Standing across from one another, were Keitaro and Motoko. In the background, Su waved two fans that had both opponent's chibi faces. She obviously couldn't make up her mind on who to cheer for. No one could really decide who to root for. Motoko had been their friend for a very long time, but Keitaro was someone they couldn't just leave high and dry. Shinobu begged her Sempai one more time for him not to fight Motoko, but he ignored her pleas. The boy handed his pine martin his gun, his wallet, and the other miscellanea things in his pockets.
"Watch my things Skinny, I'll finish this off quickly", Keitaro said not taking his eyes off of his opponent.
"Aye Boss", the small mammal replied.
He took a seat on the ground right next to Tama-chan, and Kuro. As Motoko and Keitaro eyed each other, they paid little attention to the details around them. They didn't notice how there was no cool breeze tonight. They neglected to pay attention to the sound Su cheering both of them on; but most of all, they didn't see how Naru's hands trembled as she held her arms around herself. The Narusegawa girl was trembling in anticipation to what was to come. Everyone else sat around her, Kanako, Mutsumi, Haruka, Shinobu, Kitsune, Sara, Su, and even the pets, they were all nervous to see what was about to happen.
"Do you think Keitaro can win", Naru nervously asked.
"I don't know", Kanako answered. "We've seen what Motoko is capable of with a sword. She's a kendo swords-woman who was trained since she was a child. But Keitaro is a soldier and a martial artist."
"He can win."
Both Naru and Kanako looked over at Skinny as he cut into their conversation. He never removed his eyes from his master as Skinny talked.
"Boss may not have had as much training as Motoko, but I'm pretty sure he went through much more brutal training than her. She at least had family, and some stability in her life, but the Boss had none of that. He had to endure it all alone."
This really put a sting in Naru's chest. She gripped onto the edge of the cloth covering her heart, as if it could subside some of the pain.
"Don't worry about Keitaro", Skinny told them. "Keitaro can take care of himself. Besides, he has two trump cards to play if he needs to."
"Two trump cards", Kitsune asked getting in on their conversation.
Before they could continue talking, Motoko made the first move.
"Stone Cutting Sword" was the first attack uttered by Motoko.
The Ki of energy blasted towards the Urashima, but this wasn't the first time he would avoid this attack. Although he maneuvered out of its way, the attack was still too close for his liking. There would be no time for delays. Within the blink of an eye, Motoko was right at his side, the sword quickly approaching his midsection. With only a small window to defend, Keitaro reacyhed into his pocket and countered Motoko's weapon with his knife. The metal repeatedly clanked upon one another. The other girls watched as the weapons collided and the sparks erupted from the blows.
It was true that the Aoyama swords-woman had the edge of him. He superior skills in swordsmanship, her longer length of training, and even the length of her weapon choice gave her the upper hand. However, Keitaro was never one to go down very easy. He had his own set of skills to match Motoko; skills that he had yet to show anyone else but Skinny. There occurred one bad moment when Motoko's sword came ever so close to Keitaro's throat. Kanako squeezed her own hands until the white of her knuckles showed.
"Be careful big brother", Kanako thought to herself.
All of the other girls remained on edge as the match continued. So far Keitaro had made no real effort to attack, only to defend and dodge.
"I can't get a good hit in. Her attack power is too strong, and her sword is too long for me to reach her."
No one noticed it yet, but Keitaro was stuck. He didn't have any strategy to get within reach of his opponent. Unless her rendered Motoko of her sword, he would have to remain on defense. However, defense could only get a person so far.
"Thunderclap Sword", Motoko roared.
A technique new to Keitaro, Motoko performed a slashing attack with lightning energy infused onto the sword. The soldier boy managed to escape the full power of the attack. Still, the attack cut the edge of his lip, and left a rather deep gash across his chest. The watching audience remained in "Le Gasp", as the say the wound Motoko left on him. Surprisingly, the only blood that showed was the one from his lip. Keitaro wiped the small stain of red onto the back of his hand. Once her confirmed that it was blood on his hand, Keitaro did something very crazy...he smiled. This irritated Motoko to no end.
"Why do you smile Urashima", Motoko demanded.
"Because, this is the second time you've made me bleed", Keitaro said as he surprisingly took his shirt off. "Only four people have ever wounded me enough to make me bleed. Two of my enemies, Naru, and you."
Naru felt even worse from the audience by what Keitaro stated. Although she only made him bleed on the lip from a simple slap, she felt that it was no different than striking him with her fist, or a weapon.
"What is he doing now", Mutsumi asked.
Naru was brought out of her train of thought as she watched Keitaro strip his shirt off. Beneath the cloth they expected to see his well toned chest again; which made them all blush at the thought. However, they were a bit disappointed to see him wearing what like a black bullet proof vest. The slash mark from Motoko's sword was clearly visible, but it had no effect of Keitaro's skin.
"Wearing armor to a kendo match is considered cowardice", Motoko said referring to her simple training uniform.
"It's not armor", Keitaro replied as he unbuckled some of the straps.
"Oh now it's getting good", Skinny opened up.
"What do you mean, now it's getting good", Sarah asked impatiently.
"Just watch", Skinny told everyone, "You're about to see Boss's first trump card."
When Keitaro undid the last strap, he took the vest off before cracking his shoulders. Like the last time, the girls blushed from seeing Keitaro without a shirt. However, unlike last time, Naru noticed a small tattoo on the back of his right shoulder. It was a small X, surrounded by a triangle, within a circle. It only caught Naru's attention, but questions would have to wait until this whole incident blew over.
"Now I fight you on equal term", Keitaro said as he threw down the vest.
As the vest landed on the ground, it clanked in a loud metal like noise. It was enough to make everyone jump out of their seats in surprise, but not as much as Keitaro's next surprise. Within the blink of an eye, Keitaro was gone. Before, Motoko or anyone else could respond, Keitaro had landed a well-aimed kick to Motoko's side. The blow completely took her by surprise, with not time to react. As she stood back up again, Keitaro zoomed around her in a zig zag formation. She couldn't keep up with him, he was just too fast.
"How is he doing that", Shinobu asked in surprise to her sempai's amazing feat.
"This is one of the Boss's trump cards, and it's also why the military nick named him "The Cheetah", Skinny said. "That vest he threw down weighs exactly one hundred pounds. What you're seeing is Boss's true speed from Track and Cross Country, and military training."
The girls watched in amazement as Keitaro continued to zoom around the roof's arena. The only thing they could clearly see was a blur the color of his clothes and skin. It was now Keitaro who had the upper hand. As he passed by Motoko only a few inches away, her attacks could not move fast enough to catch her opponent. Every attack she tried was simple too slow. Motoko switched gears to her Ki once again.
"Stone Cutting Sword", the kendo girl roared again.
"The Ki attack still didn't touch Keitaro, only this time, he was able to move past it with much more ease.
"He's moving too fast for only sword techniques", Motoko tried to compromise a new strategy in her head. "Flash techniques would be the next best thing to try."
"Light-Cutting Flash", Motoko unleashed a new attack.
The energy Motoko release seemed to hone-in on Keitaro. His feet were fast enough, and agile enough for him to move out of its way. It was still a Ki strike, but no doubt that it was much faster than her other attacks. It wasn't fast enough to quite reach her target, but it still showed some progress. Motoko then prepared a second, much stronger attack for Keitaro.
"Scattering Light-Cutt..."
Before Motoko could swing her sword to its full extent, Keitaro grabbed a hold of Motoko's wrist. Everyone watched in awe as Keitaro moved fast enough not only to appear in front of Motoko, but to stop one of her faster attacks. Everything seemed to move in slow motion not just for Keitaro, but Motoko as well. Reality kicked back into a faster pace for the kendo girl as she received a very strong uppercut to her stomach. The attack knocked the wind out of her and sent her skidding across the roof.
The others blanked out at that point. Keitaro had actually won against Motoko, one of the strongest people they knew. No one cheered for anyone as they witnessed the outcome of this phenomenon. Kweitaro walked over to Motoko as she stood back up from her fall.
"Urashima you..."
Keitaro responded with another hard blow to her stomach. With no time to feel the full extent of the pain, Keitaro grabbed her by the arm and tossed her across the floor again. As she slid on the ground, Motoko held her stomach while coughing from the agony. AS she laid there, the soldier said nothing more. Keitaro held her by the back of her kimono before placing three punches and a knead to her mid-section, then tossing her again. Before she could hit the ground, the Urashima soldier used his inhuman speed to reach her and land a strong hook kick to her back. The others were horrified by what they were watching.
"Brother you've won, that's enough", Kanako yelled to Keitaro.
The adopted Urashima girl's pleas were ignored.
"Sempai stop, you're hurting Motoko" Shinobu yelled to him.
Despite their yelling, Keitaro insisted on continuing the fight. Naru held her hand against her mouth to stop her own screams. However, that did not prevent the tears from escaping her eyes. This wasn't right, this wasn't right at all.
"KEITARO STOP IT, THAT'S ENOUGH", his aunt ordered.
Somehow, Keitaro looked lost in his own state of mind. He was basically beating someone when they were already down, and he couldn't stop. Maybe it was a lot of suppressed anger that he unknowingly awakened. The rest of Hinata Sou was horrified by Keitaro's assault. Even as Motoko tried to escape the arena, Keitaro would simple not let her go.
"Skinny, why isn't he stopping", Kanako asked in fear.
"I don't know, I think he finally snapped", Skinny said in a fearful tone too.
Skinny looked at the tattoo on Keitaro's shoulder. No one noticed as the ink started to run, and spread across his shoulder.
"Oh no", Skinny thought to himself.
The thud of vibrating metal filled the air as Motoko was thrown against the roof's railing. Her skin was battered, and bruised. Her midsection felt as if was beaten to a pulp, and now she felt dizzy. She felt like a small child being thrashed by a school bully. Maybe this was what Keitaro felt like when she struck him. All the feelings, all the anger she had pointed at him had now turned against her in the form of fear. It was the fear of more pain, the fear of Keitaro, and the fear of dying that caused her to cry on the floor like scared child.
She covered her ears and shut her eyes as she weeped on the floor, knowing very well what was approaching. With an expression of anger on Keitaro's face, he reached down to grab Motoko by the arm. That was, until he finally heard someone else yell his name.
"KEITAROOOOOOOOO!"
No one expected what was to happen next, not even herself. Moving purely on emotions, Naru punched Keitaro square in the jaw. The boy's speed did nothing for him as he flew over the rail and off of the roof. The Naru punch wasn't funny like it used to be, but it still sent him flying like in the old days. Instead of flying into the greater distances of the sky, Keitaro hit the closest pine tree to Hinata Sou. This however wasn't the end of it. The Urashima boy fell down, down, and down the tree...hitting each branch on the way. Luckily he didn't land on rough ground, or flat pavement, but rather the warm water of the hot springs. Naru held her fist in mid air where it once connected with Keitaro's jaw. She was shakily frozen in place as she tried to calm her breathing. Most of the others ran to Motoko's aid, while Shinobu, Kanako, and Skinny looked over the rail.
"Sempai, are you okay", Shinobu shouted down to the hot springs.
Once she received no answer, Shinobu ran down the stairs with Skinny and Kanako right behind them. Finally gaining some sensibility, Naru knelt down to Motoko's eye level.
"Are you okay, Motoko", Naru shakily asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine", the kendo girl said in a combination of strain, and sniffles.
As Naru inspected her more closely, she could see no major damage. Maybe a few scrapes and bruises, but no signs of broken bones or internal bleeding was visible. As Naru and Kitsune helped their friend onto her feet, Motoko remained shaky on her own. In fact, Naru was rather shaky standing on her own as well.
"Don't worry sugar I got her", Kitsune reassured her. "You better hurry and find out what happened to the otha fella."
Naru looked back to Motoko, to make sure she was in good hands. The Aoyama girl gave her a nod saying "Go on". With that reassured, Naru took off down the stairs as everyone helped Motoko out.
When Naru arrived at the hot springs, she found Kanako, and Sinobu looking for Keitaro Urashima.
"Kietaro...Big Brother", Kanako called out as she looked for her brother around every corner.
There was the possibility that he climbed out of the water and made a run for it. Then there was also the chance that he was still in the water. As Naru looked around the water, all she could see was steam, and some branches that fell with Keitaro. However, there was no visible trace of Keitaro.
"Boss, Boss can you hear me", Skinny shouted.
The Martin's shouting was enough to get the three girl's attention. Each of them ran to the deep side of the hot springs where Skinny appeared to be yelling to a large branch.
"Talk to me, say something, anything Boss!"
When Naru, Kanako, and Shinobu circled around the branch, the could Keitaro under the large tree piece. Keitaro was struggling to get out of the water, which was unusual. It was no great task to get out of the water in the hot springs. Even the deepest end was no more than four feet in-depth.
"Keitaro what's wrong, are you stuck", Naru asked.
"No, my shoulder it...it hurts", Keitaro answered.
It was then that everyone found out the reason for Keitaro's struggle. As he raised his bare shoulder out of the water, a large visible branch had pierces under Keitaro's shoulder-blade, and emerged from the opposite side. All of them shrieked in fear by their friend's wound. When Keitaro noticed the damage to his body, he didn't seem phased at girls could only imaging how painful it was.
Shinobu bit deep into her nails as she watched her Sempai try to pull the branch out of his shoulder. As hard as he tried, the thick wooden stick was simple lodged too deep in his shoulder. Despite using all the strength he could muster out, the branch would not move. Pulling it out only made it bleed even more, but Keitaro didn't care. Despite his prideful efforts, Keitaro gave up in frustration. The moment he gave up was the moment Haruka arrived on scene with the rest of the girls.
"Keitaro", Naru spoke up, "Here take my hand. Let me help you."
Keitaro took the childish and pedantic approach. Using his undamaged arm, Keitaro slashed the water to purposely spray it on Naru. The Narusegawa girl gagged and coughed from the unexpected splashing.
"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM KEITARO!?"
"Are you tired", Keitaro asked in a low defeated tone.
"What?"
"Are you tired", Keitaro repeated, "Because Naru...I am so tired of this. I mean, I'm physically tired, my mid is a wreck, and I'm just tired of the way things have been going lately."
"What are you talking about", Naru questioned while listening to what he had to say.
"Keitaro took a deep breath to cool down, despite being in a heated hot springs.
"Naru, what happened today with Avianna...that was basically all of my efforts going down the drain. She demoted me back to B rank missions. I worked hard reach A rank...I mean, I just barely got my A rank patch. I only went on four A ranks missions with my team. That's how new it was...Avianna...she, she said I would have been ready for S class soon enough. Naru I was counting on getting that promotion.
"Why, what's so important about the promotion", Naru questioned.
"The pay", Keitaro answered. "I needed that money. For food, clothes, Skinny's needs, a place to stay, pieces for my bike, ammo, and tutoring lessons for Tokyo U...I can't pay all that on B rank missions, I was barely getting by on A ranks.
Keitaro took another deep breath as he held the bridge of his nose. It was hard for everyone to see him like this. It was just as painful as when they watched him clean the grime from Naru's shoe in Avianna's office. Here he was now, basically surrendering, with a wound that continued to bleed out in the hot springs water.
"Naru, do you know why I came back here tonight?"
"W-why", Naru said almost afraid to ask.
"I came back here to ask for my old room back", Keitaro admitted. "I don't know about you...but that is very hard for a man to do. To crawl on his knees and beg to be taken back, it's hard for a man to throw down his armor, and his pride."
"Oh Keitaro", Naru tried to sympathize. "Keitaro, why didn't you come sooner? Why didn't you go to your parents?"
"BECAUSE THEY'RE DEAD NARU", Keitaro suddenly shouted. "They died almost two years ago."
This cut all blood flow to Naru's head for a split second. She looked back to Haruka and Kanako for what to say. Haruka nodded her head in confirmation that Keitaro wasn't lying.
"It's true", Kanako said.
It all made sense now. This was the burden in his life that Kanako refused to tell them about. Losing not one but both parents was something that Naru couldn't bare to handle even if she tried. Even though her parents did fight sometimes, she couldn't imagine her life without them.
"Naru", Keitaro continued, "After my parents died, I inherited the family sweets and bakery shop. I could be living a nice comfy life making pastries. I didn't have to go through this, but I refused it. I gave it to some of my relatives, and you know why?...Because I still want to go to Tokyo U! I want to prove, that even a loser like me, can do great things!"
Everyone watched as the Urashima soldier tried his best to escape from the water.
"I want to get past all of these hardships, and I want to keep that promise to that little girl! If that means suffering for a few more years, then so be it! I don't want to give up on my dream!"
As the ground where Keitaro struggled became moist from the water, he began to slip back into the hot springs. However, two soft gentle hand grabbed his arm.
"YOU DON'T HAVE TO SUFFER KEITARO!"
Keitaro looked down at the hand, then back up to see Naru only inched from his face. The tears returned to her eyes again, but they were tears that seem to represent caring, and sadness.
"You don't have to suffer Keitaro. I'm sorry for everything you've had to go through...I'm so sorry...Please, I'm begging you, come back to Hinata Sou...I can help you get into Tokyo U...we, we can study together again...we can both get in...and things can go back to being the way they used to be. Just please...please forgive me and come back to us."
Keitaro stared back into Naru's watery eyes. It was like a deer staring into a car's headlights. It left him paralyzed, and at their mercy. Deep in his heart he wanted to forgive her so badly. He truly did want things to back to the way they used to be. They were...happier times. However, all happiness comes with a price. That price threw his life into chaos, and he was still trying to find salvation from it all. After a few moments, Keitaro gave his answer.
"N-no Naru...I can't forgive you."
"Everyone's heart sank to the pits of their chest cavities as he spoke.
"What you did to me Naru was unspeakably cruel. I'm just not ready to forgive you for that..."
Naru held her head low, low enough for the hair to cover her eyes. She felt like crying, or screaming...that was until Keitaro continued to speak.
"But", Keitaro said.
"Naru immediately lifted her head at the small glimmer of hope.
"I can't abandon my aunt or my sister", Keitaro said. "We never abandon family. Plus Shinobu needs me, and Hinata Sou needs a manager. If you're willing to give me back me old room, I can go that extra mile for this place. If something's broken or needs repairs, I'll fix it. I'll scrub the floors, I'll clean the hot springs, and I'll wash the dishes when they're dirty. I can take care of the maintenance like the roof, of the machinery when it needs it. I'll mail the bills when they need to be sent. If one of you needs an extent, I can cover you for a short time. I've been in that situation more than my fair share. And as for us Naru..."
Naru's face perked up by his last five words. While Keitaro spoke to the brunette girl as he pulled the branch out of his shoulder. The wood only stabbed under his shoulder-blade, and not through it. Even though there was so much blood, Keitaro spoke almost as if nothing happened.
"...We can start small", Keitaro said as he fully removed the foreign object from his body. "There will be some days when work will need me. I might not come home until late, or until the next day. If you can take care of some of the smaller chores, I'll finish the major things when I get back. If you can feed Skinny when I'm not home, it would be much help for both him and me. I know you still want to go to Tokyo U, Naru. If you need another place to study, my room has plenty of space. The subway can be a bit of a hassle, and if you need a ride to the university, we can take my bike. It's nothing special, but it's reliable, and it does save money."
Naru wiped her eyes for maybe the hundredth time that night. The tears wouldn't relent for a little while longer, but they would soon come to an end. With a last sniffle, Naru spoke to her old friend.
"Okay Keitaro I'll...I'll do my best Keitaro. I'll do my best to be your friend again."
"Okay then, Naru."
Naru took Keitaro by the arm to pull him out of the water. However, the boy still held it away in protest.
"Wait a minute", Keitaro told Naru. "Everyone, I'm sorry for the way I acted. You were only trying to help me. I had no right to talk to you like that, and I had no rightto treat you the way I did...Especially you Motoko..."
The girls were touched by Keitaro's apology, but not as much as Motoko. Never in her life at the Shinmei-ryu did an opponent apologize to her when she lost. Yet here was Keitaro, saying he was sorry when she was the one at fault.
"It...it's quite alright Urashima..."
"No, it's not alright", Keitaro interrupted. "I pushed that match too far. My parents, and my sensei, taught me better than that. I promise, I'll never strike you again."
Motoko blushed from his promise, but in shame as well. He was willing to forgive and forget when she treated him so horrible. Her own sisters and senseis taught her better, but she still acted out of anger and impulse.
"I'm...I'm sorry Urashima.
"Don't be", Keitaro grunted in pain as Naru, and Kanako helped him out of the water. "Let's just forget about it."
Although he was out of the water, he still needed Naru and Kanako's support to keep balance. Haruka and Sarah brought dry towels for Keitaro while Naru and Kanako wrapped him in the warm cloth. Refusing to go to the hospital, Skinny sealed up the wound with a thread and needle. Very little more was said to Keitaro from then on. It was late, a lot had happened, and they all needed rest. Keitaro was back, and new things awaited Hinata Sou. However, it would all have to wait until morning.
How was it? I hope it turned out well. I had this chapter in my mind for a while. About the peoples' request, much more things were explained about Keitaro, Motoko was at the receiving end of an ass whipping, and some of the bad blood has been cleaned out. This is not the end of the fi...oh no, this is still only the beginning. I'll try to post as soon as possible. School and other fics are keeping me busy. Take care, hope you all love, and review.
P.S. Neon is not a crossover from Evangelion, that was entirely coincidental. Just wanted to clear that up...