Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Fight Hina ❯ Chapter Ten ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: The Headcrook 
Anime/Manga: Love Hina Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Drama / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.20.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 875 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Love Hina Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Martial Arts / Drama / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 04.20.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.6K | Visits: 875 | Status: Completed
Chapter Ten
A month passed since Ryu and Chun Li have taken over Hinata House. Since then, the dorm's appearances have begun to change for the better, thanks to Ryu's carpentry skills. However, to Naru, Motoko and Kitsune, it was as if the dorm had fallen under a virtual dictatorship. They refuse to admit that they had did anything wrong to Keitaro and had tried to abuse Ryu and Chun Li the way they did with Keitaro, but had failed miserably.
Mutsumi and the three younger residents of Hinata House had no problem with the interim managers. But to Naru and Motoko, having to clean the house while Kitsune paid Keitaro back every piece of yen she had swindled and blackmailed from him was starting to become too much. On top of that the resident fox of Hinata House was also barred from drinking at Haruka's teashop, as well as some of the local bars in the neighborhood, due to the large bar tabs she rang up. Whenever Kitsune wasn't drunk, she would whine, which fell on deaf ears.
===
One day, Keitaro was studying in his room, which was on the third floor when he realized that he was missing a critical textbook from his studies. Upon realizing that the book he needed was in the landlord's room, he got up and walked out of the room. The dorm was mostly empty, save for Naru, who was in her room and Kitsune, who was nursing a hangover from drinking at the new bar and grill which had opened (surprisingly, she had paid for her tab).
When he reached the second floor, he ran into Chun Li outside the landlord's room. "Morning, Keitaro," she greeted him.
Keitaro nodded in greeting. "Good morning, Chun Li. I left a textbook for my exams in the landlord's room. Do you mind if I can go in and get it?"
"Go ahead," Chun Li replied.
Neither person knew that Naru was listening through the hole in the ceiling. At that moment, Naru decided that once Chun Li was out of the picture, then that perverted baka would have some explaining to do.
Meanwhile, outside, Keitaro continued to talk to Chun Li. "This place is looking a whole lot better."
"You can thank Ryu for that. He has a natural talent for carpentry. I helped though. Anyway, I won't keep you, Keitaro." Chun Li turned and walked away.
Keitaro walked into the room. After a few moments of rummaging through his desk, Keitaro found the study guide and exited the room. Naru, who was watching him leave, slid the board back and jumped down into the landlord's room.
She caught up with Keitaro halfway down the hall. "Stop right there, Keitaro."
Keitaro turned around. "What is it, Naru? I'm busy."
Naru marched up to Keitaro, anger being the dominant expression on the redhead's face. "What the hell were you thinking hiring Ryu and Chun Li as the landlords? You are supposed to be the landlord!"
Keitaro glared back at the woman, not showing any of his now-gone fear. "You got a lot of nerve to tell me what I should be doing, Naru. You are not in charge of this dorm. I am, and I stand by my decision."
"You saw what Ryu did to Motoko!" Naru half-shouted, remembering the duel. "He could have killed her! Why didn't you do something about that?!"
"Motoko had it coming sooner or later. Ryu should have knocked her out and then I wouldn't have to deal with you, Kitsune or that Kendo freak!" Keitaro shot back. "You three, in my opinion, are lucky that I decided to take a break. You and Motoko go on about how I should just leave this place, but I won't do that. You are tenants and I am the landlord, so I have the say over who stays and who goes. I should have evicted the lot of you months ago." Keitaro was now ranting. "You three are nothing but spoiled brats!"
"You fucking bastard!" Naru screamed, cocking one fist back and sent it hurling towards Keitaro.
What happened next was something that Naru wasn't expecting.
Keitaro raised his hand, knocking the Naru-punch to the side. When she tried to punch him again, Keitaro grabbed her wrist. In the back of his mind, he was thankful of the self-defense tricks that Haruka had taught him.
"I've had it up to here with your crap, Narusegawa," Keitaro said. "You're violent and mean, and you basically treat me as your personal punching bag after I bend over backwards to keep the dorm running and the tenants happy! You, Motoko, or Kitsune don't even lend a helping hand or even give me a 'thank-you!' I've had it! If you ever lay a hand on me again, I will personally throw you out of this dorm!"
Naru pulled her other fist back, preparing to eject Keitaro from the dorm herself.
However, a hand reached out, catching Naru's fist in an iron grip.
Not really thinking, Naru wrenched her other hand free from Keitaro, spun around and clocked the person who interfered. Much to her horror, her fist glanced off of Chun Li's face, rocking her head to the side, drawing blood from her lip.
Apparently, Chun Li had heard the argument from upstairs and went to investigate. Now, she was mad as hell. Her hands balled into fists as a vein pulsed in her head. Keitaro backed away from the older woman, and good timing too, since...
"Why you little..." Chun Li hissed through clenched teeth as she made her move.
KA-POW!
Chun Li didn't miss. The Uppercut from Hell caught Naru squarely in the jaw, snapping Naru's head back and propelling her into the air. Chun Li quickly followed with a powerful kick that sent her through Kitsune's door.
Kitsune, who was aroused from her nap by the argument, was now fully awake when Naru was sent flying through her door, followed by a furious Chun Li. Naru landed amongst the destroyed door, but Chun Li was already upon her. Grabbing the redheaded ronin by her hair, Chun Li pulled her to her feet and pinned her to the wall, one arm painfully twisted behind her back. Kitsune tried to intervene, but a death glare from Chun Li froze her in her tracks.
"I'm only going to say this once so listen up and listen good," Chun Li hissed, one hand holding Naru's arm while the other had a handful of her hair. "If you attack Keitaro one more time, and I hear about it, I will throw you out to the streets myself. I also got connections with the Tokyo police force here and I will personally see to it that you are arrested and tossed into the deepest hole on this side of the Pacific!" She pulled on Naru's hair, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment, destruction of private property, attempted murder, attempted manslaughter," Chun Li continued. "I can go on. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be an old woman by the time you get out of jail. Do you understand me?"
"YES!" Naru screamed, the pain now unbearable.
Chun Li threw Naru to the floor, the latter whimpering as she held her sore arm as she scampered back. "Ungrateful little bitch," Chun Li muttered as she stormed out of the room.
===
Several days had passed since Naru's confrontation with Keitaro and Chun Li. Since then, Naru has been avoiding Chun Li like the plague. The confrontation between the female landlord had been a rude awakening for her. No one had decked her like that before. Since then, Naru, Motoko and Kitsune had been conspiring to get rid of the two landlords by force. Unfortunately, their last plans had backfired, so the only choice they had was to stick out the remaining month, and once the month was over, Keitaro would return.
Motoko, despite her respect for Chun Li, still thought that Ryu had enchanted her into following his orders, but that was anything but. One thing that was for certain, Keitaro Urashima will have a lot to ask for once the two months were over.
Naru was outside again, sweeping the stone walkway. The bruises from Chun Li’s blows were healed, but the hatred for the Chinese martial artist was evident on her face. Inside the house, the voices of Keitaro, Haitani, Shirai and Kentaro were heard, laughing and talking among each other which inflamed Naru even further.
Motoko came from around the house, while Kitsune came from the Tea Shop with Haruka. Apparently, Haruka had heard about the incident with Chun Li and as usual, did nothing. "You had it coming," Haruka had told Naru, shrugging her shoulders.
"I told you, Kitsune," Haruka was saying. "It's out of my hands. I'm not the manager here. Although to tell you the truth, I'm actually impressed with my nephew."
"Impressed?" Kitsune repeated. "Granny Hina was a better landlord than your nephew."
Haruka turned to Kitsune upon reaching the landing. "That is a matter of opinion. But you, as well as Naru and Motoko have to realize that even though Keitaro is on the clumsy side, you can't go abusing and blackmailing him. You should have realized that despite the fact that Keitaro may forgive easily, but even he has a breaking point. If any case, you three got off lucky. Keitaro was considering throwing you three out and filing charges against the three of you. And to tell you the truth, I really don't blame him."
With that said, Haruka walked into the house. Naru and Motoko watched her departing figure. "Even Haruka has turned against us," Motoko said.
Naru huffed. "That perverted baka wouldn't have the guts to call the cops on us. After all the times he peeked on us, the cops are more liable to arrest him before us!"
"But he did show leniency in getting those two to act as our landlords," Motoko pointed out. "Maybe Haruka does have a point in us pushing Urashima over the edge. He may be a perverted male, but the last thing I want to do is go back to Kyoto in disgrace."
Before Kitsune could say something, someone interrupted their impromptu war council meeting.
"Excuse me, is this the Hinata House?" an accented voice asked in Japanese.
The three girls turned to the source of the voice. Two more women were standing there. The first had long brown hair, tied in a bun with several bangs hanging over their face. She had a body in which Kitsune could match, while the other girl had short chestnut brown hair which framed her face, and a petite figure. Both were dressed in black tanktops, combat fatigues and boots. The girls also noticed the red metal gauntlets on their arms.
"It is," Kitsune replied. "You two looking to rent a room?"
The brunette shook her head. "Actually, we came to see Ryu Hoshi and Chun Li Xiang. We came to settle up with them in battle."
Almost immediately, the three girls' faces were alight. "Really? They've put us through hell this past month and a half," Naru said.
Motoko nodded. "I agree. Although I have nothing against Chun Li, maybe upon defeating them, we can final throw them out of this dorm."
"And I can finally bring my sake back to the dorm," Kitsune said with relief.
The petite woman chuckled lightly. "You misunderstand, miss. We are not here to help you throw them out. We are here to kill them."
That stopped the three girls cold. Even though she disliked them, killing them was a bit extreme, even to Naru. "Run that by us again?"
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the brunette said. "I am Juli."
"And I am Juni," the shorthaired girl replied.
Naru and Kitsune paled. They have heard these names from Ryu and Chun Li before. At that moment, Haruka came out of the dorm. "What's going on?" she demanded.
Naru turned to Haruka. "Haruka, we got problems!"
Juli sighed. "Oh, dear. We came only for Ryu and Chun Li, but this changes things. You know what we look like and you know what our intentions are. I'm sorry, but we can't leave any witnesses." The look on her face chilled Naru to the bones. "All of you must die."
Before Haruka could say anything, she saw Suu and Sara from their place on the roof, and immediately knew what they were planning. "Sara, Suu, no!"
Too late. Suu and Sara were already in the air, Suu's foot outstretched in a diving kick, heading for Juni, while Sara had a clay artifact raised over her head. To the girls and Haruka's horror, Juni merely countered by performing a vicious Thrust Kick, knocking the Molmolian princess back, while Sara was decked by Juni.
Haruka turned to Kitsune while Naru and Motoko attacked. "Find Ryu and Chun Li! Now!"
Kitsune rushed inside. Meanwhile, Naru charged in and threw a Super Naru Punch at Juli. Juli merely parried the blow and backhanded the ronin, sending her to the ground. Motoko, armed with a bokken attempted a Hiken Zankuusen on Juni, who leapt over the attack, landing behind Motoko. Motoko felt Juni's hands wrap around her waist before she was suplexed onto the hard stone pathway.
With Naru down, Haruka and Motoko attacked. As long as she had known the female Urashima, Motoko had suspected that Haruka had martial arts training, and seeing her fight had verified it.
===
Kitsune found Ryu and Chun Li inside the changing room. The pair had just finished their bath together and were fully dressed, Ryu in a black tanktop and white gi pants while Chun Li wore her one-piece tracksuit when Kitsune came running in.
"What do you want, Konno?" Ryu demanded.
"There are two women outside," Kitsune replied, out of breath. "They want to kill you!"
"That's nothing new," Chun Li replied shrugging her shoulders. "What are their names?"
"Juli and Juni," Kitsune said. "Motoko and Haruka are fighting them."
The couple's reaction was automatic. "Get everyone inside and call the police," Ryu ordered. "We'll handle this." They rushed towards the common room, where Keitaro and the others were watching the battle from the safety of the common area. Thankfully, Mutsumi had fainted earlier and was stretched out on the couch.
Keitaro at the moment saw the downed Suu and Sara. He started to rush out, but was held back by Sakura. "Keitaro, no! Let Ryu and Chun Li deal with this!"
Before Keitaro could reply, Naru's unconscious form was sent flying through the sliding door, crashing into both the vacationing manager and the Ansatsuken trainee. Ryu and Chun Li moved out of the way as the three slid across the floor. The two assassins were still fighting Motoko and Haruka as Chun Li and Ryu stepped outside.
===
Haruka may have been trained by Hina, but Juli and had the upper hand. Motoko had her bokken broken by Juni and was knocked back. Before Juni could attack Haruka, Ryu came in with a hard jump kick to the face, knocking her back. Distracted, Juni saw Ryu's arrival and Chun Li came in with a vicious right cross, knocking Juli back.
Chun Li looked at the downed girls, especially Suu and Sara. "They...are...only...children!" she yelled.
Without turning to Haruka, Ryu said, "Get the girls inside and stay there. Leave this to us."
Haruka nodded and with the help of Motoko, had taken Suu and Sara back into the house, closing and locking the door behind them.
Juni shrugged her shoulders. "Children or not, it makes no difference to us. Civilian casualties are a way of life. You should have seen this coming, Inspector," she said, addressing Chun Li by her Interpol title.
"You took everything from us," Juli continued. "Our father is gone. Everything that we ever knew is gone."
"Bison is not your father," Ryu replied coldly. "You attacked innocent people."
"Innocent?" Juni scoffed. "When we kill them, as well as the both of you, it will serve as a reminder to all who crossed those whose ties are with Shadowlaw."
The four went into their fighting stances; Chun Li squaring off against Juli while Juni faced Ryu.
Then the battle began.
In perfect synch, Juli and Juni charged at their opponents. Juli went high with a Sniping Arrow, while Juni went low with a Spiral Arrow. Chun Li ducked while Ryu flipped over the attacks. Spinning back around, they saw that Juli and Juni had both recovered and were closing in. Knowing full well that they would attack first, Ryu and Chun Li went on the defensive.
===
Inside Hinata House, Shinobu was on the phone with the police while the battle continued outside. "Yes. Hinata House, Hinata City, Kanagawa. Please hurry." She hung up the phone and turned to the others. Mutsumi was still passed out on the couch while Keitaro, Kitsune and Haruka tended to a whimpering Suu and Sara. Naru was still out cold and Sakura was keeping an eye on her.
Haitani and Shirai looked outside and saw the fight. "Whoa! Who's the two foreign babes fighting Ryu and Chun Li?" Shirai asked.
Haruka grabbed both boys by the back of their necks and pulled them back. "Stay inside, if you want to live to see tomorrow," Haruka sternly ordered, a fresh cigarette hanging from her lips. She looked like hell, and neither boy was going to argue with her.
Motoko, in the meantime, had left the common room, heading up the stairs toward her room.
===
Outside, Ryu and Chun Li were fighting not only for themselves, but for the lives of those inside Hinata House. Ryu knew that Chun Li could take care of herself, allowing him to completely focus on Juni.
The Ansatsuken fighter winced slightly as he blocked a blow from the shorthaired assassin, the heavy gauntlets striking against his arms. He would definitely have bruises from those when this fight was over.
Juli, in the meantime, had leapt into the air, wrapping her legs around Chun Li's head. Using her leg strength, the former Shadowlaw assassin flung Chun Li across the stone pathway, causing the former Interpol agent to land hard on the ground. Luckily, she missed the stone path; otherwise, something would have definitely been broken.
'They've gotten better,' Chun Li thought as Juli closed in. The Chinese martial artist rolled out of the way, avoiding Juli's boot, the foot hitting the ground where Chun Li's head was at moments earlier. Chun Li then knocked the brunette off her feet with a power foot sweep. Once Juli was on her back, Chun Li spun around again, this time catching her across her face with her other foot.
Juni, in the meantime, was behind Ryu. Wrapping her arms around Ryu's waist, she attempted to suplex him, but Ryu, having been suplexed one too many times (mostly by Guile), and reacted automatically. Ryu snapped his elbow back, catching Juni full in the face. When Juni released her hold on him, Ryu spun around, only to be knocked to the stone path by the Thrust Kick.
As Juni flipped back to the ground, she saw that Ryu had gotten back to his feet. She was helpless for his next move.
"Shouryuken!"
Ryu didn't miss. The Dragon Punch knocked the air out of Juni as the Japanese fighter's fist slammed into the petite's woman torso, knocking her back.
Juli looked up and saw her partner being knocked back. Bad move on her part, for when she turned back to Chun Li...
"Spinning Bird Kick!"
Juli's head was rocked to the side as Chun Li flipped into a handstand, legs stretched out in a perfect split, spinning, her outstretched feet catching Juni in the face several times. One, two, three, four, five times before spinning to the ground.
From her position on the second floor, Motoko, having retrieved the Hina Blade, watched as the fight continued. As she continued to watch the two interim landlords fight the would-be assassins, she was thinking to herself.
'They would risk their lives for us. This is what Oneesan was talking about. This is what she meant by telling me that the highest of distinctions is service towards others.'
Knowing full well that Haruka would stop her should she try the front entrance, Motoko quickly went through the back door, thus bypassing the elder Urashima and the others.
Outside, the battle continued as the residents of Hinata House watched from inside.
As they watched the battle, they saw Ryu slowly gaining the upper hand on Juni. The Ansatsuken master and Juni traded blows, but even with the gauntlets on, it wasn't enough for Juli to topple Ryu.
Having enough of the gauntlets Ryu caught Juni's right fist and yanked the gauntlet off, before doing the same with her left hand when she tried to punch him. Holding the gauntlet in one hand, Ryu backhanded Juni with it, and Juni responded with another roundhouse kick to his face. Ryu came back with a punch which caused Juni to stagger. Juni quickly shook it off and attacked Ryu, trying to catch him in the face, but Ryu caught her fist with one hand, kicked her in the gut, and then flipped her over, the petite woman landing on her ass.
Ryu decided that it was time to finish this little dance. He felt his ki surge into his fists, his veins pulsing in his arms as he moved in for the kill. Juni hopped to her feet, and saw Ryu coming, but it was too late.
"Shin..."
Crack.
Juni felt her ribs break from the monstrous impact of Ryu's right fist slamming into her right side.
Crunch.
The petite woman's eyes bulged as she coughed up blood as Ryu's other fist slammed into her other side. "Sho...ryu...KEN!"
KRACK!
Ryu's fist met Juni's jaw, propelling her into the air. Ryu landed on his feet while Juni landed on her back, moaning, holding her sides. She was out for the count.
Meanwhile, Chun Li was on the offensive. Juli had came at her with another Sniping Arrow. Chun Li, however, jumped straight up, legs stretched into a vertical split, the outstretched foot catching the brunette full in the face, knocking her to the ground. That didn't stop Juli, as she was back on her feet and attacked Chun Li once again. But the former Interpol agent was now on the offensive.
Punches to the face, followed by a volley of kicks anywhere there was an opening. Chun Li then concluded the assault with a vertical split kick which launched Juli into the air. It was all the time Chun Li needed for...
"Kikou...shou!!"
Chun Li unleashed a concentrated, yet incredibly powerful ki blast, which caught Juli and sent her flying not too far where Juni was still moaning on the ground.
As Chun Li looked at her handiwork, Ryu approached her. Nearly out or reflex, Chun Li tried to deck him, but Ryu caught her wrist. "Calm down. It's only me," he said. "Are you okay?"
Chun Li nodded. She was bruised, and Ryu looked no better than she did. "I'm fine."
What they didn't notice was Juli staggering to her feet. They did, however, heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked and turned. Juli was holding a pistol, aimed at the victorious couple. With the way she had it aimed; the shot would have been lethal.
Ryu held onto Chun Li and spun so that he would be the one to take the bullet. Instead, fate intervened.
"Hiken Zankuusen!"
Juli was struck by a massive wall of ki energy, which lifted her off the ground and sent her slamming into the side of a tree, the gun clattering across the stone pathway. Motoko had arrived just in time to see the final moments of the battle. She saw that Juli was going to gun down the couple in cold blood, and quickly reacted.
The couple looked at the fallen Dolls, then at Motoko, still gripping the Hina Blade in her hand, and realized what had happened. The Shinmei Ryu heiress had saved them both.
The battle was over. Hinata House was safe.
===
The police, as well as Interpol was on the scene. Juni was taken to the hospital under heavy guard, while Juli was led away in handcuffs. Inside the common room, Ryu, Chun Li and the others were getting their wounds treated by the medics.
It was there they received an unexpected guest. A petite woman, with blonde hair twisted into pigtails.
"Good to know that you two are still on top of your game," Cammy White remarked dryly as she stood before the battered couple, arms folded.
"You're working for Interpol now?" Chun Li asked.
Cammy shook her head. "Actually, I was working with them in trying to track the Dolls down. When I found out that they were coming after you, I took the earliest flight down here. Looks like I missed the reunion." She looked around. "I thought you were opening up a dojo."
"We are," Ryu replied as a medic worked on bandaging his arm. "This is only temporary."
"Anyway, I'm glad you two are okay," Cammy replied. "Do you know how much paperwork this saves me? You do know that the police and the I.C.P.O. need your statements, right?"
Chun Li nodded. "I know the drill. We'll give it to them tomorrow."
After Cammy had left, Naru, Motoko and Kitsune entered the room. With the exception of Kitsune, Naru and Motoko were bandaged up. Ryu looked at the trio. "What is it now?"
Naru spoke up. "We...we owe you two an apology. We've been acting like complete jerks ever since you showed up. And today...even after all that we've put you two through, you defended us. You saved our lives."
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "It was the right thing to do."
Naru turned to Chun Li and extended her hand. "Truce?"
Chun Li shook it. "Truce."
With that, things have finally calmed down at Hinata House. For the moment, anyway. Nevertheless, Naru, Motoko and Kitsune had learned a valuable lesson in humility and sacrifice. One that will change how they treat their manager upon his return.
A month passed since Ryu and Chun Li have taken over Hinata House. Since then, the dorm's appearances have begun to change for the better, thanks to Ryu's carpentry skills. However, to Naru, Motoko and Kitsune, it was as if the dorm had fallen under a virtual dictatorship. They refuse to admit that they had did anything wrong to Keitaro and had tried to abuse Ryu and Chun Li the way they did with Keitaro, but had failed miserably.
Mutsumi and the three younger residents of Hinata House had no problem with the interim managers. But to Naru and Motoko, having to clean the house while Kitsune paid Keitaro back every piece of yen she had swindled and blackmailed from him was starting to become too much. On top of that the resident fox of Hinata House was also barred from drinking at Haruka's teashop, as well as some of the local bars in the neighborhood, due to the large bar tabs she rang up. Whenever Kitsune wasn't drunk, she would whine, which fell on deaf ears.
===
One day, Keitaro was studying in his room, which was on the third floor when he realized that he was missing a critical textbook from his studies. Upon realizing that the book he needed was in the landlord's room, he got up and walked out of the room. The dorm was mostly empty, save for Naru, who was in her room and Kitsune, who was nursing a hangover from drinking at the new bar and grill which had opened (surprisingly, she had paid for her tab).
When he reached the second floor, he ran into Chun Li outside the landlord's room. "Morning, Keitaro," she greeted him.
Keitaro nodded in greeting. "Good morning, Chun Li. I left a textbook for my exams in the landlord's room. Do you mind if I can go in and get it?"
"Go ahead," Chun Li replied.
Neither person knew that Naru was listening through the hole in the ceiling. At that moment, Naru decided that once Chun Li was out of the picture, then that perverted baka would have some explaining to do.
Meanwhile, outside, Keitaro continued to talk to Chun Li. "This place is looking a whole lot better."
"You can thank Ryu for that. He has a natural talent for carpentry. I helped though. Anyway, I won't keep you, Keitaro." Chun Li turned and walked away.
Keitaro walked into the room. After a few moments of rummaging through his desk, Keitaro found the study guide and exited the room. Naru, who was watching him leave, slid the board back and jumped down into the landlord's room.
She caught up with Keitaro halfway down the hall. "Stop right there, Keitaro."
Keitaro turned around. "What is it, Naru? I'm busy."
Naru marched up to Keitaro, anger being the dominant expression on the redhead's face. "What the hell were you thinking hiring Ryu and Chun Li as the landlords? You are supposed to be the landlord!"
Keitaro glared back at the woman, not showing any of his now-gone fear. "You got a lot of nerve to tell me what I should be doing, Naru. You are not in charge of this dorm. I am, and I stand by my decision."
"You saw what Ryu did to Motoko!" Naru half-shouted, remembering the duel. "He could have killed her! Why didn't you do something about that?!"
"Motoko had it coming sooner or later. Ryu should have knocked her out and then I wouldn't have to deal with you, Kitsune or that Kendo freak!" Keitaro shot back. "You three, in my opinion, are lucky that I decided to take a break. You and Motoko go on about how I should just leave this place, but I won't do that. You are tenants and I am the landlord, so I have the say over who stays and who goes. I should have evicted the lot of you months ago." Keitaro was now ranting. "You three are nothing but spoiled brats!"
"You fucking bastard!" Naru screamed, cocking one fist back and sent it hurling towards Keitaro.
What happened next was something that Naru wasn't expecting.
Keitaro raised his hand, knocking the Naru-punch to the side. When she tried to punch him again, Keitaro grabbed her wrist. In the back of his mind, he was thankful of the self-defense tricks that Haruka had taught him.
"I've had it up to here with your crap, Narusegawa," Keitaro said. "You're violent and mean, and you basically treat me as your personal punching bag after I bend over backwards to keep the dorm running and the tenants happy! You, Motoko, or Kitsune don't even lend a helping hand or even give me a 'thank-you!' I've had it! If you ever lay a hand on me again, I will personally throw you out of this dorm!"
Naru pulled her other fist back, preparing to eject Keitaro from the dorm herself.
However, a hand reached out, catching Naru's fist in an iron grip.
Not really thinking, Naru wrenched her other hand free from Keitaro, spun around and clocked the person who interfered. Much to her horror, her fist glanced off of Chun Li's face, rocking her head to the side, drawing blood from her lip.
Apparently, Chun Li had heard the argument from upstairs and went to investigate. Now, she was mad as hell. Her hands balled into fists as a vein pulsed in her head. Keitaro backed away from the older woman, and good timing too, since...
"Why you little..." Chun Li hissed through clenched teeth as she made her move.
KA-POW!
Chun Li didn't miss. The Uppercut from Hell caught Naru squarely in the jaw, snapping Naru's head back and propelling her into the air. Chun Li quickly followed with a powerful kick that sent her through Kitsune's door.
Kitsune, who was aroused from her nap by the argument, was now fully awake when Naru was sent flying through her door, followed by a furious Chun Li. Naru landed amongst the destroyed door, but Chun Li was already upon her. Grabbing the redheaded ronin by her hair, Chun Li pulled her to her feet and pinned her to the wall, one arm painfully twisted behind her back. Kitsune tried to intervene, but a death glare from Chun Li froze her in her tracks.
"I'm only going to say this once so listen up and listen good," Chun Li hissed, one hand holding Naru's arm while the other had a handful of her hair. "If you attack Keitaro one more time, and I hear about it, I will throw you out to the streets myself. I also got connections with the Tokyo police force here and I will personally see to it that you are arrested and tossed into the deepest hole on this side of the Pacific!" She pulled on Naru's hair, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Assault in the first degree, reckless endangerment, destruction of private property, attempted murder, attempted manslaughter," Chun Li continued. "I can go on. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll be an old woman by the time you get out of jail. Do you understand me?"
"YES!" Naru screamed, the pain now unbearable.
Chun Li threw Naru to the floor, the latter whimpering as she held her sore arm as she scampered back. "Ungrateful little bitch," Chun Li muttered as she stormed out of the room.
===
Several days had passed since Naru's confrontation with Keitaro and Chun Li. Since then, Naru has been avoiding Chun Li like the plague. The confrontation between the female landlord had been a rude awakening for her. No one had decked her like that before. Since then, Naru, Motoko and Kitsune had been conspiring to get rid of the two landlords by force. Unfortunately, their last plans had backfired, so the only choice they had was to stick out the remaining month, and once the month was over, Keitaro would return.
Motoko, despite her respect for Chun Li, still thought that Ryu had enchanted her into following his orders, but that was anything but. One thing that was for certain, Keitaro Urashima will have a lot to ask for once the two months were over.
Naru was outside again, sweeping the stone walkway. The bruises from Chun Li’s blows were healed, but the hatred for the Chinese martial artist was evident on her face. Inside the house, the voices of Keitaro, Haitani, Shirai and Kentaro were heard, laughing and talking among each other which inflamed Naru even further.
Motoko came from around the house, while Kitsune came from the Tea Shop with Haruka. Apparently, Haruka had heard about the incident with Chun Li and as usual, did nothing. "You had it coming," Haruka had told Naru, shrugging her shoulders.
"I told you, Kitsune," Haruka was saying. "It's out of my hands. I'm not the manager here. Although to tell you the truth, I'm actually impressed with my nephew."
"Impressed?" Kitsune repeated. "Granny Hina was a better landlord than your nephew."
Haruka turned to Kitsune upon reaching the landing. "That is a matter of opinion. But you, as well as Naru and Motoko have to realize that even though Keitaro is on the clumsy side, you can't go abusing and blackmailing him. You should have realized that despite the fact that Keitaro may forgive easily, but even he has a breaking point. If any case, you three got off lucky. Keitaro was considering throwing you three out and filing charges against the three of you. And to tell you the truth, I really don't blame him."
With that said, Haruka walked into the house. Naru and Motoko watched her departing figure. "Even Haruka has turned against us," Motoko said.
Naru huffed. "That perverted baka wouldn't have the guts to call the cops on us. After all the times he peeked on us, the cops are more liable to arrest him before us!"
"But he did show leniency in getting those two to act as our landlords," Motoko pointed out. "Maybe Haruka does have a point in us pushing Urashima over the edge. He may be a perverted male, but the last thing I want to do is go back to Kyoto in disgrace."
Before Kitsune could say something, someone interrupted their impromptu war council meeting.
"Excuse me, is this the Hinata House?" an accented voice asked in Japanese.
The three girls turned to the source of the voice. Two more women were standing there. The first had long brown hair, tied in a bun with several bangs hanging over their face. She had a body in which Kitsune could match, while the other girl had short chestnut brown hair which framed her face, and a petite figure. Both were dressed in black tanktops, combat fatigues and boots. The girls also noticed the red metal gauntlets on their arms.
"It is," Kitsune replied. "You two looking to rent a room?"
The brunette shook her head. "Actually, we came to see Ryu Hoshi and Chun Li Xiang. We came to settle up with them in battle."
Almost immediately, the three girls' faces were alight. "Really? They've put us through hell this past month and a half," Naru said.
Motoko nodded. "I agree. Although I have nothing against Chun Li, maybe upon defeating them, we can final throw them out of this dorm."
"And I can finally bring my sake back to the dorm," Kitsune said with relief.
The petite woman chuckled lightly. "You misunderstand, miss. We are not here to help you throw them out. We are here to kill them."
That stopped the three girls cold. Even though she disliked them, killing them was a bit extreme, even to Naru. "Run that by us again?"
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," the brunette said. "I am Juli."
"And I am Juni," the shorthaired girl replied.
Naru and Kitsune paled. They have heard these names from Ryu and Chun Li before. At that moment, Haruka came out of the dorm. "What's going on?" she demanded.
Naru turned to Haruka. "Haruka, we got problems!"
Juli sighed. "Oh, dear. We came only for Ryu and Chun Li, but this changes things. You know what we look like and you know what our intentions are. I'm sorry, but we can't leave any witnesses." The look on her face chilled Naru to the bones. "All of you must die."
Before Haruka could say anything, she saw Suu and Sara from their place on the roof, and immediately knew what they were planning. "Sara, Suu, no!"
Too late. Suu and Sara were already in the air, Suu's foot outstretched in a diving kick, heading for Juni, while Sara had a clay artifact raised over her head. To the girls and Haruka's horror, Juni merely countered by performing a vicious Thrust Kick, knocking the Molmolian princess back, while Sara was decked by Juni.
Haruka turned to Kitsune while Naru and Motoko attacked. "Find Ryu and Chun Li! Now!"
Kitsune rushed inside. Meanwhile, Naru charged in and threw a Super Naru Punch at Juli. Juli merely parried the blow and backhanded the ronin, sending her to the ground. Motoko, armed with a bokken attempted a Hiken Zankuusen on Juni, who leapt over the attack, landing behind Motoko. Motoko felt Juni's hands wrap around her waist before she was suplexed onto the hard stone pathway.
With Naru down, Haruka and Motoko attacked. As long as she had known the female Urashima, Motoko had suspected that Haruka had martial arts training, and seeing her fight had verified it.
===
Kitsune found Ryu and Chun Li inside the changing room. The pair had just finished their bath together and were fully dressed, Ryu in a black tanktop and white gi pants while Chun Li wore her one-piece tracksuit when Kitsune came running in.
"What do you want, Konno?" Ryu demanded.
"There are two women outside," Kitsune replied, out of breath. "They want to kill you!"
"That's nothing new," Chun Li replied shrugging her shoulders. "What are their names?"
"Juli and Juni," Kitsune said. "Motoko and Haruka are fighting them."
The couple's reaction was automatic. "Get everyone inside and call the police," Ryu ordered. "We'll handle this." They rushed towards the common room, where Keitaro and the others were watching the battle from the safety of the common area. Thankfully, Mutsumi had fainted earlier and was stretched out on the couch.
Keitaro at the moment saw the downed Suu and Sara. He started to rush out, but was held back by Sakura. "Keitaro, no! Let Ryu and Chun Li deal with this!"
Before Keitaro could reply, Naru's unconscious form was sent flying through the sliding door, crashing into both the vacationing manager and the Ansatsuken trainee. Ryu and Chun Li moved out of the way as the three slid across the floor. The two assassins were still fighting Motoko and Haruka as Chun Li and Ryu stepped outside.
===
Haruka may have been trained by Hina, but Juli and had the upper hand. Motoko had her bokken broken by Juni and was knocked back. Before Juni could attack Haruka, Ryu came in with a hard jump kick to the face, knocking her back. Distracted, Juni saw Ryu's arrival and Chun Li came in with a vicious right cross, knocking Juli back.
Chun Li looked at the downed girls, especially Suu and Sara. "They...are...only...children!" she yelled.
Without turning to Haruka, Ryu said, "Get the girls inside and stay there. Leave this to us."
Haruka nodded and with the help of Motoko, had taken Suu and Sara back into the house, closing and locking the door behind them.
Juni shrugged her shoulders. "Children or not, it makes no difference to us. Civilian casualties are a way of life. You should have seen this coming, Inspector," she said, addressing Chun Li by her Interpol title.
"You took everything from us," Juli continued. "Our father is gone. Everything that we ever knew is gone."
"Bison is not your father," Ryu replied coldly. "You attacked innocent people."
"Innocent?" Juni scoffed. "When we kill them, as well as the both of you, it will serve as a reminder to all who crossed those whose ties are with Shadowlaw."
The four went into their fighting stances; Chun Li squaring off against Juli while Juni faced Ryu.
Then the battle began.
In perfect synch, Juli and Juni charged at their opponents. Juli went high with a Sniping Arrow, while Juni went low with a Spiral Arrow. Chun Li ducked while Ryu flipped over the attacks. Spinning back around, they saw that Juli and Juni had both recovered and were closing in. Knowing full well that they would attack first, Ryu and Chun Li went on the defensive.
===
Inside Hinata House, Shinobu was on the phone with the police while the battle continued outside. "Yes. Hinata House, Hinata City, Kanagawa. Please hurry." She hung up the phone and turned to the others. Mutsumi was still passed out on the couch while Keitaro, Kitsune and Haruka tended to a whimpering Suu and Sara. Naru was still out cold and Sakura was keeping an eye on her.
Haitani and Shirai looked outside and saw the fight. "Whoa! Who's the two foreign babes fighting Ryu and Chun Li?" Shirai asked.
Haruka grabbed both boys by the back of their necks and pulled them back. "Stay inside, if you want to live to see tomorrow," Haruka sternly ordered, a fresh cigarette hanging from her lips. She looked like hell, and neither boy was going to argue with her.
Motoko, in the meantime, had left the common room, heading up the stairs toward her room.
===
Outside, Ryu and Chun Li were fighting not only for themselves, but for the lives of those inside Hinata House. Ryu knew that Chun Li could take care of herself, allowing him to completely focus on Juni.
The Ansatsuken fighter winced slightly as he blocked a blow from the shorthaired assassin, the heavy gauntlets striking against his arms. He would definitely have bruises from those when this fight was over.
Juli, in the meantime, had leapt into the air, wrapping her legs around Chun Li's head. Using her leg strength, the former Shadowlaw assassin flung Chun Li across the stone pathway, causing the former Interpol agent to land hard on the ground. Luckily, she missed the stone path; otherwise, something would have definitely been broken.
'They've gotten better,' Chun Li thought as Juli closed in. The Chinese martial artist rolled out of the way, avoiding Juli's boot, the foot hitting the ground where Chun Li's head was at moments earlier. Chun Li then knocked the brunette off her feet with a power foot sweep. Once Juli was on her back, Chun Li spun around again, this time catching her across her face with her other foot.
Juni, in the meantime, was behind Ryu. Wrapping her arms around Ryu's waist, she attempted to suplex him, but Ryu, having been suplexed one too many times (mostly by Guile), and reacted automatically. Ryu snapped his elbow back, catching Juni full in the face. When Juni released her hold on him, Ryu spun around, only to be knocked to the stone path by the Thrust Kick.
As Juni flipped back to the ground, she saw that Ryu had gotten back to his feet. She was helpless for his next move.
"Shouryuken!"
Ryu didn't miss. The Dragon Punch knocked the air out of Juni as the Japanese fighter's fist slammed into the petite's woman torso, knocking her back.
Juli looked up and saw her partner being knocked back. Bad move on her part, for when she turned back to Chun Li...
"Spinning Bird Kick!"
Juli's head was rocked to the side as Chun Li flipped into a handstand, legs stretched out in a perfect split, spinning, her outstretched feet catching Juni in the face several times. One, two, three, four, five times before spinning to the ground.
From her position on the second floor, Motoko, having retrieved the Hina Blade, watched as the fight continued. As she continued to watch the two interim landlords fight the would-be assassins, she was thinking to herself.
'They would risk their lives for us. This is what Oneesan was talking about. This is what she meant by telling me that the highest of distinctions is service towards others.'
Knowing full well that Haruka would stop her should she try the front entrance, Motoko quickly went through the back door, thus bypassing the elder Urashima and the others.
Outside, the battle continued as the residents of Hinata House watched from inside.
As they watched the battle, they saw Ryu slowly gaining the upper hand on Juni. The Ansatsuken master and Juni traded blows, but even with the gauntlets on, it wasn't enough for Juli to topple Ryu.
Having enough of the gauntlets Ryu caught Juni's right fist and yanked the gauntlet off, before doing the same with her left hand when she tried to punch him. Holding the gauntlet in one hand, Ryu backhanded Juni with it, and Juni responded with another roundhouse kick to his face. Ryu came back with a punch which caused Juni to stagger. Juni quickly shook it off and attacked Ryu, trying to catch him in the face, but Ryu caught her fist with one hand, kicked her in the gut, and then flipped her over, the petite woman landing on her ass.
Ryu decided that it was time to finish this little dance. He felt his ki surge into his fists, his veins pulsing in his arms as he moved in for the kill. Juni hopped to her feet, and saw Ryu coming, but it was too late.
"Shin..."
Crack.
Juni felt her ribs break from the monstrous impact of Ryu's right fist slamming into her right side.
Crunch.
The petite woman's eyes bulged as she coughed up blood as Ryu's other fist slammed into her other side. "Sho...ryu...KEN!"
KRACK!
Ryu's fist met Juni's jaw, propelling her into the air. Ryu landed on his feet while Juni landed on her back, moaning, holding her sides. She was out for the count.
Meanwhile, Chun Li was on the offensive. Juli had came at her with another Sniping Arrow. Chun Li, however, jumped straight up, legs stretched into a vertical split, the outstretched foot catching the brunette full in the face, knocking her to the ground. That didn't stop Juli, as she was back on her feet and attacked Chun Li once again. But the former Interpol agent was now on the offensive.
Punches to the face, followed by a volley of kicks anywhere there was an opening. Chun Li then concluded the assault with a vertical split kick which launched Juli into the air. It was all the time Chun Li needed for...
"Kikou...shou!!"
Chun Li unleashed a concentrated, yet incredibly powerful ki blast, which caught Juli and sent her flying not too far where Juni was still moaning on the ground.
As Chun Li looked at her handiwork, Ryu approached her. Nearly out or reflex, Chun Li tried to deck him, but Ryu caught her wrist. "Calm down. It's only me," he said. "Are you okay?"
Chun Li nodded. She was bruised, and Ryu looked no better than she did. "I'm fine."
What they didn't notice was Juli staggering to her feet. They did, however, heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked and turned. Juli was holding a pistol, aimed at the victorious couple. With the way she had it aimed; the shot would have been lethal.
Ryu held onto Chun Li and spun so that he would be the one to take the bullet. Instead, fate intervened.
"Hiken Zankuusen!"
Juli was struck by a massive wall of ki energy, which lifted her off the ground and sent her slamming into the side of a tree, the gun clattering across the stone pathway. Motoko had arrived just in time to see the final moments of the battle. She saw that Juli was going to gun down the couple in cold blood, and quickly reacted.
The couple looked at the fallen Dolls, then at Motoko, still gripping the Hina Blade in her hand, and realized what had happened. The Shinmei Ryu heiress had saved them both.
The battle was over. Hinata House was safe.
===
The police, as well as Interpol was on the scene. Juni was taken to the hospital under heavy guard, while Juli was led away in handcuffs. Inside the common room, Ryu, Chun Li and the others were getting their wounds treated by the medics.
It was there they received an unexpected guest. A petite woman, with blonde hair twisted into pigtails.
"Good to know that you two are still on top of your game," Cammy White remarked dryly as she stood before the battered couple, arms folded.
"You're working for Interpol now?" Chun Li asked.
Cammy shook her head. "Actually, I was working with them in trying to track the Dolls down. When I found out that they were coming after you, I took the earliest flight down here. Looks like I missed the reunion." She looked around. "I thought you were opening up a dojo."
"We are," Ryu replied as a medic worked on bandaging his arm. "This is only temporary."
"Anyway, I'm glad you two are okay," Cammy replied. "Do you know how much paperwork this saves me? You do know that the police and the I.C.P.O. need your statements, right?"
Chun Li nodded. "I know the drill. We'll give it to them tomorrow."
After Cammy had left, Naru, Motoko and Kitsune entered the room. With the exception of Kitsune, Naru and Motoko were bandaged up. Ryu looked at the trio. "What is it now?"
Naru spoke up. "We...we owe you two an apology. We've been acting like complete jerks ever since you showed up. And today...even after all that we've put you two through, you defended us. You saved our lives."
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "It was the right thing to do."
Naru turned to Chun Li and extended her hand. "Truce?"
Chun Li shook it. "Truce."
With that, things have finally calmed down at Hinata House. For the moment, anyway. Nevertheless, Naru, Motoko and Kitsune had learned a valuable lesson in humility and sacrifice. One that will change how they treat their manager upon his return.