I don't own a damn thing.

And thanks to SlippytheWeasel for proof reading and cleaning up the butchery that is my pre-writeing.

And yes I know this sounds like the start of a lot of other Fics but give it a go an let me know what you think.

Read, Review, and Enjoy.

Prologue: It was another typical fall day at the Hinata-sou…or so everyone thought: For today would be a day that marked a dramatic change in the lives of the girls there and especially in the life of their kanrinin, Keitaro Urashima.

Chapter 01

Keitaro was starting his day as usual by cleaning the hot spring; he had even gotten up earlier than Motoko in order to make necessary repairs (again) caused by one of his impromptu flights through the wooden call, courtesy of a Naru Air ticket last night. He wanted to finish cleaning before any of the other tenants could show up and accuse him of something perverted (again).

Even though he had placed a sign on the door announcing that he was currently in the hot springs cleaning, he knew in his bones that it would do little to dissuade any of his tenants that wanted to bathe in the hot springs. A deep, heartfelt sigh escaped his lips as he looked longingly at the hot springs. (When was the last time I actually had a chance to relax in a hot spring?) he wondered. The answer was depressing to say the least. (Maybe if I tell all the girls I am going to use it after breakfast they will give me a chance.) Keitaro laughed sadly at his own thoughts while trying to rub some of the tension from his aching back, "No, if I even mention an idea like that I'd be kissing the moon in short order." Looking up at the colorful autumn trees, he whispers "Damn, I just wish I could relax in it, even if only for a few minutes".

Leaning backwards to ease the tightness from his back, it seems to him that, as of late, the girls were hitting him a lot harder and a lot more often. Shrugging his weary shoulders, he heads over to begin repairs on the far wall. As luck (in his case, nearly always bad) would have it, his nightmare begins again.

Behind him, the door to the changing room slides open and someone steps out.

At the first sound of the door opening Keitaro froze, eyes closed, whispering a fervent prayer that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Kitsune, the resident party-girl and trickster of Hinata-sou, notices Keitaro and smiles. Wearing only a towel, she makes her way over to where he is standing, thinking (Perfect! Just the person Ah need to see for a deferment of my rent for a week, or two. This'll take just a second) 'heh heh' the Fox snickers, and then thinks, (I feel kinda bad, it's like shooting four-eyed fish in a barrel, but Kei knows Ah'll pay him back.) She boldly saunters over to where Keitaro is standing, but stops short when she hears what he is desperately whispering to himself.

The cleaning broom dropped to the ground in front of him, Keitaro has his hands clasped tightly in front of his bowed head. "Kami, please! Not again! Not now! Please, please let it be my imagination. I don't think I can stand another beating." The kanrinin's body shudders as he senses someone standing behind him. In an even quieter voice, he continues "Please! What did I do to deserve this life? Kami, please just let it be a dream. Please Kami, it hurts so much! pleasepleaseplease"

(Holy spit! What's wrong with Keitaro?) Kitsune thinks as she watches the man before her tremble in utter terror. Then it strikes her (He knows if Naru or Motoko find him alone out here with any of us girls they will skip the trial and go straight to the punishment…Kami-sama! It looks like he is about to lose it!) In a rare moment of sympathy she reaches out to touch his shoulder as gently as she can to get his attention.

However, his reaction slams her to the core of her being.

At her touch, a terror-born scream erupts from Keitaro. As he collapses to the ground with his arms wrapped around his head, his tears flow down his face as he knows what is moments away from happening.

The Fox, her eyes now wide open, not knowing what else to do, kneels to try and comfort the obviously hysterical young man, smoothing his hair as she whispers gently to him, "Kei? It's me. Mitsune! It's ok, Ah'm not gonna hurt ya'll, sugar! It's ok."

This only serves to cause him to scream even more, since he has learned repeatedly over the last year that ANY contact with the girls, no matter how innocent, would most likely only lead to him being punished. His sobs tear at Kitsune's heart, forcing tears from her eyes.

"PLEASE PLEASE DON'T HURT ME I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING I SWEAR JUST PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" he cries, his body rolling from side to side in anticipation of the pain he is sure is to follow. Unfortunately for the two of them, he isn't wrong.

The changing room door slams open and the rest of the Hinata girls rush into the hot springs area.

Seeing Keitaro too close to the towel-wrapped Kitsune, and the fact that they are in the hot springs alone, is all the evidence Naru and Motoko need.

"Damn it Keitaro, you PERVERT!" Naru screams while kicking the prone man in the ribs, sending him flying. He slams into a tree and bounces back at the honey-haired girl, who promptly Naru-punches him straight at Motoko.

"URASHIMA, YOUR PERVERTED DAYS ARE AT AN END! Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!" Motoko cries out as she unleashed a Ki attack at the man as Naru's punch lofts him into her range. Her blast sends him flying into the distance, disappearing in a twinkle against the dawn sky.

Kitsune can only stare in shock, (He knew this was going to happen when he heard me come in, he knew that he wouldn't even have a chance to explain. Are we all really that bad?) she bows her head, tears staining her cheeks. ( He was really scared this time, and not just panicking!) These thoughts fly through her head one after the other. (Kami, Ah hope he's alright, that was the worst Ah think Ah've seen them attack him!)

"Why . . . why did ya'll attack him?" came Kitsune's weak question.

"What do you mean? That perverted, deceitful, vile male had snuck in here trying to slake his lust with the sight of your body, so we punished him." Motoko says as she sheaths her bokkan.

"Yeah, he never learns his lesson! I wish he would just stop pulling this crap all the time." said Naru, cracking her knuckles and looking at the other girls.

"How did you know we were in here?" Kitsune asks with a little more strength to her voice.

Su replies "We heards you screams real loud, so we cames to see what Keitaros had done this time."

"Aaauuuuu! Poor Sempai! I hope he's all right. I . . you hit him so hard I'm afraid he going to miss breakfast again." Shinobu quietly states, hiding behind Su.

Kitsune stands and looks at her friends for a few long moments. "Since when have Ah ever screamed when Keitaro had an accident around me?" she finally says as her anger begins to grow. (That guy works his ass off around this place; He helps all of us with any problem that comes up; AND he puts up with having the hell beat out of him on nearly a daily basis. He deserves way better than how we have treated him) Kitsune thinks as she stares at the other tenants.

'You weren't screaming? Well, I guess it doesn't matter, since we got here just in time to . . .", Naru begins, but Kitsune cuts her off.

In a fury that the man who had just been sent flying had been so terrified at her touch and attempt to comfort him, the Fox squarely faces Naru and Motoko.

"Ah have never, ever screamed like that around him! Ah came in to bathe and to tease him about rent money again, so Ah ignored the sign on the door in the changing room.

"What sign?" is the weak reply from Naru, confused at seeing her best friend in such an angry state, especially for Keitaro's sake. (Did . . did we? . . .) .

Kitsune sputters, "Oooh! Just shut up Naru! You always act before looking. Try opening your eyes for once! (Like Ah had mine opened just now) she thinks as she slowly heads for her room, bathing forgotten for the day.

Taken aback, Naru does just that.

Pausing at the changing room door, she looks over her shoulder and says "When Ah came in, Kei was heading over toward that hole in the wall over there, the one he made last night when you two double-teamed him, again. When he heard me come in, do you know what he did? He froze! He froze and wasn't movin' at all! He was prayin' that he was imagining that he had heard someone come in, and he prayin' he wasn't gonna get hurt again."

Not so sure of her actions, Motoko steps towards Kitsune, with a quick backwards glance at Naru. "But, Urashima never shows any sign of injury, from even our most powerful attacks." Motoko says with a frown as Kitsune cuts her off

"Ya'll shut up, too, Ah ain't finished yet! That scream you heard was Keitaro!" The girls are visibly shaken at this revelation. "The poor guy was freaking completely out when Ah tried to comfort him! Do you hear what Ah'm saying? He lost it completely the second Ah touched him, like he knew what was going to happen! Then ya'll came in here, not caring what you found and BAM! You proved him right! And what's worse is that he really looked like he was afraid for his life this time. Now Ah've seen a lotta things, but the look on his face when Ah was trying to calm him. Kami, It was like Kei thought Ah was an Oni that had come for his soul."

Kitsune swallows back more tears "Ah don't think Ah ever wanna see that look in anyone's eyes ever again."

Naru and Motoko pale at these revelations. Su hugs the trembling Shinobu, the young cook shedding tears for her Sempai.

Trying to deny with words what her heart is screaming is truth, Naru meekly asks, "M-maybe you saw wrong?"

Slicing her hands down in front of her, Kitsune shakes her head. "No way Ah coulda mistook that." In a softer voice, she continues, "The look on that guy's face is gonna to haunt me for a long time." (And Ah don't think saki is gonna do any good for the pain I feel now.)

(Can it be true, could Urashima really not be as invincible as we have all taken him to be?), Motoko thinks as she walks slowly back to the changing room door.

On the floor just inside, she sees a paper. Picking it up, she trembles as she turns it over. In her hands is a sign that reads 'Hot Springs Closed For Cleaning and Maintenance! Please Do Not Enter!'. As she looks off into the direction she had sent Keitaro flying, a chill starts to creep along her spine (If he really isn't as invincible as we thought . . . how bad have we hurt him in the past . . . What if Kitsune is right, and we have damaged his psyche?) These uncomfortable thoughts run circles in the sword maiden's mind, deepening the chill that had settled in her stomach.

Naru on the other hand was desperately trying to convince herself that she was having none of it.

"Please Kitsune, he's a pervert! He's probably just trying a new way to get out of being punished for his lecherous ways." She says firmly, although her words at odds with the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Shinobu, watching all this from the door to the changing room with tears in her eyes, looks at Kitsune. "I hope Sempai is okay. I know he's tough but he's not immortal, and they hit him so hard. Why do Naru and Motoko have to be so mean to him? He cares for us and does everything we ask and more and he never complains." she says meekly.

Su being her usual self was bouncing around oblivious to the serious nature of the discussion. Until she hears Shinobu's soft statement. She stops next to the young cook and looks into the sky "You guys really launched big brother hard this time. I hope he comes back soon to forgive us." Su says, her voice losing its strange accent as she seriously contemplates the effects all of their actions have had on her friend and playmate.

This comment only serves to make Motoko squirm a bit more in her own budding guilt.

As she goes through the door, Kitsune looks to where Keitaro had disappeared in the distance and whispers with more than a little worry, "Please Keitaro, be safe!" and with a growing sense of dread she and the others head back into Hinata-sou.

Naru, the last to enter the inn, turns one last time. "I'm sorry" she whispers, nearly so quiet that she can't hear herself. Bowing her head, she closes the door behind her.

End Chapter 01