Chapter 3
The Hit

Miranda was humming to her daughter, Emily, who was sleeping. She got up after Emily was fast asleep. She turned out the lights and went to the kitchen.

Later, she had tea with Harima, who was very exhausted.

"So, tell me about yourself. It's nice to meet a young chap like you," she said.

Harima talked about himself, including his hobbies.

"I also like to draw," he said, "I used to work on my manuscript alongside Tenma & Yakumo."

"Oh? Are they friends of yours?"

"Well, yes… they are, in fact, WERE classmates of mine. We just graduated months ago. Of course, Yakumo is a year younger than us."

Miranda sipped her tea.

"I'd love to meet them face-to-face real soon," she thought.

"So, what gives with the sword and shield? Are you like those Roman Gladiators?"

"I'm from England, not Italy, you twit!"

She held out her sword and said, "This sword is my lucky sword. I wanted to name my sword, but couldn't. I had this sword for 13 years now. I also have another sword, but it's not mine."

"Oh? And whose sword is it?" Harima asked.

Miranda looked down and said nothing. She looked a bit sad.

"Miranda?"

XXXXX

The next morning, Harima tried to wake Miranda up, but noticed that she was crying in her sleep.

"Hey! Wake up!" He screamed, "What's wrong?"

She woke up and found that Harima is by her side.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"You were crying," he said, "What's the matter?"

Miranda got up and was confused, "Oh… just something personal. I'll tell you soon."

She got up and went to the bathhouse.

"Every time I ask her about herself, she always gets interrupted or she doesn't want to talk about it," he thought, "Could something have happened to her?"

XXXXX

Later that afternoon, Miranda was walking to Yakumo's house, all covered in a veil and glasses.

"This way… I'll be able to be not noticed," she thought, "If I hurry, I won't get caught."

But she was right, for once. All of a sudden, she found a stray calico kitten. She bowed down to it, while an arrow zipped behind her and jabbed into a pole. Who was responsible for it?

"Bugger this!" Bruce shouted, holding a bow and arrow from far away, "Since when does this limey know when to quit? I ain't fooled by your disguise, you tart."

He fired again, but this time, with 10 arrows. Miranda got up and walked with the kitten. As for the arrows, they missed Miranda. They all landed in a signboard.

"Damn! She's persistent!" He thought, "I'm not gonna muck this up. Maris told me to waste her."

"Come on, kitty," Miranda said, "We have to go see Yakumo. I'll find you your home."

"Huh? Who's Yakumo?" He thought.

He hastily followed Miranda, sneakily.

XXXXX

When Miranda arrived, she looked around and was concerned.

"Is someone following me?" She thought.

She went inside and was greeted by Yakumo. She went to the kitchen to serve some tea. Meanwhile, Runt was watching from outside Yakumo's back porch.

"Hmm… this little tart is beautiful; not as beautiful as our boss," he sneered, holding a pair of binoculars.

He pulled out a dagger and licked it with his tongue.

"This will be the beginning of the end…"

He crept by the door and heard all the commotion from the two ladies.

"So, I was taking care of Iori, as usual; Sara often drops by, since I tend to become very lonely on occasions." Yakumo spoke.

"Oh? Then, do you miss your sister, Yakumo?" Miranda asked.

"Sometimes," she responded, "But she writes to me every day."

"Oh, that's nice…"

"What about you? Don't you have anybody you care about?"

"Oh, yes, I do. I have a daughter named Emily. She's often a mature girl. In fact, she wants to be a hero, just like me, when she grows up."

"Oh… is she very cute?"

"Yes. She's only about nine years old. But then she said that she'll train when she's a teenager. You know…"

She then looked at Yakumo's face.

"What?"

"Emily does remind me of you, when you were only 9."

Runt was unimpressed, "What the devil are they talking about?"

Miranda continued, "Of course, she's not the only one I cared about; I cared about my late sister, Sara."

Yakumo then asked, "What happened to her? How did she die?"

Miranda growled and shouted, "Meiko…"

"Who?"

"Meiko… she was a powerful sorceress. She killed my sister 13 years ago, and I swore I'd get my revenge. I hate it when people die! I just don't! She wanted me dead, as well, so I hope she burns in hell!"

Yakumo was scared. Miranda let out a smile.

"But… she's gone now. I avenged her death and killed Meiko in the process."

"Oh! I never knew you were very violent."

"I'm not that violent. I'm just not a natural born killer; though, it was fate that led me to kill her."

Runt stepped out of the back porch and ran off.

"I better warn Maris! She's gotten very angry!"

Yakumo then asked, "So, did you and Harima know each other well? How did you two met each other?"

Miranda chuckled a bit and told her how she met Harima.

XXXXX

Miranda & Harima were running towards the city. They heard a loud glass shattering sound and rushed over there. There was a man with bronze armor and a blood-tipped knife.

"Ho, ho! I see we've found some action!" Miranda grinned, as she held her sword tight.

"Who the hell are you?" The man shouted, "You think your weapon can stop me?"

Miranda charged at him and cried, "I don't think so; I KNOW so!"

She swung her sword and struck him in the chest armor many times. He started to stagger a bit, even though there was very little pain.

"Have at you, knave! I came here to swipe some of this village's treasures!" He cried.

"Sadly, this village is as worthless as scum like you!" She cried, "I have been a hero for 3 years now! I'd say it's time someone gave me some proper riches… and it's gonna start with you, you twisted knight wannabe!"

She swung her sword and lunge it at his armor. The sword pierced through the armor, but, he was unaffected.

"Huh?"

He slashed at Miranda, nicking her right arm. She started to bleed.

"Ha, ha, ha! Don't you see? Your puny blade is as dull as a steak knife!"

"That's not true!" Harima shouted, "I'll have you know that all knives are sharp. But, you are one of the dullest villains I've ever seen; and I've seen bigger guys like you!"

He charged at the man and jumped up. The man in the armor was shocked when he launched a kick towards his head.

"What's this?" Miranda thought.

"This is for her town! HURRICANE KICK!" Harima cried out, as he dropkicked the man on his head.

He stumbled down and dropped his knife. Harima grabbed him and threw him down to the ground.

"And don't you dare hurt her again! People like you have no right to attack innocent girls or steal invaluable treasures!"

He got up and tackled Harima. He restrained him on his shoulders.

"Oh, yeah? I don't approve of you being such a snide! You think you can stop me, you bastard?"

"No!" Called a voice.

Three fireballs smacked onto his chest and fell to the ground.

"But, I can!" Miranda cried.

She stepped on his chest and pointed her sword at him.

"Give it up… I'm the best there is in Argos!"

"You… who are you?" He moaned.

"Don't you know? I am Miranda Maynard, the hero of Argos!" She called out.

Harima was stunned by Miranda's actions. "Holy crap! Is this woman THAT strong? I better think before I speak to her next time."

As the police arrived, carrying away the man, she turned to Harima, who was in pain.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. But, how did you do it, with only one arm?"

"Pfft! Bloody thing nearly nicked me. It wasn't THAT deep."

She pulled him up and said, "Thanks for the assist, but I was okay by myself. You're such a fighter!"

"Thanks, you mean it?" Harima asked.

XXXXX

Miranda and the cat she found were returning to Harima's home. However, she ran into a girl with blue hair. She bumped into her and stumbled a bit.

"Oh, sorry," she said as she saw Miranda.

She started to gasp a bit and asked, "Uh… do I know you from somewhere?"

The girl was a tall girl with an ample bust. She was confused about Miranda.

"Oh, hello, nice to meet you," Miranda greeted, "Dreadfully sorry for the accident."

"Sorry… it's like I've known you from somewhere," she insisted,

She was about to introduce herself, when a small girl was looking for her cat. She saw the cat, which was on Miranda's shoulders.

"Hey, there you are, Prin!" She cried.

"Oh? Is this cat yours? I found her down the street," she said.

Miranda gave the cat to the little girl and thanked her. She left with her cat; Miranda turned to the girl with blue hair.

"I'm sorry… who are you again?" She asked, "I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"Oh, no; it's okay. My name is Mikoto Suo." She introduced.

Miranda extended her hand, "I'm Miranda Maynard. It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, yeah; Eri told me about you. So, you & Harima are like pen pals?"

"Oh, you could say that… I'm just visiting his enchanting place."

She & Mikoto continued to chat as Runt appeared from behind a phone booth.

"Huh? Another hot girl?" He thought, "She must be a dead girl, since she's with Miranda."

He then stepped out with a dagger in his hands.

"Stop right where you are!" He shouted, "I got a blade, and I am not afraid to use it!"

Miranda & Mikoto were shocked. He charged at them with a shrill. She dodged out of the way, but realized what she did.

"Crap!" She thought, "I must've injured Mikoto! Aw, man! What the heck did I just do?"

But Miranda looked and found Mikoto grabbing Runt's arm and tossing him to the ground.

"Back off, sick-o!" She screamed.

She stepped on his gut and shouted, "What gives you the right to use a knife at us?"

Miranda cried, "Great scot! That was amazing!"

Runt got up and growled, "You… you little big breasted bosom! You'd think you can stop me?"

"Oh? And who do you work for, you brittle bum?" Miranda asked in anger.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough! I'm gonna tell Maris about you!" He pointed at them, "You watch your bum! You'll pay dearly, sunshine!"

He ran off, as Miranda was confused.

"Uh… dare I ask who the devil he was?"

"Oh… uh, I don't know…" Mikoto stammered.

Miranda looked at Mikoto with a vague stare. She then looked down at Mikoto's breasts.

"Uh… what are you doing?"

Miranda grinned and said, "I envy you, you young buxom, uh, blue. You know… you're girth reminded me of another person I know… except hers is a bit smaller than those."

"Uh…"

"Just kidding; you must have an excellent physique, eh what?"

"Thanks… I think," Mikoto said, "So, what brings you here to Yagami?"

"Oh, I'm here on holiday. You'll thank me when I owed a favor to Kenneth & Erika for their help. Of course, young Erika may be a bit arrogant like Haruna."

"Kenneth & Erika?" Mikoto thought, "OH! She must've meant Harima & Eri."

Miranda left Mikoto and thought to herself, "I wonder who those guys were earlier."

Mikoto called to her, "Wait! If you get the chance, can you tell me about your adventures, one day?"

She smiled and nodded.

XXXXX

Later that night, Miranda was talking to Harima about earlier.

"Oh? You were attacked?" He asked.

"I was… but the girl, Mikoto, is a great athlete!"

"Oh, don't be. She has been training with Four-eyes."

"Who?"

She then had a sip of soda.

Harima inquired, "Uh, can you tell me how it's been since you left Argos?"

"Well, I's tell you…"

Miranda then started talking gibberish, which is her own British dialect, "I ran into a whole liter of rather baddies, and nearly knick meself in pain; it was very bloody showy. Then there is big bad wizard guy wanted to kill off me little baby girl, but he was beckoning his life for some eternal life story. You think I would kick the big blue British gate for one chance at youth for the young elders? I don't think so, mate. I just couldn't reckon myself to be lengthy and tough over Argos to Norris to Birmingham to London; but my child of mine is so rather daring, she wants to be the new protector to the family tree, rather what."

Which meant: "I had to go through a whole mess of villains, and I got the scars to prove it. Then Rydell Krauser wanted to kill Emily for immortality. Did I die? No. I couldn't sacrifice myself all over England; but Emily wants to become a hero like me when she's older."

Harima was all confused, "Miranda, I can't understand what the hell you were saying…"

"Huh? What's wrong with the way I say it?"

She blushed and apologized for what she said.

"Well, at least you are okay," Harima said, "Though I'm surprised you saved Suo."

"Hey, thanks." Miranda giggled.

She then asked about Eri, "So… you and the kipper know each other well? I mean, Eri. The blonde girl?"

Harima answered, "Well, hardly. She's always a pain. But she and I managed to be friendly. But also, she orders me around like I am a slave."

"Ouch, that's not cricket of her."

"Yeah, well, at least she and I were to get married soon. Before graduation, she and I were engaged."

"WHAT? But what about that Tenma bloke?"

"I mentioned it before, didn't I?"

"Oh, yeah… ha, ha, ha… Right!"

Miranda then asked about Yakumo, "Uh, not to be rude, but what about Tenma's little sister, Yakumo?"

"Oh, she just works for me as my comic assistant. Remember those comics you saw? Yakumo helped out in it."

"Really? I didn't know you two were so helpful. So, does she love you, too?"

Harima was stunned in confusion, "Uh… I don't know… but…"

He stammered. Miranda shook her head and grinned, "Poor pitiful Kenneth."

XXXXX

Meanwhile at the abandoned warehouse, Maris got the call from Runt.

"Why, that little minx! She thinks she can be so bloody smart," he huffed, "But we did find out about a certain big breasted tart"

He turned to Bruce, "Take care that liddle brat, Miko, or what's-her-name!"

"You got it, boss!"

Just then, a phone call was made on his cell phone. He picked it up and heard the voice.

"Maris! What is the situation?" A woman's voice called from the phone.

"Uh… Miss Master! What brings you here?" Maris stuttered, "How was your trip, eh what?"

"Can it! I am giving you an order… you tell Bruce and Runt to stay clear of that beauty, Mikoto. I'll personally handle her myself. You worry about Miranda Maynard, and that's it! Understood?"

"Yes, um…" he sighed.

CLICK!

"What was it, boss?"

Maris said nothing; he just got lost in thought.

"Damn it… that blooming harlot has me on me reins!" He thought, "WAIT! How did she know about that Mikoto dame?"

He turned to Bruce and asked him if he could head to local café and wait for Miranda.

"I get you, boss."

He left, hoping to get to Miranda. Maris leaves the warehouse in anger.

"Maynard, you bloody urchin!"

(Mikoto): "I am Mikoto Suo. I am glad I get to be a part of the story."

(Hanai): "I hate to ruin this story, Mikoto; I, Haruki Hanai, have an urgent bulletin for you! My faire Yakumo!"

(Mikoto): "What? What happened to her?"

Next Chapter: The Horrible Woman

(Miranda): "What? Yakumo's kidnapped?"