Disclaimer: I own no part of Love Hina, but Sean is me.
* * * Chapter XXXI: Motoko's Birthday * * *
Saturday, 12/1 6:45 AM
The day started just like any other for the resident samurai. She got up, changed into her kendo outfit and began her morning exercises. Usually, she went out onto the roof for such things, but the increasingly cold weather forced her to change her plans. "I can't want for things to warm up again so I won't have to do this inside and risk running my sword through something; or someone," she said to herself.
After a little while, she gave up on trying to get a good workout in and decided to go meditate in the hot spring. "It is my birthday, so I guess it's alright for me to take a break from it for one day." As she went down the hallway, she couldn't help but notice that everything was completely silent; something that usually never happens at Hinata-Sou, and it made her a bit uneasy. "Maybe everyone's still asleep," she reasoned. "It is a Saturday after all, and sleeping in is quite commonplace on weekends."
Despite her logic, she couldn't help but wonder if that could ever be the case. Sure, the other girls and Keitaro might sleep in, but Sean has always gotten up much earlier than she did. Curious, she concentrated on finding Sean's ki wavelength. Eventually, she found it, but much to her surprise, it was very faint; so much so that she couldn't tell where it was coming from. "This is getting very weird. Where could he be?" By this time, she had already reached her destination and stripped out of her garb. "I shouldn't worry. I'm sure everything is fine. If anything, he might be planning something for my birthday."
That thought got her mind on what he was planning, if anything. She started to get excited about what she might receive, but since she was trying to meditate, she pushed it out of her mind for the time being. After twenty minutes of peaceful meditation, she suddenly felt a spike of energy that she recognized right away as Sean's. She quickly got out of the water, ran to the changing room, dried off, got dressed and rushed over to the dining room, where the energy came from.
When she got there, she found that Sean wasn't there. Instead, she found a single plate of food at the table; he had apparently made breakfast for her. "What the hell is going on this morning?! It's almost like they're trying to avoid me or something! Do they even know it's my birthday?" She happened to glance at the calendar and saw that her birthday had been clearly marked, so that couldn't be the case. "I suppose it's just as well. I didn't exactly want some big celebration or anything, but that doesn't mean they have to leave me alone completely."
When she sat down at the table, she noticed that there was an envelope tucked a ways underneath her plate. She snatched it right away and read what was on it: "To Motoko; Read after you're finished eating." As much as she wanted to know what the contents said, she reluctantly followed the directions and started eating the food prepared for her. "Why is he playing games with me?" she thought. "There had better be something worthwhile at the end of this wild goose chase. Mmm, this is good."
After she finished her breakfast and put the dishes away, she picked up the envelope, opened it and read the contents:
Dear Motoko,
Happy birthday! I know you haven't seen hide nor hair of any of us yet, but believe me when I say that we all wish you the best on this day. I figured you didn't want anything too extravagant, so I made you the meal you just ate; I hope you liked it. Anyway, there is something special wanting for you upstairs. You'll find it right outside Suu's room. Take it and enter her room; let her handle the rest. You won't be disappointed.
Signed, Sean and Keitaro
P.S. Wear your training outfit when you arrive. You're going to need it.
Motoko was baffled by the letter. What was waiting for her upstairs? What did Suu have to do with this? Why bring her training gear? She could only speculate as to what the answers were as she went straight for Suu's room, since she was still wearing the same kendo outfit from before. When she got there, she saw a small square object on the floor in front of Suu's door. She picked it up and examined the colorful wrapping paper and the label that said, "To: Motoko, From: S + K"
"They spared no expense," she thought with a chuckle. She opened the package and found a CD case with a disc inside. "Hmm, I wonder what's on this thing. No wonder he said to have Suu take care of the details. She's more knowledgeable about these things." She turned her gaze toward Suu's door. She has been inside that jungle of a room a couple times before, not to mention seen what kind of machines she has made that hasn't seen the light of day; and she was thankful for it.
Not wanting to barge in, she knocked a few times on Suu's door. Moments later, she heard Suu's voice from the other side. "Come on in, Motoko."
"How did she know I was coming?" Motoko thought as she opened the door. As she stepped inside, she spotted Suu sitting in the grass in front of her. It looked like she had been waiting for her somewhat patiently, but that changed almost as soon as Motoko stepped in.
"Happy Birthday, Motoko!" she said as she jumped onto her shoulders. She noticed the object in her hand. "Ooh, what's that?"
"It's a gift from Sean and Keitaro. They told me in a letter to bring it here and let you handle the rest." She handed it over to Suu, who began examining it.
"Hmm," Suu muttered as she took the disk out and gave it a once over. "PlayStation."
"A video game?" Motoko thought. "Why would they give me a video game for my birthday? They know I don't play those things."
"Let's play it!" Suu said as she got off Motoko and went over to her stack of video game systems that spanned back a couple decades.
"Did you know about this?" Motoko asked as she walked over to Suu's side and watched her put the game into her latest version of PlayStation.
"Nope, but Sean did tell me that you'd be showing up with something fun."
"I see. When did he tell you this?"
"Yesterday."
"Was that the last you saw him or Keitaro?"
"Yup. Let the games begin!" she said as she flipped the power switch. Instantly, a picture appeared on the television screen.
"…So that's why you're invincible, huh?" Sean said, stroking his chin. "Interesting."
"Yeah," Keitaro said. "It's certainly come in handy around here."
"You're telling me."
Suu and Motoko just looked on as they saw the two men on the screen chatting it up. It looked like they were in some sort of arena and from the way they were dressed, they looked ready for a fight. Both of them were in kendo outfits; Sean's was all blue, Keitaro's was white on top, black on bottom.
The conversation ended abruptly when Sean glanced in the direction of the girls. "Looks like we have company," he said.
Keitaro smiled when he saw what Sean meant by that. "Ah, they've arrived. I was starting to wonder."
"They can see us?" Motoko asked Suu.
"We sure can," Sean said. "And we can hear you, too."
"Happy birthday, Motoko!" Keitaro said, waving to her.
"Uh, thanks," Motoko said, waving back uncertainly.
"Why are you in the game?" Suu asked.
"First thing's first," Sean said, holding out his arm in their direction. When she saw him snap his fingers, Suu saw Motoko vanish.
"Where am I?!" Motoko asked moments later.
"You're in the game too!" Suu said.
"What?!" Motoko looked around and realized that Suu was telling the truth. Not only that, but Sean and Keitaro were standing right in front of her. "Would you please tell me what's going on?!"
"Gladly." Sean said, getting ready for his big speech. "For the longest time, I've seen you practicing out on the roof, and I've noticed that there is one thing that you've been lacking, and I'm sure you've noticed it as well."
"And what might that be?" Motoko asked, crossing her arms.
"A good sparring partner. Sure, I've been there a couple times, but it was nowhere near a good workout for you, am I right?"
"Yeah. You are certainly lacking when it comes to skills with the sword; no offense."
"None taken. In fact, I'd be the first to admit that I'm not much for fighting. That brings me back to my point. Aside from possibly Naru, I don't think there's anyone here that can be a match for you one on one. Well, with my magic, I could certainly change that, but I didn't want to risk hurting you or anything like that if I did. That's when an idea hit me; a way for me to really help you with your training without having to worry about injuring someone."
"And what's that?"
Sean spread his arms out, displaying the world around them. "Video games."
Motoko looked confused. "Video games?"
"Yes, video games. In my vast experience with the subject, I know that no matter how battered, bruised or bloody the characters get, they always come back for more. With this in mind, I created the world you see before you. This way, you could give your all in your practices without concern for anyone's safety. Think of this as my birthday gift to you."
"I did need a way for me to work on my more powerful moves," Motoko thought. "But I was always worried that I'd destroy this place in the process. This would be ideal, but there's still something that bugs me…" "Thank you, but how am I supposed to do all this without my sword?"
"Got that all taken care of." Sean said as he walked over to a trunk off to the side and opened it. "Let's see, where did I put that thing…? Ah, here we go." He pulled something out and tossed it at Motoko. "Here, catch." She deftly grabbed the projectile and saw that it was a sword identical to her own. "I thought that you might not bring your own sword with you, so I took the initiative and made some weapons for us to use while we're in here." He took two more swords out, tossing one to Keitaro (who almost dropped it on his foot tip first) and keeping the other for himself. "Plus, when you're in here, you won't have to worry about bad weather."
"This place is perfect," Motoko said. "What a wonderful birthday present. Thank you very much."
"My pleasure."
"Just curious, but why is Keitaro here? I wouldn't think you would need his help for this."
"I caught wind of what he was doing and I wanted to be a part of it," Keitaro said. "I figured it would be a nice change of pace to have you attack me when I can actually try to defend myself."
"Who else knows about this?"
"Just us," Sean said.
"Then why haven't I seen the others this morning?"
"Sleeping in as far as I know. It is Saturday, after all." Motoko couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile at that. "What do you say we get started?"
"Yes, let's," Motoko said, readying her fighting stance.
"Remember, don't be afraid to give it your all."
"As you wish," Motoko said, readying her attack. "Rock Splitting Sword!!" Sean jumped to the side to avoid the attack, but it still hit his right leg, sending him to the ground.
"Yay!" Suu cheered as she saw almost a fifth of Sean's life bar (which along with Keitaro's and Motoko's, appeared at the top of the screen at some point in the conversation) turn from green to red.
"Are you alright?" Motoko asked as she watched Sean get up, slightly favoring his leg for the moment.
"Don't worry about me," Sean said, smiling. (83% Health) "Just treat me like you would a normal opponent. I know I will." Without warning, he sent his sword flying straight at Motoko. Quickly, she leaned back and it whizzed by overhead.
"You really think you can beat me by doing that?"
"No, but if it distracts you, it would certainly help." Motoko regained her upright posture just in time to see that Sean had joined his sword in flight. Unable to dodge in time, she was hit by a kick to the forehead.
"Hey, that's my move!" Suu said. She was unaware of her door opening and a drowsy Shinobu walking in.
"Suu, what's going on up here?" Shinobu asked, slightly yawning.
"See for yourself," Suu said, pointing at the television.
Shinobu sleepily made her way next to Suu and saw the fight scene on the screen, which quickly got her wide awake. "What's going on?!"
"Explanations later, let's just watch."
Shinobu looked on in awe as Sean leaped off his perch on Motoko's head that had just hit the ground and land gracefully next to his sword that had imbedded itself in the wall. "Well, how was that?" Sean asked.
"Impressive," Motoko said, getting up. (91%) "You caught me off guard with that one, but I won't let it happen again." She charged at Sean, sword raised to strike.
"Eep," Sean muttered as he reached for his sword, but found out all too quickly that it was stuck in the wall. "Oh, come on, you little…" he grunted as he pulled with all his might in an attempt to pry his weapon out, but it held fast.
"You can do it, Sean!" Shinobu yelled.
"Shinobu?" Sean said. Hearing her voice diverted his attention away from the battle at hand for a brief moment, but it was long enough for Motoko to gain a greater advantage than she already had. In almost no time at all, he saw that Motoko was upon him. "Uh oh." His mind screamed at him, telling him to run for dear life, but his hands were still attached to his sword, so he was rendered immobile and therefore, an easy target. The next thing he knew, he was skidding along the ground after the horizontal slash made by his opponent, eventually coming to a halt about twenty feet away.
"Oh no," Shinobu said, covering her mouth in shock. She couldn't help but feel responsible for what just happened. "He could hear me just now?"
"Yep," Suu said.
"Okay, that hurt," Sean thought. (59%) "So Shinobu's here, huh?" his mind continued as he glanced at his growing audience through the 2-way camera. "Just what I needed; more pressure." He got up and prepared for Motoko's next attack; he didn't have to wait long.
"I shouldn't be striking him while he's defenseless," Motoko thought as she made her approach. "Then again, he always has his magic at his disposal, so he's never too vulnerable." This thought was proven when Sean crossed his arms in front of his face. Suddenly, a sphere of energy encircled him, preventing her from making contact no matter how hard she tried.
Suu and Shinobu noticed from their end that while Sean had the shield up, his energy was slowly, but surely draining. "This isn't looking good for him," Shinobu said.
Sean also noticed the strain this was starting to put on him; he also knew that he couldn't be on the defensive the whole time and expect to win a fight. Eventually, he got just plain fed up. "That's it!!" He yelled. (47%) He spread his arms out wide, sending a wave of energy outward, knocking Motoko back a ways. "I said I would be a good sparring partner and damn it, I intend to do just that!" He held out a fist and made a strong yanking motion, which caused his blade to come out of the wall. When he brought his hand back, his weapon quickly flew towards him, and he caught it as soon as it came within reach. "I refuse to be beaten so easily."
"Ooh, I hate it when he gets like this," Shinobu thought. "I find it so scary that he's capable of so much aggression… I hope he wins."
Motoko went into a defensive stance as Sean charged at her. She skillfully dodged and parried each strike that came her way, though there were some very close calls here and there. After a while, Motoko began to wonder if it was magic that was increasing his skill, if he was just a quick learner by observation, or a combination of the two. At one point, the two combatants had their blades clashed together, each trying to push the other back. "You've certainly improved since the last time we fought," Motoko said.
"That's quite a compliment coming from you."
"Yes, but you're still no match for me." Motoko swung her sword around in a circle, taking Sean's with it and sending it skyward. All Sean could do was stare as his weapon tumbled end over end in midair; he knew full well what was about to happen. "Huh boy." Upon hearing Motoko announce another of her ki moves, he crossed his arms again in an effort to block the energy, but the sheer amount of it combined with their close proximity conspired against him as he still suffered from the majority of the attack, sending him flying, hitting the far wall and landing face down on the ground.
"SEAN!!" Shinobu screamed.
"I'm okay," Sean said in an effort to raise Shinobu's spirits; and also to convince himself of that very thing. (3%) He got up on all fours and tried to catch his breath for a moment. While he was in his precarious position, he had forgotten about one small detail, but he would get the point soon enough.
Suddenly, his eyes went wide and a gasp rang out from everyone watching, which now included Naru and Kitsune, who heard all the cheering and screaming coming from Suu's room. All they could do was stare open-mouthed at what they saw. While the others merely watched the event unfold, Sean felt it first-hand; he glanced downward to find his own sword sticking out his chest. "Maybe not." (0%) "I guess you'll have to take over from here, Keitaro. Don't get beaten up too badly, 'kay?" Sean smiled, lowered himself back down and closed his eyes. Much to everyone's disbelief, they saw his body start to blink in and out of existence. At first it was slow, but it quickly quickened its tempo until he vanished completely.
Everyone was at a loss for words. Minutes went by in complete silence; most likely, they were mourning their loss. "Uh, sorry?" Motoko finally said, afraid of what might happen next.
The shock finally caught up with Shinobu, as she fainted into Naru's arms. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her," she said, carrying her out.
"What should we do now?" Keitaro asked. "I mean, we may be stuck in here."
"I don't know," Motoko said. "Why did he have to push me so far? I should have known better than to agree to this if I had known he would--"
"Hey, he knew exactly what he was in for when he started planning this whole thing! Trust me, I had the same concerns as you, and I'm sure he did too! He was willing to do anything to help you with your training, and so am I!"
"You mean--"
"Yes, like he said before he vanished, it's time for me to take over." Keitaro unsheathed his sword. "I'll do my best not to disappoint you." He had absolutely no idea where his sudden surge of bravery came from, but for some reason, he didn't really care.
"As you wish." And so, the battle continued with one… minor substitution. Despite his best efforts, Keitaro found himself unable to land a single blow, but Motoko was a different story. Time and again, she sent him flying a one direction or another, but he just kept coming relentlessly. "Keitaro, stop this," Motoko said after a while. "I don't want the same thing that happened to Sean to happen to you."
"Maybe I should stop," Keitaro said as he got up from Motoko's latest attack. (13%) "But I still have some fight left in me, so--"
"That won't be necessary."
"Wha?" Keitaro looked back to find Sean there, alive and unharmed. "Sean, you're back, but how--"
"Let me tell you something. That was some ride I just took; one that I'd rather not try to explain."
"So I suppose you're ready for another round?" Motoko said.
"Nah, I think we've had just about enough for one day. Suu, turn the game off."
"Aw, but I wanted to watch some more fighting." After Sean gave her a dirty look, she quickly obeyed, turning the PlayStation off, making the television go black. "I wonder how he made this game," she said as she took the disk out. "And if he could show me how."
"You mean all that was a video game?" Kitsune asked.
"Sure was. Sean, Keitaro and Motoko are all in here." She held up the game for Kitsune to see, and it suddenly began to glow. "Huh?" Three bolts of energy shot out the disk and quickly materialized into the combatants they had just seen on the screen.
"Well, that went pretty much how I expected it to," Sean said. He quickly turned his attention to the still injured Keitaro. "You alright? I saw how you fared back there."
"I've felt better," Keitaro said with a smile. "but I'll survive."
"Good," he glanced around the room. "Hey, wasn't Shinobu in here before?"
"She fainted when she saw you vanish," Kitsune said. "Naru took her to her room."
"I should go check on her, then." Sean then walked out of the room.
"Now, could someone tell me what's going on?" Kitsune asked.
---
"Shinobu, it's going to be alright," Naru said. When Shinobu regained consciousness about a minute after losing it, tears immediately came streaming down her face.
"You saw the same thing that I did, right? It wasn't my imagination, right?!"
"We both saw the same thing, but that was on television; it probably was just special effects or something."
"That was the real Sean, it was! What if I never see him again?!"
"I figured you'd have more faith in me by now."
Shinobu gasped when she heard the familiar voice, almost not willing to believe her ears. She looked towards the door and found Sean there, smiling, and more importantly, alive. Quickly, she got up off the bed where Naru had placed her and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again! I thought you--"
"--died?" Sean finished. "Well, maybe I did. I'm not really sure what exactly happened back there. If I did die, then it just proves what I told the others about characters in video games; they always come back for more, no matter how badly they're beaten."
"But what if you were wrong?"
"You really want to think about that?"
Shinobu shook her head. "Never."
"Uh, Sean?"
Sean turned his head to find Motoko walking towards him. "Yes?"
"I just wanted to properly thank you for what you did. That was the best training session I've had in a very long time."
"No problem. In fact, I was thinking we could make a weekly routine out of it or something. Would you like that?"
"I would."
"You mean you're going to do that again?!" Shinobu asked, almost screaming.
"Don't worry, Shinobu," Motoko said. "He survived getting run through by his own sword, right?"
"You're right," Shinobu said. "But please try to be more careful about what you decide to do in the future, alright? I hate worrying about you."
"I'll see what I can do," Sean said, barely able to hold back laughter.
"Good. I'm going to go make breakfast now," Shinobu said cheerfully as she left, but not before grabbing Sean by the arm and dragging him along with her. "And you're coming with me so I can keep you out of trouble!"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Sean half-laughed as he went along for the ride. He glanced back at Motoko before he was out of sight. "Same time next week, right Motoko?"
"Sure thing," Motoko said. "What a birthday present," she thought with a chuckle. "Only he could have come up with something as crazy as that. …Or one as thoughtful."
* * * End of Chapter XXXI * * *
Well, what did you think? Now that school is out (yay!), I'll give you one guess as to what I'll be doing. See you next time! Please R&R! (Is it just me or is this looking more and more like episodes of a tv show? Oh well...)
* * * Chapter XXXI: Motoko's Birthday * * *
Saturday, 12/1 6:45 AM
The day started just like any other for the resident samurai. She got up, changed into her kendo outfit and began her morning exercises. Usually, she went out onto the roof for such things, but the increasingly cold weather forced her to change her plans. "I can't want for things to warm up again so I won't have to do this inside and risk running my sword through something; or someone," she said to herself.
After a little while, she gave up on trying to get a good workout in and decided to go meditate in the hot spring. "It is my birthday, so I guess it's alright for me to take a break from it for one day." As she went down the hallway, she couldn't help but notice that everything was completely silent; something that usually never happens at Hinata-Sou, and it made her a bit uneasy. "Maybe everyone's still asleep," she reasoned. "It is a Saturday after all, and sleeping in is quite commonplace on weekends."
Despite her logic, she couldn't help but wonder if that could ever be the case. Sure, the other girls and Keitaro might sleep in, but Sean has always gotten up much earlier than she did. Curious, she concentrated on finding Sean's ki wavelength. Eventually, she found it, but much to her surprise, it was very faint; so much so that she couldn't tell where it was coming from. "This is getting very weird. Where could he be?" By this time, she had already reached her destination and stripped out of her garb. "I shouldn't worry. I'm sure everything is fine. If anything, he might be planning something for my birthday."
That thought got her mind on what he was planning, if anything. She started to get excited about what she might receive, but since she was trying to meditate, she pushed it out of her mind for the time being. After twenty minutes of peaceful meditation, she suddenly felt a spike of energy that she recognized right away as Sean's. She quickly got out of the water, ran to the changing room, dried off, got dressed and rushed over to the dining room, where the energy came from.
When she got there, she found that Sean wasn't there. Instead, she found a single plate of food at the table; he had apparently made breakfast for her. "What the hell is going on this morning?! It's almost like they're trying to avoid me or something! Do they even know it's my birthday?" She happened to glance at the calendar and saw that her birthday had been clearly marked, so that couldn't be the case. "I suppose it's just as well. I didn't exactly want some big celebration or anything, but that doesn't mean they have to leave me alone completely."
When she sat down at the table, she noticed that there was an envelope tucked a ways underneath her plate. She snatched it right away and read what was on it: "To Motoko; Read after you're finished eating." As much as she wanted to know what the contents said, she reluctantly followed the directions and started eating the food prepared for her. "Why is he playing games with me?" she thought. "There had better be something worthwhile at the end of this wild goose chase. Mmm, this is good."
After she finished her breakfast and put the dishes away, she picked up the envelope, opened it and read the contents:
Dear Motoko,
Happy birthday! I know you haven't seen hide nor hair of any of us yet, but believe me when I say that we all wish you the best on this day. I figured you didn't want anything too extravagant, so I made you the meal you just ate; I hope you liked it. Anyway, there is something special wanting for you upstairs. You'll find it right outside Suu's room. Take it and enter her room; let her handle the rest. You won't be disappointed.
Signed, Sean and Keitaro
P.S. Wear your training outfit when you arrive. You're going to need it.
Motoko was baffled by the letter. What was waiting for her upstairs? What did Suu have to do with this? Why bring her training gear? She could only speculate as to what the answers were as she went straight for Suu's room, since she was still wearing the same kendo outfit from before. When she got there, she saw a small square object on the floor in front of Suu's door. She picked it up and examined the colorful wrapping paper and the label that said, "To: Motoko, From: S + K"
"They spared no expense," she thought with a chuckle. She opened the package and found a CD case with a disc inside. "Hmm, I wonder what's on this thing. No wonder he said to have Suu take care of the details. She's more knowledgeable about these things." She turned her gaze toward Suu's door. She has been inside that jungle of a room a couple times before, not to mention seen what kind of machines she has made that hasn't seen the light of day; and she was thankful for it.
Not wanting to barge in, she knocked a few times on Suu's door. Moments later, she heard Suu's voice from the other side. "Come on in, Motoko."
"How did she know I was coming?" Motoko thought as she opened the door. As she stepped inside, she spotted Suu sitting in the grass in front of her. It looked like she had been waiting for her somewhat patiently, but that changed almost as soon as Motoko stepped in.
"Happy Birthday, Motoko!" she said as she jumped onto her shoulders. She noticed the object in her hand. "Ooh, what's that?"
"It's a gift from Sean and Keitaro. They told me in a letter to bring it here and let you handle the rest." She handed it over to Suu, who began examining it.
"Hmm," Suu muttered as she took the disk out and gave it a once over. "PlayStation."
"A video game?" Motoko thought. "Why would they give me a video game for my birthday? They know I don't play those things."
"Let's play it!" Suu said as she got off Motoko and went over to her stack of video game systems that spanned back a couple decades.
"Did you know about this?" Motoko asked as she walked over to Suu's side and watched her put the game into her latest version of PlayStation.
"Nope, but Sean did tell me that you'd be showing up with something fun."
"I see. When did he tell you this?"
"Yesterday."
"Was that the last you saw him or Keitaro?"
"Yup. Let the games begin!" she said as she flipped the power switch. Instantly, a picture appeared on the television screen.
"…So that's why you're invincible, huh?" Sean said, stroking his chin. "Interesting."
"Yeah," Keitaro said. "It's certainly come in handy around here."
"You're telling me."
Suu and Motoko just looked on as they saw the two men on the screen chatting it up. It looked like they were in some sort of arena and from the way they were dressed, they looked ready for a fight. Both of them were in kendo outfits; Sean's was all blue, Keitaro's was white on top, black on bottom.
The conversation ended abruptly when Sean glanced in the direction of the girls. "Looks like we have company," he said.
Keitaro smiled when he saw what Sean meant by that. "Ah, they've arrived. I was starting to wonder."
"They can see us?" Motoko asked Suu.
"We sure can," Sean said. "And we can hear you, too."
"Happy birthday, Motoko!" Keitaro said, waving to her.
"Uh, thanks," Motoko said, waving back uncertainly.
"Why are you in the game?" Suu asked.
"First thing's first," Sean said, holding out his arm in their direction. When she saw him snap his fingers, Suu saw Motoko vanish.
"Where am I?!" Motoko asked moments later.
"You're in the game too!" Suu said.
"What?!" Motoko looked around and realized that Suu was telling the truth. Not only that, but Sean and Keitaro were standing right in front of her. "Would you please tell me what's going on?!"
"Gladly." Sean said, getting ready for his big speech. "For the longest time, I've seen you practicing out on the roof, and I've noticed that there is one thing that you've been lacking, and I'm sure you've noticed it as well."
"And what might that be?" Motoko asked, crossing her arms.
"A good sparring partner. Sure, I've been there a couple times, but it was nowhere near a good workout for you, am I right?"
"Yeah. You are certainly lacking when it comes to skills with the sword; no offense."
"None taken. In fact, I'd be the first to admit that I'm not much for fighting. That brings me back to my point. Aside from possibly Naru, I don't think there's anyone here that can be a match for you one on one. Well, with my magic, I could certainly change that, but I didn't want to risk hurting you or anything like that if I did. That's when an idea hit me; a way for me to really help you with your training without having to worry about injuring someone."
"And what's that?"
Sean spread his arms out, displaying the world around them. "Video games."
Motoko looked confused. "Video games?"
"Yes, video games. In my vast experience with the subject, I know that no matter how battered, bruised or bloody the characters get, they always come back for more. With this in mind, I created the world you see before you. This way, you could give your all in your practices without concern for anyone's safety. Think of this as my birthday gift to you."
"I did need a way for me to work on my more powerful moves," Motoko thought. "But I was always worried that I'd destroy this place in the process. This would be ideal, but there's still something that bugs me…" "Thank you, but how am I supposed to do all this without my sword?"
"Got that all taken care of." Sean said as he walked over to a trunk off to the side and opened it. "Let's see, where did I put that thing…? Ah, here we go." He pulled something out and tossed it at Motoko. "Here, catch." She deftly grabbed the projectile and saw that it was a sword identical to her own. "I thought that you might not bring your own sword with you, so I took the initiative and made some weapons for us to use while we're in here." He took two more swords out, tossing one to Keitaro (who almost dropped it on his foot tip first) and keeping the other for himself. "Plus, when you're in here, you won't have to worry about bad weather."
"This place is perfect," Motoko said. "What a wonderful birthday present. Thank you very much."
"My pleasure."
"Just curious, but why is Keitaro here? I wouldn't think you would need his help for this."
"I caught wind of what he was doing and I wanted to be a part of it," Keitaro said. "I figured it would be a nice change of pace to have you attack me when I can actually try to defend myself."
"Who else knows about this?"
"Just us," Sean said.
"Then why haven't I seen the others this morning?"
"Sleeping in as far as I know. It is Saturday, after all." Motoko couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile at that. "What do you say we get started?"
"Yes, let's," Motoko said, readying her fighting stance.
"Remember, don't be afraid to give it your all."
"As you wish," Motoko said, readying her attack. "Rock Splitting Sword!!" Sean jumped to the side to avoid the attack, but it still hit his right leg, sending him to the ground.
"Yay!" Suu cheered as she saw almost a fifth of Sean's life bar (which along with Keitaro's and Motoko's, appeared at the top of the screen at some point in the conversation) turn from green to red.
"Are you alright?" Motoko asked as she watched Sean get up, slightly favoring his leg for the moment.
"Don't worry about me," Sean said, smiling. (83% Health) "Just treat me like you would a normal opponent. I know I will." Without warning, he sent his sword flying straight at Motoko. Quickly, she leaned back and it whizzed by overhead.
"You really think you can beat me by doing that?"
"No, but if it distracts you, it would certainly help." Motoko regained her upright posture just in time to see that Sean had joined his sword in flight. Unable to dodge in time, she was hit by a kick to the forehead.
"Hey, that's my move!" Suu said. She was unaware of her door opening and a drowsy Shinobu walking in.
"Suu, what's going on up here?" Shinobu asked, slightly yawning.
"See for yourself," Suu said, pointing at the television.
Shinobu sleepily made her way next to Suu and saw the fight scene on the screen, which quickly got her wide awake. "What's going on?!"
"Explanations later, let's just watch."
Shinobu looked on in awe as Sean leaped off his perch on Motoko's head that had just hit the ground and land gracefully next to his sword that had imbedded itself in the wall. "Well, how was that?" Sean asked.
"Impressive," Motoko said, getting up. (91%) "You caught me off guard with that one, but I won't let it happen again." She charged at Sean, sword raised to strike.
"Eep," Sean muttered as he reached for his sword, but found out all too quickly that it was stuck in the wall. "Oh, come on, you little…" he grunted as he pulled with all his might in an attempt to pry his weapon out, but it held fast.
"You can do it, Sean!" Shinobu yelled.
"Shinobu?" Sean said. Hearing her voice diverted his attention away from the battle at hand for a brief moment, but it was long enough for Motoko to gain a greater advantage than she already had. In almost no time at all, he saw that Motoko was upon him. "Uh oh." His mind screamed at him, telling him to run for dear life, but his hands were still attached to his sword, so he was rendered immobile and therefore, an easy target. The next thing he knew, he was skidding along the ground after the horizontal slash made by his opponent, eventually coming to a halt about twenty feet away.
"Oh no," Shinobu said, covering her mouth in shock. She couldn't help but feel responsible for what just happened. "He could hear me just now?"
"Yep," Suu said.
"Okay, that hurt," Sean thought. (59%) "So Shinobu's here, huh?" his mind continued as he glanced at his growing audience through the 2-way camera. "Just what I needed; more pressure." He got up and prepared for Motoko's next attack; he didn't have to wait long.
"I shouldn't be striking him while he's defenseless," Motoko thought as she made her approach. "Then again, he always has his magic at his disposal, so he's never too vulnerable." This thought was proven when Sean crossed his arms in front of his face. Suddenly, a sphere of energy encircled him, preventing her from making contact no matter how hard she tried.
Suu and Shinobu noticed from their end that while Sean had the shield up, his energy was slowly, but surely draining. "This isn't looking good for him," Shinobu said.
Sean also noticed the strain this was starting to put on him; he also knew that he couldn't be on the defensive the whole time and expect to win a fight. Eventually, he got just plain fed up. "That's it!!" He yelled. (47%) He spread his arms out wide, sending a wave of energy outward, knocking Motoko back a ways. "I said I would be a good sparring partner and damn it, I intend to do just that!" He held out a fist and made a strong yanking motion, which caused his blade to come out of the wall. When he brought his hand back, his weapon quickly flew towards him, and he caught it as soon as it came within reach. "I refuse to be beaten so easily."
"Ooh, I hate it when he gets like this," Shinobu thought. "I find it so scary that he's capable of so much aggression… I hope he wins."
Motoko went into a defensive stance as Sean charged at her. She skillfully dodged and parried each strike that came her way, though there were some very close calls here and there. After a while, Motoko began to wonder if it was magic that was increasing his skill, if he was just a quick learner by observation, or a combination of the two. At one point, the two combatants had their blades clashed together, each trying to push the other back. "You've certainly improved since the last time we fought," Motoko said.
"That's quite a compliment coming from you."
"Yes, but you're still no match for me." Motoko swung her sword around in a circle, taking Sean's with it and sending it skyward. All Sean could do was stare as his weapon tumbled end over end in midair; he knew full well what was about to happen. "Huh boy." Upon hearing Motoko announce another of her ki moves, he crossed his arms again in an effort to block the energy, but the sheer amount of it combined with their close proximity conspired against him as he still suffered from the majority of the attack, sending him flying, hitting the far wall and landing face down on the ground.
"SEAN!!" Shinobu screamed.
"I'm okay," Sean said in an effort to raise Shinobu's spirits; and also to convince himself of that very thing. (3%) He got up on all fours and tried to catch his breath for a moment. While he was in his precarious position, he had forgotten about one small detail, but he would get the point soon enough.
Suddenly, his eyes went wide and a gasp rang out from everyone watching, which now included Naru and Kitsune, who heard all the cheering and screaming coming from Suu's room. All they could do was stare open-mouthed at what they saw. While the others merely watched the event unfold, Sean felt it first-hand; he glanced downward to find his own sword sticking out his chest. "Maybe not." (0%) "I guess you'll have to take over from here, Keitaro. Don't get beaten up too badly, 'kay?" Sean smiled, lowered himself back down and closed his eyes. Much to everyone's disbelief, they saw his body start to blink in and out of existence. At first it was slow, but it quickly quickened its tempo until he vanished completely.
Everyone was at a loss for words. Minutes went by in complete silence; most likely, they were mourning their loss. "Uh, sorry?" Motoko finally said, afraid of what might happen next.
The shock finally caught up with Shinobu, as she fainted into Naru's arms. "Don't worry, I'll take care of her," she said, carrying her out.
"What should we do now?" Keitaro asked. "I mean, we may be stuck in here."
"I don't know," Motoko said. "Why did he have to push me so far? I should have known better than to agree to this if I had known he would--"
"Hey, he knew exactly what he was in for when he started planning this whole thing! Trust me, I had the same concerns as you, and I'm sure he did too! He was willing to do anything to help you with your training, and so am I!"
"You mean--"
"Yes, like he said before he vanished, it's time for me to take over." Keitaro unsheathed his sword. "I'll do my best not to disappoint you." He had absolutely no idea where his sudden surge of bravery came from, but for some reason, he didn't really care.
"As you wish." And so, the battle continued with one… minor substitution. Despite his best efforts, Keitaro found himself unable to land a single blow, but Motoko was a different story. Time and again, she sent him flying a one direction or another, but he just kept coming relentlessly. "Keitaro, stop this," Motoko said after a while. "I don't want the same thing that happened to Sean to happen to you."
"Maybe I should stop," Keitaro said as he got up from Motoko's latest attack. (13%) "But I still have some fight left in me, so--"
"That won't be necessary."
"Wha?" Keitaro looked back to find Sean there, alive and unharmed. "Sean, you're back, but how--"
"Let me tell you something. That was some ride I just took; one that I'd rather not try to explain."
"So I suppose you're ready for another round?" Motoko said.
"Nah, I think we've had just about enough for one day. Suu, turn the game off."
"Aw, but I wanted to watch some more fighting." After Sean gave her a dirty look, she quickly obeyed, turning the PlayStation off, making the television go black. "I wonder how he made this game," she said as she took the disk out. "And if he could show me how."
"You mean all that was a video game?" Kitsune asked.
"Sure was. Sean, Keitaro and Motoko are all in here." She held up the game for Kitsune to see, and it suddenly began to glow. "Huh?" Three bolts of energy shot out the disk and quickly materialized into the combatants they had just seen on the screen.
"Well, that went pretty much how I expected it to," Sean said. He quickly turned his attention to the still injured Keitaro. "You alright? I saw how you fared back there."
"I've felt better," Keitaro said with a smile. "but I'll survive."
"Good," he glanced around the room. "Hey, wasn't Shinobu in here before?"
"She fainted when she saw you vanish," Kitsune said. "Naru took her to her room."
"I should go check on her, then." Sean then walked out of the room.
"Now, could someone tell me what's going on?" Kitsune asked.
---
"Shinobu, it's going to be alright," Naru said. When Shinobu regained consciousness about a minute after losing it, tears immediately came streaming down her face.
"You saw the same thing that I did, right? It wasn't my imagination, right?!"
"We both saw the same thing, but that was on television; it probably was just special effects or something."
"That was the real Sean, it was! What if I never see him again?!"
"I figured you'd have more faith in me by now."
Shinobu gasped when she heard the familiar voice, almost not willing to believe her ears. She looked towards the door and found Sean there, smiling, and more importantly, alive. Quickly, she got up off the bed where Naru had placed her and ran over to him, hugging him tightly. "Don't ever scare me like that again! I thought you--"
"--died?" Sean finished. "Well, maybe I did. I'm not really sure what exactly happened back there. If I did die, then it just proves what I told the others about characters in video games; they always come back for more, no matter how badly they're beaten."
"But what if you were wrong?"
"You really want to think about that?"
Shinobu shook her head. "Never."
"Uh, Sean?"
Sean turned his head to find Motoko walking towards him. "Yes?"
"I just wanted to properly thank you for what you did. That was the best training session I've had in a very long time."
"No problem. In fact, I was thinking we could make a weekly routine out of it or something. Would you like that?"
"I would."
"You mean you're going to do that again?!" Shinobu asked, almost screaming.
"Don't worry, Shinobu," Motoko said. "He survived getting run through by his own sword, right?"
"You're right," Shinobu said. "But please try to be more careful about what you decide to do in the future, alright? I hate worrying about you."
"I'll see what I can do," Sean said, barely able to hold back laughter.
"Good. I'm going to go make breakfast now," Shinobu said cheerfully as she left, but not before grabbing Sean by the arm and dragging him along with her. "And you're coming with me so I can keep you out of trouble!"
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Sean half-laughed as he went along for the ride. He glanced back at Motoko before he was out of sight. "Same time next week, right Motoko?"
"Sure thing," Motoko said. "What a birthday present," she thought with a chuckle. "Only he could have come up with something as crazy as that. …Or one as thoughtful."
* * * End of Chapter XXXI * * *
Well, what did you think? Now that school is out (yay!), I'll give you one guess as to what I'll be doing. See you next time! Please R&R! (Is it just me or is this looking more and more like episodes of a tv show? Oh well...)