Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise/Hokuto ga Gotoku: (c) SEGA
Fist of the North Star/Hokuto no Ken: (c) Buronson & Tetsuo Hara/NSP 1983, Approved No. GA-217
Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed: (c) ACQUIRE/XSeed Games/Marvelous USA Inc.

Chapter 3: The Maidens of Eden

Shortly after Nanashi and Shizuku had their drinks, paid for them and left the Rusty Nail to explore Eden a bit more, Kenshiro went about his business as the bartender and kept serving and mixing drinks to his regulars and new customers that happen to walk in. He likes his job, and another that he is doing… But mainly because he takes it seriously, despite the surprised expressions from his companions from the old district of Akihabara.

A few hours later, Shion arrived back at the bar and sat at the counter where Kenshiro is. "Welcome." He simply said,

"I'm back." Shion said, in her usual seductive tone, "I have to say, Mr. Kenshiro… I had to come back here because I found you alluring… But you've got secrets. And I really hope to get to know you more… So, here's what I'll do… I'll ask for a bitter drink. In return, I would like to hear one interesting fact about yourself."

"One… interesting fact?" Kenshiro asked,

Shion nodded slowly, then he replied, "Certainly."

Kenshiro got a glass and poured a green-coloured liquid into the glass, along with a gold-coloured liquid and a juice. He got a spinner and began to mix the liquids slowly. Soon, and just like the ice block, he began to spin at a considerably faster pace. And then…

…

He then spun very fast, with a blue aura around him. Then he removed the spinner and cried "And… Done!"

He presented the drink to Shion and simply said…

"Southern Cross Metropolis."

Shion took a sip of the blue drink, with Kenshiro watching, with his usual stoic expression. "Delicious." Shion remarked

"As per your request," Kenshiro said, "I will reveal one thing about myself."

Silence filled the main bar as Kenshiro tried to think up something about himself.

He finally said as he shook his head, "I'm sorry. But I'm not very good at social skills."

"It's OK." Shion replied, "If what I know from the stories Nanashi has shown me, then I see that you're the strong and silent type. I like that in a man."

She continued, "I used to work for a big company before the nuclear war happened. What we did is come up with new medicine and drugs for people. But when I heard and saw that Nanashi was a Synthister, I knew right away that making a medicine to cure him and rid him of his vampire-like curse was a priority for me. Unfortunately, some of my subordinates, including an old man named Koma Sakaguchi, never saw eye-to-eye with me. Plus, I took notice of his dirty laundry and had to air it out, alongside my newfound friends. Thus, the cure was never developed."

"But Nanashi is a strong boy. He is just as amazing as you are. You should see him in action, Mr. Kenshiro."

Kenshiro didn't say anything, but knows that Nanashi can go on to do great things.

After Kenshiro finished his shift at the Rusty Nail, he and Nanashi met outside the bar itself. It is currently night time in Eden. The lights in many establishments have turned on, and many torches in select places are lit.

"Whew…" Nanashi said, "I forgotten what it's like to be out in the dark. Back in my old home, it was always sunny, and… yeah."

"I do have to ask something, Nanashi." Kenshiro said, "Are you stronger at night?"

"Good question." Nanashi replied, "I never really thought of that before. I do want to test my strength at some point…"

"I see…" Kenshiro replied,

"Anyways, I want to check on Rin." Nanashi said, "I'm curious to know if she got a new audience in Eden."

"She said that was near the giant bell near the Bazaar?" Kenshiro asked,

"I do remember hearing that." Nanashi replied, "Let's check in on her now."

Both men went south and turned right into a street that led into a wide-open plaza near the Bazaar. Sure enough, Rin was singing and there was an audience, cheering and dropping IDL in her keyboard case.

After she finished a song, she announced to the audience, "Did you enjoy it, my dear little sheeplings? Our time is short, so I'll spare you the preamble and just borrow your ears! All I ask is five minutes of your time…"

"To present my song to debut here in Eden… 'eternity of earth'!"

Rin began pressing a few notes in her electric keyboard and began playing the song. The crowd continued to cheer and drop a lot of IDL. More people heard her tune and followed suit. Kenshiro noticed this and said to Nanashi, "I have to admit, she has a lovely voice. Just as lovely as Yuria."

"I agree." Nanashi replied, "Rin is the total package. You need someone to entertain, she's your girl."

"Hmm…" Kenshiro thought, "Maybe I could invite her to the Nightclub to work as a hostess…"

"Hey!" Someone cried, "You're too damn loud!"

Just then, a group of bandits, exactly 7 of them, approached Rin. She stopped the song and said, "Ooh. More sheeplings? Are you here to be serenaded?"

"No!" The giant bald bandit yelled, "We're here to shut your yap! We can't think with all this noise!"

"Hey, boss!" His blue mohawk-haired subordinate cried, noticing Rin's petite figure and face, "She's so cute! I bet she could fetch us a lot of money…"

"And how about this?!" Cried the big overweight bandit with green hair sticking out of his head as he pointed toward Rin's keyboard case, "She earned a ton of IDL! What shall we do with her, boss?!"

"Hmm…" The giant bald bandit said, "Great idea, boys! We can take her AND the money for ourselves!"

Rin chuckled nervously. She was never used to getting kidnapped, during her work as an idol back in her old home of Akihabara. Unfortunately, she is not at her old home anymore. And now she has to deal with unsavoury types.

"Hey! Come on, guys!" A citizen with a turban over his head cried, "You're ruining this girl's wonderful show!"

"You shut your yap!" The giant bald bandit yelled back, "Or else you want to die, right here and now!"

Rin quivered as the bandits creeped closer to her, chuckling and laughing at the possible nasty things they might do to her. "Help! Help me, minions!"

"Bastards…" Kenshiro cried,

"Time for us to step in." Nanashi agreed and they both walked closer to the bandits

Kenshiro and Nanashi approached the bandits. "Hey." Kenshiro began, "You need to lay off. Girls like her are off limits."

The giant bald bandit turned to Kenshiro, and he cried, "Huh?! And who the fuck are you two?!"

"For starters, I'm her friend." Nanashi replied, "And you're really walking on thin ice."

"You're just a little twerp!" The giant bald bandit yelled at Nanashi, "You think you can take us all on?!"

Then, he yelled, "Hey, boys!"

Eight more bandits of various sizes and looks, possessing weapons like crossbows, bats and large axes crowded around the plaza, surrounding Kenshiro, Nanashi and Rin. "Give this twerp a beat down he'll remember for the rest of his life!"

"You must stay back." Kenshiro told Nanashi as he cracked his knuckles

As soon as Kenshiro got his fighting stance, with his right hand up and his left one down at waist level, Nanashi replied as he got in his boxing stance, "No, Mr. Kenshiro. I'm not going to sit by and let you have all the fun. You'd be surprised at how strong I am."

Then, he turned to Rin. "Rin! Stand back, OK? This fight might get messy."

Rin cried, "OK, minion! Do what you do best!" She ran towards the citizens.

The giant bald bandit yelled, "This is both your tombs! Now die!"

With that, he took his giant hammer out. "Whoa! That's a big hammer!" Nanashi thought, "I better leave that guy to Mr. Kenshiro!"

Nanashi went to work on a bandit with a small bat. He gave him a couple of punches to the chest and a jump kick to the chest, immediately dizzying the bandit.

Kenshiro hit a bandit with a couple of jabs, a kick and a quick hand on his stomach. Once Kenshiro released the hand, the bandit rocked around for bit and his head exploded! The bandit cried just before it happened, "OH SHI-!"

A red mohawk-haired bandit readied his crossbow to fire at arrow, aiming at Kenshiro's head! He fired the arrow. Nanashi saw it and yelled, "Mr. Kenshiro!"

Kenshiro quickly saw the arrow, caught it with his two fingers and returned it perfectly back to the shooter! At his head, no less!

"A little thing called… TWO FINGER INTERCEPTION!" Kenshiro yelled,

The bandit fell down backwards to his death. Another bandit rushed at Kenshiro with his bat, about to whack him. Until… Nanashi slid into his path and tripped the bandit up, like a baseball player colliding onto another.

This stunned the bandit, allowing Kenshiro to strike the channeling point on his head, and the bandit's body rocked around for a while and his head exploded! "Thanks." Kenshiro replied,

"Not a problem." Nanashi said back, "Shall we… Successor?"

Kenshiro nodded as he and Nanashi faced the remaining twelve bandits. Nanashi charged towards a purple face-painted bandit, punched him twice low and followed up his combo with a sweep kick. The bandit tripped down. The bandit cried, "I'll kill you…!"

Nanashi leaped in place, now thinking to himself, "Man, this is fun! I never fought with so much strength and power before, and with the Successor by my side, we can do anything!"

The bandit got up and attempted to bash Nanashi in the skull…

Until Kenshiro came to his aid and popped his fingers into both sides of the bandit's skull! He held for a few seconds and removed them.

"HOKUTO FIST OF PENITENCE!"

Nanashi looked up to Kenshiro and said, "Thanks, Mr. Kenshiro."

Kenshiro looked at Nanashi and replied, "Not a problem." And he turned to the bandit he just eliminated. "He's got three seconds left…"

"What do you mean…" the bandit cried, and then he began to whimper as his head shook slightly violently, "No… It can't be! Let me go!"

And then… KABLOOM! His head exploded!

Kenshiro and Nanashi looked around, with backs toward each other, hearing taunts from the other bandits. Some said, "You scared?!"

Another cried, "I'm falling asleep here!"

"Still up for giving them a show?" Kenshiro asked,

"You bet, Mr. Kenshiro!" Nanashi cried,

Nanashi went to work on another bandit. He slid down to strike the bandit on the knee, forcing him to kneel. Kenshiro ran up and raised his right arm… and slammed it down on the bandit's head!

"STONE MOUNTAIN SPLITTING SLASH!"

The bandit cried to his death, after that massive "headache" Kenshiro gave him.

The overweight bandit from before raised his arms up. Nanashi punched him, but… the overweight bandit spun himself with his arms out, hitting Nanashi with his punches. "Ow!" Nanashi cried as he fell and got up quickly.

Kenshiro was already charging his body in a wide stance. Then he rushed to the overweight bandit and hit his channeling point on the head. The bandit remained still and cried, "I… I can't move!"

Kenshiro, with his finger, picked up the overweight bandit's head, and spun him around! His body smacked four bandits around him as he spun. Kenshiro then lets go of the bandit, into the sky above.

"HOKUTO HORDEBREAKER STRIKE!"

The bandit's body expanded in several places and exploded! The bandits that were smacked all died from the heavy hit, with their heads exploding. The blue mohawk-haired bandit was shaking in fear. "W… What?! How can this be?!" he cried,

"Don't give up!" The giant bald leader yelled, "We still outnumber them!"

"He's right!" Another bandit cried, "Let's kill them!"

"Watch this." Kenshiro said to Nanashi, and he put his hands together…

He quickly sped to the smaller bandits and hit their channeling points on the head. Then, he pointed his finger across at Nanashi and turned around. The bandits' heads exploded!

"No… No!" The giant bald bandit yelled, "This can't be happening!"

He growled in a fit of rage and screamed, "I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"

The giant bald bandit lifted his giant hammer and swung three times at Kenshiro and Nanashi. Both guys dodged the swings. Kenshiro then punched the giant bald bandit twice, kicked him, rapidly punched him and hit his channeling point on the back.

"Here it comes…" Nanashi thought, as he knows what's coming next.

Kenshiro rapidly rained punches on the giant bald bandit's chest, like a hurricane, while crying out "ATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!"

Then, he finished his attack, with a shot on the giant bald bandit's head, crying out "OWATAAAH!"

"There it is…" Nanashi said, quietly.

Then, both Kenshiro and Nanashi said, loud and quietly, respectively,

"HOKUTO HUNDRED-FIST RUSH!"

Kenshiro turned around and said… "You… are already dead."

…

"What?" the giant bald bandit said,

Then, his body shook violently, and his head exploded!

Both Kenshiro and Nanashi panted and placed their hands on their respective chests. "Whew…" Nanashi said, "I never felt this good in a long time."

The audience around them, slowly began to clap. Then, it grew to loud cheering for both men. Both guys bowed.

Rin decided to come near Kenshiro and Nanashi and said, "Thank you for being here, everyone. Even if we did… overexcite a few of you… I'll have more surprise shows in the future. Your adoration is always welcome!"

"Wow! You're the real deal!" One citizen cried out, "We would love to see you again!"

"Yeah, yeah! More shows! More shows!" Another citizen cried out,

The crowd roared in approval. "Until we meet again, my dear little sheeplings." Rin said,

"You're late, you know!" Rin cried out, "This is why you're always going to be my minion!"

"I'm sorry…" Nanashi replied, feeling extremely sheepish

"It's not his fault." Kenshiro replied, "If anything, that's on me. I finished my bartending shift late and I made him late as a result."

Rin looked down. Then she said, "Thank you… both of you."

Then, she looked at Kenshiro. "I'm amazed that you can fight so well! Now I know why Nanashi looks up to you!"

"Tell you what, since I got all this IDL and you both saved my life, I think you guys deserve a treat!" Rin cried, "Take my minion and go with him to the Casino. Kati should be there." She handed Kenshiro 10,000 IDL in a small bag.

Kenshiro replied, "Thank you."

"You better behave yourself at the Casino, minion!" Rin yelled to Nanashi

"All right, fine…" Nanashi replied, "Let's just go, Mr. Kenshiro."

"Yeah…" Kenshiro replied,

"I'm going to rest." Rin said, "I need my voice ahead of tomorrow." And she entered Kenshiro's room.

"Don't mind Rin." Nanashi said, "She's usually very icy towards me."

"Not a problem, Nanashi." Kenshiro replied as they both proceeded north along the Chimney District.

Then, they both walked up the stairs into the Casino Road. Then, they found a small stairway, which led to a pair of giant gold doors, and neon lights. At the top of the door is the word "CASINO", glittering in a multitude of colours. "Shall we go in?" Kenshiro asked,

"Yes. Let's." Nanashi replied, and they both walked through the doors

Kenshiro and Nanashi were inside a octagon-shaped room with a bright neon light on a pagoda-like structure in the middle of the room. Along the sides of the room are tables lined up of various gambling games like roulette, blackjack, baccarat and poker, with people playing them. On the side, near the entryway, is a counter where people can exchange IDL for chips to play the games and can give back the chips, in exchange for prizes. All of this is going on, while a nice jazzy piece is playing in the background.

Nanashi looked around and thought, "Is this what people entertain themselves with? I'm sure there must be more to this town…"

Then, he noticed Kati in her maid outfit, greeting patrons. Whenever one came by, she said, always in a happy mood, "Welcome! Please enjoy yourself!"

Kati quickly noticed Kenshiro and Nanashi and greeted them both, saying, "Welcome, Masters! Please enjoy yourselves!"

"Hey, Kati." Nanashi replied, "Nice work tonight. I didn't think you had it in you to welcome people outside of me."

"Thank you, Master." Kati replied,

"I do concur." Someone said and in came a tall purple long-haired woman, with matching long sleeves, bra, leggings and boots, and silver shoulder pads.

Kenshiro noticed and said, "Good evening, Lyra."

"Hello, Kenshiro." She replied, and she looked at Nanashi. "So you must be the boy who brought all these young women here. I'm actually quite impressed at how you handled yourself with Kenshiro by your side."

"Umm…" Nanashi scratched his head, looking at Lyra's… assets. "Thank you?"

Lyra giggled. "No need to be shy. Besides, I have the perfect job for you, for your stay in Eden. But I want to discuss the particulars with you, and I want Kati to be involved in the discussion."

"Uh… sure." Nanashi replied, "I'll see you soon, Kenshiro?"

"Yeah…" Kenshiro said,

Nanashi and Kati followed Lyra outside. Kenshiro exchanged the IDL he got from Rin for 100 chips and he went to play roulette.

Nanashi, Kati and Lyra went down the small stairwell. They stopped once they reached the bottom stair.

"So, Nanashi…" Lyra said, "You came at quite a good time. We recently have new people coming here in Eden every day and night."

"Hm. That so?" Nanashi replied,

"Oh yes." Lyra answered, with confidence, "But first… A little bit about myself. My name is Lyra. Not only do I announce in the Colosseum, where we have bloodthirsty criminals fight to earn their freedom, but I also own the Nightclub."

"The Nightbulb?" Kati asked, "What is that?"

Not picking up on Kati's verbal mishap, Lyra replied, "The Nightclub is a symbol of Eden. It's a wonderful place where men gather and talk to women of various kinds. You see, in difficult times, places like these are an oasis. It's important that we give people that escape."

"Did you know that Kenshiro is the manager of the Nightclub?"

"Wait…" Nanashi cried, "Are you saying that Mr. Kenshiro manages the Nightclub?!"

"Oh yes." Lyra replied, "He keeps the Nightclub out of trouble and makes sure it looks good, sort of like the behind-the-scenes guy. He also assigns the right girls to the right customers. He figures out what the customers want and see if he can match their needs. He is also responsible for keeping riff-raff out. And of course, he gets paid handsomely."

"Since you brought a number of girls with you all the way to Eden, what do you think about becoming manager for the day?"

"Wait… me?!" Nanashi cried, "The Manager for your Nightclub?!"

"Yes." Lyra nodded, "Plus you already have the backing of each of your friends. I'm sure they're in good capable hands. Wouldn't you agree, Kati?"

"I wouldn't mind being a hostess at your establushment, Miss Lira." Kati replied, enthusiastic about the idea

"Plus, I've already talked to Rin, Shion and Nana." Lyra said, "Shion is thrilled with the idea. Although Rin and Nana are skeptical for their own reasons, I'm sure you'll figure out why… All I need to speak to are Shizuku and Tohko."

"Where, pray tell, do you think they are?" Lyra then asked,

"I'm not sure, Miss Lyra." Nanashi replied, "I know that Shizuku is out on the town. And I think Tohko is resting up, after spending a lot of time in the Colosseum. You didn't see her, did you?"

"Hmm…" Lyra mused, "Probably not. Maybe I'll meet her tomorrow… I do have a special match set up for Kenshiro, then."

"Well… duty calls." She then said, "Maybe I'll see you all tomorrow night? Hopefully, you all can make it a night to remember here in Eden…" And she walked off.

"I wonder what it is like being a hostess of a nightclub…" Kati said to Nanashi, "I think it'll be like being a maid in a café. It's going to be fun!"

"I think so, too…" Nanashi said as he looked up in the sky