More Trouble in Hinata House
Author's Notes: Okay, time for another fun filled chapter of More Trouble in Hinata House. Erm…that's about all. I don't own Love Hina.
Pre-read by: Yin-Yang175
Chapter 4: Growing Fonder
A few weeks had passed by since Phoenix won the duel with Motoko, even those, there is still a lot of tension amongst the residents of the Hinata Sou. Probably the only person who's really happy that Phoenix and Yoshi were there was Keitaro, who was constantly hanging around them and chatting about everything he could think of that might get him killed by the girls. About the only other person who was happy about the Hinata Sou's new residents was Kitsune, who found it particularly fun to play with Phoenix's mind.
"So, Phoenix, you still haven't came up with Motoko's punishment yet. Whatcha gonna do, huh? You can tell me, I'll bet it's really dirty like…" she leaned in and whispered in Phoenix's ear. He suddenly jumped away from her and began beating himself with his sword before running off.
Phoenix had actually been on his way outside to put in his daily practice when Kitsune had pulled him aside and he was now cursing her for throwing him off schedule. What he really couldn't understand, though, was the lack of hospitality amongst the girls of Hinata. He'd done nothing wrong, unless coming to them for shelter was wrong, and had won his residence fair and square. So why were they being so cold to him? Passing through the kitchen, he noticed Yoshi eating everything he could find. "Oh yeah, that's why," Phoenix said, sighing and sending forth the little mushroom thingy.
Yoshi looked up from his eating frenzy. "Yo, Phoenix. What's up?"
"Sky," Phoenix replied, leaving his friend for the peace of the outside. When he was sure that no one was around, Phoenix drew his sword and began his practice ritual. How had his life turned out like this? He thought over and over while he practiced. Life had been so easy until…
"You!"
Phoenix spun on his heels, leveling his sword at the person who dared to disturb his practice. He sighed and lowered the weapon when he saw that it was Motoko. "Aoyama-san, how may I help you?" he asked, leaning on his blade like a cane.
Motoko cleared her throat loudly. "Okay, it's like this. You have defeated me in combat and you have yet to name your prize though several weeks have passed. I demand you name your price now!" She closed her eyes, waiting for his answer. After a few minutes passed by with no answer, Motoko opened her eyes.
Phoenix was staring straight at her, still leaning on his sword. She began waving her hand in his face, but there was no response. "Phoenix? PHOENIX!" She shouted, causing him to jump. He began looked at her apologetically.
"Sorry about that. Dozed off there for a minute. So, you want your punishment now, yes?" He looked at her with inquisitive eyes, as if trying to decide an appropriate request. After a moment, he straightened up. "Alright. For one full week you shall be my handmaiden, and also my student. You will learn a few choice techniques from my school.
Motoko looked at him incredulously. "H-handmaiden? That's a joke, right? And why would you want me to learn your school's techniques?"
Phoenix gave a small smirk. "First off, I'm not joking. Second, I want you to understand that we are not thieves as you have previously accused us. You will start first thing tomorrow morning, so be ready." Phoenix went back to his practice.
Keitaro was emerging from his room after a long study session when he saw Motoko come storming down the hall. "Oh, hey Motoko. What's wrong? You look upset."
"Slime…"Motoko hissed.
"Er…excuse me?"
"Men…you're all slime! Secret technique: Air Cutting Sword!"
Keitaro went flying through the air and landed several feet away from Motoko. Tears began shooting from the sides of his eyes. "I didn't do anything, I swear!"
"Be quiet and take what you have coming to you! Die!" Motoko repeated her attack, but Keitaro managed to avoid it. He got up and began running away from her. "Stand still Urashima!"
"Yeah, right! Like I'm gonna let you kill me!" Keitaro shouted, looking over his shoulder. He then suddenly ran into someone, having his head sank into something soft and warm. "Huh? Am I dead? This must be heaven."
Keitaro looked up to see Naru's face with it's evil grimace on it. "Kei-taro, you pervert!" She punched him hard, sending him skidding across the floor towards Motoko.
"Damn, I must be in the other place!" Keitaro shouted as Motoko performed another attack on him, sending him flying through the ceiling and into oblivion.
Naru sighed and looked at Motoko. "So what did he do this time that had you so pissed?"
"Well…nothing really," Motoko admitted. "But the fact that he was born a man is enough!"
Naru gave her a quizzical look and Motoko quickly explained Phoenix's decision. When she was done, she was horrified to see Naru laughing loudly. "That's hilarious, you a handmaiden!"
"What's so funny about it?!" demanded Motoko.
Naru began to speak between laughs. "Handmaidens are giggle supposed to be giggle obedient." She paused for a moment to compose herself. "You've never been obedient to anyone besides yourself. There's no way you'll cut it, but at least there're no consequences if you fail." She looked up at Motoko and gasped.
Motoko had a blank look on her face and had dropped her sword. "F-fail? Is that what you think of me? I'll show you, Naru! I'll be the best handmaiden you've ever seen!" She picked up her sword and stormed away.
When the next morning rolled around, Phoenix awoke to find Motoko kneeling over him, holding his kimono in her arms. "Good morning. Would you like to take a bath first or would you prefer to get dressed?" she asked.
"Erm…a bath sounds great, I guess. I'll…be down in a minute," Phoenix replied as Motoko got up and left the room. It took a moment for him to piece everything together. "Ah yes, my price for victory," he told himself.
He paused for a minute and looked over at Yoshi, who was still asleep. Somehow, he'd managed to get himself tangled up in the futon. Phoenix contemplated waking his friend and then thought better of it. "The longer he sleeps, the longer I get some peace," he thought as he stood and, after gathering some things from his suitcase, left the room, headed for the hot springs.
Motoko was doing her best as Phoenix's handmaiden; she did everything he asked, which now involved washing his hair. "You have good hands," Phoenix complimented as he lay his head back some. "A trademark for a fine warrior." He sighed and straightened up so Motoko could get the back of his head.
"Why don't you let me take this rubber band out?" Motoko asked, reaching to undo Phoenix's small ponytail.
"No. Leave it," Phoenix said shakily. "I…prefer it like that."
Motoko shrugged and did the best she could, though they were interrupted by none other than Kitsune. "Well well, what's goin on here? Ya'll getting a little friendly, huh?" she snickered.
"It's nothing like that. This is what I chose as my reward: Aoyama-san as my handmaiden and student for a week," Phoenix said, preparing to stand up.
"No, wait, don't!" Motoko shouted.
Phoenix paused, looking at her. "Why not?"
"Because…it's not right for me to see your…" she blushed, turning away.
Phoenix chuckled. "I have swimming trunks on," he stood up to reveal that he was, indeed, wearing a pair of bright green swimming trunks. He grabbed the bucket of water next to Motoko and dumped it over his head. "Bath's all yours, Kitsune-san."
"Drop the -san, it's just Kitsune, kay?" she said in a sly, sexy voice.
Phoenix nodded and began to walk inside. "Alright, Aoyama-san, it's time for your first lesson," he said as he began to dress.
Motoko sighed and looked at Kitsune. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Every last minute, kendo girl."
Phoenix and Motoko walked up the flight of stairs leading to the laundry-drying patio. Phoenix was dressed in his usual kimono outfit and Motoko was in her usual kendo attire. "Okay, first let's see your stance," Phoenix said, getting up onto the patio.
Motoko nodded. She stood erect, spreading her feet out a bit and held her sword at waist level. Phoenix sighed. "No, no. That may be appropriate for the Gods' Cry School, but my school uses a different stance." He walked up behind her and, standing very close, put his feet in between her legs.
"Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered.
Phoenix didn't reply. Instead, he used his feet to slide Motoko's left leg forward and her right leg back, so that she was standing sideways. He then positioned her hands so that the tip of her sword faced the ground and the blade faced outward.
"This is the stance the Youma Slayers use to start a battle. It may feel awkward at first, but you'll get used to it."
Phoenix paused a moment so he could assume the same position as Motoko. "Okay, I will first teach you one of my school's easier techniques," he began, his voice carrying the air of a college professor. "It is called Divine Retribution. Pay close attention."
Motoko nodded and turned her attention to her new teacher. In a swift, fluid motion he drew his back foot up and made an upward slashing motion with his sword, which created a large pocket of light. Then, Phoenix brought his sword back down through this pocket, cutting it in half and sending forth a beam of pure white light. He laughed at the stunned look on Motoko's face. "Yes, I do get that a lot," he commented. "Now you try."
Nodding, she repeated the same exact procedure that Phoenix had shown her, but to no effect. "What the? I did it exactly…didn't I?" she asked, looking over at her temporary sensei.
Phoenix was lost in thought for a moment before speaking. "Of course, how stupid of me. I forgot to mention, my school's technique's are mostly based around harmony; harmony with nature or with those around you," he explained. "To be successful, you must harmonize yourself with something around you. In this case, I harmonized myself with your heartbeat."
"Y-you can hear my heartbeat?"
He nodded. "Yes. It took me many months of practice, but my hearing is almost as good as a canine's. You, however, may want to harmonize with the sound of the wind, or the chirping of the birds."
Motoko sighed and concentrated. She listened to the soft, calming wind blowing by her. Harmonize, huh? She slowed her breathing so that she inhaled only when the wind hit her before repeating the technique. This time, she achieved the same results as Phoenix. "Very good, Aoyama-san. Most people can't grasp harmonization that quickly." Motoko found it strange that, though she despised this man, she was happy to see the smile that spread across his face. "I want you to practice that for a while. Work on harmonizing faster."
She gave him a small nod and then went back to practicing Divine Retribution. If that was the secret, then she'd master this style in no time. Laughing to herself, Motoko repeated the technique many times in a row.
"Alright, that's enough of that," Phoenix commented after Motoko completed her fiftieth Divine Retribution. "The next technique I want to show you is of a more…difficult level, so don't get upset if you're unable to grasp it as quickly as Divine Retribution."
Motoko nodded, though she was confident that she could prove her sensei wrong. She watched as he drew his sword up over his head and, after holding it there for a few seconds, brought it down in a sweeping blow, sending forth a bolt of black light in the shape of his sword's blade. That's it? Motoko thought.
Stepping off to the side, Phoenix motioned for Motoko to try the technique. After harmonizing herself with the wind again, Motoko repeated Phoenix's actions. Nothing. How is that possible? She thought. She repeated the process several times to no avail.
"Stop, stop," Phoenix finally said. "You obviously did not pay close enough attention to me."
Motoko looked angrily at him. She should've known that he'd something up his sleeve. "You are trying to harmonize, but remember, I said that was the case for most of my school's techniques, not all of them. For this technique to work, you must draw on your most bitter hatred and disgust from deep inside your heart."
She looked stunned. Hatred? And if the user had none, then what? "W-well, what did you use?" Motoko asked, hoping for an example.
"Me? I thought of my father," Phoenix began in a soft voice. "I hate that bastard with all my heart and soul."
"Why?" Motoko asked, feeling guilty and yet intrigued about Phoenix's apparent pain.
He took several deep breathes before answering her question. "When my grandfather passed away a little while back, my father demanded that I give up my art, that I abandon my school," Phoenix began. "My grandfather had been very sick, and he'd given everything he had to get me through my training. On his deathbed he told me the riddle that I have already relayed to you, 'You're training will be complete when you learn to follow your heart'. He died before I could ask him what he meant.
"My grandfather was wrong, though. I still had one technique that I hadn't mastered. I was able to complete it once, when he tested me, but that was it. So I vowed that I would master the technique, no matter what. I worked night and day, neglecting my schoolwork, neglecting sleep, just so I could live up to my grandfather's expectations. Anyway, when my father saw my failing grades, he demanded I give up the Youma Slayers and become a normal student. When I refused, he shipped me overseas to America…" Phoenix trailed off.
"Go on, please," Motoko insisted, now intrigued by Phoenix's story.
"Well, my mother is American, so she has some relatives over there. My father made arrangements for me to stay with them while I completed school there. He took my sword, so that I'd have no way of practicing over there. Foolish man. They sell swords at shops over there, so I saved my money and bought one. He caused me so much humiliation, though. I was teased and taunted by those Americans because of my art. They harassed me, and when they'd see me outside practicing they'd come over and pick on me. I wanted to retaliate, to teach them not to pick on me, but I practiced patience with the ignorant, as my grandfather had taught me. When I finally came back to Japan after graduating American high school, my father was shocked to see that I was better than ever at my swordsmanship. He disowned me, and I went to live with Yoshi and his family. I packed my belongings and said sayonara to him. My mother wept, I remember the sound clear as day, but I didn't care. All I wanted to do was get away from my bastard father.
"So, anyway, I took up Dante's Blade, my grandfather's old sword and the one I wield now, and began mastering every technique, but I still have yet to master my school's final technique, and that riddle…" he sighed, his long tale now over.
Motoko was stunned for a moment and then she snapped back to reality. "So how exactly did you wind up in your current position?"
"Well, Yoshi likes to eat, that's obvious. His parents had been giving him money, but they cut him off, claiming that he should get a job. Being too lazy for one, he took out a deal with a loan shark for a good wad of cash and he used my name curses under breath. Anyway, when he couldn't pay it back they began sending threatening letters, so I thought it best that we leave so as to not bring any harm upon his family and here we are."
Motoko smiled. "You're not as bad as I thought you were. In fact, you're kind of nice…for a man," she added quickly.
Phoenix stood and stretched. "You know what, we'll scratch the rest of today's lesson. That story always takes a lot out of me, but expect your next lesson bright and early tomorrow." With that thought, he walked down the stairs, headed for the main building of Hinata Sou.
Motoko sighed. She hadn't expected all of that and now she was feeling utterly depressed. "It's not even lunchtime," she thought aloud. Then she noticed a brown leather wallet lying at her feet. "Phoenix must have dropped this."
She picked the wallet up and it "accidentally" fell open, revealing a photo I.D. card inside a plastic sleeve. Motoko read over it and gasped. How old had Phoenix said he was? Eighteen, she believed. But according to this I.D., he was only sixteen, and the I.D. had been issued in the same year as they were currently in! With a burst of rage, Motoko leapt to her feet and chased after Phoenix.
Author's endnotes and such: Well, that's all for now. In case you're wondering, I didn't want to set this in any specific time spot, so that's why I didn't put an actual year of issue for Phoenix's I.D. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hopefully, the next one won't take me so long, as I have a good layout already planned for it. So, until then, sayonara!