Love Hina Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Twine Hearts and Blades ❯ Twine Hearts and Blades Chapter 02 ( Chapter 2 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Ruisu 
And so it continues...
Anime/Manga: Love Hina Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Comedy | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.27.2002 | Updated On: 03.05.2002 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 642 | Status: Work In Progress
And so it continues...
Anime/Manga: Love Hina Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Comedy | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.27.2002 | Updated On: 03.05.2002 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 642 | Status: Work In Progress
Twine Hearts and Blades
A routine day in the Nerima district was almost like something out of a fantasy story. Nowhere else could one find people who would change shape when splashed with cold water, nor huge amounts of property damage on daily basis. Almost unreal styles of martial arts were very commonplace, ranging from Martial Arts Nail Biting to Martial Arts Tea Ceremonies. Also unexceptional in Nerima were odd happenings that would make an exorcist rich, including ghost cats, enchanted bras, dark-side illusions and giant demon heads.
Following in this proud tradition, the usual morning yells that emanated from the Tendo Dojo met the rising sun. In this case, Tendo Akane, youngest of the family, was yelling at her innazuke, Saotome Ranma, just like she did every morning before running to school.
"If we're late, it'll be your fault Ranma!" snarled Akane, running as fast as she could. She kept telling herself that it was Ranma's fault for their leaving the house so late. "The baka kept picking on Ryoga-kun during breakfast. I had to stop the insensitive idiot from giving Ryoga-kun more trouble!"
"Stupid tomboy," thought Ranma as he tried his best not to outrun Akane, "why won't she get a clue and realize that her beloved 'P-chan' is Ryoga?!?" Had he not promised to keep Ryoga's curse a secret, the idiot would already be in the hospital for every time Akane had 'P-chan' in her bed. "Worst part is that she defends the moron on top of that! If she only knew."
Much to the surprise of both Ranma and Akane, they made it to the school gates five minutes before the bell. Despite their constant differences of opinion, Ranma and Akane now shared one thought: "Great. If I can beat Kuno in less than five minutes, we'll be Ok." The second surprise came when there was no Kuno at the gates to challenge either martial artist. Akane was relieved, while Ranma wondered if something was wrong. Ranma knew that there never was a morning where Kuno would not challenge him to battle for Akane's hand. This meant that something was wrong, since Kuno was not one to skip school either.
"Come on, Ranma! We're gonna be late!" As both teens ran into the school, the rain began, making this yet another routine day in Nerima.
Chapter 2: Kuno's walk. A man's fate and its perils. (Yeah, right.....)
Unknown to those who were acquainted with him, Kuno Tatewaki was still under the tutelage of a swordsman. This proved those who thought he had mastered the art to be completely wrong. In fact, he was far from it. Part of the reason was his obsession with defeating Saotome Ranma. Part of the reason being that his teacher could only come down to Nerima once a week to instruct him in the art of kenjutsu, since the master himself lived in Kyoto.
Fully aware that the others would notice his absence, Kuno decided to leave on a training trip with his master. This came to be partially because his master could not come to Nerima and teach him this week. The other reason was that he had realized that the less time he spent learning the art, the less his chances were of cleansing the world of Saotome's evil plots. This is what got him to walk from Nerima to Kyoto along with his master, enduring the elements like a true warrior.
"Sensei, how much further will it be before we arrive to the capital?" Oogami Kazuya looked at his student, still unsure of whether it was right to bring him to Kyoto. Tsuruko had given him her okay on the matter, and mentioned something about preparations for him, but the type of gleam in her eye scared him. That usually meant she had already set the wheels in motion, and that never predicted anything good.
"Maybe about 7 hours from now. It'll be nightfall soon, so we'll have to make camp. We should make it there by noon tomorrow." Besides, he thought to himself, we have to talk about what Kyoto is like.
Setting up camp and making the fire was rather easy, with the meals brought along (courtesy of Sasuke), both sat around the campfire. The solemn atmosphere of the woods, along with the silence of the night calmed both teacher and student's mind, letting them recover from the journey of the day. "It's now or never," thought Kazuya, who was done with his meal as he turned to Tatewaki. "We'll begin your training as soon as we reach Kyoto, though it could be later than that, depending on what mood my wife is in." Tatewaki didn't know what was meant at all, but listened attentively. "The day after tomorrow will be the Aoyama clan reunion, which was basically the reason why I couldn't come down for long this week. What I ask of you, as my student, is to not get in their way at all. Some of the members of the family have a tendency of being a little too proud of their skills, and will not hesitate to challenge you to battle."
As if on cue, Kuno's demeanor changed from an attentive student to someone all of Furinkan High School knew. "No matter their pride, my skill as the Blue Thunder shall crush those fools beneath my heel! Then I shall claim the love of Akane and the pig-tailed girl for myself!" Kazuya sighed as his student went into yet another one of his rants. It didn't really matter, because a smack to the head with the side of his katana would shut him up for a while. Tonight it was not worth the trouble, though. A rather hectic day awaited them both, so he needed as much rest as he could get. On that note, he left the ranting Kuno near the campfire and crawled into his tent, welcoming the darkness that ensued, for tomorrow would not be an easy day at all.
"24 hours until D-Day." That was Kazuya's first thought as he woke up. He looked over the campsite and found his student asleep near the remains of the fire. "Capable of falling asleep in any place. That's our Tatewaki," he suppressed a chuckle before waking up the sleeping teen. "Tatewaki, we have to go now. Wake up, boy." The heir of the Kuno family didn't even flinch at his teacher's words. "Heavy sleeper as always." After a couple of seconds, an idea came; one of the only things that could awake Tatewaki with a start. "A-ka-ne." The word had the desired effect.
"From where doth my beloved Akane call?" exclaimed a suddenly wide-awake Kuno. Before being able to say another word, he was hit on the head by the side of a katana. "We're late enough as it is, boy. Let's get going."
The journey took around five hours, but both had finally made it to Kyoto. The Aoyama Dojo, passed down for generations to those who were worthy of leading the clan, stood proudly as a monument of not only strength, but of tradition and dedication. To Kuno, however, it looked like a slightly bigger version of the Tendo Dojo, but rather than having the house as the centerpiece, the Dojo itself was at the very center of the grounds. On the long paved road before the grounds stood two women. Both were dressed in white gi along with red hakamas. The older one of the women stepped forward to welcome her husband and his student.
Despite her choice of dress, she displayed a lot of natural beauty; enough to stun many of the men that saw her for the first time, Kuno included. "You've finally returned, Anata." Rather than a loving exchange between spouses, as Kuno expected, she then took out a katana and sliced at him. As if expecting this attack, Kazuya unsheathed his own katana and blocked the blow, initiating their ritual sparring match.
As the teacher and his wife dueled, their skills evenly matched, Kuno caught a glimpse of sadness in the face of the younger girl present. She had a striking resemblance to the woman currently fighting, but had her own unique qualities that set her apart. For one, this girl had an air of elegance around her, yet the way she moved implied a great power beneath her refined exterior. Though he felt compelled to talk to her (and then challenge her for a date), his intentions disappeared as a big explosion was heard. Looking in the direction of the blast, he saw that the duel between his teacher and his wife was over, and it was apparently a draw.
"Oh my," spoke Tsuruko, "look how dirty we've gotten." This would have been a very innocent comment were it not for the odd gleam in her eyes. One could almost call it a lustful gleam, but those who knew Tsuruko (or at least thought they did) would call that an impossibility. "We'll have to take a bath now, Anata." She then grabbed him by the hand and began to drag him off to the bath. Comically enough, she was getting no complaints from Kazuya, who was currently sporting a silly grin on his face.
Remembering that his student was present, Kazuya stopped to speak to Kuno. "Tatewaki, I'm going to be...umm...busy for a while. Be careful not to break anything in the house, and I'll call you later for training."
As both Kazuya and his wife left for the upstairs bath, Kuno noticed that the younger girl from before had a very odd look on her face. It was a mix of anger and something he didn't recognize. Before he was able to ask her what was the matter, she gave a light growl and left to her room. Kuno went to his room as well, and tried to meditate until his teacher called him, but the giggles that came from the bath were somewhat...distracting.
Deciding that he would find no peace inside the house, Kuno picked up his bokken and headed for the dojo, hoping to find some peace there. As he walked inside, he spotted the girl he assumed to be the younger sister of his teacher's wife. In her hands was a shinai, and she was currently performing one of the many katas of the Shinmei Ryu. Though her movements were very fluent and her stances were perfect, the kata as a whole seemed to lack something. Despite this lack, her moves still packed a great amount of power. Deciding to get down to business, he began to do some of the katas he learned, especially the ones that needed practice.
Eventually, night fell, and the inhabitants of the house retired to their rooms for sleep. Unable to sleep, Kazuya decided to take a walk around the grounds before going to bed. Finding a nice place near the koi pond, he sat there and let the gentle night breeze pass around him. Truth be told, he felt bad that he couldn't train Tatewaki at all today, but it seemed Tsuruko had "missed" him a lot. The real challenge would come tomorrow, though. Tomorrow was the reunion, and he knew that like every year, Aoyama Orochi would come and loudly complain that his oldest daughter had married the heir of a no-name school.
"When will he accept me?" he asked to no one in particular. A soft voice answered, "He already has, Anata."
"Are you sure about that, dear?" Without answering, Tsuruko walked over and sat next to her husband, close enough to provide some comfort. "I sometimes think he only comes to break my spirit. Remember last year, when he said my school was so unknown that we didn't even have uniforms like the Shinmei Ryu did?" Tsuruko smiled at the memory. "Father was drunk at that time, and you know it. In fact, it was the last thing he said before he passed out."
Deciding to get straight to the point, Tsuruko took his head in her hands and touched foreheads with him, as if trying to link their thoughts and feelings together. "Father has accepted you since the day we were married." Kazuya could only frown slightly. "Tsuruko, he challenged me to a duel the day I proposed, remember?" She in turn giggled as she remembered her husband-to-be fighting her father. She could tell father was holding back, though she would never tell that to Kazuya. "Even though he was a true master of our school, you still defeated him. That was more than enough for him to accept you. Even if you had lost, I would have still married you, because I love you and no one can change that."
Kazuya smiled at her before he remembered something. "By the way, I'm surprised that Motoko is here. I though that with all her training she would not have come at all." Tsuruko's face displayed some worry at his comment. "Her being here is part of her training. I've realized that Motoko still lacks that which gives true power to a swordsman. Also, father requested that she come this year, since he hasn't seen her in years now. Mother misses her very much as well."
From her window, Motoko could see the moon shine over the koi pond, enveloping the couple in its pale light. The way they were holding each other, sharing their thoughts and feelings stirred something in her. "That warmth...it is not passion...I don't know that warmth...I...want to feel..." Before she could finish that sentence, she turned in disgust. Not at her sister and her brother-in-law, but at herself. "I won't be weak. I can't be weak...I can't..." Something caused her to start shaking; not allowing herself to pinpoint what was missing in her heart.
Author's notes:
Not even the death of my computer shall stop me from writing this! Anyway, once again, another part of this odd story is under way, but there are a couple of things I need to clarify.
innazuke: generally used as the word 'betrothed'. If you watch Ranma 1/2, you know what this word means ^_^
Kyoto: The reason Kuno refers to Kyoto as the capital is because as most of you know, he thinks he's still in the olden times when the samurai walked around. Back then, the capital of Japan was not Tokyo, but Kyoto. As time progressed, it changed, at first Tokyo becoming the cultural capital of Japan, while Kyoto held more of its place as the capital of the empire itself.
BTW, yes, while in the Dojo, Motoko was ignoring Kuno. Remember that this is still while she didn't give any man the time of day. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter, since it sets up stuff for later. If you've figured out who Kazuya decends from by now, I'll give you a cookie. ^_^ I'm planning on doing some type of sidestory for this one, but I need to pick which characters I wanna use (considering how big the Ranma cast is, and how small the Love Hina cast is, this is gonna be hard.). Anyway, Questions, comments and what-not are welcome. Please send to Ruisu7@hotmail.com.
A routine day in the Nerima district was almost like something out of a fantasy story. Nowhere else could one find people who would change shape when splashed with cold water, nor huge amounts of property damage on daily basis. Almost unreal styles of martial arts were very commonplace, ranging from Martial Arts Nail Biting to Martial Arts Tea Ceremonies. Also unexceptional in Nerima were odd happenings that would make an exorcist rich, including ghost cats, enchanted bras, dark-side illusions and giant demon heads.
Following in this proud tradition, the usual morning yells that emanated from the Tendo Dojo met the rising sun. In this case, Tendo Akane, youngest of the family, was yelling at her innazuke, Saotome Ranma, just like she did every morning before running to school.
"If we're late, it'll be your fault Ranma!" snarled Akane, running as fast as she could. She kept telling herself that it was Ranma's fault for their leaving the house so late. "The baka kept picking on Ryoga-kun during breakfast. I had to stop the insensitive idiot from giving Ryoga-kun more trouble!"
"Stupid tomboy," thought Ranma as he tried his best not to outrun Akane, "why won't she get a clue and realize that her beloved 'P-chan' is Ryoga?!?" Had he not promised to keep Ryoga's curse a secret, the idiot would already be in the hospital for every time Akane had 'P-chan' in her bed. "Worst part is that she defends the moron on top of that! If she only knew."
Much to the surprise of both Ranma and Akane, they made it to the school gates five minutes before the bell. Despite their constant differences of opinion, Ranma and Akane now shared one thought: "Great. If I can beat Kuno in less than five minutes, we'll be Ok." The second surprise came when there was no Kuno at the gates to challenge either martial artist. Akane was relieved, while Ranma wondered if something was wrong. Ranma knew that there never was a morning where Kuno would not challenge him to battle for Akane's hand. This meant that something was wrong, since Kuno was not one to skip school either.
"Come on, Ranma! We're gonna be late!" As both teens ran into the school, the rain began, making this yet another routine day in Nerima.
Chapter 2: Kuno's walk. A man's fate and its perils. (Yeah, right.....)
Unknown to those who were acquainted with him, Kuno Tatewaki was still under the tutelage of a swordsman. This proved those who thought he had mastered the art to be completely wrong. In fact, he was far from it. Part of the reason was his obsession with defeating Saotome Ranma. Part of the reason being that his teacher could only come down to Nerima once a week to instruct him in the art of kenjutsu, since the master himself lived in Kyoto.
Fully aware that the others would notice his absence, Kuno decided to leave on a training trip with his master. This came to be partially because his master could not come to Nerima and teach him this week. The other reason was that he had realized that the less time he spent learning the art, the less his chances were of cleansing the world of Saotome's evil plots. This is what got him to walk from Nerima to Kyoto along with his master, enduring the elements like a true warrior.
"Sensei, how much further will it be before we arrive to the capital?" Oogami Kazuya looked at his student, still unsure of whether it was right to bring him to Kyoto. Tsuruko had given him her okay on the matter, and mentioned something about preparations for him, but the type of gleam in her eye scared him. That usually meant she had already set the wheels in motion, and that never predicted anything good.
"Maybe about 7 hours from now. It'll be nightfall soon, so we'll have to make camp. We should make it there by noon tomorrow." Besides, he thought to himself, we have to talk about what Kyoto is like.
Setting up camp and making the fire was rather easy, with the meals brought along (courtesy of Sasuke), both sat around the campfire. The solemn atmosphere of the woods, along with the silence of the night calmed both teacher and student's mind, letting them recover from the journey of the day. "It's now or never," thought Kazuya, who was done with his meal as he turned to Tatewaki. "We'll begin your training as soon as we reach Kyoto, though it could be later than that, depending on what mood my wife is in." Tatewaki didn't know what was meant at all, but listened attentively. "The day after tomorrow will be the Aoyama clan reunion, which was basically the reason why I couldn't come down for long this week. What I ask of you, as my student, is to not get in their way at all. Some of the members of the family have a tendency of being a little too proud of their skills, and will not hesitate to challenge you to battle."
As if on cue, Kuno's demeanor changed from an attentive student to someone all of Furinkan High School knew. "No matter their pride, my skill as the Blue Thunder shall crush those fools beneath my heel! Then I shall claim the love of Akane and the pig-tailed girl for myself!" Kazuya sighed as his student went into yet another one of his rants. It didn't really matter, because a smack to the head with the side of his katana would shut him up for a while. Tonight it was not worth the trouble, though. A rather hectic day awaited them both, so he needed as much rest as he could get. On that note, he left the ranting Kuno near the campfire and crawled into his tent, welcoming the darkness that ensued, for tomorrow would not be an easy day at all.
"24 hours until D-Day." That was Kazuya's first thought as he woke up. He looked over the campsite and found his student asleep near the remains of the fire. "Capable of falling asleep in any place. That's our Tatewaki," he suppressed a chuckle before waking up the sleeping teen. "Tatewaki, we have to go now. Wake up, boy." The heir of the Kuno family didn't even flinch at his teacher's words. "Heavy sleeper as always." After a couple of seconds, an idea came; one of the only things that could awake Tatewaki with a start. "A-ka-ne." The word had the desired effect.
"From where doth my beloved Akane call?" exclaimed a suddenly wide-awake Kuno. Before being able to say another word, he was hit on the head by the side of a katana. "We're late enough as it is, boy. Let's get going."
The journey took around five hours, but both had finally made it to Kyoto. The Aoyama Dojo, passed down for generations to those who were worthy of leading the clan, stood proudly as a monument of not only strength, but of tradition and dedication. To Kuno, however, it looked like a slightly bigger version of the Tendo Dojo, but rather than having the house as the centerpiece, the Dojo itself was at the very center of the grounds. On the long paved road before the grounds stood two women. Both were dressed in white gi along with red hakamas. The older one of the women stepped forward to welcome her husband and his student.
Despite her choice of dress, she displayed a lot of natural beauty; enough to stun many of the men that saw her for the first time, Kuno included. "You've finally returned, Anata." Rather than a loving exchange between spouses, as Kuno expected, she then took out a katana and sliced at him. As if expecting this attack, Kazuya unsheathed his own katana and blocked the blow, initiating their ritual sparring match.
As the teacher and his wife dueled, their skills evenly matched, Kuno caught a glimpse of sadness in the face of the younger girl present. She had a striking resemblance to the woman currently fighting, but had her own unique qualities that set her apart. For one, this girl had an air of elegance around her, yet the way she moved implied a great power beneath her refined exterior. Though he felt compelled to talk to her (and then challenge her for a date), his intentions disappeared as a big explosion was heard. Looking in the direction of the blast, he saw that the duel between his teacher and his wife was over, and it was apparently a draw.
"Oh my," spoke Tsuruko, "look how dirty we've gotten." This would have been a very innocent comment were it not for the odd gleam in her eyes. One could almost call it a lustful gleam, but those who knew Tsuruko (or at least thought they did) would call that an impossibility. "We'll have to take a bath now, Anata." She then grabbed him by the hand and began to drag him off to the bath. Comically enough, she was getting no complaints from Kazuya, who was currently sporting a silly grin on his face.
Remembering that his student was present, Kazuya stopped to speak to Kuno. "Tatewaki, I'm going to be...umm...busy for a while. Be careful not to break anything in the house, and I'll call you later for training."
As both Kazuya and his wife left for the upstairs bath, Kuno noticed that the younger girl from before had a very odd look on her face. It was a mix of anger and something he didn't recognize. Before he was able to ask her what was the matter, she gave a light growl and left to her room. Kuno went to his room as well, and tried to meditate until his teacher called him, but the giggles that came from the bath were somewhat...distracting.
Deciding that he would find no peace inside the house, Kuno picked up his bokken and headed for the dojo, hoping to find some peace there. As he walked inside, he spotted the girl he assumed to be the younger sister of his teacher's wife. In her hands was a shinai, and she was currently performing one of the many katas of the Shinmei Ryu. Though her movements were very fluent and her stances were perfect, the kata as a whole seemed to lack something. Despite this lack, her moves still packed a great amount of power. Deciding to get down to business, he began to do some of the katas he learned, especially the ones that needed practice.
Eventually, night fell, and the inhabitants of the house retired to their rooms for sleep. Unable to sleep, Kazuya decided to take a walk around the grounds before going to bed. Finding a nice place near the koi pond, he sat there and let the gentle night breeze pass around him. Truth be told, he felt bad that he couldn't train Tatewaki at all today, but it seemed Tsuruko had "missed" him a lot. The real challenge would come tomorrow, though. Tomorrow was the reunion, and he knew that like every year, Aoyama Orochi would come and loudly complain that his oldest daughter had married the heir of a no-name school.
"When will he accept me?" he asked to no one in particular. A soft voice answered, "He already has, Anata."
"Are you sure about that, dear?" Without answering, Tsuruko walked over and sat next to her husband, close enough to provide some comfort. "I sometimes think he only comes to break my spirit. Remember last year, when he said my school was so unknown that we didn't even have uniforms like the Shinmei Ryu did?" Tsuruko smiled at the memory. "Father was drunk at that time, and you know it. In fact, it was the last thing he said before he passed out."
Deciding to get straight to the point, Tsuruko took his head in her hands and touched foreheads with him, as if trying to link their thoughts and feelings together. "Father has accepted you since the day we were married." Kazuya could only frown slightly. "Tsuruko, he challenged me to a duel the day I proposed, remember?" She in turn giggled as she remembered her husband-to-be fighting her father. She could tell father was holding back, though she would never tell that to Kazuya. "Even though he was a true master of our school, you still defeated him. That was more than enough for him to accept you. Even if you had lost, I would have still married you, because I love you and no one can change that."
Kazuya smiled at her before he remembered something. "By the way, I'm surprised that Motoko is here. I though that with all her training she would not have come at all." Tsuruko's face displayed some worry at his comment. "Her being here is part of her training. I've realized that Motoko still lacks that which gives true power to a swordsman. Also, father requested that she come this year, since he hasn't seen her in years now. Mother misses her very much as well."
From her window, Motoko could see the moon shine over the koi pond, enveloping the couple in its pale light. The way they were holding each other, sharing their thoughts and feelings stirred something in her. "That warmth...it is not passion...I don't know that warmth...I...want to feel..." Before she could finish that sentence, she turned in disgust. Not at her sister and her brother-in-law, but at herself. "I won't be weak. I can't be weak...I can't..." Something caused her to start shaking; not allowing herself to pinpoint what was missing in her heart.
Author's notes:
Not even the death of my computer shall stop me from writing this! Anyway, once again, another part of this odd story is under way, but there are a couple of things I need to clarify.
innazuke: generally used as the word 'betrothed'. If you watch Ranma 1/2, you know what this word means ^_^
Kyoto: The reason Kuno refers to Kyoto as the capital is because as most of you know, he thinks he's still in the olden times when the samurai walked around. Back then, the capital of Japan was not Tokyo, but Kyoto. As time progressed, it changed, at first Tokyo becoming the cultural capital of Japan, while Kyoto held more of its place as the capital of the empire itself.
BTW, yes, while in the Dojo, Motoko was ignoring Kuno. Remember that this is still while she didn't give any man the time of day. Anyway, I hope you guys liked this chapter, since it sets up stuff for later. If you've figured out who Kazuya decends from by now, I'll give you a cookie. ^_^ I'm planning on doing some type of sidestory for this one, but I need to pick which characters I wanna use (considering how big the Ranma cast is, and how small the Love Hina cast is, this is gonna be hard.). Anyway, Questions, comments and what-not are welcome. Please send to Ruisu7@hotmail.com.