with a matching white vest and scarf.
"Oh…U…Urashima-sama…" Makie bowed, blushing profusely despite the cold.
"K…Keitaro-sama…" Ako too bowed, blushing.
"Ah….er...how are you two?" Keitaro's head bobbed up and down as he too tried to bow with each syllable. He noticed the two bags they were carrying. "Err…are you two looking for accommodation?" Keitaro asked, putting on his manager front, for fear that his face might burn off out of sheer embarrassment.
"Yes. Please take good care of us." Both Makie and Ako bowed again.
If Keitaro thought life in Hinata Sou just couldn't get any crazier…it just did. He looked up at the sky with wonder. Someone up there must be very interested in him…
To be continued…
The story's finally kicking into full gear. Now you all know the real reason I named this story 'Sister Princess', aside from the fact that the idea was drawn from the 'Sister Princess' anime. I found it a very cute idea and it was a scene I really, really wanted to do from the very beginning.
Oh, and some of you thought I'd actually discard Makie and Ako? Not a chance! No way I'd let such cute characters get away with only 2 chapters! That brings me to another issue, I have a very strict OC policy – I'll never discard any OCs I introduce so it's worth getting to know my OCs.
Also, some of you might be thinking that this story is moving on at such a slow pace. Yes, I know it is. But there's just so much material I 've got to cover before the January portion of the story. Please, bear with me for a bit. Thank you for your understanding.
For character profiles, sneak peaks, previews of upcoming chapters, for Sister Princess as well as my other works, feel free to visit our Fan Works Forum, the Unlimited Fan Works, accessible through the homepage link on our profile. Thank You.
Glossary of Japanese words:
Itadakimasu: a phrase uttered before starting a meal. It is more or less similar to the French 'bon apetit'.
Kendoka- someone who practices kendo, the way of the sword.
Futon: Japanese mattress. Placed on the floor with a blanket over it.
Boken: A Japanese bamboo sword, used especially for training purposes.
Tatami: Japanese floor mats made from woven long grass.