Chapter Three: The Book of Spells

There was an odd silence that morning in the Hinata Inn as Keitaro got dressed and made his way out to a balcony. There he leaned forward and gazed over the inn, to where Shinobu was hanging up the laundry for her turn.

He breathed in the air.

Then he looked up. Motoko had been making her way toward him. She halted suddenly, and then quickly walked down another hall. It had been like this for several days. The silence got on his nerves.

At breakfast, everyone ate in silence. Kitsune was the exception, who ate cheerfully. Shinobu seemed a bit nervous. Meanwhile, Motoko and Naru eyed him and each other warily.

"Well, things have been very quiet lately, haven't they Keitaro?" asked Kitsune.

"Yes. Yes they have," said Keitaro.

Kitsune drew out a packet. "Anyway, here is that down payment on my rent you wanted me to get. I had to stop gambling completely, and boy was that hard."

"Really?" asked Keitaru, giving her a look.

"Well I may have thrown a few dice, but it's the thought that counts," said Kitsune.

"Good job, keep up the good work," said Keitaro.

Silence again. Keitaro decided to make conversation. "Motoko…"

"Eep!" said Motoko with a start. "Erm, I mean. Yes, what is it, honorable manager?"

Keitaro paused. Then he realized he had nothing to talk about. "Nothing. Naru…"

Naru looked up. "Erm, yes?"

"How are your studies for Tokyo U going?" asked Keitaro.

"Um, they are going… very well. Yes definitely." said Naru. "I'm sure I'll make it this time."

"So there aren't any problems?" asked Keitaro.

"No, why would there be problems?" asked Naru.

Keitaro paused. Then looked away. "No reason."

"Is something wrong, Keitaro?" asked Shinobu.

"No, nothing is wrong, Shinobu," said Keitaro. "Nothing at all. Actually, wait. You've cooked dinner for the whole past week. And you do laundry. I think it is about time someone else tried cooking for a change.

"Motoko you're in charge of cooking for the next week." That ought to get a reaction.

Motoko flinched. "Um, yes, of course, Honorable Manager."

Keitaro looked to Su, who had been eating enthusiastically without talking. "And Su will be your assistant."

"All right! We can make fried turtles for dinner!" said Su. "I know all kinds of recipes!"

Motoko screamed.


Later that day, Keitaro held a meeting with Aunt Haruka. "Something is very wrong here. The girls are conspiring against me."

"Keitaro, what could make you think that?" asked Haruka.

"Neither Motoko or Naru have so much as thrown a punch in a week," said Keitaro. "I think they are planning something. Until I know what, though, I can't counter it."

"Maybe they're scared of you," said Haruka.

"Hmm, why would they be?" asked Keitaro.

"Well, the last couple times they tried having a showdown with you it ended with them in the hospital," said Haruka. "They're bound to be a bit cautious after that."

"But that's terrible!" said Keitaro. "How so?" asked Haruka.

"Don't you see, if they do not attempt to act against me, I can't reply in kind!" said Keitaro. "How am I supposed to drive them out of the Hinata Apartments if we don't have a conflict!"

"Keitaro, you could evict them," noted Haruka.

"No. That would be too easy," said Keitaro, eyes narrowed.

"Too easy?" asked Haruka.

"Yes!" said Keitaro. "If I just evict them they'll leave and do whatever it is they do elsewhere! No. I'm going to break them."

"You're taking all this a bit personally, don't you think?" asked Haruka.

"Of course I'm taking it personally, Aunt Haruka!" said Keitaro. "This is a vendetta!"

Haruka sighed and took a sip of her sake. Then she put it down and looked at him. "…Right. Well, if you're so dead set on provoking Motoko and Naru into attacking you, you could start acting like a pervert."

"What?" asked Keitaro.

"You know, looking in on them in the baths and groping them. That sort of thing," said Haruka.

"I would never do that!" said Keitaro, recoiling in horror.

"Keitaro, the reason they aren't acting up is that their fear of you outweighs their hatred of your gender," said Haruka. "You haven't actually done anything wrong. So their righteous indignation is more simple sexism.

"If you start doing bad things, they'll start attacking you again."

"Not an option. I don't peep at girls," said Keitaro. He clasped his hands and bowed his head, deep in thought. "I need more resources for this. Something to drive things home."

Haruka rolled her eyes and walked over to a desk. Opening it, she drew out a huge, leather-clad black book. It had the emblem of a turtle skull on it. She set it down on the table with a thud. And the weight of the falling shook the foundations of the earth.

"Well, if you're that much of a prude I could always give you this book of dark sorcery which I used when I was a little girl," said Haruka.

Keitaro blinked. "Let me see that." He pulled the book over to him and turned it around. He peered carefully at the title and raised an eyebrow. "'A Book of Dark Spells, By Turtlethulu." He opened it and flipped through the pages. Then he smiled and stood up. "Thank,s Haruka, you're the best. I'm going to go study this right away!"

And he ran off.

Haruka sighed. Then she sat back in her chair. "There is something seriously wrong with that boy. Ah well, I guess I'm calling the kettle black there."


Later Keitaro set up a pentacle just like the book said. He dressed in black robes with a hood that covered his face. Then he prepared to look for a spell that suited his purposes.

"Now let's see," he said. "I don't want to kill them. Just drive them out."

He opened the book and came to the front page. There was a message written there that was written in a language he did not understand. But as he looked at it, it gradually shifted around to change into something he could understand. Or maybe he changed. It was kind of weird.

"Spellcaster be aware; when you wield spells, they wield you," said Keitaro. "Don't complain about how. Crazy stuff, huh." He turned it over. Some of the spells were long term curses, and he skipped these. Others physically hurt people. He skipped these as well. "Hmm, let's see. Accusing Phantasm. A spell to drive your enemies running in terror with their own fears and insecurities. That sounds pretty good.

"But it says here that I need… a lock of their hair." He sat down and thought. "How am I going to get that?"

And then the obvious solution presented itself.

Keitaro slipped through the halls, walking carefully to avoid making a sound. Eventually, he came to a corner and peered around it. Shinobu and Motoko were speaking.

"Goodnight Motoko," said Shinobu.

"Good night, Shinobu," said Motoko.

They then went into their rooms. Keitaro followed Motoko and waited outside for her to fall asleep. He tried to control his fear. "Okay, stay calm. Why the heck am I going after Motoko first? Oh who am I kidding, she's the greatest threat."

He waited until the lights went out. Then he waited until he was sure she was asleep. From there, he slid the door open and found a room filled with weaponry. Samurai armor was everywhere.

And at the center was Motoko sleeping. He made his way forward. "Wow, Motoko looks really cute in her sleep, doesn't she?" he thought. Then he caught himself. "No, stay focused. She's a crazy samurai girl."

He drew out a pair of scissors and kneeled down by her. Reaching out with a hand, he could hardly control his breath as he took hold of a lock of her hair. Moving with the scissors, he could hardly contain himself.

What if she woke up? He didn't have a fire extinguisher handy.

"Just a little closer…" he whispered.

He snipped off the hair and rose. "I have it."

He slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. From there, he made his way quickly back to the room. He wiped the sweat from his brow. "Whew, close one." He sighed. "Okay, now for Naru." Then he halted at the prospect of going after two in the same night. Did he really want to push his luck? "Wait a minute. I don't know if this book will actually work. And if it doesn't, I'll have wasted my time for nothing. Okay, I'll just test it on Motoko. I'll use a different spell on Naru. Yeah."


Motoko woke up and at once sensed that something wasn't right. Rising up, she reached out and clasped her sword. Bringing a hand up, she felt that a lock of her hair missing. "What the… what happened to my hair? Did someone…" Then she noticed the door was slightly ajar. "Was someone in here?" Things clicked. "Keitaro!"

She rushed out blinding into the halls with her sword. Making her way through she came out onto the balcony and halted. Looking up, she saw a figure standing on the roof. He wore a long black hood and cloak which concealed his features. Motoko readied her sword. "What the… who are you!"

"I am the darkness, incarnate! The master of sorcery!" cried the man. "I have come to pass judgment on you-" And then he slipped on the roof and tumbled down to land with a crash below.

Motoko blinked, then leaped off the balcony to land near him.

"Ow." said the sorcerer, rubbing his head.

"Whatever your sorcery it can't be very good," noted Motoko.

"We shall see!" said the sorcerer.

He raised a hand.

Suddenly the air was filled with a horrible scent. Maddening whispers filled Motoko's mind as she turned to see something. It was unto a turtle but had many tendrils coming from its chin. She stepped back, drawing her sword.

Then she saw its eyes. Her mind froze as she felt its horrific gazing peering into her. She shuddered as it's will filled her mind. "Your ways have all been evil! While you indulge in shenanigans in the Hinata House, your sister slaves away in bondage to a tyrant!

"Run! Leave this place and go to her aid, or cower here as one would expect you to!"

"What is… sister…" Motoko staggered back.

Then, as if in a vision, Motoko saw her sister moving toward her. The inn became a swamp seeped in mist. Her thoughts clouded, and she saw wounds and bruises upon her sister.

"Help me, Motoko…" gasped her sister.

"What?" gasped Motoko. "Why would you need help…" Her sister had always been powerful, stronger than anyone. Motoko struggled to keep up with her. Why would she need help?

"He beats me!" cried Tsuruko. "I can't escape him! My husband…"

The spell of Turtlethulu fell upon her, and Motoko rushed into the night, her blade in hand. Shinobu saw her running.

"Motoko, Motoko, where are you going?" called Shinobu.

Keitaro walked forward. Shinobu looked at him. "Keitaro, what happened?"

"I don't know," said Keitaro. "I got up to get a glass of water and Motoko just bolted out the door."

"Do you think she's all right?" asked Shinobu.

"I'm sure she is. She's a tough samurai," said Keitaro. "She can handle it."

"I don't know about that. She seemed pretty upset," said Shinobu.

"Look, let's just wait till morning before we overreact okay," said Keitaro. "I'm sure Motoko will come back on her own."

"Do you think we should call the police?" asked Shinobu.

"Are you kidding? She'll probably attack them!" said Keitaro. "…Huh, that's actually a good point," said Shinobu.


Once Shinobu had gone back to bed, Keitaro leaped for joy. "…Yes! It worked! Now nothing can stop me from getting rid of those girls! Now, who should I target first? Maybe Naru?

"Ah, I'll think about it later."


Motoko wandered toward the sea, blade in hand. She saw now what she must do. She must go on, find her sister, and kill her worthless husband. He was the source of all her problems.

"I'm coming to save you, Tsuruko! Turtlethulu will not win…"

This couldn't end badly.


Author's Note:

This took a long time for me to make. I'll level with you, I lost inspiration and forgot about it all. Fortunately for fans of this fic, I've been completely out of inspiration for the past few days. So I looked through my backlog of previous installments. There I found the half-complete fanfic.

So yeah. I'll see if I can remember what I had planned for chapter four. Enjoy.