Motoko Aoyama: Thanks for your continual support! The flashbacks, dream sequences, and notes would be in italics for this chapter. Anyway, please let me thank each of you individually!
The Dahaka – Thanks for liking my story! Motoko is just too kind so she is feeling bad for injuring Kenjiro (after all, she did change a lot since AP) Anyway, Kenjiro would be pretty evil for the time being, so I have nothing against hating him!
Sieg15 – Don't worry, this is Mot/Kei all the way, although yes, it is going to be a bit...angsty...soon. Anyway, your suggestion about Naru's reaction is pretty interesting. I'll see what I'll do about her. Thanks for liking my story! I'll try my best to make it at least a satisfactory read!
VoidHawk – Thanks for liking my story. Yes, Motoko should really pay some attention to Keitaro, lol, but yea, for the time being she will be a bit detached and feeling guilty for something that really isn't her fault. I've heard of Onegai Teacher, but really, trying to finish Inuyasha is quite a hassle (considering the overwhelming amount of fillers, sigh) Thanks for your review! I'll just try my best!
Vagonnoth – Thanks for liking my story! I hope I haven't made the LH characters out of character by putting in the originals.
Lord Balmung – Happy Birthday! (although that is a bit late, but oh well...) Thanks for reading and hope you'll continue to enjoy this!
Innortal – Thanks for liking my story! Things do malfunction around ne? Oh well, a big, big thank you goes to you for reading even though your alerts are gone!
Disclaimer: I don't own LH, you all should know by now...
Forgotten PromiseChapter 9
It was dark and cold, the storm clouds swirling ferociously against the violet skies in their background. The trees were blowing from side to side, the branches cracking as they tried to withstand the horrible winds, and their tattered leaves swept downwards with every sway, falling mercilessly on Kenjiro's back along with the freezing torrents of rain that slashed to the ground from the heavens. The swordsman was on both knees, kneeling in front of the ancient dojo, with a fragment of his bokken held limply in his bruised hands. A streak of lightning flashed above, illuminating his sullied face that was spotted by dirt and blood for a split second before the world was dark again.
The sounds of footsteps grew to a crescendo as a tall figure approached Kenjiro, the reversed-edged blade in its blue scabbard tightly tied to the belt on the nearing man. Kenjiro looked upwards to study the wrinkled face of his father, only to gaze upon the usual calm blue eyes that met his counterpart.
" Please take this lady to a guest room," Himura Shinji said in his deep, caring voice. Kenjiro's legs struggled to let him stand, the muscles numb from exhaustion and exposure to the bitterness of winter. With a great effort, he brought himself to a rigid stance, allowing him to notice the outline of a young woman behind his father.
" She was looking for a friend, but got lost in the forests on the way, so for the time being, she'll stay with us."
Kenjiro's gaze landed on the girl, the dim light of the moon reflecting off her sleek locks, the bangs swaying in the breeze, hiding the majority of her countenance in a mesh of golden brown. As if knowing his confusion, she spoke in a raspy, painful voice.
" My name is Narusegawa Naru..."
The fragment rang in Kenjiro's head as his surroundings fainted into a universe of total darkness. That scene kept on replaying in his mind day after day after day, reminding him of how his heart tore apart upon Motoko's departure, how he had made the biggest mistake in his life by trying to retrieve happiness in a union with Naru. Although his pride wouldn't allow him to admit it openly, he knew he was wrong. He hated himself for hurting Naru, for hurting Yuri, for doing all these terrible things yet ignored them so that he could once again pursue Motoko only to break apart another family. He screamed as loud as he could, thinking that no one would hear, thinking that he was in a world of his own where there was no escape from torture and sorrow. Why did he keep battling Motoko? Why did he wish to beat up Kenichi? He knew the answer, yet didn't wish to ever hear those words, those thoughts, coming out of his own mouth, his own mind, but more than ever he wished to say it, to admit it, to take the responsibility for his actions.
" It's because I hate myself, and know not what to do..." he whispered.
" Kenjiro-san..." a voice spoke, a voice he recognized.
" Motoko..."
Light seeped into his vision as he slowly lifted his heavy eyelids to see the blurry image of Motoko beside him. His senses slowly returned to him, and he could soon feel a burning pain all over his body, rendering him to stay lying in his futon. Despite all the agony, he managed to open his mouth to mutter several words.
" Gomen ne, Motoko. I could never make up for all the pain I've inflicted on everyone. Gomenaisai."
Motoko stared upon the saddened expression on Kenjiro's face. No matter what he had done, she couldn't hate him, because after all, during her hardest times, during the times when she doubted herself, doubted Keitaro, doubted the world, he had been with her, trying to cheer her up, trying to bring back her determination and strength. She knew she was partly responsible for Kenjiro's hatred of himself, for the actions he had done because of that hatred, and there was no way that she could blame all this on him, no way that she wouldn't give him her forgiveness.
" It's okay, Kenjiro. It's all over now," Motoko muttered before getting up to go downstairs to the kitchen. The inn was unusually quiet, unusually empty, and it seemed that every single step Motoko made as she walked towards the kitchen table had echoed through the entire building.
On the ancient table was a single piece of paper with messy hiragana and kanji scribbled on its rough surface.
Motoko,
I've taken the kids to Toudai, but I have some business to tend to so when you are free, can you please pick them up for me? Thanks.
Keitaro
A sense of dread spread across Motoko's heart. All this time she had just tended to Kenjiro, yet she hadn't paid the slightest attention to Keitaro. Every time something like that happened, Keitaro would always...
" Keitaro!" Motoko screamed as she ran down the stone steps, pass the Hinata teahouse, along the ancient paths of the city, tracing the path Keitaro had once treaded when he stopped Motoko from going to Kyoto.
" Motoko, I'll never leave you. It is a yakusoku."
" Don't leave me, Keitaro!"
Kenichi and Yuri sat on the snow, looking at the looming Toudai clock towers from a distance. Not far from them stood one of Seta's assistants, entrusted with watching over them until the boy's mother came to pick them up. While they rested under the bare branches of a tall sakura tree, they happily chattered away to pass the time.
" I wonder what happened to the promised girl," Yuri said as she recalled the promise that Keitaro had told her a while ago.
" She probably moved on, like my oyaji. After all, he already forgot the girl's name," Kenichi replied.
" A forgotten promise, ne?"
" Yea, at least he remembers the one he made with okaasan."
" Another promise?"
" I think it was something about never leaving her. Well, despite going to excavations from time to time, no matter what condition he got himself in, he would always manage to come back," Kenichi replied with a wide smile.
Motoko was nearing the familiar structures of Toudai, her feet cold from the snow that poured into her shoes. It didn't matter to her, because her entire mind was on one thing, one man.
But all she could see in the distance were the children.
Where was he?
Keitaro.
Motoko Aoyama: I hope this chapter was at least satisfactory. I really wanted to talk a bit more about how Kenjiro met Naru and such, and I wanted to explain a bit about Kenjiro's personality since most of you would probably think he is a crazy dude. For those who don't really remember what happened in the prequel, or never read it before, Motoko had stayed in the Kamiya Dojo for a short while, and that was how she met Kenjiro. After that, Keitaro made his decision and went to get her, and Naru followed after him. So the scene at the beginning of this chapter was after Motoko and Keitaro left the dojo and Shiji, Kenjiro's father, found Naru hiding in the forests. Anyway, thanks for reading! Please leave your comments, questions and such through the review system because I would really, really like to hear from all of you! That's pretty much it! Have fun!