Type K

By Lord Raa

Disclaim-me-do: Football is like chess, only without the dice

Part 3

Keitaro returned to the common room where the tenants were waiting for him.

"I've got something important to tell you all: I have decided that I have to try to get this limiter off. The upshot of it is that I will say and do things that are going to upset you. I'm apologising in advance for my behaviour."

"Why?" Motoko asked, her keen eyesight observing the young man's body language.

"Because I'm going to try to do perverted things to you all. There is a small chance that I'll be able to control my urges, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you."

"And why would we allow that to happen?" the younger sister asked, her hand creeping towards her sword.

"Because you know what Kenta Kobayashi is capable of, Motoko-han," Tsuruko explained. "Do you think you could defeat him and his gang, Motoko-han?"

"…"

"But yeah, I thought that you should know what the score was. I understand if you want to leave," Keitaro spoke up. "If you do go, I won't charge you for any rent arrears."

"Hmmm…" Kitsune looked thoughtful as she considered her options. "But where will we go?"

"I don't know," the young man admitted. "But I had to say something. Sorry to keep going on about it, but I couldn't just go about this without telling you what you were in for. It wouldn't be right."

"This is a bit different to last night, Keitaro," Kitsune commented. "Not that I'm complaining about this new sensitive side, but last night you complained about us interrupting your story."

The former martial artist sighed. "You're right, Kitsune. I was tired last night. People coming out of the woodwork didn't help, either. I need to have a word with my parents about removing the limiter, so talk amongst yourselves and decide what you're going to do."

Ten minutes later, Keitaro returned to where his friends were sitting. His expression was enough to unsettle Shinobu.

"S-sempai?"

"It seems that my parents don't actually know how to remove this limiter."

"Oh," the chef replied with a sympathetic look on her face.

"It gets worse, Shinobu-chan," the former ronin smiled painfully. "They don't even know how it was put on in the first place."

"This could prove to be a problem, Keitaro-san," Tsuruko noted. "There are several types of limiter, and they each require different methods of removing them."

"Do you know anyone who knows about limiters, Tsuruko-san?"

"Yes, but that depends on the sort of limiter you have. I mean, did they have your joints dislocated to disrupt your chi? Or perhaps the person used moxibustion? Or maybe they even had a magical curse put on you that requires you to have sex to unleash your strength?"

Keitaro gave a disapproving look. "My limiter will not be removed by me having sex."

"How can you be sure of that?" asked the elder Aoyama.

"This isn't some poorly written hentai manga, Tsuruko-san. One, the human body doesn't work that way. Two, my parents have long been aware of the fact that I like to get my end away. Why would they take the risk that I might get a girlfriend?" the young man explained with a patronising tone.

'This isn't like Sempai,' Shinobu thought with a concerned look on her face.

Naru considered the young man's drastic change in behaviour. 'Since when did Keitaro start acting so aggressively? Does this mean he's going to be more decisive?'

Motoko looked back and forth between her landlord and sister. 'Is Aneue going to take offence at Keitaro's tone and cut him in two?'

The ash-blonde idly wondered what it would be like if Keitaro was the sex machine that had been alluded to. 'Would Keitaro be any good or would he be rusty after all these years?'

"Your insolent tone suggests that you're ready for a fight, Keitaro-san," Tsuruko smirked, her right hand subtly moving towards her sword.

"That actually sounds like a good idea, Tsuruko-san," the landlord said as he started to jump from one foot to the other as part of a warm up. After few more stretches, he added, "I need to see how much training I need to do to get into some kind of shape."

"Such confidence seems suspicious, Keitaro-san; especially given that you were so concerned about you limiter."

"Meh, I don't expect to win. If I can't even remember how to throw a punch, then I might as well let you run me through with that sword."

"Sempai!" Shinobu exclaimed.

"What? It's true," Keitaro replied. "If I can't remember the basics of fighting, then I won't be any use to anyone. Removing this limiter isn't going to flick a switch on and turn me into a martial arts god, you know."

Kitsune turned to Haruka. "Since when was Keitaro like this?"

"He wasn't always plagued by self-doubt, Kitsune. But the answer to your question is 'five years ago'," the smoker answered. "Back then, he was pretty pragmatic when it came to fighting."

"I was referring to his confidence," the ash-blonde explained.

Keitaro interrupted with a cough. "All shall be revealed in good time, Kitsune. But now, Tsuruko-san here is going to kick my ass."

Keitaro removed his slippers and socks before stepping out onto the courtyard. The late morning sun felt good on his face as he kicked upwards to stretch his leg muscles.

"On second thoughts since I'm going to be handicapped by poor vision, I think that it's only fair if you're unarmed for this little match, Tsuruko-san."

"That is true – live steel would be a little much if you can't see properly," the kendoist replied, nodding her head. She moved her head in a circle and started limber up. "I believe that I'm ready to test your current level, Type K."

Tossing his glasses to Motoko, Keitaro fell into a loose stance. "In that case, let's see what how long it takes for you to beat me. Begin!"

The partially-sighted youth charged in elbow first, fully aware that he was likely to miss with such a clumsy attack.

Tsuruko was surprised by Keitaro's speed, but calmly stepped to her left, ready to unleash a quick rabbit punch to his exposed flank. The married woman was shocked to discover her right arm had been grabbed and help up against her back.

"AH!"

"Hmm, perhaps I'm better than I thought…" Keitaro mused as he let Tsuruko go. "That one doesn't count, but this next one does. Ready?"

The raven-haired woman's face darkened. "I don't need your patronising words, Type K!"

The former ronin walked away from his opponent to give her a chance to recover. "Ready when you are, Tsuruko-san."

Tsuruko approached her opponent. Her keen vision was taking in Keitaro's every movement as she took carefully measured steps. 'I know he's fast, but is he strong?'

Keitaro shifted his shoulders, something clearly unsettling him as he tried to formulate a plan of attack. 'It won't be enough to just use speed…'

Letting out a smirk, Type K advanced towards the married woman. He leant forward as he picked up speed, moving his left hand palm out while pulling his right hand back for a thrusting strike.

Tsuruko, now well aware of Keitaro's speed, was no longer in the mood to humour her opponent and decided to exchange blows with him. She kept dodging as he rushed in, his right hand thrusting like a spear under her guard.

Keitaro suddenly displayed an eel-like agility as his opponent started to fight back, much to the surprise of the onlookers.

"Just when did Keitaro get this good?" Kitsune, Motoko and Naru asked in unison.

"And why didn't he do this earlier?" Motoko added, turning to Haruka.

"What would you have done if you'd known that Keitaro could match your sister in an unarmed fight?"

"…"

"Don't worry about it, Motoko-chan, Keitaro won't win," Haruka said in a reassuring voice.

"How can you be so sure of that," Kitsune asked.

"He's still got that limiter in place. If he was back at his full strength, then yeah, I'd put money on Keitaro," the smoker replied.

"I see."

Keitaro's hands blurred as he stepped up his attack. He knew that he lacked the strength to land a knock out blow, so was pressing on with an unarmed variant of his hornet style.

Leaping back to regain his breath, Keitaro sucked in several lungfuls of air. "I remember there being at least three variants of that one."

Tsuruko gained her second wind much sooner than Keitaro thanks to her prime physical condition. She nodded, having realised how potent the lightning strikes would be if Keitaro had been wielding a sharp blade. Moments later, she fell back into her stance and waited for Keitaro to make the next move. She didn't have to wait long, as Keitaro charged in again.

Quickly closing the distance, the former champion martial artist prepared to land several hits on his opponent. He got a metre away when his legs gave out, causing him fall forward.

Motoko, Naru and Kitsune couldn't believe what they were seeing unfold before them. While all three girls had been astounded by Keitaro's fighting prowess, they had expected something like this to happen.

"I can't believe it! He was doing so well," Naru whispered.

"I guess that it's the same Keitaro we know and love," Kitsune mused.

'I… is Aneue going to punish Keitaro for this?' Motoko wondered.

The 'this' in question was Keitaro's accident. His exertion had caught up with his relatively poor physical condition and now he had collapsed, landing face first onto Tsuruko's ample chest, knocking her to the ground.

"Keitaro, is this you running out of energy or self-control?" Haruka smirked from the sideline.

"Can't move…" the former ronin mumbled from his impromptu pillow, bringing Tsuruko out of her shock.

"Is this some sort of submission hold?" Tsuruko asked in an amused tone.

"No, this is just me collapsing in a heap, Tsuruko-san," Keitaro mumbled. "Could someone help me?"

Rolling her eyes, Haruka walked over to her cousin and lifted him up. She was surprised to note that he was reasonably injury free. "How are you feeling, Keitaro?"

"I can't move," the young man replied, hanging limply with his cousin's arms wrapped around his chest. "Looks like you win this round, Tsuruko-san."

"Indeed, Keitaro-san. But still, perhaps you don't need as much training as you feared," the elder sister replied. "If you work on your cardiovascular fitness and stamina, you'll be a fearsome opponent."

"I didn't even get close to seeing if I could still do the stuff I wanted. The Hornet Swarm is intermediate stuff. Plus, I have no idea what kind of punishment I can take," Keitaro countered. "No offence, but being smacked around by girls isn't the same as fighting in martial arts tournaments."

"True, but you'd better rest before you decide what your next step is, Keitaro," Haruka advised.

Haruka laid Keitaro out on the common room floor, leaving her cousin looking incredibly pitiful. "You just tired, or did you strain any muscles, Keitaro?"

"I don't know right now – give me five minutes and I'll let you know."

"And this is the legendary Type K?" Kitsune teased. "I bet you couldn't even fend off Shinobu-chan right now!"

"True, Kitsune," Keitaro agreed. "I'm completely at your mercy. My wallet's in my front right pocket if you're planning to rob me."

"Hey!" the ash-blonde protested. "I'm not a bandit who goes around stealing from people."

"Damn," the prone youth cursed. "I was hoping you'd take the bait and root through my pockets."

Everyone female in the room paused, blinked and turned to look at Keitaro.

"What was that?" Naru asked through gritted teeth.

"I said that I was hoping that Kitsune would take the bait and root through my pockets. There is a reason for this," Keitaro replied. "All this reminiscing and martial arts has made me realise how much I'm missing the good old days. And because of that, I was thinking that I'd like the cheap thrill of a pretty girl groping me."

"That is a scandalous thing to say, Keitaro-san," Tsuruko chided, though her expression was marred by a smile.

"I know, Tsuruko-san, I know. But it made you smile, didn't it?"

"Stop flirting with me, Keitaro-san, I'm a married woman."

"I know, but it doesn't matter since I'm in no condition to follow up on my innuendo right now," Keitaro replied. "You'll have to wait until tomorrow morning at the earliest for some clumsy fumbling."

"You really are the lowest, aren't you Urashima," Motoko growled. "You sexually harass my sister and continue to make lewd suggestions despite knowing she's a married woman."

"Your sister is a big girl, Motoko-chan. Trust me – I got to see up close. But if you're that upset, feel free to cut my head off. Just make sure my death is made public," the former ronin requested. "And I don't mean just three lines in the obituaries section of the local paper."

Haruka worked out a crick in her neck. "Keitaro, do you want dragging into the bath?"

"If it's not too much trouble."

The smoker crouched down to grab Keitaro by the arms. "We're not going to jump in and rescue you if you start drowning, you know."

"That's fair enough. What about someone having a bath with me in case I pass out?" asked Keitaro. The stony silence was his answer. "Oh, ok, so I'll just be on my own then. Not to worry."

"Aneue, how can you be so forgiving of Urashima?"

Tsuruko shook her head at her sister's question. "Motoko-han, do you remember what it was like to test your skills against the best opponents? Can you remember the feeling you got when you completed an advanced technique for the first time? Fighting Type K is like that."

"But he's feeble and perverted!" Motoko protested. "I understand the appeal of fighting a master of the art, one day I hope to challenge one myself. But…"

Motoko trailed off when Haruka returned from taking Keitaro to the bath.

"How is Keitaro, Haruka-san?" Tsuruko asked.

"Feeble and perverted," the smoker replied with a smirk. When the younger sister spluttered an apology, Haruka waved it off. "Don't worry about speaking the truth, Motoko-chan, Keitaro would be the first to agree with you."

"It's true, Motoko-han," the older sister agreed. "Keitaro-san was worried that his urges would be uncontrollable once he started to regain his strength."

"But why would he want to regain his strength if he wasn't sure he could control himself?" Motoko asked. "If he's trying to be responsible, why take that risk?"

"Why take the risk that you could get hurt by someone from his past?" Haruka countered.

"It's what I would do in his place," Tsuruko followed up. "Besides, he's sort of cute when he's acting all badass."

"ANEUE!"

"I thought you were a happily married woman, Tsuruko-san," Haruka commented. "But it's not my place to judge if you're hot for Type K, lots of girls were. Some guys too."

"Wait," Kitsune spoke up, clearly finding the discussion most amusing. "Are you seriously telling us that one: Tsuruko-san is attracted to Keitaro and two: people were gay for Keitaro?"

Tsuruko shrugged, but there was a smile on her face that suggested she was clearly considering Keitaro as something more than a training partner. And that look unsettled Motoko.

"Oh yes, Kitsune," the smoker nodded. "Ask Keitaro about Kouji Inoue some time."

The Aoyama sisters blinked, turn to look at each other questioningly and then turned back to face Haruka.

"Haruka-san, what do you know of Kouji Inoue?" the married woman asked, clearly struggling to keep her feelings in check.

"Not a lot: he was pretty good looking; wasn't a huge jerk and used his brains rather than his fists to solve his problems."

"I see," Tsuruko nodded. "May I please be excused to use your telephone? I need to check in with my family."

"Certainly," Haruka nodded.

"I'll go with Aneue," Motoko added, scurrying off after her sister.

"What was that all about?" Kitsune asked.

Haruka let a smile spread across her face. "Perhaps I should have mentioned that Kouji Inoue married into an old demon-hunting clan based in Kyoto."

The ash-blonde put two and two together and let out a chuckle. "Oh my."

"Oh yes, but don't mention this to Keitaro just yet, Kitsune, it'll be funnier to bring it up at the dinner table."

The drinking buddies laughed evilly.

Having recovered enough energy to drag himself out of the hot water and into the changing area without too much difficulty, Keitaro muttered under his breath. "Man, I better get better soon, this is getting old real fast."

Moving his arms around his shoulders before working a crick out of his neck, the young man straightened up and took a deep breath. "Actually, I'm feeling pretty good right now."

"That's good, now I won't feel bad for running a weakling through!" an angry, female voice declared.

"Hey, I'm nearly done here; can't you wait five minutes for me to get dressed?" Keitaro asked, fully aware that he was about to be attacked for something he had very little control over.

"The time for vengeance is now!" Tsuruko insisted. She drew her sword, her intent clear in her eyes. "Prepare to die!"

"What's this about, Tsuruko?"

"You… My husband…" the kendoist ground out.

"I'm not your husband, Tsuruko-san," Keitaro sighed. "I would not have said 'no' if you'd asked me when you were single, but I'm not married to anyone."

"I was referring to your relationship with my husband," Tsuruko shot back. She took a few practice swings with her sword.

"And just what sort of relationship did I have with your husband?"

"You know what you did with him!"

"Actually, I don't know who 'him' is, Tsuruko-san. Did I beat him senseless once?"

"No," the kendoist replied. "It's more along the lines of your other hobby."

"I have never had sex with another man!" Keitaro bristled. "How dare you make such a scandalous accusation?"

"So you never had those kinds of feelings for Kouji Inoue?"

"Name doesn't ring a bell, sorry. Now, have you finished looking at me or can I go and get dressed for dinner?" the naked man asked in a sarcastic tone.

Tsuruko couldn't keep her eyes from flitting towards Keitaro's crotch. "I thought you'd be bigger," she sneered.

"Well, I thought you'd be smarter. Life is filled with disappointments. Besides, I don't recall making any claims about the size of my penis. It is average size, statistically speaking, and no-one ever has complained before," Keitaro replied defensively. "Now, are we done here or should I wait for a bit longer to catch a cold?"

"This matter has not yet been settled, Urashima."

To be continued…

Again, pre-read by Chi Vayne.

Is this relevant to your interests? I just don't know what you intertube denizens like these days…