Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Soul Requiem: Return to Hinata Sou ❯ Nightmares ( Chapter 1 )

Soul Requiem: Return to Hinata Sou

 

 

Chp1: Nightmares

 

 

Disclaimer: I don't own Love HIna

 

 

 

His vision was jerkily blurry, as if there was a broken TV set stuck to his head. The sounds he heard screeched and scratched from time to time, as if what he was seeing was a really bad television transmission.

 

 

“Hey, Kei-kun…did you hear? When two people who love each other go to Tokyo-U, they will live happily ever after…” A voice echoed through his skull. Children's laughter rang in his ears, echoing around, making it sound sinister rather than child-like. Suddenly everything, the vision and sounds, screeched.

 

 

“Promise me, ok, Kei-kun?” a blurry image of a little girl in the sunshine appeared. (SCREECH)

 

 

 

“How can we let him stay? This is Hinata Sou! An all girls dorm! He's a male! A male in an all girls dorm! That's unheard of!” Another voice, this time an angry one, echoed in the distance.

 

 

“He's a Tokyo-U student, we could get him to tutor us…” (SCREECH)

 

 

“Hey, what's a special ED ID?” a voice echoed, before everything started spinning. (SCREECH)

 

 

The words “YOU LIAR” echoed through his head. Everything went pitch black before hundreds of sketchbooks fell through the darkness, glowing.

 

 

“Hey, retaker! Still alive?!” everything flashed around him. Visions shot through his head. Voices, many many voices, whispered and clashed around him, turning into a one solid sound. In between he heard small snatches of words, with seemingly corresponding visions.

 

 

“You know…that's just a simple Trig question…did you even try the question first or did you just look at it and say `I can't do it'” A female voice asked. It was a traditional looking room. Two people were sitting in a kotatsu, books and paper were spread all over the kotatsu's surface. Everything was blurry, as usual. Everything blurred out for a moment before coming back into focus, though he felt he missed something in between.

 

 

“She definitely remembers! I can just imagine it…she's fighting hard to fulfill that childhood promise…even if it's a stupid promise like `I'll see you in Toudai' or any such promise…” the female voice continued. (FLASH)

 

 

“I promise I'll get into Tokyo U, I'll turn back the lies, I promise. So Happy Birthday…I promise you, I'll get into Tokyo U…” The scene was rather dark…there seemed to be a collection of people on top of a small wooden structure. A small girl suddenly ran away. Everyone else suddenly ganged up on him and blasted him away into the darkness. (FLASH)

 

 

“You annoying, perverted, lecherous male…DIE!” Everything spun. (FLASH)

 

 

“Hey, what about me and you go out together some time…I guess we could let the rent slide, hey?” (FLASH)

 

 

“Mecha Tama Mk 1, GO!” (FLASH)

 

 

“Keitarou, what am I to do?!” There was a memory…of tears…raven black hair…a shuddering figure he wanted so badly to embrace…(FLASH) “Without my sword…I'm nothing…” That's not true…he knew that's not true…but why? What is this? (FLASH) “I'm sorry, I've decided to stay at the Hinata Sou. Not only will I pass next year, I'll continue to practice my sword skills.” The seaside? Everything was shining bright…then something exploded…(FLASH) “I LOVE KEITAROU!” WHAT? Who's Keitarou? (FLASH)

 

 

“Hey, Keitarou are you really going away? Then before we die, can I ask for something?” Something told him this was not the time for such questions. “Give me a kiss. You've already kissed Motoko once.” WHAT?! And who on earth is Motoko anyway? If I've kissed someone, I'd certainly remember! (FLASH)“Nyahahahahaha! We meet again Keitarou!” A vision of flashing lights fleeting underneath him…he's flying? What?! He looked up and saw a young girl in a flowing native costume. HUH? “Hey, there's Hinata Sou!” (FLASH)

 

 

“Welcome…Oneechan…to Hinata Sou…” (SCREECH!) Back in pitch black darkness…more sketchbooks fell…this time accompanied by…dolls? Squirrel dolls? The word `promise' and `yakusoku' echoed through the darkness. Suddenly, a vertical line of light flashed down one side of the darkness. A door slid open slowly…bringing light into the darkness. Beyond was…what was that?

 

 

Strange ornate symbols flashed all around him…flashes of light flew around him in 4 intricate orbits, before slowing down and forming…cards? Then everything flashed bright once more…

 

 

 

 

“GASP!” a young man woke up suddenly, panting and gasping for breath. He looked down at the alarm clock beside him…4.45 AM in the morning…he was sweating all over. He raised a hand to his head and ran a hand through his messy black hair. “What…was that all about? What a strange…nightmare…”

 

 

My name is Hayamura Takato, a freshman in Mahora Senior High. Today…I had one of the strangest dreams I've ever had…it felt as if…I was someone…completely different…as if I was living someone else's memories…who was that guy…now I've completely forgotten his name…and who were all those people?

 

 

Takato got up and walked over to the window. Everything was still dark outside. The street lights were shimmering in the distance. The moon glowed above…giving just enough light for him to make out the Sora Hoshu crater out in the distance. Even from here it seemed gigantic.

 

 

“Hmmm, Oniichan? You're up?” A voice asked from behind him. He looked around, trying to focus at the gloaming darkness. A small figure sat on the second shelf of his futon closet, rubbing its eyes.

 

 

“Hikari-chan, sorry I woke you.” Takato whispered.

 

 

“Bad dreams, niichan?” The small brown haired girl asked, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

 

 

“Yeah, just another bad dream…” Takato sighed. “It's ok, go back to sleep. I didn't wake up Himari-chan too, did I?”

 

 

“No, oneechan's still asleep…” The girl leaped down from the futon closet and walked up to her brother. “Did you say your prayers before bed, niichan?”

 

 

“Yes, yes, Hikari-chan, I did. Don't worry.” Takato embraced his little sister and shepherded her back to the futon closet. “And I still can't understand what's so comfortable about a futon closet. Why can't you two just spread out a futon on the tatami.”

 

 

“It's comfy, niichan, why don't you try it sometime?” She giggled, scrambling back into the futon closet. “Wanna join us?”

 

 

“I think…you guys will need all the space you could get…” Takato said, pushing his little sister in and tucking her in. “Goodnight, Hikari-chan.”

 

 

“Goodnight, niichan,” Hikari said, stifling a yawn, before closing the closet sliding door. Takato left the room and went to the bathroom for a quick wash.

 

 

“Seems like it's gonna be another long day…”

 

 

 

 

5.00 AM…Takato decided to go out for a quick morning walk. He set out with a brisk pace towards an area of town called Market Avenue. The chilly winds bit through his face. Out of reflex, he pulled his coat tighter around himself. He knew the stores would all be closed, but he decided he'd wait until the `Corner Antiques' store opened. His friend, Sakura, normally opened her store a little earlier than usual, around 5.30…pretty much cause she didn't have much to do and because she wanted to get some customers in before she had to run off to school. She lived there with her grandfather, an old anthropologist and archaeologist who was said to have studied under a great master back when he was young.

 

 

Today, She opened up her store a bit earlier than usual. “Oh, ohayo Takato. You're up early today.” She said, her breath coming out in puffs of vapour, as she opened up the store's metal sliding doors. “Need something?” Her brown, slightly orange hair was picked up by the gentle morning breeze.

 

 

“Ohayo, Sakura-chan. I just need a new cell voucher card. I just ran out of credit the other day.” Takato said.

 

 

“Sure, just wait while I get this open…there we go.” Sakura went in and gestured for him to follow her. “Come in.”

 

 

He walked into the darkness and stopped by the door…it was unsafe to walk through the store in the dark, with all the fragile antiques lying around everywhere. Sakura confidently made her way through the darkness and switched on the lights, illuminating the centuries worth of forgotten treasures now stored in the small curio store. Business hasn't been good, lately, apparently, and Sakura somehow managed to convince her grandfather to start selling hand phone credit voucher cards and a few cheap souvenirs to keep the store going.

 

 

“Okay, just a 50.000 yen card, that will do.” Takato said, opening his wallet.

 

 

“Here you go.” Sakura ducked under the counter and came back up with the card. A telephone suddenly rang in the back. “Oh, excuse me, I'll be back in a second.” She quickly navigated the cluttered back area and made her way to the phone.

 

 

Meanwhile, Takato decided to look around a bit. The store was filled to bursting with tons of odd stuff. There was everything from the ancient 15th century (so it claims) up to stuff from the recently passed 21st century, from before the war. He's been in the store quite a number of times, so he's pretty much used to the cluttered interior. As he looked around, his elbow accidentally knocked over a box. It fell with a clatter onto the floor. The lid fell open and a number of cards fell out. Along with it fell an old sketchbook.

 

 

In panic, Takato quickly stooped to gather the cards. But as he touched one, his vision flashed and screeched again, just like his nightmare.

 

 

“…I love you…Keitarou…” a voice whispered softly. “I always will…”

 

 

“Huh!” Takato recoiled and stood back, panting. “What…” He held his head. “Uhh…must be lack of sleep…” He crouched again and tentatively reached out for the cards…nothing happened this time.

 

 

“that's…weird…” He gathered the cards and deposited them on the counter along with the wooden box…which he noticed was more like a thick volumed book. As he placed the cards back in he took a look at the cards. They were all blank white cards.

 

 

“Ok…I think…I'm just tired…my imagination must be running overtime again…” He breathed out slowly. But he couldn't get over the freakiness…why blank white cards? In a box that looked so ornately designed? He quickly placed the cards back in the box, took his telephone voucher, left the 50.000 yen note and a message saying `see you in school', then left the store in a hurry. The sketchbook was left lying on the floor, open to a particular page. It was a drawing of an old traditional Japanese building, with sakura blossoms flying across it.

 

 

“That…was way freaky…” He sighed. Then he looked up as something cold touched his forehead. Small white flakes of snow swirled down around him as the first rays of sunlight came up over the horizon. “Better get home…gotta take the twins to school.”

 

 

He and his sisters lived in a spacious apartment in a suburb in Tokyo-6, a prefecture once known as Kanagawa. His parents lived away somewhere in the EU, working. They left him in Japan, believing it would be better for him to continue his studies there. His sisters were sent over just recently as they had just reached 5th grade and their parents thought it would be better for them to take the national primary school graduation examination and go to a good junior high in Japan.

 

 

When he got there, his sisters were already waiting for him with breakfast. Scrambled eggs and toast. “Ohayo, oniichan! Did you just go out for a walk?” his sister, Himari asked. “Hikari told me you were having nightmares again.”

 

 

“Ohayo, it wasn't that bad.” Takato said. “Hikari-chan, you tell-tale!” He playfully knocked Hikari on the head.

 

 

“Ow…” Hikari cried. “I'll get you for that, niichan!” She started chasing Takato around the room.

 

 

“All right, better get moving children, it's time for school.” Himari said, muffled by the piece of toast in her mouth, slinging her backpack on her back. “Let's go!”

 

 

“Right, right!” Takato said, picking up two pieces of toast laden with scrambled eggs. He picked up his school bag, turned around, and gave Hikari a dekopin (flick), sending her falling backwards onto the tatami.

 

 

“H…hey! Not fair!” Hikari shouted, getting up.

 

 

“Last one to school is a loser!” Takato shouted, running out the front door.

 

 

“H…hey! Niichan!” Hikari shouted.

 

 

“sigh…” Himari sighed, following her siblings out into the corridor, before locking the door behind her.

 

 

 

 

Later on…that afternoon…

 

 

“hmm, the twins have probably gone home…man, baseball can take a lot out of you…” Takato stretched as he stood outside his school. Most of the students had gone home. He had remained for extra-curricular activities. He took out his phone and dialed up Himari to check up on them.

 

 

“Sorry, your phone has run out of credit…please refill…you could…” a female voice said over the phone.

 

 

“Oh, I forgot to refill it…” Takato took out his credit voucher card…”huh?” it was a blank card. “Oh…hell…” He pocketed his phone and sighed. “Darn…how could I have taken this…” he flipped over the card twice…he almost dropped the card out of shock. There, on what was supposed to have been a blank side, was a neat handwritten message in cursive.

 

 

“oh man…I don't like this…” He read the message. “I'll be waiting for you…at Hinata Sou…”

 

 

“Hinata Sou?” He looked up at the hill overlooking Kanagawa…an old ruined building stood there, slowly gathering snow. “Didn't that girl in the dream refer to the Hinata Sou…” He looked back down at the card…it was blank again. “Okay…now this is getting a little too freaky…”

 

 

 

 

“Sakura-chan, what exactly are these cards?” Takato asked his friend, later on in the antiques store.

 

 

“I don't know, actually…” Sakura said, looking down at the box and the cards. “According to my catalogue…they date back to the early 21st century, right before the war started.” She said, consulting her catalogue. “What happened, Takato? You just disappeared this morning and I found the box on the counter with a message. Did something happen? Why are you all interested in these cards all of a sudden?”

 

 

“I…I don't know…Sakura-chan…” Takato said, looking down at the cards. “Do you know where exactly these came from?”

 

 

“No…there isn't any information regarding this box and the cards…” Sakura said, shaking her head. “I don't think these served any purpose…probably just blank cards to fill up the box…the box looks like a card holder anyway.”

 

 

“Right…do you have any information of the Hinata Sou?” Takato asked.

 

 

“Hmmm, let me check.” Sakura said, taking a stool and checking the top shelves of a tall cabinet. She came back down carrying a gigantic file holder marked 1980-2050. “If there's anything historical then it would go in here.” She flicked through the files. “Ah, Hinata Sou… apparently it was an inn at some stage, though it was converted to an all girls dorm in the late early 1990s…there are records of it having gotten blown up a number of times. Then there are records of a wedding that even went in the newspapers…I can't really make out who got married here…hey, here's the name of the manager at that time, Keitarou Urashima. Hmm…I can't believe that this is all about that old building up there on the hill. Hey, Takato?”

 

 

Takato was staring off into space. “Keitarou…Urashima?” He whispered. “Sakura, anything else about this person?!”

 

 

“Hmmm…failed Tokyo-u entrance exams 3 times, got in on the fourth try. Became an apprentice archaeologist…there are many articles regarding the stuff he discovered on Pararakelse island and Molmol…and he went on one last excavation in 2013…a few months before the asteroid strike. Nothing else…though it might be worth noting that the Hinata Sou got hit pretty badly during the Sora Hoshu impact. All of Kanagawa was decimated and half of Hinata hill forms what we now know as the Sora Hoshu crater.” Sakura said.

 

 

“Tokyo-U…Keitarou Urashima…Hinata Sou…archaeologist…” Takato repeated. “Thanks, Sakura-chan. Hey, can I buy this card?” he showed Sakura the card he accidentally took. “I think I took it accidentally in my rush this morning….and ah, I need that voucher card too.” He gestured at the voucher card that lay in the pile of blank cards on the counter.

 

 

“Oh, I couldn't charge you for that. Unless it has a clear historical record, our store can't sell it as an antique. You can take it, if you want. And all these too, off course.” She gestured at the pile of blank cards. “Though would you mind paying for the box? It doesn't qualify as an antique cause of the lack of records, but at least as a souvenir of some sort?”

 

 

Takato left the store carrying a cardboard box that contained his newly purchased wooden card holder and a small number of blank cards. He actually counted…there were only about 8 cards in it, though there was a lot of empty space for more cards. He looked up at the decimated Hinata hill, then looked down at the one blank card he had taken that morning. He picked up his cell, refilled it, and phoned Hikari and Himari, telling them he'd come home rather late. Then he started running towards it…towards the Hinata Sou. He didn't know what he would find…if he would find anything at all…but something told him…something deep inside him told him, he had to go. At least to see it, to see it for himself, the Hinata Sou.

 

 

To be continued…