Hey everyone. Here's chapter 2 of my story. More action in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimers:

Love Hina is owned and created by Ken Akamatsu

"Professional Killer" is written and performed by KMFDM

Night Shadows

Chapter II:

Marked for Death

Motoko sat patiently in the center of the Aoyama meeting room. The air felt heavy, draining, as if it were thick with feelings of anxiety and uneasiness. Or was it merely the feelings she felt within herself that were weighing so heavily upon her. She couldn't be sure.

The Aoyama estate has never been this quiet. It was an almost chilling silence that filled the house. There were no classes to be taught in the Dojos this day. No, this day an urgent family issue needs to be resolved.

Motoko continued to sit quietly. Her eyes were forward as her face showed not an ounce of emotion. A troubled look shown on Miss Hasegawa, who was standing by the door, silently awaiting the entrance of the head of the family. Hasegawa adjusted her glasses as she looked over at Motoko. A sigh of worry escaped her.

The door slid open. Hasegawa stood up straight, her body stiffening up. In walked Kenji Aoyama with slow and heavy steps. The dark expression on his face and the fiery look in his eyes spoke volumes of his mood. Without saying a word, he sat down in his usual place and locked his eyes on his daughter. After a moment, he raised his hand, made a sweeping gesture to Hasegawa, and said,

"Leave us."

With an obedient bow, she quickly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Kenji let his gaze fall for a moment, taking in a slow deep breath and letting it out in a long course sigh. Lifting his eyes back to Motoko, he began to speak calmly.

"Daughter…Have you any idea what you have done?"

Motoko gave a swallow and spoke.

"I do, Father. And I have no regrets."

"HOW COULD YOU HAVE BEEN SO FOOLISH!!?"

The sound of his loud angered voice rang in her ears and sent a tug at her heart. A single tear ran down her cheek. Trying desperately to hide the trembling of her body, she did her best to maintain her composure.

After a moment, she said,

"I only wished to visit my best friend whom I have missed dearly these long ten years."

"Well, in your selfishness, you have cost us an already shaky peace! What did you think was going to happen?" Kenji then turned his head and ran his palm from his cheek to his chin, calming down somewhat. "There is no doubt they will now come for Kyoto. This family will be forced to fight again. To protect this land from those who would use it for their own evil purposes." He then looked back at his daughter. "The damage has been done. I will decide a suitable punishment for you later. Now, we must worry about the safety of all of us. For the Tachibana are Ninja. They are sly, cunning and without honor. Assassination attempts are to be expected. There is no telling which of us they will go after first. Given, this estate is heavily fortified, but with you living out in Hinata, you leave yourself terribly vulnerable."

"But Father, I have trained long and hard. I am confident I can hold my own."

"You may be able to hold your own against Mei Tachibana, but their clan employs countless Ninja. Many of which are far deadlier than Mei. Are you ready to face ten, twenty, even thirty Ninja at once? Their ruthless tactics have cost us many Samurai. You would have no chance in an all out war."

"Even so, I still wish to fight, Father. For the honor of the Aoyama."

"You will do no such thing. You quickly forget that it was your actions that have shaken the very honor you speak of. Leave the fighting to the Aoyama Guard. For the time being, you and Keitaro will live here on the estate where you will both be safe."

Motoko gritted her teeth, holding back her protest.

"Is that clear?" He said, firmly.

"Yes, Father. It is clear."

"Good. My best guards will bring you to Hinata. Then, you and Keitaro will be escorted back here." He then turned his head towards the window, looking outside as the snow silently fell. "…You may leave."

Motoko could only comply.

Motoko calmly stood up, gave a bow and left the room. Inside she wanted to cry so badly. The look in her father's eyes as he looked at her, it cut her heart like a blade. To her, almost nothing is more painful than her father's disappointment.

As Motoko neared the entry hall of the house, she was met by her mother, Himiko. She stopped before her mother and stood there, expecting the same from her as she had received from her father. Instead, Himiko calmly folded her hands in front of her and said,

"You met with your father?"

"Yes." She dryly replied.

"And you heard what he had to say?"

"Yes."

"Good." Himiko said with a short nod.

Himiko then moved forward and took her daughter into her arms. After a moment had passed, Himiko quietly said,

"My dearest Motoko. In this life, all your actions have consequences. You have made a decision. Now you must deal with the consequences of that decision."

Motoko, her arms around her mother, grabbed the fabric of her mother's kimono, holding it in her hands as she buried her face in her mother's shoulder, soaking silent tears into the fabric.

At mid-day, Tokyo flows with the energy of the liveliness of it's citizens. Across from Tokyo Station, atop a 30 story building, stood Mei Tachibana in full battle gear. Steel gauntlets protected her fists, the tips of the fingers forming claws. They were not bulky but form fitting, allowing free movement of the fingers. Steel guards covered her forearms and leg shins. The polished metal gave off a brilliant reflective shine in the sunlight. Her sleek, black, skin-tight outfit was designed with micro-insulation to protect her from the bitter winter cold, making her immune to the unforgiving, treacherous wind. Black Kevlar armor ran over her upper torso, moving down her abdomen. The ridges in the armor were accented in the same shape as the musculature beneath it. Black utility belts were secured around her waist and thighs. Contained within their military-style pouches were all the tools she needed for her mission. Two crossed wakizashi swords were strapped across her back. The hilts were facing down as to be drawn from underneath. The visor she wore was designed with a magnification zoom mode, which she used to watch the citizens as they exited the station.

The continuous wind moved through, wildly rustling her short brown hair. Her foot resting up on the ledge, she calmly observed the activity below her. Raising her arm, she took a moment to glance at the time on the red digital readout on her inner forearm. 13:06 hours, military time. Below that was a meter, showing a bar representing the level of a certain chemical flowing through her bloodstream. The bar was down to a quarter of the total length.

She reached down to the belt on her right thigh and pulled out her MP3 player. She inserted the earphones into her ears, pressed a button and the LCD screen came to life. Clicking through the song listings, she highlighted a single song and pressed play. A devilish smile came over her as the heavy continuous beat flowed through her auditory senses. She began to nod her head as the wondrous and foreboding female voice started to sing the lyrics to the reeling sounds of electric guitars.

The lyrics got her adrenaline flowing as the beat sent her blood pumping.

'Conquer your world

Study you quietly

Count the ways, I'll do anything you say

There will be no holding back…legions of me

So cruel, longing eternally

Bittersweet possibility

A tiger on the attack, ready to bleed

Tragically yours, obey and submit to me

I will find you, wherever you hide

Got a thrill for the hunt

A skilled criminal mind

So calm, tracking your every move

Unrelenting, my conscience clear

Beyond a shadow of doubt

A force to be feared'

The last verse she said aloud to herself,

"Yours is not to ask why, yours is to do and die. Professional Killer."

At that moment, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of the station far below her. From out the station doors walked Motoko and two capable looking guards in black business suits and sunglasses following close behind. The guards studied their surroundings carefully, searching for any possible threats to their mistress.

Her grin growing ever wider, Mei pulled the earphones from her ears, wrapped them around the player and tucked it back into the pocket on her thigh. In her mind, she could still hear the song playing. She was pumped and ready to go. She immediately set her eyes on the two guards. Not one second wasted, she launched herself from the rooftop and dived towards the guards below. Mid-fall, Mei reached her arms behind and unsheathed the two short swords from the crossed scabbards fastened on her back.

She came down on the two guards hard, using them to break her fall as she buried the swords into their unaware bodies, killing them instantly. Motoko heard the activity behind her. Drawing her sword, she turned just in time to block Mei's harsh gambit of an attack.

As she held back the twin blades, Motoko's wide eyes beheld Mei's grimacing face an inch from hers. Motoko's eyes turned to the two downed guards, their blood spreading out over the cold concrete.

"Shigi…Ranmaru…"

Then she looked back to Mei.

"You Murderer! You killed them in cold blood!" Motoko yelled, her voice filled with anger and sorrow for her fallen comrades. "I will never forgive you."

Moving her face ever closer, Mei spoke.

"Death has arrived, Motoko. Your life is mine."

Knocking Mei back with her sword, Motoko created some distance between them. Mei performed a back flip and landed on her feet. Motoko raised her sword and held a solid stance.

Motoko lowered her brow, put on her battle face and said,

"Come and get it."

Meanwhile, at Hinata Sou, Keitaro walked through the dining room and into the front lobby with a snack in one hand and a study guide in the other. He flipped a page as he passed Kitsune on his left, lying on the couch taking a nap. His eyes traced a paragraph on the customs of the Yanomamo tribe of the Amazon rainforest.

As he tried to wrap his head around their strange traditions and how sustained contact with government officials, the market system, miners, missionaries, journalists, anthropologists and others has led to significant changes to their way of life, he suddenly got a bad feeling. It crept up his spine and swirled in his brain, casting out all other thoughts.

The feeling quickly became worse and seemingly more urgent, causing him to look to the East towards Tokyo.

"Something doesn't feel right." His eyes then widened as the feeling became ever clearer. "Motoko…"

Back in Tokyo, we see Mei fly backwards and slam against the concrete wall of a nearby building. Her twin blades broken, Mei let them drop from her hands. Quickly recovering, she wiped the dripping blood from the edge of her mouth. Motoko stood before Mei holding her stance, pointing her sword at her. Mei gave a look of contempt, turned her head and spit the blood from her mouth. Her visor shattered, she pulled it from her face and tossed it aside.

Motoko relaxed her hand slightly, then slowly sheathed her sword. Breathing heavily, she said,

"Stop this, Mei. There's no need for us to fight."

Mei stood up, brushed some dust from her shoulder and said,

"I agree. I just have to kill you and be done with it."

"Mei, I have no wish to draw this out any further. I don't want to risk hurting any innocent bystanders."

"Hah! Like I care about them! I've been dreaming of this for years, Motoko. Nothing can repay the damage you have done to me, save your death. How does the classic text go? Ah, yes. Thou art my solest hate."

"This is ridiculous, Mei! How many times must I tell you? I did everything I could to save Rei-"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Mei screamed in anger as she made a mad dash towards Motoko.

Motoko quickly dodged Mei's lightning fast claws, a single thrust merely scratching her cheek. Mei reached out and grabbed Motoko by her sweater. Motoko then grabbed her hand, twisted it and back-handed Mei across the face, causing her to stumble back several feet. Then Motoko grabbed her arm, pulled her back to her and gave Mei a hard knee to the stomach. Mei knelt down, holding her stomach, showing a painful expression. When Motoko came close enough, Mei showed a grin, looked up and gave Motoko an uppercut.

Motoko landed on her back hard. The stinging pain she felt on the side of her face would soon give way to swelling. She could already taste the blood in her mouth, even before she felt it drip from her lip. Mei took a few proud steps, stopped before her, and showed a taunting grin.

"The time has come, Motoko. Time to face oblivion." She said as she pulled an injector gun from a large pouch on her belt.

"What is that?" Motoko said as Mei held the gun against her arm.

"This is a little something specially developed by our Bio-Research department. It's the latest in strength and reflex enhancement. It puts me on a whole new playing field." Mei said, as she pulled the trigger and injected the serum into her bloodstream.

Mei closed her eyes and took in a deep breath as she felt the sweet rush of power flow through her body like a rip tide. She flexed her muscles and looked down at Motoko, sighting her target.

"My God, Mei. What have you done to yourself?" Motoko said, looking at her with eyes of concern.

"Not everyone is as fast and as skilled as you, Motoko. I'm just balancing the scales. This drug increases my strength and speed ten-fold."

"But Mei, at the same time, your body could be tearing itself apart."

"Oh, stop acting like you care. One more Tachibana life means nothing to you arrogant Aoyama. How many Tachibana has your clan killed in the last war? Too many!"

"No more Tachibana will die. Not if I can help it." Motoko said, getting up.

Mei leapt up into the air.

"Good. Then you'll have no problem if I kill YOU!"

With those words, Mei came down on Motoko with her fist.

Motoko dodged her fist just in time to let Mei crush the concrete beneath her to dust. With staggering speed, Mei appeared an inch from Motoko's face. With a roundhouse, she knocked Motoko to the ground. Mei then grabbed her by the neck and gave her several hard fists to the midsection. Then she threw her 30 feet away, right into the side of the Mercedes, shattering the windows.

Motoko fell to her hands and knees and spit blood onto the pavement. She then used the sheath of her sword to balance herself back on her feet.

"Very well, Mei. There's only one way we can settle this battle: With pure speed." Motoko said, forming the batoujutsu stance. She took her sheath and held it out, spacing her feet shoulder length apart.

Mei appeared in front of her with her hands on her hips in a contemptuous posture.

"Ah, Gensai Ryu. The quick-draw stance. I thought that technique died with Kawakami Gensai." Mei said, running a clawed finger along her chin.

"You forget. During the Bakumatsu, The Aoyama and Kawakami Gensai both worked to restore the Emperor to power. In return for our aid to him, Gensai passed his secret knowledge to our school. It was under the condition that it would only be taught to the highest achieving students."

"I see. You always were an over-achiever, Motoko. No matter. Let's do this."

Mei raised her gauntlets and took her stance, centering her sights on Motoko.

Motoko was as still as stone, her eyes locked on Mei. Her left hand holding her sheath, her right on the hilt of the sword, Motoko's mind became like still water. She concentrated hard. Suddenly her eyes lit up and her body glowed with the aura of her fiery chi energy.

Mei concentrated on her breathing. She tried to come up with the best strategy for attack. She tightened her closed fists as she narrowed her eyes. Mei could feel her heart beat. Faster…faster…FASTER.

Within an instant, the two disappeared, dust rising up from where they stood. There was a bright flash. A sound like thunder echoed throughout the area. After the light, Mei appeared, holding her fist out in front of her. Motoko stood behind her facing the opposite direction in an extremely low posture with her right knee bent and her left leg backward so straight that the left knee was almost touching the ground. She held her Katana sword straight out behind her.

The metal guards shattered from Mei's forearms as she keeled over in pain with a groan. Motoko stood up straight and calmly sheathed her sword. She turned her head to look at Mei.

"This fight is over, Mei. Don't worry. I used the dull side of the blade." She said.

Mei struggled through the pain throughout her midsection to turn her body so she could face Motoko.

"I thought you said you wouldn't forgive me. I murdered your kinsmen. Kill me, Motoko. Do it."

"No, Mei. Not today."

Mei showed a discontent frown with a touch of surprise, as this was not the reaction she expected.

"Heh, not killing me will be the worst mistake of your life." She said, weakly.

Motoko looked at her as if in pity.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Good-bye, Mei."

Motoko then turned her head away and walked on. As she did, Mei closed her eyes and grinned through the pain as she started to laugh. Lifting her head to the sky, she said,

"This isn't over. I'll kill you…I'll kill you…I'll kill you…"

Not saying a word, Motoko simply walked on. Not looking back once.

Keitaro sat at his desk, unable to concentrate on the turn paper on front of him. He was still troubled by the feeling he had earlier. Without warning, his door was thrown open. Startled, Keitaro turned around to see Motoko running up to him. She grabbed him by the arm and said,

"We need to go, now!"

"What? What's going on?" He said, confused as he ran with her out the door.

"No time to explain. Come on!" She said, quickly leading him down the staircase.

She ran over to the coat hanger by the front door and tossed him his jacket. After he put it on, Motoko took him by the arm and pulled him towards the front door.

"Come on, we have to go."

Then Keitaro grabbed her arm and held her still.

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on, Motoko. Now tell me!"

Motoko let out a sigh and looked up at Keitaro.

"Not an hour ago, Mei made an attempt on my life. I was able to defeat her, but there's no telling when they'll send more ninja to finish me off. Both our lives are in danger, Keitaro. So please, my love. We have to get back to the Estate where you'll be safe."

"Me? What about you?"

"Don't' worry. I'll be by your side every step of the way. I swear, I'll protect you." She said, laying a gentle hand on his face.

Keitaro laid his hand on hers.

"But, Motoko. I want to protect you as well."

Giving him a tender look, she said,

"You do, Keitaro. You protect my heart. And that's something no one else in this entire world can do."

They shared a silent moment.

"I see. Let's go then." Keitaro said, taking her by the hand.

The two ran out the front door and down the Hinata steps towards a black Mercedes waiting at the foot of the steps. After they got safely inside, the car took off, speeding towards the main road.

Keitaro looked at the broken glass.

"What happened to the glass? And why is there a big dent in the door?"

Motoko reached around and rubbed her back.

"Don't ask." She said, feeling the pain going all the way down her back.

The car tore down the main road, making its way toward the highway. The dark clouds moving in overhead brought with them the heavy snow of an early winter. The blizzard had begun, and from here it will only get worse as the two will soon see.