Love Hina: The Words I Feel

By Bug-chan   

I've been watching you awhile

Since you walked into my life

Monday morning, when first I heard you speak to me

            Narusegawa Naru walked by the entrance to the hot springs and entered. She quietly snuck into the changing room, and peaked out to see Urashima Keitaro heartily scrubbing away at the floors surrounding the hot springs. For some reason, she enjoyed watching him hard at work in the morning. 'He's almost like a different person,' she would think every now and then, and heavily blush.

I was too shy to let you know

Much too scared to let my feelings show

But you shielded me and that was the beginning

            'Dear Diary,' she wrote, 'Sigh. I need help. I am never sure about my feelings for Keitaro. When he's around I don't want to see him and I avoid him as much as possible. Yet...when he is not at Hinata,' she hesitated, her pen still on the last character. Gathering her courage, she continued, 'I want to see him and be with him. Argh! What am I to do???' She got up and paced around in her room for a while.

            'Dear Diary,' he wrote, 'Grr...this is eating me up inside! I like her, but I don't know about her. Does she like me? Does she hate me? Why doesn't she ever make it clear to me???' he paused, and then continued, 'But, what about that girl? What about that girl from fifteen years ago? Could it be her, or is it someone else?' He got up and paced around in his room for a while.

Now at last we can talk

In another way

And though I try, I love you,

Is just so hard to say

If I only could be strong

And say the words I feel

            The entire Hinata Inn was empty save the two ronins who stayed back to study and to watch over the complex while everyone was busy with what they had to do. Both studied intensely in Naru's room for hours on end. However, Naru was studying, not the materials, but the person sitting across from her, who would occasionally ask for help. 'He's a perverted idiot, but he can be so hardworking and such a gentleman at times,' she mused, and before he could notice her looking at him, she brought her eyes straight back to her book.

            Keitaro's concentration was anywhere but in the books sitting in front of him. He swore that the girl sitting across from him took glances at him every now and then, but couldn't seem to prove it.  'She's beautiful, even though she can be violent quite often,' he mused, while taking stealthy peeks at her.  This kept on going for the next few hours that they would spend studying.

My bleeding heart begins to race

When I turn to see your face

I remember that sweet dream

Which you told to me

            "Narusegawa?" The said girl turned to face whoever was calling her and saw Keitaro looking back at her.  Upon making eye contact, his mind went blank and he forgot what he wanted to say to her.  The resulting silence caused awkwardness between both as they simply looked down and broke eye contact, blushing. 'Why? Why can't I just ask that question?' he berated himself. 'Why? Why do I feel this way when I'm around him?' Naru pondered.

I wanted just to be with you

So we could make the dream come true

And you smiled at me and that was the beginning

            "What do you think about Todai this year?"

            "I think I'll make it, thanks to you, Narusegawa."

            "Ah...that's good to hear." *pause* "And...the promised girl? What of her?"

            *hesitation* "I wish....that promised girl was....you."

Now at last we can talk

In another way

And though I try, I love you,

Is just so hard to say

If I only could be strong

And say the words I feel

            The Inn was once again empty, leaving the two now-Todai students alone. This time, both were in the hot springs, shrouded in total darkness resulting from the scheduled power outage. Both tried to say something but were always interrupted by Naru's impulsive punching whenever she detected some form of slight movement from the guy nearby in fear of being seen yet again.

            "You know, back then you were quite different from now. Now, you're even a Todai student and you're becoming like Seta-san," she said, for once not punching him.

            "Could it be that you still like-" Keitaro said before the girl interrupted him.

            "N-no! That's not what I mean! I don't see you as a substitute for Seta-san!" she honestly said, wading over to where he was. Without hearing him, she grabbed his shoulder and bent over close to him, making both of them blush yet again. After a second, Keitaro took the initiative.

            "Do you think we can continue what we started at lunch?" he whispered as he got up and bent over her. Naru slowly reclined until her back touched the rocks as Keitaro got close to her for another attempted kiss. Two hearts thumped loudly in their respective cages, in fear, suspense and excitement all rolled into one. As the lips almost made contact....

            "Ah-CHOO!"

Tell me what you're thinking of

Tell me if you love me not

I have so much I long to ask you

But now the chance has gone

When your picture fades each day

In my heart the memory stays

Though we rant, you're always smiling

And I will hold it long

            Naru watched the airplane steadily gain altitude from the grass. Keitaro had left with Seta on an archeological expedition somewhere in the world. With tears creating a small stream down her face, she whispered,

            'Come back safe, my Keitaro.'

A/N – The result of trying to find a suitable song for my main Love Hina fic is this work. While listening to all sorts of songs, I ran into this one and couldn't help but immediately associate it with Love Hina to some degree. If you haven't heard of it, it's called "The Words I Feel" from the PS2 RPG "Xenosaga". Anyways, now that this is out of the way, back to work!