TIMEPIECE

by Sakako

GRATUITOUS DISCLAIMER: No, unfortunately, I don't own Love Hina, Gameboy Advance SP or any of Hirofumi Sasaki's songs, however good they may be. I do own a band though. It's called "Bok Yea". Good band.

Kenji's ed: He doesn't actually own it at all... :D

"Timepiece" Phase I: Transform! (Su POV)

"Sorry. I make a point of never dating younger girls."

Keitaro's voice was harsh to me. I was well aware of the fact that he wouldn't go out with me, but I never expected someone as lonely as him to reject me just like that. How would I feel? He should have asked himself. But, knowing him, and knowing that he has absolutely no experience with girls, younger or otherwise, it doesn't surprise me.

"Will you play with me then?"

I had to put up a façade for everyone – so that they didn't know that I was a genius. Being from Mol Mol, I can't look too smart, or our peaceful country will be invaded by those baka Americans or British or whatever country holds the world in check now, I don't know what – but anyway. That was that.

"Sure. What game?" His voice changed from that of a harsh ex-lover to that of a doting housekeeper after a baby. I had planned for this moment, and had built something. A surprise for my Kei-kun.

"Hide-and-seek. You do know how to play, don't you?"

He laughed. And what a laugh! It resonated as the strings of our native instruments! Oh, to feel that laugh upon his shoulder as two lovers! "Yeah. I used to be the reigning champion at my old school."

"Okay, you're it! Count to a hundred, and no peeking, OK?" I ran to my room, where my device was. He'd take a while to find me in that jungle, especially if I was hiding up a tree somewhere. The gadget itself was not too big, about the size of a Gameboy Advance SP, silver, and it had a screen and three buttons.

I turned the thing on. 'Age?' greeted me.

I pressed the up button until the numbers below the query read "1 5". I pressed the circle below the triangles and another display came up.

It had a picture of the room behind the screen, and text reading 'Please center the target and press action button.'

I waited for Keitaro to come into the room. My fingers poised at the ready, I counted. One, two, three, four, five… I hoped he would come here first. I thought correctly, and when I was at sixty-three he slid back the door and placed his foot onto the tatami mat. He walked into view of my screen.

Click

The sound the device made. The three-eye logo on it blinked. I was prepared. I dropped to the floor. The last thing I heard of that manly voice was:

"Found you, Kaolla-chan!"

Phase I: Transform! (Kei POV)

"Sorry. I make a point of never dating younger girls."

I can't believe Kaolla-chan would even dare to ask such a question! It's clear that I'm at least five years older than her, and obviously she's not the promised girl, so I'm never going to go out with her. Unless, of course, somehow I go back to being 15 years old or so, and forget about that promised girl… but that's not going to happen. It's just not probable.

"Will you play with me then?"

However, she seemed to take my rejection well, so I decided to at least grant her a small favour. A game couldn't hurt. Not at all. In fact, I was up for a bit of warfare to calm me from my hard day at university.

"Sure. What game?" I replied calmly.

"Hide-and-seek. You do know how to play, don't you?"

Of course, being the kind person I am, I humoured her pitiful attempt at satiric mockery, and laughed. "Yeah. I used to be the reigning champion at my old school."

"Okay, you're it! Count to a hundred, and no peeking, OK?" She ran off, and I started counting. One, two, three, four, five… Of course, she didn't take a hundred seconds to run off, so when I was at sixty-three I stopped counting.

"Ready or not, here I come!" My apostrophe was eminent throughout the small kitchen. I walked calmly up to her room – knowing a small girl would choose to hide there first – and what a place to hide! It was literally a jungle in that room! I climbed the stairs. I took a breath at the door, ready to shout my victory cry. I opened the door.

Click

I saw Kaolla holding a silver device that vaguely resembled a Gameboy Advance SP.

I shouted. "Found you, Kaolla-chan!"

I realised that I was glowing brightly, and I sensed that I was shrinking.

I fainted.

hr

(Sakako's note: This is a story commissioned by kingdom of tom, thanks for the idea! I would have been bored out of my wits writing another Azumanga fic, you know? Just the usual requests, R&R onegai shimasu, etc. etc. Next chapter coming soon!