Some of you have been asking me to level off with the japanese. Sorry, I feel it helps with the originality, but let me assure you that I shall amke every attempt to translate it at the end.
Kakashi: Hmph, like you care.
Kyugan: What did I tell you about input?
(Raises rocket launcher, only for Kakashi to dissapear, holding a Kunai at his neck.)
Kakashi: You little brat...did you really think I'd forget all the indignity you put me through?
Kyugan: Nope, frankly I was hoping the tauma would stick with you the rest of your natural life.
Kakashi: Well guess what, while I as being tortured I noticed something interesting...for all your contacts and gadgets, you have virtually no combat ability.
Kyugan: True...sadly so.
Kakashi: Which means at this range you're defensless.
Kyugan: Defenseless? Me? (Chuckless darkly) Is that what he said?
?: He did indeed.
Kakashi (Whirls around to stare in horror at the man behind him) Y-You! What are you doing here?!
?: I see that Frank never got round to teaching you manners. (Exhales cigar smoke) Oh well, more for me.
Kyugan: Do be thurough will you? (Turns to leer at the trembling Kakashi) Show him the power of the greatest soldier of the 20th century...Big Boss.
Aku Soku Zan; Domon and the Miburo!
The last time we left our heroes they were divided and scattered all around the town.
Recca was last seen chasing a mocking Koku around the bathhouse in a berserker rage and not much else, earning a few appreciative looks from some of the female patrons as they peeked through the holes in the walls.
Naruto was wracking his brain in an attempt to figure out the first stage of Jiraiya's jutsu, so far having little luck in producing anything other than a football shaped balloon.
Jiraiya…well, the less said about the supreme grandmaster of perverts the better; let's just say he was having the time of his life in his search for information concerning his wayward teammate.
And as for Domon, the last we saw of the big guy he'd just been ambushed by a shinai, which is where our story picks up.
--
"Yahiko-kun!" Tae chastised, staring at an angry faced young man in shock, "What are you doing?!"
Domon blinked and scratched his head, which was none the worse for wear despite the young waiter's best efforts, the shinai having met its match in the giant's skull, which was known to have shattered statues of solid marble, not to mention a set of perfectly good cybernetic arms.
"Y-yahiko-kun…" Tsubame chastised quietly, looking at the boy meaningfully. Yahiko, as the sullen looking youth was identified, grunted and tapped the remains of his weapon against his shoulder, blinking as he realized said weapon was ruined; his eyes bulging at the sight of the shattered stump.
"The hell's your skull made of?" a man with a red bandanna muttered, stepping up behind the kid, munching on fishbone as he spoke. "I mean, I've heard of being thickheaded but-"
"Sanosuke-san!" Tae exclaimed, "That isn't nice!" The man waved and walked back to his booth, whilst the apron wearing youth grumbled and marched off to the kitchen, muttering something about replacing the damaged weapon. "Honestly…that man…" Tae muttered, shaking her head, causing Domon to blink and point after the retreating figure.
"Lovers spat?" the giant asked, causing Tae to flush and shake her head, hiding behind her tray in embarrassment.
"NO! Sanosuke-san is simply a regular here!" She frowned slightly, "One that has an exceptionally large tab." She added as an afterthought.
Domon, not quite getting it, nodded dumbly and allowed Tsubame to guide him to an empty booth. "Lessee," he muttered, looking up at Tae, "I'll have the same as last time then."
Tae smiled, "Right; ten bowls of Teriyaki, twenty bowls of rice, twenty bowls of chicken ramen, thirty manju buns, twenty spring rolls, fifteen teppanyaki," she looked up from her notebook, "and some green tea?"
Domon smirked, "That's the one," he stated, looking over the menu again, "got any Amazake?"
Tae looked thoughtful, "I'll see what I can find." She assured him, smiling at the giant as she headed for the kitchen.
--
As Tae walked off, several people were eyeing the giant with fascination. "Did you hear how much he ordered?" one regular asked, "Ya think he's expecting someone?"
"Dunno," his drinking buddy muttered, "looks like he could put it all away himself."
The man from earlier, Sanosuke, was sipping sake with a smaller, red headed man and a woman with a blue bow. He elbowed the smaller man before nodding at the giant. "What d'ya think Kenshin?" he asked, downing his sake in one gulp.
"This one cannot say for certain," the smaller man replied gently, "perhaps he IS waiting on someone."
At that moment, the door opened to admit a tall, flint-eyed man in a police uniform with a katana at his waist. "Well look what the cat dragged in." Sano muttered, tempted to spit but held back in respect of Tae's wishes.
"Hn," The policeman snorted, "the fool is drinking," he shook his head, "why not, he couldn't be a bigger fool drunk than sober."
Kaoru fought to restrain her friend while Kenshin sighed, looking up at the man wearily. "What is it you want Saito?" he asked, ready to turn down a challenge should the need arise.
"I heard that some of the rookies were causing trouble," the former Shinsengumi captain replied, stepping forwards. "On the subject, would someone care to explain why one of them appears to be in a dumpster?"
Domon froze, sweating slightly as he tried to make himself smaller, smiling as Tae arrived with the food, before trying to listen in without appearing to do so. 'This doesn't sound good…' he muttered, 'better try to act inconspicuous…'
Kenshin blinked, eyeing his bird-headed friend carefully. "Sano, did you do that?" he asked, disapproval in his tone
Sano smirked, "Would've, but someone beat me to it." He scratched his head, "Some big guy with a weird face and haircut."
"Were you looking in a mirror at the time then?" Saito quipped, shooting the brawler a mocking look.
"What'd you say?!" Sano yelled, standing up and sending Kaoru stumbling backwards with a yelp. Kenshin tried to defuse the situation when Saito noticed that one of the restaurants patrons was trying to hide, rather unsuccessfully considering his head and hair peeked over edge of the booth.
Tae entered with a smile, "Ah! Fujita san!" she greeted the policeman "I'm sorry but we're full at the moment."
Saito smiled and switched to 'Cheerful mode', causing Sano to snort. "Sorry, but I heard there was a disturbance," the policeman stated, "Did some rookies bother you?"
"Not really," Tae assured him, "Domon-kun helped out."
Saito's eyebrow rose as he noticed that the occupier of the last booth seemed to choke at the woman's statement and attempted to further conceal his massive form. "Is that so?" the policeman asked, bowing slightly, still smiling as he exited the restaurant, "Sorry for the trouble, I'll see to it that they don't trouble you again."
--
Domon sighed with relief as the man left, and resumed shoveling the food down. 'Man,' he muttered, 'If I'd known those freaks were the police…' He shivered, 'Mom always told me to never get on the police's bad side.'
And indeed she had. If there was one thing that Domon's beloved mother had pounded into his skull, as she spanked him for being a no good delinquent, it was that no son of hers was going to go to prison.
Now Domon was by no means a mama's boy, he disobeyed her orders quite a bit in his many tussles with Recca and his pursuit of Fuko, but deep down, underneath all the swaggering and muscle lay a little bit of insight that just knew that the knowledge of her baby being in prison would destroy Mrs. Ishijima both emotionally and physically.
As it were, he contented himself with his meal and paid no attention to the world in general, employing chopsticks, forks and a lot of elbow action in his desire to scarf down the food before his teammates swooped in, a defensive mechanism that seemed to have been ingrained into the other two as well.
Kenshin sweatdropped as he watched the young man dig into the food like some sort of deranged animal coming off a fast. "It would appear this one's assumptions were wrong." he noted, earning a nod from Sanosuke.
"WAY wrong." The fighter agreed, dodging a flying fishbone with the ease of long practice.
--
Recca panted as he lay face up in the onsen; sweat running down his head to mix with the water as he tried to catch his breath. "Hoh? Tired are we?" Koku asked, sipping what appeared to be a fresh sake cup as he sat on a rock at the edge of the water.
"I hate you." Recca growled, turning his head to glare at the elderly Karyuu, "As soon as I catch my breath, I'm coming after you again."
"Don't I feel special." The elderly Karyuu noted, "And here I was offering to help you with your training…"
Abruptly Recca had clasped the old man's hands in his own, eyes sparkling, "Have I told you how much I love you?" he mock-simpered.
Koku sweatdropped, 'Oh yeah…he really is Resshin's kid alright…' he muttered, shivering at the look. Shaking out of the teen's clutches and dusting himself down, Koku cleared his throat.
"As I was saying, I'm ready to begin a deeper instruction into the uses of your inner flame," he eyed the young enjutsu-shi carefully, "you've mastered the special ability sure, but there are many depths to a flame as you've no doubt seen from Kurei."
Recca winced, remembering the origin of Kurenai and the fiery reincarnation of Jisho, "You mean the ability to revive people as flames?" he stated, looking non-too pleased at the thought of it.
Koku frowned at the look of distaste on the boy's face, "Don't be so quick to judge," he admonished, "for the hokage, being absorbed into an enjutsu-shi's flame was considered a great honour, reserved only for those most trusted and dear to the leader."
"It isn't right!" Recca countered, "The dead should stay dead! Making them fight when their bodies are gone is just…wrong!"
"Then what of the Karyuu?" Koku pointed out, stopping the teen cold, "Have you forgotten that THEY were once mere mortal beings?"
Recca stared at the old man, before running his hands over the tattoos reverently. 'How could I forget…' he muttered, 'they lent me their strength for so long…and each died unfulfilled.'
Visions of the Karyuu's human faces swept across his mind, with the exception of Resshin, whose empty draconic stare loomed behind them all.
"I understand that you don't like the idea of absorbing those close to you into yourself." Koku noted consolingly, "But like it or not, you must understand that sometimes it is the only way to preserve their memory, some may even ask it of you themselves, for fear of leaving the world alone." He leveled a solemn look at the teen, one weighted with the length of his many years and nodded.
"In this regard, Kurei is more adept as an enjutsu-shi."
--
Naruto grumbled as he felt his hand go numb from the strain of rotating so much chakra at once. He'd been practicing the technique for several hours and had failed to notice the setting of the sun. 'I'd best be getting back to the hotel.' He conceded, glaring hatefully at the little rubber sphere, 'damned thing's more stubborn than Konohamaru.'
Sighing, the blonde got to his feet, grabbing the ball as he made his way back to the inn, wincing as his stomach growled.
'Maybe I can find a ramen stand around here…' he wondered, wondering what his aniki and Domon had gotten up to whilst he'd been training, 'Probably stuffing themselves right now.'
--
Domon smiled as Tae handed back the card, and made his way to the exit, leaving several startled customers staring at the mountain of empty dishes left behind.
"He eats more than Sano and Yahiko." Kaoru muttered, eyes wide, watching as Yahiko had a nervous breakdown at the sight of the amount of dishes he had to clean.
"Oro…" Kenshin murmured, nodding dumbly at the sheer amount of dirty dishes, pitying the Katsujin-ken student with all his being.
As Domon left the restaurant, he didn't notice the pair of shadows eyeing him. "That's him alright…cocky bastard." One muttered, nudging the other figure beside him with his elbow.
"Think we can take him?" the other asked, causing the first to snort, waving a hand derisively.
"We're gonna need some bait." He muttered, eyeing Tsubame as she took out the garbage, "And I know just what to use."
Unknown to the two men, a THIRD shadow was watching THEM, his cigarette smoke trailing into the air unnoticed.
'Hn,' he muttered, 'interesting, how will this work out?'
--
Domon was walking up the street towards the inn they were staying at, full to the brim and looking forward to a good nap.
'Gotta remember ta check on the squirt.' He noted, concern for his friend worming its way to the forefront of his thoughts as he meandered along the path 'Maybe I shoulda brought some take-out?'
He was just considering finding the nearest ramen stand when his hackles flared up, prompting him to roll forwards, avoiding the swipe to the neck by a hair. 'Damn, let my guard down.' The giant cursed, rolling to his feet with a snarl, gripping the handle of his weapon as he did, "Come on out!" he barked, "I know your hiding in that alley!"
There was a chuckle, and a white haired man exited the alley, dressed in a dirtied police uniform, the saber held in his hands, at the ready. "This town has a strict no swords policy," he called out slyly, "only police or other government figures are permitted to hold one." He held out his hand and smirked, "However, if you hand it over and come with me quietly, I can at least ensure you a single night in the cells."
Domon cursed, eyeing the policeman carefully, 'He seems familiar,' the giant noted, 'where've I seen this guy from…'
"Well?" the policeman called out, "What's your answer, you gonna come quietly or make a scene?"
Domon was about to answer when it hit him; the look on the man's face seemed AWFULLY familiar, even if the hair didn't match. "You're one of those punks from Aka-beko!" the giant yelled, noting the look on the man's face change from slick to shocked, "HA! They let cowards like you into the police? This country must be going to the dogs."
"Watch your tongue!" the irate man snarled, "I am still an officer of the law, and as such I order you to come with me for numerous offences!"
"What offences?" the giant growled, earning a sneer from the reedy looking policeman as he held up a finger.
"One: Assaulting an officer," he held up another finger "Two: carrying a sword openly, despite the sword banning act, and finally: resisting arrest."
"Funny," Domon snorted "you'd think stopping you from harassing a woman woulda earned me brownie points." He smirked and gave the man the finger, "So you can take your offer and stuff it, better yet, let me do it for you!"
The teen leapt forward, ready to bean the man with the back of Kubikiri Houcho, only to frown as the man grinned confidently. "Poor stupid ape." The weasel scoffed, "You think far too simply."
A scream cut through the air, prompting Domon to halt his attack and stare in shock off to the side, where another white haired man held a scared Tsubame with a gun pointed at her head.
"First rule of trap setting," the first policeman recited, "always have the right type of bait." He gestured towards his comrade and grinned, "One wrong move and her brains are decorating the alley walls…drop the weapon."
Domon snarled and eyed the man in disgust, before hurling Kubikiri Houcho at the ground so that it stood embedded standing up. "Pretty nice Zanbato." The man acknowledged, not getting too close in case Domon had another weapon, "But something tells me its all for show." He sneered at the giant and pointed at the ground, "On your knees, head down!"
Domon complied, growling in anger the whole time, not taking his eyes off the man's as he lowered his head to the floor. The policeman grinned and stamped on the giant's head. "Not so tough now are you!?" he mocked, ramming his foot up and down, "Think you can bully us around?" He stamped and kicked at the giant's unresisting head, "We're the police! We're officers of the law! That means we ARE the law!"
--
Tsubame sobbed as she watched the policeman ram Domon's head into the ground, whilst his comrade cackled maliciously. "Stop it!" she begged trying to pull out of his hold, only for it to tighten around her neck and the gun to be pressed against her skull.
"You ain't going nowhere." The accomplice hissed, "And if you dare tell anyone, we'll kill him instead of taking him to the cells."
Tsubame sobbed again, staring at the scene, gasping as the other man raised his saber in a stabbing movement. "Lets see how tough you are without your arm!" he cackled, thrusting downwards at the giant's right shoulder. Tsubame let out a shocked cry and, in a moment of impulsive bravery, bit down on her captor's wrist, earning a scream as he flung her away before darting forwards to try and stop the saber's path.
"You're dead bitch!" the bitten man shrieked, and made to pull the trigger, before the business end of a katana exited his mouth, having punched through the back of his head to get there.
The first man slapped Tsubame aside and was about to run her through when he felt a vice-like grip like close over his arm. There was a sudden crunching noise and he let out a scream as his elbow was shattered, the arm dangling limply, his saber falling from nerveless fingers.
Domon dropped the arm and spun, his fist coming round like a small meteorite to collide with the man's jaw, sending him flying backwards, trailing blood and teeth as he tumbled across the street and into a wall, falling flat on his face.
'Impressive' a shadowy figure noted, watching as the giant shrugged off his injuries as if they were mere gnat bites, 'The boy has an impressive build, and an even greater sense of honor.'
Robes rustled in the shadows as the figure noted the death of the second policeman courtesy of another, 'This situation seems under control,' he decided, 'perhaps I should make myself scarce.'
--
"Nice punch." A calm, familiar voice noted appraisingly, causing the giant to turn round, cursing as he took in the form of the policeman from the restaurant, Fujita Goro.
"Lt. Fujita!" the weasel of a man called out, "Thank goodness! This guy's resisting arrest, assaulting officers!"
"Oh dear all that?" Fujita muttered, running an eye over the surroundings, "Oh my and he seems to have involved a civilian too."
Domon cursed, wondering if all the police in the area were crooked, when he noticed the look in the Lieutenant's eyes.
It was the type of look he'd seen in Kurei's eyes; cold, merciless, yet straight as a well fletched arrow. If Kurei wanted you dead, you were dead, sometimes before you knew it. But Kurei was also a man of his word, from what Koganei had told them, and would not betray his principles for anything.
That was the look he saw in this man's eyes, the kind of eyes that reminded him, eerily, of a wolf ready to pounce.
"And sir! Look!" the pitiful man whined, pointing with his good hand, "He even killed my partner sir!"
"Oh I'm afraid we can't hold him responsible for that." The policeman chastened, walking forwards slowly, his drawn katana in hand, "He did not in fact, kill officer Maeda."
"But Sir! He had to have!" the crooked policeman yelled hysterically, "Who else could have-!"
"I killed him." Fujita cut in, earning a shocked silence from the figure, "And I'm well aware of your actions today."
The man began to tremble, leaning against the wall for support as he pushed himself to his feet, "B-but…you're an officer!" he stammered, "You can't kill your subordinates!"
"What was it you said earlier?" Fujita pondered running a handkerchief along the blade to remove the blood, "Didn't you claim that the police ARE the law?"
The policeman began to stutter excuses as Fujita finished wiping down his sword. "An adequate theory," Fujita allotted, "and it's rather fitting I suppose…after all there is a particular law that I hold very close to heart."
Domon couldn't see the lieutenants face, since Fujita's back was to Tsubame and the giant as he advanced on the unfortunate policeman, but judging from the look on the wretch's face, Fujita was doing them a favor by not facing them at that moment.
"Aku Soku Zan."
--
Domon covered Tsubame's eyes and turned her away from the sight, the girl was only just coming round from the blow to the head and the giant felt it compulsory to ensure she didn't have anything to add to the nightmares she would no doubt receive from this event.
'Man…this guy!' Domon thought in wonder, 'The speed of that thrust…Incredible! I couldn't even see his arm move!'
Tsubame let out a moan and blinked, looking up into the giant's awe struck face. "Domon-san?" she called out catching the Giant's attention as he looked at her in concern.
"Tsubame-chan!" Domon cried, holding her carefully, "Daijoubu-da?" The girl nodded, flushing slightly at the concern in the giant's tone.
"H-hai," Tsubame stammered out weakly, looking around in confusion, "what happened to…"
"I placed them under arrest." Fujita said, stepping into the light to smile reassuringly at the girl from over the giant's shoulder, "Rest up Tsubame-chan, you've had a hard night."
Tsubame would have said something but the trauma from the events took over and she passed out in the giant's arms.
"We should get her back to Aka-beko." Fujita noted, all pleasantness gone from his tone as he turned to Domon authoritatively, "I'll have someone deal with things here."
Domon shivered and eyed the man warily, "Who…are you?" he stated, watching as the man turned to look at him, "You're no ordinary policeman…who the hell are you?!"
Fujita snorted and lit a cigarette, "You're sharper than you look," he complimented, "And you certainly have a lot more guts than those two ever did."
He took a drag on the cigarette, exhaled, watching the smoke dissipate for a moment, before turning to face the wary giant with a smirk. "Former captain of the 3rd squad of the Shinsengumi, Saito Hajime." He nodded at the teen's shocked expression, "Yoroshku."
--
Kenshin looked up just as Tae exited the kitchen, looking worried. "Himura-san," she asked concernedly, "have you seen Tsubame-chan anywhere?"
"Oro? Is there a problem, Tae-san?" the rurouni wondered, earning the attention of Sano and Kaoru, who ceased arguing over the last bit of beef, which Sano pilfered in the silence.
"I left her taking out the garbage a while ago," Tae explained, "but she hasn't come back, and Yahiko says he hasn't seen her around the kitchens either!"
Sano frowned as he munched on the beef, "You think those thugs from earlier came back?" he wondered, shooting Kenshin a look.
Kenshin frowned and got to his feet, "Perhaps we should-" he blinked as the doors swung open, to admit Saito and a roughed up looking Domon, who carried in his arms the slumbering form of-
"Tsubame!" Tae called out, darting forwards in concern, "Fujita-san! Domon-kun! What happened!"
Saito sighed and the mask slipped back on, a concerned Fujita shaking his head in regret, "Sadly, the ones from earlier figured they wanted to cause some more trouble," he nodded at the giant teen beside him, "but this young man was kind enough to lend a hand."
Domon nodded silently, not trusting himself with words as he readjusted the slumbering girl in his arms. "Oh the poor dear!" Tae gasped, turning to the giant teen in gratitude, "Thank you so much Domon-kun! And you too Fujita-san!"
'Fujita' smiled and waved the thanks away, "Just doing my duty ma'am, think nothing of it." He nodded to Domon and turned, "Thank you for your assistance, Ishijima-kun."
The giant nodded wordlessly and handed the girl to Sanosuke who was looking at him critically. "You okay big fella?" the bird-head asked, "You look like someone just walked over your grave."
Domon looked at the man, then out after the departed form of Saito/Fujita and back, earning a look of understanding from the Kenshin-gumi.
"Don't let him scare you." Kenshin offered consolingly, wincing at some of the not-so-pleasant memories of the Miburo, "This one has known him the longest, and he is nothing if not an honorable man."
Domon looked at the smaller man disbelievingly but nodded his thanks and walked out of the restaurant.
--
'Damn!' Domon muttered, his skin rippling in fear as he recalled the cold eyes of the Miburo as he made his way back to the inn, 'The guy reminds me WAY to much of Kurei…minus the pyromaniac sketch.' He glared at his trembling fist accusingly as if it had betrayed him, 'I've gone up against psychopaths before,' he muttered, 'but I've never been more afraid of anyone than I was when I saw those eyes of his.'
"You seem troubled," a voice called out, causing the teen to leap round to face the grinning features of Jiraiya. He was leaning on a bridge post Domon had passed a few seconds ago, looking down at the river.
'Where'd he come from?' Domon thought, looking the sennin over as he paced towards him, 'Guess there's some truth to the rumors after all.'
"I left Naruto doing the exercises," the sennin explained, crossing his arms, "And Recca's training by himself, so I don't need to worry about him."
He looked the giant over carefully, as if measuring him up, before nodding his head, "Kakashi's notes stated you were an earth type chakra alignment." He noted offhandedly, earning a nod from the giant, "That's not uncommon in Konoha, but I'm afraid that earth style techniques aren't easy to come by."
Domon slumped, before blinking as Jiraiya flipped through some seals, causing a scroll to appear in his hands.
"However, I WAS an apprentice to the Sandaime," the sennin stated proudly, "And the old man was quite efficient at using fire and earth jutsu in tandem." He tossed a scroll at the giant, who caught it uncertainly, "That's a list of earth jutsu that the Sandaime mastered." He explained, causing Domon's eyes to widen, "I suggest practicing outside of town, we don't need any man-made landslides disrupting the peace now do we?"
Domon's eyed the scroll in wonder, before looking up at the sennin, only to find the alleyway deserted. 'Damn,' he wondered, gripping the scroll reverently, 'guess that old man IS good for something after all!'
--
Koku's lecture reveals the difference in skill between Recca and Kurei.
Domon is finally on the road to mastering his element.
But what of Naruto? Can he master the Rasengan? Or will the first stage prove too much?
Big Boss: You really shouldn't torment the readers like that.
Kyugan: I know, but it gets the ratings. (Nods at the man and lights up a cigar for him) Good work by the way.
Big Boss: Ninjas, Phah! I eat them for breakfast.
Kyugan: Yes, there's a defininte sequence when it comes to you snakes and Ninjas.
Big Boss: They come, we kill them...though arguably Frank didn't really count as a ninja when I first met him.
Kyugan: True...pretty damn tough tho (Regards a censored pile of rogans in the corner) You left him alive right?
Big Boss: Sorry, torture's Ocelot's speciality, not mine. (Shrugs offhandedly) He'll live, but it won't be pretty.
Kyugan: That's why I pay you the big bucks. (Snaps fingers) And benefits.
Big Boss: ? (arms wrap around him fro behind) WHA-EVA?!
Eva: (Young again through the wonders of Author powers) Jack...care to join me for a game of 'Snake Eater?'
Big Boss: (Blinks, realizes he's regained his youth, turns to Kyugan) Couldn;t fix my eye could you?
Kyugan: Sorry, my powers are useless against things that are badass.
Big Boss: Ah well, no loss. (Grins and scops up Eva) prepare to be tempted my dear (Eyes the censored pile of organs) But first...dinner.
Censored pile of Organs(Kakashi): ...Whimper...
R&R or Big Boss will come for YOU.