Chapter 2
The Heroine in Japan

"So, are you famous around here, Miranda?" Harima asked, while walking with her in the forest.

"Oh, I have my ways," Miranda responded, "You see, I happened to fight for my sister. But…"

"Oh… I feel sorry for your loss."

"How do you know?"

"Just a thought; say, do you think I should teach you how to fight without the blade you have?"

"Well, no… I can fight with fisticuffs; why do you think I fight, whether I am a sword fighter or a pugilist?"

Harima laughed a bit and patted her back.

"You know, for a British lady like you, you're one girl who can kick ass."

Miranda blushed.

XXXXX

Harima, Eri, Yakumo, & Miranda arrived at a local café where Yakumo works, the El Cado. She left to go change, as the others sat down.

"I never knew Yakumo worked here in this establishment," Miranda stated, "She must have lots of work done here."

"Oh, please, she works here because of the ridiculous fan service," Eri said, "This is a costume café."

"Oh… I didn't know that," she said, "Back where I live, we have local pubs and cafés, as well. I used to work in those places, when I was finished battling the evil forces."

Eri was a bit enraged, "I don't believe a word she says. Is she a freak? I don't care if she is Miranda Maynard."

Harima said, "Oh… I forgot you fight for the good of the country."

"King and country! I fight for Argos!" Miranda smiled, "Why do you think I fight for my country?"

"Excuse me… but isn't Argos in Greece?" Eri asked, "I never heard of such a place from a Greek country."

"We're a small country," Miranda stated.

"So, do you have like other friends besides me?" Harima asked.

Eri tugged his ear and sneered, "Quit asking that woman stupid questions."

Yakumo arrived, with a princess costume, holding up a notepad.

"What will you have?"

"I'll have some tea," Eri said.

"None for me, thanks." Harima added.

Miranda then smiled and asked, "What's your special today, milady?"

"Um… well, our special is an extra helping of strawberry shortcake; we also have a large cup of milk at half price."

Miranda was confused, "Uh… do you sell lager?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Yakumo gasped.

Eri shouted, "This place doesn't sell liquor! And you know you're underage!"

"It just so happens that I am 28!" Miranda snapped.

Eri then said to Yakumo, "Uh… two coffees."

She left to make the order. Harima left to the bathroom, as Eri stared at Miranda. She looked at Eri and asked, "What?"

"Nothing… Are you sure you are the real deal and not a poser?"

Miranda smacked her hands on the table, "Okay, what do you have against me?"

"Nothing, except that you act friendly towards Whiskers," Eri scoffed.

"Wha-! What are you saying? Is this Whiskers guy someone I know? I don't recall ever having to-! Oh, wait, Harima…"

Miranda then explained what happened to her and him. She explained that she was assisting him on an important journey.

"Tell me…"

But just as she was about to say something, she felt something disturbing. She jumped up and tackled Eri to the floor.

"GET DOWN!"

As they fell, a lone arrow flew through the window and jabbed onto the table. Then there was a commotion from the other customers.

"What the heck was that?" Eri gasped.

"Huh? An arrow?" Miranda thought.

Harima rushed back and found the girls on the floor.

"Rich Girl! Maynard! What happened?"

Miranda pointed at the table and located where the arrow came from. He ran outside to find the person responsible, while Yakumo comforted Eri.

"What happened?" Yakumo asked.

"I don't know! Someone shot an arrow here!" Eri shouted.

Miranda then looked around and saw the people a bit worried and afraid.

"Something's not right," Miranda thought, "Who was shooting at us? It cannot be Krauser… or… it couldn't be…"

XXXXX

Even after the incident, Harima took Miranda to his house. He showed her to his room and placed her bags on the floor.

"Make yourself at home," Harima insisted.

"Thanks, Kenji!" Miranda said in glee.

"I don't know what's going on, but let's hope we find the bastard who shot at you," Harima said, "They'll regret hurting the greatest hero who ever lived today!"

"Thanks, Kenji," Miranda stated as she sat down, "But, he was after me and Eri."

"HUH? Rich Girl was attacked, too? How could you tell?"

"I don't know; all I saw was a gleam of light, when I was about to tell one of my adventures… then the perpetrator had a bow and arrow like Erika."

"Oh? You mean someone was attacking you?"

"I'm known for vanquishing evil, but I've only killed twice."

Harima then suggested that he & Eri must stay together for protection; Miranda disagreed.

"I'm sorry… Rydell Krauser & Meiko were all superior to evil. I don't think I'll understand you Japanese blokes. Think of it this way: If you & I join together, we'll be able to find the crum!"

"What about Eri & Tenma's sister?"

"Oh, Yakumo? Her, too. We'll need all the help we can. But for now, I want to know what the guy was doing."

"Did you get a good look at him?"

"No… sadly, all I found was his shadow."

Harima nodded and said, "Miranda, what happened in Argos, stays in Argos. We're in my turf! And for this one, we'll find out who attacked you & Rich Girl! I know it's not much, but trust me! So, you just rest. Argos is not losing a legend!"

He left the room, as Miranda looked around. She even saw his comics he drew. She took a good look and viewed the pictures, page-by-page.

She let out a scowl, "Darn! I wish I would understand what they say!"

Miranda, for some reason, doesn't read Japanese text. As Harima returned, he freaked out, because he saw Miranda reading his comic.

"AHH! Miranda, please! That was-! That was-! That's just nothing!" He panicked.

"Oh, stuff and nonsense!" She smiled, "Just because the drawings were amazing, I'd say they were very enjoyable. This is a comic you drew, Kenji?"

Harima insisted, "Hmm… well, yes. So, what do you think of it?"

She smiled, then frowned, then had a confused look, and then was confident. She then asked, "Can you read it to me?"

"Huh?"

"I couldn't understand your language."

Harima laughed a bit and grabbed the comics and put it in his desk.

"You'll understand later. For now, we need some protection."

He looked out the window, in a very nervous state.

"Whoever those freaks were, Miranda Maynard is the greatest hero that ever lived… in our generation!" He thought aloud, "I cannot let her die… at least before me, over embarrassment!"

She then got up and looked at a picture of Tenma Tsukamoto.

"Harima, who's this?" She asked.

"Oh, that's Tenma Tsukamoto from my class… or, at least she used to be in my class," he said, "For some reason, some other bastard loved her! The guy was called Karasuma, and he loved Tenma very much."

"Oh? (So, THIS is the Tenma he aforementioned.) Is she still around?"

"Well, she's gone now…"

"Tenma? Did she… die?"

"What? Oh, no, she just went to America and studied abroad. We don't know why, but it had something to do with Karasuma."

"What did she do to him?"

"Nothing, except that Karasuma was sick and she needed to become a doctor and cure his disease."

"Oh… I get it; study abroad and learn to save people. What did he suffer from?"

"You'll understand one day, but he has been losing his memories of his first two years of high school."

Harima looked out the window and sighed, "She's out there, studying abroad. But I miss her so, and so does Yakumo."

She then smiled and said in a Cheshire grin, "Oh… I see… you're in love with her, aren't you?"

Harima gasped and collapsed on the desk, struggling to get up. Miranda giggled.

"Oh, it's okay. I don't mind it one bit… since it happened before. Don't get your knickers in a twist; you miss her, and she's still around… just not here."

"Easy for you to say! She never loved me! She thinks of me as a-!"

"Oh, stop it! I feel your pain! In fact, you're not the only one who missed a person you love."

But as Miranda continued, Eri arrived and saw them in a conversation. She called to Harima, "Hey, Whiskers! Do you have a minute? I need you to help me shop for Miranda."

"For me?" Miranda asked.

"Uh, sure… thank you, but, I…"

"No, you go ahead. I'll watch the house for you while you're gone." Miranda insisted.

"Watch the house?" Eri asked in confusion, "You know that this is an apartment."

"Whenever I leave, Emily always watched my home."

"Who's Emily?"

"My daughter."

Eri shrieked in confusion.

"WHAT?"

Miranda blushed and asked Harima, "I know I won't mind, but would you be a dear and watch the little kipper? Danger looms everywhere."

Harima then said, "You don't worry about me. I'm known to kick ass! It'll be so, if anything happens to Rich Girl."

"Wait! Did she just call me a kipper?" Eri thought.

Harima and Eri left the room as Miranda laid in Harima's bed and took a nap.

"I wonder who it was that attacked me and Eri," she thought, as she snoozed.

XXXXX

Meanwhile, late at night, a thin man with a black crew cut and mesh attire approached an abandoned warehouse. He stepped inside and kneeled down in the middle of the room.

"Boss, we have located the urchins," he said in a shaky voice, "It won't be long before she's dead."

The ringleader of the group approached the spotlight. It was a thug with spiky blond hair. In fact, he was the same guy that attacked Erika Avery's father, long ago.

"OY! Then she must be around after all!" He spoke in a cockney accent, "I haven't forgotten why that Maynard loser showed up."

"If memory serves us, boss," a burly guy with dark skin bellowed, "She's the best friend of Avery's daughter."

"What? That liddle urchin?" He shouted, "Well, bugger them! We want her dead! The order came from our leader, Isabella666. We want Maynard dead. And you say she has new friends?"

"Exactly; there was a guy with glasses and slick hair, a girl with blond pigtails, and a girl with short black hair. I think she knows them well… perhaps too well."

He got up and grinned evilly, "Well… it seems we'll get our revenge anyway! Miranda Maynard tinks she's so tough, but that cute little bum of hers won't know what 'it her!"

They all cheered and agreed.

"Tomorrow, we take out Maynard and that scumbag friend of hers: Shades!"

RING! RING!

His cell phone rang. He answered it and said hello.

"Maris!" A woman shouted from the phone, "Have you do away with our visitor yet?"

"No, not yet," he said in fright, "But she's with… friends."

"Hmm… friends? I suppose I should check them out. What do they look like?"

Maris, the ringleader of his thugs, explained the appearances of Harima, Eri, & Yakumo respectively. The woman then said that she knew about them.

"What? You knew about it and you didn't tell us?" He cried.

"Well, call it a hunch, but, I happened to ran into a girl called Eri. She's the one in blond, right?"

Maris replied, "UH, yes… that's her."

"Good!" The woman then declared, "I'll call back tomorrow and give you the details. And don't fail me, this time, when you find that woman!"

The phone hung up.

"Who was it, boss?" The burly guy asked.

"Shut it, Bruce!" Maris snapped, "Leave right now! We'll kill Maynard tomorrow! She should be located around the district!"

"Boss, should I use the machete or the dagger?" The skinny guy asked.

"Use neither, Runt!" Maris shouted, "Do as I tell you, and we'll 'ave Miranda Maynard crying in tears of blood!"

Runt held up a dagger, just in case. Bruce lifted up Runt and held him on his shoulders. Maris held up a lighter at a picture of Miranda Maynard and caught it on fire.

"See you in hell yet, Maynard!" He cackled.

XXXXX

Later that night, Miranda started to look up on the ceiling. She was thinking about what will happen to Eri, knowing Harima is protecting her.

"Gee… I hope Harima is doing okay," she thought, "Maybe I should visit Yakumo tomorrow and see how she's doing."

Just then, Harima arrived and sat by her.

"So, I heard you telling Rich Girl that you're an adult; why didn't you tell me?"

Miranda then asked, "Oh? Why do you ask? I'm an adult and I have a child!"

"Oh, you looked very young when we first met…"

Miranda looked down and was confused.

"Oh, pshaw! You thought I'd be 16? What a rot!" She blushed.

Harima laughed a bit and held her tight.

"Kenji…"

"Don't worry about that. Rich Girl will be in my protection," he whispered, "I promise that I'll make you proud."

Miranda smiled and said, "Please do."

"I'll sleep in the other room," he said, as he got up, "You can have my bed."

He left to the other room and went to bed. Miranda then changed out of her clothes and into her pink pajamas. She slept in Harima's bed and went to sleep.

"Eri… don't worry…" She thought, "Even though you and I are not friends, it doesn't change the fact that I am here to help you. That's why I am a hero in England; it's my sworn duty."

She then asked herself as she closed her eyes, "Who's Rich Girl again?"

"I'm Kenji Harima. Rich Girl, Tenma's sister, and I are in trouble. Someone is after us… or rather, Miranda Maynard. Someone is going after her. But… who?"

Next Chapter: The Hit

"Eri… Yakumo… I hope for your sake, we stick together."