Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but myself and the character that will be introduced shortly (I don't want to spoil it for you) are of my own design. Any similarities of these two characters or the events in this chapter to those made by other authors are completely unintentional.
Well, I'm back. (Looks out into the audience; there are no more than half a dozen people there. There is a distinct sound a crickets chirping.) Oh. For those of you who are still here, thank you. I hope you like what you're about to see; I'm sure you have some unanswered questions. (Walks behind curtain)
* * * Chapter VI: The Battle of Medulla Oblongata * * *
A woman paced around a strange, dimly lit room, anger apparent on her face. "Your body is so weak!" She yelled to a person tied to a chair nearby.
"I'm so sorry," The bound man said sarcastically. "Considering how easily you took it over, you should have known that already." That earned a slap in the face.
"Shut up! I have had enough of your comments!"
"Hey, I'm not the one who took over someone's body and beat up one of my friends! What if Motoko dies because of what you did?!"
The strange woman shook her head and brushed strands of her long brown hair out of her face. "You just don't see the big picture."
"Oh great, you're one of those world domination people, aren't you? How original." The woman in the light purple gi grabbed Sean by the neck.
"That's it! I'm going to kill you!"
"You won't kill me. If I die, this body dies too, trapping you here for all eternity."
She could not tell if Sean was lying or not, but didn't want to find out the hard way. She let go of his throat and turned away from him. "How long will it take for this stupid body to work again?"
"Could be hours, could be days."
"So, what you're saying is, I'm stuck here for hours--with you."
Sean allowed himself a smile. "Yup."
"Shit."
---
The battle between Sean and Motoko had just come to a crashing halt. Naru and Kitsune went to check on the two fighters. Naru examined Sean, who laid passed out near the edge of the roof. She called out to Kitsune, who was looking at Motoko, imbedded in the grass near the hot spring below.
"Is Motoko going to be alright?"
"She's hurt pretty badly," Kitsune said, "but I think she'll recover. How's things on your end?"
"Sean's out cold. He may not wake up for a while, but he'll be fine."
"Good. We should get them inside. Hey Suu, how's Shinobu?"
"Not good. Looks like she has a broken arm."
Shinobu would not stop crying. "Why did he hurt me?"
"I'm sure he didn't mean to," Suu said, trying to comfort her; it wasn't working.
"It's all my fault… it's all my fault…"
"No, Shinobu," Naru said, carrying Sean. "Sean was not himself when he did what he did. He may not have recognized you."
"It's all my fault…" Shinobu buried her face into Suu's chest.
"Let it go for now, Naru," Suu said, resignedly. "Just get Sean inside."
Naru nodded and rushed to the door. She found two beds set up in Sean's room. Motoko was on one of them already, with Kitsune standing nearby. After placing Sean on the futon next to Motoko's, Naru placed a hand on Kitsune's shoulder.
"Shinobu's really torn up about what happened. I'm starting to worry about her."
"You'd feel that way too if you were in her place; if the person you admire went off and tossed you like a rag doll."
"I suppose you're right." Naru looked at Sean's still body. "I wonder what happened to him to make him act that way?"
"I don't know. Maybe Sean had some sort of personality shift."
"That sounds like some bad movie."
---
"Geez, it feels like I'm in a bad movie." Sean thought, rolling his eyes.
"Alright," The evil woman began, "here's what's going to happen. When this fucking body of yours wakes up, you're going to be in control."
"May I ask why?"
"I have to make them think you've returned to normal. When they let their guard down, I'll take over and kill them all."
"No! I won't let you hurt my friends!"
"And what are you going to do to stop me?"
"Um, I haven't figured that part out yet."
She chuckled evilly. "You know you can't beat me."
"That may be true, but what's the point of ruling the world if nobody knows who you are?"
"That's right, I haven't introduced myself, did I?"
"No, you didn't. You just barged in here and tied me up."
"Hmm, I've never thought of what to call myself. Since I came from the energy of both you and that girl--what's her name--"
"Motoko."
"Right. I guess my name should a mix between the two. How does Shotoko sound?"
"Too much like a mushroom."
"Okay then, how about Shonoko?"
"Sound's good, Shaneequa."
"Shonoko."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, when you take control, try to act like you don't remember anything after I took over."
"Yeah yeah, I get it."
---
Sean and Motoko remained out cold for quite a while. The whole time, one of the girls stayed to make sure they were alright and to alert the others if one of them should wake up.
The only one who refused to see them was Shinobu. She stayed in her room, cradling her broken arm, which had been put in a cast by Suu. "What did I do to make him so made at me?" She said to herself. She had run out of tears long ago, but she still cried.
"You didn't do anything. Please stop crying." Kitsune, Naru and Suu rotated shifts between the two combatants and Shinobu. All of them needed all the help they could get, whether they wanted it or not. It was Naru's turn to try and calm Shinobu down. "He still cares for you, like he cares for all of us." Naru touched Shinobu's cast. She pulled it away quickly, wincing in pain.
"HE HATES ME!" Shinobu yelled.
"Shinobu, you know he doesn't hate anyone, especially not you."
---
"I hate you so much, Shonoko!"
She seemed to take it as a compliment. "What's the point of being an evil mastermind if nobody hates you?" She suddenly noticed that Sean was at a control panel. "Hey, how did you get untied?"
"Magic. Besides, you wanted me to control the body when it woke up, and it would be hard to do that tied to a chair, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose not. How much longer until this thing comes back to life?"
"Just a sec." Sean looked over the gauges and instruments of the console. "It should be just a few more minutes."
"Good." Shonoko noticed the lights above her get a bit brighter.
---
It soon became Suu's turn to watch Sean and Motoko. Over three hours have passed since the battle that left both of them down for the count, and Suu was visibly bored with the prospect of just looking at statues. After a few minutes however, one of the statue's eyes started to open. Suu immediately ran to the hole in the ceiling, which had been changed from a ragged gap to a smoothed-edged passage, complete with trap door.
"Naru," Suu said, barely able to contain herself, "Sean's awake! Go tell the others!"
Naru, who had been studying, nodded and ran out to Shinobu's room. She opened the door to find Shinobu still sobbing a bit, but considerably less than the last time she saw her. Kitsune was by her side.
"Sean woke up," was all Naru said before she bolted back the way she came.
Kitsune got up to go, but when she got to the door she looked back to find that Shinobu hadn't moved an inch. "Don't you want to see him?"
Shinobu shook her head angrily and spoke with a voice to match. "I never want to see him again!"
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do. I don't want him to hurt me again."
"He won't. The rest of us will make sure of that." Seeing Shinobu remain motionless, Kitsune sighed. "Alright, if you don't want to go, I won't force you." Kitsune then left, eager to see Sean up and around again.
Shinobu muttered something to herself, but Kitsune was already out of earshot.
Sean sat up to find Naru and Suu staring at him. Kitsune entered shortly thereafter. Sean started to wonder about the looks he was receiving. "…What?"
"Don't you remember what happened?" Naru asked in shock.
"I remember Motoko flinging an energy wave at me and feeling like a lightning rod."
"Anything after that?" Kitsune asked.
"No. Why, what happened? Where's Motoko?"
Naru pointed to where Motoko's motionless body laid. Sean looked in amazement.
"What happened to her?"
"You happened to her." Naru said flatly.
"What?!"
Kitsune gave Sean a play by play of the battle where Sean left off, taking care to leave out how he treated Shinobu. When she concluded, Sean looked at Motoko, a look of concern on his face.
"I see." He glanced around and realized someone was missing. "Where's Shinobu?"
An eerie silence befell the girls.
Sean looked at them suspiciously. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
More silence.
Sean grabbed Kitsune by the shirt. "TELL ME!"
"You don't want to know."
"Try me."
"Shinobu's in her room. Find out for yourself." Sean quickly left, heading for Shinobu's room.
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Naru asked, glaring at Kitsune.
"It would come to this anyway."
"I say we follow him," Suu suggested, "in case things get out of hand." Naru and Kitsune nodded and they rushed out after Sean.
When Sean opened the door to Shinobu's inner sanctum, he found her sitting on the floor. It was obvious she had been crying for quite a while, but the thing that demanded his attention was the cast on her left arm. He couldn't help but wonder what caused such an injury.
When Shinobu looked up to see who opened the door, she was horrified to see the one who had hurt her so badly, both physically and emotionally. She couldn't bear to look at him for more than a moment.
Sean was surprised to see Shinobu cringe and back away from him. "Shinobu, what's wrong?" He said as he walked toward her.
"Stay back! Don't you come near me!"
"At least let me take a look at your arm…"
"You can see it just fine from there!"
The others walked in to find Shinobu holding off Sean by words alone.
"Why won't you tell me what happened?"
"You know darn well what happened, you big dumb JERK!"
That last word struck Sean like a blow to the head; one more powerful than Naru could ever do. He went down on all fours, tears streaming from his eyes. "Why won't you tell me what's going on? The others won't tell me what happened, and you're too mad at me for some reason to care. Apparently, I did something to hurt you, but I honestly have no memory of it. Somebody PLEASE fill me in!"
"She tried to stop the fight," Naru said. "She grabbed your arm as you were trying to beat Motoko senseless. You grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the side. She landed pretty hard, breaking her arm in the process."
"No…" Sean's eyes grew wide as he realized what he had done. "NO!" He pounded the floor with his fists.
"I told you you didn't want to know." Kitsune said.
"Now I see why you hate me, Shinobu. I'm sorry for what I've done, but I don't expect you to forgive me. My actions, not only towards you, but Motoko too, are inexcusable." With that, he got up to leave.
Shinobu's expression changed immediately. "Sean, stop."
"No. I've caused too much damage already. I need to get away from you all for a while before I cause another injury--or worse."
"Sean…" Naru whispered. Without thinking, she, along with the others, started following Sean back to his room. They were just outside his door when they heard a scream from inside.
---
Shonoko saw her chance and decided to take it. "Step aside, I'm taking control."
"Why now?!"
"The others are worried half to death about you right now. Now is the perfect time to finish the job you started."
"No, I won't let you kill them!"
"What are you going to do about it?"
"I can only think of one way…"
---
The four girls rushed in to find Sean on the ground, one hand clutching Motoko's, the other holding his head. He seemed to be in great pain.
"What's going on?!" Naru asked, almost hysterical.
"No! It's happening again!"
"What's happening?!"
"No time to explain; quick, knock me unconscious!"
Naru was stunned by the sudden request. "Why do you--"
"DO IT!"
Naru reluctantly walked over and punched Sean squarely in the head. Surprisingly, he didn't go flying like he normally does, but Naru accomplished what he asked of her. He collapsed, his hand still holding Motoko's tightly, his head resting on her stomach."
"What was that all about?" Suu said, trying to let the scene sink in.
"Something must be very wrong," Kitsune said, "for him to ask for something like that."
Naru just stood next to Sean, speechless, switching stares between her fist and the recipient of said fist.
---
The lights in the control room grew dim once again.
"What the hell did you do?!" Shonoko was livid.
"This is the only way to keep my friends safe from you."
"That's it!" Shonoko grabbed Sean by the neck. "I don't care if I do get stuck here forever, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" She sent him flying across the room. As luck would have it, before Sean hit the wall, he flew into a disk of light, which hadn't been there moments before.
"Hey, where did that come from?" Shonoko wondered.
---
In a kendo dojo somewhere, a girl in her mid to late teens sat in a meditative position. She had been there motionless for a about an hour after making much needed repairs to the structure. She suddenly became aware of voices behind her, but she could only make out the last few words: "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" Curious about the statement, she looked back to find a floating disk that seemed to come out of nowhere, radiating a strange light. Moments later, a man flew through the portal, hitting the far wall. It took a moment for the girl to recognize the man before her. "Sean?"
Sean looked up to find that he wasn't in the same room as before, and the girl looking at him wasn't the same one either, but there were some striking similarities. He knew who she was without giving it a second thought. "Motoko?"
Motoko ran over to him and helped him to his feet. "What happened to you?"
Just then, another person stepped through the portal; a girl that could have been thought of as Motoko's twin sister.
Sean pointed at the second girl. "Does that answer your question?"
Shonoko looked at her surroundings, then at the two people before her. "Ah, Motoko. I thought I had killed you. No matter. I'll just do it now!"
"That voice--" Motoko thought.
"No!" Sean stepped in front of his friend. "You don't need to bring Motoko into this. You've hurt her enough as it is. Fight me instead."
"If you want to fight me so badly, I'll gladly oblige, but you'll only delay the inevitable. After I deal with you, she will be next."
"Not if I beat you first."
Shonoko laughed at the comment. "You can't harm me."
"I won't know until I try, will I?"
"Sean, who is she?" Motoko asked.
"The one who beat you senseless."
"Wait--what?"
"I'll explain later." Sean charged Shonoko, intent on slicing her in two with the sword he had secretly gotten from Motoko's side.
Sean's opponent, unfazed by his weapon, dodged Sean's attacks without much effort. "You aren't worth my time." She slapped Sean out of the way and walked toward a scared Motoko. "You're a different story, but without your sword, you're less than nothing."
"Leave her alone!" Sean rushed over slashed at Shonoko's back.
"OW! Alright, I've had just about enough of your interference! TIME TO SAY GOODBYE!" Shonoko grabbed Sean by the throat and began choking the life out of him.
Motoko could not bear to just stand and watch anymore and charged the other girl. Sean noticed her approach and was barely able to toss the sword he still held in his hand in her general direction. She grabbed the sword in mid air and skillfully took Shonoko's legs out from under her.
Shonoko let go of Sean in surprise, falling flat on her face. She got up and looked at Motoko, hatred in her eyes. "You'll wish you hadn't done that." She grabbed Sean by the arm and flung him at Motoko.
Unable to get out of the way in time, Motoko was hit full force by Sean's body. The two landed next to the wall.
Shonoko walked over to them and summoned energy to deliver the final blow. Shonoko positioned her hands in front of her and a beam of light purple energy shot out towards her victims.
Sean sensed the attack and began gathering some of his own. He was barely able to raise his force field in time, protecting both himself and Motoko. Shonoko smiled at Sean's attempt at a defense.
"You won't be able to keep that up for long, and when that shield crumbles, you both will be no more."
Sean knew this all too well; he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat her on his own. Even with Motoko's help, he had failed. He and all his friends were going to die because of his incompetence. He shook those negative thoughts from his head. "NO!!! I will never give up! You will not win!"
"I think I just did."
Sean looked on in horror as his shield started to weaken. He had to think of something, and quick. A thought came to him; he could not be sure if it would work, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
---
Mere seconds have passed since Naru hit Sean. She was still curious as to what could have happened to him to ask for her violent intervention. Suddenly, something hit her mind; something or someone was calling out to her. She looked at Kitsune, Suu and Shinobu; it looked like they felt the same way. Her gaze turned to Sean and Motoko. Their hands were still clasped together. Sweat was pouring down Motoko's forehead; Sean was getting bathed in perspiration as well, mixed in with newly shed tears.
Instinctively, Naru placed her hand among Sean and Motoko's. The others soon followed suit. They sent some of their own energy into Sean's and Motoko's bodies, hoping it will help; somehow.
---
The portal in Motoko's mind was suddenly accompanied by four others. Out of those gates stepped four of the girls of Hinata-Sou. The sight before them would chill them to the core.
Sean and Motoko were huddled together against a wall. About twenty feet away from them, a girl that looked just like Motoko--except for the brown hair--was shooting a beam of energy from her palms. A force field lay between them, protecting the two from total oblivion, but it was fading fast.
"Just give up! You know you ca--" Shonoko was cut off by Naru's fist making contact with her face. She was sent flying into a wall.
Sean looked up to find Suu, Naru, Kitsune and yes, even Shinobu, were standing before him. "Yes," he said quietly. "It worked. There's still hope."
Shonoko recovered from the impact and stared at the other girls in shock. "How did you get in here?!"
"I called them here," Sean answered. "I'm glad my signal was received."
"Sean, what's going on? Where are we?" Kitsune asked.
"We're in Motoko's mind. That," Sean pointed to Shonoko, "is why Motoko and Shinobu got hurt. I trust you know what to do."
"Kick her butt!" Shinobu and Suu said in unison. They, along with Kitsune and Naru, ran over to beat Shonoko to a pulp.
"Please," Shonoko seemed unimpressed by the advance against her. "You think I can be defeated by the likes of you?"
Seeming almost bored, she not only dodged the attacks made against her, but send each them flying one by one toward Sean and Motoko, making a tangled pile of bodies.
She moved back to where she was before her brief flight. "Let's see… where was I before I was so rudely interrupted… oh yeah, I was about to destroy you!" Shonoko readied another blast that would surely annihilate all of them.
"I can't let my friends die…" Sean thought as he pried himself out of the heap he had involuntarily become a part of and stood between his friends and his enemy. "I can't let my friends die…"
"What are you doing?!" Naru pleaded.
"I wouldn't live with myself if I saw you all die. Therefore, I must protect you at all costs."
"What if you get destroyed?" Shinobu asked, not willing to believe what Sean was about to do.
"Then I will go with the knowledge that I sacrificed myself to save those I care for."
"Aw, I think I'm going to cry." Shonoko said. "Your sacrifice will do you no good, for after you die, your 'friends' will have nobody to protect them."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Sean showed no fear towards his imminent demise. "Fire the stupid shot, unless you're scared."
"Idiot. PREPARE TO DIE!" Shonoko released her blast, which was at least twice a powerful as the last one.
Sean stared at the oncoming wave fearlessly. He seemed to accept his fate and readied himself for his eventual destruction.
* * * End of Chapter VI * * *
Some cliffhanger, huh? I guess you'll just have to wait until next time to find out what happens to not only me, but the girls as well. Please R&R. See you next time, if there's anybody left to see it.
Well, I'm back. (Looks out into the audience; there are no more than half a dozen people there. There is a distinct sound a crickets chirping.) Oh. For those of you who are still here, thank you. I hope you like what you're about to see; I'm sure you have some unanswered questions. (Walks behind curtain)
* * * Chapter VI: The Battle of Medulla Oblongata * * *
A woman paced around a strange, dimly lit room, anger apparent on her face. "Your body is so weak!" She yelled to a person tied to a chair nearby.
"I'm so sorry," The bound man said sarcastically. "Considering how easily you took it over, you should have known that already." That earned a slap in the face.
"Shut up! I have had enough of your comments!"
"Hey, I'm not the one who took over someone's body and beat up one of my friends! What if Motoko dies because of what you did?!"
The strange woman shook her head and brushed strands of her long brown hair out of her face. "You just don't see the big picture."
"Oh great, you're one of those world domination people, aren't you? How original." The woman in the light purple gi grabbed Sean by the neck.
"That's it! I'm going to kill you!"
"You won't kill me. If I die, this body dies too, trapping you here for all eternity."
She could not tell if Sean was lying or not, but didn't want to find out the hard way. She let go of his throat and turned away from him. "How long will it take for this stupid body to work again?"
"Could be hours, could be days."
"So, what you're saying is, I'm stuck here for hours--with you."
Sean allowed himself a smile. "Yup."
"Shit."
---
The battle between Sean and Motoko had just come to a crashing halt. Naru and Kitsune went to check on the two fighters. Naru examined Sean, who laid passed out near the edge of the roof. She called out to Kitsune, who was looking at Motoko, imbedded in the grass near the hot spring below.
"Is Motoko going to be alright?"
"She's hurt pretty badly," Kitsune said, "but I think she'll recover. How's things on your end?"
"Sean's out cold. He may not wake up for a while, but he'll be fine."
"Good. We should get them inside. Hey Suu, how's Shinobu?"
"Not good. Looks like she has a broken arm."
Shinobu would not stop crying. "Why did he hurt me?"
"I'm sure he didn't mean to," Suu said, trying to comfort her; it wasn't working.
"It's all my fault… it's all my fault…"
"No, Shinobu," Naru said, carrying Sean. "Sean was not himself when he did what he did. He may not have recognized you."
"It's all my fault…" Shinobu buried her face into Suu's chest.
"Let it go for now, Naru," Suu said, resignedly. "Just get Sean inside."
Naru nodded and rushed to the door. She found two beds set up in Sean's room. Motoko was on one of them already, with Kitsune standing nearby. After placing Sean on the futon next to Motoko's, Naru placed a hand on Kitsune's shoulder.
"Shinobu's really torn up about what happened. I'm starting to worry about her."
"You'd feel that way too if you were in her place; if the person you admire went off and tossed you like a rag doll."
"I suppose you're right." Naru looked at Sean's still body. "I wonder what happened to him to make him act that way?"
"I don't know. Maybe Sean had some sort of personality shift."
"That sounds like some bad movie."
---
"Geez, it feels like I'm in a bad movie." Sean thought, rolling his eyes.
"Alright," The evil woman began, "here's what's going to happen. When this fucking body of yours wakes up, you're going to be in control."
"May I ask why?"
"I have to make them think you've returned to normal. When they let their guard down, I'll take over and kill them all."
"No! I won't let you hurt my friends!"
"And what are you going to do to stop me?"
"Um, I haven't figured that part out yet."
She chuckled evilly. "You know you can't beat me."
"That may be true, but what's the point of ruling the world if nobody knows who you are?"
"That's right, I haven't introduced myself, did I?"
"No, you didn't. You just barged in here and tied me up."
"Hmm, I've never thought of what to call myself. Since I came from the energy of both you and that girl--what's her name--"
"Motoko."
"Right. I guess my name should a mix between the two. How does Shotoko sound?"
"Too much like a mushroom."
"Okay then, how about Shonoko?"
"Sound's good, Shaneequa."
"Shonoko."
"Whatever."
"Anyway, when you take control, try to act like you don't remember anything after I took over."
"Yeah yeah, I get it."
---
Sean and Motoko remained out cold for quite a while. The whole time, one of the girls stayed to make sure they were alright and to alert the others if one of them should wake up.
The only one who refused to see them was Shinobu. She stayed in her room, cradling her broken arm, which had been put in a cast by Suu. "What did I do to make him so made at me?" She said to herself. She had run out of tears long ago, but she still cried.
"You didn't do anything. Please stop crying." Kitsune, Naru and Suu rotated shifts between the two combatants and Shinobu. All of them needed all the help they could get, whether they wanted it or not. It was Naru's turn to try and calm Shinobu down. "He still cares for you, like he cares for all of us." Naru touched Shinobu's cast. She pulled it away quickly, wincing in pain.
"HE HATES ME!" Shinobu yelled.
"Shinobu, you know he doesn't hate anyone, especially not you."
---
"I hate you so much, Shonoko!"
She seemed to take it as a compliment. "What's the point of being an evil mastermind if nobody hates you?" She suddenly noticed that Sean was at a control panel. "Hey, how did you get untied?"
"Magic. Besides, you wanted me to control the body when it woke up, and it would be hard to do that tied to a chair, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose not. How much longer until this thing comes back to life?"
"Just a sec." Sean looked over the gauges and instruments of the console. "It should be just a few more minutes."
"Good." Shonoko noticed the lights above her get a bit brighter.
---
It soon became Suu's turn to watch Sean and Motoko. Over three hours have passed since the battle that left both of them down for the count, and Suu was visibly bored with the prospect of just looking at statues. After a few minutes however, one of the statue's eyes started to open. Suu immediately ran to the hole in the ceiling, which had been changed from a ragged gap to a smoothed-edged passage, complete with trap door.
"Naru," Suu said, barely able to contain herself, "Sean's awake! Go tell the others!"
Naru, who had been studying, nodded and ran out to Shinobu's room. She opened the door to find Shinobu still sobbing a bit, but considerably less than the last time she saw her. Kitsune was by her side.
"Sean woke up," was all Naru said before she bolted back the way she came.
Kitsune got up to go, but when she got to the door she looked back to find that Shinobu hadn't moved an inch. "Don't you want to see him?"
Shinobu shook her head angrily and spoke with a voice to match. "I never want to see him again!"
"You don't mean that."
"Yes I do. I don't want him to hurt me again."
"He won't. The rest of us will make sure of that." Seeing Shinobu remain motionless, Kitsune sighed. "Alright, if you don't want to go, I won't force you." Kitsune then left, eager to see Sean up and around again.
Shinobu muttered something to herself, but Kitsune was already out of earshot.
Sean sat up to find Naru and Suu staring at him. Kitsune entered shortly thereafter. Sean started to wonder about the looks he was receiving. "…What?"
"Don't you remember what happened?" Naru asked in shock.
"I remember Motoko flinging an energy wave at me and feeling like a lightning rod."
"Anything after that?" Kitsune asked.
"No. Why, what happened? Where's Motoko?"
Naru pointed to where Motoko's motionless body laid. Sean looked in amazement.
"What happened to her?"
"You happened to her." Naru said flatly.
"What?!"
Kitsune gave Sean a play by play of the battle where Sean left off, taking care to leave out how he treated Shinobu. When she concluded, Sean looked at Motoko, a look of concern on his face.
"I see." He glanced around and realized someone was missing. "Where's Shinobu?"
An eerie silence befell the girls.
Sean looked at them suspiciously. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
More silence.
Sean grabbed Kitsune by the shirt. "TELL ME!"
"You don't want to know."
"Try me."
"Shinobu's in her room. Find out for yourself." Sean quickly left, heading for Shinobu's room.
"Are you sure that was a good idea?" Naru asked, glaring at Kitsune.
"It would come to this anyway."
"I say we follow him," Suu suggested, "in case things get out of hand." Naru and Kitsune nodded and they rushed out after Sean.
When Sean opened the door to Shinobu's inner sanctum, he found her sitting on the floor. It was obvious she had been crying for quite a while, but the thing that demanded his attention was the cast on her left arm. He couldn't help but wonder what caused such an injury.
When Shinobu looked up to see who opened the door, she was horrified to see the one who had hurt her so badly, both physically and emotionally. She couldn't bear to look at him for more than a moment.
Sean was surprised to see Shinobu cringe and back away from him. "Shinobu, what's wrong?" He said as he walked toward her.
"Stay back! Don't you come near me!"
"At least let me take a look at your arm…"
"You can see it just fine from there!"
The others walked in to find Shinobu holding off Sean by words alone.
"Why won't you tell me what happened?"
"You know darn well what happened, you big dumb JERK!"
That last word struck Sean like a blow to the head; one more powerful than Naru could ever do. He went down on all fours, tears streaming from his eyes. "Why won't you tell me what's going on? The others won't tell me what happened, and you're too mad at me for some reason to care. Apparently, I did something to hurt you, but I honestly have no memory of it. Somebody PLEASE fill me in!"
"She tried to stop the fight," Naru said. "She grabbed your arm as you were trying to beat Motoko senseless. You grabbed her by the neck and threw her to the side. She landed pretty hard, breaking her arm in the process."
"No…" Sean's eyes grew wide as he realized what he had done. "NO!" He pounded the floor with his fists.
"I told you you didn't want to know." Kitsune said.
"Now I see why you hate me, Shinobu. I'm sorry for what I've done, but I don't expect you to forgive me. My actions, not only towards you, but Motoko too, are inexcusable." With that, he got up to leave.
Shinobu's expression changed immediately. "Sean, stop."
"No. I've caused too much damage already. I need to get away from you all for a while before I cause another injury--or worse."
"Sean…" Naru whispered. Without thinking, she, along with the others, started following Sean back to his room. They were just outside his door when they heard a scream from inside.
---
Shonoko saw her chance and decided to take it. "Step aside, I'm taking control."
"Why now?!"
"The others are worried half to death about you right now. Now is the perfect time to finish the job you started."
"No, I won't let you kill them!"
"What are you going to do about it?"
"I can only think of one way…"
---
The four girls rushed in to find Sean on the ground, one hand clutching Motoko's, the other holding his head. He seemed to be in great pain.
"What's going on?!" Naru asked, almost hysterical.
"No! It's happening again!"
"What's happening?!"
"No time to explain; quick, knock me unconscious!"
Naru was stunned by the sudden request. "Why do you--"
"DO IT!"
Naru reluctantly walked over and punched Sean squarely in the head. Surprisingly, he didn't go flying like he normally does, but Naru accomplished what he asked of her. He collapsed, his hand still holding Motoko's tightly, his head resting on her stomach."
"What was that all about?" Suu said, trying to let the scene sink in.
"Something must be very wrong," Kitsune said, "for him to ask for something like that."
Naru just stood next to Sean, speechless, switching stares between her fist and the recipient of said fist.
---
The lights in the control room grew dim once again.
"What the hell did you do?!" Shonoko was livid.
"This is the only way to keep my friends safe from you."
"That's it!" Shonoko grabbed Sean by the neck. "I don't care if I do get stuck here forever, YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" She sent him flying across the room. As luck would have it, before Sean hit the wall, he flew into a disk of light, which hadn't been there moments before.
"Hey, where did that come from?" Shonoko wondered.
---
In a kendo dojo somewhere, a girl in her mid to late teens sat in a meditative position. She had been there motionless for a about an hour after making much needed repairs to the structure. She suddenly became aware of voices behind her, but she could only make out the last few words: "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!" Curious about the statement, she looked back to find a floating disk that seemed to come out of nowhere, radiating a strange light. Moments later, a man flew through the portal, hitting the far wall. It took a moment for the girl to recognize the man before her. "Sean?"
Sean looked up to find that he wasn't in the same room as before, and the girl looking at him wasn't the same one either, but there were some striking similarities. He knew who she was without giving it a second thought. "Motoko?"
Motoko ran over to him and helped him to his feet. "What happened to you?"
Just then, another person stepped through the portal; a girl that could have been thought of as Motoko's twin sister.
Sean pointed at the second girl. "Does that answer your question?"
Shonoko looked at her surroundings, then at the two people before her. "Ah, Motoko. I thought I had killed you. No matter. I'll just do it now!"
"That voice--" Motoko thought.
"No!" Sean stepped in front of his friend. "You don't need to bring Motoko into this. You've hurt her enough as it is. Fight me instead."
"If you want to fight me so badly, I'll gladly oblige, but you'll only delay the inevitable. After I deal with you, she will be next."
"Not if I beat you first."
Shonoko laughed at the comment. "You can't harm me."
"I won't know until I try, will I?"
"Sean, who is she?" Motoko asked.
"The one who beat you senseless."
"Wait--what?"
"I'll explain later." Sean charged Shonoko, intent on slicing her in two with the sword he had secretly gotten from Motoko's side.
Sean's opponent, unfazed by his weapon, dodged Sean's attacks without much effort. "You aren't worth my time." She slapped Sean out of the way and walked toward a scared Motoko. "You're a different story, but without your sword, you're less than nothing."
"Leave her alone!" Sean rushed over slashed at Shonoko's back.
"OW! Alright, I've had just about enough of your interference! TIME TO SAY GOODBYE!" Shonoko grabbed Sean by the throat and began choking the life out of him.
Motoko could not bear to just stand and watch anymore and charged the other girl. Sean noticed her approach and was barely able to toss the sword he still held in his hand in her general direction. She grabbed the sword in mid air and skillfully took Shonoko's legs out from under her.
Shonoko let go of Sean in surprise, falling flat on her face. She got up and looked at Motoko, hatred in her eyes. "You'll wish you hadn't done that." She grabbed Sean by the arm and flung him at Motoko.
Unable to get out of the way in time, Motoko was hit full force by Sean's body. The two landed next to the wall.
Shonoko walked over to them and summoned energy to deliver the final blow. Shonoko positioned her hands in front of her and a beam of light purple energy shot out towards her victims.
Sean sensed the attack and began gathering some of his own. He was barely able to raise his force field in time, protecting both himself and Motoko. Shonoko smiled at Sean's attempt at a defense.
"You won't be able to keep that up for long, and when that shield crumbles, you both will be no more."
Sean knew this all too well; he knew he wouldn't be able to defeat her on his own. Even with Motoko's help, he had failed. He and all his friends were going to die because of his incompetence. He shook those negative thoughts from his head. "NO!!! I will never give up! You will not win!"
"I think I just did."
Sean looked on in horror as his shield started to weaken. He had to think of something, and quick. A thought came to him; he could not be sure if it would work, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
---
Mere seconds have passed since Naru hit Sean. She was still curious as to what could have happened to him to ask for her violent intervention. Suddenly, something hit her mind; something or someone was calling out to her. She looked at Kitsune, Suu and Shinobu; it looked like they felt the same way. Her gaze turned to Sean and Motoko. Their hands were still clasped together. Sweat was pouring down Motoko's forehead; Sean was getting bathed in perspiration as well, mixed in with newly shed tears.
Instinctively, Naru placed her hand among Sean and Motoko's. The others soon followed suit. They sent some of their own energy into Sean's and Motoko's bodies, hoping it will help; somehow.
---
The portal in Motoko's mind was suddenly accompanied by four others. Out of those gates stepped four of the girls of Hinata-Sou. The sight before them would chill them to the core.
Sean and Motoko were huddled together against a wall. About twenty feet away from them, a girl that looked just like Motoko--except for the brown hair--was shooting a beam of energy from her palms. A force field lay between them, protecting the two from total oblivion, but it was fading fast.
"Just give up! You know you ca--" Shonoko was cut off by Naru's fist making contact with her face. She was sent flying into a wall.
Sean looked up to find Suu, Naru, Kitsune and yes, even Shinobu, were standing before him. "Yes," he said quietly. "It worked. There's still hope."
Shonoko recovered from the impact and stared at the other girls in shock. "How did you get in here?!"
"I called them here," Sean answered. "I'm glad my signal was received."
"Sean, what's going on? Where are we?" Kitsune asked.
"We're in Motoko's mind. That," Sean pointed to Shonoko, "is why Motoko and Shinobu got hurt. I trust you know what to do."
"Kick her butt!" Shinobu and Suu said in unison. They, along with Kitsune and Naru, ran over to beat Shonoko to a pulp.
"Please," Shonoko seemed unimpressed by the advance against her. "You think I can be defeated by the likes of you?"
Seeming almost bored, she not only dodged the attacks made against her, but send each them flying one by one toward Sean and Motoko, making a tangled pile of bodies.
She moved back to where she was before her brief flight. "Let's see… where was I before I was so rudely interrupted… oh yeah, I was about to destroy you!" Shonoko readied another blast that would surely annihilate all of them.
"I can't let my friends die…" Sean thought as he pried himself out of the heap he had involuntarily become a part of and stood between his friends and his enemy. "I can't let my friends die…"
"What are you doing?!" Naru pleaded.
"I wouldn't live with myself if I saw you all die. Therefore, I must protect you at all costs."
"What if you get destroyed?" Shinobu asked, not willing to believe what Sean was about to do.
"Then I will go with the knowledge that I sacrificed myself to save those I care for."
"Aw, I think I'm going to cry." Shonoko said. "Your sacrifice will do you no good, for after you die, your 'friends' will have nobody to protect them."
"Then what are you waiting for?" Sean showed no fear towards his imminent demise. "Fire the stupid shot, unless you're scared."
"Idiot. PREPARE TO DIE!" Shonoko released her blast, which was at least twice a powerful as the last one.
Sean stared at the oncoming wave fearlessly. He seemed to accept his fate and readied himself for his eventual destruction.
* * * End of Chapter VI * * *
Some cliffhanger, huh? I guess you'll just have to wait until next time to find out what happens to not only me, but the girls as well. Please R&R. See you next time, if there's anybody left to see it.