Ch 22

V 1.0

Looking over at Tsuruko, who was kneeling next to her sister, Keitaro glanced at Haruka and with his free arm gestured toward her. Understanding his intention, she stepped up close to him and he put his arm around her. Holding both his kin close, Keitaro was finally able to close his eyes and relax for a moment, even if there were still things left to do.

Hearing a moan, the Urashima looked over to see that Motoko was starting to wake up. Tsuruko was kneeling over her, and had her hand against her shoulder, keeping her from sitting up. Letting go of his kin, they walked over to the prone kendoist.

"I was not aware that the Urashima had a ki attack, Keitaro-san." Tsuruko was looking up at him with an odd look on her face, a combination of respect and surprise.

"The Urashima style picks things up from various places." In this case it was from a wandering martial artist practicing for the underground fight circuit. Keitaro had been taught it by Granny Hina when he had been trained by her one summer. It was usually a one-shot deal, unless something else supercharged his chi, like Motoko's 'Evil Cutting Blade'.

"What happened…" A slurred voice came from the ground, as Motoko became more conscious.

"You were knocked out by Keitaro-san after you were disqualified for attacking him with a lethal weapon." Tsuruko apparently did not believe in pulling her punches.

"Knocked out? Lethal weapon?" Motoko's slur was disappearing, but she still stayed flat on the ground, looking up at the Urashima and her sister.

"When Keitaro-san broke your bokken, you kept attacking him with it, even though it was now dangerous." Tsuruko reached behind herself and picked up and showed Motoko the handle of her bokken, an eight inch jagged splinter extending from the hilt. "Haruka-san gave you fair warning, but you disregarded her and she disqualified you." Since Motoko had ceased trying to sit up, Tsuruko pulled her hand away.

"How… was I… knocked out?" Motoko's eyes were now wide, as she remembered how Keitaro had shattered her wooden sword with just one strike of his bare hand, plus the dawning horrifying realization that she had not only lost her duel, she had been disqualified, which was much worse.

"Ki attack." And now she remembered how she was charging her opponent, and with an angry look on his face – the first emotion he had showed during the entire fight – shoved his empty hands at her and blasted her with a bright blue ki attack. She had been blown onto her back and gone unconscious.

"How?" This question was not answered, as Keitaro was not going to reveal something that was essentially a family secret and Tsuruko did not know the specifics of the techniques, even if this were the time or place to talk about it.

"Are you feeling dizzy or lightheaded? Can you sit up?" Tsuruko watched as Motoko slowly sat up, and after a few moments, and a helping hand from her sister, was able to get to her feet, abet somewhat shakily for a few moments.

"Let's make this official then." Keitaro looked at Haruka quizzically for a moment before he realized what she was talking about. He then nodded and after looking at Kanako and seeing that she had regained her composure, stepped away from her and stood facing Motoko. Haruka then stood between the two but off to the side.

"Know all present that the duel between Motoko Aoyama and Keitaro Urashima is now pronounced over. Keitaro is declared the winner due to disqualification." Haruka looked from her nephew to the kendoist, seeing a expressionless look on his face, and a dismayed look on hers. "Do both sides accept this decision?"

"The Aoyama accept this decision." Tsuruko spoke up, looking sideways at her sister, who was looking down at the ground in a state of shock.

"The Urashima accept this decision." Keitaro replied, his voice even.

"Very well, this duel is declared settled. Which now brings up the next item; the terms of the duel. The loser of the duel was to leave the Hinata-sou. Motoko-san, since you lost the duel, that would be you. It is now 8:30 AM. You have 24 hours to vacate your room. If you do not leave by that time, or make arrangements for your property to be shipped to another location and you leave by that time, the authorities will be notified and asked to remove you." Haruka paused for a moment, apparently not wanting to say what came next but doing so anyway. "If you violently resist leaving the Sou, force will be used to defend the tenants and residents, and the police will be called immediately. Is this understood?" Motoko nodded her head. "Motoko-san, I need to hear you say it," Haruka said, not unkindly.

"I must leave the Sou within 24 hours. If I do not, the authorities will be called." Motoko looked up and at Haruka, her eyes hollow. "I promise I will not resist."

Haruka nodded. "We will leave it up to you how you will tell the other tenants." Looking over Keitaro and Kanako, she said, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry Motoko-san." Flicking her eyes at Keitaro, he gave a short nod and turned and started walking toward the Sou, Kanako at his side. With one last glance at the two Aoyama, Haruka turned and followed after them, leaving Motoko and Tsuruko standing there in uncomfortable silence.

After a long moment, Tsuruko looked at her sister and said, "Let's go back to your room. I need to call Mother and the family and tell them what has happened." Motoko did not respond, but started walking toward the Sou, her sister a step behind her.

Motoko sat on the futon in her room, her eyes fixed upon something farther in the distance than the wall she was facing. Today was the first time that she was defeated in a formal duel. She had fought and lost against instructors and her sister at the family school, of course, but this was entirely different. She had never come up against someone close to her age who was that much better than her, male or female, until she had met Keitaro Urashima at the Sou.

She had not been honest with herself that day. She had told herself that she had lost that day because of his unconventional tactics. After all, it was not every day that you went up against a person armed only with an empty sheath who disarmed you, knocked you to the floor, and then knocked you unconscious.

Seeing him in gi and hakama this morning had been disconcerting. Even more than wearing the formal haori and hakama that he did the day of the disciplinary meeting, it suited him. You could tell that he was comfortable in the fighting garb, that he was prepared for what was to come.

She had felt the wave of dismay sweep through her sister when they had seen Keitaro stand up when they had approached him and his sister on the dueling ground. There was nothing that she could see that she thought could affect her sister so, as he was merely wearing gi and hakama with a bokken in his hands. Moments later, she realized what it was that her sister had seen; the red belt worn by her opponent.

The Aoyama school did not have rank belts per say. Students wore white belts, which they changed to black belts once they achieved dan status. One did not become an instructor until reaching their third dan, and was not considered a master until reaching their fifth dan. Motoko had received her initial dan ranking two years ago, and was now on her second dan.

Upon seeing the red belt, Motoko had been slightly confused. She knew that there were some schools that used red belts denote kyu (student) rankings and others to show high dan rankings. Keitaro was obviously no mere student, but he could not be a high level master either. But once she started fighting him, that confusion had disappeared. Keitaro Urashima was good… very good. He had withstood a concentrated attack by her for over a minute, and that was no small thing. Then he had gone on the offensive, and it was all that Motoko could do to hold him back.

It was not until Keitaro had started using bare hand techniques that Motoko had realized in what a bad situation she had been in. With two blows that she was not able to block, he had knocked the wind out of her, and she knew that it could have been worse. It was then that she lost her temper and the fight had gone downhill from there.

The fact that he had destroyed her sword with his bare hands was not what had shocked her, even though by that point she was not thinking straight. It was the fact that someone other than an Aoyama had used a ki attack on her, and succeeded in knocking her out, never mind the fact that she had already been disqualified.

Motoko shivered in spite of herself. She had known, in theory at least, that there were people… men… out there besides members of her family that could beat her in a fight, fair or otherwise. Keitaro Urashima was the first one she had come across, however, and was affecting how she saw herself.

She used her martial arts skills to defend herself and others. Yes, some people would consider it excessive when she used her bokken or a ki attack to knock men away, but they had not seen or experienced the perversities she had witnessed on the streets of Tokyo. But she had known with her skills and determination she would overcome them… until today. She had been beaten by a male, one that was not a dedicated kendoist, with a ki attack… barehanded.

But that was now the least of her concerns. By losing the fight, she was now obligated to leave the Hinata-sou. She was now returning to the family dojo in disgrace, to face punishment for her actions. But given how she was defeated, she was almost looking forward to the remedial training she would undergo at home.

Hearing her door click open, Motoko looked over to see her sister enter her room. It took her a moment to realize there was something wrong, as there was an emotion on her face she could not recognize.

Closing the door behind her, Tsuruko leaned back against it. She had just called home on her mobile phone and told them what had happened during the duel, and the results of it. She had known that they would not be happy, but she had not known they would react like… this. And it could have been worse… much worse. It had taken twenty minutes of arguing, pleading, and even threatening to refuse to accept being heir to the school again for the elders to back off on the punishment they had wanted to impose on her sister.

"Aneue, what is wrong?" Motoko's question caused Tsuruko's chest to clench.

"I…" Tsuruko had to pause and clear her throat to continue. "I just finished speaking to the family elders about the duel. They were… upset. Very upset." Her voice trailed off.

"What did they say?" A feeling of foreboding was rising in Motoko.

"They have decided that your actions both before and during the duel have disgraced the family and the school and that you should face the most severe punishment for it." Tsuruko was looking at her younger sister now, and Motoko finally recognized the look on her face… sorrow.

"And what would that punishment be?" The foreboding was now becoming fear.

"They had wanted to completely disown you and ban you from using the family art. I managed to convince them not to do that." Tsuruko's expression had not changed.

"What did they decide?" Motoko's mouth was going dry.

"Banishment. You are not to return to Kyoto, you are not allowed to use the family name, you are not allowed to use the family kendo teachings. After such time as the elders think you have been suitably punished, at least a minimum of three years, and that you will not reoffend, they may undo the banishment, and you would be allowed to return home, at the lowest rank. I am to become heir again until a new heir is produced."

"And what is to become of me?" The blood was now pounding in Motoko's temples.

"You will continue to receive the stipend you have been receiving here. One of the family retainers will allow for you to use their family name, as it is relatively common and as she is the only surviving member of that family. The only place you will be allowed to use the Aoyama name is at school, since it would raise too many questions if you changed it. However, should you dishonor yourself again, all of this will be withdrawn, and you will be completely on your own."

Motoko sat in stunned silence. This was much more terrible than she had imagined, as her family art had been the focus of her life, and now it had been taken away from her. This was in addition to being forced out of the house she had lived in for the last two years.

Tsuruko stood and watched as Motoko was motionless for what seemed to be an eternity before she slowly rose to her feet and headed toward her dresser. Opening it, she started pulling out and stacking clothing, separating them between martial arts attire, school clothing, and casual attire. The last pile was forlornly small.

"What are you doing?" Tsuruko expected her to say something.

"Packing." Motoko's reply was short. "I need to leave by tomorrow, remember?"

Tsuruko could not respond to that. Instead, she walked up beside her sister and started to help her sort through her clothing.

Knock knock knock.

Motoko looked up and at the door. The last few hours had been spent in a daze, packing up the various clothes and items in her room, her sister assisting her. Tsuruko had gone outside to make another phone call, and she was now sitting at the table of the room, writing a farewell note to her fellow tenants. She did not have the nerve to face them after the dishonor she had brought upon herself, and this way she would be gone before they knew what had happened. She did not want her personal problems to spread discord throughout this house… or more discord, to tell the truth.

Rising to her feet and walking to the door, Motoko was starting to dread who she might find on the other side of the door. She was not very good at concealing her emotions, and should someone ask the wrong questions, she was sure the answers would be almost literally written across her face. And if it was one of the younger tenants like Shinobu or Su, for whom emotional control was an abstract concept rather than a reality, the whole household would learn of it.

"Kanako-san?" The assistant manager was perhaps the last person she expected to see. Motoko would have expected to see Keitaro before seeing his perpetual shadow without him.

"How are you doing?" Kanako had her normal deadpan expression on her face.

"About as well as is to be expected." Motoko knew that two could play at this, although she was not really in the mood to do so.

"I would like to speak with you before you leave. Would now be a good time?" Motoko was somewhat taken aback at the question, but she answered in the affirmative and stepped back to let the younger girl in.

Upon close the door, Motoko turned to see Kanako looking about the room. Most of the items were now in boxes, ready to be shipped out. The only things still out where some cushions for sitting around the table and the futon, plus the furniture that came with the room. Gesturing for Kanako to sit down, Motoko sat at the table opposite her.

After a long moment where the two looked at each other, Kanako broke the silence. "I know that you may not believe me when I say this, but I do not have a personal grudge against you. I may have at the beginning because of how you treated Keitaro-kun, but once I got to know you, I could see the reasons why you act the way you do. As long as you were following the rules I did not have a major problem with you living here.

"We also have a lot in common, and that is why I came to see you. There are some things I wish to ask, and some things I want to tell you." Kanako paused for a moment, but there was no response from Motoko. "The first thing I would ask is what your plans are now that you are leaving the Sou."

Motoko was stumped. It was not as though she could tell outsiders about her banishment, and this was someone that until recently had been working to make her leave the Sou. She had to give a response, though.

"I will try and find another apartment in these parts. I am to continue my schooling here in Tokyo, and hopefully I can find something affordable." It was interesting to see how half-truths could serve just as well as lies.

Kanako nodded. "That is good to hear. I was thinking that you were going to return to Kyoto." Motoko somehow managed not to wince at that. "It is also good to see that you are not overly emotional about this situation. I mean no offense, but I thought that you might overreact in the aftermath." Kanako gave a glance at Motoko, and she was able to understand what she had implied.

Motoko did not know if she should be amused or insulted that Kanako would think that she would commit seppuku. Granted, if she had been completely expelled from the Aoyama clan like the elders had first wanted to, it would have been something she would have considered. But given that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dim it was, she was going to fight to reach it. The last thing she wanted was for people to remember her with either pity or disdain.

"I have been fighting all my life, Kanako-san. I am certainly not going to stop now." Motoko's response was vague enough that no one could read into it but still be encouraging. "Which reminds me, there is a question I want to ask you, if I may." Kanako nodded for her to go ahead. "What is the significance of the red belt that Keitaro-san was wearing during the duel? I know that my sister may know since she reacted when she saw it. I don't want to be insulting, but he is too skilled to be a kyu ranked fighter, and I did not think he was a master level fighter either." Motoko could remember all the times she had seen the manager and his assistant practicing martial arts behind the Sou, and while he was very good, it was not master grade.

Kanako hesitated for a moment. "Motoko-san, what I am about to tell you is not something that is spoken about in public, even though there are people outside the family that know the story. I ask for your word that you not speak about this to anyone who does not already know."

"You have my word." Motoko was now more than a little curious about what was to come.

"First off, the Urashima family art is has been passed down since the inception of the clan four hundred years ago. The family received noble status when a scholar and warrior by the name of Taro Urashima, by himself and with no weapons, stopped an assassination attempt on the Tokugawa Shogun, becoming fatally wounded in the process. His last request was that his family be taken care of, and the Shogun named the clan lords on the spot. The sword that wounded him is now the Hina honor sword, it is the katana I was carrying at the duel." Kanako gave a slight shudder at what had almost come to pass when she drew it.

"There are no ranks in the family art. When a member of the Urashima clan is trained in the family art, they wear a white belt, it does not matter how old they are or how much training they have received. It is not until they successfully use the art to defend themselves or someone else that they start wearing a black belt. But beyond that is the red belt.

"The red belt is not a prerequisite to become a master, or to become the head of the clan. It is a reminder of the vows we take when we are trained in the family art. It is given when a member of the family performs the same act that our forbearer Taro-sama did."

Kanako stopped speaking, and Motoko looked at her curiously. Given the look on the Urashima's face, what she was talking about was very emotional to her.

"What was that act that Keitaro-san performed?" Motoko asked.

Kanako gazed directly at Motoko. "Protecting someone at the risk of losing their own life and using deadly force to do so. Keitaro-kun rescued me when I was drugged and kidnapped by a bosozuku gang two years ago to be sold into sex slavery. In doing so he wound up taking a life."

A/N – Yes, I am leaving you hanging. Yes, I am a bad, bad person. Yes, I hope to have a real kick-ass flashback coming up this week. It is going to be (hopefully) so badass it needs its own chapter. This is technically half a chapter, as the flashback and what happens when Motoko leaves is a full chapter's worth on its own.

As to the promised cookies from last chapter, the Hadouken cookies go to Nightmare 2046, OutlawKnight, The Sinful, Bad Habits, DarkKnightsOfShadows, dragonick711, VGZ, SentiNel090, Megatyrant, silentprism, and Folaan.

The sword cookies did not get awarded unfortunately, since no one gave a complete answer.

The Juuchi Yosamu is a sword supposedly made by Muramasa, a legendary swordmaker, however one that had a reputation for passing on madness to his swords. It is a mythical/legendary sword said to be used in a competition with Masamune, another legendary swordmaker, one that had a reputation for inner calmness and peace. The two blades were given the normal cutting tests and were evenly matched. They were then were lowered into a stream with a cord, and while Muramasa's sword cut everything – leaves, fish, the very air – Masmune's sword, Yawarakai-Te (Tender Hands) had all the above items swirl away from its edge. Muramasa had thought that he had won, however a nearby monk stated that his sword was evil, for it cut everything indiscriminately, while Masamune's sword did not cut anything that did not need cutting and was therefore a peaceful blade. This story and others can be found on Wikipedia and other places.

And FYI, in real life Ieyasu Tokugawa, the first Tokugawa shogun, banned his samurai from wearing Muramasa swords as he had lost many friends and relatives to Muramasa blades, and had cut himself badly with one. So when I decided to write about the Hina Demon Blade, I thought, why not use the most infamous Japanese sword in history?

As of 02Nov2011 0000 PDT, this story has 80,270 Hits, 196 Reviews, 20 C2 listings, 295 Favorite Story listings, and 265 Story Alerts. Thanks again for reading, guys. *thumbs up*