Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Immortal Flame ❯ Chapter 2: Path of Flame ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Path of Flame

Keitaro began to feel his body returning to consciousness, bracing for the pain that would inevitably come. Opening his eyes he was rewarded with a dazzling white light. His eyes adjusting, he noticed that everything around him was white. Even the clothes he wore were a brilliant white color. Standing, the first realization that hit was that there was no pain. Keitaro looked down at his body, his hands probing the areas he knew to be injured. The second realization was that he was not alone.

“Hello, Keitaro.”

Keitaro spun to look at the voice's owner. What he found was a man no taller than he, but his toned muscles rippled beneath his cloths. The muscular form was clothed in the same shade white as everything else in this plain world. His hair shone deep blue in the white light of the space they occupied and his violet eyes pierced Keitaro's soul. He stood with his hands behind his back, like he belonged there. Keitaro subconsciously backed away, “Who are you?”

“I guessed that would be your first question,” the man chuckled. Steadily he stepped over to Keitaro, bringing a hand out in front of him, “My name is Takeru.”

Takeru straightened visibly, “I won't lie to you Keitaro, but by all accounts and modern science, you should be dead right now.”

Fear and realization hit Keitaro like a semi-truck, “You mean I'm…”

“No, you're not dead,” Takeru finished, dismissing Keitaro's obvious fear. Stepping forward he motioned to an unseen space in the distance, “But you are in a comatose state at present.”

“I'm in a coma?” Keitaro asked unbelieving.

Takeru nodded, “Yes, and I would like to be the first to welcome you to your mind.”

“My mind?” Keitaro repeated, almost not believing what he was hearing. Cautiously he looked around, taking in the never ending landscape before him. Takeru's chuckle brought him back to the only other person there, “This is what my mind looks like?”

“Rather desolate isn't it?” Takeru responded, chuckling slightly. Shaking his head he looked back at the confused Keitaro, “I guess I should tell you that we are in you unconscious mind and that there is a reason we are here.”

Keitaro looked at the man opposite him questioningly, “Why am I here?”

A small frown etched itself on Takeru's features, “It is from here you have a choice. You have come to the fork in the road, with two paths to choose from.”

Keitaro eyed the man skeptically, “What two paths?”

“On the one hand,” Takeru began, slowly picking his words. He raised a hand to point at him, “You could wake up in the hospital, the same as you would have and return to your ordinary life.”

Keitaro frowned, “And the second path?”

“I told you I wouldn't lie to you, Keitaro,” Takeru began feeling a breath leave his body, “But what would you say if I told you that in two years, everything and everyone you know and love will be destroyed or enslaved?”

“What are you talking about?” Keitaro scoffed at the idea. He shook his head slightly, “The government won't allow that to happen.”

Takeru turned away slightly looking at Keitaro over his shoulder, “The government won't be able to do anything. They can't do anything.”

“What do you mean, `they can't do anything'?” Keitaro spoke, not believing his ears.

“Because,” Takeru said, turning to face Keitaro once again. Etched onto his face was a serious expression, one that foretold of pain and suffering, “These creatures that are going to attack can only be killed by people such as us.”

“Huh?” came Keitaro's unsure response, “People like us? What are you talking about?”

Takeru brought his hands to the jacket he wore and pulled it open, revealing the skin beneath. Carved onto his flesh was a trio of long and hideous scars that ran from his right shoulder to his left hip. Keitaro jumped back, suddenly afraid of what was going on, “What are you?”

“You needn't be afraid of me Keitaro,” Takeru said, closing his jacket. He looked the young man in the eyes, “I'm one of the many that protect this world and the next, Keitaro. I am a Phoenix.”

“A Phoenix?” Keitaro questioned.

“Yes, Keitaro, a Phoenix.” Came Takeru's answer. Calmly, he raised a hand and from the palm of an empty hand a blue flame sparked to life. Slowly it spread across Takeru's body, until finally it enveloped him in blue fire. The flames slowly took shape, wings of fire spreading from Takeru's back and talons from his hands. The most powerful sight was that of a bird of prey's head forming around Takeru's. Releasing an ear shattering scream, the bird flapped its fiery wings once, sending out a gust of the searing fire from Takeru. With Takeru's movements, the bird-flame moved along with him, following his every movement and action. When Takeru finally spoke again after a few moments, the bird's beak moved with his mouth, “This is what I really look like, Keitaro. A bird of blue fire, sent to safeguard humanity from those that would destroy or conquer it.”

Keitaro, mouth agape, looked at the bird of flame that was Takeru. He shook his head in disbelief, watching as Takeru slowly moved over to him. Keitaro instinctively retreated slightly, before being sent waves of reassurance flowing from Takeru's body. It seemed the flames themselves were alleviating Keitaro's fears of this unknown being in front of him. Takeru finally stopped just inches from Keitaro, the flames of his body licking at Keitaro's flesh. Though there was heat emanating from him, Keitaro was not burned. Takeru spoke, his voice being echoed by that of his fiery soul, “This is what I am Keitaro. And deep within yourself, this is what you also are.”

Keitaro looked at Takeru, bewilderment rampant in his eyes, “You mean I'm a Phoenix?”

“Yes, Keitaro,” Takeru nodded, the flame slowly dying away and his voice returning to normal, “Since birth you have been, though you never truly awakened.”

“Never truly awakened?” Keitaro said, disbelief brimming his voice. He knew that he had been different in his own way, but he had always chaulked it up to being a dork and loser. Never had he suspected that he was some kind of powerful being sent to protect the earth.

Takeru frowned slightly, “Though by now your grandmother should have told you and awakened you.”

“Wait a minute,” Keitaro interrupted. He looked at Takeru again with bewilderment, “You mean to tell me that my grandmother knew what I was the whole time?”

Takeru nodded, “That was the whole reason as to why she asked you to be the Hinata Inn manager. She had hoped that Motoko would awaken your warrior spirit, and the rest to finally pull forward your true self. Unfortunately, that is not how it happened.”

Finally everything was beginning to make sense. His being called to the Hinata Inn, his being given position as manager, and Granny Hina's sudden departure. Though it all began to make sense, one question still lingered at the back of his mind, “Do the girls know about this?”

“No,” Takeru said, shaking his head. He ran a hand through his violet hair, “They have no idea what you really are. All they know is who you are as a human. To tell you the truth, nobody knows what you really look like. But we do know what you're supposed to be able to do.”

Keitaro gazed questioningly at Takeru, “What am I supposed to do?”

Takeru exhaled softly, “It is said that you will drive back demons just by your presence alone, that your battle cry will incinerate hundreds of demons. It is also said that your tears will bring back the dead and your flames will punish those who dare threaten the earth.”

Keitaro balked, “That's some shoe to fill.”

Takeru nodded slightly, “But in the end, I believe you will do as foretold.”

“So the only thing I have to do is to awaken,” Keitaro said, not even believing he was going along with this, “How do I do that?”

“That is why I'm here,” Takeru said, not skipping a beat. He raised a hand to shake Keitaro's hand, “All you have to do is take my hand, and I'll show you the rest.”

Keitaro looked skeptically at Takeru, “That's all?”

“No, not in the least.” Takeru said, keeping his hand outstretched waiting for Keitaro to grasp it, “It will take me a few months to teach you to truly contain and use your powers. Until then you'll remain in a comatose state, so as not to cause unnecessary destruction to everything around you. We will train here in your mind, and when you're ready, you'll reawaken in the real world. Everything you learn here will be ingrained into your mind and you'll be able to do them at will.”

“Sounds easy,” Keitaro replied, feeling the weight of the world beginning to settle on his shoulders, “Easy, that is, for one to say.”

Takeru nodded, awaiting Keitaro's answer. Keitaro thought about everything at risk. The girls, his family, but most importantly, Naru. They would all be in danger, but he would do anything for them, Naru in particular. His heart ached for her, and he knew then that whatever happened, he would not let any harm ever come to her. Looking up into Takeru's eyes with a look of determination, he grasped his hand, “Anything to keep Naru safe.”

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One year and a half later,

Time had passed, flowing and ebbing all around the world. Days and nights came and went with their steady pace. However, Naru no longer noticed. Her days were now spent taking care of her studies, and watching over Keitaro. Ever since he'd been admitted into the hospital, he'd been in a coma. Naru kept hoping that one day he'd awaken and be with her again, but she was beginning to lose hope. The days pressed on, driving her to the point of losing her mind. Then the day had come when she had caught herself thinking about another man. She had scolded herself and thrown herself into her school work, trying to atone for her thoughts. The other residents did what they could to help her through her hardest times, but she had insisted that she take over for Keitaro in his absence.

Walking down the now familiar hallway, she thought of her time in the hospital. Ever since she'd first been here after hearing the news, she had come to Keitaro's side every night. She had even pleaded with the hospital staff to let her stay there beside him at night. Reluctantly, they had agreed, hoping that she would be in some way a guiding light for Keitaro to return to. Every night had held the same promise to her, that in the morning she'd wake up and Keitaro would be watching her with a smile etched on his face. And every morning she had that promise broken when she'd wake up to the beeping of his respirator and the soft drip of his IV.

She placed a hand over her heart, where a necklace hung delicately. It had been a present from Keitaro on their first anniversary. The interlocked hearts were bound together by a beautiful diamond that sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight. She had remembered what he had said to her, word for word. He spoke of how at first his memory of his promise had been vague, but over time and the closer they had become, it became clearer. He had confessed to her that night, that no matter how far apart they may become or whatever happened to the other, that they would always be together.

A tear found itself falling down her cheek as she gently pushed open the door to Keitaro's room. As usual, she found Keitaro lying there, machines and IV's hooked into his body, keeping him alive while he was asleep. On the other side of the room, not far from his bed, was the bed that she had become accommodated to during her stay alongside him. Closing the door, she moved over to her side of the room and placed her things down on a stool. Then she proceeded to tend to Keitaro. During his long slumber, Naru had found him to be growing facial hair and his hair slowly lengthening. Though she didn't mind his hair, she often trimmed his now fully formed goatee. Taking a small razor out from a side pocket in her bag, she gently washed his face, careful not to disturb his lifelines. Then she placed a little shaving gel onto his skin and began to run the razor over his features. She stayed there, trimming and shaving him until she was satisfied. Cleaning off the excess gel, she held a mirror up for him to look into, “There now, all clean shaven.”

She frowned when he didn't respond, “I wish you could answer me. It's getting hard not hearing your voice, Keitaro.”

Gently putting the razor and mirror away, she pulled out her sleeping clothes from her bag. Turning out the light, she began to dress for bed. Lately she had found herself comfortable with changing in front of the sleeping man she had once deemed a pervert for accidentally walking in on her several times. Once she had realized what she had done, she felt guilt at herself for having done it. Now, she didn't care if he woke up with her changing, as long as he woke up. Taking one last look at Keitaro, she finished changing, and crept over to his prone form. Ever so gently, she placed a longing kiss on his lips, “Goodnight, Keitaro. Please wake up tonight.”

Silently she crawled into her bed, wishing and praying that he'd be awake in the morning. She looked over at him as she began to fall asleep, memorizing his sleeping form, “Please, Keitaro. I need you here with me.”

And with those words, she drifted to sleep with dreams of Keitaro holding her in his arms.

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“The time has come, Kei,” Takeru said, hope beaming his voice. He looked across at Keitaro. His hair had lengthened during his stay as well as a goatee having formed upon his face. The glasses had been gotten rid of, as he no longer needed them. His body rippled with muscles that had been gained during his training. There had even been moments where Keitaro had surpassed even Takeru's expectations. Though his mental conditioning was done, Keitaro still had a long, hard road ahead of him. Takeru smiled at his friend, “Time to wake up, Kei.”

Keitaro nodded in agreement, “It's been to long. What if Naru…” His voice cracked slightly, wondering if Naru had stayed by his side through the whole ordeal. Takeru only offered a smile, “Don't worry about that. She'll be there for you.”

He had spent the last year and a half locked within the confines of his mind. Even though he had learned to unleash and control his physical abilities, he had yet to even fully awaken as the Phoenix he is. Everything that he had done at first had felt like pebbles in a lake, just barely disturbing the surface. However, as the months had dragged on, things had become easier. He began to call his energy quicker, and it had become much stronger. He wanted to stay here and continue to build his powers. However, despite this fact, he yearned for the outside world. He ached to see Naru again, hoping that she was somewhere nearby. Pushing his thoughts aside, he prepared himself for the task that would signal the completion of his training.

“Kei, relax and focus your energy. Let it flow through your body. Let it pass through your skin and muscle. Let it consume you.” Came Takeru's reassuring instructions. Keitaro obeyed, remembering the first time he had tasted the burning power he held within. Reaching deep within his core, he beckoned his power forward. Coming to him, the flames began to swirl within his body, signaling the coming of his true form.

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Naru awoke to the sounds of the nurse's alarm going off and the light flickering on. She sat up and looked over to see Keitaro's face sweating. His heart rate had skyrocketed and his temperature was over a hundred degrees. Jumping from bed she raced behind the doctors and nurse's wheeling him to the operating room. She caught up to them just as they entered the operating room. A single nurse had been left behind to stop her from following into the room, “Miss Narusegawa, please you have to stay out here.”

“What's going on? What's wrong with him?” Naru asked the nurse quickly, her eyes never leaving Keitaro's prone form.

The nurse placed a hand on her shoulder, “His temperature spiked and his heart rate had jumped significantly in the past few minutes. We don't know what is wrong right now.”

Naru nodded acknowledgement as she was forced to sit down in the waiting room. The nurse quietly offered to bring her a robe and to call the other residents of the Hinata Inn to the hospital, and left soon after that. Naru waited patiently, hoping that Keitaro would hold on and wake up.

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Keitaro felt the power surging inside him, coaxing it forth as much as possible. Takeru looked on as Keitaro pulled his power from the depths of his being, “Good, Kei! Now let go and release your power! Let your energy flow out!”

That was all Keitaro needed to hear, letting go and allowing his inner self to assert itself in its rightful place. The energy began to pour from his body like water from a sponge, the flame of his birthright finally escaping the confines of its prison. Keitaro's eyes opened wide and his mouth opened as he felt his being become complete.

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Minutes had passed by, but they had felt like an eternity to Naru. Just moments ago, the nurse had returned with the promised robe and told her that her friends were on their way. She thanked the nurse and let her be on her way. Though she was patiently waiting, the wait was beginning to grate on her nerves.

`They've been in there for half an hour,' Naru had thought to herself, wondering what was taking them so long to fix. Then her fears began to play with her thoughts, `What if he's dying?'

Shaking the thought from her head, she began to pray. Though she had never been a religious person, the events of the past several months had opened her up to anything she believed would bring Keitaro back to her. Her lips began to move as she spoke aloud her prayer, “God, I know I've never been real close to you, but I beg of you. Please let Keitaro be alright. I don't know what I'd do without him.”

Suddenly she felt a gentle hand rest on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Keitaro's aunt, Haruka, standing above her. A small smile was etched on her face, “Don't worry, Naru. I think he knows without ever being asked.”

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Keitaro felt his voice cry out as the flames finally consumed his body. The cry of power and of justice rang out in the infinite expanse that was his mind. With this cry came the flames, wreathing his body in liquid fire. Finally the flames, took on the hue of their bearer, turning into a dark red and black. These flames licked and danced across his body, as his black-red wings emerged for the first time. His hands, wreathed in flame, took on the claws of his inner being. Then finally, his majestic head, came forth, its mouth open along with Keitaro's as it cried out for the first time. The moment came and went, but was none the less awe inspiring to witness.

Takeru felt pride billow in him as he allowed himself to take on his own form, his body being wrapped in blue flames. Together, they cried out and hailed the birth of Keitaro. Takeru smiled at Keitaro, “You have finally awakened brother. Now it's time for you to return to your world.”

Keitaro nodded, “Yes it is. Will I see you again in the real world?”

“Of course,” Takeru smiled, his happiness showing, “I will appear to you when you return to Hinata Inn. I will wait for you there.”

With a smile Takeru faded out of Keitaro's mind, leaving him alone in his mind. Smiling, Keitaro laid himself down, and for the first time in a year and a half, allowed his mind to sleep.

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Naru and Haruka waited patiently, to see if Keitaro would come out. Naru felt the urge to rush into the operating room, but Haruka kept her firmly in her seat. Out of the corner of her eye, Naru looked at Haruka, only to find the older woman smiling. Naru turned to look at Haruka, “Haruka, why are you smiling?”

Haruka let out a little chuckle, “I'm smiling because…”

Just at that instant, the operating doors swung open, scaring Naru out of her seat. She waited patiently as the nurse's raced from the room in multiple directions. Looking at one as they passed, Naru saw disbelief covering their face. Watching them until they disappeared from sight, she felt Haruka stand up beside her. She turned to look at Haruka, whose smile had become bigger. Confusion began to take hold in her mind, wondering if this was some kind of sick dream. Then she watched as the unbelievable happened.

The operating doors swung open, and the doctor came out slowly, his head shaking in disbelief. He turned to offer a hand to some unknown person, but was refused. Time then slowed down as from within the room, Keitaro Urashima's form walked out of the operating room. Naru almost fainted right then and there, but Haruka put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. There stood Keitaro, clothed in only a hospital gown that was tied by the top around his waist. Naru looked at him and wondered why he was standing. From the months he had been out, he shouldn't have been able to stand, yet there he was.

Ever so slightly, he turned, coming to look at Naru. His eyes gleamed and a smile spread across his face instantly. Naru, feeling tears welling up in her eyes, felt her legs had become unfrozen. Using her new found mobility, she ran to Keitaro. Reaching him, she threw herself into his arms, and surprisingly he stood firm. His body was warm and inviting to the touch of her hands, and she no longer cared what was physically possible or not. Pulling back, she leaned in and kissed him with all the passion she could muster. Keitaro, though surprised, returned the kiss in kind. Time stopped for them as they stood there in the middle of the waiting room, joined in a passionate embrace. Only when they heard the sounds of the other Hinata residents `oo-ing' and `ahh-ing' did they stop and look around.

Gazing at the motley crew that had been his friends for over two years now, he smiled. He looked from one to the other, until finally his gaze rested on Naru, “I'm back.”

End of Chapter 2