Love Hina Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Twine Hearts and Blades ❯ Twine Hearts and Blades Chapter 07 ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

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Love Hina, Ranma 1/2 and their characters belong to Akamatsu ken and Takahashi Rumiko respectively. I'm not making money out of this, since I do it for fun. Please don't hate...
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Twine Hearts and Blades

The morning had become known as something to marvel at to those near Kegon Waterfall. The sound of the water falling from high above accompanied by the sounds of birds chirping and other animals following the patterns that nature had set for them gave the area a feel of calmness, the waterfall itself serving as a majestic sight to all those who visited. The birds going about their business ended up waking one of the people inside a small dojo near the highest plateau, where the water flowed before falling to the lower levels. She lay on a futon, a robe as her only garment, and a red hakama with a white gi folded neatly to her side. She was known as Aoyama Motoko, youngest daughter of her family and heir to the Shinmei Ryu. Her renowned hatred for men had been revoked in the last week and a half by events that she did not wish to share with anyone. After all, what would people think if they knew that she not only had been defeated by a boy, but also had to go out with him. The entire idea scared her at first, but something happened during the date; something that completely changed her views of men, and reminded her of how lonely it was to follow the path set before her.

Being around Kuno-san had not been anything like what she thought it would be. She was expecting him to try something perverted, but he had been a perfect gentleman, never laying a finger on her until the old man asked them to hold hands. It was as if he could recognize her strength and rather than fear her, he respected her for it. That made her feel comfortable during the time she was with him, but their farewell at the train station had shaken the very core of her confidence. The impulse to get closer to his face frightened her, but she could not fight that strange desire that may have risen from the depths of her heart. The image kept replaying itself over and over again in her mind, wondering what might have happened had the last boarding call failed to reach their ears. This drove her to committing herself to many hours of kendo practice, for it was her only escape from that which she was not prepared to face.

Looking back on that decision, Motoko began to regret it as her entire body felt like there were one-ton weights tied to each of her extremities. Her stamina had obviously reached its limit, and there was nothing she could do now other than wait for her muscles to recover. 'How long should it take?' She wondered, as she heard the sound of someone breathing to her right. 'My breathing is very loud today...could it be a cold?'

As a deep yawn was heard, Motoko's eyes froze in fear of who was here with her and what had taken place while she was unconscious. She turned her head to meet eyes with a ragged figure that resembled a zombie with the exception of the healthy skin color. With her sword on the other side of the room and her body on strike, there was only one thing she could do: scream.

Chapter 7: Waking those who slumber...

The ear-piercing scream that shook all of Kegon Waterfall was enough to knock Kuno Tatewaki out of his daze. He had never been a morning person, and usually had Sazuke toss cold water at him before any damage was done. Rubbing his eyes a bit, he looked down and saw a surprised Motoko on the floor; apparently she had rolled off her futon. "Ohayo, Motoko-san...how are you feeling today?" He walked over and kneeled beside the confused girl, lifting her over to the Futon and gently placed the covers over her. His hand then went to her forehead, and once he concluded the fever was still gone, he sighed in relief. "I assume you are here for training, correct?"

"Y-yes. I was supposed to continue my training here, away from all the distractions of Hinata-sou. I guess that since my body is in this state, that cannot be...a...a...achoo!" Motoko's nose suddenly felt clogged, and regretted her extreme training even more as she slowly moved her hand to wipe her nose. Tatewaki beat her to it, taking out a small handkerchief and wiping her nose before her hand got there.

"Your body is obviously tired, Motoko-san, and you won't be able to even go out in this condition."

Motoko scowled at his words, somehow using her anger to find the strength to move. "Don't you dare mock me! I am not weak, and will follow my training!" She tried to rise from the ground and sluggishly picked up her sword, not giving away how it felt like it weighed a ton, and walked outside. After only a few steps she collapsed to the ground, her muscles refusing to move at all. Tatewaki sighed and walked over, picking her up once more and carried her back to the dojo.

Motoko's arms felt too heavy to try to push him away, so all she did was growl in frustration. "Stop patronizing me! I...I can move under my own power! I don't need you to help me!" She looked at the stern look in his eyes and her complains slowly subsided as she blushed and let her head rest against his shoulder. The strange feelings were there again, but she was too tired to fight them; this time, she was just going to go with the flow.

After being set down on the futon again, Motoko tried to shift her position so that Kuno would hear her. "K-Kuno-san...I apologize f-for my words earlier...you must think I am weak and-"

"No need to apologize, Motoko-san. Someone like you will obviously try to move under your own power. In fact, it was quite impressive to see you get as far as you did."

Motoko turned away and blushed, trying to think of a different subject. She thought back to the previous night, and while it was a lousy topic, it was definitely better than talking about her current state.

Kuno beat her to the punch as he brought a bento from his pack. "Here is breakfast. You should feel better after eating something." She sat up on the futon and picked up her chopsticks, looking outside at the sunlight entering through a nearby window, the sounds of the birds outside as the only evidence that time had not stopped.

"Kuno-san, why did you help me last night? Well, actually, how did you know what to do?" Motoko's expression bordered on worried when she noticed Kuno's downcast look.

"It...It reminded me of a time long ago, when my mother was still alive and my father was still sane. My mother had been a world-class gymnast, and she wanted my sister Kodachi to surpass her in every way. To achieve this goal, mother put Kodachi through one of the hardest training regimens I had ever seen. 2 meals per day and the rest was just training. Kodachi's body eventually gave out, and she collapsed just like you did. I still remember her cries asking where was her real mother, and since she would let no one else near her, I took care of her illness. Her fatigue was great and her body had completely given up, and mother was destroyed by the guilt of not only hurting her daughter, but also for losing Kodachi's trust. It drove her to the point of suicide...when father found her in the study, both her wrists were slashed, and she had apparently committed hara-kiri afterwards. Even though my sister recovered physically, mother's death left a great stain in her heart; it eventually drove her to become the mad woman that she is known as today: Kodachi the Black Rose."

He closed his eyes and sighed in resignation. "When I saw you on the floor like that, it reminded me so much of Kodachi...how she needed someone to take care of her, and I guess I let that memory lead my actions. I apologize if that made you uncomfortable."

Motoko was at a loss of words. She had never heard anything as deep nor as sorrowful as what Tatewaki had just shared with her. Instinct once again took over as she slowly placed her hand on his; she somehow wanted to make it better for him, but didn't know how. "You do not need to apologize, Kuno-san. Heaven knows what might have happened to me had you not shown up."

Kuno raised his head and smiled. "Well then, I think getting you back home is of utmost importance. I'll start packing. As I recall, there should be settlement near here, so we can take a bus to Hinata Onsen."

Though it was embarrassing for Motoko to be carried all the way from the dojo to the nearby bus station, it couldn't be avoided; her body still refused to move on command, and Tatewaki didn't seem to mind. All through the trail they talked about the strange things in their lives. Kuno would mention things like a boy named Saotome and his friends, who were all martial artists. Motoko talked about her older sister and the people of Hinata-sou, who had their own share of oddness. It was idle chatter more than anything else, but it helped the time pass.

The sun was setting by the time they reached the settlement. Comically enough, fate would have them meet another couple that was about to head up the trail.

"Ara, Motoko-han and Kuno-han!" Tsuruko waved at the surprised teens, dragging along a very tired Kazuya, who looked like he hadn't slept at all. "Why are you two here? Is Kuno-han going to take you away to make you his bride?" Tsuruko then giggled behind her arm.

Motoko turned as red as a radish, while Kuno shook his head. "I was here for training when I met Motoko-san by chance. Since she is not in best of health, I merely offered to take her home."

Tsuruko formed a knowing smile and once again turned to the trail. "Anata and I have some business at the training grounds, so I apologize for having to cancel your lessons with Anata, Kuno-han. Ara, the bus is here."

Kuno turned and saw a large bus that seemed to be headed for Hinata Onsen. "Well then, this is where we part ways, Tsuruko-san, Sensei." Kuno bowed, Motoko still in his arms, and then boarded the bus, setting his charge on a chair as Tsuruko dragged her weary husband up the trail.

He was about to walk to the seat across from where Motoko was when she tugged on his sleeve. "I-I need support...can you sit next to me?" Tatewaki gulped, but steeled himself as he sat next to her, nearly jumping off the seat when Motoko leaned on him. Kuno turned red as he realized this was going to be a long bus ride.


When the bus reached Hinata Onsen, it was incredibly late, as the streetlamps were the only thing that seemed left on in the midst of all the dark streets. Following Motoko's directions, Tatewaki eventually reached a large stone staircase that was next to an establishment of some sorts. He slowly climbed the steps one by one, being careful not to drop Motoko, since his arms were getting tired.

After reaching the summit, he saw a great building with a sign that said 'Hinata-sou. All-girls Dormitory' next to the front door. "I guess I should leave you here, Motoko-san."

"No," she quickly said. "I feel very tired...I do not think I have the energy to make it to the third floor, where my room is. Can you help me get there?"

Kuno eyed the sign that said 'All-girls dormitory' with a worried look. "I don't think I would be allowed in. After all, the tenants here must obviously be girls. To have a man in here would not be looked upon as proper...oh wait...did you not say that the kanrinin is a young man?" Motoko nodded.

It was difficult to walk around the dark hallways of the inn, but they eventually reached Motoko's room. Carefully sliding the door open, Kuno set Motoko on her futon and put down her pack to the side of the room. "Well, I must take my leave now, Motoko-san. I hope you feel better soon, for I'd hate to see your skill go to waste." His eyes then noticed the portrait from their date. It was next the window, and Motoko had even managed to get a better frame for it.

"To think that a portrait is a moment captured in time..." whispered Tatewaki.

"...Makes our souls treasure that moment." Concluded Motoko. She smiled at Kuno's surprised look, and nearly laughed at how he was trying to act indifferent about it. "You are not the only one who can read poetry, Kuno-san." Tatewaki chuckled a bit, but his voice suddenly turned serious as he kneeled in front of her.

"M-Motoko-san...did you really enjoy that time we went on our...ahem, date?" Motoko's expression changed to something that felt a lot like nervousness, her mind admitting how much she enjoyed herself that day.

She gathered her strength and rose slightly to a sitting position. "In a word, yes. I enjoyed that day, Kuno-san. Why ask all of a sudden?"

Tatewaki gulped, realizing that challenging her again for a date would be a lot easier than this. "W-W-Well...I wished to know if you would like to d-date me again sometime..." His voice trailed off, obviously from nervousness as he tried to find the words. Nothing more was said, as they looked into each other's eyes. Kuno was fighting to keep himself from acting on instinct, while Motoko was trying to convince herself that she should accept; after all, she felt very comfortable around him, enough to let him into her room.

The great amount of nervousness along with the fact that he wasn't used to kneeling cause Tatewaki to fall forward, holding himself up with his arms to keep himself from falling on Motoko. That's when he noticed how close he was to her face, her beautiful eyes reflecting the moonlight that came from the window. He was almost getting lost in her eyes, completely mesmerized and absorbed into the current situation.

Motoko automatically blushed at how close she was to him. She felt embarrassed at how her face must look, but it didn't matter right now. What had her full attention was that same desire she felt at the train station, only stronger. It was as if the stage was set, and all it needed was the actors. The impulse also arose once again, but this time she didn't fight it; this time, she let it guide her to what felt right.

Before either noticed, their lips brushed, both their faces as red as they will ever get, but that didn't matter. Both were lost in the moment; time lost it's meaning until their lips parted, both youths breathless. As Motoko opened her eyes, she felt something had changed, deep inside her, and the chaos that inhabited her mind was gone for some reason. She looked into his eyes, and found light, energy and something else. That same warmth that she felt when she watched her sister and her husband was present inside her, and she finally had a name for it: happiness.

Author's notes:

God, I know someone will shoot me for being so damn sappy in this chapter! I felt very sappy today, though, and I think this is a nice way to conclude what I have dubbed Part 1 of this story. Part 2 will take place a little into the future, but you know, I think I'll work on the side-story some more before I ever post it.

Nothing much should be explained other than the Kodachi part, which I made up. As far as I know, Kuno's mother died while he and Kodachi were young, but nothing is ever mentioned about how she dies. Some theorized that she killed herself, while others believe someone killed her. Either way, it contributed to the fall of the Kuno household, as well as the insanity Kuno and Kodachi bear on a daily basis. For those who are wondering, YES the characters seem to be OoC, though I like to call it "developed". You could call this the romantic development for Motoko, and a personality adjustment for Kuno. Anyway, questions, comments, death threats, insults and all that please send to Ruisu7@hotmail.com.