ONE OF THOSE SHOPS An Improfanfic Production Started by Farsan de Arnibia Written by: Smlee Branch B - Chapter 11: Of Lizards and Samurai ********* Rikura gasped. "It's Godzilla!", she said in a bad accent, pointing frantically at the monstrous lizard in the background. Miro slapped his forehead. "Why did I ever agree to bring you along?" "Because I'm ever so cute!" Rikura smiled sweetly. "Are we just going to pose here all day?" Unara asked. "Or can I go kick some giant giant lizard ass?" Kimihiko popped up out of nowhere and held Unara back. "What we need...is a plan. Lucky for you guys, I have just the thing in mind." Miro suddenly had a very, very bad feeling. "See, all we need to do is distract it long enough for Unara's legion of samurai..." "They aren't mine." Unara cut in. "...Unara's legion of samurai to tangle it up in rope." Kimihiko finished. "I suppose now you want me to make hundreds of meters worth of rope for you." Miro sarcastically stated. "That's the plan, yes." Kimihiko got in close to Miro, and ran her hand slowly down his cheek. "You can do that for me, can't you Miro?" Miro reddened, and a goofy smile found its way onto his face. "Uh...sure. It'll only take a minute." /...You really are a sucker for the ladies./ "Just make the rope, Pochi." Miro commanded. "Good! Phase one of the plan completed. Onwards to phase two!" Kimihiko held up her fingers in a 'V'. Miro suddenly had a very, very bad feeling. "We need a distraction. Everyone knows that giant monsters naturally go for the helpless cheerleaders." Kimihiko stated. "But where are we going to find a helpless cheerleader on such short notice?" Rikura asked the obvious. "Well..." Kimihiko trailed off. Miro shuffled his feet nervously as the other four turned to look at him, one by one. "Um...?" ********* "Why do I have to wear a miniskirt!" Miro wailed as he was being lashed to a pole at the top of the highest building in the town. "Sex appeal." Rikura smiled as she tightened his bonds. "No, I mean, literally. Why do I have to wear it? I'm not even a girl!" "We needed someone to play the cheerleader role, didn't we?" Kimihiko responded. "But why me? Why not Rikura...or even you?" Miro whined. "Remember. The cheerleader has to be helpless. Me and Rikura...don't fit the role." Kimihiko explained. "Oh and I do?" Rikura nodded. "Quite well, actually. You make a very pretty helpless cheerleader." "Rikura!" Kimihiko yelled out. "Time to go!" "Right!" Rikura yelled back. They both took off, and scrambled down the ladder, leaving Miro strung up as lizard bait. ********* Sakura was bored. Rikura had told her to remain behind in the shop, because if anything happened, she'd be safe in here. But there was nothing to do in here, other than to browse the many items stocked on the shelves. Which she'd done twice already. She'd tried to hold a conversation with the shop itself, after her sister had told her all about its secret to no avail. It chose to remain silent, even if it could talk. It didn't make her any toys to play with when she asked for them. It didn't even give her any food when she'd gotten hungry about half an hour ago. But she kept right on talking in the hopes of alleviating her boredom. "There was this one time Rikura came home with someone's tooth. See, she'd been attacked in the park, and used her mace to defend herself...no, not the spray mace. The metal ball on chain mace. So anyways, she knocked one of her attacker's teeth out, and decided to bring it home on a whim. But, what happened was the attacker had a friend. That friend followed her home, and then called the police on her. And you know the way the justice system works. Oh, I suppose you don't. Anyways. Rikura ended up doing community service as punishment for assault. The other two got off with a warning. But anyways, Miro was real nice to me through the whole thing. Me being a lot smaller than I was now. But anyways..." A sparkle from a shelf she'd somehow missed caught her attention. "Ohh...shiny..." Picking up the shiny object and bringing it further into the light revealed a icy blue crystalline dagger with a hilt made from some dark black material, and inset with numerous gems of different colors. "This...is...so cool!" Sakura exclaimed, holding the dagger up high and giving it a test swing. "I want it!" Sakura's face drooped, and so did the dagger in her hand. "But sis would never let me keep it. 'It's too dangerous! You could hurt yourself!' Hah! It'd sound more convincing if she hadn't gotten her first short sword at the age of seven." Sakura tapped her foot as she thought. "All right. I'll take it. It's small enough for me to keep hidden. Rikura doesn't have to know about it. You hear that shop? Keep it a secret." Sakura reached into her pocket and pulled out some money. "This should be more then enough!" ********* Kimihiko crouched down next to the broad chested samurai in charge of squad 'B'. "We're ready." Across the field, Rikura crouched down next to Unara, who was in charge of squad 'A'. "Ready!" Unara nodded. "Just in time too. The great lizard is upon us. I still don't see why I just can't blow it up." "Less climactic that way." Rikura explained. "Ah." ********* Miro struggled against his bonds. "Hello? Anyone? Get me down from here! I'm too young to die!" And die he would, if the plan failed and the lizard got to him. It was already dangerously close. So close in fact, that Miro could smell its breath wafting in on the breeze. Miro squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't really want to watch his imminent demise approach. A whizzing noise, followed by a moderately strong gust of wind that ruffled Miro's head, caused him to open his eyes, only to be greeted by some wood splinters falling about his face. Turning his head as far as he could revealed to him that a large chunk of wood dislodged from one of the buildings had sailed only a few meters above his head, and splintered the top of the pole he'd been tied to. The loud thud created from the landing of the wood chunk only made Miro yell louder. "Help meeeeeeeee!!!!" ********* Kimihiko ground her fist into her palm. "I don't understand. Why isn't this working? The lizard should have taken the bait by now." Theodore, who was also a member of squad 'B', shrugged. "OH! Right!" Kimihiko exclaimed in understanding. "Giant lizards don't go for helpless cheerleaders! They go for tiny singing females!" Theodore gave Kimihiko a nasty look. "So...what you're saying is that the plan won't work, and Miro's gonna die." Kimihiko laughed nervously, before hanging her head in shame. "I...guess..." "...I'm going out there. I'll get it to the ambush point, even if it means I gotta drag it." Theodore stood up, and with a yell, assumed his Oni form. Kimihiko put a restraining hand on Theodore's arm. "Wait. I'll go with you." "What are you going to do? You don't have any sort of powers...well, at least none that you've shown us yet." Theodore pointed out. A gun suddenly found its way into Kimihiko's hand, and she quickly checked the ammo, before turning off the safety and holding it up in a ready position. "I've got a few tricks up my sleeves." She explained with a grin. ********* A short dash across the field (due to Theodore's increased speed) brought the two over to where squad 'A' was located. "Yo. What's up?" Rikura asked. "There's been a change in plans. We need you to come with us." Kimihiko stated as Theodore scooped Rikura up into his arms alongside Kimihiko. "Something wrong?" Rikura asked, as Theodore began his mad dash towards the giant lizard. "It's not going to take the bait. I got giant lizards confused with giant apes." "Ah. So what's the plan now?" "Full frontal assault. I'll need you to back me up as we go after the person on top of the lizard, while Theodore tries to draw the lizard into our trap from below." Rikura nodded. "Understood. Will do. For great XP!" Kimihiko sighed. ********* Sakura peeked out the window for the thousandth time. The lizard was still destroying the city, and she could make out a few samurai hiding amongst the rocks. Nothing new was happening though. Just the same old stuff. Except...there was movement. It looked like...Theodore! And in his arms...could it be Rikura? Something was going on. Sakura didn't like it. This wasn't part of the plan. "Shop? Something's going on! Do you know what's happening? Why are they..." Sakura stopped talking as she realized she wasn't going to get a response. "Rikura...sister...she might be in trouble!" Making a quick decision, Sakura bolted for the door, and ran out onto the field. ********* "Levitation!" Rikura yelled out as she and Kimihiko leapt from Theodore's arms. "I'll take care of things down here. You just worry about the guy upstairs." Theodore said, grinning widely. "We'll try not to take too long." Rikura saluted Theodore, then rose to meet the mysterious Professor. "Good luck!" Kimihiko gave Theodore a thumbs up, and ascended alongside Rikura. "Good luck they say. I'm gonna need it." Theodore gawked at the sheer size of the lizard, being so up close to it and all. A step later, and Theodore had to make a short sprint to catch up with it. "Well, time to get cracking." Theodore pulled the book out and flipped through to a page he'd marked out. ********* "No doubt he's already seen us." Kimihiko stated gravely. "But we have the advantage of superior numbers. You go left. I'll go right." Rikura nodded. "I've got just the thing up my sleeve for him." "Go!" Kimihiko yelled, taking the first strike of lightning from Theodore's spell casting as her cue to quickly reach the top. Rikura, being slightly more experienced than Kimihiko at controlling her flight reached the top first. She extended her fingers, pointing them straight at her target...who wasn't there. "Wha...?" The tip of a sword caught her in the side, gashing her, and sending her tumbling head over heels in midair. "Hehehe." A familiar laugh rung from somewhere. Rikura couldn't pinpoint the source. Kimihiko reached the top, and was immediately assaulted as well. "You. I've been watching you." Sword thrust, Kimihiko dodged, and spun around...to find her attacker wasn't there. "Look out!" Rikura yelled. Kimihiko dove to the right, barely escaping the plunging sword. "You are the brains behind this little 'ambush' being planned, aren't you?" Accused the figure, who was decked out in a full traditional samurai outfit, and was holding a sword that seemed about twice as long as would allow for functionality. "You...you know?" Kimihiko eyed him suspiciously. How was he moving that quickly in all that armor? And with that sword to boot? "Like the armor? I designed it myself from a metalic alloy of my own making. Light as a feather it is. The sword? Same thing." Boasted the Professor. "Did you really think I'd come here unprepared? Not all lizards are giant, you know." Kimihiko growled. "So you had a normal lizard spy on us? How...clever of you. But I'm afraid...that this is the end." Kimihiko brought her gun up, and fired it at his sword arm. Or at least, that's what should have happened. "Interesting toy you have there. Too bad you didn't notice that it was the actual focus of my first attack." Professor boasted. "Fireball!" Rikura yelled out, firing off the flaming projectile. Professor raised his hand, and a jet of water streamed out, extinguishing it. "Interesting trick you have there. You should know I never fall for the same trick twice. Still...I'd love to know how you did it." "...This is bad." Rikura stated obviously. "Except..." "Hm?" "You seem to have lost someone." Rikura grinned. "What?" The Professor spun around, to find Kimihiko nowhere in sight. "Where?" A garrote slipped down around the Professor's neck. "You lose." Kimihiko pulled it tight. "...Is this supposed to hurt?" The Professor asked, the armor around his neck keeping the garrote from pushing in and cutting off his windpipe. He brought the hilt of his blade up, and whacked Kimihiko in the head with it. Kimihiko dropped like a stone. ********* Sakura zigzagged through the field, dodging the occasional piece of debris that came flying off of buildings the lizard demolished. Although she couldn't run as fast as she would have liked to, her small size had kept her from being crushed at least once already. Tears streamed down her face to the point when she could barely see. The entire situation was scaring the life out of her, but she felt like she needed to do something to help out her big sister. "Big sis! I'll save you!" She yelled out for the hundredth time, building her resolve again. As she drew ever closer to the giant lizard, a drop of red splashed onto her face. Bringing a hand up, she rubbed it off. And in her gut, she knew something had happened to Rikura. Before Sakura knew it, she was kneeling on the ground, bawling her eyes out. She brought out her dagger, and clutched it tightly, imagining that it was Rikura's hand she was holding. She desperately wanted for Rikura to be all right. /Do you want me to help you?/ A melodic voice spoke. "Yes! Yes please! Rikura...Rikura's in danger!" Sakura yelled out to the unseen voice. /Hold the dagger beneath your face. Drop a tear onto it./ The melodic voice ordered. Sakura did as she was told, even though she found it strange. It was easy enough to get a tear onto it, as she was crying hard already. /Good girl./ A bright light shone from the dagger, and enveloped Sakura. The light was so beautiful...and then darkness took her. ********* "Damn!" Rikura yelled. "Take this! Fireball!" The Professor whirled, and extinguished the projectile. "Trying to catch me off guard? Tsk tsk." The Professor raised his sword. "I'm afraid I have no more time to waste with you. I still have to deal with that meddling kid of mine. You'd think death would stop a guy, but noooo...can't even rely on that these days." Rikura was confused. Until the sword was lined up with her neck. Then she was just scared. "This...isn't how it's supposed to turn out...the good guys are supposed to win...for great XP?" She finished meekly. "Prepare your...huh? What the heck is that thing?" The Professor's jaw hung open. As the sword lowered, Rikura took a chance to look behind her. Floating in the air was a giant block of ice. "What's...going on...?" The Professor took a step back. "I didn't plan for this..." A low rumble sounded from the block. Rikura took it as a sign to duck and cover. The ice shattered, and sprayed the Professor with thousands of shards of ice. His armor shredded like paper, and his sword snapped in half. He himself fell over, covered in many cuts and bruises where his skin had been exposed. Rikura, miraculously unscathed, glanced upwards, just in time to catch a glimpse of a small girl, seemingly made up entirely of ice, before she disappeared. "What...was that?" Rikura asked Kimihiko, who was still laying unconscious on the top of the lizard. And then, without much warning, the trap they'd set earlier was sprung, and a mesh of arrows trailing rope flew overhead. "Time to make a hasty exit." Rikura scooped up Kimihiko, and floated outwards to a safe distance, just in time to watch squad 'B' pull the lizard down. The samurai leapt from their hiding spots, swords drawn, and moved in for the kill. ********* Sakura blinked, and sat up in bed. "Did I...fall asleep?" Rikura jumped to her bedside immediately. "Are you alright?" "Big sis? Wai! You're ok!" Sakura jumped up and hugged her. "I'll take that as a yes." Rikura happily stated. "What happened?" Sakura asked. "You disobeyed me. That's what happened. I found you outside on the field of battle after we finished dispatching the lizard. You've been out for hours. I was worried." Rikura sounded quite relieved, and decidedly not angry. "So are you angry?" Sakura asked, just to make sure. "Hmm...no. I don't think so. You remind me of me when I was your age. Not that it's a good thing, but..." Sakura rubbed her eyes. She felt quite sleepy all of a sudden. "...You should get some rest I guess. I'll prepare some food, and wake you up when it's ready." "Sis?" Sakura slunk back into bed, and her eyes were halfway shut already. "Hmm?" "Thank you. For everything." Sakura smiled brightly, and was fast asleep. Rikura smiled back, and gave Sakura's hand a slight squeeze before fixing her covers, and exiting the room quietly. Sakura's eyes flicked open. She reached over to the clothing she'd been wearing, and searched for her dagger. Unable to find it there, she suddenly got the feeling that she should try and draw it from the air. Like some sort of invisible sheath, the dagger slipped out of nowhere, and Sakura clasped it tightly. For some odd reason, the blade was now colored a deep green. Sakura slipped it back inside the sheath, and resolved herself to learn more about the dagger after she'd gotten a good nights sleep. As Sakura drifted off again, she could almost hear a voice telling her that they would help... ********* Miro and the gang spent a couple more days within the samurai village. They sold building materials, tools, and tee-shirts saying 'I survived the giant lizards, and all I got was this lousy tee-shirt.' After recovering sufficiently, the traveling companions bid farewell to their samurai friends, and quietly moved on to a new location under the cover of darkness. "So...what ever happened to that Professor guy?" Miro asked. "Dunno. He was gone after we finished off the lizard." Theodore reported. "Is it ok to leave the samurai behind when his threat still looms?" Rikura asked. "...You just want more XP, don't you." Miro eyed Rikura. Rikura rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Eh heh heh." ********* Author notes: Wai! Late again! Thank you Cham for being a nice admin! What happen: Jex set me up the bomb. I had a difficult time writing the second half of Jex's insane samurai thing. The idea at first was to have him finish it, but he ran out of time, so I got stuck with it. ^_^ I gotta thank Jex for being there to help me work out some problems. *CoughSlayersspellsscough* It did turn out ok...right? RIGHT? And look! I didn't end on a cliffhanger! I dunno if any of the shops parts so far haven't ended on a cliffhanger. Or something vaguely resembling one. There's just a solid ending. Yay! I gave Sakura a dagger, fully intending to turn her into a magical girl...cept that would be too generic. I wanted to go for something halfway decently mysterious! Enter the summons! Sorta. I went for a FF Shiva-esque type entrance for the ice thing...and the dagger's changed colors. What does it all mean? I have my own ideas...but I think I'll just let the next author decide how he wants to run with it. Mwa ha ha. Oh and in case anyone is wondering...the Shop gave the dagger to Sakura because she was annoying it. :P Tuesday, March 18, 2003 (Hate is very, very bad. So don't hate me for this one. Please?) ********* "What awaits our heroes in the new location? What new threat looms over their heads? Tune in next episode. Same Impro time, same Impro channel." "What are you talking about Rikura?" Miro asked. "Oh, nothing. For great XP!" "Quit with that, will you?" Miro sighed.