Chapter 2 – The Demons Unleashed

Picking up right where the last page left off.

In a blaze of light faster than the eye could see, Motoko's blade was drawn, blocking her sister with all the strength of the love and the pain in her heart. "Damnit, Tsuruko, why do you feel the need to keep testing me?"

"No more talk. You are becoming toxic inside and don't even realize it."

"No, Tsuruko, YOU are the one with the problem."

And with that, the battle resumed. Motoko dodged, parried and blocked, and continued to block, and blocked some more, with little effort wasted on her sister's futile attacks. Tsuruko soon found she could no longer gain the footing nor the advantage she used to have to defeat her sister. Her sister was simply too powrful. Entire trees in the courtyard were uprooted with great force, dirt and grass were swirled and displaced elsewhere, even the main garden fountain was cracked in two.

Motoko countered effortlessly. Tsuruko granted her a congratulatory smile every time her blade did not find its mark. But Motoko didn't care for Tsuruko's compliments. At long last, Motoko – who had spent very little energy in the fight, and had noticed Tsuruko beginning to tire – found an opening, and called upon the God's School Ultimate Strike. Overwhelming ki energy blasted from the sky, and struck her sister directly. Tsuruko fell to the ground, her body smoking with the awesome power of Motoko's anger, her face saddened in ultimate defeat.

Tsuruko tried to get to her feet, but stumbled and fell back to the ground. Shippu, the beautiful bird whom she had left to Motoko to care for, flew down from her perch to see if she was all right. She chirped and whistled for Tsuruko to wake up, then flew away when she saw Motoko once again approaching her once again fallen sister.

Motoko's eyes were aflame with blazing anger.

As her big sister weakly took to her feet, clothing tattered and burned, sword chipped in several places, something at last caught Motoko's attention that caused the hatred in her face to roil.

Tears were running down Oneesan's face. Never, in her life, had Motoko seen her sister shed a single one.

Motoko stopped, a little surprised. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "Why, Tsuruko? Why did you make me do that to you?"

Tsuruko fought the sobs and kept her voice even -- although she could not fight her tears. "You have done it yourself, Motoko-chan. If you want to be your own person, then I have no problem with that. You are head of the God's Cry School, I have no problem with that. But I cannot believe that – for all your training over the years – you would hurt me in the way you have today. It is damnably dishonorable."

"So is what you did to me." Motoko shot back at her. "You know, in my 20 years on this Earth, Oneesan, I don't think I've ever been fully clear with exactly what the hell you want from me. Except to give me hell, perhaps."

"Why you—"

"No, YOU LISTEN!" Motoko screamed. "For TWENTY YEARS I have been growing up learning the life of a fighter, and...and…" She began sobbing. "…what was it all for? The constant discipline? The continued belittling of my soul? Making me feel smaller than anyone I knew? Urashima made me realize I could have been anything! And tell me WHY you constantly became angry at me for running away, but making no effort to reel me back in when you wanted me close? Only showing up when you wanted to order me around and beat the crap out of me if I didn't submit to your wishes?"

Tsuruko could only whimper. "You misunderstood from the start. I only wanted to challenge you—"

"—and worst of all…" Motoko continued, drawing closer to her sister as her words came out in broken sobs. "You never once said you loved me! What kind of a sister ARE you? You got married and abandoned me, but you think you can come around whenever it suits you and try and make me miserable? You're PART of WHY I'm miserable, Oneesan!"

"I…Motoko…I didn't know…you were so miserable, until today."

"Save it, Tsuruko!"

"No…no. I never expected to see all the things I've seen today. You've overjoyed me, made me proud, shocked me, and even made me afraid of you. But I respect you now."

Motoko stood almost nose-to-nose with Tsuruko, visibly shaking with anger.

"Motoko-chan, you know I love you. I guess I can't express it the way you want me to. So maybe you're right."

She was shocked. Oneesan, conceding to me that she might be wrong?

"But…some of this falls on you as well, dear sister. You have become more powerful and skilled than even I ever thought you would. But your anger, while it is sometimes necessary in a fight, is going to unhinge you from reality one day. One day, it may become too powerful for you to control. This is why … I have always feared you."

"F-feared ME?"

"Why yes, Motoko-chan. In fact, you should fear yourself."

Oh, I do, Oneesan. If only you knew.

Tsuruko continued. "All of us at the God's Cry School knew what you were capable of. That's why we tried to keep your heart pure. Your soul clean. We wanted you to stay balanced at all times. We knew how powerful you could become."

Tsuruko's tears had finally waned for the moment, as had Motoko's.

The two sat down clumsily, facing each other, both almost too drained to do anything else. But Tsuruko went on. "I'm sorry, Motoko. I know I'm a little neurotic at times, but you obviously wanted a friend in me. I should have seen that sooner. We can start patching things up now. I'm willing to try, if you are. You were more than worthy of inheriting the school, and more than capable of defeating even me now."

"I don't care about defeating you anymore, Oneesan, don't you get it?." Motoko began to gently cry again.

"I understand that now. Just to hear you say that lets me know that you have finally grown into a woman. But I see your sadness, and it pains me to see my little sister suffering needlessly. Let us rend these inner demons of yours now, my dear little sister. I want to help you help yourself. With love from an older sister. I humbly ask you now, as your sister and as your friend, can we at least try?"

"Only if you promise not to meddle again, Oneesan. I am a Todai student now, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't assist me in tearing up my home. And do not forget yourself when you are around my fri…" Motoko stopped herself at the word 'friend'. "….my family here at Hinata."

"Very well, then. No more physical challenges. Besides…" Tsuruko wiped the fresh blood off her mouth. "…fighting you now as you said would simply be ...well, destructive. Now that you are an impeccable fighter I want to help you find yourself. Not what I want for you. Only what you want for yourself, Motoko-chan. Nothing more. Maybe it's time for me to stop projecting my hopes onto you."

The strain of five months broke at last. She could see it. Oneesan could see and feel her pain. If only she wasn't so damned weird and eccentric in trying to help her, none of this would have happened. Motoko scuttled towards her bleeding sister on the ground, her tears falling like rain. This time her cries came as a release, relief instead of pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she said repeatedly through her sobs, her tears mixing with the blood that had dripped onto Tsuruko's kendo uniform. Tsuruko cried, too. Her little sister had at last grown up, and was heading towards a more difficult life than she would ever have to endure.

But there was hope…and Motoko knew it. Her sister just wanted her to be happy. And so did she. That happiness would be found within, but also without. Motoko felt shamed for lashing out at her sister now that she realized Tsuruko truly understood, but for the moment, it was over now. She simply released her pain, as the concerned residents of the Hinata Inn dormitory watched her and her sister from afar.

The day for all that had witnessed the confrontation had indeed turned unexpectedly somber. With a glass of sake in hand, Keitaro stood dumbfounded, watching what had transpired. He cared for Motoko so much as a friend it made him truly sick to see her like this. Naru watched with profound sadness, her friend beaten inside and an emotional wreck. Kaolla and Sarah looked on with concerned eyes. Kitsune simply frowned, unable to come up with anything witty to make this situation go away. Mutsumi looked almost confused, as was the case. Shinobu simply wiped her eyes watching Motoko sob into her sister's shoulder.

They all had a common bond at that exact moment. They all wished to go and see Motoko and embrace her tightly.

It wasn't until Tsuruko looked up at all of them, faces pressed against the glass, motioning for them to come out, that Naru walked out, her eyes watering. Keitaro followed, and with him, they all followed out, forming a tight huddled circle to embrace Motoko. For Tsuruko knew, that this young woman she held in her arms, her little sister...needed the love of all of these people who had seen her grow into adulthood.

In spite of the somberness, for a single moment, all was content with the emotions of the Hinata dorm residents. Especially Motoko. She didn't know how she'd have ever gotten through life without her friends.

TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 3

Wow, so many immediate reviews. Thank you!

KeitaroMokoto 4 ever Of The Dark Icon Writers: Thank you. Answer to your question, yes and no. :)


Martrex: Thank you very much. Same answer as above on the Kei/Motoko question.


Alamandorious: Thanks a lot, I'll try!


Tart: Thank you, and don't worry. I'm going to put Motoko through hell, but the ending is intended to have a happy resolution for her. I'm like the rest of you, I'm not a huge Kei/Naru fan. But this piece isn't about Naru. However, Naru WILL get what's coming to her, at least emotionally anyway. :P

Ranko: Thanks, I will!

To all who replied, thanks a lot. Don't worry, this will NOT be a Kei-Naru piece, but at the same time I don't want it to play out like a typical Kei/Motoko fic. This is about Motoko's journey, her mind, and her life. To achieve my final goal, the timeline of the story is going to take us on a trip all the way PAST the Epilogue of the Manga, because I want my story to stay in line with the Love Hina timeline. This is more of a missing scene than an AU. But don't be concerned, it isn't going to end like you are worrying it will! But I've said too much. wink

The idea came to me from reading Episode 13 of the Manga. You can really feel a lot of sympathy for Motoko in that volume. I think that volume is what makes a lot of us respect Motoko even more. I thought throwing in another showdown with Tsuruko to start with would be fun, especially since I feel that Tsuruko didn't fully get what she deserved! (and I'm not done with Tsuruko yet, hehe)