InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Uptown Girl ❯ Chapter 40 ( Chapter 41 )

Beep… beep… Beep… Beep… BEEP… BEEP!!!! The alarm clock demanded as the intended continued to sleep. With a groan of being pulled back from the edge of a wonderful dream, a fist slammed down on the `off' button, effectively silencing the cursed alarm. One blue eye looked at the green numbers of the clock, and cursed at the ungodly hour at which it struck.

 

“Who ever decided that 6:30 am was a great time to get up never had a hang over,” Ban cursed as he gingerly got out of bed, easing into a sitting position as he placed a bandaged covered hand to his head.

 

Once his brother, the good Doctor Suikotsu took one look at his swollen and battered hand, he took a few x-rays and saw that it luckily wasn't broken, but severely bruised. He'd seen the looks between Jade and Ban and knew what was coming. Luckily he was prepared for the worse, having plenty of ice, bandages and anti-inflammatory medication on hand. However he hadn't been prepared for the emotional state his brother had been in.

 

Flashback-

 

“Why? Why did she have to come back into my life only to screw with my head?” Ban asked as Suikotsu wrapped his right hand.

 

Looking from the wrapped appendage into the stormy blue eyes of his brother, Suikotsu replied with a question of his own, after he'd heard the story of what had happened, “Did you tell her you loved her?”

 

“Wh… What…” he stammered in response, trying to formulate a response as Suikotsu grabbed up a bag of ice, tossing it toward Ban, who caught it with his good hand.

 

“That is what I thought. If you'd have told her those three little words, then it's possible that you wouldn't be here with a busted hand and she wouldn't be crying her heart out,” Suikotsu surmised as he looked through his medication for some aspirin. He had the sinking suspicions that Ban was going to get hammered that night and knew that adding anything stronger would only make it worse.

 

As he took the offered aspirin, Ban looked at his brother as he asked a little sheepishly, “Do you really think that if I'd told her that I loved her and wanted her to be my wife that I'd still get her back?”

 

“I'm not sure, Ban. The only way to know is to confront her yourself. From what you've said, she's a little unsure of her feelings toward you as well. Better hurry up and decide what you're going to do, or else it will be too late and you'll lose her for good,” he replied taking a seat next to Ban.

 

End Flashback-

 

“Wish I hadn't drank so much after that,” he thought as a sudden wave of dizziness hit him as he tried to get off the bed. Placing his hand gingerly against the wall for support, Ban moved toward the bathroom getting ready for his day as ranch foreman and his inevitable encounter with Jade.

 

It wasn't that he dreaded speaking with her; it was more of the fear of rejection that bothered him. Ban had tried over the last four years to forget about her, but every time that he thought that she was gone from his memory for good, something would remind him of her. Kami was a good example of that. For the last year, he'd taken Kami under his wing and personally trained him to be an outstanding cow horse and used him a lot on roundups, but that was his only connection to his heart's desire and it hurt seeing her now, especially after all the dreams that he'd had of her over the past few year, each one ending with her being his wife.

 

He quickly dressed in Wranglers, a simple tee shirt tucked in at the waist and a long sleeved flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The outer shirt was left unbuttoned and the hem hung loose, similar to a light weight jacket, providing just enough coverage to keep off the mid summer early morning chill. After he pulled on his boots Ban brushed his hair, working it quickly into a long braid that hung down his back. With a final look in the mirror to his blood shot eyes, Ban smirked at his own foolishness. “It's not like I'm going to see her this morning,” he thought, knowing that every other time that Jade had been on the ranch that she tended to sleep until at least 9am, well after breakfast.

 

 

As he quickly moved toward the main ranch house and the promise of a wonderful breakfast, Jade eased out of her own bed, stretching her aching muscles as she rolled off her as of yet made bed. She looked around the room a few minutes before it dawned on her what had happened.

 

“I came in after my ride with Ban yesterday… crying because of what had happened four years ago. Damn him,” she thought as she looked at a picture of the two of them that adorned the top of her dresser. “He still affects me, even after this long. Why did I think that he could help me get Koga back?” she thought as a frown graced her face, as she quickly stripped the tee shirt and jeans that she'd on when she'd fallen asleep, crying her heart out until she passed out from exhaustion.

 

“What was I thinking?” Jade continued to think as she slipped into her workout clothes of a black racer backed sports bra and black Army shorts, then covered them with her Army issued PT nylon black and grey jacket and black running pants before tying on her sneakers. She brushed out her hair, and then braided it once more as she thought, “Am I a glutton for punishment or what?” As she grabbed a water bottle from her back pack, she looked at her left hand, before pushing up the sleeve of her jacket to remove the black brace, flexing her wrist a few times to work out the muscles a little.

 

“I'm glad that it comes off today,” she thought as she grabbed her bottle of water and headed down the stairs. “It's been a pain ever since dad put it on almost a month ago. Now for some strength training and maybe a little tai chi this morning before I head out to the cabin. God I hope that Jak shows up soon. I could really use his help with this,” she thought as she slipped past the kitchen and the ranch hands as they filled their guts on Grandma Shina's homemade biscuits, waffles, and scrambled eggs.

 

It wasn't that Jade was skipping out on breakfast; she was just postponing it until after her morning ritual of strength training and going through some of her martial arts moves, just to keep in practice as well as top physical condition. As she took up a spot of ground a little ways from the back door, Jade tossed her water bottle into the grass and slowly began to stretch.

As she slowly, methodically moved from stretching her back, quads, to her calves, arms and neck, Jade thought about what Ban had said, that he'd never hurt her like Koga had and the fight that ensued. “Damn him for bringing that back up, after all these years,” she thought as she sat on the ground, legs spread out as she leaned toward her left foot, then her right, stretching her gluts and quads. Unbeknownst to Jade, she had an unexpected audience.

 

 

Ban moved down the lane between his little cabin and the main ranch house, breathing in the crisp morning mountain air as he thought about Jade and the way that she pushed him away the night before. “Why does she affect me this way? One minute I could hold her without fear of being rejected and the next, she's pushing me away. I've not seen her in over 4 years, not that I haven't tried, but every time she came here, I was conveniently called away on other business. Damn Shina for interfering in her granddaughter's life,” he thought darkly, a slight frown on his face as he recalled at least three occasions in the last four years that Jade had been at the ranch when he was gone, not being told that she was there until afterwards by Jak or one of the other hands. He'd gone into such a deep depression every time he'd get the news, that he'd drunk himself into a stupor on more than one occasion.

 

As he approached the back side of the farm house, he saw some movement from the back yard, a flash of reflective material in the early morning light. “What the hell was that?” he thought as he jogged toward the back yard. Once he realized that what he saw was from the black and grey jacket of some one in the back yard, he slowed to a leisurely stroll, not wanting to scare off the stranger. From what he saw, it looked as if the stranger was doing some form of workout, by the jumping jacks that he was doing. Sidling up next to the trunk of a relatively large tree in the back yard, Ban leaned against the tree trunk; arms crossed his chest as he took in the sight before him.

 

“Damn… she looks good, considering that I've not seen her in the last four years, save for yesterday,” he thought as a slight grin crossed his face as he watched the woman of his desires continue through her exercises unaware of his presence.

 

As a light wind that had been blowing in her face, suddenly changed direction, coming from behind her, Jade realized that she had company. With the flick of an ear, directed back toward the only tree in the back yard, she heard Ban's even breath and heart beat. Comforted to know that it was him and not his elder brother, Kyokotsu, Jade resumed her stretching, finally having reached the time to go through her paces of the various martial art forms that she'd learned over the years. As she cleared her mind, drawing on her inner strength, Jade moved with precision from one move to the other, moving as if she were dancing to music that only she could hear. Each move was precise from a Mud Wjang Glab (Spinning back-fist) to Sork Wjang Glab (Reverse Horizontal Elbow) with a few Dhe Paa Maak (Nutcracker Kick) thrown in for good measure. She practiced many of her different kicks ranging from Dhe Khouk (Axe Heel Kick) to the Gra-dode Dhe (Jump Kick).

 

Seeing the show of strength, beauty and speed, Ban smirked even wider, getting the urge to join her in a little sparring match. He remembered when he sparred with her previously, which normally resulted in her being pitched onto her back as a result of a spinning kick, that swept her off of her feet. “Those were the days,” he thought as he moved toward her, cautiously, seeing as she was fully engrossed in her training and had yet to acknowledge his presence.

 

As she took a slight breather, grabbing her bottle of water from the ground, Jade heard the grass rustle behind her as Ban moved closer. “You're moves have improved since the last time we spared,” Ban commented once he knew he was within ear shot of the wolf demoness.

 

Turning back toward her former lover, Jade glared at the foreman as she replied, “It's not nice to watch someone when their working out, Ban.” She took another sip of water before returning the top and tossing it back onto the ground. Quickly, she bent over to unzip the legs of her running pants, before sliding the black pants off her body, revealing her long, muscular legs and black Army shorts.

 

As she slid her pants off, folding them before tossing them next to her water bottle, Ban felt a slight restriction of his jeans yet again at the thoughts of her body against his. As he shook the devious thoughts off, he asked, “Care to spar with me? It's been a while since we sparred against one another. Banryu's missed you as well.” His brow went up slightly at the mention of his beloved halberd, Banryu.

 

With a smirk on her lips, knowing that Ban was not referring to the halberd, Jade replied, “I'm sorry Ban; you'll just have to be satisfied with hand to hand combat today. I've left my claymore at home, or else I'd take you up on that offer.” She unzipped her Army jacket, putting that as well with her pants and water bottle, as she heard Ban take off his shirts and boots. Quickly, Jade slipped off her sneakers and socks, wiggling her toes in the cool grass as she heard a slight intake of breath from behind her.

 

Once he had slipped his tee shirt off over his head, Ban glanced toward Jade, knowing that she was getting ready to spar as well, and then he went back to slipping off his boots before it dawned on him. He whipped his head back around to see her standing in nothing but her black sports bra and black shorts. His breath caught in his throat as he drunk in her lithe, yet muscular frame, taught abdomen, and well muscled arms and legs. As his eyes traveled over her tanned body, he scowled slightly at the amount of scars she had acquired in the last four years from the nasty looking marks around her right ankle to the recently healed scars on her left shoulder and arm. A slight pink scar peeked out of her sports bra, but not enough to seem deadly.

 

Jade glanced back over her shoulder as she worked on stretching her left arm out a little more, pulling it carefully across her chest as she held it for a count of ten. What she saw nearly made her faint as she laid her eyes upon his well toned chest, strong well muscled arms. Noticing that her heart rate had increased slightly, not a result of her previous movements, Jade shook her head as she mentally berated herself, “Put your eyeballs back in… he's not THAT handsome… Koga's better looking... quit drooling… Have some self respect…”

 

Finally, once she calmed her racing heart, Jade turned back toward Ban, looking into his azure eyes, seeing a look of desire mixed with something else. “So, shall we?” she asked as she moved a little closer to Ban and he'd stepped toward her.

 

“As ready as I'll ever be,” he replied. Quickly Jade moved to attack, only to be blocked by Ban. Both moved with grace and blinding speed, so in tune to the other that they appeared to be dancing. As each strike was countered and blocked they moved closer and closer to the other until they practically were sitting in the others lap.

 

After a rather good strike from Jade that Ban nearly missed blocking, he commented, “Nice one didn't see it until it was almost too late.” A huge smirk crossed his lips as he continued, “You know, Jade, I enjoyed our sparring matches before you left. You were the only one who ever gave me a challenge.”

 

“Nice of you to say that, Ban, considering you were the only one I'd ever sparred against that wasn't an instructor,” Jade replied, a slight smile upon her lips as she recalled the number of times over that summer that they sparred, mostly ending with her on her back. “That reminds me,” she thought, “Watch out for that sweeping kick of his.”

 

After their little reprieve, Ban launched the attack this time, going for her legs with his signature sweeping kick, only to be foiled by Jade jumping as the last second, to land upon his chest, pinning him to the ground. “You should have tried something else, Ban. I've learned how to counter that move,” Jade whispered into his ear as she pushed off his chest, doing a back flip a safe distance away.

 

As he regained his footing, Ban replied, “You never complained before, Jade. Besides, I always thought that you liked how we usually ended our little sparring sessions.”

 

“That was then, Ban. When we had something between us, but now… now I'm claimed by another and you're still stuck in the past, a past that will never happen,” Jade replied, getting a sinking feeling in her stomach as she knew where this conversation was going.

 

Getting into a battle stance, a slightly disheartened Ban asked, “You said that you'd forgiven me Jade, why can't we pick up where we left off?”

 

“After what happened Ban, I was devastated… you kept her from me Bankotsu. You cheated on me with another woman. Apparently I wasn't good enough to take out to dinner and a movie, but I was good enough in bed that you didn't seem to complain,” Jade replied harshly as she advanced on the foreman, throwing most of her power into each strike, jab and kick.

 

Countering every one, with a little more effort than previously, Ban retorted, “I had been dating her before you even came to the ranch that summer. What was I suppose to do? Tell her that `I can't see you any more because the rancher's granddaughter will be jealous?' She deserved better then that. Besides, you and I hadn't been officially dating yet, if you recall.”

 

Slightly taken aback by his response, Jade growled and doubled her efforts, jabbing, kicking, dodging and blocking with nearly every fiber in her body. “You took advantage of me, is that it, knowing that I was vulnerable to your charming ways, how despicable. I should have known… no man ever wanted me before, what made me think that you were any different?” she forced out between clenched teeth, the irises in her eyes changing from the defiant blue to hurt green as she continued her attack upon his person.

 

As if he'd been slapped in the face by her words, wounded by the pain in her eyes, Ban replied in a mere whisper, “No… it was never like that Jade. You of all people should know that I care for you, deeper than you can ever imagine. What you saw that day wasn't what you think, I was breaking up with her… telling her that it would never work out between us because she was nothing like you. All she cared about was her looks and wanting to change me to fit what she thought I should be. Jade, you loved me for who I was, not what I wasn't. I had fallen deeply in love with you Jade, and had just realized it when I had gone to see her, and tell her it was over.”

 

Slightly taken aback by his words, Jade failed to block a kick to her ribs, grasping her side as she lost her breath. Ban moved forward quickly, afraid that he'd actually hurt her, taking her into his arms. Tears streamed down her face as the physical pain mixed with emotional pain took over. When his arms wrapped protectively around her, Jade stiffened, pushing him off with all her strength before bolting back onto her feet. With a slight look of shock mixed with hurt on his face, Ban regained his footing as well, noticing that Jade had move into another stance, arm extended with the `bring it on' movement of her fingers.

 

Ban knew that to continue sparring in her mental condition was not a good idea, but his competitive senses won out over logic. Matching her stance, he moved in for the kill, attacking her for all he was worth as she blocked each and every jab, kick, knee and elbow, landing a couple of blows upon his now sweat slicked chest.

 

As they fought, Jade ground out, “If you loved me, then why didn't you say so that night? Why did you keep in your feeling for me for so long without telling me?”

 

“Because I was afraid that you'd be the one rejecting me, Jade, I was planning on proposing to you the next morning, to make you… my wife. But you had already made up your mind to leave for the Army, never telling me the reason why since I knew that `to see the world' was a lie. You crushed my heart, Jade,” Ban replied, just as hurt and angry as she was.

 

As his words sunk into her mind, Jade suddenly realized what he'd been trying to say. “He was planning to… marry me?” she thought, as her fist connected squarely with his right eye, her full force and body behind the blow.

 

Ban pulled away from Jade, his hand shooting up to his eye, trying to ease the pain as Jade moved closer. “I'm… I'm sorry, Ban… I didn't mean to hurt you,” she cried out, tears flowing down her face as she laid a tentative hand upon his arm.

 

Reeling from touch of her hand upon his arm, he replied, “You've done enough, Jade. Not only have you broken my heart again, you've probably given me a nice shiner as well. Why don't you go back to your fiancé, instead of making me miserable?” With that, he grabbed his shirts and boots, heading through the back door and into the kitchen for some ice and a well deserved breakfast.

 

As his sweat glistened back moved out of sight, Jade crumpled onto the grass, her hands to her face as she cried, her heart broken yet again. “Why… why do I always end up like this? On the receiving end of a broken heart,” she thought as the tears streamed down her face. Regaining what little composure she had left, Jade grabbed up her Army jacket, running pants and water bottle, as she moved not to the back door, but the front door of the ranch house, looking to slip in without being seen by either Ban or her grandmother.

 

Author's note- Through the use of Wikipedia on Muay Tai kick boxing, the following are actual moves. Mud Wjang Glab (Spinning back-fist), Sork Wjang Glab (Reverse Horizontal Elbow), Dhe Paa Maak (Nutcracker Kick), Dhe Khouk (Axe Heel Kick), Gra-dode Dhe (Jump Kick). For further information please refer to Wikipedia and Muay Tai kick boxing.

 

 

 

 

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