"So, what movie are we watching again?" Suzu asked. The Shinsetsu Party decided to take a brief pre-chapter break and watch a film.
"We're watching a musical movie called South Pacific." Heppokomaru noted, reading the videocassette box.
"Sissy title, I'm not watching it," Chagecha sneered, loading some nachos into his mouth.
"Are you sure? It's a good movie…" Bo-bobo pouted.
"No way."
"Masato told me you cried during the second Inuyasha (1) movie," Heppokomaru noted again.
"What!?"
"And during Bambi too." Serviceman noted.
"That's bulls—t!" Chagecha shouted.
"And Dumbo."
"And Snow White."
"And Finding Nemo."
"And West Side Story."
"And Gone with the Wind."
"And I also remember Masato telling me that you sobbed your eyes out whenever The Biggest Loser airs on TV. You do realize that they regain all the weight after they get off the show, right?"
"NO! LIES! ALL LIES! You're all sputtering crap! I hate all of you!" Chagecha screamed like a sad teenage girl on drugs and ran out of the theater.
"We hate you too, bitch." Kotarou sighed from behind, getting the attention of the others. He grinned for the first time, at least in front of others.
"Naw, just kiddin.' Trust me, he'll be back.
-X-
Third Prelude
(Part 2: The guest next door eats a lot of…persimmon?) (2)
"Dites-moi, por quoi,
La vie est beile,
Dites moi, pour quoi,
la vie est gai?
Dites moi, pour quoi,
Chère ma d'moiselle,
Estceque, parceque,
vous m'ai mez?" (3)
Aqua's song filled the air with bubbles of cleansing and purity. They fluttered and engulfed the Beauty doll and the Torpedo Girl statue. The scent of soft-smelling cherry blossoms and peach blossoms filled the air as the two figures were soaked by the bubbles. Everyone could see the figures of the two females re-form into their natural shape. After a burst of the bubble and a blast of the scent of blossoms, Beauty and Torpedo Girl had returned to their normal selves. They had been gently levitated to the ground, asleep. Everyone cheered in relief.
"Beauty!" Bo-bobo and Heppokomaru shouted in happiness. Bo-bobo cradled her body onto his lap and gently brushed some stray hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open slowly. Her body cranked left and right, until she could finally sit up.
"Are you okay?" Heppokomaru asked in concern, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Mmmnn…where am I?" Beauty asked lazily. She scratched the back of her head.
"We're in the Obsidian Region. Captain Battleship kidnapped you, although he ran off when we came along..." Bo-bobo gazed at the horizon.
"Obsidian Region…uhhh…I have no clue where that is…" Beauty sighed, shutting an eyelid.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Heppokomaru asked again.
"Yeah, I think so…"
"Here, let me help you up…" Heppokomaru grabbed Beauty by the arm and wrapped it around his neck, helping her stand. She sighed, her face still low and dreary-looking.
"You look strange."
Beauty rubbed her forehead. "I had a bad dream when I was gone…it was…"
"What was it?"
Beauty sweatdropped. "I put too much oil in the pan and let the tempura explode…" Everyone collapsed.
"Okay then…" Namero sighed. "Anything else?" He approached her.
"Then I had some dream about this weirdo wearing a white hat. He had this blade-gun thingy and used it to slaughter a man-bear-pig."
All eyes glanced at Chagecha, who was making another sweater made of naval lint.
"But that last one I had was…well, it almost felt…nostalgic…"
"Really?" Everyone's interests perked. "Tell us."
"Well, I don't remember much, but…" Beauty started, sitting back down. "The most I remember is that there was…fire."
"Fire?"
"A lot of fire. It rose from darkness, from buildings, from the ground."
Everyone gazed at Beauty, mystified.
"Fire was everywhere…and in between…I heard…a funky laughter…demonic laughter…a familiar laughter…a man's laugh…"
Beauty's eyes widened; their shine faded as nostalgia slowly oozed into her head. A strange vision was forming in her mind. The flames emerged from the darkness, burning down what appeared to be an entire city. In her mind briefly flashed the image of a powerful-looking man. She could see in his shadow his ruggedness, his muscles, his demonic air. From his face flashed an evil grin, waving his arm forth. A plethora of shadows burst from the flames, wreaking havoc. And within it all, she could see one other shadow, yet she could not tell who or what it was.
Beauty's eyes slowly came to. "I wonder who that was…"
Everyone fell silent, completely forgetting that three of the High Spirits, one of them just having been rescued, were still present.
"Ugh, I am so damn hungry…anybody got a burger or a curry bun on them?" Fulguralis sighed, his face resembling that of a hobo hick.
"Uhhh…I have one…" Masato pulled out his snack, which was a pork bun covered with some wasabi sauce.
"GIMME YOU LITTLE DINK!" Fulguralis snatched the bun from Masato's hand and swallowed the thing whole in one bite. Masato fainted for no reason and Longhorn's left horn exploded. Ignis and Aqua were no less surprised.
"Mmmn…I just can't resist that burning sensation of hot spices…" Fulguralis' nose formed a snot bubble as he drifted off into dreamland, letting the spice of the wasabi sink in. As he dazed off however, Aqua and Ignis took the liberty to punch him in the face in unison.
"Get your head out of your ass, Fugi!" Aqua shouted, spanking his rear with a set of nunchucks she owned. The other spirit whined and cried like a baby, and the mortals that were watching-including Giga's heart-freaked out; their eyes bulged madly and their jaws dropped low.
"Maaaah! Stop! Fine! Just leave me alone!" Fulguralis re-positioned himself and fixed his golden yellow and carnelian orange robe. He cleared his throat and smiled sweetly, daisies blooming behind him similarly like one would find in a shojô manga.
"Hello again, Sir Bo-bobo. I had a good feeling you'd come for me. I don't know how to thank you. I think it was an excellent idea to ask you to rescue us. You're a great man." His voice was deep and mysterious, but kind.
"Tee hee…aww, go on," Bo-bobo cooed.
"And now that I'm free, I can help you for sure. I can gladly lend you my power when the time calls…check this out! Ha!"
Fulguralis drew out a daikon radish and a negi onion. He slapped them together in a burst of lightning, shouting, "Material Hajike Fusion!" Seconds later, the two vegetables combined into a blade that resembled a sugarcane stick.
"My beautiful love, the Holy Devil Supreme Control Sword! A catalyst for the thunder I possess! Behold! 'Tis so graceful!"
Fulguralis released a stream of lightning sparks from the "sword." Poor Tiger Mask was smited and removed from the story, and Onizawa suffered severe electric shock. Chagecha further aggravated his pain by watering several tomato plants beneath him.
"Aw yeah! I am so awesome! I provide the electric power of the Don Kingdom as well as other countries that need it…like…the Yankee Republic!"
Chagecha and a few others gasped. "You mean…all that power that lights up our city…"
"Yep! That's-a-me!"
Chagecha's face fell flat. "Whatever dude…"
"So, Fulguralis. What are ya gonna do now!?" Bo-bobo shouted like a game show announcer.
"I'm gonna go back to Gloria Heaven! See ya later, suckers!" Fulguralis bolted into the sky, leaving the others and his spirit companions choking on dust. Ignis sighed in anger, a vein popping from his head.
"I swear, he gets on my nerves sometimes…"
"DID SOMEBODY SAY BOOM!?" Serviceman shouted from nowhere, detonating a TNT box and making the ground around Bo-bobo explode.
"Well, all that aside, there are three of us in Gloria Heaven now, Sir Bo-bobo. And to do so in merely less than three month's time…how are you able to track us down so quickly?" Aqua was actually suspicious, donning a detective outfit and giving Bo-bobo the evil eye.
"Weeelll…we have…someone who helps us…" Bo-bobo twiddled his fingers nervously.
"Oh, really?" Aqua puffed smoke from a pipe, making the others, including Ignis, gag.
"It's a Spirit Child! He's helping us communicate!" Bo-bobo whined, crying for mercy.
Aqua's expression calmed. "Oh. THAT'S TOTALLY HIGH TECHNICALLLL!" Aqua, now dressed as a nerd in a frog suit (4), made her fellow spirit explode due to the power of her charisma and invisibility that made everyone collapse.
"Does anyone else other than me feel like we should be heading back now?" Beauty sighed.
"I do…" Heppokomaru sighed.
"I DON'T!" Crosk once again made a surprise appearance and stuck a tank full of sea urchins down Heppokomaru's pants. The gunner was spiked "down there" and completely in pain, making Beauty worry.
"My fertility's gonna be shot by the time I'm 25…" Heppokomaru sighed.
"He-kun, let me get you some ointment or something. Sea urchin stings are dangerous, you know…"
"That's not the case, Beauty." Namero approached, smiling evilly.
"Namero-kun?" Beauty squirmed nervously.
"The prick of a sea urchin can cause serious pain, possibly venomous. In order to clear away the potential venom, one must urinate on the inflicted area…" Namero cackled, and Heppokomaru spat.
"I'll do it myself, thank you." Heppokomaru leapt from Beauty's small embrace and was soon out of sight.
"Heh…I would've liked to pee on him…" Namero smirked. Beauty sweatdropped.
"Ewww, I see a boy-lover!" Serviceman shouted. Namero freaked out, stuffed Serviceman down a blender, and chopped him up with the "blend" button.
"Owww…"
"Oh, oh! Me next, me next!" Aqua squealed. Namero's eyes bulged again. Ignis held her back and panicked. Don Patch walked from the windmill, nail and board still in his head, brain-dead. His face was purely blank. Suzu took notice and waved her hand in front of his face.
"Hello? Don Patch? You okay? Hello?" she kicked him several times, but he didn't respond. "What is wrong with you?"
Don Patch stared off at Suzu. His blank gaze appeared almost creepy, devilish even, such as a particular video game spoof icon (5). Then, for no reason, massive electric blue lasers shot out of his eyes! Serviceman was burnt to a crisp!
"WHAT TH-!?" Namero screamed. Don Patch fixed his gaze on Namero and began to charge his laser. Namero made a run for the bushes where Heppokomaru had just finished his "business." The other boy turned around and screamed at the screaming Namero that was about to run into him. Seconds later, a loud crash rang in the bushes, making the ghosts of the village screech.
"What the hell!?" Bo-bobo shouted, performing labor surgery on a random woman that showed up. He and his team ran into the bushes, leaving the spirits alone. They faced each other. Ignis was about to say something, but Aqua put her finger to his lips and silenced him. Her face lost its joy and even a bit of its color.
"Please do not speak of it, Ignis."
"But…"
"Silence."
The two of them looked beyond the honey-yellow sky and into the ebony black sky that fringed off at the gate leading back to the forest. Stars actually began to break through that impenetrable darkness for the first time. They knew they had to return soon.
"I'm sure they won't mind if we leave right now. Let's get going, Ignis. Gloria Heaven awaits us."
"…yes."
Aqua took her partner's hand, and the two slowly evaporated back into the heavens above. A star formed where they had vanished.
-X-
Bo-bobo and the others had just re-found the two boys, and, due to their collision, they were now laying on the forest floor in a rather suggestive position; their faces were, literally, stuck on each other's crotches…
"Oh my god…" Serviceman's head exploded. Onizawa's other horn exploded. Masato fainted.
"Hah! You just got your ass handed to you, Culex! (6)" Chagecha shouted, playing Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on an old-fashioned SNES.
"Ahh, He-kun, Namero-kun…" Beauty shivered.
Crosk showed up out of nowhere again, took photos with his cell phone, and then vanished mysteriously by sticking his head in a mail box. Beauty freaked out.
Heppokomaru was the first to wake up. He stirred and opened his eyes slowly. They bulged harder than ever, and they bulged even more when he glanced behind him. Namero woke up himself and his eyes bulged. Two immensely loud screams pierced the forest, making a bunch of crows fly out of the forest.
"WHAT THE F—K WERE YOU DOING TO ME!?" Heppokomaru screamed, tears shooting out of his eyes.
"WHAT ABOUT YOU!? YOU WERE TRYING TO ROB MY INNOCENCE!" Namero reacted the same way. Seconds later, an all-out brawl emerged.
"Ahahah…this is too amusing…" OVER sighed, taking a sleeping Torpedo Girl in his arms.
"Hey, where have you been, anyway?" Bo-bobo asked rather accusingly. OVER sweatdropped nervously.
"I…uhh…err…look, a monkey!" OVER ran off with Torpedo Girl when Bo-bobo was distracted.
The two teenagers were still at it when everyone else walked into the gulch. The other ghosts reappeared, still smiling.
"Tonight we shall feast over the victory on Giga and his minions! Somebody break out the pig we just speared!" A ghost shouted. Three burly male ghosts came onto the scene, carrying a massive ten-ton pig that was dead and freshly roasted.
"Wait, I thought ghosts couldn't eat…" Beauty pointed out.
"Neither did I…" Suzu replied the same. They watched the ghosts prepare an outdoor meal for them, consisting of soups, meats, side dishes, and desserts made of snakes, boars, scorpions, ducks, and Kenny McCormack. The living mortals appeared as if they wanted to barf.
"Wow, they really like us, don't they?" Serviceman, now in a wheelchair, commented.
"Yeah. I just wish that Hatenkou was-"
Suzu froze at what she had just said. She had completely forgotten the ailing Hatenkou during this entire time. She gave a horrified look to Bo-bobo, and he understood himself.
"OH MY GOD, HATENKOU!" They screamed in unison, heading back to the Obsidian Forest. The others followed, whereas Heppokomaru and Namero were still beating each other up.
-X-
The party charged back into the mansion and stormed their way into the top floor, completely blasting through the secret passage that lead to it. They ran through the bedroom, only to be greeted with the sight of Hatenkou collapsed on the floor. Bo-bobo picked him up and cradled him, slapping his face.
"Hatenkou, please wake up! Please!" he pleaded, slapping him and punching him. Nothing was working. Everyone else appeared panicked.
"Bo-bobo, check his pulse or something!" Beauty shouted. Bo-bobo nodded his head. He placed two fingers under his friend's neck.
Nothing.
"Oh…oh no…"
Suzu helped Bo-bobo place him onto the bed. She placed two defibrillators onto his chest and checked his heartbeat. All that they heard was one long "beep," and the line it featured wasn't moving.
Hatenkou was dead.
"N…nnn…" Bo-bobo shivered, lips trembling, eyes watering.
"Bo-bobo…" Beauty hugged him from behind. Suzu joined, as well as Serviceman.
"WAAAAAAAAH!" Bo-bobo broke out into full sobs, his tears splattering all over the carpet.
-X-
Genesis Gulch
Chagecha and his posse looked on to the ghosts' feast. They were left out in the dust, completely forgotten.
"How sad…this sucks!" Doraji whined, chugging down a bucket of Cool Whip.
"It looks like they don't need us, President. Can we go home now?" Himawari sighed. Chagecha was vigorously playing his SNES when Himawari asked the question.
"President?" Himawari asked. No response, for he was still absorbed into his Mario RPG.
"Oh, give me the bloody thing!" Kouzan shouted, ripping the cartridge from the system. The screen went blank, and Chagecha was shocked. He gave Kouzan the evil eye. He stood between him and his game.
"Kouzan…" Chagecha hissed.
"Y-yes?"
Chagecha charged up his Yankî in a fashion not unlike Dragon Ball Z. He screamed, drooled, pounded his chest, and began charging at Kouzan.
"YOU'RE FIRED!!"
Chagecha began his pursuit to slaughter the 17-year-old executive member, who, instead of countering with his Sword Series of Yankî, ran off like a headless chicken, screaming.
"Ah, ah, Sempai…" Masato's eyes became large and watery, filling with tears of fear. Himawari put a hand on his shoulder and lead him away to their ship for some coffee. Longhorn cowered behind Kotarou, and Tiger Mask somehow froze himself.
"WASHIOOOO!" Chagecha was catching up to Kouzan fast. Kouzan was able to evade Chagecha by using his two shinais as if they were pole vaults and launched himself. Chagecha ran head-first into Kotarou's skull, making both retaliate.
"Oww…" Kotarou sighed.
"Get out of my way, dumbass!" Chagecha shouted.
At that instant, Kotarou snapped. His eyes turned a demonic red. His consciousness melted away. Chagecha had insulted him.
Big
Fucking
Mistake.
"…gremlin…" Kotarou spat, charging up negative energy.
"K-K-Kotarou?" Can we talk about this?" Chagecha begged.
"I DON'T ASSOCIATE MYSELF WITH F—KING MORONS!" This time, Kotarou was chasing Chagecha, who screamed nearly twice as loud. All was well.
"S-should we be going soon?" Onizawa whimpered.
"Yeah. I'm bored. Besides, we've been gone long enough. We have work to do." Masato rang the ship bell, getting the other two's attention. They hopped onto the ship, where their cat-and-mouse chase continued. The ship's engine roared, allowing it to propel off the ground. Within seconds, the Aquila was off to the south, heading to the Yankee Republic.
Masato went back to the dining hall when the helmsman took over steering. He sat beside Himawari, striking up conversation as best he could.
"If this is about the time at the boardwalk, I don't want to talk about it." Himawari blushed furiously. Masato did the same, but retaliated.
"It's not about that at all. What do you think about Sir Bo-bobo and his companions?"
Himawari blinked. "Why ask me?"
"Aren't you the least bit worried for them? They have a long road ahead. In fact, I was nearly close to wanting to help them."
"That's their business. We have ours. And that's getting the emperor of the Maruhage Empire off our backs, at least for a moment…"
Masato could see Himawari stir her coffee vigorously. He had a good feeling that she was nervous about this entire ordeal.
"You're not nervous, are you?" Masato asked a bit too playfully. A vein popped out of Himawari's head.
"WHAT ABOUT YOU, MR. VICE-PRESIDENT!?" she screamed, shooting her bowling ball-strap at his jaw. Agents who protected Masato were already on the case, but they were blown away by Himawari's cell phone strap. Masato never underestimated Himawari's power, and he appeared to want to wet his pants every time he saw it.
"Never underestimate the wrath of a woman's scorn…" he whimpered, noticing a devilish gleam in the secretary's eye. She was in the perfect position for an upskirt shot; her sunflower panties were in plain view, but Masato was too afraid to take a peek.
"Of course I'm nervous." Himawari's face became more upset as she bent to his level and gave him a hug. "And I can tell that you are too."
Masato blushed. "I am…" he hugged her back. "Why are you doing this?"
Himawari blushed herself. "I…don't know."
The two of them lifted themselves up, still hugging.
"I don't want this war to happen, Masato. What are we going to do!?" Himawari was genuinely upset now.
"We'll find a way…maybe." He hugged her tighter. "Umm…can we stay like this a bit longer?" he asked with a blush.
Himawari blushed herself. "Sure…"
Masato continued to hug her. As a current of wind passed by them, it blew into the window, making Himawari's skirt lift high. He saw her panties, and his nose bled obviously. She noticed and shouted in surprise.
"Eek! You pervert!" she judo-threw him into the coffee machine, making the hot water fall on him. He screamed at the pain of the hot water, much to Doraji's amusement.
-X-
Yurêi Mansion
"Okay, so who's going to read Hatenkou's will first?" Poppa Rocks, stiff as ever, sighed at the dead man.
"He never got to writing one because he was too preoccupied with the PEOPLE HE CARES ABOUT!" Suzu hissed at her butler.
Bo-bobo was flooding the carpet with his tears. He lost his best friend. The others understood (except Don Patch, who was still in Weegee state). They hugged him as tight as they could, but he wouldn't stop crying.
"Hatenkou…Hatenkou…"
"Yes?"
"Ah!?"
"Look up, lard-for-brains!"
The party's eyes bugged out. They slowly looked above to the ceiling.
Hatenkou was floating above them. He was a ghost.
"Ah, ah, Hatenkou…" Bo-bobo whimpered in joy. He magically levitated to his level, but soon shot back down, accidentally body-slamming Beauty. She screamed beneath his massive body, struggling.
"Mmf! Bo-bobo, can you please get the hell off of me!?" Beauty cried from beneath him.
"Sorry Beauty!" Bo-bobo shot up, playfully bonking his head and winking. A vein popped from the girl's head.
"Hatenkou! Are you-!?" Suzu exclaimed.
"Yep! Back from the dead, sort of. I still have a mission to fulfill, and I'm not going to the Underworld until it's done, obviously." Hatenkou was filled with more energy than ever. He was wearing punkish Bohemian street wear; tight black leather pants, a tan leather jacket, and a faded blue skintight skirt beneath along with a red belly warmer. His shoes were leather black, exquisitely shaped. A pair of thin rectangular aviator goggles was placed on his forehead. His scarf was purple and white striped, giving him the image of a high-class gangster. A pair of golden keys hung from his waistline.
"Hatenkou, you're looking better than you did thirty years ago…" Bo-bobo sighed, dressed as an old man.
"I'm 25 years old, stupid!" Hatenkou spat.
Suzu didn't care of this dispute. Despite that he was dead, Hatenkou maybe could still able to help…
"Hatenkou!"
Hatenkou looked down. "Suzu? What's up? Dig my threads or what?"
"No…uh…if you still have a purpose to roam, then why don't you join us and help us fight Softon!?" Suzu bowed.
Hatenkou gave a rather blank look. "Sure. Whatever."
"YAY! I LOVE YOU HATENKOU!" Bo-bobo squealed, trying to hug him again and missing, hitting the floor face-first.
Hatenkou joined your party-believe it or not!
Press the down "C" button to have Hatenkou make you phase through objects! This way, you can pass through anything that isn't liquid, gas, or plasma! Hatenkou is also useful in battle too. He wields the "Kagi Shinken," the "Fist of the Key," an ability used to "lock" up opponent's hearts and turn them into stone. Hatenkou is expertise at mechanics and how to use them, thus making him a good-looking machinist!
Hatenkou's Current Status
Current Level: Level 39
Max HP: 4344/4344
Max MP: 978/978
Max SP: 44
Attack Power: 185
Defense Power: 108
Magic Power: 121
Magic Defense: 100
Class: Machinist
Equipment: Cat Claws, Pheasant Nuke
Regular Skills: 38
Special Skills: 21
Unique Skills: 1
"Whoo! Bo-bobo! You rescued the High Spirit, right? Then let's get the hell out of here!" Hatenkou immediately levitated out the wall and was outside the mansion in a heartbeat.
"Ha ha ha…he's full of spirit…and there's no pun intended there." Bo-bobo flashed his pearly whites and gave a thumbs up.
"Sure…whatever." Beauty sighed.
Everyone had gathered some supplies, equipment, and rations together. With OVER and Torpedo Girl re-joining them, Sir Bo-bobo and the rest of the party began to depart, giving their goodbyes to the ghosts who lingered in the Obsidian Region. Maybe they would return one day, but with six High Spirits still imprisoned, there was not much time for leisure. The forest path was much easier to travel down this time, and they made it out into the sunlight of Crystal Town in no time.
"Ah, Crystal Town. How long has it been since we came here, Bo-bobo?" The ghostly Hatenkou blocked out the sunlight with his arm.
"I think you were only four or five years old when we first came here. Father did say that a change in atmosphere would be good for your health, even in a bustling yet quiet town like Crystal Town." Bo-bobo smiled.
"It's ironic…I feel more lively than ever, even though I'm, well, dead." Hatenkou levitated himself into the sky, flying and making acrobatic movements until he eventually crashed into a gigantic milk truck that randomly sky-crashed into the area.
"What the hell!? How did he get hurt!?" Beauty shrieked. Bo-bobo burst into tears, but was soon zapped by Don Patch's stoic eyebeams (the nail was still in his head).
"Argh…well, I can still fly!" Hatenkou cheerfully shouted, flying again. Beauty sighed as she and Suzu watched Hatenkou's personal PDA as a ghost continue.
Suddenly, a fast patter of footsteps could be heard through the forest. Bo-bobo spun around and heard a loud cry give out; it was deep and masculine. Bursting through the forest was none other than Captain Battleship, who appeared to have been beat from constant running. He set himself on all fours and vomited, seemingly out of fear and exhaustion. He was blinded by the sunlight in the sky, to which he gave out a creepy smile and sigh in absolute relief.
"Oh, sweet mercy! Sunlight! I'm out! Oh, sweet relief!" With that, he ran off from sight.
Beauty's eyes grew irritated and angry. "Bo-bobo! Shouldn't we go after him!?" Bo-bobo didn't budge.
"I'm letting him be. He's probably been through a lot. I prefer to fight fairly whenever I get the chance."
"But…"
"Enough. Let's get back to town."
Beauty silently nodded her head and reluctantly went along as the party entered town.
-X-
Genesis Gulch
Namero and Heppokomaru, having brawled for nearly an hour, called a temporary truce for the sake of not being abandoned by Sir Bo-bobo again. It happened of course. They planned to get back eventually, but needed some down time. Currently, some of the ghosts, including Miyu from earlier, were fixing their bruises and such.
"I hate you Namero." Heppokomaru grunted.
"I hate you more."
"I hate you times a thousand."
"I hate you times infinity."
"I'd hate you even if I didn't hate you."
Namero sneered. "That made absolutely no sense whatsoever."
"Hmph."
The two of them glared into each other's eyes. Sparks flew between them, making the other ghosts cringe in cowardice. Not even Hades could stand up to the pure hatred between these two.
"Look at you. You're a selfish, self-obsessive, hot-headed, girl-crazy, lunatic bastard who jacks off at your own training. All that and you play with pistols. You're like, I don't know, some spy with a fetish for douchiness." Namero spat his tongue out.
"Look at you! You're no more selfish than I am. You're a bitter, lonely, jackass who refuses to cooperate with a lighthearted anybody. You don't admit it, but you're self-centered, like those heroic knights who likes pimping." Heppokomaru spat his tongue out. The two of them continued the tongue spitting for a few minutes. The spectating ghosts sweatdropped.
The tongue-spat ended. The two boys stomped off back to the forest to find Bo-bobo and the party, even if it would take a while.
"Did you really mean what you said?" Namero asked Heppokomaru.
"What?"
"About me being a heroic knight. Who likes to be a pimp." Namero squinted his eyes bitterly.
"You know what, I take that back. You're too shallow to be a pimp." Heppokomaru raised his arms behind his head.
"Ugh!" Namero spat on the ground. "I'd rather shag a porcupine than be a pimp! I hate it when people think that sexy equals cool!"
"Who said I thought that!?"
"Well, that's how you act! You find everything that you yourself do so awesome! You're a battle otaku! A geek! Why do you live your dreams off striving for strength so much!? It's disgusting! "
"If I didn't know any better, you're pretty high-end about fighting yourself, Namero!"
"I have nothing better to do! Nobody wants me around, so…"
"Well, it's because you're so pessimistic!"
"And nobody likes you because you're a jerk! How the holy hell did your parents even stand you!?"
"Shut the f—k up, Namero! What kind of mother raises her son to be such a turd?"
"You shut the f—k up, Heppokomaru! How dare you!"
The two of them formed an all-out fight that allowed them to literally roll right out of the forest and into Crystal Town, tackling over the guard of the gate along the way. They re-injured themselves from their previous scuffle.
"Okay, okay, stop it, stop it! Please?" The guard pleaded. Namero and Heppokomaru ended their fight and began to walk into town, still grumpy.
"Ugh…how annoying. Where the hell are Bo-bobo-san and Beauty?" Heppokomaru grumbled.
Namero fidgeted. "What about the others? Why Beauty?"
Heppokomaru also fidgeted. "Well…why not?"
The two of them gazed into each other's eyes. Both could tell that there was loneliness and grief implanted in them.
"I can tell…that you like her…" Namero sighed.
"You have feelings for her too…" Heppokomaru mumbled.
The tension rose, this time with sadness hidden within it. They gave one another one long stare.
"Funny thing was, I actually was considering to be your…um, friend…" Namero quietly spoke.
"Really?" Heppokomaru flustered a bit.
"Sort of. But with this…thing in our path, well…"
"This means that we're…rivals for our own happiness…"
The two of them glared at one another again.
"And that means that I'm never handing Beauty over to you, bastard!" Heppokomaru screamed, bearing fangs as the two began to grapple again.
"What's with all the fuss?" Serviceman whined as he skated over to Bo-bobo's house with some letters in hand. He pushed open the ebony gates and tripped twelve times before reaching the inside. The party was quietly conversing.
"Sir Bo-bobo! Mail for you!" Serviceman grinned. Bo-bobo punched his noggin as he ripped the contents out of the envelope. He skimmed it over and it perked his interests.
"A request to find something? In the Zircon Region!?"
"Oh!" Suzu gasped.
"The Chancellor of the Don Kingdom wants me to see him and a few others in Sapphire City…they want us to go find something important in the Zircon Region…"
Everyone was unsure. The Zircon Region was the "uncharted" region of the kingdom. It had only been explored as far as some cold forests that fringed at the boarders of the Sapphire Region. Since then, it developed a bad reputation of sorts. The only known fact about it was that temperatures there were nearly colder than the arctic Garnet Region.
"Bo-bobo, are you sure you want to take this offer? I mean, you know the rumors…and let's not forget, Den-chan hasn't come to inform us of the fourth High Spirit. He may be coming!" Beauty worried.
Bo-bobo remained as firm as ever. "Sorry guys, but if there's trouble, I'm going to help. Let's rest up tonight and head out tomorrow." Bo-bobo went over to the stove and began pulling out things to prepare. Beauty and Hatenkou stayed at their table.
"Was he always like this, Hatenkou-san?" Beauty asked.
"Well, sort of. But I don't remember much. When he was really young he was actually a bit stupid."
"Really?" Beauty's eyes shrank.
"But like I said, I was always a sickly child. I don't remember anything after I was diagnosed with tuberculosis. I probably still hung out or fought with him, but…"
"I see…"
Beauty hugged her legs to her chest, not noticing Namero and Heppokomaru brawling through the door and into the bedroom. She remained worried as she usually was.
"Why are you always like this, Bo-bobo?" she thought to herself as dinner was served.
End of Part 2.
-X-
-Sorry for the long chapter…this was more a humor deal, but this sidequest does have high importance and relevance to the story. Be sure to count on that. I'll try to do it in two parts. And if you want to know about the musicals mentioned in the intro, go look it up...
-What awaits Sir Bo-bobo and friends in the uncharted Zircon Region? Read on and find out…
FOOTNOTES (By the way, I found Roxius' taking of Footnotes easier, so please allow me, Roxy.)
(1). It's during the second Inuyasha movie when Kagome and Inuyasha kiss each other.
(2). The title of this chapter is actually the English translation of a Japanese tongue twister: "Tonari no Kyaku wa yoku kaki kuu kyaku da."
(3). The first song from the musical/movie South Pacific. Sung in French, the title means "Tell me why."
(4). It's Francis from Super Paper Mario! If you don't know who he is, look it up.
(5). It's Weegee!
(6). The hidden boss from the SNES game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, he is largely based off many of the bosses from the Final Fantasy games-in fact, a variated main battle theme from the first six games is used as his battle music.