It was a bright and warm summer's day at Hinata Sou, the trees surrounding the girls' dorm were healthy and blowing softly in the wind. It was at this very place that a young woman by the name of Motoko Aoyama resided at. Currently, said girl was preparing to meet the other residents of the dorm at the beachside teahouse, which was owned and operated by their dorm mother, Haruka Urashima. She would be with them already however she was away at her kendo competition during the departure time, leading her school team to a well earned victory, so instead she was to arrive there two days later than the others. The young woman's long blue-black hair was currently held up in a ponytail as to not get in the way of her morning exercises, her deep grey eyes tinted green in the morning light as she walked past the open hallway which let the air in. Her skin was smooth and soft, not a single flaw could be found on the young woman's skin, that is of course, if anyone was brave enough to try to examine her.
"Hmm, I wonder if Naru-sempai and the others put my mail on the table as I asked them to…" The young swordswoman said as she tightened her red hakama and snow white gi, then adjusted her katana that was held loosely at her hip as she began heading down the main hallway of the Inn towards the living room. She stopped at the coffee table, fumbling through the stacks of letters that had been placed. She nodded as she sorted her own mail out from the others, pausing as she noticed a small rectangular cardboard box addressed to her. Curiously she opened it and sliding out, came a scroll that she recognized as the standard scroll used to deliver messages from the God's Cry school.
With one swift movement she undid the ribbon holding the scroll together and slid it open, her piercing eyes swiftly scanning and taking in all the information on the scroll.
Addressed to one Motoko Aoyama,
It has come to the attention of the council that there is a large amount of negative ki collecting in a small club in the center of downtown Tokyo, an area currently under Yakuza control. You are to investigate said location in order to ensure that there are no spirits in the area causing problems, If you encounter such spirits you are to dispose of them immediately. A map has been included on the back of this scroll in order to guide you to the designated area.
Sincerely,
Head Council woman Saya
Motoko's brow furrowed in confusion. The council had never sent her a mission like this before, usually they confirmed what type of spirit was causing trouble before sending in a dispatch team, and to send only one person was unheard of. Nevertheless an order from the Head Councilwoman was an order that she would not refuse. So with a heavy sigh, Motoko walked up to her room and began packing a small travel bag, just enough for a day or two. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, she began her descent of the thousands of Hinata Sou steps towards the train station.
'Why do I have a feeling I'm getting in over my head?' Where the last thoughts Motoko registered before she stepped onto the tram.
MKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKM
With a small yawn Motoko stretched and exited off the tram, she had fallen asleep about two hours after departure. Silently, she berated herself for falling asleep in a place surrounded by so many males who could not have been trusted. However it was a thing of the past now as she began walking the many streets of Tokyo, occasionally glancing at the map that had been provided for her by the council. Apparently the gathering of negative ki was in a rather bad area at an underground fight club run by the local Yakuza.
'A fight club, how repulsive… how cowardly…' She thought, disgusted at the thought of an unorganized fight, merely a reason to beat down an opponent with no rules. Shaking her head, Motoko continued to weave in and out of the large crowds, though she still was awed at the large skyscrapers that seemed so natural in this city. The sun slowly began to disappear behind the veil of night and soon the city was illuminated by only the bright lights of the buildings, streets, and random televisions in windows.
It took her another four hours just to find the damned club, by then she estimated it was around eleven at night. 'Tokyo is much larger than I expected…and louder' The young swordswoman thought as she slowly walked through a dark alleyway, supposedly this was the entrance to the fight club. Pausing at a large steel door that was located in the middle of the alleyway, Motoko took a deep breath, her right hand on the hilt of her Katana as she began building up her ki in preparation for whatever she may find beyond the door. Her left hand gripped the handle and she kicked the door open, only to be greeted by the loud blasting sounds of heavy metal, cheering, and booing from the many people inside.
Motoko's eyes widened slightly as she glanced around. There seemed to be a sea of endless people, all of them jumping up and down in excitement, their gazes turned toward the center of the large underground basement. The heavy stench of alcohol, blood and…sulfur, hit Motoko's nose violently as she took a breath. Her eyes too began to wander to the center of the room and she gasped upon what she saw. In the center of the club was a large metal cage in the shape of a large square, spikes protruded toward the inside of the cage. Inside the cage were two people both of them male and in chains that bound their wrists, the two seemed to be in a brawl of sorts, growling and lashing out at one another violently, and then it happened one of the men caught his opponent with a lucky kick and it sent him flying towards the cage wall. With a sickening sound several of the many spikes pierced the man through the chest, legs and one through his head. A series of yells, both happy and disappointed were heard after.
However this was not the main cause of Motoko's disgust, no…for it was what happened after that repulsed her so very much. Not two seconds after the man had breathed his final breath did a cloud of dark black smoke erupt from his mouth, swirling up into the air before a shriek was heard and the cloud exploded into nothingness.
'Th…they're demonic spirits!'
No sooner had the thought crossed Motoko's mind did the steel bottom of the cage begin to lower revealing a lower level to the club and out of another steel door, a man in a black tuxedo emerged, he had well kept brown hair that was combed back, a smirk evident on his face as he grabbed the victor by the neck and took out a small vial with a seal tag on it. In one motion the man popped the cork off the vial and thrust it into the victors throat and just like before the black smoke flew out, only this time into the vial, which sealed itself automatically. The man who had been possessed merely fell down to the ground, no form of life showing at all.
'No…they're forcing them into human bodies! How could they…' Motoko's train of thought however, was cut off by the man in the tuxedo speaking into a microphone.
"Haha! Once again ladies an gentlemen, another outstanding fight!" Many of the spectators erupted into cheers once more. "Now the match that you've been waiting for! I Tokengi Gorenzishi present to you or most prized fighter! Kokenshi!" Once again the crowd roared as another door opened up in the pit of the cage, revealing an extremely large man, to say the man was well built would be an understatement. He was absolutely ripped with muscle all over his body, his arms huge and his abs well defined, and to top it off, long blonde hair flowed behind him. Motoko supposed he was the type that women would call a blonde haired Adonis.
However Motoko knew better, she closed her eyes and began searching through the multiple ki's in the room. Not surprised at all when she found that everyone, even the spectators had negative ki, tainted. The man called Kokenshi had the darkest ki of all, and to make it worse, it was the mans natural ki. Meaning of course that Kokenshi was naturally dark and evil, no demon inside of him.
"Now his opponent our newest and most quickly advancing fighter who holds no name!" Tokengi pointed to the left of the small pit, another steel door slowly opened, and Motoko watched it cautiously, preparing to sense this new arrivals ki as well. The now open door revealed a much smaller man, he had shaggy and bloodstained brown hair that covered most of his face, down to his lips. His head was kept down as he trotted into the cage, slowly he looked up and Motoko blinked in surprise. His chocolate brown eyes were not cruel nor dark at all as he looked to the much larger man, no his eyes seemed to be holding…an apology of sorts, as if he were sorry for the fight that was about to happen. From the look of his clothes it seemed that the man had been fighting in the club for only a short period of time, for he was still wearing a slightly ripped and bloodied white shirt as well as faded and ripped blue jeans. The fighters before had been wearing rags at best.
Shaking her head, Motoko closed her eyes once more and reached out, trying to sense the young man just to be sure. This time she gasped, his ki was almost completely pure, the only hint of darkness seemed to be of regret and sorrow, but other than that his ki was almost as white as snow. This was something she had never seen before, her own ki took the color of a cool blue sea, one of the lightest of ki's known. Hell her older sister only had slight lavender colored ki and that was the purest seen out of most.
The swordswoman opened her eyes once more and gasped at the new sight she had not been paying attention to. Tokengi had grabbed the young man much like the victor of the past fight, and pulled out a new vial. This vial however contained a cloud of swirling black and red smoke.
'NO! That's an A class demon!' Motoko shrieked in her mind as she felt the enormous wave of ki that erupted when the cloud forced itself into the young man. "STOP!" She cried out, causing several of the spectators to turn their heads, however it was too late a sudden and extremely powerful gust of wind blew the cage apart, the result was that numerous of the spectators were crushed in between the main walls and the cages. Panic ensued and people began rushing to the door, trampling several of the people who had fallen in the chaos.
Motoko barely avoided a spinning piece of metal flying at her, drawing her blade and jumping into the pit as the gust began to calm down. Looking over at the young man Motoko's eyes widened. His skin had become pure black, along with his eyes as if being taken over by some infectious disease, the man's hair had turned blood red. In his left hand he held the head of the man once known as Kokenshi, some of the spine still sticking out from the neck. Slowly his gaze turned toward Motoko, and a sickening grin crossed his face.
'He's completely taken over…how could they do this to such a pure soul…I'm sorry.' She thought as she fell into a solid stance, narrowing her eyes slightly as she advanced, charging her blade with ki as she swept at him.
The man held up his right arm in defense and the blades force was halted, Motoko recoiled back and sighed softly. "I pray you survive this… Shinmei Ryu technique! Boulder Cutting Blade!" She cried out, slashing and sending a wave of ki at the man. As it connected he flew back into a wall, debris picking up into the air and clouding Motoko's vision. Slowly the silhouette of the man emerged from the cloud.
He was completely unfazed, his eyes on Motoko as he picked up a metal pipe off the floor. In a flash he was in front of her, his weapon posed up in the air as he prepared to strike. Motoko's eyes widened in shock before she swung her blade at the mans side in instinct, the result of the impact was disastrous in Motoko's eyes her blade shattered as If it had been struck against a wall of pure adamant. 'No... Shishui!'
The raven haired beauty closed here eyes, giving up hope in preparation for the blow she was to receive. However after five seconds of no pain, she opened her eyes and gasped for what seemed like the thousandth time today.
The man was gripping his own arm that held the pipe, it appeared as if he was in mid swing before halting the attack. His eyes flashed between the coal black and chocolate brown continuously, the pipe fell to the floor as he clutched his head, roaring in pain. Slowly his blackened skin began to fade back to normal color as well as the blood red color of his hair beginning to recede back to its original brown. His eyes locked onto Motoko's for a moment before he collapsed to the ground, the only remnants of his possession was a single streak of blood red hair that fell down through the middle of his face, covering his left eye.
Motoko straightened up slowly, looking down at the man. "He repelled the demon back…incredible." She whispered as she slowly turned the man face up.
Her eyes softened as she sensed that his ki had once again become pure, no longer tainted by the demon, however deep inside she sensed that he had built up a mental cage to contain the demon. 'So it's still there…how did he know how to contain it?'
Motoko took the opportunity to glance around, the place had been entirely abandoned, though several corpses littered the grounds, either the ones crushed by the flying cage walls or the ones that had been trampled due to the haste of those attempting to flee.
Suddenly the main entrance door burst open and several figures entered, each one wearing similar garbs to Motoko's. One lone figure caused Motoko's eyes to widen.
The figure looked to be just like Motoko, however slightly taller and her eyes held wisdom and peace that could only be attained by experience.
"Onne-chan! What are you doing here?" Motoko questioned in shock and surprise.
Tsuruko smiled softly however strained as she stepped over several of the bodies scattered on the ground. "It is good to see you unharmed…the pike in demonic ki alerted a scout in the area and we were summoned rather abruptly… what on earth happened here?" She questioned, her eyes catching her younger sisters.
Motoko cast a sideways glance at the young man on the floor before locking gazes with her sister. "This…Fight Club…as they call it is much worse than that." She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Onne-chan…they had captured demon spirits, and forcing them into people…then people would watch them fight for sport. I arrived just as one match had ended and the next one…involving this man here…" She trailed off and her eyes cast toward the figure on the floor once more. "Onne-chan…they forced an A class demon into him."
Tsuruko, as well as the others who had arrived with her recoiled in shock and gasped, their eyes wide as Motoko continued.
"He was possessed to a full manifestation…almost completely fused with the demon, however the ki that erupted was too much for his body and was let out in pulses of wind that destroyed the cage which the fighters were held in, the spectators fled and I engaged him in battle." Motoko's eyes glanced at the shattered pieces of her blade.
Tsuruko gave her younger sibling an appraising look. "You defeated an A class demon?"
"No…he defeated it…himself, Shishui was destroyed when I attempted to fight him…he had the chance to kill me and…he stopped it, he stopped the demon inside and contained it within his own mind, look for yourself." She replied, stepping out of the way so Tsuruko could examine the young man.
Tsuruko let out her own ki in order to examine the young boy and stepped back, gasping slightly. "He's….pure…more so than anyone I have ever encountered…incredible." She whispered, barely audible to her own ears.
"Onne-chan…" Motoko began, biting her lip in thought. "How can a male be so pure? His spirit is that of a newborn infant….it's as if he's been untainted by evil even though he was subject to the horrors of demons."
Tsuruko whirled on her sister, eyes hard and piercing. "Merely because someone is male, does not mean they are tainted my little sister… have you become so blind to think so?"
Motoko recoiled slightly. "N…no but…" Her words died down, lost in her throat as she hung her head slightly in shame.
With a sigh Tsuruko turned back to the young man on the floor. "Perhaps his spirit has been able to repel the demons…keeping his spirit and his bodies ki separate…it would be the only thing that could possibly keep him so pure…"
Motoko knelt down before the unconscious man and examined him. "He isn't inured…the question now is what to do with him."
In one swift motion Tsuruko knelt down, hooked her arm under the boys left side and lifted him up, though slanted. "Come…help me carry him to the car, we will take him to Shinmei Ryu and will find out what the elders wish to do with him.
Nodding, Motoko came over to the opposite side of her sister, slipping her arm under the mans' in order to help her sister get him to the car outside. 'What happens now?' Motoko thought as she and her sister helped the man into the backseat of a small black car. However just as Motoko was about to close the door a small silver item fell out of the man's pocket and onto the curb. Curious Motoko lifter up the object, finding it to be a small necklace with only four words inscribed on a small round pendant.
Don't forget yourself Keitaro
MKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKM
It was dawn the next day when Keitaro awoke from his slumber the first odd thing that occurred to him was the fact that he was rather comfortable in the futon he was laying down in. It was only slightly odd because he had not slept in a bed for as long as he could remember, always on the ground of the chambers the different fight clubs he had been shipped off to. This led to the second strange thing he noticed, he was not in the chambers of the fight club, but in a small but cozy room with an actual ceiling. The third was that he was wearing a plain white male's sleeping yukata.
Abruptly he jumped out of bed, glancing around himself in all directions, his fist clenched as if some unknown enemy were about to attack him. When nothing did he slowly began walking towards the small sliding paper door to the opposite wall of the futon he had been laying in. Pausing just in front of the door for a moment before sliding it open quickly, and glancing around nervously. However all he saw was a small garden that one would find in the center of a rather rich Japanese families home.
Curious, Keitaro advanced towards the garden, it was in the center of about twelve other rooms. A small stream ran through the garden and Keitaro suddenly realized how thirsty he was, kneeling down in front of the stream, he scooped his hand in and brought the water to his lips, savoring the taste. He was about to go in for another drink when he noticed something off in his reflection in the water, a streak of red hair. He brought his hands up to it and slowly ran his fingertips through his own hair.
Shaking his head he brought his hand down into the stream once more and took another gulp. This time when the ripples in the water cleared, another reflection stood by his, a beautiful woman, her eyes sharp yet kind as she looked at Keitaro.
In one movement he whirled into a defensive position, cautious of the woman. His breath hitched in his throat as he saw the katana she carried at her side, as well as the large fiery bird that was perched on her shoulder.
Tsuruko smiled kindly throughout the period of time in which Keitaro watched her, after a few moments of nothing happening, he slowly began to relax, though his eyes still glancing up and down on the woman. With a light chuckle Tsuruko tilted her head slightly. "While I appreciate the confirmation that I'm still as beautiful as I once was five years ago, I do not think my husband would take kindly to it." She said lightly and teasingly to him.
Despite himself, Keitaro recoiled slightly and blushed hard, shaking his head before his gaze met the older woman's. He then bit his lip softly as he looked around once more at the unfamiliar surroundings.
"You're in Kyoto…at the Shinmei Ryu dojo, I am Tsuruko Aoyama." Tsuruko's voice was soft as she spoke, careful not to disturb the young man. "You're name is Keitaro correct?"
Keitaro's eyes widened and he arched an eyebrow in questioning. 'How did she know?'
"My sister found your necklace... we merely assumed that is your name, so were we correct?"
Slowly, Keitaro nodded in confirmation to Tsuruko who brightened slightly.
"Ahh good, well then follow me." She said in a sing-song voice, turning around and heading towards the most northern door facing the garden.
Cautiously Keitaro followed behind, occasionally glancing around as he now noticed there were quite a few people standing in the doorways that surrounded the garden. Each person was in traditional kendo garb and Keitaro nonchalantly picked up his pace behind the raven haired older woman.
Tsuruko opened the door and walked through, to which Keitaro followed and found himself in the center of what appeared to be a meeting hall for the dojo. Several sitting mats were placed in front of a group of people that ranged from looking in their fifties, to someone who looked as though they could crumble to dust at any moment.
"This is the council room." Tsuruko whispered. "And that is my sister, Motoko." She pointed and Keitaro followed the direction to a woman who very much resembled Tsuruko herself, though obviously younger.
Keitaro's eyes widened slightly as a flood of memories came back to him. The fights, the possession, the man he had killed, and ….her. Shaking his head, he followed Tsuruko to one of the mats and sat down in the seiza position, positioned right in between the two sisters.
"You are Keitaro are you not?" An older woman spoke from the higher leveled platform. Her eyes locked onto the young man, narrowed and all knowing.
A single nod was her only confirmation.
"Do you know your surname?"
A shake of the head.
The woman closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again. "Our medics examined you and have confirmed that you have not been able to speak for quite some time due to damage to your vocal chords…as such…" In haste a young boy brought a small pad of paper and pencil to Keitaro, before scurrying away quickly. "We would appreciate it if you would write out your answers to the questions we ask on that pad there…is that acceptable."
Keitaro picked up the pencil and wrote down a quick yes. Tsuruko quickly calmly voiced his answer to the council.
"Very well…Keitaro, could you please tell us the last thing that you remember." The same woman spoke softly, waiting patiently as Keitaro wrote down his reply and Tsuruko to speak it out.
I remember only about a day before Tokengi entered me in the fight…and…killing Kokenshi, the demon, and…fighting Motoko. Everything before that is hazy, only bits and pieces.
Murmurs and whispers began buzzing throughout the council, conferring their ideas with one another. The one who had spoken before suddenly cleared her throat, and all became silent. "Keitaro…It appears that when you fought back the demon and sealed it…you sealed most of your memories away." She paused as she allowed the young man to take in this information before continuing. "It is likely you will slowly regain them…however it is also very likely that with each memory you gain, that the containment you have on the demon will weaken. Eventually when you have regained all your memories the demon will once again be released…or it will take over you once more…it has already left behind a trace of itself on you."
To this Keitaro slowly brought his hand up to his hair, running his fingertips through the red streak once more.
The woman before him nodded. "Yes, that Is the proof that the demon is still inside you. It is curious that you knew how to trap the demon in your mind, meaning that you had some form of training for such situations…or you're just a genius in your own rights."
Keitaro began scribbling something down and the council woman paused.
Can it be destroyed? Now?
The woman who Keitaro now understood was named Saya due to Tsuruko whispering it to him, shook her head. "No…your mental defense was almost perfect…none of our best medics can break through the barrier that you set up and destroy the demon…the only way for you to live a normal life would for one of us, the Aoyama clan to be present when the demon awakens, you may have to remain here until your memories return and the demon can be dealt with."
Keitaro sighed and hung his head slightly, while the idea of being free from the life of the fight clubs seemed glamourous, he was hoping to be able to go out and live his life normally, instead of held up in one place.
"However…" Saya spoke, causing Keitaro's head to snap up. "There is another possibility…If Motoko would accept it, we could have you stay with her over at Hinata Sou and when the demon manifests she will be able to dispose of it."
At this, Keitaro glanced to his right, looking, almost desperately at the young woman named Motoko. Sure he was grateful for the help these people had provided him, but he didn't feel so comfortable around too many people.
The young swordswoman in question looked back at Keitaro, torn between the decision between helping the pure soul, and standing by her belief and hatred towards males. "Ah…but Council Woman…Hinata Sou is a girls dorm, the other residents would not allow it, nor would Haruka-san."
Saya merely held up her hand and waved it dismissively. "It is the Council's understanding that Haruka as well as the other residents are at the beachside teahouse for the summer…why not allow Keitaro to stay with you alone there, at least for the remainder of summer…we will alert Hina of the situation once she comes into contact again."
"Ah…but…I…" Motoko cast a glance at the young man and sighed softly, giving in to the pleading look that he was giving her. "Very well…" She said softly, her eyes still on Keitaro who mouthed a slow.
'Thank you'.
MKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKMKM
A few hours later, Keitaro stood by Motoko in front of the train station, a new pair of jeans and a solid black shirt on, a gift from the council along with quite a few other articles of closing.
Tsuruko as well as several of the council members were there to see the pair off, each one had smiles on their faces as they said their goodbyes.
"Now don't you two go and get pregnant, all alone over there." Tsuruko teased, giggling softly as she watched both of them blush heatedly.
"ONEE-CHAN!" Motoko yelled out, grumbling soon after as she shook her head and bowed to the council members, then turned and walked onto the train.
Keitaro moved to do the same however Tsuruko caught his hand, causing him to glance back at her, a puzzled look on his face.
"I think this will be good for you and her Keitaro-san…Motoko…is distant towards males, as you have most likely noticed." The elder Aoyama sister said softly, her features both concerned and yet hopeful. "Things may be eccentric at times but know that I trust she will help you fit back into society again…" And with that she let him go. "Help her, help you."
Keitaro smiled and nodded, giving Tsuruko a thumbs-up before turning and walking onto the train, sitting beside Motoko as it departed. 'I will Tsuruko-san…It's a promise.'
The train had been moving for about twenty minutes and Motoko had walked to the back where a pay phone was located, returning a few moments later and sitting back down. "I have informed Haruka, the dorm mother, that I will not be accompanying them to the beachside teahouse. She does not know the details, only that I must stay on business of the council."
Keitaro nodded and scribbled down on his notepad that he had kept before handing it to Motoko.
Thank you… I'm sorry for taking you away from your friends.
Motoko handed the notebook back and smiled softly, however Keitaro could tell it was only out of politeness. "Do not apologize… I do not particularly fancy being in the play that they hold there again…it is rather tiresome even though it entertains the children."
With a smile Keitaro turned and looked out the window, putting his hands on the glass as he watched the various scenes go by. All the while only one though on his mind.
'I'm free…'
AN: Hey guys, YEP I started another Love Hina story. This one came to me a little while after I watched Gladiator for the umpteenth time, don't ask why it just did. ANYWAYS!! Hope you guys like it, I WOULD GREATLY appreciate any suggestions you guys have for this story since it could go a lot of ways.
READ AND REVIEW
LATER!