Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Pride and Honor ❯ Dark Fire: Origins ( Chapter 8 )

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A/N: All right, this is the last chapter for today. Now this version has officially caught up to my other version on FF.net and I plan to update them at the same time from now on.

I don't own Love Hina, so don't sue me for this.

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Pride and Honor: Chapter 07 - Dark Fire ~ Origins

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*BUUUZZZZ!!!*

Urashima Keitaro slapped around for the alarm clock, seeking to cut off the decidedly annoying blare. His hand struck out blindly, encountering nothing but a few books and papers. //Ugh... what the hell...?//

Opening his eyes, he noticed that he wasn't in his bed, but at his kotatsu with books spread out. //Oh yeah... another all-nighter...// he thought groggily. //My sleeping habits are almost worse than Sora's...//

He stood up and stretched out his sore muscles. He had been training with Motoko nearly all day yesterday, only stopping to take care of his duties as manager. Sora had even done most of the work for him. //I think Naru and Kitsune had something to do with that...// That meant studying all night to make up for lost time, but Keitaro would do anything to help Motoko out of her current funk.

//What day is it today? It must be early November by now... That means I have that mock exam in about a month.// He thought. //Where'd I put my calendar...// Scratching his head, Keitaro looked around the room. Books, clothes, papers, discarded ramen cups (between studying, watching Motoko, and watching Sora he hadn't really been able to make it to meals sometimes) and a few other things that he couldn't identify littered the floor but he didn't see his calendar. //My room's gotten really messy... I'll need to clean it-huh?// His eyes rested on his window. Clinging to the walls outside was Sora and Minako. The latter turned towards him and waved, her cheerful "Hi!" being muffled by the glass as she removed her mask. Sora also removed his mask, putting his bandana on.

As soon as the window was open, both ninjas tumbled into the room tiredly. Minako yawned daintily, while Sora looked about ready to collapse. //Where do those two go at night? Sora doesn't normally stay out this late when roof-hopping...//

"So," Keitaro started uncertainly. "Why not use the door?"

Sora gestured to Minako, "It was her idea. Don't look at me."

"I wanted to make sure you couldn't escape," Minako said, pouting. "You didn't even say 'Hello' to me yesterday. Were you planning on ignoring me all week?"

Keitaro laughed nervously. "Of course not! I was just busy yesterday..." he replied uneasily.

Sora rolled his eyes. //So was I, but she was always there to bother me when Narusegawa and Konno were absent...// he sighed sweatdropping. //But I can see your point, though. Minako tends to be a little indecent when in the company of young men. And with the group of girls here at the Hinata...// He watched as Minako slowly advanced on his father. //Shit. Better change the subject...//

"So, I take it Aoyama-san has come to you for training?" he remarked in an off-hand manner.

Keitaro took the hint, replying quickly. "Sure, we were training all day yesterday. That's why I didn't have any time to chat. I assume you had something to do with this?" he said, putting some distance between him and Minako, who looked rather amused.

"I just made her a little angry and gave her a rather obvious way out of her current problem," Sora shrugged. "Seriously, that girl needs to relax."

"She's doing well. In fact, I think she'll be able to select her own symbol today..." Keitaro said, absently rubbing his right hand. Sora looked down at his left. //Well, well, Aoyama-san... Seems I underestimated you, in spite of my careful observation...//

"At this rate, she'll be able to use a low-level Trance soon," Sora said snapping out of his current train of thought.

"And she seemed rather calm after our training session. So I guess I'll let you off the hook, since she DID try to kill you when you first arrived," Keitaro said. "But I doubt anyone else will forgive you that easily. The girls here have a knack for ignoring the male side of the story. And when Motoko finally DOES learn how to use her Trance abilities... woo..." Keitaro shook his head. "I'm going to be extra careful whenever I go to clean the hot springs from now on..."

"It doesn't matter. If I am unable to defend myself against Aoyama-san then its best that she just kill me, because I wouldn't stand a chance against Yoshiro-san, or Koji for that matter," Sora replied.

"So, why exactly are you teaching her this technique in the first place?" Minako asked. "If the stories Sora has told me is any indication it sounds rather suicidal..."

"We are trying to cheer her up," Keitaro shrugged. "But I know that I'll be regretting this sometime in the near future."

Sora yawned. "Well, I'm going now," he announced, stretching his small body out.

"Not yet," Keitaro said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go get Motoko- chan and meet me up on the flat roof."

Sora's eyes narrowed slightly. "What? You're starting her training NOW?" He looked over at the alarm clock. "It's nearly 6 a.m. right now. Doesn't she have to be in school by 8 o'clock?"

"All we're going to do is have her select a symbol and go over the basics for a Trance. All that will take place in our minds where time passes at a faster pace than here. It should only take about ten minutes," Keitaro replied easily.

"But... but what if she's injured or something? The feedback from her spiritual body will probably very strong. There's no way she could make it through a school day," Sora pleaded.

"That's why YOU'RE going to be there with me. Strength in the spirit world is measured solely on ki and yours is very strong. Much stronger than mine, in fact," Keitaro eyed his son suspiciously. "I don't think you're actually concerned for Motoko-chan's safety, though."

"Well I am, to some extent, but I also would like to go to sleep," Sora replied.

"Heh... just like you..." Keitaro said, smiling.

"Oh, spare me," Sora retorted, rolling his eyes. "I've slept a total of twenty-five minutes in three days!"

"I know, I know, but I need you to come with me," Keitaro said, pushing Sora out of the door. "Now go and get Motoko-chan."

"But-" Sora yelped as the door slid shut. Keitaro could hear him growl angrily as he left.

//Heh...// Keitaro thought turning away from the door, immediately wishing he hadn't. Minako had used the few moments that he was distracted to press her attack. She now had him trapped against the door, pressing her body gently against his. //Oh no, this is bad... Every time I'm alone in a room with a girl something bad happens and I become Earth's newest satellite...//

"So, I guess this is where we make up for lost time, huh?" Minako said, rubbing herself against him slightly.

Keitaro blushed, trying his hardest not to think about the body parts that were currently pressed against him. //God damn it! I was hoping I would have enough time to politely dismiss myself before she got this close.// "Uh... I gotta get ready."

"Don't let ME stop you. Go ahead and strip," Minako said smiling. "Or do you want me to take MY clothes off first..."

//*BRAIN NO LONGER FUNCTIONING! REPEAT: BRAIN NO LONGER FUNCTIONING...* // Alarms blared inside Keitaro's head, as his mind abandoned him. He could hear himself talking, but he had no clue what he was saying. He bet that Minako didn't either.

"Just relax..." Minako soothed, leaning her head towards Keitaro's.

With no better options at the moment, Keitaro merely closed his eyes and waited for this to be finished.

Then he felt Minako's shoulders shaking crazily. //Huh? Is that supposed to happen.?// Keitaro thought to himself. Curious, he opened an eye slightly. Sure enough, Minako was laughing her ass off. //So, she was just playing with me, as usual...// Keitaro thought to himself, a little angry that he was being toyed with.

Finally, Minako got herself under control, and smiled sweetly at Keitaro. "Just as bashful as ever," she said. "Good to see you haven't changed."

"It seems you haven't changed much either," Keitaro retorted.

"Don't pout, Kei-kun," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "See? You got what you wanted..." But the hapless ronin was no longer with her. His eyes were swirling in their sockets, making it quite obvious that the boy was unconscious. //Geez... you'd think that being surrounded by young girls for a year would help... They must be keeping him at arms length.//

"Otousan," Sora said from the other side of the door, "You were in such a rush to throw me out of the room that you never told me where Aoyama-san's room is..." He slid the door open, which Keitaro was leaning against. With Minako leaning against him he fell to the floor, taking the girl with him. They landed in a heap right at the feet of a wide-eyed Sora. "Y-You know, I-I'll just l-look it up in the d-directory..." he stammered out, backing away quickly.

"Wait, SORA!" Keitaro cried out, tears coming out of his eyes. Sora was gone by this point, though, so his cry fell on deaf ears.

"Well..." Minako said, blushing slightly, "THAT was awkward..."

Keitaro quickly tried to get himself out from under Minako. "Yeah, yeah, very strange! Now let's get untangled before someone-"

"Aaauuu!!"

Keitaro squeezed his eyes shut. //Damn it! That'd be the sound of Shinobu- chan finding her Sempai underneath a woman...// "Wait, it's not what it looks like!"

But just as with Sora, Shinobu was long gone before Keitaro could say anything. //Great, now I'm going to get hurt later... Can this get any worse...?//

"Hey! What the hell is with all of this noise!? Some people are trying to..."

Keitaro kept his eyes closed. He didn't need to see to know who that was. He'd recognize that yelling anywhere...

True to his luck, a fuming Narusegawa Naru was looking through the whole in her floor, staring right at him and Minako.

Minako, feeling in a decidedly playful mood, shot an angry glare at Naru. "Do you mind!? Things were just getting good." She looked back at Keitaro. "Kei-kun... I didn't know you could be so passionate!"

//You know, this would actually be kind of funny if I wasn't about to die...// Keitaro thought, still clenching his eyes tightly.

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"Aoyama Motoko... room 302," Sora said, shutting the book. He winced as he heard Naru scream "you PERVERT!!!" and his dad get sent flying through the wall of his room, screaming out to God or whoever might save him. //Damn... that girl's got POWER...// he thought as he ran to the window to check Keitaro's flight path. //That was a good hit, too... She must be really angry.//

//Oh well... looks like I'M going to be giving Aoyama-san her lesson...// he thought, pulling away from the window. He shoved his hands into his pocket and began heading up the stairs. He nearly collided with Shinobu as she dashed down the steps, crying. Sora was about to ask, but decided against it. "Ohayo," he greeted her. She merely nodded in response and continued down the steps.

"Uh... what's wrong?" Sora said, following her. Shinobu merely ignored him and continued walking. "Um... wait a second... I got something to say..."

Shinobu stopped walking, but didn't say anything. "Uh... could you face me please...? I'd rather not talk to your back..."

Shinobu turned slowly, looking rather angry. "Well?" she asked impatiently.

Sora's face fell. //Damn... I've never seen her look at anybody like that...// The girl's eyes were narrowed and she stood with her arms folded across her chest. Then she began to tap her foot.

Kneeling, Sora bowed low, his nose touching the floor. "I apologize for all I've done. I don't really expect you to forgive me, but I want to try to make it up to you," he mumbled. "I'll do anything you ask of me."

Shinobu seemed to consider this a moment before she turned away. "I want you to stay away from me."

Sora felt a slight pain in his chest when heard this. //THAT hurt... but it's understandable.// "Is that all?" Sora asked icily. Things were silent a moment, neither person moving.

"Stand up," Shinobu said quietly. Sora rose from the floor lazily, but his guard was up. //This isn't right...//

Sure enough, Shinobu strode up to him with a level expression on her face. Then she pulled her arm back and hit him hard across the face. Sora's head turned away slightly and he stumbled a bit, not expecting the small girl to strike him.

When he looked back, he was surprised to see Shinobu staring at her hand with tears in her eyes. //What...?// Sora thought to himself, thoroughly confused.

"I... I..." Shinobu sobbed. "I don't understand."

//Uh.// "What don't you understand?" Sora asked.

"Tell me, why..." Shinobu whispered, "...do you like hurting people...?" She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold back tears. "I only slapped you and I feel horrible! You deserved it too!" she shouted. "How can you possibly be satisfied after killing someone!?"

Sora's steeled himself yet again. //This is ridiculous...// he thought. He looked back up at Shinobu, meeting her gaze. She looked grim, her eyes red with bags underneath them. The tears in her eyes still haven't fallen, but were threatening to do so. "It is clear to me now. You despise conflict of any sort, be it violent or otherwise," Sora said. "That's why you are always so passive. You always choose the path of least resistance, no matter what happens to you. And you also despise watching conflicts," Sora looked away from the girl a moment. "But I grew up surrounded by conflict. Everybody does. It's the only way to change and grow."

"That isn't true!" Shinobu shouted.

"Oh?" Sora replied, raising an eyebrow. "Name a change that can be brought about without any sort of conflict."

Shinobu pondered this a moment. She then opened her mouth to say something, but shut it, thinking again. //He can't be right...// she thought to herself. "A marriage...?"

"Surely when the couple met they were not ready to be married. One, or the other must be convinced and yield to the will of the mate," Sora countered quickly, rolling his eyes and turning away. "You can argue that this courtship is a conflict of sorts, since two different ideas have clashed, and that is the very definition of a conflict."

Shinobu stared at the boy a moment. "Look at me when you're talking, Urashima," she said. Sora turned around, once again meeting Shinobu's gaze. "Why are you always so negative?"

"I'm not negative," Sora replied. "I just don't lie to make myself feel better." Shinobu looked away, angrily. Sora just shook his head. "There's no point in avoiding it-I would have had to fight Aoyama-san at some point. Something in me just said 'Now is the time,' so I acted."

Shinobu put her head down a moment, letting this sink in. Then she shook her head. "It isn't right..."

"I never said it was, but it's the truth, and that's what you wanted to hear, ne?" Sora said walking up the stairs. "Look, don't try to understand me-It isn't worth it." //I've never seen her THIS angry... I probably hit a sore spot.//

//So, conflict is the only way to change.?// Shinobu thought as she watched him go. //It isn't true... It can't be.//

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Narusegawa Naru stood with her fist outstretched, her fist stinging slightly from the impact. //What is wrong with that baka!? Will he EVER learn!?//

//Whoa...// Minako thought, wide-eyed. //I didn't think she could hit that hard!// "Uh... do you always wander in to Keitaro's room and hit him?" Minako shrugged, "I mean, he wasn't even doing anything..."

Naru sniffed at this. "Bullshit! He's lying in the hallway molesting some girl, and you call it nothing?"

"If anything, I was molesting HIM," Minako replied. "But you didn't even wait for an explanation."

"So, are you his old girlfriend or something?" Naru asked tersely.

Minako shook her head. "Kei never had a girlfriend before. He's kind of a loner, like Sora. We were just joking."

Naru rolled her eyes. "You ninja sure tell odd jokes," she said sarcastically. "'Hey, Keitaro! Did you hear the one where I glomp on you like a geisha whore?' Do you consider that entertaining?"

"Well, with HIM..." Minako said dreamily. "Maybe I'll be his first girlfriend..." Naru crossed her arms and started to climb back on the table to return to her room, mumbling darkly. "Unless YOU already claimed him..."

Naru laughed. "That baka and I, one of the brightest minds in Japan, together? You must be joking!"

Minako's eyes narrowed slightly at this comment. "Your right, it would be impossible. Kei-kun couldn't possibly be happy with a violent, brick of a woman such as you."

"...says the ninja assassin..." Naru counters, rolling her eyes.

"And who just sent him into the lower stratosphere?" Minako asked.

"Would you like me to send you after him," Naru threatened, getting off the table.

"I'd like to see you try," Minako said, smiling. Then the door slid open. "Not now, Sora!" She shouted, knowing who it was without having to look.

"I hate to interrupt your fun, but I need Minako to be conscious," Sora sighed.

Minako rounded on Sora, a vein bulging in her forehead. "Are you SERIOUS!? You think that little bitch could beat me!?"

Sora stood under her gaze unflinching. He shrugged, "No. I'm referring to the coma otousan will put you in when he finds out you beat up his girlfriend."

Now it was Naru's turn to be angry. "I'm not some hopeless little girl that has to be saved by that BAKA," Naru seethed. "And I'm NOT his girlfriend!"

Sora sighed again, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Come with me, Minako."

Naru crossed her arms, not satisfied with his response. "Look, this is none of your business anyway! Why don't you go find a personality or something? We're busy!"

"I'm doing this in your best interests, Narusegawa," Sora shook his head. "Minako is far more powerful than you, as impressive as your strength is. She IS a member of the famed Kato ninja, after all..."

Naru seemed to consider this a moment before crossing her arms again. "Why is it every time I talk to you my urge to kill something rises?"

"I have that effect on people," Sora replied in an off-hand manner. Then he grabbed Minako by the hand and dragged her out of the room. "Have a nice day, Narusegawa-san," he said sliding the door shut.

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*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

"Momo-chan? Are you awake?"

Aoyama Motoko cracked an eye open. "Enter," she yawned. Normally, she'd be wide awake at this hour, but her training yesterday with Keitaro took a larger toll on her than she was willing to admit. It wasn't that Keitaro was in better shape than her, but the training program yesterday was entirely ki-based, meaning that she was trying her best to summon energy for the entire day. //I've never tried THAT before... I'm exhausted...//

The door slid open, revealing a tired-looking Sora. He had stopped by his room to change out of his ninja garb (and to drop off Minako), but had no time to actually rest. "I will be instructing you this morning. Otousan would be joining us, but he's currently rebounding off the moon, if my calculations are correct." Sora looked around thoughtfully for a moment. "Hey, where's Suu? I didn't see her yesterday."

"Neither did I," Motoko replied. "I believe she is in her room, creating another one of her mechanical demon turtles..."

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Deep inside the dense jungle known as Suu's room, a near-maniacal laugh can be heard.

"This will be the strongest Mecha Tama ever, thanks to the battle data I received from Bandit's fight..."

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Sora was leaning against Motoko's door as she got ready for her training. "So, are you tired? I know otousan can be kinda rough..." he called in.

"I'll live," Motoko replied from the other side of her door. "I am used to being fatigued, so don't worry about me." Then the door slid open and Motoko came out fully dressed. "All right, let's go."

"Fine, follow me," Sora said, walking towards the flat roof. "You have gone through the techniques rather quickly, Momo-chan. So today you will select a symbol, just like the one on my left hand."

"So I will have a symbol on my left hand, like you?" Motoko asked. //I didn't think that was a requirement...//

"Well... no," Sora answered. "Chances say your symbol will be on your right hand, unless you're left-handed like me." Sora shrugged, "And hopefully you won't select the symbol 'Evil' like I did."

"I imagine I won't..." Motoko muttered. "But what symbols are there to choose from?"

"Well there is Justice, Evil, Mind, Body, Soul, and Spirit..." Sora answered. "Each of which has their own test to see if you're worthy or not."

"So, if I attain one of these symbols, I will be able to undergo a transformation?" Motoko questioned.

"No," Sora replied easily. "You will still have a bit of work ahead of you. I had my symbol for years before I could use my 'Trance'. But you are older, and your body is much stronger than mine was when I first acquired my symbol. If you work hard, you should be transforming soon."

//Soon...// Motoko thought with a mixture of fear and exhilaration. Then she grabbed Sora's shoulder, stopping him cold. "One more, question: Will I go ballistic when using my 'Trance'?"

Sora smiled at her, but it lacked warmth and feeling. "Well," he started, "It matters what form you choose. Using one of the 'Dark' classes will provide you with a rather large boost in your power, but their might be a slight decline in sanity when using them. These include Evil, Body, and Soul. The others are considered 'Light' classes and are considered to be not as powerful. But these classes don't have any problems with control or other side-effects."

//So... I avoid using Evil, Body, or Soul and I don't turn into a demon?// Motoko thought to herself. //Good. I don't know how I would face my clan if I became one of the foul demons our school seeks to destroy.//

Finally, the two arrived on the flat roof. Sora moved ahead and sat down, cross-legged, and motioned for Motoko to the same. Wordlessly, she walked over and sat in front of the boy.

"Now, close your eyes, please," Sora said, shutting his own. Motoko closed her eyes and relaxed, just as she had during her normal meditation. "Don't attempt to reach out to the void your self," Sora instructed. "Allow me to guide you."

Motoko did as he said, and before long she could feel the outside world slipping away from her.

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*Inside the Void*

Motoko looked around her suspiciously. She was standing on some sort of a platform, surrounded by a seemingly endless darkness. Surprisingly, it seemed as if the area around her was well lit. Sora was nowhere to be seen, though.

//Could this be one of his tricks?// Motoko thought, falling into a stance. She didn't have her sword with her, but she knew a pretty good amount of hand-to-hand fighting techniques. //What does he have planned? Is he going to betray me here?//

"Of course not! Give Sora some credit!" A high-pitched voice called out. Motoko spun around quickly, fists coming up and ready for action.

But she quickly lowered her guard when she saw her "attacker". A younger version of Sora stepped out of the shadows, pouting cutely. He looked to be about six or seven years old, with a brighter disposition than the Sora Motoko was used to. Even with his eyes narrowed and his arms folded in front of him, nothing appeared menacing or threatening about the child. "You shouldn't talk bad about him, 'cause he's helping you, and mommy says it's 'empolite' to be so mean!"

Motoko looked at the boy with confusion clearly written on her features. //Wha...?//

"He meant 'impolite' in case you're wondering," Another voice called out. Spinning around quickly, Motoko saw another young Sora step out of the shadows. While every bit as youthful as his counter part, this one appeared to be very dangerous and cold. His eyes were lifeless, whereas the other one seemed full of energy. He seemed wholly focused, while the other one seemed very distractible and curious. "Would you quit it?" he snapped at the other Sora. "You're annoying her."

"Am not!" the other one shot back sticking his tongue out.

The serious Sora rolled his eyes, "Well, you're annoying me."

"Meanie!"

"Imbecile..."

//Uh...// "U-Urashima...?" Motoko stammered out, looking in between the twins with bulging eyes. The two kids stopped arguing and looked at her.

"Well, yes and no," the serious one replied. "You see, we are the two facets of Sora's personality."

Cheerful Sora bounced happily in a circle around Motoko, "I'm the part that wants to be happy and have fun-"

"And I'M the part that realizes that's impossible and takes care of my duties," serious Sora cut in, sitting down on the floor.

Cheerful Sora shot a glare at his counterpart before turning to Motoko. "He's just mad, 'cause he's always all alone..."

"Your always here, no matter how many times I tell you to go away!" serious Sora retorted.

Seeing that another argument was imminent, Motoko decided to step in with a question. "So where's the original one?"

"You mean Oniisama?" serious Sora replied. "It's rather difficult to bring two people into the void, and since he hasn't mastered this particular meditation technique he split up into two different pieces."

"Hmm... so what are we going to do?" Motoko asked. "I came here to receive a symbol."

"Don't worry! We'll guide you, right oniichan?" cheerful Sora chirped.

Serious Sora gave him a level gaze. "I told you not to call me that."

"Uh..." Motoko broke in before cheerful Sora could reply. "Can we please get moving?"

"Uh huh! Right this way, Oneechan..." cheerful Sora said dragging Motoko along by the hand.

"She isn't our sister."

"I can call you that, right?"

"S-sure... um, do you think we can skip the arguing?"

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The trio was traveling through what appeared to be Kyoto. All around them people were hurrying around, the cars were flying by them, children were playing, friends were chatting near their homes... It was a real, living, breathing city. //This is amazing...// Motoko thought, looking around.

The twins in front of her were arguing again, so she picked up cheerful Sora and carried him on her back. "Look, you two. I don't know why you can't stand each other, but this constant bickering is starting to wear on my nerves. Got it?"

Serious Sora shrugged and nodded, while cheerful Sora apologized profusely. "Okay, now can you explain to me where we are?"

"We are inside of one of Sora's memories," serious Sora replied. "The human mind is quite capable, but most of the information is buried. But when using this type of meditation we can uncover these memories and re- live them, or even show them to other people in vivid detail."

//An advanced meditation technique?// "So, is this one of your clan's secrets?" Motoko asked.

"Not really. A lot of clans know of this technique," serious Sora answered, putting his hands behind his head as he walked. "I believe even your clan knows it, but they probably don't use it often."

"Why not? This seems like it could be quite useful," Motoko asked.

"And it is, to an extent," serious Sora replied. "This is a good technique to KNOW, but not the greatest to USE..."

"Why is that?" Motoko asked again.

"Because you and Sora go sleepy-sleepy!" cheerful Sora supplied.

"My counterpart is quite right," serious Sora said. "Right now, you and Sora are basically defenseless. This technique breaks off all contact with our physical bodies, so you guys are probably up out there drooling on the flat roof."

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A shocked Shinobu prods the prone forms of Sora and Motoko warily. They were both sitting on the floor, cross-legged and swaying slightly. She had come up here intent on calling them for breakfast, but it was apparent that neither was in the realm of the living. Naru came up the stairs to find out what the noise was about, gawking at the pair.

"Naru-sempai... are they dead?" Shinobu asked as Sora fell lifelessly to his side.

Naru shrugged and went back down the stairs. "Wouldn't be surprised..."

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"Someone could be kicking you to death, and you wouldn't notice until your spiritual body faded," serious Sora explained.

"So that's why most people don't use this method..." Motoko said to herself. "So why are we using it now?"

"You require strength to complete any of the tests and this method provides the most strength to your spiritual body," serious Sora replied. Suddenly the area around them began to change and morph.

"Oh no..." cheerful Sora whispered, clutching Motoko tighter.

"What?" Motoko asked, looking around. "What's happening?"

"Nothing really," serious Sora replied, still walking calmly with his hands behind his head. "Just changing memories. This one happens to be a favorite for Happy over there."

"No... please... no..." cheerful Sora cried, hiding his eyes in Motoko's shoulder.

"Don't be such a wuss," serious Sora spat. "There's no running from your past."

"But I don't want to remember!"

"What exactly is he remembering?" Motoko asked, not quite sure how to soothe the child on her back.

"Watch," serious Sora said.

Looking around her, Motoko could see that she was in the middle of a fierce battle. People lay in the streets, dead or dying as other warriors fought on. Motoko then spotted Sora, a little older than her current companions, fighting with a bokken. Near him was a man, taking on the brunt of the raiders with a sword, and slowly being worn down. Sora finished off another one of his attacker's and turned to the man...

Just in time to see him get stabbed in the stomach...

His eyes widened and he let out a choked cry as he ran to his aid only to be stopped by his murderer.

"...Jeros..." Motoko whispered, astonished at what she just witnessed. //So, Jeros really DID strike down an injured and unarmed man...// she thought, seeing the man's sword on the floor broken.

"So, we meet again, Sora..." he said, smirking evilly at the boy.

Sora's arm trembled as he fought back tears. "You asshole...." He muttered.

"Now is that anyway to greet your elder? I thought your mother would teach you better..." Jeros snickered slightly. "How is she anyway?"

"Shut up!" Sora shouted, the symbol on his hand burning red. "Shut the hell up!"

"Too bad you can't do that demon transformation," Jeros continued, gesturing to the symbol on Sora's hand. "'Evil' huh? Sounds like your mother raised you well..."

"And you're lucky I can't transform yet, you bastard!" Sora shouted, raising his eyes to meet Jeros' gaze. "Because if I could, I would tear you limb from limb."

"Come then, 'Bandit'..." Jeros said, moving into a stance. "I already accomplished my mission, but I think can also kill you and send you back to your traitorous mother."

At this, Sora's body seemed to surge with energy. //Why!?// he thought desperately. //Why can't I transform!?// Then he looked back up, and the hatred filled him again. //FUCK IT!!!//

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"

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Motoko stared blankly as the memory faded. Playful Sora was now sobbing uncontrollably, repeating "otousan" over and over again. Motoko was too stunned to help the boy, her mind unable to form thoughts properly. //That can't be... Jeros... can it...?// she thought. //He... I... never knew...// "This can't be!" she cried.

"But it is," serious Sora replied, unfazed.

Motoko stopped thinking about Jeros for a moment to regard the boy in front of her. "Why doesn't this memory bother you?"

"It does," serious Sora sighed. "But when I really think about it, I'm not that angry at Jeros for what he did."

"What?"

"Well, think about it: Jeros was only doing his job. Your clan must have ordered the death of my father, and Jeros carried out that assignment. I've done the exact same thing, many times," serious Sora explained.

"But aren't you angry about the death of your father?" Motoko asked, wondering what she should do about the sobbing child on her back.

Serious Sora thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Of course I'm angry, but I also realize that I can't allow raw emotion to control me if I want to survive. I must control my anger and think about survival and my mission. Such is the Way of the Ninja..."

//Jeros...// Motoko thought to herself, moving playful Sora to her front and hugging him in a feeble attempt to calm him. //No, the boy is right. I need to control my emotions and move on...// she thought, hugging the small boy tighter. //I must grow stronger...//

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A/N: Jesus. that's finally over with. I'll update again sometime soon. Well, please review and tell me what you think.

--Stizzo Out