A/N: Okay! On to chapter 2! The only reason I got this out so soon was because of the snow here on the East Coast (yay!) I appreciate the reviews I got (they really helped... thank you roxy... {*ahem* CATE! Thanks a lot ^_~} and ladylegolas128 {Appreciate the feedback, Umi-chan!} Motoko and Yamato are (hopefully) going to become more familiar with each other, and the battle between Daisuke and Motoko will continue (and we're adding Jun to the mix)! Joy ^_^ Well, I'm hoping to stick with just -san in this chapter and not go back to Miss/Mr/Mrs/Ms, etc. So I hope I do this right ^_^ Motoko belongs to the nice folks who created Love Hina, Yamato/Sora/Taichi/Daisuke/Jun/Koushiro, etc. etc. all belong to the awesome people who created Digimon! And remember, reviewing is so much appreciated! Please enjoy!
c h a p t e r t w o - h a p p i n e s s
"Wow, I've heard of the Aoyama family before, but I had no idea that they had a daughter, it's nice to meet you Motoko!" Hikari Yagami told her, flipping her brown hair behind her shoulders. "And I hope Daisuke will be nicer to you" she added, looking towards Daisuke.
"Y-Yeah of course! Whatever you say, Hikari!" Daisuke exclaimed nodding furiously.
"He's always like this?" Motoko asked Sora, who was sitting next to her on the grass.
"Yep. Daisuke's pretty fond of girls, but he's liked Hikari for a long time. TK, or Takeru, has liked her for awhile as well, although he won't admit it. And not even Taichi, her older brother, knows who she likes. It's kind of interesting to watch sometimes" Sora chuckled.
"You said you moved from Hinata, didn't you?" Ken asked her curiously, changing the subject abruptly.
"Yes, I did" she told him.
"Are you familiar with anyone by the name of Maehara Shinobu?" he asked.
"Shinobu-chan is a good friend of mine, actually" Motoko told him as she sipped her green tea.
"Really? She's my cousin! I haven't seen her since her parents divorced, however" Ken told her.
"Shinobu-chan has been living at the Hinata Inn for sometime now... three years I suppose."
"I hear Hinata has really nice hot springs, I'd love to go and visit sometime!" Taichi exclaimed, stretching underneath a tree.
"You'd go anywhere as long as you got out of school, Taichi" Hikari told him with a grin.
"That about sums it up!" TK chuckled. "Oh, in case there was any confusion, I'm Yamato's little brother."
"Really? I thought you looked alike" Motoko admitted.
"Speaking of Yamato, where is he?" Miyako wondered aloud.
"Probably practicing with the band" TK suggested. "He always has some kind of club going on..."
"Clubs... S-Shimatta! I have something to take care of!" Motoko explained as she stood up quickly, gathering her things.
"Hm? What's up, Oba-chan?" Daisuke asked, lounging beside Hikari.
"Nothing of your concern, kaijuu" Motoko spat angrily.
"Going to go sneak a peak at Yamato?" Daisuke asked.
"Huh?" everyone wondered, turning towards Daisuke.
"Haven't you seen the way she gets all nervous around him? Oba-chan is in lo-"
"Zantetsusen!!" Motoko exclaimed, pushing Daisuke back against the tree Taichi was leaning on. Daisuke flatted Taichi behind him and both of them soon formed the common swirlies in their eyes. "You still dare to trifle with me?!"
"Wow... how do you get used to this, Daisuke?" Taichi asked him, his head swirling around.
"G-Good question..." Daisuke muttered. Everyone turned back to Motoko was blushing furiously and breathing heavily from the physical exertion and her anger.
"Motoko, is what he said true?" Miyako asked, raising an eyebrow.
"D-Don't make her mad!" Koushiro whispered.
"You believe someone like Motomiya?! Of course it's not true! I've taken a vow before my family to never fall in love and I intend to keep it."
"You can't fall in love? But why?" Sora asked curiously, a bit of concern found in her voice.
"It's... complicated" Motoko explained nervously, not wishing to tell them just yet about her family. "I-I should get going... I have to go see the Kendo captain. I'll see you all in class." Motoko rushed off quickly before anyone could object.
"Daisuke, why'd you have to go off and make her mad again?" Taichi demanded, shaking off his dizziness.
"What? Oba-chan is fun to poke fun at" Daisuke chuckled.
"Daisuke!!" Hikari exclaimed, absolutely flabbergasted.
"I didn't mean it Hikari! I'm sorry!!"
"*sigh* You'll never change..."
'I shouldn't let it get to me. Motomiya is a brute who doesn't deserve to worry over. I'd better not let my emotions get the best of me... I still remember what Urashima did to me that one time... he blocked my sword because I let my insecurities get to me. I'll have to make sure to keep myself calm. Motoko Aoyama doesn't let things like this get to her. Never.'
"Aoyama-sempai!" a small voice exclaimed. She stopped her running and looked over to Iori who was jogging towards her. "Our Kendo captain is looking for you, Aoyama-sempai."
"Hontou? That's the person I was looking for." Iori led her into the gym where the Kendo club sat patiently and began to whisper furiously over their new member.
"She's so pretty..."
"I wonder if she has a boyfriend..."
"Better watch it, the Shinmei style is pretty fierce. You sure you want a woman like that?"
"I wonder how she would look in a dress?"
"Maybe she's my type..."
"She's absolutely beautiful..."
"ENOUGH!" The men immediately stopped and turned towards their tall, rather muscular captain.
"Aoyama-san, it's an honor to have you join our squad! Most of the Shinmei school members attend private schools around Odaiba, but to have you as our member far surpasses anyone else. We're most grateful." He said with a bow. He glanced over to his team members who were still staring at Motoko with stars in their eyes. "BOW!" he commanded angrily.
"Y-Y-Yes, Captain!" they exclaimed, bowing immediately. Motoko sweatdropped as she watched the boys on the Kendo team bow furiously.
'Men...' she thought to herself.
"Aoyama-sempai, you will be joining our Kendo team, right?"
"If you will allow-"
"HAI! Of course!! I'll even make you Co-Captain, Aoyama!" he insisted.
"But, I'm Co-" a meek young boy started to say.
"Not anymore! You'll answer to Aoyama-sempai now!"
"H-Hai..."
"Honestly, you don't have to go through so much trouble-"
"Are you kidding?! A female on our Kendo team and she's an amazing one at that? I'm flattered, Aoyama!" he exclaimed, grabbing her hands as little stars formed in his eyes.
"Let me go" she told him under her breath, her face now forming a glare.
"H-Hai! Gomen nasai! I just got carried away" the Captain chuckled nervously.
"Neh, Aoyama-sempai, I'll show you where the uniforms are, okay?" Iori suggested.
"Are you sure you want to go with the freshman, Aoyama-sempai?"
"Hai, I'll show you!"
"No, I will!"
"Aoyama-sempai would obviously have a better time with me!"
"No, me!!"
"Ano, Iori-kun, please show me the way..." Motoko pleaded.
"I-I-I-Iori-kun? I'm flattered, A-"
"Hai, hai, come on" Motoko sighed, fed up with everyone praising her. She grabbed Iori's hand and began to drag him away towards the locker rooms.
"Iori is so lucky..."
"Freshman always get the girls... only because they're short and cute..."
"It's not fair..."
"Ano... Aoyama-sempai..." Iori called out nervously, regaining his somewhat former calm and collected self as he leaned against the door leading to the girl's locker room.
"Hai, Iori-kun?" Motoko asked from inside of the girl's locker room.
"Is it true that you're not allowed to marry, Motoko-sempai?" he asked, being so daring as to use her first name.
"Hai, it's true, Iori-kun. I'm forbidden to fall in love at all, because I am to inherit the Shinmei School. My sister ran away from her duties however... she married and left the sword behind her."
"... Isn't it hard though, Motoko-sempai? Knowing that you can never love?"
"Iie, not really. I know that I have my friends and family around me. So it's not that bad, Iori-kun. Why do you ask?"
"No reason, Motoko-sempai. I just wanted to know your thoughts... you and your family have always been a source of courage for me. The stories my grandfather has told me of the Shinmei school have always been amazing... I hope someday I can enroll."
"Iori-kun... you have the heart of a master kendo practitioner. I can really tell. If you decide to put in an application, I'll put in a good word for you..."
"Are you serious?!" Iori exclaimed excitedly. "Motoko-sempai, you're so gracious!" Motoko chuckled as she came out of the locker room in the black kendo uniform.
"Do I look alright, Iori-kun?"
"Hai, Motoko-sempai! Very cool!" he exclaimed with excitement.
'Iori-kun reminds me of myself and how I looked up to my sister... I'll make sure to watch out for him like my sister did for me' Motoko told herself with a grin.
"Iori-kun, I'm going to go get my gym bag from my locker. We still have another twenty minutes for lunch, right?"
"Hai, Motoko-sempai. Would you like me to go with you?"
"Iie, please go tell the captain where I've gone, I should be back soon."
"Hai, Motoko-sempai, I'll make sure to tell him." Motoko nodded and proceeded towards her locker. "Motoko-sempai is so cool..."
'I wonder how my sister is doing lately... it's been so long since I've seen her. She hasn't sent a letter or anything since I visited over the summer... Tsuruko... Why did you give up the sword and leave me with the family responsibility? Why?' Motoko wondered to herself as she continued through the hallway. As she was pulling her hair up into a ponytail, the sound of music playing caught her attention and she wandered towards an open door.
"The key to granting wishes is like gardens to bloom. The road that will lead you together, that door will open soon..." a faint voice sang. Motoko peeked through the small crack and saw Yamato and his band practicing, a group of girls were sighing and ogling through another larger door on the other side.
'For modern music... it isn't that bad I suppose...' Motoko thought.
"Once you break out of that old road you were on before, all the world will open up to you" Yamato continued to sing.
'Yamato is the lead singer too? No wonder everyone is so attracted to him. He's popular, a good singer, and handsome- WHAT?! DAMN THESE FEELINGS! ARG! WHY AM I LIKE THIS?!'
"Ha, I knew it..." a voice chuckled beside her. Motoko jumped back when Daisuke stood beside her, looking in after her.
"M-Motomiya! It's not what you think!"
"Suuuure, like I'm really going to buy that, Oba-chan. You're in loooove with Yamato, neh?"
"H-How dare you defile my innocent heart with the notion that I have some infatuation?!" she exclaimed angrily.
"Oh yeah? Just so happens there's a rumor floating around, Oba-chan... It's an interesting rumor really. And it has to do with a certain weakness of yours..." From behind his back Daisuke produced a small, ugly little creature that brought sheer fear and anxiety to Motoko's face.
"T-T-T-T-T-Turtle!!!" she sputtered.
"Catch!" Daisuke chuckled as he tossed the turtle towards her.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!" Motoko scream echoed through the hallways as she burst through the open door, falling back onto the floor right in front of the band. Daisuke roared with laughed as Motoko continued to lie on the floor, feeling quite overwhelmed by the sight of the small turtle.
"Aoyama-san, are you alright?" a voice asked above her. Her eyes began to focus a little bit and the face of Yamato began to appear above her.
"I-Ishida-san?" she said aloud.
"Ooh, Oba-chan, your face is flushing again!" Daisuke exclaimed. Motoko gritted her teeth angrily and she held onto her sword tightly.
"Ni no tachi!!!" Motoko practically screamed as she slung her sword, a path of chi heading straight towards Daisuke. Daisuke hit the wall again, this time not getting up immediately or even showing signs of regaining his senses.
"Itai..." was all the Daisuke continued to mumble as he sat stooped against the wall.
"What happened, Aoyama-san?" Yamato asked her quizzically.
'Yamato is very, very dangerous to me. Who knows what I could think or say next?!!'
"I-I'm fine, Ishida-san, really..." she insisted quickly, pulling herself off of the floor and brushing herself off.
"You don't look like it" he told her, pointing to the slight bruise on the side of her head. "Maybe you should see the nurse-"
"Iie, I'm fine" Motoko snapped angrily.
"I was only trying to help! You don't have to be rude" Yamato insisted, his voice rising steadily. "Let me help you out-" Yamato reached out a hand but Motoko quickly stepped away.
"Let go!! I'm FINE!" she quickly insisted. Before Yamato could interject, Motoko quickly took off down the hallway.
"Oi, Yamato, don't bother with her. She may be hot, but she's seems a bit loony. Hurry up and pack your stuff up!" one of his band members, Takashi, called out to him.
"Yeah, I'm coming..."
"Welcome, Aoyama-san to chemistry! I hope that you'll enjoy this class as my other students have" the chemistry teacher told her with a grin as he pushed his big glasses up on his nose.
"Hai, arigatou sensei" Motoko told him with a small smile.
"Now, because of Aoyama-san's arrival here at Odaiba, I thought it would be appropriate to rearrange our partners a little bit" he told the class, who inwardly groaned.
"But I like where we're sitting for class!" Taichi exclaimed, he glanced over towards Sora who blushed slightly, "I really, really like where we sit in class!"
"Hold your hormones, Yagami. Cut Takenouchi a break, neh?" he told him with a grin. The rest of the class chuckled as Taichi angrily crossed his arms.
"Ooh, maybe I'll get paired with Yamato!"
"It's certainly possible!"
"Let's see here, let's start with you Yagami Taichi... we'll pair you up with... Yuuki Miaka."
"H-Her?!" Taichi demanded. Over on the other side of the room, a young girl with buns tied on either side looked a large beaker.
"Oooh, glassy...." she murmured, completely taken with the large object.
"Great... I'm gonna fail for sure..." Taichi muttered.
"Takenouchi Sora with... Ryuuzaki Umi."
"H-Huh?" Sora exclaimed, glancing over towards the blue haired girl.
"Hai, she had the nerve to tell me that!" Umi exclaimed over her cellular phone, "I wish that I had never bought that Kate Spade purse. I should have gotten the Gucci one!"
"Great... F for me too..." Sora muttered angrily.
"Hmm... Himura Kenshin and Inverse Lina."
"Oro??? Not her..."
"Ooooh... fire...."
"Daidouji Tomoyo and Ayanami Rei."
"Can I film you?"
"..." And on went the list, girls waited anxiously for one single name to be called and when it finally was...
"Ishida Yamato and..." It didn't exactly turn out as everyone had expected. "Aoyama Motoko." Motoko sputtered, her eyes nearly bulged out as she turned towards Yamato who too looking considerably surprised.
'This must be some kind of sick joke...' Motoko thought to herself.
'Great... I'm stuck with her...' Yamato sighed angrily.
'I'd rather be stuck with one of his silly fan girls...'
'Well, it's better than some fan girl I guess...'
'It could be worse though...'
'I could've done better though...' Reluctantly, Motoko slipped into the chair beside Yamato and glanced over at him.
'Okay, Motoko... just stay calm... don't think too much into this... you are unaffected by him. There's absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to the boy in the dream... there isn't...'
'What's her deal? She looks so agitated all the time... she's like a firecracker... just waiting to explode in your face... probably my face next... although her skills are kind of cool. She's not like the rest of the girls who just sit and cry... she can take care of herself. I admire that...'
'Otou-san would be so disappointed if he knew I had this much trouble with boys... But I'm eighteen... things like this are bound to happen, right? Many girls of my age experience trauma like this... however, I'm certainly not most normal girls.'
'I wish she were a little feminine though. If she didn't try to bite your head off every time you attempted to help her... maybe I'd..... no way. It wouldn't work out.'
'It could never work between us. Pretty boys like him could never understand the intensity and honor of the Shinmei School. T-That's right... I feel better already... I have more confidence now.'
'There's no way I could date her. She doesn't have a shred of gentleness in her, and she doesn't look like she could really appreciate my music either. She'd probably make TK uncomfortable too... yeah... Those are all good reasons. I think I've gained a handle on the situation.'
"Okay class!" The chemistry teacher broke Yamato and Motoko out of their thoughts and back to the real world, "Today you'll be working with several acids. All of you need to put on your goggles, aprons, and gloves. Some of these acids can burn pretty badly, so make sure that you are extremely careful-"
"SorryI'mlateMr.Kuraki, Mylunchdidn't-" a young girl with crazy hair exclaimed as she entered the classroom.
"Oh... Oh no..." Yamato grumbled, putting his head in his hands.
"What? Worried that the goggles will flatten your hair?" Motoko asked sarcastically.
"No... her..." Yamato groaned, motioning over towards the girl who had just come in.
"YAMATO!!!!!!" she exclaimed excitedly. She immediately dashed towards him and latched her arm around his.
"O-Oi! That's my lab partner!" Motoko exclaimed angrily.
"Y-Yamato? Who is this? A... A girlfriend?" Yamato and Motoko faces both flushed in embarrassment.
"WHAT?! Her? This ungrateful woman?!"
"HIM?! This... this pretty boy?!"
"Oh, well good! My name is Motomiya Jun and-"
"M-M-Motomiya? You're related to that despicable, lecherous, immoral brute?!"
"Who Daisuke? Yeah, that's probably a good way to put him... Are you his girlfriend or something?"
"H-How dare you say such a thing!! You're words are inexcusable!!!" Motoko exclaimed as she reached for her sword. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she spun around to see her teacher.
"Not around potentially dangerous chemicals, Aoyama-san. When you leave, you can do whatever you wish, but here... you're just going to have to shove those emotions away-"
"Are you saying I'm emotional? Like her?!" Motoko asked incredulously.
"Woah, down girl. Let's finish our lab practical first" Yamato insisted as he put the goggles on.
"Ooooh, Yamato! You look cute even with those geeky goggles!!!" Jun exclaimed happily.
"Ahem, Motomiya-san, your partner is in the back." The chemistry teacher pointed in the back where an unkempt boy with spiky blonde hair was stuffing his face with donuts.
"Great... I always get stuck with the punks..." Jun mumbled angrily. As she sulked towards the back of the classroom, Yamato breathed a sigh of relief.
"Does she always do this to you?" Motoko asked him.
"Hai... she's always following me around, ruining any moments peace I have, and constantly annoying me to no end!" he sighed.
"That girl... she's JUST like her brother..." Motoko growled, glaring daggers at the girl behind her. In her enraged state, Motoko grabbed the nearest beaker and poured it into another, and another, and another...
"M-Motoko! Would you watch what you're doing!?" Motoko broke out of her thoughts just as the green, gooey substance began to cascaded over the top, slowly the substance began to eat away at the table and was beginning to drop dangerously closed towards Motoko's feet. (A/N: What? Considering the original randomness of Love Hina, this is mild...) "Idiot! Watch out!" Without warning, she felt arms close tightly around her as she was pulled away from the substance which ate through the wood and barely missed her feet. Two arms were crossed over her chest and she was pressed tightly against Yamato's chest as the entire class stopped what they were doing and watched in awe.
"It's just like all of those shoujo mangas..." Sora sighed enviously. Motoko's face was far beyond a blush, as was Yamato's who looked like his face was on fire.
'This... this lightness... it's like I feel absolutely nothing... she fits so perfectly in my arms... It's so strange. I've... I've never held another woman like this...'
'.... My heart is beating so fast... My lips are quivering... My palms are sweaty... What.... What is this feeling? What is this wonderful sensation?' Motoko's face completely hardened and tensed suddenly, the realization of her words crossing her mind. 'N-No... This is... This is my first love?!'
"Woah... now there folks is some chemistry if I've ever seen it" the teacher grinned happily, immensely pleased with his poor joke.
"You hussy! You did that on purpose just so Yamato would catch you! *****!" Motoko's insecurities suddenly drifted away and her anger began to submerge because of the fowl word that floated from Jun's mouth.
"J-J-Jun..." Motoko whispered angrily. Her teeth tightened together and her eyes burned with sheer anger. "DON'T YOU EVER CALL ME THAT AGAIN!!!! ZANTETSUZEN!!!!!!" As if by magic, the powerful force sent Jun right up against the side of the room, and everyone could swear that they saw a faint outline of Jun's body pressed into the wall. "AND YOU!! HOW DARE YOU MAKE A MOCKERY OF ME!" Motoko exclaimed angrily, turning towards Yamato. She held up her sword, but her conscious reminded of the fact that he had been generous enough to move her out of harm's way. Slowly, she gave in, and she lowered her sword. "A-Arigatou, Ishida-san... I'll go to the bathroom and begin to clean up this mess..." Motoko's movements were almost robotically stiff as she moved towards the door and out into the hallway. Everyone turned back to Yamato whose knees were shaking and his face was a mixture of red, pink and white.
"Y-Yamato? Are you alright?" Sora asked him as she approached.
"W-Women will be the death of me... I swear..."