Thanks to everyone for their continued support, while I thought the idea would be interesting, I didn't realize that this was something no one had touched! Anyhow, hope you all enjoy!
As always, Love Hina and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu.
Lineages
Chapter 3: Kindness
Keitaro slowly dragged himself towards his personal bath in the early morning, wearing only his glasses and a towel around his waist. No sane person would get up at six in the morning just for a bath, but for the only male in a house full of women, it is a small sacrifice instead of a daily beating - which he sometimes gets regardless.
Yawning, the landlord opened the door to his personal bathroom and froze at the sight of Kanako. The younger Aoyoma was dressed in the red and white of the Shinmei-ryu, and appeared to be meditating before his arrival. As she looked up, the landlord panicked and stumbled back, unwittingly dropping his towel. Seeing him in the buff, Kanako's face flushed as she quickly looked away.
With a yelp, Keitaro quickly covered himself with the towel once more. I'm so dead... The landlord thought to himself as he closed his eyes and braced for a beating. When none came, he slowly opened his eyes and blinked at Kanako, who had risen and was walking past him.
"I'm sorry about intruding, Keitaro..." Kanako spoke quietly, unable to make eye contact with him and still blushing slightly. "I didn't realize this was your bath until you came in, I'll leave you be now." With a quick bow, she quickly exited the room, leaving the landlord with a baffled look on his face.
For sisters, she sure is more tolerant towards me than Motoko... Keitaro thought to himself, then decided to put the whole thing behind him and sank into the hot waters of his tub with a sigh of content.
"1999!" Motoko counted aloud as she went through each swing of her kata - dance like moves which honed a warrior's body and technique. "2000!" She followed up from a downward cut of her sword to a horizontal slash, designed to decapitate opponents.
How can a MAN like Urashima manage to defeat Kanako...? Motoko thought to herself as she slowed to a stop and wiped sweat from her face with the back of her sleeve, she then thought backwith a slight blush to the fight between Kanako and Keitaro, when he stood up for her freedom.
Sighing, she stretched with a yawn, and stared up in surprise and mid-yawn as Kanako seemed to be coming down towards her, having leapt at her from afar. Instinctive reflexes saved her, as Motoko quickly rolled away mere milliseconds before Kanako landed. Though her outstretched fist did not connect with the ground, several planks of wood from the balcony snapped and gave regardless under the chi energy focused through her body.
"Good morning to you too, sister." Motoko grumbled sarcastically with her weapon ready, just as Kanako rose to her feet with a small smile. The younger Aoyoma then simply turned to take in her surroundings, resting against the balcony.
"Good morning, Motoko." Kanako greeted back a moment later, seeming ignoring Motoko's discomfort. "Come, it's been awhile since I got to watch sunrise with you." Though wary of her sister's presence, Motoko sheathed her sword and joined Kanako. A long moment of silence passed, as the two Shinmei-ryu disciples simply admired the beauty of the sun rising.
Finally, Kanako turned to her sibling with a smile. "Your reflexes were a bit slow today, Motoko. I would've expected you to have sensed me by the stairway..." This brought a scowl to Motoko's face, who continued to admire the sunrise.
"No one who lives here has the audacity to attack me during my morning rituals, sister." Motoko replied, crossing her arms to ward off the chilly morning breeze.
"Of course not, neither will demons, as I'm sure they'll be happy to wait for you to leave the safety of the Hinata-sou before attacking." The younger Aoyoma smiled. "You have to be prepared at all times, sister. We cannot be lax in our sacred duties." Though she hated to admit it, Motoko knew she was right, and acknowledged it with a silent nod.
"The rest of them should be up by now." Motoko turned and began walking back inside. "Are you going to join us for breakfast?"
"I shall cook for myself later, thank you." Kanako replied.
"There's no need, you'll find Shinobu's cooking quite nutritious and tasteful." Motoko looked over her shoulder at her sister. "She's quite the skilled cook."
After a splendid breakfast by Shinobu, Kanako immediately agreed that the young chef is exceptionally talented in her cooking skills. She even suggested that Shinobu enter into the Iron Chef competitions, which made the blue haired youth flush with pride at the praise.
In the walkway of the second floor, Keitaro began repairing an area of the ceiling which had cracked inwards during the morning while Kanako watched on. The landlord merely chuckled and waved off the stream of apologies from Kanako, while Motoko watched afar with a scowl at seeing her sister 'kiss-up' to him.
"Yup! That should do it!" Keitaro beamed as he looked up at a seamless ceiling once more, then began climbing back down the ladder. His clumsiness decided to intervene, as he suddenly slipped on one of the ladder's steps, causing him to crash his chin hard against a ladder step and falling backwards, landing hard on his back.
Ow... That hurt... Keitaro winced as he worked his jaws, then frowned. And what is this soft... He then turned and stared in shock as not only did he land on Kanako, but his hand was planted firmly on her breast. "AHH!" The landlord leapt to his feet. "Kanako! I'm so sorry!"
"I warned you, Urashima!" Motoko growled, rushing towards him with her sword drawn. "I'm going to insure you will never breed, pervert!" Yelping in terror, Keitaro covered himself as best he could and waited for the inevitable pain that was to come.
Except it never came...
Slowly, Keitaro opened one eye, then the other, and found himself staring at Kanako, who stood between him and an enraged Motoko. Though the younger Aoyoma appeared to be in a relaxed stance, Kanako's face began showing signs of annoyance. Motoko, with her sword still raised and crackling with energy, growled at seeing her sister block her path, but dared not push her aside.
"Stand down, Motoko." Kanako spoke calmly, keeping an eye on Motoko's sword just in case.
"Get out of the way, sister." Motoko snarled. "I will not tolerate his perverted acts in this household any further!"
"Punishment before seeing if he's at fault?" Kanako shook her head with a sigh. "Not exactly going by the teachings of the Shinmei-ryu, are you?"
"He was groping you!" Motoko roared, her sword still held high. "What more reason do I need to pass judgement onto him!"
"Sister, dearest..." Kanako shook her head. "While I'm all for punishing the wicked, could you not see that it was an accident?" By now, the rest of the tenants had gathered to watch the commotion. "You need to tamper your rage a bit more, Motoko..."
"And just who do you think you are to lecture me...?" By now, Motoko's voice became cold, as she narrowed her eyes at Kanako.
"I. Am. Your. Sister." The gathered tenants winced and stepped back at the coldness of Kanako's voice as she delibertately spoke each word seperately. "And as it stands right now, you're failing to prove yourself as heir to the Shinmei-ryu."
"Sister!" Motoko snorted, levelling her sword to point at Kanako. "Kami knows what Mother saw in you when she adopted you! You always think you're better than me, why I should..." Motoko then blinked for a second, as if waking up from a deep sleep. "Oh, Kanako... I didn't mean that, I..."
The damage was already done, as the younger Aoyoma merely passed by the group in silence with her head lowered. Not a sound nor movement was made for several long moments, before Keitaro finally snapped into action.
"Kanako! Wait...!" The landlord scrambled after the younger Aoyoma, nearly slipping as he passed by the gathered tenants but managed to keep his footing as he disappeared down the hallway. The tenants then began dispersing, and soon Motoko was left alone by herself.
With a loud clatter, Motoko's sword fell to the ground, followed by splashes of several tears as the swordswoman cried in the silent hallway...
It was nearly nightfall as Kanako sat quietly upon a grassy hill, her face looking as if she was emotionally spent. Sighing, she looked upwards towards the sky, seeing the first signs of stars appearing. She remained quiet for several moments, before smiling slightly to herself.
"There's no need to hide, Keitaro." The young Aoyoma called out. "I won't bite."
Seconds later, Keitaro walked up beside her, and chuckled nervously. "Well, I didn't want to risk it, sorry if it seemed like I was stalking you or something..."
Shaking her head, Kanako gestured for him to sit beside her, which he complied. A moment of silence passed before she looked at him. "Why did you follow me, Keitaro? Why do you not leave me in peace like the rest did?"
Keitaro took a moment before replying, not wanting to insult the newcomer to the dorm. "I guess I was just concerned of your well-being, as the landlord of Hinata-sou." He then shrugged. "Perhaps, hopefully, as a friend that you can talk to when need be as well."
Another long moment of silence passed, and Keitaro was beginning to think he had said the wrong words when Kanako finally spoke. "I was maybe about five or six when I was adopted, I don't remember much before that..." Her eyes continued to watch the sunset as she spoke quietly. "Though I knew my foster mother loved me, both Tsuruko and Motoko treated me as if I was their sister by birth since day one..."
The landlord listened in silence as Kanako continued. "...I strived to prove myself worthy of the Aoyoma name, and trained everyday..." She then rested her chin on her arms, sighing. "Despite everything, I still feel like I don't belong anywhere, and that I'm just simply an unwanted outcast..."
"I think I understand how you feel..." Keitaro spoke after a moment of silence, drawing Kanako's attention. "When I was little, I made a promise to a girl to get into Toudai no matter what..." Sighing, he also rested his chin on his arms. "Ever since, all I ever did was study, to the point that I never really made any friends..."
He then chuckled. "It's pretty sad, really, seeing as I don't even remember the girl's name... But I know where you're coming from, but I've only begun to feel like to feel like an outcast after failing the entrance exams..."
"That's not true, Keitaro." Kanako smiled slightly. "Despite the treatment you get at times, I'm sure your tenants hold you in high regards..."
"Just as your sisters do, I'm sure." Keitaro replied. "Even if Motoko has difficulties expressing it, like the tenants do with me." His remark made the young Aoyoma stare at him for a long moment, before she smiled.
"For a third-year ronin, you're quite the philosopher, hmm?" This drew a laugh from both, and Kanako hopped to her feet and stretched. "Well, we should head back, I didn't realize how hungry I am until now..." Nodding, Keitaro rose to his feet as well, only to be surprised as Kanako walked up and hugged him.
"Thank you, for listening..." Kanako whispered. The shocked landlord could only manage to nod dumbly and hug her back stiffly, unaccostomed to a woman's embrace.
With a smile, the younger Aoyoma pulled away and gripped his arm. "Come on, I'm hungry!" She then began running back towards the direction of the Hinata-sou, dragging the helpless Keitaro behind her like a kite in the wind...
Like? No like? Please review!
Now, if I sound like a picky writer, don't mind me, but... I absolutely HATE gross spelling errors! Despite English not being my primary language, I still make a damned hard try not to butcher the language. So, please...
"Bored" does not equal "Board"
And last I checked, "Weird" has never been spelled "Wierd"
Thanks for listening to my rant, I'm fine now... (chuckles) Stay tuned, more is coming along the way!
