Note: This is Part 2 of the previous chapter. It was supposed to be posted on Saturday, but about half way through it, my brain seemingly 'fried'. I lost all motivation to write, my ideas were becoming slop, and it was turning out to be a pretty crappy chapter. Soooo I just decided to take a break all weekend. But now I'm back, and hopefully I can stay on schedule this week. Oh, and Nodoka (from 'Negima!') is still really freaking cute. =P

---Kouji Tamino

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"You're no daughter of mine…" Motoko said, glaring at Kimomo.

Tears ran down Kimomo's eyes. "B-but… Mother…"

"Don't call me that…" she turned to Sarah, Shinobu, and Rikina. "Sorry about that… I think I'll go out somewhere for a while…" She sheathed her sword, and walked away. She looked back to Kimomo, her expression softening. "Oh, and Kimomo… I apologize for being so harsh…" She laughed, a bit embarrassed. "I guess that I got caught up in things too much… Keep practicing, you're actually not that bad for someone your age! Bye for now, everyone…"

Kimomo fell to her knees, covering herself. "How embarrassing…" She bit her lip. "Maybe… Maybe I'm not her daughter…"

-----

Love Hina Next

Chapter 26: Reliability (Part 2)

Kimomo began changing into a second set of clothes. She sighed, and began packing things up. She walked out of her room, bumping into Shima. "Oh, sorry…"

Shima raised an eyebrow. "What are the bags for?"

Kimomo looked away. "I'm… leaving… My mother still doesn't believe that I am her daughter, so there doesn't seem to be a reason to stay here…" She smiled slightly. "I mean, I enjoyed my time here, but I originally came here to find my mother…"

Shima frowned. "But wait! I know a way that you can improve your skills in 3 months time!"

Kimomo's eyes widened slightly. "Really? What is this place?"

Shima gave her a serious look. "Are you sure? The trip itself could take up to a month, and it is very treacherous…"

"Is it located in some secret part of a mountain?" Kimomo asked, becoming more and more intrigued.

"No, it's actually in my grandpa's backyard," Shima joked.

"Yamato!" Kimomo screamed.

Shima chuckled. "Just kidding… In truth, it's deep within in a forest…"

-----

"No!" Tokimi yelled. "I will not let you go alone into a forest!" Tokimi yelled.

Shima frowned. "Tokimi, you're not my mother…" He looked around. "Besides, I'm not going alone, I'm going with Kimomo…"

Tokimi sweat dropped. "That's what worries me…"

"Look, I'm only going to help Kimomo get there!" Shima said, pointing to Kimomo.

"Then why do you also need to be gone for 4 months, huh?" Tokimi asked.

"Because…" Shima began, looking into Tokimi's eyes. "I'm also going to go get Kaolla… Where is she, anyway?

Sarah sighed. "The poor girl finally broke down and cried herself to sleep…"

Shima nodded. "Alright… In that case, don't tell her that I went to Mol-Mol… I want to surprise her…" Shima walked up to Kimomo. "So, are you ready?" Kimomo nodded. Shima began walking towards the ruins of the old annex.

Tokimi ran over to Shima. "Wait! Shima, what about Tokyo U? You're going to miss the entire first semester!"

Shima looked to her. "Yeah, but all I wanted to do was get in quicker than my father in order to get his attention. But not only have I done so, but I no longer have to try to get his attention anymore… But both you and Rikina, you both worked so hard to get in… Rikina to try and stay here at Hinata House, and you because you really wanted to go there… Me, I have no attachment to that place whatsoever anymore…" He smirked. "Besides, there's always next year!" He began walking towards the annex again.

Sarah's eyes widened. "Shima, wait! That's where the annex was!"

Shima looked back and smiled. "I know…" He continued walking, Kimomo following. They walked behind the ruins, where there was a lake. Shima jumped in and began swimming. Kimomo shrugged and followed. They swam through an underwater tunnel and when they reached the surface again, they were in a lush forest, full of life.

Kimomo's eyes widened. "What the--" She looked around. "Where did you find this?" She watched as a frog hopped, slipped and fell into the water. She giggled.

Shima stepped up on a rock, looking around. "Oh, this place? When I was little, I was playing around the annex and fell into this lake here. Luckily, I was helped by a man… He was amazing! Killer swordsman skills, and a great martial artist! He taught me a few things, and in return, he told me to never tell anyone about this place unless it was an emergency! Well, I figured that this would count as an emergency, so…"

Kimomo smiled. "Thanks…" She looked around the forest and sweat dropped. "You said it would take a month to reach this guy, right?"

Shima rubbed his chin. "Well, that's what he told me before I left…"

"Ha ha ha ha!!" a deep voice said from behind Shima. "Yamato Urashima, is that you? My, I haven't seen you in 13 years!"

Shima and Kimomo looked back to see a tall man in brown robes, wearing a red and white mask. Kimomo looked in shock at his huge sword. The thing was probably half her size! Shima laughed a bit. "Geez, Sukyuzo, don't scare us like that!"

Kimomo bowed. "Mr. Sukyuzo, I have humbly come to ask you for training…" Sukyuzo took a look at Kimomo and gasped slightly. Kimomo caught his action. "Sir, are you alright?"

Sukyuzo nodded. "Yes, yes… It's just, you seem familiar…"

Kimomo nodded slowly. "So, um…"

Sukyuzo clapped his hands together once. "Oh! Yes, yes, of course… Um, just follow me…" He looked to Shima. "So, Yamato! Aren't you going to come along?"

Shima shook his head, smiling. "No, I have my own things I have to go take care of…" He walked away, waving back. "Seeya!" He jumped into the water, never to be seen again. Okay, not really…

So anyway, Sukyuzu and Kimomo began their journey. Kimomo tapped Sukyuzu on the shoulder. "Um, excuse me, Sukyuzo-sensei…"

Sukyuzo looked back to Kimomo, still walking. "Yes?"

"How much longer until we reach our destination?" Kimomo asked.

Sukyuzo rubbed his chin. "Let me see… It should take about a month before we reach our 'training area'…"

Kimomo sweat dropped. "Ah, so that is what Yamato meant…"

And so, they went on a month long journey…

Meanwhile, back in the outside world, Shima attempted to find a way to get to Mol-Mol. He eventually stole a boat. The boat sank halfway there, about half a month later, leaving Shima stranded. Shima was left in the middle of the ocean with no way of getting back. "Oh yeah, this is really great… I'll bet that is punishment for stealing that damn boat… Grah, I don't wanna die here!!"

Suddenly, a yacht came up next to Shima. A lifesaver was tossed off, hitting Shima in the head. "Ow! What the hell?!" He looked up to see a tanned woman wearing a white bikini top and a long cloth tied around her waist like a skirt. Her long black hair went down her back in a ponytail. She smiled at Shima.

"Hello, my name is Nyamo…" she said. She held her hand out.

Shima raised an eyebrow. "Um, I'm sorry, but I don't speak English…"

Nyamo stared at Shima, confused.

"…"

"…"

"Oh, crap…/Oh, crap…"

-----

And so, a month passed in the hidden forest…

Kimomo and Sukyuzo finally reached the training area. Sukyuzo smiled at Kimomo. "Here we are!" There were fruit trees everywhere, and cute little animals and sunshine lollipops! Er, sorry.

Anyway, they began the training. "Kimomo!" Sukyuzo shouted. "Before I teach you anything sword related, I want to see if you will be able to deal with all of the hard work!" He pointed to a pile of huge boulders, about as big as Kimomo herself, then to a large hill. "First, a test of strength and resourcefulness!! I want you to pick up those rocks and carry them to the top of this hill! You may carry them up in anyway you can figure out, as long as you do it without any 'mechanical' or modern help."

"No problem!" Kimomo said, cracking her fingers. She rubbed her hands together, put her arms a rock, and attempted to pick it up. She groaned as she struggled to pick up the rock, with no success. She chuckled nervously, looking to Sukyuzo with a pathetic smile. She began dragging the rock as far as she could before hitting a small 'cut' in the hill. The rock tipped over and Kimomo was sent rolling down the hill along with the boulder. "Gyaaaah!"

Sukyuzo sweat dropped. "Oh boy, this will take a while…"

-----

Meanwhile, back in the middle of the ocean, in a boat, Shima was floating in a boat with a woman that he presumed to be named 'Nyamo'. The reason that he 'presumed' her name to be Nyamo was because she only spoke English, a language that he did not understand, and bits of Japanese. Through what they knew of the others respective language and some hand singles, they managed to tell each other of how they ended up where they were.

Nyamo had gone off to search for her sister, who had run away from their island, 'Pararakelse'. She took a boat, but lost her map during a strong wind storm. Fortuantely, she had brought some food. Unfortunately, she had been stranded for a few days, and her food supplies were low. If it was only her, the food would last for another 3 days. But because of her encounter of Shima, and her kindness, she only had enough for 1 and a half days.

Fortunately, a bigger boat appeared. Unfortunately, the owner of the boat was speeding towards their boat, threatening to crash into them. Nyamo and Shima screamed, holding each other. They prepared to be crushed, when suddenly, two mechanical arms came out of the bigger boat and grabbed them both, bringing them onto the ship. The owner of the boat looked to Nyamo and Shima, smiling. "Oh, Shima! Hi, son! And Nyamo! Long time, no see!" He stepped out of the way to reveal Nyamo's younger sister. "Oh, I found your sister and convinced her to go back home!" He looked over to Shima. "I have to take Nyamo and Kilara back to Pararakelse, then I'll take you to wherever it is you want to go, alright?"

Shima smiled, nodding. "I need to get to the Kingdom of Mol-Mol… There are some things I need to fix!" He raised an eyebrow. "But wait, who's steering the boat?"

Keitaro curled his right hand into a fist and pounded it into his open left hand, still smiling. "Of course! I just knew that there was something I was forgetting!"

Shima growled angrily, pounding his father on top of his head. "Grah, you idiot!"

-----

Back in the forest, Kimomo and Sukyuzo were balancing on little wooden poles in the water. A water fall lightly sprayed them with mist. "Alright, let's skip strength for now…" The man said, sweat dropping. "Now, try to find your center… Only then will you find balance…" He sighed as he watched Kimomo struggle to stay on top of the thin pole, flailing her arms, swaying back and forth. She screamed as she completely lost balance and fell into the water. He shook his head. "Alright, let's try something else for now…"

-----

A bit later, after letting Kimomo's clothes dry, Sukyuzo began strapping a backpack full of rocks onto the girl's back. "Now, we shall work on your speed…" He holds up a little rabbit. "You will chase this rabbit with this heavy bag upon your back… We will do this exercise every morning, along with the other things I have taught you, until you get used to it and become as fast as you are without the rocks. At that point, we will remove the bag. You should be able to move faster than you ever were before…"

Kimomo smirked. "Alright, no problem!" She began to hop from foot to foot, excited.

Sukyuzo chuckled. "I almost forgot!" He easily picked up some very heavy looking weights and tied them to Kimomo's wrists and ankles. "You also have to use these, too!"

Kimomo stared at the weights, a bit uncertain, but smirked confidently. "Alright, I can do this, easy!"

Sukyuzo nodded, letting the rabbit go. "Go!" He yelled, signaling that she should start running. He face faulted as Kimomo fell flat on her face after taking only a few steps. "… Um… I think that's enough for today…"

Kimomo pouted, her lip trembling, fighting back tears. "I'll never be able to even hit my mother once at this rate…" She raised an eyebrow as a hand was lowered to her. She took Sukyuzo's hand as he helped her up.

Sukyuzo smiled. "Don't worry… I didn't expect you to master all of these lessons in one day… That's next to impossible!" He raised an eyebrow. "…Did you say your mother? You're trying to beat your mother?"

Kimomo nodded slowly. "It's a long story…"

Sukyuzo smiled. "Well, I wouldn't mind hearing it… Unless it's personal, that is… In that case, you don't have to tell me…"

Kimomo gave a half hearted smile. "No, I don't mind… It's just that it's such a sad story…" She sighed deeply. "Well, here we go…"

-----

And so, Shima was dropped of on Mol-Mol. He smiled at his father. "Uh, thanks, dad!" He waved, watching as his father floated off.

"No problem!" Keitaro yelled, waving back. "Good luck with bringing Kaolla back to Hinata House!"

"Thanks!" Shima shouted, watching as the boat disappeared over the horizon. He looked around, scratching his head. "Oh, crap…" He muttered. "I have no idea where to go…"

He walked forward, hoping that he would at least find some small village. After a few hours, he began wondering through a desert. He looked around, cursing himself for taking this path. "Ugh, it's so hot… And if I pass out, that's it…" Exhausted, and dehydrated, he falls to the ground. "Mustn't… pass… ou--" He passes out.

A long while later, he awoke as he was splashed by water. He was in a dark, but cool room. He sighed, relieved to be out of the heat. He looked around, seeing only the black of darkness. He soon realized that he was hanging by his toes, upside down. "Right, the Su family rope tying techniques…" Suddenly the room was filled with light. He sweat dropped, seeing a bunch of people that look like Kaolla and Rikina.

"What should we do with him?" muttered one of them.

"Maybe the princess should decide," replied another.

"That is what we shall do, then," the first one said.

Shima raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. "Um, excuse me?"

"Silence!" the man shouted. "You will have to deal with our princess!" He walked out of the room, followed by the others.

Shima sighed. "Well, this is nice… I'm a prisoner… Just when things are beginning to look up for me, they just get even worse…"

"Shi-kun?" a familiar voice chirped. Someone, presumably the princess, walked in. It was Kaolla. "Shima, it is you! What are you doing here?"

Shima laughed. "Wow, I should have known that the princess that they were talking about was you! How are you?"

Kaolla sighed. "Eh, tomorrow I have to choose one of the many suitors to be my husband…"

"Peh…" Shima scowled. "Arranged marriages…"

Kaolla looked to the ground. "Yeah, bummer…" She looked up and smiled. "So, anything I can help you with?"

Shima looked to her, a bit confused at first, then he smirked. "Well, yeah… For starters, can I get something to eat? I'm starving, I haven't eaten in 2 weeks…"

Kaolla chuckled. "Alright, let's get you down from there…" She untied the ropes that suspended Shima from the ceiling, and watched as he landed on his head. "Um, oops…" She giggled.

Shima growled a bit. "Thanks, Kaolla…"

-----

And so, 3 months passed…

In the forest, Kimomo and Sukyuzo were having a sparring match. They were both blocking each others blows with ease, occasionally getting through and getting a hit in. They looked at each other, breathing heavily. Sukyuzo smiled. "Good, good… Kimomo, that will be all for today…"

"No, it will not…" a voice said from behind. They looked back and saw Motoko standing there. She smiled. "Hello, there…" She looked to Sukyuzo. "Hello… dear."

Kimomo's eyes widened. "What?! You know each other?!"

Motoko nodded. "Why Kimomo, don't you recognize…" she walked over to the man and took his mask off. "… your own father?"

Kimomo gasped. "But… he was…"

Sukyuzo shook his head. "But I almost had lost my life… But I struggled my way over here, to see my dear Motoko… They had already taken you, Kimomo… I stumbled upon this forest, and the water pouring from the waterfall completely healed me… I've been here ever since…"

Kimomo sweat dropped. "Um, it's nice to have a father again, but isn't this whole thing kind of cheesy, overdramatic, and just plain unbelievable?" She then glared at Motoko. "And you! You knew this whole time, didn't you?! Why did you deny that I was your daughter and put me through so much crap?!"

Motoko's smile turned into a look of regret. She walked up to Kimomo. "My dear, sweet daughter… I only recently learned of your father still being alive… And the reason I treated you in the way I did was to simply help you grow… And as I have seen, it worked…" She hugged Kimomo, tears running down her eyes. "Please forgive me!"

Kimomo began crying in happiness. "Mommy… My mommy…"

Sukyuzo smiled, hugging his love and daughter. The family was reunited again. After the group hug, Motoko grinned. "So, Kimomo… Do you wish to prove yourself in battle?"

Kimomo smirked, readying her sword. "Yes, mother… This is what I trained for 3 months for…"

The mother and daughter stared each other down. Suddenly, they both drew their swords and rushed each other. Their swords clashed against each other for the first time, and they struggled for control. Motoko chuckled. "It seems that you have improved greatly!"

Kimomo smiled. "That… I have, mother…" They both jumped away from each other, and Motoko attacked from the side. Kimomo quickly blocked it, then tried for a hit of her own. Motoko blocked and pushed Kimomo away. Kimomo regained her footing and jumped into the air. She was blocked by Motoko, then sent flying into the air. Motoko jumped after her, and they exchanged blows in the air. They managed to block each others strikes, then landed back on the ground. They stared down each other, as it began to rain. They glared at each other, sizing their opponent up. Motoko smiled. Kimomo smiled back. They put their swords away.

"I consider this a draw…" Motoko said softly. She hugged Kimomo again. "I'm sorry that I kept denying that you were my daughter, but look at how much you've improved in your sword skill in your determination to beat me and prove your worth! Plus, I wasn't really sure myself… You see, they really did tell me that they killed both my lover and daughter… Probably so I wouldn't go looking for you…" She walked over to Sukyuzo and kissed him on the lips. "I've missed you so much…"

Sukyuzo kissed back, then smiled. "As have I…" He looked to Kimomo. "And now, we can finally be a family again…" He scratched his head, confused. "But… Motoko, how did you find this place?"

Suddenly, Sarah peeked from her hiding place behind a rock. "Um… Heh heh… Yo! I kind of followed Yamato and found this place! I later told the others about it and… yeah…"

Sukyuzo sighed. "Well, there goes my secret hiding place…"

And so, Kimomo's story has a happy ending… This will not be the last time she will be seen at Hinata House, however… And speaking of Hinata House, let us return to that place, where 4 months have also passed…

End of Chapter 26

End of Volume 2

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Whew, finally got this chapter finished… Wow, this one was really troublesome… Anyway, next time, we enter the final volume of this tale.

While I won't spoil anything for you, I can say that other character's stories will be resolved, (and we'll finally find out what the deal is with Ami and her sister) Shima will make a choice, and we'll even have the mandatory 'island' storyline! (I'm trying for a minimum of 5 chapters on this…) Plus, there will be a little twist on things in the end… This is what we've have been building up to, and I am very excited! (In case you were wondering, we have about 17 chapters left…) And that is all I am telling you all for now… Mwahahahaha… Well, see you all tomorrow! (Hopefully…)

P.S. Thanks for sticking with me, despite a few of my decisions in the story… You guys are great! =)

P.P.S. Nodoka is just adorable… =P

---Kouji Tamino