Love Hina: A Change of Pace by Mr. Lee
Disclaimer: This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only. The author of this fanfiction does not own Love Hina or its characters. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. Any other similarities are purely coincidental.
Author's notes: Hey there LH readers, Mr. Lee is back way sooner than expected with the next chapter of my story. I can hardly believe the responses I've received on this in such a short time, especially from two vet authors who I highly respect. I thank you all for the kind reviews and for your thorough thoughts, concerns and responses.
To answer certain concerns in regards to Keitaro, let me reassure you my readers that the landlord of Hinata House is just stronger. He's not a god or superhuman, it is not my intention to make him that way. However, I didn't make him a martial artist just for show. It has a big role in the story, especially in regards to his past and to a certain someone in the house. The sword he carries does too (It's actually one of a pair.). And finally, his 'immortality' will be decreased to compensate for his skills as a martial artist (You'll see an example in this chapter.). As for the pairing, it's still in the air (With the exception of Naru.). So don't be afraid to voice your opinions when you review.
Now then, we'll get started on chapter two. Remember, this story will differ from the manga, and this chapter is a prime example since this was inspired from a couple of my old anime tapes (Hence, the quick update.). I also dedicate this chapter to all my reviewers, especially Tezza1502 and Kiyana Va Sala. Thanks for your support, I'm honored and flattered :). Well, here goes nothing. Hope you like it since I came up with this faster than normal. Enjoy :)!
Warning: The following chapter contains slightly disturbing content which may not be acceptable to certain readers. Reader discretion is advised.
Chapter 2- Second Chances
It has been a couple of days since Keitaro's crazy meeting with the girls, and the new landlord of Hinata House is just starting to get settled in. After doing some morning exercises, he proceeds to look over the records Haruka gave him in order to find out more about the girls and the house itself.
'Hmm…let's see. Room 205, Konno Mitsune, age 19, Blood type B. High school graduate, now freelance writer. Loves to gamble and has high tolerance for alcohol. Good-natured and beautiful, but has a bad habit of teasing and tricking people. Past background confidential due to personal request.' The young Urashima read quietly when he looked at her picture. 'Konno…Why does that name sound so familiar to me? And why does it make me so angry?' He asked himself with a furrowed brow as if he was missing something.
'Hmm…it must be me. Let's move on. Room 201, Maehara Shinobu, age 12, Blood type O. Seventh grade junior high student. A skilled cook despite her young age. Kind-hearted, but very shy and quiet. Moved into Hinata House due to family divorce.' Keitaro mentally recorded with a pencil in his ear as he looked at her personal file in the resident list. 'It must be hard for her to be on her own at such a young age. She must feel lonely sometimes…' He thought with a deep frown as he looked down at his chest, which was covered with various 'souvenirs' of his past. He placed his hand over an old, but deep scar that was slashed across the area of his heart and rubbed it gently. His face had a joyless expression as he closed his eyes and rubbed the scar more. This continued for another minute until he opened his eyes and stopped, putting on his shirt and closing up the resident list book.
'There's no point in thinking about the past right now. It's a beautiful day. I should enjoy it.' He said in his mind as he cheered himself up. He walked out to the balcony in his room and took a look at the scenery. "Whoa! What an awesome view of the sea!" The young Urashima exclaimed with a bright smile. "Even though I've been here about two days now, I've never really gotten a chance to talk to the girls since the party. I should do try to do that." He said as he enjoyed the breeze. Little did he know that he would get the chance as a certain grayish-brown haired woman put her hands on his shoulders.
"Hey there Keitaro. Enjoyin' the view?" Kitsune said over his shoulder with one of her eyes open.
"Yes I am. Though you shouldn't sneak up on a person like that in their room." Keitaro said calmly with a smile as he cleaned his glasses with a handkerchief and turned his head slightly.
"You're right. I'm sorry. Force of habit." She said as she stepped back, bowed slightly and clapped her hands together in apology. 'Hee Hee. He may be strong, but when you look closely, he's nothing but a simple nice guy. And since he's Hina-baachan's grandson, he must be a rich little bon-bon. This is my chance to make me some easy money!' She thought as her mischievous plan was about to take fruition as she walked to his door and slid it closed.
"Don't worry about it Kitsune-chan. What can I do for you?" He asked politely as he puts his glasses back on after cleaning them.
"I was thinking that since ya came here, we haven't been formally introduced. My real name is Konno Mitsune. But my friends call me Kitsune. Pleased to meet ya!" The fox woman said with a wink.
"I'm Urashima Keitaro. The pleasure is all mine Mitsune-chan." Keitaro said with a warm smile as he gave her a light bow.
"You're such a gentleman. But please, call me Kitsune." She requested with a light blush.
"A-Alright Kitsune-chan." The young man replied with a small blush of his own. "Would you like to enjoy the view with me?" He offered.
"Sure. I'd love too." She answered sweetly as she sat out on the balcony with him and looked at the sea. "So, you're trying to get into Tokyo U right?" She asked as she broke the ice.
"Yeah, that's the plan. But I'm a two year ronin due to not passing my tests. But it is one of my goals. That and being the best landlord here." He chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Well good luck to ya on both fronts Keitaro!" Kitsune said with her vixen like smile.
"Thanks Kitsune-chan. That's means a lot." Keitaro beamed as his face became redder than last time.
'Time to go in for the kill.' Kitsune thought as she opened her eyes slowly. "Say Keitaro, do you…have a girlfriend?" She inquired in a sensuous tone.
"H-Huh? Well, n-no. I…I don't have anyone like that right now…" Keitaro replied honestly as his blush deepened.
"Oh really? That's good!" She squealed a bit as she took both of his hands and held them gently.
"Uh…Heh heh. And w-why is that K-Kitsune-chan?" The young Urashima questioned as he gulped and started to sweat a little.
"Well the truth is…I always wanted to have a strong boyfriend like you. And I would like to really get to know ya better." Kitsune replied 'truthfully' in a sexy voice as she leaned closer to him and started to make little circles on his shirt.
"W-What?! E-Excuse me?!" He said in a flustered tone.
'Heh heh. Piece of cake! A little more and he'll be eating out of my hand and emptying his wallet for me.' She thought as she turned her head and giggled a little with her mischievous grin. But little did she know that Keitaro was paying more attention than she thought.
'Hmm…Something doesn't feel right about this. Kitsune-chan's being way too forward. But she could be sincere. I'll play along…for now.' He thought as he lowered his glasses slightly and gave her a suspicious scowl. But when she turned her head, it disappeared just as her grin did.
"I know that I shouldn't say this without knowing how ya feel. But…what do you think of me Keitaro-kun?" She asked in a soft, sensual voice while adding the suffix to his name as she took his hand and slowly rubbed his chest with the other while looking deep into his eyes. Keitaro looked deep into hers as well, his face fully flushed, hoping to see some form of sincerity that she was serious. That what she was saying was real. But all he saw in them was an impish and playful gleam, carrying a small hint of deceit. Although he still carried his flustered look on his face, inwardly he had a deep frown as a sharp pain hit his heart. Though he knew it was silly of him since he's only been there only a few days, a small part of him wanted Kitsune's 'declaration' to be true since he did want to have someone to settle down with someday. But it was not meant to be, at least not today.
'Sigh…it was nice to dream for a brief moment. Kitsune-chan is very attractive too. But I see what she's trying to do. I hate to do this, but it looks like she needs to be taught a lesson.' He thought to himself.
"What's wrong Keitaro-kun? You're so quiet. Be honest. What do ya really think of me?" She asked again adding a little more passion in her tone as she leaned into him closer.
"W-Well, I think you're very beautiful Kitsune-chan. You have v-very nice eyes and a p-p-pretty smile. And you're so easy-going and I enjoy talking to you." Keitaro told her 'honestly'.
"Really? I'm glad." Kitsune responded happily with a smile and a small blush as she lifted his hand. "Put your hand here Keitaro-kun. Can you feel my heart racing?" She asked as she started to move his hand to her breast. But just as he was about to touch it, he pulled back and placed his hand on top of hers. "Keitaro-kun?" She said, stunned by his sudden move.
"You know, there's a nicer way to listen to someone's heart." Keitaro said in his own sensual tone as he took off his glasses and stared into her eyes, giving her a smile that could melt the coldest woman's heart. Without giving her a chance to recover, the young man pulled the fox woman into a fierce, but gentle hug as if they were lovers, while her face was buried in his chest. "I can feel your heart beating Kitsune-chan. Can you feel mine?" He asked her in a romantic tone.
'W-What the hell is he d-doing?!' She screamed in her head at being completely caught off guard.
"It's been so long since I've held a beautiful woman in my arms Kitsune-chan. You have no idea how long I've waited for someone to say those words to me. That way I could rid myself of this loneliness and hold that person close, vowing to love, protect and cherish them for the rest of my life. I'm so glad that it was you, Kitsune-chan." He said warmly as he increased his embrace and started to gently stroke her back, making her mind and body freeze from doing any other thought or action.
"R-Really?" The fox woman squeaked as the warm stroking of her back caused her body to unconsciously relax into his embrace.
"Yes, it's true. Any man would be honored to be with a goddess like you. If I had money to buy you a ring, I'd ask you to be my wife right now. That way, I could hold you like this forever." Keitaro answered as he whispered into her ear with a dreamy voice and moved his hand from her back to caress her smooth leg and thigh, making her let out an involuntary purr.
"K-Keitaro-kun…" She gasped softly as she lifted her head and looked at him with slightly glazed eyes and a flushed face as she surprisingly crossed her legs and placed one on top of his lap to get better access to his massage. He looked deep into her eyes and smiled as the woman tried to suppress a moan from his addicting caresses.
"Do you like my touch Kitsune-chan? It feels so good, doesn't it?" He asked her gently in her ear.
"Mmmm…" Was all she said as he lifted his hands so that only his fingertips were gently caressing her legs. This time, she didn't suppress the soft moan that came out of her lips.
"There's just one thing I have to ask you before I ask you to bless me with a kiss from these gorgeous lips." He said as he moved the hand massaging her leg to cup her cheek, caressing the soft skin with his thumb.
"Y-Yes Keitaro-kun?" She asked as he moved his face closer to hers and she closed her eyes, ready to be swept away.
"Are you a myobu or a nogitsune?" The young Urashima inquired suddenly as his face changed from romantic to a deep, hurtful glare at the woman.
"HUH?!" Kitsune responded, completely snapping out of the passionate mood he put her in. Keitaro said nothing and released her. He stood up from the balcony and walked a few steps away from her, with his back turned the whole time.
"When I was a kid, Grandma used to tell me stories about Kitsunes. They were some of my favorite tales to listen to. She once told me that there were two types of Kitsune. The myobu were the good Kitsunes, and were the servants of the god Inari. While the others were the nogitsune, a malevolent Kitsune who liked to play mischievous and malicious tricks on people. I honestly thought that you were the former Konno-san, but now I can see that you're the latter." Keitaro said in a voice that was mixed with sadness, anger and disappointment. The fox woman's blood froze cold after hearing the landlord's words. At that moment, she realizes that Keitaro caught wind of her game and had basically outfoxed her, no pun intended.
"Keitaro…I…I didn't…I-I mean…" Kitsune stammered as she stood up and reached out to him.
"Don't touch me." He almost growled to her in a low, cold voice, making her flinch back. "Did you enjoy toying with me? Did you have fun playing with my heart like a toy? Despite all of your pretty words, all I had to do was look into your eyes to know you were lying to me and manipulating me. Sorry to disappoint you, but I won't be used like that." He told her depressingly as he turned his head to her with tears stinging out of his eyes.
"So…what you just did…all of those things you said…" The fox woman started to say.
"No Konno-san. Even in this short period of time, I do think that you're beautiful. I also do enjoy talking with you, and I wanted us to be good friends. Perhaps we may have even become more than friends and gone to that level one day. That is, before you hurt me and broke my trust…" He told her joylessly as he wiped his eyes and turned his head away from her again.
"Keitaro…" Kitsune said as she lowered her head and looked down at the floor in disgrace. She knew that he was angry and upset because of her trick. And in all honesty, she couldn't blame him. For reasons unknown to her, she felt horrible for doing this to the grandson of the woman who always treated her well, despite her habits. And with him calling her Konno-san so coldly, she was hurt more than she thought she would be.
"Please leave. And don't come into my room again without my permission." He requested in a quiet voice as he turned to the side, making sure he wouldn't have to look at her. Realizing that trying to defend herself would be pointless, she walked to his door with her head still looking down to the floor. Before she was about to leave, she lifted her head and turned to look at him with tears falling from her eyes like a stream.
"I'm sorry Keitaro…" The normally strong woman sobbed regretfully.
"I am too, Konno-san. But you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Now please, leave me alone." He told her as he sat down at his table with his back still turned to her. She just closed his door quietly and quickly went to her room to prevent anyone from seeing her tears. Once inside, she locked her door and cried quietly in her room in shame. In the years that she's had the nickname of Kitsune, she has teased and tricked many people, including her friends, in order to get what she wanted, whether it be money, a material item or a good laugh. As long as she got what she wanted, it was worth it, feelings be damned, she always thought to herself. But she never thought about the consequences of her actions, at least not until now. They say you see things differently when you look at things from the other side of the mirror. And she learned what that saying meant the hard way. It would be something she wouldn't soon forget. Even under her daily fog of alcohol.
Evening
After the rest of the girls returned home from school, everybody sat at the table to eat dinner. The normally festive Kitsune ate quietly without saying a word, which unnerved the girls slightly. But when they asked if anything was wrong, she just waved it off, saying she had something on her mind in regards to her freelance work. Keitaro acted as if nothing happened and ate normally making small talk with the others save Kitsune.
After dinner was done, Haruka went back to the café, but the fox woman followed her, asking if they could talk for a bit. Always willing to lend an ear, she nodded quietly and went down to her restaurant.
"So what's on your mind Kitsune?" Haruka asked in her laid back tone as she was drying her dishes.
"Well Haruka…um…it's…" Kitsune started, not knowing what to say.
"It's about Keitaro is it?" She asked.
"How did you know?" The fox woman countered with a shocked look on her face.
"Just a feeling I have." The café owner replied as she put her cloth down and sat at the counter. "What happened? What trick did you pull on my nephew?" She inquired. Letting out a deep sigh at her question and figuring that lying to her was not an option, Kitsune told Haruka everything that happened this morning between her and the landlord. "Good grief. Why am I not surprised?" She groaned as she lit a cigarette and took a drag.
"I really screwed up, didn't I?" Kitsune asked sadly.
"Royally. In more ways than one. I'm disappointed in you, Kitsune. After the incident with Naru, what did you think would have happened? What would Hina say if she knew what you did?" She asked with a scowl.
"I know Haruka! I'm sorry! I cried nearly half the day because of it! I already feel bad about it! Ya don't have to rub it in." The fox woman shouted in annoyance.
"You don't feel nearly bad enough! Otherwise you wouldn't have done it. Nobody likes to have their heart played with. If you were in his shoes, you would feel the same way he does now." Haruka retorted with her trademark glare. Kitsune lowered her head, knowing that what she said was true. Taking another drag and letting out a sigh, the owner of Hina café turned away from the woman and started to speak in a soft, but sad voice.
"A long time ago, a girl did the same thing you did to Keitaro. The only difference is that he ended up falling in love with her. He truly cared about her, doing whatever he took to make her happy. But she was only using him for her own purposes. When he found out, she had set him up and did something terrible to him. He was never the same after that. It broke his heart and nearly broke him were it not for the support of my mother, our family and his friends. The saddest thing about it all was that she was his first love." She told her cryptically. Kitsune gasped quietly after hearing the revelation.
'It's no wonder he reacted the way he did. Haruka is right. I should've known better.' Kitsune thought feeling guiltier than before. "What happened to him, Haruka? What did that girl do?" She asked curiously.
"That's something you have to ask Keitaro. It's not something our family talks about. You should be lucky I even told you this much." Haruka replied as she turned back around, still keeping her stoic face. "Mitsune, never take advantage of another person's kindness, or you may never receive it again. Not everyone is going to take your mischievous side with a smile. And even though Keitaro is a nice guy, he won't tolerate anyone hurting him or the people he cares about. You saw that firsthand with Naru." She said sagely.
"Haruka, is there anything I can do to make it up to him?" The fox woman inquired.
"That's something you'll have to find out on your own." The café owner replied.
"I see. Thanks for talking with me Haruka." Kitsune said as she got up and started to head to the door.
"No problem…" Haruka responded as she went back to drying her dishes. "Just one thing…" She added.
"What's that?" The young woman asked. Haruka turned around and gave her a fiery glare that almost made Kitsune wet her pants.
"If you ever hurt my nephew the way that girl did, I will hurt you a thousand times more. Got it?!" She warned in a hard voice.
"Got it!" Kitsune quickly said as she ran out of the café like greased lightning.
"That also goes for the three nosy eavesdroppers at my window!" Haruka said with a small growl as she heard rustling and the sound of people running back to the house.
Kitchen-Hinata House
Meanwhile, Keitaro was helping Shinobu with the dinner dishes.
"That was a great meal Shinobu-chan. You really are a great chef." Keitaro complimented honestly as he was washing the dishes, making the young girl blush.
"T-Thank you Urashima-san." Shinobu said softly as she dried a dish that she was handling.
"Who taught you how to cook?" He asked curiously.
"It was my parents. They used to own a restaurant here in Hinata City. That is, until…" The young girl drifted off, lowered her head in a melancholic fashion and let out a sniffle as she thought about her parents divorce and how they argued over her like an object instead of a daughter. Keitaro stopped washing the dishes and looked at her with a frown. Taking off one of his dish gloves, he placed a gentle hand on the blue haired girl's shoulder.
"I found out about your parents. I'm really sorry, Shinobu-chan. Try and cheer up okay?" The young Urashima said softly giving her a warm smile. The young girl couldn't help but raise her head and give him a small smile.
"Thank you Urashima-san. I'm okay." Shinobu said with a pink tinge in her cheeks.
"Why don't we make some tea after this and relax a little?" He recommended.
"Okay." She replied with a smile, feeling much better.
Fifteen minutes later
After the kitchen was cleaned, Keitaro brought out a bowl full of cookies and set them on the dining table while Shinobu got the tea ready.
'I wonder where the others went to. Oh well…' The landlord thought with a shrug as he sat down while Shinobu brought out a small tea table with a kettle and some cups.
"The tea is ready Urashima-san." She called out as she walked to the table. But just as she was about to place the refreshments down, she tripped slightly and the small tea table fell out of her hands to the floor. The hot water from the kettle splashed onto Shinobu's hand, making her scream in pain.
"Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro called out as he ran to her side. He kneeled down and looked at the burn, which covered most of her hand. "We need to run this under cold water!" He told her seriously as he picked her up bridal style and started to run upstairs to the bathroom. Letting out an 'eep!' in surprise, the young girl looked at her landlord with her face red as a beet. His face was filled with worry and concern for her wellbeing, and it made her feel a damsel being saved by a knight. Once they made it to the bathroom, he put her down gently and placed her hand in the sink. Turning on the faucet slowly, the icy cold water splashed on the burn, making her wince and whimper in pain.
"I know it hurts, but it'll feel better shortly." He told her as he looked at her with a reassuring smile, which made her relax. True to his word, the sting from the burn started to lessen significantly. Once he knew it was enough, he let go of her hand and turned off the water. He then turned to her and reached out his hand. "Give me your hand Shinobu-chan." He asked politely. She nodded and did as he requested. Holding her hand by the palm, he used his other hand and started to release ki to completely heal the wound.
'It feels…so warm…' Shinobu said in her mind as her blush deepened while she looked at him silently concentrating on his task. A couple of minutes later, the wound was gone and he let her hand go.
"Are you alright now Shinobu-chan?" Keitaro inquired.
"Yes, thanks to you. I'm sorry about ruining the tea." Shinobu replied quickly as she bowed to him in apology.
"There's no need to apologize. It was an accident. As long as you're safe, that's what matters." He told her while rubbing the back of his head.
"Thank you Urashima-san. You're very kind." The young girl said softly. Keitaro's smile widened at her. "What is it?" She inquired.
"You remind me of my sister." Keitaro replied in a nostalgic voice as he grabbed a couple of towels from the rack to dry their hands.
"You have a sister?" Shinobu questioned, making the young man answer with a nod.
"Yeah, but she's adopted. I used to take care of her a lot when she was a kid. When she came to our house, she was shy and very difficult with my mom and dad. But when it came to me, she never cried or anything." The young Urashima explained as he finished wiping his hands.
"Where is she now?" Shinobu asked.
"She's traveling with Grandma right now. She's strong and quiet, but she also has a gentle side." Keitaro answered joyfully with his eyes closed.
"You must love her a lot." She said.
"Yes, I do. She is very important to me. Just like all of the people I keep in my heart." He told her as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on. Let's head back to the dining room and clean up that mess." He said.
"Right!" Shinobu nodded happily as they started to head out the bathroom. "Um…Urashima-san?" She said shyly as she stopped for a moment.
"Yeah?" He inquired.
"Can I call you Sempai?" She asked with a cherry tomato blush. The young man's eyes widened for a moment, but he just smiled afterwards.
"Sure." Keitaro replied, making the girl beam from ear to ear.
"Thanks sempai!" She squealed as they headed downstairs. As the two were heading downstairs to clean up, they saw the rest of the girls running into the house and passed them, rushing into their rooms in pure terror. Keitaro quickly pulled Shinobu out of the way, making sure she didn't get run over.
"W-What was that about?!" Shinobu asked with wide eyes.
"Something tells me we don't want to know." Keitaro replied scratching his head. 'Though I have a feeling Haruka-obasan had something to do with it.' He said to himself, remembering the many times people ran away from her in horror after pissing her off.
The next day-Afternoon
Naru and Motoko walked home from their respective high schools, thinking about what they heard from Haruka last night when the two of them along with Su secretly followed Kitsune to find out why she was acting weird last night.
"I still can't believe how fast we ran back to our rooms last night." Naru said sheepishly.
"Please don't remind me of our shameful actions last night Naru-sempai." Motoko said while blushing in embarrassment.
"Hey! You wanted to find out what's up with Kitsune just as much as I did." The brunette pouted.
"True. But I never expected to find out so much. Not only about Kitsune, but Urashima as well." The kendo girl said.
"Yeah…" Naru nodded in agreement as what Haruka said along with her own incident with Keitaro flashed into her mind. 'I think…I understand how he feels. I guess I did act like a real bitch to him. But he still showed me kindness even when I didn't deserve it, which was something I never would've done in his position. Maybe…I could try to be nicer to him. But…' She thought while letting out a deep sigh.
"Naru-sempai?" Motoko called out to her.
"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking." She said. The walk afterwards was quiet until they saw a commotion a few blocks ahead.
"Wait!" A young man shouted as he and a small number of kids were chasing after a junior high school girl.
"What's going on?" Naru questioned.
"Wait a minute. Isn't that Shinobu?" Motoko said in surprise as her eye caught her just as she turned a corner.
"Come on!" The brunette shouted as the two girls started to give chase. Shinobu ran frantically, trying to get away from the bullies, but she made an error by taking a wrong turn, which led to a dead end. Knowing she was cornered, she turned around just as the bullies were closing in on her.
"Where are you going Maehara-san? You still haven't paid your protection fee." A snotty junior high girl, who was the leader of the group, said.
"I-I don't have any m-money." Shinobu whimpered in fear.
"Well that's too bad, Maehara-san. I guess we'll have to take it another way. Boys, give her the usual." The girl said as she snapped her fingers. The boys, who also looked like they were in junior high, moved to her threateningly and start to hit her in the body, making the young girl shake and curl up into a ball, covering her head and face with her hands. Just as they were about to strike her face, Shinobu's housemates showed up just in time.
"Hey! What the hell do you punks think you're doing?!" Naru screamed at them.
"All of you beating up on one girl is shameful!" Motoko added with a vein pulsing on her forehead.
"Naru-sempai! Motoko-sempai!" Shinobu cried with relief.
"We weren't doing anything wrong! It was just a…misunderstanding. Right Maehara-san?" The snotty girl asked. Naru and Motoko turned to Shinobu for confirmation. The blue haired girl turned her head slightly and lowered it.
"T-That's…that's right. It was just…a misunderstanding." Shinobu said quietly, stunning both of her housemates.
"What are you saying Shinobu?" Naru inquired in disbelief.
"You know that's not true." Motoko told her in an obvious tone.
"It's okay. Really. So please…leave it alone!" The young girl responded as she screwed her eyes shut and looked away.
"Shinobu…" They both said, not understanding why she was lying like that.
"See? Why don't you try minding your own business? You old bags!" The snotty girl laughed while the others joined in.
"Old bags? How dare you call us old bags, you little brat!" Motoko roared as she pulls out her sword and unsheathes it. With a swing of her blade, she cuts the air in front of her, knocking them all down.
"Why don't you try picking on us?! We'll show you who the old bags here is!" The fiery brunette growled as she pulled up her sleeve and cracked her knuckles. This was enough to get the boys running.
"You'll pay for this! You two don't know who you're messing with!" The snotty girl warned from the front of the alley as she ran away. Once they were gone, Motoko sheathed her sword while Naru checked on Shinobu.
"Are you alright Shinobu?" Naru asked in a gentle voice.
"Yes, I'm alright. Naru-sempai, Motoko-sempai, I'm sorry…" Shinobu mumbled as she started to weep into Naru's shoulder.
"It's alright Shinobu. We're just glad that you're safe." The brunette said as she rubbed her friend's back gently to comfort her. They were originally going to ask her why she lied like that, knowing that those bullies were picking on her. But they knew they weren't going to get anything out of her in the state that she was in. Naru and Motoko looked at one another and nodded silently.
"Don't worry Shinobu. Naru-sempai and I will teach you how to deal with brats like them." Motoko said as she placed a hand on her shoulder. The young girl looked up and saw her two friends smiling at her, making her give a nod and a small smile of her own.
Hinata City- Near Hinata House- Twenty minutes later
Meanwhile, the Urashimas of the house was doing some shopping for the house and the café.
"Thanks for helping out with the food shopping Keitaro." Haruka said while holding a couple of the bags.
"No problem Haruka-obasan. I finished cleaning the house earlier today. And Konno-san is with Su, so I had some free time before my nightly studies." Keitaro said while easily carrying twice as much bags as she was.
"Speaking of Konno-san…" His aunt began.
"So you were behind what happened last night." The young Urashima said.
"Hmm?" She said raising an eyebrow.
"Konno-san, along with Naru, Motoko and Su ran into the house last night as if an ax-murderer was chasing them." Keitaro said with a chuckle.
"Well, it serves them right for sticking their noses where they don't belong." Haruka said with a smirk. "Kitsune told me what happened between you two. I gave her a warning about it and you do have a right to be angry with her. But you know she's nothing like her." She said seriously.
"I know that Haruka-obasan. But what she did…just brought back bad memories. It hurt me more than I thought it would. Even now, I still remember all of it as if it were yesterday. What they say is true. You never forget your first love. Whether you want to or not…" He said softly with a sad smile. Haruka stopped and put her bags down for a moment. She walked up to her nephew and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I know how you feel Keitaro…" The café owner said gently as she gave his shoulder a comforting rub.
"Him, right?" Keitaro asked, already knowing she knew what he meant.
"Yeah…" She replied with closed eyes. "Still, Kitsune feels really bad about what she did. You should give her another chance." She said.
"Alright. I'll consider it. I just need a little time." He conceded.
"Now that's the nephew I know and love. So cheer up, okay?" The woman said softly as she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a friendly punch to his shoulder along with a smile she only gives him.
"Thanks Haruka-obasan." The young Urashima said returning her smile.
"There's no need to thank me. You know that. Just don't tell the others, okay?" She told him with a blush on her face.
"Do you think they would believe me if I did?" He asked her with a chuckle.
"Heh, good point." Haruka replied with a chuckle of her own. "Come on, let's head back." She said as she grabbed her bags. With a quick nod, they started to climb the stairs of their home, when they heard noises coming from the front of the house when they reached the café entrance. "What's going on?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Let's put the bags in the café and go check." Keitaro recommended.
"You go on ahead. I'll take out my stuff for the shop first." She said. The young man nodded and grabbed a drink before walking up the stairs to see what was going on. They see Naru and Motoko standing while Shinobu was trying to take a fighting stance.
'Hmm? Are they training?' The young man thought with widened eyes as he watched the kendo girl giving Shinobu directions.
"Again Shinobu! This time, use your waist!" Motoko barked like a strict sensei.
"Yes Motoko-sempai." Shinobu squeaked. The young girl makes a small sound and throws a weak punch.
"No Shinobu, that's all wrong! If you keep that up, you'll never make it." The kendo girl said disappointingly.
"I-I'm sorry Motoko-sempai. B-But I…I don't like fighting…" The blue haired girl said somberly as she lowered her head.
'Hmm…' Keitaro said in his mind with a small scowl as he continued to watch quietly.
"But you don't want to be weak Shinobu. You want to be strong, right?" Naru inquired as she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. Shinobu looked up and nodded reluctantly, making the girls smile.
"The more you practice Shinobu, the stronger you'll be. That way, you can have your revenge on those punks who were picking on you." Motoko said strongly.
"And what will happen after she pays them back?" A voice asked. The girls turned around to see Keitaro looking at them while drinking a can of juice.
"Keitaro! How long have you been standing there?" Naru asked while pointing a finger at him.
"It is good to be strong. But then everybody else will want to become strong too." The young man explained, ignoring Naru's question.
"Then Shinobu will just have to practice more and become even stronger. That is one of the basic principals of martial arts, to always practice. You should know that Urashima." Motoko countered proudly.
"That's true Motoko-chan. But if somebody pulls out a gun and uses it, it's all over, no matter how much you practice." He retorted, making all three of the girls gasp.
"What are you trying to say, Keitaro?" The brunette questioned in irritation.
"If you and Motoko-chan are both martial artists and you don't know, then there's no point in telling you." He replied in an even tone. Both girls fumed at his response, but the landlord just ignored them, turning his head towards Shinobu. "Shinobu-chan, do you want to learn a secret technique?" He asked her with a smile.
'Secret technique?' Naru and Motoko thought simultaneously. Shinobu looked at Keitaro for a moment before smiling.
"Yes sempai!" Shinobu replied eagerly.
"Good. Now watch carefully. This is the secret of the Urashima style of the martial arts." Keitaro said. With a quick nod, the young girl watched intensely along with Naru and Motoko. Taking off his glasses, he closed his eyes and tosses the now empty juice can into the air where it starts to land on the top of his sneaker. Just as it's about to land, the young man kicked it up so that it was front of him. With his eyes still closed, he slams his palms together, crushing the can. He let the now flat can fall down on his sneaker again, and he does a spin kick, flinging the crushed metal into the trash can next to the entrance of the house.
'Amazing!' All three girls agreed to themselves. Especially Shinobu, with her eyes as wide as plates. After the show, Keitaro opened his eyes and put his glasses back on.
"The secret technique of the Urashima style is…" He began as he took Shinobu's hand. "…To run away from the fight!" He finished as he started to run away from the house with the young girl, making her yelp in surprise. Naru and Motoko just looked at the two of them in a stupor until their brains caught up with what just happened.
"H-Hey!" The two girls shouted in anger as they started to run after them. But they were stopped a second later by a hand on each of their shoulders.
"Don't worry, you two. They'll be okay." Haruka said calmly from behind after they stopped.
"But Haruka…!" Naru started to protest.
"Keitaro will be back soon. Trust him. He can handle it. Now you two come with me. You need to bring some food into the house." She said waving her hand for them to follow. Letting out a sigh, the girls did as they were told.
Elsewhere, Keitaro was still running while holding Shinobu's hand until they reached a park. They stop under a tree and sat down, the young girl panting hard on her hands and knees.
"Well Shinobu-chan? Do you like my perfect technique?" He laughed as he laid down on the soft grass while the girl was still catching her breath. "If something happens, then run like this so you won't get hurt." He told her. Shinobu turned and sat down on the grass.
"B-But…if I run away from them, next time, they'll want to beat me up even worse." Shinobu said in a gloomy voice.
"Then you should scream at them." Keitaro said, making her gasp and look at him. "Tell them 'No!' and 'Stop it!' in a strong, loud voice. Let them know that you don't like being hurt. They don't know how you feel, so you should tell them how much it hurts to be punched." He explained to her.
"But…why sempai?" She asked in confusion.
"Truthfully, most bullies are cowards themselves and like to pick on people they think are weaker than them. They like to feed off people's fear, and if they sense yours, then they'll pick on you even more. But if you show no fear and stand up to them, they'll back off and leave you alone. Trust me, I've run into a few bullies myself back then." He chuckled while rubbing the back of his head.
"But…but I'm weak. I'm not strong like you or Motoko-sempai or Naru-sempai." The blue haired girl mumbled as she started to cry.
"Shinobu-chan…that's not true." Keitaro said gently as he leaned forward and brushed her tears away with his hand.
"But…" She sniffed.
"No buts Shinobu-chan. You are strong. You're just strong in a different way." The young man said in a soft voice as he continued to wipe her tears away.
"In a different way?" The young girl inquired as she looked at him.
"Yes. Give me your hand and I'll prove it." Keitaro requested as he held out his hand. Wiping the rest of her tears away, she complied with his request and reached out her hand to his. Taking it gently like before, he looked at her hands and smiled. "Shinobu-chan, when you cook, does it make you happy?" He asked.
"Y-Yes it does. It's one of my favorite things to do." She replied with a nod.
"My mother runs a confectionary back home. Despite all the bread and pastries she makes, her hands are soft and gentle. Your hands are just like hers." He told her, making her blush. "Now tell me. Why do you love to cook?" He asked her.
"W-Well…when my mom made food for people in the restaurant, after they ate, they were always happy. I wanted to make people feel that way too, so I asked my mom to teach me how to cook. My dream is to open my own restaurant someday. So that people can enjoy my food and be happy." The blue haired girl explained with a warm blush on her face. She had never revealed this to anyone, not even the girls at the house. But when she told Keitaro, it just felt natural to her.
"See? You are strong Shinobu-chan." Keitaro said with a warm smile.
"I am?" She said incredulously.
"Yes. It's very easy to destroy. But it takes great strength to create things. You use your hands to create the great meals that everyone eats at the house every day. And I know it takes great strength and care to make food that people can enjoy. Even those who fight need to eat food and enjoy it. Haruka-obasan may be a martial artist too, but I know that she enjoys making food and tea at the café for everyone even more. You don't have to fight to be strong Shinobu-chan. No matter what you do in life, true strength will always come from your heart." He replied, sounding wise beyond his years.
"Sempai…" Shinobu said with wide eyes, never thinking about it in that way.
"So remember, if they try to beat you up again, show them your own form of strength. But before you do that, you should practice to run even faster." Keitaro told her with a light-hearted smile. The young girl started to giggle until it turned into full blown laughter, with Keitaro joining her a second later.
"Yes Sempai!" Shinobu said strongly after the laugh fest.
"Good. And Shinobu-chan, if you ever feel sad, or you have a problem and want to talk, you can come talk to me anytime, okay?" The young man asked with an amiable smile.
"Okay. Thank you…" She replied shyly with a friendly smile of her own, with her blush still intact.
"It's almost dinnertime. Come on, let's go back." He said as he sat up and reached out his hand.
"Yes!" She nodded happily as she took his hand and he lifted her up. With another pleasant smile to each other, they walked back to the house.
Hinata House- Thirty minutes later
"Hey Shinobu! Why do you look so happy?" Su asked curiously as she helped her friend in the kitchen.
"I just feel good after talking with Sempai!" Shinobu replied feeling giddy as she chopped the vegetables for the meal while humming to herself.
"Why? Did he give you something good to eat?" The foreign blond questioned. The blue haired girl just giggled at the question and continued with making dinner. Unfortunately, a couple of feet from her in the dining room, Keitaro wasn't having such a friendly chat with Naru and Motoko.
"Urashima secret technique? What a joke!" Naru spat with her hands on her hips as he looked at one of his study books while sitting at the table.
"Teaching Shinobu to run away from a fight will only make things worse!" Motoko scolded him. Keitaro made no response as he kept looking at his study notes.
"I'm looking forward to dinner tonight Shinobu-chan!" Keitaro said cheerfully as he looked at her from where he was sitting.
"Thanks Sempai! I'll do my best!" The young girl said with confidence as she continued her work.
"Are you even listening to us?!" The brunette almost shouted in his ear.
"Yes, I am. But like Shinobu-chan said, she doesn't like to fight. You can't force her to train if she doesn't want to. Better to run away than get hurt, right?" The young Urashima countered.
"But…" The kendo girl started to say, but he just raised his hand to cut her off.
"You can win a battle without throwing a punch. Besides, even if she practices with the both of you, she'll only end up getting beaten up again, if not worse. You can do a lot more with an open hand than a closed fist." He finished, ending the conversation there.
"Keitaro…you're really a…" Naru started to say in a low voice.
"I'm what, Naru?" Keitaro asked in an annoyed tone, making her shake with anger.
"A BAKA (Idiot)!" She shouted in his face before stomping off to her room.
"I thought that you were strong Urashima. But now I see that you're not only a weakling, but a coward! Humph!" Motoko said with an expression of disgust as she walked to her room in a huff. A minute later, Keitaro let out a sigh of exasperation while Haruka sat down next to him to wait for dinner.
"I saw your little chat with those two. They'll understand someday." Haruka told him in her laidback tone as she crossed her legs and relaxed.
"I guess." He said as he went back to his studies. The café owner looked into the kitchen at Shinobu. She wore a bright smile as she cooked liked she didn't have a care in the world.
"I've never seen her look so happy. What did you tell her?" She asked curiously.
"I just taught her our family's secret technique, that's all." Keitaro replied as he looked at his aunt with a smile.
"Wise choice, Keitaro." Haruka smiled with a nod of approval.
"I had a good teacher." He simply said with a grin.
Unknown location
"What?! Are you serious?" A tall young man with a long toothpick in his mouth said in an obnoxious voice as he sat in a dark room. His hair was spiky in all directions, as if it wasn't combed in days and wore a yellow shirt and high school uniform pants, along with a green high school jacket.
"Yes Daigo-san! Two girls prevented us from collecting our fees from one of the girls at our target school this week." The snotty girl from earlier this afternoon reported.
"What kind of girls would interfere with our racket?" He asked angrily.
"Here Daigo-sama. This is what we could find out from our sources at the moment." A young man with a grey mask wearing a black outfit answered as he handed him two pictures.
"Are these the ones?" He inquired to the snotty girl.
"Yes! That's them Daigo-san." She replied.
"If word gets out, other students might try to pull the same stunt. We should nip this problem in the bud and teach those girls a lesson." He said as he sat up.
"Not so fast Daigo. Those girls are from Hinata House. They're under the protection of Hina Urashima. And one of them is from the Aoyama clan of the Shinmei-ryu school. They won't be as easy to defeat as you think." A young woman from the shadows said.
"I didn't ask for your opinion woman." He said as he turned his head to her.
"You don't need to waste your soldiers on two high school girls. I could handle this easily if you like." She said as she placed a hand on a katana strapped to her waist.
"I don't need your help! Besides, I heard that Hina-sama is away. They're just a bunch of girls anyway, so it'll be a piece of cake!" Daigo said with a haughty laugh.
'Ignorant fool…' The mystery woman thought. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Just don't come crying to me if you mess up." She told him as she disappeared from the room.
"Tch, damn woman." He snorted. A minute later, he snapped his fingers. Out of nowhere, a number of men wearing grey masks and black outfits appeared, making the snotty girl shake with fear.
"Boys, we got a job. It's time to teach these girls some manners." Daigo said.
"Yes Daigo-sama!" They all said together.
Next Day
As the bell rings to end another day at Shinobu's junior high school, the young chef of Hinata house walks home with her friend Taichi Akiko.
"Wow Shinobu, you seem so lively today. This isn't like you." Akiko said with a smile.
"Do you really think so?" Shinobu asked.
"Yes, you seem so happy. What happened? Do you have a boyfriend?" She teased.
"Waah! N-No, it's nothing like that! W-We're just f-friends!" The young girl replied with a red face while waving her hands frantically.
"Ha ha, I was just kidding." Her friend laughed.
"W-Well…remember when I told you about Keitaro? He helped me again yesterday and we got a chance to talk. He really is a nice guy." Shinobu explained in a shy voice.
"Oh really? Maybe I should meet him. Maybe he'll be my boyfriend?" Akiko said.
"A-Akiko!" The young girl scolded.
"So, he is your boyfriend!" Her friend chortled.
"Akiko, cut it out!" Shinobu said with her face turning even redder. A minute later, they both started to giggle as they headed to the house. But they were about to be sidetracked when suddenly, men with grey masks and black outfits dropped down behind Shinobu from the trees and grabbed her from behind. She tries to scream, but they quickly cover her mouth.
"Shinobu!" Akiko shouted as she rushed to save her friend. But Daigo appeared in front of her and shoved her to the ground. He turned his head to his men, and with a quick nod, they disappeared with the blue haired girl.
"Hey girl, do you know the two girls in these pictures?" Daigo asked as he towered over the young girl. Akiko, shaking in fear, nodded as he showed her the pictures of Naru and Motoko. "Deliver this message. Tell those two if they want to see their little friend again, to come to the Old Axel playgrounds alone. Now go." He orders her. Realizing she had no choice, Akiko got up and started to run, looking for the two of them.
Ten minutes later
Naru and Motoko were taking a steady pace back to the house when Akiko ran into them.
"Naru-san, Motoko-san! I finally found you!" Akiko cried.
"Oh it's you Taichi-san. What is the matter? Where is Shinobu?" Motoko asked the flustered girl.
"Shinobu's been kidnapped!" The young girl replied with tears in her eyes.
"WHAT?!" Both girls said.
"Some guys in masks showed up and took her. They told me to find you two and tell you to come to the Old Axel playgrounds alone if you ever want to ever see her again." She explained.
"They must have something to do with those bullies we dealt with yesterday." Naru deduced.
"We must hurry Naru-sempai! Shinobu needs us!" The kendo girl said hastily. Naru nodded in agreement and they were about to head off when Akiko's voice stopped them.
"Wait a minute! Aren't you going to tell the others at the house? What about that new landlord Keitaro, the one Shinobu told me about?" She asked. The girls stopped and looked at each other for a moment, absorbing the words of Shinobu's friend. But then yesterday's events played freshly in their minds, making them both scowl.
"We'll be fine on our own. We don't need the assistance of that weak man." Motoko answered with a hint of spite.
"That's right. Besides, we don't have time to go back. We can save Shinobu without that baka." Naru added as they started to run to their destination. Akiko knew about Naru and Motoko from Shinobu, and she knew they were strong from the stories her friend told her about them. But she wasn't as confident as the two of them were, and decided to head to the house to find this Keitaro.
'I just hope he can help Shinobu…' She thought.
Hinata House- Living Room- Ten minutes later
Akiko made it to Hinata café, and gave Haruka a quick rundown of the situation. Completely stunned by what she heard, the normally cool and collected owner ran with the girl upstairs to inform Keitaro and the others of what happened.
"What?! Shinobu's been kidnapped, and they're asking for Naru and Motoko?!" Keitaro asked in complete shock after hearing everything.
"Yes Urashima-san. Naru and Motoko went to the Old Axel playgrounds to save her. But I was worried, so I came here to let you know and see if you can help." Akiko explained.
"You did the right thing Akiko-san." Haruka said.
"But why would some bullies want to kidnap Shinobu?" Kitsune asked in confusion.
"Well, for the past several months, I heard that these groups of kids go from school to school to shake down money for 'protection'. They say whoever stands up to them gets put into the hospital. A couple of kids from our school tried to resist them, and they ended up getting hurt. I'm not sure if the rumors I heard are true, but it's said that they are connected to some kind of council for strong fighters called Uroboros." The junior high school student told them. As soon as they heard the name Uroboros, both Urashimas, and strangely enough Kitsune, froze in their tracks.
"Uroboros? Is that something to eat?" Su questioned with a blank expression.
"You know about them Urashima-san?" Akiko asked as she looked at him and Haruka's faces.
"There is no time to explain. The girls are in grave danger. We have to go after them now!" Keitaro said in a deep voice.
"Agreed." His aunt nodded.
"Su, I read in your files that you make inventions. Do you have anything mobile?" The landlord asked.
"Sure! I have Silver!" The foreign girl replied with a smile.
"Okay! Bring that with you. We may need it to save the girls." He told her.
"Okies Keitaro! Leave it to Su!" She said while saluting him and then running off to her room on her hands and legs.
"Akiko-san, call the police and tell them what happened and lead them to where they're at." The young man said as he turned to her.
"Understood Urashima-san." The girl nodded as she left the house.
"Let's go!" He told his aunt and Kitsune as they ran out the house. All except Kitsune. "Konno-san, what's wrong?" He inquired.
"Keitaro…I…" She stammered in a quiet voice.
"What are you doing? We have to hurry! Come on! The girls need us!" Keitaro told her as he reached out his hand to her. She lowered her head for a moment, and then raised it with a fiery look.
"Right! Sorry about that. Let's go!" The fox woman said as she took it and they both ran out of the house.
Old Axel playgrounds
Several minutes passed until Naru and Motoko finally made it to the abandoned playgrounds in the hopes of saving the youngest member of the house. The two girls walk inside and look around as the afternoon sun shines a deep orange in the sky. They finally make it to an area where a large tree is. Tied to that tree was Shinobu, along with the junior high school bullies from yesterday and the one who sent the invitation.
"Shinobu!" Naru called out.
"Naru-sempai! Motoko-sempai!" Shinobu cried back as she lifted her head to look at her friends.
"Welcome girls, we've been waiting for you." Daigo said with an obnoxious laugh.
"Who the hell are you?!" The brunette asked with a growl of rage.
"I'm the enforcer of the Uroboros council, Daigo! You should be honored to meet a strong guy like me!" He boasted in a loud voice.
"You're nothing but a despicable male! Release Shinobu now or die!" Motoko warned as she lifted the hilt of her sword with her thumb.
"Not yet. Not until you two are taught a lesson. Though some may consider shaking down junior high and high school kids of their money pocket change, it does add up and makes the council stronger. And I'm here to make sure that its not disrupted. Especially by some young girls." He told them.
"Then we'll just have to take to take Shinobu back by force." Naru deduced as she cracked her knuckles while Motoko unsheathed her sword.
"You're welcome to try." Daigo laughed as he snapped his fingers. A second later, men with grey masks and black outfits appeared from different areas of the playground, completely surrounding them. Naru and Motoko stood back to back with each other, knowing that they were clearly outnumbered. Nobody moved for a minute, and then Naru and Motoko split up to attack.
Naru runs towards them and does a spin kick, knocking a few of them down and hitting a number of them with her powerful punches. While Motoko jumps back and charges ki into her sword.
"Shinmei-ryu Hiken: Zankusen (Gods-Cry School hidden sword technique: Air-cutting flash)!" She shouted as she released ki shaped in a circular form, cutting down a number of enemies. With Motoko's sword skills, and Naru's strong punches and kicks, Daigo notices despite their still large number, his men are dwindling slowly but surely, making him growl in disgust. That's when he decided to use plan B.
"Hey, you kids!" He yelled at the junior high group.
"Y-yes!" They all said in fear, realizing that they were in way over their heads.
"Hit that girl hard, right now!" He ordered. The young boys and snotty girl freeze at his order, not feeling comfortable with it.
"B-But D-Daigo-san, we only hit kids to scare them and because it's cool. We don't want to really hurt anyone." The snotty girl said, with her friends nodding in agreement. Not pleased with their response, Daigo pulls a metal pipe out of his coat and smashes it into the ground next to them, making them shriek in horror.
"If you don't hit her, I'll hit all of you with this…" He warned in an insane voice. Realizing that he was serious and that they had no choice, the snotty girl turned to her friends and nodded sadly, signaling them to do it. The boys walk up to Shinobu, tears falling from her eyes, giving them a pleading look. Not bearing to look at her, they all close their eyes shut.
"I'm sorry…" One boy says as he pulls back his fist and hits her hard in the face. Another boy does the same, saying 'I'm sorry' as well. The resulting blows make the gentle young girl scream, and completely snaps Naru and Motoko out of their fighting modes.
"Shinobu!" Naru and Motoko bellows in horror, not realizing that they let their guards down. Taking advantage, two men with grey masks, but red outfits appeared with claw gauntlets on. Moving quickly, one of them closes in and slashes Motoko's arm with his claw, making the kendo girl wail and drop her sword to the ground.
"Motoko!" Naru cried as she saw Motoko grasp her arm, which was now bleeding. With her eyes on her friend, she failed to see one of the lower henchmen coming at her with a fist aimed for her face until it was too late. Getting clocked by the punch, the henchman followed up with a punch to her stomach, which sent her flying into the second red clawed man. He used one of his arms to put her in a headlock, while placing his clawed hand next to her face.
"How dare you use Shinobu like that, you dirty cheater!" Motoko spat as she held her injured arm. She received a kick to her stomach for her trouble, making her fall to her knees.
"Oh please! I just used my head. Fair play is out of fashion these days." He told her with a laugh, making both girls growl angrily as the remainder of his men surrounded the two of them. While this was happening, Shinobu shouts out in pain as the boys continue to hit her, fearing if they stopped, Daigo would show no mercy to them.
"Shinobu!" The girls call out to her again, but with them captured, they knew there was nothing they could do.
"Don't worry girls. In another minute, you'll be joining her in a world of pain." Daigo roared with obnoxious laughter.
'I guess…I really am weak.' Shinobu thought to herself sadly as they stop for a moment and get ready to hit her again. 'Somebody. Please help me. I…I don't know what to do…' She said in her mind. It was then that she remembers Keitaro's words from yesterday.
"Tell them 'No!' and 'Stop it!' in a strong, loud voice. Let them know that you don't like being hurt. They don't know how you feel, so you should tell them how much it hurts to be punched."
"If you show no fear and stand up to them, they'll back off and leave you alone."
"You don't have to fight to be strong Shinobu-chan. No matter what you do in life, true strength will always come from your heart. So remember, if they try to beat you up again, show them your own form of strength."
It was then that something began to well up in the blue haired girl. Something she never felt before. It was then that the boys were about to hit her again, when something stopped them in their tracks.
"No…Stop it…" Shinobu said in a soft voice, stunning the boys. "That's enough…You're hurting me…" She adds, her voice gaining more and more volume.
"S-Shinobu…" The girls say in complete surprise. In all the time they've known Shinobu, they always considered her quiet and shy, and always ran off when things got too hot for her. But they never heard such fearlessness, such courage, such strength in her voice. Even Daigo turned to her in with a stupefied look on his face.
"STOP IT! DON'T HIT ME ANYMORE!" She finally shouted in a strong, loud voice which made everyone freeze. It was then, several seconds later, a young man's voice was heard.
"Well done Shinobu-chan! I knew you were strong!" The voice said. All of them turned to see Keitaro and Haruka standing side by side, both of them wearing jackets.
"Keitaro!" Naru shouted.
"Urashima!" Motoko yelled as well.
"Sempai…I did it." Shinobu says while giving him a smile as best as she could, despite the pain she felt in her face. The landlord smiled warmly at her and nodded.
"You did great, Shinobu-chan. We'll take care of the rest." He told her. Shinobu nodded and smiled wider, showing her faith in him. Turning to Haruka, he gave her a quick nod. Nodding back, they both start to take their jackets off, throwing them into the air. As they walked slowly towards them, Keitaro took his glasses off, his normal face being exchanged for a strong, confident one. "It's been a long time, Daigo." He says in a deep voice as he cracked his knuckles. The enforcer of the Uroboros became as pale as a sheet.
"I-It can't be! Urashima Keitaro!" Daigo said while pointing at him with a shaky hand. His men also started to shake in fear as soon as they hear his name.
'H-How does Urashima know these men? And why do they fear him?' Motoko thought to herself in disbelief. Naru's eyes were widened as well, as she couldn't believe that someone like Keitaro was able to scare anyone.
"Shaking down innocent school kids is one thing. But hurting the girls of Hinata House on my watch is unforgivable! I think you and your men need a lesson in manners!" He told him in a choleric tone with a powerful glare to all of them, making them all flinch. Daigo's body began to shake at Keitaro's paralyzing gaze, but then he started to laugh obnoxiously, making the landlord and café owner raise an eyebrow at him.
"Humph, you're in no position to make threats, Urashima. As you can see, your 'girls' are captured and you are outnumbered." Daigo said in a haughty voice.
"Not for long. Su, now!" He shouted from behind him. A second later, the foreign girl appeared, riding a large yellow and pink mechanical horse with three eyes and a green mane.
"Hi-ho, Silver! Jitterbug! Rumba!" Su shouted as she knocked away and flattened over half of Daigo's men, including the red claws that were holding Naru and Motoko. Jumping off her horse, she jumps into the air and kicks a guy in the face. "Gotcha!" She said in happy voice as she spin kicks two more.
"Su, take care of Naru and Motoko." Keitaro told her.
"Okies Keitaro!" The foreigner said as she saluted him once more. After helping Naru and Motoko onto her horse, she rode the girls back a safe distance and then activated her horse's weapons just in case.
'D-Damn!' Daigo cursed to himself before turning to the junior high group. "What are you doing? I didn't tell you to stop! Keep hitting her!" He told them.
"No!" One of the boys yelled, making Shinobu gasp.
"What?!" He said with a scowl.
"We joined Uroboros because we thought you guys we're cool and fun. But we don't want to be with you anymore Daigo-san!" The snotty girl shouted.
"Yeah!" The other boys in the group bellowed as well. It was then that someone approached from behind the tree and cut Shinobu down. The girl fell, but was caught in a familiar person's arms.
"Kitsune!" Shinobu beamed.
"Sorry I'm late kiddo. Those guards I suckered from the back entrance were more hard headed than I thought. I had to use a bottle of cheap sake on both of them to knock them out." She said with her vixen like smile.
"Join Su and the others, Konno-san!" Keitaro called.
"Got it!" She said as she ran with Shinobu, along with the junior high group.
"Hey! Come back here!" Daigo shouted. He was about to run after them, when he heard one of his men fall to the ground, a victim of Keitaro's fist.
"Once you remove fear, a bully becomes powerless. All you are is a bully Daigo. And I hate bullies." Keitaro said with a scowl.
"Urgh! Boys, attack!" Daigo shouts at the remainder of his men.
"Let's do it Haruka-obasan!" Keitaro called as he the two of them started to run.
"Right Keitaro!" Haruka said with a smirk as they charged after them. With only six of the men left, the Urashimas divided and took on three each. The owner of the Hinata café sidestepped a punch and grabbed the man's arm. Once she did that, she elbowed him in the face with her free hand, and finished him off by tossing him to the ground with a judo like throw. She then turned to the second coming at her, focusing ki to her legs.
"Urashima-ryu: Ryubi Kyaku (Urashima Style: Dragon Tail Kick)." She said as she gave him a ki powered spin kick to his torso with one leg, followed by a spin kick to the man's head with her other leg while spinning back, smashing his mask and jaw to bits. With one man left, she waited for him to charge her, keeping her stoic face as always. Once he was close enough, she quickly ducked his punch and hit him with a ki powered roundhouse to his face. Not wasting any motion, she kept spinning her body and sweep kicked him. But before he landed, just as soon as she finished the kick, she hit him with hard low punch to his torso, knocking him back a foot away from her.
"Urashima-ryu: Me no Arashi (Urashima Style: Eye of the Storm). Once caught, you can't escape." Haruka said calmly as she stood up and reached for a cigarette in her pocket and lights it up.
Meanwhile, Keitaro was taking care of his three. Taking the offensive, he hits one of the men in his gut, taking the air out of him. He then hits the side of his head with a punch as the man grabs his stomach and finishes him off with a mid spin kick to the face. Once the first one is taken out, the second man grabs him from behind.
Turning his head and giving the man a smirk, Keitaro uses the back of his heel and gives him a swift kick to his shin, making the man groan in pain and release him. Once his hands were free, Keitaro hits the man with an elbow to the gut, following up with a back fist to the face using the same hand. Then using both arms, Keitaro grabs him by the back of the neck, and pulls his head down and sits on the ground, slamming his opponent's head and neck onto his shoulder, effectively knocking him out. Seeing his final opponent out of the corner of his eye, he stands up and charges ki into his fist.
"Urashima-ryu: Ryu Reppuken (Urashima Style: Dragon Gale Fist)!" He shouted as he made an upper wave motion, shooting a ki shockwave in the shape of a dragon's head at his enemy. When the attack hit, it blew the man away, shredding his outfit and covering the man with various cuts and bruises.
'I-Incredible…Urashima is…so powerful. I was a fool to think that he was weak.' Motoko admitted to herself in wonder as she, along with the rest of the girls, watched in awe at his skill in taking out his opponents.
"Now Daigo, there's just you left." Keitaro said as he dusted himself off and walked to the tall man.
"You're right. But I won't be so easy to beat." Daigo growled as he slammed his steel pipe into the ground.
"Haruka-obasan, I'll take care of him." He told her as he turned his head slightly.
"He's all yours Keitaro." She said while taking a drag.
"You're going to pay for hurting the girls. Come on!" The young man growled as he got into a fighting stance and made a motion to the enforcer of Uroboros to bring it. Wasting no time, Daigo accepted the challenge and ran up to him at full speed with his steel pipe. Taking a surprisingly fast swing to the young man's head, Keitaro countered with a quick kick to the man's upper chest. Daigo staggers for a second, but continues his attack. 'I have to be careful. Daigo's fast for his size. And if he hits me with that pipe to my head, I don't think I'll be able to recover. I'll hit him only when I see an opening.' He strategizes to himself.
The enforcer continues to swing his weapon in unpredictable directions swiftly, but fiercely at the smaller Keitaro, leaving marks along the ground. But all Keitaro does is dodge the attacks while keeping a close eye on his opponent, exhausting him and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He gets his chance as Daigo takes a high batter swing to his head. Taking a swift duck, he hits him with a strong punch to his stomach, stunning the tall man.
'Now's my chance!' Keitaro screamed in his mind as he threw a straight left punch to his face. He followed up with a right cross, pulling his fist back and hitting him with a back fist, which made him drop the pipe. Quickly charging ki to his leg, he shouted "Urashima-ryu: Ryukei Rendan (Urashima Style: Dragon Whip Combo)! As he spin kicked him in the ribs, knocking the larger man on his back.
Not wanting to drag this out further, Keitaro runs up to Daigo to finish him off. Lifting his head slightly, he clenches his hand when he sees Keitaro coming to him. Just as Keitaro pulls back his fist, the man throws a handful of dirt into the landlord's eyes, effectively blinding him.
'I can't see!' Keitaro thought. Sensing his advantage, Daigo quickly got up and gave Keitaro a rock hard punch to his jaw, rattling his whole body. The young man tries to counter, but swings at air. Daigo grabs and holds his arm, kicking the young man in the side of the head. He then follows up with a knee to the torso, and ends it by throwing him to the ground hard.
"Keitaro!" Haruka, Kitsune, Su and Naru call out.
"Urashima!" Motoko yells.
"Sempai!" Shinobu shouts. Keitaro slowly gets up on his hands and knees and spits out some blood from his mouth.
'That really hurt. And I still can't see.' Keitaro thought with a groan as he breathed hard and shook his head, trying to recover from that attack. He tried to open his eyes, but they still burned from the dirt. 'No good. I have to calm down and focus. Even without my eyes, I can still beat him!' He told himself.
"Pathetic. Is this the best that Ryuousama (Dragon King) Keitaro can do?" Daigo laughed loudly as he picked up his steel pipe from the ground. Once he has it, he runs towards him and lifts it above his head. "You couldn't beat me in a hundred years!" He roared as he was beginning to bring the pipe down onto his head. What Daigo didn't realize was that while he was charging towards him, Keitaro was preparing as he charged ki into both his hands, making them glow. When the pipe came close to his head, he struck by taking a defensive stance.
"Urashima-ryu: Touei Onkyo (Urashima Style: Reflection Echo)!" The young man shouted as a shield made out of ki energy appeared in front of him, stopping Daigo's fatal attack. Everyone looked at the scene in stunned silence, Daigo included. "Daigo, you talk too much. There are many ways to see than just with your eyes!" He told him in a hard voice as he raised his ki covered hand and made a fist with it. The ki energy around his fist changed into the shape of the dragon and he pulled it back, aiming it at the now wide open Daigo. "Urashima-ryu Ougi: Ryugaken (Urashima Style Secret Technique: Dragon Fang Fist)!" He bellowed as he punched the man into his chest with all of his might. Seeing no way to counter, Daigo's eyes widened and he screamed as he started to fly back, hitting the large tree that he tied Shinobu to. Once he slammed into it, he slid down the tree, completely unconscious with his eyes in the back of his head, thus ending the fight.
It was quiet for another minute before all of the girls started to cheer and run to him while Haruka calmly walked to him with a pleased smile as he slowly stood up.
"You did it, Sempai!" Shinobu squealed happily as she cried tears of joy.
"You're very strong Keitaro!" Su said as she walked next to Shinobu.
"Great job Keitaro!" Kitsune said with a smile.
"Thanks everyone. Though I did cut it a little close." The young man admitted sheepishly with his eyes still closed and slowly lifted his hand.
"Are your eyes going to be okay?" Naru asked with surprising concern.
"Yeah, they'll be okay after I wash them out. I can't say the same for my head and ribs." He replied with a slight groan as he held his slightly bruised ribs. He then felt a slim arm wrap around his shoulder.
"Great job nephew. I must admit, you had me worried there for a minute." Haruka told him as she guided him to a spot so he could rest for a minute.
"Sorry about that Haruka-obasan. I should've known that he would play dirty. It's a good thing he's such a loud blowhard." Keitaro said in a tired voice.
"No worries. You paid him back in spades and you're safe and sound. I can't ask for anything more." She said warmly as she pulled out a handkerchief and started to wipe his eyes. Thanks to his aunt's care, he was able to open his eyes a little and see that Motoko was standing on the side, still gripping her injured arm.
"Motoko-chan, let me see your arm." He requested as he put his glasses back on. The kendo girl gasped and turned to him as he reached out his hand to her. Hesitating for a moment, she took it and he looked at the arm. Crossing his arms in a X-like fashion, he started to pour ki into the wound, mending the cut.
'Urashima's ki is so warm. Is this a reflection of his inner spirit?' Motoko wondered as she felt a warm feeling sweep through her body, making her face flush a deep red.
"There. It'll leave a small scar from the cut. But you'll be just fine." The young man told her with a smile after he was done.
"T-Thank you Urashima. Y-You fought well today…for a man." The kendo girl said truthfully as she turned her head away in embarrassment.
"Thanks Motoko-chan. I'll take that as a compliment..." He said her with a smile.
Twenty minutes of questioning from the police and ki healing later
A few minutes later, Akiko arrived with the police to the playground. Shinobu's friend, along with Keitaro, the Hina girls, and even the junior high group that was formerly allied with Daigo explained the situation. Once the report had been filled, Daigo and his men were arrested on multiple charges ranging from assault to racketeering from the shakedowns of schools. Once they were taken away and everyone else had some ki healing from Keitaro and mostly Haruka, the landlord of the house told them there was one last thing to take care of.
"Well Shinobu-chan, now that it's over, what do you want to do about them?" Keitaro asked as he pointed to the snotty girl and her friends, making them shake in fear.
"Yeah, that's right. I completely forgot about them. They were the cause of this mess." Naru said with a twitch in her eye.
"I agree. You should pay them back for everything they did to you Shinobu." Motoko said in her threatening voice with her arms crossed.
"Calm down you two. What do you think? Do you want to pay them back?" He inquired to her in a calm voice. Shinobu looked down quietly for a moment, then looked at Keitaro. She then turned her heads at the group, ready to make her decision.
"No. I don't want that." Shinobu replies softly, making everyone gasp in surprise, except Keitaro and Haruka. "I don't like to fight, and I don't like to get hurt. It hurts to get beaten up, no matter who does it, and I don't want to hurt anyone. As long as you don't hurt me, I can forgive you." She told everyone as she turned to her former antagonists. Surprised and grateful at the young girl's kindness, they all ran to her with tears in their eyes and hugged her, crying out apologies and asking for forgiveness for what they did. Shinobu looked at them with wide eyes, not used to so much attention, before looking at Keitaro. The young man smiled warmly at her with pride while giving her the V for victory. Shinobu returned that smile happily, feeling stronger than before.
'Thank you sempai.' She thought to herself. Turning around, Keitaro looked at Naru and saw that she was wiping away some tears from the corner of her eyes while looking at Shinobu.
"Hey Naru, are you crying?" Keitaro asked her in a teasing tone, snapping the brunette out of her thoughts.
"S-Shut up! Can't you understand when someone sensitive is getting emotional?" Naru retorted in an irritated voice. The landlord said nothing, raised his eyebrow, and gave her a disbelieving look. "What?!" She growled.
"Nothing…" He said while turning his head and walking away, chuckling to himself out of her hearing range.
'Baka…' The brunette thought as her face turned red. Though the reason why is only known to her.
"Let's go home everyone." The young man told the girls. They all nodded and started to walk back to the entrance of the park until Keitaro and Kitsune were left behind. "You wanted to speak to me Konno-san?" He questioned, remembering her mentioning this before the police arrived.
"Keitaro…I…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I did. Haruka told me a little bit about your past, and…you have every reason to hate me." Kitsune said. The landlord's eyes widened after hearing the part about his past. "I…hope you can forgive me someday. I promise I won't try to take advantage of you again." She swore in a somber and regretful tone as she gave him an apologetic bow. The young man looked at her silently with a straight face before taking a deep breath and turning away from her.
"Huh? What are you talking about, Kitsune? All we did was enjoy the view in my room. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" He questioned in a soft voice.
"K-Keitaro…" Kitsune gasped in shock as she looked at him in disbelief.
"Not everybody is able to get a second chance Kitsune. Do you understand?" He asked her in a serious voice as he looked at her with his glasses lowered slightly.
"Yes, I do. Thank you Keitaro." The fox woman said with a smile and a blush on her face. The landlord nodded and walked up to her and put his hand out.
"My name is Urashima Keitaro." He introduced himself.
"I'm Konno Mitsune. But my friends call me Kitsune. Pleased to meet ya!" She said happily as she took his hand and shook it.
"The pleasure is all mine Kitsune-chan." Keitaro told her, making the woman blush once more.
"When we get back, will you have a drink with me? I insist." The young woman requested.
"Sure. But after I put some ice on my jaw." The young man replied as he rubbed his still aching face. With that settled, they started to walk to the entrance
"By the way, how did you learn to…well, you know?" She whispered so that only he can hear it.
"Let's just say that I've been around girls more than you think." He told her with a near devilish smirk as he walked to his motorcycle. Kitsune couldn't help but smirk back at the only man to ever one-up her at what she does best.
'Urashima Keitaro. Having you for a landlord may be much better than I thought.' She thought to herself with a satisfied grin, as her thoughts returned to that now forgotten day where, whether if he knew it or not, they could have become more than friends. It was then that she knew that in her room, her hands will be massaging certain 'areas' on her body tonight.
Unknowingly to the Hina gang as they drove home that a young woman with a sword strapped to her waist, looks down on them with a finger under her chin.
"Well, the master won't be pleased when he hears about Daigo. But at least I got a chance to see you again, Kei-kun…" She said with a dark, but sultry chuckle as she disappeared.
Author's Note 2: Well that's it for chapter 2. Wasn't expecting that, were you? I told you it would be vastly different from the manga, and I meant it. But don't worry; certain events from the manga will happen. I apologize for the disturbing content regarding Shinobu :(. I hope I didn't upset anyone with it. But I'm sure you guys and gals have questions. Who is the mysterious young woman? How do the Urashimas, along with Kitsune, know about the Uroboros council and why do they fear Keitaro? What was the horrible incident that happened to Keitaro in the past to gain all of those scars? Why did Daigo call Keitaro Dragon King? Well, those are questions that will be answered another day. For now, I ask you readers to do what you do best. Read, Enjoy, and Review.
As always, let me know what you think about this drastically different chapter, so to speak. Was it good or bad? Did I overdo anything? Did you like Haruka and Keitaro kicking ass? Let me know. As always, your thoughts and feelings are important. The pairing is still yet to be determined (Despite what happened between Keitaro and Kitsune this chapter.), so don't be shy in telling me your choice. I'll be taking my leave for now. Hopefully, I can focus on updating my Naruto fics so my fans there won't get restless and hunt me down LOL XD. Again, thanks a lot for your support of this fic. I hope I'll still have it after this chapter. Until then, take care everyone! Later for now :)!
