Promise of the Forgotten Samurai

I do not own any of the rights to any of the Love Hina books or merchandise. These are the property of Ken Akamatsu. This is a fanfiction written only to entertain, not to steal anything or show the views of anyone else. The only character that is originally mine in this story is River/Soso Kawa. Any reviews would be nice.

Prelude: A dream from the past

The two children chased each other back and forth across the training yard, wooden swords clashing every time they got within reach of each other. One was a young boy from a foreign country. The other, a tiny girl with long raven black hair, was Motoko, the daughter of the Gods' Cry school of kendo. Motoko was only about four years old, three years younger than the boy she was more playing with than sparring. Her wooden sword clacked against his, and easily fended off the counter attack. Standing a few feet away was Motoko's older sister. Tsuruko was the one who had been training the boy. She had refused to call him by his own name, instead she called him River. Motoko had always been curious why she would call him that, but Tsuruko would not reveal her reasons. Motoko noticed a sudden change in River's eyes and she stopped chasing him and fell into a defensive stance.

The dream had changed. Now Motoko was a beautiful young woman, her hair cut short. The wooden sword had been replaced by the blade her sister had used, the blade she had earned in combat. Before her stood a man with blonde hair that was tied back into a pony tail. A kodachi was in his hands in place of the wooden sword. A kodachi is shorter than a normal katana, but longer than the short sword, wakizashi. The kodachi is a powerful weapon if used correctly. Its size makes it perfect for close range combat, and can easily switch from offensive to defensive maneuvers. A deadly smile began to creep along the man's face. His eye flashed, and Motoko barely had time to shift her weight and raise her blade to catch the attack. She jumped back and slashed her sword, causing a cutting wind to fly towards her opponent. The man held out his palm towards the wind, and stopped it with his bare hand, pulling much of the ki energy into his hand. The force of the attack caused several small cuts on his hand. The blood flowed freely, but then it began to glow the ki energy. River wiped the blood upon his blade, filling it with the crimson ki energy. Motoko blinked, and River was gone. She started to turn, but it was too late. He stood a few feet behind her, his blade already slashing to perform the attack. Motoko's eyes widened. She had only seen this attack once. She screamed as the attack ripped into her.

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Motoko awoke, still screaming. She sat up trembling. She hadn't had a nightmare about him for a while. The door to her room slide open and several people entered, looking both scared and ready to fight. Su was in the lead, dressed in combat fatigues and carrying a rather large gun. Close behind her was Naru and Kitsune. Naru had long brown hair, while Kitsune had short lighter colored hair. Su was still just a little girl, but she was a princess and a genius inventor.

"What's going on," asked Naru as Su began to search the room for any signs of something she could blow up.

"Nothing. I just had a bad dream." Motoko didn't look at Naru, instead choosing to look down at the sheet that covered her. She didn't want to talk about it. River had been her best friend in her younger years, but more than that, he was her greatest rival. She had not thought of him for several years, so she was uncertain why he would suddenly be back in her mind. After her last battle with him, he had left to return to the United States to live with his family and finish his studies.

"Mo-Motoko! Are you hurt?" Motoko finally looked up at Naru, unsure of what she was asking.

"No, I'm fine. Why?" Motoko's eyes widened. Naru and Kitsune were shaking, and Su wasn't jumping around anymore. They were staring at her face. Motoko reached up with one hand and felt of her cheek, her hand came away with blood on it. But it wasn't hers. She didn't have a cut on her face.

"It can't be. How can his blood be here?"

"Motoko, what's going on? Whose blood could it be if not yours?"

Motoko didn't answer. She got up and went to the mirror. She didn't see any more blood. She wiped away what was left and quickly dressed herself. Her friends continued to watch as she picked up her sword.

"I need to be alone for a while. I'm going out to train. Let me have some time." Without waiting for a reply she pushed past them and began to head downstairs for the door.

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The train stopped and the crowd began to get off as the intercom sounded out that they had arrived. A young man with blond hair tied back in a pony tail was among the last to get off the train. Over his left shoulder was a large, tubular, bag. In his right hand was a letter. The young man read through the letter again, a smile on his face. He had not been in Japan for a long time. Now he was back, and he had one last battle to fight.

"I'm coming for you Motoko. I hope you remember our promise. Not a single day has passed that I haven't thought of it, thought of you."

He smiled again as he placed the letter in his pocket and began to head for the station exit. He had gotten a tip on Motoko's whereabouts from a close friend, Grandma Hinata. Now the hard part was going to be the final phase of his plan. He had to defeat Motoko.