Love Hina – Power of the Heart
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter Three – Destiny
Friday Evening.
Keitaro, after returning home to get his things, settles into the manager's room. Shinobu is preparing dinner, happy that everyone enjoyed the snacks she bought, which was enough to convince Keitaro and Haruka to hire her. Haruka asks Motoko to come by the Tea Shop before dinner to discuss Keitaro. As they sit at a table, Motoko begins.
"Haruka-san, there is something more you wish to tell me?"
"Yes, I thought it best to speak to you alone. Since we knew that Keitaro was coming here, Granny Hina contacted the Shinmei School a few weeks ago."
"Why would she need to do that? I do not understand."
Haruka hands her a scroll with the Shinmei School's seal.
"They sent this for you. It seems that it wasn't a coincidence they suggested you live here while training on your own. I'd better tell you something before you read it. What you're about to learn wasn't supposed to be revealed to you until you took over the school. They requested that I give it to you if Keitaro showed any sign of his powers."
Motoko breaks the seal and unrolls the scroll. She reads it aloud, assuming that Haruka already knows what it will contain.
"Sword Master Aoyama Motoko, greetings. The Shinmei Council, due to this extreme circumstance, has deemed it necessary to provide you with the true history and purpose of our school. This information was to be provided to you upon your ascendance to the head of the Council. However, fate does not allow us that luxury. We are widely recognized as the preeminent force to combat evil spirits when they arise. That is actually our secondary purpose, a front, if you will."
"To get to the point of the matter, the Shinmei School was founded to confront the danger if any member of the Urashima clan were to run rampant. Throughout the generations, we have sworn to protect innocent lives from the danger that they represent. It could be said that the Aoyama and Urashima clans are mortal enemies in the most literal sense, as many of our people have perished when confronting one of their members. Likewise, we have taken a toll on their people as well."
"Urashima Hina, whom we respect, had informed us many years ago that her grandson Urashima Keitaro would take her position as the manager of Hinata-sou. To ensure we would be prepared for any contingency, we urged you to take up residence at the Inn when you requested to make a training journey. It was our hope that this precaution would not be necessary, yet, if you are reading this, our greatest fears have been realized."
"This young man, Keitaro, is the first and only male in the history of the Urashima clan to be endowed with the extraordinary abilities of his people. Hina-sama had informed us that his potential far exceeds that of any of his ancestors. Fifteen years ago, we dispatched a representative when we sensed the first manifestation of his power. Her purpose was to determine if this child presented a threat. If so, her duty was to destroy him. To the Council's astonishment, she reported that Keitaro had managed to reign his abilities. She observed him for two months to ensure that was indeed the case, and returned to Kyoto. She described her relief in not having to destroy the child, as she had an offspring of her own, a girl just past one year of age."
"Our representative, using what she had learned from her time at Hinata-sou, prepared her own child to one day meet his threat, if need be. You are that child, Aoyama Motoko. Your duties as a sword master of the Shinmei School have narrowed to this single point in time. If Urashima Keitaro presents a threat, you are to kill him."
"Beware; he is a foe that in no way you should underestimate. If it comes to the final battle, remember your skills. You will not be able to contact him directly with your blade, as his defense will not allow physical contact. After years of studying what we learned, we believe that the way to destroy him is to use, in rapid succession, one strike of the Air Splitting Sword, two strikes of the Rock Splitting Sword, two strikes of the Demon Rending Sword, and finally one more strike of the Rock Splitting Sword. This should nullify his power long enough for a lethal strike."
"The honor of the Shinmei School rests upon you."
There is a final note, written in what Motoko recognizes as her mother's handwriting.
"Dearest Motoko, this last information I provide for you to use as you will. The Shinmei Council deadlocked on the vote to slay Keitaro outright. We are not murderers, but this is no normal being. May the spirits guide you to wisdom, and protect you. Forgive me for placing this burden upon your shoulders. I could not bring myself to harm Kei-kun fifteen years ago and now you must pay the cost of my compassion. Remember that the journey through life is a paradox. The thing we seek is not always what it appears, and finding what we desire does not always lead to happiness."
Motoko lowers the scroll to the table with shaking hands. Haruka slides a glass of hot tea towards her.
"Haruka-san, why would you allow me to read this, knowing what it means?"
Haruka smiles grimly at her.
"There is one other thing that they left out. Who were the founders of the Shinmei School?"
"My ancestor, Aoyama Hitoshi and his wife. Why do you ask?
"What was his wife's name?"
"Yohoko, Aoyama Yohoko."
"And what was it before she married him?"
"I, I do not know."
Haruka adjusts her cigarette holder.
"It was Urashima Yohoko. Her cousin Uruka was Keitaro's ancestor, and mine. Your amazing ability to channel your chi through your sword springs from almost the same source as Keitaro's."
Motoko stares at her in shock, unable to speak.
"I guess you can say that you and Keitaro are distant cousins."
"And you will allow me to destroy him, if it comes to that?"
Haruka slams her hands on the table.
"No! I won't lift a finger to help you!"
She sits back in her chair.
"But, I won't try to stop you. We Urashima's believe that it is possible to control our power. Yohoko and Uruka were of different minds, not to mention the fact that they hated each other."
"What should I do? He is not a threat at this time."
Haruka reaches out and touches her hand.
"I have an idea. It's risky, but maybe it will solve both your problem and his."
"What do you suggest, Haruka-san."
"Fight him. Not to destroy him but to use your skills to help him achieve real control of his power. He has kept it locked inside himself for his whole life. He never allowed any of us to train him, because he is afraid of what he might do if he loses it."
"How can I do what your family could not?"
"All I'm asking is that you give him a chance. Too many of us have died because of the feud that Yohoko and Uruka started. Keitaro is a good kid, and he never asked for this."
Motoko rises and walks to the door.
"I shall consider your advice. But, if all else fails I must honor the Council's decision."
Haruka stands and walks over and places her hand on Motoko's shoulder.
"You're my friend. I don't want to lose either of you. Be careful."
"Thank you, Haruka-san."
Keitaro finishes unpacking his few belongings and looks around the room.
"This place is kind of nice. I could be happy here, but something doesn't feel right. It's like there's something missing that I can't remember."
He sits at the desk and begins looking through the inn diary. Motoko quietly opens his door and looks at him.
("It is obvious that the Council fears this man. I could finish him now, easily. But, as my mother said, I am not a murderer, and I shall not become one now.")
Keitaro leans back and closes the diary.
"You can come in, Motoko-chan. And you don't have to hold your sword so tightly, I won't do anything."
Motoko looks down and is surprised that she has unconsciously gripped the hilt of her blade.
"How, how did you know?"
"I can sense things clearly for a while after I use my power. After a few hours, I lose that ability. Even now, I only could sense you because I have been expecting you to show up."
He turns and looks at her.
"You are as pretty as your mother."
"You, you knew that my mother was sent to observe you?"
He scratches his head.
"I knew that she wasn't one of my relatives, but no one told me about her. Your chi has the same flavor as hers. So I assume that it must have been your mother."
Keitaro laughs as he remembers his time there fifteen years ago.
"Why do you laugh, Urashima?"
"I was just remembering a game that your mother played with me. She would sing a song and I would have to find the things that she sang about. It was fun running around the room and stacking the stuff on the table."
Motoko smiles at him.
"That was my favorite game. I could never get enough of it. Mostly, I enjoyed the sound of her voice. She is a most gifted singer."
Keitaro picks up a pencil and starts to hum to himself. After a few seconds, Motoko picks up the melody and begins singing.
"There is something I cannot find, and if you would be so kind, I need to write, so if you might, find my lost pencil!"
Keitaro then picks up a glass. Motoko continues singing.
"There is something I cannot find, and if you would be so kind, I need a drink, so can you think, where is my tea cup?"
Keitaro smiles at her.
"Your voice is as nice as your mother's."
He places the cup on the table and turns to Motoko, a serious look in his eyes.
"Can I ask you the same thing I asked your mother?"
Motoko stares at him.
"Uh, yes, please do."
"Are you here to kill me?"
End of Chapter Three.
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter Three – Destiny
Friday Evening.
Keitaro, after returning home to get his things, settles into the manager's room. Shinobu is preparing dinner, happy that everyone enjoyed the snacks she bought, which was enough to convince Keitaro and Haruka to hire her. Haruka asks Motoko to come by the Tea Shop before dinner to discuss Keitaro. As they sit at a table, Motoko begins.
"Haruka-san, there is something more you wish to tell me?"
"Yes, I thought it best to speak to you alone. Since we knew that Keitaro was coming here, Granny Hina contacted the Shinmei School a few weeks ago."
"Why would she need to do that? I do not understand."
Haruka hands her a scroll with the Shinmei School's seal.
"They sent this for you. It seems that it wasn't a coincidence they suggested you live here while training on your own. I'd better tell you something before you read it. What you're about to learn wasn't supposed to be revealed to you until you took over the school. They requested that I give it to you if Keitaro showed any sign of his powers."
Motoko breaks the seal and unrolls the scroll. She reads it aloud, assuming that Haruka already knows what it will contain.
"Sword Master Aoyama Motoko, greetings. The Shinmei Council, due to this extreme circumstance, has deemed it necessary to provide you with the true history and purpose of our school. This information was to be provided to you upon your ascendance to the head of the Council. However, fate does not allow us that luxury. We are widely recognized as the preeminent force to combat evil spirits when they arise. That is actually our secondary purpose, a front, if you will."
"To get to the point of the matter, the Shinmei School was founded to confront the danger if any member of the Urashima clan were to run rampant. Throughout the generations, we have sworn to protect innocent lives from the danger that they represent. It could be said that the Aoyama and Urashima clans are mortal enemies in the most literal sense, as many of our people have perished when confronting one of their members. Likewise, we have taken a toll on their people as well."
"Urashima Hina, whom we respect, had informed us many years ago that her grandson Urashima Keitaro would take her position as the manager of Hinata-sou. To ensure we would be prepared for any contingency, we urged you to take up residence at the Inn when you requested to make a training journey. It was our hope that this precaution would not be necessary, yet, if you are reading this, our greatest fears have been realized."
"This young man, Keitaro, is the first and only male in the history of the Urashima clan to be endowed with the extraordinary abilities of his people. Hina-sama had informed us that his potential far exceeds that of any of his ancestors. Fifteen years ago, we dispatched a representative when we sensed the first manifestation of his power. Her purpose was to determine if this child presented a threat. If so, her duty was to destroy him. To the Council's astonishment, she reported that Keitaro had managed to reign his abilities. She observed him for two months to ensure that was indeed the case, and returned to Kyoto. She described her relief in not having to destroy the child, as she had an offspring of her own, a girl just past one year of age."
"Our representative, using what she had learned from her time at Hinata-sou, prepared her own child to one day meet his threat, if need be. You are that child, Aoyama Motoko. Your duties as a sword master of the Shinmei School have narrowed to this single point in time. If Urashima Keitaro presents a threat, you are to kill him."
"Beware; he is a foe that in no way you should underestimate. If it comes to the final battle, remember your skills. You will not be able to contact him directly with your blade, as his defense will not allow physical contact. After years of studying what we learned, we believe that the way to destroy him is to use, in rapid succession, one strike of the Air Splitting Sword, two strikes of the Rock Splitting Sword, two strikes of the Demon Rending Sword, and finally one more strike of the Rock Splitting Sword. This should nullify his power long enough for a lethal strike."
"The honor of the Shinmei School rests upon you."
There is a final note, written in what Motoko recognizes as her mother's handwriting.
"Dearest Motoko, this last information I provide for you to use as you will. The Shinmei Council deadlocked on the vote to slay Keitaro outright. We are not murderers, but this is no normal being. May the spirits guide you to wisdom, and protect you. Forgive me for placing this burden upon your shoulders. I could not bring myself to harm Kei-kun fifteen years ago and now you must pay the cost of my compassion. Remember that the journey through life is a paradox. The thing we seek is not always what it appears, and finding what we desire does not always lead to happiness."
Motoko lowers the scroll to the table with shaking hands. Haruka slides a glass of hot tea towards her.
"Haruka-san, why would you allow me to read this, knowing what it means?"
Haruka smiles grimly at her.
"There is one other thing that they left out. Who were the founders of the Shinmei School?"
"My ancestor, Aoyama Hitoshi and his wife. Why do you ask?
"What was his wife's name?"
"Yohoko, Aoyama Yohoko."
"And what was it before she married him?"
"I, I do not know."
Haruka adjusts her cigarette holder.
"It was Urashima Yohoko. Her cousin Uruka was Keitaro's ancestor, and mine. Your amazing ability to channel your chi through your sword springs from almost the same source as Keitaro's."
Motoko stares at her in shock, unable to speak.
"I guess you can say that you and Keitaro are distant cousins."
"And you will allow me to destroy him, if it comes to that?"
Haruka slams her hands on the table.
"No! I won't lift a finger to help you!"
She sits back in her chair.
"But, I won't try to stop you. We Urashima's believe that it is possible to control our power. Yohoko and Uruka were of different minds, not to mention the fact that they hated each other."
"What should I do? He is not a threat at this time."
Haruka reaches out and touches her hand.
"I have an idea. It's risky, but maybe it will solve both your problem and his."
"What do you suggest, Haruka-san."
"Fight him. Not to destroy him but to use your skills to help him achieve real control of his power. He has kept it locked inside himself for his whole life. He never allowed any of us to train him, because he is afraid of what he might do if he loses it."
"How can I do what your family could not?"
"All I'm asking is that you give him a chance. Too many of us have died because of the feud that Yohoko and Uruka started. Keitaro is a good kid, and he never asked for this."
Motoko rises and walks to the door.
"I shall consider your advice. But, if all else fails I must honor the Council's decision."
Haruka stands and walks over and places her hand on Motoko's shoulder.
"You're my friend. I don't want to lose either of you. Be careful."
"Thank you, Haruka-san."
Keitaro finishes unpacking his few belongings and looks around the room.
"This place is kind of nice. I could be happy here, but something doesn't feel right. It's like there's something missing that I can't remember."
He sits at the desk and begins looking through the inn diary. Motoko quietly opens his door and looks at him.
("It is obvious that the Council fears this man. I could finish him now, easily. But, as my mother said, I am not a murderer, and I shall not become one now.")
Keitaro leans back and closes the diary.
"You can come in, Motoko-chan. And you don't have to hold your sword so tightly, I won't do anything."
Motoko looks down and is surprised that she has unconsciously gripped the hilt of her blade.
"How, how did you know?"
"I can sense things clearly for a while after I use my power. After a few hours, I lose that ability. Even now, I only could sense you because I have been expecting you to show up."
He turns and looks at her.
"You are as pretty as your mother."
"You, you knew that my mother was sent to observe you?"
He scratches his head.
"I knew that she wasn't one of my relatives, but no one told me about her. Your chi has the same flavor as hers. So I assume that it must have been your mother."
Keitaro laughs as he remembers his time there fifteen years ago.
"Why do you laugh, Urashima?"
"I was just remembering a game that your mother played with me. She would sing a song and I would have to find the things that she sang about. It was fun running around the room and stacking the stuff on the table."
Motoko smiles at him.
"That was my favorite game. I could never get enough of it. Mostly, I enjoyed the sound of her voice. She is a most gifted singer."
Keitaro picks up a pencil and starts to hum to himself. After a few seconds, Motoko picks up the melody and begins singing.
"There is something I cannot find, and if you would be so kind, I need to write, so if you might, find my lost pencil!"
Keitaro then picks up a glass. Motoko continues singing.
"There is something I cannot find, and if you would be so kind, I need a drink, so can you think, where is my tea cup?"
Keitaro smiles at her.
"Your voice is as nice as your mother's."
He places the cup on the table and turns to Motoko, a serious look in his eyes.
"Can I ask you the same thing I asked your mother?"
Motoko stares at him.
"Uh, yes, please do."
"Are you here to kill me?"
End of Chapter Three.