AN: Greetings to those of you who are reading my work for the first time, as well as those crazy enough to have come back for more. I've always found the Love Hina universe to be very fascinating, and thanks to the positive reviews I have received in the past, I've decided to give it another shot!
Hope you all enjoy the series!
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu. Original characters belong to me and may be used with permission.
Bloodstained Heritage
Chapter 1: Haunted
Ten years ago...
"Where is the formula, little man?" A man who seemed to meld into the shadows growled, lifting a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat off his feet and glaring at him with blood red orbs. "Give it to us, and I promise that your family will be spared..."
The scientist was definetly afraid, but nontheless spat in defiance. "Do what you want, monster!" The man smiled painfully. "My family is already long gone, and I never wrote down the formula!" Though his home was all but wrecked and in flames, he took satisfaction in knowing that he had scored a victory over the terrorists even at the cost of his life...
"A shame, Doctor Urashima." Another figure spoke from the shadows, but with a calm voice and ice blue eyes. "The Syndicate would have paid you well for your services..."
"You're mad if you think I'll ever work for you." The scientist narrowed his eyes. "Both of you can go to hell for all I care!"
"You first, fool!" The man with red eyes roared, and drew in a deep breath. The scientist screamed in agony as a hazy form matching the scientist pulled free from his body, before disappearing into the mouth of his assilant. Dropping the now lifeless body of the scientist, the man narrowed his eyes as he made a swallowing sound.
"Was his soul tasteful, brother?" The man with blue eyes asked with an amused voice, even as the other figure glared at him in annoyance.
"Find the good doctor's wife..." The figure growled, narrowing his eyes at the fallen body. "The other council members will be unhappy as it is that I terminated this pathetic mortal..." He then gritted his teeth, showing a set of gleaming white teeth with two sharp fangs. "Locate her, and retrieve the formula!"
"Of course..." The figure with blue eyes smiled, showing an identical set of teeth. He then tore loose a phone line from the wall and plugged it into a socket in his neck, and immediately information flashed across his crystal blue eyes. "After all..."
"No one escapes the Syndicate..."
Present day...
A young man staggered through an alleyway during daytime, making sure no one saw or followed him. Several cuts were seen through his torn pants and shirt, with the worst being a cut on his forehead, causing his black hair to be matted as a trail of blood ran down his face, blinding one of his brown eyes that were hidden behind a pair of glasses.
Keitaro Urashima, a young man who just entered into Tokyo University, and overall friendly person - Was limping up the great stone steps to what he believed would be his final refuge from his attackers. His breathing came in ragged gasps as he climbed the last step and looked up to find an old fashioned inn amidst the middle of a forest, and smiled weakly.
"Hinata-Sou..." The young man chuckled weakly, then fell to his knees. "Finally..."
The loss of blood having finally caught up, the young man finally fell face first into the stone path. The last thing he remembered before everything went black was the sound of a screen door opening, followed by gasps of surprise and people running towards him...
Two men looked at each other nervously, then at the steel doors before them. Both were dressed in dark business suits, and had their hair styled back perfectly. Sighing, one of them reached out to knock on the doors, but was surprised as they opened of their own accord. The two men gulped nervously and saw that there was only darkness beyond the doorway, but stepped in nontheless.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen."
The two men froze in fear, as a light turned on above them, much in the fashion one would find in an interrogation room. Six other lights came on around the men as well, revealing six figures who looked upon them with neutral faces...
One was a man with spiky black hair, with blood red eyes and pale skin. He wore an expensive black suit with a burgandy colored tie, and carried with him an aura of intimidation and violence. He raised an eyebrow at the two men, but made no comment.
Another figure was a man with long blond hair, shaped back into a tail. A pair of crystal blue eyes studied the two men as he juggled what appeared to be a pair of dice in one hand. He too wore an expensive outfit consisting of a black vest and matching pants, over a white dress shirt. He smiled slightly at the two men, before reverting to his neutral look.
Two women were among the six, and looked every bit as identical twins with the exception of how they dressed. Both sported long and silky black hair which trailed down below their waists, and smiled at the two men behind deep brown eyes. But while one wore a conservative blue and white business suit, the other wore a crimson oriental dress, with the slits on its sides all the way up to her upper thighs.
Another figure looked at the two men as well, with long white hair and pale skin. A pair of emerald green eyes seemed to see through everything for him, as he stood in an expensive black business suit and matching tie. Though he personally made no comment, the area around him seemed to be surrounded by hushed whispers.
The final member of the six had short black hair and brown eyes, and smiled as if greeting the two men as old friends. He wore an expensive white business suit and was holding a glass of fine liquor in one hand, a lit cigar in the other. He puffed out a cloud of smoke as he watched the two men fidget nervously, then spoke again with the same voice heard earlier...
"So, I take it you have information we have been waiting for?" The businessman smiled.
"We...We have, honored council..." One of the men stuttered fearfully.
"Excellent!" The businessman smiled. "So I take it you have eliminated the Urashima boy and recovered the formula?"
"N..No sir, he escaped." The man replied, gulping nervously.
"He did? Pity..." The businessman sighed and nodded to the businessman with emerald eyes. The man began to gasp for air as green eyes focused on him, and before his companion's shocked eyes suddenly began to age as if sixty years shot by in a second, before the man's shrivelled bones fell to the ground and distengrated to dust, leaving his companion whimpering in fear.
"You are now in charge of the men responsible for Urashima's capture." The man with emerald eyes commented coldly to the man left standing. "I trust you will not disappoint the council like your friend..." Shaking his head, the man bowed hastily before running out of the room, leaving the six in silence for a long moment.
"You didn't have to kill the poor lad, you know." The man with red eyes sighed. "He was a proficient killer and tracker, hard to find these days..."
"We need people who are skilled and not fail us." The woman wearing the business suit added. "An example must be made, or our security will be compromised."
"Enough..." The businessman in white waved off the comments, then looked to the man with blue eyes. "I trust that you have located the Urashima boy?"
"I have, my friend..." The man frowned slightly, as if in deep thought. "Though we may have a bit of hard time getting to him... He's currently on the grounds of the Hinata-Sou..." The six turned to each other with looks of worry, frustration, and anger at the information.
"Holy ground or not, it doesn't matter..." The businessman in white narrowed his eyes. "Kill the brat and whoever is unlucky enough to be associated with him there, after all..."
"No one escapes the Syndicate..." The six smiled evily, before the room was engulfed in darkness once more...
"...The poor kid! What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know, but he was beat up mighty bad when we found him..."
"Well, you two see about getting him some water and food, I'm going to change his bandages..."
A few light footsteps could be heard, followed by a screen door opening and a young woman stepping through with a box of medical supplies. She has long auburn hair with two strands sticking up in the front, and wore a simple yellow sweater and orange skirt. She frowned at seeing the empty futon in the room, but her brown eyes went wide with surprise as a hand cupped her mouth close from behind, while another restrained her.
Keitaro quickly assessed his surroundings as he held a shard of broken pottery to the woman's throat as he closed the screen door with his foot, then whispered in her ear. "Look, I'm not a bad person... But I need to know a few things." Seeing the woman look at him with fright, he sighed. "I'm going to let you talk, but please keep it quiet, okay? I don't want to hurt you..." Seeing the woman nod slightly, he carefully removed his hand from her mouth, hearing her gasping in fright. "Where am I?" Keitaro asked, after letting the woman calm down as best as she could.
"You...You're at the Hinata-Sou..." The woman replied quietly, eyeing the sharp shard still at her throat.
"I see..." Keitaro peeked over his shoulder at the screen door nervously, then looked back at her. "And what is your business here?"
"Business?" The woman blinked. "This is a girl's dorm, I just live here..."
Raising an eyebrow, Keitaro looked at her in disbelief. "A girl's dorm? This place is still owned by Granny Hina and Haruka, right?"
"You know them...?" The woman asked, and was surprised to see him lower the shard and let her go.
"I'm sorry..." Keitaro apoligized, slumping his shoulders. "I just thought you were sent by the same people who attacked me..."
"I understand..." The woman rubbed her neck as she looked at him, then smiled nervously. "I'm Naru, by the way. Naru Narusegawa..."
"Keitaro Urashima." The young man nodded. "If it's not too much trouble, could you ask my Aunt Haruka to come see me? I have a few things to talk to her about..."
"Of course..." Naru nodded. "But lets get your bandages changed first, then we can get you to meet the other tenants who helped you while I go get Haruka..." Sighing, Keitaro agreed, and sat down to be treated by the young woman...
"This... Is... Ridiculous!" The businessman with emerald eyes grumbled in frustration, as he eyed the great steps leading to the Hinata-Sou through gritted teeth. Though the weather was fairly cool, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and an occasional pale green aura could be seen glowing around him.
"You oriental ghosts are so tempermental..." The woman wearing the oriental dress smiled, drawing a withering gaze from her companion. "So what if the place was made holier-than-thou by a couple bald monks?"
"At least I don't rip my clothes to ribbons and go berserk every full moon like others..." The man grumbled, and was about to receive a biting remark back from the woman when he suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Someone comes!" He then mouth a quick incantation, and the two disappeared from view. Moments later a woman made her way towards the steps. She has short cropped brown hair and matching eyes, a cigarette was hang from her lips as she stopped at the foot of the steps, regarding the spot the two Syndicate members had disappeared from with a raised eyebrow, before straightening out her brown and white dress and running up the steps...
Moments later, the two reappeared in the same spot, with the businessman eyeing the top of the steps warily. "How in the hell did she sense my cloaking spell?!" He wondered, then turned to his companion. "No matter now, we must inform the others of the situation..."
"Aye." The woman nodded thoughtfully. "Wouldn't do if this Urashima kid has friends who can sense us coming..."
Sitting in the living room of the Hinata-Sou, Keitaro thanked Naru as she brought him a cup of tea, and joined two other women on the sofas surrounding him. Just after introductions were exchanged between everyone, the front doors opened and the brown haired woman ran in, a surprised look on her face as she spotted Keitaro.
"I thought Naru was joking..." The woman blinked. "It is you, nephew..."
"Aunt Haruka! I'm so glad to see you!" Keitaro smiled as he rushed over and hugged her close, but winced as she bonked his head lightly with a wadded newspaper roll.
"Just Haruka, Keitaro." The woman smiled, then eyed his bandages under his torn clothing. "You look like you went through hell, what happened?" She motioned for him to take a seat, then joined the others at the sofas.
"I'm not even sure what's going on..." Keitaro sighed. "All I know is that I've been on the run ever since I was ten years old... And that some organization was after us..."
"That's horrible!" A silver-blone haired woman gasped. She was introduced to Keitaro as Mitsune Konno, or as she preferred to be called 'Kitsune.' She crossed her arms and rested back into the sofa, wearing a loose dress shirt and tight jeans. "So haven't your folks tried to call the police or something?"
"They're both gone, Kitsune..." Keitaro replied quietly, drawing a gasp from everyone else. "I came here to make sure my sister is still safe..." He added, looking at Haruka with desperation.
"She's fine, kid." Haruka puffed out a cloud of smoke. "She left with Granny Hina a few months back on a world-wide sight seeing trip, they won't be back for some time..." This drew a relieved sigh from the young man. "But why does this organization want that they're hunting you down like this?"
"It's a formula that Dad made a long time ago..." Keitaro replied. "It was an experimental serum that was supposed to be given to soldiers during wartime, so that even if they take lethal wounds they could still be saved in a reasonable amount of time..."
"Wow, no wonder..." Another woman sitting beside Haruka spoke. She was introduced to Keitaro as Kaolla Su, a high school girl who wore a T-shirt and jean shorts. She has her blond hair tied into a short tail and had tanned skin. She then blinked her emerald green eyes. "But if it means saving your bacon, why don't you just give the information they want?"
"Because there was never anything written down, Kaolla..." Keitaro sighed, then peeled off his bandages to reveal that his wounds had completely healed, with not even a scar left behind. He then turned back to the women, who were staring at him with astonished eyes. "...Because my Dad only made one vial of the serum, and injected it into me..."
"I am the formula they're after..."
Like? No like? Please review!
The mad mind of Blade strikes again! Let me know how you folks like the beginning of this series, and if any of you have constructive flaming or ideas, feel free to e-mail me! Stay tuned! More is on the way!
Hope you all enjoy the series!
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu. Original characters belong to me and may be used with permission.
Bloodstained Heritage
Chapter 1: Haunted
Ten years ago...
"Where is the formula, little man?" A man who seemed to meld into the shadows growled, lifting a middle-aged man wearing a white lab coat off his feet and glaring at him with blood red orbs. "Give it to us, and I promise that your family will be spared..."
The scientist was definetly afraid, but nontheless spat in defiance. "Do what you want, monster!" The man smiled painfully. "My family is already long gone, and I never wrote down the formula!" Though his home was all but wrecked and in flames, he took satisfaction in knowing that he had scored a victory over the terrorists even at the cost of his life...
"A shame, Doctor Urashima." Another figure spoke from the shadows, but with a calm voice and ice blue eyes. "The Syndicate would have paid you well for your services..."
"You're mad if you think I'll ever work for you." The scientist narrowed his eyes. "Both of you can go to hell for all I care!"
"You first, fool!" The man with red eyes roared, and drew in a deep breath. The scientist screamed in agony as a hazy form matching the scientist pulled free from his body, before disappearing into the mouth of his assilant. Dropping the now lifeless body of the scientist, the man narrowed his eyes as he made a swallowing sound.
"Was his soul tasteful, brother?" The man with blue eyes asked with an amused voice, even as the other figure glared at him in annoyance.
"Find the good doctor's wife..." The figure growled, narrowing his eyes at the fallen body. "The other council members will be unhappy as it is that I terminated this pathetic mortal..." He then gritted his teeth, showing a set of gleaming white teeth with two sharp fangs. "Locate her, and retrieve the formula!"
"Of course..." The figure with blue eyes smiled, showing an identical set of teeth. He then tore loose a phone line from the wall and plugged it into a socket in his neck, and immediately information flashed across his crystal blue eyes. "After all..."
"No one escapes the Syndicate..."
Present day...
A young man staggered through an alleyway during daytime, making sure no one saw or followed him. Several cuts were seen through his torn pants and shirt, with the worst being a cut on his forehead, causing his black hair to be matted as a trail of blood ran down his face, blinding one of his brown eyes that were hidden behind a pair of glasses.
Keitaro Urashima, a young man who just entered into Tokyo University, and overall friendly person - Was limping up the great stone steps to what he believed would be his final refuge from his attackers. His breathing came in ragged gasps as he climbed the last step and looked up to find an old fashioned inn amidst the middle of a forest, and smiled weakly.
"Hinata-Sou..." The young man chuckled weakly, then fell to his knees. "Finally..."
The loss of blood having finally caught up, the young man finally fell face first into the stone path. The last thing he remembered before everything went black was the sound of a screen door opening, followed by gasps of surprise and people running towards him...
Two men looked at each other nervously, then at the steel doors before them. Both were dressed in dark business suits, and had their hair styled back perfectly. Sighing, one of them reached out to knock on the doors, but was surprised as they opened of their own accord. The two men gulped nervously and saw that there was only darkness beyond the doorway, but stepped in nontheless.
"Good afternoon, gentlemen."
The two men froze in fear, as a light turned on above them, much in the fashion one would find in an interrogation room. Six other lights came on around the men as well, revealing six figures who looked upon them with neutral faces...
One was a man with spiky black hair, with blood red eyes and pale skin. He wore an expensive black suit with a burgandy colored tie, and carried with him an aura of intimidation and violence. He raised an eyebrow at the two men, but made no comment.
Another figure was a man with long blond hair, shaped back into a tail. A pair of crystal blue eyes studied the two men as he juggled what appeared to be a pair of dice in one hand. He too wore an expensive outfit consisting of a black vest and matching pants, over a white dress shirt. He smiled slightly at the two men, before reverting to his neutral look.
Two women were among the six, and looked every bit as identical twins with the exception of how they dressed. Both sported long and silky black hair which trailed down below their waists, and smiled at the two men behind deep brown eyes. But while one wore a conservative blue and white business suit, the other wore a crimson oriental dress, with the slits on its sides all the way up to her upper thighs.
Another figure looked at the two men as well, with long white hair and pale skin. A pair of emerald green eyes seemed to see through everything for him, as he stood in an expensive black business suit and matching tie. Though he personally made no comment, the area around him seemed to be surrounded by hushed whispers.
The final member of the six had short black hair and brown eyes, and smiled as if greeting the two men as old friends. He wore an expensive white business suit and was holding a glass of fine liquor in one hand, a lit cigar in the other. He puffed out a cloud of smoke as he watched the two men fidget nervously, then spoke again with the same voice heard earlier...
"So, I take it you have information we have been waiting for?" The businessman smiled.
"We...We have, honored council..." One of the men stuttered fearfully.
"Excellent!" The businessman smiled. "So I take it you have eliminated the Urashima boy and recovered the formula?"
"N..No sir, he escaped." The man replied, gulping nervously.
"He did? Pity..." The businessman sighed and nodded to the businessman with emerald eyes. The man began to gasp for air as green eyes focused on him, and before his companion's shocked eyes suddenly began to age as if sixty years shot by in a second, before the man's shrivelled bones fell to the ground and distengrated to dust, leaving his companion whimpering in fear.
"You are now in charge of the men responsible for Urashima's capture." The man with emerald eyes commented coldly to the man left standing. "I trust you will not disappoint the council like your friend..." Shaking his head, the man bowed hastily before running out of the room, leaving the six in silence for a long moment.
"You didn't have to kill the poor lad, you know." The man with red eyes sighed. "He was a proficient killer and tracker, hard to find these days..."
"We need people who are skilled and not fail us." The woman wearing the business suit added. "An example must be made, or our security will be compromised."
"Enough..." The businessman in white waved off the comments, then looked to the man with blue eyes. "I trust that you have located the Urashima boy?"
"I have, my friend..." The man frowned slightly, as if in deep thought. "Though we may have a bit of hard time getting to him... He's currently on the grounds of the Hinata-Sou..." The six turned to each other with looks of worry, frustration, and anger at the information.
"Holy ground or not, it doesn't matter..." The businessman in white narrowed his eyes. "Kill the brat and whoever is unlucky enough to be associated with him there, after all..."
"No one escapes the Syndicate..." The six smiled evily, before the room was engulfed in darkness once more...
"...The poor kid! What do you think happened to him?"
"I don't know, but he was beat up mighty bad when we found him..."
"Well, you two see about getting him some water and food, I'm going to change his bandages..."
A few light footsteps could be heard, followed by a screen door opening and a young woman stepping through with a box of medical supplies. She has long auburn hair with two strands sticking up in the front, and wore a simple yellow sweater and orange skirt. She frowned at seeing the empty futon in the room, but her brown eyes went wide with surprise as a hand cupped her mouth close from behind, while another restrained her.
Keitaro quickly assessed his surroundings as he held a shard of broken pottery to the woman's throat as he closed the screen door with his foot, then whispered in her ear. "Look, I'm not a bad person... But I need to know a few things." Seeing the woman look at him with fright, he sighed. "I'm going to let you talk, but please keep it quiet, okay? I don't want to hurt you..." Seeing the woman nod slightly, he carefully removed his hand from her mouth, hearing her gasping in fright. "Where am I?" Keitaro asked, after letting the woman calm down as best as she could.
"You...You're at the Hinata-Sou..." The woman replied quietly, eyeing the sharp shard still at her throat.
"I see..." Keitaro peeked over his shoulder at the screen door nervously, then looked back at her. "And what is your business here?"
"Business?" The woman blinked. "This is a girl's dorm, I just live here..."
Raising an eyebrow, Keitaro looked at her in disbelief. "A girl's dorm? This place is still owned by Granny Hina and Haruka, right?"
"You know them...?" The woman asked, and was surprised to see him lower the shard and let her go.
"I'm sorry..." Keitaro apoligized, slumping his shoulders. "I just thought you were sent by the same people who attacked me..."
"I understand..." The woman rubbed her neck as she looked at him, then smiled nervously. "I'm Naru, by the way. Naru Narusegawa..."
"Keitaro Urashima." The young man nodded. "If it's not too much trouble, could you ask my Aunt Haruka to come see me? I have a few things to talk to her about..."
"Of course..." Naru nodded. "But lets get your bandages changed first, then we can get you to meet the other tenants who helped you while I go get Haruka..." Sighing, Keitaro agreed, and sat down to be treated by the young woman...
"This... Is... Ridiculous!" The businessman with emerald eyes grumbled in frustration, as he eyed the great steps leading to the Hinata-Sou through gritted teeth. Though the weather was fairly cool, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and an occasional pale green aura could be seen glowing around him.
"You oriental ghosts are so tempermental..." The woman wearing the oriental dress smiled, drawing a withering gaze from her companion. "So what if the place was made holier-than-thou by a couple bald monks?"
"At least I don't rip my clothes to ribbons and go berserk every full moon like others..." The man grumbled, and was about to receive a biting remark back from the woman when he suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Someone comes!" He then mouth a quick incantation, and the two disappeared from view. Moments later a woman made her way towards the steps. She has short cropped brown hair and matching eyes, a cigarette was hang from her lips as she stopped at the foot of the steps, regarding the spot the two Syndicate members had disappeared from with a raised eyebrow, before straightening out her brown and white dress and running up the steps...
Moments later, the two reappeared in the same spot, with the businessman eyeing the top of the steps warily. "How in the hell did she sense my cloaking spell?!" He wondered, then turned to his companion. "No matter now, we must inform the others of the situation..."
"Aye." The woman nodded thoughtfully. "Wouldn't do if this Urashima kid has friends who can sense us coming..."
Sitting in the living room of the Hinata-Sou, Keitaro thanked Naru as she brought him a cup of tea, and joined two other women on the sofas surrounding him. Just after introductions were exchanged between everyone, the front doors opened and the brown haired woman ran in, a surprised look on her face as she spotted Keitaro.
"I thought Naru was joking..." The woman blinked. "It is you, nephew..."
"Aunt Haruka! I'm so glad to see you!" Keitaro smiled as he rushed over and hugged her close, but winced as she bonked his head lightly with a wadded newspaper roll.
"Just Haruka, Keitaro." The woman smiled, then eyed his bandages under his torn clothing. "You look like you went through hell, what happened?" She motioned for him to take a seat, then joined the others at the sofas.
"I'm not even sure what's going on..." Keitaro sighed. "All I know is that I've been on the run ever since I was ten years old... And that some organization was after us..."
"That's horrible!" A silver-blone haired woman gasped. She was introduced to Keitaro as Mitsune Konno, or as she preferred to be called 'Kitsune.' She crossed her arms and rested back into the sofa, wearing a loose dress shirt and tight jeans. "So haven't your folks tried to call the police or something?"
"They're both gone, Kitsune..." Keitaro replied quietly, drawing a gasp from everyone else. "I came here to make sure my sister is still safe..." He added, looking at Haruka with desperation.
"She's fine, kid." Haruka puffed out a cloud of smoke. "She left with Granny Hina a few months back on a world-wide sight seeing trip, they won't be back for some time..." This drew a relieved sigh from the young man. "But why does this organization want that they're hunting you down like this?"
"It's a formula that Dad made a long time ago..." Keitaro replied. "It was an experimental serum that was supposed to be given to soldiers during wartime, so that even if they take lethal wounds they could still be saved in a reasonable amount of time..."
"Wow, no wonder..." Another woman sitting beside Haruka spoke. She was introduced to Keitaro as Kaolla Su, a high school girl who wore a T-shirt and jean shorts. She has her blond hair tied into a short tail and had tanned skin. She then blinked her emerald green eyes. "But if it means saving your bacon, why don't you just give the information they want?"
"Because there was never anything written down, Kaolla..." Keitaro sighed, then peeled off his bandages to reveal that his wounds had completely healed, with not even a scar left behind. He then turned back to the women, who were staring at him with astonished eyes. "...Because my Dad only made one vial of the serum, and injected it into me..."
"I am the formula they're after..."
Like? No like? Please review!
The mad mind of Blade strikes again! Let me know how you folks like the beginning of this series, and if any of you have constructive flaming or ideas, feel free to e-mail me! Stay tuned! More is on the way!