Love Hina Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy ❯ Chapter 57

“Finally,” sighed Keitaro, seeing the gate to the Aoyama compound ahead of them. Beside him, Tsuruko was dead silent, while on his other side, Motoko was scowling blackly. “Guess they forgot we were coming,” Keitaro surmised, seeing the gate was closed.

 

“They did not,” stated Tsuruko. Her hand tightened on her bokken. Keitaro blinked.

 

“Oh. You sure, because it's not like I've never forgotten anything,” he offered, smiling slightly. Tsuruko's lips turned up in a soft smile.

 

“There is that, but these are Aoyama,” she allowed, giving her lord a soft squeeze on his shoulder.

 

“Well, I guess…” Keitaro began.

 

“How dare they,” snarled Motoko. Her bokken was gripped firmly in her left hand, hilt up, angled slightly toward her right hand. “Not only did they not send someone to greet us at the station, but now, to close the gate…”

 

“Calm yourself, sister,” Tsuruko murmured. “Maintain your focus and inner balance.”

 

“Yes, nee-chan,” Motoko complied. Keitaro glanced back and forth between the two.

 

“Is something wrong? I thought we just came to talk to them.”

 

“Keitaro,” Motoko said, pausing to turn him to face her. “Whatever happens, promise me you will stay out of it, ok? Tsuruko and I will handle this matter.”

 

“Um, ok, Mo-chan,” he replied, sounding confused. “But, why did you want me to come with you, if you don't want me to get involved?”

 

Motoko glanced at Tsuruko, the two sharing some thought; and a smile. “For emotional support,” Motoko answered, giving her husband a kiss. Tsuruko leaned in, kissing him as well as Motoko broke her kiss reluctantly.

 

“And to witness this,” Tsuruko added, her hand caressing his cheek for a moment.

 

“So you didn't need me along to protect you,” he nodded to himself. The two exchanged glances.

 

“You can protect us from the perverts on the train, Keitaro,” Motoko smiled, a gleam in her eye. “Ok?” Keitaro nodded, even as he suspected that even that bit of macho fun would be denied him by the proud, skilled and aggressive sisters. Well, I guess I don't need to act macho, considering that one of them is my wife and the other my concubine, considered Keitaro. Slowly, he smiled. Besides, I'd probably do pretty poorly trying to protect them, he thought wryly. Good thing they don't need me to protect them…

 

The two sisters bracketed him again, both smiling slightly as they crossed the remaining distance to the gate. Standing before the gate, the two saw that not only was the ancient gate closed, but from the position of the dogs, it was clearly locked, too. Shaking her head, Tsuruko pounded on the gate, a dull, hollow boom sounding. “Open the gate,” she ordered firmly. Moments turned to minutes.

 

“I am Aoyama Tsuruko, and if you do not open this gate immediately, I will destroy it,” she bit out. Motoko took Keitaro's arm in her hand, guiding him to the side and back before positioning herself just in front of him. Her bokken was in her right hand, and even as he watched, Motoko slipped her small pack off her shoulder, untying and unfolding the cloth cover that protected the Hinata Blade. Tsuruko shrugged off her pack, handing it to Motoko along with her bokken.

 

As Motoko took the pack, Tsuruko pulled free the Aoyama family sword, the simple wooden hilt and scabbard belying the threat within. Not that the sword was half as dangerous as the woman holding it. “Stay behind me, Keitaro,” Motoko murmured softly, her bokken coming to the ready. Tsuruko glanced at her sister, seeing Motoko nod once.

 

“Very well,” Tsuruko pronounced, drawing the katana that had been passed down through the generations of the Aoyama line. Tsuruko took a deep breath, slowly exhaling as she raised the blade. “I will show you one of the high arts of our family style, Keitaro-sama,” Tsuruko said, giving her lord a brief smile. “Divine Sword of Heaven First Form,” Tsuruko purred, striking once.

 

Keitaro felt and heard the familiar half-wind, half-electric sound of a Shinmei-ryu strike, though unlike the attacks he had taken so often from Motoko, this one had very little visible signature. Other than a bit of turbulence that flowed off the mirror-bright blade Tsuruko held in both hands, there was little to see. When Motoko had attacked him with her bokken, there had been a lot of wind and energy surrounding the attack. This time, there wasn't.

 

The gates didn't react for a split second. Then, a groan came from the wood, swiftly mixing with a metallic screech, and an instant later, the gates were gone. In their place, a furrow of splintered, crushed and pulped wood, mingled with twisted iron bands and steel nails. Keitaro looked at the iron hinges, still imbedded in the heavy stone walls, and blinked, seeing that they had been cut cleanly, like Motoko cut boulders with her second-form Evil Cutting Strike. “Why are the gates in a row and not scattered all over the place?” he wondered, not realizing he had spoken aloud.

 

“It is because of the focus of the attack,” Motoko answered him. “Nee-chan used her ki control to create a inner force that drew the gate fragments toward the center, instead of the common outward-expanding wave. It is a technique that is very difficult to master,” she noted.

 

“It also limits the damage done by the attack,” Tsuruko said, sheathing the katana without looking. “You will notice that the stone arch over the gate is untouched, as are the plants just beside the gate.”

 

“Incredible, Tsu-chan!” breathed Keitaro, deeply impressed. She's awesome! he thought.

 

Further discussion was interrupted by a trio of hakamas-wearing Shinmei-ryu students hurrying toward the gates. Tsuruko stepped forward, Motoko close behind her. “What goes on here?” demanded the fore-most swordsman.

 

“That is my question, Hiagani,” Tsuruko nearly spat. “Why was no one from the family at the station to greet us? Why were the gates not only closed, but barred and unattended?” demanded the senior of the sisters.

 

“My apologies, Tsuruko-sensei,” began the man.

 

“I am uninterested in apologies,” Tsuruko cut him off, her left thumb absently clicking the family sword in and out of the mouth of the sheath. “I will have answers. Now,” stated Tsuruko.

 

“I will take you to the elders immediately, Tsuruko-sensei,” the man bowed to her, the other two following his lead.

 

“Very well. You two,” she ordered the two men behind the senior student, “begin replacing the gates. You will find the necessary wood and iron in the third storage shed, as well as detailed instructions for constructing the gates. And have two novices stand outside the gate while you work,” added Tsuruko.

 

“Of course, Tsuruko-sensei,” the man at the head of the trio agreed. Without a word, the two scurried off as Hiagani turned to lead the three to the elders. After a moment of silence, he glanced at Tsuruko, almost wincing at her cold frown. “Tsuruko-sensei,” he began, speaking softly and carefully, “Since your…last visit, things have…changed,” the man delicately spoke.

 

“I can see that,” came the icy reply. “Have you changed, Hiagani-kun?” asked Tsuruko directly. He was silent for a split second.

 

“No, Tsuruko-sensei,” he answered her. “Most of us you trained yourself are - as always - your devoted students,” he added.

 

“That is good to know,” nodded the tall woman coolly.

 

Reaching the inner building of the large estate, Tsuruko's former student bowed to them, excusing himself. Motoko glanced at her sister, one eyebrow raised slightly. Tsuruko gave her kid sister the briefest nod as they removed their shoes. “Place the packs on the decking, Keitaro,” Motoko said, the young man putting his pack and the two packs his women had carried on the polished wood walkway along the perimeter of the building. Both his concubine and his wife waited for him before leading him toward the conference room. He noticed that both girls carried their katanas.

 

As they turned the corner, two senior-level instructors stood in their path. Tsuruko eyed the two. “I will speak with the elders immediately,” was all she said to them. Left unsaid was `over your dead bodies if necessary,' though her eyes made that point perfectly clear to the two men.

 

“They are waiting for you, Tsuruko,” the man on the right said. “But the Urashimas will wait in the garden.”

 

Keitaro gasped as Tsuruko's hand flickered out, delivering a back-hand slap to the man's face that knocked him off his feet. Having been hit by Motoko, he understood how hard Aoyama women could hit, but he had certainly not expected Tsuruko to slap around one of her fellow instructors. Before the second man could react, the sliver edge of the family sword was at his throat. “Address me commonly again, and we will have a problem,” Tsuruko warned the two. Neither man moved, just staring at the tall woman. “Likewise, if you persist in your deliberate rudeness to my sister and her husband, I will take it as a personal insult to our family honor,” she paused for a moment, “and I will have redress for the dishonor from all those responsible,” finished Tsuruko. The sword in her hand made her meaning unmistakable.

 

Several heartbeats passed before Tsuruko withdrew the sword, once more sheathing it without looking as she moved past the two instructors. Motoko made a point of making eye contact with each as she passed them, Keitaro just behind her. Motoko's right hand held Keitaro's hand, though her left hand held the Hinata blade at the ready. Tsuruko reached the door to the inner-most sanctum of her ancestral home, pausing for a moment before sliding the door open. “I, Tsuruko Aoyama, have come to discuss some very important things with the elders of the Aoyama,” she said, striding into the room. “My sister, Motoko Urashima, and her husband are with me.”

 

“Welcome, Tsuruko-san,” said the older man sitting at the head of the council. Keitaro frowned, wondering where the great-uncle of his wife and concubine was. “We have things to discuss with you, as well,” he continued. “However, such things are not for the Urashima to hear,” he finished.

 

“You come dangerously close to discourteous behavior,” Tsuruko noted, sinking down on a thin pad, Motoko and Keitaro settling not far behind her. “Where is great-uncle Daizaburo?”

 

“Daizaburo-san has stepped aside as head of the family,” the man said. Tsuruko's eyes narrowed.

 

“Has he, now?” she asked. Motoko shifted slightly. “How strange, that he called me and asked me to come here to discuss a matter of grave importance.”

 

“It was the decision of the council that a change in leadership was necessary,” the man said, sounding almost smug. Tsuruko stared at him.

 

“That is an interesting notion you have,” she said calmly. “And what matter prompted this act?” she asked.

 

“The future of the Shinmei-ryu school, of course,” the man replied. Tsuruko sighed.

 

“Bring Daizaburo-san here,” she ordered. “I have business with him as well.”

 

“You don't give orders to the council, Tsuruko,” another of the men spoke up. “One who has renounced the Shinmei-ryu style has no right to speak so to us.” Motoko's hand drifted to the hilt of the Hinata blade.

 

“I have renounced nothing, Tojima,” Tsuruko said. “And you would do well to remember that the Shinmei-ryu is my family art, not yours. There isn't a single drop of Aoyama blood in your veins,” she sneered. “Send for Daizaburo. Now.”

 

“Careful, Tsuruko,” warned the man sitting at the head of the council, “we won't…”

 

The soft sound of a sword collar clicking free of a sheath echoed through the room like a cannon shot. Keitaro looked over to see that Motoko had a hand-span of black blade drawn. “You are the ones who should be careful,” the younger sister said ominously.

 

“I won't listen to threats from an Urashima!” the man called Tojima declared.

 

“There are seven,” Tsuruko's voice cut across his. The council looked around, confused.

 

“Seven what?” wondered the new elder.

 

“Seven techniques that none of you know. Seven high arts of the Shinmei-ryu style,” Tsuruko continued calmly. “Seven forms that are only taught to the heirs of the Aoyama family. Seven abilities that can only be used by one of pure blood. Seven,” she paused, looking each member in the eye, “crown jewels that no one now living knows except for my sister and myself. Not even great uncle Daizaburo learned the final seven.”

 

There was silence in the room.

 

“Remember your place, and bring Daizaburo to me,” Tsuruko said, her tone demanding and confident. After a moment of silence, one of the members rose and exited the room.

 

-

 

“We're home!” called out Shinobu, entering the Hinata.

 

“Welcome home, darling!” giggled Su, breezing past Shinobu as the shorter girl removed her shoes. By the time that Shinobu had stepped into her house slippers, Su was emerging from the kitchen, barefoot and holding a rapidly-dwindling hand of bananas. The young domestic had taken to ordering bananas by the half-dozen-case just to keep Su in the yellow fruit.

 

“Welcome back, Shinobu, Kaolla,” came Kitsune's voice from the living room. Moving into the room, Shinobu saw the fox sprawled out on the couch, her laptop on the coffee table and a small bottle of sake close to hand. Shinobu smiled at the older woman.

 

“I'll get supper started right away, Kitsune,” she assured the stacked ash-haired woman. Kitsune smiled at Shinobu, crooking her finger at the younger girl.

 

“No rush, sugar,” she assured her. Shinobu obediently came to Kitsune, wondering what the other woman wanted. Reaching up, Kitsune took Shinobu's shoulders in her hands and guided the girl down to meet her kiss. It wasn't a peck, but it wasn't a hot and wet kiss like she had given her in Okinawa. Instead it was a calm, loving, reassuring kiss. Releasing the blushing Shinobu, Kitsune stretched her arms. “You get your pass?” she asked.

 

Giggling giddily, Shinobu rummaged in her purse for a moment before proudly pulling out an exam ticket for the upcoming Todai entrance exam. “Yes! I can't wait!” gushed Shinobu, handling the piece of paper like it was some holy relic. And to her, it probably is just that, reflected Kitsune, smiling warmly at the obviously-excited girl. She's been after this for a long time now, and now she has it. Good for you, Shinobu-chan!

 

“I'm sure you'll do fine, Shinobu-chan,” Kitsune said, slowly sitting up. Touching Shinobu's cheek, she smiled at the girl. “We're all proud of you, Shinobu-chan,” Kitsune said softly before standing. “I'm going to take a dip in the spring,” she announced to anyone who might care, picking up her laptop as she moved toward her room.

 

“Ok,” Shinobu confirmed, tucking her exam ticket back in her bag. “Supper will take about forty five minutes, Kitsune-sempai,” she called after the fox.

 

“Got it,” came back Kitsune's voice. Turning, Shinobu found she was face-to-face with Kaolla. The girl was staring intently at her.

 

“W…what is it, Su?” she asked. The green eyes watched her for a moment longer.

 

“You like Kitsune, don't you wife?” Kaolla said, leaning a little closer. Shinobu leaned back a little.

 

“Well, yes, I suppose,” Shinobu replied, confused. Kaolla grinned widely.

 

“Me, too!” pronounced Kaolla, one hand cradling the back of Shinobu's head as her lips met Shinobu's lips. She tastes like bananas, was all Shinobu could think as Kaolla's tongue slithered into her mouth. Kaolla sighed softly into the kiss, stepping forward to hug Shinobu to her as she kissed her deeply.

 

“Kaolla,” came Amalla's voice, “you know you aren't supposed to do that before the wedding,” scolded Amalla. The younger princess broke the kiss, turning her head to pout at her older sister.

 

“But I want to kiss my wife!” protested Kaolla.

 

“She isn't your wife yet, Kaolla, and you know the temple frowns on that sort of thing,” reminded the elder sister.

 

Kaolla sniffed dismissively. “Who cares?” pouted Kaolla, absently caressing Shinobu's sides and back with a hand. Before Amalla could speak, Kaolla's face lit up. Giving Shinobu another swift peck on the cheek, she grabbed the few bananas remaining and leapt onto the stairs. “I will return, my dear!” promised Su, giggling. Shinobu blinked as the younger Molmolian princes grabbed her older sister's hand, dragging her off down the hallway. “Sis, I have a great idea…!”

 

Shinobu was breathing a little fast as the voices of two tanned foreigners faded away. Smoothing her top, she exhaled a breath, her heart rate dropping back to normal. She could feel the warmth on her cheeks, and she didn't need to look down to know that her nipples were trying to poke through her bra and blouse. Between her legs, her pussy was warm. Shaking her head, she moved toward the kitchen, wondering why she reacted so strongly to her sempais' affection.

 

It's not like I have ever looked at them and wanted to kiss them like I kiss Keitaro, she mused, on auto-pilot as she began preparing the meal. They're all so pretty, and mature and…cool, Shinobu considered as she donned her favorite apron. Recalling what had happened in Okinawa and a few scattered incidents during the years she had lived with her sempais, her lips pursed thoughtfully. I don't mind them kissing me, or t…touching me, and Kitsune-sempai seemed to like what I did, which made me feel good, but does that mean I'm like Naru-sempai? I love my sempais, but I don't think I love them like that, she considered.

 

“Am I?” she asked herself, not realizing that she had spoken aloud.

 

“Are you what?” came a soft voice from just behind her. Shinobu flinched, biting back a shriek. Spinning, she found Kanako standing just behind her, the mail for the Hinata in hand.

 

“Kanako!” sighed Shinobu, touching her chest. “I…um, it was nothing,” she said. Kanako looked her right in the eyes.

 

“Was it nothing?” pressed the little sister of her lover - soon to be husband.

 

“Um, well…” Shinobu hedged. Kanako's eyes bored into her eyes. Her lips thinned in determination. “I was just wondering if I might be like Naru-sempai,” she said. Quickly, she summarized her thoughts on her relationship with her sempais. Kanako listened intently, never breaking eye contact. “So, I was just wondering if I was b…bi…like Naru-sempai,” she finished, blushing.

 

Kanako was silent for several heartbeats. “I don't think you are,” she said softly. “If you were bi-sexual like Naru and Mutsumi, you would seek out the other girls to initiate intimacy. You do not.”

 

“But, I…return that kind of attention,” Shinobu pointed out in a soft voice.

 

“You return the sex, or do you return the love?” asked Kanako. Shinobu opened her mouth, but closed it, having said nothing. Do I return the sex, or is it the love I want to give back? she wondered. “How…can I know?” she asked the slim Urashima woman.

 

“Honestly? I'm not sure,” admitted Kanako. A low, familiar cackle came from the door to the kitchen.

 

“Oh, girls,” Hina clucked her tongue, “it's not so complicated as you imagine,” lectured the grandmother, entering the kitchen with Haruka not far behind her. She paused to caress Kanako's cheek before hugging Shinobu. “Do you love your sempais, Shinobu?” asked Hina.

 

“Of course!” was her immediate, no-thought-necessary answer.

 

“Then it is the love you are giving in turn.”

 

“But, how…?”

 

“Listen, Shinobu-chan,” Hina said, stroking Shinobu's fine, silky hair, “sex and lust are just that: a biological response. But because they are biological and not emotional, they don't last. Love, being an emotion and decision both, does last. What were you thinking when you were with Kitsune?” asked Hina, making Shinobu blush beet red.

 

“You…saw?” she squeaked.

 

“Saw, nothing! The entire island probably heard you!” teased Granny Hina. Shinobu wanted to die of embarrassment. “So, what were you thinking, Shinobu-chan?”

 

“I…I wanted Kitsune-sempai to feel as good as she made me feel,” whispered Shinobu.

 

“Why?” asked Hina gently.

 

“Because…I…I just wanted her to feel what I felt when she…touched me,” admitted Shinobu.

 

“Sounds like love to me,” Hina said, giving the blushing girl a kiss on the forehead.

 

“But, doesn't that make me like Naru-sempai?” pressed Shinobu.

 

“Ok, what if it does?” asked Haruka. “What difference does that make?”

 

Shinobu considered that. Feeling a little stupid, she hung her head. “None, I guess,” she admitted. Haruka grinned at her.

 

“Exactly,” agreed Haruka, tousling her hair fondly. “For what it's worth, Shinobu-chan,” Haruka added as she moved out of the kitchen area, “I don't think you are bi-sexual. You're just a loving girl.” Shinobu found herself smiling as she resumed her work on supper, Hina having released her after another warm kiss to her cheek. The granny moved off toward the stairs to the second floor, Kanako remaining behind.

 

“Are you going to keep worrying about that?” asked the Urashima girl. Shinobu shook her head.

 

“It was pretty stupid to worry about it in the first place,” replied Shinobu indifferently, her knife purring through the vegetables on the cutting board. “As long as Keitaro and the others love me, it doesn't matter. And since I love them…” she shrugged.

 

“Hmm,” hummed Kanako, surprising Shinobu by hugging her from behind, her hands crossing across her belly as her hands cupped Shinobu's small but proud breasts. “If it turns out you are, you will not be alone,” she reminded the girl, kissing her neck softly.

 

“K…Kanako!” Shinobu shivered. The other young woman released her.

 

“I have some things to do,” said Kanako calmly. Just as she was about to step across the threshold of the kitchen, Shinobu spoke up again.

 

“Thanks, Kanako,” said the domestic softly. Kanako gave Shinobu a rare treat: she smiled a real smile at her.