Initial Draft: May 12, 2004
Second Draft: May 15, 2004
Final Draft: May 23, 2004
Heya! This is S3, the Demon Godling. It's been a while since I've posted anything on this site, especially one that wasn't an MST. That tells you how long I've been gone.
Anyway, this is something I had to do for my college Creative Writing class – and I'm getting credit for it! It's just a re-telling of the beginning of Love Hina, from Keitaro's point of view – something I got from Rakna's story: 'The One I Love Is…' found under 'My Favorites' on my profile, or under the Evangelion fanfics.
Also, thanks go out to my College class for putting up with this story, as well as Erin Comben for reading each copy as much as possible… --'''
Anyway, I'm thinking about writing more, if not the rest of the series, down like this. But, then again, it IS 120 chapters, counting the 2-part epilogue, and this doesn't even cover the entire first chapter of the first volume…
Anyway, let me know what you think!
S3, the Demon Godling
Quick little glossary of the format:
Normal font is normal actions, words and so forth of the narrator.
Bold is the main character's inner voice perking up for little reason.
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"SOMEONE HELP! IT'S A PEEPING TOM! A PERVERT!"
Wait – hold it. Sorry about this. Although this is a part of the story, this isn't where I wanted to start. Anyway, let me introduce myself…
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My name is Keitaro Urashima, and I'm 19 years old – and I'm single! Now, some of you are probably wondering what I look like. I'm rather plain looking, and I wear glasses. I also have dark brown hair and I'm about five foot 6 or so.
I'm also currently what is known as a Ronin in Japan. For you people living in America, that's a student who has graduated from high school, but wasn't able to pass the college entrance exams for the school of their choice. I guess it wouldn't be that bad of a life for me – there are many colleges in Japan that I could probably get into. Some of their entrance exams are quite easy. But, I decided to try for the best and most prodigious university in Japan: Tokyo University, also known as Tokyo U.
When I first took the test, I panicked. None of the study materials got me even close to preparing for that damn thing! Next year wasn't spectacular either… Unfortunately for me, it was the last straw for my parents. They decided to kick me out of the house. I don't entirely blame them, though – I didn't have a job, and I was being kind of a waste on their money…
Anyway, I'm thinking at least one person out there is wondering why I'd want to go to Tokyo U if I've failed the past two tests. Well, fifteen years ago, I used to visit a place called 'The Hinata House.' It was in the Hinata region, a few miles away from Tokyo. My grandmother owned the Hinata House – it was her hotel – and she'd let my parents and me visit often. Well, back then, I made a friend. A girl. Anyway, we were playing in the sandbox in the back one day, when she told me something she'd heard from her parents…
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We were building a sandcastle, I think. Or was it a moat for the swings? I forget. Anyway, it was during the summer, on the last of my visits. We had grown quite close, and I liked her a lot – despite being only about 5.
"Keitaro," I remember her eyes meeting mine at this point – and that she was blushing slightly, "did you know that if two people who love each other go to Tokyo University, they'll live happily ever after?"
I remember stopping work on our sandcastle for a few seconds, "Really?"
She smiled, "When we grow up…." The girl stood up and quickly kissed me on the cheek, "Let's go to Tokyo University together!"
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I don't remember much else, though… I kinda wish I did, because I don't even remember her freaking name! But, I do remember promising to join her at Tokyo U. But, that promise is why I'm now a second-year Ronin…
Hey! What about me?
Oh, almost forgot. My only companion through all this, really, has been my inner voice.
Heya.
Don't look at me like that! Everyone has an inner voice – it's that voice inside that doubts, or encourages and so forth. It's just that mine is more… vocal.
Damn straight I am.
Anyway, that's pretty much my life story so far…
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Currently, I'm back in the Hinata region now. I hate to do this, but it's really the only option I have left… Remember how I told you about that hotel my grandma owned? Well, that's pretty much what I'm trying to find now.
You're also flat broke.
Yeah, thanks for rubbing the fact that I spent the last of my yen on a train ticket to get here…
No problem.
As I walked up and down the streets of Hinata, passing the people, I looked about – hoping to find a freaking sign to tell me where to go.
Oh, god it's so hot!
Almost without thinking, I took a handkerchief out of the pocket of my shoulder bag and wiped the sweat off my head – although my glasses were steaming too. Stuffing the cloth into one of the pockets of my black slacks, I took the glasses off and cleaned the lenses on my white dress shirt; thank you God for clothing that breathes… As I looked to the left, I noticed a set of stone stairs leading up a hill to a seemingly out of the way area.
Wait a minute…
I remember those steps…
Renewed with hope, I began to march up those steps, finding one hell of a big mansion at the top. This has gotta to be it – it's big enough to be a college dorm or a hotel, which it was…
I stepped up to the main door and slid it open. I find it nice that in Japan we don't need locks on our doors – we just trust each other. But, that's getting off track…
Huh.
That's odd – Hinata House is empty.
You know, in horror movies, this is where the killer comes out…
Shut up.
"H-hello? Anybody home?"
No answer, so I decided to try again…
"Grandma? It's your grandson, Keitaro. I…."
I felt a blush creep over my cheeks at this moment.
You are so freaking easily embarrassed… It's rather depressing…
Shaking my head, I continued.
"I have this problem. I need to study for my Tokyo U Entrance Exams. Can I stay here for a little while?"
There was another blast of silence.
Ok, this is getting kinda creepy…
No shit.
"Huh? Where're grandma and everyone else?"
There HAD to be someone here… maybe a bellhop or something?
As I walked further inside, I saw a room with the words 'Landlord's Room' over it – that must be grandma's room.
I'll just wait here.
I slid open the room's door – it was a shoji screen, something often used indoors instead of a real door. It was a traditional Japanese room – kind of sparse furnishings, no chairs and so forth. In the center of the room, though, was something I thought was rather nice – a kotetsu: a table that provides heat like an electric blanket. Dropping my shoulder bad onto the kotetsu, I plopped next to it, legs crossed and on the floor. I began to look about the room my grandmother called home.
My god, this is freaking huge! Most rooms in Japan are tiny – some like a walk-in closet I saw in a book about America. This room put those to shame – being large enough for about 3 people to live comfortably, as long as they had the proper privacy screens and such.
Now that I had a place to sit, my mind started to drift back to a few hours ago, when my parents had kicked me out…
My parents treat me like such an idiot…
Their words floated back to me…
"The world will blow up before you get into Tokyo U!"
I shrugged it off, trying to think of ways to prove that wrong…
I'm in the 48th percentile…
Yeah, you need to be in the 69th to even get in…
…and I'm bad at English as a foreign language, and my Japanese isn't much better…
I flinched – this wasn't helping… but my inner voice continued for me:
…and Math…
Um…
…Social Studies, History, and Biology…
As if being assaulted by my own brain wasn't enough, this bombshell decided to hit me as well:
YOU SUCK AT EVERYTHING!
…
Damn it.
…
Lying with my back on the ground, my mind began to wander back to high school…
Come to think of it, I'm also bad at sports.
You're not cute.
You're not helping. I also don't have any special talents…There's nothing attractive about me. Even I know that.
I rolled to the side, like I was trying to avoid my problems that way.
"Aaghh… Just once, I'd like to go out on a date with a girl. I'd even settle for a nice chat!"
But they always make fun of you…
True. I never played any 'cool' team sports, my grades sucked, and I was always paired off with other guys at dances!
At least you COULD dance.
You're not helping.
I know.
And to top it off, my scrapbook – filled with those photo booth pictures – is filled with only pictures of me!
Ha ha.
I let out a half-scream of frustration at that, pounding the ground a few times with my fists.
"This is so lame! I've got to get into Tokyo U no matter what! I'll never get a girlfriend like this!"
You're not gonna get one talking to yourself either.
For some reason, I found my thoughts drifting back to that promise girl was now…
After all these years… she was the only girl who liked me…
Something to the right caught my eye – an open door.
What th-
I froze. It couldn't be…
"An outdoor hot spring!"
Within seconds, my clothing was off, a towel from my bag wrapped around me, and I was in the hot spring.
I began to slowly sink into the water, the warmth combined with the ebb and flow of the naturally occurring hot tub overwhelming my tired and weary body.
I never realized that grandma's hotel was so fancy! Even if somewhere has a hot spring, they usually don't have the full decorations, like smooth rocks to rest on, or that dressing room I used before entering this.
Then, something dawned on me…
Maybe I can stay here! Yeah, I'll just study extra-hard at the hotel!
My brain paused, a noise registering somewhere behind me.
Um… did someone open the door outside…?
Some soft footsteps confirmed that, but…
Who's there…?
At the sound of splashing water, I turned around and-
HOLY SHIT!
"Ahhh…! Isn't this so nice and hot?"
Wait a second. Reality check. That's a… a…
A girl.
Right. And she's…
She's covered by a towel. And a small one at that.
Um… What's going on…?
The scantily covered girl leaned over towards me, smiling faintly. I could see her light brown hair and her dark brown eyes, a contrast with her pale skin.
She's cute…
And she's built too…
Ok, yeah, I was trying to avoid mentioning that, but this girl had a great body, too…
Panicking, I whirled away, praying that she wouldn't kill me.
"I love taking a soak during the day!"
Who the HELL is this girl?
"And guess what?!"
Please say you find me cute…
You are so sad…
Knowing I was going to regret it, I turned around – only to see this mystery girl…
HOLY SHIT! She's nude!
This girl, she was smiling! Also, her arms were wrapped about her body, just below her… her…
Breasts. Man, you're such a wimp.
"I think my boobs are getting bigger!"
As if to emphasize her point, this seemingly crazy woman pushed up with her arms, making her… her…
Breasts. Dude, say it with me: breasts.
…rise and seemingly expand…
As if this wasn't awkward enough for me, she pressed her body close to mine from behind. I again felt my face go red – I bet it looked like I was trying to do an impression of a tomato…
"They're still nowhere near yours, though."
What th-? Ok, this is odd. She thinks I'm someone else…
To make matters worse, this girl then reached in front of me.
"Let's give 'em a squeeze!"
What th-?
I struggled to get away, but her hands clamped onto something rather sensitive…
"Huh? What's this hard thing? It's getting bigger and bigger an-"
She froze and grabbed something from one of the rocks on the side of the hot spring, bringing them to her face. Her glasses.
With renewed vision, she looked at me, then gasped – dropping her glasses into the warm water. She looked surprised.
I don't blame her…
We stood opposite each other for a few minutes – with me trying to find a way out of this… hopefully without dying…
"You see…"
Her apparent surprise faded to a simple glare, and she took a deep breath…
And uttered those words that our tale started with…
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I did the only thing I could think of. Making sure the towel was still wrapped around me, I ran.
I went into the girl's hot spring by mistake? This looks bad!
Escaping that girl, I slid open the door to the changing room – and bumped into something. My face was buried in something soft. Looking up, I saw that another girl – taller than me – had been trying to get into the bath as well, and I just happened to run into her.
Wait… I'm… oh boy…
My brain quickly noted her face and body. She looked about my age, had a darker brown than the first girl for hair, and about the same for the eyes too. As for her body… um… yeah…
Great body.
You're not helping.
Haven't we established that already?
I backed off as quickly as I could. I breathed a slight sigh of relief as I noticed that, at least, SHE was in a towel. I also noticed that her eyes were sorta shaped like that of a fox's eyes, for some reason.
"I… I'm sorry!"
"Haven't seen you before."
Wait – that was it?
Lucky. Not many women let you get away with that…
I heard a familiar voice from behind…
"Kitsune! That's the pervert! Catch him!"
Kitsune? Well, that does mean 'fox,' and her eyes are-
Shit! That girl from before! As if she discovered that I was poisonous, 'Kitsune' backed off – a slight shriek sliding from her lips. Again, I ran.
"Hey now! Wait a-"
My words of protest and defense were cut short as I ran into another girl, carrying laundry. This one thankfully was fully dressed. She was different, though… She had a tan skin color and blond hair. Whoever she was, she sure wasn't from Japan. Maybe India or something. She was also wearing the uniform of the local middle school.
We collided, laundry flying everywhere. I literally jumped back up and ran off.
"What's going on?"
Not bothering to answer the young girl, I ran on – still in my damn towel…
Why do I keep running into girls? I know life tends to make up for things in the past, but this is getting out of hand!
As I ran down another hallway, there was another girl emerging from the kitchen, wearing an apron and a ladle in hand. She appeared to be the same age as the foreign girl. I screeched to a halt in front of her, my towel flapping up-
Not good…
As I ran off, I heard the younger girl shriek – and shouts from other girls in the area. Something about me being a thief or a pervert. I even heard the term flasher being used once.
Definitely not good, man.
Shut up, I know.
Turning randomly, I came across some stairs leading up. Not thinking, I followed them – and wound up on a good-sized deck on the roof. With no other way off.
Shit.
Within seconds, I was surrounded – there were 5 girls behind me, all fully dressed. Turning, I saw that foreign girl, the angry girl from that hot spring, Kitsune (that girl afterwards), that girl who was cooking… and one other… with a boken – a wooden sword. That girl seemed to be in high school, and wore the traditional robes of a Shinto priest – the colors of red for the loose-fitting pants and white for the loose blouse – for clothing, her raven black hair flowing behind her.
Hey – that girl has a sword…
Now is not the time-
Pissed off girl sword = RUN AWAY! NOW!
Only 3 of the girls, the two girls from the hot spring and sword-girl, looked at me with intense hatred. The other, younger, two just looked at me. Although, I think the cooking girl was blushing.
Ok, this looks bad.
No shit.
Maybe I can talk my way out of this…
"H-hold on! I just…."
I took what seemed to be my last breath.
"I just came to visit my grandma! I wanted to stay in her hotel! I didn't mean to peek or squeeze… or flash…"
My plea was answered with a punch in the face from that first girl.
CRACK!
Ah, God, that hurts!
I found myself headed over to the girl with the wooden sword, and she batted me away.
WHACK!
Ow…
I found myself face down on the ground as I heard a voice cry out…
"What do you mean stay in her hotel? You expect us to believe your stupid lies? This hasn't been a hotel in ages! Is a girls dorm!"
My mind flashed back to something I saw when I walked in…
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There was a sign sitting to the left of the door… it read 'Hinata House.'
But… above those words, were others that I didn't see till now. Words that I now regretted not seeing first:
"Girls Dormitory"
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"A girls dorm?"
Shit…
No, now would be a more appropriate time to use the word 'fuck.'
"Now you just sit tight while we call the cops."
Cops?!?!
"Wait! That's too-"
"You've got some nerve sneaking in like this."
What?
"That's not it!"
I heard more footsteps coming up those stairs, and another female voice called out…
"What's with all the noise?"
"House mother! We caught a peeping tom!"
There was a pause – I think she was digesting the information or something…
Her voice sounded familiar…
"Well, well… if it isn't my nephew Keitaro…"
What? No way, A- aunt…?
"Aunt Haruka!"
Thank you god!
My eyes quickly scanned Aunt Haruka. She looked almost the same as I remembered her – lit cigarette either in her hand or her mouth, and the semi-traditional t-shirt and knee-length skirt was also for her. She was, I think, 29, although her face and black hair didn't show it.
I grabbed the elder lady as if my life depended on it. Wait, it did…
I think this may have confused those other girls – they stopped trying to kill me…
Finally…
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After I got dressed, Aunt Haruka and I talked alone – I explained my situation to her, and how badly I needed a place to stay. Haruka simply smiled softly, which was odd for her, and said she'd take care of it.
Since exhaustion had it's icy debilitating grip in me, I don't remember much – except until my Aunt had gathered everyone up in the living room and asked them if I could stay. The answer from that violent girl still echoes in my ears to this day…
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Ah, man… I knew it…
Well, it's your fault for doing that perverted rampage…
"Please?" My voice was probably doing a better job than my body as to how desperate I was, "Just let me stay for a little bit…"
The angry girl – I really should find a name for her, shouldn't I? Anyway, she leaned in close, her brown eyes seeming to drill into my soul. Feeling her death glare, I continued my plea:
"I didn't know the hotel became a dorm!"
"I said NO!"
Ha ha.
Shut up.
"But… my grandmother owns this place…."
This seemed to infuriate her more. I swear, if this were a cartoon or a comic book, smoke would start to pour out her ears and eyes.
"That's got NOTHING to do with this! This is a girls dorm!"
I noticed that the one named Kitsune was now holding angry girl back. I breathed a silent thanks to God, because I got the feeling that without her, I'd have been dead.
No shit.
"We can't let a sicko like you stay another minute!"
What? Me? A 'sicko?'
"B-but…"
I saw angry girl's eyes slide closed to slits at my attempt to protest.
You're in for it now… Heh. You shoulda seen that coming.
"You saw us NAKED, GRABBED our breasts, tried to steal our underwear and did all SORTS of disgusting things! You even showed your thing to poor Shinobu, and she's only in the 7th grade!"
Wait… who?
I found myself looking for that girl, curious. Then, it clicked. There was a little girl off to the left, blushing furiously.
Oh, shit…
"What if she's TRAUMATIZED FOR LIFE?"
I noticed Shinobu trying to say something.
Please! Say something in this pervert's defense!
Shut up!
Can't make me. Besides, this is kinda fun.
"Um… I'm fine. It was too small for me to really see,"
Ha ha. Guess we all have our 'shortcomings.'
Oh, for god's sake…
My face paled, and then seemingly flushed red at the same time. I wish I knew how that was possible…
Same here.
"…so I really wasn't freaked out."
"That's not helping at all, kid."
That last line was by Kitsune, no doubt – I remember her voice. But, that didn't help my situation… Kitsune was also still struggling to restrain angry girl. I guess I should thank her later.
"What can I do? I spent ALL of my money getting here! I was counting on grandma…"
I froze.
Wait, where was grandma? Surely she would have heard all this noise…
Wait – if I asked Grandma…!
Aunt Haruka must have noticed the idea dawning on my face.
"You're grandmother's not here, Keitaro."
"Huh?"
Wait – then where…?
"She went on a world-wide sightseeing tour a year ago." Haruka paused to take a drag off her cigarette – it seemed to take forever. "We just get faxes from her once in a while."
My… grandma's not here?
Your aunt just said that, yeah.
Wait… a… a…
"A world tour?"
Aunt Haruka paused to take yet another breath, finishing off her current cigarette. She used that one to light her next, inhaled, and spoke again.
"She's looking for new thrills. So, she took her failing motel and turned it into a girls dorm."
"I-is that true?"
Everyone nodded their heads – apparently, they've been living here for a while.
How could this happen…? I said I wouldn't go home until I got into Tokyo University. Now, I have to eat my words in – I checked my watch quickly – just one day, three hours and 26 minutes…
What, no seconds? Oh, and 27 minutes now.
"…I'm screwed…"
There was a pause as I sat on the couch, looking down at the floor. I could feel everyone's eyes on me – this really sucks. Sighing, I stood up.
"But… I understand. I can't ask you to let a guy stay in a girl's dorm."
I grabbed my shoulder bag and faced my aunt.
Where're you planning to go? Isn't the sun setting right now?
I don't know… just away from here.
I bowed slightly, essentially saying 'goodbye' to my aunt.
"Sorry to have bothered you."
"Sorry… I know you'd have saved on rent here."
I laughed softly, maybe I wasn't feeling that bad.
"Yeah, but the commute would have been hell!"
"Yeah, you're right." My aunt smiled softly. This didn't look normal or natural, and the fact that it was the second smile I'd seen today meant that no good could come of this. "If I remember… you're at Tokyo U now, right?"
Wah…?
However, due to probably shock, I could only come up with the words:
"Huh?"
"You'd be about a sophomore now."
I paused. What the hell? Didn't I tell Haruka and grandma that I failed the first time around, like the rest of my family?
Not wanting to hurt her, or anyone's feelings, I gathered up what was left of my shattered courage…
"No, Aunt Haruka. Tokyo U is what I've spent two years-"
I couldn't finish my sentence. Why, you may ask? Well, I can tell you it wasn't a lack of courage on my part. It was a loud screech from all the other girls in the room.
"Tokyo U?!"
Man, they're loud.
"Tokyo University?"
Again with the loudness and the repeating… Oi…
The 5 girls who, hours ago, had tried to kill me, gathered around – jaws dropped.
Is it THAT hard to believe that I could get into Tokyo University?
Um… look in the mirror. Yeah, it is.
Ignoring my inner voice, I simply sat there, shocked at, well, everything.
"Um… yeah?"
Kitsune looked shocked.
Which one was she again?
The one I ran into running from the first girl, with the fox-eyes.
Oh, yeah.
"You're a student at Tokyo University?"
Everyone else simply looked shocked. Much like myself, actually.
"W-wait, hold on…!"
Kitsune looked approvingly at me. Again, I found myself getting rather scared.
"Hmm… they say you shouldn't judge by appearances…"
Kitsune then began to nuzzle next to me.
Holy shit. Dude, what's going on?
I… don't know…
I heard other comments being thrown about, someone said about how it was so amazing that someone who looks like me got in, and another was asking if 'Tokyo Ewe' was a snack. I think that was the foreign girl. That angry girl turned to Kitsune – growling and angry seemed to be her only moods.
"Even if he is a Tokyo University student, Kitsune, he's still a pervert."
"What are you saying? We're talking about Tokyo University here!" Kitsune tuned to me. "Isn't it true that you've gotta be in the top percent to get in?"
I thought that over for a second, what did I say it was earlier? Man…
69 percent.
Thanks.
"I think it's the 69th percentile…."
I heard gasps and remarks around me- wait. They don't think that I…
"Wait, I don't mean that I-"
Kitsune wasn't listening, "Did you hear that? The 69th percentile!"
"Listen to me! I-"
Kitsune cut me off again.
I guess Miss Kitsune here never learned her manners…
"So, which program are you gonna take?"
Huh?
"Well, the law program is…
Again, Kitsune wasted no time in talking over me, "Did you hear that? Tokyo U's law program!"
What? No! That wasn't what I meant! I actually kinda want to be something else, less demanding!
Like a teacher?
Maybe…
"Actually, what I'm aiming for is-"
Kitsune continued, again, interrupting me, again, "He's gonna be a big-shot lawyer or at the ministry of finance!"
This is bad… I'm really just a second year Ronin, and I'm down in the 48th percentile!
As previously stated. Got any new thoughts as to get out of this mess?
I was about to say something, to set things straight when Kitsune…
Don't tell me, another interruption?
Yep.
Damn, she's excitable.
"How about it guys? Why don't we let the counselor stay here?"
Wa-wa-what?
You? A lawyer? Bwahahaha!
Again, ignoring my inner voice, I tried to mount a defense to this… insane woman.
"Huh? Counselor?"
Great defense, Napoleon.
"This is still a girls dorm, of course. There are still a few rules." Kitsune pointed to me, her finger seeming to accuse me of doing something wrong, "If you try anything pervy like today, you're out on your butt!"
Everyone expect for that angry girl nodded in agreement. She, however, had other things to say.
"Hold on, Kitsune! This is still a girls dorm! You can't just change that on a whim!"
Kitsune seemed to grin at that. I think she was expecting her to say something like that, "Oh? What, Narusegawa, you'd throw this poor young man out? This sweet boy who's stressed over missing his dear grandmother?"
Oh, yeah. She had this planned.
Narusegawa… so that's her name. Nice, really.
Get your head out of the clouds! These women are deciding your fate, here!
Kitsune noticed Narusegawa's hesitation to say anything more and moved in for the kill, as it looked like to me, "We all know him now. It'd be uncool to refuse him."
No way! I think Kitsune just talked Narusegawa into a complete reversal!
Hey, I think I figured that out on my own, thanks.
"Fine…" Narusegawa said, having apparently given up completely, "We'll welcome him in…" I noticed a bit of a deadly tone at the remainder of the sentence, "…for now."
"Welcome!" everyone, save Narusegawa, shouted at almost the same time, "To Hinata house!"
Still rather stunned, I found myself stuttering out a slight "…thanks…" of my own in response.
Wow. You saw a woman naked, flashed a 7th grader, felt up another, and still talked your way into getting a place to stay!
Oh, don't be so sarcastic. I still have to explain to them all that I'm still trying to get into Tokyo University…
Save that for another day, man. For right now, just try and go get some sleep.
As I dragged myself into the room marked 'Landlord's Room' for the second time today to finally get some rest, I could only think that things couldn't get much worse.
[End]
