Night was just beginning to fall on Hinata Sou as the dull shine of the stars carelessly twinkled. Never had they done any harm to anyone as they watched the dramas and comedies that had a tendency to show up in the small town. Never before had they thought to intervene in the affairs of the human race that slowly pushed itself through its small period of existence. Some of these stars had been watching the Earth's plague-like infestation since the first human popped, yes mind you, popped into existence and would continue to be here until the humans popped back out.

It was for these reasons that on that night the stars noticed the drama that was quickly unfolding in that single small, insignificant town. It was for this reason that they were watching the desolate form of the Hinata House when the shadow of a stranger passed by the steps. Hesitant, unsure footsteps could be heard if someone were to listen hard enough.

Slowly climbing the steeps steps was a child, a mere teenager. Wrapped up in his jacket, the teen seemed to struggle with himself as he continued to trot up the steps. As he neared the upper steps, his eyes began to sweep across the soft sheen of the former inn.

He continued to fidget with something he had held in his hands, unseen by any casual onlooker as he hid it with the edges of his unzipped jacket. Slowly, deliberately, the teen approached the doorway of the majestic inn. Slowly reaching out his right hand, he placed his hand on the door that stood between him and freedom. The door that separated him from his dream.

Quickly withdrawing his hand, the boy thought to himself the reasons he might have to simply reach out and give the door a good whack and be done with it. It was nighttime, and the residents were likely to be asleep.

"There's no reason for anybody to be up," he thought to himself. "More than likely, if I knocked now, I could say that I tried and be done with it. Be done with this tired feeling."

"But I would still have the pain," he thought again. " I would still be worthless. I won't have improved my situation one bit. I should really learn to take my own advice and follow my own path. I should really stand up for myself. Nobody else will."

Looking at the door once again, the young teen cast his eyes down and sighed. A small, quiet sigh of disappointment. As he turned away from the door, a final thought crossed his mind.

"It will still be here tomorrow…"

With that, he turned down the steps for what had recently become a nightly routine of second-guessing and round trip exercise of trotting up and down the fleet of steps, never guessing that for once, he was wrong. Never guessing that for once, one of his assumptions was wrong.

Watching his every move was a lone pair of eyes. Carefully tracking his routine pace around the front porch, then his silent departure, all the while wondering. Wondering what in the world this boy could want. Wondering why he came, night after night. Why never during the day? Would he return tomorrow?

Happiness was so close yet so far by a young Keitaro's figuring. He hadn't been manager for long, his grandmother appointing him to the job of manager to Hinata Sou only a few months ago. So far, he had had little luck in befriending the rebellious young women that occupied the former inn.

Yes, former inn. After running low on business, Keitaro's grandmother decided to change the inn into a dorm for girls. While this seemed logical to Keitaro, the thing that worried him was why his grandmother had put him in such a compromising situation. What had she been thinking?

Lying with his back on his futon, Keitaro thought of all these things while trying to feign sleep in hopes that it would return to him. Unfortunately, the sandman had already made his rounds and was apparently going to refuse to make a single recall.

Sighing, Keitaro sat up.

"Why can't I just go back to sleep?" he thought. "Today, of all days, I have to have trouble sleeping. Why me?" Today was a holiday from school, and Keitaro had wanted to use that time for making up on lost sleep due to studying. Being a ronnin, Keitaro knew all about the unpleasantness of failure, and failing to get to sleep was really bothering him.

"Well," he though. "Now seems like a good time to check and see if Shinobu's up. If not, I can always help with breakfast." He sighed. Hopefully this would take his mind off the missed sleep. He was sure that the second he left his room; he would be giving up the rights to a peaceful day.

Slowly, he opened his door and peaked down both sides of the hallway. Noting, not without a feeling of relief, that the house was currently deserted. Closing his door behind him, he lightly treaded on the wooden flooring so as not to make a sound. This was important step in his staying on the good side of all the girls, and waking them when they were clearly asleep wasn't going to earn him any brownie points.

As he entered the kitchen, he began to smell food being fried, and listened to the sizzle that emitted from the frying pan.

"Well," thought Keitaro, "at least I know that Shinobu is cooking, and doing a good job of it too, by the smell of it."

He stood in the doorway of the kitchen as he though about whether he should help her out or not. He thought, and decided to leave her to her own way, he would probably just get in the way.

Finally deciding to get a head start on the day's chores, Keitaro turned and was faced by the dorm's pet hot springs turtle, Tama. Picking the small turtle off the floor, he asked her,

"Hey Tama-chan, how would you like to accompany me to the hot springs this fine morning? You can soak while I begin my cleaning."

The turtle replied with a quick, "Myah!"

"There is, however, a condition," continued Keitaro.

Tama eyed him carefully, as if to ask him what the condition was, then replied with a sigh like, "Myaah…"

Keitaro suddenly grinned. "No, Tama-chan, that wasn't what I meant. I only meant to request that you lend me an ear. I've had trouble sleeping lately, and I think I need someone to talk to. Plus…you're not really my type," he chuckled.

Tama brighten and quickly agreed to his terms and headed out to the hot springs. As he stopped by the tool shed to get his cleaning supplies, Keitaro wondered to himself.

"I know I'm forgetting something, but what?" he mused, sitting down next to a tree for a second. But only a second, as when he sat down, Tama quickly bit the tip of his ear in impatience. Not too hard, but hard enough for him to get back up and continue on to the hot springs.

"What am I forgetting?'" he continued musing as he walked to the hot springs. "Why does it seem important? Oh, well, I guess it can wait until later…"

How was he to know that that decision would quickly change his life?

So how was that for a first chapter? I don't really want to give away any details too soon, because suspense keeps people reading! And without the readers, where would the authors be? A perplexing question indeed…

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the character in this fic, as of yet. Any OC's are mine though. I'll identify those later though.

Finally as note: I would ask you to review, if I thought it would make a difference, but I highly doubt it will. No, you'll review if you feel like it, and for no other reason. Oh, and I really don't mind flames. Really, sometimes people just need to vent, and plus most flames still have a very low quality advice somewhere, sometimes its just hard to find. But now a warning.

Warning: Play with flames and you might get burned.

-B