Niklas "Hawk" Jonsson
Summary: What if... What if Motoko's training camp was unexpectedly cut short? What if she returned to the Hinata Sou at about the same time as Keitaro does in the first episode of the anime? What if the other girls aren't home at the time?
Disclaimer: Love Hina, Hinata Sou and whatnot are not mine, though I certainly wish they were. The story is mine though, all mine. This story deals with some very unpleasant things. If this disturbs you, don't read.
If the layout looks screwy or symbols seems to be missing, you're probably reading the quickedit-mangled version of this fic on ff dot net, if it grates on your nerves too much, read it on hawksgalaxy dot com or something.
Feedback/Flames: Yes, please. Both of them are equally fun to read, although I must admit that I greatly prefer the first variety. :)
I can be found on ICQ as 21771860, MSN Messenger/E-mail as iamhawk at yahoo dot com, though not very frequently as real life lately interferes with my online existance more then I'd like. More stories are available at my nifty lil' site at hawksgalaxy dot com or by clicking on my handle up above.
"speech"
emphasis/shouts/Kindred Domination/post-hypnotic triggers
/thoughts/
/telepathy/
translation
+soundeffect/radio/telephone conversation/TV+
"Infernal damnable unworthy deceitful honourless... Men!" Motoko ranted as she hauled her two heavy suitcases out of the train, grumbling in frustration at the troublesome circumstances she found herself in. Not only had the camp been cancelled, but there had been no notification of the fact until half-way into the first day of it. Unfortunately, Motoko had by then already made several purchases which now made the burdens she had to carry more troublesome.
And she hadn't been able to reach anyone that could help her with it! Nobody answered the phone at the Hinata Sou, Haruka didn't answer the phone at her tea shop and everybody else she knew well enough to ask a favour of was back in Kyoto. She didn't even have the money to pay for a cab, as she had spent all her spare money shopping before the camp, leaving only enough for the train ride home as she had been expecting to be picked up by Haruka at the station in three days as food and lodging would be provided for her during the camp.
She was now seriously regretting the fact that she hadn't purchased a mobile phone and never bothered to write down the numbers of the residents that did have mobiles of their own. At the moment, she would even have considered calling up her three gushing underclassmen if she had their numbers. Which she didn't, as she found the trio troublesome enough and hadn't desired to even have the option of being able to contact them. Previously, that was. Now, she would gladly have accepted their presence if it meant assistance in lugging her baggage back to the Hinata Sou.
"It's been ages since I was there... Hinata Sou... Hinata Sou..." Motoko overheard someone mumble and stopped. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have bothered to listen to the absent ramblings of worthless males, but this one had been rambling about Hinata Sou.
Was it a pervert? Scouting out a suitable location for a deviant excursion? The movie she had watched on the way to the camp was from America and had featured a perverted activity called a 'panty-raid', as well as plenty of examples of the obviously degenerate American educational system. Was this treacherous male considering a panty-raid at the Hinata Sou? If so, she would provide an ample deterrent for him to prevent any such deviant activities!
"Let's see... Haruka's tea shop was... Where was it? Gah, has it really been that long since I last visited aunt and granny?" he continued and Motoko observed the rambling male, calming down somewhat as she kept listening to him. Apparently, he was in some way related to Haruka and Grandma Hina.
Of course, this still didn't take him off her 'Suspected Pervert' list.
But perhaps...
Ordinarily, she wouldn't have even considered such a thing, but the suitcases were heavy and the station was some distance from the Hinata Sou. Carrying them all the way over there on her own, would be most troublesome. (And no, she's in no way related to Shikamaru, despite the frequent use of the word 'troublesome' in her internal monologue.)
Decision taken, Motoko cleared her throat.
"Excuse me, are you looking for the Hinata Sou Girls Dormitory?" Motoko inquired coolly and the male spun around to face her, looking up from the map he had been looking at with a bewildered expression, instead turning that confused gaze towards her.
"Girls dormitory? Eh, no. I'm looking for the Hinata Inn." he answered.
"It used to be an inn, but the owner turned it into a girl's dormitory a while back." Motoko corrected him. "I should know, I live there."
"A gir... Grandma Hina did that?" Keitaro asked, then blinked as something occurred to him. "Oh no." Keitaro sighed, shaking his head in disappointment.
"Problem?" Motoko asked, surprised at herself. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have cared at all about the misfortunes of the males of the species. But this one looked so much like a kicked puppy at the moment, that she just couldn't help herself.
"In a way." Keitaro sighed. "Nothing you need to trouble yourself with." he added and glanced down at the suitcases she had put down, giving herself a chance to rest her arms and shoulders. He looked around, then back at her. "Somebody's coming to pick you up?" he inquired and her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"No. I couldn't get a hold of anyone." she eventually replied. "Why are you asking?" she added.
"I was just wondering if we could be of help to each other. I need directions and you seem somewhat... Overburdened." Keitaro stated hesitantly, intimidated by her suspicious glare.
"If you are offering to carry a suitcase in return for me showing you the way, then I accept." Motoko replied magnanimously, inwardly cheering for successfully manipulating the stupid male into lugging her suitcase around. He nodded and reached out, grabbing both her suitcases and experimentally hoisting them up.
"Woha. Heavy." he commented with a friendly smile, which Motoko failed to appreciate. "If you don't mind, I think I'll try to take both of them. That way, my balance won't be upset too much. Instead, perhaps you might be willing to carry my bag?" he asked and nodded towards the worn sports bag that had been standing next to him.
Motoko looked suspiciously at him, then hesitantly reached out and picked it up. It was heavier then it looked, but nowhere near as heavy as either one of her two suitcases. It wouldn't be pleasant to lug it around, but it would be better then with one or even worse, both, of her suitcases.
"I find your suggestion agreeable." Motoko intoned, then bowed. "I am Aoyama Motoko, heir to the Shinmei Ryu school of Kendo and fifth Dan thereof." she introduced herself.
"You're a real Martial Artist? Wow! I only dabble a bit. Well, dabbled. I don't have much time for it these days." Keitaro exclaimed, suitably impressed. "Uhm, I'm Urashima Keitaro. First Dan in Shinkage Ryu Kendo and fifth Kyu in Motobu Ha Karate." he introduced himself, bowing in greeting.
Motoko blinked, this weakling male merited the Shodan denomination and a fifth Kyu in Karate? A respectable accomplishment, for a male. Especially one whom apparently didn't consider himself a Martial Artist despite his claimed skills. Claims which demanded verification. She wondered if he would agree to spar with her. The unexpected cancellation of the training camp had left her itching for some action.
"Urashima? Ah, you are related to Hina-san and Haruka-san?" Motoko inquired, though she had already suspected that this was the case.
"Yes." he agreed. "Haruka is my aunt and Hina is my grandmother."
"And yet you were not aware that the Hinata Sou was now a girl's dormitory." Motoko stated, although Keitaro took it as a question.
"I don't talk with them all that much. Haruka has always been on the road a lot, it's only in the last two years that she has appeared to settle down somewhat, even going as far as buying the tea shop she now runs. Grandma is... Well..." Keitaro started to explain, then trailed off and shuddered, unconsciously wiping his lips on the sleeve of his jacket and causing Motoko to nod with sudden understanding. She too had been the victim of a few sloppy kisses from the weird old woman. "Well... I don't see her all that often and when we do, she never talks business."
"Ah, I see." Motoko said, then fell silent as she walked side-by-side with Urashima back towards the Hinata Sou. She was still on her guard, even if he seemed completely different then the usual non-related males she associated with on a regular basis. Her father, her uncle and a distant cousin she had been friends with as children, were the only males she could recollect that hadn't been perverted moronic bastards. Could this be another one?
She steeled herself and dismissed her ludicrous notion before it could get a solid footing in the labyrintical maze of her mind.
One of the males she did meet on a semi-regular basis was all the proof she needed that the males of the species were irredeemable and that their whole gender was an affront to the world. She couldn't suppress a fierce shudder as she got an unwanted mental image of their latest meeting and his insane behaviour during it.
"Are you cold?" Keitaro inquired and Motoko hastily shook her head.
"No. Not that. I was just thinking about a pompous bastard that insists on crossing paths with me, the 'divine scion of the noble house of Kuno'." she replied and spat, shocking herself with her inexcusable behaviour.
Well, inexcusable to anyone who didn't know the dolt in question!
"Kuno!" Keitaro exclaimed, turning to look at her with his eyes wide open. "As in the Nerima ward Kunos?"
"There is more then one of them?" Motoko asked, shuddering again at the notion that there might be more then one Kuno around. She had truly hoped that Tatewaki had been spawned in and subsequently thrown out from the deepest bowels of Yomi, as the mere thought of what manner of parents could have produced one such as him greatly upset her stomach.
"Three that I've met. The father is a total tanned basket case in a weird Hawaiian getup and a small palm tree attached to the top of his head. The son is a tedious windbag who doesn't seem to perceive the same reality as the rest of us." Keitaro explained, then shuddered himself and grew pale. "The daughter is a murderous insane creepy poisoning bitch, who gets off on inflicting pain and suffering on everyone she encounters." he whispered in a strained tone of voice.
"Tedious windbag? That certainly sounds like the Kuno Tatewaki I know. I have yet to meet with any of his family, a fact which I will praise the Kami for at the earliest possible opportunity." Motoko commented. Ordinarily, she would have reacted to usage of the word 'bitch' when not discussing canine matters with instant violence. But considering that Keitaro was talking about Tatewaki's sister, she was willing to let it slide until she had a chance to observe the girl in question herself and either confirm or deny her suspected status as a dog of the female persuasion. But as she was apparently spawned by the same loins which brought forth such a monstrosity as Tatewaki, she suspected that the degeneratory denomination was for once, perhaps appropriate to use.
"Kuno Tatewaki. Yes. That is the one I was talking about." Keitaro replied. "How do you know him?"
"Kendo. He is the captain of Furinkan Highs Kendo team and does remarkably well in all the competitions he enters. As do I in mine. We've bumped into each other on numerous occasions, despite my best efforts to avoid him entirely." Motoko replied. "How did you come into contact with that wretched family?"
"Kuno Kodachi, Tatewaki's younger sister, tried to maim my younger sister Kanako. She broke into our house, snuck into my sister's bedroom and leapt at her with a poisoned spiked club, trying to bash her head in." Keitaro replied grimly. "Kanako got off lightly, considering. But she had to forfeit the Martial Arts Gymnastics match she would have had against Kodachi the day after the brutal assault. We tried to press charges, but..." he continued and shrugged. "When their lawyer offered a settlement, our lawyer advised my parents to jump at the chance because that was the only way we'd ever get some form of compensation. What with the hospital and toxicology bills..." Keitaro trailed off, then shrugged again.
Motoko nodded in understanding. If she had managed to decipher some of Kuno's ramblings correctly over the years, he belonged to a rather wealthy and influential family. No doubt they had the clout required to make such small inconveniences as breaking and entering, assault with a deadly weapon and such, simply... Go away.
"I am sorry. The disgraceful behaviour which seems to run rampant in the Kuno family line is an affront to all sensibilities." Motoko announced. "The son is a blemish on the face of humanity as well as the laughingstock of the Kendo community and it does not sound as if the rest of the family has anything worthwhile to contribute to the gene pool either."
"You're certainly right on the money there, Aoyama-san." Keitaro said with a faint smile, then shuddered. His memories of the Kuno's were quite obviously not pleasant ones. Motoko decided that a change in their topic of conversation was in order.
"So, what brings you to Hinata Sou now? Are you here to drive grandma Hina to the airport?" Motoko inquired.
"Airpo-what?" Keitaro asked in bewilderment. "She's going somewhere?"
"You didn't know? Ah, you decided to make an unannounced visit?" Motoko responded.
"Uh, not quite. She called me and asked me to come over." Keitaro replied, blinking in confusion. "I suppose she might want some help, but I don't have a driver's license. Perhaps she needs me to carry her bags or something. Or perhaps just wanted to see me before taking off." he continued, then looked over at Motoko. "Where is she going?"
"She didn't tell you? She's going on a journey to visit hot springs all over the world." Motoko answered. "She wasn't quite certain when she would be back."
"Huh. Odd. I wonder why she didn't tell me..." Keitaro mumbled to himself as the two kept on walking, neither of them willing to spend money on bus or cab.
"Pray, stay where you are, Urashima-san. It would not be proper for a male to wander around the dorm unescorted." Motoko instructed Keitaro. "I shall fetch grandma Hina."
"Thank you very much, Aoyama-san." Keitaro said, then put the two suitcases down on the floor, while Motoko handed him his gym bag, before strolling off.
Keitaro looked around the place and nodded to himself, the place looked just about the same as always. The sign on the outside had been changed, though. Which he might not have taken note of at all, if he hadn't wanted to somehow confirm the Inn's new status as a Girls Dormitory after what Motoko had told him. He was grateful to have met Motoko, or there might have been some embarrassment as he probably would have just wandered into the building and went off in search of his grandma without being aware of the inns new status as a girl's dorm.
He was soon rejoined by the tall and proper Aoyama Motoko, who had a slightly confused expression on her face.
"It would appear as if our manager has left already. Her room have been cleaned out and her travel bags have gone missing. As has the other tenants." Motoko informed him. "Perhaps you have the wrong time?" she inquired and Keitaro glanced down at his watch.
"Not really... But..." he informed her, then they both shrugged. Both of them were used to the oddities the old crone displayed from time to time. It wouldn't be the first time her antics messed up their schedules.
"Well..." Motoko started, then warred with her instincts for a bit. She should invite him in to wait for his Grandmother in case she hadn't already left for the airport. But, he was a male. He was a male and it appeared as if the two of them were alone. She didn't want to do anything that could possibly be misinterpreted by the perverted male.
"I... I guess I'd better leave." Keitaro mumbled. "I'll go see Aunt Haruka at her shop or something."
"I attempted to reach Haruka-san by telephone from the train station. It would appear as if she isn't at the shop. I would guess, that she provides Hina-san with transportation to the airport or mayhap some last-minute shopping prior to her flight." Motoko responded and Keitaro deflated, having nowhere to go. "If you are so inclined, perhaps you would design to spar with me while we await news of her whereabouts?" she ventured after a few moments.
"I am a bit rusty." Keitaro informed her, surprised that a girl was actually willing to spend time with him. Especially since it was such a cute one. For a brief moment, he ventured off into mental La-la land, imagining all sorts of mildly perverted situations between the two of them, before he shook it off. This polite, calm-spoken and well-mannered young girl did not seem at all likely to indulge in such activities. "But if you don't mind sparring with someone as unskilled as me, I'd be glad to, Aoyama-san." he replied.
"Not at all." Motoko assured him. "It will be quite refreshing." she added, deciding not to mention that since leaving the Dojo, she only rarely got to practise with someone as supposedly skilled as this Urashima was supposed to be. Since her level by far surpassed the others in the classes she took, she often had to practise on her own, as the sensei couldn't devote all his time to her as there were other students who needed his assistance.
"Uh, I didn't bring any practise gear or equipment. You got a spare Shinai or Bokken I could borrow?" Keitaro inquired.
"Certainly." Motoko responded. "Follow me." she instructed and strode off towards her room. So intent was she on the upcoming spar, that she didn't much consider the ramifications of her request until she had led him into her room and pulled out two lovingly polished bokken's from a wooden stand next to one of her wardrobes, turned around and found Keitaro standing beside her, having put down her suitcases just inside the doorway.
He was in her room.
There was a male in her room.
Alone.
With her.
In her room.
Motoko blushed furiously and pressed one of the bokkens into his arms, then hastily darted out, a confused Keitaro following in her wake, doing his best to keep up with her as she headed for the roof platform.
Both of them warmed up in silence, Keitaro quickly rediscovering the joy of handling a bokken and moving in complete harmony with oneself. He sighed, ever since he first became a Ronin, he gave up Kendo and Karate to make time for studies. His sensei's had all been impressed with his skills, rapid development curve and were both sad to see him go, but Todai was his priority after all.
Too bad it hadn't helped much, he'd failed his second entrance exam with no better score then the ones he had on his first.
But once they started, he quickly realized that while it was possible that he and Motoko might have been somewhat more evenly matched at the time he stopped practising the art, she was clearly his better now. She too had a knack for the Arts, but had probably never stopped actively training. He found himself severely pressed and just keeping himself from being hit took up all his rusty skills.
She seemed somewhat flustered and had been ever since she handed him his bokken earlier, this was probably the only thing which had prevented her from landing a hit. Either that or she was holding back. Perhaps a little bit of both.
Motoko was annoyed at herself and her preformance today, she knew that she was better then this, but she constantly found herself distracted by the fact that she was sparring with a man.
A man who had been in her room.
She still couldn't believe it. A man, one of the males she detested, had been in her room. And she had invited him, even if she hadn't really realized that until he'd already been there.
Much to her surprise, he hadn't turned into a slimy tentacled hentai monster and ravaged her pure innocent body on the spot.
And she found herself enjoying the spar to such a degree that she wasn't willing to quickly end it. He left openings which she could have preyed upon, but found herself hesitant to use them, which allowed him to close those openings before she could make up her mind to take advantage of them.
Her stern expression gradually settled into a faint smile, as she allowed herself to actually enjoy the experience of spending time with a male. It appeared as if this indeed was one of the few decent males, whom could be trusted not to take advantage of her and defile her innocence. Was this, this happiness, what her sister felt around her husband? Was this why Tsuruko had allowed herself to succumb to the viles of men and even go so far as to actually have married one of them?
Motoko didn't know, but for the first time ever, she found herself contemplating her sister's decision without a feeling of anger and resentment clouding her thinking, wondering if she might have misjudged her sister's decision. Had her sister discovered a man whom she felt like this around, a man who could be trusted, perhaps it hadn't been such a bad move after all, considering how rare that type of men were.
Motoko paled. This was her first encounter with a non-related decent male. What if it took her another 15 years to find the next one? She'd be an old maid by then, a Christmas cake well out of season!
Motoko currently had no plans of getting involved in a relationship, nor acquire children. But someday, she wanted kids of her own. A daughter to train as her heir, a son to raise into a decent young man who could make some lucky girl very happy. But if it took her another 15 years to find another decent male...
Perhaps she should do something. Ask for his number, or perhaps give him hers? The other girls her age did that sort of thing all the time, didn't they? She suddenly wished that Kitsune was present, or better yet, Naru. Kitsune would no doubt tease her mercilessly if Motoko asked her for advice. Naru might be amused and surprised, but she wouldn't find it necessary to tease Motoko for her ineptitude in dealings with the weaker sex.
/Weaker sex. ... Sex/
Motoko blushed and stumbled, which allowed a surprised Keitaro to nearly land a clean hit. Motoko had to drop to the floor and subsequently dodge several following strikes, before she with some desperate slashes managed to make him back away enough for her to get up again.
Her performance was beyond bad, had any of her former teachers seen her now, they would have stern words with her. Had her sister seen her now, Motoko had no doubts that she'd be bent over Tsuruko's legs right now and that her behind would be feeling the flat of Tsuruko's bokken! Steeling herself, and resolving to do better, she made a renewed assault and pressed Keitaro hard, soon having him backed up against the railing and unable to do anything but desperately trying to prevent her from landing a hit.
With a smooth move, she slapped his bokken away and stopped hers just millimetres away from Keitaro's exposed throat.
"Wow! You're really good, Aoyama-san." Keitaro complimented her, slowly sinking down to the ground, where he seated himself in order to take a breather. "Phew, I never really realized just how badly out of shape I've become until now." he panted as he tried to recover his breath.
"Your performance was admirable as well, Urashima-san. Has it truly been that long since you stopped practising the art?" Motoko inquired, finding that she too would benefit from a breather. Her flustered state had caused her to exert herself more then usual. With a graceful movement, she went down on her knees, sitting opposite of Keitaro.
"About three years since I started practising less, nearly two since I stopped all together." Keitaro replied. "I never even realized just how much I missed it, before now." he ventured with a sad look.
"Why did you stop?" Motoko inquired.
"I'm trying to get into Todai. After I failed to make it through the entrance exam, I gave up my training in order to make more time for studies." Keitaro admitted, then chuckled sheepishly. "It didn't help much, though. I failed my second time too."
"Huh. I find that training actually help my studies. By taking the time to discipline myself and find my own focus in the art, my studies progress smoothly and free of distractions." Motoko revealed. Not that she was a straight-A student by any stretch of the imagination, but her scholarly goals were nowhere near as lofty as his were either. Todai? No, not for her!
"Discipline... Focus... Yes. I do need that." Keitaro admitted to himself in a low murmur. "In my last test, I spent so much time worrying and fretting, that I didn't even get started until after almost a full hour. Then I panicked, and didn't take the time to properly review everything, but just concentrated on finishing before the time limit was up. It was a disaster."
Motoko's brain was working full speed now. While the appeal of this male had lessened slightly after discovering that he was a Ronin, it was still the only decent non-related male she had come across in all her years. He was kinda cute, in an innocent and hapless kind of way. He was a passable Martial Artist, who could, with the proper direction and training, become a very good one. That was one thing they would have in common.
She briefly darted off into a fantasy of herself fifteen years down the line, raising two kids and training them in the family art, along with a more developed and mature Urashima Keitaro, Todai graduate and Shinmei Ryu Adept. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant image. Of course, he wasn't entirely written off her suspected pervert list just yet. She would require more time spent along with him, to ascertain that he truly was a decent male, and not just lulling her into a false sense of security.
But as he had just provided her with a good opening for such, perhaps she should take it?
Just to make certain that he was or wasn't a pervert, of course. There were no ulterior motives to her wanting to spend more time with him. No, none at all!
"If you so desire, I would be willing to provide you with the training you need. I have need of a good sparring partner, and would be willing to provide instructions for you in return." Motoko offered. "Thus, we would both benefit."
"If you can teach me how to balance the Art and my studies, I will spar with you from dusk till dawn, if that is your wish." Keitaro promptly responded.
"That would be highly counter-productive, Urashima-san. The key is, as you say, to find a good balance between training and studying. Too much of one, will have a detrimental effect on the other. I have also found that undue training, hampers the training itself. As well as undue studying, hampers the study itself, which might be what has happened to you. Too much of a good thing, isn't necessarily a good thing in itself." Motoko responded. "I can show you how I do it, teach you how I manage the two. Though that might not necessarily work for you, it will at least give you more insight into the matter and enable you to work out your own system."
"Wow. I really appreciate this, Aoyama-san. Or perhaps, Aoyama-sensei, would be more appropriate?" Keitaro said.
"Aoyama-san will do just fine, Urashima-san." Motoko serenely responded, before readjusting her thinking. If she was attempting to get closer to him, get under his skin, to ascertain weather or not he was decent or merely play-acting, a different approach might be more suitable. "Or if you so desire, Motoko-san." she offered, a faint blush covering her cheeks as she realized that she had just given him permission to use her first name.
"Motoko-san it is, then. And if it is to your liking, Keitaro." Keitaro responded.
"In that case, pleased to meet you, Keitaro-san." Motoko responded.
"As am I, to meet you, Motoko-san." Keitaro announced.
The End! ( For now... )