Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Love Hina or any of its characters.

-

Shinobu dragged her finger around the rim of the vase and frowned at the brown she collected on the tip. It was ridiculous how much dust could gather in such a short amount of time. Even though she absolutely hated dusting, she made it her duty to do it every week and she had to get started before…

"Hey!" She pretended not to hear him as she rubbed the dust off her finger. "Wait!"

He found her.

Her favorite person rushed down the hallway equipped with a feather duster, the untied apron he wore flapping with every step he took. "C'mon Shinobu," Keitaro pleaded, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose as he slowed to a stop. "Do we really have to go through this again?"

"Sempai…" The resident cook tightened her grip around her own feather duster. She nodded to herself before turning to face him, her resolve noted in the deep blue that looked up at him. "W-We're competing against each other…"

Keitaro shook his head as he took the time to properly tie on the apron. He didn't know who it was that put that idea in her head, but that wasn't the case at all. "I've been telling you it's not like that…" He smiled as he moved closer to her, letting his hand fall on her shoulder before she could shy away. "I've been trying to clean up a little more because I know how hard you work to pick up my slack. I'm grateful, but I can handle it. You should really take a break."

"You really think that…?" Shinobu broke into a smile as he nodded, the comforting squeeze he gave her shoulder underlining his sincerity as he looked her in the eyes. "O-Okay…" He was clearly trying his best so she wouldn't get in his way, but she could at least try to offer him a break since he was giving her one. "Do you w-want some of the cake I made before you start?"

"I'm sorry." His smile faded as he returned his hand to his side. "I have to get all these chores done as soon as possible. Naru wants me to take her out tonight so I have to hurry up."

"Aww…" Shinobu groaned, visibly disappointed as she bowed her head and sighed. The reason she made the cake was so everyone could have a treat together for once, but her sempai was always left out. Ever since he proposed to Naru, opportunities to do things as simple as talk to him were becoming increasingly rare. It was because all the girls, herself included, missed him that she took it upon herself to take a share of his workload. She figured it'd give him more time to spend with them, but it only led to him chasing her down to keep her from doing something she didn't have to do. "I'll stay then. If we work together then-"

"Not this time, Shinobu." Keitaro cut in before folding his arms and closing his eyes in his best attempt to look impassive. He failed, but she knew how stubborn he was. There was nothing she could do after his mind was made up. "You're going to take a break."

"Sempai…"

He was overworking himself.

Between Naru and his studies, he barely had the time to tend to his responsibilities as a landlord. He was busy, but he still worked hard to get things done. He worked hard to make sure no one else had to bother with the things he was supposed to do.

Keitaro cracked open ay eye to find Shinobu staring at him.

He could tell by the look on her face that she was worried, the slight dip of her eyebrows and the way she frantically tried to say something only to end up keeping her silence adding to the signs he picked up. She always had trouble giving voice to her concerns so he learned to interpret her expressions a long time ago.

"Hmm," He used a smile to put her at ease. "Can you do me a favor and try to save a piece for me? Knowing Su, it's probably all gone by now though."

"Are…" She was wanted to help him, but he already asked her to take it easy. "Are you sure, sempai?"

Keitaro nodded on his way down the hall, keeping his smile as he walked. Shinobu stared at his back for a few seconds before going on her way. She rounded a corner with the slice of cake she'd protect with her life the sole thing on her mind and he disappeared into one of the vacant rooms.

"Man…" Keitaro slid the door closed behind him before approaching a random corner in the room. "If I can get all this done before dinner, then I can go and take a nap. If I'm lucky, some cake might still be—Ahh!!" He nearly stepped on something and immediately scrambled back before he completely brought his leg down. With his back to the door, the landlord gulped before lowering his sight to the floor.

"Hmm…" The woman he almost walked over rolled onto her back. She yawned before she sat up. "I feel so much better now." She stretched as she said it, relieving the tense muscles in her back as she raised her hands high into air and looked around. "Ah, was that your doing?"

The landlord breathed a deep sigh of relief before switching the lights on, something he should have thought to do earlier. At any rate, accidentally stepping on people didn't make them feel good. "I'm sorry about that, but…" He returned to her side and reached his hand under her bangs to rest it on her forehead. It didn't feel particularly hot and neither made mention of the contact. "You don't have to come somewhere like this when you're feeling faint. You know I'll lay out a futon for you. You can even have mine if you want."

"Ara ara…" Mutsumi flashed him her ever-present smile before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "I was just taking a nap. I didn't pass out and that'd be… troublesome to your girlfriend, wouldn't it?"

Keitaro blinked, his face blank as he completely missed her point. "Not at all." He held out a hand to help her up. "If you're tired, you can rest wherever you want. If you just so happen to be closer to my room, feel free. Can't think of a reason she'd get upset over something like that."

"I can think of quite a few." The watermelon lover warmly accepted his hand and got to her feet. She leveled her sunny smile at him. "Did you come to wake me for dinner?"

"Ha… I'm sorry. It was an accident." He shook his head before directing her attention to the feather duster he held and the apron he had on. "I'm just cleaning up. You can go back to sleep, but let me go and get you a futon."

"I'm fine." Mutsumi reached out and grabbed his sleeve before he could walk away. She was already wide awake. "You don't-"

Keitaro unintentionally pulled her forward with him and they bumped into each other, both of them clumsy enough to lose their balance in a vain attempt to help the other regain theirs. He let go of the feather duster to grab hold of her and she landed roughly on top of him. The air was knocked out of him as he broke her fall, but it was better than her getting hurt.

He wanted to ask her if she was alright, but two things came to his immediate attention before anything else. One, he could barely think because of the way Mutsumi was moving against him and, two, was simply because he couldn't talk.

He couldn't move his lips because they were pressed against hers.

For a second, his brain shorted out. Instead of processing and interpreting what came from the contact, he only collected it. He took in the sensation that came from the unintentional kiss and he dared not look at wherever his hand was. He didn't need to see what he was touching to know that it was soft.

"Mhmm…" Mutsumi pushed herself up, successfully straddling him as she licked her lips. "Troublesome indeed…Are you okay, Keitaro?"

Her question flicked his brain back on. The facts of the situation attacked him, the truth stabbing him in the back as he looked up at the woman on top of him. He kissed her. He didn't make the mistake of slipping her the tongue, but he still kissed her. He groped her. He shot a guilty look at his hand, flexing it as he recalled exactly what he how she felt. It was only because she straddled him that he didn't already attempt to make his escape, but, because of his experience with previous misunderstandings, he knew the best approach was always diplomacy.

"I'm okay…" His voice was level as turned towards the door. "I really got to g-get back to cleaning though, so if you don't mind…"

"Ara ara…" She leaned over him, watching as he tried to inch his way from under her. "Are you really that scared of someone seeing us like this?"

"W-What?" The look on his face was all it took for her to confirm her suspicions. "Of course I am!" The landlord was quick to lower his voice to a whisper, careful not to draw any of the attention he didn't want. "They'd kill me before I could explain!"

"Oh?" If only he knew how much she wanted to stay on top of him. "You can count on me." She moved against him, the shuffle of her hips and the hand she pressed down on his chest the only support she needed before getting to her feet. "You don't have to worry about anything like that, but I might have to tell Naru about the kiss." She joked, holding out a hand to help him up much the same way he did for her.

Keitaro looked at her, but he paid no heed to the hand she held out or the friendly smile on her face. His expression was the same, the position they were in was the reason he frowned, but something in his eyes immediately told her she said the wrong thing.

The sense that something was wrong blared in her head like a siren that wouldn't go off.

Mutsumi blinked, her mind set on fire by his reaction as her failed attempt at a joke went down in flames. Something was wrong. There was no doubt that something was wrong, but all she cared about as she watched him was making sure he knew that she didn't mean it. If it was something she said, if it was something she did to make him look at her like that, then she'd apologize until her throat was sore. She kneeled, extending her hand to maintain any kind of contact with him in case her voice failed her. "Keitaro…" It didn't. She said it calmly and surely, but the panic that shook her heart threatened to overtake her as she looked him in the eyes. "I don't know what I said but I don't mean it. I s-swear I-"

"Don't…" Keitaro started, the hand that aimlessly sought him falling with the word. "I…" He couldn't even find the words to stumble over in his defense. "You…" He gave up trying to explain and ended up begging without preamble. "Please…" He pleaded. "Please don't tell her, Mutsumi…"

It was just a joke.

It was just a joke, but his reaction wasn't funny at all. He wasn't blushing and falling over himself trying to apologize. He wasn't running away crying that it wasn't his fault. With a disjointed string of words, he was begging her not to say anything to his fiancé.

By itself, his reaction implied that he was scared of Naru.

That much was true. Everyone knew he was scared of her and it was something that wouldn't change. Naru was the one in charge. She dictated where the relationship went and he was the one that followed. From her perspective, it seemed awfully rough but she was alright with it as long as he was.

What bothered her more than that, what disturbed her more than the way he looked up at her, was the idea that she would betray him. The absolute worst was that he believed she would do something like that to him.

Mutsumi averted her eyes, her hand slightly shaking as she thought to touch him. She put her hand on top of his. She wouldn't do him like that. She'd never do anything to hurt him. "I won't…"

Keitaro sucked in a breath before letting out, the relief he felt second to none as she spared him further agony. It felt like he was saved from the chopping block at the last minute and he was so grateful that he already bowed his head to thank her.

That wasn't what she wanted.

Mutsumi squeezed his hand, telling him the things he already knew with the gesture. He knew her just as well as she knew him. She didn't need words to make him understand that much, but she did have to voice the question he could see in her eyes.

"Why are you so scared of her?"

She knew why.

It wasn't exactly a secret, but she needed him to talk to her regardless of the fact that she already knew the answer. She needed him to talk to her because she needed to be reminded that what she did was the right thing. She needed to know that the feelings she sacrificed weren't in vain.

She needed to be sure about his relationship with Naru because it was already too late for her to take back his heart…

-

Frailty

-

Keitaro finished dusting another room and she followed him out into the hallway. With their conversation finished for the most part, Mutsumi felt like she accomplished something as they moved into the last room on the first floor. She was happy. It wasn't often that she got to spend time with him alone so just talking to him for the greater part of an hour was easily the highlight of her day. More importantly, her fears were unfounded.

"It's not like I think she'll seriously kill me or anything… It's just… Well…" He slid back the door, standing aside to let her walk in first as he looked inside. "Naru gets really jealous. I don't mind her hitting me. Honestly, I don't really care anymore. I just have a feeling she's going to wake one day and just call everything off at the last minute."

His uncertainty made her stop in the doorway.

"W-What?"

"I don't mean it in a bad way." He promised, giving his friend a smile as she turned to look at him. "It's just that it all feels kind of unreal. I can't believe I'm getting married." His smile was priceless, the look on his face dazzling her as he spoke about what was once an unreachable dream. "I wouldn't be surprised if she came to her senses and called it off."

"Ara ara…" His companion followed him inside, pausing only to close the door behind them. "You certainly put her on a high pedestal…"

"I know it sounds kind of crazy, but I love everything about her…" He kept his smile as he swiped the feather duster across the furniture no one used. "I love Naru so I have to accept that part of her. That's just how she is and I love who she is." She felt a terrible stab of envy as he stopped dusting long enough to let the fondness of his smile spread across his features. "She still sends me through walls every now and then and she does say some stuff that makes me feel bad, but that's just who she is. I really love her, Mutsumi."

"I know how you feel about her." She stepped back to avoid that small cloud of dust that gathered around him. The reason she never said anything was because she knew how he felt. It was why she happily worked to bring him and Naru together in spite of her own feelings. "I know how you feel better than anyone else…"

She knew him the best.

It wasn't his grandma and his family or his fiancé and her friends that really knew him. She was the one that made it her duty to know every single thing about him. It wasn't an obsession as much as it was an honest effort to make sure someone as kind and sweet as him got as much happiness as he deserved and more.

"Um… thanks…"

He unconsciously edged further away from her, something she didn't fail to notice as her dark eyes locked on his retreating figure. He didn't have to run from her. She knew he was planning to get married and she wouldn't dare threaten something he worked so hard to get, but she couldn't deny the part of her that always wanted a little piece of Keitaro to herself. There would always be a part of her that wanted to be the one he treasured.

"You're welcome…"

She didn't like it.

She didn't like where her thoughts were heading, but there was nothing else she could think about when she was alone with him over a period of time. There was nothing to distract herself with. She looked, her eyes darting around in an attempt to find anything to take her mind off him, but Keitaro filled her vision. She couldn't stop looking at him. She couldn't stop wanting him.

Would it be wrong to just have something to remember him by?

"Hey," She covered her nose and her mouth with her hand as she approached him. "Keitaro…"

He inched away from her again, trying his best to keep a respectable amount of distance between them. "Y-Yeah…?"

"Did you ever used to think about me?"

Keitaro dropped the feather duster, his glasses sliding down his nose as his jaw dropped. He blinked a few good times before raising a hand to push his glasses back up. "W-What do you mean?" He started to move away again, but she reached out to stop him. She wouldn't let him weasel his way out of the question and she wouldn't let him keep edging away.

He didn't have to run from her.

"Did you ever like—No," That wasn't what she wanted to ask. She wanted to know if he ever considered being with her the way she longed to be with him. She just wanted a confirmation of what she already suspected so she could start burying the dream she denied herself. "Did you ever think about… being with me?"

He lowered his sight to the floor as memories of flooded into his mind. There was no doubt. Naru didn't have a monopoly on his mind. He frequently thought about other girls, but the thought of the fantasies that featured the woman in front of him kept the landlord from looking her in the eyes.

Even though she was ill, her body was definitely too healthy…

He knew from experience that she was more… gifted than the other girls. She was a little heavier than them, but for all the right reasons. She didn't have the shape of a super model. She wouldn't be walking down any runways, but she had the figure to do it if she really wanted to.

To be fair, he had long since stopped thinking about such things but she didn't ask him that. She wanted to know if he ever thought about her and the answer was a definite yes. The problem was actually telling her as much without sounding like the pervert Naru constantly accused him of being.

He wasn't talking to Naru though…

Keitaro quickly nodded the positive in an attempt to tell the truth before he willed himself to lie and Mutsumi looped her arms around him in a clumsy hug that suited her. Though her question caught him off guard, her gentle hug did nothing of the sort. He relaxed in her embrace, feeling at quite at home in her arms until he felt her breath on his neck.

She was too close.

"Mhmm…" Mutsumi hummed as she pulled him even closer. He could feel the way she was pressing against him no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. "Keitaro… I locked the door behind me…"

"M-Mutsumi…?"

She exhaled, her breath cooling the bare skin that started to get hot. She instinctively knew what she was trying to do was wrong, but she just wanted a little piece of him before another woman claimed him as her own.

She kissed the side of his neck and sent something similar to an electric shock down his spine. "Let me kiss you…" She licked him, his gasp the reason she thought to do it again. "I promise I won't tell anyone…"

"N-No!" Keitaro struggled to get away from the kisses she left along his neck, absent-mindedly wondering when she managed to get her arms around his neck. "We can't!" He had the presence of mind to duck, dropping to the ground and quickly scooting back and away from her. "Mutsumi, I'm… I'm going to get married! We can't do this!"

She dived on top of him.

"Mutsumi!"

It was because he was getting married that she had to get what was hers. She had to at least get a kiss out of him. She deserved that much for letting his affections for her wither. She was entitled to that much for letting her feelings remain idle for the greater part of her life.

"Keitaro… Just let…" He was being difficult. "Just let me have a kiss." The woman that ended up on top tangled with him for a minute before getting the upper hand. She pinned one of his arms to the floor and laid on top of him to keep him down under she could do the same to the other. "Please…" She couldn't wipe away the sweat that she started to build on her skin. She was tired, the brief tussle enough to make her wear her out, but she wasn't finished. "Please let me have one kiss before it's too late."

"No…" He was helpless. The only thing he could do was maintain his defiance as she swung her leg over him and straddled him again. "I'm not-"

"I'll tell her." She wasn't going to argue. "I'll tell her that we kissed."

It was a lie.

It was a threat she wouldn't follow through with even if he continued to reject her.

She knew she was putting him in a difficult, if not impossible position, but all she was asking for was a kiss. She wasn't asking him to do something unsavory. She wasn't asking him to sleep with her. That was why she lied. Even though she was actively taking advantage of him, she'd never intentionally do something to hurt him. On the contrary, she only acted on his behalf. If she had even the slightest feeling that what she was doing would hamper his relationship with Naru then she never would have even thought to ask him for what she always wanted.

Keitaro stopped resisting, his defiance fading as she bended his will.

"Mutsumi… please…"

He didn't have the heart to look at her so he turned away, exposing the place where she wanted to finish what she started. It wasn't that easy though. She swallowed hard, anxiety setting in as she decided against responding to his pleas because she feared she wouldn't find her voice.

"Keitaro…"

She did.

Mutsumi breathed on him, his name all she could say without straining to keep her voice from cracking. She was doing something bad, but it wasn't too late. She didn't have to make him sad. She didn't have to do something he didn't want her to do, but she couldn't help herself.

All he needed to do was be quiet…

"Shh…"

After threatening to tell Naru about the accidental kiss, Mutsumi was free to lift her hands from his wrists but she didn't. She kept him pinned to the floor as she dropped her head down towards his neck. She licked him again just to see his reaction so she was pleasantly pleased when he shivered, goosebumps rising as she worked her tongue along his jaw.

Mutsumi licked her lips, the apprehension she felt at first fading as she thought to get what she wanted from him. "Look at me…"

He listened to her, his sight obscured by the way his glasses laid across his face. She was undeniably pretty, the softness of her features betraying the strength of her grip and the frailty of her body. The most attractive thing about her wasn't her beauty. He always liked her because of how she never failed to spread her cheer around without even trying, but the most cheerful person he knew stared down at him without a smile on her face.

What she was doing didn't make her happy.

It made her feel good, but it didn't make her happy. What she was doing didn't make her proud of herself for having the courage to go through with it and she didn't even want to bother thinking about the eventual aftermath.

She kissed him.

She was hungry for his lips, but she only thought to press her own against this corner of his mouth. The look in his eyes begged him to stop, but she didn't and she wouldn't. She flicked her tongue across his lips, parting them as they stared into each other's eyes all the while.

She tasted him.

It was nothing short of wonderful, the flavor of Keitaro something she savored as she took everything she could from the moment of intimacy she sought for as long as she could remember. He responded to her, following her wishes just enough to ensure she wouldn't go back on her word. He let her tongue wander his mouth and he held any complaint as she intentionally grazed his lip with teeth.

It was over.

"Keitaro…"

Was it wrong to tell him she loved it? That she wanted more?

The landlord didn't say anything. He merely looked up at her with eyes that would never trust her again. She accepted his distrust, unable to do anything other than let go of his wrists before she finally sat up. She had to speak up though. If she ever wanted to be able to look him in the eye again, if she ever wanted to be able to talk to him again, she had to make sure he knew why she went so far.

"Keitaro…" Mutsumi repeated his name to get his attention even though she was sure she already had it. "I love you." She said it before she could stop herself, the secret she planned to take to her grave escaping through her voice. "I… I wanted to kiss you. I just wanted you to know that I love you before you got married. That's all."

She gave him the reason, but it ended up sounding like an excuse.

He massaged his wrists before bringing a hand to his face to reposition his glasses. The deep brown behind the lens shimmered, his gaze leveled at her as he patiently waited for her to get up.

It wasn't a misunderstanding.

What she did was wrong and she accepted the most likely outcome. Mutsumi stood, using the hand she planted on his chest to push herself up again. Upon getting to her feet, she held out a hand for him which he accepted after a long second.

Keitaro bowed his head towards her before dusting himself off, the frilly apron that caught most of the dusty brown unceremoniously beaten in an effort to keep from tracking dust all the way back to his room. He sneezed as he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Keitaro…"

She wasn't going to apologize because she didn't have the right. If he hated her, then he'd hate her. If he never wanted to talk to her again, then he wouldn't talk to her again. The fact was that there was nothing she could do about whatever he decided on. The only thing she could do was offer him the truth.

"I won't tell her…" Something in her heart broke as she watched him unlatch the door and slide the door back. "I swear I won't tell-Oh…."

He left without stopping to listen.

She expected as much, but the heart that was broken shattered on the event of his wordless departure. She felt faint for an entirely new reason as she slumped and sunk to her knees. She didn't regret what happened or what she did, but she couldn't put into words what came over her. She didn't know why she locked the door. She didn't know what prompted her to…

Mutsumi killed her train of thought before it reached its destination.

What she did was wrong. That was all that needed to said, all that needed to be admitted. The important thing was that she'd continue to support him just like, if not more than, she did before.

She sprawled out on the floor, resting her head on top of a long braid of brown before spreading her arms out wide. She stared up at the ceiling, silently wondering if he'd ever treat her the same way again. He was always too kind for his own good so it wouldn't be too far out there to believe he would, but the one thing she noted about him that other people didn't was that his eyes never lied.

He'd smile and laugh when he was supposed to, but the true feelings he tried hard to hide were always present in the deep brown she could stare into for days. He'd pretend that everything was alright, but she'd never forget the way he looked at her. She wouldn't be able to ignore the way he'd start looking at her.

Mutsumi sighed, taking the time to drag a finger across her lips as she recalled the kiss. For at least a moment, she wanted to sink into the warmth she felt then so she forced everything that bothered her into the back of her mind. She could worry over the details later. She got what she wanted and, even though she knew she'd regret it eventually, it was worth the significant price she paid.

She sneezed.

Continued…

Author's Note: I think Frailty is a really good title for this story. That said, I'm not that happy with the way I had to set the stage, but the reason Mutsumi is hard to mess with is precisely because of her character. She's just really, really selfless. The closest I can get to keeping her in character is warping it so her desires mix with, say, Keitaro's situation. This story is going to give me some trouble, but I wanted to try to get this chapter out before Christmas at least.

Still, this is my little present for the holidays and thanks for reading everyone.