Well here we have part 3, of what looks like a 4 part set of prologues. Then I should be finally back to where my original outline put chapter one. This chapter is going to contain a lot of dialog (something I dislike), and more then a few explanations and character history. Hopefully laying down some foundation for things to come in later chapters. Just thought I'd warn readers while I feel this chapter is necessary in the long run, it probably won't include too much humor or action.
-Vilkath
Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina; it's characters or anything of the sort. I've read a lot of fan fics, books, played games etc over the years. As such I expect some idea's to be inspired by other sources, so in advance let me say I don't own those either.
Italics Thoughts"Text" Speech
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Guilty PleasuresPrologue Three: The Big Talk
Haruka sat down at a hospital cafeteria table and gestured for Tsuruko and Motoko to join her. Haruka looked over the two sisters letting the silence hang in the air for a while. Haruka had never met Tsuruko before, but she knew from being around Motoko for years how much she worshiped her older sister.
She didn't show her emotions anywhere near as visibly as Motoko, but Tsuruko's bloodstained clothes and silence spoke volumes of her current state. If Motoko feared anything more then Tsuruko's sword, it was always her words. It has been demonstrated over the years by Motoko's total refusal to call or even write to her own sister.
Haruka would of had to suppress a laugh at the pair, if it was not for the situation that caused the Aoyama sisters to be in their current state. With an inward sigh Haruka decides to get this over with and puts her best emotional mask on as she faces the sisters. "I am sure you two are bound to have a few questions about my nephew. I know I'm just dying to ask you a few as well.".
Motoko fidgeted seeming to want to say something very badly, but was trying to restrain herself in front of her already angry sister. After taking a sip of tea Tsuruko was the first to reply. "How did he survive? Motoko's attack would left even some of the stronger martial artist injured or hurt, then there was his poor landings." Tsuruko trailed off as images of Keitaro on the stairs threatened to bring tears to her eyes.
"Well the simplest way to explain it would be Keitaro is special." Haruka shrugged.
Motoko's hand strayed down to her waist looking for her sword. Luckily for those around, the hospital would not allow her to carry a sword. "What could be so special about a weak perverted male?"
Calmly ignoring the attacks on her nephew's character Haruka replied. "He is not weak, some might even say he is close to immortal, but extremely durable is more accurate."
Haruka steels herself before she goes on. "Best place to start with, would have to be his birth. It all happened at the Hinata Sou when I was almost six."
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Haruka sat at the kitchen table, idly stirring her drink while sucking on her lollypop. She was surrounded by her family, who were all very happy and excited about what was going to happen today. Haruka frowned. Why do I have to be stuck down here with all these old people, I want to be where the action is!
As if reading her thoughts her mother reached over and pinched her cheeks. "Now Haruka dear, if you keep making such a mean face it will freeze that way!"
Haruka did her best to keep her frown as she pulled her self away. "But mom, this is room is filled with boring old people."
Hina chuckled at her daughter's antics. "Why not go outside and play with the other children, there is a very nice park nearby. And give up on those lollypop's, you are going to rot your teeth."
Haruka crossed her arms and attempted to look as aloof as possible while avoiding all thoughts about the mean kids who always pushed her around. "Parks are for kids! I am going to be an Aunt, I don't have time to waste with a bunch children."
Haruka spent a lot of time around her brother and sister in law over the last few months. They had both come to Hina's for some help during the pregnancy, while Haruka was not overly found of her idiot brother. She loved the baby immediately. Helping take care of it had gotten her out of playing, and the consequent beatings for months now. Before her 6th birthday Haruka had fallen in love with this new baby before it was even born.
Haruka could hardly wait to meet this bundle of joy that she could help raise and protect from the world. Noticing her mother's attention was drawn to some one else for a moment Haruka decided to bolt out of the room crawling threw a secrete passage to get a good view of the birth.
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Shaking the memories from her head Haruka continues the story. "Keitaro was still born."
"But?" Haruka raised a hand and silenced Motoko before she could continue.
"He was born silent and without a pulse. He was clinically dead for over a minute." Haruka takes a drink of her tea to hide a tear that threatened to escape her emotional mask.
"In the briefest of moments the room went from joy to panic, fear, anger and a heavy sadness. The doctor's," Haruka smirks at the word doctor before continuing. "Tried their best, but were unable to find anything wrong. Keitaro was the healthiest of babies right up to his birth."
"Eventually the doctors gave up, and pronounced his death." Haruka controls a smile that threatens to come out. "Then Keitaro, our little miracle happened. He started to cry. More then ten minutes after his official time of death, and several more after his birth he started to cry."
Motoko kept her frown to suppress a smile that threatened to come out but the happiness was still shown in her eyes. Childless and married Tsuruko could only smile weakly as tears came down her cheeks as she was over come with happiness of the story.
"Obviously the doctors checked him out, his heart was beating his lungs were working. Everything was fine, we were just left with why he was 'still' to begin with, and even more confusing why he got better." Pausing Haruka let the barest of smiles grace her lips as she stuck the lollypop in her mouth she had taken from a doctor earlier who told her not to smoke.
"The newborn Keitaro was happily passed around by the family, the first answer of Keitaro's miracle came when he was passed to his grandmother Hina." With an expert flair Haruka twirled the lollypop in her mouth. " She sensed something was different about Keitaro, perhaps even wrong. His spirit was so weak, even holding him she could barely feel it, then she realized something."
Haruka nods to Tsuruko. "You must have noticed it to by now after carrying him up the stairs."
Tsuruko makes a face trying to clear her mind of the story and think back to earlier that morning. "Well his Ki was exceptionally weak, barely higher to be considered alive when I first met him. Then when I carried him up the stairs, it got smaller and smaller, almost vanishing entirely even as I held him. If it wasn't for his breathing I would thought he had died it was so low."
Tsuruko paused for a moment thinking. "Oh my, but that is impossible is it not?"
Haruka shook her head. "No, you are right he has no spiritual energy, Ki, Life's flame what ever you call it. Keitaro was born totally void. Some rampant rumors have run around the family, but no reason as to why was ever really found. When Hina first held Keitaro she realized what was wrong with him, the fuel of life was totally absent."
Motoko looked a little confused and angry. She had been trained in many martial arts, and was adept at Ki manipulation, but she had never put to much study into the nature of it beyond the battlefield. It can be used to strengthen, heal or hurt the body, but to have none at all? How is that possible, even a rock or a tree has at least some Ki? As wild thoughts ran threw her head Motoko turned her attention back to Haruka as she continued.
"An adept martial artist can draw in the energy of their surroundings to boost their abilities and strength. Which is little more then the personal Ki of animals, plants, even the left over residual energy of people." Haruka paused to look at her now barren lollypop before tossing it into the table's ashtray.
After a quick smirk at the idea of a non-smoking hospital having an ashtray Haruka continues. "Ki is your personal energy, as you know everyone else's is called Chi. It is essentially the same thing, but since it is not your own it is usually less responsive to any commands you might give it, and will not stay with the controller for long."
Haruka had figured that these two competent warriors would already know such things, but she felt the need for them to understand the importance of her point. "What Keitaro managed to do, or he was forced to do was use the surrounding Chi to survive. While still only a few minutes old, he accomplished something the greatest of Chi masters would be hard pressed to accomplish. A long sustained use of Chi, taking it in and out of his body as naturally as you or I would breath. Instead of merely augmenting his body with it for specific a specific purpose, his body runs on it."
Tsuruko's eyes opened wide. "Oh my, so the reason the Chi I thought was his Ki disappeared was because he was taking in my own? And I could not separate his from my own."
Motoko frowned. "That can not be possible, if what you say is true, Urashima would have great amounts of power. But even around such concentrated sources of energy like my sister and I he was a weakling."
Haruka shrugged unsurely. "Yes and no, yes he could possibly have great power. But no he does not. What he does is on pure instinct, he never received any instructions on how to control his abilities on a conscious level. I don't have many the details, but all I know is something happened to make Hina stop what ever little training he had received as a kid."
Tsuruko's eyebrows rose as her curiosity perked even higher about this young man. Fufufu I must privately study this young man in great detail.
Motoko frowned slightly looking back from her sister to Haruka. Reminded just how much the two were a like. They both seem get a perverse delight at being vague. Telling you just enough to get you interested!
Haruka released a barely audible mumble as she stood up. "I am going to see how my nephew now." Pausing she turns to glare at the two one last time. "If you happen to go see him, he more then likely will try apologize to you, I highly suggest you do not let it go to your head and blame him for this whole incident. If I have to call Kanako about Keitaro being hurt again, there will be two new victims begging for hospital beds!"
Briskly walking away Haruka leaves the two Aoyama sisters shaken. On reflex they both silently decided it would be in their best interest to avoid hurting Keitaro again. The Aoyama's did not know who Kanako was, but the fear in the voice of a woman like Haruka made them both decide it would be wise to try and avoid Kanako.
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Motoko was in a foul mood as she stalked the halls of the hospital. Nurses and orderlies alike instinctively stayed out of her way as she came past. After Haruka had left Tsuruko had a little chat with Motoko. Like most of their talks since Tsuruko's marriage, it was most unpleasant for Motoko.
Nearly smashing the panel Motoko jabbed the elevator button furiously as she waited for the machine to arrive. Tsuruko's words replayed in Motoko's mind. I came to check up on your progress Motoko, to see how far you have come and if perhaps you were ready to take on your responsibilities.
Motoko shook her head to try get Tsuruko's frown out of her mind. I was just lucky our talk was cut short by news about Urashima. Motoko shivered at the thought of what Tsuruko would say and what punishment she would come up with when they continued the conversation later.
It's all Urashima's fault! Motoko fumed as she entered the very room of that held the man who her very thoughts were centered on. Looking at his sleeping form, Motoko could not help but be a little amazed at his progress. Most of his cuts completely gone, and most of the burned skin had healed. The only real indication left of his injuries was his right leg, tightly bound in a cast
Motoko silently wondered what had broken his leg, trying to find a reason that was not her fault. It must have been his second trip when he was punched for being a perverted panty thief. Clinging to her flimsy excuse Motoko sat next to Keitaro.
Fearing what her sister would do to her Motoko's eyes started to go red from holding back her tears. "This is all your fault you perverted male." Unable to believe even her longest used excuse while in Keitaro's presence Motoko fled the room.
As the room's door closed Keitaro's sleeping face frowned as his dreams suddenly turned dark and unpleasant.
A/N
Well there it's done, as always I am not entirely happy with it, but there it is. I would like to thank my muse and inspiration for this chapter, my little Auron action figure on my computer table. Without his judgmental stare I would never got done with this….