A bit of a continuation of the topic I made awhile ago for a new Love Hina fic I was working on aside from Motion. Still heavily work-in-progress, but between various blocks created by homework and school, this is what I managed to create. Progress on it, however, has been mindnumbingly slow. I've had more deleted sections for this chapter than any I've written thus far, but I think I'll stick with something along these lines. This chapter has yet to be completed, but I'd like some comments regarding it so far, what's right, what wrong, etc.
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Without Fate
- - -
Chapter 1:
A day in her life
Three years before the Kingdom of Molmol found itself burning to the ground, with its king just recently murdered and with the kingdomÆs end drawing nigh, the root of all that has yet to come can be traced back to one place. If the assassination of the king and the ending of a kingdom was the same as the detonation of a powder keg, the very start of the fuse begins here. The fuse was not lit here, however, but rather this was where the quartermaster had likely fit the fuse in place and intended for another to light it much later.
It begins at the doorstep to the venerable Hinata Sou.
The pink cherry blossoms drifted lazily as the gentle wind scattered the tiny flowers into the air. The lovely blue sky that hung overhead was without a single cloud, while the sun shined graciously upon everything under its rays. It was just another warm spring day.
A young woman stood facing the front of the building. She took a moment to push aside the stray lengths of hair that brushed overtop of her eyes. The light breeze made her long light brown hair flutter in the gentle wind. In front of her, standing at the entrance to Hinata Sou stood another figure, a male, not much older than she. He smiled at her, and was answered by the woman kindly glancing in away, flushed in a scarlet red.
She felt strange around him. When around him, there was a feeling she felt that wanted him closer. Looking back at him, she smiled back. She then slowly approached him, moving closer and closer. She stopped right in front him, staring deeply into his face. He reached his hand out and stroked her face. He then leaned in, his lips inching closer to closer to hers. She closed her eyes, her heart fluttered inside of her chest, overwhelmed by the feelings.
It then came to an abrupt stop.
As soon as she opened her eyes again, she realized her arm was extended and her fist was balled into a fist. The male was sprawled on the ground in front of her, the side of his face bruised and red. What had she done? Did she justà?
The woman stepped forward, trying to get to his aid. Unfortunately, the male got back to his feet. It was only unfortunate due to the angry, accusing glare in his eyes. He screamed and yelled at her, with rage and anger she had never faced before. The once beautiful blue sky above her suddenly went dark as dark clouds drifted in. The speed of the wind picked up violently, turning from a gentle spring breeze to a ferocious hurricane force typhoon. The beautiful cherry blossoms, once pink and vibrant, darkened and turned into ash.
The male continued to berate her. She tried to reason with him, but she could not find her voice. She could feel his anger coursing through her. The pain, the sorrow, the hate û there was so much of it, and every bit of it was being directed straight at her. It was her fault. She fell to her knees, and suddenly, all the strength she once had faded away, replaced with nothing but weakness and powerlessness. This was not her, but there was nothing else she could be, not here, not now.
The entire world around her fell out of focus and into a rapidly growing darkness. The form of the male moulded into the darkness and reshaped itself, now towering high over her. From the darkness emerged several others, all of them taking the form of people she once knew. Their many forms viciously screamed and shouted at her, demanding why she had done what she did, how she could even accept herself doing it. Every moment they lashed out at her only brought her further to the ground. She cried out in tears, desperately trying to apologize and atone for what she had done. Her cries for forgiveness were met with deaf, unforgiving and uncaring ears, and all she was able to muster were ragged and pitiful sobs.
She then woke up.
She was no longer there, in the darkness, with all of them standing over her. She was here û in her room, lying in her futon. Her pillow and her sheets were drenched in cold sweat and the dried tears of the night before. The memories of the dream still burned in her mind. She forced herself out of her tangle of sheets and desperately crawled towards the other section of her room. Here, the large bookcases were covered, hiding the books that once adorned the shelves. They ranged from a myriad of textbooks, to novels, and even a single diary somebody had accidentally taken a peek inside. In the centre was a small wooden board, with a tattered and worn stuffed animal sitting on top. Pushing the stuffed animal aside, she frantically pushed the board out of the way, revealing the hole that connected her room and the room below hers. She poked her head through to check, her heart pounding inside her chest.
ôKeitaro?ö
Whatever gods or supernatural beings she prayed for during the frantic lapse of time must not have been listening to her cries for help. Nobody listened to them, not anymore at least. The room below her, once the living space of a young man she had loved and cared for, was empty, and devoid of any sign of life or anything that once existed there. All that existed down below was the thin layer of dust that she had yet to clean. The womanÆs heart shattered as the realization sank in. He was really gone. Moving the board back into place, she got to her feet and walked towards the door and towards the washroom. The memories from the dream still remained with her. With it, the realization only reinforced itself. He was really gone. Not just him, but everybody. All that stood around her were the remains of the Hinata Apartments. Once vibrant and filled with life and energy, it was now a lonely and empty reminder of a past, long since faded and gone.
It was the same sight she woke up to every morning. She wished it was all just a dream, one she was just waiting for to end. She wanted to wake up and get out of this nightmare and back into reality. She wanted to go back to her old life - the one she once existed in and took for granted. She wanted everything to be back to normal.
She wanted to wake up.
Switching on the light in the washroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her long, light brown hair was dishevelled, and the few dark circles under her eyes were evidence she was not sleeping all too well as of late. Turning on the tap, she doused her face in cold water and rubbed her temples. The cold shock jolted her and firmly threw her out of the state of semi-consciousness. She looked back at the mirror, back at her tired face, with the beads of cold water slowly dripping off the sides of her cheeks and the bottom of her chin. There was nothing left in her eyes, save for a single pathetic cry to be forgiven.
The woman, Naru Narusegawa, could not wake up from her nightmare.
She was already awake.
- - -
The weather outside the Hinata Apartments was a mix between dreary and depressing. The rain had stopped only a half hour ago, and the absence of rain left only a damp and cold feeling in the area. It was awful weather, caught awkwardly between two already deplorable extremes.
Naru shivered as she stepped outside. She was thankful to have slipped into a turtleneck moments before. Wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to conserve heat, she nervously walked out. The sun had barely risen in the distance and with the exception of the scattered streaks of red and orange the sky was still mostly dark. It was through this twilight of dark and light that Naru walked away from the apartments. Every morning, it was the same thing û wake up early, open the teahouse, and get ready for business. Day after day, week after week, month after month, for three years now û it was the same routine for Naru.
Looking back at the apartments from a distance, Naru was only reminded of how much the building needed repairs. The Hinata Apartments had seen better days, and now, it was on the verge of falling apart. It wasnÆt just the split and cracked pieces of wood, or the holes in the wall and dilapidated condition, but closer examinations would even suggest damage from explosions, courtesy of a last goodbye that happened to extend past merely hateful screams and curses. Sadly, Naru had neither the ability, nor the financial capacity to do the repairs. It was the same realization that only pushed more guilt into her. She used to make him do the repairs, when most of the damage was actually done by her. It was as though fate wanted her to atone for what she had done, by handing her responsibility of the repairs.
At the base of the long flight of steps that led to the apartments stood the Hinata Teahouse, a less worn and still presentable structure. If anything, Naru was able to maintain it better. It was smaller, and it had a ready supply of materials nearby to work with. Parts of the building were scuffed and broken, but those seemed to lend themselves into giving the teahouse a quaint and pleasant image being rapidly lost to the splendour of urbanization.
Naru unlocked the doors and prepared to open for the day. She put on her apron and started setting the tables and the chairs. She then proceeded to prepare the ingredients for the tea and food. There wasnÆt anything particularly hard about it û especially after she forced herself to learn all of it three years ago. In a way, it was adapt or die, and seeing how she had no other means of income, it was the only way.
For the last three years, however, there was still the same, uneasy feeling in Naru as she operated the teahouse. Was she doing it right? Or was it a job left best for its original owner and operator? What would Haruka have thought of NaruÆs work with the teahouse?
Naru had learned to squelch those fears long ago. They were reserved for when she first started and was unsure of what to do. Through circumstance, she had very little otherwise, and such fears only stood in the way. But still, she couldnÆt help but doubt herself, as she did back then.
-----
As you can tell, not finished, at all. It lacks explanation for what's going on, but that's at least the general premise I'm going with, and I suppose people should be able to at least figure out what happened.
That's it for now, I think. I'll keep writing where necessary.
-----
Without Fate
- - -
Chapter 1:
A day in her life
Three years before the Kingdom of Molmol found itself burning to the ground, with its king just recently murdered and with the kingdomÆs end drawing nigh, the root of all that has yet to come can be traced back to one place. If the assassination of the king and the ending of a kingdom was the same as the detonation of a powder keg, the very start of the fuse begins here. The fuse was not lit here, however, but rather this was where the quartermaster had likely fit the fuse in place and intended for another to light it much later.
It begins at the doorstep to the venerable Hinata Sou.
The pink cherry blossoms drifted lazily as the gentle wind scattered the tiny flowers into the air. The lovely blue sky that hung overhead was without a single cloud, while the sun shined graciously upon everything under its rays. It was just another warm spring day.
A young woman stood facing the front of the building. She took a moment to push aside the stray lengths of hair that brushed overtop of her eyes. The light breeze made her long light brown hair flutter in the gentle wind. In front of her, standing at the entrance to Hinata Sou stood another figure, a male, not much older than she. He smiled at her, and was answered by the woman kindly glancing in away, flushed in a scarlet red.
She felt strange around him. When around him, there was a feeling she felt that wanted him closer. Looking back at him, she smiled back. She then slowly approached him, moving closer and closer. She stopped right in front him, staring deeply into his face. He reached his hand out and stroked her face. He then leaned in, his lips inching closer to closer to hers. She closed her eyes, her heart fluttered inside of her chest, overwhelmed by the feelings.
It then came to an abrupt stop.
As soon as she opened her eyes again, she realized her arm was extended and her fist was balled into a fist. The male was sprawled on the ground in front of her, the side of his face bruised and red. What had she done? Did she justà?
The woman stepped forward, trying to get to his aid. Unfortunately, the male got back to his feet. It was only unfortunate due to the angry, accusing glare in his eyes. He screamed and yelled at her, with rage and anger she had never faced before. The once beautiful blue sky above her suddenly went dark as dark clouds drifted in. The speed of the wind picked up violently, turning from a gentle spring breeze to a ferocious hurricane force typhoon. The beautiful cherry blossoms, once pink and vibrant, darkened and turned into ash.
The male continued to berate her. She tried to reason with him, but she could not find her voice. She could feel his anger coursing through her. The pain, the sorrow, the hate û there was so much of it, and every bit of it was being directed straight at her. It was her fault. She fell to her knees, and suddenly, all the strength she once had faded away, replaced with nothing but weakness and powerlessness. This was not her, but there was nothing else she could be, not here, not now.
The entire world around her fell out of focus and into a rapidly growing darkness. The form of the male moulded into the darkness and reshaped itself, now towering high over her. From the darkness emerged several others, all of them taking the form of people she once knew. Their many forms viciously screamed and shouted at her, demanding why she had done what she did, how she could even accept herself doing it. Every moment they lashed out at her only brought her further to the ground. She cried out in tears, desperately trying to apologize and atone for what she had done. Her cries for forgiveness were met with deaf, unforgiving and uncaring ears, and all she was able to muster were ragged and pitiful sobs.
She then woke up.
She was no longer there, in the darkness, with all of them standing over her. She was here û in her room, lying in her futon. Her pillow and her sheets were drenched in cold sweat and the dried tears of the night before. The memories of the dream still burned in her mind. She forced herself out of her tangle of sheets and desperately crawled towards the other section of her room. Here, the large bookcases were covered, hiding the books that once adorned the shelves. They ranged from a myriad of textbooks, to novels, and even a single diary somebody had accidentally taken a peek inside. In the centre was a small wooden board, with a tattered and worn stuffed animal sitting on top. Pushing the stuffed animal aside, she frantically pushed the board out of the way, revealing the hole that connected her room and the room below hers. She poked her head through to check, her heart pounding inside her chest.
ôKeitaro?ö
Whatever gods or supernatural beings she prayed for during the frantic lapse of time must not have been listening to her cries for help. Nobody listened to them, not anymore at least. The room below her, once the living space of a young man she had loved and cared for, was empty, and devoid of any sign of life or anything that once existed there. All that existed down below was the thin layer of dust that she had yet to clean. The womanÆs heart shattered as the realization sank in. He was really gone. Moving the board back into place, she got to her feet and walked towards the door and towards the washroom. The memories from the dream still remained with her. With it, the realization only reinforced itself. He was really gone. Not just him, but everybody. All that stood around her were the remains of the Hinata Apartments. Once vibrant and filled with life and energy, it was now a lonely and empty reminder of a past, long since faded and gone.
It was the same sight she woke up to every morning. She wished it was all just a dream, one she was just waiting for to end. She wanted to wake up and get out of this nightmare and back into reality. She wanted to go back to her old life - the one she once existed in and took for granted. She wanted everything to be back to normal.
She wanted to wake up.
Switching on the light in the washroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her long, light brown hair was dishevelled, and the few dark circles under her eyes were evidence she was not sleeping all too well as of late. Turning on the tap, she doused her face in cold water and rubbed her temples. The cold shock jolted her and firmly threw her out of the state of semi-consciousness. She looked back at the mirror, back at her tired face, with the beads of cold water slowly dripping off the sides of her cheeks and the bottom of her chin. There was nothing left in her eyes, save for a single pathetic cry to be forgiven.
The woman, Naru Narusegawa, could not wake up from her nightmare.
She was already awake.
- - -
The weather outside the Hinata Apartments was a mix between dreary and depressing. The rain had stopped only a half hour ago, and the absence of rain left only a damp and cold feeling in the area. It was awful weather, caught awkwardly between two already deplorable extremes.
Naru shivered as she stepped outside. She was thankful to have slipped into a turtleneck moments before. Wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to conserve heat, she nervously walked out. The sun had barely risen in the distance and with the exception of the scattered streaks of red and orange the sky was still mostly dark. It was through this twilight of dark and light that Naru walked away from the apartments. Every morning, it was the same thing û wake up early, open the teahouse, and get ready for business. Day after day, week after week, month after month, for three years now û it was the same routine for Naru.
Looking back at the apartments from a distance, Naru was only reminded of how much the building needed repairs. The Hinata Apartments had seen better days, and now, it was on the verge of falling apart. It wasnÆt just the split and cracked pieces of wood, or the holes in the wall and dilapidated condition, but closer examinations would even suggest damage from explosions, courtesy of a last goodbye that happened to extend past merely hateful screams and curses. Sadly, Naru had neither the ability, nor the financial capacity to do the repairs. It was the same realization that only pushed more guilt into her. She used to make him do the repairs, when most of the damage was actually done by her. It was as though fate wanted her to atone for what she had done, by handing her responsibility of the repairs.
At the base of the long flight of steps that led to the apartments stood the Hinata Teahouse, a less worn and still presentable structure. If anything, Naru was able to maintain it better. It was smaller, and it had a ready supply of materials nearby to work with. Parts of the building were scuffed and broken, but those seemed to lend themselves into giving the teahouse a quaint and pleasant image being rapidly lost to the splendour of urbanization.
Naru unlocked the doors and prepared to open for the day. She put on her apron and started setting the tables and the chairs. She then proceeded to prepare the ingredients for the tea and food. There wasnÆt anything particularly hard about it û especially after she forced herself to learn all of it three years ago. In a way, it was adapt or die, and seeing how she had no other means of income, it was the only way.
For the last three years, however, there was still the same, uneasy feeling in Naru as she operated the teahouse. Was she doing it right? Or was it a job left best for its original owner and operator? What would Haruka have thought of NaruÆs work with the teahouse?
Naru had learned to squelch those fears long ago. They were reserved for when she first started and was unsure of what to do. Through circumstance, she had very little otherwise, and such fears only stood in the way. But still, she couldnÆt help but doubt herself, as she did back then.
-----
As you can tell, not finished, at all. It lacks explanation for what's going on, but that's at least the general premise I'm going with, and I suppose people should be able to at least figure out what happened.
That's it for now, I think. I'll keep writing where necessary.
