Motoko Aoyoma awoke with a frightful scream.
Several people on the bus turned towards her in fright, some with looks of curiosity upon their faces. One young man asked her if she was alright. She nodded quickly, saying she had only had merely a bad dream. Gradually people around her lost interest.
When her buss pulled to a stop in Hinata, she bolted of quickly. Her dream had been quite strange; the last time she had dreamed of her sister was before Keitaro had left. As she walked towards Hinata house, her thoughts drifted once again to Keitaro Urashima. It had only been about two months since the fateful night when Keitaro, with no warning at all, had taken up and completely left Hinata. She knew little about the incident, she had been awoken by Shinobu on the pretext that Keitaro had been behaving strangely. Fearing some perversion to be afoot, she had followed the noise Keitaro made as he left out into the pouring rain, but she was too late. She arrived just in time to see the taxi speed him away from her life.
Another girl in the house, Naru Narusegawa had been inconsolable over Keitaro's sudden departure. Whenever Keitaro's name was mentioned, she would burst into tears, and run quickly to her room. Recently, she had returned to her family's home, unable to deal with whatever demon that was currently plaguing her.
Her thoughts still on Keitaro, it took Motoko a moment to recognize her own sister as she stepped into the living room.
A terrible terror gripped her.
She stumbled back, into the opposite wall from where her sister sat on the couch.
"Sister!" she screamed, so that the attention of everyone in the room suddenly shifted to her.
"Hello, Motoko dear," greeted her sister pleasantly, affixing a bright smile to her face. Motoko had seen that smile many times, it was the smile her sister gave disobedient students right before she proceeded to beat them to within an inch of their lives.
"Sister, why have you returned?" inquired Motoko, her voice shaking with fear.
"Why, to take you home dear sister," the words took a moment to sink in, "Well, shall we be going?" She then proceeded to grab Motoko by the hair and drag her from the room.
All around her, Motoko's friends began to protest her sudden departure, but she knew it was to no avail. She was hopeless, until she spied Kentaro Sakata leaning against the kitchen door, wearing a wide grin and an apron as well as a dishtowel slung over his shoulder. There was no other choice.
With a surprising display of physical as well as psychological force, Motoko escaped her sister and ran to Kentaro, clutching his arm desperately to her. As she ran towards him, she could not help but chuckle inwardly at the look of utter amazement on his face. The poor fool.
"Sister! Wait! I cannot leave!"
The older woman looked at her with a look of skepticism, "Oh? And why is that?"
Motoko took a deep breath, and tried desperately to swallow her pride, "Because I'm marrying this man!"
There was utter silence.
"WHAT???
Kentaro Sakata was beginning to have a very bad day. He remained, rooted to the spot, utterly shocked that he was actually marrying Motoko. Until, of course he remembered that he was not marrying Motoko. He remained rooted to the spot anyways.
Motoko's apparent sister was the first one to move.
"Oh really?" she said politely, "Well, than I guess we can stay for a little while." She sat calmly back on the couch and began to sup her tea once again.
"Er, would you excuse us for one moment, sister?" asked Motoko as she yanked Kentaro forcefully into the kitchen. The rest of the Love Hina crew followed in on their heels.
"What the hell is going on?!" demanded Kentaro as he regained his senses.
"Yah, what's up, Motoko?" asked Su.
To Kentaro's surprise, Motoko looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes, "Mr. Sakata, please, I need your help. You all know how I'm supposed to inherit my family's school, right? Well, it seems my sister has returned to take me back there early. And, well, I'm not ready for it. I can not yet match her skill with the blade, and if I return and am defeated by my sister, I will be cast out from my family. I'm sorry, but this is the only way to postpone my departure."
Kentaro was struck by her sincerity, and paused for a moment before answering, "I'll help you, Motoko."
Motoko's older sister regarded the young couple sternly. They sat opposite from her on a couch. Motoko's eyes were downcast, and her hands were folded in her lap. The young man sat in a relaxed position with both arms stretched along the back of the sofa.
"So, I understand you are an Economy major at Tokyo university, correct?"
The young man nodded slowly, "That is correct, Mrs. Aoyoma."
"And what do you think you are a good match for my little sister?"
"Sister!" stuttered Motoko, surprised, but Kentaro answered coolly.
"I admire Motoko's grace and beauty, as well as her discipline, "Motoko's face grew crimson as Kentaro spoke, and she sat bolt upright as he wrapped his arm casually about her shoulders, "I am a hardworking man, and I know I can support all of her ambitions."
Tsukuro smiled at the young man, Tokyo University was indeed prestigious, and there was something in his calm nature that lended itself to trust. However, a few tests were still in order.
"Since you are engaged," she began, "You of course would be willing to show a poor old married woman how you two kiss?" Kitsune had been standing behind the sofa, drinking. As she heard the older sister's words, she fell to the ground, suppressing a riotous laugh as Shinobu kicked her anxiously in the stomach.
"Sister! I hardly think that's it is appropriate-"interjected Motoko in a panicked tone.
"You cannot do it?" asked Tsukuro coldly.
"Of course we can!" exclaimed Motoko, rising to her feet and tapping Kentaro on the shoulder. He rose as well, watching her for a moment, considering his options. Finally, he decided against running away as quickly as possible. He leaned in slowly, taking Motoko's face into his hands.
"I'm sorry, Motoko," he muttered so softly so that only Motoko could hear him before enveloping her in a light kiss. It lasted only a few moments, and a torrent of emotions swept through Motoko before he quickly pulled away.
Kitsune stared, stunned, as she caught Shinobu as the younger girl feinted into her arms. The cigarette dropped from Haruka's mouth as Tsukuro and her strange pet bird clapped lightly.
"Oooh, what a wonderful kiss!" she exclaimed with mock-happiness. Motoko sank defeated into the couch and Kentaro took his seat as well.
Haruka was the first to recover, "Er, if you'll be staying with us, Mrs. Aoyoma, you simply must visit our hot spring here."
"Hot spring," mused Tsukuro as a new test came to mind, "If you two are truly engaged, you must take baths together, correct?"