A Different Life

by crosseyedbutterfly

AU that starts before the anime or manga. A forced engagment, random turtle demons, throw in some new characters, plus an explination of several people's pasts...well... guess you'll have to read it and see...CHAPTER 23 UP. Fini.

5. Healing Revelations

Chapter 5, yeah! Still can't breath, but the body's slowly adjusting to the lesser amounts of oxygen it's been receiving. Breathing's overrated, anyways. *blinks as both brothers come screaming into the room, running about before they leave again* Right...anywho, here's the chapter:

Oh, and for the last chapter, I don't own Lord of the Rings or anything, I just used the movie as a reference for Su and Kitsune. Yeah. Sue me for it, and you might get...*scrounges around desk* a half eaten chocolate cupcake from work. Or some thumbtacks. Your pick.

Some quick Author Notes though to Reviews:

And btw: I probably won't mention names here unless there's a specific need to, just because some of you ask the same question and I want to answer it all under one umbrella statement. So, read through all of them if you can incase you asked a question or had a question-like comment in your review.

#1 *Bows* My thanks for placing me in such a prestigious place as Top Five for the year in your personal favorites. ^_^ And, I can't really apologize if you cry reading the story, but...I hope that means that you liked it. ^_^;;

#2 Kanako will, unfortunately, not be making an appearance for awhile. I need to go through some key happenings, and then she can come into the plotline. Don't worry, she'll be there eventually, just not quite yet.

#3 Young? Who says I'm young. What do you define as 'young'? Cuz, legal adults usually aren't THAT young. : P

#4 I've never read Wheel of Time, so I couldn't say for sure whether or not Motoko's wound correlates with Rand's or not. Sorry if it's very similar, I wasn't purposely trying to copy anything, it just happened to fit with what I need. Also...angst isn't exactly in the description, so hopefully not. Although things will not be back to the usual 'Love Hina Happiness' quite yet, they should lighten up a little. Believe me, a lot of work is going into this story and it will be finished, I have yet to start a story that I didn't see to the end. Also, no review is ever a waste of space as long as it says something nice or constructive. ^_^

#5 Ok, the healing of the green lines an the green lines themselves. It has something to do with feelings, yes, but not Motoko's necessarily, that's too cliche and I wouldn't use something as obvious as that in my fic if I could help it. Just read the next few chapters, and all that will be explained.

#6 Naru will not be a lesbian. If anyone has noticed, Naru hasn't interacted with any other guy besides Keitaro yet in the story, and if you remember she has a very good reason for wanting him dead. I probably would be uneasy with his presence as well, and unlike in the anime or manga she doesn't have control over the situation as she did when she was keeping his secret for him or when she supported him so he could stay in Hinata-sou. As long as he owed her something, she was still in control, but now that he's married to Motoko there's little she can do. That would irk me too.

#7 I think I already said the Motoko training Keitaro issue would be coming up soon, but not right now. They're not thinking about having to deal with the Turtle Clan for quite some time, and even with this attack by Motoko's school friends, I don't think Keitaro would be prompted to ask for that yet. The only one that needed protection was him, not any of his friends really.

#8 The horse no longer even exists, you beat it so much there's nothing left but dust and I'm watching in amusement as you're randomly flailing the ground. 0.o; And people say I'm strange.

On with the show.

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Haruka frowned as she listened to Shinobu, who nervously related the events from the night before. In a way, she wished she'd been present, she would have knocked some sense into those stubbornly thick heads herself! And not with banana peals either, a couple of frying pans would've done quite nicely for her. The fact that Motoko was still asleep testified to her probable exhaustion, after all fighting off who knows how many others whom have studied your style before while still hurt wasn't easy.

"Auu! I never thought it'd be so scary here!" whimpered the young chef, hiding her hands in her face.

"They won't be back," Haruka reassured her, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it absently. "Motoko saw to that, for the moment. If they try to pull another stunt, it won't be here, they learned their lesson the last time around."

"Yes, but why were they after him?" cried Shinobu. "I don't understand, he didn't do anything to them..."

"He's a guy, one that's somehow gotten through the defenses of their unyielding leader. That's all they needed to know."

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Keitaro woke as the sun's rays struck his face, finding himself not alone in his bed for the first time in awhile. His wife lay beside him still fast asleep, tucked into his side with her arms tucked under her head. Slowly, so as not to wake her, Keitaro disentangled himself and crept around the room dressing himself for the day ahead.

Glancing at the clock, he was surprise at how late it was. They would both be late, if it weren't the weekend, and he was grateful that at least the girls last night had picked a convenient day to attack on. He didn't want to leave Motoko to wake alone, but he needed to get the hot springs done after letting it slip yesterday and Haruka had said she'd need him for some errands. Maybe she'd sleep until he returned, for he knew she hadn't gotten much after the night before. She'd woken him twice more whimpering in her sleep, and he was aware every time she'd awakened again she hadn't fallen back into her dreams for a long while after.

Deciding to settle with leaving a note in case she did wake, Keitaro scribbled it out and left it on the table where she'd see it. Hoping it would be enough, he hurried down the steps and popped into the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat.

"Sempai!" said Shinobu in surprise as she rushed to get him a plate and chopsticks. "Sorry, for not having your place set. Haruka-san said you'd both probably sleep until lunch time."

"Speaking of which, where's Motoko?" asked Haruka from the table, peering over the top of the morning paper at him.

"Still in bed. She didn't sleep well last night." Keitaro left it at that, gathering a light meal for himself and gobbling it down quickly before turning to his aunt expectantly. "Well?"

"Well, what?" replied Haruka, giving him a quizzical look.

"You said you had some errands for me," Keitaro reminded her. "Hurry, because the sooner I leave the sooner I'll get back and maybe I'll return before Motoko-chan wakes."

"Huh, practical and sweet all in one," drawled the older woman as she flipped a folded scrap of paper in his direction. "Get going already. I'll make sure she's alright if she wakes before you get back, k?"

"Thanks!"

"I don't know what he's worried about," grumped Naru as she slowly ate the remainder of her own breakfast. "Motoko-chan's fought before. She's fine, right Haruka-san?" The school girl looked up slowly when she didn't get a reply. "Haruka-san?"

The door to the kitchen swung closed, showing only a glimpse of the elder woman as she left the area silently.

Naru cocked her head to the side, slightly confused. "I...was it something I said?"

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Motoko woke to an empty bed, the first time since her marriage to the ronin that she hadn't risen before or at the same time as he. Glancing about in confusion, the swordswoman suddenly scrambled from bed when she saw the height of the sun outside. Suddenly gasping in pain, her brain caught up the rest of her body, reminding her sharply of her side. Grasping the edge of the table for support, she swayed unsteadily on her knees as she waited for the burning sensation to subside where it was manageable once again. Slowly thinking things over, she sighed as she thankfully realized it was Saturday and she wasn't missing classes in her weakened condition.

Sitting herself slowly on the ground, Motoko pushed back her shirt and noted the putrid green lines that extended from her wound were back in full force again. It was not as tender as the night before, but the thin barrier that had formed over it was so fragile it had already started to crack with her thoughtless movement.

Applying more of her family's salve, she redid the bandaging and slowly stood, taking stock of her surrounding. Seeing the note on the table, she picked it up and scanned it carefully.

Motoko-chan: Sorry, but I have to take care of something for my aunt, and complete some other chores. I will be back as soon as I'm finished, I promise. Please, be careful.

Keitaro

There was a light knock at the door suddenly. "Motoko-chan...?"

Recognizing Haruka's voice, she replied. "You may enter."

"Thought you were awake," the elder woman commented as she stepped in and closed the door behind them. "Sleep much?"

"Enough." Haruka smirked knowingly as Motoko stood a little straighter, refusing to outwardly show any pain or weakness. "Why have you come to see me, if I may ask?"

"Keitaro asked me to keep an eye on you until he got some errands done," came the short reply. "Or, rather, I offered to since he insisted on keeping his word about doing it for me. I could have gone myself, but he does get it done faster than I..."

"He's...very thoughtful," replied Motoko softly.

"He's also very worried," replied Haruka, glancing over at her. "How's your side?"

"Sore."

A thousand meanings were conveyed in that one word, leaving her to raise her eyebrow slightly. To admit openly to pain not even a day after having said it was starting to heal...Keitaro did have a reason to worry, perhaps.

"Go take a soak in the hot springs," she suggested in reply. "And then come see me in the Tea House when you're done, if you like."

Motoko nodded in understanding, turning to gather her bath things as Haruka left with a wave. She was indirectly offering to help or be someone to talk to...but only if Motoko wanted it. Whether or not she would take her aunt-in-law up on that was questionable, but she changed and carefully  walked out the door towards the stairs regardless. What she needed right then was to get to the hot springs for a nice, long soak.

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Keitaro hummed to himself as he dropped the supplies for the Tea House behind the counter, waving to the helper Haruka had hired to help her part-time until 'Ami-chan' arrived to help her out permanently. Whoever that was. Running up the steps to Hinata Sou to put the last of the groceries in the kitchen there, he pulled the note from his pocket and checked off the last item on the list. Looking about, he noticed the time and also didn't see Haruka anywhere around, so he assumed his wife as still asleep and rounded up his cleaning tools. Just because he'd slacked off for one day was no reason to let his job go completely!

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Motoko shed her shirt in the changing room, ducking behind the screen to take off the rest of her clothes  and wrap a towel about herself. Oblivious to all else, she tied her hair up out of her face and stepped out to the springs. Filling a bucket with cold water, she doused herself liberally and shivered from the shock of the frigid liquid on her fair skin.

"Brr..."

"Eh!?"

Motoko looked up to see Keitaro just a few yards from her, scrub brush and bucket in hand with his sleeves and pants rolled up so they wouldn't get in the way. The pair stared at each for a moment, then blushed as Keitaro quickly turned away and grabbed his things.

"Sorry!! I thought I left the sign up!" he cried as he scrambled for the door with his eyes averted to the side.

"I...didn't see it," stammered Motoko nervously as she turned to leave as well. "I wasn't paying attention, the fault is mine. I'll leave you to your work..."

"No, stay, it'll be good for your side." Keitaro caught her arm as she paused, both still facing away from the other. "Please, I'll go...I can come back and finish later."

"...as you wish." Motoko stayed put as Keitaro left, blushing at the sly wink Kitsune gave him as she walked in right then dressed in as little as Motoko was on his way out the door.

"Catching some private time with the hubby?" she teased lightly the moment he was out of earshot, watching craftily as Motoko gingerly lowered herself into the temperate water with a wince and a slight blush.

"Do you ever think of anything besides relations between men and women and sake?" came the terse reply. Motoko remained relatively calm, having grown used to Kitsune's teasing prods and usually innuendo-ish comments.

"That and gambling," Kitsune sighed with a wink. "I see no reason not to live my life to the fullest, right?"

"Hm, for you I suppose so." Motoko shrugged, and looked away.

"Keitaro got quite an eyeful there," added the foxy lady with a cunning grin. "You didn't seem too phased, either..."

"He's always been too polite to openly stare," replied the swordswoman before she'd thought it through, her eyes widening and her face turning red when she realized the error of her words. "Or...eh...I mean..."

"Hahaha! So he has seen you before..." Kitsune chuckled to herself as her companion flushed even brighter than before. "And not just on your wedding night, I'd wager. A whole bottle of sake, too!"

"I don't take bets I know will lose," came the grudging reply. "Besides, we supply you with enough sake as it is."

"So, is he good?" she teased in return. Suddenly Kitsune chuckled at herself. "Wow, I'm having girl talk with the infamous man-hater Motoko Aoyama..."

"Motoko Urashima, now," the swordswoman corrected her.

"...about her husband," finished Kitsune with a nod. "Excuse me, but I find that very funny."

"Well, it is rather ironic," admitted the said person dryly. "We have never had something in common, you and I. How much do you know exactly of our 'experiences' on my family's ancestral grounds?"

"This isn't going to get me in trouble like the pics did?" the foxy lady asked nervously with a sweat drop. "Which, by the way, I am sorry about that..."

"You lie."

Kitsune shrugged. "Yeah, well...take what you can get, you know?"

"I could not attack you right now unless it was a life or death situation, and even in that you would likely come away from it better than I." Motoko shrugged lightly, giving Kitsune a steady look. "I'm just curious, really. And I have nothing better to do at the moment."

"Other than describe your mate's ways in bed?" prodded Kitsune with a wink. Clearing her throat professionally, she launched into her tale. "Alright, so in testing the phone tap Su had set up for me, this is what I heard Tsuruko-san relate back to the Hina-san and Haruka-san on a couple separate occasions..."

Motoko listened intently, occasionally interjecting a comment of clarification of her own, or answering a question of Kitsune's to confirm that things did go the way they had. When it was all said and done the pair sat in silence for a moment, the foxy lady storing away every bit of new information she'd gotten for later and Motoko wondering what had possessed her to speak with the girl so openly. Chances were it would come back to haunt her later, but it was comforting having someone to speak with about all of it at the moment that she wasn't related to in some way.

"Wow," said Kitsune at last. "I can't believe your DAD of all people..."

"He's not my father," came the cold reply. "He took that honor from himself the day he killed my mother."

"Oh, right...Keitaro really was a sweetie though, wasn't he?," offered Kitsune with a side glance at her companion. "Otherwise you wouldn't have climbed into bed with him like that..."

"I was drugged!" sputtered Motoko, flushing once again.

"Unless your sister lied, all it did was rid you of your inhibitions with him," she reminded the stuttering swordswoman slyly.

"...that's not the point."

"You're turning rather red for one who denies enjoying at least part of her first real day being married," she laughed teasingly. "Truly, how is he? He doesn't strike me as a macho kind of guy, having to prove his worth all the time, so I am curious what that puts him as..." Motoko looked away, rising out of the water as carefully as possible as Kitsune looked after her with interest. "Well?"

She paused at the edge of the water, looking off somewhere in the distance when a small smile came on her face. "...gentle."

Kitsune blinked in surprise as she began to walk away, having not expected to get any answer at all out of the swordswoman. "Wait! You can't leave it at that."

"Yes, I can." Motoko looked back at the befuddled Kitsune, a wry grin on her lips. "Besides, some things are not meant to be shared."

The foxy lady frowned, then suddenly laughed at herself. "And so the foxy one is tricked by the honest warrior...hm, this could be interesting. Wonder how much it'll cost to bribe Su into helping me on this one because there HAS to be something she's not telling me..."

Motoko dried herself off, moving as little as possible as she dressed in one of the gi and hamaka she always kept down there incase she didn't bring clothes with her and walked barefoot out into the house itself. Down the steps she went to the Tea House, unsure of why exactly she was going or if she really needed to. Still, it seemed like the right thing to do at the time and so she did.

"You're done," said Haruka as she walked in.

"Yes, feeling a little less trampled than before," replied Motoko as she brushed a few still-damp strands of hair from her face.

"Come have a seat, then. Tea'll be ready in a sec...Tori! Two cups from the copper kettle reserved for family members only, will you?"

"Yes, ma'am...."

"Haruak-san, not ma'am!" Haruka rolled her eyes as the young girl behind the counter just giggled and nodded none the less. "I'm not old enough to be a ma'am yet..."

"Yes, ma'am..."

"Thank you," said Motoko just the same as she sat across from her aunt, smiling slightly in spite of herself at the antics of the two. "That girl...is she new here?"

"Yeah, just someone I hired on until my new helpers arrive," replied Haruka as she lit another cigarette and took a long drag on it. "Hmm....they should be here any day now. You'll like 'em, I think. Just remind me to tell Keitaro about them, so he doesn't flip when they randomly show up on their doorstep expecting a place to stay."

"Oh...ok."

"So, how're you feeling now?" Haruka nodded to Tori as the girl served them their tea, politely leaving them to their own conversation and to tend to the few other customers there. "Or, to get right to the point, what's wrong with your side?"

"It is not healing," admitted Motoko truthfully with a slight shrug. "Or at least, the progress it has made is so insubstantial that it could have been rendered not a day ago. I have tried everything my sister has ever taught me...and to no avail."

"I guessed as much," puffed Haruka around her cigarette. "The question is: why?" When Motoko didn't answer, she frowned slightly. "You don't think...?"

"It was a demonic blade that he used to wield, and he still carries his with him, I saw the charm for it around his neck," came the low reply. "It is entirely possible...If it is true, then it would explain the latest developments as well as why it didn't occur until I was actually defending with my heart again, rather than just going through the motions. Demonic poisoning...it only truly shows itself when the warrior is forced to take up their chosen weapon in battle once more and defend something with all they have."

"How's it going to heal, then? Keep losing blood like you are...well, Keitaro may find himself suddenly unattached." Haruka frowned slightly.

Motoko shifted uneasily. "It will heal with time if I do not so much as attempt to fight or defend myself."

Her aunt raised her brows skeptically. "Maybe, but how long will that be? Another month? Two? Three? A whole year? You can't give up the sword for even part of that time if you want to become the kind of practitioner your sister is in the arts."

"I'm aware of that!" snapped Motoko in frustration. Lowering her head shamefacedly, she added softly. "There's little other choice..."

"There's another way, though, otherwise you would have said there's no other way at all," came the calm reply. "Why don't you use it? If it involves a trip home, Keitaro would go with you in a heartbeat."

"Ha! If cure was so easily in my grasp I would have been fully well again long ago," she sighed with a shrug. "No, Haruka-san, the cure is not among my family nor the archives we have there. Only one like he who harmed me could so easily make me able-bodied again...and there is none from the T-...Tur-" The swordswoman frowned and forced the hated word from her mouth. "....Turtle Clan who would do so now."

Haruka raised her brows slightly. "But my idiot nephew..."

"Is untrained and likely to kill himself doing so," cut in the warrior harshly. "There are many things he doesn't know, dangers of draining yourself to death, possibly locking yourself inside the body of the other person forever or losing control and killing both parties involved...too many risks, and not enough gain. Even if he thought of it himself, and suggested it I would refuse. By the time he would have completed his training -assuming he could find one from the clan willing to teach him- the wound will have healed itself, or else..." Motoko let her voice trail off, staring down into her teacup.

"My nephew is not becoming a widower," the elder woman warned her gravely. "We don't put up with the 'noble warrior death' crap, and that's why we're still around. By watching out for one another. We may not always like one another, but there isn't an Urashima alive other than his father who wouldn't lay down everything he had for his other family members. He's been raised to fight for family no matter what...and that includes you, now. If he hears about this..."

"He won't, will he?" Motoko's eyes bore into that of the elder woman, giving her the same cold glare she normally reserved for her enemies. "Promise me....oba-san. Promise that he will not find out what is wrong."

Haruka nodded reluctantly, frowning all the while. "If that's the way you want it...I've never broken confidence with anyone before, and I won't start now." She suddenly spied something at the front of the shop, hiding her relief in her cup as Motoko nodded in return. {And now I'm sure I won't have to...}

"Thank you."

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Keitaro stood outside the front of the Tea House, confused as anything by what he'd accidentally overheard. He had suspected something was wrong when he'd seen the wound last night, still raw and open with those strange green lines. But demonic blades? Was that even possible?

[Sure, just as possible as random turtle demons, curses to control other people, and family that tries to kill you. Why not?] His inner voice reminded him.

Ok, so if that was true...what was it Haruka had hinted at that he could do about it? He didn't have any special powers, other than his near-indestructibility and new found grace and luck. Other than that, though, he was just your average guy with no 'special training' at all.

Shaking his head slightly, Keitaro decided to put it aside until later and focus on the present instead. Walking in, he smiled and stood right behind his wife, putting a hand on either shoulder lightly.

"Hello!"

"Eh?!"

Motoko started at the contact, reaching with her left hand to grab one of his wrists and was on her feet in a heartbeat reading to strike him with her right. Pausing as she caught sight of him, she let go immediately and backed up against the table in surprise as she bowed and began to speak quickly.

"Keitaro! My most humbled apologies, I didn't realize-"

"It's ok," cut in the ronin with a shy grin, picking up the chair she'd knocked over. "No harm done, see? Please sit down, I know your side must still hurt."

Motoko grimaced slightly and complied, ignoring the curious look she was getting from the elder woman across from her. "I am very, very sorry, I did not cause you any harm, did I?"

"Not at all," Keitaro quickly reassured her. "Though, I am curious...why did you do that?"

"Yeah, I must say I am, too," added Haruka, giving the girl a long look over her tea cup. "Your 'sense' has never failed you before, it's even better than mine."

"I am unable to 'sense' Keitaro at all," admitted Motoko awkwardly with a blush, Keitaro looking at the two of them in confusion as Haruka just nodded to herself knowingly.

"Uh...what do you mean by 'sense'?" asked Keitaro as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Sorry, but you kind of lost me there..."

"Every person alive has a 'signal' or 'ki' they give off naturally," explained Haruka as she put out her cigarette in the ashtray next to her. "I think you can take it from there, Motoko-chan."

"Each ki is different," she went on, not missing a beat for it was a lesson that had been drummed into her over years of practice. "Some are larger, others smaller, and each has its own individual characteristics. No matter what, as long as your ki is larger than that of another person, you can sense where that person is to a certain extent. There are two exceptions to this rule: repression and bloodties."

"You still haven't explained why you can't 'sense' me," pointed out Keitaro politely.

"It is because you are more powerful than I," sighed the warrior with an ironic twist of her lips. "I can sense every person here at Hinata-sou and know their ki well enough to tell them apart and know when they're approaching...except you."

Keitaro blinked in shock. "...oh."

"This is just me being nosey, but how much more is he than you?" asked Haruka lightly, the piercing look she gave the swordswoman belying her interest.

"Half again of my own."

The elder aunt's eyes widened a trifle, her calm mask slipping for a moment. "You're kidding."

"I don't kid."

Keitaro just hid his face in his hands as the two stared at each other in a contest of wills as Haruka tried to comprehend what she'd just learned. "I'm so lost!!! What do you mean by 'half again of my own'?"

"Visual aid time," muttered Haruka, grabbing a salt shaker quickly. "Let's say this much represents the average ki, ok? This is for non-athletes, brain-iacs, and those who are too lazy to develop their talents." She poured a small lump of salt onto the counter in front of them. "In comparison, this would be your average martial artist, swordsperson, or other dedicated athletes." She poured another lump next to the first, about a third bigger than the first. "Do you follow me?"

"Yeah, I think so," replied Keitaro as he watched her closely. "Keep going."

"The Aoyama Clan as been dedicating their lives for years to the growth of their Art, and thus Motoko's ki is something like this..." Haruka poured a third lump of salt, this one twice as big as the first lump she'd poured. "This is with years of training and gained growth due to certain exercises. However, if what she says is true, this is your natural ki." She poured a fourth pile as big as the third, then added another bit as half as big as it already was.

"That's impossible," breathed Keitaro as his jaw went slack in surprise. "I mean, I've never trained in any form of Martial Arts before, I simply can't....can I?"

"It is very rare," replied his wife hesitantly. "But it is very possible. That is why I...started when you touched me. There are few times when others have surprised me, and before it has always had some mischief planned to go along with it. Such things come from repression, which is where you 'subdue' your ki until it is practically non-existent."

"You said there was another exception," said Keitaro. "A bloodtie, what's that?"

"Haruka-san and yourself are an example of that," she said simply. "Though she cannot measure your true strength, she can always sense where you are simply because you are blood-related. Such ties usually do not last beyond first cousins, but if trained into your abilities, you can sometimes go as far as third and fourth cousins as well..."

"So, the basic gist of this is unless I want to end up flat on my back to always announce my presence somehow?" asked Keitaro with a teasing grin.

"In a way, yes," replied Motoko with a blush. "Though, you do not make any sound when you walk, either. Half the time I do not realize you have entered the room until you or one of the others calls attention to it."

"Hm, well, I'll try not to do so anymore," said Keitaro understandingly. "Could you show me how to do this 'sensing' thing, though? It coming come in handy..."

"I suppose it could not hurt to instruct you in this," said the kendoist carefully. "It would ensure none could attack you from behind as they did the other night most of the time."

"Go on up to the top of the Inn, then, and get started," suggested Haruka as she rose quickly, shooing them out of the shop as she did. "I have customers to attend to, among other things. I'll see you both around dinner time, ok?"

"Yes, oba-san!"

*THWAP* "Haruka-san, to you!"

"Yes, Haruka-san..."

"Thank you for your time" said Motoko as she bowed slightly.

"Take care," replied the elder woman, catching her eye for a moment with a concerned look that Keitaro didn't catch. "I mean it."

Motoko nodded her understanding gravely. "I will."

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"Get comfortable," suggested the samurai girl as she slowly sat herself on the roof of the in, a subtle breeze playing with her long, raven hair. "You must be in order to attain the state as which you can first learn to 'sense.'"

"Ok." Keitaro sat cross-legged across from her, watching carefully to mirror her every move. She shifted a bit, getting herself settled before she placed her hands on her knees and breathing deeply. "Erm...what do I do now?"

"Close your eyes and go back to your center," came the calm, monotone command. "I showed you it once, can you find it again with out help?"

"I think so..." Keitaro pulled himself inwards as far as he could without using the 'twist and drop' he'd been taught the first time, bringing him to a light blue fire that pulsed erratically. "Whoa, is that...me?"

"If you are seeing what I think you are, yes. You have found the physical representative of your ki. And ki, to be honest, is merely the essence of you." The swordswoman opened her eyes slowly, breathing calmly as she 'boosted' herself until she shone brighter than normal. "Now, use the same way you 'looked' for yourself and see if you can find another close by."

Keitaro nodded and faced 'outwards' rather than 'inwards', reaching forward tentively. A bright red aura with a core of scarlet suddenly blossomed in his vision, surprising him even more as it died suddenly to merely a glowing core. "What in the world...?!"

"My apologies." There was a sheepish note in Motoko's voice as she explained herself. "I was projecting myself...but you caught on much faster than I expected."

"That was you?" asked Keitaro in surprise, opening his eyes to look at Motoko in awe. "Wow, I mean...just wow."

"The only time you could see me like that, however, is when you're able to see me with your physical eyes. Do it again, but do not 'look' this time....'feel' instead, as you would with your hands almost. Does that make any sense?"

"Vaguely," replied Keitaro with a grin. "Don't worry, you've already explained things so well. I should be able to do it."

"If you are sure...then begin."

Keitaro settled himself once more, 'reaching' forwards slowly until he encountered a presence, one that was obviously at rest and very close by. It radiated warmth steadily, conveying a sense of stable calm, strong endurance, and protective watchfulness. Confidence, but not to the point of arrogance. There were also emotions as well, ones that he could tell whether they where directed at him, or at others in particular. If it was 'for him', it seemed to 'touch him' more, if not it seemed rather to 'slide off him' somehow. Acceptance and contentment...the presence suddenly pulsed in surprise, then outpoured an aura of love and joy.

Opening his eyes, Keitaro saw Motoko leaning up against the wall with an energetic Su wrapped around her neck, cuddling up to her like a kitten.

"Motoko-chan! You can come play, right??"

"Mmm...I do not believe so, Su-chan, I am teaching Keitaro something." replied the kendoist regretfully.

"No, go ahead," put in Keitaro quickly as he saw the downcast look on the foreign girl's face. "I've got a good enough start, I think, and besides..." Keitaro winked as Su let Motoko go and gave her the biggest puppy eyes in the world. "You wouldn't want to disappoint Su-chan, would you?"

"Hm, you young rascal, is there no other for you to amuse yourself with?" asked Motoko with one of her rare, full smiles as she stood gracefully, letting Su hang from her shoulders as if she weighed nothing at all.

"Kitsune an' Naru left for some shoppin', and Shinobu is doing something in the kitchen for dinner. So, can you play with me?? Please?? Pretty please with a cherry on top??"

"I suppose you may have me for the afternoon." Su whooped for joy as she dragged her older friend towards the steps with her usual depthless energy.

"Yippee! Now I gots a test subject for my new inventions!"

"If I should not be seen by dinner, please send someone after me," sighed Motoko just as she was dragged out of sight, a suspicious look on her face. "Su-chan, what inventions are you referring to??"

"Oh, you'll see...hehehehe."

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Hours passed, and Keitaro opened his eyes just as the sun's rays began to vanish beyond the horizon, feeling strangely alert as though he thought back over all he'd absorbed in the last few hours. 'Sensing' in itself wasn't hard at all, for it was just like reaching out with an invisible hand and looking for 'warmth'. The true problem had been differentiating the different ki from one another of those who lived in the old Inn.

Motoko's he'd developed a lock on like no other, no matter where she went or who she was with, as long as she was in his range, which was about the size of Hinata-sou, he could find her. Using her as a cornerstone, he'd deducted the bright, energetic present with her could be none other than Su. While it had no great size or strength, it was surrounded by an aura of child-like happiness that made him smile none the less.

Haruka, his aunt, had been the next one he'd fixed in his mind, and little wonder too. She was like a pillar of rock in a sea of erratic waves, firm and steady no matter what. Considering she was practically unshakable even in the worst of circumstances, that didn't surprise him. Shinobu had been easy enough to pick out when she'd visited the elder woman, a quiet, faint beacon of shy innocence. It was a bit jumpy at times, but the moment she was focused on her cooking it became as steady and calm as Haruka's, a fact he found to be interesting indeed.

Naru and Kitsune were distinguishable enough that he picked up on them the moment they started up the steps of Hinata-sou, however their own presences where remarkably similar. The deciding factor actually turned out to be a 'taste' of sorts. Kitsune had been downing so much sake during the years she'd been a drinker that it left those who 'sensed' her with a momentary tipsy feeling.

Heading down stairs after having a good stretch to get rid of his cramps, Keitaro peeked his head into Su's room as he heard some strange sounds coming from there. Inside, he once again marveled at the dense forest and how it managed to thrive despite the lack of sunlight, rain, and proper soil, but he no longer questioned the oddities of this place and moved on. Deep in the room-forest, he found them, Motoko seated beside her companion with an odd contraption on her head with a screen in front of hem showing them in some sort of a room.

"Hey guys, looks like fun," he called, Su jumping up immediately to leap at him rather than to continue whatever it was she was doing.

"Keitaro!"

The landlord held out his arms and caught her, trying to remain calm as she practically squeezed the life out of him with her hug. "Oomph...eh, hey Su-chan. Enjoying yourself?"

"Yep! Motoko-chan's let me program her into my new virtual-reality game! But she said I can't make her sidekick a turtle though." The young girl pouted as Keitaro chuckled, looking up at Motoko who'd already disconnected herself from the machine and was approaching them slowly.

"Well, maybe you can come up with a different one later," he offered lightly as he set her back down. "How're you feeling, Motoko-chan? You got some rest, I hope."

"Well enough," replied Motoko steadily, looking at them both with an odd expression on her face. Keitaro had his arm around Su as she continued to latch on to his side, a surprising thought crossing her mind as she flushed slightly. [He will make a wonderful father someday...]

"Something wrong?" asked her husband as he noticed her reddened cheeks. "You don't have a fever, do you?"

"No, I am fine," replied the swordswoman as she quickly composed herself once more with a shake of her head. "Do you need something, though?"

"No, just wanted to escort my two favorite ladies down to dinner," came the smooth reply, Keitaro attempting to appear suave and cool as he bowed to them regally. The moment was spoiled as Su grabbing him around the neck, giving him a hard noogie. "Ow!!!"

"Beat'cha down stairs!" yelled Su as she let go and went flying into the hall at a full spring.

"Oh, she's got a bony fist," he whined as his wife smothered her own smile with a careful cough, coming to stand beside him. "Mm...well, will you let me escort you to dinner at least?"

"Escort me...?" Motoko looked confused as Keitaro held out his arm to her, it suddenly clicking as she remembered her sister and brother in-law like that. "Oh! You do not have to, really..."

"Erm...but...I kinda want to...please?"

Motoko paused as Keitaro flushed slightly, still holding his arm out hopefully. [He wants to...] "I would be honored," she replied at long last in a low voice, keeping her eyes downcast as she put a tentative hand on his bicep.

Keitaro covered her hand with his own without realizing it and led the way out of the room, smiling shyly at her when she glanced up at him. Inside, he felt like he could fly as he looked at the beautiful young woman beside him. He still couldn't believe at times he was married, even with over three weeks having passed, but still...here she was, standing next to him and very real indeed. They'd both changed so much since then, adapting to a different life with a new 'counterpart'. But...then there were times like today when he realized there was still so much more about her didn't know or understand. Not that she was hiding from him, but it wasn't in her nature to talk much, and only occasionally would she offer information about herself unless directly asked.

Coming to the stairs, Shinobu looked at them in surprise as she met them halfway. "I was just coming to get you," she said politely as she gave them a slight bow with a soft smile. "Su-chan told us you were still upstairs."

"Yeah, she went tearing out of there and it wasn't worth it to keep up at the time," replied Keitaro with a chuckle. "She's got more energy than I do, that's for sure."

"Feeling tired from some extra-agenda activities?" asked Kitsune slyly as she looked up at them from the bottom of the stairs.

"Food's getting cold, hurry up!" called Naru suddenly, saving the embarrassed Keitaro and annoyed Motoko from answering entirely. The look the foxy lady found herself the recipient of from her fellow roommate let her know it had not been forgotten.

Looks like it was time to hide her sake again.

Haruka walked in right then, taking her seat at Keitaro's left with Motoko to his right and the rest of the residents spread out from there.

"Mm, very good, Shinobu-chan!" praised the landlord happily as he gulped down another helping of the noodles and meat sauce. "Even better than mom's!"

"Not that that's hard," coughed Haruka, rolling her eyes. "Kagami couldn't cook to save her life when she was young. I doubt that's changed much."

Keitaro smirked, unable to resist the wide-open shot. "Grandmother said you learned all your skills from her, and I guess that explains a lot...ow!!"

"Watch your mouth," growled his aunt warningly, swatting at him again as he ducked towards Motoko and let it pass over him harmlessly.

The rest of dinner went along with its usual struggles (i.e. Su eating all the food, Kitsune making off-color comments, or Keitaro getting whacked by his aunt) but in the end everyone relatively enjoyed it. Motoko, as it wasn't her night to do dishes, headed up to the roof for some meditation as her practice was still not possible. Hearing someone following her, she immediately identified who it was and waited patiently for the usual 'surprise attack' to come...

But it never did.

Turning around slowly, she found Su standing at the top of the stairs watching her with a mixed look on her face. "Su-chan? Is there something you need help with?"

"Well...yeah, but not really," came the slow reply as the foreign girl walked up to her, looking up at Motoko with big, wondering eyes. "Motoko-chan....what's so special about him?"

Motoko frowned. "What do you mean? Are you speaking of Keitaro?"

"Yeah, him," replied Su with a slight nod. "I liked having you just to me, cuz you made me feel special and wanted no matter what. Everything you had you shared. But...you have something with him that you can't share with me, don't you? Why? What makes him so special that he gets to be with you like that too?"

"It was nothing he did, Su-chan," explained Motoko carefully, kneeling beside the younger girl so they could talk eye to eye. "Keitaro and I weren't given a choice, we were told by our families to share this one special thing that we could have with no other person for the rest of our lives together, and so we will. That doesn't mean I've forgotten you, Su-chan, not at all. What I share with Keitaro is different than what I share with you, and always will be. But I also share something with you that he will never have. He can never be my little sister. Do you understand?"

"I...I think so," she replied softly as she circled her arms around Motoko's neck, burying her head in her shoulder. "But...can I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"Will you sleep with me tonight, like we used to?" she asked hopefully. "Just you and me in my room? I won't even ask again, I promise! I know I'm being selfish, but I had you first and I want you just one more night to myself before I let him have you completely." Su looked up, a small grin on her face. "Not that I don't like Keitaro, he's a cool guy and I hope whatever it is you two have he makes you happy like you make me happy, but...I WAS here first after all."

"I think it would be fine," Motoko assured her as she gave her young friend a quick hug before standing once more. "Let me go explain things to Keitaro and Kitsune, ok? I shall meet you in your room afterwards."

Su did a back flip for joy. "YEAH!!"

Motoko smiled to herself as she pushed the small voice in the back of her mind that something wasn't right away rather forcefully. She was doing Su a favor, and putting her mind at ease for good, what could go wrong?

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Keitaro settled into his bed, alone for the first time since he'd gotten married and feeling slightly odd too. It wasn't as if he and Motoko snuggled together every night (though he wouldn't mind it in the least) however, there was a feeling of emptiness there in the double futon that he'd never imagined he'd feel if he got it to himself for a night.

Hoping fervently everything was going ok with Su, he laid down to sleep and quickly drifted off peacefully into the lands of nod.

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Everything was not ok. Motoko forcefully dragged herself from sleep, sitting up slightly to look at the clock on the wall nearby only to curse and find even less time had passed than the time before. Each time she closed her eyes the hideous images would loom in her vision, and right as she dropped off to sleep they would catch her and hold her captive to their evil and torturous ways. There was nothing she could do but hope each time it would be different, yet nothing every changed in the least. Two hours had passed since she'd laid down with Su, and six times already she'd attempted to sleep and failed due to her on-pressing nightmares.

For some reason, they didn't disappear as they did when Keitaro woke her at night, and despite how much it irked her to do so she admitted his presence was a great comfort during those troublesome times. Still, she'd promised Su a night to herself, and a night for just the two of them she would get in return.

But even the light sleep she'd been taught for 'on-alert' situations did not help, the demons of her mind could still find her there and torture her by keeping the rest she so desired just out of reach or capturing her the moment she was asleep and holding her in their vile grasp.

Her side throbbed faintly as she sat up, Su whimpering as she moved away slightly in protest. Remedying the situation by letting the young girl used her lap as a pillow and running a hand through her short hair affectionately, Motoko attempting to fall into a deep trance-like state for the time being. While not as restful as sleep by far, it would at least allow her to renew herself enough to face the coming day.

She hoped.

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Keitaro woke the next morning, quickly rising and getting himself ready before he jogged downstairs and strode into the kitchen. He was up a little later than normal, and so fully expected everyone to be downstairs already having breakfast...but that was not the case.

Su came bouncing in seconds after he arrived, shoveling down some food quickly before she chugged her milk and grabbed her stuff for school. "Mmm mmm mm....morning all!!"

"Where's Motoko-chan?" asked Keitaro, knowing Shinobu had just finished setting out breakfast and his wife had yet to be down there that morning, which was very unusual for her.

"Upstairs," replied Su with a shrug. "She woke me up late, but said to go on ahead and go down without her.

"Really?" asked Keitaro, a worried frown coming over his face. "I wonder why...?"

ûûû

Motoko did NOT want to get up. She lay flat on her back by herself, Su thankfully already down stairs, staring up the ceiling and feeling worse than she had waking up ever in her life. And right now she was so drained of all her energy she wasn't sure she'd ever be able to get up again.

Forcing herself to rise laboriously, she left Su's room to change and got ready for the day, glancing at the clock as she changed. Great, less than ten minutes or they'd all be late. Skipping breakfast automatically, she gathered together her school things and called for Su and Shinobu to hurry so they could leave. Unbeknownst to her, Keitaro watched her hasty departure from the roof with a concerned frown. Something, in his eyes, was definitely not right.

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Motoko entered the school grounds just minutes before the final bell rang, a worried Gina falling in step behind her the moment she walked up the steps as usual. Normally she would flank her on the left, though, and Leiko would be to her right...that would obviously not be an option any longer, however.

There was an obvious tension in the air the farther she walked inside, a subtle change of how people regarded her and some of her one time companions. Their thoughts and feelings about it did not concern her, however, and she merely brushed it off as a side effect of her actions the night before. Should it rise beyond simple words and accusations she would bother to pay attention to it, if not it as an inconsequential as always.

The air seemed strained and uneasy to the samurai girl just the same, several of the kendo team members avoiding her like the plague. Leiko was not where to be seen, but as before that was to be expected. She'd never had many close friends here, but the few whom she had been comfortable with she could obviously no longer depend on for support. That had started the moment her marriage bad been announced, and the final blow had been the other night. None but Gina and the girls who backed her sub-Captain remained at her side, and undoubtedly it would remain that way for awhile.

Strangely enough, Motoko didn't find herself with a lack of others to sit with at lunch or to speak with in ways of homework and notes that she'd missed in her absence. The very small group of already-married girls, like herself, had quietly welcomed her in and placed her among their numbers before she'd even realized what was happening. Not that she sat there having 'girl talk' about her husband as some did, or gossip about who was likely to get married next. But there were a few who were very sound in mind and spirit, and she'd found them to be very likable in most situations.

Coming to her first class, Motoko sat in her usual seat by the door and greeted Satomi, one of the said wives, as she walked in after her.

"Good morning," replied the younger girl warmly. "How are you holding up this morning, Motoko-san?"

"Holding up?" came the slightly confused reply.

"You look like you haven't slept since I last saw you," explained Satomi quickly. "It wasn't a fight with Urashima-san, was it?"

"No, nothing that simple," she replied softly with a shake of her head. Glancing back at Gina who merely bowed her head in shame, she sighed.

"I heard," said Satomi simply with a sad smile. "My regrets to you for the splitting of the kendo club. Needless to say, the guys are flapping about trying to figure out what this means for them. There are several theories as to why it happened, would you care to add one more to the melee so at least one bit floating about might be the truth?"

"Not in particular," came the dour reply as the sensei entered the room and began to write something on the board. "However, I should like to hear what is being said later on, if it would not be too much trouble?"

"At lunch," affirmed the other as she sat down next to her and pulled out her notebook.

Motoko looked at the board and began to copy down the figures as the teacher started to drone on about the importance of trinomial values in a monotone voice. It was going to be a  very long day.

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Haruka knew exactly who it was the moment someone pulled back the stool beside her at the bar in the Tea House and sat down gingerly. "Hello, Keitaro. What is it you want to know?"

"...how did you know I came to ask you something?" replied the said person as he turned to face her slowly. "I swear, you're just scary sometimes..."

"Yeah, and you're an idiot," replied his aunt, rolling her eyes. "Come on, kid, I haven't got all day. Spill."

"It's Motoko-chan. I'm worried about her," said Keitaro hesitantly. "I know she's a trained warrior and all, but the way her side's been acting can't be normal. Do you know what's going on? She knows you better, after all..."

Haruka hesitated, taking a long draw on her cigarette as she did. "I know more than you do," she admitted after a while. "But I can't directly tell you what I know."

"Ah, the Urashima Art of back doors and loopholes. Well, I can work with that to figure it out," sighed Keitaro understandingly with a nod. "So, she told you not to tell me? Why, though? I thought she said she trusted me..."

"She does. In fact, I think she cares about you too, because that's part of the reason she doesn't want you to know. There are...risks involved if you were to get pulled in."

"Danger doesn't matter-"

"Keitaro, I can't say anymore than I have concerning her," cut in Haruka flatly. "I know you caught part of our conversation the other day, I saw you standing there by the door. Here's what I can tell you to go along with that, and it's up to you to do decide what to do with it. Remember what you were taught yesterday about ki, everything that happened when Motoko taught you how to find your memories, and the ways your strengths used to manifest themselves before the demon-thing was taken care of. Now go away and stew over that for awhile so I can get some work done."

Figuring she wasn't about to change her mind, the puzzled young man left and went back to his room to think things over for himself. There just had to be something obvious he was missing...

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Exhausted beyond belief, Motoko listened numbly as her newest allies began to relate that which they'd heard, fanciful rumors ranging from an ancient feud between her family and Leiko's that had just recently come out into the open to Leiko having admitted to being a lesbian and Motoko having rejected her for it with her new 'not so anti-males' ways. Unusually, though, the samurai girl didn't even seem to care.

Pausing in her tale-telling, Satomi glanced at her worriedly. "Eh...Motoko-chan?" When there wasn't a reply, she reached over and touched her fellow student's shoulder gently. "Motoko-chan??"

"Mmm? Oh! I apologize, Satomi-chan. I seem to have dozed off there a bit..." Shaking herself resolutely, Motoko tried to ward off the encroaching sleepiness, knowing ever as she did that she was failing even then to make a difference.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Satomi in concern, helping her friend up from the ground as the bell signaled the end of lunch.

"I am well enough for now," came the faint reply, Motoko barely able to focus on more than one thing at a time as she slowly gathered her things together.

"Motoko, you're not looking so well," commented her next teacher as they entered the classroom once more. "You're not sick, are you?"

"Merely tired, Sensei," she replied thickly around a yawn, bowing politely. "Ah...my apologies for not being as alert as usual."

"Go home and sleep," ordered the teacher, dismissing her with a concerned wave of her hand as she quickly wrote her a pass. "I'm signing you out on a sick leave, you could pass for one as you look right now. A sleeping student learns nothing at best and is a distraction at worst."

"But ma'am," she protested as respectfully as she could. "Are we not starting the new project today? Surely that is too important to miss...

"Go home, Urashima, and don't come back until you look like a normal human being again."

Motoko bowed her head in silent submission, accepting the pass from the teacher with a bow before turning to leave the room with the teacher grumbling after her.

"Crazy kendo types, always pushing themselves too hard...at least that one had the sense to listen to me for once...a little sleep and they'd all be right as rain."

The kendo girl sighed longingly. If only it were that simple...

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Keitaro continued to let his present problem mull in the back of his mind while doing the practice test he'd pulled out from earlier in the year. All of it, with the demon being gone, seemed so much easier now...

Following the familiar patterns of the formulas, he tried to gnaw on what he'd learned from a different angle, rather than charging at it head on. Like those pesky reasoning problems from his high school years.

Motoko, obviously, wasn't well. The cut on her side was still as fresh as the day it had been given to her, and over three weeks later...there's no way that's normal. So, something's wrong, very wrong in fact, but she didn't want him to know about it. Why?

Haruka-san had mentioned dangers if he got himself involved, so that had to be the reason why his wife hadn't spoke to him about it yet. It wasn't a disease she could pass to him in the usual ways as they still shared a living space together, and if she were ill in any other 'normal' fashion that could be cured by a doctor he was sure she'd inform him immediately.

So the danger wasn't a 'normal' one. It probably wasn't some perilous journey to find the cure either, otherwise she'd have left him to get it long ago on her own. She wasn't one to laze about if she could remedy the situation on her own, he knew that for sure.

From all that, he could deduce that 1) something was physically wrong with his wife 2) she couldn't cure herself and probably not with the help of her family, either, and 3) he had some sort of important factor that could drastically changed everything if he knew what it was.

While all of that was brilliant reasoning, in his mind, he decided it didn't do much over all. He still didn't know what was truly wrong, what his part in it was, or the solution to it all any more than he had at the beginning of his thought process.

[Damn. Guess I'd better start back again at the beginning. Point one: there's something physically wrong with Motoko-chan...]

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Motoko removed her shoes at the front door and shuffled into the main room, not even bothering to announce her presence as she tiredly slumped onto the couch and curled up at once end. Falling immediately asleep as she welcoming the on rushing darkness, she blissfully hid herself in its depthless folds never thinking of what might await her there.

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Su and Shinobu entered the Inn after school, removing their shoes in the front room as always before going into the main room.

"Mm, what'cha gonna make us for a snack, Shinobu-chan? I'm SOO hungry..."

"Shh!!" Shinobu put a finger to her lips, trying to hush her friend quickly. "Keep it down, Su-chan!"

"But why?"

"Look!" She pointed towards one end of the room.

Su followed Shinobu's finger to the couch, one exhausted Motoko curled at the very end fast asleep.

"Aww.." Su lowered her voice considerably, creeping over and nuzzling her cheek against that of the elder girl gently. "Sweet dreams, Motoko-chan..."

Shinobu smiled and nodded as Su left her friend's side and skipped quietly into the kitchen. Getting an afghan from the chest in the corner, the young chef draped it over the sleeping girl's shoulders and tucked her in slightly, quickly slipping out of the room once she was sure it was secure.

"Sleep tight, Motoko-chan..."

Another hour passed before anyone else came home, Kitsune being the first to climb the steps to the Inn and entering as the two younger residents did. Seeing Motoko still asleep on the couch, she noticed the afghan someone had placed around her shoulders had slipped off entirely so she walked over languidly to fix it.

Bending over the samurai girl, she tucked it back in gently and was about to leave when the sleeping girl whimpered softly. Frowning in confusion, as the Motoko she knew NEVER whimpered, she bent a little closer and touched her shoulder carefully.

"...Motoko-chan?"

The sleeping kendoist frowned and shuddered in her sleep, curling into a tight ball as strained sounds of panic began to come from her locked jaw. Kitsune's jaw dropped as she knelt down beside her, shaking her shoulders this time with both hands in an attempt to wake the ever-increasingly thrashing girl from her dreams.

Motoko sat up suddenly, gasping for air when she doubled over in pain.

"Motoko-chan?!"

"Wha-..? Kitsune?! What am I....argh....doing down here?!"

"You were asleep on the couch," explained the alcoholic hurriedly. "Hang on, I'm going to go get Keitaro-"

"NO!"

Kitsune was surprised at the force Motoko used to draw her back, still doubled over, with just one hand. "But...you're hurt! He'll know what to do..."

Motoko shook her head slightly, eyes unfocused as she tried to get past the searing pain in her side. "Mm...no....he worries enough as it is. I'll be fine."

"Motoko-chan, I...." Kitsune fell quiet as she slowly sat back down, Motoko loosening her grip as she was gradually able to relax by the lessening of the pain.

"Thank you," she whispered as she settled into the couch more comfortably, resting exhaustedly against the back of the couch. "For waking me, and for listening to me."

"Sugar...are you sure you don't want me to get Keitaro?" asked Kitsune with more concern than she would normally allow herself to show.

"Get me for what?" asked Keitaro as he suddenly came down the stairs at a jog. "Oh, hello Motoko-chan, Kitsune. I didn't either of you come in. Everything alright?"

"It is fine," lied Motoko immediately, forcing herself to rise steadily though she knew Keitaro could pick up the subtle signs of her still-present pain and exhaustion. She didn't want to lie, but he couldn't know the whole truth. Everything would be fine, she just needed more time and more rest...

"Well...ok. What are you doing now?"

"I am headed up to study," replied Motoko as she reached for her bag, managing not to wince from years of training and heading for the stairs. "Thank you again, Kitsune. I will see you both later."

"I'll come get you for dinner," called Keitaro after her, a worried look on his face. Glancing at Kitsune, he asked, "She's not ok, is she?"

The foxy lady hesitated before answering. "She had a nightmare," was all she said with a shrug. "I woke her, and she insisted she was fine. That's all I know."

"Ok. Thanks."

Keitaro headed for the kitchen, walking absently towards the fruit left on the counter as he greeted the two occupants stationed there doing their homework. "Hey Su-chan, Shinobu-chan. How was school?"

"Good!" replied Su with a huge grin as she plowed through another set of math problems before packing everything up at lightening speed. "How was your day, Keitaro-kun?"

"Good enough," he replied with an affectionate grin, not bothering to look as he reached for the knife on the counter. Picking an apple, he continued to talk with Shinobu who was still there while cutting it up. "And how about you, Shinobu-chan?"

"It was a good day, Sempai, but...are you sure you should be cutting that without watching what you're doing?"

"Oh, don't worry about me," replied Keitaro with a grin as he continued to do with a grin. "I've been using knives for years, so I think I know what I'm-" *slice* "AHH!!"

Keitaro bit his lip as he quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around the palm of his hand, giving the shocked Shinobu a strained smile before he rushed out of there and into the bathroom. "Uh...be right back!"

"Sempai!!"

"Oh, I'm such an idiot..." Keitaro unwrapped the towel to asses how back it was, finding he'd let the knife's keen edge bite into the fleshy pad right under his thumb and fairly deeply too. "Crap. Oh crap, crap, crap...idiot! Not watching while using a knife, you're lucky you didn't take a finger off!" He rinsed it off and wrapped it back off, breathing deeply to control his racing heart and inadvertently falling into the partial trance that allowed him to 'sense' others around him. Looking down at his hand, he suddenly frowned as something clicked in the back of his head.

"Heal..." he whispered to himself, closing his eyes as he nudged a tendril of the small ball of light that was his center towards his hand gently. "Come on, just like it was new..."

His hand flexed for a moment, then went still as the pain died entirely. Though more tired that he had been before, if he'd done what he thought he had, it had taken far less from him that he'd thought it would. The ronin unwrapped it once more and marveled at the smooth skin, seamless as if it had never been pierced at all.

Suddenly, it was as if the light shone down from above and everything that had been whirling aimless around in his head all day snapped into place with an accuracy that made his brain ache. There was his answer, it was all so clear to him now!

Now, how was he going to go about it?

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Motoko rested her head on her hand, diligently attempting to struggle through her math homework, though her eyes threatened to close on her time and time again. Taking another sip of the tea Shinobu had kindly brought up to her, she forged ahead through another couple of problems before she gave up and pushed it all away, opening random drawers of her desk as she did in search of something else to do.

Opening her bottom drawer, she stumbled across her old notebooks. Pulling the dusty, faded volumes from the drawer she opened the cover of the top one and smiled softly to herself as she remembered her old habit of writing stories she could escape to when the memories got too hard to handle. Starting at the beginning, she rose from the desk and curled up on the bed instead as she began to read, reliving her childish fantasies of old.

Still, time passed faster than she thought and her sleepiness began to catch up with her once more, the pictures of the story in her mind and the picture of her dreams melding together so well she didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep until she was deep with the slumber itself.

Hours later Keitaro gently knocked on the door, slowly sliding it open when there wasn't an answer, calling his wife's name softly.

"Motoko-chan...?"

He stepped inside to find her fast asleep on the futon with a contented look on her face, an old notebook open at her side that she held loosely onto with one hand. Pulling out of her grasp gently, he set it aside and tucked her in bed for the night. They'd have dinner without her, and that was fine. As long as she finally got her much-needed sleep, she could stay there as long as she needed to as far as he was concerned.

Kitsune raised her brows suggestively as Keitaro came back downstairs alone, announcing  Motoko would not be joining them for dinner.

"Wearing hear out, aren't you?" she teased with a wink as he took his seat at the table. "Man, if she's that tired she's probably pretty satisfied, too...I'll have to bug that out of her next time it's just me and her."

"It's not me, I swear!" squeaked Keitaro as Naru glared at him suspiciously. "She hasn't been sleeping well, but it's not because of me!"

"Aw, look, he's embarrassed," went on the foxy lady. Naru's glare intensified by the second as Su and Shinobu watched in confusion as the innuendo went right over their heads. "You know, sleeping a lot during the day is usually a sign of-"

"Now that's NOT true!" cried Keitaro as he pushed back away from the table with Naru ready to jump at him any moment.

"I was going to suggested fatigue," said Kitsune innocently, giving him a sly look. "What was your mind going to, Keitaro? Something you need to tell us here?"

"Sempai, what's she talking about?" asked Shinobu shyly, still as confused as ever.

"An why's Naru-chan turning all red like a bull?" added Su as steam began to curl around the crown of the high school girl's head. "She looks like one of my machines right before they're gonna blow!"

"I think that's a fairly accurate description..." muttered Keitaro out of the corner of his mouth, inching away even further. "Come on now, Naru and Kitsune, not in front of the other two...please???"

"Keitaro, get out here!" ordered Haruka as she suddenly stuck her head in the kitchen.

"Gladly!"

The ronin scuttled out of there as quickly as possible, the teasing, angry, and confused looks he was getting suddenly turning curious as he departed from their presence. Glancing back over his shoulder with a suppressed shudder once the door had shut behind him, Keitaro gave himself a good shake. "Whoo! Tough crowd for an unwanted Manager tonight. What can I do for you, oba-san?"

"It's HARUKA-SAN," she muttered, hitting him over the head with a fan. "You've got some visitors, though, and we need to discuss room arrangements."

"Visitors?" Keitaro looked up to see two young adults standing there with some bags at their feet, obviously of European or American descent. "Oh! Where are my manners? Welcome to Hinata-sou,  I'm Keitaro Urashima, Manager of this dormitory."

"Allo," said one, a young woman with green eyes and blonde hair halfway down her back. She spoke with a slight accent, but was surprisingly fluent for a foreigner.  "I am Ami Baker, and this is my friend Austin Yonker." She motioned to the young man beside her, whom had bright red hair that stood on end with green eyes. They bowed together politely.

"Pleased to meet you," added the one called Austin, the fluency of his speech even outdoing that of his companions. If not for his looks, one could not tell he hadn't lived in Japan all his life. "Who are your friends, though?"

"Friends...?" Keitaro turned around, finding four pairs of eyes watching the proceedings curiously. "Oh...come on, girls, you're going to meet them eventually so it might as well be now." The four eyes disappeared as the door shut, the four residents of the Inn entering with slight blushes except Su and Kitsune who always were up to that sort of thing. "Yonker-san and Baker-san, these are all the residents of the Inn sans one, my wife Motoko."

"You don't have to be so formal," put in Ami with a grin. "It's just Ami and Austin."

"I'm Naru Narusegawa," offered Naru with a grin and a bow. "Very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Konno Mitsune," added the foxy lady with a wink. "But they call me Kitsune."

"Su-chan to you!" said the blonde machine-freak as she attached herself to Keitaro's back.

"I'm Shinobu Mahera," added the resident cook as she nodded shyly.

"Ami and Austin would like to stay here for awhile, but I wanted to know your opinion of another male presence in the house," explained Keitaro quickly. "Should we vote, or you have you already made up your minds?"

"He's a Toudai student," added Haruka lightly. "So I don't see why he wouldn't be trustworthy."

"How'd you do on the entrance exam?" asked Keitaro curiously.

"I didn't have to take it," admitted Austin sheepishly. "I scored so high on the SAT and ACT tests in America that they accepted me without it."

"Wow!"

"Did you say Toudai?" Naru, whom the other three had been waiting to hear her opinion, perked right up from her objections. "If that's the case, then welcome aboard Austin and Ami! We're happy to have you with us! Right girls?"

"Right!" added Kitsune as she broke out a random bottle of sake and began to pour everyone but the younger residents drinks. "Celebration time!!"

"Whoa, not now Kitsune, they need to get settled in," protested Keitaro as he helped the pair gather up their things and head for the stairs. "We have two open rooms next to each other upstairs, so you can stay there, ok? I can imagine you'd want to stay close together, being such good friends."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Yeah, sure."

"After they get their stuff in their rooms, would you, Kitsune, take Ami down to the hot springs downstairs and show her how things work there? I'll show Austin the tub upstairs, so don't worry about him."

"Be right there!"

"You mentioned something about your wife?" asked Ami as they reached the top of the stairs, looking at him curiously.

"Yeah, she's in our room asleep," replied Keitaro with a slight frown. "She hasn't been feeling very well as of late, so I hope you don't take offence to her not coming to greet you with the others. You'll meet her in the morning, ok?"

"Is that her, there?" asked Austin as they passed some pictures on the wall, one in particular of all the girls they'd just met plus one more, the raven beauty dressed in her school uniform with a slight smile on her lips.

"Yeah, I think they took that last year," replied Keitaro with a nod.

"How long have you been married, if I may ask?"

"Just about a month now," replied the Manager with a shrug. "It was an arranged marriage of sorts."

"How long did you know her before your wedding?" asked Ami curiously. "We knew a couple like that back in that one place, remember? They got married once they graduated from high school."

"About an hour," said Keitaro with a cough. "Don't ask, it was one insanely messed-up situation..."

"You didn't come out of it too bad," pointed out Austin with a grin. "You're manager of this place, your wife looks to be very beautiful, the other girls seem to like you for the most part...you're one lucky fellow indeed."

Keitaro chuckled wryly to himself. "Oh, maybe. Well, here's your rooms. Austin, if you look right down the hall, there's a door with a bathroom sign on it, and it's got tubs for washing. Those are the ones you and I use, ok? If you ever need anything, I'm right next door and if I'm not there or am unavailable 'cuz I sometimes lock myself in while studying, Naru and Su's rooms are right across the hall and should be happy to help you with any problem you have."

"Keitaro-kun!" cried Su as she suddenly came tearing down the hall, launching herself at Keitaro who caught her with the ease of practice. "How's Motoko-chan??"

"I don't know, let's go take a look," he replied with a grin. "Good evening, Austin and Ami, I hope you find things to your liking."

The pair exchanged knowing glances. "We always do."

"Good! Night, then!"

"Goodnight!"

"Later."

With Su still clinging to his back and humming quietly to himself, he peeked into his room and saw Motoko still asleep, oblivious to all that transpired around her.

"Come on," he said with a conspiratorial wink as he left the room and headed for the  kitchen. "I think there's some banana pie calling our name before I turn you over to Kitsune for the night."

Su giggled happily. "Yeah!!"

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Held in place by giant vines colored much like the lines that had spread from her side and now covered half her body, the Samurai let all pretense of fearlessness aside as the numerous demons surrounded her. Clawing at her bare flesh, ripping more vile green lines along her side, forcing her to accept their putrid toxins into her blood and bear the pain that came with them. Scrabbling for something, anything, she might reach with her hands to save her, she felt another hand latch on to hers strong and firm.

'Wake up...' a familiar voice echoed in her mind, her eyes falling closed as the same presence enveloped her and brought her away from the pain and the torture back to the safe place of the real world. 'Please, Motoko-chan!'

'I'm coming...' she replied faintly, reaching after them and following somehow in her mind. 'Don't leave me behind...'

'I won't,' the other voice promised faintly. 'Ever.'

Motoko woke to an unreadable Keitaro, his eyes veiled from sight with the thick shadows that surrounded them and their right hands intertwined on her chest and his left holding her other arm down on the bed. Still shaking, she tried to pull away only to find he wasn't letting go. Breathing heavily, there was something in the way he held her that made her shiver, and not in a good way either.

"Keitaro...-kun....?"

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he leaned closer, fear freezing her for once as she caught the determined gleam in his eyes and set of his clenched jaw with her own frantic ones. "Forgive me, but I'm not going to stop this..."

Trembling in fear and anger, Motoko held herself completely rigid as he let go with one hand to reach for her shirt. Instinctively, she tried to dart from under him, but he simply pinned her down with his weight on her hips with one knee and forged ahead. But his hand didn't grope for her breasts, nor for the secret place between her legs. Her eyes widened as she realized what hew was going for, feeling her bandages fall away as his breathing fell into the trance-pattern most naturally took when reaching into their cores.

"No...no! Keitaro, don't-"

She was cut off as she was flooded by his very essence, overwhelmed as he melded the two of them together so seamlessly you couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. Unable to do anything about it and fearing the worst, she fled deep within herself and hoped this wouldn't be the end.

Keitaro blinked as he got used to sorting the difference between his feelings and his wife's, doing his best not to invade her private thoughts and sighing in relief as he figured out how to shield those off from himself. Not that the constant stream of what whirled around her head wouldn't be informative, but he wasn't about to break her trust that much. This little escapade would be enough for him, thank you kindly.

Radiating what he hoped was calm assurance, he opened his physical eyes and easily spotted the sickly-green lines radiating from her wound. They glowed in his vision, and reaching for it he fought the urge to let his dinner come up for a second visit as the vile poison tried to take him as well. Using his own ki like a flame, he seared it away, taking great satisfaction in the fact he was undoing one of his family's evil plots.

Once it was gone, he instinctively switched from destruction to healing, the two abilities that were so strongly connected with his clan, surprisingly enough. Drawing one finger along the wound, he willed it to close with everything he had. This was much more difficult that the original work, and he felt his strength fading faster than before. Beads of sweat appeared on his physical forehead, blurring his vision more than once as they began to roll down his face.

A voice reached him through the haze, a frantic one he barely recognized as Motoko's from the fear laced through it. STOP!! Get out NOW!! Don't you even DARE....

Keitaro compared his low reserves with the rest left to finish and shook his head, forging ahead stubbornly. No...I'll finish what I've started and be done with it.

No, please don't... She was practically begging with him down, tears falling from her physical-self's face as she watched his core inside begin to die, barely sustaining the life which it represented. You're burning yourself out, DAMNIT! Keitaro, you can't die!! Get out now while you still can...

No. He closed his ears to her pleas and blinked rapidly as his vision began to dim, panting for air as the last of his reserves came into play. Much further and he'd be using his own life force to fuel his doings, and after that...there would be nothing left at all.

Pausing for a minute for a break, he over his wife and rested his head on her shoulder. I'm sorry... He said in his mind, knowing he heard her as he prepared for the final stretch, reaching deep within himself as he focused on the wound that had shrunk to merely a thin red line. But it was still open, and he'd be damned if it wasn't closed by the time he was finished. Things never seem to quite work out the way I plan...

KEITARO!!!

Motoko opened her eyes to see the ceiling high above, the clock on the wall showing more than two hours had passed. Keitaro still knelt over her, on his knees with his head buried in her shoulder and his sweat soaked into her shirt. With one hand she reached down and intertwined it with his own on her side, feeling the painless scar that now existed in place of her old festering wound. Reaching with one trembling hand to touch his face, she whispered, "You DAMN fool...you had better still be alive or I'll never forgive you." When there wasn't a reply she levered herself up, bringing his unresisting body with her. "Keitaro-kun?! Keitaro, answer me!"

"I'm fine," he sighed as his racing heart finally leveled off at a semi-normal pace once more. "Though, I don't think I've ever been this tired before in my life...Sorry, if I worried you though. I just figured even if I died you'd finally no longer be in pain..."

"IDIOT!" Motoko smacked him hard across the face, hugging him fiercely a moment later as he sat back against the wall in surprise, wrapping his arms around her instinctively. "How could you say that?!" she whispered fiercely, her tears soaking his top as they began to pour from her eyes. "My pain is irrelevant! Do you not understand?! Did you ever consider how much more I would have suffered had you died?!"

"Suffered? But...you'd be free, right?" Keitaro paused, running a hand through her hair as he hugged her tighter than before. "I think these last few weeks have proved you'd be better off with me.."

"How could I be better off without a man who loves the world so much to give freely of himself even when others do not deserve it?" she asked softly, loosening her grip slightly as she merely leaned against him. "How could I be happy and free, losing another that I'm close to? I am content, if not happy, with you Keitaro and there is no other man I can say that for. More death, more blame...where is my happiness in that?"

Keitaro blinked, surprise evident in his voice. "But...I..." He hesitantly leaned his head against the top of her own. "Please, believe me when I say I never wanted to hurt you doing this...I was just trying to do my duty as your husband. I had to do something, you...your life was in danger."

"Not nearly as much as you put yours in," she pointed out. "Don't you EVER do something of that nature ever again!"

"I won't," he promised, closing his eyes with a sigh as he took in her scent. In the dark of their room, he smiled to himself. She CARED. She actually CARED about him, his beautiful wife. "How is it?"

"How is what?" she looked up at him in puzzlement, the tear tracts still visible on her fair countenance.

"Your side," he explained slowly. "How is it? I didn't have it in me to do a double check before I pulled out."

"Completely closed, and healed," she replied, her hand going instinctively to her side and tracing the scar through her sleep-shirt. "...thank you. I did not deserve this kindness, and I am still of the opinion you should never have attempted such a feat a all! However...thank you, just the same."

Keitaro rested his hand on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, meeting her eyes with his own. "You're welcome." He paused, then asked, "You're not too mad at me, are you?"

"I am a little bit," she admitted with a slight nod, looking down and moving so she was sitting up on her own as she did. "What you attempted was foolish and stupid. Had you left us I would not be the only one who would have mourned our loss. There are many others here who care for you, whether you believe it or not. But I am more relieved that you're alive and well, and that is what truly matters, not my selfish ire for you following your instinct. I would have truly been upset had you died, but what would it have mattered, then?" She bowed her head. "You'd have already been gone."

"Shh..." Keitaro shifted and lay back down, too tired to even bear his weight against a wall any more. Motoko laid next to him, snuggling closer as he gingerly looped and around her middle with no fear for the first time since they'd been married that he might hurt her. "I'm not going anywhere, ever. Ok?"

"Are you willing to promise that?" she inquired quietly, facing away from him while using his chest as a pillow.

He nodded sleepily, yawning before speaking his last words as he drifted off to his own private land of dreams. "With everything I got."

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*Sighs* Now THAT is a long chapter. Longest one I've done for you guys yet, too, I think. So, how about this whole finally resolved escapade, hm? Leave me your thoughts/suggestions/comments/questions, I love hearing from all of you!

REMEMBER: No review is a waste of space or time as long as it says something remotely relevant or positive. ^_^ Flames will be ignored, but I hope I won't have to worry about any of them.

And, just in case you were wondering, everything that I did with the ki was ENTIRELY off the top of my head. Yeah, sure, bits and parts might have come from different things I've read in the past but most of it I made up as I went along. Hope you enjoyed it and found it plausible enough. ^_^

Also, as a warning, this chapter may be the last one you get until about halfway through April. Senior Exit is bearing down on me fast, and the week after that I have to go try my luck competing for my Church in Nashville, so my time will be fairly well full. Please don't worry, I will be back! Just not for a little while longer than you've ever had to wait before. Sorry!

~CB~

'No one is useless in this world who lightens the load of another.'

-Charles Dickens