Loss and Redemption
Warm Blood and Cold Steel
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Disclaimer: Love Hina is the property of
Ken Akamatsu, TV Tokyo, and probably enough lawyers to sink an aircraft
carrier. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only, and may not be
distributed for profit. I’m not making any money off of this; I am doing it
just for personal enjoyment. Please don’t sue.
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Besides, most of my money is already
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reviews would be greatly appreciated.
I would like to thank all reviewers for
the feedback that was provided. It was taken to heart and I attempted to try
any suggestion to improve this chapter. If I haven’t succeeded, the fault is
mine.
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>I would also like to thank Harvey Bautista for
serving as a pre-reader. I owe ya man. Next time you’re in my neck of the
woods, the beers are on me.
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style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>*Warning from the Author*
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>I have received a few reviews in which people
said they liked the humor. Well the truth is this wasn’t supposed to have any
humor but the pop culture references defeated that purpose. I intend for this
to be a drama, not a comedy. There may be a light moment from time to time, but
make no mistake, this is a drama, and the mood will get darker before it gets
brighter. But it WILL get brighter. If you’re still interested, keep reading.
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Thanks
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>This fanfic is based on the manga and anime and
borrows ts fts from both of them.
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“*” Spoken
words
‘*’
Thoughts
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style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Love Hina
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style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Loss and Redemption
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style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>
style='mso-ansi-language:EN-US'>Chapter One: Warm Blood and Cold Steel
By:
hawker_748
To put it bluntly,
dinner was uncomfortable for all. There was a strained silence that hung over
the table like a roiling thunderhead, crackling with potential fury and
violence. Naru was sitting at the table, her hunger overcoming her wish to just
get away from it all. All of the other residents, if only subconsciously, gave
her that little bit more room, as if they feared being too close to the
seemingly imminent explos and and becoming collateral damage. Naru herself
hadn’t spoken at all, with the exception of asking Shinobu to pass the soy
sauce. Even that innocent request had caused the other people at the table to
jump slightly.
Sitting directly opposite to
Naru, Keitaro felt like he was on the wrong end of a firing range, with all the
stares he was receiving. Sitting to his left, Motoko was also under close
scrutiny from the other girls, each of them pondering the present situation.
‘What the hell’s up with that
smile?’ wondered Kitsune, ‘I don’t think a statue could hold it’s expression
that long. Is she catatonic or what? And just moving in with Keitaro like that,
doesn’t she care about Naru’s feelings?’
Kitsune knew that Naru would
probably not admit any feelings for Keitaro even under sodium pentothal, but it
was as plain as day. She risked a quick glance at Naru and saw her staring down
into her rice bowl. ‘Why don’t you say something, raise a fuss, scream, hell
throw a temper tantrum, something to show that you care? Maybe Keitaro thinks
that you don’t like him that way, and you didn’t even try to stop the wedding.’
Kitsune took a savage bite of her
meal, and began chewing methodically. ‘Alright, what should I do, simply observe
what happens, or take a more active role?’ After deliberating for a few minutes
she decided that she would cross that bridge when she came to it.
Shinobu’s thoughts were of a
similar nature, mainly ‘how could sempai do this? Doesn’t he love Naru? If he was
willing to marry Motoko, could he have married someone else, like…me?’ Shinobu
blushed at this thought. As poorly concealed as Naru’s feelings for Keitaro
were, they were inscrutable compared to Shinobu’s crush. Contrary to what she
believed, the only person who was in the dark about her feelings for Keitaro
was, naturally, Keitaro. The prospect that maybe, just maybe, she might have
had a chance with him and had wasted it sent a rusty dagger into Shinobu’s
heart. ‘Sempai…’
If Naru’s thoughts
had been transcribed, one might be forgiven for thinking that it was a
conversation between two different people. Indeed, Naru felt like she was
trying to defend her actions at a trial.
<
Why didn’t you stop this?
It doesn’t matter what that idiot
does.
Really? Then how come you go
ballistic when he’s with Mutsumi, or any other girl?
Because he acts like a pervert.
Aside from few admittedly
stupid occurrences of him accidentally peeping, when?
The first time we met, in the
bath.
You know that was an accident,
right?
I…I…I guess it was, I suppose. It
doesn’t matter to me who he dates, marries, loves…
Then how do you explain your
jealousy?
I’m not jealous.
Right, you knock him into
orbit because you don’t care. Well guess what, he thinks you don’t, and now
he’s gone, married to Motoko.
Naru’s grip on the bowl tightened
to the point that the porcelain began to creak in protest.
Su also had a few questions that
she was pondering; however she lacked the cultural sensitivity, and tact, to
keep these questions internal. “Motoko, are you and Keitaro really gonna sleep
together?” In the gasps of surprise, no one noticed that Naru had snapped her
chopsticks.
“Yes Su, we are,” replied Motoko,
in the same tone of voice she would have used to ask Su to pass the salt.
Keitaro went slightly pale at this reminder.
Naru’s grip on the bowl tightened
further and cracks began to appear on its’ surface.
“Then can I sleep with you two
then?” inquired Su. Keitaro’s eyebrow began to twitch.
“No Su, it wouldn’t be appropriate,”
chided Motoko. Keitaro let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“Aw, then who can I sleep with
tonight?” asked Su. The other residents blanched at this question. Everyone
knew that sleeping with Su was a memorable experience, especially while the
bruises healed. “Hey Naru, wanna sleep together?”
At this point the bowl finally
gave up the ghost and broke, causing a few cuts.
She didn’t even notice any pain.
All of the others, except Su, recoiled at the sight.
Keitaro recovered quickly, and
concern for Naru’s well-being overrode his unease over her behavior. “Naru
you’re hurt! Let me help you!” he blurted out as he came around the table.
Naru’s face
contorted in anger before she responded. “Get away from me you bastard!” she
shrieked, before nailing him with a right cross that sent him spinning into the
wall. He lay there dazed, clutching his cast-bound leg and moaning.
“Honoured Husband!” Motoko
exclaimed, and rushed over to his side. “Why did you do that Naru?”
“When he comes to his senses,
tell him to stay the hell away from me!” Naru spat. “That goes for you too,
Aoyama!”
“That’s Urashima, Naru,” Motoko
replied quietly.
When people are excited, for
whatever reason, they tend to color in the face, such as being red with anger,
or blushing in embarrassment. Naru’s facial color at this point could have
easily been described as ‘red-rage’. But upon hearing the word ‘Urashima’ from
Motoko, Naru’s color went crimson. Her fury lit the afterburners and went from
‘ballistic’ to ‘escape velocity’ in seconds. She stomped over to Motoko, and
slapped her across the face with a *crack* so loud, it made everyone wince. “I
don’t care, just go away!” screamed Naru, all the while glowering over a timid
Motoko. She then turned nd and and bolted out of the dining room at a dead run.
Kitsune’s mind was going at a
mile a minute clip as she considered what she had just witnessed. “Wh-why
didn’t you defend yourself Motoko?” she stammered.
“A proper housewife does not shy
away from criticism,” she said meekly. “Honored Husband, are you all right?”
‘Naru…,’ thought Keitaro
despondently, ‘why did it have to come to this?’ ”I’m O.K., Motoko.” ‘Maybe
Naru will be willing to talk later.’ “I just need to get up. Thank you for
dinner Motoko, it was quite good.”
“You’re welcome, Honored
Husband.” Because she was bowing when she said that, she missed the pained look
that crossed Keitaro’s face.
‘I wish she’d call me ‘Keitaro’,
or even ‘Urashima’, he silently reflected. “I’m just going to rest awhile. I’ll
be in the living room if anyone’s looking for me.”
“And I have laundry to do, as
well as cleaning up our room,” added Motoko. See you later Honored Husband.”
OK,” he replied listlessly.
As the newlyweds left the
kitchen, an uncomfortable silence descended on the kitchen. As always, Su broke
up the quiet moment.
“Okies, I guess I’ll sleep with
Sarah tonight!” Su piped up. For her part, Sarah was able to suppress the
shudder that overcame her.
***
A few hours later,
Keitaro found himself outside Naru Narusegawa’s room, trying to work up the
courage to knock on the door and talk to her. After five minutes of trying to
calm himself, he decided to throw caution to the wind and he knocked loudly on
the door. “Naru, it’s me, I need to talk to you!” he called out.
There was a noise from inside the
room, and shortly the door slid open to reveal Naru standing there, wearing her
usual s out outfit, and an unreadable expression on her face. “Come in Keitaro,
there’s something I need to tell you too,” she stated calmly.
As he walked in, Keitaro replied,
“good, good, maybe we can straighten this out.” Naru nodded silently as she
moved aside her Liddo-kun doll to reveal the opening beneath.
“Yes, Keitaro, I’ve already
figured out the perfect solution for both of us,” she replied in a even voice
that set off alarm bells in Keitaro’s mind. “How it works is that the both of
you STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!” Naru screamed as she effortlessly picked up
Keitaro and bodily threw him down through the hole into his room. She placed
the cover back over the hole and then moved a dresser on top of it.
‘I got that message clearly,’
Keitaro mused as he stared up at the hole in his ceiling, waiting for the room
to stop spinning. ‘I’ll say this for Naru, she’s direct. No confusion over
intentions there.’ As his head cleared, Keitaro decided that now would be a
good time to look at ‘their’ room.
Actually, it wasn’t a good time,
he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to see what had changed. He had stayed out of
this room since his return for just this reason, but now that he was here, he
might as well get it over with.
To his initial relief, there
wasn’t that much of a difference. There were two swords on a rack against the
wall, a couple of calligraphy wall hangings, and a suit of samurai armour. In
fact, it was actually an improvement; the new additions gave the room some
character, and an air of life that had been absent. The suit of armour really
looked good next to the two futons, and the wall hangings…
Wait a minute.
Back up.
TWO futons?
‘My God!’ his mind
screamed, ‘she was serious about sleeping together!’
To his shame,
Keitaro realized that a portion of his body was not entirely against that idea.
‘No! Not like this!’ He took several deep cleansing breaths and was able to rein
in his hormones, and clear the surprisingly detailed fantasies from his mind.
Once the struggle between brain versus gonads was over, he sighed in relief,
turned around-
“Honored Husband.”
-and almost put a second hole in
his ceiling as Motoko had, by teleportation perhaps, he couldn’t rule it out,
somehow appeared right behind him. “M-M-Motoko…” he stammered.
Motoko was still wearing that
fake smile that he was really beginning to despise, and her eyes were still
dark and cold and dead. It was like she was trying to convince herself and
everyone else that everything was alright, but Keitaro knew that that this had
to be killing her, and he was afraid of what would happen when she finally
broke.
“Are you going to bed, Honored
Husband?”
‘Yeah, lemme just wash up a bit
first,” he replied as he headed for the bathroom to get ready for bed. A few
minutes later, teeth brushed, face washed and ready for bed, Keitaro walked
back into the room and caught an eyeful of Motoko as she stripped down for bed.
“Augh! I’m sorry Motoko, it was
an accident, I’ll knock next time!’ he blurted out, turning around and covering
his eyes, dreading the inevitable battle cry and impact. When neither occurred
after a few moments, Keitaro risked a brief look over his shoulder and saw
Motoko standing there, no anger on her face and no sword in her grasp.
“Why would it matter that you saw
me, Honored Husband? You could see any part of me if you so desired,” said
Motoko in a monotone that disturbed Keitaro more than anything else that had
happened so far. She continued undressing, removing the last of her chest
bindings, leaving her topless before him. With the same smile she said, “I
would let you see any part of me that you wanted.” She bent over and removed
her pants, leaving her clad only in panties and socks.. “You could have me
anyway you wanted to, anytime you wanted to. You could take pictures, tie me
up, share me with your friends, anything. As your wife it would be my duty to
be obedient to your wishes.” She took off her socks and finally, she removed
her panties and stood naked in front of him, still wearing that same chilling
smile.
In Keitaro’s opinion Motoko was
gorgeous, but there was nothing sexy about the way she was acting now. It
reminded him of the last time that he had had a physical, and had to strip down
for the doctor. Cold, clinical purpose, nothing more.
‘She’s absolutely serious,’ he
realized with dawning horror. ‘I could take her, and she wouldn’t do anything
to stop me.’
Keitaro was relieved that no part
of him seemed to favor this option, which meant that looking in the mirror
wouldn’t be an exercise in avoidance.
However, he now needed to do
something to prevent the prospect of Motoko attempting to initiate any
proceedings.
He faked a yawn and said, “It’s
been a hectic day, my leg is killing me, and I just wanna sleep now. We won’t
do anything tonight, just put on your nightclothes.”
“Very well, Honored Husband.
There’s always tomorrow,” replied Motoko as she went to the drawer and pulled
out a long t-shirt and put it on.
“Yeah,” he replied weakly, and
laid down on his futon.
Motoko laid down on hers, said
“goodnight Honored Husband,” and turned off the light. In the dark silence of
the room Keitaro subtly edged away from Motoko’s futon and tried to think of a
way to improve the situation they were in.
‘How am I gonna get outta this
one? Do I even want to? Sure, she’s gorgeous, and being married to her could be
nice. Hell, I AM supposedly married to her, but we never really had a choice
did we? No, she’s gotta be dying, forced to give up the sword, and becoming
just a housewife. I have to bring the old Motoko back, I just gotta figure out
how…’ Keitaro’s musings continued until he passed into a troubled, fitful
sleep.
Motoko’s thoughts were also on
the marriage, but on a different topic than Keitaro’s. ‘His leg hurts and he’s
tired? He always seemed to have enough energy when he was peeping at Naru.’ Her
spirits sank even further as she continued that thought process. ‘He would go
out of his way to peep at Naru, no matter how awkward the situation, but I was
right here and he wasn’t even interested. No nosebleed, no wide-eyes, nothing
that would say he enjoyed seeing me.’ She clenched her teeth and blinked
rapidly to prevent any tears from forming. ‘It’s bad enough I can no longer be
a warrior, but do I have to be unloved as well?’
When Motoko finally acquiesced to
sleep, her dreams were filled with images and feelings of loneliness and
abandonment
***
The following morning, and the 5
mornings that came after that were all progressively worse than the night
before. Motoko seemed to lose more and more of herself and her eyes, which
Keitaro would have sworn couldn’t have been any more lifeless than that first
day, became just that. She lost more and
more of her natural poise and grace, moving in a way that reminded Keitaro of a
puppet controlled by an unskilled puppeteer. She seemed to have less focus in
her movements, walking with almost a resigned gait.
She was keeping herself busy with
household chores and she had almost supplanted Shinobu in the role of
housekeeper. Shinobu still performed some tasks, such as occasionally cooking
or doing laundry, but she was able to do these only when Motoko was out of the
house.
What was worse was the change in
the atmosphere of Hinata House. Keitaro and Motoko were obviously going through
a stressful time and it was having a draining effect on the other residents.
Naru had retreated to her room, coming out only to eat or bathe, both of which
she made every effort to do alone. Kitsune spent hours with Naru, letting her
rant while she served as a sounding board, in the hopes that it would help her
figure out a way to sort out this mess. But teasing Keitaro and Naru wasn’t in
the same league as trying to repair the damage in their relationship. Kitsune
couldn’t see a way to help out, and even when she tried to force Naru and
Keitaro together to talk, Naru would usually throw Keitaro out the door.
Without opening it first.
Shinobu was more withdrawot
ot
talking to anyone unless spoken to first, and even then her answers were
usually ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Even the dynamic duo of Koalla Su and Sarah MacDougal
were downcast. Su made only token efforts to catch Tama-chan and Sarah thought
constantly about Seta.
Basically, the tension was
becoming unbearable, and something had to give. What finally broke the
situation was initiated when Motoko happened to overhear a conversation between
Naru and Kitsune. She hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but she hadn’t been able to
help herself when she realized that they were talking about her and Keitaro.
“Dammit Naru,” hissed Kitsune,
“why aren’t you talking to him, trying to find out how he feels and what he
wants to do?”
“I don’t care what he wants
Kitsune, Naru replied. “I just want to get on with my life and try to forget
him. ‘Sides, I’m sure he’s enjoying the marriage bed. The perverts…” she
muttered darkly.
‘Marriage bed?’ thought Motoko.
Why hasn’t he tried anything, am I that undesirable?’
“I don’t think so Naru,” said
Kitsune, “you live above them, I live next to them, and I haven’t heard
anything, have you?”
“No, but maybe they’re just
careful.”
“I think I would have heard
something, or Keitaro would have been grinning like an idiot, or they’d be
washing bed sheets on a daily basis.”
‘Are we, are we supposed to be
like that?! I couldn’t, could I?’ A blush passed over Motoko’s features as she
asked herself what she was capable of. The answers she got back were both
disquieting and a little exciting, although she wouldn’t admit it under
torture.
Naru responded to Kitsune’s
soliloquy with, “so maybe they haven’t had sex. So what? Maybe it’s that time
of the month, maybe they’re just extra quiet, or maybe Keitaro’s saving himself
for me. I just can’t deal with this anymore, Kitsune. I want it to end, one way
or another, with him or without him. I’ll move on, avoid them as much as
possible, and good luck to them.” ‘Damn you Tsuruko! Why did you have to show
up when you did?’ “Kitsune, you’re my friend, but please, just leave me alone
for now, O.K.? I think I’ll take a little trip by myself for a while. You know,
run away and clear my head.”
Kitsune’s frown was sharp enough
to chip granite, but she silently nodded in agreement. “Just don’t do anything
rash.”
“I won’t. Now will you please
give me a shot from that bottle and go?”
“Sure Naru. Careful, it’s
bourbon, not sake.” There was a brief gulping sound, followed by a couple of
hoarse coughs. “Told ya, not for amateurs.”
“Thanks,” rasped Naru, “see you
later Kitsune.”
“Stay safe Naru.”
As footsteps approached the door,
Motoko silently ducked into an empty bathroom. ‘So, Naru’s giving up on
Keitaro. Should I be depressed or thrilled?’ Motoko gripped the door handle
until her knuckles went white. ‘Does he care for me at all? Do I mean so little
to him that he goes out of his way to avoid me? Am I destined for a life
without love!? Damn you sister, why’d you do this to me?!’
*** “Honored Husband, do you wish to Keitaro nearly bit through the “My leg’s still bothering me Motoko,” “I see Honored Husband. I think I “Alright then, goodnight Motoko.” Motoko swiftly but quietly walked The ‘click’ was just the right Suddenly his eyes flew open as He leapt to his feet and bolted As fate would have it, Motoko was “One quick thrust, and it’s all “MOTOKO! STOP!” Keitaro’s scream almost had the “Motoko, what the hell are you “You need to ask?” “I mean, why the hell are you “It’ll free both of us; I’ll be “Why do you call it loveless? We, A fearsome scowl fell over Keitaro had to violently suppress “Will you be hurt Urashima?” Motoko “Yes,” he stated simply, and with After a few moments of reflection With that Motoko raised the She kept her eyes closed, As she opened her eyes, prepared Blood. Keitaro’s blood. In spite of the fact that he had Shaken to her very core, Motoko “Why?” was the only coherent thought that she could vocalize at “To-too many people care about At least it was real. Then he noticed a gradual change “Bastard! Why couldn’t you have Her sobs were getting louder and Not realizing the level of “I’m sorry Honored Husband, I…” “Quit calling me that!” Keitaro “But Hono-“ “Please Motoko, if nothing else, “A wife should be happy for her “You weren’t happy Motoko, at “A sad smile briefly flashed over “So we’ll get a divorce, annul “I don’t think my sister would “Sure, why?” “Then don’t even think of trying Keitaro rubbed the bridge of his “No, I swear it.” “Alright, then let’s go inside, I Quite unusually, the drama that Motoko helped Keitaro into the Once the clean-up was complete, “Felt better, but I’ve also felt “You’re a good man Urashima.” She Keitaro felt the corners of his Motoko sighed, “well, I could “I’m afraid I can’t say the same Motoko stared at Keitaro in As they separated, Motoko said, Keitaro thought about his Tonight, he’d hold a woman he did “I know. I believe you Uras… As he drifted off, Keitaro End Chapter One Once again, thanks to everyone Next Chapter: Unexpected Mercy,
make love tonight?”
mug he was drinking tea from at that question. As it was, he had to wait for
the coughing to stop before he could think of a reply. ‘Where the hell did that
come from?! One minute we’re just relaxing in our room, the next it’s
‘Surprise!’
he replied when he was able to put a coherent thought together. The ‘broken
leg’ gambit had worked well enough before so he used it without really thinking
about it.
will turn in for tonight.”
‘Am I imagining things or did she seem a little more ‘down’ than normal? Maybe
the stress is getting to her.’ The light was turned off and both of the
Urashimas started to drift off to sleep. However, Mrs. Urashima had other
ideas; she had decided on a course of action that that would both honor her
sisters’ wishes and free the both of them from this prison. It was simple
really. Keitaro seemed to love Naru, not her, and she didn’t think that she
loved him. Better to set him free, after all they hadn’t even made the marriage
official.
over to the two swords on the wall picked up the shorter one and stealthily
walked into the hallway, the door closing with a soft ‘click’.
volume to rouse Keitaro, who had been at the precipice of falling asleep. He
glanced over to his side: Motoko wasn’t there. ‘Musta gone to the bathroom,’ he
mused wearily as he rolled over onto his side. His eyes slowly adjusted to the
dark and he happened to glance at the sword rack. The long sword was gleaming
like chrome in the moonlight. He closed his eyes and once again made an effort
to fall asleep.
his thought process jumped off the rails. ‘Waitaminute! Where the hell’s the
short one?!’ Keitaro went pale as one possibility suddenly materialized in his
head. ‘Jesus, No! Oh god, Motoko!’
into the hallway, decency be damned. ‘Which way, which way?’ he frantically
tried to determine his destination when inspiration struck. ‘Annex rooftop, the
laundry area, that’s gotta be it!, and he took off as fast as he could.
at the laundry area, sitting in the lotus position, facing the direction of
Imperial Palace and opening her hakama to expose her abdomen. The sword, which
had always been comfortable in her hands, now felt cold and heavy, as if it was
trying to discourage her.
over. I can die with honor and escape this hell,” Motoko murmured to herself as
she slowly and deliberately raised the sword. ‘I’m sorry Keitaro, this is for
both of us.’ She tensed her muscles for one last, final, thrust and…
opposite effect: Motoko jerked in surprise and the sword started its’ plunge.
Fortunately she was able to check its’ movement at the last second.
doing!?”
doing this?!”
out of this loveless marriage, you can pursue Naru, and I can die as a
warrior.”
we have some good felling for each other, don’t we? I don’t hate you, I care
for you, and I’m worried about right now. I don’t want to see you do something
rash.” After a seconds consideration Keitaro added, “Naru isn’t very interested
in me right now. She’s been nailing me with a lot more force than usual lately.
I think that if she never saw me again she’d be thrilled. Why the hell are we
talking about Naru now? Why can’t you still live as a warrior? Lots of people
don’t live and die by their elder siblings word.”
Motoko’s features. “You care?” she spat venomously. “You’re lying! You’ve
avoided me, you haven’t even touched me, much less make the marriage official.”
Lost in her fury and frustration, Motoko failed to see Keitaro go pale at that
comment. “I can’t be a warrior and you won’t let me be a woman. My sister must
have been insane, thinking that the two of us would work. I honoured her wishes
because it is our way, it is tradition, it is what I used to live for.” She
looked Keitaro straight in the eye and said, “Don’t worry about Naru, she’ll
come around eventually. The only way she’d never forgive you is if you killed
her parents or raped Shinobu. But I don’t think you’d do either, so she’ll
forgive you eventually. And if I’m out of the way, you can be together.”
a feeling of relief at the prospect of Naru forgiving him. ‘Gotta stay focused,
or Motoko’s gonna do this!’ “I do care, but until you said that, I figured
you’d introduce me to the business end of your sword if I tried anything
physical with you. I don’t even know if that’s what you really want of if
you’re trying to live up to your sisters wishes!” Keitaro took a breath and the
continued. “Is tradition worth dying for? Is it worth losing everything and
leaving everyone who cares for you behind? You’ll hurt everyone if you do this,
not just yourself.”
asked plainly.
total conviction.
Motoko looked up and said, “I believe you Urashima, but I also believe you’d be
happier with Naru. I also know that honor and tradition mean everything to me,
and without that I have nothing. Keitaro was
chilled by the resignation that he saw etched on her features. “I grow weary of
arguing, Urashima. Farewell.”
sword, closed her eyes and with a quick release of breath thrust the sword
towards herself. She was surprised at the total absence of pain as the sword
ceased its’ movement when it encountered resistance.
assuming that the next time she opened them she’d be in a better world. It was
all so painless she was amazed to discover, just a slight cold touch on her
stomach. The only thing that prevented the experience from being completely
peaceful was a strained groaning sound, a sound of dripping, and a warm, wet
feeling in her lap. ‘My blood, I suppose,’ she reflected, ‘but I still can’t
believe how painless this is, I’ve had paper cuts that hurt more.’
to be face to face with her ancestors, Motoko was shocked by the spectacle that
was before her. Keitaro was on his knees before her, his face twisted in a
rictus of agony. Only a supreme act of will was preventing him from screaming.
‘The groans had been his,’ she suddenly realized. With a sudden frightened
reluctance Motoko slowly looked down towards her abdomen. The tip of her sword
was oh-so-gently touching just above her navel. The blade, which should have
been shining in the moonlight, was flowing with black. A small voice in the
back of her mind said that if the light had been brighter, that fluid would be
dark red.
a broken leg, in spite of the fact that he was in love with someone else, in
spite of having virtually no martial arts training, Keitaro had grabbed the
blade of her sword and stopped the thrust… at obvious personal cost. Blood was
flowing down the blade, dripping into her lap, far too much to be safe, and
still he hung on, his knuckles white with exertion.
felt her fingers go limp; the sword fell from her hands on to the roof with a
clatter. As the sword fell, Keitaro collapsed on his side, his agony apparent,
desperately clutching at his hands, attempting to staunch the bleeding. But his
eyes were focused on Motoko, burning, unwavering, unflinching and it was
obvious to her that he’d rather bleed to death than look away.
that moment.
you, m-me included, to just let you go,” he rasped between obviously pained breaths.
“I wouldn’t let anyone go without a fight.” Keitaro noticed that Motoko’s face
was blank from disbelief, but considering the fake smile that she’d been
wearing since they’d gotten back, it was actually an improvement in his
opinion.
in her expression that would have looked more at home on Shinobu, but not on
Motoko. Her lips curled down and her eyes began to go moist. She leaned towards
him and slapped him so hard it loosened a couple of his teeth. All of the
frustration, sadness, rage and loathing she had felt and directed inward were
unloaded against a new and convenient target.
let me be?! Why’d you risk yourself!?” Each statement was accompanied by
another brain rattling slap. “Why did you have to care?! Why don’t you hate me?
I’ve ruined your chances with Naru! I’ve tried to kill you! Why did you come
into my life?” By now, Motoko’s slaps were losing some of their force, to
Keitaro’s great relief; he felt like he’d lost a game of chicken… with a train
on the other side.
tears were unabashedly falling from her cheeks. She slapped him again with
virtually no force and then collapsed against him, crying out loud.
Motoko’s internal turmoil, but figuring that anything was better than her
trying to kill herself, Keitaro made an effort to comfort her. Gingerly, and
favoring his bloody hands, Keitaro gently held Motoko and let her cry onto his
shoulder. Some tears of his own fell, only a few from the pain in his hands.
His heart broke seeing the once strong, free-spirited Motoko reduced to this.
‘It’s all my fault, I’ve got to do something. Maybe I can talk to Tsuruko…’
Keitaro let that thought drop as Motoko seemed to be calming down.
was fed up with that title, and he’d be damned if he’d ever let Motoko call him
that again! “I liked it better when you were calling me ‘bastard’ and hitting
me! At least that was honest.”
don’t call me that again. It doesn’t suit either of us, and while were on the
subject, why’d you smile like you were?”
husband, Ho-, Urashima.”
least be honest with yourself. Hell, why are we even married? That ceremony
couldn’t have been legal.”
Motoko’s face. “Don’t underestimate my sister, she’ll find a way to make it
legal, trust me Urashima.”
it, whatever.”
accept that. Tell me, do you like your head where it is?”
that, Urashima.” ‘You’re all that I have left now, and I’m terrified of losing
that,’ she silently added.
nose, succeeding in getting blood all over his face. “Motoko, I promise you, I
will find a way to make this right, which won’t be fatal to either of us. Do I
have to worry about you trying this again?”
think we need to clean up a bit.” This was a bit of an understatement as the
two of them were drenched in Keitaro’s blood, and the blood loss in combination
with the broken leg meant that Keitaro had a hard time walking. He was
moderately surprised when Motoko placed his arm over her shoulder and helped
him walk back to their room.
had played out on the roof had been a private one, as no one had been awakened
by the arguments, suicide attempt, or emotional breakdown afterwards. By
unspoken agreement it was decided to keep the nights events a secret.
washroom to look after his injuries, while she returned to their room. Since
she had received no injuries, despite her most fervent efforts, she merely had
to change clothes. Keitaro, however, spent 5 minutes bandaging his hands.
‘Coulda been worse,’ he realized, ‘cuts weren’t quite deep enough to cut
tendons, they just bled heavily.’ After cleaning his wounds and bandaging his
hands, Keitaro looked at himself in the mirror. ‘Sorry Naru. I’ve got to help
Motoko now. I’ll find a way to make it up to you,’ he thought as he washed the
blood from his face.
Keitaro limped back to the room. He found Motoko sitting up on her futon
watching him closely. “Are you alright?” she inquired.
a lot worse,” he replied.
chuckled, the first genuine sign of amusement since they returned. “I bet you
never thought you’d hear me say those words, huh?”
mouth curl up slightly. “You’re right, never did.”
have done worse for a husband, I suppose.”
about you,” he replied. As he noticed her crestfallen look, he walked up to the
futon and sat down on it. “What I meant is that I couldn’t have picked a better
wife if I spent five years looking.”
shocked silence. She then broke out into the warmest smile he had ever seen on
her, and in a move that short-circuited his thought processes, reached over and
hugged him fiercely.er aer a few moments of absolute immobility, he hugged her
back, only not as tightly. ‘She does feel nice, this wouldn’t be too hard to
get used to…’ he then broke of the thought before it lost its ‘G’ rating.
“Urashima, could… could… could you just hold me? Please?”
response for perhaps 5 seconds before giving his answer. “All right, if you
wish,” he said. He wasn’t sure who his heart belonged to, but he figured Naru
was probably higher on the list. But he would hold her, and do whatever was
necessary to comfort her. As Motoko rested her head on his chest and he wrapped
his arms around her, he found himself wondering what he’d be able to do about
the marriage and what the two of them wanted. He suspected that they both
weren’t being completely honest with each other, but he’d worry about that
later`. Tomorrow he would begin to work to solve the dilemma they were in, and
that meant tracking down and talking with Tsuruko, but tonight…
care for, although he wasn’t quite sure how, in his arms and let her take some
comfort and security from him and maybe he’d take the same from her. “Sleep
well Motoko, I promise I’ll make this right.”
Keitaro. Good night,” she responded drowsily.
wondered what the future would bring. If the future had told him, it’s possible
that he wouldn’t have believed it.
for the feedback. I will keep writing finifinish this story, but it’s gonna get
busy at work soon. There’s a sick King Air with my name on it, and it needs a
lot of TLC. Not certain when the next chapter will be out, but it will be
sooner or later, just keep looking. If you’re impatient, feel free to e-mail me
with your encouragement.
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Unexpected Chances
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