Night in Hinata Sou. The stars twinkling in the sky, the moon was not present and the darkness was serenely overwhelming, it was the very definition of a starry, starry night. Van Gogh was probably the only master to have truly captured the essence of that scene, Kanako thought, as she sat on the roof with her legs bent towards her, a slight smile forming at the end of her pale lips. Alone amongst the stars, she had long forgotten how comfortable it was for her to be like that. She silence, the embrace of the shadows, the serenity, the way the stars seemed to phase in and out of the reality that was the night sky, she had been away from it far too long. The renovations were still a few weeks away from being finished but they had already completed most of the necessary repairs and her old room was now habitable. She avoided meeting Shinobu for the past three days now, yet, as the stars lit up the black canopy of the sky, all she could see were those eyes. Her eyes that were full of innocence and sweetness, eyes that she longed to see again. “I wonder…are you looking at the sky as I am now?” she asked no one in particular. “Or do you lay in bed, sleeping, dreaming of a love found and love lost?” She missed Shinobu, she would not deny that. It was a sucking wound that was eating through her chest, this intentional avoidance. It was making her miserable through the day but she couldn’t face her anymore. It was too confusing, too stressful, to maddening to have to imagine what would happen. She still wasn’t sure about what Kana had told her and she couldn’t sense whether it was the truth or not. She had no insight to the mind of the madman, a man her former kaisho had so often called evil incarnate. This uncertainty was worrying her endlessly and she could find peace of mind only when alone, amongst the stars that once, a long time ago it seemed to her, were thing she reached for with the optimism of childhood. So long ago, it felt to her, that she last even dreamt of anything. She sighed; the night was her home and her stronghold, where no one could touch her. The darkness was her friend and companion, her protector and sometimes, perhaps, it was even a lover. “And so I fade into darkness, lost and alone.” She whispered to herself, quoting something she had read long ago. “Like the moon of the night sky, I came from darkness and to darkness I shall return.” Kanako sat there, still and staring into the stars with a childlike innocence she thought she had lost long ago. Slowly, she stood up and wondered. Slowly, she proceeded into Hinata Sou’s interior, passing through the various wooden beams and such that the team used for construction. It was still organized chaos but in a different way. This wasn’t the organized chaos that Hinata Sou once carried with an amazing strength and almost human-like grace. As she moved her hand slowly through the wooden door of the kanrinrin’s room, she closed her eyes with a passing fondness. She walked in, the new lights still weren’t properly wired and it was the darkest room in the whole inn. She sat in the center, her legs tucked under her, her mind holding on to memories of the past. She crossed her arms, slowly embracing herself as the darkness seemed like they were wrapping around her too. Within the confines of her privacy in this place, she felt comfortable enough to let her heart out. In silence, a single tear fell down her cheek. “Why are you always alone? Why do you insist on doing this to yourself?” she asked herself. “You deserve your chance; you deserve happiness as much as anyone, maybe more than anyone else. If so, then why be like this? Why torment yourself, Kanako?” “I’d have loved to ask you the same question.” Kanako stopped and raised her head up a little, that voice was familiar. She let go of herself, knowing who was there with her in the darkness. The purple hair and eyes, that smile that showed nothing of what was inside, the way she leaned on the wall, it was Maehara Miho. Kanako stood up and straightened herself, there was a confrontation that was coming and she wanted to be ready for it. Miho kept that smile on her face, her hands in her pant’s pockets, her long hair tied behind her head. Kanako couldn’t understand that smile, a smile that in so many ways was like the smile she wore. The silence was deafening as neither of them moved from where they were, like two combatants measuring the other’s level of skill before being the one to make the first move. Finally, Miho stopped leaning, stood by herself and walked closer, her eyes locked with Kanako’s eyes. Her smile waned for a second before taking root again. “I’d appreciate it if you knock the next time you do that.” Kanako said. “How did you get in, by the way?” “I opened the door for her.” Shinobu stepped out of the shadows, with a slightly guilty smile. Kanako remembered that she gave a set of keys to Shinobu. She wondered whether she should regret that mistake. It was not that she wasn’t happy to see Shinobu but she hated anyone catching her at a vulnerable moment. Still, as Shinobu stepped into the room with a grace and soft dignity such that only she could possibly pull it off, Kanako felt a little lighter. It made her heart race a little as Shinobu smiled and seemingly floated into the room, her attention was completely diverted from Miho’s assessing looks. There was an air of disappointment in Shinobu’s eyes, or were they a look of hurt? Was she hurt by Kanako’s blatant avoidance? She certainly hoped not. She didn’t understand why she was so worried about what Shinobu was thinking of her, it never really occurred before. Then, in a flash, she recalled that moment in the park. With a single look, Shinobu remembered that exact same scene. How her body was wrapped in Kanako’s caring embrace, the warmth, the way her heart raced as she saw those lips close in on her. She felt it, the same feeling that she had when Keitaro and her were in a similar situation. She had felt exactly the same way, her heart calling for a kiss. She didn’t know if Kanako felt the same way in that situation at first but as those pale lips closed in on hers, the way she could almost hear Kanako’s hear racing was too much to ignore. That warmth, that feeling that this person existed for her and only for her, it was overwhelming. Lost in the moment, she didn’t give any resistance and instead, made her moves to help the kiss along. Then, they both got cut off. She stared at Kanako’s eyes, which were barely visible in the darkness and all she could see was the same denied longing for that moment to come again, a longing that she could see in her own eyes whenever she looked in the mirror. That was why she was here, that was what she had come there to see. And now that she did, she felt relieved. “Isn’t it unwise to leave Shinji-kun alone in your home like this?” “We brought Shinji-kun along.” Miho answered. “He’s in the sandbox near the woods.” “Oh, I see.” “Shinobu-chan…” Kanako walked out towards the windows, opening them and staring out once more into the stars. She could think of nothing else to do at the moment. “…have you ever seen anything so beautiful?” “What?” Shinobu asked as she walked closer. ”I think I’ll leave you two lovebirds alone.” Miho smiled as she walked away. “Have fun.” “Look at the stars, Shinobu-chan. It’s been so long since I last took a good look at the stars.” Kanako said with a slight sentimentality. “Haven’t you ever tried it? Reaching out your hand, to see if you can take at least one from the night sky and keep it in your palm? I know I did, once upon a time.” “You’re absolutely right. They are beautiful.” Shinobu looked out into the sky, seeing the same majestic tapestry of light and darkness that Kanako did. She looked at Kanako, wondering what thoughts were running through that wicked web of a mind and a question came to mind. “Why are you here?” “This is the kanrinrin’s room, Shinobu-chan. Once this place is fully renovated, this will be rightfully mine.” Kanako answered her with a tinge of surprise. “No, it’s not that. I mean…why here? Why are you always in these dark places? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a place that was well lit aside from the park.” “Walk with me.” Kanako said as she took hold of Shinobu’s hand. The two of them walked outside the kanrinrin’s room, towards the narrow hallway. Both of them found themselves lost in the memory of times that seemed so bygone now, of the longing to see people that they hadn’t seen in too long a time. The ronin that they fell in love with, Urashima Keitaro and his wife, the red cockroach, as Kanako loved to call her, where were they now? Kaolla Su, was she on the throne of Molmol now? Kitsune, the fox of Hinata Sou, did that fox finally find a get rich quick scheme that worked? Or did she simply use Kentaro’s money? And of Otohime Mutsumi, where was she now? Farming turtles in Okinawa? Or eating her fill of watermelons? They passed along the rooms of the former residents, one by one, remembering them with a passing fondness and a longing to see them once more. Then, they passed the room of the last of the residents, the heir to Shinmei Ryu, Aoyama Motoko. “Aoyama…” Kanako’s voice turned most bitter. “I haven’t forgotten yet…” “Kanako-san…” that was all that Shinobu could mutter worriedly. Something about Kanako’s change in expression made her look rather beastly. There was bad blood between those two, which Shinobu remembered with certainty. “…” Kanako walked on ahead, leaving Shinobu to look over the room a little more. Kanako soon wandered off alone on the outskirts of Hinata Sou, the wind was beginning to gather strength and was blowing harder than before. Once more, just like the old days, Kanako tied her hair with a red lace from her pocket. She always had that red lace with her; it was a gift from Keitaro, her beloved onii-san. She sat on the step closest to the doors of Hinata Sou, looking at the stars again. It did look like someone scattered a bottle of beads on a black cloth somewhat, Kanako thought, remembering the song. Within moments, Shinobu stepped out with two cups of hot, green tea. Sitting alongside Kanako, they kept their silence. Neither of them felt the need to speak, only the need to sit close to one another, to feel the other’s presence. The winds were still blowing; the steam from the tea moving in the same direction and the two of them simply sat, looked at the beauty of the night sky and clung to hope. Then, a figure walked up along the steps. They heard the steps which seemed to lack any semblance of gentleness. They felt the deep well of power of this person that was approaching them. Both Shinobu and Kanako noticed this and they both recognized who it was. It was unmistakable, the confident steps, the strength exemplified by her posture and stance, the ferocity that was subtly shown by the position of the hands. They could feel that power, a power they had come to know well years ago. They both knew what the other was thinking, they both suspected the same person. Years spent together in Hinata Sou were difficult, if not impossible to undo and in those years, they had come to know this feeling. They could almost smell it, ferocity and gentleness, inexorability and mercy, coldness and kindness, contrasting qualities that were found in only one person. As they confirmed with their eyes that this person was who they thought it was, they both reacted differently. One was of hatred, absolute loathing and perhaps, even a little jealousy. She hated this person for everything that she was. It was no mere rivalry; this was much, much more. Gently, she put down her tea and stood up not to fight though, but to question and for the time being, tolerate. The new arrival stopped just a few steps away and she could feel the aura, that aura that had grown stronger and deadlier in the time since they last fought. The figure’s own aura had become stronger in that time, the prospect of another battle brought a smile to that lovely face. The wind kept blowing relentlessly, one standing there in a timeless stance of defiance, the other in a stance of subtle power. Then, as both of them took a step forward, to settle their hatred once and for all, something interrupted them. It was the sound of a cup falling on the steps, shattering upon impact. The third among them wanted to run but couldn’t. “Aoyama…” Kanako whispered with bitterness. “Motoko-chan…”
Back to Angel Light, Angel Dark Index - Back to Love Hina Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction