WARNING: Unless you have read the entire manga through volume 14, this fic will contain MASSIVE spoilers. Avoid reading this unless you either have read the manga completely or don't care about being spoilerized. Consider yourselves warned.
Love's Redemption Chapter 1
The sun finally peeked its face over the craggy but verdant green mountains sweeping over the eastern horizon of the tiny village of Hinata Onsen. Perched atop this sleepy little town was the venerated Hinata Sou, once an inn that had been converted into a female dorm. The warmth from the massive globe struck this particular building unabated, while the remainder of the village remained under a blanket of fog.
Many inhabitants of Hinata Onsen considered this fog sacred. They said it was the breath of the gods waking from their slumber, their yawns sending the carpet of moisture over the village each morning. But Hinata Inn stood over the gray clouds. From the balcony of the dorm, it appeared as if there was no village at all, but merely one building overlooking a small valley leading to the ocean, where the haze made its slow crawl every day.
One particular individual was looking down on this sight just as the sun reared its head over the mountaintops. The glare of the fiery rays reflecting off of the surface of the miasma below caused this man to squint through his glasses as he peered over the town, watching the shadows of night cower in fear of the power of the raging ball of gas burning over 90 million miles away. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, as if to breathe in the warmth of the morning sun.
This man was named Keitaro Urashima. He was the landlord/manager/owner/janitor/etcetera of the Hinata dorm, thanks to the meddling of his strange but caring grandmother. After being surreptitiously kicked out of his own home (he was living with his parents), Hinata Sou was the only place he could stay. He would not have minded so much, until he discovered that his grandmother's inn had been converted into an all-girls dormitory, which he was then charged to look after while his grandmother took one last tour of the world.
After an initial misunderstanding with one of the tenants, Keitaro was thereby branded by the lot of girls living there as a pervert. He felt a certain kinship with the tenants however, especially the one named Naru Narusegawa. Although this particular girl had treated Keitaro most harshly during the first few months, they both soon discovered they were both chasing the same dream: to fulfill a promise made when they were both children to pass the entrance exams and attend the acclaimed Tokyo University. Keitaro falsely believed they had made the promise together, somehow thinking the gods were actually favoring him by bringing the both of them back together. This was found to be impossible due to their age difference, and the fact that Naru had made the promise to her tutor whom she admired.
After failing the test (third failure for Keitaro, first for Naru), both Naru and Keitaro decided to take a break from studying for a while. What they discovered was a blossoming romance, although neither would admit it at first. Only a full year later, after they had both passed the exam, did Keitaro finally reveal his true feelings for Naru, who finally came to terms with herself and her feelings for Keitaro after he chased her halfway around Japan.
It had been nearly two months since Keitaro and Naru wrote their feelings on that paper airplane in front of Tokyo University. Having fulfilled their promises, things began to progress wonderfully for them, as well as the other tenants. Today was to be a day of change, however. This day would change the lives of everyone living under the roof of that building. None of them were aware, not even Keitaro, although he knew that things were about to change.
"Urashima!" a stern voice called out from behind Keitaro.
Keitaro took one more deep breath before turning to face the person who the voice belonged to. Standing across the balcony was one of the tenants of Hinata Sou, named Motoko Aoyama. Just looking upon this young woman would tell anyone that she was not one to be trifled with. She was the tallest among all of the residents there, even standing a full inch taller than Keitaro himself. She was garbed in a baggy red and white training gi that hid her features. Whether or not Keitaro wished to admit it, he had carnal knowledge of everyone living in his building, and knew Motoko had a lithe, but muscular frame underneath the billows of her gi. Motoko's shoulder length raven-black hair was tied up into a tight bun, revealing her whole face. She had pale skin and dark, determined eyes that seemed to bore through Keitaro's soul. In each hand she held a training sword made of woven bamboo.
What made this particular girl special was her ability to wield such weapons. She was the retainer of the Shinmeiryu dojo, a renowned society known to battle and destroy demons. One such demon inhabited a certain sword found in the inn. Motoko, using one of the legendary Shinmeiryu ougi techniques, destroyed this demon. The blade once possessed by that demon now hung on a display case in her room. Despite these feats, Motoko still feels inadequate to ascend to the headmaster of Shinmeiryu, instead vying for Tokyo University. Following in the footsteps of her sempai Naru, Motoko failed her first attempt at Tokyo University, and was at present a ronin.
Motoko unceremoniously tossed one of the weapons over to Keitaro, who caught it gingerly in his hands. She then stepped into a relaxed yet trained combat stance, holding her weapon in front of her, pointing it in Keitaro's direction. With a devilish grin, Motoko intoned, "Are you prepared to meet your maker?"
Keitaro grasped the hilt of his weapon in his right hand and deftly twirled it several times. He then assumed a defensive posture and pointed his bokken at Motoko and said, "Ladies first." Keitaro then shot a playful wink at his opponent.
Motoko clenched her teeth in frustration. Keitaro knew full well she did not like being called a lady. Even though Motoko had long since come to terms with her femininity, she still considered the term "lady" a label for the weak. "Still your tongue, fiend, lest you lose it," Motoko riposted.
"Look at him, thinking he is just so cool with his pose and his words," came a voice from Keitaro's right and Motoko's left. "He just doesn't seem to understand that he doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of beating her fair and square. But I'm still rooting for you, Keitaro!"
Keitaro looked disgusted. "Thanks a lot, Kitsune-san."
Konno Mitsune, also known as the "fox", hence her nickname, giggled to herself as she leaned back, using her arms to prop her body up. She had disheveled, silvery brown hair that barely reached her shoulders topping her rounded oval-shaped face. The most interesting feature about her face, however, was her eyes. While they would appear to be always shut, giving her the fox-like appearance she was renowned for, when she does open her deep brown eyes, her beauty is powerful enough to stop freeway traffic. Her looks were not only in her face either. Keitaro once described her as "164 centimeters of curves". For the most part, however, Kitsune tended to wear conservative, business casual attire. Only on rare occasions did she wear anything close to resembling a dress.
And Kitsune knew how to use those looks to her advantage. A constant flirt, her silver tongue could beguile even the most wary male on earth, and empty his wallet before he knew what hit him. Kitsune had extorted poor Keitaro out of more money over the years than he could count. This unsurprisingly earned her a reputation of being somewhat of a con artist, but to those that knew her well, they knew she had a heart of gold. This fact is perhaps the only reason Keitaro never prosecuted her for her antics.
"Kick his ass, Motoko-chan," came another voice from next to Kitsune. There sat the object of all of Keitaro's affections, Naru Narusegawa, who high-fived Kitsune, her best friend. Garbed in a Toudai sweater, a short skirt and stockings, Naru stuck her tongue out at Keitaro and winked at him. Her long brown hair swayed in the breeze, and her soft brown eyes made Keitaro smile despite her rooting for his opponent.
It had been quite a while since the last time Keitaro had incurred Naru wrath, which was nearly unquenchable until Keitaro was launched into low earth orbit by her crushing fist, trademarked as the "Naru Punch". Seeing a body flying from the dorm was a common occurrence around Hinata Onsen until recently, when Naru and Keitaro finally became an official item. They had been through hell and back together, overcoming even a powerful curse that attempted to keep them apart. One little jab at Keitaro's ego could hardly tear open a rift between them.
"Go, go, Keitaro," screamed another girl with a heavy accent sitting in the audience. Keitaro swelled with pride. At least he had someone on his side, even if it was Kaolla Su. Kaolla was a dark-skinned foreign transfer student from the remote kingdom of Mol Mol. What is more is that Kaolla was actually the reigning princess of that particular kingdom. Despite her flippant nature, behind Kaolla's jade-colored eyes hid a magnificent mind, with her able to invent the most seemingly preposterous mechanisms, which usually blew up during beta testing, generally at Keitaro's expense. Su was the first to accept Keitaro as a friend and manager, possibly because Keitaro resembles Kaolla's brother. Moreover, during rare nights when the full moon shines crimson, Kaolla transforms into a beautiful woman, her longing for home manifesting itself magically.
"Good luck, sempai," cried another young girl. This voice belonged to Shinobu Maehara, another long-time resident at Hinata apartments. An unwitting victim of a rather rocky parental dispute, Shinobu, now 15 years old, was residing in the apartments since she was 12. She was the youngest of the tenants living under Keitaro's roof, but hardly the least useful. She had a natural knack for cooking, able to whip up all sorts of delicious food for the other residents. She also handled most of the laundry duties. Although Keitaro was either unwilling or too naïve to recognize it, Shinobu had a huge crush on the manager. She soon realized Keitaro's heart lied elsewhere. She reluctantly stepped aside, never fully revealing her feelings towards him. But a part of her still clung to hope that somehow Keitaro might be drawn to her. She had received no less than five confessions of love from random classmates and unceremoniously shot them all down.
Soon enough, the heckling and catcalls died down, and Motoko and Keitaro stared each other down for several tense moments. Keitaro turned his back leg slightly, preparing to charge Motoko, when he heard a familiar, high-pitched voice approaching from the stairway leading back into the building.
"Ah, wait for me, please! Don't start without me," the voice cried out between labored pants. Emerging from the portal was yet another woman. She was wearing a two-piece pajama outfit with crescent moons with yawning faces printed all over it. Her long, deep brown hair was disheveled, most likely from sleep. It was obstructing her face, but that did nothing to stop her from continuing to dash across the deck before running right into Naru's back. The woman toppled over Naru, who fell forward and found herself pinned underneath the other female.
"Kyaa, Mutsumi-san!" Naru cried out, trying to wiggle out of her fleshy prison. Mutsumi, however, lay as still as a stone. It took both Su and Kitsune to pry the dead weight off of Naru. Mutsumi wore the face of a corpse. Her eyes were stuck open and her mouth agape as if she was scared to death. Shinobu shrieked at the sight.
"She's okay, Shinobu," Naru said, sitting up and cradling Mutsumi's lifeless head in her lap. "She just lost consciousness again."
"Is everything okay over there, Narusegawa?" Keitaro asked. His gaze was still locked on Motoko, who returned his fierce stare with one of her own.
"Yeah, we're both fine," Naru replied. Had Keitaro taken a glance over at the look on Mutsumi's face, he would have called Naru a liar right to her face.
Mutsumi Otohime had been a resident at the Hinata dorm since an accident on New Year's Day in 2000 burned her apartment to the ground. Mutsumi is plagued with an anemic-like weakness that causes her to lose consciousness, and its effects consumed her when she ran up the stairs to the roof.
Of all the tenants, Mutsumi is the most enigmatic. She entered the lives of Keitaro and Naru during their unscheduled trip to Kyoto after failing the Toudai entrance examination the first time. After several interesting encounters with the brown-eyed beauty, including being the one to give both Naru and Keitaro their first kiss, Naru learned that Mutsumi might have been the girl Keitaro promised to meet at Toudai over 15 years ago. However, Mutsumi later revealed that she made the promise to another girl, and it could not have possibly been Keitaro, although she really did like him. All three of them managed to pass the exam the next year, and all are currently attending Toudai.
"Shall we then, Urashima?" Motoko asked, her voice dripping with venom. But she could not wipe the crooked grin from her face. She lived for this. This was her only outlet for her frustrations from studying for her upcoming Toudai examination.
Keitaro gripped his weapon in both hands and performed a customary salute. Motoko returned the favor. "Will you do the honors, Su-chan?"
"Hai!" Su scrambled to her feet and bounded between the two fighters. Glancing at both competitors, she raised a hand high over her head. After a dramatic pause, she dropped her arm and belted out, "Faito!"
Keitaro wasted no time. Like a cannon shot, he dashed past Su, spinning her around like a top. If he had been paying attention to her, he might have caught a glimpse of her panties as the centrifugal force blew up her school uniform's skirt. Instead, he was on Motoko in the blink of an eye. He brought down his bokken with an overhand slash, which Motoko deflected to her right, giving her leverage to riposte with a straight thrust. Keitaro spun away from the attack, positioning himself at Motoko's left flank. Continuing his spinning motion, Keitaro lashed out with his sword, aiming a horizontal slash at Motoko's head. She instinctively performed a split with her legs, swinging her weapon at Keitaro's knee, trying to trip him. With the grace of a cat, Keitaro performed a backward round off, easily avoiding the attack. He posed for Motoko as she rose back to her feet.
"Sugoi," Shinobu said, staring in awe at the battle before her.
"It's almost like a choreographed dance," Kitsune added.
Naru simply nodded dumbly, unconsciously stroking Mutsumi's hair, while Su whooped and hollered while jumping around the area.
"Well done, Urashima. You almost had me off balance for a moment there," Motoko commended her opponent, stretching her legs out.
"Losing nine times in a row makes one determined to win, Motoko-chan."
Motoko chuckled haughtily. "If you think that was enough to beat me, you still have much to learn, apprentice!"
Motoko bum rushed Keitaro, striking at him with a flurry of attacks. Turned back onto his heels, Keitaro could only play defensive, turning away and avoiding as many attacks as he could, waiting for the right moment to respond with an attack of his own. Motoko was unrelenting, however. Motoko stepped into Keitaro, reaching back over her head to bring down a crushing blow. "She's too close," Keitaro thought to himself. He seized the opportunity. Motoko's attack met only air as Keitaro slid behind her. He raised his bokken, quickly crashing it down onto Motoko's back.
But the pleasing sound of wood meeting flesh did not reach Keitaro's ears. Motoko blocked his attack by instinctively dropping her weapon behind her back.
Kitsune jumped to her feet, raising her wooden hand fans with the image of Japan's national flag on them. "Amazing! She blocked it!"
Keitaro looked dumbfounded as Motoko leapt away from him, landing on the other side of the platform. His facial expression clearly read, "How the hell?"
But Motoko offered no answer. Instead, she held her weapon out in front of her. In an almost imperceptible whisper, she intoned, "Shinmeiryu ougi." Her body glowed with a dull white aura.
"It's over," Naru said nonchalantly.
Shinobu cupped her hands over her mouth.
"Happy trails, Keitaro," Kitsune said, waving her hand fans in his direction.
Su giggled madly.
With a war cry that would have shaken a battle-hardened warrior, Motoko released her attack. "Zanganken!" With a wave of her weapon, Motoko shot a blast of ki energy directly at Keitaro, who was still standing there looking stupefied. He suddenly snapped from his daze, and charged headlong at the ki attack quickly approaching him.
Kitsune raised an eyebrow at this. "He's finally lost it! He's committing suicide."
There was a collective gasp as Keitaro somersaulted high into the air just before the moment of impact. He had a clear shot at Motoko, who was still bent over, spent from releasing her Rock Splitting Sword.
Naru almost tossed Mutsumi off of her lap. "He's got her!"
Time seemed to slow down for all parties as gravity took hold of Keitaro, bringing him towards his target. "It's over, Motoko!"
A smirk appeared on Motoko's face. "You are right, Urashima, it is over."
With blinding speed, Motoko lashed out at Keitaro with her wooden sword. "Zankusen!"
A volley of energy hit Keitaro squarely in the chest, sending him rocketing in the opposite direction. As his flailing body faded from sight, a scream of "Why?" went with him. A small flash appeared as Keitaro became one with the stars.
Raucous applause exploded from the audience as they cheered Motoko for her victory. This marked the tenth time in a row Keitaro was defeated. Motoko dusted herself off as the other girls led Motoko back into the apartment building, showering her with adulation.
Mutsumi, left alone on the platform, at last stirred from her sleep and bolted upright, her eyes snapping open. She glanced around the area, muttering to herself. Realizing she was alone, she said, "Oh, I missed it again!" She then bonked herself on the head.
Meanwhile, at 300 feet above the town, Keitaro finally regained his bearings. "Well, that one wasn't quite as bad as the last one," he said for his own benefit. He stole one quick view of the horizon, which was breathtaking from his vantage point, giving him a view of most of the surrounding area, including the sea.
The fog was beginning to break below him, and he surmised that he would land between two local shops in town. Being launched several times a week over the course of a few years gave him a strong first-hand knowledge of trajectory. "FORE!" he screamed out, alerting anyone who might be below him.
As he broke through the dissipating fog, he saw someone standing directly in his path. "Look out," he cried, raising his hands to his head to protect himself. At the very last moment, Keitaro could have sworn he recognized the person as he looked back at him. But there was no time to think. He crashed into the man below him, knocking them both out cold.
A/N: Now, I realize a lot of this chapter may have seemed boring to some of you, but I wanted to give a solid background to each of the characters for those who may not be completely familiar with them all, and give those that do a quick refresher.
Thanks for the reviews on the prologue, and to all those who read it. Please review this chapter as well. Let me know what you think so far.
Preview for chapter 2: Keitaro has some explaining to do. Why does he want to quit as manager, and who is the guy he ran into while plunging from the heavens?