Author's note part 2:
First, standard fanfic disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or places named in the story, I'm not claiming to, and I wouldn't want to 'cause that would result in a visit from the kind men in the white coats. Please don't sue the starving writer.
Second, this is based off of the Love Hina manga, not anime - I know some of the same things happen, but I've not seen the anime, so I'm working with what I have. The events discussed happen throughout the ninth volume of the manga, and some dialogue is taken directly from it. This falls under "fair use" for copyright issues, just in case.
Third, WARNING: SHOUJO-AI CONTENT. PG-13 RATING FOR SEXUALITY AND ADULT SITUATIONS. You've been duly warned, so don't bother flaming me. And now, on with the continuing show, as strangelove hits chapter 2!
Nine months passed, and it was good.
Sure, Kitsune thought as she leaned against the deck railing and looked out across Hinata, there'd been all kinds of weird things happening since she and Motoko had become sure about their feelings for each other. There was all that insanity around Christmas with the turtle girl, Mutsumi, and how much chaos she threw into everything happening between Naru and Keitaro. Thinking of herself and Motoko as the only normal, stable relationship at Hinata had been both funny and kinda disturbing. Then there were the actual Tokyo U exams, and how Keitaro split for some desert island when he thought he'd failed. Kitsune remembered putting Motoko into a leaf bikini, and couldn't help grinning.
Yep, she thought, nothing like good memories and a good beer on a nice, bright afternoon.
Of course, it hadn't all been wine and roses. Getting the rest of the girls at Hinata house used to the idea of the new couple had been a little awkward. Su, of course, had been cool with it since the beginning, but Kitsune had never doubted that'd be the case - the girl was a little nuts, and nothing seemed to ever faze her. Naru had given them weird looks at first, but she later apologized and said that was mostly because she was so surprised. Kitsune could understand that - she'd known Naru through most of high school, so her coming out naturally surprised the hell out of Naru. Sarah had blown it off like it was nothing, but Kitsune wondered just how much the girl really understood - she could be annoyingly adult sometimes. Haruka hadn't even seemed surprised, but that wasn't saying much. Shinobu had also been kinda odd about it at first, but she'd eventually settled down and stopped turning bright red whenever Kitsune and Motoko were in the same room at the same time. As for Mutsumi, who was over so often Kitsune figured she might as well live here, she'd never seemed anything other than delighted; then again, that was how she usually was no matter what. Even waking up naked in Keitaro's bed hadn't shaken her.
Kitsune downed the rest of her beer at the thought. Yeesh.
As for Keitaro, the only question he'd had - and one that he'd put to Kitsune privately, which she was very grateful for - was why she'd kissed him that one time. She'd explained that she'd needed to know for sure if she felt anything for a cute guy, and he'd been understanding and kinda flattered.
So, she thought, what was there now? Just the usual leisurely life at Hinata, along with the kendo lessons that Motoko was giving her and the two of them spending their down time watching the horse races. Motoko had proven to have some skill at picking winners, so the lack of recent writing jobs hadn't bothered Kitsune in the slightest. That, plus her actually feeling and looking better from the frequent exercise, was enough to make Kitsune think that it'd be real hard for life to get better.
Kitsune looked toward the entrance of the inn, and saw Keitaro heading up the front stairs, moving slowly with the cast he wore. She also saw that he wasn't alone, and frowned - it looked like Motoko was with him. But that couldn't be Motoko. For one thing, she didn't have the pyramid-like round hat, and she wouldn't be in her kendo outfit right now; she was supposed to be at school. Even if she'd had kendo club today, she would have changed back to her uniform before coming home. Kitsune liked the uniform, though she preferred the kendo outfit more, it suited Motoko better.
"Well now," Kitsune said to herself. "This could be interesting." She headed down to the main part of the house.
Kitsune walked into the entry room to find everyone else there, gathered near the woman on the couch who looked a lot like Motoko. A large bird with red-orange feathers was perched on the couch nest to her, and looked to be getting acquainted with Tama-chan, the bizarre hot springs turtle that Mutsumi had given Naru and Keitaro as a gift. Kitsune looked at the woman's face, and immediately saw the family resemblance. Whoever this woman was, she had a lot of Motoko in her.
"Oh, Kitsune," Keitaro said from where he stood behind the couch. "Good to see you're here. This is Tsuruko, Motoko's older sister. . . ." He trailed off, and a shocked look came over his face.
Kitsune suddenly found herself very, very glad that Keitaro was nowhere near as dense as he seemed to be sometimes. She mouthed "NO" to him, then nodded to Tsuruko. "Hey, nice to meet you," she said, trying not to sound nervous, then joined Shinobu, Su, and Sarah behind another one of the couches.
"Motoko's mentioned you," Haruka said from where she sat across from Tsuruko, "but I don't think she knows you're here, does she?"
"No, this should be something of a surprise for her," Tsuruko said calmly. "But I'm sure it won't be a problem. She knows what's coming."
That sounded a little too ominous, Kitsune thought. This was about to get bad. Really bad. She made a mental note not to ever think things couldn't get any better ever again; that was just asking for something to happen. All she needed now was for-
"I'm home!" Motoko called from the entryway.
Crap, Kitsune thought.
"Oh, Motoko, welcome back," Haruka said. "You have a visitor here to see you."
Kitsune didn't think she'd ever seen Motoko look more surprised - not when she first confessed her feelings, not when she wore her old high school uniform, and not even when she'd started bringing out some of the things she kept in her closet. The look on Motoko's face was one of pure, unbridled panic. This, Kitsune thought, was going to be worse than she'd imagined.
"Why, hello, Motoko-chan," Tsuruko said. If she'd noticed Motoko's expression, she sure didn't act like it. "It's been a while."
"Tsuruko!" Motoko exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"
There was conversation for a moment, mostly about how Tsuruko had saved Keitaro from getting hit by a car, but Kitsune hardly heard any of it. She just kept watching Motoko, who hadn't taken her eyes off of her sister. Finally, something broke through that Kitsune couldn't help hearing.
"S-so, oneesan," Motoko managed, "what brings you all the way out here?" She looked like she was trying not to scream.
"Well, Motoko," Tsuruko said, calmly setting down her tea like nothing was wrong, "I thought it would be quite obvious. I'm here to take you back home, of course."
It wasn't often that Hinata house was silent, but it happened right then. Only for a second, true, but it was enough. Kitsune suddenly felt like she might throw up, and for once, it wasn't because of the alcohol. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying out.
The silence was broken by everyone at once as all of the gathered Hinata girls - and Keitaro, of course - yelled "What did you say?!"
If Tsuruko noticed, she didn't show it, but instead stood and held her hand out to Motoko. "The time has come for you to take over the family business, as we agreed upon long ago."
Motoko was visibly shaking. She looked . . . scared, Kitsune thought, and that was something she'd never seen before. "Wait . . . you want to take me back home?" She held up a hand, as though trying to wave her sister away. "B-but oneesan . . . it's not that time, yet. I thought we had agreed on-"
Kitsune couldn't see Tsuruko's face, but whatever look she gave Motoko must have been something really damn scary. Motoko froze, and didn't resist at all as Tsuruko took her by the back of her collar and started hauling her toward the door.
"Well then, shall we?"
Motoko waved frantically, and managed to yell "No, oneesan! I don't want to go!" before she was dragged out the front door.
Kitsune stood there, just as frozen as Motoko had been, and only blinked as her lover disappeared. This couldn't be happening, she thought frantically. It just couldn't. This was a bad dream, something from a hangover, and any moment now she'd wake up and have to run for-
"No!" she yelled, and ran for the doorway. She looked out into the empty courtyard, and fell to her knees. They were already gone. She blinked again, then just stared, her mouth hanging open. "Motoko. . . ."
The next day found Kitsune out on the deck where Motoko always practiced, leaning up against the railing in a daze, an empty jug of saké by her side. She couldn't help remembering the three days after she'd first made a pass at Motoko, and how all she'd wanted to do those days was drink, so that she wouldn't think about how badly she'd screwed up. Even then, alcohol hadn't been enough to keep her from thinking about Motoko. Kitsune was now learning that it still didn't work, though that wouldn't keep her from continuing to try, even if it was starting to rain.
But what could she do? Kitsune thought. Motoko's psycho sister had yanked her away without a second thought or time for any questions, and all she knew was that they were somewhere in Kyoto. She thought back to the time just before she'd left. . . . Would it have made any difference, she wondered, if she'd told Tsuruko that the two of them were together? Would that have changed anything? She shrugged, and leaned her head back, letting the rain fall across her face. It might have made it worse, might not have, she thought. If Tsuruko was that strict about everything, she probably wouldn't like the idea that Motoko wouldn't be having kids and continuing the school. It didn't matter now. Kitsune'd just stood there and done nothing, and now she had nothing.
"Dammit," she muttered. Self-pity didn't suit her, she knew that. But what could she do?
"Hey, Kitsune!"
She lifted her head - slowly, as she could feel it starting to pound - to see Keitaro heading for the ramp, holding an umbrella. She managed a small smile, though she didn't feel it.
"Hey, landlord-person," she said, trying not to slur too much. Saké didn't give as good a buzz as beer did, but it went down better. "You need to clean the deck or something?"
"What? No, that's not it," he said, looking surprised for a moment. "Come on, you shouldn't be out here in the rain."
"That's nice," Kitsune said, then leaned forward and groaned, holding her head in her hands. "Doesn't matter, though."
"Kitsune," he said, and she managed to look up. He was smiling, and holding out a towel as he leaned on his crutch. From the look on his face, she could tell he was trying to be reassuring. Either that, or she was drunker than she thought. "Come on up to my room, I have something I want to show you."
"Hey, look," she said, pointing at him clumsily, "you should know by now. . . ." She hiccupped.
Keitaro blushed a bit, but he laughed at that. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. I have an idea. Come on!"
A few minutes later, she sat at the table in Keitaro's room, drinking coffee and drying her hair off. The pounding in her head was lighter, and she was starting to wonder just what Keitaro had in mind. She couldn't help thinking that there wasn't much he'd be able to do, with a broken leg and all, but it was better than drowning her sorrows. She hoped. If it wasn't, she could just start over.
"Motoko's been teaching you kendo, right?" Keitaro asked. He had his back to her, and was rooting through a trunk.
"Right," Kitsune said. "I'm still not that good at it, though."
"Then maybe this'll help." He turned to her, holding out a katana. Its grip was bound in some strange black material, and the sheath was black as well, looking like it was made out of obsidian. "This sword is known as 'Hina: the Ominous Blade,'" he said, "and it's an Urashima family heirloom." He turned all the way around and started to smile at her. "My aunt Haruka told me about the thing and I'm not gonna use it, but I think you can find a good use for it."
Kitsune carefully took the sword from him. Something felt weird about it right from the start - it felt like the hilt was vibrating. She stifled a giggle at that. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked, then blinked as she realized what he was suggesting. "You don't think-"
"I know Motoko's important to you," Keitaro said, "and I hate seeing you like this. What do you say we head out to Kyoto and get her back?"
Kitsune looked down at the sword again. It was crazy. But she was going crazy without Motoko, and it had only been one day. She knew that if something like this had happened to her, Motoko would have torn apart anything that got in her way to get back together. She couldn't do any different.
"Right," Kitsune said. She let a grin spread across her face, and knew it wasn't the saké. She looked at Keitaro and winked. "Bring it."
Motoko stood on a rock in the middle of a river. To both sides, water rushed past her, heading quickly toward a waterfall not far away. There was just enough space on the rock for her to take a half-step to each side; any further and she would fall in. Should that happen, there was nothing for her to grab onto to save herself, and she wasn't sure whether or not she would survive going down the waterfall.
She closed her eyes and drew her sword, then hurled the scabbard over the water to the shore. Falling into the stance for her basic kata was as natural as blinking, even with the tiny amount of space; she adjusted for her surroundings and let herself flow through the motions. The morning sun warmed her, despite the mist from the river and falls, and for a moment, she let herself think she was back on the deck at Hinata.
Her foot slipped toward the rock's edge, and Motoko caught herself.
She slipped out of her stance, surprised to find herself gasping for breath. She'd done this practice before, though not here in Kyoto, not at the Gods' Cry School. It had been years since she'd been here, and she hadn't been near skilled enough to attempt such a thing when she was young.
Motoko sighed, and looked down the river, to where the water tumbled over the falls. She couldn't help but sympathize. Only a day ago, she'd been happily floating along in her own current, content with where the river was taking her, ready for the bends ahead but sure that she would continue to stay afloat. Tsuruko's sudden appearance had sent her over the falls, and where she'd landed, she wasn't yet sure.
She shook her head and tightened the band that held her hair away from her face, and fell back into her stance. Taking the water as a focus, she tried to get her flow back, tried not to think about what she was missing. Kitsune had loved to watch her go through her katas-
Motoko's foot slipped again, and she nearly lost her sword to the river before catching it by the very end of the handle.
'What, you don't want me touching your sword?'
Kitsune's voice in Motoko's head was clear enough; she might as well have been standing right at the river's edge. Motoko pulled her sword back to herself and frowned, bowing her head. It wasn't the first thing she'd done that brought back memories. Being back in her room at the school had felt utterly lonely; she'd hardly been able to force herself to sound neutral when her sister asked if she was feeling all right. Sleeping by herself - having to sleep by herself, instead of having the choice - had been nearly as difficult as leaving Hinata. She'd grown so used to having Kitsune around, to be without her was like being without her right arm.
There was more to it, of course; there was no way to deny that. She missed everyone at Hinata. Shinobu's cooking, Su's endless energy, even Keitaro's clumsiness seemed a world away. She'd have given almost anything just to walk past a room and see two or three people gathered around a kotatsu, hard at work studying. But she knew that she would give it all up, would flee Hinata house forever, if it meant she could be with Kitsune again.
She raised her head and looked out across the landscape, at the forest and mountains that surrounded the school. Things were very secluded up here, the better for those who lived here to focus on their studies and their technique. She knew the tales of those who had come before her; some of them had probably stood on this very rock and practiced just as she had. Perhaps their footprints were worn into the stone, perhaps the patterns of their steps could be seen etched into the rock. She wondered if any of them had stood here and contemplated the same things. Her own sister loved her husband, and she had been running the school without being taken away from him. Why did things have to be different?
"Because," Motoko said quietly to herself, "I'm a coward."
As Tsuruko was dragging her out of Hinata, Motoko had wanted to cry out to Kitsune, to tell her sister that she had someone she loved and that she must stay. But in her sister's eyes, Motoko had seen the same force of will she'd always known, and something inside of her had weakened. She couldn't help thinking she was protecting Kitsune in a way - there was no telling how Tsuruko would react to learning that Motoko loved another woman, and if she was angry, Kitsune might end up a target of that rage.
Motoko knew she would rather be away from her lover forever than let her sister loose on Kitsune. Despite how well the other woman had taken to kendo, there wasn't a chance that she would be any match for Tsuruko. So she would remain quiet, for Kitsune's sake.
The reassurance was supposed to make her feel better, Motoko knew, but it didn't change a thing. All it meant was that she was lying to her sister by not saying anything, and to herself by saying she could go on keeping this a secret. If she felt this way after only one day, how long could she keep it up?
After a deep breath, Motoko stood straight, and fell into a different stance, one with a more aggressive and difficult kata. She was a warrior; she had the strength to get through this. She merely had to find it within herself, and she would survive. How much she would enjoy it, she wasn't sure, but that wasn't important. She was a student of the Gods' Cry School, that was all that mattered. That was all she could let matter.
Two steps later, she slipped again, and her leg plunged into the water up past her knee before she caught herself.
Shivering from the sudden cold and from her near-plunge, Motoko kneeled and clung to the rock. "This is ridiculous," she said to herself. If she was going to continue like this, she would fall to her death by afternoon.
Leaping from the rock to the shore was easy enough; she'd gained her focus back as soon as she knew what she had to do. She took up her sword's sheath and hung it at her side, but kept her blade out. Confronting her sister unarmed could be foolish.
Tsuruko was in the school's small shrine, kneeling before the altar. Her orange-feathered bird sat on her shoulder, and cried out when Motoko entered the room. Motoko let out a quiet sigh of relief; this probably wouldn't become a battle if Tsuruko was calm from praying. She sheathed her sword and knelt next to her sister, lit some incense, and assumed a position of prayer. It felt a bit odd to be at a shrine when it wasn't the new year, but she knew that she had reason to be there. Perhaps it wasn't coincidence, perhaps it could help her in some way.
Motoko prayed for strength, both to say what she had to say to her sister, and to deal with the results.
A moment later, Tsuruko's voice broke the silence. "You seem tense, Motoko-chan."
Motoko bit back a retort; Tsuruko was the last person she wanted to start something with. "Oneesan," she began, "I do not feel I can stay here."
"Oh?" Tsuruko almost sounded surprised, though Motoko guessed that her sister had known something like this would come up. After dragging her away from Hinata House, Tsuruko couldn't think everything was going to go smoothly.
"At Hinata House. . . ." Motoko began, then took a deep breath. "There's someone I've left behind," she said quickly. That was enough, she thought; the blush on her cheeks would tell the rest.
"Ah." Tsuruko laughed a little at that, just enough to make Motoko blush harder. "Why didn't you speak of this before? It's not as though it's forbidden."
"I. . . ." Motoko gritted her teeth behind her closed lips; this was more difficult than she'd thought it would be. Tsuruko had never been the easiest person to talk to, and she might think differently about it being forbidden if she knew what Motoko truly meant. "I was afraid of what you might think," she managed. "It's been a hard thing for me to come to terms with."
"Love is like that," Tsuruko said, sounding more understanding than Motoko had expected. "Motoko-chan, look at me."
Motoko raised her head and opened her eyes, then looked over at her sister, trying to keep herself from crying. She saw her sister's usual knowing smile, but there was something else in her eyes, some kind of sympathy.
"Motoko-chan, do you love this person?"
The simplicity of her question caught Motoko off-guard, and she lowered her gaze so she wouldn't have to look into her sister's eyes. "I do," she whispered. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she'd known it for some time now. She positively ached to have Kitsune by her side again.
"Do you know that your love is returned?" Again, Tsuruko's question was plainly asked, even if the answer was anything but simple.
"I believe so," Motoko said, straining to let the words out. Tears started to stream down her face. Despite her belief that honesty was best when dealing with one's feelings, Kitsune had usually opted for flirtation and play over traditional romance, so Motoko had never heard her say the words. She was sure she felt them, in her own way.
"Then we shall see what comes of this," Tsuruko said. She stood, and Motoko lifted her head to watch her. "If the one you love feels the same," she continued, "then they'll come for you." She paused, then held up three fingers. "Three days. If the one you love comes for you within three days, you both may challenge me." She turned for the door, then looked back at Motoko over her shoulder. She was smiling, showing the utter confidence Motoko both loved and feared. "Defeat me before the three days are over, and you may leave with the one you love."
Motoko let her breath out all at once, and let herself slump with relief. There was hope, she thought. A slim hope, but it was all she had for now. Perhaps she could sneak a call to Hinata . . . no. That would be dishonorable to her sister's conditions. She would have to believe that Kitsune loved her, that Kitsune would come for her.
"Please," she whispered, turning toward the shrine once again, "please. Come to me."
Kitsune stood in the aisle in the middle of the Shinkasen. To both sides, rows of seats held people who were looking at her strangely. There was just enough space in the aisle for her to attempt the basic katas she knew; too far to either side and she'd careen into the chairs. Should that happen, she'd end up bruised, though she knew that wasn't unusual for her when it came to practicing kendo.
She closed her eyes and readied the cardboard tube she'd snatched from a street vendor, then stepped into her first kata. A few seconds later, she'd knocked her wrist into a seat, hit her head on the overhead luggage bins, and hurled the tube across the train car into a sleeping old man.
"Kitsune," Keitaro said from his seat - all the way over by the window, she couldn't help but notice - "are you sure you should be doing that on the train?"
Kitsune looked down at her empty hands, glanced around at the passengers staring at her, and finally saw where her tube had ended up. Fortunately, the old man hadn't woken up. She threw herself into her own seat, giving herself another bruise in the process, and heaved a sigh.
"This is crazy," she said, looking over at Keitaro. "This is completely nuts. How are we going to get Motoko back when I can't even practice?"
"Well, we can always have Su send us something once we get to the school," Keitaro said. Kitsune wasn't sure how he managed to look happy through all of this. "Besides, we might not have to fight for her."
Kitsune gave him a look. "What, you think we'll just show up and drag her away, just like her sister took her away?"
"Maybe," Keitaro said. "But what if her sister has, um, problems with you two?"
She opened her mouth to say something, but froze, and was silent for a few seconds before leaning back into her chair. That wasn't something she'd thought about. Motoko had never mentioned what, if anything, might happen if someone else from the Gods' Cry School found out she was with another woman; it hadn't ever come up. Hell, she'd only mentioned her sister once or twice. But now, with Tsuruko dragging her away to run the school . . . Tsuruko was married, so maybe that had something to do with it. Would Motoko be expected to do the same thing, find a guy and get married, have kids to carry on the traditions? If that was true, then what would happen when Kitsune showed up and demanded the return of her teacher, lover, friend, and personal body pillow? Could she be throwing Motoko's future at the school in jeopardy just by being there? Should she even be on this train right now? What would Motoko say if Kitsune made it so she could never return to the school, could never call herself a warrior again? Kitsune had the sudden image of Motoko leaving her, walking away into the sunset, not even looking back over her shoulder as Kitsune groveled on the ground and tried frantically to apologize. . . .
"Kitsune?"
"Wahhh! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Kitsune turned and clutched at Keitaro's jacket, and was about to start crying into it when she realized what she was doing. She blinked a few times, then let go. "Sorry about that," she said, and settled back into her seat. "I just couldn't help . . . thinking, you know, about what might happen."
Keitaro chuckled at that, and shifted in his seat. She wondered how he could be comfortable with that cast on. "Well, there's not much you can do about that. That's something I learned after failing the Tokyo U exam for the third time, and everything that happened with it. I used to worry so much about how well I'd do on the test, I almost forgot to study."
"Kinda hard to imagine that," Kitsune said, managing a grin. "You forgetting how to study, that'd be like. . . ." She trailed off, trying to think of a good example.
"Like you forgetting how to drink?" Keitaro asked, then shielded himself with a book when she glared at him.
When the Shinkasen pulled into Kyoto, they both got off, and Kitsune found herself suddenly very nervous. She couldn't help looking at the schedules and wondering just how quickly she could get back to Hinata if things went poorly. She almost didn't notice Keitaro calling her, trying to get her to a bus that would get them close to the dojo.
She stared out the window at the forest and mountains as the bus went through Kyoto. The place was beautiful, she could see that, but somehow it didn't register. All she could think about was what might happen, what she wanted to do. Maybe it was impossible. She wasn't sure. But, she thought with a small smile, she'd never shied from taking a chance.
It was mid-afternoon by the time they reached the Gods' Cry School. Kitsune looked the place over, and nodded to herself. "Pretty impressive," she said to Keitaro.
"Yeah," Keitaro said with a nod, then pushed up his glasses. He looked at Kitsune for a moment, then asked, "Are you ready for this?"
She stood still for a moment, and took a deep breath, trying to focus as Motoko had taught her. There was little within but conflict, she knew that, but she had to try to find some peace within herself.
After deep-breathing for nearly a minute, she still hadn't stopped feeling like her stomach was going to shake itself out of her body.
"Nope," she said, forcing a grin and wink, "but I gotta do it anyway."
She took the lead as they headed toward the school's front door. She was trying not to think about how much the place looked like a temple, but she couldn't help it. Well, she thought, it wasn't like she was profaning a place of worship, and she wasn't sure how much she really believed in all that anyway. . . . But she knew how important those things were to Motoko, and how she volunteered during New Year's festivals and such. Kitsune swallowed hard. She hadn't felt this nervous since the time she'd gone to confess her feelings to Motoko.
Just as Keitaro closed the door behind them, Kitsune heard footsteps as someone walked into the room. The steps stopped all of a sudden, so Kitsune turned to look, and felt her heart leap, then skip for just a second.
Motoko stood there, looking utterly shocked, her cheeks starting to turn red. Kitsune couldn't help grinning at her. She did resist making some kind of cheap joke about coming to save her, even though she guessed it was kinda the truth. She wanted to run up and hug her, kiss her, hold her, and then drag her away from this place as quickly as she could so they could have some time alone like she'd been dreaming of for the entire last two days. But it only took one look at Motoko's face to see that it just wasn't going to happen.
"Kitsune," Motoko said, almost painfully polite, "Urashima. It's . . . good to see you."
"Coulda fooled me," Kitsune said, though she regretted it as Motoko flinched. She walked to her lover's side, and gave her a pleading look. "What's wrong?" she asked in a whisper. "Your sister already-"
"That's what's wrong," Motoko whispered fervently, and waved for Keitaro to come over. "My sister knows that I love someone from Hinata."
Kitsune managed to keep her mouth from falling open, though she couldn't keep her eyes from nearly bugging out. Motoko . . . loved her? Sure, she'd thought of the other girl as her lover for months, and she felt a lot for her, she couldn't deny that, but . . . how could she tell, Kitsune thought, she'd never been in love with anyone before!
Kitsune managed to catch back up in the conversation as Keitaro asked something that sounded important.
"So she doesn't know that it's Kitsune?"
"No," Motoko said quietly, shaking her head. Kitsune wanted to reach out and touch her hair, but after hearing what Keitaro had asked, she held back.
"And if you and Kitsune manage to defeat her in, what, another two days, then you get to go back to Hinata?"
"That's the deal we've made," Motoko said, nodding. "Of course," she continued, edging closer to Kitsune, "she might change her mind once she knows. . . ."
"You think she'd do that?" Kitsune asked. "I mean, your sister sticks to her word, just like you, doesn't she?"
"She must," Motoko said flatly. "She brought me back here."
A door in a nearby room slid shut, and the three from Hinata turned to see Tsuruko walking toward them, holding her sword over one shoulder. She smiled politely at them, and stood a short distance away.
"Motoko-chan," Tsuruko said. "Does this mean I can be expecting your challenge?"
"It does, oneesan," Motoko said firmly. "By tomorrow evening, we will defeat you."
"Ah," Tsuruko said, walking forward to stand just in front of Motoko. "Remember, it must be you and the one you love who stand against me. None other." She patted her little sister gently on the cheek, then stepped back to look at Kitsune and Keitaro. "Welcome to the Gods' Cry School, both of you. You're welcome to stay in the guest rooms until this is settled." She turned swiftly, and headed back outside.
"You know," Kitsune said quietly after Tsuruko was gone, "that was pretty vague. You sure she doesn't know?"
"She's my sister," Motoko said with a sigh. "I've never been able to read her. She's not someone you can just talk to."
A short while later, after Kitsune and Keitaro had moved their things into the guest rooms, there was a knock on Kitsune's door. She answered it, saw Motoko standing there, then stepped back so the other girl could enter. After she slid the door shut, she stepped close to Motoko and whispered.
"No one can see in here, right?"
"Of course not," Motoko answered.
The two women embraced, throwing their arms around each other and sinking to the floor. Kitsune squeezed Motoko, unable to keep herself from crying just a little. From Motoko's sniffling, she could tell the other girl was much the same. She pulled her lover close, stroking her long black hair and not wanting to let her go for a long, long time. They both trembled, but found some relief in each other. After a very long moment, Motoko finally pulled back.
The kendo girl kept her gaze downward, as though she was ashamed. Tears streamed down her face. "I've missed you so much," she said, her voice nearly breaking. "But I couldn't say anything. I don't know what my sister would do if she found out."
Kitsune managed to free one hand to wipe tears off of her own face and Motoko's. "Do you really think it'll be that bad?"
"I don't know!" Motoko looked like she was going to burst into tears again, but she managed to control herself. "I have no idea what she'd do or say. She might discard me, might remove me from the school completely. She might think that it doesn't change anything. Or she might say that it's the same whether with a man or a woman, and that you have to marry me, after . . . after what we've done."
Kitsune quirked an eyebrow at that. Marry Motoko? She didn't even know if that was legal, but it wasn't all that bad of a thought. . . . She shook her head, and forced herself to think about what was happening here and now. "But we can challenge her, right? We have to; I know you don't like giving up."
"We have no chance against my sister," Motoko said, and from the tone of her voice Kitsune knew she wasn't just saying that because she felt sad or hopeless. "My sister is the greatest swordswoman this school has ever produced. None before her, nor any since her, have been able to match her skill."
Great, Kitsune thought. We're doomed. She threw that thought off as soon as it came. "Maybe we could run away. You know, head off somewhere, live on the road for a while like all those warriors you keep trying to get me to read about, then make our way back to Hinata after a while." She forced a grin as Motoko gave her a disbelieving look. "Hey, you always wanted to be a real ronin, right?"
Motoko managed to laugh at that, but Kitsune could tell that she didn't really mean it. "I'm sorry," Motoko said after a moment, "but I can't do that. I don't want to lose everything." She paused, and took a deep breath. "We'll face her," she said, looking into Kitsune's eyes. Kitsune had the strange feeling that Motoko was somehow feeling stronger just by her being there. "We can't do anything else. And then . . . she'll learn, about us."
Kitsune grinned widely, and winked at Motoko. "That's my Motoko," she said. "That's my little-"
"I told you never to call me that when others might hear it," Motoko said with a firm glare.
"You mean the walls here are that thin?" Kitsune asked.
"Yes."
"Damn," Kitsune said with a sigh. "And I guess your sister'd get kinda suspicious if you slept in my room tonight."
"Probably," Motoko said with a nod. She leaned forward, and put her arms around Kitsune again. Naturally, Kitsune did the same. "But don't worry," Motoko managed. "We'll solve this tomorrow, one way or another."
They spent most of the rest of that day planning and preparing. Motoko went through about a dozen techniques and tried to teach Kitsune the basics of each one of them, but by the end of the day, Kitsune knew she didn't have anything even remotely resembling a chance.
"How long did you take to learn this?" she asked, pushing up the kamikaze-type headband Motoko was making her wear.
"It's hard to say," Motoko said, wiping sweat off of her own brow. "This is the technique I perfected when I left Hinata House, briefly, last summer."
"Right, I remember that," Kitsune said, then paused. She stared at Motoko. "You're trying to teach me the Cutting Evil Strike?!"
"It's very effective," Motoko said with a shrug, "and works well as part of other attacks."
Kitsune paused again, remembering when she'd seen Motoko use it other times. "Wait. Isn't this the strike that tears people's clothes off?"
Motoko's face started to turn red as Kitsune grinned. "I told you, I need to refine my technique!"
"I'm not saying that's bad," Kitsune said with a wink, "but if you want me to tear your clothes off, you can just say so, y'know?"
Motoko stammered for a moment, turning bright red, then turned and glared at Keitaro, who was looking through a giant box that Su had shipped to the school through some strange express service with a three-eyed logo. "Have you found anything useful in there?" she demanded.
Keitaro ducked back, reflexively throwing up an arm to protect himself. After a moment, he relaxed and shrugged. "There's a few things that might come in handy, but I don't know what your sister's capable of. Also," he said, leaning toward the two women, "I'm not sure just how we should do this tomorrow. Your sister said you had to fight with the one you loved, right?"
"R - right," Motoko said, not losing her blush at all.
Kitsune turned away, acting like she was still practicing the strike. She still couldn't help feeling all kinds of doubt about this. How was she supposed to know whether or not she really loved Motoko when there was all this stress about it? Things could go bad tomorrow, and she could have to walk away and leave Motoko here. Wouldn't it be better to wait until after all this was settled to think about whether or not she really . . . really loved her?
But what would happen if things went badly and she had to walk away and only then knew that she loved Motoko?
Kitsune lowered her sword and put a hand to her forehead. Of course, she would have to think of something like that. Great, one more thing to make this all more difficult.
"Kitsune?"
Motoko's voice made Kitsune jump, and she turned around forcing a smile. "Eh? What?"
"Do you think that plan will work?" Motoko asked.
"Um, sorry, I was . . . trying to find 'now' and 'the flow' like you said, and I kinda got lost. . . ." She grinned nervously. "What's your plan?"
"All three of us will approach my sister tomorrow," Motoko said, drawing her sword and starting to work herself into one of her techniques. "You and I," she continued, nodding at Kitsune, "will have swords, and be ready to fight her. Urashima will contribute as much as he can."
"Isn't that kinda dishonorable or something?" Kitsune asked.
Motoko turned toward one of the training dummies, and squinted at it as she took a few steps back. "We're going up against my sister," she said in a low voice. "We should use anything at our disposal if we're going to win."
Motoko took a few steps forward, called out the name of her technique louder than Kitsune had ever heard her before, and swung her sword at the dummy. A wave of some kind of energy shot across the room, cleaving the dummy in half.
Kitsune raised both eyebrows, and edged toward the door. "Yeah. Hey, I gotta go get some fresh air." She headed out into the yard before either of them said anything.
Kitsune walked for a while before she realized she was still carrying her sword, but shrugged it off and kept going. There was just too much going on, she thought, too much in her head to go back and get rid of the weapon. After walking for a while, she found a tree and climbed up into it, then leaned back and looked up at the stars.
She remembered, nine months or so ago, waking up to see the stars and finding that Motoko had been holding her, sort of. While she and Motoko had done little under the stars except look at them - Motoko was still incredibly shy about some things, but Kitsune was sure she'd break her of that eventually - she couldn't help thinking of that moment every time she looked up at the sky at night. That was how things had all started for the two of them.
And now, Kitsune thought, letting out a sigh, now everything might end for them. Could she really let that happen? She was going to help Motoko face her sister tomorrow, that was for sure, but . . . Kitsune knew she wasn't a match for Tsuruko, and she didn't think Motoko really was either, after all she'd been saying. But despite all that, Kitsune knew that she didn't want to give up. She couldn't. It'd be like betraying Motoko, saying she wasn't worth fighting for, saying it wasn't worth it to try. Hell, she'd come all this way, how could she go back now?
She'd come all this way, and hardly even thought about whether or not she should succeed. All through the trip, all that had mattered was getting Motoko back by any means she could. All she'd needed was Keitaro's encouragement to get her off her ass, everything else had been automatic.
Did that mean that she loved Motoko? And how the hell would she know? She'd never been in love before. Sure, people said you'd just know that kind of thing, so she guessed if she had to think about it then maybe she wasn't in love with her, but maybe she was just thinking too much. . . . Kitsune sighed. She needed a beer to think about this properly. Hell, drinking had helped her get moving when she was questioning herself, maybe it'd give her the answer she wanted as well.
Of course, she knew how she got when she was drunk. Whatever answer she got would be how she really felt. Motoko often told her that when she was drunk she was even more . . . how'd she put it? Affectionate, a take-your-clothes-off kind of affectionate. So beer might be the answer to this one.
Then again, she thought, if she needed beer to get her answer, then she was probably thinking about it too much again. Maybe it'd be easier to think about, or not think about, in the morning. She'd have to sleep on it.
The next morning, at a rocky place next to a shallow lake, Motoko approached her waiting sister. Kitsune and Urashima walked along a step behind her. Motoko couldn't help but feel a little nervous about this ruse they had planned; if Urashima could start the battle with her, then Tsuruko would likely see him as the one Motoko loved. Tsuruko would likely try to strike him down quickly, the better to test Motoko's skill. She could count on Urashima's apparent invincibility to keep him safe. Then, Kitsune could make her own attack, and hopefully they would stand victorious.
As for Tsuruko would react to learning that Kitsune was the one that Motoko loved . . . they'd deal with that when it happened.
Motoko was trying not to wonder about Kitsune. She'd run off rather suddenly last night, and they'd had to wake her up this morning when they found her asleep in a tree. When Motoko had asked her what was wrong, Kitsune had shrugged it off and not said anything. Motoko couldn't help worrying about that; it was normally difficult to keep Kitsune quiet about whatever was on her mind. That, along with the strange sword that Urashima wore on his back, made Motoko think that there were far too many variables in this battle for her liking.
As the three of them stepped onto the rocky battleground, Tsuruko turned to them, her sword at her side and a smile on her face. "Preparations are complete," she said as her smile turned deadly. "This will be the site of our battle." She paused, then frowned. "The one you love is here to fight at your side?" she asked.
"Yes, oneesan," Motoko said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "At my side, as it should be."
"Well then," Tsuruko said, and drew her blade. "Let us begin!"
Motoko charged her sister, staying low as she ran, letting her mind flow into place as she prepared her strike. If she could take her sister out quickly and right from the beginning, this would be mostly painless. "Ultimate Technique," she called as she leaped into the air, gathering her ki around herself. "Thunder Strike!"
She struck down at her sister in the middle of a bolt of energy, their swords clashing together and sending off sparks. Cracks appeared in the rocks around the two of them, and small boulders flew into the air away from them. Tsuruko pushed back at her, her stance showing no strain, no sign that she'd even been thrown off balance.
That changed an instant later, when Urashima heaved a small cluster of one-eyed bombs that had been in Su's package. Motoko managed to flip backward from the blast, but Tsuruko looked to have been caught in the middle of it. As soon as she hit the ground, Motoko spun around, sword at the ready, waiting for the smoke to clear.
Tsuruko stood on a patch of unscorched ground. A few hairs looked out of place, but that was about it.
"So this was your plan, Motoko-chan?" Tsuruko asked, her eyes flaring brightly. "Something so childish, so simple?" She raised her sword in Urashima's direction, not taking her eyes off of Motoko, and swept her blade toward him. A wave of energy snapped through the air, slicing through the pack he wore and spilling the weapons out across the ground. She snapped her wrist back, sending off another wave, destroying Su's supplies.
"Damn," Kitsune said, and drew her sword to charge.
She was halfway there before Tsuruko realized what was happening. Motoko leaped at her sister again, hoping for the distraction, and caught her blade in a clinch for a moment before Tsuruko swept her legs out from under her and pushed her away.
"Ho ho ho. . . ." Tsuruko laughed darkly, and turned to the charging Kitsune, readying her attack. "Now it's actually beginning to get interesting!"
Motoko held onto her hope for just a moment, just long enough for Kitsune to get her first strike in. She was proud for that single second; Kitsune had obviously been practicing and had learned the form well.
Unfortunately, it was also the most basic strike of the Gods' Cry School, the one that most students learned shortly after they first picked up a sword. Tsuruko parried it without even trying, and sent Kitsune and her sword spinning off in opposite directions.
"I recognized that," Tsuruko said, and glared at Motoko again. "Those who have not mastered should not be teaching."
"Kitsune!" Urashima yelled before Motoko could say anything. "Take this!" He reached back, and withdrew the sword on his back.
Motoko gasped. "Urashima, don't-"
There was a dry, sizzling sound to the air as Urashima was somehow illuminated in a black aura that flared and whipped around him. He made a strange "ka-ka-kak" sound as one of his eyes started glowing bright red. He held the sword at arm's length away from himself, and didn't move.
"This is bad, isn't it?" Kitsune asked as Motoko ran up behind her, returning the other woman's sword.
"Very bad," Motoko said, trying her best to remain calm. "We're going to have to take him down now as well."
"I recognize that sword!" Tsuruko yelled. "It's the legendary ominous blade known as 'Hina' that plunged the city of Kyoto into a sea of flames and took the combined strength of the Gods' Cry School to seal it away!"
Kitsune gulped. "Oh, yeah. . . . We're screwed."
"Aaaahh. . . ." Urashima said in a voice that wasn't quite his. "This body feels nice . . . a bit scrawny, though. Ah, well!" He pointed randomly at the ground. "Take that!"
Urashima leaped into the air and struck down at the ground, sending chunks of rock flying. Motoko and Kitsune dodged as well as they could, trying to get away from the sudden chaos. Urashima cackled madly as he landed, then leaped into the air again, nearly disappearing against the sun.
"The sword must be leeching the boy's life force in order to expand its dark power," Tsuruko said, sounding quite calm despite the situation. She turned, then looked at Motoko and Kitsune, her eyes wide.
"She stands by your side," Tsuruko said, then wavered a bit. "This, then. . . . This is the one you love?"
Motoko opened her mouth to answer, but found her voice caught. She couldn't read her sister's face at all. Was she upset? Disappointed? Pleasantly surprised?
A second later, that became immaterial as Urashima dove down, flipped around so he was facing Tsuruko, and pulled her face close to his. Before Motoko could make a move, Urashima kissed her sister.
"Naru's gonna be pissed!" Kitsune yelled, her mouth hanging open.
"Oneesan! Think of your husband!" Motoko called.
Urashima held the kiss for what seemed like a very long time, and when he let Tsuruko go and leaped away, she collapsed to the ground. Motoko ran over, and knelt by her sister's side.
"Oneesan! Speak to me!" She held her sister's head up as Kitsune rushed over, checking for vital signs. "It's no good!" she said. "Her life force has been drained away!"
Kitsune held her sword ready. She did the stance well, Motoko thought, but she knew Kitsune wasn't capable of taking out Urashima when he was possessed by the sword. But she couldn't leave her sister's side. . . . She turned to watch as Urashima circled the battle area, seemingly at random.
"That sword has to be destroyed," Motoko said quietly. "But we can't hurt Urashima."
"Why're you worried?" Kitsune asked, smirking. "You've seen what Naru does to him, he'll be fine!"
"That's not the-" Motoko began, then gasped as Urashima charged the two of them.
"I see you," Urashima cackled as he drew near.
"Hah!" Kitsune held her sword before her, snapping into a more advanced stance - one that Motoko could tell she hadn't mastered yet. "C'mon, Keitaro, give it-" She yelped as he swung at her, and she barely blocked. She clumsily parried his next swing, then glanced over at Motoko. "Help me, I don't wanna kiss him!"
"Circular parry, as I showed you," Motoko called. "Try to disarm him!"
Motoko watched as their blades met with a flash and a shower of sparks. Kitsune was performing the parry, and given Urashima's lack of grip strength, she should be able to. . . .
There was a 'ching' sound as Kitsune sent the Hina blade spinning up into the air, followed by a 'thud' sound as Urashima crashed to the ground. Kitsune turned to Motoko and grinned.
"All right!" she said with a wink. "And hey, we got your sister too-"
"Kitsune!" Motoko screamed, looking up to the sky, where the Hina blade was spinning rapidly in its descent.
Kitsune gasped, dropped her sword, and threw up her hands to block. Motoko watched, wishing she was dreaming, as the Hina blade dropped into Kitsune's open hand.
"Oh, man," Keitaro said as he sat up, rubbing his head. "What hit me?"
"Run!" Motoko yelled, then paused for a moment as she tried to think of what to do.
The sword took its life energy from people by kissing them, she thought, glancing down at Tsuruko. Her older sister looked like she was just beginning to recover, but Motoko could tell that she wouldn't be ready to fight. That, and considering what she knew she had to do to Kitsune. . . . Motoko knew she didn't want anyone else in her place.
She watched for a moment as Kitsune chased Urashima around the yard, then crouched. This was what she had trained for. All she needed was an opening. And if her older sister saw . . . let her. She wasn't going to hide anymore.
"Stand down, Kitsune!" Motoko yelled as she leaped into the air. Now was her time, she thought. Now, she would show her sister who she was . . . woman and warrior, with the one she loved at her side.
Motoko twisted herself in the air, much like Urashima had done, and pulled Kitsune into a kiss before she landed. She felt the energies of the sword fighting against her, but forced her own will upon them, drawing strength from within herself and from knowing she was doing what she had to do. After she'd held the kiss for a moment, she felt the dark force that had a hold of Kitsune start to flee, and once it had left her lover's body, Motoko focused on binding it into the sword.
When her task was done, Motoko heard the dark blade clatter to the ground, and held Kitsune up to keep her from falling. She didn't break the kiss until she heard someone applauding. With a bit of trepidation, Motoko turned to look at her sister, supporting Kitsune with her free arm.
Tsuruko was clapping politely, a smile on her face, looking generally pleased. "Impressive," she said, sounding like she meant it. "You sealed away something that bested even me. I must be getting old." She laughed out loud, then looked at Kitsune. "And this," she asked, glancing back to Motoko, "is the one you love?"
Kitsune started to straighten up, and stood on her own, though a bit shaky. "Are we about to be in trouble?" she whispered to Motoko.
"If we are, I don't care," Motoko whispered back, then looked her sister in the eye. "Yes," she said. Her voice didn't shake at all. "Oneesan, this is Kitsune Konno."
Tsuruko nodded once as she approached the two of them. "Then what of you, Konno-san?" she asked. "Is Motoko-chan the one you love?"
"Yes," Kitsune said without hesitation, looking a little surprised at herself. She put her arm around Motoko's shoulders, giving her a squeeze. "Yeah, she is."
"I'm proud of you, Motoko-chan," Tsuruko said, still smiling. "You've overcome a lot today, and you're worthy of being part of the Gods' Cry School." She put a hand on both of their shoulders. "As for the two of you, this is . . . unusual, but not unheard of," she said. "You are both welcome here."
Motoko felt tears brimming in her eyes as she smiled. Everything had come together, and there was nothing for her to worry about . . . and she got to go back home to Hinata. "Thank you, oneesan," she said, then tried to keep her feet as Kitsune hugged her tight.
The next morning, Kitsune stood outside the Gods' Cry School with Keitaro, waiting for Motoko to finish saying her goodbyes before they all left. Kitsune was still trying to figure out what had happened with that sword - all she remembered was trying to keep it from cutting her head off on its way down, and the next thing she knew Motoko had her tongue in her mouth. She didn't really mind, though she'd wondered what Motoko's sister was going to think about that. But even that hadn't been a big deal. So, yeah, all was well and it was time to head back to Hinata. Couldn't ask for it to work much better, she thought.
Motoko and Tsuruko walked out of the front of the school side by side, talking as they came. Kitsune couldn't help seeing the similarities between them. Another time, she might have started comparing them, seeing which one she thought was hotter. But she hardly even thought about it now. She knew that she loved Motoko - all it had take was someone else asking it, and her not thinking about it long enough to realize it. Maybe she'd just needed a kick in the head to get it right, she thought with a laugh.
Motoko stood at Kitsune's side and gently took her hand as she and Tsuruko reached the others. "Thank you for everything, oneesan," she said. "I was . . . very worried, as I said."
"You worry too much, Motoko-chan," Tsuruko said, though she was smiling. "Konno-san," she continued, looking at Kitsune, "please look after my sister for me."
"No problem," Kitsune said with a wink. "I'll never let her out of my sight, even when she's in the bath or-"
"Kitsune!" Motoko whispered firmly, turning bright red.
"Yeah, don't worry," Kitsune went on like nothing had happened. "She's in good hands."
"I can see that," Tsuruko said, still smiling, and bowed to them both. They bowed in return. "Have a safe journey home."
"We will," Keitaro said.
After one last wave, the three of them headed down the road, away from the school and back toward Kyoto.
Kitsune slung her arm over Motoko's shoulders as they walked. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I need a beer. What say we find someplace to get some food before we take off?"
"You're like this wherever we travel, you know," Motoko said, though Kitsune could tell she wasn't really upset. "Has it ever occurred to you that you should travel for something other than just sampling the food?"
"Hey," Kitsune said, dropping her hand down to pat Motoko's ass. "It's not my fault you make me . . . hungry."
Motoko turned as red as her pants again. "Kitsune!"
Kitsune laughed all the way back into Kyoto.