Okay, 1) I don't own Love Hina or its characters, settings, whatever, no matter how much I want to… 2) Any people who don't like angst, RUN! RUN AND SAVE YOURSELVES! Um, yeah, that's about it… Oh yeah, 3) please, please give me some opinions on this! This is my first fanfic ever, and I desperately need some constructive criticism.

Thanx,

Vagonnoth

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 1: Heart's Blood Spilled

Grand Hall, Phoenix Ruins, Shinimalus, 7:26 P.M.

"Here! I can see the entrance! Quick, this way!"

Footsteps sounded out in the hollow halls, muffled by the filth of ages.

"Are you sure? What if they're there?"

"Well, we know they're behind us, right? So we don't have anything to lose! Come on Naru, just a little farther…" Urashima Keitaro turned and smiled that confident, self-assured smile he knew she loved. Narusegawa Naru looked up at him and smiled back, encouraged by his optimism. They climbed the last bits of crumbling ruins to the entryway partially obscured by foliage, Keitaro glowing from adrenaline and exertion, Naru somewhat the worse for the wear.

Keitaro was wearing just a torn t-shirt and frayed slacks, both badly begrimed with the mud, moss, and other dirt of the ruins. He had a whip coiled on his belt, a last gift from his mentor, Seta, before they parted ways some years ago. A holster for a pistol rested at his other hip, but the gun itself was gone, resting at the bottom of a pit the two had narrowly escaped earlier.

Naru was wearing a somewhat less functional spaghetti-strap top and shorts, the straps on the top repeatedly knotted where they had snapped. She, too, was terribly begrimed, one lens of her glasses badly scratched, and her hair clumped and in disarray. She had a hopeful smile as she followed her husband, happy to be watching him doing what he most loves, but still terribly frightened of the danger that was following, and maybe ahead. Suddenly, laugher rang out ahead of them. A figure stood silhouetted against the light from the entrance, which was in reality dim, but seemed blinding to the two who had been in the dark ruins for the past three hours.

"You two gave us a good run," the figure said in a deep, masculine voice. "Still, I must say, you didn't move quite as fast as I expected you to, Urashima. I wonder why…?" The figure trailed off, looking behind Keitaro to see Naru climbing up behind him. "So, that's what it was… dear me, it looks like two lovers fighting to stay together in a world gone mad… and the hero will do anything, even sacrifice his own escape to help her. How tragic." The figure stepped forward. It was difficult to see details, but Keitaro knew the tall man would be wearing his trench-coat despite the heat, with only the top button undone to expose the scar across his throat and his hair pulled back in a ponytail. Keitaro stepped forward, his arms spread to show peace.

"I don't know what you want, Kurosawa, but whatever it is, I don't have it. You have the ruins, you have the artifacts, now let us free."

The stranger stared a moment, then looked down. His shoulders started to shake and a mad little giggle began to issue forth from his massive, shuddering frame. Suddenly, he threw his head back and cackled in an overly dramatic, caricatured way that Keitaro knew all too well.

After a moment of horrified fascination, Keitaro realized this was his chance; the distance between them made it a difficult, but he knew his training with Seta had made him faster than he would have thought possible just a few years earlier. "Now!" he cried, pulling out his whip with such speed Naru didn't even see it and charging forward to attack the apparently distracted madman.

Unfortunately, the man was not as occupied as he seemed. The man's head snapped down, and suddenly he was holding a gun in front of him. It was as though he never moved. Keitaro, more than half-way across the distance between them and in the air, watched it with shock. His eyes widened, and he felt the impact in his shoulder before he heard the shot ring out into the echoing, cavernous hall. The bullet knocked him backwards, his shoulder bleeding freely. Naru watched helplessly from the side, unable to move as the man she loved bled on the cavern floor. The trench-coat clad figure chuckled again.

"You're mistaken. You do have what I want…" His eyes narrowed as he spoke, and his smile widened. He then said softly, almost a whisper, "your life!"

Naru moved without thinking. "Keita-!" she cried, diving in front of him. Her cry was interrupted as the bullet struck her in the left side of her chest. The blow spun her around, and Keitaro managed to sit up and catch her despite his wounded shoulder. The man snarled and shot again, this time the bullet striking Keitaro in his chest. As the two slumped back on the floor, Naru opened her eyes and looked at Keitaro. "Kei…taro…" she whispered, her lifeblood flowing freely from the wound in her chest. "I…love…" and she trailed off, fighting to speak. Footsteps approached…

"Shh," He whispered, rasping out his words; the bullet seemed to have struck his lung. "I…know. I love…you…too…" The footsteps stopped, and as Keitaro's vision faded, he looked up and saw the man standing over him. The last thing Keitaro heard as unconsciousness mercifully rushed up to claim him was a woman's voice, far away, shouting. He closed his eyes, thinking, wondering how this could have happened. Still, at least Naru and I are together…

Together.

In life and in death.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Kurosawa! What the Hell are you doing!" A woman had appeared at the entrance, and was striding into the room, bearing down on the trench-coated menace. He grinned smugly, and turned away from the unconscious couple, bowing deeply.

"Just carrying out my orders, lady-" his words were interrupted by a backhand from the woman. As she marched past him, he took the opportunity to look at her closer. She was shorter than he, but still almost six feet tall. She wore a highly impractical looking dress which cascaded over her slender form in deep blue waves. As the gossamer folds floated behind her, it looked as though a single twig might tear a hole in it. The woman herself looked only marginally less frail. Of course, he thought, that's part of what makes her so damn dangerous… Then she was kneeling next to Keitaro, having unceremoniously shifted Naru off him.

"And just whose orders were you acting on, dolt?" she asked, her tone at roughly zero degrees Kelvin.

"Why, yours milady," he replied, still grinning despite the growing red mark on his face. "You told me to eliminate those who would… interfere." The woman tore off what was left of Keitaro's shirt, stripping it into rough bandages.

"Check your damn phone," was all she said. He reached into his coat pocket, and withdrew a slim, black, handheld satellite phone. He turned it on, looking at his messages. Suddenly, he stopped, and grew crimson. He clenched his fist, closing the phone and stuffing it angrily into his pocket. In front of him, the woman continued bandaging. He took a quiet, deep breath and composed himself.

"Lady, I missed the update, and for that I apologize. But I was in hot pursuit of the target! I cannot be expected to be able to alter my methods at the slightest whim. This is why I request full briefing and infor-" he cut off as she slowly turned her head.

"Perhaps you need reminding as to why you work for me, ne?" she purred, standing up and moving closer. He stood at attention, stock still, as she draped her arms around his neck. Standing on tiptoe, she brought a hand up and traced the scar on his throat, whispering into his ear: "Just think on this… and if you need reminding, please come to me when I'm not otherwise… occupied." She stepped back and returned to Keitaro, looking down at him. Kurosawa shuddered as she turned away, and reached up to mop the perspiration that had broken out on his forehead.

Damn, how I hate her, he thought, glaring at her figure. Suddenly, her voice lashed out in the silence.

"Get our friend Urashima here back to the vehicle. Forget about the girl. There's nothing she could tell us." She turned and began walking back to the entrance, snapping open a fan as she did so. "And be gentle…" she sang out. Gritting his teeth as he slung the unconscious archeologist over his shoulder and unfolded his six-foot eight frame, the killer cast one more glance down at Naru, lying in a puddle of her and Keitaro's blood.

Wrong place, wrong time, wrong guy… He thought, turning back to the entrance and striding out into the jungle.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Unknown Stretch of Jungle, Shinimalus, 1:34 A.M.

Pain… Why do I still hurt? Why does the next world hurt so much…? It's all dark. Naru! Where's Naru?

"Naru!" Shouted Keitaro hoarsely, sitting up and clutching at his chest as he felt the pain of his wound. Looking down, he saw the IV running from his arm to the stand next to him. He looked back up and took in his surroundings. It seemed he was in some sort of hospital tent, lying on a cot. There was no one else there. Turning and wincing, he saw what he most dreaded: the flaming skull insignia of the Bringers of Order on the tent flaps.

Scrambling, he pulled the IV line out of his arm, and tied a quick bandage around it to stop the bleeding. He got up, staggering briefly as the weakness from his wound caught up with him. Regaining his balance, he went over to the one piece of furniture in the room besides his cot: a small desk, the drawers unlocked. Sadly, inside he found nothing more suitable for a weapon than a felt-tip pen. Looking around frantically, he tried to find something more to aid his escape.

He returned to his cot and disassembled the IV stand, taking the pole as a weapon in this better-than-nothing situation. Leaning on it, he slipped over to the tent flaps and peeked out, seeing nothing but a small fire in the distance and a number of other tents. Poking his head out further, he saw a guard standing just to the left of the tent opening.

Carefully, Keitaro brought his makeshift quarterstaff up for an attack, but then noticed the way the guard looked limp. Like he's hanging from something, Keitaro thought. Cautiously, he nudged the guard, and the body rotated on the rubber hospital tourniquet around its neck. Whirling, Keitaro looked back into the tent. Everything was as it was before, except… Suddenly, a figure rose from the shadows near the desk where it had been sitting on the floor.

"Kurosawa!" Keitaro growled, recognizing the trench-coated figure from his earlier encounter. I didn't even sense him enter… How? No time to think, got to be quick! Leaning heavily on his staff, Keitaro stared as the man unfolded himself to his full height. Kurosawa grinned, and spread his arms.

"Come now, you're wounded, should you really be out of bed? You know we're all worried about your health," Kurosawa said, grinning all the while. Keitaro, feeling an overpowering sense of defeat, began to sway on his feet. Kurosawa slowly walked forward, smiling that obnoxious smile… Keitaro's eyes began to close and his vision narrowed until all he could see was that smile… that smile… Suddenly, he realized Kurosawa was directly in front of him, arms still spread, the smile still there. He knew that, whatever it cost, he was going to try to erase that smile. Slumping sideways, he made as though to fall, then caught himself in a lunged position. Kurosawa, one arm in front of Keitaro to catch him, the other still outspread, had no time. Keitaro swung the staff up and shot back to a standing position, driving forward with all his strength on the staff. Its tip connected with the killer's throat where it met the jaw line. A crack sounded throughout the tent, Kurosawa falling sideways, gurgling. Keitaro stumbled, then caught himself and rushed out of the tent into the tropical darkness, supporting himself on the staff.

Lying on the floor, back in the tent, Kurosawa opened his eyes, reached up, and pushed against his throat. The click of something snapping back into place was heard. In the silence, Kurosawa stared at the ceiling. The bitch deserves it. Well, time to report the failure of these "elite" guards she posted. Once more, he began to giggle, a sound which quickly escalated into his full-blown maniacal laughter, echoing far out through the jungle night.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Suspected Paralantis Ruin Site, Unnamed Pacific Ocean Island, 2:02 P.M.

"Seta-san! There's an urgent phone call for you!"

The call cut through the noise and dust of the excavation, reaching the ears of a man currently uncovering a gigantic statue of a turtle. He straightened up and turned, revealing himself to be a tall, sturdy man somewhere in his mid-thirties. Wearing his trademark lab coat, and smoking a cigarette even on this dry dig, he walked over to the tent that served to keep the sun off what little electronics they had. Picking up the reciever, he heard some static, then a voice on the other end. A voice with a strange accent reached his ears.

"Mister Seta?"

"I suppose that's me, yes? What can I do for you?"

"Thank goodness… I am the governor of a small island called Shinimalus. We have been on a search for you since this morning. A message came in from one of our more isolated villages saying that a man had staggered in half dead from loss of blood. The last words he said were 'Seta,' 'Toudai,' and something that sounded like 'Hina.' After contacting Toudai University, we were given this number. Is there anything you can tell us?"

"I'm afraid I'm clueless!" declared Seta, scratching his head. A woman began walking towards him from the dig. "I don't know what to make of it either. Has he come around yet?"

"I am sorry, we cannot get medical vehicles down there this season. The roads are dangerous this time of year, the villiage is several miles inland, and a volcano near one of the main paths is showing signs of activity. It was sheer luck the messenger got through." The voice on the phone sounded concerned, as through there was something else bothering it than the possible death of some unidentified foreigner.

"What's going on here?" a voice behind Seta queried.

"Oh, Haruka-chan!" The archaeologist turned. His wife stood almost as tall as him, with short dark hair. She was wearing shorts and a tank-top as concession to the heat, though she usually wore slacks and a vest over a long-sleeved shirt. "Nothing much, just a mysterious phone call from Shinimalus saying there's some guy that just staggered into an outlying village standing at death's door. Apparently he said three things before he went out: my name, Toudai, and something like Hina. Any ideas?" The clueless archaeologist sweat-dropped and scratched his head, holding the receiver at arm's length. Then he noticed that Haruka had a stunned expression on her face, a very rare occurrence. "Haruka-chan?"

She stared blankly ahead and the cigarette dropped from her lips.

"Keitaro…!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A Small Village, Shinimalus, 5:23 P.M.

The small biplane circled, searching for a landing place. Finally, it settled down in a relatively open patch to the side of the village. Seta and Haruka hopped lightly out and walked into the village. A native came up, clad in t-shirt and shorts, and said in broken Japanese "Here, he here…" He led the way to a small hut. As they enter, a local girl who was bathing Keitaro's brow looked up, blushed, bowed, and ran out.

Haruka sighed. Some things just never change… she thought. She knelt down and pulled away the blanket to expose Keitaro's chest. His wound was wrapped in fresh bandages, but he was pale and his breathing seemed weak. "We've got to get him to a hospital. Looks like he took one in the lung," she stated. At the sound of her voice, Keitaro stirred and opened his eyes. Seta leaned over and smiled.

"Hey part-timer, you're looking like you got pretty roughed up! I've been there before, don't worry. We're gonna get you loaded up and out of here in a jiff. Just relax now." Keitaro stared at him for a few seconds, seeming not to comprehend, then his eyes teared up and he closed them, whispering a word.

"Naru…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ok, that's it for part one, I guess! Yeah, the plot sounds like that of a bad Indiana Jones movie (ish), and the new characters are a touch… stereotypical? But hey, it's kinda hard not to make them that way… It's like it completes the crappiness. So, now that the first installment is out, please give some opinions here! I'm sure I'll get a lot of flames for this one, but please take it easy! Again, constructive criticism is heavily desired, so fire away, please! Oh, and if anyone is willing to do a pre-read of my future chapters, please get in touch!

Suggestions, criticisms, flames (if you really can't hold it in), and other stuffs can be sent here: Vagonnoth at hotmail dot com (I still don't know why the document editor is being weird and not letting me type it in normally... anybody know why?)