Flame Of Recca Fan Fiction ❯ Not So Simple Wish: Prologue ❯ Friendly Reunion ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: ranwolf

Not So Simple Wish: Chapter 1

By Ranwolf(@hotmail.com)

All anime characters that show up in the story are rightfully owned by... I'm not sure actually. They are being used without the permission and/or consent of the owners. Any original characters are the property of the author or those who had assisted in the completion of this story.

Recca could tell Fuuko was on edge today. Not on edge in a bad way, she looked both excited and nervous. He had noticed her checking the clock in their classroom every few minutes, as if trying to will time to go faster. By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, Fuuko was already packed and waiting impatiently for him and Yanagi to get their things together and go to his place.

"You gotta calm down, Fuuko," Recca said to her. "It's not like he's gonna go home if you're not there."

Fuuko glared at him for a moment, before visibly calming herself. "So I'm excited to see a friend after a couple years. Sue me."

"A little excited?," Domon laughed. "You've been acting weird all week. Hell, you're practically giddy." The mohawked teen shook his head grinning. "I wouldn't be surprised if you hailed a taxi."

"I don't have enough cash on me," she deadpanned.

"I can lend it to ya, for somethin' in exchanged." Domon puckered his lips at Fuuko.

"Hentai." Fuuko decked the larger boy in the face, knocking him to the ground. She seemed to contemplate giving Domon a few well-placed kicks to the head, but thought better of it. "Never learns," Recca heard Fuuko mutter as she stalked away in disgust.

He chuckled to himself, remembering a number of times Fuuko had beaten the crap out of Domon for one of his lewd comments. Which almost always ended with Yanagi having to use her healing abilities on him. Just like she was doing at the moment.

"Domon, I'm not going to be around every time you upset Fuuko-san," Yanagi chastised gently, as she held a faintly glowing hand over Domon's blackened eye.

Recca had always found it fascinating to watch injuries disappear under his Hime's administration. He had caught himself on many occasions, wondering how things would have turned out if Hime didn't have her power. The one conclusion that came up more than any other was he would most likely be dead and he would never have met his mother. He shuddered at the thought.

After Hime was through with her first aid, the three of them headed off again to catch up with Fuuko. When they reached her, they found her meticulously picking near invisible pieces of lint off of her pleated skirt.

As the four of them continued on their way, they discussed possibly going on another training trip together, to master the elemental weapons they managed to locate with Kagero and Takesako Fumio-sensei's help.

A short distance away, they spotted an old-fashioned car parked in front of the Hanabishi home.

"Sugoi," Yanagi said with a smile, staring at the red and white vehicle. "It's a '57 Chevy." She reached out a tentative hand, letting her fingers slide lightly over the chrome trim. "This is my favorite American car. I have a poster of one at home."

"It's older than dirt," Domon said. "What's the big deal?"

"It's a classic," Yanagi replied, almost sounding defensive. Recca watched the girl as she walked around the car, as if studying every deal. "Isn't it beautiful, Recca-kun?" She turned to Fuuko. "Do you think it belongs to your friend, Fuuko-san?"

"I don't think so, Yanagi-chan." Fuuko glanced quickly between the car and Recca's house. "I don't think Jared has a license." It was obvious, Fuuko wanted to go inside right away. The girl was trying not to look like she was in a hurry. "Oi Recca," she called out, "Are we going in or what?" So much for not being in a hurry.

*****

Kagero sipped her tea, silently eyeing the two goddesses sitting across from her in the kitchen. The immortal kunoichi knew what they were. Their youngest sister had granted her a wish. Skuld-sama was touring the fireworks compound with the MacLeod boy. Recca's adoptive father was acting as tour guide.

"I hope Jared won't cause you any inconvenience," Belldandy said, putting down her own teacup.

"It isn't a problem, Belldandy-sama. Skuld-sama helped me find Recca. I'm forever in her debt." Kagero reassured. "If Jared-kun was granted a wish by you, he can't be all bad."

"It's not that Jared's a bad kid," Urd replied. "It's just that he's rather blunt at times. We don't want any kind of conflict between you and your family while he stays here."

"Understandable. But, I do wonder. What, if anything, does Jared-kun knows about us? How much have you told him?"

"We only told him that you and Recca are ninja," Urd grinned. "He thought that was incredibly cool by the way. Anything else will be up to you. Considering he knows goddesses exist, I don't think telling him about everything will be a big shock to him."

Kagero nodded. "There's a chance Jared-kun will become involved in our search for Elemental Weapons..."

"We realize that Kagero-san," Belldandy replied. She paused a moment to reach into a messenger bag by her feet. "So I'm going to ask you a favor."

Kagero eyes widened. "H-hai?" She knew doing a favor for a deity was a huge responsibility and shouldn't be taken lightly. "What is it?"

"I would like you to give this to Jared when you think the time is right." The goddess removed a small wooden box, covered in odd-looking symbols, from the bag and handed it to Kagero.

The immortal took the box from Belldandy and examined it. She was about to open it, but hesitated. She looked to the goddesses. When neither made a protest, Kagero slowly opened it.

The box was lined with fur and feathers. Inside, was some sort of black leather gauntlet that would reach mid forearm. It was fingerless and had an odd frame around it that appeared to be made from bone. On the back of the gauntlet was a thin amber stone the size and shape of the egg.

"An elemental weapon?" Kagero asked. She had never seen one like it and didn't remember one fitting its description.

"Sort of," answered Urd. "It once belonged to a Irish warrior named CuChulain. It was entombed with him for centuries until an archeologist discovered it about eighty-five years ago. It's been in his family's collection ever since."

"How were you able to get them to part with it?," Kagero asked. "It must be quite valuable."

"Oh... I just called in one of my favors from Henry, that's all." Urd smiled as a fond memory came to surface. Kagero was a little confused. It must have shown on her face since Belldandy explained.

"Dr. Jones, the archeologist's son was friends with my sister many years ago. She was able to help him on many of his own expeditions during the 1930's"

"I even introduced him to his wife," Urd added with a cheesy grin.

"Souka. What does it do exactly?"

Before either Urd or Belldandy could answer, she heard the front door open and Recca call out: "Okasan, tadaimas."

Kagero quickly closed the box and hid it in one of the cabinets. A moment later Recca and his friends entered the kitchen. "Okari nasai, Recca," she greeted her son warmly. Kagero smirked when Recca and Domon spotted the beautiful white-haired goddess and openly gawked. Yanagi, innocent as ever, looked perplexed at the two boy's reactions. Glancing at Fuuko, Kagero saw the girl's eyes scanning the room, searching for her friend. Kagero introduced the sisters to them.

Disappointment fluttered over Fuuko's lovely features. "Is Jared here?," she asked, a slight blush on her face.

"Hanabishi-san is showing Jared and Skuld-sama around." Kagero could tell the girl wanted to go out and find him. She inwardly smiled, never having seen Fuuko act so. Even with the handsome ninja Raiha, Fuuko never seemed so... flustered. "I think he was going to put on a small demonstration as well. Why don't you go out there and say hello. I'm sure Jared will be pleased to see you again, Fuuko."

The boys came out of their stupor with a start and mumbled an incomprehensible apology. The group of teenagers left the kitchen, with Recca in the rear. "Recca." Kagero called her son before he exited the room.

"Hai?"

"I'd like you and Fuuko-san to talk to Jared-kun later."

Recca was about to ask about what, but quickly realized what his mother meant. "Eh. We'll talk to him later." With that, he left the room.

Kagero looked back at the two goddesses, an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. After four hundred years she had learned to trust her instincts. Her feelings had saved her from many painful days of recovery on a number of occasions. The firebombing of Tokyo during the early 40's being one example.

"Don't worry Kagero-san," Belldandy reassured her, as if knowing the kunoichi's thoughts. "Kami-sama wouldn't have granted Jared's wish if he was unable to handle it."

Her curiosity piqued, Kagero asked, "May I know what the wish was?"

The sister's looked at each other, silently discussing the request. "I agree Oneesan."

Urd looked Kagero in the eyes. "You must swear not to tell anyone about the wish. You can't even let Jared know we told you." Kagero was startled by Urd's expression, It was the most serious she had ever seen.

"Wakarimashta."

*****

Skuld laughed at another of Mr. Hanabishi's stories about his son. Jared was doing a poor job keeping a straight face. Judging from the stories so far, he had the feeling he and Recca were going to get along fairly well. The three of them were in one of the large sheds used to store already assembled fireworks of varying sizes and types.

"I swear," Mr .Hanabishi continued his monologue, "Recca is probably the luckiest kid I've ever heard of. Some of the situations he's gotten himself into would've put anyone else in the hospital." He chuckled as he put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "I hope the smoke doesn't bother you."

Deity and mortal paled in fear, their vision zeroing in on the glowing ember at the end of the cigarette. Shock formed at the man's indifference about smoking in a room full of explosives.

"Uh... Mr. Hanabishi-" Jared was cut off as a leather case flew past his ear, square into the man's face, knocking the cigarette out of his mouth. As if by design, the school bag landed on top of the cigarette.

"Oi Oyaji!," someone screamed. "How many times do I havta tell ya? Don't smoke in the fucking shed!"

Jared turned around to see a young man about his age, wearing a red ball cap and with a band-aid on his face, at the doorway to the shed.

That must be Recca, he thought to himself. Recca entered the building with a look of severe annoyance. He walked past Jared and Skuld with only a cursory greeting before berating his father about almost blowing himself and two guests to kingdom come.

"Jared?"

The sound of his name pulled his attention away from the father and son. A voice he had heard over the phone for more than a year. He turned back towards the door to see Fuuko, another girl with long brown hair and another young man, larger than himself with a mohawk and nose ring.

Jared's heart pounded in his chest at the sight of Fuuko. His memories of her and the pictures he had didn't seem to do her justice at the moment. For probably the first time in his young life, he was lost for words.

A nervous smile formed, his mind raced for something appropriate. "Hi Fuuko... long time, no see." He visibly winced at the lameness of his words.

"Eh. It has," she replied, smiling mischievously, apparently not as nervous as Jared felt. She walked over to him, ignoring the sounds of Recca tearing his father a new one. "Looks like you got taller."

"Uhm yeah, I guess." He wanted to give her a complement, but feared sounding like an idiot.

"Jared?" she asked, still smiling at his difficulty.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't it customary to give a friend you haven't seen in a long time, a hug?"

Jared gave a lopsided smile. "I think I can manage that without looking like a dork." He gave her an awkward hug. After a moment, the feel of her arms around him, the sound of her breathing, seemed to soothe his nerves. His uneasiness melted. He hugged her a little tighter, lifting her easily off her feet. "It's so good to see you again, Kaze."

"Put me down, you geek," said Fuuko in heavily accented English.

"I resent that," Jared grinned, releasing her.

"Live with it." Fuuko motioned Jared to follow her as she introduced him to her friends.

"Hajimashta, MacLeod-san," Yanagi said, smiling sweetly.

Domon didn't say anything, merely nodding in greeting. Jared knew a little about Fuuko's friends from their numerous conversations. From his expression, he guessed Domon was appraising Jared's "worthiness" to be Fuuko's friend.

"Nice to meet you both," Jared said pleasantly. "Fuuko told me a lot about you all."

"She did, huh?," Recca said, rejoining the group. "Nothing too scary, I hope."

"Neh-eh." Jared shook his head. "Nothing a therapist couldn't fix."

Joining them, Skuld said, "Glad to see you're all getting along."

Mr. Hanabishi was sitting on the ground, slightly embarrassed from his tearing down. He reached into his shirt pocket, reaching for his cigarettes. Recca gave his father a demonic look. Hanabishi quickly raised his hands in surrender.

Skuld chuckled. "Nice to see you again, Yanagi-san, Domon-kun."

"Konichiwa, Skuld-sama," Yanagi replied with a respectful bow. Domon smiled and waved nervously. Ever since he found out about Skuld, he was reluctant to be around her. Unfortunately, Skuld knew this and constantly teased him.

"You think we can get back to the house? The thought of almost getting blown up has given me the craving for some ice cream."

"Ice cream?" Domon perked up at the words.

"Oh yeah. We picked some up on our way over." Skuld grinned and took Domon's arm, guiding him to the house. "Ever tried Chunky Monkey?"

"Ne-never heard of it," he stammered. Not sure what to do, he allowed the young goddess to hold onto his arm.

"Poor deprived mortal," Skuld said brightly, smiling up at the much taller teenager. "You'll love it. It's divine." Domon swallowed hard.

Jared watched the odd couple depart. He turned to Fuuko holding his own arm out for her to take. "Shall we?" He smiled

Fuuko smirked, slipping her arm through his. "What a gentleman," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"I have my moments."

"Emphasis on moments," Fuuko added.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep jokin'," Jared laughed.

They followed Recca and Yanagi. Talking excitedly, the four teens had forgotten about Hanabishi. He rose from the floor, slapping the dust from his pants. He took out his pack of cigarettes. Suddenly, something fell within the shed. Looking around he saw nothing. Frowning, he put the pack away. Just in case, he thought.

*****

Neon paused at the door to Kurei's room, her hand on the handle. She wasn't sure if she should go in today. But she had made a silent promise to herself and her employer, she would come and see him everyday with an update no matter how minuscule it may seem.

She steadied herself and slowly pressed down on the door handle, letting herself in.

Neon shuddered at the sight of Kurei. He lied in his bed, covered in sensors. He had been comatose for months since the tournament. She remembered when Kurei was found. The limo Muron rode in was completely destroyed, the interior gutted with two smoldering skeletons inside. Kurei's body was found near some bushes. He was apparently thrown thirty feet when the car exploded.

"Konichiwa, Neon-sama," the nurse said pleasantly, when she looked up from the E.K.G. monitor she was adjusting. "How are you feeling today?"

"Tired," the redhead admitted. She made her way to the plush chair besides Kurei's bed. She let out a sigh of relief. She had been on her feet most of the day, going to meetings or checking on operations set up by the company that now belonged to Kurei.

"I can understand how you feel Neon-sama." The nurse gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Ritsuko, can you leave the room for a few minutes? I'd like to speak to Kurei-sama alone."

"Of course. I was about to get something to eat. Would you like me to bring you anything when I come back?"

"Ie..." Neon paused when a pang hit her. She then realized she hadn't eaten all day. "If it's not too much trouble.

Ritsuko smiled again. "No problem at all Neon-sama. You have to eat yourself." The nurse put down the chart she was writing in and left the room.

Neon turned to the comatose form besides her and took the limp pale hand closest to her. The golden bracelets jingled gently as the hand was moved. The red-haired woman sighed once again as memories of Kurei, of just before the tournament, surfaced. It was the only time she knew of before Kurenai's death that Kurei allowed himself to be vulnerable around anyone. That night she achieved something she had secretly longed for. It was their first and only time together but Neon didn't mind.

"I have some news for you today Kurei-sama," said Neon quietly. She knew Kurei would want to hear any news concerning his brother first. Everything else was secondary. "Hanabishi has found some more elemental weapons. At least two.

"Four people came to his house, two women and two teenagers. They stayed for a few hours and the women and one of the teenagers left. The one that remained is an American. It seems he's some kind of exchange student and Hanabishi is acting as a host." Neon told Kurei what her sources were able to gather on the gaijin. None of it seemed particularly interesting other than being in a car accident when he was a young child.

"Kyo-zah has sent word, Mikagami had tracked him to the United States. Kyo-zah has decided to return to Japan within the month." Neon stopped suddenly when she felt a thump against her side.

She placed a hand on the side of her swollen belly and felt the child growing strike out again. "Kurei-sama, she kicked." Smiling, she took his hand and placed it on her stomach, where last she felt their child kick. After a few moments, she struck again. "Kurei-sama, I wish you were awake to experience all of this," she whispered. She fought back tears that threatened to form. "I pray that perhaps you will awaken to see your daughter when she is born."

She knew there was a chance that would never happen, but she clutched at the hope he would. For now, she continued to dutifully look after Kurei's interests, never wavering in her loyalty.

There was a knock at the door and Aki's blue-haired head poked through. "Are you busy, Neon-sama? Ritsuko-san mentioned you were hungry, so I brought up some food for you."

Neon smiled affectionately at the cocky girl as she entered the room with a tray heavy with food. "Arigato, Aki-chan," Neon replied as Aki placed the food before her.

*****

Hours have past since the Norns had left the Hanabishi household. Recca and the others were in Jared's room, helping their new friend put his belongings away. The room was once a little used storage room, filled with boxes of rarely used decorations and old cloths that were never thrown away. When his mother convinced his adopted father to be the host for Jared, the three of them had chosen this room.

He looked over to where Fuuko was helping Jared put his computer together, he noticed the way Jared would sneak looks at Fuuko when she wasn't looking. He chuckled when Jared fumbled with some expensive looking part when their hands brushed when she handed it to him.

Jared grinned sheepishly finally regaining control of his hands and placing the part in its proper place. "Finally, done," Jared proclaimed. Placing the cover onto the tower.

"I didn't realize I brought so much junk," he said, sitting down on the bed. He let out a sigh and began rubbing his left knee.

"Be glad you have help to sort through it all." Fuuko sat on the bed next to him. "Your knee bothering you?"

"A little," Jared replied. "The new leg acts up every once in a while. "

Yanagi's brow furrowed with confusion. "Anoo... did you say new leg?"

Jared blinked. "Fuuko never told you guys?," he asked.

"Told us what?," said Domon, curious to what Jared was referring too.

Jared looked at Fuuko. She shrugged. "Never came up."

"Right," he replied, a touch of sarcasm laced the word. Jared tugged on the cuff of his pants leg bringing it up over his leg just below the knee. Slowly, the plastic skin of a prosthetic leg was exposed. He saw the shocked looks on Recca, Yanagi and Domon's faces when he pulled the pants above his knee. "I was in a car wreck when I was six. My leg was torn up pretty bad so it had to be amputated."

"Does it hurt?," Domon asked.

"That's a stupid question, Domon," Recca snapped. "Of course, it's not gonna-" Recca caught himself. He laughed nervously, putting his hand on the back of his head. "Heh, Gomen."

Jared smirked, waving the unfinished comment off. "Please. I get worse from my friends back home. Hell, Jason calls me 'Stumpy' sometimes."

Fuuko grinned. "You know how some people complain about having two left feet when they don't want to dance? Jared here can't use that excuse."

Jared rolled his eyes at the comment. "See what I have to put up?" He made a show of a deep sigh. "You'd think after helping her get rid of all the viruses she keeps downloading a little respect would be in order, ya know?"

"Never heard you complain before," Fuuko replied sweetly.

"Well...," Jared paused a moment. "It usually gave me an excuse to talk to you anyway. Besides, I had to help. I was the one sending them to you." He gave her an overly exaggerated evil grin.

Fuuko's eyes widened. "You son on a bitch. I knew there was something weird going on." She punched Jared several times in the shoulder hard.

He laughed. "Ack! Don't worry. Ow! They would've self-destructed after a couple days anyway. Ah! Quit it! I give! Sorry!"

She punched him one last time for good measure. "You're forgiven."

"That was quick," said Domon. "If I tried something like that, you woulda put me in the hospital."

Recca replied, "Good thing you don't know anything about computers. Though, that hasn't stopped you from some of the other stuff you pulled."

"He grabbed Recca's ass once," Fuuko laughed, remembering the dark passageway they walked through the first time they went to Kagero's cabin in the mountains.

"Oi!," Domon protested. "That was an accident. I was trying to grab yours." Domon paused, realizing the slip. "That didn't come out right."

"You can only say, grabbing someone's ass so many ways," Recca pointed out.

"Shut up, Hanabishi." Domon raised a fist in warning.

"Ooh scary!," the Flame Master mocked. He pulled down his eyelid with a middle finger and stuck out his tongue. "Beeeda!"

"Konore!" The two began to fight in the middle of the bedroom.

Yanagi, having experience spotting potential chaos when it came to the Hokage members, scooted out of the way to join Fuuko and Jared.

"Does this happen often?" Jared asked, wincing slightly at a loud punch.

"Almost everyday," Yanagi answered with a sigh.

"Have you thought of selling tickets. Hey! Watch out for my stuff!"

"We tried," Fuuko answered. "Didn't work out."

Yanagi added, "Most of the money went to pay for some bicycles that were damaged."

*****

San Francisco, 10:47 p.m.

She looked around the mafia hangout. Proud of the effort she and her teammates put forth in clearing the area out for their current employer. Hela breathed in the sweet scent of death that surrounded her. She reached out a delicate hand and pulled her scythe from the chest of the Don pinned to the wall. His body dropped to the floor bonelessly, lying in a pool of his own blood.

She turned and smiled sweetly at the large orc-like individual at the bar, merrily scooping ice cream into his tusked mouth. Her dear, simple, Beast made her proud tonight, killing both wannabes and made men with such ease she actually felt envious of his body count.

Beast was a massive man. He was half again her height and just as wide at the shoulders. His arms, thicker than her torso, ended in hands that could crush bowling balls, or skulls, to dust. He was simple-minded, needing constant guidance, which she gladly dispensed.

Hela walked over to him and took a seat besides him. She placed her weapon on the bar before she reached over to an undamaged bottle of brandy and poured herself a shot. Hela emptied it and poured herself another. Killing made her thirsty.

"Want?," Beast asked, holding the carton in front of her. Hela looked into Beast's large face and nearly burst out laughing. His mouth was covered in chocolate.

Hela smiled at her loyal Beast. "Thank you, sweetheart," she said, removing her red skull mask. "But no. Enjoy your ice cream. You deserve it today." She reached out and kissed him tenderly on the cheek, making the creature blush. "Now, eat your ice-cream before it melts."

Beast gave her a large childlike grin and turned back to eating. Hela brought the brandy to her lips and sipped at it, savoring the liquid heat that burned down her throat.

"Ay Death," another of her partners called, entering from a back room. "I got somethin' fer ya."

Plague and his twin, Famine, entered the room. The twins completely lived by their names. Plague and Famine were taller than her and thin. Plague was once a handsome man before he took his title as a Horseman. His face was now pockmarked and he was missing clumps of hair from his head. The exposed skin was ashen and scaly looking. His eyes were jaundice, but were still alert, constantly moving around his surroundings.

Famine was once a model, before drugs and incredibly bad choices of managers and boyfriends forced her into prostitution. Her hair was waist length and stringy. Her face was sunken in. Where she once had a figure that could cause a boy to experience puberty over night, she looked to the entire world like a skeleton with skin.

Hela replaced her mask and gripped her scythe before turning to Plague. He was dragging a balding, middle-aged, asian man in an ill-fitting business suit, while Famine followed demurely, clutching a briefcase to her chest.

"Who is he?," Hela asked, her white dress moving in a nonexistent breeze. Plague threw the man roughly to the ground at Hela's feet. The man scrambled to his knees, looking up at Hela. She smiled coldly at the man, enjoying the look of fear on his face.

"Don't kill me," the man squeaked.

"He's from Lo Pan," Plague answered.

"His name is Henry Fong," Famine answered softly, holding a wallet open.

"What are you doing here, Mr.Fong?," Hela asked.

Fong looked like he was going to climb to his feet, but thought better of it. He gulped loudly looking at the carnage around him. Bodies were everywhere. Some were ripped apart, others were covered in boils and blisters and some looked to be weathered husks. Plague slapped him on the back of the head to hasten his answer.

"Mr. Lo Pan sent me."

"What the fuck does that chink want?," Plague growled hoarsely. He cleared his throat and spat a gray wad of flem onto a nearby corpse, hissing and steaming as it ate through the skin.

Fong's eyes widened, the look of fear increased.

"What does Mr. Lo Pan want?," Hela repeated the question more tactfully.

"Mr. Lo Pan wanted to be sure you would do the job he hired you for."

Hela frowned. "I'm hurt, Mr.Fong. We have never reneged on a contract."

"I-I realize that Miss... uh... I realize that. But Mr.Lo Pan wanted assurances, so he sent me her to make sure."

"He sent an accountant?!," Plague yelled, insulted. "What kinda bullshit is that?"

Hela felt equally insulted for the moment. David Lo Pan wasn't a fool. Fong was probably more then he was letting on.

"Famine."

"Yes?"

"Check Mr.Fong's briefcase."

"Yes ma'am." Famine set the case onto a table, the catches unlatched.

With unexpected speed, Fong bolted up to his feet and charged Famine. He grabbed the woman around her thin throat. Plague moved to help his sister, but Hela held him back.

"Back off or I break the bitch's neck." His free hand reached out for the briefcase.

Slowly Famine touched Fong's forearm, a sickly glow formed around her hand. Fong let out a choked cough as a hunger like he never experienced gripped him. His eyes widened in terror when he saw his hand begin to thin and dry out.

"Wha-," he croaked when Famine bent over , flipping him onto the ground, still gripping his arm.

The hunger was terrible, his body feeling as if it was digesting itself. Before his eyes shriveled into nothing, he saw an attractive blond standing over him.

Famine released the mummy that was Henry Fong. She rose to her feet and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Are you alright, Famine?," Hela asked.

"I'm fine ma'am." She walked to Plague, smiling brightly as she embraced her brother and kissed him in a way that many would think inappropriate for siblings.

Hela's stomach roiled at the image that formed in her mind. She cut them down as soon as they did. To keep her mind off of the display, she reached for the briefcase and opened it. Hela frowned at the sight of a modified Mac-11 and three grenades.

Her opinion of Lo Pan did a total reversal. He was going to have her team killed so he wouldn't have to pay them. Hela growled and slammed the case shut. "Beast!," she called. Beast turned around in his seat, oblivious to what happened a few moments before. "We're done here. We're leaving."

Beast looked between the ice cream and his mistress, unsure of what to do. Then, in a rare flash of brilliance, he picked up the carton and made his way to Death. He spotted Plague and Famine and started humming a nursery rhyme he couldn't remember the words to.

"Where are we going?," Famine asked, her face flushed.

"We're just going to collect our fee, that's all."

*****

Jared sat at his desk, listening to the teacher's history lecture. History had always been Jared's downfall in school, always finding the subject rather dull. But strangely he found himself paying attention to Mr. Takesako's speech. It helped greatly that the teacher injected loads of humor into his lecture. It was almost like a standup routine. Never thought I'd be learning about ninjas in school, he thought to himself.

Jared also found it fascinating he could actually read the schools textbooks if he stared at the characters long enough. The Kanji and Haragana seemed to shift and change, becoming English. Unfortunately he couldn't write worth a damn.

"Any questions?," Mr.Takesako asked, pausing when he reached the end of his topic. No one raised his or her hand. "No? Alright then" The teacher went over to the blackboard and scrawled out "Meiji" and 1850's. "In the latter half of the nineteenth century..."

School in Japan, although similar in some ways to what he was accustomed to, was something he had to get used to. He was quite surprised to find out the students were expected to clean their classrooms after the final bell sounded. He had always thought it was a plot devise in anime. After all, isn't that the janitor's job?

It was a short time after all the cleaning was done. Jared found himself in an old abandoned warehouse with Fuuko, Recca and the others, staring, wide-eyed, at a rather large dragon made of fire.

"Cool!," Jared said aloud. He lifted his arm and wiped his sweat-soaked brow. "Maybe not cool," he corrected himself. "But damn."

Fuuko smirked. "You're taking this a lot better than we thought."

Jared grinned at her. "Knowing three goddesses on a first name basis and traveling halfway around the world in five seconds tends to make one more open-minded, ya know?"

The dragon, Kuko, moved closer to Jared. The orange-red eye seemed to be studying him. "If you insist on associating with the brat," Recca yelled a protest, but was ignored, "You'll see things that will go beyond your imagination."

Jared's sweating increased from the heat coming from Kuko's body. "God, what I wouldn't give for some marshmallows right now."

Kuko's eye widened at the remark, he reared back and stared at the young gaijin. He laughed. A deep, grating laugh that sounded more like a movie villain than a potential ally. When Kuko's laughter died, he turned to Recca. "I'd advise you to give him at least one elemental weapon and train him. He may be useful to you in the future."

"Ka-san was thinking the same thing," Recca replied.

"Glad to see someone is doing the thinking for the Hokage," the old dragon said, good-naturedly.

Recca glared. "Don't make me kick your ass again," he warned.

Kuko laughed once more. The dragon shrunk down and changed into the shape of a short old man in sunglasses. "Whenever you feel up to a good thrashing, let me know." The old man grinned. Even with the sunglasses, there was a gleam of some kind coming from his one good eye. "I can make things mighty interesting."

"Fine," Recca snapped. He removed his school jacket and handed it to Yanagi. "Ikuzo!," he challenged, stepping away from the others.

"IS this such a good idea?," Jared asked Fuuko quietly. "He's a frickin' dragon."

Fuuko merely smiled at Jared. "Recca had to defeat all the dragons to be able to control their talents." She paused as Recca was sent flying through the air by one of the old man's attacks.

"Recca-kun..." Yanagi said, looking as if she wanted to go to Recca's side. She let out a sigh of relief when the flame master rose to his feet and attacked Kuko again. He managed to land a few blows of his own.

"Where was I?," Fuuko asked. "Oh yeah. Well he beat seven of the eight dragons. Kuko is one of them." She watched the fight with interest, but kept her ear to Jared.

"What about the eighth dragon?"

"Hanabishi, watch his left!," Domon cried out in warning. *Wham!* "Uh... never mind."

"He's getting trashed," Kauru said leaning on what appeared to be a gold spear.

Kuko was kicked in the face, his sunglasses snapped at the bridge of his nose.

"Dunno," Fuuko replied. "For some reason, Reishin, that's the last dragon's name, won't fight Recca. And the other dragons aren't saying why."

"Yea Recca!" Ganko cheered from Domon's broad shoulders. Recca snapped off a hook kick, knocking Kuko to the ground.

The old dragon slowly rose to his feet. He breathed heavily through a mouth with a split lip. His short white beard was spotted pink with blood. Recca didn't look that much better with a eye blackened and a jaw that was one large bruise.

"You want to give up, brat?," Kuko said with a faint slurping of his words.

Recca's arm ignited in answer.

"Yamatte!," Yanagi cried suddenly, startling the others.

Recca's flame died out. He turned to Yanagi with a look of confusion on his face. "Hime...," he spoke softly looking at her.

"Onegai, just stop fighting." Yanagi pleaded with them. Her eyes glittered with held back tears. She understood the need the others had for training and sparring. But she hated it when they just pummeled one another for no reason other than to fight.

Fuuko rarely fought without reason, though Domon's occasional crude comments were usually enough. Recca, Domon and Kogenai would fight each other at the drop of a hat. She didn't like the influence they were having on Ganko.

Kuko visibly relaxed, pulling himself out of his stance. "Of course Yanagi-dono," he said. He shifted back to his dragon form and approached Recca. "Next time," he said simply before disappearing into Recca's arm.

Recca let out a sigh. Yanagi walked over to him and gingerly touched his jaw. Recca grimaced.

"Gomen ne, Recca-kun," she said quietly. Her hand began to glow and the bruising along his jaw and under his eye slowly began to fade.

"You didn't tell me she could do that," Jared said, watching in amazement as the bruises were completely healed.

Fuuko shrugged. "Never came up?"

He rolled his eyes. "Any other little secrets I should know about?"

"There are a few," she answered with a coy smile. "You're just going to have to wait a while before you find out what they all are."

"Well, that sucks," he answered. He tried to sound sarcastic, but the disappointment and curiosity came through none-the-less. "Can I get a hint?"

"Ie," Fuuko crossed her arms.

"You're no fun sometimes, ya know?"

*****

Jared awoke later that night with the feeling of a full bladder. He went into the bathroom and did his business. Done, he was about to head back to bed when he heard movement coming from the kitchen. At first, he didn't think anything of it, figuring it was Recca or one of his folks. Jared then heard something get bumped and a soft, muffled curse. Curious, he made his way towards the kitchen. He listened carefully in the darkness, trying to determined who it was.

"Yare yare," he heard the voice clearly this time. It was no one he knew. He looked into the kitchen and saw a girl with long, blue hair, tied in a high ponytail. She was holding a box in her hands, apparently finding it in one of the cabinets.

"Who the hell are you!?," Jared yelled, turning on the light. The lights briefly blinded him. That was stupid, he thought.

"Uhm.. This isn't what it looks like," she said, quickly putting the box back into the cabinet. "I'm a friend of Recca's and-" The girl didn't get to finish. Jared grabbed a broom and charged her. He swung wildly. The girl ducked under the broom. "I am not a thief!", she hissed.

Jared swung again. The girl seemed to blur as she sidestepped out of Jared's way. She caught hold of Jared's wrist and jammed her shoulder into the crook of his arm. With a shift of her body weight, Jared was sent sprawling onto the kitchen floor with a bone-jarring crash.

Before Jared could move, the girl sat on his chest, pining his shoulders to the floor.

"Get offa me!" He struggled, but couldn't get the proper leverage to knock her off.

"Not until you calm down, Jared-kun," She said calmly, keeping her weight on his chest.

Jared looked at the girl with wide eyes. "How...?"

"What is going on in here?," They heard suddenly. They looked up and saw Kagero and Recca at the doorway. Both armed, Recca with his Saiha blade and Kagero with a pair of short swords. "Na-Nadare-dono!"

Nadare grinned at the immortal woman. "Ohaiyo Kagero-san, Recca-kun."

"You know her?," Jared asked at the same time.

"What's going on in here?," Recca asked, He gave the two a credulous look. "Uh Nadare-san? You can get off of him now."

Nadare blinked and looked down at Jared. He looked back up at her. "Hi?"

She bolted up from where she was, her face lightly colored at the cheeks. "Gomen," she mumbled.

Kagero's lips bent into a small smirk. Jared pulled himself up from the floor. "What can we do for you Nadare-dono?"

The embarrassment on the dragon's face vanished as a mask of seriousness formed. "Recca-kun... Setsuna is gone."

End Chapter