I don't own Love Hina. Love Hina belongs to Ken Akamatsu. The story though is just a work of fiction. For all spelling and grammar mistakes I apologize in advance.

Legends

XIII

---

Motoko turned and unleashed a series of wave blasts to the pursuing shogunate guards that sent them flying into the air then rolling and crashing downhill.

The chase was on.

The group was on the run uphill guided by a young woman dressed completely in black who introduced herself only as Kanako. And closely behind them were the shogunate guards who seemed to increase in number every step of the way unhindered.

Motoko turned again after a few jumps forward, trying very hard to keep up with the pace set by Kanako. And this time she was joined by Keitaro. The combination of arrows picking targets accurately and the destructive blows of the wave blasts finally forced the shogunate guards to pause and hide behind the trees and stone slabs.

"They're too stubborn!" Motoko grumbled. She knelt, leant heavily on her sword, breathing hard and gasping for air.

Keitaro faced forward and gently placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Would you like me to carry you?"

Motoko looked up and could not hide the blush that suddenly blossomed on her face. She felt warmth looking at his confident stature, as if all these, the threat that the shogunate guards might capture them, did not worry him even at the slightest. You're amazing Keitaro… her heartbeat rose again.

"We don't have time for this… LET'S GO!" interrupted Kanako, who ran back for the two as the rest have already gained distance.

Without another word they ran again leaving the shogunate guards cowering behind the trees and stone slabs waiting for another attack that would never come.

---

"It's in here…" Kanako parted thick foliage beneath a huge stone wedged between two old trees.

And it revealed a small carved opening of a dark tunnel.

The girls poke their heads in.

They all shivered.

"I don't like it… it's creepy down there!" Shinobu whispered and scampered behind Moe.

"Is this really the only way we can get inside the temple?" Naru asked Kanako, unsure whether she could last even a moment inside the tunnel.

Mitsune sniffed loudly then sneezed violently, "It's got a funny smell…" another sneeze, "smells something like… something like a dead rat!"

Kanako hissed, her disgust clearly written on her face, "What kind of rescuers are you? You are sent here by the emperor to rescue a legend!"

"How did you know that?" Motoko stepped forward, alarm on her face.

"It does not matter," Kanako retorted with a shake of her head, "This is the only way we could get in. The main entrance will surely be surrounded by the shogunate guards and the walls will closely be watched too…"

There was a scuffling sound from far ahead but the noise sounded closer.

Kanako quickly drew her short sword, a sword that suspiciously looked similar to Keitaro's.

"We don't have much time… they will be here any moment… you can all go ahead. I will distract the shogunate guards to another location so they won't discover this hidden entrance. This is the only chance we've got!"

"No,"

A pause.

There was an uncomfortable silence in the air, broken only by the noise that became closer and clearer as moments pass by, and it belonged to angry and infuriated shogunate guards.

"What are you saying?" there was a dangerous tone on Kanako's voice.

"I said no," Naru stated firmly, her eyes never left Kanako's cold gaze, "What insurance do we have that this is not another elaborate trap? How can we be sure that you are not working for the shogun?"

There was something that Naru must have said that made Kanako's features darker. A shadow passed over her beautiful face, her mouth thinned and her eyes narrowed. The grip on her short sword tightened and it angled as if preparing for a quick slash that would instantly kill.

Motoko felt the danger in the air.

It was murder.

She quickly stepped between the two with her sword unsheathed.

"We don't have time for this…" Motoko turned to Kanako with a bow, "I apologize for Narusegawa-san's words. It is only a minor precaution for we have been on this predicament before… we don't want anything like that to happen again," then to Naru with a pleading tone, "Naru-sempai… this is not the time to argue. We need to take whatever chance we have. At the moment, this is all we have… please… understand…"

Naru slowly and reluctantly nodded her assent.

Then without another word, Kanako rushed towards the noise that seemed to come directly behind the bushes.

"It's her! Go get her!" shouted the shogunate guards behind the trees.

Scuffling and trampling sound echoed through the forest. Then it was followed by screams of pain and metal clashes.

The girls froze in horror.

"Let's go!" hissed Motoko to all of them and they one by one crawled inside the dark tunnel.

"Don't worry… I have a feeling that she's tougher than she looks…" Mitsune whispered in the dark.

Then she sneezed.

---

The tunnel led them to a crevice on one of the thick walls of the temple. It is a segment of the temple wall where in it was completely covered with thick moss and shrubberies, evidence of years of neglect.

Directly in front of the ruined wall was a garden of flower beds and vegetable patch. There were nets covered with snaking roots of hanging flower plants all over the trees as if to serve as a temporary cover for the unsightly display of the ruined and uncared for temple wall.

Keitaro was the first to come out.

He quickly rolled to the side then made a small hole on the corner of the net cover. He came out on the other side and scanned the surrounding for any sign of shogunate guards.

There wasn't any.

Flocks of birds were perched on the tree branches above singing with delight in this late afternoon. There was tranquillity on the atmosphere uncorrupted by the brutal strength of the shogunate guards.

Motoko came next and then she ushered the others inside the seemingly unattended garden.

"I have never seen a plant like this before…" whispered Shinobu as she came out of the net. She studied the flowers that were hanging on the screen with its roots that snaked to the wall and into the trees. She was intrigued, "How can a flower survive like this? What kind of a flower is this?"

"It's called an orchid…"

Everybody froze.

And they all turned to the voice.

It was a young woman.

Her hair was of a long brownish colour with what seemed antlers sticking out at the top much like Naru's; she has thick but shapely eyebrows above a seemingly clueless round eyes. She was carrying a small crate filled with little shovels and cloth gloves.

She smiled cheerfully and continued, "Ara, ara! I never thought I'd be having some guests today! This is so nice!"

A pause.

Keitaro was completely at a loss of what to do while Motoko could only shake her head in disbelief. They never thought that such normality would be possible inside the temple. For so many nights they have wondered how the shogun treated the prisoners, the legends. And they shivered as they imagined the cruelty that the legends must have suffered under the hands of the tyrant, thinking of chains, fires and stinking prison cells.

It seemed they imagined everything wrong.

The young woman smiled and bowed then proceeded towards where Shinobu was standing. She knelt beside Shinobu then started digging on the ground unmindful of the stares from her apparent 'visitors'.

"Erm… excuse me miss… miss," Keitaro approached the young woman. He knelt beside her.

The young woman turned then pressed her face on Keitaro's.

The girls hissed either with contempt at such vulgar act or with surprise and utter curiosity at her behaviour.

"Ara, ara! You got a darling face! Have I seen you before?" the young woman said, her face an inch away from Keitaro.

Keitaro could only blush. He stuttered, "Uhm… we… uhm… you… see… we… uhm,"

Motoko's eyebrows twitched. BACK OFF LADY!

"What Keitaro-san is trying to say is that… uhm… we are looking for somebody here," Naru said as she stepped between the two, careful to make it as polite as possible while pushing Keitaro, rather roughly, away, TIME OUT! HE'S MINE! "I mean… aren't you even worried to find strangers inside the temple?"

The young woman clapped her hands with a sweet smile, "Are you telling me that you're supposed to be some sort of bandits and all? Am I supposed to be a hostage or something?"

"Er?" Mitsune scratched her head.

"I could be a pirate!" jumped Kaolla around the garden.

"No!" Motoko shook her head with frustration, "We are here to rescue somebody!"

The young woman's eyes became a pair of large round orbs, "Really! That's so romantic!" she went into a giggling fit that sent everyone to the ground.

"Excuse me… may we have your name please?" Keitaro started again, trying to control this seemingly unreal situation they found themselves in.

The young woman paused and then bowed, "My name is Mutsumi Otohime. I'm the priestess of the Legend of the Otohime clan,"

---

"I didn't know I was that important!" exclaimed Mutsumi with a hand on the air as she stuffed another freshly sliced watermelon onto her face.

The girls were so amazed at such skill. Mutsumi managed to keep her face clean and unstained of the watermelon's juices that seemed to scatter all over the place. And they were even more surprised to find themselves on another garden especially made for growing watermelons.

Motoko shook her head again after staring open mouthed at Mutsumi and tried to explain the situation once more, "Otohime-san… please… we are here to rescue you. The emperor sent us here to take you away and back to the imperial castle…"

Mutsumi clapped her hands and said delightfully, "Can we take my watermelons?"

"Er?"

"There are seven of us… then that means we could take two each! Keitaro-san could carry three! That will be a lot of watermelons!"

"We can't do that Otohime-san," Naru said, exasperated and tired.

"How about one each then!"

"Are you sure you are the priestess of the Otohime legends?" Mitsune muttered under her breath.

"Otohime-san… Japan is in grave danger… we need you to help us… the empire needs your help…" Motoko said slowly and with care.

Mutsumi paused.

Then she nodded.

"As long as the empire is willing to let me grow some watermelons! I really don't like to leave my watermelons here…" there was a hint of sadness on Mutsumi's voice and it was quickly covered with one of her sliced watermelon that suddenly appeared on her hands.

Motoko nodded, "Very well… I'm sure that that could be arranged,"

"We need to find another way out of here… we can't use the same tunnel… the other end could be crawling with shogunate guards!" Mitsune said with a hand under her chin.

"True… Otohime-san… is there another way out of here?" Naru inquired.

Mutsumi looked over, then paused for a moment then said, "Why not use the front door?"

"Argh! We can't use the front door!"

"Ara, ara! Why not? Well… if you don't want the front door we can always jump at one of the temple walls… there's one that I kept hidden because I don't want the guards to see me go out and look for some nice plants I'd like to add to my flower bed!"

"Er? Are you telling us that you've escaped before?" Mitsune frowned.

"Ara, ara! Many times! It was quite fun outside… but then again… who'd take care of my watermelons?"

"You mean to say… you stayed here because of your watermelons!"

"Ara, ara! Wouldn't you fight for your watermelons?"

Mitsune groaned, "I give up…"

---

The group, led by the priestess of the Otohime legends made their way through the complex maze of the temple building.

Naru was able to recognize the rooms where in they could safely stay as they let the shogunate guards pass by. Mutsumi on the other hand surprised the girls once again, to be so accurate and serious at a crucial moment like this. Although she kept on glancing at Keitaro making sure that the watermelons he was carrying was safe and secure.

Because in able to placate Mutsumi's reluctance to leave her watermelons, the girls forced Keitaro to carry four watermelons that was caringly wrapped by Mutsumi herself on strong fish nets. And Keitaro was having a hard time keeping up considering that one of the watermelons was of square shape with the edge that kept hitting him rather painfully at the back.

Mutsumi led them to a dark hall that seemed to go deeper and steeper.

Then at the end of the hall was another room.

It was a well lighted room with a light fragrant scent in the air.

Then at the end of the room filled with soft pillows, cushions and green plants was an old woman sitting on a larger chair.

She looked over with her eyes closed and smiled, "Ohayo Mutsumi-chan… escaping are you?"

The group froze.

Mutsumi stood from her crouching position and cheerfully said, "Ara, ara! Yes we are granny! And I hope we didn't disturb you… we just want to pass by because the wall we're after is just behind you!"

The older woman's eyebrows rose and then she smiled, "I didn't know there's a way out behind me… hmmm… I better let you and your friends go then… hurry now… you wouldn't want to be caught now do you?"

The group let out a sigh of relief to see that their plan of escape would be free of pursuing shogunate guards. Their spirits rose as their chance to leave the temple was just a few feet away.

Motoko paused and turned to the old lady, she knelt beside her and whispered, "Grandmother… we are-,"

"I know what you are here for… you are the rescuers sent by Kameyama… and how is that young emperor of ours nowadays?" the old woman said with gentleness that touched Motoko's heart. Her eyes were still closed as if all-seeing, all-knowing.

Motoko felt sad and guilty. She does not want to leave the old lady behind.

The old lady smiled, "You don't have to feel guilty… you know that I would only slow your pace. And with my declining health… there's no reason for me to leave the temple. I will meet death at these halls…"

Motoko looked up and then bowed reverently and it wasn't because of the woman's old age but because of the aura that seemed to reach out, that presence that indicates the old woman's important stature… of years of wisdom and experience… of hidden power.

Then Motoko stood and followed the others who were now scampering through a small garden patch behind a wooden cover.

She didn't realise that Keitaro stayed behind.

---

Keitaro could only shiver.

There was a frightening familiarity in the atmosphere that he could not comprehend. The hair behind his neck was sticking out; there were goose bumps on his skin. And his hand would not stop shaking.

And before him was the old lady.

Looking at him with eyes closed and kind smile… an all knowing smile.

"Are you alright child?" the old woman said.

Keitaro looked around.

His eyes and ears were suddenly bombarded with noises and images.

Keitaro knelt on the floor with his head between his hands. He moaned not of pain but of fear. He could feel something in the air. It seemed to breathe all around him. It was a terrifying experience.

"What… what is… happening to me?" Keitaro whispered through his violent shivers.

Then another image came to his mind. Even with his eyes closed he could see it as clearly as if he was looking directly at it. And he could not close it. He could not take his vision away from it.

--- 'Let's make a promise Kei-kei!'

'Let's promise that we'll go to Tokyo U together okay!'

--- 'Wow… these are nice cookies Shinobu!'

'Auuuu… I know its bad… I just made them this morning and it's the first time I baked cookies…'

'What are you saying Shinobu? These are great cookies! I'll be a happier man if I could eat meals like this everyday!'

--- 'Let go of me! I'd rather drown in the hot springs than be saved by you!'

'You've got a fever! What if you get worst Motoko?'

'It's none of your business!'

'Yes it is my business because… because… I'm the apartment manager now WORK WITH ME!'

--- 'Keitaro, what are you doing?'

'She needs me Naru… Kaolla needs me… I can't let her fight like this… her body can't take it anymore!'

'But Keitaro you could get killed!'

'Do not meddle in this fight shorty! This is between me and my sister!'

'Don't you get it Kaolla… there is no need for you to hurry… you are alright just the way you are'

--- 'I want to be with you Keitaro,'

'I want to go to Tokyo U with you…'

Keitaro screamed.

---

"What was that?" Naru turned.

The girls paused for a moment.

They have already climbed out of the ladder and over the wall that was covered with thick moss. Mutsumi's description was accurate and her reassurance that the wall would be devoid of shogunate guards was proven correct. They were already on their way downhill towards the cluster of trees when Naru heard something.

Mutsumi was the first to notice that something was amiss, "Where are my watermelons?"

"MASTER!" Moe cried.

Mitsune gasped, "Kami! Could it be possible that Keitaro was captured?"

"It was Keitaro! I heard Keitaro scream!" Naru cried and began running back uphill again towards the wall.

But Motoko stopped her.

"Stay here with the others Naru… I'll go and get him…" Motoko said and then turned to Moe, "Moe… I want you to act as the rear guard," then to Mutsumi, "Otohime-san, please lead them to a secure hiding place…"

Mutsumi nodded, "I know a place…"

Then Motoko turned to Kaolla, "Kaolla… I want you to remember this place… when all of you are settled properly I want you to return here in a couple of moments to guide us to the hiding place…"

Kaolla smiled, "You can count on me Motoko,"

"Please… all of you… be careful…" Motoko said before facing the hill.

"Motoko…"

"Yes Naru-sempai?" Motoko glanced at Naru as she prepared herself for a possible confrontation.

"Please… bring Keitaro back… bring Keitaro back to us…" A pleading note was evident on Naru's voice.

Motoko nodded reassuringly and whispered, "I intend to,"

Then without another word Motoko launched herself. She disappeared beyond the trees and shrubs, leaving nothing but parted leaves on her trail. There was a slight anticipation as the girls waited.

Then Mutsumi called for their attention and once again began their way downhill, wary of shogunate guards that could be waiting in ambush.

---

Motoko wiped her brows.

Gasping for air, she looked up and sized the height of the wall that she needs to climb. On the other side of the wall it was easier because of the ladder and that the ground was slightly higher than on the other side where there was a sharp slope downhill.

She shook with anticipation and anxiousness. She tried her best to cover that weariness in front of the others as she doesn't want to cause panic. But she has already made a decision. She would do whatever it takes to get Keitaro back, no matter what the circumstances would be.

Just hang on Keitaro… I'll get you! I'll get you back!

Hei there guys and gals! I apologize for the delay as because of the holidays I have been quite busy. I intend to finish this story as soon as possible. I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas… mine's quite boring… because I was working that night (so sad) anyway… this chapter is basically the pinnacle of the so-called 'revelation'… the next one would be the continuation of that revelation so stay tune and it will be published this week as I have clearly shown that I publish at least once every week. Well don't worry… if you are surprised with this chapter… just imagine how it would be when the Mongols finally invade Aoyoma's village!

I wish all a prosperous New Year! Cheers and more cheers!

nivremous