Runaway Princess by Inustgirldreamer

Chapter 7: First Light

Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina I merely adore it enough to write this fan fic.

An: Thank you to Whitefish who has not only prodded me to reopen this storey but also Beta read the chapters for me. I would also like to thank my reviewer Bigfics, I do plan most of the chapters to be a bit longer the last chapter was written just to get me writing. Also I would like a bit of feed back to if there is interest in me reopening my story, Haunted. Now on with my story.

Keitaro to the clouded night sky and the foggy woods as they traveled along the rode upon their horse. He felt a growing unease that he was headed in the wrong direction, he felt that the road to Kyoto should not be in such disrepair; and most importantly he was certain that the road should be going down hill, not up hill. Much less heading ever deeper into the rather forbidding woods, while he was certain the swirling fog was playing tricks on his eyes, Keitaro could have sworn that he saw a large rock moving. The several times he had thought of turning back came to him. He felt that he really didn’t want to meet the three bandits once again. He was sure that fate must have smiled on him for once, he had been extremely lucky in the first encounter and he didn’t want to count on fate for the second encounter. Meeting them in the light of day was a daunting prospect; after all he wasn’t looking out for just himself, he had to think about the young servant girl Shinobu. He looked at the young pretty girl sleeping in his arms and smiled. No, he couldn’t go back, after all the noble family that she had worked for and ran away from would likely have a man or two out looking for her. Keitaro felt in his heart that if he did turn back that the girls’ life would change for the worst, looking down he whispered.

“Well I promised to see you safely to Kyoto, and I never break a promise, so forward we go. It does really matter once the sun comes up at least we will know which way is east”

Shinobu stirred a bit in her sleeps, half waking she found herself being rocked, and a small smile came to her lips as she snuggled to the wonderful warmth she was laying against. She made a soft sound of delight as she snuggle to the wonderfully warm futon, she was sure it had been ages since she had felt so warm and comforted.

“Good morning, at least I think it is morning”

“Thank you and good morning to you as well”

It took just another moment for it to register that the voice was male, pleasant sounding but defiantly not her fathers. Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself snuggled against a male body, her face most defiantly pressed against a chest of a stranger. She felt her face begin to redden as she realized she had not only fallen asleep in the arms of the man who saved her but she had snuggled to him. Feeling herself begin to get faint she could almost picture herself with swirling eyes.

“Kyahhhh!”

Shinobu sat bolt up right with amazing speed if not grace, the sudden movement began to upset her balance upon the horse’s neck. Not thinking she threw her arms out to balance herself once again. It was then her ripped kimono began to open and she felt a cool breeze, panicking she brought her arms back in and clutched the ripped cloth back over her body. The wild movement totally upset her precarious place and she began to fall .She felt two arms slide about her waist pulling her back into place against Keitaro’s Chest. Shinobu felt her face warm as her slight blush, turned to a deep crimson. Sitting there her arms clutched to her chest and her face slightly less red then a beet she hears him begin to chuckle softly.

“Sorry Shinobu I didn’t mean to startle you awake, Do you always wake so violently?’

“No! I mean…it is ok, I just woke up confused is all, I am not use to waking up in some ones arms…Ahhhh, I mean on a horses neck!”

Turning quiet and content to sit where she was and blush, Shinobu slowly began to realize her surroundings, even though it was light out it was the diffuse light of a heavily over cast day. She began to notice the cool dampness of a foggy day as they moved through the mist shrouded mountains, she found herself thankful for the warmth against her back.

“Where are we?” She asked in a quiet voice.

Keitaro was quiet for a moment as he considered lying to her to make her feel comfortable, his mental voices debating it for a few moments before he spoke up with false cheerfulness.

“I...I...I am not sure but I am certain that we are heading away from your old home. Don’t worry once the Sun becomes visible we will know which way we are heading.”

Shinobu looked over her shoulder and saw his face she could see the depression there and she gave him a smile.

“It is ok Keitaro-sama, it was dark and foggy and anyone could have gotten lost. I want to thank you for saving me last night and letting me sleep. Should we stop, you must be exhausted from riding all night?”

“Oh it is ok I am perfectly wide awake”

Shinobu giggled from her spot between his arms as she watched him go into a huge yawn, and despite the fact the fog began to thicken she found herself smiling wider as she watched Keitaro begin to blush from his yawn. It was that moment that out of the fog came running a horde of monkeys howling and screeching making a frightful noise startling them and their horse causing it to rear up wildly. She could feel them both begin to fall off the horses back. She cried out in fear till she felt his arms tighten about her waist, pulling her tightly to him, she could feel Keitaro twist himself so that her body landed atop of his. Landing atop of him she knew he took the brunt of the blow as they hit the ground, she heard his grunt of pain and felt him gripping her tighter.

Keitaro let out a groan of pain though he feels a bit of pride at the fact he had kept the girl from any harm, it took him a moment to take note that one hand had managed to get a rather nice hand hold upon the girl. He blinked and then squeezed his hand a moment felling a rather pleasantly soft mound of warm flesh. He heard the girl give out a soft meep as his hand did it gentle exploring. Then he felt his face drain of blood as he realized just exactly what held in his hand. Pulling his hand away as if his flesh was burning He sat up half pushing her from his lap as he squirmed back the other way.

“Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! I am so sorry it was a accident, I didn’t mean it I was just trying to feel if you were ok …Ahhhhh no I mean make sure you were felt up….I mean make sure that you weren’t hurt. Pleaseeee don’t hit me.”

Both sat there on the ground as the monkeys stampeded by, their faces deep crimson as they looked down on the ground, one feeling ashamed, the other feeling confused at the thrill that had went through her body at the rather indecent touch. Keitaro looked up once again expecting to be punished for his lechery. It was then he realized that their horse and equipment were gone into the deep fog. He stood up and then he coughed softly to make Shinobu look up. Once she did he offered her his hand to help her stand.

“We had better find our horse or else we will be lost and walking instead of lost and riding.”

Still confused by her morning she took his offered hand and nodded. She noted that he kept her hand in his looking to it and trying to speak, but just managing a little squeaking sound, causing Keitaro to turn and look down he blushed and looked away and spoke quietly.

“I just thought we better not get separated in the fog or else we will be in real trouble.”

Small black wings flutter in the dawn light as the bored blonde haired imp sat at the edge of the cave opening on the low cliff. Below the imp was a hot springs and there about the hot springs lay her targets, the small girl chuckled evilly as she picked up the huge stone table, one of many that lay about the cave from older days. She grinned ear to ear as she launched it at the monkeys below. She laughed so hard she almost fell off the ledge to the water below. The rock face shattered on a rock below sending fragment hitting the hot springs monkeys that lay about. With startled howls the small hoard fled into the mist shrouded woods.

“Bulls eye hehe take that you fuzzy Dorks”

The young imp pouted and her spade tip tail swayed behind her it took a few minutes of waiting before she realized her targets had fled and were not coming back readily. The small girl imp pouted a moment then made her way back into the cave she had occupied for nearly 50 years; her eyes went wide as she made her way into it, the sword imbedded in the rock of the floor was glowing pulsating and thrumming. The girl felt a bit of panic, her reason to be here was to watch over the blade and warn her master if it showed the signs of coming awake.

“It is awake I have to tell Master!”

Dark wings fluttered taking the imp up out of the cave and into the air, the young imp flew nearly an hour deeper into the mountains. After nearly an hour of flight she reached another cave she darted into the darkness and landed walking into the cave with a smirk as she paused to pick up a pointed stout stick and then passing by a small cage she paused and began to poke the woman locked with in. The woman giggled softly each time she made the raven haired swordswoman cry out in pain.

“Aoyama family isn’t so tough when they face Master are they?”

“Sarah Imp, why are you here and why have you abandoned your post?”

The Imp let out a startled squeak and dropped the stick and moved quickly into the caves main area, a huge room dominated by a huge turtle demon lounging on his throne. The blonde haired imp quickly curtsied to the huge shelled demon.

“Master the Hina blade is awake, it is pulsating as if it is a heart!”

“What! When did it start?” Some one of the blood has been found worthy of wielding it!”

“Umm…Ummm I think this morning it started.. Yes it was this morning at ummm dawn I think.”

“Dawn? Then we have time about a day before the owner will arrive. Go to the wench Mokoto Aoyama prepare her for me I will be using her body for travel”

“Yes Master.’

With that the imp fluttered away to the cage and began to ready the girl she had been tormenting just a little bit before.

Walking deeper into the fog Keitaro suddenly came to reason the fog had thickened and with a loud splash he fell into a hot springs almost taking Shinobu with him. Sitting up dripping warm water he looked up to the giggling young woman that was when he noticed the cave not to far up the cliff side.

“Well I guess this looks like a good place to stop, we can bath and look up there for shelter, and we can rest safely there till the fog clears.”

AN: well I will leave a bit of a cliff hanger I hope you all like this chapter it is a bit longer. Please read and review and let me know if you think I should continue Haunted as well. I hope to get at least 5 reviews for this chapter pleaseeeeeee.