Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Loss and Redemption ❯ Returns and Repercussions ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

Any comments, complaints, complements, flames, and credit card numbers can be sent to: hawker_748@hotmail.com Feedback and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Once again, I would like to thank all reviewers for the feedback that was provided.

This fanfic is based on the manga and anime and borrows facets from both of them.

"*" Spoken words

'*' Thoughts

Love Hina

Loss and Redemption

Chapter Three: Returns and Repercussions

By: hawker_748

When Keitaro walked back into Hinata House that evening the residents were quite surprised. "Sempai! You're back! Is something wrong?" asked Shinobu.

"Yeah," Kitsune added, "you weren't supposed to be back for a couple of days."

"No, nothing's wrong. It just went quicker than I thought it would, that's all," he replied.

At this point Motoko walked into the living room, saw Keitaro standing there and her face lit up in happiness. She then realized that he probably hadn't seen much of his family in such a short time. In the blink of an eye the expression changed to something approaching suspicion.

Keitaro saw Motoko standing there and called out to her. "Ah, Motoko, can I talk to you in private?"

Her frown increased ever so slightly. Without even bothering to hide the suspicion in her voice she replied, "Certainly. What's this about?"

Keitaro gestured for her to follow him. "Wait till we get to our room." The two of them went down the hall and entered their room. Once inside, Motoko made a point of locking the door behind her.

"Which family member did you go see Urashima?" Motoko asked, her tone showing dissatisfaction with him.

The sound of her voice put him on edge and he felt a powerful urge to be a little less easy with the truth. "My sister in-law," he replied.

Motoko paused for a second before she suddenly realized who Keitaro was referring to, in a round about way. Her eyes then opened wide and she cried out, "My sister?! You went to see Tsuruko?!" When he nodded meekly in reply she shouted, "Why?"

"To try to change her mind, to re-instate you into the Shinmei School," he replied in a placating tone while making warding gestures with his hands. "You should keep your voice down, or do you want Kitsune and the others to hear?"

Motoko paused as she considered that. She then went into a drawer and pulled out two knives. With two deceptively powerful flicks of her wrists she sent the knives flying. One went towards the wall that was opposite to Kitsune's room and embedded hilt deep into the wall. The other knife did the same to the room door. Various sounds of surprise and fright rang out on the other sides of the walls.

"No eavesdropping!" shouted Motoko, and there were the sounds of people scurrying away from their listening posts. "That's better," she commented with a sense of satisfaction in her voice. "Now, why did you do something so foolish?"

Keitaro, in a state of shock from the display, and hoping that she didn't have any more knives in that drawer, took a few seconds before he was able to produce a coherent answer. "To try to help you, to get your life back for you."

"And how did she react?"

"Aside from nearly scaring me to death? I wasn't able to change her mind, you're still not a member of the Shinmei School, and she still considers us to be married."

"That's all?" Motoko replied, her voice a study in confusion

"And she gave me this bag to give to you," Keitaro said as he handed Tsuruko's mysterious bag to Motoko.

Motoko accepted the bag with a puzzled look. She set it down on the floor and unzipped it. There was long package and a couple of envelopes inside. Surprisingly, the package had Keitaro's name on it, so Motoko passed it over to him. She then passed over the envelope with his name on it and the message "Open the package first."

Unsure of what Tsuruko was attempting to accomplish, Keitaro opened the parcel cautiously. He was astonished to discover that the package contained a katana that was obviously old, but had been lovingly maintained to a like new condition. He unsheathed it carefully and observed his reflection in the curved blade. After a few seconds of contemplation he re-sheathed the weapon and gingerly set it on the floor and opened the envelope.

The letter inside read:

Keitaro Urashima,

If you are reading this, then I have judged that you would make a worthy husband for Motoko.

When I first meet you I was struck by the feeling that you had inside you a hidden ability, some talent that was so under-utilized that it was in danger of disappearing. As time went on this feeling grew ever stronger and I came to realize that you, Keitaro Urashima, former third-year ronin, and generally clueless individual, are destined for great things. I do not make this claim lightly, for I have observed you carefully and for you to be reading this you must have done something that finally tipped the scales in your favor.

While you are reading this, Motoko is reading a letter that I have written for her. She will show you what I have written to her but you are not, I repeat NOT, to show her this letter or divulge its contents to her. To do so will have serious consequences, I assure you.

Motoko's letter has a method for her to regain her status in the Shinmei School. However, for her to be accepted back in, there is a commitment you must make as well. If you decide to not accept the terms of that letter, then so be it. I will make no more such offers and any more attempts on your part afterward to renege on the agreement will…not amuse me. Other than that, I will not make any efforts to influence your lives and I will genuinely wish the two of you a long and happy life together.

If you do accept the offer that I have described to her, then prepare yourself. You will be pushed harder than you have ever been pushed before. You will end up thinking that you got off easy in your last encounter with me. However, if you are up to this challenge, then the rewards could be greater than you ever imagined. You will discover just what you are capable of and what talents you have hidden inside of you. Once you have finished you may find that you have found something very precious. Something that you didn't even know you were looking for.

Whatever your decision, Good Luck Urashima.

Tsuruko Aoyama

As soon as he finished reading the post-script he got up and placed the letter in his drawer. "Your sisters request," he said, responding to Motokos unspoken question.

"I see. Read this Urashima," she replied, handing him the letter she had been reading. Keitaro noticed that Motoko had a look of excitement on her face that couldn't remember ever having seen before. He accepted it with a look of trepidation and then he started to read.

Motoko,

I am certain that you are saddened and confused as to why I have forced this marriage upon you. I did it because I felt that your life was losing its focus, and that you needed something that would help you regain it. I chose Urashima because I believe that he would make an adequate husband for you. He seems compassionate, caring, and that he would try to make the best of any situation that he found himself in.

However, if you are reading this, then Urashima has obviously displayed to me some level of courage and determination. I have decided that you can once again be a member of the Shinmei School on a probationary basis as an instructor for Urashima. In a years time I will return and challenge him to a duel. If I am satisfied by how well you have taught an absolute novice our school, then I will allow you to be fully re-instated as a member of the Shinmei School.

This offer stands only if Urashima accepts the offer willingly. Any attempts to coerce him into this training means this offer will be null and void and you will lose the even the probational status that I have granted you.

If he does not accept, or he fails to impress me in the duel, then I wish the two of you a long and happy marriage. If he does accept, and impresses me in one years time, then the marriage agreement will be lifted in addition to your re-instatement into our school.

Good luck in the future sister, whatever path you end up walking.

Tsuruko Aoyama

P.S.: Feel free to let Urashima read this letter after you are done with it.

Keitaro winced inwardly while he read the letter. 'Damn that woman!' She was placing all the responsibility of reinstating Motoko on his head. If he turned down the offer he'd be dooming Motoko to a life without hope of being what she once was, and he knew that if he attempted to persuade Tsuruko later he'd regret it.

He looked over at Motoko and sure enough, she was watching him with a barely suppressed air of expectation, like a condemned man waiting for that final reprieve from the governor. There was the faintest ember in her eyes, which would burn brightest just before it finally died out…or it could be coaxed into flame.

'You know what you must do, don't you?' his internal voice asked. 'Yes, gotta do this the right way.' He sat himself as best he could in a position indicating respect and said, "Motoko, would you please do me the honor of instructing me in the Shinmei School?"

Keitaro would never be able to remember exactly what had happened next. What he did recall was that one moment he was sitting down and in the blink of an eye he was six feet away from that starting point, on his back, staring at the ceiling, holding Motoko in his arms.

As his startled senses tried to determine what in the HELL had just happened, he realized that Motoko was crying again, but this time they seemed to be tears of joy. She was also saying, "yes Keitaro, yes Keitaro, yes Keitaro," so quickly that she sounded like a CD player that had been placed in fast forward and then been hit with a power surge the equivalent of a lightning bolt.

Eventually Motoko regained her composure, let go of Keitaro, a fact he found more disappointing than he expected, and sat down formally. Keitaro pushed himself back up off the floor into a sitting position, shook his head to clear it, and faced Motoko.

"Urashima," she stated formally, "I will honor your request and instruct you in the ways of the Shinmei School. You do realize that this will involve a great deal of effort and sacrifice?"

'Yeah, your sister made that clear, although I don't know where she's coming from. I can barely handle a steak knife,' he thought. Out loud he said, "Yes I do, and I accept it if it will help you regain your life."

"Then we will begin tomorrow at dawn."

"Tomorrow?! But what about this?" he said, indicating his broken leg.

"When will your cast come off?"

"Little over two weeks."

"Excellent, there are many things that need to be learned before then."

"Like what?"

"Patience Urashima, all will be revealed soon. Remember, even though I am your wife, during lessons you must always address me as a superior."

"Alright, so do we tell the others?"

"I see no reason not to," she replied, her tone starting to sound more like the Motoko of old. "Unless your letter said we couldn't," she added.

Remembering the feel of Tsuruko's blade on his throat Keitaro replied, "no, nothing like that, can't talk about it though."

"I understand." She sighed deeply. "This will be difficult, I have only a year to turn you into a kendoist."

"Why are you worried, you already know all of this, I'm the poor bastard that's gotta learn it all in a year."

"I'm the one that has to shape that 'poor bastard' into something approaching a warrior," she responded with an even deeper sigh. "Look at the raw material I have to work with!"

"For what it's worth, you'll always get my maximum effort, I promise." 'So much for that stupid vow, I suppose,' he thought to himself.

"That's all I can ask for Urashima. You'll get mine as well."

Keitaro felt a distinct chill run down his spine. "Should I be worried about that?" he asked.

The faintest hint of a smile appeared on Motoko's face. "Yes," she answered.

'Oh hell.' "Well, on that note I think I'll go to bed. I think I'll need the sleep." Keitaro went to the bathroom and cleaned up for bed. As he walked out of the bathroom, Motoko walked in to complete her nightly preparations to go to sleep.

When she walked back to the bedroom a few minutes later she found Keitaro already in bed and trying to fall asleep. Without thinking about it, she started changing into the oversized t-shirt she wore to bed. The noise of her changing caused Keitaro to open his eyes and he was treated to a view of Motoko half undressed. Mesmerized by what he was seeing, he kept his eyes open.

This was quite different from the night where Motoko stripped as though for a medical exam. This night she was active, alive, and more like her old self. She was beautiful; there was no question about that. Her body was athletic, but there was no way that she could be considered unfeminine. She had long legs, a full set of curves, and the grace of a dancer.

Keitaro then realized that he was peeping and closed his eye. However, he discovered that his cheeks were burning and he wondered if Motoko would notice.

Motoko was giddy with excitement, 'I have a chance to be a warrior again! I just have to train Keitaro…to the point that he impresses my sister.' Reality came crashing down on Motoko. 'Can I do this? I can sure try! I won't go down without giving it my best. If I succeed, I'm a warrior again, and this marriage will be over.

That thought got Motoko thinking about Keitaro. 'He's clumsy, a little on the slow side, and can get into trouble by just being himself. He's hardly an ideal man. So why can't I stop wondering if being with him would be so bad? He's also compassionate, caring, determined, totally focused once he puts his mind to something, and even a little cute without the glasses. Even I admitted that he was a good man, and that being with him might be all right.'

'But to become what I once was, I may have to give him up.' Motoko frowned as she remembered what the letter had said. 'Sister, I have to choose don't I? You're going to make me choose between the sword and Keitaro. Between what I have always lived for, or someone I think I could care for deeply.'

'Oh well, sacrifices have to be made for the art.' With this thought Motoko settled down and started to fall asleep. But even she would admit, if only to herself, that her last thought had sounded a little hollow in her ears.

***

For many people, Keitaro included, mornings are not a time for celebration. They are to be cursed, hated and avoided if at all possible, struggling to gain even a few more precious moments of sleep. Alarm clocks can be slept through, the snooze button hit to the point of breaking. But some things are capable of rousing the even the deepest sleeper, such as a fire alarm, or an even more effective method, a liberal dousing with a bucket of ice water.

Keitaro had been in the middle of his usual dream involving him and his 'promise girl', but this time it had been a little different. Everything was going as per usual with the girl kissing him as they made the promise, when he noticed a shadowy figure behind the girl. He was about to walk over and investigate when the aforementioned bucket of ice water hit him.

Needless to say, Keitaro woke up.

"Augh!" he cried out in shock and surprise, his senses going from sound slumber to hyper alert in a flash. He then noticed Motoko standing over him, a suspiciously empty bucket in her hands and a stern expression on her face. "Motoko? What the hell are you-,"

"Sensei," she responded curtly. "You will address me as sensei. It is time for your first lesson Urashima."

Keitaro fumbled for his glasses, wiped the beads of water off them and got a good look at the clock. 'Four fuckin' thirty in the morning!?' his mind shrieked. "Are you nuts Motoko? You gotta- OW!" his last sentence was cut off when Motoko struck him over the head with the bucket.

"You will address me as sensei," she replied, a little more force in her voice this time.

After taking in the coldness of her voice and the look in her eyes Keitaro decided that now was not the time to suggest a more civilized way of waking him up. Such as having a bugler play 'Reveille'. "No Motok-, sorry, sensei, I wasn't lying. But why so early?"

"There are only 24 hours in a day, I must use all the time that I can get to try to turn you into something approaching competence with a blade," she said. Her tone indicated that she believed this to be the stupidest question that had ever been uttered. "Now get up and get dressed. When you get that cast off we can get you some appropriate training clothing, but for now sweats and a t-shirt will suffice. Bring your blade and be on the roof in five minutes. Don't be late and don't make me come back to get you."

"Yes sensei," he stammered as Motoko strode out the room heading for the roof. 'Man, she wasn't kidding, was she?' Keitaro struggled to get dressed, having difficulty pulling on his sweats, picked up his blade and moved for the roof as quickly as he could. In the back of his mind he recalled what had happened the last time he'd run for the roof and he hoped it would turn out better this time. He also hoped that he didn't wake up the other residents. 'Somebody should get a good nights sleep, even if I don't.' He made it to the roof with about 15 seconds to spare.

Motoko was there with a stopwatch in hand, waiting for him to arrive. "Just in time Urashima." She motioned to the center of the roof and said, "sit down and face due east."

"Which way is that, Mo-sensei?" he inquired.

She pointed to her left, "that way. Now sit down and hold the blade in your hands. No, not by the handle, just hold it in both hands," she corrected after Keitaro had started to unsheathe the blade. "The first step in your training will be becoming familiar with the weight of a sword, so your first exercise will be to meditate on the blade and how its weight will affect your ability to use it. Do not think of trying to fall asleep Urashima, stay awake," she commanded.

"Yes sensei," he responded. 'Not what I expected really, although it'll probably get harder when this cast comes off,' he reflected. At that moment a new thought registered. 'Why didn't Tsuruko tell Motoko what she told me? Was she toying with me or Motoko? Or perhaps both of us? Probably me, 'destined for great things', my ass.'

'Still… the idea of me running around like Musashi is kind of cool, but I just have a hard time believing it.' The vision that entered his mind of him terrorizing the countryside with a sword was so outlandish to him that he almost broke out in laughter. Fortunately he was able, barely, to suppress it, a single fake cough all that was necessary to completely conceal his mirth.

"Open your eyes Urashima, your meditations are almost complete for today."

"Already sensei? How long has it been?"

"Approximately 90 minutes."

'That long? Didn't seem like it.' "Is the lesson over sensei?" he asked.

"Not quite. Just watch Urashima."

Keitaro did as he was told, looking forward wondering, 'what am I supposed to be watching?' His answer came moments later when the sun broached the horizon and began its methodical daily climb into the sky. It was the first sunrise that Keitaro had ever actually watched in the nearly 21 years of his life and it took his breath away. "Wow."

"Do you understand now Urashima? Do you realize what you are supposed to see?" Motoko asked.

"Yes, the sunrise. It's beautiful. I've never watched one before," he added.

"This is another reason that lessons start so early Urashima. The sunrise is supposed to inspire the students, and remind them that it is always darkest before the dawn." Motoko's voice lost some of its authority as she continued in a slightly more subdued manner. "I, I had forgotten that Urashima, and that's why I did what I did that night. I never did thank you for saving my life Urashima, I'm sorry. Thank you."

"You're welcome sensei, anything for a friend," he replied.

'Just a friend. Why can't I be more than just a friend?' she thought. "It's Motoko now, the lesson is over," she said softly.

"You're welcome Motoko." Keitaro got to his feet and sighed deeply. "Can I do it? Do I honestly have a hope in hell of impressing your sister?" he inquired in a voice that betrayed what he thought their chances were.

"We'll see, it depends how well you do when the cast comes off."

Both of them pondered the possible outcome in a years time. Neither was too optimistic on their chances for success.

"Let's get cleaned up and eat, Urashima."

"O.K."

***

The breakfast was going slightly better than normal, even with one resident missing. There was a little more conversation than there had been the previous week, although it was still subdued compared to a normal day at Hinata House. The conversation ceased when Sarah piped up with, "so Keitaro, what were you and Motoko doin' on the roof this mornin'?"

She had placed special emphasis on the word 'doin'.

Shinobu's hands flew to her mouth and tears formed in her eyes.

Kitsune spat out the tea she was drinking and her eyes opened up wide.

Su looked nonplussed, as if she was trying to figure out what the big deal was.

Keitaro's eyebrows began to twitch violently.

An explosion of comments seemed to be imminent but it was halted when Motoko said, "I was teaching him kendo, that's all."

A pregnant pause followed, until Kitsune broke it. "Teaching him kendo? Why?"

"Tsuruko said that if I can impress her in a year's time then Motoko can rejoin the Shinmei School and the marriage will be annulled," replied Keitaro.

"You think you can beat her?" scoffed Sarah.

"No I don't, but I can sure as hell try my best to impress her," replied Keitaro.

"Sempai, you mean if you succeed, you won't be married to Motoko?" queried Shinobu.

"Yes."

"O.K. then. G-good luck sempai!" 'If, if he does it, I still have a chance with him! I'll be another year older and…' Shinobu blushed redder than a strawberry as she considered that thought.

'Just when I think I've got this situation figured out, something like this happens,' Kitsune mused while shaking her head. True, Keitaro and Motoko would be working to end this arrangement, but they'd be training together, living together, growing closer…Naru could have come between them easily enough, but she wasn't here to do that.

Naru was her friend, but there was only so much that Kitsune could do to try and keep Keitaro and Motoko apart. The most effective thing she could have done would have been to make a move on Keitaro to try and keep him occupied until Naru returned, but she couldn't do that to her best friend.

'Besides, the way things go around here, I'd probably end up falling for him for real, and that's a headache I don't need. I've already got enough as it is! Dammit Naru, why'd you leave? There's a golden opportunity to win him back and you're not here to exploit it!'

Kitsune realized that the mood at the table had lightened up significantly. To hide what she was thinking she cried out, "That goes for me too, good luck Keitaro!"

"Thanks, we'll need it." There was a moment of confusion as Keitaro and Motoko realized that they had both said that in almost perfect synchronization. Then the two of them smiled and shared a brief laugh.

This wasn't lost on Shinobu, who now wondered if she was in a new uphill battle for Keitaro's affection.

Su spoke up for the first time since the explanation was given. "Su's going to help Keitaro! I'll create some training equipment, power exo-skeletons, anti sword weapons…"

"Wait Su," Keitaro interrupted. "I have to do this with a sword, using those would be cheating. Although… some exercise machines might be useful."

"I'm on it! You'll be Mr. Universe by next year!" Keitaro had problems believing that although the mental image of him all muscular brought a faint smile to his face.

"Thank you, thank you all. I'm going to work as hard as I can, and I won't be able to do it without your support."

"Anything for our beloved landlord!" cheered Kitsune. She hoisted a glass in a toast. "To the duel, and a second chance!"

"To the duel!" the other residents answered back, even Sarah.

And with that, the smothering tension that had befallen Hinata House was blown away as if by a strong breeze. There would be many trials and tribulations to come, but for now at least, things were getting back to what passed for normal in the residence.

End Chapter Three.

Coming Soon: Chapter Four: Discipline and Tenderness

Yet again, special tip of the hat to Harvey Bautista for pre-reading this thing. Any grammar, spelling, or logic errors are mine, not his.