AN: Wow… this ended up being a very talky chapter… sorry about that. But there's a lot of good character growth in here, so it's totally worth it.

Chapter 9: What is Love?

"Finally you're up. It's good to see you again, brother. I was praying you would get better."

"Brother? Praying? What are you on about?"

"Of course, I mean Keitaro. I am sorry about what I did!"

"What did you do? Who are you?"

"I am sad you don't recognize me. I am Su."

"But you don't… look like Su."

"The red moon reflects off my skin. It makes me look more mature."

"That… that doesn't… what?"

"Come here," said Su, pulling him onto the roof with her.

Su pulled out a setar and began playing a melancholy tune. Keitaro didn't recognize it and figured it was most likely a song that came from Su's home… although he had no idea where it was.

"You miss your brother a lot, Su?"

Su seemed to ponder it for a brief moment.

"Not really," she said, strumming peacefully. "You and the others keeps me company, so I am not lonely."

Keitaro smiled at her, and reached out to tussle her hair gently. Su smiled and laughed gently and Keitaro had to admit, this was nice. It was peaceful even if it was strange as all hell.

"Keitaro," said Su softly. "Let's kiss!"

And the weird level went right up to 11, bumping the peace out of the picture.

"What?!"

"I kissed Motoko before, and I want to kiss you next."

She kissed Motoko? When the hell did this happen? Why would Motoko even agree to do that?

Su moved closer to him and he panicked.

"Wait! Su, stop!'

"Just a peck," she whispered.

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

As Su said this, the moon was covered by the clouds and it began to rain once more. Strangely enough, this did seem to affect Su's physical form, causing her to suddenly de-age by several years. Of course, none of this detained the energetic young girl.

"Come on!" Keitaro said. "It's raining again, let's get inside."

"You pervert!" was the only thing he heard before a Naru's fist-sized object hit him in the back of the head and knocked him out.

After a long night of dreamless sleep, he was awoken by Motoko.

"Keitaro," she said. "Come on, the storm's passed. It's time to train."

He groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. Had last night been a dream? It must've been because there was no way Su could've been that girl on the roof. He decided he would have time to go over yet another Su puzzle later. For now, focus on the training.

Motoko watched him as he practiced the more complex forms of aikido, making corrections to his stance or landing every here and there.

"Very well done," she said, nodding. "You may actually be able to hold your own against a simpler opponent."

"You want to spar?"

She considered it and then shook her head.

"I would prefer to actually just talk this morning."

Keitaro raised an eyebrow at her. He, of course, had no problem with taking a morning off and just enjoying time with his friend, but it was strange for her to request it.

"Ok," he said, nodding back. "Anywhere in particular you would like to go?"

"If you're willing, there is a hill that provides a wonderful view of the sunrise. It's not far."

"Sure, sounds nice."

Motoko lead him up to a small grassy knoll a little way away from the apartments.

"Here it is," she said, setting her blade on the ground carefully.

"Nice," he said, glancing around before joining her on the hill.

"I forgot to thank you for taking care of my sword… after our fight the other night I mean."

"Oh, yeah," he said, honestly having forgotten he'd done it. "I know how much your sword means to you. Heck, I'm not a real swordsman and even I would be mad if it my practice blade got ruined. That does make me think though; most swordsmen name their weapons. Did you ever name yours?"

"It had a name long before it was mine. It was my sister's blade at first, and she passed it along to me after she got married. Shisui is it's name."

"Shisui," he repeated softly. "I like it. So, is it tradition to pass a blade down like that?"

"No," said Motoko sadly. "My sister got married and all but gave up fighting. She never went out anymore. Of course, she's still a warrior, but she's also a housewife… something I could never do."

"That's why you don't like love?"

She didn't say anything for a long moment. Eventually she nodded.

"It changed her," Motoko said. "She suddenly needed him… It was like she was a whole new person."

"And you don't want to change…"

"I don't know anything outside of my studies and swordsmanship. How am I supposed to be in a relationship or even just be confined to a house?"

"I don't think it has to change who you are," he said. "Your sister was ready to become like she is now. Think about it; is she happy now?"

"Yes," Motoko said slowly. "At least, I assume she is."

"So, she found a relationship that worked for her. Maybe you were meant to have a relationship or maybe you weren't, but shutting it down because you're afraid isn't a good idea. Everyone has a different relationship with their loved one. I mean, when I find someone, it won't be like who my parents found, or who your sister found and so on."

"So, it might mean I could still teach at the dojo?"

"Absolutely," said Keitaro. "I mean, think of it like this. What if you still got up to train, teach and study like you do now, only when you went home at the end of the day there was someone to take care of you and was happy to see you."

"I already have that," Motoko pointed out. "The rest of the inhabitants are close to me and always greet me upon my re-entry. As far as someone to help support me… well you have done more for me these past few months than I could imagine."

"That's what relationships do. They advance you as a person and help two people grow together. I suppose a romantic one is just a relationship where the two people decide that they are better off with the other person, and are willing to commit to making each other happy."

"So marriage is like a commitment to training?"

"Sort of actually," he said smiling. "When you love someone, they become more important than you, and you mean more to them than they do, you see? So you're taking care of them while they take care of you. It's hard to explain the emotions behind it."

"So it's like mutually beneficial training?"

"I guess if you look at it in a cold sort of logic."

Motoko sat quietly for a long moment before turning to him.

"Are we in a relationship?" she asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"We train every day, and are committed to each other. You often help me even if it makes things harder for you, and I want to do the same for you… that sounds like what you described."

"Well… it is what I said, but there's more to it. I suppose you and I have a friendship, but not a romance together. You understand?"

"I do not know. Are you and Naru in a romantic relationship, then?"

Keitaro considered it. Of course, now they really weren't, but had it ever been?

"It had aspects of it," he said honestly. "I think I wanted to love her, but there was just too much in the way. Of course, I don't think she felt the same."

"So that was half romance?"

"Yeah," he said. "That's not a bad way to put it."

"Was it half beneficial?"

He laughed out loud. He couldn't help it. The question was so serious that he could tell Motoko was seriously trying to understand love by logic. It was funny to him, seeing the kendo girl trying to grasp something like love when she'd always been so against it.

"Think of love like this," he explained. "You and I are friends, right?"

"Yes."

"Well friendships deepen and mean more and more the longer they are maintained. Just like your sword skills."

"Or your aikido."

"Exactly. The more I practice the better I get. Well friendships are the same. The more we are friends with each other, the deeper our friendships get. Love is like friendship cubed."

"So it is more than what you and I have?"

"Yes," he said. "Love is illogical and stupid, but it makes you happy, and then it's just if that person matter enough to you to try and power through the problems in life."

"I have read some stories on the subject," Motoko said. "They do not speak of problems in the love. Usually it is… happily ever after."

Keitaro smiled at her.

"Yeah, but life isn't actually like that. Real relationships have problems. Take what happens between Naru and I on a daily basis. Now, if I were in an actual relationship with her, I would have to find a way around her tendencies to hit and abuse me. As friends, I can let her just be mad and then go back later and apologize and it smoothes over."

"But romance isn't like that?"

"Not quite. I would still end up apologizing, but in a romantic relationship you have to deal with the source of the problem, not just stop talking about it."

"So when I left the apartments, and you came after me… you were fixing the problem?"

"Yes… I suppose I was."

"And people have to do that in romantic relationships?"

"Yeah, if they want to be with each other."

"And because they are fixing problems, they are growing as people, together."

"Yeah, actually that's not a bad way to put it."

She seemed to go over what he was saying in her head. Keitaro looked at her, as the first rays of the sun were hitting her face and had to admit, he liked the fact that relationships were becoming important to her. It meant she had a desire for actual human connection.

"I think that sounds nice… but hard."

"They are. Relationships require work and effort on both people's part. But if they really love each other, than all that work is worth it, because you get to be with that person every day."

"And yet we are not in a relationship."

"Well not one like that. I mean we do spend most days together and I am always happy to see you. But it's not like we would go out and date or kiss like couples do."

"No," Motoko agreed. "I wouldn't want to do that with anyone right now."

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's not what Su told me earlier."

"…We will never speak of that again."

He laughed kindly and stood up.

"Well I'd better start heading back or Naru's brain is going to explode because I wasn't ready to go in the millisecond she was or something. Thank you for bringing me here, honestly. It's beautiful. I may just start studying out here if I need to get away from it all."

"Thank you for talking with me. I am still very confused about this love thing… but I think I can understand why it wouldn't be a bad thing for everyone. I am just not convinced it's for me."

"Good morning Motoko," he said, as way of saying goodbye.

"Good morning, Keitaro."

He started heading back to the apartments, thinking over what Motoko had said. If you took away the dating aspect of romance, the two of them really were in a relationship. They spent every day together training and talking. If one of them had a problem the other would be there to help take care of it. Couples were like that, right?

However, the idea of dating Motoko or kissing her was odd… but not unpleasant. Of course, he was a male, so kissing any woman was a pleasing idea, but then he considered what it would be like if Motoko did date.

"She'd never go to a nice dinner and the movies," he said, smiling.

Still, she had just taken him to a hilltop that meant something to her. They had sat up there talking and just learning a bit more about how the other thought. That kind of date she would probably actually be ok in. At least she'd learned to mellow out around people a bit.

It wouldn't be like Naru, where there was a constant danger of being hit all the time. Motoko was slowly growing to have softer side too. Of course, it was also that softer side that had scared her so bad she'd tried to leave the hina apartments. It was a bit of a shame she didn't think dating was for her, she'd really be a hell of woman.

She was strong and independent, which meant she wouldn't be overly clingy or put up with abusive men. She would be able to judge a man purely based upon what she liked or disliked in him and that level of judgment was rare. She was also one of the best swordswomen in the country, so any guy who was with her would naturally have that become a part of his life.

"Well Motoko. Whatever you decide, I hope it makes you happy. You should learn what it's like to be happy more often… just enjoy yourself a bit."

"Keitaro!" he heard angry shouting from his room. "Where are you? We have to go take the mock exams now!"

"And there's a girl I once seriously considered trying to be in a romance with…" he muttered before calling back. "I'm coming! Motoko and I were training and I lost track of time, sorry!"