"Quae nocent, saepe docent (What hurts, often instructs. One learns by bitter experience)"
Tenjou Tenge/BtVS crossover
(Title Tentative, Subject to Change, Suggestions welcome)
Note: This happens during the second season of BtVS two or so months prior to the beginning of the 'Incan Mummy Girl' Episode. In Tenjou Tenge this would happen about a month prior to the Todoh Academy tournament in which Souichiro and company as members of the Juuken club intend to defeat the current Executive Council led by Mitsuomi Takayanagi. There may be some deviations from canon but I assure you that such differences are only made to improve the enjoyment of the short/drabble.
A 747 Flying Across the Atlantic Towards Japan, First ClassI know I've asked myself this before but I can't get the question out of my head. He thought to himself as he looked out of the window of the plane from his FIRST CLASS SEAT, What was it about those guys that actually scared Tony 'I do not care about anyone but myself' Harris into actually being polite to those suits?
After all it had been a pretty constant trend for as long as he could remember that Tony Harris barely knew what polite meant much less tried to follow the definition with others. The majority of the time he was an abusive, vulgar and drunken slob who looked out for number one. Yet the moment the door opened and those three suits came in not only had the elder Harris gone pale but he'd also tripped over himself trying to be polite and courteous to them. Of course the big shots had to respond with equal politeness but he could see in their eyes that they were disgusted with having to enter such a squalid home and speak with such an unkempt person. However throughout the entire time they were there Tony looked as though he would soil himself the moment these three men gave the impression they were even the slightest bit displeased. As for him he didn't care who these guys were and while he too was a bit wary of them he had shown quite little restraint when they started talking about him being a part of the student exchange thing taking place in a few months at the high school. Apparently the head of some Japanese company was interested in participating in this event and had selected one Alexander LaVelle Harris as the student he would like to have in his home.
Apparently someone forgot to tell Mr. Bigshot that you don't get to choose who you get! He thought sourly as he remembered how pompous and presuming they were considering whether or not he'd go with them.
That was exactly what he told them but instead of getting upset at his words the lead man simply took out a sheaf of papers and handed them to the angry teen. Opening them up he found they were letters of authorization or something from the local school board, the city and Snyder giving them permission to do exactly that. To tilt the odds even further in their favour the lead suit claimed that given Sunnydale's dangerous 'nightlife' agreeing to the trip would be to his advantage. Mr. Smooth, as he had come to call the lead goon, stated that while staying at his employer's home he would be attending Todoh academy that apparently was some sort of martial arts school. Mr. Smooth further elaborated by saying that the academy had been founded with the intention of preserving the various combat styles of Japan and passing them onto the next generation. From using spears to katanas to the most powerful forms of hand-to-hand combat were taught there and if he agreed to come with them he would be instructed like any other student. This actually made the Xan-man pause since learning such skills would definitely be of some assistance to Buffy and the others when he got back. He had been able to and still could picture himself fighting vamps and demons with these new skills and maybe even attracting the romantic attention of his hero Buffy. After all as far as he was concerned the only area that Deadboy surpassed him at was fighting skills and once that advantage was taken away he just might have a shot at the Slayer's heart. So with wariness still in his heart he finally agreed to Mr. Smooth's proposal with the stipulation that he would be given time to pack as well as say his goodbyes to his friends. The 'cat that ate the canary' smile and the oily smile the suit gave him while agreeing to his terms had been enough to make him want to take a shower immediately but he repressed the feeling and went to his room to start packing.
Two days later he'd been driven to the L.A airport that brought him to where he was right now and already he was beginning to get a seriously bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Well there and for some reason he was developing a serious headache right behind the eyes that he'd already taken two Tylenol for soon after take off. The pills had taken some of the edge off of the throbbing behind his eye sockets but it was still firmly there and didn't look like it'd be going anywhere anytime soon.
Well as long as no one makes it any worse I can deal with it while I'm in Japan. He thought to himself as he pressed the button to summon the stewardess so he could get a Twinkie pack or two.
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A House in Poor Condition Inside a City's Residential District"Souichiro's training proceeds apace." Says the blonde woman whose left eye is covered with an elaborate eye-patch.
"Indeed. Despite his initial reluctance to have anything to do with me due to the coloured retelling of the events of two years ago by Maya Natsume and Bunshichi told him." Dougen Takayangi says in agreement sitting across from the woman with two cups of tea and a freshly brewed pot between them, "However I believe so long as we do nothing to further offend his sensibilities he should remain willing to side with us against my son Mitsuomi. All proceeds precisely as we have planned it."
Indeed things could not be proceeding smoother and within a few weeks the members of the Juuken Club would face the current Executive Council and defeat them soundly convinced that they were striking down a corrupt regime with themselves as the heroes. Dougen almost had to laugh at the naivety of the teenagers and the roles they took upon themselves but he kept his amusement internal rather than voice it. The truth of the matter was that Souichiro Nagi, Bob Makihara, Maya Natsume, Aya Natsume and his younger son Masataka were only tools to him now. Tools to be used to return the old order to power and restore things to where they had been before his traitor of a son Mitsuomi had taken over. Once that was accomplished he could further increase Souichiro's skills and abilities and finally have the ultimate martial artist he had sought for so long. He would be without peer and be capable of defeating any evil pitted against him no matter how powerful. Of course what the 'evil' would be would be designated by him and the other family heads and after being properly spun the information would be passed on to his ultimate warrior. It would be the beginning of a glorious age in which the warriors of Japan would rise in power to become a force all their own in the world. Even the various demon clans and organizations would have to respect them for what garnered respect more among the inhuman than power itself.
"Do not get ahead of yourself Dougen." Makiko said sitting across from him with her expression unchanging, "If the events of two years ago taught us anything it was that nothing is for certain and that even the best of plans can go awry if one is not watchful."
"The incident with Shin Natsume two years ago was troublesome but it was resolved to my satisfaction and now that Souichiro is coming into his powers the final thorn from that time will soon be plucked." Dougen said with a respectful yet dismissive voice, "Still it might prove useful to keep a closer watch on the players of our little drama to make sure that they fulfill their roles properly."
"I am afraid that that may no longer be a precaution but a necessity now Master Dougen." Came the voice of an obviously troubled yet composed suit wearing man who had just entered the room.
"What troubles you Agent Sagara?" Dougen asked with an eyebrow raised in interest considering how unflappable the agent usually was.
"As per your standing orders sir my team has been keeping a close watch on your oldest son's activities and investigating their possible ramifications thoroughly." Agent Sagara replied as he knelt down a respectful distance from his employer, "Four days ago three of Mitsuomi's men left the country on a plane for America sir. No member of the Executive Council was with them and for a time we could not determine the reason for this action. However early this morning the three men returned with another, an American from his style of dress, and took him to the family estate in a limo. We took several pictures of the unknown teenager and sent them to our contact in the American embassy. The results were… disturbing… to say the least sir."
With that the agent removed a thick sheaf of papers from his jacket and respectfully passed them to Dougen for his inspection. This only piqued his interest even more since only a few select times before had he seen the agent behaving so contrary to his usual self. Unfolding the papers the first sheet he looked at was a basic listing of a person's characteristics such as name, gender, age, etcetera, etcetera but he didn't get past the part which stated the now identified teen's name because that alone was enough to stun him. Alexander LaVelle Harris. With a quick and efficient flurry he read the rest of the information focusing on such things as the young man's address and personal history as well as who the 'parents' were. By the time he was done the playing field between him and his oldest son had shifted significantly and much like Makiko had warned a single element had been introduced that could ruin his plans sooner rather than later. Even he could not repress the shudder in his body as he recalled the events at the corporate labs thirteen years ago and cursed his son Mitsuomi for opening this Pandora's box. While he was not one to normally admit failure the experiment of fifteen years ago was most definitely something that could not be considered a success. The lives of all those that had died would not allow him to call it anything but an unmitigated failure. Only Makiko's desperate pleading had kept him from terminating the boy the moment his role in that bloodbath had been ascertained. Instead he had been content with sending the boy to the one place on the planet where his abilities and power might be nullified to an acceptable level. The Hellmouth residing in Sunnydale, California, USA had been that place and for the past decade and a half the boy had been in the care of foster parents specifically chosen to quash any attempts at learning how to fight.
However it seems that now more than ever the past is returning to exact its vengeance on me. He thought before saying, "Intensify surveillance of Mitsuomi and the Executive Council of the academy. Report any unusual occurrences connected to the new arrival and have a sharpshooter assigned to each surveillance team. If the situation becomes unmanageable they are to terminate the arrival with extreme prejudice."
"Understood sir." Declares Agent Sagara as he bows respectfully before standing up and walking professionally from the room.
"What is the matter Dougen?" Makiko asked becoming unsettled by the atypical behaviour being exhibited by both Sagara and Dougen.
"A prodigal son of the past has come back Makiko." Dougen replied as he passes the papers Sagara had brought to her so that she can read their contents for herself, "Called home by a foolish child I once considered to be my crowning achievement."
Watching the scarred woman read the papers he could tell the exact moment when she had read the teenage American's name and knew why her eyes were now filled with a mix of fear and anticipation. Events were now in motion that could wash away everything, both his plans as well as those plans concocted by his eldest son Mitsuomi, leaving him with the desire to pray harder than anyone that he could in some way limit the chaos that would overtake them all.
Mitsuomi, my son, you know not what you have done! He thought angrily as the various mistakes he had made with his eldest son filled his mind.
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One Week Later, Todoh Academy, Just Outside the Men's Locker Room"I keep you waiting long Tsukiko?" Xander asked as the door to the Men's locker room swung closed behind him.
"Not at all Xander-kun. Though I still say you overreacted before." Tsukiko replied as she latched onto his arm and leaned into him.
"Sorry about yelling at you back there but back where I'm from having someone unexpectedly join you while your showering is a bit out of the ordinary." He replied with his trademarked lopsided grin as the two of them began walking, "Especially if it's the shower in Men's Locker Room."
"Don't tell me you were worried that some of the other guys might have come in and ask if they could join in?" Tsukiko asked playfully with much mischief in her eyes.
"More like I didn't want anyone else to get a look at your beautiful body." He replied with the same amount of playfulness, "I want to keep that all to myself."
Tsukiko laughed at his corny line but instead of feeling embarrassed or uncomfortable he could only smile and relish the feelings her voice inspired in him. Had someone told him over a week ago that he would have fallen this hard for someone he barely knew he would have called them idiots and walked away. But fallen he had, from the first moment he had met her in the hallway his third day at the Todoh academy, and now the two of them could only be separated if they were willing to be separated. Well, perhaps 'met' might have been a bit strong, considering it was more like she had come running around a corner and crashed into him. While it had resulted in him being flat on his back in a position reminiscent of the first time he'd seen Buffy he at least had the compensation of having her fall down as well and on top of him to boot. After they had untangled their limbs and gotten back to their feet he had offered to buy her lunch at the cafeteria to make up for knocking her down. From there one thing had led to another and before he knew it life felt meaningless unless she was there by his side. It was such an intense feeling that it made his one time crush on Buffy Summers seem like a flight of fancy by comparison. It did bring up some troubling feelings about how things would go when his time in Japan came to an end but he quickly shoved those thoughts aside preferring to bask in her presence instead of dwell on such things.
"Well you don't have to worry about that nushi. The only people here are the summer students and a few of the clubs training for the upcoming tournament." Tsukiko stated with a dazzling smile, "Besides the guys at this school know all too well what happens to men who upset me."
No shit! He thought as he recalled what happened when one of the more senior students tried to hit on her and then rough her up when she shot him down.
You see Tsukiko, while not a senior student at the academy, was a member of the Kunoichi club at the academy and was considered to be the one to succeed Emi Izuzu when the member of the Executive Council graduated. As such she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well as the use of daggers, kunai and other blades whether they be used for short range or long range attacks. So for the offending guy to quickly find himself face down on the ground with a kunai pinning his right hand to the floor was not all that surprising. From that moment on the male population of Todoh academy knew that Tsukiko Kamiya was officially off the dating market and would be at least until the teenage 'gaijin' she was usually seen with had left. So she had a point when she claimed that none of the guys would dare to do anything to make her mad at them.
The smart ones at least would know better.
The more mentally challenged though would likely crop up from time to time.
He pitied those types.
"Stop right there Kamiya!" bellowed a familiar and enraged voice from behind them.
Turning around neither he, nor from what he could tell Tsukiko, were happy to find the jerk from the cafeteria incident standing almost at the other end of the hallway with four of his cronies behind him. He had learned from his new love that the guy's name was Kuno Roshi and according to her he was second in command in the second kenjutsu club at the academy. Apparently the guy considered himself to be quite the ladies man and always walked around like the rest of the students should feel lucky to be in his presence. In short he was an arrogant prick that actually made Cordy at her worst look polite when he walked around the academy. As such Xander felt almost immediately annoyed whenever he saw the asshole much less heard him speak and he doubted Tsukiko felt any different.
"What do you want Kuno-baka?" Tsukiko asked while her right hand drifted to a pocket holster where she kept a stash of kunai for emergencies, "Didn't you get the message the last time?"
"Oh I understood the message completely however there is something that you apparently fail to understand." Kuno said beginning with a pleasant voice before lethal intent began to seep into his words, "I am Kuno Roshi, second in command of the second kenjutsu club of Todoh academy, and no one whether they be man or woman may defy me without paying the price! Prepare yourself Kamiya!"
With that Kuno plus his four cronies charged forward with their bokkens raised in preparation to deliver what was no doubt intended to be crushing blows to their targets. Unfortunately for those idiots they didn't take into account that Tsukiko could attack them a lot sooner than they could attack her and so six kunai were soon sent flying towards the five kenjutsu students. Three of the blades managed to hit their targets with two hitting one of the goons in the shoulder with the third striking another in the stomach. The remaining three kunai were either dodged or blocked leaving Kuno and two of his subordinates still on approach with their desire to inflict pain only strengthened with the felling of their two comrades. With a limited amount of kunai left in her holster he saw Tsukiko take out two before falling into a defensive stance in preparation for the arrival of her enemies. Slipping into a hand-to-hand combat stance of his own he did his best to prepare himself as well since he doubted that the jackasses would leave him alone. However he would be lying if he said that he was overflowing with confidence in his abilities since it had only been a week since he had started training under his benefactor Mitsuomi Takayanagi. True the man had been an absolute tyrant as an instructor, not letting Xander leave until he had executed each technique flawlessly, but the Xan-man couldn't argue with the results. In just one week he was easily three times the fighter he'd been back in Sunnydale and given that it would be a little over two months before he'd return home he had no doubt he'd be able to dazzle the gang with the new improved Xander. For now though the issue of survival took priority as he steeled himself for the coming conflict determined to give at least as good as he got.
He got his first real taste of battle ten seconds later when the goon to the right of Kuno thrust his bokken forward in an attempt to strike the young Harris' stomach. Fortunately one of the most basic evasion techniques Mitsuomi had taught him allowed him to dodge it as well as give him a chance to get in close. Darting in he used his right hand to slide the thug's arms aside exposing the body and allowing him to deliver a strong blow with the heel of his left hand right to the guy's ribs. While not having the dramatic effect of the idiot keeling right over he could tell as the fool retreated backwards a bit that some damage had definitely been done. Maybe a cracked rib or at least some serious bruising now existed on and around the spot where he'd struck so hopefully it would limit the kenjutsu student's movements some. Invigorated by this small victory the uncertainty he had felt before began to fade away and the possibility of beating these guys no longer seemed so slim.
Back and forth the battle between he and his opponent went and while he could not see from his position how Tsukiko was doing the screams of pain from her enemies was enough to let him know she was inflicting some serious pain. He had no doubt that when he finally managed to finish off his one opponent he'd turn to find his new love leaning against the wall waiting patiently for him to finish with the bodies of her adversaries spread out on the floor before her. After all she had been training at this for much longer than him and had probably been given a toy kunai to play with as a child. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd be the one limping to the academy infirmary when this was over with Tsukiko sitting next to his bed with not a scratch on her.
A barely dodged vertical slash from his sparring partner brought him back to the here and now forcing him to put any thoughts of the post battle recovery aside until the fight was actually over. Blows were struck and blocked for the next several minutes between him and his enemy with the weird buzz cut until finally a prime opening appeared allowing him to deliver a strong thrust kick to the man's stomach. Unable to stop himself from smiling as the goon stumbled backwards hunched over he wondered just how much longer it would be before he would finish this guy off and get out of here with his ninja girl. It was then, as if some dark being had heard his thoughts, that a scream of pain that most certainly had come from his lady love cut through the air instinctively causing him to turn around to see what was going on. What he saw sent shock, fear and anger surging through him as he saw his girl fall to the ground in front of a newcomer wielding a steel pipe. It took him half a second to clue into what must have happened and it caused anger to be the dominant emotion inside of him in an instant. Completely forgetting Mr. Buzz Cut he ran as quick as he could to close the distance between him and the circle of kenjutsu students surrounding the one who had claimed his heart.
"Get away from her!!" he yelled as he brought his right hand back with the intention of laying out the first person to get in his way.
In response to his yell Kuno turned around and almost sneered in contempt before bringing his bokken up in front of him. Deciding that that could actually be a good thing since it might end the fight quicker if he kicked the leader's butt in front of the lower ranked members. Darting to the left and then to the right to fake out his opponent he surged forward to deliver a devastating blow to the prick's chest with the intention of seriously messing up his ability to breath. However just as it looked as though the blow would connect an unyielding and pain inducing object slammed down into his back sending him crashing to the floor and even skidding a bit as his momentum was worn out. His back still singing with pain he nevertheless forced his body to start getting back up but only got as far as his hands and knees before he was struck twice more with one of the blows being from something distinctly more unyielding than wood.
"Do yourself a favour gaijin and stay down!" Kuno ordered with anger and authority, "Personally I couldn't care less about a foreign dog like you. All that matters to me now is pounding some respect into this bitch for humiliating me in the cafeteria! So just stay there and watch the show!"
Pushing himself up enough so that he could actually see what was going on he saw that two newcomers had Tsukiko on her feet with their muscled arms wrapped around each of her arms. While looking a little bruised he could tell she had plenty of fight left in her and only needed to free herself from her captors before resuming laying the smacketh down on their asses. He could see her straining to pull her arms free but the two gorillas had a firm grip that would have to be loosened some before anything could be done.
"You know Tsukiko I really hate having to do this to such a prime example of female ferocity and I'd actually be quite willing to forgive you for before if you'd just agree to be my girl." Kuno said in a tone usually reserved for speaking to the truly defeated, "Don't you see how lucky you could be? The absolute best looking and most skilled student at Todoh academy is willing to let you to stand by his side yet you persist in defying me. Why?"
"Gee Kuno, how should I put this?" Tsukiko asked rhetorically as she made a show of thinking, "Maybe because I know your bokken is just compensation for something decidedly smaller and that the only reason you're passing your classes is because of your after school 'sessions' with the teachers. What do you think?"
Nice but so not the right thing to say when you're not in a position to back it up! Xander thought with pride at his maybe-girlfriend's reply.
The Xan-man's opinion was proven to be accurate when less than five seconds later when Kuno slammed his bokken across Tsukiko's jaw before thrusting it into her stomach. Knowing what was coming he tried to get to his feet as quickly as he could but the two morons that Roshi had assigned to him only forced him back down with multiple strikes. Hearing his love struggle to remind her lungs how to take in air only drove him all the harder as he continued to try and get to his feet.
"Fine! You know I was going to give you a second chance Kamiya but if you're going to be like this then I'll just have to settle for making an example out of you." Kuno said with no mercy left in his voice, "An example to all the girls of this academy of what happens to those that reject me!"
Catching glimpses of what was going in between the blows that forced him to close his eyes in pain he saw Kuno tear Tsukiko's shirt open bearing her bra covered chest for all to see. Fear thrummed through him as he realised what would most likely take place if he didn't get in there causing his movements to take on a more frantic nature. Again and again he watched Kuno strike the woman who had captured his heart with his bokken and just as though the area was bathed in a strobe light's glow he watched bruises and blood begin to appear on her once flawless body. Each blow he saw land on her sent a searing level of emotional pain through him and each time he wondered how much longer he could endure this suffering before he just lost it.
As it turned out he did not have to wait long at all.
Almost as if in answer to his rising surges of rage he felt a power he had never experienced before surge through him and all at once his perceptions of the world around him began to change. With a metaphorical flicking of some internal switch he was changed and it was a change that others on the school grounds felt as well though not all knew what it meant.
A few did though.
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Executive Council Meeting Room, Same Time"What the hell is THAT!?" Bunshichi Tawara exclaimed as an aura of potent lethal intent blew over him yanking his attention away from the hentai books he was flipping through.
"Open your senses more and I think you'll be able to answer that question yourself Bunshichi." Replied the president of the Executive Council as he stood up and out of his chair, "Isuzu, assemble the other members of the Council and head towards the source of this aura. Bunshichi and I will go there now and attempt to prevent any fatalities."
"Fatalities? What do you--?" Tawara asked momentarily confused as to what his friend meant until he did as Mitsuomi suggest and truly felt the aura, "No! It can't be!"
"I am afraid it is exactly what you believe it to be." Mitsuomi stated at the door before turning to face Bunshichi, "Now come along. We have to get there before matters get too far out of hand."
Tawara didn't need to be told what that meant as he was quite familiar with what could potentially happen when someone with that ability cut loose.
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Juuken Club House, Same Time"NO! It can't be!" Maya exclaimed as she looked at her sister Aya and then turned her head to look in the direction of the deadly aura that had slammed into her senses moments ago.
It had been a fairly routine day of training for the members of the Juuken club with her working with Souichiro to improve his control and skill with his developing abilities. All of the members were progressing nicely and she had absolute confidence that when the tournament began they would have no trouble making it to the finals and defeating the Executive Council. Souichiro had already shown that he had the power as well as the speed to match Mitsuomi so all that he needed was the skill and stamina. That would come from her since he was pretty much a brawler in terms of style otherwise and such moves would not work with the eldest Takayangi son.
However all training came to a halt when the lethal aura had passed through the building stopping just about everyone in their tracks since even the densest of them could sense that something was wrong. However she herself was completely at a loss to explain what she was feeling right then since to her knowledge there was only one person still alive that could use that ability. Looking back to her sister one more time to confirm that it wasn't Aya she was feeling she took off for the front doors not bothering to explain anything to anyone. In the back of her mind she knew it wasn't necessary to say anything since they would all likely follow her regardless both for answers concerning her abrupt departure and the aura they were sensing. All that mattered to her right then was getting to the source of the bloodlust she was sensing before the halls of the academy were painted red with blood.
Please don't let it happen again! She prayed as she used every trick she knew as well as every shortcut to get to her destination as quickly as possible.
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Back in the Hallway Outside the Men's Locker Room, Ten Seconds LaterTo say that Tsukiko Kamiya was not having a good time would have been an understatement as pain from a cracked rib made breathing painful and one of her eyes was almost completely swollen shut. She was no stranger to fighting and knew how to take her lumps but the fact that she was unable to strike back was more than a little unfair as far as she was concerned. She knew that in a fair fight she could take Kuno down without even breaking a sweat but apparently the lieutenant of the second kenjutsu club knew that as well hence the hired goon squad restraining her. Since the first moment she'd been grabbed she had been trying every trick she knew to free herself and turn the fight around but obviously these thugs had done their homework. They had probably studied up as best they could on ninja escape techniques and maybe even paid off a member of her own club to show them how to properly restrain her. She knew she had no few enemies in the club who wanted to be Isuzu's successor instead of her but she never realized that they hated her this much. Depending on how well her fellow club members had taught these gorillas she might not be able to break free and that would mean more pain for not only her but also Xander.
She had seen the way he had charged in to save her and had tried to shout out a warning to stay out of the fight but had been cut off by a blow from Kuno. She knew, knew in her heart, that there was nothing her lover wouldn't do to save her and as much as it was a new experience for her she felt the same. Love at first sight. Ask her about it a year ago and she would have told you that it was nothing more than a plot device for some cheap romance novel. However that is how it had been for her when she had slammed into him in her rush to get to her club meeting on time. She had raised her gaze up the chest of the man she had landed on with the intent of giving him a serious piece of her mind and frozen when her eyes locked onto Xander's. After a moment of awkwardness they had both gotten up and she had been so swept away by the new feeling she was having that she completely forgot about the meeting when the unknown gaijin had offered to buy her a meal from the cafeteria. It had been the start of something big and had only grown with each passing moment that they spent with each other until just being with him improved her mood considerably. Now though she wanted nothing more than for Kuno and his goons to stop hurting Xander and was almost willing to give into the bastard's demands except she knew her lover would never want that. Each time her one good eye saw the two gorillas slam their weapons into the American's back though she was tempted to simply give in and wondered how much longer her resolve would last.
"AAAAHHHHHghkh…" came a scream of pain before it was abruptly cut off and replaced by a sound she doubted anyone heard outside of a horror film.
It is a sound though strong enough to stop everyone in their tracks and suck their attention in its direction with little or no delay. What she saw when her own undamaged eye locked onto the source shocked her and sent no few chills of fear down her spine. Standing up with a sadistic grin on his face was Xander but at the same time not the Xander she had come to know over the past few days. Sarcastically her mind remarked that it could have been the fact that to the right of Xander one of the goons that had been keeping him down was now impaled on his own steel rod to the point where the only reason he wasn't on the ground was because the rod had come out his back and gotten stuck in the concrete wall behind him. Another possibility was that the second thug that had been dealing out pain to the gaijin was curled up on the ground coughing up blood and looking like he was in need of serious medical attention. In the end though she concluded the reasons why she had a hard time recognising Xander was a) because his hair was temporarily changing colours in waves with the alternate colour being light purple and b) the crimson eyes with black slits in the centre that now looked her way. She didn't know what they were but she could not bring herself to look directly at them for any length of time resulting in her looking at Xander's chest instead.
"Hanya!! Enishi!!" Kuno exclaimed looking at the carnage before him in shock, "Bastard! You'll die for that gaijin!"
"I think you have me confused with you and your posse here asshole." Xander said in a voice devoid of compassion yet tinged with an almost playful malevolence, "You should have just taken Tsukiko's hint in the cafeteria. Your pride might have taken a hit but at least you'd still have your whole life ahead of you. Not anymore though."
She could tell that Xander's words were producing spikes of fear in Kuno's posse as well as Roshi himself because she too couldn't help but fear the person her lover had changed into. Gone was the kind and goofy young man she had come to love and in his place was some kind of demon that would kill all that dared stand in its way. Then, just as that thought crossed her mind, her American love ran forward appearing to completely ignore the weapons Kuno and his gang still had. Four members of the kenjutsu club besides the two that held her and Kuno charged forward still possessing enough confidence in their positions to go on the offensive. That confidence was shatter along with their bodies inside of five seconds as Xander disarmed and defeated them with complete ease. The first had his bokken grabbed in mid-strike before receiving a roundhouse kick to the chest sending him crashing through the window to the ground two floors below. The second, distracted by the ease at which the first had been defeated, was defeated when after a quick adjustment on the grip Xander had on the bokken the wooden weapon slammed into the second goon's throat crushing his larynx. Almost casually the American who she loved caught the second goon's bokken before it could hit the ground and thrust both of the weapons he now possessed into the third thug's stomach. This sent the moron flying back into the fourth taking the last member of the attack group for a ride as the force of the initial blow carried them both down the hall and into the wall.
Seeing this the two goons that had been holding her decided to do something smart for the first time in their lives and immediately let her go before running for their lives in the direction opposite the one that Xander was in. They made it five steps before the two bokkens that had been in the gaijin's hands flew through the air and struck them in the back of their necks with a resounding crack of bone. Assaulted by both her newfound need to support herself on her own and what she was witnessing she was unable to stop herself from dropping to her knees in shock. Only she and Kuno were still in relatively good condition with the latter looking like he was going to piss himself in fear at any moment.
"P-please! Don't k-kill me man! PLEASE! Don't kill me!" Kuno begged frantically as he dropped his bokken to the ground and shakily backed away from the demon in front of him.
"What's the matter Kuno? Not such an arrogant prick without your goon squad to back you up?" Xander asked with contempt as he slowly walked forward, "You know guys like you really piss me off! You think you're so much better than everyone else but when your ass is on the line you turn into spineless cowards! I think it's time that someone finally made you pay that tab your mouth has been racking up Kuno."
Before the lieutenant of the second kenjutsu club could even move the gaijin crossed the distance between them and thrust his right knee deep into Kuno's gut. It almost seemed comical in appearance to Tsukiko since it looked so much like something from the cartoons she'd watched as a kid. However it was all to real and as Xander laid into Roshi with kick after punch after kick with the kenjutsu student completely helpless. Eventually though it looked as though Xander was ready to end it all as he grabbed the fool by his shirt and slammed him into a wall. However whatever relief she might have felt at the carnage finally ending vanished as she watched Xander bring back his right arm and close his fist with the exception of his middle and index fingers. For a moment she was puzzled at what her love intended to do but when she looked along the path she expected them to travel the intent became clear. He intended to stab out Kuno's eyes with his fingers and permanently blind him ending his life as a kenjutsu student.
It was that shocking realization that finally brought her back to herself and she knew that unless she did something right then and there Xander would be trapped walking down a dark path he would not return from. Watching as her love's right hand began to move forward she almost distantly heard her own voice cry out for him to stop and almost instantly the limb stopped in its tracks. However before she could bask in the relief that her words had reached her love a form clad in blue shot passed her and delivered a thunderous punch at Xander's side. As if shot from a cannon the American flew down the hall until he impacted on the same wall that he had sent two kenjutsu students into a minute ago. It was then that she recognised the surprise combatant as the president of the Executive Council of Todoh academy Mitsuomi Takayanagi.
"That's quit enough Alexander. I'm not sure what Kuno did to provoke you but I think he's learned his lesson." Mitsuomi stated in icy solid tones.
"Yeah? Well maybe I'm not through teaching him his lesson." Xander said in that playfully malevolent voice Tsukiko was coming to dread hearing from him.
"Look, kid, you beat the crap out of his posse and Kuno looks like he'll be in the hospital for at least a month." Came the voice of Bunshichi Tawara as he stepped up beside her, "Why don't you leave it at that alright? Don't make us have to hurt you kid."
"Like you hurt your 'friend' Shin Natsume Bunshichi?" Xander asked viciously as his playfully hostile grin grew into an evil smile, "You and I both know that if that fool hadn't killed himself you never would have beat him. You'd be the ones lying six feet under right now instead of him!!"
"So it's true then. You're Dragon Eyes have awoken." Mitsuomi stated calmly as though he were in no danger at all.
"Yep! You'd be amazed at what I know about the two of you now." Xander declared with pride and confidence, "In fact now that you're here I'm kinda interested to see who'd win between the three of us. Howsabout we fight it out right here and now? If you win I'll let you cart me off to where ever but if I win you take orders from me 'til I leave this fall."
"Challenge accepted." Was all Mitsuomi said before dashing forward at a speed Tsukiko didn't know was possible for a human being.
For a moment it looked like they might be evenly matched but the moment the two of them closed to striking distance the difference between them was quickly made apparent.
"Ryuukei Qigong – Tashinkou!" declared Mitsuomi fiercely and with a combination of ki and air pressure he slammed a powerful punch right into Xander's chest.
It was unlike anything Tsukiko had ever seen before and with shock she watched as the back of her love's shirt exploded outwards both on the front as well as on the back on the other side. For the space of several minutes she, Bunshichi and perhaps even President Mitsuomi waited for the gaijin to drop to the ground unconscious. However they were all shocked when instead of dropping to the ground Xander clamped down on the arm that had struck the blow as if nothing had happened. When her lover's head rose she almost turned away as those blood red eyes that seemed to shine even brighter now became visible. However the sight of the blood trickling from his mouth caused her concern and love for him to override her fear of his eyes. She knew that Mitsuomi's blow had to have done some serious damage to cause blood to flow from Xander's mouth like that yet her love didn't seem to care. More than ever he seemed to be eager for battle and she had no doubt it would lead to his death unless someone brought him back to his senses. Thankfully it was then that her wish was answered with something other than violence leaving her forever in the debt of the Natsume family.
"Mitsuomi! What happened here?!" asked Maya Natsume fiercely as she took in the carnage arrayed up and down the hallway as well as who therein was still conscious.
Before the president of the Executive Council could reply though Xander looked over the shoulder of his adversary and locked eyes with the elder Natsume sister. For a moment both were frozen in place half with recognition and half with shock with only the two of them really knowing why. However the rest of them were given a clue when for two seconds Xander's hair completely turned that light purple colour that had only flowed temporarily into existence across his head before.
"Little sister?" came the whisper from Xander's lips before like a puppet with its strings cut he collapsed unconscious in Mitsuomi's arms.
With the exception of Mitsuomi these words only reinforced the shock within them all and it was only when the eldest Takayanagi brother began to walk away from the battlefield that Tsukiko found her voice.
"Where are you taking him? What happened to him?" she asked almost pleading with him to answer her.
"I am taking him to the academy infirmary where he can be attended to Ms. Kamiya." Mitsuomi replied turning his head slightly in her direction, "As for what happened to him that can wait until you both have had your wounds treated. Bunshichi pick her up please and follow me to the infirmary."
For a moment Tsukiko was going to object to this as every girl in the academy was aware of Bunshichi's penchant for seeing women as nothing more than a set of tits with legs. However much to her surprise there was no lechery on the advisor's face, no sick looks, just a haunted look that seemed completely out of place on his face. Unsure of how to take this she remained quiet.
"Mitsuomi! You haven't answered my question!" yelled Maya Natsume having managed to recover her voice, "Who is he?"
Follow me to the infirmary Maya and I'll do my best to explain." Mitsuomi replied with little or no hesitation, "In fact it is probably best that you do hear it now so that I will not have to repeat myself later."
With only a nod the procession consisting of Mitsuomi, Xander, Bunshichi, herself and the entire Juuken club began to walk towards the academy infirmary where both medical assistance and answers lay waiting.
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Todoh Academy, Infirmary, Half an Hour Later"The ambulances have arrived? Good. Make sure they keep this quiet and that every effort is to be made to preserve the lives of the kenjutsu students." Mitsuomi said into his cell phone, "Keep me informed Isuzu."
Watching her ex-love end the call and shut his cell phone Maya could stand the suspense no more.
"I think its time you started explaining all this Mitsuomi." She demanded in a tone that would not be denied, "Who is this young man and why does he have Dragon eyes?"
"The short answer Maya would be that he is your half-brother." Mitsuomi replied as though he was giving a report on the contents of a dictionary.
"What?!" she exclaimed in shock as her former boyfriend's reply knocked her for a loop.
"Impossible!" Aya yelled in denial as she was only slightly less in shock than her sister.
"What are you trying to pull Mitsuomi?" demanded Souichiro looking like he didn't buy a word of it.
"I assure you I am being completely honest. In fact I was the one who ordered that he be brought here from America." Mitsuomi replied as he elaborated on his first answer, "You see ever since I took over the family estate I have been reviewing my father's files and about two weeks ago came across one concerning Alexander."
"Apparently around fifteen years ago, during the early days of my father's search for the ultimate martial artist, he began a project with the intention of combining the most powerful family techniques or abilities into a single individual." Mitsuomi explained as he condensed what he found before delivering it to the others, "The project started in small steps, first attempting to combine the traits of two families, to see if it was even possible. They partnered men and women from the various head families and persuaded them to make love in order to produce a child. Your father was apparently one of the participants Maya."
"You're lying!! My father would never participate in something so disgusting!" Maya exclaimed in denial while internally thinking, He has to be lying! He just has to be!
"If you want I can have the records and other materials dropped off at your home and you can review it yourself Maya." Mitsuomi stated firmly as though he was actually annoyed at being interrupted, "In any case I've already had my geneticists confirm the information in the records with a DNA test. He is of the Natsume family."
"If Maya's father was involved then who was he paired with?" Souichiro asked trapped between his own interest in learning more and his knowing how it would affect the Natsume sisters.
"Unfortunately it appears that that portion of the record was damaged at some point in the past. It took some of my specialists five days to reconstruct enough to confirm the involvement of Kaima Natsume's involvement." Replied the eldest Takayanagi brother coldly, "It is possible with more time a sufficient amount of the remaining record could be recovered and restored to determine who the mother was but for now it is a fact that Alexander LaVelle Harris is yours and Aya's half-brother Maya."
To this Maya could only look over at the unconscious form of the American in the bed at the far end of the infirmary and wonder 'could it be true'. As she looked at Tsukiko Kamiya sitting next to the bedridden young man clutching his hand she could not help but flash back to the last thing this Alexander had said before falling unconscious. He had called her sister and for a moment or two had the same coloured hair as her dead brother Shin which had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. She did not want to believe the information Mitsuomi had just given her, did not want to believe that her father could have been a part of something so monstrous, but the crimson eyes Alexander had looked at her with could not be denied. Those red eyes were Dragon Eyes and in combination with the light purple hair the gaijin's connection to her family, the Natsume family, could not be casually dismissed if denied at all. What would she say to him when he awoke? How would he react when he learned that he was the result of an experiment to create the ultimate warrior? She had no answers to these questions only a promise that she swore to herself and all those that could hear her thoughts.
She would not let history repeat itself.
She would not let another brother be driven insane and then to death.
Not while she lived.
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Note 2: This is to address the question I know you're all asking right now which is 'if Xander really was a member of the Natsume family then why did it take so long to manifest?' or some variant of that. There are several possible answers that I've come up with but have yet to chose: One is the Hellmouth itself kept it from manifesting. Almost as soon as Xander arrived in Sunnydale he could sense with his young ki sensing abilities that something was wrong about the town and maybe even a threat to him. Thus he either consciously or unconsciously used his ki to protect himself from the hellmouthy energies resulting in the bulk of the energy that might have gone to enhancing his fighting abilities or perhaps activating his Dragon Eyes to going towards something else. As for why his hair remained black/brown instead of the trademark violent/light purple color like Shine and Maya's I propose it was because some of the demonic energy of the hellmouth managed to make it past his ki defenses resulting in the change in hair color. So basically a combination of defending against the energies of the hellmouth and the mystical convergence's taint is why Xander did not exhibit any unusual characteristics.
At least that is how I have it laid out in my head at the moment. If any of you readers can come up with a more convincing or thorough line of reasoning please tell me and if I like it I'll adopt it should this drabble/short make it to full fledged fanfic status.
It was basically a plot bunny I just had to get out of my head after watching the entire series so I hope you like it.