A/N: Don't own Love Hina or any of the rights thereof, therein...or any of there I may have forgotten about.

Shattered

Chapter 1

The blade cut through the air repeatedly, without delay or hesitation. Each time the metal flashed in the early morning light that was just starting to streak the skies. The woman wielding the blade was dressed in the simple training outfit she wore everyday, her jet black hair hardly moving as she practiced with no expression on her classically beautiful face.

The only indication of her exertion came from the shimmering sheen of sweat that adorned her brow. That she had been practicing since before the sun rose would have been indeterminable from her consistent and repetitive motions. Sword up, sword down while taking a step forward, relaxing back and resuming the original position.

A small dot steadily grew larger on the colorful morning sky until it revealed itself to be the golden phoenix Shippo, that was messenger for her family. Landing amid a fluttering of feathers on the rail closest to Motoko Aoyama, heir to the Shinmei Ryuu, it held an ivory message case bearing the family seal.

The appearance of the bird pulled Motoko from her thoughts and training, her heart seeming to leap into her chest when she noted the message case. "Shippo, have you brought me a message?" she asked the bird, her husky voice soft in the quiet of the morning.

Craning her neck forwards, she dropped the case into Motoko's out stretched hand, giving a quiet yet musical chirping noise as she settled back on the rail. Her message delivered, she began to preen her plumage in preparation for the long flight home, ignoring the swordswoman standing before her.

Pulling the cap from the end, Motoko pulled the scroll from within and slowly unrolled it, easily recognizing the graceful script of her older sister's handwriting. Her eyes moved over the scroll, widening as she read. As she finished, the hand holding the message fell to her side, fingers tightening subconsciously on the scroll, crumpling it in her hand.

Her face slowly lost it's shocked appearance, to be replace by one of determination and drive. "Thank you Shippo," she said, her voice now a controlled extension of the power she could summon at a moments notice.

Taking measured steps to the small table that held the laundry nearby, she smoothed out the paper on the table. Picking up a pencil from the sketch pad Shinobu left to occupy her time while she did laundry, Motoko penned her response and carefully rerolled the message, replacing it within the case and resealing it.

"I need you to carry this to my sister," she told the bird, placing the case back into it's beak. "Thank you Shippo," she said as means of farewell, turning and walking to the stairs that led back to the depths of the Hinata Inn.

Later that morning...

Keitaro wiped the sweat off his brow with the sleeve of his t-shirt as he stepped into the kitchen, a satisfied smile on his face at having completed the last of the repairs to the boilers. "Whew, glad that's over. I sure hope Shinobu left something for me to eat from breakfast," he said to himself, crossing to the fridge with an eager smile.

A single sheet of vellum hung on the door, fluttering only slightly as he approached to further draw his attention. "Huh? What's this?" he asked himself, far more used to talking to himself than was probably healthy for him, but given the likelihood of getting punched for talking to one of the girl's at the inn, it was by far safer for him.

"Hmmmm...Motoko's off on another training mission again?" he muttered, shrugging but tucking her hand written message into his pocket and opening the door to the fridge, promptly forgetting about the note as he noticed a small stack of bowls that Shinobu had left for him on the top shelf.

Sitting down at the table, he placed the bowls at convenient locations and began to remove the lids, enjoying the smells of his late breakfast. Just as he began to dig into his food, the tussled blond head of Su poked around the corner, her face bearing a concerned look. "Heyas Keitaro...you ain't seen Motoko this mornin' have yas?" she asked, though her voice still carried the usual tone of enthusiasm it lacked conviction.

Shaking his head, he paused the journey of the food to his mouth. "Nope, but I've been fixing the boilers again," he said before his eyes widened and he waved the youngest girl of the Inn closer. "Oh yeah, but she did leave a message. Here, read what she said," he offered, rummaging in his pocket for the letter and handing it to the girl as she plopped down next to him.

Her green eyes scanned the page, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she did so. "Oh," was all she said, putting the paper on the table, her eyes going downcast.

A sinking feeling in his stomach almost canceled his hunger at seeing the irrepressible girl in such a state. It usually meant he was going to suffer pain and indignity in the immediate future, followed closely by further torment from the misunderstandings from his on again/off again girlfriend Naru. "What's wrong Su?" he asked gently, pushing a bowl of miso closer to her, in hopes that if she started eating he could at least have something in his stomach before the pain began.

The girl absently pushed the cubes of tofu around the soup, "Well, ya see, me'n Motokos were supposed to do some testing today with my new tama's but she got all messed up by the last ones so I was gonna surprise her this mornin' only she never came back to wake me up like she normally does. Then she leaves this note and I think that maybe she don't wanna play with me no more," the genius admitted glumly.

Managing not to roll his eyes at the situations he found himself in on a daily basis, "No, I'm SURE Motoko isn't thinking anything like that Su, in fact I guarantee it!" he started, keeping a happy and enthusiastic tone to help bolster the girl's ego and feelings.

When Su looked up he gave her a winning smile, "I'm sure something just came up and she had to leave in a hurry. You know how she can get with these training missions," he continued, then forced himself to swallow his base survival instincts and complete his good deed for the hour.

"Tell you what, why don't I help you out until she gets back. She did say she'd be back tonight or tomorrow night at the latest. You think I can help out until then?" he asked, his mind silently giving him last rites and lighting incense in his memory.

The smile that she gave him could have outshone the mid-day sun, her green eyes lit up with a maniac enthusiasm at having Keitaro play with her. "That'd be great Keitaro! Thanks so much!" she shouted, leaping into the surprised man's arms, toppling both of them backwards to the floor as she nuzzled her cheek to his affectionately.

As quickly as she'd sprung on him, she was gone, shouting plans and possibilities she'd have to try as she raced up to her room to gather her equipment.

Rubbing the back of his head, Keitaro slowly sat up with a wince. "Ouch. Well, that wasn't so bad for a change," he said, a self satisfied smile once more growing on his face. An internal instinct sprang to life within him, an instinct that had been battle honed and hardened through months of physical and emotional abuse within the walls of his home. The smile drifted from his face as he slowly opened his eyes, knowing that once the instinct to flee for his life reared up, there was ALWAYS a good reason for it, and it usually involved his love interest.

His brown eyes beheld a pair of shapely legs in brown stockings. Traveling upwards, he caught sight of a brownish red skirt that led to a yellow sweater over a pair of well endowed breasts. Hastily moving up from the breasts, ('Hey, I'm a guy but I'm not SUICIDAL' his mind said emphatically), he finally found the irate expression of Naru Narusegawa. "Oh, hi Naru. Good morning?" he said, his voice trailing off as he noticed her fist, which was tightly clenched and pulsing several times larger than should have been humanly possible.

Glaring down at the young man, "Keitaro! I can't believe you! Not ONLY do you blow off our study date tonight, but you ALSO tried to sneak a look at Su's panties while she was thanking you!" she growled out, taking a step closer to the cowering young man.

Used to being accused, insulted and beaten, he'd already started crabbing his way backwards from her rage. At her accusation of peeping on Su, he stopped, his face flushing bright red. "NARU! I wouldn't EVER do something like that!" he yelled back, eyes wide and horrified that she would accuse him of something that heinous.

The shock and anger in his voice and sheer volume of his tone, Naru actually took a step back as the red rapidly faded from her eyes. "Huh? But...I SAW you Keitaro! She was crouched like right on your face! How could you NOT look?" she asked, her anger warring for dominance once more, though it now met stiff resistance from her common sense and love for the man before her.

Shaking his head vehemently, "NO WAY! My head got smashed into the floor when she jumped on me, I couldn't see anything but stars," he said, getting to his feet and holding out his hands placatingly, thankful that their long talks at night were finally beginning to pay off.

Doubt showed easily on her face as she cocked her head to the side. "Well, that IS true...I heard the thump from up the stairs," she mused, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "I did it again, didn't I?" she asked sheepishly, a shy smile finally breaking through the uncertainty and anger on her expression.

"Kinda, but at least you didn't hit me this time," he agreed with a chuckle, letting out a sigh of relief. "Thanks for listening to me Naru, I...uh, really appreciate it," he told her extending a hand to her in peace.

She took his hand and stepped closer to him, stopping just short of his arms as she searched his face. "You're still coming tonight to study though, right?" she asked earnestly.

Keitaro smiled warmly as he nodded. "Of course Naru, I wouldn't miss it for the world...but you may have to help bandage me up a bit. I couldn't let Su get all depressed, the Inn's just got done with repairs from the LAST time she blew up the west wing," he said, wincing slightly at the memories.

Naru's brow furrowed, "What's up what that anyways? What happened to Motoko?" she asked, remembering all too well the infamous instant curry transmitting experiment and the flaming repercussions around the Inn...and the town.

He shrugged, "I dunno, she left a note for us that said she had to do something for her family and would be back either tonight or tomorrow night at the latest, I guess it's something to do with training," he explained, righting his seat and settling in once more before his interrupted meal.

Motioning for her to sit down, he offered some of the portions to her, which she took with a gracious smile. She thoughtfully plucked a dumpling from the tray and popped it in her mouth, thinking as she chewed. "Well, don't let her get too rough, my medical classes aren't too advanced and I don't want to have to practice on you when we're supposed to be studying math," she told him with a crooked smile.

The manager of the Inn caught himself staring at her beauty, wordless awed by the way the light played on her face. It was only her faint blush that snapped him out of his thoughts, "Yeah, I'll make sure to run if it looks too dangerous. I've still got a couple of hiding spots she don't know about yet. Hopefully she hasn't fine tuned her radar on me. If I'm not in your room by 8, could you come find me? I don't want to miss too much studying while trying to save what's left of my skin," he asked, blushing himself at the smile she gave him...and the fact she didn't chastise him for staring at her.

"Of course...I'll even bring some snacks, just in case," she agreed, leaning closer to him and resting her forehead on his for a second before abruptly rising, a deep scarlet coloring her cheeks.

"Well...seeyatonight!" she said in a rush and all but fled the room, shocked and scared of her own actions towards her boyfriend.

Keitaro was left blinking at shock, not at the sudden disappearance of Naru, but rather at the intimate way she'd leaned into him. It was the first time she'd really taken any type of initiative with him, and gave him hope for the future with the volatile young woman that held his heart.

Three days later...

Hissing low, Keitaro pulled the large square bandage from his midsection, clenching his teeth as the adhesive pulled both sensitive skin and fine hairs. Letting out a sigh of relief as the last of it came free, he eyed the healing wound carefully, not finding any sign of infection. "Hmmmm, not too bad. I'll have to show Naru," he thought aloud, poking the pinkish skin carefully, testing it's tenderness.

Finding that it was mostly healed, he began to focus on the other myriad of bandages he'd been collecting during his time with Su in Motoko's absence. The young man frowned at the thought, beginning to feel a bit concerned about her, it wasn't like the girl to not leave word of her whereabouts to her room-mates at the Inn, especially on last minute trips.

He barely stifled a yelp of pain as a large patch of hair came off his leg along with a bandage, a knock at the door having startled him into pulling much harder then he'd wanted. Glaring up at the offending door, he threw the bandage at the ground, as if to teach it a lesson for hurting him. "Just a second," he called out, his tone only betraying the pain he felt from the removal process and not the annoyance of being scared out of his wits momentarily.

Opening the door he came face to face with the beautiful face of the elder Aoyama sister, Tsuruko. Standing there slack jawed, he was struck dumb at seeing the woman who'd almost forced him and Motoko to marry not so long ago.

"May I come in Keitaro, or perhaps you'd prefer something less intimate?" she asked, giving him a slight smile as he blushed from her insinuations.

"Ahhhhh..." he managed to squeak out finally, his mind racing to pick up the disjointed and scattered pieces.

"Why I would be honored to walk the grounds with you. How thoughtful of you to ask," she said, taking his arm and leading him from the room. Pausing, she looked pointedly at the still open door until he took the hint and closed it, before continuing on towards the main level and the door that would lead them to the woodlands surrounding the Inn.

They walked in silence for several moments until well out of ear shot of those at the Inn who were following the strange couple on their walk from hidden vantage points. With backs to the Inn, Tsuruko finally started speaking quietly to the young man. "I'm sorry to arrive unannounced but I need your help," she told him, her voice was light and musical but still carried a heavy undercurrent of seriousness that gave him a dread filled lump in his middle.

"Huh? But what could I possibly be able to do to help you?" he asked, knowing full well that she was superior to him in every way he could think of.

He gave him a sidelong glance and smile. "You underestimate yourself Keitaro, but then, perhaps that is one of your endearing qualities. You truly do not understand what a treasure you are," she told, earning her another blush from him.

"I've come because we've lost contact with Motoko and I would like you assistance in finding her," Tsuruko finally explained, her eyes going to the trees around them once more. She stopped and turned to face him directly, clasping her hands around his.

Keitaro looked down at the hands, then up to her face, confusion and worry showing clearing. "But...she said she was coming back..." he started to say, only to be hushed by her look.

"Our father sent her a mission, an exorcism of an unclean and possibly demonic spirit located in a nearby shrine. It had been terrorizing the monks and visitors to the point that they requested our assistance," she paused, making sure the some what dense young man was still following her. Seeing that he was truly comprehending the magnitude of her words, she continued.

"I've spoken personally with the monks, and they've not seen her for two days. The only thing they could confirm was that Motoko did indeed arrive, ordered all the monks from the shrine and it's grounds then entered into the area alone, seeking to banish it herself. She's not been seen or heard from since, although all demonic and spiritual activity has ceased. This worries me and I came to get help. You, Keitaro Urashima," the woman explained.

Swallowing hard, he could barely comprehend her rationale much less her intent that he could actually be of assistance. "Um, in case you forgot...I suck at fighting spirits, remember? If it hadn't been for Motoko that evil spirit would've eaten my soul or something," he told her with a slightly incredulous look.

She gave him a warm and confident smile. "Yet, in the face of such knowledge, you stayed on to fight at my sister's side. It's for that reason that I've come, for you see there's something else you may not realize. Your blood is linked to the blade my sister uses," smiling once more at his look of confusion.

"When I broke Motoko's sword, you gave her your family blade...the Hina Blade, cursed as it was at the time. It was still able to seal away a demon of great power, and once cleansed was a match if not more then the one she originally wielded. However, since it's history is so deeply tied with that of your family, you should still be able to sense it's presence if close enough. That is why I've come for you. Will you help me in finding Motoko? I fear something terrible has happened to her," Tsuruko said, her eyes tearing slightly as she loose her emotional control to show the man the depth of her fears on the situation.

"Motoko's in trouble?" Keitaro asked quietly, the slight feeling of dread he'd been having exploding inside him and demanding he take action for the beautiful girl he'd come to admire and respect.

Tsuruko nodded slowly, not having to voice any of her further concerns.

He bit his lower lip as his mind played over what he would possibly need and what he was going to tell the others about his impending departure. "Okay, I'll help. I can't just leave her alone when she might need our help," he said finally, nodding firmly and with determination.

"Again, our family will be in debt to you for your help Keitaro. Thank you," she told him simply, hooking her arm through his and leading him back towards the Inn.

As they entered into the living room, they found all the residents impatiently waiting for them, with Naru glaring at the contact the two of them were sharing. "Okay Keitaro! What the hell is going on here?" she asked, hating the tone of her voice but unable to help it at seeing him arm in arm with Tsuruko.

He blushed at her and tried to pull his arm from Tsuruko, only to find that the woman wouldn't let him go. "I...uh, well...you see..." he stammered, unable to think of an excuse and not wanting to worry them about Motoko.

"I'm sorry Naru, but I've come to Keitaro for his assistance on behalf of my family. It would seem that we've lost track of the Hina Blade and need his help in finding it," Tsuruko said smoothly, as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

Snorting slightly, Naru frowned deeper. "And how's Keitaro supposed to do that huh? It ain't like he's a warrior something. Why can't you just go looking by yourself?" she asked defensively, arms crossing over her breasts.

"OOOHH! Can I come? I can find anything!" shouted Su, leaping from behind the couch and onto Keitaro, succeeding in dislodging him from Tsuruko's arm in a most painful way, driving him forcefully into the floor.

Tsuruko smiled indulgently as she pulled Su off the dazed man with ease, holding her as she might a daughter. "I'm sorry little one, but I need you to stay here and wait for my sister to return as she will be expecting you to play with her. You can do this for us, can't you?" she asked the girl with a grave expression.

Su nodded slowly and gave a sage expression, "Yeah, I'm your girl! I'll make sure that me'n Motokos' will have plenty of stuff to play with when she gets back," she vowed, crawling from the woman's arms and immediately rushing to the stairs, the dire sounds of machinery coming life reverberating throughout the Inn in her wake.

"Ya'll have to teach me that trick," muttered a slightly intoxicated Mitsune, giving Tsuruko a one eyed glance before smiling mischieviously.

"Say now, ya'll wouldn't be trying to put the moves on our boy Keitaro here would ya? Although, given his inexperience, I'm sure Naru wouldn't mind someone breaking him in for her. We all know how clumsy his can be...and that ain't the most romantic..." she drawled, moving just in time to avoid a Naru anger powered swipe at her head.

"Touchy touchy!" the fox chastised her friend, the smile broadening. "I was jus' looking out for ya Naru. Keitaro would do alright to have an experienced woman..." she tried speaking again, leaping this time from the range of Naru, only to find herself in close proximity to Tsuruko, a demure smile on her face.

Placing a restraining hand on the troublemaker's shoulder, she squeezed and brought the woman to her knees. "It would seem you've gotten the wrong idea Kitsune, perhaps some education is in order as to the way to properly speak of such thing?" she asked cordially, though the danger in her tone was thick enough to kill.

Shaking her head almost violently, the fox turned so white that she was almost see through. "Good, I didn't believe so either. Now that we've established my intentions, we must depart. The sooner we get started on this, the sooner we'll return," she said, as if the matter were solved.

Naru, slightly scared at the show of incredible power at the woman's fingertips, shook her head slightly. "I still don't understand why you need him," she replied with dogged stubbornness.

"It's quite simple Naru, his family had been the keepers of the blade for many years and he should be able to sense it's location if in close proximity to it," the woman told her, moving to help Keitaro back to his feet.

"I don't know Tsuruko, it's not like we can honestly trust you or anything," Naru fussed, frowning at Keitaro in jealousy.

Before Tsuruko could respond to the slight made against her, Keitaro spoke up. "We can trust her Naru, after all she could've still force me and Motoko to marry but didn't. Besides, she's right. That sword was my grandfathers and my grandfathers grandfather. It shouldn't take too long to find, right?" he asked, looking to Tsuruko for support in his claim.

"I should imagine not, but the temple we'll be traveling to is a few hours distant," Tsuruko elaborated.

Naru swallowed past her unease, looking at Keitaro and Tsuruko. "Why not take Kanako? She's more in tune with that kind of stuff. I mean, Keitaro has a hard time finding his socks most days, much less a sword he's never used," the girl said, playing her last card in hopes of getting Keitaro away from the woman.

She'd known of Motoko's feelings for her boyfriend and didn't want any more issues with her over him, especially if her older sibling was involved.

"I've already spoken with Keitaro's grandmother and explained. She also believed that Keitaro and NOT Kanako would be the better choice. With his chi being unaccustomed to the blade, he should be more sensitive to it and significantly shorten our search time," the swords woman said reasonably, smiling at the girl's verbal arguments.

Throwing her hands up in frustration, Naru gave a low growl. "You really WANT to go Keitaro? She isn't forcing you or anything is she?" she asked him bluntly, feeling the situation slipping well past her comfortable sense of control.

Keitaro nodded solemnly, "Yeah, I do Naru. It's not like they ask for much of anything and they DO help out with repairs around here and all. I'll be back before you know," he said, giving her what he hoped was a confident smile to match his words.

It didn't work.

Narrowing her eyes, "Fine, go then. But don't come back here complaining to me if something goes wrong!" she huffed, stomping to the stairs and hastily ascending them.

Looking wistfully after her, Keitaro's face fell. "But Naru..." he mumbled, hurt by her over reaction.

Mitsune looked after the girl, then back to the crestfallen Keitaro and sighed heavily. "I swear, you two should go an' do the deed'n be done with it. It'd make all our lives much easier," she grumbled, but walked to Keitaro while keeping a wide berth around Tsuruko.

"I'll talk to her Keitaro, doncha worry about her. You just go do what ya gotta and hurry now, ya'heah?" she asked, giving him a comforting smile as she touched his arm.

After the room had cleared, Tsuruko's face once more took on a serious expression. "Do not worry Keitaro, we shouldn't be gone long and then things can go back to the way they were prior to my visit. Shall we go?" she asked, waiting patiently as he weighed his emotions.

It only took him a moment, forcing back the hurt and focusing on helping Motoko. "Yeah, let's go find her. I've got a bad feeling about this though," he admitted, walking out of the Inn with Tsuruko and down the stairs.

"As do I Keitaro, which is why I've come for you," the woman told him, hailing a taxi that was passing by.

3 hours later at a shrine near Kyoto...

The woods were dark, almost oppressive, blotting out the bright sunshine and casting moving shadows around them as they walked slowly on the barely broken trail. Several times Tsuruko stopped and closed her eyes, raising her face upwards as if sampling the winds that gently blew around them.

"I can't hear any birds or cicada's," Keitaro said, his voice hushed by the feelings the woods gave him. It was disconcerting and creepy, making him wish he had a flashlight and baseball bat.

His eyes were drawn to the bared blade Tsuruko carried easily in her right hand, smiling sheepishly as he realized how useless a bat would be in face of not only the sword but the powers Tsuruko manifested through the blade.

"Something is wrong, the wa of the forest has been horribly disrupted. I believe my fears that something terrible happened to Motoko are well founded," admitted Tsuruko, giving Keitaro a fearful glance.

The expression on her face scared him more so then her words, never had he seen the seemingly invincible woman fearful of anything. That she did now didn't bode well nor sit easily in the pit of his stomach.

"Concentrate Keitaro, let the swords energies find you, guide you," she told him before he could respond.

He nodded and swallowed hard, clearing his thoughts and emotions like she'd taught him on the trip over. The feeling of wrongness didn't dissipate as he concentrated but only intensified within him. A slight ripple touched his conscious mind, drawing him to the north west with a sense of dire urgency. Snapping his eyes open, he pointed with a shaking finger in the direction he'd sensed. "I think it's that way...or something is at any rate," he said under his breath, sweat breaking out on the back of his neck.

"Very well, stay close to me and say nothing," she ordered softly, giving him a nod of approval before leaving the almost hidden trail and going deeper in the gloom.

They only had to walk a few hundred feet, though it seemed much longer in the heavy underbrush. A clearing appeared before them, the weeds and plants trampled and blackened within. Though the sun shone down on the clearing it still seemed unnaturally dark and forboding.

With silent hand gestures Tsuruko motioned him to follow her cautiously into the deadened patch of forest, stopping a third of the way in.

"Oh no..." gasped Keitaro, his eyes widened in shock and horror as he pointed to a spot at the center of the clearing with a visibly shaking finger.

"Dear ancestors...no," echoed Tsuruko, moving haltingly to the spot noted by Keitaro. She knelt on the dead floura, hands covering her mouth, sword resting almost forgotten on her knees.

Keitaro crossed to her and knelt as well, reaching down with fearful hands. There, laying in the grass, was the shattered remains of the Hina Blade, broken into dozens of jagged pieces. The hilt was cracked and only held 3 inches of blade, the metal darkened beyond what it had been before. All the pieces were the same color and showed the destruction that had been wrought on the sword, but no sign of Motoko.

Lifting his head, Keitaro slowly surveyed the tree's around the, searching for any clue of Motoko's location or path and finding none. Not a tree was damaged nor was the ground torn up from the use of her sacred arts.

"Where's Motoko?" he whispered, not sure he would like the answer.

The only answer he received was the gentle blowing of the wind through the leaves and branches of the tree's around, then it slowly died away, leaving the two people wondering with horrible fear at the fate of Motoko.

End of chapter notes:

Cliffhangers, gotta love'm. Hope you all enjoyed this, just an idea I've been kicking around for a bit. Thought it might be interesting to explore and here I am. I've got an idea where this is going and have most of planned out, just have to get the time to write it. Updates may be spread out a bit, depending on time and other issues that could hinder my typing, but I WILL finish this, I promise. So no lynching or sending the Burger King to peek in my windows(how creepy is THAT guy...shudder) Anyhow, RnR if it moves you to do so and stayed tuned for what's to come. Enjoy everyone!