Hina Digger Chapter 10, a Love Hina + Gold Digger Crossover fanfic

Bit of an early treat for you fans out there, since I might not be ble to update for a while.

Here, Keitaro finally gets around to naming his Stand, which means I can finally start using Stand Stats again!

As stated, Stand Stats will be posted when theur user names them, so have a little patience, kay?

Halibel: Get started already.

Chapter 10.

Back in Hinata city, Mitsune Konno, aka Kitsune, staggered back into her room at the Hinata dorms, trembling slightly from the stern debriefing she'd been given at the hands of Granny Hina. Su and Shinobu had returned earlier, the Molmolian Princess looking a little concussed, but otherwise perfectly normal. Kitsune had last seen the girl going over the schematics for what looked like a mech-orangutan whilst chewing on a banana, so nothing new there.

Shinobu, on the other hand, was glowing in a manner that, until that moment, Kitsune had normally associated with a night of kinky monkey sex. But the girl obviously hadn't been manhandled in any way, Granny Hina wouldn't go THAT far after all, so the resident fox honestly couldn't explain the chef's good mood.

Naru and Motoko were still being held overnight…for 'rehabilitation' her escort had explained when she'd asked where they'd gone. Kitsune hadn't liked the way he said it, or the screams that were echoing through the underground cells as she'd been led out, blindfolded so as to ensure she couldn't find the way back.

'One thing's for certain' the Fox of Hinata muttered, as she slumped onto her deliciously soft mattress, to exhausted to even drink 'I'm through letting Naru get me into these messes…and if Keitaro ever comes back…' she smiled wryly 'well I haven't worn the black dress for a while…'

From the doorway, Agent 623 watched as the older woman fell into a fitful sleep, a smile on her face as she slid the door to the room shut behind her 'Kei-kun won't be coming home to a battlefield anymore.' She assured herself, before returning to her room to finish off the melon she'd been snacking on.

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Keitaro moaned, his eyes fluttering open as he fought the urge to retch at the smell of the magical smelling salts Tark was wafting under his nose, Mesha supporting the Ronin's head and shoulders with gentle hands. "Welcome back," Tark greeted, a smile on his face as he put the smelling salts away, helping the Ronin to his feet "You really do have a habit of passing out. Maybe you should get your blood tested."

"Probably should." Keitaro agreed, flushing slightly as he recalled the reason WHY he'd blacked out earlier, turning to espy Brianna, who smiled flirtingly at him from under the blanket that was draped over her for the sake of modesty, while Dr. Diggers spoke with an understandably nervous Gina.

" I really do wish you'd stop to consider the consequence of your actions more often." The Archmage chastised his daughter, having just dealt with the malignant curse that troubled his new addition to the family, after being brought up to speed on the details "If you had taken the appropriate steps, or even waited for me to return from the council…" he sighed and looked his daughter over with relieved eyes "I'm just glad we adjourned earlier!"

"Sorry dad…" Gina offered, rubbing her neck in that manner she used whenever she goofed BIG time and the Archmage had to bail her out "I was just worried that something bad would happen…there's a lot of things that can go wrong down here after all."

"Yes…" the doctor muttered, recalling some of the multitude of heavy ordinances his daughter liked to stash around her lab, the idea of one of those death machines running amok sending a shiver up his spine "Anyways, I'll leave you and…Brianna was it? To catch up while I check on Brittany." He turned to the recovered Ronin and smiled "Care to join me Keitaro?"

Keitaro swallowed, wondering if he was in for the flaming-skull treatment, only for the smile in the doctor's eyes to set him at ease as they walked down the corridor "I'm really sorry about all this Dr. Diggers." He offered, rubbing his neck, "Looks like no matter where I go things get out of hand."

"I don't want you blaming yourself for this Keitaro." Theodore countered, looking at the young man kindly, but sternly "Gina and Brittany have gotten themselves into messes like this before, you could say they have a knack for it." he smiled sadly "Just like their mother…"

Keitaro blinked, looking up at the Archmage as his features turned wistful, they eyes going distant, as if seeing some cherished memory. The Ronin had often wondered about his friends' mother, having met Dr. Diggers on many occasions since moving into the Diggers home, but never knew how to broach the subject, not naturally being one to pry.

"Sorry," the mage offered, wiping his eyes slightly as he spoke "I drifted off for a moment there, in any case, I did a little asking around about your companion…" he nodded towards the Ronin, who returned it.

"Genn called it a Stand." Keitaro explained, pointing over his shoulder as the spirit materialized, arms crossed over its chest as it hovered just behind the ronin protectively "He said they've been around for quite some time."

"That they have," Doctor Diggers acknowledged, stroking his beard "And for good reason too, for Stands, according to a tome by one Elder Tonpeti, are a physical manifestation of one's fighting spirit, their aura if you will." He nodded at the Aztec figure "They say that ESP and psychic abilities in humans are actually some form of latent Stand ability shining through."

"Wow…" Keitaro noted, looking up at his transparent, silver skinned guardian in awe, before turning back to the doctor with a look of confusion on his face "but I don't understand…exactly HOW did it attach itself to me?"

"It's ALWAYS been a part of you Keitaro." Dr. Diggers corrected, "A stand is unique to its user's native aura, no doubt your advanced healing factor and ability to survive virtually anything stem from your Stand's latent powers." He reached into the pocket of his mage suit, pulling out a familiar piece of stone "As for why it only fully manifested…I believe THIS played some factor."

"My arrowhead!" Keitaro exclaimed, wondering where he'd left the memento from his first adventure lying around, slipping it around his neck as Theodore watched with an approving expression.

"I've examined it with my magic" the Archmage explained "and found it to be of an alien element, never seen before on earth." He raised a hand before his face "Not only that…but it turns out that it has interesting effects on a person's aura…" a cluster of intangible purple vines burst out of the mage's hand and forearm "namely the awakening of said person's Stand."

"You too Doctor?" the Ronin wondered, eyeing the translucent vines as they rustled in some phantom breeze, wincing at the fact they seemed to form under the mage's skin, like protruding veins.

"It was quite a shock for me too," Theodore admitted, looking over the vines with an calm stare "I accidentally pricked my finger whilst handling the arrowhead…and the next thing I knew thorns were bursting out of my hand." He frowned and the vines vanished, leaving his skin unmarked, "I can control it at will, and it seems to react quite well to my aura spells, from what I can tell from my initial testing."

"But…what about Gina?" Keitaro asked, recalling how shocked, albeit in a relieved sort of way, he'd been to see the emerald figure hovering behind the blonde back at the tomb "She never touched the arrowhead…but she has a stand too!"

"I must admit she surprised me too." Theodore admitted, recalling the scene from the hallway with a discreet cough "However, I believe several theories from elder Tonpeti's tome can answer that." He held up a finger "One: the familial bond between myself and Gina allowed the awakening of my Stand to influence her own." He held up another "The other, that being in close proximity to you awakened her own abilities…after all, she claimed to be able to see your spirit during the fight with the werewolves, correct?"

Keitaro shivered, recalling THAT particular incident with less than fond memories, he still had the occasional nightmare of the hulking male wolf chasing him through the woods.

"In any case," Theodore cut in, drawing the Ronin out of his dark thoughts as the mage pulled, of all things, a deck of cards from his mage suit "It is said that, in olden times, Stands drew their powers and abilities from mystical sigils and tarots. Many, in fact, were named after their respective tarot." He pulled out a specific card from the deck, revealing a wizened old man with a staff "My Stand, when I divined its tarot with a clairvoyance spell, was of the Hermit Arcana…I call it Hermit Purple."

"Cool…" Keitaro noted, wondering just what the sentient nest of thorns could do, especially if they could compliment the Archmage's spells, only to blink as Dr. Diggers held the stack of cards out to him, as if asking him to draw.

"While I'm not an expert in such things," the mage admitted, "I'd be honored if you let me name your Stand as well." He smiled at the look of confusion on the Ronin's face "Simply draw a card, you'll know which one to pick."

Keitaro nodded, eyeing the stack of cards before him with trepidation, his hand hovering over them indecisively only to blink as his Stand reached out, gripping a card from the deck between thumb, middle and index fingers, much to the amusement of Doctor Diggers.

"It would seem your choice has been made." The Archmage chuckled, accepting the card from the Stand and looking it over "The Star Arcana…symbolizing new Hope…rather fitting I'd say." He smiled and returned the card to the Ronin "Then if you'll let me, I name your Stand: Star Platinum."

"Star Platinum…" Keitaro muttered, looking down at the card, his Stand's hands on his shoulders, it's eyes locked onto the card that displayed a single Star, shining above a half-cut picture of the earth "Awesome."

Theodore chuckled, watching as the Ronin let the feel of the name sweep over him. Having a Stand was all well and good, according to what he'd read in Tonpeti's tome, but according to that ancient elder, naming you Stand increased the level of affinity and control you possessed over it, for the power in naming something was one of the oldest in memoriam. "In any case, I think we've kept Brittany waiting long enough." He noted, putting the cards away and heading towards the infirmary "I'll just step in to let her know I'm home and-!" he trailed off, eyes widening in confusion as he looked into the infirmary.

"Dr. Diggers?" Keitaro asked, sticking his head into the doorway to see what was wrong, only to blink at the sight of the conspicuously empty med-room "That's odd…I thought you said Brittany-san was here...?"

"She WAS…" Theodore muttered, his eyes narrowing in suspicion as he detected the remnants of arcane residue, sure sign that his adoptive daughter had been spirited away by someone with at least an inkling of magic "Someone came in and used magic to transport her away." He noted, rubbing the medic-bed with a frown "But to where?"

"Should I let Gina know?" Keitaro asked, concern for Gina's adoptive sibling in his eyes, only to pause as their father shook his head, placing a hand on the ronin's shoulder to stall him in place.

"No, Gina has enough to deal with at the moment." Theodore insisted, referring to the habilitation of their new family member, before closing his eyes as he focused onto Brittany's unique aura signature "I'll handle this one personally."

"You want some help?" Keitaro asked, honestly not too certain if he COULD do anything useful, as the 'hero thing' still gave him a hard time, but not liking the idea of sitting around while a friend was in trouble.

"Not really, but I appreciate your concern." Theodore assured the ronin, a grateful smile on his face. Truth be told he'd missed his little adventuring trips with Gina and his wife, having someone with you was half the fun after all, and it was refreshing to see just how good a person the Urashima male was "I'll just let the girls know first, no point in inconveniencing them if they can't get a hold of me."

'I'm sorry Lord Stripe' Hihgh Priestess Tanya muttered, having just left the Kryn Prince staring heartbroken after her as she left his room under the guise of Brittany Diggers, 'But don't worry, I'll be back soon once I ditch this disguise to help you forget that spotted skank ever-huh?'

"Ah, Cheetah-san!" a jovial voice noted, the disguised sorceress watching in horror as her rivals adoptive father, Dr. Theodore Diggers, and some little geek with glasses faded into view right next to her, nearly causing her to drop her disguise prematurely "Thank goodness!" the bespectacled nerd cheered "We were worried when you weren't in the infirmary!"

"Yes, your sudden disappearance had me quite worried," the Archmage admitted, shuddering at the thought of one of his enemies, quite a lot to pick from too, taking advantage of his daughter to get to him "I think a word with Stripe concerning forewarning is in order…"

Tanya sighed in relief, apparently safe under the guise of her rival for the moment, only to pale as Dr Diggers frowned, his eyes shining with power, as he looked her over with a darkening expression. "Wait a moment…who are you?" the Archmage demanded, his voice laced with suspicion "You've assumed Brittany's form, but your aura gives you away!"

"Dr. Diggers?" Keitaro queried, looking between the two in confusion, and to be honest a little fear, as arcs of electricity filled the air, leaping back out of the path of a bolt of lightning that Brittany launched from her fingertips "What the hell?!"

"You cannot hurt me imposter!" Dr. Diggers boomed, his voice like a thousand thunderstorms and his eyes glowing beacons of wrath as he casually waved a hand to dispel the impostor's fearfull attack "What have you done with Brittany?! Why have you assumed her form!" he advanced on the cowering double, his aura crackling as he tried to force his way into her mind "Answer me! LOOK AT ME!"

"What's going on out here?" Stripe's voice called out, the Lord of El Dorado stepping out of his room, having been drawn by the commotion and Tanya's screams, only to see Dr. Diggers bearing down on a terrified Brittany, who took one look a the Kryn prince before teleporting away. 'Since when does Cheetah know Magic?' he wondered, 'And why did she sound like Tanya?'

"Stripe-san!" Keitaro called out, drawing the Kryn prince's attention to the Ronin, who was looking a little, shocked, his hair standing up due to his proximity to the lightning spell "Where's Cheetah-san?!'

"I…thought THAT was Cheetah…" Stripe admitted, some small ray of hope blossoming in his chest that the heartbreaking refusal he'd just gone through may not have been real, that someone was trying to trick him "She…left my room not ten seconds ago…"

"That Was NOT my daughter." Dr. Diggers insisted firmly, his face deadly serious as he turned to address the Kryn prince "I came here to find her after Gina and Brianna told me she'd come to visit you. I hope your people don't make a habit of kidnapping guests from their homes, Lord of El Dorado."

"Kidnapping?" Stripe repeated, looking all the more confused by the second "But…our head priestess, Tanya, brought Brittany over as a surprise! I had intended to invite her over to attend a festival, but she'd thought ahead and did so without having to be asked…"

Keitaro looked between the two as the older man's scowl deepened and the Kryn prince's skin paled beneath his fur. Clearly they had put together something he hadn't, because the next minute Stripe was rushing down the corridor, calling over his shoulder for Dr, Diggers to use his magic to locate Brittany. "What's going on sir?" he asked, turning to the Archmage, who was already using his clairvoyance spell to locate his wayward charge.

"I think we may have stepped into a bigger hornet's nest than I anticipated, Keitaro." Theodore muttered, his face grim as he powered up a dimension door "I suppose the old adage is as valid as ever, a woman scorned is a fearful thing."

Keitaro, who knew first hand the kind of evil, evil things the fairer sex could dish out, as he'd experienced quite a lot of them in the year he'd spent as Kanrinin of Hinata-Sou, wisely kept his trap shut as Dr. Diggers' spell washed over them, shifting them from the golden hallway outside Stripe's room to a barren cave, only for his eyes to widen as he espied a VERY familiar female werewolf rise up behind the Doctor, who had suddenly smiled at something behind the Ronin.

Blood sprayed before the Ronin's eyes, covering his cheek and the far wall a dull copper.

"Dad!" Brittany choked, yer eyes wide with terror as Jetta's blow gouged a massive strip out of her father's torso, the trembling corpse collapsing on a startled Keitaro, who was too dumbstruck to even scream.

" 'Dad' huh?" Jetta scoffed, licking the blood off her fingers with obvious merriment in her cold, lupine eyes "That was a lot more satisfying than I thought…" she smirked as she licked another drop off "Mmmm…tasty too."

Cheetah snarled, her fangs elongating as a feline growl built up in the back of her throat, her fist drawn back in anger as she advanced on the werewolf, only to blink as someone beat her to the punch…literally.

"Whu-whub da helb?" Jetta sputtered as she crashed against the wall and slid down, covering her bleeding snout with one hand as she tried to get her bearings, gaping up at her assailant in amazement 'The nerd?!'

"You…killed…Dr. Diggers…" Keitaro stammered, his eyes shadowed as he stood up, slowly, from his spot at the mage's side, his fists slowly clenching until the knuckles turned white from the preassure alone "You KILLED him!"

"So what?!" Jetta growled back mockingly, a little annoyed that the poindexter had gotten in a lucky shot, if Sander and Thabian ever learned ofthis she'd be in for a right ribbing for weeks to come "He had no call butting into lycanthrope business!"

"You…" Keitaro ground out, Cheetah staring at the normally gentle doofus they'd picked up in brazil in surprise as he advanced on the smirking lycan with anger, and something far WORSE, mixed in with his scent "You…!"

His eyes shot up, and Jetta, despite all her years as a warrior, despite being the best of her clan and one of the natural predators of the world, despite facing down bigger, more challenging opponents both magical and natural, stumbled backwards in fear at the primal fury in the bespectacled man's eyes as Star Platinum surged towards her, fists a blur.

"ANIMAL!!!!!!"

"ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-ORA-!!!"

Urashima Haruka froze, her cigarette dropping from numb lips as she gripped the counter of her teashop to steady herself, her breath ragged and sweat dropping down her forehead.

'Oh…oh hell!' she breathed, trying to fight down the bile in her throat as she fought to keep her feet under her. Fortunately the teahouse was closed, business had been slow that day, so there was no one around to watch the normally reserved Haruka in the state she was in. 'It's too early!' she gasped, removing her hand from her mouth and gaping at the blood that had spilt there 'He's not ready…dear Kami-sama he's still too young!'

Across town, in the back of a limousine, Kanako could only watch on in alarm as Granny Hina doubled over, her eyes wide and bulging as she clutched at her heart, seemingly suffering from a heart attack. "Get us to a hospital!" the lolita ordered the driver, only for Hinata to put her Cane through the glass screen.

"BELAY THAT ORDER!" the matriarch snapped, her breath steadying as she seemingly calmed down "I'm fine…just a little shock that's all." She assured her adoptive granddaughter and apprentice, before turning to eye the understandably nervous driver "Take me to the inn." She ordered, pulling her cane from the divider and resting her hands on it, admittedly a little heavier than she normally would.

'Dammit! Of all the times for him to tap into it!' she cursed, gripping the cane tightly, a dribble of blood creeping from the edge of her mouth, Kanako unable to see it from her side 'Kei-chan, you have to hold it off!'

Safe in her workroom, Tanya watched on in horror as the nerd she'd discounted as the mage's tag-along unleashed the mother of all beat downs on the female werewolf.

It couldn't even be described as a fight, the man's summon, golem, whatever the hell it was, had merely dug into the startled lycan with both fists, the sound of pulping muscle and breaking bones audible even with the sound turned low on her crystal ball. Jetta tried to put up a defense, raising her arms to protect her face, only for them to be grabbed, and twisted with a ferocity that almost tore them from their sockets, the summon's free hand ramming into her face, cutting off her howl of agony.

And still the beating continued, even after the Lycan had stopped striking back, even after she'd dropped all forms of resistance, simply lying there like a lump of meat as the fists continued to fall, her howls of agony becoming pleas for mercy, for time-outs, for him to stop, dear god stop…

'He's a monster…!' the priestess trembled, covering her mouth in horror as, secured in a birdcage overhead, Pojo cried out for his mother, unaware that the woman was inches away from never seeing him again 'I…oh god…I have to do something!'

Keitaro couldn't see anything beyond the red haze, he couldn't feel anything either. But he could HEAR, and that was all he needed to find Jetta, to keep on her, to pound Dr. Diggers' murderer off the face of the earth. Every once and a while her screams would die down, he'd frown, focus harder, and the screaming would pick up again. Not that her words registered, he was so far gone into the red he couldn't make out what was said, all that mattered was that the murdering bitch suffered.

A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him back despite the thrashing of his limbs. He whipped his head round, glaring spitfire at the one who DARED to impede him in his vengeance, only to blink as Brittany's tear stained face was burned into his memory. "Stop it Keitaro!" she begged, her voice choked, almost desperate in it's urging, "Oh God, LOOK at yourself! Look what you're doing!"

Keitaro blinked, the red dieing away, confusion lining his face as he finally registered the numbness of his hands, raising them to his face, only to pale at the sight before him.

Blood…so much blood. His hands were literally stained with the stuff. It was HIS blood too, his knuckles having pulped themselves for some reason, large, angry welts and tears lining the back of his hands as he stared at them in disbelief. His left thumb and right pinky weren't responding, and the others were trembling, either from blood loss or the pain he didn't know.

"What…?" he stammered, staring at his mutilated hands, only for a whimper from floor level to catch his attention, his eyes widening as he caught sight of the source "…oh god no…"

Jetta lay there, not the proud, lycan warrior, not the terrifying hunter that had plagued him in his nightmares for so long. She lay there, battered and broken, slumped against the wall on legs that had collapsed, her arms broken and useless. The Lycan's fur was spattered with red, bone fragments jutted out from her arms and ribs from blows that had left the massive bruises that were visible beneath her fur. Her head was lowered against her chest, but even so he could tell her face had suffered similar treatment, the cheeks swollen and blood trailing from her temple, covering one side of her face.

"…srry…" the lycan choked out, coughing as she did so, "Srry…ples…stop…" another round of coughs "gi ba…Pojo…ples…ples…m'baby…ples…"

Keitaro staggered as if he'd been struck, looking from his bloody, ruined hands to the battered werewolf, bile rising up his throat as he stammered incoherently "I…I didn't…I didn't mean to…!" his cheeks filled and he hunched over, collapsing to his knees as his stomach emptied itself, the sound echoing through the chamber as Cheetah looked on in horror.

"Jetta!" an enraged voice roared out, even as the male werewolf raced out of the shadows, Tanya's spell having called him from their den. The mass of muscle's face was set in a primal snarl, his normally calm nature flying out the window as he looked between the battered form of his wife and Were-cheetah and her human companion "You will die slow…" he growled, advancing on the duo with murder in his eyes, only to pull up short as a bolt of aura magic blasted past.

"I suggest you calm yourself my friend…" a familiar voice cautioned, Cheetah and Keitaro's eyes widening as they turned in the direction of the bolt to see Dr. Diggers, the massive rend in his body slowly stitching itself back together "We're being played against one another by a third party. One, it appears, that would like nothing more than to play off your racial prejudice for my daughter."

Thabian growled, looking towards the arch-mage warily, knowing from his scent, and the fact he was still alive despite being ripped nearly in half, that fighting him would NOT be in his favor, especially not with Jetta in the state she was in.

"Dr…Diggers?" Keitaro stammered, looking at the mutilated mage in disbelief, wondering if they'd somehow been saved by a ghost, only for the sad, understanding look in the mage's eyes to put those thoughts aside.

"I'm fine Keitaro…" Theodore assured the distraught Ronin, his wound healing right up as he stepped towards the man, kneeling next to him and putting a hand on his shoulder "I'm sorry to have worried you so, perhaps I would have been better coming alone after all..."

Keitaro felt his throat close and he looked away, feeling bile rise in his throat again as he clenched his fists 'Dammit! I screw everything up!' he all but screamed 'Not only do I let Dr. Diggers down but Cheetah-san…'

"Brittany, could you stay with Keitaro for a few minutes?" Dr. Diggers asked, looking at his daughter with a concerned expression "I think he needs a little…pick me up, while I see to miss Jetta's injuries."

Cheetah blinked, looking on as her father moved over towards Jetta, Thabian crouching next to his wife with a concerned expression on his face as the Archmage went to work healing her battered body. Turning her gaze back to Keitaro, she found the Ronin on all fours, looking for all the world like a puppy in the rain, and felt her fear from earlier melt right away.

"Hey…c'mon Kei…" she tried, shaking his shoulder gingerly, but consolingly, only to be ignored "You probably just freaked out right now…it's not your fault you've never been in a real fight before…"

Still the Ronin refused to answer, Brittany frowning as she tried to think up a way to get through to him, deciding to screw the drama and go with what worked.

Thabian blinked as the were-cat rammed her fist so hard into the back of the human's head his face was buried into the floor of the cave, a bead of sweat slipping down his skull, as well as the cat's father, who paused in his ministrations to gape at the girl.

"You awake now?" Cheetah asked, looking down at the Ronin as he lay there, twitching slightly with smoke trailing out of his head, his eyes little black puddles "You stopped thinking about crap yet?" she raised her fist "I can do it again if you need another one."

"I'm good!" Keitaro stammered fearfully, backing away slightly on all fours, waving his hand before him defensively as he did so, only to blink as Cheetah smirked, bending over at the waist to look him in the eyes.

"Good, because what happened back there wasn't your fault." She assured him, "Hell if you hadn't beaten me to it, I'd have been the one that had to be pulled back." She smirked at the man "And I don't think you'd have the nerve to try and stop me either."

Keitaro blinked at her, trying to visualize pulling a rampaging Cheetah off an equally dangerous Werewolf and shivering at the mere thought. Immortality or no, he wouldn't have gotten involved in that without the goddamned Macross backing him up!

"So don't fret it, alright?" Cheetah stated, straightening up and offering the Ronin a hand, a smirk on her face "But don't go getting any bright ideas, Gina's the designated damsel in distress, not me!"

Haruka sighed, the icy fingers digging into her stomach fading away to nothing, earning a sigh of relief from the Urashima woman. "I'm getting to old for this shit…" she muttered, snorting self mockingly as she did so "Bet the old bat had a heart attack."

"Not just yet, Haruka-chan." Hinata called out, Haruka whipping round to see her Grandmother standing in the doorway, looking solemn "Though I'll feel lots better once Keitaro's back where he belongs."

'Under your thumb, right?' Haruka muttered treacherously, honestly wishing that Keitaro managed to remain free just a little longer. True the fact he was missing concerned her, but anything was better than whatever plans the old bat had cooked up for him. 'Just stay safe Keitaro…' she prayed, wishing only the best for her little cousin as Hinata slowly made her way over to one of the booths 'At least for now, you're free.'

And that should do it for now.

Sorry if it's a bit shorter than you'd have liked, but it's the best I can do.

Just what is the dar secret of the Urashima bloodline? And why does Keitaro tapping into it make even Granny Hina nervous?

Will Jetta and Thabian forgive Keitaro for his transgressions? Or will they be adding Ronin to their diet?

Find out next time!

And for those who asked: Stand Stats!

Stand: Star Platinum

User: Urashima Keitaro

Power: A Speed: A Range:

Staying: A Precision: A Learning: C

1- Faster than speed of light.

2- Possesses Machinelike accuracy and precision.

3- Capable of stopping time for up to 5 seconds (Human Limit...so what can Kei manage...^_^...?)

A: Very Good B: Good C: Average D: Bad E: Poor

Power= Attack (Star Platinum can smash through diamonds the size of boulders and hurl buildings at people, nuff said.)

Speed= Speed of Stand. (Faster than speed of light...plus Time Stop, though Keitaro doesn't know about this yet)

Range= How far stand can travel from body for it'sability to remain effective. (Star Platinum can fight effectively up to 3m from Kei's body, after that it get's progressively weaker.)

Staying= How long a Stand's effect lasts/stays. (Anything pummeled by Star Platinum REMAINS pummeled yo!)

Precision= How accurate a Stand's attacks ability are (Star Platinum, in cannon, saw a fly in the shadow of a picture with no light in the background.)

Learning= How much a Stand can develop, this is generally reliant on the user (So for Jotaro, it would've been A, whereas for Keitaro, it's about average learing rate, as he's no genius.)

Hope that clears up some things!

R&R folks!