Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Immortal Flame ❯ Chapter 11: Belly of the Beast ( Chapter 11 )

Chapter 11: The Belly of the Beast

The past two weeks had been hard on them all. Since they had volunteered, the men had known it would be a long hard road. But none had expected what they found.

“Keitaro!” came Haruka's cry from further down the ruined street. They had come across an enemy convoy in the early morning hours and ambushed it. However, instead of supplies and weapons, they were greeted with a more rewarding and gruesome sight.

“Urashimla-sama!” the low gruff voice of Tetsuo caught Keitaro's attention. The man looked at his aunt and comrade as Tetsuo continued, “We must hurry!”

Nodding in agreement, Keitaro looked back at the people they had saved. Most were children, barely more than ten years old. However, there were a few teenagers and some older women in the group, holding the small children together. Looking beyond them to the still rising smoke of the burning supply train, he frowned.

“We need to move faster! Everyone that is able, pick up the kids and follow me!” Keitaro barked the order, then reached down next to him and picked up the nearest child. The little girl yelped in surprise, but quickly held onto him tightly. He showed her a smile, “It's alright. You'll be safe now. I promise.”

She nodded her head and let Keitaro carry her. Looking back around, he nodded in satisfaction at the speed his orders were followed. Returning his vision to the street in front of him, he began to quickly pick his way past the debris.

For the next few hours, they moved quickly through the ruined cityscape. They all wanted to stop, but none wanted to be found. They were playing a deadly game of cat and mouse, one that could end with their demise. Keitaro frowned at the thought, `I'll die before that happens.'

They finally returned back out into the wild, allowing a collective sigh of relief to escape the former captives. Keitaro was satisfied that they had made it this far, but was apprehensive of making it too much further without being noticed by the enemy. After a few moments of moving through the underbrush as quickly as they could, Keitaro decided that they needed a break.

The small girl in his arms squirmed in his grip. He looked down at the young girl, a look of comfort on his face, “What's your name?”

A small squeak passed her lips as she lowered her eyes in shyness, “Kimiko.”

“Kimiko,” Keitaro said, letting the name sink in for a moment, “It's a lovely name.”

The girl nodded, “Thank you.”

He smiled at her, “You're welcome, Kimiko. My name is Keitaro.”

She nodded, grinning a little at him, “You have a funny sounding name.”

Keitaro couldn't help but giggle at the little girl's statement, “Perhaps your right, but it is a family name. It was my grandpa's name and it was given to me by my parents.”

As if a light had been switched on in her mind, Kimiko began to look around, “Where are my parents?”

A twinge of pain went through him as he remembered the dead bodies they had found that had led them to the convoy. He remembered seeing to people that shared characteristics with the little girl. Frowning, he held back the obvious statement, “Their…waiting for you someplace safe and peaceful.”

Kimiko looked up at him, “Can I go see them?”

Keitaro shook his head slowly, “Not now, I'm afraid. It may take quite some time before you can get to them.”

She pouted, tears threatening to come down her dirty face, “But…I-I want to see them!”

He stopped by a tree and gingerly deposited the girl on the ground. He sat down beside her and looked at her, “I know, Kimiko. And I promise you that we'll find them when this is all over. But for now, you need to stay safe and hidden so the bad monsters won't find you. Can you do that?”

The young girl looked at him questioningly for a moment, the tears slowly stopping as she looked at the calming face above her. Slowly, she nodded at him,” Okay.”

He gently brushed a hair from her face, “That's a good girl. Now get some sleep. You've been through a lot.”

Nodding her head, Kimiko leaned up against him and gently rested her head on his shoulder. It wasn't too long before the little girl had fallen fast asleep. Keitaro looked at the little girl resting beside him, and sighed heavily. Only two years ago, this exact same position would have wound up with him soaring through the lower stratosphere. Lightly, he brushed an errant hair out of her face. Beneath the veil of hair, she was covered in dirt and grim.

A slightly damp rag was dropped into his lap suddenly, forcing him to look up at the nearby person. A small smile formed on his face as Haruka knelt down to look at the little girl. Switching the straw from one side to the other of her mouth, she smiled, “She could use a small bath.”

Keitaro nodded in agreement, and proceeded to carefully wash the filth from her face. Underneath it all, a very beautiful young girl shone out, slightly pale but healthy none the less. The only thing marring the image was the dark outline of a hand print across one cheek. Anger swelled in Keitaro, his eyes flaring for a moment before he regained control. Haruka handed him a canteen of water, “She's cute.”

Again, he nodded, “She is.”

Resting back on her haunches, Haruka breathed deeply, “It's a shame something so young and innocent has to go through such times.”

Keitaro sighed gently, as to not disturb Kimiko, “I know. So much death and destruction.”

“I know,” Haruka said, placing a hand on Keitaro's unoccupied shoulder, “But that's why we're fighting. To put an end to it.”

A small frown crossed his face, “But what happens after all the fighting and battles are over? What then?”

She looked at her nephew, “We rebuild. One house at a time.”

After a long moment, Keitaro nodded slightly, “One family at a time.”

A look of sadness crossed Haruka's face, “There will be hundreds of orphans, Keitaro. Not every family will ever be patched and made whole again. Like this one.”

They both looked down at the sleeping form of Kimiko, “There's no doubt in my mind her parents died defending her. Who will look after and care for the orphans, Keitaro?”

A long, pregnant silence passed between the two Phoenix's as they watched Kimiko sleep. All these children were now orphans, not a single person to care for them save for each other. Frowning at the thought, Keitaro cleared his throat, “Then I'll do it.”

Startled by her nephew's words, Haruka looked at him. There was a look of certainty etched on his face. After a moment of looking skeptically at her nephew, she smiled, “Then we'll all care for them. These orphans.”

Keitaro shook his head, “No, these children of the war.”

The peaceful scene was broken by the blare of a horn in the distance. Coming to full attention, Haruka looked off into the thick forest, “Damn. Didn't think they'd be coming so quickly.”

Keitaro's voice was low as he stood, bringing Kimiko with him, “Take her and get the others moving.”

Looking back at him, Haruka frowned heavily, “I'm staying right here. We can send a few of the men ahead to make sure their all safe.”

He shook his head as he handed Kimiko to her, “No. I need you to look after Kimiko. Besides, you're the only other one they'll listen to. Now get going.”

She watched as his eyes began to smolder around the edges as the flame in him flared. Suppressing a shudder, Haruka looked at him, “And what about you?”

He gently touched the pendant beneath his shirt. It was once a gift from Naru for his birthday. Now it was his only link to her aside from his memories. His resolve strengthened, his eyes burned brighter, “I'll buy you some time and draw them away.”

“We'll help, too.”

Turning to look at the voice's owner, he saw Kenji, Tetsuo, and Izumi. Their weapons drawn and ready for battle, he frowned at them. Knowing they would not be persuaded otherwise, Keitaro nodded lightly. Haruka smiled at her nephew, “You're quite the piece of work, Keitaro. Just stay alive. Naru would kill me if you kicked the bucket here.”

He nodded, “Now get going.”

Quickly, she ran off and joined the retreating refugees they'd rescued. As they vanished into the mass of trees and underbrush, Keitaro looked at the direction the horn had come from. The three comrades that stayed behind shifted till they flanked him. In the distance, the horn blared once again closer to their position. Keitaro frowned, “You didn't have to stay behind.”

To his right, Tetsuo shifted anxiously, “We know. We chose to.”

“Besides,” Izumi said, hefting his sword to his shoulder, “Who else is going to save your ass, if not us?”

A small smile crossed Keitaro's lips, “I'm glad you three stayed.”

The bald man to his left frowned, “And you would have us run than fight by your side, Lord Urashima? If I was any less sure of your abilities, I'd be afraid.”

Allowing a reassured sigh to escape his mouth, Keitaro nodded, “Thank you for believing in me.”

They stood their and waited, listening to the sounds of the enemy creep closer. Keitaro, waiting with not so much as an ounce of fear, slowly drew the Hina Blade. The cold, black steel sang as it cried out for blood.

Fifty feet ahead of them, the underbrush exploded as the enemy charged forward. From the depths of his being, Keitaro let his power surge to the surface. Black and red flames covered him like a cloak. As the enemy drew closer, he loosed a deafening battle cry. The enemy skidded to a stop as they looked at him, their eyes beginning to show dread.

A single demon gathered the courage to rush the four Phoenix's, then two, then twenty. Soon the battle was joined as the four Phoenix's leapt into battle. Keitaro began slashing and ripping his way into the enemy. The Hina Blade singing for the glorious bloodshed.

To his right, Tetsuo's paired kama ripped and tore through demon after demon, leaving a bloody path in his wake. Off to Keitaro's left, Kenji was standing like a rocky cliff. The demon's crashed against him like waves, shattering and spraying as his axe sang through the air. Further away was Izumi, his sword and body dancing and flowing across the battlefield. His moves, flowing and coursing like a raging river, never stopped moving.

Minutes passed and the battle still raged, reinforcements for the enemy rushing head long into battle. They felt no fear, the bloodlust in their eyes numbing all senses but those to kill the four beings that were batting their comrades aside like flies.

Kenji swung his axe, clearing the area around him, “Keitaro! We can't hold them forever!”

“I agree,” came Tetsuo's reply. A pair of demons rushed him, only to come away headless. He looked at Keitaro for a moment, “We must retreat!”

Although Keitaro knew it was true, he refused to leave, “Go! I'll hold them off!”

The gruff voice of Kenji cried out over the sound of battle, “Keitaro, I will not leave your side!”

Izumi tore through several demons as he came closer to Keitaro, “Only death will take me form your service!”

A seconds lull in the battle gave, Keitaro all the chance he needed. Leaping into the air, he brought the Hina Blade crashing to the ground. The force of the blow shook the earth beneath them, throwing the enemy off balance. Placing one foot in front of the embedded sword, he ripped it forward through the ground. As the blade broke free, a maelstrom of fire and earth tore through the air. The charging demons disintegrated from the power and heat. Trees in the blast arc were incinerated and the grass turned to ash.

The enemy, terrified and stunned by the unbelievable force that had struck them, began to panic. Taking the opening, Keitaro turned to his three comrades, “Leave me! I can handle them!”

Without a second's hesitation, Izumi and Tetsuo turned and ran from the battle. Kenji lingered for a moment, “My lord?”

Keitaro looked at the bald man, “Tell Haruka to go to Kyoto! Then when you get there, tell Naru to look after Kimiko. And Kenji!”

The man turned to run when Keitaro's last words stopped him, “Yes, Keitaro?”

A small tear fell from Keitaro's eyes, “Tell Naru I love her!”

He nodded, and then disappeared into the forest. Turning back to see the enemy regrouping, his expression became rock solid. Walking towards the coming wave, ash kicked up at his feet. The flames of his power swirled and flared around him as he advanced on the enemy.

“I stand on my own against the coming storm,” the words reverberated through him. Whether he was consciously saying them or not, he didn't know nor cared.

“But the rain and wind and waves shall break against me, for I,” the words echoed as he looked at the enemy as they charged again. His eyes blazing in the midday sun, “I am the Lord of my Clan!”

Raising the Hina Blade, Keitaro charged into battle. As the enemy neared, Keitaro's voice filled the air.

“And I am the Shadow's Doom!”

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Naru's eyes popped open as the mental cry faded. She brought a hand to her forehead, feeling sweat on her brow. When she had started meditating, she had cleared her mind of all thoughts. Despite that, she had felt the emotional backlash.

“Are you alright?”

Turning, she was greeted with the sight of Kitsune. In her hands was a mug of hot liquid, “Naru?”

A small smile crossed her face, “Yeah.”

Kitsune came into the room and sat next to her, “Here. I made you some tea.”

“Thank you,” taking the mug, she let the soothing liquid slide down her throat. For a long time, neither spoke a word, the only sound being Naru's sipping of the tea.

“It was Keitaro, wasn't it?”

Naru closed her eyes, “Yeah.”

The blonde woman looked at her, “I thought Hina had managed to block his emotions out?”

Naru shook her head, “Not entirely. I still get flashes of really intense emotions. Though, they seem to be getting weaker.”

Kitsune cocked an eyebrow, “Weaker? How so?”

The brunette bowed her head in thought, “It's like I'm hearing someone's voice through a thick pane of glass.”

“But you can still hear him,” came the response from Kitsune. Naru nodded slowly, alleviating a small fear in Kitsune's heart, “At least we know he's still alive.”

A quiet sob from her fried alerted her to Naru's tears. Her face, young and beautiful, was contorted in sadness, “Naru, what's wrong?”

“It's…It's just that…” Naru began between sobs, “I'm afraid.”

Wrapping an arm around her friend, Kitsune brushed some hair aside, “He'll come back. I know he will. He made a promise to you.”

Naru looked up at Kitsune, tears still unshed in her eyes. Breaking down, she buried her face in Kitsune's shoulder and sobbed. Holding her and stroking her head, “It's alright. He'll be back. I can feel it.”

After a few moments, Kitsune noticed that Naru had fallen asleep. Gently setting her down and covering her, Kitsune left the room to let her sleep. As she closed the door, her own tears feel from her eyes. No longer able to hold them in, she broke down and cried. No fake tears or tears of joy.

Tears of pain that she may be wrong.

End of Chapter 11