DISCLAIMER: I do not own Love Hina.
The sky was still partly dark. The morning sun had just begun casting its first hint of light when Keitaro felt something tapping his left leg.
"Urashima, it is time." Motoko told him.
"W--- What?" Keitaro opened his eyes and found the lovely swordswoman standing beside him, holding two wooden swords. His attention was drawn to his chest where Naru's head lay. Everyone else was still fast asleep.
"You're supposed to train with me this morning, are you not?" She reminded him.
"Oh, yes, I remember." Keitaro replied. "Give me a few minutes. We don't want to wake everybody up this early." He then very slowly stood up; cradling Naru's head and making sure he didn't disturb her sleep. Keitaro then headed to the cafe to wash up before journeying with Motoko to her training spot on the beach.
Motoko's spot was roughly fifteen minutes walking time from the beach house. Silence was the only persistent factor present as Keitaro and Motoko headed to the spot. Their individual thoughts were the only voices heard within.
"I don't know if I'm up to this. I do feel so much better now but I'm not sure if I can live up to her expectations. I hope I don't disappoint her." Keitaro thought.
"I must prepare myself well. If my eyes did not deceive me the other night, Urashima has a lot of potential. I don't understand why he keeps his skill bottled up inside and I wonder how he maintains his form without practicing as much as I do---"Motoko wondered. "Urashima has transformed into a more mature man. Why do I feel different when I'm around him and why is this feeling stronger now than before? I do not understand what this emotion is."
"Motoko, you seem bothered by something." Keitaro interrupted.
"Do not mind me, Urashima. I suggest you try to spend this time meditating." She replied.
Motoko's thoughts wouldn't stop bothering her. "Why can't I look at him straight in the eye? I cannot fall in love with this person. Naru-sempai has already confessed her feelings for him. How am I going to defeat him like this?! I must set my mind straight. For this training, Urashima is my opponent and I cannot be defeated. That's it! I should see Urashima as my enemy for this match. That way, I can keep my thoughts focused on our activity!"
"Are we there yet?" Keitaro interrupted again.
"The place is just behind the rock formation ahead. Take this." Motoko handing over the other wooden sword. "We shall begin as soon as we get there."
Keitaro and Motoko climbed over the rock formation. Behind the unsightly rocks that they climbed lay a stretch of beach with powdery white sands and coconut trees lining the shoreline. It looked more like a romantic getaway spot rather than a training area.
"Wow, Motoko-chan! This place is lovely! If I hadn't known better, I'd think you brought me here so you can ask me on a date!" Keitaro jokingly commented.
Motoko blushed and turned away from Keitaro. Although she was beginning to wish it was, so couldn't let her feelings for him show. "Do not insult me Urashima! Prepare to fight!" She screamed.
Keitaro positioned himself a few meters away from the swordswoman. "I don't know what I'm doing but I hope the exercise will help me loosen up a bit. After that bout with Seta-san, I feel so heavy." He thought to himself.
Motoko started attacking while Keitaro was still preparing himself. "Urashima, defend yourself!"
Meanwhile---
"Hmmm--- did you sleep well?" Naru mumbled. "Keitaro---"She extended her hands, searching for the warm body she lay on before she fell asleep. "Keitaro---?"Naru sat up trying to find him among the rest of the sleeping bodies. "Keitaro, you will really get it this time if I find you sleeping beside somebody else!" She said. Naru stood up, walking around the area. "Maybe he's in the beach house, that baka!" Naru noticed the other person missing from the group. "Motoko--- could she have--- No, it's not possible! She would be the last person to even think of doing that to me!" Naru thought. She ran out of the café after finding only Haruka inside. "Keitaro!!!" Naru screamed, waking up the others.
"What's going on?" asked a sleepy Shinobu.
Everybody else started stirring after, awakened by the commotion Naru caused.
"Has anybody seen Keitaro?" Naru was now staring to worry.
"Urashima, Defend your self!" came a cry from the distance.
Motoko charged towards Keitaro at full speed catching the young man in a position where it was too late to take a defensive stance. Motoko drew her wooden sword and swung at the man before her. He didn't look prepared to defend himself but she saw him looking into her eyes. He looked unbelievably calm for the situation. "This fight will not last long." She thought to herself. Her hands directed the wooden sword to where her opponent was. She closed her eyes, expecting some resistance as her weapon made contact with her subject. Her sword parted the space before her, slicing the air perfectly without resistance. Motoko opened her eyes and was shocked to find her opponent not there. She arrested her momentum and immediately spun herself around just in time to find Keitaro landing a few meters away from where she was. Motoko had no time to spare. She charged towards Keitaro once more, swinging her weapon from the side. Keitaro stood his ground this time, parrying every strike Motoko threw at him.
Naru heard the screams from the distance and turned her head towards the direction where the voice came from.
"Oh my God, Motoko really took her challenge seriously. Keitaro hasn't even recovered yet and now he's out there defending himself from Motoko! He must be in pieces right now! I have to stop this!!!" Naru told the rest of the half-asleep girls.
"Keitaro!!!" Naru screamed as she ran towards the beach.
"Fight!!!" Kaolla squealed in delight as she followed Naru, her sleep left behind as she stood up.
The rest of the girls followed suit.
Keitaro was successfully blocking every one of Motoko's blows. "I don't believe this myself! These skills must have been subconsciously locked away. I don't even know how I'm actually blocking Motoko's blows! This feels like a natural reflex or something." He managed to think.
There were no defined movements to be seen from the fight. Motoko and Keitaro were moving so fast, everything looked blurred. Sand was flying all around the place, disturbed by the energy coming from both parties.
"Why can't I get a single blow in?" Motoko was disturbed. "He doesn't seem tired. It looks like he's even deep in thought, away from this match!"
All the pain that was inflicted the other night seemed negligible at the moment. Keitaro was in a world of his own. He was starting to sweat, trying to defend himself from Motoko's attacks but he didn't feel exhausted from doing so. He didn't want to counter Motoko's attacks. This time, he felt confident that if he did so, he might end up hurting her. He couldn't possible do that! Not while he can help it.
Motoko saw an opening while Keitaro was deep in thought. She dragged her wooden sword on the fine white sand and slashed upwards. Keitaro saw it coming, but Motoko's move was quicker this time. He brought down his weapon to suppress the blow but it came too late. The tip of Motoko's sword made contact with Keitaro's left shoulder causing a bruise that eventually bled because of the sand on the sword tip. Keitaro spun away and covered his left shoulder with his right hand. He felt pain and realized he was still recovering from the other night's encounter with Seta. Motoko gave her body a chance to get some rest but kept her defenses up. "Argh---"Keitaro moaned in his head. "I can't keep up like this. If I allow Motoko-chan to remain on the offensive, I'm never going to recover."
The swordswoman blazed towards Keitaro once more, keeping on the offensive side of the battle. Keitaro put more attention into blocking Motoko's advances but this time he countered her moves every so often which made Motoko change her attack strategy. She found it so difficult to get past his defense but she felt he was holding back on attacking her. "I have to draw blood to bring out what he can do. It actually hurts me inside to see you in pain, Urashima, but you have to show me what you're really made of!" she thought.
Motoko broke her attack and thrust her sword towards Keitaro. The sword made contact with his chest just as he spun back, tearing his shirt and causing yet another bruise. Keitaro was hit, but this didn't bother him. As he spun away from Motoko's wooden blade, he shifted his grip on his sword, grabbing the hilt with his left hand and the handle with his right. Keitaro, assumed a battojutsu stance and immediately initiated the attack. His sword slashed at the empty space before him, sending a current of energy traveling towards Motoko's direction.
Motoko froze for a moment, unable to believe that Keitaro was capable of such an attack. When her mind woke up to the reality of the situation, she initiated her counter-attack. "If I channel all my energy into this slash, I might be able to neutralize Keitaro's attack." Motoko deduced.
"SUCCESSION MOVE ZANKUSEN!!!" Motoko screamed! She put all her might into the sword and felt all her energy go with the Ki that was on a collision course with Keitaro's. Motoko's muscles gave way and she fell, kneeling on the sand, unable to support her weight.
"Keitaro watched as the two powerful bodies of channeled energy raced towards each other. Motoko's seemed larger. It stirred up a lot of sand along its path. The Ki that Keitaro released looked similar to the blade of his wooden sword. It was definitely smaller, but it was moving faster as it went further away from him.
Naru was running halfway through her destination when she saw a brilliant flash of light where Keitaro and Motoko should be fighting.
"Keitaro!!! Motoko!!!" She screamed in tears.
Motoko's Ki had deteriorated upon colliding with Keitaro's, but there was something wrong. The energy channeled from Keitaro's sword went through Motoko's counter-attack and was on its way towards the weakened swordswoman.
Motoko could barely move. She was on the path of this unbelievably powerful energy force and she couldn't command her body to move away. She was already preparing herself for the inevitable. "This is really going to hurt!" she told herself. The energy force was 5 seconds away from hitting her. She was already feeling the wind it was moving ahead of it.
5----4----3----
Motoko closed her eyes.
2----
Keitaro carried Motoko in his arms, supporting her back with the left and her legs with the right. She felt him jump up, taking her with him.
----1
The energy wave passed inches from Keitaro's feet, blasting a huge rockthat was behind her into a million pieces and taking out the tree that was peacefully located behind it.
The young man came back to earth gracefully with the lady in his arms.
Motoko looked up at Keitaro's face with very different eyes; eyes that have newfound respect for the man that was holding her.
"Urashima---"she whispered.
She then placed one of her hands on his cheek and pulled his face towards hers. She closed her eyes and her soft lips met his. She indulged herself in a passionate kiss that became the outlet of all her emotions. She was crying because she was finally able to let go of her deepest inhibitions and yet she was extremely happy she had this moment with the person she loved. Yes, she loved him and she was not going to hide it. This time, at least.
Their lips parted and Motoko flashes and innocent smile.
"M--- Motoko-chan!" Keitaro cried in disbelief. "What was that about?!!! You know Narusegawa and -----"
"Keitaro!!!" Naru yelled as she emerged from the rock pile that secluded Motoko's training spot.
Keitaro released Motoko from his arms as fast as he saved her.
"N--- Narusegawa!" he replied.
"What happened here? Are you both okay? What did you do to Motoko-chan?!" her questions just kept coming in.
"Urashima-san here has retained his fighting skills, as I have discovered. Actually, his fighting skills are more developed than we all expected." Motoko answered.
Keitaro just laughed while scratching his head. The rest of the Hinata girls emerged from the rocks one by one.
"What did we miss?!!!" Kaolla asked.
"Not much. Isn't that right Keitaro-kun?" Motoko replied, smiling towards Keitaro.
"KEITARO-KUN???!!!"
The sky was still partly dark. The morning sun had just begun casting its first hint of light when Keitaro felt something tapping his left leg.
"Urashima, it is time." Motoko told him.
"W--- What?" Keitaro opened his eyes and found the lovely swordswoman standing beside him, holding two wooden swords. His attention was drawn to his chest where Naru's head lay. Everyone else was still fast asleep.
"You're supposed to train with me this morning, are you not?" She reminded him.
"Oh, yes, I remember." Keitaro replied. "Give me a few minutes. We don't want to wake everybody up this early." He then very slowly stood up; cradling Naru's head and making sure he didn't disturb her sleep. Keitaro then headed to the cafe to wash up before journeying with Motoko to her training spot on the beach.
Motoko's spot was roughly fifteen minutes walking time from the beach house. Silence was the only persistent factor present as Keitaro and Motoko headed to the spot. Their individual thoughts were the only voices heard within.
"I don't know if I'm up to this. I do feel so much better now but I'm not sure if I can live up to her expectations. I hope I don't disappoint her." Keitaro thought.
"I must prepare myself well. If my eyes did not deceive me the other night, Urashima has a lot of potential. I don't understand why he keeps his skill bottled up inside and I wonder how he maintains his form without practicing as much as I do---"Motoko wondered. "Urashima has transformed into a more mature man. Why do I feel different when I'm around him and why is this feeling stronger now than before? I do not understand what this emotion is."
"Motoko, you seem bothered by something." Keitaro interrupted.
"Do not mind me, Urashima. I suggest you try to spend this time meditating." She replied.
Motoko's thoughts wouldn't stop bothering her. "Why can't I look at him straight in the eye? I cannot fall in love with this person. Naru-sempai has already confessed her feelings for him. How am I going to defeat him like this?! I must set my mind straight. For this training, Urashima is my opponent and I cannot be defeated. That's it! I should see Urashima as my enemy for this match. That way, I can keep my thoughts focused on our activity!"
"Are we there yet?" Keitaro interrupted again.
"The place is just behind the rock formation ahead. Take this." Motoko handing over the other wooden sword. "We shall begin as soon as we get there."
Keitaro and Motoko climbed over the rock formation. Behind the unsightly rocks that they climbed lay a stretch of beach with powdery white sands and coconut trees lining the shoreline. It looked more like a romantic getaway spot rather than a training area.
"Wow, Motoko-chan! This place is lovely! If I hadn't known better, I'd think you brought me here so you can ask me on a date!" Keitaro jokingly commented.
Motoko blushed and turned away from Keitaro. Although she was beginning to wish it was, so couldn't let her feelings for him show. "Do not insult me Urashima! Prepare to fight!" She screamed.
Keitaro positioned himself a few meters away from the swordswoman. "I don't know what I'm doing but I hope the exercise will help me loosen up a bit. After that bout with Seta-san, I feel so heavy." He thought to himself.
Motoko started attacking while Keitaro was still preparing himself. "Urashima, defend yourself!"
Meanwhile---
"Hmmm--- did you sleep well?" Naru mumbled. "Keitaro---"She extended her hands, searching for the warm body she lay on before she fell asleep. "Keitaro---?"Naru sat up trying to find him among the rest of the sleeping bodies. "Keitaro, you will really get it this time if I find you sleeping beside somebody else!" She said. Naru stood up, walking around the area. "Maybe he's in the beach house, that baka!" Naru noticed the other person missing from the group. "Motoko--- could she have--- No, it's not possible! She would be the last person to even think of doing that to me!" Naru thought. She ran out of the café after finding only Haruka inside. "Keitaro!!!" Naru screamed, waking up the others.
"What's going on?" asked a sleepy Shinobu.
Everybody else started stirring after, awakened by the commotion Naru caused.
"Has anybody seen Keitaro?" Naru was now staring to worry.
"Urashima, Defend your self!" came a cry from the distance.
Motoko charged towards Keitaro at full speed catching the young man in a position where it was too late to take a defensive stance. Motoko drew her wooden sword and swung at the man before her. He didn't look prepared to defend himself but she saw him looking into her eyes. He looked unbelievably calm for the situation. "This fight will not last long." She thought to herself. Her hands directed the wooden sword to where her opponent was. She closed her eyes, expecting some resistance as her weapon made contact with her subject. Her sword parted the space before her, slicing the air perfectly without resistance. Motoko opened her eyes and was shocked to find her opponent not there. She arrested her momentum and immediately spun herself around just in time to find Keitaro landing a few meters away from where she was. Motoko had no time to spare. She charged towards Keitaro once more, swinging her weapon from the side. Keitaro stood his ground this time, parrying every strike Motoko threw at him.
Naru heard the screams from the distance and turned her head towards the direction where the voice came from.
"Oh my God, Motoko really took her challenge seriously. Keitaro hasn't even recovered yet and now he's out there defending himself from Motoko! He must be in pieces right now! I have to stop this!!!" Naru told the rest of the half-asleep girls.
"Keitaro!!!" Naru screamed as she ran towards the beach.
"Fight!!!" Kaolla squealed in delight as she followed Naru, her sleep left behind as she stood up.
The rest of the girls followed suit.
Keitaro was successfully blocking every one of Motoko's blows. "I don't believe this myself! These skills must have been subconsciously locked away. I don't even know how I'm actually blocking Motoko's blows! This feels like a natural reflex or something." He managed to think.
There were no defined movements to be seen from the fight. Motoko and Keitaro were moving so fast, everything looked blurred. Sand was flying all around the place, disturbed by the energy coming from both parties.
"Why can't I get a single blow in?" Motoko was disturbed. "He doesn't seem tired. It looks like he's even deep in thought, away from this match!"
All the pain that was inflicted the other night seemed negligible at the moment. Keitaro was in a world of his own. He was starting to sweat, trying to defend himself from Motoko's attacks but he didn't feel exhausted from doing so. He didn't want to counter Motoko's attacks. This time, he felt confident that if he did so, he might end up hurting her. He couldn't possible do that! Not while he can help it.
Motoko saw an opening while Keitaro was deep in thought. She dragged her wooden sword on the fine white sand and slashed upwards. Keitaro saw it coming, but Motoko's move was quicker this time. He brought down his weapon to suppress the blow but it came too late. The tip of Motoko's sword made contact with Keitaro's left shoulder causing a bruise that eventually bled because of the sand on the sword tip. Keitaro spun away and covered his left shoulder with his right hand. He felt pain and realized he was still recovering from the other night's encounter with Seta. Motoko gave her body a chance to get some rest but kept her defenses up. "Argh---"Keitaro moaned in his head. "I can't keep up like this. If I allow Motoko-chan to remain on the offensive, I'm never going to recover."
The swordswoman blazed towards Keitaro once more, keeping on the offensive side of the battle. Keitaro put more attention into blocking Motoko's advances but this time he countered her moves every so often which made Motoko change her attack strategy. She found it so difficult to get past his defense but she felt he was holding back on attacking her. "I have to draw blood to bring out what he can do. It actually hurts me inside to see you in pain, Urashima, but you have to show me what you're really made of!" she thought.
Motoko broke her attack and thrust her sword towards Keitaro. The sword made contact with his chest just as he spun back, tearing his shirt and causing yet another bruise. Keitaro was hit, but this didn't bother him. As he spun away from Motoko's wooden blade, he shifted his grip on his sword, grabbing the hilt with his left hand and the handle with his right. Keitaro, assumed a battojutsu stance and immediately initiated the attack. His sword slashed at the empty space before him, sending a current of energy traveling towards Motoko's direction.
Motoko froze for a moment, unable to believe that Keitaro was capable of such an attack. When her mind woke up to the reality of the situation, she initiated her counter-attack. "If I channel all my energy into this slash, I might be able to neutralize Keitaro's attack." Motoko deduced.
"SUCCESSION MOVE ZANKUSEN!!!" Motoko screamed! She put all her might into the sword and felt all her energy go with the Ki that was on a collision course with Keitaro's. Motoko's muscles gave way and she fell, kneeling on the sand, unable to support her weight.
"Keitaro watched as the two powerful bodies of channeled energy raced towards each other. Motoko's seemed larger. It stirred up a lot of sand along its path. The Ki that Keitaro released looked similar to the blade of his wooden sword. It was definitely smaller, but it was moving faster as it went further away from him.
Naru was running halfway through her destination when she saw a brilliant flash of light where Keitaro and Motoko should be fighting.
"Keitaro!!! Motoko!!!" She screamed in tears.
Motoko's Ki had deteriorated upon colliding with Keitaro's, but there was something wrong. The energy channeled from Keitaro's sword went through Motoko's counter-attack and was on its way towards the weakened swordswoman.
Motoko could barely move. She was on the path of this unbelievably powerful energy force and she couldn't command her body to move away. She was already preparing herself for the inevitable. "This is really going to hurt!" she told herself. The energy force was 5 seconds away from hitting her. She was already feeling the wind it was moving ahead of it.
5----4----3----
Motoko closed her eyes.
2----
Keitaro carried Motoko in his arms, supporting her back with the left and her legs with the right. She felt him jump up, taking her with him.
----1
The energy wave passed inches from Keitaro's feet, blasting a huge rockthat was behind her into a million pieces and taking out the tree that was peacefully located behind it.
The young man came back to earth gracefully with the lady in his arms.
Motoko looked up at Keitaro's face with very different eyes; eyes that have newfound respect for the man that was holding her.
"Urashima---"she whispered.
She then placed one of her hands on his cheek and pulled his face towards hers. She closed her eyes and her soft lips met his. She indulged herself in a passionate kiss that became the outlet of all her emotions. She was crying because she was finally able to let go of her deepest inhibitions and yet she was extremely happy she had this moment with the person she loved. Yes, she loved him and she was not going to hide it. This time, at least.
Their lips parted and Motoko flashes and innocent smile.
"M--- Motoko-chan!" Keitaro cried in disbelief. "What was that about?!!! You know Narusegawa and -----"
"Keitaro!!!" Naru yelled as she emerged from the rock pile that secluded Motoko's training spot.
Keitaro released Motoko from his arms as fast as he saved her.
"N--- Narusegawa!" he replied.
"What happened here? Are you both okay? What did you do to Motoko-chan?!" her questions just kept coming in.
"Urashima-san here has retained his fighting skills, as I have discovered. Actually, his fighting skills are more developed than we all expected." Motoko answered.
Keitaro just laughed while scratching his head. The rest of the Hinata girls emerged from the rocks one by one.
"What did we miss?!!!" Kaolla asked.
"Not much. Isn't that right Keitaro-kun?" Motoko replied, smiling towards Keitaro.
"KEITARO-KUN???!!!"