Motoko Aoyama: Thanks a lot for your support! I'm so glad that you all liked the last chapter! I hope you'll like this one as well! Sorry that I've been caught up in so much schoolwork. Homework does start to reach its normal levels shortly after the break, much to my dismay. Oh well, I'll try my best to continue updating once a week! Now, here is the next chapter of " Another Promise."
Disclaimer: I don't own LH.
ANOTHER PROMISE
Chapter 33
" This place has always been special to me. Whenever I feel lonely and sad, I would come here and after looking at the city as it lay quietly beneath my feet, I would always feel much better than before. Motoko-chan, would you share this special place with me?" Keitaro asked as they glanced down at the beautiful city lights twinkling underneath them. It seemed as though they were on top of the world, and that the stars above were no longer unreachable. They stayed silent for a while, appreciating the world around them. It was certainly a very wonderful place, and its power of creating happiness was a secret that only Keitaro and Motoko shared.
" I would love to, Keitaro," Motoko broke the silence by answering Keitaro's previous question. They looked at each other and smiled. The lights from the fireworks Su, Shinobu and Akiko had been playing with glowed brightly in the night sky, illuminating the unknown distance. Motoko reached into her bag and touched the soft dragon plushy, feeling the kind visage she had given to it.
" This is for you," Motoko said as she pulled out the plushy and gave it to Keitaro. He beamed as he looked at the crude creation. It may not be the nicest thing on Earth, but it was created from the very heart of Motoko since she had put all her effort into it, all her effort and all her love. This was how Keitaro was like in Motoko's eyes, a kind kanrinrin who would never forget to smile, never forget to care for the dear residents of Hinatasou. As for the plushy Keitaro gave to Motoko, of course it resembled her greatly as well, the proud swordswoman who vowed to protect the ones she cared for, even if she must give up her own life for them.
The night lay still underneath them, the moon casting gentle light on their faces that were once stained with tears, but gave away to their ever-lasting smiles. It was a night of many events, of realization and joy, of decision and parting. Every known emotion had been felt by their soul on this single night, and they would not easily forget it in the distant future to come.
Days had passed on to weeks; weeks had passed on to months. The darkness and iciness of winter had long been thrown into the past, leaving only its memories in the hearts of those who have experienced its malice. It was spring once again, with the cherry blossoms gloriously blooming and floating in the air with the warm wind. Petals danced with the welcoming air, falling gently on the ground around the inn, some get carried to the hot springs where they floated ever so gracefully on the calm waters. Spring, the season of new beginnings, the season that brings hope to all living things, and the season in which hard work must be completed and goals to be met. This had always been the season of torture for Keitaro because he must take the Toudai entrance exam, but he felt much lighter this year. He had decided to take the exam after scoring so high in the practice papers Naru had made him do, but he had no intention of entering this famous school because of his "promised girl," it was just that he wanted to achieve the goal he had always worked for since he was old enough to know what a goal is.
As Keitaro sat in his kanrinrin room, reading over some books and doing some practice questions, Motoko was on the roof practicing with Akiko. The little girl was making great progress as she had already learned most of the attacks of the Shinmeiryuu style although there was still room for more improvement.
" Ougi Zangan Ken!" Akiko yelled as she slashed her katana in mid-air, sending a burst of ki that traveled into the distance where it hit a sakura tree and sent a million pink petals floating in the air.
" You are doing very good, just need to concentrate a bit more on your ki so that you can hit a single sakura petal on that tree, not the whole thing," Motoko said as she smiled at her young apprentice. Akiko returned the smiled as she sat down to rest for a while.
" Motoko-obasan, what other techniques do I need to learn?" Akiko asked.
" Let's see...besides Ougi Zangan Ken Ni no Tachi, a variation of the attack you had just performed that is used to exterminate demons without hurting the person who was possessed by it, there is only one attack in the Shinmeiryuu Style that you haven't learned. The attack is called "Ougi Shinmei Ken," and no one has mastered it since my grandfather's death. When I was only about two years old, and your mother in her early teens, our grandfather had used this attack to exterminate a very dangerous demon. The battle was one that I could never forget in my life, as the demon was so strong that it had wounded grandfather badly and had him in its jaws in a very short while. All grandfather could do was to use the "Ougi Shinmei Ken" which summoned the powers of nature to destroy the demon, but his injuries were so serious that he passed away a few days later," Motoko explained.
Motoko took a seat beside her niece and closed her eyes to replay the battle in her mind once more. The dojo had been trampled by the demon, dozens of students instantly killed. Her grandfather had took up his katana and leaped towards the giant demon whose evil aura could be felt for dozens of yards away. Her grandfather was strong, his ki so powerful that it gave him incredible agility and strength despite his age. The katana emitted strong waves of energy at the demon, but could only scratch its stubborn hide. It was not ready to back down. Sweeping its lengthy neck at the poor man, its jaws clamped onto his body, refusing to let go of this prey. Pain seeped into every joint of his body, but Motoko's grandfather didn't give up. He must protect the sole children his son had left behind, let alone all the students of the Shinmeiryuu style who looked up to him with all their hearts. His katana flashed brightly, summoning the gods to help him. Trees and earth, wind and light, fire and water all answered the call, letting their energy flow freely into the katana. The sword glowed brighter and brighter, and with one sweep it had blasted the demon apart, but left the man exhausted. He closed his eyes to regain his strength, but little did he know that he would never awake to see the morning sun again.
Suddenly, a rustling sound brought Motoko back to reality. Her eyes flicked open and her right hand pulled out the katana swiftly from its sheath. Following her senses, she brought the katana behind her, hearing a loud clang as it intercepted something metal. She turned to see that it had hit a katana, a katana held by a man in a dark suit with a mask covering his entire face.
Motoko Aoyama: So, how did you like it? Please give me any comments or suggestions you have! Anyway, I've mentioned doing a sequel to this story before, and now I have actually planned out the plot. For more information, just go to my profile and scroll down to the bottom where there are summaries to upcoming stories. You can also tell me about your opinion towards the sequel idea via the review system. That would be much appreciated! Next Chapter: A fight of life and death between our favorite kendo girl and a mysterious intruder! Can Motoko master the Shinmeiryuu Ougi?