A/N: First off, major apologies on slowness (is that a real word?) on updating. Finals are around the corner and I had to buckle down for a little while. Second, in case my banter with walkswithwraiths has upset anyone, please understand that we know each other outside the realm of cyberspace and we poke fun at each other from time to time. So don't feel that if you leave a remark on the review that says I need work on something that I will react the same way because I won't. I value all opinions on my work. Third, if you want a glimpse into my mind, listen to Blue Man Group's "Your Attention Please" during the fight scene. That's what I was listening to as a wrote it, and I just found it really amusing considering who one of the fighters is (sorry wraiths ^-^ I know she's one of your faves) Fourth, to address some questions that were tossed my way by keitaro's clone.
Q1: Hopefully you read chap 7 at this point and that has sort of brought things around, there are also a few more hints in this chap. Don't worry, all will come to light soon.
Q2: No, I don't plan on turning Shinobu into a chibi-Motoko. After taking a few psych classes this year, I couldn't help but wonder what would cause Shinobu to develop such a withdrawn personality; that coupled with watching ep. 2 of the anime just kind of lead me to the path that I'm traveling on now. Shinobu taking up the sword is a step towards empowerment, and don't forget that Shinobu is still growing up, so she may very well just want a new hobby as she told Ken in chap 4. I hope somewhere in this rambling I answered your question.
Q3: I don't want to give away too much, otherwise you wouldn't bother reading my story. ^-^ What I will tell you is that right now I have five clans total in my outline, with the possibility of a sixth if I feel I can get it to fit. Stay tuned to find out more.
Ok, think I've bored everyone enough now, so lets move on. Enjoy the show everyone!
Love Hina: Healing Hearts
Disclaimer: Yes, at long last! I own Love Hina! (rider wakes up) Oh, damn, I still don't own it. Doh! _
Chapter Eight: The Return Of…
It was still early yet, but there was movement within the dorm. Motoko made her way up to the roof deck in complete silence. She paused as she heard voices.
"No, not like that." Ken said. "Here, like this, gentle movements."
"Oh, was I being to rough with it before?" Shinobu asked.
Motoko's eyes bulged out of her head as she over heard the conversation. "No way! They wouldn't be doing that, especially up here!" She screamed silently.
Suddenly Ken yelped in pain. "Careful! That hurts!"
"Gomen nasai!" Shinobu offered apologetically.
"It's alright, you're still learning. Now try again." Ken encouraged. "Keep your left hand tight around the base and your right at the top, but a little bit loose. Don't strangle it."
"Oh, ok. Hey! You're right that is easier!" Shinobu cried happily.
Motoko stood in complete and total shock as she listened from her hiding spot. "This can't be happening! This isn't happening!" She chanted silently.
"That's much better." Ken complimented. "Now remember, smooth, and gentle movements. Good, up and down, perfect."
"Like this?" She asked timidly.
"Almost, don't shut you eyes or you won't see it co…"
"That's it! I've heard enough!" Yelled Motoko as she charge up the remaining steps with her sword drawn.
Ken turned to the older girl. "Hey Motoko. What's wrong?"
Motoko face faulted as she viewed the scene. Shinobu stood holding her new katana, with a left over right grip, while Ken faced her with a practice sword in his right hand. "What the hell is going on here?"
Shinobu blinked. "Ken was just helping me train a little while I waited for you." She paused seeing the blush on Motoko's face. "What did you think was going on?"
Ken started to chuckle lightly and had to turn away, hoping it wouldn't be noticed.
Shinobu was now very confused. "Nani?"
Ken turned back to the girls, still chuckling. "I think Motoko was being a dirty old ronin!" He began to laugh harder as he watched the blush on her face go even brighter. "I'm right aren't I?"
Motoko growled at him. "Shut up! I was not!"
Ken simply continued to laugh. "This is great! You're such a prude about everything, and now you thought that Shinobu and I were…"
"I said shut up! Rock Splitting Sword!" Motoko brought her blade down from above her head, launching a huge ki wave at the laughing boy, sending him flying over the roof, and down into the onsen. Motoko breathed heavily for a moment before recomposing herself. "Come Shinobu, let's begin our warm up."
Shinobu looked over to where Ken had landed, although she couldn't see him, she knew he was all right. "Hai, sensei!" She quickly assumed her ready stance, and soon she and Motoko were moving through their morning katas. "So, what did you really think that Ken and I were really doing?"
Motoko almost lost her step through the routine. "Nothing. Now focus." She watched the younger girl shrug and continue on, leaving Motoko to her own thoughts.
It had been just shy of a month since the Shinobu and Ken had been caught on camera in Tokyo together. At first Motoko, along with the others, had feared that Ken had taken advantage of Shinobu's sweet and sometimes naïve nature. After watching them however, she wasn't so sure.
Shinobu had brightened even more than what she used to be and went about her day with an extra boost of energy. She was more focused in her training with Motoko, as well as her academic studies. In all, she seemed to be taking better care of herself than she used to, and Motoko was surprised to see how much she had grown in such a short time as a result. In Motoko's opinion, Shinobu had always been kawaii, but now she seemed to be almost competing with Naru in the looks department. Motoko blushed slightly as she realized that she was a bit jealous of the younger girl, and turned her thoughts to something other than Shinobu and her changes as a result of her new relationship. That however was short lived as her mind wandered to Ken.
He too had changed over the past month. He had always been something of a wildcard at the dorm. No one was ever sure what he was thinking or planning at any one given moment, but now he seemed to have settled into a routine. He had always helped, but now he seemed more dependable. He helped out more with the chores, sometimes having most of the housework done even before everyone even woke up in the morning. He also drove the girls to and from school in the morning regularly. Even Motoko had accepted rides from him on occasion, although she had screamed the first time when he gunned the engine. She was still convinced that he had done so on purpose. When he was around the dorm, Ken was often found with Shinobu and Hotaru, either playing a game or helping out with something or other. He also had been spending more time with Su, which irked Motoko for a reason she could not understand. However, it was when he was alone with Shinobu that Motoko couldn't figure out. He never tried to do anything.
Motoko could remember when Naru and Keitaro had first become a couple all they had seemingly done was make out. Shinobu and Ken however hadn't done anything, or at least never been caught doing anything. When they were together, which was a great majority of the time, they just went sight seeing or talked. It was a common sight at the Hinata-sou now to Ken sitting behind Shinobu with his arms gently wrapped around her as they watched the city from the roof, talking quietly. Aside from that, and the occasional little kiss, one would never even know that they were supposed to be a couple.
"Still," Motoko smiled as she mused silently. "I suppose that's better than having them act like dogs in heat. Maybe Ken isn't as bad a guy as I first thought."
***
"Damn, crazy, out of her mind, sadistic, trippin', schizophrenic, little…" Ken grumbled as he placed his head under the water of the hot tub. After getting soaked in the large spring, he had decided to take a bath. However, wanting to make sure that all parts of his body remained attached, he retired to the old standby tub that Keitaro used to use. He stayed beneath the water a moment more venting his frustrations verbally into the muffled safety of the water before surfacing again. "I know you're supposed to start winter break with a bang and all, but that was nucking futs."
He climbed out of the tub and scrubbed himself off at the sink. He glanced over at the mirror on the far wall, and turned away in disgust. "This is never going to work." He thought sadly. "Sooner or later, she's going to find out. Come spring and summer, she'll start to wonder why I'm still wearing long clothing in the hot weather." He looked up into the mirror again and moved closer to it, examining himself once again. "You sure had your fun with me, didn't you?"
Without warning his anger surfaced and he shattered the mirror with his fist. He stared down at the broken shards of glass. Multiple fragments stared back. He walked away; glancing only once at his hand, the cut was already healing. He thrust his hand into the hot tub water to rinse away the faint trace of blood and drained the tub. He dressed quickly in a pair of baggy jeans and long sleeve, dark green shirt, and his trademark black leather jacket. He didn't have the energy to fight with his hair now to spike it up, so he simply pulled it back into a tail that fell just below his shoulders. "I should really get this cut, I really haven't since dropping Hotaru off here for my trip." He sighed. "Maybe tomorrow." He cleaned up the glass on the ground and turned for the door.
He stopped however as he heard someone approaching from the other side. It was too early for Kitsune to be awake, and the footsteps were to light for Naru yet to heavy for Hotaru. Su never walked anywhere, her rampages could be heard from down the block. And Motoko and Shinobu were both on the deck still. Ken narrowed his eyes.
"Hey?" Called a female voice softly. "Are you in there?"
Ken didn't recognize the voice. Whoever it was, he got an uneasy feeling from her. Between not knowing who was there, and the slight fear of being discovered with a girl in the bath by the others, he decided to make a tactical retreat. He moved quickly and dove headlong over the railing into the trees, flipping and twirling off the branches on his way to the ground. He landed softly, making no sound, and glanced up toward the third floor room he had been on just a moment earlier. He heard the door slide open, and he pressed himself against the wall, to avoid detection. Unfortunately, from here he could not see her either. After hearing the door slide shut again, he made his move.
He circled around the building and entered the front door. He searched the first floor for any sign of intrusion by this unknown woman. He found none, and that unnerved him, there were not many who could move freely without leaving any kind of trail. He quickly moved to the second floor, but again found nothing. "What the hell is going on here?" He whispered as he moved to the third floor, and made his way silently down the hallway. As he passed the door to Motoko's room, it slid open.
"Good, someone is awake. Su, have you seen…" The woman paused as Ken turned around. "Who the hell are you? A thief?" The woman demanded.
Ken faced her confidently. "I live here. Who the hell are you?" He studied her a moment, pale skin, medium length black hair tied in a long white sash, and a black dress with a white vest.
Suddenly the woman attacked. "That is an outright lie. This is a girls dorm, and you are most definitely not a girl."
Ken was stunned by her speed, and barely managed to avoid the blow. He raised his arm and caught her strike between his arm and his body, trapping her in place. "Look, my friends are still sleeping and I don't appreciate…"
The rest of his sentence was cut off as the woman kneed him in the stomach. As he doubled over, the woman broke from his grasp and spun, planting her left elbow into Ken's forehead. The force of her blow knocked him over and sent him skidding down the hall floor on his back. He reached back with one hand and used the momentum to handspring himself back onto his feet.
"Don't touch me." The woman ordered. "Now tell me what you're doing here."
Ken looked down the hall at his opponent. "I already did that."
The woman's thus far emotionless face frowned. "Very well, I'll just remove you from the building then. Once you're gone I really won't care."
Ken laughed at her. "Go ahead and try." He stood up and moved himself into an open fight stance. "I admit I underestimated you, but you should have used that advantage to deal a lot stronger hit, 'cause I'm not about to let you do that again." He rubbed the rising bump on his head, and frowned. "That really friggin' hurt, you psycho."
"It was supposed to." She replied sarcastically as she brushed a stray black hair from her eyes. She watched him intently for a moment then charged again, knowing his open stance offered him no protection. She punched a hole straight through his chest and gasped as the image faded around her arm. It was then that she heard a soft humming, much like one would hear from someone playing air-guitar.
"Please yell if you are paying attention."
She looked down toward the sound of the voice just in time to see Ken's palm piston up into her belly, causing her to cry out. She twisted away quickly however and recovered. "Not bad, but you should have used your fist." She kicked backwards with out turning striking Ken in the jaw.
"Dammit!" Ken yelled in frustration as he steadied himself. "Who the hell is she?" He thought silently. "I may actually have to take off the kid gloves for this one." He rolled out of the way of another attack and back hand-sprung down the stairs to the lower floor. "At this rate she'll wake everyone up. Have to lead her outside."
"Running away are we?" The woman leapt down the entire staircase in one shot, landing with the poise of a cat.
"Ok, that was cool." Ken admitted, as he dodged another kick. He dropped to the ground and swept her other leg, tumbling her to the ground. He rolled from this position to scissor kick her across the chest. In return, she grabbed his ankle and gave it a sharp twist. Ken grunted in pain and rolled away.
The woman also rolled away and crouched into a low fight stance. She was surprised to see that Ken was also standing after her attack. She paused a moment. "Have you been singing this entire time?"
"Humming actually." Ken corrected her. "Like I said, my friend are still sleeping, otherwise, no wait, I wouldn't sing anyway because I don't like you."
The woman did not change her expression. "Like I care if you like me or not." She studied him a carefully. "I must admit, no one else has made me work this long or hard in a fight other than my grandmother."
Ken raised an eyebrow. "I'm flattered…I think."
"However, I think it is time to end this." She amended. "Prepare yourself for defeat."
"Whatever." Ken replied. He watched her for a moment, and suddenly she vanished. He smiled. "Not bad, lady. Not bad at all." He spun quickly and grabbed her wrist as she attempted a knife-edge chop to the back of his head.
"How?" the woman cried.
Ken continued his movement and flipped the woman over his head and onto the ground. He pinned her on her stomach and quickly removed her hair sash, using it to bind her wrists behind her back. He then lifted her legs to bind her wrists to her ankles. Once she was secure, he sat down against the wall, gingerly rubbing his bruises. "Ok, now maybe we can talk with out fists flying all over."
"Bite me." The woman replied.
"Careful." Ken admonished with a smirk. "I'm not the one who looks like she's auditioning for a role in a hentai dating sim."
The woman's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"
Ken nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I wouldn't." He stood up slowly.
The woman followed his movements with her eyes. "Where are you going?"
Ken didn't turn back. "You won't tell me who you are, or why you're here, so I'm calling the cops. I'll let them sort it out, because like you said, 'once you're gone I really won't care'."
Suddenly the door slid open to Keitaro and Naru's room, revealing Naru in one of her worst moods in the history of the Hinata-sou's existence. "It is eight in the morning on the first day of vacation. So what's with all the racket!?"
Ken backed away slowly from the cranky tenant. "Just an intruder Naru, already dealt with. Go ahead back to sleep, I'll deal with it."
Naru looked over to where the woman was bound on the floor, and started to laugh. "Oh kami! Is that you Kanako?"
"Shut up!" Kanako growled as she fought at her restraints. "Just untie me so I can go hand that guy his head!"
"All opposed to that idea, raise your hand." Ken said. A second later he raised his hand.
"What's going on?" Keitaro appeared in the doorway rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The landlord's eyes bulged from his face as he saw his sister on the ground in her compromising position.
Kanako did her best to look away as her face flushed in embarrassment. Her color deepened as she heard the click of a camera and heard Kitsune start laughing.
"Oh this is priceless!" Kitsune giggled as she snapped a few more shots. "Guys! Check this out!"
Motoko and Shinobu rushed down from the roof, and stopped stone still as they entered the room, before they started cracking up.
Kanako screamed in frustration. "Damn you all! Someone untie me!" She gave Ken an ice-cold glare. "You are dead once I'm loose."
Ken turned and went downstairs quickly. "I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me, hiding all the sharp objects that I find."
***
A few minutes later everyone was seated in the dinning room eating breakfast. Su and Kitsune were ripping into Kanako mercilessly as they passed the Polaroid pictures back and forth.
Kanako for her part was attempting to obtain possession of those pictures so that she could destroy them
Ken talked quietly with Shinobu and Hotaru as he held an ice pack on a comically large bump on his head. True to her threat, the moment Kanako had been freed she went after Ken with one of Haruka's paper fans that had been left lying around.
Motoko attempted to be the peacemaker and get Su and Kanako to stop bickering. Not long into that attempt Motoko was also arguing with them.
At the end of the table, Naru and Keitaro wondered who had conspired against them to ruin their first morning to sleep in following their hectic mid-term testing marathon.
"So what brings you back to us? Kitsune asked Kanako.
"Grandmother was curious to see how things were progressing here." Kanako looked over at Naru's hand catching a glimpse of the gold band that rested there. "Things seem to be well." She turned to face her brother. "Unfortunately, grandmother will not be able to return for a visit for sometime yet, but she has told me that I may stay if I wish too."
Keitaro nodded. "It'll be great to have you around again, though it is too bad that granny couldn't make it as well."
"She sends her best wishes instead." Kanako handed Keitaro an envelope.
Keitaro frowned slightly before hiding it. "I see."
Su suddenly climbed up behind Keitaro. "What's that? Is there anything yummy in there?"
The rest of the table sweat dropped.
"Didn't you just eat breakfast Su?" Hotaru asked.
"Huh?" asked Su innocently.
Hotaru sighed. "Never mind."
***
"You know it's moments like these that I don't understand you." Shinobu leaned her head back and rested it on Ken's shoulder. "If you could go up against Kanako and receive only a few bruises for your troubles, why would you let the other girls attack you as readily as you do?"
Ken had been looking out over the city, but turned to stare into the deep blue eyes of the girl in his arms. "What's not to understand? I really don't like to fight."
Shinobu blinked in confusion. "But the other night you said you went to fight after you became so angry."
Ken nodded. "When I fight, it's usually because I'm angry, I'll admit that. But I'll also fight if I think someone important to me is in danger or getting picked on." He looked away for a moment. "I've spent to much time fighting, I'd rather just try to avoid them all together, you know?" He looked back at Shinobu and smiled. "Besides that, if I fought them seriously, not only would they kick me out of here, but I might seriously hurt them."
Shinobu laughed. "Big words from a guy who still has bruises on his face." She tapped his chin causing him to wince a bit. "I'm so sorry!"
"Daishobu Shinobu-chan." Ken smiled. "But I think I may have to get even with you for that!"
Shinobu's eyes widened. "Oh no!" She erupted into a fit of giggles as Ken began to tickle her mercilessly. She tried desperately to get away from him but he held her in place. After a few minutes he relented and she fell back against his chest completely out of breath. She looked up at his grinning face, and couldn't help but smile back.
Ken looked out at the city once again. "So, did you have anything in particular you wanted to do over vacation?"
Shinobu shook her head. "No, I'm sure we'll find something to do."
Good? Bad? Other? Please rate and review. 'Till the next, live well all!