Okay, for the record, writer's block is a bitch. Thank you all for putting up with my personal problems, but enough about school. Let's get the show on the road.
Chapter LXI: A Crash Course in Morals and Ethics
To say that Sean was surprised would have been a grave understatement. Granted, he had assumed that Jimmy would waste little time before beginning to experiment, he never expected his friend to cross the gender line--or at least not so soon. The shock would quickly melt away, fueling the anger already present.
Eventually, he regained control over his vocal chords. As he spoke, he unconsciously went into one of the voices he picked up from the years he spent watching Comedy Central. This one happened to be Carlos Mencia--or at least a reasonable facsimile. "Uh-uh. No way! Tell me you did not do what I think you did!"
"Huh?" Jimmy said, still half-asleep. Looking down, he/she finally realized what Sean was referring to. "Well, what do you think?" he/she asked, giggling a bit. "Do I look hot or what?"
Under the current circumstances, it was well nigh impossible for Sean to make an uninformed decision. This was mostly because Jimmy had opted to sleep in the nude for… whatever reason. Even at first glance, Jimmy's new chassis was one of those high-end models, as opposed to Sean's more modest version. Standing a full 6'5", she had legs up to her armpits (figuratively, of course), fair skin and red hair that went down halfway down her back (and, that morning, had a terrible case of bed head). Of course, the main thing that--ahem--stood out were her breasts, which looked to be double-D's at least.
Sean would not be distracted by this for long. "Out of all the spells you had available to you, that had to be the first one, didn't it?" he asked.
"Of course," Jimmy said. "Who wouldn't want to be a beautiful woman?"
"For one, someone who wants to attract a beautiful woman," Sean answered.
"This coming from someone who has only had sexual relations with women as a woman," Jimmy said, the grin never leaving her face.
"Very funny," Sean muttered. "Alright, first thing's first." He held an arm out toward Jimmy and she became enveloped in a dense fog, hiding her from view completely. The only sign that she was still there was the coughing coming from within, which was fluctuating even as she did so. When the fog lifted, Jimmy was back in his normal, male form--and fully clothed.
"You are no fun, you know that?" Jimmy asked when he saw what the mage had done to him.
"Maybe so," Sean said approaching Jimmy. Even though he walked the entire way, only once did his step touch the floor. With barely a thought, he began rising up off the ground until he and Jimmy could look eye to eye. "But I hardly consider someone raiding my room fun, would you?"
"You shouldn't have made it so easy for me," Jimmy said.
"That's beside the point!" Sean said through his teeth. "You know, I could have taught you to use magic if you wanted to learn it so badly. All you had to do was ask, but nooooo, you had to be all sneaky about it and do it behind my back. The stupid thing about all this whole thing it that it's not even the reason why I'm so pissed off at you right now!"
"If that's the case, then what got your panties in a bunch?" Jimmy asked.
Sean got right in Jimmy's face. "Pray tell, what exactly were you planning to do with lust potion?"
"You found out about that, huh?" Jimmy asked, giggling a bit.
"This is not a laughing matter!" Sean said. "I have had too many damn problems with that shit and I don't want to deal with it again with you!"
Now, most of the time, Jimmy is a pretty easy-going guy, but he knew that hearing his friend start cursing was never something to be taken lightly. Regardless, he felt compelled to call Sean's bluff. "And just what do you plan to do to stop me?"
"For starters, I could let Motoko in on this," Sean said. "I'm sure she would be very interested in this little development and would no doubt want to give me ideas for what to do to you."
"She wouldn't do that," Jimmy said, giving her girlfriend the benefit of the doubt.
"Don't be so sure," Sean said. "A lifetime ago, she had an unwavering conviction that entire male gander was evil and perverted. Right now, you fit seem to that profile quite nicely. Knowing her, both then and now, I can think of one thing she would suggest." It was Sean's turn to start giggling. "Then, you would actually have a reason to turn into a woman again, since you wouldn't be much of a man anymore."
Still levitating, Sean backed off, an evil grin on his face. "Fortunately for you, I have other plans. Instead of going after your family jewels, I'll aim for the next best thing: your pride."
"And how do you intend to do that?" Jimmy asked, somewhat curious.
"By kicking your ass, how else?" Sean asked.
Normally, Jimmy would have laughed at something as absurd as that. However, here and now, he wasn't exactly sure what to think. From what he has seen of Sean's combat abilities--most of which being his battle with Tsuruko way back when--he could certainly hold his own against many who would stand in his way.
All of a sudden, Jimmy sensed power rise within Sean; and instinct took over. Before he could stop himself, he moved forward to prevent whatever spell he was preparing. Much to his surprise, Sean flew backwards just in time to avoid his fist. It was as though he saw the attack coming even though he had his eyes closed. As such, he did not give Jimmy enough time for a second chance.
When Sean reopened his eyes, they were glowing white. To the untrained eye, that would have been all there was to be seen, but Jimmy's keen senses saw twin lasers shoot from them, hitting him right between his own. An instant later, he let out a cry of pain and recoiled as though he had been hit by the punch he tried to throw just moments before.
"Attacking the mind," Sean thought, his eyes returning to normal. "It may take longer to set up, but the result is well worth it."
"OW!" Jimmy said when he could form coherent words. "That hurt, you know that!"
"Of course I do," Sean said, not a trace of humor in his voice. "Keep in mind, this is a punishment. Pain is to be expected."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Jimmy said. He'd be damned if he was going to lay down for anyone--except for maybe Motoko, but that's neither here nor there."
"Bring it," Sean shot back.
"Gladly," Jimmy said as he lunged forward. Despite how upset he was at Sean's act of aggression, he did not wish to harm him too badly. This was not only to preserve the chance for reconciliation after everything was said and done, but also because of what the others might do if they caught wind of it. Besides, he sort of brought this whole mess upon himself.
Despite Jimmy's efforts, he found himself unable to lay a hand or foot on his opponent, due to his surprising proficiency in airborne acrobatics. This was proven true even as they moved into a hallway, where maneuverability was more of a premium. For his part, the flight spell was the only thing Sean chose to do. Had he used teleportation to dodge the blows, the moment it would have taken to regain his bearings would have been one too many.
A game of cat and mouse ensued between the two as they moved through Jimmy's house. They moved through rooms, hallways, upstairs, downstairs and back again. Eventually, they found themselves on the second floor of the garage, which housed Jimmy's private dojo. Chuckling a bit, he grabbed a sword near the door. "What are you going to do now?" he asked, believing that Sean would have to go through him to leave.
Without a word, Sean scanned his surroundings, particularly the weapons that lined the walls. When his gaze returned to Jimmy, there was en evil grin on his face, coupled with a laugh of his own before stretching his arms out wide. Almost immediately, a rattling noise could be heard from all directions.
"Uh oh," Jimmy thought, his eyes growing wide at the sight before him. The rattling soon ended as a few of the weapons came loose from the walls and positioned themselves between the two, carried by unseen hands. He couldn't help but think that, had there been hands and bodies connected to them, they would have been in various fighting stances.
"Time for the fun to truly begin," Sean said. With a wave of his hand, he sent the armaments forward to perform the service they were crafted for.
---
While the antagonism between Sean and Jimmy were reaching the boiling point, things were starting to heat up on another world as well, though for completely different reasons. When Stephanie first established what was officially called a Day of Rest back in 1229, it was intended as a way for the other goddesses to relax and, perhaps, pursue other interests that were not included in their respective spheres of influence. Since that time however, Sundays have slowly degenerated to what is now informally referred to as the quintessential girl-on-girl orgy.
However, on this day, not all members of the divine were in attendance; something a certain arbiter of all things romantic could not abide. "Hey, Linda!" Stephanie called out, as she entered the inner sanctum of the goddess of magic. "What's the hold up? You gonna come join us or what?"
"You'll have to go on without me," Linda said. "There is something that demands my attention." She was seated at her desk, staring intently at a monitor which had a "magic mirror" theme to it. She didn't so much as avert her gaze when Stephanie arrived.
"What could be so important that--"
"Code Black," Linda said, cutting the question off at the pass.
Stephanie recoiled a bit, blinking a couple times. "Grand theft arcane?" she asked. "Damn, how long has it been since the last time you had to deal with one of those?"
"Not long enough," Linda said flatly.
"Well, why don't you just go down there and take care of it?" Stephanie asked.
"Because I cannot interfere until the victim at least makes an attempt at reclamation and/or retribution, such is protocol," Linda said.
"Who's the sucker this time around?" Stephanie asked.
"I'll give you one guess," Linda said.
"You're kidding," Stephanie said, suddenly interested. "Who would be stupid enough to steal from Sean?"
"See for yourself," Linda said, moving aside.
Stephanie approached to see the situation at hand which, at this point, had not yet come to blows. "Jimmy!"
"You know him?" Linda asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Stephanie answered. "We've crossed paths once before." It was then that a thought struck her; that if Jimmy indeed stole from Sean, then some Roberts-style punishment was forthcoming. "This should be good." As long as she wasn't the target, that's all that mattered.
Without a word, Linda switched her gaze back to the monitor and the matter at hand. Grinning despite herself, she found herself sharing Stephanie's sentiment.
---
The remainder of breakfast at Hinata-Sou was eerie, to say the least. None of them could have expected to see Sean as infuriated as he was, especially considering how rare such occurrences were. The only thoughts going through the various tenants' minds were inquiries as to how it all came about and who caused it.
Despite their collective single-mindedness, it took a while for the topic to be brought up in conversation. "So what do you think happened?" Shinobu asked as everyone lounged in the hot springs. Well, everyone except Keitaro, of course.
"I can't say," Kitsune said. "But there's one thing I know for sure: seeing a look like the one on Sean's face was downright scary."
"He certainly has the right," Naru said. "Especially considering what he might be capable of should the mood strike him."
"Whatever happened," Mutsumi said, her usual ditzy grin having given way to a look of concern. "I hope that whoever was responsible isn't hurt too badly."
"I agree wholeheartedly," Motoko said. "On that note, it would probably be best to let you know what he told me telepathically before he left." Seeing everyone watching attentively, she proceeded. "He… requested that I not kill him for what he does today. I interpret this as an implied threat against one of us, my sister or Jimmy. I currently see no reason for him to be angry at us and, as far as I know, he has not been in contact with Tsuruko for a while. This leaves only one remaining candidate"
As if on cue, they heard knocking on the door to the changing room shortly followed by Keitaro's voice. "Hey, girls," he said. "There's something I think you need to see"
It would not take long for the girls to dry off and make themselves decent. They knew well enough that Keitaro would never disturb them while bathing without good reason. When they walked out of the changing room, they found him there waiting patiently for them. In the past, he most likely would have entered the hot spring shortly after knocking; this particularly hazardous habit got beaten out of him rather quickly.
"So, what do you have to show us?" Naru asked.
"Follow me," Keitaro said, leading them towards the stairs and eventually into Sean's room. "I had a feeling that the cause of Sean being on the warpath this morning was here, and I was proven right when I saw this." He motioned for everyone to gather around the laptop that, in his haste, Sean left up and running.
"What is that?" Shinobu asked, seeing the room they were currently in on the screen.
"According to this," Keitaro said, pointing out the disc case nearby. "this is yesterday's surveillance. Remember when Sean vanished without warning?" Everyone nodded affirmatively. "Well, this is why." With that, he replayed Jimmy's infiltration.
"So my hunch was correct," Motoko thought. "But why would he do something like this"
"What is he doing?" Mutsumi asked during Jimmy's stint as a photographer.
"I'm not entirely sure," Keitaro said. "Even when I watched it the first time, I couldn't explain it"
"I can," Shinobu said, an emotionless look on her face. "He's copying the spells straight from Sean's binder. I can only assume that he intends to keep them for his own personal use."
"I find this hard to believe," Motoko said.
"Then enlighten us," Shinobu said. "After all, he is your boyfriend; you should know him better than any of us."
"I regret that I am mystified by his actions," Motoko said after a moment of thought, mostly because she was not prepared for being put on the spot. "Granted, he has shown sneaky tendencies every so often, but he has never done anything like this before."
"Keep watching," Keitaro said, returning the girls' attention to the matter at hand. Before too long, they saw the second stage of Jimmy's burglary. When the first DVD came into view, its label was instantly recognized by Kitsune, just to name one.
"Lust potion," the fox muttered. "The explains everything. Sean hates that stuff as much as I do, if not more, and would never let it come into use again, even by Jimmy."
Motoko was in shock. As hard as she tried, she could not find a rational explanation for Jimmy's actions. What worried her the most was who might be affected by all this in the end.
"If Sean wasn't already there, I'd be going to Jimmy's house and beat him down myself," Naru said. "Hell, I may go anyway."
"Before you do, there's still one more thing," Keitaro said. "You see how he's taking more than one video from the vault? Is it just me, or is he picking those other ones at random?"
The girls watched closely, trying to find a pattern or some commonality. Three of them soon started exchanging glances. Blushes became apparent on the faces of Shinobu and Motoko, but Kitsune only felt her conviction strengthen.
"Let's go," Kitsune said, getting up. "If we hurry, we can still catch Sean giving Jimmy what he has coming to him." Shinobu and Motoko immediately repeated the action, each of them thinking the exact same thing. The others followed them out the door moments later, if only out of curiosity. Even if they had noticed the unspoken communiqué among the three, they probably would not have had the slightest idea as to what it all meant.
The trip to Jimmy's house was pretty uneventful. Along the way, Kitsune drew close to Motoko. "This kind of brings you back to the good old days, doesn't it?" she whispered.
"It does," Motoko responded, obviously not amused in the least. "Though that was a time I thought I had left behind me. Honestly, I wish that was still the case."
As the group neared its destination, Motoko's senses picked up that all too familiar sensation that signified magic use on Sean's part; Jimmy's punishment must already be underway. Following the signal, she led the others around the side of the house toward the garage. Even before they entered, they could hear yelling from inside, but it wasn't until they were halfway up the stairs to the second floor dojo that the voice became distinct enough to be recognized as cries of anguish.
When they opened the door, the first thing to they saw was Sean standing in the middle of the room. He was staring intently at the far end of the room which, at the moment, was a blind spot to the onlookers.
"Sean?" Shinobu asked. The wizard turned his head just enough to see them. He smiled and nodded his head, silently acknowledging their presence before turning back to the matter at hand.
As each tenant entered the room, a look of shock appeared on their faces at the sight they beheld. Trapped in the corner of the room was Jimmy, being attacked by various weapons floating around him--no doubt controlled by Sean. The warrior held a sword of his own and was trying frantically to dodge and block the strikes against him. Had there been only two, maybe three enemies, he might have been successful. However, there was a full half dozen of them hacking, slashing and bludgeoning him tirelessly.
"Sean, you're killing him!" Motoko cried, she being the first to regain control of her mind and thinking Sean had thoroughly lost his.
"No, I'm not," Sean said. "I put an enchantment on him that prevents his wounds before they happen--though it does not take away any of the pain."
"You can be so evil sometimes, you know that?" Kitsune asked.
"Yes," Sean said, grinning.
"What better way to punish a warrior than to keep him alive and in constant pain?" Naru asked.
"Hmm?" Sean said, the word "punish" sticking in his mind. "You know why I'm here?"
"Yeah," Shinobu said. "We watched the surveillance tape."
"MOTOKO!" Jimmy called out. For some reason, he wasn't listening to the conversation. "You have to help me! Get Sean to stop!"
"No," Motoko replied. "After copying Sean's spells without his permission, stealing the lust potion formula and a few sex tapes, you deserve whatever you get."
Sean blinked a couple times. "Sex tapes?" he thought. "I must have missed that. Let's see, the lust potion, sex videos and the first thing he does is turn into a woman. If I didn't know better, he's looking for an excuse to never leave his room again." He glanced over to his audience. "Or worse, cheat on Motoko with himself. Now that I think about it, this punishment seems to be… lacking something."
Being sidetracked caused Sean to lose focus in his spell casting. This resulted in his assault against Jimmy to slowly grind to a halt. Ever the opportunist, Jimmy sprang forward as soon as he had a clear path. Sean realized his blunder in the nick of time and vanished just as Jimmy was about to cleave him in two. Had his attempt at payback been successful, Jimmy would undoubtedly have been at the mercy (or lack thereof) of an angry mob.
"Nice try," Sean said, his voice seeming to come from all directions. "But you'll have to better than that! Besides, I'm not done with you yet!"
"Where are you!" Jimmy yelled, still in a state of battle frenzy.
"That should be the least of your concerns right now," Sean's voice replied. Moments later, Jimmy became encased in a wavy blue sphere accompanied by Sean's special brand of creepy laughter. Shinobu and Motoko instantly recognized the bubble as their landlord's method of dimensional travel. Soon after its arrival, the orb disappeared, taking with it both Jimmy and the disembodied voice.
"Where'd they go?" Suu asked.
Motoko contemplated the question for barely a moment. If her hunch was once again correct, time was of the essence. "Shinobu, get us back home, quickly!"
Shinobu was taken aback at the sudden command. "Why do you--"
"I will explain later," Motoko said. "Just do it!"
Not wanting to argue, Shinobu teleported everyone back to Hinata-Sou--the living room to be specific. As soon as she regained her bearings, Motoko dashed up the stairs. "What's up with her?" Kitsune asked.
"Who knows why people do anything anymore?" Naru asked back, her arms crossed.
Almost as hastily as when she left, Motoko ran back in, a PlayStation tucked under one arm. "Suu," she said, not even waiting to catch her breath. "Hook this up to the television."
"Will do," Suu said, quickly getting to work.
"What's that for?" Keitaro asked.
"I could only think of one place Sean would have gone," Motoko said. She pointed in Suu's general direction. "In that world he made for me so long ago. I truly hope that I am right, as I for one do not wish to miss what might happen."
"So that's why she had me teleport everyone here," Shinobu thought.
"All done," Suu said. To her, the task she just performed was so elementary, she was able to listen to the conversation around her. "Let's see what else Sean has planned for Jimmy shall we?" With that, she turned on the video game system…
---
When the transport sphere finished its journey and Jimmy was once again able to see more than four feet in front of him, he found himself in what could only be described as a gladiatorial arena; one he has been in before, but not in a long time. "Why did you bring me here?" he asked.
"It's simple, really." Jimmy turned around and saw Sean there. It was apparent that he had reactivated his flight spell, though his toes were barely three inches above the ground. "It's one thing to keep a warrior alive and in constant pain, but it's another for one to be humiliated at his own game."
"So you're going to try and defeat me in a fair fight?" Jimmy asked.
"I'll try and I'll succeed," Sean said. "You may have looked through my spellbook, but as far as my abilities are concerned, you don't know the half of it."
"Is that so?" Jimmy asked. "Who does he think he is?" he thought. While he knew Sean could easily be a match for your average fighter, but Jimmy was far from average.
"Besides," Sean continued. "Here, I won't have to worry about holding back,"
"If you're so confident, then give me your best shot," Jimmy challenged.
"You asked for it," Sean said. "Time to show off," he thought. After cracking his knuckles, he spread his arms wide.
"What the hell is he doing?" Jimmy asked himself, knowing that Sean's stance wasn't the most likely one for an attack. Indeed, the first effects of his opponent's spell did little but augment his confusion. "Why is it getting colder all of a sudden?" "What do you expect a little cold snap to accomplish?" he yelled.
"Pipe down!" Sean shot back. "I swear, some people have no patience whatsoever." The air around them continued to grow colder at a steady rate, though Sean seemed to be unaffected by it. The same could not be said for Jimmy, who now wished he had brought a coat. After the temperature passed the zero degree mark (in both Fahrenheit and Celsius), Sean brought his arms in front of his face. Immediately thereafter, a brisk wind formed, circling around the wizard and making things that much worse for Jimmy.
"I'm going to go hypothermic if this goes on for much longer," Jimmy thought, his arm raised to shield his face from the inhospitable conditions. "I have to end this now!" He was just about to charge his seemingly defenseless opponent when he saw something blow by him. "…Snow? He isn't…"
But he was. Step by step, Sean was manufacturing a blizzard. In almost no time at all, visibility had been reduced to almost nil within the swirling maelstrom. "Can't he just come at me head on?" Jimmy muttered to himself.
"Now, where's the fun in that?" Sean asked telepathically. "Besides, we both know that would never work against you. Now, hold still just a little while longer..."
For Jimmy, that was a sign to get the hell away from there, but his progress was slow and painstaking due to the fact that most of his efforts up to that point were used to stay in one spot amid the howling wind and to keep from freezing to death. The pain in his joints was coupled by the stinging of snow hitting all exposed flesh at 35 mph (about 56 kph).
"There's no point in trying to escape," Sean said, once again taking the form of a voice-over. "To me, you are in plain sight."
"No shit," Jimmy thought, not caring of Sean could hear him or not. The only thing on his mind was his want to put some distance between himself and the growing energy signal behind him.
"Hey, Jimmy," Sean said. "Remember Mortal Kombat?"
Jimmy had no time to respond, as the energy suddenly started flying towards him at an alarming rate. If this was happening anywhere else, he would have been able to dodge it easily, but the blizzard conspired to drastically cut his mobility. A moment before impact, he saw it: a ball of some blue-white substance bigger than his head. When it hit, his movements froze--literally, as he had been encased in a block of ice three feet thick.
"How do you like that?" Sean asked. He calmly strode toward his subject, the raging snowstorm parting before him like the Red Sea. "That should teach you never to mess with me." He moved around so that Jimmy was facing him. "I know you're still conscious and can hear me in there," he said. "And if you think this is the worst of it, you're sadly mistaken."
Stepping back, Sean looked deep in thought, as though he was actually trying to decide what to do next. "Hmm," he thought. "That might take some effort, but I think it'll be worth it." Moving forward again, he placed an open palm onto the surface of the gigantic cube that contained his adversary. Closing his eyes and regulating his breathing, he began performing a low, repetitive chant. At first, it seemed to have no effect, but after a while, his hand began shaking uncontrollably. Sweat poured from his brow as his entire concentration was centered on keeping a steady pace.
This would go on for about five full minutes before the relative calm came to an end and Sean's spell bore fruit. All at once, the block shattered, sending bite-sized pieces in all directions and subsequently getting swallowed up in the blizzard. Among these were chucks of frozen flesh that had once been Jimmy. Indeed, this was the finishing move.
"I was right," Sean sighed, referring to both parts to his prediction. "I feel much better now." With a wave of his hand, the storm came to an abrupt halt, snow and assorted body parts settling to the ground, the latter of which vanishing as soon as it did so. Walking over to the edge of the arena, he gave allowed himself a breather before Jimmy returned. All the while, he was completely unaware of those watching him.
---
"Holy cow," Kitsune said. "Tell me I didn't just see that."
"I wish I could," Naru said. Everyone present was surprised by what Sean was able to accomplish--and perhaps that Jimmy allowed it to happen.
"How long has he been able to do that?" Shinobu asked, somewhat horrified that her boyfriend would ever practice something so lethal--if only she knew.
"Jimmy…" Motoko thought. Even though she was well aware that, despite all appearances, Jimmy was not lost forever, it was still disheartening to see him frozen alive and subsequently blown apart.
"Go, Sean, go!" Suu cheered. "I've seen… okay, I've caused some explosions before, but nothing like that! I swear, if he was still available, I'd--"
"SUU!" Shinobu broke in.
"Sorry," Suu said, holding the back of her head. "I guess I just got caught up in the moment."
"So… what's going to happen now?" Keitaro asked.
"I wish I knew," Motoko said. "From the look of things, Sean's rage is spent, but…"
"But what?" Naru asked.
There was a look of concern on Motoko's face. "If I know him as much as I believe I do, Jimmy may want the last laugh--and after what we just saw…"
"Oh, no," Shinobu muttered, fearing the worst.
---
Meanwhile, what Jimmy might do was the last thing on Sean's mind. In fact, his mind was a complete blank while he recovered from his exertions. He would be brought back to earth when he saw Jimmy fade back into being in the center of the arena.
Jimmy barely waited long enough to reorient himself before spinning around to face Sean. "What the hell was that!" he asked.
"Proof that you should never give a wizard a free shot," Sean said, not missing a beat. "What did you think? Cool, huh?"
"Funny," Jimmy said. Looking around, he suddenly noticed something amiss. "Where did my sword go?" To the very end, his weapon never left his grip. Now, it was nowhere to be seen.
"It was a casualty, much like yourself," Sean said. "Whatever's left of it must be buried in the snowdrifts."
"It's just as well," Jimmy said. "I won't be needing it anyway."
"What do you mean by--" Sean question was cut off when Jimmy seemed to vanish in thin air. "Where did he go?" he asked, his eyes darting every which way. At first, he thought Jimmy might have learned teleportation overnight along with that… other spell… but that theory was soon dispelled when he saw what he could only describe as delayed footprints in the snow; and they were in a winding path heading in his general direction. "This can't be good," he muttered, now suffering from a sense of foreboding.
All of a sudden, Jimmy appeared right next to Sean, making him cry out and stumble away. Before he could take five steps, Jimmy disappeared once again and the next thing Sean knew, he was sliding along the ground on his stomach, caused by the ninja's foot meeting the back of his head. He tried to get up, but as he did so, Jimmy stepped on his back, pinning him to the ground.
Unbeknownst to Sean, Jimmy had a big, toothy grin on his face as he knelt down and delivered a message that would seal the mage's fate. "My turn."
Every last spectator would cringe at what they would see next. With a barrage of fists and feet, Jimmy proceeded to beat Sean into a bloody mess. Well, actually, this particular world was specifically designed so that no blood would be shed, but that's beside the point. Jimmy's movements were so quick and his attacks so powerful, Sean had no hope of defending himself, much less stage a counterattack.
In what could only have been preparations for his own finisher, Jimmy tossed Sean high into the air. Through some miracle, Sean was still conscious after his savage beating, but only enough to know that he was soaring and nowhere near able to prevent himself from moving a finger, much less cast a spell to save his life.
Reaching the apex of his flight, he felt like he was floating for a split second before he plummeted back down to earth. Air rushed past his limp form until he landed hard on a rather large pile of snow--something that was more forgiving than the ground would have been for sure.
"Huh?" Sean found himself distracted so that he didn't see Jimmy bearing down on him from above. All of a sudden, Jimmy's foot slammed hard into his chest, forcing him deeper into the cold, white mound. He made no sound, as he was already in excruciating pain and this was merely icing on the cake, but not all of it was caused by what happened in front of him.
"Well, what do you know," Jimmy said. "That's where my sword went," Apparently, it had been buried underneath that particular snowdrift this entire time. He considered himself lucky, as his discovery had wedged itself between his toes. Not so for Sean, as it was protruding from his chest by about six inches.
---
"SEAN!" Shinobu screamed. The last time she saw her beloved impaled, she ran out of the room in horror. This time, she wanted to dive right into the television screen. She probably would have succeeded too, if Motoko and Kitsune didn't have her restrained.
"Shinobu, calm down," Kitsune said. "Sean's going to be fine."
"I know that!" Shinobu said, struggling to break free. "Let me go so I can kick Jimmy's ass!"
"That won't accomplish anything," Naru said, trying her hand at being the voice of reason.
"I don't care!"
"You think Jimmy would let you do that?" Motoko asked.
"I don't CARE!"
"Better question," Kitsune said. "Would Sean let you do that?"
"I DON'T--" Shinobu stopped mid-sentence, her anger deflating just as quickly. "You're right," she said softly. "He would never allow me to get involved in something like this." She looked at Kitsune, then Motoko, both of which still had a tight grip on each arm. "You can let go now. I won't do anything rash." When the teen was released, she slumped back down onto the couch. "But can you really blame me?" she asked. "I mean, what would any of you have done in my place?"
Everyone present gave the matter some thought and concluded that they probably would have tried a similar stunt. Of course, such a happenstance was easier imagined for some than others. "If I had my say," Motoko said. "I would have stopped this long ago."
"What can we do?" Shinobu asked. "I hate seeing them like this."
"Nothing," Motoko said. "We must let them resolve this on their own."
---
After Sean departed to the realm video game characters go when they kick the bucket, Jimmy reached for his newly rediscovered weapon, only to find that it wasn't whole. Most of the blade was there, but it had been sheared near the hilt. "It's a shame, really," Jimmy said. "To see a good sword reduced to this. Oh well, I can get it fixed later." With that, he tossed it aside and waited patiently for Sean to return.
It took a few minutes, but Sean eventually reappeared, shuddering as soon as he did so. "I swear, if I go through that ever again, it'll be too soon." He quickly turned until he faced Jimmy. "And just what was that all about?"
"What, you expected me to just stand by and let you keep 'punishing' me?" Jimmy asked.
"To be honest, your punishment was over the moment you died," Sean said, his expression turning to an evil grin. "But if you want to play, then let's play. I could always use the practice."
"You're not going to pull out another blizzard, are you?" Jimmy asked.
"Nah," Sean said. "Controlling the elements like that takes a lot out of a guy, you know? Besides, I thought that was a bit much, not to mention overly dramatic, don't you?"
"I guess, but do you really think you can beat me on a level playing field?" Jimmy asked.
"I might ask you the same thing," Sean said. "You know so little of what I'm capable of; and I know you're just itching to find out."
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Jimmy asked.
"Oh please," Sean said. "You know I've been practicing combat magic for a long time now. You can't tell me it hasn't piqued your interest."
Jimmy chuckled a bit. "You know what? You're right. Show me what you've got. Maybe I can give you a couple pointers."
"We'll see," Sean said. "And before I forget, I intend to take back what you stole when we return home."
"Over my dead body," Jimmy said.
"I can arrange that…"
---
"You've got to be kidding me," Kitsune said, commenting on the rather anticlimactic conclusion. "Only those two could pull off something like that."
Motoko got up off the couch and turned off the television and the PlayStation. "We have no reason to continue watching," she said. Nodding to the others, she headed back to her room.
One by one, everyone left to their own devices, but Kitsune noticed that Shinobu still looked distraught. "What's wrong?"
"I just can't believe that he'd…" Shinobu motioned to the now blank screen.
"You remember the battles he fought for our sake, right?" Shinobu nodded weakly. "Well, how many of them was able to win on his own?"
Shinobu thought about it for a few moments. The answer she found didn't raise her spirits any. "None."
"That's right," Kitsune said. "Knowing him, he probably wants to be ready for anything."
"I realize that," Shinobu said. "I just hate seeing him like that, when he gets so… sadistic."
"I know how you feel," Kitsune said. "I've been on the receiving end of it. Listen, we know he hates fighting as much as you do, but sometimes, it becomes necessary, no matter how much we wish it wasn't."
"I know," Shinobu muttered.
"Are you going to be alright?" Kitsune asked.
"Yeah," Shinobu said. She did not sound convincing, but Kitsune decided to let it go.
"Alright," Kitsune said. "But if you ever need someone to talk to, you won't have to look far." She wasn't specifically referring to herself per se, but to all who called Hinata-Sou home. After patting the young girl on the shoulder, she left the room as well.
For the next minute or two, Shinobu found herself just staring at the television, thinking about Sean and Jimmy sparring in some other world and debating whether or not she really wanted to know what was going on. "I need to find some way to get my mind off of this," she finally said to herself. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her, and a small grin started to take shape. "I wonder how long it would take for me to learn that cat spell…"
---
From outside Linda's room, the following exchange could be heard:
"Thank goodness that got resolved. I would have hated to get in the middle of that war zone."
"Well, you know my policy: Make love, not war. Speaking of which…"
"AH! Stephanie!"
"What? You can't tell me you don't enjoy that."
"Hmhmhm. Stephanie, you're insatiable."
"Why, thank you." With that, Linda officially joined the party.
End of Chapter LXI
An abrupt ending? Perhaps, but what I had originally intended wouldn't have been much better. Anyway, for those of you who don't already know I have another side project taking shape. SSDG: Uncut! You can find it on AFF.
From here,I will begin the finale of Keitaro Goes Psycho! Hopoefully, I will have a better idea in regards to my plans for Ch. 62 by the time I'm done. Until then, please R&R! E-mail mewith any ideas you may have. All will be considered.