A/N: Aaaaah! Omatase shimashita! Gomen...Sorry to keep you guys waiting for so long... Anyway, here's chapter 2!
Disclaimer: If I owned this anime series, would I be posting on this site?
Chapter 2: Secrets
"What are you doing here?" Yuriko asked, her voice low and monotone.
Kai frowned, rather taken aback by the drastic change in her personality but trying not to show it. Instead, he put on his usual, nonchalant face. "In case you were wondering, I left my grandfather in the garden soon after you left; there was no other reason to stay there. I decided to go exploring and I found that staircase over there. I thought it would lead me to an attic, or something similar to it, but I was wrong."
For several moments, neither teen moved. Then Yuriko heaved a big sigh. "Whatever," she said as she moved to close the door. Kai however, had caught sight of something that interested him greatly – Yuriko's drawing. He reached out a hand and caught the door before it swung shut entirely.
"Hang on…" he said. "What…is…that?" he asked. Yuriko looked bewildered.
"Huh? What's what?"
Kai gestured with one hand to the single piece of paper on the artist's desk.
"It's none of your business, Hiwatari." Yuriko said forcefully when she realized he was referring to her drawing. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" Once more, she grabbed hold of the doorknob and swung the door closed. Kai removed his hand a split second before it became trapped between the door and its frame. The huge wooden panel swung shut with a loud thud.
Kai, heaving a sigh of relief, stepped back from the door. He remained in that position for a few more minutes, and then turned and made his way back downstairs.
Yuriko leaned back on her door, breathing deeply to control her anger. Did that Hiwatari think she'd actually believed him? Of course not! More likely, her grandmother or that business partner of hers told him to follow her. After all, not many people knew about the alcove containing the staircase leading up here. There was a third floor to this chateau, but most people took the main staircase to get there.
She walked over to her desk and picked up the sketch. After gazing at it for a few minutes, she slid it into a folder, where she kept her unfinished works. Then, she walked over to her cabinet. She wanted to change out of the outfit she had on now; she was sure it wasn't going to be comfortable wearing the outfit, as she planned to spend the rest of the day in the garden.
Humming a song to herself, she pulled open the wardrobe door and began rifling through its contents.
"Grraaah!"
Kai let loose a cry as he pulled the ripcord of his launcher. His faithful beyblade, Dranzer, was a mere blur as it shot out and landed on the grass of the lawn. It spun silently but efficiently, just as it was supposed to. Kai narrowed his eyes and focused on his blade.
He stayed like that for several minutes, giving commands to the blade through the intimate connection he had with the bit beast. This was how things should be, he was thinking. He should be concentrating on his blading – though he knew no new tournaments had been announced – and working on honing his skills, just as he had the previous year. Never mind that he had just been engaged – against his will – to a girl he barely knew.
Instantly, Kai's brow furrowed and, fueled by its master's anger, the dark blue blade spun, with lightning speed, towards a gnarled old tree nearby. With a loud whack it collided with the mottled trunk, and with a groan, the tree fell onto the ground with a muffled thump. The few leaves that were still attached to it had gotten separated, and they twirled gracefully to the ground, as though dancing.
Kai held up a hand, a few inches to the side of his head, and obediently Dranzer spun back into his hand. At least I haven't lost that ability… Kai thought, satisfied that none of his skills had diminished. Admittedly, he hadn't been training as much as he was supposed to, which was why he worried whether he would have been out of practice; as it turns out, he wasn't. Smirking, he pocketed his launcher and ripcord, turned away from the fallen tree, and made his way back towards the house.
Suddenly, a slight sound caused him to stop in his tracks. He glanced backwards over his shoulder, but saw no one.
It's just your imagination, Hiwatari… he thought. Shaking his head at himself, he continued on his way.
Yuriko was awestruck as she watched the crimson-eyed teen. Under the long-sleeves, she could see his well-defined muscles as he pulled on the ripcord; his voice, when he cried out with the effort of his launch, made her hair stand on end. When he felled the tree a few minutes later, as easily as one might swat a fly, her eyes widened. But by that time, his 'training' was over, for he retrieved his blade – rather, the blade spun back into his open palm – and turned away. "Wow…" she breathed.
Then, the slate-haired teen stopped and turned around. A sharp intake of breath, and Yuriko crawled backwards into a rather leafy bush. For several tense moments, she could hardly breathe as Kai scanned the area for the source of the noise. He must have decided that whatever had made the noise had gone, for he soon turned away again and continued towards the house.
Yuriko waited until she heard the door slam shut before crawling out of her hiding place; she heaved a sigh of relief. Thank goodness…
She reached back into the bush and retrieved a small, black notebook, a writing brush, and a small bottle of ink. Carrying these items carefully, she made her way over to a stone bench under a still-flowering cherry tree – her favorite spot (she'd claimed it a few years back), aside from the library. As soon as she reached it, she laid the things out on the bench. She looked down at her outfit – a gray tank over a red long-sleeved top, dark blue culottes, and black sneakers – and saw that it was covered with dust. She brushed herself off and sat down, leaning back against the sweet-smelling bark. She closed her eyes and began breathing, slowly and deeply, in order to relax herself and put herself into the right frame of mind.
Several minutes passed in this way until the amethyst orbs blinked open. Yuriko smiled a small smile as she reached for the brush and ink.
Kai took hold of the doorknob and slowly eased his door closed; he didn't want Souchirou to know he'd been training again. He leaned against the door, listening for the sound of footsteps, and, after a few minutes of hearing nothing but silence, he decided it was 'safe'. He heaved a sigh of relief. No one noticed…Good…
As he walked over to his cabinet, he withdrew his launcher from his pocket and placed it on the topmost shelf, pushing it in amongst the carefully folded towels and sheets. Then, from his other pocket, he took out Dranzer and replaced it in his special carrying case. After doing so, he placed the carrying case in a small drawer he'd found at the back of the cabinet – probably a long-forgotten secret compartment.
He was getting quite used to this particular guest room. The room itself was bigger than most that he'd seen, but not too big, and the walls were a pleasing earthy beige. The bed, which was covered with blue and white sheets, was located in the center of the wall opposite the door, leaving an ample amount of space on both sides, and there was a woven afghan rug directly at the foot of it. The window occupied the east wall and overlooked the sector of the garden where he'd been training earlier. The door leading to the bathroom was situated in the western wall near the corner. The cabinet was placed near this door, and on the opposite side, almost directly to the right of the window, was a desk, where Kai kept his journal and other knick-knacks. All in all, it was a rather cozy room.
The slate-haired teen walked over to the window and gazed out of it. Almost immediately, he started. Yuriko, wearing an entirely different outfit from the one he'd seen her in, was out in the garden, several feet away from where he'd been training, the only thing separating the two areas a rather large and leafy bush. From her posture it was rather apparent that she'd been there for quite some time now.
And here I thought she'd remained up in her room… Kai thought, smirking. He was sure that she'd made the sound he'd heard earlier, yet he hadn't seen her. There was definitely more to this Takenoichi than he'd originally thought.
Yuriko leaned back against the tree trunk and brought her notebook up to eye level. Her eyes danced quickly across the pages as she read the finished poem to herself.
The wind whistles through the leaves,
Soft…
Gentle…
Alluring…
The stream continues on its course,
Bubbling…
Trickling…
Murmuring…
The trees sway gently in the breeze,Tapping…
Dancing…
Enticing…
The fire burns steadily,
Humming…
Leaping…
Rejoicing…
The four elements combined,
Perfect…
Harmonious…
My melody…Yuriko smiled as she finished. She'd no idea what inspired her to write such a poem, but she was glad she did. It had been a long time since she wrote in free verse, and she was pleased with the results.
Suddenly, she felt the hair at the back of her neck bristling. She quickly stood up and whirled around, readying herself for anything that would reveal itself to her; to her surprise and bewilderment, there was not a soul in sight.
But…I felt someone there! Yuriko thought. I felt a presence, so something should be there…
Taking deep breaths to steady her erratic heartbeat, she closed her eyes and tried to focus, willing herself to calm down so her sensed might pick up on anyone in the garden aside from her; she encountered no one.
The auburn-haired girl glanced quickly about herself, as though to reassure herself that there truly was no one in the garden but her; at the same time, she was trying to fight back the panic rising within her, to no avail. She picked up her notebook, brush, and ink, and hurriedly fled the garden, which had, to her, suddenly become a rather foreboding place.
Several minutes passed after the front door slammed shut, yet Kai didn't move from his spot; he watched the garden intently. He'd seen Yuriko's reaction when she – apparently – had heard something behind her, for she'd turned around and had quickly gone into what he knew to be a battle-ready stance. And then he'd seen the panicked look on the young teen's face when she rushed out of the garden and was somewhat intrigued.
Suddenly, near the cherry tree, several bushes moved, yet the movement was too strong to have been made by a breeze alone. A split second later, the leaves on a rather old pine tree a few feet away also rustled. And then, two men – evident from the body shape – seemingly materialized out of nowhere on a clear patch of grass, not too far from where Yuriko had been staying.
Kai's eyes narrowed, noting the clothing they wore – the loose, flowing garb of a ninja, the feared assassins of feudal times. A split second later, he whipped around and was out the door like a shot.
"It's too bad she sensed you, though…"
The man who'd been hiding in the bush chuckled darkly. "Yes, how very unfortunate…" he said, his voice rather amused.
"You…are not disappointed?" His companion sounded surprised at his partner's surprisingly light reaction. "Or don't you realize that we've failed?"
"Of course I realize that, Eiji…" His eyes lit up, indicating that he was smirking under his mask. "Now I know that her abilities are far greater than we anticipated, which will make it all the more pleasurable when we finally destroy her."
The one called Eiji chuckled as his companion revealed this to him, and then he took hold of one edge of his long, black cloak; suddenly, as silently as they appeared, the two ninjas were gone, leaving the garden quite empty.
All was quiet for quite a while, and then Kai emerged from a nearby bush. So those two are after Takenoichi…he thought, his eyes narrowing again. That's one mystery solved – the girl is afraid of getting caught by these ninjas…
The slate-haired teen turned and walked back to the house for the third time that day. But that brings up another mystery: why are they after her? She's just an ordinary girl… isn't she?
"Kowai yo…" Yuriko muttered softly as she locked the door to her room. She clutched her chest, as though doing so would cease the incessant thudding of her heart. Usually when I sense…those guys, I would immediately be able to see them, no matter how well they hid themselves…Why couldn't I see anyone in the garden? She asked of herself.
After a few moments, she calmed down. She quickly walked over to her cabinet and opened the door. She then fiddled with something inside and then stepped back as soon as she was done.
Suddenly, a section of oak paneling beside the wardrobe slid open, but Yuriko was expecting this; she picked up something from inside the wardrobe, slipped it into her pocket, and then stepped in front of the opening. Her eyes registered the stairs that seemingly spiraled into nothing; she stepped inside, and the panel instantly slid closed, enshrouding her in darkness.
Slowly, she descended the hidden staircase, her footsteps fading as she went deeper.
Click!
Crimson orbs lit up at the sound. Kai grinned; learning these tricks when he was younger came in handy, he saw that now. Slowly, he eased the door open and carefully stepped beyond the threshold. He quickly closed the door behind him, turned…and stopped short.
The room was empty.
Quickly, he glanced around, looking for signs of a struggle. There were none.
But how could she have left? He thought, absently walking over to the slanted desk and running his fingers over its smooth surface. I asked the servants downstairs and they said nothing of Yuriko-san leaving the premises…
He moved on to the first drawer, carefully sliding it open, stopping only to admire a drawing or two. Nothing.
He sighed. That girl was certainly secretive, not to mention confusing. Quickly he examined the rest of the drawers; there was nothing to indicate where she had gone, or why two ninja were after her.
Then he noticed that a cabinet door was slightly ajar. His curiosity having been piqued, he walked over to it and opened it wide. It was a typical teenage girl's wardrobe – dresses, skirts, all kinds of tops, and several accessories bundled in random small containers – but what interested him the most was that there was a black, full-length one-piece suit at the back, made of a stretchy material; it looked like something a dancer, particularly a ballerina would wear. However, Yuriko didn't look to be a dancer.
So what would she do with such a piece of clothing? Kai reached out and touched it; the material flowed across his palm like water. And it isn't an ordinary spandex-type cloth; its smoother and hugs the body closely, yet isn't as hot as other body suits like it…
Then, he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. Camouflaged by the suit was a small lever hidden at the very back.
And what's this?
Using a finger, he flicked it, but nothing happened – at least, nothing he could perceive. Sighing in disappointment at having found nothing to explain the girl's strange behavior, Kai closed the wardrobe door, and then started. Without him knowing, a panel in the wooden wall had slid open, and inside was a spiral staircase.
"What on earth-?" Kai mumbled as he stood in front of the hidden door. He smirked. He didn't have anything better to do, and besides, why was he worrying about Yuriko so much? She certainly could handle herself. Shrugging, he began to descend the stairs, not even reacting when the door slid shut, leaving him trapped in the dark.
Perhaps this won't be as boring as I first thought…
After a few moments, Kai's eyes became accustomed to the darkness, and he could now make out faint shapes, mostly the rest of the staircase. However, he could see that the stairwell was a fairly small one – only one person at any one time could ascend or descend – and that the walls were made of stone.
Then, from somewhere beneath him, he could make out a faint clanging sound, and someone – a girl – shouting. His eyes narrowed, and he quickened his pace, taking care not to topple down the stairs.
Soon, the staircase ended, and he was standing on what seemed to be a dirt floor. There was a torch in the nearest wall, but he still couldn't see the source of the noise he had heard; he concluded that this passage was a tunnel, and began to start down it.
It was a fairly short tunnel – only several meters long – and it quickly opened into a small chamber, still lit by torches. There were no windows, but the air wasn't stifling and didn't smell as though it had been trapped for a long time, which meant there was a hidden vent somewhere. The floor, like the walls of the stairwell, was made of stone, as were the chamber walls.
Kai allowed his eyes to travel around every inch, and then, quite suddenly, he gave a small gasp of surprise.
There, in the center of the room, was Yuriko. She was clad in an outfit similar to the one he found hanging in her closet, and in front of her were several wooden dummies and upright logs. To the side were several puppets – most probably mechanical. The slate-haired teen guessed that the clanging sound had been made by something hitting these puppets; the surface of each had been scratched by what could have been a sharp object.
The younger Hiwatari turned his attention back to the auburn-haired teen. She seemed to be throwing something, but what? He quietly slipped through the half-open wooden doors and pressed flat against the wall, inching along quickly by silently; he stopped when he had better view. Once more, crimson orbs widened.
Kai could see that Yuriko was throwing small, dark gray circular objects at the various dummies and posts, each of which had several targets strapped to them. It wasn't so much the fact that the amethyst-eyed teen was engaging in target practice that was surprising; it was what she was using for target practice: shuriken, one of the many weapons used by feudal-age ninjas.
"Darn! Now I'm out of shuriken!" Yuriko suddenly exclaimed. "Oh, well…it's not like I was really fighting anyone; I'll just retrieve them before I leave…" With that, she reached into a small, black bag which dangled on her right hip – Kai hadn't seen it at first – and took out several black, short-handled dagger-like objects, quickly returning to a fighting stance when she had four in each hand.
She uses kunai as well? Kai was perfectly confused now. What would the granddaughter of a powerful CEO be doing learning how to handle ninja weapons? He didn't move from his spot as he contemplated the possible reasons, all the while scrutinizing her every move.
Impressive…he thought vaguely as Yuriko did a couple of 'trick throws' – throwing a kunai at a difficult target from an almost impossible angle of attack – and even hit three or four 'bull's-eyes' with her eyes closed.
Yuriko let out a sigh and got out of her battle stance. Kai stiffened, and then began to move back towards the door. But then something made him stop and glance back at the young 'ninja-in-training', if that was what she really was. He frowned.
What is she doing?
The young Takenoichi was mumbling something to herself, at the same time performing complicated hand movements at rapid speed. Then, without warning, the floor started shaking, causing Kai to grab at one of the torch-holders for support. Almost as quickly, the floor beneath one of the dummies opened up, promptly toppling said dummy.
Did she just…cause an earthquake? Kai thought, awestruck.
The auburn-haired teen wasn't finished yet. She began to mumble again, performing a different set of hand movements, raising her arms up when she was through. Instantly, a small wave appeared from behind another dummy, smashing into it and leaving it a crumpled, soggy mess on the stone floor. This performance was quickly followed by more mumbling and three more sets of hand movements – these were actually called 'seals', Kai knew, though how and why Yuriko had come to learn them was still a mystery. The first set seemed to allow her to lift up one of the wooden logs and bring it crashing down on top of its neighbor, the second called lightning from out of nowhere and 'electrified' another, and the third set fire to the last of the giant logs.
Seeing this, Kai's eyes went wide. She can…control all five elements! No wonder she has people chasing her!
He stood there, pressed against the wall, when he suddenly remembered…
Of all the-! I nearly forgot I'm not supposed to be here! He mentally slapped himself on the forehead for allowing such a mistake; he couldn't let Yuriko know that he knew her secret. As silently as he had entered, he exited the room and ran, light-footed, back through the passageway and up the stairs. Just as he was wondering how to open the secret panel, it slid open in front of him; he dashed through it and was out of the young teen's room in a flash, not realizing that the panel hadn't slid shut behind him.
That was a good workout… Yuriko thought slowly as she ascended the stairs. Suddenly, she stopped. It had already gotten considerably lighter in the stairwell, but she knew there were no lights inside. Her eyes narrowed, and she quickened her pace. When she was almost to the top, she saw the source of the light: the panel was open.
What the-?
She stopped and leaned against the wall. With one hand she tucked the towel she'd been holding into her belt – a black one to blend in with her outfit – and with the other she reached into the small bag she wore at her hip. Using her first two fingers, she brought out one of the smaller kunai she brought with her. Taking a deep breath, she resumed mounting the stairs, this time at a run, at the same time bringing up her knife arm to attack anyone who might be waiting in ambush.
"Haaaaah!" she cried as she lunged out of the secret passageway and into her room, only stopping herself when she realized that no one was there.
"Eh?" She looked around, puzzled. She was so sure that someone was in the room with her, otherwise, why would the panel be open? Was something taken? Quickly she went through her belongings; all were accounted for. Absentmindedly, she approached the panel and slid it shut.
Weird things have been happening lately…
A/N: Well, this is where I end for now, guys...I know it's kind of short, but I was out of ideas! I had to cut here so that the pacing I'd planned for the next chapter wouldn't be ruined! Anyway, Let me know what you think: why does Yuriko use ninja weapons?
Dewa matta! Peace out and God bless!