The Promise

I do not in any way, shape, or form own Love Hina or any of the characters. That belongs to Ken Akamatsu.

Prologue

The town of Hinata. As far as towns in Japan go, Hinata was definitely one of the quieter ones. The town was relatively small, with a big chunk of the residents being of the older persuasion. Which isn't much of a surprise, if you consider the actual age of the town, it being around since the days of the Emperors and feudal lords. If one were to stay long enough, they might confuse the place for a giant retirement community. However, as one would expect of an older town, the place was not without its history. In the deepest part of the city, there lies an inn, supposedly as old as the town itself. This however was no ordinary inn. This was the Hinata inn, named after the city in which it resides, and owned by the Urashima family, one of the oldest families in Japan.

It is here that our story begins, in a sandbox with the newest member of the Urashima family, 4 year old Keitaro Urashima and his two playmates Mutsumi Otohime (4), and Naru Narusegawa(2).

"Hey Kei-kun," Mutsumi stated, getting Keitaro's attention. "Did you know, if two people who love one another can enter Tokyo University together, they will live happily ever after?"

Young Keitaro's interest had been peaked at her question. There was a way for him and his friends to stay together forever? That would be the best thing in the world!

"How do we do it," Keitaro questioned? "Don't things like that usually need a spell or something? And what about Na-chan, she can barely talk? What if it won't work if she can't say it right," Keitaro's voice began to waver as he began to worry for their younger friend?!

"Don't worry Kei-kun, I'm pretty sure that as long as we just promise to go to Tokyo U together, that's all that we will need," Mutsumi reassured to Keitaro. "All we need is to say our promise out loud, and do something to show that we are serious about it."

It was at this point that Naru finally decided to speak up… or tried to. "How we do that, Mu-chan?"

Mutsumi had to think on this for a second, as she wasn't sure how to answer. After sitting there with a cute frown, her eyes lit up as if the proverbial light bulb in her head went off. "I got it," she shouted out loud. "We can just do like they do in old fairy tales, and seal our promise with a kiss."

At that suggestion, Keitaro and Naru's blush turned on full power. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone except to say goodnight to their parents. Apparently Mutsumi didn't have any reservations about it, as she quickly grabbed a hand from both of them.

"Alright, so here's what were gonna do. We stand in a circle together and all say at the same time 'I promise that we'll all go to Tokyo U together' at the same time. Then we each kiss each other to seal the promise."

While slightly embarrassed about it, both Keitaro and Naru wanted for the three of them to be together forever, so they smiled and voiced their being ready. As one, they all counted down from three and chorused, "I promise we will all go to Tokyo U together."

Following their promise, Mutsumi quickly pecked Keitaro on the lips, an action that left the both of them blushing. Keitaro followed suit and quickly kissed Naru, and Naru kissed Mutsumi.

As if some higher being witnessed their innocent vow, the wind picked up briefly, and the sky seemed to get just a little bit clearer.

Unfortunately for the trio, the day came where both Naru and Mutsumi moved away. Naru's health had gotten 100 percent better, and Mutsumi's dad found a better job running his own fishing company with a friend out of Okinawa. Keitaro was deeply saddened at his friends leaving, but "The Promise" kept his heart filled with hope that they would one day all meet again.

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My first ever submitted fanfiction… Christ I'm lazy. I've been a follower of many authors over the years, some who still write, some who don't for one reason or another, and even a couple who passed away in accidents. And for the first time, I finally got up the nerve to start my own story. I'm going to try to be original, but don't be surprised if some stuff seems similar to other stories. Some things get used over and over because they are popular, and that's just the way it is. I won't need reviews to fuel my writing, but I do want reviews to tell me of any mistakes I make. I think the best way to learn is to look at something from multiple perspectives.