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Disclaimer:
I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina is property of Ken Akamatsu.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Author's Note Lmao... THANKS Joie, for that WONDERFUL little comment. XD I couldn't help but laugh. Especially on that remark about jerking off too much when I put that I was a LITTLE kid in one of the earlier chapters. Way to go, give the others the impression that I'm a perverted lil' pre-teen with no life. (Don't ask me if it's true. I wont deny it. XD) And yes, I know you're quite surprised this story's actually PG-13. Quite astounding for someone as... deprived... as me.

ON ANOTHER NOTE! Thank you again, to all reviewers. 30 reviews is about twenty more than I ever expected. I'm hoping this slight bit of action at the beginning will be a nice variation from the usual fluffy angst. (Ewww, oxymoron right there.) Anyways, I have a long way to go before I can really write, so just live with what I give ya. Finally, jennyjenai and HinaGuy, thank you for being here the whole way. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------

Kokoro no Tsubasa
Wings of the Heart

Chapter 5

Time slowed down, moving at a fraction of what it normally passed. I was no stranger to these kinds of moments. Shinai held forth, I let them come upon me, all three bringing the fury of their trainging with them. Still, they were no match for me.

Something flashed to my right, instantly causing me to push my weight opposite, bringing about the bamboo sword in a wide arch. Then there was a jarring force of contact between the two weapons, locked for a moment, then sperated. Bringing about the shinai, I used both feet to propel myself forward, using the tip of the weapon to help me forward.

There was a brief sound as sandals met floor, the opponent slammng to the ground on her feet, and then turning. By then, I was already avoiding a swing from the third adversary, dodging underneath and charging straight for the first attacker.

Then the one who had just turned managed to strafe left, away from her ally, allowing her enough space to set up for yet another aerial strike. The third one followed behind and at my heels, shinai held at ready to strike from behind.

Stopping, I surprised the attacker by jabbing the wooden sword backwards, tip searching to score. The first striker then came from directly infront, leading the assault for the girl who had jumped high into the air.

Shifting the weight around on both feet, I pivoted around, the wooden weapon leaving a satisfying connecting sound upon meeting the other's bamboo sword. Kicking off, I managed a bit of air, barely enough to dodge the backwards slice from the opponent I had failed to hit earlier, when I had tried to jab her.

By then, the second opponent, who preferred to strike from above, had landed where I had been. Unfortunately for her, as I charged back to meet the three, she had turned in the opposite direction, barely managing to see the strike that hit her. Although not even close to a true strike, the attack was no love tap either.

Managing to hold in a scream, she dropped her shinai and jumped backwards, landing safely out of the arena. She finished gracefully, although there was a tight, pained expression as she stood, leaning slightly to the side.

Snapping back to face my already moving opponents, I stopped to catch a few breaths before positioning myself into a defendable position. They had split, forming a pincer movement to catch me from two sides.

Following the movements of both, I guessed the location of their attacks and began charging the one to my left. Now that there was no need to worry about a third attacker, my focus could be used more efficiently.

Swinging in a downwards cut, let the shinai come upwards, intercepting the other's wooden weapon as it came sideways, all the while knocking it out of the control of its wielder. The other adversary struck from behind, swinging downwards in the classic swipe. Using my feet to pivot, I allowed a quick series of transfers to allow me to sidestep the attack.

My own bamboo sword was still forcing the other swordswoman off balance, eventually forcing my own weapon to slide against hers, and then move in a circle, ending the encounter with a jab in the side, while allowing for me to bring the shinai opposite the way it came, moving to threatenly his the final opponent in the head as her ally walked off the circle in which we fought.

Ducking underneath, I forced her off balance by causing the shape of her crouched body and the force of her sweeping weapon to contradict one another. This forced her to suddenly reverse swinging direction, sword tip flung upwards rather than in a sideways downward arch.

Recoiling from the attempted headstrike, I swung the shinai about myself, allowing it to return beside me, then come swinging the very next second. Coming from below, the shinai raced towards the opponent's chin. Just as she had been able to find her balance, her face contorted in shock as the speeding weapon neared her.

And just as it was about to strike her full force, I stopped the blade, then lightly tapped it against her jaw. Dropping her wooden sword, she glared at me before turning about and quickly walking off.

"And the winner is... Motoko Aoyama! The first contestant to not only survive, but win a round against the three best kendo swordswomen in the region. Now, we wait to see if anyone can match this amazing girl's skill!"

Standing straight and proudly, I took a towel from a waterboy of sorts, and left before the announcer finished his commentary.

The walk to Hinata-Sou was not long at all, the highschool being only a few blocks away. As soon as I opened the doors, I found Su and Sarah jumping at me. Before I blinked once, they had already latched onto me, barraging me with their quickly spoken questions. Apparently all the residents had been waiting. It was Keitaro who was the first to ask a question I could actually understand.

"How did the contest go, Motoko?" I could almost smile everytime I heard him speak, even if not as he used to, it was far warmer than his old condition allowed. The fall had led to his ability to understand something that only he had known. That only he had been fighting.

'I wish he would have told me, then I might have been able to comfort him whenever he needed...' But I answered the question as I normally would, seemingly unaffected by all the surprise. "Well, Urashima, as can be expected, I won. Similar to a representative of my school and dojo in Kyoto, I had to win for the honor of my family."

He only smiled. Trying to hide the feelings I masked within, I focused on setting Su and Sarah down. Shinobu had made an early dinner in celebration of my victory, which most were expecting. But nonetheless, my thoughts wanders. 'He knows. Keitaro can understand why I've allowed him to be there for me, even if I act as if he was nothing but a lesser man. It only makes me wonder more at how kind and caring this man is.'

"Then, how about a night out? Since tomorrow's a Friday, why don't we hit the town and have some fun?" Mitsune's voice spoke up, causing me to wonder what she truly had in mind. If I knew her, she'd be content to just sit and drink to her heart's content.

But already I knew it would be a slow day tomorrow. Even if it was with everyone else, anything that involved me socializing made me act differently. 'How can I admit my love for him when I am such a loner? I have little friends outside of Hinata, and I know nothing about my classmates at school. Even if Keitaro is who he is, he is by far a more sociable person than me... He would never find me... interesting... to stay around.

'And already I'm beginning to think strangely. Curses...'

Realizing I was the only one who had yet to speak, I nodded instead, rather than have my voice betray my true emotions of joy. Even the slightest thought of Keitaro and I going somewhere together, even with others, would set me off.

I knew that the next day could be called an eternity from my point of view. It would be hard to focus, now that we were all to hit the town.

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Yeah, I realize this chapter was a bit... Random. Don't flame me or anything, but I wrote this as a bit of a buffer between transitions. And now I'm fairly sure there'll be another few chapters of deep thoughts, even if it is a night out on the town. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review. -Ky