Chapter 3: First Encounter KeixMot version.
Who are you, whom I so faintly hear?
What voice is this that speaks within me?
To who's fragile soul…
Do we sing this requiem?
Thanks for making it to chapter 3. This is a trial chapter. Basically I've written a MotokoxKeitarou version of the beginning, since only one reviewer has actually given me a pairing suggestion and it was for a MotxKei fic. If the reviews for this one are good, then I guess I'll continue the MotxKei version. It was actually fun to write. It's the first time I ever wrote a MotxKei fic and I find it quite a challenge, but it's fun. And as I wrote it, I started to see how much of a perfect couple the two can be…
If anyone else comes to me with some other pairing idea, then I might put it into consideration and write another version. Ok, please review and tell me what you think about the MotxKei version. I'm also writing a ShinobuxKeitarou version right now, we'll see how that turns out.
Don't forget to check out the new chapters for Love Hina Alternative and New Mobile Suit Project Gundam Hina Eternity. By the way, Love Hina Children of the Exodus and Final Hina Fantasy will be re-written over the summer holidays, so stay tuned for more releases from Beyond the Bounds!All reviews are highly appreciated, thanks! And now, to reply to recent reviews!
Master-of-the-god: Thanks for the review. Also, thanks for the pairing suggestion. As you can see, this chapter's a trial run on the MotxKei version. I've never written a MotxKei story before so please tell me what you think. Thanks. Hope you enjoy it!
Desolatedking: Thanks for the review. Yes, Lee and Rayce are characters from my other stories. They've always appeared in all my stories from Love Hina Children of the Exodus to Final Hina Fantasy, and to the recent ones, Gundam Hina Eternity, Love Hina Alternative, and Soul Requiem. A few other of my original characters from other stories will be showing up as well, for example, Nata-chan in this chapter. Thanks again for the review, and hope you enjoy the new chapter.
Annoying Assasin: Thanks for the review. Hope you enjoy this chapter. And I think I've read one of your stories, though I can't remember the title. But I do recognize the pen name. Thanks again for the review!
Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina or Negima. Everything else here belongs to me.
Her white hakama flashed bright under the blinding light. Her dark blue gi flowed with swirling breeze, in a slow dance together with the sakura petals. Her raven black hair flowed out, rippling and shining under the light. The card before Takato slowed down into a sedate spin, revealing the light green words on the dark green back, which said, "Magister Carta Magi Ultima" The card then slowly rotated to reveal the front. There was a picture of a lone swordswoman, one hand on her katana, the other on the sheath, standing ready in her hakama and gi.
The girl stood still under the spiraling sakura petals, head upwards, hands spread outwards. Takato shielded his eyes as another flash consumed her. Something started materializing from the top downwards. It was a blinding white long-sleeved Japanese maiden's robe that slowly materialized over the hakama. The hakama itself was gradually turning black before obscured completely by the flowing maiden's robe. Her dark blue gi started to turn a bright white as the maiden's robe completed its materialization as it reached around knee length. A black glove materialized around her left arm while a long white katana materialized in her right arm. As the transfiguration was completed, an explosion of light engulfed the girl once again.
The flash subsided as the sakura petals blew away with a sudden gust of wind that picked up her long flowing maiden's robe, black hakama, and white gi. The card flashed and shook as a similar transfiguration took place across the card form down upwards, extending in a blinding flash across the surface of the card. It slowly rotated as it transfigured, revealing a change occurring across the back as well. The dark green back was turning silver, with the lighter silver words "Magister Carta Magi Takato Hayamura" slowly replacing the old light green words.
The card dropped into Takato's hands as the girl lowered her arms and face and looked at the snow beneath her. "I have returned…" She sighed "…it has been a long time…Keitarou…" . She looked up at Kaede and said, "Kaede Nagase…what a surprise…to see you here, once again."
"What an honour, to have the chance to fight the revered Motoko Aoyama of the Shinmei-ryu…" Kaede nodded. "This shall be an interesting fight."
"What! Stop kidding around, Kaede! Destroy them and take the cards!" Toji shouted, pointing at both Motoko and Takato.
"Very well master, but it is customary for us warriors to greet one another and formally challenge one another prior to a battle for honour." Kaede said, priming her stance, a kunai in each hand.
"Stand back, Keitarou." Motoko said. "Leave this one to me."
"Umm…are you referring to me, by any chance?" Takato ventured, seeing that there wasn't anybody else around.
"Off course I'm reffering to you, you idiot. Who else would have the same name around here?" Motoko snapped. "I've been away for so long, you could at least have the decency of treating matters seriously."
"But I'm not Keitarou…I'm Takato." Takato said.
"Huh? What!" Motoko asked, suddenly looking around. Kaede launched into an attack and aimed a slash at Motoko
"Impossible…a card evolution in as soon as the card was unleashed…" Toji muttered. "…so you really are a card master, Takato…"
Sparks flew out as Motoko's blade slammed into Kaede's twin daggers. Motoko switched around her foothold and gained some momentum forwards. At the same time, she cried out, "Shinmei-ryu! Ougi! Hi Ken Kamaitaichi!" the snow around her swirled around as a blast of wind blew Kaede into the sky, shredding through every undefended area.
Kaede's hands flashed as she quickly executed a complex number of ninja seals. "First dance…Rai no Sora!" She whispered, as she disappeared.
"Huh!" Motoko looked around, her katana sill raised. Suddenly, something blasted the snow on one side. Motoko looked around in that direction…but too late…Kaede was already in front of her, her hands fizzling with electricity.
"Second dance…Rai no Hana!" Kaede cried out. Motoko was blasted into a flying spin. Another Kaede was standing right behind her.
"A Kage-bunshin!" Motoko muttered, as she flew towards the second Kaede. The Kaede executed a few more seals and blasted her towards another Kaede bunshin. They blasted her around, rising into the air as they did so. Then one last Kaede flashed above her and hammered her down into the earth. She smashed into the ground, raising a large cloud of dust and smoke.
"Final dance, Rai no Mori!" All the Kaede Bunshins executed a number of ninja seals before firing a barrage of searing hot lightning bolts down at the cloud of smoke and dust. They all landed around the slowly dissipating cloud of dust, hands raised.
"Not bad…" Motoko said, wiping a bit of blood from her mouth. "But you didn't notice something…"
"de gozaru?" All 5 of the Kaedes looked around themselves. There were faint lines in the snow around them. "…a ki ring…de gozaru…"
"Precisely…" Motoko whispered. All the Kaedes immediately leaped up into the air. "futile…" She stood silent, looking up at the group of Kaedes, a slight breeze blowing by. "Shinmei-ryu…ougi…Hi-Ken Ho Kai No Rai Mei KIN!"
"Give me those cards!" Toji said, launching himself onto Takato.
"What's got into you, Toji!" Takato shouted, trying to heave him off. Toji clawed on his hands, trying to pry the card out of his hands. Takato held onto the card for dear life.
The ground shook as the faint lines that formed a huge Shinmei symbol of Divine Order shone bright. She stood amidst the symbol, sword raised. All the Kaedes shook their heads. Motoko noticed Toji trying to pry the card out of Takato's hands, before concentrating on her attack again.
"This is for Keitarou…and Hinata…" Motoko whispered, closing her eyes. She whirled around, letting her katana dig into the snow, forming a circle around her, before slashing it upwards. Thousands of phoenix shaped bolts of lightning coursed up towards the Kaedes. All of them attempted a shield genjutsu but ended up being blasted by the onslaught. A few stray bolts flew towards Toji and Takato. Takato kicked Toji up and flipped behind a rock. From the sound of it, he judged, Toji got hit by one of the bolts.
The ground and dead trees shook as the pillar of lighting bolts rose up to the dark clouds above, piercing it as a flock of birds took flight from the surrounding area.
"Damn…we'll be back, Takato. Just you wait. Next time, I'll let you have a taste of true horror!" Toji shouted, raising his Kaede card. "Kaede, return!" The card flashed as he started running away, smoke trailing behind him. "I shall return!"
Takato watched him as he fell over. "I swear I'll return!" He shouted, getting up, before running away again.
"What…was that all about?" Takato asked, looking around at Motoko. Motoko was sheathing her katana in the middle of the circle of singed earth.
"We have no time for jokes Keitarou." Motoko said, looking around. Then she frowned. "Hmmm…Keitarou…have you shrunk or something?"
"I'm not Keitarou, my name's Takato Hayamura!" Takato shouted in frustration. "I've already told you I'm not Keitarou." In truth, he was extremely confused.
"You do resemble him, though…" Motoko looked closely at him. "So…you're not Keitarou…" Motoko sighed, looking up at the ruined Hinata Sou. "I haven't been here in a long time…I haven't seen it since that day…" She looked up at the sky. A few birds flew across the desolate grey sky.
"So…you're my new master…" Motoko said, looking down at Takato and at the card in his hand. "Just a little kid, huh?"
"What do you mean, kid!" Takato asked, indignantly.
"Do you know anyone by the name of Keitarou, by any chance?" Motoko asked, walking towards the ruins.
"Eh? I've only heard stories of him. He was the manager of this place before the meteor strike and the war…that was exactly a century ago." Takato said, trying to keep up with Motoko's brisk pace.
"A century?" Motoko stopped dead in her tracks. "What year is this?"
"2113…" Takato said. He was surprised to see the proud looking samurai suddenly slump to her knees.
"2113…Keitarou…Hinata…" She whispered, looking up at the ruins. Then she looked down at her hands. "What…what went wrong? He…He promised…He promised…" She started sobbing. "He promised…that idiot promised…KEITAROU! HINATA!" She cried out. All the birds in the area took flight suddenly, surprised by the cry of anguish and sorrow.
"Keitarou…Hinata…" She sobbed, holding her face in her hands. Her battle attire started to disintegrate, disappearing into whisps of light, leaving her in her usual hakama and gi. Her katana also started to disappear, leaving sparkles in its wake.
"umm…can I…is there anything I can do?" Takato asked, cautiously, thinking he should try and do something to help. He held out a handkerchief.
Motoko took the handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Please…tell me…tell me everything you know about these two people…Urashima Keitarou and Urashima Hinata."
"I…I don't know much…" Takato stammered, finding himself at a loss. "I only know Urashima Keitarou was the landlord and dorm manager here between 1999 to 2113…he was a Tokyo-U student who became an archaeologist….then he left on one last expedition right before the meteor strike…that was the last anyone ever heard of him." Takato said. "I've never heard of Urashima Hinata…but I'm sure Sakura would have some archives on whoever she is…"
"…" Motoko got up and walked into the ruins. Takato followed closely, not knowing what else he was supposed to do. He was seriously confused…the girl in violet, the strange visions, the card, then his own classmate attacked him…then this really tall samurai of a girl appeared. But he could sense now was not the time for questions.
"Nothing left …not a single thing…" Motoko looked through the debris "Everything…gone…"
Takato kneeled down and took a look through the debris as well. He thought, perhaps he could help search? The girl seemed to be in a lot of pain, and she seemed to be looking for something. Then his hand touched something that looked like a frame. Everything flashed.
"Mo-chan! Nata-chan! Smile!" the camera's lights flickered as the timer counted down. A young woman was holding a young girl close. SNAP! That moment in time was frozen forever…FLASH
"Huh?" Takato lifted a few pieces of wood and plaster to uncover the frame. He picked up the small object and blew off the dust and plaster…behind the smashed glass were three people, smiling happily. A young woman and a young man, both hugging a little girl. "Hey, this looks like you…" He showed it to Motoko.
Motoko stood up immediately and walked over. She kneeled down by Takato and held the photograph. She took it out of its shattered frame and held it close. "Kei-kun…Nata-chan…" She whispered, as a few more tears fell. "Why…"
"Oh…the twins already left on their field trip…" Takato said, picking up a note on the table. they were back at Takato's apartment. "They'll be back day after tomorrow. Okay then…can I make you a cup of tea…or…" Takato looked over at Motoko who was sitting quietly on the sofa, looking down at the photograph. "Ok...tea it is then…"
"Sugar? Milk?" Takato asked, setting down a tray of tea with two cups.
"They…they were my husband and daughter…" Motoko said.
"Oh…" Takato felt it was something obvious, but it was better to hear it straight from her.
"She…was…she was only 6 when it happened…I remember…I held her in my arms…when everything flashed…" Motoko said.
"Oh…" Takato poured out some tea.
"Everything…everything went bright…and warm…the sky shone bright…" Motoko whispered. "I kept her close to me…I didn't want to lose her…" She started sobbing again. "He promised me…that idiot promised me…"
"Please…" Takato held out his handkerchief again.
"Thank you…I never got your name…" Motoko said, looking up at Takato.
"I've already told you…" Takato sighed. "I'm Takato Hayamura."
"So…you're the new card master…" Motoko sighed. "I…I don't have much purpose left…but at least, I can help you…it was his wish to end all this…"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not very clear on what exactly is happening here…" Takato said. "Card master?"
"It's what we call a magister carta magus, or card mage. A card mage is one who has control over a number of cards which somehow allow him to summon people from the past…I don't quite understand how it works myself." Motoko said, pocketing her photograph.
"People from the past…as in...dead people?" Takato asked.
"Not exactly dead…how do I explain this…let's say our souls are sealed within the cards, and only card masters could unleash the seals and summon our souls into the physical realm." Motoko said. "My first…card master…was my own husband, Keitarou Urashima…"
"Oh?" Takato laid down a cup of tea in front of her. Motoko took a sip before continuing.
"Yes, I was…I don't know exactly if I died or not…I was there at the Hinata Sou at the exact moment the meteor obliterated everything…me and my daughter…the next thing I knew, I was being summoned out of a card by Keitarou." She sighed. "I didn't understand a thing of what was happening. It was all chaos…the entire world was suddenly plunged into darkness…a war broke out between humanity and the darkness that had just descended. Others like me, spirits of pure light, empowered by the final guardians of the light, were summoned into the world to combat the darkness."
"So…after the meteor strike…you died and your soul was sealed away in a card?" Takato asked.
"…I don't know what happened. I only know all my friends who had died in the meteor strike also ended up sealed in cards…we all fought against the darkness alongside our card master." Motoko said, looking out at the open sky. "Then…before the end…he promised me he'd return….as he always did whenever he left. He promised he'd return and he'd bring the light back…he said he'd find Nata-chan after everything's finished… He promised…"
"Oh…so you guys have defeated the darkness…" Takato said, looking out at the frozen city.
"No…apparently not…apparently we left something unfinished…your world…it's still frozen in darkness…" Motoko said, touching the cold glass of the window. "We must go out once again and finish off our task once and for all…that way the souls of the summon cards would be able to finally rest in peace…"
"Ok…good luck…" Takato said, sipping his tea.
"What do you mean, good luck!" Motoko threw her cup at Takato's head which smashed, sending him to the floor. "You're the card master! You have to fight alongside us!"
"I mean…what can I do!" Takato shouted, looking up at Motoko. "I'm just a junior high kid. I have no combat experience whatsoever."
"…I guess I'm wrong…you're not like Keitarou at all…" Motoko sighed. "Listen, our manna power comes from the card master…only the spiritual power of a card master could sustain our presence in this world. Without you, we'd just be a pack of playing cards."
"Great…well I have nothing to do with it. I've got two little sisters to take care of, I can't be going around fighting darkness and whatnot." Takato said, walking to the kitchen.
"Right, so you're just going to leave the world to rot in darkness!" Motoko shouted. "That's your way of going about it!"
"We've survived for a century in this frozen wasteland." Takato said. "And we can survive further."
"Right…you are aware…there is a large dome of spiritual power around this city right now…I've sensed its presence ever since I arrived." Motoko said.
"Yes, the biodome. Why? Want some cake?" Takato offered some cake from the fridge. "As far as I know, it's just a shield to keep out the cold and strange monsters that lurk out in the wasteland. I never heard about it being a dome of spiritual power."
"It's the spiritual element of that dome that's keeping out the monsters spawned of darkness…but the darkness is quickly growing…at some point it will overwhelm this city's spiritual barrier and break in." Motoko said, looking up at the sky. "The darkness will not stop until it has consumed everything."
"Right…right…" Takato said, sitting down on the sofa again. "What do you want me to do? Put on a suit of armour and go fight?"
"No, your only task…well, technically…is to provide us guardians with manna power. We take care of the rest. Off course there are instances where mages fight alongside their partners, though I have no idea what's common with card masters. I've only met three so far…my husband, you, and that friend of yours." Motoko said.
"Can I just give these cards to someone else?" Takato asked. SMASH….
"BAKA!" Motoko stormed out of the apartment and into the street. Meanwhile, Takato lay in a pool of blood with a tanuki statue on his head.
"Why me…?" Takato muttered.
"It's…so cold…this world you tried to protect…Keitarou…" Motoko looked up at the sky. She was standing by a strange looking building. It looked like the entrance to a subway. "Brrr…." She shivered. She tried to warm her hands. "That idiot…how'd a baka like him get a hold of my card?"
"Motoko-sempai?" A voice asked. Motoko whirled around, surprised that someone knew her name.
"I'm sorry…" A flurry of ribbons flew out at Motoko. Motoko raised her arm to counter. The ribbon whipped around it and held it fast.
"Sasaki-san…" Motoko said, trying to pull her arm free. Before her, the candy-pink haired girl stood, holding tightly onto the ribbon, her red vest and white long skirt and scarf flying in the wind. Her hair was tied up into her usual twin ponytails under a red barrette. Kaede stood a few metres off, kunais at the ready. "Kaede…" Motoko said, looking at Kaede.
"Well well…where's your card master? Leaving you all alone and weaponless like that…how irresponsible…" Toji appeared, clicking his tongue. "Well now…guess we'll just defeat you first…" He clicked his fingers.
Makie flung Motoko into the subway-station-like building, straight at the opposite wall. Kaede prepared a few ninja seals before charging at Motoko with flaming hands. She delivered a blaze of punches at Motoko, pinning her to the wall to the point of smashing it, before giving her an uppercut which sent her smashing into the ceiling above before falling onto the long flight of steps below. She rolled down a long way into an underground area.
Makie and Kaede descended down the steps, preparing to finish off Motoko, who was lying in a heap on the floor. Kaede picked up Motoko by the collar and raised her over a ditch like opening in the middle of the large tube-like concrete lined room. It did seem like a subway station, only the tracks were far too large for any ordinary subway train of the 21st century.
"I apologize…Aoyama-san…" Kaede said.
"Heh…" Motoko chuckled. "I'm…Urashima…Motoko…"
"Let her go!" A large pipe threatened to bludgeon Kaede from the side. She immediately let go of Motoko and leaped aside out of the way. Motoko fell down onto the tracks below. "Are you ok!" Takato shouted down at Motoko. "Sorry I'm late!" He was standing before Kaede and Makie, a metal pipe in his hands. "STAND BACK!"
"This is a surprise…Takato…" Toji laughed, walking down the steps. "You've saved me the trouble of having to look for you…hahahaha…finish him off."
Both Kaede and Makie advanced. A light was growing brighter at the end of the tunnel. "The train's coming!" Takato shouted down at Motoko.
"Ughh…" Motoko tried to get up, but in vain. The train drew closer.
"NO!" Takato shouted, leaping down to Motoko.
"You…baka…" Motoko muttered.
To be continued…
Note: Urashima Hinata AKA Nata-chan is a character I took out of Love Hina Children of the Exodus. In that particular story, she was an adopted child. I re-adapted her to be Motoko and Keitarou's daughter in this story. Just so that you know.
