Yes, yes, I know it's been a long time between new chapters, but just look at the size of this thing! Far and away the longest chapter I have ever written--and much bigger than I had originally intended. Combine this with schoolwork, and 6 more fics running through my head based on (in no particular order) Sailor Moon, Love Hina, Negima, Naruto, Ruroni Kenshin and InuYasha.
Back to business. This chapter, like Requests and Reconnaissance, has two seperate storylines. One was the brainchild of Jimmy himself, while the other is from my own mind--one that I had considered for another chapter and, considering the size, perhaps it should have stayed that way. Now, without further adieu, I bring to you:
Chapter LVIII: Not Another Valentine's Disaster
A sunrise can be a beautiful thing to behold for those who actually get up early enough to watch it happen. Of course, considering that this just so happens to be a day off for most, those who actually do that are few and far between, the rest opting to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in. Included in that second classification is one person in particular, but his slumber is about to come to an abrupt halt.
Saturday, 2/13/2010 8:26 AM
The sound of a ringing doorbell went unheeded by Jimmy as he slept in his recliner in the living room in front of the television (which, before you jump to conclusions, does not happen too often). After a couple more attempts, the noise finally sinks in, forcing him to open his eyes. "Ugh, who could it be at this hour?" he muttered as he got up and made his way towards the door, pissed about the rude awakening.
Opening the front door, he spoke before he saw who was there--to him, it would have made no difference one way or the other. "What is it?" he asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tsuruko said. She was a bit taken aback at the sight of seeing Jimmy in just his boxers, but hid it flawlessly. "Did I wake you?"
"What do you think?" Even while still half-asleep, he knew there could only be one reason why the elder Aoyama sibling would come for a visit. "You here to spar?"
"Yes, but if I have come at a bad time, I can always--"
"No, that's alright," Jimmy said. "I just had a bit of a long night, that's all. Come on in."
Ever since their first encounter a year and a half ago, Tsuruko has called Jimmy every so often to arrange a training session together, but this unscheduled meeting marked the first time it was Tsuruko who made the trip. As Jimmy led her through his house, she took advantage of the opportunity to take in the décor, but a look of mild confusion appeared on her face when the tour ended in a room lined with computers and various video game systems--not the most likely place to have a swordfight. "Why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"You'll see," Jimmy said, walking over to an X-Box. Taking a nearby disk, he inserted it into the machine. Moments later, a white ring was projected onto the floor in front of it from some unknown source. "Ladies first," he said, motioning towards said ring. "I'll join you in a minute."
Tsuruko was a bit wary about following Jimmy's directions, which was understandable, as she has never witness such a thing before. Despite this, she knew that if Jimmy just so happened to be planning something underhanded, she would easily be able to hold her own. As she stepped into the circle, she was suddenly engulfed in a bright light, forcing her to shield her eyes. It would only last for a moment, but it would literally make a world of difference.
Tsuruko could only look in wonder at her new surroundings: a circular room that looked to have been carved out of the trunk of a tree. In each of five directions, an archway led outside into a forest. Each portal had it's own label: Power, Speed, Accuracy, Technique and Live Opponents. "So this is what heaven looks like," Tsuruko said to herself.
Before Tsuruko could admire the scenery any longer, Jimmy appeared next to her in a flash of light, katana in hand and still in his boxers. "Alright," he said. "Let's get this over with. I'd like to get back to sleep."
"Before we do," Tsuruko said. "Could you tell me--how should I put this?--where are we and how did you come across an… incredible place such as this?"
"For starters, we're not even on the planet Earth," Jimmy said. "I had Sean whip up this little pocket dimension for me. Motoko also has one in her room."
"Ah, yes, she once spoke to me of such a thing, but from the way she described it, I don't remember it being so… elaborate."
"I had Sean add a few things to it. It took him over a week to get everything put in." Jimmy motioned towards the passageway marked "Live Opponents". "Shall we?"
"Of course." As they made their way through the archway, Tsuruko took advantage of her opportunity to get a good look at her sparring partner in his current state of dress. "I can certainly see how Motoko would be attracted to this man," she thought. "Wow," she said when she stepped into a forest clearing. "This place is so beautiful."
"Yeah," Jimmy said. "Motoko thinks so too. We've spent a lot of time in here training together." With that, both combatants readied their respective weapons and battle commenced, but the conversation did not stop there.
"What kind of relationship do you two possess?" Tsuruko asked.
"What do you mean?" Jimmy asked.
"Well, for example, how many dates have you been on?"
"Why do you ask?"
"It's only natural for me to be curious about Motoko's affairs, me being her sister and all. Do you have an answer?"
"We've been out a few times." A sly grin formed on Jimmy's face. "Why, are you interested?"
Tsuruko was a bit put off by Jimmy's presumption--and rightly so--bit hid it well. "I am a happily married woman, thank you very much."
"I'm not hearing a no," Jimmy said, sill grinning.
"What do you think Motoko would say if she caught wind of what you speak?" Tsuruko asked, trying to keep a level head. "She would most likely come for your head."
"Don't be so sure," Jimmy said. "She has acquired more of an open mind ever since she met Sean, or so I hear." Jimmy's grin got wider. "You never know, she may even want to join us. Besides, what straight man wouldn't want to be with to be with two gorgeous sisters at once?"
"This man…" Tsuruko thought, her right eye developing a severe twitch. "He does not refer to mere dating. He intends for me to sleep with him or even have a three-some involving myself and my sister! Such impudence shall not be tolerated!"
It would not take long for Jimmy to notice the dramatic increase in the ferocity of his opponent's attacks. Despite this, he still appeared to be in complete control. "It seems I have upset you," he said. "But I think I know why. You just don't feel like sharing, do you? That's it, you want me all to yourself."
To Tsuruko, it was inconceivable as to why Jimmy was deliberately pushing her buttons like he was, but she didn't take the time to ponder it--she just wanted to shut his trap. Breaking close combat, she started sending energy waves in Jimmy's direction--not to seriously injure him mind you, just to teach him some manners.
Meanwhile, Jimmy looked unfazed by Tsuruko's change in strategy. In fact, it was something he was expecting and therefore was able to avoid them rather easily. "Oh, yeah," he thought. "She definitely upset with me."
Tsuruko didn't know what irked her more; the fact that she hadn't landed a single blow up to that point or that Jimmy had deliberately waited until the last possible moment to get out of the way. "He dares mock me!" she growled under her breath. "I'll teach him not to take me lightly!" She charged up her sword and her body did likewise in Jimmy's direction. At first, it looked as though her strike was badly mistimed, but the ki wave that followed immediately thereafter dispelled all that. Regardless, such a close range attack would be very difficult to avoid, but just when it seemed that it hit home, Jimmy vanished into thin air. "Where did he go?" Tsuruko muttered to herself, looking around for any sign of her frustrating adversary.
"Hey," Jimmy said in an almost ghostly whisper. "I'm over here." Without missing a beat, Tsuruko fired a shot in the direction of the voice, but found that space to be vacant. "No, wait, I'm over here," he said from the other direction, sparking the same set of events as before and with a similar outcome.
"Where are you!" Tsuruko demanded.
"You know," Jimmy said in his normal voice right into Tsuruko's ear. "You should really work on your aim." Tsuruko was so startled by this, she almost jumped right out of her skin. Either way, she ended up a few feet away from a now laughing Jimmy. "Is that all you got?"
"Hardly," Tsuruko said, now thoroughly pissed off. "That's it," she thought. "If this smart-ass wants me, he's going to get me--in spades!" Leaping high into the air, she prepared herself for what was intended to be the final strike. Jimmy looked on in interest as energy appeared to be drawn into Tsuruko's sword from the air around her until it seemed to glow and even pulse. "SHIN LIGHTNING SMASH!" Tsuruko yelled as she reached the height of her jump. With a swing of her sword, she fired her attack towards Jimmy with a speed that resembled its namesake. What quickly followed was an explosion similar to those of Suu's various weapons of mass destruction.
Tsuruko smiled as she made her descent, watching the blast that enveloped Jimmy. Upon landing, she sheathed her sword and proceeded to calm herself down, knowing that her aggravating sparring match was at an end--or so she thought.
"So that was your ultimate attack," Jimmy said from within the dome of energy. "I had always wondered."
"No, this isn't possible," Tsuruko thought, shocked that Jimmy was able to speak at all, much less in such a calm tone. Shortly thereafter, the cloud of energy dissipated, revealing a still standing Jimmy within. Granted, he wasn't exactly unscathed by any means, but it was obvious that Tsuruko's last attack did not do as much damage as originally intended. "How can this be?" she asked.
"You and Motoko aren't the only ones I've been training with," Jimmy said. Ever since the war between them ended, Suu's perspective concerning him changed from hated rival to new playmate--enough said. "I think I've had about enough for one day, don't you?"
"You think you can just end this fight just like that?" Tsuruko asked.
"Think about it," Jimmy said. "You just used your best attack against me and I'm still standing. What else can you throw at me? Besides, this was intended to teach you a few things."
"Like what?" Tsuruko asked, obviously in disbelief that there was an underlying objective to everything that had happened up to that point.
"Well, for starters, you should learn not to take everything I say so seriously."
"So all that talk about you and me--"
"I may not the smartest man in the world, but I know enough not to risk getting Motoko pissed at me if the way you reacted was any indication. That leads me to my second point; don't let your emotions get the better of you in combat."
"Do not think of me as a novice. I am well aware of that."
"That may be true, but there is a big line between merely saying it and putting it into practice--one I see you have yet to cross. This was actually something I was counting on in our encounter."
"Why is that?" Tsuruko asked, genuinely curious.
"Because most martial arts masters try to keep their best move a secret, even from their students. In order to find out yours, I knew I needed to piss you off royally."
"And what better way to do that than not only treat your relationship with Motoko like some little fling, but try to hit on me in the process," Tsuruko said, now fully understanding Jimmy's rationale and, in doing so, any trace of resentment left her. "How long have you been planning this?"
"For a while," Jimmy said. "All I needed was the right opportunity to present itself. You up for another round?"
"I should be asking you the same thing," Tsuruko said.
"Oh, don't worry about me." With that, their sparring match began anew, but this time around, there would be no further attempts made by one to infuriate the other.
Ever since his prior trips to other-worldly locales, Sean wanted to figure out how to do it himself without outside assistance. It took a while, but he finally developed the will to actually go about doing that very thing. As is usually the case in this situation, he spent much of his free time working in his room. If you were to watch him, it appeared as though he was writing down blueprints like Suu as opposed to a spell, but this would be a pretty accurate description for his methods, as he was literally combining a few different spells to achieve the desired effect. It would take three days of planning before the time came for a trail run…
10:11 AM
"Alright," Sean said, taking a deep breath. "No turning back now." He knew well enough that any number of things could go wrong at any time, but such was the risk of progress. Besides, if he didn't want to lead a risky life, he never would have become the landlord of Hinata-Sou in the first place.
After looking over the spell one last time, he walked to the middle of the room and moved his arms in an intricate pattern. "Concentrate on your destination…" he thought. "…focus your energy and…" He finished by pointing two fingers straight up. At the tips, a point of light appeared briefly before a globe of wavy blue energy washed over him. Moments later, the sphere shrank into nothingness.
Sean was a bit surprised to find that the trip went as smoothly as it did. He would have figured that there might have been at least some bumps along the way, but that's why people experiment; to answer questions in their minds and even some that they never even considered. All in all, the jaunt only took about fifteen seconds, the ending of which signified by Sean feeling solid ground beneath his feet. Moments later, all the blue surrounding him seemed to just wither away, revealing to him where he ended up: The video game dimension housed in the quarters of the resident swordswoman. A smile appeared on Sean's face when he saw that the spell was a success and more so upon seeing the look of surprise on the face of Shinobu, whom he had instructed to be there only minutes before. "Well, here I am," he said. "And I didn't even have to go through Motoko's room to do it."
"Is this what you've been working on this whole time?" Shinobu asked.
"That's right," Sean said.
"Why did you have me come here?"
"I needed someone on the other side to make sure everything was working properly."
"Why did you want to learn to go from one dimension to another?" Shinobu asked as they went out of the video game and into Motoko's room.
"I've always had somewhat of a fascination with outer space," Sean said. "And my experiences here--most notably me visiting the goddesses--made me realize that there are some places you just can't reach with a space shuttle. Besides, wouldn't it be interesting to explore other worlds?"
"I guess," Shinobu said. "I never really thought about it that much, though. Maybe it's because I like being right here… with you."
"Well, I should hope so," Sean said. "But you'll have to be without me for a while."
"Why's that?" Shinobu asked.
"Well, I still have to work on that last spell. It may have gone without a hitch just now, but more tests need to be done in order to find and fix any glitches it may have. If I do it now, it'll prevent any mishaps in the future." Sensing Shinobu's anxiety, he gave her a quick kiss. "Hey, cheer up. You know me; I can take care of myself, no matter what life throws at me."
Shinobu hugged Sean tightly. "Please don't be gone too long," she said.
"I'll do my best." When Sean returned to his room, he gave out a sigh. "This never gets easier," he said, followed shortly by shaking his head as he readied himself for a repeat performance…
After their second round of battling one on one--which, for what it's worth, went by much smoother than the first one--Jimmy gave Tsuruko a grand tour of his training area. Every step of the way, Tsuruko was amazed not only by the detail Sean put into the décor, but also with the internal workings he programmed into it. It seemed as though the plane itself analyzed each participant and, from that, brought forth a perfectly suited training regimen. She even admitted to herself that if it wasn't for the fact that she'd eventually have to eat, she might never want to leave. The last thing she thought before doing that very thing was to remember to ask Sean to make her one of her own.
Meanwhile, Motoko was doing some training of her own in both her body (kata practice) and her mind (schoolwork). Today's agenda was somewhat altered by Sean's request to use her room--or to be more specific, the game dimension housed therein. Naturally, she was curious as to what Sean had planned, but she has long since learned to keep her nose out of that which she had no business involving herself in, especially when it had to do with a certain wizard and his experiments. Of course, she didn't need anyone to tell her that was what was going on.
About twenty minutes before Sean's first attempt at planar travel, Motoko left for Jimmy's house. At the time, she was unaware that her sister had paid him a visit, but she will soon enough…
9:53 AM
It would only take a few moments after Motoko knocked on Jimmy's door for him to answer it, and less time for the first signs of a blush to appear on the swordswoman's face upon seeing him in his skivvies. "I'm sorry," she said. "Did I wake you?"
"Nah," Jimmy said in a much friendlier tone than to his first visitor. "I just finished working out a few minutes ago." He stepped aside so Motoko could enter. "I was just making something to eat. You want some?"
"Thanks, but I already ate."
"Fair enough." As they walked towards the kitchen, Jimmy couldn't help but noticed the distracted look on Motoko's face. "Is something wrong?"
"What?" Motoko said, returning to the reality she never knew she left. "Oh, no, it's just that I have this strangest feeling all of a sudden." She shrugged it off. "It's probably just Sean working in his room again."
"What's he up to this time?" Jimmy asked.
"I don't know," Motoko said. "And I'd like to keep it that way. There are those things that I'd rather not know about."
Jimmy nodded in understanding as they entered the kitchen, where bacon and eggs were currently frying on the stove. "So," he said, tending to the morning meal. "What brings you here?"
"Do I have to have a reason?" Motoko asked.
"I guess not," Jimmy said.
After that, the room fell to relative silence, but Motoko took no notice of it, as her mind was elsewhere. "This isn't Sean, that much I know," she thought, referring to the weird feeling she felt--and still is. "But if it isn't him, then who is it? More importantly, where is it coming from?" Focusing on the signal, she was more than surprised to find that the origin was inside Jimmy's house. "Jimmy," she finally said. "Is there somebody else here?"
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to sniff me out." Turning around, Motoko didn't know which came as a bigger shock: The fact that Tsuruko was standing there or that she was in naught but a towel.
When Motoko eventually regained her senses, she turned back to Jimmy. "When were you going to tell me my sister was here?"
"We wanted it to be a surprise," Jimmy said. "Isn't that right?"
"Yes," Tsuruko said, sitting down next to Motoko at the kitchen table. "If you had not arrived, we might not have told you I was here, especially knowing how much you enjoy my visits."
Motoko gave Tsuruko an evil look. "If you recall, the last time you stopped by, it wasn't exactly under the best of circumstances."
"I suppose." Though she tried not to show it, Motoko was getting annoyed at how Tsuruko treated something that, for her, was a traumatic event as though it was something as minor as a paper cut.
"I'll leave you two to catch up," Jimmy said as he put a plate of food in front of Tsuruko--apparently, the meal he was preparing was for her the whole time. Without another word, Jimmy left for his turn in the shower.
"So, why have you come here?" Motoko asked after mentally calming down.
"You know that Jimmy has gone to Kyoto to spar with me a few times, right?" Tsuruko asked between bites.
"Of course."
"Well, I thought it might be appropriate if I made the trip for once. I am glad I did, as I just had one of, if not the best training session I have had in my life."
"Now that that's settled," Motoko half-muttered, "would you kindly explain why you are in your current state of undress?"
"Jimmy offered to let me get myself cleaned up before I left. Had I known you were coming, I would have gotten dressed right afterwards."
"And what, pray tell, would you have done had I stayed home?" Motoko asked, still glaring at her older sister.
"You assume too much," Tsuruko said, her calm tone never wavering. "Have you yet to learn not to jump to conclusions?"
"No, but put yourself in my place and see what explanations you come up with."
"Point taken," Tsuruko said. "I must admit though, Jimmy certainly is something. Not only is a gentleman and an amazing warrior, he can also cook. I tell you, if I wasn't already married--"
"SISTER!" Motoko cried, becoming disturbed by the direction in which the conversation was turning.
"Motoko, relax," Tsuruko said with a laugh. "I would never try to steal him from you. However, there are those who wouldn't think twice about it."
"And if anyone did, she would be at my mercy."
"I would expect nothing less."
"Is there another reason why you have come here?" Motoko said after a few moments of silence.
"There is," Tsuruko said. "I was actually hoping I would see you, as there is something I have been meaning to ask you."
"What is it?" Motoko asked, genuinely curious.
"What kind of relationship do you and Jimmy possess?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well for example, where have you two gone together?"
"Well, we have gone to the movies a couple times. Aside from that, we've spent most of our time together working out like you did this morning."
"I see. And just how long were you planning on keeping it like this?"
"Like what?"
"The way I see it, Jimmy appears to be more like a personal trainer to you than a boyfriend. It's great that you found someone you can connect with, but there has to be more to it than that."
"Tsuruko, you do not know the life I lead."
"Then why don't you enlighten me?" Tsuruko asked.
"For starters, my schoolwork combined with the commitments I have to keep to the kendo club tie up a lot of my time. What free time I do get I usually spend at the Hinata-Sou, but there's always something going on over there that either distracts me or demands my attention in some other way, not to mention the fact that any sort of privacy is always in short supply, to say the very least. There are days when I barely have the time to even get any training done. You know I have that portal to another world, right?"
"Of course."
"Well, I can't even go there right now, as Sean is getting ready to do one of those magic experiments of his in there. All that, plus a possible college career to consider and plan for leaves me without any time to do all those things couples usually do. Jimmy understands this and therefore does not press the issue."
"That may be all well and good," Tsuruko said. "but this isn't how you should be living your life. Even now, I can see how stressed your busy schedule is making you. Being a warrior is not just about strengthening your body, but keeping your mind sharp as well. From what you have told me, it will only be a matter of time before your martial arts skills begin to suffer. What you need to do is go out and enjoy life."
"But I don't have time to--"
"Then make time! Yes, you have a lot on your plate right now; a lot of girls your age do. Also, I respect the dedication you put into your swordsmanship, but there is such a thing as overdoing it."
"What do you suggest that I do, then?" Motoko asked.
"Well, considering that tomorrow is Valentine's, why don't you two go to the mall or something? I'm sure that if you get something for him, he'll return the favor."
"Unlike most girls, I am not exactly an expert at that sort of thing."
"So what? You really need to keep an open mind to new experiences. You never know, you might enjoy it."
"You're right. I'll ask him when he gets out of the shower."
"Good," Tsuruko said. "Also, when you get the time, think back to the last time you were completely at peace. You may surprise yourself with what you find." Just then, Motoko stifled a laugh; something that didn't go unnoticed. "What is so funny?"
"I'm sorry; it's just that seeing you like this reminded me of the first time I came here."
"And in what way?" Tsuruko asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Like you, I did not have the foresight to bring an extra change of clothes."
"What did you do?" For some reason, Motoko felt the need to whisper her explanation into her sister's ear. Moments later, a look of surprise appeared on the elder Aoyama's face. "You didn't!"
"I did," Motoko said.
"Well, I'm sure he got a rise out of that."
"That he did." The two then broke out into a laugh.
It was then that Jimmy returned, fully clothed. "Hey, what's so funny?"
After Tsuruko got dressed and gave her farewells, Motoko proposed her elder's suggestion to Jimmy, who agreed to it whole-heartedly. Right away, they set out for the mall. This was Motoko's idea, as she did not want to give herself enough time to back out, should the impulse strike her. During the car ride, no specific plans were made (at least not verbally). Instead, they settled on looking in every store (with some exceptions, of course) and see if anything caught the interest of one, the other or both. Naturally, this path would go through some clothing stores. While there, Motoko surprised herself by her own willingness to try on outfits, mostly because she was never that comfortable in situations like that. Then again, she never was as enthusiastic about clothes shopping as most other girls--her age and otherwise. Knowing that, she had the distinct feeling her sister's words of wisdom held some sway in her current mindset. After a while, they collectively decided to get something to eat at the food court.
11:04 AM
"So," Jimmy said. "You enjoying yourself?"
"I suppose," Motoko said, sipping her drink. She had to admit to herself that, had Jimmy not gone with her, she would not have had as good a time--not to mention that, more likely than not, she would have left within ten minutes of showing up.
"Don't worry about it," Jimmy said. "I know this isn't exactly your element. How about we go to one more place, then head for home. How does that sound?
"Sure, why not?" Motoko said. After they finished eating, went to the shop Jimmy had picked out. Upon arrival, Motoko quickly changed her tune. "No," she said, switching glances between Jimmy and the lingerie store they were standing in front of. "There is no way I'm going in there." All the while, she made sure to keep her voice low to avoid making a scene.
"Hey, we agreed to go to one more place before heading back, right?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes, but had I known where you were going to lead me I would have--"
"You would have refused outright." Jimmy said, finishing Motoko's sentence for her. "That's why I saved this one for last."
"If you think I am going in there, you are sadly mistaken." Motoko then started to walk away, but her progress was quickly cut short. "Will you let go of my hair?"
"C'mon, Motoko," Jimmy said. For the time being, he had a tight grip on the situation. "You're not afraid to go in there, are you?"
"Fear is not the issue," Motoko said. "But self-respect is. Now, if you don't let go in five seconds, I'll--"
"You'll what?" Jimmy asked. "You didn't even bring your sword with you."
"Didn't I?" Motoko raised her right hand into Jimmy's field of vision, where he saw the ring and the significance--in a manner of speaking--it held within. Jimmy was well aware of the present Sean had made over two years before, and there have been times where he wanted to curse him out for doing it. "I am giving you one last chance. Remove your hand or I'll do it for you."
Jimmy knew well enough that Motoko was never one to make idle threats, so he wasted no time in releasing her from his grasp. "Alright, alright, you made your point," he said. "But won't you go in anyway? For me?"
Over the next minute and a half, all that could be heard from Motoko was some murmuring that was barely audible and hardly understandable. "Okay," she finally said. "But you owe me." Jimmy then entered the store, with Motoko somewhat reluctantly following behind. "I can't believe I'm doing this," she thought bitterly. "More than that, I can't believe he actually expects me to wear this stuff." Meanwhile, Jimmy was having thoughts of his own, but they shall not be disclosed here for obvious reasons.
"Hey, Motoko," Jimmy said, snapping the swordswoman out of thoughts that involved a few choice garments and a blowtorch. "What do you think of this?" he asked, presenting a red number for Motoko's evaluation, but all she did was grab it and head over to the curtain at the far end of the store that led to the dressing rooms, but not before giving him a look that could be interpreted as saying either "Let's get this over with," or "I'll get you for this."
"Um…" Jimmy said, suddenly fearing what might happen to him--or to be more specific, a body part or two. "Why do I have the feeling I might regret this?" he thought. Resigning to what cards fate might deal him, he moved toward the curtain, but he would get a tad sidetracked by the time he reached it.
"Well, hello there."
Jimmy looked over to find a woman approaching him. To most men, the blonde would be considered perfection in a mini-skirt. Despite this, Jimmy was able to keep his composure. "Hello yourself."
"I saw what happened back there. It seems she isn't too happy to be here."
"Well, this is a first for her; for both of us, actually."
"You're kidding," the woman said. "A hunk like you must have a swarm of girls vying for your attention."
"Not really," Jimmy said, keeping a neutral expression on his face. "I usually keep to myself in that regard."
"That's too bad. If you more outgoing, I'm sure you would find someone a bit more… experienced in matters such as this."
"Someone like you, I presume?"
"You catch on quick. Why don't hook up sometime and I should show you what I'm capable of."
"I hate to break it to you, but I'm strictly a one-woman man."
"And the problem with that is…?"
"Alright, Jimmy," Motoko said. "I'm coming out."
"Don't keep me suspense, Motoko." Jimmy watched as a hand appeared from the beyond and pulled the curtain aside… and his jaw immediately dropped.
"Hmm," the woman said, appraising Motoko, whose face currently matched the outfit she had on. "That looks good on you." She glanced over at Jimmy. "And from the looks of it, he agrees."
Now, you must understand that this whole ordeal was already humiliating enough for the swordswoman, but adding a second critic to the mix only made it that much more so. In an instant, before she was even fully aware of it, Motoko closed the curtain, returning to the relative privacy of the dressing room.
"It's a shame, really," the blonde said. "Seeing someone as handsome as you wasting your time with someone like that." Fortunately for her, Motoko was out of ear shot. "I mean, sure, she's beautiful and all, but she has no idea how to show it off. Me on the other hand..." It was at that point that she noticed that Jimmy was still in a mild state of shock. "Hello, you in there?" she asked, snapping her fingers in his face.
"Oh, sorry," Jimmy said, shaking his head as he came out of his daze. "What were you talking about now?"
"Oh, nothing," the woman said. "Well, see you later, hot stuff." She then sauntered out of the store.
"Ooookay," Jimmy said to himself, somehow compelled to watch the bombshell until the sound of a curtain moving demanded his attention.
"Alright," Motoko said. "You happy? Let's go." Not wanting to argue--mostly because it might be a health risk--Jimmy complied and they left the store and, eventually, the mall itself. By the time they reached the parking lot, Motoko had calmed down enough so that certain details of that last episode (which, as a whole, was something she would want to forget) came into focus. "Who was that woman you were talking to before?" she asked.
"Nobody," Jimmy said, knowing the question was going to come eventually. "Just some lady trying to hit on me."
"Was she now?" Motoko asked, casting a suspicious glance in Jimmy's direction.
"Don't look at me like that," Jimmy said. "I would never cheat on you."
"Oh, I believe you." Even Motoko couldn't be sure if that was sarcasm or not. "That woman…" she thought. "Why do I feel as though I've seen her before?"
The ride home was spent in, at least for Jimmy, a very uncomfortable silence. The whole way, Motoko never said anything to him, which only made him think he had upset her--as if he couldn't think of any reasons why. Despite this, Motoko actually appeared to be deep in thought, as though she was trying to put a puzzle together in her head. Feeling the car stop in front of Hinata-Sou jarred her out of her thoughts.
"See you later, Motoko," Jimmy said.
"Where are you off to?" Motoko asked after leaving the car--it was apparent Jimmy wouldn't be joining her.
"There's a couple thing I need to take care of."
Motoko watched the car go of into the horizon. "I wonder…"
"Oh man, I've really done it this time," Sean muttered to himself as he stood at the jagged and steep peak of a black tower, holding onto a flagpole located there for dear life. Below him, a dark metropolis stretched out in all directions, it inhabitants scurrying around like ants. It seemed obvious that they were looking for something--or perhaps, someone. Of course, in order to find out how he got there in the first place, one would need to look back to his subsequent attempts at Plane Shift…
10:20 AM
Sean's second other-worldly journey went much like the first, though he was quick to notice that the trip took a while longer in comparison. He was not surprised in the least by this however, as he had expected it to take longer to go to places that were not of his own creation. Over the course of the next two minutes, he allowed himself a better look at how the spell functioned. Just when he was starting to wonder when he was going to reach his destination, he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
"Ground floor: TVs, cameras, laptops and other electronic paraphernalia," he said to himself. He knew how corny that might have sounded, but since nobody could hear him, it didn't really matter. The blue orb surrounding him faded away soon after, but before he could get his bearings, he heard what could only be described as a squeal. It was at this time that he knew his arrival had witnesses--not to mention the fact that his point of entry was a bit off the mark. Then again, what red blooded man wouldn't want to be in the bathroom of a certain group of deities?
Before Sean could even turn to face his unexpected audience, he was tackled from behind. The rush of long blonde hair that passed by his field of vision on the way down narrowed the identity of his attacker to two goddesses, but the voice that followed brought it to one. "Sean, you're back!" Brittany cheered. "It's been so long!"
"Yeah, it has," Sean said after getting his wind back. "Um, could you get off me please? You're getting my clothes all wet." As if that was actually what he was paying attention to.
"Oh, sure," the ditzy blonde said, helping Sean to his feet.
"I was expecting an interesting response to me showing up, but nothing quite like that," Sean muttered as he got upright and noticed that the goddess of music was accompanied by two others of her ilk.
"Sorry about that," Brittany said. "I guess I just got a bit carried away. I mean, all of a sudden, we saw this big blue ball appear out of nowhere. How were we supposed to know who or what was inside?"
"On that note," Julie said. "Why are you here? I don't recall there being a reason why anyone would have you come here."
"Yeah, after the last time, there was nothing left to be done," Nancy added.
"Well," Sean began. "I had just finished making a spell for planar travel and I figured, what better place to go for a test run? Besides, like Brittany said, it's been quite a while since I've seen you all."
"So you thought you could just appear in our shower any time you wanted?" Julie asked, making her insinuations obvious.
"In my own defense, I was expecting to show up in the living room. I guess there's still a bug or two to work out. Any way you look at it, it means I won't have to hitch a ride if I feel like paying you a visit."
"Well, since you're already here," Brittany asked, not leaving Sean's side. "Why not join us? We're the only ones here right now, Amy aside, and we could always use the extra company."
"You know what? As appealing as that sounds…" That's putting it lightly. "…I have other places to go and people to see. Besides, I can't be gone for too long or else I may have to explain myself to Shinobu. She already knows that I left and why, but not where. Besides, if you're implying what I think you are, you won't be needing any help from me."
"You certainly have a point there," Julie said.
"Well, promise you'll visit us again soon, okay?" Nancy asked.
"Sure thing," Sean said. "And I'll make sure to contact one of you ahead of time when I do. Until then, ladies, I'll leave you to shower in peace." With that, Sean left for the hallway. Just as he reached the door, Nancy's voice demanded his attention.
"Remember: You'll always be welcome here."
"Yeah, especially on Sundays!" Brittany added.
"I'll keep that in mind," Sean said with a laugh, closing the door behind him. "Alrighty then," he sighed as he made his way through the main corridor. "That could have gone a bit better. Of course, it could also have gone a whole lot worse. What's important is that I made it here safe and sound. Now, just one more trip before I head for home." After zapping on some shoes, he visualized his destination in his mind and performed Plane Shift once again. Unbeknownst to him however, his departure did not go unnoticed.
"Huh," Amy said after watching Sean leave. "I thought I heard his voice."
"Yep, that was him alright," Julie said, appearing through the bathroom door, wrapped in a towel. "He finally figured out how to get here on his own."
"I'm sure the others would be happy to hear that," Amy said. "Some more so than others."
"You got that right." After a slight pause, Julie asked the all-important question: "Do you want to tell Stephanie or should I?"
Sean's third trip through extra-dimensional space went about as smoothly as the first two, but the landing would further expose perhaps the one flaw in the spell--and quite a major one at that. As soon as he arrived, he knew right away that something was, shall we say, amiss. The surrounding buildings were black with soot, matched by the ceiling of smoke above, keeping everything in perpetual shadow--oh yeah, there was also the issue of the poisonous atmosphere.
Right away, Sean placed his hands at his throat and went down on his knees, the inability to breathe catching him by surprise. "What the hell!" he thought, his mind going into panic mode, mostly from fear of losing his life within moments of arriving at that particular God-forsaken patch of dirt. "No! I will not die today!" Thinking quickly, he conjured up a spell that eased the pressure on his lungs, effectively rendering his respiratory system useless for the time being.
"Oh man," Sean said after coughing out the offending air. "That was way too close for comfort." Getting back on his feet, he quickly noticed that, indeed, he was a far cry from his target. "What have I gotten myself into this time?" he asked himself, figuring the toxic environment would only be the first in a long line of obstacles he'd have to face during his unintentional visit.
"Well, isn't this a cheerful place?" Sean muttered. "I bet the welcoming committee will be just as friendly." Turning around, he found himself greeted by the sight of half a dozen men staring back at him--and from the weapons they were holding, it was obvious that they weren't there to give him a tour. "Yup." Sean then broke out on a run, but it would not take long for the locals to catch up with him, capture him and knock him out.
11:10 AM
"Ow, my head," Sean said upon regaining consciousness. He tried to move his hands to try to relieve himself somewhat of his migraine, but quickly found himself unable to move them. After clearing his head a bit, he looked around and noticed that he was shackled to a column in a room that could only be described as a throne room from Hell. The only thing that deviated from that image was the fact that there were no remains of those unfortunate enough to be in Sean's current situation. On neighboring columns were sets of cuffs similar to those around his wrists, but the thing that stood out about them was, unlike his own, they were all vacant. This brought up some interesting theories in Sean's mind: Maybe prisoners were hard to come by; maybe they had a knack for cleaning up after themselves; maybe they had ways of dealing with intruders that didn't leave remains.
Before Sean could contemplate what those methods might consist of, a grand set of double doors to his right opened to reveal a being the likes of which he has never seen before--and wished that was still the case. The figure stood about five and a half feet tall with a head that resembled a giant mosquito. The rest of its body was that of a human, but only that of one who had been turned inside out. Naturally, Sean was disgusted by the sight of such a repulsive creature.
"So you have awakened," the... thing said, surprising Sean by his ability to understand it. "Before I have you killed, maybe you would like to explain why you have come here."
"You think I'd actually come to a place like this on purpose?" Sean asked. "I am merely a traveler who obviously made a wrong turn somewhere. Um, where exactly am I, anyway?"
The biology project gone wrong gave out a laugh at Sean's question. "You know so little of what you have gotten yourself into. This is the city of Helgedad, the Black City, and I am Gnaag, ruler of all the Darklands and the commander of the Darklord armies."
"It figures," Sean thought. "I just had to wind up in the Darklord capital and be face to face with the head honcho himself, didn't I?" "You know," he said. "This was all just one big misunderstanding. How about you just let me go and we can pretend this whole thing never happened. How does that sound?"
Gnaag got right in Sean's face. "Mercy is for spineless worms."
"I know people who would take great offense to that. There are some of us who actually have something to live for--not anything you'd be familiar with, I'm sure."
"I could have you thrown into the Lake of Blood right now," Gnaag said. "Your eternal suffering will help feed the flames, like countless others before you."
"And as soon as my friends find out, they'll come and beat the stuffing out of you and everyone that would stand in their way," Sean continued. "That is, if I let you do it in the first place."
"And how would you be able to stop me?"
"I have my ways. I'm not exactly your average, run-of-the-mill human. Every opponent I've ever faced can attest to that. Well, every one that isn't dead, of course."
"And by this, you think you can defeat me just as easily?"
"The Kai didn't have that much trouble about ten months ago when your forces tried to take down the monastery, did they?"
Gnaag let out some unearthly grunt as he backed up a couple steps, a clear sign that he knew of the incident. "They were incompetent fools, pure and simple. The Lake of Blood was too good for them. From the report they gave me, the entire battalion of Kraan riders got taken out by one man! The only good news was that the wretch did not survive it either. At least I won't have to deal with an annoyance like that again."
"What makes you think that?" Sean asked, allowing himself a smile, at least partly because Gnaag currently had his back to him.
"Because the battle ended in a giant ball of flame," Gnaag said. "There's no way anything could have lived through that."
"I don't know," Sean said. "Something tells me he could."
Gnaag turned around and was about to have Sean explain his reasoning, but that particular train of thought was cut short when he saw that his captive had somehow escaped from his chains. "How did--" Suddenly, the last puzzle piece fell into place. "YOU!"
"You look upset," Sean said, still grinning. "Was it something I said?"
"You were the one who single-handedly defeated my troops, weren't you?"
"It took this long for you to figure that out?" Sean then sent an arrow of light speeding towards Gnaag, hitting him square in the chest. With an unearthly cry, the Darklord fell to his knees and then down flat on the ground, after which Sean could see his projectile sticking out the thing's back. "Not that it matters now. As much as I love this place, my home is elsewhere."
Just when Sean was about to begin preparations for departure, he heard laughing coming from Gnaag's general direction. "It will take more than that to kill me," he said.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," Sean thought as he watched Gnaag get back up, grab the arrow still imbedded in him and proceed to yank it out effortlessly. For all intents and purposes, the attack didn't do jack.
"Nice try," Gnaag said as he snapped the arrow like a twig, which disappeared shortly thereafter. "But if you think such a minor trick will do me in like it did my soldiers, you're sadly mistaken."
"The same can be said for you if you think I'm a one trick pony," Sean shot back.
"Try all you want," Gnaag said. "There is no way you can kill me."
"Maybe not, but I can keep you preoccupied long enough for me to leave this god forsaken place without needing a coffin." With a wave of his hand, Sean lifted Gnaag off of the ground and slammed him against the wall, following it up with arrows to the wrists and ankles. "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be on my way."
"Not so fast," Gnaag said. "There's still one thing blocking your way."
"And what might that be?"
"Them." Right when Gnaag said that, the doors burst open and a few soldiers quickly entered and surrounded Sean, swords drawn. "What are you going to do now?" Gnaag taunted.
"You know," Sean said. "There's one thing you should know about me. One minute, you can see me here, facing imminent death, and the next…" He snapped his fingers, causing a blinding light to flood the room. A few moments later, the light went away, and Sean with it.
"…I'm gone," Sean finished as he hovered above the tower that, presumably, he was inside just seconds before. In order to conserve his energy, he drifted down onto said tower, but as soon as his feet made contact, he heard Gnaag's voice inside his head. If it wasn't for the convenient flagpole, he probably would have lost his balance. Cleaned up, the message told of an escaped prisoner with orders to terminate him on sight.
"Oh man," Sean muttered to himself. "I've really done it this time." After the message concluded, all of Helgedad below suddenly became a bustle of activity. It seemed almost as though the city itself was out to get him--and that was probably more accurate than it should have been.
He knew time was short, so he went through various options in his mind. The first and most obvious route would be to Plane Shift back to Earth, but the spell takes a while to cast and his pursuers might be on him before he's able to complete it. Option #2: Teleport to the Kai Monastery and the relative safety therein. The problem with that idea was that he didn't know in which direction or how far away it was, and going in some random direction would most likely lead to him running out of energy long before reaching his destination. Granted, any place would be better than his current location, but there's no telling what other dangers there are in this world just waiting for the unsuspecting traveler to come across it.
"Well, I guess I have no other choice," Sean said with a sigh, pretty much resigning to the prospect that the path back home will go through at least some of the creatures milling about twenty stories below. Of course, that only left one question unanswered: How exactly to pave the way down that path without getting killed in the process.
Gnaag's message had been sent to every living being in Heldgead, regardless of rank or species, forcing all to stop whatever it was they were originally doing in order to search for and kill the runaway. Two soldiers in particular were walking down an ash-choked street after having been relieved of guard duty, discussing their new orders and the difficulties involved, including the obvious...
"How are we supposed to find the prisoner?" the first one asked. "We don't even know what he looks like."
"The way I see it--" the second one started to respond, but was interrupted by a strange noise coming from the alley they had passed just moments before. "Did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear anything," the first guard said.
"I'm going to check it out real quick." With that, the second guard went down into the alley, disappearing from view. It would not take long for him to discover the source of the sound, but what he found wasn't something he was expecting--nor was he prepared for.
Hearing his comrade cry out, the first soldier ran into the alley to find him lying motionless on the ground, the pool of blood surrounding him signifying that he was no longer amongst the living. "Who did this do you?" he asked no one in particular as he knelt down next to his fallen partner to see what had done him in. Unfortunately for him, he was about to find out the hard way.
"This is just too easy."
Startled by the foreign sounding voice, the guard turned around to find Sean standing before him. "You did this! Then you must be the esca--" He would not get to finish his sentence before a dagger hit him right between the eyes, killing him instantly.
"Well, that's two down," Sean said, disappearing just in time for more soldiers to arrive and see his handiwork. This would be only the start of the chaos Sean would create in Helgedad. Within minutes, reports of fallen soldiers spread like wildfire. What frustrated the high officers the most was the fact that there appeared to be no pattern to the murders whatsoever, both in method and location. One would be in an alley with a knife buried in his skull, the next in the middle of the street without a head, the next suspended from a wall, impaled on his own sword.
Meanwhile, on the other end, realization set in Sean's mind, but it took until his twenty-seventh kill to do it which, in retrospect, was far too long for him. "What am I doing?" he asked himself after slitting his latest victim's throat, turning invisible and taking to the skies--something he did after every strike. "Killing these guys one at a time is just not going to get the job done. There just has to be a better way to do this." Suddenly, a light bulb went on in his head. "Yes. Yes, there is."
Satisfied with what he hoped would be the last attack strategy he would have to come up with for a good long time, Sean flew around the city until he found about three score troops lined up below him, apparently getting ready to be deployed. "That'll work," he mused. Touching down about thirty feet behind the squadron, he prepared himself to set his plan into motion.
"Well, here goes nothing," he thought as he deactivated his invisibility spell. "Hey, boneheads!" he shouted, getting the soldiers' attention. "You lookin' for someone?" Much to Sean's confusion, all the troops did was stare at him, but confusion quickly turned to alarm when he saw the first two rows reach for their sides and pull out crossbows trained on either Sean's head or chest.
"Uh oh." Sean put up a shield just in time to receive the barrage of bolts. Thankfully, none reached their target. Without missing a beat, Sean turned and ran, casting a full-body shield spell in the process. "I just had to pick a squad with crossbows, didn't I!" he muttered to himself. Looking back for a brief moment, he saw the soldiers giving chase. "Oh well, at least I accomplished what I set out to do. Now to see if my bait is fully taken."
As Sean followed his winding and somewhat random path through the city, he could hear the sounds of alarm bells in his wake. He knew this would mean more pursuers, but this had been anticipated. After a while, he began to see the crossbowmen that started the chase as more and more of a blessing, as he knew they would not be able to load their weapons on the fly. He felt that as long as he stayed out of sword's reach, everything would be fine for the time being.
After about ten minutes of constant running, he had to come to a stop; not because he was out of breath (mostly because he still had no need to breathe), but because of the mob of Darkland infantry in front of him. This allowed the soldiers behind him to catch up, completely surrounding him. "Well, it looks like the gang's all here," Sean muttered to himself as he watched the enemy slowly close in on him. "You think you have me trapped," he said, loud enough for his adversaries to hear. "But it is I who has cornered you."
Sean was not at all surprised to hear his captors laugh at his flawed logic--either that, or a really amateurish attempt at a Jedi mind trick. "Oh, you don't believe me? Well, let me show you what I mean." Just then, one of the soldiers rushed forward to cleave Sean in two, but the moment he got there, his target disappeared without a trace.
"Believe me now?" Sean asked, now hovering forty feet above where he once stood. "Now, what to do with all of you… ah yes, that will suffice." The crowd below could only watch in awe as the wizard conjured up one of the light arrows that he made so much use of in his last encounter with them. The only thing different about it was the bright red arrowhead. "And since one of you was so eager to volunteer, I think I'll do you first." Moving his arm in a mock throwing fashion (which was just for dramatic effect), he sent the arrow speeding down towards the unfortunate man to tried to run him through.
Upon impact, the arrow suddenly became a raging fireball, which quickly spread to a radius of about twenty feet, cremating all within it and severely burning those at its edge. Not giving them any time to recover from the shock of what they just witnessed, Sean sent more projectiles just like it into the gawking masses. It did not take long for the opposing forces to start fleeing for their lives, dropping whatever weapons they were intending on using.
"Look at them run," Sean said to himself, laughing in a way that would have made Suu proud. "Well, now that that's over with, it's about time I head for--" The end of that sentence would be pre-empted by a scream as he gets slammed in the back. The force of the blow sent him flying straight into the building, stunning him long enough for his flight spell to falter. "What the hell was that!" Sean asked as he got his bearings back.
"You have made quite a nuisance out of yourself." Instantly, Sean recognized Gnaag's voice. Turning around, he saw the Darklord accompanied by five men--at least he assumed they were men--in pitch black robes, their faces concealed in shadow. "I cannot allow that to continue."
"Then why not let me go home?" Sean asked, standing up. "It's not like I intend to come back to this place any time soon--perish the thought."
"I'd rather see you perish. That way, I will make sure you keep to your word." With a wave of his hand, four of the robed figures moved forward, forming a semi-circle around Sean. This, along with the wall, conspired to keep him contained.
"What's gonna happen now?" Sean thought, expecting the worst. In all his time as a student of the magical arts, the closest he ever came to being in combat with another of his kind was against the Aoyama sisters. Now, a full fledged, 4-on-1 mage battle is about to get under way. What fun.
Sean's gaze switched from person to person, just waiting for something to happen, which it did in the form of chanting--low, ominous and all in unison. A few tense moments went by, then he saw electricity arc from their fingers to collect in a ball between their hands--all four of which no doubt aimed at one target.
"Oh no," Sean said, creating four more fire bomb arrows. "It won't end like that." He would then vanish, followed shortly by explosions where each of the four evil wizards once stood. "You underestimate me, Gnaag," Sean then said from four stories up.
"Have I?" Gnaag asked, seemingly unfazed by what had just occurred, along with the fifth mage, who had stayed behind just in case Sean tried to pull a fast one. "Perhaps it is you who has underestimated us."
At first, Sean thought that the Darklord was just using a ploy in order to psyche him out, but all theories ground to a halt when he heard the same chanting once again. Looking around, he discovered that the four wizards were not only alive, but also floating at his altitude, their spells still in progress, but not for long.
"OH, CRAP!" Sean shouted, putting up a Level 2 shield just in time to receive a lightning bolt from each direction. Thankfully, his quick thinking saved him from certain death, but he wasn't out of the woods yet, as the bolts did not go away upon impact. "An attack spell that lasts," Sean muttered to himself. "That's exactly what I need right now."
"What have you got to say now?" Gnaag said. "I'm willing to bet they can last longer than you."
Sean heard what was said, but was too preoccupied to respond. As much as he hated to admit it, Gnaag had a point. All the spells he had performed up to this point were finally starting to catch up with him, making him wonder just how long he'd be able to maintain his defensive stand. "There has to be something I can do," he thought. He knew his time was very limited, as his barrier was already beginning to buckle under the pressure.
"Just give up!" Gnaag shouted. "There is no way you can survive."
"C'mon, Sean, think!" Sean thought. "If I don't think of something fast, those things will hit me!" That's when an idea sparked in his mind; one that might prove to be his one salvation. Not bothering to weigh the pros and cons, he decided to put the plan into action. "I hope this works."
Meanwhile, on the ground, Gnaag looked on as the only thing between his enemy and oblivion faded away. "He's finished!" he said to himself when the lightning bolts entered Sean's body, but that's not all that happened.
When Sean lowered his shield, he instantly shut his eyes tight, not wanting to watch his imminent death, should that happen. When he felt no pain, he slowly opened them to find that the four wizards were no longer surrounding him. Rather, they were on lying motionless the ground, gaping holes present in their respective chests. Silently, he offered a thanks to the heavens that his plan was a success.
When Gnaag saw that not only did his mages get struck down by their own attack, but that it also left it's intended target completely unharmed, he was rendered speechless. "How did you do that!" …well, almost speechless.
"Incorporeality spells can work wonders in a tight spot," Sean answered. (A/N Incorporeal: 1. Not corporeal or material; insubstantial. 2. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of nonmaterial beings.) "Now, if you don't mind, I'll be going home now."
While staying in midair, Sean started making arm gestures, which made Gnaag realize his window of opportunity was closing fast. "What are you doing!" he shouted, smacking the fifth mage in the back of the head. "Don't let him get away!" His subordinate merely nodded and began casting his own lightning spell.
At this point, all Gnaag and the few soldiers stupid enough to stick around could do was watch the two spellcasters as the race to complete their respective incantations went under way. When a blue orb enveloped Sean, everyone thought all was lost, but that was until a streak of lightning struck it. A scream could be heard as the electrical energy seemed to mingle with that of Sean's. Much to everyone's amazement, the globe began to grow. When it got to about twenty-five feet in radius, it detonated, razing all surrounding buildings to the ground. The force of the blast sent both Gnaag and his accomplice flying backwards, shielding their eyes from the blinding light it produced. When everything calmed down, they returned in order to find Sean--or at least his remains, but there was not a trace of him to be seen. "Looks like we won't have to concern ourselves with him anymore," Gnaag said.
"Yes," the mage said. "But at what cost?"
11:20 AM
While Sean was fighting his personal demons, Jimmy drove back to the mall, intending to purchase a couple gifts for Motoko that he had mentally picked out earlier. However, he would barely get halfway through the parking lot before he was confronted.
"Well well," the blonde said. "We meet again." She turned to a redhead that accompanied her. "Didn't I tell you he was hot?"
"Yeah," she said; she was roughly the same height and a somewhat small bustline, but was gorgeous nonetheless. "but I didn't think he was this cute."
"As much as I'd like to stand here and chat," Jimmy said, not wanting to humor the blonde as much as he did the first time around. "I have business to tend to, so if you don't mind…"
"Oh no you don't," the blonde said, grabbing onto Jimmy's arm as he walked by. "You're not getting away that easily. Now that that girl--Motoko, or whatever her name was--isn't around, we can get around to what we really want."
"Yeah, like you letting go of my arm, for example," Jimmy said.
"You are such a kidder," the redhead said with a laugh.
"Who's kidding?" Jimmy muttered.
"Why don't you come back to our place?" the blonde said. "If you do, we'll rock your world like you wouldn't believe."
"Listen," Jimmy said. "You're both hot, I'll give you that, but I'm happy being with Motoko right now and I don't want to change that."
"You don't really mean that, do you?" the redhead asked. "I mean, what does she have that we don't?"
"A sword and the ability to use it, for starters," Jimmy said. "Being hounded like this," he thought. "No wonder I don't get out much."
"She would really try to hurt you!" the blonde asked with a gasp.
"If I cheat on her and she find out, that might be the least of my worries."
"That's horrible! We can't let that happen!"
"Does that mean you'll let go now?" Jimmy asked.
"No! I'll never let you go, and when that witch tries to do you harm, I'll protect you."
"Hey," Jimmy said, his tone demanding the attention of the two women. "Don't make me risk doing you harm! Now, let go of my arm before I pry you off myself!"
The blonde released him in an instant, suddenly fearing for her own safety. As Jimmy walked away, she called out to him. "You don't know what you're missing!"
"I'll manage," Jimmy called back. He continued on into the mall, unhindered by those who would try to get into his pants. His path through the shopping center was direct and straightforward, so it did not take long for him to complete his objective. However, despite the best laid plans, the guidance offered by the hand of fate is, more often than not, non-negotiable.
By the time he exited the mall, Jimmy had just about forgotten about the two ladies from before. Within seconds though, he would get hit in the face by a piece of paper. "What the hell?" he thought, removing the offending document and read it's contents: "Come up to the roof." "Dang, today is just full of the unexpected, isn't it?" Jimmy asked himself, looking up at the roof of the mall. Of course, getting up there would be no difficult task for him, but he couldn't help but wonder how anyone else could do the same thing without a set of keys.
Jimmy quickly made his way onto the roof and, upon arrival, saw a couple of familiar faces. "Oh, it's you again," he said. "I should have figured as much. Can't you two take no for a answer?"
"That's not why we called you up here," the redhead said.
"Oh? Why, then?"
"I felt we should formally introduce ourselves," the blonde said. "My name is Stephanie, and I am the goddess of love. What you just experienced was a test of your fidelity. I am happy to say that you have passed."
"You expect me to believe that?" Jimmy asked, giving her a skeptical look.
"Can't you just give me the benefit of the doubt?"
"Okay, assuming you are who you say you are, why are you telling me this?"
"Normally, I wouldn't, but because of the company you keep, I felt it was alright."
Jimmy was a bit confused by that last statement. "I'm not following you."
"I mean I know people at Hinata-Sou and they know me. In fact, you should be considering yourself lucky; you don't even want to know the torture I've put Sean through."
"Is that right?" Jimmy said. "And who might you be?" he asked, turning to the redhead.
"Catherine," she said. "Goddess of trickery and partner-in-crime. Only Sean knows me."
"So I suppose you've been messing with him too?"
"Nah. Suu, Sarah and Kitsune do a good enough job of that; they don't need any help from me, though that doesn't mean I haven't considered it."
"Um, would you mind if I told Motoko about all this, you know, for her benefit?" Jimmy asked.
"That would probably be best," Stephanie responded. "I wish I could stay longer and chat with you a while, but there is an urgent message for me back home. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."
"Yeah, maybe." Jimmy watched as Stephanie faded out, leaving him and Catherine alone on the roof. "So," he said. "You and her work together all the time?"
"Most of the time," Catherine said. "Every so often, she selects some unsuspecting guy and test his fidelity. It's really just a coincidence that yours comes so close to Valentine's Day."
"What happens if the guy fails the test?"
"The girlfriend finds out, one way or another."
"Then it's a good thing I passed then, huh?"
"Yeah," Catherine laughed a bit before regaining her seriousness. "I'm a bit surprised by Stephanie today."
"Why's that?"
"It's just that, in most cases, we would be stripping for our target by now. Something tells me your association with Sean has may be the reason behind this."
"What does Sean have to do with this?" Jimmy asked.
"It goes back to when Stephanie first began her campaign against him. It all started as a test of his fidelity like we did to you today. The main difference in this was that she started big, probably expecting to end the test quickly. However, Sean was somehow able to get away clean--if you know what I mean. Over the next two months, she kept throwing down the gauntlet against him, but every time, he was able to persevere until it came to the point where breaking his will became her all-consuming goal."
"Well, considering who he lives with, I can certainly understand how he can resist temptation," Jimmy said. "It would almost be a job requirement."
"That's the thing," Catherine said. "She took advantage of Sean's living situation and effectively used it against him. Being the goddess of love, she has the capacity to change someone's hormone levels as easily as turning a dial. None of the girls were exempt from this. Sometimes she would bring the girls under her influence one at a time, sometimes all at once, but all were affected at one point or another."
"Even Motoko?" Jimmy asked.
"Yes, even Motoko, but this was well before she even met you. Nevertheless, none of them knew that Stephanie was responsible for all this, as she did it from the comforts of home--that is, until she got so frustrated that she took it upon herself to make a personal appearance and made one last stand. This time, not only did Stephanie fail yet again, but Sean also fought back."
"What did he do?" Jimmy asked, now more interested in Catherine's story than ever.
"He had her tortured in a way that, in my expert opinion, was a stroke of pure genius. Not only did the punishment fit the crime, but it was also probably the one thing that could make her regret her actions."
"Wow," Jimmy said. "It must have been something if it impressed you. What did he come up with?"
An evil grin appeared on Catherine's face. "I'm sure that if you asked Sean, he'll tell you all about it. Now, I should probably head back before Steph starts wondering where I'm at. It was nice meeting you."
"You too," Jimmy said as Catherine vanished before his very eyes. "What a day this is turning out to be," he muttered to himself as he left for his car, almost forgetting about the box that he was carrying with him the entire time.
The ride home was quick and uneventful. In almost no time at all, Jimmy found himself approaching the front door of Hinata-Sou. Even though he has become a regular and welcome visitor, he still knocked on the door, purely out of courtesy.
"Hello, Jimmy," Mutsumi said after opening the door.
"Hey, Mutsumi," Jimmy said.
"Motoko's on the roof."
"Thank you." Jimmy then entered the dorm and crossed the living room, greeting those therein along the way. He was just about to go up the stairs when he noticed Shinobu leave the kitchen. "Hey, Shinobu." Much to his surprise, the girl barely responded. "What's wrong?"
Shinobu approached Jimmy before answering. "It's Sean," she said, the somber expression on her face matching her tone of voice. "He hasn't come back yet."
"Where did he go?" Jimmy asked.
"I don't know," Shinobu said. "All I know is that he's been working on a spell to travel to other worlds."
"So he's taught himself Plane Shift, huh?" Jimmy thought. "How long has he been gone," he asked.
"It's been over two hours now."
"That does seem like a long time." Jimmy quickly tried to come up with a plausible reason for Sean's absence and put Shinobu more at ease. "Maybe he made friends in one of the places he went to and they're giving a tour or something. Don't worry; I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"I am too," Shinobu said. "But I help but feel like something went wrong."
"Well, don't lose hope." As Jimmy went upstairs, he mentally kicked himself for not helping Shinobu further, but on such short notice there probably wasn't much that he could have done. By the time he reached the roof, his thoughts had switched gears to his main objective. "I'm back."
"Hello, Jimmy," Motoko said. "Did you accomplish what you set out to do?"
"I sure did," Jimmy said, revealing the package that he had hidden behind his back up until then. "Happy Valentine's."
"Oh, Jimmy," Motoko said, taking the box and giving Jimmy a kiss. "You shouldn't have."
"I wanted to."
"I should have given you more credit," Motoko said. "When you left, I thought for a moment that you might have gone to see that woman from the lingerie store."
"Yeah, well, I didn't seek her out, but apparently, the same couldn't be said for her--and she brought a friend."
"Did she now?" Motoko asked, giving Jimmy a suspicious look.
"Yeah. Tell me, does the name Stephanie ring any bells?"
"Well, sure. She's the goddess of--" Suddenly, a light went on in Motoko's head. "So that's where I recognized her from. I should have known."
"So she was telling the truth," Jimmy muttered. "It seems she was just testing my faithfulness."
"And I'm assuming you passed?"
"If I didn't, you would know."
"That's good," Motoko said, taking a deep breath. "I feel as though a weight has been--did you feel that?"
"Yeah, I did," Jimmy said, a serious look on his face. Both of them found themselves staring at a seemingly insignificant spot on the platform. "That's Sean, isn't it?"
"There's no mistaking it," Motoko said. "Though I can't help but think that there's something a bit off about it." Right when she finished saying that, a blue orb appeared before them, but it appeared quite ragged and was laced with electricity.
"I agree," Jimmy said, now feeling that Shinobu's worrying has been somewhat validated. The sphere soon faded, revealing Sean within, but seeing him instantly collapse onto the floor brought them to alarm.
In an instant, Motoko was by his side. "Thank goodness," she said, breathing a sigh of relief. "He's still alive." She then turned to Jimmy. "Quick, take him to your house."
"Why my house?" Jimmy asked.
"Because if Shinobu sees him like this, she will go into hysterics. We cannot let that happen. I will meet you there shortly."
Jimmy knew right away that, from the tone of Motoko's voice, now wasn't the time to argue. Wasting no time, he took Sean in his arms and leapt off the roof, in the direction of his house.
"Sean, what happened to you?" Motoko thought as she walked towards her room, trying to look as though nothing had happened. After dropping off her gift, she headed downstairs, en route to the front door. However, her path through the living room would be somewhat interrupted.
"And where are you off to?" Kitsune asked.
"Jimmy's," Motoko simply said, trying to make the fox's interrogation as short as possible. "And you don't need to know why."
"Well," Kitsune said after Motoko left. "She's no fun."
"You really need to stop prying into people's personal lives, you know that?" Naru asked.
"Yeah," Kitsune said, shrugging her shoulders. "Force of habit, I guess. Besides, if I don't ask these questions, who will?"
"There are those questions that just shouldn't be asked," Keitaro said.
Once she was out of sight of her dormmates, Motoko broke out into a run for Jimmy's house, her concern for Sean the only thing on her mind. Not even bothering to knock, she entered the house and went to the living room, where Jimmy and Sean were located. Despite the fact that Sean was laying motionless on the couch, she still tried to keep some optimism. "How is he?" she asked.
"It's like you said before," Jimmy said. "He's still alive. He's not breathing, but I think I know why." He pointed to Sean's chest. "There's energy surrounding his lungs."
"Where could he have ended of that breathing would have been that big a concern?" Motoko asked.
"I don't know," Jimmy said. "But the environment must have played second fiddle to the natives, considering how he reeks of blood right now. The only good thing about that is that the blood isn't his."
"Knowing him, he probably didn't have any other option," Motoko said.
"You're telling me." Motoko and Jimmy had looks of surprise on their faces as they looked at Sean, who then opened his eyes and smiled at them. "Hello there."
"Sean, you're awake!" Motoko said, giving Sean a big hug as soon as he sat up.
"It's good to see you too," Sean said. "I can't believe I actually made it back," he thought. "For a second there, I thought I was done for."
"Where did you go?" Motoko asked after letting go and sitting next to him on the couch.
"This is one of those things that are best left unsaid," Sean said.
"Why?" Jimmy asked.
"Because if I tell you, Shinobu will eventually find out; enough said."
"Are you going to be alright?" Motoko asked. "I mean--"
"I'll be fine," Sean said. "The only injuries I suffered was a bump on the head and a bruised back. Aside from that, I pretty much just overexerted myself. I'll probably stay here a while until I get the energy to head home--one way or another." He didn't mention the attack launched against him during his final departure, but that was mostly because he wasn't exactly sure himself as to what had happened.
"Well, don't wait too long. She's started to worry about you."
"'Starting to'?" Both Sean and Jimmy thought as Motoko got up to leave. "Wait, before I forget," Jimmy said. "Don't open your present until after dinner."
"Why not?" Motoko asked.
"Just because," Jimmy said, grinning like an idiot. "I want to keep you in suspense, Besides, wouldn't you want to wait until it was closer to being actually Valentine's?"
Motoko was initially going to respond to Jimmy's rather weak argument, but then decided to play along. "Alright," she said. "I'll wait."
"Oh man, that's right," Sean thought while the conversation was going on. Apparently, he had just remembered what time of year it was. "I need to get Shinobu something, especially after making her worry about me--again."
"You know," Jimmy said after Motoko left, breaking Sean out of his thoughts. "I'm really ashamed of you. I mean, you went off and killed lots of people for goodness sake!"
"I know," Sean muttered. "If I could have avoided it, I would have, but--"
"That's not why I'm upset," Jimmy said. "I'm upset because you didn't let me come along." He crossed his arms and tried to look as though his feelings had been hurt. "You get to have all the fun."
"Yeah, right," Sean said rolling his eyes. "Being up to my neck and then some in people wanting to see me dead and having the capacity to do just that is not my idea of fun."
Sean would take advantage of the opportunity to take a breather, resting in peace and quiet (or at least as much as Jimmy was willing to give him) for about half an hour before returning to the Hinata-Sou. Naturally, Shinobu was overjoyed to see her boyfriend back. She would be so happy, she did not ask even bother to ask questions as to where he had been. Perhaps it was because she was not sure she wanted to find out, but whatever the reason might have been, Sean was grateful for it.
Meanwhile, and for the next several hours, Motoko would be on pins and needles concerning the gift that Jimmy gave her--the one he forbade her from opening until after dinner. Even though she had given him her word, the suspense only made her want to do it that much more. To keep from losing her resolve, she sought out to find anything and everything that she could use as a distraction. It even came to the point where she volunteered to help Suu with some of her inventions. Despite all this, she did her best to hide her enthusiasm. For her, and for more reasons than one, dinner could not come and go soon enough.
8:59 PM
After finishing the evening meal, Motoko went up to her room as quickly as inconspicuousness would allow. Closing the door behind her, she moved her gaze to her table… and there it was; the box that has practically been taunting her all afternoon. As she walked towards it, she felt that her perseverance made her truly earn her gift. Opening the package, she saw a beautiful red dress inside. In fact, it was one that she had modeled for Jimmy earlier in the day.
At first, Motoko was speechless, mostly because receiving clothes wasn't exactly something she was accustomed to, not even during Christmas and birthdays. Despite her usual reservations concerning her attire, she had admitted to herself that, among everything that she tried on at the mall, the dress she now held was perhaps the one she liked the most--apparently, Jimmy felt the same way.
Motoko was about to go put it on when she noticed a second item in the box. Upon closer inspection, her eyes went wide and a blush spread over her face when she recognized a different article of clothing she wore that day--one she wished never to again. "He actually bought this!" In her disgust, she almost failed to see the note tucked into the lingerie. She snatched it up, half expecting it to be future plans for a meeting and what she should be wearing at that time, but quickly changed her tune as she read it:
"Motoko,
Right now, you're most likely thinking I've gone insane for getting you the lingerie, but please let me explain myself before you come over and try to castrate me. I'd probably be lying if I said I knew everything that was going through your mind while we were in the lingerie store. What I do know is that you're a traditional girl and that brings with it certain morals and ethics.
From my perspective, I can see how trying this on in the store can be humiliating, but I doubt I am doing you justice by saying that. I think one reason why this is is that you were in such a public place at the time. Maybe--and this is just speculation--if you gave it an honest chance in the privacy and comfort of your own room, you would be more thoughtful in your judgment.
Of course, all this might be one man's attempt at flawed logic and you will despise lingerie either way. If that proves to be the case, I will not hold it against you and you can do with it as you see fit.
XXOO,
Jimmy"
"Wow," Motoko said to herself upon finishing. "He actually thought this through." By this time, she actually felt almost obligated to give the accursed garment a second chance. After making sure her door was closed and locked, she stripped down and began putting on the piece of clothing that, in the past, she wouldn't be caught dead in. As she did this, a revelation struck her: Back at the mall, her mind had been so cluttered by her concern for how others might see her, judging her accordingly, that she never took the time to get a good look at herself and give an unbiased opinion of it.
Upon completion, she took a good, long look at herself in the mirror. Much to her initial surprise, the outfit wasn't as revealing as she thought it was going to be, especially considering her prior experiences with lingerie always involved Kitsune in some way, shape or form. No, what she now wore could almost be described as elegant, but it was still something that she would not wear openly in public, if only because of the cat calls and wolf whistles that would follow in her wake.
"I know Jimmy means well," Motoko thought. "And if given time, I might actually come to like this stuff, but right now, it's just not me." She then began to change back into her regular clothes. "My sister was right, though. I really do need to keep myself open to new experiences." Suddenly, another part of the conversation she had with Tsuruko appeared in her mind, sparking a whole new train of thought. "The last time I was at peace…"
Sunday, 2/14 6:53 AM
Shinobu woke up bright and early, as per her usual routine of making breakfast every morning. This morning however, she was in no hurry whatsoever to get out of bed. Perhaps it was because most, if not all of the other residents were still asleep, but a more likely explanation was Alicia snuggled up next to her in bed. She sighed inwardly as she reveled in the bodily contact.
"Oh Sean," Shinobu thought. "No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you always come back to me. I don't know why I worry about you like I do--I guess old habits die hard." Despite the fact that, after Sean returned home the previous day, he spent most of his time in his room, trying to work out something he described to her as "a minor glitch concerning point of entry," Shinobu was happy to know that he was alright.
Shinobu sighed again as she slightly adjusted her position. "I'll never get tired of this--no way, no how." That last thought was referring to the close proximity of Alicia's body to her own. Over time, she developed a habit of sleeping au natural, mostly so that there would be nothing to come in between her and her beloved. All things considering, this is at least one of the purest examples of unconditional love. No matter what form Sean may take, Shinobu's affection for him will still be there.
Turning around, she quickly noted that Alicia was still sleeping soundly. "Yesterday must have taken a lot out of you," she thought. If only she knew. "But I think I know how to wake you up." She then kissed Alicia right on the lips for as long as it took for the older girl to open her eyes.
"And a good morning to you too," Alicia said after they parted. Even though she was still a tad groggy, that didn't stop her from forming a grin on her face.
"Happy Valentine's Day," Shinobu said.
"Likewise," Alicia said before they kissed again.
"I think I know how we can celebrate," Shinobu said, gliding a hand down Alicia's side, stopping at her hips.
"My, somebody's feeling frisky this morning," Alicia said, chuckling a bit.
"Are you saying you don't want to?" Shinobu asked, knowing it was rhetorical.
"Far from it. I think your idea's wonderful and I would like nothing more than to go with it, but I already made plans for us today--and it starts right now."
As Alicia got out of bed and helped Shinobu to her feet, the younger girl couldn't help but wonder what she had set up--that it must be something pretty big to make her willing to pass up sex. She was snapped out of her thoughts when Alicia handed her a blindfold. "What's this for?" she asked without thinking.
"I want this to be a surprise," Alicia said.
Shinobu was a bit unsure about what was going on, but eventually decided to play along and put on the blindfold. Right then, the room became deathly quiet. After two or three minutes, she wondered if Alicia was even in the room anymore. Just as she was about to investigate, she felt hands on her shoulders. "You can look now," Alicia said.
Shinobu quickly removed the blindfold in order to see what surprise Alicia had in store for her--and what a surprise it was. Right away, she knew she wasn't in Hinata-Sou any more, but the issue of greater importance was that of the dozen or so women in the room--and that Shinobu was still naked. In an instant, she hid behind Alicia, her face turning ten shades of red. "Where are we!" she asked frantically.
"We're in the home of the goddesses," Alicia replied calmly. "I'm sure you recognize a couple of them." She then turned her attention to said members of the divine. "Good morning ladies. We didn't keep you waiting, did we?"
"Of course not," Stephanie said. "We're always glad to have you here."
"Sean why are we here!" Shinobu whispered into Alicia's ear. "And why are they all naked!"
"Well, I knew I had to do something for Valentine's," Alicias explained. "Especially after being gone as long as I was yesterday. To answer your second question, they spend every other Sunday together… how should I say this… enjoying each other's company."
"That's putting it lightly," Julie noted.
"As I was saying, at some point yesterday, it came to me that Valentine's came on a Sunday this year, so I called them up to see if it was alright if we joined in."
"To which we happily agreed," Linda said.
It was at that point that Shinobu realized that Alicia had not passed up sex after all. In fact, all that she had been done was take her original idea and move it to a new location; and a much grander scale. "So..." Shinobu said hesitantly. "How long would we be here?"
"All day," Alicia said. "And before you ask, I already left a note for the others saying they won't be seeing us today--and that they'll have to fend for themselves as far as food is concerned."
"I'm not so sure about this," Shinobu said. "I mean, isn't it a bit much for twelve people to have their way with me?"
"You're saying that as though we're going to gang-rape you or something," Stephanie said. "That couldn't be farther from the truth. I can assure you that we won't do any you aren't comfortable with. Sean can attest to this."
"That's right," Alicia said, turning to face Shinobu. "Remember back when they called on me to talk to Amy? Well, this was the reward for my efforts. Believe me, I was as reluctant about this then as you are now, but if I hadn't enjoyed myself as much as I did, I would never have brought you here in the first place." She closed her eyes and sighed before continuing. "Listen, I know I brought all this up rather suddenly, and I don't want to force you into something you don't want to do. If you want to go back, just say the word."
For a while, Shinobu just stood there in silence, letting all of the information process in her mind. While she was glad that Sean had remembered to do something special for Valentine's, this was perhaps the last thing she would have expected. Granted, spending the whole day with her beloved was never something she would give a second thought to, but the addition of the twelve goddesses forced her to put a new perspective on it. However, despite all the uncertainty, Shinobu could only put all her trust in Sean. After all, if he was willing to go through this a second time, much less bring her along for the ride, it must be quite the experience.
Shinobu's final answer would come in the form of a kiss right on the lips. "Does that mean you'll stay?" Alicia asked afterwards.
Shinobu nodded her head confidently. "Let do it." Hand in hand, they walked towards the group of deities, who were more than ready to receive them. For obvious reasons, this would be a day that would not be soon forgotten… but not just for them.
9:47 AM
Unlike the previous day, Jimmy's slumber went by uninterrupted. After going through his usual routine; eating, showering and whatnot, he went into his video game dimension to begin his morning workout--and be somewhat shocked by who was there waiting for him. Sitting in the middle of the main chamber was none other than Motoko, apparently in the midst of meditating. "What is she doing here?" he thought, though he wasn't about to register a complaint any time soon.
As he walked towards the swordswoman, she opened her eyes and gazed in his general direction. "I was beginning to wonder when you were going to arrive."
"How did you get in here without my knowing?" Jimmy asked. Even while asleep, he should have been able to sense, if not hear Motoko going through his house.
"Sean sent me here last night using that spell he was working on. It took a bit of convincing to get him to do it."
"I can imagine," Jimmy added. He knew that, after what had happened (or sat least what he assumed had happened), Sean probably would not have been too eager to use Plane Shift again for a while. "Do you want to get something to eat before we start?"
"That will not be necessary," Motoko said. "Ever since I arrived, I have not felt hungry. Perhaps it is the way this world works."
"Huh." Jimmy was intrigued by this, as he had never considered the possibility that the dimension Sean crafted for him had such a trait contained within. Nevertheless, he chose to delve into it at a later time, as there was more… important matters to attend to. "Alright then," he said. "Let's get started, shall we?"
"Of course," Motoko said. "After all, that is what I came here for." With that, they entered one of the training rooms and began sparring, like they have done so many times before, but for Jimmy, there was something a bit off about it. As the battle wore on, he couldn't help but think that Motoko was fighting with a greater passion than usual, which, considering her, is saying quite a bit. It was almost as though she had a specific objective of some sort that she was trying to accomplish. Then again, he might have been thinking too much into it, and that she was simply just blowing off steam from the mall incident the previous day.
Aside from that, there was also the issue of the strange energy Jimmy kept sensing over in the far corner of the room. Every time he looked in that direction, he found nothing, but he knew something--or maybe, someone--was there. This little development might have made him more concerned had it not been so miniscule that it couldn't pose a threat if it tried.
Meanwhile, Motoko could not be more focused if she tried. During her meditation, she studied Jimmy's fighting style in such a way that would have rivaled Naru and Keitaro. Her intent wasn't exactly to defeat her boyfriend outright, but for openings to possible manipulation. Yes, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense right now, but all will become clear soon enough.
After a few minutes, the two separated to give each other a bit of a rest before continuing. During this time, Jimmy couldn't help but notice the look Motoko was giving him. In place of her usual poker face was a grin that made it almost seem like she was giving him an honest chance to quit. Of course, Jimmy would never do anything of the sort. In fact, all this served to do was reaffirm his suspicion that she had something planned. "So it's going to be like that, is it?" he thought. "Well, let's just see what you have up your sleeve, shall we?"
Without warning, Jimmy charged forward, raising his sword for an overhead strike, which was quickly and easily blocked by Motoko. After a momentary standoff, she parried the attack, grabbing onto Jimmy's shirt as she did so, leaving no room for a follow up. At first, Jimmy was curious about Motoko's unorthodox tactic, but his attention suddenly became diverted by an energy spike behind him. From the far corner of the room, the energy that seemed almost dormant came to life, presenting itself as a very real threat as it screamed towards Jimmy…
(The previous night…)
"The last time I was at peace…" For Motoko, that one phrase began her introspection. Looking back, she contemplated what her life has become, putting the most focus on the period of time in which Sean has been a part of it. After about half an hour, it all came together. Her memories told her of a time before she ever met Jimmy. Back then, she actually took the time to enjoy life somewhat. This was also the period where she was having her intimate relations with a certain landlord/mage, but that only served to drive the point hime.
"It was a simpler time for me back then," Motoko said to herself. "…for what it's worth, anyway. After everything that has happened in recent years, I can honestly say that I have little, if any regrets." She looked over at the lingerie that Jimmy had given her just hours earlier. "What he did today crossed a boundary or two that I wasn't prepared for. If he is willing to do such things in order to try to further our relationship, then I must be willing to do the same. The problem is, what could I do at this point?"
From that point on, Motoko tried to come up with things to do for Jimmy the next day. Possible ideas included various gifts, but none of them seemed to fit the bill. Just when she was about to give up the search, she had an epiphany, and a plan began to take shape--one centered around a technique she accidentily picked up while in an altered state of mind…
"What the hell!" Jimmy thought as the wave of energy speeded in his general direction. Under normal circumstances, he would have easily evaded the attack, but here and now, there was no way he could have done it that didn't involve either ripping his shirt and/or leaving Motoko directly in the line of fire. Bracing for impact, he was more than a little surprised to feel the potentially dangerous energy pass right by, leaving him completely unharmed. All in all, it felt like nothing more than a gust of wind.
In his confusion, he was left unprepared for when Motoko placed a hand on the back of his head and pulled him into a passionate kiss. It was then that he fully realized what the objectives were--both that of Motoko being there in the first place and of the move that had been used against him. Well, it was used on both of them really, as it left them without a stitch of clothing on them.
Now, being the red-blooded American male that he is, Jimmy knew well enough what this would eventually lead to--not that has going to try to stop it or anything. Despite this, there was one thing that still nagged at his mind. All he needed was the opportunity to clear things up, which came when their lips finally separated. "Hey, how did--" His question was interrupted by Motoko placing a couple fingers to his lips.
"Now isn't the time for that," Motoko said.
"Fair enough," Jimmy said before they got down to business. "But you will owe me an explanation later."
End of Chapter LVIII
And there you have it. Hopefully, the next one won't be quite as long-winded. On a side note, how did you like the ending I thought up, Jimmy? Not exactly what you expected, was it? If it was... well, whatever. Please R&R, everyone! FYI: The sexual content should be close to nonexistent over the next few chapters.