Love Hina – Power of the Heart
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter Five – Loss
Monday Night.
Motoko opens her eyes to darkness, keenly aware of the pain radiating from her left knee. As she moves her hands to push herself up, she notices something unexpectedly soft underneath her body. She pats the ground and stops when her fingers close around a pair of glasses. Behind the glasses is a face.
"Ura-urashima?"
"Motoko-chan, are you alright? I was afraid to move you off me because I could sense that your knee is hurt, but I can't tell how bad it is."
She moves her leg and winces slightly.
"It is painful, but I do not believe it is serious."
"That's good. Could you do me a favor?"
"What may I do for you?"
"Could you stop pressing your hand on my face?"
Motoko moves to the side and looks up at the dim light above, surprised at the distance to the hole.
"We must have fallen at least thirty meters! I can hardly understand my surviving even if you broke my fall. But what about you? Are you unhurt, Urashima?"
He sits up next to her and pulls a flashlight out of the backpack.
"I'm okay. We need to find some other way out of here. I was looking up there for a while and couldn't see anyway to get back out through that hole, even if I trusted it not to collapse even more."
Motoko tilts her head.
"A while? How long has it been?"
"About ten minutes."
"You, you allowed my unconscious body to rest on top of you for t-ten minutes?"
"I said I didn't know how badly you were hurt!"
Motoko quickly checks her gi to make sure it was not tampered with. She finds one button missing.
"So, you attempted to sate your lust while I was comatose!"
"What? Except when we were falling, I didn't lay a hand on you!"
"Is that so? How do you explain the damage to my attire?"
"We fell thirty meters. . ."
She pushes herself to her feet and draws her sword. In the darkness, her eyes are like two red-hot coals.
"Enough of your lies! How dare you trample upon my pristine heart and violate the body of a maiden!"
Keitaro crawls away from her until he reaches the dirt wall.
"What are you talking about? Are you sure you didn't hit your head when we fell?"
"Then, you are saying that there is no lust in your vile soul? You have lost your desire to gaze at my, my breasts again?"
"All I did was move them a bit because they were suffocating me!"
He quickly covers his mouth as he realizes that his words just sealed his fate.
"Oh no!"
Favoring his right foot, Keitaro pulls himself up and limps further into the cavern.
"Motoko-chan! I'm innocent! But I apologize anyway!"
"Spare me your meaningless drivel!"
Keitaro turns a corner and feels his way along the wall.
"She's gonna kill me for sure! I've got to get away from her!"
After struggling through the cave for about ten minutes, Keitaro crawls behind a boulder and pauses to catch his breath.
"I, I thought she'd have caught me by now."
He peeks out over the boulder and shines the flashlight back the way he came.
"Motoko-chan?"
His voice echoes lightly in the emptiness.
"Motoko-chan, can you hear me?"
Keitaro slowly makes his way back through the cave. It takes him half an hour to retrace his steps. As he approaches the last corner, he shines the flashlight back and forth.
"Motoko-chan?"
"It hurts!"
Looking to the left, he spots Motoko sitting on the floor with her hands holding her left knee. He limps over and kneels next to her. Using the flashlight, he can see that her knee is swollen and is marked by a nasty bruise.
"Motoko-chan! Your knee is worse than I thought!"
"Urashima I, I. . ."
She reaches out and clutches his arm.
"Thank the spirits that you returned! I was beginning to lose hope. It was so dark and cold. . ."
Keitaro removes his coat and places it over her shoulders.
"I'm sorry. If I'd known you were hurt this badly, I wouldn't have tried to run away."
Motoko shakes her head.
"The fault is mine. I should not have been so quick to judge you. After all, you did save my life."
He pulls the backpack off and start to rummage through it.
"We can play the blame game later. It's getting colder in here and we'll both freeze unless . . . yes! Here's some matches for the fireworks."
He gathers a pile of wood from the broken floor and tends it until a warm fire is going.
"Let me take a look at that knee again."
He tears off one of his sleeves and, using the shoulder pads from the backpack, binds her knee firmly.
"How's that Motoko-chan?"
"Thank you, that is much better. What do you suggest we do now?"
"Well, the others should notice us missing soon. Hopefully they'll search all the buildings and eventually find us. If not, we're going to have to find another way out."
"Let us hope it is soon."
Keitaro takes out two rice balls and then pushes the backpack next to her.
"You should lie down and rest after we eat. We'll be back in Hinata-sou in no time, you'll see."
Motoko yields to his advice and they eat quietly. As she lies down, Keitaro moves to the other side of the fire and stretches out on the ground. He turns his head and sees her watching him.
"You said that you wanted to talk to me. Now seems as good a time as any."
She pulls his coat closer around her and clears her throat.
"I wish to apologize for what I said to you before. I should not have threatened your life in such a manner, considering our families' history. I do not blame you for wishing to avoid contact with me. You must think that I a just a cold, heartless warrior."
"Actually I've been avoiding everyone, you especially, but not for that reason."
He props himself up on one arm.
"I've been thinking about what else you said that night. About what my 'true self' may be. I kept asking myself what that would mean if you were right. And I didn't like the answers I came up with. If my power gets out of control again, I'm even more of a danger to all of you than I thought."
"Urashima, you should not dwell upon the words I spoke. I was rash and inconsiderate."
"Even so, I've noticed that people tend to speak harsh truths when they are upset, even if it hurts people they care about. Whether you meant to say it or not, it revealed what your impression of me was."
Motoko shakes her head.
"I would have said those words to any man, since I believe all men to be lecherous at heart."
Keitaro scratches his head.
"That's a pretty narrow view to take of all men. Can I ask why you believe that? Unless it's something personal."
"Not at all. My mother taught me to always be distrustful of males. It is as simple as that."
He thinks for a few moments.
"Please don't take this wrong, but I find that hard to believe. She seemed like such a nice lady."
"She is an extraordinary woman, but it seems her lessons were lost on my sister. I cannot understand why Tsuruko-san abandoned her training and left with that man."
"She ran away?"
"She married him."
There is silence for a few minutes, then Keitaro seems to make a decision.
"When we get out of here, I think I'll contact my grandmother and ask her to find Hinata-sou a new manager."
"Is my presence that distasteful to you?"
"No. It's just that I can't take the risk of losing it again. I've started remembering things since I've been here, but they're still cloudy memories. Somehow, I know that if I can remember, I won't be able to take it. I'm a time bomb with a broken clock. Who knows when I'll explode?"
Keitaro rolls over, placing his back towards Motoko.
"You didn't have to apologize to me, but thank you anyway, Motoko-chan."
After a few minutes, Motoko can hear the change in his breathing as he falls asleep. Though subsiding, the pain in her knee prevents her from sleeping also. She pulls his coat up to her nose as the air becomes colder. In the flickering light of the fire, she can see Keitaro shivering in his sleep. As she rises to place more wood on the fire, she notices how Keitaro is holding his sleeveless arm to protect it from the cold.
Sometime later Keitaro wakes up. He feels a warm breath lightly touching his cheek and opens his eyes. Motoko had curled up next to him, and his coat is covering them both. He tries to move, but her head is resting on his left arm. He forces himself not to panic while trying to think.
("Stay calm, stay calm. She probably thought it would be best to share our warmth. She's very practical about stuff like that. Her breasts are soft. No, don't think about that! I'm gonna die!")
He tries to free himself once more, but Motoko reaches up and pulls him back. She sighs in her sleep as she snuggles against his cheek.
("imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie. . .")
Keitaro struggles to control his breathing. He is so successful, that he eventually passes out from lack of oxygen.
Sometime later Motoko awakens. A tingling sensation against her lips causes her to open her eyes. Her grip had pulled Keitaro tight against her and there lips are touching.
("Oh my spirits! I have chided Urashima for lewd behavior, but what have I done? I cannot risk him finding me like this.")
She tries to pull away, but the backpack blocks her head. Her motions awaken Keitaro. He opens his eyes and they stare at each other.
Long seconds pass. Despite the cold, sweat begins to drip from Keitaro's forehead. He pushes himself away and bows to her.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I'm don't know how it happened! I'm innocent! I'm gonna die!"
Motoko sits up and faces him. She raises a hand to her breast and blushes.
"Forgive me. I tend to cling to things when I sleep!"
Keitaro's eyes widen as the heat from the flames makes it through his shoes, which are buried in the fire.
"AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!"
He leaps forward and tumbles into Motoko, sending her crashing back to the floor.
"Urashima! What is . . .?"
Motoko looks down at her gi and sees that one of Keitaro's hands is stuck inside.
"Wh-wh-what? Take your vile hands off of me, you deceitful, lecherous pervert!"
She swings her hand to strike him and fills his eyes with dirt from the floor. Drawing her sword, she calls upon her chi and releases a quick blast, knocking Keitaro towards the far wall. As he stands, Motoko senses that his power has resurfaced. He tightens his fist, struggling for control.
"Urashima! I am sorry!"
The wind begins to swirl around Keitaro, whipping embers from the fire. He raises his head.
"M-m-moe-chan, get away from me! You'll be hurt!"
Motoko yells over the rising din of his power.
"There are no others here! Who is Moe-chan?"
"Is, is she gone?"
"She is not here, we are all alone!"
Keitaro raises his fists to his eyes.
"Gone? Alone?"
His lost memories return, fueling his power with the pain of loss.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Motoko staggers against the wall, bracing herself against the maelstrom tearing through the cavern.
"Urashima! Fight it! Do not let it consume you!"
Keitaro pounds his fists against the wall, sending cracks ripping through the stone. Motoko hesitates and then reaches up to loosen her gi.
"Urashima! Look at me!"
He turns to the sound of her voice, but the dirt in his eyes still blinds him.
"M-Motoko-chan, get out! I, I can't stop it!"
"I cannot abandon you in your time of need!"
"Then, then finish me! Before I completely lose it!"
"I cannot!"
"MOTOKO-CHAN!"
His power leaps into full bloom. He swings his arms and wherever they point, rocks shatter. Motoko barely raises her chi in time to avoid a stray wisp of his force. The power pushes her against the wall. She looks down at her sword and whispers.
"Urashima, forgive me. Haruka-san, I have failed him."
She lifts her blade.
"Spirits forgive me."
Without further hesitation, she prepares to counter his power with all the skills of the Shinmei School.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! AIR SPLITTING SWORD!"
The vortex rolls off her sword and crashes into Keitaro's swirling power, disappearing instantly.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
Her second blast rocks the cavern, but with no observable effect. Keitaro turns to face her, his senses allowing him to pinpoint her location.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
The third attack causes Keitaro to take a step backwards. His power wavers for an instant before rising to a higher pitch.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! DEMON RENDING SWORD!"
Her powerful blast of chi struggles within his vortex, yet it also is quickly torn apart.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! DEMON RENDING SWORD!"
Like a bolt of lightning, her attack tears into the maelstrom, splitting it open for a moment. Fighting fatigue, she unleashes her final strike.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
The blast of chi roils through the air and slips through the quickly closing opening in his defense. Keitaro as smashed backwards into the far wall and slides to the floor. Debris settles to the ground as the swirling power dissipates. Holding his arm, Keitaro struggles to his feet, his power already starting to build again. Motoko leaps over, her sword above her head, preparing the strike that will take his life and end his threat forever. As she drops towards him. Keitaro lowers his uninjured arm, awaiting her blow. At the last instant, Motoko twists and rolls to the ground next to him as the sword slides from her grasp.
"I, I, cannot do it."
Keitaro reaches out and places his hand on her head.
"P-please, I don't want to become a monster. You have to stop me while you can."
"I cannot."
"Please, Motoko-chan."
"I will not kill you!"
The wind begins to swirl once more as his power returns.
"Get out of here. I, I don't want to hurt you too!"
She looks up at him.
"Urashima, is there no other way?"
He shakes his head.
"No."
Motoko stands up and looks at him.
"Urashima."
"Please, after this, remember that I wasn't always a monster."
She leans against Keitaro and gently embraces him.
"You are not a monster."
"Motoko-chan. Please, save yourself."
She shakes her head.
"I failed to help you before. I shall not abandon you now."
"Motoko-chan, please."
"I shall not leave you, Urashima."
Keitaro wraps his arms around her.
"Thank you. That means more to me than you know."
Power erupts and crashes through the cave. The fire, fueled by the winds, leaps up to the building above. Tremors ripple through the ground, shaking Hinata-sou. Haruka, followed by the other girls, rushes to the top of the steps and around the inn. Her senses scream in resonance to Keitaro's power. As they run around the end of the inn, she throws her arms out to block the others. She yells to be heard above the sound of Keitaro's fury.
"We're too late! We can't get any closer!"
The walls of the cavern shatter and explode, sending untold tons of rock crashing down. The old building collapses as the fire tears through the structure, a pyre marking Keitaro's final blast of power. Stones rain down on the hill as dust and snow blanket the ground. As quickly as it started, the devastation ends. The building disappears as the ground beneath it collapses. Haruka drops to her knees.
"Oh my god."
Fire licks the debris and smoke rises from the crater for days.
End of Chapter Five.
Fanfic by Steven Biggs
Chapter Five – Loss
Monday Night.
Motoko opens her eyes to darkness, keenly aware of the pain radiating from her left knee. As she moves her hands to push herself up, she notices something unexpectedly soft underneath her body. She pats the ground and stops when her fingers close around a pair of glasses. Behind the glasses is a face.
"Ura-urashima?"
"Motoko-chan, are you alright? I was afraid to move you off me because I could sense that your knee is hurt, but I can't tell how bad it is."
She moves her leg and winces slightly.
"It is painful, but I do not believe it is serious."
"That's good. Could you do me a favor?"
"What may I do for you?"
"Could you stop pressing your hand on my face?"
Motoko moves to the side and looks up at the dim light above, surprised at the distance to the hole.
"We must have fallen at least thirty meters! I can hardly understand my surviving even if you broke my fall. But what about you? Are you unhurt, Urashima?"
He sits up next to her and pulls a flashlight out of the backpack.
"I'm okay. We need to find some other way out of here. I was looking up there for a while and couldn't see anyway to get back out through that hole, even if I trusted it not to collapse even more."
Motoko tilts her head.
"A while? How long has it been?"
"About ten minutes."
"You, you allowed my unconscious body to rest on top of you for t-ten minutes?"
"I said I didn't know how badly you were hurt!"
Motoko quickly checks her gi to make sure it was not tampered with. She finds one button missing.
"So, you attempted to sate your lust while I was comatose!"
"What? Except when we were falling, I didn't lay a hand on you!"
"Is that so? How do you explain the damage to my attire?"
"We fell thirty meters. . ."
She pushes herself to her feet and draws her sword. In the darkness, her eyes are like two red-hot coals.
"Enough of your lies! How dare you trample upon my pristine heart and violate the body of a maiden!"
Keitaro crawls away from her until he reaches the dirt wall.
"What are you talking about? Are you sure you didn't hit your head when we fell?"
"Then, you are saying that there is no lust in your vile soul? You have lost your desire to gaze at my, my breasts again?"
"All I did was move them a bit because they were suffocating me!"
He quickly covers his mouth as he realizes that his words just sealed his fate.
"Oh no!"
Favoring his right foot, Keitaro pulls himself up and limps further into the cavern.
"Motoko-chan! I'm innocent! But I apologize anyway!"
"Spare me your meaningless drivel!"
Keitaro turns a corner and feels his way along the wall.
"She's gonna kill me for sure! I've got to get away from her!"
After struggling through the cave for about ten minutes, Keitaro crawls behind a boulder and pauses to catch his breath.
"I, I thought she'd have caught me by now."
He peeks out over the boulder and shines the flashlight back the way he came.
"Motoko-chan?"
His voice echoes lightly in the emptiness.
"Motoko-chan, can you hear me?"
Keitaro slowly makes his way back through the cave. It takes him half an hour to retrace his steps. As he approaches the last corner, he shines the flashlight back and forth.
"Motoko-chan?"
"It hurts!"
Looking to the left, he spots Motoko sitting on the floor with her hands holding her left knee. He limps over and kneels next to her. Using the flashlight, he can see that her knee is swollen and is marked by a nasty bruise.
"Motoko-chan! Your knee is worse than I thought!"
"Urashima I, I. . ."
She reaches out and clutches his arm.
"Thank the spirits that you returned! I was beginning to lose hope. It was so dark and cold. . ."
Keitaro removes his coat and places it over her shoulders.
"I'm sorry. If I'd known you were hurt this badly, I wouldn't have tried to run away."
Motoko shakes her head.
"The fault is mine. I should not have been so quick to judge you. After all, you did save my life."
He pulls the backpack off and start to rummage through it.
"We can play the blame game later. It's getting colder in here and we'll both freeze unless . . . yes! Here's some matches for the fireworks."
He gathers a pile of wood from the broken floor and tends it until a warm fire is going.
"Let me take a look at that knee again."
He tears off one of his sleeves and, using the shoulder pads from the backpack, binds her knee firmly.
"How's that Motoko-chan?"
"Thank you, that is much better. What do you suggest we do now?"
"Well, the others should notice us missing soon. Hopefully they'll search all the buildings and eventually find us. If not, we're going to have to find another way out."
"Let us hope it is soon."
Keitaro takes out two rice balls and then pushes the backpack next to her.
"You should lie down and rest after we eat. We'll be back in Hinata-sou in no time, you'll see."
Motoko yields to his advice and they eat quietly. As she lies down, Keitaro moves to the other side of the fire and stretches out on the ground. He turns his head and sees her watching him.
"You said that you wanted to talk to me. Now seems as good a time as any."
She pulls his coat closer around her and clears her throat.
"I wish to apologize for what I said to you before. I should not have threatened your life in such a manner, considering our families' history. I do not blame you for wishing to avoid contact with me. You must think that I a just a cold, heartless warrior."
"Actually I've been avoiding everyone, you especially, but not for that reason."
He props himself up on one arm.
"I've been thinking about what else you said that night. About what my 'true self' may be. I kept asking myself what that would mean if you were right. And I didn't like the answers I came up with. If my power gets out of control again, I'm even more of a danger to all of you than I thought."
"Urashima, you should not dwell upon the words I spoke. I was rash and inconsiderate."
"Even so, I've noticed that people tend to speak harsh truths when they are upset, even if it hurts people they care about. Whether you meant to say it or not, it revealed what your impression of me was."
Motoko shakes her head.
"I would have said those words to any man, since I believe all men to be lecherous at heart."
Keitaro scratches his head.
"That's a pretty narrow view to take of all men. Can I ask why you believe that? Unless it's something personal."
"Not at all. My mother taught me to always be distrustful of males. It is as simple as that."
He thinks for a few moments.
"Please don't take this wrong, but I find that hard to believe. She seemed like such a nice lady."
"She is an extraordinary woman, but it seems her lessons were lost on my sister. I cannot understand why Tsuruko-san abandoned her training and left with that man."
"She ran away?"
"She married him."
There is silence for a few minutes, then Keitaro seems to make a decision.
"When we get out of here, I think I'll contact my grandmother and ask her to find Hinata-sou a new manager."
"Is my presence that distasteful to you?"
"No. It's just that I can't take the risk of losing it again. I've started remembering things since I've been here, but they're still cloudy memories. Somehow, I know that if I can remember, I won't be able to take it. I'm a time bomb with a broken clock. Who knows when I'll explode?"
Keitaro rolls over, placing his back towards Motoko.
"You didn't have to apologize to me, but thank you anyway, Motoko-chan."
After a few minutes, Motoko can hear the change in his breathing as he falls asleep. Though subsiding, the pain in her knee prevents her from sleeping also. She pulls his coat up to her nose as the air becomes colder. In the flickering light of the fire, she can see Keitaro shivering in his sleep. As she rises to place more wood on the fire, she notices how Keitaro is holding his sleeveless arm to protect it from the cold.
Sometime later Keitaro wakes up. He feels a warm breath lightly touching his cheek and opens his eyes. Motoko had curled up next to him, and his coat is covering them both. He tries to move, but her head is resting on his left arm. He forces himself not to panic while trying to think.
("Stay calm, stay calm. She probably thought it would be best to share our warmth. She's very practical about stuff like that. Her breasts are soft. No, don't think about that! I'm gonna die!")
He tries to free himself once more, but Motoko reaches up and pulls him back. She sighs in her sleep as she snuggles against his cheek.
("imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie, imgonnadie. . .")
Keitaro struggles to control his breathing. He is so successful, that he eventually passes out from lack of oxygen.
Sometime later Motoko awakens. A tingling sensation against her lips causes her to open her eyes. Her grip had pulled Keitaro tight against her and there lips are touching.
("Oh my spirits! I have chided Urashima for lewd behavior, but what have I done? I cannot risk him finding me like this.")
She tries to pull away, but the backpack blocks her head. Her motions awaken Keitaro. He opens his eyes and they stare at each other.
Long seconds pass. Despite the cold, sweat begins to drip from Keitaro's forehead. He pushes himself away and bows to her.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! I'm don't know how it happened! I'm innocent! I'm gonna die!"
Motoko sits up and faces him. She raises a hand to her breast and blushes.
"Forgive me. I tend to cling to things when I sleep!"
Keitaro's eyes widen as the heat from the flames makes it through his shoes, which are buried in the fire.
"AAAAAIIIIIEEEEE!"
He leaps forward and tumbles into Motoko, sending her crashing back to the floor.
"Urashima! What is . . .?"
Motoko looks down at her gi and sees that one of Keitaro's hands is stuck inside.
"Wh-wh-what? Take your vile hands off of me, you deceitful, lecherous pervert!"
She swings her hand to strike him and fills his eyes with dirt from the floor. Drawing her sword, she calls upon her chi and releases a quick blast, knocking Keitaro towards the far wall. As he stands, Motoko senses that his power has resurfaced. He tightens his fist, struggling for control.
"Urashima! I am sorry!"
The wind begins to swirl around Keitaro, whipping embers from the fire. He raises his head.
"M-m-moe-chan, get away from me! You'll be hurt!"
Motoko yells over the rising din of his power.
"There are no others here! Who is Moe-chan?"
"Is, is she gone?"
"She is not here, we are all alone!"
Keitaro raises his fists to his eyes.
"Gone? Alone?"
His lost memories return, fueling his power with the pain of loss.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Motoko staggers against the wall, bracing herself against the maelstrom tearing through the cavern.
"Urashima! Fight it! Do not let it consume you!"
Keitaro pounds his fists against the wall, sending cracks ripping through the stone. Motoko hesitates and then reaches up to loosen her gi.
"Urashima! Look at me!"
He turns to the sound of her voice, but the dirt in his eyes still blinds him.
"M-Motoko-chan, get out! I, I can't stop it!"
"I cannot abandon you in your time of need!"
"Then, then finish me! Before I completely lose it!"
"I cannot!"
"MOTOKO-CHAN!"
His power leaps into full bloom. He swings his arms and wherever they point, rocks shatter. Motoko barely raises her chi in time to avoid a stray wisp of his force. The power pushes her against the wall. She looks down at her sword and whispers.
"Urashima, forgive me. Haruka-san, I have failed him."
She lifts her blade.
"Spirits forgive me."
Without further hesitation, she prepares to counter his power with all the skills of the Shinmei School.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! AIR SPLITTING SWORD!"
The vortex rolls off her sword and crashes into Keitaro's swirling power, disappearing instantly.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
Her second blast rocks the cavern, but with no observable effect. Keitaro turns to face her, his senses allowing him to pinpoint her location.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
The third attack causes Keitaro to take a step backwards. His power wavers for an instant before rising to a higher pitch.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! DEMON RENDING SWORD!"
Her powerful blast of chi struggles within his vortex, yet it also is quickly torn apart.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! DEMON RENDING SWORD!"
Like a bolt of lightning, her attack tears into the maelstrom, splitting it open for a moment. Fighting fatigue, she unleashes her final strike.
"SHINMEI SCHOOL SECRET ARTS! ROCK SPLITTING SWORD!"
The blast of chi roils through the air and slips through the quickly closing opening in his defense. Keitaro as smashed backwards into the far wall and slides to the floor. Debris settles to the ground as the swirling power dissipates. Holding his arm, Keitaro struggles to his feet, his power already starting to build again. Motoko leaps over, her sword above her head, preparing the strike that will take his life and end his threat forever. As she drops towards him. Keitaro lowers his uninjured arm, awaiting her blow. At the last instant, Motoko twists and rolls to the ground next to him as the sword slides from her grasp.
"I, I, cannot do it."
Keitaro reaches out and places his hand on her head.
"P-please, I don't want to become a monster. You have to stop me while you can."
"I cannot."
"Please, Motoko-chan."
"I will not kill you!"
The wind begins to swirl once more as his power returns.
"Get out of here. I, I don't want to hurt you too!"
She looks up at him.
"Urashima, is there no other way?"
He shakes his head.
"No."
Motoko stands up and looks at him.
"Urashima."
"Please, after this, remember that I wasn't always a monster."
She leans against Keitaro and gently embraces him.
"You are not a monster."
"Motoko-chan. Please, save yourself."
She shakes her head.
"I failed to help you before. I shall not abandon you now."
"Motoko-chan, please."
"I shall not leave you, Urashima."
Keitaro wraps his arms around her.
"Thank you. That means more to me than you know."
Power erupts and crashes through the cave. The fire, fueled by the winds, leaps up to the building above. Tremors ripple through the ground, shaking Hinata-sou. Haruka, followed by the other girls, rushes to the top of the steps and around the inn. Her senses scream in resonance to Keitaro's power. As they run around the end of the inn, she throws her arms out to block the others. She yells to be heard above the sound of Keitaro's fury.
"We're too late! We can't get any closer!"
The walls of the cavern shatter and explode, sending untold tons of rock crashing down. The old building collapses as the fire tears through the structure, a pyre marking Keitaro's final blast of power. Stones rain down on the hill as dust and snow blanket the ground. As quickly as it started, the devastation ends. The building disappears as the ground beneath it collapses. Haruka drops to her knees.
"Oh my god."
Fire licks the debris and smoke rises from the crater for days.
End of Chapter Five.