'We Fell in Love'
'Love Hina' is by Ken Akamatsu

Writer's notes: This chapter takes place during the same period as chapter 15.

Time line: from the day after Haruka's wedding, to just after the O-bon Festival, 2014.

Chapter 16: Motoko and Asahi

Sitting on the JR Shinkansen bullet train speeding from Tokyo to Kyoto, Asahi suddenly gets a case of nerves. There is a big lump in his throat as some scary thoughts begin to run through his mind. Part of this stems from watching his girlfriend practice her morning Katas, which leaves him wondering just how good his Onee-san is.

Next to him, Motoko hears an audible gulp. She feels Asahi tighten his grip as they hold hands.

His mind wanders to a few days before…

Asahi sat down with Keitaro and wanted to talk to him about Tsuruko. He wanted to know what he could expect down in Kyoto.

Wanting to set the young man at ease, Keitaro answered him with a question of his own, "How fast can you run, Asahi-kun?"

Miffed by his sarcastic question, Kitsune reaches over and cuffs her laughing boyfriend upside the back of his head. "That was uncalled for, sweetie," says Kitsune frowning at him.

Three pairs of eyes turn to the young woman sitting with them.

Motoko's reaction to his acerbic wit was an ice-cold stare making them thankful that her Bokken or Katana was not nearby.

Keitaro sees the red aura emanating from the young Samurai and knows that he should shut up. He should know never to piss off someone who is as skilled in the Martial Arts as he purports to be.

"Gomen, Asahi-kun. I was just trying to help," says Keitaro rubbing the spot where Kitsune had smacked him.

"Well, it didn't," responds Kitsune seeing how nervous the boy was.

As an apology, he took them out for dinner. At the restaurant, Keitaro told him that he would have a very good time in Kyoto. He also tells Asahi that his cousin married a woman with both a witty and wicked sense of humor.

Motoko looked at her boyfriend and nodded in agreement with what their Senpai had just told him. Her ire with the owner of the Hinata is cooling off as the evening wears on.

However, when they called Tsuruko, she teased him so terribly that it almost started a war with Motoko.

Shigeru had to grab the phone from his wife, and talk to Asahi himself, since Tsuruko was laughing extremely hard in the background.

It took some fast thinking from him to re-establish peace between the two siblings.

After Motoko finished talking to her brother-in-law, she knew that her boyfriend was about ready to cancel his summer plans.

"What have I run into?" asks Asahi in a rhetorical manner.

Motoko has a snit afterwards and went to work out. She sometimes really hates her Ane-ue's sense of humor.

On the morning after the big wedding, Kitsune dropped the teen couple off at the train station in Yokohama. She left Keitaro home on purpose, as the Fox was the only adult not hungover from the previous day's reception.

In addition, Kitsune wanted Keitaro to sober up before they left on their own holiday.

Back in the present, on the speeding bullet train…

"Are you still nervous, Asahi-kun?" asks Motoko sitting in the seat next to him holding his hand. His grip seems to have eased up somewhat from the time when they had boarded.

Since asking him, Motoko has tried everything she can think to ward off his apprehension in meeting her Ane-ue. Even going so far as to promise him that no one would try to slice him a 'new one' because he had taken her innocence back on New Year's Day.

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Asahi can only pray as Fujiyama comes into view.

"Not anymore, Motoko-chan," replies Asahi, "Your brother-in-law helped me quite a bit after listening to your Onee-san. I also realize that Keitaro was trying to set me at ease." Slowly, he then releases a breath out his nostrils and looks straight ahead.

Tsuruko and Keitaro's humor really had 'rattled his cage'.

However, it is too late to turn around now.

Motoko is definitely going to give her Ane-ue an earful the first chance she can when the two of them are alone. She knows that Kitsune took care of Keitaro.

First meeting…

Pulling into Kyoto station, Asahi and Motoko gather their travel gear together after the train comes to a complete stop. The doors whoosh open and the young couple steps out onto the platform hand-in-hand.

Neither has to walk very far because what he sees next nearly causes his jaw to hit the ground.

In jeans and a summer blouse, Asahi gazes upon an older version of his girlfriend and it stops him in his tracks.

Motoko spies her Ane-ue coming into view and understands what is happening to her boyfriend.

Standing beside him there, all she can do is laugh.

"Konnichiwa, Asahi-kun," says Tsuruko as an introduction. Laughing because the boy cannot take his eyes off her, she knows that the next time she teases him it will be a lot more fun.

Standing next to his wife Shigeru laughs, because this was his first reaction to Tsuruko as well.

Motoko has never shown him a picture of her Ane-ue.

Shigeru sidles up to Asahi and says, "See what you have to look forward to in eleven years, my boy." In an un-Japanese like manner, he puts his arm around the tall teen's shoulder and leads them all towards the car.

'Shit,' is the first thing that comes to mind when Asahi when he recovers his wits.

"You were really terrible towards my Asahi-kun, Ane-ue," says Motoko still feeling a bit miffed. She says this from the back seat of a luxuriously appointed automobile.

"After the greeting I got back at the platform, Motoko-han," responds Tsuruko, "I'd say he is no longer nervous now that he's met me."

Turning her head, she looks over at her Imouto and graces her with a smile. So far, the head of the Aoyama likes what she sees.

Motoko sees the brilliant smile from her and begins to relax. Smiling back, she feels even better when Asahi takes her hand.

This may be a worthwhile trip for the young couple after all.

Later, at the Aoyama compound…

"Those are the improvements we've made in the past seven months since you went back to the Hinata, Motoko-han," says Tsuruko after giving the two teens a tour of the grounds.

"Do you mean that Keitaro-dono paid for all of this work, Ane-ue," queries Motoko.

"Yes, and he told me not to worry about paying it back. Keitaro said something about it being a late wedding gift to Shigeru and me," replies Tsuruko smiling, "Those repairs have also gone a long way towards attracting more students to the Dojo".

"My new restaurant downtown is just starting to take off, so I have never had the time to do anything around here," adds Shigeru to what his wife had just conveyed.

The discussion turns to the Hinata and to the happenings there. Shigeru spent some time at the ancient manse when he was a child.

Asahi shares with his hosts everything that he knows about the upcoming rebuild. Since he has a love of old buildings and architecture, Keitaro and Junpei have allowed him to sit in on some of the preliminary planning sessions.

"It seems that Keitaro-Senpai plans on putting a lot of modern conveniences and wants to utilize all of the unused space in the old Hinata buildings. He even plans to pave over the old trail that leads up to the rear of the place and put in a parking lot by the old Koi pond since many of those living there have cars," he says breathlessly.

Tsuruko smiles at the young man's enthusiasm.

Motoko tells them about Keitaro stepping aside from overseeing the work that he had planned due to some recently diagnosed anxiety problems. His disappointment was quite palpable, but she also said that his friends were stepping up to make sure that his dream comes to fruition.

Both Tsuruko and Shigeru know all about the Urashima heir's violent temper when he has a 'black out'.

"It is good to see that Keitaro has surrounded himself with such good friends," muses Tsuruko. It seems that he is a good influence on those around him. She sees the results of this in how her Imouto acts now after he had moved in at the beginning of the previous winter.

After finishing with the tour of the grounds, the young couple gets a huge surprise from Tsuruko.

Shigeru laughs beside her as they all walk down a special hallway.

"Are you sure, Ane-ue?" asks a puzzled, but very happy Motoko.

"Of course, my dear Imouto-chan," says Tsuruko using a slightly different, less formal honorific with her. She will soon tell Motoko why.

What they are talking about has to do with Motoko and Asahi sharing the same bedroom together, and not just any bedroom.

"I had our parents' room re-done into a western motif because the traditional Japanese was becoming tiresome to me. I miss our Otō-san and Okā-san terribly, but their memories need to be put to rest," comments Tsuruko as a clouds covers her bright visage for a moment, but only for a moment.

"Wow," says Asahi impressed by the décor.

"Junpei emailed the plans for this room after I had shared some thoughts with Haruka. He did a masterful job with all of the re-designs," adds Tsuruko whose smile is now very bright.

"We will be having dinner at seven sharp. So I hope you two will get comfortable and bring your appetites to the table," chimes in Shigeru who is a master chef.

"Asahi-kun, wait until you taste his cooking," says Motoko, "he rivals Tetsuo-kun and Shinobu-chan in just about every way." She leans in on his arm and beams at her lover.

"See you two at seven then," says a knowing Tsuruko as she and her smiling husband step out into the hallway sliding the door closed behind them.

After the older couple leaves, Asahi breathes a huge sigh of relief and takes Motoko into arms before French kissing her for all she is worth.

'He must be feeling better now,' she thinks as her tongue wrestles with his.

A few hours later…

The decisive factor for staying here at the Aoyama comes when everyone sits for dinner in a formal western-style dining room. Shigeru uses his culinary skills to their fullest and serves up some local fare from both Kyoto and Osaka.

"Itadakimasu," comes the traditional blessing from them before they dig in.

Asahi takes one bite and his face lights up. After swallowing, he says, "This is so good."

"I'm glad you like it. Wait until I you see what I serve up breakfast tomorrow morning," responds the chef as he watches the young man next to him eat. Shigeru is glad that he made extra because of the way it is disappearing at a rapid pace.

Tsuruko laughs as she watches Asahi eat.

"Now I can see how he got to be so tall," she says as the head of the house eats with a lot more restraint.

At least Motoko knows his eating habits, and with the laughter coming from around the table, she relaxes and enjoys her meal.

Asahi wonders how Tetsuo and Shinobu would react here…

"Gochiso-sama deshita," they all say afterwards. (Writer's note: Japanese for, "it was quite a feast")

A week later…

At the suggestion of Tsuruko, Shigeru takes Asahi on a tour of Kyoto so she can spend some time alone with Motoko.

Dressing in some informal Yukatas, the two kneel in the ancient family teahouse. With water in an old traditional set on a burner to boil, Tsuruko pulls out a small box from a small nearby cupboard and places it before her.

"Is that Okā-san's favorite tea box, Nee-chan?" asks Motoko wide-eyed. She cannot help but stare at it.

With Tsuruko's encouragement, she is using a less formal honorific and form of address with her, though it still feels a bit awkward and disrespectful to the young teen. However, it does show a warming in the relationship between the two women.

"Hai, Motoko-chan. Okā-san would use this very box when she would perform the Tea Ceremony for guests," answers Tsuruko smiling at her.

As a little girl, Motoko would see how her Kaa-san would go through the time-honored tradition of preparing tea before presenting it to her guests. Memorizing the tiniest details, she had hoped to learn the formality of the ceremony when old enough, but Karma quashed this with her untimely demise.

Then, Motoko receives a huge surprise when Tsuruko lifts a small tile from the floor in front of her.

"You honor me, Ane-ue," says Motoko as a tear falls from her eye.

Afterwards, when all is complete and she drinks the tea, Tsuruko gives her two other pieces of news.

First…

"I wish to present this box as a gift to you so you may present tea to Asahi-kun one day since he seems open to tradition," says Tsuruko smiling while handing Motoko the tea box, "and since you probably know most of the ceremony, I can go over it with you if there are any questions.

Taken aback by this honor, Motoko bursts into tears and the two siblings hug.

Second…

At dinner that evening, Shigeru asks his wife, "Did you tell her yet, Tsu-chan?"

Trying hard not to laugh, Tsuruko first smiles at her husband before turning to Motoko. The smile on her face turns a bit mischievous and then softens when she announces, "I am four month pregnant."

Catching Motoko off guard while slurping some noodles, the chopsticks fall from her hands as the food continues to dangle from her mouth. Her eyes open wide and for what seems to be an eternal second, she cannot move, as all brain activity seems to have crashed.

Asahi looks at Tsuruko for a moment before turning to look at his girlfriend. Her stock-still posture signals that she was not expecting this piece of news.

"Uh-oh," says Shigeru beginning to laugh.

"Earth to Motoko, over," says Tsuruko chortling over the fact that her Imouto continues to stare straight ahead.

Allowing the news to sink in, activity begins again as the noodles begin the rest of their journey into Motoko's mouth.

"Well, Motoko-chan. That is one way to react to becoming an Oba-san," says Tsuruko as her mirth has gotten the best of her.

"Oba-san," whispers Motoko as the shock in her mind clears.

For the rest of the meal and then dessert afterwards, the young woman digests more than just the food as her beloved Ane-ue's announcement continues to sink in.

Asahi sits there and watches the change in his girlfriend's visage. To him, it is a sight-to-behold as she goes through a whole range of emotions. All of them are positive ones he notes…

In her parent's bedroom later that evening, a quiet Motoko combs out her long lustrous hair while Asahi sits nearby and watches.

"Did your Nee-chan's news startle you that much, Mo-chan?" he asks wanting to understand his girlfriend's thoughts on the matter.

Coming to the end of a stroke and allowing her hands to drop into her lap, she turns to him and thoughtfully answers with, "Hai, Asahi-kun. Her announcing it out as she did really hit me quite hard. Then adding you and modeling into my life now, fate is telling me that I am truly growing up and that my world is rapidly changing."

Understanding where she is coming from, Asahi pulls Motoko into an embrace from behind and holds her very close.

"I hope to always be here and I will support you in any way that I can," he then says before leaning in and kissing her cheek.

"Aishiteru, Asahi-kun," she whispers luxuriating in his arms.

"Aishiteru, Motoko-chan," he replies as she turns towards the young man that she loves.

Standing, the two kiss deeply and then go to bed.

On the other side of the house, Tsuruko smiles when she hears the impassioned cries come from across the way.

"She took the news quite well then," she whispers in the arms of her husband.

After this, her own cries of ecstasy add to the chorus that marks the happy siblings.

Moving on after a good time…

A couple of days after the O-Bon Festival, Asahi and Motoko sit comfortably on the JR Shinkansen as it heads back to Yokohama.

Tsuruko did not relent in her teasing of Asahi, but at least it was not enough to piss off Motoko.

Shigeru however could not stop laughing when he saw how many shades of red his wife had turned him.

'At least she was not nasty as before,' surmises the younger sibling while driving to the main station.

Before leaving though, Hina Urashima had called Tsuruko to inform the young couple that a private jet bearing the Urashima logo would be waiting for them at Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

"Sapporo now," says Asahi smiling at his girlfriend, "I have never been on a plane before."

Motoko can only laugh, as she looks forward to seeing her friends again.

That evening…

"You're pregnant too, Haruka-Senpai?" asks a startled Motoko at the dinner table.

Nodding, the mother-to-be replies with, "At least I can hold my food down now."

With a house full of people, the young couple returning here fits in seamlessly with the rest of the crowd as mealtime continue.

"As it should be," whispers Hina Obaa-san looking once again on those she calls family.

After returning home…

The old Hinata-sō sign, hidden behind many years' worth of Bamboo, Gingko and Red Maples, was something that Keitaro wanted to deal with personally.

Although he was supposed to avoid strenuous work for a while, he asked Junpei to clear everything away and put up a new sign.

Ruka and his crew cleared a lot of debris away before they would put up a new sign.

In Nihongo script, the sign plainly says, 'The Hinata, our Sunny Hill'.

End of chapter.