Kodachi had spent an hour playing the game, trying to find something within the characters to ... alleviate ... her own tensions about what she was. Even little children who were there filled her in on the characters of this ‘Darkstalkers’ arcade game, as well as the various animes made from it.
She had to admit, she could relate to the character of Hsien-Ko in some ways. Could she turn her curse into a weapon, a tool to fight the demons that had played their part in creating her?
Or would she be consumed by it? The game had two royal characters, one determined to rule his realm and who saw humans as vulgar trash, another who just wanted to enjoy life, with no regard for duties.
“To think a simple game could mimic true life in such a way,” she said, as she completed yet another high level move, and defeated her current opponent; a twelve-year-old boy.
“Wow, lady, you’re good,” he said in awe.
“I owe it to my training as a Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics,” admitted Kodachi. “It made my mind and skills sharp enough to figure out what would work to defeat my opponent.”
The boy nodded, mentally deciding to bug his mother for lessons in that style when he got home. “I gotta go now; I promised my mom I’d be home by three. See ya, Lady.”
Kodachi nodded, watching the boy go, before she turned back to the game. “Such an innocent child,” she said.
She mentally wondered if she had ever been that innocent, the distraction ruining her perfect score for this round.
“But am I truly capable of protecting the innocent?” she wondered, as she began a mega-combo move.
“Oh, Azusa like that one!” cried the girl, as she looked on as Ranma and Nabiki went over their weapons, to see what would work for the hyperactive skater.
Ranma held the small curved blades along the side of Azusa’s rollerblades. “So you think we should be a bit worried about these APD guys?”
“Does that come in pink?”
“Maybe,” said Nabiki. “I’m more interested in how they could have found out about us.”
“Has anyone seen Little Charlotte?”
“Senshi?”
“Can I paint the blades pink?”
Nabiki nodded towards Ranma. “Makes sense, they’re the only ones who really know we aren’t human, aside from everyone they blabbed to at school now. If not them, then someone else because they gave credence to Kuno’s rantings. Otherwise, they would have come for you.”
Ranma nodded, looking over some spiked gloves.
“Oh, Little Azusa will be a great Vampire Slayer!”
The two slightly undead sighed at her continued delusions.
“So if they only want me, then we assume they don’t know about what the Senshi discovered,” said Ranma. “And if they want both of us...”
“Then we might have to be very worried,” finished Nabiki.
“Nabiki, phone!” yelled Kasumi out to the Dojo.
“I better get that,” said Nabiki, standing up.
Ranma nodded. “Yeah, we got about an hour before this APD guy shows up. Make it quick.”
“Hello?”
“Boss, you got the TV on?” asked the voice of Yuki, one of her lieutenants.
“No. Why?”
“They have some footage on that they found on the net. Seems like someone got some primo battle footage of the Phantom and the Lady in White fighting some people.
“Boss? Hello?”
“RANMA!” yelled Nabiki.
Sir Integral Hellsing sat in a private jet, bound for the Land of the Rising Sun. The locals’ interest in the new vampires had forced her hand, making a face-to-face interview necessary. If they did not literally roll out the red carpet for the two new vampires, they could and would lose a valuable asset.
She rarely liked to leave Hellsing nowadays, there were more than enough rivals and enemies who would and could take advantage of such a situation.
But the possible rewards were just as great.
Officially, she was going to help ‘formally set up the joint operational task force between Hellsing and the APD to better provide for an effective counter-force against an arising threat.’
Unofficially, she was going there to offer a true voice in power to the fledgling vampires in the hopes they would sign with them. If not that, then at least a work out a program where she would also have access to them as field operatives. Of course, that might mean making deals with the APD and strengthening ties to the point where bureaucracy would begin to form.
And she so hated bureaucracy.
Plus, she had many unanswered questions that she needed to have answered.
Two new vampires with abilities never before seen or heard, a healing factor one had, but that her Master might also be able to use...
A girl that seemed to be a plant-based entity, changing after a fatal blow... Was she always like that, or had her near-death triggered a dormant ability?
The FREAK attack on Kolkhoz High... They didn’t usually go for such big targets. Was there a reason, or were some of those changed thinking more of their own wants, and not the goals of those who normally ran the show.
And Anderson was there as well. That alone did not bode well, and the Japanese Government was already informing the Vatican that they did not want their ‘demon hunters’ running amok in their towns. Of course, whether this led to any changes in their tactics would be seen later on. The Vatican had been rather unpredictable in how they reacted to other countries and their borders.
And if the rabid priest found the new vampires or this plant girl...
No, that would not be a good scene. There were too many unknowns, too many variables that she didn’t and couldn’t control.
“Perhaps a united front wouldn’t be so bad after all...” she muttered, as the jet sped over the land of Asia towards its destination.
But one thing was still bugging her: what the Hell was Alucard going to do with a stolen Zamboni machine?
And why did it generate images of him pulling pranks like she remembered from American cartoons?
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(Posted Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:52)
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