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Loss and Redemption	By : hawker748 Category: +G to L > Love Hina Views: 24929 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
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 9: It Is Better To Have Loved and Lost,
Then Never To Have Loved At All

By: hawker_748

**LEMON CONTENT WARNING!**

Keitaro never returned to bed that night after seeing the
shooting stars. There hadn�t been any point; he�d never be able to fall back
asleep, so he decided to practice his katas. He got up from under the tree he
had been resting against and treaded across the ground into a clearing adjacent
to the cabin. Once there, he took a deep breath, quickly looked to make sure
that none of the other residents were around, got into a ready position and
drew his sword.

The highly polished steel gleamed
like chrome in the moonlight, and the stars were brilliantly reflected by its
surface. When Keitaro silently commanded himself to begin, the blade swept
downward in a silent arc, effortlessly slicing through the air. When the blade
reached the terminus of its swing, it was quickly reversed and brought back up
in a soaring slash. Intertwined with these strikes, Keitaro walked in the step
patterns that Motoko had tried to teach him.

While he was still nowhere near
his sensei�s skill level, his movements no longer resembled an epileptic
seizure. For Keitaro, the katas were familiar now. In their order, repetition,
and distillation of complex movements into simpler ones, Keitaro found comfort.
The repetitive motions had a calming effect on him, and he hoped that calming
himself down would enable him to think clearly.

Keitaro�s body did its best to
remember what it had been taught by Motoko, while his brain, which was only
directing his movements enough to ensure that he didn�t stab himself, was
flooded with images of the two women he loved. He remembered from his first
meeting with Naru in the bath to her questions from earlier that evening and
everything that had happened in between. Motoko and Naru�s displays of rage.
The affectionate side that they both showed him. Even the feel of their lips
against his. Especially the feel of their lips against his. The sight of the two of them lashing out at
each other in the bath.

�This isn�t fair!� he raged. �I
love the both of them, but I have to choose only one!� He punctuated this
thought with a particularly vicious swipe that felled a three-inch diameter
tree. He didn�t even notice what he had done. When the kata was complete, he
repeated it without hesitation, as his mind desperately tried to think of a way
out of this predicament without hurting anyone.

If he didn�t make a decision
soon, it was likely that they�d end up seriously hurting each other, and he�d
never forgive himself if that happened. Keitaro kept repeating the kata again,
and again, and again, all of the time being emotionally tortured by the
prospect of what he needed to do. What he HAD to do.

***

�Ugh, I shoulda brought some
booze,� was the first coherent thought to pass through Kitsune�s head when she
woke up. She smacked her lips in distaste at the feeling in her mouth and
slowly oriented herself in the cabin. She glanced over at the clock. �5:47?
Goddamn swordsmen and their need to train in the middle of fucking nowhere.�
She�d take a climate-controlled health spa any day of the week over this �back
to nature� shit, even though Su had modernized the cabin extensively. Hell,
right now she�d kill to have her own futon back. She was going to have bruises
for days.

As her bleary eyes wandered over
the interior of the cabin, she noted that the other residents seemed to be
rousing themselves as well. There were assorted groans and grumbles from the
other residents who weren�t used to sleeping in cabins. Belatedly, Kitsune realized
that they seemed to be missing one person. �Hey, where�s Keitaro?� she asked
sleepily.

At this question Naru and Motoko,
who had been getting up with the agility of a pair of arthritic bronze statues,
awoke instantly, as though a switch had been thrown. They both jumped to their
feet, looked at Keitaro�s sleeping bag and sure enough, it was empty. They then
glared at each other and were about to level accusations, when they both
realized that if the other had run away with Keitaro, they wouldn�t have come
back to gloat. Any further accusations that they might have made were forgotten
as Sarah called out, �Hey look, the dork�s outside!�

The female residents of Hinata
House scrambled outside, and only the fact that Shinobu had been between them
kept Naru and Motoko from shoving each other out of the way to get outside
first. They all piled outside and stopped at the sight that was before them.
Keitaro was working his way through a kata, and his movements were now a little
more polished than what they had seen before. But it was the look on his face
that attracted their attention. There was a frantic expression on his face and loo look in his eyes bordered on madness. He also looked like he hadn�t slept
in a week, and the sheen of sweat that was visible was testament to his near
exhaustion.

As the women watched in silent
contemplation, Keitaro continued the kata without any indication that he�d even
noticed their presence. He completed the final slash of the kata, placed the
blade back into its scabbard, and fell to one knee breathing hard. Seconds
later, he drew the blade, stood up and began performing the kata again.

�Sempai!� Shinobu cried out,
concerned that if he didn�t rest, he�d drop dead.

The shout broke through his
intense concentration and caused him to miss his footing. This lead to him
collapsing heavily into the dirt, his ragged breathing the only movement from
him.

The girls all ran to his side,
concern for his well being temporarily overriding all other rivalries. Motoko
and Naru, their acrimony shelved for the moment due to their mutual concern for
Keitaro, helped him to his feet. He looked like he�d aged twenty years in one
night, and he had to lean heavily on the two women just to stay up. They
managed to lead him into the cabin and laid him down on his sleeping bag.

�Keitaro, how long were you doing
that?� asked Motoko in a subdued tone.

�A couple of hours,� he rasped in
reply, trying to get his wind back.

�You can�t stay here,� Naru said.
�You�ve got to come back to Hinata House to rest.� She looked over and saw
Motoko nodding in agreement.

�No.�

�Pardon me?� asked Motoko
faintly.

�I can�t go back, at least not
yet,� Keitaro replied. He looked up and saw the concerned looks on all of the
faces, especially Motoko and Naru. �I, I have to make a decision, but I need
time to think about it. I need to be alone.�

Naru and Motoko�s eyes widened as
the implications of Keitaro�s words came to them. Neither could bring
themselves to speak, as they realized that heartache was imminent for one of
them.

�Isn�t, isn�t there some other
way?� stammered Kitsune.

�No,� Keitaro answered with a
sense of finality. �I can�t let the situation go on any longer. One way or the
other, this must end.�

�Why, why, why can�t you decide
now?� Naru replied in a voice scarcely over a whisper.

Keitaro found himself unable to
meet anyone�s eyes as he replied, �It wouldn�t be fair. Even this way isn�t
fair, but it might be a little less unfair.�

An eerie calm descended over the
little cabin. No one spoke, as everyone was afraid to break the silence. Only
the faint hum of Su�s portable nuclear reactor could be heard. Finally Keitaro
could be heard whispering �I�m sorry,� over and over like a mantra.

Wordlessly, Shinobu began
preparing a small breakfast, but everyone shook their heads to indicate that
they weren�t hungry.

�How long?� Motoko asked when she
finally gathered up the courage to speak.

�A couple of days,� replied
Keitaro. He was curled up in a ball, his elbows on his knees and his head in
his hands.

Neither Naru nor Motoko knew what
to say to that, so they reluctantly began to pack up in preparation to go home.
The sight of Naru meekly acquiescing to what Keitaro had said shocked Kitsune.
She grabbed Naru�s arm in a surprisingly strong grip and dragged her outside.

Once she�d pulled Naru a
respectful distance away from the cabin, Kitsune hissed at her, �What the hell
are you doing? Why aren�t you making your case to him?� The forlorn look on
Naru�s face was the most disconcerting thing she�d seen in a long time, and
considering recent events, that was quite a feat.

�I, I can�t do anything more,�
Naru replied morosely. �It�s his decision. It�s always been his decision.�

�Then tell him how YOU feel!�
snarled Kitsune.

�I have.�

�When?� replied Kitsune, her eyes
opened wide in surprise.

�When he got back from the
picnic,� Naru replied. �He knows I love him, and I think he loves me.�

�Then why are we having this
cosatisation?!� exclaimed Kitsune.

�Because he also loves Motoko,
and she loves him.�

�How do you know that?� Kitsune
asked sceptically.

�She tried to give herself to him
in the bath.�

�How, how do you know she��
Kitsune couldn�t get the rest of the question out coherently, so Naru gave her
an answer.

�Because I was in the bath too,
trying to do the same.�

�� was Kitsune�s only response.
She stood there, her jaw in the vicinity of her ankles, unable to think of a
reply to that bombshell. Finally, Kitsune recovered her composure enough to
speak. �Is that where you got the, uh,-� she pointed to her own eye.

�Yes.�

�I really need a drink,� thought
Kitsune. �What now?�

�I wait,� Naru said bitterly. �He
wants to be alone, and I don�t want to upset him anymore. He doesn�t want me
and Motoko to fight either, so I can�t even fight for him. There�s nothing I
can do anymore but wait.�

Kitsune opened her mouth to rebut
her friend�s arguments, but found herself unable to think of any alternatives.
�She�s right,� she realized sadly. �It�s his choice now.� She then noticed that
the corners of Naru�s eyes were moist, so she stepped over and embraced her
friend in a hug. No words were spoken, as none were needed.

***

Back inside the cabin, in the
recently installed shower, Motoko was having similar thoughts. �In a few days
I�ll know whether or not I�ll have Keitaro at my side,� she mused as she rinsed
the shampoo from her hair. Things had finally come to a head, and Keitaro would
be choosing between her and Naru. Personally, she didn�t want to wait, she
wanted him to choose her right now. �But, if he wanted me, wouldn�t he have
said it?� Keitaro hadn�t actually told her he loved her, and he had been in
love with Naru. �Might he be thinking of how to soften the blow when he tells
me?�

Deep down, she was frightened
that her emotional outburst in the bath was going to push Keitaro right back
into Naru�s arms. Irony defined. An attempt to stop her rival from being with
Keitaro would seal her own defeat. Motoko tried hard not to think about how�d
she handle it if that occurred.

Despite the warmth in the
bathroom, her hands were shaking as she reached for a towel.

Motoko dried herself off and got
dressed, trying to put up a brave and confident front. She failed miserably.
She was a nervous wreck when she exited the bathroom and took grim satisfaction
from the fact that Naru seemed to be in the same state. As the two of them
passed each other, more was communicated in a two second glare off than could
have been said in a two-hour debate. But because of Keitaro�s words, an uneasy
truce was silently agreed on.

As Naru closed the bathroom door
behind her, Motoko took a look at Keitaro. It appeared that he hadn�t moved,
and he almost seemed to be in a fugue state. He appeared unaware of anything
happening around him, and Motoko figured he wouldn�t react if all of the Hinata
House girls stood naked in front of him. Realizing that there was nothing more
she could say or do in her own defence, Motoko resigned herself to finishing
packing up for the trip home.

Just as Motoko had figured,
Keitaro was oblivious to all of the activity in the cabin as the girls cleaned
up and packed for the trip home. When they were all ready to go, Shinobu told
him, �S, sempai, there�s food in the fridge and some clean clothes in your bag.
Take, take care sempai.�

With this, Shinobu, Su, Sarah,
and Kitsune bade their farewells to Keitaro and walked out.

Now, only Motoko and Naru were
left. Neither wanted to leave, and they both wanted the last word with him.
They realized that neither would let the other stay behind so they silently
agreed to leave together.

�Goodbye Keitaro,� said Naru.

�Take care, Kei-kun,� said
Motoko.

With these goodbyes they left the
cabin, and left Keitaro free to decide their fates.

Now all was silent, save for the
sound of Keitaros� breathing. For a few moments he just sat there, nearly
catatonic. Then he slowly got up and staggered to the shower. He knew that some
difficult decisions had to be made in the next few days, but for now he�d get
cleaned up and answer his body�s demands for sleep. Once he was rested, it would
be time to decide which of his two beloveds he was going to tear the heart out
of.

***

The trip back to Hinata House was
a subdued affair, with three distinct groups walking in loose formation. Naru
and Kitsune were the de facto leaders by the simple fact that they were at the
front of the column. A few feet behind them, Sarah, Shinobu and Tama-chan made
up the second group. Bringing up the rear was the last group, Motoko and Su,
with the former walking silently, and the latter riding on the formers� back.

Naru and Kitsune had attempted to
have a conversation as they walked, but Naru had quickly realized that her
heart just wasn�t in it. Kitsune had noticed Naru�s onset of sombreness and had
gamely tried to hold it back with talk, but she had found herself overwhelmed.
Now the two of them just trudged forward, the prospect of returning to familiar
surroundings the only thing that motivated them to head home. Since they
weren�t able to talk to each other, they were left to their own thoughts to
pass the time.

>

�Why can�t love be enough?� Naru
thought sadly. �I love him, he loves me, why can�t it just be that simple?� It
wasn�t of course, as few things in life were. If it had been that simple, the
present situation wouldn�t be happening, and she and Keitaro would be
continuing their sometimes confusing relationship. �Why couldn�t I have been
more decisive earlier? Why did I go along with trying to fool Tsuruko? And why
are people able to love more than just one person?!�

Naru risked a discrete glance behind
her, and saw Motoko, her face showing an expression of someone lost in thought.
A surge of anger passed through Naru. �Why did you make Keitaro fall for you?
You knew I cared for him, didn�t you?� She knew that she�d never actually said
this to either Motoko or Keitaro, but she�d expected her friend to be able to
figure it out, and therefore not make a move on him.

�Maybe she didn�t know,� another
voice in her psyche responded. �You never admitted it. Besides, where the hell
were you when they were getting close?�

Naru flinched at the internal
rebuke. She tried to give an answer that would satisfy her strongest critic,
herself, but she found that she couldn�t come up with a suitable explanation
for why she�d left. �I just needed to get away,� sounded pathetic to her own
ears, and Naru tried hard not to think about that as she continued towards
home.

Kitsunes� thoughts were also in
turmoil, as she recalled the previous two or so months. �I don�t believe it�s
come to this. So, who�s �loverboy� going to pick?� Kitsune thought unkindly.
�He�s broken up a friendship and completely fucked up the whole situation
because he didn�t have the balls to be honest with Naru. Although it�s not like
Naru would have been delighted to hear the truth from him anyway. She�d
probably have screamed �pervert!� and sent him airborne.� Kitsune was unhappy
that she was thinking of her friends in such unflattering terms, but she was
trying to be objective. �If those two idiots had just been mature enough to
talk to each other about how they felt, this woulda never happened!�

Kitsune released a breath and
tried to calm herself down, as getting worked up would not accomplish anything.
�At least she and Motoko aren�t at each other�s throats. But can they survive
waiting until Keitaro makes his decision? Can the house?� Kitsune then resolved
to try and keep Motoko and Naru from confronting each other for a while. They
were both calm now, but with their passions for Keitaro running high, a
conflict of a severe nature was possible.

The middle group, which was also
acting as a buffer zone between Naru and Motoko, was the closest to being
�normal�. While Shinobu was still upset at her decision to let Keitaro go, she
hadn�t been directly involved in the conflict that had recently come to a head.
As well, Sarah, who may have developed a little respect for Keitaro but still
had absolutely no affection for him, kept talking to her and forced her to
respond rather than lose herself in he own thoughts.

Their conversation stayed on
subjects that weren�t related to the love triangle, as Sarah had no interest in
what Keitaro decided. She no longer despised him, but she didn�t care for him
either, and her feelings towards him could be called indifferent. Though the
two of them talked for quite some time, with Tama-chan contributing a �myuh�
every once and a while, nothing of any real importance was discussed.

At the �six� position of the
convoy, Su was at one of her favourite places, riding piggyback on Motoko. It
felt strange to have the hyperactive youngster on her back again after so long.
Su was doing everything that she used to do in this position, but Motoko no
longer was the same person she�d been two months ago. She�d been forced to come
face to face with her inner demons, and confront the loneliness that she had
always tried to lock away.

She almost hadn�t survived the
confrontation. She�d been ready to kill herself when the depression had been
too much, and only desperate intervention by Keitaro had saved her life. That
one act of kindness had shattered her impression of herself and had started her
on the long, difficult road to recovery. She admitted to herself that she no
longer needed Keitaro to survive. No, now she WANTED him. She�d lashed out in
jealous, blind rage when Naru had tried to take �her� Keitaro, and now because
of that fight he was going to choose one of them.

Motoko continued walking, forcing
herself to try to be a little more upbeat for Su�s benefit. She wasn�t that
successful however, and Su�s natural energy and exuberance were tempered by
Motoko�s downbeat mood. Eventually, even Su found herself slipping into quiet
reflection, and the reserved caravan continued to journey home. Finally, the
long trip that none of the travellers would ever recall in much detail ended,
and at the foot of the Hinata House steps, an old friend waited.

�Hello everyone!� called out
Mutsumi.

�It figures�� How are you
Mutsumi?� replied Kitsune.

�I�m fine, how is everyone?� she
asked, her beatific smile still in place.

Kitsune pondered how to reply to
that for a few seconds before she said, �Things could be a lot better.�

Mutsumi�s smile lessened ever so
slightly. �What do you mean? And where is Kei-kun?� she asked as she started
looking around for him.

�Do you mind talking inside?�
Kitsune inquired.

�No, not at all.� Now her smile
had returned to full strength.

�Then follow me.� The group
walked up the steps and entered Hinata House, removing their shoes as they
entered. Once inside, Motoko and Naru excused themselves and walked away. Su and
Sarah set off to explore more of the hidden passageways, and Shinobu went to
the kitchen to start dinner. Now only Mutsumi and Kitsune were left in the
living room.

�What�s going on here?� asked
Mutsumi, a puzzled expression on her face.

�I�ll explain shortly, lemme go
get us something to drink.� With that Kitsune headed up to her room, and went
to the closet. Reaching inside, she opened a box that had �FOR EMERGENCY USE
ONLY� written on it, and pulled out a bottle of Booker�s bourbon. Retrieving
two glasses she went back downstairs and poured two stiff drinks. �Kampai!� she
toasted and drank.

This bourbon was stronger than
anything Kitsune usually drank, approximately 136 proof, and it made even her
cough. She was slightly dismayed to notice that Mutsumi had knocked hers back
as if it had been water. Once the burning had passed, Kitsune croaked out,
�Alright, I�ll tell you what�s going on.�

Kitsune then proceeded to explain
everything that had happened since the last time Mutsumi had visited. Keitaro and
Motoko�s increasing closeness, Naru�s return, the picnic, the war in the bath,
Motoko�s �training trip�, how they had followed them, the near eruption of
violence, and Keitaro�s imminent return. By this time the two of them were two
thirds of the way into the bottle, and Kitsune was becoming worried that that
the house would get damaged from all the spinning it was doing.

Mutsumi had listened to Kitsune�s
story with rapt attention and now she seemed to be just slightly off her normal
self. For a few moments, Kitsune was certain she saw traces of sadness and
regret on Mutsumi�s features, but when she looked away for a second they were
gone. �Prolly never eben there.� At this point Kitsune was even slurring her
thoughts. �Musbe my maginashun,� she figured.

Mutsumi gathered her thoughts for
a few moments, and considered what Kitsune had told her during the increasingly
drunken valediction. Thinking about what she�d heard caused her to briefly
remember her own attraction to Keitaro. This flash of memory caused her normal
megawatt smile to dim slightly, but her own alcoholic flush made it difficult
to notice unless one looked carefully. Forcing her expression to return to
normal, she finally responded to what Kitsune had told her. �That�s�
unexpected. So what do you think Kitsune? You�ve seen what�s occurred, who do
you think Kei-kun will choose?�

Kitsune, her thought processes
completely addled by now, hadn�t noticed the subtle change in Mutsumi�s
expression and behavior. �I dunno,� she mumbled. She then poured herself
another drink with a shaking hand, knocked it back and proceeded to pass out
sprawled on the sofa.

Mutsumi watched as Kitsune
answered the bourbons� siren call and went unconscious. She got up, rolled
Kitsune onto her stomach and picked up the bottle of bourbon. Not knowing what
else to do with it, she tilted her head back and finished off the last of the
dark amber liquor. She set the now empty bottle on the table, and with a steady
stride that would have passed any field sobriety test, she set off in search of
Naru.

***

Naru was currently trying to
relax in the bath, but knowledge of what would happen in a couple of days
prevented her from doing that. She was also trying to forget the kiss that
Motoko had given Keitaro last night, and his reluctance to tell her why he�d
stayed with Motoko. Her mental struggles were interrupted by a rush of bubbles
on the surface of the water. �Huh? Is that�?� Seconds later Mutsumi shot
through the surface of the water, completely drenching Naru.

�Hello!� sang out Mutsumi.

�Why can�t she just walk in like
everyone else?� wondered Naru. She finally got over her surprise and said,
�Hello Mutsumi.�

Mutsumi walked over and sat down
next to Naru. �I wanted to talk to you about Kei-kun,� she announced without
any preamble.

Naru closed her eyes and sighed.
She really didn�t want to talk about Keitaro now. �Mutsumi, I-�

&;

Naru didn�t get the chance to
finish as Mutsumi interrupted her with, �I think you should tell him how you
feel.�

Naru sighed again and slumped even
lower. �I did,� she whispered.

�You did?�

�Yes.�

�But, but I don�t understand. Why
hasn�t Kei-kun chosen you then?� Mutsumi asked with a confused look on her
face.

�Because he loves Motoko as
well,� Naru replied softly.

�Why do you think that? He�s
known you for a long time, you were childhood friends. He hasn�t known Motoko
that long, and everyone said that she used to hate him.�

�Not anymore,� Naru muttered
darkly, recalling Motoko�s attempt to seduce Keitaro in the bath, which had
interrupted her own attempt. �She cares for him, and he practically admitted
that he loved her.ru lru let out a short, mirthless laugh. �They were sleeping
in each others arms Mutsumi, how can I compete with that?�

Mutsumi�s eyes widened slightly
at that. This was a tidbit of information that Kitsune hadn�t mentioned, but it
was possible that she hadn�t known. Naru looked like she was revealing a secret
source of inner pain, and maybe she hadn�t wanted to share it with anyone
earlier. She pondered this new information for a moment before responding to
Naru�s revelation. �So, so Kei-kun and Motoko have slept together then?� She
didn�t have to specify that she didn�t mean just �sleep�.

Naru slumped down to the point
that her chin was touching the surface of the water. �I, I don�t know, but I
guess not.�

�Then why would them sleeping
together matter?� Mutsumi asked. �After all, you, Kei-kun and I slept together
that one time while studying, and nothing happened then, did it?�

Naru flushed at that memory, but
she found herself nodding slowly in agreement. �That, that�s true�, but��

�And you two shared a room in
Kyoto didn�t you?�

Naru somehow managed to blush and
blanch at the same time. �How, how did you�?�

�Tama-chan said you told him,�
Mutsumi replied with her same brilliant, and unreadable, smile in place. Naru
decided that Mutsumi would be a formidable opponent at poker. �Did anything
happen then?�

�No, NO! Nothing happened!�u
ru
responded quickly.

Mutsumi�s smile became even
broader. �Then who says that Kei-kun would sleep with Motoko?�

Naru was unable to respond to
that. She had admitted to herself that Keitaro wasn�t the pervert that she had
accused him of being, that it was simply her jealousy over what she saw as him
flirting with other girls. When she forced herself to logically consider what
Mutsumi had said, without letting her emotions influence her decision, Naru
found herself agreeing with what Mutsumi had been telling her. However, there
was still doubt in her mind, and she gave voice to it. �He, he spent a great
deal of time with Motoko,� she said quietly.

Mutsumi paused for a second as
she considered Naru�s words, as well as what Kitsune had told her. �But why
wouldn�t Kei-kun pick yogardgardless?� asked Mutsumi.

�What do you mean?� Naru�s tone
was still pessimistic, but now the faintest glimmer of hope was in her eyes.

�You�re his first love, right?�
For a second, sadness flickered over Mutsumi�s face and then vanished. �He
knows how you feel for him, you�ve been through a lot together right?�

�That�s true,� Naru replied with
a sense of cautious optimism

�Then why wouldn�t Kei-kun choose
you? He�s probably trying to think of the best way to do it without hurting
anyone�s feelings.�

This made sense to Naru. Keitaro
always tried not to upset anyone, and would always put the feelings of others
before his own. He didn�t want to hurt Motoko, so he was figuring out a way to
let her down easy. Mutsumi�s theory made sense, and Naru latched onto it as
though it would save her life. She was still a little uneasy, but she felt well
enough now to smile for the first time that day. �You may be right,� she told
Mutsumi.

�I hope so,� Mutsumi replied.

�So do I,� answered Naru.

At this point the conversation
turned to more mundane topics, and took on the appearance of two old friends
catching up on current events. Naru was grateful to Mutsumi for helping to lift
her spirits and reassure her that she had a very good chance of winning
Keitaro.

***

Upon arriving home, Motoko had
headed directly for her room and locked the door behind her. Where Naru had had
Kitsune and Mutsumi to encourage her, Motoko was basically left to fend for
herself. Su would be there for company of course, but it wasn�t Su�s company
she wanted at night. She sighed to herself. �It�s only been a few hours and I
already miss him.� She tried to force herself to not consider the possibility
that she�d never be close to him again.

The room felt� empty without him.
SHE felt empty without him. Despite her best eff, sh, she�d ended up thinking
about the differences between her and Naru�s relationship with Keitaro. She�d
come to some of the same conclusions that Naru had, but unlike Naru, the
conclusions filled her with a sense of dread.

Naru had so many things going for
her that Motoko didn�t; she was older, had some of the same interests as him,
and they had worked together for over a year and had become close. Most telling
of all, Naru was his first love, how could he not want to be with her?

<
<
Motoko had only been �married� to
him for a few months; even with their increased mutual attraction, he�d
admitted that he still cared for Naru. She�d never be able to win him, never be
able to be with him, never be able to make love to him.

Motoko�s eyes widened and her
cheeks went scarlet at that thought, but she would no longer deny that she
wanted him. �I, I never even told him I loved him,� she thought morosely. She�d
implied it, of course, but she�d never actually said those three little words.
Now it looked like she�d never be able to, for if, no, WHEN, Keitaro chose
Naru, she�d bury all of her feelings and let him go. She�d train him hard, but
at night it would be Naru who helped him relax, while she sat in her room
alone.

Time lost all meaning as she sat
there, thinking about a life without Keitaro, until Shinobu knocked on her door
and told her dinner was ready. Motoko had no appetite, so she politely declined
and stayed where she was. Besides, she didn�t want to face Naru, for it would
be easier to honour Keitaro�s request not to fight with her by avoiding her.

It was too early for bed, but the
oblivion of sleep appeared to be better than anything that the waking world
could offer her now. She went to the washroom, brushed her teeth, and came back
to the room. She changed into her nightshirt, laid down on her futon, and
turned off the light. That�s when Keitaro�s absence finally hit home. She had
grown so accustomed to the warmth and feel of him next to her that sleeping
alone now felt cold and empty.

Suddenly overwhelmed by a sense
of grief and loss, Motoko was unable to stop the tears from coming. She grabbed
Keitaro�s pillow and hugged it to herself, the faint smell of him lingering on
it providing her little comfort. Never in her entire life had she felt so
alone. It was made all the worse by the fact that now she knew what she had
lost; before the marriage loneliness was familiar to her, almost welcome. Now
it was the worst feeling that she had ever endured.

She fell asleep crying and
murmuring his name. Her dreams were a kaleidoscope of tortuous images of
Keitaro and Naru, the two of them smiling at each other, holding hands,
laughing, and even kissing. The two of them were completely happy together,
while she was forced to watch their joy from afar, her lonely, empty heart
aching a little more with each scene. Mercifully, she awoke from her nightmare
long before dawn. The redness in her eyes testimony of her crying in her sleep.
Fear of seeing those images inspired her to get up and get dressed. She wasn�t
feeling at all tired, and she figured she could drive away the images away with
the familiar rhythms of kendo.

Grasping her sword and bolting to
the roof, she figured that she�d get in some early practice. But when she
finally reached the roof after a frantic dash, she was once again reminded of
Keitaro�s absence. The only reason she�d started morning training was to take
advantage of the extra time to train Keitaro, and she later came to secretly
enjoy spending the early morning with him.

A sensation of great despair came
over Motoko, and she slumped down against the railing starstared numbly into
space. The sounds of night faded away, and left her in a world of her own. She
relived the happier times she had spent with Keitaro, terrified beyond measure
of losing them if she didn�t try to remember them. Time lost all meaning for
her, until the first rays of the sun began to peak up over the horizon. She
flashed back to that first morning, and the words she had spoken to him over
two months earlier. �It�s always darkest before the dawn.� With every
fiber of her being and down to her very soul, Motoko hoped with all her heart
that there was some truth to that saying.

***

For the next two days, Hinata
House was the sight of an unusual game of avoidance. Motoko and Naru made a
point of avoiding each other whenever possible. The two of them would not eat
or bathe at the same time and if they encountered each other in the hallways,
they�d both turn around. The lead to aborted conversations, as the avoidance
would override everything else, including the rules of politeness.

To make an delicate situation
even more volatile, Mutsumi moved into Motoko�s old room, and her reasoning was
that she was providing emotional support for Naru. She also provided a drinking
partner for Kitsune, who had been hit with a multi-megaton hangover, and she
had sworn off drinking, and had kept her vow all the way until lunch.

To Motoko, it seemed that
everyone in Hinata House was either in Naru�s corner supporting her, or at the
very least figured that Keitaro would choose her when he came back. For her,
each minute of each day was torture, and sad tad the strangest feeling of
detachment from the situation. It made her feel like she was watching a movie
where she knew something bad was going to happen, but she couldn�t do anything
to stop it.

Even sleep was no longer a
blissfulivioivion for Motoko, as the tortuous images continued to haunt her
dreams. One nightmare in particular had had a very traumatic effect on her and
shook her to her very core.

It had started out innocently, as
bad dreams usually do. �What, what�s going on? Where am I?� Motoko couldn�t see
anything, it was like she was surrounded by dense fog. She seemed to in an
auditorium of some kind, but she couldn�t make out any details. Gradually it
became clearer, and she was able to start hearing little snippets of
conversation.

�Perfect couple.�

�Took them long eno did didn�t
it?�

�He looks so handsome in that
tuxedo doesn�t he?�

�I always cry at weddings.�

�Don�t those bridesmaids dresses
look hideous?�

�Who designed them, Ray Charles?�

With a start Motoko realized that
she was in a church, and it appeared that a wedding was about to occur. As
everything became clear, she realized that Keitaro was standing at the al
hi
his friends Haitani and Shirai flanking him. Motoko found herself blushing as
she discovered that he did look handsome in his tuxedo. �He, he�s looking at
me!� Motoko realized. Joy blossomed in her heart as it dawned on her that he
was waiting for his bride to join him. With a surge of bliss she started to
walk down the aisle to join him in holy matrimony.

Or at least she tried to. She
discovered that she couldn�t move, it felt like her feet were set into
concrete. She tried to call out to him, to say that she couldn�t move, but she
found that her voice didn�t work. She looked down desperately to try to figure
out why she couldn�t move and was shocked at what she saw.

This wasn�t a wedding dress. No
sane or even insane bride would have called this abomination a wedding dress.
It was� puke-green, with puffy shoulders, a slit leg, and far too much chiffon.
No woman would have been caught dead in a dress like this, for even a corpse
would re-animate itself enough to strip off the offending garment, rather than
wear it for all eternity. Even dogs would be reluctant to relieve themselves on
this abortion in satin.

�I�m a bridesmaid!� Motoko
thought to herself in pure panic. �Then who is Keitaro�� the thought trailed
off as a sudden moment of clarity struck. When the wedding march started, Motoko
found herself unwillingly looking behind her to see the bride, hoping against
hope that this was a terrible mistake. Her hopes went unanswered, as she saw
Naru standing behind her, resplendent in a white wedding dress. The look on
Naru�s face was partially concealed by the veil, but bliss was clearly visible,
along with a shade of triumph.

As Naru walked by her, Motoko
tried to lash out, scream, anything to disrupt the proceedings, but she found
herself unable to move or speak, and no one seemed to notice her distress. When
the minister asked for any objections, Motoko had been incapable of calling
out. Unable to look away, or even close her eyes, she was forced to watch
Keitaro and Naru declare their love for each other and seal it with a kiss.
Finally the minister presented Mister and Misses Keitaro Urashima, and Motoko
was finally able to speak, but her scream of �NO!� was drowned out by the
cheers of the other guests.

Motoko bolted upright, sweating
and breathing heavily, all thoughts of sleep driven away. Tears then flowed
without hesitation, as she believed that this had been no mere dream, but a
premonition of some sort. Dreams like this made Motoko feel a little like a man
on death row, she knew what was coming and dreaded it, but at the same time
wishing that it would just happen so it would be over and done with.

Once it was over she�d be able to
move on with her life, but right now she was in a sort of limbo that was
driving her absolutely insane. And so she reacted with equal parts dread and
relief on the third day when she heard Su�s exuberant voice sing out, �Hey
everybody, Keitaro�s back!�

***

As Keitaro Urashima slowly walked
up the stairs toward Hinata House, his pace slowed by trepidation of what was
likely to happen, he reflected on the couple of days he had spent alone at the
cabin. The days had been full of soul searching, reminiscing, reflection, and
pondering the future. To an outsider, having to choose between two beautiful,
wonderful women might have appeared to be a joy, but to him it had been three
days of utter hell.

It had been a long, difficult
process trying to figure out what he heart was telling him, but he had finally
come to a decision. It had been a close choice, closer than anyone might have
realized, but his mind was made up. He was going to walk in there and tell the
woman he was in love with that he wanted to be with her, and take back some
control over his life. The violence and jealousy were going to end today and he
was going to make sure that nobody came between him and his beloved again.

So why did he have a powerful
urge to go back to the cabin and contemplate the matter for a little longer?
Say, thirty years?

�Oh, that�s right. The one I
don�t choose will probably hate me,� he chuckled to himself without humour. He
heard Su�s voice announce his return, and that meant that he was committed now,
no turning back. Not that he would have anyway, but now it was absolutely not
an option. Willing his pace to increase slightly, he made his way down the path
towards the main entrance. He entered, put down his backpack, took off his
shoes and walked into the rapidly filling living room. He noticed, to his
slight surprise, that in addition to the Hinata House regulars, Haruka and
Mutsumi were there as well, greeting him and welcoming him back.

�So much for privacy,� he thought
miserably. �Hello everyone.�

There was a collection of
greetings called out to him in response, but through it all there was a sense
of tension and nervousness. The largest sources were, naturally, Naru and
Motoko. Naru looked like she was having trouble staying still while Motoko had
a nervous air about her. Keitaro felt another stab of guilt and shame for
letting things get like this and it stiffened his resolve to act.

�It�s, it�s good to see you all
again,� he said quietly. �I hope everything�s been O.K. while I�ve been gone.�

�We�re O.K.,� replied Kitsune
off-handedly.

�That�s good,� responded Keitaro.
He discovered that he couldn�t bring himself to look either Motoko or Naru in
the eyes, as he was afraid that what he might see there would strip away his
nerve. He did notice that everyone was giving him an almost expectant look.
They wanted him to voice his decision, but they didn�t want to ask him to do
it. �No time like the present,� he thought without any enthusiasm.

�I, I�ve decided what I want to
do,� Keitaro said as he continued to look at the floor. �I�ve realized what I
truly want, and what I need to do.� He finally looked up at everyone and took a
deep breath to steady his nerves before continuing. Once he�d successfully
lowered his heart rate to about 160 beats per minute, he began to walk towards
Naru and Motoko.

She didn�t answer, she layed down
and pulled him close to her, stroking his hair and whispering softly in his
ear. They stayed like that until it was time for bed. They both got undressed,
cleaned up and then they both got into Keitaro�s sleeping bag. By unspoken
agreement, nothing happened between the two of them except for a quick
goodnight kiss, and Motoko held Keitaro all through the night.

The next morning they both got up
early and resumed their training regimen, mostly so that they would have
something to do together. After they finished training, Keitaro just brooded
for a while, while Motoko went for a walk. They did talk, but it was mostly
about innocuous topics, as neither wanted to discuss relationships at the
moment. Keitaro was able to smile at Motoko without feeling sadness, but there
was still tension between the two that thwarted any deeper conversations.

Finally Motoko decided it was
time for them to talk. After dinner, when she had come back from another walk
and Keitaro was still brooding, she down next to him and asked him, �Are you
feeling better Kei-kun?�

�A little,� he replied.

�May I ask you a question?� she
inquired.

�Go ahead,� he replied.

�Why did you choose me?� she
asked softly.

Keitaro closed his eyes and
sighed. �I decided after a lot of thinking.�

but as his confidence returned he started to go higher, until he was gently
brushing against the hem of her panties.

He had felt Motoko�s thighs
before, when he had lifted her onto his shoulders on that New Year�s Day so she
could hang his �worst luck� fortune on a tree branch. He had dropped her that
time, and she become enraged and attacked him with arrows, but this time was
much more pleasant for the both of them.

�Touch me,� Motoko whispered
softly.

�What?� replied Keitaro.

�Please Kei-kun, touch me.� The pleading
tone in Motoko�s voice was matched by the look in her eyes.

Keitaro swallowed nervously.
�Okay,� he replied in a voice that was nowhere as steady as he wished it to be.
Very gently, he placed his right hand on the front of Motoko�s panties and was
surprised by how wet they were. He slowly started rubbing her sex through the
fabric and was astonished when Motoko cried out and spread her legs. �Is
something wrong?� he asked concerned.

�No, please don�t stop,� Motoko
desperately replied.

Keitaro resumed his caressing and
discovered that he could feel the lips of her sex through the fabric of her
panties. He gently placed his middle fingetweetween the lips and pushed down
slightly. Motoko gave a gasp that couldn�t possibly have been an objection and
her head began to roll around. Feeling encouraged and emboldened by her
reaction, Keitaro removed his hand and slowly pulled the panties down her legs.
He took a moment to take in the naked beauty of his wife and discovered that
her small patch of pubic hair was as sofd sid silky looking as the hair on her
head.

He returned his hand to where it
had been and resumed his rubbing and gently teased a finger between her labia.
When it finally slipped inside her, she groaned loudly and arched her back.
Keitaro took this as a cue to resume his attentions to her breasts as he
continued to probe with his finger. From male bragging he had overheard, he
knew that the clitoris was the most sensitive area on her body, and massaging
it would make her feel good. With his mouth busy suckling her breasts, he used
his thumb to locate and begin caressing Motoko�s clitoris while his finger
continued its explorations.

The combination of sensations was
sending Motoko into ecstasy, and she found herself spasming without any control
over her movements. At this point she was panting heavily, moaning unabashedly,
and whispering Keitaro�s name. In response to Keitaro�s touch she spread her
legs wider and found herself involuntarily pushing up against his hand. She was
holding his head to her breast with one hand while the other hand was playing
with the nipple that Keitaro wasn�t suckling.

�Oh� God, this is wonderful!� a
half-delirious Motoko thought to herself. She had never imagined that the touch
of another could feel so good. Like Keitaro, she had also had the occasional
sexual fantasy, and on a few occasions even masturbated. She had done this in
extreme secrecy of course, only when no one else was home, and in a locked
bathroom with a towel clenched in her teeth to further muffle any sounds she
might make.

But this was more then just a
physical sensation to Motoko. This was an expression of love and trust, of
lowering the last of her personal barriers and giving herself totally to the
man she loved.otheother man had ever seen her like this before, and no other
man ever would. Keitaro was her first and she was his, and they both knew that
there would be no others.

Watching his wife in the throes
of ecstasy was having a profound effect on Keitaro. He was inspired to give her
even more attention and his penis, which had thrown in the towel early in the
first round, was now erect again and ready for round two. The sounds Motoko was
making was music to his ears and he hoped that he wouldn�t be a disappointment
as a lover, although after his first performance he wasn�t that confident.

For Keitaro, the soft cry and
tears forming in the corners of Motoko�s eyes almost made him wish that they
hadn�t gone this far, but there was no turning back now. Stabilizing himself
with one hand, he used his other hand to wipe away the tears on his wife�s
face, as well as his own tears that had dropped down onto her.

Motoko saw Keitaro waiting over
her, tears in his eyes as well, concern for her etched onto his features. �It�s
alright.� She then clasped her hands behind his neck and in a husky, breathless
voice said, �Make me yours Kei-kun. Make me a woman.�

After taking a moment to
stabilize himself, Keitaro slowly pulled back until only the head of his member
was inside Motoko. Taking a deep breath, he slowly thrust himself back inside.

This secondary thrust caused
Motoko to moan deeply, as the pain was washed away with pleasure, and
encouraged Keitaro to repeat the previous step, this time with a little more
speed and force in the thrust. He continued at this slightly faster pace, all
the while concentrating to try to prevent himself from going off too quickly.

�Kei, Keitaro, it�s, it�s good!�
gasped out Motoko as she started thrusting up her hips in time with Keitaro�s
thrusts. By now her entire face was flushed, her breathing had become ragged,
and fresh perspiration had broken out on her forehead. Her pores had opened up,
and the scent of her musk was now strong in the little cabin. Motoko lifted her
head and shoulders off of the sleeping bag and pulled her hair out from under
herself, spreading it out around her head in a tableau of silken thread.

For his own part, Keitaro was
breathing deeply, clenching his teeth in an effort to keep control of himself,
and his perspiration was dripping down onto Motoko.

Motoko let go of Keitaro�s neck
and let her hands fall down by her head. Moving carefully so as not to disturb
his rhythm or balance, Keitaro took Motoko�s hands in his and the two of them
intertwined their fingers together. Motoko then raised her head and kissed her
husband hungrily before letting her head fall back and urging Keitaro to go
faster.

Keitaro picked up the pace,
increasing thte ote of his thrusts, all of the while trying to think of other
things to help prolong the experience. He had heard that thinking about
baseball was supp to to help so he tried that, but he wasn�t sure if it was
having an effect. Besides, it was hard to put his mind elsewhere when his body
was insistently sending him extremely detailed messages about the pleasure it
was experiencing.

Time lost all meaning for the two
of them, and nothing else in the world mattered to them except each other. They
had no idea how long their coupling had lasted, and they didn�t care. All that
mattered to them was that they were physically expressing their love for each
other, and that there was no other place in the world that either wanted to be
but in each other�s arms.

The peaceful silence of the cabin
was broken by the hypnotic rhythms of lovemaking. The soft rustle of skin
against fabric. The sound of warm skin coming into contact with warm skin. The
ragged breathing and the soft, indistinct cries of the emotionally charged
lovers.

In an effort to both keep close
to Keitaro and encourage him to drive deeper, Motoko wrapped her legs around Keitaro�s
waist and pulled him down against her naked body. Keitaro only half noticed
Motoko�s movements, and the main thought that his frantic mind had was that she
was holding on so tight that it was now difficult for him to pull back to
thrust again.

Finally, after untold minutes of
lovemaking, Motoko felt another orgasm approaching. This one felt nothing like
the first one, which had been pleasurable, but not all that large or intense.
This one promised to be truly earth-shattering, and she whimpered and started
speeding up her own thrusts, trying to encourage Keitaro to do the same.

For Keitaro orgasm was also
imminent. By now he was clenching his jaw tight enough to leave teeth marks in
steel plate. When Motoko increased the tempo of her thrusts he�d found himself
desperately hoping that she was almost finished, as he couldn�t hold on much
longer.

Motoko let go of Keitaro�s hands
and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him against her. She finally orgasmed, which
caused her back to arch spasmodically and she found herself biting Keitaro
above his collar bone as the waves of pleasure rocked her.

The act of Motoko arching her
back and biting him when she came, was the last little push that was needed to
send Keitaro over the precipice. The contrasting sensation of pain from the
bite had caused the pleasure from the lovemaking to seem even more intense. He
felt himself fire off three distinct jets of his seed into Motoko, as the two
of them went temporarily rigid. After a few moments the two of them collapsed
in on themselves, and Keitaro ended up slumped over Motoko, breathing hard and
trying to get his wind back. Motoko wasn�t in any better shape, and the two of
them stayed in a silent embrace for some time afterward.

About ten minutes later the two
of them finally decided that they needed to move and Keitaro carefully rolled
off Motoko and lay next to her. He then pulled her into a tight embrace and
kissed her. �I, I guess that makes it official.�

�Motoko Urashima,� Motoko
replied. �I could learn to like that name.�

Hearing Motoko say that reminded
Keitaro of another decision he had made while walking back to Hinata House.
�No, Keitaro Aoyama.�

Motoko gasped in disbelief. �You,
you�d take my name?�

�I�d be honoured to, if you let
me,� Keitaro replied softly.

Motoko just held him in response,
tears of joy running down her face.

After a few minutes, Keitaro
attempted to apologize for his perceived failure. �I�m sorry for what happened
earlier Motoko.�

�Don�t be. It was just first time
jitters,� she replied. That strange gleam came over her eyes again, one that
wouldn�t have looked out of place on Tsuruko. �Besides, we have plenty of time
to practice.�

Keitaro felt a grin come over his
features. �A lifetimes worth.�

They kissed one last time and
then Motoko snuggled into his embrace, fatigue starting to claim her. Keitaro
was also starting to feel tired, and figured that sleep was exactly what he
needed. As he started to doze off, he recalled the look in Motoko�s eyes. Fire
was back in her eyes, and it was a joyous sight for him to see. He wasn�t sure
what was going to happen now, or where they would go from here, but he would do
anything to stay at her side.

Motoko�s last thoughts before she
feel asleep were, oddly enough, on the loss that had started her on the path
she was on now. When it had happened, she had felt as though she had lost
everything and had no worth. But through their struggles, her eventual love for
Keitaro, and his love for her, she had finally found what she been seeking.

Redemption.

The two of them faced an
uncertain future, but they would face it the same way they would face
everything from now on.

Together.

***

Back at Hinata House life, as it
always does, went on.

The departure of Keitaro and
Motoko had upset the harmony of the entire household. For the next couple of
days the house had a deathly pall over it, as each of the residents was forced
to consider what Keitaro had meant to them now that he was gone. Naru was the
most affected by his departure, and she had retreated to her room, not even
coming out to eat or bathe. Eventually, through the combined efforts of
Kitsune, Shinobu and Mutsumi, she started to slowly climb out of the pit of her
depression. She was still heartbroken, but she was no longer isolating herself
from the people that cared for her.

To help Naru with her depression,
Mutsumi moved in full time into Motoko's old room. After unpacking all of her
things, about two dozen watermelons, she and Kitsune dragged Naru into the bath
and had a pleasant chat about nothing, allowing Naru to talk without opening
not so old wounds.

Naru started acting a little more
like her old self after two weeks of living with Mutsumi. She would sometimes
get a distant look in her eyes, and it didn�t take a rocket scientist to figure
out what, or rather who, she was thinking of. But as a couple of weeks went by,
she got those looks less and less often. The passage of time was partly
responsible for this, but there was another thing that influenced this;
Shinobu.

One day Naru entered the bath and
found Shinobu already there, with a wistful look on her face. Naru was familiar
with that look, as she had been wearing it herself many times in the paew
ew
weeks. Remembering Shinobu�s feelings for Keitaro, and realizing that maybe
they had something in common, lead her to have a talk with Shinobu about him.

At first Shinobu had stammered a
denial about her feelings for Keitaro, but the look Naru was giving her told
her that she wasn�t buying it. So Shinobu told Naru about her feelings for him,
when they had started, what she had done, and when they had ended. Or rather,
when she had realized that she�d had no chance. She even admitted, in a voice
thick with shame, how she had hoped to win him when it appeared that neither
Naru nor Motoko was interested in him.

endiendif]>

Naru listened in rapt attention,
and was a little surprised when Shinobu revealed her aborted attempt to win
Keitaro�s heart. She wasn�t upset with her though, and she secretly admired the
younger girls nerve. �If I had had nerve like that, maybe I wouldn�t have lost
him.� Since the younger girl had opened her heart to her, Naru felt it was only
fair to do the same. She talked about Keitaro with Shinobu, talked about what
they had done, how their relationship had progressed, and how little
misunderstngs ngs had eventually helped destroy it. They both felt better
afterwards, and they decided that talking about Keitaro wasn�t so bad after
all.

Months went by, and everyone was
getting used to a life without Keitaro. Everyone was happy again, even Naru and
Shinobu, and the stench of depression had long since been blown away. But one
day, an unexpected visitor arrived that knocked everyone off of their pins.

Kitsune had been lounging in the
living room, drinking beer and watching the ponies on TV when she looked up and
saw a figure stag ing in the doorway. The long black hair, hakama and gi, and
sword caused her to jump in surprise and blurt out �Motoko?!� before she
noticed the crane on her shoulder. �My mistake,� she thought. �Hello Tsuruko.�

�Hello Kitsune,� replied Tsuruko
with a pleasant smile. �May I come in?�

�Sure, come in. Hey everybody,
we�ve got company!� Kitsune called out.

All of the residents, as well as
Haruka, to to the living room. To say that it was a surprise didn�t do
justice to the emotion.

Upon seeing Tsuruko, Naru felt a
flash of rage flare up, as she blamed Tsuruko for what had happened between
Keitaro and Motoko. She wasn�t that upset at Keitaro anymore, as she had let
him get away. She�d even buried some of her bad feelings for Motoko, as she had
just been following her heart, and she could relate to that.

But Tsuruko had been the one that
had started the whole process. She did her best to keep her anger in check, as
it would have been rude to make a scene. Besides, beneath the pleasant
exterior, Tsuruko was walking death, and upsetting her could result in your
lifespan being measurable in seconds.

Tsuruko was her usual charming
self, giving gifts to all of the residents. She even had ones for Mutsumi and
Haruka, even though she shouldn�t have even known they were there. Su and Sarah
quickly devoured the candy that had been their gift and started bouncing off
the walls like superballs that had been fired out of a howitzer.

As they all drank tea in the
dining room, Kitsune asked the question that was on everybody�s mind: �What
exactly are you doing here?�

�I came to visit my sister and
Keitaro,� she replied as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

�I hate to disappoint you, but
they�re not here. They haven�t been here for almost ten months,� Kitsune said.

�So what happened?� Tsuruko asked
casually.

Kitsune sighed and rubbed the
bridge of her nose before continuing. �They, they fell in love and ran away
together. We don�t know when or if they�ll be back.� Kitsune couldn�t help but
notice the slightly pained look that fell over Naru�s face.

�I see,� replied Tsuruko without
much concern.

�Sorry, it looks like you made a
trip for nothing-� Kitsune was interrupted as a knocking came from the front door.
As Haruka got up to answer the door, Kitsune�s thought process seized. �No, it
couldn�t be��

It was.

As Haruka lead them into the
living room, the residents of Hinata House got their first look at Keitaro and
Motoko in nearly a year.

Motoko�s appearance hadn�t
changed much, except her hair was now longer. But she moved with pride in her
step and a smile in her eyes. She was radiant, she practically glowed she was
so happy looking. Everyone had trouble reconciling this image of Motoko with
the sombre swordswoman they had all known.

Keitaro on the other hand�

�Damn,� thought Kitsune, �he�s
changed a little, hasn�t he?�

Keitaro�s hairstyle was a little
shorter than it whenwhen he�d been the landlord of Hinata House, and its
lighter colour, as well as his tan, was testament to a lot of time spent
outdoors. He was now wiry, with well-tone muscles on his arms that the kendo
outfit he was wearing did a good job of showing off. He had also gotten rid of
his glasses, and his facial features had a more chiselled look to them, with
the curves of his face having been replaced by angles.

�Hello sister,� said Motoko in
greeting.

�Hello Motoko,� she replied.
�Hello Urashima.�

�That�s Aoyama,� Keitaro
corrected. Tsuruko raised an eyebrow at that, and an amused expression came
over her face.

�Would he have changed it to
�Narusegawa�?� Naru found herself wondering, before she broke off that thought,
once again attempting to move on.

While Keitaro wouldn�t trade the
time he�d spent with Motoko for anything, he had missed seeing everyone. He
then took notice of the residents and his smile faltered slightly. He and
Motoko had not left Hinata House on the best of terms, and he hoped that there
were no lingering bad feelings. Returning his smile to its previous level, he
greeted the residents. �Hello Shinobu, Su, Sarah, it�s good to see you all
again. Hello Mutsumi, Kitsune, Naru�� The last name had been spoken in a
slightly subdued tone.

Naru took a deep breath, put on a
half smile, and replied, �It�s good to see you again Keitaro, and you too
Motoko.� Her tone wasn�t quite as chilly as it would have once been. She
realized that she was coming to terms with what had happened, but it would be a
while yet before everything was fine between the three of them.

�You look� good, Sempai,� Shinobu
said, a familiar blush in place.

�Thank you. We�ve missed all of
you,� Keitaro replied.

�Welcome back, Kei-kun,� called
out Mutsumi.

�Thanks. Were you visiting?�
Keitaro asked.

�She lives here now,� Kitsune
replied.

�Really? That�s, that�s nice,�
responded Motoko. She was feeling a little uneasy; the return hadn�t been
completely warm so far. She�d been most worried about Naru, but while she�d
seemed civil to the both of them, Motoko suspected that there was still anger
festering underneath the surface.

At this point Su and Sarah, still
hopped up on a sugar rush, both gave Keitaro a flying kick in the way of
greeting. �Heyas Keitaro! Didya miss me?� cried out Su.

�Yeah, welcome back dork!� added
Sarah.

As Keitaro got back to his feet
with Motoko�s help, he rubbed his face, smiled, and replied, �Believe it or
not, I�ve even missed that.�

�Well, it�s� good� to finally see
you two again,� said Kitsune in a tone that indicated that she, like Naru,
wasn�t completely ready to forgive yet.

�So how you you been?� asked
Tsuruko, re-entering the conversation once all of the greetings were complete.

�Wonderful, we�ve been travelling
and training all over. We�ve also visited with my family.�

�Oh really?� replied Kitsune. �So
what do they think of your bride?�

Wishing that Kitsune sounded more
like her old self, but understanding why she wasn�t, Keitaro responded with,
�They were shocked at first. They didn�t know what to think. But, once they saw
that we loved each other, they were happy.�

Motoko�s smile grew slightly at
this comment.

�Everyone was happy?� asked
Haruka.

�I think so, we met everyone but
my sister.�

�Sempai, you have a sister?�
inquired Shinobu.

�Yes, an adopted little sister,
Kanako. Haven�t seen her in years though.�

�So. You�ve been happy then,�
Naru stated quietly.

�It�s been great, but mostly
because of the company,� with that he turned and gave Motoko a peck on the
cheek. This caused her to smile, but also resulted in Naru�s eyes narrowing
slightly.

�Oh yes, I almost forgot. Happy
Anniversary you two,� congratulated Tsuruko.

Keitaro and Motoko both blinked
in surprise, and Motoko turned to Keitaro and said, �She�s right, we have been
married for a year.�

Tsuruko frowned a little. �You
forgot Keitaro? I�m a little disappointed. I trust you aren�t forgetting your
husbandly duties?�

�Husbandly duties?� a confused
Keitaro repeated.

�Do you keep Motoko �happy�?� she
asked with a smirk.

It took a second for the meaning
of that comment to sink in, but when it did everybody with the exception of Su
and Sarah blushed. Even Mutsumi appeared to be a little rattled. Everyone was
starting to recompose themselves when Motoko replied with a similar smirk, �Of
course he does.� The collective face fault caused a few pictures to fall of the
walls.

�Thank you SO MUCH for sharing
that!� shrieked Kitsune from the floor. She then got up and went for a bottle
of sake and poured herself a cup. When she looked up she saw that all of the
residents were holding a cup out, wanting it to be filled. Kitsune looked at
them and then retrieved half a dozen bottles.

After taking a sip of sake,
Shinobu asked, �Sempai, why did you come back?�

�It�s time for the duel, isn�t
it?� he replied, looking at Tsuruko.

A pleased look came over her face.
�Yes it is. So your memory isn�t all bad. Motoko, is he ready?�

�I have trained him as best as I
could, but don�t believe it matters,� she answered.

�Please explain,� said Tsuruko.

�Originally you said that if
Keitaro impressed you, I�d be reinstated and the marriage would be annulled.
Well, I don�t want the marriage ended. We�re happy together, and if you made me
choose between the sword or Keitaro, I would choose him.� She punctuated her
words by embracing Keitaro and resting her head on his shoulder.

�I see,� Tsuruko replied. A
satisfied look appeared on her face and she remarked, �That�s about what I
figured would happen.�

The entire assembled group, with
the exception of Motoko, blinked twice. �You mean you planned this?� snarled
Naru. She looked like she was ready to charge Tsuruko barehanded, sword be
damned.

�Yes,� Tsuruko replied matter of
factly. �I did it for Motoko�s benefit, as I felt that she needed a husband,
and I believed that Keitaro was a good choice. Since he was willing to pretend
to be involved with Motoko, I gave him the chance to do it for real.� Tsuruko
then looked at Motoko. �I never had any intention of permanently exiling you.
As long as he didn�t hold the sword by the wrong end, I would have been
sufficiently impressed.�

Keitaro felt his face twitch.
He�d been had. Tsuruko had played him like a fiddle, utterly manipulated him.
He felt a strong urge to draw his sword and take a swipe at Tsuruko, never mind
the danger, when Motoko touched his arm. He whirled on her� and stopped. What
had Tsuruko done? He was in love with Motoko, and he had no intention of ever
leaving her. He now had a quiet confidence that was visible to all, and he was
in the best shape of his life.

But most importantly, he was
happy. For the first time in his life he felt alive, not just surviving, but
truly alive. He knew this was due to the love he shared with Motoko, and being
with her.

Tsuruko had manipulated him, but
he wasn�t upset with how her scheming had played out. Yes, he had been played
like a fiddle, but in the hands of an expert player, a fiddle could make music
to lift the soul. So Keitaro swallowed his outrage and accepted what life, or
more accurately Tsuruko, had dealt him.

Letting out a breath and
releasing the handle of his sword, Keitaro bowed to Tsuruko and told her, �Well
played.�

�Do you now understand the
message I gave you?� Tsuruko asked.

He thought back to the letter she
had given him almost a year ago. �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.� �Yes I do. And yes, I did find it.� He then put his arm
around his wife�s waist.

Naru felt another flash of anger
as she realized the full meaning of what Tsuruko had done. It hadn�t been random
chance, Tsuruko had conspired to match up Keitaro and Motoko, and it had worked
fabulously. There was nothing that she could do; it was a done deal. Not so
strangely, the strongest feeling she had was a sudden wish to fight Tsuruko
when she didn�t have a sword with her.

Not suspecting, or perhaps just
not caring what Naru was thinking, Tsuruko smiled widely. �Excellent. Let�s
have no more talk of duels, it�s time to celebrate.� She produced a bottle of
chilled champagne and enough glasses for everyone. She filled them and passed
them around to everyone, and then called for a toast. �To the Aoyamas, Keitaro
and Motoko.� Everyone then took a sip, although Naru felt that the champagne
had a bitter taste to it.

�Where the hell did that bottle
and glasses come from?� wondered Keitaro as he took a sip.

At this point Haruka noticed that
while Motoko had raised her glass in the toast, she didn�t drink the champagne.
�Don�t you like champagne?� Haruka asked her.

�Yes I do, but I don�t believe
that I should drink,� Motoko replied.

�Why?� asked Kitsune. The idea of
not drinking was alien to her, and after Naru had been so hurt by Motoko�s
actions, she didn�t care about putting her on the spot.

Motoko hesitated. This wasn�t how
she had planned it, but now seemed to be the best time. She felt Keitaro give
her hand a gentle squeeze, and turned to see him nodding that it was okay.
Taking strength and courage from that, Motoko took a deep breath and answered
Kitsune's question.

�I�m pregnant.�

End of �Loss and Redemption�

Author�s End Notes:

Yes, that�s it. Now some of you
are probably wondering why I ended this here. Quite honestly, this is how I
intended it to end from the very start. The love triangle is gone, Keitaro and
Motoko are happy together and parents to be, and Motoko was even reinstated
into the Shinmei School. When I began, I had no plans to go any farther, but
now�

I have found myself wondering if
I should take the story further. I may yet end up creating a sequel, but it
won�t be for a while. I have some other stories that I have come up with that I
want to work on first. I can only work on one at a time, and these other ideas
are next in line. I believe that my next project will be either an
Evangelion/Hina story, or a straight Evangelion story, but you never know. I
don�t have a title or release date yet, but keep checking my author page for
details. If anyone would like a chance to pre-read any future works, please,
let me know.

I wish to extend my greatest
thanks to Harvey Bautista, who did a magnificent job of pre-reading. Without
him, this story would look quite different, in a bad way, from the way it does
now. Thank You.

I also wish to thank everyone who
read this story and left feedback, both positive and negative. Hearing from
people who read the story gave me increased motivation to write more. You made
this first time writing experience quite enjoyable, even though it wasn�t
always easy.

< !su !supportEmptyParas]>

Once again I would like to invite all readers to tell me
what about this story they have found interesting, confusing, enjoyable, or
disagreeable. Feel free to email me your response, or post it in the feedback
section.

I sincerely hope that you have
enjoyed my efforts, and I hope to have more of my work posted in the future.

Thank You All!

Hawker_748
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Loss and Redemption