Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Immortal Flame ❯ Chapter 10: Preparing for War ( Chapter 10 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter 10: Preparing for War

Shinobu watched as her friends trained. It had been nearly two weeks since they started, and the training had only intensified. Everyday, Motoko was pushed harder, driving her far beyond her physical limitations, while her instructor hardly broke a sweat.

Naru on the other hand was having a much harder time keeping up. Not only did she have to train physically, but she had to condition her mind as well. They both showed improvements by leaps and bounds, but were still extremely far from the goals laid out before them.

A long sigh escaped her lips as she hefted the water bucket from the ground. Gently she carried it to its destination by the growing surplus of supplies. Carefully, she selected several plump oranges and placed them in the bucket. Taking a longing look up at the sky, she resisted a sob, `It's been almost a month since we last saw Takeru. Where could he be?'

Off in the distance a horn blared, signaling the arrival of someone. Dropping the bucket, she raced to the ramparts. Skidding to a halt, Shinobu looked out over the ruined landscape. A large group of people were approaching from the south. She felt a pang of defeat at it not being Takeru, but they were still new people.

From below one of the lead men cried out, “We were sent by Keitaro Urashima to help defend this place! Open up! We have wounded!”

The great doors creaked open, allowing safe passage into the fort. Slowly, they entered bringing their battered selves and their wounded inside.

Quickly, Shinobu turned and ran down the stairs to the main yard. Running towards the man in charge, she wormed her way through the crowd. Nearly ten feet from him, she called out, “Sir! Sir!”

The speaker from before turned to look at her, “What do you want, kid?”

Shinobu took a step back, “Y-You said Keitaro sent you? Does that mean he's alive?”

The man spoke, almost spitting Keitaro's name, “Yeah, Keitaro sent us, and yes he is. At least he was two weeks ago.”

Fear bubbled in her, “What do you mean?”

“That…” He began, rage evident in his eyes. Calming himself he continued, “He went on a suicide mission to find the enemy leader. No one's heard from him.”

Shinobu felt her knees buckle as she collapsed to the ground. A tear ran down her face, “And T-Takeru?”

The man gave her an angered look, “Never mention that foul person's name to me! Ever!”

Her tears came unbridled, sobbing heavily. The man scowled heavily, “Don't waste your tears on garbage like him!”

“Ichiro,” came the soothing voice of Tsuruko. Turning to face the swordswoman, he bowed. She stood rigid, “Show some respect to my guests, and Keitaro's friends.”

Ichiro bit his lip, “I apologize.”

Tsuruko relaxed a little, “Apology accepted, but don't let it happen again.”

Surveying the battered group, she frowned, “Yours and Kanagawa's men are here, but where is Kanagawa?”

His voice came out in a growl, “We were ambushed on the way. We had almost four times this number with us at the start. Kanagawa and a handful of others stayed behind to garner us some time.”

Tsuruko frowned, “I see.”

Shinobu looked at the ground wiping a tear from her eyes. A drop of liquid fell to the ground, but not from her. Noticing the growing puddle, she looked up to find its source.

Her breath flew into her lungs as she saw Ichiro's wound. She brought her hands to her mouth, “Your arm! It's hurt!”

Ichiro gently brought a hand to his arm, “I'll survive.”

She stood, trying to examine his wound, “It looks deep. We have to treat it, now.”

He pushed her hands away. “I said I'm fine, now leave me alone!”

“Ichiro,” Tsuruko interrupted firmly. He looked at her, a quite anger in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed, “Let her treat your wounds, then come see me.”

Reluctantly, he allowed Shinobu to look at his wound. Calmly, she took his hand and led him to the medical tent. Tsuruko watched as the two disappeared into the throng of people. She said a silent prayer for Ichiro's patience to hold before returning to her duties.

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“Almost there,” Takeru said, adjusting the little girl on his back. He smiled at the last major ridge obstructing the view of Kyoto. “Soon we'll be somewhere safe. I've got some friends here.”

Inwardly, he cringed, “I hope everyone made it alright.”

Mei's tiny voice broke his thoughts, “I just hope my sister and her friends made it out of Hinata alive.”

Takeru felt his heart fall, “They were at Hinata?”

She nodded her head, “Yeah, they all lived together.”

A frown crossed his face as he remembered the condition Hinata was in when he and the girls had escaped. He didn't have the heart to tell her that they may be dead. Or worse.

The top of the ridge came closer as he trudged on. Taking the last few feet, they were greeted with the wondrous sight of the Shinmei Ryu school grounds.

Takeru breathed a sigh of relief, “We made it, Mei.”

She smiled, “You've done so much for me. I could never thank you enough.”

Off in the distance, an eerie cry pierced their ears. Takeru knew what was coming, and wasn't in condition to fight them alone. He swung Mei around so he could carry her from the front, “Hang on!”

Using all of his strength, he ran. Trees raced past, their branches now trying to grab hold of their clothes. Mei cried as another eerie howl broke the forest, “What are they?”

“Hell Hounds,” Takeru's response came, “They're demon cavalry!”

Clutching the small girl closer, he continued to run. He knew the closer they were to the school, the better their chances of survival were. Weaving in and out of the trees and ducking low branches, they ran.

As the trees began to thin, Takeru tried to push himself faster. Without enough energy to manifest his wings, he frowned at the predicament. Then the situation became worse.

Breaking through the tree line, Takeru looked behind him. For a few seconds, he saw nothing but the trees and bushes. Then the bushes exploded, revealing their pursuers. Their mouths dripped with saliva and snarling in anticipation. Returning his attention to the fort, he only hoped he could make it.

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The signal horn blared, alerting Ichiro. Sprinting to the wall, he looked out to the north. Running toward the fort was a man carrying a young child. Not far behind them was a pack of four Hell Hounds. Half smirking, half frowning, he ran to the gate. Another warrior joined him, “Your orders?”

Ichiro glared at him, “What do you think? Open the gates and follow me!”

Barking out the order, the pair raced out to meet the enemy. From his back, Ichiro pulled a pair of long, curved blades. He frowned as he ran, at least thankful for a fight.

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Mei closed her eyes, unwilling to look at the horrifying beasts that were chasing them. She felt the wind rushing past her as Takeru carried her towards safety. Turning her head, she saw a pair of men running towards them, weapons drawn.

Feeling herself being shifted, Takeru tossed her to one of the other men, “Get her inside!”

Catching her, the man obeyed the order and turned towards the fort. She watched as Takeru turned and drew his sword, preparing to fight.

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Spinning, Takeru drew his sword. Kneeling as he turned, he saw the jaws of one of the beasts pass by in the air where he'd been. Wielding the weapon, he swept around him in a horizontal arc. The beast flew over his head, now unable to run form the lack of legs. Sparing a look out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the familiar Phoenix plowing into battle.

Ichiro yelled out a battle cry as he rushed a pair of the demons. Suddenly sliding to a halt, he swung his swords out to the sides of him. The mounts cried out as the blades drew long cuts on their opposing sides. As the beasts fell, one of the riders leapt at him. In the blink of an eye, Ichiro had struck. Piercing the demon using the tips of his swords, he ripped them out through the top and bottom of the demons torso, effectively splitting it in half.

Takeru saw the two halves fall away as he blocked his dismounted rider's weapon. It snarled as Takeru shoved, throwing the demon off balance. Causing the opening, Takeru lashed out. His blade tore through the demons stomach, disemboweling it. As it fell, a stray thought came to his mind. He began looking around, “Where's the fourth one?”

Turning, Takeru noticed the retreating form of the last beast disappearing into the tree line. He cursed himself, “Now they know where we are.”

Ichiro harrumphed, “Let them come.”

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Takeru winced a little as one of the nurses cleaned his wounds. Looking to his right, he smiled. Mei was safe and sound, sitting on a nearby cot asleep.

Ichiro scoffed, “Why did you save her?”

A frown crossed Takeru's face, “Why did you save me?”

“Simple,” he retorted, crossing his arms, “I know you can fight. She can't.”

Takeru had readied a response, but was cut off by the arrival of a new person. Tsuruko walked in calmly, but concern in her eyes. Bowing low, Takeru smiled, “It's good to see you Lady Tsuruko.”

“Dispense with the pleasantries,” She said in a clipped voice. Her eyesight darted between the two warriors, “I know about today's incident and I want you two to know a scout just identified one of the forces moving up the eastern coast is led by one of the generals.”

A sigh escaped Takeru, “Any idea how big it is?”

Tsuruko looked away, “Large enough to crush us here.”

Ichiro frowned, “That won't happen.”

The two others looked at him quizzically, but didn't speak. Standing upright, Ichiro looked at Tsuruko, “There are two other forces of ours nearby. One in Sendai and another is south at Kagoshima. If I send two of my fastest men, I can have them both here within two months.”

Tsuruko grimaced, “That may not be soon enough, but alright. Send your messengers.”

He bowed and left, throwing a look over his shoulder at Takeru. Takeru's shoulders relaxed when Ichiro was out of sight. Noticing it, Tsuruko's mood lightened, “Still tense around each other?”

Takeru frowned, “With good reason.”

He raked a hand through his hair as he looked at Mei, “I'm just glad to get her here alive.”

Tsuruko nodded, “Yes. Of that both I and her sister are grateful.”

As if on cue, the little girls eyes fluttered open. Sitting up, she looked at Tsuruko and then Takeru. She pouted, “Is my sister here?”

Tsuruko gently brushed a stray hair out of Mei's face, “Yes. She's in the inner courtyard.”

Her face brightened, “Can I go see her?”

Smiling, Tsuruko nodded. Bolting out of the cot, Mei vanished out of the tent flaps. Takeru smiled, “So full of life.”

Another smile crossed Tsuruko's face, “It's good to see at least a little happiness and hope restored in these times.”

His smile slowly disappeared, “Did they make it here alright?”

Tsuruko nodded a small smile on her face, “Yes they did and there was some….interesting revelations as well.”

Sitting forward, Takeru looked at her intently, “Tell me.”

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The corridors were long and filled with people, but she still pushed on. She had to see her sister, to believe it was true.

As she neared the end of the corridor, she was faced with a large sliding door. The paper on the door was painted with beautiful designs and an elegant scene from some legend. Swooping across the top of the doors was a fiery bird, wings outstretched and claws and beak poised to strike. Below it was a black and red snake, coiled and ready to unleash its wrath upon the bird. It was a beautiful piece of artwork that stood out amongst the bustling people.

Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Mei gently slid the door open. The sunlight filtered into the garden from above, illuminating the lone tree that stood in its center. Beneath it sitting in the shade were two people. A large smile spread across her face, “Naru! Motoko!”

Jarred from their meditation, the two girls looked at her. Instantly, they recognized her. Naru sprung to her feet and ran towards her sister, “Mei!”

No longer containing her joy, Mei mimicked her sister. Within seconds they met, embracing each other in a warm hug. Naru felt a tear trickle down her face, “You're safe!”

Pulling back, Mei nodded. Her face was also covered with recently shed tears, “Thanks to Takeru, I am.”

They felt a rush of air as Motoko ran past them and out of the courtyard. The two watched as she left, and Naru chuckled, “She definitely likes him. Well, go get him, Motoko.”

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It felt like a dream. Motoko suppressed the fluttering of butterflies in her stomach. She watched as his chest gently rose and fell with each breath. His features dirty and worn, he laid sound asleep on the infirmary cot.

With great care and grace, she crossed the distance between them. Now by his bedside, she felt her cheeks become hot as she looked at him. Motoko brushed a hand across his face, “You're back.”

He smiled in his sleep, making her heart skip. She never felt the distance close, or notice her eyes closing. She didn't realize anything until her lips met his in a gentle kiss.

Shocked and disbelieving, she pulled back quickly. Realizing what she'd done, she brought her hand to touch her lips. His lips had felt like velvet on hers, soft and inviting. Motoko looked at this sleeping defender, her mind numb from her stolen kiss, "Did I just…kiss him?”

A gasp of joy came from the door, drawing her attention. Looking, she found Shinobu smiling at Takeru's sleeping form, “It's true! He is back!”

The young man gently stirred, opening his violet eyes. IN one glance he saw Motoko by his bedside and Shinobu at the door. He calmly sat up, “I told you I'd see you again.”

Shinobu cried out in delight and ran to embrace him. He smiled as the young girl cried tears of joy on his shoulder. Bringing his eyes up to Motoko, she swore she saw him wink at her, “I won't ever leave you alone again. I promise.”

End of Chapter 10