Love Hina – Forgotten

Fanfic by Steven Biggs

Chapter Two – Memories of Light

Friday Night

Keitaro looks at Shinobu, then Tsuruko and then back to Shinobu. The young cook walks in and sets her tray on the kotatsu table.

"Sempai?"

Keitaro shakes his head.

"This is crazy! Shinobu isn't a ghost, or spirit, or whatever! She's as real as you and me!"

Shinobu rests her hand on his.

"Urashima Keitaro, Sempai. What she said is true. I heard her words in the hallway. Motoko and I are indeed two parts of the same whole. Please believe me when I say that we meant no harm to anyone. We chose these forms so that we may live free of our prison."

He shakes his head.

"No, it can't be!"

"Do not deny what you know is the truth. I can sense that you are torn, but you must accept what is."

The manager stares at her.

"But, what about your mother and father? They're real!"

Shinobu nods her head.

"I chose them because Maehara-san could not bear children of her own. It was a sadness that I sought to ease."

Keitaro moves to put the table between them.

"If you cared about them, why did you choose to stay here when they left?"

She lowers her head.

"We cannot remain away from the Hina Sword for long periods of time. Even though it was our prison, it is also the source of who we are. We are bound to it for good or ill."

Tsuruko, her hand never far from her sword, studies Shinobu.

"May I ask why Motoko choose to become my sister?"

Shinobu smiles at her.

"She adopted that form to show her contempt for your school. Yet, after time, she came to find some measure of peace, especially after Urashima's arrival. As the master of the Hina Sword, she saw in him a convenient target for her anger at our imprisonment."

Keitaro lifts a glass of tea.

"That explains a lot. How were you and Motoko-chan released?"

Shinobu thinks back.

"It was soon after Naru-sempai arrived. Granny Hina had left the inn for some business. Naru-sempai was curious and she wandered around the inn. In a storage room on the third floor, she found the Hina Sword and drew it forth. Sadly, she did not survive the powers she unleashed."

Tsuruko grasps the hilt of her sword.

"You, you slew Narusegawa-san?"

Shinobu shakes her head.

"No! Her body could not master the power of the sword, and that was her downfall."

Keitaro grabs his head.

"But, she's alive!"

A tear falls down Shinobu's cheek.

"Yes, I used some of our power to restore her, but, she lives only as long as the spirit of the sword remains free. If the power were to be contained, Naru-sempai will die once more."

Tsuruko rises to her feet.

"Is this some foul deception, demon?"

Shinobu shakes her head.

"No, I'm sorry. You must examine her, and then you will know that I speak the truth."

She looks back to Keitaro.

"Now that you know what we are, I shall not hide the truth from you. I shall answer any questions you wish to pose."

Tsuruko continues.

"Are you trying to treaty for your survival?"

"I do not wish to end my existence. This life has become precious to me. I would be content to remain Maehara Shinobu, and die as a mortal."

Keitaro sets his glass on the table.

"Do, do you have any powers, like Motoko-chan?"

The young cook shakes her head.

"In this form, I cannot touch the greater part of our power. Motoko-sempai has, had more contact with hers because of the form she choose."

Tsuruko draws her sword.

"Urashima-san, you must take the Hina Sword and return this half of the spirit to the blade! I sense what she says is true, and she cannot do you any harm in this form."

Keitaro leaps to his feet.

"You want me to kill Shinobu-chan?"

"You must, time is not an option that we have!"

"But, Narusegawa will die too!"

"I am very sorry, but many others will die if you do not!"

Keitaro looks around the room, as if trying to find some other answer.

"What, what if we let Motoko-chan back out? Then things will be like they were! Yeah, that should work!"

Shinobu rises to her feet and faces him.

"Our other half will not be satisfied with that. Now that you know her true identity, she'll never feel safe. You alone have the power to return us to our prison, and she will destroy you to prevent that."

"But . . ."

Shinobu interrupts him.

"Aoyama-san has not yet told you the peril you face. Indeed, time is not on your side. While I remain free, our other half will be able to escape. I am powerless to stop her, yet I can contain her for a short time. Even now, I sense her rage at my actions. Sempai, I do not want you to die, and even though I cherish this life I will gladly end my existence to preserve you."

Tsuruko lowers her sword.

"Why do you freely tell Urashima-san this?"

Shinobu blushes and turns her eyes to Keitaro.

"Because, because I love Sempai. Aaauuuuu! I can't believe I've f-finally said it!"

"Shinobu-chan."

Keitaro pleads with Tsuruko.

"Isn't there any other way? I can't lose all three of them!"

She bows her head.

"The spirit must be destroyed. To imprison it once more is not enough. We cannot take the risk of it ever being allowed to escape again."

Tsuruko reaches to the table and lifts the Hina Sword.

"Take the sword and do what you must. If is best if you finish it quickly."

Keitaro looks at her as he takes the sword.

"How much time do we have? I, I owe that much to Shinobu-chan to allow her to live a little longer. And, I want to be able to talk to Narusegawa."

Tsuruko bows her head and concentrates.

"I can sense the spirit's struggle within the blade. We perhaps have a day, if the light can maintain her hold that long."

She looks at Shinobu.

"I'll hold her as long as I can. I will let you know if I begin to fail, so that Sempai can, can imprison me again."

She leaps over and hugs the manager.

"I'm sorry, Sempai! I wish there was a way to save Naru-sempai, at least! Aaauuuuu!"

Keitaro closes his eyes as he strokes Shinobu's hair.

"How am I gonna tell Narusegawa that I have to kill her?"

Shinobu whispers to him.

"That is one burden that you should not have to bear. I shall tell Naru-sempai everything."

Tsuruko shakes her head.

"I do not think that it would be wise to tell any of the others of this. Consider their reactions. To them, Motoko never existed, and Shinobu is just Shinobu. They will most likely believe that the two of you have lost your minds."

Keitaro looks at Shinobu.

"Are Kitsune-san and Su-chan, normal?

She nods her head.

"Yes, they will continue when we are gone. The power of the sword has not touched them."

Keitaro wipes a tear from his eye.

"Will, will Narusegawa feel any pain?"

Shinobu looks into his eyes.

"No, she will simply cease. There will be no discomfort for her."

Tsuruko rests a hand on his shoulder.

"I know that this is difficult for you, and I will wait for you to decide the time to act. I admit that I also will regret Motoko's passing somewhat. It was pleasant to have a younger sister, even for a short while."

Shinobu takes Keitaro's hand.

"Sempai, please come down to dinner. At least we can eat together before, whatever happens."

Keitaro nods his head.

"I know. I just wish there was another way."

A few minutes later Keitaro and Shinobu sit at the table, joined by Tsuruko. He introduces her to the rest of the residents, saying that she is there to survey Hinata-sou as a place that students from the Shinmei School could come while they attend regular schools. As Naru eats her rice, she notices Keitaro watching her.

"Is something wrong, Keitaro? You've been staring at me all through dinner."

He quickly shakes his head.

"No! Nothing's wrong! Why would you think that? Everything is just fine!"

"You were going on about someone named Aoyama Motoko earlier, and now Tsuruko-san is here."

Keitaro places a hand on his head.

"Oh, that, uh well I guess that I had the names mixed up! Just an honest mistake!"

Su feeds a piece of bread to Tama-chan and looks at Tsuruko.

"Whats do ya do at that school of yours?"

Tsuruko wipes her lips with a napkin.

"We defend against demons and evil spirits."

Su's eyes brighten.

"Do ya have any extra ones lying around? I could sure use a spook or two in some of my experiments!"

"Oh, do you study the occult and other mystic arts?"

Su shakes her head.

"Nah, I just wonders what makes them tick! It's a shame we aint got none around here!"

Tsuruko's eyes turn to Shinobu.

"Yes, that is indeed a shame."

Kitsune sets her chopsticks down and rests her elbows on the table.

"Keitaro-san, where did ya'll find that sword? It looks like an expensive antique to me."

Keitaro grabs the sword from the table and places it in his lap.

"Oh this? It's just an old family heirloom. Nothing else special about it. I doubt an antique store would even give it a second look!"

"If ya'll say so. I bet it's worth a year or two worth of rent anyways."

Naru leans to the left and looks down at the sword,

"I could swear that I've seen that before. It really looks familiar. Let me see it!"

Keitaro watches as things seem to happen in slow motion.

Naru grabs the hilt and starts to pull the sword from its scabbard.

Shinobu raises her hands to her head as if in pain.

Tsuruko leaps from her chair and draws her own sword.

The sword, now half removed, begins to emit tendrils of dark power even as Keitaro reaches for the hilt.

Haruka's eyes widen.

Naru's eyes begin to lose focus and she looses her grip on the sword.

Tsuruko grabs Naru's shoulder and tries to pull her away from the table.

Shinobu screams and falls to the floor.

The sword falls out of the scabbard and clatters on the ground.

The air begins to swirl in the room as Tsuruko pulls Naru and tosses her to the side.

Keitaro dives forward and grasps for the sword.

A vortex of darkness erupts from the blade, throwing everyone except Tsuruko and Keitaro to the floor.

The dark power swirls above the table.

Motoko's voice, tortured with rage, utters a scream that shatters the windows of the room.

"URASHIMA! I WILL KILL YOU!"

End or Chapter Two.