Board Fighters 2 Prequal  The Two Flames: Through the Rain - Chapter 6
Rain Check - Part 1 Written by Gouki  
 
 
-Kyoto Apartment Complex, Kyoto-

Trudging downstairs from his loft, David was clad in plain black cotton pants, his typical loungewear. He didn't bother with a shirt, as he was still only half-awake despite the mid-morning hour. He'd once been quite the morning person. Now, with a regular job and the stress that came along with it, he thanked God and every benevolent being in the universe for the weekend and the extra sleep it promised.

Only the smell of breakfast and coffee had slowly pulled him from bed and motivated him to see what his houseguests were up to, and whether or not they had left him any food. His sister could put away food by the pound, and Jin seemed quite able to do the same whenever she cooked anything. So far, he scented bacon, hashbrowns, eggs and, of course, coffee. Coffee and he were good, good friends. Coffee kept him going on long school nights when he had to grade tests and woke him up the next day so that he could berate the brats he taught for their utter stupidity.

Ahh... there were some parts of his job he truly, genuinely loved.


==

The Two Flames
Chapter VI: Rain Check - Part 1

==


He heard the television going in the living room, and though it was plainly visible from both the bottom of the stairs and the kitchen, he had his first priorities set on food. He found a plate on the stove that Natalie had so thoughtfully set out for him, already filled with all of what he had smelled and - thanks be to God - waffles. He craved the damned things, ever since she had stayed with him and introduced him to the wonder of the homemade version. The plate had been covered and kept warm, and the pot of coffee was still half full. He poured himself a cup, added three hefty spoonfuls of sugar and no milk or cream, and headed to the living room where sat Jin and Natalie. His kitchen table was covered in various junk, so eating there wasn't an option.

He was surprised at what he found in the living room, so much so that he had to blink several times to be sure his eyes had chased all the sleep away and he was seeing correctly. On the floor - not the couch - sat his sister and best friend, plates empty before them and both still wearing the clothes they had slept in, dark grey drawstring pants for Jin and a light blue cami top with matching shorts for Nat. The shorts had cartoon frogs on them. Natalie lay on her belly with her feet wagging in the air behind her as she propped on her elbows, apparently enthralled in what was on the television. Next to her Jin sat cross-legged, though no less engrossed. They were watching cartoons. Or anime, or whatever. David didn't care; he was too busy wondering why the hell two adults were mimicking six-year-olds.

He sat down on the couch as Jin greeted him without looking. "Morning. You slept late."

"And it's raining outside," Natalie chimed in with a sullen look at not being able to walk to the arcade with Jin.

"Hn, so it is. Can I ask you two what the hell you're watching?"

"Kim Possible," Natalie said without hesitation. Jin just glanced toward his friend and shrugged at the raised-brow expression the latter wore.

Astaroth, as he was formerly known, simply stared at the screen and shook his head. "I'd swear sometimes it was you two who were siblings and not Nat and I."

Both turned to him with quizzical, semi-disgusted looks, his sister taking the time to correct him. "Natalie!! Not 'Nat!!' Ugh, HOW many times do I have to tell you both that?? Anyways, you just think we're silly because YOU never sat down and watched it!"

"Of course I didn't. I'm an adult," he answered around a mouthful of syrup-soaked heaven. Good grief, sometimes he honestly wished she'd have stayed at his place. Then he realized how crazy that was, and promptly took it back.

"Just shut up and watch," Jin said, smirking just slightly at the brother and sister.


==


Two hours later found the three of them in the exact same spots, with David now as involved in the entertainment as they were. Natalie's favorite anime was on, and she was quite verbal in her excitement or anger during certain parts. So much so that the men had to hush her in order to hear the television. Astaroth had to hit the volume increase button several times.

When they were done with the television, it was still raining outside. Astaroth sighed, "I guess I'll call Taka and schedule our outing for another day. Half the things she wanted to do would have been outdoors."

Jin rose from the couch, stretching. "Well, either way, maybe we can go to the gym, or catch a movie or something. I wouldn't mind seeing whether or not you've been slacking in your training." The last was said with a smirk.

Astaroth snorted softly, "Fine. But I'll bet it's you that's got some catching up to do."

Natalie frowned, "Fine, as long as you don't leave me on the sidelines to be bored…"

Both men smirked slightly.

"If you can keep up with us, little sister," David said, and Jin seemed inclined to agree.

Natalie harrumphed. "We'll just see, won't we?"

A slightly tense silence followed as all three realized they had yet to get showered and dressed for the day. Suddenly Natalie bolted for the bathroom. "I CALL FIRST SHOWER!!!!"

Her brother tried to stop her without using any special skills, only to have the door almost slammed in his face, literally. He muttered a curse and waited, sharing a look of dismay with his friend, who then shrugged and sat back on the couch.


==


-Kyoto Apartment Complex, 40 minutes later-

"Okay Nat, you've got exactly two minutes to come out!!" David yelled through the door, having slammed his fist against it several times already.

"OR WHAT??" she yelled back, above the noise of the blow dryer, which had just started.

"Or we'll come in there and DRAG you out!"

"Um, no we won't," Jin said quietly, flipping through the channels for something else to watch.

David sighed. "We better, because if we don't neither of us will have time to get a shower if we're going to a movie. The nearest cinema only shows matinees. So... you go in and get her."

"Me? I don't think so. We can just go to the gym instead."

"I'd rather do both, since I'm off today and I have to work everyday this week. I'm sure it's nothing you haven't seen before if she happens to not be wearing a towel."

Though blushing through his scowl, Jin didn't attempt to refute this, even though Astaroth was going on pure speculation and was mostly joking.

"I, on the other hand, am trying very hard to go through my entire life never seeing my sister naked, and so far I'm doing great. So save me some horrible trauma and go in and get her."

"No. She'll come out... eventually." He was certainly not about to risk simultaneously embarrassing and pissing off the girl. Especially after the shower incident of before...

"Are you scared? Because honestly, she's not going to get THAT mad at you. If I did it, she'd throw a hell-raising fit. If you do it, she'll be irritated and shy at most. That's how girls are around guys they have a thing for." Actually, it was an assumption that teetered on the edge of being a lie.

Jin flushed slightly. The blow dryer was still going. He sighed and looked at the clock, then stood and walked over to the bathroom door, giving David a small glare as he knocked on the door. "Fine. But I get the next shower for doing all this."

Astaroth only grinned and backed away from the door as Jin yelled so Natalie could hear him.

"Nat, we REALLY need to get a move on... are you done yet?"

"NO!!"

He sighed heavily, and since the door was locked and trashing it wasn't an option, he teleported out of David's sight and into the bathroom. A shriek was heard, followed by something hitting the wall, then a, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" which was promptly followed by another thump of something hitting the wall, and a more masculine "You COULD have put a towel on!!"

David laughed, though quietly enough to hear the continuing ruckus of various toiletries being thrown and the alternating high-pitched, low-pitched sounds of his sister and his best friend arguing.

"STOP LOOKING!"

"I'm not!! Put something on!"

"You ARE! GET OUT!!!"

"We've only got thirty minutes. Just put something on and finish getting ready in another room."

When she obviously refused to comply, David heard the dryer shut off, followed by the indignant squeal of his sister. A moment later, the door opened, with Jin forcibly pushing a towel-wrapped Natalie out. He leaned out just enough to glare at Astaroth, who only grinned at the blush the former wore. "I told you it was a bad idea." The door slammed shut, leaving Natalie standing outside in the towel, hair still dripping a bit and face red from both fury and embarrassment.

"Umm... I'm going to put the dishes away while you get ready," David said quickly as he noticed her ire turning on him. He all but ran for the kitchen. Natalie was left to finish dressing and simmer down a bit, using his bedroom for privacy. She would get back at least one of them, oh yes, she would.

A few minutes later, once she'd dressed, she did exactly just that.

With David studiously avoiding her, Natalie was able to get back downstairs and stand outside the bathroom door without any further comments from her brother. The shower was going, she could hear it. A twist at the doorknob proved that it was locked, but Natalie had a way around that. She took a bobby pin from her hair and worked the lock a little, soon satisfied with the click of the mechanism popping loose. With an evil grin she carefully opened the door and slipped inside, seeing the shower curtain pulled closed.

Her cheeks reddened instantly. She thought about the misunderstanding regarding the shower that led to both seeing entirely different sides of each other and had to force her thoughts back to the task at hand. First, she picked up and bundled his clothes under one arm... then she proceeded to grab every towel and scrap of usable cloth from the small wall rack. With all of this stuffed under both arms, Natalie exited the bathroom just as silently as she'd entered and achieved her goal.

Situating a chair about fifteen feet from the bathroom door, Natalie plopped all of the items at her feet and sat, waiting with arms crossed.

David walked in from the kitchen and blinked at the scene of his sister sitting expectantly across from the bathroom. "What're you doing?"

"Exacting revenge."

Astaroth said nothing for a moment as he looked over the articles of clothing at her feet, recognizing them as Jin's. He also noted the towels...

"...wow, you're evil."

"Thank you."

He smirked and could only be glad it wasn't him that was turning the shower off at that very moment. He moved to the couch, kneeling on the cushions so he could peer over the back and watch whatever would happen.

There was a long moment between the end of the sound of running water and the question that finally came through the door. "Astaroth?"

"Hmm?" David answered loudly enough to be heard through the door.

"...would you happen to know where all your towels went?" There was a hint of aggravation in the tone.

"Out here," Natalie answered instead. A few seconds later, the door opened and a head crowed with a very wet mop of black hair poked out, eyes almost entirely obscured as water dripped on the floor.

Jin stared through the fringe of soaked locks at the girl who sat with a cocked brow behind a small pile of towels topped with the clothes he'd been wearing. It was obvious why she'd done it, and that she planned to embarrass him as he'd inadvertently done to her.

So, he looked to his friend for help. "Astaroth... would you mind handing me a towel?"

David looked at his sister, who glared at him as if implying 'you're next'.

"Sorry Jin, I'm not getting in the middle of this one." He grinned and added, "Besides, apparently she wants to see you naked."

Natalie flushed but said nothing to imply she already had. "That's not the point, brother. It's just a matter of making things fair."

"Uh huh, and you aren't gonna just roll in dirty thoughts in the meantime?"

Nat glared at him but Jin was the one to speak, "Can someone just give me a towel?" The look on his face was now plainly annoyed... though it was hard to take seriously with the wet clumps of hair hiding his eyes.

Natalie smirked slightly, so like her brother that Jin had to mark the resemblance in the expression. "No one's stopping you from coming out here and getting one."

"Nat, we're going to be late…" David reminded her.

She simply grinned, "I don't mind, I'll be getting a helluva show sitting right here."

Her brother tried to hide his snickering, but failed. Perhaps this was better entertainment than a movie, after all.

Expressing what appeared to be a defeated sigh, Jin retreated back into the bathroom. The siblings simply continued to stare towards the now-closed door, each silently wondering what course of action the Kushina would take.

"Y'know, he might not even come out until you hand him something to cover himself," Astaroth pointed out.

At that Natalie's grin only grew wider. "Then that'd be interesting to-"

Her words were cut off as the bathroom door opened with a strong outpour of steam. Natalie stared through the progressing haze, hoping to pick out Jin's silhouette as she surmised his intentions. He's trying to use the steam as a distraction, so he can run through it without being completely seen, she thought to herself. She watched on with morbid curiosity to see if he would be able to pull it off, or fail miserably.

When nothing new seemed to take place, Natalie's eyes began to narrow inquisitively. "What's he's doin-"

Then she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.

"That wasn't funny," Natalie heard as she (and her brother) whirled around to face a still-wet, towel-wrapped Jin.

Astaroth gave a bemused grin as he stood up from the couch. "Not bad, using the steam to keep her looking forward so you could teleport and get a towel from behind," he said.

Disappointment shone on Natalie face for only a few seconds. Before her stood a sight that was still favourable… even if Jin wasn't naked. Her gaze roamed - bold for the moment - over nicely defined pectorals and abdominal muscles, briefly observing the towel and remembering well what was behind it. A smirk grew from the grin she was already wearing as she swung one leg over the back of her chair, now straddling the seat and leaning both arms on the backrest.

"Creative," she added. "And to me, it was rather amusing." She was sorely tempted to see just how strongly the hand on the front of the towel was holding it in place. It was rather unfortunate that it wasn't just the two of them alone right now, she mused.

At that, Jin threw the pair of them an icy look before heading off to get dressed.

David crossed his arms slightly. "Well, thanks to the both of you, I doubt we'll be able to catch the film now. And I bet there's no hot water left either."

Natalie glanced at her brother unsympathetically. "Small price to pay. Besides, you should be glad it wasn't you it happened to."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I know you put Jin up to that stunt, so either one of you was gonna get it," Natalie responded. "Just so happened that Jin ended up having the next shower…"

"Or rather you thought twice about pulling such a stunt on me," Astaroth countered whilst wearing a confident look.

Now it was Natalie's turn to smile, albeit in a darker form. "And who said I don't have a stunt planned for you as well?"

The older sibling dismissed her words with a light chuckle. "Good one Nat, almost got me there." He then walked off, as if headed towards the bathroom, towel slung over his shoulder.

Natalie couldn't resist getting into David's head a bit more as she threw a parting shot. "Enjoy your shower, brother."

"Oh I'm sure I will," he answered back, "just as soon as the hot water comes back on."


==


Fortunately for Astaroth, he didn't have to wait too long until the water became hot again. With him now in the bathroom, the television was left to broadcast itself to an empty living room. Close to matching it in fervor was the rainstorm outside, which only seemed to grow worse as the time passed.

"What miserable weather…" Natalie mumbled as she stepped out of her brother's room, just as a rumble of thunder barreled across the sky. Having just taken a couple of her shirts out of the dryer, Natalie had gone upstairs with the intent to put them back in her suitcase… which was not there.

"Maybe it's downstairs… he did say something about having to vacuum up there…" she mumbled.

As she descended the staircase again, Natalie glanced to the sliding glass door that led to the balcony, where the rain was pouring down. She blinked when she noticed various colors draped over the railed and piled on the concrete floor, then horror crossed her features as she recognized the items.

"My clothes!" Natalie cried out in shock as she rushed out onto the balcony and swiped them off the railing. They hadn't been out for too long, it turned out, but with the unyielding downpour outside it had been enough for them to end up wet and stained. Bearing a visible frown she stormed back into the room. With Astaroth still in the bathroom, the first (and only) person to notice her plight was Jin, who looked as though he was on his way out.

Kushina stared at Natalie's partly wet, upset form with an inquiring look. "What happened to you?"

Natalie whirled her head in his direction, frown still present. "You did this, didn't you?" She held out some items of clothing in front of him for emphasis.

All she got was a blank look. "Did what?"

"Ruined my clothes!" she snapped.

Jin, for his part, maintained his blank façade. Upon noticing the wet trail that extended from Natalie's position to the balcony windows, he soon realized what was going on.

"I didn't do that to your clothes," he said bluntly. "It must've been your brother."

"David?" The frowned faded, only for a skeptical stare to replace it. "And why should I believe he'd do this instead of you, considering what happened?"

"Only the two of you find these kind of tricks funny," was the response. "Now your brother finds it funny to make you think I did something I didn't."

Jin walked past Natalie after that, picking up Astaroth's keys as he left the apartment, leaving her stuck with her thoughts.

He does make a good point, a part of her suggested. Plus, she had threatened him first, and he was known to be an evil bastard…

Natalie flashed her attention at the bathroom door, and at the sounds of the water running inside. David had forced her hand; she had no other choice…


==


After rinsing out his expensive, salon shampoo (which his sister gave him no end of grief over), David stood under the hot spray for a moment longer, then sighed and turned off the water.

He pulled the curtain back, grabbed his towel and started drying the beads of water off his body when he happened to glance in the mirror. All action halted. All thought left him, save one.

That, of course, being the unintelligible scream of rage that garbled its way out of his mouth as both hands grabbed the mirror frame and he glared at what had been done to his head.

"NATALAAAAY!!"


==


During several minutes of channel surfing - which had for the most part consisted of Natalie lamenting her (current) inability to understand full Japanese - the bathroom door flew open, preceded by a loud yell. Astaroth, clad in a gray bathrobe and armed with a none-too-pleased expression, came out a few seconds after. Even more striking than his expression was the reason for it, manifested in the form of his normally dark-coloured hair, now completely dyed an unmerciful shade of pink.

Natalie failed to hold back a grin at her brother's condition, which naturally did nothing to alleviate his mood.

"I know you did this, Nat," he accused. "Only you would be evil enough to do this to me."

"Why dear brother, whatever do you mean?" Natalie asked in a deliberate, faux-innocent tone, before she became serious. "That's what happens when you think you can get away with ruining my clothes."

"What? Your clothes?!" Astaroth stared at Natalie with bafflement.

"Don't play dumb with me. You put my clothes out on the balcony so they'd get wet and ruined, so I'd think Jin did it and get him back, all for your entertainment."

David had his arms crossed now. "Why the hell would I even do that?!"

"Because that's the kind of thing you'd do!"

Well, that is kinda true, he thought. He didn't express that thought openly, of course.

"Even Jin thought the same thing," Natalie added.

"Jin? What's he-"

Astaroth was interrupted in mid-speech as the apartment door opened and Jin stepped through. Kushina stared at Astaroth's hair with obvious surprise, then allowed a slight grin to curl up at the corners of his mouth.

"I see your sister gave you a new look," he said.

It then became Jin's turn to face Astaroth's glare. "You made her do this, didn't you?"

Natalie watched on, as Jin gave his response. To her chagrin, it was given in Japanese, but what her brother said in reply was enough to reveal the nature of Jin's response.

"So you got Nat, made her think it was me, then allowed her to do this?" He pointed at his hair.

"What?!" Natalie turned towards Jin now. "So you…"

After a deliberate pause, Jin's response was impassive. "All's fair in love and war, as they say."

"The hell? Where'd you even get that?" Natalie said. "And that has nothing to do with-"

"I think, dear sister," Astaroth suddenly interjected, "that Kushina-san is making a declaration of open war."

Natalie picked up on her brother's implication immediately. "You mean like… an open prank war?"

"Hold on," Jin interjected. "I didn't declare any-"

"Exactly Nat," Astaroth continued, as if he didn't hear his friend. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Jin blinked incredulously as he stared at the pair, sensing where this conversation could lead. "This isn't funny."

"So… anything goes?" Natalie suggested.

David pondered the suggestion for a short moment before he gave his answer. "Yeah, but the pranks can only be done inside the apartment."

"Inside the apartment? But that doesn't give us much options…"

"Then one's just going to have to be creative."

"Just so you two know," Jin cut in again. "I'm not getting involved in this."

"That's fine," Natalie replied. "Just means we can get you without worrying about the repercussions."

"But I didn't agree to be a part of this."

"You didn't have to," Astaroth spoke. "We did it for you."

Natalie nodded.

"What? That's not fair," Jin said. What he'd done was simply about getting payback for earlier. The last thing he intended was for things to escalate into some kind of "open war".

"All's fair in love and war," the siblings replied simultaneously.


==


Some time later

How long had it been? Two? Three hours? He had no idea at this point.

Jin held back a sigh as he sat back against the sofa. Within a short amount of time, the three of them had transformed the apartment into a haven for whatever trap or prank their minds were devious to imagine and execute. He had reluctantly dragged himself into the "war", initially as a preemptive against whatever tricks the two had for him. However, before he knew it, he'd become just as fully caught up in the campaign as they were.

Across from where Jin sat, Astaroth flashed a dark grin at Jin, as if fully aware of his thoughts and concerns. "So, had any fun yet?"

Kushina didn't answer. Not in words, at least.

His stomach then rumbled slightly, reminding him of his hunger. Thanks to them, he hadn't been able to eat anything since breakfast. In fact, none of them had eaten anything since this morning. Simply put, he and Astaroth couldn't trust Natalie to make them a meal without sabotaging it at their expense, and neither would Natalie risk making herself vulnerable during the process. To put it best, it had essentially become a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation, as far as he was concerned.

Speaking of Natalie, what was she up to? He hadn't seen or heard from her in a while, now.

As if to answer his thoughts, Jin soon heard the sound of Natalie racing down the stairs. He turned around in time to catch her rush into the bathroom and close the door behind her.


-*-


Ugh. Why couldn't men just put the damn toilet seat down?!

Using one finger to quickly flick it into place, Natalie hastily unfastened her pants, reeeeeally having to go after living off of water for the last few hours. She sat down, jeans and underwear around her ankles…

…and squealed as she slid off the seat like a Slip-n-Slide, hitting her head on the back of the toilet before falling unceremoniously onto the floor.

It took several moments of lying there, panting and glaring up at the ceiling, to realize a greasy substance was smeared from her thighs to her lower back where she slipped off the seat.

She sat up, infuriated, and found the seat covered - just enough to work but not enough to notice - in Vaseline.

With a roar of fury, she yelled, "WHICH ONE OF YOU DOUCHES HAD THE BRIGHT IDEA ABOUT THE TOILET SEAT???"


-*-


In the living room, Astaroth smirked and glanced at Jin. "Not bad."

"Thanks," Jin said as he poured himself a second shot of the sake Taka had given him. A sip later, he was the one cursing while David chortled away.

"Bleach and corn syrup," his friend revealed smugly.

Jin stared at his glass with a near-blank look. "But when-"

"Nat coming downstairs turned out to be enough of a distraction for me to spike the bottle."

The reality of being deprived of the rather expensive, quality sake in a single swift moment was enough to make Jin visibly frown. "I barely got to drink from that."

David only grinned. "I know."