Hey guys, Rexx here with chapter 2 of LHAG. My bad on the original's writer's name. It was Ken Akamatsu, not Ken Amaterasu. Please forgive me. Enjoy the next chapter.

Love Hina: Aoyama Generation

Chapter 2:

A Promise to Remember

"So that's what all the commotion's about," said Shinobu. "We searched for an intruder, and it just so happens that the event was coincidental. How silly of us to think that a pervert would have been on the loose."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," Shadic responded. "If I knew more about this place, this could not have happened. It's really my fault for the event."

"Anywho," Kitsune was saying, "we still can't have you live here because of the facts. This place is still a girl's dormitory; it hasn't changed for forty years."

"I understand," replied the now embarrassed Shadic. "It must have been the 'Keitaro Luck' that Sakura is now unconscious. But, I still need to find a place to live. Is there any housing nearby?"

"I'm afraid not," answered Nyamo. "The closest place is twenty miles from here. But, for the day, we could let you rest here."

"If I may ask, what is the 'Keitaro Luck'?" asked Nariko, whose voice could resound through the conversation.

"Well," said her mother, Kitsune, "the so called 'Keitaro Luck' is actually a curse that was created when Keitaro first came here. It's basically when you accidentally do something perverse and get destroyed for it. It was a blessing when Keitaro lost the curse, but it still stayed here.

"Other than that, we'll keep you here for the night, Shadic." He saw this as relief, since he needed rest from the event and from running the hundred miles to get here. "Thanks," he responded in a cheerful manner. "But before I forget, can one of you check on Sakura for me? I hope the shock of seeing me didn't bring here into a coma."

"I'll check," said Nariko. She left without even looking at Shadic, almost with a vengeance to ruin his life.

"I'll protect you Sakura," said a young boy holding a stick like a dagger. "I'll save you from your nightmares."

Sakura awoke, almost as if what had happened never did. She got dressed as quick as she could and opened the door, revealing Nariko with a hot hand towel.

"You're awake!" exclaimed Nariko. "It looks like you recovered quick. I still can't believe that you were saved by Shadic Aoyama!"

'Where have I heard that name before?' Sakura thought. 'There's no way that I haven't heard of it, but have I ever met him?'

She stood there as if in a trance when Nariko asked, "Would you like to see everyone now? They're scared that you're in a coma because you blacked out. It's also been three hours since you were last awake."

"Sure, Nariko," she said. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Nariko ran down the hall to the stairs while Sakura was grabbing one of her favorite manga novels. She would always read one volume of a series each night so that she could rid of stress.

She walked down the hall, reading the book. 'Hmm,' she thought,' where have I heard that name. It's not like me to not remember someone's face and know his name. If that's the case, then I probably have never met him before.'

Sakura turned and walked into the room where everyone was. Everyone there cheered that she was finally conscious in front of them. Well, everyone but Shadic, who walked into the kitchen.

"Well well, look what we have here!" exclaimed Kitsune. "You finally woke up. It's a good thing that you did, or I would have called your father and told him that you got mugged on your way home!" Kitsune was a good liar, but her touch was off a little than usual.

"It's a good thing I did wake. My father wouldn't believe that anyways. It's not like Mom didn't teach me how to defend myself against slimeballs." Sakura noticed that everyone was almost silent. "What happened, anyways?"

Before Katsumi could answer, Shadic came out of the kitchen, each finger holding a bowl of what looked like miso soup. "Dinner is being prepared," said Shadic." Anyone want some soup?"

Everyone was served, and positive responses were given. Each person then ordered their own favorite dish. Kitsune and Katsumi ordered a Honey Chicken Dinner-for-Two with few vegetables. Sakura and Nariko asked for their favorite: Teriyaki Chicken with Ramen. Shinobu had sushi, while Nyamo ordered some form of beef dish native to her home country.

In just under five minutes, everyone's food was served, a record even for Shinobu. Shadic even created Teriyaki Chicken with Ramen just to try it out. The dinner went fast, and everyone thanked Shadic for the best meal they ever had. All of them left, except for Sakura, and Shadic collected the leftover plates so they could be cleaned.

"Just to ask," begun Sakura," where did you learn how to cook so well?" She wanted to learn more about him so she could figure out if she could trust him.

"I learned from…" Shadic paused." I learned from my mother before I left, since I had to move out before the Karnac of Aoyama begun."

"Karnac of Aoyama?" echoed Sakura, curious of its real meaning.

"The Karnac of Aoyama is when ones who have passed the God's Cry School graduate and start to live in the modern world. It's a great celebration for those who have learned much in their time of living. During the Karnac, all males born in the Aoyama Clan who are seventeen are killed, since the Aoyama is one of few female-only clans. Those that manage to survive are exiled to Pararakelse Island to serve for their sins of being part of the clan."

"Oh my God," Sakura whispered. "So that's why you're here, not only to go to Tokyo U, but to escape death from your own clan."

"Correction, it is no longer my clan," he explained. "If a male happens to escape before the Karnac begins, he is considered a traitor and is disowned from the clan. They also persecute him once a year, thinking that he has forgotten the way of the sword."

"So, your family will search for you, to kill you?"

"Yes, it is the law of the Aoyama Clan." He was about to leave Sakura alone, since he did finish cleaning, but he wanted to know something about here too. "Did your father happen to be the landlord of this place before Shinobu and Nyamo?"

She was shocked to hear such a question that even she knew the answer to. "Yeah, but he did have a hard time getting along with everyone here." She saw that Shadic was staring at her, as if studying the features of her beautiful face. "But that was just twenty-five years ago. Why do you ask?" Her eyes were staring at his now.

"I remember when I last came here," he told her. "When I came here, I promised his daughter that I would protect her from her nightmares. Heh, some promise I could keep." He stared at the floor, his face pale and lifeless. "I saw her die the next day; killed by a drunk driver who swerved into her to avoid hitting the car near him." Sakura saw tears coming from his eyes. "Could you still keep a promise after death?" he asked her, staring into her miraculous eyes with his tear-drawn eyes. "Could someone do that?"

Before Sakura could even answer, Shadic got up and headed upstairs with his head dropped below his shoulders. He was in serious emotional pain. She could see that. He disappeared from the whole area and walked towards his room.

"So that's why he really came here," Sakura said to herself. "He came here so that he could cleanse himself of his past and his sins. I guess I'll ask Dad if we could let him stay here for a while."

"What did you just say?" The voice came from behind her. She turned around to find Nyamo standing over her.

"I want Shadic to live with us, that's what I said."

"You know the rules, Sakura. It's not like we don't have feelings, but we can't let him stay for that long. I may be only a landlord, but there should be no reason for the rules to be broken, even if he's related to Motoko."

"At least let him stay for the month, please." Sakura's eyes were filling with tears, something that even Nyamo had never seen before.

"Alright, he stays for the month." Sakura then cheered and hugged Nyamo, frightened by the fact that Shadic had already caused a commotion earlier. "Just don't go watery-eyes on me again, Sakura."

Sakura then ran upstairs to tell Shadic the good news. "I won't, Nyamo," she almost shouted to her. Sakura then disappeared upstairs, leaving Nyamo by herself.

"I must say that Shadic is an impressive person. I guess he can stay until he needs to leave. Heck, it might even be good for us all."

Sakura ran towards Shadic's room as fast as she could, glad that she didn't have to see him leave in his time of need. Looking out near the roof, she saw a silhouette with a guitar on top of the building she was heading to. The song coming from the silhouette was very instrumental, almost a story that was stimulating. Sakura stopped and listened. She had heard it before. 'I know this song,' she thought to herself. 'No one else could play it that well but him.' She ran again to Shadic's room.

She entered joyously and almost yelled, "You can stay 'til the end of the month! I'm so happy for you!" She looked around and saw him taking off his sunglasses. He stopped, stared at her while smiling, and continued what he was doing. "So Nyamo said that?" he asked, amused.

"She said yes," Sakura responded. "Welcome to Hinata House! I'm so glad that you're staying here." She paused. "But, are you happy about staying here?" asked Sakura. "I mean, it's only for a month, but are you glad that you'll be here until the deadline ends?"

He looked up at her with his deep purple eyes. "I am," he responded. He saw the tears of happiness run down her gorgeous cheeks. Shadic stood up, wiped away the tear gently, and hugged her with a deep, emotionally healed spirit. 'Wow,' he thought,' I never thought that she would be this soft. I guess I'll have to get used to seeing women again.'

Shadic awoke at 5 am, so that he could still keep his body athletic and keep his mind at rest. He dressed, grabbed the Hina Sword, and jumped outside into the courtyard. He unsheathed the sword and slashed at the petals that fell. He was like his mother, but only more devoted to staying with the Way of the Sword.

Sakura woke near 6:30, a time that she'd always wake up to. She got dressed in a Brad Paisley shirt her mother sent her from the US, a pair of jeans from the local store, and a pair of Converse shoes that she bought at a local thrift store. She walked down to the dining hall, usually where breakfast was created by Shinobu, and saw both Kitsune and Shinobu drooling over the enormous amounts of food that laid in front of them.

"Who created this?" asked Shinobu to Kitsune. "Could it have been you, Kitsune?"

"No, I just got down here when you got here," she replied. "There's no way that I could have made that much in so little time."

Sakura thought about saying something, but instead said good morning to both of them. Both turned rather quickly and also said good morning. "Don't you think that maybe Nyamo could have created this?" Sakura asked.

"No way!" exclaimed Shinobu. "She's still in her bed as we speak."

All of a sudden, Shadic walked into the room, silently. He was dressed in a light gray robe with a white undershirt and blue jeans with sandals. The Hina Sword was strapped to his back. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said rather quietly," the food's for all of you. I already had half of everything, so I'll meet you guys later." He walked up the stairs, his head sweating from all the extensive training he did early that morning.

"So, Shadic made this. But the fact that this is what's left, I'm amazed that he made that much," said Shinobu. "Well, I guess we can stop worrying. Let's eat."

'That's odd,' thought Sakura. ' Not only did he fix us breakfast, but he also seemed very different from last night. Could he be trying to be nice to us?'

'October 21st, 20XX. This last month has been amusing to me,' wrote Shadic in his dark black notebook. 'I was to stay for a month, but it seems that something else is afoot here. It's been two weeks since my deadline, but no one seems to notice this. I will have to investigate further until the problem is solved. Until then, I'll keep myself ready, in case the Aoyama Clan searches for my body, which they will never have. Shadic Aoyama, writing out.'

He looked up to see if anyone had seen him writing in his book. No one had been standing in the doorway, nor had anyone passed by. It seemed as if the building had been deserted since he returned from his training. It looked to him as if someone had left the building to never return.

Shadic jumped onto the roof of the building, hoping to use the edges as waypoints on a map. He spotted no one in a 100 foot diameter, very odd for a normal day. He decided to use something even more useful, his hearing. He listened for any hint of people near or in the Hinata House. All he heard was the hot springs and the washer and dryer running. He stared at the sky, hoping that someone was nearby. Not a soul was near him.

So, he decided that it would be great to utilize this time as an excuse to build another blade. He picked the type of blade profile and how the handle would be built in. Shadic jumped to his balcony and ran to the blacksmith area of Hinata House, one sealed many generations ago. He kicked the steel doors in and took off his shirt while running towards the block of steel inside.

An hour passed, and Sakura walked up the stairs towards the House. She heard a clank sound nearby and ran to see what was causing the sound. 'Another intruder?' she thought to her self. She scanned all of the living quarters and found nothing. She could still it coming from nearby. Sakura ran to the courtyard, looked around, and found smoke coming from the once-sealed blacksmith shop. She ran to the frame of the broken doors and yelled, "Who's in here?"

Sakura finally opened her eyes and saw what looked like a muscular man with scars crossing each other on his back. His abdominal area had been scarred and scabbed, with the man's biceps flexing while hammering some glowing white steel. The person looked at Sakura, his eyes covered with sunglasses.

"Oh, hey Sakura," he said. "I'm just about done. Hold on a second." He dipped the metal into a large barrel of water, the sizzles of the metal sounding like the fat of steaks on a grill. The man pulled the metal from the barrel and said," It's almost complete. The hard part stops here, and the next part begins."

He walked out of the workshop, holding the cooled steel in one hand while strapping the Hina Sword to his back. Sakura followed slowly, curiously wondering what Shadic was doing in the blacksmith's place.

"May I ask what it is you're doing, Shadic," she asked. Shadic only responded with," Preparing for battle, just like I need to."

She entered into a cool room, in which Shadic had entered. Sakura saw a blade handle that was connected to nothing, and a sanding block. She saw him sharpen the blade skillfully, in which she only asked," Why are you doing this, Shadic?"

"I could hear the many footsteps of the Aoyama Clan closing in," he responded. "I believe that they are searching for me. What's hard for me to understand is, why so early?" He had finished sanding and was prepping the blade handle for attachment.

"Why would you fight your own family?" Sakura asked. "Why should you protect yourself against people that you grew up with all your life? Wouldn't it just make you feel regret for doing it?"

The only response was, "I can't die yet, because I haven't fulfilled my end of the promise. I don't want to see her face in Heaven because I failed to live up to it." He finished the blade, a beautiful piece of mastery and technique. "I have to finish what I started, not only for that promise, but to keep my family here safe."

'What?' Sakura thought. 'Did he just call us family? There's no way that I heard that come from his lips. But, if he did, why would he want to protect us from his problems?' She was about to say something, but there was a knock on the door.

"It seems that my appointment with destiny is here," said Shadic. "I'll be back before dusk," he said with a smile, a real one at that. He left the room, leaving Sakura alone.

'Could he really call us family if he's been with us for only a little over a month?' she thought. 'Maybe he's just kidding me, but the way he smiled at me… maybe he really means it. But, does that mean that he has…feelings…for us…for me?' She heard swords hitting each other. She ran out towards the balcony to see what was going on in the courtyard. She saw a figure wearing a straw hat, holding a sword towards the other. The other was Shadic, wielding both the new weapon and the Hina Sword.

"Well now," the figure said," quite impressive, young man. I see you haven't lost your touch for dual wielding!" For a tall woman, her long black hair flowed with the wind. "It's been a while. Are you enjoying life outside the clan, Shadic?" she asked, almost motherly.

"I never lived this great before I left," he responded. "You being the Leader of the Aoyama Clan, you should know that I'll resist death with whatever I've still got in me. You'll never see life the way I see it now." He changed his stance, almost as if he was being aggressive in a gentleman's fashion. The figure did the same thing, almost mocking Shadic.

And then they did a slashing dash, their swords behind them. The figure fell to the ground, but Shadic stood straight up without injuries. He lifted the figure and jumped inside one of the rooms. Sakura ran to the location and found Shadic praying over the person he had slain. He undid her torso's clothing and wrapped her body with bandages, almost to save her life. He covered her with blankets and sheathed her sword.

Almost uncontrollably, Sakura screamed to him. "Why are you saving her? She just tried to kill you! Are you really that stupid?" But she saw him in a state of Kel-Nar-Riemm. She waited for him to finish his meditation.

Thirty minutes passed, and Shadic finished his meditation. "I'm saving her for only one reason, and that's because she's my mother," he responded.

Well, Looks like Shadic has company. Will his mother end up trying to kill him again, or will luck smile upon his life? See chapter 3 when it's up.