Note: I do not own Love Hina, or any other intellectual properties. They are all copyrights of their respectful owners. The rest, however, is MINE, BEE-YOTCHES!
I HIT THE BIG 100 REVIEWS! YAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Havenoname – That I am. And yes, VoidHawk needs to be writing his own fics soon.
VoidHawk – Thank you so much for your help. Let's spread the word!
Drgnmastr-Alex of the Dark Icon Writers – You won't be disappointed; that, I can assure you.
ingrid8av – Wow, thanks.
NefCanuck – I'm planning on that as we speak.
Hotstreak RMD – In a way, Ayumi is Shinobu's sister. She was adopted by her mother, which makes her Shinobu's adopted sister.
Kogasgirl142 – Thank you.
tomdj1701 – Thanks.
de bombz – Cliffhangers are intense, aren't they? I am dedicating the Kansai arc on Shinobu's past.
Lee3 – The festivities have only begun, my friend. :p
BigFics2 – I'll be sure to read it when it comes out.
oblivionknight7 – I hear you.
GYRAX Presents…
Awe of She
Chapter 9: Aqueous Regression
Shinobu turns to the tan blonde foreign girl. "Su, hook me up with the Virtual-kun, please."
Su doesn't even voice a response. Instead, she just goes straight ahead and prepares the machine. Shinobu notices the young girl doesn't even say anything, and her face gives away a more serious expression.
Keitaro speaks. "Umm…Miss…"
"You can call me Aethra." Shinobu's mother replies.
"Yeah," Keitaro responds. "Where's your husband?"
"He's in our room taking a nap." She answers. Almost everyone face faults after just hearing that.
Keitaro gets up. "Nap, eh?"
"He likes to sleep." Aethra replies.
"Well, get him up. He has visitors!" Naru demands.
Shinobu's mother just laughs nervously. Then, she looks at the virtual-kun. "What do you plan on doing with that?"
"The Virtual-kun." Keitaro says. "It hooks up to your head and displays what you're thinking on a monitor. It also records what's stored in your memory banks."
"Interesting." Aethra holds her chin. "You plan on hooking that up with Shinobu?"
"That's what she wants, it seems." Keitaro answers.
"Hook me up, too." Aethra adds. "I think it would be better if I helped tell the story."
"You think so?" Keitaro replies.
"Of course I do." She says. She turns to Su, who's in an abnormally calm state. "Can you hook me up, too?"
"Sure." The tan girl replies.
(O)
Shinobu and her mother are hooked up to the Virtual-kun; they give Su the signal to turn the machine on. Su still has a calm look on her face, something that isn't supposed to be there, unless pigs are flying, or hell is already frozen over. The monitor attached to the machine lights up in a brilliant blue color as it turns on. After a few seconds, images start to appear on the screen. The others watch the monitor as if it were the movies; Kitsune even has a full bag of popcorn, God knows how she got one. They all watch in awe.
Two figures walk the halls of the prep school, heading towards one another. Fate draws them here, and sets them both on a collision course with one another. The two bump into one another, each dropping a book or two. They both pick up their respective books and walk off. One of them looks back to see who it s. The one looking back is Keitaro.
"How long ago was this?" Naru asks as they all watch the screen before them.
"Three years." Aethra answers, hooked to the Virtual-kun. "Shinobu was only sixteen back then."
"She must have been pretty smart to go to Tokyo U prep school at her age." Motoko remarks.
"She was very talented." Aethra says, with a smile across her face. "A truly gifted child. I'm very proud of her.
Keitaro watches the other figure leave, a girl with long blue hair walks away, refusing to show her face.
The girl doesn't even bother to look back, but she smiles, knowing that he just noticed her. This girl is Shinobu.
I found him, Mother. Shinobu thinks. I finally found him!
"I still find this hard to believe." Naru says to herself. "How could Shinobu be his promise girl? How could she?"
"Mother, I'm home!" Shinobu exclaims in an unusually chipper tone of voice, as she walks in the house.
"How was your day, Shinobu?" Aethra asks.
"Great, Mother!" Shinobu answers almost immediately. "I finally met him! I finally met the promised guy! Just like when I was four!"
"Really, Shinobu?" Aethra replies. "That's great to hear! Is he handsome?"
"That's a dumb question." Shinobu laughs. "What would you think?"
"This is good news." Aethra says. "I'll call Tsukiko and Natsumi up immediately! They'll be glad to hear this!" Aethra picks up the phone and dials a number.
"She was so happy back then…" Naru says.
"It's already gotten good from the beginning." Kitsune says with a mouthful of popcorn. "I hope it gets better at the end. You know, some romance flicks end up faltering at the end."
"Kitsune!" Keitaro says. "Cut it out!"
Keitaro stands before the building; the challenges of prep school and the Tokyo U mock exams now lie before him. Cherry blossoms dance in the wind, floating in their own rhythm without a care in the world. He waits for someone; he doesn't know whom, but he feels like he needs to wait. Petals land softly on his shoulder.
Shinobu walks towards him, with her heart pounding on her chest from the anticipation; she's about to finally come in contact with the man she made a promise to long ago. She begins to walk slowly, and approaches him ever closer, but she senses something wrong.
(O)
"What the hell is the meaning of this?" Says a man, standing in front of Aethra, and what looks like her husband.
"…Acheron…" Aethra trails off.
Acheron Kuznetsova has dead-looking blue eyes, with white hair that extends to his shoulders. His face shows an emotionless, but sinister expression, and his hair covers hi right eye. You can't see what he's wearing because he has a black cloak on. He looks dead at Aethra with fire in his eyes. "Who the hell is that with you?"
"My husband." Shinobu's mother declares. "It's my husband Kenpachi." She points to a Japanese man behind her.
Kenpachi's hair is jet black, and pushed backwards, and he wears glasses over his brown eyes. He's currently wearing a black three-piece suit.
In an instant, Acheron grabs Aethra by her kimono. "Damn you! What did I say about having any relations with an easterner?"
"I tried not to listen to you!" Aethra spits back. "If you wanted me so bad, then you should've said so!"
"Acheron didn't approve of western relationships with easterners from the beginning," Aethra says, hooked up to the Virtual-kun. "But it got worse once he found out of my marriage with Kenpachi. He always was manipulative, and he was always jealous towards others. He never admitted to ever loving me, though. He never told me he loved me, not even once. Because he never came clean with his feelings towards me, I decided instead to marry Kenpachi."
Just then, something strikes a chord in Naru.
"You just went with the man who confessed his love towards you, then?" Keitaro asks.
"That's pretty much it in a nutshell." Shinobu's mother answers. "Kenpachi showed his love towards me and was far more open about it than Acheron was."
Naru couldn't help but stand stiff at the thought of what Aethra says. She takes a few seconds to introspect on her own feelings; feeling nerves crawl all over her skin, and throughout her body. Her muscles tense, and her head feels terrible from the frustration of having to put that back in her head.
"Naru," Keitaro asks, his eyebrows slanted creating an expression of pure concern. "Are you all right?"
Naru tries to regain her composure, but she can't shake this feeling off of her. It won't leave her alone, now that those words that escaped Aethra's mouth have finally hit her across the face, leaving a sting on her cheeks. "Rrgh. I'm fine." She tries to assure him that she's fine, but she expresses otherwise. "It's just…never mind."
Aethra holds a card high into the air and shouts. "Execute Probationary Contract for 90 Seconds! Kenpachi Maehara!"
Suddenly, Kenpachi feels light as a feather, as if his own weight is disappearing before him. He swiftly runs towards Acheron with his right fist wound up and ready for contact. Acheron strafes to his left to avoid the punch, and then skids to a stop. He then lifts his right hand into the air.
"Βασιλιάς των Θεών! Μου δώστε την αστραπή σας έτσι μπορώ να χτυπήσω κάτω από την αντίθεσή μου με ένα ενιαίο χειροκρότημα! ΣΥΝΤΡΙΒΗ ΒΡΟΝΤΗΣ!" He aims his right palm at Kenpachi, and then a bolt of lightning erupts from his hand. It seems like time slows down for that moment, as Kenpachi is able to see the bolt of lightning head straight at him, but not even he has the speed to dodge it. Then a voice cries out.
"ΣΥΝΤΡΙΒΗ ΒΡΟΝΤΗΣ!" Another bolt of lightning suddenly appears from Kenpachi's left and collides with the other lightning bolt, which came out of Acheron's hand. This collision results in a brilliant flash of light.
The flash of light even blinds our Hinata residents for a second.
The white haired man looks to his right and sees Aethra with her right arm extended and her palm open. The woman seems to be breathing hard, as if she's exhausted. He notices her weakness and approaches her quickly. "You've softened up, Aethra." A grin crosses his face. "Just one spell has already exhausted you. You should've done some exercises to keep you magical abilities at top form." He raises his right hand up again. "Now, you'll pay a high price."
Suddenly, Kenpachi aims for another punch, but Acheron sees this coming and prepares for another spell.
"ΣΤΥΛΟΒΆΤΕZ ΤΗΣ ΠΕΤΡΑΣ!" Acheron slams his right hand on the ground, and in an instant, stone pillars surround him, thwarting any attempt by Kenpachi to land a hit. Acheron then jumps up and lands behind Aethra, with his hands on her throat. Kenpachi stops in an instant, knowing that one move will mean the death of his wife.
"Why that little!" Kitsune shouts out.
"Calm down," Keitaro says.
"I have softened up ever since I moved back here after the war." Aethra says. "I haven't done any magical training because I felt there wasn't a need to. I did some training with Kenpachi on the basics of combat and the probationary contract, but this was his first experience. Things didn't go so well. I was already forced to use my trump card."
"Trump card?" Keitaro asks.
Aethra closes her eyes and holds her breath. Please help us!
(O)
Shinobu freezes for a moment. She thinks that she heard something. She brushes it off for a moment and continues approaching Keitaro, who is standing in front of the prep school. Then she hears it again.
Shinobu! Help us! There's the message again. Suddenly, images of her mother being held by her neck by a sinister figure run through her mind. Shinobu stops walking and looks back. She feels distressed, now. She's so close to finally meeting her promised man, but her mother's in trouble. She already can't take the pressure. She'll have to do something, and quick. Perhaps, if she saves her mother in time, she could still meet with her promise man. Not as if her mother's safety isn't a priority, it's that she's so close to her dream, only to see that she's needed to save the household from a madman.
I'm coming, mother. Shinobu makes her decision. Suddenly, a gust of wind blows through the morning air, and before you know it, she vanishes.
A sudden unusual gust of wind that blew from Keitaro's left. And cherry blossoms fall on his shoulders, as if they're telling him something bad might have happened. He turns his head to his left, but sees no one. He only wonders what's going on.
(O)
Acheron feels a presence behind him, but before he could react, someone punches him clear across the face, sending him spiraling towards the ground. The white haired man gets up and looks behind him, only to see a girl who looks to be sixteen, right behind him. "Who the hell…"
"Shinobu!" Aethra exclaims. "You came. I'm so sorry I had to call you."
"It's all right mother." Shinobu says in response. "If I can finish this quickly enough, I can still enter for the Tokyo U mock exams."
"You sure about that?" Shinobu's mother asks.
"I'll try my best, Mom." Shinobu answers. She looks dead at Acheron, who at this point, is in a state of pure rage.
"You mean to tell me you're her DAUGHTER?" Acheron asks with hostility in his voice.
"Yes." Shinobu answers.
Acheron looks at Aethra, then Kenpachi, and then he looks back at Aethra. "Not only did you marry a Japanese man, but you also have his kid!" Acheron charges at them both, only to be intercepted by Shinobu, who quickly puts her hand on his chest, and sends a huge burst of energy to his body, sending him crashing a good distance. The white haired man gets up and looks at Shinobu again.
"Ayumi helped me out with training Shinobu." Aethra says. "Ayumi herself went through some rigorous magi training herself by a friend of mine. She then passed down her skills to Shinobu and I passed down mine. The end result is that Shinobu turned out to be a very strong magi herself."
"Why isn't Ayumi there to help you?" Motoko asks.
"This was also the same day that Ayumi had to go to Okinawa to inform Natsumi of the good news, seeing as she never returned my calls."
"So she couldn't help out?" Motoko asks.
"We couldn't contact her." Shinobu's mother answers.
"ΣΥΝΤΡΙΒΗ ΒΡΟΝΤΗΣ!" Lightning bolts out of Acheron's hand; Shinobu sees this coming and raises her right hand.
"ΑΣΠΙΔΑ ΤΗΣ ΓΗΣ ΜΗΤΕΡΩΝ!" All of a sudden, a rock dome forms around Shinobu, protecting her just before the bolt of lightning strikes. Even after the bolt hits her rock dome, it remains unscratched. From inside the dome, you could hear Shinobu's voice shout out, "ΕΞΟΠΛΙΣΜΟΣ ΤΗΣ ΓΗΣ ΜΗΤΕΡΩΝ!" Just then, the dome breaks into chunks. Those chunks suddenly soar straight towards Acheron. A few of the chunks hit Acheron dead on. One of them snaps the bones of his lower left leg in half.
"NGH!" Acheron falls on the ground, unable to walk, now that one of his legs is broken.
"Wow! Shinobu really did it." Kitsune says.
"So we thought." Aethra replies, hooked to the Virtual-kun.
"Damn!" Acheron grunts. "What the hell was I thinking? I was reckless to fight someone who knew stone magic!" He struggles to get up, but to no avail. A sharp pain in his leg lands another crippling blow to him, forcing him to fall over on his right knee. Shinobu approaches him, with some traces of concern in her face, probably feeling a bit like she might have overdid it.
Aethra takes a few seconds to regain her composure, with assistance from Kenpachi. Then, she looks over, and they both see Shinobu approach the man.
"Shinobu! Wait!" Aethra shouts out. When Shinobu turns to see her, Acheron suddenly takes flight. The man suddenly then throws both of his arms at Shinobu's direction and screams out loud.
"Αυτή σφραγίδων μαγική μακριά στα όρια του μυαλού της με τη βοήθεια της επιστροφής της ηλικίας της! Πάρτε μαζί την απειλή που είναι η δύναμή της! Την καταστήστε νεώτερη! ΧΡΟΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΟΠΙΣΘΟΔΡΟΜΗΣΗ!"
Shinobu suddenly feels a sensation caressing all over her body as a violet light engulfs her. She starts to feel a weird feeling deep inside all of her muscles as she takes witness to seeing all of her limbs shrink. She panics, but to no avail, as the flailing and screaming only seems make things worse. Then, a brilliant light flashes before her.
The flash of light even blinds our Hinata residents for a second. After the light fades away, they all watch the monitor to see what happens next. What they see next would shock them to a whole new level.
Four children are playing in a sandbox. Two of them are building what seems to be a little sandcastle in the middle of the sandbox. One's a small boy who seems to be five, and another is a small girl who also seems to be five. A smaller girl who looks like she's almost three sits not too far from the older girl, and a girl who looks like she's four sits next to the boy. The four-year-old has blue hair extending to her back. She approaches the small boy.
"There's a fairy tale," The blue-haired girl says. "That if two people go to Tokyo U together, they'll live happily ever after."
"Really?" The boy asks.
"Mmm-hmm." The girl replies. "How about we make a promise…to go to Tokyo U together…"
Her voice echoes through the air as everything goes white again.
The others look on with complete shock after they just saw the drama unfold before them. On the screen they see images of a younger Shinobu lying on the floor, with Aethra rushing to her aid. They're all completely speechless as they continue watching it all before them.
Naru looks at the floor, unable to say anything after watching that. How could she not have remembered Shinobu sitting there next to her, Mutsumi, and Keitaro in that sandbox one fateful day? How could she not recall that? All she could do is fall on her knees as an expression of pure astonishment. What is this girl that is Naru to do, now?
To be continued.
Please review and tell me what you think.
I would like to give thanks to VoidHawk for helping me out with the story. The idea behind Shinobu's past and her being the promise girl is entirely his. I'll reveal more of this past in the next chapter. Thank you, VoidHawk!
Coming up next chapter… She's Quite the Puzzle
Naru can't decide whether or not to believe the story that unfolded before her, and just let Keitaro go. She begins to act weird, and it all goes to hell when she finally snaps and goes crazy from her own indecisiveness.
The next chapter will have Naru bashing in it. ARE YOU HAPPY, NOW?
Author's Notes:
That's it for this chapter; I hope it didn't disappoint. Right now, this fic has more than forty-nine hundred hits, as well as one hundred and seven reviews. It's on the favorites list of twenty people, and the alert list of nineteen.
Acheron's first spell, "Βασιλιάς των Θεών! Μου δώστε την αστραπή σας έτσι μπορώ να χτυπήσω κάτω από την αντίθεσή μου με ένα ενιαίο χειροκρότημα! ΣΥΝΤΡΙΒΗ ΒΡΟΝΤΗΣ", when decoded to the English alphabet, says "Basiliaz ton Teon! Mou doste ten astrape saz etsi mporo na xiupeso ten antithese mou me ena eniaio xierokrotema! SUNTRIBE BRONTES", which means "King of the Gods! Give me your lightning so I may strike down my opposition with a single clap! THUNDER CRASH". This is basically him shooting a lightning bolt out of his hands.
His next spell, "ΣΤΥΛΟΒΆΤΕZ ΤΗΣ ΠΕΤΡΑΣ", when decoded to the English alphabet, says "STULOBATEZ TES PETRAS", which means "PILLARS OF STONE". This spell creates pillars around the man, shielding him from attack from all angles.
His next spell, "Αυτή σφραγίδων μαγική μακριά στα όρια του μυαλού της με τη βοήθεια της επιστροφής της ηλικίας της! Πάρτε μαζί την απειλή που είναι η δύναμή της! Την καταστήστε νεώτερη! ΧΡΟΝΟΛΟΓΙΚΗ ΟΠΙΣΘΟΔΡΟΜΗΣΗ!", when decoded to the English alphabet, says "Aute spsragidon magike makria sta opia tou mualou tez me te boetheia tez epistropsez tez elikiaz tez! Parte mazi ten apeile pou eivaie e douname tez! Tez katasteste neotere! XRONOLOGIKE OPISTHODROMESE!" which means "Seal this one's magic away by means of reverting her age! Take away the threat that is her power1 Make her younger! CHRONOLIGICAL REGRESSION!" This is the curse that Acheron used to make Shinobu age six years.
Again, I had to go through a lot of crap to convert the Greek letters to English ones. As for the Greek phrases themselves, I used a WorldLingo machine translator to translate an English sentence that sounded like a good spell invocation to me to Greek, so it may not be completely accurate.
Until next chapter, Ciao!
-GYRAX of the Dark Icon Writers