Chp 10: Season to be Jolly
By Zenithos
Finally! An update! (Zeni cries out of joy)
Thank you everyone for not losing hope just yet! Your really supportive reviews are part of what kept me going despite the chronic writer's block. For that, I thank you all sincerely. I still have a lot to learn and thus your reviews are extremely valuable in that respect. Again, thank you.
Disclaimer: Zeni doesn't own Love Hina or anything else here that doesn't belong to Zeni.
A few snowflakes danced through their slow, swirling descent towards the lively streets below. The entire city was feverish with music, people, and a contagious air of festivity. Everywhere one looked, one would see the spirit of Christmas Eve at its best, from the many brightly decorated Christmas trees lining the streets, the dazzlingly decorated stores, the many dressed up santas miling around, the hummer full of people totting machine guns chasing a little girl on jet-powered roller skates through the busy streets, the holly, the Christmas puddings on display, and the smiles on everyone's…..wait…come to think of it, nobody's smiling. In fact, everyone's attention was taken up by something….what could it be?
"You're gonna have to be faster than that to get me!" Rinrin gritted her teeth as she pulled yet another hard banking maneuver around the jam packed traffic. She ducked even lower as more lead tracers arced over her head. "Why today of all days?" She muttered as she swerved around into an alleyway, narrowly avoiding yet another shower of bullets which ricocheted off the street in a shower of sparks instead.
"I did not order you to kill her!" April shouted as another jolt caused her to bump her head on the hummer's roof. "Ouch….I said…"
"What song is this anyway?" May asked, utter irritation etched into her face. "Hurry up and switch to metal or something."
"But I like Beethoven's ninth…" August said with a smile, swinging her legs to and thro to the rhythm of the music.
"She went that way!" January shouted. "June! Take that left turn! Into that alleyway!" She pointed frantically out of the window, leaning over June who happened to be the one behind the wheel. Off course, this had the negative effect of causing the haphazard driver to take an even more dangerous, blind approach to Sunday driving.
"We're…going to die…" March sighed quietly in the back seat.
Rinrin's streak of good luck had started way earlier in the day, actually. It all began with her usual wake up routine…
The sunlight streamed in through the paper panels and settled upon the rows upon rows of alarm clocks, each ticking in loud meticulously synchronized unison towards….
RIIIING! BEEP! SWOOSH! WOOP! SMASH! BANG!
"Ri…Rinrin-chan?!" Shinobu, still in her pajamas, cried, sliding open the door marked 'Rinrin's laboratory'. She quickly placed her hands over her ears, trying to keep out as much of the cacophony out of her head as possible. No, it was impossible. The incessant jumble of rings, beeps, and just about every other sound effect conceivable continued to hammer her head like an angry mob. Where was it coming from?
Shinobu quickly looked around the room. In one corner stood Rinrin's thermonuclear reactor ('just like the one in Suu's room', Shinobu thought.), in another sat a huge humanoid object, presumably a robot of some kind. Evidence of a genius mind (albeit slightly insane) at work inventing was scattered all across the room.
'And she just moved into this room yesterday too…' Shinobu thought as she continued her search for the source of the din. She found a bunk bed on one side of the room which had already been modified such that its lower bed was replaced with storage space. "Rinrin-chan!" Shinobu called out over the noise in the direction of the bunk bed. No response.
Something suddenly caught Shinobu's eye. She looked around and noticed a small basket by a huge drawing board.
The drawing board itself had what looked like the outline of a human child with many schematics drawn across it. Most of the scribbles on it were done in Rinrin's shorthand. Some were even in Chinese. Just looking at it was enough to make Shinobu dizzy. As if the noise wasn't enough to drive her mad…
She walked up to the said basket and sighed when she found what was inside. It was Rinrin, curled up kitten-like, wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket, still in the clothes she had worn the day before. A few feet away, atop a desk, was the army of alarm clocks of every shape and make, all emitting their own characteristic sleep-ruiner.
Their effects were rather lost on Rinrin though.
Shinobu quickly ran up to the alarm clocks and started turning them all off one annoying wail at a time. Some were so exotic that she had to spend some time figuring out how to turn it off. She even went as far as taking out the batteries out of some.
Finally, peace and quiet returned to the room. Shinobu sighed with relief before turning to Rinrin….who was still sound asleep.
"Rinrin-chan….Rinrin-chan….I think you're supposed to wake up now…" Shinobu said, shaking Rinrin by the shoulders. Rinrin remained limp and responseless, the only telltale of life being her deep, quiet breathing.
"Oh…Rinrin-chan?" Keitaro asked, suddenly coming in through the door, yawning. "She's a natural heavy-sleeper. And from the looks of it she's been working all night again…" Keitaro looked around the room and shook his head sleepily. "This'll work though…." He took out a 5.000 yen note from the pocket of his pants and waved it in front of Rinrin's nose.
Rinrin suddenly rose up, her eyes still closed, her nose following the 5.000 yen note like a cobra entranced by sweet music. Shinobu gaped in awe. Keitaro gently brought Rinrin up to a standing position before snapping his fingers.
"Whoaah!" Rinrin yelped, suddenly falling into a heap on the floor.
"Rinrin-chan! You're awake!" Shinobu cried, a wave of relief washing over her.
"Huh? What? Where's the money?" Rinrin asked, looking around. "Oh...ohayo, Shinobu-sempai, A-a-aniki." Rinrin said, stifling a yawn.
"Ohayo, Rinrin-chan." Keitaro said, turning around to leave. "Oh, and thank you for trying, Shinobu-chan. But I should tell you, waking up Rinrin by shaking her or throwing buckets of water on her would never work. Ahhh….back to studying….got an hour left…." He yawned, leaving.
"Good luck, Sempai." Shinobu called after Keitaro, before turning back to Rinrin. "Now, Rinrin-chan….eh?" She looked down at Rinrin's limp form on the ground. Rinrin was again purring lightly, a contented smile on her face, her eyes closed. "RINRIN-CHAN! DON'T FALL ASLEEP ON ME AGAIN! AWAWAWAWAWAWA!"
"Uhh…why does it have to be so early…" Rinrin sighed irritably as she stumbled down the corridor, trying her best to get her gi on at the same time. What greeted her when she reached Keitaro's room did nothing to help with said irritation. If anything, it worsened it.
With a sigh she reached inside her gi and pulled out what looked like a rubber ducky. She pulled a pin out of said rubber ducky, threw it inside the room, and took cover behind a wall.
A second later found said rubber ducky bouncing back into the corridor, right in front of Rinrin. "Noo…." Rinrin's mouth fell open a few split seconds before the duck went 'quack'.
"Suu…isn't it too early to start blowing things up…?" Motoko asked as she slipped into her hakama. "Suu?" She looked behind her and found the dark-skinned mad scientist and prime suspect for anything going kaboom still asleep on her futon. "Huh? Then where did that explosion come from?" She asked herself, picking up her katana before leaving her room to investigate.
It didn't take long. If it wasn't Suu, it was usually Keitaro's abysmal luck that attracted the explosions. Well, it wasn't Keitaro this time, but it was quite close. When she reached his room there was already an argument going on at full blast.
"But we agreed to sleep in separate rooms!" Rinrin, blackened by soot, cried.
"Well, the twins were restless so I and Keiko came here to keep them company." Sakuya said flatly, crossing her arms defiantly.
"Then how could you explain everyone else sleeping here?" Rinrin asked, pointing out the rest of the sisters who were still drowsily rubbing their eyes, all gathered in Keitaro's room. "This isn't fair! I wanted to sleep with Aniki too!"
"But Oniichan didn't sleep the whole night…" Karen murmured sleepily, gesturing at Keitaro's sleeping form, bowed over his revision books. Apparently, the explosion outside his room hadn't affected him one bit.
"Nii-yaa" Aria murmured in her usual quiet little voice.
"It just…sort of happened…" Mizuki shrugged. "One moment, I was in my room…the next, I was here."
"I'm sorry for tossing out the ducky." Keiko bowed apologetically. "I just didn't want it to hurt anyone."
"It was her fault anyway." Sakuya shrugged.
"Anou…what's happened?" Shinobu asked worriedly as she rushed towards Keitaro's room, her apron hanging loosely on her neck.
"Just a sibling squabble." Motoko sighed, smiling slightly as she watched Sakuya hold Rinrin out at arm's length as she flailed her arms futilely at Sakuya.
"Oh…" Shinobu sighed in relief. "I thought it was another one of Kaolla-san's experiments gone wrong…"
KABOOM…
"Oh…" Shinobu looked up at the third floor, in the direction of Suu's room.
"Oh, no, that wasn't one of her experiments. That was just her ohayo-maru alarm clock." Motoko said, turning to leave. "I'd better hurry and get to training."
"We should hurry to morning training too." Keiko said as she bustled about, neatly folding up the futons and blankets.
"Karen-chan thinks it's ok to let Oniichan sleep through this one." Karen smiled, carefully placing a blanket on Keitaro's back.
"Let's settle this one on the battlefield, Rinrin." Sakuya said, tossing Rinrin a boken.
"Ok then, deal!" Rinrin nodded determinedly.
"Keiko will be your opponent." Sakuya nodded.
"What?!" Rinrin looked around at the Urashima sisters' most accomplished martial artist who was helping Hinata and Hinako change into their hakamas and gis. "How does that work?"
"Because I said so." Sakuya smiled slyly.
"…Fumyu…." Rinrin sagged.
Naru watched with a certain amount of awe as the snow flew up in a wide sweeping arc under the two blurs that were rapidly dancing around one another, bokens whipping through the air, some distance away. Above them, the cold, pale winter sun shone down through the boughs of the trees above.
The Urashima family must be one of Japan's old, well established families, she decided, perhaps of honourable samurai descent, judging by the size and style of their estate and the rigorous martial arts training they had put their children through, both male and female. This inspired a bit of awe and yet also a bit of sorrow in her – that these children were fighting to keep their traditions alive and yet they were the final hope of their ancient clan. So young, and yet, they had to bear that heavy responsibility.
She shivered slightly, her breath coming out in bright little puffs under the pale sun light. 'How do they cope with the weather?' She thought to herself as she tightened her training anorak around herself.
"It helps if you move a bit." She heard a voice answer her unuttered question. She turned around and found Motoko watching right beside her.
"I was just thinking about how the Urashimas could be a descendant of some old, venerated samurai clan of sorts." Naru said, stamping her feet a bit. "Sounds like I've been reading too many mangas as of late, huh?" She chuckled.
"Who knows?" Motoko shrugged. "You might be close." Naru looked around at Motoko in surprise. "I wouldn't rule out that possibility, not after yesterday." She said in an introspective tone. "Ah, Keiko won." She pointed out as the victor of the sparring match was decided with the fall of one of the younger sisters into the snow.
"That's Rinrin-chan, isn't it?" Naru asked, watching as the victor, Keiko, came up and pulled Rinrin up to her feet.
"Why, yes, it is." Motoko nodded. "We really must start getting used to their names." They watched on as childish laughter broke out amongst the children at the result of the sparring match. Snowballs started flying right and left as the morning training session ended with yet another sisterly game.
"What are you two smiling about?" Mitsune asked as she came up to them. "Oh, morning training again?"
"You're up early, Mitsune-sempai." Motoko commented, a bit surprised with the resident drunkard's early appearance. Not to mention she didn't look as haggard as she usually does in the mornings.
"I took Keitaro's suggestion and cut back on the drinking." Mitsune chuckled. "It's not pleasant, being sober enough to think. But now that I think about it, not having a killer hangover for once is nice."
"I'll take it as an improvement then." Naru smiled at her friend. The sisters have only been around for 5 days and already things seemed to be changing for the better.
"Well, I think it's time to hit the baths." Mitsune said, watching as the sisters started running back up towards the Hinata Sou, pausing along their way to politely say 'good morning' before proceeding on their way with Rinrin tagging along behind, carrying Aria on her back.
"By the way, now that we have a male amidst us this Christmas, we can expect proper presents, can't we?" Mitsune asked with a sly grin.
Naru gave her a reproachful knock on the forehead. "Hey, Keitaro has enough trouble making money. Don't make it more difficult for him."
"True…providing for so many siblings must be taxing." Motoko nodded. "If it weren't for that vile woman…"
The three of them watched silently as the sisters disappeared into the Hinata Sou. Here, at least, with their brother and newfound family, they would be safe...or so they thought.
Quite a while later…
"Nii-yaa…Nii-yaa…" Keitaro heard a voice echo within the dimness of his mind. The voice slowly diffused into the inner reaches of his mind before gently nudging him awake.
"Huh? Oh….Aria-chan…" Keitaro slowly blinked up at the cute little face that was only an inch away from his as his mind slowly went through its preliminary startup phases.
"Hyaa….Nii-yaa's awake…" Aria squeaked, smiling an adorable little smile. Keitaro slowly raised himself into a sitting position and looked down at the kotatsu table he had just slept on. It was littered with little scraps of paper that covered the mass of review books underneath.
"Umm…." Keitaro groaned, stretching, as he looked around. "Good morning, Aria-chan." He said, gently ruffling her silky light blue hair, causing her to giggle with delight.
'So cute.' Keitaro thought with a smile. 'It seems all of them will grow up to become as beautiful as their mother.' Suddenly, a rather dark thought descended upon him. 'Wait…that means….every hentai in the country will be after them. No…even now, they'll be the target of every lolicon in the country…' He gasped inwardly. Just as he was considering buying all of his sisters .12 gauge shotguns for Christmas, said train of thought was cut off midway by the door sliding open.
"Well, since you lost, you'll have to take the mail down to the postbox." Sakuya said, entering the room carrying a cup of steaming coffee on a tray. "Oh, Onii-sama, you're awake."
"Why me? And why can't we stick to e-mail?" Rinrin sighed, trailing right behind Sakuya.
"Because there's that package that Haruka oba-san needs to mail to Grandma Hina too." She said over her shoulder at Rinrin before turning to her brother. "Here's your coffee, Onii-sama." Sakuya said, placing the cup of coffee on Keitaro's table. "Oh, and Shirayuki-chan has made breakfast for you too. You should eat a bit before you leave."
"Thanks, Sakuya-chan." Keitaro nodded, taking a sip of the coffee, before standing up. "Hmm…gotta get ready." He said, walking off in search of a change of clothes. "Oh, Kaho-chan, what's this?" He asked, kneeling down beside Kaho who had run up to him carrying the flower they had saved.
Hinako and Hinata, who had just entered the room, joined Aria in watching Keitaro comment on the flower. "Wow, it's about ready to bloom." Keitaro smiled down at Kaho, patting her lovingly on the head. "What? For me?" He asked as Kaho held it out to Keitaro. "Haha, that's a rather early Christmas present, but I'll accept it. Thank you." He leaned down to give Kaho a warm snuggle and a tight hug. "Can you please take care of it for me then?"
Hinata gave Hinako a worried look. Together they looked around at Aria who somehow shared their thoughts. None of them had a Christmas present for their brother. Together they gave Kaho and Keitaro another worried glance before nodding in unison. Time to go gift hunting.
The air outside was sweet and fresh, albeit chilly, as Keitaro found when he stepped out onto the terrace along with Naru, Ako, and Makie. The city below them was a blanket of pure white, flecked with dots of grey and black, with the blue sky extending above it as far as the eyes can see.
"Good luck!" Everyone called out.
"No problem!" Keitaro said confidently, grasping air. "I'll definitely ace today!"
"Off course you will, Anigimi-sama." Keiko said with a smile.
"You'd better." Sakuya said, her hands on her hips. "Don't come back until you've succeeded."
"Will do." Keitaro cracked a determined grin.
"W-Wait for me!" Rinrin shouted, sliding down the banister before slipping and sliding through the living room, all the while trying to stuff a number of packages and letters with enough stamps on them to make a philatelist drool into her backpack.
"Oh, Rinrin, take this with you." Sakuya said, tossing a cloth wrapped object over at Rinrin. Rinrin caught it and looked up at Sakuya inquiringly. "You might need it. Just keep it with you." Sakuya said, nodding at Rinrin.
Pausing only to shove the said object into her backpack and thanking Sakuya, she continued on running after her brother. "Aniki! Wait for me!" She called out.
"Where are you going so early in the morning, Rinrin-chan?" Naru asked as they descended the long flight of stairs under the snow laden boughs of the bare cherry blossom trees.
"Well….the mailbox first then I need to pick up the groceries Shirayuki-chan ordered." Rinrin said, in her usual casual Chinese accent.
"Well, take care, ok?" Keitaro said, ruffling her thick brown hair. "You're not going to get lost, are you?"
"Aniki, I'm 11 already…" Rinrin protested, but smiling all the same as she enjoyed the attention she was getting.
"Hahaha, yeah, I almost forgot. Rinrin-chan's a big girl now…" Keitaro laughed heartily, pausing briefly to fix Rinrin's scarf. "Well, you must be careful all the same, ok?" Keitaro said as they reached the street. The streetcar was already waiting for them at the stop. "Oh, perfect timing. See you later, Rinrin-chan!" Keitaro said, while the other girls echoed Keitaro's last words.
"Good luck, Aniki! Naru-sempai!" Rinrin shouted as she watched the streetcar slowly leave the stop. As it finally disappeared around the hill she sighed and turned to leave. A gentle breeze blew by, blowing up a few tufts of snow across her path. She stopped for a moment and breathed in the cold, crisp fresh air as the wind gently ruffled her hair.
"I wonder, Chao Ling Shen-sempai, Ku Fei-sempai…is this wind blowing through the place you're at now?" She smiled as she reminisced about her seniors back in China.
"Ok, enough sentimental stuff for today." She laughed as she snapped out of memory lane. She turned around, dug into her backpack, brought out a pair of a rollerblades boasting her trademarked 'R squared' insignia, and grinned. "…Kids….don't try this at home…"
She spent the next few moments fine tuning the motors and feedback mechanisms on her mechanized rollerblades before putting them on. She was so engrossed in it, in fact, that despite her usual sensitivity to her surroundings, she somehow failed to notice three little figures dash out from behind a bush behind her and out across the deserted street.
"Falling asleep already, Karen-chan?" Sakuya teased as she looked down at her little sister who was nodding off over her knitting on the living room sofa.
"Huh? Ah! Karen-chan's got to get back to work!" Karen panicked, quickly returning to work on her knitting. In her lap was an almost completed beautifully patterned scarf.
"That's a really nice scarf, Karen-chan." Shinobu leaned in to take a closer look.
"Karen-chan's been working on that scarf all night." Shirayuki said, walking into the living room while whisking a large bowl of batter, lightly skipping over Vanilla who was chasing after an errant ball of yarn. "Hime-chan thinks she started on it the night before, the day we arrived here."
"Oh….a Christmas present for Onii-sama?" Sakuya asked, hugging Karen around the neck. "You're cute when you do that, you know?"
Karen blushed and shook her head. "It…It's just a thank-you Christmas present…Karen-chan wants to thank Onii-chan for his kindness and….and…."
"I wasn't saying it wasn't." Sakuya giggled, walking away. "And I'm guessing your Christmas present's a cake of some description, right?" Sakuya asked Shirayuki.
"Yes." Shirayuki nodded cheerfully. "A nice, big, creamy Christmas pudding."
"What a wonderful idea, Shirayuki-chan." Shinobu smiled at the young purple haired chef who smiled warmly back.
"I guess none of us can actually buy any gifts this year…" Sakuya sighed.
"That's what makes it special." Mizuki said, coming down the stairs. "And by the way…did anyone see the twins?"
"I haven't." Sakuya said, a look of apprehension suddenly dawning on her face. "Come to think of it, I haven't seen Aria-chan around either."
"I've just been around cleaning up and I haven't seen any of them…" Shinobu added.
Shinobu and the sisters all exchanged worried glances. "I'll go look in the hot springs." Shinobu volunteered.
"I'll check the backyard and front yard." Sakuya said. "Shirayuki-chan, Karen-chan, can you two check the rooms again?" She asked the two. Shirayuki and Karen both nodded in the affirmative before leaving.
"They could be playing around in the basement or boiler room somewhere, those three…" Mizuki said, taking out a magnifying glass. "Wataru! Time for a little detective work."
The toucan flapped down and landed lightly on her shoulder. "Squawk! Checky!"
"A-Anou…Where can we find a Christmas present?" Hinako asked nervously as the chibi trio walked down the busy street. The shops had opened extra early in anticipation of late Christmas shoppers. Carols and ads intermingled in the air around them, creating that unique Christmas din.
"Stay close, you two." Hinata said, grasping Hinako and Aria's hands tightly. "Umm…we need money to buy presents." She pointed out.
"B-But we don't have any money." Aria said, suddenly looking crestfallen.
"To make money we must find a….umm…ummm…." Hinata cocked her head from right to left in search of the elusive word.
"...A job." Aria finished for her.
"Um...err…Where do we find a job?" Hinako asked.
"Ara, did I hear right? Are you three young ladies looking for a job?" A tall, long haired brunnete in a gothic long dress asked.
The three sisters looked up nervously at the stranger. A harsh bitter wind blew by as the stranger kneeled down in front of them.
"Ara, if you three need a job, I can help find you one." She offered.
"Onii-chama told us not to talk to strangers." Hinata said, her voice shaking slightly. Hinako and Aria had taken to hiding behind her back.
"Ara, I'm not a stranger." The young woman said. "In fact, I'm a close relative of your family. Remember? I was at the funeral." Hinako and Aria peeked out from behind Hinata to give the stranger a better look.
The three sisters took a tentative step backwards.
"My name's July, if you don't remember." She smiled sweetly.
The sisters gave each other hesitant looks before Hinata finally spoke up, "What sort of job?"
The small suburb street was deserted and quiet when Rinrin rounded the corner and sped towards the large red postbox on one side of the street. She spun into a graceful stop right in front of it, lifted her backpack, before dumping all its contents in. "Mission accomplished, with extreme prejudice." She put her hands on her hips and nodded with satisfaction.
She was about to turn around to leave when she suddenly realized something. "Ok….perhaps a bit too much prejudice…" She murmured as she looked inside her backpack. "Oh no….I dumped it along with the mail…" She gasped, realizing that the cloth wrapped object Sakuya had handed her was no longer there.
Something suddenly flicked in her mind. She whirled around looked around behind her at the tall church bell tower. Something flashed in the dark recesses of one of its windows. She gasped, her instincts kicking into full gear. The small motors embedded inside her rollerblades whined to life as she pressed down on them hard in an effort to escape.
A loud bang ripped through the crisp dry air, causing hundreds of birds to take sudden flight in a noisy rustling of wings and feathers. The mailbox suddenly exploded, spewing out its letters into the cold winter air.
The candles flickered gently in the gloaming darkness, casting distorted roving shadows all across the darkened room. Her eyes were used to the darkness. It suited her best. It understood her. She understood it.
After laying down a row of cards across the small desk in front of her she waited, watching as the candles flickered more urgently. Chikage noticed it. It was a sign.
She calmly reached out and flipped over her first card. "Opportunity…" She murmured, before flipping over another card. "Misfortune…"
She sighed, rubbing her temple with one hand as she raised the other over her crystal ball. A flicker danced across her eyes. "Rinrin-chan?"
"Chikage-neechan?" A voice asked as the door slid open slightly, allowing a shaft of light to infiltrate the darkness.
"Yes, Karen-chan?" Chikage asked, standing up and picking up her crystal ball.
"Have you seen the twins or Aria-chan? They've gone missing." Karen half-mumbled. She knew Chikage was as caring and kind an older sister as anyone could wish for. But there was just something about this particular older sister that somehow…made her somewhat uneasy.
"Hinako-chan? Hinata-chan? Aria-chan?" Chikage murmured, looking at Karen, before turning back to her tarot cards and opening up the third card. "Malevolence…" She muttered under her breath before striding to the door. "Come, Karen-chan." She said, whipping her heavy gothic cloak on and sweeping by Karen. "The cards do not speak well of the future."
"Here we are." July said, gesturing at the rather rundown building before them. The street around them was rather deserted, despite it being Christmas eve. There was a rather oppressive, heavy feel about the area. It had trouble written all over it in huge, flashing red letters.
"You said….it was a model job…" Hinata said, giving the building a rather nervous look.
"Well, it is." July nodded. "And they happen to be looking for little girls like you for the job."
The sisters gulped nervously. They needed the money, they knew that. But this…
"Hmm…?" A balding middle-aged man who had been leaning against the building's wall came up to them. "Merchandise?"
"No, these kids are looking for a job." July smiled innocently.
"A job?" The man eyed July skeptically. "A job, eh?" He looked over the three little girls before him who shrunk under his gaze. "They certainly look perfect for the 'job'." He nodded, a wry smile on his face. "What's the catch?" He looked up at July.
"A catch?" July half-gasped, as if in surprise. "My, since when does job applications involve a catch?"
"….Well…" The man scratched his head. "Ok, we'll have them. I take it you're not looking for a 'job' too, are you?" He asked July, not withholding any sarcasm.
"Oh, no, not me." July continued on smiling. The young woman's perpetual smile was starting to unsettle the man. "Go on, girls. You've got your job." She smiled, pushing the three little girls forwards.
Hinata, Hinako, and Aria were far too scared to speak.
"Come then, young ladies. We'll make real women of you yet." The man smiled a rather twisted smile as he pushed the shivering girls through the door. He looked around to give the strange brunette one last look, only, she wasn't there. He shrugged, before pushing the frightened girls inside.
"July?"
"Yes?" July replied while she watched as the girls disappeared into the building from the safety of a secluded alleyway.
"What were you doing?" The source of the voice, a young bespectacled orange-brunette, asked, pushing up her glasses.
July turned to face her older sister, February. "Just completing the mission." She shrugged.
"…." February gave her a rather thoughtful frown before turning around and disappearing into the darkness of the alleyway.
"Ara…" July continued on smiling as she gave the building one last glance before following her sister into the darkness.
"Ok, the test starts…now." The invigilator announced in a snappy voice. A rather frantic and nervous rustling of papers filled the room as all the students immediately turned over their exam papers and started pouring over the questions.
"Ok, Napoleon fought the battle at Waterloo in…" Keitaro murmured, reading through the first question. But before he could reach the answer choices, his heart skipped a beat. He grasped the edges of his desk for support as he tried to regain breath. He was suddenly sweating profusely, his heart beating wildly.
Something bad was happening somewhere. He just knew it.
"Ouch…ouch…that smarts…" Rinrin gritted her teeth as she reached up to her right shoulder. It was wet and sticky, not to mention extremely painful. "A graze huh….From an anti-tank rifle?" Rinrin murmured to herself as she looked down at her bloody hand. She blinked away the tears of pain as she tried her best to take in her situation. She looked up at the totaled mailbox behind her.
"Talk about hotmail….I told them we should've stuck to e-mails." Rinrin chuckled bitterly as she scrabbled up to it and tossed out a few pieces of mail until she uncovered the cloth wrapped object. "At least I don't have to worry about losing this thing…"
"Urashima Rinrin…" A cool voice said from the other side of the mailbox.
Rinrin cautiously peeked out from behind the mailbox. "Oh…you're that girl from the funeral…" She said, standing up, one hand over her wound, the other grasping the cloth wrapped object.
The gothic clothed girl in front of her nodded gravely. "Yes, I'm April Marciano. Let's wrap this up quickly, Urashima. As you might already know, there's an anti-tank rifle now aimed at your head. You should already have a shallow graze along your right shoulder now. Running will do you no good. My sniper missed on purpose the first time. It won't happen again." The black haired girl warned.
"Anti-tank rifles? Who are you people?" Rinrin couldn't help but feel impressed. To actually try and snipe her with an anti-tank rifle….they've got to be either exceedingly smart or extremely idiotic. Insanity might also be another favourable factor, she decided.
"Resistance is futile. Please just hand over what you Urashimas are hiding." April said.
"What we're hiding?" Rinrin asked, suddenly confused. "What?"
"Don't act dumb." Another girl came up behind Rinrin. Rinrin whirled around to come face to face with an older, blonde haired chick. "We know you Urashimas have it."
"I have absolutely no idea what you people are talking about…" Rinrin said, looking about frantically for an escape route. Pretty much both ends of the street were blocked off by the two assailants.
"Oh well, we tried resolving this peacefully…" The blonde haired girl sighed, reaching behind her. "I've had enough of you, Urashima waste!" She shouted, taking out a pair of UMPN-90 submachine guns.
"JANUARY!" April shouted. "NO!"
"April! Our orders are to either take out the guardian or to injure one of his sisters if we don't recover the target!" January shouted at April. She turned to Rinrin and shouted "DIE!", letting loose a barrage of hot lead in Rinrin's direction.
Rinrin's rollerblade motors whined into life as she leapt backwards in April's direction, narrowly avoiding the bullets that peppered the ground she had occupied just a split second before. Luckily, April had leapt aside at the exact same time to avoid January's utterly horrible aim, giving Rinrin the chance to slip through down the deserted street.
"Hold your fire, Sep!" Rinrin heard April shout behind her, as she unwrapped the cloth to reveal her mediums – a pair of tonfas, before proceeding to tie the cloth around the shallow graze on her arm. "Thank you, Sakuya-neki…" She whispered under her breath as she grasped the twin tonfas.
April's shout was followed by the screeching of tires. Wait….tires?
She looked behind her just in time to see April and January climb board a jet black hummer that had appeared out of nowhere.
Rinrin cursed in Chinese under her breath as she accelerated on down the street. Season to be jolly? Sure….
"Hmmph…I knew it was trouble brewing from the very start." Sarah muttered as she watched Hinako, Hinata, and Aria getting ushered into the suspicious looking building from behind a convenient dustbin. She got up and rolled up her sleeves. "Well, they've got another thing coming."
Just as she was about to set out, a pair of hands reached out from the shadows of the alleyway behind her and grabbed her around the mouth before she could even scream, pulling her into the obscurity of the alleyway.
"Officer Haitani, do you read me?" A bespectacled beat cop shouted into his walkie-talkie, leaping behind the dustbin Sarah had been hiding behind just a moment ago.
"Yes, yes, Shirai, loud and clear…" Another beat cop sighed as he walked up to the dustbins, shaking his head in an exasperated manner as he watched his colleague peer out from behind the dustbins, holding out his nightstick like a gun. "This police patrol job sure is boring. I mean…nothing to do all day, really. Not a single crime in si…."
A little girl on rollerblades skid past, blowing snow onto the two cops, followed by a large black hummer drifting around the corner, its occupants spewing blazing hot lead left right and centre.
The two cops screamed and hugged each other tightly behind the dustbin as the commotion slowly died away.
"H-Haitani…" Shirai mumbled.
"Y-yeah?" Haitani replied, shivering.
"Never…ever…jinx us like that…again, ever…ok?"
"Y-yeah…"
"C-call…HQ…"
They both waited, ears pressed to the handheld radio, as their report was passed up the long bureaucratic chain of command at their station. Finally, a reply came. They almost gasped with happiness.
"You did not just see that black hummer. There were no guns or anything. You two were imagining things. Dismissed." The voice said over the radio.
"…What?" The two sat speechless for a good few minutes as they tried to process what their HQ just told them.
"Shirai…HQ just told us that we did not see a black hummer blowing the street away in pursuit of a little girl on rollerblades…" Haitani murmured, looking around at his comrade.
"Yes….and those rollerblades weren't rocket-powered roller-blades either…" Shirai supplied.
They looked down at their knees for a few moments…before looking back at one another. "Wasn't that Keitaro's little sister?" The asked one another again, before falling silent once more.
"To hell with HQ." They both finally muttered, standing up and knocking their knuckles together. "LET'S GO!" They ran out onto the pavement outside the alleyway…
…only to be greeted by a white van that was somehow flying over the pavement, straight towards them.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
The air in the homely little bakery was thick with the aroma of sweet smelling bread. Kaho couldn't stop wandering about the rather crowded store as she looked through all the sweet goodies the store had to offer.
"So, you girls just moved in to that inn up on the hill?" The black-haired baker girl asked as she wrapped up Keiko's orders. "Yuuji! We're running out of short cakes out here!" She called into the old traditional kitchen behind her.
"Sorry! Sorry, Shana-chan!" A young man's voice called from inside. "Ren-chan, get the melon-pan out of the oven! Hurry!"
"Yes, me and my sisters just moved in up there. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Keiko smiled, bowing politely.
"Here, have some of our melon-pan." Shana said, adding a couple of melon-pans into Keiko's shopping basket.
"Oh, I really can't impose…" Keiko started.
"It's our specialty." Shana winked. "You must try some." She looked around. "Ren-chan! You'd better not be munching on all the melon-pan again!" She called into the kitchen.
"Oh, Keiko-san." Keiko looked around at the source of the voice and found Makie peeking out of the kitchen, dressed in full white baker's attire, complete with a baker's hat. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Oh, so this is the bakery you work at." Keiko smiled. "And please don't be so formal. We're friends, remember?" She said, picking up her shopping basket.
"Oh, you two know each other?" Shana asked, bustling about the counter. "Yes, here's your order, sir." She said, tending to the other customers.
"It's a pity you visited us on Christmas eve. We're a bit busy, as you can see." Shana said, taking another tray of bread from another baker, a girl with pale green hair and bright red eyes. "Thanks, Ren-chan." She said to the girl before turning back to Keiko. "Otherwise, we'd be able to show you around the bakery."
"Oh, that's fine, really, seeing how busy you are." Keiko smiled.
"We're not always busy, you see." A young, black haired man said, coming out of the kitchen with yet another tray of freshly baked confectionary. "There's another store up front, Pantasia, a branch of the Pantasia franchise." He explained, deftly maneuvering around Shana in the cramped space behind the counter. "They get most of the customers on normal days."
"Hah! Yuuji, you jest! As if their stuff can beat our first class bread!" Shana laughed a confident little laugh.
Keiko couldn't help but blush so very slightly. The main reason she had come to this bakery instead of Pantasia was because she thought it would be cheaper here. "Well, I'd better be on my way." She smiled, bowing politely as she turned to leave. Truth be told, something was telling her that something bad was happening out there somewhere. She continually tried to ignore it as her just being a bit tired after the happenings of the past week but it continued on to haunt her. "Kaho." She called as she started for the door.
A sudden screeching noise brought their attention to the window…which suddenly shattered under the force of a number of lead tracers. Keiko grabbed Kaho before leaping for cover as glass shards and wooden splinters showered over them.
"Ssshh…it'll be ok." Keiko said, patting the shivering Kaho comfortingly as she tried to get a bearing on what was happening.
"WHO DARES DESTROY MY BAKERY!" Shana screamed, putting one foot up her counter while pulling back the sleeves of her baker's shirt.
"C-Calm down, Shana-chan." Yuuji cried, desperately holding onto Shana.
"Stay down, Kaho." Keiko whispered before slowly getting up into a kneeling position. She gasped upon seeing Rinrin speeding down the street with a large black car of some sort right on her tail. "Rinrin-chan!"
"It's good to be back here in Tokyo again." The old man said as he watched the street pass by the window. His old, wizened face betrayed many signs of age, a testament to the life's worth of experiences he has gone through. "Traveling just isn't for old men like me, really."
"Home is where the heart is, Konoemon-san." Seta nodded in agreement.
"As for me, traveling with drivers like you just isn't for people like me." Higuchi, who was sitting on the passenger's seat beside Seta, gasped, his stomach lurching to one side as the van swerved around the traffic like a reindeer on absinthe. "Yes, home is where the heart is, Seta…but I'd like to get home with my heart intact, please."
"Will do, Higuchi." Seta nodded, laughing heartily. "I must say though, the meeting went well, didn't it?" Seta said, looking around at headmaster Konoe. "We actually finished up earlier that we expected."
"Why, yes, it did." Konoe nodded, fiddling about with the puzzle box in his hands.
"What's that?" Seta suddenly asked, interested.
"Just something I've been trying to solve for the past decade. I've only completed one side though…." Konoe sighed, looking the small multi-coloured cube over.
"Seta?" Higuchi asked.
"Yes?" Seta replied.
"About the two unconscious cops in the back seat?" Higuchi querried.
"We'll drop them both off at a hospital, no worries." Seta nodded with a smile.
"Seta….the wall…" Higuchi said.
"Pardon?" Seta asked, looking around at Higuchi.
"The wall, Seta, the wall!" Higuchi said with a bit more urgency.
"Oh…that wall…" Seta laughed, finally noticing the wall looming up in front of them and hitting the brakes.
"Seta, that was the gas pedal." Higuchi pointed out.
"Oh, so it was." Seta laughed nonchalantly.
To be continued…
Behind the scenes…
Zeni: phew….finally…chapter 10…
Sakuya: That took you long enough. What happened?
Zeni: A lot of things, really. I really don't want to talk about it (sweat drops big time). Darn writer's block...
Rinrin: Before you forget, you'd better announce that new forum you set up.
Zeni: Oh, yeah, almost forgot. We've set up a fan community named the Unlimited Fan Works Forum, especially created to serve as a fan hub for fans of all fandoms. It's accessible through the 'homepage' link on our profile, or through this address - http(colon, slash, slash)unlimitedfanworks(dot)spreebb(dot)com. We've also moved the Sister Princess character profiles over there along with the pics gallery.
BTB: Also, you could access previews and sneak peeks, and even contribute to the development of our current projects at the UFW. Beta versions of Sister Princess and all our other fics would show up there first before getting published anywhere else so if you'd like to get them fresh off the press, that's where to go.
Eternity-Incarnate: Also, if you've got your own works, whether it be fanfiction, fanart, or anything at all, feel free to post it there and have it commented on. We and other fans could also try and help you out in places. Oh, and we also host fan clubs, fan brigades, shrines, etc. So if you've got an itch to start off a fan club, brigade, or shrine of your own, UFW's the place to go.
Zeni: So please do visit us at the UFW and become a part of our fledgling little fan community. It's still growing, but we're sure that, with your help, we can turn it into a bustling world fan community for all. Your support is priceless in helping us develop this site. Anyway, on to the omakes:
Suu and Sarah's lecture on 101 ways to annoy people in elevators
Keitaro: Lesson 1(Walks into the elevator and starts humming the mission impossible theme while looking left and right at his fellow passengers) Dum-Dum---DumDum—Dum-Dum….
Sarah: Lesson 2
Rinrin: (Walks into the elevator, puts down a box in the corner and says) Hey, do you hear ticking?
Suu: Lesson 3
Shinobu: (Walks into the elevator. Just as the elevator doors shut..)AWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWAWA!(Screams and slams the closed doors with her fists…then turns around and acts embarrassed)
Sarah: Lesson 4
Hinako: (Walks into the elevator) Mary had a little lamb…a little lamb…a little lamb…Mary had a little lamb…her fleece was white as snow( Sings while pushing all the buttons, then exits at the next floor.)
Suu: Lesson 5:
Sakuya: (Walks into the elevator, and pushes the emergency call button) Hello? Hello? Is this thing on? Operator?
Sarah: Lesson 6:
Mizuki: (Walks into the elevator, pulls out a notebook, and starts scribbling furiously, pausing sometimes to glance at the other passengers. When the other passengers try to look at her notebook, she clutches it closely to her chest)
Suu: Lesson 7:
Naru: (Walks into the elevator) Do you hear cables snapping? (Asks other passengers. Repeat)
Sarah: Lesson 8:
Hinata: (Walks into the elevator, puts some red paint on the ceiling and makes sure it drips, and as the passengers come in and notice the paint…) I think they want in….
Suu: Lesson 9:
Chiikage: (Walks into the elevator, draws a square on the ground with a piece of chalk and says) This is my personal space, no trespassing.
Suu: Lesson 10:
Aria: (Walks into the elevator, rides up to the topmost floor, then waits as more passengers come in, then rides down to the bottommost floor, repeats)
Sarah: Lesson 11:
Mamoru: (Runs around the track 20 laps, forgets to put one deodorant, eats plenty of beans, and doesn't take a shower. Oh, and wears a sleeveless tanktop too, then comes into the elevator. Does a couple of stretches while she's in there too)
Suu: Lesson 12:
Mitsune: (Walks into elevator) I live in this building, and I've declared my apartment to be an independent nation. All you people living above me are violating airspace.
Sarah: Lesson 13:
Karen: (Walks into the elevator, looks at her watch, and says) Don't worry, it won't explode for another 2 minutes (to the other passengers)
Suu: Lesson 14:
Zeni: (Walks into the elevator) Welcome aboard elevator number 3. In accordance with civil vertical transportation laws, we must make sure you passengers are aware of the emergency safety procedures. There are two exits, one through the door, and one through the overhead hatch. If you hear ticking or cables snapping, please remember to pray and leave all your worldly belongings behind. Thank you.
Sarah: Lesson 15:
Mutsumi: Ara, Ara, sorry, no more space (the entire elevator is taken up by watermelons)
Suu: Lesson 16:
Shirayuki: (Claps and applauds wildly every time someone enters or exits the elevator)
Sarah: Lesson 17:
Tsuroko: (Silence…silence…silence…) CAN'T YOU ALL SHUT UP! I'M TRYING TO THINK HERE!
Suu: Lesson 18:
Keiko: (Stands by the buttons, then addresses the other passengers) Hello, Good afternoon, what floor sir?
Unfortunate sir: Umm…13th floor please, thanks.
Keiko: Right away sir (pushes the button for the 3rd floor on purpose, then hums a cheerful tune)
Unfortunate sir: …
Sarah: Lesson 19:
Shirai: (Walks into the elevator) Hey, do you know that there's a penthouse on the top floor? And that there are mafia gangsters based there? I happen to know…(Goes on in the same retarded manner while addressing the other passengers)
Suu: Lesson 20:
Haitani: (Looks up at the surveillance camera) Hello! Hey, everyone! Look up at the camera! Hello! Hi! Can you see me!
Sarah: Lesson 21:
Kaho: (Draws a chalk outline of a body on the floor of the elevator, tapes police tape across the elevator opening, puts on a policewoman outfit, gets Big Tama to be the witness, takes out a notebook and starts questioning Big Tama.)……….
Big Tama: Myuuu….
Kaho: ….(Imagine how annoyed people would be if the elevator doors open to reveal such a scene…)
Suu: Lesson 22:
Marie: (Brings in a suitcase, and as the elevator is moving, she opens it and says) Got enough air in there?
Sarah: Lesson 23:
Keitarou: (Lifts a couple of skirts, asks some people to lift their feet, check everyone's pockets and belongings, then says) Has anyone seen my pet rhinoceros?
Suu: Lesson 24:
Grandma Hina: (As the elevator doors close) Don't worry, they'll open up again soon (addresses other passengers)
Sarah: Lesson 25: Never really put in 101 points in something titled '101 something-something'. Nobody ever reads the whole thing. Just make sure you've got a beginning and an end, forget the middle.
Suu: Lesson 100, pay attention everyone! (wears a clown suit while carrying an arsenal of cream pies inside the empty elevator, giggles madly as she waits for the elevator doors to open, and just as it opens…) Hello everyone!
Everyone outside the elevator: HELL-O! (takes out machine guns and sends a hell worth of hot lead in Suu's direction. They've tolerated this far enough, 99 days of freakiness in the elevators is enough to drive anyone crazy…)
Sarah: Lesson 101,
Everyone: Don't try this at home…or anywhere else full of sensible people for that matter
Keitaro: Yes, everyone involved in the demonstrations are all highly trained and qualified people. You must not under any circumstances attempt any of the things demonstrated in today's lesson, except probably on April Fools' day…
Zeni: See you next chapter! Better yet, see you at the Unlimited Fan Works Forum!
Previews of goodies you could expect at the UFW forum:
Title: So, What Now, Genius?!
Premise: The Hinata girls, except for Naru, all found themselves pregnant, courtesy of our favourite Kanrinrin. How will he deal with it?
Naru can't help but sigh and shake her head in frustration as she realized that the Okinawan, though present in body, was perhaps no longer present in spirit. "Mutsumi-san, do you need CPR?"
Otohime Mutsumi's face was a glazed mask wearing her trademark perpetually cheerful expression. Naru had a feeling that one flick would cause it to crack and shatter into a shower of cheap porcelain bits. She drew a few short breaths before inhaling deeply. "OTOHIME MUTSUMI!"
Naru can't help but feel as if she had achieved a rather miraculous feat of necromancy as life slowly flooded back into the Okinawan's face. She frowned slightly, though still smiling, as if trying to process the rather loud voice that had just assaulted her eardrums.
The thought process finally ended with a rather quiet "Ara?"
Keitaro did his best to hide behind his textbooks. There was no way in the world he could look into Mutsumi's eyes. No, he can't. He just can't.
Not after….what happened….
"You know….is it just me, or has everyone been acting rather weird, lately? Ever since I came back…." Naru paused, scanning the faces of her two companions.
Keitaro almost choked. Thankfully, a sneeze came on at the exact time, disguising any give-aways.
Mutsumi, meanwhile, looked as oblivious as ever. For all intents and purposes, she might as well be vegetating.
Naru, still suspicious over the lack of any signs, probed on. "….there's been a….tension in the air around here. Everyone's been…..well….nice…." She couldn't find a better word for it, even with her Toudai entrance level Japanese literature vocabulary. Everyone had been oh so very polite to one another, especially to her. It was….disturbing….
And that wasn't all. Shinobu had become quieter and more reserved than ever before, not to mention more prone to sudden fits of nerves, as if she wasn't jittery enough. Motoko had gone back to her usual cold-swordswoman self, and would snap at every little bit of annoyance. Suu's hyperactivity has seen a slight yet perceptible decrease, and if that wasn't enough….
…Mitsune STOPPED DRINKING COMPLETELY.
And Mitsune sober was perhaps the most disturbing thing she has ever seen in her life. Mitsune's life has always been all about men like Johnny Walker and Remy Martin. To think that she suddenly dumped them….
…Shinobu might as well pull off a Pablo Francisco impression.
Title: To be decided
Premise: Zeni! Not another Keitaro-having-multiple-sisters drama WAF fic! Sister Princess is enough, Zeni! But…wait….who are the sisters this time…?
"Urashima Motoko? Urashima Naru?"
"Yes, I'm Urashima Motoko." A raven haired young woman answered upon reaching the front door.
"A package for us?" The auburn haired young woman trailing behind the first one asked the courier.
"Yes, please sign here." The courier said, handing a pen and a clipboard to the one apparently named Motoko. "Yes, thank you. Good day to you two." The courier nodded, touching his cap as he turned to leave.
"…It's a package from Kanako-chan." Motoko said. "Oh, and there's a letter attached." She added, walking out of the shade of the verandah to better read the writing on the envelope. The cicadas burst into song out in the bushes surrounding the courtyard as she went past.
"Well, it must be quite urgent if she sent it here via courier. Open it." The other woman, obviously named Naru, said, rather anxiously, as she followed Motoko out into the sun.
"…looks like he did it again." Motoko noted after briefly scanning through the letter before handing it over to Naru. "Here, read it for yourself."
"….he failed the Tokyo-U exams…" Naru murmured.
"Again…" They sighed in unison.
"Not to mention he got kicked out from home." Motoko added.
"Well, it says here that he's planning on…wait…this can't be right…" Naru looked around at Motoko, utter perplexity etched on her face. "He's coming here."
"….He could at least call us." Motoko commented, nodding.
"No, I mean, he wants to stay here." Naru pointed out. "How will that be possible? He knows this is an all girls' dormitory."
"That occurred to me." Motoko nodded again. "Which is perhaps why Kanako-chan sent us this." She showed Naru the contents of the package.
"….You've gotta be kidding me…" Naru said in a foreboding tone, pulling out a long black wig out of the package.
"….As they say, where there's a will, there's a way. And in Rome, do as the Romans do." Motoko said, raising one of the pieces of assorted clothing stuffed into the package. "Obviously, Kanako-chan's sense of fashion hasn't changed."
"Can you please act a bit more worried?" Naru walked around in circles, fretting. "There's no way any of this would work."
"I AM worried." Motoko said. "I'm worried about his pocket money. Do you think he still gets pocket money now that he's been kicked out or would we have to support him?"
"…Motoko…" Naru sagged.
Not available at any fanfic site as of yet. Find more previews and sneak peeks of these two fics, and more of others, such as 'No Strings Attached', 'Forevermore', etc. at the UFW!