: Drinks Between Friends :
by
- GlazedAndConfused -
DISCLAIMER
Hi, I'm Ken Akamatsu, and I own Love Hina. Yeah right.
"..." - denotes speech."
(...)" - denotes whispering.
Italics denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.
"HENTAI NO BAKA!"
The shrill, unmistakable war cry of a particular tenant of Hinata Sou rang throughout the halls and rooms of the said inn - or, at modern times, an all-girls dormitory - followed shortly by the sounds of wooden beams snapping, the floorboards cracking and the tiles on the roof smashing as the said roof got smashed through by an object identifiable as Keitaro Urashima, the highly clumsy kanrinin and third-year ronin, with the said person's course not hindered by the roof as he continued to soar hundreds - perhaps even thousands - of feet into the air. Such a sight was so common in the small hot spring town that onlookers took the same positions every day to watch the hapless man go flying through the air. It was almost as if he was a tourist attraction, though it wasn't attention he particularly liked; he very often overheard people referring to him as 'The Flying Ronin'. Once he arrived back at Hinata Sou, he would more often than not return to face the 'cold shoulder' treatment from two residents in particular.
Yep. Daily life was very harrowing if you were called Keitaro Urashima, cursed with having to live in the grand old building. Especially if you happened to live with a sexy vixen who had no qualms about conning you out of a month's worth of saké money, a hyperactive gaijin who created a stockpile of weapons that would make every army in the world glower in envy, and - perhaps the most frightening of the lot - two overly hormonal and violent 'girls'. He couldn't help but think that Ranma Saotome had it very, very lucky; even Akane Tendo on crack and PMS was still nowhere near as scary and violent as Naru and Motoko on a normal day put together. When he was not being sent flying at twice the speed of sound, he was being turned into the human equivalent of barbecue chicken by way of one of Kaolla Su's inventions that would do more harm than they ever did good, or being conned out of money by the resident vixen, slacker and freelance writer.
Meanwhile, back at Hinata Sou, at the launch pad where the kanrinin had lifted off from for his daily flight, the very person who sent him into the sky in the first place was stood in her room, her fist outstretched as a vein throbbed visibly on her temple, a reddish hue highlighting her smooth cheeks. This person was none other than Naru Narusegawa, the other ronin of Hinata Sou. While such a stance would have been picturesque to somebody who had training in a sport such as boxing, it wasn't so much the stance itself that would have drawn attention to her... more so the skirt that was hiked down around her ankles, exposing her panties.
Complete with patterns of little Liddo-kun characters.
"Hmph!" she grunted, pulling her skirt back up. "I don't know why I bother with that baka... I might as well just give up on him; he has no chance." Naru then took a few deep breaths and stomped back to her kotatsu table, removing the board of plywood that covered the hole separating her and Keitaro's room, throwing all of the kanrinin's study materials down it before covering it back up again, then calmly proceeded to continue with her studies without waiting up for her friend - or, to put it more accurately, victim - with the scribbling of her pen on paper being the only sound that, aside from the monotonous ticking of the clock, could be heard.
Well, she figured she may as well. It didn't seem he was going to be coming back anytime soon...
It was now late afternoon, and Keitaro was slowly trudging his way back up the large stone steps that led to the massive building. He sighed dejectedly while plucking a few small twigs out of his hair and clothes, a few small rips visible on his garments, and paused for a moment to try and wipe off some of the more stubborn pieces of dirt that had accumulated on his involuntary flight. He almost tripped up the last step as he took off his glasses and wiped them once again on the sleeve of his jumper.
"Why me...?" he mumbled, sighing and mumbling some expletives under his breath about why he was cursed with the 'gift' of clumsiness, and why Sod's Law tended to take such a keen interest in him all the time. Why couldn't it be somebody else? Like Naru? Perhaps even Motoko? He had to admit, it would have been funny watching Naru trip and have her face planted in Motoko's chest, or the kendo girl stumbling during one of her katas and pulling down the auburn-haired girl's skirt.
It would have been times like that where he would have ever appreciated having the fox-eyed vixen around - video camcorder in hand - to film all the action and blackmail them later.
Despite his kind and caring nature, even Keitaro had to think of getting his own back one way or another. After all, there is only so much a person could take. The only ones who did not use him as a makeshift volleyball, extort money from him or try to turn him into a shish kebab were Mutsumi and Shinobu, so thinking of ways to get his own back on them was not only unnecessary but it was also wrong. Mentally, he grinned malevolently at the thought of Naru and Motoko getting a taste of their own medicine to show them exactly who was boss, but he realised that he could not do such a thing to any of them since he cared too much about them.
Especially Naru, whom he loved.
Once he reached the top of the steps, he noticed the unmistakably slender and shapely form of Kitsune leaning against the signpost a few steps outside the door, wearing a pink tanktop and brown khaki shorts. A bottle of saké in her left hand, she waved to the kanrinin with her right after pulling the bottle away from her mouth, a contented sigh escaping her lips.
"Enjoy your flight, Keitaro-san?" Kitsune asked, her patented 'Cheshire cat' grin on her pretty features.
"Very funny..." Keitaro replied, a downtrodden look on his face.
The fox-eyed vixen's eyes opened slightly, her grin turning into a slight frown. "What's up? You seem a little down."
"It's nothing."
She walked up to Keitaro and wrapped one arm around his shoulder while idly drawing circles on his chest with her finger. "Girl troubles, is it? C'mon lil' Kei-kun, you can tell your oneechan Kitsune..."
"Seriously, it's nothing."
A frown reappeared on her face as she noticed his expression was still fairly dejected. This seems pretty serious... she thought, feeling slightly sympathetic for the kanrinin. "Look, Keitaro..." she said, her tone now losing it's cheerful demeanour and becoming more serious. "I can tell that something's bugging you. Why don't we go somewhere more private, and you can tell me there over a few drinks?"
Keitaro's head snapped up as his eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets upon the word 'private' being spoken. "P-Private? As in where?"
"I dunno... my room?"
"Y-Y-Your room! But... w-what if Naru or Motoko catch u-us?"
Kitsune grinned bemusedly. "There is such a thing called a lock you know..." she said, winking at him.
"O-Oh..." The kanrinin blushed, feeling slightly like an idiot at forgetting that the slightly younger woman had locked her door on several occasions before. "...Okay, your room it is. I'll just clean myself up first."
Kitsune's eyes opened ever so slightly, a friendly smile on her face. "Perfect. Meet you there soon."
Room 205...
The sight that greeted the kanrinin's eyes upon sliding the door of Kitsune's room open was the slightly younger woman sitting at a small table, gesturing him to come in as she took a swig from one of the bottles of saké that stood on the table. He hesitantly entered the room and slid the door closed behind him, sitting down opposite the fox-eyed woman at the table. Kitsune poured some of the saké from the bottle into a small cup that lay in front of him, and leaned forward after pouring some out for herself.
"So, what's the problem?" she asked, sliding across the floor so she was next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, a mischievous grin beginning to work it's way across her face. "Girl problems? Naru?"
"Snap." Keitaro replied.
The younger woman tilted her head to the side. "Pardon me?"
"It's Naru."
"I had an idea it would be," the fox replied, placing a hand to her chin pensively. "So, what is it about her that's getting you down?"
Keitaro sighed deeply. "I honestly have no idea where I stand with her. Firstly, she's so wishy-washy... one moment she's really sweet and friendly... and the next... well, you know."
"I see." Kitsune nodded in understanding.
"The thing is, I really like her... I want to be more than just a friend. Aw, heck with it... I love her. It's just that... well, I don't know if I can confess to her. Besides, I don't even think she'd even let me anywhere near her if I did "
"Whoa, whoa, whoa; hold on there..." The younger woman interrupted. "You've both had your misunderstandings before, right?"
"Um... hai."
"But she's always forgiven you soon after?"
"That's right."
"So what makes you think she doesn't like you?"
"For a start, she's always calling me a baka or a hentai after every single accident. She's always hitting me without giving me a chance to explain. It's like two steps forward, one step back."
"I see what you mean." Kitsune nodded. "She's always been that damn stubborn..."
Keitaro shifted in his seat a bit, looking down at his lap. "It all boils down to my accidents. I've been clumsy since I was little, and I still am as you've seen a few times before. But Naru and Motoko think it's just some kind of excuse to 'cop a feel' as they would put it. Worst of all they can't even see through their self-righteousness and notice that I don't do any of that deliberately. There's many of times where I have thought about upping and leaving, but I can't do that. I care too much, and I want to do all I can to make sure nothing bad falls upon you all." His eyes started to tear up upon remembering all the times where he had been punished for his 'transgressions' as he downed the cup of saké he was poured all in one gulp. "But what happens? Do I get praised? Do I get a 'well done Keitaro' or 'thanks for doing that work for us'? No; I get punched, kicked and slashed for all my efforts. Is it too much to ask for a little gratefulness once in a while? But I put all that to the back of my mind for everyone else's sake... to make you all happy. I care that much."
Kitsune remained silent, looking at Keitaro in deep thought; her eyes opened all the way at the kanrinin's revelation. She knew that he was right. He did everything in his power as the manager of the all-girls dorm to make sure that their lives were happy for as long as he was in charge. But all he ever got in return was physical pain. He may not have been a pervert by nature, but living around females like them couldn't help but have the occasional lustful thought. In all the time he had lived with them in Hinata Sou, he had never deliberately peeked at or groped them like he was often accused of doing. It mainly boiled down to how disastrous his timing was, and how incredibly clumsy he was. Sometimes, it was even Su or the fox-eyed woman herself that contributed to his daily accidents; something she couldn't help but feel even slightly guilty about. Remembering when he first came to the all-girls dorm, Kitsune realised that none of that entire debacle was his fault. Grandma Hina never even mentioned in the fax that it was an all-girls dorm, so they couldn't really place the blame on him.
It's true that she thought that he would inevitably get tired of the punishment dealt out by Naru and Motoko for even the smallest reasons, such as his hand coming into contact with Shinobu's if they were reaching for the soy sauce at the dinner table, or reaching for the same dish whenever he helped her clean the dishes after breakfast and dinner.
Unable to come up with anything else to say to comfort the depressed ronin, Kitsune changed the subject. "Keitaro... what do you think of me?"
"W... What do you mean?" Keitaro asked uncertainly. Whether this was the genuine side of the slightly younger woman coming out or whether she was just winding him up. This was harder to tell for him since her eyes were closed in their trademark fox-like style, although if he were to look closer he would notice a slight rosy hue on her cheeks.
"Do you think..." she continued, "...well, do you see me as more than somebody who just has a great body? I mean... I know that I have a nice body, but... I just can't figure out why men see me as nothing more than just an object; why they can't be bothered to get to know me as a person rather than get to 'know my body'. Sure, I love having fun and going out, but when it comes to dates, I've not had much experience in that department. So... do you see me as more than somebody who just looks like an easy lay after a few drinks?"
Keitaro leaned forward slightly, placing a comforting hand on her arm. "Kitsune... of course I do. I see you as a very good friend. Despite the fact that you get me into some..." He looked down, blushing. "...compromising situations, I still see you as a friend. I would never look at you in the way some men do."
Kitsune shuffled uneasily, trying to sort out her tulmultuous emotions. What a reversal of fortunes, she thought. I invited Keitaro so we could talk and eventually solve his problems. Now he's the one playing the role of agony aunt...
"You're a nice woman, Kitsune," Keitaro continued, a soothing smile on his face. "Although there are some things you have done before, such as take my money and things like that, I'm glad to have met you. Without you here, Hinata Sou definitely wouldn't be as bright and cheerful as it is now."
Kitsune's train of thought derailed. He... after all I've done to him, he's still willing to call me a friend of his? A healthy blush appeared on her face. Wow... She looked up at the kanrinin, finding that heartwarming smile of his still etched on his face, almost as if it were set in stone. Opening her eyes slightly, she smiled one of the most genuine smiles Keitaro had ever seen on her face. "...Well, you're different from them in that case. You're very considerate of a woman's feelings, and would do anything you could to make us happy. If it was someone else made kanrinin they probably would have tried to worm their way into our pants by now." She grinned. "Not like it'll work with Naru or Motoko," she added with a snicker. "But I hope Naru eventually realises what's right in front of her, and she'll be onto you like a whippet."
"What makes me think she'd even like me in that way anyway? I'm just some stupid, clumsy third-year ronin anyway..."
Kitsune leaned over and placed a finger on his lips before he could continue. "Keitaro. You need to stop being so pessimistic. Besides, it's not like you to give up so easily. I mean, look... you've failed to get into Toudai for the past three years, and yet you're still striving to get in to fulfill that promise you made when you were very young. That kind of determination is admirable. You've definitely come a long way since you first arrived here, and I've no doubt that Naru feels the same. She's just... well, she finds expressing her true feelings a little hard, that's all. You're the kindest, most gentlest man I know... it's no wonder Haruka is so proud to be related to you. You have so much going for you, which is the least that could be said about me... so look at the good points about yourself and forget about the bad. If Naru doesn't realise how much you love her and give you a go, then she doesn't know what she's missing. Especially knowing all the things you've done for her throughout the time you've both known each other."
She surprised herself when she brushed a few strands of his hair back, then leaned in and gave him a soft, chaste kiss on the lips. When she pulled back, she noticed how wide his eyes were, and how red his face was. She couldn't help but giggle at his display of shyness, and how he was squeaking out an incoherent string of words. Although he could be very mature, he was still the lovingly clumsy person she grew accustomed to at the best of times. Heh... he'll never change... she thought, rolling her eyes mentally. She looked at the clock, noticing that about three quarters of an hour had passed since he came to her room. An idea then appeared in her mind as she raised her hand to her chin thoughtfully, her eyes opening slightly again.
"Say, Keitaro..." Kitsune spoke again. "How about we go out for a while?"
"G-Go out?" Keitaro stammered. "You mean... l-like a date?"
"You can call it that if you want," the fox-eyed woman grinned, winking at the kanrinin. "It's only down the local bar for a few drinks for a couple of hours. A change of scenery of sorts."
Keitaro looked at the clock and stood up. "I suppose I could come with you."
Kitsune grinned. "Great. I just hope you have a large slate..."
The two shared a few light chuckles before standing up and walking down the stairs.
Seta Noriyasu's driving 'skills' were infamously well-known throughout not only the small hot spring town, but also around Japan and the places where he went on archaeological digs. It wasn't that he was a bad driver; instead, it was more to do with the fact that he was just extremely careless when placed in the driver's seat. Not only that, but he also broke five motoring laws at once.
And that was by just starting the almost clapped-out deathtrap on wheels that he called a van.
Keitaro could remember one instance when they were on their way to Toudai for one of the ronin's jobs as the older man's assistant. What started off as a quiet, peaceful drive soon turned into a near-roadkill spree, with Sarah McDougal cheering on in sadistic glee.
Which was exactly what he was doing at this present moment, as the old metallic menace-to-humanity-on-wheels screamed down a local main road at 112 MPH and rising, smashing into several lamps, telegraph poles, and other such objects on the way. With such disastrous driving, it was no surprise that there were four police cars tailing him with their sirens flashing and sounding as people hid in doorways, stairwells or anywhere that was even remotely safe. Another fact that wouldn't have come as much of a surprise was that the streets were barren. Almost as if it were a ghost town.
Who taught this man how to drive anyway? Probably the same person who taught Misato Katsuragi how to drive, seeing as her driving 'skills' were just as bad.
Even when driving he managed to break all the laws of physics that have ever been written down on paper, just as Keitaro broke the said laws after being 'gracefully' sent flying from a right hook by Naru that would have made Muhammad Ali proud.
The archaeologist and Kung Fu and Jeet Kune Do expert took his eyes off the road and hands off the wheel for not the first time throughout the whole journey, looking down and turning on the radio while at the same time sidetracking a car into the brick wall on the adjacent side. Continuously turning the dial from left to right, he never noticed that he had just smashed right into the back of another car and sent it flying down the steps of a subway. He continued to switch between radio stations, never noticing that all this time he had just ended up in the middle of two lanes, with cars on both sides of the road trying desperately to avoid him. He then stopped the dial at a station that was playing the song "Fuel" by Metallica.
"Ah!" Seta cried in joy, his face lighting up some more. "Hey, Sarah? How does a little Metallica sound?"
"Sounds great, papa!" replied the young American girl, sitting up in the passenger seat.
"Then Metallica it is!" Seta then put his hands back on the wheel as they both started to sing.
"Gimme fuel, gimme fire, gimme that which I desire..."
The girl and her guardian then started to headbang a la Wayne's World as soon as the guitar riffs and drum beats started to kick into life, with the older man's hands flying all over the steering wheel as he crashed into all sorts of objects along the way and sent other vehicles on the road flying here, there and everywhere, leaving a longer trail of carnage and mayhem as he did so. And all this time, the police were still tailing them.
"Turn on, I see red... adrenaline crash and crack my head... nitro junkie, paint me dead! And I see red..."
He didn't even notice the petrol station that he was heading towards at a breakneck speed.
From the porch of Hinata Sou, a loud explosion could be heard, followed by pieces of debris flying upwards... and eventually what looked like a fireball flying up from the small town below. This caught the attention of Kitsune and Keitaro, who were both still in the fox-eyed woman's room, and they both bolted down the stairs to see whether Su had just initiated World War III with the latest version of her Mecha Tamas. What surprised them was the aforementioned fireball soon bearing down on the two. Kitsune frantically dove to the side, dragging Keitaro with her...
CRASH!
...but while the deathtrap missed Kitsune, Sod's Law had targeted the ill-lucked kanrinin once again and it landed on him. The archaeologist emerged from the smouldering wreck, blood spraying from his head like a fountain. Sarah emerged from the passenger's seat,
"Papa," the American girl started, "you can't keep getting into trouble and blowing stuff up like that!"
"Ahaha..." Seta chuckled, his injuries mysteriously healed. "Sorry Sarah, it won't happen again!" He looked around him, seemingly searching for Keitaro. "Hey, where's my part-timer?"
"R-Right... here..." came the weak voice of Keitaro who was crawling from under the wreckage, a few bruises, burns and cuts covering his body.
The older man's eyes widened with shock. "Oh, Kami..." he rushed over to his younger protegé and helped him to his feet, placing an arm around his waist to support him. "Who did this to you, man? Who did this to you?" he more or less yelled, looking around for anyone else other than who was already there.
"Um, you did, Papa..."
"Yeah... you did..." Kitsune followed up, trying to hide her amusement at the situation.
"Part-timer," Seta said, oblivious to Sarah and Kitsune answering his question. "There's been some ruins found on a small archipelago near the Equator, which we believe was once the foundation of an unknown civilisation some thousands of years ago. Will you come with me?"
"Umm... sure..."
Seta's face brightened. "Great! Then let's go!"
Sarah tugged on her guardian's sleeve. "Uh, Papa? The van's totally trashed..."
The older man took a look at the mangled and burnt mass of twisted metal and smouldering tyre rubber that was once his van. He placed a hand on the back of his head.
"Well, how about that for a spanner in the works?" He chuckled. "Oh well, have to get it repaired first... let's go, part-timer!" He turned to the young American girl. "Sarah-chan, you stay here."
"But why?"
"It's too dangerous out there, what with them being ancient ruins and all "
"Hey! Sarah's here!" Su's cheerful voice cut off the older man as she leapt from the first floor balcony of the old inn and ran up to her blond friend. "I've just finished inventing the newest version of my Mecha Tama! Wanna come and see what it can do?"
Sarah's slight frown turned into a beaming smile. "Yeah! Let's go!"
Seta, Kitsune and Keitaro chuckled lightly at the rambunctious behaviour of the two young gaijins as they both ran into the building to the older girl's room. The older man then turned to his younger protegé. "Well, guess we gotta get a new van. Shall we go, part-timer?"
"Ready when you are," Keitaro replied, a grin on his face. He then turned to face Kitsune and walked up to her. "I'm sure Haruka already knows where I'll be going, so can you tell the others for me?"
Kitsune smiled. "Sure." She then surprised not only Keitaro, but herself - not for the first time that day - by leaning forward and slowly closing the distance between the kanrinin and herself, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a light kiss on the cheek as she did so. "You take care okay? We don't want you coming back in a box, do we?" She added with a mirthful grin.
"I'll be back soon, don't worry," Keitaro replied. "It's only for a few days. Oh, and sorry about not being able to come down the bar for a few drinks with you, like I promised I would."
"Hey, I don't mind. Your job comes first." Kitsune grinned.
He turned to face Seta, who was waiting patiently at the top of the steps, then turned back to the fox-eyed woman. "I'd better be going now."
"Okay. See you soon."
"Hai." The kanrinin then followed Seta down the stairs, waving back at the older woman as he did so.
He really is one of a kind... Kitsune thought, walking to the top of the steps. It's a shame Naru just can't see that. She shook her head and waited until Keitaro and Seta disappeared from sight before walking back inside the old building, her bottle of saké in hand.
: END :
: AUTHOR'S NOTES :
I've actually had this little one-shot resting on my hard drive since about October, and I forgot I still had it until I started going through my files, so it kind of rekindled my interest. So, nothing much to really say. Apart from the fact that Chapter 5 of Sakura Kisses is already underway and should be posted up within the next week provided I can come up with some other ideas for it. I should have some more free time after Wednesday since we're off for nearly three weeks.
All feedback is welcome, be it praise, criticism or flame.