Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. I'll try to update the fic regularly, and since Christmas break is approaching, I'll probably have more time to write then...oh, and just a little FYI thing here, everyone has relocated into the mountains for this fight. The duel is taking place in front of the waterfall that Motoko stood under in previous episode. The actual episode number escapes me.
Disclaimer: Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu. I'm just infringing on copyright.
Love Hina Fanfic - Invisible
"You may have courage Kobayashi. But courage alone will not allow you to triumph."
"No, I guess it won't. However...it's too late to back out now even if I wanted to. Good thing I'm the type that likes to finish what I start," retorted Koji.
"That is an admirable trait. If I had the choice to choose Urashima or you as kanrinin of the Hinata-Sou, I believe I would select you. You seem to be an honorable man with qualities much better than those of Urashima." (Off on the side, Keitaro cries. Am I really that bad?) "However, fate is a fickle goddess, and so your fate shall be determined by this duel. The time for talk is now over. Let our actions in battle do the talking for us."
Koji nodded in agreement, but he didn't make a move. Is he so arrogant that he has chosen to leave himself wide open? Either that, or it has to be the most lax fighting stance I have ever seen. Iie...I'm getting distracted. I must concentrate on the battle that is upon us. After that, Motoko closed her eyes and cleared her mind, trying to reach a zen-like state. For a moment, neither combatant moved an inch. A breeze swept through the area and blew a single leaf off one of the nearby trees. It slowly floated down, and at the very instant in which it hit the ground, Motoko moved to strike.
Motoko rushed towards Koji with incredible speed. With her left hand holding the sheathe of her blade, she reached over with her right hand to take hold of the hilt. Koji was still standing in the same spot, having not made a move at all. Hmph, weakling. He dares to underestimate my abilities? I shall end this duel with a single strike. In a motion too fast for the other residents of the Hinata-Sou to see, Motoko drew her sword, struck, and returned the blade to its sheathe in one smooth motion. "It is over..." she declared.
"Wow, you're fast. But...I'm just a bit faster."
Motoko's eyes flashed open (Author's note: She had closed her eyes after she struck) and she turned around to see Koji, that smile still on his face. She detested that smile now, and wanted nothing more than to remove it from his face.
"If speed is all you possess, then you have already lost. Sooner or later, one of my blows will connect. And when that happens, I will be victorious."
"I'll bet. But...that depends on whether you can get me before I get you."
Koji's smile grew even wider, if that were possible, and Motoko could not help but take a step back. She tried her best to suppress her emotions, but she was unsuccessful. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. His...his aura! I've never felt anything like this before! The amount of chi he possesses is astonishing. How...how could I not have noticed it until now?!
---
"Ano...sempai?"
"Hai, Shinobu-chan?"
"I'm sure you noticed already but...Kobayashi-san does not have a weapon, whereas Motoko-san has her sword. Is it possible for him to win without a weapon?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure," Keitaro replied. "But I'm guessing if anyone can, he can." The battle Motoko had with Seta had obviously escaped his mind.
"Go Motoko, go Motoko!!!" cheered Su, who was hanging onto Keitaro. As she cheered, she tightened the hold she had on Keitaro's neck. As a result, his eyes started bulging and he started staggering around.
"Ack! Not so tight Su! I'm ch-choking!" Soon after, he slumped down to the ground in a sitting position. His eyes were swirling, but Su hadn't noticed. She was still too busy cheering Motoko on. "Ah! Sempai!"
---
It...it must be a trick. No one can possess that much chi, it's...it's impossible! Yes, that's it. He must be doing this to try and intimidate me. It almost worked, but I'm too smart for that. "Your trick has failed Kobayashi. If you surrender now, I will allow you to leave and no harm will befall you. But if you wish to continue...then I will no longer hold back."
"You mean you were holding back? Honestly, I thought you were giving it your all. Gomen, my mistake," Koji replied with a chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.
"You dare mock me, you weakling?!" Motoko lifted her sword above her head, blade pointed straight up into the air, and grasped the handle with both hands. "Gods' Cry School Sword Technique: Air-Splitting Strike!" She then swung her sword at Koji, creating a blast of chi that hurtled towards her opponent at amazing speed.
"Most impressive. You have a strong chi Aoyama-san, however, your technique is less than perfect. Allow me to show you why." With that Koji lifted up his right leg, and kicked the ground in front of him, at an angle, hard. The impact caused dirt and small pebbles to float up, right into the path of Motoko's attack. The chi blast collided with the dust cloud and vaporized the dirt and pebbles, but the blast had been effectively neutralized.
"He...he countered my attack effortlessly..." Motoko said, obviously stunned at what just transpired. "But...but how? I mastered that technique long ago..."
By this time Koji had already made his way behind Motoko for a second time. "Word of advice: it's quite poor, speaking strictly from a strategic point of view, to have your back facing your opponent so often." Moving on pure reflex and raw instinct, Motoko spun around in a flash and slashed at Koji, neatly slicing him in two.
---
Shinobu screamed and squeezed her eyes shut before turning to grab at Keitaro's shirt. She cried into his shirt, and Keitaro wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort the obviously distraught grade-schooler. The others could only stare in a mixture of horror and disbelief at what had just transpired. Their friend Motoko...what had she just done?
"This...this can't be happening..." was Naru's response. Even the energetic and carefree Su couldn't comprehend what had just occurred. "Motoko..."
---
"What...what have I..." It was at this time that Motoko thought that something was amiss. She had sliced Koji in half...but there was no blood. Furthermore, upon closer inspection, it looked as if it was nothing but a doll. She then heard a voice from behind, which also held a familiar aura.
"Aw...that was my favorite dummy." Turning around, she saw that Koji was still alive and kicking, with that exact same smile still on his face. She was beginning to wonder if he could do anything else but smile.
"The art of substitution. Gotta admit though, you surprised me with that move. Didn't expect you to react that way, or even that fast. I evaded that attack by just a hair."
"Hmph, for a moment I was actually fooled into believing that I had actually killed you." A small smile actually appeared on Motoko's face. "I suppose that I have severely underestimated your fighting abilities. You may indeed be a worthy opponent. However, I refuse to lose. You may have earned my respect, but I will not allow you to emerge from this duel the victor. Prepare yourself, Kobayashi! Gods' Cry School Sword Technique: Boulder-Splitting Strike!"
---
"Hey, he's okay!" exclaimed Keitaro, as Koji was indeed alive and well. The others all breathed a sigh of relief, and Shinobu slowly removed her face from Keitaro's shirt. Tears stained her face and she sucked in a breath. She did her best to stop crying and she turned, trying to once again focus on the fight and remove that horrifying incident from her mind.
"Daijobu Shinobu-chan?" "H-hai sempai," replied Shinobu. She felt badly about it but...she was glad that Keitaro was worried about her.
"Does anybody want some watermelon?" Everyone jumped in surprise. When they turned to look at the new arrival, they were all shocked to see that Mutsumi was here now.
"Mutsumi? Wha...how did you find us?" uttered Keitaro. "Oh? Tama-chan led me up here. He told me about the duel and I just couldn't keep myself away." "Oh boy...she really does understand what Tama-chan says doesn't she?" Keitaro thought to himself. "Hey, I wonder if that nice man over there wants some watermelon." She then decided to approach the person that she was talking about. It took a moment for everyone to figure out who Mutsumi was referring to, and by then it was too late. "Mutsumi! No, get back here!"
---
Koji was preparing to evade Motoko's latest attack, when a voice suddenly distracted him. "Konnichiwa! I was just wondering if you would like some watermelon?" "Huh? What the...?!" He turned only to discover that a young woman was now standing beside him, holding a watermelon in her hands. Crap, what the heck is she doing here? Doesn't she know that I'm in the middle of a fight? I can't evade this attack and get her out of the way too...gotta think fast. Come on Koji...think...think...think!
The chi blast from Motoko would not allow Koji time to think though, as it was hurtling towards him relentlessly. "Mutsumi-san!" cried Motoko. This was bad. Her attack may very well connect with Koji, but there was a good chance that Mutsumi may also be injured in the blast. And with her poor health, there was no telling what might happen. Motoko could do nothing but shut her eyes and try to prepare for the inevitable.
I'm out of time. What can I do? The blast was three seconds away from impact, and there was nothing he could do. He could shove the girl away, but he would take the blow full force, since his guard would be down. It was possible, but that would mean that he loses the fight. This would have to be a last resort. The other possibility was that he evade this attack and the girl would be sacrificed, and this was completely unacceptable to him. There was no way he was going to leave her to die. Unfortunately for Koji, the clock kept ticking.
3...
2...
1...
"Oh sh..."
Author's Note: I actually wanted to conclude the fight in this chapter, but I think it would've been too long if I did that. It's already pretty huge as is. Anyways, the fight -will- be concluded pretty early in the next chapter, if I can help it. I know that the story so far really hasn't had anything to do with my summary in any way, shape or form...but I promise that it will soon. I mean, the stranger has to be able to establish himself with the characters, especially Shinobu, before he can make a difference, right?
I want to quickly thank Rion, Baka-Alaskan and DeathofHell for being the first people to have reviewed my story so far. I do have a question for Death though. You've perked my curiosity...what aspect of my fanfiction is weird to you? Just wondering, since it may affect how I write this fic as time progresses. Reviews will help me make this fanfic better, so I hope everyone who reads this will review. ^_^