Disclaimer: I do not own Love Hina or any of the characters contained in here. Love Hina is owned by Ken Akamatsu. This FanFic is purely for the enjoyment of me and for others to read. So please don't sue
Young Love
(Springtime )
It was late afternoon. The sky was clear and the weather nice –neither too warm or cool. Many young couples could be seen walking the streets of Hinata City holding hands, enjoying each other's company on so beautiful a day. One couple, in particular, had just left the local movie theater giggling like school children. The young man, a former ronin in his early 20's—sporting short,sandy brown hair, a slight physique, and glasses was admiring the young lady holding his arm as they walked. She was probably, 18 or 19 years in age, almost the man's height, skin the color of flawless porcelain, gorgeous eyes one could stare at all night, a body still developing it's attractive curves and most striking of all—long, flowing locks of hair which enhanced her already beautiful face. The pair had started dating not too long ago at the advice of mutual friends who thought it was time for both to have fun while they were still young enough to do it. Unfortunately, it wasn't the fairy tale either thought it would be as the pair weren't exactly known for being the best of friend's to begin with. Oil and vinegar gelled better than those two remarked her roommate, Kitsune Konno, when the idea was first suggested. Nevertheless, they gave it a go...with disastrous results. The young lady thought back to how it first started.
There first official date ended when she accidentally spilled her drink all over his lap, totally embarrassing him. Even though he was none the worse for wear, she felt so ashamed at her behavior that she asked to go home. As this was her first date EVER as an adult, she was more nervous than usual. The second date ended when they walked along the riverbank after a more successful dinner out and he accidentally bumped her into the water to avoid the the school age idiots that suddenly appeared near the pair at top speed while riding their bikes. The poor girl, drenched from head to toe, was in tears as she ran away from him after he pulled her out of the water apologizing profusely. Any future chances seemed to have been shot out the window that night. Both resigned themselves to whatever lonely fates were handed them.
So what changed?
Despite the fact that the last date ended as badly as it did, the young man was determined to apologize to her –he owed her THAT much at least. So one morning, after picking up a small bouquet of her favorite flowers, he was heading up the long flight of steps hoping to catch her before she headed out to school. He managed to make it halfway up the stairs when he suddenly heard her sprinting out the door muttering. " I'm late, I'm late I am SO late!" Unfortunately for her, sprinting down a long flight of steps isn't the brightest of moves on a good day. Before she was a fourth of the way downstairs—she tripped! OHMYGOD OHMYGOD she thought, terrified as she felt her body begin its long fall. In the split second she believed she was going to be joining her ancestors that day, she stopped, realizing that she slammed into something or someone. So terrified was she that she didn't realize that her eyes were closed when she started her fall. When she finally opened them, she found herself caught by the younger man who threw down the bouquet so that he could better catch her. Looking at the face of her savior, she saw the look of relief in his eyes as he stared back into her own—tears of relief threatening to flood out. Out of nowhere the young lady threw her arms around the man and just sobbed. The man slowly returned the embrace and just held her. Gently rocking her back and forth until her crying began to fade..
If he hadn't been there when he was, thought the girl as she brought her thinking back to the present. She shuddered to think of the alternative and unconsciously hugged her boyfriend's arm a bit tighter than normal. The move wasn't lost on him as he asked,
"Hey. Everything alright?"
She didn't answer right away, just held him.
He continued, "Um, are you cold? You can wear my windbreaker if you'd like."
She chuckled when he asked this, the weather was perfect as far as she was concerned and told him so.
They walked a little further when they approached the restaurant they have been frequenting. The man asked, "Are you hungry? We can get a bite to eat if you want" Despite the fact that they have suffered no further embarrassing incidents since they were officially a couple, he was still somewhat nervous about certain things.
What he didn't know was his girlfriend was still equally as nervous about things as well. She never really had a boyfriend to speak of (she was really busy these days studying for the upcoming Toudai Exams) and knew for a fact her boyfriend never dated at all before now as well. Remembering what she was just asked, she answered sweetly, "Yea. Dinner sounds good right now." He was pleasantly surprised when he felt her leading him to the restaurant. As late afternoon was almost early evening, they didn't wait long at all for a table. Luckily, it was right by the huge window overlooking the nearby street, The riverbank could be seen slightly past it. As they waited for their supper, the man admired his girlfriend, who rested her head on her hand and stared away into the early evening. He couldn't help but stare at the lovely lady whose beauty matched the setting sun. He took in her form, the way she breathed, the way she smelled(like sweet peaches) whenever they were together, the way she smiled that wonderful smile that could turn a million frowns upside down. He couldn't help but think to himself...
How did I ever get so lucky ? She could have any guy she wanted...but she chose to give this unworthy ronin a chance..
As if sensing what the other one was thinking, the young lady turned toward her companion with an amused smile. She leaned forward a little and asked playfully,
"Whatcha thinkin about? Hmm?"
She chuckled to herself as the question obviously caught him off his guard and he blushed a fierce crimson.
"Um. Nothing much." He lied.
She looked at him skeptically and replied confidently: "Oh suuuure! I bet your thinking perverted thoughts about my body again aren't ya." As if to punctuate her reply , she leaned a bit forward accentuating her full breasts as she teasingly rested her hands on the table.
The young man's blush got worse
"NONO!" He waved his hands in defense. "I wasn't doing that at all."
"No?" she pouted. "I thought you found me pretty." She looked at him with mock sadness.
"No! It's not that at all!" realizing he may have said a bit much louder than he'd like, he looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Embarrassed, he slumped his shoulders.
His girlfriend chuckled, please at how flustered she managed to get him. She reached for his hand and squeezed, "I'm sorry. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. You know I'm not much on teasing." she said to him with genuine affection. Another time, she would have been the shyest person around, but as life goes on, people change.
He squeezed back and replied, " Kitsune would be proud."
"You think so?" Asked the girl, surprised to be compared to her free-spirit of a roommate.
"Well...Yeah. I mean, you never seemed the flirty type when we first met"
"Is that a BAD thing?" she asked, curious.
"N-no! Not at all." He answered again, sheepishly. "I-I just didn't think you had it in you is all."
"Oh really?"she asked again, teasingly. Seeing his flustered expression again, she decided to let him off the hook. "By the way, you never answered my----"
At that moment, there dinner had arrived and that line of conversation ceased. As they ate, they managed the usual small talk instead. The young man was glad his companion seemed to have switched gears during there supper and didn't dwell anymore on the subject. After the meal, dessert was present and they accepted it. Both were delighted as there favorite confections arrived and they acted like small children in a candy store again giggling all through their desserts. As THAT meal finished up, music started playing throughout the restaurant and couples started mingling in the dance area. The young lady's eyes widened up and the young man recognized that look immediately. "Uh oh. I hope she doesn't ask..."
"Can we dance? PLEASE?"
Oh crap! He thought.
"Um, you know I have two left feet when it comes to dancing." he answered sadly.
However, his companion decided to play dirty, and sported the cutest pouty face she could muster. He tried defending his position by bringing up the past two embarrassing incidents that almost stopped their relationship before it started. He added, "Look. I just don't wanna embarrass you again. I mean, what if I step on your toes or something..."
"Or something?" She asked, with pouty face intact.
"Well yeah!" he continued, hoping she would see his point. "I just don't wanna screw us up is all, ok?" he added, in a serious whisper.
His girlfriend actually felt sorry for him at that point and could see why he was scared. Once again, she reached for his hand, squeezed it gently, and said, " I understand. I'm sorry if I seemed pushy. This relationship means a lot to me too, ok?"
He was relieved when she said this, but still felt like a jerk. It was obvious she really wanted to be out on that dance floor and he felt bad for denying her that simple request. At that moment, a different song came up, one with a much SLOWER tempo. Then an idea struck, maybe he can give her her wish and try something new at the same time.
"I hope she doesn't think I'm trying to be a perv." he thinks, unsure of how she'd take it.
"Um. that is." He scratches the back of his head, nervously.
"Hmm?"
"Well. I mean...would you mind if we danced THIS one?"
He was answered with a blush forming on her face. "A slow dance?" She thought.
"That would mean our bodies would be..."
"If you don't want to, I'll understa---"
"--Sure! I'd love to!"She answered happily. She was amused at the surprised look on his face but truth be told, she was delighted.
"O-Ok then." He stammered. He signaled to their waiter and paid their bill. He felt her hand take his as she led them to the dance floor. Sensing how nervous he was she suggested, "Here my former ronin. Put your hand here." She took one of his hands and set it on her waist while holding the other hand in hers. "I'll lead."
She got no argument as she took him through the basics of dancing. Surprisingly, he didn't trip or step on her toes as he feared. He was actually enjoying himself. After the set, everyone in the restaurant clapped and another even SLOWER song came up. He figured she'd want to sit this one out, so he was about to walk away when he felt her hand grab his again. To his surprise, she looked down while blushing fiercely.
"Um, we can dance this one too...if you'd like." She offered, nervously.
Sensing her nervousness, he asked quietly, "You sure?"
She merely nodded and they resumed. The song in question was slower, but very romantic. The young man noted how the other couples had their bodies pressed together and was surprised when he felt his girlfriend do the same. He was equally shocked when her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, pressing her curvaceous body even closer. All he could do was put his arms around her back. Unfortunately, this made her nuzzle closer to his neck as the closeness seemed to have an affect on him.
"Ohman ohman ohman please don't let me screw this up" he thought.As he had never had a woman be this close to his body before. His heart was beating faster at this thought and he slowly felt another part of his anatomy respond as well. Oh NO. PLEASE NOT NOW!
He looked down to see if she noticed the change in his lower abdomen, and noticed that her eyes were closed. Her head seemed to rest on his body, a content look graced her lovely face. His demeanor change at this scene.
She looks like an angel. He thought, his earlier problem seeming to deflate at this observation. With that, he just held her, the woman that he loves, as close as he was able to as if protecting her from whatever bad things would do them harm.
"I can hear your heart beating."she whispered. Breaking him out of his reverie.
"W-what?" he whispered back. Gently stroking her back.
She seemed to purr when he did that but managed to whisper back, "I can hear your heart beating right now. I like how it sounds."
He didn't know what to say. So he decided not to ruin the moment with words. Instead, he stroked the back of her hair, an action which brought her face off his chest—-her eyes, full of affection, met his. They held their gaze for only a moment until there lips met, a gentle, tender kiss shared by young lovers who genuinely care for one another. Both man and woman the other's taste and prayed the moment would last forever. Unfortunately, the moment was broken as the song stopped all too soon and the other dancers clapped for that last set. The two blushed for a few seconds , noticed how dark it was outside, and decided to get his windbreaker so that they can leave.
The two were happily holding hands as they left the restaurant. Nothing was said for a bit as each pondered what had just occurred in the restaurant. Because it was now evening, more of a breeze picked up and the girl shivered under this new change in weather. The man just put his windbreaker around her shoulders without being asked and continued as if the breeze didn't phase him. She grabbed his arm again and put her head on his shoulder. The young couple walked this way for a bit, apparently heading towards Hinata House—where the girl presently lived. It would be a while before they reached the apartments yet, and since neither was in a rush, they decided to take their time getting home. It was the man who decided to break the silence.
"Did you have fun today?" he asked low enough for her to hear as other couples were walking nearby. "I mean, was everything ok?"
She took her head off his shoulder, but didnt let go of his hand and replied, "Yea. It was dreamy. You really know how to make a girl feel special."
"Well." he started a bit nervous. "Thats because I think you really are special." he turned to his companion and saw her blush for what was probably the fourth or fifth time that night(but who's counting). "You ok ?"
"Um...yea." she sniffed back tears of joy as she never really felt this way about a boy and said as much to him.
"Oh?"he asked.
"Oh? w-what do you mean?" she replied nervously, not understanding what he meant.
"Well, I seem to recall you had a massive crush on a certain former tutor of yours. You know, when you were in school." he said with confidence.
"Huh? You mean HIM?" She asked incredulously. "Why are you bringing that up now?"
"Did you or did you NOT have a crush on him?" he pressed not giving her an inch in THIS line of questioning.
"Well, if you must know." She started with some defiance of her own "I most certainly had a massive crush on him...so there! Hmpph!"
"Sometimes I think you still do." He was going to keep goading her in revenge for what she tried to pull in the restaurant when he felt her stop. He looked back and saw her head looking down at the floor, her bangs covering her eyes.
Oh hell, he thought , I hope i didnt push too far. "Hey I was just---"
"He took me here." she said simply.
"Here? Where here?" he asked, confused by what she meant. When he looked at her again, she only pointed.
"There." She said and he follwed to where she was pointing. His eyes bugged out when he saw what she was pointing too. A hotel. However it wasn't just any hotel, it was a LOVE HOTEL. He couldn't believe it. Her tutor took her there? He thought.
"What the heck?" He stammered. "I mean, did you and he...?"
"Gotcha!" she said, her happy mood returning suddenly.
He just stared as she clapped her hands happily and delighted in how dumbfounded he looked. He tried shaking what cobwebs he still had in his head and simply said...
"Confused here!"
After a moment she stopped her playful banter and took his hands in hers again. He just stood there trying to make sense of what was happening. He was relieved when she spoke.
"Ok. Let me fill you in. First you have to promise to absolutely hear me out before you say anything, Ok?"
He nodded weakly.
"Second, don't overreact. I promise it will all make sense."
"Um, ok." was all he could say.
"Ok, my tutor and I DID come to this hotel... She squeezed his hands so as to reassure him. "...BUT nothing happened." she was relieved to see how he relaxed at that statement. She went over how she had failed her school exams and decided to go on a retreat to gather her thoughts. When she realized she couldn't go anywhere real far, she wandered aimlessly around Hinata City. What she didn't realize was her tutor was trying to find her so that he could bring her back home to Hinata House. When he finally caught up with her, it was obvious what a horrible blow she took to her confidence, he decided to regale on his own experiences and how she had time yet to accomplish her goals.
"He really believed in me." she said.
"Ok, I get all that but...how does that hotel fit into all this?"he asked, genuinely concerned.
Oh boy, he's not gonna let me live this down. She thought. Taking a deep breath, she continued.
"Well, he took me to that restaurant we like so much and at the time, I wasn't really old enough to have an ADULT meal...so they automatically gave me a friggin KID"S MEAL! Can you believe that?"
He started to snort.
Crap! She thought in annoyance. "Well, I was so darn miffed at the whole thing that I took his drink and gulped it down, problem was...it wasn't meant for kids."
His snorting turned into a gurgle and her annoyance was starting to get the better of her.
"ANYWAY, I was so loopy at that point that he had to get me outta there before someone reported him for giving a minor alcohol."
"L-Let me guess." He started in between giggle fits, "H-H took you here to sober you up?"
"Well, not exactly." she continued, "After he got us the room that we stayed in, he had me take a shower after he took one?"
His giggling weakened at this, "Oh?"
"Yea, You wanna talk about scared. I'm in the shower, nervous as hell, with my crush only a door away from me."
"You probably had all these sexual fantasies running through your head in there eh?" he asked, pleased with himself that he could get the upperhand on her again.
"YOU NOT HELPING HERE!" she yelled.
His only response was his renewed laughter. If looks could kill, her cold stare would have decimated him 1000 times over. "S-So what happened?"
Calming down a bit, she folded her arms over her ample chest and answered.
"Well, your not wrong. I did have all these...things running through my young brain." She looked in his direction and noted that he was calming down again, "Can I finish?"
"Heh, Please do milady."he answered in an amused tone.
"Ok". she let out another breath and carried on. "I get out of the shower and put my outfit back on, while he was in the living area waiting for me. I was so nervous that I almost bolted out of the room."
"Yet you didn't I take it?"
"No. I just sat next to him and resigned myself in whatever fate had in store."
"Really?"
"Yes really. Can I finish this now please?"
"Haha, sure." he fell silent as she continued.
"So I'm there sitting next to him, nervous as a girl my age can get when she thinks she's gonna lose her...well, ya know."
He simply nodded.
"So then he breaks out this sash and I'm thinking HE"S GONNA TIE ME UP?"
He couldn't help himself, he laughed his butt off again. She sweatdropped yet decided to ignore his latest outburst as she continued.
"So what does he do? After all that anticipation and fanfare?" She paused for effect. "He takes out about 20 books that weren't next to him a sec ago and says were' gonna study all night until I get my problems right."
"OH MY GOD! He didn't." not believing what he had just heard.
"Yup! He did."
"But, where did all those books come from all of a sudden?" he asked, curious at her answer.
"Um, between you and me...I don't think I wanna know."
"Oh."was all he said. Another question nagged his thoughts at that moment.
"Um, can I ask you something a bit personal?"
She was afraid the obvious question was going to pop up, however she simply replied, " Go ahead."
"Ok." he treaded as nice as he could with his question, both out of his own curiosity and his need to see how deep her affection for her former tutor still ran.
"IF things had happened differently---" he started.
"---You DON"T want to know." She interupted. She felt sad at her answer, but she decided she'd be honest about it. Luckily for her, her boyfriend knew said tutor well enough to know that he wouldn't have taken advantage of one of his friends that way and told her as much. She was relieved at such and just stood there taking his hand again.
"So, your not mad?" she asked, unsure.
"Nah. Like I said, he's always been a decent guy. I was just shocked you guys ended up here is all." then he added, "Besides, that sounds JUST like him too."
"Yea. It does doesn't it?" Both chuckled at that and started continuing on their way. He noticed how she still stared at the hotel while they walked.
"Um, everything ok?"
"What? Oh yea. I was just thinking." she said low enough for him to hear. "I wanna go back there someday."
WHAT? Did i hear her right? He thought, his heart beating so fast it threatened to burst from his chest. "A-Are you serious?" he asked with some hope.
To his surprise, she simply answered, "Yea. I'm serious. One of these days...I want to go back there." she looked him square in the eye as she said it, her meaning VERY clear. She noticed him starting to sweat. "You ok?"
"Um..Y-Yea. I'll be good."
"Do you need your tissues?" she asked him seriously, knowing her remark may have shocked him.
"N-No. I'm fine. I just didn't expect you to say that is all."
"I know and I'm sorry. I think it's something we need to talk about at some point don't you?"
What does he say to that? This coming from the LAST person he'd expect to have this conversation with, let alone her bringing it up first. Despite his initial shock, he was quite impressed with how mature she seemed to be handling this. Luckily for her, his own lecherous ways had seemed to lessen by the time they started dating and he was very thankful for that fact.
"Your right. It's something we need to talk about...but not now."
"No?" she asked.
"No. Look I know I used to come off as this cool dude who knew all the moves. But ya know what? I don't know spit and I'm as much a fish out of water with sex as I care to admit."
"Really? You mean you never...?" she let that trail off.
"Nope." he admitted truthfully.
"So you mean we'd be each other's..." she looked down a bit and was blushing so hard that her face was gonna burst. To his credit, he wasn't that far behind either.
"U-Um, yep." he replied, still not believing he was having this conversation.
"Wow." He heard her whisper. Then she felt his hands gently grab her shoulders and face him. She seemed nervous.
"Listen, I-I just want you to know." He paused, trying gather up his courage, "That when you think your ready, I mean REALLY ready."
She gulped, her heart starting to beat as fast as his was earlier. "Y-Yea?"
"When you think your ready...I'll make sure it's special for you. Ok?" he looked into her gorgeous eyes as she did earlier. " I mean that. This isn't some line I'm trying to use, ok?" The nice part was...he really DOES mean it.
She just wrapped her arms around him again and hugged him close, he returned her embrace and whispered, "Your the best thing to ever happen to a bum like me. I'm not gonna mess this up for you."
"I-I know." She started, "I guess I just needed to hear you say it is all."
"It's ok, considering how I used to be, I wouldn't have blamed you if you didn't believe me."
"People change you know. Look at me, I never would have thought i'd bring up something like this with a boy ...EVEN him."
"Yea, Your right about that." he commented while scratching the back of his head.
Sensing the shift in mood, he thought it best if he took her home as the night was full of surprises. "Let's get you home. You have classes tomorrow right?"
She was glad that he thought her studies were important to her, yet regretted ending there evening sooner than either of them would have liked. However, she agreed to his request. Again, they made their way to Hinata House, this time in blissful silence.
It wasn't long before they reached their destination. The were about to reach the steps when they noticed the Urashima Family Tea Shop still had it's lights on. It's proprietor, Huraka Urashima was outside enjoying her favorite ciggy. The couple waved and she was all smiles as she spied her friends make their way toward her.
"Well now. Looks like you too had a good time eh?" she asked.
"Yes we did Huraka-san." Squeeled the young lady, "It was an absolute blast." she regaled to her elder everything they did that night...except the last part about their future plans to visit the hotel.
Haruka seemed pleased with that answer and glanced at the young man. She noted with some amusement how nervous the boy still seemed around her.
"You behaved yourself I take it?" although she knew the two of them were old enough to make their own decisions, she still delighted in teasing them once in a while.
The young man scratched the back of his head in nervousness, but managed to answer. "Y-Yes ma'am." Luckily for him, Haruka seemed to be in a good mood and let the Ma'am crack slide.
Again this seemed to please Haruka as that was along the lines she was hoping to hear. She seemed to remember something and told the pair to wait there. After a moment or so she came out with a small bag.
"Here you go." She said simply as she handed the bag to the young man. "Thought you two might enjoy a little snack before you guys head upstairs."
"Arigato Haruka-San." said the young lady, and the three of them sat while the two young lovers enjoyed the tea cakes that Haruka had made for that day's business.
"By the way Haruka-San, Where is Seta-san?"
"That bum?" She took a slow drag of her ciggy before she continued. "Well, that no-good husband of mine got a call about new ruins pertaining to the Turtle Nation near Australia." She paused again. "You know him by now, he just COULDN'T pass up an opportunity to show the world what a geek he really is."
The two chuckled at Haruka's statement. The proprietor just snorted. A thought had struck her head.
"By the way, it's been a few weeks now since you guys started REALLY dating right?"
The two nodded.
"No offense, but who'd have thought." she stated matter-of-factly
"Yea, no kidding." Answered the young girl, "Then again, If Su and Shirai can give it a go...then we should be a shoe-in i'd think." her boyfriend nodded in agreement.
"My god, I wasn't even thinking that." replied Haruka, pleasantly surprised at being reminded of one of the most unlikely pairings going. Then again, she thought, he is a Mecha-Otaku and she is an honest to goodness Mecha Creator so the pairing seemed more fitting than everyone first thought. "By the way, has anyone heard from them since they left for that DDR competition in Tokyo?"
It was the young man who answered, " Yup. He emailed me this morning and said that they managed to make the semi-finals last night. I won't know how they did until tomorrow."
"Oh my god! Can you imagine if they make it all the way?" asked his girlfriend.
"Makes sense perfect sense to me. Takes a lot of energy just to catch up to Su as it is." She blew smoke through her nose then continued. "He keeps this up, all that extra padding of his will go away."
"Wouldn't be a bad thing. He always wanted to try and take better care of himself, he just never had the right...motivation before." he commented wryly.. The other two women understood and they all continued there conversation for a while longer until Haruka suggested that they enjoy the rest of their evening while she closed up shop. The couple said their goodnights and made their way up the stairs toward the dorm not realizing the older woman was watching them as they went.
Good luck you two. She thought, You guys are gonna need it. Then returned to her Tea House.
The two made their way up the steps holding hands. When they finally reached Hinata House, they noted how most of the windows were dark, possibly meaning that the rest of the residents were retired for the evening. They opened the door carefully and made their way in, slipped off their shoes, and noticing a light on in the kitchen decided to head in its direction. It didn't take long to smell the hot cocoa being made and the young girl knew exactly who could be making such a wonderful snack this time of night. When they arrived, they noticed how odd that FOUR mugs were already placed on the table instead of one or even two and just stood there until the building's only male occupant acknowldged them.
As if on cue, Keitaro Urashima turned around, smiled at the new arrivals and said he'd be right with them while indicating that they were welcome to sit down. They did so and waited. Normally, one would take the shortcut and buy the prepackaged powder people normally buy, put it in a mug, mix it with hot milk or water and call it a night. However, the landlord, having a more than passing familiarity with chocolate, would have none of that. Hot milk would be used of course, but slowly simmered and mixed with REAL slivers of high quality chocolate. The young lady, no stranger to the culinary arts herself, admired his skill with such a snack.
"Sempai? Do you need any help?" Offered Shinobu Maehara, Hinata House's own resident chef.
"No thank you Shinobu-Chan." he answered happily while pouring the decadent mixture in three out of the four mugs. He put a cover on the leftover mixture, set the stove to warm, and brought two of the mugs to his guests then joined them on the table while grabbing his own mug. They both noticed him wearing his nightclothes, obviously beginning to retire for the evening.
"So," he started, while taking a careful first sip of his cocoa "did both you and Haitani enjoy your day?"
"Oh yes Sempai. It was awesome." and both her and one of his oldest schoolmates regaled their adventures of the day, including the movie and the awkward dancing at the restaurant.
"That's good you two. I'm glad to hear those two false starts didn't stop you guys from giving it another try."
"Yea," said Haitani looking affectionatelly at his girlfriend, who met his gaze,
"I'm glad we didn't let it either."
Keitaro chuckled lightly at their display of affection, not unlike his own with Naru when she stopped denying her true feelings for the former ronin.
"Sempai?"
"Mmm?"
"Um, How did you know to set four mugs instead of your usual two?"
"Yea man, how did you know? You were freaking us out a minute ago."
"A little bird told him." Came a new voice. Both Shinobu and Haitani swung their head around to see Naru Urashima, also wearing a housecoat make her way to the chair next to her husband. As she sat, he prepared the final mug of cocoa, set it in front of her, turned off the stove, gave her a quick peck on the mouth, and resumed his sitting. The two had been married a little over a year now and had settled somewhat into a routine, however their affection for each other was still evident in their actions. If there was an example of two people most likely to not fall in love yet beat the odds against them, and be together, then there they sat.
"Actually, his Aunt called me from the teashop as soon as you guys were in view and Keitaro thought you would like some cocoa to wash down those tea cakes she gave you."
"Oh my god!" Said a distraught Shinobu. "The TeaCakes! If we had known you guys were still up--"
The two Urashimas just chuckled. "It's ok Shinobu-Chan. Kitsune brought some up earlier when her shift was done. The four of us used them for dessert after supper."
Shinobu felt relieved, she liked sharing with her unofficial older siblings and felt bad when she couldn't.
"So, Haitani." Began Naru, "How does it feel to be the last of the original ronin trio to date a Hinata hunny, hmm." She teased. Shinobu was starting to blush and as usual her sempai was about to come to her rescue when Haitani answered for himself.
"The truth?" He asked.
Keitaro's wife nodded.
He put his arm around Shinobu's shoulder, kissed her softly on her forehead and said, "Like I told her tonight, she's the best thing to happen to this bum ever."
Shinobu hugged him fierce.
Keitaro grinned.
Naru, pleased with how much the young man has changed these last couple of years decided to let him off the hook however... "That's good to hear. Cuz you know what happens if she tells me otherwise?"
"Um, I either get a Naru Punch or a Rock Splitting Sword, right." he asked nervously.
"You got it buster."She answered in mock threatening tone.
"Not so much the Rock Splitting Sword you have to worry about Haitani". Added the landlord, to everyone's surprise, "Motoko likes to mix things up lately so you never know what she does. "But Naru's Punch, well let's hope you never get on her bad side."
Everyone was wide-eyed at that admission, even Naru.
Keitaro merely finished his mug and asked if everyone else was done. When they said they were, he took the mugs and started his cleanup.
"So, husband of mine, your saying you never get used to them?" she asked teasingly.
"Truth?"
"Uh huh?"
"These days Naru. It's cheaper than driving and faster than the train."he finishes matter-of-factly.
The other three couldn't help but laugh at the extremely odd logic Keitaro presented. Unfortuantely, in his and Naru's case...it made insane sense. All Keitaro had to do was pretty much point in the direction he needed to go, and brace himself, that simple.
"Sempai, your too much!"
"Yea man. Only you could figure out a new form of transportation."
"Geez Keitaro." finished Naru.
Keitaro rejoined them at the table and rememberred to relay a message.
"By the way Shinobu-Chan, Your parents called." he noticed her stiffen a bit, "they've invited you and Haitani for supper this weekend. I'm guessing they finally want to meet the other person in your life." he gauged her response.
Haitani looked at his girlfriend, who asked her former tutor. "What did you say to them sempai?"
"Well, I told them Haitani was a lecherous pig who wanted to get in your pants."
"WHAT?" Said the three in unison.
"Sempai, you didn't?" her eyes almost watering like they used too.
He paused for a moment and pretended to think. His wife knew that look and smirked.
"I'm pulling your leg Shinobu-Chan."
"You wish." said Naru, smirking again.
Shinobu blushed.
Keitaro ignored his wife's attempt at baiting him and told Shinobu his REAL response to her parents.
"Look. I told them that I'd be glad to pass along the message and made sure you knew about Haitani being invited. Your dad and I had a conversation about him afterwards."
"Oh man. What did you say?"asked Haitani.
"I told him I went to school with you and that you made his daughter the happiest she has been."
"You did? Oh thank you sempai!" Shinobu got up , went to the landlord and gave him a fierce hug from behind. Naru continued to smirk and Haitani chuckled.
"U-Um Shinobu. The last train back here stopped 30 minutes ago and I don't feel like taking a trip right now."
Shinobu immediately stopped, as she didnt want Keitaro to get in trouble because of her affection towards him
"Heh, don't worry. I'm getting used to the others showing more PDA towards you these days. Just don't go TOO far and we'll be ok. Deal?"
"Deal." And they actually shook on it.
As it was getting late, Haitani decided he should take his leave, to Shinobu's distress. She looked to her to elder's who symapthized but reminded her that Motoko was still upstairs sleeping. As much as she is now used to both Keitaro and Seta being around, both Haitani and Shirai will still take some getting used too. The only thing preventing Motoko from doing anything to Haitani's roomate when Su brings him over is the fact that she always seems to have Tama or his mechanical cousins around, keeping the swordswoman at bay. They didn't want to risk a misunderstanding and hurt Haitani. Naru promised she would discuss the change in relationships with Motoko soon so there wouldn't be any issues. However, Keitaro made a quick phone call, hoped the person he was calling was still up and when he was done, announced.
"I just spoke to my Aunt. She still has a room you can use tonight if your interested."
The other three fell silent, it was a known fact that Haruka Urashima had only two living spaces in the Tea house, The first that she and her husband shared, and the other that was only ever occupied by Mutsumi...before she died two years ago. Keitaro himself knew this, but instead tried to take the best of what has happened. Shinobu was delighted and offered to make her boyfriend breakfast if he came up early enough to which haitani happily agreed. A not-so-quick goodnight kiss between Shinobu and Haitani officially ended their date and he departed for the Tea Shop.After he left, Shinobu went to her elders, gave them both a goodnight kiss on the cheek and thanked them for not letting Haitani walk all the way back to his apartment this late in the evening.
As the two Urashima's saw Shinobu happily hop upstairs, they went about locking up the dorm for the night and retire for the evening. As they walked upstairs together, Naru noticed how quiet her husband had been since Haitani left. Taking one of his hands in hers, she said.
"Your thinking about tomorrow aren't you?"
He said nothing, but nodded.
"It'll be two years tomorrow and I still miss her like it happened yesterday."
"Me too." he whispered.
They reached there apartment and made their way in, settled onto the futon and covered themselves up with their comforter.
"We'll go visit her tomorrow, like we promised. Then we'll go back on the hill and remember the good times we had together, ok Keitaro?"
Keitaro smiled weakly and kissed his wife.
"I love you. You know."
"I love you too Keitaro." She paused, "I also know you loved her very much."
She put one finger to his lips before he could speak and whispered.
"Hey. It's ok, I've accepted how much you guys meant to each other a long time ago. I'm just glad she was able to love you before..." she let that trail.
"I'm sorry Naru. Part of me will always love her. I'll understand if you think it makes me a jerk."
"Oh no. None of that mister. Mutsumi loved a lot of people. Some more than others. But the one thing I will never ever hold against her is how much she loved you. Don't you go and make that seem small now ok?"
"Oh Naru..."
"She was my friend too...and I still miss her so much." She started to cry, but Keitaro took his wife in his arms and held her.
Keitaro started to sing a melody to his wife that always seemed to make her happy. Naru recognized the melody and simply nuzzled closer to her husband--smiling. Both Urashima's enjoyed this sad but tender moment on the night before the anniversary of Mutsumi's death. In moments, they fell into a peaceful sleep. However, if one could hear closely, one could almost hear the same melody being sung by the young okinawan herself.
Author's Notes: Hi again. First off I want to thank everyone who reviewed REMEMBER my first original fic since A Love Hina Valentine. ( 10 reviews yikes) As some of you had guessed, I tried to fake people out with a wedding Motif and into...well, I won't spoil it for those reading this first. As you may have also guessed, this takes place in that Universe after the events in Remember but I wouldnt call it a sequel. Did anyone guess who the couple was before I let the cat outta the bag? Let me know what you think. Also, let me know if a PREQUEL should be made. No Must Reads tonight until I get back to Friend. Except...look out for Love Hina: Reunion Chapter 4( once i finish proofreading it anyway) By my friend Songlark2000. Anyhow, goodnight.